I just found out our local Planned Parenthood is closing. The nearest one will now be 3.5 hours away in WI. If one wants to stay within the state of MI (because state law differences), it's 5+ hours. I want to spit nails. That is where I got all of my healthcare in my 20s before I could afford insurance. I was already planning to march on Saturday, but I now have a lot more rage to fuel it.

I can't possibly pick favorites from this list. So random thoughts, instead:

🩵 Up is my favorite movie ever. It warms my icy heart. I cry 3 times during it to this day.
🩵 Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of my favorite actors. I'm so sad he died so young.
🩵 When Pulp Fiction came out, our local art theatre showed it during their Oscar series, and a bunch of elderly ladies who were regulars walked out in disgust. 🤣🫠

#threelistthursday @dabbe

#dynamicds #doorway
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#poetrymatters #warbler
@thespineview

#poetrymatters #war
@thespineview

#dynamicds #doublelettertitle
@eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

WOW! What a book. The language is beautifully evocative. It's reflective and thoughtful. It's heartbreakingly human. I am saddened that it isn't a better-known book. I still have more research to do, but I saw a blog that suggested that Johnson "faded" into obscurity because of the inherent politics in her writing. The book does seem that it was ahead of its time, so I can see that being a factor. Plus, she was a woman.

Read this book.

I haven't read this, but I'm intrigued.
#dynamicds #detective
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#poetrymatters #wanton
@TheSpineView

This was riveting coming-of-age story about an unnamed girl set in 17th century Persia. The historical and cultural aspects were fascinating. I appreciated how folktales were woven into the story and how the plot somewhat mirrored the style of those folktales. The descriptions of Persian carpets were so beautiful; they made the art come to life.

This pairs well with the nonfiction book I'm reading about Iran's history.

#coverstories #prison
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This was a good list! It was hard to pick favorites. I picked these because of good memories of watching them with friends in high school.
🩵 Broadcast News (I really like Albert Brooks, btw)
🩵 Dr. Strangelove
🩵 Barry Lyndon
One that I can't believe I still haven't seen:
🩵 M.A.S.H.

Thanks for the tag, @Eggs

#TLT #threelistthursday @dabbe

#coverstories #lake
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I did not realize how very timely this banned book journal would end up being. I thought I would share with the #withthebanned crew in case they wanted to track their reading. It contains a bunch of information on book bans and how to fight them.

The author owns Bettie's Pages, a bookstore in Lowell, MI. I try to support the store with online orders because a bookstore like hers is much needed in that area of the state.

www.bettiespages.com

This play was so popular when I was in forensics in high school. It was THE choice for Dramatic Duets. I've also seen it performed in full several times. But never with any of the pictured stars. I would have loved to see Alan Alda and Candice Bergen.

#coverstories #letters
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I've been in a bit of a musical rut lately, but I have found myself gravitating towards early Tom Waits lately. Ol' 55 is one of those perfect songs. And San Diego Serenade just speaks to me.

https://tidal.com/track/121047818?u

https://tidal.com/track/121047900?u

#tuesdaytunes @TieDyeDude

💙 Inner peace? What's that? 😂 Just kidding (mostly). I like to go out in the woods and get lost among the trees when I need some peace.
💙 Leaves of Grass never fails to soothe my spirit.

@thespineview

#coverstories #waves
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#coverstories #clock
@eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#coverstories #bridge
@eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

So...My cat bit my phone. His tooth hit the screen just right, and of course it stopped working. I had to ship it out for repairs, and have been without it for almost a week. I'm now frustrated by how many things require a code to be sent to your phone in order to use them.

I've been trying to use the litsy website since I don't have access to the app, but it's been so glitchy I haven't been able to post in a while. Technology hates me.

I'm able to post again (for now at least)! I haven't read this book, but I loved the title and the cover. I think I'm going to get it for some of my niblings.

#coverstories #river
@eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I got 25% for this week's #threelistthursday. In high school, I wanted to watch all of the Best Picture winners. I didn't get too far because it was before Netflix, and it was hard to find the older ones at the video store.
💙One of my favorite comfort movies: Roman Holiday
💙One that was filmed near where I live: Anatomy of a Murder
💙One that always reminds me of an old friend: The Hustler
 @dabbe #tlt

#coverstories #chapel
@eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

There's a blizzard today. The list of area closures is so long. Even the Catholics canceled their Ash Wednesday services. And I'm at work, not at home snuggling and reading. It's making me a bit salty.

Wish me luck on the commute home! I'm looking forward to starting Brave Hearted tonight for #riseupreads!

