Well, my day took a turn after lunch. My car died while driving home, so I had to get a tow. Now waiting at Culver‘s until my mom is done with work, so she can pick me up. At least I have frozen custard, my current library book, and the two I picked up at the library book sale today to keep me occupied for the next couple of hours 🫠

After a hot walk around the farmers‘ market and library book sale, enjoying some lunch and an iced chai and reading in air conditioning!

Official start of the sequel series to the Spirit Animals series. I thought it was pretty good to start with. I liked some of the more fantastical elements (the underground city) and new characters. And it sets up the series well for the next book. And Nicola Barber is always an excellent audiobook narrator!

What I purchased at today‘s library book sale. Gut has been on my TBR for awhile.

Latte and some more reading after a morning visit to the farmers‘ market/library book sale

Day off. Slept in, then went for my fasting blood tests. Then picked up some brunch and had myself a little picnic in the park (only in the mid 70s today!). Time to run some errands and then just chill at home.

A quibble - this is listed as 0.6 in the Spirit Animals series, but it‘s really more of a prequel to the sequel series (Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts). It does its job setting up the new series/bridging the original and sequel series by introducing the new characters, but each of the short stories basically follows the same arc.

Pancakes with griddled bananas and a spooky read before heading to my Inflectra infusion. Happy Friday!

“‘So,‘ Morrison said. ‘You want in, Desmondo?‘”

Well so far, this is delightful 🐈

I thought this book was well written, bringing the witch hunts and plague era in Germany to life. Thought provoking, poignant, and unfortunately very relevant still.

A bite to eat before my iron infusion. Hoping storms will wait until I get back home!

A comfort read, for sure. Each chapter works as its own story, so it was easy to pick up, read a story, and come back later when I wanted to spend more time with Nagare, Koishi, and the various customers of the diner/detective agency (and Drowsy the cat!). It really hit on how food is tied to our memories and how comforting that nostalgia is, even if the memories themselves are often complicated/not completely happy.

Having a little bite to eat outside before work

Foreground #CatsOfLitsy April being snuggly

Middle ground - some goodies from the farmers‘ market: a little painting from Three Goblin Art in a frame I had a home and a couple books from the library friends book sale (the tagged and How to Handle a Scandal by Emily Greenwood)

Lunch after walking around the farmers‘ market this morning. Enjoying being in the air conditioning!

“Later I would see that I was wrong about Leidy, wrong to think I wouldn‘t need her and that being a mom herself hadn‘t changed her in a way that would help us deal with Mami. I was wrong to believe the stories we‘d been told about ourselves: that I was the only one bright enough and aware enough to have some kind of plan.”

Have the day off (yay!), but still had to wake up early to go to the dentist (boo!). At least I can now spend the rest of the day doing whatever I want - starting with a coconut butter latte and some reading 📖

A dirty chai and bite to eat while starting a new book before going into work

Starting a new book and enjoying my iced dirty chai and egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit before running errands

A collection of prequel short stories for the Spirit Animals series. I thought the story about the creation of the bile was good as well as the last story about the council of Great Beasts were especially good at further fleshing out the world. Overall, I don‘t think they were the most memorable, though.

My sister requested Starter Villain for her birthday. Ended up throwing Project Hail Mary into my Bookshop cart for myself. But I also ended up putting a library hold on for the Scalzi for myself because the description sounds good! 😆

This book is a vibe. Dark academia plus Southern gothic plus The Outsiders or American Graffiti or something along those lines. Add in an almost painful depiction of grief and slow burn queer longing. The characters were complex. The mystery was a bit predictable, but that‘s a minor quibble. One of my favorites for the year, for sure.

Bite to eat before work and a bit of reading.

This was just a lot of fun. I liked how the friendship developed between Fi and Shane and all their adventures. I wasn‘t totally convinced by the romances (very insta-love) and the twist on the Sleeping Beauty story. But overall, I enjoyed it and will consider getting around to the sequel at some point.

I‘m relaxing at my hotel now after my day of sightseeing. Here‘s what I picked up at Queer Haven Books - an ARC and an asexual pride pin, invisible disability pin for my sister, and a pair of book earrings for my mom. I could‘ve definitely gotten more, but I have to make sure everything fits in my carryon bag! All of this can fit in my purse, so I‘m good.

