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SamAnne
Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favorite Fish | Douglas Frantz, Catherine Collins
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1. Fish feeder at salmon farm 17 yr. Don‘t eat farmed salmon to this day. Became a life long wild salmon advocate. Salmon farms do great harm to estuaries and spread disease to imperiled wild salmon. 2. Not ones I‘ve been paid for, other than the occasional stint as an assistant in commercial river trips. 3. Burned out spectacularly in an advocacy career. Climbing out of the ashes and balance is my main priority! @Eggs #wonderouswednesday

Eggs #3 Sorry to hear about the burnout-hope you get your mojo back🤗 2d
TheBookHippie I hear ya!! 😵‍💫 2d
SamAnne @Eggs @TheBookHippie no phoenix has risen from any pile of ashes yet, but I'm getting back into the groove. Thank you. 2d
See All 6 Comments
JuniperWilde It is nice to hear more about your passion for wild salmon. I feel strongly about protecting them too. I have worked in that space (ie. protecting from mining, fish farms) for years. People are starting to wake up. 🐟 2d
SamAnne @JuniperWilde thank you for your efforts!! ❤ ❤ I worked for more than 2 decades in efforts to remove the four lower Snake River dams in eastern WA, impacting salmon and steelhead in thousands of miles of habitat in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. I think it will happen. I hope it happens in time. 1d
JuniperWilde @SamAnne 🙏🏻 your work will carry forward. It has to. In Canada (BC) they are going to force the farms on land. Salmon are such a cool creature. 17h
41 likes6 comments
review
SamAnne
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Pickpick

A soft pick for me. Beautiful prose. Loved the structure. Love her poems. Just so much focus on bitter divorce and mothering and that‘s not my favorite cup of tea.

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SamAnne
Sun House: A Novel | David James Duncan
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My boat book for the weekend. I‘ve been waiting for DJD‘s next novel for more than 20 years. Brothers K is one of my favorite all time novels. The River Why was the first literary fiction set in the landscape where I grew up and made a big impression on me at 22. Twenty years later is was hell of a lot of fun to end up working with David on efforts to remove 4 large dams to restore Columbia-Snake salmon & steelhead runs. Yay! He finished it!!

BarbaraBB Enjoy! Book and boat! 3w
59 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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My #BookspinBingo list for September! Trying to finish some buddy reads that are half or two-thirds done! I will commit to finishing or officially DNFing Villette and Middlemarch! I have some chunksters on this board so not expecting a Bingo but who knows! @TheAromaofBooks

SamAnne And oops! Forgot about reading This Entangled Life with #naturalitsy which has been on my TBR for a few years! That‘s replacing Trust. 3w
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3w
44 likes2 comments
review
SamAnne
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Mehso-so

Oh I think I judge my mysteries too harshly. But again this #Doublespin was a so-so soft pick. I really enjoyed the plot and Sweden setting. A cop and his son who follows in his footsteps are wrapped into story of unsolved rapes/murders. But oh, so overwritten. This is debut novel. The author was just trying to be too….deep? Literary? There are many hilarious sentences . Get over yourself. Focus on the story!

review
SamAnne
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Mehso-so

My #Doublespin. I appreciated the read after spending a week in Iceland this month. But a so-so-so. I liked the MC, a female detective. I didn‘t like how many mistakes the author had her make. And I sure as hell didn‘t like the “twist” at the end. Think I‘m donr with Nordic noir for awhile and will pick up some Tana French again.

Ruthiella I get annoyed when an alleged professional is made incompetent just to move the plot. 😕 3w
SamAnne @Ruthiella agree. I found it particularly infuriating because one of the themes was the glass ceiling she endures in the police department. The novel starts with her approaching retirement and being treated like crap. 3w
51 likes2 comments
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SamAnne
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Looking forward to diving into this one! Sitting on the boat watching ospreys fish and woodpeckers peck.

SamAnne And for #20in4 I want to make a dent in the tagged book. My other goal was to finish Lady Chatterlys Lover for #sundaybuddyread. Done! @Andrew65 4w
Andrew65 Lovely setting ❤️ 4w
56 likes2 comments
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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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A really great overview of Le Guin and her novels and other writings. I need to read more of her! https://www.nytimes.com/article/ursula-k-leguin-best-books.html?smid=url-share

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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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Mary O‘Malley poem in Galway Bay, Ireland. #poetrymatters

Jeg Beautiful 1mo
47 likes1 comment
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SamAnne
Dubliners | James Joyce
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Had a grand day in Dublin. Started an appropriate book AND did the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl tour hosted by actors Kevin and Frank. All the love. Afterwards visiting over whisky I told them I might cajole some fellow literary lovers into a Joyce readalong. Ulysses, anyone?

