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cocomass

cocomass

Joined November 2016

goodreads.com/cocom 📖 San Francisco resident 🌉 Library lover 📚Tea drinker ☕️ City walker 🚶🏽‍♀️#OwnVoices reader ✊🏽
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cocomass
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THANK YOU @Chelleo both for being an amazing #blitsyhistorymonth host AND for my amazing package!! 😍 I wish I‘d taken a picture of the fabulous wrapping before tearing it open. I love these books, and I love that you chose a few for me! My shirt‘s wonderful—clearly you picked up on my love of black poets. I‘m happy you patronized black owned businesses/museums on my behalf. And of course the Obamas 💕 And a mug for my tea ✊🏽 So thoughtful 😊

cocomass PS not pictured is my chocolate covered popcorn which I was literally eating while staging this photo 😂🍫🍿 (edited) 5y
Chelleo LOL! I was worried about the treats...you usually post such healthy snacks! The chocolate covered popcorn was the best option in a candy store that literally smells of pure sugar 🤣 And it took all the willpower I could muster to mail that blackish mug off to you! Glad you enjoyed your box! 5y
Chelleo Be sure to let me know your thoughts on the SW books. I hope you like them as much as I do. 5y
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cocomass @Chelleo the mug is an AMAZING FIND. Also I always have healthy snacks because I have no self control. The popcorn is gone. 😂 5y
Chelleo @cocomass Next time I stop by that place, I‘ll pick you up some more 😍 I agree, it was delicious...I taste tested it for the first time when I bought yours 5y
TrishB Lovely 💕 5y
Chelleo Hey friend! 5y
cocomass @Chelleo hey!!! I‘ve been prepping to start a PhD program and am super MIA. But I am happy, healthy, and excited to be full-time studying literacy and language education for Black students 😊 I should probably make a post about it so people don‘t think I‘ve died, but if you ever want to get ahold of me, you can shoot me an email. I‘d love to keep in touch (and pick your brain from time to time)! 💕 5y
36 likes9 comments
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cocomass
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I have been so SO behind on my #poemsbeforephones posting, but I really loved this one.

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cocomass
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Hello hi hey!! My #BlitsyHistoryMonth package arrived today and I am sooooo stoked and excited!!

(Also motivated to get mine out as soon as my last item arrives)

This just brought me so much joy and I haven‘t even opened it yet! 1000x thanks to @Chelleo for hosting and organizing ✊🏽

#blitsy

Chelleo 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾Yes! I can‘t wait!!! 😬😬😬Beautiful flowers too! 5y
36 likes1 comment
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cocomass
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#poemsbeforephones

I have been traveling across time zones for the last week and even though I brought Maya with me, I‘ve had the hardest time reaching for a poem before my phone. BUT I‘m home now and in the love section of her collection just before Valentine‘s Day. This one is perfection 😍

monalyisha Great timing! 💖 5y
DivineDiana It is! 💗 5y
32 likes2 comments
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cocomass
Bluebird, Bluebird | Attica Locke
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Pickpick

Today in book club we discussed Bluebird Bluebird, which was our most universally loved book since Born a Crime. Highly atmospheric and engaging mystery about crimes past and present. I‘m looking forward to following this series for years to come!

#blackhistorymonth #blitsy

38 likes3 stack adds
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cocomass
On the Come Up | Angie Thomas
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hermyknee 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 I‘m listening to On the Come Up on audible right now and it is so good! 😍 (edited) 5y
AmyG I‘m with you. I had to get the Marlon James, too. Like I need MORE books. 😝 5y
thewallflower0707 Just put the right book on my TBR a few days ago! 👍 5y
Redwritinghood Yep. Me either. I also got the Marlon James today. 5y
54 likes1 stack add4 comments
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cocomass
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Pickpick

Finished my fourth book and #24in48!

Loved book 2 of this series—even more than the first. The characters were further fleshed out and the mystery was fun to follow. Once again I thought the narrator was a lot of fun. I have no idea when the third book comes out, but I look forward to listening!

