First bookclub choice of the year. This is my third listen to this book and it never gets old. Looking forward to discussing it with my ladies on Tuesday! #JumpStart2022 @Clwojick @Lizpixie

Wishing @wanderinglynn a very happy birthday month! Thank you for offering a giveaway.

While I wait for my library hold for the adult book, I took some time to read this beautifully illustrated picture book written in verse. This is an absolutely stunning piece of work. #pop22 ~ a book you can read in one sitting #JumpStart2022

@KarenUK @Cinfhen @Kalalalatja @Megabooks @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraBB @Laughterhp @RaeLovesToRead @Clwojick @Lizpixie

I find cults fascinating and I‘m always so curious to learn how people get sucked into them. This book does a good job of explaining how they work and the language behind cults to pull people in.
Added: a picture of my hike today along a short section of the Appalachian Trail. Snowy January. #JumpStart2022 @Clwojick @Lizpixie

Six days into the New Year and I‘m making pretty good progress! 2 books completed and moving along in 2 others. I‘m not counting the amount of time (I‘m a sloooow reader) just trying to read more often when I have some downtime! #Jumpstart2022 @Clwojick @Lizpixie

Beautiful graphic novel about Vietnamese refugees, fairytales and a coming out story. How one family learns to communicate together with their different backgrounds and language to love and accept each other. ❤️ #pop22 @KarenUK @Cinfhen @Kalalalatja @Megabooks @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraBB @Laughterhp @RaeLovesToRead

I do believe the ebook will be easier to read than the physical arm weight. Kindle for the win! 💪🏼

Getting the indoor Christmas decorations put away, then hoping for some reading time. We‘re getting hammered with our first snow of the year. Yesterday I took a walk in mid-60‘s temps!

This is a tough one to review. I loved the production of the audiobook and his voice. The first half was excellent, his childhood, how he got into the music world and moving on to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Unfortunately, the second half wore on my nerves. He seemed too arrogant with multiple references of how he‘s the best actor the most famous person, how much money his movies have made and how many albums he sold. That really turned me off.

December‘s books 😀

Started the new year with a Volksmarch and audiobbok since it was raining and I walked solo.

This is a fantastic graphic novel memoir about growing up in a dramatic family and lifesyle. There are highs and lows and truths to be told. Tons of literary references which is fun, though most I haven‘t read.

I‘m switching out my Social Horror book to the tagged book because it occurred to me that I own it (yay, Dollar Tree find) and I think it fits the prompt 🤔 #Pop22

Got the best gift today! One of the girls in my bookclub dropped off this adorable ornament with all the books we read together this year! I‘m so grateful for this little group of reading friends and our monthly meetings 😊

Stealing reading time as often as possible these days. My parents were here for 3 nights, they left on Sunday and my MIL rolled in for 2-3 nights (TBD.) I can‘t wait for January to really dig in and spend hours reading this continued saga. But for now, I‘m off to work 😩

“No shooter, officer, or politician is held accountable for the Kent State shootings.”
Such a sad story. My parents are from Akron, so I‘ve heard about this throughout my childhood, though it happened before I was born. This graphic novel did a great job of painting a picture of what happened leading up to this devastating event. I‘m glad I found this book.

Ashely‘s sack is currently on display at the Smithsonian in DC and I may just have to get tickets. This is about the research that has gone into this bag that was purchased at a flea market and donated. The bag is embroidered to tell a story of slavery and the generations of women this bag has touched. There is more history about slavery and South Carolina than Ashley, her mom and daughter but a good learning experience all around.

If you go on vacation and your refrigerator leaks, you‘ll need to replace your floors. When new floors are installed, you decide to wipe down the cabinets. If you wipe the cabinets and things start to look clean, you notice your walls need painted, less than a week before Christmas! What have I gotten myself into! At least there‘s audio books! #AllThatSheCarried

This was a great listen, author narrates the book. She‘s from the US and lives in the UK so you get examples from both countries. She has a background in fashion and basically disses the fashion industry, the big wigs, how employees around the world are treated in the industry, how manufacturing is destroying our planet environmentally, and marketing to buy buy buy! I hate shopping and things I don‘t use so I have to say I was a fan of this book!

