#booked2023 #weirdreview #BNbookchallenge #scaresthepantsoffyou

Super dark, witty and weird, viscerally stomach-churning and a psychological horror of sorts. A cruel mother-in-law from hell with a borderline disorder, haunts a young couple both before and after her suicide…. Brilliant writing and completely unhinged, I haven‘t stopped thinking about it since I finished it….and too many content warnings to mention! And it got me out of my slump!!!

#pop23 #52bookclub2023 #alliteration #bn2023challenge #nonhumancharacters

#readharder23 #favoritebookofafavoriteauthor #donnatartt

Just as wonderful as I remembered. Witty and whimsical, the perfect read for an afternoon curled up on the sofa, feeling rotten with bronchitis! Cheered me up no end. So lovely on friendship and the joys of nature… the riverbank seems a pretty idyllic place to be.

Loved this so much! A (very) loose retelling of Little women, but really more a story of four sisters, their mother, and one young man who enters their lives. Beautiful character writing, melancholy at times, so full of warmth and love. Sad it‘s over 💕
#booked2023 #pop23 #classicretelling #52bookclub2023 #publishedin23 #bn2023challenge #toughchoice

#Authoramonth @Soubhiville #pop23 #girlinthetitle #52bookclub2023 #fashionablecharacter

A good not great mystery. Lots of red herrings, two of my favorite settings (Oxford & Edinburgh) but too much of a lackluster main character for me to be completely invested.

I picked up Oprah‘s mag for the plane (and because it‘s her 100th bookclub pick edition)…. This list would probably make a great reading challenge. I‘m at only 14/100…. 📚💕

#CampLitsy23
Here‘s my 6 nominations for our summer challenge…
Thanks so much Helen, Barbara and Meg, for a challenge us slow readers can manage! 💕

The completely perfect vacation read. Funny, romantic and real, or at least as real as a relationship between a comedy writer and a pop star heart throb can be!
Sally, a self described “self-sabotaging ass-hat,” despite her highly tuned romantic cynicism, falls for aging teen heartthrob Noah, then messes it up royally. Then the pandemic changes everything and they unexpectedly become pen-pals of sorts. (Continued in comments….)

Love how Daunts Books are publishing forgotten classics and giving new life to them. These stories are full of quiet female rage, written in a time when this was even less acceptable than it is now. Penelope Mortimer writes so brilliantly about the ennui and dissatisfaction of women of her era, feelings of being trapped, having no voice, being both under and overwhelmed by opportunities, marriage and motherhood. (Continued below)…

Influenced by @BarbaraBB 😍…. Managed to grab a signed copy of this one you loved… and signed too! I always find treasures at the Books & Books in Key West…. 💕

Hoping for 4 days of mostly uninterrupted reading! Heading down to key west, and book 1 for car reading….. some short stories that fit a few challenge prompts.. 💕

The coziest of cozies…. Made me giggle, gave me Midsomer murders meets Miss Marple meets Thursday Murder club vibes… And written by the only British clergyman to have had a number one hit single. A fun palette cleanser… and such cute endpapers of Cosmo and Hilda, our hero‘s faithful pups. 😍 #pop23 #containsamap #bn2023challenge #cozymystery #52bookclub2023 #adedication

#AAM First time reading this, and wow does this little book, pack a ginormous punch. This writing is spare and lovely. The story is of friendship, poverty, brutality, loneliness and the so-called American dream, and an ending so heartbreaking it will stay with me long after finishing the story.

A 60s-set safari vacation for a group of movie stars and their entourage turns deadly. Cinematic and well-paced. A bit action heavy and character light (not in number but in depth) but definitely gripping. The huge cast of characters, given multiple chapters, featuring both memories and their present horrific events, were handled so as not to be confusing. And I enjoyed the snippets of gossip rags as clues and red herrings. Just not really my jam.

