This book made me cry, laugh out loud, gasp, clench my fist in anger and frustration, and swoon. It has confirmed many things I long believed and showed me that things were even worse than I could‘ve ever imagined. This is the story of a man who took control of his life, who stood up for the love of his life and their children. Many others have tried to tell his story. Prince Harry has finally taken control of the narrative. Bravo! #IYKYK 👀😉

“…but no one gave a damn who I traveled with. The Spare could always be spared.” Oh, Harry…🥺

I preordered my hardcopy of this memoir months ago! I‘m sure it‘s waiting for me back home, but I couldn‘t wait a moment longer. Just boarded the plane and am listening to the Audible version. It‘s time Prince Harry had a chance to tell his story, and I‘m looking forward to his velvety voice keeping me company on my way home from paradise. #Spare #InHisOwnWords #TheTruthShallSetYouFree

Is there anything better than an iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from a hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day.

Finally packing for vacation! ☀️🕶️🏝️
I‘ve been saving this book for a long while. It‘s (almost) time! *Mariah Carey voice*

When someone waved a red flag you were supposed to stop, not wave back and keep on going because the map you‘d been following for ages told you to. Roads changed, bridges crumbled. Old maps needed to be replaced with new ones. Sometimes you had to find a new way to get to your destination.

Driven by the convictions that the Union was sacred and that slavery was wrong. Lincoln was instrumental in saving one and in destroying the other, expanding freedom and preserving an experiment in popular government that nearly came to an end on his watch. In him we can engage not only the possibilities and limitations of the presidency, but the possibilities and limitations of America itself.

I‘m looking forward to reading this and meeting the author at the next Twin Cities Civil War Roundtable meeting! It‘s gonna be a good one. These stories have to be told. Reading them will certainly break our hearts, but we have to learn about and remember this history so that we don‘t repeat it. Lessons from the past can be warnings….

“…in the UK, it‘s hard to get a rifle and next to impossible to secure a handgun. Yet somehow, against all odds, British people feel free. Is it that they don‘t know what they‘re missing? Or is the freedom they feel the freedom of not being shot to death in a classroom or shopping mall or movie theater?”

I ADORE David Sedaris! So happy this little gem is going to keep me company during the hurry-up-and-wait foolishness that goes with being a Track Mom!

Miss Pearly‘s daughters really need to get over themselves and get it together. Seriously! (Can you all tell I‘m invested? Ha!)

A complex drama about a family of strong, black women? Yes, please!

Family vacation time! The Biltmore is always so good to me. Great ambiance, killer cocktails, lovely people and multiple perfect reading environments.
I am loving this book. It is oh so perfect for this trip!

“…it‘s less about the places we go than the people we meet along the way. …most of all, it‘s about the ones who stay, who become home.”
I LOVED this book. Emily Henry does a great job of crafting characters and stories that take readers on delightful journeys. On the surface, the stories seem fluffy—Hallmark Movie-esque. But they are so much more than that. The characters are complex. The plot and resolutions make you think. I‘m officially a fan!

This is a fun read to tuck into on my last day of vacation. It‘s back to the Real World tomorrow, folks! 😩

I am in the midst of A LOT of adulting right now (😒), but this baby landed on my porch yesterday and it would be a crime for me to not take a few minutes to give it a little bit of the attention it deserves.
I adore David Sedaris and am so excited to delve into his latest selection of journal entries.
Here‘s hoping I can score tickets to see him live this winter. I‘m vaxxed, have a killer mask selection and am ready to be entertained!

