Happy Pride everyone!
Remember that we don‘t just celebrate it this month, queerness is something we celebrate all year long. There is such joy in these spaces!

“Whenever I am moved to a new city, or started a new relationship, I‘d always change my perfume,” she‘d told me. “That way I‘d be able to look back and relive my best memories from that time whenever I smelled it. So whatever you feel a shift or start a new chapter in life, find a new scent to go with it.”

• this is a fantastic idea, but I‘m not someone who loves all kinds of perfumes. These are my two favorites.

I didn‘t need more books, but I liked the rush of dopamine that came from finding a new title to add to my potential reading list.

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I can fully relate to this statement! NPR, Good Reads, Ms. Magazine and Book Riot are making my stack even higher…and it feels good.

Another beautiful piece from the Black Mermaids art exhibit. The message is powerful. Look closely…the meaning is obvious.

Right now in Charleston, there is an art exhibit of Black Mermaids. I went with a friend yesterday. The art was so colorful, beautiful and amazing. In many of the works, the pain of the past spilled through. Each piece tells a story that needs to be heard. I couldn‘t help but think that this art would not be allowed in De Santis land, or any of the ‘Moms for Liberty‘.

You or someone you love: this is a photo of me, a piece of my life. This was taken by my husband in April 2011, in ICU. I had died and come back. I have told my story again and again and I‘ll keep doing it. I want you to see what someone who needs abortion care looks like. I am just one of so many other faces that you know. That you love. Because we all know and love someone who has had/will need abortion care at a point in their lives. ⬇️:

What I found today at the big library book sale! Several of these are banned. Which is exactly why we should read them!

It‘s Mother‘s Day 2023, and I think it‘s a great time to talk about abortion. Let‘s start here. Over 60% of peoplx who have abortions are already parenting. Peoplx who choose to parent or not to parent, are the same peoplx at different points in their lives. Everyone knows and loves someone who has had or will need an abortion. Abortion saves lives. I‘m one of those people whose life it would save. Everyone has the right to decide when, if,

Eight short stories that all have horror I‘ve encountered in a movie before (I love horror movies). Some of the stories put you in a place and ask what you would do. You may feel disgust, fear, or sadness at and with the characters. Most of these are very graphic, and they‘re all deeply disturbing. Recommended.

I‘ve heard this book is wonderfully gay, so, since I‘m starting it today, here‘s a few pics from this year‘s queer youth prom! We had a great time volunteering to ensure all the kids had a magical and affirming night! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🖤🤎

The main character, Teig, is searching for spirit contact in any capacity that will finally give him the peace of mind that his little sister is still with him. He‘s devoted his life to it. Confident that the Koylma road is heavy with energy due to its origins and will provide something from the spirit world, he quickly finds out this isn‘t what he signed up for. If you enjoy pagan lore, you‘ll enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It tells a story of two Black women in the 50s, the choices they try to make, the choices made for them—and ultimately, how their lives intersect. It is once again a reminder of how important bodily autonomy is, the role of reproductive justice.

Shown: Florence Critton Home in SC, founded 1897. It saddens me that these places still exist.

At Mr. K‘s today, I came across the first book I ever read about Hitler. This was many years ago. Strange running into it today. I‘m not sure we will ever understand things like this. What I can tell you, is that in the end, no one is safe from fascism. It comes for everyone. Even the fascists.

He sat on my stack, and made my book stamp real.

A friend asked me to go with her to Mr. K‘s today—so of course I said yes. Here‘s what I found.

Has anyone here ordered from Stori Arts? I‘m interested in their scarves but want to know how comfortable/warm they are.

Link: https://storiarts.com/collections/scarves

This was a sad story. It asks, why is it important for pregnant capable persons, to be able to make choices? What happens to those around them when those choices are cut off? Are love and promises really enough to hold together relationships when there are crevices running so deep?
Recommended.

