Diving into the writings of Maria Popova this morning for comfort and wisdom. Also found on her site, The Marginalian:

“Autumn poses the question we all have to live with: How to hold on to the things we love even though we know that we and they are dying. How to see the world as it is, yet find light within that truth.” (from Pico Iyer, Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells)

First day back to school today! On Tuesday, I helped lead the orientation for new families. For the last few years, I‘ve had the adults write notes to their students to stick to the back classroom cabinets: What do they hope for their child this year? And/Or Why did they choose our school (since it‘s a charter)? Here are three of so many sweet notes—a little inspiration to the students (and me) on tough days. 💗 #tlt @dabbe #ThreeListThursday

Inspiring! There needs to be more radical street librarians in the world 🥹 https://www.instagram.com/p/DMtFS7NxNYh/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Hello my book loving friends! Can anyone recommend a good picture book that is suitable for sixth graders and deals with kindness? We have a student coming in who has significant special needs, including being nonverbal and working at the kindergarten level. She will have a aide with her, but I want to help facilitate a conversation with the whole class about kindness and inclusion.

My Strand Bookstore haul. Had to keep myself in check since we were flying home cross country 😅

Grabbed a blind book with the clue: A chilly feminist historical fiction. Any guesses on what‘s inside? 😊

We do not care that we haven‘t seen you in a week, just stepped off the plane at 11pm our time (2am the time we are now used to), and love you dearly… If you and your pack of sweet/loud friends (who are all my former students😅) along with the dog are still running around the house like a pack of wild teenage puppies at 2:30am, we are going to come out in our pjs and embarrass you. Now go the f- to sleep 😬 #wdncw

Nice companion piece to our July 2025 #SundayBuddyRead Under a Painted Sky

https://www.pbs.org/show/the-real-wild-west

This could be dangerous… 😅

#SundayBuddyRead I just peeked in the window and ran away 🤭

Made it to the New York Public Library‘s main branch today! 😍 Saw the lions, a Gutenberg Bible (worth about $25million), an original manuscript with editing notes of Giovanni‘s Room…) 💗💗💗

Finally made it to New York for our first Broadway show! Hadestown made me cry (even knowing the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice going in). Talented cast, musicians, staging… gorgeous!

Thank you for the birthday love, @TheBookHippie and @mcctrish (a.k.a. birthday twinsie) 💗 My family is sick of me bragging about how awesome you both are! 🥰

Getting a little book sniffing in between water polo games 😅📚

#wdncw @dabbe

We do not care that we have seen all of the episodes of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel many times. After watching the news lately, we need some Midge and Susie time. It‘s either this or Someone, Somewhere or Ru Paul. . .

Just starting this one for #CampLitsy25 We chose such a strong line up this summer!

I thought I might share a couple of excellent documentaries I‘ve watched this summer that make good companion pieces:

*Enigma: telling the life stories of several famous trans women in Europe whose lives took very different routes: https://youtu.be/QyV0pqwjJXk?si=nQioByyrC8xoK-3A ⬇️

So. Freaking. Good. The Death of the Author has a beautifully layered story (stories within a story). It‘s gorgeous, imaginative, and full of heart. I appreciated its hopeful take on tech and her characters that leap off the page.

Bonus: the B & N hardcover is a stunner. If you love Africanfuturism or just like a good Sci-fi with a ton of heart, this one‘s a must. Go read it! #CampLitsy25

Wait. What?! 😁 Love that the author of the book I just finished noticed my reply to her Insta post. Nnedi Okorafor had just posted that she was recharging in nature and had finished the draft of her next book (squee!).

I loved DotA so much! The positive outlook on technology is a breath of fresh air and her characters are so beautifully crafted they breathe. Plus the hardcover edition is gorgeous! 💗💗💗

For those of you that love this book and/or his show, Somebody Somewhere… A Facebook group member posted this cameo she got from him for her birthday: https://www.cameo.com/recipient/686c4ececf5f4cd74d2da243

Just a lovely person!

From The Marginalia an online site of deeply intelligent literary articles written by Maria Popova💗 If you ever need a thoughtful read from a passionate reader: https://www.themarginalian.org/

We do not care that you are cute. If you keep humping your friend at the dog park while he runs away from you and roll in poop, you are leaving early for a bath… 🤦🏻‍♀️ #WDNCW

My morning audiowalk companion 💗

Enjoying this YA (tagged) set along the Oregon Trail #SundayBuddyRead

Sounds about right to me… 😅

Fast read! Sci-fi cozy mystery with humor, warmth, and flair—I gulped this one down in one day. Love it and can‘t wait for the next installment of Detective Dorothy Gentleman.

Great idea, @dabbe ! I love Melani‘s videos (she makes me laugh— I always have glasses on my head too). Plus reading through what others wrote on Litsy today makes me feel not so alone on this journey. #WDNCW

(Tagged an excellent perimenopause/menopause book I read earlier this year. Highly recommended.)