I cannot stop listening to this! It‘s so good! (The narrator is slightly awkward, but the behind-the-scenes info is so hot, I‘ll allow it!) #Obsessed #GreysAnatomy #HowToSaveALife

I have loved Grey‘s since the beginning. I‘ve never stopped. And I‘ve been on tenterhooks waiting for this baby to drop. (Hey! That rhymed! 😂)

I am SO excited to read this! I pre-ordered my copy the minute I heard my favorite podcasters were releasing a book! It‘s been months of waiting! Now Suruthi and Hannah can help me pass the time at The Kid‘s practice!! #Redhanded #TrueCrime #PodcastJunkie

Maybe it‘s better to read it. The audiobook‘s narration was taxing.
Perhaps I‘ll give it another go one day…

Given the time of year, and the amount of time that has passed, it‘s only right that I pause to remember. And that I take a moment to revisit this book: the best I‘ve read about the tragedy of 9/11. #NeverForget #20YearsOn #LessonsLearned?

“My mother was troubled by my lack of beauty—and I knew it—as a child senses these things.” 🥺 This makes me so sad! Sheesh. It‘s a miracle she turned out the way she did.

“Soon we reached the district which was so beautiful and prosperous looking when we left. This we found to be piles of bricks, ashes and twisted iron, representing years of toil and savings. We were horror stricken, but strangely we could not shed a tear.”

“Tonight as I write and think of Tulsa…my eyes well with tears and my soul cries for justice. Oh, America! Thou Land of the Free and Home of the Brave! The country that gave its choicest blood and bravest hearts to make the world safe for democracy! How long will you let mob violence reign supreme? Is democracy a mockery?”

Listen: Senator Elizabeth Warren did not come to mess around!
“For all those super-duper smart economists and fancy think-tank gurus who want to increase productivity in the economy and produce better outcomes for all America, here‘s a little advice: instead of giving companies more tax breaks to replace more workers with more machines, you could figure out how to give more women a better chance to contribute their time and talents.” 👀🔥🤷🏾‍♀️

Wow. What a beautiful collection of stories. A beautiful representation of a few of the many facets of womanhood: motherhood, friendships, sisterhood. An examination of reckoning with past hurts, dreams deferred and achieved, and reckoning with oneself. I loved every page.

Last full day of vacation. 🥺 I didn‘t read as much as I wanted to, but I‘m excited to tuck into the second book in my travel stack! The author and I follow each other on Twitter and she is EVERYTHING! So brilliant, dynamic, creative, and insightful. Super excited to start this one!

The essay about Akliah‘s illness has me in tears at the pool. In front of (socially distant) strangers. I don‘t know why this particular section hit so hard, but it did. Wow!

NEW YORK

What‘s so great about it? Diversity, opportunity, and style.

What sucks about it? It‘s the most expensive cesspool in which one can live.

😂 Oh, Akilah. You slay me! 😂

The Husband and I are fully vaccinated, and The Kid is so used to wearing a mask that nothing phases him (he‘s 10, so no Fauci Ouchie yet). We decided to do a week-long trip to Scottsdale—just the three of us. Of course: I‘ve packed books. Up first: Obviously by Akilah Hughes. And, OBVIOUSLY, I‘m enjoying it with a few beverages. So far, I love it (but I love her, so…🤷🏾‍♀️). Stay tuned for more!! #GetVaxed #StaySafe #WearAMaskUntilYouGetPoked

The description of the Will and Willow organization is taking me out! It reminds me of the Jack and Jill org back home in Chicago. 😩😂
This book is so engaging. I have a feeling it is going to be a tough listen, overall, but the author has made me fall completely in love with Miss Enchanted. My god, I hope nothing too horrible happens to her.

Rest in Peace, Beverly Cleary. Every year since about 2nd grade I‘ve read my favorite Ramona book on your birthday. I didn‘t even miss a year during my wild college days or my first years as a mom! This is my original copy from 1990. It‘s always been prominently displayed on a shelf wherever I‘ve lived. I cherish it. Tonight I‘ll read it a couple of weeks early in honor of you. Thank you for sharing your gifts. I‘m forever grateful.
XOXO,
Shantel

“My parents are a representation of what is possible when love wins and freedom rings and the pendulum swings toward justice.”
I wonder if that‘s what we are in our son‘s eyes. 2020 introduced him to deeper thinking about Race. The lesson came much earlier than we anticipated or would have liked, but it was necessary nonetheless. I wonder if he sees our family as a kind of triumph, or as just a regular family. Can it be both? I kind of hope so...

