This is my first time posting in five years so I may forget a tag or something! This is my “thus far” for #wintergames2024 . Go #XmasChacha !

More book mail! Growing up my mom read daily meditations. I still remember taking a peek while watching her do her hair in her bathroom. Ruth Fishel‘s books were my favorite so this is a bit of nostalgia for me. ☺️

This is a #BlameitonLitsy purchase. It was not easy to track down but everyone spoke so highly of it I gave pursuit! Victory by way of Royal Mail! 🇬🇧

More true crime! This one featured, surprise, another murderer with mental illness. This time is was Factitious Disorder (aka Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy). Much of this story unwinds less than a mile from my home. And I lived even closer at the time this all took place. Wild. The book was a tad dry, but well researched and captivating nonetheless.

I‘ve been away from Litsy a bit. My world, like so many, has been topsy-turvy. I tend to retreat like a turtle in those times. It‘s time to come back though, I‘ve missed the connection with you all! 🥰

And I do recommend this #audiobook. It wasn‘t narrated by the author, which I never love with memoirs, but it was fascinating.

Consider me spoiled! Thank you so very much @Karisa for the #whiterabbitswap treasures! You curated a beautiful and creative white rabbit collection. Lovely choice. I can‘t wait to dig in to these reads (and cookies).

And thank you for organizing this swap @LibrarianRyan !!

This finally went out today to @Judybskt for #WhiteRabbitSwap! It‘s coming to you via USPS Priority and should be there Tuesday. That‘ll give you a few days to keep it in safety quarantine before the big opening day! 🐰🐰🐰

I love a good #NOLA book and I find more and more I prefer historic, non-fiction or even “based on true events” more than New Orleans based fiction. But this one reads like fiction. It transports the reader into the life of a grand French Quarter madam. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Just in from @Karisa for #WhiteRabbitSwap ! It‘s going to be hard to wait! I‘m excited!! 😻

@LibrarianRyan

This was an interesting snapshot of the origin of “Stockholm Syndrome” and the complexities of those relationships built between two would-be bank robbers and their captives during a few crazy days at a bank in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973. From a psychological perspective this account of events was fascinating.
⬇️

This is the fifth in my crazy bitches true crime series. This woman was, by far, the most mentally unstable and evil of all. The book was very well written but so disturbing I had to skim sections when it became too much. It is NOT for the faint of heart. Trigger warnings for anything you can think of related to child abuse. As someone who works in child welfare, however, it is an important story that allows the voiceless to be heard. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Look at this gorgeous cover!!! 😍😍😍I‘m going to have more time to get creative so I thought I might need a little inspiration. #BookMail

I hope you are all doing well, friends! ❤️❤️❤️ I‘m enjoying the extra reading time and waiting for neighbors to start singing from their balconies.

I could get used to some parts of this #newnormal. I‘m seeing all clients via telemed from home so my work attire is a presentable top, supportive bra and yoga pants. When I‘m done for the day I change into my evening attire including a far less supportive bra and pajama pants. 😆 #keepinglitsypositive

This was the fourth book in the “This Bitch is Crazy” true crime streak I‘ve been on. Sharon Nelson is another husband killer who often has others do her dirty work for her. I cannot stand the title of this book but the content is good- predictable- but I kept reading, intrigued by her ability to manipulate men to the extent she did when she really wasn‘t all that hot. Beats me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

#truecrime #blackwidow #greggolsen

🧡 Bitch on Wheels by Gregg Olsen- it‘s meh
🧡🧡 If You Tell by Gregg Olsen- Love!
🧡🧡🧡 One of my Neurofeedback kids is on the spectrum and he was acting up Tuesday so his g‘ma called to say he wasn‘t coming to see me and he was crying in the background. I wasn‘t happy he was struggling but incredibly happy he had this level of emotional expression. And he was just happy as could be Thursday when I saw him! 😊

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Research reading is not my favorite thing... but if I have to read it, I guess it doesn‘t get much better than art, trauma and neuroscience. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Do any of my fellow thera-littens incorporate expressive arts into your work with clients? I‘m building quite a library but always on the hunt for book recommendations on using art/arts therapy.

I get to go to the DSM Book Festival on March 28th (9am-7pm Downtown Des Moines)!

And I bought VIP tickets to events with Taylor Jenkins-Reid AND Tayari Jones! 😍😍

If anyone plans to come this way I‘d love to meet up!

#DSMBookFestival #DSMLitsyMeetUp #MeetUp

When I broke up with my old high school boyfriend in 1994 he called me “Crazytrain”. He‘s still a good friend and he still calls me that. It‘s a term of endearment... I think. 😜Ms. Dorothea Puente is the O.G. Crazytrain! Chick had people digging they‘re OWN graves...AFTER she took their social security checks!

🐱and I agree, it‘s a gorgeous day to read on the deck in central Iowa! ☀️

#truecrime #serialkiller #ryangreen #catsoflitsy

Have any of you had experience as a reviewer for BookSirens? A rep contacted me on Goodreads after seeing I sometimes review ARCs. I was checking into it and one of the permissions I have to give would allow them to post on or edit on my behalf on GoodReads and that seems odd.

#BookSiren #ARC

This woman was outta her damn mind! She killed two of her four children and three husbands... or maybe four... I lost count. Rat poisoning and sugar plums- and the crazy B would giggle at herself as she made her dinners of death. Well written. I read it in two sitting within a 12 hour period. Highly recommend. Free on Kindle Unlimited. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I hit the jackpot at Half Price Books today! 🎰

This was an enjoyable read/listen. I‘m still coming down off my reader‘s high from The Sun Down Motel and this isn‘t that, but it is a well-written ghost story nonetheless! Hours well spent! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I‘m a little late to the party! Thanks for the tag @Lynnsoprano !

