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monalyisha

monalyisha

Joined January 2017

Head in the clouds, book in my hand, coffee in an I.V. ☁️📖☕️ (R.I. 🌊)
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Bright Shining by Julia Baird
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A Council of Dolls: A Novel by Mona Susan Power
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Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
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monalyisha
Jets (Seedlings) | Kate Riggs
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Jett got to pick out a tomato plant. He‘s very proud. Can‘t wait to pee on it, tbh.

dabbe Good boy, #joyousjett! 🖤🐾🖤 5h
ShelleyBooksie Jett ♡♡♡ 3h
43 likes2 comments
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monalyisha
Bright Shining | Julia Baird
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Despite acing AP US History, taught by a very liberal teacher in the heart of Massachusetts — in a former factory town! — I‘m just now learning about the suffragette slogan “Bread for all, & Roses too!” which is inextricably linked to the Lowell Textile Mill Strike.

My soul is consumed; I need the words framed immediately.

Read the linked poem, then the context in the comments below:

https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/bread-and-roses-song/

monalyisha It meant “that women were fighting for not just physical needs but also music, education, nature, art, leisure, and books…for pleasures as well as necessities, and the time to pursue them, the time to have an inner life and freedom to roam the outer world.” 5d
monalyisha In a 2022 interview with The Nation about her tagged book (referenced in my current read), Solnit said, “We all know what ‘bread‘ is: food, clothing, shelter; the bodily necessities, which can be more or less homogenized and administered from above. But ‘roses‘ was this radical cry, in a way, for individualism, for private life, for freedom of choice — because my roses and your roses won‘t be the same roses, you know?” 5d
monalyisha “Bread for All, and Roses too!” recognizes that “people are subtle, complex, subjective creatures who need culture, need nature, need beauty, need leisure.” 5d
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TheKidUpstairs I love this. It reminds me of the quote from the depths of the AIDS crisis “We buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night.“ A reminder that so many social justice movements strive for more than just the basic needs of the body, but the necessities of the soul 💗 because what is life without joy? 3d
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs YES! Did you read the tagged? There‘s a powerful essay about queer joy, clubs, dancing, tragedy, & community. I think it might be the one “about” yeti crabs. 3d
TheKidUpstairs @monalyisha I have not read it, but I do have it stacked (probably from your review!) I'll have to bump it up the TBR! 3d
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs I feel confident that you‘ll love it. If you don‘t, IOU. I don‘t know what. But something. 😅 3d
61 likes7 comments
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monalyisha
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Another treasure discovered via Katherine May‘s newsletter. Musicians have submitted a petition to have Los Cedros Cloud Forest (which already has legally established personhood) recognized as a co-creator of their song. It features “frogs, birds, the slowed down echolocating frequencies of bats & vibrations from the mycorrhizal networks of a newly discovered fungus.”

https://open.spotify.com/track/3H182DGezvqGcpcUwIALNW?si=-exWOuJtS9-EUGZf55o_Ng

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monalyisha
A Council of Dolls: A Novel | Mona Susan Power
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“I want my parents to be in love in both ways, not Dad by himself. So I fall in love for them, over and over again.”

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monalyisha
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#BibliologistBio

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE GENRES?
Literary fiction, speculative fiction, nature writing, memoirs, essays, & romance.

WHAT ARE A FEW OF YOUR DESERT-ISLAND READS?
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, and Devotions by Mary Oliver.

WHAT'S YOUR GO-TO READING SNACK?
Coffee and frosted animal crackers or beer and wasabi peas.

Cont‘d 👇🏻

monalyisha WEIRDEST OR MOST INTERESTING PLACE YOU'VE READ A BOOK?
At an amateur pro-wrestling match, while my partner‘s band played intro music and sound effects for the wrestlers.
6d
monalyisha WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE NOT READING?
I work as a Children‘s Librarian; moonlight as a wedding officiant, creating custom rituals and ceremonies; and go for nature walks with my dog. Sometimes, I tap dance.
6d
Prairiegirl_reading Oh wow!! Just curious, what inspired you to become a wedding officiant? 6d
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Donna1980 Beer and wasabi peas! Top tier choices 😊 6d
monalyisha @Prairiegirl_reading Looking for an officiant for my own wedding! We hired a woman who was a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant. She created rituals for us using coffee, wood rounds cut from different types of trees on her property, & all sorts of other fun details. I thought, “I could do that!” I have degrees in English Lit & Religious Studies, which seemed like a pretty tailor-made background. My husband is a wedding photographer, so it made sense! (edited) 6d
Prairiegirl_reading @monalyisha that‘s awesome! 6d
monalyisha @Prairiegirl_reading Thanks! I LOVE writing the ceremonies. Readers are naturally inclined to tell stories and imbue mundane objects with meaning and symbolism; it‘s fun and it comes easily. Standing before hundreds of their closest friends & family and delivering the finished product is a different thing altogether — and something I still find very nerve-wracking. In an ideal world, I‘d hand that part off to someone else. 😅 6d
BkClubCare ❤️ your desert island reads! 6d
Gissy Great photo😍 🌊 💙💙💙 6d
dabbe #lovelovelove!!! 💙🩵💙 6d
quietlycuriouskate Gorgeous photo! 6d
Suet624 I love all of this. 6d
LeahBergen Beautiful pic! 6d
56 likes14 comments
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monalyisha
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I reactivated MyTBR account & have been daydreaming about being a bibliologist ever since. What would your profile look like if you worked for them? I‘ll share mine in a separate post!

QUESTIONS:

•What are your favorite genres?
•What are a few of your desert island reads?
•What‘s your go-to reading snack?
•Weirdest or most interesting place you‘ve read a book?
•What do you do when you‘re not reading?

#BibliologistBio

review
monalyisha
Raising Hare: A Memoir | Chloe Dalton
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Pickpick

Dalton, a political adviser forced into a rare period of inactivity by the pandemic, finds an injured leveret on the path behind her country home and nurses it back to health. Though she never closes the door to the fields & meadows beyond her threshold, the hare chooses to spend pieces of each day with her. Dalton‘s cottage is viewed as a safe haven — so safe that the hare eventually opts to give birth to her wild babies in the author‘s bedroom.

monalyisha 1/2: Of course, I found this nature memoir touching and timely. We desperately need to slow down, quiet the chaos inside our brains and in our days, rewild our lands and our selves, and reevaluate our priorities. My own identity as a bun-mom for 12 years obviously heightened my connection to the text (putting Dalton‘s staunch insistence upon marking the differences between rabbits & hares aside). 1w
monalyisha 2/2: Though the conclusion isn‘t objectively devastating, reading the author‘s anticipatory reflections about their time together ending still totally undid me. The writing is solid but I‘d expect something tighter from a Women‘s Prize for Nonfiction winner (which this isn‘t…yet). Adjectives are almost *too* plentiful & Dalton‘s sentences trend long. It made me miss my own little cottontail fiercely. My gratitude for her gifts is renewed daily. 1w
LeeRHarry The conclusion definitely had me teary. 1w
AnnCrystal 🐇💝. 7d
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monalyisha
Raising Hare: A Memoir | Chloe Dalton
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“The atmosphere of calm suffused by her throughout the house lingers even when she is gone. I hope always to be able to summon it at will, along with the memory of the light and trusting touch of her paws in the palm of my hand, and her steady…gaze. And when one day I can no longer see her, I will watch the hares in the field knowing that her being is woven into theirs, and I only have to look up at night to see her symbol etched in the stars.”