arlenefinnigan Aw I loved the Dublin Literary pub crawl. Ulysses is.....a challenge. 😂 1mo
arlenefinnigan Have you been to Trinity College library to see the Book of Kells? 1mo
SamAnne @arlenefinnigan we did the tour this morning. If I could it other I‘d do the Beatty Museum or something else. Way too tourista and packed out. Had a lovely time at the National Gallery of Art. Now having a pint at Kennedys where so many writers hung out and where Oscar Wilde had his first job. Sitting next to fanatical James Joyce readers—one woman has read it 9 times and participated in regular readalongs. Love this city! 1mo
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Larkken I‘ve always had a soft spot for Ulysses… 💕 1mo
arlenefinnigan @SamAnne ah that sound amazing, enjoy! 1mo
SamAnne @Larkken I have to read it now!! 1mo
dabbe Me when you say DUBLINERS: 😃
We when you say ULYSSES 😳
1mo
64 likes3 stack adds7 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ! I don‘t have kids so I don‘t pay close,attention but I think first week of,September? Hmmm….Normal People by Sally Rooney. @TheSpineView

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 1mo
37 likes1 comment
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SamAnne
Charlie Byrne's Bookshop | Galway, Co. Galway, Ireland (Bookstore)
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Traveling for an extended period and different situations so no room to pick up books. But I thoroughly enjoyed my hour in this lovely Galway Ireland bookshop. One takeaway: I am obsessed with American writer Percival Everett. He gets so little attention in my American city, and so few book lovers I know are familiar with him (although that is changing). Two of his novels were predominately displayed here: The Trees and Dr. No. WTF America?

Jolynne The Trees, outstanding. 1mo
SamAnne Right? One of my best reads this year . Then read Telephone. So different, so heartbreaking and beautiful. 1mo
BarbaraBB Both are so good. Fantastic author! 1mo
59 likes3 comments
review
SamAnne
The Flatey Enigma | Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson
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Pickpick

My Icelandic read! Gorgeous waterfall in the West Fjords. This mystery is set on a nearby Island, Flatey in the 1960s. Two deaths occur associated with a book of Icelandic sagas connected to the island and a riddle based on the book—the Flatey Enigma. Read this not for the mystery, but for the window into the isolated, Iceland island living circa 1960. Loved the descriptions, the characters. They survived on potatoes, seal, fish and puffins.

erzascarletbookgasm Beautiful! 1mo
Ruthiella Awesome picture! 🤩 1mo
AnnCrystal WOW 😍. 1mo
61 likes3 comments
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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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I‘m traveling a month in a different part of the world, so not participating in #foodandlit but wanted to give a shout out to Lizano sauce, which I filled my suitcase with. Required ingredient for the national Costa Rica dish Gallo Pinto. Here is one of my Gallo Pinto breakfasts at a small motel in the Cloud Forest. He took me into the kitchen to show me how to make it. The manager https://www.fusioncraftiness.com/lizano-sauce-from-costa-rica/

SamAnne Google the history of Lizano. It‘s interesting. It‘s their version of Worcester sauce in a way. Above is a link to a recipe, but I love the bottled version too. Can‘t find it in my city but I have ordered it! Gallo Pinto— rice, black beans, onion, red bell pepper, Lizano! (edited) 1mo
TheBookgeekFrau What a gorgeous view! 😍 1mo
marleed Ohh, I hope you are having a great time. Your view is amazing! 1mo
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BarbaraBB Interesting. I remember eating Gallo Pinto in Bolivia too. Super spicy but heartwarming after walking in the snow in the Andes! Beautiful picture. I hope you have a great month where you are now. 1mo
SamAnne @marleed @TheBookgeekFrau @BarbaraBB photo is from Monte Verde in Costa Rica from a couple years ago. I want to go back! The Costa Rican dish wasn‘t very spicy but so flavorful. I add more spice. Currently am in Galway Ireland! 1mo
marleed Haha! I was thinking you flew straight from Ireland to Costa Rica! 1mo
Dilara Thank you ever so much for the link! I was wondering how to substitute or make my own Lizano and now I know... 1mo
SamAnne @Dilara there are several recipes online. Especially helpful for gluten intolerant. I just ran out of my Lizano stash and will need to try making my own! 1mo
62 likes8 comments
blurb
SamAnne
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Traveling Ireland. Appreciating tagged history. Chatted a long time w/ fellow book lover Glen (in the middle) over Irish whiskey at the Hole in The Wall in Kilkenny. We talked about our love of Steinbeck, Kesey, tagged book and Richard Powers‘ The Overstory. He forgave me for not liking Kerouac. An Irish forester who‘d lived in Montana, we talked long on forest conservation. And why Americans voted for a fascist like Trump. #bookscanuniteus

