Chelsea

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick was a treat to read. Set in the 60s, it follows a group of housewives as they struggle with everyday life. They quickly form a strong bond over books and more. This book felt familiar as many women share the same pressures today #booksky

Whether you're a fan of Sarah Penner or new to her work, her, The Amalfi Curse, does not disappoint. Its another dual timeline story following a modern day ocean archeologist and a group of 1800s sea witches. It was soo good. I finished it in two days. Definitely consider checking it out.

#booksky

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Current reads are:

Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

#booksky

Readers, beware! This news broke in October, but he finally had sentencing. Over 5,600 images. Along with search terms like, "How to tell if Google reported me to police"

#booksky

It must be nice to wear rose colored lenses every day, but that just doesn't work in my world. I won't be quiet. I won't stand on the wrong side of history. It would be a disservice to everyone who came before me who found themselves to be the target of white male fragility.

There will be more to come. That meeting was a defining moment in history.

Dark blue background with white letters. Its says, "we're really out here living the most difficult section of someone's 2060 history exam."

(2/2) Zelenskyy put aside pride to seek help. He suggested recently that he'd step down as president if it meant his country would gain more assistance. That's a leader. Not some tiny man with a large ego and his latest McDonald's order foaming at the mouth for the next opportunity to be cruel.

Image credit: Sarah Neff. It is a sketch of the meeting between President Zelenskyy and Trump. The sketch of Zelenskyy is to his likeness. Trump and his people are all depicted as cockroaches

(1/2) That was performative cruelty for the sake of "making good tv." JD was a child attempting to join an adult conversation. Probably trying to regain some spotlight that Musk took. Trump was a school yard bully attempting to humiliate his latest victim in front of the whole school.

Salmon ecosystems in a changing climate | Raincoast This emerging research will inform how climate change more broadly affects salmon habitat.

Salmon ecosystems in a changing climate: Determining how #climate change, land use practices, and #wildfire are affecting #salmon #habitat through applied research.
www.raincoast.org/2025/01/salm...

Image of my post on another social media platform. "This is a continuation of my post from last night. Immediately following the halftime show, I jot my thoughts down and released them into the world. Since then, I've seen white people in the comment sections doing exactly what I said they were gonna do, be racist. This is a good look at why we are where we are today. White people are not ready for the discussion Kendrick Lemar continues to direct back to. And listen, when I say "racists are gonna be racist" I'm not limiting it to your old ass grandpa who spews openly racist remarks within the confines of his home. I'm also talking about people who have this knee-jerk reaction to dislike any part of black American culture that they don't immediately find beneficial to them. Going back to slave times, white people have placed this obligation unto black people to be entertaining to white folks. Whether it be through violence (fighting, sometimes to the death), sex (r-pe and/or s-x workers), humor (comedian or humiliation), or skill (musician, cooks, artists, etc). This is what I meant last night when pointing out why Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg's performance was conventionally more acceptable. White people hold value to their music because they've been bumping it a long time. They are entertained by it."

My thoughts continued: "Another thing I wanted to point out (again) is how powerful Samuel L Jackson's skit was. There are certain words and phrases in our everyday language that are problematic. They are phrases that are largely accepted but deeply rooted in sexism and/or racism. They are meant to suppress minority groups and make the speaker (often white men) feel superior. This is why we see this long-standing tradition of men referring to grown ass women as "girls." This is also why we often see white men refer to black men of any age as "boy." It's another way for white folks (again, typically men) to control the narrative. Its another attempt to keep minorities in the box that has been presented to them. With the expectation that they follow the the rules of, "know your place." Him saying: "Too loud" "Too reckless" "Too ghetto" These are key phrases that identify how black American culture is often referred to by white folks. That is part of the deep seeded inherent racism of this country. "Nice and calm" is what's expected and what's accepted. Uncle Sam keeps reminding Kendrick that he's there to entertain and it must be done in an approved manner.

Thoughts continued (final): Can I also mention the statement of having an all black performance crew as the American flag? And, him calling out the plague of p-dophilia that runs so deeply in the industry (and the country as a whole). Whew! I can see y'all weren't ready. As I stated last night, this was a multi-layered intellectual masterpiece that is sure to go over so many peoples heads. It wasn't meant to be mind numbing entertainment, it was meant to be a statement. It was meant to be thought provoking. I'll say it again, this man has won a Pulitzer Prize for Music. This was a master lyricist putting the ART in Artist. So, before you're so quick to settle into that knee-jerk reaction, maybe acknowledge that you're not fully grasping the depth of it all. And ask yourself, "Am I ready to sit down and listen.. to have that conversation.. to learn.. to do better?!"

Immediately following the halftime show, I posted some thoughts on my personal social media and woke up to exactly what I expected... which led to writing out more thoughts.

That halftime show was a history lesson, and I hope y'all paid attention because there will be a test.

A very good read!

#booksky

Yup - we see you!

Book cover for Isaac's Song by Daniel Black. An impression of a faceless black man against the Chicago skyline

I'm on quite the 5 star reading streak and this book just extended that journey. Isaac's Song is sort of a coming-of-age/reflection fiction novel. We learn about a young man named Isaac as he reflects upon his childhood through therapy sessions. He faces the truth of his relationship with each parent and shares what it was like to finally be ready to live his authentic life as a gay black man, just as the AIDS crisis was gaining more attention, followed by Rodney King's unlawful and violent arrest took place. This book highlights some truly incredible writing skills. For one, you can flip to any page and pick out a worthy quote. For two, throughout the book, the main character discusses his own storytelling abilities. So, the author has buried several extremely thought-provoking tales within the main storyline. It all comes together seamlessly. This book was written in such a captivating way. I devoured it in one day. My thanks to the author, Daniel Black, for giving me a much needed break from my statistics classwork and for sharing a story that will stick with me for a long time. "You become an agent of your own existence the minute you stop blaming others for what they did to you. Those who hurt us cannot heal us. That's our job."

