1. Give everyone as much grace as you can, including yourself.
2. 😎💃🏽🩵
3. The tagged book is hilarious!
#wondrouswednesday

1. There have been some interesting answers to this question. For my part, I think it‘s possible for a book to define a generation, a Strong Sense of Time, if you will, but keeping in mind that no decade or generation is any one thing. That being said…
2. With the caveat that I haven‘t read it * I suggest the tagged book for the 1980s. The rise of investment bankers and various derivatives, etc. etc.
#two4tuesday on Wednesday

Yesterday, once we seemed to clear the weather and traffic, I remembered I had this book on my phone from Libby. Good choice for a road trip!

It‘s also a good choice for #hyggehourreadathon because there‘s something very cozy to me about armchair travel.

My husband made chicken cordon bleu for dinner, and it was delicious! Now I‘m settled in with my book and the Yankees-Dodgers on TV. Trying very hard to ignore the news.

Next up in the Harbinder Kaur series #sundayfunday

I‘m not sure what all happened this month that I only finished four books, but in any case the tagged book was my favorite. #wrapup

We‘re on a little road trip. It‘s perhaps ill advised in light of the weather, but we were both getting kinda stir crazy. Am I reading in the car? Of course not. Just playing with my phone and hoping the traffic calms down soon. #chatterday

1. Tagged book from the free cycle group.
2. I mended the loose seam on my tote bag.
3. Violas!
4. The return of farmers market season.
5. TACOs & gumbo #5joysfriday

I‘m beginning to see a pattern here! A few books I‘ve read, some on my TBR, some I‘ve never even heard of the author, and some I‘ve read other books by the authors but not the ones on the list. These are the whopping 4/100 that I‘ve read. #TLT
1. The Hobbit
2. The Little Prince
3. Rebecca
4. Miss Lonelyhearts

Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-before-you-die-list4

My reading intentions for #jumpstartsummer were a bit ambitious! I got a lot of laundry done and did a little organizing, but I only finished the tagged book today. I‘ve started the other three but don‘t seem to be in the right frame of mind for any of them right now.

As with @Bookwormjillk this book didn‘t hit quite right. I liked it but not as much as I thought I would considering the topic, and it was longer than it needed to be. ⬇️

1. Sharon, Stephanie, Barbara, Lily
2. Kili is the first cat I have named.
3. Capability (“Kitty”) Weeks from the tagged series. #wondrouswednesday

1. I don‘t know yet!
2. Tagged!
#two4tuesday

1. After washing four (or was it five?) loads of laundry yesterday and the day before, today I turned my attention to organizing. I found a bag of “stuff” that contained, among other things, a pen and post-it pad from the Qatari government that I must have picked up at some event. I happily threw them in the trash.
2. Organizing and getting things done gives me a sense of accomplishment that helps my mental health. #mentalhealthmonday

I‘m not reading this now for #hyggehourreadathon but I was reading it earlier. Better than reading the book, I‘m talking about it with a friend of my husband‘s we joined for dinner. I‘m sitting in the ghost seat in front of a column!

I‘m not much of a cryer while reading books. Too many tears and I can‘t see what I‘m reading! However, this book definitely got me in the feels. #sundayfunday

These are the books I have out from the library and want to read for the #jumpstartsummer readathon. I also have one or two on my shelf that I might read in addition to or instead. 😎

Tonight I‘ll be at a ballgame and brought the tagged book to read beforehand if I don‘t see any of my friends. Otherwise it‘s laundrypalooza and maybe a little swimming (since I picked up the pool passes today) and of course reading.

1. I took my cat to the vet for some bloodwork and had a chance to hang out with Holly the office cat.
2. Friday night I went to a beautiful wedding.
3. I submitted some good news to the Daily Beans podcast and heard it on the air!
4. My friend has been raving about the French Asian bakery, Tous les Jours, and I had lunch there. Everything was delicious.
5. Good long call with my friend in Colorado.
#5joysfriday

I wasn‘t expecting to read this in May, but it became available after having been hard to find for months. So I read it in three days! It would have been two, but I was tired after a long day.

