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ravenlee

ravenlee

Joined March 2018

Homeschool mom trying desperately to read grown-up stuff (at least occasionally)
blurb
ravenlee
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I started this today with the #PemberLittens #hashtagbrigade and before I knew it I was finishing Chapter 2! I‘m quite enjoying glimpses of these old friends.

BarkingMadRead Ohhhh this is a great cover! 16h
32 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
Better Late Than Never | Jenn McKinlay
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Got it in under the wire! June‘s #BookSpin #BookSpinBingo list, featuring quite a few familiar titles. Maybe with finishing school next week and kiddo doing some summer dance I‘ll actually have reading time again?

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 7h
35 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
Squished: A Graphic Novel | Megan Wagner Lloyd
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Pickpick

From the team that brought us Allergic, Squished portrays a large Korean American family through the eyes of kid 2/7, Avery. She‘s transitioning from elementary to middle school, friends are growing apart, and she feels overwhelmed at home. A lot is expected of her in home help, and she yearns for privacy that seems out of reach. On top of everything, it looks like they‘ll have to move cross-country, too. How will Avery handle it all?

31 likes1 stack add
review
ravenlee
The Break | Katherena Vermette
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Pickpick

Tough to read, tougher to review. Multiple narrators (at least 10, one of whom is not named at the top of her passages, and only one in first-person) in this multi-generational family story of surviving both specific and general trauma; lots of sentence fragments; present-tense writing (except when it‘s not) - it‘s a lot to track. It‘s good, but tough. Vermette is an indigenous Canadian writer, and very promising. TWs below.

ravenlee TWs: rape, violence, substance abuse, gang activity, racism. (edited) 22h
jlhammar Loved this book! Can't wait for her newest, out in September 19h
33 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
ravenlee
Allergic | Megan Wagner Lloyd
Pickpick

What a great graphic novel, showing what it‘s like to be a kid with (non-food) allergies that affect daily life. Maggie desperately wants a dog but turns out to be severely allergic to anything with fur or feathers. Maggie just wants something to love her best, as her brothers have each other and her parents have a new baby on the way. There‘s a lot of growing up to be done and Maggie becomes a better sister and friend.

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ravenlee
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Pickpick

While good, it wasn‘t on par with Sister, Outsider. The first essay, about S&M in the lesbian community, seemed an odd starting point. The latter part of the book is diary excerpts from when she was diagnosed with liver cancer metastasized from her earlier breast cancer. It was hard to read, as my mom has spent the last three years fighting metastasized BC from 24 years earlier 😡. She‘s good, but it makes it hard to read about.

TheBookHippie I had a hard time with this and yet it‘s still a pick. Such a difficult read. 21h
38 likes1 comment
review
ravenlee
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Pickpick

The first book I‘ve finished in two weeks! I have had almost no time to read recently, and every time I try somebody needs something that only I can manage. Ugh!

This book is fantastic. If you‘ve ever looked around at the current state of US politics and wondered how the hell we ended up here, read this book. Some of it is also in Richardson‘s Letters from an American posts, but she does a great job of weaving the threads together. Just read it!

ravenlee Oh yeah, in addition to having been on various #bookspin lists for the past year and a half, this was my May #doublespin and somehow I managed to finish it the right month. 5d
Deblovestoread Stacked! 5d
Readergrrl I adore Heather Cox Richardson! So smart and direct in her analysis! 5d
43 likes6 stack adds3 comments
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ravenlee
The Iliad | Homer
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@dabbe as for your question, I have kind of an Odyssey problem! I love it so much I‘ve collected several translations over the years. I first studied the Fitzgerald in college, which is great but uses Ks instead of Cs (Kirke not Circe) and can be confusing. I think I read the Fagles the next time I studied it but I‘m not sure. I loved the Wilson translation because it gives a different perspective, and it‘s beautiful. Not sure I can pick just one!

ravenlee I forgot my graphic novel isn‘t in the picture, as kiddo used it for history this year. It‘s awesome, too. 6d
dabbe I read Fitzgerald for THE ILIAD in college, and the Ks about killed me. Read Fagles for both, but based on what you wrote, I want to give Wilson a try. I agree that the perspective would be extremely interesting. Thanks. 🤗 #odysseyproblem ... LOVE that! 🩵🤍🩵 6d
ravenlee @dabbe I didn‘t mind the Fitzgerald so much that first time, because it was the first time! But trying to sort out who some of those people were later (the Phaikians really threw me!), that was a killer. I really liked the introduction Wilson wrote, though at the moment I can‘t recall specifics. 6d
38 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
The Iliad | Homer
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Well, lookie here - publishing in September, Emily Wilson‘s translation of The Iliad! Now the difficult question: to wait forever for the paperback to match my Odyssey, or dive in as soon as there‘s a decent price on the hardcover? Decisions, decisions.

