iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Book 123 is Tough Guy by Rachel Reid (Adult Fiction). I've been watching (and rewatching) Heated Rivalry on HBO so I figured I'd better finish reading the series.

000

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

It is possible the beauty shop healed my soul today.

190

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Book 122 is Good Spirits by B. K. Borison (Adult Fiction). This is a VERY loose retelling of A Christmas Carol. I was hesitant at the premise but ended up loving it.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Book 121 is Felon by Reginald Dwayne Betts (Poetry). I'm finishing up my doctoral classes for the semester and read this one for Poetic Inquiry. Heartbreaking. "The link between us all is tragedy."

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Book 120 is Fight by Sloane St. James (Adult Fiction). Bummed I fell for the TikTok hype on this one. The juice wasn't worth the squeeze.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Book 119 is Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws (Adult Fiction). Couldn't put this one down. So funny and spicy.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Book 118 is Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (Young Adult Fiction). I read this one for student book club. This is The Princess Diaries in Japan. Some parts of it were really great (especially loved all the Asian representation in the friend group) but some parts fell flat for me.

120

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Book 117 is Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone (Adult Fiction). A very satisfying conclusion to this erotic trilogy. Also loved the plot twists and the teaser in the epilogue.

130

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

What did you think? I got bogged down by all the numbers but I appreciated their honesty and transparency.

020

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Book 116 is An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister (Adult Fiction). Love love loved this rivals-to-lovers, nerdy, quirky romance.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Book 115 is Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Adult Nonfiction). A frustrating look at why a country with so much has gotten to a place of its people having so little. "Scarcity is a choice."

230

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Book 114 is Blackthorn by J. T. Geissinger (Adult Fiction). Really enjoyed this very very dark fantasy. And there's a raven shifter!

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Book 113 is Mate by Ali Hazelwood (Adult Fiction). I didn't love this one as much as I loved Bride but I did enjoy the werewolf lore in this one.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Book 112 is Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (Young Adult Fiction). A most satisfying conclusion to this romantic fantasy duology.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Book 111 is Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (Young Adult Fiction). I reread this one for Romance Book Club and still love it. It reads like WWI historical fiction with fantasy and a love story.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Ohmygod I was talking to Twin B about his ashy knees and Twin A yelled at him: "You have a Black mama!" ☠️

060

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

My oldest boy is 8-years-old today!!! 🎉 He asked for a YES day. As you can see, he enjoyed it.

2130

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Book 110 is The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley (Adult Fiction). I loved this clever, witty, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romantic fantasy. Really looking forward to the second book.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

Book 109 is Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver (Adult Fiction). Another horror rom-com from this author. I liked the side characters the most, but also appreciated the love that developed between the two main characters.

120

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Book 108 is Knot Her Shot by Ari Wright (Adult Fiction). Another very cutesy hockey Omegaverse romance.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Book 107 is Model Home by Rivers Solomon (Adult Fiction). I read this haunted house thriller for one of my book clubs. So many webs of generational trauma were woven into this family saga. This is going to stick with me for a long time.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Book 106 is Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson (Poetry). I got to hear her speak in Philadelphia this summer, and she soothed my soul. Hoping to use this book in my dissertation. It is such a phenomenal exploration of Black girlhood.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Book 105 is Garron Park by Nordika Night (Adult Fiction). A rough and rugged enemies-to-lovers. Took me a while to get through all the angst in this one.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Book 104 is Soundtrack by Jason Reynolds (Young Adult Fiction). Get this book for the music, the full cast, the music, the sound effects, the music, the found family, the music, the struggles of a boy on the brink of adulthood, the music...

130

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Book 103 is The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith (Poetry). The inside of this book is just as beautiful as the cover. These poems gutted me and put me back together. Even if you don't usually read poetry, pick this one up. Also, I just saw it's a finalist for the National Book Award.

130

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Read in Love: Centering Joy, Justice, and Black Girlhood was a success!

2182

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Book 102 is Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi (Adult Fiction). Another super cute witchy ghosty romcom.

120

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Hi my name is Jessica and my desk is always messy.

0110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Book 101 is Love At First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi (Adult Fiction). I absolutely loved this spicy romp between a horror writer and the actor who stars in one of her movies, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the ghosty side story.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Book 100 is Thunder Thighs by Evie Mitchell (Adult Fiction). A short and steamy love story with a small-town island setting.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Book 99 is Nero by S. J. Tilly (Adult Fiction). I thought this Mafia romance was just okay. The story was interesting, but there were plot holes I couldn't get past.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Book 98 is Leave Me Behind by K. M. Moronova (Adult Fiction). This felt like a return to the Dark Romances I read 15 years ago. It was VERY intense and surprisingly sweet.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Book 97 is Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca (Adult Fiction). A pretty cute ghosty romance in small-town Florida.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

Twin B has started calling me sir and it's hilarious. "What are you cooking, sir?" "Sir! I peed on the potty!" "I like your pretty pink dress, sir."

170

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

One of these days I'm going to answer the "what do you do all day?" question with a series of day-in-the-life video diaries but today is not that day.

051

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Book 93 is A Love Most Fatal by Kath Richards (Adult Fiction). I absolutely loved this Mafia rom-com where she's the criminal boss and he's the unassuming school teacher.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Okay but why are you so sweet? 😭 Thank you for letting me share (virtual) space with you. I could listen to you talk about poetry all day.

060

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Book 92 is Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans (Poetry). I read this for the first time 4 years ago and just reread it. It is a soul-crushing, heartwarming, hopeful, and sometimes humorous collection of poems that I think every Black woman should read, more than once if possible.

130

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

And here I was thinking the most popular posts among my white friends today would be about pumpkin spice lattes.

060

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

My friends are about to take me to brunch to celebrate my birthday and I look cute as hell.

Jessica wearing a green and white tennis outfit and white tennis shoes

Jessica wearing a green and white tennis outfit, white tennis shoes, black and yellow purse, and sunglasses

1110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Book 91 is Mafia Target by Mila Finelli (Adult Fiction). An assassin falls for his mafia target.

110

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Donations for my @donorschoose.bsky.social project are doubled today for my birthday!

010

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

First day of school - year 16! (And my birthday)!

2100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Hope I get to see some library friends at AASL in a couple months!

142

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Book 90 is Knot Her Goal by Ari Wright (Adult Fiction). Sports romcom plus Omegaverse.

100

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

I really enjoyed Wednesday when I watched it in 2022 but making us wait more than 3 years for an 8-episode second season is diabolical. I don't even wanna be bothered at this point.

020

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Hey! Hey! I've been working really hard to expand my student romance book club, and this year I'm focusing on accessibility. I'd love for students who need a little more time to read the books to feel comfortable borrowing a book from our permanent collection, and you can help!

063

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Book 89 is The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore (Adult Fiction). A wild intergenerational story about friendship and family.

110