AmyG 💔🩶 1w
58 likes1 comment
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monalyisha
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Happy milestone, @dabbe !

My #moodboardcontest vibe is, “Everything‘s a mess but at least the tender buds are blooming.” Easter has always been my favorite but my family is going through a rocky patch right now…as is our country, as is the world. I‘m taking comfort in soft breezes, soft petals, & soft puppies whenever I can. I‘ve also been conducting scientific research re: how long the average 39-year-old woman can stay submerged under coffee.

monalyisha Thanks for hosting your #moodboardcontest #mbc! I‘m happy to be sharing space with you. @dabbe 1w
Yenya1954 It‘s a really rough world. We should take comfort when and wherever it‘s available. 1w
dabbe Same here, m'dear! And thanks not only for sharing yourself but reminding me to find and be grateful for the littlest of things. We are alive on this crazy, rocky planet hurling around the sun. That's worth everything. 💙🩵💙 1w
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monalyisha @dabbe started using her own hashtag for my dog and I'd be lying if I said I didn't adore it. #joyousjett (edited) 3h
dabbe @monalyisha Well, Jett clearly has the best family ever! He's livin' his best life! #joyousjett 🖤🐾🖤 2h
55 likes6 comments
review
monalyisha
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Pickpick

If I wanted to review this book properly (and follow the author‘s lead), I‘d give each essay a rating out of 5 stars and then calculate the average. My actual method was far less scientific, which is how I roll. I basically just went with my gut.

This was my first John Green book. I say that as a librarian who works in Youth Services, by which I mean I‘m saying it very quietly so as not to be publicly shamed. The good news is that I loved it.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/5: I don‘t know if it will lead me to other books by him (except for, perhaps, Turtles All the Way Down, given my strong suspicion that I have undiagnosed [magical thinking] OCD). I‘d definitely watch his videos if that were a way I enjoyed digesting content. Sadly, it‘s not. 1w
monalyisha 2/5: I‘m typically not a podcast gal, either, but I‘ll be adding “Dear Hank & John” to the queue for those rare moments when I‘m between audiobooks and don‘t feel like listening to music. 1w
monalyisha 3/5: Anyway, many of these essays are lovely: hopeful, earnest, honest, and well-composed. Personal favorites include: Lascaux Cave Paintings, Scratch ‘n‘ Sniff Stickers, The Nathan‘s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, Harvey, Auld Lang Syne, & Sycamore Trees. 1w
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monalyisha 4/5: I‘m going to buy the book for my husband for his birthday. He *is* a video guy and typically doesn‘t sit down and read (aside from George Saunders‘ short stories, which he loves). I‘m hoping the bite-sized nature of the essays will prove enticing. He & John (& Hank!) seem to have a lot in common. 1w
monalyisha 5/5: John makes it a point to mention how new 5-star ratings systems are. I think what he‘s trying to say is that the point is not the ratings; the point is the essays (and paying and directing attention). I think part of his goal is to (playfully) show how ridiculous ratings are — especially the 5-star system. Regardless (and in that same spirit of serious play), I give The Anthropocene Reviewed 4.25 stars. 1w
BooksandCoffee4Me My adult sons love the Green brothers podcast. Personally, I think my sons should do a podcast. 😊 1w
ChaoticMissAdventures I adore the Green Brothers they are insanely intelligent and empathetic, while also being charming and somehow down to earth. I have read a few of his YA which I thought mostly "fine" (Turtles is probably my favorite) I love that John is getting into NF I am much more interested in that area from him. He tends to skew too Manic Pixie Dream Girl in his YA for my taste. 1w
monalyisha @ChaoticMissAdventures That‘s exactly how I imagine I‘d feel about it! 1w
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review
monalyisha
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Pickpick

Wow, I cried so much at the resolution. 😅 Get ready for a post-book, post-cry headache (in the best way).

This was an absolute pleasure — one of the best romances I‘ve read in a while — with two small caveats:

1. Reading about anything you have intimate knowledge of is always tricky; it leads to hyper-criticism. After raising a house rabbit for 12 years, I have intimate knowledge of what it takes to be a bun-mom. And Lane had a pet bunny.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/4: Most importantly, rabbits absolutely should not be caged. I‘m disappointed that the author perpetuates this myth. They‘re incredibly social creatures, they‘re built for speed, and they‘re prey animals; keeping them in a state where they have a limited range of motion *and* they know they can‘t escape is cruel. 1w
monalyisha 2/4: I don‘t care how big Simone‘s condo was; it‘s ridiculously easy to litterbox train a rabbit. There‘s no excuse for ignorance. They‘re not just a quirky accessory for an MC with tattoos, anxiety, & a Skoolie. Give the woman a cat if you‘re not going to do the research! Make it a Sphynx cat, if you have to (which are adorable). (edited) 1w
monalyisha 3/4: And 2. The HEA was a little dragged out. But every detail was so well-considered, thoughtful, and touching, that I won‘t complain too loudly. 1w
monalyisha 4/4: All relationships — romantic, platonic, and familial — are complex and tender; the sexy bits are (mostly) *very* sexy; and the dialogue is snappy. A real delight (and one that‘s not shy about capturing healing moments and catharsis). 1w
64 likes4 comments
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monalyisha
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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“That‘s what I wanted, more than anything: a low pressure way to say hey, we‘re cool, how are you. No need to be weird anymore; we‘re too old, and the world is too fragile.”

TheBookHippie Picture is ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 2w
TheSpineView Cool photo! 🩶🩶🩶 2w
lil1inblue 😍 😍 😍 2w
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monalyisha 📸 Cred: Stock Cake (free) 2w
AnnCrystal 🌳🪞💦😍💝💝💝. 2w
TieDyeDude “we‘re too old, and the world is too fragile.“ 💔 🌈 2w
Blueberry Your photo reminds me of MC Escher's work. 2w
mobill76 I was thinking Jerry Uelsmann. 1w
69 likes8 comments
review
monalyisha
Deep Cuts | Holly Brickley
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Pickpick

“Pour Some Sugar On (Past, Present, & Future) Me”

