I‘m so glad I saw this book at the library. You don‘t see books about disability in the spotlight very often. Actually, you don‘t see very much about disability period…which is precisely one of the author‘s points in this book! Disability can look like a lot of things, but what could accessibility look like? The author lives her best life, and she walks you through what her life is like in these pages. (It‘s not what society told you it was)!⬇️

My library checkouts yesterday.

I saw the movie first, as I didn‘t know about the book at the time. The two don‘t differ that much other than a few things. The story is a mystery which never gets solved. It wasn‘t a bad book, but I didn‘t feel intrigued either. Maybe there‘s a deeper meaning: many of us secretly want the world to just stop. But when it does, are we ready for it? Is it what we wanted?

Leave it behind, and don‘t forget the cat. She has to be there with you, wherever you end up. News from America: Professors Timothy Snyder and Jason Stanley are now out, and residing in Canada. Historians/teachers of fascism are its enemy…this is understood by them, and especially the fascists.

I loved this book. The author is an artist who had the idea to write a book centering around real people leaving shitty reviews online of extraordinary places. I found myself laughing on every page, as I read the ‘review‘, educational and historical bits, whilst googling images of each place. You have to wonder, were these people serious? Are they that miserable? If you know there‘s something you don‘t want to experience, why go? Why ⬇️

I think I devoured volumes 4-6 in about an hour. Continuing the mysterious tale, when Shiva‘s backstory is revealed, she and Teacher must make a difficult choice as well as they face a challenge to their relationship .
Themes of death and rebirth feature heavily in these volumes…I can‘t wait to read more!

My checkouts from the library today! I have a hold placed on volumes 7-9 (deluxe edition) for The Girl From the Other Side…and I‘m #1 on the wait list…so excited!

I saw this gorgeous graphic novel in the YA room of the library a few months ago. The art intrigued me, along with the Gaelige words (Siúil, a Rúin — sometimes spelled rún; this means, ‘Walk, my love‘).
I had no idea what it was about. I didn‘t check it out that day, and each time I looked again afterwards, it wasn‘t on the shelf…until a couple of weeks ago, with volume 2. I checked them both out. This is not my first graphic novel, but it⬇️

(Ich spreche noch nicht fließend, aber ich lerne … und ich mag diesen Podcast).

This episode features an in-depth view with the author that is well worth the listen. Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?i=1000700...

This was a disturbing book. Some houses are haunted by spirit entities, and some are haunted by the living. Haunted with hatred, fear, racism and violence.
This one gives me very Jordan Peele vibes and I would love to see it adapted onto the big screen.

This cover of this book got my attention. In this future, most of the land on Earth is now entirely under water, because all the glaciers have melted. The oceans are warm enough that there is no longer a ‘hurricane season‘…there are constant superstorms called hypercanes. A family loses nearly everything they‘ve learned to survive in and with, when one of these storms comes their way, and a new journey of learning and survival begins. ⬇️

My library check outs today…

Spotted at a local Barnes & Noble today. I‘m so glad they drew a Totoro 😍

Link: https://foodtank.com/news/2025/03/new-books-to-inspire-the-movement-for-sustaina...

I figured it was a good time to share the new article from The Guardian, and that it was appropriate for the book…. ❄️💦🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/20/glacier-meltdown-risks-food-...

I left a note on the board in the spare room at the library today. I hope they know how valued they are.

Other people could be doing that too, but no, they are too busy harassing them and banning books. 🙄

I might* not (but no guarantees) have ended up in this situation with another stack, had I brought a backup book with me while I wait, since I‘m close to finishing the book I‘m on (part of another stack I‘m close to finishing…)

Oh well. It‘s good to get books from the library while I still can. The book banning people who don‘t actually read are working hard at closing the libraries. 🙄

I‘m not sure how to rate or review this. It didn‘t allow me to understand the Israel/Gaza conflict any more. The book is of course very graphic, because it is about the Hamas attack. The whole situation is just so fucked up. While I know imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism and nationalism all have a hand in it, I think that religion is the center of the problem in the conflict. The book is tragic, but I can see how it could be used as⬇️

I loved the art and the name of this book…it seems Japanese folks have a knack for writing about the relationships between cats and humans. Here, a mysterious clinic that looks in disarray (with no address), only appears when you need it…and they don‘t prescribe pharmaceuticals; they ‘prescribe cats‘! Each person that walks into the ‘clinic for the soul‘ comes out with a cat—and eventually goes back in, and out again…with a changed life.

