Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
monalyisha

monalyisha

Joined January 2017

Head in the clouds, book in my hand, coffee in an I.V. ☁️📖☕️ (R.I. 🌊)
blurb
monalyisha
post image

Registration for #AuldLangSpine2026 is officially CLOSED.

What a whirlwind of an afternoon! We have our crew of 60. Thank you!

I‘ll make an announcement soon about when I‘m hoping to get started on matches (& when I‘m hoping to have them done). No promises but if there are only a handful of folks who‘ve missed the deadline, and it‘s an even number, AND you contact me quickly, I *may* be able to work some magic. ✨ Email me at monalitsy@gmail.com.

Gissy I think I signed on time 🤞 13h
monalyisha You‘re good, @Gissy! 13h
See All 8 Comments
Sapphire I hope mine got through in time. I just saw it today and sent it in as soon as I saw it. You put in SO Much work on this, I understand if I missed it. 11h
monalyisha You‘re all set, @Sapphire! 11h
Sapphire @monalyisha thank you!😊 11h
KadaGul @monalyisha I'm thrilled that all the spots filled up so quickly! 1h
KT1432 That was fast lol!! Glad I got in! now
42 likes8 comments
blurb
monalyisha
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating | Elisabeth Tova Bailey
post image

As it turns out, this is a slower year for sign-ups. Some years are like that. 🐌

We‘re just over halfway full for #AuldLangSpine2026. Remind your friends!

Registration can be found here:
https://forms.gle/h23Juf2B35oYUEXn7

Loving all your lists so far!

monalyisha 📸: Vyacheslav Mishchenko 1d
DebinHawaii OMG! I‘ve been so slammed I forgot! Signing up this morning! 1d
monalyisha @DebinHawaii I may have moseyed over to your page and liked some things, hoping you‘d mosey on over to mine. 😅 Didn‘t want to be pushy but I did want to quietly remind you! 😉 Glad it was effective, haha. 1d
See All 19 Comments
Amiable I mean, it is Thanksgiving week in the U.S. People might be traveling or shopping or baking? 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1d
monalyisha @Amiable Maybe! They may also have bonus time off from work. Registration goes live at this time every year for that reason. Usually gives me more time to stare at my spreadsheets. 😉 1d
JamieArc I thought I had put it in my calendar so I panicked when I saw registration was open last night and was way too tired to do it. I‘m glad there was still room today to submit 😊 1d
monalyisha @JamieArc It's an exhausting time of year, to be sure! Would never let you be left behind. 💞 24h
JamieArc @monalyisha I appreciate that 💛 24h
Amiable Honestly, I never remember when it‘s supposed to go live. I‘m always surprised to see the registration and think “holy crap how is it the end of the year again ALREADY??” 😄 24h
monalyisha @Amiable Relatable! 😅 24h
PurpleyPumpkin Just signed up for the first time! Looking forward to January. Thanks @monalyisha!☺️ 24h
monalyisha @PurpleyPumpkin 🥳💜🎃 24h
xicanti I‘m excited to see everyone else‘s lists, and sad I can‘t participate this year due to a seriously nomadic January with limited physical library access. 😔 Plus, I‘ve somehow only read six amazing books that aren‘t from fairly far along in series, so my list isn‘t quite up to snuff. 22h
monalyisha @xicanti That‘s okay! I hope your January is nomadic for exciting reasons! 18h
sebrittainclark Thank you for sending a reminder! I've been busy and haven't had much time for litsy this month, but #auldlangspine is one of my favorite things in January, and I would've hated to miss the sign up! 18h
CBee I just signed up! Thank you, Alyisha! 18h
JacqMac I‘m so glad it‘s slow. I‘ve been busy and I almost missed it. lol I loved this so much last year, I still have a few on my TBR. Going to see if it‘s still open now. 17h
DebinHawaii @monalyisha Your evil plan worked! 😂 I used my plane ride to Hilo to make my list & filled out the form in my meeting. I‘m ready to go & will post tonight! 16h
Clare-Dragonfly I appreciated your email! I Litsy on my phone but prefer to type lists on my laptop. The email made it easier! 16h
51 likes19 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

Here I am, enjoying conservation land managed by The Nature Conservancy on the coast of Maine.

*Added for any Auld Lang Spiners who may be considering donating to the cause! 🌎🍃🌊

https://www.nature.org/en-us/

#AuldLangSpine2026

BennettBookworm Yes, thank you!! 🌎 1d
dabbe L🩶VELY. 1d
AnnCrystal 👏🏼🥲💝💝💝. 1d
58 likes3 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

Registration for #AuldLangSpine2026 is now OPEN!

https://forms.gle/h23Juf2B35oYUEXn7

For more information about this annual reading event, check out the #AuldLangSpine tag.

Please note: once we hit 60 or so participants, the form will close. Godspeed! ⚡️🤩

monalyisha @Birdsong28 Courtesy tag, as requested. 🕊️ 2d
Soubhiville Yay! About to sign up, and I think I talked my mom into it too 😁. @Yenya1954 2d
See All 26 Comments
monalyisha @Soubhiville I love that! I saw that you‘d tagged her in the comments of my previous post but I had no idea she was your mom. Hi, @Yenya1954 👋🏻! 2d
Jerdencon Just filled it out! Excited! 2d
CSeydel I‘m in! Thank you so much for hosting this every year. 2d
monalyisha You‘re welcome, @CSeydel 🥳! Consider it payback for the annual reading bracket. 😉 2d
Lin3han Submitted! Can‘t wait!! My previous matches, @Larkken and @shortsarahrose were amazing! I‘ve read multiple books from each of their lists. Anyone who gets them as a match is SO lucky!! 2d
BarbaraJean Thank you, again, for keeping this going every year! It‘s one of my favorite annual Litsy events! 🤗 2d
monalyisha Thanks for sharing the love, @Lin3han 🖤! 2d
monalyisha @BarbaraJean You‘re welcome. 💓 Always happy to see your name/list pop up! 2d
TheKidUpstairs Done! Woo Hoo! Thank you for all the work you put into this every year, it's my favourite time of my reading year! 2d
Chelsea.Poole Registered! Can‘t wait to see your nature pictures displaying matches, my match, and lists from previous matches (looking at you @thekidupstairs @singout @mitch @indoordame!) (edited) 2d
TheKidUpstairs @Chelsea.Poole I can't wait to see yours, too! 2d
Birdsong28 Thanks for the tag ❤️ 2d
LeafingThroughLife I‘m in! Thanks for hosting this lovely event. Winter‘s definitely not my favorite, so it‘s great to have something fun to look forward to in January! 😃 2d
monalyisha @LeafingThroughLife You & me both, friend! 🥶 2d
shortsarahrose I‘m so excited! And thankful for @Lin3han for the tag so I could sign up right away! 2d
Deblovestoread All signed up! I love this so much and appreciate the amount of work and love you put into making our matches. 2d
Karisa Hooray! Gathered my list and sent it off. You always do such a wonderful job of it. Such fun and thank you! 😊 1d
KT1432 Whew! I think I made it in lol! SO EXCITED!! Thank you!! 1d
willaful Oh fun! I've been much more conscientious about marking books read this year with this in mind. :-) 1d
Itchyfeetreader Oh I am so pleased I made it in - this is one of my favourite Litsy events and wanted to thank you for the work you put in on this 1d
monalyisha @Sapphire Little reminder, just in case! 💙 ✨ 23h
Larkken Love seeing all the hype for this challenge because it is a perennial fav, but I've been so scattered lately that I didn't sign up since I wasn't sure I'd be capable of doing it justice. ❤️❤️ @Lin3han thanks for the love, you've been a fantastic match and I still have books from your list to keep me company!! now
44 likes26 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

#BeautyBreak

When the days get colder, we end up at totally different restaurants than we would in the summer. There‘s an Irish Pub in downtown Bristol with a stone fireplace that we sometimes tuck into for curry fries & beer. The sky let us know we made the right choice tonight!

