“…friend suggested he listen to Hemingway‘s The Old Man and the Sea. …” ugh. I‘ve read it twice and it totally annoys me when I read this because I want to hate that book. I get it, or I think I do. But ugh! Blessings to those who adore the book and blessings to those who find the author a misogynist asshat. Yep. I guess I‘m annoyed about the holding of these two thoughts together at once. Such is this messy complicated life.

I‘m going to meet Andrew McCarthy tomorrow!!!! Squeeeeee!!!!

Current audiobook and I must say: VERY listenable. I‘m swept away in the story and intrigue and even the political discourse. I feel like I am in the hands of a competent and skillful author- just lean in and enjoy the drama 🎭

#camplitsy23 #HavetoreadasIgetthem #cantwait

Captivating and expansive to my worldview, I can‘t stop reading this. I‘m about 3/4 in and am humbly learning a lot. I admire so much of the author‘s sharing, dedication to faith, spin on old stories, and being vulnerable and brave. Great memoir. So glad #camplitsy23 put it on my reading list.

Pic of lupine flower in my garden. 🌺

Rather than buy a new book while on vacation, I convinced my hostess to share this with me. Maybe I will continue it via Libby if I don‘t finish before we fly home. #Lilacs #StillBlooming

We are almost to our vacation destination! In the Uber car rolling down 295S. I enjoyed this story and it featured indirect pie (meringue, quiche, tarts). My reviewing skills have deteriorated! This was sad, packed with great sentences, characters to cry with and for/thru some tragic happenings and choices. I would read more by this author. #debut #PieinLit #NewEngland

On way to RI for a fun weekend to see friends.

Starting one of my #CampLitsy choices that didn‘t get selected. Purchased mostly because #LovetheCover (and seem to be reading lots of #MotherDaughter books) #WesternKS #TravelReading #foggy

“He whispers to me that we should sit at the counter, so we can see all the action. It‘s about 1:30 in the morning, after our play was over. We order a piece of pie.”

#pieinlit #LitPie #iLovePie #ChocolatePeanutButterPie #ReesesPeanutButterCupPie (Pie for Nephew‘s HS Graduation)

Extra hour before work means eat out and read a book. #Nonfiction #MothersandDaughters

April was full of distractions- great weather, garden🪴centers, and absolutely zero interest in reading. 😔 I did not get the book finished…

Big kudos and applause for my cohost who took on most (99%) of hosting duties for #oafkingalong readalong!! 👏🏆🗡️ @AvidReader25 Melissa is such a wonderful person and book friend. ❤️ Thank you everyone who participated!!

And it had pie! 🍎 🥧 #iLovePie #litpie

Vote Time 🗳️ for #CampLitsy 🏕️
Look for #CampLitsy2023 post today by @BarbaraBB for the list and the form. I wanted to record the books I considered and voted for - based on very limited research… 🤔🤩 I own the tagged book and included authors/titles already on my radar:

The Bandit Queens, Endpapers/Kelly, Burst / MaryOtis, I Have❓ – Rebecca Makkai, Postcard/A.Berest, Memory of Animals /Claire Fuller

Also interested in 👇
(See comments)

A decent audiobook, I usually enjoy Whelan as a narrator. This story had a LOT going on and multiple people to distrust! I think it was well paced, and could probably agree with a friend who called it “ridiculously entertaining” and then gave it 2 stars out of 5 😂 but I will give it 4. I am counting the pie tin mention as
#PieinLit #LitPie (and yes, typing error in my clip 🙄)

But I did bring THIS book to my pedicure (and am Litsy-ing instead of reading) #ICTReads Nonhuman narrator category #translation

Misleading photo because I am not 🎧 listening to this as I get a pedicure, but I did just start this audiobook today and enjoyed while driving to the salon. Does that count? 😂 #audiobook #bookclub #thriller #IamSObadatthrillers

Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy Holidays

I have been hosting family so my reading time is taking a hit but we did get out to explore. Found this lovely dress 👗 WITH POCKETS. ❤️ Pretty sure some Littens would love this, had to share! 📚🦉

Just imagine a lovely bingo grid featuring multi spaces dedicated to The Once and Future King, and you will see my April reading goals. Actually, my main challenges are to complete the White, the Eberhardt, and Armantrout‘s poems.

Current Audible #audiobook - expires tomorrow. Apparently, Audible is now expiring books acquired in previous months, listened to or not.

I‘ve missed a few #bookspinbingos; very excited for our Litsy event #OaFkingAlong!! Starts April 1 with @AvidReader25 starting us off with the kickoff post that day.

I still have a few postcards if anyone joining wants some 🐌 mail 📪

Always bring a book to EVERY appt. Certainly a top ten on the Rules for Readers, right? Am at physical therapy for my elbows that won‘t get better (another certainty: strong energetic dogs are hazardous to joints and limbs!)

“Our brains are better at processing faces that evoke a sense of familiarity.” Learning lots of good stuff already.

Stand off. What a great book. #DogsofLitsy

“I had Lucy bake me an apple pie.” #PieinLit #CaresBooksandPie

Copper is bored, “play with me, Mama.” But I want to sit and read! #DogsofLitsy

Starting this for #ClassicsClub #CCspin due end of April2023. Rec‘d in the #ToB23 commentary #ClassicsClub50_list2
(Perfect size before I begin the #OaFkingalong.)

