I found this book to be interesting but problematic. Hari looks at GLP-1 drugs for weight loss (Ozempic/Montjaro) as he starts take one to lose weight. As far as looking at the development and use (in general) of these drugs, it‘s a fascinating book. As far as his own cognitive dissonance about his reasons, I‘m glad a friend pointed out that he wasn‘t that fat and was mainly taking it for vanity over health. An enlightening read.

This is a reprint of a 1994 book chronicling Barbie‘s place sociologically in society, the history of her conception, and a bit of business history of Mattel. The only update is a new preface based on the Barbie movie. Still, it‘s an interesting book — just don‘t expect all the info to be updated.

Larson is a reliably excellent author of narrative nonfiction, and this is a great entry into his canon though not my favorite of his.

Larson covers the start of the American Civil War from Buchanan‘s poor decisions to Lincoln‘s inauguration and early state succession all the miscommunications that brought forth the bloodiest chapter in US history so far. He centers his narrative around Ft Sumter.

Y‘all…this is BY FAR the funniest book I‘ve read all year! If you are feeling down and need a laugh, the way she has included her word-for-word trolling of the scammers has me just rolling! So far 80 pages in, I highly recommend it.

#TuesdayTunes

NGL the past two days have been rough. I started Dupixent for my mast cell activation syndrome and two other conditions, and the side effects have hit hard. I‘ve felt like I‘ve had a bad cold all day. But life doesn‘t stop. I‘m still the healthiest in the house (fwiw), so it‘s been a busy day. My upbeat mix from Spotify and Brittney Griner‘s memoir are keeping me company. I just keep hope that someday I will get my life back!!

Barbara, I can see why you like Marrs! Thank you for sending me this and getting me hooked!

In the near future, Britain has made it hard for single folks. There are penalties for being single and perks for leveling up to a “Smart Marriage,” which allows the government to listen in through an Echo-like device and dispatch counselors if you‘re disagreeing too much. Marrs writes from the perspective of 6 people dealing with this Orwellian nightmare!

I LOVED this sociological look at what breasts mean to women. Thornton examined tits from many angles spending time with strippers and plastic surgeons, with breastfeeding moms at a milk bank, with models and bra designers, and on a retreat with Wiccan women. Thornton felt disconnected from her own breasts after losing them to cancer and having a bad reconstruction, which led her to question how other women feel about theirs.

For me, if you‘re going to fight for sport, you better have some passion behind it. Unfortunately, that‘s what this overly cerebral novel that follows 8 teenage girls as they compete in a national tournament lacks. I did find the girls‘ backstories interesting, but I didn‘t feel any sort of energy or enthusiasm while in their heads. The epilogue, read through the eyes of a journalist covering it, was the only passion to be had.

This was blurbed by Adam Johnson, the author of my favorite short story collection Fortune Smiles, so I knew it would be good. Knight does a beautiful job of highlighting Mobile, Alabama and its bay around the time of the Deep Horizon oil spill. If you enjoy Southern regional fiction (like me), this collection is for you! There‘s a funny story about a foiled home burglary and another about young love on the boat docks that rings so true.

I don‘t pay for the NYT, so I don‘t get to read all of Bruni‘s columns, but I‘ve started paying more attention since he became a professor at Duke, my alma mater. He rails against the overuse of grievances in today‘s society, but I found him a bit tone deaf to others‘ particular struggles and why they might find them more difficult than he sees. Books like this often come off a bit too judgmental for me, but I‘m glad I read it.

Wasn‘t a fan of this. My least favorite part of watching/reading Bourdain‘s works are his opinions about America‘s food culture. In his graphic novel, a corporate chef and a locavore chef battle for control of the upscale dining market. But Jiro, an edo-style sushi chef, and other upholders of food traditions battle back for control of America‘s stomachs. I also never appreciate his fat shaming. That really kills me about him. #hoopla

You wouldn‘t know it from the sunny day, but bad storms left us without power for 12 hours overnight!

I was so pleased to get my @AardvarkBookClub picks (far right) with the v cute bookmark! #aardvark I bought the tagged for #CampLitsy24, and Impossible Things was just $1 at my library‘s sale.

Library books: Limits and Morningside were on the CL longlist. Mean Boys is a queer essay collection I‘m already enjoying, and 888 just looked fun.

