A good book to pass along to a friend. Though it is centered around an unexpected murder, the story is more about the character development of Ren Ishida. Chasing ideas of intimacy and distance, certainty and illusion, reality and dreams, Ren finds his own direction in life by following in the footsteps of his murdered sister. A satisfying read all in all.

Started Rainbirds this morning and, in between the usual routines of Sunday, I‘m about 2/3 done! A few more hours left before bed....would love to finish it tonight! 🤞

Glad I read this classic. A bit too much “in the head of a madman” for my taste, but a redeeming ending.

Great #libraryhaul today for #kidlit books! Yay libraries and yay books!

See the world from a different perspective: read a book. Happy #WorldBookDay!

A slim collection of even shorter vignettes that was nevertheless impossible to rush through. A Vietnamese immigrants‘s story that collected memories & people with precise intention. The best way I can think to describe how the story unfolded (non-linear) is that it was like eating a long & satisfying meal with the main character while she told stories about this and that and here and there. And delivered them with beauty and unmistakable insight.

Really wanted to like this one, but I couldn‘t get beyond a cerebral appreciation of the factors impacting the marriage that is at the heart of the story. I didn‘t feel vested in any of the characters and so my head felt like there was a lot of opportunity for powerful factors to pull me in, but my heart just wasn‘t interested. Not terrible but not gripping either.

An impromptu addition to what I‘m currently reading. Beautiful vignettes weaving past, present, future and parenting and immigration and autism and life. Lyrical writing that is sparse on the page but precisely chosen for its depth and beauty. Amazed by what I‘ve read so far.

Husband has the kids for the day so I‘m treating myself to lunch. Turns out, when the mice are away the cat will play 😁😸 #readitandeat

Couldn‘t put this book down. In direct & uncomplicated lines, Kusow tells the story of Idil, a Somali girl of privileged Bliss birth as she grows to understand & resist the constraints of her situation of girl becoming woman. Idil falls in love with Sidow, a man of the inferior Boon class. This forbidden love story that pulls one family apart & defies generations of ethnic and gender-based hierarchy is told with sweetness and tension.

Couldn‘t resist the chance to explore history through the eyes of Teddy Roosevelt & Mark Twain. What a combination! This book is a look at the original debates about U.S. imperialism & responsibility abroad. Well-written and an interesting look at a debate that still ebbs & flows in the U.S. I was disappointed that there wasn‘t more about Mark Twain though. He was in it at the end, but I feel like his name on the cover was just to grab attention.

I am reeeeeeaaallly far behind in my Book of the Month reading, but I just started An American Marriage today. Onward! #botm

A veteran bedbugger shares stories from the roads of the U.S. Laced with trucker tidbits (know which states have the best public radio or the difference between a chicken choker & a reefer or which city is known as Shakeytown?), humorous & sentimental anecdotes, and perceptive analysis on themes related to race, class, & the American experience. Love a memoir where I laugh, I learn, & I‘m challenged to consider a different perspective. Recommend!

I‘m on the road for a couple days. But these guys! Whew! They‘re on the road a lot! Looking forward to finishing this memoir when I get home. So far it‘s been a humorous and interesting peek into trucker culture.

A fitting dedication at the beginning of The Devil‘s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. The true story of men getting lost in the brutal desert and the Border Patrol men and women who found them. It is a carefully crafted book nevertheless filled with context and perspective that gives space for compassion and thoughtful consideration on a topic often reduced to click-bait headlines. Reading at its best.

Just started The Devil‘s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea and need to finish it before Tuesday (due date at library!). Shouldn‘t be a problem with such a compelling (albeit horrifying) subject told by an incisive but compassionate writer.

Love me some library day! Really appreciate their hold system so I can walk in to pick up the books I‘m interested in without spending hours searching while corralling little ones!! Most of these are for homeschool study, but a few “just for fun” ones snuck in too 😁

My stack of current reads. Stocked for the weekend (and then some!). What are you reading?

Urrea‘s family dynamics with an American mother & a Mexican father lend substantive credibility to the theme of identity being of primary concern. But, it is Urrea‘s exploration of time and place, the ghosts and imprints that leave a mark but eventually disappear, and the (often hilarious) retellings of memories that provide the depth of content to make this a compelling read. Masterfully written, laugh-out-loud funny, and rich in substance.

Reading in blips and patches is not the most efficient way to finish a book, but it does make the pick-up lane at my daughter‘s school more interesting. Nobody‘s Son by Luis Alberto Urrea is disarmingly funny, but deftly incisive.

Their Maker, she said, gives them the sky to carry because they are strong. These people do not know who who they are, but if you see a lot of trouble in your life, it is because you were chosen to carry part of the sky on your head.

An approachable introduction to conservative economic policy. Informative without being too insulting. Overall a good read, but I was expecting analysis on a broader range of conservative agenda points. The Conservative Heart is a broad introduction to the conservative approach to providing economic opportunity for the U.S.

Teaching my girls the tricks of the trade: put them to bed with a book and a flashlight! What super secret reading strategies do you have for reading past bedtime? #raisingreaders #raisingsuperheroes