This adorable little book is about a little girl who goes out one night with her grandmother to see the moon. They blow kisses to it, and when it begins to snow, the child thinks the moon is blowing kisses of its own, back to her. A magical, lighthearted book for anyone who loves the cold, snow, and moonlit nights. 🌨️🌚❄️

My Russian copy of one of The Snegurochka tales came in the post today! I love this story so much. It has a kind of darkness to it, and there is no ‘happy ending‘…the art is gorgeous. (No, I don‘t know any Russian…we used the phone to translate). Just remember, Snegurochka means Snowmaiden.
❄️🌨️❄️

Excellent interview and conversation with the author about the book and the real world harms of QAnon in this podcast episode.

Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wide-awake-america/id1764050662?i=10006661...

Should humans go extinct? This book explores the why of a yes or no answer, looks at the multiple ways we are killing not only each other but all life on the planet, while also looking for reasons to go on existing. My answer? Yes—we should die out. The Earth and all of its other life forms would be better without us. Survive, thrive. We will all die one day. The question is, will we take the rest of the Earth with us? This book asks a⬇️

The book mentions the NamUs website and its problems, and today NPR reports fresh journalism on those deep issues.

Link:

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/10/nx-s1-5057412/missing-persons-indigenous-mmiw-nam...

This book gave me very ‘The Last of Us‘ vibes and I can‘t help but wonder if the author was inspired by that story. Beautifully written, dystopian, sad. Two best friends on a hunting trip make their way back to a different world. A world on fire, with bodies in the water, bridges blown up, guns on rapid fire, flags torn but flying. This world created by the author feels like it‘s getting closer to us by the day.

Yesterday when I dropped off a new stack to my hospice patient, I told her that I could stay there and talk to her about books all day. She said, “that‘s the problem—you and I both have the same goddamned addiction!” 🤣📚📖📕🤓

This is a dense 176 pages. Having been published in July of last year, it feels like really old news now. Autocracy is defined as ‘government by a single person having unlimited power; a country or state that is governed by a single person with unlimited power‘. Kleptocracy is defined as ‘a government characterized by rampant greed and corruption‘. The two work together for absolute control. In this book, the author explains how these are⬇️

A world in which autocracies work together to stay in power, work together to promote their system, and work together to damage democracies is not some distant dystopia. That world is the one we are living in right now.

I went to a local library book sale this morning to find some books for my book nerd hospice patient (I found 7!!!), and picked this one up for me. The series on Hulu was pretty dark, I can‘t wait to dive in to learn all the details. There were a couple of copies and I was tempted to place one of them by The Book of Mormon.

I was eager to read this book and quickly grabbed it off of the library shelf when it arrived, but I‘m so glad to have finished it. The author has been closely reporting on the right, in fascist and highly abusive spaces for a while now; this isn‘t easy. Here, she tells the story of how Fred Brennan‘s creation of 8chan birthed the nightmare we are seeing in America today, and reminds us that you cannot separate racism from misogyny. This ⬇️

This was a tragic book. It tells the story of five families who were torn apart my QAnon. Some tried to repair things but were never the same; others were beyond saving. The author digs deep into the personal lives of each victim of Q, from beginning, to discovery, toward and into its quick sand likeness, to everything that came after. How do ordinary people fall for such obvious and hateful lies? A well written book which so many of us⬇️

On this episode of The Splendid Table…two King Arthur Flour bakers talk about the business and the new book. Thinking of you, @dabbe
Link to listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-splendid-table-conversations-recipes-f...