@AnnCrystal @JessClark78 @dabbe @Amiable @Tamra @OriginalCyn620 @Sace @AmyG @LiseWorks @kspenmoll @uncommonlycozies @JenlovesJT47 @TheBookHippie @ImperfectCJ @Cuilin

Suet624 💕💕💕 2d
Amiable Oh, SOO gorgeous! 2d
TheBookHippie So pretty!! 2d
See All 10 Comments
Cuilin Fabulous 2d
JenlovesJT47 Beautiful view 🩷🧡💛 2d
AmyG The color reflecting on the water….beautiful. 2d
OriginalCyn620 So lovely! 💛💛💛 2d
AnnCrystal Wow! picturesque 🤩💝😍. 2d
dabbe L🧡VE! 🩵🧡🩵 1d
CarolynM Beautiful photo😍 11h
53 likes10 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

Perhaps the most delightful email header & subject combo I‘ve ever received in my inbox. 😅

BookishMarginalia 🤣🤣🤣 Agreed! 2d
TheBookHippie I love her emails. 2d
42 likes2 comments
review
monalyisha
Silver in the Wood | Emily Tesh
post image
Pickpick

Awful as it is to say this “grew” on me, it‘s the truth. Forgive me! 🙈

Green Man novella with a woodland cottage, gentle queer romance, fickle cat, and a peculiarly loyal dryad named Bramble. The turning point for me was the introduction of Mrs. Silver. She is Buffy (plus Giles), closer to the Old Slayers Home than to adolescence, and I am *here* for an aging, no nonsense folklorist + monster-hunter.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: I‘m glad this wasn‘t longer; I‘m not sure Tesh‘s writing is strong enough for it. But I‘ll gladly read the second in the duology! 3d
54 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
monalyisha
Mina's Matchbox | Yoko Ogawa
post image

Just an update!

This #10BeforeTheEnd thing isn‘t happening. 😆 Mood reading strikes again! But I did actually pick up some of them, which may not have happened otherwise (and I may sneak some of them in still — especially the book club picks in the upper left).

Thanks for a fun concept, @ChaoticMissAdventures ! I am hereby releasing myself from any semblance of obligation, imaginary or otherwise. 🙃

ChaoticMissAdventures Yes!! It should be fun and get you where you want (not frustrated!) 3d
monalyisha @ChaoticMissAdventures Oh, not frustration! Just a niggling sense of a subtle “should,” which I am dramatically sensitive to. 🙈 3d
56 likes2 comments
review
monalyisha
Mina's Matchbox | Yoko Ogawa
post image
Pickpick

It‘s perfect that this book ended with a postscript because the whole thing almost felt like a P.S. Just an, “Oh! By the way…” But then, it‘s fitting because it‘s the little things that make up a life. It‘s just that usually, the “little” things don‘t include a pygmy hippopotamus. Which is even more fitting still, because the “little things” are never really so little, are they? 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: I loved this. I‘m sure I‘ll eventually read all of Yoko Ogawa‘s books. They‘re quietly peculiar and, although the author is Japanese, they‘re filled with what I can only think to describe with a Welsh term: hiraeth, which is “a profound homesickness or longing for a home, time, or place that may no longer exist or may never have existed at all.” 3d
BarbaraBB Fab review! I enjoyed this one too yet not as much as another book by her 3d
sarahbarnes This is on my read over the holidays stack! I love her books, too. I also want to read 2d
63 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

My book club should totally let me choose our selections for all 12 months, right?

In reality, we have an elaborate voting system & all 7 members get to pick at least one book. Still, a girl can dream…

Wishlist titles for 2026 tagged below.👇🏻

See All 14 Comments
TheKidUpstairs The Hounding and Raja the Gullible are both SO SO excellent. I just finished Pick a Colour and loved it, much more than I expected to. Such good selections! 3d
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Thank you! Fortunately/unfortunately, we all have such differing tastes. Each member/friend took that “Read Your Color” quiz and our results were all over the road. 😅 It makes sense why we‘re so often in disagreement over what we read. (In case you haven‘t seen it…but I think you have: https://www.readyourcolor.com). 3d
52 likes14 comments
review
monalyisha
Weird Kid | Greg van Eekhout
post image
Mehso-so

A sci-fi middle grade novel that‘s definitely written for its intended audience (eg, the MC‘s dad is a proctologist & that goes exactly how you‘d expect). Still, I love the storyline of using music & love to save the world. And the lessons van Eekhout incorporates are nuanced & worthy. I cheered when Agnes tells Jake that “just because something is illegal doesn‘t mean it‘s wrong,” using the example, “It used to be illegal for women to vote.” 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: One of the major messages, & a powerful one for tweens hitting puberty, is that change is okay & you can be a lot of things all at once. The imblobsters‘ attempt at natural discourse is funny, too; it reminds me of playing Taboo, when you try to explain a concept without the obvious word choices. This isn‘t the type of juv lit that adults will enjoy just as much as kids, & it‘s not SUPER original, but it‘s got its charms. #MallSeal 🦭 5d
monalyisha *Note: Read for the children‘s book club I lead at the library. 🤓📚 5d
53 likes2 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Mysticism | Simon Critchley
post image

This is the *perfect* blend of what I studied in undergrad. And yet, I‘m bailing. But I‘m doing so without a rating attached!

I‘ve come leaps & bounds with my audiobook skillset in the past 15 years or so… but it‘s still not my primary mode of learning and I think I‘ve finally hit my limit. Listening to an academic, philosophical text is, apparently, beyond me. I may come back to this…but I also may not. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: Negation (self or theological) isn‘t really my jam and it seems to be the focus here. Could either be life-changing (!)…or incredibly frustrating. 🙈 #HailTheBail (edited) 5d
jen_the_scribe I‘ve learned that there are few nonfiction books I can listen to, I usually have to stick with listening to fiction. And the narrator has to be really good. 5d
monalyisha @jen_the_scribe I usually prefer to listen to my nonfic but I trend toward narrative nonfic. Philosophy is too much of a mindfuck. I need time to look with my eyes and process. 😬 5d
See All 7 Comments
jen_the_scribe @monalyisha Yeah I can see how philosophy would be a complicated listen lol 5d
Billypar I haven't read philosophy since college, so I'm impressed that people even attempt it. I'm also fascinated in what formats people choose and why. I'm usually fiction in print and almost always non-fiction in audio, which is what got me into nonfiction to begin with. And print-only for poetry: I tried audio once, and it was a total fail, I need to read it over and over on the page. 4d
monalyisha @Billypar I‘m the same way…mostly! Sometimes, if a fiction book (or series) has got a fab narrator, I‘ll make an exception. And easing into nonfic with audio has gotten me reading more nonfic, in general, so I‘ll read it in print now, too. 😊 Print‘s still my favorite format (paperbacks, especially) but I‘d miss audio if I started working closer to home! And there are certain titles I‘d enthusiastically recommend *as* audiobooks, for sure. 4d
Billypar Yeah, nothing beats paperbacks for me. I think audio is my 'expand my horizons' format because I can multitask, and it doesn't compete for time with my print book. And that's why I love AuldLangSpine: I want to find the books I wouldn't pick up on my own, and I'll listen to many of those on audio. One past pick was Remains of the Day, and it's still one of my favorite audio reads ever. 4d
44 likes7 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

REG OPENS: Sun., Nov. 23, 2025 @ 6pm (EST)

#AuldLangSpine is an annual reading event, which technically begins Jan. 1 but there‘s a lot of lead-up. 🙃 Space is limited.

When sign-ups go live, you‘ll fill out a Google Form including a list of 7-20 of your favorite reads from the past year. I play matchmaker & intentionally pair you with another Litten (based on genre preferences, etc). You begin the New Year by reading from your match‘s list.👇🏻

