Barb Natividad 🇵🇭🇺🇸
@barbnatividad.bsky.social
I’m always write! | Buckeye 🌰 | MFA - Poetry | Currently revising my Fil-Am contemporary fiction novel. | Mini book reviews. | Find me at: https://barbnatividad.substack.com where I write about mental health, writing, reading. | @barbflashes.bsky.social
December 13, 2025 at 1:26 PM
4⭐️ THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS by Claire Messud. 2013. Literary. Nora becomes entangled with her 3rd-grade student and his parents to the point of obsession. The friendship ends after a perceived betrayal by the wife/mom. The ending dragged but then packed a punch that left me reeling. Slow but good! 💙📚
December 12, 2025 at 8:00 PM
4⭐️ THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS by Claire Messud. 2013. Literary. Nora becomes entangled with her 3rd-grade student and his parents to the point of obsession. The friendship ends after a perceived betrayal by the wife/mom. The ending dragged but then packed a punch that left me reeling. Slow but good! 💙📚
Slept in a Duran Duran t-shirt and woke up hungry like the wolf.
Slept in a WHAM! t-shirt, so you woke me up before you went went.
Slept in a Queen t shirt and nobody found me somebody to love
December 12, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Slept in a Duran Duran t-shirt and woke up hungry like the wolf.
4⭐️ HIS BLOODY PROJECT by Graeme Macrae Burnet. 2015. Literary/historical. A 17yo boy brutally murders 3 villagers in Scotland in 1869. Told through police and autopsy reports, psych evals, the trial transcript, and the boy’s own memoir. Had to keep reminding myself this was fiction. Dark. 💙📚
December 10, 2025 at 8:31 PM
4⭐️ HIS BLOODY PROJECT by Graeme Macrae Burnet. 2015. Literary/historical. A 17yo boy brutally murders 3 villagers in Scotland in 1869. Told through police and autopsy reports, psych evals, the trial transcript, and the boy’s own memoir. Had to keep reminding myself this was fiction. Dark. 💙📚
4⭐️ THE COMPOUND by Aisling Rawle. 2025. Contemporary. 20-something Lily competes in a reality show with 19 other contestants. Last one remaining in the compound wins. Lots of drama! Fascinating how far people will go to win. 💙📚
December 8, 2025 at 10:57 PM
4⭐️ THE COMPOUND by Aisling Rawle. 2025. Contemporary. 20-something Lily competes in a reality show with 19 other contestants. Last one remaining in the compound wins. Lots of drama! Fascinating how far people will go to win. 💙📚
4⭐️ HOW TO STAND UP TO A DICTATOR: THE FIGHT FOR OUR FUTURE by Maria Ressa. 2022. Memoir. Nobel Peace Prize winner Ressa chronicles her career in journalism and how she fights the Philippine government attempting to silence her because she has exposed their disinformation network. Inspiring. 💙📚
December 8, 2025 at 12:14 AM
4⭐️ HOW TO STAND UP TO A DICTATOR: THE FIGHT FOR OUR FUTURE by Maria Ressa. 2022. Memoir. Nobel Peace Prize winner Ressa chronicles her career in journalism and how she fights the Philippine government attempting to silence her because she has exposed their disinformation network. Inspiring. 💙📚
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Aquarium is gone. Everywhere,
giant finned cars nose forward like fish;
a savage servility
slides by on grease
- For the Union Dead by Robert Lowell
giant finned cars nose forward like fish;
a savage servility
slides by on grease
- For the Union Dead by Robert Lowell
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
December 7, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
picture of the staff who operate this bluesky account
December 7, 2025 at 1:12 PM
picture of the staff who operate this bluesky account
Super fan! GO BUCKS! ❤️🩶🌰
December 7, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Super fan! GO BUCKS! ❤️🩶🌰
5⭐️ PRETTY GIRLS by Karin Slaughter. 2015. Thriller. Claire and Lydia haven’t spoken in 20 years, shortly after their older teenaged sister vanished, which tore up the family. A new girl is missing. Is there a connection? The sisters team up to find answers. Dark, disturbing, intense! Excellent. 💙📚
December 7, 2025 at 12:05 AM
5⭐️ PRETTY GIRLS by Karin Slaughter. 2015. Thriller. Claire and Lydia haven’t spoken in 20 years, shortly after their older teenaged sister vanished, which tore up the family. A new girl is missing. Is there a connection? The sisters team up to find answers. Dark, disturbing, intense! Excellent. 💙📚
Happy #Caturday! Fortunately they can’t reach the parol (Filipino Christmas lantern) from their perch!
#catsky #catsofbluesky
#catsky #catsofbluesky
December 6, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Happy #Caturday! Fortunately they can’t reach the parol (Filipino Christmas lantern) from their perch!
