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Books for Living
Books for Living: a readers guide to life | Will Schwalbe
158 posts | 86 read | 6 reading | 153 to read
From the author of the best-selling and beloved The End of Your Life Book Club - a wonderfully engaging new book: both a celebration of reading in general and an impassioned recommendation of specific books that can help guide us through our daily lives. 'I'm on a search and have been all my life: to find books to help me make sense of the world, to help me become a better person, to help me get my head around the big questions that I have, and figure out the answers to some of the small ones while I'm at it' Will Schwalbe 'I've always believed that everything you need to know you can find in a book', writes Will Schwalbe in his introduction to this thought-provoking, heart-felt, and often inspiring new book about books. In each chapter he makes clear the ways in which a particular book has helped to shape how he leads his own life and the ways in which it might help to shape ours. He talks about what brought him to each book - or vice versa; the people in his life he associates each book with; how each has led him to other books; how each is part of his understanding of himself in the world. And he relates each book to a question of our daily lives, for example: Melville's Bartelby, the Scrivener speaks to quitting; 1984 to disconnecting from our electronics; James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room to the power of connecting with people face to face; Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea to taking time to recharge; Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird to being sensitive to the surrounding world; The Little Prince to finding friends; Elie Wiesel's Night to choosing to do something in the face of injustice; Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train to trusting. Here, too, are books by Dickens, Daphne Du Maurier, Murakami, Edna Lewis, E.B. White and Hanya Yanagihara, among many others. A treasure of a book for everyone who loves books, loves reading, and loves to hear the answer to the question: 'What have you been reading lately?' In an age where we can Google the answer to everything, Will Schwalbe has always believed that the answer to everything can actually be found in a book if we just slow down enough to find out and then take the time to think about it and share with others. Books for Living is a wide ranging exploration of what books can teach us in the modern age. Books covered include: David Copperfield Rebecca Stuart Little The Importance of Living Giovanni's Room Bird by Bird 'I used to say that the greatest gift you could ever give anyone is a book. But I don't say that anymore because I no longer think it's true. I now say that a book is the second greatest gift. I've come to believe that the greatest gift you can give anyone is to take the time to talk with someone about a book you've shared. A book is a great gift; the gift of your interest and attention is even greater' Will Schwalbe
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Sharpeipup
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Looking forward to cuddling up with a blanket and a book this weekend. Anyone else feel that way?

TheBookHippie 🙋🏻‍♀️ 5h
Ruthiella That‘s my M.O. every weekend! 😆 3h
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Bookberry
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Pickpick

Finished! And what a joy it was :-) . The pages just flew by. No idea what my next book will be.

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CocoReads
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Typically the only books I get for Christmas are the ones I buy myself while shopping for others. I always buy a book planner and I‘ve been buying this one from Little Inklings for the last couple of years. My hubs did get me an Amazon card though—which probably be spent on ebooks. I have a couple more hood coming from the ‘zon but they were delayed by the Blizzard. #ChristmasBookHaul

Andrew65 Some excellent books in there! 2y
CocoReads A lot of these are books for book group. We went to planning a year in advance which is nice because it gives us time to get from the library, read chunksters ahead of time, etc. we started a couple years ago doing that and it‘s saved so many headaches 2y
53 likes2 comments
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Insightsintobooks
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sophierayton
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Mehso-so

Meh

Crazeedi I enjoyed his other book, end of life book club 5y
AmyG I loved The End of Your Life Book Club. Never read this one. 5y
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Blueberry
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Bailedbailed

Nothing really bad just couldn't keep me interested.

annahenke Interesting. I really loved this one. 6y
47 likes1 comment
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BookNAround
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Pickpick

I do enjoy books about books and their impact on their readers. I don‘t feel the same as Schwalbe does about some of the books we have in common but I did appreciate reading his insight what they‘ve meant to him. Full review at https://booknaround.blogspot.com/2019/01/review-books-for-living-by-will-schwalb...

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Augustdana
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Library love! I don‘t get downtown much, so overdrive has been such a dream for me! I‘ve read books I never would‘ve picked up and it gives me so much freedom! Thanks overdrive! #riotgrams day two: library love

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Christine
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This newish podcast is so fun, sweet, deep, nerdy, funny, and beautiful, and I‘ve fallen hard for it over the course of a day. 🎧📚❤️

Beckys_Books I'm going to try this podcast 🤞 6y
Christine @Beckys_Books Oh good - hope you love it! 🙂 6y
Beckys_Books Listened to episode 1 with Min Jin Lee and totally want to read her book now. 6y
See All 6 Comments
Christine @Beckys_Books YES!! I‘m even more eager to make time for Pachinko now than ever! 6y
Beckys_Books I listened to the first 2 episodes and loved them both. 6y
Christine @Beckys_Books Yay!! I just finished the latest episode (with guest Brittney Cooper, whose book Eloquent Rage I recently read and loved) and found it so moving. (edited) 6y
36 likes6 comments
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maximoffs
Bailedbailed

This is going to sound harsh but I couldn‘t figure out why I should care about anything the author was saying. So moving on I guess!

