In this lovely little novel, Englishwoman Tina reaches out to a book author in Denmark after the death of her good friend. She instead reaches Anders and they almost accidentally start up a correspondence. Through the course of this epistolary novel, they learn about each other and even more about themselves.

As a dog mom of 2 dogs, I found this tiny book (36 pages) inexplicably hilarious. I may have even had a small coughing fit. I saw my dogs in each and every page. Too funny.

Odette Sansom/Lise risked her life by joining a British spy network in France in WWII as a courier. She was later captured and showed enormous tenacity and courage. I expected more spycraft, but this is largely the story of who she was and what she survived—things that would and did break others. I found a couple of flow issues in the book but overall found it very compelling.

I had never heard of Clinton Kelly (apparently he‘s been on tv shows), but I found his book hilarious. I have an over-sharing, filterless gay friend of whom this reminds me completely. I laughed my way through it, but I know it isn‘t for everyone.

Harry returns home to #Maine after his father dies suddenly in what may or may not have been an accident. An intriguing start and interesting characters unfortunately devolves from there into too many ridiculously damaged and sexually inappropriate people. It veered too far from believable for me.

#ReadingUSA2019

A terribly clever novel in which the protagonist lives the same day/events over and over in different bodies trying to learn who kills Evelyn. I didn‘t love the twist at the end but otherwise quite enjoyed the book. I will say that while the reader of the audiobook did excellent male voices and accents, his female voices need work.

Mattie Cobb has just finished K-9 training with Robo when the body of a young woman is found in Timber Creek. Robo is a doll and I enjoyed reading this book, but I can‘t quite call it a pick. The killer was so obvious to me and some errors made by various characters were frustrating.

Alan Lightman is a musing physicist who lyrically writes about science in a way I just find delightful. I enjoyed these essays (and, frankly, there‘s 2 short stories here as well), in particular the one about our use of technology that holds up quite well even after 20+ years.

#ReadingUSA2019 #Tennessee (author from)

I am not a gamer, but I am a child of the 80s and found this futuristic adventure romp through 80s pop culture wildly entertaining and compulsively readable. Pure gold.

#ReadingUSA2019 #Oklahoma

Unexpected book symmetry! 👊🏼 My print book (Ready Player One) is steeped in 80s pop culture, and the audiobook (tagged) I just started is read by Balki! 😮

I love it when that happens.

Given his songs, I shouldn‘t be surprised that Bruce Springsteen, one of the biggest rock stars in the world, comes across as a normal, thoughtful, down to earth, relatable guy in this book. I would love to sit out on the patio with him, shooting the breeze, watching the sunset. I‘m glad he‘s retained humility in the face of his tremendous success.

Well, I‘m up to page 51 and not really seeing the point of continuing. I‘m not invested in the characters and really not caring, plus I‘m excited about other books. So, I‘m cutting my losses and back to the library it goes!

#dogsofLitsy #Greta

Aimee‘s husband goes missing, leaving her with no one to trust and the police on her heels. But is he dead? And who is Aimee really? This is a fun thriller with some seriously sharp twisty. A warning: it goes to a very dark place. Not for the faint of heart.

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi #Greta

An interesting look at the people of Polynesia (including #Hawaii) as relates to their origins and their interactions with white explorers. This book acknowledges that it is looking at this history from the white gaze as well as the problems inherent in that approach. I enjoyed it and learned a lot about this extraordinary group of people.

#ReadingUSA2019

Sunday is a former cop who lives a solitary life in #SouthCarolina when she is called upon to help find a teen who may be missing. I wasn‘t expecting a deviation away from the Tempe books when I picked this one up. It was fine but not special. I missed the science of the other series and this character was a bit too gun happy for my taste.

#ReadingUSA2019

In an alternate world in which people have implanted tech in their bodies, a plague has swept the earth with resultant factions forming. Cat is a hacker who is trying to help release a new vaccine. I just loved this book and it‘s twists and turns, though it was marred by a major twist near the end that has too big a plot hole to ignore. I‘ll definitely be reading the next book.

A terrific look at earthquakes and earthquake risk in the US, including the risks present in unexpected places like Salt Lake City and St Louis. I found this completely riveting and zipped right through it. I think this is a good opportunity for everyone to raise awareness.

