I hurtled through this one! Crouch sure is good at coming up with a cool sci-fi concept and then bringing it to life with propulsive writing. This was a pretty-close-to-perfect mix of thrilling, entertaining, and brain-stretching, and I found it nearly unpausable on audio. I have a few feminist quibbles with some of the character development and plot points, but overall I enjoyed the ride.

This starts with a unique and compelling premise, which I dug, but after that I‘ll admit it took me a minute to get into the story. But get into it I did, and I‘m so glad, because I really wanted to like this book! I‘ve listened to Linda on Pop Culture Happy Hour forEVER. After countless hours of her in my ears, I just want good things for her. 🙂 Overall this was sweet but not treacly, sharp-eyed, and a delightful read…so yay, Linda! 🦞

And last but the opposite of least, the books. Jill, you really shouldn‘t have, but thank you!! Bibliophile is a beautiful keepsake, and I can‘t stop paging through it. I‘ve been dreaming of my own copy of So Big ever since I listened to and loved it (and REALLY wanted this cover). And I adore Liz Climo, how did you know? Most treasured of all is the tagged. ❤️❤️❤️ The Handmaid‘s Tale has been my favorite book for decades, ⬇️⬇️⬇️

This item from my #summersantagoespostal box obviously required its own post. My very own Hand of the Queen/King pin!! 😮😍👑🐉⚔️❄️🔥 So very well done, @Jilly6183 !❤️❤️❤️

How did I get so lucky?! @Jilly6183, you‘re the most generous and thoughtful swap match, and I‘m so grateful. Multiple posts are therefore required. 😁 First, these top-notch goodies: lovely and sturdy tote, super cute book-themed Jacob‘s ladder, brilliant bullet journal bookmarks, clip bookmarks with all the best bookish phrases, fun summer stickers, a rainbow of pens. 😍😍😍 Plus the most AMAZING-smelling home fragrance oil in BOOKS scent. ⬇️⬇️

TFW when Hulu will not load the latest episode of Handmaid's Tale and your immediate reaction is “It's the patriarchy!!! They blocked it! 😡“ rather than assuming it's just a typical technological glitch. 😐

I liked this quite a bit, even though the main character Millie‘s wobbly self-awareness was painful to observe. Butler deftly captures the push-pull between career ambition and apathy/revulsion toward the capitalist rat race that many of us, millennials or not, can experience. Also relatable: Millie‘s mental lists of endless “I should”s that might improve her life (been there a time or two! 🙄).

Been meaning to read this one forever! Full of science-y info, but not densely so. It also examines the unquantifiable ways in which water relaxes, centers, excites, inspires, heals. Overall the book pleased this landlubber who still appreciates being in/on (sometimes) and around (always) water, and I think my marine scientist/ship captain/surfer/fisherman husband will like it even more. 💦 🌊 🏄🏻 🎣 💙

LOVED this book. Absolutely loved it. So much that I did not want to put it down after finishing, so I read everything on the jacket, and this bit from the front flap nicely sums up why I loved it: “brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose.” Yup, that‘s exactly it. 💚💙💚💙💚💙

Reading in the backyard hammock on a sunny 70° day (not pictured: cocktail, and the kids watching a 90+ minute movie). Bliss.

I don‘t read as many books about autism as a mom of a kid on the spectrum probably should. But I‘d like to more regularly read books BY people with autism, because - besides being inherently important because #ownvoices - they tend to have the tone and perspectives that I find most valuable. This is a great one - the memoir of a brilliant, successful journalist diagnosed as an adult. Insightful, well-written, and entertaining.

I now get why Rachel Held Evans is so loved, and I‘m sorry I didn‘t follow her work while she was alive. In this book (and I presume everywhere else), her writing about faith and doubt was eloquent but down-to-earth, and uniquely honest. I relatedly strongly to her stories of a church-heavy evangelical upbringing and really admire her determination to confront the darker sides of Christianity in practice.

