Rainy weather and being busy getting prepared for two weeks out of the country left me lacking on both fitness and book goals, though I‘m almost finished with this audiobook. I have no doubt that two weeks in France with plenty of walks will have me more than making up for what I didn‘t do this week. 🇫🇷 #BFC

I‘m mostly in agreement with the reviews, that this one is pretty underwhelming, though with a few hours left, I‘m curious where it‘ll go as the big reveal has already happened. Made my goals for #BFC (almost left it BFG, because Roald Dahl 😂) this week with 3 hours of activity and 1 book finished. #BookFitnessChallenge

I was going to go on an audiowalk and make up some time for the #BFC but my husband decided to join me, so still a long walk, just no audiobook. I have mixed feelings about that 😂😂. Grateful for beautiful places to be outside and a rare sunny Michigan day. #BookFitnessChallenge

Glad to see so many Littens join the #BookFitnessChallenge that @Wandering @wanderinglynn is hosting!

My goals include:
1. 9 books
2. 3 hours exercise of any kind per week
3. Work towards more healthful eating choices (I‘ve been in a grief slump that has left me wanting all the carbs).

I am so excited about this! I love Roald Dahl, of course, but Penelope Bagieu is a lovely person and I loved her graphic novel Brazen. It will be interesting, as Quentin Blake‘s illustrations are so intertwined with Dahl‘s books.

When you find yourself thinking, “I can‘t wait to finish this so I can move on to something else,” it‘s time to bail. Amber Tamblyn is a badass. No question about that. But this felt like a celebrity memoir regurgitating the events of the #metoo movement. What I wanted was a collection of insightful essays. Not to relive all the gross moments of the last few years, from a lens that was full of name dropping and unrelatable. #itsnotyouitsme

My eyes have been driving me crazy, so I found out that I need glasses for the first time ever. This has made for a slow reading month, but Fingersmith and On the Come Up will end up being some of my favorites for the year.

Thriftbooks is great for chunksters like these that you can‘t borrow from the library because it will take you too long to read them! #chunkster

I took a break to enjoy lunch outside in the sun, but if your reviews ring true, I‘ll be stuck in this book for the rest of the day, as it seems like it‘s about to get REALLY good.

I‘ve been out of town the past couple years during the Dewey‘s readathon, so I‘m excited to finally be able to participate again. I always feel so refreshed after a day of my only obligation being to read. My stack of possibilities. With Jem and Dorothy as Queens of Mount TBR.

Between a pick and a so-so. Perhaps not the best in audio format, as the timeline skips around so much. This got me thinking about so many interesting ideas. And the end was probably one of the most interesting I‘ve read/heard. I didn‘t expect that at all.

Books, mystery, creepy gothic atmosphere... I really liked this one. It would make for a perfect fall read. It also references The Woman in White and Wilkie Collins a lot, which I happened to be finishing, so that was fun. A little underwhelmed by the ending, but a fun read that I would recommend nonetheless.

After 4-5 months, I have finally finished this!!! It‘s strange to me that it was both a good read AND a slog to get through at times (I think mostly because of Collins‘ need for every detail to be given). The other book I‘m reading right now, The Stranger Diaries, is referencing this book and Wilkie Collins a lot, so that‘s fun.

This was my first Karin Slaughter and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. At 16 hours, I needed the audiobook to grab me, and it definitely did. I‘ve read others say that this wasn‘t their favorite Slaughter book, and since I liked this so much, I‘m excited for more. What should I read/listen to next???

Since I have a reading day planned for tomorrow, I‘m spending my Friday night binging Shrill. I am finding it so refreshing and doing some much-needed laughing out loud. Anyone else watching?

Did any one else see this??? I don‘t love Amy Adams, but this is an adaptation I would really look forward to seeing!

Still drooling over my weekend #bookmail from FRANCE 🇫🇷Sent by a generous acquaintance who is teaching there. I‘m needing to brush up on my french for my upcoming trip in May. You may recognize a few titles: Small Country (Faye) and The Perfect Nanny (Slimani).

I‘m hoping that this week is the last week of very cold winter temps, so with that, I‘ll enjoy some coziness by the fireplace with this very wintery read.

I picked this book up at the library on a whim because I‘m headed to France in a few months and want to be transported there now. It‘s not a smartly written YA book, but it is a lot of fun. It definitely gets better at the halfway mark, when the mystery part overpowers the annoying mean girls part. And it did take me to Paris. History, mystery, and Paris = ❤️. “Let them eat cake...and die” goes the blurb on the back of the book 😂😂😂

Like many of you, my politics are quite different from many in my family, and because they are based on my values, I have some pretty strong feelings. My husband also works in the political sector for a non-profit (human rights campaign), so as election seasons come up, there is almost no getting around these conversations. So this book is a must-read for me 😂😂 #ImListeningGiveaway

The last month of thrillers/mysteries has left me quite underwhelmed, so reading this was a breath of fresh air. In the era of #metoo, the unknowns in this story had me doing some great thinking. While I guessed some of the twists, they didn‘t leave me unsatisfied. This is my first book for this author, and I‘m looking forward to reading more of her.

I needed to get out of the house to feel the 40 degree weather so where else would I go but Barnes and Noble? And how could I resist when the bottom 3 books are all at the top of my TBR and we‘re found in the discount section? I tell myself I‘m just building up my collection to read for #MountTBR next year 😂😂 #bookhaul

I thought this would be one of my favorite suspense books this year. Instead, it receives a rare pan. The characters were okay, the premise was interesting and promising. But it was like being stuck in a room listening to the same conversation for 8.5 hours. Maybe that was supposed to be the hell of it. The story just didn‘t go anywhere for me, and it wasn‘t suspenseful or scary or even creepy. I kept waiting for the big moment. It didn‘t come.

