Favorite things of March

1. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

   This book was exactly as the reviews say—the sweetest, coziest little fantasy coffee shop dream. It has just enough drama to keep the plot interesting and the most precious characters. The perfect escape from the current events of non-magical Earth (as we all very much need—the news just doesn’t stop sucking).

2. Nara Baby

   I wrote recently about Baby, Unplugged, the part-memoir, part-research on baby-related technology. One note I just swcratched the surface of is how much the author despises baby tracking. I talked about the Owlet which is a form of tracking, but one with a very clear and narrow purpose of ensuring baby is doing the most basic things of life, namely breathing. But Brickman hates all forms of tracking, from sleep to feeding to diapers. She can feel however she wants, but tracking my son’s feedings and naps on an app has helped us immensely, and Nara Baby is the best tracking app ever. It’s efficient and aesthetically pleasing, but the best part is there is NO paid version, so not once has there ever been a suggestion of upgrading or subscribing—a quality that is completely unheard of in 2025. It is so refreshing not to be bombarded with ads while I’m just trying to record Honor’s last feeding so I don’t have to spend as much time later wondering whether or not he might be hungry—I can just quickly check how long it’s been since his last feeding and get an immediate answer. I do think there is something to the method of forgoing tracking and trying to just go off baby’s cues, but it does make things easier throughout the day, and I need the peace of mind that his patterns are staying consistent so I can easily tell if he’s not feeling well based on decreased feedings. Anyway, shoutout to the mom behind Nara—thank you for letting me balance motherhood with the thousand other things I have to do and not making me watch commercials to do it.

3. Literary agents who actually give feedback

   Finally I got some feedback!! Something I can work with!! I was told my opening pages rely too much on exposition and “telling” rather than showing. Do I agree? Meh, kind of. My character is introspective! But yeah, it could be a bit heavy on that. At least I have a new direction to try.

4. Jandy Nelson’s sentences

   Every single line this woman writes makes me feel like I should quit writing and so should everyone else because no one can ever write sentences as magical as hers. I'm savoring her newest book, When the World Tips Over, for as long as I can.

5. Adolescence (Netflix) and White Lotus Season 3 (HBO MAX)

   Put Mark Zuckerberg in jail!!!!!! That’s the conclusion I draw (again) from Netflix’s new series Adolescence, so aptly named for how important it is that we look at teenage life and how it has been absolutely robbed of joy and adventure due to Instagram and similar apps. And as always White Lotus continues to be the absolute apex of social commentary. Whoever writes this show sees all and knows all and should really be telling us all how to live.

Tell me some of your favorite things of March in the comments!