Perhaps it is unusual to post a recipe (in comments) for Snowman Pie to review a book set in Palm Springs CA. However, this book has been placed in contention for Care‘s Books & Pie “Pie in Literature” Award for 2023. Silliness, right? The best kind! I adored this book - smartly done, hit all the buttons that makes a great reading experience: humor and heart. And pie!
#LitPie #ReadICT category LGBTQ+

#CaresPieShow #PieinLit #iLovePie

Even with her unorthodox taste in desserts, pie seemed like a bridge too far. “Pie is hot. Too hot for summer.”

“One of every cold pie we can find and then everybody will have a choice. Satisfied?
Thnowman pie.
Snowman pie? What‘s that?
Grant shrugged. “It just sounded good.”

This was a #ToB23 down-in-the-threads reco and . . . Ok, I‘m intrigued. 🤷🏻‍♀️

(Is it hot in here? Is my husband out of town? Did I just subscribe to 🍎+ 📺 so I could watch Ted Lasso? How did I not know he was the Shocker 🏈 coach?!?)

#DogsofLitsy #CopperWPG #ReadICT category #LGBTQIA+

My favorite thing about this book was the casual drop of an artist‘s name. So I looked on google and found the referenced painting. I learned something 😊

The story was only okay.

Copper is sleeping again. It was a busy day.

I finally finished this book. It got confusing and frustrating— that whites were so cruel and greedy and amoral. And I couldn‘t make sense of the rambling telling — it was too much, so sad, incredibly evil. And we think NOW is worse?! History just shows us more of the same. Power corrupts. Boggles the brain, and especially the heart.

Copper is so sleepy he doesn‘t even move when I place this book for the photo 📸

#bookclubbook #dreadinganddontreallyknowwhy #sigh #librarybook

I‘m not ready! With this book, my city is planning wonderful opportunities to educate, prepare, and inspire people to have the necessary conversations on the topics of aging and death. Thankfully, my mom is reading this with me. But yikes 🫣
The backdrop in this picture is my bath remodel in progress … and stalled; because our hired help is deep in the caring frustrations with his elderly mother. Be careful out there, m‘friends. ❤️

I love these two narrators! And I would be more interested in reading about the interactions and reactions of Julia Whelan and Edoardo Ballerini to this project than ever attempting to understand the “story”. I probably heard/read too much about what (if any) explanations it might provide to The Passenger, and I am more annoyed than appreciative.

Happy Pi Day! Guess it can be cool that I am reviewing a maths book 🤣 #iLovePie

Mom and I attended the kickoff for the Wichita KS Big Read! Exciting and interesting events surrounding this year‘s book to inspire everyone to be prepared; to start and have important conversations about death. #BigReadWichita

Saw a comment that this is narrated by Julia Whelan and Edoardo Bellerini

Added to current listen ✅ (yes, totally influenced by #TOB23 chatter on yesterday‘s results)

Next Nonfiction.

Gift from a friend, came in today‘s mail.

Ok, I am a few minutes late since I had hoped to post before it all started (oh well!) and here‘s my ranking grid.
Top row makes up my top4+ with my favorite getting the lower right sidebar ribboned location. The last row shows my least favorites and the middle is a jumbled swirling can‘t-decide mess. Bring it on! #Tob2023 #LitsyToB23

I did it! #ToB2023 #ToB #ToBCompletist

Finished the tagged and powering through 7Moons today and tomorrow!! “I WILL be a completist.”

The Zauner is for an online book club on the 8th and due back at library tomorrow 😂 I liked it and REALLY craving Korean food!

Am on an airplane ✈️
Hoping this means I can get this done!

A readalong announcement 📣 #OAFkingalong

Melissa ( @AvidReader25 ) and I are hosting (?) or, rather, planning on reading this in April and we made a button and invented a hashtag cuz that is watcha do when you buddy-read a book, right? I might find fun postcards to mail, too… (lmk you want 🐌 mail: 📧 me at bkclubcare at gmail)

Everyone welcome. Informal, maybe will be a weekly recommended page count and recap? Just for fun.

Sweeeet! My hold at the library came thru so I can finish this before an online FB discussion in 2 weeks 🙌 #ReadICT grief category

I am diving into this one today! Finished Mouth2Mouth last night (um… Still thinking about it) so I am almost to completist status for #ToB2023. Then I will rank from favorite to least.

This one is my favorite cover. 🌟

I will finish this book tonight, most likely; and I am loving it!! Who ARE those of you who thought this boring?! I am on pins and needles wondering what is going to happen - - didn‘t somebody say the ending was a jaw-dropper?! Eeeek!! Maybe, I am being setup for a let down, but this is hitting that sweet spot of wanting to readreadread AND …. Not wanting it to end, scared to see how it ends. Wild.

So many words! This author reminds me of ⬇️

Starting this collection for my #poemaday project. #PoetryMatters #Poetry Collection num2 for 2023.

I have blogged ALL my books so far 🙌
And just posted my review at Care‘s Books & Pie…
I have changed my initial rating of 4 to the Big Ol‘ Five slicer because, why not? I think I will read and enjoy all of Kevin Wilson‘s books. I‘m adding him to my list of faves. #ListofFaveAuthors #5slices #CaresPieShow #OatmealCremePie #ifitisrounditcouldbepie #cakeisnotpie #doNOTpanic #ReadICT category Time #time #panic

Starting this now! #tob2023 #DogsofLitsy #Copper&Esther #whpg #Griff4short

I can just repeat my photos and decided to be boring today, right?! #ReadICT Time category (could also be friendship category?) #DueatLibrary !

A bold in-your-face anger-driven collection that I warmed to in the middle but was worried when I started. #poetry #poemeveryday #DogsofLitsy #ReadICT Long Title category

“And so, just like that, Ash became everything, and nothing, and forever, and never having ever been at all. He became the aching blank that bears the weight of everything.”