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Because Life's Too Short to Read One Book at a Time

Welcome to a podcast about books by a professional book lover (also known as a librarian). You may be one listen away from finding your favorite book.

Reading Wrap-Up: March 31-April 6, 2025

I've been on Spring Break for the past week and boy howdy did I spend a LOT of that time reading. Because I could. Because a teacher's...

Apr 63 min read

Reading Wrap-Up: March 24-30, 2025

It's officially spring break for my school district, which meant I made a very conscious effort this past weekend to step away from the...

Mar 313 min read

Reading Wrap-Up: March 17-23, 2025

Currently Reading: Free by Amanda Knox - The fact that I studied abroad in Italy less than a year after Amanda's own saga there started...

Mar 242 min read

Reading Wrap-Up: March 3-16, 2025

Forgot to post last week, but alas, it's Sunday once again. Currently Reading: Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of...

Mar 163 min read

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GALLERY

I’m not normally one to stick with New Years Resolutions, but for 2025 I have done a decent job of my goal to keep reading poetry in my regular rotation. It was that goal that led me to randomly picking up @katejbaer’s collection I Hope This Finds You Well and I was immediately hooked on her words so I read all the other collections she had in print. When I saw she was coming to @andersonsbookshop, of course I had to go - school night be damned! She had great stories and the honest everyday-ness of her writing comes off as easy (which makes you know it’s not!) She’s one of the voices that inspired me to start writing my own poems again this year and just generally remembering to make my creative pursuits a priority. What a great evening!

#Books #Reading #Poetry #AuthorEvent #KateBaer #HowAboutNow

You know how I’m always saying “where are the books for 13-17 year olds?” Here’s one! @rutasepetysauthor and @stevesheinkin knocked it out of the park in this book focusing on a 19 year old brother and his 14 year old sister who both find themselves working at Bletchley Park during WWII, desperately trying to break codes to defeat the Nazis as well as find out what happened to their mother who is missing and presumed dead. I’m so glad we picked this for our Battle of the Books program this year - it’s got action, is clever, and appropriate both in terms of content and reading level.

#bookstagram #fiction #HistoricalFiction #Bletchley #BletchleyPark #books #reading #BookReview

Started a book club at work! I don’t know if you’ve heard, but teacher morale everywhere is kind of awful, so I reached for what I know and proposed a quarterly book club for staff at my school. We voted from a list of titles (anyone was free to nominate whatever!) and we had a wild conversation about The Passenger by @lisa.lutz. Looking forward to doing it again in January!

Absolutely stunning. For fans of Addie LaRue and anyone who has ever clung to a story in the darkest of times, desperate to hope when there’s absolutely no reason to. It’s actually eerie how absolutely perfect and necessary this book is while America crumbles at the hands of those greedy for power in 2025.

@alix.e.harrow @torbooks #bookstagram #BookReview #fantasy #Fiction #reading #novels #WOW

Never have I read a book where the cover blurb so accurately described what awaited inside - it really was Outlander in Italy.

#books #reading #fiction #TimeTravel #HistoricalFiction

Book 100 of the year! 🎉 I’ve been a bit behind in my nonfiction and poetry reading, so I picked this up from my local library. For a book published in 2014, it has a VERY 2025 title 😭

#books #reading #poetry #bookstagram #PoetryCollection

Located on Michigan Avenue in the heart of the “hellscape” that is Chicago, @exileinbookville is a must-visit. The space is small but full of light and amazing titles (some I’d heard of, many that I hadn’t!). It’s tucked away in the second floor of the Fine Arts Building, and you can bet I’ve just found a new place to keep in the back of my mind when I’m in the Loop and have time to kill. Very excited to jump into this book on the train home too (it was picked because it sounds cool AND fit in my purse, a MUST since I didn’t know what the bag policy would be at the theatre I went to afterwards haha).

#IndieBookstores #Chicago #Books #reading #bookstagram

Book fair at a brewery? It’s true! I was successfully influenced by a @thesocialreader4 ad, and headed to @pollyannabrewingcompany with my dear friend @bluebutterflyhouse. We each made a fun pick, enjoyed a drink on the patio, and I’ll definitely be back!

