I purchased this ebook years ago, based solely on the setting of the Biltmore Mansion. I wasn‘t sure what I expected, but MG gothic horror was not on my radar. The writing and story-lines were okay, but definitely not my taste. #50in50

Brookner‘s at times poignant but usually scathing prose brilliantly tells this tale of a spinster just trying to be a person, whilst she endures the judgment of those around her. My 3rd Brookner to date, and I‘ve loved them all. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #50in50

My final 😔 Book Depository order arrived a few days ago. I believe the tagged was a previous #Furrowedmiddlebrow group pick. The other I chose mainly for the cover, although I do love E.M. Delafield. #buybuyBookDepository
And the bookmarks are adorable!

Charming and delightful! Loved spending time with Julia and Paul during their adventures in France. Perfect springtime read. #50in50

(Catching up on my #50in50 reviews!) Gritty, occasionally bleak, well-told story of a man‘s rise from rural poverty to becoming financially successful in “rising Asia.” Hamid uses the conceit of a self-help book to weave his tale.
I like how Hamid tries different styles & techniques in his books. So far, they‘ve all worked for me. 😁

I loved this sweeping, well-written, complex multi-character study of a Yorkshire town and its inhabitants. Love, loss, vice, virtue - Holtby covers it all and then some. I enjoyed my time with these characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #50in50

Thoughtful, bittersweet stories of people traveling through time for one last conversation with a loved one. I love Kawaguchi‘s style and the way he makes me think. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #50in50

A charming story of two young girls, Harriet & Lalla, navigating the ups & downs of competitive skating and friendship. Streatfeild‘s writing is lovely, and her humor is dry and witty. My daughter & I read this one together, and she currently places this one on her top-5. ☺️ #50in50

A dual timeline historical fiction following two women struggling with grief after losing loved ones in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and 9/11, respectively. The earlier heroine‘s story features more prominently, and we learn a lot about the hospital on Ellis Island. Meissner‘s character development is very well done, and I love her writing style. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (50-in-50)

Enjoyable and easy to read story of a Southern family with magical abilities. Difficult issues, including domestic violence, are addressed, so definitely not a fluffy book, but still hopeful.
This is another of my “50 for 50” challenge books.

I made a reading challenge for myself as I turned 50 this year - to read 50 books from my shelves I‘ve been meaning to read. I‘m also hoping to review each of them and get back into that habit.
The first book I finished from my list is tagged. It actually contains two novellas, the titular one & “Moonlight Shadow.” Both concern how we work through grief, particularly young people. Lovely writing & insights into human nature. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. No traveling for us.
2. It‘s not expected to snow on Christmas Day, but we‘re supposed to get snow on Thursday, followed by frigid temperatures, so the snow will stick around until Christmas. ❄️🎄
#TwoforTuesday

1. Peppermint mocha
2. I‘m not sure I can pick just one. I love Christmas music! Some favorites are Winter Wonderland (Andrews Sisters version), O Come O Come Emmanuel, & Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
#Two4Tuesday
@TheSpineView

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another excellent multiple-timelines novel from Kate Morton. Love, loss, grief - those universal human experiences - are explored within an atmospheric ghost story. Recommended!
And now I‘m caught up on Morton‘s backlist! Looking forward to her new book in the spring.

Thanks for the tag! 😊
1. Tagged. A time travel, nonstop action MG read-aloud with my daughter. We both enjoyed it!
2. Years ago, I subscribed to Book Riot‘s Quarterly box. My experience with it was overall positive, but I don‘t believe it‘s available anymore.
3. My daughter & I love rereading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever each year.
#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Engaging and beautifully written story of a mother‘s dreams for her girl group daughters, and what happens when the daughters‘ own dreams diverge from hers. I enjoyed getting to know Vivian, Ruth, Esther and Chloe, and their friends and family in 1950s San Francisco. The author noted in her acknowledgments that she wrote this book as an homage to Fiddler on the Roof. As soon as I read that, I could see how she did that. 🤯

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jones explores the joys and pains of fifth grade when there‘s child kidnapping and murder happening in your city. Beautifully written yet heart-wrenching.

A seemingly simple story of a family‘s annual holiday to the seaside, wrapped in a melancholy blanket. A novel of expectations - for ourselves and others, & what happens when they aren‘t met. Do we become disillusioned and bitter, or do we resolve to carry on and make the most of it? Highly recommended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

August was a great reading month! Here‘s hoping for an equally awesome September!

Thank you so much @TheAromaofBooks ! Looking forward to reading it this fall. 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thoughtful, atmospheric exploration of family, love, loyalty, guilt, & redemption focused on foreign emigrés‘ experience in WWII-era Hollywood. Marra is a master of balancing dark stuff with humor. Loved every second of it!
In other news, we adopted a kitten earlier this month! This is Cinderella (Ella). She‘s added much cuteness to our household. ? #Littenkittens

1. Yes, I think I have done this, if I couldn‘t find a piece of paper. 😄
2. I‘m a total mood reader, so naming the exact next book I‘m going to read is tricky. I‘ve tagged my book club‘s September pick, which I know I‘ll get to sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the tag @EadieB !
#TwoforTuesday @TheSpineView

1. Fairly frequently. The tagged is one I remember.
2. Generally, Fridays are my favorite and Mondays are the worst.
Thanks to @Eggs @Kdgordon88 @EadieB for the tags!
#wondrousWednesday

This novel explores the lives of a group of young women who live in a boarding house for “girls of slender means” in post-WWII London. Spark tackles themes of duty, politics, faith, feminism (probably more I didn‘t catch). All packed into less than 200 pages. Her style is darker and edgier than I‘m typically drawn to, but I‘m really enjoying her work.

