Happy start of ghost season!

My TBR has only grown in my absence...fiction on the left, nonfiction on the right... 😂

This review refers to the audiobook edition: a fun, inspiring mixture of policy, memoir, and analysis. A smart look on how we got...here...and where to go. Hopeful, optimistic, and forward thinking - a breezy balm for troubled times. Dan reminded me a lot of myself.

So. Bit of a day with this one. Can‘t believe they finally caught the guy when he LITERALLY stepped into the light.

"Little girls don‘t stay little forever. They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world."
-Kyle Stephens

Saw part two of this today after seeing part one last week. Absolutely amazing! Just mind-blowingly good from start to finish. I am shook.

I have been trying very hard to be good with buying books, but things have been so stressful as of late that I have had no time to focus...or read..or write...or so much of anything. So when I saw some new releases and some books I have been wanting to read on sale, I had to go for it! Like the kids say, sorry not sorry.

It‘s finally spring here in NYC - yes! Been kind of a stressful week, but I took some time on Monday to go see this lovely film. I haven‘t read the adaptation, but I thought it was a very sweet, mainstream, pretty movie - and the fact that it‘s such a mainstream rom com teen flick with a gay couple makes it so special. You‘ll laugh, you‘ll cry, you‘ll buy the soundtrack.

Update from my weekend - we went and saw the Frozen musical on Broadway! I liked it a lot; but I‘m in the tank for Frozen. It is almost a 💯 straight adaptation of the movie, with a bit more backstory and character development. The actors are all a delight, the effects are magical, and it‘s a big, heart warming crowd pleaser - Disney doing what Disney does best. And the costume quick change during “Let It Go” is astonishing. Expectations exceeded!

TFW you finally get far enough in the first in a series that you can commit to buying the other three. 1974 is a tough, tough read but it‘s beautiful and powerfully written.

Using my new phone (which is the same size of a paperback and much easier to read) to read a bunch of Kindle books I‘d bought ages ago. This is a fun and informative break from some of the heavier reading I‘ve been doing!

Book mail! I have been reading a lot of nature and folkloric fiction lately, and I‘ve been gravitating towards work set in the British countryside. I‘m eager to break into my latest import from Zoë Gilbert - look at that cover! And the John Adams book is the latest addition to my ever expanding Library of America collection...even though they only seem to send me titles from the early 1800s. I guess they know I have a #brand ? #readwomen

Here we go! New phone that lets me type with greater ease; new camera, and finally eager to start this on one of my two favorite places in our apartment - our big couch. #TheOdysseyBuddyRead

Inspired by some of the reinvigoration with regards to Litsy; I finally splurged on a new iPhone with a bigger screen and tons of memory! Now I can take lots of pictures of books, and contribute more hot takes on hot titles.

I've gotten further in this than my previous attempts, even if I did come to a super intense sequence! 😬 Trying to enjoy a relaxing Saturday before exploring New Haven.

I picked up Deep Work last year after hearing about it from Ezra Klein, one of my favorite podcast hosts. It's an easy read but my focus hasn't been where I want it to be...oh, the irony! And longtime Littens will know my fondness for Michelle McNamara, so I think have to finally (finally) crack this one open.

One of my current research interests that's evolved recently is the haunted psychogeographical liminality of the English landscape. So this book will be very helpful in that regard.

I have been dancing (and carrying) around this one for literally years (you can tell by how beat up the copy is). I almost bought the next three in the quartet but have told myself "no" until I finish this one. I'm only ten pages into this harsh, surreal, haunted crime novel...will I finish? Time will only tell! Are there any books in your collection you've been dancing around?

Inspired by our great discussions in the Onward Litsy FB group, I am once again going to try to read (and post) more. I read an amazing profile of Leslie Jamison in NY Mag this week, and realized I hadn't read Empathy Exams. And to my surprise, the Strand also had an early copy of her latest...for half off! I have a huge TBR, but I think these might go to the top. #readwomen

Gotta love a book that jumps right in and doesn't mess around. #lgbt

Much of the reading I've done in my absence over the last year has been reading and collecting folk horror. This is one I bought for Kindle but I really wanted a print copy- came in a plastic wrap and is in great quality. I guess you could call this my first antiquitarian acquisition! 😂❤️

#BookTalk - favorite first line. There are many amazing ones (particularly from books I haven't finished 😂), but this is the first thing I thought of. @MrBook

As always, my goal each year is to read more widely and diversely, so these two are off the TBR stack. I started reading both last night and was struck by the gripping stories and the beautiful prose...I can't decide which to focus on!

Wendy Walters is just a fantastic poet, and this collection, while too too short, combines history, memoir, and geography to tell the kaleidoscopic story of one small town. Strangely prescient and deeply moving, if you're looking for women of color to read this year, I highly recommend her work. #readwomen #litsyAtoZ

Really enjoyed this collection of poems that oscillates between the surreal and the familiar. In particular, the poem "Chicago Radio" is a standout.

