Happy Saturday 🤍

Went to the art museum just to look at more books. 🤓 It was a cool experience to hear Alec Soth talk about his work and the meaning behind his photographs.

The conversation with John Green and Kaveh Akbar last night was wonderful. I especially appreciated the times when they discussed current events and their impact on John's research. He described medical research like a staircase. We just fell down the stairs in terms of progress on eradicating Tuberculosis, but we pick ourselves up and climb again. We're not at the end of history despite how it may feel. We're in the middle.

This is the windmill in Elk Horn, Iowa! (See previous post for deets.)

We saw road signs for a Danish windmill in the middle of Iowa on our way to see John Green. What was supposed to be a quick detour for it turned into about an hour of book shopping, touring the grounds, looking at trinkets, and an impromptu mead tasting with two old ladies who sold me some Viking Blod to sip while I read my new book of Nordic folk tales tonight. 🤍

Update on the bomb cyclone. It is getting crazy out there. Branches are falling off trees left and right & our power has been surging. It's supposed to get even more intense this evening. Four years in the Midwest and the weather still fascinates me. 😅

Book n' breakfast in bed: snow day edition ❄️ Who knew reading about disease could be so interesting? I found myself saying to Lucas over and over, "Did you know Tuberculosis..."

I have a snow day tomorrow! It's sunny and 75, but something called a bomb cyclone (??) is moving in tomorrow and we could get up to 10 inches of snow. Wild. But, that means I get to read John Green's new book before I see him this weekend!!

Tuesday means NEW BOOK DAAAAAY! I'm so excited for both of these.

Happy Saturday! ☀️ This is the first day of spring break when it isn't nice enough to read on the porch. We had a nasty storm roll through last night and it took our upper 70s weather with it. Good thing I have lots of snuggly blankets. 🤗 I'm excited to start this book! I needed a bit of a palate cleanser after Eileen. I enjoyed it, but reading it also gave me the same feeling as watching Saltburn...iykyk. 😬

Not book related, but who needs a porch goose when you have a portrait of your dogs? New tradition unlocked: they'll be getting themed hats every season from now on. 😂🎩👒🧢

Getting cozy after a long day of chores. I'm so excited to have discovered a new favorite author!

Oh my god this book was the easiest 5 star read I've had in a while. It was daring and it worked. I know I own a couple other books by this author, and I'm about to go dig them up...

I've been so happy to take advantage of the warm weather and read on my porch. The bistro lights are back up and I'm ready to sit out here all night with my new book. 🤓

What an incredible book. I appreciate that Boo dignifies and humanizes a population that is largely discarded by society, much like the trash they scavenge and sell. Boo lived in a Mumbai slum for 3 years, yet the story isn't about her at all. It wasn't a story of a white lady being inspired or changed by poverty, but it was an honest look at the Caste system and the families who rise above by any means necessary.

Good morning from my porch! I love spring break. ☀️
This book has been on my TBR for a looong time. I think I heard the author on an NPR broadcast years ago, so I'm excited to start it today.

There's a little magic in the air on the day that I get to clean off my porch every year. I swept up the dirt and leaves that accumulated over the winter months and gave everything a good wipe down. I have a stack of books, an extra hour of sunshine, and my neighbors wind chimes are playing for me. Life is good. 🤍📚

I stayed in bed way later than I meant to this morning, completely absorbed in Jaycee's story. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering she endured. It's hard to believe there are people in the world who can do such horrendous acts, and she doesn't shy away from sharing exactly what her abuser did to her. It's honest, hopeful, and very well-written especially given the memory blackouts she experienced. Trigger warning for explicit descriptions.

Happy International Women's Day! I don't think I can recommend a better book for the occasion this year. Dr. Mona is a badass crucial whistle-blower in the Flint water crisis. She's a pediatrician who started to notice patterns only months after the city switched its water source, and worked with only one other woman to prove that Flint's water was essentially hazardous waste and the residents were being poisoned so politicians could make money.

What are you reading on this lovely Sunday evening? ☀️🤓

I've been studying epistemology in my class this semester and I've been looking for books to help me understand it better. I added this book to my ThriftBooks cart two days ago, and then I surreptitiously found it at the library book sale yesterday! It's annotated and I'm enjoying not only reading Russell's writings, but also the scribblings of the previous owner who was also trying to make sense of it all.

This was a lovely little book about how gardens (both real and those depicted in art) shape one's life. I have about a quarter acre of land that is an absolute mess right now, and it was nice to read stories about people with beautiful gardens who also struggled to find their green thumb. I made pinterest boards and added lots of suggestions to my TBR that I can refer back to as I begin my work this spring!

I picked this book up at the library sale this morning. I've been hoping to find some inspiration to get started on my yard this year. 🌸☀️

Ugh, BookTok has failed me again. This one was just too slow-paced and shallow for my liking. The idea is great, just not executed well at all. Why am I getting the perspective of a 12 year old who understands nothing when there are hundreds of thousands of women who literally transformed into mythical beasts?? They just disappeared and I don't get to know more about them?? It read more like chick lit than fantasy. 😬

Alternating between giving belly rubs and holding my book. Every time I remove my hand to turn the page, I'm met with little grumbles of protest.