I love being the first to read a library copy! Starting this one today while new kitchen floors are being installed thanks to a leaking refrigerator while away on vacay.

I forgot to take a picture before returning this one to the library. I had not heard of this author before my bookclub chose it. The writing was a bit repetitive in some parts but it was a good story overall with a good mix of humor and drama. It was a light, quick read and yet it had some heavier topics to discuss; a one night stand that leads to a pregnancy, dementia, racism and marriage were some of the topics covered in this southern story.

2 of 2 - Whew! This was quite a task! Here are my #pop22 books, subject to change based on book club choices. 28 of these are on my physical TBR bookshelves which I‘m super excited about. 4 are new to me books that I had to google and the rest are on my TBR radar. I‘ve got a few big ones, so we‘ll see. Let the games begin!

1 of 2 - Whew! This was quite a task! Here are my #pop22 books, subject to change based on book club choices. 28 of these are on my physical TBR bookshelves which I‘m super excited about. 4 are new to me books that I had to google and the rest are on my TBR radar. I‘ve got a few big ones, so we‘ll see. Let the games begin!

This was an action packed book about two ex-cons who go on the hunt to find their sons killer. Although I liked the themes throughout this book and the overall story, I had some eye rolling moments as these two older men take on a large biker gang time and time again along with some high powered people and come out victorious every time leaving a trail of dead in their wake. Overall it was a fun listen.

I loved this one! There are three stories in this book, one taking place in the past (1400‘s) one in the present century, and one in the future. There are multiple points of views with several main characters, each with their own story, each revolving around an ancient, Greek book. I adored each story and am happy about the tie in to todays climate crisis.

Fantastic graphic novel memoir about gender identity. I learned some new to me things and feel it‘s an important read to understand differences and to understand our LGBTQIA+ community of friends.

Former figure skater turned college hockey player, Bitty vlogs and tweets his way through college life as a gay, pie baking fiend and life with his hockey bros. I thought this was a good story of college life and athletes. Another popular book in the challenged books saga.

Starting this one before heading to work on a Saturday. At least I feel appreciated this morning!

This gave me serious Dexter vibes! You know, when you‘re rooting for the good guy who is also a killer but it‘s ok because he only kills bad guys. Seriously though, this is a great book, I loved Billy Summers, an ex-marine sharp shooter with a past. He‘s hired to do a last hit job before “retiring” when things go astray. Fast paced, page turning, high adventure and identity changes! This one will keep you up late at night.

I loved this mix of stories about the women of the Trojan War. The premises reminded me of The Red Tent, a long time favorite. It‘s always refreshing to hear the women‘s stories. I suck at Greek Mythology and who‘s who which put me at a disadvantage but still a fun read. *disclaimer: Wikipedia was my friend during this read

A quiet Friday night. Just me, the pup and Billy Summers. I‘m really enjoying this book!

My first thought after finishing this story is how refreshing it is to read a book about a close family with strong morals and unconditional love. This is the story of Rosie and Penn and their family. Their youngest, born Claude, identifies as Poppy and how Poppy affects their family, friends, and lifestyle and how, in the end, it all comes down to family, love and embracing who you are ❤️ I‘m looking forward to discussing this one at book club!

This was a slow read with a great ending. Political Mexico City, 1970. When Leonora goes missing after taking pictures during an attack on students, her neighbor, Maite, begins asking questions and diving deeper into her disappearance. Elvis, is put on surveillance to find Leonora. The story of Leonora‘s disappearance slowly unveils itself as the mystery unfolds. Bonus: The author created a Spotify playlist to accompany the book and times!

Catching up on some recently challenged books. I was not impressed with this one about middle school misfits on a losing soccer team and the friendships that form during the season. I thought it was choppy and skims the surface on many topics without enough detail or emotion.