#bookstagram #books #reading #BookClub #BookFair #SundayFunday #21stNightOfSeptember

It’s still warm temperatures here in Illinois, but I’m easing my way into autumn and spooky season. Ghost Boy by @rrremylai is on this year’s @rcyrba list and is a great ghost story inspired by Chinese mythology. I loved the art style, the story, and will absolutely be recommending it to my students! #books #reading #BookReview #fiction #GraphicNovels #bookstagram

The joy that comes with finishing a book that’s been on your shelf FOR👏EV👏ER👏 haha I enjoyed this book looking at the history of the world through the lens of the spread and impact of six beverages (beer, spirits, coffee, tea, wine, and soda). I loved when it would cross paths with things I already knew but had forgotten, and I actually liked that it was a nonfiction book I could pick up and put down whenever because it’s not like there were characters to follow. I hope whoever grabs it from the Little Free Library I put it in likes it too!

#books #reading #BookReview #nonfiction #history

Unexpected thing I’ve learned about myself in the past few years: apparently I have a “thing” for magical realism stories translated from Japanese! I absolutely LOVED this book by Mizuki Tsujimura when people have the chance to speak to the dead for one evening, but there’s a catch: the living can only meet with one dead person in their lifetime, and the dead can only agree to meet with the living once for all of eternity. And for any of it to happen, the living must first find a go-between, someone who can arrange the meetings that can only happen during the full moon. I love stories when magic and the supernatural press up against the world we live in, and this hit all the right notes. A must read if you were a fan of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

@scribnerbooks #Books #Reading #BookReview #Fantasy #MagicalRealism #Bookstagram

Life is short, and so are these @rebeccamakkai stories! I read this collection over the summer and loved the variety of characters, situations, and lengths. So glad my library @schaumlib has spine labels for short story collections making them super easy to find!

#books #reading #bookstagram #ShortStories #StoryCollections #Fiction

My quest to #ReadAroundTheWorld got a big boost by finishing this collection! Now I can cross Botswana, Esquatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe off the list! All of the authors and illustrators are African, and this was a delightful group of stories to work through.

#Books #Reading #FolkTales #Translated #Translation #WorldLiterature #Bookstagram

Tales as old as time get new, inventive twists in Beasts and Beauty by @somanc. I’m so glad this became a surprise addition to my school’s Battle of the Books list for this year, and I particularly enjoyed how countries and cultures besides those of a story’s origin made it dynamic and allowed some more relatability across readers. But be warned: if you’re expecting Disney-esque happily ever afters, brace yourself for something far more Grimm.

#books #reading #bookstagram #BeastsAndBeauty #ShortStories #FairyTales #fiction

It feels cruel that I only learned of Andrea Gibson’s amazing poetry due to the news of their passing. Thankfully my library had one book of theirs, the final poetry collection they published back in 2021. I was so moved that I’ll likely be buying a copy of my own and am eager to read the other words they left behind. Also, they were a guest on the @wecandohardthings podcast and I HIGHLY recommend giving that episode (and really all of that podcast’s episodes) a listen.

#AndreaGibson #books #reading #poetry #bookstagram #YouBetterBeLightning #LGBTQ #grief #feminism #wow @buttonpoetry

Last week I was up in central Wisconsin, so naturally I had to bring the one remaining @jryanstradal book I owned but had not yet read (and yes, I was delighted every time I saw signs on the county roads advertising a supper club or opened a menu and saw Old Fashioneds with brandy listed). As usual, if you’re looking for a book that spans generations, has a big cast of characters, and showcases that “Midwest nice” doesn’t mean the people here are simple or our lives are without complications, then this author is a solid option. (Special shoutout to @myopicbookstore where I picked up this copy!)

