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ephemeralwaltz

ephemeralwaltz

Joined September 2016

✨She/her 📖 📚 Currently reading...
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Kink: Stories by Garth Greenwell, R.O. Kwon
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The Perfect Mango by Erin Manning
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Tender: Stories by Sofia Samatar
review
ephemeralwaltz
Everything Under | Daisy Johnson
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Pickpick

I was initially confused but completely blown away by how Johnson unraveled this story. A young woman searching for a mother who had abandoned her years before. Switching from present to their past life on a boathouse, we also follow the enigmatic Marcus who stayed with them for a period of time. Again, initially confusing but so worth it once you start piecing it together. A love letter to language, a modern take on myth, an astonishing debut.

Teresereading Fabulous cover art! 3y
Tanisha_A Great review! ❤️ 3y
50 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Christodora | Tim Murphy
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Pickpick

An epic read that got me out of a recent reading slump. Perfect for fans of A Little Life, this is the story of a series of characters who lives in the New York building that gives the novels its title. Spanning from the 1980s to our present decade, it‘s a hard-hitting, beautiful, sweeping novel about youth, motherhood, adoption, art, addiction, activism and the AIDS crisis that wreaked havoc on so many communities. So glad I picked this up!

emilyhaldi You had me at A Little Life!! 3y
59 likes6 stack adds1 comment
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ephemeralwaltz
Homeland Elegies | Ayad Akhtar
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My ever-growing stack of current reads... I don‘t think I‘m in a slump as much as I don‘t have enough time to read with clear headspace. How do you deal with busy times and reading??

kaysworld1 I deal with mine with audio books. 2 schools teaching, one supermarket job and uni I am busy so audio books are the jam xx 3y
Megabooks @kaysworld1 totally agree! I read twice as many audiobooks as print. I‘m constantly on the go and listen to audiobooks in the car, while I‘m doing housework, and even in the shower! 3y
Kalalalatja Audiobooks are the only way I read these days (almost) 🎧 3y
See All 7 Comments
Taylor It‘s just a matter of pushing out streaming shows/movies. 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Taylor the problem is I don‘t even watch anything these days!! 3y
ephemeralwaltz @kaysworld1 @Megabooks @Kalalalatja it must help so much! I don‘t listen to audiobooks (though I really want to get into them) but I do a lot of podcasts while on commutes, housework, errands, etc. It feels so productive to be able to listen while doing our everyday chores. 3y
Taylor @ephemeralwaltz Ha then there‘s no hope. 3y
48 likes7 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Heads of the Colored People | Nafissa Thompson-Spires
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Sunday reading ✨

batsy What a cover 😍 3y
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
ephemeralwaltz
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Mehso-so

A crazy experimental novel that blends time-travel/horror/feminist theory into a book packed with witches, artists and black metal. Maybe I read this at the wrong or didn‘t dedicate enough time to unpacking it, but I didn‘t enjoy this as much as I was expecting to: it sounded exactly like the sort of fiction that I am normally thrilled for. Definitely want to check out Hval‘s other work.

(Yes, this is a print and not the actual book 😂)

Reggie Lolol, I was totally about to say great cover!!! 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Reggie it is the actual cover though! So good😍 3y
51 likes2 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Open Water | Caleb Azumah Nelson
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Pickpick

A short, hard-hitting debut about two people who fall slowly in love and then all at once, as often happens in the best of love stories. While the story revolves around two Black artists and their experiences in London/Dublin being seen merely as Black bodies, the author writes a love letter to Black art, media and thought. I can‘t say I enjoyed the writing 100% but it is an impressive debut to check out. Hoping to read more of the author!

readordierachel Sounds good. Stacked! 3y
52 likes4 stack adds1 comment
review
ephemeralwaltz
Know My Name: A Memoir | Chanel Miller
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Pickpick

An easy pick. Miller‘s beautiful writing really drew me in despite this being a very lengthy memoir. An account of sexual violence, the difficult trial in which she had to relive her trauma and the aftermath of these experiences on the survivor‘s identity and wellbeing.

Kalalalatja Such a powerful book! 3y
47 likes1 comment
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ephemeralwaltz
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Pickpick

I startes this with the misconception that this was YA and it‘s more MG but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Reynolds weaves together 10 stories about 10 kids and what lies beyond the schoolgates on their ways back home, at home, and/or with their friends. It‘s worth noting author deals with some difficult situations without making it a book about black trauma. Some unexpected outcomes and endings had me smiling. Sensible, simple, very accomplished.