This is a coming of age story about a 22 year old Mexican kid, Mike Munoz, living at home with his mom and special needs brother on an Indian reservation. He works as a lawn boy but is trying to figure out where he fits in the world and what the American dream means to him and how to go about reaching for it. Good read with some great characters and quite entertaining.

October reads were pretty darn good!

This magical realism story is about Neal, and Anita, the girl across the street. When Neal stumbles upon an old alchemy brew Anita and her mom create using gold, things go awry. A decade later, Neal and Anita‘s paths cross once again on the other side of the country and plans for a gold heist begin to form. The want for a longer life and cheating time, folklore, teen pressure, and Indian/Asian cultures make this a unique read.

I really enjoyed this heist story and visiting 1960‘s Harlem! The characters were great, a lot of depth to them with different backgrounds and I‘m a sucker for characters. The neighborhoods and the cultures during this time period were much like the characters; lots of layers and growth. Great story and well written!

The perfect read for my California vacation! We spent a couple days in LA and the week in San Diego. I loved the characters and enjoyed the way this story is told, all on the day of the big Riva party, but also going back in time to learn about the characters pasts and history. 🌊

Great story but I didn‘t love the writing. The first 130 pages were really slow and lacked world building IMO. I would have liked the appendixes at the end to have been part of the story at the beginning. I did really like how the reader read the thoughts of the characters throughout as the thoughts were in italics, sometimes quite funny! I can see why this is in the top lists for sci-fi books and I‘m glad I finally read it!

This book wasn‘t really about one thing. It was about the times, the place, and the people in this particular neighborhood of Brooklyn in the late 60‘s and how one event ties them all together. It‘s about neighbors, family, friendships, camaraderie and cheese?! Cultures and people make this story. This was a lovely read with fascinating characters. The audio was great but I may pick up a physical copy to reread at some point.

Not a great reading month, especially considering three of my finished books were audio BUT I‘m enjoying the gorgeous weather; camping, kayaking and hiking! Got to get it in before the weather gets too cold. 🚣‍♂️🥾🏕

Halfway through! The first 1/4 was super slow to me but things are picking up! This has been on my TBR for so long. I‘m not a big sci-fi reader so this is a bit of a challenge.
PS; I‘m looking forward to the new movie, I hope it‘s good 🎬

Little nature audio walk with the pooch this afternoon. ❤️

I‘ve been wanting to understand the war in Afghanistan better. I tried to read a friend‘s books from a Dept. of Defense masters course but they were over my head. This book does a terrific job of painting a picture of Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Afghan civilians. It covers each of the presidencies throughout the war and where things went wrong. It was a great listen that helped put things into perspective and well researched journalism.

Steamy, complicated, and dark at times, Eva and Shane‘s story was a roller coaster of a ride. Romance type books are not my go to, but I enjoyed the story for the most part.

This was a fun and strange book, for sure. It‘s a slow-burn kinda read (my favorite) about a 1/2 Vietnamese, American who goes to Saigon to get away from her family and/or find herself. The book goes back and forth in time as the story and characters slowly reveal themselves and how they interconnect about two girls who go missing decades apart. Throw in the supernatural, Vietnamese Folklore and snakes and you‘re in for an interesting ride!

I feel like it‘s been a while since I‘ve finished a book 🤔 This one was good, very different from Homegoing which I like in authors. This book was about growing up with immigrant parents, addiction, mental health and more or less finding yourself and where you fit in, in the world. It was enjoyable and I liked how the narrator compares her work and her life throughout the story but not a favorite.

My next book has a list of characters AND 3 maps! 😳

I feel like an emotional train wreck after this one! Wow. I wanted to read this after hearing about some parent drama in a nearby county with lots to say against this book and trying to get it removed. Plus, it‘s a Coretta Scott King winner and tackles some real heavy topics. The story is about Claudia, who leaves to spend the summer at her grandmothers only to come back to find her best friend has disappeared and no one seems concerned by this.