This book is so wonderfully wacky and weird - and literal. I‘m not sure if I‘d call it 30 short stories so much as 30 parables. Maybe self-help. Maybe Cecelia‘s Fairy Tales for Grown-ass Women. ... I recommend this as a book savored over days one story at a time

Although I‘m awaiting my library loan of The Institute, this is the only Stephen King book I‘ve actually read. Yesterday, I was so excited to thrift a copy for my 5-star shelf of favorite books. I read this book 2 years ago - I‘m not a writer, but it absolutely changed the way I read.

Working down my Grisham‘s, and this was a good story-driven book. And timely, since it allows me to give a shout out to the intestinal fortitude of whistler-blowers!

I picked this one because the cover matched the month, and I finished it just in time for the Day14 #OrangeAndBlack #ScreamathonPhotoChallenge !

@4thhouseontheleft

This book is so interesting. It‘s a well written character-study that pulled me in from the very beginning, and the ending will have me thinking about the three main characters for a long time.

Check in time! #BFCr4 Week1
@wanderinglynn

This round I changed my goal from 5 miles a day to 35 miles per week (40 max) with an incentive be Fitbit free on Day7. I hit 35 miles so it‘s a free day!

My book goal is 18 books with the priority of 12:6 (2:1) library:personally owned. So far I‘m at 4:1!

And oh just yeah, it‘s blowup yard decor season for my walking view entertainment!

Day12 #Blanket #FallIsBooked @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@originalcyn620

In Oct ‘97 favorite book of my 5, but my 7 thought the lovely illustrations were disproportionate and it freaked him out. And then! The elementary art teacher requested a meeting - please don‘t stifle your son. His proof - a perfectly proportionate construction-paper bat which to my eye looked pretty much like the 60+ other bats. But we heeded well this sage advice!

There is nothing about my current life in which I‘m the intended audience here, but my self-imposed reading for the RW Bookclub made this an October requirement.
...It was interesting to read in retrospect, and recall times where I was convinced I was the single busiest woman in the world. ...I felt this advice paints family life as a drudgery to endure. I wish I could tell my young-mom self that those moments now are the best I ever had.

Yesterday, I listened to the full-cast audiobook, and it is laugh laugh-out-loud entertaining. Realizing it was a Wednesday, I even changed into a pink sweater for the third act! If you are a fan of the movie, Mean Girls, treat yourself to this Shakespearean remix. ...I was thinking I should push it forward in favor of more Octoberish reads, but look at this cover!

#Spooktober Day10 #Witches @Eggs

When I was little my dad gifted me a year subscription of picture books - delivered via mail once a month. It was the best thing ever and I still have 8 of them. So this 1966 edition of an old witch is a treasure!

Bee books seem right for October because I love hot apple cider - and honey bees want what I have in hand.

I‘m always down for that eat-pray-love search to reset one‘s life when its trajectory goes askew. Impacting that life via humanitarian mission could have been a fascinating story. But the constant overly described appearance and attire of the secondary characters threw this story off kilter for me.

Oh goodness. This book is frightening, perhaps not in the typical Halloween definition, but frightening nonetheless - and heartbreaking. Now I must watch the Netflix movie.

This 3x3 grid finished just in time to begin anew for #BFCr4. Three at 4.5*=A and two at 5*=A+! I tagged the 5* that I struggled with at midpoint (for personal trigger reasons) then loved by the end.

5* = Loved It, want non-reader IRL friends to read. I do/will own a physical copy. A+
4*= Liked it a lot, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

In the past year I‘ve thrifted 28 John Grisham hardbacks. I‘d yet to read any because where to start? So I thought I‘d use October mystery month to eenie meanie miney mo my way through my mounting stack.

My TBR‘s have nothing on the mounting student loan debt of the main characters in this one. But boy did they make stupid choices. Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the story.

Oh this beautiful book. At times I had to stay with a paragraph and sit with the words before I could continue.

I first read PS I Love You, but by the time it was adapted to film I was moving through the death of my own husband making the story unforgettable for me. This sequel to that book is a tale about death and grief and living. It was such a comfort to sit awhile again with Holly and read her continued journey.

