Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
SamAnne

SamAnne

Joined January 2019

I seek books that help me understand the world and books that let me escape it. Love rivers, dogs, gardens and the Big Outside.
review
SamAnne
Greenwood | Michael Christie
Mehso-so

I thought this would be a 5 star read for me. A generational story set from 1908 and 2038 in Canada, focused on timber, trees & forests. A family‘s relationship to them as timber barons, forest protection activists, carpenters. Beautiful writing, some characters I loved. But a little too much telling than showing. Some actions by characters not believable. Some forest science totally off the mark. Did he not read Finding the Mother Tree?

SamAnne Also, what I finished for #20in4 in addition to finishing Matriz by Lauren Groff. Mostly audio, got more than 13 hours in! Thank you @Andrew65 ! 1d
SamAnne Back to Greenwood: the author writes beautifully about interacting with wood as a carpenter. But he doesn‘t nail (hah! pun intended) the forest ecology. While the storyline weaves in the destruction of Canada‘s primeval forests, the novel seemed derisive of the people trying to stop that destruction. I grew up in a logging town. Made me a forest protection activist. It didn‘t sit well. 1d
SamAnne So I‘m a harsh critic of this book I‘m sure. Best tree focused books in my opinion? The Overstory! Floored me. Old school, set in the country I grew up in: Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey. Oh, he captures my homeland perfectly. A forest focused book I liked less than this one? Barkskins by Annie Proulx. Needed an editor even more than this one. 1d
See All 10 Comments
Andrew65 Well done on an excellent Readathon and thanks for playing along 👏👏👏🙌🥳🍾🥂
Shame this book wasn‘t better as it sounds ideal, but I hate it when some books slip too much into a telling role..
1d
CaitlinR Great review! 1d
Tamra Shoot, I have this one marked TBR. 1d
JuniperWilde I wanted to love this, too. Sadly, I read The Overstory first so my expectations were high and I found this very disappointing. Midway I decided to speed read my way to the ending. 14h
SamAnne @Andrew65 me too. Drives me nuts. 4h
SamAnne @Tamra again, I‘m probably being hard in the book only because I know some of subject matter well. Besides some “too much telling,” much of the writing is beautiful and he captures settings really well. But I did have issues with characters—their story arcs and motivations did not ring true to me. 4h
SamAnne @JuniperWilde glad I‘m not the only one. The Willow character did not ring true for me and he seemed derisive of those wanting to save the forest. I relished the complex characters in The Overstory, Powers‘ excellent understanding of forest ecology. I also enjoy some spot on satire and skewering of activist culture—having been part of it—and Birnam Wood did it beautifully! But Willow in this one was flat and 2-dimensional IMO. 3h
41 likes10 comments
review
SamAnne
Greenwood | Michael Christie
post image
Mehso-so

I thought this would be a 5 star read for me. A generational story set from 1908 and 2038 in Canada, focused on timber, trees & forests. A family‘s relationship to them as timber barons, forest protection activists, carpenters. Beautiful writing, some characters I loved. But a little too much telling than showing. Some actions by characters not believable. Some forest science totally off the mark. Did he not read Finding the Mother Tree?

blurb
SamAnne
post image

Interested in diving into this one after hearing an interview with the author on Fresh Air. About how the electricity of cells affects our health and mental acuity. As a person in remission from breast cancer ( but likely to return) I‘m especially interested in the research showing cancer cells have different electrical pulses than normal cells, and what research is looking like for cancer therapy. Fascinating.

Megabooks This was truly fascinating! 21h
44 likes1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

My #BookspinBingo for June. Looking forward to some great books. #Bookspin #Doublespin. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3d
47 likes1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
Greenwood | Michael Christie
post image

Everyone else is still asleep. I‘m enjoying this novel that I just started. Watching the sparrows and hummingbirds while my border collie Action Jackson stands guard at the end of the driveway to thwart squirrel interlopers on the bird feeder. My sweet dog who requires no fence or leash.

Tamra So peaceful. 5d
BookNAround Action Jackson is clearly a good boi who takes his responsibility seriously. ❤️ 5d
dabbe Hello, Adorable AJ! 🩵🐾🤍 5d
66 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Matrix | Lauren Groff
post image

Contemplating Matrix while watching my ladies take a group dust bath. It is their absolute bliss. An all female order ruled by Gilda, the black and white in the middle. For those who have read Michael Twitty‘s book, she is a Dominque. Heritage breed that came over to America with the Pilgrims. And such a sweet girl. She comes to the kitchen door to ask for cheese treats. I oblige.

