Started this book right on this beach and just finished it on my plane/train/subway ride home. I liked The Wedding Date a ton more as there were a lot more laugh-out-loud moments in that one, but this was still a cute and sexy romance. Powerful female characters is always great to see, too!

This beautiful view doesn't evoke the book's contents, unfortunately. It's a tough read filled with signs of abuse, drugs, alcohol, and violence--nothing too explicitly described. However, it's a fast-paced journey with a sad mystery. Well-written, & I enjoyed the podcast transcripts. I saw that you can listen to the actual podcasts on Macmillan's website, so I'll have to check that out. Definitely recommend if you can handle all the triggers.

Yesterday marks my third #litsyversary!! I love you all so much, and I'm excited to see the ways in which @TimSpalding is growing this wonderful community.

Another vacation reading spot! Wonderfully secluded in this hammock.

A mudslide, a book, and the beach!! This morning I ran on this beach and started listening to Where the Crawdads Sing on audio, too!

This is an Audible original, and as far as production value, it was the coolest, most immersive audiobook I've ever listened to. It's a great cast of voice actors, and it felt like watching a TV drama with sound effects like footsteps, heavy breathing, and even music.
However, I really struggled to get into the story as there was a lot of character jumping, and a couple things I just didn't understand.

5/5 for performance; 3/5 storyline

I had no idea there was a graphic novel for To Kill a Mockingbird until I came across it in an indie bookstore, and I'm so glad I did! This format makes the book come alive even more. I hadn't read it completely since high school and partly in college, and it really holds up. There's a reason it's a classic, and I know this format will allow it to appeal to more audiences and a larger age range.

Cute coming-of-age YA novel. Scott is trying to figure out his own future without the influence of overbearing parents with specific expectations, so he rebels (if you can call refusing to give up on a different internship rebelling) down in DC, and meets new friends who help shape him. Diverse characters from all different backgrounds coming together. The book isn't mindblowing, but it's cute and enjoyable.

This is my favorite art page in this book. So reminiscent of the game in the best way!

This graphic novel has been on my TBR ever since I discovered its existence from a Litsy post--I wish I remembered whose. I haven't done many graphic novels, and this was my first for adults, but I loved it! So much fun seeing the characters from my favorite game come to life, but also get a makeover and have high-powered and diverse characters. Different plot than the movie, and there was a cheesy narrator who breaks the 4th wall, but it works.

This is an amazing YA novel. I was hesitant going into a story that sounded so depressing, but a friend highly recommended it, and I'm so glad I dove in. Although there were moments I wanted to throw the book across the room as characters did horrific and unthinkable things, it was also so sweet and funny. This is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2019, and it just feels so real from page one through the end.

I really loved this one and read it every second I could. The first person narrative in the form of letters to Adam's therapist made him a real and vulnerable character. Walton's descriptions of Adam's schizophrenic hallucinations were vivid and vibrant, and although this was a serious subject, there were several laugh-out-loud moments. I also appreciated that the love interest, Maya, wasn't a caricature and was more than just "nerdy" or "pretty".

Happy Independent Bookstore Day!! Just visited Roebling Point Bookstore in Covington, Kentucky, and it's so quaint! Lots of reading nooks, including in front of this cozy fireplace.

On a reading marathon this week! Now starting Words on Bathroom Walls which features a main character that struggles with schizophrenia, but is trying not to be defined by the mental illness.

I read this 400 page book in two days, and even though so much of it made me angry, disgusted, sad, and sick, I needed to know what happened. It did shed light on the opioid crisis and how easy it is for the right person to fall ill to addiction, even if they're a good person and never did drugs before in their lives. However, I struggled to sympathize with the character when it unsurprisingly got her into trouble.

So exhausted after a day of walking the homeschooling show, that I'm making it an early night. Already in my pjs in this luxurious hotel room with an ice cream sundae and my library book.

I'm at a homeschooling conference in Cincinnati, and there are so many beautiful and wonderful books!! Love Julia Rothman!

Super cute and feel-good chick-lit! It's short enough to entertain in one sitting, but still feels like a complete story and ends perfectly tied in a bow.

