Well, I can now say for myself that I do not think Fredia McFadden is worth the hype...

Another month where I primarily went for books that were emotional, reflective, and dark. 😂

July was likely my last good reading month for the year. I go back to school on Tuesday to set up, and I have kids in class next Wednesday. At that point, the brain goes into teacher mode and I just cannot find the time or energy for this much pleasure reading. I'll keep trying, though.

This one is starting off very strong!

Today's book haul from the library sale! I tried to set it all out so I could see everything at once, but it took up our entire dining table. 😅📚

Ahh, the controlled chaos of our living room on any given night.
📚📖🐶☕️

And of course, I perused the book nook and came away with a good haul from there as well. 🤓📚

Mid-week library trip! I don't remember who recommended the top one to me. I had to see what the Freida McFadden hype was about, and Orbital is the first book is Stephen Colbert's book club. I'm still so upset about his show being canceled.

Getting a bit of a late start to my reading morning. My husband and I slept in & took our time getting up. We finally decide to take the dogs out and within 2 minutes, a minivan come speeding up the side street near our house, flips, and plows into the old folks home across the street from us. We saw the whole thing & have been talking to officers & neighbors all morning. It's a very active street, thankfully nobody was hurt. Driver was drunk. 😳

This was definitely...strange. I wanted to like it more than I did. It got very tedious and unbelievable, and I found it hard to finish. That said, I was really interested in the idea of the drawings mixed into the storyline. The amount of charts and tables as the book went on got a bit annoying to deal with, though.

Today's library haul!

I picked up this book to get some new ideas for the upcoming school year. It has some good advice and tips that I plan to implement, but when I Googled the author to find his Pengiun blog, I found that he was fired from his district for old allegations of sexual misconduct. He started a class action suit against the district for firing teachers who were close to retirement to save on benefits, but that's kind of leaving me with a bad taste now. 😐

I picked up this book because I follow the author on TikTok for her cult education series, but I had no idea she'd survived years of abuse in Children of God under David Berg. This book gets into all the nitty gritty details, so all the trigger warnings if you choose to pick it up.

She's on TikTok as knitting.cult.lady if anyone is interested in that!

I got two more bookshelves set up and thought it would be enough to hold all of my books that have been on the floor or double-stacked...nope. The rest of the living room is a hot mess. Low key, I think I started hoarding books even more since the current regime took over because part of me is scared of them becoming unavailable. So, no regrets, I love my collection, I just need even more shelves now...

Sent husband to store for bread with dinner, he comes back with maple donuts too. Not mad about it. 🤤

Since moving to Nebraska, I've heard a lot about Willa Cather. It's taken me this long to pick up a book of hers and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well-written and enjoyable it was to read.

Also, I finished building my wall of book cases in the dining room! Ignore the unfinished wall. We STILL haven't decided on a paint color for the room and I know the consequence is having to move all these shelves again. 😐

Here are the books that I bought from the book nook! 📚🤍

Today's library haul! I guess I'm in the mood for short stories and empathetic AI bots. 😂

I'm looking forward to this one. In June, Lucas and I found ourselves in Salem, MA and he asked if I wanted to check out a psychic on some random street corner that we walked past. I told him there was no way because I'd put too much stock into whatever they told me, good or bad. I'd 100% become Frances from this book who is told she'll be murdered then spends the next 60 years taking notes on anyone she meets just in case they kill her. 😅😂

This is such a gorgeous book. I melted a little when Rin said they crafted a harp from the space between seven stars and wove the strings from their lights for Esther. Like WHAT?! 🫠

This was a beautifully illustrated memoir that dives into the reality of living in a world that was created without you in mind. A world that doesn't care to understand or accommodate your pain in a way that makes any sense at all. The wonderful feeling when you're surrounded by people who help lift the burden and discover life's small joys with you.

Today has been a so good. I saw my friend at her farmer's market stand and got some lovely produce. My district's surplus building just happened to have the exact classroom furniture I wanted. The parking meter outside the library had an hour left when I pulled up. The 2nd & 3rd Murderbot books were ready for me even though I checked this morning and had a week left on the hold. The crazy part is, I almost didn't want to leave the house today. ☀️

I love a good, world-view-expanding book of essays, and this is one that I can't believe I haven't picked up yet. Every time I finish an essay, I go listen to the album or artist he wrote about.

This is such a surprisingly sweet story told by Murderbot, a Security Unit who hacked his own system so he could no longer be a killer. He just wants to be left alone to watch his soap operas until shit hits the fan on a distant, unmapped planet. How far will he go to protect his humans and not repeat past mistakes all while maintaining his cover?

