Interesting and compelling book. I have been having trouble finding the motivation to read lately, and this book was good for that. #BOTM

This book was very difficult to get through, and I just found the story ridiculous. I doing really see the point of the Romeo and Juliet tie in. This just didn‘t work for me at all.

Here I am twinning with my classroom guinea pig, Winston. My students are virtual right now, but they demand pictures of Winston. He is a little potato-shaped celebrity.

This book is a fascinating story of survival and redemption. Books like these serve as a reminder of how quickly things can turn. They also let us know that strength comes in many different forms. I like books like this to give me perspective.

This book lived up to the hype for me. It‘s not necessarily that it was hard to figure out; it‘s that it was sincerely eerie and creepy. I really liked that aspect. I also liked how the author jumped back and forth through time to tell the story. I just found this book refreshing and enjoyable.

This book was different, and I mean that in a positive way. I liked the originality of the story. I liked watching the characters face this unknown reality, and seeing how each one uniquely faced this unknown. There were some lines written that simply took my breath away. I‘m a sucker for beautiful writing. #BOTM

This current read for my book club was a pleasant surprise. I did not think it looked that great, but it ended up providing twists and turns that kept me guessing. That is what I want from a thriller. Every time I felt smart and thought I had it figured out, the author made a surprise move. It was fun.

I had to read this book for one of my book clubs. It was close to just a so-so for me. It was decent but nothing special. It‘s definitely forgettable. It was really easy to see the twists and turns.

Parts of this book were okay, but overall it was so boring to me. I wanted to DNF the book, but I honestly don‘t know an easy way to do that on my Kindle. So, my only reason for finishing was to not mess up my Kindle library; that‘s not exactly a ringing endorsement. I really wish the author would have just not focused so much on White. If I wanted to read about him/his book, I would have read his books.

#BOTM pick for this month. This story is at times tragic, but the main character‘s strength in facing adversity is admirable. It is hard to read of her watching those she loves deal with depression and addiction. I think it reminds me of the helplessness one feels when a loved one is in pain. It is also interesting to hear the main character attempt to reconcile religion with science and question how God can allow such suffering.

This book is the current pick for my book club. It ended up being much different than I expected when I started. I expected a campy comedy, but that wasn‘t the case at all. The book actually had some serious themes. It addressed racial and economic inequality, wives being subject to physical and emotional abuse by their husbands, and relationship struggles between parents and children. Oh yeah, and the women did this while dealing with a vampire.

This book was good but not great. It felt very lightweight, which is troubling since it deals with a character committing suicide. I would have liked to see much more character development and expansion of situations. There just wasn‘t much depth to try to deal with such a serious topic. #BOTM

This book goes to show that I really need to read the amazing books that are sitting on my shelves. I have had this book for so long and just never gotten around to it. I saw a post about how good it is, so I decided to pick it up. Gorgeous writing and characters! I loved this book so much. The connections between the characters and the backdrop completely drew me in. I felt like I was there. Be prepared, because many points made me emotional.

This book went in too many directions. It seems like the author just tried to do too much rather than simplifying to tell a better story. This fact made the lack of clear transitions very apparent. This book really needed a strong editor to get ahold of it and clean it up.

I thought this book was heartbreakingly beautiful. It has been on my #TBR for a long time, and I am glad I finally made time to read it. It explores family relationships, all of the hopes and dreams, and the things we leave unsaid.

This is the current choice for my book club. I wasn‘t terribly excited, as I tend to like fiction more than nonfiction. I ended up devouring the book. Of course, it‘s tragic. I couldn‘t stop thinking of the hope of the mother as she looked at each of her twelve babies, just to see so many of them fall tragically ill with schizophrenia. It was also tragic to see the pervasive effects of the illness on each family member. Family perseveres, though.

I thought you would all appreciate the puzzle I finished last night. I think it is very pretty. I was pleasantly surprised that all of the pieces were there. I bought it opened at Goodwill. I took a chance because I liked it. Once home, one of the cats knocked the box over and the pieces spilled out. I guess I got pretty lucky.

My current#BOTM pick. It was good but not great. There were some good creepy parts, but overall it was kind of predictable. I guess I wanted a little more. I did have fun reading it.

This is yet another great book by Sue Monk Kidd. I have had it for a long time and decided I needed to get it read. That was a wise choice. I love the strong female characters in this story. They defied norms of their time and forged their own way while facing adversity.

