Litsy

Finished my first books of 2022 knocking out 2 spaces on my January #BookSpinBingo board.
Legendborn was fantastic - Bre has tons of personality and the world building is really interesting. I did struggle a bit with keeping the characters straight, but I think that's a me thing.
I was all in on White Smoke - so creepy! - until it just...ended. Now I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Doubling up as my first #BookReport of the year as well!
@Cinfhen

Cinfhen Woohoo 🥳 First #BookReport of 2022!!! I hate when books end abruptly!!! That‘s a TOTAL #PetPeeve 4mo

13 likes1 comment

Megabooks

When We Cease to Understand the World | Benjam�n Labatut

so-so

Total mind**** for me!

This book takes major scientific discoveries and fictionalizes some stories about their founders. That said, I have done enough science reading over the years to know that some of the more outlandish stories are actually TRUE. So this book had me connecting and processing until I went mad. Perhaps someone coming in cold would enjoy it more. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Interesting but VERY frustrating.

The #audiobook narration is great!

Cinfhen, Mindyrecycles, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB, Ruthiella, sarahbarnes

Megabooks I think I‘m forgetting to tag someone. If so, I‘m sorry!! 5mo

Ruthiella I don‘t have your science background but suspect I‘m going to be googling a lot! 😆 Great review! 5mo

squirrelbrain I definitely don‘t have a science background, but actually I let the really science-y stuff just go over my head. @Ruthiella 5mo

See All 18 Comments

Cinfhen Curious how I‘ll respond to this book, since I have zero scientific background but I HATE when fiction and NF is blurred. Distortion is a #PetPeeve 5mo

sarahbarnes Crazy! Great review. I‘m on the list for this one at the library, and as a total non-science person it will be interesting to see how it reads. 5mo

BarbaraBB I‘m a non-science person too and curious how I‘ll think of this book. Thanks for the honest review 🤍 5mo

Megabooks @Cinfhen the first section “Prussian Blue” is about the guy who invented nitrogen collection from the atmosphere, BUT he also invented chlorine gas (this is true). Anyway, it has fairly graphic descriptions of Jewish people dying in gas chambers. Just wanted to let you know as far as a CW. It‘s not in any other place besides that section. 💜 I‘m interested to see what you think, especially since you also hate distortion!! (edited) 5mo

Megabooks @Ruthiella it may spark you to find out the truth about these discoveries, but you can just let the most science-y parts go like @squirrelbrain said. There are some REAL wacky stories about science, which is definitely cool! 5mo

Megabooks @sarahbarnes @BarbaraBB thanks! I‘m really curious to see what the non-science readers have to say for sure! 5mo

Cinfhen The audio is available on #Hoopla @sarahbarnes in case you have that library service!! Thanks for the heads up, Meg. It‘s a short listen so I think I‘ll add it to my #WeeklyForecast ❤️ 5mo

Megabooks @Cinfhen cool!! Really curious to see what you think!! I should‘ve checked hoopla before I bought it, but you know I‘m not a hoopla fan! I listen at 2.25 and that‘s not an option on hoopla. 👎🏻👎🏻 5mo

Cinfhen Just as a heads up @Megabooks Hoopla now offers a custom speed setting and it goes up to 4.0 😘 5mo

Megabooks @Cinfhen finally!!! Now if they‘d only put chapters in their back catalogue! Or have they done that too? 5mo

sarahbarnes Thanks @Cinfhen! I wish I was better at books on audio. I apparently don‘t have an attention span for it - I get distracted and realize I missed the last five minutes of what was playing. 😂 5mo

Cinfhen Chapters are back, too!!! Or at least they are in some of the last few I listened too!!! 5mo

Megabooks @Cinfhen yayayay!! I‘ll definitely check it out. It‘ll save me some 💰 5mo

Mindyrecycles Not my cup of tea. 😬 5mo

Megabooks @Mindyrecycles it was weird AF for sure! 5mo

73 likes18 comments

MatchlessMarie

December | Phil Rickman

I started making a #DecemberChill playlist but then I remembered New Found Glory‘s new Christmas album just came out today and it‘s perfection 👌 Also Spotify rudely removed the 1998 Tooth and Nail Happy Christmas compilation so I couldn‘t add one of my favorites which is Five Iron Frenzy‘s cover of You Gotta Get Up by Rich Mullins. #MusicalMatters

https://youtu.be/7MqOui0znuM

Cinfhen, BarbaraBB

Cinfhen I‘m excited to listen to this playlist 🎵even though I‘m Jewish, I enjoy Christmas music…..but not in October #petpeeve 😉💚♥️💚 5mo

47 likes1 comment

Kimberlone

The Complete Christmas Music Collection: Piano/Vocal/Chords Sheet Music Songbook Collection | Alfred Music

Posting my “Actually Good Christmas Songs” playlist for #DecemberChill. Full disclosure, I do NOT like Christmas music. I get annoyed that every store and radio station starts blasting holiday songs by mid-November.

