⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ~ Out June 3rd!
This work of speculative fiction (there are doors to another realm, spirits and ghosts, and speaking with the dead) asks us to contemplate faith, grief, family, privilege, influencer culture, and how to move forward when we've suffered profound loss and feel partly to blame. It is also a beautiful ode to the power of friendship and chosen family. (Cont'd in comments)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The authors take us back to early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which we witness through the eyes of Dawn, who is in high school. Her world is upended by the lockdown and then by the news her older sister Kate has contracted COVID while at work on the frontlines. Overwhelmed by uncertainty, fear, and loneliness, Dawn seeks solace in Lake Huron, where mysteries of the deep make her questions and worries feel smaller.
(Cont'd in comments)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love it when a book lives up to its hype!

I did a lot of driving over the last few days, so I decided to listen to MGMT and give myself a break from my current TBR. Although I don't have children and have never been pregnant, I found it very easy to empathize with Margo and to root for her success as a mother and a young woman trying to regain her footing. I loved the balance of the serious and silly. It totally worked for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Anishinaabe author and artist Lois Beardslee has composed a remarkable collection of poetry (with illustrations!) in which she shares her experience of living in two cultures at the same time.
Beardslee's poems are inspired by everyday life, the bounty of earth, and Anishinaabe practices and history. Additionally, she captures the lasting impact of colonization and the ways in which climate change and mankind are shaping our world.

You might be thinking this is an odd choice for me, and you're right! I actually read it for work. But let me tell ya, I found this rather interesting and, at times, entertaining. And I don't even fish! So I'm marking it as a Pick.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ maybe
~
First of all, this type of book is not my cup of tea. So many eyerolling moments. Too much cliché. But I did mostly enjoy it. Would I have read it if I didn't need to for work? No, absolutely not. Will I read another Emily Henry? Eh, maybe.

There was one continuity error that caused me to reread a handful of pages THREE times. I was convinced I had missed something. Turns out I didn't miss anything, but her editors did!

Litsy, I have been MIA for two months, and I'm not really sure why. I'll never be able to catch up and review the books I've read during my absence, but hopefully, I'll consistently stick around for the rest of the year.

Have I missed anything exciting? What have y'all been reading?

Here are some of my recent and current reads. The tagged book, Behind You Is The Sea, is one of the best books I have read so far this year.

"Despite what we've been told, the world is not ours for the taking. Indeed, the world we have inherited comes to us bruised, a tender shard of its former self, having passed clumsily through the well-intentioned hands of our mothers and fathers, seeking a generation it can trust enough, and long enough, to drop its shoulders."
~
This is one of the passages that sat with me for a long time, and one that still stops me in my tracks. What an image.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I put off reviewing this collection of essays because I don't know how to adequately describe it or the way it made me feel. Aguon writes about the destruction of nature, about collective action and memory, about societal injustice, and about grief, growth, and joy. At times, I was so overwhelmed I had to set it aside for several days. But there were also passages that made me feel empowered and hopeful for the future. Highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ruth Shaw has led one incredible and adventurous life. Although her journey was filled with much pain and heartbreak, she looks back upon her life with tenderness. Throughout most of her memoir, my thoughts were, "How did she do all this? How would one even begin? I could never!"

This is more than the story of a bookseller in New Zealand. It's the story of a daughter, mother, sailor (extraordinaire!), lover, survivor, and fierce friend.

Almost 4⭐️
~
This equally humorous and heartbreaking memoir is told in the format of Questions & Answers (essays) supposedly taken from the author's job as a queer advice columnist. Flashbacks to Brammer's youth in rural Oklahoma and his early experiences as a gay man serve as the packaging for most of his advice. I was quite moved by his honesty, vulnerability, and insight, but I think a more standard format would have served his story better.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The only thing keeping this from 5⭐️ is the repetition, which is largely due to the fact several of the chapters were originally published separately.
~
A MUST READ for anyone who has lived in OK or has an interest in the history of westward expansion/the South. I thought I was fairly well-educated on at least Tulsa's history, but it turns out there was still much to learn. This is right up there w/ Forget the Alamo for me! (Excellent)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - (Feeling a bit generous)

What might the US look like if the Civil War never happened and slavery remained legal in select states? Here, we get a glimpse at one imagining.

Victor is an escaped slave turned bounty hunter. He helps the gov't catch and return slaves to the Hard Four states. A case in Indianapolis threatens to undo both the lies he has been telling himself and the lies the US has been telling the world.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Slightly rounding up.

After a few pages, I made a note in the margin that said, "I don't like this so far." It was weird. So weird. And then, somewhere along the way, it became beautiful and brilliant and human. It had so many layers.

This book kind of reminds me of looking through a kaleidoscope - with every spin, the pieces are reorganized into a new design. And as the light pours through, their brilliance is brought to life.