monalyisha It‘s designed to be a cost-free way to connect. Once I send you the list, you put together your stack on your own (whether you visit the library or purchase the titles is up to you). This is a labor of love! If you‘ve participated before, you know how I feel about spreadsheets (in a word: EW). I don‘t make them for just anything or anyone. 😅 But it feels good to be able to contribute to our community. 💓 1w
Deblovestoread Yay!! I was thinking about it this weekend. So glad it‘s back. It is truly the greatest gift. 1w
Kiwidragonnerd Can I join? 1w
See All 42 Comments
monalyisha @Kiwidragonnerd Keep an eye out for registration! Some years, it‘s filled up quickly and some years the last handful of spots have gone sloooowwwwly. I usually open it up to around 60 Littens before the cut-off. 😊 1w
Singout Whoo hoo! Thank you so much! 1w
BarkingMadRead I loved this last year!! 1w
CarolynM I was just thinking about this wonderful tradition of yours 🙂 Thanks for taking the trouble to do it again. Hopefully I‘ll be in time for sign ups 🤞 1w
Chelsea.Poole I‘ve had the best time with this and I‘m so looking forward to another year. As always, thank you for putting this on. (edited) 1w
Soubhiville I was just starting to compile my list for this year! Thanks for continuing with it! I‘ll be among the first to sign up this year 😁📚. 1w
Clare-Dragonfly 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 1w
TheKidUpstairs 🎉🎉🎉 1w
KT1432 Ohh I did this one year and then missed the others. I definitely want to do it again!! 1w
Jerdencon Always look forward to this one 7d
katiekat311 This one is so fun! 👏🏼 7d
Soubhiville @Yenya1954 here‘s the challenge we talked about tonight. 🙂 7d
Billypar Calendar marked... can't wait! 😀 6d
RebelReader I missed last year sadly. Marking my calendar for this! 5d
Itchyfeetreader I am reading one of the last books from last years list right now. So grateful you are running this one again. 4d
Birdsong28 I can't wait to do it please tag me in the post tomorrow 🥰 3d
Christine Aww, yay!! How is sign-up time nearly here again?? I'm going to try to read several more from your list before year's end. 🩷 3d
monalyisha Tagging everyone who participated last year. If you've already commented, ignore the notification! Just doing my part to make sure folks are aware that sign-ups will soon be open. @Librarybelle @TheKidUpstairs @MallenNC @Amiable @HOTPock3tt @DebinHawaii @dariazeoli @shortsarahrose @DGRachel @peanutnine @Chelsea.Poole @Deblovestoread @Born.A.Reader @TheBookHippie @sebrittainclark @CBee @willaful @Itchyfeetreader @rachelsbrittain @kspenmoll 3d
JamieArc 🎉🎉🎉 3d
monalyisha Tags are being oddly stubborn tonight. It‘s like they know I‘m trying to go to sleep! I‘ll tag the missing folks in the AM. I‘ve tried on both my phone and my laptop now. 😵‍💫🫠🥱 2d
Librarybelle Yay!! 2d
julesG 🎉🎉 2d
Laughterhp Yay! But oh no! My list is at home and I won‘t be back until dec 4th! I‘ll have to start another list! 2d
monalyisha @Laughterhp Omg what a pickle. 🥒 😅 Is there anyone still at home you can ask to snap a picture for you? 2d
monalyisha @Laughterhp I‘m not too far, right? I‘ll just swing by… JK. 😉 2d
Laughterhp 😆😆😆 2d
Laughterhp No. I can just scroll through my Goodreads. I have a pretty good idea of what I already had on it. 2d
BennettBookworm Thank you!!! Such a generous labor of love! 2d
LapReader I‘m ready! 2d
BookmarkTavern Yay! Thank you so much for putting together such a wonderful event! 🎉🎉🎉 2d
BarbaraJean 🎉🎉🎉Thank you for the tag!! I even (mostly) have my list ready! 2d
Lin3han YAYYYYY SO EXCITED 2d
Singout Very excited! Thanks to you and @Chelsea.Poole for the tags! I promise I will read/post the very last books on my list by December. (edited) 1d
75 likes42 comments
review
monalyisha
The Ghost Orchard | Helen Humphreys
post image
Pickpick

I understand why Humphreys titled the book The Ghost Orchard. It is absolutely the strongest section (followed by that on Robert Frost, and The Imagined Discovery of the White Winter Pearmain). The way in which she grafts the story of her relationship with both her friend and her father, and their deaths, onto the story of the apple is brilliant. The Parafilm that seamlessly binds the stories is Frost‘s friendship with the poet Edward Thomas.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/2: As she writes, “A hundred years is very old for an apple tree, as it is for a person. An apple tree exists for the same amount of time that we do, and this gives our relationship with the trees a certain poignancy.” It makes sense that the book would be equal parts plant & human-animal. We are capable of having all sorts of relationships (with the land and with each other). 1w
monalyisha 2/2: I almost wish that there was *more* memoir…but it‘s perfectly eloquent (and almost bite-sized — or, “of small to medium size,” as the catalogs would put it) the way that it is. 1w
Chelsea.Poole Great review! 1w
See All 9 Comments
monalyisha Thanks, @Chelsea.Poole! Embarrassingly, I‘d totally confused Helen Humphreys with Helen MacDonald in my head. Now, having read this, I‘m just a Helen fan. Thirty Helens Agree: Helens can write! 1w
rockpools I learnt just yesterday that the Apple orchard I grew up with/in had been scrubbed up - this ‘100 years‘ fact makes me feel much more at ease (the trees weren‘t young when I knew them! Thank you - perfect timing for me. I‘ll try and find the book (which apparently I stacked years ago). And I thought Helen Humphreys and Helen Garner were the same person, so… 1w
TheKidUpstairs I've never read this one, but I am a big fan of Helen Humphreys in general, especially her fiction. She's just a fabulous writer :) 5d
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Which of hers have you read? The one title on my radar is 5d
TheKidUpstairs @monalyisha I haven't read Lark yet, but a former colleague of mine who is also a big Humphreys fan says it's his favourite, so I expect good things. Afterimage is one of my all time faves, and I also LOVED The Lost Garden. I've also read The Reinvention of Love, The Frozen Thames, and Field Study (and all were great reads). (edited) 5d
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Adding them stat! You know I trust you. 😉 5d
61 likes2 stack adds9 comments
quote
monalyisha
The Ghost Orchard | Helen Humphreys
post image

“It was all praise and miracle. Edward Thomas was right about a line of apples being the same as a line of poetry in another language.”

blurb
monalyisha
The Ghost Orchard | Helen Humphreys
post image

It‘s fun to be reading about the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail.

I always stop on the way home from visiting one of my friends in VT. It‘s not a long trail (nor is it The Long Trail) but it‘s one of my favorite little walks!

It‘s nice to remember, especially in November, that it can be a blessing to live in New England. Romanticize your life, right?

AnnCrystal 🤩💝. 1w
dabbe 💚💙💚 1w
Amiable I ❤️ living in New England in all seasons. Even in November. But in February it‘s close. 😬😀 1w
43 likes3 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Mina's Matchbox | Yoko Ogawa
post image

I‘m reading a book set in Ashiya, a coastal town in Japan.

It‘s weird to keep reading almost-but-not-quite my name!

BarbaraBB It‘s a weird book too! 2w
46 likes1 comment
review
monalyisha
post image
Pickpick

A deep dive into the ways in which 4 Canadian artists — Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, & Sarah McLachlan — “Ruled the 90‘s & Changed Music”, *and* the author‘s life.

This is an updated version of Warner‘s first edition, originally published in 2015. I don‘t know how the texts differ but this version makes a conscious effort to be intersectional.

An incredibly nostalgic trip down memory lane for me (an American, sadly 🫠).👇🏻

monalyisha 1/2: I don‘t think the book needed to be so long. Warner repeats herself. Her writing is strongest in the Celine Dion section, when she writes critically about “The Cult of Forever Love,” arguing that some loves (both romantic & platonic) aren‘t meant to be forever, that it‘s damaging to think of all love that way, & that a temporary love can be just as bright, vibrant, important, and formative; its transitional nature doesn‘t decrease its value. 2w
monalyisha 2/2: It also shines in the section about McLachlan, when she discusses how the artist‘s music helped her process the grief of losing her father at an early age. I greatly appreciated her alphabetized list in the appendix of other female Canadian 90‘s acts. I have a lot of listening to do… A low pick, with complaints limited mostly to style not (the very thoughtful) substance. 2w
TheKidUpstairs Ooh, love the idea of this. Celebrating 90s female Canadian artists? Yes please! Now I'm off to think of my favourites.... I sense a Spotify playlist coming soon... 2w
See All 14 Comments
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Please share if you end up making one! I was convinced there‘d be an official playlist to accompany the book but I couldn‘t find it upon first glance. I need to look harder. There can‘t NOT be one. 2w
CoffeeK8 This book sounds amazing and @TheKidUpstairs I too would love to hear the playlist you make! 2w
Cuilin @CoffeeK8 @TheKidUpstairs I‘d also love a playlist 🙏 oh the nostalgia of the 90‘s 2w
TheKidUpstairs @monalyisha @CoffeeK8 @Cuilin I'm on it! Will share a link when it's ready. In the meantime, this is one of my favourite female Canadian albums of the late 90s, she's pulled her music from Spotify so I won't be able to include it in the playlist, but you can enjoy it here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mTBsIDAai6wQpBsCFM0yGge196pAUeXyQ&si=m... 2w
Clare-Dragonfly @TheKidUpstairs Ooh, Sarah Harmer! I haven‘t listened to her in ages. She‘s on Bandcamp! https://sarahharmer.bandcamp.com/album/sarah-harmer-you-were-here 2w
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs @Cuilin @CoffeeK8 I downloaded the ebook and I‘m making a playlist based on the author‘s appendix. I‘ll share when I‘m done, too! 2w
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs @Cuilin @CoffeeK8 @Clare-Dragonfly I added everything I could find! Here‘s a playlist, 60 songs deep. 🇨🇦 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5oGaKujKsutvBtWSeEkZrD?si=fReVVZ9kQoqCsRsAcLqL... 2w
Cuilin @monalyisha thank you 🙏😊 2w
TheKidUpstairs Iwas just going down a rabbit hole of my own, here's what I've made so far. I'm going to compare it with yours Alyisha and will continue adding to it! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7iOGuLoW3YCvDZEeFfGtzm?si=GAFq6R52TFKPNkboGnBd... @Cuilin @CoffeeK8 @Clare-Dragonfly 2w
CoffeeK8 This playlist is amazing @TheKidUpstairs @Cuilin @Clare-Dragonfly 2w
monalyisha @CoffeeK8 @TheKidUpstairs @Cuilin @Clare-Dragonfly I haven‘t made it to Megan‘s playlist yet but the biggest revelation for me from the author‘s playlist so far has been that TMBG‘s “New York City” is a cover (by Cub)! 🤯 2w
56 likes2 stack adds14 comments
blurb
monalyisha
As Simple as Snow | Gregory Galloway
post image

