“What if, I‘m raising children, we focus on ABILITY, instead of gender? What if we focus on INTEREST instead of gender?” (Caps were actually italicized in book). Really enjoyed this quick read of her speech at TEDxEuston, a yearly conference focused on Africa.

Children‘s Picture book (1995). Loved it! The dedication is very sweet also. Great illustrations!

I couldn‘t take a photo of the book bc it‘s covered with ILL paperwork-came all the way from Peru, Illinois to Jersey. I enjoyed this book. It was a travelogue through a tattered and extremely troubled California and Oregon with a couple looking for a safe place to raise their unborn child. It was very interesting and definitely disturbing at times. This the 2nd book I‘ve read by him...I liked Punahou Blues also.

This book was adorable with great illustrations. Xena liked Otis the cat, of course! @jlhammar thank you for your post on this book!!

Siddhartha
@TheSpineView @Eggs thanks for posting!!

A strange but intriguing novella. Absentee father who lived his life for success, makes an extraordinarily self sacrificing choice. I‘ll read anything Backman writes. He‘s that good.

Quick and Engaging read!! Paced well.

This book was first published in 1983. The paperback featured is from 1984. I had no idea it was that old.
Only took me 39 years.... this is when I‘m happy I‘ve lived this long. Small book, big message.
Thats my powerful girl, Xena. She‘s nobody‘s fool🐾❤️

Bizarre but intriguing. 36 short vignettes all occurring within one neighborhood. I found myself re-reading some to refresh my memory on recurring characters.

“Pure escapism” as one booktuber put it. If you need a book to dive into and forget about life for a while, the Riva family will provide that. Plus, that cover.......I (somewhat) recognized the name Mick Riva, who had been a character in TSHOEH and DJATS, but definitely forgot his role. Here he factors in largely but predominantly as a superstar absentee father. 3.5⭐️

A booktuber mentioned this book and described it as a book of essays that could be a bedtime story for adults. He was right....these were enjoyable short essays talking about different creatures that roam, or swim this earth and how endangered they are. I learned about axolotls for the first time in my life! Had never heard of these adorable amphibians. She meshes stories about trees, lightning bugs etc, in with her own familial anecdotes.

Quagmire of insanity but deeply engaging. Makes you want to take a psychology class. Holy cannoli, maybe commuter college was the way to go, after all....lol

Her experiences as a Secret Service Agent during various administrations ( and 9/11) was interesting. The story is read by the author. I like how she starts each chapter with a quote from an ancient Greek. I‘m a sucker for quotes. Unfortunately, with an audiobook, you‘re rarely in a position to jot it down.

This book, although slow, should really be focused on. It is character driven; the plot is less important then the lessons learned. Joanna Canon is a really good writer and a (former?) psychiatrist. The story follows two time periods: summer of 1976 (hottest on record for Britain) and late 1967. It‘s a coming of age story, a bit of a mystery, and a small town narrative. It highlights the dangers of herd mentality and misjudgment. 4⭐️

I absolutely loved this second installment of Before The Coffee Gets Cold. I‘m so invested in this cafe and the coziness and life lessons, I‘m craving more!! Photo: Dean Martin is featured on his heating pad, and Xena is in background.

Dean is hugging this book for good reason...it‘s a finely crafted yarn, with a lot of tragedy. If you are in a reading slump, pick this one up!

I enjoyed this. Four different stories all interrelated by the cafe. I think I liked The Sisters the best. I have to get my hands on the follow up!

This book is something else. I feel sorry for Tara and anyone else who had to grow up with toxic masculinity. Kept thinking about the line from Looking For Alaska “subverting the patriarchal paradigm.” I think Ms. Westover has achieved that, against all odds.

This book was pure fun and good adventure. Tang is a Robot that shows up in Ben‘s back garden. One problem: he‘s got a damaged cylinder and no one seems to know how to fix him. They travel from the UK to Cali, Texas, Tokyo and Palau and have some interesting experiences. Ben learns about himself through his experiences with Tang. Heartfelt and sweet.

I‘m at about the 72% mark and I had to stop and think about how badly this woman was psychologically damaged by her father, brother and patriarchal society, in general. It‘s so depressing. (no, it‘s criminal). The fact that she rose above the brainwashing and abuse she suffered is quite impressive. Highly recommend the audiobook, don‘t think I would have picked the physical copy up.

