Hit up my local used book shop today, and the incredible owner remembered me as the Vonnegut collector, and had a book for me! I‘ve only been in a couple of times, so it meant the world to me. 🩷 #CitySquareBooks #bookhaul #shoplocal
There‘s a new book shop / wine bar coming to my Nashville suburb, and I‘m BEYOND excited! While their space is being built, the owner is out and about doing pop-ups. This was today at our farmers market! #TheGildedSpine #bookhaul #shoplocal
My youngest‘s, now in middle school, first school library haul: One Piece vol 1-4. For those who remember, he was 2 when I joined Litsy. He‘s now 11, and taller than me. 😭 My oldest is now in 8th grade. I‘m living in a time warp!
#raisingreaders #libraryhaul
Been a while since I‘ve relaxed with a book at soccer practice. It‘s warm but pretty nice out! 📖⚽️
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Cute follow up to Clueless: Senior Year. Here, Cher, Tai, and Dionne get into some last-summer-before-college shenanigans, mystery solving, party planning, relationship stuff. Fun story told in the appropriate vernaculars and vocabularies. Bonus enjoyment if you can read each character in the actors‘ voices.
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Working through Cosby‘s backlist, since I‘m a newly-found fan! Sad, tease, infuriating as hell. The character growth and adult maturation was solid. I won‘t say too much, but definitely a good one. I tore through it!
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Mixed feelings on this one. Unique premise, good writing, but Annie frustrated me to death. Starting with waiting until nine months pregnant to buy a crib. That set the tone for me. Aside from that, the story is creative, but ultimately unsatisfying.
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Imagine having to hide yourself for fear of your life. Think about that, truly. I don‘t know what that feels like. Reading builds empathy. You don‘t have to understand gender identity in order to be respectful and kind to others. People who aren‘t exactly like you don‘t have to be a threat. They are just living, too. This is a very thoughtful, and thought-provoking read.
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I‘ve been meaning to read Bell Hooks for so long. Public love, private love, self-love. Hooks examines society, culture, and the everyday role love plays in our lives. This is by no means all-encompassing, but I found it personally relatable. Fun fact: she is (was) from the midpoint between where I was born and where I currently live.
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I had a hard time getting into this. I kept thinking of Just Mercy, which is an incredible read and focuses on one main case. Each story here was mind-bogglingly infuriating, but started to run together for me. I should‘ve just read one story each day; should‘ve dipped in and out. My focus was off. I do think I‘d like a full book on a couple of the cases. A good nonfiction #bookclub pick regardless of my experience.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Finally getting around to some S.A. Cosby, and wow this was freaking DARK. Lots of content warnings, like all of them, but I couldn‘t put it down. Immediately added his backlist to my TBR.
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My second Cara Bastone, and she just kind of restores your faith in humanity, doesn‘t she? She nails the FMC quirky lovable mess vibe which I think is relatable to so many. Always conflict balanced with happy stuff. Very enjoyable!
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This Teen Titans iteration is so fun. Volume 5 introduces Kori (Starfire) and her sister with their cool pink and purple hair, respectively. Engaging plot and gorgeous art. I‘ve really enjoyed this whole series by Garcia and Picolo. The next one, out later this year, brings the whole group together. Looking forward to that!
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I haven‘t seen a single episode of America‘s Next Top Model, but pop culture memoirs are fascinating, and I love getting book recs from Sounds Like a Cult Pod. Hartshorne, a “plus-sized” contestant on ANTM: Cycle 9, speaks to her experience, specifically regarding the models‘ treatment, and the incessant harassment about her size and where she fits.
Post 3 of 4: #NashvilleLittens - Delicious potluck followed by a little East Nashville book shop tour: The Green Ray, The Bookshop, and Novelette. We are fortunate there‘s so much bookish goodness here.
Post 2 of 4: #NashvilleLittens at The Green Ray Books in East Nashville. 🛸
Post 1 of 4: #NashvilleLittens meet up! We realized today that we first met up over 7 years ago (bottom photo). Love these smart and hilarious ladies! 🩷
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Too much telling, not enough showing. Grossly underdeveloped characters. No backstory. No explanation for time, place, or why the show exists. Nothing to make me care what happened. Maybe if I watched reality dating shows, the satire would‘ve landed? Was this satire? I don‘t even know. It wasn‘t clever nor humorous. Want a dystopian competition reality show with a solid message? Try Chain-Gang All-Stars.
Long busy, day. Relaxing into this one while my 11 year old has basketball practice.
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I wasn‘t planning to read this until I had the sweetest conversation with Coco Mellors. She was so charming and lovely, I had to. It‘s now my top read of the year! After one sister‘s tragic death, the remaining Blue Sisters‘ lives diverge and boomerang. Grief, addiction, what-ifs, and now-whats. Utterly painful and beautiful. Mellors handled these characters so gently, but also held them accountable. ⬇️
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I‘m not a completist (yet), but I‘ve loved everything I‘ve read by Didion. This was too intimate. None of our business. I doubt she would‘ve ever wanted these “notes” published, and I regret reading them. Still, her words are thoughtful. But this made me feel like a voyeur of her family‘s pain.
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As a proud Elder Millennial, some of the tracks really took me back: Total Hate 95, Never is a Promise, etc. But the story itself unfortunately didn‘t grab me.
