Liz ☀︎

Book Recs Based On My Reactions This one goes out to all my mood readers, all the book lovers who feel stories in your soul and those who need some very specific yet awfully vague recommendations. A lot of these are favorites, some not so much, but I would still recommend them to the right person. If ya wanna be confused? Got you. What about mildly angry? Yep, that too. Cry your heart out? YOU’VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. Let me know if you spot some favorites! 📚What are some books that you think would fit in these categories?

My Taste in Books If you haven’t noticed by now, my taste in books is erratic at best. While I do tend to let my mood and mind guide me to my next read, there are particular genres that I will always gravitate to the most. These are some of my favorites: EPIC ADVENTURES - they’re long, expansive and immersive. I adore getting lost in the pages and feeling myself in the character shoes. HYPERFIXATION WITH DEATH - I have never feared what comes after. If anything, I am incredibly curious. It is also an exploration of human nature and that will always pique my interest. THE KING OF HORROR - Stephen King will forever be my first love. Not only does he have endless stories (the man will never stop) but has been the foremost source of horror in my youth and today. WAR STORIES - I swear I have been reincarnated from a different time. I can’t explain why but I have always felt a deep connection to tales of war, particularly those that are critical of its nature. FAMILY SAGAS/COMING OF AGE - being from big family, my heart has always been drawn to stories of complex familial relationships. I’m also a sucker for nostalgia. WEIRD GIRLS - I am a self proclaimed weird girl, loud and proud. It’s the “good for hers” and “you go girls” that will get me every time. MONUMENTAL MEMOIRS - As I continue to explore nonfiction, I find myself ever drawn to memoirs that open my eyes to a world I otherwise would not have known. 📕Do we have any favorites in common?

How I Edit My Posts Some of you have asked me how I edit my review photos so here goes! Spilling all my secrets to y’all cuz I love you so much 😚 This is by no means the “right” way to do it, but I have found it to be the most accessible and consistent for me. This page has been such a wonderful creative outlet and I have a lot of fun making these posts, even if sometimes I want to cry and scream out of frustration while editing. Let me know if there are any covers you want to see me recreate!

Reading is resistance. Reading is power. Reading is fundamental. Reading is political.

Adding this to the category of wtf did I just read I’m sad, a little confused and slightly queasy. Review to come when my brain returns to solid form. Please somebody discuss this with me I am UNWELL. . . . #weirdbooks #horrorbooks #translatedbooks #bookreel #unhingedbooks #earthlingssayakamurata #japaneseliterature #januaryinjapan

Giveaway!!! If you’ve been with me for the latter half of 2024, you’ve probably heard me gush about this book. I am a sucker for nostalgia, get weak in the knees for gorgeous prose and will read any and every book about the saving grace of friendship. Starling is all of that and more. I’ve partnered up with the stunning writer herself, @kirstencramwriting , to giveaway a copy of Starling to one of you! Just follow the deets below and you’re in! Winner will be announced on January 31st. TO ENTER: Share any of these images to your story and tag your favorite book buddies in the comments. Be sure to tag me in your story to ensure I see it! (one story + one comment = one entry, but feel free to enter more than once!) That’s it! Love y’all, thanks for making cool things like this possible 🤍 *DISCLAIMER: you must live somewhere that Amazon ships to. This giveaway is not affiliated with Amazon, however the book will be shipped via their carrier* *this giveaway is not affiliated with IG*

If you like this, read that While I try to read a little bit of every genre, I find specific themes pop up more often in my favorite reads. Family bonds and friendships that rival blood, careful critiques of systems long held in place. These are a few that, while different in many ways, share some similarities that made me stop and think. THE VANISHING HALF + ON THE SAVAGE SIDE - broken bonds between twin sisters THE GREAT GATSBY + SWEET FURY - in conversation with a classic WHITE OLEANDER + DEMON COPPERHEAD - victims of the foster care system HEAVEN + STARLING - friendships that see us through the dark . . . #bookreel #bookvideo #ifyoulikethisreadthat #bookcomp #bookrecs #booklist #sadbooks #classicbooks #bookstagramreels

