Beautiful and heartbreaking. Real, raw, and incredibly moving. I cared so much about theses characters and longed for their escape from a terrible situation. The whole book felt like a tug of war between desperate hope and the crush of reality. Written almost 50 years ago but still so timely. Listened to this one and Bahni Turpin‘s narration is amazing.

#audiobooks

This is a good book. It‘s a slow burn, depressing kind of book, but I generally like that sort of thing. I‘m not sure I‘m quite as blown away as some folks, but this was SO hyped that it was a lot to live up to. It was compelling and I was invested in the couple‘s journey and wanted to know what would become of them. But it also wore me out a bit with their endless come and go relationship. Definitely worth reading though.

Compiled a list of novels about marriages on the rocks. Makes for some juicy reading. Check it out!

https://bookriot.com/2019/05/16/books-about-complicated-marriages/

@bookriot #amwriting #amreading #recommendedreading #mustreadbooks

3 1/2 stars. Some parts I loved, some not so much. Enjoyable, fun, and touching.

I don‘t read a lot of mysteries but really enjoyed Horowitz‘s Magpie Murders, so I thought I‘d give this a try and I LOVED it. So glad there‘s a sequel to this. The audiobook was perfection.

#audiobooks

In honor of all the awesome single moms who are parenting solo, I put together a list for @bookriot of 10 novels featuring single mothers. I salute those amazing women!

https://bookriot.com/2019/05/08/novels-about-single-mothers/

#amwriting #mothersday #singlemoms

Heartbroken to hear the news that Rachel Held Evans died this morning. She was a favorite author of mine and her book Searching for Sunday meant so much to me as I was reevaluating my own faith in recent years. She spoke for so many of us who love Jesus but have wrestled with questions of faith. This book was a lifeline for me and I am so sad that she is gone. I know her work will continue to impact people for years to come.

In the poem Storage, Mary Oliver writes about her freedom in emptying a storage closet.

I feel seen.

#poetry

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On the Come Up
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Convenience Store Woman 🎧
Young Jane Young 🎧
Zone One 🎧
Milk and Honey
Lucky Boy
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Kiss Quotient 🎧
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning 🎧
Marriage of a Thousand Lies

#AprilReads

Another great book from Angie Thomas. I think I like this one even better than The Hate U Give. I love Bri‘s family, especially the relationship with her mom. And Thomas writes such terrific dialogue. Really great.

#currentread

At 22, Aviva Grossman finds herself the central figure in a political sex scandal. This story tells how this pivotal event changed her life and the lives of three other women connected to her. Each one tells their own part of the story. Clever, amusing, and thoroughly entertaining.

I LOVED the first 2/3 of this book, and then the plot seemed to cross into less believable territory and I was less thrilled with it. It was good though, and I was pretty invested in seeing how things would turn out. Tackles some very interesting and timely subjects - immigration, infertility, adoption, foster parenting.

Also, bad title.

I read this for the #ReadHarder Challenge, a translated book written by and/or translated by a woman. It was really terrific and totally unexpected. A quick read, it was a funny, sad, intriquing book. The story follows a young woman who has spent 18 years working in a Japanese convenience store and why she has such a connection to that space even though her life as a single, part-time store worker does not fit the norm for Japanese society.

New post on @bookriot today about how much I‘ve learned by reading fiction. Any other fiction lovers out there?

https://bookriot.com/2019/04/18/what-ive-learned-about-history-from-reading-fict...

#amwriting #booklove #fiction

I read this for the #ReadHarder Challenge for a book by/about someone who identifies as #neurodiverse. Hoang is on the autism spectrum, as is the main character Stella. I‘m not much of a romance reader, so I don‘t know how this compares to other books in the genre. But I‘m guessing romance as viewed by a person with autism is not super common. It was interesting to see dating and sexuality through that lens. Pretty graphic though.