Good morning from this guy and his green feet! 🐾🎧
#audiowalk
#dogsoflitsy
This morning, a good friend gave me this cute pillow just because. 🩷
A very toasty walk on a greenway I don‘t often visit, but my son has soccer training next to it this morning. It‘s very jungle-y in Tennessee right now, but still mostly pretty. This heat, though. Whew.
#audiowalk
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This eclectic, and eccentric, cast of characters served up exactly what I‘d hope for: an ideal beach read. Fun, funny, smart. I listened while putting miles of white sand under my feet. I thought the ghost was hokey at first, but ended up loving her role. I also loved the Grace/Magda/Wanda thread of badass mold-breaking females. Honestly, there were some pretty fab women in this all around. A satisfying read!
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I grabbed this backlist kindle read for what I assumed was something light, but found this title and cover misleading for a book that focuses around a horrible car accident and sibling custody. That said, I really liked the characters, and for the most part, enjoyed it. That pragmatic Kailyn had such quirky, fun style was a nice touch.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
As a pretty avid nonfiction reader, and politically opinionated American, it‘s my personal duty to read such examinations. Although the writing is mediocre and repetitive, it‘s a decent companion to the Walter Isaacson biography, if you‘re willing to dive fully in. Erratic, chaotic, narcissistic, and dangerously influential. I‘m obvs no Musk fan.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Amity Gaige speaks about her inspiration for Heartwood, citing this book specifically, so I had to read it, too. Geraldine Largay became lost while hiking the Appalachian Trail. In order to keep herself alert and going, she wrote heartfelt letters to family in her journal, which were found upon discovering her body. It‘s a weird story, but very worthwhile.
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I was fortunate enough to attend a book club session with Amity Gaige during the Read With Jenna Book Festival. Hearing her speak about her inspiration and process had me so excited to read this. Her passion came through on the page. Yes, it‘s a story about a lost hiker, but it‘s much more. The perfect mixture of adventure, friendship, mystery, and homage. Well fleshed characters, too. Loved it!
Post one of two: When in the area, we always visit Sundog. We don‘t stay in Seaside as it‘s not our scene, but we love this shop. It‘s not just a tourist spot, but a legitimately good book store. (That is my sweet hubby bottom right, who knows books are a priority on vacation). 🩷🩷
Hubby and I headed to the beach sans kids for a bit ! 🙂 I‘m reading the tagged book; he‘s on Harry Potter 5 (reading HP for the first time and loving it).
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I‘m a sucker for second chances and found family. Hai is struggling, and will grab your heart tight. Flawed, lovable, relatable. Vuong‘s writing is so gorgeous and all encompassing. Life‘s constant battle of good versus evil is a recurring thread asking you to consider this for yourself; whether you view it as perceived or true. And the nod to Slaughterhouse-Five, one of my favorite novels, was an extra chef‘s kiss for me. Brilliant!
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Morrison‘s debut is a difficult, but powerful, read surrounding a childhood steeped in abuse and neglect. A devastating story of lost innocence, and the reclamation of racist beauty standards. Her writing is tragically poetic. So affecting.
Greetings from the Emerald Coast! 📖⛱️
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Imagine your dreams were government surveilled. Pretty horrifying! I loved this premise, but this dragged on for ages. Something about the execution just didn‘t work for me.
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Ali Hazelwood is pretty reliable for a funny, enjoyable, smart read. This second book in her #NotInLove series is a thoughtfully executed age gap romance. Very likable characters, great banter.
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Speculative climate fiction never sounds that exciting to me, but McConaghy‘s writing is just so impeccable. Lush descriptions, flawed characters, and a slow-burn mysterious situation combined for a solid #bookclub selection. I loved Migrations a bit more, but this was good!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Is anyone free of the self hatred of their body? I think this notion will resonate with many, and is a huge takeaway from this memoir. When Lieu was 11, her mom, a Vietnamese immigrant, passed away after a botched cosmetic procedure. This is a daughter‘s search for answers, her own struggles with body image, and about a family who had to push on after tragedy. A bit repetitive, but still decent.
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Thoroughly researched, and thoughtfully presented, dissection of America‘s racial history highlighting the specific roles of Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, WEB De Bois, and Angela Davis. If like me, this has been sitting on your backlist, get to it soon!
pickI had never been drawn to Hilderbrand, but after hearing her speak at the Read With Jenna Book Festival, I realized I was all wrong for judging her covers and titles. She was so endearing and smart. And utterly prolific! So, I started here, and really enjoyed this story about friends from different seasons of life. Really got me thinking about who I‘d choose. Definitely reading her again!
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Rudimentary writing, poor execution. The plot couldn‘t even save the writing. I know that‘s harsh, but it‘s the worst book I‘ve read in ages. I pushed through since it‘s short, but it took me much longer than usual.
so-soEven after THREE content warnings from the author, I still proceeded. Possibly the most disturbing book I‘ve ever read. Quite lecherous. A line was crossed that I couldn‘t recover from. Otherwise, the true horror is that it‘s very rooted in possibility. A glaring train wreck.
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Like a private sector Handmaid‘s Tale on steroids. Very dark. A friend said “This book is fucked up, I need you to read it.” Indeed. And there‘s a second book.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
I was only vaguely familiar with this story, but good lord, it‘s scary and disturbing. Written by forensic and criminal psychology experts, this goes deep into the “boat shed” to expose the heinous crimes committed by a serial killer and his, well, apprentice. The line between victim and accomplice becomes quite fuzzy. A fascinating read.
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