We went to the DC Zoo today & found out about bird friendly coffee. Did not know there was such a thing. My oldest wants to go to grad school & do bird research. He‘s already encouraged us to buy plants & flowers that are more native to the area to encourage more pollinators. He‘s becoming my conscience more when shopping or purchasing things. In case you‘re interested in learning more. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/bird-friendly

Low pick, more like a meh. The only reason why I say a pick is because I get the point of the story about connections, life, art. My mom & sister saw Bachman in person & loved his explanation. My sister feels that I don‘t get the point of the story since she her the author explain himself. It just felt very repetitive to me. I kept reading because my mom raved (my mom rarely raves about a book). Either I read too much NF & fiction is not engaging

Low pick, kind of disappointed. I love the sarcastic banter & back/forth between her 2 main characters (I loved Funny Story & Book Lovers). In this case Alice & Hayden but they are competing to write Margaret‘s life story. It had Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes to me. I look forward to Emily Henry‘s summer books…romance fun, great to read at the beach. This was more about complicated family relationships.

PBS just released a 2 hour documentary produced by Bradley Cooper on Caregiving. In the US many people become caregivers to their disabled children/adults, sick/aging parents. My mom cared for my dad until he passed from Lewy Body Dementia. My MIL cared for my FIL as he was dying of cancer. The US offers little to no assistance for people who become caregivers to their loved ones. My dad & FIL had Medicare & insurance which allowed for hospice

Book stack of books I‘ve purchased over the last month. I didn‘t realize I bought that many books lately. Too many books to I want to read/prioritize. Bought my daughter some Judy Blume books because I loved them when I was little & read #bannedbooks

Over the last few years I have stopped reading about WWII because it‘s been so overwhelming. This one was interesting but a hard read. The author discusses some of the early history that lead to the Holocaust, the propaganda, the acceptance of many as the Nazi party pushed its agenda forward. He discusses that it‘s impossible for any one person to be an expert in the Holocaust because it covers so many areas, regions, counties of Europe.

What‘s there to say that hasn‘t been already said about this book. James Baldwin is one of my favorite people (he‘s one of the first people that I started to listen to his old interviews when I started my antiracism journey). His writing is so powerful & plays such an important role in American fiction.

I‘ve had this one on my shelves for a while. Happy that I finally picked it up, it was what I needed. Big RBG fan & now a bigger fan. The book has details about her court decisions & dissents she has written. I loved learning about RBG‘s insights into cases she‘s been a part of over her long law career. She makes me wish I knew who she was when I was younger & went into law. #realhistory #honesthistory

Most every science student (biological & social) has now been required to learn about Henrietta Lacks. She plays a vital role in science & consent. Racism & the treatment of Black people in America in the medical community in the past & present still play a larger role in health treatment & disparities. Definitely a must read if you‘re interested in learning about what the Lacks family has endured for generations. #realhistory #honesthistory

#wdncw #WeDoNotCareWednesday I do not care that I have spent my last few days just reading & ignoring everything else while my youngest is at summer camp this week (she is at camp for 8 hours a day).

Book list from the African American National History Museum https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/museum-store/juneteenth-reading-list

The Whitney Plantation is also offering 19% off all books online today

We need diverse books also has a good list of books

I read this passage today & felt how applicable it is to today. Especially with what is happening to so many immigrant families in the US right now. This was a letter written by a French priest in 1942 that was read to most of the churches in Toulouse. Currently, I still don‘t understand how people call themselves a Christian & have no qualms about what is happening to so many innocent people. #ranttime

My husband & I are going to Charleston, SC next month sans kids. We are staying on Meeting Street. We don‘t have a planned itinerary, besides going to the new African American Museum. It‘s been many years since we‘ve last been there. Any good bookstores to visit?

Many young boys go into You Tube & find their way to these sites which are preaching these principles of hate against women. It‘s all crafted in a certain way to make boys unaware (as well as their parents) of what they are stumbling upon. Social media has long since been complicit in not shutting these men down. Not to mention the media also plays a part in how people that commit violent acts are “good or misunderstood” aka White men/boy who was

One of those highly important books, especially at this moment. This info is more relevant now than when it was written just a few years ago. Reason is the current president is a convicted felon for assault & this shows the men in the manosphere that they can get away with anything & not be held accountable. I am horrified for my daughter to know that there are men (boys being mainstreamed into this narrative) that women are evil. That women are

Perfect example of sexism. My daughter had 2 fliers sent home for basketball camps at the high school down the road. Both camps are sponsored by the same booster club. The boys get a nice card & the girls get a photocopy. Also the boys camp only has a $5 late fee for registering after a certain date & the girls it‘s a $20 fee. I told my husband that this shows girls don‘t matter as much as boys (I know that most parents don‘t think this but it

I‘ve been slowly reading this book for the last month. I want to part vomit, throw the book across the room, sign my daughter up for every self defense class from now until eternity. My oldest (he‘s 21) he‘s been telling me for the last few years that social media is a cesspool. He said the white supremacy is so bad. It‘s good to be knowledgeable but ugh this is horrific. Its of course only gotten worse since the 🍊one is back & now that he‘s a