Eyelit Fantastic! 5y
sprainedbrain Woohoo! 🎉🎉🎉 5y
Kalalalatja Well done! 5y
mariaku21 Congrats!! 🎉🎉🎉 5y
Megabooks 🎊🎊🎊🥳🎉🎉📚👍🏻👍🏻🙌🙌 5y
41 likes5 comments
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cocomass
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Mehso-so

Just finished book 3 during #24in28. This was a highly readable look at the prescription drug epidemic and the role doctors and the medical industry (e.g., insurance and pharmacy companies) are complicit. Written by a psychiatrist, the author uses case studies and statistics to elucidate the issue. As a social scientist, I balked when opinions—however informed—were presented as facts. Also found a couple editorial errors. 3.5/5 ⭐️

HardcoverHearts You are doing great on time for the readathon! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 5y
ChasingOm Since unverified claims being presented as “facts” got us into the whole opioid epidemic mess, I think I‘ll skip this one based on your review. Thanks! 😬 5y
cocomass @ChasingOm exactly!! And the author covered that, so I was surprised by her presentation of (again, informed) theories and (promising) as validated facts 😕 5y
27 likes3 comments
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cocomass
All Systems Red | Martha Wells
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Pickpick

Book 2 done! And what‘s not to love about Murderbot? Fun, funny, engaging, and heartwarming. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. 🤖

#24in48

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cocomass
Heads of the Colored People: Stories | Nafissa Thompson-Spires
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Pickpick

Just past the #24in48 halfway mark and I‘ve finished my first book! I really enjoyed this collection of loosely linked, often funny (and highly relatable for me) short stories about black middle class life, mostly set in Southern California. Favorites include The Necessary Changes Have Been Made, Not Today Marjorie, This Todd, A Conversation about Bread, and the titular story. 4/5 ⭐️

#blitsy

Angitron I absolutely loved this book!!! 5y
cocomass @Angitron I‘m excited to see what she writes next! I‘d love to see a full novel. 5y
ReadosaurusText This was one of my favorite books from last year!!! Best edited collection I think I‘ve ever read. 5y
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cocomass
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I also go a late start on #poemsbeforephones because I was up until 1:30 am reading for #24in48. Luckily reading first is just how I wanted to start my day. Love this poem about guilt and ancestors from the incomparable Maya Angelou.

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cocomass
All Systems Red | Martha Wells
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A little over an hour in #24in48 and I‘m taking a break to grabs some snacks (unofficially sponsored by Trader Joe‘s 😉). Loving the short book approach. I‘ve been dividing my attention between an intense nonfiction on the prescription drug epidemic and the tagged humorous sci-fi novella.

Kaye 👍🏼 5y
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cocomass
So Lucky: A Novel | Nicola Griffith
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My fat stack of slim books for #24in48. I‘m really excited this time around, as I‘ve decided to focus on short books (between 100-200 pages) to keep the variety going. And just in case that‘s not enough I have a few comic book series to catch up on, some short story collections, and two audiobooks I‘m loving. So ready to read all weekend 💕 📚

Mdargusch That‘s my strategy too - I read short books or graphic novels. 5y
merelybookish Great selection! 5y
KT1432 That's a really good idea! 5y
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cocomass
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monalyisha Nice. 5y
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cocomass
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For poems this morning, and this is my favorite.

#poemsbeforephones

Redwritinghood She‘s so good. 💕💕 5y
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cocomass
Heads of the Colored People: Stories | Nafissa Thompson-Spires
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Digging into this smart story collection on my way home from celebrating #MLK with my sister, and I‘m loving it!

#blitsy

PS Go see If Beale Street Could Talk!

suzisteffen Adding to the library requests! Thank you. Second rec I‘ve heard for this book. (And ooooh Beale Street 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍) 5y
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cocomass
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Started a new collection this morning! Naturally, Part One is a collection of poems under the theme “Where Love is a Scream of Anguish” so I think I‘m in for some more intense poetry 😂 BUT I read four poems this morning and this one I had some lovely nature imagery.

