If you're looking for a magnificent earworm, look no further than the theme song for the National Aerobic Championship by Ty Parr. Check out the link for a delightful splash of late 80's gold! 😅

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvMrCEJoAd8

#tuesdaytunes

#litsyblooddrive

Are you eligible to donate blood? Here is a quick breakdown of the basics. You can check with your local donate center to get additional information, including the medication deferral list. There are regular changes (within the last couple years they made it easier for LGBT donors and shortened the tattoo/piercing waiting period).

If you are unable to make a blood donation, please consider other ways to get involved: ⤵️

Borrowed through the Queer Liberation Library

Mara Wilson provides a great narration for this gay conversion camp mystery/thriller. Good representation of the queer spectrum and the religious spectrum. A little on the wordy side at times, so I could see the text getting a little tedious/repetitive, but I really enjoyed Wilson's reading.

A silly crossover that does a great job blending the two words. Very fun. Classic Archie art.

Just watched Concrete Cowboy on Netflix, based on the novel Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri. An excellent film featuring Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club in North Philadelphia. Jharrel Jerome never ceases to impress, and Caleb McLaughlin takes a big step out of the shadow of his Stranger Things role.
Has anyone read any history books on black cowboys? I'd love to learn more about the culture Fletcher Street is working to preserve.

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

Three soundtracks off the top of my head 😁

Honorable mentions:
The Greatest Showman
The Big Chill
Pulp Fiction

I haven't been able to really dig into this yet, but I am so happy Glen and Marketa have reconnected to release more music. The couple songs I've heard are delightful. I have such great memories of seeing them around the release of their movie Once.

#tuesdaytunes

Happy International Non-Binary People's Day 💛🤍💜🖤

Reminder: The first #litsyblooddrive is taking place on August 9. Schedule your donations on or around that date, or see the previous post for more ways to get involved.

Who needs blood?
1. Cancer: Patients use more than 1/4 of the US blood supply
2. Maternity: 1 in 83 deliveries require transfusions
3. Pediatrics and neonatal
4. Sickle Cell Disease
5. Trauma: 80% of ER deaths and 50% of deaths from injuries are due to severe blood loss.

I won a giveaway through Kate Moore's newsletter for this new release from Susannah Cahalan! I have a couple library borrows I'm starting, but this will go on my list for August 🙂

I'm a fan of V E., and though I don't read a lot of vampire books, but I really enjoyed this. Spanning miles and centuries, the damaged lives of a trio of "toxic lesbian vampires" are explored in brutal, gory, and sapphic detail. While on the slower side, I enjoyed the journey, and the time jumps and switching between characters' POVs, which have been peeves of mine recently, were paced well.

This was a really sweet memoir about living as a black man, discovering his sexuality, moving past trauma, and embracing love and life.

Ozzy Osbourne, who has been living with Parkinson's for the past 5 years, threw a farewell concert this weekend, reuniting with the original lineup of Black Sabbath for the first time in 20 years. I was not exactly the target audience, and while the musicians were technically incredible, it just wasn't fun to watch, IMO. But his legacy was cemented long ago!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhCoNSWTFXM

#tuesdaytunes

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

BookSpin: King of Ashes
DoubleSpin: Fairy Tale

I'm not even trying for a bingo this month 😅 I might also push the double spin to next month, but we'll see how it goes 😋 Still waiting for King of Ashes to arrive at the library...

This year, I am hosting the first Litsy blood drive 🩸 Whether you are a seasoned pro or new to the game, I welcome you to schedule a donation on or around August 9. Not everyone is eligible or willing to donate, so I've listed a couple other ways to participate. Please help spread the word with #litsyblooddrive
Are you a potential first time donor and feeling apprehensive? Feel free to comment below with your questions or comments 👇 ♥️

"There is no trace of fear around him, and it rankles her. That despite the look of her, he is so certain of his safety, convinced she is the damsel, not the danger." ?☠️

I was flying all day Tuesday and missed #tuesdaytunes

I had thought about posting a song reflective of my feelings towards today, but instead, I'm choosing joy and sharing this amazing performance from the Scissor Sisters at Glastonbury this year. The future is joy, freedom, and love

https://youtu.be/UJ84Z5AmaEU

A double-dose of King, a sci-fi classic, and a few comics. Not bad considering two loaded vacations and my own mental processes returning from one and preparing for the next.

