Trillin breaks off from an all-consuming, terrifying, hungry ALL to become an individual with her own wants, needs, doubts, and reservations. I wish she‘d spent less time trying to decide how many tentacles she should have and more time finding other things she loved, aside from Siân (the human witch & scientist who she found exploring her dimension). The resolution to the story feels isolating. But this was still fun!

“How strange it is to be anything at all.”

If it‘s been awhile since you‘ve listened to Neutral Milk Hotel, Phoebe‘s Diary is your sign to revisit!

https://open.spotify.com/track/5rfT032kGmLvbxZzfHlu5D?si=U1Ay7_xNRPOfv9mXzWhKeg

I asked my husband (who‘s musical; I am not) what instrument‘s featured in the linked song. A theramin? An aquaphone? It‘s a singing saw — “like a literal saw that you bend & play with a violin bow.”

How cool is that?!

Children‘s picture book illustrator & author, Phoebe Wahl, has lightly fictionalized her journals from her teenage years, creating “Phoebe‘s Diary.” She intentionally left all the cringey bits and all the crass bits in. As someone who religiously tore up her previous diaries because she was too embarrassed to admit they existed, I see this as an extraordinary act of bravery! 👇🏻

New book, same bun. 🐇

This is going to be kind of a niche review but so be it. 😅 A Town Called Solace reminded me intensely of the part in American Gods when Shadow stays in Lakeside, with all of the small town characters *and* all of the small town mystery, but without an epic war between gods looming in the background. I was hooked instantly by Clara (with whom I share the joys of magical thinking OCD), & was rooting for Liam to find connection. 👇🏻

“That night, I waded into a small creek alongside tadpoles and reflective-eyed spiders. The coolness of an Ozark creek and the obsidian darkness of the sky swallowed me wholly. Or was it “holy”?”

8 full months in, this is definitely a contender for my favorite book of the year. Dykman bikes from Mexico to Canada & back again, following the route of the Monarch butterfly migration, learning about herself & the monarchs along the way. She looks unflinchingly at issues threatening their phenomenal journey: climate change, deforestation, & farming monoculture. I listened one slow mile - or chapter - at a time & relished the adventure. 👇🏻

“An adventure is an exercise in trust; we must trust ourselves, the people we meet, and in this case, the gentle bees humming homecoming songs. We also must trust in the unknown, which will reveal itself in time.”

I totally forget what I‘m supposed to use as a hashtag for this. Please hold. 😅

While you‘re waiting, I‘ll admit to you that I dilly-dallied finishing my audiobook in August, dragging it out into September so that it could make an appearance on the bracket later this month. I didn‘t want it to have to compete with Tuck Everlasting! But joke‘s on me because it‘s definitely going to end up competing once it wins Sept. vs. Oct. 🙈 The suspense!

“Queen Anne‘s lace lay dusty on the surface of the meadows like foam on a painted sea.”

My summer‘s been way too busy for my liking and I neglected to review this directly after finishing. Now, seeing the unenthusiastic reviews here, I wish I hadn‘t! I loved it so so much (upon first AND second reading) and wish I could be more specific about it. Natalie Babbitt is such a gifted writer and thinker. Any doubts? Read her (imperfectly digitized) article, which I‘ve linked in the comments below, about joy and Children‘s Literature. ⛲️🐸⏳

I came out of Eric‘s last collection, Here For It, bowled over by how much we have in common — & loving him for it. This book was the opposite! I realized how different we are. He‘s an extrovert; I‘m an introvert. He‘s a city mouse; I‘m a country mouse. He‘s a gay Black man in America. I am not. I love him for everything he is & everything he isn‘t, & especially for how he writes about it, finding earnestness, hope, humor, & honesty. 👇🏻

Read for my Young at Heart Book Club. It was my 2nd time reading, a decade later, and I loved it even more than I did the first time around (which was quite a lot to begin with!).

Gorgeous, tender writing; vivid small town/island setting; with found family, two lovable dogs, LGBTQ+ characters, & a dash of mer-mythology.

A perfect MG novel. Also great for gentle-hearted grown-ups who are doing their best, despite life‘s hardships, to stay soft.

This memoir, written by a woman who shares a history of amnesia with her mother (who is basically her twin), & a history of violence, racism, trauma, & magic with her family from Colombia (where she spent the first part of her life before being forced to flee), is everything the reviews say: “dazzling”, “passionate”, “kaleidoscopic”, & philosophical. It‘s also sadly lacking in warmth. It seems narcissism (a trauma response?) runs in her family.

“I would be like the frogs in the pond….singing not because they could secure their future but because all they could do was try.”

“We have a word in Spanish for the walking of the dead — desandar. To un-walk.”

I‘ve been reading Lynn‘s swimming diaries for months (which is the way to do it; slowly, at your leisure). I‘m feeling a bit bereft now that the book won‘t be my constant companion!

