LiteraryCrew

Villette | Charlotte Bront�

Next book for #LiteraryCrew hosted by @Librarybelle . My edition has 528 pages so it will work for the #chunksterchallenge (bitsy chunkster) and #allergictochunksters too! 🎉

@Amiable @julieclair

Librarybelle Good luck! 18m

Amiable Yay, chunksters! 15m

15 likes2 comments

Librarybelle

Villette | Charlotte Bront�

In February, the #LiteraryCrew group will venture back in time this classic Bronte novel.

This #BuddyRead is read at your own pace. I will post periodic checkins throughout the month. Discussion will take place on February 28th!

Please let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list.

mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, tpixie, LapReader, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Sace, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Pogue, dabbe, Sargar114, Karisa, bumpinthenight, julieclair, AllDebooks, Lkempf

Librarybelle @LitsyEvents 2h

Jerdencon I‘m in for this one 2h

CatLass007 Goodness, this is a chonkster! I‘ll give it a whirl. 1h

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Librarybelle Yay, @Jerdencon @CatLass007 ! 37m

Deblovestoread I‘m in…going to try to break it down into daily chunks as soon as my copy arrives. 32m

Librarybelle Good plan, @Deblovestoread ! 30m

Sace Not sure I‘ll finish on time but I‘m looking forward to it! 29m

Librarybelle Yay, @Sace ! 28m

20 likes8 comments

Sace

Hester: A Novel | Laurie Lico Albanese

Why does stuff like this drive me so crazy? It‘s jarring and sort of takes me out of the story for a sec.

#pedantry #LiteraryCrew @Librarybelle

(Images from Google and Wikipedia)

Librarybelle Ugh! 6h

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm You‘re not alone. 😅 5h

Sace @Librarybelle The book is still great though! I‘m really enjoying it! 5h

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Sace @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I‘m glad I‘m not the only one! 5h

Deblovestoread It‘s so annoying! 4h

Sace @Deblovestoread it makes my eye twitch 😂 3h

31 likes6 comments

tpixie

Hester: A Novel | Laurie Lico Albanese

A lovely analogy for intergeneratinal resilience juxtaposed to intergenerational trauma.

#LiteraryCrew #buddyread

Librarybelle

Librarybelle ❤️❤️❤️ 1d

lil1inblue 🩵❤️🩵 1d

tpixie @Librarybelle @lil1inblue 🩵💙🩵 18h

38 likes1 stack add3 comments

Librarybelle

Untitled | Unknown

Thanks to @Kerrbearlib for starting a #MentalHealthMonday post! This ties in so well with the hygge and self-care posts by @AllDebooks , @Chrissyreadit , and @TheBookHippie …I‘ve become more and more vocal over mental health awareness over the last few years, and it takes posts like there to remind myself to just stop and breathe. Thank you!

Last night, I deleted my social media apps from my phone…⬇️⬇️⬇️

Librarybelle ⬆️⬆️⬆️…which means I‘ll only sporadically post & view my feeds when I‘m at my computer. Today, it‘s been so nice not to doomscroll. I gave myself permission to have a self care day, take a little extra time to think and reflect on life, read, and I plan to meditate a bit later (I want to get back in the habit of it). I loved the discussions from the #LiteraryCrew about heroes, setting boundaries, and taking care of oneself. And, I held my cats. ❤️ 2d

Aims42 💕💕💕💕💕 2d

mcctrish I‘m having a glass of wine and I‘m not even 🇺🇸 2d

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Librarybelle @mcctrish I had a nice glass of wine tonight too! 2d

Chrissyreadit ❤️ 2d

Leftcoastzen ❤️ 2d

CoverToCoverGirl I feel like I‘ve entered a parallel universe..very disheartening. 2d

Librarybelle @CoverToCoverGirl So true. 2d

dabbe 🩶🖤🩶 2d

MemoirsForMe Sounds like the perfect day! 💙 2d

Librarybelle It was, @MemoirsForMe ! 2d

kspenmoll So glad to hear of your self care- I took a walk in our new snow, watched escapist movies like Agatha Christie & Vera on Britbox, read, cooked bolognese for dinner. 💕 2d

Librarybelle Sounds like a good self care day, @kspenmoll ! ❤️ I need to get back to Vera. I‘ve seen maybe the first 4 or 5 seasons. 2d

Kerrbearlib You're welcome! I'm strongly considering deleting most of my socials, too. They're just not good for my mental health anymore. Litsy is one of the only platforms that doesn't make me feel worse. Thanks for sharing your day! 2d

Prairiegirl_reading I‘ve had Instagram deleted since the beginning of the month, I logged off fb this week to see how long I can go. It‘s hard! 2d

Librarybelle @Kerrbearlib @Prairiegirl_reading I rarely check my social media on my computer, and while I was not quite ready to get rid of my FB and IG accounts, I knew this was a good step to take. I still need access to cultivate connections for my line of work, so it‘s not completely gone, but at least I‘m not constantly on social media (other than Litsy) anymore! 1d

