It started with the Westing Game. The e-book went on sale, and while we own multiple copies of the paper version, we decided we needed a copy to keep in our pocket — a boost for a bad day.

Then it was Beverly Cleary’s books. How could we walk through the world without the ability to read about Ramona whenever the mood arose?

We may be regressing.

Someone in my Facebook feed posted a meme about how re-reading books (or re-watching shows) is soothing because our brain can predict what will happen next because the story is already familiar. It makes our brain feel safe in an unpredictable, new situation.

I’ll go with that.

What is your favourite childhood book you’d want to re-read?

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from April.

A Flaw in the Design (Nathan Oates): I raced to finish this thriller because I wanted to know what would happen, and it definitely didn’t go where I thought it would go. The author did a really good job keeping the reader off-balance without feeling like you’re about to fall. It’s a great book if you like unreliable narrators and open questions.

The Golden Spoon (Jessa Maxwell): This book was going along so well and completely fell apart at the end. Just like a cake on the Great British Bake Show, which is the setting (a fictitious version) for this mystery. I wish she had stuck the landing, but the book was so enjoyable up until that point that I would give it a chance.

The Cruelest Month (Louise Penny): This is the third Inspector Gamache, and it’s the book where I felt Penny ease into her series. The first two books are good but not great. But the third book (and points beyond) are not only great mysteries but also fantastic world and character-building. I love Three Pines and will keep reading until the end of the series.

A Tidy Ending (Joanna Cannon): I bumped this book up to the top of my TBR list on the strength of a bookseller’s bestseller list, and it did not disappoint. It is bonkers, similar to a Samantha Downing book. It was a very clever read.

What did you read last month?

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

The twins’ Kindergarten teacher was an incredible educator. I stayed in touch with her after the kids moved through other grades and the teacher moved out of the area. The twins invited her to their B’nai Mitzvah because they loved her so much.

I reached out to give her an update about the twins, and she shared that she was now a grandmother and sent along pictures. One circle ends, and another one begins. She gets to provide childcare when her daughter goes back to work. My heart was so happy for her.

Some of my happiest moments are reconnecting with someone I haven’t spoken to or seen in a long time, which is strange because I need to lose touch with them to gain that happiness. But it is what it is.

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.

This year has been a year of lasts. Last first day of school. Last September, October, and November at home. Last high school test. Last class project.

Last Mother’s Day here.

For the next four years, we almost definitely will not be together — this will be either finals week or moving-out-of-the-dorm week. After that, there is a possibility they will both live at home, but I can’t count on that. Instead, I have to understand that this will be the last time we’re all together for this holiday.

I still have a lot of complicated feelings about this day. It’s not a celebration like my birthday. The day makes me feel quiet inside. The word I most associate with it is permission. It always felt like a gatekeeper stood in front of this Hallmark holiday, and I spent year after year waiting to be let in. And then, once there, all you can think about is the time you spent at the gate. The journey to get here. The ache of all of the feelings you always had around the day.

Having the twins with me was part of processing those feelings.

It’s just a day. My feelings today are more knowing that in a few months, they’ll be at school, and I will be here. Missing them.

Each time I opened up Facebook on Wednesday, my entire feed — ten or more posts in a row each time — was about Heather Armstrong. Either posts about mental health in general (and open offers of support) or Heather and her impact on the blogging world. Really, the writing world. Would blogging have curved along the same road without her? Maybe not. At least, I think she changed the blogosphere for women, if not all writers.

I have nothing profound to say. Just a quiet sadness for a voice missing from the world.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

*******

And now the blogs…

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “That Day Again: 20 Coping Tips” (No Kidding in NZ)

Okay, now my choices this week.

I had No Kidding in NZ’s post about Mother’s Day for this week. The day is charged for lots of people and lots of reasons. It is fantastic advice and perspective for anyone struggling to get through Sunday.

Lastly, Infertile Phoenix gives another update about reconnecting with an old friend. She explains how infertility impacted her and writes, “She said she couldn’t be there for me because she didn’t know what was going on. I told her that, in retrospect, I don’t think anyone could have been there for me at the time. Even if they knew everything.” I don’t think people can truly fathom the emotional pain accompanying infertility and pregnancy loss. I think Phoenix captured that depth well in this post.

The roundup to the Roundup: Dooce. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between May 5 – 12) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.