Here is my December books! 13 for the month. I read liked a lot of these. Landline was a reread for me, an old favorite.
Lost Apothecary and Animal made my top 10 for year list.
Cloud Cuckoo Land, Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, Book of Lost Names were all Solid 4 star reads and I truly enjoyed them.
I really did NOT like Whereabouts.
The rest were all decent.

Finished my reading challenge today!!

My top 10 books of 2021. A lot of historical fiction for someone who says she doesn‘t like Historical fiction! Also, I found an article by Adam Grant (who wrote my #10 book) picking John Green‘s The Anthropocene reviewed as his #1 book for the year, so I thought that was really interesting.

I liked this book WAY more than I expected to. I really had no idea what to expect from this book,
with elements of historical fiction, realistic fiction and science fiction all in one. Somehow it worked! It isn't until about 1/2 way through the book that you start to see how the three stories come together, but then they all do. the historical piece was my least favorite but the present-day and future storylines had me hooked from the start.

Originally got this as an #ARC from #netgalley. It sounded like a book that was right up my alley. Family drama over decades with evolving parent child relationships. I was pretty disappointed. There were some great opportunities here to explore the dynamics of this family but too many side plots and characters and it just didn‘t work for me. nothing really happened, nor did the characters change significantly from start to finish. dull. ⭐️⭐️

Saw rave reviews for this but every time I read the description I went “meh” and put it down. Finally got on the list for it after it won the #goodreads award. I LOVED this. The historical story was completely immersive. Loved Nella and Eliza and couldn‘t wait to hear what happened next. The present day story, seemed a bit unnecessary to the story, but I liked Caroline too and loved the use libraries and librarians in her research! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I managed 12 books in November (fine, If the Fates allow was a short story, but I‘m counting it.) I really liked a lot of these and really hated a couple. It was a good month, but I need to read 12 for December too to get to 100!

Why did no one tell me about this book sooner? Why does my public library system only own a couple of copies? This book had it all for me. All the feels plus some adventure and suspense and a cross country voyage. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I finally have a Little Free Library!! I am so excited. I stocked it up more this morning after I took this with Most of my Jodi Picoult collection that I am never going to read, among other things. 😂

This book is the story of 3 brothers and their parents and alternates from moments in their childhood (moving forward in time) and a single day in their adult lives where they have come together (moving backward in time). The timelines did confuse me a bit. Overall this was a powerful story and a fast read, was able to finish it in a few hours. I expected just a little more than I got from the ending, but still a worthwhile read

A big “meh” on this one. The ending was somewhat predictable, though there were enough alternate theories happening throughout that it did sort of keep me guessing. The MC is distrustful of just about everyone, so they all seem suspicious. The flashbacks to “past” didn‘t really seem to add anything to the story and the title “the therapist” seems an odd choice, given how the book played out. This book was enjoyable, but not fantastic

The promo tag for this book was “A Man Called Ove meets A Good Place” so how could I NOT read it? Amazing yet flawed characters, engaging story, authentic romance. I started feeling about 3/4 of the way through that there was no way the book could end “well” and started thinking of which not quite perfect outcomes I‘d be happy with. However, the ending actually ended up being a little too tidy and it didn‘t quite feel right.

Grabbed this #audiobook on #Libby for the #biglibraryread. Definitely kept me interested the whole time. A+ for the creepy atmosphere, and the psychological aspect, but after awhile the whole thing seemed to get pretty unbelievable, and I feel like there were some BIG things that weren‘t really explained in the end. 3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

I feel pretty lucky to have gotten this ARC from Edelweiss! This didn‘t QUITE live up to the original for me but it was still a great book. Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4108033834

Am I the only one who really hated this book? I cannot possibly think of a more pointless story. Absolutely no plot development to speak of. The only action in the entire book happens in the last few pages. Just terrible.

June update! The Four Winds and Aristotle and Dante were my favorites. Liked This Tender Land and Survive the Night a lot. The rest were not fantastic

Got this from NetGalley just last week and finished last night. Didn‘t realize til now that today is its release day. This one is getting some mixed reviews and I do see why. It‘s not on par with The Last Time I Lied, but it‘s got the Ultra creepy atmosphere going and it was a page turner.

Finally getting caught up on my reading challenge and I have found a new “read every book” author in Sofia Lundburg. Really enjoyed a lot of these this month.

Weekend road trip.. kids playing in the hotel pool. Even though I had to search nearly every hotel in the city to find an open one, life is starting to feel a bit normal again and I‘m even on a bit of a reading streak!!

I saw Fredrik Backman recommend this book on his Instagram a month or so ago so immediately got in the queue at the library for it. If you like Backman‘s books (I‘m obsessed) I think you‘ll like this. Not as funny (pretty dark and heart wrenching, actually) but a really beautiful story about the meaning of home, family and the events in our lives that shape us and lead us to where we are. this will make my top 10 for the year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am about halfway through this book and am loving it.. but the narrator is KILLING me. She is British (the same narrator who did Fredrik Backman‘s 2 Britt Marie books). For some reason the Swedish characters get British accents, but the American characters get really, terrible American accents and voices. So cringey. Also she keeps changing the pronunciation of one characters name, and even mispronounced the MCs name once.

This book was… interesting? I was really interested to see where the story would go, and then it went absolutely nowhere. Characters did unforgivable things and were seemingly forgiven with not much explanation. The story ends abruptly and then the author tries to tie it all together in some nice bow in the epilogue but it didn‘t work for me at all.

This was so good! So interesting and thought provoking. This stuff is the reason why I was a psych major, and I still find it so fascinating.

