I couldn‘t put down this compelling and surprisingly hopeful story. It had originally been written as a screenplay about the experiences of Lale Sokolov at The Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. I think some criticism of this book has to do with the fact that it still feels a bit like a screenplay — somewhat rushed as a novel, breaking the rule of ‘show don‘t tell‘. Still, it‘s an extraordinary, moving story well worth reading.

This character driven family saga takes us through multiple locations on land and sea with excellent prose, thought provoking storylines and a stoic look at poverty in America…with just a bit of mysticism.

This much anticipated second volume of diary entries did not disappoint. I love the humor of David Sedaris and his latest book was the perfect way to end the year, as I knew it would be. 🙂

Although this is a fictionalized account of a day in the life of an unjustly imprisoned man in a Soviet forced- labor camp, the author drew from his personal experience in the Gulag. It‘s astonishing that this novel was published and at one point in the 1970‘s it was banned. The book is short but dense and a somewhat difficult (though worthwhile) read, especially given the historical significance.

I avoided this book because I thought it would be difficult. It‘s not. Tolstoy is brilliant but straightforward with his transcendent story of love, betrayal, family and social class. I wish I‘d read it sooner. ♥️

#booked #bookhaul #juicystack #happybirthdaytome

This book consists of narratives inside the lives of people from the small (fictional) town of Crosby, Maine. There are recurring characters, of which Olive emerges as a compelling central figure. Olive suffers from depression and the overall feeling of the book is melancholic but hopeful. Strout depicts private thoughts and feelings related to love and loss so insightfully that she brings to life characters that are as real as fiction gets.

Grohl comes across as a good guy, perpetually star struck and practically unaware that he‘s a celebrity himself. His memoir is filled with famous names, though he doesn‘t dish on them. He doesn‘t ‘go there‘ with his love life either. What he does is simply tell entertaining stories. It‘s nice to hear his voice — and he even hid one last story in the credits for us, like an encore.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This book was recommended to me by my mom and I‘m so glad I didn‘t miss out on it. It‘s an entertaining, first in a series novel about a very charming and extremely clever African woman that starts a detective agency in Botswana. Fans of Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew and comfort reads should check it out if they haven‘t already — I‘m a little late to the party 😅

This highly acclaimed book is written in the form of vignettes from the perspective of a Mexican American girl in a Hispanic neighborhood, which I believe was loosely based on the real life of Cisneros. I can see why it has been studied over the years by people of all ages. Since it can be read in one sitting, there‘s really no reason not to.

From the man who famously named Generation X: short, binge worthy and often cringe worthy (in the best way) stories, loosely connected with multiple cameos, lots of pop culture references and dark humor. This may be my favorite book by Coupland. And yes, that‘s a pre-Friends Courteney Cox dancing on the cover.

What Toby thinks of as his charm and luck is simply privilege. Other people have problems he can‘t imagine. He‘s not the most lovable character, but I‘m ok with that. This reminded me of something from the literary brat pack of the 1980‘s — drinking, smoking, casual drug using 20 somethings with means and secrets. My main issue was that it was too verbose, but I really did like it.

Inspired by the memoir “Lorenzo in Taos”, a middle aged woman (M) invites a famous painter to stay in her second home on the coastal marsh, where she lives with her husband. The acerbic artist becomes a catalyst for psychodrama and introspection as M ruminates on life, love, art, motherhood, criticism, independence and the nature of identity. It can be a bit pretentious but the prose are often gorgeous and thought provoking.

Some publishers and reviewers described this novel as a ‘love‘ story. No. The villain protagonist objectifies and sexualizes girls that he deems ‘nymphets‘. He plans to drug and rape ‘Lolita‘ on their first night alone. He is a monster and she is a victim. And yet, Nabokov masterfully takes in readers with dark humor, satire, brilliant word play and elegant, self-aware prose. From a literary standpoint it‘s an achievement.

“For people of my age," she thinks, "the places that they truly loved and to which they once belonged are no longer there. The places of their childhood and youth have ceased to exist ... And if their outer form has been preserved, it's all the more painful, like a shell with nothing inside it anymore. I have nowhere to return to. It's like a state of imprisonment. The walls of the cell are the horizon of what I can see."

I think if you‘re expecting a mystery you may be a bit disappointed. This book is more the character study of an older woman (Janina) living in the Polish wilderness, at odds with the hunters around her. The philosophy of Blake and the natural world is woven in with Janina‘s horror at the killing of animals.