It was the summer of 1996. My best friend, Dana, and I had decided to start a band. Never mind that neither of us knew how to play an instrument. Never mind that at least one of us (me) couldn‘t carry a tune. Our name was Azalea and we were going to be HUGE. I knew this because I‘d read what was written in Dana‘s composition notebook. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/6: Struck by a flash of inspiration, she‘d hastily scrawled the lyrics to our first song. The words sparkled like sweet crystals on the page. Then, she sang me the tune and my brain exploded. Her song was called “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Ten-year-old me understood, immediately, that it was from the point of view of a piece of fried dough. 2w
monalyisha 2/6: This is a story about deception and betrayal. Because, of course, Dana didn‘t write that song. Def Leppard did. Only one thing remains true to this day: it‘s definitely about fried dough. I learned then that the only person you can fully trust is yourself. That‘s why I knew to trust myself when I intuited that Deep Cuts would be the exact right book for me. 2w
monalyisha 3/6: As soon as I read the synopsis, it was all I wanted to read. This morning, I finally cracked open the cover. I ditched all of my other (admittedly tentative) plans for the day and stayed home, reading it in one sitting and humming “King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1” all the while. I was right about it being right for me. Know thyself. (edited) 2w
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monalyisha 4/6: Percy, the elder Milennial and music writer at the heart of Deep Cuts, describes a song by Joanna Newsome as being about “people doing their best” on “This Side of the Blue,” whether it be “the San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean, the sky, [or] the bottomless pit of misfortune hovering just one wrong step away from all of us.” That‘s what Brickley‘s book is about, too. 2w
monalyisha 5/6: It‘s about friends and lovers doing their best — and often failing — but holding firm to the moments of blissful rightness that occur both in life and in art. It‘s about growing up. And it‘s about why I had to wait for my hold on this book to come in instead of buying it — because (lol) I‘m a Milennial (obviously). I graduated college in 2008 amidst the absolute ruin of the financial crash. 2w
monalyisha 6/6: As Brickley puts it, “It was September 2008 and the economy was in a free fall, though projections varied; nobody was sure if the entire fantasy of America was grinding to a halt or if it would just be a slow fourth quarter.” Ahem. IT WAS THE FORMER. But hey, at least we have books like Deep Cuts, music, and love as we brake/break. (edited) 2w
Amor4Libros Great review!!! ☺️ 2w
TheKidUpstairs I love everything about this review. Anxiously awaiting my hold on this one at the library. 2w
MeganAnn I‘ve been thinking about this one since I first read the synopsis as well! The only question is do I buy myself a copy or continue to wait on a library hold? 🤔 2w
monalyisha @MeganAnn For me, it came down to whether or not I had other books I was excited to read in the meantime. If you‘re feeling “eh” about your current stock, GET IT, GIRL. 😜 2w
Chelsea.Poole Love this review. I wonder if I‘m cool enough for this one… 1w
monalyisha @Chelsea.Poole You are absolutely cool enough. And you can listen to the Spotify playlist after (or as you go) to fill in the gaps. 😉 1w
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monalyisha
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Recently, I asked for book recommendations. I was/am seeking something on the lighter, funnier side. Approximately a bazillion books came in for me (with lots of side-eye and ribbing from my coworkers). I whittled the stack down to those where the first few pages snagged my attention. This is what I ended up with.

Thanks to those who chimed in!
Fingers crossed. 🤞🏻

BekaReid Joy Sullivan's Intructions for Traveling West ❤ 2w
monalyisha @BekaReid That‘s the only one I picked up straightaway! 2w
61 likes2 comments
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monalyisha
The Idiot | Elif Batuman
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I fell in immediate & unabashed love with this novel. Batuman‘s clever writing & strange sensibilities made me laugh & read sentences aloud every other page. I even went to her website to learn more about the weird & wonderful person writing. When I saw that she‘d used code to make the words “web design” appear in rainbow font (stating that she‘d learned how in the 90‘s), I felt myself swoon. Then, my feelings became more convoluted & complex.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/4: Since 2020, and with renewed fervor since November, the world has felt unmoored, untethered, and unreal; it‘s hard when a novel amplifies these feelings. Batuman doesn‘t address any of the topics causing the current climate (she was writing in 2017 about the 1990s), but… 2w
monalyisha 2/4: as Selin, a college freshman studying linguistics at a prestigious Ivy League school, away from home and falling in love (via email) for the first time, becomes increasingly confused about who she is, who her love interest is, how her mind inhabits her body, and how language works, a familiar refrain began running through my head, “What is HAPPENING?!” 2w
monalyisha 3/4: I have this thought enough in my daily life, as I catch up on current events or try to reconcile my family‘s increasingly erratic behavior with the stable and loving family I once knew. Thinking it, in the same intensity, while reading felt like adding insult to injury. Is this an unfair emotional burden to place on a poor, unsuspecting novel? Maybe! But I‘d wager that Batuman knew exactly what she was doing. Unsuspecting, my left foot. 2w
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monalyisha 4/4: The Idiot was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 and I can see why. I can also understand why it didn‘t win. Though it‘s a text that will massively frustrate its readers (or, at least, it did me), it‘s also incredibly distinct. There‘s a sequel, called Either/Or, published in 2022. You can bet your favorite sheep I‘m going to read it. 2w
Ruthiella I loved, loved, loved this book . I think you‘ll like Either/Or. I can‘t wait to read the rest. 2w
sarahbarnes What @Ruthiella said. Loved this book and Either/Or so much. Great review. 2w
Leftcoastzen I need to get to this one . 2w
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monalyisha
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Whoops! Late to post my (nonfic heavy) #ReadingBracket2025.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil will *always* end up on the board whenever she‘s got a book to enter into the fray.

Titles written below (for those of us who struggle with tiny print):

Jan: The Witching Year by Diana Helmuth
Feb: Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson
Mar: Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Wild: Giving Up the Ghost by Hilary Mantel 🏆
Wild: Eight Bears by Gloria Dickie

CSeydel Very nice! 2w
Amiable Yay for nonfiction! 😀 2w
51 likes2 comments
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monalyisha
Greta & Valdin: A Novel | Rebecca K Reilly
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Anyone read any good, contemporary, offbeat, funny fiction lately?

Everything on my shelf seems to be diametrically opposed: weighty, dark, lyrical, and poignant OR a floofy romance. I‘m looking for something more like the titles pictured. Witty, modern, and not *necessarily* sweet (but it‘s okay if there‘s some sweetness, too).