To all my trans friends & family, it‘s an honor to know you. My life is richer because you are in it. I see you, I celebrate you!!! #TransDayofVisability

This is a beautifully written memoir about the life experience of the author: her Black, Jamaican, Indian American experience. She shares her memories of childhood, her parents, college, travel, meeting her husband, their children. The importance of memory, heritage, family tradition and culture. She also shares her experiences of racism. Recommend.

So glad I came across this book. What is it like to grow up in a biracial family? Read this book and find out. There was a lot of sadness in this memoir. I remember the ugly things my own family used to say when we passed biracial families in the grocery store. I didn‘t fully understand then, but even as a child that young I knew something was wrong with what they said. It is racist attitudes like that, that are why Julie had the childhood

I am afraid for my trans friends & family.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kxpky/leaked-emails-reveal-an-anti-trans-holy-w...

I loved this book. Each page beautifully illustrated, as you go on a journey into Mary‘s mind, her heart. This book captured the tragedies of her life, which ended up being her greatest inspiration for one of the most unforgettable gothic novels. There‘s a section in the back about her life and the most important persons in it. I couldn‘t put this book down. Watch the movie about her if you haven‘t already! Link: https://youtu.be/T-WGaZaojFc

I had no idea this book was adapted into a film! I just watched it and loved it as much as I did the book. Bella was perfect for this character. YouTube trailer here: https://youtu.be/fPiztxYR9sU
Currently on Amazon.

Shown: a fate Birdy was trying to avoid!

Shown: Carl and his wife, Lynette.

I loved this book. I felt joy for him in some moments, and heart break in others. This is the story of Carl. He transitioned during the Trump years, during the time of ‘#metoo‘. He transitioned at 50 years old, experienced both misogyny and privilege; lost who he thought were friends, and discovered how strong his marriage really was. Highly recommend. Also recommend: stand up for your trans friends and

The time it takes to transition a life, just a single life. We know there is never enough time to transition a country to become its best self. The shock of living through this time is feeling all the ways that people do not change, do not want you to change, and do not want the very thing they have pledged since their earliest school days, right hand over their heart: “liberty and justice for all.”

Multiple truths and bodies are possible.

Shown: the pansexual flag. This means, one is attracted to personality, not gender. Carl‘s statement above, is how I feel as a pan person.

It was a conversation that disappeared into my body, a body preferring to risk sickness or death rather than have a vaginal ultrasound.

(This is how Carl felt when he was told he had a cyst on his left ovary). 💔

In the rare moments I have thought about my female anatomy, it‘s only to consider how to make it disappear. I yearned for my mother‘s breast cancer to be the genetic kind so I could have a preventive double mastectomy, and was disappointed when she called me gleefully to tell me it wasn‘t.

Transitioning for a time is like pushing Polly off the top of a mountain. I have to burn down the house of Polly so that Carl can come out. It is an origin story, a state of creation, an unearthing of the him who has spent his whole life locked up, shape-shifting, sticking his head out periodically, but mostly living in a fight-or-flight state, just trying to survive. Polly was my friend and protector, but I wasn‘t her and she wasn‘t me. The

Why would anyone insist on mourning Polly? The joy of knowing you can finally see what I have always felt is a euphoria I never want to let go.

Shown: me and Amber, on the day she finally got her new DL, after her name was finally changed & legally recognized! She was so happy. She never told me her dead name, and I never asked. Why would I need to know? She‘s always been ‘Amber‘ and I love her so much. 🏳️‍⚧️

Transphobia isn‘t simply a fear of transgender people, or a misunderstanding of the interactions between nature and culture; it is the inability to inhabit what another body feels and properly link those feelings to thoughts and words.

If you haven‘t read this book, you won‘t understand. If you have, you probably haven‘t thought about potatoes the same way since you read those paragraphs! 👁️🥔

I know many of you can relate to the problem of having more books than bookshelves. I was given this one and previously, all of these were stacked on the garage floor. Of course, Ludwig had to test it out first! There are plenty of banned books on this one😎

I just started Hospice volunteering and this book came at a great time. It‘s about how the author came into this work, how it changed his life. Each chapter tells the story of a dying person‘s experiences. Dreams, visions, visitors. That is, from the other side. It is important to honor these experiences, to center the person. They are often the most powerful, beautiful times in a life—to the dying, and those they leave behind. Recommend!

