I‘m pretty excited about this little library haul courtesy of #ToB2022!

This book uses a character who refuses to conform to rules and expectations to tell a story about how well evil can be cloaked in “goodness.” It made me feel a little Flannery O‘Connor and a little Shirley Jackson and I really liked it. I think it‘s also loosely based on the story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.”

I just really love Sally Rooney. She does what she does so well, and I feel like here she‘s continuing to hone her craft. She has such an uncanny ability to capture the messiness of humans and human relationships, and I am here for it every time.

What a great story. It completely drew me in and kept me hooked until the end. It felt both foreign (I‘ve never even been on a boat on the ocean let alone sail one) and familiar - the experiences of womanhood, motherhood, and marriage. Thanks @BarbaraBB for a great recommendation!

This book is devastating. Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Futuristic, but just barely. A story of love - for family, all living creatures, the Earth. Definitely a strong pick for the Booker shortlist.

What a WEIRD book. Looking forward to discussing it! I‘m not sure what to say about it, to be honest.

Wow, what a book. An amazing story of family, self, identity and race in South Africa. And the narrative style is so so good. Reminds me a bit of Ali Smith, which is always a good thing. Happy this one made the Booker shortlist.

This book! ❤️❤️ I loved it from start to finish. A great story, beautiful writing, and a page turner for all 589 pages!

I‘m so sorry to have missed the discussion this month! This little book broke my heart. 💔 I think the author very effectively portrayed the effects of trauma through Galla‘s character and voice. So beautiful and so sad. @mklong @vivastory

Not a bad Saturday morning. Love this book so far!

My favorite of the Booker long list I‘ve read so far, I think. Such exquisite writing about life, which is made even more powerful by the premise of the book.

Making my way through the Booker nominees. Of these three, I loved No One is Talking About This for its humor and sharp insights, and A Passage North for its absolutely profound beauty.

Very meh. At times I was pulled in by the events in the story, but the writing was too heavy-handed and I ultimately found the plot too hard to believe.

I really enjoyed this book! Looking forward to the discussion @sprainedbrain and @vivastory ! 😃

I loved this bizarre story, which had so many of the elements I enjoy about Japanese fiction: quiet plot and straightforward narrative style, paired with strange occurrences and a touch of creepy.

Wow, this book really blew me away. I had heard it was good, but boy, it was really good. 😍 Such a beautiful imagining of literary history and powerful portrayal of grief. And such clever use of a few Shakespearean themes as well.

This book was a riot. Bizarre in the best way from start to finish, from the characters to the plot, including an appearance from the author herself. Brilliantly entertaining.

I really enjoyed this little book. A picture of human nature - its flaws and quirks and insecurities, and also ability to come together - illustrated in a vacation community at a lake.

I ❤️ this book. It sucked me right in like a great summer read should, and I couldn‘t put it down. A couple of moments where it felt like things worked out a bit too neatly perhaps, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.

Three pretty great books to have read so far on this vacation! 😀

I really enjoyed this book and developed deep affection and respect for the narrator. It deals with an interesting combination of topics through a narrative style that reflects the way our minds circle around things that are hard for us to face or that cause stress or grief. A great read.

Heading out for the first camping trip of the season! 🏕 📚

I finally made it to the end of this heavy, demanding read. More of a long essay than fiction, reflecting on her family‘s past, the history of anti-Semitism, art, and the end of life. It was dark and often difficult to read, but I appreciated it.

So glad I‘m finally reading this book! 😊 ☀️

What a beautiful book. A great read for this snowy weekend. And I cried several times while reading it, so I guess it also served as a free therapy session. ❤️

Looking forward to digging into these as my next reads! 💃🏽

There is no doubt James is a brilliant writer. This is an epic story and definitely sucked me in at points throughout the book. But I wasn‘t cut out to handle all the violent death scenes. 😂

Such an incredible interview with Colson Whitehead tonight on 60 Minutes!! ❤️❤️

As late as I am to the party on reading Patricia Lockwood, I will say that this book was very much what I needed right now. I will now proceed to read everything else she has written.

What a lovely read this was! Funny and warm, with a twinge of sadness here and there. It was nice to spend some time in summer during this weather. ❄️ Looking forward to discussing this one! #nyrbbookclub

“Aren‘t you supposed to be great supporters of nose-to-the grindstone? Yet here you are, in a public place, recommending malingering.”