Page turner! This heartfelt, smart mystery had me up way past my bedtime. McConaghy‘s writing is beautiful. The tension between her characters, the landscape, and the secrets contained in all are absolutely compelling! Can‘t wait to see what #CampLitsy says!

Fast, fun, warm, whimsical read! It‘s like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Mr. Lemoncello‘s Library but the kids are now adults. 😅

Not a fan, but I‘m not the target audience either. It‘s the story of high schooler Christina/Bree as she getting hooked on drugs which changes her life. Written as poetry, listened to it via audiobook, lots of cringe moments, lots of trigger warnings. #WithTheBanned

👏👏👏 You tell him, Captain!

Whether it‘s 1778 or today, no means no. I‘m loving Evelina so much!

Loving this book (audio version on Spotify) so much! It‘s about the women authors that influenced Jane Austen. It might take me a whole year to get through it because after each chapter, I want to go read something from the author she‘s talking about! Fascinating! #ThankYouLitsy for the recommendation!

Made it over to my favorite local bookstore in honor of #IndependentBookstoreDay (/weekend😅). Beers Books motto is “Still No Beer” 😂. Grabbed some fun stuff and a coffee from my favorite local coffee shop. It was wonderful to see both places busy. Hurray! 🎉

(Cosmo, my dog, was mad he didn‘t get to go and tried to take it out on the tote. He got over it with a treat.)

Hurray! It‘s here and thank you, @TheBookHippie 🥰 Can‘t wait to dive in right after I finish Rapture and Melancholy with #SundayBuddyRead 💗📚

Rich family saga spanning 1910-1989. I didn‘t know much about Korea and Japan during this time—so interesting!

Happy World Book Day! Not sure if it‘s a real holiday but loved seeing things like this coloring page on an app. ☮️💗📚

Re-read this for #WithTheBanned and remembered why I loved it so much. Honest, hopeful, and yes it deals with serious stuff in a sincere, thoughtful way. Now I think I need to go re-watch the movie 💗

Books + Pets + Kids + Nature (and repeat)… yep, pretty much sums up my life right now 😅 That was fun!

Congratulations on reaching 200K 😯 @dabbe 🥳 #moodboardcontest/#mbc

📗 I loved The Briar Club (tagged) so much! It features my favorite trope of found family and a wide array of strong, female characters. So good!

📕 I couldn‘t get through Anxious People. I just couldn‘t get into it🤷🏻‍♀️

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Just realized that Art Spiegelman (Maus‘ artist/author) drew Garbage Patch Kids 🤯 Blast from my childhood. Thanks, American Masters on PBS!

https://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/03/art_spiegelman_tells_the_story...

1. Today was a lot. Just put away my computer and tomorrow is looking to be more intense (6 hours of being on an interview panel for a new principal after 4 hours of teaching—ugh).
2. I find most affirmations cheesy, but many of my students love them. Whatever works to get ya through the day🤷🏻‍♀️ My fav: It‘ll be good. It‘ll be great. It‘ll be over.
@Kerrbearlib #MentalHealthMonday

Joining my voice to the choir singing this historical fiction book‘s praises. Sixty percent in and loving all the quirky, found family vibes of this boarding house of women circa 1950‘s DC. It‘s making me need to go watch A League of Their Own (maybe Fried Green Tomatoes) too⚾️😭💗

#LiteraryCrew

This quote summed up perfectly how I‘m feeling this weekend. 😅🤧 Gotta love Edna St. Vincent Millay #SundayBuddyRead

“Nearly 400 volumes were removed from the academy‘s library this week after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s office ordered it to remove books that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.” 😢

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna200012

Can‘t wait to see it! Sadly, it is more relevant now than ever. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/art-spiegelman-documentary/35215/

Proceeds go to American Library Association (at least that‘s how I‘m justifying this cozy impulse buy😅). They have tote bags too… #BookNerd 📚🤓 https://plotthreadsshop.com/collections/libby-collection/

I have only seen 23. 😬 So many had such high Rotten Tomatoes scores, I need to check some more of them out! Adding to my list. 😅I feel like films like Taxi and Network are important ones that most everyone has seen. Tess intrigues me too because I love historical dramas, and I‘m thinking it may be based on the tagged novel. Thanks, @dabbe ! #TLT

Can‘t believe it was already available. 😱 Snagged on Hoopla! Feel like I won the lotto! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻

@DebinHawaii #JoysFriday

1. Successfully led an art museum field trip for 100 6th graders + parents—Whew! 🙌
2. Hearing students spot art they recognized from class as if it was a celebrity (There‘s the Kehinde Wiley! There‘s the ceramics I did my project on!) 😎
3. Going to visit my daughter at college today 🚙💨
4. Random three day weekend 👏👏
5. #SundayBuddyRead on Litsy 🥰

Happy World Poetry Day!

Happy Spring, everyone!

My #SpringCardSwap is in the mail! 💌🌸🌺🌷🌼

Time for an audiowalk before the pre-spring showers get going here! 💗

Three different countries and time periods for me this weekend. 😊

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain