I LOVED this book. Olga is unlikeable, pathetic, and hits too close to home by turns. It's beautifully written, and completely sucks you in. It's a quick read, but it'll stick in your head for days afterward.

So excited for this book!

Latest book club book. A woman is left suddenly by her husband and unravels. Not done, but excellent so far. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Absolutely incredible. It's a short read, but I found myself re-reading every page at least twice. Beautiful and heart rending and an absolute must for everyone in this country.

A lovely way to end the week!

Has no-one in this book ever heard of Jack the Ripper?

Damn, Poirot. Why do you have to drag a stranger like that?

I loved this book. As a queer disabled woman, it was amazing and terrifying and humbling to see the history of people like me. All of the information was fascinating, and usually overlooked in discussions of civil rights. My only problem was that it was very short-- only 185 pages. It could have gone further in depth and longer. A wonderful book, though, and one every American should read.

They always get rid of the undesirables first.

Same as we do today! Kick the homeless, mentally ill, and disabled into other states to let them deal with the problem. Good to see we're keeping our traditional values. /sarcasm

OH MY GOD THIS. I use a cane a lot (I'm 26, for reference) and I hear shit like this CONSTANTLY. You're not welcome to my medical info, people!

Could not finish this. I thought it was going to be closer to Mary Roach, an exploration of the actual science. Turned out to be the author getting scared in "haunted" locations. I was really unimpressed.

Representation matters!

Sick day with Cupcake and Margaret Atwood! Hopefully she'll stop snoring so I can read.

Library haul! Bottom two are mine, top one was a free book that I grabbed for my girlfriend. She said she'd look it up, and I managed to snag her a copy for free!

I loved the female relationships in this book. How they held each other up, how they fell through the gaps that secrets left, how girls are discouraged from seeking friendship with other girls. I did feel like it could have been a bit longer--it wrapped up just a little too fast for me. I really enjoyed it, though.

I loved the female relationships in this book. How they held each other up, how they fell through the gaps that secrets left, how girls are discouraged from seeking friendship with other girls. I did feel like it could have been a bit longer--it wrapped up just a little too fast for me. I really enjoyed it, though.

I was really excited for this book, but it dragged in some places and sped in others. I was never very invested in any of the characters, things were very neatly resolved in the end and I wanted to shake her senseless in the last few paragraphs. It was interesting, so it gets a so-so, but I wouldn't pick it again.

The author tried to cover quite a lot of subjects--ethics, neuroscience, mental health care and more. For the most part, it was done quite well and had me reading it constantly, but it also caused him to jump around a lot. In my opinion, this detracted from the book as a whole. Overall, I really enjoyed myself!

@LiteratiBookstore for Eileen Pollack's reading! Loved the talk, and this is my favorite place in the city. I'm probably here an average of once a week. #getindie

I had such high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it plodded along for the vast majority, feeling disconnected, unenthusiastic, and like the narrator was incredibly depressed. There was too much telling and not enough showing, such as everyone saying Jane was a special girl but not making me feel it at all. I was bored until the last 50 pages or so, when it finally felt like it turned a corner. If it wins the national book award I'll be upset.

I liked it overall, but at times it felt really pretentious. Plus it did not have the pay off that was promised of total inspiration in the face of death, etc. To be completely honest, I preferred his wife's epilogue. But hey, Cupcake is keeping me company on my sick day so it's not all bad!

Oh my god I loved this so much. So intense, such young love and figuring out your sexuality in a world that won't let you be who you are. Therese walks the line between adoration and obsession with Carol and sometimes you wonder how Carol really feels towards Therese. Read this. Read it immediately.

Oh my god, you guys. I have had this book on my coffee table since literally May (I, uh, might have some fines) and finally got around to starting it this morning. I'm already done. It's intense and horrible and incredible and will not let you go until it's done and you keep saying no, no, she's thirteen! But it's so wonderful and explores power and vulnerability so well and I loved it.

Neruda was the first poet I fell in love with, back in high school. My English teacher brought in books for a poetry day and we read out loud to each other, and when I read some of Neruda's sonnets, every single girl in the class let out a long sigh. After the laughter stopped, my teacher said "boys, that's why you should all respect poetry." #augustphotochallenge #poetry

This book made me sad, happy and hopeful all at the same time. It focuses on conservation of three endangered animals, and how humans have been involved since the founding of America. It's fascinating and horrifying and hilarious by turns, and you should definitely pick up a copy.

Two of the last >30 whooping cranes in the world at that point. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. WHY???? WHY. WHYYYYYY

William Temple Hornaday, the incredibly bizarre, racist, taxidermist head of the Brooklyn Zoo who started the first captive breeding program in America, thought beavers were exceptional at "Original Thought." What the ever loving fuck.

I thought it was enjoyable! To be honest, only go for it if you're a hard-core fan. I'm giving it a so-so primarily because there were sections, such as the one on keeping your clothing clean, that were slow, but it was chock-full of info and annotations from famous Jedi! It also came full of little props like Qui-Gon's padawan braid and a patch that belonged to Anakin! Suuuuper cool.

A great collection of short stories! Some were hilarious, some horrifying, and all of them stayed with me long after I finished reading them. I picked this up when it came out in October but never finished it, and I finally did!

Stunning. I've been feeling very anxious lately, and this gave me space to sit and breathe and heal, something I think the best poetry should do. This is a collection of her older poems, so occasionally there are one or two that are problematic when it comes to native Americans, but overall it's an amazing work.

Starting a third book, as I have a serious problem with keeping to one at a time. Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets, so this is going to be my calm read before bed tonight.

Started a new book today! Eileen Pollack is great-- I saw her speak while promoting The Only Woman in the Room. She's coming back to @LiteratiBookstore for A Perfect Life in September, so I thought I'd pick it up! She's also a professor at my alma mater, so I double-adore her 😊

Incredibly good and insanely depressing! I spent the entirety of the book contorting my face into new and terrifying expressions as more and more horrible things came to light. It's truly excellent, but damn. If you don't like heavy books, it's not gonna be for you.

So I've noticed that a lot of folks have been marketing this as a beach read. Whether this is because it came out in July, because it's set in Jamaica, the bright cover, whatever, I just need to warn folks that it is NOT A LIGHT READ. A full review to come once I finish, but it is SUPER IMPACTFUL, do not pick it up if you're looking for something fluffy!

My favorite book of July! Roach, as always, had me laughing so much that my partner eventually stopped asking me what the funny parts were. However, she didn't gloss over the reality of war. This is still a book about war, and as such talks about how young men and women go out and risk and give their lives. It's very touching at times, and handled very well. Love her work as always.

The Girls was the July pick for our Feminist Book Club at @LiteratiBookstore and I LOVED it. The way the writing was lyrical while still managing to make you understand a 14-year-old girl, how the brutal murders were almost afterthoughts to the obsessive friendship between the girls, and the overwhelming desire to belong drew me in and wouldn't let go. Great book!

She has to break the water's surface. Swim back to shore. She cannot afford to be controlled.

First lesbian protagonist for the Feminist Book Club at @LiteratiBookstore ! I'm very excited.