A fun read. A podcaster returns to teach a class, at the fancy boarding school of her childhood where she was an outsider and her once roommate was murdered. Reads like a mystery, layered with interesting takes on the #metoo movement and grooming, collective memory, race and privilege, the exploitative nature of true crime, wrongful imprisonment and so much more. Sharp and nuanced, I found the ending unsatisfying but all the more realistic for it.

I found this very lack luster…. And just because it‘s about three thirty-something women, does not warrant the comparisons to Fleabag or Rooney it‘s been getting. I found the ‘feminism‘ dated, the characters dull, and just generally this didn‘t seem to have anything new or interesting to say. It‘s a shame, because the reverse love story idea is a good one…. #booked2023 #pop23 #lovetriangle #52bookclub23 #letterH #bn2023challenge #aboutafriendgroup

Just… so… good. Love Levy‘s writing…. These are more vignettes than stories, but still loved the heck out them. Perfectly imperfect….

I arrived home tonight to a thank you card, slipped into my front door, signed by 20+ people (I‘m not familiar with) from my neighborhood, thanking me me for my LittleFreeLibrary! And a gift card for Amazon too! I‘m beyond touched, for the appreciation and so happy the little library is bringing some joy xxxx

The 1st graphic novel to win the Newbery, this story of a city kid starting at a fancy new school, is great. Tackling topics of bullying, feeling like not fitting in, struggles in making new friends, while handling being ‘different‘ in subtle ways, this middle grade is handling tough situations with sensitivity. The art is good, but it is Jordan‘s ‘sketchbook‘ pencil drawings within the book, that I fell in love with. #52bookclub23 #newberywinner

#pop23 #shortestbookontbr

Just so beautiful. Keegan writes so deceptively simply, yet each sentence has purpose, captures each act of kindness with a subtle emotional punch. The rural Irish setting gives this tale a timeless feel, and the young POV an innocence that is touching. Heartbreakingly human. @squirrelbrain @barbarabb @cortg @AshleyHoss820 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @RaeLovesToRead @MissHel

I always love me some dark academia, and although this is no ‘Secret History‘ (what is?) I still really enjoyed this NYC story. The Met Cloisters, a museum specializing in Medieval artifacts, is the perfect eerie setting, and the study at the center of this novel is of divination and historical tarot cards. Secrets are in abundance, a fish is most definitely out of water, and motives are endlessly questionable. Twisty, atmospheric and lots of fun.

Wow. This graphic memoir of a musician and artist, who develops a rare condition after taking a headache tablet on vacation, is moving, harrowing and so heartbreaking. Such a scary story, as ‘friends‘ abandon her abroad, she goes into a coma, loses her sight, at some point her hearing and develops a terrible skin condition. As she briefly regains some sight and races against time to collaborate on this memoir, i felt for her so much. Inspiring.

Just starting this one…. Trying to catch up on my endless #ARCs ! 🤦‍♀️
Feeling good about this so far… Dark Academia is usually totally my thing. 💕

An epistolary novella, set in the seventies….. A wife of a doctor discovers the evidence of the title. As she connects with the wronged husband on the other end of the affair, a friendship forms. Told through letters between both couples, it‘s a fairly straightforward story, but the ending has a satisfying conclusion.
#Authoramonth #AAM @Soubhiville

A fun epistolary murder mystery, that slowly reveals everything you need to solve the puzzle yourself. Told mostly through emails and whats app messages, ‘The Appeal‘ has a double meaning. Both as a fund raising effort for a poorly child, and for the efforts to release the wrongly convicted murderer of the late revealed victim. Clever and witty but takes commitment. It‘s not short, and there‘s a LOT of characters! But I found it worth the effort.