Lynn was a wild swimmer who explored the Devon coast. She details her “aquamarine wanderings,” full of every shade of blue, green, gray & copper. She describes Moon Gazey (full moon) swims with friends, followed by thermoses of hot beverages & small cakes. Heaven.👇🏻

Ignoring the specific prompts (sorry, @Eggs !), and just doing a sort-of catch-all Top 3:

1. “Stuff your eyes with wonder.” - Ray Bradbury

2. “The test of a first-rate intelligence is to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still maintain the ability to function.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

3. “You can‘t learn the secrets of the universe on an empty stomach.” - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

#WondrousWednesday

In the book fairy biz. ✨

(Snapshot from work today!)

Livin‘ the dream (in a rented cabin in Maine). ✨

I was surprised & not surprised to find reviews from readers who bailed on this book. By the time I read them, I kind-of loved it and couldn‘t put it down…but it also took me a while to get into it. I just thought it was me! I don‘t think Bad Cree‘s *exquisitely* written or *exquisitely* crafted - but it‘s well-written. It‘s moody, sharp, and warm (with a big, extended cast of aunties and cousins), full of grief and love. 👇🏻

Filling out this #ReadingBracket2023 has been a real challenge! Choosing between Enchantment & True Biz was stupendously difficult; I understand why some people opted for 2 separate brackets - one for fic & another for nonfic. The problem is, I think I‘d need a third for kidlit! Leaving Pax behind was similarly lamentable.

I went with Mad About You for June…but I‘m reading two right now & I think either would‘ve won if I‘d finished in time.

“The moss and trees muffled our talks, like we were in a cozy room together rather than out in the open.”

The wild rabbits must respect the sovereign authority of our domestic Queen rabbit because they‘ve left us some berries in the patch this year! 🍓🐇🍓

Check this place out! It‘s Tinside Lido, a 1930‘s Art Deco pool filled with filtered seawater.

OK, UK. Okay.

“It‘s evening and the sun is low, flooding Bovisand with light reflected from sea, sky, and wet sand. The inlet glows softly, guarded by dark rocks pointing out to Cornwall like dragon‘s feet.

Occasionally, the growl of a boat engine augments the reptilian grumble and crash of the sea. The breakwater appears to hover in a fairytale cloud. We bob around and leap through waves while gulls float nearby in puddles of light.”

Meg Cabot clearly adores librarians. She takes pains to show how radical the institution is, especially when it comes to radical kindness. Unfortunately, this book is also goofy AF - & not in a good way. 🙈 The characters are named things like Molly Montgomery, Dylan Dakota, & Tabitha Brighton (even aside from the alliteration, the place name formula is silly). Molly often uses words like “simply” & “surely” in everyday speech. Low-medium heat. 🔥

Dark Matter is a sci-fi action-adventure flick in book form. Unfortunately, action storylines *really* aren‘t my thing, no matter what format they‘re in. My chances of liking this better as a movie would‘ve been higher, though, especially if it were a visually stunning film with a killer soundtrack. As it stands, the only appreciation I can give it is to say that the ending was well-done. It‘s just not the type of writing I want to read. 🤷‍♀️

I was right when I suspected, a handful of chapters in, that I‘d found a new romance author to love. Mhairi McFarlane‘s writing is *funny* and emotionally profound — so much so that I almost didn‘t realize she hadn‘t given us a sex scene! 😅 I‘m a little mad about it now, of course. 😉

Teasing aside, I‘m glad to have read this. 👇🏻

I performed in a dance recital last night. It‘s been about 20 years since the last time that happened! It was a pirate-themed tap number, which culminated in a sword fight, and if that sounds ridiculous to you, please know that you are correct in your assessment of the situation. 😅🏴‍☠️

I think this is the second or third romance novel I‘ve read with an MC who‘s a wedding photographer. It‘s not an unfamiliar storyline to me — I‘m married to one!

If you‘re so inclined (or if you‘re in New England and looking for a photographer), you can find his Instagram at @ adamwazphoto 📸

Note: I made the collage by taking screenshots of social media pics. I‘m sure he‘d be appalled by the misrepresentation of quality. Shhh. Don‘t tell. 🤫😅

Spending a cat-like morning, lazing in the sunshine, listening to the birds. I‘m reminded of a much-beloved Edith Wharton quote, “Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.”

I‘ve never read Mhairi McFarlane before, & I see that the book‘s Litsy score is precipitously low — but I‘m hopeful! I‘m pleasantly surprised by the author‘s refreshing sense of humor. If she keeps it up, I think I‘ve got a new fave to join my romance writer ranks!

First day of staycation from my library job? Visited a different library and got a stack of books. Of course. 😅 I was picking up the tagged, which is my book club book. But you all know it‘s impossible to leave with just one…

This isn‘t what I was expecting. There were moments in the text (more than one, and not even in the same character‘s storyline) where I was absolutely floored by grief. And I say this as someone who doesn‘t have a direct connection to the type of loss described. I see now that the blurb hints at “a devastating tragedy” but that comes *after* the illustration of a cherry pie and liberal use of the word “spunky.” 👇🏻

“She was sure she‘d wake up one day and look forward to coming here as much as she looked forward to walking through a winter forest at the eggshell break of sunrise.”