#books #reading #Bookstagram #BookReview @penguinrandomhouse #JRyanStradel #SaturdayNightAtTheLakesideSupperClub #fiction #midwest

Well that was a delight. It's been a few months since I've listened to an audiobook, and I continue to love those that are read by authors who have experience speaking. Josh Gad is one of those actors who has been in so much more than you may have initially realized, especially once he starts listing it all. As a former forensics tournament judge, I loved how participating on the speech team played such a huge role in his life. I laughed out loud when he talked about filming The Rocker, a movie I remember seeing and liking (and now I want to relisten to Teddy Geiger's music!), it was fascinating to hear about the behind the scenes ridiculousness that came along with making The Book of Mormon, Frozen, and Guttenberg: The Musical (which I actually saw on Broadway during it's limited run - I nearly wet myself multiple times from laughing so hard). It certainly was not all sunshine and rainbows, that's for sure, and I appreciate the honesty about how that was a factor in it all, too. If you are a millennial theatre kid (yes, we never stop being a theatre kid, even as we're in our 30s and 40s), give this one a listen. You'll love it.

@joshgad #books #reading #audiobooks @gallerybooks #Nonfiction #memoir #Theatre #TheatreKid #Frozen #BookOfMormon #GuttenbergTheMusical #Acting #Film #Movies #TV #BookReview #Bookstagram

Reason number 87 why old books and used bookstores are fantastic - they present great opportunities to explore authors’ backlists! I’ve been a fan of @jojomoyesofficial for a long time, but I’ll admit I haven’t read all her novels yet. Fate intervened when I got this from @cornerstone_usedbooks back on Independent Bookstore Day - for an incredibly reasonable price, I got this and one other paperback, both if which were titles I had been interested in but my budget couldn’t justify new copies. This story is a wild, emotional, and endearing tale of a millionaire guilty of insider training and a single mom trying to get her daughter to a math competition to change their future. I inhaled it in about two days and am glad I finally got a chance to read it!

#books #reading #bookstagram #BookReview #JojoMoyes @vikingbooks

It’s been a PRIME day for supporting small and second-hand businesses! Life brought me to Oak Park, Illinois today and I checked out two fantastic spots - @lookingglassop and @brownelephant. I read Less by Andrew Sean Greer YEARS ago so I was thrilled to grab the sequel, and according to the shop keeper, he had just put How to Live Safely on a Science Fiction Universe by Charles Yu on the shelf 20 minutes before I got there 🎉

#ShopSmall #ShopLocal @howardbrownhealth #books #reading #SecondHandBooks

When I was younger I toyed with the idea of a career in government, but watching seven seasons of the West Wing (I LIVED for Wednesday nights when it originally aired - I was SO COOL in junior high and high school haha) taught me a valuable lesson: the politics part of government just wasn’t for me. Neither, it seems, was it for Alyssa Mastromonaco who went on to become the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. For those fellow West Wing watchers thinking, “Wait? Deputy was Josh Lyman! He absolutely did policy!” Well friends, HE did, but that’s Sorkin for you. From the Clinton administration on, there have been at least two deputies (there are currently six), each of whom handle different needs. Mastromonaco’s area of expertise started in the scheduling department, but it’s so much MORE than that - it wasn’t just putting things on a calendar but figuring out all of the logistics for everything from inaugurations to natural disasters. And not only did she do it, but she did it well. She is a self-described hard worker who didn’t go to the fanciest schools and was usually not the smartest person in the room, but her attention to detail and her work ethic played a crucial role in making things happen. It was also nice to see the curtain pulled back and see that behind the scenes, and least in the political arenas she worked in, it was just a lot of ordinary people doing the hard work of wanting to believe they could make things better. Regardless of your party, this is a must read.

@hachetteus #Nonfiction #memoir #POTUS #government #politics #Hope #bookstagram #BookReview

I have been a fan of Maggie Steifvater’s writing for many, many years, and while she’s probably better known for her series, I’ve had a particular love for her stand alone novels (and short stories!). It’s been years since I’ve been to an author event, so when I heard she would be on tour and her adult debut was coming out, I had to make it happen. My local independent bookstore had already sold out of tickets, but fortunately Milwaukee is only 90 minutes away! Bought my ticket, jumped in my car, and I was off. As always, Stiefvater was a completely captivating speaker - she had the audience hanging on every single word, and her off the cuff answers to questions were as captivating as her prepared remarks.

