{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Kimberly Hirsh", "icon": "https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2022/8984.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/", "feed_url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/19/10e9ba.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Perfect by Judith McNaught ๐Ÿ“š

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-19T21:46:53-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/19/10e9ba.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/19/214653.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Perfect by Judith McNaught ๐Ÿ“š

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-19T21:46:53-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/19/214653.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/19/finished-reading-perfect-by-judith.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Perfect by Judith McNaught ๐Ÿ“š

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-19T21:46:52-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/19/finished-reading-perfect-by-judith.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/18/finished-reading-the-last-olympian.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan ๐Ÿ“š

\n

Finished up this series with the kiddo. On to the next!

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-18T09:20:28-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/18/finished-reading-the-last-olympian.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/17/finished-reading-mythos-l-by.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Mythos l by Stephen Fry ๐Ÿ“š๐ŸŽง

\n

It’s just delightful to hear Stephen Fry read this aloud.

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-17T21:24:00-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/17/finished-reading-mythos-l-by.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/17/for-my-birthday-stop-the.html", "title": "๐Ÿ“š For my birthday, stop the Federal Government gaining control of your local school libraries.", "content_html": "

Hi there! It’s been a few days since my birthday, but if you want to give me a belated present and you’re in the US, you could contact your legislators and ask them to oppose H.R. 7661.

\n

This bill ties federal funding to excluding material from schools that “includes sexually oriented material.” It provides no exceptions for education outside of standard science classes, meaning classes about human growth and development would not be able to include this material. Further, it defines “sexually oriented material” to include any material that addresses “gender dysphoria or transgenderism,” which will broadly limit both some young people’s ability to see themselves reflected in materials and others’ ability to learn about experiences different from their own.

\n

This bill, if passed, will likely lead to self-censorship, with librarians and educators complying in advance on works that may not even fall under this definition.

\n

The organization EveryLibrary has made it incredibly easy to contact your legislators. You can use their tools to:

\n\n

Thank you for taking the time to contact your legislators about this. Standing up for my public school colleagues and the students they serve is the best gift you could give me.

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-17T08:02:05-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/17/for-my-birthday-stop-the.html", "tags": ["Books","Long Posts"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/15/thanks-for-the-kind-birthday.html", "content_html": "

Thanks for the kind birthday wishes, everybody!

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-15T17:41:47-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/15/thanks-for-the-kind-birthday.html", "tags": ["Notes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/14/i-was-born-years-ago.html", "content_html": "

I was born 45 years ago today. I’m still here. I’m doing a pretty good job sticking around.

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-14T16:02:05-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/14/i-was-born-years-ago.html", "tags": ["Notes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/13/finished-reading-paradise-by-judith.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Paradise by Judith McNaught ๐Ÿ“š

\n

McNaught is so good at the job.

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-13T02:37:38-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/13/finished-reading-paradise-by-judith.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/09/finished-reading-her-night-with.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy ๐Ÿ“š

\n

There’s so much to love here. Leela is an amazing heroine fighting to build a writing career in a society that tries to block her at every turn. Her interactions with her Arab family made me curious about my own Levantine relatives, who came to the US in 1902.

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-09T04:08:27-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/09/finished-reading-her-night-with.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/08/read-why-bookshaming-wont-solve.html", "content_html": "

๐Ÿ”–๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿ’ฌ Read Why โ€œBook-Shamingโ€ Wonโ€™t Solve the Childrenโ€™s Literacy Crisis by Jessica Winter (The New Yorker).

\n
\n

Itโ€™s impossible to quantify all that is lost when schools lose librarians. But one place where their guidance and expertise can be pivotal relates to the phenomenon often called the โ€œfourth-grade slumpโ€ or โ€œdecline by nine,โ€ which refers to the steep drop-off in both reading interest and reading frequency that many children, especially boys, exhibit around age nine. Avoiding this cliff is more likely with the help of a librarian who understands her studentsโ€™ likes and dislikes, who respects their autonomy and individuality, and who can use this knowledge to guide kids toward the texts they will love, regardless of whether or not they meet a subjective threshold of literary excellence.

\n
\n", "date_published": "2026-07-08T10:18:11-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/08/read-why-bookshaming-wont-solve.html", "tags": ["Books","Links","Notes","Quotes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/07/read-will-doing-morning-pages.html", "content_html": "

๐Ÿ”–๐Ÿ“ Read Will Doing โ€œMorning Pagesโ€ for 30 Days Make Me More Creative? by Grace Abbott (The Good Trade).

