When I picked up this book I thought I would like it, but I never would have predicted it would be my favorite read of the month. What surprises will June bring?
#readingbracket2023

Imogen works a slew of part-time jobs, cares for her mother, and gets her heart broken over and over again, never really expecting more. When her high school crush returns to town old emotions come to surface but Eliot is wrestling with his own demons making it hard for him to remain in one place for too long.The two of them actually talk and really work through their own baggage to be together making this an emotionally satisfying read. Out 10/31

Civil starts her new job as a nurse in 1973 filled with desire to help people but soon realizes that her clinic is subjecting its poor Black patients to harmful procedures without consent. As she becomes involved in the lives of two of her young patients she is determined to put a stop to the cruel practices. The two timelines were unnecessary and treated so unevenly but thankfully did nothing to lessen impact.
#booked2023 #aboutreproductiverights

I had never heard of this book before a bunch of Littens read it a few months ago and sparked my curiosity. This is the story of four sisters-in-law united by marriage and a shared love and loyalty for their on the fringe of the mafia family. These are strong and determined women, which just happens to be my favorite type of women to read about, and their story was filled with excitement and family secrets making it a fun weekend read.

I knew next to nothing about the sinking of the Lusitania before #authoramonth convinced me to give this book a try. It took me some to get into it but, once I did, I found this incredibly interesting.

I needed a palate cleanser and Cleeves always delivers. Yes, there is a murder or two to solve but I was much more interested in the characters that we are starting to get to know better now.

A book that is SO good but SO hard to get others to read! Strangers Peter and Katerina marry in Berlin during WWII. Their union gives him leave and her the promise of his pension should he be killed. Neither expects the connection they feel as they spend days planning their future together in a victorious Germany. After they separate things change quickly for them and their country making them question everything they thought they knew and wanted.

Well that was an addictive read! A female single mother in Russia who is studying to become a historian enlists in the army during WWII and becomes their most deadly sniper. I love a story about a fierce woman and her journey from student to war hero to internationally traveling war propagandist kept me neglecting everything else I was supposed to be doing while k read this book in a day.

Published in 1995 this book is largely out of date but reading it and knowing the horrors that were still to come was maddening. At one point Larson lists places that people were still able to feel safe from guns and most of those places, like churches and grocery stores, have been the locations of mass shootings in recent years. Difficult to read this and know that decades later things feel less safe. #authoramonth

Violet is a spinster between the wars. Tired of living with her complaining mother, she sets out on on her own and finds out how difficult it is to live on her salary as a typist. Lonely and a little lost she stumbles on a group doing needlework for the local cathedral and joins them, impacting her life. I really liked reading about this period from Violet‘s perspective but it was so hard knowing that WWII was looming just around the corner.

In this retelling of Jane Eyre, Jane is working as a waitress before she takes a job as a legal secretary for grumpy, difficult Edward. But Edward isn‘t so grumpy or difficult when he is with Jane. As the two grow closer Jane struggles with the differences in their circumstances and secrets in Edward‘s past come to light. This was a clever update but for me it was only a light pick.
#booked2023 #amoderntakeonaclassic

Quiet Marra is an unlikely champion for her sister who is under the thumb of an abusive prince who also holds the fate of Marra‘s small country in his hands. However not even Marra knows the depths of her own strength as she embarks on a quest in order to save those she loves. Impossible tasks? Easy peasy! Goblin markets? Not a problem! Marra was a tenacious heroine of the best kind and I loved the fairytale world Kingfisher created.

I can safely choose my favorite book of April. However as much as I liked it, it couldn‘t compete with Foster. #readingbracket2023

I have been in Italy for the past couple of weeks so it has been hard to find time to read. I did finish this quiet novella today. Not much happens but the writing is gorgeous and Zorrie feels as real as any flesh and blood person I know. I wish I had read it when I was better able to focus but it will be well worth revisiting.

I chose this book from a list of #sunshinenoir titles because I needed something for #booked2023 and had a long flight coming up. Not something I would have read otherwise, it was a good choice for a plane read. It kept my attention and didn‘t require much of me. I do also love a New Zealand setting. Otherwise I found it difficult to care much about either the characters or the mystery.

Another must read by Matthew Desmond. While I didn‘t love this as much as Evicted i found this thought provoking and will be reading whatever he publishes going forward.

