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monalyisha

monalyisha

Joined January 2017

Head in the clouds, book in my hand, coffee in an I.V. ☁️📖☕️ (R.I. 🌊)
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The Storm by Cynthia Rylant
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Poukahangatus by Tibble TAYI
review
monalyisha
North Woods | Daniel Mason
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Pickpick

North Woods is my favorite kind of story; it floats liminally between ghost story & not.

As a MA native who became a devotee of apples while pursuing her Lit degree in VT, I was predisposed to like this.

It‘s a fully immersive reading experience. Mason flaunts his ability to inhabit different voices - not just gender, age, or sexual identity but era & time, even species & kingdom. Come for the gorgeous prose. Stay for the sexy dragonfly erotica.

monalyisha Adding a critical note (of myself — not the text!): I should have read this much slower than I did. I just couldn‘t seem to stop! 4h
JamieArc I listened to the audiobook and it was so well done. It‘s one of the few books that I‘ve wanted to reread right away. It will most likely be on my next #ALSpine list 😊 4h
monalyisha @JamieArc It was so full and rich that it‘d definitely stand-up to and reveal more upon rereading(s). I bet it was great as an audiobook! Were there any musical interludes (fife pieces)? It reminded me a bit of Lincoln in the Bardo, actually (which I listened to). (edited) 4h
See All 6 Comments
JamieArc I am bad at remembering what I read, but I have a faint memory that one of the chapters was a song, right? It wasn‘t done in a musical interlude fashion (unless I‘m totally forgetting). But, there were many different narrators, which was part of what made it so excellent. 4h
monalyisha @JamieArc Yeah! There were a few selections that were “written by a pair of GRAVE sisters”: a Winter‘s Ballad, a December Song, a Spring Song. Charles Osgood begs of Alice “do not forget your fife!” — and she NEVER does. 😉 4h
AmyG This is a favorite. I loved this as I am a little familiar with the area it‘s set in. I may just reserve the audio since you say it‘s so good @JamieArc 4h
36 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
monalyisha
North Woods | Daniel Mason
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1. Catch up on my correspondence & visit the post office; celebrate “Won‘t You Be My Neighbor” Day with kids who visit the library on the 20th! 👔🐯🚂

2. It depends on the day & my work schedule. It can range from 20 (or zero) minutes up to a few hours or even the better part of a day.

3. I think I‘d excel at writing a collection of short essays based upon a common theme. I‘d love to write a picture book but the limited text is a challenge!

Cupcake12 Great answers! Thanks for joining in x 9h
32 likes2 comments
blurb
monalyisha
I Capture the Castle | Dodie Smith
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1. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
2. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
3. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

#ThreeListThursday #TLT

dabbe I bawled at #3! I'm making a list, checking it twice, and I'll make it available to all whether naughty or nice! 😂 Thanks for sharing. 💚💙💚 4d
monalyisha @dabbe Natalie Babbitt was a master of her craft. And children‘s literature that makes you sob is my favorite. 😅 Don‘t get me started on Bridge to Terabithia… 4d
batsy Yesssss to I Capture the Castle 💛 4d
lil1inblue Tuck Everlasting is a forever favorite. What an excellent book. 4d
dabbe @monalyisha 😭😂😘 3d
42 likes5 comments
blurb
monalyisha
The Brothers Karamazov | Fyodor Dostoevsky
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1. Alyisha is a combination of my grandmother‘s name, Alice, and my mother‘s name, Patricia. The spelling is its own story…Basically, my mom wanted either the “y” or the “i” and couldn‘t decide which, so she wrote them both down, planning to erase one later. Then, she promptly fell asleep. It was printed on my birth certificate with both. She‘s apologized to me so many times. 🙈

2. The tagged is pretty close. Alyosha is only one letter off!

monalyisha #TwoForTuesday (or Thursday, as the case may be). 5d
TheSpineView Interesting story. Thanks for playing! 5d
peanutnine That is such an amazing story 😆 5d
38 likes3 comments
review
monalyisha
Bet on It | Jodie Slaughter
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Pickpick

I devoured this so quickly and now I want nothing more than to devour some peach cobbler just as quickly. That‘s a lie. I also want to go to bingo…but I cant find anyone to accompany me to the Drag Bingo & Easter Bonnet Competition later this month. So, I guess I also want cooler friends. 😅 Steamy and full of empathetic understanding for neurotypical folks (anxiety, PTSD rep). Could‘ve used more sassy elders and fewer pairs of soaked panties.

peanutnine Umm that Drag Bingo sounds amazing, I want to go 😅 6d
random_michelle If it's bingo and sassy elders you're looking for, have you read the graphic novel Bingo Love by Tee Franklin?

It follows two women, an jumps back to their memories of their teenager years, when they fell in love.
5d
53 likes2 comments
review
monalyisha
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Mehso-so