#FriYayIntro
1. Bear Town which I forgot to include in my September wrapup post
2. It‘s a Kansas City Chiefs RedFriday in my neck of the woods - so Red!
3. Dinner with my son and DIL to hear about their European vacation!
4. So no :(. But I can snap!
5. My pleasure! And thanks @Eggs

See what my son and DIL brought back for me last night! I had explained this shop was a Paris must-see. They loved it! The book is even stamped for their proof of location purchase. ...But Littens, look at their pic they took just for me!!

This cover nestled into my bookshelves enticed me to jump in for Day3 #Coffin of the #ChillingPhotoChallenge

@Clwojick @TheReadingMermaid

Well, it may say something about my own experience that when I saw this title, I timed it for an October library loan ;(

it‘s a twisty, family sometimes drama, sometimes mystery that was a Very good read.

I‘ve been juggling my library holds for the last month so that a fun mix of mysteries would drop this month. Thank you, Public Library, this was a creepy start! I didn‘t figure out where this was going so I quit trying and just enjoyed the ride.

This was my first Nora Roberts book and I liked it. I appreciated how fully she considered the survivor(s) of familial physical/verbal abuse and how they find their way despite that experience. I‘ve read several books of late where so many issues are dropped into a plot that the story is lost within the list of issues. This book reminds me of why I prefer a single issue story.

Do you remember the boycott back in 2015 when the Starbucks holiday mug was released sans prancing reindeer and such. I thought the boycott was silly so out of support for the separation of church and business, I purchased the ceramic version of their mug. It‘s the mug I most often use! Thanks @dariazeoli !! #MondayMorningBeverage

Here‘s my September bullet journaling via index cards with notes and rankings on the back. I have so much fun doing this but don‘t have anyone IRL interested in my effort. I sure enjoy showing them to you, my Litten friends!

Hey, Evvie, just a tip, there‘s better ways to keep a friend. ...I found these characters neither interesting nor particularly likable, and their conversations unremarkable. The oh so many familial issues seemed poorly addressed and resolved. ...And it treats 50 like you‘ve one foot in the grave - geesh - tell that to J-Lo!

This very good murder mystery is written three parts. I was immediately invested in the father/husband‘s perspective (part 1) which made me curious about what the daughter would have to say and then the mother/wife. It‘s even more intriguing to me because I wonder if I‘d have had the same interest if the daughter spoke first.

Mae might have been a 24-year old college graduate hired into the California tech-savvy, The Circle, but she was written like a middle-schooler dropped mid-term into a new school and desperate to fit in. This book contained sooo much social commentary. With all that and my I-don‘t-give-a-shit-about-Mae, the MC, I had no perspective in which to take away whatever it was this book wanted me to receive.

...And sharks eat anything!

This book! Do you remember as a kid when you first realized that infinity mirror reflection? Mine was a gift of a tiny blue vinyl suitcase emblazoned with an image of a little girl carrying that same suitcase with an image of that same girl carrying that same... That feeling, this book!

Current 3x3 grid is in the books. Two 5* reads compensated for the three in my 3* range. Tagged a popular favorite!

5* = Loved It, want non-reader IRL friends to read. I do/will own a physical copy. A+
4*= Liked it a lot, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

1. 3.5 C+
2. 3 C
3. 3.75 B-
4. 4.75 A-
5. 4 B
6. 4.25 B+
7. 5 A+
8. 5 A+
9. 4.75 A

Look what I have - my first Litsy delivery- I‘m so happy! Thank you @wanderinglynn ! This book will be so much fun to read in between my mysteries and thrillers in October. If I have to stop reading, I‘ve this lovely bookmark! And if this book has a pile of characters, I now have a much desired blank journal for mapping them out. The kitchen magnet notepad - oh yes!

#BFCr3 and can‘t wait for r4!

This is a gripping book with a story unlike anything I‘ve read before. Aside from the shoe collection of Imelda Marcos my knowledge of the Philippines begins and ends in the timeframe of WWII. But now there‘s another war raging - a war on drugs and the frightening way in which it is fought.

Some oddly placed sentences in this story made it obvious how parts of this mystery would resolve. However, other twists kept me engaged. Overall, it was a fun way to kick off placing priority on some mysteries and thrillers during the upcoming month.

So I put a library hold on this audiobook based on title. It wasn‘t until it dropped that I realized it was 5th in a series. So, I started listening and there were so many characters and I wasn‘t sure whose story I should already know. I thought I should stop and start with the original, but the book was good and I feared I‘d never get back to it. I stuck with it and found the rhythm. Dang, fans of this series must love this one!