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ephemeralwaltz
Pine | Francine Toon
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Ooh #TBRtemptation! This sounds like it would be a perfect candidate for future #ScreamsByMail picks 😍

GatheringBooks Agreed!! Miss you all! 3y
kamoorephoto I have it sitting here waiting to be read!!!! 3y
ephemeralwaltz @kamoorephoto aww that‘s awesome! 3y
41 likes4 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Paradais | Fernanda Melchor
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Frothy coffee and a new Melchor = a great start to the day

Tanisha_A Perfect ❤️ 3y
53 likes1 comment
review
ephemeralwaltz
Fleishman Is in Trouble: A Novel | Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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Pickpick

I have mixed thoughts on this one. I couldn‘t put it down but found the characters extremely unlikeable...and that‘s not normally a problem for me, but I felt like we didn‘t get as much character development as I was expecting for a lengthy novel like this one. Also, the exercise in POV was impressive but I found myself asking WHY. Why is this character the narrator? Still a pick, still would recommend, but just not overall interesting enough.

ephemeralwaltz @Pruzy sorry!!! I get why you loved it though. I couldn‘t put it down!! Toby got on my nerves I guess... He is an amazing Dad but I just got tired about hearing about his being horny 😂 3y
vivastory This one has been on my TBR but I haven't been especially compelled to read it due to the wildly mixed reviews. Several months ago there was a short story follow-up pub about how the mc was handling lockdown 3y
BarbaraBB I was very annoyed by both MC‘s who acted like they were poor 😳 and as if a working wife is scandalous! 3y
See All 10 Comments
Reggie @vivastory I‘d be very interested on your take of this book. I think this one is a touchstone of what kind of family life or marriage you had/have. 3y
vivastory @Reggie 🤔 Now I'm almost convinced to try it. Hmmm... maybe later this month 3y
ephemeralwaltz @vivastory it‘s pretty fantastic! I just couldn‘t deal with the annoying characters like @BarbaraBB said, but I had fun. You might like it a lot, who knows :) I‘d also be very interested to hear your thoughts! 3y
ephemeralwaltz @BarbaraBB I mean... I was doing okay up until they told us their salaries 🤪 3y
Reggie Have you ever read Crazy Rich Asians? One of the funniest parts in there for me is when they‘re trying to make that girl break up with her boyfriend because he only makes 400k a year. Lol 3y
BarbaraBB @Reggie I‘m going to read that for #ReadingAsia2021. Thanks for the warning 😉 3y
Pruzy Totally understandable! Toby is not for everyone! To be honest the narrator was my favourite character. I won‘t say more for fear of spoilers 😆 3y
55 likes10 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Tuesdays with Morrie | Mitch Albom
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Thanks for the tag, @Kalalalatja !

1. Well, my TBR is off the charts and unorganized but I mostly do have titles in mind that are new releases or maybe TBRs that I feel like I want a copy of. But I have to think about making a recent list every once in a while because I mostly just buy on a whim!

2. Nope, never have been for some reason!

review
ephemeralwaltz
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Pickpick

I saw on Goodreads that this has VERY mixed reviews but I thought this was well done. I didn‘t think it was overwritten, I think the writing goes hand in hand with the unsettling storyline. A major blackout leaves a family and the owners of the AirBnB they were renting isolated in the countryside without any way of knowing what‘s going on. The reader doesn‘t know either but what the novel emphasizes is how we navigate these moments of uncertainty.

ephemeralwaltz The novel plays with a similar situation as DeLillo‘s latest but I thought it was much more entertaining! 3y
ephemeralwaltz As @vivastory already said in his reviews, one of the best pandemic novels of these past months!! So glad I picked it up. 3y
AmyG I loved this, too. The reader knew what the characters knew....nothing. So the reader and characters all felt the fear, the confusion. 3y
See All 9 Comments
ephemeralwaltz @AmyG yes! It was pretty creepy. I‘m still thinking about how the author managed to do that. 3y
ephemeralwaltz @AmyG like when the father gets lost.. 3y
AmyG Exactly. The reader was lost with him, feeling anxious, nervous. I was vaguely familiar with that area, what it looked like so I had this entire visual in my head. (edited) 3y
vivastory Terrific review!! This one has really stayed with me 3y
Kalalalatja Great review! I‘m still thinking about it 🙌 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Kalalalatja @vivastory so glad to enjoy these reads together! 3y
48 likes1 stack add9 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
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This isn‘t my usual thing but graphic novels almost always get me hooked!