*It should probably be noted that I‘m not a fan of massively unlikeable characters.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I loved Margo 💜 3w
fredthemoose I recently read and enjoyed Fundamentally. It might be in that realm for you. 3w
TheKidUpstairs Very interested in seeing what recs you get. I loved all three pictured, and these days they're definitely the feeling I'm needing from my books, too. One I really liked recently (it's from a Canadian indie publisher, so apologies if it's not easily available): 3w
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squirrelbrain Have you read The Wedding People yet? I really liked the 3 you pictured, and this one as well. It feels like a dark theme, but it‘s not and it‘s also not as floofy as the cover would suggest. (edited) 3w
AmyG My favorites lately- Beautyland and The Wedding People 3w
monalyisha @squirrelbrain Sadly, I‘m not allowed to read that one yet. 🙈 My book club is reading it together this summer. 3w
monalyisha @AmyG Beautyland might work! I‘ll put it on hold. 💜 I remember really liking 2AM at the Cat‘s Pajamas (and thinking the ending was really strange). Feels like I read that about a million years ago! 3w
JamieArc I was going to suggest this book even though I haven‘t read it but have read his others except it doesn‘t come out until May 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3w
squirrelbrain Gah - I think that would have been perfect! 3w
AmyG I didn‘t know she wrote Cat‘s Pajamas. Beautyland is just such a beautiful book. I hope you enjoy it when you get it. 3w
Bookwormjillk I second Beautyland. I also just started Back After This. I think it‘s technically romance but the parts that appeal to me are about how podcasts are made and the career parts. 3w
monalyisha @JamieArc There are actually a couple of his I haven‘t read, so I can backtrack to the titles I missed. Thanks! 3w
monalyisha Thanks, @Bookwormjillk! I like Linda Holmes (Flying Solo is my favorite of hers) but I think I decided I want to do that one on audio (since it‘s a podcast-related story). So, it will come sometime this year…but not now. Appreciate your suggestions! 3w
Bookwormjillk @monalyisha oh, good idea! 3w
ErikasMindfulShelf I‘d suggest anything by Kevin Wilson 3w
Chelsea.Poole This really makes me want to read Patricia as I love both the other books mentioned. Would The Husbands fit with this category? I adore J Ryan Stradal but his latest (Lakeside) would classify as too heavy, so maybe one of his others. Have you read any others from Rufi Thorpe? I loved (but again some heaviness) 3w
monalyisha Thanks, @Chelsea.Poole! I could try Knockout Queen. I‘ll put it on hold. I loved Kitchens of the Great Midwest and thought Lakeside was only okay. I suggested my library‘s traveling book club read Lager Queens when they met at the local brewery…but I didn‘t join them. 😅🙈 The Husbands may fit. Something about that one makes me keep not choosing it. Patricia is a bit different from the other two I featured but, clearly, I loved it. 3w
monalyisha @quietjenn I put it on hold! Thanks. 3w
monalyisha @ErikasMindfulShelf I put a whole handful of Kevin Wilson‘s books on hold for myself (per @JamieArc, too). When all of these come in, I‘ll sit down, read the first few pages of them all, and see how they hit me. Thanks, everyone! 3w
Suet624 @monalyisha I forgot about 2AM at the Cat‘s Pajamas! I really liked that one. I didn‘t realize it was the same author! I liked Beautyland too. 2w
CarolynM If you find anything as good as Greta & Valdin let me know. I loved that book so much! Thanks for reminding me about Molly of the Mall @TheKidUpstairs I got it when @Lindy reviewed it years ago, but never got around to reading it. This might be the right time🙂 2w
Lindy @CarolynM let me know what you think of Molly and the Mall if you read it. It pairs well with 2w
Lindy @monalyisha @squirrelbrain @AmyG @JamieArc @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 I add my recommendation to Beautyland. More are in a separate post: Lindy's post on Litsy https://litsy.com/p/TWx6UkJVRXBm 2w
55 likes24 comments
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monalyisha
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Check out my (very red & angry) new tattoo!

It‘s a memorial tribute to Moxie (my pet house rabbit), taken from Brian Wildsmith‘s picture book “The Princess and the Moon.”

My artist (who just happens to be a descendent of Owen Chase, first mate onboard the Essex — the shipwreck that inspired Moby Dick! 🐋) used a process called “bloodlining” to get the color bleed right. Pretty bad-ass, tbh.

She said I sat like a champ. 🏆

Trashcanman I love it ❤️ 3w
TheBookHippie Love!!!!!! 3w
dabbe 🤩😍🤩 3w
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julesG 😍😍 Not only a great tattoo, also a great tattoo story. 3w
Kristy_K Love it!! 3w
AnnCrystal Sweet🐇👏🏼😍👍🏼💖💖💖. 3w
Chelsea.Poole Everything about this is perfect. 3w
Lesliereadsalot So beautiful! 3w
TheKidUpstairs Love it! 3w
Librarybelle Lovely! 3w
AmyG Awww it‘s beautiful. 3w
CaliforniaCay Looks amazing! 🤩🤩🤩 3w
Bookzombie That‘s beautiful! 2w
75 likes1 stack add13 comments
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monalyisha
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On my love/hate relationship with StoryGraph stats:

I almost never categorize the books I read as lighthearted. Yet, it‘s one of the biggest pieces of my moody pie! How? Eg: Unreliable Narrator is tagged as lighthearted. Written by a comedian, it‘s mostly about living with depression. Kind-of the opposite of lighthearted! The point is “things feel so heavy”; then, “how do we go on, anyway?” Finding the light is not the same as BEING lighthearted.

ChaoticMissAdventures It's always interesting how this works, I think they use AI and it probably doesn't know what the word means... 3w
monalyisha @ChaoticMissAdventures Yes! I do remember reading about their AI usage. It‘s why I don‘t use their Recommendations feature. Speaking of, I do sometimes miss MyTBR & their *human* bibliologists. Such a fun service! I kind of wish I could work for them, tbh. 😉 3w
Soubhiville Oh yeah @monalyisha wouldn‘t that be the most perfect job?! 3w
64 likes3 comments
review
monalyisha
Emergency Contact | Mary H. K. Choi
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Pickpick

Are there sentences I wish Choi had never penned (or at least had edited out)? Yes. Chief among them, “It reorganized her thoughts with such an intensity that she had the sudden urge to pee.” Still, this book is *compulsively* readable. I loved the sci-fi story-within-a-story that Penny crafts for her Creative Writing course. And I‘m a sucker for both misfits *and* an epistolary component (be it letters, emails, or texts)…👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1:…as well as difficult mother-daughter (or mother-child) relationships. Imperfect and sometimes a little immature but still full of promise and wholly devourable. 3w
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monalyisha
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“By the time I was ten or eleven, everyone had moved on from sticker collecting—everyone, that is, except for me…I particularly loved the fruits…

God, I loved scratch and sniff bananas. They didn‘t smell like bananas; they smelled like the Platonic Ideal of bananas. If real bananas were a note played on a home piano, scratch and sniff bananas were that same note played on a church‘s pipe organ.”

dabbe I remember these! 🤩🤣🤩 3w
ncsufoxes I can recall how each of these smelled by looking at them. It‘s amazing that many years later how vividly I can remember what each sticker smelled like. 3w
CSeydel Oh man I remember those! Like @ncsufoxes said - I can smell this photo! 3w
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CSeydel My favorite isn‘t there, though - the root beer mug 🍺 3w
monalyisha @Cseydel Yes! That‘s the one I most vividly remember, too. 🤎 Also…I need to share this ridiculous fact. When I was a tween, there was a plaza down the street from my house that I was allowed to walk to. It had a discount clothing store called Dots. One day, I bought a pair of *supremely* inappropriate underwear for an 11-year-old, a fact which went unclocked by me. I just thought they were cool: neon blue with a scratch & sniff strawberry. 🍓🙈 3w
Sparklemn I was partial to grape. 🍇 (edited) 3w
CSeydel @monalyisha 🤣🤣 3w
Bookwormjillk I can smell those through the screen. 3w
Bookwormjillk @monalyisha 😂😂😂😂😂 3w
Meshell1313 They say you can‘t smell a picture but you totally can! 🙌🤣 3w
55 likes10 comments
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

I used to try to read aloud to my pet house rabbit and, though she was my little soul-twin in many ways, she was decidedly uninterested; she preferred a cozy silence.

