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Pensive Pelican Reads

@pensivepelican

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🦉Books, Writing and Other Fun Stuff
📚 2026 Goal: 52/52 Books
🔎Current Read: Every Story is a Love Story
📍Buffalo, NY

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Current Read: Every Story is a Love Story by Imbolo Mbue. Can you ever forgive the unforgivable? Publishes tomorrow, October 6 #netgalley #penguinbooks #everystoryisalovestory #imbolombue by @pensivepelican

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11 days ago

#bannedbooksweek taken in Buffalo, New York by @pensivepelican

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12 days ago

Book Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Tuxedo Society by Paul Rudnick was a really fun read for Pride. Reggie O’Malley, a Navy SEAL who had been don’t-ask-don’t-telled his way out of his job, formed an elite covert agency funded by the government. He has built a formidable team of queer agents who take on the toughest international challenges.

Our protagonist, Andrew Birnbaum, is the latest to be tapped. An unlikely hero, Andrew is an underemployed actor/candle shop employee who is brought into the fold on the recommendation of his good friend Brock. Andrew might seem out of his element, but he can improv his way out of sticky situations like no one’s business.

You don't have to be gay to enjoy The Tuxedo Society, but it helps to have a working knowledge of Broadway musicals. Read this funny, campy book when you need a break from reality.

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for an advance reader copy of this book. by @pensivepelican

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22 days ago

This mildly unhinged board book "Golden Girls: Goodnight Girls" was a favorite of my 4 year old grandson and it's proving to be a hit with the one year old too. #boardbook #goldengirls by @pensivepelican

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23 days ago

Where are you reading? I asked my husband for fire pit and he's outdone himself. Reading Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy on kindle. Thanks @libby.app and @buffalolibrary taken in Buffalo, New York by @pensivepelican

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2 months ago

I keep seeing more local accounts here. I'd love to follow more Buffalo and WNY readers, writers, reviewers, booksellers, bookstores or anything bookish. Drop a link in the comments! (Please) taken in Buffalo, New York by @pensivepelican

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2 months ago

Current listen: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. I've only listened to a handful of audiobooks so far, but I'm finding non-fiction seems to work better for me than trying to follow a plot. by @pensivepelican

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3 months ago

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4 months ago

Happy little pelican mug from @effinbirds by @pensivepelican

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7 months ago

Worse Than a Lie by Ben Crump took me nearly a month to finish, which is unusual for me. It was so frustrating to watch Beau Lee Cooper and his team run repeatedly into the twin walls of racism and a corrupt justice system that I had to keep putting it down to take a beat.

The story begins in 2008 on the night Barack Obama was elected president. Hollis Montrose, a Black former Chicago police officer, was shot in the back multiple times by four white cops despite his cooperation at the scene.

While much of the country was celebrating progress, Beau, civil rights attorney Princess Alvarez, and Hollis Montrose, a Black former Chicago cop, are fighting a system determined to remind them who still holds power. The white officers involved are closing ranks. Evidence gets tampered with. Witnesses disappear. The judge is openly biased, and the district attorney seems more interested in winning than in justice.

The cards are stacked against them from the start. Can Beau rise to the challenge?

The book is compelling and well-written, even when it is emotionally hard to read. The frustration feels intentional, highlighting how exhausting and uphill these battles can be.

Four stars for a powerful, sobering legal thriller that refuses to look away from bigotry and systemic racism.

Thank you to Ballantine | Bantam and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. by @pensivepelican

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7 months ago

Alice Ever After at 295 Parkside in Buffalo is a sweet little kid-friendly bookshop right across from the zoo.

I visited @aliceeverafterbooks today with my daughter and her little ones.

I can’t believe I forgot to take a picture, so here one obviously not taken when it was 15 degrees.

For her 3 year old we got:
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

It’s one of the books about immigrants for Buffalo Read In on March 2. 20% of purchases of designated books go to Justice for Immigrants @jfmfofwny

He also got:

Wherever You Go (An All Are Welcome Book) by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman and Daniel Tries a New Potty by Maggie Testa, Jason Fruchter

The baby got: Dog Loves Baby by Natalie Nelson by @pensivepelican

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8 months ago

Here’s a stack of books set in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, plus the ubiquitous pelican. by @pensivepelican

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8 months ago