I adored this book and am happily taking advantage of this deal for rereading and digital highlighting purposes. ❤️

Not about books but technically involves reading 😛: a few months ago, I contacted my city with a request for them to remove the offensive sticker from a utility box near an intersection I cross multiple times daily with my kids. No response, but I was beyond thrilled to see today that some heroic citizen in my neighborhood took matters into their own hands! (Hard to see, but the masking tape says “RULES.”) 😂🎉❤️

Guess I‘m making good progress toward my informal goal of reading mostly women, because at some point I was shocked to realize that “Whoa, this book is entirely about men. No women with agency. Weird!” 😆 But in spite of that this was a solidly suspenseful, pleasingly character-driven story with beautiful (if a bit flowery, at times) descriptive language, and I enjoyed it. 😀

So excited to receive this package from my still-secret summer Santa! ☀️📦😁

#summersantagoespostal
#summersolsticebookexchange

I fully enjoyed this. It‘s worthy of all of the adjectives I‘ve either already heard used to describe it or expect to hear soon: fizzy, frothy, sizzling, crackling, sparkling, effervescent, glamorous, sexy, etc. 😁 But it serves up some lovely deep thoughts on the side, too. And though I often have mixed feelings about Gilbert, I always appreciate her way with words.

Started this one semi-reluctantly, because I think I‘m experiencing family saga fatigue or something! I always think I love to read them, but few have excited me lately. That said, I do think this was a good one. I liked the writing, themes, and many of the characters (though some were much more developed than others). So it‘s a pick for being well-done, even if I might need to give family sagas a rest for a bit!

Theme of today‘s library new release shelf impulse borrows: Super Buzzy Books with Very Mixed Reviews on Litsy. Wondering which one to try first...🎲

I thought this was pretty great. Cep tells (at least) three big stories in one book, which meant it didn‘t dig quite as deep into any of them as I would have been happy to go. But I was fine with that, because now I have a bunch of topics I‘d love to read more about, especially the history of the true crime genre (fascinating!). And her storytelling style worked for me - journalistic, but a little pulpy and dramatic, too.

This was a wonderful, sweet YA story with complex and lovable characters and a lot of emotional depth. The food descriptions were fantastic (plus recipes! 😋). I missed the verse from The Poet X more than I thought I would, but Acevedo has so much to offer with her prose writing, too. I‘ll definitely continue to read anything she puts out into the world.

Treated myself to a little midday solo Balboa Park jaunt today, visiting the tagged location (though just the museum, not its research library like the tag says - it has a research library?? Who knew?). I was happy to notice that two of the paintings focused on the most glorious subject of all time - a woman reading. 😁📚🖼❤️ (Left: Woman Reading, Eastman Johnson. Right: Female Nude Reading, Robert Delaunay.)

Mailed today, West Coast ➡️➡️➡️ East Coast. ☀️📚📦
#summersantagoespostal
#summersolsticebookexchange

As an early listener of MFM (less so recently, for various me-not-them reasons), I‘ve long awaited this one, and I liked it a lot. It‘s sharp, sincere, and so funny. Georgia and Karen clearly love their audience, and the book reflects their gratitude for and sense of responsibility to them. Of course this soars on audio, with G & K narrating their own stories and coming together for fun chapter wrap-ups (and Paul Giamatti was pretty good, too 😂).

I really enjoyed this collection and found all of the pieces good, some of them great (like Leslie Jamison‘s - love her writing, can‘t believe I still haven‘t read The Empathy Exams!). I don‘t read too many essay collections organized by topic, but this makes me want to read more of them, because the way in which the writers‘ experiences are hugely different but still share many common threads is rich food for thought.

I LOVED THIS. The language was charmingly of its time, but also unbelievably modern-feeling. Selina Peake is a great character, and her story conveys so much about vocation, identity, beauty, and the meaning of life. And I loved the Midwest setting. I‘m finally reading Ferber after learning that she has roots in the same area of Wisconsin where I grew up. Not sure how I wasn‘t more aware of her back then, but I look forward to making up for that.

