Today‘s #bookhaul from the Friends of the Library book sale 📚

After a drizzly walk around the farmers‘ market and quick stroll through the Friends of the Library book sale, time to enjoy a chai and an egg and cheese biscuit with my book 📖

“Their conversation went back and forth like that for a little while, until Aleisha gave in. This lady wasn‘t taking no for an answer. She checked her watch. Her mind flew to Aidan and Leilah at home- she still had some time, but would Aidan need her much before he went to work? If she stayed for an hour, she‘d make it home in plenty of time, she reasoned.”

“Leo moved to follow the scattering group when a figure just out of the firelight caught his eye, a mirage at the edge of the moonlight, stepping out of the small horse pen. Stick-straight hair sparked the memory of fall leaves and naked skin on the bank of the river. It was a hazy memory, or maybe he was already half out of it, already dreaming. Shaking his head, Leo climbed into his tent and tumbled onto the sleeping bag there.”

Soft pick. I really liked the FMC Bee and a lot of the side characters. And Joy Nash (the female audiobook narrator) hit the perfect flirty/fun/sexy tone. But, like most m/f romances, I felt like the FMC could‘ve done so much better than the MMC. I also wasn‘t crazy about the male narrator (he seemed to be trying too hard to be aloof and sexy when the story needed more flirty and playful and sexy). But it was enjoyable enough!

“Mukesh didn‘t want to hear any more. He made his way into the lift, and before he knew it, he was back on the street, back on the train, and, eventually, back home.”

A little treat (cafe au lait and breakfast sandwich) after my bone density scan and before going to work

“‘I‘m still scared,‘ I tell him. ‘And I‘m going to keep falling until I‘m not scared anymore.‘”

Picking this book back up and enjoying a cortado and a feta and dill scone

A quieter day here - just some time with my book, a latte, and a bagel 🥯 📖 and then a couple errands.

After a day of storms, today was a beautiful day for the first farmers‘ market of the season. Of course, I had to hit the Friends of the Library book sale while I was there! 📚

One part character-driven, queer historical fiction; another part cozy country house mystery. If you‘re here for the mystery, that‘s honestly the least interesting part of this book (it‘s a little predictable and solved without any major twists). However! I was drawn in by Andy and his struggle with his sexuality during a time when it wasn‘t safe to be out. Good supporting cast and my favorites look set to reappear in the next installment.

A little reading before work

This was the first week of “summer hours” at work, so I have Friday off! Enjoying this book (which I started on audio but switched to print) alongside an iced crafted press and an asiago bagel with garden veggie cream cheese 🥯 before running errands (getting cat food, picking up a prescription).

This book is definitely a vibe - it‘s a story about ghost stories and the hold they have over us. We never see what actually happens - just the retellings (or remakings!), first as a campfire tale, then a low budget 1970s horror, then a 1990s meta-horror remake, and finally a podcast. These stories are all by men, about women and the novel is secondarily about how men control women‘s stories. Thought provoking with spooky vibes.

“Amber‘s temple met sandstone. Shards of white-hot stars pierced her field of vision, like light from a projector burning through a snagged filmstrip, bubbling and distorting and chewing through the quivering celluloid until a black hole burst open and swallowed her, leaving behind nothing but darkness.”

Scrambled eggs for dinner 🥚

“Leilah kissed Aleisha gently on her face and wandered upstairs without looking back. The book was still open in Aleisha‘s hands, but she couldn‘t read the words any longer. The plastic cover was hot and soft under her fingertips. She wanted to remember this moment, the warmth of it, and how a terrifyingly unpredictable tiger and a boy could create this magic beyond the pages.”

“He‘d long since given up driving. His daughters had seen to that.”

This is narrative history at its best - a thrilling historical narrative about a specific/narrow event (the self-emancipation of Ellen and William Craft and the years following as they dealt with the effects) with some deep dives into the broader historical background (slavery, the Compromise of 1850/new Fugitive Slave Law, abolition movements) with both the micro and macro narratives illuminating each other.

Took myself out for brunch (vanilla latte and egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit) along with my cookbook to plan what I‘m making my mom for Mother‘s Day.

1. I turned in my last assignment for my MLIS!
2. Crohn‘s symptoms have improved enough that my GI says I can stay on my current medication!
3. Trip to Des Moines for the MAC conference went well.
4. April, as always, is the best cat (My opinion is *very* biased).
5. Listening to the tagged book on audio (so interesting) and talking to my mom about books.
#5JoysFriday

Was in Des Moines for an archives conference earlier this week. Took a break for a walk on the one day with nice weather and went to this cute little bookstore! I picked up the tagged book and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, plus a postcard with this cute bear on it that says “Read Together Des Moines”

Taking a brief break from grad school to get back to this book while have a latte and an egg and cheese on a cheddar chive biscuit. This cafe has long communal tables and the other woman at the table asked me how the book was, told me about what she‘s been reading (The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama), and then invited me to check out the local library‘s book club! So fun meeting a bookworm in the wild!

Approximately two and a half weeks left of grad school. Fueling up while reading about disseminating research.

“One possibility in this respect, something that is available even to small-scale projects, is to identify key target groups for whom the findings of the research will have practical utility. This is where terms like ‘user group involvement‘, ‘community participation‘, and‘stakeholder engagement‘ come into play.”

