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ravenlee

ravenlee

Joined March 2018

Homeschool mom trying desperately to read grown-up stuff (at least occasionally)
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Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
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ravenlee
Untitled | Unknown
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#DannyBoy has opinions about me reading, even when he chooses not to be on my lap. Apparently I‘m not getting this book back anytime soon.
#catsofLitsy

TheBookHippie 😂😬 5d
Ruthiella An excellent pillow! 😹😻 5d
ImperfectCJ He takes curling up with a good book literally. 5d
See All 7 Comments
dabbe 🤣🖤🐾🖤🤣 5d
ravenlee @TheBookHippie @Ruthiella @ImperfectCJ @dabbe y‘all, he slept on it for an hour! Shifting, but never letting it go. I finally gave up and stood up, and then he stretched, gave me a LOOK, and went on his merry way. I still haven‘t opened that book today. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 5d
TheBookHippie @ravenlee 😂😂😂😂😂😂 goals. 5d
39 likes7 comments
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ravenlee
Pickpick

Another low pick, this continues Gigi and Pike‘s story. One plot thread gets resolved annoyingly quickly, and I kept expecting more from it, but it gets abandoned for the more dangerous one. This felt even less plausible than the first, and I feel like I‘d need to read some of the first-gen Gallo stories to understand the full dynamic here. Still, it‘s a pleasant-enough read when I‘m preoccupied with the state of the world.

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ravenlee
Pickpick

Low pick. MMC is a biker with a past, FMC is a good girl from a close-knit family. They‘re both tattoo artists, but when Pike walks into his first day at Inked he‘s surprised to find his spring-break fling is the boss‘s daughter AND his new colleague. Danger appears from Pike‘s past, and he and Gigi turn to his MC for protection.

Turns out Bliss has a massive set of connected series and I‘ve fallen right into the middle. Ends on a cliffhanger.

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ravenlee
Finding Mr. Write | Kelley Armstrong
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Pickpick

KA‘s first rom-com, and it‘s great! Daphne‘s a rugged outdoorswoman trying to get her novel published, and Chris becomes the face of her pseudonym. What could go wrong? I loved it.

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ravenlee
Untitled | Unknown
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I‘ve only gotten into audiobooks in the last two years or so, but the past few months they‘ve been big for me. I‘m surprised by this perfect balance, though.

Ruthiella Wow! 🤯 2w
Sarahreadstoomuch I am terrible about indicating the correct format on there…. I should be better about it! 2w
JamieArc That balance is impressive! (edited) 2w
47 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
Bad Feminist | Roxane Gay
Pickpick

As with any collection, some of these essays are better than others. A few of them didn‘t age particularly well, but most are spot on. I did the audio version, narrated by Banhi Turpin, and it was mostly well done but with a handful of words she mispronounced so wildly that I lost the whole sentence trying to parse it. I‘m glad I finally read it, and I‘ll probably read more of Gay‘s work at some point, but I‘m not racing to do so.

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ravenlee
Broken Sparrow | Chelle Bliss
Pickpick

Another “dark romance,” this one features a motorcycle club theme. Morris stumbles across a woman on the run, and takes both her and her child under his wing. They‘re stalked by her abusive husband, but with a band of unlikely friends Alice starts to have hope for the future. Another one I‘m glad is on Hoopla, but it was pretty good.

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ravenlee
Pickpick

I needed a change of pace and a distraction from reality. I think this is “dark romance” and my first foray into mob stories. This is Chicago Bratva, or Russian mafia, and the start of a 9-book series. Adbuction/seduction, but the MCs have already had one encounter that resulted in a pregnancy, which she concealed. Glad it was on Hoopla, but an enjoyable enough read.

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ravenlee
Deep End | Ali Hazelwood
Pickpick

From one of my least favorites to one of my fave favorites. Lukas may be my top hero, and I liked that the conflict seemed more natural than some. Also the stuff between Scarlett and Pen worked out in a believable way. Scarlett‘s running away was a tad extreme, but sure. I was surprised I liked this as much, given the MCs were college-age, but this worked for me in a way that Check & Mate didn‘t.

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ravenlee
Pickpick

This book was very good, if a bit beyond my depth, and also felt like an intro rather than a deep dive. It‘s largely about how the few can co-opt the direction of organizations, deliberately or not, and why that doesn‘t often serve the greater good. Dovetails nicely with Angela Y. Davis‘ book I read around the same time. Recommended.