Oh, Litsy, life's been busy. I'm trying to get back into the rhythm of reading and reviewing. And trying not to be hard on myself for reading significantly less at the start of this year. :/
~
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ for Poverty, by America. I wish I had read a physical copy instead of the audiobook, but the narrator was excellent. Highly recommend reading this to gain some perspective on poverty and the systems that both create and maintain it here in the US.

It is taking me so long to get through my first book of the year...

...because we have been doing fun things like traveling to New Orleans and adopting a new kitty!

Litsy, meet Mike! He hasn't been introduced to our other cat quite yet (she is scared), but he has settled in well so far. ❤️

Hello, old friend. 💙 Starting the year with you.

This was a huge year of reading for me! My resolution to just read every single day really paid off! Although there were days I read as a little as one poem or one paragraph, I never missed a day. That resulted in 88 completed books! I normally do a Reading Roundup over on Facebook but I have no idea how to do it for this many titles!

I think my favorite book was the tagged title. It wasn't the best book, but it was so good and so heartwarming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ - Rounding up to a Pick.
My final book of 2023! I thought this was the weakest of the four books so far. However, I still enjoyed it and still ended up in tears. Looking forward to the fifth book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Done; sent; whoosh goes my mail app. I shut the lid and push my laptop across the desk, breathless at my own audacity." (p.31)
~
I actually really enjoyed this and the social commentary it makes. There were a few things that bothered me and took me a bit out of the text for a moment, but I thought it was superior to Babel – perhaps better suited to the author's skill.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This is a very informative book about geopolitics, but it is too out of date at this point. Thus, I spent a lot of time researching the timeline and further development of various conflicts and economic interests between 2015 and today. I would love to read an updated version and wonder if one is in the works. I'm hesitant to rate it a Pick for this reason, but it's still a decent starting point for understanding geopolitics!

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

A quiet but eery apocalyptic story.

An isolated Anishinaabe community loses satellite, power, and communication, but at first thinks it is nothing much to be worried about. Then, two of their young people return with news from the south: this problem is everywhere, and panic and chaos have erupted. The chief and his council work hard to maintain calm and orderliness in their community. But then an outsider arrives...

I only received one book for Christmas this year, but I am so excited about it! ❤️📚 #Ilovewords #etymology #feminism

I finally had to bring home this beautifully illustrated version of The Night Before Christmas from work! It has been one of our best-selling holiday books over the years, and I decided it was time to keep a copy for myself. ❤️🎄🎅 Merry Christmas!

⭐️⭐️⭐️¾
I read this slowly throughout the year. Some of the essays really moved me, all were educational, and some contained really poignant reflections about life and the little things.

"We've caused a lot of suffering, but we've also caused much else. I know the world will survive us—and in some ways it will be more alive. More birdsong. More creatures running around. More plants cracking through our pavement, rewilding the planet..." (p.19)

⭐️⭐️⭐️¾
I really enjoyed this audiobook, especially once the story developed a bit! It is not too complex, as some fantasy can be. I would have rated it a bit higher if I hadn't been able to so well predict the ending. I loved all the characters in the spirit world beneath the sea!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️¾
I had high expectations going in, & I was still kind of blown away! Hard to believe this a debut novel!

Ever Geimausaddle is trying to figure out how to belong to the world as a young man who is both Native American and Mexican. Told largely through other members of his family, we see how their struggles have shaped his own.

Heartbreaking & beautifully written. I highly recommend it, especially if you have ever called Oklahoma home.

As the year comes to an end, I have been feeling ever more intensely pulled to reread The Bell Jar. I read it every five years or so.

Then today at work, I realized I was repeating, "I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart," over and over again in the back of my mind. So when I got home, I pulled my copy off the shelf. I probably won't start it for another week or two, but it felt good to flip through the pages!

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

This would be a great book to gift to a teenager or young adult, for it contains more information about Harrriet Tubman than the average high school history class and is presented in a highly accessible manner. Harriet Tubman's contribution to history cannot be overstated, as it extends far beyond her work on the Underground Railroad. Here, her story is accompanied by photographs, documents, and artwork depicting key moments of her life.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was so lovely, so touching. I absolutely cried. ❤️

Am I crazy for now also wanting the original version of the book?

⭐️⭐️⭐️½/4⭐️ (My review is quite inadequate)

This is a hands-on book about how to live and dream a better world into existence by resisting the status quo and being open to one another, our ancestors, ourselves, and to Mother Earth. Curtice emphasizes that if we can lean into truth and storytelling (rather than into fear), then we can one day get to a place where our similarities are more important than our differences. Read w/ a pencil in hand!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - My first Rooney.

