Please note: Virginia Robert Guiffre's book“Nobody's Girl“ does not exonerate any of Epstein's associates, including a certain president (who she first met while working at Mar-a-Lago where she also met Ghislaine Maxwell). #SheSaid #NonfictionNovember

In Chapter 38, she actually wrote: “There are other men whom I was trafficked to who have threatened me in another way: by asserting that they will use litigation to bankrupt me. . .

Beautiful day for taking Cosmo out for a walk or two while listening to the tagged audiobook (it‘s really well done with multiple narrators)🐶🐾🍁🍂 #BeautyBreak

Beautiful book written through letters (like 84, Charing Cross Road) warm, wise, and hard to put down once it gets rolling.

It follows the life of Sybil a 70 something who‘s full of life even while looking back at books, regrets, and important people past/present.

Real snowflakes photographed in early 1900s! #BeautyBreak

When the name “Snowflake Bentley” is mentioned in Louise Penny‘s newest book, The Black Wolf, one must Google it. Was delighted to see that this first photographer of snowflakes was real and the amazing Maria Popova had written about him: https://www.themarginalian.org/2020/01/19/wilson-bentley-snowflakes/

After an FBI call warning her of a credible death threat, Virginia told her doctors and wrote this on social media as a record for all to see. It makes the “suicide” ruling on her death last spring hard to believe. #ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles

So good to be back with Chief Inspector Gamache!

(But does his world filled with sinister, hidden corruption in government HAVE to mirror ours so closely, Louise Penny? 😅 At least she lets him see the hope there, too.💗)

Tonight‘s water polo game for son might be 2 hours away, but at least the sunset is giving us a #BeautyBreak 😊

😭 Virginia‘s warmth shines through in asides like this… Didn‘t know that Virginia and her father actually worked at Mar-a-lago. It‘s where she met G. Maxwell

Quirky characters, magic, matriarchs, adventure… This book was a lot of fun! It follows the Montoya family as they try to unravel their powerful grandmother‘s dangerous secret to protect their home for future generations to come. Oh and there‘s a river god, a magical rooster, a circus, a living star, and flowers growing out of people. Somehow she makes it all work! 😂 #LiteraryCrew

#BeautyBreak spending the day in San Francisco‘s Chinatown

Our dog, Cosmo‘s, been honoring his best friend and favorite cat, Hoth, all day! He knew it was National Cat Day before I did! 😅

#WDNCW Word was our boss was disappointed in the morning meeting we led (assigned just the night before 😵‍💫). Instead of wondering what we did, we did not care, asked him directly, and his issue was with other staff venting too much at the expense of students, not us. He even told other admin he appreciated how we steered it back to helping kids. Proud moment because pre-peri us would‘ve hid and stewed instead of talking it out! 😅🏆

Learning so much already! This book was pushed to be squashed even before it was published decades ago. So glad it made it to press! Going to be a good discussion Sunday💗

Like luscious fairytales from a parallel universe! 😍 Loving The Singing Hills Cycle novellas so much!

Finally, seeing a little autumn color here in our corner of California! 😍🍂🍁#BeautyBreak

Starting Nobody‘s Girl (Epstein victim memoir) on audiobook. Only 4 chapters in and this is going to be a tough one! Feels important though, like bearing witness 😢

#tlt @dabbe

I did better than I expected (I‘m such a scaredy cat)! I even found three eerie books on the list that I did really love reading.

I also found one more that intrigued to try (tagged). I loved his book Hearts Invisible Furies and didn‘t know he‘d written something spooky. Intriguing! Thanks, @dabbe !

Dramatic skies #BeautyBreak from yesterday‘s walk

A lake that glows scarlet at night, enchanted home filled with relics, a powerful Empress in exile, ghosts drifting through forests… What a beautiful novella!

Vo‘s world-building is rich and elegant. She weaves the tale of a traveling cleric, Chih, and a hoopoe bird, Almost Brilliant, who are capturing stories and secrets in the Empire of Anh. It‘s the first in series, but I‘ve heard you can read them in any order.

Heartening to see so many out today! #NoKings

We have two little libraries on our 6th-12th grade campus. It was a senior project many years ago but still going strong. Seeing their colorful patterns and well-tousled books makes me smile. They are used and loved. My #BeautyBreak for today 😊

Inspired by @uncommonlycozies here‘s my last fully bloomed rose that hasn‘t yet succumbed to falling apart from the raindrops of yesterday and today. There‘s a metaphor in there somewhere, I‘m sure… #BeautyBreak

Oliver Saks meets The Twilight Zone. I loved this twisty, turny, psychological, philosophical novel. An extraordinary patient comes in to a psychiatrist‘s office, and he is not sure if what‘s she‘s seeing is real. It reminded me of one of my favorite books ever, Into the Silent Lands by Paul Broks.

We do not care that our husband‘s name is listed first on the AT & T bill, sir. I am the one calling to sort out the technical issue and you can talk to me (also an account holder who is the one that actually pays the bill). 😤 #WDNCW

October is the right month for #BannedBooksWeek

Orwell‘s 1984 is absolutely terrifying and important now more than ever. Going to social media news between re-reading the chapters this week made for a strange blurring of reality and fiction.