Bite by Bite will go down in personal memory as the first book I read aloud to my pup. He *loved* it. We started with Nezhukumatathil‘s essay on potatoes. Jett is now my “best spud.” 🥔 He also loved the chapter on maple syrup. As such, I‘m unable to rate this book objectively.

Soubhiville I love this review so much. ❤️🐶 3w
monalyisha Truly, though, I love Aimee‘s writing. My favorite essays were: Mango, Lumpia, Jackfruit, Strawberry, Potato (even putting my puppy‘s opinion aside), Vanilla, & Watermelon. I‘m left with the desperate need to try mangosteens, paw paws, & apple bananas. I also need to do more research about “waffle-frolicks” (is this the type of celebration I need for my 40th birthday?). And I needed the tagged book, co-written with Ross Gay, so badly I bought it. 3w
JamieArc ABSOLUTELY DO THAT FOR YOUR 40th! This book is sitting on my shelf (along with the author‘s previous book). It feels like a perfect spring choice to me. 3w
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monalyisha
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My March reads, roughly in order of enjoyment (from least to greatest). The bottom row features all of my favorites.

I keep shocking myself with how many books I‘m managing to read each month. Either this is my new norm, thanks to deleting my social media accounts (and what a confirmation of my choices that would be!) or it‘s going to taper off at some point. With the gradually warming weather, I‘m starting to let myself dream of beach reading…

monalyisha Again, don‘t mind my personal tag tracker: #AWreads2025 4w
tpixie Great job! I‘m reading a 600 page book that‘s taking forever- my stats will be different this year! Audiobooks are moving along though! 3w
monalyisha @tpixie That‘s ambitious! I tend to avoid lengthier tomes. Maybe I‘m still recovering from reading Moby Dick twice in college (and once afterwards — for fun 😅🐋). You‘ve got this! 3w
tpixie @monalyisha yes, normally I avoid long books also. I was reading it as part of my research to go along with Patti Callahan Henry‘s new book The Story She Left Behind. And now I‘m just being stubborn wanting to actually finish it ! 3w
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monalyisha
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Mehso-so

Quite possibly the most three-star book I‘ve ever read. 😅

Too many small details, which I normally don‘t mind, but it doesn‘t feel like they add anything (e.g. “I dropped the keys into the bowl on the table”; “I slid the bin from the shelf and lowered it to the ground”; “I pulled onto the shoulder…sliding the gear into park”; “I opened the door, getting out of the truck”, “I reached out…I pushed it open…My eyes widened,” etc).👇🏻

monalyisha 1/5: It could be the first person, present tense POV that doesn‘t work for me. At times, Young‘s writing style feels almost akin to a step-by-step instruction manual. I understand the choice. Each small action makes June feel real; it‘s basically a granularly-written, authorial mindfulness practice — an attempt to ground June in the moment, *whenever* that moment is. Still, it‘s grating. 4w
monalyisha 2/5: And…I‘m not fully convinced it‘s a stylistic choice and not just how Young always writes. It‘s fitting that what doesn‘t work for June is timing & tense; that‘s exactly what doesn‘t work for me about the whole novel. 4w
monalyisha 3/5: At the same time, if we‘re talking about living two lives, June‘s seems like one I *could* live. 4w
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monalyisha 4/5: Her blonde hair (check), her green dress (check), the abalone shell that holds her rings (consistent with my aesthetic sensibilities); her farm (a buried wish, to lead a simpler and more rural existence — one that our capitalist society and financial reality will never let me lead); her child (a sweet choice I did not make but conceivably could have) — not to mention her hunky Irish husband (yes, please). (edited) 4w
monalyisha 5/5: So, I can‘t hate the book entirely. There‘s a lot to feel sentimental and tender about. 4w
monalyisha Things I‘d like to have learned more about: 1. the origin of the curse, & 2. Birdie‘s life. June fights so hard to give Annie a life that doesn‘t disintegrate & unravel. What does she do with it? All we really know is that she ends up as June‘s parental figure & that she had a husband at some point. I need *more.* And, to be honest, I would have preferred more closure for Mason. “He fell in love with an intern” doesn‘t quite cut it. Why an intern? 4w
cariashley Such a great review, you nailed so many of my issues/questions with this one! 4w
monalyisha @cariashley Thank you! I was *scouring* reviews trying to determine if anyone else felt like I did and coming up wanting. 😅 So, your comment is both validating and appreciated! 4w
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

In recent years, there‘s no show I‘ve been more obsessed with than “Joe Pera Talks with You.” I‘m mentioning this because I subscribe to Jo Firestone‘s newsletter; she plays Sarah. Sometimes, she lets her friends (and fellow comedians) take over her newsletter for her. One such installment was written by Aparna Nancherla. In it, she mentions her forthcoming book. This one. I can‘t say I recommend the book as much as the show but…it was okay. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/6: I wasn‘t familiar with Aparna Nancherla‘s act before reading her memoir. She struck me as a relatable, vulnerable, honest, and brave — in utterly mundane ways, which I don‘t mean as a criticism! I felt especially proud of her as I listened to her speak about her sexuality (she self-identifies as “graysexual,” which isn‘t representation I often encounter). 1mo
monalyisha 2/6: My favorite essay was “No Comment” (about being online). In a particularly quippy moment, she writes, “That‘s right! Now you can stay on the internet even if your whole deal is how you‘re sick of the internet. I guess you really CAN have it all! And by “all,” I mean “The Void.” Given that I‘ve also deleted all the apps from my phone recently 👇🏻 1mo
monalyisha 3/6: (in a desperate bid to reclaim my time, attention, and mental quietude), I was primed to enjoy this chapter.

However, I caught myself zoning out and feeling bored at least half the time. There‘s a piece early on that she admits her editor “wanted her to cut.” She should have listened! 🙈 Her writing in the second half of the book struck me as a lot stronger.
1mo
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monalyisha 4/6: But, as Aparna half-jokes (in a chapter largely about race), “My underlying hope is the chance to be just so-so for all.” Dream achieved, bud! 1mo
monalyisha 5/6: Given the above quote, it would be a lot neater for me to slap a “so-so” rating on this review…but the truth is, I think it falls *just* north of that. I regret that my review probably wouldn‘t do much to help her overcome her Imposter Syndrome. The good news (for both of us?) is that I plan to seek out her stand-up! 1mo
monalyisha 6/6: I‘m glad the book gave her the chance to earnestly represent all of herself. I think her thoughtful and intimate musings will resonate with some readers profoundly. Her sensibilities certainly align with mine in a lot of ways. I especially connected with her call for more “grace and expansiveness” when interacting with and judging others. Hopefully, this review conveys at least a little of that! 1mo
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

I can‘t count the amount of people to whom I‘ve enthusiastically gushed about this book!

