This book broke my heart. Painful story of a native Ojibway Canadian taken to an abusive and horrific residential school who finds some solace in playing hockey, but even that joy is tainted by experiences he must confront. Saul‘s story and what so many children went through will stay with me. Beautifully written. #indigenousauthor #booked2019.

Listened to this while clearing off and reorganizing my room. Especially like her parenting advice re being vulnerable with your kids;shame vs guilt; belonging vs fitting in. I also took to heart her advice via Toni Morrison to greet our kids with love on our faces when they come in a room and resist criticizing/nagging.

Enjoying a nice morning while reading “The Jungle,” not sure it‘s the best choice with breakfast given the subject matter...

Had a good final week of bfcr3. I got in two good runs, a lot of outdoor time, and finally got back into a good yoga routine, and finished a great book. Really trying to embrace the fall weather. It‘s my favorite time of the year. #bfcr4

A story of place told through multiple narrators in one family. It truly captures Appalachia and particularly Southern West Virginia and why people choose to stay when their home is being destroyed by mountaintop removal mining. Shows what keeps people so attached to the land and willing to fight and why others leave. Living here and not being from here it gets at this attachment that I have struggled in the past to understand. #wv #applit

Carpool line reading. This book powerfully portrays life in southern West Virginia and the impact of mountain top removal mining. Enjoying this read with an afternoon London fog. #westvirginia #booksetwhereilive

Road trip = family audiobook. We continued with the Lemony Snicket series. The Baudelaires go to live with the Squalors who are obsessed with what is in and what is out. Some more tidbits about Olaf and the Baudelaire parents are revealed and Sunny uses her toothy talent. Plus a good red herring joke. Not my fave in the series but ready to find out more...on to the Vile Village. #middlegrade #midseries

When a nytimes book review starts out with “good lord I can‘t believe how good this book is,” then I am sold. Looking forward to this new one by the author of the family fang.

I listened to this slowly. It was a great companion read to “winners take all,” in giving me a new framework to look at the world. It centers the importance of place, and focus on nature, and art, and taking notice. Made me think about connection and how much time is spent hitting refresh or being distracted from surroundings. Not a how-to but a contemplation. @Lindy #nonfictionnovember

Interesting examination of why the ultra wealthy and society have bought into the idea that it is their role to solve society‘s problem through philanthropy but without addressing the root causes of inequality. why we have bought into market solutions in place of public policy solutions. I think this has started to shift back with people like Warren, Sanders, and others in the democratic field proposing government and policy based solutions. 👇

Posting a response to Wednesday on a Thursday because that‘s the kind of week it‘s been. 😂😂😂. 1. Curtis Sittenfeld - whenever I read her books I just think we‘d have fun hanging out; 2. I would want to know she writes such pitch perfect characters- they always feel so real to me. 3. Not sure how many - definitely in the 100s and I‘ve given away hundreds as well. 4. Tagged below. Thanks for the tag @GypsyKat #wondrouswednesday

My son continues to enjoy those series. This time the Baudelaire orphans attend a horrible academy and are of course trailed by the awful Count Olaf. As the series continues we start to get a bit more insight into Olaf‘a history and the backstory grows more intriguing. #middlegrade

I had to have surgery on my gums this morning. Ugh. 😑 the one upside is curling up on the couch with a book by myself for the afternoon to rest and recover and feel no pressure to get anything done.

Young women arrived in rural Tennessee with no idea that were working on the atomic bomb. An entire city was built around this secret project. Book looks at the social dynamics, the women‘s backgrounds, and the role of race. I‘ll admit to skimming the sections on the science a bit. Overall gained insight into a part of WW2 history I knew very little about. #nonfictionnovember

Stanley is sent to a camp for boys as a punishment for an alleged crime. The boys spend each day digging holes. As the story goes Stanley‘s family history is revealed and friendships are formed. Can‘t wait to share this one with my son when he‘s just a little older. #middlegrade