Zoes_Human YAY! 6d
dabbe Have you read Fagles' translation? Do you prefer hers? Inquiring minds want to know! I've never read her but only Fagles. Would it be worth it to read hers, too? 😍 6d
ImperfectCJ Ooh! I have Caroline Alexander's Iliad translation, but I love Wilson's Odyssey so much, I think I need her Iliad, too! 6d
33 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
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This really speaks to me. I never read these books as a kid, but my MIL loves them and gave me the set early in my marriage. I tried the first book and quit at the inflated pig bladder. I tried them again with kiddo and just can‘t get over how shiftless Pa is, how awful his decision-making and family management are. I‘ve never understood the appeal, other than pure nostalgia.

ravenlee For the record: I am not judging anyone who does like this series. To each his/her own. I just don‘t get it myself and have lots of reasons for doing so. And I choose not to pass it down to my kid, at least without a very healthy dose of skepticism. 1w
Suet624 I love that Heather calls out the truth on this “fable”. I get her daily posts but you‘ve reminded me that t I want to read this book. 1w
ravenlee @Suet624 I‘m about 3/4 through and it‘s very good. I will say that some parts seem familiar because she uses some of the same material in her posts (i.e. Teddy Roosevelt‘s reinvention as a Western individualist after he lost his wife and mother). She has another book coming out this fall, too, which you‘ve probably seen but just in case: 7d
Suet624 Thanks! 7d
27 likes1 stack add4 comments
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ravenlee
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I‘m finally carving out time to read again, after a crazy week. My mom arrived last Wednesday, then kiddo had her recital on Saturday (rehearsal on Friday), and my mom departed Tuesday. We‘re trying to press through the last couple weeks of school (local schools let out last week, and we‘d planned to end by Memorial Day before the medical emergency set us back). All told, that meant I read less than 10 pages of anything over the previous 10 days.

ravenlee I hope that once school wraps up I can get some good summer reading time. But I also need to plan next year‘s school curricula and calendar, chauffeur kiddo to summer dance programs, do the regular upkeep for the household…you know, the typical mom workload. Sigh. 1w
38 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
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Kiddo‘s recently acquired goodies. The Max Meow books are all signed and personalized—kiddo got to meet John Gallagher at the local literacy festival. She heard his presentation and was the first in line at his booth. They talked about drawing comics and he gave her a Cat Crusader keychain. I was playing for a graduation elsewhere, but Daddy got to (was strongly encouraged to) take her and help her buy the books.

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ravenlee
Merry Month of May | James Jones
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I actually met my goals for #MagnificentMay readathon! I finished both Tall, Dark, & Wicked and Murder with Macaroni and Cheese; plus I started and finished Tweet Cute, Friends Forever, and A Burst of Light. That‘s one more than I set for my goals. Four of the five were really good. Thanks @Andrew65 for another good boost to my reading focus.

Andrew65 That‘s brilliant. Well done and thanks for playing along. 👏👏👏🙌🍾🥂🥳 3w
26 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
Untitled | Unknown

I need a safe place for a minute. Mother‘s Day isn‘t a huge deal to me, but it is a little deal. Last week hubby and kiddo asked me what I wanted. Two things, I said: for either a bathroom or the kitchen to get a serious cleaning that I don‘t have to do; and for kiddo to practice her violin without being reminded a million times. I thought those were reasonable requests. They agreed. Done deal, right? 👇🏻

