I made it 136 pages into this book before calling it quits 🏆Prior to this page, there was some eye rolling and some “Ughs” thrown about, but a specific line on this page got me to throw in the towel. I‘m not a romance fan so I shouldn‘t have even picked this book up, BUT I love Chicago, Marshall Field‘s (the store), and historical fiction so I thought I‘d give it a chance. I tried, but no. Onto the next book!

Wow. Wow. Wow!! I saw this book at Goodwill and waivered over buying it (for a whopping $2.99 lol). It sounded interesting, but I have a pile of books on my TBR stack to get through. Well, my Aunt saw through that lame excuse and bought it for me, and I‘m so glad she did! I loved this story of the Rabishevsky brothers - this was a total page turner that I didn‘t want to put down. What other Andrew Gross books should I read? I‘m hooked now!

#readingbracket2023 #2023readingbracket I cannot believe how close we are to making our top 2023 picks 🤯😱 Last month (Oct) I couldn‘t decide between “The Last Devil to Die” by Richard Osman or “The Lady from Burma” by Allison Montclair, but I ultimately decided on Osman‘s book. It‘s the last one (for a little while) so it only seemed fitting. This month (Nov) it had to go to the tagged book, it was so much fun getting swept away in Sira‘s story

Themes: Epic stories, Multiple timelines, “Big Fish” movie feel (totally agree with you @jdiehr 👍)

This was a very interesting book, at times I felt like there was almost too much going on, but it oddly worked. I keep typing and deleting what I‘ve typed because I don‘t want to spoil anything. I‘m just going to say it was a pick, I‘m glad it was a BOTM option 👍

Maria Dueñas has done it again, the second book in the Sira Quiroga series is another hit. While I‘ll be the first to admit that the beginning is very dry and factual, once you get past a certain event, WOW! Hold onto your seats!!! It was non-stop action for the rest of the book. I‘m hoping there will someday be a Book 3, Sira is a new favorite character I‘d love to read more about. Also, meet Millie, my parents new cat!! She‘s such a sweetie!!

I‘m enjoying a sunny Saturday afternoon at home 🥰 I‘ve gone to the grocery store (got there early to beat the rush and I‘m so glad I did! It was getting busy as I was leaving ✌️), House is as clean as it‘s ever going to be, and the last load of laundry today is in the dryer. Soaking up the quietness while it‘s here 😌🥰

I‘m visiting my parents in Cedar Falls, Iowa and we went to The Nook‘s grand opening! What a fun, independent bookstore; a good mix of new books and fun accessories (book related and non-book related). It‘s not in the database yet, but definitely come visit!!

Why yes, it‘s a Friday night before 9pm and I‘m in bed with my book 🥰😇

A very interesting study!! https://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/tools/Gen-Z-an...

This was an unintended PangoBooks find🤪 I was buying a book from a seller and saw this. I read the summary and gasped - it checks alllll my boxes:
✅ Historical fiction {and bonus points for it being from a region and a time period I‘m not familiar with (Spanish Civil War, Madrid & Morocco during the late 1930s and 1940s)}
✅ Strong female characters
✅ A chunkster!!
I ordered the sequel when I still had 200 pages to go, I knew I wanted more!

#JolabokaflodSwap sign-ups are up!! Run, don‘t walk to @MaleficentBookDragon profile to sign up 🎄📚🍫

#readingbracket2023 #2023readingbracket I didn‘t have what it takes to make the tough calls this month 😬🫠 I had enough trouble picking between several amazing October reads to be my favorite October read. AND THEN, I had to pick between Sept and Oct. AAANNNDDDD THENNNNN I need to pick again?! I couldn‘t do it today. I am deferring to Future Amy to make that call 😈 So, to be continued…

This series 🥹🫶🏻 There‘s nothing more that I can add to what the reviews have already said, I‘ll just echo and agree that this is a beautifully written book.

I found this wine today and the little doggie looked exactly what I imagine Alan looks like, maybe not with the monocle but then again, Joyce would love it 🐶🐾♥️

I love a good family saga and this one did not disappoint! Jonathan Coe did a nice job of telling the story of the Lamb family beginning on VE Day in 1945 and going until 2020 in the midst of COVID lockdowns. I learned a lot, laughed, cringed, and craved chocolate (thank God Halloween candy is in stores now 😆🤪🤤). I‘ll pick up his other works after reading this one for sure 🤗

Is there anything better than a cozy blanket, a new book and a sunny fall day? #Bliss 🥰🍂🌻

Themes: Family drama, The Great Depression, WPA Projects
This chunkster was good, not great - a soft pick for sure. Annie Barrows does a wonderful job with her characters and the setting, I just wish the plot was more exciting right from the get go, instead of picking up during the last 100 pages. All that said, Jottie, Willa, Bird, everyone (except Felix) felt like people I‘d love to sit and have some ice-tea on a porch with any day of the week.