Another fun addition to the series as Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, & Natalie come out of retirement to figure who is targeting them. I do like the references to past history & art. I hope that there will be another installment

I started this one a few years ago & then life got busy & I put it aside. I‘m happy that I finally went back to finish it. I had this cathartic moment as I was finishing that the topics & subjects covered in this book are really difficult things to face & come to terms with. Not making excuses for people because they just need to unlearn that sh—. But I can also see why people can‘t unlearn it. US history is so entwined with racism that most don‘t

Thumbs up from the 9 year old, she is loving the writing from an animals perspective. It was a cute story & a nice way to highlight some of the dangers that the otter community is facing. The timeline is a little wonky in a few places but the 9 year old didn‘t mind.

TS being the mastermind that she is released her version of “Look What You Made Me Do” for The Handmaiden‘s Tale. Now she just needs to finally release Taylor‘s version of Reputation.

https://people.com/taylor-swift-surprises-look-what-you-made-me-do-rerecording-h....

Reflections on different historical & cultural movements in US history pertaining to the Black community (music, dancing, movies, comedians, magic). I enjoy learning more different perspectives & how to view history in a different & cultural lens. I took notes for areas to go back & reflect on & search out more areas to read up on. “A country is something that happens to you. History is a series of thefts or migrations or escapes. Along the way

I wanted to brag about my oldest. He has been inducted (as a Junior) into Phi Kappa Phi Honors Fraternity at his university. He has worked so hard the last few years. He was a kid that struggled with his anxiety & ADHD all through elementary school (we had one teacher tell us he‘d never make it to college). Now I look at all of his accomplishments: this, Dean‘s list. He‘s studying Wildlife Biology & Conservation. He‘s told us he wants to pursue

Love the Finlay Donovan series. As I was listening it was brought up that this whole series/story has taken place over a 4 month period. Which made me wonder if the author planned out the whole series in advance. Seems like there will be another Finlay book in the future. I was happy this Libby hold came through this morning since I had to drive back home from RI. I was able to listen to the whole book (9 hours) because of traffic & construction

I think I‘ve got my stack set for #14books14weeks I did about half fiction & half nonfiction since I primarily read NF. I feel like these are the ones I really want to read & get through this summer. Looking forward to slower days & hopefully more reading.

My oldest is home from college & wanted to go to the bookstore. I bought myself some books for Mother‘s Day (my husband did buy me some new flowers for my pots in the front of the house). The tagged book is one that the Naval Academy has on the banned book list, so definitely one to read.

Our neighborhood just paved a new street to get out of our subdivision. We were driving through & spotted a turtle crossing the road. My 15 year old asked me to stop & he jumped out of the car to assist the turtle across the street (he‘s Autistic & he loves animals). So watch when you‘re driving for little critters crossing. This little one was going from one creek to another but now there‘s a paved road. Eastern painted turtle

Big thumbs up from the 9 year old as we finished up The One & Only series. She loved the continuation of Ivan‘s story as he became a dad. I read her the author‘s note after we finished & it mentioned about book bans. My daughter asked what book bans were. I realized how lucky she has been to live in cities & states that don‘t enact book bans. How she‘s always been in libraries that have lots of books for her to choose freely from. After I

Maybe Harvard needs to lend the head of the Department of Education an APA, MLA or some other writing manual. This was the letter that the Department of Ed sent Harvard. They marked it up, like any good professor or higher level of education school would do. They sent it back to her & then posted it on line. This is my level of petty.

After 2 years of sitting my shelf I finally took the time to dive into this book. One fascinating tidbit was that the FBI had/has a case file of about 2,000 pages on James Baldwin. The book is a guide of incorporating more abolitionist ideas & practices into working towards changing existing systems. Building a stronger community allows you to start to tear down old systems. She highlights disability & transformative justice initiatives.

I listened to this over audio, which was fabulous. Although I feel like I need to get a physical copy because I loved this book. Quirky, a story about siblings, family, love, figuring out your life, academics. I also love highlighting a character, Valdin, that has OCD (representation matters). When Greta talks about how her parents are always going to worry about Valdin because of his mental health (very validating for a mom of a kid with OCD &

Big thumbs up from the 9 year old as we continue through the series. Things we learned: elephants are now growing shorter tusks due to years of poaching (which is sad but cool how biology works as a way to try & protect the species). In the author‘s notes she gave some good resources: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (oldest elephant sanctuary) & Elephant Voices website has elephant ethograms where you can learn all about elephant behaviors. She also

Like but not love for me, maybe because I read it over several weeks late at night. I did like how the author highlighted the real pain that some women can endure with endometriosis. I feel like those who have never experienced it can‘t imagine the pain or how the medical system sometimes doesn‘t take it seriously. The story is full of trigger warnings: addiction, alcoholism, child abuse. I have 2 sisters so I get the highs & lows of sisterhood.

