pickI love listening to Stanley Tucci talk. I loved his story on getting kids ready. I feel the same way, why am I having to repeat the same thing every day, year after year. He says what all parents are thinking. Of course his discussions about meals made me hungry (why I made minestrone soup, luckily it‘s cool in MD tonight). I‘m not as adventurous as he is in his food selections (no rabbit for me), but it did make me want to try some new recipes.
That was the most intense 20 minutes trying to secure at least 2 tickets (was trying to get 4). RL Stine is coming to Frederick, MD at the end of October to do a reading & then book signing (through our public library). The site kept crashing. I somehow got through but tickets sold out in 20 minutes. Happy that I was lucky enough to get 2. Phew
“Never underestimate the power of a girl with a book, she becomes a woman who votes.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg (pie photo is from Pieladybooks on IG).
#wdncw #realhistory I don‘t know who needs to hear this or be reminded but slavery was bad. There should be no debating about this. Talking about it is not “woke.” It was a pure evil system. If you‘re on the side of saying it wasn‘t that bad you‘re either a N—i or White Suprem@cist. You clearly need to re-evaluate your understanding of history. Denying the telling of people‘s history/experiences doesn‘t mean it didn‘t happen.
The Library of Congress released the times of talks & book signings last week. I‘m planning on going as of right now. Hopefully the current occupier of the WH ends his authoritarian take over of DC. https://www.loc.gov/events/2025-national-book-festival/
Today is the 102nd anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment. As the occupier in chief & many others are trying to disenfranchise many. It‘s important to remember all those women who fought hard for our right to vote (they were not perfect & were not intersectional feminists). If our vote wasn‘t so important they wouldn‘t constantly be trying to take it away. #resist
Not that I need more books but I couldn‘t pass up the B&N 50% off hardcover sale. These are few books that I‘ve wanted to get. It was my birthday earlier this week, so I‘m counting it as a birthday treat. The top book is for my daughter. Tiffany MacDaniel wrote a children‘s series. My daughter is obsessed with Wednesday & figured this series may interest her 🤞🏻 (I love MacDaniel‘s books).
The last few years I‘ve stepped back from reading about WWII because it felt so overdone. But with the rise of authoritarianism currently happening in the US it has pushed back to reading about that era. The 2 on the left I found at Hachette Books (I signed up for the newsletter & got a 20% off coupon). I have not been able to find “What We Knew” anywhere. The other 2 I found wondering around the bookstore.
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#wdncw that this is going to be a political rant. I‘m so fed up with people like RFK & podcasters spreading misinformation & conspiracy theories about science. The shooting at the CDC the other day (150 bullets into 4 buildings, windows with bulletproof glass shattered) is horrifying. My husband works for NCI & I broke down crying to mom today because it hit me. I‘m terrified. His lab is on a secure military base but honestly will that even stop
Every day, all day (as it feels like we‘re on the 1,000 month of this administration). That & when I hear “breaking news” all I wonder is what ridiculous thing has the occupant of the WH said or done now.
pickMy mom bought this for my oldest, so I read it before he took it. He‘s going back to RI soon for his senior year. He‘s studying Wildlife Biology & Conservation. He‘s become obsessed with birds. He‘s getting his applications ready for grad school. He wants to focus on birds (ducks or songbirds, still deciding, now that he‘s been reading about the research being done at different universities he‘s having a harder time narrowing it down). I learned
Update: we made it through our trip to Ohio with minimal MIL drama. My husband did find some closure since Lake Erie was a place that he spent a lot of time with his dad when he was younger. It was good to see family. My kids had fun going to Cedar Point. Other than my MIL handing me a pastry full of nuts (I have nut allergies, I‘ve know this woman for 30 years, you‘d think she‘d remember my life threatening allergy). Luckily I don‘t eat pastries.
Today is also the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Every vote should count, everyone deserves to have their voice heard. It is vital to our democracy. As certain groups are trying to disenfranchise many groups it is imperative to continue to push back & fight for everyone‘s vote to count. Also F gerrymandering
#wdncw that I bought a new purse for the specific purpose of being able to put a book in there. Now I can be an introvert wherever I go. Or read books in public to anger people. I have plenty of totes (mine don‘t have zippers or a way to close them) but I specifically wanted a purse that could fit all my stuff but also a book.
pick“This word, hysteria, contains all the judgements and assumptions about female bodies that have existed for thousands of years.” Published in 2024, it‘s a good primer of gynecological health. The book covers basics to more complex concerns. The continued frustration that women‘s health concerns are still not taken seriously by some doctors. Women are still denied bodily autonomy & decisions regarding their gynecological health. Research is still
Happy 101st birthday to James Baldwin. His work is still so relevant to today‘s world. “It is very nearly impossible to become an educated person in a country so distrustful of the independent mind.” “The purpose of education…is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions.”