A thoughtful, sensitive, well-researched look at the lives and plight of Native Americans both before and after Wounded Knee. It gives a broad breadth and focuses on the reality of the untold current stories of Native peoples. I thought it was terrific—5 stars all the way.

I‘m only in chapter 2 and already thinking, “dang, Emily Suvada is clever!” This bodes well. 👍🏼

For me this book is an “almost.” It follows fictionalized versions of the well-known impressionist painters and their interactions with a mysterious colorman who sells paints. It is funny in places and the story is good overall, but it felt a bit forced to me, as though it was trying too hard.

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi

My #botm box has finally caught up with me! With forwarding postage due, 😠 which I‘m struggling to be zen about. Looking forward to these beauties!

I‘m giving this a pick because I do think it‘s good, but it honestly wasn‘t for me right now. I loved the comic strip and thought I would really relate to this, but instead I ended up seeing more of my mother. I love mom, but I wasn‘t looking for her version of neurotic privilege at the moment. I have a feeling she‘ll love it, though.

A fun take on Jane Eyre wherein Jane and Charlotte Bronte are friends and Jane can see and talk to ghosts. It maintains the cheekiness of the first book in this series but lacks some of the pizzazz. I‘ll definitely keep reading this series.

I finally got my new library card! I‘m super excited, and this is my first stack. Now I need to go hunt through their online books. 😬

Oh, I really tried with this book and I just can‘t. I don‘t like the writing, I find the characters wooden, and 200 pages in, almost nothing has happened. I‘m starting to roll my eyes regularly, so I‘m calling it.

In 1989, 3 children were killed in a house fire. In 1993, their mother, Jo Ann Parks, went to jail for life for the crime. But then innocence lawyers starting looking into her case, revealed to be investigated with junk science and conformational bias. Humes shows a “justice” system which is more of an “I refuse to admit I could be wrong” system. Tragic and searing.

@MrBook , this one‘s for you!

Just the one would have been funny, but then they had to go and have two. 😂

Audio flower sorting! My book doesn‘t match my surroundings, but it‘s definitely interesting. I have moved on to a new endeavor—owner of a flower farm in Hawaii—and it‘s nice to be able to listen to an audiobook while I work.

A man is killed in a hit and run and those in the community then tell their stories and his in this multi-narrator novel of human relationships. Lalami explores so many current topics while driving home the unknowability of a person. I found the book slightly remote in places but overall I enjoyed it.

Coquette is an intelligent, foul-mouthed, no-holds-barred woman who gives advice on her blog, collected here. Some of this is spot on, and I definitely had a few laughs, but overall, I found her overly self-impressed. Although perhaps that is necessary in one giving advice?

My #botm box is conspicuously missing from this picture because…it‘s not here! 😩 It reliably arrives a week after the first of the month, so I went ahead and picked Books this month. I should have skipped because I‘m moving tomorrow! And now I will not see my box for a. Very. Long. Time. 😥

In this outstanding short story collection, Cecelia Ahern takes societal expectations of women and tips them on their head with a thread of magical realism. Her vision of society is sly and astute, whether it be a trophy wife physically living on a shelf or a woman who is actually unraveling. My favorite by far is the man forced to face a panel of women to request a vasectomy and attempt to obtain agency over his own body. Tremendous.

It‘s Pay it Forward time! I received all these ARCs from my local indie and have finished them (except the tagged book, which I‘ll finish tonight). I would like to pass these along to other Littens, first come, first served. So, if you would like one, drop a comment below and it shall be yours.

Edit: Thanks everyone, all books are spoken for!

Cantú delves here into his complicated relationship with the US/Mexico border as a 1/4 Mexican American who worked for a time as a Border Agent. He reveals the reality of illegal border crossings and discusses some of the border‘s history. But most importantly, he does that vital thing for immigrants: turns “them” into human beings. A marvelous book.

I fictionalized look at the life of Maude Gage, from childhood until she met and married Frank Baum, and their life together. There are also snippets of Maude advocating for Judy Garland on the set of the Wizard of Oz. I enjoyed the telling of this story and the focus on women in history.

