Did not disappoint in the slightest. I just love Ann Patchett so much, and would read her grocery list (or whatever she‘s writing down on the pad on her nightstand, which she talks about in one essay). This had me tearing up multiple times and the audiobook is wonderfully read by her.

This is a tough one to rate, really wavering between so-so and pick so going with a low pick. Totally bizarre with lots of smart Shakespearean references and other devices that were mostly over my head. The portrayal of chronic pain was fascinating and terrifying, and gave me the humbling feeling that fiction isn‘t so far from reality for many. Book 7 down #TOB22

Book haul from my local indie store today! I went in intending to buy whatever #TOB22 books they had in stock, but they‘re tiny and only had the Erdrich. I ordered the Kitamura and these other two just happened to fall into my bag 😅

Really enjoyed this on audiobook! It made me laugh, and was actually pretty cute. Plus it was a one day listen which is always nice! Will be recommending it to my colleagues on our book-club Slack 😆

Glad it‘s on the #TOB22 shortlist as I might have missed it otherwise. Book 6 of 18 done!

I absolutely loved everything about this book - first 5 star read of the year for me. Alternating between the mother and son as main characters with parallel but unique journeys worked so well. And I loved all the 90s/00s R&B references! Patel is an incredible writer and I hope this one gets more attention.

This was an eerie, macabre read that I liked a lot. The tone was effectively clinical and arms length, which worked given the content. Best to not know a lot going in. I‘m not sure how far this will make it in #TOB22 but it‘s an interesting contender. Highly recommend the audiobook as the narrator is excellent. Book 5 of 18 down!

First book purchase of 2022 arrived today! #botm (wow, I wrote 2021 and had to edit this… yikes)

My goal this year (I guess I can call it my resolution) is to read my subscription books in the month I receive them. Shouldn‘t be too hard as it‘s only 16 between Book of the Month and @strandbookstore but we‘ll see how it goes!

This kept me reading but never fully came together for me. The storyline and the relationships between the characters just felt a little choppy, although I didn‘t mind the second half of the book as much as some others. The Haiti parts were interesting and I would have liked to have gone deeper there. Maybe the author just tried to do too much and it felt like skimming.

Book 4 of #TOB22 done! Got a ways to go 😅

Wow, I‘m mad I hesitated so long to read this. I wasn‘t wowed by the Shadow and Bone books, but loved Ninth House and have heard nothing but raves for this one. I absolutely loved it! It was a perfect book to get lost in on my first beach vacation in 2 years 😎

I completed my goodreads challenge, YAY! Leaving it right to the end 😅 And happy to do it with a David Sedaris I‘d never gotten to - he‘s the best and I find I appreciate him more with every collection I listen to (despite the occasional outmoded terms).

Merry bookmas, chunkster edition! 📚🎄

My mom did a good job this year - these were all on my list. Especially happy to get the Ozeki for #TOB22.

I loved this with the heat of a thousand suns. Or a thousand monsters. Why is everything Novik writes so excellent?!

(#percycat is not as entertained)

LOVED this latest installment much more than I thought I would. I think it‘s great how the show and the books are diverging and am now excited to watch the third season. I hope they consider bringing in elements of this storyline eventually because it was super entertaining. Love Joe and this audiobook narrator!

Long time no post and I miss Litsy! Have had so much going on with work and ailing cats (here‘s the relatively healthier one, #percycat). I just finished this meandering, bizarre novel and have no idea what to say about it. I didn‘t love it but didn‘t hate it? The writing is very good but the story pretty much feels like I imagine being on psychedelics is. None of it made any real sense to me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Really loved this audiobook, which was wonderfully read by Union herself. Very real and raw in the best way.

Not super thrilled with this month‘s selections (yet again), but decided on this one. #BOTM

Not gonna lie, this hits a little close to home. 😬 Really liking this collection of short stories so far, am surprised it isn‘t more well known.

