Birthday greetings ready to head out, some late, some early, maybe one on time. 🥳

I love that #litsylove gives me an excuse to buy stationery!

❤️ San Diego, CA
🧡 Old enough to know better. (42)
💛 Libraries, libraries, libraries! (And book sales.)
💚 Married
💙 No particular preference, but I'm accustomed to she/her/hers.
💜 It's a combo of the name of my blog and my childhood nickname. It's also my name on LibraryThing.

@JoScho #gettingtoknowyou

When the text description doesn't match the map. I suspect someone just didn't catch that one "Southwest" should have been a "Southeast." This kind of thing bugs me, but I wonder if it were my job to edit books if I would actually catch these mistakes or if I only see them because I have the luxury of reading at my own pace.

On a positive note, I think I'm finally getting my bearings in this novel. Only took 250+ pages...

1. Circe seems appropriate here.
2. Bare feet (unless I'm somewhere with scorpions, in which case, hard-soled slippers).
3. Not counting airplane travel, probably ~10,000 feet while hiking near Salt Lake City.
4. American cheese. *shudder*
5. Not likely.

#friyayintro @howjessreads

“But let me tell you what I see instead. The neediness of it. The begging to be applauded. As if the praise of a thousand strangers would ever make up for the fact that you didn‘t feel loved enough as a child. Oh, you poor thing. You were begging to be devoured.“

A quick read exploring the role of myths and fairy tales in our lives and culture. The story is clunky at times and there are enough inconsistencies and inaccuracies to keep me from being drawn in completely, but it was spooky enough to make me hesitant to walk to the bathroom through the dark house so there's that going for it. Are people really as knee-jerk violent as so many of the books I'm reading now suggest?

The first section was annoying, the second and third were promising (if gory), the fourth was just ridiculous, and the coda was unnecessary. I'm perhaps a little sensitive about people dumping on Ohio (it's like how no one's allowed to pick on your siblings except you), but if you're going to do it, at least make the story believable (or so fanciful it becomes magical realism, which could still be emotionally believable).

1. Not really Halloween, but my favorite scary film is Rosemary's Baby.

2. Watching my kids address challenges and get frustrated, then seeing their triumph when the lightbulb goes off.

3. Best job was as an editor at a drug company, but my vocation is being a parent. It's the very best fit for me at this point in my life and the most meaningful and satisfying (and challenging) work I've ever done.

4. ❤️❤️❤️

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

The depressing book about Ohio that I'm listening to just mentioned the college I went to for undergrad. I'm not sure whether to woohoo or to cringe.

This book is a challenge, both in style and in content. I'm 138 pages in. I'm going to give it my full attention during two hours of downtime this afternoon, but I'm really not sure I'm up for the violence.

I'm reading Steven Markley's Ohio at the same time; it's possible the combination is compounding the feeling of despair. I might need to add something light-hearted into the mix.

1. I don't read a lot of series, but I like Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad.

2. I don't watch a lot of TV, either, but I like The Office and Catastrophe.

3. The only time I watched was in 2004 when the Red Sox ended the Curse of the Bambino.

4. Caribbean beans and greens wraps, which are "best" mainly because my spouse makes them while I sit around.

5. Yep. He introduced me to Heinlein, Bradbury and Asimov.

#friyayintro @howjessreads

No, not that kind of farm, although there are alpacas. Ramos offers an interesting portrayal of privilege (racial, economic, educational) within a system that sees women and women's bodies as commodities. I quite enjoyed this book even though it pissed me off. Especially Mae. It brought back the objectification and powerlessness I felt while pregnant, even as it highlighted just how relatively not-objectified and not-powerless I was.

Emily at Build Your Library isn't putting together new family reading crates at the moment, but some of the previous boxes are on sale. In honor of the season, we ordered last year's Books that go Bump in the Night box, with spooky books for all ages. We can't keep up with a monthly box, but we like to get them every now and then. They always introduce us to new titles!

I scored a giveaway copy of Ninth House at book club last night, so I celebrated by treating myself to The Fountains of Silence. Er, I mean I bought my daughter a copy of The Fountains of Silence. But I'm sure she'll share.

Audiowalked during my kids' P.E. class, listening to a book about Ohio in a decidedly non-Ohio landscape. I spotted a scrub-jay, some found art, and a camera-shy bunny (not pictured) while circling round and round (and round) the playing fields. The green of the grass belies the desert climate and the Santa Ana wind set to arrive later this week.

1. No. I always think I ought to do a theme costume with my family, but I'm pretty lazy. Plus, I don't really go anywhere that someone would see me dressed up anyway. Seems like a lot of work for Trader Joe's shopping and the kids' music lessons.

2. I dressed up as "Your Mom circa 1975" in 2003. Had a great jumpsuit from the thrift store.

3. Cinnamon pinecones.

4. @Eggs #WondrousWednesday

Why, yes! That is another book I've started that's not on my TBR!

Shlain presents some good arguments and practical suggestions for instituting a tech fast one day a week. I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. My family and I are using it as a starting point for discussions about how we use tech and how that supports (or doesn't support) our priorities as a family and as individuals.

My spouse pointed out the irony of my using this book as a phone stand while I scrolled through Instagram. (I have since set the phone aside and actually opened the book.)

This novel moves quickly and Briony's voice is interesting and as confusing as one would imagine her voice to be (ie, confusing in a good, narratively consistent way). The main characters are well developed; I love Rose. Some pieces of the story are kind of silly and overly YA (eg, self-guided cognitive-behavioral therapy), and I downgraded it for dropping two characters. Overall, though, this is a fun one that I might recommend to my teenager.

1. See above. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
2. Teal.
3. My son's baritone lesson, at which his teacher encouraged him to take up tuba or trombone in addition to baritone. I raised one eyebrow and tried to envision a tuba in the trunk of my car.
4. Yes to both (although the snap with my left hand is pretty lackluster).
5. ❤️❤️❤️

#FriyayIntro @howjessreads

1. We visited the rose garden and, as usual, I ended up with a few dozen photos of flowers.
2. Sit at the open patio door and breathe in the rainy smell. Then bake something.
3. Hitting the beach!
4. @UwannaPublishme - Do you play these memes?

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

This novel isn't just about HIV/AIDS, and it isn't just about the gay community in Chicago in the 1980s. Through characters that are real, distinct, and flawed moving through vivid settings, Makkai offers a story of friendship, love, and redemption. There's a sense of eternity, of time folding in on itself that brings a timelessness to this story. This novel is what A Little Life could/should have been.

Final #24B4Monday numbers:

Hours read: ~14
Books finished: 2 (and started a third)

Not too shabby for a readathon I started at the last minute and never told my family about (it probably says something that me reading fourteen hours in a weekend doesn't register as noteworthy to them).

My cat loves this book. Or this Kindle. Or both. Or neither. Really, I have no idea what he's thinking. Aside, perhaps, from, "Sit down, woman, so I can curl up on your lap. That bathrobe's not going to claw itself."

I also have almost no idea what this book is about. I picked it up because it's a One Book, One San Diego selection. We'll see how it unfolds.

I'm at roughly 11 hours for #24B4Monday, which is more than I expected to have by Saturday night.

While I enjoyed seeing where Atwood takes the story of Gilead, the writing isn't what I'd hoped.Too much plot, not enough nuance. The voices aren't distinct enough considering the different backgrounds of the three narrators. The feel reminded me of Atwood's The Penelopiad, lacking in subtlety/finesse. Still, worth a read for the sake of closure.

Snyder argues that the US, as a country of increasing inequality, has made itself ripe for oligarchy and vulnerable to foreign influence toward the destabilization of our democracy, as seen by the ongoing cyberattacks by Russia and the complicity and complacency of US elected officials who stand to gain from such attacks. This book puts into context the history we're living right now and provides a general roadmap towards recovering our democracy.

Restless and not enjoying The Testaments, I have turned to audio-crocheting, with the book-book by my side for underlining purposes. This one isn't technically in my #24B4Monday stack, but it's the audiobook I have at hand. Dystopian nonfiction instead of dystopian fiction.

"The greater and the more obvious the lie, the more his subjects demonstrate their loyalty by accepting it..."

1. 80/100 completed for my GR challenge so far

2. Fishers (North American member of the mustelid family) are one of the few predators of porcupines. They flip the porcupines on their backs to get to their undefended bellies. Porcupines probably don't consider this a "fun fact."

