Happy Monday! I wanted to steer very clear of April Fools Day, so here’s a delayed monthly recap for your morning.
Best Book I Read This Month
The Club was one of those books I checked out on a whim but found myself recommending immediately after finishing. Plot twist after effortless plot twist. It has been a long time since I turned the final few pages of a book with truly no idea how it was going to end. Highly recommend it if you are needing a good piece of fiction. (Fair warning though, this is not for the kids.)
Best Article I Read This Month
When picking my favorite article from each month, I automatically go look at the ones I have shared on Facebook – it’s a pretty good barometer for what I find interesting enough to share. There were so many good ones this month, but I think the most important story I could share is this profile on a high-risk pregnancy in prison. Devastating. The handling of prison pregnancies is a place where pro-lifers and criminal justice reformers (both of which I consider myself to be) should be teaming up to enact change.
Tip + Trick of the Month
This comes from James Clear of Atomic Habits notoriety:
“Nearly everything in life has a useful zone, a desired dose. Ten minutes in the sun can energize you. Ten hours in the sun can burn you. This concept applies to many things: work, relationships, hobbies, exercise, food. What is your desired dose? What do you need right now? A little bit more or a little bit less?
Quote of the Month
“Libertarianism is the ‘diet and exercise’ of politics. No one wants to hear it. Implementing it will be painful sometimes. But it’s the only way to make our society healthy. There simply is no other option.”
While the original quote is from @checkmatestate on Twitter, the addendum from Reason’s Nick Gillespie is worth considering.
Kelvey’s Thought for the Month
I watch a lot of shark attack documentaries. It’s actually an absurd amount. As a result, I end up thinking about shark attacks potentially more than the average person, especially when I know I am visiting the ocean. (Imagine my relief when I discovered that my last seaside vacation spot had not had a documented shark attack over the last six decades.)
I consume a lot of shark attack documentaries, so I think about shark attacks more. If you consume a lot of angry political Twitter or fearful news, what is going to slowly take over your thinking? We become what we consume, so consume well.
Enjoy your April! I’ll see you next month.
KELVEY OLIVIA VANDER HART 