Oh my gosh, a huge starry-eyed THANK YOU to Charlie Jane Anders for this book mail! I cannot wait to read this. 🤩 The cover is so amazing and purpletastic, the photo doesn't do it justice. (Our 11yo says they're stealing the stickers, and will be reading the book after me. 😅) I've loved everything Anders has written, and I'm sure this adventure-filled space opera will be fantastic, too.

The virtual book club I'm in recently discussed Chloe Benjamin's THE IMMORTALISTS. My full review is up on the blog (link in profile), but I had some mixed feelings: gay rep was trope-y and too obviously straight-gazed, Romani rep was offensive, writing style was dazzling, overall story was completely absorbing. 3.5 stars out of 5. 💫

When I heard Carla Bergman talk about joy and unschooling and Ursula K. Le Guin (and more!) on the Coffee with Comrades podcast (ep. 117), I immediately ordered their book JOYFUL MILITANCY: BUILDING THRIVING RESISTANCE IN TOXIC TIMES, co-authored with Nick Montgomery. My copy arrived in the mail today! 💕

#BookMail #Nonfiction #Leftist #Leftism #Anarchism #Anarchist #JoyfulMilitancy #Joy #RadicalJoy

Oof. 💕

#AmReading #CurrentlyReading #Community #Hope #Courage #Light #LadderToTheLight #ChoctawAuthors #Choctaw #IndigenousAuthors #Episcopal

This week I'm reading some book mail I received from Algonquin Books, LET'S GET BACK TO THE PARTY by Zak Salih. I'll be reviewing this on my blog mid-February, but this debut novel "examines queer culture, generational envy, and the search for belonging through the lens of two childhood friends who reconnect as adults." ?️‍?

#AmReading #CurrentlyReading #BookMail #LGBTTheParty #LGBT #QueerCulture #GayCulture #DebutNovel #Fiction

Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle handles fear, cruelty, and death openly and bluntly, but also gives readers lovable characters and a gentle sense of humor. A benefit of this being an "own voices" novel: Tingle avoids defining the Choctaw Nation by their trauma, and instead keeps the focus on their resolve and determination to survive, their traditions and spirituality, and the strength of their community. We'll definitely be reading the sequel. ❤

WINTERHOUSE is a magical middle grade mystery that ties together a ghost story with a huge love of books, wordplay (especially anagrams), secret codes, and puzzles. I especially loved the friendship between Elizabeth and Freddy, and how they brought out the best in each other. This book is suspenseful without ever being too scary for kids on the younger end of the MG age range. It's a fun, wholesome read that keeps you on your toes throughout.

Thanks to Celadon Books for the book mail I received today! FINDING FREEDOM by Erin French sounds like a sensitive, reflective, comfort-filled memoir of redemption. And it turns out, The Lost Kitchen is about 20-30 minutes from my family in Maine! 🥰 I'm looking forward to reading this book.

#FindingFreedomMemoir #CeladonReads #Partner #Nonfiction #Memoir #Foodie #FoodieMemoirs #Maine #NewEngland #BookMail

My #TopBooksOf2020. I read so many great books this year! 🎉

January - PET
February - GOOD BOY
March - WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A MAN FALLS FROM THE SKY
April - MOON OF THE CRUSTED SNOW
May - NATIVE
June - HURRICANE CHILD
July - TRANNY
August - KINDRED
September - THE MINDFUL UNIVERSE
October - CREATURES
November - BRAIDING SWEETGRASS
December - FELIX EVER AFTER

We finished reading chapter 6 of @neildegrassetyson's ASTROPHYSICS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN A HURRY today, and we weren't going to skip an opportunity to make "The Universe as Hot Cocoa"! ☕? 68% dark energy (hot cocoa), 27% dark matter (whipped cream), and 5% regular matter (cinnamon).

#NonficNov #NonfictionNovember #Nonfiction #MiddleGrade #Astrophysics #Science #Space #Universe #Cosmos #HotCocoa #HotChocolate #Homeschooling #Unschooling

Novellas in November - Short Classics ?
I'm a finicky classics reader, so some of these are more "modern classics." ? Full post at https://lovelybookshelf.com/2020/11/novellas-short-classics/

#NovNov #Novellas #Classics #ShortBooks

Novellas in November: Translated Literature
(Technically Persepolis is nonfiction, but I loved it so much I'm including it.) Full post on the blog: https://lovelybookshelf.com/2020/11/novellas-translated-literature/ 📚