Leftcoastzen Amazing ! I love chickens. 6d
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 6d
Tamra 😍 6d
Hooked_on_books We have a tame peacock that wanders around our property. He‘s “ours” and not all at the same time. He‘ll walk up to the kitchen slider door when he sees us inside and will even occasionally tap on the glass with his beak. He‘s hoping for my husband to toss him some peanuts. It‘s pretty entertaining. (edited) 5d
72 likes4 comments
review
SamAnne
Matrix | Lauren Groff
post image
Pickpick

Oof. A book about power, women claiming power, wielding power. Set in a 13th century abbey. Marie is a badass. Let‘s raise a hand to the Maries of the world. First book completed for #20in4. @Andrew65

paper.reveries I have this on my shelf!! This makes me excited to read it :) 6d
SamAnne @paper.reveries I think it is Groff‘s best work. The pace starts out slow and then goes quick. Lots to think about! (edited) 6d
JuniperWilde This is the first review that has inspired me to read this book. Thank you. 6d
See All 8 Comments
bibliothecarivs One of the best books I read last year and now one of my top favourite novels (I read mostly nonfiction). 6d
E.Bolhafner adding this one to my TBR pile. F Badassery draws me in ;-) 6d
Hooked_on_books I loved this one! And before I read it, I thought someone was crazy to think I‘d read a book about medieval nuns. So glad Groff proved me wrong. 5d
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 Sounds a really interesting book. 5d
OrangeMooseReads I LOVE a badass lady! Adding this to the ever growing list 😊 5d
92 likes3 stack adds8 comments
review
SamAnne
Matrix | Lauren Groff
post image
Pickpick

Oof. A book about power, women claiming power, wielding power. Set in a 13th century abbey. Marie is a badass. Let‘s raise a hand to the Maries of the world. First book completed for #20in4. @Andrew65

blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

So last readathon I didn‘t make 20 hours. It was 20 minutes. Seriously. 🙄. Hoping for better stats this time.
Goals are to finish Matrix and Greenwood, catch up on some New Yorker short stories. And whatever I choose after that! @Andrew65 #20in4 #readathon

Andrew65 Best of luck and great to have you with us 😁 Here‘s hoping you break 20 mins. 1w
48 likes1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
Matrix | Lauren Groff
post image

Waiting for a friend, enjoying a quiet moment in one of my favorite bars with a book Im enjoying more than I expected. Nice end to a rough day.

Ruthiella Sorry your day was rough. Tomorrow will hopefully be better. TGIF! ❤️ 1w
SamAnne @Ruthiella and hope your Friday was good too! 1w
75 likes2 comments
review
SamAnne
post image
Pickpick

Exceptional graphic memoir. Nova Scotia native Kate Beaton worked in the Alberta tar sands for 2 years to pay off college loans. She explores the effect environmental destruction, dangerous working conditions, isolation & lack of social structure has on workers, how many men there become the worst versions of themselves, and the impacts on women working there. It‘s both a sledgehammer of a book and also a very thoughtful, nuanced memoir.

65 likes1 stack add
review
SamAnne
Telephone | Percival Everett
post image
Pickpick

So different than The Trees. A professor struggles to come to terms with a young daughter dying of a progressive dementia disease. Ends up heading to New Mexico to save some Mexican women imprisoned in a sweat shop. It‘s about falling short for our loved ones, perhaps doing the best we can, are equipped to do. And looking for redemption. Everett‘s novels seem so wildly different from one another. I look forward to reading more.

Liz_M Now you have to figure out which version of Telephone you read! 2w
SamAnne @Liz_M wait— what??? 2w
SamAnne @Liz_M Hah! I just had to go look it up. I did not know about the 3 versions. https://lithub.com/on-percival-everetts-almost-secret-experiment-in-a-novel-in-t... 2w
See All 6 Comments
Liz_M 😁 I really tried to make this a book club book just to see if there was an effect on discussion.... 2w
LiteraryinLawrence Whoa, I had no idea! 2w
Tamra @SamAnne wow, so imaginative! 2w
61 likes6 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Telephone | Percival Everett
post image

“People, and by people I mean them, never look for truth, they look for satisfaction. There is nothing worse, certain painful and deadly diseases not withstanding, than an unsatisfactory, piss-poor truth, whereas a satisfactory lie is all too easy to accept, even embrace, get cozy with, is a bit of all right.” Loving my next Percival Everett novel! #Firstlinefridays

