A wonderful mostly wordless MGGN about a girl who leaves Cuba without her parents under the Peter/Pedro Pan operation. Her life in Cuba is in color; her life in NYC is in grayscale. I love how the color shows up in books, foods, and flowers, bringing her back to life. This book brought me almost to tears, just thinking what it must be like to send a child away for years, not knowing if/when you‘d see her again, for her safety.

This story of a Jewish/Muscogee girl had promise but didn‘t live up to it. Mia struggles with her father‘s side of her ancestry, as her very religious mother and stepfather immerse her in Jewish culture. I felt like Mia‘s mom was so removed from Mia‘s life that it seemed unbelievable. Both parents seem kind of deadbeat, despite the mom‘s constant presence (can one be simultaneously helicopter and deadbeat?). Disappointing overall.

A pretty good story, which probably won‘t make much sense if you haven‘t read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It‘s standard Riordan fare, with action, adventure, intrigue, and adolescents facing incredible challenges. I‘m glad I read it within a reasonable time after Leagues but doubt I‘ll long remember either.

This sounds like something that would come up on my neighborhood facebook page.

I think I love this elderly lady.

Nice! Solid reference.

Highly recommended for parents of adolescents from ~9-20, this has a great structure for each chapter: what we‘re discussing, the science of it, what has changed in the past 20-40 years, and words from people recently through it. Everything from acne and BO to gender identity, sexual orientation, and hookup culture. Overwhelming but I think it will prove very useful.

Today‘s #bookmail is an eclectic assortment, including some nonfiction and one novel for me and one book for the kiddo‘s easter basket.

I was worried that the lending period from hoopla was only 2 weeks, not 3; I just finished it in 8 days.

Amazing and powerful and overwhelming. Audio was hard for keeping names straight (there are a lot) but I just sort of went with the flow. Inspired by recently reading Solnit‘s Whose Story Is This?, which directly mentions this book and has an essay dedicated to CBFord, too. Highly recommend.

Starting this one next.

Another home run from Solnit. These essays show their age in ways, being written during the Trump presidency, but the messages are still valid. Who controls the narrative, what stories we hear, how we interpret them - it‘s all here. Ideas about place names (how frequently do we see cities/streets/statues named for women?) and the hero mentality vs community action…there‘s a lot to unpack in this slim volume. Just read it, ok?

“…electability apparently tied to the gender-specific sparking of joy in the scrotum.”

Makes me laugh and cry all at the same time.

I started this book a couple of weeks ago, but I‘m actually getting into it just now. So often, Solnit just hits the nail right on the head.

Hey UK-based Littens - Ali Hazelwood will be at Waterstones in Piccadilly at the end of March. Event info on the Waterstones events website.

Funny to be reading this while kiddo is watching the animated Alice in Wonderland in the next room.

Thanks for entering @Clare-Dragonfly @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Deblovestoread

Kiddo picked the winner out of the hat - congratulations to @Deblovestoread !

Please send me your mailing address to acskie at yahoo dot com and I‘ll get it in the mail this week.

Today is the last day! Comment on my original post to win a copy of the tagged book. Deadline is 5 pm central time. I‘ll draw a name and send it on its way next week.
#PemberLittens #JaneAusten

GIVEAWAY! Enter with a comment on this post by 5 pm CT on Friday, 23 February, to win this lovely NF book about Jane Austen‘s works and how we came to get them. I‘ll draw a winner out of a hat and send it off next week.

I meant to do this ages ago, but better late than never. I bought this book twice, read and enjoyed it, and recommend it to JA fans. I hope my extra copy finds a good home!

Starting a new read this morning with a cranberry muffin and herbal tea.

Today‘s #bookhaul while kiddo was in ballet rehearsal and hubby said we should run errands. How could that not start at the bookstore?

If you follow HCR‘s Letters from an American a lot of this will be familiar, and the last 1/4 or so repeats some of the first half (as well as some of HCR‘s previous book, tagged below); but this is still an amazing book and everyone should read it. How we got into this political mess and why it all matters.

