Andy Pollen
@andypollen.bsky.social
Cat dad, city dweller, communicator. | DSM by way of MSP, IND, STL & CHI | Ask me what I'm reading: https://www.pleasereadittome.com/
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Andy Pollen
@andypollen.bsky.social
· Nov 14
In 2020, I started a #bookreview website as a distraction during COVID-19. It has remained a creative outlet vastly different from my day job. In the past I shied away from mixing my personal & professional lives but that authenticity seems made for Bluesky. I hope you enjoy following along.
Lovely evening hearing @annanorth.bsky.social & @carsonfaust.bsky.social talk about their new releases. Grateful to Storyhouse Bookpub for offering these opportunities in Des Moines.
#booksky #bookstore #shoplocal
#booksky #bookstore #shoplocal
October 18, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Lovely evening hearing @annanorth.bsky.social & @carsonfaust.bsky.social talk about their new releases. Grateful to Storyhouse Bookpub for offering these opportunities in Des Moines.
#booksky #bookstore #shoplocal
#booksky #bookstore #shoplocal
Looking forward to this event in Des Moines next week with @annanorth.bsky.social and @carsonfaust.bsky.social. The question is: can I get through both new releases in time? 🤔
#booksky
#booksky
BOG QUEEN is going on tour! This is the part of my book release I’m absolutely the most excited about. Details in thread!
October 7, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Looking forward to this event in Des Moines next week with @annanorth.bsky.social and @carsonfaust.bsky.social. The question is: can I get through both new releases in time? 🤔
#booksky
#booksky
My husband and I were on the same Seattle Underground ghost hunting tour with Brittney Griner.
1) I was momentarily distracted walking through midtown and ran directly into a barrel-chested Busta Rhymes who kept me from falling backwards, then said, “My bad, sweetheart.” 2) My husband being concerned that the bar we were in was serving children alcohol because he didn’t recognize Elijah Wood.
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
June 13, 2025 at 3:10 PM
My husband and I were on the same Seattle Underground ghost hunting tour with Brittney Griner.
Quite possibly my favorite photo of all time. Our beloved 19-year-old icon and ally, Link.
#pride #pridemonth #catsofbluesky
#pride #pridemonth #catsofbluesky
June 7, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Quite possibly my favorite photo of all time. Our beloved 19-year-old icon and ally, Link.
#pride #pridemonth #catsofbluesky
#pride #pridemonth #catsofbluesky
For the past 5 years, I’ve curated a #PrideMonth reading list, but this year feels different. As queer folks face growing hostility, I’m focusing on the most vulnerable in our rainbow: trans and immigrant voices. Remember: reading is also protest.
www.pleasereadittome.com/home/my-2025...
www.pleasereadittome.com/home/my-2025...
My 2025 Pride Month Reading List and Recommendations — Please Read It To Me
This year, my Pride Month reading list is an act of deliberate protest. I’m prioritizing queer stories that push boundaries: books by trans writers, by authors of color and by creators outside the U.S...
www.pleasereadittome.com
June 4, 2025 at 9:16 PM
For the past 5 years, I’ve curated a #PrideMonth reading list, but this year feels different. As queer folks face growing hostility, I’m focusing on the most vulnerable in our rainbow: trans and immigrant voices. Remember: reading is also protest.
www.pleasereadittome.com/home/my-2025...
www.pleasereadittome.com/home/my-2025...
Happy Publication Week to @stephenking.bsky.social and "Never Flinch." After reading nearly 30 King books over my lifetime, I have to say that Holly Gibney is one of my all-time favorite characters. Here's my review of her first standalone novel: www.pleasereadittome.com/home/holly-s...
Holly – Stephen King — Please Read It To Me
Expectation: The author’s best character in recent years tackles another supernatural mystery.
Reality: Somewhat sidelined by an infusion of current events, it still represents a satisfying entry in...
www.pleasereadittome.com
May 28, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Happy Publication Week to @stephenking.bsky.social and "Never Flinch." After reading nearly 30 King books over my lifetime, I have to say that Holly Gibney is one of my all-time favorite characters. Here's my review of her first standalone novel: www.pleasereadittome.com/home/holly-s...
