Ok guys, here‘s my #Top10oftheDecade #Nonfiction. This was SO hard. I love me some nonfiction and narrowing the list was painful. Six of these would be on the list any day I made it: Just Mercy, Evicted, The Fire This Time, Quiet, The Sixth Extinction, and Dreamland, in no particular order. I could have just as easily had four different books in the other slots.

Nine people arrive for a “wellness” retreat and get something other than what they bargained for. I can see why some folks aren‘t liking this one, but I thought it was a hoot with many winks at the reader from Moriarty. I had a great time with it.

#dogsofLitsy #Greta

My Jólabókaflód swap package is headed east! This is my first big swap in a while after a bad experience, but I‘m excited about this one! I like its simplicity. Thanks to @MaleficentBookDragon for all the work of creating this swap!

Bardugo reimagines Yale‘s 8 secret societies as groups that perform actual magic, with a ninth house that serves an important supporting role during rituals. Alex is recruited to be a part of the Ninth House because of a particular talent she possesses. I‘ve never read Bardugo but enjoyed this. The middle dragged a bit, but she brought everything together at the end, which I loved. I look forward to the next book.

Sulome Anderson‘s father Terry was kidnapped and held hostage for the first 7 years of her life. Here, she delves into her own research about his kidnap and captivity and explores the reverberations of his return across her family. This includes detailing her own mental illness. It‘s imperfect but quite an interesting book.

The second book in The Strain trilogy, The Fall follows the same cast of characters as vampires are taking over NYC. I like the story and find some of the ideas quite compelling, but I‘m bothered by the lack of female characters and marginalization of the ones present. I really don‘t think I‘m going to bother with book 3.

Not book related, but too cute not to share. I have a large orchid hanging outside the kitchen that I‘ve noticed is liked by a small frog. And now that it‘s a little cooler than the summer, these two lizards have decided to bunk up together in the leaves for warmth. Are they the cutest or what?

Hollow Kingdom depicts a form of zombie apocalypse, but as seen through the eyes of animals, primarily a foul-mouthed, domesticated crow named Shit Turd. As you can tell, this book has a sense of humor and is wildly creative. It is also violent in places, including a very violent scene near the end which is preceded by a moment I found emotionally difficult. This book is terrific.

A group of vampires in Sydney has agreed not to feed on people and thus meets weekly to support one another. Their progenitor, a reluctant group member, is a no show one week. Searching for him turns into a bit of an adventure in this fun, clever, cheeky book. I really enjoyed it and will be looking for more from this author.

Clara is suddenly yanked from her home and placed in a facility, questioned repeatedly by strangers. Her situation quickly becomes apparent, but the true horror gradually unfolds through alternating timelines. A great psychological thriller that does get dark and violent.

#ReadingUSA2019 #Iowa

Close Range is a solid story collection exhibiting the harsh brutality of life in #Wyoming. Reading this, it‘s not hard to wonder why it‘s the state with the smallest population yet is 9th in total land area. There is some brief casual violence here and this definitely isn‘t for everyone, but I quite liked it.

#ReadingUSA2019

Lindy West is pissed. For the same reasons many of us are. She starts this book with her rage, gradually boiling down toward resigned determination. She expresses herself so well, encapsulating much of the ills of our current moment. This has some humor as well, though not as many light-hearted moments as Shrill. It‘s great.

Samantha Power was the US ambassador to the UN during Obama‘s second term. In her memoir, she discusses her childhood in Ireland, immigration to the US, time as a reporter in Bosnia, and her work in the US government. She‘s thoughtful, intelligent, eloquent, and gives me hope. This book is terrific.

If you love audiobooks and are looking for a way to expand your listening, AND would love to see your money go to a local bookstore, look no further! I‘ve been using Libro.fm for over a year and I love it. Now is a great time to join, as you get 3 audiobooks for the price of one AND a free copy of Madeline Miller‘s Circe. Just use this link:

http://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm67122

And I‘ll get a free book, too! ☺️

This is an interesting look at the history of bones from the first vertebrate up to the questionable treatment of some bones now, ignoring the former person‘s inherent identity. Switek‘s enthusiasm for his subject shines through. I enjoyed the book and it isn‘t hard science, though it‘s not quite as accessible as Lab Girl for those who are a bit science averse.