While this is still my least favorite of the Station Eleven “trilogy,” I enjoyed much more the second time around. #AuthorAMonth

Vincent works at a remote island hotel in her British Columbian hometown. When the hotel‘s owner visits, she sees an opportunity to leave and be his trophy wife. But he is a Madoff-based Ponzi schemer and his misdeeds have ripple affects throughout the lives of these characters.

This is one of my favorite memoirs this year! 5⭐️ all the way!

Gagne realized she was different than other kids early on. She had a deep need to act out against other kids and break laws, but yet she felt apathetic emotionally. She found a checklist for sociopathy and realized she fit it to a T. With her deep intellectual curiosity, she began to work out ways to self-treat her condition. This led to a PhD and work with other sociopaths.

Tishby and Acho planned this book long before the war started, and both realized there was even more urgency for it now. While I believe in the right of anyone to criticize any government‘s decisions, I also agree with Tishby that calling for the elimination of Israel as a country is wrong and antisemitic. I highly recommend this book, especially now with lots of misinformation circulating. #BringThemHomeNow

Is there ever a bad time to reread your favorite book? My answer is definitely not! #AuthorAMonth was a great excuse to pull this out again. 💜

A strong flu outbreak from Georgia 🇬🇪 wipes out over 99% of the population in a matter of months. Mandel expertly moves between the outbreak and a time 20 years later when a traveling symphony/Shakespeare company encounters a dangerous doomsday prophet. Just read it!!

Does this cover look like a #metoo literary thriller? Yeah, not to me either! But I did enjoy it even if it is a bit forgettable.

Accusations have come out about Weinstein-like character raping women in Hollywood. Some women report a second assailant, but he hasn‘t been named. Filmmaker Joni‘s best friend was assaulted and left Hollywood. Joni encourages her to come forward, but there‘s danger for them both. Great ending twist!

Mattioli, WSJ Amazon beat reporter, paints a damning picture of Amazon‘s desire to disrupt almost every major industry in America, including shipping, cloud storage and retail. What upset me the most is Amazon‘s in-house brand developers over and over stealing intellectual property and sales and customer data from third-party often small businesses using their marketplace. Idk how to get rid of my dependence on Amazon, but she made me question it.

So my up-next shelf has exploded a bit. 😏😂

I‘m rereading the whole Station Eleven series for #AuthorAMonth, so I was hoping at least one of them would be chosen. Yay Glass Hotel #doublespin!

Marriage Act was a gift from @BarbaraBB so I‘m excited for that as she always chooses well for me!! #bookspin

Otherwise, I just plan to get to as many of these as I can! 🤩👍🏻

The irises in our backyard are just gorgeous right now! On the left, #CampLitsy24 June picks and some from the longlist. It was an embarrassment of riches as always!

In the center, the two I picked up on #IndependentBookstoreDay. One Japanese in translation plus a short story collection (of course). Have you read the Japanese one @BarbaraBB ?

On the right, some additional library finds!

While I liked Chung‘s second short story collection translated to English, I didn‘t like it as much as Cursed Bunny. It‘s interesting speculative horror often involving AI/sentient machines. My favorite story was about an elevator obsessed with an elderly woman with Parkinson‘s. Also the title story about a car and robot on a deserted planet was surprisingly touching. Overall, I‘d say #BorrowNotBuy on this one.

Another Bourdain deep dive - my sixth this year! This one is a collection of photo essays documenting the first two/three seasons of No Res. Looking back, it was a really pivotal time in the direction of his TV career. They still had a lean crew and no special lighting/sound more like Cook‘s Tour, but he was also starting to make the interesting thematic and creative choices that would be a hallmark of Parts Unknown. Plus Beirut is included iykyk.

Ready for tomorrow! #bookspin #doublespin

I almost skipped because I wasn‘t super jazzed about any of their choices this month, but I enjoy getting the box so much and like continuing to support @AardvarkBookClub . Don‘t forget to pick up James for #CampLitsy24 as an add-on! #aardvark

Count me as another fan of this fictional but all-too-real look at the effect of filming and exposure on social media on kids translated from French.

Melanie has her dream job filming a family vlog on YouTube with unboxing videos and other popular content. When her daughter is kidnapped, it causes a rift that exposes alliances and problems among them. I love that de Vigan goes years into the future to look in on long-term consequences.