“People, aging and mortal, are like flowers, seasonal, wilting and finite; while I'm like a tree.”
Quiet and melancholy, a vampire story planted firmly in the ‘sad girl‘ genre, and I loved it. All vibe, little plot (i.e. totally my jam!), Lydia is a lonely young artist, trying to find a place in the world, without her mother for the 1st time, struggling with her ‘food‘ issues, and her immortality. Gorgeous writing, a really great debut. #netgalley

This was delightful, with definite Thursday Murder Club vibes. Richard is a middle aged Brit, running a B&B in the Loire, separated from his wife, and trying hard to blend into life‘s background. A Parisian divorcée Valarie, gives Richard‘s life the kick start it needs. They solve a village mystery, and we meet some pretty hilarious characters along the way. The sweary cleaning lady being a favorite! Funny and silly, and a lovely pallet cleanser.

#netgalley #arc Charming and quirky, but nothing ground breaking. But still think the notion of ‘death cleaning‘ is just brilliant. 3⭐️
#readharder2023 #under500goodreadsratings
#bn2023challenge #ajourneyofself

Loved this book to pieces. Beautifully melancholy, and quietly chilling, I was swept away by this heartbreaking story. In a near future, an environmental dystopia where few creatures remain, Franny finds a ragtag found family of fishermen, to take her on her journey. Whilst following the few remaining Arctic terns on their final epic migration, we slowly learn of the trauma of her past. The writing is so gorgeous, I couldn‘t put this down.

#manicmonday @CBee
#LetterW
📚(&🎥)We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
✏️Sarah Winman
📺The West Wing
🎥When Harry Met Sally
🎤Paul Weller
🎶What you know - Ali Dineen https://open.spotify.com/track/0tyJfyJdTswLpFmK1tZuHm?si=1HeIWu4MQmmtnZ01KJFDlw&...

5 chapters in and LOVING this so much! @BarbaraBB Thanks so much for sharing this with me…. 💕

I‘ve been meaning to try a Manga, as it is such a huge seller at work. But nope! This retelling of Doyle‘s villain, with a murderous ‘Robin Hood‘ vibe, was not for me. Lacking the wit of Doyle‘s stories and the characters fell flat. The art style lacks a bit of variety and nuance in the facial expressions for me, making it sometimes difficult to tell characters apart. I tried, and maybe I‘ll try a different manga series….But this one was just meh.

I loved this! Fabulous characters, booksellers at the center, an unwanted ghost…. plus Louise herself being a side character! I loved spending time with Tookie and her families, both work and home. In a lesser writer‘s hands, there could have been too much to juggle, but not here. My third Erdrich and possibly my favorite… 💕 #authoramonth @Soubhiville #readharder2023 #pastprompt #setinabookstore #bn2023challenge #indigenousauthor
@AshleyHoss820

It‘s an apocalyptic ‘groundhog day‘ meets ‘endless sunshine of the spotless mind‘ that focuses on a friendship between 30-somethings Kate and Bertie. As a world ravaged by climate disaster and terrorism surrounds them, they take a trip to Paris before Kate leaves their hometown for a new job. As tensions arise, the time-loopy stuff commences, and things definitely take a turn. A great premise and writing, but that ending, took a pick to a so-so!

#LetterV @CBee #manicmonday a bit late again!
📚A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Eagan
✏️Simon Van Booy
🎥Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona
📺Vera
🎤Vanessa Carlton
🎶Valerie -Amy Winehouse & Mark Ronson https://open.spotify.com/track/6kopmMZiyLmw7h66uXcXR7?si=0h2iHOVTReunkce5sN0dkw&...

#LetterU #manicmobday
📚The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma
📺Unforgotten
🎶Unfinished Sympathy-Massive Attack https://open.spotify.com/track/28jaG0nLqlijtHGQzZqGWK?si=KFuyq9KSRO2PEiKGJ-RoTQ&...