I'm already eagerly waiting the next books from the library! 🤓

This week's library haul! Starting with All Systems Red 🤖

This *might* be my favorite Toni Morrison so far...I just read 1/3 of the book without stopping.

Sorry for the "feet pic"! Lol I had to spend my FSA money before the end of the month or lose it all, so I decided to get myself a foot massager (also three pairs of new glasses, but I don't have those yet to show off). Anyway, I'm enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning with a new book and surprisingly good massage. I may not leave this spot for a while. ?

What a strange and lovely book. 💜

I downloaded the ebook of this one after seeing Halsey post about it. 🤓 I also started following the publisher on Instagram (Two Dollar Radio). It looks like they've put out some really good books!

My yard has turned into an absolute JUNGLE this summer. I've never seen the ivy come up onto the porch before...oops. 😅 I'll deal with it this weekend, but it's also kind of a vibe?

I started this book this morning and it's super weird. A man starts morphing into a shark within the first few pages. I'm intrigued enough to keep going, but definitely unlike anything I've read before.

I think we're in for a pretty massive storm tonight! I got the dogs all settled in, and now we're hunkering down in the bedroom with a good book and a bag of nerds clusters (bc why not 😂).

I'm a few chapters into this book and I'm really enjoying it. I LOVED Becky Chambers' novellas (Monk & Robot), and I'm hoping for some more of that contemplative world building with this series.

Library haul! I bought the stack on the left for $5, and borrowed the stack on the right. 😁

The men in this book are so infuriating. 😭😭

Diving into the only Sally Rooney book that I haven't read yet!

Any Gracie Abrams fans on here? This book feels like listening to "I Love You, I'm Sorry". The angry live version, specifically.

Obviously I am a BIG mood reader. 😂

Status update on my reading goal now that we're halfway through the year. Not bad...I think I can do it!

What other authors could you recommend similar to Coco Mellors? I've read her only two books and loved both of them. Her style reminded me of Ottessa Moshfegh, but if you know of anyone else who writes gritty, complicated, but lovable characters, please let me know!

Finally home for good! We've been traveling for nearly a month and I am wiped out. Literally an hour out from our house yesterday, my phone suddenly gave me a blue screen of death and I can't get it to turn back on. I think I lost all of my vacation photos. 😭 I reached out to the company for help but all I can do now is chill out and read a good book while I wait to hear back because otherwise I'll just make myself sad lol.

Yep, this book is worth the hype. I'm so invested in every sister's storyline; they're all complicated, ugly-truth-telling, loyal 'til it hurts women who don't realize how similar their hidden lives are to one another. The best book I've read to capture the reality of a sisterhood that isn't picture perfect, but actually kind of toxic and painful despite the indescribable bond that will always exist.

To read or to boop the snoot, that is the question.

Evening porch vibes 🤍 I'm already a good bit into Elatsoe and I'm enjoying it. I have Blue Sisters on standby in case I feel like switching it up.

The temperature outside finally got to a point where I can breathe, literally. It was so hot when I ran errands earlier that I was worried about flaring up, but a nice breeze is rolling in now, and the fireflies are dancing around the yard.

This may be my new favorite comfort book. A monk in search of something unknown even to themself bumps into a robot in search of understanding the meaning of humanity. Deep in the reclaimed wild, these two forge a bond that only deepens as the monk then guides the robot around human civilizations. It's like a balm for the soul and a love letter to nature. I wonder if the author was inspired at all by Mary Oliver.

Today's library haul! Which one should I start with? I'm leaning toward Elatsoe since I've already been into a lot of magical stories lately.

I've read three books this year with cozy, minimalist, earthy treehouse villages, and I think I'm dying to move into one. 🌳

The books were Ship of Destiny - Robin Hobb, The Light Pirate - Lily Brooks Dalton, and of course, this one.

This book is unique because I didn't cry while reading it, but I started crying later when I was thinking about it. It's a beautifully done magical realism about hard choices made in circumstances you didn't ask for. You're forced to think about what matters and who your village is. I've also never read such a vivid post-apocalyptic world.

I brought some library books to Chicago with me, but I finished both of them in the car ride over. I went walking in search of a new book for the drive home and ended up getting absolutely lost in after-words bookstore for like 3 hours. They have every book you could ever want and I love how it's set up. This is what I got!

When I checked this book out, the librarian said, "Where did you find that? I can't believe we have a copy in!" Then she realized it was my hold I'd gotten from the holds shelf. ? Two chapters in and I can see why my library has over 20 copies in circulation with a 10+ week wait on holds. I'm immediately hooked!

Seemed like an apt time for a re-read of this book. I read it as a junior in high school, and I have a feeling that I'll grasp the political nuance a lot better this time around.