Sasha LaPointe ends her memoir with a poem (or perhaps song lyrics; she‘s a poet as well as member of the Seattle-based punk band Medusa Stare). Poetry strikes me as a much better format for her writing. LaPointe, a Coast Salish author from the Nooksack and Upper Skagit Indian tribes, is an “aging Millennial” who has not lived an easy life. She‘s been homeless, has survived sexual abuse, and has worked to heal herself from inherited trauma. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/3: As a human being, my empathy for her lived experience makes me remiss to criticize her work. But as a reader, I have to admit that her story — told, as it is, in a linear format — comes across as relentlessly and brutally one-note. (edited) 6d
monalyisha 2/3: Her audiobook, which she expertly reads herself (her severe asthma making itself known but not detracting from her story), is 4 hours & 45 minutes long. It‘s not until the last 45 minutes that you get relief from the rather desperate tone. The previous 4 hours are crammed full of wailing, gasping for breath, screaming, and collapsing. She writes, “If the women in my family were sick, we knew how to heal.” (edited) 6d
monalyisha 3/3: I wish she‘d been able to strike a more nuanced balance between sickness and healing, personal narrative and ancestral history. From here, I‘m tempted to seek out her poetry, crank some Against Me!, and dive into a rewatch of Twin Peaks (a show Sasha unabashedly loves while actively critiquing). (edited) 6d
monalyisha TW: Medical content, medical trauma, violence, racism, sexual assault, miscarriage, drug abuse, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempt. 6d
61 likes4 comments
blurb
monalyisha
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This email made me laugh. In the endlessly quotable words of Neil Gaiman, “Truth is, there aren‘t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.”

5feet.of.fury 🤣🍪 1w
julesG 🤣🤣 1w
47 likes2 comments
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monalyisha
Bet on It | Jodie Slaughter
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“Normally he hated cooked fruit. It was too soft and too mushy and no matter what it was put in, way too damn sweet. But Minnie‘s cobbler had a special place in his heart.”

Do I want Minnie‘s peach cobbler right now? Yes. But do I think Walker‘s dead wrong about cooked fruit, in general? Also yes. It‘s almost unforgivable, tbh. 🙈

AlaMich Grilled pineapple is amazing!! 1w
61 likes1 comment
review
monalyisha
Greta and Valdin | Rebecca K. Reilly
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Pickpick

I haven‘t experienced such uncomplicated joy and love for a novel in I don‘t know how long. I mean, I‘ve loved plenty: Turtle Diary, Saltus, Rouge, The Sentence, The Memory Police, and Disappearing Earth (to name a few). But…they‘ve all been a bit *sad* on some level. And it‘s not that the characters in Greta & Valdin don‘t struggle - with their mental health, money, racism, sexism (all the usual culprits) — because they do! 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/3: The titular siblings are mixed-race (Māori-Russian), queer Millennials. Struggle is inevitable. It‘s just that, primarily, the focus is so plainly on love: self-love, platonic love, familial love, and romantic love. It‘s not in any pat way but in the absolute bonkers, messy, ridiculous, and earnest way that all the best people love. The characters (all of them) are believably weird and fully endearing. 1w
monalyisha 2/3: Reilly‘s voice is funny, smart, and fresh. This is one I found myself gushing about to friends before I‘d even finished and torturing my husband by reading every other paragraph aloud to him. 1w
monalyisha 3/3: My only complaint: how dare the author introduce me to the word “Weta”? If you don‘t know what a “Weta” is (in the context of New Zealand), definitely don‘t google it. Or…do. Misery loves company. Oh, and the ending is a bit chaotic (too much, all at once). Full disclosure: I plan to forget this criticism immediately to best enjoy my post-book-bliss. 1w
See All 9 Comments
squirrelbrain Great review! I loved this one too. 🦗 1w
BarbaraBB Super review! Really need this book too I feel! 1w
julieclair Great review! 1w
ChaoticMissAdventures I agree the ending was a bit rushed, but i also wonder if it was because I just wanted to spend forever with this family. I loved them all. ❤️. Wētā are something else aren't they! 1w
Chelsea.Poole So well said and I definitely agree! This book is delightful. 1w
CarolynM Great review! I adored this one too. 1w
66 likes5 stack adds9 comments
blurb
monalyisha
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My #WeekendReads: poetry, audio (memoir), novel.

One I think I might not like very much? But I feel guilty about that for some reason. One I‘ve just started & it‘s too early to tell how I feel about it. And the other I could not possibly love more.

Any guesses as to which is which?

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian I'm guessing you love Greta & Valdin. But that's because I loved it! 1w
TheKidUpstairs I'm agreeing with @CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian and betting on you loving 1w
Billypar Just to keep things interesting, I'll say you love Red Paint, which is hopeful because it's one that's been on my list to try. And maybe you aren't feeling the poetry collection? 1w
monalyisha @Billypar Unfortunately, no. Red Paint‘s the one I‘m not sure I like. I had high hopes, too! 1w
60 likes5 comments
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monalyisha
Greta and Valdin | Rebecca K. Reilly
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“Having OCD is so stupid. I wish I had something cool, like double joints or purple eyes.”

Um, excuse me…
Did Rebecca K. Reilly travel back in time specifically to enter my 9-year-old brain? 😆 As someone who has diagnosed herself with magical thinking OCD (based on nonsensical compulsions to complete certain tasks in order to avoid the death of my loved ones?), I feel this so hard. 👇🏻

monalyisha Whenever I played make-believe with neighborhood friends, my eyes were always “amethyst with silver specks.” 2w
ChaoticMissAdventures I loved this book! Greta and Val and their whole family are just so good. 2w
monalyisha @ChaoticMissAdventures I‘m honestly a little worried about my #ReadingBracket2024 for March. If I continue to love this as much as I have for the first 25 pages, and if I end up loving North Woods as much as I *expect* to (it‘s my IRL book club selection for this month), I‘m going to be in a tough spot. 😅 2w
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ChaoticMissAdventures @monalyisha oh no! Too many good books!! 😂❤️ 2w
Birdsong28 @monalyisha I can sympathize with you on your OCD I have the same thing going on. Thank you for your honesty and it helps to know someone else is going through the same thing. 😘 2w
monalyisha @Birdsong28 👯‍♀️💞 1w
46 likes1 stack add6 comments
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monalyisha
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Last one 🙈

