Stethlover

I might as well just have a separate category for "books I needed as a child but they came 30ish years too late"; Ciera Burch's Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away would make the top 10 list. Also pictured is my Eko Core 500, whose app asked to run software updates when I paired it with the instrument this afternoon, so it turns out that's a thing. (And not something any of my other stethoscopes ask of me, lol). So, Olivia has just started the seventh grade, and much of the time, she feels herself disappearing, both literally and figuratively, in this middle-grade speculative novel. Her brother has all but abandoned her to hang out with his first boyfriend, and her friends are all carrying on about their crushes--something that makes no sense at all to Olivia. She feels alienated from her friend group, and struggles to relate to what they want to talk about. Thankfully, the new school librarian, Amelia, sees Olivia. She gives her a book about asexuality and aromanticism to read, but reading it only leads to frustration for Olivia, who would rather just fit in with her friends than embrace an aberrant identity. Burch writes with tenderness and authenticity that brought me right back to middle school after all these years, because she really understands how fragile friendships are during that time. The novel has fantastical elements, but it's definitely grounded enough that it won't lose a reader who prefers realistic fiction.

Happy Sunday 🩷🫀

Happy Sunday 🩷🫀

I love feeling her pound <3

~strawberry heart 🍓~

~strawberry heart🍓~

~strawberry heart🍓~

~strawberry heart🍓~

~strawberry heart🍓~

~strawberry heart 🍓~

(don't make me regret posting this)

I also promise to be still for you 😈

Please listen to my heartbeat and check if my heart is normal.🫀🫀🫀

Laid out my favorite toys

I’m here to take your blood pressure 🩺💋💯👅⛑️

I’m here to tuck you in for the night 🌡️🫦