As I dive deeper into understanding American politics, books like this one are very helpful. This book does not imagine a future that may come to pass if our projected path doesn‘t shift; it shows that we are already there. It discusses the flaws in the system that led us to this point. America will fall; its ‘democracy‘ will not last. It is falling right now, as we speak. The question is, what will you do? Highly recommended read.

At this point in history, 240 years after its composition, much of the US Constitution simply does not apply to reality. Democrats and Republicans alike worship the document as a sacred text, indulging a delirious sentimentality that was the precise opposite of what the framers envisioned as the necessary basis for responsible government. There is no way to govern rationally when your foundational document is effectively dead and you worship⬇️

The problem is not who is in power, but the structures of power. The US system is an archaic mode of government totally unsuited to the realities of the 21st century. It needs reforms to its foundational systems, not just new faces.

After having read this book, I think I‘d like to read the author‘s other books. The style of writing is beautiful. This book is about remembering to slow down, why we should do it, and that it‘s okay to do it. Shown: a stunning sunrise from this past Tuesday. I had no choice but to yield, and take in the beauty before hurrying in to this daily thing we call work. Hurry to work, when there‘s this to look at? Is that even a question?!

Michelle is an inspiring woman and she gives her down to earth life advice in this memoir. Reading it, it‘s almost as if you‘re sitting in the room with her, one on one. Takeaway: we must always be each other‘s light. And when the lights go out, keep going.

We are a forgetful species, obsessed with the endless succession of tasks that hover over our days, and negligent of the grand celestial drama unfolding around us. And here I am, remembering.

Shown: the pale blue dot (us!) visible under Saturn‘s rings. When looking at the cars and icy cascades of WA through the plane window, I thought, from up here, all the nonsense going on down there seems so petty! Why do we wrap ourselves up in wars, ⬇️

More library check outs for today😍📚

This book feels like old news now, but still so important to read. The authors lay out the warnings of a democracy in crisis, and all the moves to power that authoritarians make: Trump met (and continues to meet) each one of them. They discuss how these events unfolded in other countries, America‘s political history, and why democracy is so fragile. Voting and institutions alone will not save us. Highly recommend.
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I was hoping an idiot‘s or dummies guide existed for Sphinx/Sphynx cats, as I wanted something really detailed, but there aren‘t many books out there. This is a basic guide to caring for these gorgeous, exotic cats. Where it falls short, there is Google, there are groups, and fellow Sphinx Parents!

I walked over to the library today to request a hold on Justice KBJ‘s memoir, Lovely One, and walked out with this stack. Of course I did.

This was a quick read. YA, it features three tales of families seeking safety in three different timelines, from three different countries: Nazi Germany, Communist Cuba, and the war in Syria. Immigration is a hot topic, with violent, white supremacist right wing fantasies. We all have a right to live a life free from oppression and violence. This book asks us to see the humanity and worth in our fellow human beings.

I found this book at an indie bookstore in Seattle. It has very blunt, direct language (no softness or beating around the bush), and lots of dark humor. The author talks about his patients, and what is like to care for the dying. He especially talks a lot about those who wish to die, because they are suffering so needlessly. He provided that service with compassion to many of them. Shown: if you know, you know. And you‘ll understand why I⬇️

I carried this book with me to WA as my backup book (I read one on the flight there). I‘m a hospice volunteer and I love hearing others‘ stories! The author shares how she became a hospice nurse, some life stories of her patients, and some of their more ‘other worldly‘ ones too. Yes, these moments happen all the time! When finished, I donated it to a little free library that was in a lovely garden in SeaTac.

I found this edition while scanning the shelves in an indie bookstore in Seattle. It was a quick read with a lot of familiar information and ideas—but EKR is always worth reading. I honestly can‘t get enough of books on these topics! The world needs more of them. Death Care and Death Education can be so different, if we allow it to be. Shown: snowberries at Snoqualmie Falls in WA.

I read this book on a flight to Seattle, from Charleston. I‘m a hospice volunteer, medium, and death cafe organizer—so I really connect with books like these. The author shares the memoir of her life, how she became a hospice nurse, and some of the special moments she and her patients have had, regarding ‘the other side‘. And yes, these moments really do happen! Shown: my view from the plane window, going into WA.

