This week has been a much needed mental health recharge week:
1. I haven't read any news or gone on any other social media this week.*
2. I'm going on a lantern-lit snowshoe hike tonight. (old pic from a daytime hike)
3. I painted my nails for fun, and I love how they turned out.
4. Othello (the black cat) and Johan (the gray cat) are the best familiars. 😻😻
5. MisterInBlue. ❤️ My ride or die. (old pic with our niece)

#5joysfriday @debinhawaii

@dabbe You're really testing my memory with these! 🤣 I hope Mr. Locascio, who was my AP Humanities teacher, wouldn't be too disappointed in my score.

3 that stuck with me:
🩵 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
🩵 Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia
🩵 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (Technically I've never read this, but I've seen the play several times. And the movie because Paul Newman)

#tlt #threelistthursday

#poetrymatters #wake
@TheSpineView

#25alive #positivity
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

"First there wasn‘t and then there was. Before God, no one was."

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

#25alive #celebrate
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#poetrymatters #waist
@TheSpineView

#25alive #favewinterfood
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#poetrymatters #wain
@TheSpineView

I had a low down, no good, very bad day yesterday. And then this morning, my nose wouldn't stop bleeding because it's so cold and dry. I started to read the news after skipping it yesterday, but I'm just not ready. I'm going to make time this week to recharge. It's going to be a long 4 years.

Some of my reading got really dark, so my husband handed me this. Quite an enjoyable, quick read, and a good #palettecleanser.

Short description: The book begins with a murder in Istanbul 1591. The aftermath is told from the perspective of several sometimes unreliable narrators.

But it's so much more complex. It explores art history and cultural history. It explores the influence of the West on the Ottoman Empire. It's creative, ambitious, and quite simply a masterpiece. The quote above is from my favorite chapter.

I read this for a personal #readtheworld challenge.

#25alive #fvwinterdrink
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#poetrymatters #wail
@thespinview

I have several large memory gaps from childhood, so this was hard to answer! This is my best recollection.

My favorite is The Witches by Roald Dahl. My 4th grade teacher read this to her class every year. She had an epic, powerful Grand High Witch voice. I remember hearing it echo down the hall in 3rd grade & hoping that I'd get Mrs. Abrams the next year. I liked reading before her class - I LOVED it after.

#tlt #threelistthursday
@dabbe

#poetrymatters #vow
@TheSpineView

#25alive #friendship
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

1. Only when a person *truly* acknowledges what has happened and makes an effort to learn and improve. Sadly, this is a rarity in my experience.
2. In Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, the main character begins her life anew each time she dies. Not only does she get a second chance, she gets a multitude. (It's also a really good read.)

#two4tuesday
@thespineview

This was my favorite fairy tale as a kid because of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. I watched her production of The Twelve Dancing Princesses countless times. I was so excited to find it on youtube:

https://youtu.be/rFSiAoYmhAg?si=l8v8kM7QEBTOwxYp

I included a couple retellings in my photo. I'm reading Salt and Sorrows as a companion read. Kingfisher was from a few years ago.

#childrensclassicread2025
@TheBookHippie

#poetrymatters #voracious
@TheSpineView

#25alive #prosperous
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#25alive #joy
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#poetrymatters #voodoo
@TheSpineView

#poetrymatters #voltage
@TheSpineView

#25alive #newyearquote
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I could write essays about this book and why we need it at this exact point in time. Since there aren't enough characters, I'll simply say this. This is the best argument for prison abolition that I have ever read, and she never even mentions it.

What an incredible woman.

#25alive #winter

@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#poetrymatters #volcano

@TheSpineView

My 2024 favorites:

Fiction: Babel by R.F. Kuang
Non-Fiction: A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear
Poetry: The Wild Iris by Louise Glück

In 2025, I'm going to set my reading goal low and increase it as I meet it. It worked well for me in 2024. I'm also not putting time limits on my reading challenges. (Except the Les Mis buddy read.) They will take as long as they take. 🥰 I hope we all have a fabulous year of reading!

#2024wrapup #2025goals

Final check-in for team #xmaschacha for #wintergames2024! I logged 1,870 points for the second half of the month for a grand total of 2,545.

Thanks so much for leading the team, @StayCurious ! It was a lot of fun.

#christmaschapterchasers

These #bookspinbingo boards are always overly ambitious for me, but I still enjoy making them.

@TheAromaofBooks

My January 2025 #bookspin and #doublespin selections. I'm excited to keep working through my list of #essentialwomenwriters.
@TheAromaofBooks

#25alive #toast
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#poetrymatters #void
@TheSpineView

#poetrymatters #yuletide @TheSpineView
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha @staycurious

#christmascheer #secret @Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha @StayCurious

***Stock photo from the web. Not my kitteh. 😹

#christmascheer #nice @Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha @StayCurious

#poetrymatters #wreath @TheSpineView
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha @StayCurious

#christmascheer #naughty @Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha @StayCurious

#poetrymatters #tree @TheSpineView
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha @StayCurious

I could not find the humor in this book because the mother's behavior was so toxic. Read 71% and could not finish.

#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha

This was entertaining. It reminded me of comedy movies from the 1930s & 1940s.

This was a fun read for the holiday. I enjoyed the way the romance unfolded.

#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha @StayCurious

#poetrymatters #toys
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha

@TheSpineView @StayCurious

#christmascheer #iceskating
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha

@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @StayCurious

I think I answered wrong - I've done a lot of the activities, but not necessarily for the New Year. This year's plans include:

1. Dinner at a new restaurant
2. Exchanging Christmas gifts with my parents (we're spending Christmas with my husband's family)
3. Movie night with my hubby

However, plate throwing & throwing a TV out the window both sound incredibly cathartic this year. 🤣🤣🤣

#threelistthursday #tlt @dabbe

Does this count as a holiday tradition? 😉😏🤣

#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha
@StayCurious

Watched this version of the movie last night after the festivities.

#christmascheer #scrooge
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha

@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @StayCurious

#poetrymatters #sweater
#wintergames2024 #xmaschacha

@TheSpineView @StayCurious

#poetrymatters #reindeer #wintergames2024 #xmaschacha