Des Moines showed up for Abby Jimenez tonight. More than 2,000 book lovers enjoying one of the best cultural experiences the state has to offer, #AViD. Thank you, @desmoineslibrary.bsky.social!
May 16, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Des Moines showed up for Abby Jimenez tonight. More than 2,000 book lovers enjoying one of the best cultural experiences the state has to offer, #AViD. Thank you, @desmoineslibrary.bsky.social!
The party over people posturing is becoming exhausting. All this when Iowa has one of the highest workforce shortages in the U.S. By all means, let’s make this a hostile place for people to live.
FILED TONIGHT: Senate Republicans seek to overturn same-sex marriage. Reach out to Senate Republicans now: bit.ly/IowaSenators
May 8, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The party over people posturing is becoming exhausting. All this when Iowa has one of the highest workforce shortages in the U.S. By all means, let’s make this a hostile place for people to live.
It was amazing to see one of my all-time favorite writers, Hanif Abdurraqib, at the Des Moines Book Festival. Thanks to @beaverdalebooks.bsky.social for making it happen. #booksky
March 22, 2025 at 8:55 PM
It was amazing to see one of my all-time favorite writers, Hanif Abdurraqib, at the Des Moines Book Festival. Thanks to @beaverdalebooks.bsky.social for making it happen. #booksky
More than 70% of my #reading last year had an #audiobook component. Here are the best and worst narrations I heard. www.pleasereadittome.com/home/2024-th...
2024: The Best and Worst Audiobook Narrations I Heard — Please Read It To Me
With 72% of my reading this year incorporating an audio component, it’s surprising that more performances didn’t land on my “worst” list – especially considering how average my overall reading year fe...
www.pleasereadittome.com
January 2, 2025 at 2:33 PM
More than 70% of my #reading last year had an #audiobook component. Here are the best and worst narrations I heard. www.pleasereadittome.com/home/2024-th...
It wasn't the best reading year I've ever had, but there were still several books that left a lasting impact. Here's the best (and worst) of what I read in 2024: www.pleasereadittome.com/home/2024-th...
2024: The Best and Worst Books I Read — Please Read It To Me
Short story collections, anthologies and graphic novels provided much-needed variety, proving that it’s always a good idea to shake up your format. As for my quest to tackle the “chonky” novels langui...
www.pleasereadittome.com
December 30, 2024 at 3:55 PM
It wasn't the best reading year I've ever had, but there were still several books that left a lasting impact. Here's the best (and worst) of what I read in 2024: www.pleasereadittome.com/home/2024-th...
Throwing it back to the first #bookreview I ever posted on my website, and it remains one of my favorite reads of the decade thus far. If you haven't read John Boyne, this is a fantastic introduction to his work. www.pleasereadittome.com/home/the-hea...
The Avid Listener Review: The Heart's Invisible Furies — Please Read It To Me
In the two novels I've read — each very different from the other but both compulsively readable — Boyne's shown a finely tuned, yet completely accessible way of storytelling that in the span of a few ...
www.pleasereadittome.com
December 9, 2024 at 7:16 PM
Throwing it back to the first #bookreview I ever posted on my website, and it remains one of my favorite reads of the decade thus far. If you haven't read John Boyne, this is a fantastic introduction to his work. www.pleasereadittome.com/home/the-hea...
If you only read one book in recognition of #nativeamericanheritagemonth (or #nonfictionnovember, for those who celebrate), I highly encourage Adrienne Keene’s spotlight of individuals from some of the 574 federally recognized American Indian Tribal nations.
www.pleasereadittome.com/home/notable...
www.pleasereadittome.com/home/notable...
Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present – Adrienne Keene — Please Read It To Me
If you find time to read only one book in recognition of Native American Heritage Month (or Nonfiction November, for those who celebrate), I highly encourage Adrienne Keene’s excellent spotlight on no...
www.pleasereadittome.com
November 27, 2024 at 12:35 AM
If you only read one book in recognition of #nativeamericanheritagemonth (or #nonfictionnovember, for those who celebrate), I highly encourage Adrienne Keene’s spotlight of individuals from some of the 574 federally recognized American Indian Tribal nations.
www.pleasereadittome.com/home/notable...
www.pleasereadittome.com/home/notable...