1. Hawaii, Mexico & The Caribbean 🏖
(I must be in the mood for a beachy read)
2. Meditation 🧘‍♀️
(obviously reading and book store browsing too)
3. The World According to Fannie Davis 📖
(I generally love memoirs)
4. Having a home with books 🏡
(and that I‘m not an empty nester quite yet)

@Eggs #WondrousWednesday

I thought this was a well written, well plotted courtroom drama/suspense/mystery. I was really impressed that it‘s a debut novel. I would definitely read the author again. However, it is quite depressing.

Winston and I will try not to take offense. 😂 We‘re finding this book very endearing, but it‘s a lot of teenage boy (Townshend‘s writing is convincing) and we think it‘s probably best, for us, read in smallish doses between other books.

Update: He‘s really grown on me & I‘d like to read the rest of the series!

“When something was strange, everyone thought they had the right to come stomping in all over your life to figure out why. I found that arrogant and infuriating, not to mention a pain in the neck.”

“People who are considered normal enjoy putting those who aren't on trial, you know.”
•••
I was looking for something short and fun but found much more in this gem of a novel with a neuro-divergent protagonist.💗

It‘s easy to see why Davis takes so much pride in what her mother was able to accomplish. I found the history of numbers running (which I knew nothing about) interesting, especially given the backdrop of Detroit in the 1970‘s. Even though this is a personal and unique story, it also provides an expanded view of American history.

I loved ‘The Buddha in the Attic‘ so when I was told how incredible Otsuka‘s debut novel was, I had to read it too. This is also a slim book chronicling the experience of Japanese Americans in the 1940‘s, but this one focuses on a family. I love Otsuka‘s writing, she breaks my heart in a thousand tiny ways and makes me feel as though I‘m living inside the story. This will stay with me. ❤️

This novel is a fast paced crime/murder mystery with a social media twist. It‘s easy to read with super short (like three page) chapters. Apparently it was also published under the title, “Are You Watching?” which I actually think makes more sense. I had intended to read this intermittently but instead stayed up all night, doing that ‘just one more page‘ thing. I think it‘s a good YA summer whodunnit kind of read.

Even though this is a memoir about the struggles faced by one mom, it‘s hard to read and not think about injustices faced by all working poor. This story makes a good argument for a more robust social safety net. It also serves as reminder to treat all people with kindness and respect. Sometimes the book felt a bit disjointed but Land did a good job of conveying the anxiety, frustration and exhaustion she felt while striving for a better life.

The backdrop for the story is 9/11 but it‘s really about a precocious boy embarking on an adventure through NYC while dealing with the aftermath of tragedy. It was at turns funny, sad and beautiful.

This is the story of two Nigerian sisters. The eldest (our protagonist) is an average looking no-nonsense nurse that‘s seriously good at cleaning up messes. The other is a gorgeous, flirty serial killer. Themes including beauty, socioeconomic status and sibling bonds are explored satirically with dark humor. The chapters are short, and well written. I really enjoyed this debut from Braithwaite. Also, how great is this cover!? 💚

I‘m not sure if this is my favorite Hercule Poirot mystery, but it is very good and rightfully makes it on to many ‘must read in your lifetime‘ lists. Agatha Christie is the master of mystery done right — the clues are all there but it‘s quite a strain on the ‘little grey cells‘ to figure out. I also love the humor Poirot adds, although apparently Christie herself did not care for him. 😆

This collection included a few stories I‘ve read elsewhere, but that‘s ok. Every short story Carver ever wrote is worth reading at least twice. His minimalistic style and working class subjects (of a previous generation) combined with first person narratives, pull you into one compelling, realistic story after another. Absolutely brilliant. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This novel didn‘t quite meet my expectations but if you‘re a sci-fi/horror fan this might just be the book for you.

Sometimes people ask why I keep buying books when I already have so many. There is a long answer, but honestly you either get it or you don‘t. #yougetme #bookhaul

Remember to look for magic. 💫 Thanks for the tag! @OriginalCyn620 🤗 Post a positive quote & tag some others if you want to play!

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @sprainedbrain @BooksChocolatesCoffees @Andrew65 @Megabooks @TrishB

#positivequote #thinkpositivebepositive

The reader knows the private jet goes down from the start but what we don‘t know is why. Everyone on the plane has something in their background that may provide a clue — or not. Wanting answers kept me up late. I‘d liken the experience of reading it to binge watching a mystery/suspense tv series…occasionally a bit cheesy but entertaining.

