Just as spot-on as “1984.” Who knew Fitzgerald and Orwell were so prophetic.

A pleasant-enough memoir about Colin Jost‘s childhood growing up on Staten Island and his journey to becoming a writer and “news” co-anchor on “Saturday Night Live.” #NonfictionNovember #NFN

#TodayILearned that Jost‘s mother, Dr. Kerry Kelly, the first female chief medical officer of the NYFD, was on site at the World Trade Center on 9/11 and narrowly escaped being killed when Tower 2 collapsed. Her life story is more interesting than his!

A character-driven novel about two families in Ohio, with a narrative arc that spans 50 years from pre-WWII to the 1980s-ish. It‘s about choices made and secrets kept, and the long-term ramifications of said decisions. This quote sums it up best: “Wasn‘t it a fair measure of a person, what they did with their mistakes?” I enjoyed this book; the characters were flawed and things were not wrapped up with a neat bow. Just like real life.

“She died. And now she has to be born.”
A heartfelt and poignant memoir of a pregnancy where the author and her husband discover at 22 weeks that their daughter will not survive, and the decisions they must make amidst the current political landscape to save her own life.
#NonfictionNovember #NFN
#TodayILearned about Turner syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects females; characterized by the absence or partial absence of one X chromosome.

I love a bookstore that categorizes books in such a way that it assumes you‘re enough of a reader to know how to find what you want on the shelves. 😀

October 2025 is officially in the books. 😬😀

How do heroes become super? By reading!

(At my local library‘s annual “Library Con.”)

Spirited and productive discussion at our library‘s “Read for Your Rights/Banned Books” book club tonight. In 1984 I was a high school junior and read this book for AP English. It didn‘t resonate with me then — all it meant was another essay I had to write for class. Now set against the context of what‘s happening in this country, this book is more than just prescient—it‘s absolutely terrifying.

Like many others who have reviewed this book, I‘m not usually a fan of short stories. Just as I get emotionally invested, the story abruptly ends. But these interlinked set of stories don‘t feel separate—they read like myriad and distinct pieces of a whole. It‘s a lovely, beautifully written little book.

Conanicut Island, Jamestown, Rhode Island

#beautybreak

I‘m late to the Cork O‘Connor world, even though a friend has been urging me to read this series for years. This is book 2 of now-20, I think? It‘s an entertaining-enough read, but I likely won‘t remember the plot by next week. I do enjoy reading the parts about the Anishinaabe history, language and culture.

This book disgusted, angered, frustrated and frightened me. Shame on Johnson & Johnson for decades of lies, deceptive marketing practices and outright illegal actions that harmed and killed thousands of people. Shame on the FDA for allowing it. Even the Wall Street Journal is complicit for pushing editorials that outright encouraged it all. This book is a must-read.

This could also qualify for my #MondayMood, which —frankly—is becoming my mood every day of the week

#weirdwordwednesday #weirdwords

We're on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin' that ride to nowhere
We'll take that ride…

#beautybreak

#NoKings in Hartford, CT!

An incredibly detailed (almost too much so, in the first half) book about the July 22, 2011 massacre of 77 people —many of them teenagers— in Norway. It‘s a sobering and chilling examination at how Breivik was radicalized into becoming a right-wing terrorist who was obsessed with ridding Norway of multiculturalism.

Mailed the last batch of cards today as part of the Postcards for Progress campaign. With this batch to New Jersey plus others to Virginia throughout the summer, I‘ve written and mailed 800 postcards. 👊🏼💙💙👊🏼

Vote like your life depends upon it—because it does.

My boss - who is a fabulous baker in her spare time - made this cake for my husband for his birthday. It‘s a 3-layer chocolate cake with raspberry filling. Babies and puppies and pretty autumn leaves are lovely, yes. But I can‘t imagine a more beautiful sight at the moment. 😍

#beautybreak

There are sooo many viable options these days…

And also — I ❤️ German. It‘s so strangely and perfectly specific.

#weirdwordwednesday #weirdwords @CBee

Things I love about living in my blue state/region: quality healthcare, no bathroom phobias or book bans, a better educated populace, voting rights, legal protections for marginalized communities, abortion rights, higher minimum wage, workplace protections, a wider range of social services, and acceptance of diversity as a strength instead of something to fear. I love New England. 💙💙💙🥰

#majicmonday

I have been reading this 460-page book for 2 months because every chapter makes my blood pressure skyrocket and I have to take a break. And I still have 100 pages to go. The deceitful and illegal marketing practices of Johnson & Johnson throughout many years are absolutely sickening.

We‘re slated to get a fall nor‘easter over the next two days, with heavy rain and high winds that might cause power outages. So I went out today to pick up my library holds, replenish my tea inventory, and swing by a local food truck to get a wild berry pie and shortbread cookies. Proper storm supplies laid in: ✔️

“I‘m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L.M. Montgomery

🍁🍂🌼

#beautybreak

I have never been more proud to be 13% Scottish. 🥰

#weirdwordwednesday

I wasn‘t sure about this book at first, but it slowly got its hooks into me and didn‘t let go. I could literally feel Carol‘s despair as she struggled to avoid a descent into the mind-numbing desolation of the “Village Virus.” I‘ve been where Carol is. I‘ve lived in a Gopher Prairie. I finally escaped after 15 long years. I was rooting for her all the way to the end.