Tamra I‘ve had this TBR for too long now! 2w
shadows In Iran almost every book face with censorship,of course if they could understand book's content...propaganda ( excuse me,my English language is not good) 2w
SamAnne @shadows yes, books get banned by people who have not read them. 2w
See All 6 Comments
SamAnne @Tamra I am engrossed in this one. I LOVED The Trees. This one is completely different. So far, a very poignant, beautiful novel, the main character a husband struggling with his daughter's terminal diagnosis. I want to read more Percival Everett. 2w
Tamra @SamAnne that does sound very different. I‘ve read he is a diverse writer. 2w
shadows Of course, but in Iran books banned by government more than people...many books will not republication because this books potentially could change people's minds...excuse me my comments not about this book. 2w
56 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
SamAnne
The Hurting Kind | Ada Limon
post image
Pickpick

I love Ada Limon. A beautiful collection of poems, as usual.

59 likes2 stack adds
blurb
SamAnne
Good Omens | Gaiman, Neal
post image

Good NYT article on Gaiman's adult books. I still haven't read anything by him! https://www.nytimes.com/article/neil-gaiman-books.html

Tamra Magical realism isn‘t in my wheelhouse typically, but I really enjoyed the tagged book. The magical parts are secondary. 2w
IndianBookworm I enjoyed the tagged book (alongwith the Amazon show), but my personal favourite is 2w
Tamra I should add I LOVED the screen adaptation of Good Omens. 😃 2w
See All 6 Comments
annamatopoetry The article is paywalled, but my two cents as a two decades fan of his work: how you'll like it depends on your preferences. If you're not a sff fan, The Ocean. 2w
annamatopoetry (continued)... is a great place to start, I didn't like it, it felt predictable after having read his other works. I LOVE American Gods, but it's a weird mix of noir and fantasy, Anansi Boys is his most humorous, BUT I would start with the short stories. M is for Magic and Fragile Things are both excellent. 2w
SamAnne @annamatopoetry Yes, I‘ve been thinking that American Gods is the place to start for me! Thanks for the recommendations. (edited) 2w
50 likes6 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Yellowface | R F Kuang
post image
BarbaraBB Thanks! This might come in handy for #CampLitsy23 @Megabooks @squirrelbrain 2w
Megabooks Thanks for sharing this!! 2w
SamAnne @BarbaraBB yes! Meant to tag #CampLitsy23! 2w
Cinfhen Finished yesterday - it‘s excellent 2w
47 likes4 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Finding the Mother Tree | Suzanne Simard
post image

When you are watching guilty pleasure Ted Lasso and Coach Beard is reading the same book you are. 😂😂😂

Graywacke That picture just makes me laugh. (And I‘ve read that! ☺️ ) 2w
AvidReader25 That‘s amazing! 🤣 2w
TheBookHippie Yay!!!! 2w
See All 6 Comments
Cuilin Lol 2w
OriginalCyn620 That‘s awesome! 🤣 Gotta love Coach Beard! 2w
CarolynM 🤣 2w
74 likes6 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Rhubarb | Sheri Castle
post image

Rhubarb upside down cake. Not from the tagged cookbook but delish. I love rhubarb season.

Tamra That looks so tempting! 3w
bnp I'm drooling! Can't grow rhubarb here, but I'm crossing my fingers I might get a taste this weekend when I go to my nephew's graduation or my former next door neighbors anniversary party. 3w
SamAnne @bnp there‘s places where rhubarb doesn‘t grow like a weed? 😂😂😂. 3w
jlhammar Wow, that looks amazing! 3w
bnp @SamAnne Yep, anywhere the soil is heavy clay, like Georgia. 2w
54 likes5 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Finding the Mother Tree | Suzanne Simard
post image

I started this months ago and then got distracted by shiny new things. The science in it is not new to me—grew up in a logging town which turned me into a forest conservation activist. Learning a few things, but the memoir part really has me sucked in. It struck me pretty quickly that Simard is the inspiration for the female forest ecologist in Richard Power‘s The Overstory. Flipped to the scknowledgements and sure enough, they are friends.

SamAnne And just finished Ducks, Kate Beaton‘s graphic memoir about working in the Alberta tar sands. More than a few tie ins. 3w
TheBookHippie I loved this read. 3w
JuniperWilde Intersting - I didn‘t know that either and I loved The Overstory. I feel like I‘ve read this book even tho I haven‘t. I have heard the author speak several times. The Arbornault is another excellent non fiction book about trees. It‘s also an autobiography of the author‘s life including the struggles and triumphs of being the only female in her field. 3w
61 likes4 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Rhubarb | Sheri Castle
post image

Busting out the rhubarb recipes! Roasted rhubarb compote. Rhubarb shrub. Strawberry rhubarb pie. Rhubarb upside down cake. Pork with rhubarb sauce. Rhubarb syrup. Rhubarb-fenn infused vodka. Rhubarb jam. Rhubarb!!!

