“And through words I understood that my Baltimore was not damned, that what I saw in the eyes of the boys there, what I heard in the music, was in fact something old, something ineffable, which marked all of humanity, stretching from Stratford upon Avon to the Streets.”

Thanks Little Free Library!

Just finished up this baby. While I like it overall, I have to admit that I wasn‘t always thrilled by the formatting. I found the switch from epistolary to text messages to emails and back somewhat jarring and disjointed at times - right when I was getting into the narrative, whoops it‘s time for a random inconsequential series of texts. Mostly, however, it was a pick! (And the cover‘s a beauty.)

Another bath, another book, this time an ARC from a while ago that I was lucky enough to win from Goodreads!

What a beautiful book. Very Edward Gorey-esque, and a quick read.

Moving on to diversity as an end goal rather than as a tool to end white supremacy: “Treating diversity as an end instead of a means to an end typically creates a significant chasm between the experience and attitude of the white stakeholders and the experience and attitude of the BIPOC stakeholders in that organization.” It‘s also important to note the burden that diversity places upon BIPOC to explain/teach white people about white supremacy.

Love this bit about the dangers of wokeness. Hill suggests we move “from seeking to establish ourselves as experts to seeking a permanent posture of learning,” and isn‘t that a great lesson that‘s applicable to literally everything?

Thanks to @LibrarianRyan for this one! I‘m honestly kind of shocked by how much this is resonating. This is billed as a Christian approach to dismantling White Supremacy, both in ourselves and in our world. As someone who is very much not a Christian (culturally Jewish, personally agnostic), I thought I would skim it and maybe find a few takeaways. Instead, it‘s providing some really helpful lenses through which to think about things, and I‘m…

Love a good bath time book, and I‘ve been especially loving retellings lately.

Super cute middle grade book! Now I just need to read the first one… and then all the others.

Skipping ahead in the series with another Nancy Drew, also featuring whirlybirds & Ned gets kidnapped!

Because my lovely fiancé @BigHam got me a monthly used book box, I‘ve been reading some random stuff that I wouldn‘t usually have picked up. This is one of those books, and I have to say, I pretty much hate-read this one. But I‘ve gotten many other winners, so thanks babe! (Sorry) This one was just very War of Northern Aggression-ey, with lots of questionable Karen behavior. I definitely do not think I will pick up another from this author.

I loved learning that whirlybird was apparently slang for helicopters when this book was written. How cute is that?! Of course, reflecting the time period, super problematic handling of Native American/American Indian burial grounds in an anthropological dig, but that‘s to be expected.

In view of my new attempt to have my Litsy account better reflect the breadth of what I‘ve actually been reading, I‘m including a little blurb on my latest Nancy Drew. I can‘t believe I never got into these when I was younger. They‘re simplistic, but fun and light-hearted, and a great palate cleanser between other fare.

I loved this series for the satisfying mystery/YA aspects, but truly felt it could‘ve been better to end it on book 3 with the more optimistic, open-ended resolution to Jamie & Charlotte‘s relationship. Also don‘t love the overly simplistic resolutions with nominal “friends” who‘ve repeatedly and egregiously betrayed them, and Jamie‘s untreated PTSD that seems to inexplicably go unnoticed by everyone and then just disappear.

Love all of the cute illustrations by kid contest winners, but kind of hate how disconcertingly and unnecessarily dark some aspects of the story were? The story, in terms of plot, character development, and themes, reads like something for really young kids, but so. many. people die. And in very messed up ways, with so many people complicit. I feel like Cornucopia would need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission after this story.

I‘m DYING at this quote!

Enjoying this treasure, but sheesh is it making me pine for the days of being able to watch trash tv with friends and a bottle of wine (or two...)!

I‘ve been listening to Hillary Clinton‘s amazing podcast You and Me Both, thanks to @BigHam ‘s recommendation, and found out Stacey Abrams is also a romance author under the name of Selena Montgomery! Feels perfect to read one of her novels after the Georgia races.

#49BDayGiveaway ! Tagged my current read. Thanks @Jerdencon !