#5joysfriday @DebinHawaii

1. Spending time with family in Philadelphia. We saw them almost everyday of the trip
2. Spending a week away from home with my wife
3. Adult arcades with full bars
4. PORK ROLL!
5. Being shown so much love by my older niece and finally getting to meet my 4 year old niece. I wasn't sure how they'd react (Hadlee was 5 when I last saw her), but it was great.

ALA 2025 haul! My wife went for work, and I got a ticket for the last day for myself. We got to see Joe Hill speak and attended an Author Gala tea event that included Mary Roach, Sarah Penner, and Kiran Desai. Things were pretty well picked over by the last day, but I'm happy with what I got and it was a fun day with @WildAlaskaBibliophile

I knew nothing about this going in and I loved it! A straight thriller with wonderful characters and great story. 5 ⭐ narration, very refreshing after the soulless narration by Franco on Dead Zone
#losersclub #constantreader

Flying home today! More posts tomorrow about the event, but I wanted to make sure to get my #bookspin post done 😁
@TheAromaofBooks

Listened to a great chat with Joe Hill. He shared some great stories about his career, his new book, and gave some hints for his upcoming work. He said starting with King Sorrow, he is aiming for a book a year for the next ten years!

I had bought the second book at a used book store, but I'll be donating after having finished book one...

It wasn't necessarily bad, but I think the character in the cultural zeitgeist has outgrown the original story. You probably know all you want to know about Tarzan without reading this and spoiling your mental image. Overly long, pretty racist, way too many mentions of sinew, and a depressing ending took away from the overall enjoyment.

"D-Day" by Rachel Khong imagines that God is sick of humanity, and gives everyone a month to decide what animal they want to become. It's been a while since I've listened to the Selected Shorts podcast, and this was a delightful story to come back to!

Audio: Selected Shorts podcast "The New You" 6/19/25

Or read online: https://www.guernicamag.com/d-day/

My wife and I are traveling to Philadelphia this week. She is attending ALA '25, and I'm tagging along to see family and friends. The heat wave will hopefully break before we arrive, but it's been a while since I've had to deal with east coast humidity. It'll be a short, busy trip, but I'm excited 😀 🥨🔔

#tuesdaytunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHh6TWfwRRM

An excellent, effective conclusion to a great series. Brubaker never ceases to amaze me. This story was good, but nothing too special until this volume. It gets absolutely bonkers, but still feels like it is exactly the way the story was meant to unfold, if that makes sense. The artists really get a chance to flex as well.
Available digitally, name your price at http://panelsyndicate.com/comics/friday

After the disgusting, multipronged assault on LGBT lives by the tangerine terror's cronies this morning, I spent my lunch break in a nearby park where the library has a story walk. This was a cute picture book about emotions, and, bonus, there was no orange in it 😉 😩

HOTLINES:
Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386
Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
BlackLine: 1-800-604-5841

RESOURCES:
HRC.IM/FAQ
THETREVORPROJECT.ORG
TRANSLIFELINE.ORG
CALLBLACKLINE.COM

#tuesdaytunes

I just finished You Like It Darker this weekend, so here is the inspiration for the title, Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker 😎

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD6fvzGIBfQ

My favorite part of reading this was during “Rattlesnakes“: one line after thinking of the Tell-Tale Heart, Vic says “this isn't the Tell-Tale Pram.“ ? Some stories in this collection were obviously less developed, but I can't say I disliked any of them. “The Answer Man“ and “Danny Coughlin“ were absolutely brilliant, “The Fifth Step“ got a good laugh out of me at the end. Themes of luck (or lack-there-of), destiny, and aging. #constantreader

Books and brews for @WildAlaskaBibliophile's birthday🎂🎈
We had a nice breakfast at a new-to-us diner, then sipped some beer and read at a local brewery. We would have liked to have gone home after that, but adulting demands errands be run 🤷😢

Trans punk rock singer-guitarist Laura Jane Grace dropped a new single, “Wearing Black.“ Grace is notable for being one of the first highly visible punk rock musicians to publicly come out as transgender, which she did in May 2012.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohBymqYJ2pk

The video is borderline NSFW, but I couldn't help thinking while watching, “I bet this is what conservatives picture every pride events looks like“ 🤣🤣🤣

#pridemonth

Two immortal assassins from a dystopian future are trapped in endless battle. Each time one of them kills someone, they are transported together to a different time and place. Can they put aside their differences long enough to save humanity, or will their violent nature lock them in a cyclical pattern of death? Lee Bermejo is possible my favorite artist working today, and he gets to flex some serious skill in this wild, stimulating thriller.