Tamra Ooooooooo yum! 3w
AllDebooks Yum 😋 3w
jlhammar Cool cover. ❤️ rhubarb! I was just thinking about baking some rhubarb scones soon. 3w
See All 14 Comments
Susanita Some friends of mine in college tried not very successfully to make rhubarb daiquiris. 3w
dabbe 🤣💚🤗 3w
Hooked_on_books I always hated rhubarb. When I was a kid, it was my job to mow the lawn and we had a pre-existing rhubarb plant in our yard (none of us liked it), which I would repeatedly mow down. It always grew back, like some kind of produce nightmare. 😂 3w
Christine I live for rhubarb!! 😋Yours is gorgeous. 3w
The_Book_Ninja My Nan used to make rhubarb crumble from plants grown on my grandads allotment. It was an acquired taste🥴 3w
IndoorDame 😋😋😋 3w
sarahbarnes Beautiful rhubarb! 😍 3w
SamAnne @jlhammar that‘s a recipe I want try. 3w
SamAnne @Susanita I think is pairs better with gin or vodka, and best infused. 3w
SamAnne @Hooked_on_books that is hilarious. 3w
jlhammar @SamAnne This is my go-to scone recipe. I just swap out the dried cranberries and pecans for different ingredients (like rhubarb!) as the mood strikes.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/cranberry-oat-scones-recipe
3w
72 likes1 stack add14 comments
review
SamAnne
post image
Pickpick

Loved this very personal collection. Karen is a leader in the Spokane WA arts community and does a lot of work on public art. I‘m working with her right now on an effort to protect natural areas in the city and in our Parks from development. She‘s a treasure and a fellow cancer survivor. Looking forward to her next book exploring that trial.

Smrloomis Awesome!! And holy smokes that list of stuff she went through…really is trial by ordeal 3w
64 likes1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
Telephone | Percival Everett
post image

Next up! My craft whiskey sour kind of matches the book cover! A good omen.

Ruthiella I‘ll be interested to hear what you make of this one! The four books I have read have all been so different. 🤔 4w
SamAnne @Ruthiella I've only read The Trees, which gave me a total book hangover. I'm only 20 pages in, and I can tell I have no idea what ride I'm on! 4w
Tamra I‘ve wanted to read this for so long! 3w
71 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
SamAnne
post image
dabbe 💙💚💙 4w
TheSpineView 🤩🤩🤩 4w
35 likes2 comments
review
SamAnne
post image
Pickpick

There can't be a book of cartoons out there more perfect for Littens. I laughed. I guffawed. I snorted. So bookish and silly and at times dorky. Love love loved. The attached cartoon is one of my favorites NOT in the book. Published in The Guardian.

blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

A week late posting, but I got my second ever #Bookspinbingo ! I have a few books I‘m pretty excited about for May. @TheAromaofBooks

Bookwormjillk Congrats 🎉 4w
CoverToCoverGirl Those can be elusive.. they avoid my bingo card frequently.. 4w
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Fantastic month!!! 4w
46 likes3 comments
review
SamAnne
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
post image
Mehso-so

For my IRL book club. At times a beautiful reckoning of the love of a mother told by varying viewpoints: son, daughters, husband and mother. What they regret as they realize what they really didn‘t know about her. But the writing fell flat for me at times.

blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

My very messy #Bookspin Bingo board. Hoping to get some quality reading in amongst the spring flowers! @TheAromaofBooks

dabbe I love your handwriting! 💙💚💙 1mo
LitStephanie Wait, isn't Matrix a movie? 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks fabulous!! I spread Moby Dick over about five squares when I read it 😂 1mo
See All 6 Comments
SamAnne @LitStephanie hah! Is this a safe space to say I never got into the Matrix movies? Bruce is obsessed. This is a dark and depressing novel set in the 17th century involving a nun. I think. The perfect light summer reading I gravitate towards. 🙄😳 1mo
SamAnne @TheAromaofBooks hah! I‘m 2/3 through from past months. So yeah. 1mo
LitStephanie @SamAnne 😆😆 1mo
50 likes6 comments
review
SamAnne
Trespasses | Louise Kennedy
post image
Pickpick

Really enjoyed this atmospheric novel set in Belfast area during The Troubles. Still, is there an Irish novel with a happy ending? Asking for a friend….

