Went to the Decatur Book Festival reveal party tonight!!! Love this year‘s poster and the line up is off the hook!!! Sonya Sotomayor, Karl Marlentes, Jasmine Gillory, Phillipa Gregory, and Teá Obrecht just to name a few!!!! Can‘t wait!!!! #DBF2019

#audiobook

Audiobooking at the Farmer‘s Market this morning!!!

I have enjoyed Abbott‘s other books, but this one just didn‘t make the grade. The story was basically told in the first 20% of the book. And, at that, the details were about Remus‘s abusive personality not in the chase and investigation of him by Willebrandt. Disappointing.
#netgalley

Dostie's memoir focuses on her time in the army, and, particularly her sexual assault and the handling of her attach by the military. She has an astonishing ability to be unflinching but sincerely curious about all of the issues that arise. This book feels like a dialogue rather than a manifesto. #netgalley

This is a novel told in lists. I wasn‘t sure whether this would be a hit or miss. For me, it turns out to be something in between. Dicks advances the plot remarkably well in this format. Overall, this was an entertaining and enjoyable read, but the middle third dragged a bit. #netgalley

#WeekendRecommendation

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/06/14/the-traveling-cat-chronicles-hiro-...

I loved this book so hard. I‘m not sure that I would have liked it as much in print. But I ADORED the audiobook and the narration caught the cadence of the language perfectly. Highly recommended on audiobook!!! #audiobook

#recommendsday

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/white-rage-carol-anderson/

#Recommendsday

OUT THIS WEEK!!!

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/06/11/recursion-blake-crouch-2/

👏🏼👊🏼🙌🏼 🤓

A quirky, fun afternoon read. The ARC cover is weird.

Going against the grain with this one, but I just couldn‘t finish it. Good enough story, but it‘s very slow and incredibly long. And, 42% into the book, I just don‘t find myself invested enough to continue. #netgalley

Great audiobook. For fans of Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Pink. The complete opposite advice from the 10,000 hour rule with scientific backing. Loved it!!!! #audiobook

This novel imagines a world of global warming and Amazon taken to extremes. Corporate spy, company control of all aspects of your life, lots of familiar elements. The story, too, fell a bit flat for me. #netgalley

Very possibly a voice of a generation (millennials), but not my generation. Likely for that reason, I didn‘t quite connect to these essays, which I found rambling and meandering but without thesis or certainty. My favorites were Ecstasy and We Come from Old Virginia. #netgalley

Quick summer read. The author piles on the misogyny in order to point out that misogyny is bad. Just way too much for me in what might otherwise be a straightforward feel good read. #netgalley

The second half of this novel was good, but it took a looooong time to get going. The child narrator didn‘t really work for me, either. I see where she was going with that choice and it works in some ways, but adds confusion and slows the story, too.

Such an interesting exercise. This memoir is two companion books that together answer the question for Hemon: What made me who I am? My parents... talk about his family history and parents marriage especially illuminating about life in Yugoslavia/Bosnia before the war. The second are snippets of memory that he unpacks with an adult lens. Fabulous! #netgalley

This mystery is a change in genre for Jackson. You can still feel her personality here, but the formula feels a bit stilted. I prefer her usual books, but I‘m sort of tired of psychological thriller genre, in general. #LibraryThing #EarlyReviewer

Just so so for me.

June is wedding season and here are a few wedding related recommendations from my blog!!

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/06/07/3-to-get-reading-june-bride-editio...

Yay! #BookHaul

A few library holds and a few borrowed ARCs.

The book in the top right corner is the tagged book. The ARC cover is different.

First up: The Gone Dead.

Listed as mystery/thriller this book leans more dystopia to me. The Far Right Christian element passes the CHRIST act which names Christianity as the only sanctioned US religion and laws that follow and their consequences mirror those in other states around the world where the church and state barrier does not exist. Interesting food for thought but too neatly wraps up.