My trial finished up Wednesday night and I am finally returning a regular schedule. I read zero books because I was working 15-16 hour days...I did drink lots of water and walked to lunch most days. I‘ve gone running the last two days and lifted today. Looking forward to getting back into it and my mood lifting. These last two weeks make me realize how important reading and exercise are for me. #bfcr4

I #cherish these editions of two of my favorite childhood novels. #MOvember @Cinfhen

Loved this book picturing about what all different types of children in different places see outside their window. #picturebooksatoz #bbrc #o @LibrarianRyan

After a very intense two weeks of work I finally have time to read again. My brain is still a little shot so I am diving back in with this #middlegradenewclassic #bbrc @LibrarianRyan so far so good.

This week was good on paper, but I‘m feeling stressed at work and so I‘m feeling unbalanced. Got in one run, one workout class, one hike and did well drinking water. Am in a reading slump and didn‘t finish any books - too focused on work and politics. Things should clear up at work by the 31st and I can‘t to get past this hump and slump. #bfcr4 @wanderinglynn @LauraBeth @Kaylamburson @MaleficentBookDragon

Listened to part of this book while enjoying a beautiful fall day. Much to think about...so far it is a good antidote to the productivity is everything message of 168 hours which made me so angry. #audiowalk #getoutside

The best way to start a Sunday. Nytimes, coffee, quiet, and a pastry. 😍

My biggest goal of this challenge to run another 5k is done!! And I took 5 minutes off my time from #bfcr2. Progress! I was good about drinking water, got in 2 runs and 1 Lagree class, and managed to get outside everyday. Also finished 2 very enjoyable reads. Feeling good at the end of week 1. #bfcr4 @wanderinglynn @Kaylamburson @LauraBeth @m

Very moving portrayal of a warm and loving family raising a transgender child. It gets into the complexities of gender identity for a child, decisions that must be made, and the emotional impact.. Lots of wonderful characters. Loved the grandma, and the discussions between the parents. At first I thought the narration might be too witty/precious but I ended up really liking the style and it felt more real as the book progressed.

These essays, originally published in 1983 are still relevant and insightful. favorites include how periods would be seen if men menstruated and not women and would be seen as a sign of strength and virility. Also loved the classic essay about her time undercover as a playboy bunny. Found the one about women becoming more radical as they age to be thought-provoking as well. #40thbdaychallenge #1983

Hedy Lamar iat the age of 19 marries an arms dealer with incredible influence in WW2 politics in Austria. She is pulled into a life of power and control. As a Jewish woman, she must escape Austria and this life. The story continues through her film career in the US and her work on an invention to hopefully help the war effort. A so-so because the writing style didn‘t click with me and it felt dry for such an interesting story.

Ready for #bfcr4! It‘s my busy season at work which has made it easy to get in a workout slump. My goals are: run a 5k, drink 3 swell bottles of water a day, walk outside daily (even just 10 minutes), 2 runs and 1 other workout, self-care of some type once a week, read or listen to 10 books. Pictured is the water bottle, book club book, and face mask.

My daughter was being super quiet and I asked my son where she was and he said over there reading a book. It was so nice to come across. She‘s normally constantly on the run. Both my kids love this book. #raisingreaders

I tried this one for my book from 1982 for my bday challenge and pretty quickly bailed. Found it pretty boring. I remember this being super popular when i was a young kid. Not for me.

A high end surrogacy home is the backdrop for an examination of how class/race/privilege play out among the pregnant hosts with each other and the wealthy clients paying for surrogates. I didn‘t feel as emotionally invested in any of the characters as I expected and felt they were used more as a way to explore the themes of exploitation and choice. Would make a good book club choice. Lots to discuss.

The small town of three pines becomes the center of another investigation when a mysterious figure appears in town. Goes deep into how Gamache is trying to tackle his new responsibilities and moral questions about decisions. Most of it takes place in a courtroom so has a more procedural feel than some of the other Gamache mysteries. Love it as always and am pacing myself so I don‘t catch up with Ms. Penny and still have more to read.