That said, there are some holiday and XMAS-adjacent songs I actually like, compiled here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0FEyw1YEuOaHQNBAhW10OW?si=RjdmnEg0S5KqkIiqMxtk...

#WinterGames #TeamGameSleighers

Cinfhen, StayCurious, BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB I don‘t like Christmas music either… 5mo

Kimberlone @BarbaraBB good to know I‘m not the only grinch! 5mo

BarbaraBB And I am sooo glad ‘Driving home for Christmas‘ isn‘t on your playlist! That song is the worst - imo 😊 5mo

See All 11 Comments

Kimberlone @BarbaraBB lol I don‘t think I even know that one! A positive side effect of my holiday music aversion…. 5mo

BarbaraBB Chris Rea… don‘t go and listen if you don‘t know it! 5mo

StayCurious I‘m not a fan of most but every once in awhile they put out a new one that‘s catchy. That being said I used to work retail so I hate listening to it in stores too. Shop online now haha (edited) 5mo

Kimberlone @StayCurious same! I had physical therapy today and the office played Christmas music the whole time! 5mo

Cinfhen Hahaha!!! I TOTALLY share your #PetPeeve 😆but occasionally there are catchy tunes - I‘ll need to have a quick listen 🎧 5mo

Centique @Cinfhen when I was a student working at a bookshop we only had 2 Christmas cds and the manager played them on repeat. I‘d go home to bed and shut my eyes and the whole CD would keep playing in my head. It was drilled into my brain 😂😂 But now it just reminds me of being 18 so I don‘t mind it! 5mo

Cinfhen At least it‘s attached to happy memories @Centique 🎶🎄❤️ 5mo

vivastory I also have an aversion to holiday music with a few exceptions thanks to working several years in retail music stores. I still have periodic nightmares about selling endless copies of the latest Kenny G Xmas album. 5mo

48 likes11 comments

KarenUK

The Days of Afrekete: A Novel | Asali Solomon

pick

With echos of Woolf‘s Mrs. Dalloway, this short novel focuses mostly on a single day, with musings of the past. As Liselle preps for a dinner party on the evening that her husband‘s political ambitions have been dashed and an FBI investigation are underway, she looks back at a significant affair with Selena, a woman from her past. Steeped in sharp observations on race, sexuality and politics, it‘s a well written story, let down by its abrupt end.

Cinfhen Excellent review! Book sounds perfect until that abrupt end. #petpeeve I hate that!!! (I feel cheated) 6mo

KarenUK And it‘s only 200 pages or so! It could easily have been longer! 😂 @cinfhen 6mo

49 likes2 comments

Megabooks

Addicted to Perfect: A Journey Out of the Grips of Adderall | Vitale Buford

pan

Do you remember inflating the word count in your high school essays by the saying the same thing twice but phrasing it differently? Imagine a whole book of that. She would say the same thing twice yet in different ways. 😏

While taken as a whole arc the story of Vitale‘s addiction and sobriety is interesting, the actual writing is atrocious! I can‘t recommend this #AudiblePlus title. 👎🏻

Cinfhen

llcoolnate hahah I got the joke 👌🏻👌🏻😝 8mo

Megabooks @llcoolnate 😂😂👍🏻 8mo

Cinfhen #PetPeeve #HardPass Thanks for the honest review!!! 8mo

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Megabooks @Cinfhen good idea! 8mo

Megabooks @Cinfhen I think Molly has a UTI. ☹️ the soonest I could get her in with my vet is tomorrow. She definitely doesn‘t feel good. 💜 I feel so bad for her. 8mo

Cinfhen How‘s Molly????? Poor pup 8mo

Megabooks @Cinfhen she did have a uti at the vet today. ☹️☹️ she got an antibiotic injection, and she seems to be feeling better. (There‘s an antibiotic injection for skin infections and uti‘s in dogs that last 2 weeks and is soooo much better than doing pills!!) I ordered a bunch of stuff for her from chewy. New treats, 3 different toys, 2 kinds of bone…no, she‘s not spoiled!! 😂😂 8mo