Excellent book that vividly illustrates the risks of nuclear energy and the horrors of post-disaster radiation, and of a government wherein lies and coverups are systematized and dissent is punished (hmmmm…🤔). Brilliant storytelling, and I found it a great companion to the (also excellent) HBO Chernobyl miniseries.

I‘m consuming a lot of nuclear physics-related content right now (Chernobyl HBO series and accompanying podcast and a couple of books), but to be honest I still don‘t quite understand how fission and nuclear power work...😬 So you can bet I snapped this right up when it caught my eye on a new children‘s books display at my library. It helped, a little. 😆

Not sure why I put this one off, because I pretty much always love Kingsolver. I really enjoyed everything about it - characters, setting, and themes like class issues around science and knowledge and climate change denial as part of culture and identity. Plus butterflies - I love butterflies and have been lucky enough to live near several major monarch migration pit stops. 🦋🧡 And, as always, her writing was pure literary comfort food for me.

A wonderful memoir. It‘s not just about Patterson‘s role as mom to a transgender child, though of course that story is compelling. I was equally moved by her stories about her life as a black girl/young woman/professional/partner/mother of five - always relatively privileged, but with her own challenges around family, identity, and purpose. And her writing is great enough to make that as much of a reason to read this as the absorbing content.

Scored a nice $5 haul from one of my neighborhood library branches, which, despite being quite small, invariably has some great books on its for-sale shelves. Found two from my #summersantagoespostal match‘s TBR, three from my own (Danticat, Euphoria, Bluebird), Unsheltered (which I loved), and an extra copy of my beloved Poisonwood to have on hand for emergency sharing needs! 😁

Another news day, another scary step backward. 😔

(Art by Zoë van Dijk, https://www.zoevandijk.com/BLESSED-BE)

Bought a very inexpensive used copy of this via eBay after hearing Melinda Gates praise it highly on not one but two podcasts. Fun to see it‘s signed by the authors, with a fantastic bonus signature (on the left) from what Google tells me is the first author‘s mom, age 91 at the time: “It‘s Sunday - I do not think on Sunday - it‘s my day of rest.” 😂❤️

I really enjoyed this. My husband and I loved Kwame on Top Chef, but I didn‘t know much about his younger years (complicated and fascinating) or his post-show DC restaurant career (same modifiers apply). I was impressed by his insights about identity and ambition, and even more so by his frankness about racism and discrimination in his industry (and he most definitely named names). I fully recommend the audio.

VERY happy to receive this bookmail today. (Thanks, #librarything #earlyreviewers !)

My son‘s classroom hosted a Mother‘s Day luncheon in their school garden today - so sweet and adorable. The kids showered us with homemade gifts, including the cutest (laminated! 🤓❤️) letters, which they read aloud. My little guy made a few educated guesses (I don‘t know that I‘d list 🥩 and 🍓 as faves, though I do like them, and he overestimates my personal love for SpongeBob...😛), but I was pleased to see that my bookishness was noted. 😊❤️

This is an excellent analysis of the systemic problems of prosecutorial power in the U.S. and a very readable, well-written book. The author is clearly passionate about the issue, and I was moved by her deep caring for the two young people whose stories she tells. The facts are infuriating, but her tone is hopeful, because reform is entirely possible (and we can/must vote for it!). Definitely an addition to my list of essential books in the genre.

As a Game of Thrones fan (the show...I‘ve only read the first book), I‘m mostly feeling sad that it‘s soon coming to an end. The one thing that will be good, though, is that I‘ll get back into my regular audiobook routine; my reading has slowed significantly based on my apparently insatiable appetite for (funny, conversational, not-too-critical) GoT podcasts over the past month! The pictured are some of my favorites. 🐉 ❄️ 🔥 ⚔️ 🎧

Rarely are mom rewards so immediate: I ran into Dollar Tree for some last-minute necessities for the SpongeBob 20th Anniversary party my kids really thought we ought to have today (😂), and with only seconds to peruse the books section before checkout I found both the only Nickolas Butler I haven‘t read (having read his most recent last week) and the tagged, which has been on my TBR forever! 🥳

I enjoyed this collection quite a bit. The stories more tightly focused on a woman‘s experiences and inner dialogue were fantastic, and this applies to the majority of them, really. (Just a few meandered in ways that worked less well for me.) I was impressed by Rosenwaike‘s writing, and many observations and themes definitely rang true to my pregnancy/new mom experiences with my now-tween boys. I‘d certainly read more from her!