Some years topics have several good books published that I‘m fascinated to take a deep dive in. This year, it‘s evangelicalism.

Cait grew up in a home with a father who practiced strict Christian patriarchy. She dealt with emotional abuse and stripped down opportunities because of her gender. This is the story of her childhood and her breaking away from her family and eventually the church.

If you haven‘t updated your Everest info since Into Thin Air, I highly recommend this! Cockrell looks at the history and current landscape of guiding and commercial climbs on the mountain. I didn‘t know that Krakuer‘s climb was so early in this era. In the years since, earthquakes and political violence have changed Nepal, and most of the companies currently taking clients are Nepali-owned. He also looks at movies and shows filmed there, too.

This was a fascinating look at dog show culture. As a vet, I‘ve been involved in a lot of parts of the dog world, but high-level show dogs are something I haven‘t interacted with much. Tomlinson follows a top Samoyed, Striker, as he and his handler take one last crack at winning Westminster. He also talks about the popularity and pitfalls of owning purebred dogs and shares his own experiences as a dog owner. I enjoyed it!

Dana‘s parents met in a mental hospital, and she was helping her dad bag drugs when she was barely out of diapers. She became overly attentive to her mother‘s frequent mood swings making sure never to rile her up.

This was a fantastic dysfunctional family memoir that addressed mental illness, addiction, and poverty. Dana treats her parents with empathy while holding them accountable for the difficult parts of her childhood.

I am incredibly excited to be your counselor for July! We‘ll start off with the #1 vote getter, James, and if you haven‘t read Everett, be ready to leap into his backlist after this because he‘s wonderful. Then very appropriately we‘ll move on to Miranda July‘s All Fours. An artist on the edge? Yes, please! I hope you‘ll join us for one or both books! #CampLitsy24

@squirrelbrain will announce August‘s books tomorrow!

This memoir is brilliant and one of my favorites this year so far. Kasher looks at his life from teen years on through the lens of six subcultures that shaped him. He writes about getting sober young at AA, his parents deafness and being a CODA, and his careers as a rave promoter/DJ, gate worker at Burning Man, and currently a comedian. He traces his Hasidic Jewish roots, too. Informative and funny with a surprising amount of heart!

This short story collection from a local Kentucky author really hit the spot. She wrote heavily pop culture-influenced looks a women on the verge sexually. On the verge of affairs or coming of age or rediscovering themselves. The stories were short, well focused, and several checked in on the same characters from multiple perspectives. Highly recommend!

Bourdain‘s graphic novel collaborator, Joel Rose, finished this two years after Tony‘s death. The artwork in this exploration of Japanese food-related horror tales was excellent, but the copy felt unfinished. I plan to try his other graphic novels on #hoopla that were finished before his death. This one is available there, too, but I took advantage of my library‘s hard copy. Between a pick and a so-so.

So excited Native Speaker came up when Ann Patchett just talked about it Friday! Also very excited for Ace Voices. Two of the audiobooks I‘ve bailed on before - Shopping and Don‘t Talk About, so I‘m a little worried there! #roll100

Nice to see the violet in bloom!

I would‘ve enjoyed this history of pockets more if I had read it in print with the accompanying pictures. Carlson does a good job outlining how pockets came to be prevalent and actually useful in menswear but patriarchal views kept (and still keeps) excellent pockets out of womenswear. I didn‘t know a pocket was so expensive to add! I sit here having switched from my winter men‘s sweatpants to women‘s pants for summer, and I want better pockets!!

Some of Bourdain‘s books I‘ve reread have been a bit disappointing, but not this one that ignited my original love of memoirs more than 20 years ago. It‘s good to read that initial enthusiasm and wonder he had for the world albeit with his trademark early cynicism, too. CT plays every night for free on PlutoTV, and I catch an episode every now and then and usually enjoy it. But I love reading later interviews, too, and how his outlook changed.

This mystery based around a school shooting in Britain was another okay one for me. I kept putting it down for more interesting books, but I liked the incorporation of conspiracy theorists.

A man shoots up a school play killing many elementary students and a popular teacher. A young man follows a wannabe politician down a conspiracy rabbit hole while the teacher‘s daughter grieves and keeps secrets of her own.

Why do I keep reading Miranda books if they‘re usually only so-so or pan for me? I‘m not sure. This one was definitely #MoreMehThanYeah.

