@DebinHawaii It‘s been a good week ❤️ The tagged book is my current audiobook. @Graciouswarriorprincess Share your positives! #5JoysFriday
@DebinHawaii It‘s been a good week ❤️ The tagged book is my current audiobook. @Graciouswarriorprincess Share your positives! #5JoysFriday
This was an excellent haunted house story taking place during the Mexican Revolution. This definitely has Rebecca and Mexican Gothic vibes with a priest bringing me back to an all time favorite, The Thorn Birds, though a witch. What can I say, I was addicted.
Glad I took an extra “just in case” book with me on my travels. It‘ll come in handy with an unexpected extended stay.
This book was a hoot! I thoroughly enjoyed it but so curious to see how my bookclub will receive it. I‘ll think of this story on every future Ikea visit.
Glad I grabbed my book when I headed out for lunch because my kid landed herself in the ER and I‘ll be here for a few hours. 😬
I‘m grateful I‘m in town for her but sad she won‘t be able to perform in her musical this evening with a concussion
Hanging in Boston this week to watch my daughter perform as Veronica Sawyer in the Heather‘s musical. The live performance will be new to me. I also get to hang with my parents, hubby and some friends in the area ❤️ @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Read4life @TieDyeDude
I‘ve been wanting to read Louise Erdrich for a while now and I went into this blind. It took a bit to sort out who/what the story was about but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. Might be worth a reread in 10-20 years to relive 2019/2020. I currently have 2 books going with ghosts involved in the plot which is quite unusual for me 👻
This book, IMO, is perfect! 10/10. Definitely going to make an effort to read more of Everett‘s writing and I‘m going to try to watch American Fiction tonight. *It‘s not “new” just a newly purchased library copy 😉
This is a sweet story about the love of an aging dog and had me crying through I95 traffic after dropping my own love off at the kennel for the weekend. ❤️
Curiosity got the best of me on this one. I was curious as to who Crystal was and why she married Heffner, 60 years her senior. What I found is a terribly sad story from a young, naive woman. I wish for her happiness and I hope she‘s able to overcome the trauma of the ten years spent in the Playboy mansion. 💔
I‘m struggling with the print on this book. It‘s very light AND small. Yet the page is quite large. It‘s really annoying me. And the ebook has a 10 week hold through the library 😩
This was a fun and funny roadtrip story. Twenty-one year old Tanner loses her college soccer scholarship and gets a job as a live-in driver/caregiver for eighty-four year old Louise. Before she knows what she‘s gotten herself into, she has snuck out of the house in the middle of the night with Louise for a cross country adventure of a lifetime. Some hilarious moments as each learn from one another and form an unlikely friendship.
This storytelling is very unique which has a lot to do with how much I enjoyed this book. The wording is also quite lyrical. Jakub, a scientist, has a chance of a lifetime to go to space. The story is mostly told in his head as the reader learns about his family, his upbringing, the relationship with his wife, Lenka, and Russian/Czech politics. There‘s also an alien spider friend! The solitariness of Jakub reminds me a bit of Life of Pi.
A quick little novella taking place on Christmas. You get Tori, Charlie, and Oliver‘s POV. I can‘t seem to get enough of these characters. And Nick, of course. ❤️
Kel, an orphan, is given the opportunity to pose as the Prince of Castellane‘s Sword Catcher, the secret protector of Prince Conor. There‘s also the POV of Lin, an Ashkari girl not accepted in the societal ranks of Castellane. She becomes a female doctor, and her story becomes tied up with Kel and Conor as well as the local criminal, the Ragpicker King. Slow going at first, but a fun story overall. Looking forward to continuing the series.
I found the beginning of the Astor empire interesting as well as how it ended. I also enjoyed learning how the Astor‘s influenced the building of NYC. The middle was a bit dry and honestly, I really can‘t stand super rich people who have been handed a silver spoon at birth and have no concept of the other 99% of the population. With that said, I‘m curious about his Vanderbilt book.
This is a great read as the US elections get underway. This book brings to light the foundations America was built on and how we got to where we are today. It was like a crash course in government. Curious what parts of this my book club will want to bring up to discuss next week. 😬
I really loved RuPaul‘s story. It‘s one about belonging, finding your tribe and your place in life. Growing, maturing and becoming who you are. I hear you RuPaul, today‘s technologies and lifestyles are a far cry from the Limelight days. ❤️
Lucky dog got a long 3 mile walk so I could finish this audio 🦮
Looking forward to book 3. Hopefully the wait isn‘t too long. I hope Yarros is typing away 😂
Some local to me history about the Crownsville Hospital. This psychiatric hospital was built in 1910 for the black residence of Maryland. If it sounds familiar, this is the hospital Henrietta Lacks‘s daughter was in. It has a sad and ugly history but I‘m glad something good will be done with the property in the coming years.