This is the seventh book in a series I started reading years ago for #whodunnitbymail back in the day. Thanks to @PatriciaU for suggesting that first book!

While this series has the “bones” to continue, I got strong conclusion vibes.
#serieslove2025

Interesting list! Books I‘ve read (7/100), a few from my TBR, some I‘ve never heard of in my life, and some by authors I have read just not the ones on the list. #TLT

Surely there will be more Agatha Christie in the next batch? Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-before-you-die-1900s

Highlights:
1. The Call of the Wild
2. The Great Gatsby
3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

1. It‘s inspiring to know that I‘m standing on the shoulders of a lot of strong women (and men) who worked to make the world a better place.
2. I‘ve been thinking about the tagged book lately in light of current events. Amazing story!
#wondrouswednesday

Thank you for the goodies! Especially the bookmark just when I‘m looking for one! The note is sweet as well. ❤️

Summer book club selections from the Jewish Women‘s Archive: https://jwa.org/programs/bookclub/bookshelf

1. I went down a linguistic rabbit hole and settled on Cornish as the ancient (extinct) language I would like to learn.
2. I‘ve read a handful of books translated from Japanese, and they‘re all interesting. There‘s a whole subset of Japanese mysteries, and I‘d like to read more of them.
#two4tuesday

1. Long story, but I had to skip one of my fitness classes today. I was able to attend the other one, though, and that restored some balance (literally and figuratively).
2. Ignoring the news isn‘t really an option in our household, but I have some podcasts I can listen to that help counteract the gaslighting.
#mentalhealthmonday

Best laid plans! I‘ve already finished one of my choices for #14books14weeks but no worries because I have a replacement in mind. HOWEVER…I can‘t believe we‘re nearly at Memorial Day weekend already!

I‘m not a big fan of spy thrillers, but this had some compelling elements and should lead to an interesting book club discussion.

This book came off the hold list earlier than I thought it would! Since it‘s for next month‘s book club and the library doesn‘t have many copies, I‘m going to read it now so I can return it for the other members.
#hyggehourreadathon

StoryGraph says it‘s this chunkster by James Michener. In fact, four of the top ten in length are Michener books. I went through a phase in high school and college where I gravitated to his epic books, and there are still a few that I need to work through on my TBR list. #sundayfunday

While there are some random features I miss from Goodreads, I appreciate that StoryGraph allows for sorting by page length.

1. Trivia last night didn‘t earn us any prizes, but I got a book recommendation.
2. I created my list of 14 books and in the process streamlined my StoryGraph tags.
3. Last Friday: program on aging which included a cooking demo, peonies seen during my walk at the lake, town hall with my congresswoman.
4. She liked my USNA shirt. Annapolis is part of the district as well as where she lives.
5. Cookout on Saturday. More in comments.
#5joysfriday

Better than last week (10 out of 100) but still not great. One I read grudgingly and hated, some I never heard of in my life, and three I especially liked.
1. Anna Karenina
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth

Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-before-you-die-1800s

Thanks to @dabbe for putting these together every week! #TLT

“…Immigration is now a matter of national security, which explains irrational decisions and unnecessary delays…”

🌹I loved Dr. Seuss and later the Little House books.
🌺🌺 Kinsey Millhone and Sam Gamgee
🌷🌷🌷I read The Diamond Eye for April and gave it 4 stars. #wondrouswednesday

Between #authoramonth and #bookclub selections and #camplitsy I filled out most of my list for #14books14weeks & just needed a couple more from my TBR.

I‘m a little behind the pace this month. Not sure which of these I‘ll be reading next. #serieslove2025

1. I recently read a book by Clare Mackintosh for book club, and I liked it.
2. I still have the tagged book on my TBR list. #two4tuesday

I made some progress this week and should finish this in a couple days. #hyggehourreadathon

Molly Weasley is fierce! Especially when she “dispatches” Bellatrix. #sundayfunday

Nothing says Public Service Recognition Week like arresting a mayor for trying to inspect a facility in his own city.