#NovNov #Novellas #TranslatedBooks #BooksInTranslation

Nonfiction November Week 3 is "Be the Expert" - If you find yourself pulling further left politically, or just want to learn more about leftism, I think you'll enjoy the titles shown here (and others mentioned in today's post). They all have clear, accessible writing styles and a hopeful tone. ❤?❤ https://lovelybookshelf.com/2020/11/books-for-leftists/

#NonficNov #NonfictionNovember #Nonfiction #Leftism #LeftistNotLiberal #MutualAid #Solidarity

It's #TransAwarenessWeek! You can support trans and nonbinary authors this week and all year round, AND support indie bookstores, by buying books from this list I've created on Bookshop. Fiction, nonfiction, middle grade, YA, memoir, general fiction, sci-fi, poetry - there's something for everyone! I'm always adding to it. 💕 https://bookshop.org/lists/trans-and-nonbinary-authors

This week's Novellas in November prompt ties in perfectly with Nonfiction November! Here are my recommendations for some short nonfiction reads, ranging from 28 to 160 pages. (Click link in bio for the full post.)

#NovNov #NonficNov #Novellas #Nonfiction #ShortBooks

This week's Nonfiction November prompt is to pair up nonfiction books with fiction books. Here are my pairs! 📚 Click the link in my bio to read the full post. #NonficNov #NonfictionNovember #Nonfiction #Fiction #BookPairings #Science #History #SciFi

For Novellas in November this week, I have some contemporary fiction recommendations (snuck in some sci-fi, too). Visit my blog (link in bio) for the full post! #NovNov #Novellas #Fiction #ContemporaryFiction #SciFi #ShortBooks

Today on the blog I'm talking about books I read because someone recommended them to me (link in bio). #TopTenTuesday

The #FallReadathon goal was to read for 8 hours over 4 days. I did that and a little more! 🎉 Started and finished 2 books (Aster's Good, Right Things and How To Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America), started Wild Seed for the #OEBSlowRead, and listened to 75 min. of a David Graeber (💔) audiobook I'd started before the readathon. 📚

I've seen some $$$ book blogger-focused online "courses" floating around social media lately, containing information that has traditionally been shared freely among the community. So I thought I'd write up a post on one of the biggest questions newer bloggers have: How To Request Physical ARCs from Publishers. I hope this helps some of you. Link in profile! ?

Visit my blog (link in bio) for all the titles and details, but that last one sure is a winner for super long book titles: David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Until He Gets Into an Ivy League College by Ed Lin. 14 words! 😅

#TopTenTuesday Book Covers with Fall Vibes #CozyMysteries

Carl conveys all the messy (and joyful!) feelings and experiences that come with transitioning, especially doing so while married. I did find myself wishing he'd spent more time talking about toxic masculinity, though. Loved his writing style.

Stepford Wives meets Fight Club meets Truman Show, with a robot-powered feminist uprising. Fast-paced, funny, satirical, absurd, with some campy (but downright gruesome) horror thrown in. These AI women represent the desires of bottom-of-the-barrel cishet men, from expectations of submissiveness to racial fetishism, but will they be able to push beyond their programming? I'm not sure I completely followed the plot, but it was an entertaining ride!

I escaped into books this week thanks to #BoutOfBooks. Finished 7 books, plus got 113 pages into BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD. Total page count: 1,686. 📚

My full review of this book is up on my blog at lovelybookshelf.com but let me just say, I loved this memoir. It's perfect for Xennials, music lovers (especially punk), leftists, and trans readers. I was frustrated by cis readers who didn't think there was "enough" trans content in the book and explain more in my review.

I've thought about the discrepancies between touristy New Orleans and resident New Orleans a lot.

Started THE LIGHTEST OBJECT IN THE UNIVERSE tonight and I'm already hooked! The writing is so beautiful. 🥰 (I'll be reviewing this on July 2.)

#speculativefiction #fiction #postapocalyptic

There are a ton of #Pride-themed readathons coming up in June! Just a reminder that I have a Goodreads shelf awkwardly named "not cis authors" if you're wanting some ideas on what to read next. 171 #ownvoices titles and counting, fiction and nonfiction: http://www.tinyurl.com/notcisauthors

Today's #BoutofBooks prompt is #diversebooks. Here's a handful of ones I've enjoyed (and a few I still need to read) - a mix of fiction and nonfiction. 💕 📚

This week is #BoutofBooks 28! I'm starting off with a (virtual) book club read, THE SCENT KEEPER. I'm only a couple chapters in, but enjoying it so far! 📚

#boutofbooks28 #currentlyreading #amreading #readathon #bookclub #fiction #comingofage #bildungsroman #magicalrealism #magicrealism #fabulism

I love people stories, I love fabulist fiction, and this collection is an interesting mix of both. These stories explore the human condition, especially grief and fear, through a hint of bizarre. The way I was left hanging on "The Prerogatives of Magic" was infuriatingly satisfying. "In Two" ripped my heart out. I found myself wanting to savor each story before moving on. Every story in this collection is a gem. Consider this a must-read.