ravenlee This morning I got to sleep late, until hubby woke me up with “you have tea and breakfast out here and they‘re both getting cold.” My breakfast was half a cold bagel and a plate of fruit to share with kiddo. No card. Kiddo, reminded by my mom, realized that this is the second year in a row she hasn‘t made me a card, so she hastily scribbled one and flung it at me. No other acknowledgement from hubby beyond a cursory mention. 3w
ravenlee She did, eventually, practice her violin, but only after hours of reminders and harassment. No cleaning has been done or is likely to. Hubby is worn out from doing yard work this morning and grilling a huge platter of various meat for lunch. Poor thing. (Did I mention I‘m a vegetarian?) He has also decided that my plan for dinner is too much effort and he doesn‘t feel like helping clean up, so he changed the meal plan. But I‘m required to help. 3w
ravenlee I don‘t feel particularly appreciated this mother‘s day and am very upset with nobody to talk to about it. Thanks for being my safe space, Litsy. 3w
See All 31 Comments
Bookwormjillk This sucks, sorry. 3w
Hooked_on_books It‘s amazing to me that in 2023 the work of women continues to be taken for granted. You are absolutely right to be angry and frustrated and all the other feelings for this. It‘s disrespectful to you to trample on your requests that someone do the work you always do with (I‘m guessing) little to no thanks but, rather, expectation. You are appreciated and understood here. 3w
JamieArc I feel angry on your behalf (and I‘m not a mother; I also hate Mother‘s Day because of my complex relationship with my mother). I‘m sorry this is how your day went 😖. I hope they surprise you later on with some empathy and apologies. 3w
5feet.of.fury @ravenlee that sucks and is really unfair. I would be really frustrated, too. 3w
TiredLibrarian I'm so sorry. 3w
Ruthiella I‘m sorry to hear this. I‘m also upset on your behalf. 😡 3w
Tamra Sigh. Overworked, underpaid, under-appreciated. But not by us, WE recognize your value! 💜 3w
Bookwomble Sorry to hear your day was so disappointing. ❤️ 3w
Susanita Maybe for Father‘s Day you can make yourself scarce and let him fend for himself 🤐 3w
mcipher Ugh that‘s so unfair and I‘m sorry. Next year maybe just leave for the day and take yourself on a date? I‘m super mad at your husband for being so selfish and I 100% think it‘s worth talking to him about it. 😣 3w
CBee Wow, I am so sorry!! Such a letdown and so frustrating. Your requests were perfectly logical and EASY to do! I agree with @Susanita and @mcipher. Take a day for YOU next year 💚 3w
merelybookish This hits home because I have had similar experiences. I learned to take instead of hoping to be given. It still can be disappointing but at least I get something I want/need. Usually that means I go and do something on my own. 3w
Reggie Oh chica, I‘m sorry. I work with a grandmother who took care of one sons grandkids for a while when his wife died from Covid. She spent alot of her savings when she helped another one go to California and get custody of his kids. I asked if she at least got a breakfast today and she said no, she got a text from the 3rd son saying HMD. I‘m sorry, ya‘ll deserve better. 3w
BookNAround Well, that‘s shitty. I‘m so sorry your day was the exact opposite of what you deserved. 3w
LeahBergen That sucks. I‘m so glad you got to vent a little, even if it‘s just to us. ❤️❤️ 3w
Dilara That's terrible! And also quite familiar. 3w
thebacklistbook Sounds like a love language disconnect. Sorry it wasn't better for you. Happy mother's day anyway. 3w
batsy Damn. I'm sorry. I was upset just reading this. I hope you're feeling better talking about it but otherwise, yes. I agree with @mcipher and I also definitely agree on taking the day off you need in the future... ❤️ 3w
ravenlee Thank you all. I can‘t tell you what it means to have this kind of support, especially when I‘m feeling lost and invisible at home. Seeing all the encouragement here first thing today…it‘s heartening. @Bookwormjillk @Hooked_on_books @JamieArc @5feet.of.fury @TiredLibrarian @Ruthiella @Tamra @Bookwomble @Susanita @mcipher @CBee @merelybookish @Reggie @BookNAround @LeahBergen @Dilara @thebacklistbook @batsy you‘re all the best. 3w
ravenlee As an addendum, the day ended much the way it started. Kiddo put on a doll ballet for me, not so much for MD but because she wanted to. It was fun. Hubby later said it was my day to be lazy, which I don‘t get to do often. But it‘s very much the MD cliche of “Mom doesn‘t have to do the cleaning but nobody else does so there‘s more to do on Monday.” Today I get to clean the kitchen - yay! He has a history of doing what he thinks is best instead of 3w
ravenlee what I tell him I need, which I find absolutely infuriating (case in point: when I was struggling with the early days of motherhood and nursing and recovering from a traumatic birth, I asked him for a peanut butter sandwich because I was starving while nursing kiddo. Half an hour later, he gave me fried potatoes because he decided something hot would be better for me. I cried. I needed the protein. He got mad that I didn‘t appreciate his effort). 3w
Librariana I am sending you a HUMONGOUS virtual hug 💗💜💛❤️💚🧡💙 It's upsetting to read about the treatment you received on Mother's Day and more so because it deals with selfish behaviors from someone meant to be a partner. Altering extremely reasonable requests for the sake of what suits or is convenient for us isn't a gift, and you don't deserve that. I am so very sorry you weren't reminded of how special you are. 3w
CBee @ravenlee what he should‘ve done in that case is make your PB sandwich, no questions asked, and if he also wanted you to have something hot, fine! But just make the damn sandwich! I hope you‘re feeling some better today, but if you‘re not, that‘s okay too. Still sending lots of love 💗 (edited) 3w
dabbe I “liked“ this, but only because I want you to know we are all standing with you. You didn't even TELL them what you wanted; they ASKED. I just can't fathom that they then ignored what you asked for after they inquired! WTH? I would suggest that you not clean the kitchen, but it would probably drive you crazy being dirty, right? Is there a day you can take and just drive out of town and stay in a nice inn/hotel? You deserve it. #inyourcorner 💙💚 3w
NatalieR I‘m so sorry you had such a disappointing day. 😥You definitely deserve to be treasured and appreciated. 🩷 3w
ravenlee @Librariana @CBee @dabbe @NatalieR thank you all. I‘ve been kind of salty about it all week, but now I‘n trying to move on. My mom is visiting for the next few days and kiddo has her dance recital, so it‘s time for new challenges and hoping for some appreciation in the everyday stuff if not on mother‘s day. 2w
ravenlee And yes, I did end up cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms by myself because I couldn‘t take it anymore. 2w
Amiable I just saw this post now. Since you‘re trying to move on, I won‘t say what I‘m thinking because I don‘t want to stir up more emotions. Just want to say I agree with everyone that you deserve better than this and I hope you can get it sooner rather than later. And definitely make plans now to take yourself on a holiday next year! 2w
33 likes31 comments
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ravenlee
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Racism. Cancer. In both cases, to win the aggressor must conquer, but the resisters need only survive.