#catsky #catsofbluesky
#catsky #catsofbluesky
5⭐️ BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan. 2025. Literary/historical. A small-town saga of two families with a secret between them that both brings them together and keeps them apart. Takes place post-WW2 through the early 80s. So good! And not just because I’m a Buckeye! 💙📚
December 5, 2025 at 2:18 PM
5⭐️ BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan. 2025. Literary/historical. A small-town saga of two families with a secret between them that both brings them together and keeps them apart. Takes place post-WW2 through the early 80s. So good! And not just because I’m a Buckeye! 💙📚
NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney
THE BEE STING by Paul Murray
BEOWULF by Seamus Heaney
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
WILD HOUSES by Colin Barrett (Irish-Canadian)
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THE BEE STING by Paul Murray
BEOWULF by Seamus Heaney
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
WILD HOUSES by Colin Barrett (Irish-Canadian)
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Introduce yourself by naming five books by Irish writers that you have read 💙📚
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL by Rónán Hession
NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney
THE BEE STING by Paul Murray
A GHOST IN THE THROAT by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
OLD GOD’S TIME by Sebastian Barry
LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL by Rónán Hession
NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney
THE BEE STING by Paul Murray
A GHOST IN THE THROAT by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
OLD GOD’S TIME by Sebastian Barry
Introduce yourself by naming five books by Irish writers that you have read.
THE CHILDREN OF DYNMOUTH by William Trevor;
THE SPRINGS OF AFFECTION by Maeve Brennan;
FOSTER by Claire Keegan;
AMONGST WOMEN by John McGahern;
MOLLY FOX’S BIRTHDAY by Deirdre Madden
#BookSky 💙📚
THE CHILDREN OF DYNMOUTH by William Trevor;
THE SPRINGS OF AFFECTION by Maeve Brennan;
FOSTER by Claire Keegan;
AMONGST WOMEN by John McGahern;
MOLLY FOX’S BIRTHDAY by Deirdre Madden
#BookSky 💙📚
December 4, 2025 at 1:49 PM
NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney
THE BEE STING by Paul Murray
BEOWULF by Seamus Heaney
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
WILD HOUSES by Colin Barrett (Irish-Canadian)
💙📚
THE BEE STING by Paul Murray
BEOWULF by Seamus Heaney
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
WILD HOUSES by Colin Barrett (Irish-Canadian)
💙📚
WORD: city
Jessica planted one foot and then the other, onto the icy sidewalk on her way to another day as a veterinary technician at the Chicago Animal Hospital. She knew she would be late again.
#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Jessica planted one foot and then the other, onto the icy sidewalk on her way to another day as a veterinary technician at the Chicago Animal Hospital. She knew she would be late again.
#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 4, 2025 at 1:40 PM
WORD: city
Jessica planted one foot and then the other, onto the icy sidewalk on her way to another day as a veterinary technician at the Chicago Animal Hospital. She knew she would be late again.
#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Jessica planted one foot and then the other, onto the icy sidewalk on her way to another day as a veterinary technician at the Chicago Animal Hospital. She knew she would be late again.
#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Got this from @rainbowofcrazy.bsky.social and will answer one a day! 💙📚
December 3, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Got this from @rainbowofcrazy.bsky.social and will answer one a day! 💙📚
November 2025 Reads
My November favorite is Buckeye by Patrick Ryan.
barbnatividad.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:33 PM
4⭐️ SO FAR GONE by Jess Walter. 2025. Contemporary. Rhys has been living off the grid for 7 years after leaving his old life as a failed father and husband. Now his adult daughter is missing and he goes on an adventure to find her. This was funny. 💙📚
December 2, 2025 at 2:02 PM
4⭐️ SO FAR GONE by Jess Walter. 2025. Contemporary. Rhys has been living off the grid for 7 years after leaving his old life as a failed father and husband. Now his adult daughter is missing and he goes on an adventure to find her. This was funny. 💙📚
I can finally open my advent calendar.
December 2, 2025 at 12:26 AM
I can finally open my advent calendar.
November 2025 Reads and Ratings
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December 1, 2025 at 12:27 PM
November 2025 Reads and Ratings
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My #MondayReads is The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud 💙📚
It's Monday again and today I'm still reading "Menace of the Monster" edited by Mike Ashley
What book(s) are you reading this week?
💙📚 #BookSky #AmReading #MondayReads #TBR
alt text in images please
What book(s) are you reading this week?
💙📚 #BookSky #AmReading #MondayReads #TBR
alt text in images please
December 1, 2025 at 12:09 PM
My #MondayReads is The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud 💙📚
3⭐️ MURDER BY THE BOOK by Amie Schaumberg. 2025. Mystery. A college student’s body is found and positioned like Ophelia from HAMLET. An English professor accidentally sees the crime scene photos and believes she can solve the murder. The twist/ending seemed unearned. Just okay. 💙📚
November 30, 2025 at 1:05 PM
3⭐️ MURDER BY THE BOOK by Amie Schaumberg. 2025. Mystery. A college student’s body is found and positioned like Ophelia from HAMLET. An English professor accidentally sees the crime scene photos and believes she can solve the murder. The twist/ending seemed unearned. Just okay. 💙📚
November 29, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Word of the day: zigzag
November 28, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Word of the day: zigzag