This was my @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin for June.

Former art student and day-drinking hotel worker Misty Wilmot is caught in a surreal trap. This horror story/mystery/dark comedy told in diary format by a (for most of the book) unknown narrator is both a fun read and a philosophical thinker.

I loved this novel! Even though this is very different from ‘Station Eleven‘, there is common ground. Both move back and forth in time between a variety of characters, both have a disaster at the center and both ask: who are you when everything is taken away? In this timeline, the ruinous effects of financial crime branch out as several mysteries are brought to light. Themes of responsibility, complacency, loss and guilt are explored.

What will I read from my TBR this June? Only #bookspin knows! @TheAromaofBooks

A good day, a good book & a good boy! ☀️📖 🐶

I enjoyed this novel overall, even though I found the protagonist frustrating and not very likable. Anna is truly depressed but throwing herself into extramarital affairs doesn‘t help. You can tell it will lead to no good, but what actually happens is pretty shocking.

This was on my TBR for years! It‘s a gloomy, gothic tale of smuggling (and worse) off the coast of Cornwall in 1820. Written by Du Maurier several years before ‘Rebecca‘, I thought the suspense here was just as compelling but this one was more horror story than love story.

‘The Count of Monte Cristo‘ was mentioned in the last two books I read. I now realize how frequently it‘s referenced in pop culture and how much influence it still has. I wish I‘d read it sooner. As you probably know, it‘s an adventure saga of revenge featuring the original most interesting man alive. Written as a serial in 1844, today it would be a multi-book series. In other words, it‘s long. Take it in parts if need be, it‘s worth it!

I was completely mesmerized by this family drama told by semi-oblivious protagonist and only son, Danny. The magnificent house is a character in its own right. As always, Patchett‘s writing is fantastic.

Written in 2011, many fans have already read this but if not, definitely should! Kaling is a witty, self-deprecating essayist and writer of the most hilarious episode of ‘The Office‘ involving a George Foreman mini-grill mishap. Also interesting is that Kaling wanted an all female remake of ‘Ghost Busters‘, even though she predicted there would be a male outcry against it. Maybe her prior work with a television psychic rubbed off?

To recap, this (home decorating/travel?) book goes something like: ‘Bright colors are better than beige, circles are better than rectangles, I‘m going to Paris.‘ This would have made a really nice picture-filled coffee table book since it‘s so visually descriptive, but otherwise, the TED Talk was enough for me. Meanwhile, my dearest friend adores this book and refers to it often, so there you go! 🤷🏻‍♀️

I enjoyed the coming of age aspect of this story and the very likable protagonist, Jamie. However, this crime thriller didn‘t soar to the heights King is capable of. IMO this one is best left for his super fans.

The story pulls you in with an interesting premise and outstanding descriptions of nature in narrative passages. Unfortunately, I found the second half of the book too implausible. Smart women in my book club loved this story, so maybe it‘s a me thing.

So you want to talk about race ‘without placing undo burden on people of color to educate you‘? Yes! This book is a great starting point for (most likely, but not necessarily) non-POC. I appreciate that Oluo wrote this in a very conversational, accessible way. At the end of the book there are good ideas for actions you can take when you want to do more than talk.

I loved the idea of the multiverse and alternate lives combined with a likable protagonist and an ultimately positive message about life. Even though I did feel the novel was logically flawed, it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Georges Simenon is one of Belgium‘s most famous writers (known for his Inspector Maigret novels) but he also wrote what he called ‘roman durs‘ or portraits of deviance. In this short roman dur/psychological thriller, adultery leads to crime and terrible consequences. Simenon‘s writing is both nuanced and descriptive as the story becomes increasingly intense.

A foodie memoir that reads like a novel about growing up between cultures with lots of extended family plus Middle Eastern recipes. I especially love the way Abu-Jaber depicts childhood and how naturally recipes become part of the story. I‘m excited to try making some!

‘The East Area Rapist‘ later dubbed ‘The Golden State Killer‘ (by McNamara) is the subject of her well written, relentlessly investigative true crime book. Sadly, she did not live long enough to complete the book or to see the killer apprehended. However, her notes were posthumously pieced together to complete her work. It was done very well.

More self-deprecating, witty, gross and hilarious memoir essays from Samantha Irby that made me lol and feel less alone with my midlife anxiety and occasional curmudgeonliness. Bonus if you enjoy 90‘s pop culture references!