This book started out SO slow, I would literally fall asleep after 5 pages.I‘ve been reading it for MONTHS! Something kept me hooked, however...and it finally picked up and then I went running with it. I really enjoyed this read. Dare I say I liked it more than its predecessor? Yes, I think so.

I LOVED this book!!! So heartwarming and fun. Great middle grade read! Highly recommend for any cat lover in your circle. Super fun premise, very good storytelling. Leonard🐾❤️ Xena agrees💕

I sincerely loved this book. Grant character. Now this Saab vs Volvo thing will stick in my head. I loved the styling of the Saab, such a cool car. The side characters (and how Ove affected their lives) were interesting too. I especially enjoyed Cat Annoyance and Parvaneh. 4⭐️

I loved Demetrios‘ I‘ll Meet You There, so I had to pick this one up. Another good YA novel (with truths from author‘s life) taking place during Junior and Senior years of high school when Grace, who comes from a not so good family with a mother who is lost and a step dad that‘s verbally abusive, meets her “savior” of a bf. She too loses herself to a manipulative, and harmful dude. Good warning for teens. The female friendships are sweet. 3.5⭐️

Sweet read. Children who are magical in one way or another (shape shifter, sprite wyvern, gnome, etc) who have had hardship and find love and guidance from a man and an adult sprite. They are investigated by protagonist who works for the agency that runs orphanages. His life is changed by this experience.

Started out not so thrilled with this...but I was pleasantly surprised as it went along. The protagonist, Laurel, grows and heals from tough stuff (including disturbing stuff-tw) during her freshman year of high school through writing to Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin et al. Epistolary novel. Enjoyed this!

Of the 3 Kawakami I‘ve read, this is my favorite. A great character study and a glimpse into Japanese culture. 4⭐️.
And I‘m finally out of my reading slump....yahoooooo!

This guy has a lot of angst, it seems, but I guess getting rid of his things has helped him. Some helpful stuff. I like this: “When you discard something, you gain more than you lose.....There are more things to gain from eliminating excess than you might imagine: Time, space, freedom, and energy, for example.”

Interesting read. I liked a lot about it, but it dragged a bit for me. I just realized how good his chapter headings are. Never paid attention to that before. Automatic writing, The Coming of the Psychopomps (love that word). 3.5⭐️

@BennettBookworm Thank you so much for this book!!! I LOVE the origami❤️

Shout out to Natural Candy for the extra stickers they sent me!! #vegancandy and #StephenKing is my happy place.
Today is a good day🎃☮️📚❤️ @BlackCat13 I make things happen-Hahahaha...you will be getting your stickers🖖🏽

I must say, this author has impressive observational skills, and you can tell she writes poetry. I‘m not sure what to make of Nishino except that he needed psychological help but I‘m not going to say why...believe me, you‘ll find out quickly enough. Each love is a short story and he‘s the unifying factor, but there is some overlap of a couple characters. A bit surreal, definitely strange, but interesting. #Japan

@BayouGirl85 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick
Third Uncle: “We shall now have tea and speak of absurdities”
Not sure if it‘s in book, but it‘s in film.
Song: “Rulers make bad lovers You better put your kingdom up for sale” Gold Dust Woman Fleetwood Mac

@TheSpineView @EadieB #Two4Tuesday
🎃 No, I think I‘ve had 2 trick or treaters in the many years I‘ve lived here. Now with COVID, I really doubt it.
🎃 No, I have Kelly Slater in a barrel...love him...🏄🏼‍♂️🤙🏽

WOW!!! I started with audiobook but quickly realized I needed physical copy to roll along with. To say this was EYE opening is an understatement. You just can‘t make this sh$t up. One thing that blew my mind was a Canadian passenger who didn‘t survive the The Lusitania (most DID not), was then sent home as a corpse and the Ship he was on (I think it was the Hesperian) was torpedoed- what?!! Torpedoed in life and death👇🏽