Here‘s one for all my audiobook peeps. Made a list of some of my favorites over on @bookriot today.

https://bookriot.com/2019/04/15/audiobooks-with-theatrical-narrators/

#audiobooks #amwriting #amlistening

A plague has converted half the country into zombies. By this point, most of the undead have been contained. Mark Spitz is part of a team helping to sweep Manhattan of the stragglers, making it possible to reinhabit the city. In flashbacks, Mark remembers life before the plague and trying to stay alive while the devastation spread across the country. The book is worth reading, but the audiobook is just so-so. I‘d read it instead.

Lucky and her husband Kris are both gay, but married in order to appease their traditional Sri Lankan-American families. They each date on the side, which works just fine. Until it doesn‘t. Lucky wants more. She wants to be herself. This book wrangles with the dilemma that so many LGBT folks have to face. Do you come out if it means losing your family? What is the cost of freedom?

I finished this in one sitting and loved it. It really covers a lot of ground. The author moves from abuse, pain, and self doubt to love, healing, and self acceptance. A beautiful and thoughtful poetry collection.

A friend loaned me this book today. And now is a good quiet time to read it.

#readharder #poetry

I read SO MANY great books in March. Tackled a few for the #ReadHarder Challenge to boot. 5 audio, 1 library book, 1 ARC, 2 on my kindle, one on paper. 5 fiction, 5 nonfiction.

#marchreads

Oh George Saunders I love you so. This tiny book packs an emotional punch. He always manages to make me laugh and then surprises me with a somber nugget of truth. This little parable tells of the impact humans have on the environment and reminds us that it matters how we treat our fellow creatures on the planet.
#readharder #animalpointofview

Journalist Beth Macy starts with the introduction of OxyContin in 1996 and explains how the US ended up with the devastating opioid crisis that we have today. It is sad and terrifying, but helpful in understanding the progression of addiction and how the problem spread from rural areas to suburban cities across the country. Macy also shares individual stories that illustrate the human lives that have been destroyed by addiction.
#readharder

New post up today at @bookriot. I suggest a reading list to introduce you to one of my favorite authors. Check it out.

https://bookriot.com/2019/03/22/reading-pathway-kate-atkinson/

#amwriting #amreading

Best Sedaris book in years. Definitely in my top 3. Genuinely funny, but always a sadness peaking through. Some more reflective moments as he talks about the losses and struggles in his family. Really terrific. And of course, best to listen to the audiobook.

Finished this one last night while I was WIDE AWAKE at 4:00am. Loved it. And this is one of my favorite book covers ever.

#insomniareading

I‘m offering some suggestions to help you shake up your reading choices in your small group at church. Time to read some female authors outside of women‘s ministry.

https://bookriot.com/2019/03/15/expand-your-small-group-reading-at-church-try-a-...

@bookriot #amwriting

Goodness what a great day for a #NashvilleLitsyMeetup at the Nashville Public Library. I came home with bags full of books, a belly full of food, yet another library card, and a heart full of love for the incredible #NashvilleLittens

@britt_brooke @ferskner @Booksnchill @Alfrazier21 @BooksTeasAndBookishThings @Elma @adnama82

Anyone else like to give books away? Check out my @bookriot post this week.

https://bookriot.com/2019/03/14/on-not-keeping-books/

Haunting and thoughtful graphic memoir. I learned some about Vietnam, about which I knew pretty much nothing. Hearing a firsthand immigrant experience is eye opening. Helps me to better understand some of the challenges of displacement and isolation that are faced. Beautiful, moving illustrations. Very good.
#graphicmemoir

Excellent book about the nature of depression, how different people experience it, and what treatment options are out there. Solomon showcases extensive research and firsthand knowledge of depression, examining the topic with great insight and compassion. He‘s a marvelous writer and beautifully expresses what it is like to live with the illness.