Wholly compelling & nuanced characters (Niamh, I love you), great writing, a vivid setting, horrifying scorpion snacks, the gleeful destruction of every binary, and Spice Girls references *aplenty.* I‘ve heard the series described as a direct & oppositional response to JK Rowling‘s TERFdom — and yes, it‘s (needfully) that — but it stands on its own, too!👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: The only thing I‘m mad about is missing out on Nicola Coughlin‘s narration of the UK audiobook. But Aoife McMahon absolutely slays, too! 1mo
CBee I LOVED this. Waiting on the second to come in at my library!! 1mo
JeepChic I‘m sold! I‘m looking for it now. Thanks ;-) 1mo
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AlaMich This series sounds intriguing. But is it YA? I ask because of the ages of the characters. 1mo
MaleficentBookDragon Well with that review…stacked!!! 1mo
monalyisha @AlaMich It‘s an adult book, for sure! 1mo
monalyisha @AlaMich The group of friends bonds as children but the book is set decades later. 🖤 1mo
AlaMich @monalyisha Ah, ok! 1mo
monalyisha Love to hear it, @JeepChic! I hope you adore it, too. 🔮 1mo
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monalyisha
Touch Not the Cat | Mary Stewart
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I‘m at a lakehouse in upstate NY with two of my high school besties. We‘ve hit up 3 bookstores in 2 days. 🤓 This is my haul from the most recent stop.

It‘s BONKERS windy here! Obscured book title tagged. 🐈‍⬛

Suet624 👏 👏 👏 👏 1mo
AnnCrystal 😍👍🏼📚🌊💝. (edited) 1mo
Clare-Dragonfly That sounds glorious! 1mo
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Tamra I was just looking for The Sea yesterday! Great finds. 😃 1mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
kspenmoll What fun! 1mo
saritaroth My kind of vacation! 1mo
tpixie What a fun getaway!! Friends and books! 4w
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

It‘s hard not to compare this to Erica Berry‘s Wolfish (tagged below, which I also enjoyed). Eight Bears is less of a memoir and more just straight-up science journalism and travelogue. It‘s also *far* more organized. Previously, if you‘d asked me how important organization was to me, I would have scoffed. I tend to think of myself (and my taste) as being sort of dreamy, floaty, and tangential. But Gloria Dickie proved me wrong! 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/2: I found this streamlined narrative nonfic to be endlessly fascinating…and sad. Ending with polar bears really drove the bleakness of our situation home. She writes, “At the end of my odyssey from cloud forest to sea ice, only three bear species seemed destined to prosper at the end of this century — the American black bear, the brown bear, & the panda. Indeed, the future itself reads much like a fairy tale: The Three Bears.” 1mo
monalyisha 2/2: And, “Without bears, the woods and our stories would be empty.” To end my review on a lighter note, I‘ll leave you with a hot take: my new favorite bear is the spectacled bear. Hands down. Highly recommend! (edited) 1mo
TheBookHippie Oh I still want to read this. It‘s on my wishlist. Library doesn‘t have it! Now I really need it! 😂 1mo
monalyisha @TheBookHippie You do! (If you ever need an enabler, message me. 😅) 1mo
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monalyisha
Wicked Nix | Lena Coakley
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Pickpick

Another book down for my kids‘ fantasy book club at the library. I think they‘re going to love this one. Clear sentences, a shorter page length, whimsical illustrations, and some higher thinking about cruelty vs. kindness & how to manage deep emotions (anxiety, loneliness, abandonment, loss) make it an appealing & balanced book.

At the end of each meeting, we always make corner bookmarks. This time, it‘s twirly, leafy Green Man mustaches. 🍃

AlaMich It‘s a charming cover! 1mo
Clare-Dragonfly What a fun book club! 1mo
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

Yeah…that was great!

It‘s been a bit since I stayed up past midnight to finish a book but this was worth it. I only want to read about unlikeable characters from now on if it ends like this.

That the author thanks her “beloved sphynx cat, who sadly passed away as [she] was completing this novel”, stating “I would have started a death cult for you,” only makes it better. I know the feeling. R.I.P. Moxie Crimefighter. 🐰 Long live Samantha Allen!

monalyisha *Note: Maggie & Kathy‘s letters are such an important part of this book. What a wise & tender choice to compose and include them. 1mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I thought this was so unique and fun. It really worked for me too! 1mo
monalyisha @ChaoticMissAdventures Just a delightfully campy way to talk about being Othered and finding community! 1mo
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monalyisha
The Hearing Test: A Novel | Eliza Barry Callahan
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“I had developed a habit of making tea and not drinking it. Small swamp waters multiplied on every hard surface of the apartment.”

Kenyazero As one does with tea 🤭 1mo
Aims42 “Small swamp waters” 😂🤣 (edited) 1mo
Suet624 Great description. 1mo
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monalyisha
The Hearing Test: A Novel | Eliza Barry Callahan
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Pickpick

The kind of novel which immediately makes you jealous that you‘re not a 30-year-old debut author with a longlisted book being considered for a prestigious award.

Callahan‘s stream-of-consciousness style might not be for everyone. But it is for me — and it lends itself to some brilliant one-liners. My favorite might be, “She said that coincidence was a religion and that she was agnostic.”

The form fits the plot exceedingly well. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/5: A woman is diagnosed with Sudden Deafness. What‘s outside of the narrator quiets; what‘s inside of her grows louder. Somehow, the text is both intimate and detached. Readers are privy to her every thought but not the details of her life (e.g. her unnamed ex is [rather pretentiously] referred to as “the filmmaker” and his appealing new partner as “the girlfriend”). 1mo
monalyisha 2/5: I did find myself wishing for more intimacy, which felt befuddling. What can be more intimate than direct access to a character‘s thoughts? This sense, however, is exactly what the author intended. Of her own work, she writes, “In my mind, the book is about watching, and just being a little bit outside of life.” 1mo
monalyisha 3/5: On a personal note, I found the story to be additionally discomfiting due to suspicions about my own hearing loss. Though I‘ve done next-to-nothing about it, I‘ve long suspected that my hearing isn‘t what it should be. 1mo
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monalyisha 4/5: There‘s a particularly vivid passage about the “ghosts of sounds” and the street outside her window being suddenly in her kitchen, “the hum of passing cars…now coming from somewhere near [the] stove and sound[ing] like bees,” that made it apparent (though I did not confirm it until the end) that this is a work of autofiction. 1mo
monalyisha 5/5: I think Callahan is an exciting new talent. Her taut sentences are a perfect pairing with her loose and floating observations about life. I enjoyed my reading experience of this (fairly short) book immensely. 1mo
TheKidUpstairs This one really intrigued me from the Carol Shields list. Glad you loved it! I'm hoping a library near me will get a copy soon! 1mo
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs Yeah! It had a bit of an art school vibe & some name-dropping, etc. I can see that bothering some readers. Pretentiousness in books rarely gets to me, though, as long as it feels contextually appropriate (which this does) — & the writing backs it up. 😉 1mo
sarahbarnes I bought a copy of this last fall and am excited to get to it soon! 1mo
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monalyisha
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Beth Brower, author of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, on what she looks for in a March read.

I think this might be what I look for *always.*

AnnCrystal 💝💝💝. 1mo
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monalyisha
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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“I didn‘t think you were that keen for marriage…”
“Yeah, but that was with you,” he said.
“Cheers.”
“No, I mean, the future you decide with a person is different for every person, isn‘t it? It‘s not like you decide what you want, then someone fits into that. We decided we wouldn‘t have gotten married. Lucy and I discussed…that we would…”
“All these things we thought about each other…funny how wrong we were.”
“We weren‘t wrong…we were growing up.”

