I‘ll be blunt—I‘m a book snob. It takes a lot to make a strong impression on me, as opposed to just casually enjoying a book. But Convenience Store Woman took my breath away. Seeing the inner workings of a mind that is considered light years away from normal was both frightening and thrilling. Highly recommend.

One of my favorite quotes from Call Me By Your Name. I just finished reading it (again), and I like it more each time.

1. Paperback is probably my most used format, but e-book is a close second. I love the Scribd app, and I highly recommend it to anyone who reads as voraciously as I do. The $9/month is so worth it!

2. The bathroom? I feel like that‘s not so strange though.

3. Being able to get my second COVID-19 shot!

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

“When I was 7, I asked Santa Claus for the USS Flagg, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier used by the real American heroes of G.I. Joe in the fight against Cobra.”

1. Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner, Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford, All Over But the Shoutin‘ by Rick Bragg

2. Tampa by Alissa Nutting

3. Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg

#weekendreads

Currently reading Outlaw Christian and loving it. This is a quote from St. Augustine that the author discusses, and it struck my soul. I feel that it‘s very relevant to today‘s struggles.

1. Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford, Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

2. Making Gay History by Eric Marcus (I recommended this book to someone who asked me how they could be a better ally)

3. The Widow by Fiona Barton

I started this book with high hopes and was pleased. The author describes gourmet food in a flattering light without too many adjectives. Towards the end of the book, she gets preachy and goes on a long diatribe on people who don‘t spend money on fine dining, pointing out that they spend on things she considers luxuries, such as boxed cereal and day care. She clearly views herself as superior to the average diner and isn‘t afraid to tell us.

Other people‘s emotions are always rather tiresome, don‘t you think? In fact, come to think of it, so are one‘s own...

She didn‘t understand that when you truly love someone and they love you in return, you ruin your lives together. That‘s not a curse, it‘s what life is, my girl. We all come to ruin, we turn to dust, but whom we love is the thing that lasts.

One of my last few books for 52 Books Around the World!

Aren‘t you sick of being ruled by the actions of people who are long dead? Maybe everyone is cursed. Maybe it‘s the human condition. Maybe it‘s what we want.

1. Well my dad is a minister, so Halloween growing up was spent going to whatever church-oriented substitute they were having. Honestly, it was probably more fun and definitely more safe.

2. Tampa by Alissa Nutting changed my perspective on “relationships” between female teachers and male students. Great book, but be prepared for graphic depictions of sexuality and violence.

3. Litsy! I also keep a list in the notes section of my phone.

1. I much prefer creepy characters. Kooky characters tend to be overdone.

2. That‘s a close tie between vampires and witches. My current read is about a family of witches though!

@TheSpineView

Maybe this only applies to me, but I just can‘t dig acid lit. Perhaps that‘s because I have never done acid, I don‘t know. I respect these books and the cultural movement that they arose from, but getting through one of these is agonizing. I will say that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is much easier to follow than similar works.

1. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi, The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey
2. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
3. “I‘m the final clause in a periodic sentence and that sentence begins a long time ago, in another language, and you have to read it from the beginning to get to the end, which is my arrival.” -Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Not a full review, just an opinion I need to express. It really bothers me that throughout the book, Nic constantly body shames the people around him. He doesn‘t mind taking a swipe at men, but his scathing comments are generally concerning women. It‘s problematic and completely unnecessary.

Given that this is a book about therapy, I was expecting cheesiness and toxic positivity. Instead I was surprised by the author‘s ability to show the reader what being human really means. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone does a great job of using specific stories to speak to a wide audience. Would definitely recommend.

@howjessreads @4thhouseontheleft #friyayintro

1. My front porch with a cup of coffee ☕️
2. Chocolate covered cashews
3. The Kitchen House
4. Just my cat Frodo, but he is more than a handful!

You shall be free indeed when your days are not without a care nor your nights without a want and a grief, but rather when these things girdle your life and yet you rise above them naked and unbound.

We are like clothes, you understand. We get rumpled, and creased and torn, sometimes irreparably. Some of us are stitched up, patched up, others are discarded. Some clothes are fortunate. Others are not. They are born into misfortune and ink spills and what-nots, you understand?

You‘ve never had any possessions to give up, Jefferson. But there is something greater than possessions—and that is love.

It was difficult for me to make it through this book. Even though she wrote about some fairly dark topics, Drew maintained an obnoxiously cheerful voice throughout. To be honest, if you took her name off of it and changed a few details, I would have guessed it was written by a 15 yo girl.

I can‘t seem to put this book down! Random Target buy that I‘m getting around to reading in my post-holiday free time

Enjoying re-reading this classic!