3. I listen widely, but most often Alt Rock/Indie

4. October = 20 years married

5: ?️?️?️?️?️?️

#friyayintro @howjessreads

I've been seeing posts about #24B4Monday and when I realized that I have much of Saturday to myself, I figured I'd jump in. I'm not a very fast reader, so I'll just see what kind of progress I can make on these books. I doubt I'll get in 24 hours, but we'll see how it goes. 🤞📚

@TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65 @jb72

You might find this surprising, but this book is kind of a downer. Joking aside, the darkness here could be instructive for those who don't share these thoughts, but read with caution if you're prone to depression/dark ruminations.

There's some good information here, myth-busting around suicide, suggestions for how to respond, but it's a challenge to access because of the writing style. It's from 1999, so some data/terminology is outdated.

This novel didn't have the impact it had for me when I was 19. Part of this might be that Atwood's skill as a writer has grown since then, and I compare this one to her later novels. It's like a warm-up to her MaddAddam trilogy. I also don't find it as relevant/prescient as I did when I was younger. So many stories from Gilead are left untold. We hear from one white, college-educated, heterosexual woman. I crave more voices. Maybe in the next one?

Can't sleep, so I'm prepping some #litsylove to go out in tomorrow's mail. My kids' gel pens are getting a lot more use since I started writing to you all. :-)

Re-reading The Handmaid's Tale at the beach. The sunshine helps balance out the darkness and the sea breeze makes it a little easier to breathe when the story is especially claustrophobic.

Reynolds provides an enjoyable and data-rich take on what science tells us now about exercise and fitness. Often authors of this kind of book insert themselves into the text too much, but Reynolds includes just enough to provide some levity. Thanks to this book, my children and I are running intervals, brushing our teeth while balanced on one foot, and doing homeschool in 20-min increments to avoid being too sedentary.

I tried to pick out a shorter passage to quote, but I love this entire image. It very much reflects my feeling of connection between my baby and myself while pregnant and even after. Does this synchronization continue after birth? Studies suggest that mom and baby synchronize their breathing when they sleep in close proximity to one another (see James McKenna), but I'm not aware of studies of waking mother-baby dyads.

#7days7covers #7covers7days #covercrush

Day 7! It's been fun looking through my books and seeing others' favorite covers. Makes me want to rearrange my bookshelves to make room for some of the books to face out. Of course, it doesn't take much to make me want to rearrange my bookshelves. :-)

Another Overstory cover, especially for @Caroline2 🙂

#7days7covers #7covers7days #covercrush

One cover you love each day for seven days, no explanation.

#7days7covers #7covers7days #covercrush

A favorite cover each day for seven days, no explanation.

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

1: I live in the US, and I've visited Canada and Spain, so 2. (Presumably a layover in Heathrow doesn't count as visiting the UK.)

2: Mountains, but why choose one? California coast and Acadia National Park = mountains and coast in one go.

3: I want to visit all of the places, but especially South America (Chile is at the top of my list, but Argentina would also work.)

4: Anywhere I've lived or visited frequently.

#7days7covers #7covers7days #covercrush

A favorite cover each day for seven days, no explanation. Tag someone new each day... which I'm not good at.

According to this book, research suggests that the best recovery meal after a strenuous workout is a glass of chocolate milk. My children are glad that I'm reading this book, and I'm glad that it's given me something with which to bribe them through running intervals.

#7days7covers #covercrush

A cover you love each day, no comment. You're also supposed to tag someone new every day, but I never know whom to tag.

#7days7covers #covercrush

I can't keep track of who's been tagged yet, so no tags today, just the cover.

#7days7covers #covercrush

Thanks for the tag, @madamereadsalot1 !

The premise: Women are moody by nature, and that is a strength rather than something to be medicated away. I was hoping for practical suggestions for managing moods, but instead found disproven assumptions about differences between "male" and "female" brains and a too-heavy reliance on the author's personal experience and opinions (e.g, she ignores the risks of cannabis for those with underlying psychiatric issues and stereotypes SAHDs as lazy).

"You can avoid overtraining by under-training...but then you won't win."

1) Yes, and I also have one (or several, organized by year) on GR.
2) Bookmarks, journals.
3) Grudges and time zones (i.e., nothing that one can purchase).
4) Chocolate, 85% or darker. Maple sugar candy.

#litsylovewinterswap

Thanks so much for hosting, @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @TheBookHippie !!