1. The Frighteners by Peter Laws
2. From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty
3. Here for It by R. Eric Thomas

#ThreeListThursday #TLT

P.S. Peter Laws is the sweetest person and he‘s going through something fairly heavy right now…so, if you‘re feeling inclined and you need an excuse to make a book purchase, here‘s your sign. 😉

monalyisha This was fun, @dabbe! Thanks. ✨ 2w
Amiable Oh, I love R. Eric Thomas! 2w
dabbe Thank you! Nonfiction is my weakest reading point; you've given me much more to explore! 💚💙💚 1w
See All 10 Comments
Christine Once again I love two of these but haven't read the other. Welcome to the TBR, The Frighteners! 1w
monalyisha @Christine How funny is that?! Just as a potential warning of sorts, The Frighteners was definitely a niche read for me. I majored in Religious Studies (& English Lit) in undergrad, & was obsessed with Practical Magic & Buffy growing up…so the overlap in subject matter was immediately enticing. It might not be so impactful to a reader who‘s not already similarly inclined. 1w
Christine Well, as a former Buffy devotee and someone who's prepping to teach a sociology of religion course (and who inhales any nonfiction that observes religion/Christianity through a critical lens), I'm sold! 😁 1w
monalyisha @Christine THAT‘S what I like to hear! 🤩😉 1w
Texreader Great idea to post it several times!!! 1w
monalyisha @Texreader Not that there were explicit *rules*…but I‘m a natural rule-breaker. 😈😅 1w
42 likes10 comments
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monalyisha
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Okay, twist my arm…

I‘ll post again (and one more time after this, too)!

1. World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
2. Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman
3. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

#ThreeListThursday #TLT

Chelsea.Poole I love those three as well! 2w
MeganAnn I just picked up Bicycling with Butterflies from the library yesterday thanks to you! 😊 2w
dabbe Yay! 💚💙💚 1w
See All 9 Comments
Christine Two of these are on my TBR but I'm not familiar with the butterfly one! Onto the TBR it goes, as I love monarchs and used to live near/frequently visit one of their big migratory hangouts in Santa Cruz! 🦋🧡 1w
monalyisha @Christine Sounds like you‘re primed to love it! I think I found it based on a review from @Chelsea.Poole — & I know @BarbaraJean wasn‘t a fan. I think it was the best book I read last year — probably tied with 1w
monalyisha @MeganAnn I‘m excited to hear what you think! The narrator could potentially be a divisive, personality-wise (she‘s stubborn, judgmental, & fiery) but I absolutely *adored* her writing. 1w
Christine Well if @Chelsea.Poole likes it, sign me up! 🙂 1w
Chelsea.Poole @Christine 🥰 It really spoke to me and we‘ve created several gardens to support monarchs as a result. I hope it works for you too 🦋 1w
Chelsea.Poole @monalyisha I‘m curious about Saltus as well after seeing your posts about it! 1w
46 likes9 comments
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monalyisha
Priestdaddy: A Memoir | Patricia Lockwood
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1. Wintering by Katherine May
2. Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran
3. Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood

Choosing only 3 was painful!

#TLT #ThreeListThursday

dabbe You've given me 3 to look into! Thanks for sharing. 💚💙💚 2w
dabbe I didn't mean to cause you any pain! Add more! My nonfiction TBR list now looks fabulous thanks to you and others! 🤩 2w
See All 10 Comments
monalyisha @dabbe Life is pain (au chocolat). 🥐 🍫 2w
kspenmoll I loved Priestdaddy! 2w
dabbe @monalyisha #amen 💚💙💚 1w
Christine Guess I need to get to Wintering since I love the other two on your list! 1w
monalyisha @Christine I hope you love Wintering! I‘m a Katherine May acolyte. She‘s probably my favorite literary person alive right now. I‘m *definitely* in danger of over-selling her book, aren‘t I? That was a VERY strong statement. 😅🙈 But not untrue! I just feel like she & I are kindred…very much on the same wavelength. And she‘s so adept at creating a soft space when you‘re feeling drained, burned out, & overwhelmed. I‘m grateful for her. 1w
monalyisha @Christine I should also say that I didn‘t think I liked her *at all* while reading the first chapter (or so) of Wintering. So, it was an emotional whiplash turnaround of epic proportions! 1w
Christine I love an impassioned endorsement!! Have really meant to read Wintering forever (and maybe should sooner than later, since burnout doesn't feel far off lately...). That's so interesting too re: not liking her voice at first! 1w
47 likes10 comments
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monalyisha
The Ivy Tree | Mary Stewart
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I hate this font (and the bright white pages it‘s printed upon) so intensely that I‘m honestly not sure I can read this book.

ChaoticMissAdventures Fonts and the quality of the pages really are a deterrent for some books! Who decides this? And is it a cost issue? Either way I totally understand what you mean. 2w
UwannaPublishme 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 2w
JuniperWilde I‘m all about fonts and paper, too 2w
JuniperWilde I wouldn‘t read a book if the form got in the way unless I had to (grad school) or really loved the story. 2w
lil1inblue Just the picture hurts my eyes. 2w
47 likes5 comments
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monalyisha
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“come teach me a little bit
of nothing, in the dark
abundant hours.”

-from “The School of Night & Hyphens”

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monalyisha
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“Many of the things I miss are pretty silly. Pretty & silly, & I miss them deeply.”

“I think it‘s what any artist hopes for: not only to be remembered, but to be company.”

