iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Spent the morning enthralled by the personals in both the New York Review and London Review of Books. Went through old copies to read each one. 💙📚 #BookSky #Books #LondonReviewOfBooks #LRB #NewYorkReview #personals #ads #reading

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

1. Found a slump buster on my own bookshelf. 2. Having my book match my desert wall mural is extra satisfying. 💙📚🖋️🏜️🌵 #BookSky #LonesomeDove #LitFic #AmReading #ReadingSlump #Books #Love #Mural #Desert #Book #Bookshelf #Home #Library

Holding up a paperback copy of “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry. The book has a cream colored front with a black and white image of cowboys on horses at the bottom.

From my bed, I’m holding the book up to show a wall that has a large mural of a sun setting over a desert canyon. It’s painted in three tones of terra cotta. My bedspread is in the same tone and, unseen, the spine of the book is also that color. Very matchy. Very calming.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Three tries and I’m done. #DNF I know a lot of people loved this book so much. Can you tell me what I’m missing? 💙📚🖋️ #BookSky #Books #Popular #AmReading #LitFic #ToRead #NewBook #Wednesday

Holding up a white paperback book. It’s “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi. Has a simple, gold line motif around the edges and a black pink and line drawing of a feather as it’s only decoration.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Holy cow. This was gorgeous and also heartbreaking. Definitely a “do read.” 💙📚🖋️📚⏳ #BookSky #Ireland #Weekend #AmReading #LitFic #Review #Books #Read #Love #BookRecs

I’m holding a hardback library book up for the camera while outdoors. The book is “Land” by Maggie O’Farrell. The cover is an image of colorful sheets of paper with a hole torn in the middle of each one. They are stacked upon each other with each hole a bit smaller so you see down into layers to darkness.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Started “Theo of Golden.” I don’t know why but, meh. I’ll pick it up again later. Let’s try some more O’Farrell. 💙📚⏳📚🖋️ #BookSky #Summer #LitFic #Novel #Books #Ireland #AmReading #Dog #Library #BookRecs

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

A really cool idea! Some prose got a bit repetitive for me (everything does not need to be said in threes), but it was so well researched I loved it. Already picked up another of her #books from the #library! 💙📚🖋️📚⏳ #BookSky #Read #Shakespeare #LitFic #Historical #Romance #Novel #Review #Love

Holding up a paperback copy of “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell to the light of a window. A green, rainy day behind it. The cover is a royal blue with a large letter “H” surrounded by botanical drawings in gold.

The style is reminiscent of the marginalia in medieval manuscripts.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Catching up on recent reads. Looking for #novels or #NF set in the Korean War. This book is and isn’t. Nearly all of the book is what happens back at home. Reminded me of the Port William books in tone and its many characters, w/o the poignancy of Wendell Berry. 💙📚🖋️ #BookSky #Korea #Books #Lit

A library hardcover sits at on a round coffee table. The book is “The Caretaker” by Ron Rash. It features the plein air oil painting “Mountain View Cemetery” by Karen Winslow an image of cemetery stones surrounded by trees in autumn foliage.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Book decision is colliding with the Sunday Scaries!!! Any suggestions on which to read next? 💙📚🖋️ #BookSky #Books #AmReading #BookRecs #Sunday #Reading #Weekend

Sort of dramatic angle of three paperbacks laying, spines forward, on a coffee table with tchotchkes and windows in the background. The books are, from top to bottom:

“The Trial” by Kafka
“The Other Americans” by Laila Lalami
“Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

We moved our one-and-only to college this week. Reading lots but not remembered to post. Since “Pachinko,” #love, been hungry for more novels in Korea. Today, I’m resting from the trip and the emotions of my heart being hours away from my body. 💙📚🖋️📚⏳ #BookSky #Korea #Lit #College #Books #Reading

Hardback library book lays on a fuzzy beige blanket on a sunny deck. The book is “The Caretaker” by Ron Rash and the cover image is a plain air oil painting by Karen Winslow entitled “Mountsin View Cemetery.”

It shows a cemetery with shaded headstones beneath a tree with fall foliage.