This book was a lot of fun. It had many twists and turns, and it really kept me guessing right until the very end. That is what I want in a creepy mystery! I liked that the main character had to figure everything out. She doubted herself, her parents, her memory, and her sanity. She had to confront supernatural elements. It all worked to produce a really satisfying story. #BOTM

This book was just so good. I am not sure how Ray Hinton remains so upbeat after losing 30 years of his life after wrongly being incarcerated on death row. His tale is tragic, and it definitely adds to the argument against the death penalty. How can killing by the state be justified when there are innocent people on death row? How is it fair that money often determines the outcome? Bryan Stevenson (Just Mercy) is a treasure.

Just when I was wondering what 2020 would throw at me next, I fell in my backyard and broke my wrist today. That‘s what I get for pulling out a lounge chair to sit and read 🤷‍♀️ Ugh!!

This is a very interesting book about young people in Germany during the rise of Hitler and into WWII. It looks at many different people. Some of them resisted, while some were heavily invested in the Nazi party and were enthusiastic supporters of Hitler and his policies. It‘s an interesting look at how Hitler recognized the power in getting the the youth involved and indoctrinated at a young age. Terrifying and heartbreaking stories are in here.

This was a very weird book for me. There were times when I just thought it was beautiful, but most of the time I was just lost. It felt like I would just about grasp it, and then it would slip through my fingertips. I wanted to know more about the characters, the whole concept, just to figure out why this magical world existed. I never got there. That makes me sad, because the idea of this magical place is wonderful.

I did some puzzling last night with my helper, Felix. It really looks like he is trying to find a piece. In reality, the only piece he is trying to find is one to steal and chew up. I feel lucky that he likes to hang out with me 💕

This book tells the story of the heroic women who fought back against their former employer after becoming affected by radium poisoning while doing their jobs. The women were lied to about the dangers, and the company did everything in its power to not have to help them. Their fight led to changes in workers‘ protections. They allowed scientists to study them to learn of the effects of radioactive exposure as the country entered the nuclear age.

This is one of those books that I can‘t believe it took me so long to read. I have heard of it all my life and just finally read it this week. It‘s tragic and uplifting, and some of the passages are heartbreakingly beautiful. Now, I need to watch the movie to see the differences. My edition has commentary by Spike Lee that discusses the brilliance of the play and some of the changes that were undoubtedly made to get the movie completed.

Every story in this book reinforced why I love Stephen King. Each one was so much fun. Mr. Harrington‘s Phone was creepy. I loved the twist in The Life of Chuck; it made me think. Rat was clever and brought to mind that the main character, a writer and English professor, really should have known the outcome based on all available literature. Finally, I loved getting to visit with Holly Gibney and the Robinson family in If It Bleeds.

This one was so good, even better than I expected. I love it when a book lives up to the hype. This book tells the story of Ana, who is a spirited and intelligent woman who lives to write stories, and who also happens to be the wife of a very human version of Jesus. I love stories like this that explore the lives of women from history. So often, those stories have been marginalized and forgotten altogether. Ana‘s story is fascinating and told well

Just like my last book, this one also dealt with tragedy and was hard to read at times. I was quickly drawn into this book and could not put it down. In it, a family experiences a tragic accident, and one of the victims watches from beyond as her family deals with its aftermath. It raised the question of how do people respond to extreme conditions? Who rises to the occasion, and who is reduced to their worst tendencies.

It took me a bit to get into this book. I‘m glad I stuck with it, because it ended up being outstanding. It definitely took a turn. At first I thought it would be lighthearted and humorous, yet it ended up being a 180 from that. The people in this book carry heavy burdens, and I really felt for their tragedies. This book makes the reader question good/evil and examine how quick we are to judge. There are heavy consequences for the choices made.

I opened up this book today that I purchased at a thrift store to find it has been signed by the author. Too bad my name isn‘t Lisa 🤷‍♀️

This book was an Ollie‘s find for me. It had interesting facts. I learned some things and now I have some new lighthouses I would like to visit. The nicest thing about the book is the lovely pictures. If you love lighthouses, you will love looking at this book.

This is a strange book. There were times I couldn‘t put it down. There were times I wanted to DNF it. I can see why it is compared with Stephen King books, because it is definitely creepy. Bottom line, though, is this book is too long. King books never feel tedious to me. This one felt like the editor needed to cut out at least 200 pages. The concept here with religious overtones is fascinating. I wish I would have liked this more.