My first Scalzi read and what a treat! A quick, funny, full of adventure ride that includes cats in management and dolphins fighting to unionize (I related with this aspect as we are in the same boat at work.) Greedy, wealthy villains and Charlie, an ex-journalist now substitute teacher caught in the middle after his uncle‘s death. Looking forward to rehashing the amusement of the story at book club this week!
A piece of historical American culture in Pottstown, PA. This story focuses on the Chicken Hill community and the black and Jewish immigrants that make this town their home. There are a couple of storylines in this book all tying the people together. I really enjoy McBride‘s writing style and storytelling. Great read if you‘re a literary, character reader.
I ADORED this book! Patrick‘s a Hollywood star taking a hiatus when his best friend and sister-in-law passes away from cancer. His brother informs him he‘s become an addict during Sarah‘s illness, is checking into rehab and wants Gay Uncle Patrick to take the kids to California during his rehab. It‘s a story about love, family, relationships and moving forward AND it‘s delightfully comical. Rowley narrates the audio and it‘s the best!
20 hours of listening flew by while I was swept up in this dragon fantasy with a kick-ass heroine! Hopefully it‘s a short wait for the sequel because I‘m suffering a big ole book hangover.
This was a cute YA graphic novel about Paul who is visiting his brother in Taiwan for the summer. He spends most of his summer on the couch playing video games but decides to venture out to find a video game. He gets lost, makes some friends and has a memorable adventure. Oh to be young again! *the chopsticks were a gift from my sister when she lived in Taiwan for a year. Wish I had visited.
Senior book club that I‘m working this afternoon and I finished just in time. The genre is cozy mysteries. I‘m not a big mystery reader but I did enjoy this book, though I don‘t see myself reading the others in the series. I most enjoyed the protagonist, young Flavia de Luce. She reminded me of a mix between Hermione and Scout. I liked that the story tied two mysteries together around a rare stamp in the 1950‘s.
I came across an article the other day about this guy running for congress after John Sarbane announced his retirement in my state, Maryland. Dunn is a Capital police officer and worked at the Capital on Jan. 6th. I didn‘t know much about him and was curious. I started his audiobook yesterday and finished this morning. I was hooked! I talked it up at work today and I‘m recommending it for a book club book. It‘s short, about 6 hours.
I wasn‘t expecting so much memoir in this one. It‘s part science, talking about sea creatures and intertwines the animal‘s lives around the author‘s life; relationships, queerness, mixed race, fitting in etc. The author is very truthful about their experiences growing up and defining who they are as they mature and experience life. The book is cleverly articulated. The science part reminded me of An Immense World.
A couple of peeps have recommended this book to me. I decided to listen to it since it‘s not the type of book I tend to gravitate to. I enjoyed the characters, and theme of new friendships and the idea that it takes a village. Seeing how the books on the booklist affected each reader in a different way was well done. I‘ve read all of the books on the list except A Suitable Boy, so I‘ll have to read that one at some point.
January‘s book club selection. I‘m glad this story was written as it‘s a great piece of history to know about. I recently learned about the Kindertransport from a children‘s non-fiction picture book I came across at work, Stars of the Night, and found this to be a nice historical fiction tie-in. The first half was kinda slow and boring but the story did pick up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
This is my 2023 reading wrap up. I decided not to participate in any reading challenges this year other than Goodreads. I‘ll still have my monthly book club reads as well as the senior center book club reads that I plan to continue hosting each quarter for work. I‘m looking forward to 2024! The tagged book is one I‘m partway through starting the new year.
Wrapping up the last of my #Pop23 reviews. This book brings back wonderful childhood memories. The memories are foggy but I loved the one-on-one attention my neighbor gave me after my triplet siblings were born. I believe she had a big part of my love for reading and I loved reading this one with her. It‘s always a comfort read for me. ~a book you wish you could read for the first time again.
I can‘t remember the last time I read a play but I love going to the theater to see plays and musicals. This book is a fantastic story of a black family in Chicago trying to make a good life for themselves and their children. The characters are complicated and made for a great story. #Pop23 ~a book you should have read in high school
Such a delightful read to get in the spirit of Christmas! Tolkien wrote letters to his children from Father Christmas & friends for 20 years. You‘ll find some laugh out loud shenanigans happening in the North Pole with polar bears, snowboys, elves, and goblins as well as stunning illustrations! Tolkien‘s daughter-in-law/secretary edited this beautiful book to share with the world. #TolkienChristmas @Daisey Thank you. ❤️
I‘ve read Olive Ketteridge and I‘ve been looking forward to meeting Lucy Barton! I enjoyed Lucy‘s life and the way Strout chose to tell her story. It‘s a sad story but I really enjoy her characters, relationship dynamics and storytelling. #Pop23 ~a book you bought from an independent bookstore #ReadHarder23 ~read one of your favorite author‘s favorite books (Taylor Jenkins Reid)
I liked the overall story of Wendy, a 30 year old trans woman and the insight into her life in Winnipeg. Her trans friends, work (both sex work and at a store,) her dad and the mystery of her grandfather. It was sad but also hopeful. However reading about the amount of alcohol consumption almost made me nauseous and the sex was a bit much for my taste. All the triggers! #ReadHarder23 ~read a book about a trans character written by a trans author.