#ReadingUSA2019 #SouthDakota

This novel is more like 2 linked novellas and a short story with the linkage of the final story to the other 2 less clear. It starts with dense, meandering prose and does become somewhat compelling in places, but I kept finding myself wondering what was the point. Then near the end a sexual assault seems to be thrown in simply for the shock factor. This just didn‘t work for me.

I loved The Fishermen for the writing and how it revealed a slice of life in Africa. While this book does the same, it frustrated the heck out of me. I wanted to strangle the main character for his foibles and being so easily led. It descended into ridiculousness to such a degree that it really marred the book.

I had to come to Portland tonight to pick up my husband from the airport, so I came a bit early to trade in my books at Powell‘s and Laila Lalami was speaking! I was so excited and she‘s just lucky. I have this one as an ARC and now look forward to it even more.

Fireblood Ruby must both learn to master her powers and find a way to survive in the land ruled by Frostbloods. YA fantasy isn‘t my thing, but I had this from a subscription box so I thought I‘d give it a try. I enjoyed it much more than I expected to and found it to be well-written. I‘m not sure I plan to continue the trilogy, but this was satisfying.

After around two and a half years, my #owlpost book has found its way back to me! I‘ve enjoyed reading everyone‘s comments and give my thanks to everyone who read it. I‘m usually not much for rereading, but I read this book around 15 years ago or so and look forward to reading it again sometime later this year.

Stiff, by-the-book Henry is a government worker tasked with traveling to Metropolis to try to learn about and stop a recent disturbance. When he‘s paired with irreverent AI OWEN, hilarity ensues with this odd couple. The first chapter is really rough, but after that the book is terrific and I laughed my way through it. A great #botm pick!

Disappearances/deaths of teenage girls in one small town across time may or may not be related when threats begin and another girl goes missing. McManus‘s first book was terrific and this is a fairly rote whodunit which takes too long to get started. By the end I really didn‘t care about the reveal. I hope her third book is better.

#ReadingUSA2019 #Vermont

TFW you realize the main character‘s MOTHER is younger than you. 😫

Cooper travels to South Pole Station on an Artists‘ Fellowship soon after her brother‘s suicide. However, rather than being a novel of finding oneself and healing after tragedy (those these components are there), the book slyly morphs into a political novel about climate change and warring scientific/political factions. I enjoyed it but it definitely made me NOT want to sign up to spend time at the South Pole (too much neurosis!).

Well, I won‘t be getting another #ReadingUSA2019 book in before the end of the month, so here‘s the progress of my map. I‘m at 26/50 +1 bonus (DC). Woo-hoo!

Jack and Wynn are on a paddling trip together in the wilderness when a forest fire develops nearby. As it creeps closer, some other events occur, slowly and then quickly threatening their safety. This book starts as a love letter to the wilderness and evolves into a page-turning thriller. I am a sucker for person against the elements stories, so I just loved it.

Using a meeting between James Baldwin and RFK as a jumping off point, Dyson discusses race in our culture, primarily focusing on pop culture and athletes, with a look at how things have changed and have they have not. I like his perspective and really enjoyed segments of this book but struggled to pay attention to other parts. Not sure if that was me or the book. 🤷🏼‍♀️

While I would so much rather be spending four years with Hillary than living in this dystopian shitshow, I appreciated the chance to read her thoughts in this intelligent, incisive, thoughtful book. She reveals some personal thoughts but also demonstrates with her grasp of things why she was so qualified. This made my blood boil in places and occasionally caused me to tear up, but I‘m really glad I finally read it.

I‘m so excited April picks are up early! I have a move coming and assumed that I would have to skip this month, but I‘m tempting fate (and USPS) by going ahead and completely filling my box. As usual. 😂🙄

Great variety in the options again this month! Looks like #botm has really turned over a new leaf. 👍🏼

In a broad departure from his Chet and Bernie series, Quinn presents a searing portrait of a woman with PTSD. LeAnne was injured serving in Afghanistan and is now hospitalized to recover. She eventually strikes out on her own and meets a dog along the way. She really never stops struggling and it is painful to watch. I think these stories are so important to tell and witness, but it‘s not an easy read.