“Mostly I have felt myself becoming a servant of sadness. I am still looking for the beauty in that.” - Maggie Nelson

*A photo of my best friend by me!

How many of you live in NYC & the surrounding area? I run the Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl (bkbookcrawl.com) and we‘re coming back on April 27th on Indie Bookstore Day. Comment below if you‘re gonna visit a bookstore that day! 👇

2019 resolution. Read more poetry. 📚
*Monument, Natasha Trethewey
*Ghost Of, Diana Koi Nguyen
*Wobble, Rae Armantrout
*Museum is the America‘s, J Michael Martinez
*Indecency, Justin Phillip Reed
*Eye Level, Jenny Xie
*Square Inch Hours, Sherod Santos
*Magdalene, Marie Howe
*Archeophonics, Peter Gizzi

Guys, I‘ve been a fan of Cristin since I was in high school. Her poetry collections literally helped me survive puberty. Her latest collection of poetry made me weep as she grapples with the loss of her mother. She‘s on tour right now and if you‘re in DC or Philly, please go see her. It‘s honestly a visceral, moving experience. Also featured is my literary spouse Cristina from Bustle.

Currently reading. Thx to my boo @Bookbaristas for taking a way better insta shot than I could at brunch this weekend. I‘m an old timer. 😎 (Pub Date: 5/1/18)

This was a thrill to read! I finished it in two long subway rides. A religious cult, North Korea, and college vibes all at the same time with beautiful prose? I was hooked. RO Kwon‘s writing is about to make her a literary force to be reckon with and I can‘t wait to follow what will be an amazing legacy.

"First the body and then the heart. Good night. Sleep tight. The bed bugs will surely bite." Fun fact about me. I'll read anything Lauren Groff writes and recommends. She blurbed this book & I'm excited.

Always find the nearest bookstore. Even when you're on vacation. 📚💁🏻 (Q. Do you know what bookstore this is? Hint in the book title area.)

Sometimes in NYC I get a bit desensitized & everything reads the same. To punch through my reading slump, I'm re-reading a wonderful collection of sad& magical short stories by one of my favorite authors. 👌

News! I'm no longer at the Strand. I left a few months ago to pursue a career in politics which I've always been passionate about. It seemed like the right time & I'm now the Communications Director for a progressive politician.

But...I'm always a book lover. So stay tuned! Now I'm able to read more for pleasure & I have a very long #TBRlist. 📚

I don't have a DVD player but I've moved all across the country with the Princess Bride. ⚔️ The Dread Pirate Roberts hasn't lost any of his charm and I'm very much fangirling. 💕 #asyouwish

Because @jcgoody gave me a shoutout, here's a shoutout back thanking him for inviting me to an amazing author's dinner with Ron Currie! Super good conversation abt politics, books, James Cameron, etc with Ron has me totally stoked to read this Strand favorite author's new book. Literally. Our staff loves him.

this little extrovert is having herself a very introverted recouping session 📖✨

At NAIBA this weekend in Baltimore. I swore I wouldn't do this but grabbed way too many books. 📚 Should have brought a suitcase! Also, shoutout to my friend Jaro who has a book coming out with LB. 🎉 Which one should be my first read?! 😅

Late night cleaning & decorating. ✨ Some of the old paperbacks that I'm slightly obsessed with.

He says, "You have to be nicer to me." I say, "I do." // This collection is intense. I think I'm holding my breath while reading because some narratives are too recognizable, some wounds too relatable. I really love "North Country" so far. Probably because I love distantly at times too. #AirportReads✈️

bye goodreads, hello @getlitsy! ✌️ #bkloveslitsy

I've been so busy! Ahh but here's my new kitty Baloo and some light reading from this weekend. Who doesn't love a good Bill Murray story?!

There are some home runs in this short story collection. Weinstein feels like a mix between Ray Bradbury, a dash of George Saunders, and a splash of Kelly Link. He predicts the future of mankind with a level of realness that I found myself mulling over some of the concepts days later.

I'm really excited to take a crack at both of these. I was fortunate to hear both authors speak tonight at the NAIBA social. There's an urgency in both titles that speak to social undercurrents and I can't wait to dive in. Also, thanks to Community Bookstore for hosting! 💕

Woke up early and treated myself to a latte plus some pleasure reading. So far, Alcott is drawing these incredibly vivid characters for me. As someone who loves this sort of writing style, I read 15 minutes past my break time! Oops! Was only five minutes late to my first meeting of the day. 💫

It ended up being a 12-hour day but soooo worth working those hours to meet Travis Barker from Blink-182. If only teenage Whitney could see me now. If you didn't know, his new memoir is out and probably the perfect reading for everyone camping out for the free concert this morning.

some of the arcs around my office. need some new ones! what's on your TBR list for late summer/fall?