Although this novel made me feel very melancholic, I couldn't stop listening. I was quite invested in the complex relationship between Marianne and Connell, as well as in the relationships they had with themselves, their families, and the world around them. If you love a good character study and aren't bothered by gloom and unease, I think you will see the beauty in Normal People.
(Full review linked in the comments.)

"Gather your burdens in a basket in your heart. Set them at the feet of the Mother. Say, "Take this, Great Mama, because I cannot carry all this shit for another minute." And then crawl into her broad lap and nestle against her ample bosom and take a nap. When you wake, the basket will still be there, but half its contents will be gone, and the other half will have resumed their ordinary shapes and sizes..." - Mirabai Starr, quoted by K.B.Curtice.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Carver's story of being pushed out of the career he loved & excelled in because he is gay is heartbreaking and a major loss to his students. 💔 He poured that pain into this collection of poems about his younger self; a boy from Appalachia who had to hide his sexuality, his poverty, and often his accent. Surrounded by fire and brimstone churchgoers, Carver's true angels were often his teachers. It's no wonder he became one himself. ❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
A moving multi-generational tale of fathers & sons coming to terms with their history, their identity, & their relationship w each other. It celebrates the vulnerability & complexity of being human, as well as the value of living in the present & building a life you can be proud of. At times, comparisons are made between life in Iran & life in the US, highlighting that people everywhere are fighting for representation, survival, & love.

"...so I told him about how much
his ghost had mattered to me,
since, though gay and a ghost,
he had left an echo of being loved that gave me hope..." ❤️❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love anything that analyzes how the use of language has a very real impact on our daily lives, our decisions, and our way of viewing the world. Overall, this book did not disappoint. I was fascinated by Montell's comparison of actual cults to cult-like organizations such as MLMs and exclusive gyms. I may be slightly rounding up to 4 stars, but I'm cool with that.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I MAY CHANGE MY MIND, OKAY?!
~
What a wild ride. Funny, insane, bewildering. I consumed it (yes, pun intended, iykyk) rather quickly, BUT I don't think I loved it. Some confusion is fine, and I KNOW it is magical realism, but I wanted a little more revealed. Because WHAT THE HECK actually happened?! I think this was just a bit beyond what I was prepared for, though I am not sure anyone can be prepared. Buckle up if you pick this one up!

This is such a wild ride. I'm halfway through and am quite bewildered. I'm enjoying it, I think. 😆 I get the feeling that I'm going to reach the end, have an Aha! moment, and want to read it again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Although this contained more of Nikki Vargas' love life/relationship struggles than I expected, I still really enjoyed her memoir. This has been a year of reevaluating my career path and trying to push myself to pursue what I've always wanted to do, so Vargas' personal journey and growth was a lot of what I needed to hear right now. Plus, I loved the stories from her travels! They resonated with my own wanderlust-filled heart. (Audiobook)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed Murakami's reflections on both what it is to be a novelist and how his writing process has evolved over time. I also enjoyed learning about how he found success in the American publishing industry.
You don't need to be familiar with his works to read this – just a lover of books or an aspiring writer yourself!

Book mail!!! 📚 I have several current reads I need to complete before starting any of these, but which should I read first??

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I wanted to read this for years but was always put off by the length. The other day I was browsing Google Books' sale section and came across the full cast audiobook for just $5.99, and I knew I had to get it. It was the longest audiobook I've listened to, but I LOVED it and couldn't stop listening! I finished it before going in to work on Thursday, and I started it all over again on my way home that night! It's so much fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
I let too much time pass between when I read the first 2/3 of this book and when I finally got around to finishing it. This made it hard to keep up with all the names, policies, dates, etc. But this is a very informative and horrific account of the battle between protecting the waters of the Great Lakes and allowing diversions of water for public, private, and commercial use. It's also a grave look at the fight over water rights in general.

Here's why I read (and reread) all those holiday books in September! 🎄📚❄️ My second column for the Grand Traverse Scene is now out! It is part of their first holiday edition since the pandemic began.

"Embarrassment is a tactic of war
in which we teach the other
to destroy themselves
while we can say
that our hands
are clean." ?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was not expecting to be so moved by this memoir. Britney's words felt honest and bare, and although she details her personal experience with stardom and being taken advantage of for money and fame, she shares a lot of advice and "lessons learned" that most women can (sadly) relate to and appreciate.

Britney has a lot of empathy and love, and I hope she can surround herself with others who have the same. She deserves it.

My current in-flight reading material!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
This felt like it was trying to be too many things at once. But I mostly enjoyed it despite this and its predictability. Will I remember it a year from now? Unlikely.

The House in the Cerulean Sea (to which this is often compared) is the better novel.

I am visiting my parents this week and have been tasked with going through anything left from my childhood room. That means mostly books! Who else read the Georgia Nicholson books? They were so funny!! These are definitely keepers.