#poemsbeforephones

monalyisha Oh wow! I love that first part! 😍 ”Carefully the leaves of Autumn sprinkle down the tinny sound of little dyings.” 5y
gradcat It‘s so lovely...Maya Angelou‘s work is always so mesmerizing ❤️ 5y
TrishB That‘s gorgeous 💕 5y
Redwritinghood Wonderful! 💕💕 5y
32 likes1 stack add4 comments
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cocomass
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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Pickpick

Where to even begin with this book? Laugh out loud, searing satire. If you like The Sellout or Good Lord Bird, this may work for you. That said, I could barely tolerate the protagonist and it took me 200 pages to realize he was exactly like an ex-boyfriend of mine 😂 Brilliant, funny, terrifyingly self-destructive, and nauseatingly superior. And while I wouldn‘t recommend that ex to my worst enemy, I am recommending Knucklehead.

#blitsy

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cocomass
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Pickpick

#poemsbeforephones

Things have been hectic over here and I haven‘t logged into Litsy much, but I‘ve continued to read poetry every morning before opening up my phone. Today I finished the tagged book. It‘s a mixed bag, with lots of intense poetry that isn‘t really Good morning! material. But I thought the epic poem in the center using the titles of works of art was incredible. I‘ve posted a portion of that poem here.

monalyisha Coooooool. 5y
Redwritinghood Very nice! 👍🏻👍🏻 5y
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cocomass
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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“Grief is a thing that sits by your bed and waits for you to wake up.”

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cocomass
City of Brass | S A Chakraborty
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Pickpick

I‘ve been really excited about fantasy rooted in culture and lore beyond medieval Europe, and finally got around to listening to this one. The world building here is excellent and I love fantasy books centered on intrigue and political machinations. I also enjoyed both POV characters. There were a couple of elements that I didn‘t love, and the ending dragged, but ultimately this was a lot fun, and beautifully conceived. Looking forward to book 2!

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cocomass
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For the last two days I‘ve been in the most incredible section of this collection. I‘ve posted here some of the guidelines the poet created for herself and the resulting poetry has been incredibly moving (I‘ll post some tomorrow). It‘s where the title of the collection comes from.

Anyway, #poemsbeforephones still going strong. I also love reading all of the poetry y‘all tag me in—I get more poetry before I have to do actual phone stuff 😊

DivineDiana Fascinating accomplishment! 5y
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cocomass
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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I have to document this as The Most Accurate Description of an MRI Machine Ever.

GingerAntics Wow, that is precisely it. 5y
Eggs I agree, that's it 5y
CouronneDhiver That sounds pretty scary! 5y
34 likes3 comments
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cocomass
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The story was so engaging, the characters lovable, and the reader was spectacular. This would be such a fun one to listen to with kids. I have the second book on hold and am looking forward to listening to that one, too.

ReadingsByTheC Love this series! 5y
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cocomass
Knucklehead | Adam Smyer
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Current read is some comedic fiction by a local Bay Area author. My hopes are high—I just bailed on a book a couple of days ago and could use a win!

#Blitsy

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cocomass
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Red three poems this morning—including a four part ode to the 1978 film The Wiz—and settled on this one that really resonates with me.

#poemsbeforephones

Redwritinghood Nice one! 5y
monalyisha Love a good snake metaphor. 🐍 5y
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cocomass
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Wish I had the tech savvy/appropriate app to put this poem side-by-side with the image that inspired it. But if you google “from Harlem to Hitler” you‘ll see it.

#poemsbeforephones

monalyisha Wow. Powerful & defiant! 5y
DivineDiana I just looked at the image. Amazing! 5y
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Redwritinghood Fantastic! 5y
Bradleygirl Whoa 5y
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cocomass
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#poemsbeforephones

This collection is pretty intense for first thing in the morning, but wow. Next time I might choose nature writing or some Mary Oliver to balance me out because some of these poems are blowing my mind 🤯

batsy "Your body is a segment of prehistoric road"... Wow. 5y
24 likes1 comment
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cocomass
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Mehso-so

I want to say I loved it and it changed my life, buuuut this fell a little flat for me. There were some moments of brilliance and the premise is inspired, but it lacked a little depth. A quick, entertaining read for sure and certainly not a disappointment as a debut. I look forward to what Oyinkan Braithwaite does next, as I‘m always thirsty for new satire 3/5 ✨