RadicalReader @maximoffs best review I have ever read of why to bail on a book 7y
wanderlustforwords I don‘t find it harsh. I appreciate straight up honesty. 7y
kylienoele This review is great 😂 7y
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Suet624
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Schwalbe has a new podcast launching today! He talks with different people about a book that changed their life. First guest is Min Jin Lee who talks about Middlemarch among other things.

Bookishlie I'm going to have to check this out! I got to meet him during Texas book festival and he is such a sweet down to earth guy. 7y
Suet624 @Bookishlie I feel like he‘d be a great friend. 😁 7y
49 likes2 comments
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Court7
Mehso-so

Yes, I love reading enough that I will read a book about reading. While I liked the concept, the structure, and the writing was good, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I could relate to the author at all.

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Tanner
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We‘re not having the greatest weather on this second day of cruising so I‘m staying warm in my room, looking out the balcony doors and reading.

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GoneFishing

Lin Yutang also believed that reading is an art. One chapter of the Importance of Living is devoted to "the Art of Reading." Lin writes that, "the man who has not the habit of reading is imprisoned in his immediate world, in respect to time and space. His life falls into a set routine; he is limited to contact and conversation with a few friends and acquaintances, and he sees only what happens in his immediate neighborhood.

Miss_Kim I really enjoyed this book 😊📖😊 7y
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GoneFishing

Reading and naps, two of life's greatest pleasures, go especially well together.

DivineDiana Agree! 😉 7y
Cathythoughts Naps when you fall asleep reading 📖😴😴 7y
Suet624 Yes! I quoted this line on Litsy too. 7y
68 likes3 comments
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GoneFishing

What are you reading? isn‘t a simple question when asked with genuine curiosity; it‘s really a way of asking, Who are you now and who are you becoming?

Cathythoughts I like it 😊 7y
SheilaChew ❤️❤️❤️ 7y
MariettaSG Great quote ❤️ 7y
mgallo1968 ❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕 7y
KarinWestbrook This is fantastic!!! 7y
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Nat_Reads
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Pickpick

Schwalbe loves books. And I enjoy reading essays about books by people who love them like I do. I must say, I enjoyed his other book on books--End of Your Life Book Club--better, but I will read whatever he writes. I just like who he is. Some of the essays made me cry, and some I did not finish. Good book to start off the year--hopeful. He ends by saying that reading should spur further engagement. Stay engaged, Littens! Gift from @CKtheLibrarian

DivineDiana And signed!!! 7y
Nat_Reads @DivineDiana I know! He came to speak at her library. I had to work, so she surprised me! 7y
DivineDiana So nice! 7y
See All 8 Comments
KathyWheeler Books for Living was nice; but I loved The End of Your Life Book Club. I would love hearing him speak. 7y
Nat_Reads @KathyWheeler My feelings exactly! 7y
CKtheLibrarian @KathyWheeler He visited our library this past year. He is an absolute wonderful soul. He asked everyone in the line to meet him what they are reading and what their favorite book is. I wanted to put him in my pocket and keep him forever. 💗 7y
KathyWheeler @CKtheLibrarian He sounds great. I hope he comes down this way soon. 7y
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Miss_Kim
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Andrew65 What a great quote! 7y
Miss_Kim The rest got cut off— “All Of which is to say, there is only one way to practise the art of reading- and that‘s to read.” 7y
nofutureparttwo God I love this so, so much. 7y
Miss_Kim @nofutureparttwo - I know! I‘m sure all of us here get this! ❤️ 7y
72 likes4 comments
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Betty
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Congrats to @Cinfhen on her tremendous milestone! She's hosting a #pickpanbailsoso #giveaway I'm glad I have so many picks in my list!

Cinfhen Thanks for playing along 💕💕I'm not familiar with ANY of your titles 😱#liveandlearn 😀 7y
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Miss_Kim
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AmyG I just loved this book. 7y
Miss_Kim I know I will too! It was a serendipitous find on Overdrive this morning! 7y
59 likes2 comments
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lauralovesbooks1
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A very successful #nonfictionNovember2017. So many fascinating reads.

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BookNAround
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I am loving these essays by Schwalbe. I sort of just did something similar in a smaller, less erudite way on my blog. Homemade French Onion Soup seems like a good pairing with a warm hearted book celebrating books and life.