There‘s been so much happening, I never shared this thought from a measly three months ago. I agree that the government is already too small for the size of the population and the complexity of issues faced. Just my two cents as a #longtimefed but you can read the article via the link in the comments.

Fun fact! The first year I volunteered at the National Book Festival (2017), I was an usher in the main conference hall. Vance was one of the featured authors, but it was before he lost his mind and sold his soul. As I recall he was an interesting speaker and was well received. So it‘s particularly galling that the current regime has fired the Librarian of Congress under blatantly false pretenses.

There‘s a little bit to unpack from last night‘s town hall with my congresswoman. As a first-term representative from a blue state and district, she acknowledged that she has limited tools at her disposal at the moment, but she‘s definitely using them.

She mentioned the importance of phone calls no matter what color your district is, and that including a personal story provides more impact. So let‘s keep it up! #longtimefed #psrw

I realized late last night that I hadn‘t made a post for #psrw and #longtimefed but I was tired and needed to go to bed. Today I‘ll post twice! As I wait for the start of a town hall with my congresswoman at the library, I‘m absorbing the news that Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, has been fired. Not a surprise I guess, but nonetheless I‘m done with the National Book Festival for the foreseeable future. I‘ll BBL with another post.

1. Book club winery visit with snacks. If you look closely, you can see me in the background at the counter.
2. Free map of Rohan from the game store.
3. Azaleas next to the side door at church.
4. Double header at the ballpark.
5. The website tomanlorenzo.com has given me joy for many years, especially during Oscars and Met Gala weeks.
#5joysfriday

Ouch! Since there‘s only 6, I might as well include them all. I liked or loved these five.
1. Jane Eyre
2. Pride & Prejudice
3. Sense & Sensibility
4. Mansfield Park
5. Wuthering Heights
This one I hated, and it didn‘t help that I had to read it twice!
6. The Scarlet Letter
#TLT

Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-before-you-die-1700s

Apparently it‘s “terrorism” to expect due process for all? Fun fact! As a #longtimefed I had a passing acquaintance with Seb G when he worked for an organization downstairs from my office. He struck me as a bit grumpy and kinda “out there.” He has some books in the Litsy database, but I‘m not going to highlight them in any way.

1. Tagged book was a giveaway 😄
2. I keep a reading journal with reviews/blurbs, sometimes post reviews on Litsy, and fill out the review questionnaires on StoryGraph.
#wondrouswednesday

I worry about this too. When we finally get this 💩show behind us, there will be a lot of work to do. Who would want to work for such a capricious employer?
#longtimefed #psrw

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/lawmakers-fear-doge-cuts-will-drive-aw...

1. After I was reading my Kindle in bed and dropped it on my nose when I fell asleep, I mostly stick to reading while sitting!

2. I‘m just starting this today, so I‘ll let you know…

#two4tuesday

Is it really a #shelfsweeper if I DNF‘d and offloaded it before it actually got to my shelf?

Tagged book was a giveaway at Malice Domestic. Psychological thrillers are a mixed bag for me, but I figured I‘d give it a try. After three chapters I decided it wasn‘t for me.

My book club had a social gathering on Saturday, and I brought it along with me for someone else to try.

Even if we could set aside the rampant disinformation influencing the current regime‘s justification for ripping the guts out of federal government agencies (which is a very big “if” to take into account), it just doesn‘t make sense to do it the way they‘re doing it. As we‘ve already seen, they fired people they really shouldn‘t have fired.

True budgetary and policy analysis takes weeks if not months to accomplish properly. #longtimefed #psrw

I DNF‘d two books this weekend! Luckily, I also stopped at the library for a the tagged book. It‘s clever and fun & goes great with lasagna. #hyggehourreadathon

I would love to visit Viv‘s coffee shop in Thune for the cinnamon rolls alone. #sundayfunday

The #longtimefed is back for Public Service Recognition Week. When I was working, this week usually passed with little fanfare other than a nice boilerplate message from POTUS and maybe one from our Director. This year it‘s a joke at best.