I really enjoyed this! Felt like the perfect audiobook for one of the most food-focused times in American culture. It had a wonderfully feminist tone (and was written by a man! Yay, we should all be feminists!). I appreciated the diversity of women represented, including those with disabilities. And I loved Tovah Ott's vibrant, sometimes passionate narration.

Yesterday‘s library holds haul with bonus pleasing fall color scheme. ❤️🧡💛 Hoping I can get to some of these over my already-going-by-too-quickly Thanksgiving break (the cookbooks and graphic novel, at least??🤞).

This was just fantastic. Unforgettable main character, super bookish setting with lots of book name-dropping, and skillful navigation through 2020 topics. Erdrich has become a huge favorite of mine - read her in my Minnesota college years but didn‘t pick her back up until The Round House in 2012, and since then I jump on each new book of hers. (Bonus points for a title with multiple meanings that are frequently and overtly noted throughout! ❤️)

This was a really sweet novella. Glad I read it. The main character was great, and his story will stick with me. (Wondering if Kawakami‘s work ever gets adapted? I could see this being excellent on-screen.) Onto the TBR Breasts and Eggs goes!

What if institutionalized ways of subjugating women in Christianity aren‘t actually Christ-like (or even biblical) at all…? 🤔 What if it's about patriarchy and power? Duh, but this book does an excellent job of explaining the historical context of it all. More hermeneutics in this than I have a taste for, but others might appreciate that more. My teenaged self would have been 🤯 and also consoled and empowered by this.

Took me a minute to get into the groove of this on audio, but I ended up really enjoying the experience! It's a weird and lovable book. I frequently cackled at the silly genius of certain lines and their delivery by an excellent full cast. I'll also now often want to use “dusty stick“ as a reaction to things in life, but I'm not on Slack and nobody (like pre-reading-this-book me) will get it...sigh.

Glad to have finally read a Jung Yun book, as I've let Shelter sit on my shelf unread for years! I thought this was great - loved the setting and main character, and there were several stopped-me-in-my-tracks sentences. Pretty heavy in terms of the many intersecting inequalities it lays bare, but I loved it for that. This really makes me want to read some nonfiction about the North Dakota oil boom (I‘d love recommendations, if you have them!).

Good stuff. Love how he weaves wisecracks into his writing, even when the topic is deep or serious. Bonus that he wrote fondly about two of my former homeplaces: Santa Cruz and Wisconsin (and about a random encounter he had with a guy from my particular home region of WI, a guy that now lives in my current CA city! This basically means that Nick [and Megan🤞] and I are friends now, right?). I‘ve read all of his books and will read all future ones.

Thank you so much for the incredibly thoughtful, fun, and generous #HHS box, @Nessavamusic !!! The books are perfection: the one that I wished for, a favorite author TBR title, and another that‘s new to me but sounds fascinating! And so many fun treats - the BEST book sleeve 🧙‍♀️💜; cutest socks, stickers, card, and coasters (how did you know I love coasters but didn‘t have Halloween ones??); the queen of all 🎃🍫; and ⬇️

This was a powerful read. Stewart's writing is creative and emotional, and in this he very effectively conveys what it's like to try to survive and thrive in a white supremacist society. I loved the way he wrote about his journey both into and away from white evangelicalism and the vision he has for a more loving and empowering Christianity (which is deeply inspired by lots of Black writers across genres).

This was sweet and funny and includes many wise words about living and dying. I loved the memorable characters, especially Grandma. (This was not the cover of my library audio version, but I strongly prefer this cover! STRONGLY. 😬) I really like Toews‘ writing and am so happy to still have backlist of hers to read.

A week late in posting this since it‘s from last Sunday‘s print edition, but my book nerdery made it to the pages of the Chicago Tribune! I follow the author of the tagged on Twitter (mostly for higher ed content) and responded to his offer to send the last five books I read for a recommendation. Didn't realize he had a Tribune column! 😂 So this was a fun bonus. Plus the book he recommended was already on my (mental) TBR, so I think he nailed it.

Inspired by some recent TV experiences that I really liked (Lovecraft Country, Squid Game, Midnight Mass), I finally tried some Grady Hendrix. This was so good! Great writing, characters, and setting, and I of course was way into the social commentary. (Also my beloved Bahni's narration was perfection.) I‘ll read more Hendrix for sure and am surprised by yet enjoying my apparent lean into horror content lately.

This is a powerful and quick read that illustrates how narratives of white supremacy have been/are embedded in white evangelicalism and highlights many of the figures and moments in American evangelical history that brought us to this political moment. She pulls zero punches speaking directly to white evangelicals in her conclusion, entitled “Whom Will You Serve?” 🔥 (I generally love Dr. Butler - she‘s excellent in webinars & media appearances.)

I loved this very much. I signed up to read it for my college book committee‘s nomination process. The art style didn‘t grab me at first but grew on me quickly, and I deeply appreciate the way she told her story of growing up Filipino/Egyptian American in SoCal. It‘s funny and sweet and a truly great analysis of the American Dream, identity, and more.