Tamra 😆 1mo
IndoorDame I mean how happy are we looking for exactly? Cause I feel like Claire Keegan tends to leave me feeling not unhappy… 1mo
SamAnne @IndoorDame hah! You are right. Claire Keegan tells sad stories that end on a note of hope, people doing the right thing. 1mo
See All 8 Comments
Oryx They are out of print now but if you can get them, there's a trio of novels by Anne Dunlop. Starting with The Pineapple Tart. I love the family dynamic in them, and they to me perfectly sum up aspects of being northern Irish. They are funny and very real. Not as literary as Claire Keegan but I still love them. 1mo
dabbe Cool cover, too! 🤩 1mo
EclecticBookLover Try Factory Girls! It takes place during The Troubles but in the 90s. It's a different perspective, and I really enjoyed it. Reminiscent of the show Derry Girls, but with coarser language. It was a nice compliment to Tresspasses. 1mo
RobES Anne Enright 'The Gathering' is super.... can't remember just how happy the ending is mind you .... not totally bleak. I live in N Ireland....it's honestly quite a happy place lol 1mo
SamAnne @Oryx @EclecticBookLover @RobES hah! Thank you for the recommendations. I was joking a bit since I skew dark when it comes to reading. But sheesh. I‘m headed to Iceland and Ireland this summer and am reading a lot of Iceland/Scandinavian noir crime thrillers and Irish novels/history. The dark themes are beginning to wear in me. 😉. Appreciate the recommendations. 1mo
79 likes8 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

Glad for my #Bookspin and #Doublespin picks for May! Matrix is my IRL book club read and I started Finding the Mother Tree several months ago. Was loving it, just got distracted by shiny new things. Thank you @TheAromaofBooks !

AmyG Matrix was wonderful. 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Enjoy!! 1mo
Megabooks The Groff is fantastic!! 1mo
59 likes3 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

I love a bookstore dog!!! This is Elvira of Big Nerd Books. Such a great used bookstore (with some carefully selected new books) in Spokane WA. Funky art, subversive books, a well curated classics section, fiction, excellent fantasy, science fiction, horror and poetry selections. And crazy crazy art!!! Happy Independent Bookstore Day!

Coueriamb Employee of the month for sure 1mo
CBee Love Elvira and LOVE the name of the bookstore 👏🏻👏🏻 1mo
Tamra 😍😘 1mo
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella Every bookstore should have a mascot! ❤️🐶 1mo
SamAnne @Ruthie @Tamra @CBee @Coueriamb she laid in front of me and asked for a belly rub. So cute! 1mo
CBee @SamAnne how sweet!! She liked you ❤️ 1mo
78 likes6 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

Happy Independent Bookstore Day! I went to my favorite used bookstore in Spokane WA and purchased two books from very different genres. I went in looking for Adrienne Rich. At least found Susan Griffin. Plan to read more Rich and her contemporaries #sundaybuddyrrad And another SGJ! Question: I know there‘s a way to tag a bookstore like one tags a book title How? #GiantNerdBooks

shortsarahrose In the search bar for searching a book to tag, search the name of the bookstore. If it is in the database, you‘ll see the bookstore name with the location below (where author is listed for books). 1mo
51 likes1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

For #20in4 I plan to finish these 2 books and find a good audio for gardening. Will count doing audio of New Yorker short stories and long form journalism that I am behind on! @Andrew65 Oh and finish perusing Revenge of the Librarians which is total bookworm writer nerd hilarity.

kspenmoll I am going to try Trespass soon. 1mo
SamAnne @kspenmoll so far it has me sucked in! 1mo
Andrew65 Best of luck. 😁 1mo
69 likes3 comments
review
SamAnne
Agnes Grey | Anne Brontë
post image
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this novel! Thank you #Pemberlittens and @BarkingMadRead for the chapter-a-day readalong. I liked Tenant at Wildfell Hall more, but I found this one a refreshing change from the bleakness of Villette.

BarkingMadRead Yes to all of that, I totally agree! 1mo
59 likes1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
post image

Featured on the CNN website today, relevant to our discussion. The documentary is excellent. Women supporting women. I live 35 miles from Idaho. Far North Idaho's only hospital has quit providing labor and delivery services because the doctors and nurses are afraid of facing jail time for providing care. Women will have to drive minimum an hour to reach a hospital https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/23/health/abortion-lessons-jane-wellness/index.html

