This was the first week of “summer hours” at work, so I have Friday off! Enjoying this book (which I started on audio but switched to print) alongside an iced crafted press and an asiago bagel with garden veggie cream cheese 🥯 before running errands (getting cat food, picking up a prescription).

This book is definitely a vibe - it‘s a story about ghost stories and the hold they have over us. We never see what actually happens - just the retellings (or remakings!), first as a campfire tale, then a low budget 1970s horror, then a 1990s meta-horror remake, and finally a podcast. These stories are all by men, about women and the novel is secondarily about how men control women‘s stories. Thought provoking with spooky vibes.

“Amber‘s temple met sandstone. Shards of white-hot stars pierced her field of vision, like light from a projector burning through a snagged filmstrip, bubbling and distorting and chewing through the quivering celluloid until a black hole burst open and swallowed her, leaving behind nothing but darkness.”

Scrambled eggs for dinner 🥚

“Leilah kissed Aleisha gently on her face and wandered upstairs without looking back. The book was still open in Aleisha‘s hands, but she couldn‘t read the words any longer. The plastic cover was hot and soft under her fingertips. She wanted to remember this moment, the warmth of it, and how a terrifyingly unpredictable tiger and a boy could create this magic beyond the pages.”

“He‘d long since given up driving. His daughters had seen to that.”

This is narrative history at its best - a thrilling historical narrative about a specific/narrow event (the self-emancipation of Ellen and William Craft and the years following as they dealt with the effects) with some deep dives into the broader historical background (slavery, the Compromise of 1850/new Fugitive Slave Law, abolition movements) with both the micro and macro narratives illuminating each other.

Took myself out for brunch (vanilla latte and egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit) along with my cookbook to plan what I‘m making my mom for Mother‘s Day.

1. I turned in my last assignment for my MLIS!
2. Crohn‘s symptoms have improved enough that my GI says I can stay on my current medication!
3. Trip to Des Moines for the MAC conference went well.
4. April, as always, is the best cat (My opinion is *very* biased).
5. Listening to the tagged book on audio (so interesting) and talking to my mom about books.
#5JoysFriday

Was in Des Moines for an archives conference earlier this week. Took a break for a walk on the one day with nice weather and went to this cute little bookstore! I picked up the tagged book and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, plus a postcard with this cute bear on it that says “Read Together Des Moines”

Taking a brief break from grad school to get back to this book while have a latte and an egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit. This cafe has long communal tables and the other woman at the table asked me how the book was, told me about what she‘s been reading (The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama), and then invited me to check out the local library‘s book club! So fun meeting a bookworm in the wild!

Approximately two and a half weeks left of grad school. Fueling up while reading about disseminating research.

“One possibility in this respect, something that is available even to small-scale projects, is to identify key target groups for whom the findings of the research will have practical utility. This is where terms like ‘user group involvement‘, ‘community participation‘, and‘stakeholder engagement‘ come into play.”

Took a little walk. Had a free small drink coupon, so I got a mocha with an extra shot. Also having a carmeliscious cake bite 😋 Love the print with the bone dog on the endpapers!

Caught up with grad school enough to spend some time with a library book. Happy National Cold Brew Day!

This was just the popcorn thriller that my in-my-last-month-of-grad-school-brain (me right now: 🫠) that I needed for the few relaxed moments I have. Definitely kept me turning pages and the ending was satisfying. Very timely topic, too!

A copy of Little Women for my mom for Mother‘s Day (I don‘t think she‘s ever read it??? But we saw the Greta Gerwig version in theaters together when it came out) and a couple for my own pile because 🤷🏻‍♀️ #bookhaul

“The Hacker hesitated before he replied. ‘Perhaps the reasoning behind today‘s actions might sound better coming from Jack. Because everything that has happened today is because of him.‘”

“‘As with your inquests, the full disclosure can be an inconvenience when a decision needs to be made. Am I wrong, Jack?‘”

Final item from my book bundle from Arabelle! Will be so interesting to read Le Guin‘s take on the writing craft.

Another title from my book bundle from Arabelle Sicardi. Seems like a great resource living with/through hard times.

One of my favorite writers/bloggers (Arabelle Sicardi) has started offering curated book bundles, so I ordered one as a treat for myself and to support their work. I said I was interested in disability studies, and they hit it out of the park with this recommendation. Already dipping in and out of this as my cat snuggles with me.

“The MAS [Master of Archival Studies at the University of British Columbia] program is designed to nurture a distinctive disciplinary and professional identity while fostering alliances with other disciplines, partnerships with other departments and faculties at home and in other universities worldwide, and collaboration with other professions. The prestige it has acquired over the years has proven the validity of such an approach.”

“She absent-mindedly twisted a silver ring around her finger over and over again until his clip finally began to play. The Hacker called him Jude and when he replied, she listened intently to his voice. ‘Who is this and how did you get my number?‘ he asked. It was the confirmation she needed and dreaded in equal measure.”

“As a matter of fact, ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallace test are both for situations where groups being compared are not related, the more commonly encountered situation. If the groups are related, then we should use repeated measure ANOVA instead of the ordinary ANOVA discussed in this book, and the Friedman test instead of the Kruskal-Wallis test. These tests are not usually covered in basic statistics books.”

“Many research questions are oriented to discovering whether there is a relationship between two variables and, if there is, how strong that relationship is. Even more to the point, the question is likely to be focused on whether one variable, in some sense, causes the other. Although the statistical methods of correlation cannot directly address this later question, they can provide evidence of a relationship between two variables.”