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ephemeralwaltz
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Mehso-so

Like @BookishTrish said, I think this‘ll best be enjoyed by people who know Francis Bacon and his work. I gave this two stars but I‘m not panning this one (an exception I can only make for the best) because I truly believe Porter is a genius and that might shine through this book for other readers in ways I haven‘t been able to grasp. I was confused the whole time about what I was reading but Max, I‘ll read anything you put out ❤️

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ephemeralwaltz
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@Kalalalatja going with this one first because I need a palate cleanser after a few slow, mediocre reads. I‘ll move onto Yaa Gyasi afterwards 🤗 thanks for the push I needed!

vivastory I'll be curious to see what you think. I know reviews have been mixed. I really liked it. 3y
AmyG I really liked this one, too. 3y
ephemeralwaltz @vivastory @AmyG so far so good! Will keep you posted. 3y
See All 9 Comments
Kalalalatja Hope you enjoy it! 🤞 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Kalalalatja @AmyG @vivastory this worked so well for me!! Review will be up soon 😍😍😍 Scott, I read your review on GR and was so surprised to learn this was written prior to the pandemic. So spot on! I don‘t know if you‘ve read DeLillo latest but this plays with the same blackout theme DeLillo uses in a much more interesting and enjoyable way. 3y
vivastory I'm so happy that you loved it! It really is special. I was really caught off guard by how timely it is. I haven't read the new DeLilo, but it doesn't sound like I'm missing out on a lot. Might give it a try one day since it's a pretty quick read. 3y
vivastory I keep thinking that this would work well as a play too 3y
ephemeralwaltz @vivastory I read it because it‘s really short but I was sooooo bored, I think mainly because of the insufferable narrative voice (so typical of DeLillo but this one didn‘t have anything else to make up for it 😂). And omg! I hadn‘t thought about this working as a play but that‘s brilliant! 3y
ephemeralwaltz @vivastory I think what creeped me out the most was knowing this was written prior to the pandemic but the echo of what GH talks about in the novel (the fact that information science could predict a shift bound to happen in the novel‘s timeframe) uncannily parallels how epidemiologists have been predicting a pandemic like the one we‘re living for years. Aaah, goosebumps! I‘m so happy I read this. 3y
56 likes9 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Wilder Girls | Rory Power
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Mehso-so

Timely and uncanny, a girls‘ school on an island has to go into quarantine because of a mysterious illness, the Tox, infecting the students and other life forms on the island. The protagonist Hetty sets out to try and figure out what really lies beyond the gates of Raxter and if there really is a cure coming. This YA has an interesting body horror storyline but felt underdeveloped in the end, as did the relationships the author tried to explore.

Kalalalatja The premise definitely sound interesting, but I think I‘ll take a pass 3y
readordierachel I almost picked this up the other day. Glad I didn't. 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Kalalalatja @readordierachel yeah, not worth it imo :( 3y
48 likes3 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Harlem Shuffle: A Novel | Colson Whitehead
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Who‘s excited? Out September 2021! No cover yet eeeeeek!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54626223

AmyG YAY 🎉 3y
sarahbarnes Yes!!! 3y
Pruzy Definitely going to be being this right when it comes out! 3y
65 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Exciting Times | Naoise Dolan
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Panpan

Not exciting at all. And even that wasn‘t the point. Yes, this is a new young voice in Irish lit. No, this isn‘t anything like Sally Rooney, move along.

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ephemeralwaltz
Ducks, Newburyport | Lucy Ellmann
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It never feels like the right time to pick this one up! But I‘m waiting. I see you on my shelf everyday and I‘m waiting and I‘m hopeful that at any moment I might feel ready!

readordierachel I started this at the beginning of the pandemic and quickly set it aside. I liked what I read but just didn't have the bandwidth. I'm hoping I'll feel ready one of these days too 🙂 3y
ephemeralwaltz @readordierachel I‘m sure we will be soon! 3y
58 likes2 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Luster: A Novel | Raven Leilani
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Pickpick

This seems to have been a hit-or-miss read for a lot of people despite it‘s popularity but I can only say that I knew that this was going to be a 5 star read for me from the start. There is something so special about the writing, it‘s witty and funny and unapologetic, and just really original for a seemingly simple novel about a black girl navigating her uncertain early twenties after a certain amount of trauma and problematic relationships.