Oddly lovely. The title perfectly represents this collection of short stories and short comic panels, portraying all sorts of love…. I love Audrey‘s imagination, and although I‘m usually besotted with her artwork too, it was a great collaboration with her partner, artist Eddie Campbell. ‘Digging up the Cat‘ was my favorite. Perfectly weird and sentimental. #shortstories for both #booked2023 & #readharder23 and #bookimeanttorradlasyyear for #pop23

I always feel so unqualified to write about poetry, as I read so little, so feel my opinion has no value. But for what it‘s worth, I really enjoyed this collection, beautifully grounded in science and nature, scattered with myth and magic, with the ‘rebellion‘ of the subtitle being a battle cry against self doubt and celebrating your power. Quite lovely… #readharder2023 #poetrybyBIPOC

Beautifully delicate pencil drawings, and so few, but such lovely words. It tells a simple, human story of the turmoil we collectively faced in 2020 and beyond, that initially separated us, then connected us. Told through the eyes of an elderly man and his dog, it‘s a hopeful and moving little book. Loved it….

#aboutapandemic #booked2023

@cinfhen @barbarathebinliophile @alisiakae

A light-hearted story about 2 grown-up sisters, one sister‘s sensitive son, and their aging advice-columnist mother as all their relationships with their significant others implode simultaneously. The banter between the family is witty, and it‘s a warm, lovable family unit. But the startup/influencer storyline felt a little forced. It gave me Elin Hildebrand vibes with an NYC edge…. Fun, fluffy but a bit forgettable… a light 3⭐️pick.

Forgot to review this. #pop22 #setinthe80s
Love this author! Gorgeous writing, the characters written with such empathy and depth, and a compelling plot, full of love, betrayals, tragedy and secrets. It‘s a story of 3 friends, inseparable in childhood, separated by a series of events in their teens, as the narrative moves back and forth in time. Ultimately this is about friendship in all its complexities, evolutions and endurance. Just fantastic.

Ok, so I think that‘s a wrap!? Pretty sure with the way this week is going, no more for this year! So here is my #top22of22
I definitely read more ‘light‘ books than I usually do, but that was just my mood this year!🤷‍♀️
Among my favorite reads-Tomorrow x3, Lessons in Chemistry, The swimmers
I also read WAY more romance than I‘ve EVER read. And even have a YA on my list, which is the first time ever! Definitely not a usual year, but a good one!

#pop22 #advanced all done…..

@cinfen @barbarabb @megabooks @squirrelbrain @jenniferw88 @alisiakae @cortg @laughterhp @RaeLovesToRead

I‘m finally done!!!! Just before I start all over again! 😂🤦‍♀️ #pop22 @cinfen @barbarabb @megabooks @squirrelbrain @jenniferw88 @alisiakae @cortg @laughterhp @RaeLovesToRead It was so fun to share the journey with you all x

Thank you so much @CarolynM !! I‘ve been meaning to read this one! 💕💕💕

Cindy, thank you soooooo much for my holiday package!!! What a lovely selection! (And all the extra goodies too!)💕💕 @Cinfhen
I loved ‘The Heart‘ by Maylis de Kerangal, so can‘t wait to read ‘The Cook‘ and Eric Ripert is a huge crush of mine!!! 🥰😘

#manicmonday @CBee

#LetterT
📚Tin man by Sarah Winman
✏️Donna Tartt
📺Ted Lasso & Top Chef
🎬Truly, Madly, Deeply
🎤Tori Amos
🎶Tearing me Up-Bob Moses https://open.spotify.com/track/6NDt5z8GKIHub37hBQ4x18?si=0k_E4FG-RCCssR2iz_iPag&...

Final quarter and finished up #booked22 !
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @alisiakae

The writing is excellent of course, each of the stories capturing humanity and compassion. Each story(or should I say book!) echoed the others, with common names, themes and location-an NYC of the past and future, imagined and real. Characters often have little agency, complicated love, struggle with family, illness, grief. But after investing so much time, I ended up feeling a little like I was at arms length from what the book was trying to say.

#manicmonday Thanks for the tag @CBee 💕😊

#LetterS
📚The Secret History
✏️Emma Straub
🎥Stand by Me
📺Shetland, Scott & Bailey
🎤JP Saxe
🎶A Sunday Kind of Love -Etta James https://open.spotify.com/track/0zGLlXbHlrAyBN1x6sY0rb?si=pbDGHT9PRLuuTK0vBSmk0A&...