\n

I love Abbott’s recommendation to follow your energy rather than holding to a rigid externally-imposed structure.

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-07T06:56:38-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/07/read-will-doing-morning-pages.html", "tags": ["Links","Notes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/07/hanging-onto-this-roundup-of.html", "content_html": "

Hanging onto this roundup of the best recent poetry from The Guardian in anticipation of participating in the sealey challenge in August. ๐Ÿ“š

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-07T06:49:34-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/07/hanging-onto-this-roundup-of.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/06/the-examples-of-alba-amicorum.html", "content_html": "

๐Ÿ’ฌ๐Ÿ“š “The examples of alba amicorum, zibaldoni, Stammbรผcher and today’s bullet journals show that sometimes we just start writing in notebooks because it’s something the neighbors do.” Roland Allen, The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-06T18:29:45-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/06/the-examples-of-alba-amicorum.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Quotes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/06/my-son-went-to-a.html", "content_html": "

My son went to a Dungeons and Dragons camp last week where he painted miniatures. He loved painting them so much that we ended up doing a family mini painting day yesterday. I painted these three.

\n\"Three\n", "date_published": "2026-07-06T15:17:16-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/06/my-son-went-to-a.html", "tags": ["Notes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/04/patrick-rhones-post-sums-up.html", "content_html": "

Patrick Rhone’s post sums up the feelings I’m sitting with today. True patriotism is not unquestioning loyalty to leaders at any one point in time, but constant critique and effort to move us closer to ideals we have not yet achieved. ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-04T16:14:06-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/04/patrick-rhones-post-sums-up.html", "tags": ["Notes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/07/01/finished-reading-deep-by-kylie.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Deep by Kylie Scott ๐Ÿ“š

\n", "date_published": "2026-07-01T13:50:48-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/07/01/finished-reading-deep-by-kylie.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/06/30/ancient-history-shines-a-troubling.html", "content_html": "

๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿ’ฌ “Ancient history… shines a troubling spotlight onto the here and now, too, asking us to face what the judgement of the future on us will be.” Mary Beard, Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-30T08:17:42-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/06/30/ancient-history-shines-a-troubling.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Quotes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/06/29/finished-reading-lead-by-kylie.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Lead by Kylie Scott ๐Ÿ“š

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-29T16:50:06-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/06/29/finished-reading-lead-by-kylie.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/06/28/i-spent-a-week-in.html", "content_html": "

I spent a week in London in a heatwave and I don’t recommend it. London in a heatwave is like the southeastern US in an ice storm. Everything closes, you’re unable to travel anywhere, and it’s too uncomfortable to spend much time outside. Only spring and fall European visits for me from now on.

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-28T13:13:07-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/06/28/i-spent-a-week-in.html", "tags": ["Notes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/06/26/new-game-to-play-on.html", "content_html": "

New game to play on my last night in London: train passing or live percussion? The trick is to listen for cymbals. ๐Ÿ’‚๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-26T17:45:23-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/06/26/new-game-to-play-on.html", "tags": ["Notes"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/06/26/now-that-ive-finished-listening.html", "content_html": "

Now that I’ve finished listening to Stephen Fry’s audiobook of Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, I’m dreaming of an adaptation of His Last Bow starring Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton. ๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿฟ๐Ÿ––๐Ÿป

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-26T07:52:11-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/06/26/now-that-ive-finished-listening.html", "tags": ["Books","Movies","Notes","Star Trek"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/06/25/finished-reading-play-by-kylie.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Play by Kylie Scott ๐Ÿ“š

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-25T18:26:47-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/06/25/finished-reading-play-by-kylie.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/06/25/finished-reading-the-casebook-of.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle ๐Ÿ“š

\n

I like that in this one, Conan Doyle gets weird and gives us a sci fi story that feels like it’s referencing Murders in the Rue Morgue.

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-25T10:06:02-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/06/25/finished-reading-the-casebook-of.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] }, { "id": "http://kimberlyhirsh.micro.blog/2026/06/22/finished-reading-lick-by-kylie.html", "content_html": "\n

Finished reading: Lick by Kylie Scott ๐Ÿ“š

\n", "date_published": "2026-06-22T00:18:51-04:00", "url": "https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2026/06/22/finished-reading-lick-by-kylie.html", "tags": ["Books","Notes","Finished reading"] } ] }