I saw the trailer for the movie and thought I should read the book first (especially since the movie has been panned). Glad I did! At times the prose was a bit too flowery for my taste, but not enough to make me throw the book aside and give up. Enjoyable read, amazing characters & vibrant settings (the sequence in Vegas alone leaps off the page...you can just feel that dry heat!).

I didn't enjoy this one as much as his previous books only because this was my first audiobook.
And while the audiobook is the way to go (you hear historical recordings, interviews with the actual people, re-enactments), I found myself too easily distracted (I'm driving!) and would lose the thread of the narrative...so that's on me!
While the title is slightly deceptive this book is more about how we misread strangers and what happens as a result.

I‘m not an audiobook person, but when I heard that Gladwell speaks to the actual people and plays the actual events (much like his Revisionist History podcast) coupled with it becoming available via Libby...I just couldn‘t resist!

Here‘s a story about a group of kids who are ripped away from their families and are imprisoned at a secret location called The Institute. Fortunately this is a fictional tale and something like that could never happen here! Umm...Right?
Another fun, scary and harrowing read from Mr. King!

Hmmm...I wonder what horror movie he‘s referring to?🤔

Thoroughly enjoyed this witty black comedy about two sisters, one of whom has...shall we say...some issues. A quick, fun read!

So basically “maga” means the same thing in Nigerian Pidgin as it does in English! Who knew!😂😂

You can all rest easy now! After an entire day wasted trying to decide which to read first between The Institute and The Testaments...a decision has been made.
#FirstWorldProblems

I don't know how Taylor Jenkins Reid does it, but once again she has created these totally believable characters that make you forget you are reading fiction. This story of movie star Evelyn Hugo (reminded me of Elizabeth Taylor in some aspects...especially when it came to multiple husbands!) reflecting back on her life & career was unputdownable (is that a word? If not it should be!). I laughed, I cried...I just loved it & didn't want it to end!

Based on a real reformatory where children were subjected to abject cruelty and abuse, Whitehead weaves another brilliant tale with a clever plot twist towards the end. A book that really causes you to reflect once that last page is turned.

Thanks to Taylor‘s IG post, I managed to get the last of the autographed copies at my local book store!
#humblebrag

While reading this book, I kept having a desire to hear the songs by Daisy Jones andThe Six. At the same time I had to remind myself that this fictional Fleetwood Mac-type band didn‘t really exist...that‘s how natural and believable the writing is in this page turner by Taylor Jenkins Reid. And that email at the end...that really hit me right in the feels.

Found a lovely hardcover edition for my 11 year old daughter.
#booksmyfathergaveme #littlewomen #louisamayalcott

Okay.
Now I can say I‘ve read Ian McEwan.

HELP! I‘ve never read Ian McEwan! So what would you recommend based off of these books currently available via Libby?
Nutshell
The Children Act
Sweet Tooth
On Chesil Beach
A Child In Time
Amsterdam
Solar
Saturday
Black Dogs
The Cement Garden
The Daydreamer
In Between the Sheets

Thank you!!

My love of John Boyne books continues with this story that takes place on the battlefields of WWI and follows a young man coming to terms with his sexuality alongside the horrors of war. Another beautifully written story with memorable characters.

"Mr. Ambiguous Horror" is at it again with these 19 unsettling stories, that even despite my distaste for ambiguous endings, managed to get me in his grasp and just wouldn't let me go! From the gruesome "The Getaway", to the choose-your-own-adventure of "A Haunted House...", to the uber-meta Notes From the Dog Walkers”...Tremblay skillfully weaves these suspenseful and unnerving tales into a collection that will keep you up late into the night!

My favorite Mary Roach book thus far! Amongst other things, she explores mediums, reincarnation, near-death experiences, ghostly visits and ectoplasm, oh my! With an open mind, she visits people with first hand encounters along with university professors and scientists which tends to balance everything out with no one side proclaiming victory. An entertaining and insightful read!

Interesting observation!
#IAintAfraidOfNoGhosts

Imagine a world where people suddenly go blind and there is no rhyme nor reason for this bizarre epidemic. While at times difficult to read due to the structure and that its a translated book, that should not prevent you from picking up this dystopian masterwork by this Pulitzer Prize winning author.

Another mind-bending book from Blake Crouch that was hard to put down! Just when you think things can‘t get any crazier, you turn the page and reconsider that thought. There were moments where the quantum physics left me scratching my head in confusion, but it didn‘t matter, as the story is so compelling that you just keep going! Wonderful characters and emotionally charged with some truly moving moments!

Can‘t wait!!

Loved this book! Fantastic premise about a group of strangers who may or may not have committed horrific crimes who then have their memories of the crimes erased and now live in a special type of witness protection in an isolated Texas town. What could possibly go wrong, you ask? Everything! Could not put this one down!

