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Arbol

Arbol

Joined May 2016

Punk-ass book jockey, curator of exit strategies.
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Arbol
Sin Eater: A Novel | Megan Campisi
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Compelling story of a young woman forced to become a Sin Eater as punishment for theft. Part conspiracy thriller, murder mystery and part commentary on power, and what it means to be feared or “undesireable”. The ending felt all at once toO quickly wrapped up and open ended that makes be think there might be a continuation of the story. Overall a great read.

6 likes1 stack add
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Arbol
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Been listening/reading to this of and on for about at week and have been struggling. The narrator is overdoing it so much I can't hear what she's saying past her forced musicality. It's completely wrong for the topic. Will probably switch to pbk as I keep wanting to highlight and make notes anyway.

readordierachel A bad or inappropriate narrator can really ruin a book. Hate when that happens. 6y
11 likes1 comment
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Arbol
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This collection was so well done. Huge props to all the writers who wrote about a painful impossible topic with deep intelligence, anger, humor, reflection and vulnerability. It is a difficult read. It articulates so many complex ideas while simultaneously making me feel less alone. I wish every one would read this. #metoo

21 likes3 stack adds
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Arbol
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This. Book. Chung has written a memoir that feels like we had been meeting on some imaginary plane since childhood. Talking about things we could never voice allowed when all the world wants Adoptees to “just be grateful and happy”, sparing themselves of the complexities of adoption (especially Transracial adoption) that adoptees can‘t bypass. Her confusion and sorrow are real and raw, though thankfully not overwhelming. Pre-ordered already.

22 likes2 stack adds
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Arbol
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I am so happy I got an AR of this. Nicole Chung is one among many talented adoptee authors that I follow. Her writing is always thoughtful and empathetic even when critical. I needed hear a strong adoptee voice especially after the horrible news about Devonte Hart and his siblings last week.

Feeling very grateful to have her out here telling her story.

18 likes1 stack add
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The Poet X | Elizabeth Acevedo
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This was an incredible debut. I am not usually emotionally overwhelmed by books but Xiomara was so real and raw and I felt so much for her and with her. Midway through the book I gave up trying not to cry and pretty much didn't stop till the acknowledgements.

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Arbol
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This was so good. I wasn't scared like a lot of people have posted but still thoroughly engaged. Michelle McNamara was a tireless investigator and amazing writer. Hopefully this renewed public interest will lead to GSK's capture.

Also pictured: kitty Earnest, fellow Murderino. #SSDGM #littenkitten #catsoflitsy

rubyslippersreads 😻😻😻 7y
22 likes1 comment
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Aren't we all?

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This is so sad.

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Just realized I can't go to Levar Burton Reads bc I have to work a library event that night. Library events are worth it but this by no means negates the need to self-soothe. Also, I have no self-control.

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My phone didn‘t register the time change until yesterday, AFTER I was an hour late for work. I woke up so refreshed & was amazed at how warm/sunny it was - I should‘ve known it was too good to be true. Today I am wrecked by fatigue. But then I got #bookmail & #teamail, and so far the cats haven‘t vomited up the grass I got to distract them from the other plants. All of which improves the situation significantly. #daylightsavingsproblems

Faibka Wow, lots of great teas to choose 😊 7y
20 likes1 comment
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Arbol
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I really appreciate and love Debbie Reese‘s work at American Indians in Children‘s Literature. It isn‘t often she talks about the Adult book world but today she posted about News of the World by Paulette Jiles. https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2018/03/some-questions...

Arbol The first comment at the bottom of the article by Ava Jarvis is great. I think book groups should consider the White Gaze in the books they select and discuss - not just the authors but their own (if applicable) as well. Ordinarily I‘d link this post to the Dunbar-Ortiz book mentioned in Reese‘s post but I want this article to be easily found by people looking for News of the World. Definitely check out Debbie Reese and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. (edited) 7y
11 likes1 comment
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Arbol
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Is 10:15 pm to late to start a new book? What am I even saying? If it is I certainly don‘t care.

SassyBookworm Loved this book! Anxiously awaiting book 2 on hold! 7y
14 likes1 comment
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Arbol
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Currently Reading: not quite a 3rd finished but so far this is excellent. I really hope more people read this and reconsider the pedestal GW has been put on (can we stop calling them founders and call them colonizers & slaveholders already?). The lengths the Washington‘s go to to not only capture runaways but also to circumvent new laws promising freedom are appalling. Not surprising but terrible nonetheless. #audiobook

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Arbol
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This was so very good. I listened to it on audiobook and will probably buy the hard copy because there is so much I want to mark and highlight in here. Seriously, a must read.

mrozzz That‘s what I did! Started on audio and then bought the hardcover. 7y
14 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Affections | Rodrigo Hasbn
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Bc I cannot resist @Powells when they have a sitewide 30% off sale. 📚

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Got this on netgalley - so excited to dive in.

