Back again for the 6th annual #ChunksterChallenge! Is there a giant book you‘ve always wanted to read but have been intimidated by its size? Tackle it in 2026 and enjoy the bragging rights! Start gradually with stepped-up categories— or join me in diving right into a Colossal Chunkster! (Tagged is the book I‘ll be starting on Jan.1.)

#ChunksterChallenge2026

Is it Irving‘s best work? No. Does it hold its own against “Cider House Rules”? Also no. Does it recycle the same themes (wrestling, Vienna, absent fathers, etc.) Yes. Do parts of it read like Wikipedia articles shoehorned into the story? Also yes. But it felt so good to fall back into the warm embrace of the eccentric, quirky world that Irving always creates with his characters. I caught glimpses of classic John Irving, and that made me happy.

Thank you so much, Christie! What a wonderful surprise! Happy holidays to you and yours!

Excited to get my #AuldLangSpine list from @fredthemoose ! I‘ve already read four of these (6, 8, 9 and 12). I‘m going to start with 10 because it immediately piqued my interest. 2 and 5 are going into the queue as well! I normally avoid romance/rom-com/anything “romancy” —but I‘m going to wander a bit outside my comfort zone and give 4 a go. Because why not? It‘s a new year with a new reading friend! 🎉🎊

Stats for November 2025

Posting this gratuitous kitty photo for @ElizaMarie Cleopatra (Cleo) says howdy to her feline panther cousin. 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

#catsoflitsy

Nina Willner tells the incredible true story of two Jewish boys —one of them her father, Eddie —who miraculously escaped after 3 years in various Nazi death camps and found their way to rescue by a company of U.S. Army 3rd Armored Division tankers. It‘s a truly remarkable story of perseverance and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of inhumanity and depravity.
#NFN
#NonfictionNovember

Last night I stood in a cold rain in the dark on the sidewalk outside my office for 30 minutes waiting for the shuttle. Then I sat in heavy traffic on the shuttle for an hour to get to the commuter lot where my car was. Then I drove another 35 minutes to finally get home - more than 2 hours after I left work. Which is only 40 miles from my house. Today I am logging off at 1 pm and ignoring everything and everyone for the rest of the day.

#WDNCW

Morning has broken like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world.
— Cat Stevens

#beautybreak

I‘m back with my nonfiction-heavy list for 2026, @monalyisha ! 😀 If you‘d like to participate in this low-key, fun challenge, head over to her page to register. But hurry! Once 60 people sign up, registration will close!

Ken Burns‘ latest epic is enthralling. In Ep. 3, it became personally relevant. I‘ve long known I have ancestors who served in the CT Militia. However, it was just words in a pension file. Until now. The depiction of the battles in NY in 1776 — all of which my 6x great-gf took part in — brought it to life. I can envision what it was like to be in that place at that moment. And I‘m standing a tad taller with pride in my American patriot ancestors.

Join us for the new #USPresidents reading challenge!

Goal: Read about one president per month, IN ORDER. Thus, 2026 will be George Washington – Zachary Taylor.

Books can include biographies, memoirs or books written by the president.

Related bonus topics will be posted in a bingo-card format to work on throughout the year.

As you read, share fun facts or interesting tidbits! We will also post a discussion thread at the end of each month.

It‘s Friday night and I‘m feeling alright…

My favorite day of the week. ❤️❤️

Who would have guessed that a true story about a couple who were shipwrecked and survived 118 days on a raft in the middle of the ocean could be so …emotionless and dull? I don‘t even know how you can take that story and make it boring. But here it is.

At least it‘s short. So that‘s something.

#Truth

@Suet624 — saw this and thought you‘d enjoy! 😀

A detailed —or rather, overly detailed — memoir. (Ex. 100 pages in, Cher is still only 15 years old.) Some interesting tidbits here and there, but way too much about her clothes. I feel like I learned about every dress, pair of shoes, crop top and bell-bottomed jeans she ever wore. Probably won‘t read part 2. (Or 3? How many of these are on tap?)

#NonfictionNovember
#NFN

Putting this out there for my fellow history nerds who may have watched the Netflix series that draws heavily from the tagged book (which is fabulous, by the way): I discovered a blog by a guy who has read and reviewed 260 presidential bios, from Washington to Obama. (He stopped where I would, too. 😖)

Some great stuff in here if you want to go down numerous rabbit holes: https://bestpresidentialbios.com/best-bios-summaries/

First fire of the season! It‘s beautiful to me for several reasons: one, I do love this time of year when we retreat inward to our warm and cozy spaces. And two, because I don‘t just see a crackling fire: I see the hours that my husband spent all summer chopping and stacking wood. The many hours that he devoted to making sure that we would have a warm and cozy space. If that‘s not a definition of beauty, I don‘t know what is. 🥰

#beautybreak

A multigenerational story of addiction, lies, secrets, forgiveness and acceptance. It‘s well written, albeit with a narrative structure that was a bit overly dramatic in parts for me.

Just saw this word in a book and had to look it up — it‘s lovely! And timely for #weirdwordwednesday

#WWW

Fun! (Super fiddly to navigate on my phone, though.) I‘ve always been a map geek —when I was a kid, I wanted to be a cartographer once I learned what that word meant.

#TTT #TakeThreeThursday

Oh what a happy day it is, when a new John Irving book arrives in the mailbox! 😍

Have been working the polls today. Voting has been steady all day, but I did manage to finish this book. What a delightful read! The epistolary format was perfect for letting the story unfold. It hit me in all the feels. I‘m already thinking about how many people I‘m going to gift this to for Christmas.