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ravenlee
Check & Mate | Ali Hazelwood
Mehso-so

The first AH book I haven‘t loved, but I did like it. It feels more New Adult than Young Adult, I think, which wasn‘t my favorite. Mallory felt VERY young, which I guess makes sense, as she‘s a young woman forced very early into an adult role, and throughout the book she deals with the consequences of that. It was fine, but one of the few I don‘t see myself rereading. It was fun to read this while kiddo and hubby played endless rounds of chess.

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ravenlee
Pickpick

I struggled some with this collection, partly (I think) because it‘s an ebook and a little harder to keep track of sections. There were some fantastic parts, and others that were less so. Davis, as always, does a great job finding connections between struggles: class/race/sex; domestic/international; and so on. Definitely a worthwhile read, but maybe in pieces.

TheBookHippie I read this in parts for a monthly Bookclub plus discussion. It worked really well. 3w
29 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
Pickpick

While good, there are definitely some caveats. As said before, Arendt had her share of both brilliance and prejudice, and as she‘s a mixed bag so is her biography. I‘m intrigued enough to read some of her work (my first attempt was a spectacular failure, but I‘ll try again), but I‘ll keep my expectations moderate in many ways.

TheBookHippie Simone De Beauvoir and she are my problematic people I learned so much from and think their words on things are so accurate and necessary history. Sigh. 3w
24 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
Pickpick

A lot of this seems overly simplistic, even reductionist. However, there are some truly great insights into what makes someone join a mass movement. It helps make sense of why people fall/fell for MAGA BS and similar. Highly recommend.

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ravenlee
Pickpick

I read this back when there seemed to be hope, and now it seems wasted. The big takeaway that ISN‘T wasted: the GOP has been united for decades, working toward their fascistic goals, while Dems have been trying to compromise and play the bipartisan game. That time is long gone, and we need a new generation of liberal leaders who can leave the old playbook behind. Fight the battle we‘re in, not the one you studied in history.

TheBookHippie All of this. I‘ve been literally screaming since 1983. 3w
Suet624 Yes. 3w
28 likes2 comments
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ravenlee
Silent Spring | Rachel Carson
Pickpick

For being dated, this book is still absolutely on point. All the arguments are as valid as ever. Definitely worth reading if you haven‘t. It was hard going, reading about so many dead animals and sick people, but we need to keep books like this in regular rotation.

TheBookHippie I‘ve read this three times. I do enjoy her other works as well. 3w
28 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
Apologies | Plato, Xenophon
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Warning: review dump coming! I‘ve been mired in the chaos recently, and struggling to find the space to keep sane. I did take a quick trip with a friend to see the Gin Blossoms in concert (I‘ve wanted to see them for 30 years!), so that helped. Here‘s #DannyBoy for tax.

TheBookHippie Sweetness. 3w
Ruthiella 😻😻😻 3w
Suet624 💕💕💕 it‘s a tough time. 3w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w
Darklunarose ❤️❤️😻 3w
34 likes5 comments
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ravenlee
Pickpick

This was a slightly spicy romance with surprising depth. Kat has severe anxiety and frequent panic attacks, Silas has PTSD from combat in the Marines/post-service trauma from a comrade‘s suicide. Twelve years after their disastrous first encounter leaves them bitter enemies, Kat and Silas end up in a fake romance to piss off her ex-fiancé (whom they both detest). I loved the hidden complexity of both characters and the way they came together.

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ravenlee
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Mehso-so

Thanks to kiddo‘s extra (waste of time) ballet rehearsal, I finished this. I agree with other reviews that there‘s a lot of name-dropping that doesn‘t tell me much. At least, not much good. I‘m not impressed that AA used to hang with Laura Ingraham, for instance. This wasn‘t what I expected or wanted, but there are some useful observations scattered around, and it‘s fairly short. Maybe Autocracy, Inc. is better?

