It‘s been such a good weekend reading-wise! I read this whole book and found it thoroughly satisfying. Interesting characters and backstories that kept me turning the pages til the end! I‘m in such a reading mood that I really wish there was another day or two of the weekend!

Why oh why did I wait so long to read this? After starting it twice before and not getting hooked, I read this in two sittings this weekend. @BennettBookworm I can finally return this to you! I loved every character and their layers. What a comforting read for anyone who has ever loved and lost and learned to let others in again. 💗💗💗💗💗

Soooooo…. Has this ever happened to you? I had heard good things about this book, liked something else by the author, and went ahead and bought it for myself for my birthday.

I went to start it tonight and I‘m already finished. How? BECAUSE I REALIZED I ALREADY READ IT. I must have “heard good things about it” from myself when I read it 2 years ago for a #lmpbc group! Wow. That‘s embarrassing. 😳

Britt-Marie Was Here was HERE in my mailbox when I got home! Thanks @Kayla.Adriena ! #lmpbc @BennettBookworm @shellleigh33

… Sigh. ☺️
This was a warm French hug of a book. I‘ll admit that I was a little skeptical of this when @BennettBookworm basically insisted I read it. I don‘t always connect to epistolary novels. I was so wrong. It was delightful and affirming of the magic of books to bring us together and nudge us in the right direction. All the hearts. 💗💗💗💗💗

Recommend. I really appreciated Joan‘s inner monologue, even though her perspective is different from mine (and she often feels different from those around her). She is a doctor who is well respected at work for her complete dedication and single mindedness, but outside the hospital those sentiments are not taken well by family and acquaintances. With musings about family, career, loss, and what it means to be Chinese, this short book delivered.

I read this short book quickly but didn‘t necessarily like it. I expected something more or different, I guess. I didn‘t connect to the writing style, which felt so minimalist it was lazy. Here and there there were powerful sentences but as a whole it fell flat for me. Disappointing because I think a more in depth story about these themes would be really engaging. As a language person, I would like to read about an interpreter.

I feel torn about this one, but I‘m glad my #lmpbc picked it this round and I got to read it with their comments. I didn‘t love the way the main character was depicted but there were elements that I did like. 🤷🏻‍♀️ @DGRachel @kspenmoll @Bookwormjillk

My book list was made prior to the second, but I just got around to writing out my board. #bookspin #bookspinbingo My bookspin this month is The Maid, which I have to read for #lmpbc, so I feel confident I‘ll at least get that one done!

Getting ready to curl up on this rainy Saturday and hopefully do some reading. It‘s been a rough week so I‘m hoping to lose myself in some books. 💗 I made my May #bookspinbingo board which I will post separately. I‘ve got a stack of books because I still don‘t know what I feel like reading, plus a cozy blanket and 2 furry creatures. Wishing all my Litsy friends a restful and replenishing reading session.

It‘s so exciting to be sitting on my couch in the middle of the day on a weekday and getting to start my new #lmpbc book for May! My school has off for Eid- wishing a joyous day to all Littens who celebrate! I‘m surrounded by furry reading companions, and here we go…

@Bookwormjillk @DGRachel @kspenmoll 💗💗💗

What a cool idea for a novel! I really was impressed by this story set during a youth Scrabble championship in Kuala Lumpur. I have been to many a Scrabble tournament since my husband plays and this book got the atmosphere just right! Word nerds of all stripes will appreciate this book about friendship, grief, and coming to terms with the tiles you‘ve been given in life.

This is how I spent most of my bookstore gift cards! All of these are #blameitonLitsy reads and I‘m probably most intrigued by the tagged book.

I finished this over a week ago but I see that I forgot to post it. It was good! I hope my #lmpbc friends like it too!

Highly recommend this one! I read it all today and thoroughly enjoyed it. At first I thought it would be hard to keep all the characters straight but it wasn‘t. There was a major thing in the plot that I didn‘t anticipate at all! I‘ve liked all of this author‘s books (this was my 3rd or 4th).

Well, my friends and family know me and my bookish ways pretty well! For my birthday yesterday I received a great selection of books, puzzles, notebooks, pencils, and book gift cards! ☺️ These are some of the books I specifically asked for that my aunt gave me. Where to start? I also of course already HAD like 10 books waiting to be read… but that‘s ok!