If Gabrielle Union writes it, I will read it. I love how she‘s a lifelong learner in many areas and that she‘s so willing to share about her struggles and growth. And I really like how she connects her own experiences to the big societal picture in this one. She's of course always amazing on audio.

This audiobook is exactly as charming as you think it is. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Brilliant. I hold Groff in high esteem, but her books can be hit or miss for me. This is easily my new favorite of hers (and one of my most-enjoyed books this year)! Loved everything about the main and supporting characters, setting, language, humor, commentary on religion - just all of it. And Adjoa Andoh‘s audiobook performance is EVERYTHING. My library loan expired before I could finish, so for two weeks I would check ⬇️

My #HHS box is off on its cross-country journey! ✈️📬📦📚👻🎃 #hauntedhollowswap

Lucky me to have already received my #HauntedHollowSwap box! Thanks, @Nessavamusic ! #HHS #HHS21 @wanderinglynn

Beautifully written and narrated memoir. Burke is remarkable. In telling her uniquely compelling story of how she became an activist, she also lays out truths that could apply to anyone hoping to fight for social justice and change (listen to your inner voice, draw upon your own lived experience, be vulnerable). And I love the cover so much! Can't stop looking at it. Planning to pick up her book with Brené Brown soon.

All too relatable, sometimes. 😂😭 (Really enjoying this so far!)

Great! Another excellent @Reggie recommendation (…Reggimmendation? 😁). The audiobook was good, and cute: bleeped curse words, the author smiling with his voice/chuckling, etc. But, as @wanderinglynn noted, this one begs to be highlighted, so print might have worked even better for me. Among my lessons learned:
- OMG I‘m a logic bully!
- Vaccine whisperers are a thing and why haven‘t we deployed thousands of these?!
- There‘s joy in being wrong.

Sometimes Michael Pollan annoys me, but I can‘t quit his books and always enjoy them. I like his recent explorations of mind-altering substances at least as much as his food writing. Lines like these keep me coming back for more: “I came to see how integral caffeine is to the daily work of knitting ourselves back together after the fraying of consciousness during sleep. That reconsolidation of self - the daily sharpening of the mental pencil.“

This was pretty great! Super unsettling, loved the writing/setting/attention to weird details. (I share with Mrs. March an obsession with olive bread, loved how much it was referenced! There‘s also a bit about The Lawrence Welk Show near the end that spoke to my soul bc I watched so many reruns of that as a kid with my older parents; the way it was used in this book slayed me.) Great on audio, too - just the slump-buster I needed this week!

Been having a slumpy week, despite physical and virtual piles of great library books. I did at least make it through the first half of this EXCELLENT series. (Part of why I checked it out was so I could listen to the companion podcast featuring one of the show‘s writers and Ashley C. Ford - it‘s great, too!) Wondering now if I might like the book despite my horror wimpiness…

This one really is THAT good. Brutal but also funny and endearing and unearbudremovable (has someone coined a better word for an unputdownable audiobook? 😆). Bonus of a motorcycle gang component that I didn't expect (guess I still miss Sons of Anarchy!). Loved the audiobook performance, even though it did make the plentiful yucky graphic violence parts even more vivid! 😬 Characters and story will definitely stay with me. 💔❤️

I liked The River just fine and liked this a bit more. The fishing and scene-setting and sense of impending doom were probably my favorite parts. Oh, and the cover. Surprised to discover that I‘m apparently digging COVID-adjacent fiction now - any suggestions for more?

I haven't read nearly enough bell hooks since grad school. This was a practical read for me that ended up also feeling transformative. ❤️
This quote exemplifies why:
“There are times when personal experience keeps us from reaching the mountain top and so we let it go because the weight of it is too heavy. And sometimes the mountain top is difficult to reach with all our resources, factual and confessional, ⬇️

In the end I liked this quite a bit. My first Lily King! Went in with high expectations bc of how loved she is here and elsewhere. For much of the book I wasn‘t sure I was fully engaged, in part bc sometimes the dialogue and characters‘ choices felt a little…I don‘t know, trite, maybe? But the way we real-life characters talk and act is often pretty darn trite, I suppose. 🙂 I really liked the new-to-me audiobook narrator Stacey Glemboski.

Join me at my hometown Festival of Books today! 🌴🏖📚 Wish it could be in-person, but it's nice that they're keeping the tradition alive. Most of the panels/conversations aren‘t live or interactive but do feature some great authors. Brit Bennett, Kawai Strong Washburn, Alicia Garza, and Clint Smith + Annette Gordon Reed talks are among those I‘ll be “attending.“ #sdfestivalofbooks
https://go.sandiegouniontribune.com/2021festivalofbooks/p/1

I read this for our college book committee and was glad to do so since I‘d heard so much about it when it came out. Not sure it would be my first choice for engaging the students we serve, though it does cover many themes that might resonate - identity, belonging, loyalty, ambition, discrimination, corrupting influence of politics, and more. A highlight of the reading experience for me was the multi-voice audiobook narration - really great!

I came here to post my review and discovered that the cool kids have been reading and discussing this lately! 😁 Happy to see that, as it‘s really, really good. Highly recommend both the book (see reviews by @britt_brooke and @megabooks for why!) and Dr. Du Mez overall - she‘s excellent in webinars/book talks and is such a clear and important voice right now.