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ravenlee
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From a figure of the Spanish far-right nationalist movement, modeled on Trump 1.0. Our world in a nutshell. 🙁

TheBookHippie 😭 1mo
30 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
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GingerAntics I feel like that‘s a bit reductionist. That is certainly SOME philosophy. To say it is largely like that is an over generalisation at the least. 2mo
ravenlee @GingerAntics it is reductionist, but I feel like it‘s reductionist in a way to simplify for accessibility. As opposed to depicting philosophy as a bunch of loners engaged in never-ending navel-gazing while the world spins out of control beyond the ivory tower. It makes it feel, to me, like philosophy is something everybody can and does do. 2mo
GingerAntics @ravenlee that‘s fair 2mo
32 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
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Panpan

Meh. I thought this was going to be sociology, current events, something I could learn from. Instead, it‘s memoir sprinkled with informational tidbits. Aside from the disappointment (it‘s not just me, I first heard about this on the radio ages ago and it was billed as this insightful study of care work in the pandemic era), it‘s not successful as memoir IMO. Garbes constantly stops short of actual insight. And a lot of it feels 👇🏻

ravenlee self-congratulatory, like she wants to be applauded for her revolutionary ways. While admitting that most of it isn‘t revolutionary at all. I‘m sorry I spent money on it and used valuable shelf space on it. 2mo
Suet624 Well that‘s a shame. 🙁 2mo
35 likes2 comments
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ravenlee
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Today‘s #bookmail is from Haymarket Books‘ book club. The one I wanted this month wasn‘t on the club choices, so I left it at the default.

36 likes1 stack add
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ravenlee
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ravenlee
Deep End | Ali Hazelwood
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My Barnes&Noble #bookmail just arrived and it‘s gorgeous! BRB, gotta go shuffle my TBR…

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ravenlee
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“‘-nication was possible with him, not because he lied but because he was surrounded by the most reliable of all safeguards against the words and the presence of others, and hence against reality as such. (EJ 49)‘

His words were empty because his mind was without resonance. Eichmann was thoughtless to the point that he no longer inhabited the real world—which was partly why he could wreak such terror upon it.”

Sounds familiar.

TheBookHippie 🎯 2mo
Suet624 It does sound familiar. 2mo
31 likes2 comments
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ravenlee
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“What is being claimed is the right to have rights.”

Boy, isn‘t that just the nail on the head today.

#HannahArendt #adventuresinphilosophy #WeAreFreetoChangetheWorld

TheBookHippie 😩🎯 2mo
kspenmoll Yes! 😱 2mo
35 likes2 comments
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ravenlee
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Having recently finished Silent Spring, and now dipping my toes into the deep waters of Arendt, it looks like it‘s the time to give Baldwin a try. Finally.

AshleyHoss820 Baldwin is one of my deep literary loves. He‘s going to hurt you in such a wonderful way. Enjoy! ☺️🧡 2mo
kspenmoll I want to read more Baldwin too in light of this book. 2mo
34 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ravenlee
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TheBookHippie Yup. 2mo
36 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
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Empathy. Being able to understand, to care about other people. What happened to it?

#HannahArendt #adventuresinphilosophy #WeAreFreetoChangetheWorld

TheBookHippie Compassion what day did it die. … 2mo
39 likes1 comment
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ravenlee

“…we have to recognize that democracy is not a permanent good.”

Wow, so much of this is hitting hard today. Absolutely, and unfortunately, prescient.

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ravenlee
Untitled | Unknown
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And then there was today‘s #bookmail - a hard copy of the Hoffer for my personal library project, and the Arendt inspired by (in addition to, well, everything) reading We Are Free to Change the World.

Seriously, I have a problem. And it‘s not enough bookcases.

TheBookHippie All of Arendt is good. This one though, it‘s now. 2mo
ravenlee @TheBookHippie I got turned off by trying On Violence first, because it was short and I could get it cheaply. It was almost incomprehensible to me, and then I didn‘t know where to go from there. The buddy read is giving me the courage to dive into the big one. 2mo
TheBookHippie @ravenlee I had the luxury of taking a course on her writings. I wish it was offered now when it‘s so needed. 2mo
ravenlee @TheBookHippie I wish I‘d taken a philosophy course in college, but at the time it seemed unappealing. In all fairness, so was the philosophy-major-ex-boyfriend 😆 2mo
TheBookHippie @ravenlee 🤣🤣🤣😝😩 2mo
35 likes5 comments
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ravenlee
Oops!-- I Did it Again | Britney Spears
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Kiddo and I went to Fort Worth (again) for new pointe shoes (again). We went to a new-to-us Barnes & Noble as a treat.

