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KelseyCB
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Love, paint, love

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KelseyCB
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I‘m thoroughly enjoying this book!

review
KelseyCB
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Pickpick

A story needing to be told. A disturbing look into the trial and execution. No matter how bad a person, there is humanity to be found. The impact this had on the men who guarded and got to know him is gut-wrenching: the complexity of the human spirit and how our soldiers are harmed by war in expected and unexpected ways. If you can read this book without shedding a tear for Hussein and the men with him in his final days, you have a hard heart.

4 likes1 stack add
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KelseyCB
Before the Fall | Noah Hawley
Pickpick

Really excellent page turner! Scott the painter rescues a little boy following a plane crash. Investigator Gus spends the rest of the book weaving all the stories and pieces together, ultimately solving the mystery of why the plane went down. Reveals lots of other interesting things along the way. Great book!!!

jessberk13 Loved this!!! 8y
KelseyCB So did I!!! 8y
7 likes2 comments
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KelseyCB
Pickpick

Such a great read! Joona Linna is a great character. The plot is compelling and the pace is great. Excellent page-turner!

9 likes2 stack adds
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KelseyCB
Fin & Lady: A Novel | Cathleen Schine
Mehso-so

Ok but just didn't capture me...too bad because the characters had a lot of promise, but the story somehow didn't go deep enough to suck me in...

review
KelseyCB
Mehso-so

Enjoyed reliving the late 80s and 90s through the eyes of Moby. I had glimpses into that scene but it was always too loud and drug ridden for me to feel comfortable. I enjoyed Moby's story more when it focused on his sober years and experience in the music industry. Could have done without many of the stories of his intoxicated years.

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KelseyCB
The Burger Court and the Rise of the Judicial Right | Linda Greenhouse, Michael J. Graetz
Bailedbailed

Interesting material but I ended up skimming a bunch of it. I'm a lawyer but prefer lighter fare in my free time!

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KelseyCB
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Three of my favorite books for kids...looking forward to reading/re-reading with my youngest!

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KelseyCB
A World Without You | Beth Revis
Mehso-so

Interesting idea and creative approach to mental illness, but the characters and plot were not compelling. I would have preferred the story if the kids really did have super powers!

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KelseyCB
Pickpick

This turned out to be a quick, charming read. Gatewood is an inspiration...a survivor and a walker. Favorite quote: "'What is it with old people and mountains?'...That's a fine question."

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KelseyCB
Lab Girl | Hope Jahren
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Pickpick

Oddly fun memoir. Science-y types will love it. Endearing descriptions of plants. Unique life story of struggles to become a scientist, mental health challenges, and unusual but lovely friendship with lifelong friend and colleague Bill.

nikirtehsuxlol I still have this on my to-read list 8y
KelseyCB It's good! 8y
11 likes2 comments
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KelseyCB
Outlander | Diana Gabaldon
Pickpick

Fun read! Set in Scotland, which I love. Recommended by a friend. Looking forward to the next book and the TV show as well!

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KelseyCB
Bettyville: A Memoir | George Hodgman
Pickpick

This memoir is part sweet tribute to beloved parents, part painful journey through Hodgman's life, as he struggles to accept and love himself. Growing up he knows from an early age that he is gay, different, doesn't fit in. He picks up self-destructive behaviors, always jokes about everything, too much self-deprecating language, a drug habit he eventually kicks. Sad because he seems so sweet. Is it really so hard to love yourself? Apparently.

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KelseyCB

I haven't read this yet, and my sister-in-law asked me:
"Have you read the New Jim Crow? I am thinking of using it in my classes, but it may be a bit too hard for my students. I was wondering if you knew of a shorter, more accessible piece that makes the same argument. Or a piece that connects the problems in the judicial system with the problems in foster care..I want students to see the interconnections between institutions."
Suggestions?

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I don't know of another book, but this one definitely covers all of those topics. I've been posting quotes from it as I've been reading through it, so if you search the book's name, you can see all the posts I and other have made about this book. I don't know what grade you are teaching, but this book should definitely be required reading! (Cont.) 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...It doesn't go into detail about foster care specifically (at least not in the parts I've read so far, I'm about 75% through), but does touch on the subject of why this system is essential breaking up families and making families unable to care for children because of the incarceration epidemic & post verdict stigmatization. It also goes into great detail tracing it from the beginning of the "War on Drugs" to the problems we have today. 8y
See All 9 Comments
Riveted_Reader_Melissa It's definitely a timely read, and I can see cases like the recent Philandro Castile shooting being brought up by passages in this book, especially the chapter about pretext stops for minor driving infractions. 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I'm sorry, I should have said, I don't know what grade she teaches. 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Ebooksandcooks Thanks for tagging me. 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @KelseyCB If you have any specific questions or she's on Litsy and does, feel free to ask them. Honestly this book is excellent, and I think Amazon sells a teaching guide to go with it if she's interested. 8y
KelseyCB Thank you so so much!!! 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @KelseyCB You are very welcome, I hope it helps. 8y
9 likes9 comments
review
KelseyCB
Pickpick

A sad and lovely book. About all the mistakes we make and how we somehow pick ourselves up and keep going.

