We've come to the end of the Better Living Through Criticism blogging challenge.  This professional critic declares it a success.

Now, on the heels of a busy month of scintillating reviews, I've decided to start another new blog feature, which is the Quarterly Review.  It's going to be a series of little lists, and I know everyone will enjoy them.  I aim to do them at the end of March, June, September, and December.

Here we go:

The Three Best Books I Read in the First Quarter: 

• The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin. A middle grade novel certain to captivate. Sweet, emotional, heartfelt, and convincing.
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. A Harry Potter nerd's paradise. Sisters, first love, coming-of-age.
• The Martian by Andrew Weir. Super sciencey, but also hilarious and suspenseful. A total package. And the movie stars my celebrity boyfriend, Matt Damon.

• 2016 NBA Slam Dunk Contest - Aaron Gordon vs. Zach LeVine.  Okay, although I don't personally recommend this video, I will say that now that I've been forced to watch it (that's what you get for asking for help from your children when you blog), I can tell you that some of the dunks are truly remarkable.
• 2016 College Lacrosse Promo.  Shef is obsessed with lacrosse.  I'm not, though.
• Giant Basketball Arcade Battle - Dude Perfect.  These are some dudes who do competitions with each other.  This time, they do skee-ball with a baskeball on a giant ramp.  It's kind of dumb, but oddly hypnotic.

Three Blog Posts by Other People that Really Rocked It:

• Requiem for a Crock Pot Dish by Pronto Pup. Features the usual humor, but also with a hilarious dash of failure. This is the only recipe Pronto has featured that resulted in a trip out for dinner.
• Sankalpa 4 by Leeway. Something about The Bachelor contestants living a wide awake life really makes me laugh.  Also, it makes me laugh that Lee talks about texting her husband while competing on The Bachelor.  This reminds me of how Dan and I discuss how our hometown dates would be really fun: "I really hope Krystal likes my wife and kids. If she doesn't, it could be a real deal breaker."
• New Yorker! by Rachel. My sister has really excelled at being a new blogger.  This entry about changing the address of her New Yorker subscription is spot on.