In my defense, I can‘t be expected to exercise restraint when they set up mythology and myth-inspired tables right next to each other in the main aisle. I did resist all the other pretty shiny things.
#bookhaul

Ruthiella They knew you were coming! 😉 2mo
TheBookHippie Ooo The Witch and The Tsar!!! 2mo
ravenlee @Ruthiella and BOGO…it‘s just so targeted… 2mo
38 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
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ravenlee
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One of my goals this year is to educate myself as much as I‘m able to stomach about what‘s going on. So far this year, I‘ve read a few books (currently listening to Stacey Abrams Our Time Is Now and reading Angela Davis‘ Freedom Is a Constant Struggle) and these are all on my agenda. Right stack is most directly involved, left is supplemental. Also following some great thinkers on fbook and Substack that I‘ll share below. Let‘s be bricks/mortar!

ravenlee I follow Heather Cox Richardson, Jay Kuo, Robert Hubbell, Joyce Vance, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Lucian Truscott, and Rebecca Solnit. It can get overwhelming with all the daily updates, but I‘m doing my best to keep afloat. 2mo
ravenlee Recent helpful reads: Eric Hoffer‘s The True Believer (definitely read this! It‘s eye-opening; about mass movements and who joins them), Caroline Frederickson‘s The Democracy Fix (about the right-wing long game to dominate the federal judiciary and gerrymander their way to power); and Rachel Carson‘s classic Silent Spring (which reminds me why we must remain in this fight) 2mo
TiredLibrarian I read The True Believer in college and still have a copy; it might be an apt time for a re-read. 2mo
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Deblovestoread Thank you for this post. 💙 2mo
HeyT I'd also recommend Sarah Kendzior's work. She has been pretty spot on with her predictions about how things were/are headed. She also has a pretty good substack. 2mo
ravenlee @HeyT thanks for the recommendation; I went to stack some of her books and found I already had at least one stacked. I‘ll look for her substack, too. 2mo
Christine What a great goal and excellent stacks and shared resources. I really appreciate the reminder re: the Hoffer book – just had to run to my shelves to confirm that I‘d bought it last year (and then promptly forgot to read). 2mo
35 likes7 comments
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ravenlee
Hope In The Dark | Rebecca Solnit
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Not from the tagged, but on Solnit‘s facebook page today:
“You don‘t need to be the whole wall against fascism yourself; you can just be a brick and if you can‘t be a brick, you can be a dab of mortar…”

@kspenmoll and all of us who need it right now.

GingerAntics I like the idea of being a dab of mortar. I‘d be awesome at that! 2mo
Hooked_on_books It‘s reassuring to be reminded that there are a whole lot of people who are not on board with this agenda, and that many of them are poised to actively fight against it. 2mo
dabbe We need to keep fighting and make our voices heard--even the dabs of mortar. I'm with ya on that one, @GingerAntics! 🩶🖤🩶 2mo
40 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
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Today, this hits harder.

kspenmoll Thank you! 🩵 2mo
TheBookHippie ♥️✊🏼 2mo
Suet624 Thank you. 2mo
47 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
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I mean, really, how was I supposed to resist this? This is 75% of why I bought this book.
#bookhaul

Branwen I am right there with you, friend! 😂 I am 100% more likely to buy a book if it has pretty page edges! 😍 2mo
41 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
This Will Be Fun | E B Asher
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And I spent the last of my gift card (and then a little more) on these beauties. I know nothing about any of them, but it‘s been a while since I blindly browsed. 🤞🏻 they‘re good! #bookhaul

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ravenlee
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My Christmas present to myself was joining Haymarket Press‘ monthly book club. I get my choice of one new print title every month, plus all the new ebooks. And I paid for the whole year, which gets one month free. I haven‘t dived in yet, but I‘m really excited about these. #bookhaul

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ravenlee
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I got the tagged book for Christmas (my sister is awesome) and used some of my Christmas gift card on the other three (my dad is also awesome). I‘ve been waiting forever to get this Riordan but now I have to wait on the new Percy books to come out in paperback 😢 and I decided to bite the bullet on Bride. I‘ve liked everything else I‘ve read by AH (which is everything but Check & Mate, which I‘m currently reading) so we‘ll see. #bookhaul

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ravenlee
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“…the propaganda effect of infallibility: the trick of appearing omnipotent by prophesying a future that you then make happen.”
#adventuresinphilosophy #resistance #HannahArendt

