THANK YOU @Chelleo both for being an amazing #blitsyhistorymonth host AND for my amazing package!! 😍 I wish I‘d taken a picture of the fabulous wrapping before tearing it open. I love these books, and I love that you chose a few for me! My shirt‘s wonderful—clearly you picked up on my love of black poets. I‘m happy you patronized black owned businesses/museums on my behalf. And of course the Obamas 💕 And a mug for my tea ✊🏽 So thoughtful 😊

I have been so SO behind on my #poemsbeforephones posting, but I really loved this one.

Hello hi hey!! My #BlitsyHistoryMonth package arrived today and I am sooooo stoked and excited!!

(Also motivated to get mine out as soon as my last item arrives)

This just brought me so much joy and I haven‘t even opened it yet! 1000x thanks to @Chelleo for hosting and organizing ✊🏽

#blitsy

#poemsbeforephones

I have been traveling across time zones for the last week and even though I brought Maya with me, I‘ve had the hardest time reaching for a poem before my phone. BUT I‘m home now and in the love section of her collection just before Valentine‘s Day. This one is perfection 😍

Today in book club we discussed Bluebird Bluebird, which was our most universally loved book since Born a Crime. Highly atmospheric and engaging mystery about crimes past and present. I‘m looking forward to following this series for years to come!

#blackhistorymonth #blitsy

No self-control.

#newrelease #blackhistorymonth #blitsy

Finished my fourth book and #24in48!

Loved book 2 of this series—even more than the first. The characters were further fleshed out and the mystery was fun to follow. Once again I thought the narrator was a lot of fun. I have no idea when the third book comes out, but I look forward to listening!

Just finished book 3 during #24in28. This was a highly readable look at the prescription drug epidemic and the role doctors and the medical industry (e.g., insurance and pharmacy companies) are complicit. Written by a psychiatrist, the author uses case studies and statistics to elucidate the issue. As a social scientist, I balked when opinions—however informed—were presented as facts. Also found a couple editorial errors. 3.5/5 ⭐️

Book 2 done! And what‘s not to love about Murderbot? Fun, funny, engaging, and heartwarming. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. 🤖

#24in48

Just past the #24in48 halfway mark and I‘ve finished my first book! I really enjoyed this collection of loosely linked, often funny (and highly relatable for me) short stories about black middle class life, mostly set in Southern California. Favorites include The Necessary Changes Have Been Made, Not Today Marjorie, This Todd, A Conversation about Bread, and the titular story. 4/5 ⭐️

#blitsy

I also go a late start on #poemsbeforephones because I was up until 1:30 am reading for #24in48. Luckily reading first is just how I wanted to start my day. Love this poem about guilt and ancestors from the incomparable Maya Angelou.

A little over an hour in #24in48 and I‘m taking a break to grabs some snacks (unofficially sponsored by Trader Joe‘s 😉). Loving the short book approach. I‘ve been dividing my attention between an intense nonfiction on the prescription drug epidemic and the tagged humorous sci-fi novella.

My fat stack of slim books for #24in48. I‘m really excited this time around, as I‘ve decided to focus on short books (between 100-200 pages) to keep the variety going. And just in case that‘s not enough I have a few comic book series to catch up on, some short story collections, and two audiobooks I‘m loving. So ready to read all weekend 💕 📚

#poemsbeforephones

For poems this morning, and this is my favorite.

#poemsbeforephones

Digging into this smart story collection on my way home from celebrating #MLK with my sister, and I‘m loving it!

#blitsy

PS Go see If Beale Street Could Talk!

Started a new collection this morning! Naturally, Part One is a collection of poems under the theme “Where Love is a Scream of Anguish” so I think I‘m in for some more intense poetry 😂 BUT I read four poems this morning and this one I had some lovely nature imagery.

#poemsbeforephones

Where to even begin with this book? Laugh out loud, searing satire. If you like The Sellout or Good Lord Bird, this may work for you. That said, I could barely tolerate the protagonist and it took me 200 pages to realize he was exactly like an ex-boyfriend of mine 😂 Brilliant, funny, terrifyingly self-destructive, and nauseatingly superior. And while I wouldn‘t recommend that ex to my worst enemy, I am recommending Knucklehead.

#blitsy

#poemsbeforephones

Things have been hectic over here and I haven‘t logged into Litsy much, but I‘ve continued to read poetry every morning before opening up my phone. Today I finished the tagged book. It‘s a mixed bag, with lots of intense poetry that isn‘t really Good morning! material. But I thought the epic poem in the center using the titles of works of art was incredible. I‘ve posted a portion of that poem here.

“Grief is a thing that sits by your bed and waits for you to wake up.”

I‘ve been really excited about fantasy rooted in culture and lore beyond medieval Europe, and finally got around to listening to this one. The world building here is excellent and I love fantasy books centered on intrigue and political machinations. I also enjoyed both POV characters. There were a couple of elements that I didn‘t love, and the ending dragged, but ultimately this was a lot fun, and beautifully conceived. Looking forward to book 2!

For the last two days I‘ve been in the most incredible section of this collection. I‘ve posted here some of the guidelines the poet created for herself and the resulting poetry has been incredibly moving (I‘ll post some tomorrow). It‘s where the title of the collection comes from.

Anyway, #poemsbeforephones still going strong. I also love reading all of the poetry y‘all tag me in—I get more poetry before I have to do actual phone stuff 😊

I have to document this as The Most Accurate Description of an MRI Machine Ever.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The story was so engaging, the characters lovable, and the reader was spectacular. This would be such a fun one to listen to with kids. I have the second book on hold and am looking forward to listening to that one, too.