After devouring “Moon of the Crusted Snow," I was excited to to see how the Anishinaabe continue to survive the technological end-of-times. While less intimate & more standard dystopian tale, the emotional ending provided a satisfying conclusion. #bookreview www.pleasereadittome.com/home/moon-of...
Moon of the Turning Leaves – Waubgeshig Rice — Please Read It To Me
Expectation: A true continuation of the first novel, picking up where things left off for the Anishinaabe as they enter the next phase of survival in the Canadian north.
Reality: Less intimate and mor...
www.pleasereadittome.com
November 19, 2024 at 3:58 PM
After devouring “Moon of the Crusted Snow," I was excited to to see how the Anishinaabe continue to survive the technological end-of-times. While less intimate & more standard dystopian tale, the emotional ending provided a satisfying conclusion. #bookreview www.pleasereadittome.com/home/moon-of...
For readers new to Indigenous fiction, this anthology is a fantastic introduction, and with each story concluding with an author bio, it’s easy to find more work from voices that resonate. Highly recommended. www.pleasereadittome.com/home/never-w... #bookreview
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology – Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. — Please Read It To Me
With 26 stories in the collection, it's unsurprising that not all of them resonated. I enjoyed about half, while others felt flat, somewhat confusing or a bit derivative of stronger stories in the mix...
www.pleasereadittome.com
November 16, 2024 at 8:24 PM
For readers new to Indigenous fiction, this anthology is a fantastic introduction, and with each story concluding with an author bio, it’s easy to find more work from voices that resonate. Highly recommended. www.pleasereadittome.com/home/never-w... #bookreview
Reposted by Andy Pollen
Nothing quite says "efficiency" like hiring co-directors to lead your department of efficiency.
November 13, 2024 at 4:04 AM
Nothing quite says "efficiency" like hiring co-directors to lead your department of efficiency.
Kicking off #bookish posts by spotlighting Indigenous authors for #nativeamericanheritagemonth. Indigenous horror has become one of my favorite subgenres, and while this wasn't my favorite @sgj.bsky.social read, fans of old school King will love his style: www.pleasereadittome.com/home/i-was-a...
I Was a Teenage Slasher – Stephen Graham Jones — Please Read It To Me
Ultimately, “Slasher” is an intriguing experiment into metahorror and a homage to 80s slashers (mostly Jason Voorhees) that narrowly misses its mark. If you’re looking for something punchy, gory and u...
www.pleasereadittome.com
November 14, 2024 at 3:15 PM
Kicking off #bookish posts by spotlighting Indigenous authors for #nativeamericanheritagemonth. Indigenous horror has become one of my favorite subgenres, and while this wasn't my favorite @sgj.bsky.social read, fans of old school King will love his style: www.pleasereadittome.com/home/i-was-a...
Reposted by Andy Pollen
Everyone on this site has a library card
November 13, 2024 at 6:50 PM
Everyone on this site has a library card
Reposted by Andy Pollen
I regret to inform you that I do sometimes judge a book by its cover.
November 14, 2024 at 11:18 AM
I regret to inform you that I do sometimes judge a book by its cover.
Nicely played, @theonion.com. 🙌🏻
BREAKING: Satirical news site The Onion has won the auction to acquire conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars
The Onion wins bidding for InfoWars assets | CNN Business
Satirical news site The Onion won the auction to acquire conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ InfoWars.
www.cnn.com
November 14, 2024 at 2:49 PM
Nicely played, @theonion.com. 🙌🏻
In 2020, I started a #bookreview website as a distraction during COVID-19. It has remained a creative outlet vastly different from my day job. In the past I shied away from mixing my personal & professional lives but that authenticity seems made for Bluesky. I hope you enjoy following along.
November 14, 2024 at 2:39 PM
In 2020, I started a #bookreview website as a distraction during COVID-19. It has remained a creative outlet vastly different from my day job. In the past I shied away from mixing my personal & professional lives but that authenticity seems made for Bluesky. I hope you enjoy following along.
It’s disheartening that I had to turn my air conditioning on in late-October for the second year in a row. It’s these little, new realities that show how the scope of global warming accelerates each year.
October 30, 2024 at 1:59 PM
It’s disheartening that I had to turn my air conditioning on in late-October for the second year in a row. It’s these little, new realities that show how the scope of global warming accelerates each year.