Just finished an ARC of Ian McEwan‘s new book, coming out in April. Set in an alternate 1980s London, Alan Turing is still alive and his work has enabled great leaps in science. The newest arrival in AI is the creation of the first synthetic humans available to the public. A man and his girlfriend buy one and we see how it comes to have control over their lives. Fascinating in the questions it poses and the potential for complications. 3 1/2 stars

If you think comics are only for kids, think again! New post up at Book Riot today and I share a list of nonfiction graphic memoirs that are a great place to start for newbies to the form.
https://bookriot.com/2019/03/12/nonfiction-graphic-memoirs/

#graphicmemoirs #amwriting

So I think I‘m in the minority here, but this was just okay. Glad to have finally read it though. So very depressing. 😢

Truth is stranger than fiction. Hard to believe that Elizabeth Holmes was able to keep getting millions from investors for a product that never worked. With all the lying and paranoia and delusions of grandeur, she seems like a young female Trump. Just a crazy story!
#readharder #businessbook #journalismbook #nonviolenttruecrimebook

I liked parts of this book, particularly the sections about JoJo and the relationships he has with his sister and Pop. But the rest of it kind of fell flat for me. The story felt too scattered and the different points of view not well defined. I listened to the audiobook, which used separate actors for each character, and I think if I had not had the different voices to distinguish them from each other, I might have been confused. Just so-so.

I have mixed feelings. Some parts were super funny, and I appreciated Irby‘s candor in sharing some of the more challenging parts of her life. She discusses the realities of poverty and racism, and living with depression and chronic illness. Like many funny people, the humor comes with a certain amount of darkness. But it‘s just a bit too raunchy for my taste. LOTS of sex and language to wade through.

#readharder #humor

If you love a good whodunnit, this one was very entertaining. Such a good audio. There‘s a book within the book, so you actually get two mysteries in this clever novel. Lots of characters and clues and red herrings!

Sounds like love to me ❤️

New @bookriot post up today. I finally finished Lolita and I have feelings about it. Anyone else ever struggle with a disturbing book?

https://bookriot.com/2019/02/11/my-problem-with-lolita/

Interesting book about LGBT people and movements that are a critical part of our nation‘s history and often left out of the historical narrative. Not earth shattering, but worth reading. After I finished this I realized it had less than 100 reviews on Goodreads, so it counts for one of my Read Harder books.

#readharder

What happens when the Civil War is interrupted by a zombie uprising? This awesome book, that‘s what! A sickle-wielding , funny, smart, salty, badass teenage heroine taking on the undead and racial injustice. And Bahni Turpin Queen of audiobooks as the narrator. Yes please! This was terrific. Can‘t wait for book #2!

#readharder #alternatehistory #ya

My first @bookriot post of 2019! If you‘re an audiobook lover, check out this list. Some of my favorite audiobooks, all written and narrated by women.

https://bookriot.com/2019/01/30/audiobooks-written-and-narrated-by-women/

Jumping on the #20ThingsAboutMe train.

@britt_brooke @LouLouLane @BooksTeasAndBookishThings @Mish @ferskner @mom2bugnbee

Circe was one of my top reads in 2018, and so I thought I‘d check out more Madeline Miller. This one didn‘t grab me quite like Circe, but it was excellent. Miller is one hell of a storyteller.

#readharder #mythology

My goal was to read 60 books and ended up reading 75. Read a lot of good books this year, but these are my TOP TEN for 2018. 7 fiction, 3 nonfiction. All wonderful!

I also accomplished two other reading goals: I finished the @bookriot Read Harder Challenge and I read over 50% female authors.

#topten2018 #bestbooksof2018 #bookstagram #readharder

Merry Christmas to me!

It‘s Christmas Eve and it‘s the season of giving, so I thought I‘d share this post of beautiful bookish quotes I gathered about giving and receiving.

https://bookriot.com/2018/12/06/quotes-about-giving-and-receiving/

Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄

Insomnia=Reading

Thanks @britt_brooke for the book. I‘m loving it so far!