I am just... I mean... What the... Just wow! This book is a mix of perfectly routine historical fiction, medical mystery, and yuck! I wish I could take the day off to finish it! 😁

Tear my heart out, why dontcha? This book was filled with easy coincidences - way too many of them - but I kept reading because Boyne can write with gut wrenching compassion. The sad parts are so very sad, but so beautifully written. And the end was lovely. For me, for this book, the good far outweighs the not-so-good.

So, so, so good. I loved this book! It has everything I love in fiction: College/boarding school? Check. Magic in the current world? Check. Strong female characters and female friendships? Check and check. I can‘t wait for the next in the series!

So good. So weird. So unsettling. But so good!

This is one of the best books I‘ve read in ages. It kept me up late at night and made me hide in my office today to finish it! It‘s beautifully written and if you‘re the type of woman who had a conventional upbringing but a rather unconventional young adulthood or life, this book will resonate with you.

I just finished this book. My husband said, “What are you doing?” I said, “I‘m hugging this book because it was so good and beautiful”. And it is - it‘s good and beautiful.

Y‘all. I picked up this book because it‘s set in rural Central and Southern Illinois, and I grew up there. That was literally the reason I picked it up - I knew nothing else about it! Happily, it‘s a wonderful book - beautifully written and engaging. The author got the Illinois parts exactly right, for which I am grateful. I also love magical realism so this book hit many marks for me.

I loved it. I came up in the ‘80s instead of the ‘70s but this book reminded me of my misspent, wild child youth. It was fun and bittersweet and heart wrenching and nostalgic.

This is a great listen. As with all of Halberstam‘s work, it is meticulously researched and reads a whole lot like a novel. As to the content, it didn‘t make me any more of a Yankees fan...but as a diehard lifelong Cardinals fan, nothing is able to do that!

I loved this book. I really can‘t explain the book; I can only explain that Ms. Oyeyemi is a rare talent. Her prose is lyrical, her plot is magical. I honestly struggled to keep up with this novel, but it was so beautifully written, I couldn‘t put it down. I kept thinking about the characters even when I was supposed to be doing anything else!

I honestly think this was the best of the series. I adored it.

Such a beautiful, heartbreaking, life-affirming book. I fell in love over and over and over while reading it. Such joy and kindness and love in the midst of great sorrow. Please read it!

This was a fantastic book. I‘m actually going to buy it so I can reread it whenever I want.

I had absolutely no idea what do expect when reading reviews of this book. I am so glad I read it! The main character, a young woman named Mira, is fully formed. The writing is beautiful.

Ms. Jesmyn Ward can WRITE.

This one lives up to all the hype. It was so good!

Once again, I am entering into my holiday reading slump. I am not a Christmas person but I am surrounded by would-be Santa Clauses. Every December, I struggle with reading - nothing seems to “fit”. Anyone else experience this? What do you do about it?

I‘ve read this entire series and decided to listen to it this time.

I listened to this one. I am pretty sure I would‘ve liked it more if I‘d read the book. The narrator used all the fake voices and it damn near drove me crazy. I kept listening, though, because I wanted to see how everything turned out.

The Audible version of this comes out tomorrow - perfect timing since I just finished an Audible book!

I LOVE THIS BOOK! My brother and I totally nerded out over it - allllll the memories of being teenagers in the 1980s! Love, love, love!

I accidentally murdered one layer of my mom‘s birthday cake so I frosted the other layer and laid down lashings of sprinkles. Desperate times call for desperate measures. 🙄 I‘m SO annoyed. I‘m actually a good baker. I don‘t know what went wrong here. At least it tastes good. 🙄

Indeed.

Man, this book was trippy. The last few pages were the very trippiest. I ended up reading about a quarter of it and listening to the rest. It was awesomely somethin‘ else. It reminded me a tiny bit of Atkinson‘s Life After Life, although the construction of the book was different (same person living many lives one at a time vs. same person living several lives all at once). I definitely give it a pick and recommend it!

My one and only niece just had her baby! I can‘t believe our baby girl has her own baby girl!

Delicious! 🎼

Such a great (and terrifying!) concept for a dystopia. Words matter!

Bailed but it was definitely me, not the book! I‘ll get back to it eventually.

You know you‘re into a book when you‘re only on page 30 and you‘re dreaming about the characters!

I‘m probably the last person on the planet to read this one. I‘ve tried reading it before with no luck so this time I‘m listening to it. I‘m enjoying it, but as is often the case for me with listening to fiction, there‘s just too much emoting going on. But hey. I‘m dealing with JF. 😁

I made Louise Penny laugh! She is simply delightful. My best friend took me to Austin to see Louise speak and get the new book autographed! 🌲🌲🌲❤️

I love this series. I am not a mystery person; indeed, these are the only mysteries I read. I am thrilled that my best friend and I are going to Austin to see Ms. Penny on her book tour! I know I will gabble nonsensically if I actually get to meet and chat with her!

On June 1, I joined the faculty at a new medical school , and while it hasn't slowed down my reading, it has certainly slowed down my visits to various social media sites, including this one! A big perk is that my commute is longer so I get about 40 minutes per day to listen to books! I've missed you, Littens! 💕📚

What an amazing book. This is one of those books that makes me want to meet the author and say thank you. The main character is a fully formed human being - she has flaws, she has hope, she despairs... Such a lovely thing, this book.

I'm so glad I read Last Hope Island just before this book. I have a much, much deeper understanding of the occupation of France and the relationship between the Resistance and the Allies.

Just finished and I have this to say: HOLY CATS!!!

This is a fantastic, stay-up-all-night book based on the true story of one Jewish family's survival. During WWII, the family ended up flung to the four winds, across continents and oceans, taking terrifying risks, and never forgetting what they were living for. I highly recommend it.

I love Saturday mornings. In my world, there isn't much better than a book and a coffee while lounging in my bed!

I loved this book! If you are looking for a book that has a strong heroine and combines folk tales with the real world, this is the book for you.

While I'm enjoying this book overall, I am already tired of both women constantly talking and thinking about what they consider their shortcomings. I want to tell both of them to quit freakin' worrying about what other people think!

Yikes! I have EIGHT books ready for pickup at my library and it's Fiesta and I'll never finish all eight in time to avoid a fine! Oh, well. Fines are just my way to support #SAPL !

I love this book and it confirms what every cat person suspects: Cats are going to take over the world.

Nope. Not for me, not right now.