This is a fun companion volume to the PBS series (which I did not watch). It has a page spread for each of the 100 novels they chose, with pictures on one side and text about the novel, author, etc on the other. Interspersed are pages of bookish info, like covers, pictured here. I really enjoyed slowly reading this.

I am trying out the desktop version for the first time as my phone took a swim. 😠 Hopefully it can be resuscitated, but no pics for me until that's resolved. Nonetheless, a big thank you to @vivastory for the swap books! And it was so nice of you to include a Starbucks gift card! Thank you so much, Scott. Hopefully The Toll will be knocking on your door tomorrow.

I expected this book to be about an evil mother-in-law given the title. But really it‘s about family dynamics and relationships, wrapped in a mystery. A weaker pick for me, but I did enjoy it.

#dogsofLitsy #Greta

A plane lands in JFK and stops on the runway. Everyone on board is dead, prompting evaluation by a CDC epidemiology team. We continue to follow the investigation as very strange things start to occur. I liked the show and thought I‘ve give the book a try and enjoyed it. But I didn‘t know it was a trilogy! Nothing is resolved at the end and now I need to go find book 2. 😫

Rueckert has a background in both voice (music) and radio. Here she explores women‘s voices, both literally and as a concept, and how they are judged and silenced. She gives tips about harnessing ones voice and shows how specific women‘s voices are shown in society. It‘s a feminist hell yeah of a book, encouraging women and girls from childhood forward.

#ReadingUSA2019 #Wisconsin

Now that‘s a chapter title!

Frank knows too much about who REALLY killed Kennedy and is on the run from his fellow mobsters in the aftermath. Charlotte is fed up with the typical housewife life of 1960s Oklahoma. In this well-crafted, well-plotted story, the two are destined to collide and no one seems to be safe. The tension building is pitch perfect. Highly recommend. #BOTMBuddyRead

#dogsofLitsy #Bindi

Kim Miller has not only dieted her entire life but worked as a writer for diet and fitness articles. In her memoir, she blends her own story with diet research and good humor. It‘s a good exploration of body dysmorphia/poor self-confidence without ever using those terms. Hopefully the rest of the group enjoys it as well. #LMPBC #memoir

#dogsofLitsy #Greta

Body parts are found in a cooler floating in the Gulf of Mexico, prompting FBI profiler Maggie O‘Dell to investigate. While I enjoyed this quick read, it had too many characters who were largely one note. All the storylines came together in the end, but they were a bit far flung. And no actual profiling took place. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Saw this online today, knew you guys would get it. 😆

This book is really dark in places, but sometimes the life choices of the characters bring forth ideas like this.

A worthy end to a terrific trilogy. I just loved it. If you like the idea of a future earth in which people are immortal and population control is achieved by scythes who “glean” people, start with Scythe and read the whole trilogy. I highly recommend the Barnes and Noble version of this book—it has notes from the author on every chapter in the back which I found quite illuminating.

Campbell and Lena are pushed together when a violent fight starts at their high school football game and they seek shelter together. As they attempt to get to a safer place, they discover rioting in the streets. While an interesting premise, I found this a bit superficial and lacking the punch and depth of a book like The Hate You Give.

Ranger Darren Matthews is asked to look into the disappearance of the young son of a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. He finds himself in a racist viper pit of a small town. It‘s a good story with some interesting parallel stories occurring, but for me it wasn‘t as strong as Bluebird, Bluebird. I really like this character and hope to see him again.

I‘ve really been enjoying #ReadingUSA2019 and have just signed up for #ReadingEurope2020, hosted by the fabulous @Librarybelle and @BarbaraBB ! Head on over the Librarybelle‘s post for the sign up link if you‘re interested in joining in. It‘s a fun, no-pressure challenge.

YOU GUYS!!! This is a thing! It‘s a little kit you get and you make your very own little bookstore!!!!!!! It‘s about 7 x 9 x 7 inches completed. I‘ve asked for this from my husband for Christmas, so hopefully he comes through. 🤞🏼 How cute is this!?!?!

Now that I‘ve told you, you guys better not buy them all up before I get mine! 😑😬😆

Well, I‘m planning to tighten my budget, so this will probably be my last book haul for a while. So I made it a good one! The Lindy West is a signed first edition. 😍 And I‘m going to jump into The Toll pretty much immediately. I can‘t wait!