“. . . no matter what statistical decisions we make about the null hypothesis, there is always a chance of error. This is understandable because we never know the absolute truth of the population-if we knew, there would be no need to do a statistical test. All we are doing in inferential statistics is to estimate the population based on a sample by employing knowledge of probability theory.”

Enjoying an americano and an egg and cheese sandwich for lunch with my book before watching the women‘s basketball final later (Go Iowa!). It‘s busy here, but I love how many people I see reading! The woman next to me has her kindle, and I‘ve seen people reading 1776 and Murtaugh by Christopher Paolini.

I‘m caught up on my grad school work for the time being, so spending some time with a new book, an iced honey lavender latte, and an asiago bagel with garden veggie cream cheese 🥯 🍯 📖

“House of Lords votes unanimously in favour of driverless vehicles on British roads within five years. Ban on non-autonomous vehicles expected within a decade.”

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

I‘m once again on prednisone, so needed some sour Warheads to cover the taste. I‘ll lick this Crohn‘s flare eventually 🫠 Just felt right to throw a couple books into the Amazon order as a little treat #TreatYoSelf #BookHaul
I think both of these are #BlameItOnLitsy

“When using participant observation you should feel confident about answering ‘yes‘ to the following questions:
1 Does the research focus on getting insights to events, cultures and lifestyles?
2 Have measures been taken to minimize any disturbance to the naturalness of the setting?
3 Has consideration been given to the ethics of the fieldwork (secrecy, consent, confidentiality)?”

“The use of evidence gathered directly from preexisting documents or artifacts can greatly strengthen a study. In an appropriate sample can be gathered, this nonreactive approach to data collection can allow the researcher to see some aspects of a situation that could not be detected through more intrusive data collection methods such as interviews or questionnaires.”

“Let me say: Perhaps we could have acted otherwise than to convict if we saw some humanity in the defendant. If it were simply that she had strayed, but wanted to return to our loving fold. If she showed some penance. Some emotion. Some consideration. Have we seen a single tear from Frau Kepler? We have not. We say to her, Kath-chen - for some of us have known her since she was a girl - can‘t you show us something of your heart?”

Starting a new book (recommended by my mom) while enjoying a latte and caprese egg sandwich 😋

After coffee/lunch/grad school work, it was still early and quite nice out, so I supported my local economy (aka shopping 🛍️). Found a nice Library of America edition of the Little Women novels, a gnome print from a local artist, a t-shirt (Single & Ready to Stay Single 😆) and 🍩 sticker, some notepads from a cute new stationary place, and a couple👖 from my favorite consignment shop.

I knew a tiny bit about the fall of Communism in Romania before reading this, but this novel really gives you the sense of what it was like. It‘s a real thriller, too!

“Romanians were joining in hand and heart. And together they were finally calling-
For freedom.”

“Focus groups can be a good choice for data collection if you believe that value will be obtained in the participants‘ interactions with each other, rather than through individuals responding to questions from you, the researcher. As several of the authors cited in this chapter have argued, people form their opinions in a social/group setting. Focus groups are not an ideal data collection method for every situation . . .”

“When conducting a focus group, take group dynamics into account. Whenever you gather two or more people into a single interview, these individuals will rarely act as true equals. Some participants are likely to dominate the conversation. Others may be reluctant to express their views, perhaps because they‘re shy or feel uncertain about the validity of their perspective.”

Back to the grind - grilled cheese and cafe au lait for lunch while I do some reading for grad school (on surveys)

Apparently today is National Cake Pop Day, so I got a cake pop along with my latte and asiago cheese bagel with garden veggie cream cheese.

Enjoying the last weekend of my spring break from grad school before the final push. Starting this book with an egg and cheese bagel and some coffee. This afternoon will be spent watching women‘s basketball (go Hawkeyes!)

“He had a leather jacket, a Walkman, Air Jordans, and something else.
Intel.
Dan Van Dorn knew he was under surveillance.”

“Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville

“The Immortals” by Jorge Luis Borges

“Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway

And an honorable mention to “Super Human” by Nicola Yoon from the collection Fresh Ink that I recently read

A solid anthology of YA stories. Diverse in representation (racial/ethnic and LGBTQIA+) and spanning multiple genres (contemporary, historical fiction, sff, plus a graphic story and a play). Nicola Yoon‘s story, which closes the book, is the standout.

Soft pick. Glad I read it now, as I emerge from a long period of wintering, rather than in the thick of it. As such, I could relate to much of her perspective. It‘s more of a philosophical meditation than a memoir/self-help book/manifesto (though bits of those as well), which is good for reflection but also means that it feels so removed at times from the actual meat of suffering, which can give it an air of annoying privilege.

Enjoying a relaxed Sunday morning (ok, technically it‘s afternoon now) by starting a new book and having a latte and egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit.

A soft pick. Entertaining enough for me to want to finish, but I don‘t think it‘ll stick with me. I liked the chapters about Peyote Trip and “hell as a bad office job” (it‘d be a good sitcom), but the more serious storylines (the Harrison‘s, Cal‘s backstory) didn‘t work as well for me and as a whole it didn‘t completely coalesce. But it‘s a first novel! There is enough promise here that I would read what Lux writes next.

“I watched Mickey gather the contents back up, putting each item back as she had found it. She ran the sharp edge of the razor along her thumb for just an instant before snapping the tin shut.”