I review all David Sedaris books the same - the essays (or, in this case, diary entries) are either laugh out loud funny or cringe worthy.

But I will always pick up his audiobooks.

I picked this up at the library book sale specifically to add to my little free library. I don't have many YA books in there.

My book nerdy senses told me to read it first.

Am I ever glad I did!

This is the story of a boy growing up "different." He's learning about loyalty, loss, love, and finding his own way.

I cried on the last page.

So good.

Annie needs money for her son's various therapies.

Sarah needs money for another round of IVF.

What to do?? Concoct a face cream and sell it for $2000 a jar to members of Annie's book club 😄

Of course customers will come back for more because of the secret ingredient - cocaine!

This was a fun book that had been sitting unread on my Kindle for way too long.

I LOVED Book Lovers. All caps. LOVED.

The romance was great (Charlie is my new fictional boyfriend) and the sisters vacationing in the small town where their favorite book takes place was charming as all get out.

I loved the Hallmark movie type list they made that included wear flannel, save a small business, bake something, etc 😂

I only read books I think I'll like. What a delightful surprise to read one I loved 💞

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1) Sunshine Falls, NC (Book Lovers by Emily Henry)
2) The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
3) Small Town Big Magic by Hazel Beck (the author is local and is in my book club 😀)

Thanks for tagging @The_Penniless_Author
I'll tag @Bookwormjillk @RamsFan1963 @iread2much

I joined a new book club last night!

One of the things I missed most when we moved 3 years ago was my book club.

This club reads all kinds of romance and Slightly Dangerous was a good one.

Often funny, a little unexpected, and very real emotions.

This is the last book in a series of six and I liked it so well, I'm considering picking up the other five.

And to think I almost skipped this month's #botm picks.

You guys, I loved this book!

Maybe I'm a fan of mysteries/thrillers after all.

Paris Peralta has reinvented herself more than once. An abusive childhood, a mother serving time for murder, and now her famous husband is dead.

Buckle up!

When 4 siblings go visit a fortune teller as kids, what they are told affects the rest of their lives.

The Immortalists is divided into 4 parts - one for each of the main characters.

I nearly bailed during Simon's story but am glad I stuck with it because this ended up being a pretty good book.

If you could know the date of your death, would you want that information?? Not me.

A book that is chock full of inspirational words and art.

I perused this bit by bit over the past month or so and will keep it on my shelf for inspiration and for #ThinkPositiveBePositive posts 😄

Can't stop, won't stop.

#bookhaul

I recently discovered this author after picking up "I Miss You When I Blink" on a whim at the Dollar Tree.

Now Mary Laura Philpott is a can't miss for me.

This memoir covers both the scariness and joy of life, makes you laugh and cry, and bolsters you for whatever comes next.

Life hasn't been easy for Holly Darling (yes, those Darlings).

She lost her husband and one of her twin boys in a car accident and is keeping her surviving son healthy with the blood of his comatose half-sister.

The fairytale aspect of the story helps with the heaviness.

Peter Pan isn't young and innocent anymore, Tink now goes by Bell and is no longer loyal to Peter, and the guy with the hook isn't so bad after all.

I enjoyed this #botm 🙂

This memoir reminded me of how cutting edge the Go-Go's really were. They paved the way for girl bands.

This is Kathy Valentine's story.

A rough childhood, a dream, success, disappointment, and finally a happy ending.

Fun fact - Belinda is from the same town I am. Her family went to my church 😄 Needless to say, I've been a Go-Go's fan from the get-go.

Gilda goes to a Catholic church in response to an ad for counseling.

The priest thinks she is there for a job interview and hires her on the spot.

Gilda is not Catholic. She is an atheist and a lesbian. Let the antics ensue!

The reader soon realizes that Gilda is seriously mentally ill.

My favorite part of the book is Gilda thinking about how magical things like rhinos are and how, on another planet, they'd be considered miracles.

It's either hit or miss at Dollar Tree.

Today was a hit 😄

A gnome with a book.

Should I bring him home with me?

"In a very tall tree sits a girl."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

A big shout out to @BookNAround for including this in my #bestof2021 swap!

This book - wow. It is beautifully and exquisitely written.

The story of an opera singer who loses the use of her instrument and is forced to lead a class of whistlers.

Growth takes place, lessons are learned, friendships are formed, priorities are re-arranged.

I am not doing this little book justice with this review.

Just read it. Trust me.

1) My Book of the Month (Darling Girl) is out on an adventure in the land of late packages. I am most anxious to read it because it should have been here last week...

2) No. No music while reading.

@TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday @The_Penniless_Author - thanks for the tag 🙂

I hate bailing on books.

It wasn't sparking joy or anything else for that matter at 30% in.

Onward.

There is a quiz at the start of this book to determine if you inhabit the bittersweet state. Some of the questions are:

Do you react intensely to music, art, or nature?

Are you moved to goosebumps several times a day?

Do you tend to see the happiness and sadness in things, all at once?

My score determined that I am "a true connoisseur of the place where light and dark meet."

Lots of food for thought and fascinating insight.

Picked up this book on a whim and it's full of #thinkpositivebepositive quotes and artwork!