RebelReader Yum! 7y
50 likes1 comment
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BookNAround
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Because I need a book that‘s going to add to my already insane wish list!

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lauralovesbooks1
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Pickpick

Schwalbe delves into the books he has read that helped him connect to something about life -- whether it was a connection he made when he read it or something that became meaningful only with the passage of time. The meaning and importance that reading has had throughout his life resonated for me. (And my TBR list grew too)

Jess7 Have you read his other book: 7y
lauralovesbooks1 @Jess7 I did. I loved it. This one didn't have the same emotional punch as his first, but still very good. 7y
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lauralovesbooks1
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Nonfiction November starts tomorrow. These are the ones at the top of my TBR.

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MidnightBookGirl
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Can't wait to discuss this at @FountainBookstore Book Club tonight! It's my favorite book about books. #BookClub #Favoriteauthors

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Angeles
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The reason I let my kid quit Soccer: he preferred not to play, and that is OK:
" I worry we don't offer each other support when we just want to quit what we are doing for no reason other than that we would prefer not to"

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MrBook
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This guy! This guy is sooo awesome!!! Will Schwalbe is so nice in person, it's dazzling! So, I'm holding a Korelitz book too, here's why... He always asks everyone he meets what they're reading. I was the 2nd person to ask him a question during the Q&A. I asked, "So what are you reading?" He gives a copy of the book he's currently reading to the person who asks him that question ???!!! #MorristownBoonFestival #MorristownMeetUp #LitsyPhotoOp

Iamlisa22 Great question! 7y
AmyG Love it! He‘s wonderful. I have book club at my house Tuesday where we pick a book from a pile chosen by me. His book is on that pile. 7y
Skybariline Really enjoy his books. 7y
Trina_L Love him ! 7y
CKtheLibrarian We had him at one of our library‘s author events and he DOES ask everyone what they are reading. He‘s so kind! I wanted to put him in my pocket and talk books with him all the time. He‘s wonderful! Glad you got to meet him! 7y
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ChicaReads
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Anyone else have a Pinterest book board?

bookloo Wow! I thought I was the only one! 😮 I call mine “Book Listopia”. 😄 (edited) 7y
ChicaReads You are not alone 👽 7y
Jess7 No, but I'm now questioning my life. I need this now. lol I haven't really used Pinterest much since I got married four years ago. I occasionally pin recipes, but that's about it. 7y
ChicaReads @Jess7 You so need this.📚📚 I do use it quite often 7y
28 likes4 comments
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MidnightBookGirl
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#FallIntoBooks Day 16: List Lovers

I love this book. So much so that as soon as I started it, I also made my best friend Court read it with me (despite the fact she lives in Ok). We discussed it chapter by chapter and when we got to this one, she made a list if the 100 books that would be on her shelf (and challenged me to do the same, but I've procrastinated... maybe I'll make it into a Litsy challenge!).

@RealLifeReading

EvieBee I loved his previous book and seriously need to read this one. I love that idea! 7y
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Blueberry
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Librariana This sounds like my worst nightmare! 🤤😱😨 7y
Liatrek I'd miss my flight lol I bring a physical book and a nook for every flight. You just never know. Plus nook on phone as back up 😊 7y
NataliePatalie 😦😦😦 7y
30 likes4 comments
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Ellen
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Visited my first Amazon Books retail store today, and found this Will Schwabe #quote on the wall

vivastory I loved that book,so much 7y
Ellen @vivastory me too! It was so nice to see it on the wall 7y
MrBook Ohhhhhhh! Love this! 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
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alisiakae
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This was outside of Main Street Books, our local bookstore yesterday. 📚💜📚💜

britt_brooke 💚💚💚 7y
Reviewsbylola I love this. 7y
HKGirl Spot on. 💚💚 7y
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Susanita
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Essays about reading and life and the intersection between them. Some poignant, some funny, and some thought provoking. Only added "a few" books to my #TBR list. Kili especially endorses the sections on napping, eating, and disconnecting. #catsoflitsy #summerreadinglist

Suet624 I liked his comments on napping too. 😁 7y
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charl08
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I should stop buying lit magazines. Too much temptation! (From TLS, August 18)

49 likes2 comments
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Susanita

...every time you read, you are learning how to read.

Suet624 Yes, I keep telling my kids that. 7y
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patkinson87
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Pickpick

Another all-time favourite. The author introduces us to books that have made an impact in his life, and shares more of his story and who he is. He truly has a way with words. The book was moving and inspiring. It has reinforced my own love of reading, and I've added several new books to my "TBR" as a result.