- from “Summer” [the sunflowers fall…]

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monalyisha
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“The mother cockroach says, “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin meaning, back-up meanings will drop from the overhead compartment…Please grab hold of a meaning & pull it to your face.”

- from “Summer” [Your emergency contact…]:

rubyslippersreads Oh, Gregor. 🪳 2w
Aimeesue If only Gregor had back-up meanings, I feel his story would have turned out very differently. 🪳 🌈☁️ 2w
35 likes3 comments
review
monalyisha
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Pickpick

Chen Chen has a way of criticizing people who criticize his poems with such a succinct and biting wit that you NEVER want to criticize one of his poems. However, I, too, would prefer that he not use the word “poop” or share so mindfully about his bowel movements. Some would label him immature for indulging in “potty talk.” Others would call the intensity of the taboo itself immature. What‘s not immature is the deep respect he has for language…👇🏻

monalyisha …how he parses it, and how he plays with it. He understands what (and who) is considered beautiful and what is not; what (and who) is considered intellectual, deep, and profound, and what is not; he embraces these ideas AND upends them to great effect. (edited) 2w
monalyisha I enjoyed this collection less than When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities. Still, there are poems I loved (“I am reminded via email to resubmit my preferences for the schedule”, “The School of Fury”, “a small book of questions: chapter iii”, “Summer” [Your emergency contact…], “Summer” [The sunflowers fall…], “The School of Eternities”, & “我疼你”) — poems which have nary a whiff of the aforementioned taboo. (edited) 2w
monalyisha I respect Chen Chen for being so very much himself. And when I grow up, I still want to be Chen‘s friend (even if it means that he‘d inevitably expose an invalid critique I made or something ignorant I said in one of his works; it‘d be so beyond worth it. Imagine watching just a single episode of Buffy by his side). 2w
ChaoticMissAdventures I don't read much poetry (maybe one collection a year) but I love this title so much I keep thinking about it. 2w
MatchlessMarie I also loved When I Grow Up I Want to be a List of Further Possibilities. I think the nature of anthologies is that there are usually going to be a few misses for some people. Thanks for putting this one on my radar I didn‘t know about it! 2w
52 likes2 stack adds5 comments
review
monalyisha
Small Joys | Elvin James Mensah
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Pickpick

It took a while for me to settle into the British/Mancunian dialect and the text could be overly sentimental. But ultimately, Small Joys is addictively sweet, properly earnest, and compulsively readable. You‘ll root for Harley, Muddy, and for the entire cast of characters. A queer love story with a strong message about self-love. Skip this one if you‘ve never heard of Oasis and don‘t plan to educate yourself. 😅

☠️ TW galore; see comments.

monalyisha TW: racism, homophobia, derogatory slurs, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, religious/spiritual abuse, coerced exorcism, assault, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, anxiety, depression, self-harm, dementia, death of a parent. 2w
JillR Well, this wasn‘t on my radar but looks very much like something I‘d enjoy - it‘s going on my list. Im actually heading into Manchester on the train for work right now, and do love a bit of Mancunian based fiction! 2w
Melismatic I love that you loved this! It was such a bright spot. 💜 2w
54 likes1 stack add3 comments
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monalyisha
Practical Magic | Alice Hoffman
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Granted, I fell in love with the movie adaptation of Practical Magic before ever reading the novel…but I actually prefer the ending of the movie to the ending of the book. 🫢

To be clear, I also love the novel. Alice Hoffman‘s writing is just so pretty & evocative.

#SundayFunday

ChaoticMissAdventures I really liked both too! Loved the movie, and the book I liked so much I read the whole series (unusual for me) 2w
5feet.of.fury The movie is so much better IMO 2w
monalyisha @5feet.of.fury It‘s been a long time since I read the book. I think I remember being charmed by Ben‘s character, who wasn‘t in the movie, and also by Hoffman‘s writing, in general (which I hadn‘t read before). But I definitely saw this movie for the first time (and many times after) at the Gillis household on Commonwealth Ave. 😉 2w
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5feet.of.fury I watched it for the first time with the Kuszewskis in the neighborhood 😂 we had a doozy of a Wicca phase. I just read the book last year & was really surprised at all the changes that were made for the movie. Midnight margarita scene was good in both, but the soundtrack was perfect 2w
KatieRose23 The hate u give!!! I love both the movie and the book so much 2w
monalyisha @5feet.of.fury HARD agree about the soundtrack. 2w
BookmarkTavern I still need to watch this movie! Thank you for sharing! 2w
CindyMyLifeIsLit Dr. Sleep by Stephen King. Also, The Princess Bride. 2w
43 likes8 comments
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monalyisha
Small Joys | Elvin James Mensah
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“I didn‘t think I cared about Oasis, but his enthusiasm made me feel like I did, or could.

“I think I only know Wonderwall,” I said.
He gasped. “You‘re not a bleedin‘ Blur fan, are you?”
I laughed. “And what if I was?”
“Then we‘d have big problems, me and you,” he said, laughing back.”