Finally!! I feel like I've been waiting so long for this number, but I've finally reached 50k Litfluence!! I love this community so much. Even when you take a break from it, it's always here waiting with all my favorite books, littens, and so much love and support. Here's to all of you for making this the best literary home! 🥂📖📚

This was one of my two free Audible originals from January, and it was much better than I expected considering the reviews. Super quick story that's only about an hour (less for me since I always turn it up to at least 1.5 speed). Like many short stories, it didn't have a full feeling of a beginning, middle, and end, but entertaining and smart, like all of Sittenfeld's works.

This audiobook had me hooked from Chapter One. There aren't any POV switching or flashback gimmicks or a need to rely on a spooky setting--it's a straightforward story told from beginning to end and that made it all the stronger. I was thrown by the twist as I thought this may have been more of a thriller of "how" instead of "who" (and the truth seemed slightly out of character), but I was addicted the last two days! 4.5 Stars!

Just added nine (FREE!) books to my Kindle TBR stack thanks to Amazon's promotion for World Book Dsy. Features nine books of various genres taking place in countries around the world that you can download and keep!

It took me some time to get into this one on audio. It has a literary feel and there are character and timeline shifts that make it a bit confusing. However, it really picked up, and I especially appreciated how Johnston handled the end. It's much more than a book about a girl that goes missing-- the character development of the entire family is really well done.

This is a book about the deepest connections, friendships, and rivalries. What is the ultimate prize of joining the corps de ballet worth?
A lot of trigger warnings in this one from eating disorders, drug use, abortion, and suicide.

This was a quick read with an enjoyable look at the debutante life of the 1950s. However, with that comes racism, segregation, and anti-semitism. You're never too young to make a difference and fight for justice, although it can be difficult when that will push you out of the "in" crowd. I wish the ending was stretched out a bit more as it wasn't given as much time as it deserved, but still a powerful read.

I didn't find this book slow at all, even though many other readers did. I appreciated the beautiful prose and the descriptive gothic feel. However, I'm so confused. I am trying to piece it together, but it seems like there aren't any fan theories. The author doesn't have any interviews discussing the end (that I've found), and anything I think then has five reasons why it doesn't make sense. Any littens have thoughts on this one?

Here's all the free books I got from #tla2019! Excited to read all of them, but Redwood Ponytail looks so cute and is told in verse!

Are any Litsy Librarians going to TLA next week?? I'm helping out in Workman Publishing's booth and with author signings for Nova Ren Suma and AK Small! I would love to meet any Littens if you're going to be there!

Happy #Recommendsday! I'm so excited for How to Raise a Reader to publish this fall. It has everything a book lover would want to know to make sure your kids will appreciate reading as much as you. I personally connect with Myth 2 because my parents tried so hard with Hooked on Phonics & I hated it & didn't start reading until 2nd grade. By middle school I was obsessed with books!
So many great recommendations in here and tips for infants-teens.

I was home sick with the flu today so decided to try to ease my fever pains with a bath and a good book. Not the most relaxing read, but it's a page-turner!

This was my book club pick, & this felt like the first time we had a substantial conversation all night. The essays are powerful & raw, but some are also humorous or inspirational. I appreciate the range of topics covered. Even if you don't struggle with mental health, it's likely you know someone that does, or some experiences will resonate. It's intended to get teens talking, but it's just as important to get adults talking, too.

First gorgeous spring day letting me read outside!!

After listening to this audiobook, I really want to see the show. The narrators were fantastic, and I wish they snuck in more songs from the show. I actually had no idea what the show was about before I read this, but it's a powerful story that I couldn't turn off. Plenty of funny moments, but a lot of emotion, too.

I struggled to get into this book on audio. It's possible I was just too distracted and couldn't give it a fair chance, but it wasn't until about halfway through I started getting interested when we finally found out the husband's secret. Before that it seemed like a lot of pointless, mundane information. Overall, I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. The epilogue annoyed me though.

This YA novel dives into social classes & how that affects high school relationships. Izzy comes from a poor family, but her private school classmates have no idea since she's on scholarship and never invites anyone over. But she's scared everything will change when she starts falling for the brother of the classmate she took under her wing, and her family is selected for Habitat for Humanity which is being built in her crush's ritzy neighborhood.