Really loving Chuck Augello's short stories. 💕 #mythreebooks

Anyone who's experienced existential dread or a feeling of ennui will relate to this long poem. To be honest, I don't always do well with poetry. I often feel like I'm not really getting it, or like it's just trying to show off how smart it is. But Weatherhead's prose isn't stuffy like that. It hit me in a raw, real (and at the same time, surreal), down-to-earth way. Beautifully written.

Interesting premise, and I liked this just fine, but it turned into a different kind of book than I expected. Remember those Lurlene McDaniel books? Basically like that. I felt like this tried way too hard to pull out every last drop of emotion from the reader, so much that you could see right through it. But still, a thoughtful read.

Surreal, strange, and terrifying. Vikas Adam's performance as narrator is outstanding. This is the kind of story that doesn't get old; endless nuance for your mind to explore.

These were my weekend reads, but I didn't get as much time in as I hoped. AMERICAN FASCISTS is so validating right now, and ELEANOR OLIPHANT is interesting because it's going places I didn't expect. Hope to finish these by the end of the month!

This book is hilarious! It's an unsettling mix of silliness and horror. The time and creativity involved in creating each scene is truly impressive. If you enjoy comics, old-school horror story shows, dark humor, and clever puns, this book is perfect for you.

These stories are intensely, wildly imaginative and original. I never knew where they were headed or what would turn up. Every single story in the collection is memorable and stood out from the others in its own way. This is a must-read for fans of short stories and fabulism.

We've been into loose leaf tea lately, and are still pretty new to it. I was excited to see this book in my mailbox today! I hope to learn a lot. 🍵

My 10yo's ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review:

I loved it. But I'm sad that the series is ending at only three books. But it ended in a good way. And it was really sweet. The whole story was exciting. And I'm really sad because I feel really attached to Sketchy.

Favorite character: Sketchy

Favorite quote: "I'm glad I found you, too, Sketchy. You're the first friend I ever had."

#middlegrade #middlegradebooks #kidlit

I felt lukewarm about this book, but it tied together some important conversations I've had with my 10 year old, and she enjoyed it. I felt like it got too preachy, but she didn't feel that way at all. The direct approach worked for her. Maybe my desire for more showing, not telling, isn't important - after all, I'm not the target age group. The author's note covered some of the discomfort I had due to this not being ownvoices.

The art is lovely and the comics feel like a hug, but this didn't work for me in book form. It felt thematically disorganized, and it was hard to tell when one comic ended and another began. The reading flow was often interrupted by random theme changes. It was distracting, and I was frustrated that I didn't get into a groove until halfway through the book. It's a shame, because the comics as individual pieces are gentle and soothing.

So excited about the #bookmail that arrived from @HarperBooks today!

Need to return PAPER GIRLS to the library tomorrow, but haven't gotten to them yet. Time to binge read! 📚

#graphicnovels #scifi #mystery #comingofage #the80s #80s #bingereading #amreading #currentlyreading #weekendreads

This memoir-in-essays covers parenthood, existential angst, and just dealing with people and everyday life when it all seems so mundane. Perfect book for those of us who tend to think too much. Philpott's writing is amusing and comforting, and even though a lot about her life differs from my own, she made me feel like there's a lot we share.

This is a project-based memoir about gratitude. Jacobs attempts to thank everyone - and I mean everyone - involved in making his daily cup of coffee happen. Nothing mindblowing in this one, and it doesn't get very deep, but the audiobook was a nice, relaxing listen. #nonfiction #memoir #coffee #gratitude

I was going to wait until closer to the release date to read JFB's new book, but I can't. I love her writing too much. About to brew some tea from August Uncommon and settle in with this memoir tonight. 🥰

#nonfiction #memoir #transauthors #ownvoices

My 10yo was SO EXCITED that she got to meet Nick Bruel today, hear him read, watch him draw, and that he signed her copy of his latest Bad Kitty book. 🥰 He was so friendly and engaging. Totally enjoyed attending this author event!

Awww, poor Shostakovich. 😥 😂
(from Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation)

#diaryofannefrank #annefrank #graphicnovel #shostakovich