Thoroughly enjoyed this multi-generational story of a Boston family. A summer home in Maine centers the story and shows how they interact with one another and react to each other and how this has shaped their lives. I‘ve seen reviews that found the characters unlikeable but I felt they were real flawed people and I could understand them. Also goes back in time to slowly reveal how the family matriarch came to be the person she is.

Enjoying digging into this older book of Sullivan‘s after loving A Saint for All Occasions. Seattle lives up to its rep as a coffee town. This one is wonderful.

Lots of mixed reviews on here but I loved this one. Nice to find a new series to get into. Maisie, who was a nurse during WWI, has a special intuition about people and uses it to conduct investigations and heal psyches. Her relationship with her father is beautiful and the her personal war time story brought me to tears.

Morning book and coffee before we set off to explore the San Juan islands.

An interesting study at how people react in this town when they know a bad event is coming and how they read into each other‘s motivations and intentions. Everyone knows these brothers are planning to kill Santiago and this reconstruction looks at the action or inaction /belief or disbelief with which the brothers are treated leading up to the murder of Santiago.

On vacation so this is a bookshop spot. #7covers7days #covercrush day 7.

Middle-grade about a bright young girl in Pakistan who is attempting to get an education and go to college but due to unpaid debts her life veers off course and she must figure out a way to overcome these circumstances. Good introduction to the obstacles many around the world and particularly girls face in obtaining even a basic education. #booked2019 #diversemiddlegrade

Another fun twist on the mystery genre from Horowitz. I really liked the word is murder and enjoyed this sequel as well. Horowitz himself is a character in the story playing Watson to Hawthorne‘s Sherlock. This time Hawthorne must solve the murder of a high-powered divorce attorney. Perfect for an airplane read.

#7days7covers #covercrush day 6

#7days7covers #covercrush day 5

Highly recommend. Audiobook is on hoopla. Loved this. Heart-warning story about how the people of Newfoundland opened up their homes and town to passengers who were stranded their on 9/11. Passengers from 38 flights landed in the small town of Gander. It goes into detail on some of the passengers stories and is very moving. An uplifting read on the anniversary of 9/11.

#7days7covers #covercrush day 4. I‘ve owned this book since I was a child and it‘s probably the first book I remember picking for the cover.

#7days7covers #covercrush day 3. Not sure who hasn‘t been tagged yet. @Tamra ?

Had a good end to the week of #bfcr3. Pushed myself hard during my run, got in 4 yoga sessions, meditated each night, and finished 14 books for the 6 weeks. Truly appreciated my supportive team and great I have some good habits on place. Finishing out the evening reading to my daughter outside.

We are big Kratt Brothers‘ fans in my household. This book delivers fun facts about insects in an easy reader format. Plus it has stickers so my daughter loved it. #bbrc #easyreadernonfiction @LibrarianRyan

#7days7covers #7covers7days #covercrush. Day 2. @andrew61 want to join in? Post a cover for 7 days no explanation. Tag someone else each day.

Pick but with a quibble. She entertainingly discusses how her family went w/o sugar for a year and the reasonable exceptions they made. I found their journey interesting as I‘ve been watching my sugar intake pretty closely. Quibble: I thought her sections on why she eats meat to be unneeded and lacking in logic; she was a vegetarian who ate an unhealthy diet - adding meat back in is not the only solution. Pic of my sugar-free dinner.

A Korean girl moves to New York and is teased about her name on the bus. When she gets to school she doesn‘t share her name. Her classmates leave potential names in a jar for her. Over the course of the story and with the help of a friend she realizes she can still cherish her Korean culture and name in the U.S, and her classmates make the effort to welcome her and pronounce her name properly. Sweet immigrant story. #bbrc #picturebooksatoz

#7days7covers #covercrush pick a book a day and post the cover no explanation. Tag a kitten each day. Thanks for the tag @merelybookish @rubyslippersreads if you haven‘t been tagged yet - want to join in?