Welcome to Litsy!

Picking this one back up after more than a year‘s hiatus. Can I get through it before the end of the year or will I get distracted again?

Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook but it was uneven in places. #MountTBR

When it rains, it pours!!!

All of these OverDrive holds have come in since Friday!!! I‘m not if I‘ll have enough hours in the day to finish before they are due!! #ChallengeAccepted #BookishProblems #AllTheReads

The Resurrection of Joan Ashby is one of the best books I have read - this goes on my VERY small pile to read again, in a few years, when I may be able to connect in new ways. The writing is beautiful, and the layered story lines had me sad to finish. This was a comfortable, complex book and I loved it.

Cracking open a new book is always mixed emotions - excited, hopeful it will be good, wondering if a character will make a long-term impression, hoping I feel the book deep in my gut. Here I go!

#2018Book71
This novel is the definition of "rich people problems," and I am 100% here for it. I loved all of the family drama and completely related to the titular character's struggle with how marriage and motherhood could affect her life as a writer. The only thing I didn't really like about this novel were the frequent excerpts from the character's own writing. They rarely served the plot, but rather brought it to a sudden halt.

Somehow this book kept me glued to the pages but I could have done without all the stories within the story. They were pretentious and flowery and though I saw they were part of the story I ended up skimming most of them.

I'm slightly obsessed with this cover.

This book is so tedious, you guys. I‘ll be happy to say goodbye to Joan and her writing.

This #libraryhaul is why #MountTBR isn‘t being climbed more quickly.

As Nikki Sixx once said on Behind the Music, “I cannot stop.”

#TheHoneymoonisOver as soon as Joan, a literary sensation, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant with the child she never wanted. Her literary career and her marriage suffer as a result, and unfortunately for the reader, it‘s 500 pages of dragged out misery 😑
#marchintooz

I loved Joan‘s story so much. It made me think a lot about motherhood and the parts of ourselves that we give away to everyone around us. When do we decide that we need to live for ourselves? A question that I think every woman must ask herself at some point...

Finished my last book while sitting at my son‘s pole vault clinic and this one is up next. Tangentially related, is there a good book that has pole vaulting in it?

I made it 2/3 of the way through this book before getting so frustrated that I moved beyond the guilt of bailing and finally put it down. Joan Ashby is supposedly a force in literature, which might be believable if the author didn't include so many excerpts of Ashby's mediocre writing for the reader to judge. And her sons both turn out to be pathetic losers who live in a constant state of self-pity, just like their mother. I'm over it!

Almost 100 pages into this chunkster and it hasn't quite gripped me yet. I'm enjoying the bits of Joan's writing that are interjected and contrasted with her reality, but something about her story just feels... dull. Really hoping it picks up soon! Anyone else read this one yet?

Each of these is #abookwithabeautifulcover, and each has some #trickytwists. I can't recommend them both highly enough. Two of my favorite books from 2017!! #janinbooks18 #readingresolutions

It‘s true! 🐦❤️🐦❤️🐦

This book is a little rambly and I don‘t LOVE it, but it feels so delightfully indulgent to sink into a giant book about books on a bitter snowy day.

Snow day reading.

Happy New Year, littens!!! May your 2018 be filled with amazing books!! Sorry I haven't been around much. I've missed y'all. But even though I haven't been on Litsy as much as I'd like, I managed to read 125 books this year, some of which were phenomenal. These were my top five of the year, and I have a blog post of my top 20 here if you're interested: http://www.celestialmusings.org/?p=516

Finally got my Quarterlane box, there were some issues with my mail since I‘ve moved & it went to my old place. Their boxes are a little pricey but they feel so decadent! I can‘t wait to dive into these books. #bookmail

One of the best debut novels I‘ve read in the last few years. The writing is pitch perfect. Joan experiences a major betrayal but is it the one from someone she loves or did she betray herself. I have my opinion, now you decide.

It‘s been a while. Hi, everyone! Work has been nuts but I‘ve been popping in to see what everyone is up to. I also finally joined BOTM! What did everyone choose??

I had to take a break from this one when I sprained my thumb (too heavy to hold!) but I really enjoyed this deep dive into one woman's internal life through her writing, her family, and her travels. ARC from publisher.

Bailed at the beginning of the second chapter: it took me that long to realize that, while I liked the audio narrator, the writing itself was not doing much of anything for me.

If this hadn‘t been a freelance assignment I would have totally bailed. I didn‘t understand many of Joan‘s choices & behavior. I also had issues with some plot points that didn‘t ring true or authentic. 🎧 The audiobook performance by Gabra Zackman was super but couldn‘t save the novel for me. (Michael Dickes had a small narrator part and was fine.) Joan brought most of her troubles on herself.

