Ruby: A Novel | 
This is absolutely the most brutal book I‘ve ever read. I had to put it down and walk away, multiple times. Not for the faint-hearted, but something the masses need to understand about those dark corners of human nature (mostly male corners). The reason I kept reading is that I know these things happen - authors don‘t just imagine this kind of brutality. And also: the prose is so, so brilliant.
While some topics are at times difficult to read, this was excellent and, to me, beautifully written. And it‘s on sale today.
Tagging for #integrateyourshelf as the author is African American and I just learned today she is also bisexual.
Wow... what a dark, but moving story so far. Something about the image of a flower and cement feels right for this one.
bailedSorry that I couldn't stick with this one. I have to reprioritize my reading workload and set Ruby aside until August. Photo of my reading buddy as a placeholder.
Goat shaming the billy who ate my bookmark.
Bad #goat
No biscuit
❄ I have a dog named Nymeria, I've been to Mongolia, I've eaten a scorpion
❄ The Girl on the Train
❄ No
❄ Too Hot
#LitsyLearn
@Alora
#7days7covers
@sblbooks @Lcsmcat @SaturnDoo @CoffeeNBooks @Kdgordon88 Any of you want to share your favorite covers for #7days7covers
pick9/10 Not an easy book. Some parts hurt on a visceral level. Well written, the world needs more men like Ephram .
so-soThis is when the 5 star rating system fails you or rather it doesn't precisely (or accurately) fit the bill. Cynthia Bond is a poet of literary fiction. There is heartbreaking, huge impact, tear you open writing to be found in the pages of Ruby and Ephron's story.
I won't be keeping my copy... full review on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1353579936?book_show_action=false&from_rev...
so-soSo there's some real beauty here, but it's overshadowed by a significant amount of graphic, blatant child sexual abuse. Male lead wasn't developed enough imo and that perhaps the author was trying to do too much with the characters here. I feel had she treated the abuse with a more obscured hand, she'd have more power with her scenes of empowerment. But because it's so graphic I can't recommend without the world's biggest trigger warning.
My sweet Ruby will be put to rest after nearly 15 years of companionship tomorrow. I'll miss her like crazy, but I know this is right. She has a rare type of cancer causing fluid in her lungs, and the odds of chemo working are very low. Since she's currently living in an oxygen chamber, it's time to end her suffering and let her join her brother. See comments
The red lettering on Ruby jumped out at me for over a year before I finally picked this book up to read it. 5 stars.
#LiteraryLove #redreads
This is on sale today. I had to buy it because it was one of the books I used to own, but lost due to some unforseen circumstances. I'm not sure if I'll beable to read it as I heard there are many sexual violence scenes in it, and I have PTSD, but I will try it and hope I don't get triggered to the point where I'm unable to read it... 😯 I've also heard that it is a good book.
#kindledeal #kindledeals #ebooksale
1) Yes 😁
2) Gym workout - helps me to focus 😎🏋️♀️🚴♀️
3) Homework/Assignments 😅 not that I didn't try 😉
4) Not being able to choose the narrator/ having only one man/woman narrating - some narrators can do all the characters distinctly but others make all the characters blur into one 😑
5) Faster - anywhere between 1.25x and 1.75x (Audible) depending on the book and the narrator, and also what I'm doing 😊
@Ke633 #TellMeTuesday
Found this at the Dollar Tree this morning! Cracks me up every time I see the book shelf in there now. And you can find some good books too!!!! I think this one was an Opera pick, but I‘m not 100% sure on that! Anyone read this one?
“In that moment she ripped out the seams of her own dreams and patched them into his.”
“The roots of her belief in her beauty ran deep, had lasted through over a decade of drought.”
Of all that happened in her grandfather ‘s small house over the years, the lonely had been the worst of it.
Next up for my library bookclub. I have enjoyed many of Oprah‘s picks in the past. #bookclub #blackhistorymonth #oprahsbookclub
Valentine Fun #8 - Here is a book I found last week. I pulled it off the shelf and saw it was a Oprah Book Club pick. I looked it up a few reviews and it sounded really good so I bought it. It‘s about a husband who is determined to protect his wife from the city who wants to destroy her! Anyone read this one? What‘s your favorite Oprah Book Club pick?
Half brutal, violent, harrowing life story. Half tender, pure, benevolent love story. It will break your heart one page, and gently mend it the next.
#blackhistorymonth
Today's #shelfie brought to you by books that I haven't read yet but probably will someday.
#riotgrams #bookstoread #onmyshelf #butfirstletmetakeashelfie #tbr #notreadyet
Ok soooooo maybe it‘s getting to be a slight problem...please ignore the Bath and Body Works obsession in the background. Apparently I like to smell good while reading books. Tee hee! 🤣
Books are Magic‘s staff picks
Trust me , this is me & my little gall. Enjoy your time reading & having space. Because we grandmothers are loving our time with our little darlings ❤️👍❤️❤️
@emilyhaldi discovered a roadside book sale earlier so we had to stop and take a look. Here's what I came away with. Let me know if you've read any of them! #bookhaul
#90sinJuly @Robothugs @Cinfhen
I couldn't bear to finish this book but poor Ruby was probably #insaneinthebrain as a result of a psychotic disorder and PTSD stemming from a lifetime of abuse.
NAMI (Nat'l Alliance on Mental Illness) hotline:1-800-950-6264
bailedNOPE. NOPE. NOPE! All the nopes that ever noped. I just couldn't finish this book. I thought I could cope with the abundance of sexual violence depicted in this novel but twelve chapters in and I'm throwing in the towel. I'm sure it was included with a purpose and adds to the story some how but I couldn't stomach it long enough to find out. Read at your own risk.
#LitsyAtoZ #LetterR #LetterW #LetterY #DNF
Started this on the cruise and honestly, it's rough. I've had to stop reading a few times. There's a great deal of violence and abuse being recounted in this book but I'm gonna push through.
#LitsyAtoZ #LetterR #triggerwarning
pickOh my. This book broke my heart again and again. I've put it off for a long time because I had heard it would. It was just the perfect book to help pull me out of a reading slump. I just sat in my car in the garage for 20 minutes because I couldn't wait until tomorrow to finish it. Read by Bond, it is a beautiful, emotional book.
pickI have read that many people did not like this book because of its depiction of abuse. Yes, there is sexual abuse of children among other things, but I think this was depicted sympathetically, without being over the top. This is not a fun read, but it deals with difficult issues (abuse, sexuality, race, social exclusion) in an interesting and engaging way.
pickWow, this was unbelievably dark and brutal. Beautiful writing but trigger warnings for rape and violence.
so-soBrutally dark book that I ultimately had trouble connecting with. Reminded me of a modern day Beloved. ⭐⭐⭐ #RubyBell #OprahPicks #CynthiaBond
2017 Love of Reading Challenge with @jess.how
Day 10: Animal Love
My fave reading companion: Ruby!!
#17booklove
#riotgrams #characterthatsharesmyname #characterthatsharesyourname
This sweet book, written by Rita Shields is not in the database nor do I think it is still in print. I have always loved my name, and have loved this sweet, gentle orphaned title character almost as long. #marykate
Enabler alert: I have not read this but have heard great things. #readsoullit #blackhistorymonth
🔔📚🔔 for fans of Oprah's Book Club picks Ruby is $1.99 amazon/b&n !
These are 2 #DNF for me. Ruby-sexual violence was vivid and overwhelming. Water For Elephants-I'll trot out my personal hashtag #toomuchpenis. I did not see the movie. I do own another Sara Gruen novel "At Water's Edge" that I have not tried. #readJanuary