54 likes1 comment
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ephemeralwaltz
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Bumped up on the TBR because I just borrowed it from a friend ✨ I think this‘ll be my mood this week.

rachelsbrittain Love Caitlin Doughty! 3y
Kalalalatja She is so great! I still need to read this, but her other books were awesome 👌 3y
55 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
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Exciting news! New novel by Sally Rooney coming September 2021. Litsy, get this in your database so we can start stacking! ✨✨✨ #fangirl

BarbaraBB Love it! 3y
vivastory Very exciting! 3y
BekaReid YES! 3y
See All 6 Comments
Kalalalatja Sooooo exciting! 3y
readordierachel Yay!!! 3y
Pruzy Best news ever 3y
55 likes1 stack add6 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
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Treated myself to this last week so now I‘m jumping on the hype train!

Mitch It‘s appearing everywhere! 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Mitch I know! It‘s The Stacks podcast bookclub pick for January so I thought it was the perfect excuse to read it this week. 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Mitch I know! It‘s The Stacks podcast bookclub pick for January so I thought it was the perfect excuse to read it this week. 3y
See All 8 Comments
FelinesAndFelonies This is on my TBR list too. 3y
Mitch @ephemeralwaltz love that podcast! 3y
marleed I‘ll have to check out the podcast because I‘d love to hear discussion on this book! 3y
readordierachel Woohoo! Hope you like it 3y
ephemeralwaltz @readordierachel @marleed @Mitch I did like it so very much 😍😱 The Stacks‘ bookclub discussion episode was just posted last week :) 3y
66 likes8 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
My Dark Vanessa | Kate Elizabeth Russell
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Pickpick

Addictive, brilliant, terrifying, heartbreaking

Jeannineth Yeah! All that and more! 3y
Kalalalatja So good! 3y
Cathythoughts On my kindle... must read it 👍🏻 3y
58 likes1 stack add3 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
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Mehso-so

This one fell a bit flat for me. Etgar Keret gives the reader glimpses of his life as a writer and father through very short chapters that focus on very specific anecdotes. The fact that it was so fragmentary kept interrupting me from getting into the flow of the book and didn‘t allow me to feel like K was getting to know the author. I normally love fragmented narrative styles but it didn‘t work for me this time :(

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ephemeralwaltz
Shuggie Bain | Douglas Stuart
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Pickpick

😭💔Shuggie! I spent most of this book with my stomach in knots because of everything these characters have to go through but it is very worth it. Stuart brings to life the Bain family in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in 80s Glasgow. A devastating account of alcoholism, queerness, loss and growing up (but accessible for a Booker winner!) that I couldn‘t put down once I was 80 pages in.

readordierachel So looking forward to this one! 3y
Kalalalatja I‘m still sad I had to bail on this, but it just didn‘t work for me 👎 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Kalalalatja aww I‘m so sorry :( I understand though, I actually put this down for a few weeks but I had a feeling I was ready to pick it up again! I‘m glad I did! :) 3y
55 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Hurricane Season | Fernanda Melchor
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I was so excited to hear the lovely @readingismagical as a guest with Traci on the most recent episode of The Stacks!! Head over to wherever you listen to podcasts to hear them talk about their fave reads of 2020. They had a great conversation 😍

review
ephemeralwaltz
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Pickpick

I spent the whole afternoon reading this and it was a great way to start the week. Believe the hype! This is an addictive, honest story about two estranged sisters who decide to lead different lives and how their stories intertwine later on, involving their daughters. It reminded me in a way as if Morrison‘s “Sula” and the recent “Such a Fun Age” had a baby 😂

63 likes2 stack adds
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ephemeralwaltz
Full Disclosure | Camryn Garrett
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Pickpick

A revelation! Simone Garcia-Hampton, a funny, artsy, bi(curious), and HIV-positive teen, must learn how to navigate self-love and racism in a not-always-accepting community, especially after what happened at her last high school when they found out about her status... Perfect for readers looking for original and different YA stories. Very feminist, diverse, sex-positive and surprisingly informative.

ephemeralwaltz @Reggie my verdict! 3y
Reggie Great review! 3y
Kalalalatja Stacked! It sounds really good 👌 3y
39 likes6 stack adds4 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
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Pickpick

This only got better after a reread. So much to unpack! Fairy tales, dystopias, uncanny doppelgangers and psychological terror that reads like realism - through these otherworldy elements and settings, Machado explores our world, which condemns (queer) women's fears, desires and bodies while bringing them to the forefront and celebrating them for the force that they carry.

