Oops, I bought books! My bookoutlet order finally arrived today. I found myself paging through the tagged book, so that may end up being the first of these I tackle. And I‘ll definitely be reading The Night Olivia Fell in October for my buddy read.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day 7

How about you, @Lauram , care to join? 7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

Anyone else interested, consider yourself tagged as well! I‘m loving seeing everyone‘s cover choices.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day 6

I‘m too tired right now to find someone new to tag so consider yourself tagged if you want to join in!

The majestic dog poses.

Shortly thereafter, she farted audibly and looked at her butt, thereby shattering the image. 😆

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi

Jónas is a man in 1600s Iceland who has been exiled to a small island off the coast, from where he ruminates and recounts his story. This is a weird book with odd structural changes and vivid, gross descriptions. But, ultimately, I kinda liked it.

Layla and her parents have been living in fear as American Muslims when suddenly the police barge in and take them to a Muslim internment camp. Layla is determined to resist and we follow her efforts in this awful place. Though his name is never mentioned, this is a clear and direct rebuke of Trump and a reminder of where hatred and fascism can take us, and quickly. I thought it was well done.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day 5

How about you, @Riveted_Reader_Melissa , care to join? 7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

(I know I‘m not supposed to say anything, but when I had this book, my husband, who largely ignores my books, picked it up and ran his hand over it since it really looks like it should have texture.)

A raw, gritty look at addiction with darkly humorous undertones, Problems is a small book with big impact. It doesn‘t hold back on the self-destructive behavior of the protagonist and can be painful at times to read. I didn‘t love the ending, which I found a bit sudden and pat, but the rest is terrific.

(Since I bought this book, I had in my head that it had a sand dollar on the cover. That‘s not a sand dollar. 🙄😆)

26 boys, A-Z, are being raised in an experiment separate from all females or even knowledge of them to determine if genius can be enhanced by reducing distraction. It took me a long time to get into this book, but when I did I realized how much it had to say about control and fascism. If you are interested in this book, do NOT read the description, which has a major spoiler. Just dive in. I found it quite thought-provoking.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day 4

How about you, @SW-T , care to join? 7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

Anyone else interested, consider yourself tagged as well! I‘m loving seeing everyone‘s cover choices.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day 3

How about you, @Emilymdxn , care to join? 7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

Anyone else interested, consider yourself tagged as well! I‘m loving seeing everyone‘s cover choices.

An unrepentantly feminist novel about male entitlement and privilege in a large corporation. This was such a real world look at how professional women are treated then beaten down when trying to change things. I just loved it and frankly felt validated by it. This could be a one-sitting read for sure.

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day 2

How about you, @Librariana , care to join? 7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

Anyone else interested, consider yourself tagged as well!

Growing up, I enjoyed the ridiculousness of the SVH books and have had an odd urge recently to revisit them. I then found this new comic version on netgalley and had to give it a try. It‘s just as ridiculous while being nicely updated for the modern era with Instagram and discussion of agency. If you enjoyed this series, you‘ll probably like this, too.

In the not too distant future, two people with ulterior motives sign up to work for Cloud, an Amazon to the nth degree company which has largely taken over society. This is a completely entertaining book which is also smart social commentary. I highly recommend it.

An interesting twist on women in true crime, not as victims but as aficionados of the genre. Monroe discusses 4 specific women, representative archetypes of those attracted to true crime. I love the genre myself, and while I didn‘t see myself in the extremes these women depicted, I found this book fascinating and absorbing.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

Ok, @vivastory , I‘ll bite.

How about you, @Soubhiville , care to join? 7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.

We all “know” that Jack the Ripper‘s victims were prostitutes. Only, apparently, most of them weren‘t, according to this well researched book. Alongside descriptions of life in Victorian-era London, Rubenhold humanizes these 5 women and places the focus on their lives and who they each were, rather than on their deaths and killer. A fascinating book and a mirror into how we continue to objectify women.

Despite a fabulous cover and a feeling in places that this was about to get really good…it didn‘t. Neither of the two storylines was terribly captivating and ultimately it was just a bizarre mess. I‘m really disappointed. 😕

My latest #LMPBC has touched down! I‘ve enjoyed Amy Tan before, so I look forward to reading this. And the pups think it smells fascinating! 😂 #groupB

I knew nothing about Jimmy Yang but couldn‘t resist this title/cover combo. He moved to the US at 13 from China, mainly learning English from BET and eventually finding his way to the show Silicon Valley. The book is fine and got me through my day, but there‘s nothing groundbreaking here. He‘s funny.

@Cinfhen my books have arrived! I‘m excited for all of them. I love the bookmark—I don‘t have anything like it. And where did you get the Litsy Book Mail sticker? It‘s so cool! This was such a fun swap. I‘m so glad you suggested it.

Well I expected to exceed my reading challenge goal since I did so last year as well, but I didn‘t think I‘d reach it this quickly! 😲 I‘m going to see how close I can get to 300 for the year. The fact that I can listen to audiobooks while I work has definitely boosted my numbers.

Hannah is a queer teen elemental witch trying to move past a breakup when events start happening in Salem which could threaten her, her family, and her coven. It‘s a bit slow to start and the cover is awful, especially considering how dark it gets, but I enjoyed it. It‘s not getting much Litsy love and I‘m not sure why, but I look forward to the next book.

How have I not read this before? Angelou infuses this book with humor, sorrow, and honesty. She‘s a bit halting as an audio reader, but I loved that she sang the hymns mentioned and that she asserts at the start: “I AM Maya Angelou.”

Thanks to @squirrelbrain for suggesting this one for #Arkansas. #ReadingUSA2019

In an unusual turn of events, I have selected only one book for my #botm box. 😲🤭 I can‘t remember the last time I only picked one! Nothing else spoke to me, but when I read this was from the creator of The Killing, I didn‘t need to read any more.