Took a little walk. Had a free small drink coupon, so I got a mocha with an extra shot. Also having a carmeliscious cake bite 😋 Love the print with the bone dog on the endpapers!

Caught up with grad school enough to spend some time with a library book. Happy National Cold Brew Day!

This was just the popcorn thriller that my in-my-last-month-of-grad-school-brain (me right now: 🫠) that I needed for the few relaxed moments I have. Definitely kept me turning pages and the ending was satisfying. Very timely topic, too!

A copy of Little Women for my mom for Mother‘s Day (I don‘t think she‘s ever read it??? But we saw the Greta Gerwig version in theaters together when it came out) and a couple for my own pile because 🤷🏻‍♀️ #bookhaul

“The Hacker hesitated before he replied. ‘Perhaps the reasoning behind today‘s actions might sound better coming from Jack. Because everything that has happened today is because of him.‘”

“‘As with your inquests, the full disclosure can be an inconvenience when a decision needs to be made. Am I wrong, Jack?‘”

Final item from my book bundle from Arabelle! Will be so interesting to read Le Guin‘s take on the writing craft.

Another title from my book bundle from Arabelle Sicardi. Seems like a great resource living with/through hard times.

One of my favorite writers/bloggers (Arabelle Sicardi) has started offering curated book bundles, so I ordered one as a treat for myself and to support their work. I said I was interested in disability studies, and they hit it out of the park with this recommendation. Already dipping in and out of this as my cat snuggles with me.

“The MAS [Master of Archival Studies at the University of British Columbia] program is designed to nurture a distinctive disciplinary and professional identity while fostering alliances with other disciplines, partnerships with other departments and faculties at home and in other universities worldwide, and collaboration with other professions. The prestige it has acquired over the years has proven the validity of such an approach.”

“She absent-mindedly twisted a silver ring around her finger over and over again until his clip finally began to play. The Hacker called him Jude and when he replied, she listened intently to his voice. ‘Who is this and how did you get my number?‘ he asked. It was the confirmation she needed and dreaded in equal measure.”

“As a matter of fact, ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallace test are both for situations where groups being compared are not related, the more commonly encountered situation. If the groups are related, then we should use repeated measure ANOVA instead of the ordinary ANOVA discussed in this book, and the Friedman test instead of the Kruskal-Wallis test. These tests are not usually covered in basic statistics books.”

“Many research questions are oriented to discovering whether there is a relationship between two variables and, if there is, how strong that relationship is. Even more to the point, the question is likely to be focused on whether one variable, in some sense, causes the other. Although the statistical methods of correlation cannot directly address this later question, they can provide evidence of a relationship between two variables.”

“. . . no matter what statistical decisions we make about the null hypothesis, there is always a chance of error. This is understandable because we never know the absolute truth of the population-if we knew, there would be no need to do a statistical test. All we are doing in inferential statistics is to estimate the population based on a sample by employing knowledge of probability theory.”

Enjoying an americano and an egg and cheese sandwich for lunch with my book before watching the women‘s basketball final later (Go Iowa!). It‘s busy here, but I love how many people I see reading! The woman next to me has her kindle, and I‘ve seen people reading 1776 and Murtaugh by Christopher Paolini.

I‘m caught up on my grad school work for the time being, so spending some time with a new book, an iced honey lavender latte, and an asiago bagel with garden veggie cream cheese 🥯 🍯 📖

“House of Lords votes unanimously in favour of driverless vehicles on British roads within five years. Ban on non-autonomous vehicles expected within a decade.”

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

I‘m once again on prednisone, so needed some sour Warheads to cover the taste. I‘ll lick this Crohn‘s flare eventually 🫠 Just felt right to throw a couple books into the Amazon order as a little treat #TreatYoSelf #BookHaul
I think both of these are #BlameItOnLitsy

“When using participant observation you should feel confident about answering ‘yes‘ to the following questions:
1 Does the research focus on getting insights to events, cultures and lifestyles?
2 Have measures been taken to minimize any disturbance to the naturalness of the setting?
3 Has consideration been given to the ethics of the fieldwork (secrecy, consent, confidentiality)?”

“The use of evidence gathered directly from preexisting documents or artifacts can greatly strengthen a study. In an appropriate sample can be gathered, this nonreactive approach to data collection can allow the researcher to see some aspects of a situation that could not be detected through more intrusive data collection methods such as interviews or questionnaires.”

“Let me say: Perhaps we could have acted otherwise than to convict if we saw some humanity in the defendant. If it were simply that she had strayed, but wanted to return to our loving fold. If she showed some penance. Some emotion. Some consideration. Have we seen a single tear from Frau Kepler? We have not. We say to her, Kath-chen - for some of us have known her since she was a girl - can‘t you show us something of your heart?”

Starting a new book (recommended by my mom) while enjoying a latte and caprese egg sandwich 😋

After coffee/lunch/grad school work, it was still early and quite nice out, so I supported my local economy (aka shopping 🛍️). Found a nice Library of America edition of the Little Women novels, a gnome print from a local artist, a t-shirt (Single & Ready to Stay Single 😆) and 🍩 sticker, some notepads from a cute new stationary place, and a couple👖 from my favorite consignment shop.

I knew a tiny bit about the fall of Communism in Romania before reading this, but this novel really gives you the sense of what it was like. It‘s a real thriller, too!