AnnCrystal 😍💝. 2mo
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monalyisha
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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“I had never known a feeling as unbearable — as sour, wrenching, and unshakeably sad — as pity for a parent.”

Suet624 Ugh. Yes. 2mo
Aims42 So very true 😢💔 2mo
CarolynM 💔 2mo
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monalyisha
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

It‘s a testament to Alderton‘s writing (& my own healing) that I was so immersed in the story, I didn‘t even think to compare it to my formative heartbreak until 3/4 of the way through! Being “ghosted” by someone you care about, when you‘ve been lead to believe that what you have together is valuable, is so damaging to your self-worth. I love that in her novel, Alderton suggests we trust our friends to be keepers of our hope. Just for a while.👇🏻

monalyisha 1/2: Alderton‘s writing is often described as “wickedly” or “sharply” funny. While this is true, the overall tone is more sad and soft, due to the tenderness of Nina‘s relationship with her father & his burgeoning dementia. Themes like the slow disintegration of a friendship (and how or if it might be worth saving) are introduced. The show-stealing character for me is Nina‘s mother, Nancy/Mandy, a total hot ticket who is ultimately due compassion. 2mo
monalyisha 2/2: This is a story of a life in transition [and its anchors]…but aren‘t they always (stories and lives)? 2mo
AmyG Amazing review. 2mo
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

This romance, featuring the statue of a medieval knight who comes to life and the museum conservator working to restore him, was somehow both more ridiculous and less ridiculous than I anticipated. 😅

The author says she took some liberties with “Griffin‘s speech patterns, because if he really spoke like someone from the early 1400‘s, he and Emily would struggle even more to understand each other.” And that‘s all well and good but…

monalyisha …I don‘t want medieval speech patterns invading my pillow talk (“meseems”, “methinks”, “my lord”), liberties taken or not! So, the spicy bits didn‘t *quite* work for me (but I think they would have otherwise). Fortunately, the art heist bit really *did* work. I thought it was super fun! I‘d read more by this author. I‘ll be interested to see what she does next! 2mo
willaful She has a couple of dark paranormal romances I liked. Sorry she gave up that series. 2mo
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monalyisha
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Reading about Paddington‘s home — the cloud forests of “darkest Peru” and the creatures who live there, including the pictured hummingbird. It‘s called a Sparkling Sunbeam and being reincarnated as one is now my plan for the afterlife. They‘re so pretty, are a part of something called “the brilliants tribe” (how aspirational!), they‘re a species of Least Concern, & they build those tiny little moss cups as their home and live in the clouds.

Sold.

charl08 Beautiful! 2mo
AnnCrystal 😍🐦💝💝💝. 2mo
Bookzombie ❤️ 2mo
Gissy 🐦😍❤️❤️❤️ 2mo
CBee Okay, can we both be reincarnated as this little wonder bird? I love it. 2mo
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monalyisha
Moominland Midwinter | Tove Jansson
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Moominland Midwinter was my pick for February, given that I read and loved it first. But I can see Giving Up the Ghost potentially sweeping the whole board.

I‘ll tag each of the remaining books below (to make it easy for anyone who may be considering adding them to their TBR).

#ReadingBracket2025

CSeydel Nice start! 2mo
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lauraisntwilder I love the Moomin books. 😊 2mo
Melissamcnally How did you make that graphic? 2mo
monalyisha @Melissamcnally I somehow missed your comment. Sorry about that! I got the template from @Cseydel (who made it on Canva). I just saved her original to my Notes app (so I could use a high quality image) and then added my own books to it using PicCollage. 😊 2mo
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monalyisha
Hello Lighthouse | Sophie Blackall
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This is the face of someone who has just applied for admission to Sophie Blackall‘s “Workshop for Writers of Picture Books” (published and unpublished) at her farm retreat in upstate NY. What a stupidly amazing opportunity that would be! It‘s beyond competitive (10 spots), so I‘m not expecting miracles.

STILL.

Wish me luck! 🤞🏻

Bookzombie Good luck! 2mo
Texreader Good luck!!! 2mo
jen_the_scribe That does sound amazing! Good luck! 🤞🏼 2mo
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Amor4Libros Good luck!!!! 2mo
AmyG All the 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 2mo
SassyPants617 Good Luck! 🤞🏻 2mo
NovelGirl82 Good luck!! 2mo
Ruthiella Good luck! 🤞 2mo
AnnCrystal Best of luck 👏🏼😎🤞🏼. 2mo
Cupcake12 Good luck 🌟 2mo
DaveGreen7777 Hope you get to join the workshop! Sending positive vibes your way! 🙏 2mo
SconsinBookyBadger Sending good 🍀 vibes to you! 2mo
BookwormAHN Good Luck 🍀 2mo
zezeki Good luck! 🍀🍀💪🏼 2mo
Lesliereadsalot 🤞🤞🤞 2mo
Laughterhp Good luck!! 2mo
Read4life Good luck!!!🍀🍀🍀 2mo
marleed Oh best of luck! 2mo
BookNAround Good luck! 2mo
Deblovestoread Sending luck! 🍀 2mo
CoffeeK8 Good luck! 2mo
85 likes21 comments
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monalyisha
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“I am writing in order to take charge of the story of my childhood and my childlessness; and in order to locate myself, if not within a body, then in the narrow space between one letter and the next, between the lines where the ghosts of meaning are.”

“You need to find yourself, in the maze of social expectation, the thickets of memory: just which bits of you are left intact?”

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monalyisha
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“I was (and am) unsure about how I am related to my old self, or to myself from year to year.”

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monalyisha
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“It was afternoon: that time, around three o‘clock, when a day seems to pause and yawn, before stretching itself and ambling towards teatime.”

BekaReid what a sentence! 2mo
monalyisha @BekaReid If I had a nickel for every time I exclaimed the very same thing… 2mo
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monalyisha
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“Since then I have always been addicted to something or other, usually something there‘s no support group for. Semicolons, for instance, I can never give up for more than two hundred words at a time.”

willaful Same, tbh. 2mo
monalyisha @willaful 100% relatable! 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures Oh mine is parentheticals. I freaking love them and I have to go back through my email to remove some every day 😂 2mo
shortsarahrose @ChaoticMissAdventures I am also a parenthetical addict! 2mo
JuniperWilde I‘m all about the Oxford comma. 2mo
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

Have you ever wanted to burst into a round of applause at the end of a book? God, this was so good.

Hilary Mantel‘s memoir isn‘t especially uplifting. Her story is shaped by institutional — specifically, medical — neglect. It makes the pleasure I took from being welcomed inside her brain, where I could luxuriate in the craft of her sentences, feel almost shameful. I‘m choosing to feel wonderstruck (and a bit star-struck), instead.

What a writer!

BkClubCare Yowza!! 2mo
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monalyisha
Where They Last Saw Her | Marcie R Rendon
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Pickpick

Just a few chapters in, I texted a friend in my book club and lamented, bluntly, “I don‘t like our book.” The fact that I came around is a surprise to me!