JenniferEgnor So many of us have tried to fight back against him. The fascist crowd seems to be growing. I am terrified of what is happening in this country. For my friends, my family, for me. 2mo
SamAnne @JenniferEgnor me too. Glen had not heard about the extent of the book bans occurring. I am very afraid of where we are headed. We need a major course correction. 2mo
kspenmoll @SamAnne @JenniferEgnor I feel the sane as both of you. I am terrified of the anti-democratic throngs in our country & hate the legacy we are leaving for the next generation. 2mo
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Leftcoastzen I was in Dublin during George Bush (shrub) era . Hanging in a pub, a man asked, George Bush! Can‘t you do something about that? Another said ,Me Mam won‘t let me go to the states, you all carry guns over there! I loved my conversations in pubs & tried my best to convince folks we are not all right wing nut bags. 2mo
SamAnne @Leftcoastzen of course guns came up to. Yes, we have the same approach. My partner is super gregarious and we‘ve been meeting so many interesting people. 2mo
Tamra There is a faction of the American public that loves a circus and that‘s what Trump offers - the cost doesn‘t matter. 2mo
dabbe And where do you think you and I would be if we had three (probably soon to be four) indictments against us? At our cozy estate or in jail? And his numbers keep going UP the more trouble he gets in. I will never understand it. 2mo
Ruthiella I forgive Glen for liking Kerouac! 😂 2mo
SamAnne @Ruthiella 😂😂 I forgave him too. 2mo
SamAnne @dabbe Exactly. I know a few people who have served a few years for very small crimes. They were poor. And decent people. 2mo
SamAnne @Tamra yes that. And he‘s such a demagogue. We have some of the same trends in our country as Germany in the 1930s. Esp. Economic disparity. And the effects of social media. My partner is registered Republican (usually votes Democrat with the occasional libertarian vote. We can type in the same search on Google and get entirely different results. We get different feeds on Facebook. It is disturbing. 2mo
AnnCrystal LOL, actually Hillary Clinton won the Popular Vote by a landslide. The Electoral College went against the Popular Vote.

I've actually been doing some research on forest conservation, have you read about the Menominee tribe and how they've sustainably logged their forest in Wisconsin for 160 years. Fascinating.
(edited) 2mo
SamAnne @AnnCrystal I haven‘t read about that tribe. All my work has been in the Northwest. 2mo
AnnCrystal @SamAnne 🙂👍 2mo
SamAnne @marleed and no surprise—everyone we chat with in a pub knows where Butte, America is! 🥰🥰🥰 1mo
marleed @SamAnne isn‘t that a hoot - most Irish town in America! I‘m here now! 1mo
59 likes1 stack add16 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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1. It‘s a rare day I don‘t read or listen to a book. 2. I read to explore and understand the world and also to escape it when I need to. People who read, grow up reading have larger brain centers supporting empathy studies show. Thanks @Eggs #wondrouswednesday

Eggs How lovely 🥰 2mo
42 likes1 comment
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SamAnne
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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It‘s only appropriate that my #Bookspin would be the tagged Icelandic noir while I‘m traveling Iceland. Photo is of the farthest western point in Europe in the West Fjords that also hosts the largest bird colony in Europe. Puffins are damn cute! #doublespin is a Swedish noir Blaze Me a Sun. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Oh how fun!!! I have heard so many wonderful things about visiting Iceland - I hope your trip is amazing!!!! 2mo
SamAnne @TheAromaofBooks thanks! We are loving it. 2mo
bnp Nice coincidence! 2mo
AnnCrystal Puffins! I love these little guys. Beautiful photo... (edited) 2mo
66 likes4 comments
blurb
SamAnne
The Flatey Enigma | Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson
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A bar/bookstore with live music across from our Airbnb in Reykjavik. Love it! And enjoying the tagged noir mystery set in the islands off the West Fjords where we are headed next. Set in the 1960s, a cryptographer studying one of the original saga books is found dead. Another dead body is found with a Viking symbol carved in its back. A young lawyer from Reykjavík is sent up to help solve the crimes. Moody, slow-paced, descriptive story.