Doesn't ruby look so pretty next to this book? While there's a few tangents here that just go on too long, all in all there's some good stuff here about motherhood and marriage.

I'm digging this enough I read nearly 200 pages in 24 hours, which is a rarity now. Didn't ride today, gotta say I enjoyed having the extra reading time!

Oh my gosh I can't say enough about this book! I picked it up on a whim (because you know, Costco) and I'm so glad I did! I was completely engrossed in this story and could not wait to get back to it. So beautifully written, with many additional stories within the story, I thoroughly enjoyed it! A brilliant debut. I will be waiting for her next one!

Thank you to the publisher, Flatiron Books, for providing me with a free finished copy to review. All opinions are my own. I liked this book very much, but I did not fall head-over-heels-in-love. Many passages resonated with me regarding marriage, motherhood, sacrifice, and redemption. I saw myself within the pages. Overall, the book was just too long. I thought the short stories were distracting and I didn't understand their purpose.

Today was the last day of the San Francisco Friends of the Public Library book sale and everything was $1. I bought 23 books and here is most of my #bookhaul (I tried to take out books that I bought for other people).A lot of these are ARCs which I like to share with others. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday. I even got a work out in by carrying them all home uphill.

I loved a lot about Joan Ashby. Chasing babies has had me in a reading rut but this held my interest all the way through - 500+ pages. I didn't love the excerpts that were supposed to be her own stories, but other than that it was so good.

Anyone else enjoying this ?

I've been seeing so many great reviews about this one that I decided to give it a shot. The weather is so gorgeous I might even be able to enjoy it on my deck!

#awesomeautumnbooks #day12 - #newauthors

In case it wasn't obvious, all this #catchingup posting has been at the same #barnesandnoble during my break from work. Was surprised to see this as a debut, given all the attention it's received. I'll probably take advantage of the sale and pick it up; either this or The Heart's Invisible Furies.

I started listening to this on #audible today and it immediately grabbed my attention and I am hanging on every word. The writing and language is seriously gripping.

Still thinking about this book. 🖤

Will she write again?
Will she write a new book?

It's good but, man, this book is stressing me out 😳

This was one of the more uneven reads for me in recent memory. There were parts I absolutely loved and parts I really hated. If I were rating it for the first half alone, it'd be a pick, but the second half and some unfortunate literary choices really brought it down for me. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2105569417

So this book is really good but it's about a famous, renowned writer and it includes tons of excerpts from this character's short stories (which is a literary device that I hate in the first place but I digress). Anyway, the short stories that this supposedly amazingly gifted character writes are SO BAD that it's detracting from the actually very good novel. 😩

Ok first let me say that the writing in this book is incredible, like on another level. It has gotten amazing reviews and the plot line seemed really interesting to me... but... while I can completely understand how Joan felt about "the family she never wanted," it is kind of hard for me to feel bad for her. She has a full time nanny, an independent income, and a supportive husband who is crazy about her.
Cont.

Joan was socially awkward and completely happy to be locked within her own literary worlds. Her story was like peeking behind the facade of “every woman"; she said the things we often find ourselves thinking, but not saying out loud, about being a woman and motherhood. It was an ode to us – the lives we live, the sacrifices we make, our successes. There was an honesty and a beauty in her story that was undeniable. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: this was a super slow burn of a novel. A brilliant writer whose life is "ruined" by a pregnancy. She finally finds herself and claims her life back, or does she? This novel is long-- maybe too long, and filled with stories from Joan Ashly-- cool and maybe a bit too much? #Debut #OutAug29 #Flatiron #ARCLife

Wow! I don't know what to say except I wept at the end of this--not because it's sad--but because it's so beautiful! Such incredibly lovely prose. Reminded me a bit of Eat, Pray, Love but on a much grander scale and on literary steroids! It should take the world by storm. See @Celeste57 for the best review of this! Thanks to NetGalley

Love surprise #bookmail!!! Thank you @flatironbooks !

Just received my first ever signed and personalized book from an author. It was so unexpected and is so incredibly appreciated!!! 😍😍😍

My current read! About 100 pages in and really liking it so far!

This was a phenomenal book. I hope with all my heart that it takes the world by storm when it releases on August 29th. You can read my full review of this fantastic novel here: http://www.celestialmusings.org/?p=463

Stories within stories. Rich language. Big feeling. Messed-up characters. A story about creating, being yourself, and being happy.