@LaraReads I can‘t even tell you how you turned my day around. You are such a kind individual and I am so grateful that there are good souls in this world!! I read your card and your letter...and, are you psychic? Because this book is going to be a Book Club read of mine in early 2021!I‘ll definitely be sending you a card soon!!! I‘m a bit “off” recently bc of hip, tooth and eye issues, but I will get my game on soon. Thank you 👇🏽

Loved it!! Angie Thomas is my go to YA author. I‘m not going to say it was as good as THUG, but it was a different good. Angie Thomas educates me. And thanks to her, I now have Parliament‘s “Flashlight” on my iTunes. Yes, I‘m old and I grooved to that song when I was 16! Loved the characters, including Bri, and I got a kick out of Curtis. 4⭐️

@Cosmos_Moon @Eggs
1. “ I don‘t go anywhere without a mask.”
2. I‘m grateful for good people.

“Would you consider a relationship with me, based on a premise of love?” May/December romance between two awkward people. This is my third translated Japanese novel, to date, and I find them so calming and unassuming.
I kept craving Japanese food bc they talk about food a lot, so yesterday I got Tofu teriyaki and lemon avocado rolls. I needed the total experience. #Japan

Tragic. Men are monsters and women are zombies. This is a true horror story. Patriarchy at its best. When will they be questioned? When will they question themselves? This is not living, this is slavery. Kudos to this author for an interesting debut. Hopefully every generation will get better, but I worry for the women who are suffering right now.

WOW!!! What a story. So glad started with Regulators bc Desperation is the crème de la crème of this duo. Mind bending and the tears flowed at the end. Most of same characters as in TR, but this is a different version (maybe alternate universe) so they are different. #Nevada
?????

#stephenking I see a lot of people posting their SK collections, so I figured I‘d join in!!!
Currently reading Desperation and I‘m loving it!! Just received Christine and Revival yesterday.
Love SK, I know he has called himself The Big Mac and Fries of Literature, but he‘s a Beyond Meat burger deluxe for me😀

This book had some chuckles...it just kind of dragged on a bit and the protagonist kept too much in and lied about too much...that annoys me. I was so grateful when she finally went to therapy. I think I‘m the wrong demographic for this book, most likely. Maybe for the 20-30s crowd. Romance not my genre either, so take a look at other reviews if you really want to read this. #Maine

Loving this buddy read so much, had to post my journal page with my buddy posing with her books!!! Also loving the bibliophile stickers from My Secret Copy on Etsy!!

Pretty sure this is the most violent SK I‘ve ever read. So many people die, and that disturbed me enough to think this wouldn‘t make it past 3.5⭐️but in true King fashion, you end up perplexed and mesmerized by the story. Glad this was a buddy read bc the end baffled me in the best possible way. #Ohio Bachman book. On to Desperation!!
💀💀💀💀

#SuperSeptemberReadathon @Andrew65
Goals:
Finish: The Regulators, Evvie Drake Starts Over, Hiroshima, and The Traveling Cat Chronicles
Start: Desperation
Let‘s see if I can handle that!!
Thanks for tagging me, @Andrew65 📚❤️

This book was exactly what I needed to escape the madness of the world. Old beautiful home, elderly woman, groundskeeper, baby. Such a good story. I‘m happy I revisited Anna Quindlen‘s writing after over 25 years. Lovely story.

What can I say? This is a story not to be missed. If you love nature, and you can feel for a person abandoned, and heck, if you have only half a heart, you will love this book. One of my favorites this year. I‘ll never forget Kya. And if I start to, I can look at this post. She knew what was real. Wonderful debut. #NorthCarolina

Never read anything by Christopher Hitchens before. Saw a number of interviews and thought he was so intelligent and clearly out of my intellectual realm. Esophageal cancer took his life at 62. This is his journey through cancer. What I found most interesting was his thinking that maybe if he were of a weaker constitution, he would have been kinder to his body and lived longer. I definitely want to read Hitch-22.

This book was a fun adventure filled with social commentary, underrated and unappreciated women and a very manipulative and scary vampire dude. My 2nd Grady Hendrix read and I thoroughly enjoyed this!! 🧛🏼‍♂️🧛🏼‍♂️🧛🏼‍♂️🧛🏼‍♂️🧛🏼‍♂️
Dean is giving his best vampire cat look😆
#SouthCarolina