DogMomIrene Thanks for sharing! I love this idea. Your plan to just check socials on your computer sounds really solid, especially since you kind of need to be there for work. Accessing those channels on a computer definitely gives a work vibe for me at least. I‘m trying to limit my phone screen time, except for Litsy. 1d

BarbaraBB 🩷 1d

Librarybelle So true, @DogMomIrene ! I hope that this will also prevent me from spending hours just scrolling through my feed and focus on the content I want to see. 1d

CatLass007 @Librarybelle Wow! You‘ve done a great job taking care of you! Reading and snuggling with my four cats is a daily treat. Getting off of social media is something I did a while back. I still have an active Facebook account but only to keep in touch with friends via Messenger. And Litsy. I could never delete Litsy. It‘s been a lifesaver over the last 7+ years! 24h

Librarybelle @CatLass007 Yes…I could never delete Litsy! My FB and IG are still active, but at least I‘m not checking them constantly, and I already feel so much better from it. 24h

CatLass007 @Librarybelle Excellent! 23h

61 likes22 comments

Librarybelle

Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance | Bethany Morrow

#LiteraryCrew : There are 3 questions posted for today‘s discussion. They can be found on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtag.

We had a tie for the #BuddyRead list this year; I didn‘t want us to miss reading this book. I chose today for the discussion because in the US it‘s a day to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. It‘s a good day to remember those who continue to speak up for their rights in any way they can.

⬇️⬇️⬇️

Librarybelle ⬆️⬆️⬆️ Our next discussion is January 31st for Hester, pictured in the graphic. Our February book is Villette by Charlotte Bronte—we‘re venturing into the classics for that one! I‘ll post a February graphic soon! Thanks for reading with me! 2d

tpixie @Librarybelle both great choices this month! Villette is one of the few Brontë novels I still need to read! Can‘t wait for February!! 2d

Librarybelle @tpixie I‘ve not read Villette either, so this should be fun! 2d

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tpixie @Librarybelle 🥳 2d

julieclair I didn‘t get to this one, but I‘m looking forward to our Hester discussion. 😉 2d

Librarybelle No worries, @julieclair ! I think the Hester discussion will be great! 2d

Sargar114 Didn‘t get to this one either. But Time for me to pick up Hester. Hoping I can finish in time! 1d

Librarybelle @Sargar114 Yay!! 1d

SilversReviews Loved Hester!! 1d

Librarybelle @TheSpineView I‘m looking forward to it! 1d

CatLass007 My library hold for Hester just came through. But there are six other books ahead of it because they‘ve been borrowed on different days. I guess I‘ll have to change the order in which I read them. 1d

Librarybelle @CatLass007 I‘m always playing the “which library hold to read first” game… 😂 Good luck! It is especially hard with different due dates! 1d

CatLass007 Thank you. 😊 24h

47 likes13 comments

Librarybelle

Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance | Bethany Morrow

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3. How would you present this book to a teen? Would you recommend it to a young person to read? #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

CatLass007 I would recommend this to a young person to read. But I believe there would be attempts to ban this book from classrooms, school libraries, and public libraries. And, unfortunately, most of those attempts would be successful. When did “woke” become a dirty word? I‘m not quite sure how to present this book to a young person. I know if I were in the target age group I would consider a book that people don‘t want others (cont)⬇️ (edited) 2d

CatLass007 to read to be just the kind of book worth reading. There are too many outside forces trying to tell others how to think. 2d

AllDebooks This should be compulsory reading in schools. Unfortunately, it will be banned. Which is why it's important to shout about it and encourage everyone to read it. It's full of engaging characters, dealing with everyday difficulties in our contemporary world. How is that not relevant to our young adults? They'll keep the historic white guy dominance on the curriculum instead. I'm passionate about giving children books they can relate to and learn ⬇️ 2d

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AllDebooks From. By all means read the classics but a growing mind needs a diverse and challenging library. It's how we learn to empathise and understand life experiences outside of our own. If only we could ban/cancel the book banners. 2d

Librarybelle Yes, agree that this would be banned, @CatLass007 @AllDebooks . And it‘s so sad! But, I think it‘s a good read for a YA audience. 2d

CatLass007 I wish there was a constructive way to get banned books into the hands of young people everywhere. The Brooklyn Public Library has an anti-censorship program called “Books Unbanned” that makes ebooks accessible throughout the country. The New York Public Library offers a Teen Banned Book Club. New Jersey and a few other states have “Right to Read” laws which makes book banning illegal. (edited) 2d

Librarybelle I know, @CatLass007 ! 2d

CatLass007 All those things are great, but it‘s not enough. I grew up in a small town in West Virginia and now live in a bigger small town in Tennessee. I was blessed with a Mom who let me read whatever I wanted. My Dad wasn‘t a book reader. He read the newspaper every morning but he never really paid much attention to what I read. As backward as East Tennessee is, I‘m grateful not to live in Florida. (edited) 2d

Pogue I would recommend this to teens. I am sneaky and would have the audiobook playing in the car or at home. I have done that with other books that I wanted my son to read, and for him the audiobook worked. As a companion book I would also have the teen read Why Are You So Serious about micro aggressions. (edited) 2d

Librarybelle Nice, @Pogue ! 2d

tpixie @Pogue great tactic! 2d

11 likes11 comments

Librarybelle

Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance | Bethany Morrow

This post contains spoilers

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2. In her January 19, 2025 Letters from an American, Heather Cox Richardson discusses heroes, those who may not hold a fancy title but are average individuals who take a stand. I'll link to today's letter in the comments--you can read it without subscribing, just click “not now“ to avoid giving your email address--in case you wish to read this.