I want you to see and smell like a hungry bee, and a hummingbird, but also like a plant breeder, flower farmer, importer of cut blooms, or a floral biologist. 🌸🌺🌼🌻🌷🌹

I needed this read. These essays were so full of painful truths, hilariously raw, and just what I needed. Pair this book with a teacup full of whiskey.

I'm really excited to dive into this one. 👏

"I remember the divine mix of Thai food, TV dinners, and hearty, homemade goodness that have shaped this palate of mine to this day. I remember all this but I still google my husband's birthday. Thank god he's famous." Chrissy Teigen ?

Pretty sure this my biography on some level. Taking a break from the piles of books on my desk to pleasure read.

Shakespeare in the Park does a fantastic job adapting The Taming of the Shrew for a modern audience. Plus, they feature an all-female cast! Go see it and then let's chat. Because if you know the ending of the play, you know why I want to talk about this adaptation.

Legs tucked inside a laundry basket, eating dinosaur gummies, & listening to Gwen Stefani. 📖 #HowDoYouRead

PS Lost my first copy and finally snagged another one! Can't wait to finish it - so good. Also, I'm at the laundromat. And finally, heyyyy all you new followers. Welcome to Litsy! 💕

I'm starting RIGHT NOW. *cancels all meetings, refuses to answer phone, ignores emails*

I'm midway through and internally reeling. Nadja holds her own against her talented father, with a memoir so vivid, so achingly truthful, that I have to take breathers while reading this. It's a book that will make you reevaluate your own relationships with family and especially your own mother.

More photos of me! Jk jk. Seriously, was an honor to moderate a panel featuring Kate Bolick, Rebecca Traister, and Marianne Schnall. It's hard out there for a lady, but these women wrote books that gave me insight, and empowered me to be a fighter. 🙌 Strand has signed copies of their books! Come!

I've been annoyed lately. From Scar Jo to Emma Stone, a lot of Asians are being white washed in Hollywood. So reading American Born Chinese again and really looking to support my community into having more conversations about how we're portrayed and fighting for better representation.

My first day exploring the city when I moved here started at the Strand. It's crazy to think three years later and I now work here. And with such an amazing team. Feeling a lot of book love and pride today. Happy Independent Bookstore day!

A few minor issues but overall such a fun debut! If you believe Black Widow deserves to have her own spin-off movie (like me, hello Marvel) then you'll love this one. And yes, the Kill Bill theme song is my ringtone. 🙌

Update: Mark your calendars for October. The writing was spectacular -- but what gives it flight, is the achingly truthful characters she creates. So realistic, one might think back to the small town one can grow up in, and wonder if they exist there. If you walked by them. If you are them.

There are lines in this book I want tattooed on my body. Hot damn. So far, so good. Will give you guys an update when I'm done!

I've been catching up with my YA reads. This book was a beautiful start -- based within Indian folklore, it features a strong female protagonist. Almost with a Tamora Pierce feel, I devoured this within a day and a half. Highly recommend! The Strand will have copies for sure. Smoothie was legit too.

I devoured this in 1.5 days. Alice Hoffman moves to contemporary fiction but doesn't lose the magical portrayal she brings to relationships and her ability to portray love in different meaningful ways. Be on the lookout for this come November!

#sundaygoals

Yeah, what she said.

This is not about a book but a PSA that you can bring your dog inside of the Strand. Or else Strand's Marketing team will adopt your puppy and never give it back. This is Rosie and her Mom let me love on her this morning. 💕💕💕

Read this a few months ago and was OBSESSED. So excited I got to hear Rebecca on this kickass panel & bask in strong lady power. She's coming to the Strand in May and I'm going to have to start prepping now to keep my cool. SOOO GOOD. GO READ NOW.

Look at me and my Strand tote. Rosalie Knecht is a debut author from Tinhouse. It starts off slow but winds into that quiet post-apocalypse vibe that I tend to like. #noshame

Working my way through Modern Lovers by Emma Straub right now. Similar to The Vacationers, again we find ourself working between two couples and their intersecting lives.

"Single female life is not prescription, but its opposite: liberation.” - Rebecca Traister

Almost halfway done. Never thought I'd read a book on tennis but the political spice and dash of Anne Boleyn makes it an utter delight. Again, Riverhead always bringing the good reads. Out early February. Stay tuned for this read!

My love for RBG knows no boundaries. Give this book to any kickass feminist and empower them to be like RBG. Or anyone. We should all be RBG. But honestly, can Carmon & Knizhnik write text books? I would have studied more. 💯

I had to lie down after I finished reading Fates and Furies in order to process all of my feelings and thoughts. Plus, my wine and squash risotto was a good pairing.