Through case examples, studies & by the author herself, this book teaches us that we need to raise our children not from a position of fear (which is the root of over-parenting), but from a position of love & understanding. We need to let them be who they are & not who we want them to be. That our job is to raise them not to be our best friends, but to be functioning, confident adults. A must read for all parents no matter the age of your kids!

Reading a book about how to stop being a helicopter parent while watching the kids swim.

I thought this would be a much funnier rom-com than it actually turned out to be. In fact, it was a lot darker, than I expected. While I‘m clearly not the target audience, for me, this was a quiet little story with no huge moments and characters that weren‘t all entirely likable. The writing and characterization though were quite good.

I think I‘m excited about this?

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.”
- Alice Walker

Rambling and repetitive prose, scant use of punctuation and no chapters! To sum up my feelings for the book, I shall express them much in the same way as is described in the book itself during one of the trust exercises between two of the main characters:
"You did not like this book."
"I did not like this book."
"You did not like this book."
"I did not like this book."
"You did not like this book."
"I did not like this book."

Me trying to get through this book.

As a child of the 70s, I just love this...

If you watched the show Bloodline on Netflix this book is like that...but with Aussies.
I was excited to read my first Jane Harper, but I found it a bit of a struggle when it came to the regional references and vernacular. Interesting & fully developed characters but the story was a bit slow moving for my taste. Unpopular opinion, I know.

Off to Christmasland we go!!!
#amctv

From the author of BIRD BOX comes this f‘d up Hogwarts-like tale (minus magic and owls) of what happens when the best scientific intentions are based on an immoral and deceptive hypothesis. It‘s hard to talk about this book without spoiling the twists and turns, so I‘ll stop here. Just know that this starts off as a slow moving train that quickly goes off the rails...but in a good way!

Fun, fast-paced debut thriller that kept me guessing until the end! An ending, I might add that I did not see coming. I had to read "the big reveal" a couple times to fully comprehend what it was that I just learned! 4.5 stars!

I loathe stories with ambiguous resolutions, yet somehow, Paul Tremblay makes it work. This folk-tale/mystery about a missing teen, a mysterious 20-something he befriends and the mother and sister who try to solve the mystery along with a sympathetic female police officer made for a fun and interesting read. This is my least favorite of Tremblay's novels, yet it's worth reading.

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed The Power of Habit, I found it interesting and insightful nonetheless. Duhigg explores 8 main ideas (along with real life examples) over 8 chapters that help one to be better motivated and more productive. By using Stretch goals and formulating a SMART plan, these techniques will help us to clarify our goals and teach us how to make smarter decisions.

Skeptical going in, but the fascinating examples he shows from Fortune 500 companies to everyday individuals, has opened my eyes to the power of habits. Now to read his newest book!

First 100 pages were slower than...well a wagon train heading west. I had hoped it would pick up speed but it was a long slog...like trudging through waist high snow. Didn‘t connect with characters who seemed indistinguishable from each other. Perhaps if I had read this in a couple days rather than 11, it wouldn‘t be an issue. This was a poor man‘s “The Terror” & didn‘t even come close to being scary despite the blurb from Stephen King. IMHO.😜

I had purchased this ebook 8 years ago when it came out, but put off reading it because it didn‘t fit into what i deemed a typical Stephen King novel. Boy, my mistake! This is now one of my favorites! There isn‘t a dull moment in this 849 page book which I just could not put down! Plus a cameo by a couple characters from IT was the icing on this delicious, captivating and nostalgic literary cake!

It‘s like visiting old friends!
Loving this book!!!!

Okay. I‘ve put this off long enough. Plus I can‘t really call myself a Stephen King fan without having read this. So here it goes...

Dean Koontz wrote the introduction to the edition I read and Stephen King once said: "John D. MacDonald has written a novel called The End of the Night which I would argue is one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century. It ranks with Death of a Salesman, it ranks with An American Tragedy."

Enough said.

The back & forth jumps in the timeline were erratic & confusing ("Is he in college now or at LIA...oh wait, he's washing cars at his dad's lot.")...characters were indistinguishable..."Who is J again? Who is T? Who is S...oh yeah, peanut butter girl."
He was at LIA for 8 days, and only a small portion of the book is devoted to that time. The rest of the book felt overstuffed with angsty thoughts & flowery prose that called attention to itself.

What starts off as a romantic love story slowly unravels into a nightmare fairy tale that speaks to the fears of parenthood and the secrets we hold. All is not what it seems in this captivating story!

Food for thought!

The pieces on the right are all that is left of this 1000 piece puzzle. The remaining pieces were consumed by our dog. Which, on reflection, explains why his poop came out in interlocking pieces.

Very moving story made all the more disturbing due to the fact that its based on a real place.
And yes. I cried.

I‘m an e-reader, but when I saw that the Los Angeles Public Library was selling autographed copies of The Library Book I just couldn‘t resist...