“The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now.”
One positive for Friday, the Senate Appropriations Committee rejected the administration‘s request to slash the NIH budget by 40% (by 26-3). Instead they added an additional $400 million to the NIH budget: $100 million to Alzheimer‘s, $150 million to cancer research, & $30 million to the office for Research of Women‘s Health. This is a huge win (still a process, but it was bipartisan) for medical research.
Tiffany McDaniel is one of my absolute favorite authors & have been anticipating her next book after the tagged book. I‘m trying to keep an open mind but I‘m a little disappointed her next book is going to be horror. I‘m not a fan of horror books, so this is more of a me issue. I‘ll have to see. But I figured I‘d let others know that are fans of her work (she posted this on IG).
pick“The trick is to never lose hope.”-Tupac Shakur I really loved this look into Tupac‘s life. The book is more about how his experiences in his life shaped the artist that he became. His mom was a Black Panther & Tupac was raised in NYC area. He was exposed to the Black Panther Party & Young Lords that shaped his view of capitalism, racism, sexism, the police state. His music spoke out against the things he felt were harming people
Page 188, loved this view of Joan‘s on the universe, our place in the universe & how everything is all tied together
pick“Happiness is so hard to come by. I don‘t understand why anyone would begrudge anyone else for managing to find some of it.” We watched the Sally Ride documentary on Disney+ & this story mirrored a lot of Sally‘s story. It definitely was all the 1980s vibes of the space program, smart women, the pushback on the LGBTQ+ community. Joan‘s sister was a bit much.
#wdncw that we are going to a memorial this weekend & none of us are wearing white. Backstory: my husband just found out last weekend in a text chain that he‘s in with his cousins/aunts/his mom that there is a memorial in Cedar Point, Ohio this weekend (we live jn MD). His mom called & told him about it. He said he wasn‘t sure about us going since it‘s so last minute. My MIL said she wasn‘t going & said his sister wasn‘t going either because she‘s
pick“What does a greater sense of freedom look like?” Marsha, “Freedom is me.” Good, easy to read memoir that highlights all of the social & disability justice movements that Marsha started or was actively involved in during her lifetime. I vaguely knew who she was from the Stonewall Riots. I‘m happy that I had the chance to learn more about her. She is not only an important figure in LGBTQ+ history but to US history as well.
Today is the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The current administration is minimize resources, funding, & supports to the disability community. The disability community is tired but will keep fighting as they always have for their rights. The disability community won‘t go silently. Disability rights are human rights. Disability rights are civil rights.
#ranttime I‘m so f‘n livid. Being homeless is not a crime. Drug addiction is not a crime. Mental health is not a crime. The current administration has just lumped 3 different issues into one. Criminalizing people with mental health disorders just puts them more at risk for being put in jail. As a mom of 3 neurodivergent kids this is horrific. This is going to make people more fearful to call for assistance if a person is having a mental health
#WDNCW that we will watch Bluey to laugh sometimes. The Granny Mobile episode is the best (season 3 episode 33). I love Muffin. Our daughter still will watch them & I love that she hasn‘t outgrown them. Do yourself & watch this episode, it‘s only 7 minutes long. I think there are 2 other granny episodes. Janet & Rita rule
As a distraction from the real files that everyone really wants to see. The DOJ had a judge sign off early on unsealing the documents about the assassination of MLK, Jr. (they were supposed to be unsealed in 2027). The family stated that they understand about historical information & transparency but this just bring up old wounds for them. People that have read about King will find nothing shocking. The FBI monitored him & tried to undermine his
We went today to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in VA. We went to mainly get to see the Space Shuttle Discovery (since the last bill that passed wants to move it to TX). I did pick this book up for my daughter (the book selection for girls was disappointing). We were at one of the discovery stations about black holes. The young guy asked my daughter if she knew what a black hole was. She said yes & explained. He‘s like OMG you‘re exactly
Apparently in Monroe County, TN they have pulled over 600 books related to cats. According to PEN America Florida & Iowa have been pulling cat books off of shelves for years. I thought the AP Bio book was interesting, this is very curious. It‘s dangerous for kids to learn about cats? So instead of researching & reading each book, they ban it. https://pen.org/magic-tree-house-author-calvin-and-hobbes-among-hundreds-of-tenn...