In Columbia, South Carolina - today is a sightseeing day while the next three days I‘m at a work conference. Made a stop into Queer Haven Books - South Carolina‘s only queer bookstore! Really cute store with a good selection of both new and used books, including a nice children‘s section, and lots of bookish and/or queer goodies.

This was just ok for me. The ending was satisfying, but it took a long time to get there. The amount of fatphobia was very annoying. The characterizations in general felt a bit shallow. It passed the time, though (most of it I listened to as an audiobook at work but read the last third at the airport/during my flight - last third was the strongest part).

Early morning flight. A little over an hour before boarding for me to read and have my iced dirty chai.

“‘Yes,‘ said Valentine, a little uneasily. ‘Send him to me, yes. By all means.‘”

From “The Seventh Shrine” by Robert Silverberg

Bite to eat and an orange blossom mocha before work

Bite to eat and a latte and a little reading before work

Relaxing Sunday with an egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit and an iced mocha and enjoying my book 📖

I think I expected this book to be more typical romance and/or horror. It wasn‘t that, but it was all the better for it. The characterizations were complex, plot slow at points but ultimately impactful, richly depicted settings, with a dash of the philosophical. I enjoyed it immensely.

Ended up near a bookstore while running errands. Did I stop in? Of course! Did I buy books? Is there any doubt? 😆

Done with work! My long weekend begins now with Panera and a book before a haircut 💇‍♀️

Cup of tea and a sandwich before going into work

“Andrew nodded, glancing out the doors again. A steep hill rose up at the edge of the yard, shale sticking out of the crumbling dirt and grass, straggling trees tumbling and growing on the slope. A curious tremble ran up his fingers into his sore arms.”

Lunch and errands today

Better day at work. The collection development librarian let me take first crack at taking any of the weeded books before putting them on the cart for patrons to take because he knows I‘m interested in film. Took the tagged because of the author - I still haven‘t seen Citizen Kane! (Perhaps it‘s time to fix that 😆)

Information was fine if a bit boring. Focus was a bit too much on corporate and government records, which is less applicable to me. A new edition just came out that is likely to be more updated, but I was already almost finished with this.

Bad day at work. Ended up leaving early, getting ice cream and eating it outside in the sun, and then picking up a couple books at Barnes and Noble. Doesn‘t fix anything, but does help me feel a little better. Loved the Hyperbole and a Half blog in college, so I know these will be winners.

Lunchtime reading before going into the office

The usual Saturday - egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit, iced americano, and some reading before running errands

I loved this cozy, found family, sea-faring fantasy adventure. I especially liked the narrator, which felt like having a good friend tell you about something that happened (similar narrator vibes to T. Kingfisher‘s What Moves the Dead, though WMtD is obvi more creepy/filled with dread while Tress is whimsical but thoughtful). No need to have read any other Cosmere books previously - I haven‘t and really enjoyed this.

This was just ok for me. I thought the multi-cast audio was good, the characters worth rooting for, and the concept of the reading list fun. But for a book about the power of books and libraries, there were some inaccuracies about libraries that, as someone who previously worked in a public library, annoyed me (not everyone working at a library is a librarian! I get the non-library worker characters not knowing that, but even the library workers…

Mom and I went to a makers market today. Found some cute things (candle, cat things). There was also a cute little shop in a trailer that sold used books 📚 and a free paint chip bookmark with purchase.

Usual Saturday - reading with lunch (egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit and a cold brew), gas and a car wash (since it‘s actually nice out!), and Petsmart.

A little reading, a vanilla latte, and a biscuit sandwich before work

Took a little walk after lunch around Marion, IA and stopped into the Marion Chocolate Shop (their caramels are so good 😋) and the HEA Book Boutique - a romance themed book store. First time I‘ve visited and it‘s very cute. I got myself the tagged book and a T-shirt that says “I closed my book to be here”

It‘s a pretty nice spring day. Starting a new book from my #AuldLangSpine list to try to get out of a bit of a reading slump. The barista excitedly told me she just finished this one as she was bringing me my dirty chai (also having overnight oats with apples and peanut butter).