The greatest fear a dying patient‘s family faces often mirrors that of the patient. They too want to know if their loved one is at peace. Where do their minds and hearts drift when they can‘t speak and have closed their eyes? Paul‘s pre-death experiences helped answer these questions and more. He was returned to love.

In the final analysis, dying, like living, is about love, that endures no matter what, and that finds a way to persist within the confines of our existence. End of life experiences are about addressing patients‘ needs, whether it is being forgiven, guided, reassured, or simply loved. What unravels at end of life is a process that happens again and again, regardless of the cultural, racial, sexual, educational, national, economic, or spiritual

Tagging a book I found very educational many years ago. Feminists, and those interested in pagan practice/history, ceremony and ritual—I recommend this one. I was inspired to get this tattoo recently and this bookmark helped my artist draft it. (I LOVE this bookmark and never tire of seeing it)! I find myself needing to look down at it (tattoo) a lot these days and remember the message.

This book was very helpful to me and I learned a lot from it. I‘ll be continuing to use the exercises with others in our circle as we continue to grow our gifts together. If you are interested in understanding mediumship, I recommend this. It clearly says what it is and what it isn‘t. It also has many exercises designed to help you develop your gift. Highly recommended. Want to hear about my experiences? I write about them here. Follow me!

I won‘t give anything away here. But if you are interested in occult studies, read this book. Watch the adaptation on Netflix, too! I thought the twist was very clever.

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Picked these up today. At least 3 of them are banned or will be. Have you read any of these? I‘m really excited for ‘Becoming A Man‘. I don‘t read as fast as I used to because I‘m so busy now. I didn‘t start a challenge this year on Goodreads and I‘m not bothered by it at all. On a last note: ban bigots, not books!

I started Hospice Volunteering a couple of weeks ago and asked my coordinator if she had suggestions for reading about this work. These are what she recommended to me.

While in DC last month, I had to visit the Holocaust Museum. This was one of the first exhibits I saw there. I couldn‘t help but think of what‘s happening right now with our books, libraries and teachers.

I had the great privilege to be in DC last month for a few days with PPFA. On my first day, I had to stop in Capitol Hill Books! A historical, well loved, tiny book store that is a book lover‘s dream. L bottom picture is looking out from one of the windows shown in the top R pic! I bought a copy of Kindred while there. Last pic: hotel bed has built in book lights!

Started this today….I‘m so excited!

I‘ve always loved TWD. These novels keep you on the edge of your seat, always with a sense of foreshadowing. They are scary and very graphic. The series began with Woodbury and now the final book ends with it. I don‘t want the series to end!

This was an eerie book and I didn‘t expect it to have the plot that it did. Complicated marriages. An affair. A woman with a troubled, traumatic past who gets involved with anti-abortion fundamentalists (I like to call them fundies). It can‘t end well, right? This is a story about relationships and fundies in a small NY town. *This may be a work of fiction, but events like it have been far worse and very real.

Shown: a photo I took at

Homemade Lebkuchen!!!

Frohe Weihnachten!🎄

Happy Holidays book nerds!

I‘m going to DC next month for a few days, and I‘m looking for a wonderful, messy used book store I can stop in. Do any of you have suggestions?

Some great advice in a doctor office waiting room😉

It took me a while to get through this book because been so busy lately. But it was also hard to stomach. Every page, more infuriating. We are starting to hear about CN more in the news now, but it‘s not loud enough, it isn‘t being treated as dangerous. Freedom of religion also includes the right to be free from religion. Think of what‘s normalized now—naming opposite political parties as ‘demons‘ (literally!), the killing of queer folx, the