Mars Bars turns 3 years old today! I can't imagine life without her, and sometimes I'm sure the reason we moved to Nebraska was to be in the right place at the right time when she needed adopting. She's just been the most perfect addition to the family you could imagine.

Book and dinner: I threw a few handfuls of spinach into my usual red sauce with turkey pasta, and it turned out so good!

I'm almost done with book one in the Farseer trilogy. I definitely liked the Liveship trilogy better because of the pacing & POVs, but this is still a great read.

Okay, I finished Babel and I have some mixed feelings. I loved the dark academia vibes of 1830s Oxford and I felt like the topics of anticolonialism, racism, sexism, and classism were handled well. I just don't think this book needed to be a fantasy. The magic elements are cool, but they feel forced in some respects. I almost wish it had just been a dark historical thriller.
I'm going to add some more thoughts in comments with the spoiler tag.

My book haul just came in the mail! I think I'm going to read this new translation of The Iliad next. 🤔

I just got the news that I have another snow day tomorrow! Friday will *likely* be my only work day this week. I'm very much so appreciating the extra time to read and get stuff done around the house and work the shop.

P.s. notice the Corgi ears?

She showed up twenty minutes early with a full face of make up, bleach blonde hair, and heels on. I showed up five minutes early with mascara, a hoodie, and my natural hair in a claw clip.

I told her to stop panicking about every moment and trust her instincts. I told her we're married to the guy we started dating at 16 and we're ridiculously happy. I reminded her that being her true self will never be the wrong choice.

@Texreader 🤍🤍

My sweet little reading buddy 🥺

Started this one & so far, I love it! I'm realizing that fantasy *has* to be told in the 3rd person for me to enjoy it. I was happy to see that this one is.

Cozied up & ready for bedtime stories 🐶

#BookandBreakfast of banana pancakes & bacon on this fine snow day! I read the first chapter of Assassin's Apprentice before bed last night and it very well be my favorite first chapter I've ever read. I got immediately sucked in and I cannot wait to read more about Fitz.

I have a snow day tomorrow! 4 to 6 inches are supposed to accumulate over night. I'm SO looking forward to a bonus day off this week so I can curl up with a book and finally recover from this bug. 🤧📚🤍

I had to share some emails I got from students earlier today. For context, I teach 8th graders. 😂 The poor kids, I had to take 3 sick days and they had a different sub each day.

Going on sick day number 🖐🤧. I've taken 3 days off from work so I feel like I have to go in tomorrow even though I could probably use a few more days in my couch cocoon. This suuuucks. Thankfully the book is pretty cute.

I'm basically reading the Realm of the Elderlings series in Star Wars order. I breezed through books 4, 5, & 6, and now I'm going back to 1, 2, & 3! I LOVED The Liveship Traders, but I feel like I would've loved Ship of Destiny *that* much more if I'd gotten the references to the elderling cities. Oh no, is that an excuse to go back and re-read it?! Darn!

Aaand I'm laid up in bed with a flare up that feels like the flu, so I'm diving right into this cozy little fantasy. 💜

Just read this is one sitting! It was a very quick read for being kind of slow paced? My husband has been recommending it to me since it came out but it just never sounded like something I'd vibe with. That said, I enjoyed the mystery and how it all came together at the end. It's one I'll definitely think about for a while.

Wow! 3 books put me at 10% of my annual reading goal. I opted for a page goal this time so I'd feel less trepidation when picking up my chunkier books, and for some reason this is motivating for me.

Diving into this one tonight 🤓

Blacked out at the book sale today 🤪📚 📚

Kind of a random book haul today, but I feel like I hit the jackpot with these finds! I especially love finding stories from my childhood that I loved. My mom used to subscribe to indie children's book publishers who would mail us books every month and I also had a lot of hand-me-down books from my sister, so finding any of those titles again is super fun. 🤍

Has anyone found their way over to Substack yet? I'm still figuring out how it works, but I made my first post! I plan on treating it like a book blog with longer form content. I'll follow anyone back who finds me over there. 🤗

https://open.substack.com/pub/rachelrencher?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&...

The magic in this trilogy is god tier. The story is fast-paced & the multiple POVs are used skillfully to keep the pace quick and build the world. The political turmoil makes me wonder if the author is clairvoyant. Also, there are the coolest fucking dragons ever written. I could go on and on. Read this trilogy.

"Put that book down and scritch me or I'll shove my snoot in your book. You've been reading for 7 hours straight, mom. ?" -Winston, probably

I know there's still so many Brandon Sanderson books that I need to get, but I finally got them all organized on one shelf! They're not in reading order...don't @ me. 😂
I thought snow days were supposed to be restful but so far today I recaulked my bath/shower, rearranged ALL my bookshelves that have been double stacked and messy AF for almost 2 years now, hired a carpenter for some work that's been needing done, and cleaned house. 🤪

One of the things that I love most about this book is the naming of the characters. There are names suited very well to the fantasy genre like Althea, Keffria, Malta, Grag, Wintrow, and Brashen to name a few. Then there's Kyle. And yes, Kyle sucks as a person. He's the absolute worst. His name stands out among the rest like a sore thumb and I think it's by design maybe? Idk, but I think it's hilarious.

The world building in this series is insane. I'm enjoying every second of it. 🐉⛵️🏴‍☠️🩸