I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours. Couldn't put it down, I just had to know!

I love unexpected connections.

Just finished All Fours for #CampLitsy24 and the epigraph of my next read seems like it could be used for the July as well!

I feel so SEEN!

I went into this #CampLitsy24 selection thinking I'd hate it and end up bailing. But it drew me in from the very first chapter, and then I couldn't look away. It is a wild and messy ride, coupled with some really beautiful, raw, tender moments (especially with Sam, and one particularly moving "scene" that I'll put under a spoiler in comments).

I wouldn't have read this without camp, but I'm glad to have experienced it.

Beautifully written, but relentlessly bleak and heart breaking. Desperate people in desperate situations doing desperate things, and each judging each other. But again, the writing was stellar, and the format intriguing. One you read when you're in the mood for a sad book.

Saturday cheers before I make dinner!

“...maybe midlife crises were just poorly marketed, maybe each one was profound and unique and it was only a few silly men in red convertibles who gave them a bad name.“

A lovely, heartfelt read. A coming of age story with a twist - Adina is an alien born on earth to report on the human condition - it is relatable, thoughtful, and a celebration of life in all its joys, heartbreaks, and banality. Bertino has a talent for walking the narrow edge of “quirky“ stories - just the right amount to delight, and always with purpose, but never so much that it reads as twee, cutesy, or weird for the sake of being weird.

Can't remember the last time I was THIS excited for an adaptation...

My hold came in too late to really participate in the #CampLitsy24 discussions, but I whipped through this book in a couple of days. I've never read Huck Finn, but I found it didn't matter. Everett has imbued James with a rich, engaging voice, and delivers a thoughtful character study, adventure tale, and story of the good and bad in humanity (with a healthy dose of the grey area in between).

Our chess set was missing a couple of pieces, so we booked some time in the Library's Makerspace to 3D print some replacements!

#LitsyLovesLibraries

My hold FINALLY came in yesterday, so I'm reading while my kids play ping pong at the park. I doubt I'll finish it before tomorrow's #CampLitsy24 discussion, but I'll read as much as I can!

"In spring, the school theater group announced auditions for the play Our Town."

Who else is counting Our Town references in their yearly reading? Tom Lake, Shark Heart, and now Beautyland. It's a hat trick!

Skillfully rendered, thorough, thoughtful exploration of artists, art, and the human connections that sustain us. These characters are multi-dimensional and genuinely human, laid bare in their vulnerabilities and strengths, their foibles, failings, and brief shining moments.

If you don't like non-linear storytelling, this may not be for you. It is more about character and ideas rather than plot... cont'd in comments

A solid debut, O'Connor writes beautifully and confronts issues with a delicate touch. Wonderfully crafted sentences and imagery give a tactile sense of place, and themes of duty to self vs family and community and the problematic nature of anthropological study and bias are deftly handled. The characters and emotional depth unfortunately don't reach the same standard, but it is still a worthy read and I'm excited to see what O'Connor writes next.

#SundayFunday

Turton knows how to keep you guessing, this one was a total yarn. Such an entertaining read.

@BookmarkTavern

"The whale became stranded in the shallows of the island overnight, appearing from the water like a cat slinking under a door."

"It is impossible to be unhappy on a swing. Even at four, Adina knows this. She wants it to be finished so she can be as happy as she needs to be."

"Any advice he might give would be like a book written by someone late in life. Rich in moral experience and subtly expressed, to someone who came to it too young it would seem merely dull, although in the same book the same reader some twenty years later would be astonished to find the story of their whole life."

I went into this #CampLitsy24 selection with low expectations, it really did not seem like a book I'd pick up, but I was pleasantly surprised! I am a fan of slightly messy books about women trying to live outside of other people's expectations, and this fit right into that vein. I also love reading about food, so I enjoyed Rika's journey of discovery through cooking. It was by no means a perfect read, but it was one that will stay with me. cont'd

I needed something fun, engaging, but not too mentally taxing to read last week while I sat for my new tattoo. This for the bill! A fun, cozy mystery investigated by a quartet of delightful women.

Comparisons to Thursday Murder Club do it a disservice. Both are mysteries with an MC who is over the age of 60. That's about it. Enjoy it on its own merits, not as a TMC read-alike!

“...she was done with legends of passive women who pined away from unrequited love for a man. In her experience, the only women who pined at all did so because they were trapped with a man, not because they were liberated from one.“

A quietly beautiful book, full of melancholy but tinged with hope. Not what I was expecting, but it was deeply engaging and emotional. Thanks to #EuropaCollective for putting this one on my radar.

I'm going to put content warnings in the comments under a spoiler alert.

I thought this #CampLitsy24 pick would be my kind of read, and it did not disappoint. A beautiful, quiet story about connection and humanity. In her spare prose, Davies created a richly textured world on this remote windswept island. I can't wait to discuss the second half this weekend with my fellow campers!

A charming, heartwarming, feel good read.

I wasn't blown away, but I was engaged and entertained. A fun spy hunt tale that's more about the why than the who. A good quick palate cleanser of a read.

This sounds like it's going to be a really good podcast series! https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7225185

Starting this one now for #CampLitsy24 - looking forward to the first round of discussions this weekend!

I've had this one on my shelf since it came out, and this is the first time I've noticed the tea pot on the cover 🤦‍♀️ I've always been so transfixed by the wave!

Part historical fiction, part satire, and part hallucinatory fever dream/drug trip, this is an interesting, challenging, layered read. It requires deep attention and patience, but is a rewarding experience if you're in the right head space.

"The withered fingers of the hands of great warriors sacrificed during the year's festivals swayed pleasingly like the branches of a small tree to the beat of some music he couldn't place, though in a possible future we would have recognized it. It was T.Rex's 'Monolith'"

https://youtu.be/KlRx_Ky7A6c?si=s5eND-rszXUmAxdv

Best NF of the year (so far) for me.