The best book mail to come home to! I am so excited that I won a copy of this book! I won‘t get to start it until after my vacation but it will be nice to have something to look forward to when I return. #borrowreadrepeat

Jane is new to town and quickly falls in love Duncan who has seemingly been with every woman in the state. Loving Duncan also means having his ex and her husband as part of your life. It means having Jimmy who works with Duncan around all the time. It might just mean having another family, one that you didn‘t choose, but another family nonetheless. I was always happy to press play on the audio and hang out with this quirky cast of characters.

This book cover a lot of events but, to me, read more like a laundry list. “This happened and then this happened which led to this happening.” I felt detached from it all and never grew to care about Violeta or the cast of characters in her life story. I liked it but it didn‘t have the spark that makes me love a story. #unpopularopinion #booked2023 #titlestartswithv

A cute story about a non- shy wombat who sets out to save her family and ends up saving the entire kingdom. I don‘t often have the patience for middle grade kids books so I will admit to speeding up the audio on this quite a bit but I can see how the right demographic will find it charming. #foursfoursin23 #wombatcombat

There are a lot of things discussed on these pages from race and identity, to family and addiction and more. So many topics and ideas that I would have liked to see delved into deeper. Lots of promise, but I was left wanting more.

I have to admit that I wasn‘t looking forward to April‘s #authoramonth but I ended up getting pretty absorbed by this book. Hannah‘s roommate at Oxford was murdered and now, years later, Hanna worries that she may have helped put the wrong man behind bars. As Hannah reexamines the past it seems as if anyone could be a suspect and I was definitely fooled a time or two.
#booked2023 #setintwotimeperiods

Liv is nervous about filming a reunion of the teen drama that launched her career. It isn‘t the script or the return to TV that are causing her nerves. It is once again being close to co-star Ransom who was once her closest friend and her unrequited crush. I have seen some mixed reviews for this one but I really liked it. The behind the scenes antics were fun and the chemistry between Liv and Ransom was sold.
#fourfoursin23 #peeweeteevee

Not quite as great as the first book in the series but still a lot of fun. This time around Finlay is trying to find out who wants to put a hit out on her ex husband and things quickly get more complicated when a hit man accepts the job, her ex refuses to see that there is a threat, two men are confusing the heck out of her, and her agent still expects her next book.
#booked2023 #bookdescribedwiththewordtwist #Fourfoursin23 #franticantic

The shortest book I read all month was by far my favorite. #readingbracket2023

I work for a nonprofit that provides services for those experiencing homelessness so I was instantly drawn to this book. About a quarter of the way through I started recommending it to my coworkers and I want to put it in the hands of everyone I know to help them understand some of the things I have not been articulate enough to convey. I listened to this on audio but will definitely revisit in print.

Sussman's new book is as good as her first. Kathleen was a teen pop star until her career ended with a scandal. Years later she has a chance at appearing on Broadway but it means working with Cal who was once an important part of her life until he turned his back on her with the rest of the world. Kathleen‘s still bruised by the past and acts like a brat at times but I couldn‘t help rooting for her and couldn‘t put this down until she had her HEA.

How does Keegan do it? How does she create this fully realized, completely devastating story in so few pages? Just perfection.

This book was exactly what I needed on my crankiest day. Gus lives a regimented life in small town and might be a touch surly. When asexual, hipster Casey comes into town suddenly Gus‘s life is filled with the unexpected and he worries that he needs to learn to be normal. This book was laugh out loud funny when I didn‘t think I had it in me and also really lovely with its emphasis on loving yourself and others, imperfections and all.

Steinbeck‘s last novel had been sitting unread on my shelves for years until #authoramonth gave me the incentive to finally pick it up. While it did not unseat my favorites of his, it did remind my why I have listed as one of my favorite authors for decades. #booked2023 #inmemoriam

Two women find the friendship they each deeply need in the kitchen as they create the recipes for a cookbook in Victorian England. They come from different backgrounds and have their own secrets but more importantly they each dream of more for their lives. The ending was abrupt but otherwise I enjoyed these two characters and their stories.
# fourfoursin23 #ovencoven #birthdaypixiereadathon

A look at Steinbeck‘s nonfiction writing, these pieces really give you insight into who he was a person and what he believed in. #authoramonth #birthdaypixiereadathon

It was great returning to Elfhame but I wish I had double checked my belief that this was a stand-alone because I am now left waiting for the sequel to come out so that I find out what happens next. Wren was such an interesting character, part fierce Fae, part traumatized girl. Cannot wait to see what her next moves are.
#birthdaypixiereadathon #fourfoursin23 #armourcharmer #booked2023 #aboutamonster

