lizbrarian

headline from the March 1919 edition of Library Journal that reads "Are Librarians People?"

another hit

headline of an article in an early twentieth century Library Journal issue that reads "Should a librarian cultivate hobbies of his own? by Frank B. Gay, Watkinson Library, Hartford, Ct."

Spending a vacation day reading old issues of Library Journal and feeling attacked

No one wants to read your thesis! That’s not why you write one!

Finished Moby Dick last week but still thinking about it, so today Archie and I are reading Why Read Moby Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick while he hides from the rain, which he doesn't fully understand but knows that sometimes it causes loud booming noises that he doesn't like.

If you have the means, please donate to the Trans Continental Pipeline right now. They are a Colorado based org that helps trans people relocate and they are overwhelmed with requests. Colorado borders Kansas, and TCP has the infrastructure to help get people out.

tcpipeline.org

Starting book #10 of 2026, Vigil by George Saunders, while Archie tries to convince me it's time for second dinner.

Writing is thinking.

It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.

Still working on Moby Dick but also reading book #9, Woodworking by Emily St. James. The cats don't care about it because it's 60 degrees (in February in Milwaukee!) and the window is open.

Book 8 of 2026 is Moby Dick. I've never read it before, and I'm only about a quarter of the way through, but I *love* it so far. Upset with myself for not reading it sooner.

Reading with the cats in 2026, books 6 and 7: The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy and The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

One of the volunteer artists for the @wischumane.bsky.social annual Poorly Drawn Pets fundraiser drew this amazing portrait of Sal and Archie, which I obviously will be printing and framing.

feel gross self-promoting when ICE is murdering people so I keep reposting & then immediately un-reposting, but it's awards season & I'm proud of this story. anyway fuck AI, the baby food of fascism.

It appears that this legend owns a little bookstore — and you can order books from him instead of Bezos. Link in next post.

Photo of a long-haired tortie cat looking up as a hand from someone off camera reaches out to her. She is wary and suspicious. She is sitting on a blue rug next to a cat tree, and there is a small plate on the bottom part of the tree. It once had churu on it, which she loved.

Photo of the same long-haired tortie cat head butting that same hand, which has finished approaching her, showing that she is warming up quickly and likes the attention from the person.

In good news today, a few hours ago my downstairs neighbor adopted this shy girl, who has been passed over at the shelter for the last two months because she has been so scared there. She is so sweet, and she's warming up much faster than we thought she would.

Playing Horizon Zero Dawn, a favorite of mine that I haven't played in a while, and just now noticing Elisabet Sobek founded an AI company to sell "green robots" and it won both a Nobel Peace Prize and the "2056 Rachel Carson Award for Environmental Progress." Brilliant.

I've learned recently that if you get a cat to sleep on top of your legs and refuse to move, you can turn down your heat and save a bit of money. We've spent the whole weekend like this, reading books 4 and 5 for 2026: Mirage City by Lev AC Rosen and To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis.

I find Gmail’s new “write this for me” feature deeply sinister. They’re trying to convince you that you are dumb and helpless. Don’t let them steal your ability to formulate thoughts and communicate. You were capable of writing an email in 2022 and you’re capable now.

Photo of Sal, a long haired black and white cat, lying on top of pink blanket, which is covering my legs. I'm lying on a grey couch. My hand is in the lower left corner of the image, holding a print copy of the book Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano.

Book 3 of 2026: Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano. Sal and I are still working on this one. I've got two degrees in history but don't have a strong background in the history of imperialism in Latin America. A couple colleagues recommended this book, and it's very good so far.

Photo of a person (me) lying on a couch with a pink blanket on top of them, and Archie, an long haired orange and white cat, sleeping on top of the blanket (on top of me). I'm lying on a grey couch. An e-reader is leaning against me, beneath Archie, showing the cover of Breakout Year by KD Casey. The title and author name fill almost the entire image, and there are baseball-related images amongst the text, including a bat, hat, cleat, glove, and ball.