IuliaC I liked these short stories, a bit uncomfortable at times, but captivating 3y
ephemeralwaltz @IuliaC very uncomfortable! 100% unapologetic 3y
69 likes2 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
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#TBRtemptation!

"We are in the midst of a global crisis of care. How do we get out of it?

The Care Manifesto puts care at the heart of the debates of our current crisis: from intimate care--childcare, healthcare, elder care--to care for the natural world. We live in a world where carelessness reigns, but it does not have to be this way."

(Cont. in comments)

ephemeralwaltz "The Care Manifesto puts forth a vision for a truly caring world. The authors want to reimagine the role of care in our everyday lives, making it the organising principle in every dimension and at every scale of life. We are all dependent on each other, and only by nurturing these interdependencies can we cultivate a world in which each and every one of us can not only live but thrive. 3y
ephemeralwaltz The Care Manifesto demands that we must put care at the heart of the state and the economy. A caring government must promote collective joy, not the satisfaction of individual desire. This means the transformation of how we organise work through co-operatives, localism and nationalisation. It proposes the expansion of our understanding of kinship for a more 'promiscuous care'. 3y
ephemeralwaltz It calls for caring places through the reclamation of public space, to make a more convivial city. It sets out an agenda for the environment, most urgent of all, putting care at the centre of our relationship to the natural world." (From cover synopsis) 3y
Kalalalatja Sounds great! 3y
36 likes1 stack add4 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Insert Boy | Danez Smith
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Pickpick

I have no words for Danez Smith. Just stunning, hits you with a force I haven't felt before. Even if you're not a poetry reader, they're a good entry way to the genre. Plus, this design, this edition, this publisher gahhhh 😍

41 likes1 stack add
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ephemeralwaltz
I Capture the Castle | Dodie Smith
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When the sun hits just right ✨

Kalalalatja Oh I miss the sun 🌞 3y
Simona @Kalalalatja Me too! We have for the third week fog ... or if it is not the fog is rain or snow, everything but no ☀️ 3y
Tanisha_A 😍 3y
sparrowssavvy Beautiful photo! 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Kalalalatja @Simona oh lovelies, I so wish I could sun some sun rays your way!! 🌞 Sending hugs 🤗 3y
34 likes5 comments
review
ephemeralwaltz
The Low, Low Woods | Carmen Maria Machado
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Pickpick

How can I rate anything she writes less than 5 stars? This limited-edition including all 6 issues is STUNNING and I, who's never been a graphic novel person, found this story to be impeccably put together. Graphics and story goes so well together and the imagination behind this can only come from my one and only queen 🔥
Including a spooky town, supernatural creatures, lesbian teens and an exploration of the neverending violence against women.

BarbaraBB Lucky you to have a copy! 3y
Kalalalatja Sounds awesome! 3y
readordierachel Can't wait for my library hold to come in! Sounds so good! 3y
46 likes1 stack add3 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
Fleishman Is in Trouble: A Novel | Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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Recently hauled books, bought and borrowed, TBR and currently-reading!

readordierachel Great stack! 3y
Pruzy Did you read Fleishman yet? 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Pruzy not yet!! But it‘s going to be my next second or third read!! 3y
See All 6 Comments
Pruzy @ephemeralwaltz Amazing! Can‘t wait to hear your thoughts! 3y
ephemeralwaltz @Pruzy just started it 🙊 3y
Pruzy @ephemeralwaltz 👀👀👀 3y
54 likes6 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
In the Dream House: A Memoir | Carmen Maria Machado
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I'm so excited to let you all know that I recently decided that I'll be writing my Master's thesis on Carmen Maria Machado's work: Her Body and Other Parties and the more recent In the Dream House. My supervisor is 100% on board and I'm so excited to be able to talk about texts that really speak to me in an academic setting where contemporary lit is often pushed aside.
Tips will be so appreciated as well as any good luck you can send my way!!