I‘m officially part of the sphinx reader community here on Litsy. Childless cat lady (and dog) now 2x over. Everyone, meet Nova! This little girl is a heart stopper! We‘re going to be doing so many snuggles with a book together 💙
She‘s the first and only joy I‘ve felt in days. This has been one of the hardest weeks of my life.

This has been one of the hardest weeks in my life…and I‘ve been through a lot before. I haven‘t been able to focus on anything. But I‘m trying to gather myself and get ready because I refuse to give in. Anyway…these are the books I brought back from WA! All indie bookstores.

……………………………………..

Election Night check in. How are you handling it? I‘m trying…it‘s hard. Currently watching results come in with friends.

The majestic, stunning, breath taking Snoqualmie Falls. Home and land of First Nations People, the Snoqualmie. ‘People of the moon‘.

I have only unfortunately seen a few waterfalls in my life so far, but this one is the most beautiful. I couldn‘t look away. The water always calls me. Lots of spirit energy in this area. Hallowed ground.

We were in Leavenworth today and one of its book stores had this book. Some light reading helped me identify some of these beautiful trees I wanted to know a little more about. Shown: blue spruce, European weeping birch.

Ophelia‘s Books, Fremont, WA. Cozy little indie bookstore that smells wonderful, and has 2 cats…

This bookstore has 6 cats!!! Twice Sold Tales, Seattle, WA

We‘re celebrating our anniversary in Seattle and have stopped in a few indie bookstores. This one: Charlie‘s Queer Books, in Fremont. Fantastic reading room upstairs!

Democracy, not theocracy!
In the name of humanity and all that is good, REFUSE FASCISM.

#childlesscatladiesforharris2024

I couldn‘t have read this book at a scarier time. The author creates an all too familiar story of hate and violence in the United States when a fascist is in power. Echoes of the past, and current times. Who will speak up when nationalists and fascists take control? We are days away from an extremely consequential election in America. Days away from deciding if we will continue to be a ‘democracy‘. Fascism is here. Choose wisely. We do not⬇️

I saw the photo and heard the name for years, never knowing what the story was about. After grabbing it at a local goodwill while hunting for memoir/biography books for a hospice patient, I finally know the story. At first it was hard to follow, given the writing style. This book is full of dark humor and tragedy, from the early years of the author‘s life. Death, deep poverty, Catholic weirdness. The story makes you more grateful. An⬇️

I saw this book in the new release section at my library and couldn‘t leave it on the shelf. I couldn‘t put it down as it was a fast paced and scary read. When the all too familiar face of a slave owning mistress appears in Philadelphia with a young enslaved woman, other newly freed Black women in the city must band together to not only free her, but to stop the mistress from dragging them back to her plantation in the South. Direct action⬇️

Think of this book as the story of an empath on steroids, brought on forcibly by the government. When two young sisters enter America seeking asylum, they are denied but given a very different kind of pathway to citizenship. This story brought to my mind the real American history of coercion, ‘medical‘ experiments, forced sterilization of BIPOC.

When spending time with my hospice patient this morning, I asked her about the three books by the bedside—she told me she‘d gotten them from the library in the facility. She didn‘t talk about them, and you don‘t ‘not‘ talk about a book that you really liked. So I asked her, what do you like to read? She said biography, autobiography. I told her I‘d bring her some books…I found these at my local library and goodwill today.

I went to a local goodwill tonight to look for some memoir/biography books for someone. At checkout, the man behind me said, those are some good ones. I told him I‘d read them, these were for someone else. He said: those are some good ones to spread around.

Seems like he supports critical thinking, the freedom to read. Here‘s to hoping he votes to uphold those things next month on Election Day…🗳️🇺🇸📚🗽

This is a quick read with a story that is meant for all ages. Two characters, two different time frames. They both share common dreams and needs. Years later, they meet for the first time. Throughout their lives, each was moving towards the other with one shared thread: water. It is the most precious thing we have, and yet we take it for granted constantly. Salva Dut‘s story teaches empathy, gratitude, perseverance. Highly recommended.