Just as spot-on as “1984.” Who knew Fitzgerald and Orwell were so prophetic.

A pleasant-enough memoir about Colin Jost‘s childhood growing up on Staten Island and his journey to becoming a writer and “news” co-anchor on “Saturday Night Live.” #NonfictionNovember #NFN

#TodayILearned that Jost‘s mother, Dr. Kerry Kelly, the first female chief medical officer of the NYFD, was on site at the World Trade Center on 9/11 and narrowly escaped being killed when Tower 2 collapsed. Her life story is more interesting than his!

A character-driven novel about two families in Ohio, with a narrative arc that spans 50 years from pre-WWII to the 1980s-ish. It‘s about choices made and secrets kept, and the long-term ramifications of said decisions. This quote sums it up best: “Wasn‘t it a fair measure of a person, what they did with their mistakes?” I enjoyed this book; the characters were flawed and things were not wrapped up with a neat bow. Just like real life.

“She died. And now she has to be born.”
A heartfelt and poignant memoir of a pregnancy where the author and her husband discover at 22 weeks that their daughter will not survive, and the decisions they must make amidst the current political landscape to save her own life.
#NonfictionNovember #NFN
#TodayILearned about Turner syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects females; characterized by the absence or partial absence of one X chromosome.

I love a bookstore that categorizes books in such a way that it assumes you‘re enough of a reader to know how to find what you want on the shelves. 😀

October 2025 is officially in the books. 😬😀

How do heroes become super? By reading!

(At my local library‘s annual “Library Con.”)

Spirited and productive discussion at our library‘s “Read for Your Rights/Banned Books” book club tonight. In 1984 I was a high school junior and read this book for AP English. It didn‘t resonate with me then — all it meant was another essay I had to write for class. Now set against the context of what‘s happening in this country, this book is more than just prescient—it‘s absolutely terrifying.

Like many others who have reviewed this book, I‘m not usually a fan of short stories. Just as I get emotionally invested, the story abruptly ends. But these interlinked set of stories don‘t feel separate—they read like myriad and distinct pieces of a whole. It‘s a lovely, beautifully written little book.

Conanicut Island, Jamestown, Rhode Island

#beautybreak

I‘m late to the Cork O‘Connor world, even though a friend has been urging me to read this series for years. This is book 2 of now-20, I think? It‘s an entertaining-enough read, but I likely won‘t remember the plot by next week. I do enjoy reading the parts about the Anishinaabe history, language and culture.

This book disgusted, angered, frustrated and frightened me. Shame on Johnson & Johnson for decades of lies, deceptive marketing practices and outright illegal actions that harmed and killed thousands of people. Shame on the FDA for allowing it. Even the Wall Street Journal is complicit for pushing editorials that outright encouraged it all. This book is a must-read.

This could also qualify for my #MondayMood, which —frankly—is becoming my mood every day of the week

#weirdwordwednesday #weirdwords

We're on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin' that ride to nowhere
We'll take that ride…

#beautybreak

#NoKings in Hartford, CT!

An incredibly detailed (almost too much so, in the first half) book about the July 22, 2011 massacre of 77 people —many of them teenagers— in Norway. It‘s a sobering and chilling examination at how Breivik was radicalized into becoming a right-wing terrorist who was obsessed with ridding Norway of multiculturalism.

Mailed the last batch of cards today as part of the Postcards for Progress campaign. With this batch to New Jersey plus others to Virginia throughout the summer, I‘ve written and mailed 800 postcards. 👊🏼💙💙👊🏼

Vote like your life depends upon it—because it does.

My boss - who is a fabulous baker in her spare time - made this cake for my husband for his birthday. It‘s a 3-layer chocolate cake with raspberry filling. Babies and puppies and pretty autumn leaves are lovely, yes. But I can‘t imagine a more beautiful sight at the moment. 😍

#beautybreak

There are sooo many viable options these days…

And also — I ❤️ German. It‘s so strangely and perfectly specific.

#weirdwordwednesday #weirdwords @CBee

Things I love about living in my blue state/region: quality healthcare, no bathroom phobias or book bans, a better educated populace, voting rights, legal protections for marginalized communities, abortion rights, higher minimum wage, workplace protections, a wider range of social services, and acceptance of diversity as a strength instead of something to fear. I love New England. 💙💙💙🥰

#majicmonday

I have been reading this 460-page book for 2 months because every chapter makes my blood pressure skyrocket and I have to take a break. And I still have 100 pages to go. The deceitful and illegal marketing practices of Johnson & Johnson throughout many years are absolutely sickening.

We‘re slated to get a fall nor‘easter over the next two days, with heavy rain and high winds that might cause power outages. So I went out today to pick up my library holds, replenish my tea inventory, and swing by a local food truck to get a wild berry pie and shortbread cookies. Proper storm supplies laid in: ✔️

“I‘m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L.M. Montgomery

🍁🍂🌼

#beautybreak

I have never been more proud to be 13% Scottish. 🥰

#weirdwordwednesday

I wasn‘t sure about this book at first, but it slowly got its hooks into me and didn‘t let go. I could literally feel Carol‘s despair as she struggled to avoid a descent into the mind-numbing desolation of the “Village Virus.” I‘ve been where Carol is. I‘ve lived in a Gopher Prairie. I finally escaped after 15 long years. I was rooting for her all the way to the end.

Attention! Today and tomorrow—head over to Bookshop.org and participate in their Anti-Prime sale —with free shipping! Because as their motto says, “friends don‘t let friends shop on Amazon.” Every time you buy a book on Bookshop.org you‘re supporting indie bookstores.

#readingispolitical