Finally finished this! Took a lot of effort over two weeks where I had tons of other stuff going on, so am pretty proud of myself. While it could have benefited from some editing, this series is a real comfort read for me and I liked it a lot. It also explained a lot of what happened in season 5 of the show, although I‘m scratching my head a little at how the story seems to be diverging.

#SullivanCat can barely lean on this book, it‘s so big 😹

Yesterday was an amazing day for roof reading! I have less than 200 pages left in this monster and am trying to finish it this weekend. After a slow, albeit entertaining, middle section the action is seriously ramping up!!

What a spot on my #audiorun today! And what an excellent listen - it‘s so engaging and I can‘t put it down. This is my very favorite kind of nonfiction.

Started this behemoth this weekend. I‘d put it off forever because it‘s just so LONG, but am 170 pages in and it‘s actually so comforting to be back with these familiar characters.

And now we enter the time of year where I go into ongoing denial about the seasons changing 😩 This book is so good, at least!

Another fantastic one from MacLean! She was my first romance novelist and continues to be my absolute favorite. This was one was exciting with high stakes and a very, um, giving hero 😅 I also loved a minor element that I‘ve maybe never seen before in a historical romance - will tag as a spoiler in a comment below. #romantsy

If I had known how sad this book would be going in, I may not have picked it up, but I‘m so glad I did. Just an excellent, head on examination of grief and the brutality of caring for a loved one who is dying of a horrific disease. Zauner reads it beautifully and the food descriptions are *chef‘s kiss*. I‘ve been a fan of Japanese Breakfast for a while and am impressed with her virtuosity across art forms.

Birthday book haul from yesterday 😎🤗

What a brilliant end to this series, truly one of the most unique and affecting stories I‘ve ever read. Deserves all the acclaim. I‘m excited to read everything else Jemisin has written now!

Not a fan of this month‘s books, but it‘s my birthday month so had to pick something. Sort of interested in Vivek Oji and the Rooney is obvious; wish it had been a main pick. #BOTM has been very meh for months now.

A very quiet novel; I‘m not sure how I really feel about it. I‘ve been mixed on Lahiri in the past but this feels like a big departure for her, which makes sense given the translation element. While I really liked a lot of the observations and the writing, the tone kept me at a distance. This felt more experimental vs fully realized. #camptob #catsoflitsy

My god, was not fully prepared for how devastating this book would be, even though I knew going in that it would be a tough read. Its brilliance is that it‘s not gratuitous, though. This book also provides an enraging education on how poorly the AIDS crisis was handled in this country and the disgusting politics of our healthcare system. One of the best reads of the year for me.

If not for #camptob, I would not have picked this one up as I‘m really not an Ishiguro fan. And now I‘m 3 for 4 on disliking his books, unfortunately (I did appreciate Never Let Me Go, but was meh on Remains and blecch on Buried Giant). The plot of this one was both baffling and frustrating, and far too allegorical for my taste. Why do all the characters take Klara‘s crazy logic seriously?? I really didn‘t get it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Once again, Bennett delivers an intense urban fantasy with fascinating world building and wonderful characters. The only flaw to note is that sometimes the intricacies of the magic system were almost too detailed and it made my head spin a bit, but that‘s not really a complaint. Can‘t wait to pick up book 2!

This book is so good, why did I wait so long to read it? Once #SullivanCat stops sleeping on it, I look forward to continuing 😹 #catsoflitsy #kal

Unexpectedly, really enjoyed this audiobook. I‘ve been getting Ann Friedman‘s weekly newsletter for years but wasn‘t quick to pick this one up because it sounded kind of hokey. But it really makes you think and reframe friend relationships in a whole new way, at least for me. That they need just as much care and feeding as romantic and familial relationships seems obvious but just wasn‘t something I‘d thought a lot about. Recommend.

I liked the second half of this book a lot, even if I didn‘t feel like I learned much that was new to me. It was still a good overview of how messed up the US food system is, and how negatively it‘s impacted the rest of the world. The first half was a bit dense and read like a history textbook. Overall it felt a bit long, but Bittman‘s narration on the audiobook was good (even at 1.5x speed!).