We got the barest hint of first flurries today in Mass & Rhode Island. Not enough to appear in a #BeautyBreak photo. BUT! I went to college in VT & I have friends who are still there. One of them shared a picture in our group chat of the view outside her window. ❄️💜

AnnCrystal Like Magic 🤩❄️😍❄️💖. 2w
Karisa 😍😍😍 2w
See All 16 Comments
Kerrbearlib We had some up here in Maine, too. My family in Tennessee got snow yesterday. Lovely photo! 2w
TheBookHippie Love!!! 2w
OriginalCyn620 Love! ❄️ 2w
JenReadsAlot That's so pretty! 2w
dabbe W❄️W! ❄️💜❄️ 2w
ncsufoxes So pretty! My son goes to URI. No snow for them, just cold & windy. 2w
Deblovestoread Gorgeous ❄️ 2w
JenlovesJT47 🤍🩵🤍 2w
Cuilin Can you add me to your tag list? I‘m also in New England but we only got flurries yesterday. 2w
AmyG So pretty! 2w
Amiable I love this picture! 2w
lil1inblue 😍 😍 😍 2w
AshleyHeb So beautiful! I love Christmas 7d
69 likes16 comments
review
monalyisha
The Ten Year Affair | Erin Somers
post image
Pickpick

ALL THE STARS…even if it sometimes made me uncomfortable (given my mother‘s secret infidelity (TMI?) & my own chronic monogamy & Capricorn tendencies toward extreme loyalty).

So relatable (& also not). Eliot‘s character is startlingly familiar. But am I Cora? We all are, at least in part. Women are constantly navigating their desire & obligation, which are often at odds. And do I know a “charming” “dad” like Sam? 😈

…Yes. But not intimately.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: Funny, contemplative, sexy, sad, hopeful, and real, I think this will be a particular hit with Millennials…especially those, like me, who are heading into their fortieth year. 💀 2w
BarbaraBB Fab review! I am eagerly waiting for it but it‘s still very expensive here. 2w
youneverarrived Love your review. Stacking! 2w
62 likes5 stack adds3 comments
quote
monalyisha
The Ten Year Affair | Erin Somers
post image

What if a Swiss sanitarium could fix me? 😅

TheBookHippie 🤣😬😅🫣 2w
47 likes1 comment
blurb
monalyisha
post image

My New Year‘s resolution (which I‘m hoping to put into effect before New Year‘s) is to start journaling.

Do any keen journalers have resources they love? I‘m open to whatever — specific notebook brands, pencils (not an inkling), advice about repeated prompts or a general structure that works for you, books about the topic, etc?

Thanks for helping me get excited!

TheBookHippie I‘ve journaled since I was 12 daily. I keep four going. All four use different mediums. I do monthly prompts on here if you want to be tagged. So I guess it‘s what type and how do you want to journal. 3w
dabbe @TheBookHippie is the best journalist ever! She has scores of fabulous ideas, and she provides us with monthly journaling prompts. I have a suggestion for a literal journal:
1. Choose a journal with lines and where the ink doesn't bleed through. NYT's Wirecutter has excellent ideas.
2. Each page is devoted to a book.
3. When you finish a book, record the title, author, date you finished, and 3-6 quotes from that book that spoke to you.
That's it!
3w
monalyisha Thanks, @dabbe & @TheBookHippie! I‘m not opposed to including book-related thoughts but I‘m imagining something more self-reflective and less of a reading tracker. Really, I want to get into the practice of consistently *writing.* This feels like a good first step, and I think it will probably be good for my mental health, too. 🩵 3w
See All 27 Comments
JamieArc Yes, @TheBookHippie provides some lovely prompts. I also do this one thing where I write the numbers 1-100 and have some question, like things that fill my soul, and quickly write what those are in each number, not thinking much about it. This usually gets me writing something. 3w
JamieArc Also, check out lectio divina. While it has been used in religious context, it doesn‘t need to be. It‘s basically taking some small passage or quote, writing it out, reflecting on it, and writing about it. It‘s a practice I always want to do more of. 3w
TheBookHippie @monalyisha mine is non book. My prompts are for free writing. 🙃 or whatever you want to do. I have rage journal to use when needed -a daily journal for anxiety-a collage journal and a free write from my prompts journal. Whew right? 3w
TheBookHippie @JamieArc I do this with poetry often. 3w
TheBookHippie Horror of all horrors I don‘t log or keep track of the books I read other than once and awhile I put my library books into StoryGraph to kinda see genre wise. 3w
TheBookHippie @monalyisha a lot of my personal journal is poetry I write. I will say this, it has helped my mental health for decades and when I am not writing I can feel it. 3w
monalyisha @TheBookHippie @JamieArc I kind of like the idea of a lectio divina poetry journal. Maybe I need two. 😜 (edited) 3w
monalyisha @TheBookHippie When I went to PEI with my friend this summer, she had a journal that she wrote in everyday, which was a practice suggested to her by her therapist. I think that‘s what inspired me initially. 3w
xicanti I kept a daily journal for twenty-five years straight, at which point I was like, “Yeah; good run” and I quit. If you also want to be daily about it, I think the best thing you can do is give yourself permission to half-ass it sometimes. Some days, you‘ll want to fill forty pages with deeply personal reflections and/or some artistic stuff. Others, you‘ll just wanna jot down something quick. Either one‘s fine. Do you. 3w
TheBookHippie @monalyisha It is the best thing for anxiety I‘ve ever found. 3w
monalyisha @xicanti I used to journal as a teen but I was always too embarrassed, looking back, to let the pages exist and I‘d inevitably destroy them. 😳 Kind of a red flag there, huh? 😅 At the very least, writing my thoughts down and letting them remain will be progress! 3w
AnnCrystal A friend was telling me about a The Shadow Work Journal.

