Thank you so much for my decal and darling bookmark from the #oscarmeyerturnsfive giveaway! I really appreciate it! 😊💜😺

I‘m a bit torn over the Mary Shelley biography I‘ve been reading, In Search of Mary Shelley. There seems to be a bit of supposition to the point of overreaching to form a connection in how Mary viewed herself in the world. Also, I can tell the author despises Percy Shelley. I do like a lot of the other info, but my husband surprised me with this biography which includes Mary Wollstonecraft as well. Now I‘ll compare. Cake was a Mother‘s Day treat!

I should get into the habit of reviewing books right away or jotting down things I want to say because I finished this Thursday and forgot all the lovely things I wanted to say already. I loved this fantasy as it pertains to storytelling, dreams, a library and destiny. This should be a blurb instead of a review by rights because I‘m afraid of giving away spoilers. Though written for teens, a few parts made be get giddy with delight in a “yes!”

1. A Christmas Carol
2. Shakespeare‘s The Tempest
3. Before Goodreads I just kept them in my memory.
4. Picture taken Sunday when the brick was warm from the sun.
5. Join in if you feel like it! 😊

Fish wants to wish Oscar a very Happy birthday! #OscarMeyerTurnsFive #giveaway

I used a gift certificate I got for my birthday from my mom to buy In search of Mary Shelley and Muse of Nightmares today at my local bookstore. I put my name in a drawing for Independent Bookstore day and won my choice off their gently scratched rack and chose The Best Minds of My Generation and The We and Me book was from a free rack for anyone who came into the store today! Woo hoo! So excited because I don‘t usually win stuff!

Wore my Commit to Lit shirt today from Storiarts in honor of independent bookstore day. The writing gloves have text from Hamlet and are from Storiarts as well.

A former professor of mine wrote this great essay for Shakespeare‘s birthday and death day. https://lithub.com/was-shakespeare-agnostic-about-the-afterlife/

So I finished this book last night. It‘s been on my tbr pile for years, but the upcoming tv series prompted me to read it. I loved Crowley and Aziraphale! I can‘t remember laughing out loud at a book that much maybe ever? But, I only did the first 40-50 pages and at the end. Unpopular opinion maybe, but the middle lagged for me with some of the other characters. While necessary to build the story, didn‘t really do it for me. Still glad I read it.

1. What was popular? Gangsta‘s Paradise, but I remember hearing The Connection by elastica on the radio and I love R.E.M.‘s Strange Currencies that came out in ‘95.
2. Pisces cusp March 20 (same as Ovid)
3.Madeline L‘engle and later Shakespeare
4. Hey friends, it‘s still Wednesday somewhere! 💜

In Hamilton Duck‘s Springtime Story the duck goes for a walk and takes a nap under a tree. Things tickle his face and he says “it‘s snowing! Winter has come back. I‘m in the middle of a snowstorm!” ...”How nice it smells, thought Duck. “And it‘s pink. I‘m in the middle of a pink snowstorm which has a nice smell!” Of course he had fallen asleep under the apple tree. Snow has come back in Wisconsin. Wish it were blowing flower blossoms.

This book is about the author‘s journey to find information about lost books, which he makes sure to distinguish from forgotten books. It‘s a quick read covering eight volumes which were deliberately or accidentally destroyed, stollen or lost. Some authors I was familiar with like Hemingway, Byron, and Gogol and others not, such as Romano Bilenchi, Malcolm Lowry & others. A quick read leaving the reader wondering what was within those lost pages.

I should be taking notes from my cats and go to sleep, but I want to get a few more pages in. #catsoflitsy

Today, I finally wore my Frankenstein t-shirt I got for my birthday last month. Shirt is from @outofprint Wish the whole graphic was in the picture as the dangling arm is cut out, but my own arm wasn‘t long enough to capture the full picture.

I loved this book which I‘m sure I‘ll read again. This specific edition has a nice intro about Marcus and stoicism. The book read to me like daily affirmations and thoughts to live by; some repeated such as to live in the present. Some meditations seem more like observations, “disgraceful: that the mind should control the face, should be able to shape and mold as it pleases, but not shape and mold itself.” Or don‘t let your imagination be crushed

“The Near Witch is only a story to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely and always looking for company. There are no strangers in the town of Near.” This has been told to Lexi all her life, but it is up to her to decipher what is true and what isn‘t. I‘m glad this book was re-released and enjoyed the fairytale-like feel set in a quiet village. I like that Lexi isn‘t afraid to challenge biases.

1. Reading tagged, Marcus Aurelius Meditations and The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
2. Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, but before that was the BBC version on Pride & Prejudice.
3. Tea. If I‘m feeling fancy then a soy chai latte
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Went to the art museum today for an early birthday outing, (I turn 42 on the 20th) so I am posting a few illuminated manuscripts pics and a painting by Bouguereau of Homer and Guide.

