A bunch of library holds came in so I'm gonna shelve Call Your Daughter Home for a while to get started on some titles I've been waiting to read for a while!

I'm excited for some good Southern Lit drama. First chapter in Gert didn't let me down. This one is told from the perspective of 3 women and it feels like something that Reese Witherspoon might make into a movie *fingers crossed*.

I don't know what it is about hauntingly beautiful dark books, but I am eating then up lately. Most of the bad reviews I've seen make it clear they just didn't understand. Maybe that's a good thing for them. Linda's story spoke to me on levels that I understand to my core and are the basis of my depression and anxiety. I read a library copy but I'm purchasing the softcover so I can take notes all throughout as the writing is glorious.

I haven't read the Little House series yet (I have seen the show), though this feels like a more grown up version of that life. I wanted it to be longer and dive deeper into the lives of the Bergsen family members with more detail on how they built their homestead. It is the first of a trilogy but I'm not sure yet if the subsequent novels are a continuation. If you're interested, grab a digital copy free on Project Gutenberg! It's an easy read.

This is another book recommended if you liked Where the Crawdads Sing (the other one in the same recommendation was My Absolute Darling which was amazing). I'm excited to dive in! It's only 279 pages so I might have a review by tomorrow.

Found this on my TBR list on Goodreads while browsing the library. I don't remember adding it, but I'm happy I did. Looks interesting!

Saw this at the library today on the NEW shelf. I had never heard of it, but it fits right in with the kind of stuff I like to read so here we are. From the inside cover, the book "follows three fierce, unforgettable Southern women in the years leading up to the Great Depression".

I read this one nonstop for 2 days. It is dark but so good. Very descriptive, so much so that it felt like I was watching a movie. Sometimes that description is horrible because of the scene content, but overall it's hauntingly beautiful. I loved the character development and also the fact that I had no idea how it was going to end. The cover blurb doesn't really prepare you for what you're getting into.

Loved this one. I feel like people either like it for the beautiful descriptions of the marsh, or dislike it because they think it's unrealistic. I love it for the story of resourcefulness & self-preservation of Kya's spirit. People can't believe that society would abandon a child, or that a small child couldn't survive on their own, but it happens daily in current times. If this seems unrealistic, perhaps read harder, more uncomfortable stories.

Starting this today. I saw it on a list of "Books to read if you liked Where the Crawdads Sing". When I found it for 50 cents at the library book sale the very next morning, I took it as a sign that this title and I were meant to share some time together.

I love a good dystopian novel that's not also YA. The Last does not disappoint. Set in a charming but creepy old Swiss hotel as the world comes to an end, the story is character heavy and mysterious enough to keep you guessing. Definitely interested in more like this, and I'm looking forward to picking up more of Ms. Jameson's work in the future.

I really dont like when the first chapter (or prologue?) gets me invested in a character and then the story switches focus. I gave it a chance but after 5 or 6 more chapters I couldn't find any reason to care about the therapist and I ran put of patience (no pun intended). Too many titles on my TBR to get bogged down with something I'm not enjoying so I bailed.

I was only supposed to be picking up my son's library holds as I had just procured a stack of classics I was eager to crack open. But the Black Mirror-ness of this one grabbed me. Story is interesting but character development needs work. Worth it if you want a freaky-tech page turner, but pass if you're in it to get lost in the story. I'd love recs for something like this with a little more substance please and thanks!

I first picked up this book as a girl. The pages were yellowed with the patina of age, the cover hanging on by some miracle. Between the horror paperbacks on someone's shelf, Ms. Smith's masterpiece beckoned to me. Perhaps I could see myself in this coming of age tale of young Miss Francie Nolan. Ms. Smith begins with beautiful allegory that grabs by the heart strings. The only book I will make time to reread with so many books, so little time.