Favorite pencil, General's® by the General Pencil Company

Been searching for a USA Eco notebook.. Decomposition and Northbooks both seem promising, but I haven't found either to try (yet).
3w
zezeki I have been journaling for years, but not daily. I have gratitude practise that I do daily, but I keep that in a separate notebook. I'd also recommend using journaling prompts, there's a YT channel called struthless, he also posts about jorunaling: https://youtu.be/U8RQsJ0Q3Mo?si=ryY1kQrFNzRoD8QW 3w
Chelsea.Poole I use the “one line a day” method so it‘s not intimidating. I find that it‘s something I can maintain if I‘m not feeling intimidated by a big ol blank page each day. Nor do I have the time to write more than a small paragraph daily. Anyhoo, I‘ve filled one of these up and just began a new one in 2025: https://a.co/d/9zeSDTf They come in a variety of styles. Plus you get to look back at the previous years‘ entires as it‘s a 5 year journal. 3w
yourfavouritemixtape I am bullet-journaling and really like Rhodia Notebooks. The paper is really nice to write on and they feel good in your hand too. 3w
Booksbymybed I have been journaling my entire life and having fun with is very important. Also fun supplies. My favorite brand for low pressure but high quality is Midori MD notebooks, excellent paper for pen or pencil. Additional things that make it fun are washi tape and stickers. I love Blackwing pencils, they have various types and hardness. Prompts, lists are an excellent way to start, I also like to include scraps of paper and small photos. 3w
monalyisha @AnnCrystal @zezeki @Chelsea.Poole @yourfavouritemixtape @Booksbymybed @TheBookHippie @xicanti @JamieArc @dabbe This has all been very helpful. Thank you! Lots to look into and I think I‘ve developed a practice to start with! I woke up this morning and got to work. Go me…and you all! 💞 3w
TheBookHippie @monalyisha 💕💕💕💕💕 3w
monalyisha @TheBookHippie I can absolutely do the work of looking through your monthly prompts. But if you have a master doc, I‘d be happy to be the recipient! I don‘t think I‘m going to use them (at least for now) but I think my mom would really benefit from them! I want to put together a journaling-themed Christmas present for her and would love to include your monthly prompts list. 📝 3w
AnnCrystal @monalyisha 💝💝💝. 3w
JamieArc @monalyisha I appreciated this because right before I read your post last night, I got out my journal and wrote for the first time in a very long time so it encourages me to continue. 3w
monalyisha @JamieArc I love that! 3w
TheBookHippie @monalyisha email me social@bookhippie.com I‘ll send everything I saved 3w
monalyisha @TheBookHippie Amazing! You got it. 3w
49 likes1 stack add27 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

Last night was Tunesday, my favorite local bookstore event featuring a circle of musicians, clogging, and cocktails. I traded in three books and came home with two. And I ate some Portuguese Kale soup while I listened. A delight, as always.

AnnCrystal 🆒📚🤩👍🏼💝. 3w
Chelsea.Poole Sounds like a perfect evening, honestly. Late Migrations is going to be one of my favorite books, I can just tell. I wonder when I‘ll finally get around to reading it. 2w
67 likes2 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Such Sharp Teeth | Rachel Harrison
post image

Before I leave my last read behind, I‘d like to use it as an excuse to post another dog photo.

You may not be able to see his teeth in this picture…but check out that tongue! 🥱

AnnCrystal
🤩💕🐕🐾💝.
3w
Eggbeater I always want to see dog 🐕 photos! He looks like he's in utter bliss. Adorable! 💕 3w
lil1inblue 😍🐶😍 3w
dabbe 🤣🖤🐾🖤🤣 3w
53 likes4 comments
review
monalyisha
Such Sharp Teeth | Rachel Harrison
post image
Pickpick

This werewolf novel was my first Rachel Harrison. It feels very trendy, like she‘s got her finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist. And I think she & I have the same taste in men. The love interest is tall, wears glasses & band t-shirts, was a nerd in high school, has a vinyl collection, & teaches guitar. BUT…the book isn‘t subtle AT ALL. The metaphors are in your face & I knew who the werewolf that bit Rory was from get-go. Also, “Rory.” A low pick.

monalyisha TW galore but the biggies are enshrouded in spoilers below. 3w
monalyisha TW: Sexual assault, pedophilia. 3w
53 likes2 comments
quote
monalyisha
Such Sharp Teeth | Rachel Harrison
post image

“It‘s so itchy underneath. [So,] I scratch…It feels so good. I keep going past the point when I know I should stop…I keep going…until I feel the fur. I look down…There‘s no red, no blood. Only silver. I‘m all oozy silver inside. Silver and fur.”

This is unexpectedly relatable given that it‘s the time of year when my eczema flares up. I wonder if my dermatologist ever considered that I might just be a werewolf? Occam‘s Razor. Simplest explanation.

lil1inblue 😂 3w
Clare-Dragonfly So obvious! 😂 3w
46 likes2 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Sundowners | Lesley Lokko
post image

This walk in the woods today was grounding.

I had an interview on Wednesday that went really well, and I‘ve been deliberating all week about whether I should leave my job. I‘ve ultimately decided against it but it wasn‘t an easy call. How do you say “no” to a job where your would-be employers kick-off the interview by asking you to do a chicken impression? What a silly time we all would‘ve had…

I don‘t think I‘m ready for a new week to begin!

Bookwormjillk A chicken? Really? 3w
monalyisha @Bookwormjillk I suppose it‘s *possible* that I brought it upon myself. I may or may not have written in my cover letter that “my chicken impression [was] the talk of the town.” 😅🐓 3w
AnnCrystal 🤩💝😍. 3w
47 likes3 comments
review
monalyisha
post image
Pickpick

Jess Zimmerman has birthed a beast of a book, about how to reclaim female monster myths, and it is Too Much. Namely, it is Too Fucking Cool. At one point, she admits to her readers, parenthetically, “I want you to think I‘m cool.” Mission fully accomplished! She‘s not cool in a superficial way, either: perfectly imperfect, intentionally curated to be relatable at every turn. Her mistakes are messy and sometimes ugly and she admits those, too.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: But she‘s a killer writer and thinker who knows how to “nurse and nurture” what is “supposed to be wrong with her” and “grow [it] into something great.” This book is Great. 3w
monalyisha Note: This is a book of essays that wanders close to memoir territory. Based on reviews, I gather that not everyone likes that. It‘s one of my favorite genres, so I can‘t relate. 😅 But if you‘re looking for the book to be more about the myths themselves and aren‘t so jazzed about social commentary and philosophical reflection, you‘re going to be disappointed. As I‘m sure you can gather, I was very much not disappointed. 3w
TheKidUpstairs This one's sitting on my shelf, I really should get to it. Your description reminds me of another one I LOVE 3w
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs I added that to my TBR when I encountered it on your #AuldLangSpine list. I really need to bump it up! It seems so up my alley. 3w
45 likes5 stack adds4 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

Is anyone else excited to have one whole side of the board done — AND a contender for Best Book in the final showdown slot? 😍

I‘m less enthused that I had to choose between The Usual Desire & Sleep. They‘re both fabulous. I think my decision was probably driven by recency bias...

With November‘s arrival, I‘ve got #AuldLangSpine on the brain. Registration usually goes live around Thanksgiving. As of now, that‘s still the plan! 🍂

jenniferw88 Yay! I may have started making notes for #auldlangspine back in January 🤣🤣🤣 any 5 started books went on the list,but I may swap a few out for 4.75 star reads instead. 3w
CSeydel Great bracket! And I‘m looking forward to making my #auldlangspine list 📚👏 3w
BennettBookworm I‘m so excited for #auldlangspine and so grateful you‘re doing it again!! 3w
39 likes4 comments
review
monalyisha
post image
Mehso-so

Regrettably, I found sections of this “monumentally” boring. Gallot‘s tone is respectful & dedicated but it also feels strangely administrative: infused with professionalism at all times (except for the oddly endearing moment when he admits to being an ornithophobe).

It‘s clear that Gallot, head curator at Pere-Lachaise, has found his true vocation, & I‘m happy for him! But in demystifying the death industry, he‘s made the text *too* mundane.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/4: Chapters about his efforts to rewild the cemetery (e.g. “The Same World”, “Under the Parisian Sky”) are among my favorites. I don‘t need to know, however, that the Assistant Curator‘s name is Jerome and that the Operations Coordinator is called Philippe, or their daily job functions. It‘s kind for Gallot to acknowledge that he has help running a world-famous site but acknowledgements are usually saved for, well, the Acknowledgments. 3w
monalyisha 2/4: It‘s ironic that Gallot became known for his Instagram account, sharing wildlife pictures of the cemetery, because the book needs more pictures! While the photos of finches and foxes are lovely (and I wouldn‘t trade them!), I‘d also like to see what the tomb of Baroness Demidoff looks like, for example. 3w
monalyisha 3/4: You can‘t tell me that there‘s a towering mausoleum carved with intricate stone wolves, beset with rumors of vampirism, and then not show me the historic tomb in question! Unless there‘s a copyright or intellectual property law conflict, the omission is truly baffling. 3w
See All 10 Comments
monalyisha 4/4: I think it‘d be exciting to read this prior to a visit to Pere-Lachaise. Otherwise, it was a rather mediocre text (though earnest and carefully considered). A coffee table book with some of the same content and more full-color photos might have provided a more satisfactory experience. 3w
Lands I‘ve almost purchased this several times. Thanks for the review . 3w
DrSabrinaMoldenReads I‘m gonna give this try. I can get into books as you describe this for some reason. Thanks for sharing 3w
monalyisha @Lands I seem to be the outlier! Storygraph reviews are all pretty stellar across the board. 🌟 Still, I‘d definitely advise borrowing over buying. 3w
monalyisha @DrSabrinaMoldenReads I hope it works better for you than it did for me! He seems like a great guy and I support his ethos! 3w
JamieArc Ohhh sad! This looks so interesting! 3w
monalyisha @JamieArc It might‘ve been me! It just felt like it took me forever and I was never that eager to return to it. But there were definitely moments of interest, anecdote, and peace. It‘s not a pan…I just didn‘t love the reading experience the way I thought I would. 3w
51 likes1 stack add10 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Chouette | Claire Oshetsky
post image

I labored under the delusion that I‘d finish one more book by the time the witching hour struck…but I‘ve come to grips with reality now. While I‘ve got some lingering spooky season reads that I‘ll carry with me into the next month, 12 books is a quite a harvest for me!