I enjoyed the poet‘s voice in this collection. Written over a number of years “these poems weave together the story of a self and a city- private, political, and bound by history” as the front flap describes this book more concisely than I can. The poem in my photo was among my favorites.

A person could write essays about this book which is about two scholars who stumble upon new material about two Victorian poets. I mostly loved it as I am in love with everything Victorian including the literature/ subjects of that time. Byatt took on a huge project inventing characters and their poetry, journal entries, letters etc. That being said I didn‘t necessarily care about the characters except for two minor ones. I have much more to say.

1. Two cats 🐱 💙💜
2. Hoping to go to the Milwaukee art museum depending on the weather.
3. Writing, baking, growing herbs/ plants, crochet, collect antiques, enjoy hiking.
4. Savannah, GA, Salem, MA, and probably a National Park. Never been to any.
5. Do you collect anything?

Recuperating from a migraine earlier this morning with my snuggle cat, Fish, and some poems. Happy Valentine‘s Day, everyone!

Love this book! I feel like this book was written for me. It has so many themes I love: Victorian, the Green Man, allusions to literature, beautiful words, stories within stories, and I loved every moment! Fantastic and smart, I‘m going to be thinking about how awesome this book is for a long time and one I‘m sure I‘ll read again.

The inside jacket cover does a better job than I could at talking about what this book is about. I didn‘t know anything about Patti Smith apart from her song “Because the Night” but when the book M Train came out in 2016 I read about how good this book was. It was an interesting read set in New York. It was cool to see certain musicians, poets, and artists overlap that I never imagined did. I can hear Patti‘s poetic voice come through in book

A sweet book that I recommend to anyone who has a special relationship with their cats/ pets. I enjoyed the format of this book set in five short sections as Satoru and his cat travel around Japan and visit people he has known throughout the years. The story is told from Nana the cat‘s perspective, but Satoru knows his cat so well there is no need for words between them. Usually not so affected, but this was quite an emotional read for me.

I read A Farewell to Arms in high school and thought I‘d sworn off Hemingway forever, but I‘ve read a few of his short stories in the past couple of years that made me re-think that. I really enjoyed this book in which Hemingway talks about his life in Paris and his time spent with several of his literary friends. Made me want to read travel memoirs or better yet, travel and write about it myself! Glad I finally read this one!

First off, what a stunning book title. This is the last book I read in 2018. It‘s my brother‘s copy so I‘m sure he‘ll be happy to get it back. Don‘t read this unless you‘ve at least read The Name of the Wind or it won‘t make any sense. Rothfuss even has a statement in this book that it is not for everyone. It follows Auri, a character in his other books and only her. It just simply follows what she does in her own way and how she thinks Loved it!

Read this over the summer, but have been neglectful with reviews. I remember having an intense one sided conversation with my husband about how much I liked this book and why, but feel a true review would have been delivered better then when it was fresh in my mind than now. I read Existentialism is a Humanism first which made me understand the main character better than if I hadn‘t. Glad I read the essay on this book after because of spoilers.

This is the first book I finished this year and I loved it! This story follows Helen, a wallflower and translator who has stumbled upon stories of Melmoth the Witness, who to most seems like nothing more than a fairytale, but the more letters and history she delves into the more Helen begins to wonder if there is more truth to the stories than anyone wants to believe and what must she face herself to find the truth? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I almost bailed on this book as I read half of it last summer and set it aside as parts felt carnal, feral, and animalistic to the point where I was uncomfortable. I finished it to add to my Goodreads challenge as I was already halfway through. I did end up liking the 3rd section best. I understand that it‘s read as an allegory or also idea of existence precedes essence and feel it was written/ translated well, but I can‘t say I enjoyed it.

“The silent one-clouded heavens drifted on to the sea. Now we were snow-blind travelers lost on the north hills....” what a lovely collection of memories of Christmases past. One can tell that Thomas is a poet. I just loved this and so will have to buy it as I feel it‘s a book one could read every Christmas.

Not a true story about St. Nicholas wielded into fiction, but rather an imaginative view of the story of Christ viewed through the eyes of a wandering man and protector with a good heart, but who himself is seeking answers of what it means to find or have faith. The first third was the most intriguing for me as the book started to feel more like a channel for teaching the Christian faith than telling a new story. Lovely read for this time of year.

A nice collection of stories that made me reflect on the true spirit of Christmas. I wasn‘t familiar with any of the stories, but a few authors such as Guy de Maupassant and Anatole France. Quite a few stories date from the late 19th century, but they all felt relevant. Not all of the stories are holly jolly in mood, but I throughly enjoyed the majority nonetheless.

I loved the beginning of this book and hoped it would continue with a dark fairy tale like vibe, but I think my own expectations of where I wanted this to go got in the way of me loving it. I can tell the author is a logophile which was awesome and the story was imaginative and inventive. I felt some of the characters stories were hastily tied up and didn‘t care for the ending. The epilogue was a cute nod to all that is Halloween within the book.