Very good MG with some tough stuff. I came close to crying several times. Hercules has a school assignment to recreate the Twelve Labors of the mythical Hercules. It‘s a challenge, but it makes Herc learn about himself and how to process losing his parents. TW for death of parents and harm to animals (not by humans, all natural, but nature is kind of a bitch in this case).

Starting this today (or trying to) while #DannyBoy wants very much to have ALL THE SNUGGLES and kiddo fights off a cold. I‘ve fallen behind on reviews again, and will get around to them…eventually.

Beautiful artwork, interesting story, complex characters…but I don‘t know how I feel about it yet. The blurb about this not being a straightforward damsel-in-distress story is really just the first 20 pages or so; a lot more happens after that. Definitely dark, definitely adult. Must think more on it before reviewing.

Meh. It was fine. There are several inconsistencies between stories, and even within stories (a secondary character in the last story is described by another character as six feet tall and then by the narrator as “not that tall” - EDIT: I‘m conflating two characters, so this one is on me, but the rest stand) which bothers me. Interesting premise but it felt more like a writing exercise or character sketches to me.

Recent acquisitions. The bottom left is a book my friend wrote, and he‘s almost done with number two! Middle two are for our homeschool.

Right?

I really need to stop browsing at the library. I already have two books checked out that I need to read, and yet look what followed me home today! We had two tote bags bursting at the seams, so I think it‘s safe to say I have created a monster who is exactly like her mother in this respect. About ten are for school, though!

I enjoyed this series starter and Cal and Bridget‘s adventure. He‘s an Irish thief, she‘s a by-the-book administrative assistant. He never intended to work for the British government, she never expected to be in the field. When a mission requires their unorthodox pairing, they have to rely on each other. Sparks fly, complications ensue. The intrigue felt unresolved, but I hope the rest of the series helps with that.

This is a really good upper-MGGN, focusing on Isaac as he lives with OCD “bees” constantly buzzing in his ears. Finding friends and starting to play a TTRPG with them expand his world, until his very controlling mother shuts it all down. Being a neurotypical older sibling to a neurodivergent younger is an important theme, there are gender norms discussed, budding romance as part of finding yourself…so much really good, healthy stuff!

Low pick, though I can‘t quite figure what was missing. Good main characters, supporting characters, believable conflict, and lots of lovely body positivity throughout. Something just feels a little off about it all.

Everly ends up on a makeover show for plus-size people, and it forces her out of hiding in her professional life. She pursues dormant interests and lets herself be herself again, and finds love on the far side of the camera.

Yesterday‘s library #bookhaul - both MG graphic novels. It‘s been tough to find reading time lately, and after wading through Liz Cheney‘s book something easier to read seemed like a good idea.

I don‘t think anything in here was new, really, but having it all laid out, clearly and emphatically, was impressive. I don‘t agree with Cheney‘s politics, but I can admire the courage of her convictions in this instance. My dad recommended this book; he said it was “probably the most overwhelming book” he‘s ever read. I recommend it if you can stomach more politics and a lot of Trump. It‘s a good reminder of what we stand to lose later this year.

#DannyBoy not being a jerk for once, in lieu of a pic of this audiobook.

Fascinating and kind of terrifying look at the Dominionist movement in Christian America. I would love an update that covers the intervening 15-ish years.

We drove to Dallas after Christmas and there‘s a stretch of I-20 with billboards spouting this kind of garbage (abolish income tax/teacher unions/social security; bring back Yahwuh). Frightening.

Ever feel like your library #bookhaul is…a little…eclectic? Tagged was an impulse grab from the new release shelf, though I had already stacked it at some point. Hubby requested the Western movie. My dad recommended the Cheney (he‘s decidedly conservative and I am NOT), but I expected a wait so now I have to move it up the list.

I really wanted to like this more, and maybe that‘s why it sat for most of a year on the shelf after I finally bought it. I liked the premise, I liked Sophie and her sisters…I just didn‘t love it. One of the problems I had will go under a spoiler tag, but overall I just really wanted more. It just always felt like it was on the brink of something great, but we never got there.