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SQUIRREL IN AUTUMN | Lizelot Versteeg
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I put up the bird feeder for the, you know, birds. Also the cats like watching them. But this Squirrel just mission-impossibled its' way down the outer screen and jumped into the feeder. 😒 Gonna have to rethink placement.

Soubhiville Squirrels always find a way! I love this picture though! 7y
Tanzy13 🐱🐿 7y
mjdowens Your cat‘s posture totally says “you lookin at me?”😂😂 7y
14 likes3 comments
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Arbol
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Oh man this is so good. I usually struggle with sci-fi because I'm a little slow when it comes to grasping world-building but so far I am loving this trilogy. I can't wait to finish Stone Sky and then watch the whole thing when the series comes out.

bdub ........... A series? Are you just speculating.... Or... Serious? Don't ruin my Christmas lol 😍😍😍😍 7y
Arbol I wouldn't joke about this! 🧐 this is my serious face. https://www.tor.com/2017/08/16/nk-jemisin-the-fifth-season-tv-adaptation-in-deve... 7y
bdub Sweet Jesus 😲😲😲😲😲 7y
15 likes3 comments
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Arbol
A Line in the Dark | Malinda Lo
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I got to see Malinda Lo and Kate Elliott in convo last week and ended up reading this in a sitting later that night. I want to read it again. It was great reading it after a conversation that touched on "unlikeable female characters" and what girls/women are allowed/expected to exhibit to be considered likeable. That said - I really liked the protagonist - Jess is trying to figure out so many things - and I just couldn't not feel/root for her.

MoniqueReads305 There is an essay about likable female characters in Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. It made me really think if I treat unlikable female characters different than unlikable make. 7y
13 likes1 comment
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Ended up migrainkng 🤕pretty badly today so had to switch my format to audio books and avoid screen time. But I did get 2 books finished and a good chunk into two others. Will put up reviews when I'm doing better. #deweyreadathon hope everyone had a good time!

heikemarie Migraines are the worst. Hope it gets better 💜 7y
Bibliogeekery 🤕💗 7y
11 likes2 comments
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Conversations with Octavia Butler | Octavia E. Butler, Conseula Francis
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In the last 2 years there has been a newly published edition of Parables is Sower/Talents. Last years are on the right side, this years on the left. As a birthday 🎁 I to myself I am getting them just not sure which ones.My instinct is to buy the ones on the right (aren‘t they stunning) but it seems weird that they redid the covers so quickly and I want to know if anything else is redone. Which should I get?

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Fifth Season | N K Jemisin
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I don‘t know if anyone else had trouble with Sci-Fi like I do. It takes me a while to adjust to the world building and figure out what the conventions are so I‘m usually timid about starting a book. Audiobooks or having my husband read aloud helps a lot. Anyway - we just finished this and I am stunned. The world she has made is stunning in its strangeness and familiarity. I immediately ordered the rest of the trilogy.

11 likes2 stack adds
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Arbol
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I won't be using this promotional material at my library. While I am sure the books are good reads the list is overwhelmingly white and heteronormative. I know for a fact (thank you netgalley) that there are a lot - not a few - ALOT of incredible books coming out this summer by poc and lgbtqia authors and they are barely - if at all - represented here. 🙄 I don't know why I expected more but I did. #wndb #bookscoop

ReadingSusan Disappointing. 8y
13 likes1 comment
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Arbol
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Bailedbailed

Just a rehash of pretty much every self help book ever. She asked for an open mind and I went along with her on the higher power, affirmations, inner child, and cosmic energy stuff but I draw the line at saying people who are depressed are just wallowing in victimhood or are attention seekers and *could* snap out of it. Nope to the mother-fucking nope.

Soubhiville Good call 8y
9 likes1 comment
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Back porch chillin' Easing my way back into reading after a migraine with this historical romance. A lovely way to start a new week.

celtichik What a great reading spot! 8y
21 likes1 comment
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Started this in hour 7 and am close to finished. She made my heart hurt from the get-go. #thereadingwomen #deweyreadathon #readathon

MrsV So jealous, you got an ARC of this. Can't wait to read. 8y
21 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Arbol
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This is actually the first book I've read by Solnit though I've read individual pieces by her before and it is incredible. I am constantly amazed at how she is able to write so beautifully about such very dense and complicated topics. There is and abundance of information but there is also humor and lyricism. I read a few of these essays out loud to my husband and we had a lot of great conversations because of it. #deweysreadathon #readathon

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Arbol
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An aside:

Last night watching Great British Bake Off

Him: I found out something today. You know the drawer under the oven that we keep pots and pans in? It's not for pots and pans. You put...

Me: Wait - THAT'S the MF-ing proving drawer?!?!?

mjdowens 😂😂😂😂😂👏 8y
9 likes1 comment
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Flying through this for #deweysreadathon #readathon

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Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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Welp, guess I better get to bed. #dewesyreadathon

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Arbol
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The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng was a beautiful book that has stayed with me for years.

