I had a pretty good month! Two 5⭐️ books this month! OUT OF MY MIND and THE DARK HOURS, the latter being the monthly favorite. Lots of catching up on series this month and will continue on into December.
#monthlywrapup

At 50%, I was really annoyed. I hate repetition. It makes me feel like the author doesn‘t trust me to put things together on my own. But! I was invested enough to find out if I was right about the ending. I actually guessed most of the plot twists, but the ones I didn‘t gave me whiplash. I think we‘ve all had that toxic friendship (or several) that we desperately wanted to end, but then found filled some unidentified need. Spot on!

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My little stack of goodness from a #littlefreelibrary yesterday. #bookhaul

The only Black Friday shopping I did today was hit a few bookstores with my brother. So happy with this find!

This book is amazing! I understand why it has received so many awards and is recommended for fans of WONDER. Funny, touching and anger inducing.
I‘ve had this in my Kindle library since July of 2014! I was prompted to move on it when I saw that a long awaited sequel was released this month. Great on audio as well! Sequel tagged ⬇️. #middlegrade

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Definitely a slow burn, even for Higashino who is loveably long winded. This was my second attempt to get through this one, and I was mostly motivated to finish because book 4 in the series comes out in December. Five years is a long time to wait! I recommend reading until the end because everything, everything comes together on the last page. Book 4 tagged ⬇️.

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After finishing the latest Bosch and Ballard novel, I figured I should get to know Bosch from the beginning.
I ♥️ him, and his experiences in the Vietnam War really came to the fore when he‘s called to the scene of a suspicious death. Connelly lead me down a rabbit hole about “tunnel rats” and the LAPD in the early 90s. Quite a read! Lots to be said about PTSD and its debilitating effects.

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This was an insane trip! The ending blew me away. Wow.

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Is anyone else listening to or reading this?!? Fifty percent into it, and I can‘t even. Edge of my seat. #currentlisten

I love this “library is open” sticker because I‘ve got those new hours memorized. 😎
#bookcart

This was another great addition to Olive‘s series. I love it because the issues that kept us up at night when we were 11 don‘t change much when we‘re 41. There‘s always going to be someone that you don‘t get along with but whom you share a friend circle with. Awkward! I love the way this was handled. Homegirl Nat be cray. #graphicnovel #middlegrade

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This was, of course, heart wrenching, but so well researched. I appreciated reading about the Auschwitz experience from the perspective of a young Polish resistance fighter. Lots of twists and turns, and beautiful friendships along the way. Thank you @SilversReviews for the recommendation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

This is the best Renee Ballard book thus far. It was so good! The cases in this installment were pretty gritty and pulse pounding. I don‘t know how I‘m going to sleep now.

The best thing about it was the time Connelly took to interject social commentary in between all of the action. It wasn‘t preachy or haphazard. Everything from Rona, the vaccine to George Floyd and the attack on the Capitol. Can‘t wait for the next one!

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This Truman Capote scandal has always interested me. This is about all of the women Truman called his swans. Rich, beautiful and ambitious, most of them lived very depressing lives and used their looks and charm to land rich men. Read like a gossip magazine...the kind that make you hate yourself afterwards lol! #nfn21 #nonfictionnovember
⭐️⭐️ ½

The hubs is having surgery tomorrow and requested chicken pozole as his last meal before the countdown. I‘ve never made it; I‘ve always loved my mom‘s though. It came out very good. The broth reminds me a lot of pho.

I read 6 books in October. I had two “mehs” and a “pan” (which is rare), but one outstanding 5 star book: Empire of Pain.

#monthlywrapup

I hate read this for my book club. I‘m not a violent person, but I want to punch this book in the face. And now…I can‘t unread what I read. That is all.

This was an amazing book. It‘s so good that I don‘t have words or quotes or anything. I just inhaled it. Beautiful and heartbreaking.
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“Although it‘s always sweet sorrow to part…you know you‘ll always remain in my heart…”

Ay,caramba! What the heck did I just read? I blame her for slowing my reading down last week. It took me 8 days to finish this small book. I realize now that it was because Mrs. March kinda repulsed me. I didn‘t want to be inside her head. But the last third I read all through the night. ⬇️

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

Working on this roast while listening to a new #audiobook. It‘s into the oven with you, my pretty!

These books are fun because of the way fictional Horowitz works with Hawthorne to solve cases. I love their working relationship, but it took a backseat in this installment. The mystery was mediocre, too. But I love this team as much as I love Morse/Lewis and Lynley/Havers so I‘ll stick around for the next one.

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I had about 60 books left from my last library cull, so I‘ve been looking for more #LFL s in the area to spread them around. I visited about 10 new-to-me ones today! I only have about 20 books left now! And in the meantime, here are some gems I found. #bookhaul

One of my anniversary presents: a lap desk specifically for reading in bed, lol! I love it!

It‘s a new week with a new book! I‘ve been on the library‘s hold list for what seemed like forever! Glad it‘s in pristine condition. #currentlyreading

“People are awful. People are wonderful.”