I never did come around to Rendon‘s writing style, however. Her short, declarative sentences are not my cup of coffee (nor are they my peanut butter cookies). More variation of sentence structure would‘ve gone a long way. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/5: Quill, the MC, made me want to tear my hair out. The choices she made felt so reckless and irresponsible. When Crow, her husband, finally reacted in the appropriate manner, I nearly cheered. Still, Rendon made her intentions and motivations clear at every step (or pound of her feet on the path). (edited) 2mo
monalyisha 2/5: The mystery portion of the story wasn‘t really a mystery. You‘re never left wondering what‘s happening to the disappearing women. It‘s obvious. But that‘s the point. It IS obvious. The Author‘s Note includes information about Highway 16 in BC, known as the Highway of Tears “because so many First Nations women have disappeared from or been found murdered there.” 2mo
monalyisha 3/5: Official reports put the number at 1,181 missing or murdered Indigenous women & girls between 1980 & 2012. “Indigenous groups estimate the number to be closer to 4,000.” Rendon puts blame where it is due: “The “man camps” that spring up to provide temporary housing for the labor that arrives to work for extractive industries such as mining operations and oil pipelines create an environment that fuels…atrocities.” (edited) 2mo
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monalyisha 4/5: “Native women and children are targeted because the men who occupy these camps know that local law enforcement agencies will not have the resources to stop them or to prosecute them, often because of legal conflicts that exist between tribal, state, and federal criminal jurisdictions.” 2mo
monalyisha 5/5: Ultimately, what saved this book for me wasn‘t just its message and powerful outcry (though that‘s undeniably a big part). The saving grace is in the details: the gift of a red ribbon skirt by the village elders; the final resting place of Mabel‘s beadwork earring. I think, If I‘d chosen to read this on my own, I would‘ve stopped a few chapters in. I‘m glad I didn‘t. I need to be reminded, sometimes, that lyrical writing isn‘t *everything.* 2mo
AnnCrystal 📚👏🏼😢🙏🏼❤️‍🩹💝. 2mo
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monalyisha
Moominland Midwinter | Tove Jansson
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I‘ve felt sort of scattered and dissatisfied lately; I think those feelings have transferred to my reading life, too.

For the second month in a row, I read more than I typically do. But the vibe is off. 🙈

I did read two books I absolutely adored: Moominland Midwinter and Giving Up the Ghost. I hope that same passionate energy guides me and focuses me in March.

I‘m still reading the last two. But I‘ll be done before the clock strikes noon!

Kristin_Reads I loved the Barbara Brown Taylor book! 2mo
monalyisha Again, don‘t mind my personal tag tracker: #AWreads2025 3w
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monalyisha
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“It‘s a life skill: finding the sweet spot between solitude and loneliness.”

Susanita Aww Stumpy 😢 2mo
Kerrbearlib Beautiful picture 2mo
monalyisha @Susanita I just learned about Stumpy when I was looking for a photo to go with the quote and found this! What a story. 💓 2mo
AnnCrystal 😍💝. 2mo
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monalyisha
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“It is time for me to take up skipping…I don‘t want to but I have to try. I‘d rather turn the rope and say the rhyme than skip…

[Hopscotch] is better than skipping, but I find that when I try to stand on one leg, the pressure of my thoughts pushes me over.”

Perhaps this explains why I‘ve never had any luck with sports? 😅

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monalyisha
Happiness Is a Warm Puppy | Charles M. Schulz
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You‘ll have to forgive me. I know folks have complained about Litsy not being as book-focused anymore (a complaint I don‘t share…but maybe I‘ve just been vigilant in muting hashtags I‘m not interested in). Anyway, I deleted all of my social media when Meta made its most recent changes (re: fact-checking & hate speech). So, this is all I have left. And I need the world to know that yesterday was my puppy‘s birthday! Jett tasted his first ice cream.

Ruthiella ❤️🐶❤️🐶❤️ 2mo
vlwelser Love it! You can post puppy photos whenever you like imo. 2mo
Mollyanna Happy Birthday Jett! 🐶🐾💕 2mo
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shortsarahrose 1000% ok with all puppy related posts (Happy birthday, Jett! Enjoy that pup cup!) 2mo
Read4life So sweet!!! Happy birthday 🎉 I had a black schnoodle named Jett. 2mo
dabbe Happiest of birthdays, #joyousjett! 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
DHill Happy birthday, Jett! 🍨🐾 2mo
merelybookish But pets are part of a reading life! Happy Birthday to Jett! 2mo
kspenmoll Happy birthday pup! Pets are with us while we read! I totally agree with @merelybookish 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures Happy birthday Jett!!! 2mo
monalyisha @merelybookish @kspenmoll Oh, I totally agree! Plus, I like that there‘s humanity here. It doesn‘t need to be all business — no matter how pleasurable the business is. 😉 2mo
monalyisha @Read4life That‘s fun! What excellent taste you have. 😉 We adopted him in September and haven‘t encountered the name yet out in the wild. We named him after Joan Jett & her song “Bad Reputation” (in addition to the color of his fur) because he was returned to the shelter twice before we found him. Just not the right fit for the families (young, rambunctious kids & other dogs). He‘s such a snuggle bug. 🖤🐶🤍 2mo
ShelleyBooksie Happy Birthday Jett ♡♡♡♡ 2mo
Suet624 Love that you named Jett after the one and only Joan. 2mo
Tamra I only use Litsy. ❤️😊 (Though I watch booktube.) 2mo
Librarybelle ❤️❤️❤️ 2mo
LeahBergen Happy Birthday! 🐶 2mo
AnnCrystal Happy Birthday Jett 🥳🐕🍨🐾💝. I'm good with variety posts too, especially our precious baby, reading buddies 💝💝💝...✌️📚💝. 2mo
mhillis I love seeing pets!! Happy birthday!! 2mo
mcipher I‘m always up for pet posts! ❤️ 2mo
Cupcake12 I love reading non related book posts as other platforms can be so depressing. Happy birthday Jett 🎉🐾🐶 (edited) 2mo
mrp27 Our reading companions always count on Litsy, Happy Birthday Jett! (edited) 2mo
Bookwomble Happy birthday, Jett! 🐶🍨 2mo
SconsinBookyBadger I 🖤 seeing pets of Litsy pop up on my feed with or without a connection to a book. Happy b-day Jett! 🐾🐶💕 2mo
Read4life Mine was 9 pounds and also loved to cuddle. He loved curling up on my stomach during my pregnancies & that bond with our kids stayed strong. Your Jett is the only other dog I‘ve seen with the double T spelling. 💙🐶💙 2mo
JamieArc I love getting to know the people I‘ve been interacting with and whose book tastes I love ❤️ 2mo
monalyisha @JamieArc Exactly! 👯‍♀️ 2mo
monalyisha @Read4life Gosh, that‘s so sweet! 2mo
AvidReader25 This looks like my pup too! 2mo
Chelsea.Poole Always here for this exact content. Happy belated birthday Jett! 2mo
88 likes30 comments