1. My sister and I had an interesting conversation with a ballpark acquaintance about various books and other things, in which he declared his love of Russian literature.
2. Amazing French Open men‘s final.
3. Thanks to prompting from @TheSpineView I went to the bookstore and preordered the upcoming Ann Cleeves book.
4. Dark Winds on Netflix.
5. Large #libraryhaul and a pedicure on the same day.
#5joysfriday

Another week of books I‘ve never heard of, books on my TBR, and books by authors I‘ve read but not that book. Here are the 3/100 that I‘ve read. 😮
1. Things Fall Apart (very sad)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird ❤️
3. The Leopard (read in school but I couldn‘t tell you one thing about it) #TLT

Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-before-you-die-list6

One of my issues with reading challenges is that the list usually changes before the metaphorical ink is dry. For example, I ended up reading The Spy Coast early, so I replaced it with Road Fever which was rec‘d by a friend after I made the list. There was some cursing involved in making the original collage, so I‘m not updating it! #14books14weeks

Anyway, this was a little dated but informative and interesting (once they finally hit the road).

1. Thanks for the reminder! I need to pre-order the tagged book. It‘s scheduled for publication in October, just in time for my sister‘s birthday.
2. I don‘t usually have my act together enough to pre-order, but when I do it‘s probably part of a series. #two4tuesday

PSA for East Coast USA Littens. My sister and I are going to the one in DC. #camplitsy

I almost bailed, and I almost threw it across the room, but I finished it. Not sure what I read. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Today my heart is…guarded. On one hand, the news is horrible, and the situation in LA is yet another issue of disagreement in the household. On the other hand, I was born in California, so if they secede perhaps I could apply for birthright citizenship? #mentalhealthmonday

It was a long day, and I just might fall asleep on the couch in front of the RV.

The game started late because of the rain, but I had the tagged book to read. I also read some in the car during actual #hyggehourreadathon while I waited for my husband.

During the game my sister and I had a bookish conversation with a ridiculously smart acquaintance of ours, and he talked about his love of Russian literature (!) among other things.

John Copenhaver is an author who keeps hovering just below the surface on my TBR list. His books sound interesting. #sundayfunday

1. Our favorite restaurant opened a new branch at the racetrack.
2. We went to Ocean City. This is the view from our friend‘s condo.
3. A vendor that I liked at the farmers market last summer is back this year, just under a different name.
4. Nationals Night Out. The game was lousy, but I loved the company and atmosphere.
5. “Alien vs Predator” 🍿
#5joysfriday

This ballgame is getting out of hand, so I might as well do the quiz! 🤣

It‘s another collection comprised mostly of never heard of it, on my TBR, or I read another book by the author. #TLT

However, if you broke up the LOTR trilogy into its component books and counted the rereads, I‘d have a higher score than 5/100. 😎

Here are the rest.
1. Cry, the Beloved Country
2. Dr. Zhivago
3. The Talented Mr. Ripley
4. The Last Temptation of Christ

First of all, that cover! The librarian who checked out my book haul went 😻and said she was looking forward to reading it too.

It reminds me of the movie RED for the novice thrown into a crazy situation vibe, with a strong side of H2G2 for the (foul mouthed) dolphins. Fast paced, very readable, and not subtle commentary on extreme wealth. The author is also a good follow on social media.

“In a dog eat dog world…be a cat.”

#authoramonth

1. Give everyone as much grace as you can, including yourself.
2. 😎💃🏽🩵
3. The tagged book is hilarious!
#wondrouswednesday

1. There have been some interesting answers to this question. For my part, I think it‘s possible for a book to define a generation, a Strong Sense of Time, if you will, but keeping in mind that no decade or generation is any one thing. That being said…
2. With the caveat that I haven‘t read it * I suggest the tagged book for the 1980s. The rise of investment bankers and various derivatives, etc. etc.
#two4tuesday on Wednesday

Yesterday, once we seemed to clear the weather and traffic, I remembered I had this book on my phone from Libby. Good choice for a road trip!

It‘s also a good choice for #hyggehourreadathon because there‘s something very cozy to me about armchair travel.