Finished this today right before #bookclub . What a read, and my first Moriarty. I loved the character development and I‘m told that‘s one of her trademarks. I‘ll have to check out the rest of her backlist.
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Pumpkin beer in hand? Check. Book? Check. ASMR room? Check. Helpy-Helperton? Check. #currentlyreading #greatdane #humphrey

It‘s been 5 years married to my best friend today. Next week also marks 5 years on Litsy!

Started this yesterday for #bookclub on Saturday. I don‘t think I‘ll have a problem getting it read by then. I‘m breezing through it! My first Moriarty! #currentlyreading

Wow! These people actually exist. They‘re not caricatures. A great work of narrative non-fiction. Now I have to read the rest of his work.
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I am really happy with this library book sale haul. They had a nice selection of “oldies but goodies.” #librarybooksale #bookhaul

This morning on my way to the library, I stopped by my favorite #lfl and found this gem. The very book I had planned to buy after loving it! It was a library ebook loan, so now I have my very own copy! I left some Salinger paperbacks that I‘ve given up on—hopefully someone else‘s treasure.

Good morning! Sitting in bed with my coffee and a new library book. This is the view on my side of the bed. Hope you‘re having a good morning or day depending on your location. #currentlyreading #benji #shibainu

I read 9 books in September. That is outstanding for me! I‘ve been averaging 2-3 if I had the mental clarity. Four out of the nine were audiobooks. I‘ve missed them!

September favorite was definitely NOBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY. So good! #monthlywrapup

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This kept a good pace, but the last third was kind of meh for me. Still a worthwhile read, but glad it was a library loan.

HBO shows are my jam but get bogged down with language, nudity, and violence—I avoid them. But what McClorey has crafted here makes for excellent reading AND viewing. It‘s dark comedy that envelopes a troubled young woman who is struggling to keep afloat. It‘s equally deep and ridiculous, unflinching and cathartic. I haven‘t read too many five star books this year, but this is definitely one! Reminds me of Anita Brookner.
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I can‘t stop laughing at this. Our main character is an oddball in the best possible way. She describes her first almost love and his extreme dedication to marathon running. It‘s what drew her to him. His single-mindedness. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I love the way Rory Kinnear‘s varying character voices make it seem as if I‘m watching a film. Excited to be caught up on this series. Rory‘s performing on A LINE TO KILL also. Can‘t wait until 10/19!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

My first book club meeting was a smash! We had fun discussing The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth and munching on this charcuterie potluck spread at a winery in hill country. Next up on the list is Apples Never Fall.
#bookclub

She‘s an autobuy author for me. Was it as good as THE MOTHER-IN-LAW? No. But it was still a darn good read, and set in a library, nonetheless. Can‘t wait to discuss at my first IRL book club meeting tomorrow.
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New read this week! But I have to finish it for #bookclub on Saturday. Let‘s get her read!
#currentlyreading

Happy accidents. Needed a little pick me up for some #audiocleaning and made my coffee in the wrong order. I dig it! Also, I find Horowitz so good on audio! Anyone else? Can‘t wait for book three in this series out in October. #currentlisten

I feel grateful for all the research Hirahara did for this novel. I knew very little about Japanese American resettlement in the Midwest after life in concentration camps, like Manzanar. Barred from returning to their lives on the west coast, many wound up in Chicago taking on low wage jobs to keep afloat. Aki‘s story about life before internment and upon her family‘s release, hinges on the mysterious death of her sister, Rose.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

Wow. A tiny book that packs a quiet punch. I loved this, and it felt achingly autobiographical. It reminded me so much of the brief time Holland was my home, and the complicated relationship that kept me there. Are we naive if we take people at face value? Is ambiguity about morality the new norm? I‘ll be thinking about this one for a long time.
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I am loving this book, the #endpapers and the artful details throughout.

“What does it all add up to? What is all the suffering for if not so we can see how alike we are, and not alone? Where will the mercy come from, if not from us?”

What a dark, bumpy ride. Gorgeous Mendocino setting. It was a living character, but boy am I glad this is over. I have the same uneasy feeling I had after finishing THE FACT OF A BODY. Incidentally, McClain credited the book as a research source.
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I first picked this audiobook up 3 years ago when I went on a Litsy hiatus. I never finished it. News of the 3rd installment in the series coming out in October put it back on my radar. I really enjoyed it, especially on my morning hikes with Benji. Can‘t wait to start THE SENTENCE IS DEATH. There‘s something to be said about the Hawthorne character.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½ #shibainu #benji

This found me at the right time. New town, new life. The library is a place that brings people, often lonely people, together. As Mukesh, a converted non-reader said:
“Please try to remember that books aren‘t always an escape; sometimes books teach us things. They SHOW us the world; they don‘t hide it.”
Made me wonder what the top 5 books that define me would be. Middlemarch for sure!
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Okay. Am I the only one left in the reading community who hasn‘t read THE KITE RUNNER because I heard it‘s “harrowing”? Do I want my mascara all down my face?!