Welcome to Litsy!

I love stories by Minnesota authors, and I really enjoyed Stradal‘s first two novels, but this one was a slog. It covers 4 generations of the same family as they run a storied supper club in northern Minnesota. Somehow I could not keep the characters straight, likely because of the overlapping timelines, so it was hard to stick with it. Lovely writing, great characters, but lost the thru line.

“ . . . as well-intentioned and charmless as a store-bought pie”

Happy March 2nd!
Happy Banana 🍌 Cream Pie 🥧 Day!!l
(THIS is home-made pie 🤣)

#PieinLit #LitPie #ILovePie #CaresPieShow

Current audiobook. Reading what I want to. I have ToB fatigue maybe. Not into it this year

This book was sad, incredibly sad. But it had perfect end of summer vibes and that‘s why it was my favorite September read. #12booksof2023

Hubby is making dinner while I try to read. His commentary has me a bit nervous 😂

Managed my 8 book average for the month even with the 850 page chunkster.
🍁Excellent true crime
🍁The Last One was a wild ride! I loved it, recommended by Meredith of Currently Reading podcast
🍁11/22/63 lived up to the hype. Now I want to get back in reading King.
🍁Always love Kate DiCamillo
🍁 Started out the seasonal reading. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🍁Cute cozy magical puzzle
🍁A true crime novel, very good
🍁Love the supper club.

Everyone knows that the worst invention in world history is the surprise. There‘s a reason they don‘t exist in the animal kingdom unless murder is involved.

These books have some of the most eloquent words that define the thoughts that surround me. In my middle age.

Can‘t say this book about four generations of women and a Minnesota supper club grabbed me. I didn‘t find the characters that interesting and I didn‘t like all the jumping around in time. I have been to a number of Wisconsin supper clubs, so I could relate to the picture of the one drawn by the author.

I loved this book. It was so sad, but also so insightful. 5 stars. Perfect end of summer reading.

I ❤️ 3 day weekends

She‘d heard enough regrets in her lifetime to know that dreams don‘t always die because of something terrible, but more often because of something that‘s merely acceptable 🍽️🛶💛

The story of the Lakeside Supper Club through 4 generations of women

I listened to this one over audio. Overall I liked the book. It does have multiple storylines & characters to keep up with. But what I thought was a fun lighthearted story (also I grew up in New Jersey so I know nothing about supper clubs, although I‘m interested in learning more), took a dark turn. I wish there was a trigger warning since I‘d lived through the experience (I‘ll put below). I‘d become invested in the story & wanted to finish it.

Happy 4th!!

Happy 4th!!

I enjoyed this one for sure. The stories of multiple generations of restaurant owners had a cast of colorful an endearing characters and some really funny parts. I will say the last 2 chapters didn't do it for me, though. It felt like the author couldn't figure out how to end the story. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll just say, the last few chapters felt like an entirely different story condensed into a few pages.

This isn‘t what I was expecting. There were moments in the text (more than one, and not even in the same character‘s storyline) where I was absolutely floored by grief. And I say this as someone who doesn‘t have a direct connection to the type of loss described. I see now that the blurb hints at “a devastating tragedy” but that comes *after* the illustration of a cherry pie and liberal use of the word “spunky.” 👇🏻

“She was sure she‘d wake up one day and look forward to coming here as much as she looked forward to walking through a winter forest at the eggshell break of sunrise.”

“Her father used to say that Julia wasn‘t raised by a village, she was raised by a supper club. As a small child, she sat at the bar, sneaking Maraschino cherries, colored and drew at the maître d' station, and looked for little things she could do to be useful.”

As someone who was raised for years by a single mom/bartender, I fully approve this message. ?

I love J. Ryan Stadal‘s books and this may be my favorite. Though sentimental (which is typically NOT my style), his novels are full of food, Midwestern quirky characters and fully charming to me. This was the most emotional (and personal, according to the author‘s notes). Following 4 generations of women and the men and restaurants (!) in their orbit, I was thoroughly invested and once again had tears streaming down my face. Loved it.

