Welcome to Litsy!

Written by a reader, for readers, these lovely essays on the fun and foibles of a reading life are totally relatable for book nerds. I recognized myself in these pages! This was my #MonthlyNonfiction2025 pick for August.
#MonthlyNonfiction

I remain so behind on reviews for both June & July but I thought I‘d get my July recap up finally. I finished 15 books (including 3 I had in progress from June) which I think given work lately is good. I did read & love both #CampLitsy2025 selections but was not good about the discussions which has continued this month. I also finished books for #AuthorAMonth #SheSaid #SundayBuddyRead #NancyDrewBR #BobWhiteBuddies #EBBR #ThematicCozies ⬇️

Published in 1980, only four years after Belenko's escape from Russia (and well before the fall of the Berlin Wall), this book was quite fascinating. Belenko actually had more or less the ideal situation in Russia as the MiG-25 pilots were highly valued and treated well (by Soviet standards). Reading about his slow recognition of the cognitive dissonance between what he was being taught about his country vs the west and what he could actually ⬇

Rich Mullins was a Christian musician in the 80s/90s, who died in a car accident in 1997. This book, written by a good friend of his a few years later, is an odd sort of biography. It doesn't really outline his life or career, but rather looks at key aspects of Rich's faith and beliefs through his lyrics and writing. I grew up on Rich's music and it definitely has shaped the way I view God and His love; Rich's lyrics still can hit me sideways ⬇

Here‘s my March recap. It was a great reading month & I finished 23 books! (Including 5 audiobooks, 19 fiction, 4 NF, many genres, several children‘s & classics)

I read for #SundayBuddyRead #NancyDrewBR #BobWhiteBuddies #EBBR #AuthorAMonth #ChildrensClassicRead2025 #SheSaid #RiseUpReads #JaneAustenThenAndNow #BookedInTime #FoodAndLit #Roll100 #ThematicCozies #FictionalTraveler #MonthlyNonFiction #SeriesLove2025 & #AuldLangSpine #SeriesLove2025 ⬇️

Okay, I think this is mostly my April TBR. I‘m still considering a couple other readalongs/challenges but haven‘t made up my mind yet.🤷🏻‍♀️

Currently I‘m reading with #SundayBuddyRead #SheSaid #NancyDrewBR #BobWhiteBuddies #EBBR #LiteraryCrew #AuthorAMonth #ChildrensClassicRead2025 #RiseUpReads #Roll100 #FictionalTraveler #ThematicCozies #MonthlyNonFiction #JaneAustenThenAndNow #LSFBC #NaturalLitsy & 2 from my #AuldLangSpine list & a few more.

#Read2026

I‘ve been meandering through this book & reading the chapters that correspond with that month from September to March. I appreciate May‘s gentle writing style on the transformative power of rest and retreat during challenging times & these are certainly challenging times! I know I needed & still need time to heal & like the parallels she draws between the natural world during winter & her (& our own) experiences of healing. Beautiful.

#Read2025 #MonthlyNonFiction

Pulled it out at the last minute & finished this one for #RiseUpReads Torn between So-So & Pick, I‘m going with a pick because while I grew up in Northern California & Oregon & was taught the history of the states, so much of it was white-washed & little was taught about women & the roles they played. This book isn‘t perfect—it slogs (I skimmed some chapters) & the focus is mostly on the white experience but there ⬇️

My April #Roll100 picks:

#24 Any stories or essays: Every Drop is a Man‘s Nightmare (also my #FictionalTraveler April #Island pick)

#36 Any Non-Fiction: Challenger (Also for April‘s #MonthlyNonFiction)

#16 Any Library Book: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

I‘m excited about all three of these!

My #MonthlyNonfiction choice for April has been on my TBR forever!

What will everyone else be reading?