📚💙 Book 53 of 2026 - Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune. I read this for #BookNerd category “Read a book with a cryptid” and also because I adore TJ Klune. This book is the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which is one of my very favorite books. 1/2

📚💙 Book 52 of 2026 - The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. This book marks the last book for my yearly book-reading goal, which is one per week. I read this one for #BookNerd category “Read a book about an inventor.” 1/2

I had google search my pics for “sit pretty,” because I wanted a pic of my senior dog begging for food. Instead, it returned 200 pics of Lulu doing some variety of this.

📚💙 July was a slow month for me, particularly when it comes to reading vs listening. The books I did read were mostly excellent though.

Banana Ball in Boise!

Here’s a Mimi the chiweenie update. She cost $50 at the shelter, but $2000 at the vet for extractions and tooth cleaning. She started out obsessed with me even though she was supposed to be my husband’s dog, but now she sleeps on his side of the bed. She loves/hates her sisters. She is the softest.

📚💙 Book 52 of 2026 - I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney. I read this because it was the library’s Big Read last week where there are no checkout limits and no waiting list for a digital title. It’s a way for everyone to read the same book together, a bit of community building. 1/2

📚💙 Book 50 of 2026 - The Human Stain by Philip Roth. It’s first and foremost a great read, a tightly woven novel full of flawed people living flawed lives in a deeply flawed nation. The is a “Great Book” written by a highly literate but also very engaging author.

Lulu says hi

📚💙 Book 49 of 2026 - One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad. Devastating call to action. This book tears away all pretense of The West and Liberalism as good actors. We are a genocide machine, and we must atone and change course.

IYKYK

📚💙 Book 48 of 2026 - The Fraud by Zadie Smith. This is a languorous, meandering novel that reminded me a lot of Dickens. It’s based on true events & features cameos by many dead writers including Dickens. I appreciate its sharp wit and its themes of populism and of who gets to decide what truth is

📚💙 June’s reading summary. Seven books, and all seven worked for #BookNerd categories.

Went and saw Mandalorian and Grogu with the fam today. Doesn’t add much to the lore of Star Wars but is still really fun.and of course Grogu is the best!

📚💙 Book 47 of 2026 - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. This is a very creepy little book. I don’t read a lot of horror anymore, except for Stephen King & Leigh Bardugo & I guess some VE Schwab also qualifies. Read this for #BookNerd category “Read a book about architecture.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎥💙 our local theater sometimes has Mystery Movie Mondays where you get a discounted ticket (we have a movie pass so it’s “free” for us) to see an upcoming new release but you don’t know in advance what it will be. Tonight was Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. 1/2

Today, we went and saw Disclosure Day by Steven Spielberg. Both of us really enjoyed it. I’m afraid a lot of the subtleties will be lost on the political right wing, but it will definitely stick with me for awhile. Emily Blunt is amazing in her role. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (of 5)

📚💙 Book 46 of 2026 - Earth Abides by George R Stewart. This book has some pretty problematic moments, particularly in its attitude toward the intellectually handicapped, and the author speeds up the transition of man into tribal people more than I think it would happen 1/2

📚💙 Book 45 of 2026 - Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. This one is a bit of a cheat since it is a children’s picture book. I read it for #BookNerd category “Read a children's book that won an award the year you were born.” This Caldecott winner is very sweet & a little scary. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎥💙 The Death of Robin Hood - Michael Sarnoski’s take on the shortcomings of legends is unrelentingly grim, but it is well-executed by all involved. Hugh Jackman plays the bitter old man with perfect intensity & there are many unspoken moments that add depth and complexity to the characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

📚💙 Book 44 of 2026 - On a Move by Mike Africa Jr. this is an insider’s view of the Move Bombing in Philly in the 1980’s. For those who haven’t heard about it, Philadelphia police dropped a literal bomb on the roof of MOVE headquarters, killing 11 people, including 5 children. 1/2

So much Spanish. And yes, I know it’s AI slop, and I wish they still employed actual people. But I really am learning a lot.

Im way ahead of goal this year. I was afraid I wouldn’t finish my library’s book nerd challenge because some of the categories aren’t my favorites, but so far it’s been a good year for that too, and I think I’ll be able to collect my 4th t-shirt in 5 years.

Went and saw The Sheep Detectives with my son’s lovely girlfriend. I was not really expecting a lot tbh, didn’t check the reviews or anything. It ended up being delightful. Funny and entertaining, and also that rare breed of film you can feel good taking grandma to see.

📚💙 Book 43 of 2026 - Broken Fields by Marcie R. Rendon. This is book 4 of the Cash Blackbear mysteries, which recounts how a young Ojibwe woman in the 1970s solves murders in the Red River Valley. This one feels transitional to me, as Cash really starts coming of age. 1/2

📚💙 Book 42 of 2026 - Cherry Baby by @rainbowrowell.bsky.social. I’m a huge Rainbow Rowell fan, and this new novel does not disappoint. I loved Cherry so so much. It was also cool to find out that Rainbow Rowell is friends with my other favorite author, Leigh Bardugo. Go read this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚💙 Book 40 of 2026 - The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer. This one was honestly a little too cutesy for me, although it was a pleasant, easy read. Read for #BookNerd category “Read a book with books on the cover.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

📚💙 Book 39 of 2026 - Seasons of Glass and Iron by @amalelmohtar.com I ended up reading this for #BookNerd category “Read a book in diary form.” Not all the stories feature a diary, but enough do that it’s a theme. I really loved this, and it was fun to listen in on the audio because 1/2

📚💙 Book 38 of 2026 - Today Tonight Forever by Madeline Kay Sneed. I only grabbed this because it was available in Libby when I didn’t have any other audio queued but this ended up being good. Lots of queer characters. 1/2

📚💙 Book 37 of 2026 - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. This is one of those books that has a ridiculously long queue at the library, plus I love all things V.E. Schwab, so I read this great vampire tale when it was my time en despite it not fitting any #BookNerd categories.