Loved this strange and indescribable ride! Such an important book and a symbol of the hope and diversity of thought I hope is a trend to come in the book world ❤️

I know I‘m late to the Animal Crossing game but omg I‘m obsessed 🥰

If anybody needs an island to visit let me know :)

Also reading is hard right now so I‘m taking a break, but I‘m working to catch up on #litsylove letters! ❤️

Experimenting with vegan meals and reading a beautiful graphic novel ❤️

WOW this book is blowing me away ✨

(Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw)

Hi everyone! Just posted a giveaway for one of my favorite reads of 2020 - Bunny by Mona Awad - on my bookstagram page Everyday Honesties Reads! if you‘d like to enter, check it out on instagram! 🐰
@ everydayhonestiesreads

🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰
#giveaway #freebook #spookyseason #scarybooks

AHH thank you @Bookishgal71 ! I love everything you sent, and I had so much fun picking out things for you too ❤️ #litsylovefallswap success!
Really channeling my fall vibes tonight - thank you! ✨✨✨

So excited to open this up soon!
#litsylovefallswap
@Bookishgal71 @rsteve388 @Bookgoil

A fall swap package is on its way to you! @Bookishgal71 ❤️

#LitsyLoveFallSwap

These poems hurt and healed me, saw mental illness through the day to day lens of someone who has lived in its terrifying embrace. I felt so seen by these words and images. I‘ll be reading this again and again, much like I do Sylvia Plath‘s work, because it is where I feel most at home in my mind.

Unpopular opinion incoming... I totally get why a lot of people love this book, but the writing style and short, choppy chapters just weren‘t for me. It felt a bit broken up and was hard for me to get into. That being said, I did really enjoy the setting and learned a lot about the political environment in modern India. I wished for more backstory for the characters, but the central plots were very interesting and absolutely still worth a read.

Just got this adorable doodle done by an instagram artist Doodling With Dyl - I‘m obsessed! They do great work and I highly recommend! It‘s the perfect addition to my Bookstagram page (which I encourage you to check out too) 😘😘😘
@ doodlingwithdyl
@ everydayhonestiesreads

The scope of this novel is incredible, and yet the characters are so rich. Interwoven stories of slaves and plantation owners, lovers and murderers filled these pages with desperation, secrets, and generational pain.

I know that this book has sparked the need for more research, a hunt for more stories that I haven‘t heard. This book is a reminder that there are many sides to a story, and nothing is as cut and dry, black or white, as it seems. ✨

Yay it‘s here! I‘m excited and terrified lol

@Lauranahe thank you for the sweet chocolate treat too! ❤️

Acevedo is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite writers - and her audiobooks are incredible!! I could listen to her read all day. This story is about a high school girl with a daughter who is balancing so many things while trying to pursue her love of cooking. It‘s unique, energizing, and full of vitality. I love it when I meet characters that I want to be best friends with, and this book is full of them!

This book should be part of the American curriculum, pored over and processed, wept in and celebrated.

Personal, everyday, appalling and yet incredibly common racially charged situations opened my eyes and taught me, will continue to teach me, what my privilege looks like, the system I must push back against. This book feels like a full-length art museum exhibit peeled off the walls and poured into a book. A must read, without a doubt.

This book is super interesting so far, even if it‘s confusing and strange. I‘m not a series person but maybe I‘ll check out the next one?

Brains are tricky things and mine has been struggling lately. It‘s been a slow reading month because nothing holds my attention, so I‘m glad I got this short weird read to help. So grateful too for #litsylove and the kind friends I‘ve found there. ❤️

When Noemí arrives at High Place to visit her cousin, things are not what they seem. Catalina has been seeing visions, sending letters in jumbled code - is it because of Catalina's fading health or could something else be to blame? Mexican Gothic's creepy twists had me spooked! The racial debates were interesting, even if a bit convoluted at times, and the freaky plot points were definitely unexpected and unique.
Excited for #LMPBC to read!

FINALLY sitting down to read my #LMPBC book! Had to finish up a couple more before I could start. This cover is 😍😍😍

Another Brooklyn is unique take on a coming of age story, and one I won't soon forget. Our narrator fades in and out between memories, chapters of her life folding back and forth in a sort of summer haze, and while the timeline blurs, the intense emotions and sharp observations do not. Woodson's magnetic prose pushes the bruises of past hurts, reminds you of harsh truths and realities, and aches with that purgatory between childhood and adulthood.

1. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson & In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (loving both)

2. I‘m a sucker for covers featuring space 😍. My most recent space themed book was probably Goldilocks by Laura Lam (super cool cover!)

3. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - If you haven‘t read this, you absolutely need to 😘

@magyklyXdelish @sharread @Soubhiville

This book is so comforting right now. And by an Indiana author! I‘m loving the high school drama, mental health discoveries, and true friendship in these pages. What‘s your favorite read related to mental health?

Juliet‘s self-exploration during a summer internship in a brand new city was so heartfelt, and I really enjoyed her quirky, honest voice. These characters were all so unique and taught me so much about how to love others better while recognizing my privilege and questioning the status quo. I want to be Juliet‘s BFF! 4/5 stars ✨

What a lovely introduction to an incredible poet! These lines are haunting, blending Native American mythology with dark truths about a people's past. There are so many modern, earth-shattering emotions articulated in such small space. Every line is lyrical, and I want to read some of the poems again and again. Has anyone else read any Joy Harjo?

HIP HOP HOORAY MY BEST LITSY PAL IS DOING A GIVEAWAY! ✨✨✨

Just repost this and tag @magyklyXdelish with the hashtag #ILoveYou3000 to enter!

#year3000 #bff #litsylove #loveyou

Devouring Homegoing right now - wow so much depth on every page and yet it‘s still a page-turner!

Been super busy with freelancing lately, which is good but exhausting. Anybody have a cure for being a workaholic? Or ways to turn your brain off and relax?How do you separate work from things you enjoy?

Snuggling with this little bb when she lets me is such a nice comfort :)

This book is exactly the absurd, spooky escape I need right now 💚💚💚

“Part of the journey, for me, is owning these inconsistencies in myself and my stories - we cannot change our past perspectives, but we can certainly reflect on them, own them, and commit to growing from them. We must cultivate compassion for our past selves, trusting that we did the best we could at the time, while simultaneously striving to do better.”

Doing a book swap on my book instagram if anybody wants to join! Just follow me
@ everydayhonestiesreads and you can send over your wishlist. Basically you send one book, share, and get some back from other people!
It‘s easy and safe (nobody gets your actual address) and you can get a bunch of books! I know we don‘t have DM‘s on Litsy, but you can send me a message on Instagram ❤️
Let me know if you wanna join ❤️

#LitsyLove mail is the BEST mail!! 😘😘😘

@Soubhiville @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @magyklyXdelish @Meaw_catlady @CoffeeNBooks

Thank you! Can‘t wait to read your words ❤️❤️❤️

LOVING this convo with The Strand, Mona Awad, and Margaret Atwood. LOVE YOU BUNNY 🐰

“This book dances in the relationship between loneliness and imagination.”

@magyklyXdelish they are making it into a tv show!!! 😭😭❤️❤️❤️

1. Last laughed at Here For It by R Eric Thomas ❤️❤️ This book is AMAZING - go read it! I learned and laughed so much. (I actually cried during this one too - it‘s such an important book)
2. Cried today as I finished the tagged book- it was stunning and I felt so at home. I miss it already and I‘ll probably just start reading it again tomorrow to be honest 😭❤️

Thanks for the tag @magyklyXdelish 💚💚

@Clwojick @Ash.on.the.line @sharread

“Earth” book for #ReadYourSign! I fell in love with this book‘s colorful, complex characters. Made me miss the freedom of college. Nothing goes as you expect it to, but it feels so incredibly like life. Selin is a freshman at Harvard who is incredibly intelligent but keeps so many thoughts in her head that it can be difficult to say exactly what she means/feels. I devoured this book and I‘m sad it is over. Guess I will have to start it again.

SO EXCITED FOR THIS. One of my Top 5 books for 2020 for sure. Anybody wanna join? The link to the online event is in Mona Awad‘s instagram bio.

@magyklyXdelish OUR GIRL. ❤️❤️

Loving the truth in this one right now - so grateful for this writer‘s voice and dedication to truest self. ❤️

#diversereads #lgbtqreads #loveislove #pride #representationmatters

FUN FUN FUN

Anybody wanna join?
Thanks for setting this up @suvata ! So excited 💚💚💚

Thanks for sharing @Hestapleton and @magyklyXdelish I can‘t wait :)
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/5080444aead2ca0ff2-l...

#LMPBC

Again and again and again. We need to show up and take responsibility. It‘s going to take a long time to take down centuries of hatred and injustice, but it will take forever if we never start.
Adding to my list today - legislators to start calling/writing tomorrow.

“The words that I found in these books were a person calling out from a page, ‘I am worthy of being heard and you are worthy of hearing my story.‘ It seems simple, but it‘s a bold declaration. How many times in life do we receive the message, implicit or explicit, that what we‘ve experienced or what we feel isn‘t noteworthy or remarkable?”