What did you choose?

A family saga following a single generation from childhood to each of their deaths, The Last Romantics details how the lives of each sibling are altered by tragedy. There were some small details I didn‘t like, but overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a slower read, demanding to be put down for a time after certain segments to allow for digestion.

It‘s headed to Florida tomorrow.

#LMPBC #groupB

I‘ve been very good about not buying books since moving back in April. And then Powell‘s had to go and have a 25% off everything on the website sale, so how could I resist? Plus my #botm arrived today (before the next month‘s picks—it‘s a miracle!). Woo-hoo, it‘s raining books!

Some good moments, but this would have been better as a short story. This is my second book by Green and frankly, I just don‘t get the hype. His brother‘s book was far superior.

Oh well, at least this gave me #Indiana (author from)! #ReadingUSA2019

A cargo ship bearing 500 Sri Lankan refugees is intercepted in Vancouver and those aboard taken into detention. The Boat People then follows the story of one refugee as well as those both trying to help him and those allowing their fear and/or xenophobia to fight against anyone gaining admission. Topical and very well done, plus the audio reader is phenomenal.

Ug. Better title: What a Mess

Or, perhaps: Just Don‘t Bother

#botmbuddyread

Lauren gives birth to twins, then a creepy woman tries to steal them. As the story unfolds, Golding hits on just the right amount of ambiguity so you don‘t know for sure what‘s happening. A fun, creepy mystery.

#dogsofLitsy #peekabooBindi

A fascinating and sometimes gross look at termites, focusing particularly on how they are studied. This book is made better by the author‘s clear excitement for her subject, which is brought out by the audio reader as well. A note that there is some description of scientific methods in here which some may find dull, in case that‘s not your bag.

If you‘re a nonfiction nerd like me, you‘re going to love these LitHub fall NF lists. My TBR just exploded. Again.

https://lithub.com/tag/2019-nonfiction-preview/

An English aristocrat was murdered in 1840 and the person charged claimed to have been influenced by a fictional character. Part historical true crime, part literary history, I thought this one was all good! Fun and interesting with an easy to read writing style.

While running for President, Reagan seized upon (and grossly embellished) the story of a con artist who bilked the system to get excessive public aid money. This is her actual story. I love this idea, but I wanted more of the tie in to politics (what was there was great) and a better idea of what drove her. This reads more like reporting than biography so that I feel I have the facts but still don‘t know the woman.

@BookishMarginalia they have arrived! You‘re too generous—thank you so much. I really look forward to both of these.

When your dog is overly fascinated with the smell of your lip balm, it becomes rather difficult to read.

🙄😆

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi

A little grammar humor spotted in a bathroom at a local establishment. I know my fellow book nerds will appreciate this one.

🤓😆

This is a tough one for me to review. I actually quite liked the plot and the characters, but it just dragged so much. I had to force myself to keep going back to it. I think it the story had been tightened up, I would have just loved it.

Do you ever read about a book that you‘d probably like and think, “nah,” then keep reading/hearing about it? To the point of “OKAY FINE THEN, I‘LL READ IT!”? 😂 That‘s me getting the tagged book today. The other 2 were already TBR. My Target really stepped up their book section. None of my local indies have new books (other than Hawaiiana), so that‘s where I look. It was nice to see an improved selection!

Oh this is a fun one! So here‘s my first book haul photo, from 3 years ago. I‘m embarrassed but not surprised to note I‘ve only read 2 of these. 😳🤦🏼‍♀️ I‘m glad I can admit that amongst friends!

#bookhaulchallenge

Ireland, the 1980s. In the first chapter, a woman is killed. Then we gradually learn more about her, her family, and her killers. One of the characters is so diabolical, but this is revealed gradually. I found it to be a solid thriller.

Just no. This didn‘t work for me at all. Not scary, ridiculous premise. Plus there were multiple perspectives with no change in voice or personality, so that was pointless. By the end, I was rolling my eyes so much I was at risk of losing a contact lens.

Every time I read Rebecca Solnit, I wonder why I do not read her work more often. Intelligent, eloquent, thoughtful feminist writing. What more could a woman want?

I have never followed Izzard‘s comedy and am aware of him as an actor but not sure I could name what he‘s been in. But I heard this audiobook is great and it is! His life has been interesting and he goes on these hilarious, rambling asides while reading that I gather are not in the physical book. This was a negative for some other reviewers, but I just loved it. Oh and be aware that he repeatedly mentions that god doesn‘t exist, FYI. 👇🏼

Audiostitching! I‘m just loving this memoir and starting a new craft branch of my business to sell alongside the flowers at the farmers market. I need to finish/frame it, of course, but what do you guys think?

#Unpopular opinion time! But this is me, not the book. This book has some beautiful writing but is written in a style that is keeping me at arm‘s length. Each time I read a passage and feel I‘m about to get sucked in, it jumps to something completely different, pushing me away again. I can actually see why so many love it, but after reading half of it, I know I‘m just not compatible with this book.

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi

Proving that American officials have a history of bad ideas, Horn tells the story of Blackwell Island, which had facilities for criminals, the poor, and “lunatics.” The treatment of people is horrifying, including starvation and torture. Plus, they had prisoners “caring for” the mentally ill. A fascinating read, but be ready to watch baby animal YouTube videos afterward to wash out your brain.

Jack the Ripper is terrorizing London, with the twist that Dracula defeated and killed Van Helsing and is now the Prince Consort of England. And vampires live side by side with the “warm.” Great premise and I enjoyed most of it, but I found it overly bloated with characters and unnecessary storylines.

#dogsofLitsy #sleepypups #Greta #Bindi