I wanted to like this story of a family and a treasured heirloom‘s place in the family‘s history that stretched across centuries, generations and geography. But the way the story was told was meandering and disjointed, with multiple POVs that sometimes went off tangent or seemed superfluous to the narrative arc.

Jill, thank you so much for my #FallingforFallSwap #FFFS package! I‘m thrilled that you indulged my continued obsession with Percival Everett —this was literally the next book of his that I wanted to read! I also love the tote bag, bookmark, candy and stickers. Happy autumn, my friend! 🍁🍁🍁🍂🍂

A few years ago I read “Love, Lucy,” Lucille Ball‘s autobiography. This is a biography of Desi Arnaz, the other half of the power couple behind “I Love Lucy” and Desilu Productions. He was a visionary who revolutionized TV production by filming the show before a live studio audience with synchronized cameras. He also insisted on retaining ownership of the filmed episodes—and the concept of reruns and syndication was born. An interesting read.

I‘ll never understand how it‘s possible to suspend disbelief enough to get on board with the ridiculously compressed timelines in the romance genre: meet/initial dislike/sleep together/fall in love/introduce to mom/misunderstanding/conflict/breakup/heartbreak/resolution of conflict/reconciliation/happily-ever-after…in 2-3 weeks. What saves Emily Henry books from being chucked at the wall is the delightful snarkiness of the main character.

Water = Dark
Earth = Darker
Fire = Darkest
Air = Reconciliation, redemption and glimmers of light shining through the darkness

A powerful, provocative and emotional journey through the”Elements.”

#WeDoNotCare that we are posting a #MondayMood on a Wednesday. Who can even keep track anymore of what day it is anyway. 😖🤷🏻‍♀️

#WDNCW

This book went in directions I didn‘t expect, several of which cause my eyeballs to roll and my eyebrows to raise. I also didn‘t really like any of the characters. Nevertheless, it was a propulsive and thought-provoking read about the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of using Artificial Intelligence.

Another banned/challenged book for our local library‘s “Read for Your Rights” book club. This is a graphic memoir of the author‘s life growing up in Tehran until age 14, during the late 1970s/early 1980s —a period that covered the fall of the Shah, the rise of the Islamic state and Iran‘s war with Iraq. I don‘t read a lot of graphic novels; I‘m glad I read this one. It was the perfect format for Satrapi‘s story.

I read and reread this book so often that the cover disintegrated into pieces. LOVED it. 🥰
Also adored “A Wrinkle in Time” (the entire series) and “The Phantom Tollbooth.”

@BookmarkTavern
#SundayFunday

400+ pages of immature characters, eye-rolling plot points wrapped around a “documentary” that was telling the story years after all the events occurred and So. Much. Drama. I kept reading only to see if I could accurately predict the ridiculous “twists” that came next. (Spoiler alert: I did.) Books like this are why I avoid the romance genre. Blech.

Received my #FallingForFallSwap package today, @Bookwormjillk ! How fun that we are each other‘s swap partners this year!

#FFFS

A message from the universe today 💙

Seems legit to me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My 7th Percival Everett book. I inhaled it almost as fast as the cranberry orange scone. Every one of his books is so different—I‘m in awe of his creativity and range. This one is a story in three parts that eventually converge by the end. Loved it.

Made a visit to Red Emma‘s in Baltimore, a radical worker cooperative bookstore that gives everyone in the collective an equal say in the business. Great selection of books on social justice issues and a wonderful coffeehouse attached as well. On bottom right is one of the books I purchased there.

My son and I went to DC this weekend for the 2025 National Book Festival. Enjoyed a wonderful day with presentations by Geraldine Brooks, Garrett Graff and Ron Chernow as well as exhibits and shopping. AND I got to meet @Suet624 !! Book festivals are magical places. 😍

I‘m usually a bit meh about TJR books and likely would have skipped this one —but a story that includes the space program, the first female astronauts AND the 1980s? How fast can I get my library card out of my bag? Several of the characters are underdeveloped and the story is uneven in parts, but I was invested all the way to the final sentence on the last page. It was a wild ride.

We do not care that several of our friends and colleagues thought we should be celebrating the Labor Day weekend at barbecues and parties. Instead, we attended several protests (including one with our Senator Richard Blumenthal) and participated in the visibility brigade over I-95. Because democracy obviously isn‘t going to save itself.

#WDNCW #wedonotcarewednesday

An epistolary novel that imagines former Sen. Strom Thurmond‘s wish (and that of his PR aide) to chronicle his part in shaping African American history in the U.S. (It‘s not a spoiler alert to say they believe he was a positive influence.) This book is totally bonkers but also makes pointed statements about the hypocrisy of Northern states condemning Southerners for racism while ignoring their own lack of commitment to civil rights.

Reading stats for August 2025.

I went into this book assuming it would be a fairly light and fluffy read —but I was pleasantly surprised. It had more depth than I expected. And you can‘t help but love the overall message: Books can change lives.

Enjoying a glass of Töst with my stack of books for the #SummersEndReadathon on this tremendously glorious day.

@kspenmoll , I finally found the supply of Töst in our local Big Y in the aisle you suggested—thank you!

Shoutout to my local indie: RJ Julia in Madison, CT!
And The Book Barn in Niantic.
And Bank Square Books in Mystic.
And Northshire Books in Manchester, VT.
And The Strand in NYC. …

Ah, Hell, who am I kidding? Gimme ALL the bookstores… 😍 this is why I shop at Bookshop.org. So I can spread the love…

#serenesaturdays

My package for #FFFS #FallingForFallSwap is on its way! @Avanders @Chrissyreadit

This book packs a lot into a small (257-page) package: dysfunctional family relationships, political extremism, radical Christian nationalist militias, the fractured state of America, the erosion of journalism, regret, heartbreak, reconciliation and redemption. If that description didn‘t entice you to read it, this detail might: It starts off with a solid punch into the face of a Trumpster. You‘re welcome.