The Listeners takes readers to 1941 - World War II has just begun and the US government had a peculiar question to address: where to put the Axis diplomats that we’re on American soil? This was a real conundrum, and the answer was luxury hotels (here’s a term I had never heard before: diplomatic reciprocity). June has been the general manager of The Avalon for years with a special connection to this place and the sweet water that runs in the nearby hills. It takes a lot of work to make a place like this work, and that’s even in the best of times. Everything that readers have come to love in Steifvater’s body of work is here - rich atmosphere, complicated characters, a supporting cast that gives the world a texture. If Stephen King shows us the weirder side of things, then in the same vein Stiefvater shows wonder (and I mean that as a compliment to both writers)!

Also a HUGE shoutout to Boswell Books in Milwaukee - the store was BEAUTIFUL, the setup was seamless, and I can’t wait to come back!

#Bookstagram #BookReview @maggie_stiefvater @boswellbookco #fiction #books #reading #MagicalRealism #HistoricalFiction @vikingbooks

I’m a big believer that some books just need to be read at the right time. I think that’s part of the reason my to-read shelf is so packed full of options (that’s a nice way to out it haha) - these stories sound interesting to me, but if the timing isn’t right they won’t click. My most recent example: Hamnet by @maggieofarrellofficial. When I first got this copy last year, I gave it a shot but the unique story structure and style wasn’t clicking. However when I picked it up again last week, I flew through it - it scratched what I refer to lovingly as the “English major part of my brain” and I think a lot of that was due to the fact that since I’m not teaching at the moment (summer break!), it leaves room in my mind to be the student again. Also, what’s the name of the phenomenon when you learn about something and suddenly you see it everywhere? So many things coming up Shakespeare in my outer life while I was reading this! Long story short, if you like books that play with form and stories where once supporting characters are actually the leads, give this a read.

#bookstagram #BookReview #Hamnet @tinder_press #Fiction #HistoricalFiction #Shakespeare #AnneHathaway #AgnesHathaway

Second hand books hold a special place in my heart. Okay I know all books do but hear me out! Buying new books directly supports the author, borrowing books from libraries helps communities, and second hand books like this one from a charity shop (@scarce.eco.ed, in this case) allow me a low-risk way to try something different while also letting some money to go toward a good cause. Did this book blow my mind? No. Did I blow through it in an afternoon and enjoy it? Absolutely!

My “read around the world” journey continues! Latest book finished: Where The Shoreline Used to Be, a collection of short stories, poems, and lyrics from Australia.

#books #reading #bookstagram #ShortStories #Australia #ReadAroundTheWorld

The only constant is death and taxes, right? But after reading this book, you’ll realize only one of those things should be considered scary haha In this book by @thegooddeath, the longtime mortician answers real questions kids have asked her about what happens to bodies when they’re done living. Some of it made me a bit squeamish, but that’s just because bodies do weird things whether they are living or dead. She’s factual, a bit funny, and this book is a great way to take a taboo topic and demystify it a bit.

#books #reading #nonfiction #death #BookReview #bookstagram

My own creative pursuits have stalled at the moment (no new poems for months now 😭), but @katejbaer always helps refill that well. She helps me get out of my own head and sees directly into it at the same time.

#poetry #books #reading #poems #bookstagram

The thing about @johngreenwritesbooks is his books have a way of worming their way into your head and the zeitgeist with an earnestness that can’t be denied or replicated by many others. His first foray into nonfiction, The Anthropocene Reviewed, is easily one of my favorite books of all time. And so as a fan and viewer of much of Green’s video content who has been along for the ride while the author has developed a fascination/obsession with TB, of course I bought a copy. In Everything is Tuberculosis, Green gives insights into the science of this disease that is not only a player in our past, but very much still present today. Written before the disastrous and unforgivable actions of the US government canceling much in the way of medical research and aid, the book is a raw inditement of how millions of more people will die if Congress doesn’t grow a spine. It was horrifying to learn that capitalism and corporate greed have essentially condemned people to die from this curable disease. We must we must we must do more.