My husband made chicken cordon bleu for dinner, and it was delicious! Now I‘m settled in with my book and the Yankees-Dodgers on TV. Trying very hard to ignore the news.

Next up in the Harbinder Kaur series #sundayfunday

I‘m not sure what all happened this month that I only finished four books, but in any case the tagged book was my favorite. #wrapup

We‘re on a little road trip. It‘s perhaps ill advised in light of the weather, but we were both getting kinda stir crazy. Am I reading in the car? Of course not. Just playing with my phone and hoping the traffic calms down soon. #chatterday

1. Tagged book from the free cycle group.
2. I mended the loose seam on my tote bag.
3. Violas!
4. The return of farmers market season.
5. TACOs & gumbo #5joysfriday

I‘m beginning to see a pattern here! A few books I‘ve read, some on my TBR, some I‘ve never even heard of the author, and some I‘ve read other books by the authors but not the ones on the list. These are the whopping 4/100 that I‘ve read. #TLT
1. The Hobbit
2. The Little Prince
3. Rebecca
4. Miss Lonelyhearts

Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-before-you-die-list4

My reading intentions for #jumpstartsummer were a bit ambitious! I got a lot of laundry done and did a little organizing, but I only finished the tagged book today. I‘ve started the other three but don‘t seem to be in the right frame of mind for any of them right now.

As with @Bookwormjillk this book didn‘t hit quite right. I liked it but not as much as I thought I would considering the topic, and it was longer than it needed to be. ⬇️

1. Sharon, Stephanie, Barbara, Lily
2. Kili is the first cat I have named.
3. Capability (“Kitty”) Weeks from the tagged series. #wondrouswednesday

1. I don‘t know yet!
2. Tagged!
#two4tuesday

1. After washing four (or was it five?) loads of laundry yesterday and the day before, today I turned my attention to organizing. I found a bag of “stuff” that contained, among other things, a pen and post-it pad from the Qatari government that I must have picked up at some event. I happily threw them in the trash.
2. Organizing and getting things done gives me a sense of accomplishment that helps my mental health. #mentalhealthmonday

I‘m not reading this now for #hyggehourreadathon but I was reading it earlier. Better than reading the book, I‘m talking about it with a friend of my husband‘s we joined for dinner. I‘m sitting in the ghost seat in front of a column!

I‘m not much of a cryer while reading books. Too many tears and I can‘t see what I‘m reading! However, this book definitely got me in the feels. #sundayfunday

These are the books I have out from the library and want to read for the #jumpstartsummer readathon. I also have one or two on my shelf that I might read in addition to or instead. 😎

Tonight I‘ll be at a ballgame and brought the tagged book to read beforehand if I don‘t see any of my friends. Otherwise it‘s laundrypalooza and maybe a little swimming (since I picked up the pool passes today) and of course reading.

1. I took my cat to the vet for some bloodwork and had a chance to hang out with Holly the office cat.
2. Friday night I went to a beautiful wedding.
3. I submitted some good news to the Daily Beans podcast and heard it on the air!
4. My friend has been raving about the French Asian bakery, Tous les Jours, and I had lunch there. Everything was delicious.
5. Good long call with my friend in Colorado.
#5joysfriday

I wasn‘t expecting to read this in May, but it became available after having been hard to find for months. So I read it in three days! It would have been two, but I was tired after a long day.

This is the seventh book in a series I started reading years ago for #whodunnitbymail back in the day. Thanks to @PatriciaU for suggesting that first book!

While this series has the “bones” to continue, I got strong conclusion vibes.
#serieslove2025

Interesting list! Books I‘ve read (7/100), a few from my TBR, some I‘ve never heard of in my life, and some by authors I have read just not the ones on the list. #TLT

Surely there will be more Agatha Christie in the next batch? Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-before-you-die-1900s

Highlights:
1. The Call of the Wild
2. The Great Gatsby
3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

1. It‘s inspiring to know that I‘m standing on the shoulders of a lot of strong women (and men) who worked to make the world a better place.
2. I‘ve been thinking about the tagged book lately in light of current events. Amazing story!
#wondrouswednesday