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Susanita
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I think reading this will only add to the #seaofbooks on my TBR list. I also appreciate when a library book comes with its own bookmark that a previous patron left behind. Meanwhile, Kili is skeptical about the whole thing. #booksacrossoceans #catsoflitsy

mellisarock Love finding stuff in books! ❤😍 7y
pri_bibliophile Love the little surprises like that!! 7y
24 likes2 comments
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patkinson87
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I am really enjoying meandering through this book. Each chapter can stand alone, so there's no pressure to rush through it. I'm reading a chapter or two a day, as I feel like it. A book about books. It makes me happy.

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lauralovesbooks1
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TBR shelves. #shelfie

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lauralovesbooks1
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The first pass at my TBR for #24in48. I have issues.

BeckyLeJ You're not alone, I keep thinking of more to add to my own stack! 7y
mrozzz 😲 7y
18 likes2 comments
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Olivia306
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Pickpick

This book cured one of the worst reader's block I've ever had in my life. Schwalbe is never presumptuous in his writing and offers great insightful views on books and how they influence our lives. It was a wonderful read and it expanded my reading list.

mkinney10 This cover is beautiful! 7y
12 likes1 comment
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Brenda
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Picked this up this afternoon and can't put it down. A book about books! It's wonderful 🤓📚

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Suet624
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Pickpick

I kept thinking that surely this book couldn't be as good as The End of Your Life Book Club and so I kept passing it by. Why do I make such assumptions? This is a lovely exploration of the importance of books in his life. He introduced me to several authors and expanded my TBR list.

mcctrish I have to get this then 7y
Suet624 @mcctrish I really love how much he shares of himself in each of his books. 7y
mcctrish Yes, I ended up reading some of the ones I hadn't with his first? So I'll need to clear my calendar when I read this 7y
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ValerieAndBooks Do I need to read his first before picking this up? 7y
Suet624 @ValerieAndBooks nope, not at all. 7y
ValerieAndBooks Good to know! Wasn't sure if he refers a lot to events in the earlier book. 7y
DrSabrinaMoldenReads Glad to hear this is good. I loved "The End of Life Book Club" and was hesitant as well 7y
Suet624 @Joyfulmimi he has a lovely way of revealing himself while keeping you focused on the books he's talking about. 😀 7y
81 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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KarmonR

At home, I'm a librarian, forever curating my collection. Outside of my apartment, I'm a bookseller to everyone I encounter.

There's a name for someone who behaves the way I do: Reader.

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KarmonR

"I believe that everything you need to know you can find in a book."

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Suet624
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Schwalbe writes: "The first computer I ever used was called the Kaypro II. It was a funny machine: one slice of it unclipped and exposed a keyboard within, leaving the main body of the computer exposed, displaying its floppy ports." I was shocked that he mentioned this portable computer that I have such fond memories of. Here I am entering the entire City checklist on a Kaypro for Bernie Sanders' successful mayoral campaign back in the 80's.

saresmoore Too cool! 7y
Suet624 @saresmoore does that sweater look big enough? 7y
saresmoore Hahaha! I wore a lot of suspenders in the '80's, so it could be worse. 😆 7y
See All 11 Comments
LeahBergen This is awesome!! 7y
LauraBrook Love everything about this!!! 7y
ReadingEnvy Haha great 7y
ValerieAndBooks Very cool! Makes me wonder what will be around 30 years from now that'll make our current technology, i.e. smart phones, seem antiquated ! 7y
kspenmoll So wonderful that you have this photo! 7y
Suet624 @ValerieAndBooks I know! It makes my head hurt. 😂 7y
Suet624 @kspenmoll believe it or not, my ex-husband sent it to me during Bernie's Presidential run as a reminder of my small part in history. 😀 7y
kspenmoll I shared your photo with my son as he worked on Bernie's campaign & took his dad & me to A rally in Springfield, MA. Knew he would enjoy it between computer & Bernie- he did😍 7y
52 likes11 comments
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gossamerchild
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Pickpick

Grr, I wish this app cropped photos better, that collage looks really neato 👿. Oh well, I'll tag the other titles in the comments. Here are my #bestreadsof2017sofar.

#jubilantjuly @RealLifeReading

gossamerchild Brooke my 💓. Best contemporary YA in quite a while. Probably since her last book 😁 7y
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gossamerchild Best storyteller alive. 7y
gossamerchild And Books for Living because I love books about books! 7y
Crinoline_Laphroaig PicCollage makes me crazy. It never does what I want 😣 7y
gossamerchild @missnavigation actually, I meant Litsy 😏. It always crops things way too much. But I know this and should've done something different. Ah well. 7y
35 likes7 comments