Also shoutout to my local indie @andersonsbookshop for not only having so many copies in stock, but no one calling me a weirdo for going through every single one of those copies hoping I’d come across an autograph page with a bonus scribble haha

#books #reading #BookReview @duttonbooks #EverythingIsTuberculosis #EITB #nonfiction #nerdfighters #DFTBA

April was #NationalPoetryMonth but unfortunately work and life obligations left very little time for me to read many poems, let alone write my own. Fortunately for me, my library hold on this came in last week and I finished it just in the nick of time. I admire Baer’s craft and ability to pack so much into so few words. Even though she and I have walked different paths, the messages and feelings are universal. And good news for me - when I return this one to the library, my other hold on one of her other collections is waiting for me! @katejbaer #poetry #poems #AndYet #BookReview #bookstagram

My journey of reading around the world continues! This weekend I sped through The Adventures of Na Willa, a collection of vignettes inspired by the author’s childhood in Jakarta, Indonesia in the 1960s. Charming and honest, this was a great pick!

Why yes, I DO own 3 copies of Cinder by @marissameyerauthor - the first one I won, the second I bought because my old blog name was printed in it, and the third I got at a conference where I met Marissa and she autographed it and I fangirled SO HARD my baby librarian heart hardly knew what to do. Fast forward to 13 years after the first book came out and my fellow area middle school librarians and I put it on our annual Battle of the Books list and I just had to do a reread! I still love everything about this series, and a new episode of my podcast is up now gushing about my love and thoughts on Cinder and its sequel, Scarlet (which I was lucky enough to be sent a printed ARC back in the day and of course I kept it after all this time!)

#books #reading #bookstagram #ScienceFiction @mackidsbooks #TheLunarChronicles #YA #YoungAdult #podcasts #TwoBookMinimum #BookReviews

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Literally 100 years ago in 1925, John Scopes was put on trial for violating the law in Tennessee that forbid teachers from from teaching any human origin story that contradicted the creationist story in the Bible. The result was a spectacle in a small town temporarily occupied by some of the biggest personalities in the country. I remembered reading the play inspired by this story, Inherit the Wind, when I was in junior high, and getting into the specifics of this case while also trying to survive the current nightmare that is America was not exactly the best way to un-wind on my time off. However, it’s an important read and I think it’s important for people to remember that as much as it may feel like we are in unprecedented times, there’s a lot about it that’s actually pretty par for the course. May we all have the sense to learn from history rather than repeat it.
@debbielevybooks #nonfiction #books #reading #bookstagram #YoungAdult #ScopesTrial #science #evolution #creationism #PublicSchools

I had taken a bit of a break recently from both reading and writing poetry, but this collection has me all in again! @katejbaer has taken a form I particularly love - found or blackout poetry - creating wonders only from the words of other materials such as emails, speeches, DMs, and comment sections. This is a masterclass in taking modern materials (too often full of vitriol and hate) and transforming them into something eloquent and powerful with determination and hope.

@harperperennial #books #reading #BookReview #bookstagram #poems #poetry

This book is actually two pairs of short stories. While I deeply enjoyed the first and fourth story, most of my time was spent reading the second (and third). The concept in those pieces was a bit of a mind meld for me, requiring far more concentration. I’m so glad @thebookshopbatavia suggested this when I was in the store last summer - I feel like I earned this one haha #books #reading #Bookstagram #KimBoYoung @harpervoyagerus #ReadAroundTheWorld #SouthKorea #ShortStories

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert - How is this book already ten years old this year?? I adored this audiobook as I've been running both due to its topic and that it's read by the author. Liz Gilbert is like my internet aunt. Whereas I'm not sure how much my own family gets me half the time, she and I are cut from a similar cloth in that a creative life is not a choice, but a necessity. However, that's not to say it doesn't also take skill, perseverance, curiosity, and a willingness to surrender to something bigger. And even doing all that won't lead to success - no, no. Luck has A LOT to do with it too, but creative pursuits must be for each of us and what they do internally. If you're searching for external validation, keep searching. I don't think it's a coincidence that since listening to this, I've jumped back into painting and writing and knitting and drawing and on and on and on...