I loved this. It was funny and warm and just so entertaining. The ending unexpectedly brought me to tears. #percycat approves 🐱

A true so-so. I listened to it which made the first half seem even more loosely connected than it probably does in print. It felt like a collection of drafted tweets (many are good!) mixed with a speculative sort of plot. The second half is much more focused and very poignant. It sort of makes sense as a whole I guess? Definitely genre bending as this didn‘t feel like a novel at all, but I was prepared for that going in. #camptob

It‘s been a CRAZY past month with my first big post vax trip and seeing so many friends and colleagues again. All amazing and good but wow is it exhausting. This is my first day to do nothing in weeks and I‘m doing it right with some sun and an aperol spritz. This book is quite good once you get into the flow of the writing style, which I wasn‘t expecting.

My Independent Bookstore Day haul! Might as well give up on shrinking my TBR now that a new indie bookstore opened near me. Maud Dixon is signed by the author, who apparently stopped into the shop recently!

☑️ browsed in a bookstore for the first time in over a year
☑️ checked out a NEW bookstore in town that was sorely needed after one shuttered a few years ago
☑️ bought books on Independent Bookstore Day

Doesn‘t get any better! ☺️☺️☺️

A great vacation read for my first trip in over a year! I was a plane within 48 hours of being fully vaccinated and it was desperately needed after a few brutal months at work. Feeling lucky to have been able to get some sun in Miami, to have gotten both shots, and to have made it through the last year. Eloise‘s story is cute; picturing the characters from the show makes it even more fun. #romantsy

“‘So, you gonna write the Great American Novel?‘ I‘m tired of that question. ‘You gonna cure ovarian cancer?‘”

I snorted. OBGYN small talk really is the worst. 😆

Lauren Groff is one of my auto buy authors and I love everything she does. These stories are excellent and impart a real sense of place (even when they aren‘t set in the titular state). Pictured here with my day lilies which I‘m very excited are coming up again!

Excellent narrative nonfiction. The audiobook was riveting, even though I had a little trouble keeping track of the Russian names in this format. Highly recommend!

Back at my favorite winery for the first time this year! The staff know my husband and me well; I always bring a book and he usually does too - today they asked us if we‘re book editors 😂 Still pretty cold but bearable for a couple hours in the sun with a warm coat and hat on. Really enjoying Tana French‘s latest. #vineyardreads

I always enjoy Stephen King, and Will Patton is just the best narrator. I hadn‘t realized that Holly Gibney from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy would pop up in this one! Great audiobook even if the ending was a little so-so.

This is historical fiction at its absolute best - such immersive and magical writing. I took my time with it to savor all the details. Obreht makes you feel the stifling Arizona heat and how desperate the characters and the land are for water. Am surprised this has such a low rating here, it‘s wonderful. It happens to be pouring buckets in NYC today, incongruously!

Would like to read my book, but guess that‘s not happening! TV it is 😹 #catsoflitsy #KAL #sullivancat

And with that, I‘ve finished all the main brackets of the #ToB21! This was a strange book that went in a direction I didn‘t expect. I almost put it aside about a quarter of the way in, but kept going and couldn‘t put it down for the middle third. I don‘t even know how to summarize it, but the series of events around the steady unraveling of the narrator are unsettling to say the least. Almost a pick, but not quite, though I‘m glad I read it.

I absolutely *loved* this book and am shocked it‘s so under the radar. It‘s dense but readable, hilarious but heartfelt. I loved all of its ridiculousness, just such a smart book. I hope it goes farther in the #ToB21!

I‘ve got my Super Rooster shirt on and am ready for #ToB21 to start today! I‘ve never tried to “complete” a challenge like this before and it‘s already been so fulfilling, even though the tournament hasn‘t actually started yet (and I have a third left in my last book of the main brackets 😅). Can‘t wait to see how things play out in the official #ToB as well as the #LitsyToB21. Thanks so much to @BarbaraBB for organizing!