Sad news from the book world today - Fred Bass, who ran the Strand with his father since the 1930s, has died at 89. Bass made the Strand into the city institution it was, and although he could be a little cranky (in the classic NY sense), he always gave me the best price when I needed to sell books. So of course I honored him by buying books that are outside of my wheelhouse. The Strand always reminds me to "stay curious," thanks to Fred. #rip

Second book of the day. I've been putting this one off - I was a student of Professor Tolan's, and this came out after his death last year. But these poems capture everything grand about him - funny, insightful, sensual, beautiful, hopeful, honest, and inspiring. I miss him very much, but at the start of a new year, I'm grateful for this final lesson. #poetry

HOLY CRAP. This book was only 100 pages but boy oh boy is it a roller coaster of chills. What starts as a ghost story turns into a boy's adventure story and then in the last ten pages becomes truly and deeply horrific. The writing here is perfect, and Jones' perspective as a Native American writer gives the story a new shape. If you liked Pet Semetary, check this out, but I'm not kidding: this one shook me up. #LitsyAtoZ #diversebooks

First read of 2018 goes to this slim volume of microfiction. Some are funny, others chilling. All will linger in your mind long after, and the sentences here are surprising and beautiful in their construction. An excellent, brief read for dark, chilly nights. #livedeliciously #litsyAtoZ #colorchallenge2018 #purple

Looking back at 2017 with a holiday #bookhaul of eclectic titles. As always, one of my goals in 2018 is to read more widely and diversely, and I'm hoping to share my thoughts as I make my way through them. I'm particularly excited to read the collection of Elizabeth Hardwick essays from NYRB Classics, and Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey - the first major English translation by a woman. Happy New Year! #readwomen

Although the book remains unread by me, I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries on Amazon Prime. Equally tense and gorgeous to look at, the most fascinating characters are the ones played by Olivia Colman and Elizabeth Debecki. Although it's a little violent, it's great fun and escapist entertainment for these chilly winter nights. I'll definitely be reading the book next year.

A bigger photo of Holiday #bookhaul is coming, but this is the only one I don't recognize. The person who gave it to me has never given me books on creativity, so I'm curious if anyone here has heard of it.

Early holiday present to myself - a new addition to my pin collection based on a work I discovered again and returned to over and over this year. I love Karen's art; check out her work here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/khallion ! And happy holidays to all ❄️🔥❤️

I didn't read very much this year for any number of reasons (hence my prolonged Litsy absence), but these three books (all by women) were my favorite three books I read this year. Each one moved me, shaped me, and got me through long days and nights. What are your #top3?

Extreme close up of Tyrion the Tibetan Spaniel. Woke him up from a nap for @erinreads ! #dogsoflitsy

Gorgeous. Sublime. Passionate. Heart-breaking. This novel of obsession, Shakespeare, and youth burns blood-bright and fire-red, making it a perfect, haunted read for these chilly December nights. I can't say enough about other than it brought me back to books, to reading, to life. It's stunning. Cannot wait to read more from ML Rio...this is a fantastic debut. #readwomen

Grad school...back to the grind...but did the grind ever leave?😂

What an astonishing production starring Oscar Isaac as the Dane himself. It's so easy to forget how great these works are, and then you're reminded in a profound and meaningful way. This truly is the greatest dramatic work in the history of the universe.

Second time! I am in love with this set and aesthetic.

Update: I haven't posted much at all this summer - it's been busy and tough at the same time. And my reading went over a cliff as well. But I miss you. And am thinking about you all. And I hope you are filled with joy. Hopefully posting again soon, and often. All my love! (Pictured here-my journal, notebooks, and stickers, all for my first semester of grad school.)

This show was incredible! One of the best shows I've seen. The staging, the music, the costumes! It left me so inspired to go out and make art.

Book give away! Still trying to send these to a good home, so the first to claim wins. No shipping costs will be associated with this! Link to the other book in the comments! #24in48

Wow! We went to the first part of the taped National Theater Live production tonight, and it was spectacular! Any filmed theater production is bound to lose a little something, but this was phenomenal. Andrew Garfield is a revelation as Prior Walter, and Nathan Lane is having the time of his life as Roy Cohn. The work is maybe my favorite piece of American drama, and I feel so lucky I got to see this taped production! Can't wait for part 2!

Book haul! Since I joined Litsy over a year ago, Alissa Nutting's TAMPA has been one of those books I recommend all the time, and I'm super excited for her new one - it sounds just as bananapants. Eve Babitz is one of my favorite 2017 discovery - her work is rich and vibrant, like Joan Didion had a gossipy younger sister. So much of her stuff is coming back in print; it's a great time to jump on board! I ❤️ Slow Days, Fast Company too! #readwomen

I already own this in hardcover, so it's hard to justify a rebuy BUT I just had to highlight the paperback cover. It's a great example of how to take a specific aesthetic and execute it to a T. And the decision to do it in a large trade paperback is so smart - it looks and feels like a VHS.

October 10th! *screaming inaudibly* @Laalaleighh !

Short spoops and scares ahoy! It's very much a short story in a single volume; with twists and turns throughout. But it really does play to Flynn's strengths and highlights her talent at capturing the edges and dark corners of 21st century America. And the end will keep you guessing...Makes me wish her new novel would come out already!

At the dogter with Tyrion the Tibbie for his annual pup-sycal! 😂 And because it wouldn't be a doctor's office without a wait...I brought a book. (Although Ty is always confused as to why books are more interesting than him.)

Always a lovely discovery when you buy a book for the story and find yourself struck by the writing. The use of colors here, as well as Sager's deployment of short sentences, is phenomenal!

Went to an amazing, stripped down performance of this tonight! It's such a complex, nuanced, funny, heartbreaking work. It's my favorite musical and even I was surprised by how moved I was. The cast was great, especially Steven Pasquale as John Wilkes Booth. And we're seeing it again tomorrow!

Ignore the research material in the back...this is a belated #tbrtuesday 😂 Hoping to get through some of the shorter ones this week! #readwomen