@elizabeth_gilbert_writer #BigMagic #Books #Reading #Audiobooks #bookstagram #Creativity @riverheadbooks #CreativeLife #AllTimeFavorites

Last minute pic before returning this one to the library! One of my goals in recent months has been that if I’m going to dabble in writing poetry, then I want to be reading more of it. Enter Joan Baez who has come into the popular zeitgeist ever since “the Bob Dylan” movie came out a few months ago. This collection comes from Baez’s more recent years both looking back on her childhood but also including poems written by the multiple personalities who would overtake her. Thanks to @npr Book of the Day podcast for letting me know about this one!

@joancbaezofficial #books #reading #poetry #poems #PoetryCollection #bookstagram

As my quest to #ReadAroundTheWorld continues, I can now cross the country of Georgia off my list! It is a postmodern novel so unfortunately I don’t think I really “got” it, and also the blurb on the back was not at all like what it was actually about. Le sigh, but now onwards!

No country is perfect, but this book really made me think that Iceland has a lot going for it (particularly as my own homeland crumbles before the world’s very eyes). Eliza Reid is a Canadian native who met her husband at grad school in England and later became Iceland’s First Lady when he was elected President and she wrote this exploration of Iceland’s commitments to gender equality while he was still in office. Page after page I was blown away not only by the extraordinary women who were living, breathing examples of how support systems - both familial and government-sponsored - can drastically change the quality of life not just for women, but for all citizens of a country. This book was on my list for ages, and when I happened across it in the clearance section of a used book store, I felt like I won the lottery. This has been one of those books that I haven’t shut up about and while it slightly pained me to part with my copy, it’s worth it if it means lending it to my friends and empowering others to demand better.

@sourcebooks #ElizaReid #SecretsOfTheSprakkar #books #reading #BookReview #nonfiction #Iceland #feminism #equality #GenderEquality #bookstagram @elizajeanreid

When TJ Klune has the chance to emotionally ruin me, consider myself ruined.

Nate has hit rock bottom, or at least he thought he did when he lost his job and his estranged parents died. Only it turns out things can and do get worse when he finds the remote cabin his mother left him to be occupied by a little girl calling herself Artemis Darth Vader and a very menacing grown man named Alex. And Alex has a gun. Now it's rock bottom!

Only it's not. It's the start of a wild, deeply weird, highly emotional interior and exterior journey for all three of these people. The circumstances are wild. All are required to bust out of their comfort zones and take unprecedented leaps of faith. Honestly for the first third of the book, readers are about as in the dark as Nate is. It's clear that Alex and Art are hiding something, and even when they offer up explanations they don't quite add up. But my curiosity beat out my passing frustrations (something I suppose Nate and I have in common), and in the end I spent two days in a row staying up WAY past my bedtime because I was completely invested in this strange little trio full of love and bacon. This is starkly different from the other Klune books I've read, and if I had to pick I would say it most closely resembles In the Lives of Puppets (except not at all). In this way, Klune's writing reminds me of Fredrik Backman's - he's an author with a signature voice, yet every story is uniquely singular.

tjklunebooks @torbooks #BookReview #Books #reading #Bookstagram #TJKlune #TheBonesBeneathMySkin

Is January too soon to say I think I found one of my favorite books of the year? Because it's happening. I felt it while I was reading and as soon as I finished I wanted to restart it immediately.

Hana has woken up on her first morning in charge of the shop that has been in her family for generations. Most people walk in the door from the Tokyo streets and into a ramen restaurant, but select others would arrive to see Hana and her father behind the counter at their magical pawn shop, a bridge between two very different worlds. But now that her father has retired, Hana's in charge only to find that the shop has been completely ransacked, both her father and an important item are missing, and a young scientist named Keishin has arrived but doesn't know why.

