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shay

@shay.thereader

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deep reading in public📍chicagoland
#readliberia | @morrisoncode440
📧 [email protected]

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meet the reader 📚

hi friends,

i wanted to reintroduce myself since there are quite a few new people since i last introduced myself. if you're new here, my name is shay, i’m 26 and live in the nw suburbs of chicago, but i'm originally from nw indiana.

fun facts about me

✨ i'm liberian and african-american
✨ i have a bachelors in music and a masters in critical ethnic studies
✨ i work full time in digital marketing at an opera company
✨ i loveee to travel, crochet, and watch reality tv
✨ i can speak enough french to survive but i'm always wanting to learn more

bookish habits

✨i'm a life-long reader! i can't remember a time in my life when i wasn't reading
✨ i prefer physical books (paperback to be exact), but i'm never opposed to audiobooks and ebooks. i typically get my audiobooks from libby or hoopla, and i do own an emotional support kobo
✨ immersive reading is the best way to read for me
✨ my fave genres are literary fiction, fantasy, romance, and nonfiction, but i'll read just about anything if the writing is good
✨ i need to annotate and write in my books!
✨ i host a nonfiction book club called freedom readers. we read 6 books a year that focus on political education (you should follow us @freedomreadersbookclub)

i am always grateful to be in this space with fellow readers and lovers of words 🤎 by @shay.thereader

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8 months ago

reading toni 2026 📚

in 2026, i'm reading all 11 of toni morrison's novels in the order they were published! if you want join me, learn more via the 🔗 in my bio.

happy reading ✨ by @shay.thereader

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9 months ago

toni morrison really does write my favorite women in books

re: song of solomon by toni morrison #blackclassics #readingtoni2026 by @shay.thereader

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2 days ago

we all have the right to read. by @shay.thereader

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4 days ago

three themes to look for in song of solomon by toni morrison #readingtoni2026 by @shay.thereader

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6 days ago

happy library card sign-up month 📚🏫

the endless time i spent between the shelves in my school and public libraries is the reason i surround myself with books as an adult. i'll admit that i don't spend nearly as much time as i'd like at my library, but @libby.app, @hoopladigital, and @kanopy do see me often!

even though i don't live in the city anymore, my local library is one of the reciprocal libraries with @chicagopubliclibrary so i got to renew my cpl card at @obamafoundation for free last sunday. you can never have too many library cards so i hope you're signing up for one (more) this month!

🏷️ #librarycardsignupmonth #publiclibrary @americanlibraryassociation taken in Obama presidential center by @shay.thereader

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10 days ago

my fall tbr

💌🍂🎞️☕️

klara and the sun x kazuo ishiguro
mules and men x zora neale hurston
piranesi x susanna clarke — i saw @bookishly.izzy talk about piranesi being black and i picked this up off my shelf real quick
we belong to the trees x keletso mopai | 10 november 2026*
bury our bones in the midnight soil x v.e. schwab

*gifted by @shay.thereader

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12 days ago

the rain (and no tickets to the museum) couldn't stop us taken in Obama Presidential Center by @shay.thereader

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13 days ago

read the first chapter with me | the vanishing half x brit bennett

other books mentioned:
the personal librarian x marie benedict and victoria christopher murray
passing x nella larsen
born a crime x trevor noah by @shay.thereader

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14 days ago

hey hi hello! nice to meet you all (again) by @shay.thereader

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15 days ago

hey, it's @shay.thereader! i'm so happy to share that morrison code is officially launching a monthly literary snail mail club. 💌🥀

if you sign up by monday, october 5, you'll be among the first to receive a snail mail letter from us. there are limited spots available, so head over to our patreon to sign up today — 🔗 in bio!

🏷️ toni morrison, morrison code, literary society, snail mail club, ephemera, monthly letter by @shay.thereader

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16 days ago

my updated stack of shame

the autobiography of malcolm x, as told to alex haley
mules and men x zora neale hurston
piranesi x susanna clarke
friday black x nana kwame adjei-brenyah
martyr! x kaveh akbar
the fire next time x james baldwin
the wretched of the earth x frantz fanon
parable of the talents x octavia e. butler
don't cry for me x daniel black by @shay.thereader

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17 days ago