BarbaraBB That looks so cool! 2mo
CarolynM Looks lovely😍 Enjoy your trip! 2mo
TrishB Gorgeous ♥️ 2mo
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Bookwormjillk That sounds like the perfect set up. If I ever make it to Iceland I‘m asking you for that address! 2mo
SamAnne @Bookwormjillk @amiable we are loving Reykjavík!! 2mo
CrowCAH That looks like a super cool place!!! 2mo
Liz_M Looks amazing! 2mo
sarahbarnes Looks amazing!! 2mo
Jeg Lucky you. Iceland is one of my favourite places to visit. Have you read Hannah Kent‘s Burial Rites? It‘s the book that got me to Iceland. Read it again when I was there. 2mo
AnnCrystal 😍 2mo
84 likes1 stack add11 comments
review
SamAnne
Romantic Comedy | Curtis Sittenfeld
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Pickpick

I would probably not have gotten around to reading this had it not been for #camplitsy. While I enjoyed Rodham, I thought there would be other novels I‘d rather be reading. I enjoyed this so much more than I expected. Fun, funny great audiobook to listen to while doing chores and running errands in preparation for a long vacation. I laughed out loud so many times. Main character writes for SNL show connects with musician guest starring.

squirrelbrain Glad you enjoyed it! 2mo
65 likes1 stack add1 comment
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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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Traveling. Here‘s my quick #Bookspin #BookspingBingo list. Will be traveling and sightseeing more thank reading but hope to finish a couple books focused on Iceland and Ireland while on my adventure! @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2mo
bibliothecarivs Can you explain to me how #BookSpinBingo works? I've been on Litsy for a while now and many people talk about their lists but how are they used exactly? 2mo
SamAnne @bibliothecarivs sorry for the slow reply! It‘s hosted the @TheAromaofBooks it‘s a fun game to get books off your TBR list. Make a list of 20 books. Host pulls two number randomly, your #bookspin read and your #doublespin read if you want to read two. Gather numbers are all thrown back into the mix and she creates a bingo board for folks who want to try for bingos. Follow tagged host here and watch for her posts on Aug. 2! 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @bibliocarivs - @SamAnne did a great job explaining, and if you need more details, I overexplain the challenge here 😂 - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ - if you want to join, just make your list of books and tag me when you do!!! 2mo
61 likes4 comments
review
SamAnne
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Pickpick

Thoughtful memoir from a queer Muslim writing about navigating being queer and Muslim, the assumptions and judgements from all sides. I‘ve avoided organized religion all my life because for me personally, it did not feel worth the energy to try and carve out a feminist space in a patriarchal structure and tradition. But I do admire women who manage to do so. Much to discuss. I wonder where the author‘s journey will take them. #camplitsy

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SamAnne
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Pickpick

Forgot to post a review. A soft pick for me. I enjoyed parts of it but the first half didn‘t keep my attention and it took forever for me to finish. Not entirely sure why. Perhaps I couldn‘t get invested in some of the characters. But glad to read it with the #camplitsy crew.

Tamra Didn‘t hold mine either and I bailed. Can‘t quite put my finger on why. 2mo
65 likes1 comment
review
SamAnne
Lone Women: A Novel | Victor LaValle
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Pickpick

What the hell did I just read? I love a novel where I don‘t know where the hell it‘s taking me. All the love for this western themed story with elements of horror. About family secrets, acceptance, being different, surviving. For readers who loved Percival Everett‘s The Trees, this might be your jam. OOf. I will be thinking about this one for awhile.

BarbaraBB Great review! I have it waiting for me on my shelves! 2mo
62 likes1 stack add1 comment
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SamAnne
Lone Women: A Novel | Victor LaValle
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It feels appropriate to be starting this new novel while driving through Montana landscape. Looking forward to this one! You know where I‘m headed @marleed !! 🎶🎤🎸🎺🎻🥁🎹

marleed Oh my gosh, I hope you stop in for a John‘s pork shop. You might want to go for a pasty, too! I sure wish I was there too! 2mo
BarbaraBB I have this one on my shelves and am looking forward to it. Can‘t wait to hear your thoughts! 2mo
Tamra 💜 MT landscape 2mo
SamAnne @marlees we always stop in for a pork chop sandwich! We are grabbing breakfast at the Hummingbird Cafe right now! 2mo
70 likes2 stack adds4 comments
review
SamAnne
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Pickpick

Finished awhile ago, late to post a review. This #naturalitsy choice was one that had been on my TBR list for a long time. It was far more poetic and thought-provoking than I expected. I enjoyed the breadth of “abandoned“ places she includes, from Chernoybl, volcanic landscapes, mining sites, a New Jersey industrial site.

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SamAnne
Yellowface | R F Kuang
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Pickpick

Will save my comments for #camplitsy discussion on Saturday, but I loved this dark satire of the writing world, publishing industry and cancel culture. Who has the right to tell what story, whose story?