And honestly, November is a pretty scary month, too - especially if you‘re a cold, cold baby living in New England. 🥶❄️👶🏼 It‘s not *inappropriate* to be reading chilling tales!

shortsarahrose Any season is spooky season if you want it to be! (Or, you know, are alive in 2025 🫠) 4w
45 likes3 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Angelina Ballerina | Katharine Holabird
post image

Happy Halloween from Angelina Ballerina and Felix “the Cat!” 🐭🩰🐈‍⬛🐶

Aims42 LOL! Love both your costumes 🩰😻 4w
kspenmoll A student dressed up like you today in school! 4w
Texreader Too cute!! 4w
See All 10 Comments
Justmissc87 Love it! Super cute! 4w
MemoirsForMe 🎃🙌🏻🎃 4w
dabbe 🧡🎃🖤 4w
Suet624 So cute! 4w
AnnCrystal Adorable Duo 💕🐕💝💛🎃🧡🥳🤍. 4w
Chelsea.Poole Angelina Ballerina was one of my childhood favorites! 3w
Chelsea.Poole Also, you‘re both adorable! 3w
70 likes10 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Singing in the Rain | Tim Hopgood, Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown
post image

The social media algorithm delivered this gem (which I missed when it originally aired back in 2009) unto me. It brought me a few minutes of joy, which I‘d love to pass on! 💎

Joseph Gordon-Levitt performs “Make Em Laugh” from Singin‘ in the Rain on SNL. Live! In one take!

I grew up watching this movie with my grandma. Core memories.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCvOLqMvVQD/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet...

dabbe I've never heard that term before, but I absolutely love it and will incorporate it. #corememories 🖤🩶🖤 4w
monalyisha @dabbe That‘s so funny! I just looked up the phrase after seeing your comment and the internet keeps trying to tell me that it comes from the popularity of the movie(s) “Inside Out”… I swear I‘ve been using it forever! One source did say that the term‘s been around since the 1920‘s so maybe “core memories” is also a “core memory.” Could be one of those family colloquialisms? Or, I‘m delusional. 😉😅 4w
nanuska_153 I love Singin' in the rain ❤️ and I've been in love with Joseph Gordon Levitt since I was a kid, so perfect match 4w
See All 6 Comments
dabbe @monalyisha It's the perfect term to describe a memory embedded deep in your soul! INSIDE OUT stole it from you! 😂😍 4w
TieDyeDude I recently watched Flora and Son and Mr. Corman on Apple TV, and realized how much I've been lacking JGL in my life. I also got this video in my algorithm recently, and it is brilliant. I had forgotten about it; supposedly, they didn't get the rights to the song to be able to reair it on reruns 😮‍💨 (edited) 3w
monalyisha @TieDyeDude Mr. Corman looks so good! Upsetting that I didn't know about it and that there's only one season! 3w
49 likes6 comments
review
monalyisha
post image
Pickpick

Not my favorite Mary Roach but that‘s because I‘m more interested (for better or worse) in topics like the afterlife, wildlife, & outer space than I am in care of the human body while we‘re alive. Wise? No! Yet true.

Still fascinating (though it made me grimace a few times & I‘ve got a pretty strong stomach).

I remain convinced that Mary Roach is THE coolest person. I hope she gets a personal pig so she can live & write for a very long time. 🐷

review
monalyisha
Hagstone | Sinead Gleeson
post image
Pickpick

Nell is an artist, studying time, infinity, and impermanence, using her body and the landscape around her as her materials.

As winter draws near, Nell is approached by the “head” of a group of women inhabiting an old convent on the west side of her Irish island.

“Maman” wants to commission a mixed-media book about their community. The deadline is Samhain.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/3: The novel isn‘t about Nell, or the women, or the two men who come into Nell‘s life (which is good, because very few characters are straightforwardly likable). It‘s more about the setting, and the atmospheric mystery of it all — the loneliness, the peace, the solitude, and the dread, which all exist in more-or-less equal measure. 4w
monalyisha 2/3: The characters in this book are all at the whim of the climate — and the sound. Not everyone can hear the sound but it‘s caused birds to drop dead out of the sky; women to bleed. When it rings out, it‘s best to take cover… 4w
monalyisha 3/3: Gleeson‘s writing is fresh and crisp. She often employs short sentences, relentlessly, one after another, like waves rolling in then snapping back. But her words have poetry, too. If you like Answers, avoid this text. If you like vibes & headiness, if you wish the Wicker Man centered women, and if you‘re here for an opaque discussion about how “the feminine — divine, supernatural, sexual — rattles people,” stack it quick. 🌊 4w
rachaich Brilliant book. 4w
56 likes3 stack adds4 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

We booked an Airbnb in NH to belatedly (& quietly & cozily) celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We arrived in the cold, and the dark, and the rain to find that our host had double-booked the cottage. They found us a pet-friendly hotel room to stay in overnight and refunded us (after some not so gentle nudging). Drove the 4 hours home this morning.

Definitely not our best weekend! Photo of Jett to add some cuteness to a very not-cute post!

Bookwormjillk Grrrrrr 1mo
TheBookHippie Ughhhhhhhh 1mo
Jess861 Your pup though 😍 1mo
See All 13 Comments
TEArificbooks That‘s frustrating. Sometimes I have found the travel disasters can lead to other happy moments and memories though. One day you will laugh about it. 1mo
Suet624 That‘s a bummer about the Airbnb! 1mo
Soubhiville Aw man that sucks. I‘m glad you got your refund though. And your pup brings the cuteness. 1mo
CSeydel Oh, how aggravating. Happy anniversary - at the least, you have a story out of it 1mo
Ruthiella Happy Anniversary! 1mo
Amiable The refund should have been a given without requiring a nudge! What the heck. 1mo
AnnCrystal Beautiful Jett 💕🐕🐾💝. What a terrible annoyance, I hope that your Anniversary at least had a road trip with pretty views. Happy Anniversary 💝🥂💝. 1mo
monalyisha @Amiable Right?! They wanted to subtract the cost for the hotel, which was (rightfully) their idea so we didn‘t have to drive 4 hours home in the dark. No, thank you! You‘ve gotta eat that, pals! 1mo
dabbe How awful! But yay for #joyfuljett! 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
Hooked_on_books Jett is pretending to be Bindi! 1mo
62 likes13 comments
review
monalyisha
Any Trope But You | Victoria Lavine
post image
Pickpick

I didn‘t mean to read this. I mean, I did *eventually*…but it was sitting in my stack the other night when I was really tired & I didn‘t think my brain could handle anything else. So, it got bumped up!