Lyrics like poetry written in three languages (Spanish, Nahuatl, Quechua) This is the song I‘ve had on repeat for my #TuesdayTunes

https://open.spotify.com/track/5VreKSHPnbZ6K0SciwX1vp?si=_0h3BJ_hQ9eDhxaeX5wg5A

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
#BannedBooksWeek

Just saw this trailer at the movies… 😳🍿 Looks extra steamy!

I love many skies… especially those with clouds at sunset. Photo from my father who I text sky/nature photos to and get from daily. 😊 #SereneSaturdays #BeautyBreak @TheBookHippie @ImperfectCJ

When your kid‘s team is down by 10 points at the water polo 🤽🏼‍♂️ game, sometimes you just need to look up and enjoy the skies! #BeautyBreak 😊

Wow! Gorgeous, creative, heartbreaking, and hopeful. The story of a Greek and a Turk who fall in love in Cyprus while a wise fig tree and their future daughter try to make sense of it all. Some passages read like poetry. This wonderfully complex novel lives up to the hype!

29 for me. Some really great movies on here! I want to go back and watch some again now like If Beale Street Could Talk, Knives Out, and Election. I couldn‘t remember if I‘ve seen Plains, Trains, and Automobiles before. Might have to check that out too! 😅 Thanks, @dabbe #TLT

Enjoying my beautiful #FallCardSwap growing stash while trying not to care about the assignments I should be grading 😅 #WDNCW I feel like a book dragon with treasures—stay back, dog! It‘s not for you, cat! Do not put your work stuff on this table, man! 🐉

Happy National Read a Book Day! My current reads 😊

Diving into the writings of Maria Popova this morning for comfort and wisdom. Also found on her site, The Marginalian:

“Autumn poses the question we all have to live with: How to hold on to the things we love even though we know that we and they are dying. How to see the world as it is, yet find light within that truth.” (from Pico Iyer, Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells)

First day back to school today! On Tuesday, I helped lead the orientation for new families. For the last few years, I‘ve had the adults write notes to their students to stick to the back classroom cabinets: What do they hope for their child this year? And/Or Why did they choose our school (since it‘s a charter)? Here are three of so many sweet notes—a little inspiration to the students (and me) on tough days. 💗 #tlt @dabbe #ThreeListThursday

Inspiring! There needs to be more radical street librarians in the world 🥹 https://www.instagram.com/p/DMtFS7NxNYh/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Hello my book loving friends! Can anyone recommend a good picture book that is suitable for sixth graders and deals with kindness? We have a student coming in who has significant special needs, including being nonverbal and working at the kindergarten level. She will have a aide with her, but I want to help facilitate a conversation with the whole class about kindness and inclusion.

My Strand Bookstore haul. Had to keep myself in check since we were flying home cross country 😅

Grabbed a blind book with the clue: A chilly feminist historical fiction. Any guesses on what‘s inside? 😊

We do not care that we haven‘t seen you in a week, just stepped off the plane at 11pm our time (2am the time we are now used to), and love you dearly… If you and your pack of sweet/loud friends (who are all my former students😅) along with the dog are still running around the house like a pack of wild teenage puppies at 2:30am, we are going to come out in our pjs and embarrass you. Now go the f- to sleep 😬 #wdncw

Nice companion piece to our July 2025 #SundayBuddyRead Under a Painted Sky

https://www.pbs.org/show/the-real-wild-west

This could be dangerous… 😅

#SundayBuddyRead I just peeked in the window and ran away 🤭

Made it to the New York Public Library‘s main branch today! 😍 Saw the lions, a Gutenberg Bible (worth about $25million), an original manuscript with editing notes of Giovanni‘s Room…) 💗💗💗

Finally made it to New York for our first Broadway show! Hadestown made me cry (even knowing the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice going in). Talented cast, musicians, staging… gorgeous!

Thank you for the birthday love, @TheBookHippie and @mcctrish (a.k.a. birthday twinsie) 💗 My family is sick of me bragging about how awesome you both are! 🥰

Getting a little book sniffing in between water polo games 😅📚

#wdncw @dabbe

We do not care that we have seen all of the episodes of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel many times. After watching the news lately, we need some Midge and Susie time. It‘s either this or Someone, Somewhere or Ru Paul. . .

Just starting this one for #CampLitsy25 We chose such a strong line up this summer!

I thought I might share a couple of excellent documentaries I‘ve watched this summer that make good companion pieces:

*Enigma: telling the life stories of several famous trans women in Europe whose lives took very different routes: https://youtu.be/QyV0pqwjJXk?si=nQioByyrC8xoK-3A ⬇️

So. Freaking. Good. The Death of the Author has a beautifully layered story (stories within a story). It‘s gorgeous, imaginative, and full of heart. I appreciated its hopeful take on tech and her characters that leap off the page.

Bonus: the B & N hardcover is a stunner. If you love Africanfuturism or just like a good Sci-fi with a ton of heart, this one‘s a must. Go read it! #CampLitsy25

Wait. What?! 😁 Love that the author of the book I just finished noticed my reply to her Insta post. Nnedi Okorafor had just posted that she was recharging in nature and had finished the draft of her next book (squee!).

I loved DotA so much! The positive outlook on technology is a breath of fresh air and her characters are so beautifully crafted they breathe. Plus the hardcover edition is gorgeous! 💗💗💗