This book 👏🏽

What an incredible read. I got through it in one day. I literally could not put it down until I was done.

Isaac's Song by Daniel Black

#booksky

Day 3 of Black History Month Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993) Arguably one of the best American contralto (lowest female singing voices for classical music) in history. In 1939, The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused to let her perform inside the Constitution Hall at D.C.. When Eleanor Roosevelt heard, she informed her husband, President Franklin D Roosevelt. He extended the offer for her to perform at Lincoln Memorial. 75,000 people made up the integrated audience. After her performance, she was at a loss for words when trying to address the crowd. Before that performance, the largest crowd she had singed in front of was about 4,000 people. Martin Luther King Jr. was just 10 years old at the time and would later write about the experience. She was a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. She was a Goodwill ambassador and a delegate for the United Nations Human Rights committee. She won many awards, including the Medal of Freedom, Medal of Arts, and Grammy Lifetime Achievement. She Married An Architect and they bought a 100 acre farm in Connecticut where he built her a recording studio. That recording studio has been preserved as a historical building and turned into a museum that honors her work. I couldn't settle on one book, so I'm sharing all three. The Sound of Freedom by Raymond Arsenault The Voice That Challenged a Nation by Russell Freeman A Singer's Journey by Allan Keiler

The Sound of Freedom by Raymond Arsenault

A Singer's Journey by Allan Keiler

The Voice That Challenged a Nation by Russell Freeman

Day 3 of Black History Month

Marian Anderson - American contralto and civil rights activist

I couldn't settle on one book, so I'm sharing all three.

#blackhistorymonth
#booksky

Day 2 of Black History Month

This book talks about the history of systematic racism and oppression.

Title: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Author: Isabel Wilkerson

#blackhistorymonth
#booksky

Thank you for this! Yes, my reading is all over the place. I don't like being limited to just one genre.

One book all month or one book every day, I hope everyone was able to take time to dive into some good stories.

I read/listened to some truly awesome books this month.

#booksky

The book cover for Tyler Merritt's This Changes Everything. Blue background with Tyler Merritt standing in a charcoal grey suit. He's smiling and looking down with his hand on his forehead.

Just finished Tyler Merritt's second book, This Changes Everything. Another masterpiece. The way he tackles topics of religion, politics, race, health, love, life.. It's incredible. He was made for storytelling.

#booksky

If you are a federal employee, it is advised to set your social media accounts to private to prevent outside viewership, as reports suggest that loyalty screenings have begun.

Cover of The book Parable of the Sower By Octavia E Butler. A cream tone background with an image of a black woman in a red/orange dress, wearing a matching head wrap.

I had to take a picture of what I wrote about this book because there were too many characters for this platform. It says: Parable of the Sower By Octavia E. Butler This is a powerful read. I stayed up until 3a to get through the last half of it. It had been on my TBR for a while. Recently, I joined a book club, and this was their first pick of the year. I'm so glad I got the push I needed to get to it finally. Written in 1993, it's s a dystopian novel set in 2025-2027. It covers the life of a girl named Lauren Olamina during the downfall of the US. She walks the readers through the stress of survival. The president is controlling access to food, jobs, medicine, and clean water. Human driven rapid climate change is causing wildfires to the west and below zero blizzards to the east. Homelessness is more common than having a roof over your head. Schools have been privatized, and education for the poor only comes in the form of adults running classes at church or in their homes, with older kids helping to educate younger kids. Police help has been monetized. Only the rich can afford the police fees, so the poor are left to sort out their own issues. This author had some serious political and social awareness and the ability to tell a captivating story. Highly recommend.

This👏🏽 book👏🏽

Parable of the Sower
By Octavia E Butler

Read it !

#booksky

Me: For my own sanity, I need to stay away from all the political news right now.

Also me: For my own sanity, I need to stay up to date on all political news right now.

😮‍💨

Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Girls & Women Who Fought for Change A Mighty Girl's top picks of books for children and teens about real-life girls and women who fought for a more just, equal, and peaceful world.

When citizens demand the best from their leaders and their countries — justice, accountability in government, and equal rights for all — everyone benefits. In other words, dissent isn't distracting or divisive: it's patriotic!

Explore this topic with kids at www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364

And all federal DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion staff) are to be placed on leave by 5p today while he dismantles that because *checks notes* it's "discriminatory"

Yes, most of this has to pass through other entities. But listen, this man is a tyrant trying to create and claim unchecked power. He's proving why we should NEVER allow someone this power hungry to make it this far up the chain.

There's a heaviness I'm feeling today that I can't quite put into words.

I want to cry, but I'm too sad to cry.

It feels like we're living in the twilight zone.

Stay strong. For us, this is more than just a job-it’s a calling. Together, we will stand to protect our parks, environment, and wildlife. Four years… we remain hopeful that the attack on our public lands will be less brutal this time.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"

-Martin Luther King Jr

Happy early birthday!

I'll be posting MLK content all day.

Also, there are too many types of cheeses for just one day. So, in honor of National Cheese Day, we should dedicate one day per type, starting January 21st. We could do recipe ideas, maybe a pasta and wine pairing. 🤔

Show up to your next book club meeting with these 12 reading recommendations Sometimes you finish a book and just have to talk about it with someone else. If your book club is looking for its next conversation-sparking title we have a dozen for you!

Sometimes you finish a book and just have to talk about it with someone else. If your book club is looking for its next conversation-sparking title we have a dozen for you!

I plan on flooding my feed with Martin Luther King Jr content