sarahbarnes Love this book!! That‘s really awesome! 3y
Clare-Dragonfly That‘s really cool! 3y
LeahBergen How cool! 👏🏻👏🏻 3y
See All 9 Comments
readordierachel Awesome! You got this! 3y
Reggie Wowwww, I‘m so happy for you and excited!!! You‘ll do great, Clara! 3y
erzascarletbookgasm Exciting! Good luck! 3y
BarbaraBB That is awesome. Keep us posted! 3y
SamAnne I loved some of these stories and LOVED in the Dream House. She just gets better and better. How cool! You will have to share your discoveries and observations with us as your thesis develops. 3y
Pruzy Wow this is so impressive, I‘m in awe! 3y
55 likes9 comments
review
ephemeralwaltz
Skim | Mariko Tamaki
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Pickpick

Devoured this this morning! I loved the story and the art. I also felt like I wanted to be friends with Skim (I'd be a better friend than Lisa for sure 🙄). Coming of age, sexual awakening, dealing with heartbreak and being an outcast in a world that pushes you to the side for being fat and Asian. Intense but also laugh-out-loud funny. The Tamaki duo make magic 😍
(TW for teenage suicide)

49 likes1 stack add
review
ephemeralwaltz
The Red Parts: A Memoir | Maggie Nelson
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Pickpick

A riveting and impactful read exploring the aftermath of the murder of Nelson's aunt Jane (that might sound familiar to those of you who have read Jane). Years later, after the case had been put on hold, new evidence surfaced targetting a new suspect. I was expecting more reflection on murder and the causes and consequences of violence against women, but this is more about Nelson's family and the memories surrounding this event's effect on them.

47 likes1 stack add
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ephemeralwaltz
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Mehso-so

A vibrant, funny, tender and intimate graphic autobiography that explores the author's relationship with the process of eir understanding of eir sexual and gender identity. HOWEVER, this has been marketed as a sort of "how-to-guide" to being trans or genderfluid, and it is NOT that. This is one experience, and shouldn't be read as a masterclass for anything else. But it is a wonderful guide to understanding Maia's experience ✨

38 likes1 stack add
review
ephemeralwaltz
The Baby Is Mine: Quick Reads | Oyinkan Braithwaite
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Mehso-so

Aren't I the luckiest? This novella seems to be coming May 2021 but has just recently been, exclusively, published in Spanish.

Thoughts? I disliked (I wish I could say dislike is a strong word but it isn't...) this for a number of reasons and I'm really looking forward to discussing when this is out in English. Maybe then I'll have more material from Braithwaite herself to be able to understand what I maybe just didn't get? 🤷

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ephemeralwaltz
Shuggie Bain | Douglas Stuart
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WOOHOO literary prize announcement days are the best days.

Heartfelt congratulations to Douglas Stuart on winning the Booker with their debut novel! This has been sitting on my TBR shelf for WEEKS but I'm excited to pick it up very soon. Also excited to read the rest of the shortlisted books (so far I've only read Burnt Sugar and Real Life). After last year's fiasco, it feels redeeming to have so many talented and diverse nominated authors.

vivastory Agreed 💯 3y
Cathythoughts Yes looking forward to reading it now ❤️👍🏻 3y
batsy I've read only Real Life and The New Wilderness and found both really promising, and agreed! This shortlist was fresh and I'm excited to read the rest. 3y
46 likes3 comments
review
ephemeralwaltz
In the Dream House: A Memoir | Carmen Maria Machado
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Pickpick

This was everything I'd hoped it be and more. Mark my words, Carmen Maria Machado is changing the field of contemporary literature regarding content and genre in the ways she writes the materiality of the body, experience and sexuality. I drank in every chapter, every sentence and every word of this brilliant text. Astonishing and heartbreaking. I'll be rereading this soon, I want to further inspect every gem hidden in these lines. All the stars!

Soubhiville Yes, great review! What an incredible book! 3y
Tanisha_A Fabulous review, Clara! 3y
Weaponxgirl This was already on my radar but I want to read it even more now 3y
54 likes1 stack add3 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
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I had no idea about this. What a great iniciative! I wish this was more widespread across Europe. US and UK friends, check out @bookshop_org_uk on Instagram for more info! ✨✨✨✨✨ Indie bookshops need our help, more than ever. So many have already had to shut down in the current economic climate.