Fun take on Clark Kent‘s High School year‘s. I especially like the contemporary take and how the author sees Superman as a refugee. #audiobook

One of my favorite reads of the year!!! This book tells the stories of (1) a preacher turned serial killer (2) his lawyer who represented the preacher and then represented his vigilante killer and (3) Harper Lee, her career and her time investigating the preacher and his murder in anticipation of writing a book that never happened. Fabulous!!!

Great debut novel. If u liked An American Marriage, this novel addresses similar issues. An extended family saga.

#recommendsday

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/06/03/iq-joe-ide/

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!!!

Loved this book about the underbelly of the truffle industry and how it got that way. #netgalley

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/06/04/the-truffle-underground-a-tale-of-...

#TBRTuesday

Here‘s what‘s in the on deck circle for this week. Not sure about Deep River. I‘m super excited about it, but that baby is a doorstopper - over 800 pages!!! That may end up being the ONLY thing on next week‘s list 😂

Just no. This novel did not work for me at all. None of the characters were likeable or sympathetic and the story was a drag. I only kept reading because of reviews saying that the final third makes it all worth while. I disagree. The “twist” felt gimmicky and did nothing to elevate this for me. It felt like it was trying to be Where‘d You Go, Bernadette? But it was a miss for me. #netgalley

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/05/31/the-western-wind-samantha-harvey/

So much goodness on today‘s Kindle Daily Deals. Here are a few I‘ve read and recommend!!!
#SorryNotSorry #KindleDeals #Recommendsday

https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000677541

OMG! Today‘s Kindle Daily Deals are unbelievable. I may have gone a little 🥜!!!
#BookHaul #KindleDeals

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-text&rh=n%3A6165851011&lo=list&page=4&qid=155...

META: Reading about the first of June on the first of June.

SUPER META: I also turned 16 on the first of June. (but not this year! 😂)

Sharing a birthday with a fictional character! 🤓

#JuneTBR

Looking forward to a lot of ARCs this month!! #netgalley

Holy 💩! What am I getting myself into?! 😜

#BestOfMay #MayFavorites

My favorite reads from May!!!!

Lots of books read this month! 💃🏽🕺🏼

Last weekend‘s readathon made a big difference!!!!!

More audiobook recommendations for summer road trips!

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/05/27/murderbot-diaries-martha-wells/

An interesting look at the historical and contemporary American South. So sorry to hear of the death of the author this week as he was on tour for this book.

Y‘all I just couldn‘t with this book. The premise makes me soooo uncomfortable.

I read a lot of non-fiction (for me) this Spring for a book prize committee that I was part of. Today, I was listening to the most recent All the Books and Liberty‘s co-host this week is a host for Book Riot‘s non-fiction podcast, For Real. This week‘s episode is a recap of the best non-fiction of 2019 so far and Liberty Hardy was a guest host in a quid pro quo. I am excited to find some other titles to add to my nonfiction TBR! #bookriot #forreal

#TBRTuesday

Planning to finish up the month of May with these books!!!

A clever premise and beautiful writing. But, the plot and pace lagged for me. #audiobook

OK! Here‘s where I stand: around 18 hours and 7 books (2 of which were SUPER short). I‘ll still be reading tomorrow, but excited for getting this much read. Shout outs to everyone reading this weekend. It‘s so much fun to read alongside you all!!
#24b4monday

Very interesting premise. But, some bits dragged and I don‘t like having a male narrator in this story. #24b4monday

Entertaining enough that I finished, but there is just no plot here. Lots of folks from my book club would love that but not my bag 😜 #24b4monday

Fun meet cute story.

Took an accidental nap this afternoon 😜 but back on track for #24b4monday

Another great summer reading list. I‘ve got several of these in my TBR stack and am working on a couple right now!! 👏🏼👏🏼🌞📚🌞📚

https://bittersoutherner.com/bitter-southerner-summer-reading-roundup-2019

I began this essay collection thinking “Yes!! So relatable”. Then, this one is not so relatable, but ok. Interesting. And, finally, meh. Not so interested. I‘m not sure what it is, maybe just too much in one place. Might be better spread out over time. #24b4monday