I loved this book! It sucked me in from the first few pages and didn't let go. It was actually the opposite experience of when I read RW&RB, as that one took me a LONG time to get into, but it won me over in the end. I just loved it with my whole heart. My only complaint was sometimes the scenes with the side characters felt a bit drawn out. The side characters were all lovable and interesting, but I really wanted to get back to Jane and August

March Reads. Featuring the MelissaSue81™️ emoji rating system. I Really loved all of these except I Was Told It Would Get Easier and Wintering.

The missing two Ramona books ARE in this house somewhere but I can‘t find them. RIP Beverly Cleary. 😢

My 12 year old daughter‘s birthday gift this year was to create a reading nook in her bedroom. Her grandparents bought her the chair, the rest (excluding the books and baby yoda) came from us. I am so in love with it and I wish I had one too. (I may have had the thought that I can take it over in 6 years when she heads to college.) 🤣. She‘s recently started reading YA in earnest. Top shelf is library books, middle TBR and bottom read and loved.

February reading report! Amelia Unabridged was my favorite by a landslide. The MelissaSue81 ™️ emoji rating system at work.

Right on the edge of a pick and so so. The setting and details were sooo good and creepy af. The storyline of the cousin who is seemingly ill and sees ghosts in the house is excellent. But the explanation of the how and why as it all comes out is just so utterly ridiculous.. Which I guess I didn‘t see coming .

Sticking with my emoji rating scheme. Got to 9 books this month! Most in many months. Eleanor and Park and Beartown were my comfort rereads. The Obama book is amazing and a must read. I‘m the minority who didn‘t really like The Grace Year (fine, but I don‘t get the hype.) Girl woman other had great parts but sooo many characters to try to keep straight. Migrations was good but again I felt didn‘t quite reach my expectations. The others were meh.

This book was better the second time around! I think I read it 3-4 years ago, and had given it three stars. The sheer number of characters was overwhelming to me, so that seemed better this time around. It‘s strange though because I thought I remembered things happening that didn‘t happen, and forgot some things that did happen. Not sure if I‘m confusing it with Us against You or just hallucinating. 🤣

Ahhh. I so need this.

I saw some article somewhere suggesting we should only read for comfort in 2021. While I‘m sure I won‘t stick to only comfort, gonna start a good comfort read. I did this book on audio back in probably 2018 and these characters have not left me. Revisiting (also reading to see if i feel it‘s appropriate to share with my nearly 12 year old who has decided she will only read YA now)

🤔. So every one of my friends on good reads rated this five stars. I have heard amazing reviews. I tried reading this in print a couple months ago and couldn‘t get into it before my loan was up. Audio was better... but... I really don‘t get the hype. The ending definitely redeemed the book for me but the beginning and middle were really rough. I mean dystopian fiction isn‘t generally my jam but still...

I didn‘t actually like the Sigrid Nunez book that much, but this quote that the book is named for has really stuck with me. 💕💕💕

#sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz
1) tagged book and conversations with friends
2) I‘ve hardly read at all. I hate it.
3) I think Migrations, but I‘m on the look out for more!

Happy December Littens. I‘m still in a reading slump and probably going to come up short of my reading challenge goal for the first time in a couple years, but it seems to be getting better. Anything new that I absolutely must read? Bonus points if I don‘t have to think too hard.

Loved Trust and Why We‘re Polarized. Really liked the new Hank Green book. Haaaaated United States of Anxiety

Littens, I miss you all. I have fallen off the Litsy planet this year. Even before the pandemic hit, I hadn‘t been reading/posting like I used to.. and now I can hardly concentrate on anything. Part of it is a good thing, because work is keeping me busy enough where I don‘t have time to read.. but... 🙇🏻‍♀️. This is what I‘m reading now....only my 74th book of the year (last year I read 236). Im gonna try to make a slow comeback.

Well, I HAD been reading?! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Thanks Brodie. #catsoflitsy

Remember my #readthecandidates challenge. The best part of it was that I found Pete Buttigieg. I was all in #teampete right up til the End. So when I saw this book coming out I knew I needed to read it ASAP. It did not disappoint. Chasten is SO real! He is honest and hilarious, but his life has NOT been easy. This book made me feel like I know him. So good, and it made me cry a few times too!

Only 6 books in June but they were some good ones! I have to admit, I just don‘t “get” Toni Morrison, her writing is beautiful but I get lost in the stories. My Dark Vanessa was one of my favorites of the year. Home Before Dark an awesome thriller with a ghost story vibe. Chasten‘s memoir is incredible and made me cry more than once. And two excellent anti-racist books to help me learn and do better.

I have gotten some INCREDIBLE ARCs this week from #netgalley and #edelweiss . I have been checking obsessively for this one to be available and I am so excited to start it. I Looooooove Chasten!!!

Sager is a “read every book” author for me. This isn‘t my favorite of his books, but it was a really fun read. Lots of creepiness and a bit of a different twist of mixing a book (that we aren‘t sure is truth or fiction) with reality. It will keep you guessing and make you want to check under your bed for monsters/ghosts at night!

Lots happening here. Main plot of the hostage/bank robber situation, relationships between the characters in the apartment that evolve, backstories that unite many of them, and reveals of plot points throughout the story. Some of the reveals were quite obvious and didn‘t work that well. But the characters and their backstories were everything I love about Backman, and his way of describing human emotion and relationships with words is unmatched.

Is anyone else sooooo excited for this?! Just saw he is definitely narrating the audiobook himself too!!

I‘ve been DESPERATE to get my hands on this ARC and it finally happened. I‘m only a few chapters in.. seems quite different from his other books but the first couple pages made me LOL

This book is actually pretty good. But what the HECK is this?

I only managed to get through 7 books this month and 5 of them were audiobooks. A few good ones though. Really enjoyed So You Want to Talk About Race, In the Dream House, and Another Brooklyn. Not a fan of Elegance of the Hedgehog or We Have Always Lived in The Castle