CampbellTaraL I'm US based and used it for the first time last week and can say it works better than advertised. I set my "home shop" to a little indie I like nearby, ordered my books, and no kidding, they arrived the next day. I thought for sure my brain was messing with me, but nope. So many good things to say about this service. 3y
MoonWitch94 Wow, how great! I‘m in the US and will have to check this out! 3y
RachelAmphlett Superb news - I‘ve made sure all of my books were listed with the US Bookshop.org site and they‘ve automatically added them all to the UK one too - I love supporting indies! 3y
LibrarianRyan I love bookshop.org. It has become my fav online book store. And I love that I can direct who the profits go to. 3y
50 likes4 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood
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Nightstand stack, never-ending, ever-changing ✨ (basically my best friend)

readordierachel So curious as to the titles! 3y
59 likes2 comments
review
ephemeralwaltz
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Mehso-so

@vivastory I'm with you on this one. This started out brilliantly, but I was struggling to get through the last 100 pages or so. Sophie Ward constucts a narrative using devices that I normally love, including different points of view, some of them very spaced out throughout time, but this took a Black Mirror-esque turn towards the second half where I didn't expect it to go. That shouldn't necessarily be a bad thing but, for this novel, it was.

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ephemeralwaltz
In the Dream House: A Memoir | Carmen Maria Machado
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I seriously do NOT understand how I achieved this, given this year's circumstances, but I did it! Have been reading more than ever (for school, for work, and for me) and it feels so good. In the Dream House was my most recent read, finished it today, review coming soon 👀

intothehallofbooks Yay!! Congratulations on meeting your goal!! 🥳 3y
Graciouswarriorprincess Congratulations! 3y
Megabooks 🎉🎉🎉 3y
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BittersweetBooks Awesome job!! 👏🏻🥳 3y
LeahBergen 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 3y
Well-ReadNeck 👏🏼🙌🏼👊🏼 3y
readordierachel Nice! 🎉 3y
Jas16 🙌🏽 3y
Reggie Woohoo!!! Congrats! 3y
sprainedbrain Yay! 🥳🥳🥳 3y
Birdsong28 Congratulations 🎊 🎉 📚 📖 3y
Kalalalatja Woohoo! 3y
46 likes13 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
In the Dream House: A Memoir | Carmen Maria Machado
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I'm still in shock to finally have a copy of this. I've been waiting for the paperback for almost a year and now that I can finally start it I've been stuck staring at it for the past 10 minutes. You all don't know how excited I am, she is my favorite, "Her body and other parties" changed the way I think about literature, and I know this is going to be even better than I've been imagining in my wildest dreams. I'm going in, on the verge of tears.

AmyG I just won this and am so excited to read it, too. 3y
Soubhiville It‘s so good! But also devastating. 3y
Nute I‘ve been waiting for this to come out in paperback as well. Is it in the bookstores yet? I might stop on the way home from work. 3y
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ephemeralwaltz @Nute it is! At least this UK edition. I think the US paperback, from Graywolf press, comes out in a couple of weeks. 3y
Nute Oh, okay. I‘ll be waiting impatiently!🥴 3y
BarbaraBB I‘ve preordered it months ago at BD. Hopefully it‘ll get here soon too! Enjoy!! 3y
Reggie It‘s sooooooo goood!!!!!!!! 3y
SamAnne So good. 3y
ephemeralwaltz @BarbaraBB thank you!! I'm loving it. @Reggie @SamAnne it's even better than I knew it'd be 😭😭😭❤️ 3y
47 likes1 stack add9 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
On Rape | Germaine Greer
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Pickpick

A slim 80-page essay about rape. Plain and simple. Rape statistics, the pressures put on women in trials, how relations between the sexes on a wider scale aren't improving against the backdrop of the constant menace of rape. Greer argues for the need to rethink our assumptions about rape and address the power dynamics behind it in this short, accessible text that added to another of my current reads, Missoula by Jon Krakauer.

48 likes1 stack add1 comment
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ephemeralwaltz
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Details from No Archive Will Restore You -- from my previous post. You can read my review looking through the book's posts on Litsy. I seem to be the only person who's posted about it 😜
An absolute gem! I really hope more people feel compelled to pick this up. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

ephemeralwaltz @Weaponxgirl I don't know if I ever mentioned this one to you! 🔥🔥 3y
41 likes2 stack adds1 comment