From there the plot only gets stranger and more beautiful. It feels unfair to say that this story takes place in Japan - it's more accurate to say it starts in Japan and takes readers into a world that reads like a gorgeous, delicate, powerful, precise water color painting. Almost every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, readers get both Hana and Keishin's perspectives, and the word that keeps sticking in my head is "atmospheric." The world building here is so unique and creative that I was fascinated and scared, which was absolutely what the author was going for. If you are a fan of Erin Morgenstern's writing (The Night Circus, but especially The Starless Sea), then this is absolutely the book for you. I want to say more, but I honestly fear that anything else will spoil the wonderful surprises that await.

@samanthasottoyambao @delreybooks #books #reading #BookReview #Fantasy #Bookstagram

It's hard to believe how long this series has been a part of my life, and if this truly is the final installment, then what a way to go out! The Wayward Children series concludes with its 10th novella, this time following Nadya, a Russian born congenital amputee (readers first met her back in book 3) who finds herself newly adopted by a couple that seems to see her missing hand as a weakness in that it makes her Other. But as is the case with these children, she sees a message asking her to Be Sure and finds her true home beneath the water and among giant turtles who share a symbiotic relationship with the people of the city. McGuire's writing doesn't remind me of anything else, and I was fully captivated from start to finish. The world-building, as usual, was phenomenal and I was deeply emotionally invested in our protagonist from Russia to the rivers and back.

@seananmcguire @torteen #bookstagram #fantasy #WaywardChildren #WaywardChildrenSeries #YoungAdult #YA

I’ll be recording a podcast episode in the next few days on these titles, but if you are looking to stock your TBR lists immediately, here were my favorite books of 2024

#JacquelineHarpman @rebeccamakkai @ajhackwith #ConnieWillis @meg_shaffer @thedanrather @mollygmanning @katekennedy @theoblue.jpg @maryoliversdrunkcousin

#books #reading #favorites #2024Favorites #TopReadsOf2024 #bookstagram

Final total for books read this year: 119! Finished two more this afternoon just under the wire, a translated novel and poetry collection

#books #reading #bookstagram #fiction #poetry

After years of listening to his Revisionist History podcast, this is the first book I’ve ever read by Gladwell (and I found it in the clearance section of a used bookstore! What a win!) This book was illuminating in how people’s actions and choices have ripple effects, and I’m very interested to eventually read if Revenge of the Tipping Point confirms or busts any of these earlier-formed ideas. It also helped reaffirm how glad I am to continue with my goal to read more nonfiction, and it wasn’t even a narrative piece as is usually my preference! How’s that for personal growth?

@malcolmgladwell #TheTippingPoint #TippingPoint #books #reading #nonfiction #bookstagram

In my quest to get translated stories for my students from every country around the world written by people from those countries, some are harder to find than others. Three cheers for finding this story from Libya thanks to the Norwegian Refugee Council in partnership with @unicef - 5 different stories were made available online, each written in English, French, and Arabic along with beautiful illustrations!
#books #reading #bookstagram #ReadAroundTheWorld #Libya

Are you still not quite over the fact that Firefly only got 14 episodes and was canceled 22 years ago? Have I got the novella for you! Ada has a hole in the side of her ship and is mere minutes away from being out of oxygen when another spacecraft finally responds to her distress call. Though she’s taken on as a refugee, her line of work and background aren’t exactly respectable to this government-sponsored salvage crew. Rian, the “brains” on board is sure there’s more to her than meets the eye, and both of them are absolutely hiding something. For the moment, they can at least be united in the fact that not all is as it seems at the space ship crash landing sight they’ve met at, and they both have their own reasons for wanting to get to the wreckage below. The real question is what will destroy them first: their secrets, their missions, or their growing attraction?

After reading two pretty long, pretty heavy fantasy books in quick succession, I was in desperate need of something fast paced and fun that didn’t take itself too seriously. Thank goodness here for @bethrevis - this story is the first in a planned trilogy and while it is carefully plotted and masterfully told, it was also a tight story and less than 200 pages. It was just what I needed to snap out of my funk and reminded me that a story does not need to be long to pack a punch and make an impact. Fortunately for me I don’t have to wait long for part 2 of this tale, and neither do you: How to Steal a Galaxy comes out on December 3!