Attention! Today and tomorrow—head over to Bookshop.org and participate in their Anti-Prime sale —with free shipping! Because as their motto says, “friends don‘t let friends shop on Amazon.” Every time you buy a book on Bookshop.org you‘re supporting indie bookstores.

#readingispolitical

Marking #bannedbooksweek by sharing my copies of “Maus” and “Maus II” with a coworker who plans to read and discuss them with his 14-year-old daughter.

#bannedbooks
#readingispolitical
#antifabookclub

Minnesota River Bottoms Trail in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Burnsville, MN

#beautybreak

Just stopped at Barnes & Noble for a browse and these Percival Everett books left with me. What could I do? They needed a home. 🤷🏻‍♀️

That‘s a wrap for September 2025. Where the heck is the year going??

In honor of your birthday, @BookmarkTavern , I picked three favorites for the year so far: a novella, a fiction and a nonfiction.

#sundayfunday

Took a post-dinner walk along the shore to clear my head and get some fresh air.
#beautybreak

It‘s a gorgeous autumn day to sit outside with a mug of tea and a stack of books for #Turnthepage readathon. I‘m cycling between 3 nonfiction books (the bottom 2 pictured plus “What We Knew” on my iPad) and the tagged fiction book.

I wanted to like this story of a family and a treasured heirloom‘s place in the family‘s history that stretched across centuries, generations and geography. But the way the story was told was meandering and disjointed, with multiple POVs that sometimes went off tangent or seemed superfluous to the narrative arc.

Jill, thank you so much for my #FallingforFallSwap #FFFS package! I‘m thrilled that you indulged my continued obsession with Percival Everett —this was literally the next book of his that I wanted to read! I also love the tote bag, bookmark, candy and stickers. Happy autumn, my friend! 🍁🍁🍁🍂🍂

A few years ago I read “Love, Lucy,” Lucille Ball‘s autobiography. This is a biography of Desi Arnaz, the other half of the power couple behind “I Love Lucy” and Desilu Productions. He was a visionary who revolutionized TV production by filming the show before a live studio audience with synchronized cameras. He also insisted on retaining ownership of the filmed episodes—and the concept of reruns and syndication was born. An interesting read.

I‘ll never understand how it‘s possible to suspend disbelief enough to get on board with the ridiculously compressed timelines in the romance genre: meet/initial dislike/sleep together/fall in love/introduce to mom/misunderstanding/conflict/breakup/heartbreak/resolution of conflict/reconciliation/happily-ever-after…in 2-3 weeks. What saves Emily Henry books from being chucked at the wall is the delightful snarkiness of the main character.

Water = Dark
Earth = Darker
Fire = Darkest
Air = Reconciliation, redemption and glimmers of light shining through the darkness

A powerful, provocative and emotional journey through the”Elements.”

#WeDoNotCare that we are posting a #MondayMood on a Wednesday. Who can even keep track anymore of what day it is anyway. 😖🤷🏻‍♀️

#WDNCW

This book went in directions I didn‘t expect, several of which caused my eyeballs to roll and my eyebrows to raise. I also didn‘t really like any of the characters. Nevertheless, it was a propulsive and thought-provoking read about the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of using Artificial Intelligence.

Another banned/challenged book for our local library‘s “Read for Your Rights” book club. This is a graphic memoir of the author‘s life growing up in Tehran until age 14, during the late 1970s/early 1980s —a period that covered the fall of the Shah, the rise of the Islamic state and Iran‘s war with Iraq. I don‘t read a lot of graphic novels; I‘m glad I read this one. It was the perfect format for Satrapi‘s story.

I read and reread this book so often that the cover disintegrated into pieces. LOVED it. 🥰
Also adored “A Wrinkle in Time” (the entire series) and “The Phantom Tollbooth.”

@BookmarkTavern
#SundayFunday

400+ pages of immature characters, eye-rolling plot points wrapped around a “documentary” that was telling the story years after all the events occurred and So. Much. Drama. I kept reading only to see if I could accurately predict the ridiculous “twists” that came next. (Spoiler alert: I did.) Books like this are why I avoid the romance genre. Blech.

Received my #FallingForFallSwap package today, @Bookwormjillk ! How fun that we are each other‘s swap partners this year!

#FFFS

A message from the universe today 💙

Seems legit to me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My 7th Percival Everett book. I inhaled it almost as fast as the cranberry orange scone. Every one of his books is so different—I‘m in awe of his creativity and range. This one is a story in three parts that eventually converge by the end. Loved it.

Made a visit to Red Emma‘s in Baltimore, a radical worker cooperative bookstore that gives everyone in the collective an equal say in the business. Great selection of books on social justice issues and a wonderful coffeehouse attached as well. On bottom right is one of the books I purchased there.

My son and I went to DC this weekend for the 2025 National Book Festival. Enjoyed a wonderful day with presentations by Geraldine Brooks, Garrett Graff and Ron Chernow as well as exhibits and shopping. AND I got to meet @Suet624 !! Book festivals are magical places. 😍

I‘m usually a bit meh about TJR books and likely would have skipped this one —but a story that includes the space program, the first female astronauts AND the 1980s? How fast can I get my library card out of my bag? Several of the characters are underdeveloped and the story is uneven in parts, but I was invested all the way to the final sentence on the last page. It was a wild ride.