pickMy almost 10 year old really liked the book. She liked learning about Willa‘s struggles with Sensory Processing Disorder (her Autistic brother has SPD & it helped her understand him). The story is told from Willa‘s perspective. I am a little more critical than my daughter, so it‘s a low pick for me. I do feel that representation matters & there needs to be more stories for kids about all kinds of disorders & disabilities. But…
The Department of Defense Schools have banned 596 books. They are books mainly related to Democracy, Feminism, LGBTG+, Racism (none of it surprising). Although I do find banning an AP Psychology book really interesting. Article from Pen America with full list of books. https://pen.org/books-banned-by-department-of-defense-schools/
#TLT #ThreeListThursday My favorite soundtracks are: 1. Mad Love, I was obsessed with soundtrack in college. It also lead me to one of my favorite groups 7 Year B!tch. 2. Reality Bites, still listen to this soundtrack, love Violent Femmes. 3. Singles, probably one of the best soundtracks ever. I listened to this on cassette tape all through college.
#WDNCW that I bought 4 books last week while on vacation & came home to 2 more that I had ordered before we left. The TBR pile grows bigger. Trying to focus more on reading & learning rather than being on social media & watching the sh!t show.
#WDNCW that I‘m taking advantage of my oldest being home from college to be able to run errands kid free. Sure he‘s half asleep but he‘s present (he‘s 21 & the other 2 are about to be 16 & 10, I‘m not leaving little kids alone). We‘re learning self sufficiency this summer. It‘s so much quicker being able to run errands without dragging kids. Now I need to set up once a week lunch dates with my husband for the rest of the summer.
pickI didn‘t really follow either of the trials that has awarded E. Jean in upwards now of $100 million (there is 9% compounded daily for lack of payment, so all those appeals & delays are adding up). I‘m not familiar with her writing style. Is it the best book I‘ve ever read? No. Do I support women? Yes. Do I support a woman that wants to donate her money that she was awarded to causes like women‘s reproductive rights, voting, healthcare? Yes
Last week the Library of Congress announced the authors for the DC Book Festival (https://www.loc.gov/events/2025-national-book-festival/). It looks like they are going to have some decent authors. I‘m excited about: Jill Lepore, Jo Harjo, Ron Chernow, RL Stine, Geraldine Brooks, Chimamanda Nazi Adichie, John Green, Kwame Alexander, Katherine Applegate. I‘m interested in going & supporting authors/Library of Congress.
I did find some time to stop by the Sweeter Than Fiction bookstore in Charleston. Really cute Taylor Swift themed bookstore. They had a great selection of romance novels. I didn‘t buy any books but bought my 10 year old a cute bag tote. They had lots of other bookish merchandise: totes, stickers, candles, puzzles. It was busy while I was in there. Definitely a fun little bookstore to visit if you‘re in the area.
Went to a lovely little bookstore in downtown Charleston, Buxton Books. I picked up signed copies on Night Flyer by Tiya Miles & Leila Motley‘s new book. I was bummed that they had several copies of Combee signed. The photo in front of the bookstore was taken quickly because a storm was approaching. There is another bookstore that looks new in the area, Sweeter Than Fiction. I did see a bookstore on Mt. Pleasant today but didn‘t stop.
I also picked up some new books at the museum yesterday. I‘ve been trying to track down Combee for the last few months. I was so excited when I saw it yesterday. The other book is about the shooting at the church & Charleston & the aftermath.
Beach reading: my husband is sleeping, no kids to wrangle, enjoying the sound of the ocean & a good book
My other favorite piece was this quilt of John Lewis, “Standing on the shoulders of Good Trouble” by LaToya Thompson.
My husband & I are in Charleston, we went to the International African American Museum today. I got to see Ashley‘s sack that Tiya Miles wrote this whole book around. It was profound to get to see it in person. Definitely recommend the museum if you‘re in Charleston. They don‘t have as many artifacts as the DC museum but it‘s very informative. Good to see but still so heart wrenching to think about what millions of people endured.
#WDNCW that we need a weighted blanket to fall asleep (even in the summer, I‘m always cold) but always kick it off. It is also necessary to use a sleep mask combined with a weighed sleep mask to sleep.
pickI prioritized finishing this, I felt that more than ever King‘s work & words are much needed. The book is very detailed but gives so much more info & inspiration about King‘s work. His views & work on not only racial injustice but also poverty & war are still so relevant today. “Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant & to face the challenges of change.”
This. Also the tagged book by Clint Smith is excellent, in case anyone hasn‘t read it yet. One of my top reads ever & will always recommend
Do better
Link is from the National Museum of African American History & Culture https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/nations-story-what-slave-fourth-july
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