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SamAnne
Snowblind | Ragnar Jaonasson
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Reading Iceland Noir before my trip later this month! And enjoying a warm day on a lake.

dabbe Lovely! 💙💙💙 2mo
steph_phanie I looooove Iceland. Hope you have the best time! 2mo
65 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
SamAnne
When Women Were Dragons | Kelly Barnhill
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Panpan

My least favorite read of the year. In my view, this could have been a fun and interesting short story, maybe novella. A fun premise but it couldn‘t carry a 400 page book. I sped read the last 150 pages just because it was a for a book club. Only reason it wasn‘t a DNF for me.

TrishB lol 😁 I loved this book. 3mo
Tamra I tried and bailed too. I agree, perhaps a short story. 3mo
SamAnne @TrishB I think I‘m in more of the #unpopularopinion. A couple people in my book club felt like I did and others really loved it. 3mo
marleed Oh I love a bookclub discussion when some loved and others just couldn‘t with a book! 3mo
TrishB I love the differences too- that‘s what we read for! All experience it differently. 3mo
67 likes5 comments
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SamAnne
Giovanni's Room | James Baldwin
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Really wonderful feature in NYT with several queer writers, including Roxanne Gay, reflecting on, commenting on, the most influential queer writers of the last several decades. Some writers I had not heard of. And some phenomenal portraits and photographs included in this feature. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/t-magazine/queer-postwar-books-plays-poems.ht...

CatMS Wonderful article, dont know how I missed it as a NYT subscriber. 3mo
SamAnne @CatMS I think the NYT has been doing stellar literary coverage. No other newspaper comes close. Have particularly appreciated recent features on Cormac McCarthy. I just follow NYT electronically (sigh...I used to get the Sunday edition delivered in Spokane WA, but those days are done) and it's easy to miss articles. 3mo
Reggie Oh I read this. I liked the poem where the author was describing who they would vote for. Still seems relevant. 3mo
54 likes3 comments
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SamAnne
The Road | Cormac McCarthy
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Interesting NYT article on the changes in the publishing industry, and how Cormac McCarthy would not have a shot at a successful career in today's world. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/19/opinion/cormac-mccarthy-publishing.html

JuniperWilde Interesting. Thanks for flagging it 🌸 3mo
66 likes1 comment
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SamAnne
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On impulse my husband and I just bought a houseboat on Priest Lake, Idaho. A unique oppportunity…we canoes by and 3 days later…we have a houseboat! Perfect place to catch up on my #naturalitsy read! We‘ve named the boat Latibulum. #BlameitonLitsy #weirdwords. A word that came too my attention thanks to @CBee The noun for verb latibulate, meaning to hide from cares, worries, responsibilities, say in a corner of a room. Or on a houseboat!

BkClubCare Vocabulary 💕 3mo
CBee Oh wow!!! Such a beautiful view and a really cool word! Jealous too 😉 3mo
UwannaPublishme How cool to have your very own houseboat! What fun! 3mo
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Tamra Enjoy!!! 🚤 3mo
TheBookgeekFrau The mother of impulse buys for sure! 😂😂 Congrats and Enjoy!!! 💕 3mo
SamAnne It‘s been a rough few years and we need a Latibulum! And it‘s an old school tiny marina run by a bad ass 85 year old woman who followed the Monarchs in Mexico last winter. She wants to go to the Serenghetti next year. She suffers no fools. Parked Next to another bad ass woman. A lot of good crone energy going on here… (edited) 3mo
jlhammar Wow, congratulations! Looks heavenly! 3mo
Megabooks Very cool!! Congratulations!! 3mo
Amiable What a fabulous view for your new buy! 3mo
CatMS Beautiful and so lucky 3mo
Suet624 Congrats! That‘s wonderful! 3mo
83 likes2 stack adds11 comments
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SamAnne
All the Pretty Horses | Cormac McCarthy
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AmyG 😢 3mo
Hooked_on_books End of an era, for sure 3mo
dabbe 🖤😢🖤 3mo
TheSpineView 😢 3mo
68 likes4 comments
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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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Wow. Elizabeth Gilbert is pulling back publication indefinitely of a novel she's finished, set in Russia. Because of backlash from people upset that she set a novel in Russia while Russia is at war with Ukraine. IMHO that is bonkers, and terrible precendent. And the book follows a family who flees to Siberia to avoid Soviet control. Other thoughts? https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/12/books/elizabeth-gilbert-book-russia.html