On our way home from Boston I sweet-talked my husband into stopping in Needham for the Harvard Book Store‘s summer warehouse sale. Thousands of books on sale at 40-80% off! On the right is my book haul. Several of them are intended as gifts for family and friends. The rest are also gifts —to me. 😀

I‘ve been wanting to get up to Boston to check out Beacon Hill Books —finally made it this weekend! It‘s absolutely adorable. 😍

Runner‘s memoir of “the incident”: the day he was crushed by a 14,000-lb Snowcat — and lived to talk about it. This is repetitive in many places and there‘s no acknowledgment of his extreme privilege that aided his recovery process. But the raw emotion in his voice as he describes the experience is heartbreaking. Warning: the descriptions of his injuries are incredibly gruesome. I literally gasped out loud during chapters 2 and 3. 😬

Yes. This. It‘s exactly like this. 🛩️🔥🎯

#readingispolitical

Well-written and accessible narrative of the history of tuberculosis and the social inequities that make it either treatable or the deadliest disease on earth — depending on where you live.

Completed for #DiseaseoftheMonthBookClub
Prompt: Read a book about the politics of race and health

We do not care if it offends or upsets you because it‘s a political post and not “book-related,” because we‘re going to say it anyway: If you support a man who thinks teaching people that owning human beings is “woke,” you might be —nay, you ARE —a fascist Nazi.

Go ahead. The unfollow button is right up there. ⬆️ Don‘t let the door hit you on the way out.

#WDNCW #WeDoNotCareWednesday
#readingispolitical
#antifabookclub

Finally home from work to relax on the patio, temperature at a perfect 70 degrees with no humidity, a glass of sparkling Töst and and a book about tuberculosis. What could be better than this right now. ?

#DiseaseoftheMonthBookClub

I just pulled a book off my TBR shelves and found this in it! @kspenmoll @bookish_wookish @mcipher —remember this? Are we the only ones left from this group on Litsy??

Horrifyingly realistic story about what happens when a major hurricane wipes an entire city off the map—where do the people go? What happens when your whole life suddenly disappears and you are left with nothing? It‘s a stark warning of what the future holds with accelerating climate change. And also another reminder of why I will never, ever live in Florida.

What a lovely and poignant reflection on love, loss and grief. Three years after suddenly losing her husband, Geraldine Brooks retreated to an isolated island to “properly” mourn him in a way she couldn‘t in the days, weeks and months afterward because of all of the tasks that have to be done after a death. Beautifully written.

Heartbreaking and beautifully written story about three people whose lives and fates intertwine throughout time, history and the Epic of Gilgamesh. I‘m enamored with Shafak‘s prose —I will definitely read more of her backlist. My only criticism would be that the ending felt a bit too abrupt after 430 pages of build up to find out how and why all three characters were connected.

I‘ve been to 2/10. New travel goals!

https://vegoutmag.com/travel/r-10-libraries-every-bookworm-should-visit-at-least...

I don‘t usually read YA, but this is the August choice for the Banned Books reading group at my library. There‘s a lot in here (almost too much to cram into 1 story): alcoholism/substance abuse, racism, Islamophobia, poverty, domestic abuse. It‘s a story of generational trauma, grief and figuring out what‘s best for the people we love. The narrative was a bit uneven, but still a pick in the end. And no idea why people want to ban it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I don‘t drink alcoholic beverages, and I particularly dislike wine and beer. Recently discovered Töst, a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage made from white tea, berries and ginger. It‘s lovely and very refreshing! (Not to sound like a commercial—I really do not have any stock in this company. ?) Just putting it out there in case others are interested.

Hubby is working 48 hours in a row (2 24-hour shifts back-to-back) so I took myself to the state park at the beach for a little bit of Vitamin D and a nice view for reading my book.

It‘s our national holiday! Happy Book Lovers Day, Littens! 💙💚🩵🎉📚📚

A day late, but the sentiment remains… We don‘t care if it‘s 80+ degrees out. We will turn on the AC and position several fans as needed to cool down enough to wrap ourselves in a blanket. Because when sleeping it‘s all about the coziness factor.

#WDNCW
#WeDoNotCareWednesday

Since this relates directly to a book I‘m going to assume it will be palatable to the “only talk about books on Litsy!” people. Let‘s discuss.

#antifabookclub
#readingispolitical
#BBB 💙🩵

#MondayMood on a Tuesday.
#BBB 💙🩵

Literally my dream come true … OMG, can we make this happen??

Reading stats for July 2025. Leaning heavily into the fiction this month in an attempt to avoid the real world. 😖

400 pgs of horrific crimes overlayed upon details about geographic areas that were heavily polluted (particularly the PNW around Tacoma and Seattle) in an effort to suggest that early/repeated exposure to toxic chemicals (lead, arsenic, etc.) created serial killers. Compelling but also confusing, as it‘s juxtaposed with the author‘s memories and lots of random historical facts that occurred at the same time. And so much about bridges. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Except for the clean house, cookies in the oven and lit candle, this is me right now. 😍

We don‘t care that it‘s not healthy. Our commute home from work (normally an hour) was doubled to TWO hours today because a multi-vehicle accident shut down the highway only about 6 miles from our exit. 😖 We had to drive 30 miles north to get to the nearest bridge that would take us over the river and then back down again through rural back roads. So we‘re having pie and ice cream for dinner. And lots of it.
#wdncw
#wedonotcarewednesday

Me too, Shoe. Me too.