This is a super cute middle grade fantasy releasing this fall. Clementine finds herself responsible for the Dark Lord Morcerous' (her father's) castle & his dastardly deeds when he is stricken by a curse from The Whittle Witch that is slowly transforming him into a wooden doll. But what if she isn't cut out to be a future dark lord?
It's a cute coming-of-age story where characters learn to believe in themselves, make friends, & follow dreams.

A few friends and I solved a murder mystery through a CluedUpp event (basically like a live game of Clue where we ran around downtown NYC interrogating witnesses and gathering clues), and two of us chose to dress as #kidlit characters. Any guesses on who we are?

I enjoyed it, but #unpopularopinion, it's not great. The timeline was long and choppy, & didn't allow us to feel real emotion for the relationships. I didn't care if Jack and Laurie ended up together. It's a fun concept, & I'll admit the plot point with Laurie's dad made me teary, & the ending was true epic love story. However, it was just on par with other romances. Recently in this genre I much preferred the Kiss Quotient and The Wedding Date.

Did some audio coloring for the first time in many months! Felt so good to complete this and my book!!

I often look at handcrafted goods and think that I could never create something so beautiful, but as Gorges astutely states in his book, "everyone has a day one."

This is the perfect book for anyone who feels stuck and needs inspiration to find their next path, or just needs a reminder that you can do anything if you go out and start trying.

A perfect quote for those of us who are afraid to fail or are struggling to bounce-back after a failure.

"You only know how to fix things from messing then up in the first place. If you're afraid to fail, then you'll never get anywhere."

There are so many powerful quotes in this ARC of A Craftman's Legacy where Gorges talks about his own journey as well as the journey of many craftsmen from jewelry-makers, to calligraphy artists, welders, and more.

This quote talks about leaving behind a legacy.

"It's not a passive thing, like what is accidentally left behind. It's what you *choose* to share with the future. There's intention behind it and that intention matters."

I'm usually not a big fan of historical fiction outside of WWII stories, but this was a delicious literary thriller with a serial killer, a policeman in the vein of Sherlock Holmes, and appearances from Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria, Charles Darwin, and more! Darwin's ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES is cause for much disruption in this Victorian-era story. There are a ton of characters and a lot of scene switches, but the last half is electric.

This harrowing story made me so angry and feel helpless. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, but I'm glad i read it as it's vulnerable, heartbreaking, and truthful. It truly puts your own privileges into perspective, and you want nothing more than to see some sort of happiness for Poormina and Savitha.

The author called it a "happy story" in an interview, and reading her perspective helped me appreciate this book and the fight these strong woman had.

First, I adored the tagged book.
Second, I'm using it as an opportunity to share that my colleague and I are currently seeking a new assistant. It's entry-level, but we are hoping for someone with a bit of office experience, a strong interest in book publishing, and exceptional organizational skills.
In short, you get to talk about books all day long and convince others to buy said books. Please share with anyone that might be interested! (NYC)

This is such a fast and easy read! Interesting story-line, but I didn't care about any of the characters. A bit forgettable, too. If I had rated this right after I finished it, it would have probably been a pick, but a week later and I don't remember much (even after a full book club discussion), and I don't really care to.

I loved this post-apocalyptic novel! It feels like it could be a real world in the not so distant future--no more power, a shortage of food and water, and how that makes people band together, rise in violence, or go searching for the light in the darkness. It's character- driven, but there are plenty of intense moments to keep the story moving. There's also the slightest hint of romance and hope that pushes the plot along. Highly recommend!

I got a personal note from the author of You Asked For Perfect thanking me for pre-ordering!! Plus this adorable bookmark of one of the characters!

Had a successful weekend at a Toy Fair this past weekend in Reno! It was exhausting, but I got to hand-sell lots of books, which is my favorite type of sales! People just tell you what they're looking for, & you show them all around the booth & hand select the perfect fits. Indestructibles were the biggest hit at this show. I even got to demonstrate attempting to rip it on stage and then spraying it down with water to prove they're 100% washable!

After a very long day setting up a booth for a toy show this weekend, I'm so excited to climb into bed and read uninterrupted in my hotel room for a couple hours. I've heard many good things about this book, so I'm ready to crack open the ARC!