#blitsy

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cocomass
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#poemsbeforephones

One reason I haven‘t been posting each morning after I read a poem is because once I finish reading, I‘m inspired to do all the other morning-type things I can do without my phone. I go through my whole morning routine without my phone and I‘m loving it. Don‘t know how long I can keep it up, but I‘m grateful for the peace poetry before technology has brought me. ✌🏽

monalyisha Love everything about this! 5y
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cocomass
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🎧 This is a highly entertaining middle grade fantasy and the audiobook is fabulous. I‘m about a quarter of the way in and so far the Happy Potter comparisons are apt 🎧

merelybookish This was my last book of 2018 and I thoroughly enjoyed. Just picked up the sequel at the library yesterday! 5y
RealLifeReading Such a fun read! 5y
cocomass @merelybookish I already have book 2 on hold! 5y
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cocomass
Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover
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Audiobooking this month‘s book club read while I tidy up for the evening 🎧

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cocomass
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When it rains, it pours ☔️

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego 🤔 did not know that 5y
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cocomass
Trail of Lightning | Rebecca Roanhorse
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Pickpick

Loved it. Started off slow for me but once it took off (around 40% in for me) it flew. I‘m so excited for book 2. I am loving all the amazing #ownvoices fantasy stories coming out that really lean into world of magic and mythology that are new to me. I‘m just here at the airport, rereading my favorite scenes 😍

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cocomass
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Trying to power through this workday so I can really start the holidays. I‘m traveling home to Seattle tomorrow and am hoping to finish my last two books for the #ReadHarder2018 challenge while I‘m at it.

readordierachel Have a good trip! 5y
27 likes1 comment
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cocomass
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Holy #libraryhaul!! 😍

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cocomass
Perfected | Kate Jarvik Birch
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@Bibliotaph_and_tsundoku nailed it!! I literally gasped when I opened The Black Count, which I am desperate to read. Everything was spot on, from the chocolate to my BLANKET and my socks!! Love the book selections, love that you patronized The Strand on my behalf, that bookstore is fabulous. Thank you thank you thank you!! Not pictured: the Bibliophile pin already at home on my backpack 😊

#stuffedstockingswap #sss

Bibliotaph_and_tsundoku I‘m so glad you liked it!! I really enjoyed buying all of that stuff for you! 5y
Avanders 😍🎄♥️🥰❄️ 5y
50 likes2 comments
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cocomass
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Posted! 📦 🎄 #sss

Avanders ♥️🎄❄️💙☃️ 5y
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cocomass
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Well this is exciting!!

😃 ❄️ 🎄

#SSS #StuffedStockingSwap

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cocomass
The Prey of Gods | Nicky Drayden
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Pickpick

Bananas. This is the first book I‘ve read where I can confidently say, “If you liked Library at Mount Char, you‘ll love this one!” So so weird. A little clunky in places, some scenes dragged on, but very creative with some lovable characters and interesting concepts. Looking forward to reading Drayden in the future!

#ReadHarder2018 #ownvoices #blitsy

readordierachel Yes! I loved this one too! I have her next one, Temper, waiting patently on my kindle. 5y
23 likes1 comment
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cocomass
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Finally have all the pieces of my #StuffedStockingSwap together and I‘m planning to mail as soon as I can get away to the post office!

#SSS

hermyknee Cuuute!!! 5y
33 likes2 comments
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cocomass
Ghost | Jason Reynolds
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Stopped by my local bookstore for a few more items for my #sss gift and I got a FREE copy of this book just for popping in on #smallbusinesssaturday

BookNAround I stopped at two here and one had these but they were keeping them to donate to a local literacy group and asking people who qualified for one to write a short note to the kiddo who will be gifted with the book. 5y
cocomass @BookNAround well that‘s very cool!! 5y
41 likes2 comments
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cocomass
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Pickpick

Oh so gross but HIGHLY entertaining. This was a (very random) book club pick but we ended up having some great discussion about women‘s health, personal “quack remedies” we‘ve tried, as well as trust (or lack thereof) in medical professionals. Certainly helped to have a doctor amongst us! 4/5 ✨