Wow. This was really excellent. I love her voice and how she shifts back and forth between joy and stark truths and motherly care and historical context and self-reflection, over and over, sometimes abruptly but it always feel right. Plus she loves books and this line she wrote is great: “Reading is trying to understand the world around us with the belief that it is possible to make it sweeter and better.“ ❤️

Glad to have finally made time for this one. I loved the beginning - great stuff about the nature of trauma, neuroception, mind-body connection, and more. I had a harder time with some of the middle (mostly parts around repressed memory, and some theories of child development). Went back to really liking the end - the overview of therapeutic approaches was interesting and useful. Definitely a worthwhile read!

Literary criticism can be over my head and often was here bc of Morrison‘s genius. But there was great social commentary and analysis too, and I loved every bit of that. Certain lines could pass for direct responses to American exceptionalism, January 6th, etc. I haven‘t read her fiction in forever and am eager to return to it after being reminded of what a brilliant wordsmith she was.

Very excited to have received an #ARC of this from the #librarything #earlyreviewer program! And really interested to see which social scientific approaches to understanding bias she covers.

This grew on me. I really loved Normal People, but for probably the first half of this I was thinking that it would perhaps not be a pick for me. I‘m not sure that anything about it changed in the second half or it was more just my mood/circumstances, but by the end I was really attached to the characters and invested in their outcomes. I enjoyed the (many, many) musings about society and beauty and identity and more. I do love the way she writes.

I know opinions are all over the place re: this one - I really enjoyed the reading experience (which I did via audio)! The writing, story, characters, and ending all worked for me. I‘m still chewing on some of the symbolic choices the author made and how they reflect and relate to stereotypes about Black women. I‘m intrigued by Harris‘s voice and creativity and will definitely read her again.

This was really fun and wonderful. Sweet stories with joy and humor and just enough YA angst. Excellent audiobook narration!

I love Kristen Radtke bc she‘s from my home state of WI, bc her art rules, and bc of her earnestness re: thinking and learning more about the human condition. Like her first graphic novel, this felt meandering to me, but not in a bad way. She makes a couple of leaps from social science research to broad generalizations that didn‘t quite ring true for me. But I liked this and agree that loneliness is a topic well worth studying from many angles.

There were plenty of things I liked about this and few that I didn‘t quite. But it kept me listening and pulled me away from my primary leisure activities of the past week - doomscrolling and an inexplicably compulsive watching of ALL the Olympics. 🤷‍♀️ So it‘s a pick.

My first cozy (I think?), and I really enjoyed it! Lots of elements that would predispose me to like this one - Midwest setting, diverse cast of characters, lots of Filipino (and many other types of) food/baking. Fun audio narrator, too. I might be interested in reading more cozies…there IS something about the unfussy writing that appeals as comfort TV/movies do. I‘d take recommendations for more with any of the elements above, if you have them!

This is becoming an essential read in many education spaces, and it should be. I started reading it…last summer, I think? Then I took a year-long training for which this was the main text, but we only read chunks of it. So now I‘ve filled in the gaps, reading what I missed and rereading my highlights. Hugely enlightening, helping me better understand the brain and learning in ways that affect my non-work life, too (including parenting). ❤️

My husband was heading out for a surf when he noticed that our neighborhood library branch was having an outdoor book sale; he immediately called to alert me. He is a very occasional reader and a never book collector, and I do NOT surf. It was a sweet morning for both of us as our non-shared interests collided. :) Pictured is my pleasant haul. (Litsy posts now have me questioning whether the tagged was worth the 25 cents, though. C‘mon, Stegner!)

So good! Readable and funny, and makes me question my own attachments to productivity and achievement. Love how it's grounded in social psychology and historical context (I see you, Protestant work ethic!). Really cool how queer perspective/life experience/pronouns were centered rather than just included. Some recommended perspective shifts require various types of privilege to be practically applied, but the author knows and acknowledges this.

Perfect 4th of July read! I really loved this. Ha‘s art is wonderful, and she conveys so much emotion through it. Hard to read about her uniquely painful childhood at times, but there‘s a lot of universal truth in how she wrote about it, too (see photo). Renewed thanks to @cwarnier for this perfect swap gift.

This was fantastic and is likely something I‘ll share parts of with my sociology students, because it makes some of the theoretical concepts we study super accessible via the ever-intriguing topic of cultish groups/behavior. Lots of good stuff around language/culture/identity, in-group/out-group, and us vs. them mentality. Loved the author's writing style and sense of humor, too!

This was lovely, sweet, and wise, and I guess counts as an #AuthorAMonth read! 😁 I just always love Ann Patchett‘s writing and the sound of her voice reading it. I meant to get to Run this month, too - but having some of her backlist to look forward to isn‘t a bad thing.

Quite happy with my shopping-for-kid's-birthday-and-needed-more-stuff-to-get-shipping-discount haul! 😁 (The Yong I loved and wanted to own, the tagged I've long been coveting, and I always want more Atwood.)