Gastro Pod‘s latest episode tells a fascinating story. Looking forward to reading this book!
Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gastropod/id918896288?i=1000695954433

Yesterday, a co-worker asked me why do I always read things that are dark and sad? Why not read happy, positive things? Because knowledge is power. Because reading about the hard things encourages me to ask questions, look through another lens, think outside of my own box. It teaches me empathy. It arms me. And because so many hateful, ignorant people don‘t want me to know.

I listen to Craig‘s informative podcast each week and look forward to reading his book. He talks about it in another episode with the host of the Freedom Over Fascism podcast in detail. Even those of us who don‘t have children can use some of his recommended talking points when talking to others who have gotten pulled in. Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freedom-over-fascism/id1668429440?i=100069...

I immediately grabbed this book off the library shelf because the name and the cover got my attention. It did not disappoint. This was a fast paced, raw, and direct. When a new pandemic with a high fatality rate that only affects men breaks out, it‘s up to women to keep the world running, and some of the glass ceiling finally breaks. One thing I liked about this book is it explores all the different intersections in an event like this. Think⬇️

The Amish are a secretive people, and it‘s commonly known that a lot of domestic violence runs free in these communities. The author writes about one such event that ended in murder, but the catch is, this wasn‘t the only one. Eli Stutzman wasn‘t a real Amish man; it was a cover for his crimes. He had fake identities, secrets, and a history of violence. His three victims nor their families have received any justice, and it is of no help that⬇️

I love the Russian folktale of The Snegurochka, and that‘s what this book is about. Illustrated by the beloved Tomie dePaola, this version has a different ending. If you know anything about pagan lore and teaching, you‘ll see the similarities here to such figures as the Green Man, Oak King, Holly King, Callieach, and more. This is one of my favorite folktales and I plan on getting the Russian versions as well for their art and linguistics.

My library checkouts for today. I told myself I was going to go inside, turn in one book, and not check out anything else…that didn‘t work! I‘m currently on a stack of five other books, one of those titles I just started today. The two graphic novels on the bottom of the stack shown here, I have no idea what they are about… But they‘ve just now become available again, and the art intrigues me. Black Phillip vibes!

Erin Reed‘s latest piece is an extremely important read. Subscribe to her substack, follow her on her socials. Link to this article: https://open.substack.com/pub/erininthemorn/p/nazis-burned-trans-books-to-usher?...

I just discovered this podcast very recently and am enjoying it. I thought you all might like it too. Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/velshi-banned-book-club/id1702778436

Bettina Makalintal shares 5 titles in the food world she‘s looking forward to this spring!

Link: https://link.eater.com/view/61436a397b51b35caf6ba15en1ufg.18rq/74e2f7c9

Interview with the author on this podcast episode:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heres-where-it-gets-interesting/id15762666...

Update on his attempted murder: Hadi Matar has been found guilty.

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/feb/21/salman-rushdie-stabbing-trial?CMP=...

The author mentioned this website as a resource to show librarians some love.

Link: https://wethelibrarians.org/

I knew I wanted to read this as soon as I heard about it. There is nothing I‘m more passionate about than books. My local librarians know me well. Each time I walk in their doors, I wonder what kind of battles they are facing, near and far—from book banning fascists. This book is just one experience. On July 19, 2022, Amanda Jones gave a short, direct, and professional speech at her library board, which was open to the public. Her goal:⬇️

The self-righteous scream judgements against others to hide the noise of skeletons dancing in their own closets.

—John Mark Green

It‘s not indoctrination to acknowledge that historically certain groups have had less power and were systematically persecuted over decades and centuries. It is called historical fact.

—Amanda Jones

The current wave of book banning sweeping the country has created a chilling effect on our education system and the purchasing of books in our libraries, the effects of which will be seen for decades even if we somehow get it under control in the next year. This is a huge movement that has been in the works for a while. It is well funded and well coordinated. It is about marginalizing and erasing cultures and groups of people, it is about⬇️