My only plans for today. 🥰

For my #FoodandLit tour of Egypt, I read two books: the Lonely Planet guide and this amazing ride through an alternative Cairo where steam technology and magic coexist to make Egypt one of the world‘s great powers.
I love the characters in Clark‘s world (begun in two novellas before this full length novel), the world he has created, and the exploration of all kinds of power dynamics. I hope there will be more books in this universe!

This graphic novel was my first read of 2022 AND my first #BookSpin of the year. I loved the idea of a secret society of badass women scientists, recruited in college to do amazing things, and I really hope there is a sequel. This is going straight to the local LFL in hopes a young woman picks it up. 🥰

My February #BookSpin list!

I read 7 off my list in January, including my Book Spin, and I‘m working on my 8th today. 😄

Numbers 16-20 are all “Library Book.” 🥰

I love the Raje family and I thought that this would be my favorite of the trilogy (a fourth book comes out this year) because of the yoga and political campaign plots (two things very much in my wheelhouse) but it fell a little short of expectations. That being said, it was still excellent and I love the characters even more — a perfect snowy day read cuddled with Bo under the electric blanket. 🥰

We‘re expecting another good snow dump starting tomorrow, so my husband and I ran all our preparation errands this morning and I‘m now settling down with this stack of #WeekendReading possibilities. 😄 We have a long weekend here, so I‘ve got two full days and this evening to make a dent.

The tagged book is up first!

My #WeekendReading plans, while waiting for the snow to melt so I can run some errands tomorrow. I didn‘t go to bed until 1 am this morning, wanting to get to the halfway point!

We got a good ol‘ snowstorm today, so I‘ve settled in with a warm (decaf) coffee, a fuzzy blanket, and the first book in my #Outlander2022 read. ☕️

A friend of mine gave me books 2-5 last year, so my goal is to read one a month in 2022 to catch up on the series. I‘m only to chapter 3 and I‘m already obsessed with Gabaldon‘s writing. 🥰

I‘m going to give #BookSpin another go this year! Here‘s my list. Numbers 16-20 are all “Library Book.” 🥰

Here is my Holiday Haul! 😍

I think my last book of 2021 will be the tagged, and my first book of 2022 will be The Curie Society. (I like my rituals on New Year‘s Day, so a graphic novel will be the perfect pop of reading.)

Tomorrow will be full of traveling between my husband‘s family & mine, so today I stayed home to bake, do laundry, and read the tagged book.

I love Christina Lauren‘s stories; they do such a good job of making you root for the characters. I want to be friends with these families and spend time in Park City with them over the holidays. ❤️🎄🎅🏻

📸 is a holiday tradition — grandma‘s banana bread for tomorrow morning.

I read the first story in this collection this evening: Tessa Dare‘s “Meet Me in Mayfair.” Dare is a favorite regency romance writer and this story didn‘t disappoint…I loved the relationship that the two characters built over the course of an evening spent walking through London. The author did an excellent job building a believable connection in a short time!
#FestivePhotoChallenge Mistletoe #WinterGames2021 #TeamGameSleighers

My other book this weekend was this 🔥🔥🔥🔥Christmas romance that I downloaded on a whim. It was SO MUCH STEAMIER than I was expecting but — I‘m not mad about it.
I love a good Grumpy Bear meets Cheer Bear story line and I especially loved the fact that it was the female lead who carried the bah humbug attitude. I just wish I could see her window dressings IRL!
#WinterGames2021 #FestivePhotoChallenge Santa‘s Little Helpers

Oof! This week was a whirlwind and I didn‘t get much reading done until I canceled all my weekend plans and decorated/read instead. 😅 #NoRegrets
I loved our #TeamGameSleighers team read! I wasn‘t going to pick it up — I‘m not a huge fan of the twin swap trope as I am actually married to a twin and find it hard to believe, lol — but I got invested in all of the characters quickly AND I‘m a sucker for a reality baking show plot. ❤️
#WinterGames2021

Another short holiday story and my answers to the #WinterGames2021 Week 1 Challenge!

1. @SeaToSkyes
2. @Laughterhp
3. @sebrittainclark
4. @StayCurious
5. @peanutnine
6. @PuddleJumper
7. @PageShifter
8. @MatchlessMarie
9. @audraelizabeth
10. @DebinHawaii

This short story didn‘t really do anything for me, although I‘ve liked Rowell‘s work in the past. Maybe it‘s too early for me to want COVID in my stories…. 😬

Another short holiday story; I‘ve tagged the author‘s novel.
I read this while my husband and I drove to Columbus for a short anniversary weekend away. 😍 Walking around the shopping center last night, we admired the lights & listened to the Silver Bells on the horse drawn carriages. #FestivePhotoChallenge
I love stories set in reality television; I would read this story as a full novel so I could learn more about the characters. #WinterGames2021

My second holiday read for #WinterGames2021, with a cherry rugelach background for the #FestivePhotoChallenge prompt.