🙋‍♀️ I‘ve got a big problem. It‘s me. I‘m the bleedin‘ Blur fan…🙈

monalyisha If you‘re unaware (like I was) of the culture war that was Oasis vs. Blur, here‘s a primer: https://medium.com/the-rise-to-fame/the-clash-between-oasis-and-blur-and-how-it-... 2w
CarolynM I wouldn‘t say I‘m a Blur fan, but I much prefer them over Oasis. I loved this book about Britpop 2w
44 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
monalyisha
Off the Map | Trish Doller
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Pickpick

I didn‘t appreciate this the way that I should have; I didn‘t know I wasn‘t in the mood to be reading a romance until I was already committed. I also didn‘t know (or didn‘t remember learning) that it was part of a series with recurring characters. It could and did stand on its own but I think my enjoyment would‘ve been enhanced had I read the other books first. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: That being said, how could I not enjoy an emotionally rich love story set in the Irish countryside that includes a belligerent bull accidentally drunk on sangria? TW: abandonment, dementia, grief, loss. 2w
58 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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monalyisha
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Monthly Reading Tracker

FEBRUARY
(8 books)

The Book of Speculation 4.25 ⭐️
Transient & Strange 4.25 ⭐️
The Celebrants 4.0 ⭐️
This Is How You Lose the Time War 4.0 ⭐️
Astrid Parker Doesn‘t Fail 3.75 ⭐️
Enchanted to Meet You 3.5 ⭐️
Everybody Come Alive 3.5 ⭐️
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known 3.0 ⭐️

Chelsea.Poole Good month! I‘m looking forward to Transient & Strange. 2w
68 likes2 comments
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monalyisha
Turtle Diary | Russell Hoban
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Making little monthly visuals this year to keep track of what I‘ve read. Definitely got the idea here. 😉

JANUARY
(8 books)

Turtle Diary 4.75 ⭐️
Our Missing Hearts 4.5 ⭐️
Legends & Lattes 4 ⭐️
Muppets in Moscow 3.75 ⭐️
The Beginning of Everything 3.75 ⭐️
All Systems Red 3.25 ⭐️
The Plot 3.5 ⭐️
Things We Never Got Over 2.75 ⭐️

I tried to put the covers in order by rating but it seems that I liked The Plot a little more than I remembered!

Chelsea.Poole Turtle Diary was my first read of 2023! A great one to start off the year. I like your graphics 😎 2w
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monalyisha
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#BlameItOnLitsy

Ironically,* I found out* about this podcast on Litsy, and now I‘m 100% ignoring my audiobook for it. 😆 That‘s not supposed to be the point of this app! But it‘s so delightfully nostalgic & addictive.

*Also ironically, the first two episodes I listened to focused on Alanis Morissette and The Gin Blossoms, responsible for “Ironic” and “Found Out About You” (respectively).

Link to podcast in the comments!

ravenlee Gin Blossoms 💕😍 still one of my favorite bands ever. 2w
TheKidUpstairs Welp, I know what I'll be listening to for the next while! 2w
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ImperfectCJ I like this podcast, too! My spouse and I listen on the way driving our kid to/from college. The Greenday episode was great for punk history, and I really enjoyed the Mazzy Star one (which was mostly about Low). The Cake one was quite impactful, and we listened to the Pearl Jam episode this past weekend. It keeps my Spotify playlists interesting. :-) 2w
batsy Oh no, I didn't know about this podcast and now I think I'm about to lose hours of my life as well 😁 2w
monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs @batsy Sorry/not sorry! 😅😆 2w
monalyisha @ImperfectCJ I keep thinking about whether I should skip around to songs &/or artists I‘m most excited to hear about or just keep going linearly. If I listen in order, it will feel like such a deserved treat when I get to anticipated episodes, which is kind of nice. Delayed gratification. 😉 Not that the listening experience, in general, isn‘t gratifying! 2w
ImperfectCJ @monalyisha I'm a total skipper. No regrets! 2w
61 likes8 comments
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monalyisha
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TIL that my hometown was “born” on a Leap Day. So, even though Worcester is technically 176 years old, it‘s actually only 43. That must be why everyone I know from home looks younger than their years (myself included 💁‍♀️).

I also learned that years divisible by 100 but not 400 are skipped (to make up for decimals of time).

AND that (unlike frogs) toads don‘t have webbed feet. Just FYI. 🐸😅

Happy Leap Year!

monalyisha @5feet.of.fury 😉🏡 3w
5feet.of.fury @monalyisha I somehow didn‘t know any of these things 🤣 3w
monalyisha @5feet.of.fury Clearly our shared education was lacking! 3w
Cupcake12 I live in Worcester in the UK, we‘re 8,000 years old! 3w
monalyisha @Cupcake12 👵🏻😜 3w
40 likes5 comments
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monalyisha
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I‘ve had a great reading month! The Book of Speculation takes the February slot. It couldn‘t not. It felt tailor-made for me. The collection of memoir/science essays by Nell Greenfieldboyce, Transient & Strange, was pretty fab, too, though! If I had to guess right now, I‘d say T&S may end up snagging one of the bonus spots for the first half of the year.

Turtle Diary could sweep the whole board. It‘s pretty singular. 🐢

#ReadingBracket2024

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monalyisha
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail | Ashley Herring Blake
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Pickpick

A blurb from romance author Lana Harper praises Ashley Herring Blake for writing characters with “great depth and compassion.” I think that‘s exactly right. Even “unlikeable” characters are redeemable in her deft hands. And a crumbly, old, purportedly haunted Victorian home will do it for me every time! My only substantial criticism is that I could‘ve done with a bit more of The Blue Lady. 💙👻

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monalyisha
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Pickpick