Karisa 😢 I keep picturing the news “flashbacks” from Hulu‘s The Handmaiden‘s Tale adaptation—chillingly accurate to these types of headlines happening now. 1mo
IndoorDame Omg all l&d services! That‘s so dangerous! I can‘t believe the things this political climate is leading to! 1mo
See All 12 Comments
SamAnne @Karisa me too. 1mo
SamAnne @IndoorDame women will die. And it‘s not an interstate. It‘s a narrow road is most places, windy and in an area that gets a lot of snow. And you have to avoid moose. Doctors are leaving Idaho everywhere. Sandpoint Idaho, south of Bonner‘s Ferry, was recently featured on This American Life. 1mo
AmyG Doctors are leaving rural areas in droves….in general. It‘s not “lucrative” and hospitals can‘t afford them. People will suffer. It‘s frightening. 1mo
SamAnne @amyG it is. And Sand Point ID is an attractive place to live if one likes outdoor activities, skiing a great place to live in many respects. This American Life featured a husband/wife duo, one an ER doc and one a nurse practitioner. Love living where they do but are done. To scary for both of them. 1mo
AmyG @SamAnne I, too, live in a ski resort, outdoorsy area. Another problem we have in getting health care workers is housing. There is not enough affordable housing for people. If you don‘t pay enough….they can‘t afford to live here. 1mo
CarolynM Babies will die too. Doesn‘t that make the “pro life” legislators just as culpable as those they condemn? 1mo
TheBookHippie Jane!!! 1mo
TheBookHippie And yes women will die by the millions all over until roe is restored. 1mo
54 likes12 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Small Things Like These | Claire Keegan
post image

Short powerful novella on the dark secrets communities keep, the horrors they collectively let continue. Set in a small Irish town circa 1985, where one man chooses not to turn away from the ugly horrors happening at the hands of the Catholic Church--and really, the commnity-nd instead face them. I'm amazed by Claire Keegan, who puts you right into a community, a scene, tells such a powerful story with so few words. She's a master.

Tamra Master yes! 1mo
63 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
Small Things Like These | Claire Keegan
post image

Today was hard due to a myriad of small things. There were good things too. Unexpectedly get a dinner with a book on a Saturday night. Claire Keegan is exactly what I needed and I can‘t wait to dive in. At the super divey Chinese joint in my neighborhood—The Happjness Lounge!

tpixie Hot and Sour soup 🥣 yum!! 2mo
SamAnne @tpixie yes! Hitting the spot. 2mo
tpixie @SamAnne I always judge a Chinese restaurant by their hot and sour soup! 🤪😜 2mo
See All 8 Comments
Tamra What a great night! 💙 2mo
BarbaraBB Glad the day ended so well for you 🤍 2mo
Cathythoughts Looks good. 👍🏻 2mo
youneverarrived Nice 😁 love the book cover. 2mo
marleed I hope all those small things resolve to an end as good as Saturday nights with a book! 2mo
79 likes8 comments
review
SamAnne
post image
Pickpick

Impulse read after hearing a short piece by Bloom on This American Life. Recommend this short memoir on audio read by the author. Bloom recounts how she and her husband navigated his Alzheimer‘s diagnosis, his decision to end his life on his own terms, which involved them traveling to Switzerland for legal assisted suicide. A beautiful snapshot of a loving marriage with all the complications between complicated people.

SamAnne This one is going to stay with me for awhile. 2mo
CarolynM On my shelf waiting to be read🙂 2mo
51 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
SamAnne
Birnam Wood | Eleanor Catton
post image
Pickpick

I‘ve enjoyed the lively discussion on Litsy re this book! I loved it. Maybe I wanted a little more out of the ending but oh this novel rang so true. As a long time social/environmental activist the dialogue rang so true. I guffawed so many times. I also appreciated that despite the skewering, Catton casts an empathetic lens on most of the characters. Will be one of my top reads of the year.

Suet624 I'm in the midst of reading this. Enjoying it a lot. Funny how many people are reading it now! 2mo
Tamra Have you read The Luminaries? I unstacked this one bc I regretted Luminaries. How alike is the style? 2mo
Hooked_on_books I thought she was really evenhanded with the portrayals, and I appreciated that. We‘re all a mix of good and bad, so her characters felt real. She sees people well. 2mo
See All 11 Comments
BarbaraBB Like @Hooked_on_books I loved her characters too. Give it a try if you can @Tamra 💕 I loved The Luminaries but this one is really plot-driven too, so I guess it depends on how you like the plot. 2mo
BarbaraBB @Suet624 Happy you‘re enjoying it. If you end up with a book hangover afterwards I highly highly recommend 2mo
Suet624 @BarbaraBB haha. Funny you should mention Three. It‘s the one I keep putting off because I‘m afraid it won‘t compare to Fresh Water. 2mo
BarbaraBB @Suet624 I know, and I felt the same. But it is so good again! I loved it 🤍🤍🤍 2mo
SamAnne @Tamra I haven‘t read Luminaries yet but want to now. It seems that one also had diverging reviews. A friend who writes historical fiction gave it a great review saying that she thought it was a great satire on the genre. It seems like a very different book that the tagged however. 2mo
Tamra @SamAnne good to know! 2mo
Tamra @BarbaraBB thank you! I might let the hype die down and try it later when I don‘t remember anything about it. 😜 2mo
BarbaraBB @Tamra That‘s a wise decision I think ! 2mo
75 likes2 stack adds11 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Birnam Wood | Eleanor Catton
post image