review
ravenlee
Friends Forever | Shannon Hale
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Pickpick

A great conclusion to this trilogy. We find Shannon navigating middle school friendship weirdness: how to be friends with boys, feeling jealous of friends, friends who don‘t like each other, and more. She‘s also still working through anxiety and OCD (undiagnosed, with a great endnote about it). I really understood Shannon‘s struggles, and I think a lot of people would. Recommend. #52Books23 #timeintitle

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ravenlee
Tweet Cute | Emma Lord
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Pickpick

I just couldn‘t put it down! Such a fun, kind of ridiculous book, with banter that won‘t quit and some real family drama (Pepper‘s mom is the absolute worst, though Jack‘s dad doesn‘t rate very high with me either). I haven‘t read much YA for a while now, but this was great. Next up is some Audre Lorde - looks short but probably devastating.

ravenlee Thanks @TheAromaofBooks for sending this my way a couple years ago - I probably wouldn‘t have found it otherwise! 3w
TheAromaofBooks I'm glad you enjoyed it!! I thought it was such a fun little palette cleanser!! And I'm glad I'm not the only one who takes a couple of years to get to swap books 😂 3w
41 likes2 comments
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ravenlee
Tweet Cute | Emma Lord
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I started this yesterday during kiddo‘s dance classes and am really enjoying it. I‘m 1/3 in already (partly courtesy of an early dental appointment) and hate having to put it down to do necessary life things. Darn adult responsibilities - just let me read my YA in peace!