Tamra I don‘t like limitations on writers. If you don‘t want to read something, just don‘t. What if others do want to read it? I understand it‘s her prerogative, but I have to agree with the concerns about precedent. (edited) 3mo
kspenmoll @Tamra I wholeheartedly agree. That is a slippery slope-I am sorry she capitulated if that is the case. 3mo
kspenmoll Thanks for the NYT account. 3mo
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AmyG I just read about this. Absolutely nuts. And I am pissed as I have loved her last few books. 3mo
TNbookworm @Tamra nicely said, I agree completely. 3mo
ravenlee This smacks of anti-German and anti-Japanese sentiment around WWII, calling sauerkraut “freedom cabbage” and such. Does her writing in any way, financially or politically or ideologically, support Russia? Come on. 3mo
Hooked_on_books I saw this story earlier and was horrified by it. I don‘t think she should have pulled publication whatsoever. It‘s a form of censorship. Really not all that much different from banning books because someone doesn‘t like their content. 3mo
Becker You said it best, “bonkers”. There is something very unsettling about this. 😳 3mo
CatLass007 I have no understanding of why anyone would even object to a story set in the former Soviet Union. I realize that the war in Ukraine is part of Putin‘s attempt to rebuild the USSR. But a book set in the former Soviet Union can only reveal that it would be a spectacularly bad thing for the Russians and the rest of the world to allow such a thing to happen. (edited) 3mo
marleed I read about this and have thought about it all day. It seems like early good-reads reviews were the catalyst for this. I dislike everything about this. I really dislike that bad faceless GR input was the impetus to pull the work of a respected author. 3mo
Suet624 I hadn‘t heard this!! That‘s astonishing and ominous. 3mo
BkClubCare Whoa 3mo
Jeg I heard this and could not believe it. Censorship in yet another form. Terrible. 3mo
thebackyardgnome Oh dear... Mh Bubby was imprhsoned in a Sovist camp - and one of very few shrvivors of a major massacrs of Polish officsrs and intellighntsia. She still apprecisted thr Russian classiv novels. 3mo
thebackyardgnome Books are onr of tht bst ways fhr us to broadrn our horizons, learn more about othsr peoplr and make us more awars of rhe world around us. They hrlp us with our morsl compass. Witg all the convsersation about thr censlrship in the USA, this is ahighlh worrying precendtnt. 3mo
67 likes15 comments
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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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My June #BookspinBingo board. My #Bookspin is #camplitsy read The Bandits, which I‘m thoroughly enjoying. #Doublespin #Naturalitsy read is Islands of Abandonment, a book I‘ve been meaning to get to for awhile. Looking forward to the month! @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks great!! 4mo
48 likes1 comment
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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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My #BookspinBingo recap! Got a Bingo! Read my #Bookspin and #Doublespin. So many great reads. Ada Limon‘s poetry collection The Hurting Kind—great. Telephone by Percival Everett— poignant, very different from The Trees. Matrix, Ducks fantastic. Love Finding the Mother Tree. Written in 1925, Manhattan Transfer is so ahead of its time, snapshots of NYC and people struggling to live and thrive. Greenwood a disappointment. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Fabulous month!!! 4mo
48 likes1 comment
review
SamAnne
Greenwood | Michael Christie
Mehso-so

I thought this would be a 5 star read for me. A generational story set from 1908 and 2038 in Canada, focused on timber, trees & forests. A family‘s relationship to them as timber barons, forest protection activists, carpenters. Beautiful writing, some characters I loved. But a little too much telling than showing. Some actions by characters not believable. Some forest science totally off the mark. Did he not read Finding the Mother Tree?

SamAnne Also, what I finished for #20in4 in addition to finishing Matriz by Lauren Groff. Mostly audio, got more than 13 hours in! Thank you @Andrew65 ! 4mo
SamAnne Back to Greenwood: the author writes beautifully about interacting with wood as a carpenter. But he doesn‘t nail (hah! pun intended) the forest ecology. While the storyline weaves in the destruction of Canada‘s primeval forests, the novel seemed derisive of the people trying to stop that destruction. I grew up in a logging town. Made me a forest protection activist. It didn‘t sit well. 4mo
SamAnne So I‘m a harsh critic of this book I‘m sure. Best tree focused books in my opinion? The Overstory! Floored me. Old school, set in the country I grew up in: Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey. Oh, he captures my homeland perfectly. A forest focused book I liked less than this one? Barkskins by Annie Proulx. Needed an editor even more than this one. 4mo
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Andrew65 Well done on an excellent Readathon and thanks for playing along 👏👏👏🙌🥳🍾🥂
Shame this book wasn‘t better as it sounds ideal, but I hate it when some books slip too much into a telling role..
4mo
CaitlinR Great review! 4mo
Tamra Shoot, I have this one marked TBR. 4mo
JuniperWilde I wanted to love this, too. Sadly, I read The Overstory first so my expectations were high and I found this very disappointing. Midway I decided to speed read my way to the ending. 4mo
SamAnne @Andrew65 me too. Drives me nuts. 4mo
SamAnne @Tamra again, I‘m probably being hard in the book only because I know some of subject matter well. Besides some “too much telling,” much of the writing is beautiful and he captures settings really well. But I did have issues with characters—their story arcs and motivations did not ring true to me. 4mo
SamAnne @JuniperWilde glad I‘m not the only one. The Willow character did not ring true for me and he seemed derisive of those wanting to save the forest. I relished the complex characters in The Overstory, Powers‘ excellent understanding of forest ecology. I also enjoy some spot on satire and skewering of activist culture—having been part of it—and Birnam Wood did it beautifully! But Willow in this one was flat and 2-dimensional IMO. 4mo
Suet624 So fun to see Sometimes a Great notion and Ken Kesey mentioned. 3mo
47 likes11 comments
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SamAnne
Greenwood | Michael Christie
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Mehso-so