While I would love to blow $50 on paperbacks, studying for the LSAT and the GRE at the same time is expensive!! Congrats @TheSpineView on your #50KLoveLitsy !

I think this one is my favorite book of the year so far, but then again I always favor the ones I‘ve just read! Thanks for the opportunity, @EH2018 !

Some reads for Short Book September!! All under 250 pages (or thereabouts). Tagged one of my favorites so far! #sbksept Thanks for the idea, @juliannebenford ❤️📚

#TuesdayTidbits @JenlovesJT47 1) Tome! 2) Can I say both? If I really have to choose, Harry Potter 3) Physical books are much preferred but I‘ll read it any way you give it to me! 4) Tea 5) Agatha Christie - I‘ve been on an Agatha Christie binge lately! ... Just finished the tagged book about Nancy Drew (the magnifying glass is in her honor).

For this, my first post in forever AND my first post in the beautiful country of Senegal 🇸🇳, here‘s a look at a very small part of what I‘ve been doing here ~ reading (because no matter where I am, I‘m always reading!)
Tagged is one of my most recent reads and a favorite for this year @callielafleur #ClearingtheShelves3

Currently juggling these two beauties, both due back to the library by the day after tomorrow (the 8th). 😱😱😱

So I know this doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of either book but... I read both of these this year, and while I kind of get them confused when I think back on them, I really enjoyed them both.

Forgot to post when this occurred, but I caught the moment!! #Spooky

I don't know if I'm just at the right age or time in my life for Rupi Kaur but these days her poems seem to be exactly what I need to hear. #SelfAffirmation

Currently reading and really digging this book that hasn't been getting as much litsy love as it deserves. (Cover pic from google)

This book was sooooo good! And such a good follow up to the March series. (I love those weird library book selection coincidences where somehow you end up picking a bunch of books dealing with a similar topic: in this case, segregation and Jim Crow).

My bedside book stack is getting more and more out of hand... #spacejam #technicallynotashelf

Interesting and dark graphic novel about one of the Lost Generation's forgotten literary stars.

Saw the new commercial for this show and had to read the book before it premiers! #24in48 #Book2

Getting a bit of a late start to the #24in48 because Artscape is today in Baltimore, and then this classic was on tv when we got home! What's a reader to do?

Not the brightest start to the #24in48 weekend, but a pick nonetheless

Success! Thanks mom!

T minus 8 hours until my last final of the semester and had to shoot my mom a late night text before going back to studying...

Is it a gift if your professor gives you his book that's required reading for his class for free? My parents (who pay for my books) definitely think so! #BooksfromLiberty @Liberty

Mr. Preston has a fundamental misunderstanding of what "compulsively readable" means... Also please note the abundance of cat hair sticking to the cover ?

I've been stalled on this one for a while... I thought the sister was being really whiny and self-absorbed to the point that I had to take a break. Still not sure if I'll get back to it anytime soon.

This is potentially the snarkiest aside that I have ever seen in a published work. I liked the Da Vinci Code! I mean, it's not Shakespeare, but neither is your book Misters Micklethwait and Wooldridge! #lol

Can we all just agree that it's super not ok to refer to women by their first name while simultaneously referring to men by their last names if you don't personally know the woman? Which, considering she died in 1944, I doubt you did?! (Aimee Semple McPherson is just Aimee, meanwhile William Seymour is consistently referred to by his last name.) #FthePatriarchy

Tonight's bath time book, my last read for my Middle Eastern Politics class and the first fiction book of the semester! (Joy!)

Loving this little history of one of my favorite places I've ever been as a break from all the class reading I should be doing... Particularly all the vignettes about special buildings and shops; it's added a lot of locales to my to-do list for next time!

Someone seriously needs to restrain me... More new ebook purchases.

An interesting discussion of religious legislative overreach in America... Not bad for class reading!

Can't wait until Winter Break when I'll be able to get back to reading for pleasure instead of doing all this class reading! Reading about the failure of the Arab Spring and the Euro Crisis is getting mighty depressing...

Omg why did y'all have to tell me about Cyber Monday sales?!?! My dad is gonna kill me when he gets these Amazon notifications... #ThanksLitsy

I ❤️ Jane Austen, and this was no exception.