How are the characters in the stories heroes? Are they heroes? #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Librarybelle Here is the link to today's letter: https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/january-19-2025?utm_campaig...

Her letters are very informative, though she does show her political leanings at times, so fair warning on that. However, as a political historian, she uses facts to back up her narrative. I've found her words to be very helpful of late, and I love her use of history to talk about the topic of the day! 2d

CatLass007 I believe that the main character in every story behaves heroically. Anyone who doesn‘t respect themselves can‘t expect to be respected by anyone else. By respecting themselves they can and do command respect. Maybe others don‘t understand the actions or the reasons behind the actions our heroes take but no one has control over what anyone else thinks, says, or does. We are responsible for setting boundaries, we are responsible for (cont)⬇️ (edited) 2d

CatLass007 respecting the boundaries set by others. We have no responsibility for anyone‘s feelings, thoughts, or actions except our own. 2d

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AllDebooks I agree with @CatLass007 All of the characters were heroic and positive role models. 2d

Librarybelle Completely agree, @CatLass007 @AllDebooks ! The first step is to respect oneself and set boundaries and then do amazing things from there. 2d

Pogue The characters in the book are hero‘s. It is difficult to stand up for yourself, it is difficult to learn where your boundaries are and to set them. 2d

Librarybelle So true, @Pogue ! 2d

10 likes7 comments

Librarybelle

Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance | Bethany Morrow

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1. This collection of stories represents a diverse group of young adults, each facing a difficult situation. Which story resonated with you the most?

For me, it was the “homecoming“ story--what a terror the MC had to face, and why did her crush think this was the coolest way to ask her out??? #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

CatLass007 Yes! That‘s the story that hit me the hardest. I thought the “practical joke” was such a horrific experience for this young woman to endure. This story is a strong reminder that it‘s not just young Black men who have to be hyper-vigilant about encounters with the police. That everyone who participated in and observed what was a mental assault didn‘t realize what they were doing is beyond my comprehension. The police officer who put (cont)⬇️ 2d

CatLass007 his hands on her was guilty of professional misconduct and battery. 2d

Librarybelle @CatLass007 I know I kept gasping aloud as I read that one! It‘s beyond my comprehension too that everyone who participated had no clue that this would be traumatizing. And the police involved too! Ugh! And yes, a good reminder of those who have to be hyper-vigilant. 2d

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AllDebooks Homecoming completely stood out above the rest, good as they were. It was a shocking, enlightening read about such a simple, should be lovely experience turning into such a traumatic event. It deftly shows how we take our liberty and rights for granted. 2d

Librarybelle Yes, @AllDebooks . I keep thinking about that story! 2d

Pogue Homecoming does stick with me because of the cruelty of the story. The connected story‘s that Darcy Little Badger wrote made me say “Yes, you go girl!” 2d

Librarybelle Yes, @Pogue . That was another good story! 2d

tpixie @Librarybelle Homecoming was so crazily insensitive! That shocked and agitated me the most! 2d

Librarybelle @tpixie Yes! 2d

tpixie @Librarybelle Such ignorance! No insight. 😂 I‘m still bothered by it today! 1d

tpixie @Librarybelle here‘s a very thought provoking book about racism. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61224230

White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better

(edited) 1d

Librarybelle @tpixie I need to read that! 1d

tpixie @Librarybelle it‘s quite an eye opener. 1d

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Librarybelle

Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance | Bethany Morrow

pick

Everyone can make a difference. Even a small step against an injustice makes an impact.

This #Anthology of fictional stories for a #Teen audience shows characters from diverse backgrounds standing up for themselves, sometimes loudly and other times quietly. It takes lots of courage to do what some of these characters did to support themselves and their communities. A great book for a YA discussion group!

#LiteraryCrew : discussion on Monday!

Librarybelle #LitsyAToZ #LetterT @Texreader 4d

Librarybelle #BBRC @LibrarianRyan 4d

CatLass007 Looking forward to the discussion on Monday. 4d

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LibrarianRyan Nice 4d

tpixie @Librarybelle this book was done very well with lots of great voices! 4d

Librarybelle Yes, @tpixie ! This should be a good discussion, @CatLass007 ! 4d

CatLass007 Okay, new year, new brain fart. I can‘t remember. Do you tag us when the discussion starts? 4d

Librarybelle @CatLass007 Yes. I tag everyone when the questions are posted. 3d

CatLass007 Thank you. 3d

Librarybelle Your‘re welcome, @CatLass007 ! 3d

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