I wasn‘t expecting this book to touch so deeply on emotions and humanity. The four stories were heartfelt and thoughtful. Though each was short, the stories were big and didn‘t leave me feeling a hole in the story. The flow of the writing took me a bit to get into maybe due to its translation or that it was written as a play, but I did like the style. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and I‘m looking forward to my bookclub discussion!
When will I learn to read the classics rather than listen?! This was a lot more than I thought it was going to be, so maybe I‘ll pick a physical copy up at some point but I did enjoy it. It‘s more of a slow read though to take it all in. #Pop23 ~a book that takes place entirely in one day
I enjoyed going back to 1970‘s Northern Ireland, a time & place I don‘t read about often. Cushla is a teacher by day and a bar maid at her family‘s pub in the evenings, living a quiet life with her alcoholic mom when she meets Michael. A secret affair begins…
1970‘s Detroit. Reporter Elena Abbott digs into flyers being distributed during a big election with the possibility of the first black mayor to be elected. There‘s a dark force working against her. I enjoyed reading this graphic novel but I felt there‘s a whole previous story I missed and another story not written yet? Too many holes, I needed more! #ReadHarder ~any book from the Ignyte awards list #Pop23 a book set in the decade you were born
I hosted the library/senior center book club this month and read In Cold Blood. One of the ladies read Furious Hours. She tied Lee & Capote together which I didn‘t know about and I got a little lesson in their history. I had no idea Lee Harper helped Capote do the research on this one and that they were childhood friends! As for the book, I enjoyed it but some of the story annoyed me. I added Furious Hours to my TBR. I‘m so curious!
American Heritage month! Though I could see where the story was going, I found myself looking forward to extra long walks and a lot of cleaning just to listen to Daunis‘s story of her life as part Ojibwe and what happens when an investigation is launched into a meth ring amongst her community. I put a physical copy in my Little Free Library and I really home someone takes it home to read ❤️ #ReadHarder23 ~read a YA book by an Indigenous author
Waiting for Getty and scored his new book! Any Rush fans around? #MGMNationalHarbor
This was a gentle story that takes place in Vietnam. Maggie, born in Vietnam but raised in America, goes back to her birth country seeking information about her father. Along the way, friendships are born. And lots of Pho is eaten, leaving me wanting to stop for a bowl. #Pop23 ~a book by an author with the same initials as you
This is a clever satire about an island named after a man believed to have come up with a sentence using all 26 letters in the English language. After many years, the tiles holding the letters begin to fall and the tyranny of the local government mandates these fallen letters not be used in any way. Dystopia at it‘s finest. #Pop23 ~a book your friend recommended
This is a raw memoir about love, family and gender. I really like what Nelson had to say and the experiences she shared. Parts of it were like being in her head. She would be sharing one story, and another would pop up and she‘d veer course and come back around with the original thought. Overall it was pretty good. #Pop23 ~a book with just text on the cover #ReadHarder23 ~a nonfiction book about queer history #Booked23 ~about reproductive rights
Ohhh, how did I not know Salem‘s Lot is a vampire story?! I do love a good vampire book and I loved King‘s version. Perfect October read! 🧛🏻♀️ #Pop23 ~a book published the year you were born #Booked2023 ~a modern take on a classic
This one is a pretty risqué YA! It‘s good, kept my attention but I definitely liked Sadie better. #Pop23 ~a book with “girl” in the title
#Pop23 ~a book you read more than 10 years ago. I read this in 6th grade, living in Massachusetts at the time. Revisiting it in my adulthood as a Maryland resident, the eastern shore life is much more prominent. It made me sad as these islands are sinking and becoming inhabitable but it was fun to revisit this coming of age story.
Born to Jamaican parents that have immigrated to Miami, Trelawney‘s life is anything but easy. His parent‘s split up during his childhood, Trelawney going with his mom while his brother goes with his father. Trelawney has hardships fitting in, his lighter skin tone vs his cultural background and a batch of bad luck. You also get chapters from his brother and cousin. I enjoyed this audio and found his stories about earning extra cash entertaining.