Exit Ticket: December 2025
10 books to read, 2 cookbooks to try, and 8 things I'm looking forward to this semester (both in and beyond the classroom)
10 Books to Read
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai — If you’re ready for a commitment, this is the 700ish page tale for you. Sonia and Sunny are born in India, but their lives take them across the globe. Sonia, a wistful writer, believes she is haunted by a former lover who stole her grandfather’s mysterious icon to use as his artistic muse. Sunny, an aspiring journalist, struggles to write about his birthplace without reducing it to clichés. Both characters flounder in the in-betweenness of immigrants who aren’t sure where they belong, except with each other.
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson — In this “holiday special” of Stevenson’s Ernest Cunningham series, Ernest, an accidentally famous solver of crimes, must clear his ex-wife’s name when her partner is murdered. Pit stops along the way to uncovering the crime include a magic show, a cable car, and a cache of secret Santa gifts/clues. The book is thoroughly entertaining, as both my co-workers and daughter will agree.
Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck — Here’s your proof that slim books are not slight. A century and a half of Germans are connected through the single piece of land. Although a knowledgeable gardener and a lakeside cottage offer throughlines across generations, this novel is not just about a garden or a house. Erpenbeck explores reverberations of German history through her intertwined characters. This was a challenging read for me, in the best of ways. I often finished a chapter only to turn back and reread it to understand the subtle ways Erpenbeck floated between timelines. Read this one if you want to slow down and savor the writer’s craft.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — Adichie’s novel follows two Nigerians, Ifemelu and Obinze, whose vastly different experiences as immigrants challenge their ideas of home and belonging. Ifemelu goes to college in America and writes a blog about race, while Obinze barely scrapes by illegally in England. To be honest, I have been hesitant to reread Americanah because I admired it so much when it first came out. Would Ifemelu’s fictional blog about race in America hold up here, on the other side of Black Lives Matter? Would her critique of Barack Obama’s first election feel relevant in a Trump 2.0 world? Yes and yes. I can’t think of a book more deserving of being called a “modern classic.”
Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy — The only thing more fun than telling my students what they should is read is having one of my students tell me, “Hey, Mrs. Dusto, you should read this book I just finished!” That’s how I found my way to Scorched Grace, which is the tale of a queer, tattooed nun named Sister Holiday who makes it her business to find the arsonist who seems intent on ruining her school and church. Read this book for a broody escape to New Orleans, humidity and sweat included.
Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles — In what must be an obligatory book club structure, this novel has dual timelines. In one, librarian Jessie Carson joins a group of women dedicated to helping France rebuild during and after WWI. In the other, a 1980s librarian discovers Jessie’s story in the New York Public Library archives and wants to learn more. I was far more interested in the 1918 timeline and would have preferred to read more about Jessie. For a glimpse at a lesser-known WWI story, check out this one.
6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk — My favorite Christmas ritual comes after presents and cookies and breakfast, when I choose a new book and read the entire thing before going to bed. 6:40 to Montreal was that book for me this year, and it was perfect timing because it takes place during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Agatha is a novelist in a rut, so her husband books her a one-day ticket to Montreal and back as a DIY writing retreat. But when the track gets stalled in a snowstorm and a passenger dies, she won’t be allowed to wallow in her writer’s block. I like a good mystery, but what I really enjoyed in this book was Agatha’s perspective as a mother who is also facing cancer. Mystery fans: Read this one! (Bonus points if you watch Murder on the Orient Express in advance.)
Becoming Sarah by Diane Botnick — What a treat it was to catch up with Diane at her Tattered Cover reading last fall! I met Diane through Lighthouse Writers Workshop a few years ago (more about that here). Her debut novel tells the story of Sarah, a woman who is born in Auschwitz and struggles to make sense of her identity. Is she Jewish if she wasn’t raised in that faith? Is she a daughter if she never knew her mother? Is she a mother if she loses her daughter? The story spans a full century, allowing us to see Sarah confront and re-evaluate these questions throughout her life. I enjoy Diane’s writing so much that I read this book over two days. Read this one for a compelling mix of beautiful sentences and flawed characters.
Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times by Tracy K. Smith — I didn’t plan to read this book in one sitting, but when our flight to Portland was diverted to Medford and turned into a six-hour trip instead the usual two-hour jaunt, I was so grateful to have Tracy K. Smith’s insights to keep me calm. If you haven’t read her poetry, start with Life on Mars. It’s fantastic. Then turn to Fear Less, where she reflects on what poetry means, how it connects, and why it matters (hint: empathy). Although she includes one of her poems, most of the book is dedicated to close readings of her favorite poems. If you haven’t read a poem since high school, pick up this book!
Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner — I really couldn’t tell you how this title came my way, but because I was stuck in Medford and my other book was packed into a suitcase in the underbelly of our stupid plane, I was quite glad that a former me had loaded this on my e-reader. Edith is a romance novelist whose friends pack her off to a off-season resort after her scandalous behavior at home. At first the hotel’s other visitors provide fodder for her imagination, but as she gets to know them more intimately, she’s forced to ask herself whether she’s willing to risk love for comfort. Read this one if you like a study of manners, a la Edith Wharton.
2 Cookbooks to Try
The Elements of Baking by Katarina Cermelj — I shared this book a year ago, but I’ve tried even more recipes from it now and cannot recommend her gluten-free and dairy-free cinnamon rolls enough. Plus her sugar cookies. And gingerbread cookies. Oh, and did I mention her bread? Really, it’s all delicious (and easier than you expect).
What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers — I’d seen a few posts from Caroline Chambers that inspired me to check out her cookbook from the library. My whole family loved her Peanutty Pork and Brussels. Turns out, all of her recipes are so easy and good that I had to get the book for my sister.
8 Things I’m Looking Forward To This Semester
If you ask me—and okay, we both know you didn’t ask me, but since you’ve read this far, let’s pretend you did—New Year’s resolutions are figments of our collective capitalist imagination. They are the toxic by-products of an ultra-competitive, “beat yesterday” mentality that doesn’t do anybody much good (except, of course, for the companies and charlatans that promise yesterday can be indeed conquered for the low, low price of your sanity).
I’m all for setting goals and pursuing self-improvement, whatever that looks like to you, but do it on your timeline, not when the self-help/fitness/wellness/fill-in-the-blank industry tells you to. Do it because it’s meaningful to you, not because it’s trending, you know?
So instead of tallying all the things I “should” be doing “better” right now, I’m choosing to focus on the positive happenings and celebrations coming up this semester.
JANUARY
AP Lit Book Clubs — I’ve been reading and rereading some of my favorite longer books to curate a list for AP students this spring. Stay tuned for the final selections (hint: one of the titles is listed above!).
American Stories Project — For as long as I’ve taught Honors English 10, the class has included a year-long independent study of some sort. I’m thrilled about this year’s iteration. Our class covers American Literature chronologically, but four times a semester, we take an entire class period to read and discuss texts from voices that are often overlooked. For each ASP day, students choose 2 of the 5 or 6 texts (poems, stories, essays, articles, or films) to read and annotate for homework. When they come to class, we start with a whole-class introduction prompt before breaking into groups for smaller discussions. Although students have chosen different texts, they are looking for patterns and connections. I was excited about this project in August, but my sophomores have exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait to get started up again in January. If you want to see what it’s all about, check out our reading list here or our discussion activities here.
FEBRUARY
Ethical dilemma essays — After last fall, there is nothing I want to read about less than AI, especially if there is any likelihood at all that said writing was spit out by AI. Instead of assigning students an ethical dilemma essay about AI, as I’ve done the last two years, I’m assigning them an ethical dilemma essay, period. We’ll review the concept by reading both sides of the argument surrounding repatriation of museum artifacts before students choose their own topics. This is an assignment for the second semester of my concurrent enrollment college composition class. (Are you teaching a CE class and don’t know where to start?? Here’s my syllabus.)
MARCH
Brandi Carlile in Portland — Did I just see her in September? Yes. Can you ever have too much Brandi? No, especially when the concert is an early birthday treat with your mom and sister.
The Keeper by Tana French — Tana French has a new book coming out? And on my actual birthday, no less? Who cares about being 40 in such a world!
APRIL
Spring piano recital — I want to play far more pieces than I can realistically prepare by April, but if all goes well, I’ll be playing some Lili Boulanger. I love discovering new composers. Somehow I wandered across Brianna Conrey’s performance of “Cortege,” and I’ve been obsessed with the tune ever since. Here’s hoping I can pull it off.
MAY
5th grade continuation — When school lets out in May, I’ll have an actual middle schooler on my hands. If my daughter’s first day of kindergarten was any indication, I will be crying on her last day of fifth grade. Happy tears! Or proud tears? Or I-know-everyone-says-it-goes-so-fast-but-I-really-didn’t-believe-them tears? All of the above, most likely.
JUNE
Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum — What better way to start my summer than with Courtney Maum’s newest book? Her books make me laugh and cry, and her Before and After the Book Deal newsletter makes me feel like maybe getting a novel published one day isn’t the craziest dream I’ve ever had. I’ve pre-ordered my copy of Alan Opts Out, and you should, too!
Happy 2026!
Kate
I didn't know you are a piano player! Exciting :) I played all through high school and then dropped it, but now I'm looking for a piano to get back into it.