Michel Bussi does it again! I always like his books.

I found this to be a fast and entertaining read. I can see why some readers have been critical, but I was mostly looking for something immersive and this sucked me in. I was shocked by the twist though it maybe wrapped up a little abruptly. Interesting Easter eggs for previous readers of this author!

Thanks @BennettBookworm 💗

Ah. May. Zing. I can‘t wait to discuss this with my #lmpbc friends in the margins! @kspenmoll it‘s going in the mail tomorrow! @DGRachel @Bookwormjillk

I am planting myself on my couch to read this today! The month got away from me but this is my #lmpbc book that needs to be winging its way to @kspenmoll on Monday. I‘m excited to get to “one of the most reverberating shocks in modern crime fiction” as the cover blurb promises! Right now I‘m still just getting to know the characters. 😋

The book made it here safe and sound @Kayla.Adriena ! I chose one of the bookish gifts which were all adorable (no spoilers for the others!) and was so touched by your thoughtful note to warn me about possible triggers in the book. I‘m going to read it but be aware of what you said and skim parts if needed. Really glad to be in the group with you and @shellleigh33 and @BennettBookworm !

I finished my #lmpbc book for this round in time to pass it off to @BennettBookworm tomorrow! Things to like, things to criticize… I‘m looking forward to reading my group members‘ comments in the margins in a few months!

I really liked this book. It was a Jodi P from the late 90s that I‘d never read and it had everything I like about her writing: controversial topics, in depth characters, believable dialogue, etc. A very fast and satisfying read!

My first few days of vacation from work have involved visiting 2 indie bookstores! Here is my haul. 💗 I think Greenwich Park is one I‘d typically borrow from the library but I was in a book-buying mood. The other 4 I‘ve heard really good things about. I‘m starting with the tagged one!

Meh. Didn‘t really work for me.

Strange. Very strange. I‘m glad I read it though.

This was a reread for me. I‘m glad I found something I could focus on to distract me as I‘ve been feeling depressed. I received some bad news a few days ago that has me really down, but it was good to spend some time with Poirot.

Boosted my mood after a long day with a stop to the library. 💗 I probably should have saved this spree for 10 days from now when I have vacation from work! But hey, no time like the present.

Basically all of these are from recent Litsy recommendations. Where should I start?

While this was enjoyable to read, I don‘t think I‘ll continue on with the series, assuming there is one. I like the main characters of Finn and Vero, but to me it wasn‘t satisfying enough as a whole book. I‘ll put a few specific gripes in a spoiler comment. I really liked book 1, but I don‘t know if the premise merits a whole series, maybe.

Hmm. This was disturbing and I didn‘t love the second person narration. But I also read it in the span of 48 hours, so that‘s a good sign that I was engaged. Overall I‘d say it‘s missable but a fast read.

Hi members of #lmpbc Group K! @Kayla.Adriena @shellleigh33 @BennettBookworm I‘m am super excited for our round together! Here are 4 books I‘m considering for my pick. Any that you want to read? I totally have other options if we don‘t love these.

@Bookwormjillk @DGRachel @kspenmoll I hope I‘m not jumping the gun, but I see that #lmpbc Group P is full and I‘m so excited! When I got home from work I pulled some books that I‘ve been meaning to read. I‘ve read and enjoyed mysteries by Horowitz, Bussi, and Michaelides. Collins would be new to me but the premise looked intriguing. Do any of these look good to you? If not or if you‘ve read them, there are always other options. 😋

This wasn‘t one of my favorite graphic novels but I respect Thummler‘s focus on some controversial topics. I didn‘t feel like the main character acted consistently and I also felt like there were a lot of unresolved plot threads when the story ended.

I returned it to the library, so please enjoy this picture of Fitz instead!

I guess the author and I must be the same age because I got ALL of her references about her childhood! The book overall is about a girl who feels out of step with her peers going to Russian summer camp and not loving it (but surviving!). In the beginning she describes another girl‘s birthday party (Pizza Hut, Carvel cake) and this panel made me chuckle. The art and emotions portrayed are top notch and I definitely recommend this graphic novel.