A good month, reading-wise. My favorites were the tagged book, Mrs. Lorimer‘s Quiet Summer, and Middlemarch.
#JulyReads

Loved this one!
Thanks for the tag @PageShifter 😊
#AlphabetGame #LetterA

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another delightful Furrowed Middlebrow read. 😊 Mrs. Lorimer‘s summer is not quite as quiet as she would like, having to deal with the relationship shenanigans of her grown-up children. Luckily, she has her best friend, Gray Douglas, to lean on.
Clavering and D.E. Stevenson were apparently good friends, and this novel is supposedly based, in part, on this friendship.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can always count on Beatriz Williams for a fun, page-turning read. Lots of twists in this one, with WWI and 1920s Florida as the background.
I finished the book on the Disney Fantasy 🚢. My little Cinderella is on the staircase for her post makeover photo sesh. 😁

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Finally got around to a classic I have been wanting to read for years. (In fact, I believe I started it once before, decades ago, but quickly abandoned.) I loved this exploration of duty, faith, marriage and friendship. Big themes in a small village. Eliot‘s prose is also beautiful. This book is worth the time investment.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Finally got around to a classic I have been wanting to read for years. (In fact, I believe I started it once before, decades ago, but quickly abandoned.) I loved this exploration of duty, faith, marriage and friendship. Big themes in a small village. Eliot‘s prose is also beautiful. This book is worth the time investment.

My June reads. Tagged was my only 5-star read, but overall, another good month.

I know this one isn‘t timely, but I just decided I‘m going to try to do monthly wrap-ups.
May was a great reading month for me!

My first Gill Paul! The story of Lady Evelyn Herbert, the daughter of the Earl of Canarvon who was involved in the discovery of King Tut‘s tomb. It goes back and forth between the 1920s and 1970s, with a bit of a mystery thrown in. Very well done historical fiction. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Starting this one in my new bedroom reading nook.

What a lovely, warm cuppa of a book. I loved every minute I spent with the MacAlveys and all of the people who populated their lives that summer. Adored Ferguson‘s comedic timing, too. Must try to hunt down more of her work! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It had been a while since I had read Kate Morton. Her storytelling always sucks me in. This one is very gothic in its story, with its crumbling castle, inherited madness & secrets upon secrets. Loved it.

Happy St. Patrick‘s Day, all! Check out who was playing on SiriusXM - @Cathythoughts
Fabulous tune!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Well-told story of three African-American friends in early 20th century New York, trying to achieve their own ambitions while bearing the burdens of their families‘ dreams for them, all under the increased burden of racism.

1. I enjoy both, but I really do love multiple POV when it‘s done well. (Tagged my current read-aloud with my daughter that has multiple POV)
2. No, unfortunately
3. Although I like the idea of lists, I‘m a mood reader all the way.
#WondrousWednesday
If you‘re reading this, please consider yourself tagged. 😁

This novel is the definition of epic, covering hundreds of years of Georgian history through the lens of a single family. Cruelty, brutality, & much loss, but also love, duty, and a touch of magic. The prose was beautiful; kudos to the translator(s).
And with that, I‘ve completed my #chunksterchallenge2022! Woot!

Overall, I enjoyed this read with the #PemberLittens. I didn‘t connect with all of the essays, but there were some real gems. Many of the Mansfield Park essays gave me a new appreciation for that novel. I also really enjoyed Woolf‘s takes on Austen‘s earlier and unfinished works.

A bit late, but better late than never, as they say. 😆
💖No Valentine‘s pics this year, so I‘m sharing a pic of my daughter reading aloud to her fish, Olaf. 😁
💙Tagged my current read, which is for #Chunksterchallenge. Definite pick so far!
🖤 Today I‘m grateful my daughter only has a half-day of school, as we‘re expecting freezing rain & snow. 😬
#wondrousWednesday

Delightful, hilarious, charming, and meta. 😊 Loved this one!
A pic of our cozy cat for this cozy read. 😸

1. Tagged book is my most recently added. No clue when I‘ll get to it. 😆
2. Nope.
3. The Eighth Life, A Truth Universally Acknowledged, and There is Confusion
#WondrousWednesday

A coming-of-age story of two girls born into Mafia families in New York in the 1930s-1940s. Explores how living in this world affects your outlook on life. The characters were well developed, and I found the writing style to be engaging. Really enjoyed this one!

I‘ve set my Goodreads goal quite a bit lower than years past. I really want to focus on bigger books this year.

My word/theme for 2022 is Hope. 😊

I‘m definitely enjoying the tagged book!

#ThoughtfulThursday

Between Christmas & birthday gifts, I‘ll have tons of #audiopuzzling in my future! 😁

We‘re doing a family buddy read this week of the tagged book. We read a chapter or two at a time and then discuss. My daughter has been loving it! 🥰

My last book of 2021 is tagged. I doubt I‘ll finish it before the new year. However, I do plan to start The Eighth Life on January 1st, no matter what. 😁

Thanks, @BookNAround ! #lastfirst

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kate Bowler‘s life is amazing, & her insights are thoughtful and thought-provoking. Would have included this one on my best of 2021 list if I‘d finished it in time. 😊