I love a “misunderstanding in childhood leads to adult rivalry leads to love” trope as much as anyone, but there were pieces of this that fell flat for me. It also had ZERO chemistry on the page between the love interests, which was disappointing. I did like the Jewish traditions and Yiddish that were sprinkled in though!

This short story isn‘t in the database, so I‘m tagging a novel by the author instead. This was short, but not necessarily sweet; it‘ll have you wanting to hug the people in your life who work to make the holidays special. 🎁
My Nespresso advent calendar and the book cover will have to do for the “Red & Green” prompt of the #FestivePhotoChallenge for #WinterGames2021 because we haven‘t decorated yet. 😂
Go #TeamGameSleighers!

Here is an early December TBR for #WinterGames pre-game points! Not pictured is the third in the Arden trilogy because I‘ll need to pick it up, probably at the library. 🌲#TeamGameSleighers

I can‘t adequately describe this book. It‘s totally bananapants (the multiverse, a long-standing impasse between good vs. evil, and paranormal creatures all factor heavily in the plot) while also being very grounded in reality (police shootings, protests, and fear of “others” also make appearances). There are no neat bows wrapped around the end, which makes sense as this is the first in a promised series. Who KNOWS where book two might take us?!

This book was really good, but the narrator made it AMAZING.

Hearing the Ojibwe words and the (not over the top) accents for each character really brought the book to life for me. I loved learning about the tribe‘s traditions and how they are currently practiced even as the community deals with a very timely issue (drug manufacturing & distribution). It felt like fiction that was VERY informed by real lives and real situations.

I was SO EXCITED that my hold for this came in on time to be my Halloween read! 👻

This one is a ghost story with “Get Out” (the movie) vibes. I love Tiffany Jackson‘s story telling and her first foray into horror did not disappoint. The story touches on addiction, anxiety, gentrification, and so much more. I suggest reading before the sun goes down if you prefer your horror “lite,” especially if you live in an older house. 🙈

The first of two spooky books I read this weekend!

I loved the characters, the setting, and the atmosphere of this book. The wrap up wasn‘t quite as satisfying as I would have liked, but not in a “left me hanging” way, just in an “oh, that‘s how we‘re ending it, huh?” way. 😂 I‘d still recommend to anyone looking for a YA book with light horror though! 🧟‍♀️

Today‘s weather has been so perfect that I‘ve hung my hammock on my porch to get some research reading done. 😄 It‘s stayed in the upper 70s just about all day.

#litsysummercamp

1. My ⛺️! I‘ve had it for over 10 years, but I‘ve only recently jumped back into the hobby.
2. Camp Dharma 🧘🏻‍♀️
3. I love the tagged graphic novel series. ❤️
4. I‘m trying to read at least one business book a week, so we‘ll say this week‘s book (tagged below), plus two more for funsies. 😄

#LitsySummerCamp

On June 20th, I launched a Burnout Recovery Coaching program, geared specifically towards folx who work in political spaces. I started reading this book the day I launched and I‘m now really looking forward to doing an Instagram story tomorrow about my own why — about how helping political people stay happy and centered is my way of contributing to ALL the political causes that I feel strongly about…I want to help the people who help people. ✌🏻

PLEASE GIVE ME ALL THE FOOD COMPETITION ROMANCES TO DEVOUR WHILE I SIT BY THE PUBLIC POOL!

This plot point seems to be everywhere recently and I am here for it. The characters were as sweet as the baked goods they made for their show and I would ABSOLUTELY read a sequel, whether it followed the same characters or just the same show. 🧁❤️🧁

I didn‘t take a photo of the book, so here‘s a shot of Bo, my dark side doggo. 😂

The book was a perfect mix of the darker side of fairy tales and Eldritch creatures, with a dash of other horror stories to round it out. There‘s a spooky house, TWO creepy grandmothers, and a town of folx who may or may not own pitchforks. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Y‘ALL. I want to wrap these characters in bubble wrap and never let anything (else) bad happen to them ever again. But I also want more books and that might be boring reading. 🤔

This book was everything I hoped it would be — a queer political thriller in space — and more. Totally worth the months long wait for my library hold.

CW in comments with spoiler tag.

I am so stoked to finally have this book in my hands!

Breaking it open while I break in the “reading pool” that I bought at Target this week. It‘s hot here in WV and so far this has been an EXCELLENT idea. 🥵

I read this all in one day, but I didn‘t really love it, so here‘s a picture from the spontaneous lake trip we took yesterday instead. 😂

I am all in for an unlikeable character or two (even if it‘s the MC), but to be quite honest, I‘m not sure why I felt invested in reading this until the end. I guess it was more about wanting to know what happened (in the past) intellectually than truly caring about what happened to the characters. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was too tired to finish the last 60 pages last night, but as soon as I woke up this morning, I was ON IT.

Nalini Singh writes AMAZING mystery thrillers. If you like unreliable narrators, Stepford neighborhoods, and cold cases, I definitely recommend this one.

I've had some major upheaval in the last few months. Nothing devastating, but enough to need a reset. As a result, I am giving myself a “summer sabbatical“ through July (and maybe August)-- no obligations, just digging into what actually brings me joy.