I can barely put this book down to do my work and chores. Such well drawn characters, hilarious skewering of individuals involved in a guerilla gardening collective, wringing their hands over their privilege, and a riveting storyline to boot. As a conservation/political activist, I have met all this people…🤣🤣🙄. I‘m only halfway through but I know this will be one of my top reads of the year.

Cathythoughts 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 loved it ! 2mo
LitStephanie Just added to my stack! Have you read The Echo Maker? Not humor, but so perfectly skewers a certain type of peace/social justice activist I recognized. Have you seen I Heart Huckabee's? That movie hilariously lampoons a conservationist and clearly had input from an insider. 2mo
SamAnne @LitStephanie I bought a used copy of The Echo Maker and have been wanting to get it it. I‘ve not seen I Heart Huckabees. I think you‘d really appreciate the tagged book. And oh, the dialogue. The author clearly has firsthand experience. (edited) 2mo
erzascarletbookgasm Saw many positive reviews on this past few days..added to my stack too! 2mo
73 likes8 stack adds4 comments
review
SamAnne
post image
Pickpick

Well-written memoir about Chung's experiences being given up for adoption by her Korean parents,growing up with conservative Catholic parents in rural Oregon and finding her birth family as an adult. An emotionally honest exploration of wrestling with identity, adoption and family. I am picked this up after not being able to get my hands on her newest memoir, A Living Remedy, about dealing with navigating the decline and death of her parents ⬇️

SamAnne in rural Oregon and the failing health, social and economic systems in America today, esp. in areas struggling with economic declines. I also grew up in rural Oregon and saw the forests logged unsustainably, rivers affected (and then fisheries of course), and communities left with high unemployment, poverty, alcoholism, violence--while the timber corporations reaped the economic benefits. I hope she doesn't pin the crisis on conservationists. ⬇️ (edited) 2mo
SamAnne The timber companies were to blame, and the politicians who let them getaway with everything. Growing up surrounded by Weyerhaueser's clearcuts turned me into an activist to save what we could of the old growth left standing on National Forests. I will be interested to read her take on it all. Not sure the exact town she grew up in, but I can tell it was South of me, not too far. Hoping our library will get it in soon! 2mo
SamAnne Oh yeah, and it is my April #Bookspin! @TheAromaofBooks 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Great review!! 2mo
57 likes4 comments
review
SamAnne
Villette | Charlotte Bront
post image
Bailedbailed

Vilette was my March #Bookspin. I just wasn‘t invested enough in this one. Maybe some day I will come@back to it. Otherwise I had a great reading month. Percival Everett‘s The Trees was by far my favorite read (my #Doublespin) followed by Foster by Claire Keegan and The Poet X. No #BookspinBingo as usual. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great month!!! 2mo
Litsi Hate this book 2mo
56 likes2 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

I have some great novels and nonfiction stacked for April. My #Bookspin is All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung, an adoption memoir. My #Doublespin is the novel Please Look After My Mom by Kyung-Sun Shin, IRL book club pick. Two authors with Korean heritage! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Looks fabulous!! 2mo
Reggie I really liked All You Can Ever Know. She‘s a great writer. 2mo
SamAnne @Reggie A whim weekend read to me after reading the NYT review of her second memoir: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/books/review/a-living-remedy-nicole-chung.htm... She is a great writer. Her latest book really holds interest for me. I too grew up in rural OR and watched the timber industry treat our forests, people and towns terribly. I'm interested in her take on it. 2mo
50 likes4 comments
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

Totally under the wire. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks Maybe this time I will get the unicorn Bingo! ☺️☺️

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
44 likes1 comment
blurb
SamAnne
Untitled | Unknown
post image

It‘s my birthday week-end so various activities happening, but I‘m gonna try for 20 hours! Want to finish Manhattan Transfer, either finish or bail on Vilette. Make a lot of progress on Kingdoms of Savannah and start East of Eden. #24in4 #readathon @Andrew65 thanks for hosting!