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ravenlee
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Pickpick

Surprisingly enjoyable. I liked the first in the trilogy well enough, and this was better. Aside from the expected love story, there‘s a plot involving counterfeiting that was pleasantly well-developed with a strong resolution. Add in cameos from the first couple and it was good fun. #52Books23 #secondhandbook

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ravenlee
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#Bookmail My first order from Book Depository was also my last, I guess. The top three are for upcoming #PemberLittens reads, and the bottom two just because. RIP Book Depository. They‘re still sending me emails that my orders may arrive late, none of which were sent until after I received them. Weird.

batsy A great haul 😍 3w
40 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
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Also, this cutesy thing happened at least twice. Emojis don‘t belong here! It was very distracting.

marleed Oh I agree. No emojis in book text, please. I‘m reminded of Stephen King‘s disdain for adverbs in the tagged. I bet he‘d hate emojis! 3w
ravenlee @marleed the first one was an aside that the recipe being mentioned was included in the first book in this series - so not just an obnoxious emoji, but breaking the fourth wall, too! 3w
Clare-Dragonfly I can absolutely see a place for emojis in fiction! If the story is being told or texts and/or emails. Otherwise, um, nope. I think I would have bailed after that first aside unless the book was really good! 3w
marleed @Clare-Dragonfly oh agree on the email, text, epistolary communication embedded in a story! 3w
ravenlee @Clare-Dragonfly @marleed exactly! As my HS English teacher used to say (in a very different context), “time and place, and this is neither.” 3w
26 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
ravenlee
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Panpan

Oh boy. All right, first, I saw almost all the twists coming, so that was frustrating. The story was middling. Here‘s the BIG problem, though: A.L. Herbert is a pseudonym for a writer who is neither Black nor female, yet presents as such. I don‘t believe that every writer writing from a different perspective is guilty of cultural appropriation (it depends on how they do so and how they present themselves in the attempt) BUT 👇🏻

ravenlee when the author hides behind a nom de plume and makes it look as if they share the ethnicity/cultural background if their MC, then it‘s a problem. Especially because Wavonne, the MC‘s obnoxious cousin, is such a stereotypical trashy Black female, which becomes truly problematic when written by a non-Black male. Now it‘s not an elbow nudge and using the stereotypes ironically, but profiling and perpetuating those stereotypes. 3w
ravenlee So, I felt very uncomfortable reading a lot of this once I discovered the author‘s identity. I wouldn‘t have continued the series anyway, as I don‘t care for cozies specifically but most mysteries generally, but now I definitely won‘t. I got a few prompts covered for my challenges, which is really what I needed anyway. 3w
See All 7 Comments
5feet.of.fury Yeah, I feel he intentionally misrepresented himself to appeal to a certain audience. Yuck. 3w
ravenlee @5feet.of.fury exactly - and in doing so, worked through some horribly offensive checklist of Black stereotypes. 3w
Amiable I love reading reviews of horrible books more than reviews of great books. So descriptive! Thanks for the warning. (edited) 3w
Clare-Dragonfly That‘s really gross. Thanks for the warning. 3w
38 likes7 comments
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ravenlee
Merry Month of May | James Jones
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Taking a swing at #MagnificentMay readathon with @Andrew65 - I would like to read, even a little bit, every day. I would like to finish Tall, Dark, & Wicked; read Murder with Macaroni and Cheese (which I started today at kiddo‘s dance rehearsal), and read two other books from my #BookSpin list.

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ravenlee
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Mehso-so

An interesting story told in a disjointed way. The interview transcriptions, testimony or whatever they are, didn‘t seem to fit so early in the book and therefore became distracting. Then they disappeared in the latter portions, where they might have fit better. The “women who pursued him” part of the subtitle is misleading, too, as it mostly refers to Mabel Walker Willebrandt, the assistant US attorney general in charge of Prohibition violations.

31 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
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The wording of this reminds me of Colonel Mustard and Wadsworth in Clue arguing about whether or not anyone else was in the house.

TheBookHippie 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🙃 1mo
24 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
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Well, despite a surprisingly good reading month, with 17 total books/3270 pages (including 5 picture books and 6 NF, 4 non-white authors), and reading 11 of my #BookSpin list, I STILL didn‘t manage to get a bingo! How annoying.

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ravenlee
Maypole Dream | Marjorie Rehbach, Christine Nietert
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With just hours left in April, here‘s my May #BookSpin list. Featuring some of the greatest hits of lists past, but once more with feeling! #4-6 are this month‘s #Roll100 picks, but there are about 11 total from that list, plus about six that will help with #52Books23 and more (hopefully) for #ReadySetRead plus a selection of non-white authors because I‘ve been slacking on that front. Phew! Now I just need the time to read them!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
34 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
Richard Wagamese Selected | Richard Wagamese
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Pickpick

Wow. My first Wagamese, bought last summer on my trip to Canada - definitely not my last. At first I thought these snippets would be hard to read, as they come from social media posts and excerpts from both published and unfinished works, but the beauty, truth, and wisdom here is astounding. The book itself is gorgeous, shades of blue throughout the pages and pops of orange in the endpapers. The introduction warns to go slowly and savor this. Do.