Cinfhen Hahaha 🤣 I‘m now familiar with Chewy!!! I keep asking Niki to tell me which is Herzy‘s favorite bone treat - apparently it‘s only available on Chewy. I wanted to send one to Molly after her surgery 🐾🐶♥️ I‘m so glad to hear there is a quick shot antibiotic for her!! Glad she‘s on the mend ❤️‍🩹 8mo

Megabooks @Cinfhen awwww!! Thank you for thinking of us! Chewy is fantastic because you get the convenience of online without the worry of counterfeit like on Amazon. A friend got counterfeit food on Amazon and I got counterfeit toys. Ridiculous!! So glad chewy is there. 8mo

Cinfhen I didn‘t know that was a “thing” on Amazon 😣I HATE dishonest people!!! Im going to ask Niki about that bone, again. It‘s like a brain toy/ bone treat 8mo

Megabooks @Cinfhen that sounds really cool!! She likes bones and loves food. 😁😁 Molly had mostly hand me down toys, so I think she‘ll appreciate her own. And yes, counterfeiting sucks!!! The only other new toy besides Hairy is a counterfeit crocodile that I had to resew myself after she destroyed it in 10 minutes!! It was supposed to be the same brand/type as Hairy, and it wasn‘t even close. Fortunately I know a really secure stitch. Thanks vet school! 8mo

Cinfhen 🙌🏻 - Herzy can chew through a toy in seconds too!!! Unfortunately for Niki & Adam it ends up in the garbage 🗑 😜 8mo

91 likes12 comments

Caterina

Socialism . . . Seriously: A Brief Guide to Human Liberation | Danny Katch

A #PetPeeve for me: authors not giving citations or a bibliography in nonfiction work! Especially in something like this book, which introduces socialism. I would love some endnotes and a bibliography + further reading/learning list! 😤

ChasingOm Why would an author try to avoid citations?! 🤯 10mo

Megabooks Citations should be there for people who want them. Easy to ignore if it doesn‘t matter to you! 😡 10mo

TrishB I couldn‘t take that seriously. My current NF has 150 pages of references, notes, citations etc 10mo

15 likes3 comments

Cinfhen

Telephone | Percival Everett

pick

F@CK!!! That ending 😡😩!!!Total #PetPeeve I can‘t stand #UnfinishedBusiness Damn!!! Not sure what to say/ loved this book until the author pulled that crap 😭 #ToB21 Its a pick with reservations

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

Caroline2 Arghhhhhhh!!!! I HATE that!!! 😠 1y

Cinfhen Me too!! Im still pissed @Caroline2 3 hours later 😆 1y

BarbaraBB You‘re so right! The ending didn‘t live up to the rest of the book. I was pissed too. 1y

See All 54 Comments

Cinfhen Im JUST NOW remembering this book was written with three different endings!!! If you‘ve read the book please share your ending below 👇🏽 1y

Cinfhen Which ending did u get @BarbaraBB 1y

Megabooks Yeah my ending dropped it to a so-so. 1y

Cinfhen Did your book end with Zach showing up at an urgent care clinic @Megabooks @BarbaraBB before getting to Mexico?? (edited) 1y

Ruthiella I think the ending is the same in all three versions. The differences are more subtle and are in various places in the book. (edited) 1y

Cinfhen Hmmm @Ruthiella it‘s a cool idea but a little frustrating/ have u read this one?? 1y

Ruthiella Yeah. I read the same version as you, judging by the cover you showed. Barbara has a different version, I remember. I loved So Much Blue by Everett but was a little nonplussed by Telephone. 1y

BarbaraBB @Megabooks @Ruthiella @Cinfhen I have a different edition but as far as I remember the ending is the same. I read some articles about it. I enjoyed this book a lot but you are right Ruthiella about

So Much Blue: A Novel

Cinfhen The difference in the cover @Ruthiella @BarbaraBB is which direction the top compass is pointing/ it‘s very subtle and I had to really stare at each cover intently to see the difference. So perhaps the differences are just as subtle within the story. I‘ll have to read the book you both mentioned

So Much Blue: A Novel

cariashley I read the same version and also didn‘t like the ending - I kept flipping back and forth from that page to the acknowledgments saying what?!!? That‘s it?? I‘ve seen rave reviews about one of the other versions 😒 1y

Cinfhen I feel jipped @cariashley I‘m dying to know the other versions 1y

BkClubCare Oh dear 1y

Cinfhen I need to check out a bookstore @BkClubCare and see if I can find the other endings 😉 1y