Troeng tells the story of her family's experiences in Cambodia under Pol Pot, their escape to the refugees camps in Thailand, and emigration to small town Ontario. Interspersed with these stories she examines her own experiences as a scholar studying literature, art, and the refugee experience and she confronts the West's ideas of who and what a refugee should be, and our reactions to genocide. (cont'd)

I don't listen to much radio, but I used to live listening to Alan Cross' Ongoing History of New Music on Sunday mornings on The Edge. Great storytelling, it was always a treat to listen to in the car!

I haven't listened to it yet in its podcast era, but I really should! https://open.spotify.com/show/2UHz6WqVFz6iZkWgZ5lXDw?si=LqoQTI-kTimgB56nWqdKwA

#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

Rainy day means driving to pick up the kids rather than walking. Which means I can fit in a few pages waiting for the bell!

#currentlyreading

I read this one for an IRL book club I host at a local inn and café. I'm really looking forward to this week's discussion.

I loved Atkinson's ability to immerse the reader in the chaotic world of 1920's London and its equally glittery and grimy night life. There are a lot of characters, and some of the deeper character development was sacrificed for a wider vision of a world and a time. But it engaged and entertained me from start to finish.

Delightful cozy fantasy set at a tea and book store in a small town surrounded by magic (and dragons). Gives just enough resolution while still setting up a series.

I heard this song on CBC Radio over the weekend and have fallen hard for this band! Love new discoveries ❤️ #TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

Call Me in the Afternoon by Half Moon Run: https://open.spotify.com/track/2p7GIKnvi9AQ3j7SewluqW?si=YuZhIBUxSUC-zyWe3b0RtQ

Absolutely delightful. If you are a Shakespeare fan, a theatre fan, and/or a Judi Dench fan, this is an absolutely marvelous listen/read. Apparently the original conversations spanned 120 hours of footage, and I honestly feel like I could have listened to all of it. Joyful.

“The Khmer concept of baksbat translates as broken courage or broken form. I prefer the latter, broken form, because it invokes a sense of fragmented surface and impermanence. Breaking of the body is not necessarily the same as broken strength or broken spirit. Also, just because a form breaks does not mean it is broken, nor that it has become something shameful, incomprehensible, a thing to be silenced and forgotten.“

#5JoysFriday

1. When 4 year old dress themselves. Mermaid swim suit over clothes, topped with a Wonder Woman crown = ready for school!

2. We had a surprise visit from a wild baby bunny. I told the kids to just sit and watch, but he started hopping all over them!

3. A nice bottle of cold, crisp rose.

4. Our fruit trees were in full blossom 🌸

5. Mothers Day show in the kindie classroom! Songs, poems, and cupcakes!

@DebinHawaii

The literary world lost a giant yesterday. Thank you, Alice, for enriching the lives of all your readers.

CBC has been republishing some great articles about Munro's life and work today.

92 things to know about Alice Munro:
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4088507

11 books Alice Munro loves and you will too:
https://www.cbc.ca/books/11-books-alice-munro-loves-and-you-will-too-1.4088869

Worst song in the world? Christell - Dubidubidu

IYKYK 🤦‍♀️

https://youtu.be/68YK_d4VyfU?si=ThpfxQuUBytU9vDn

#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

Witty, thoughtful, introspective coming of age story set in Italy. Vero is an unreliable narrator, viewing the world around her and the lives of her family, friends, and self with a level of detachment that adds humour and at times heart ache. She freely admits to adjusting reality to fit into a narrative that proves more interesting for herself, and the result is a delightful, quick read where not much happens but it doesn't really matter.

With a dedication like this, I already love this book!

I loved the start of this book. The set up was excellent and cute and sweet and all the things you could want. But then it fell off for me. It dragged on a bit too long, and got too trope-y for me with some of the miscommunication and problems created that really didn't have to be problems.

Altogether, I felt it was alright but will likely fade from memory quickly.

"All I wanted was to get out of that room. Be done with all the other last chances awaiting me. Miss trains, not seize moments, burn bridges and the candle at both ends, wallow in a sea of the irreversible."

(Every time I sit down with this book, I'm scribbling down new quotes.)

...and now I want an omelette!

1. Tag a favourite mystery you've read
Tagged! A fun YA mystery series that is very Veronica Mars-esque (only gender swapped and written from the perspective of the “Wallace“)

2. What is your favourite way to prepare eggs?
Two egg rolled omelette with cheese (especially with kraft singles!)

#nationaleggmonthchallenge
@wildalaskabibliophile

I enjoyed this, but not as much as I wanted to. I think it's a victim of high expectations. A fun concept, with some delightful moments. But it gets a bit repetitive, and I'm not totally sold on the ending. I wanted more growth, more introspection maybe? A low pick.

“She'd been a widow for years, since before I was born, but she clung to her mourning with the tenacity of a die-hard soccer fan. She reserved for all other widows the scorn diehards felt for bandwagon fans.“

“It was the first real goodbye in my life. To be perfectly honest, I'd been building up to that moment in my mind since the day we started going out. In fact, I think that was exactly why I'd started dating him in the first place: so we could leave each other. The thought that he'd be leaving the country soon ensured me a misery I could enjoy without the hassle of having to go out and find one myself.“

I love the idea of this book, and Henley is an engaging writer and narrator, but I just couldn't get past the very privileged POV. While she talks a lot about financial struggles, she is still in a comfortable enough position with the connections and lack of dependents to step back in this way. It just failed to connect. Maybe later in the book she touches on this disconnect, but after 30% I just didn't want to listen anymore.