I‘ve been reading a lot of romance lately, in an attempt to recover from all the horror I read at the beginning of the month. 🙈 This was one of the better ones! Tender & sexy, with incredibly moving side relationships (father-son, & two sisters).

monalyisha *Note: I did not need the sprinkling of Taylor Swift references. But that‘s a me problem. 🫣 1mo
TheBookHippie @monalyisha it‘d be a me problem too. I am not a fan. 🤣 1mo
monalyisha @TheBookHippie We‘re outliers, for sure! 1mo
See All 11 Comments
TheBookHippie @monalyisha I‘m okay with that. 1mo
monalyisha @TheBookHippie On the other hand, have you heard Fiona Apple‘s newest single (released this past May)? It‘s “a protest anthem against the cash bail system and pretrial detention, inspired by her years volunteering as a court watcher, focusing on the experiences of mothers who are incarcerated because they cannot afford bail.” That‘s the kind of artist who I wish had her level of fandom, power, & influence. 💘 (edited) 1mo
monalyisha @TheBookHippie Musically, I gave Folklore a shot. It wasn‘t for me. 1mo
TheBookHippie @monalyisha I adore her and yes. 1mo
DGRachel @monalyisha @TheBookHippie I am right there with you in the TS not-a-fan club. I‘m going to go look for the Fiona Apple single now. 1mo
monalyisha @DGRachel It‘s not my favorite of hers or anything but WOW, what a powerhouse, you know? 💪🏻 1mo
Laughterhp Ugh, I have this book on my tbr pile. Hopefully they aren‘t too bad throughout the book! 1mo
monalyisha @Laughterjp They‘re not overwhelming. I‘m just a grump. 😝 1mo
67 likes4 stack adds11 comments
review
monalyisha
Much Ado About You | Samantha Young
post image
Mehso-so

I read this quickly, mostly because I was mad at myself for not abandoning it early when I had an inkling that I should. But I kept thinking. “How could I *not* grow to love the story given the premise?” After heartache, Evie, the 30-something American MC, absconds to Northumberland (coastal plains, moors, & castles) to run a bookstore as part of a holiday let. She meets a local farmer — and his dog.

But guess what? Writing matters, buddies!👇🏻

monalyisha 1/4: At one point, Roane (the love interest), unironically utters the phrase, “I need to return to the farm” (which, of course, I‘ve been repeating at random intervals for the past 48 hours). It‘s much too silly not to. Try it using your most serious & deepest bass tones. It‘s great fun.👇🏻 1mo
monalyisha 2/4: Moreover (a favorite word of the author‘s), Alnster (where the book‘s set) is the site where much of the Harry Potter series was filmed and there‘s a bit of HP hero worship going on. In one passage, Evie spies a UK-edition of the book and exclaims, “I *have* to buy this!” Combined with the focus on how “masculine” Roane is and how “feminine” he makes Evie feel? It‘s concerning, at best… 1mo
monalyisha 3/4: I understand that HP played an important cultural and literary role (especially for those of a certain generation) but you‘ve got to at least address the elephant in the room. If you don‘t, at this point, your silence speaks volumes. 1mo
monalyisha 4/4: I liked the insistence that a platonic friend can be your soulmate — although, I can‘t say I loved said soulmate (Greer) or that I really got a sense of who she was (aside from blunt and pregnant). And I think the relationship between Evie and her mother, who struggles with alcoholism, was tenderly and vulnerably portrayed. Overall, I‘d skip this one. It‘s long for a romance novel (372 pages) and Young‘s writing lacks ease & finesse. 1mo
56 likes4 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Conjuring the Witch | Jessica Leonard
post image

There was a small chunk of this (the part featuring cult leader Jane) where I was a lot less scared than I should have been.

Grateful for King of the Hill, always.

Aims42 King of the Hill fan right here too!! Have you seen the new series on Hulu? 1mo
monalyisha @Aims42 We haven‘t! We were so anxiously awaiting its debut and now we‘re dragging our feet. I think we‘re afraid to be disappointed. Have you? 1mo
Aims42 @monalyisha I totally understand your feelings, I was the same way. I think I was literally holding my breath during the first episode 🤣 But, I loved the new series so much I want to re-watch it again. The world needs Hank, Peggy and Bobby right now ❤️‍🩹 1mo
monalyisha @Aims42 That‘s heartening! 1mo
41 likes4 comments
review
monalyisha
Conjuring the Witch | Jessica Leonard
post image
Pickpick

Mamas, hold your coven close. 🖤

True horror. Death, blood, vomit, dirt, bugs…and no happy endings. But that doesn‘t mean the ending wasn‘t satisfying.

Still, I‘d take less blood, vomit, dirt, and bugs, please! 😅 As it turns out, true horror‘s not really my thing. But I kind of knew that. I‘m more of a camp/comedy-horror kinda gal. Still, it‘s good to try something new every once in a while!

A fast read. Low pick.

monalyisha I‘m not sure that I enjoyed the fact that a woman had to sacrifice herself in order for the men to get what they deserved. 1mo
Suet624 You‘re a braver person than I. 1mo
monalyisha @Suet624 It‘s a far-ranging genre, right? I have a bunch more that are categorized as such on my shelves right now! We‘ll see if I find my niche or simply end up in the fetal position. 😅 I mean, I *do* like Shirley Jackson a whole heck of a lot. But I don‘t do “gross.” 🫣 1mo
Suet624 Yeah, gross is gross. 😊 1mo
55 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Just Grace | Charise Mericle Harper
post image

Oh! It‘s time for #TuesdayTunes.

I‘ve been fighting a cold, so I haven‘t felt like listening to anything too energetic or frenetic. Mellow vibes only. Ella Grace brings them. She lists “Sexuality, Identity, Spirituality and Mental Health” as the pillars of her album. I‘m into it.

Vibes here:
https://spotify.link/L28rDDGWEXb

AnnCrystal 💝💝💝 Hope you feel better soon, they say music is medicine 💝💝💝. 1mo
AmyG Feel better! 1mo
DaveGreen7777 Hope you kick that cold‘s butt soon! 🤧 1mo
36 likes3 comments
review
monalyisha
Garlic and the Vampire | Bree Paulsen
post image
Pickpick

Adorable juv graphic novel about an anxious little garlic bulb who‘s brought to life to help her witch mother in the garden. When a vampire comes to town, the other animate veggies elect her as their defender.

Includes lessons about judging a book by its cover, finding your own path, being brave, & how to be a good (& a bad) friend — & a good (& a bad) parent. Delightful produce puns made me laugh aloud. I‘d willingly read the next in the series!

Sparklemn Adorable! 1mo
AnnCrystal 📚👏🏼🤩🧄🌱💝. 1mo
TieDyeDude The next one is pretty good, too 😊 1mo
55 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Garlic and the Vampire | Bree Paulsen
post image

Tomorrow is the October meeting of my children‘s fantasy book club at the library. As an icebreaker, I like to start with a themed personality quiz and then we all share our results.

I‘m particularly fond of the quiz I found to match the tagged book this month. If you‘re happy to waste a few silly moments, you can take it, too! It‘s…unique. 😅

https://sophie006liu.github.io/vegetal/

TheKidUpstairs I'm a carrot! 1mo
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Not gonna lie, I got cabbage at first. But I reconsidered one of my answers and turned into a pumpkin. Not ideal for a carriage but a much better result for me. 🎃 1mo
BennettBookworm THIS IS SO FUN AND HILARIOUS! I got carrot, too! 🤣 Then I changed one early answer and it led me down another fun path and I got cabbage. Then I did it a third time and I got Green Bean. Honestly, they all had kernels of truth 🤣🤣 Thanks! 1mo
See All 13 Comments
monalyisha @BennettBookworm Kernels, eh? Take it again! 🌽 1mo
TheBookHippie I‘m broccoli 👀 1mo
CSeydel I got Broccoli 🥦 Lawful/Neutral Good. “Weird bursts of courage, perfectionist tendencies” Sounds about right 1mo
ReadingRachael Fun!! I am supposedly a leek!! 😄 1mo
monalyisha @ReadingRachael Ooo! I don‘t know anyone who has gotten that result yet! What‘s it mean? (edited) 1mo
ReadingRachael @monalyisha Good 70%, Neutral 20%, Evil 10%. Lawful 55%, Neutral 35%, Chaotic 5%. Also humorously, laughs at a joke 10mins later and oblivious to all romantic signs 😂 (edited) 1mo
shortsarahrose Carrot 🥕 strength: collects many fun things; weakness: collects too many fun things 😆 1mo
BennettBookworm Hahaha 🌽 1mo
AnneCecilie That was fun 🤩 I got pumpkin 🎃 1mo
39 likes13 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Weathering | Lucy Wood
post image

#SundayFunday

It feels like I‘ve been trying to get people to read this slow, quiet, rural ghost story with a strong setting for aeons! It floated under the radar when it was published in 2015, which I think is a travesty. I‘ve been chasing this book‘s vibes for years.