BkClubCare @Cinfhen - yes! I will try to remember to do this when my next book order arrives. 🤩 1y

Cinfhen Keep me posted @BkClubCare #CuriousMindsNeedToKnow 😉 1y

BkClubCare @Cinfhen - just finished! I ... need to know how yours ended. ❓ 🧐 1y

Cinfhen @BkClubCare he gets the women into the bus but before he can cross the boarder the one who‘s been shot is in terrible shape so he stops at an urgent care and walks her in. 1y

BkClubCare @Cinfhen - testing, is the poisonous ☠️ invoke spoiler mode? 1y

BkClubCare @Cinfhen - yay! It does. So cool. OK. Whoa!!! I can see why that would be a exasperating. In mine, he makes it across the bridge and waves at the Mexican cop. I thought it a fine ending. I released a breathe I hadn‘t realized I was holding. The last page was odd. Titled “Rain”, the scene is looking out the window of their house, at their CA mountain scenery. But it‘s not raining. Approximately one paragraph. I assumed (?!) he made it home. 1y

Cinfhen Whoa! That‘s sooooooo cool....you had a different ending @BkClubCare I‘m tagging the others, who shared my ending.... by the way, what does that mean??? Rain, but it‘s not raining?! You‘re ending is so much more satisfying 😀 @cariashley @Ruthiella @BarbaraBB @Megabooks check out the above spoiler tag from @BkClubCare 1y

Megabooks @Cinfhen I‘m pretty sure I had @BkClubCare ‘s ending, but I will have to double check when I get home! (edited) 1y

BarbaraBB @BkClubCare @cariashley @Ruthiella @Megabooks In mine he sees the Mexican cop at last, who talks to the border police and waves the women into their country. He stays behind, watching them and he remembers having seen a bear (last sentence)! (edited) 1y

Ruthiella @BkClubCare @BarbaraBB @cariashley @Megabooks @Cinfhen SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT ENDINGS? I like the other two better than mine and Cindy‘s. I would love to see the other version of the books, but don‘t want to buy them. But my library has no copy (yet at least). 1y

Cinfhen That is SO CRAZZZY @BarbaraBB @Ruthiella @BkClubCare @cariashley @Megabooks I wonder what the bear signifies??? And the rain???? What was the author trying to tell us!?!??? 1y

Megabooks @BarbaraBB @BkClubCare @cariashley @Ruthiella Mine is the one where she makes it across the bridge to the cop and they nod at each other. Then the last chapter is called Rain. It is raining AND they are looking for bears. @Cinfhen can you go into more detail about yours?? (edited) 1y

Cinfhen My book has him rescuing the girls @Megabooks but one gets shot while they are trying to flee, as he‘s driving the bus towards Mexico the women is getting weaker. He calls the cop to say he‘s going to be later than he hoped then he pulls up to an urgent care and enters with the women. That‘s literally how it ends. Am I right @Ruthiella The nurse at urgent care asks women‘s occupation and he states slave. I think that‘s the last line 1y

Cinfhen Actually the last line is “I looked across the parking lot. It was raining again.” @Megabooks 1y

Megabooks @Cinfhen fuck! That‘s terrible!!! I‘d be so pissed if I had that ending!! Your anger is justified!!! I much prefer bears and rain. Didn‘t know how good I had it. 😂 1y

Megabooks What is his hard on for rain? 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y

Ruthiella @Megabooks @Cinfhen Yes. But also interesting to note, it‘s raining too! Last line, “The clerk stared at me. I looked away, out the window, at the parking lot, at the moving cars. It was raining again.” 1y

Cinfhen I‘m not sure I get the rain reference at all??? Do you @Ruthiella @Megabooks @BkClubCare @BarbaraBB (edited) 1y

BarbaraBB @Cinfhen @Megabooks @BkClubCare @Ruthiella I don‘t have the rain reference. Just the bear which I don‘t get at all. But I am happy with the bear in relation to your ending Cindy. That really sucks. 1y

Ruthiella @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen @BkClubCare @Megabooks Well, it could symbolize tears/sadness. Or maybe rejuvenation. But also sometimes a pipe is just a pipe. 🤔 1y

BkClubCare @Megabooks - right? I really enjoyed this but what really is the point of different endings? (And if it is to have a small group of dedicated readers have THIS discussion - I am good with that 🤣) 1y

BkClubCare Bears signify a challenge that you must deal with (in dreams) and rain can symbolize sadness. 1y