Thank you for the tag @Eggs

I always freeze up when it comes to tagging people...how about @quietjenn and @Pogue

On my recent trip to Indiana I met and befriended an 18 year old Amish girl.

In keeping with the spirit of the Amish, I picked up this book.

It was sweet, and corny, and predictable but also comforting like an old quilt.

I have to give it a "pick" simply because of the timing in which it came into my life.

Check this out...

I love when I lazily open Litsy and discover that the #botm picks are out!!

Fantasy is not normally my jam, but this one sounds so good 😁

I feel the same way about Muriel Spark as I feel about Shirley Jackson. I'm more intrigued by the life of the author than by what they wrote.

I found The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to be repetitive and, frankly, not all that interesting.

Granted, I was reading this while on vacation and I wasn't very focused, but still...

**Check out those Texas wildflowers 👀 💐

I am visiting my sister in Texas and we went to a restaurant in Smithville that has props from the movie 'Hope Floats.'

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of the sign for The Book Nook from the movie. It was hanging on the ceiling 😄

Let me just say that I was really hoping no one was reading over my shoulder on the plane! 🔥

A steamy romance about about a prisoner become queen.

Fun but not fantastic.

#ThinkPositiveBePositive

Thank you @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for the tag 🙂

An elite club for the rich and famous where there is a lot going on behind the scenes.

Secrets, blackmail, murder, oh my!

I enjoyed this story, but my only complaint is that it took a while to remember and keep track of who was who.

PS - I placed the book on top of an old hotel directory. Definitely NOT how people sign in these days! 😄

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was fantastic.

This is the story of two sisters whose father is the pastor of a mega church.

Things go sideways after an extramarital affair and the youngest daughter begins to question everything she's ever known - including her faith.

I have never met Melanie Shankle but I am certain that if I ever do, we will become friends.

Down to earth, funny, and true - these essays will have you looking on the bright side 😎

On the phone with my grandma a while back, I asked her how she was doing. "I can't complain, but I still will," was her perfect response. ?

This essay collection is about doing everything right, but still feeling as if something is off.

Relatable, funny, and oh so entertaining.

I am drawn to stories about cults whether it be a TV documentary, a book, or a movie. I can't look away.

When Cultish came up as a Kindle Daily Deal I snatched it up.

This book examines the language of cults in an entertaining way that scares you.

Now I want to read Wordslut by the same author. Has anyone read it??

Did anyone read "Quiet" by this author??

#botm

This was my first Lucy Foley and I enjoyed it!

I keep saying mysteries and thrillers aren't my thing, but I might need to change my tune 😄

This story had lots of twists and turns and short chapters that helped speed it along.

I have been exposed to so many authors through Book of the Month. This was another great pick.

PS - I love how the book looks next to my tumbler 😁

The audiobook was read by the author and I appreciated hearing how she wanted the story to be told - sometimes frantic, other times subdued.

This is the story about a woman fighting her alcohol addiction in order to keep her little boy.

*The background photo was a bright, burning sunset from a few nights ago

This collection of short stories was enjoyable and engaging.

That says a lot coming from a reader who doesn't typically like short stories!

The stories take place in the South and feature mostly "dirt-roaders" in their day to day existence.

This came to me in a subscription box. I never would have picked it up on my own, but am glad to have read it and be able to recommend it ?

It usually takes me a long time to read the free books I get on my Kindle. Often times they don't measure up for me in one way or another.

I am happy to report that this one was a page-turner that kept me looking forward to the next time I could sit down and read.

It's the story of a terribly neglected teen and her young brother.

My only complaint is that the ending seemed rushed.

You guys! Claire Oshetsky slipped into my DMs this morning! 😄

I have been re-visiting an old friend at night while reading my Kindle - Anne Shirley 😊

I treasure the old copies of the books my grandmother gave me as a child and couldn't post a review without including a shot of that beautiful, pink, vintage cover.

The next book is Anne of the Island. I don't think I ever went any further in the series after that, so I am really looking forward to it!

The character is introduced as 'Donny' but then referred to as 'Danny' for the rest of the story...

Things that make you go hmm

Brave, creative, unique.

I won't soon forget this story of a mother's fierce love for her special needs child.

Lots of layers and many things that I still feel like I don't understand, but dark and lovely and worth the read.

#RememberSharon
#LitsyLove

I can't light a candle at work, but I was able to put this little scene together in remembrance.

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A funny/serious memoir about a VERY trying time during the author's life and how crafting helped.

Written in such a way that made me feel like I was talking to one of my snafky friends 😁

Not an absolute favorite, but better than a 'so-so' rating.

This did not resonate with me at all.

A story about the friendship between two young women (one of whom dies young) came across detached and cold to me.

I wonder if something was lost in the translation from French to English...

Noodle is super cute today, though 😺

Follow the link https://betterme.ca/ to listen to me and my dear friend Heather Ross discuss book banning.

What are some of your favorite banned books??

Mine are anything by Judy Blume and The Outsiders by SE Hinton.

Dollar Tree book haul 😃

Anyone read any of these?

A will they or won't they tale of an ex student and her teacher (sensei).

I found myself not really caring whether they got together or not.

I also found myself picturing Martin Kove from Karate Kid as the teacher (the only sensei I know) 😄

In the end, a forgettable book.