This is a beautifully written book. I loved the way the author portrayed the characters and how they managed life with all of its challenges, disappointments, and triumphs. Real people are multifaceted, and the characters in this book were as well. While reading, I also longed to see the house itself. It became a character and the embodiment of something different for every person who stepped through its doors.

I think Amazon is conspiring against me. I pre-ordered this book so long ago. Seriously, like when it was first announced. Amazon never actually ships it to me. They have been teasing me since before its release. They say it‘s coming...then they bump the day back... then they bump it back again...then again. For over a week, they have said it will arrive tomorrow or Saturday. Today, I got a notice that now it is Wednesday.

I bought this at the Scholastic Book Fair back in the fall and just haven‘t found time to read it until now. I was impressed. This is a solid YA novel. It really had a clever story, and the characters were believable. I liked that they were layered: perfect and flawed at the same time. That made them realistic. The romantic elements of this were realistic and not cringe-inducing. That is not often true with YA books, so I really appreciated that.

This has been on my TBR for a long time. I‘m not sure what made me pick it up, but it was pretty good. I remember when it came out going and listening to the author speak. Much of what she said came back to me while reading. My main takeaway is how ineffective the system is at helping offenders with what comes next. They seem to be left largely to their own defenses, which I find inexcusable. I found her descriptions of friendship very touching.

This is an important book, and I can definitely see why it has led to so much discussion. For me, it is so critical to read books like this. I will never be like the protagonist of this story. I‘m a middle-aged white lady from the Midwest. However, when I read a book like this I can hear her voice and gain perspective. On top of that, it‘s a compelling book. The characters are very believable and the story drew me in. I devoured the book.

Felix is always ready to help me work a puzzle. #catsoflitsy

Current #BOTM pick. This was beautifully written. It takes place in Paris in the 1920s and has some famous characters. I loved the way the character‘s stories intertwined and eventually came together. The story does well examining the heavy burdens people carry. There are secrets and experiences that shape us all. Everyone has to make his or her own way while learning to live with and make sense of these things.

At least while I am on lockdown I am working through some of my books that I really want to read. This is one of them. I am a huge King fan, and I think this is a terrific addition to his body of work. It is one that really makes you think. How do the actions of a few affect the many, is it okay to sacrifice one to save many, and should we listen to marginalized voices? Those of you who shy away from his more gory books should check this one out.

I don‘t think I really appreciated how much I liked this book until I got to the end. The writing is good, and while reading I know I was invested in the characters, but the way the author tied everything together at the end and brought her points home were what really did it for me. Overall a very interesting look at human nature and why merely existing can at times be both baffling and exhausting.

The Testaments is a very worthy sequel to The Handmaid‘s Tale. It was good to be back in this world and to get some closure from the first book. It did not have the same visceral punch as the original. I think that is because the world already was there and the reader didn‘t get to see events unfold so rapidly (and experience the fear). Even so, it serves as a reminder to value and protect our freedoms.

I had to read this book for my new book club, and now I wonder if we will ever actually get to meet. I have to say that at the beginning of this book I wasn‘t feeling it. I just hated both of the characters and was a little bored. At about the halfway point, it finally drew me in and I was pretty hooked. The second half flew by. Ultimately the ending was pretty predictable, so I‘m not sure why I liked it as much as I did. I did like it, though.

#keeplitsypositive This is JB, my cuddly kitty. As soon as I sit down with a book, he is right there in my lap. He gets annoyed, because I should obviously be petting him with both hands. This sweet boy has meant so much to me this year. I got him in January of 2019 as a birthday gift to myself. It was about a month after my husband died. There were many days where I would sit and hold him for hours. He has always seemed to know what I need.

#keeplitsypositive My handsome boy, Bandit, has been helping me stay positive while stuck at home. He is the rather aloof patriarch who watches over the other pets. He is not much for cuddling, but he is always close and in the same room as me.

My current #BOTM book was very good. I really liked the way the author shared the story as a member of the neighborhood watching it unfold. The story was tragic, and it is one that will stick with me. It reminded me of Little Fires Everywhere as I read it, and I liked that one too.

#keeplitsypositive This is Winston, my very photogenic guinea pig. He normally travels with me to school every week to bring a little joy to my students. I am sure he is wondering why we haven‘t made that journey this week and why everything is so quiet.

#keeplitsypositive Here is my dog, Daisy, looking like she is pretty bored with social distancing. Don‘t let her fool you, though. Holding down this couch is her favorite activity.