Lakshmi is on verge of achieving her dream of owning her own home when the husband she fled years ago arrives with the sister she didn‘t know existed. Caring for her sister causes great changes to her life, the repercussions of which may undermine years of careful work. Lots of mixed reviews for this one but I really enjoyed it and felt for Lakshmi as she tried so hard to do the best she could for everyone.
#anypartofatrilogy #booked2023

It was hard deciding what book took the top spot in February but not as hard deciding which book would advance. #2023readingbracket

My last book for #tob23 and, despite being wary after all of the mixed reviews, I really liked it. The examination of the lives of workers at a second tier Hollywood movie studio during WWII. They are immigrants, refugees, and American born minorities, each with a vivid backstory and each with their own struggle in the world of movies and the world outside. This felt like a epic cinematic saga. My first by Marra and I am looking forward to more.

My last read for February‘s #authoramonth. While this was not my favorite of her books I did like this story about two people getting to know each other while each grieving the same person. Elsie is the daughter in law Susan didn‘t know she had and they find that each other are the only person who can come close to understanding how they are feeling . Their grief is palpable but the rest of the emotional entanglement was less interesting to me.

Why on earth didn‘t this make the #tob23 shortlist? Carlotta‘s attempt to reintegrate into her old life after two decades in jail and also follow all of the rules of her parole was thought provoking, funny, and so damn sad all at once. Carlotta is not a character you will soon forget. #booked2023 #bookwithtransperson

I went to see this movie today with a friend who also loved the book. As the credits rolled all we could do was look at each other and say, “Damn…” I had worried it wouldn‘t live up to the book despite the phenomenal cast, but it was so well done. Has anyone else seen it?

Can the choice between whether to stay out or go home change the course of your life? For Hannah it does, as shown in alternating chapters of this book. Is life about chance or fate? I was a little skeptical about whether or not this premise would try my patience but I thought it was well done and I couldn‘t wait to see where each version of Hannah‘s life journey would lead. #authoramonth

Ebook on sale in time for next month‘s #authoramonth!

I so enjoyed this essay collection especially the author‘s deep love a place and a community that hasn‘t always loved her back with the same openness and understanding. Much of what she wrote really resonated with me. The audio version is short and well worth a listen.
#setinamoutainregion #booked2023

After 11 years together a couple decides to split for a year to see if at the end they feel their marriage can be saved or if they should move on. This one didn‘t really work for me. They were so horrible to each other in the beginning that I couldn‘t imagine them making it work so I read everything that followed from that lens. I liked the supporting characters so much more. Everyone seems to love this one so I think it is just me. #authoramonth

I tried. I really did. I want to be a person who enjoys Cormac McCarthy but, as this was my second attempt at reading him, I think I can safely say he is just not for me. The good news is that I only have one more #tob23 book to go.

I liked this much more than I was anticipating. I really got into Carrie‘s competitive nature. Carrie was such a strong character and I enjoyed being in her head as she launches her comeback and works on developing real relationships. Glad I chose audio (and sped it up) because I feel it made the endless tennis matches easier to pay attention to. #authoramonth #fourfoursin23 #busclemuscle

After a lifetime of news schools in new countries Eliza feels like no place is home. When she fakes her personal essay she has no idea the story of her fictitious boyfriend is about to go viral. Needing to do damage control she turns to classmate Caz who just happens to be a famous actor. Soon he is showing her around town and she is having an increasingly difficult time figuring out what is fake and what is real. Very cute. #quietya #booked2023

Set in a world where the ocean has overtaken most of the land, North is part of a traveling circus that she performs in with her bear and Callanish lives on an island alone where she performs burial rites for those who die on the water. The writing is beautifully descriptive and the world building intriguing but the plot seemed to get increasingly muddled. #creaturefeature #fourfoursin23

I needed a lighter read and it had been awhile since I picked up anything by Penny Reid. When Abby‘s childhood crush walks into her bar she has no idea how her life is going to change. Rex is a football star but getting taunted in the press because every woman who dates him marries the next man she dates. Clearly his only option is to propose a marriage of convenience to Abby. A fun listen but not one of Reid‘s best. #sweaterletter #fourfoursin23

#readingbracket2023. Decided to give this a try this year and hoping I keep up with it. Choosing my January pick harder than I thought it would be but I am glad I had a month with a few strong contenders. Thank you @chasjjlee for creating such a a great bracket.

This is why I wanted to read the #tob23 shortlist titles- a book I likely never would have read otherwise and absolutely adored. Second book in a row without a lot of plot but I loved reading about Gil, a genuinely good guy doing the best that he and trying to make real connections. I could see myself reading this again.