Itchyfeetreader This sounds like a ghost story I could enjoy 1mo
monalyisha @Itchyfeetreader Yes! Perfect time for it! And also, I should probably mention, not spooky. 1mo
CindyMyLifeIsLit Sounds interesting! I‘ve added it. Thanks! 1mo
BookmarkTavern That sounds really interesting! Thanks for posting! 1mo
35 likes4 stack adds4 comments
quote
monalyisha
post image

“Thinness isn‘t considered beautiful because it‘s objectively good, but because it signals abstemiousness and fragility and a dedication to staying small. The kind of men who have been in a position to influence the culture like these things.”

*Pictured: Me, this morning, as I inhaled maple cookies for breakfast. Abstemiousness is not my strong suit.

dabbe 💙🎯💙 1mo
Sparklemn Delicious! 1mo
61 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

A risky move for me, a mood reader, to try to choose 10 books I‘ll definitely read by the end of the year. As Beth Orton would say (in the spirit of number 9 on my list), “can‘t pin this butterfly down.” Yet, here we are!

1. All Fours
2. The Rachel Incident
3. Wild Dark Shore
4. Rapture
5. Mina‘s Matchbox
6. Small Things Like These
7. Normal Rules Don‘t Apply: Stories
8. Lost Evangeline
9. We Oughta Know OR Pretend We‘re Dead
10. On Mysticism

monalyisha The first two books are my IRL book club selections for November & December, so I‘ll almost definitely get to those. 😉 1mo
ChaoticMissAdventures Great list!! All Fours is so decisive but I enjoyed it. I have The Rachel Incident waiting on my TBR! 1mo
See All 20 Comments
vivastory I received Wild Dark etc in my botm and am really looking forward to it 1mo
JamieArc The Keegan book is a good one to read in December. I wish I had read it for Jolabokaflod. You can read it in a day. I‘m curious what you will think of All Fours. 1mo
monalyisha @JamieArc Yes! I‘ve been waiting for the Keegan! I‘ve read two others by her and I‘ve loved them both, so I‘m eager to pick up her most popular. 🌲 1mo
monalyisha @JamieArc And I‘m nervous to find out what I think of All Fours…and even more nervous to find out what the rest of my book club will think of it because I picked it for us! 😜 1mo
JuniperWilde I wish I could read Keegan and All Fours for the first time. Both are favourites of mine. 1mo
KT1432 I‘m another big fan of Small Things. It‘s so short I‘m due for a reread. 1mo
JamieArc @monalyisha Like it or not, it‘s probably a good book club choice! 1mo
monalyisha @JamieArc At the very least, right? We‘re reading it VERY close to the time when we vote on next year‘s books. I hope there aren‘t too many of them who hate it enough to view my proposed titles for next year with suspicion. 😅 1mo
monalyisha @JuniperWilde That‘s encouraging! ✨ 1mo
BarbaraBB So many good ones among those ten books. Enjoy! 1mo
monalyisha @BarbaraBB Mina‘s Matchbox is definitely your doing! 1mo
BarbaraBB I hope you‘ll like it. I did but not as much as I expected to! 1mo
monalyisha @BarbaraBB It sounds right up my alley and, though I know they‘re very different stories, I loved The Memory Police. So, I‘m hopeful! 1mo
BarbaraBB I loved that one too and the tagged one even more. She definitely can write! 1mo
BennettBookworm Wild Dark Shore!! Yaaaasssss 1mo
TheKidUpstairs I'm very intrigued to see what you think about All Fours, it's VERY Marmite. I loved it, but many did not. And I loved The Rachel Incident ❤️ 💕 ♥️ 1mo
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs I voted against The Rachel Incident when we were choosing our books for the year…but I was outvoted. The fact that you enjoyed it is bringing me some hope! 1mo
55 likes20 comments
review
monalyisha
post image
Pickpick

Although this literary family dramedy (with ducks! & llamas!) took a melancholy turn, it‘s VERY funny.

A daughter/stage actress visits her British parents in the French countryside. They are the quintessential old married couple, bickering in a delightfully wordy (though exasperating) way. He‘s a retired philosophy professor. She‘s Mum & has been for 50 years but was once a vivacious student eager to eat up the world.

A favorite novel this year!

monalyisha Trigger warning wrapped in a spoiler to follow! 1mo
TheKidUpstairs Well, now i HAVE to stack it! 1mo
monalyisha TW: stillbirth 😪 1mo
See All 7 Comments
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Yes! I feel like I‘ve been looking for something like this all year. Definitely a winner for me! 1mo
KT1432 You find the most unique and interesting sounding books! Stacked! 1mo
monalyisha @KT1432 Thank you! 🥰 1mo
Tamra I‘m anxiously waiting for my audio hold! 1mo
54 likes10 stack adds7 comments
blurb
monalyisha
post image

Background info: I do my best to not be terminally “online.” And despite my generational placement (elder Millennial), I‘m actually not *that* tech-savvy.

SO. I created a Reddit account largely because threads kept cropping up with answers to questions I‘d googled. I don‘t use it socially.

ANYWAY, apparently a random username was assigned to me? Leather-Payment?! 😅🙈🙈🙈

Had a quick existential online identity crisis but I think I‘ve fixed it!

ChaoticMissAdventures 😂😂😂. I don't have a reddit account (younger Genx) but I love to hear about the forums there. AITA, Relationship advice, people are wild. I do absolutely hate the type font of the system though I honestly think that is what keeps me from it. 1mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag I‘m actually laughing out loud at the randomness of that auto generated username 😂 1mo
RaeLovesToRead LEATHER PAYMENT 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Dying 1mo
See All 6 Comments
monalyisha @ChaoticMissAdventures @thegirlwiththelibrarybag @RaeLovesToRead What makes it worse (better?) is that I‘m pretty sure that account was kicking around for at LEAST a year before I realized! 🤡 1mo
JamieArc 😂😂😂. Also elder millennial here who is not the most tech-savvy, but I have been getting into Reddit more lately for the same reasons 1mo
BarbaraJean 🤣🤣🤣 What kills me is the number… apparently there were 9136 other Leather-Payments from whom you had to be distinguished. 😆 1mo
51 likes6 comments
review
monalyisha
Beautyland: A Novel | Marie-Helene Bertino
post image
Pickpick

I…was not expecting that ending. And then I remembered that Bertino totally blindsided me with the ending of the only other book I‘ve ever read by her (2AM at the Cat‘s Pajamas, about a decade ago). So, that‘s on me! Fool me twice. I write that with trepidation not gleeful surprise. I was upset the last time she did it and I think I‘m upset this time, too. I THINK. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/3: I loved reading this. Adina‘s born to a nineteen-year-old mother at the moment that Voyager I is launched. She believes she‘s an alien — literally not figuratively — and sustains a practice writing to her home planet via fax machine, through the decades. She tracks scientific space-related discoveries and is obsessed with Carl Sagan. She loves the music of Philip Glass and hip-hop in equal measure. 1mo
monalyisha 2/3: Despite identifying as an outsider, and, coincidentally, queer/ACE, she makes real, validating, warm connections. She moves to NYC. She finds a true vocation. Like Charles Schulz taught Snoopy-lovers everywhere, she learns that “happiness is a warm puppy.” She struggles. That‘s human. 1mo
monalyisha 3/3: Still, I don‘t know what to do with the conclusion. And I don‘t know if my feelings, having read this, are different now than they were while actively reading. While the ending was presented as a possibility, it still felt like an abrupt tonal shift. And really, I can‘t decide if that‘s smart and realistic — or a mean authorial trick! Life is messy. We contain multitudes. And loss happens whether we see it coming or not. 1mo
monalyisha *Note: I reposted my original review, after finding I had more to say! I‘m still mulling this one over. 1mo
rebcamuse Thanks for this review! Slowly making my way through #TOB2025 list and I‘m looking forward to this one. 1mo
56 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Beautyland: A Novel | Marie-Helene Bertino
post image

A photo of my shadow, who is her shadow‘s twin, for @Hooked_on_books 🖤🐶🤍. He was annoyed that I called his name when he is so clearly TRYING TO SLEEP.

Currently reading Beautyland (tagged). It‘s SUCH a fast read. I‘m tumbling through it at warp speed.

AmyG He is so cute. 1mo
Amiable That face! 😍 1mo
AnnCrystal 🤩💕🐕‍🦺🐾💝. 1mo
See All 6 Comments
Hooked_on_books They really do have similar faves, so of course I think he‘s gorgeous! 😉 1mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🤍 1mo
monalyisha @Hooked_on_books And his (hidden) white paws, too! 1mo
72 likes6 comments