I can‘t believe it‘s time for February‘s #bookspin and #doublespin but at the same time it feels like January has lasted for ages. (What is time? 😋🤷🏻‍♀️) I‘m going to do it differently going forward. I will use this as a way to get books I own off of my TBR list rather than doing the bingo board. It turns out I don‘t like deciding in advance what I will feel like reading during the month. I‘m excited for Wednesday‘s picks! @TheAromaofBooks

Sooooo goooood! This love story of two boys in a writing class was so well done. One of them is a devout Mormon and that is where a lot of the complications arise. But the book portrayed the main characters as well as their families and friends in such a nuanced way that is was never “just” a romance or “just” a YA book, it was a really rich story.

This was my first book by this prolific writing team. What should I read next?

I enjoyed elements of this graphic novel, like the character of the music teacher and some of the evocative yellow-brown-black illustrations, but overall it felt disjointed to me. The way that the characters related to each other felt confusing and the story didn‘t really focus on anything for long enough. If you‘re a huge music person you might love it, though it‘s not actually all that much about opera.

I love being able to tag my favorite bookstore! So the physical store is closed for a few weeks to do some renovations, and I‘d like to support them while they‘re not getting any foot traffic. I was thinking of preordering a couple books. One that I know I want is Yerba Buena, the new book out in February by Nina LaCour. I love her! But what other books will be coming out soon that should be on my radar? If anyone knows, it‘s the Littens! 💗

Hmm. A compelling premise but the execution was a little lacking in my opinion. I felt it lacked emotional depth for a plot about bad things happening to children, and there also seemed like there was gratuitous violence.

I‘m glad to have the football playoffs as a palate cleanser right now because reading this book earlier put me in a weird headspace. I found the two main characters, Julian and Adam, to be compelling and complex and I‘m rooting for them. The plotting, though, felt a bit uneven, with unresolved threads and some choices (especially about the ending) that I didn‘t agree with. A lot of very upsetting topics which never felt properly resolved.

Enjoyable but not necessarily surprising, this book was a soft Pick for me. I‘m glad I finally read it but am happy to move on to something else. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What a bizarre and delightful book! This was a really fun, really odd middle grade graphic novel about a girl going to summer camp to make friends. But it‘s really a lot more than that, and you‘ll have to read it yourself to see why! The illustrations have great little details too.

I said I was bailing on this but then I decided to finish it @EvieBee . 🤷🏻‍♀️ It still didn‘t really work for me but I‘m glad to know how it ended.

Zoe is yawning here, not screaming. 😋 Now every time I look at this picture, I yawn too!

I can‘t any more with this. I am destined to only learn half of the things we didn‘t say, not everything. 😋 The plot sounds interesting, but literally every time I pick up this book I get through 20 pages and fall asleep. I‘ve read 140 pages so I‘ve tried a lot! But I‘ve started and finished several other books without getting traction on this, so I give up.

If you‘ve read it, would you mind spoiling the ending for me (hidden) in the comments?

I guess I‘m going with so-so for this one. Part of it could be that I‘m not in a great place right now, but I think the book also had some issues. Both characters kept such major secrets from each other and made pretty questionable choices that lessened my ability to relate to them. It felt a little one note or unbelievable. But there were compelling parts too. Overall it‘s not one I‘ll recommend to people.

Finally borrowed this graphic novel after having it on my radar for quite some time. Maia does a wonderful job of sharing eir lived experience of what gender and sexuality mean to em, and how that has become clearer over time. I found it really impactful to read Maia‘s story, and there is no doubt e is a talented artist as well.

… I don‘t think I quite get the point of this novel. I don‘t want to spoil anything but I‘ll put my comments with the spoiler tag for anyone who‘s read it and wants to weigh in. But yeah, I was underwhelmed.

This book is at home while I‘m at work, so please enjoy this picture of my work plants instead. ☺️

Yolk was… ok. It was actually a little hard to read with some of the triggering issues both sisters faced. Also, I didn‘t love the romantic side plot. So all in all, it wasn‘t exactly what I thought it would be, which is a story about sisters dealing with hardship together.

Does anyone have any favorite books about sisters to recommend instead?

This was a 5 star read for me! A sweet, moving YA book with neurodiverse representation.

And we‘re off! This is my first book of 2022 and I liked it a lot. A memorable main character and her family and experiences at school. Love the fact that it‘s an own voices book with an autistic author.