BookishFeminist On my TBR it goes! (My real secret to doing this for the giveaway challenge.) 8y
BestOfFates I love that book! 8y
12 likes2 comments
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Arbol
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This was so good. 7 short stories of North Koreans living under dictatorship. Bandi is not coy in his writings, his stories are nothing short of cries of dissent. What stands out for me is his anger, not just for himself but, for his fellow citizens caught up in this decades long impossible situation. #GRABBYHANDS #stagetruth

12 likes1 stack add
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Even self-soothing with tea and butterscotch pie can't make this book less bleak. It's really, really good but so very sad.

7 likes1 stack add
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Sleeper's Castle | Barbara Erskine
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This is our bed, or bower as I've taken to calling it. I love being surrounded by books even as I sleep.

LiteraryinPA That's awesome! 8y
diovival 💜💛💚💙💖❣ 8y
19 likes2 comments
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"Because - how do you explain that it is never inspiration that drives you to tell a story, but rather a combination of anger and clarity?"

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Decoding Our Origins: The Lived Experiences of Colombian Adoptees | Abby Forero-Hilty, Rita Esmeralda Naranjo, Paul Aboulafia
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I am so excited to read this and am so effing proud of what my fellow Colombian adoptees are doing. All proceeds from this book go toward funding DNA kits for Colombian adoptees and first families. #adopteesrock 💖🇨🇴🌹🇨🇴💖

16 likes2 stack adds
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Arbol
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This book. This woman. Irby is (insert all the expletives) incredible. One moment she has you gasp-cackling so hard that you will be utterly shocked when she breaks your heart in the next.

10 likes1 stack add
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I've been in the depths of a reading slump and am finally, slowly, dragging myself out of it. This, so far, has been the perfect choice for reentry.

13 likes2 stack adds
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This was so, so good. Seriously, if you can see it - do.

Natasha.C.Barnes I just did tonight at this very theater! Loved it. 8y
BookswithB Been wanting to see it!!!! 8y
15 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Detoxify Or Die | Sherry A. Rogers
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I swear to god, if anybody ever returned a personal book to me in this shape I would cut a bitch.

StephBengtson For real though. 8y
the.bookish.valkyrie 😱😤😡That poor book! 8y
16 likes2 comments
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4 3 2 1 | Paul Auster
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Got to go to a Paul Auster reading today. I was super wiped out from work but he was worth it.

LauraBeth So lucky! 8y
17 likes1 comment
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Arbol
Mr. Rochester | Sarah Shoemaker
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I am trying to decide how I feel about this book. Who this book is for: people who love Jane Eyre and think about Rochester the way pop culture esteems Darcy. If that's your jam then this is for you. Shoemaker does so well all capturing the muted tone of Brontë I could have almost said that she wrote it herself. You get a complex view of Rochester that mirrors the source material well.

Arbol But I've never been interested in Rochester the man. I wasn't as interested after the first two sections of the book (that chronicled his childhood and adolescence) and while the complicated situation he was placed in added depth to his character it did nothing radical to the man or story itself. Which I am finding, as fond as I am of Jane, I want more from books that revisit old classics. I want a greater counter balance. (edited) 8y
5 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Binti: Home | Nnedi Okorafor
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I love Binti so much. She is a hero and does impossible things but still struggles with her identity, walking the line between parental/cultural expectations and her desires. The writing is excellent - Okorafor even makes math seem whimsical and vibrant. I really hope I don't have to wait long for the next book. #arc

17 likes1 stack add
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Binti | Nnedi Okorafor
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I forgot how much I love this little book. I wanted to do a quick reread before I jumped into my ARC of Home (Binti #2) and was swept away. The world is so lush and Binti herself is someone I wish I knew. Hard to believe that it's less than 100 pages. If you love sci-fi and worldbuilding with unique well developed characters you need to be reading Okorafor.

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The Blood of Emmett Till | Timothy B. Tyson
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I don't know if any of you saw the story in Vanity Fair a couple days ago re: Carolyn Bryant recanting the story she told that lead to Till's murder and definitely aided in the acquittal of his murderers but that interview is in this book. That said, Tyson lays out very clearly that any recanting is mere formality in a case that was clearly doomed from the get-go. Alternately illuminating and gut wrenching, a definite must read. #arc

13 likes3 stack adds
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The Blood of Emmett Till | Timothy B. Tyson
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"After all, how do you give a crash course in hatred to a boy who has only known love?" This book is infuriating and heartbreaking - there are some jaw-dropping quotes that clarify the events and people's behavior so well.

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The Blood of Emmett Till | Timothy B. Tyson
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"Was this a true story? I don't know. But I do know this: Somewhere between the fact we know and the anxiety we feel is the reality we live."

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This was so much fun. And anxiety inducing. Neuvel manages to get so much out of characters through a format that seems like it would be cold and distant. Really, really great follow up to Sleeping Giants. #arc #vozalta

TheNextBook I've had this for a while! I will be reading soon! 8y
17 likes1 comment
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Arbol
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Earnest may just be my most faithful reading partner yet. #catsoflitsy

13 likes1 comment