“God of fire help me, I begged, or if you cannot help me, then show me how to set my world ablaze.” I know this picture is the complete opposite of fire, but there‘s something about it—the desolate vibe, maybe—that seems to fit. This book is amazing, you guys.

“The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.”

Well, after this week‘s failed insurrection, it is clear that I should‘ve read this when it first came out. I‘m starting it as soon as it gets here. Sorry, Barack. Your book is going to have to wait. 😰

My best friend sent an e-gift card to me for a new local bookstore in my area—Black Garnet Books. I decided to use it to buy Caste and have been eagerly awaiting its arrival. It‘s here!! And it‘s in line to be devoured by me sometime real soon!

Ummm...hello, Hallmark?! Here‘s a movie idea for you!
I‘m finally able to really settle into this book and it is not disappointing me so far!
I really love tucking into Christmas-themed stories.

I did not expect this little book to pack such a punch. Honestly, I have no words. Just tears and gratitude for the blessings I‘ve received, the life I‘ve lived, the family I have, my home, my friends, my community.... Wow. Just...wow.

An early birthday gift from my mommy! (Yes, I am an adult who calls her mom “mommy”. 🤷🏾‍♀️)
I am so looking forward to reading what President Obama has chosen to share with us about his time in the White House and his vision—his unrelenting hope—for our future. I don‘t know about you guys, but I need this book right now.

“I had not been in Heidelberg for two hours, and police had a black man‘s face pressed down on the concrete with a knee in his back. He screamed again. I didn‘t understand his pained words. I didn‘t know what he had done, if anything. I only knew the screaming was all too familiar.”

In the beginning, I had so much hope and happiness for these two. I felt joy as I watched Harry and Meghan make their engagement announcement and conduct their first joint interview. I remember sitting in my office praying that they were the sign of a new day—both in the Monarchy and in society. I dreamed of the good those two could do in the world. Part of me worried for them, but I still felt hope. And love. And joy. Damn. We have so far to go.

I am so excited to start this! I loved The Mothers—I‘m confident Bennett won‘t disappoint with this one. *sips wine* 1, 2, 3, GO!! 🤓

Whatever miscommunications, whatever differences, your mum was your mum. She was the earthling cable in your circuitry... You couldn‘t deny the power of history and genetics.

There‘s only so much protesting and news-watching that you can do before you have to take a step back, unplug and immerse yourself in fashion and history. (Weird combination, I know, but it‘s my thing. Don‘t judge me 🤓)

“That unequivocal feeling of being in love. Of warmth and security, of butterflies in the stomach, of an excess of joy and high spirits, laughter and craziness. And of happiness. Yes, happiness.” SWOON!

“...listen to Tracy Chapman. That bitch knows what it‘s like to miss somebody and make them promise to wait for your ass.” 🤣 That line made cackle!! I have been savoring this audiobook for WEEKS because I adore Ali Wong‘s humor and insight. I think today is going to be the day I finally give in and binge the rest. My god, she‘s hilarious!

You guys!! I thought this was going to be a light, fluffy read to take my mind off of the world. I DID NOT expect to have so many emotions. 67% of the way through this book and I am feeling so many things. I don‘t want it to end, but I need to know what‘s going to happen. Who am I?! (Maybe it‘s the day drinking...🤔)

“That is male folly; they expect you to always be the same, reliable cow, but women spend their lives changing. Our change can swing for you or against you depending on how fairly we‘ve been treated.”

I‘m listening to this book while doing housework (🙄). I just stopped sorting laundry to throw up the praise hands 🙌🏾 as Ali talked about the beauty of Asian men. I‘ve always considered myself an “international lover” of sorts. I was raised to believe that gorgeous is gorgeous in any color. If you‘re kind, compassionate, intelligent, and funny, we can definitely hang out! Wow. Thats a deep thought for such a hilarious listen! 😂❤️