I thought this would be a 5 star read for me. A generational story set from 1908 and 2038 in Canada, focused on timber, trees & forests. A family‘s relationship to them as timber barons, forest protection activists, carpenters. Beautiful writing, some characters I loved. But a little too much telling than showing. Some actions by characters not believable. Some forest science totally off the mark. Did he not read Finding the Mother Tree?

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SamAnne
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Interested in diving into this one after hearing an interview with the author on Fresh Air. About how the electricity of cells affects our health and mental acuity. As a person in remission from breast cancer ( but likely to return) I‘m especially interested in the research showing cancer cells have different electrical pulses than normal cells, and what research is looking like for cancer therapy. Fascinating.

Megabooks This was truly fascinating! 4mo
Suet624 Wow. This sounds fascinating! 3mo
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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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My #BookspinBingo for June. Looking forward to some great books. #Bookspin #Doublespin. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4mo
49 likes1 comment
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SamAnne
Greenwood | Michael Christie
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Everyone else is still asleep. I‘m enjoying this novel that I just started. Watching the sparrows and hummingbirds while my border collie Action Jackson stands guard at the end of the driveway to thwart squirrel interlopers on the bird feeder. My sweet dog who requires no fence or leash.

Tamra So peaceful. 4mo
BookNAround Action Jackson is clearly a good boi who takes his responsibility seriously. ❤️ 4mo
dabbe Hello, Adorable AJ! 🩵🐾🤍 4mo
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SamAnne
Matrix | Lauren Groff
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Contemplating Matrix while watching my ladies take a group dust bath. It is their absolute bliss. An all female order ruled by Gilda, the black and white in the middle. For those who have read Michael Twitty‘s book, she is a Dominque. Heritage breed that came over to America with the Pilgrims. And such a sweet girl. She comes to the kitchen door to ask for cheese treats. I oblige.

Leftcoastzen Amazing ! I love chickens. 4mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 4mo
Tamra 😍 4mo
Hooked_on_books We have a tame peacock that wanders around our property. He‘s “ours” and not all at the same time. He‘ll walk up to the kitchen slider door when he sees us inside and will even occasionally tap on the glass with his beak. He‘s hoping for my husband to toss him some peanuts. It‘s pretty entertaining. (edited) 4mo
74 likes4 comments
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SamAnne
Matrix | Lauren Groff
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Pickpick

Oof. A book about power, women claiming power, wielding power. Set in a 13th century abbey. Marie is a badass. Let‘s raise a hand to the Maries of the world. First book completed for #20in4. @Andrew65

paper.reveries I have this on my shelf!! This makes me excited to read it :) 4mo
SamAnne @paper.reveries I think it is Groff‘s best work. The pace starts out slow and then goes quick. Lots to think about! (edited) 4mo
JuniperWilde This is the first review that has inspired me to read this book. Thank you. 4mo
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bibliothecarivs One of the best books I read last year and now one of my top favourite novels (I read mostly nonfiction). 4mo
E.Bolhafner adding this one to my TBR pile. F Badassery draws me in ;-) 4mo
Hooked_on_books I loved this one! And before I read it, I thought someone was crazy to think I‘d read a book about medieval nuns. So glad Groff proved me wrong. 4mo
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 Sounds a really interesting book. 4mo
OrangeMooseReads I LOVE a badass lady! Adding this to the ever growing list 😊 4mo
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SamAnne
Matrix | Lauren Groff
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Pickpick

Oof. A book about power, women claiming power, wielding power. Set in a 13th century abbey. Marie is a badass. Let‘s raise a hand to the Maries of the world. First book completed for #20in4. @Andrew65

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SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
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So last readathon I didn‘t make 20 hours. It was 20 minutes. Seriously. 🙄. Hoping for better stats this time.
Goals are to finish Matrix and Greenwood, catch up on some New Yorker short stories. And whatever I choose after that! @Andrew65 #20in4 #readathon

Andrew65 Best of luck and great to have you with us 😁 Here‘s hoping you break 20 mins. 4mo
49 likes1 comment
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SamAnne
Matrix | Lauren Groff
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Waiting for a friend, enjoying a quiet moment in one of my favorite bars with a book Im enjoying more than I expected. Nice end to a rough day.