With this in mind, I will not be posting #IntegrateYourShelf prompts for July (apologies to anyone who was looking for them in June), but I will be giving July's #BookSpin a go! August TBD...

My beautiful beach day on Monday betrayed me and now I‘ve got skin as pink as the cover of this book. 😅

However, spending a day away from the sun did give me the nerve to read a library book at the beach, so it wasn‘t all bad! This story was excellent — I loved all the sexual preference/gender fluidity throughout the book and the way the gang related to each other. I loved Ada‘s backstory and how it powered her forward. I would LOVE a sequel!

My friend and I are on Oak Island in NC this week; this is one of the books that I bought in anticipation of the trip. I LOVED the two main characters, although Poppy‘s job as a travel writer gave me some major wanderlust envy. Emily Henry‘s books may not be auto-buy for me right now, but she is definitely an auto-read!

We‘ve finally finished the move and all that is left is putting the new house into a configuration that we like. My first priority was getting our lovely side porch put together for reading during summer storms and I‘m getting to enjoy that at this very moment. 🥰

A two novella weekend in nature is just what I needed!

I loved A DEAD DJINN IN CAIRO, and while I didn‘t love this storyline as much, I am obsessed with this world that Clark has built. I can‘t wait to pick up MASTER OF DJINN in my next bookshop.org order. 🧞‍♂️

I‘m pretty sure it was @Liberty on All The Books who talked up this novella earlier this week. I have never read THE ISLAND OF DR MOREAU, but as soon as she said this book was a locked room mystery with animal-human hybrids, I immediately bought the ebook after seeing that my library didn‘t have it.

It was a deliciously quick read, perfect for a weekend camping trip. 🐾

Weekend plans.

Moving day is Monday!

I love a good high school horror novel. 🔪

This one wasn‘t the best one I‘ve ever read, but I did read it over two days on the tail end of a pretty severe reading slump, so that‘s saying something. I cared about some of the characters at the end and would likely pick up a sequel if the author writes one.

There have been so many good books out lately about mental health, both fiction and non-fiction, written by own voices authors. Have you read anything great recently? Or put something on your ever growing TBR?

Related: I'm trying to cut ableist language out of my vocabulary and it's really eye-opening to realize how often I use terms referencing mental illness when describing something negative. 😳

#IntegrateYourShelf

I have been in a HUGE reading slump this year. 😣

I‘m not sure if this book has totally gotten me out of it, but it was good enough for me to finish it and, right now, that‘s a pretty big endorsement! The “mystery” at the center of the book was good, but what I really loved was getting to know part of Nigeria (albeit a darker side for sure).

#IntegrateYourShelf

A day late, but I am SO EXCITED to share this book! 🥰

This is a beautiful YA book about grief and identity and relationships. It sat on my shelf for quite a while (sometimes books about losing a mother can be triggering for me), but when I was ready, it more than delivered. In fact, I'm thinking this month might be a good time for a re-read, if I can find it in all my boxes...

#IntegrateYourShelf

Friends, I'm sorry that I dropped this challenge but life became, well, challenging and I had to step away. But we're back! (Late in the day as ever. 😅)

I got to visit my sister for the first time in 18 months last week and it was amazing, not just because the reunion was so overdue, but because I finally got the tagged book from her after my stepmother loaned it to her first! How rude. 😏

I can't wait to read it. 🌿

#IntegrateYourShelf

A friend of mine asked me how many irons I have in the fire currently. My answer: “[Working at the] Capitol, buying a house, taking a Harvard class, daydreaming about building my business, applying for a new job, teaching yoga, and wondering what my current contract workload will be after session. So — not many?” 😂🔥🧯
This is most of my books, ready for the KonMari method of tidying up (and packing) this weekend.

I went with a nonfiction pick for this prompt -- one of the best books I read last year! I've considered buying a copy of this book for every one of the Democratic women I work with at the WV State House of Delegates -- or at least encouraging them to buy it themselves!

#IntegrateYourShelf

My attention span is a mess right now, so hit me with your best diverse graphic novels! 😄

#IntegrateYourShelf

My immersion into Vietnam for #FoodandLit.
I‘ve been SUPER unmotivated to lately, but the tagged book has been on my TBR for years and, as a graphic memoir, I‘m finding it easier to get into. I also read a travel guide, tagged in the comments.

Food is Chao Ga (Rice Soup with Chicken) from Milk Street. I think it needed a little more saltiness for me. 🤔

There are a lot of romances I love featuring Black couples, but I've been thinking a lot about how access to the outdoors is constrained by racial divides, so I looked for a book by a Black author talking about a love of the outdoors. The tagged book sounds great -- not only does it have the memoir aspect, but it also seems like it will have some critical thinking about the issues I've been mulling over! 💕

#IntegrateYourShelf

The tagged book was a gift from my husband for Christmas and as soon as this prompt came to mind, I knew I was going to pick it up next. I can't wait to see everyone's recommendations!

#IntegrateYourShelf