And this line is just IN THE INTRO. ❤️

#blacklivesmatter #readyoursign #pinkbook

With everything going on right now, I‘ve decided to switch up my #ReadYourSign challenge books to include more diversity. Here are a few of the 10 I‘m planning on for this challenge for June!

#taurus #diversereads #femaleauthors #bibliophile

Spell Your State in Books: INDIANA
This week our brave, angry community in Indianapolis has stood up for justice and I hope to support however I can. Standing in solidarity. Looking to educate myself more - if you have recommendations for books to read during this time to diversify my understanding of stories, please share! Here are some books I collected to spell the name of our state - what would you choose?
#bookstacks #statenamechallenge

Leslie‘s husband dies too young, right in the middle of their adoption process of their son, and she grapples with loss while finding the humors in the absurdity of death and grief. I loved her sharp, honest, candid writing style and found so much to relate to. Grief is in many ways universal, and Leslie has a way of sitting in the sadness with you.

#femaleauthor #grief #funnybooks #memoir

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3310464085

My boyfriend and I have been doing a blog project where we listen to a record we love and match it with a new recipe! This week, to combat the mental health catastrophe that has been the past few days, we went with something lemon light and full of sunshine. (The band is called The Weepies, but it's happy music, I promise!) Hope you check it out and enjoy!

1. One of my top books of 2020! And I just heard about her new comic series at a Book Expo panel so I‘m soooo excited.
2. All different shades of blue 💙
3. I definitely take pride in my multicultural students, the way they work so hard and love so fearlessly.

HAPPY PRIDE 😘😘😘

#FriYayIntro #lgbtqreads #loveislove

Thanks for this prompt set
@4thhouseontheleft @howjessreads !

@magyklyXdelish @catiewithac @Crazeedi @Eggs

“We end on a high note, having finally gotten a piece of the pie, and everyone is singing and cheering and I‘m laughing so hard I can‘t separate the happy tears from the sad ones, so I take them all together and hope I don‘t drown in them. It seems like good practice.” ❤️

Parker and Liam meet in the street after her fiancee leaves her at the altar... And love grows from there! This distracted me from everyday life for a bit. I really enjoyed the switching back and forth of perspectives, even if the characters were predictable. The care they showed was endearing and made me feel hopeful. While it wasn't earth-shattering or particularly deep, I don't think it intended to be. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thrilling, spooky, quirky, magical. Shirley Jackson has become one of my all time favorites. I‘ve never read anything that twists from comical to psychological to literary to horrifying so quickly and easily. There were times while reading this haunted house story where I found myself laughing then wondering how I could be when something so scary was happening. Reading this was disorienting and absolutely perfect. 5 stars ✨

#wondrouswednesday
1. Probably Annie Dillard or Mary Oliver, but I try to read lots of different authors to keep variety!
2. We love trying new restaurants and bars, and I really miss having my adult ESL students over for dinner. :(
3. Ooh I love books in the big city when you can feel the energy in the constant movement. Or somewhere with water when the ocean/lake is described really powerfully.

@catiewithac @Crazeedi @Bookwormjillk

Thanks @magyklyXdelish ❤️❤️ Also I got your letter in the mail today - HOORAY WE ARE FRIENDS lol

1. Books for sure lately. It sounds weird, but I‘ve been able to focus on reading much more easily than TV lately, and definitely can‘t do movies right now.
2. Both (all opportunities caffeine-fiend) but coffee is my all time favorite!
3. Chocolate EVERYTHING. Literally I would eat just about anything chocolate-covered.

@Crazeedi @veritysalter

I went into this book expecting a lighthearted teen romance, but ended up weeping at a heartwrenching, imcredibly beautiful portrayal of family ties changing and causing pain, love‘s complexities, and one girl‘s fight for what she knows is right. This book is important and well worth the read. 5 stars ✨

#diversereads #yalit #biblioMaynia #booksthatmakeyoucry #femaleauthor #femalelead #middleeast

“The stars alone listen.”
This book wasn‘t for me, but I could see how others could fall in love with the style of the prose and the wartime romantic letters of enemies who cannot be together. I wished I could have read more backstory, learned more between scenes. It was hard for me to follow and I couldn‘t get rooted in the story. 2.5 stars because of the prose style. ✨✨

Anybody else read this one?

#biblioMaynia #maybooks

#BookSpin List for June!

Hopefully the book choice can overlap with the #ReadYourSign challenge :) I‘m really excited for all of these!

Looking forward to seeing everybody else‘s lists too. Just signed up for my library‘s summer reading challenge, started a #bookstagram (@everydayhonestiesreads) and kept working on a few books. Feeling productive but also wanting to stay in bed all day. Anyone else?

💜💜💜