Book 2 of 2026: Breakout Year by KD Casey. I don't read a lot of contemporary or sport romances, but this was just what I needed this week - a slow burn romance with two soft people falling in love.

A photo of a pink blanket folded on the seat at the end of a grey couch. There is a lump visible under the middle of the blanket. There is a cat tree behind the couch against a fireplace mantel.

A photo of someone lifting up the same pink blanket from the previous photo, revealing a black and white cat underneath the blanket where the lump was.

Sal, a small cat who has to be as warm as possible at all times, has started sleeping underneath the blankets I leave on the couch.

Closeup photo of a long haired orange and white cat licking a Kobo e-reader, which is displaying the cover of the book "The Salvage" by Anbara Salam. The cover features a drawing of a skull with tentacles all around it and coming out of its eye sockets. The e-reader has bite marks in the corner from a previous time when the cat bit it.

Photo of a long haired black and white cat sitting on the lap of the person taking the photo. The person is wearing a purple sweatshirt that says 'Northern Iowa" in yellow block letters, and there is a pink blanket over her lap. Off to the side is an empty coffee mug and a Kobo e-reader, which is showing the cover of the book "The Salvage" by Anbara Salam. The cover features a drawing of a skull with tentacles all around it and coming out of its eye sockets.

Reading with the cats again. Our first book of 2026 is "The Salvage" by Anbara Salam. Queers, ghosts, and a fantastic cover.

Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera. Also one of the best.

Same. One of my favorite books of all time, easily the top one from this year.

Photo of a long-haired black and white kitten. He is in a crouched position and is looking warily at the camera. The caption says "Focus | Wisconsin Humane Society."

Photo of a long-haired orange and white kitten. He is lying nervously on a baby scale facing the camera. The caption says "Tortilla | Wisconsin Humane Society."

Photo of the same long-haired orange and white cat, now three years older. He is lying upside down on a tan shag rug with his front paws curled up against his chest. He is looking at the camera. He's in a playful mood.

Photo of the same black and white cat, now three years older. He is lying in a banana-shaped cat bed on a blue and pink shag carpet. He is looking up at the camera. Also in a playful mood.

Three years today with these guys. They were so scared in the shelter that they refused to meet me, but they turned out to be the nicest, most gentle cats I've ever known. (Still very scared of lots of things, but hey, the world is a pretty scary place.)

It's not even Thanksgiving yet and Archie is over here trying to start shit with his brother

Photo of Oscar, a long-haired brown and white tabby cat, sitting on the back of a couch next to a window. He is looking directly at the camera.

Photo of Oscar, a long-haired brown and white tabby cat, lying comfortably on an open laptop, using a stack of books as a pillow. He looks sleepy. (He had just woken up, and his owner later discovered he had locked her out of her Facebook account.)

Photo of Oscar, a long-haired brown and white tabby cat, sleeping the floor on his back with his front paws curled next to his chest. He is lying between the legs of a person who is sitting on the floor.

This is Oscar, who passed away in 2022 at 18 years old. He loved knocking things off shelves and trying to eat strings, and he took a big piece of my heart with him when he left.

In addition to money donations to food banks & food aid for people, please also consider donating money or food & litter to pet food pantries. Many people who rely on SNAP to feed themselves will now need to redirect $ to buy groceries that they would have spent on pet food before.

Photo of Sal and Archie, a black and white cat and an orange and white cat, lying on top of a pink blanket that I've got over my lap. I'm holding a hardcover copy of the book "You Weren't Meant to Be Human" by Andrew Joseph White.

Sunday afternoon storytime with the whole family

Nah, he's just a Brewers fan who likes cats.

Photo of Sal, a black and white cat, holding one of his front paws close to his chest. He is standing on a small table underneath a lampshade, looking intensely up at something inside the shade.

Photo of Milwaukee Brewers player Sal Frelick. He's holding his glove close to his chest, like he's maybe planning to throw a ball. He has a crazed look in his eyes.