New shirt a co-worker got for me…

This is one of the heaviest books I‘ve read. Bones have a story to tell, if you know what to look for, and if you are willing to spend time with them. The author did just that in Argentina. They were searching for bones: trying to identify who they were, trying to properly lay them to rest, find justice for them and their families, give some peace to their families. It was the deepest of emotional labors. This book covers some history ⬇️

…the dead whisper to me that it does not have to be this way. The massacres, secret prisons, and hidden graves, all the terror and loss. Another world is possible. On a burning planet, pockmarked by mass graves, it is hard to have much faith. But my work among the dead has taught me that even in the face of violence and terror and breakdown, even at the bottom of the well, there is something—a movement of life, an impulse for justice, a kind⬇️

How much grief can one mass grave hold?

If you can‘t understand the bones as people who are missed and loved, with a mother and father standing by the edge of the grave waiting, you can‘t do this work. If you can‘t understand the bones as evidence to be analyzed and examined, you can‘t do this work. You must touch bones and be touched by them. You must be able to drink your tea with the dead.

A small exhibit of the Holocaust at one of our local libraries. This is the library where Cynthia Hurd worked—she was one of the 9 murdered by Dylan Roof in her church just a few blocks down. Podcast & episode to listen to for current times: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/refuse-fascism/id1522364165?i=100067199579...

One of our local bookstores is relocating so all titles are 60% off! Bottom left: advanced edition, free. I think I‘ll gift it to a friend after I read it.

Fun title, fitting for current times. But written too much in a philosophical type way.

I was stunned by the gorgeous cover of this book. Set in the 1950s but feeling much more like the Victorian period, an abusive mother decides to hold fraudulent seances upon the discovery of the strange spirit that inhabits her daughter. When a grieving widow comes to them for spirit contact, the old spirit has a violent reaction. At times I was confused at who was talking. Themes of dissociative identity disorder. I liked this story but I⬇️

This book is written in a ‘disconnect, distant‘ sort of way. A global pandemic begins with a young boy, and dedicated people work tirelessly to stop it and find a cure. The story reminded me a lot of Covid 19. It also serves as a reminder that many pathogens are waiting for us within the melting permafrost. What‘s coming is much worse than what we‘ve seen.

Gentleman, it is the microbes who will have the last word. —Louis Pasteur

Given to me by the wellness coordinator at work today! Really looking forward to digging in. I work for Thorne Research, also known as Thorne Healthtech. Check out our products:

https://www.thorne.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwgfm3BhBeEiwAFfxrG4GnmK6wFsjc6...

I can‘t tag both books, but my husband and I just saw an orchestra perform selected song pieces from both The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones by ‘candlelight‘ (not real candles). We loved it! I couldn‘t take my own photo and this one is not from the performance we went to, but I wanted you to see what the aesthetics are. Go to their website and find a performance (pieces vary) near you!

I just found out that aquamation is now legal here! It was part of a bill that passed this July! HB 4116. I never thought I would see the day in this state. I will be sharing this with the community and be sure to bring it up at my Death Cafes. I like to think of it as going in a big dishwasher for a good bath 🤣 This is my first choice for my final disposition and it‘s in my advanced directives.

This is not 124 pages of horror, so don‘t be fooled by the gorgeous and eerie cover. I love Japanese mythology and folklore—it‘s strange and fascinating. The author has a delicious way of describing macabre details but this story had too much of a gap for me. The pages are crawling with various types of Yokai. I wasn‘t familiar with all of them or some of the Japanese words, so I googled them. I recognized some of them when I saw the art and⬇️

I wanted to like this book but it wasn‘t the ghostly story I was hoping for, or expecting. Two historical ship, murder, sex trafficking, misogyny of the early 1900s, mental illness, and a slight bit of Irish mythology: these are the elements of this story. I liked the description of the water‘s pull towards the main character‘s death, how it was romanticized. The Gaelige word ‘Dubheasa‘ means ‘dark waterfall‘. Unfortunately, there are no ⬇️

I originally read the sequel first because the library didn‘t have this one. Interesting story of the Kentucky Packhorse Librarians during a time of starvation, miscegenation laws, misogyny and all manner of inequality and inequity at every turn. The Blue Fugates were real people suffering from a blood disorder called ‘methemoglobinemia‘. While the disorder wasn‘t healthy, the greater danger was in ignorance and racism as a reaction to it.

She is not mad. But there is something in her that is hospitable to madness.