My first #libraryhaul in months (last year was focused on books I own). All are #blameitonLitsy picks, and I can‘t wait to start all 3. The tagged book I may have to buy - it‘s kind of like a hygge-for-your-health type book of simple things that will be really helpful.

I received this a year ago from the generous @MinDea but have been putting it off because I know it‘s a heart breaker and I don‘t step into that willingly. But between the #monthofBoyne and thinking it could be a cathartic read, I finally decided to jump in. The epigraph and first paragraph had me laughing and hooked me right away, so I‘m not as scared and am looking forward to the ride! Boyne‘s writing has captured me already at just 24 pages.

A big thanks to @BookBabe and @MrBook for sharing their experience at The Library restaurant in Portsmouth, NH. They put it on my radar, so when I was in Portsmouth for the loss of a family member I was very close to, it was a welcomed respite meal in the midst of an overwhelming time. Featured: gorgeous stained glass and our bill in a book.

I just bought some great bookmarks from @That-Bookish-Hiker ‘s Etsy page and you should too! Especially to those doing swaps, these would be great to send to other Littens! Most are only $2 with free shipping, so it seems almost all of us can afford to help out! Https://www.etsy.com/shop/JatipDesign

This is a fun question! I‘m still thinking about it, but what book would you choose for your oath of office?

Hey Littens! Please welcome @msgriffith and @chloemichelle to Litsy and show them what a great community of people you are and don‘t forget to tag a few Littens for them to follow! #welcomelitten

I‘m not sure whether to give this a pan or a so-so. I found the characters incredibly irritating but reviews assured me the end was worth it. The last half hour listening did have me gripped and I didn‘t quite see it coming, but I‘m not sure 8.5 hours of maddening characters were worth it, so... 🤷🏻‍♀️

Help! Is anyone else having issues with GoodReads not allowing you to update book progress from the home screen on your PC? The app on my phone is fine, but both my Mac laptop at home and PC at work are missing the spots to enter progress. What‘s going on?!?

Here‘s to a year full of wonderful reads! Happy New Year, Littens! 🎇🎆🎉

A big thanks to my #LitsyPenPal @catiewithac for the package! It was a pleasant surprise! The book will fit perfectly with my reading goals next year and the notebook is lovely and will make a great next Journal. Thank you so much! A very happy new year to you!

Between an exhausting busy Christmas and then being taken out with a bad cold, I never got around to posting this. Thank you so much @merelybookish for the great #jolabokaflodswap package! Happy new year to you! And a big thanks to @MaleficentBookDragon for hosting this swap! I hope it continues in future years!

I decided I needed to own this book to have on hand for the #24B42019 readathon (a definite blame-it-on-Litsy decision). After stopping at 3 different stores and not finding it, I broke down and ordered it online. Right after, I saw this, written by the local newspaper. I work at MSU, so it‘s pretty exciting to me.

I‘m so glad for the opportunity to finally pick this up off my shelf for the #MaeveBinchyBuddyRead with @Andrew65 and @EadieB ! Binchy was one of the first adult authors that I read, and I hadn‘t read her in years. This took me back to everything I loved about her books: the place, the characters, and her ability to draw you in to a story. A definite pick from me! #AWeekInWinter

#Jolabokaflodswap package received! Thank you @merelybookish ! I‘m not sure I‘ve ever been this excited for Christmas Eve 📖📚

My #jolabokaflodswap package has finally been sent and will arrive Thursday! Excited for this swap!

A solid psychological thriller featuring women in science. What was most fascinating to me was what I found out about the book after I read it (marked in comments as spoiler).

Between a pick and a so-so. Backman knows how to pull the heartstrings. There‘s no doubt about that. Knows how to create quirky, curmudgeonly, mean “shits” as Granny would say, and make you fall in love with them. For me, it just took too much wading through the set-up to get to the good stuff. #unpopularopinion but not my favorite Backman. Now on to Britt-Marie 😊

Today is the last day to sign up! I swore off swaps after learning I can‘t control myself and spend way too much money, but this one is so simple. See @MaleficentBookDragon ‘s original post for details. #jolabokaflodswap

I saw this and thought many of you may find this useful to bookmark for various reading challenges. https://ideas.ted.com/your-guide-to-reading-the-world/?utm_campaign=social&utm_m...

For those of you who are still coming up with a list for @LibrarianRyan ‘s #40in2019TBR BookRiot just came out with a list of winter reading. I now need to amend my list of 40 😁. Check it out: https://bookriot.com/2018/11/20/new-books-you-need-to-read-this-winter/

Pretty excited about this... https://www.facebook.com/119200448178678/posts/1956475277784510/

I have reached the Promised Land 😍😍😍

A bibliophile‘s torture: Checking into my hotel for a weekend full of meetings, I see a gift bag with Ta-Nahesi Coates‘ name on it. It turns out he won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for non-fiction and the tagged author for fiction (which I really liked). This bookish thing is happening right where I am and I can‘t go! Torture! I can even see INTO the event from my hotel window! 😫😫😫

It doesn‘t happen often, but I love waking up to these emails! This seems like the perfect book to be cozied up by the fire over New Year‘s (when the story takes place). Really looking forward to this one.

Can we add another month of fall so I can get through all my fall reading? Really wanted to get through all of these but know I won‘t and am having trouble deciding which comes next. Are there any here you particularly loved or didn‘t?

#3/6 of the #manbooker shortlist finished in time for the winner to be announced. Review pending because I was left quite unsettled and am going to have to sit on it for a while before forming an opinion...

I‘m not convinced the books chosen for the #manbooker shortlist weren‘t chosen for their gorgeous covers (if you can‘t see the gold leafing on Washington Black, it‘s beautiful). Trying to get through the tagged book before the winner is chosen on Tuesday.