My little one has had a stomach bug since Wednesday night and finally seems to be feeling better. I‘m looking a little worse for the wear for it, but I‘m grateful the worst is over! At least we can both smile now!

1. Finding Nemo & Finding Dory
2. I have in a pinch, but it‘s one thing I‘d like to really do well
3. Eragon
4. Local Christmas parade tomorrow. Not sure what else
5. Will do! #friyayintro

Finished 9/13/18. This is now one of my favorite books. I loved it. I loved the insight I got about the monster and his feeling and intelligence about his surroundings that no movie version, however good in its own way, could reveal. I love the theme of the sublime throughout. I love that we question who is or are the real monsters. This is one book that I question why haven‘t I read it before and one I know I will read again. Brilliant!

Finished 9/6/18. The characters are done well. That being said, I have to wonder what Victorian/ gothic characters Goss has NOT borrowed from past lit. I like the idea, but is almost too much and lost its intrigue for me. Also, there are frequent blurbs about the book from the characters from an outside perspective which I like, except Cat (a char.) kept advertising the first book repeatedly which was supposed to be funny but was annoying.

This was quite a different kind of fantasy than any I‘ve read before. I loved the Edwardian feel but enjoyed that the alternative world it is set in allowed freedom for the characters and technologies. I don‘t want to reveal spoilers, so I‘ll just say I liked the main character‘s dual positions.

I grew up watching the 1980 version of this movie with Jeff Goldblum as Ichabod Crane as pedagogue and later Johnny Depp‘s scientific version. Little did I know that Crane in the story is much more inclined to superstition and more like a gluttonous buffoon than a soft-spoken romantic teacher. I love the antiquated language and found the story amusing and can see why it‘s become a classic but much prefer the vision I had of Ichabod in my head!

I will read anything that Victoria Schwab writes whether it‘s geared towards adults or middle readers, as this one is. Ever since Cass had a near death experience she can move beyond the veil that separates the dead from the living. Things become stranger after her family heads to Edinburgh. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only issue is that I read it too fast!

I really enjoyed this book which follows the character Mary Jekyll who is looking for clues about her father‘s mysterious past. I like that the cast of characters are almost entirely strong women. A fun read for lovers of gothic and Victorian monster stories. I‘m definitely going to read the next book in this series, European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman.

Nice set of lectures that use myth as examples to show how women were silenced in the past and how easily their ideas are squelched and dismissed today. I would have liked delving into more examples of how women were treated in myths or older literature. Even when they were not entirely at fault it was women such as Medusa pictured above that were punished. Today women who are in high power positions are still labeled/ pictured in news as evil.

Wonderful book of musings that Manguel shares as he discusses what it was like packing his library of over 35,000 volumes. As for each of us, some books have a profound affect on us and Manguel tends to return to those examples like Alice in Wonderland and Don Quixote in several of his own books. I read this in May so I can‘t remember all the anecdotes that made me love this book, but it spoke to me. I felt akin to his words and I love this book.

In my opinion this book is a must read and not just for teens. This book made me cry, but I also found myself laughing out loud a few times too. Thomas handles the cyclical problems of social disparity with ease. Definitely pick this up, read it and take it to heart. The book speaks an important but oft overlooked truth.

Wow! I can‘t believe I waited so long to read this book. I claim to not read mysteries, but my favorite books all fall into that category and now include this one. I‘m impressed that it was translated into such gorgeous passages of writing and the plot had everything one could hope for, most of all, books! My only complaint is a bit too much of the male gaze being described, but I overlooked that in lieu of every other wonderful thing about this!

1. Cats, elephants, sloths
2. Currently reading The Shadow of the Wind and love it so far, so probably it.
3. Teal, crayon cadet blue, peony pink
4. I don‘t get to read out much but by the water would be nice.
5. Gardenias, ranunculas, white anemones, I love most flowers

I recommend this book to hard core lovers of non-fiction books about books. It‘s good in that it discusses the collection and protection of books, but also why people throughout history might want to destroy books. Covers Alexandria, the flourishing of knowledge in the East when it dwindled in the West, public libraries and university libraries throughout history, up until the present day way of housing books including digitized books. Informative

I enjoyed this book and felt it was ahead of its time as far as some women‘s and social issues are concerned. I liked the intellectualism as well as still mostly happy outlook on life as this was pre-WWI. I think the theme of this book is connection and also felt the “now” quite strongly. I felt some of the syntax to be muddled or particular to the timeframe and I‘m comfortable reading a range of authors as i have a BA in Eng. but it might be me.

The witch loses her iron nose to a #sword in this #fairytale ‘The Boy Who Could Keep A Secret‘ from Andrew Lang‘s Crimson Fairy Book. #coolbooks #fairytaleedition illustrations by Henry Ford @Linsy