I applied to undergrad as a Journalism major & never took a single Journalism class. As soon as I realized what kind of writing it required (in a word: spare), I was out. 🙈 I‘m telling this story because Greenfieldboyce, the author of Transient & Strange, is an American radio journalist, the science correspondent for NPR. I‘m sure that she delighted in the freedom to write as much (or as little) as she wanted in this memoir-essay collection. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: Unfortunately, I found her short-form essays to be much more powerful (“Spider at the window”, “A Moment of silence”) — not necessarily in content but they were so impressively well-crafted! Fortunately, I was also thoroughly delighted by some of the longer ones (“What else is there?”, “A life so precious as a flea‘s”, “A very charming young black hole”). Most fortunately of all, I found the book as a whole compelling & supremely readable. (edited) 3w
monalyisha *A note about the cover: it‘s my favorite cover design in years and years. The meteoroids depicted are shiny, raised, and metallic. It suddenly hit me, about 3/4 through the collection & partway-through a pet, that the featured colors were those I listed as childhood favorites. Whenever anyone asked, I‘d exclaim, “Black, silver, and HOT BLUE!” What a (fitting) blast from the past! ☄️💫 3w
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monalyisha
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Mehso-so

I was so excited about this memoir that I didn‘t just add it to my TBR. I preordered it. Now, I can‘t remember why! I don‘t remember where I read about it. And I don‘t know how I didn‘t realize that Walker would, as Kirkus puts it, “make extensive use of Christian theology.” God is a mystery and so am I, apparently — even to myself. 😅 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/2: At first, I thought her blunt exploration of her life and its lessons in relation to God, to Jesus, and to the Bible was revolutionary. It plays into her essay (poem?) about how very Black she wants to be (while not being limited or defined by her skin alone); her religion is a part of her culture. It‘s very much NOT a part of white Millennial culture (especially in New England)…but religion is always a topic that‘s fascinated me. (edited) 3w
monalyisha 2/3: But then, I have to admit, I got a little bored. Not by her life! Her life stories are rich and deep. Her interdisciplinary critique of race, class, and mental health in America is sharp. But I was a little turned off by how much the essays felt like attending a Bible Study. (edited) 3w
monalyisha 3/3: I can‘t pin down why this didn‘t work better for me than it did. It had a lot in common with Hijab Butch Blues (which I *loved*). I think it‘s because Walker focuses so heavily on not just the divine nature of God (and of humanity) but on particular passages and excerpts. Regardless, some pieces of some essays were fab. And sometimes, I found myself eager to be done. 3w
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monalyisha
Rhode Island Beer: Ocean State History on Tap | Ashleigh Bennett, Kristie Martin
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This children‘s librarian survived school vacation week! I deserve a beer…and a GOLD STAR. ⭐️

AmyG 🙌🏻🍺 3w
Chelsea.Poole 👏 🌟 🥂 3w
LeahBergen ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3w
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Texreader Yay!!! 3w
Jas16 ⭐️ 3w
marleed Have fun! 3w
Ruthiella Cheers 🍻 3w
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩🖤 3w
julesG 🌟🍻 3w
maich Yay💐💕 3w
vivastory 🌟 🌟 🌟 3w
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monalyisha
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I just spent an inordinate amount of time making a PowerPoint (Canva) presentation about yetis for my first Cryptid of the Month Club at the library tomorrow.

TIL that Jimmy Stewart was involved in stealing mummified “yeti fingers” from monks in Nepal. His scientist friend wanted them, and he asked the monks and they said no. So he stole them, and gave them to Jimmy Stewart, who was headed back to London. 👇🏻

monalyisha JS put them in his wife‘s suitcase, hidden in her underwear, because airport security was “too polite” to go through a lady‘s undergarments. (DNA testing later revealed that they were human in origin). I just needed to share that with others who might be awake at this hour because…what?! 😡🥶🤯 (edited) 4w
vlwelser Amazing. So glad you found this. 4w
julesG What a weird anecdote?! Why? But also 😂😂 4w
mcipher I feel like I‘d have to stop wearing those particular underpants because EW 😂😖 4w
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monalyisha
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“Maybe all I‘ll ever do is quietly sort through a bunch of ordinary, sometimes beautiful stuff, searching for something ethereal that I‘m not equipped to recognize and probably won‘t ever truly understand.”

📸: Lessy Sebastian

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monalyisha
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Thanks, yet again, to Katherine May for linking her newsletter subscribers to a great read, this time on “Winter Friends.”

The truest-feeling quote from the blog post by Anna Brones reads,

“We seem to have little time for solitude or communion. We‘re stretched thin in the unsatisfying space in between the two.”

https://creativefuel.substack.com/p/winter-friends?utm_source=substack&utm_mediu...

Chelsea.Poole Lovely! 🍞 1mo
monalyisha @Chelsea.Poole I couldn‘t decide what image to pair with the quote. “Communion” = bread + love? 🤷‍♀️😅 And who doesn‘t like to carbo-load in the winter? 😉 1mo
sarahbarnes That rings very true indeed. 1mo
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Sapphire That quote feels like my life right now 1mo
JamieArc I‘ve been thinking about picking up baking sourdough bread again and this image helps me get closer to actually doing it! 1mo
monalyisha @Sapphire I think so many of us are right there with you. 1mo
monalyisha @JamieArc Admirable! 💛 1mo
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monalyisha
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@Tkimsal generously offered up a copy of Ozeki‘s most recent novel and I jumped on the post so fast!

A Tale for the Time Being might be one of my favorite books ever. So, I‘ve got sky high expectations (and no hopes of tamping them down). Reviews have been favorable. Fingers crossed!

Color me surprised when the book showed up in the mail with a bonus mug, to boot! Tim, your gift made me smile. And a smile in the winter is priceless.