I found this to be a moving family story and a quite believable portrayal of how some people might struggle with the roles of faith and organized religion in their lives. Sometimes the journey is deep and philosophical, other times urgent, emotional, and/or practical - and I think this book conveyed that really well. As he has in everything of his that I‘ve read, Nickolas Butler nailed his descriptions of Wisconsin‘s culture and natural setting.

Had to leave my day open for an appliance delivery, so when I found out they‘d be coming in the afternoon, l was left with a free morning. I could‘ve caught up on some reading…but I‘ll admit to being glad I didn‘t, because this was spectacular. 😂😭😭❤️❤️❤️

I‘ve long been a fan of Dooner‘s online writing about her anti-diet (which, BTW, she named ages ago, before half of the self-help books published had “f*ck” in the title!! 😛). This is a great summary of her common-sense yet deep and holistic approach. Good inclusion of scientific data, and excellent thoughts about health at any size, the perils of dieting-induced stress, and how counterproductive restricting or demonizing foods is. (Audio = 💯)

This seems not-book-related...but really for me it is book-related, bc my reading this week has taken a serious hit from my full-on obsession with bingeing the final season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I‘m on the penultimate episode but can‘t imagine anything preventing this from being near/at the top of my all-time favorite rom-coms list. That it‘s a musical is an unfair advantage, but still. (Also: the tagged book exists! Strange and wonderful. 😂💕)

Loved this book. Exhibiting zero willpower, I started this the same day I finished my first Toews, Women Talking, and it confirmed that I‘ve found a new must-read author. I just really, really love her settings and characters, and her brilliant way of reflecting how the heartbreaking and the hilarious often coexist. (Also really enjoyed the audiobook narrator.)

I liked this a lot! I would have enjoyed more time with the characters, storylines, and badass spy machinations, but in a good, leave-the-reader-wanting-more sort of way. Lots of political and moral stuff to chew on, too, despite it being a quick read.

Sometimes when you‘re the only (human) female in your household, you need to make yourself a pink birthday cake. 😊 Tried the yellow cake and Superstable Fruity Whipped Cream Frosting (which is flavored/colored with freeze-dried fruit - in this case strawberries - ground to a powder) recipes from the tagged cookbook. From my sampling during the process, I‘m optimistic that they‘ll both be keepers!

Extraordinary. Heavy, as the book is full of philosophy and pain and horrible acts occurring in a culture of patriarchy and misogyny to the extreme. But there‘s also much light, with many funny moments and characters I completely loved, and these characters‘ thoughts and choices felt searingly relevant. This is a book I will almost certainly reread (after I go back and read everything else Miriam Toews has written - this is my first of hers).

I really love Ruth Reichl‘s work. It was cool to learn so much about Gourmet, publishing, and NYC during the years Reichl spent at the magazine. But it‘s her writing that I most appreciate. She‘s funny and blunt, but also sensitive and reflective. She writes confidently about both her achievements and her vulnerabilities, acknowledging her privileges along the way. I‘m so glad I‘ve not yet read a few of her backlist titles - more delights await!

This was outstanding - highly recommend. Eberhardt expertly demonstrates (via study after scientific study, and plenty of heartfelt anecdotal evidence from her own experiences and those of others) that we ALL are racially biased, and how American culture is teeming with racial bias. And that we need to work much harder on recognizing, admitting to, and confronting it. Loved the audio - the author reads with passion.