MrBook I met her at a book festival, and she signed my copy for me. Lovely woman. 8y
KelseyCB Wow, that's so cool! 8y
16 likes2 comments
blurb
KelseyCB

I am completely captured by this book. The characters' voices are so unique and weave together to develop the tragic plot and set the novel firmly in place and time--the US in the 50s and the 70s--a commentary on race in America made so real through these absolutely believable characters.

13 likes1 stack add
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KelseyCB
Spoiled Brats | Simon Rich
Pickpick

Maybe not as funny as some of his books but still that unique perspective.

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KelseyCB
Pickpick

OMG, so funny!!!

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KelseyCB
Elliot Allagash | Simon Rich
Pickpick

Simon Rich is funny. I prefer his essays/short stories, but this little novel is a quick and silly read. And I thought my high school years were tough...

britt_brooke Ant Farm has to be one of the funniest books I've ever read! 8y
KelseyCB Truly hilarious!! 8y
10 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KelseyCB
Manhattan Night: A Novel | Colin Harrison
Mehso-so

Good but not great. Interesting idea for the plot but it never quite pulled me in. I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

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KelseyCB
Jane Steele | Lyndsay Faye
Pickpick

Move over Miss Eyre and Mr. Rochester, Miss Steele and Mr. Thornfield are in the house! This is a delightful book. Is Jane Steele a Dexter-like serial killer, or just a woman trying to make it in a man's world?

14 likes1 stack add
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KelseyCB
Pickpick

It's been awhile since I read a book in one sitting. Samantha is hard not to love. A little weird, a lot defensive, trying too hard or completely withdrawn. You walk with her through her grief over the loss of her father, but rejoice in her discovery of her family history, her mother, and yes, love.

6 likes2 stack adds
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KelseyCB
Pickpick

A truly outstanding book. Brilliant writing and commentary...on James Brown, music in general, the American south, and race in the U.S.

9 likes2 stack adds
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KelseyCB
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Brilliant writing. As much a commentary on the south as a biography of James Brown. Wow.

LinaLovesLit Wow, that's hitting the nail on the head! 8y
KelseyCB It's insightful and so beautifully written. Happy to have discovered this writer--he's excellent! 8y
9 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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KelseyCB
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If the title, table contents, and mind-blowing foreword don't hook you like they've hooked me, don't tell me...I don't want to know.

9 likes2 stack adds
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KelseyCB
Little Paris Bookshop | Nina George
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Oh, this beautiful beautiful book!

"He had barred himself from mourning because...Because he was alone, totally alone, with the burden of his love."

14 likes2 stack adds
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KelseyCB
Little Paris Bookshop | Nina George
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Soon Anna was surrounded by piles of books as a woman in a shoe shop might be surrounded by boxes. Perdu wanted Anna to feel like she was in a nest. He wanted her to sense the boundless possibilities offered by books. They would always be enough.

13 likes1 stack add
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KelseyCB
Little Paris Bookshop | Nina George
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Such a beautiful passage...

6 likes1 stack add
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KelseyCB
Little Paris Bookshop | Nina George
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...the novel still struck him as a kind of gazpacho that kept sloshing over the edge of the soup bowl.

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KelseyCB
Little Paris Bookshop | Nina George
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There were candlesticks and whispering, full wineglasses and music. Dancing shadows on the wall, one of them tall, the other strikingly beautiful. There had been love in this room. Now there's only me.

itsbrb Just got this in the mail from a friend! Haven't started it yet. 9y
KelseyCB I just started it and am already charmed by it! 9y
beagle.mama I've been waiting months for a copy to come available from my library. Can't wait! 9y
KelseyCB Lol! I was on my library wait list for quite awhile too and was so delighted when I final got the book. It's already so good! 9y
8 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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KelseyCB
UnDivided | Neal Shusterman
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Not so much an emptiness, but a gap between what was and what is, like air trapped between the seams of his soul.

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KelseyCB
UnDivided | Neal Shusterman
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I'm not loving all the jumping around from voice to voice, but the chapter I just read is narrated by Cam, who emerges as the most interesting character in this book and finally reveals the true evil the various factions will be fighting.

Mamashep I'm feeling that way about IMAGINE ME GONE. So hard to get invested in the characters when the voice keeps changing. 9y
KelseyCB Some authors do it so well (Faulkner's As I lay dying, the obvious example), but rarely does it work, in my opinion. 9y
4 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KelseyCB
A Confederacy of Dunces | John Kennedy Toole
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Pickpick

Funny, a tad disturbing, overall enjoyable book. Ignatius is strange and disgusting, but you can't help pulling for him and delighting in his happy ending. Sad about the author-killed himself at age 32. His mother found the manuscript, recognized its worth, and managed to get it published. Well done

britt_brooke Love this book! Definitely one I'll be rereading one day. 9y
KelseyCB Now I'm interested in reading Butterfly in the Typewriter and Ignatius Rising to learn more about John Kennedy Toole. Such a tragically short life. 9y
Mednasanienbok I'm sorry to say but I hated this book😊 I think it's the worst I've ever read... 9y
KelseyCB Lol! I understand. I did enjoy it, but most especially when I was telling my teenage son about it. The actual reading had some slower spots I had to skim a little! 9y
8 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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KelseyCB
A Confederacy of Dunces | John Kennedy Toole
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Her brown wedgies squeaked with discount store defiance...