About to eat this delightful crepe in the buttery yellow sunshine. 💛

📖 +☕️ + 🍩 + 🌊

LOVING! THIS! BOOK! 📖 🐚
I‘m so glad I saved it for a beach read. It‘s perfection.
I‘m a big fan of his other two and this may be my favorite yet.

Another food + family title I loved in May! This takes place in northern Minnesota where Mariel runs the Lakeside Supper Club, the restaurant passed down through her family. Her husband, Ned, also grew up with the family restaurant, now grown into a large franchise. The legacy of the Lakeside is told in various timelines following Mariel, her mother Florence, and her grandmother Betty, while modern day Mariel and Ned deal with their own issues. ⬇️

I have no words... I read this book in A DAY AND A HALF!!!!! I don't think I've read anything that fast, maybe since Harry Potter. What an amazing story about families, secrets, the restaurant business, the legacies we build and the lives that are both lived and trapped in those legacies. I love Stradal's style and this was all I could ask for and more!!! ❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Brandy Old Fashioneds, Cribbage, supper clubs?! Though this takes place in Minnesota, it made me nostalgic for the time we lived in Wisconsin. We had our first son there. Love the midwestern mixture of cultures! There was a lot going on in this multigenerational story; obvs several characters, but also shifting timelines, so pay attention! The atmosphere was at times heartbreaking, but overall, delightful.

Listening to this yesterday greatly improved my day of chores. Thank goodness for audiobooks!

I really enjoy Stradal‘s books. I find them warm and comforting as well as funny and touching. This might be my least favorite of the three, but still good. I‘ll definitely be reading whatever he writes next!

Another Stradal novel, another beloved reading experience! I know I love the food and drink and recognizable characters, but I‘d like to reread all of his books one day with attention to the deeper themes and values that are probably also speaking to me as someone born and raised in the Upper Midwest. I *had* to have my own Betty‘s Lemonade while reading. (Having no Bubble Up, I substituted Blake Lively‘s Meyer lemon club soda, the brand ⬇️

Another good book by J. Ryan Stradal. I‘m originally from Wisconsin, so it‘s nice to be able to read books set near there. And I really like his writing. I think this one may be my favorite of his.

Beware Spoilers! These are my notes while I was reading Saturday Night Supper Club. It‘s a beautifully written book but I was not really in the right headspace for a book that would rip my heart out multiple times so I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the general theme that choosing your own path will make you the happiest and the characters are all so well written but I cried - so many times.

Visited my favorite bookstore with @KLyn1 for #independentbookstoreday

This story follows multiple generations of family in small town Minnesota as they rotate around the Lakeside Supper Club. It‘s a nice look at community, but I found I struggled to keep the storylines separated since so many of the plot points were the same. I enjoyed it overall, but it was just a touch too sentimental for me, so low pick.

Moods: Multi-gen. Family Drama, Restaurant Drama, Midwestern kitsch, Summer read
This is my favorite book yet by J. Ryan Stradal. His characters felt real to me as both loving and frustrating and all the other things families are and make us feel - both the good and the bad. As much as I didn‘t like the ending, I do feel like it was for the best. I‘d recommend making a Brandy Old Fashioned and have some Merkt‘s Port Wine Cheese spread & crackers!

I would be greatly remiss if I read another chapter of “Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club” without sipping on an Old Fashioned while doing so 😋 Extra cherry juice and Squirt since it‘s a weeknight, but now all I need is a relish tray and a cheese ball and I‘ll be set!

I recommend this book for fans of stories that include a host of small-town characters. I found the book to be engaging, and it would make for a good book club choice or beach read. The length time space on some chapters compromised the flow of the chapters, especially with multiple narrators. So, there are parts that feel underdeveloped. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61653268

Library runs during lunch are THE BEST! Picked up J. Ryan Stradal‘s newest “Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club” and “Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller” by Oliver Darkshire. Both sound so good!!

Happy Publication Day! 🧀 🍺

Finally starting this #NetGalley #ARC
Stradal's previous two novels were quirky, endearing, and compulsively readable - I'm so ready to dive in to this one!

I am beyond excited for this book 🤩
I loved both of his other books (Kitchens of the Great Midwest and Lager Queens of Minnesota).
Pub date April 18, 23
My fingers are crossed I get approved on #netgalley🤞