I‘m primarily a NF reader but sometimes I need to throw in some fun reads. This was a perfect read at the end of the day kind of book. I do love when a disability is openly discussed in a book because representation matters. As well as the idea of a disabled person having a love life (too often forgotten in most stories). Follows the typical narrative of a romance book. I have the next 2 in the series on my Kindle.

I‘ve been trying not to buy unnecessary items lately but I might have to pause that. On June 1st Lego is releasing a Sherlock Holmes book book set ($130).

“Blindness is a radically distinct way of being in the world. Humans are so fundamentally visual in their understanding & experience that blindness requires its own domain.” I did not know that over 70% of people that are blind live in poverty. Mainly because the education model for the blind is not built on ensuring that blind people being successful. Our systems are not built for disabilities either (& currently they are all being defunded or

After finishing Ivan we moved onto Bob‘s story. Another 2 big thumbs up from the 9 year old. She loved getting hear more about Bob‘s story & how he found his home. Another sweet but sad story at times following the lives of these characters.

I read this one many years ago with my older two boys but recently read it with my 9 year old. She loved Ivan‘s story. She‘d get upset that we had to stop any time that she felt it was a cliff hanger. I love how she gets so into a story & loves reading every night. It‘s a sweet but sad story to view life from an animal(s) perspective- Ivan, Ruby, Stella, Bob.

Our local library branch had a used book sale this weekend. My daughter & I stopped by earlier today, towards the end of the sale. We got 5 books for $3. These both were in new condition. Not that I need more but 2 I‘ve never read & happy to support our library.

Visited my local bookshop, the Curious Iguana, early this morning. It was packed in there. If you spent over $50 you were eligible for a free tote. These were 2 books on my list but they didn‘t have the new Anne Berest book 😢. I was in a time crunch so I didn‘t have a ton of time to peruse. Plus my 9 year old was with me. She found 3 new books (not pictured: New Girl, Warriors books 1 & 2). #indiebookstoreday

Tomorrow is independent bookstore day. Diverse Books posted a list of independent bookstores. They also broke them down by the different types of owners. https://www.diversebooks.org/resources/diversebookstores Happy buying & reading!

😳, I unfortunately think we‘re at the start of kids telling their stories of living in a household that broadcast to YouTube of other online media sources. There are so many ethical dilemmas that go along with these situations (some of which Franke discusses in her book). The passing of the 2018 Free Range Parenting law in Utah has made it close to impossible for DSS to investigate cases of child abuse since the law is so vague. I can‘t imagine

“Rodrigo Duterte was not the first politician in the world to declare war on a domestic issue {sound familiar US}. Wars on poverty, pornography, hunger, obesity, cancer, & drugs have been launched & fought by presidents & potentates long before Duterte. None of these wars have so far been won. None of that matters, because for the politician, the declaration is a victory all its own. The headlines are printed. The campaigns get their slogans. The

Not my favorite Jimenez book, not the usual heat, banter & humor of her destined couple. The story talks more about the bigger family concerns that Xavier & Sam have going on & what draws them together as a couple. Sam‘s mom is in the early stages of dementia. As someone that lost her dad suddenly to a form of dementia last year it hit close to home. I do like how Jimenez discussed the reality‘s that many families have to face when someone they

The book centers around the lives of 3 mothers of: Malcom X, James Baldwin & Martin Luther King, Jr. Each woman lead a unique life & upbringing which shaped how they raised their sons. I learned a lot that I did not know about each woman. They themselves were steeped in social justice causes which were part of their households. Each woman also faces the challenges of raising a family during the Civil Rights Era. It important to continue to share &

Published in 2021 but the content is relevant more than ever. As well as rage inducing since the word “woman” is no longer allowed to be used in research at this moment in the US…as well as any disorders or words associated with women. Fun times. Anyhow Cleghorn details the plight of women in medicine & research for the last few hundred years. The frustrating part is women were finally being included in research & drug trails. Medicine & men

I loved Phoebe‘s dry wit & humor. Taking joy in your passions but also not having to stay the course in your life especially if it‘s not making you happy. I like the whole idea of finding joy in what brings you joy, not what society tells you will make you happy (young people & their obsession with perfection & an IG curated life). Speaking your mind & finding a sense of relief from not having to make everyone happy…all the time.

Last year we went to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum & seeing the empty frames was a startling reminder of the theft. That was a heavily publicized theft. After finishing this book it made me start to wonder how many art galleries, especially smaller ones, have or have had art stolen? It‘s fascinating that this thief was able to steal close to $2 billion in art & it was years before he was caught. Although I‘m sure museums have much better

Last night on IG Tad Stoermer was discussing the recent book ban by the Naval Academy. He talked about how we have the power to continue to push back on the narrative. Use our power on social media to disrupt the algorithms. Keep reading & posting books that are banned. He said “No permission required. They erase. We restore.” #publichistory #resistancehistory #honesthistory #resistance #howrevolutionary

#realhistory Erasure of stories & history is becoming a real & scary thing in the US. There are many people in our society that have made significant contributions, not just white men. It‘s important to keep pushing back on this new narrative. Diversity makes us better, Equity makes us better, Inclusion makes us better.