Thank you for the goodies! Especially the bookmark just when I‘m looking for one! The note is sweet as well. ❤️

Summer book club selections from the Jewish Women‘s Archive: https://jwa.org/programs/bookclub/bookshelf

1. I went down a linguistic rabbit hole and settled on Cornish as the ancient (extinct) language I would like to learn.
2. I‘ve read a handful of books translated from Japanese, and they‘re all interesting. There‘s a whole subset of Japanese mysteries, and I‘d like to read more of them.
#two4tuesday

1. Long story, but I had to skip one of my fitness classes today. I was able to attend the other one, though, and that restored some balance (literally and figuratively).
2. Ignoring the news isn‘t really an option in our household, but I have some podcasts I can listen to that help counteract the gaslighting.
#mentalhealthmonday

Best laid plans! I‘ve already finished one of my choices for #14books14weeks but no worries because I have a replacement in mind. HOWEVER…I can‘t believe we‘re nearly at Memorial Day weekend already!

I‘m not a big fan of spy thrillers, but this had some compelling elements and should lead to an interesting book club discussion.

This book came off the hold list earlier than I thought it would! Since it‘s for next month‘s book club and the library doesn‘t have many copies, I‘m going to read it now so I can return it for the other members.
#hyggehourreadathon

StoryGraph says it‘s this chunkster by James Michener. In fact, four of the top ten in length are Michener books. I went through a phase in high school and college where I gravitated to his epic books, and there are still a few that I need to work through on my TBR list. #sundayfunday

While there are some random features I miss from Goodreads, I appreciate that StoryGraph allows for sorting by page length.

1. Trivia last night didn‘t earn us any prizes, but I got a book recommendation.
2. I created my list of 14 books and in the process streamlined my StoryGraph tags.
3. Last Friday: program on aging which included a cooking demo, peonies seen during my walk at the lake, town hall with my congresswoman.
4. She liked my USNA shirt. Annapolis is part of the district as well as where she lives.
5. Cookout on Saturday. More in comments.
#5joysfriday

Better than last week (10 out of 100) but still not great. One I read grudgingly and hated, some I never heard of in my life, and three I especially liked.
1. Anna Karenina
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth

Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/1001-books-you-must-read-before-you-die-1800s

Thanks to @dabbe for putting these together every week! #TLT

“…Immigration is now a matter of national security, which explains irrational decisions and unnecessary delays…”

🌹I loved Dr. Seuss and later the Little House books.
🌺🌺 Kinsey Millhone and Sam Gamgee
🌷🌷🌷I read The Diamond Eye for April and gave it 4 stars. #wondrouswednesday

Between #authoramonth and #bookclub selections and #camplitsy I filled out most of my list for #14books14weeks & just needed a couple more from my TBR.

I‘m a little behind the pace this month. Not sure which of these I‘ll be reading next. #serieslove2025

1. I recently read a book by Clare Mackintosh for book club, and I liked it.
2. I still have the tagged book on my TBR list. #two4tuesday

I made some progress this week and should finish this in a couple days. #hyggehourreadathon

Molly Weasley is fierce! Especially when she “dispatches” Bellatrix. #sundayfunday

Nothing says Public Service Recognition Week like arresting a mayor for trying to inspect a facility in his own city.

There‘s been so much happening, I never shared this thought from a measly three months ago. I agree that the government is already too small for the size of the population and the complexity of issues faced. Just my two cents as a #longtimefed but you can read the article via the link in the comments.

Fun fact! The first year I volunteered at the National Book Festival (2017), I was an usher in the main conference hall. Vance was one of the featured authors, but it was before he lost his mind and sold his soul. As I recall he was an interesting speaker and was well received. So it‘s particularly galling that the current regime has fired the Librarian of Congress under blatantly false pretenses.

There‘s a little bit to unpack from last night‘s town hall with my congresswoman. As a first-term representative from a blue state and district, she acknowledged that she has limited tools at her disposal at the moment, but she‘s definitely using them.

She mentioned the importance of phone calls no matter what color your district is, and that including a personal story provides more impact. So let‘s keep it up! #longtimefed #psrw