A small dog with white fur is laying against the bottom corner of the book. His ear has flopped over obscuring the cover a bit.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

A slow morning after a rough night. 😑 A couple of great pieces in here especially on Frida Kahlo and an interesting one on the DSA. 💙📚 #BookSky #Morning #AmReading #TheNewYorkReviewOfBooks #FridaKahlo

Holding up the August 20th issue of The New York Review from the couch in my living room. The cover this issue is an illustration called “Meet Me On The Roof” by Lisa Hanawalt. It’s depicts a house at night with two anthropomorphized dogs who’ve stuck up to the roof looking into each others eyes. The image is done in shades of blue save for a full moon in soft yellow.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Car reading while waiting. Grabbed a few options on the way out the door. This is my first Jean Rhys. 💙📚🖋️ #BookSky #AmReading #CarReading #Rainy #Park #Books #Love #WomenAuthors #GoodMorning

I hold up a paperback copy of “Good Morning, Midnight” by Jean Rhys in the cab of my truck. The book cover is a black and white image of a couple canoodling in a corner table of a restaurant in interwar Paris. The woman’s face catches the light as the back of the man’s head is about to obscure her from view with a kiss. The title and author are in white font across the image. Behind the book, my vehicle interior is also black and then the fuzzy view out the windshield is of the rainy green park where I sit.

A long note that nobody asked for: Yes, I drive a truck. Some folks have opinions on that and I don’t begrudge them as I’ve mixed feelings about it myself. I drive and park (at the far edge of lots and top of garages) apologetically because I dislike the way many people drive trucks. I also have mixed feelings about fuel consumption and the part I play in the environment.
We’ve been choked on the message that we individuals can impact the environment therefore we individuals are responsible for saving it with every decision we make. Which eases a lot of pressure on governments and corporations and wears us out. I use my truck to garden at a larger scale than most on land that I manage with resource conservation agency input and native tree/plant/pollinator support as the focus. I couldn’t do what I’m doing with less vehicle. I support and cheer for the EV development finally coming to my area and also enjoy the acres of fireflies that have repopulated on my land and the turtles I’m starting to recognize since I’ve returned to them their egg laying sites and corridor.
Maybe nobody cares and I’m airing my own insecurities bc I do some judging of my own. *Tosses hands* I’m human.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

TBR just all of the list TBR 😂

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Reposted by Hard Return

JanDen @jand87.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I have loved sharing these graphic novels with my niece.. Same stories... just illustrated. #books #book #booksSky #Reading #ReadingSky #read #blackbooksky #booksky

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

What are you reading? My current read. Needed something with a slower pace and larger scope. So far so good! 💙📚🖋️ #BookSky #AmReading #Books #BookRecs #Thursday #Love #Read

Holding up a paperback copy of “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee with left hand. The book is a muted teal. A woman in traditional dress is on the front. The train of the dress runs down the cover and the pattern of the fabric is a landscape of mountains, a red orb sun, and a woman with two children looking out over the scene.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Hot damn! Percival Everett is the master of book endings. So many great writers out there who can’t stick the landing. He never fails. 💙📚🖋️ #BookSky #Books #Sunday #AmReading #PercivalEverett #BookRecs #Summer #Western #LitFic

Holding a paperback copy of “God’s Country” by Percival Everett in front of the chair my feet were just on. Bright, outdoor light, a wood deck floor, and black rocking chair are the background.

The cover of the book features a dramatic red illustration of the American Southwest’s horizon. At the horizon, a cowboy on a horse walks off the page.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

I don’t expect a book this fun to read to also be this insightful. Wow. Thorpe puts words to stuff I’ve NEVER had words for about having a baby young. Then I watched the show. Fuck the show. #YouShouldReadThisBook 💙📚 #BookSky #BookRecs #Review #Love #Women #MargosGotMoneyTroubles

A hardback library copy of “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” by Rufi Thorpe sits on a deck rail in the sunshine. The book has an illustrated drawing of a blond woman on a hot pink couch with a black and white striped throw blanket over the back. She’s laying stomach down on the couch with her head ready on her chin and looking up and something out of sight. Her hand rests on a laptop that sits on the floor not far from a baby’s pacifier. The background is a solid fuschia purple.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

So behind posting my reads! This is really good. I enjoyed Colson Whitehead’s novel on the topic a tad more - but that’s just writing style preference. Not heard of the Dozier “School” in FL? This is a great novel to start. 💙📚🖋️📚⌛️ #BookSky #DozierSchool #Novel #BookReview #Wednesday #Books #Lit

A hardback library book lays on a griege wood floor in sunshine. The book is “The Reformatory” by Tananarive Due. Its cover art is a small, white building at center with a silhouette of a tall tree behind it dripping Spanish moss. Fog throughout image adds to an eery feel. The fog around the building is a red/fuschia that fades up to a peach sky. Very sunset and foreboding look.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I think I’m going to want to read this just because the reviews are so all over the place. (And I’m curious… and contrary.) #BookReviews 💙📚

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

TBR bc it makes my eyes hungry.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Incredible! Helluva story and the way #LeifEnger puts words together is downright musical. Check Alt text a couple of my favorite examples. 💙📚🖋️ #BookSky #BookRecs #Reading #AmReading #Books #Love #MustRead #MondayReads

I’m holding a hardback copy of “I Cheerfully Refuse” by Leif Enger in front of a pot of pink geranium. This is a truly gorgeous book jacket. The image is an oil painting by Franklin Carmichael titled “Bay of Islands” (1930).