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ravenlee
Richard Wagamese Selected | Richard Wagamese
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The whole passage is great, and ends with: So inhabit what you read. Allow it to fill you. Let the intent of the spirit of the story take you where it will. Stories and books are tools of understanding on the journey of coming to know. Pick them up. Carry them. This is what I carrier away. This is the message I brought to my own storytelling to here, to this page, stark in its blankness, waiting like me to be imagined, to be filled.

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ravenlee
Roller Skates | Ruth Sawyer
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Pickpick

This was a pleasant read, for the most part, though I agree with other reviews that the first death is just really weird and doesn‘t seem to fit with much. The second death had me bawling. I found the ending unsatisfying but probably realistic. My mom read this as a kid and loved it, now I‘ve read it, and kiddo has, too. I love passing books down through the generations. This reminded me of All-of-a-Kind Family in the setting and friendships.

ravenlee @TheBookHippie why do you do this to me? I was a crying mess for a good half hour! #childrensclassicread2023 1mo
TheBookHippie @ravenlee ♥️ same and I generally love real books. As a child this would have comforted me. How fun that you‘ve alll read it!!! 1mo
33 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
ravenlee
Mehso-so

Well, I was hoping to love this, or at least like it, because Anne is my favorite (least disliked?) Brontë sister, based on reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. That didn‘t happen. I found Agnes obnoxious in her malaise. She just sits around all the time, wishing her charges would be less awful but never doing anything about anything. The ending saved this from a pan. Thanks to @BarkingMadRead for the hashtags that saved the day! #PemberLittens

ravenlee The first charges Agnes had, with the vile little boy, did remind me of a Sherlock Holmes story: The Copper Beeches (I haven‘t read it but have seen the Jeremy Brett episode many times). At one point the little boy in that is called “the odious child.” 1mo
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ravenlee
Richard Wagamese Selected | Richard Wagamese
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In the end, that‘s the most warrior-like thing you can do, she told me: to care for the people around you, to place their needs ahead of your own.

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ravenlee
Untitled | Unknown
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I just finished this great book by kiddo‘s violin teacher. It‘s a very good guide for young musicians to set up a practice routine that works, with valuable tips about preparing for performance and playing in an ensemble. Specific to violin, it‘s also good for other strings and has a lot worth reading for other instrumentalists, too. As a musician myself there‘s a lot to help me, and as a parent I see a lot to help kiddo. Highly recommend!

RaeLovesToRead I see my smol friend in the background! 😺 1mo
31 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
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Pickpick

A dense, informative look at the fumbles of passing the crown of England from the 1420s to the turn of the century. I knew nothing about any of it so it was all interesting to me, but I found it odd at the end to have read 300 pages of fascinating analysis only to have Jones sum it all up as James VI was worthless and doomed the Plantagenet line and the English people to decades of bloody unrest.
#DannyBoy is tired of my coughing disturbing him.

RaeLovesToRead Danny! 🤗🤗 1mo
dabbe Dat Darling DannyBoy! 💙🐾💙 1mo
42 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
On violence | Hannah Arendt
Panpan

This wasn‘t at all what I expected: it‘s largely a criticism of the state of the world that led to university uprisings/rebellions around the world in the 1960s. There‘s a lot of referring to works by other writers, both seminal (Engels) and contemporary (lots of late-1960s magazine/journal articles) without context or actual quotes (many of the quotes given aren‘t translated). This was my first Arendt and it was not a good starting point.

Clare-Dragonfly Oh wow. I hated it when texts I read for college had untranslated quotes. More than a decade out from that, I have even less patience for dense text! 1mo
31 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
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Pickpick