126 Japanese Books & Adaptations Happy January in Japan! My first introduction to Japanese lit was reading Ring by Kōji Suzuki after being thoroughly traumatized by the American remake (still one of my favorite horror movies). One thing I know for sure, Japanese horror is unmatched. Then I dipped a toe into Osamu Dazai, fell head over heels for Mieko Kawakami and made it my mission to read all of Yoko Ogawa’s backlist. As I make my way through Murakami’s 1Q84, I’m reminded how many great works exist all over the globe. So here’s to all the stories that we are fortunate enough to read in translation and some of the incredible shows and films that were born from their inspiration. Let me know your favs from the bunch! 🌸

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Beneath the Paris lights, a city burns. Burning with the desires of well kept secrets, lighting up the night like a torch from within. David is a man caught between the flicker and the flame: a choice between being the person society wants of him to be or giving in to the molten truth of his innermost core. That he may love another man. When he meets Giovanni, a virile and young bartender ingratiated in the scene of the city’s elite, denial is no longer an option. As the flame grows stronger, fed in the bed of a young lover, it threatens to consume them both. I had no doubts my first Baldwin would prove to be exceptional. Both flawed and realistic, these characters portray a time in which loving another came at a great cost. You feel rightful in your anger at their decisions, righteous in your condemnation of their inability to see beyond the need for self preservation. Yet this as much about denial of self as it is denial of choice. To love someone is easy. To choose to love them, without conditions both internal or external, is perhaps the hardest thing of all.

Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer Leaves rustle as tiny feet skitter and bound, snatching up the last of earths offering before the first snow falls for the season. A squirrel or perhaps a mouse; the foot soldiers of our ecosystem. A forgotten acorn that would have once been food is now planted and in time, will grow into a tree that nourishes the same forest from which it sprang. At the end of last year and early this year, I listened to the audiobooks (narrated by Kimmerer herself) for these two and I can say with full confidence I am a changed person. I have always felt a vast connection to the beaches and parks that make up my home, but as we so of often do, we take in the beauty of these things but we do not give back. In both of these books, Kimmerer urges us to see the importance of returning back to an economy and society of reciprocity. Calling upon her own indigenous and biology backgrounds, she lays down the hard truths of our evolution and the toll we must pay in order to continue on living as though the earth is not our reason for life. Without collective care of both our planet and each other, we are doomed. These are texts I see myself referring back to often. It is a reminder to give thanks, every single day, but to also to take action. I urge everyone to read these. 🌳 . . . #indigenousauthors #braidingsweetgrass #theserviceberry #robinwallkimmerer #nativeamericanauthors #bookreel #bookreview #nonfictionbooks #bookedit #bookquotes

Books that taught me… Reflecting back on some memorable reads from 2024 that taught me valuable lessons. Through books we can walk the path of others, unlearn bias and reconstruct beliefs, learn from experiences and collectively grow closer. ‘Tis a beautiful thing. STARLING - you can find your family BLUE SISTERS - grief comes in many forms DEMON COPPERHEAD - the foster care system is flawed IN MEMORIAM - love can survive in times of war SLEWFOOT - religion can be both good and evil PONYBOY - finding yourself can be painful What is an important lesson you learned from a book that you’re taking with you into 2025? . . . #bookreel #bookvideo #bookrecs #2025ready #favoritebooks #queerbooks #queerbookstagram #booksthattaughtme #booklist

25 Books for 2025 *Technically* 28 but we’ll get to that… Because I am a masochist at heart, I thought I’d peruse my ever-growing physical tbr and cherry pick a bunch that I’m most excited to read next year. The masochism comes in when I inevitably fail to adhere to said tbr and mentally admonish myself for straying from the path… BUT. Next year is for the vibes. While I enjoy setting a number goal for my own personal motivation, I want to return to the joy that is picking up a book at random and getting lost. It’s easy to get caught up in the new release hype or the excitement over a Bookstagram darling, but the satisfaction that comes from an unexpected banger will forever be my favorite feeling. I’ve included three of the books I will be reading early on in the year for research for my book, Honeysuckle. Set in 1999 through the early aughts, it follows two teenage boys who fall in love one summer only to be torn apart by circumstance. After one sets off for college and the other for the military, their love slowly dissolves into mere memories. That is until war is declared. Having grown up in NY during this time, I know my perception is skewed by what I was told and taught about this war. I want to do my due diligence in researching it and I miraculously found a memoir “The Last Deployment” about a gay soldier in Iraq. It appears the Beam is still keeping me on course… Let me know your favs from the bunch! (publishers tagged for gifted books)