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day8 :)

With the exception of my large old picture book collection, this stack represents about 80% of my hardback collection. The other 20% remain randomly adorned by their dust jackets. The books on my shelves might be displayed in wacky combinations, but this stack of art is obsessively ordered alphabetically by author!

I‘m fascinated by interviews of those who lived in a war-torn community. They find normal, make mistakes, pursue careers and love, negotiate friendships. They are at times selfish and at times thrive on simple acts of kindness. They grieve, they laugh, they go on. They read.

This book did just that. I thought the author maintained the mores of 1941 London and I appreciate the research required to stay out of the writer‘s current-day head.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day7

Yes, every translated sentence! Perhaps the best thing about being so woefully behind the curve in reading this incredible story is having its sequel readily available.

I just complained about too many characters that had to be pulled together in a previous book. This time, I was instantly interested in every character introduced knowing each would make the book richer.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day6

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day5

This was quite the romp in Victorian hay. I was intrigued by the setting of the suffragette movement and writing of inheritance, title, gender inequality, reputations, and social mores of the day. I was engaged to see Annabelle and Sebastian to the end of their story.

It‘s a qualified pick because of the over-descriptionW of romantic thought and action. I compare it to a comedy routine made unfunny by the overuse of F bombs.

Two POVs convinced me that life in fictional, rural Blackwater, KS is mired in death, grief, addiction, deceit, depression, and hopelessness. I think we were introduced to every character in this small town and it made my head spin trying to keep track of who was who. It came together in the end in an interesting way, but it was just too many characters and directions to pack into 272 pages.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day4

No explanations required except of my 7 days, Monday seemed the right day to post this.

I‘ll give this a so-so since I liked the writing and the ending. But holy cow ‘er camel and a jug of water - it was a long long winding road to get there.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day3
No explanations.

#BFCr3 Week6 Final Check in:

1. Books: Finished 46/27 books with 17/9 from my own physical TBR shelves. 5, 3x3 grids!
2. Fitness: exceeded minimum 35 MPW with 93,404 steps / 40.05 miles
3. Do something new: I spent all day each weekday of BFCr3 dog sitting grand-dogs through construction - I‘ve never owned my own dog so this was a first. I need people more than I knew!

Now to rest my feet for a bit! Thank you @wanderinglynn , so much fun!

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day2
No explanations.

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush Day1
No explanations.

Thanks for the invite @Amiable. @TamTracy My last communication was with you so would you like to join in!?

Final 3x3 grid of #BFCr3. Low score helps me appreciate the rest. Tagged my 5*, but 4 others were so close. 6-9 from my physical TBR!

5* = Loved It! I want friends to read and my own physical copy. A+
4*= Liked it a lot, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

1. 4.75 A
2. 4.75 A
3. 2.75 C-
4. 4.25 B+
5. 4.5 A-
6. 4 B
7. 4.75 A
8. 5 A+
9. 4.75 A

I purchased my own physical copy and somehow was #1 on a library audio loan. So, I had an all-day, non-stop buddy read with Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia) as one of the narrators!

Wow. Wow. It‘s unfair to you, Dear Reader, if I say more.

I love receiving my Reese Witherspoon reading assignment on the first of each month especially when my awesome library allows me to participate in a timely manner. ... I was captivated by the historical fiction within this book and wanted more. I wanted much less of the American romance so I could stay inside this fascinating history. It was an interesting book to read on the heels of A Gentleman in Moscow.

Years ago I read Les Miserables. I was so proud of myself, and must have boasted about it. What I remember is this women asking if I read the abridged version. Of course not, said I. It was a long book, said I. A few days later I arranged my completed book on a shelf. Woops, it was abridged - and I don‘t recall correcting my declaration. All this to explain AGIM gave me wonderful Russian Jean Valjean / Cosette vibes!

For two weeks in August I watched three seasons of The Handmaid‘s Tale. That created a personal requirement to read and appreciate this unbelievable book prior to my bookmail arriving with its sequel. I would like to think I had the sophistication to appreciate THT in 1986, but alas, I was in Richard Chamberlain Thorn Birds lust. ...And with no way of imagining a certain real estate billionaire then could make this book so believable now.