Thanks! 🥳

Singout Looking forward to hearing your review! I loved A Tale for the Time Being too. 1mo
Tkimsal You‘re welcome! Hope you enjoy both! 1mo
CBee Can‘t wait to see your review! I still have to get to this one 🤦‍♀️ 1mo
lil1inblue Oooh! Instantly stacked. I also loved A Tale for the Time Being. 😍 1mo
cariashley I loved this book, and was also a huge fan of A Tale for the Time Being. You‘re in for a treat! 1mo
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monalyisha
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“Despite what‘s taught in school about the scientific method, much of scientific inquiry, like poetry, involves play and metaphor and idiosyncratic obsessions and just plain fiddling around with mysterious things, things that are — to borrow a phrase from Walt Whitman — transient and strange.”

Starting this slim book book of essays this morning, by NPR science correspondent Greenfieldboyce. Look at me, reading nonfic *in print!* Who IS she? 💁‍♀️

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monalyisha
The Celebrants | Steven Rowley
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Pickpick

I‘ve read two books by Rowley — this & The Guncle. I think I‘m in the minority here but I prefer The Celebrants! While I don‘t disagree with readers who‘ve griped that the characters are unlikeable, I think the author succeeds in peeling back layers & showing us why; they grew on me as they aged through experiences & allowed themselves to become more vulnerable. While reading, I was moved to reach out to my own group of old friends. I‘m grateful.

Julsmarshall I loved this so much too! 1mo
peaKnit I listening to this right now, good so far! 1mo
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monalyisha
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Confession: I‘m not a Swiftie.

Lately, though, I‘ve been thinking about how fun it would be to get a group of my girlfriends together and make the kind of friendship bracelets her fans make but for singer-songwriters from the 90‘s.

So, I‘ve been making a playlist. Today I remembered how much I loved Jewel…and her book of poems when it came out in 1999. I can see how she played a part in shaping the woman I‘d become! 🔥

monalyisha I‘ve listened to her debut album, Pieces of You (which was my very first CD!), as an adult. But I‘d kind-of forgotten about Spirit! Linking to a jam, in case you‘d like to travel down memory lane, too: https://open.spotify.com/track/61spyZsLHZS2KDpUey9Eck?si=gMTKjELjR_S37a9Nm0__JQ&... (edited) 1mo
Suet624 Thank you! 1mo
Deblovestoread Love Jewel 💜 1mo
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Librarybelle Yay for Jewel! 1mo
batsy I used to be obsessed with Jewel. Formed some early internet friendships on Jewel message boards and forums 😆 1mo
Kitta Yay that sounds great! I loved Jewel but became more of a metalhead around age 15. I‘m not a huge Swiftie, but I like a few songs so when my friends were going to the eras tour I went with and I saw her last year. It was a great show but crazy, everyone knew every word and I was just standing there like wtf is happening 😂. Someone gave me one of those bracelets at the concert! 1mo
IndoorDame I was a huge fan in the 90s! I‘d totally forgotten about her book of poems! Thanks for the reminder! 1mo
monalyisha Ha, @Kitta — I had a similar experience, except with punk rock instead of metal. I made the leap from Jewel to Rancid pretty quickly. 😅 1mo
monalyisha @Kitta Also, I can‘t imagine being at an actual concert! That must have been so bizarre for you! I bet it‘s what my non-Catholic friends felt like when they got dragged to church with my (dad‘s) family: the sitting, the standing, the kneeling, the recitation of prayers — all unknown. I mean, the fandom *is* sort-of cult-like. 😆🙈 1mo
monalyisha @IndoorDame I remember thinking, “Wow. She is OBSESSED with the word “flame.” I‘m not sure how they‘d hold up. I‘ve got a soft spot for them, though. Reading the poems was a huge bonding experience for me & my mom (who isn‘t a big reader). She kept a copy of the collection in the center console of her car! 1mo
monalyisha @batsy Those early internet friendships were so precious! My closest internet friend & I bonded over Buffy the Vampire Slayer & the Goo Goo Dolls. 😅 1mo
Kitta @monalyisha Punk and metal are both fantastic! I love punk maybe more than metal now but went through a metal/screamo phase as - teenager which I still secretly listen to. Alexisonfire 🖤 is my favourite. 1mo
Kitta @monalyisha I went to catholic mass in Germany once and wasn‘t raised in the church so I did everything wrong and had no idea what was happening. I don‘t speak German! It was my godbrothers christening and it was surreal. The concert was also surreal. She puts on a great show but I felt like a fraud not knowing all the songs haha. 1mo
monalyisha @Kitta I never did the metal thing. BUT my husband sang in a metal band when I met him, so I‘ve been to plenty of shows! I thought it was hilarious how he went from the sweetest boy I‘d ever met to rolling around on the floor, doing splits-jumps in the air, and summoning the fires of hell. 😆 They actually had a concept album based entirely on Lovecraft/Cthulhu. 1mo
Kitta @monalyisha that sounds like a great experience! Love Cthulhu that sounds awesome. 1mo
marleed Haha - before summer ‘23 I could not have identified a line from a TS song, but I live in Kansas City where the TS love is a continuing massive economic boost. So Alexa, play Taylor Swift it became - so now I can identify a near playlist of her songs. And honestly - Go Taylor, Go Beyoncé - sprinkle all that goodness on this crazy era that thrives on hate☺️ 1mo
vivastory I'm not a Swiftie, but as someone who calls KC home & as things have been weird with all of the scrutiny with her & Kelce's relationship I almost feel like an honorary Swiftie lol There are a couple of collaborations that she has done with The National & Bon Iver that I adore & I do love “No Body, No Crime.“ As someone who was a teen in the 90s, I 💙 your idea, though. I'm just imagining Fiona Apple inspired bracelets (edited) 3w
monalyisha @vivastory Fiona Apple is the absolute BEST. 🍎 Paper Bag was my first favorite song by her. After that, I was obsessed with Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song) in college. 3w
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monalyisha
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I‘m reading The Celebrants for my IRL book club, and Chen Chen‘s second book of poetry (by personal choice). I‘ll likely finish the novel today. Nothing definitive queued up to come after…but I love deciding what to read next, so that‘s never a problem!