Soft pick for this YA nonfiction. Parallel tales of the Amundsen/Scott expeditions to the South Pole and the 2018 Rudd/O‘Brady race to complete the first solo/unaided/unsupported crossing of the Antarctic landmass (there‘s a section at the end on the controversy over their claims and the verbiage used). I can‘t imagine why anyone would want to go through what they did, so that part was hard to understand. I was looking more for the historical 👇🏻

ravenlee part, which was hard enough to read. I didn‘t know what happened to Scott and his men, or how Amundsen turned his life goals literally upside down to reach the South Pole. It was really hard to read about what the explorers did to their animals, and to justify it (especially in Amundsen‘s case, for whom it was entirely a feat with no scientific component to the expedition). Informative but with some factual uncertainties. 👇🏻 1mo
ravenlee You know how when you identify an error in a NF book, and it makes you wonder how many other errors there are that you don‘t recognize, and you question the veracity of the whole thing? This one came with a photo caption on one page and text on the literal next identifying Hobart as located in both Australia and New Zealand. Minor, yes, but it calls things into question all the same. 1mo
35 likes2 comments
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ravenlee
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HCR just announced the mid-September release of her new book! I‘ve had her previous book for…um, a while…and will definitely get to it one of these days, but I‘m even more excited about this one. She says it is about how the last years have made her reconceive the meaning of history.

Suet624 I love her. She‘s kept me sane for years now. 1mo
34 likes1 comment
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ravenlee
On violence | Hannah Arendt
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I admit I‘m not following much of this so far, but this statement seems wildly prescient, especially given a publication date of 1970:
“…Western representative democracy(which is about to lose even its merely representative function to the huge party machines that ‘represent‘ not the party membership but its functionaries).”

Clare-Dragonfly Wow, 1970! I hadn‘t thought of the present-day political parties as “machines” like Tammany Hall before now, but it‘s so accurate. 1mo
ravenlee @Clare-Dragonfly I‘ve been following Heather Cox Richardson‘s political/historical daily news updates for the past few years, and she does an amazing job of putting current events into historical context. She‘s on Facebook and has a blog or listserve or something as well. If you don‘t read her already, I highly recommend it. 1mo
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ravenlee
Love Lettering | Kate Clayborn
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Pickpick

I quite enjoyed this romantic romp through NYC. Reid took a while to really like, but the build-up was good. I don‘t plan to hunt out Clayborn‘s backlist, but I would read her again if the book was right. #52Books23 #scriptfontonthespine #BlameitonLitsy

Now I can catch up on Agnes, who‘s been giving me the side-eye. Hey, I‘ve been sick and not able to read as much as I‘d like, and Agnes takes some willpower! #PemberLittens

TheBookHippie Fell better and yes phew Agnes. 1mo
Ruthiella Hope you feel better soon! 🤒❤️ 1mo
dabbe Agnes herself needs some willpower! Hope you feel better soon! 🤗 1mo
34 likes3 comments
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ravenlee
Love Lettering | Kate Clayborn
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I got hit with a nasty cold late yesterday. While I wallow in misery and enjoy the hot toddy hubby just made me I‘m starting this #blameitonLitsy pick. I think it‘s a good sign that Guillory, whose work I enjoy and just recently finished, is the cover blurb.

dabbe Hope you feel better soon! 🤗 2mo
LaraReads So sorry you are feeling yuck! I just finished this one. I enjoyed it! Maybe not as much as Georgie, but it was good. Hope you enjoy it & feel better soon! 2mo
Ruthiella Wishing you a speedy recovery! 🤒❤️ 2mo
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ravenlee
White Egrets: Poems | Derek Walcott
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Pickpick

I don‘t read a lot of poetry, but I found this one pretty enjoyable. Some travel involved (Walcott was from Saint Lucia, and these poems feature the Caribbean, Italy, Spain, and the U.S, among others), nothing wild or crazy. They‘re deceptively short and simple, but it was nice to linger on some of them. #52Books23 #byaCaribbeanauthor

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ravenlee
Ayesha at Last | Uzma Jalaluddin
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Mehso-so

Meh, I think P&P retellings just don‘t work for me. They can‘t compare to the original, and at least this one was only ok on its own. It felt like too many threads all at once - lots of family drama on all sides, the romances with its ups and downs and knots, workplace discrimination, a makeover, career questions, friend drama, a villain getting comeuppance - it was a lot to tie together. #PemberLittens

Ruthiella I agree, it had too many plot strands. 2mo
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ravenlee
Drunk on Love | Jasmine Guillory
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Pickpick

This may be my favorite of Guillory‘s romances: the leads were likable and mostly made reasonable choices, the conflict was believable (mostly), and the resolution felt real. The cameo of friends from previous books was nice but not enough! I expect to see the brother‘s story sometime, too.