Andrew65 Happy Birthday 🎂🎁🎊🥳🎉
Best of luck with that goal, you can do it!
2mo
TheBookgeekFrau Have a wonderful birthday weekend! 🎂🥳🎉 2mo
UwannaPublishme Wishing you a Happy Birthday! Happy Reading! 🥳🎂🎉📚 2mo
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella Happy Birthday! 🥳🥳🥳 2mo
sarahbarnes Happy Birthday!! 2mo
Reggie Happy Birthday! 🎂 2mo
39 likes6 comments
blurb
SamAnne
post image

Next up for my audio book. Also have the E-book to follow along with. I‘m intrigued. Crime mystery delving into the hood, bad and ugly of Savannah and based on real history.

blurb
SamAnne
Don't Fear the Reaper | Stephen Graham Jones
post image

I was overly amused that these were the two books waiting at the library for me! Heal the trauma! Bring on the trauma? 😂😂😂

5feet.of.fury Hey, it‘s all about balance, right? 🤣 2mo
SamAnne @5feet.of.fury it‘s all about a balanced reading life! 2mo
59 likes2 comments
blurb
SamAnne
post image

Spending 2 weeks in Ireland in August. Dublin, Cork region mostly. Looking for advice/suggestions on bookish places—Trinity Library!—as well as good history books. Curing up the Tana French and Claire Keegan backlists…have read Say Nothing.

arlenefinnigan Definitely worth reading 2mo
arlenefinnigan The Dublin Literary Pub crawl is really good fun https://www.dublinpubcrawl.com/ 2mo
CarolynM I agree with @arlenefinnigan - the Barrytown Trilogy is great. I especially love the third book 2mo
See All 7 Comments
SamAnne @arlenefinnegan @CarolynM thank you for the suggestions! The pub crawl is definitely on the list now… 2mo
SamAnne @arlenefinnegan @carolynm oh right! The Commitments! Definitely stacking. 2mo
Jeg Lucky you. I‘ve always wanted to go where you are going. Like many people my ancestors are from there. Family name Collins. 2mo
SamAnne @Jeg spending time in Cork area and Dublin. Figuring out the rest. Doctors said I should get a chemo port. I decided to travel instead or at least first. Life is precious and too damn short!!! 2mo
52 likes7 comments
review
SamAnne
post image
Mehso-so

#UnpopularOpinion. For me, this felt like a bit of a hot mess. I‘m sure it would have been a more fun trip down memory lane if I wasn‘t 15 years older than the protagonist. But if I‘m going to read about privileged New York people I need a more interesting story. Having helped my parents through their final hours, I needed a better story to make it worth reliving. Same on having to face cancer this year. And how old was that cat anyway?

TheLudicReader Haha. I am twenty years older than the narrator and I loved every second of this book. Go figure. Lol. 2mo
65 likes1 comment
review
SamAnne
Nettle & Bone | T. Kingfisher
post image
Pickpick

Soft pick. Outside my usual reading spectrum. I don't read much fantasy unless it skews more sci-fi. But an enjoyable fairy tale. While not totally my jam, always glad when Litsy gets me to read outside my usual spectrum. And what‘s not love about a bone dog? Enjoyed the feminist take on princess tales. Might join next month! #whimsicalreads @katereadsYA

67 likes1 stack add
review
SamAnne
post image
Mehso-so

I wanted to like this more. It is an important topic and author does a great job of laying out the research & statistics on why women have such a higher hill to climb in the professional world. But at my age I‘ve experienced all the crap. I wanted more insight into “what can we do about it.” There was nothing new, though all good ideas. I give it 5 stars for young men/women entering college, the professional world⬇️

SamAnne Or men/women entering managerial/leadership roles. But for me at 55 the read was just a trip down memory lane of the worst lows of my career in progressive activism and a reminder of why I‘m twice as burned out and exhausted as most men my age. And I left my career last year because I was just so done—for a variety of reasons. But the good old boy network certainly played a big part in why I feel so crisped. #shesaid (edited) 2mo
Suet624 I hear ya and I‘m sorry. 2mo
SamAnne @Suet624 I didn't intend to come off as so bitter! I've let a lot of it go at this point. Obviously the book dredged some crap up for me.... 🤔 😳 😔 🙄 2mo
Suet624 I didn‘t see you as being bitter. Just very honest. I‘m older than you and understand completely what you‘re talking about. It‘s been a lot of years of experiencing this crap. 2mo
BarbaraTheBibliophage Ugh. So frustrating! 2mo
56 likes5 comments