Hazel is the daughter of tiny Mirror Lake‘s police chief. When he suddenly dies and a drought uncovers two sunken cars in the lake, she must piece together family secrets — including those held by her two brothers.

I loved this memoir from a supermodel and #metoo activist. Cameron charts her career from her discovery onward delving into physical and sexual boundaries both big and small crossed by photographers, stylists, and agents. They frequently treated her and other models as objects rather than teens and young adults. Her deep intelligence was rarely acknowledged either. One of my favorite #metoo memoirs so far!

I read A LOT of memoirs, and I‘m not sure this really adds anything to the glut of dysfunctional family ones. Eh it‘s okay.

Annabelle grew up in Ft Myers, Florida, the daughter of a white B‘Hai father and a Filipina mom who argue constantly. When her father suddenly dies, her family is unmoored, and she must step in as a second parent to her older siblings while her mother descends into anger and hoarding before shooting at a trespasser. 😳

The other two I‘ve read by her were home runs, but this one was more #goodnotgreat. I‘d still love to read more Ozeki, though! #AuthorAMonth

Yumi runs away from her tiny Idaho town at 14 after sleeping with a teacher. As her parents age, a neighbor takes care of them, but when their health falters she returns with three kids in tow. Meanwhile, a group of organic food activists have targeted the area to protest GMO potatoes.

ICYMI Camp Litsy is back! You still have until Sunday to nominate up to four books for #CampLitsy24. The books need to be published in 2024 but before mid-June.

In June, July, and August, we will read two books a month with discussion led by Me, @squirrelbrain or @BarbaraBB each Saturday. After we publish the longlist of nominees, we‘ll have voting by Google Doc to come up with the six books for Camp. Lmk if you‘d like to be tagged in posts!

The title says it all! Kuku writes compelling, revealing, and at times funny stories about relationships between the sexes in Nigeria. From a pop star keeping himself celibate on tour to meet up with a woman from Instagram who turns out to be more prudish than he thought to a woman who is about to sever her husband‘s member after he insists she sleep with a millionaire for money. Really fantastic short story collection!

Oh how I love dark academia! This tale of an older white male professor obsessed with a younger female Pakistani colleague hit on all cylinders. When a racial crisis hits campus, it reveals they both have darker pasts than first meets the eye. The ending stunned me. On #hoopla!

This was a look at the problem of waste (physical, energy, etc.) and its effect the environment and climate change. While I liked the individuals he profiled and what they were doing to affect change, there was a lot of repeated info (like verbatim), which got annoying.

So I‘ve been finding some good songs on my Spotify-curated lists lately. I put on “Evening Mix” last night when I was writing, and this came on. It just really hit hard. I‘m excited to listen to more by him. (But I‘ve been listening to dance music to get me through the day today!) #TuesdayTunes

https://open.spotify.com/track/5yGVHzJ2Se8pDzR7FIYUlU?si=Tatq23kOS9WoNaZ7KNZpPw&...

Yes, the rumors are true…Camp Litsy is back! Please check @BarbaraBB ‘s page for details!! Here are my nominees for #CampLitsy24. 😁👍🏻🏕️ We can‘t wait to see you there!

#recentacquisitions

I picked up the tagged as an algorithmic choice from Amazon! We‘ll see… James, which I loved, and A Sweet Sting of Salt are from @AardvarkBookClub 💜💜 The other three were from Amazon‘s current 3 for 2 sale. I was interested in the Nolan from the Women‘s Prize longlist, and I loved Cursed Bunny by Chung, so I wanted her latest! I‘m a bit uncertain about the Ko because I bailed on audio. We‘ll see…

Montell is just brilliant! Truly one of the best nonfiction writers around today. I‘ve only had four 5⭐️ books this year, and this is 💯 one of them.

Montell explores various psychological traps we tend to fall into, especially on social media where fake gurus abound. She illustrates with examples from her own life and other folks‘. Some traps covered: sunk cost fallacy, survivorship bias, and zero-sum bias. A must read!!

The fountain was on at the river!

Who doesn‘t enjoy a fun comedy of English manners? Glad I picked this up used. It‘s my first Taylor. This is my #Bookspin.

Mrs Palfrey is elderly and has moved into the Claremont Hotel. There she meets other long-term residents who are always in each other‘s business. When her grandson doesn‘t show to visit, she hires a rogue to impersonate him.