Well, this goes in the “You make plans, God laughs” bucket 🤪
Me to my friend: “I can pick up sushi for lunch, I know they open at 11 since I get lunch here all the time when I‘m in the office. I‘ll see you around noon!”
The Universe: “Yeah, no, the restaurant opens at Noon on Saturdays. Good thing you brought your book to read in the parking lot for 45 mins” 🤣🤣🤣

I wanted a kinda creepy, eerie read that would not keep me up at night and give me nightmares. This was perfect! While reading I couldn‘t help but think of Sarah Addison Allen‘s books with their mystic, magic undertones - which I loved (the telescopes on Lark‘s houseboat reminded me of the Pixar light 😆). I also learned about “Development-induced displacement”, which I didn‘t know anything about and now I want to learn more! A solid pick 👍

OMG! I AM SO EXCITED FOR A SEQUEL!! C‘mon 2024, hurry up!

As an already huge fan of Kate Atkinson‘s writing I loved this collection of short stories 🥰 This is a definite pick for fans already, and I‘d agree with others saying that new readers should start here to test the waters with her unique writing style.

Happy Sunday!! I saw this on Instagram and had to laugh because this is exactly my logic 🤣 I also don‘t think preordering books during a book ban count, that‘s a gift for Future Me 😇 📸: https://instagram.com/beautynherbooks?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

First, I would say this is “thriller-lite” or “diet Thriller”. There are thriller elements but none that will keep you awake at night terrified to turn out the light. This book is based on a true murder in 1920‘s NYC and was so well written I couldn‘t put it down! A true (🤯) whodunit with passionate journalists, Broadway performers, gigolos, corrupt politicians, high society, and everything in between. A definite pick!!

I‘m going to go out on a limb here and say, this is probably one of the last days for my pre-work coffee & reading time outside with the birds before autumn comes with cooler weather 🥺🪺🦜 (P.S. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!!!)

I love that it‘s October 1st and you can still wear a summer dress outside 😎😍 I‘ll take this for another few days, but then I‘ll be ready for some cooler, crisp fall days 🍂🍁

#readingbracket2023 #2023readingbracket September has been a challenging reading month for me, for some reason. I hope October will be better 🤞Nonetheless, this was a fantastic read from a fantastic author 🤩

Isn‘t it just THE BEST when 3 library holds come in and 2 preorders arrive on the same day 🤪😜 Really hoping nobody else requests the library books (3 on right) since there is no way I‘ll finish them all in 3 weeks. Especially when I have a new Richard Osman and Kate Atkinson waiting 😋 Happy Friday!!

Author Hazel Gaynor gives a cover blurb that says, “This is perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and The Crown,” and she‘s right! Y‘know how you can get swept away watching those shows and all of a sudden you look up and it‘s 3AM? This is the book equivalent! All the stars and then +5 more!!

Happy Pub Day to “An Invitation to the Kennedys” by Emily Hourican 🎉🍾🥂

I don‘t always buy international copies of books, but if it means waiting a few months until the US version, I will buy that international copy! Emily‘s “Guinness Girls” series is fantastic and I‘m so excited to read this newest book from her 😍🥰

If anyone is looking for a quirky show that is reminiscent of “Magpie Murders” (in terms of being book related, English, and murders happening), then I found one! I just finished watching episode 1 of “Queens of Murder” on Amazon Prime and I LOVE IT!!

Something about fall and the “back to school” season always gets me hankering for a good biography or a book on some historical event. After our visit to Louisville and hearing the Du Pont‘s name dropped several times, I knew the subject I wanted to read about for my “back to school” book 😁 And at 632 pages and not one, not two, not three, but FOUR family trees, I think I‘m going to learn a lot 🤓🙌🌈⭐️

Jennifer Chiaverini‘s books for me are either so good I can‘t put them down (Resistance Women) or too boring for me to want to keep picking up (Switchboard Soldiers). This one was so good and I couldn‘t put it down! Now, as I say that, you have to first meet every character and get their backstory before things really get moving. Stick with it through the first 80ish pages (if you can), the story really gets going after that 👍

A view from my vacation with my husband to Louisville, KY. We stayed at our first B&B which was in a Victorian mansion, this was the covered backyard porch. I want to go back!!

My suitcase is almost packed and ready for our vacation starting tomorrow 🙌 The plan is to start “Canary Girls”, but have “First Ladies” as a backup. Jennifer Chiaverini is a hit or miss author for me, so I‘m hoping for a hit (but planning in case it‘s a miss 😇).

#readingbracket2023 #2023readingbracket I won‘t finish another book before the end of August (?!?!) so I thought I‘d post this now so I don‘t forget 😆 Finally! An easy decision 😮‍💨 Any books from the Sparks & Bainbridge series will always be a top pick for me, I cannot recommend these books enough 🤩👍

If you‘re looking for a great story, one that truly grabs hold of you, this is it. My goodness! I didn‘t go in with any expectations; the summary sounded good and I figured I could start and finish it before I left on vacation (I don‘t like bringing half-finished books with me, does anyone else feel that way?). I don‘t want to say anything else because I may blab and spoil things and I don‘t want to do that. Read this, it‘s good!