Ruthiella Sorry your day was rough. Tomorrow will hopefully be better. TGIF! ❤️ 4mo
SamAnne @Ruthiella and hope your Friday was good too! 4mo
77 likes2 comments
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SamAnne
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Pickpick

Exceptional graphic memoir. Nova Scotia native Kate Beaton worked in the Alberta tar sands for 2 years to pay off college loans. She explores the effect environmental destruction, dangerous working conditions, isolation & lack of social structure has on workers, how many men there become the worst versions of themselves, and the impacts on women working there. It‘s both a sledgehammer of a book and also a very thoughtful, nuanced memoir.

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SamAnne
Telephone | Percival Everett
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Pickpick

So different than The Trees. A professor struggles to come to terms with a young daughter dying of a progressive dementia disease. Ends up heading to New Mexico to save some Mexican women imprisoned in a sweat shop. It‘s about falling short for our loved ones, perhaps doing the best we can, are equipped to do. And looking for redemption. Everett‘s novels seem so wildly different from one another. I look forward to reading more.

Liz_M Now you have to figure out which version of Telephone you read! 4mo
SamAnne @Liz_M wait— what??? 4mo
SamAnne @Liz_M Hah! I just had to go look it up. I did not know about the 3 versions. https://lithub.com/on-percival-everetts-almost-secret-experiment-in-a-novel-in-t... 4mo
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Liz_M 😁 I really tried to make this a book club book just to see if there was an effect on discussion.... 4mo
LiteraryinLawrence Whoa, I had no idea! 4mo
Tamra @SamAnne wow, so imaginative! 4mo
62 likes6 comments
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SamAnne
Telephone | Percival Everett
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“People, and by people I mean them, never look for truth, they look for satisfaction. There is nothing worse, certain painful and deadly diseases not withstanding, than an unsatisfactory, piss-poor truth, whereas a satisfactory lie is all too easy to accept, even embrace, get cozy with, is a bit of all right.” Loving my next Percival Everett novel! #Firstlinefridays

Tamra I‘ve had this TBR for too long now! 4mo
shadows In Iran almost every book face with censorship,of course if they could understand book's content...propaganda ( excuse me,my English language is not good) 4mo
SamAnne @shadows yes, books get banned by people who have not read them. 4mo
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SamAnne @Tamra I am engrossed in this one. I LOVED The Trees. This one is completely different. So far, a very poignant, beautiful novel, the main character a husband struggling with his daughter's terminal diagnosis. I want to read more Percival Everett. 4mo
Tamra @SamAnne that does sound very different. I‘ve read he is a diverse writer. 4mo
shadows Of course, but in Iran books banned by government more than people...many books will not republication because this books potentially could change people's minds...excuse me my comments not about this book. 4mo
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SamAnne
The Hurting Kind | Ada Limon
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Pickpick

I love Ada Limon. A beautiful collection of poems, as usual.

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SamAnne
Good Omens | Gaiman, Neal
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Good NYT article on Gaiman's adult books. I still haven't read anything by him! https://www.nytimes.com/article/neil-gaiman-books.html

Tamra Magical realism isn‘t in my wheelhouse typically, but I really enjoyed the tagged book. The magical parts are secondary. 4mo
IndianBookworm I enjoyed the tagged book (alongwith the Amazon show), but my personal favourite is 4mo
Tamra I should add I LOVED the screen adaptation of Good Omens. 😃 4mo
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annamatopoetry The article is paywalled, but my two cents as a two decades fan of his work: how you'll like it depends on your preferences. If you're not a sff fan, The Ocean. 4mo
annamatopoetry (continued)... is a great place to start, I didn't like it, it felt predictable after having read his other works. I LOVE American Gods, but it's a weird mix of noir and fantasy, Anansi Boys is his most humorous, BUT I would start with the short stories. M is for Magic and Fragile Things are both excellent. 4mo
SamAnne @annamatopoetry Yes, I‘ve been thinking that American Gods is the place to start for me! Thanks for the recommendations. (edited) 4mo
51 likes6 comments