Sainted in deep emerald greens and navy blues, the image is of a bay surrounded by hills with more island stretching toward the horizon of blue and green clouds. A single, small sailboat floats in the foreground.

“He wore woven huarache sandals and a loose cream linen shirt like an old man remembering women.” -from the book

“Rubicons get crossed for all kinds of petty reasons.” -from book

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

A good read. Quick and well done. It hit on a LOT of societal issues for white, middle class women but more as a survey of issues than a super deep dive. My copy isn’t full of tabs, but good for a read-in-a-sitting mood w/o being vacuous. 💙📚🖋️📚⏳ #BookSky #AmReading #BookRecs #Read #Love #Reading

A paperback copy of “The Mad Wife” by Meagan Church lays on my sage green bed in very warm, weird light. (Courtesy of the wildfires.)

The cover features an artist rendering of a 1950s woman in a full dress, pearls, hair and makeup with an apron over it all. She’s standing in a pink suburban kitchen of that era. The woman is posed and smiling right to the viewer like a Good Housekeeping model. A stark, black bar (think redacted words) goes right across her face to hide her eyes.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

#MobyDick to prepare for the Irving book. OMG the #Melville. A slog at times, sure, but that is part of the payoff. Funny. Moving. Engrossing. Profound! The #Irving was ok. 💙📚🖋️⏳📚⌛️ #BookSky #Read #Literature #Classics #Books #Love #Reading #Summer #LitFic #BookRecs #AmReading

Two paperback books lay on a white garden table in bright sunlight. Deck boards and some greenery can be seen below. The books are a bright blue, mass market copy of “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville and “The Last Chairlift” by John Irving. That is a trade paperback size and features a sunrise sky seen through the silhouette of a chairlift over a ski slope.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

This is a super read - well paced, good characters, good thriller. The writing is clean and I read it in a night. Just a really fun palette cleanse. Would also be a fantastic holiday/beach/travel book. 💙📚 #BookSky #Books #Read #BookRecs

A hardback copy of “Mad Mabel” by Sally Hepworth sits in the sunshine on a white garden table. Flowering things can be seen below.

The book is a gorgeous cherry red with a stylized image of half of a woman’s face down the right side. She wears her red hair in a loose chignon, a white blouse, and green cat eye sunglasses.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Ugh. A book club miss. This was so tedious it left me grouchy. Want a great read w/ horror and psych thriller elements & a focus on the world of publishing (including meaningful focus on gender/class/race)? Read Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. 💙📚 #BookSky #BookReview #Read

Photo of an eReader on a blanket with patches of pastel colors. The reader has a skin on it that is pink with red strawberries and white daisies. In black and white on the screen is the cover image for “The Ending Writes Itself,” by the writing duo named Evelyn Clark.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

It’s a very busy season, but I’d be #reading this slowly either way. Very short reading sessions. It challenges my focus but I wasn’t prepared for how immersed I’d feel in all the foreboding as well as the gore! 🫣 #Moby-Dick 💙📚🖋️🐳 #BookSky #AmReading #Books #Literature #Classics #Love #Melville

My left hand holds up a Signet Classics paperback copy of “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville. A green flower garden is out of focus in background.

The book is a striking cerulean blue with the silhouette of a whale in white. The title is written over that in thick navy blue block letters.

I started out reading this with a copy of the Norton Guide version but eventually got frustrated by the footnotes distracting me so I swapped to this version and let go of needing to perfectly understand every reference. It was the right move because the book came alive when I did that.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

In a long scroll of bad ad posts on the #BookSky feed… along came one I wanted to interact with. So, a repost.

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I feel this. 😂 Recent convo I had: “You’re reading Irving? Do you like him?” “He’s usually a big hit or a big miss for me. You?” “Same, I hated Owen Meany.” “… that’s the one I liked.” 💙📚🖋️ #BookSky #Readers

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Hard Return @ahardreturn.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

My graduated senior agreed to read a book with me the #summer before college! IF they chose the #book.. “We read a chapter at a time together or individually, then discuss it.” They read this in 8th and 12th grades but picked it again. So, here we go. 💙📚🖋️🎓 #BookSky #Literature #BookRec #Review

My left hand holds a paperback copy of “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas C. Foster up to the camera. Beyond is a hazy sky, and a pair of teen feet in a grey Adirondack chair on a deck.

The book cover itself looks like a book lying open on a wood sesh with a green rectangle over the open page as background for the title.

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