BkClubCare When Zach sees the bear at the care facility but his daughter cannot see/process the bear and share in the experience of seeing the bear, Zach realizes (or wants) it just to be over. It is a challenge to keep “living”. 1y

BkClubCare Rain: the Rain title but no rain in the scene (but looking for rain AND BEARS?) means that “Life” is learning to deal with and realizing that life will always have rain and bears. Maybe? 1y

BarbaraBB @BkClubCare I think you‘re on to something with these explanations, they are quite plausible. Like you I‘m not sure what Everett wanted to accomplish with these different endings, but I like this discussion! One more question: why the title Telephone?? @Megabooks @Ruthiella @Cinfhen (edited) 1y

Cinfhen I think the title Telephone signifies that children‘s game where you whisper a secret in someone‘s ear and it‘s then passed down a line each person whispering what they thought they heard until the last person repeats the “secret” out loud. The object is to see if words get changed in the process. So perhaps the point of the novel and the multiple endings is to see how/where things can get muddled or become lost @BarbaraBB @BkClubCare @Ruthiella 1y

Cinfhen See above @Megabooks ♥️ 1y

Cinfhen I love your ideas @BkClubCare @Ruthiella about bears and rain ~ I had forgotten his daughter‘s inability to see the bear @Megabooks @BarbaraBB 1y

Cinfhen When Zach leaves to rescue the women it seems to indicate his daughter is still alive but she doesn‘t recognize her parents any longer / right?? See, im forgetting already!!@BkClubCare @Megabooks @Ruthiella @BarbaraBB 1y

Megabooks First, y‘all remember a lot more than I do! This is 60 books ago to me. 😂 Second I think both @BkClubCare and @Cinfhen are on to something with the symbolism and title!! I had not though about that with the title, Cindy!! 👍🏻 @BarbaraBB @Ruthiella 1y

Cinfhen I‘d love a sit down with the author @Megabooks @Ruthiella @BkClubCare @BarbaraBB there‘s a lot going on in this slim little book 1y

BarbaraBB Very good thought Cindy and it explains the different endings ☎️ I‘d love that sir down too! 1y

BkClubCare @Cinfhen - oh yea. I forgot to wonder about the book title. ☎️📞 1y

kwmg40 I just finished Telephone and thought I‘d come here to read about the other endings. My copy had the ending that most readers seemed to hate, but I loved the book all the same! 14mo

Cinfhen The different endings definitely makes for interesting discussions @kwmg40 I wish Telephone would‘ve gone further in the #ToB21 14mo

Suet624 I just finished reading this novel and really enjoyed all of the discussion in this post. ❤️ 3mo

Cinfhen Did u enjoy the book @Suet624 ?? Which ending did you get?? 3mo

Suet624 I did enjoy it. My version was @BarbaraBB‘s version. 3mo

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BookishMarginalia

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence | Becky Cooper

pick

Longer than it needed to be and very much a meandering journey with a fair amount of navel gazing, this book nonetheless held my interest throughout, though I admit when I got to the end, I sighed and asked “This is it?”

Also: why is it that audiobooks seldom include the acknowledgements? #petpeeve

90 likes2 stack adds

Megabooks

Attachments: A Novel | Rainbow Rowell

pick

Rebecca Lowman re-recorded the #audiobook for Rainbow‘s debut earlier this year, and it is so wonderful. Sometimes a narrator and an author just WORK.

You can‘t help but root for Lincoln and Beth. The number one adjective that comes to mind with her characters is charming. She makes genres I don‘t normally like from romance (this book) to YA and fantasy (other titles) things I love.

#aam book 3 #bookspinbingo no 4 (posting card tmrw) night all!

Soubhiville, TheAromaofBooks

Texreader Well said. I normally wouldn‘t read this types of books but this one was so good!! 2y

Soubhiville I‘m glad you enjoyed this 🙂 2y

TheAromaofBooks Yay! This is probably my favorite book of hers. I love how she manages to make Lincoln endearing instead of a creeper haha I also think that her romance works so well because her characters grow as individuals instead of having people who “fix“ each other. 2y

See All 7 Comments

Megabooks @Texreader thank you!! 2y

Megabooks @Soubhiville me too! She‘s one of my favorite authors, so I‘m glad to be rereading her books. 2y

Megabooks @TheAromaofBooks definitely agree about Lincoln. And I hate when people fix each other. #petpeeve Lincoln made friends and moved out on his own. Beth got out of her crappy relationship on her own too. Then they met on the same page. It is such an endearing story. 2y

TheAromaofBooks Exactly!! 2y

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