This is the second in the ‘Marlow Murder Club‘ series and it was FANTASTIC! I didn‘t see the ending coming and I was hooked from page 1, which makes it a “Pick” for me 👍 I read the first book (“The Marlow Murder Club”) last year and didn‘t read it again before reading this one, I wasn‘t confused or felt behind the eight ball on any references so I think you could jump right into the series with this one.

Themes: Family, Second Chances, Small town Iowa
I went into this not knowing what to really expect, but I love novels based in Iowa and the premise sounded good. Reading this gave me Matt Haig and J. Ryan Stradal vibes, and the witty dialogue made it a very quick read (I started it Friday afternoon and finished it late Saturday afternoon lol). Do not skip the “A Conversation with the Author” section, as a midwesterner it was a delight to read 😊🌽

My company allows us to work “Summer Fridays” so by working an extra hour Monday thru Thursday, I‘m done on Friday at lunchtime! Sometimes I do boring stuff like run errands, but today I treated myself to a nearby library book sale and a picnic lunch afterwards 😇 What a fun way to spend a Friday afternoon!! 😎📚

Themes: Regency Era, Tongue in cheek humor, Murder Mystery

Anything described as, “Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie meets The Princess Bride” and “Clue set in Regency era England” sets my expectations very high, and this delivered! This was a quirky read that had the perfect blend of silliness and mayhem. All of the characters were great, Miss Bolton is my favorite though 😊 I‘d definitely recommend reading with tea and perfectly moist scones.

Welp, I‘m okay with my decision to skip the picks on #BOTM this month based on this. Haven‘t watched any of these shows nor have any desire to 😆

I have zero self-control. Zilch. Nada. I love this series so much and barely made it a week after its pub date to not only start BUT FINISH IT! The dialogue between Gwen and Sparks is just perfect, it honestly plays more like a TV show than a novel. I cannot stop raving about this series, it‘s an auto-preorder for me as soon as I hear another book is coming (I may or may not have an active Google Alert for this author and “Sparks & Bainbridge”😉)

A PICK 👍 This is the third book of the ‘Emmy Lake Chronicles‘ and it‘s another delight from AJ Pearce 💟 While it is the 3rd in the series, it‘s been 2 years since I read the 2nd one and I honestly fell right back into step with all the characters, it felt as if no time had passed. I think you could read it as a stand-alone, but the characters are all just so lovely that you‘d be missing out
Themes: London during WWII, Friendship, Magazine Work

SUNday is here and it‘s a beautiful one 😎☀️🪴 It‘s nice to enjoy time outside without 75% humidity and/or 100+ heat index temps.

#readingbracket2023 #2023readingbracket My pick for July goes to “The Housekeepers” by Alex Hay 🗝️🏠

Not that I was planning on reading any of King‘s horror books (I have nightmares over horror film trailers on TV), I know without a doubt in my mind now that I will never, ever pick any of his horror books up. I wouldn‘t sleep again, his world creation is the BEST I‘ve come across. Mr. King is one heck of a storyteller 🤯 100 pages at a time would fly by because you cannot help but get hooked and are utterly engrossed in the story. (cont‘d 👇)

I picked this up on Pango Books so I could qualify for free shipping and since it sounded interesting I gave it a shot. Well, huzzah for it actually being extremely interesting 🙌 Shawn Levy does a fantastic job of writing so you don‘t actually feel bogged down by facts, but rather each page held a new and fascinating discovery. History buffs, movie fans, fashion gurus, definitely add this to your TBR stack!

Themes: Oceans 11 meets Downton Abbey, Early 20th century London, Women settling scores

“Never underestimate the kitchen girls.”

What an amazing debut! I will admit that the first 50ish pages had me wondering if I should continue, but shortly after that BAM! You can‘t help but become engrossed, absorbed and intrigued with Mrs. King and her merry WOmen 😉 Definitely recommend!!

I had every intention of enjoying some outdoor time with my current read (“The Housekeepers” by Alex Hay) and my newest favorite summertime drink (White Claw Vodka + Soda + Real Juice, peach flavor) after weeding my front yard‘s flower beds. Uh, yeah, no. Nope. Nopity. I‘m inside for the rest of the day with my current read, my newest summertime drink, AND the a/c 😎✌️

Welp. PangoBooks has become my husband‘s newest enemy 🤣 Between finding amazing deals on books there AND my latest library hold coming in, I hope he‘s good with making sandwiches for dinner all this week 😇

Themes: Family, House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), A League of Their Own

This was very well written and checked all the boxes of things that I find interesting: the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and it was all centered around a family from Detroit (always a fan of midwestern settings 😊). This was a perfect summer read 😎 Five stars & I‘d love a sequel!