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ravenlee
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Pickpick

I‘ve fallen behind on reading and reviewing - and, well, everything. This was a thought-provoking, challenging read that frequently went over my head. I preferred the clear nonfiction sections to most of the fictionalized parts (though the advice column part was great). Thanks to @GingerAntics for leading the #deadphilosopherssociety through it!

This was also my March #bookspin

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ravenlee
Ayesha at Last | Uzma Jalaluddin
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Um, I‘m not Muslim and don‘t follow halal restrictions, but I am 99% certain that Twinkies (really, Hostess products at all) are not halal. Hostess uses tallow/animal fat in their cream fillings, and while it‘s from cows or sheep it‘s not prepared according to any religious rules. Other products (cupcakes, for one) also contain gelatin from pork. (I say this as a vegetarian, by the way)
#PemberLittens @StayCurious

TheBookHippie Yup. You‘re correct. 😵‍💫 2mo
IndoorDame I wondered about that when I got to this part! 2mo
IndoorDame Also he‘s supposed to be a foodie. Why is he buying her twinkies and a slushy for dinner!!! 2mo
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ravenlee @IndoorDame I mean, desperate times and all that - but I‘ve had to make do with convenience store food in a pinch before and can do way better than a slushie and a twinkie. 2mo
StayCurious Yeah this was a bit strange - but I do love slushies 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly Weird! I can see it being an intro to an interesting conversation but they don‘t even talk about it?! 2mo
dylanisreading Twinkies and slushies are delicious. (This coming from someone who can't eat them anymore.) 2mo
thebacklistbook From what I understand not all Muslims follow halaal eating and it is much like kosher in the sense that products have to be approved by an Imam (faithleader) and are certified to follow the necessary restrictions. 2mo
thebacklistbook Pardon me *halal* based on what I can find online if the fat source is veggie oil then a Twinkie could technically be considered halal by such a body. 2mo
ravenlee @thebacklistbook sure, halal is a personal choice - but in this book it‘s been made *very* clear that both characters follow halal, especially the male MC who bought the twinkies. And the fat source is animal. It‘s just really inconsistent with the characters so far represented. 2mo
StayCurious @ravenlee agree it was out of character for sure. Interesting point! 2mo
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ravenlee
April Showers | Trey Branson
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Well, I am so far behind - completely forgot to post my goals for the #AwesomeApril #Readathon in the busy rush of the past few days (Easter service gig, and scrambling to help the bunny surprise the kiddo). I need to catch up on Agnes Grey and Ayesha at Last for #PemberLittens and then stay up; finish The Wars of the Roses and start at least one more #BookSpin and/or #Roll100 pick. Hopefully this week brings more reading time than of late.

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ravenlee
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Wow - Charlotte Brontë, master of the backhanded compliment. I know a little about the Brontë family, just enough to feel a little recognition from reading the chronology, but it sure seems Charlotte had no respect for or interest in Anne‘s work.

Bookwomble I got the same impression of disrespect from Charlotte's introduction to Emily's Wuthering Heights. Er, hello! Wuthering chuffing Heights!! 😤 2mo
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ravenlee
Ayesha at Last | Uzma Jalaluddin
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Things are settling down a little after kiddo‘s big ballet weekend, so I‘m diving into this one before I get too far behind. #PemberLittens

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ravenlee
Katie the Catsitter | Colleen AF Venable
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Kinda hard to #respectyourcatday when he looks like this, but #DannyBoy is a very social, lovable kitty who absolutely loves my feet. #dailychallenge #marchmadness I despise cherries but love schwarzwalderkirschtorte, which I make once every year or so, so happy #NationalBlackForestCakeDay (don‘t tell hubby or he‘ll want one and I have neither the time nor the ingredients!). Fave cake, hmm, sachertorte or other good chocolate cake. It‘s a theme!

Andrew65 Great picture of Danny Boy, and can‘t beat a good chocolate cake. 2mo
RaeLovesToRead I want to snuggle your dopey, stripey, wild snoodlemuggins 🥰🥰🥰🥰 2mo
dabbe Hi there, Dandy Danny! #cutenessoverload ❣️🐾❣️ 2mo
DieAReader 😼😼😼 2mo
IndoorDame 😻😻😻 2mo
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ravenlee
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As I read this book, I‘m learning a lot. Like, for instance, Henry VI was an…ineffective king, shall we say.