Riveted_Reader_Melissa This sounds awesome!!! 5y
RedxoHearts I will have to read this one some day. I'm always such a sucker for these kinds of books and love reading about random weird facts. 5y
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cocomass
Heart Berries: A Memoir | Terese Marie Mailhot
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Pickpick

Very Intense, brief, lyrical nonlinear memoir. A central theme of this short, jarring little book is inter-generational trauma. This is one of those not-for-everyone-but-truly-excellent stories of someone‘s life where the author sets out to tell things exactly as they are/happened. A hard read, but a beautiful one. I chose this passage because I think it captures some of the beautiful, abstract language used by Mailhot.

#NativeAuthors

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cocomass
Caleb's Crossing: A Novel | Geraldine Brooks
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Pickpick

I liked it. Very masterful historical fiction. I‘ve seen reviews saying it‘s slow, and it is, but that how I like history portraits. I read this because, as Thanksgiving approaches, I wanted a realistic depiction of some of the first interactions between Native Americans and the Europeans who arrived and began taking over. There are some elements that troubled me, but generally I found Brooks‘s treatment of her subject deft and thoughtful.

35 likes2 stack adds
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cocomass
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I took this selfie Wednesday morning. You can see the smoke from the fires is obscuring what is usually a beautiful view of the San Francisco skyline. Since then it‘s actually gotten worse—this morning all I could see was the beacon at the top of the Salesforce Tower.

This is a #friyayintro post but also a reminder the fires are ongoing. Some ideas on how to help: https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/how-to-help-california-wildfires-1203026928/

Bookishgal71 We are in Palo Alto and we can see the smoke in the air here, too. 😩 5y
riversong153 So sorry CA is going through this 5y
BarbaraBB So sorry for you. 💜 5y
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MicheleinPhilly Ugh. I don‘t even want to “like” this photo. It‘s so heartbreaking. 😞 5y
JSW I just cancelled my weekend plans up there. It‘s bad in Santa Cruz but not at this level yet. 😞😷 5y
squirrelbrain So awful for you, stay safe ❤️ 5y
BooksForEmpathy Hiiii. So smokey that schools are canceled. It‘s really bad in the mission too. Really devastating. And it will just keep happening, too. 5y
Megabooks 💜💜💜 5y
GypsyKat My heart breaks for everyone affected by this. Stay safe! 💙 5y
CoffeeNBooks I am soooo sorry everyone in CA is having to deal with this!! So sad! 5y
sprainedbrain So heartbreaking. I wish I could do more for you all! ❤️ 5y
derr.liz Downtown looked post-apocalyptic today. Scary times. Planning to stay indoors reading all weekend to avoid the smoky air as much as possible! 😷🌉❤️ 5y
Chelleo Thanks for the link! Stay safe. (edited) 5y
60 likes13 comments
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cocomass
Death's End | Cixin Liu
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Pickpick

This took me entirely too long to finish (5 months 😱), but it‘s 29 hours of highly cerebral science fiction and I kept having to return it to the library, then wait for the loan to renew. I liked this better than the second book and as much as the first. I can‘t say I understood everything that happened, but I thought the writing was beautiful (many thanks to Ken Liu who is an awesome translator). 3.5/5 stars, rounded up for books #intranslation

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cocomass
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Reading this one for book club. No small amount of fun, if you have a strong stomach. Mercury baths to treat syphilis? Why not?

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cocomass
Trail of Lightning | Rebecca Roanhorse
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Picked up another book by a #nativeauthor from the library. Loving putting my energy toward indigenous peoples this month!

JSW Enjoy! It‘s a great read! 5y
Beachesnbooks Loved this one! 5y
29 likes1 stack add2 comments
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cocomass
Our House | Louise Candlish
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Mehso-so

Finally finished this one. Took me almost 150 pages to get into it, which, as a flight attendant reading the same book told me, is an awfully long time to wait. I kept reading though because I was in need of a nice shut-off-your-brain-and-escape book. And on that front, Our House definitely delivered.