#bookstagram @dawbooks #novella #books #reading #fiction #ScienceFiction #BookReview #ChaoticOrbits

I have news! After a 6 month hiatus, I’m working on bringing back the podcast, and I’ll be relaunching with this amazing trilogy @veschwab, Shades of London. I want to be much more intentional about the books sharing episodes, and so I’ve decided what better way to do that than to do series books or books by the same author? I only really books I intend to reread, it’s been forever since I reread this one, and holy crap did I forget a lot (and I just fell in love all over again!) this series remains one of my favorite fantasy works of all time, and I feel a huge sense of accomplishment staying up late to finish this book far past my bedtime last night ❤️🖤

#Bookstagram #Books #Reading #fantasy #Series #ADarkerShadeofMagic #AConjuringOfLight @torbooks #TwoBookMinimum

File this one under books my students have loved forever and I finally got around to it! Roz is a robot who has no idea how she came to be on an island only inhabited by wildlife, but here she is, programmed to learn and be of assistance. Of course, that takes on a whole new meaning after an accident leaves her the adoptive mother of a young gosling. It is through Roz’s eyes that we learn about nature, ecosystems, species living amongst each other and sharing resources, and the everyday miracles of the natural world. But just as the seasons change, so does the island and when surprising visitors arrive, Roz and her animal neighbors are determined to do whatever it takes to protect their home. This delightful and charming story was captivating, and the illustrations were an unexpected bonus. I can see what students in my district usually ranging from 3rd through 7th grade gravitate toward this series - there is an honesty about it, but with just enough whimsy in the art and idea of being able to communicate with nature that grabs the imagination and holds on with both hands. I’m excited to see the film version (which has gotten rave reviews) and look forward to exploring its two sequels.

@peterbrownstudio #TheWildRobot #bookstagram #books #reading #MiddleGrade #fiction #series @littlebrownyoungreaders

Behold, my 100th book of the year 🎉 This one took me over a month to read, and I remember it was so popular when it first came out in 2010. Not going to lie, I’m a little proud of myself for buying this at @thebookshopbatavia and embracing an older title rather than continuing in my tendency to get distracted by new releases and ARCs. #books #reading #bookstagram #nonfiction #HeLa #TheImmortalLifeOfHenriettaLacks #HenriettaLacks #science @rebeccaskloot

I tend to read a LOT of fiction, and I have continued in the goal I set for myself over the summer to also be reading at least one nonfiction book at the same time. However the one I chose is taking a bit longer than I thought, and thanks to @veschwab’s No Write Way podcast, I heard about this one by @isaac.fitzgerald, hit pause on my current read, and picked this up instead. In Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them, artist Wendy MacNaughton has rendered watercolor and ink illustrations of people’s tattoos to accompany the excerpts of interviews Fitzgerald has had with writers from various walks of life. The words and pictures force the readers to slow down and consider both thoughtfully, but I still got through it in two long, relaxing mornings over my coffee. Why does the cover picture look so weird with a big label on it? That’s interlibrary loan magic, baby! My local public library @schaumlib didn’t own this in their collection, but they were able to order it for me TOTALLY FREE from @rollingmeadowslib. Yet another one of the MANY reasons libraries are a gift to all members of society and deserve our ongoing support!

#books #reading #Bookstagram #Nonfiction #PenAndInk #Tattoos #libraries #SupportLibraries #InterLibraryLoan

The story is simple enough, but with big potential to continue on in dark, whimsical, magical, possibly terrifying places. Sandy is a young loner who loves to draw. When a mysterious new girl, Morfie, likes her drawings and insists Sandy draw more, is she really who she claims to be? I absolutely love the look of this book - the art is colorful and vibrant, but also uses tone masterfully. A perfect read for the first of October if, like me, you enjoy spooky season but more for the magical side of things, not the blood-and-guts avenue. I could see this being a hit with 4th grade and up, plus now I can say I’ve read a book from Colombia!

#books #reading #bookstagram #comics #GraphicNovels #ReadAroundTheWorld #Colombia #LorenaAlvarez

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