“Her father used to say that Julia wasn‘t raised by a village, she was raised by a supper club. As a small child, she sat at the bar, sneaking Maraschino cherries, colored and drew at the maître d' station, and looked for little things she could do to be useful.”

As someone who was raised for years by a single mom/bartender, I fully approve this message. ?

Samantha Irby is one of those writers who I‘m sure is an amazing, hilarious friend. Unfortunately, I don‘t think a book is the right format for her musings. To be fair, I think this about many writers whom other people love (see: Jenny Lawson, Phoebe Robinson, et al). Irby‘s Wikipedia page refers to her as “a comedian, essayist, blogger, & television writer.” Each of the preceding titles seems like a better fit than “author” or “memoirist.” 👇🏻

“Writing a book feels like it should be an event — a thing that serious people sit down and plan to do. I‘ve never planned anything in my life. I still don‘t…I don‘t say this to brag. I‘m admitting to you that I‘m an ill-prepared child-person…I don‘t do anything hard because my life has already been hard…but they really did make it sound like something I could just wake up and do, which is my main criteria for 99% of the things I take on.”

About to eat this delightful crepe in the buttery yellow sunshine. 💛

I contacted a tattoo artist recently after reading Pax by Sara Pennypacker for the second time. Somehow, I ended up booking her for a *completely* different design — but one that I‘ve had in mind for years.

It‘s inspired by my love of the ocean, a tattoo by a Korean artist named Sol, and a color essay I read once, entitled “Glaucous: the Greeny Blue of Epic Poetry & Succulents.” The essay quotes the tagged.

I go for my appointment on Tuesday! 😱

“I can‘t cite credible sources and exhaustive studies to prove that growing up poor is basically a financial death sentence no matter how well you do later in life because I‘m not a sociologist writing a textbook but…if I had access to generational wealth, I probably could be a sociologist writing a textbook.”

The Collected Regrets is a sweet book. Clover is a death doula. Her career was largely inspired by her parents‘ early death (when she was 6), and her guilt over not being present when her beloved grandfather, who raised and nurtured her, died unexpectedly and alone while she was studying abroad. Because she lost so much so early, Clover has always had a hard time connecting with folks — & vice versa. 👇🏻

Wild tattoo musings inspired by Pax.

There‘s a moment when Vola reflects upon finding herself again after getting quite lost. She remembers a night when she was a child, sneaking out and eating her fill beneath a peach tree, blissed out under the light of the moon. Her core, she realizes, is joy (& simple pleasure). It triumphs over pain.

I‘m thinking of getting a peach on my shoulder; the juice beneath it will form the abstract shape of a fox.

#2023ReadingBracket

Jan: Saltus by Tara Gereaux
Feb: These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
March: Enchantment by Katherine May
April: True Biz by Sara Novic
May: Pax by Sara Pennypacker

The middle of my bracket remains stunted by indecision. 🙈

At least I was able to decide on a winner for May! Pax won handily. In fact, I may or may not be chatting with a tattoo artist about getting a design inspired by the text. 🍑🦊

To be honest, this was as frustrating to read as it was compulsively readable. 😅 It‘s one of those stories where you want to SHAKE all of the characters for being self-absorbed jerks…but you‘re secretly praying for their evolution, growth, and redemption. By the end, I was celebrating little victories, mourning endings, and crossing my fingers for the future. Despite a stray, awkward sentence or two, I think this was very well-done.

I mentioned a little bit ago that I was taking a rug-making workshop towards the end of May. Today was that day. Dig my little ghostie! 👻

“Even more than most television of that era, the show sounded like a throwaway. It had that silly title [Buffy the Vampire Slayer]. It was based on a campy movie, starred a soap opera actress…And if you tried to describe the plot, it screamed “guilty pleasure”…It looked like a good way to kill time before getting back to analyzing themes of the public woman in George Eliot‘s Daniel Deronda…I‘d never finish my doctorate.”

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

I‘ve owned this book, “I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution”, forever. Once I learned that it contained spoilers for shows I haven‘t gotten around to watching, I decided not to read it “yet.” I may never read it.

This morning, though, I remembered that it kicks-off with an essay about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And that? That I can read. A dozen times over. 🧛🏻‍♀️🧄⚰️

I read Pax in 2016 when I was on a middle school book award committee, then again this week for my Children‘s Literature book club for adults. I forgot how much I truly loved it! It‘s “about” a boy & his fox. It‘s *about* the human capacity for hurt but also, healing & redemption. It‘s about the transformative power of anger (both good & bad), the costs of war, the right to choose, what‘s wild & tame, found family, & the power of story. 👇🏻

#WondrousWednesday
Having worked in bookstores, I don‘t think I‘d want to own one. 🙈 Retail is stressful! But just for fun:

An indoor park & bookstore, inspired by winters in New England. A large grassy area. Lots of plants. SAD lamps. Blankets to borrow. A cafe to grab a picnic lunch: wine, cheese, fruit, nuts — charcuterie. Freshly-baked baguettes. Somewhere you can buy books, read, & forget it‘s cold outside. Perhaps called Picnic, Lightning.