Cuilin Oh shoving people over the border to make a migrant crisis? Watch what will happen soon. 2mo
kspenmoll @Cuilin Its going to be challenge to be hopeful with this “regime.” 2mo
ravenlee @Cuilin @kspenmoll I just shared a quote from Angela Davis in Freedom Is a Constant Struggle about optimism of the will despite pessimism of the intellect. It feels very apt today. 2mo
kspenmoll @ravenlee Thank you! I just saw it & photographed for a “picture book” I am starting to go to when i feel the need! 2mo
32 likes4 comments
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ravenlee
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Eichmann sounds a lit like somebody else in today‘s news, doesn‘t he? I mean, like a lot of somebodys, really.
#adventuresinphilosophy #HannahArendt

Cuilin I thought that too. And history repeats itself. 3mo
Tamra There is so much history on repeat. 3mo
Larkken This articulates my feelings about sooo many people that have sat next to me and used me as a set piece to pontificate to lately! I think theres an epidemic of them 😝 3mo
kspenmoll Yes, so much is repeating itself right now- it‘s a challenge to not be afraid of our future. 3mo
33 likes4 comments
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ravenlee
Happy New Year! | Clara Coleman
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#DannyBoy wishes everyone a happy new year, and reminds us all to choose love. Thanks to Penzeys Spices for his new bandana, which required a collar, so kiddo and I went shopping yesterday. Danny‘s thrilled about it, really.
#catsofLitsy

JamieArc Love Penzey‘s ❤️ 3mo
Texreader What a sweetie pie! 3mo
Ruthiella Happy New Year to you and Danny Boy! 🍾🥂🥳 (edited) 3mo
See All 7 Comments
Tamra Cute! 3mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3mo
BookmarkTavern Happy New Year! 🎉🍾🎊 3mo
Deblovestoread Happy New Year 🎆🎇🎆 3mo
41 likes7 comments
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ravenlee
Untitled | Unknown
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#DannyBoy is all Christmased out. Feline Navidad!

dabbe #darlingdanny 🖤🐾🖤 3mo
Ruthiella 😻😻😻 3mo
Darklunarose Danny looks like he needs a really long nap. 3mo
BookmarkTavern Oh boy I sympathize Danny! ❤️ 3mo
40 likes4 comments
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ravenlee
Free Will | Sam Harris
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Panpan

Late for the readalong but figured I‘d finish it, and wish I‘d just chucked it. Repetitive but never particularly clear or convincing, Harris just seems to spitballing about something he kinda believes but can‘t convey. Not a great one, and if he were anybody else I don‘t think this would have gotten published at all.
#deadphilosopherssociety #adventuresinphilosophy

kspenmoll I would have bailed if not that we discussed it. Most times not sure how to respond! (edited) 3mo
GingerAntics 100% agree… I‘m sorry we picked it, honestly. 3mo
31 likes2 comments
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ravenlee
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Pickpick

A library impulse pick that turned out to be really good. She‘s adrift after an unwanted proposal and heads to the lake she spent childhood summers on. He‘s trying to find his way as a single dad of two, one with ASD, after a messy divorce. He‘s also her brother‘s best friend. A lot of good stuff about finding yourself, finding your family, taking care of each other how it needs to be done (not how you want to do it). Surprisingly enjoyable.

33 likes1 stack add
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ravenlee
Untitled | Untitled
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So it would appear that our spelling book is out of date.

Texreader Oops 4mo
Ruthiella Only a few decades…🙊 4mo
Dilara 🙄 😂 Well, pupils will be prepared for their history class... 4mo
dabbe Time for a new spelling book adoption. If your district is like mine, that'll take a while. #oy 4mo
ravenlee @Texreader @Ruthiella @Dilara @dabbe the thing is, we homeschool, so this is entirely on me. The series is actually really good, just this one little thing. Weirdly, the copyright date is 2002. 🤷🏻‍♀️ At least she‘s not trying to learn Czechoslovakia, I guess. 4mo
26 likes5 comments
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ravenlee
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Meowy Catmas from #DannyBoy!

kspenmoll He is beautiful! Merry Christmas from Poe & Em! 🐈🐈 4mo
Ruthiella 😻😻😻 4mo
Suet624 So pretty. 4mo
38 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
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Today‘s #bookmail came with my vitamin/supplement package. Gotta get to that free shipping threshold, right?

Tamra I‘m currently reading this one. 👍🏾 4mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag Free postage for the win!! 4mo
35 likes2 comments