1. I‘m guilty of it! I‘m definitely drawn to the cool ones.
2. I had to buy this. I‘m going through withdrawals after finishing BoJack Horseman and this book is by the creator.
3. I allow myself an hour a day- half an hour of local and my man Lester Holt on NBC.
4. Guilty! 🙋🏻‍♀️
5. @Come-read-with-me and @AJBowers wanna play?

#friyay intro

This book blew my friggin doors off! Holy crap! What did I just read??? This is true crime like I have never read before. Shelly Knotek and her slimy bastard of a husband are monsters. Olsen‘s account of the horror is stellar. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was a fun ride back in time to my teens when there was nothing more fun than going to the mall- eating in the food court, trying to meet cute guys, shopping at Benetton and spraying every fragrance they had at Bath & Bodyworks. Those years could only have been better had I gone on adventures like those of Cassandra. A counterfeit Cabbage Patch Doll scavenger hunt?⬇️

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This is my most recent #panicpurchase.

That‘s the purchase of books immediately following panicked thinking. The thought?

“Why is my son acting like a douche bag all of a sudden? I must fix it by finding books about this strange phenomenon.”

Things are getting a bit out of hand on my side of the bed. I‘m sharing the #uglyside of me in hopes it‘ll encourage me to get my act together. The original plan was books in the top left cube only. And what‘s with the cords... and a new candle I certainly won‘t burn right there because... fire. Ugh.

Nostalgic eBay purchase again! The Pushcart War- 5th or 6th grade maybe? I remember loving this!

#CatsofLitsy #Florida

I‘ve been feeling nostalgic lately so I combed eBay for old favorites. I came across this one- a book I checked out in the fourth grade and did a class project with- a diorama featuring Huge Pine himself. Has anyone ever seen or read this? I don‘t think it was a best seller.

I ordered this cute little book on eBay all the way from Australia. It took a long time to reach me but #JVN is always worth the wait! But this is so corny. It‘s just a bunch of JVN quotes, mostly from #QueerEye, that may or may not have any significance. An example from an entire page... “Pomade, pomade, pomade!” 🥴

I really, really enjoyed this #BOTM! I‘m not normally a fan of supernatural stuff but I love a good mystery and I love suspense... and now I suppose I do enjoy a good ghost story. 🤷🏻‍♀️ This has a retro vibe that reminds me of the show Cold Case. I did not want to put this one down and fell asleep with it on my face a few nights. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I really enjoyed this #AudibleOriginal (one of my two freebie selections this month). It was such an adventure! Marcus Samuelson uses his unique experience of Harlem and brings in friends who are musicians, chefs, historians, politicians and religious leaders. This was a great treat for the ears and the mind and I can‘t wait to make some of the recipes they made along the way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Kitty and I are both happy my #BOTM came in today! Yay! I can‘t wait to read this one.

#catsoflitsy #floridathecat

Chloe Hilliard is likable and has had an interesting life thus far. There‘s a good story there. I just don‘t think the author was a good storyteller. She was clearly slugging her way through the script with the least natural narration I‘ve heard on an audiobook since the 90s. And I would not have guessed Hilliard is a comedian; that didn‘t come through for me at all.

This was a charming little palette cleanser. Now that I‘m fortified, it‘s time to dive into some dark and creepy suspense.

I‘m reading to escape my caucus anxiety because I‘m still undecided and it‘s tomorrow! I‘ve already had two visitors this morning and it‘s not even 10 am! 😫😫😩

I wasn‘t terribly delighted with the #AmazonFirstReads choices this month but decided to go with this one. There are two reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and they aren‘t great, but the storyline sounds fascinating. Anyone else struggling with picks this month?

Adam Wade is hysterical and his storytelling is so in touch with the human condition I will follow/listen/watch everything he does for as long as he is doing it. This was one of my #AudibleOriginal selections for January.

I really wanted to like this I respect Paula Poundstone and her efforts to recover from alcoholism and career suicide... but this fell flat for me, choc full of boring stories about #momlife.

I picked these up tonight at the consignment shop. Have you read any of these? Lolita, I know, but the other two are new to me.

The format of this book was unique- a conversation with a wise philosopher of Socratic and Adlerian leanings and a curious young man. This was brilliantly executed and poignant, even life-changing in its approach to meaning, happiness and suffering. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#Audible #psychology #philosophy #audiobook

I can‘t tell you how many times I almost gave up on this book. I was having flashbacks of the boredom associated with My Year of Rest and Relaxation. But I pressed on and it was SOOO worth it! This story is heartwarming but it does have some depth that goes beneath the quirky surface. I‘m just in 💗 with all of the characters in this story (unlike those in My Year 🙄). Solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

Y‘all coulda guessed this but I‘ve gotta post my official results- a PICK all the way!! Never have I wanted someone to be one of my besties soooo badly! I ❤️ Retta like she ❤️s Hamilton and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Today‘s snow day brought to you by Retta! ☕️❄️🔥🎧📖

#Audible #ImmersionReading #Retta

“Here is the time in history where masses of us women fill the streets to protest against external oppression, then celebrate or cope or come down from it all with a glass of self-administered oppression.” 🤯

Last night I so badly did not want to go to work today that I sat on the stairs and bawled my eyes out to my husband. As a therapist I feel this expectation to be truly present and relatively mentally healthy for my clients and that was just an overwhelming thought last night. But I managed today well, taking a self-care break here and there. I was there for my clients. And I knew I got to come home to this amazingness. ❤️❤️❤️

This was incredible! It‘s competing for best audiobook I‘ve ever heard. It was hysterical to point of tears. If you are an #Audible member and haven‘t picked your freebies this month then GET THIS. You‘ll laugh your ass off. I ❤️ Retta! She does a brilliant job. Perfection.

#Notinthedatabase