Current read is some comedic fiction by a local Bay Area author. My hopes are high—I just bailed on a book a couple of days ago and could use a win!

#Blitsy

Red three poems this morning—including a four part ode to the 1978 film The Wiz—and settled on this one that really resonates with me.

#poemsbeforephones

Wish I had the tech savvy/appropriate app to put this poem side-by-side with the image that inspired it. But if you google “from Harlem to Hitler” you‘ll see it.

#poemsbeforephones

#poemsbeforephones

This collection is pretty intense for first thing in the morning, but wow. Next time I might choose nature writing or some Mary Oliver to balance me out because some of these poems are blowing my mind 🤯

I want to say I loved it and it changed my life, buuuut this fell a little flat for me. There were some moments of brilliance and the premise is inspired, but it lacked a little depth. A quick, entertaining read for sure and certainly not a disappointment as a debut. I look forward to what Oyinkan Braithwaite does next, as I‘m always thirsty for new satire 3/5 ✨

#blitsy

#poemsbeforephones

One reason I haven‘t been posting each morning after I read a poem is because once I finish reading, I‘m inspired to do all the other morning-type things I can do without my phone. I go through my whole morning routine without my phone and I‘m loving it. Don‘t know how long I can keep it up, but I‘m grateful for the peace poetry before technology has brought me. ✌🏽

🎧 This is a highly entertaining middle grade fantasy and the audiobook is fabulous. I‘m about a quarter of the way in and so far the Happy Potter comparisons are apt 🎧

Audiobooking this month‘s book club read while I tidy up for the evening 🎧

When it rains, it pours ☔️

Loved it. Started off slow for me but once it took off (around 40% in for me) it flew. I‘m so excited for book 2. I am loving all the amazing #ownvoices fantasy stories coming out that really lean into world of magic and mythology that are new to me. I‘m just here at the airport, rereading my favorite scenes 😍

Trying to power through this workday so I can really start the holidays. I‘m traveling home to Seattle tomorrow and am hoping to finish my last two books for the #ReadHarder2018 challenge while I‘m at it.

Holy #libraryhaul!! 😍

@Bibliotaph_and_tsundoku nailed it!! I literally gasped when I opened The Black Count, which I am desperate to read. Everything was spot on, from the chocolate to my BLANKET and my socks!! Love the book selections, love that you patronized The Strand on my behalf, that bookstore is fabulous. Thank you thank you thank you!! Not pictured: the Bibliophile pin already at home on my backpack 😊

#stuffedstockingswap #sss

Posted! 📦 🎄 #sss

Well this is exciting!!

😃 ❄️ 🎄

#SSS #StuffedStockingSwap

Bananas. This is the first book I‘ve read where I can confidently say, “If you liked Library at Mount Char, you‘ll love this one!” So so weird. A little clunky in places, some scenes dragged on, but very creative with some lovable characters and interesting concepts. Looking forward to reading Drayden in the future!

#ReadHarder2018 #ownvoices #blitsy

Finally have all the pieces of my #StuffedStockingSwap together and I‘m planning to mail as soon as I can get away to the post office!

#SSS

Stopped by my local bookstore for a few more items for my #sss gift and I got a FREE copy of this book just for popping in on #smallbusinesssaturday

Oh so gross but HIGHLY entertaining. This was a (very random) book club pick but we ended up having some great discussion about women‘s health, personal “quack remedies” we‘ve tried, as well as trust (or lack thereof) in medical professionals. Certainly helped to have a doctor amongst us! 4/5 ✨

Very Intense, brief, lyrical nonlinear memoir. A central theme of this short, jarring little book is inter-generational trauma. This is one of those not-for-everyone-but-truly-excellent stories of someone‘s life where the author sets out to tell things exactly as they are/happened. A hard read, but a beautiful one. I chose this passage because I think it captures some of the beautiful, abstract language used by Mailhot.

#NativeAuthors

I liked it. Very masterful historical fiction. I‘ve seen reviews saying it‘s slow, and it is, but that how I like history portraits. I read this because, as Thanksgiving approaches, I wanted a realistic depiction of some of the first interactions between Native Americans and the Europeans who arrived and began taking over. There are some elements that troubled me, but generally I found Brooks‘s treatment of her subject deft and thoughtful.

I took this selfie Wednesday morning. You can see the smoke from the fires is obscuring what is usually a beautiful view of the San Francisco skyline. Since then it‘s actually gotten worse—this morning all I could see was the beacon at the top of the Salesforce Tower.

This is a #friyayintro post but also a reminder the fires are ongoing. Some ideas on how to help: https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/how-to-help-california-wildfires-1203026928/

This took me entirely too long to finish (5 months 😱), but it‘s 29 hours of highly cerebral science fiction and I kept having to return it to the library, then wait for the loan to renew. I liked this better than the second book and as much as the first. I can‘t say I understood everything that happened, but I thought the writing was beautiful (many thanks to Ken Liu who is an awesome translator). 3.5/5 stars, rounded up for books #intranslation

Reading this one for book club. No small amount of fun, if you have a strong stomach. Mercury baths to treat syphilis? Why not?

Picked up another book by a #nativeauthor from the library. Loving putting my energy toward indigenous peoples this month!

Finally finished this one. Took me almost 150 pages to get into it, which, as a flight attendant reading the same book told me, is an awfully long time to wait. I kept reading though because I was in need of a nice shut-off-your-brain-and-escape book. And on that front, Our House definitely delivered.