Stay tuned. 😉
#WeekendReads

monalyisha I‘m technically reading the tagged, as well. But it‘s an audiobook and I don‘t anticipate traveling solo this weekend, so I shouldn‘t have the occasion to listen again until Monday. 1mo
BekaReid Oh, I need to read this volume of poetry. I read and loved Chen Chen's first volume! 1mo
monalyisha @BekaReid Same! I pre-ordered this volume, even. It came out in October of 2022 and I‘m *just* getting to it now. 🙈 1mo
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monalyisha
The Celebrants | Steven Rowley
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“As much as these were the people she relied on to build her up, they were also the ones she would allow to see her when she was down. Even if they felt somewhat like strangers now, they had seen things, they had witnessed her when she was young and raw and exposed, in the time before she‘d learned how to hide her fragility.”

Pictured: Me with friends from high school, post-high-school, after seeing Roxane Gay speak at our hometown theater. 💓

marleed What a great pic! 1mo
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monalyisha
Springtime Stories | Enid Blyton
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You better ✨BELIEVE✨ I‘m looking forward to Spring!

I joined the #NaturalitsyCardSwapSpring & you can, too.

Register here by March 1:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScf0SFAtfScWZ9N83wk4zlP9ALK5hhV1npCbSzE...

TheBookHippie 💚✉️💚 thx for the repost!!!! 💚✉️💚 1mo
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

Meg Cabot‘s books can be hit or miss for me. Fortunately, this one was a hit! Is it silly? Yes. Did I see all of the “twists” coming? Also, yes (or almost all of them). Did that make me enjoy it any less? Nope!

I think the only place where Cabot fails is when men share dialog with one another; if I had a nickel for every time a male character called another one “bro” or “man”….👇🏻

monalyisha 1/1: I still wouldn‘t have very much money. But that‘s only because these conversations are thankfully far & few between. 😉 I‘ll happily read the next installment in the series (if and when it‘s published). 1mo
TheAromaofBooks I read a book back in December where the one male character used “bro“ so often that my assumption was that he didn't remember the other guy's name and now it was too awkward to ask 😂 1mo
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monalyisha
Lost & Found: A Memoir | Kathryn Schulz
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@IndoorDame Moxie hath spoken!

You‘ve won the #AuldLangSpine giveaway. Congrats! 🥳 I think you were leaning towards the tagged book. Does your choice still stand?

Send me an email over at monalitsy@gmail.com with your mailing address and I‘ll send you a little package in the next week or two.

Thanks for participating!

AmyG Ha! Congrats @IndoorDame 🎉🙌🏻 1mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Congratulations 🎈🎉 1mo
IndoorDame Thank you @monalyisha !!! Yes, I‘d love to read the tagged book! And thank you to Moxie! Have I told you lately what a cute smart 🐇 you are? 1mo
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monalyisha @IndoorDame Compliments will get you everywhere. She feels fully vindicated in her choice. 1mo
BeeCurious 👏🎉Yay! 1mo
dabbe Congrats! 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
Zuhkeeyah Congrats!! 👏🏾 1mo
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monalyisha
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You know how you can sometimes just sense that someone is your kind of person?

I read this in Swyler‘s bio AFTER declaring my love for her. When you know, you know. 🐇

Scochrane26 I have this book and still haven‘t read it. Loved her Light From Other Stars (?) though 1mo
monalyisha @Scochrane26 As did I! I can‘t believe how long I let this languish on my shelves. I‘ve already checked to see if she has any forthcoming novels — and she does! It‘s called We Lived on the Horizon and is about a “bio-prosthetic surgeon and her personal AI.” If I weren‘t already a devotee of the author, I might have skipped it based on the synopsis, but I‘m sure it‘ll be amazing. (edited) 1mo
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

Swyler describes her own book as being “difficult to explain: a dual narrative in two time periods, an abundance of plot threads, circus, tarot, drowning, horseshoe crabs, a house falling off a cliff, all as told by a reclusive librarian.”

I know this book isn‘t for everyone but it was absolutely for me. I love Erika Swyler‘s writing, her sensibilities. I can‘t say how much I enjoyed this heartbreaking and salt-stained novel.

#UnpopularOpinion

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monalyisha
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“There‘s a solid sureness to fingernails, the shell over the tenderest parts of us.”

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🤍🤍🤍 1mo
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monalyisha
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“And then I am in the black relief of night swimming. Below is life, tails twitching against shells, above is water, then sky — in the in-between there is only me. I swim farther into the dark.”

Pairing this quote with a Michael Stipe valentine (singer of R.E.M.‘s “Night Swimming”) because I found it today and it‘s too good not to share.

CBee This is so great 😂♥️ And I love that song! 1mo
Deblovestoread Love this 💜 1mo
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monalyisha
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Recently, I listened to an interview with Ross Gay, author of The Book of Delights. Though I haven‘t yet read his book, I think he‘d approve of Swyler‘s definition of delight as being like “a little light that settles in [your] sternum.”

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monalyisha
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I *just* finished reading about an epic battle between Red & Blue, and then immediately went into work to begin this task.

I‘m literally painting a red mailbox blue. This is unintentionally HILARIOUS. I‘m dy(e)ing. 😅