Jedi Knight Mace Windu gets involved with a smuggler who claims to have the formula for a new, improved Coaxium hyperdrive fuel. Decent art and a good start, but too many hanging threads to really recommend. If they continue the series, there are some interesting places the story can go, especially with his grim, suspicious demeanor in the movies contrasting with this more loose and open portrayal.

@WildAlaskaBibliophile and I took a very exciting, much needed vacation this past weekend to Talkeetna, AK, which included a train ride, boat trip, and plane tour. It has been a stressful winter, with the Alaskan darkness, work/pet issues, and the Tangerine terror. I was very grateful to get away for a bit with my favorite person.

Happy Release Day to V E. Schwab! I was hoping to get King of Ashes today as well from the library, but it's not in yet. Oh well, it'll give me time to finish You Like It Darker 😁

R.I.P. Sly Stone

"We've got to live together." #tuesdaytunes

https://youtu.be/lkFjRk4jKOo

I really enjoyed this classic sci-fi novel. I've seen the movie a few times, but I really want to rewatch it now to compare.

I don't know what happened at the printer, but every third page has this perforation down the length of the page. Weird...

It took a couple phone calls and fortuitous timing, but we were able to visit Northern Nights Book Company on our last day in Talkeetna. The owner hadn't opened earlier this season because the weather has been quite rainy and the trailer can get humid. Bought a couple titles from Alaskan authors based on her recommendations!

Little Free Library spotted in Talkeetna, AK

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @theAromaofBooks

Really enjoyed this band when they played a show at my college. An alt rock band with a prominent saxophone. Apparently pretty popular at their peak in Boston, Averi released two albums, which I still own 😁 The lead singer left to pursue a solo career, and while they tried to carry on, the group eventually disbanded.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3RSrpI1JNnKmaTvBsjpd1w?si=hCA026bkTjuta78ONce_eQ

#tuesdaytunes

A murder mystery in the Halls of the Dead?! Um, yes please!

Releasing 1.6.26

I selected this book for The Storygraph's genre challenge. It is a great introduction to the struggles of indigenous people throughout the history of the United States. It is especially important to recognize their fight as our government continues to ignore their sovereignty, as evidenced by the recent Supreme Court ruling for greed over non-Christian religious freedom.

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

We have a couple trips planned for June, so I likely won't read everything I'd like to, but I am excited for V.E. Schwab's new book, as well as S.A. Cosby's.

I had been listening to this as background noise, and realized that I have zero interest in the plot. Cal is an emotionally immature, whiny punk, instead of a budding, confident Jedi. Merrin is an insecure, pining schoolgirl, instead of a powerful, self-assured Nightsister with whom trust needs to be earned. And the whole thing is weirdly horny; not that romance is not welcome, but it is too much a focus for how poorly it is developed.

The Wild Man of Greenhollow lives a quiet life in the woods until a researcher enters his domain and upends his life of quiet seclusion. A slow reveal of an interesting history, soft romantic tension, and a wild second act make for an excellent novella with plenty of green magic.

My mom is a Muppets fan for life, so I grew up loving them. I recently started watching the new(-ish) series on Disney+, The Muppets Mayhem, and it is a delight! Animal is one of my top 3 Muppets, and I especially love him in this series. I couldn't deny #tuesdaytunes followers the original hippy dippy jam from The Muppet Movie ✌️

https://youtu.be/XoKFBjd5-F8

It's hard not to root for Nick and Charlie, even when they are acting like children. This novella deals with a pretty big fight. It was also written before graphic novels as a Solitude novella. I'm not sure if it was tweaked at all before being reissued as a Heartstopper novella, but I appreciated the drawing sprinkled throughout.