I really enjoyed this set of novellas, centering on three friends as they go their separate ways post-doc. It got a little repetitive and formulaic, but I liked seeing the three different relationships develop. My favorite was probably Sadie‘s story, Stuck With You, but it‘s close. If you like smart women who don‘t always make smart choices, and can overlook the basic problem of not talking it out, give this one a try.

While there are sections that get lost in the weeds, overall this is a fascinating look at what really happens during crises; not the chaos and looting we expect and often see in movies and even news, but people supporting people. I think the Katrina section could/should have been its own book, really, but I learned a lot. Goes well with Hope in the Dark.

Catch up the first.

I loved this book, absolutely adored it. I wish I‘d read it as a kid and I can‘t wait for kiddo to read it. But she‘ll have to wait until I finish the quartet because otherwise we‘ll be fighting over them! Cimorene is a great hero and Kazul the dragon is awesome. I hope to finish the remaining three this month.

First he was school supplies, then #DannyBoy decided he was breakfast food. He‘s into everything these last couple mornings, tearing around the house at super-speed and getting on tables and counters everywhere. I don‘t know what he wants!
#catsofLitsy

Everything in its place! Apparently #DannyBoy is school supplies now…which actually makes sense for our homeschool.

I‘ve been overwhelmed in recent months and am working on getting myself organized and functioning better. I hope to catch up on reviews over the next few days, without a full-on blast! Stay tuned to see what I‘ve been reading.
#catsofLitsy

My first year on StoryGraph and I liked it pretty well. I‘d hoped to pull out the pages goal but the last quarter-year was a real challenge for me reading-wise. This year I set much more modest goals (13 books, 1000 pages) and have dropped all challenges, buddy reads, and book clubs, in order to stress less and enjoy more.

I always find poetry in translation difficult. When a poem doesn‘t work for me, is it the poet or the translator at work? I found most of these good, but none of them great.

First book of 2024 done.

I really didn‘t like this entire collection. I had a bad feeling reading the introduction by Vonnegut, and then…yeah. I‘m sure there‘s more to the poems than I got but, no thanks. Not for me.

We took a quick trip to Dallas (mostly for dinner, which ended up being okay rather than fantastic) and stopped at BN to get kiddo the Lego set she‘s wanted for the past two years. I got the rest of this series while the hardcover sale was still going.

Today‘s BN #bookhaul, courtesy of a gift card from my dad. I don‘t think I‘ve ever spent a gift card faster! The Lore Olympus are the BN exclusive editions and I hope to get volumes one and two tomorrow when we go to Dallas and visit a different store. Goddess Girls is the rest of kiddo‘s Christmas books that arrived late.

Kiddo‘s Christmas #bookhaul (plus four yesterday for jolabokaflod, plus another six or so over the last month for the book advent calendar…). The tagged book is the blue one near the bottom. Oh, and a massive haul in B&N gift cards. What do they say about apples and trees?

My Christmas #bookhaul - interesting that my family ignores the practical kitchen stuff on my wishlist and gave me books. 😆

May your Christmas (if you celebrate) be merry, bright, and book-filled. If you don‘t celebrate, may your Monday be…well, book-filled!

I‘m slowly but surely recovering. I‘m cautiously spending time around kiddo, hubby, and kitty, but no hugs yet. The worst is over but the cough remains, and if it‘s like every other winter illness I‘ve ever had the cough will remain for weeks. Hubby is still handling cooking duties but decided he can‘t live without macaroni and cheese, so I‘ve been talking him through making the roux. Send good thoughts, please. 👇🏻

It‘s been a few days now but this was my #bookmail recently. For mostly nonsensical reasons I splurged on Hazelwood‘s entire oeuvre, including preordering the tagged. I used my birthday gift card from my MIL, so it doesn‘t count as buying myself presents right before Christmas, and then when I got sick it felt like an entirely reasonable indulgence. Not that I‘m reading them yet, of course. Instead, I‘m using my scattered focus to watch 👇🏻