😂 Loving this book so far!

I really enjoyed this book! It takes on a terrifying dystopian world (that feels not all that far off as per usual these days) with a great sense of dry humor and unfailing heart and perseverance. Maybe showing that there is hope for some of us to do the right thing, even when so much is wrong.

This book is beautiful. I really hesitate to say much about it at all for fear of ruining the reading experience. I loved just diving into the book and living in its world. It was unlike anything I‘ve read in a very long time. I didn‘t want it to end. ❤️

This book is a pick as it is really well-written and the story well-constructed - I like the way the narrator shifts between the emotions of her past and family and the technical descriptions of her work. I can‘t say I loved the book because the story had some triggers for me, but that‘s just due to personal context.

I‘ve wanted to watch this film adaptation of Satantango since I found out about it a few years ago. It is indeed mesmerizing. I‘ll see if I can get through the full 7.5 hours before my rental expires. 😬

This book is quirky, with moments of hilarity in the events and the writing. It is also devastating in its depiction of human frailty and flaws. I love the way it‘s written in short sections from different perspectives. When reading the beginning I randomly thought of Robert Coover‘s story The Babysitter. I liked this one more than Hot Milk even, and want to read more of Levy‘s fiction now.

Wow, this book! Definitely one of my favorites on the TOB list so far. Yu uses the screenplay narrative form brilliantly to convey the way that Asian Americans are subjected to racism and reduced to stereotypes not only in media/entertainment, but also in real life. Such a phenomenal read.

I absolutely loved this #nyrbbookclub pick. So quietly unsettling. This was my first Jansson read and I am a huge fan. Looking forward to discussing! @vivastory @BarbaraBB

I‘ve wanted to read Anne Enright forever and can‘t believe I waited so long. This book was dark and sad and beautiful. A perfect slow spiral of a story. And her writing is impeccable - dry and wry and measured.

There were things I really liked about this book: what I learned about the exploitation of native Hawaiian land and people, poignant passages about the relationships between grown children and parents. But overall the story felt a bit disjointed and I reached the end left a little wanting.

I disconnected at a yurt in the middle of nowhere for the long weekend and it was glorious. 🛖 ❤️

Well, this is exciting news. New Rooney book out this fall! 🎉

I can‘t say I enjoyed this book, but I appreciated it. A deeply unsettling story of time, aging, childhood and motherhood. And the intro from Karen Russell is really good. The book was originally published in 1978 and I imagine it would‘ve been viewed as controversial or fringe-y then.

A great story combined with beautiful writing. I couldn‘t put it down. I wasn‘t sure it could live up to the hype, but I think it does. A tightly woven story of racism, identity, and family.

A fascinating book. Kawakami‘s writing style is so unique, almost harsh sometimes, but it works really well here. She takes the decisions women make in the story head on and doesn‘t romanticize any of it. It did feel a bit long in some spots, but overall it‘s definitely a pick.

I really don‘t have the words to describe how much I love Ali Smith. ❤️ Every one of her books is such a perfect gem and this one is no exception. I think it‘s one of the most beautiful books I‘ve ever read. The section written from the perspective of the sister was my favorite, but I loved it all so much.

This was a great set of short stories. I didn‘t love all of the individual pieces, but I loved the interconnectedness of them. My favorites were Welcome to the Museum of Torture, The Man Who Sold Braces, and Tomatoes and the Full Moon.

Thank you again @readordierachel for sending this my way! I really enjoyed it! ❤️

A woman can be judged for so many things - her mothering, her husband‘s behavior, her public response to that behavior. Lucy tries to control her rage toward all of this, to meet the impossible expectations of others and herself. She pays a heavy price for that decision, in a world where expectations of women don‘t include rage or revenge.

I can‘t believe it took me this long to read Helen Oyeyemi. In this book she captures what the world looks like when you‘re a child and how powerless you can feel, and combines this with a spine-tingling fairy tale. Loved it and can‘t wait to read more of her work.

Thank you so much @vivastory for the copy of Tyll and the beautiful Tolstoy card! What a great way to end the day today. I‘m really excited to read this one!