Next up! @QuirkBooks

Backlist and vacation mornings. #beachreads

I'm annoyed that I wasted a vacation book on this. To be fair, there was enough here that I finished it, rather than bailing... but it didn't go anywhere, or mean anything, in the end. Not worth the time.

The beach is great, the hat is wonderful, the book is not doing it for me. On to the next read (which will be my first 2019 book!)

A serious and well-crafted mystery, part whodunit and part cold case, that tackles issues of power and race in searing and realistic ways. East Texas is as much a character in this novel as any of the humans, and all of them--place and people--are drawn with an expert eye for nuance and detail. Great narration, for you #audiobook fans out there.

We're moving in three days, and all my books are packed, and I have to say goodbye to these shelves my partner built for me (they go to the buyers with the house). Le sigh. I miss you already, shelves. #bookshelf

Next up in my ears! #audio #audiobook

What one could reasonably call a riot of a read. Dread Nation is a clever, action-packed, sharp novel that imagines a slightly-alternate US history in which the Civil War ended in an uneasy peace because the two armies needed to turn their attention to a new enemy... the undead. Ireland manages to breathe new life into the tropes of the zombie novel, exploring timely (and timeless) topics of racism & sexism along the way. Excellent #audio, too!

I go down to the shore in the morning / and depending on the hour the waves / are rolling in or moving out / and I say, oh, I am miserable, / what shall-- / what should I do? And the sea says / in its lovely voice: / Excuse me, I have work to do. -Mary Oliver #poetry #maryoliver #travel

Quirky, listsicle-like* memoir about living with anxiety and depression (and other mental illnesses). Those triggered by stories of self-harm, in many varieties, may want to stay away. // Full review to come in @shelfawareness // #memoir #nonfiction #arc

*The author works for BuzzFeed, so not surprising, really.

Perfect listening to get me through the boxes upon boxes of boxes. I'm never moving again. (Famous last words.) #audio #audiobook

Morning rituals to keep me sane while packing the house: short story, essay, poem. Rinse and repeat.

This book is a beautiful, heartbreaking story of young love and young loss, a meditation on grief and what-could-have-beens and friendship and mental health, with glimpses of the sometimes cruel, sometimes magical ways the world works when life is shattered and we're left with nothing but the pieces. // Full review to come, but you're going to want to add it to your pre-order list immediately. (On sale August 2018 from @melvillehouse)

Weekend plans: Clean all the things. Read all the books. #readharder #truecrime

Heartfelt and touching exploration of love and sex and friendship and how the three are sometimes the same and sometimes not at all the same, and also how we make our families and ourselves and lots of other lovely things and lots of unapologetic queer women. Recommended.

I gave this 2 hours before bailing. I found the characters flat, and the story confusing and all over the place, and the pacing uneven. Others seemed to love it, so if you're into steampunk and/or alternate histories, definitely worth a shot. Just not for me.

A quick, one-sitting take on setting reasonable goals for yourself and then structuring your days in such a way as to achieve them without burning out due to exhaustion. It's a good book, but it felt a lot like regurgitation of the productivity principles in lots of other business and self-help books. Maybe that's not a bad thing, though.

This was interesting enough to finish for a book club discussion, but I really struggled with the voice and exposition throughout. When the narrator, Li-yan, is young, her voice feels far too old and mature for her ten years. When she grows up, her perspective is imbued with distracting asides about China, the Akha, and tea history--all of which are interesting in their own right, but jolt from the story and feel forced in the moment.

Next up for book club. Anyone read it? Or other books by See? This is new to me.

The author talks about decluttering her bookshelf and she has 95 books and only kept 54 (and then cleared all but 6 of her 36 pens...). I can't decide if I should laugh or cry.

January 2. Lap dog and YA. Not quite done with vacation yet.

Next! #botm #bookofthemonth

I think I found God in this pizza though.

I'm 78 pages into this and every time I think I'm finally invested in the story, the POV changes. Again. Anyone read it? Worth powering through? The blurbs (and description!) had me so intrigued...

I'm over on Shelf Awareness today talking about the essays I plan to re-read this winter during my "hibernation" reading phase: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=668#m...

continental breakfast companion

This book was a slow build for me, but I loved dipping a toe into Reina's world chapter by chapter. Through her story, Engel explores immigration and homecomings, family, belonging, and faith in ways that will linger with me for some time. Highly recommend.

well I was going to read those books... 📚🐱🤷

Full review in Shelf Awareness for Readers; http://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers/2017-11-14/as_lie_is_to_grin.html

Saying goodnight to my twenties with this in my ears for the umpteenth time. // #audiobooks

Required reading, required re-reading. Narrated by the author, and that makes an already moving account even more so.

Found these pretty hardcover editions of nature books at a local gift shop today... drool. (They also had Walden, Leaves of Grass, and a few others I forget now.)

Lazy Sunday Morning plans. What are you reading this weekend? #nonfiction #truecrime

a little seasonal reading

I'm not a huge fan of self-help, but Brown's books span the bridge between social psych & self-help in ways that resonate without promising quick fixes. Brown's theories on empathy, compassion, connection and vulnerability all the more important in today's political climate, and this book offers ways to walk into that maelstrom while remaining true to oneself. Strong back, soft front, wild heart: may it be your mantra.

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

#readathon #stack compiled! #30daysofreadathon

That airport life.

Just me and my book and a Colorado apricot ale and a strong desire to skip dinner and just got to bed already. #worktravel #amreading #bookclub

Anthony Greenwald is headlining the conference I'm heading to this week, so I picked up his book for some light airplane reading today... Here goes!

Homeward bound, if we ever get on this flight (C31 and C32 aren't exactly the best boarding positions, but you get what you get when you forget to check in to your flight early). Got a good book to keep me company, but I'm ready to be home now, kthanks.

Remember when I said the universe was insisting I read this book? I brought it with me on vacation and hey, look, the universe is on to something.

And because my local booksellers know me well, a 2018 (!) ARC to peruse... #history #nonfiction #feminism

Continuing my cookbook streak of the week. This rings ALL my bells. #cookbooks #litsycooks #resist

Stopped by my local indie tonight to pick up a hold, and this just leapt into my hands after I specifically asked where it was on the shelf. #resist #essays #feminism

Stopped by my local indie tonight to pick up a hold, and this just leapt into my hands after I specifically asked where it was on the shelf. #resist #essays #feminism

In honor of the BBC adapting the first two Dublin Murder Squad books for television, my next audio pick will have me caught up on the series. Who else has read these? What's your favorite?

If there's anything I love more than food and books, it is running and books. I cannot wait for this one. Mirna Valerio is an inspiration, and I am so excited to read her memoir I could practically burst. #running #memoir #weneeddiversebooks #wndb

AND THIS ONE YAAAAAY (guys I love #cookbooks so much, and especially love Smitten Kitchen) #litsycooks