Heather, what a welcome surprise! Thank you so much for the book—it looks really good. And the card is 😍! This was really sweet of you.

(FYI, I recommend the flat rate envelopes—they‘re much cheaper! 🙂)

I don‘t watch tv anymore, but used to watch a lot of it, including Buffy, Nussbaum‘s inspiration for becoming a tv critic. Here she‘s collected some of her pieces from over the years. I enjoyed the listen and appreciate her thoughtful approach to these shows, which becomes societal commentary.

After a neighbor dies suddenly, several other members of a small Polish community start to die in odd ways as witnessed by our eccentric main character. This is truly a character study of a woman more in touch with nature than people, with a mystery draped over the top. I enjoyed the humor of it but I did find it bogged down in places for me.

Technically…#foodonthecover.

😬🤣

Couldn‘t help myself. Hopefully I‘m not the only weirdo.

This is a theory of the main character. She goes on from here. My husband didn‘t seem to appreciate this, but I think she‘s a riot.

😬😆

I think I‘m going to like this one. Page 3 and I‘m already loving the snark. 😆

I thought I‘d give this book a try because it sounded interesting—a woman learns her father is not her biological father after an Ancestry DNA test. But frankly it‘s reading like overwrought melodrama to me. And I just don‘t relate, but I‘ve always felt how one feels is more important to family than biology. #unpopularopinion

“The cluster of buildings on the endless grassy plain looked like a patch of stubble a man missed while shaving.”

There‘s some good lines in this one.

#BOTMBuddyRead

From 2000 to 2004, Jesmyn Ward lost 5 important young men in her life and community, including her brother. Here she weaves the stories of their lives and deaths between her own brutal childhood story. It‘s amazing that she survived. This is a tough read from which I had to take a lot of breaks. It‘s filled with heartbreak and tragedy but ultimately proves the author‘s resilience.

@Cinfhen

#ReadingUSA2019 #Mississippi

I originally was not planning to read this book because I stopped watching tv a few years ago, but then I heard the author on a podcast. She was funny and I wanted to hear more from her. Most importantly, she talked about how her tv reviewing career started because of one of the best shows of all time, Buffy. I‘ve had some heavy reads recently, so I‘ve started this one to lighten things and am enjoying it so far.

Your House Will Pay is a thoughtful exploration of the impact and reverberations of violence on two families, one Korean, one Black, in current and 1990s LA. It‘s well structured and keeps its focus small while exploring the nuances of race in our society. It‘s a bit emotionally tough but really good.

A quarter of the way in and Jesmyn‘s youth makes me think of the above quote. And I‘m struggling with the presence of dog fighting, which I find so terribly wrong.

I do love how she evokes a sense of place. You feel like you can see, feel, smell southern Mississippi.

Thanks for the tags, @Addison_Reads and @sblbooks ! I wanted to use all books I already own for #myidealbookclub and here‘s what I picked. Half fiction, half nonfiction, and a couple of lighter picks to balance out the heavy topics and the chunkster.

What books would you choose for your book club?

I‘ve just finished the prologue and clearly this is going to be a really tough read. Imagine losing 5 young men close to you I‘m under four years. Then writing about it. This is my fourth by Ward and I have mad respect for this woman. #JWBuddyRead

I recently gave my aunt a gift subscription to Libro, a great audiobook service that benefits indie bookstores. As a thank you, they gave me a free copy of Circe, BUT I have no interest in this book. First come, first served, I will pass it along to whomever wants it. The link should work anywhere in the world. All you need is the libro app on your device to download it. You DO NOT need a libro membership.

Filipino-American Jay‘s cousin Jun is killed in the Philippines. So Jay travels there over spring break to try to understand what happened. He learns a great deal about Duterte‘s police state, his family, and himself. This is a terrific, heart-wrenching book (I nearly teared up and I‘m NOT a crier) that sheds light on the reality of our current world.

An intemperate white supremacist US president flouts laws and openly wars with Congress, setting up his own impeachment. 2019? Nope. (Well, ok, yes.) This is Andrew Johnson in the 1860s. While dense in places, this book is a great read, especially as a primer for what is likely to come in the modern era. The parallels are extraordinary.

Fill in the blank!

It‘s Andrew Johnson. But I‘m going to guess you were thinking of someone else.