#coverstories #bodypart
@eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#coverstories #largeanimal

@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Take my opinion with a grain of salt: Romance is not a genre I read very often. For whatever reason, I get mad at the characters and start yelling (sometimes aloud) at them. I don't know why I can suspend my disbelief in any other genre but this one.

#riseupreads @catsandbooks

It's been a busy, but rejuvenating week:
1. I went to a rally to stand with Ukraine
2. At #1, I heard about a community organizing event that I attended the next day
3. At #2, I heard about an upcoming mutual aid workshop, which is just what I've been looking for
4. I saw Frigg, a Finnish folk band, in concert
5. I'm going to the symphony tomorrow

Tl;dr: Community and music are healing. 🩵

#5joysfriday @debinhawaii

#sisterlove #feelinthelove

@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

At the suggestion of @TheBookHippie, and for the sake of my mental health, I swapped this out for #withthebanned. It's also a #childrensclassicread2025.
While my experiences in school were not as extreme as in this book, this did bring me right back to my elementary days. I wish I had read this book back then. Blume understands the dynamics of grade school, as well as the herd mentality that bullying often has.

I found this installment of the Shardlake series to be quite timely. In the US, at least, I think many of the themes resonate today, particularly fanaticism and the struggle for power. The uncertainty of the period is also quite familiar.

My one quibble is the repetitive nature of Shardlake's crushes - I'd like to see some fresh plot lines in Shardlake's romantic life.

#shardlakeseriesbr @dabbe

Once I saw today's #feelinthelove prompt, this song got stuck in my head. 🤣
https://youtu.be/h8KDknyNzsw?si=3ysaS-ruhl5ltwza

#lovepotion
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#feelinthelove #illicitloveaffair
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Just feeling this song today, and today's #feelinthelove prompt gave me an excuse to share.

https://youtu.be/VdOkQ6THDVw?si=HiA4s-qUTKjbNXiH

#heart
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#feelinthelove #timelesslove
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I'm a day late, but I couldn't miss the final AP List for #threelistthursday!

6 that had an impact (and all have stories attached)
🩵 The Waste Land
🩵 Things Fall Apart
🩵 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
🩵 The Stranger
🩵 A Separate Peace
🩵 Waiting for Godot

1 Confession:
I've never read To Kill a Mockingbird. Nor have I seen the movie. (I know, I know. On both fronts.)

#tlt @dabbe

#feelinthelove #valentinesday
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

"They burned down the market on the day Vivek Oji died."

#firstlinefridays
@ShyBookOwl

#iykyk
#feelinthelove #lovelost
@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

🩵 I'm going on another lantern lit snowshoe tonight. (Pic from the one I did 2 weeks ago)
🩵 My mom and I are having a girls' day tomorrow - bookstore, yarn shop, library, and lunch
🩵 I got a new humidifier and my dry nose is so happy
🩵 I'm finding my niche in my new social media. Also, I'm finally deleting my dormant meta accounts this weekend!
🩵 MisterinBlue and The Familiars (that should be a band name 😂 )

#5joysfriday @debinhawaii

#feelinthelove #lovequote
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

ICE is in our small town. We usually are pretty isolated, so the community as a whole is confused and scared. Today I'm just sad.

#poetrymatters

This week's #threelistthursday score is 22.

3 that had an impact:
🩵 The Picture of Dorian Gray
🩵 The Poisonwood Bible
🩵 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

3 that have been on the tbr for a really long time:
⏰️Oryx and Crake (since it's release - 22 years)
⏰️M. Butterfly (since 1996-ish, 29 years)
⏰️ Orlando (since college, 24ish years)

1 confession:
I've never read Shakespeare for my own pleasure, only for school. I'd like to change that.

#feelinthelove #steamylove
@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

White liberal feminism has always left a horrible taste in my mouth. This book explains why. Just as no one is free until everyone is free, no woman is empowered until all women are empowered. It is essential reading at this moment in time.

There were things I appreciated about this book. It is a bittersweet coming of age and coming out story. The characters are well developed and interesting. I liked the storyline with the grandmother. However, it did rely on a lot of tropes that didn't quite sit well with me.

This was intimate, beautiful, heartbreaking, brilliant, and painfully honest. Just read it.

This is a brutal, but necessary, read. It is a re-read for me for #withthebanned. It was valuable to read it while also reading Hood Feminism. Pecola is the sort of woman that white feminism often ignores. I appreciate that I get something new from this book on each re-read.

This is a 12 Dancing Princesses retelling that I paired with the original fairy tale for #childrensclassicread2025. It didn't quite live up to my expectations. The first part of the story felt like a different book than the second half. I did enjoy some of the world building, and the horror sequences were done well. The story just needed to be a little more cohesive.

@TheBookHippie