Welcome to Litsy!

I almost forgot to throw out this book recommendation for #standalone One of my favorites! @PuddleJumper #flerken #hauntedshelf

It‘s autumn outside but it‘s the heat of July in my book. Blazing through this compelling story of the events of summer 1961 in New Bremen, Minnesota. A mystery, a coming of age tale, a historical fiction - whatever it is, I want to see where it‘s going. #hyggehourreadathon

#ReadAway2024 This is another wonderful mystery and character study by William Kent Krueger. It did give me some mild “Stand by Me” vibes because an adult reminisces about his thirteenth summer in 1961. The audiobook includes an interview with the author.

1. Ordinary Grace

2. The Round House

3. This One Summer

#TLT

So many books , so little time! I want to read ALL these books. #BookSpinBingo

Up next on audio. I‘m using it for 2013 in the Book Girls Backlist Challenge and it‘s also on my #unreadbookshelf 🎧

#bookspinbingo

📚 ᒍᗩᑎᑌᗩᖇY ᗯᖇᗩᑭ-ᑌᑭ📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝗪𝐢𝐟𝐞
𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬
𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝
𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝗪𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝗪𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞
𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞

ʜᴏᴡ ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ɢᴏ ɪɴ ᴊᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ? ᴡᴀꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴀ ꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ-ᴏᴜᴛ?

This is a sort of mystery, but not in the same vein as Krueger‘s Cork O‘Connor series. The emphasis here is not on the whodunnit but on the impact a murder has on the family of the victim. It‘s a lovely book.

We went down to the beach today. Mr. Mercedes was our road trip book, while I read Yellow Face at the beach and listened to more of Ordinary Grace when I walked. I wasn‘t able to get much walking in because I waited until it was cooler, and then a big thunderstorm just opened up. #audiowalk. Fall decorations at the park in Foley.

I got a couple of relatively long walks in today. I think an important person in the main character‘s life is supposed to get murdered, but I‘m almost halfway through and that hasn‘t happened yet. Maybe I misunderstood. #audiowalk

Since I kind of miss This Tender Land and need a new walking book since I finished Girl Gone Missing, I downloaded this book. It‘s the 3rd book in a row partially set in Minnesota. #audiowalk

This book takes place in a small town In Minnesota. It‘s 1961. Nathan Drum, the father in this book is one of my favorite male characters of all time. #bookcrush #bookbinge #smalltownsetting

It has enough movement to keep me intrigued but not enough for me to LOVE it.

Thus audiobook was so good! Highly recommend!

Favorite recently…

#FavoriteMaleAuthor

#MarchMagic

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Finished this for my irl book club next week. The story of one summer in a small town with a pastor‘s family at the center. This does talk about God, grace, wisdom, and forgiveness but isn‘t preachy. Just fyi for those that aren‘t Christian. Some themes about prejudice but mostly about grief after the death of a family member. Very good. Has a mystery in the plot but not fast-paced, a little slow in parts.

“God never promised us an easy life. He never promised that we wouldn‘t suffer, that we wouldn‘t feel despair and loneliness and confusion and desperation. What he did promise was that in our suffering we would never be alone. And though we may sometimes make ourselves blind and deaf to his presence he is beside us and around us and within us always. We are never separated from his love.”

I loved this book. The writing was beautiful and deeply moving. The story is of a family dealing with a terrible loss told from the perspective of the 13 year old son looking back on the events as an adult. He reflects on what he learned about himself, his family, and life in general. It was emotional, spiritual and I couldn't put it down.

Just here to let you know because #iykyk about the GREATness that is this book 📚❤️

Book haul from a book sale yesterday. It was the last day, so it was $2 a bag... but I met up with some friends and they bought my bag for me, so technically it was all FREE
Unfortunately I think I'm kind of starting a slump as I'm not really wanting to read anything 🥺😕

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today‘s prompt:

Books with # INDELIBLE MOMENTS
@Eggs
@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

Today‘s Prompt: GRACE

ORDINARY GRACE is a book that will be on your mind long after you turn the last page.

Have you read this book?

REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/2p8bn9ys

@williamkentkrueger

Only book I've read by this author, but thought it was fantastic! #alphabetgame #LetterO @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This novel feels very male-oriented in a kind of Stand By Me, A River Runs Through It way. It has that view of women and girls as peripheral to the main action of life, acted upon but rarely, if ever, acting for themselves. It's a view I associate with my parents' generation, one that generation seems to look back on with fondness (not as individuals, but in general). I enjoyed this novel a lot, but this masculine bias was always in my awareness.

This book has a slow start but was a really capturing ending. The themed of race and religion were a bit overstated and took away from the story. 3/5

This book was everything I have wanted in a book and more. It kept me entertained. I love stories that are set in the past and through the eyes of a child. Sooo good.

1. This is an intriguing mystery, but more than that it‘s also a moving family drama.
2. A friend of mine lives in Minneapolis and has been inviting me to come for a visit…
#Minnesota
#RoadTripUSA2022
#TravelTuesday

William Kent Kreuger writes moving stories about people and places in the US Midwest, full of wisdom and compassion. MC Frankie's father is a Methodist minister. Not a part of the Cork O"Connor series, but a mystery set in New Breman, Minnesota. Pic of St. Boniface #Church in New Vienna, Iowa, as we passed through on a dreary day. #SavvySettings @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

I thought this was wonderful. I'm so sick of books where being a Christian is equated with having a terrible experience and then blaming God for not miraculously intervening. This is like a treatise on theodicy in novel form, but also on happiness, contentment and the fact that life simply is hard - but also beautiful. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

There was enough to keep me listening, but the pacing was excruciatingly slow and the denouement was predictable. How many times can two boys eavesdrop to move the plot forward before boring readers???? I won‘t remember this one in a month.

This is my first Krueger read and despite the lackluster intro, I do want to try his latest novel that has been well received.

#2021Book68
I loved the characters in this book! Every single one had a great backstory, behaved in ways that felt realistic for the situations they were in, and all of them grew throughout the story. Family dramas set against a historical backdrop have always been in my wheelhouse, but I especially enjoyed this one. I also cried several times while reading it.

Book club pick not one I would have picked. Slow coming of age with a mystery twist. I was surprised to like it so much. Only two complaints was narrator interpretation of one of the female characters, Ruth and the name Arielle seemed out of place for a story set in the 60's.

I enjoyed this one, gave it four stars and bought it for a friend!

🌟 🌟 🌟 https://suspensebookreviews.home.blog/2021/06/29/ordinary-grace-by-william-kent-...

This was a gracefully put-together novel, the writing was so elegant. The characters were portrayed with such realness that I felt as if I was with Frank and his brother Jake from page one. The relationship between the brothers was extremely realistic as well. The story fell flat for me though, never picking up. It's more of a coming-of-age story.

I really liked this. It was slow moving, but I still enjoyed it. The pace did kind of pick up, maybe half way through the book. I was a bit concerned about how it would end, but it turned out as I “hoped” it would.

Current Read: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger - This was a 'Book of the Month' pick for my reading group. Finally got to reading it before the month ends and I'm hooked! What mesmerizing writing! Curious to see how this story plays out.

This book is one of the very best I have read. This author has a way with words that just make you feel the story.
ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger.

This book goes into a lot of faith and how it changes throughout tragic events. Can the minister stay a man of God after these events. What happens when his wife denounces her faith and says there is no God.

Overall I loved this book. The writing, the importance of faith, forgiveness and letting go.

Full review on goodreads

Sunday morning reading soundtrack #readingsoundtrack

@AmyG ♥️♥️ You‘re the bestest. I can‘t wait to read this, and I love this card so much! The other gift is under my tree - I was good and put it there right away 😁 Hopefully what I sent to you will get there soon, we sent on the same day! Poor post office is struggling 😕 Anyway! Thank you again, so very much 🥰

Beautiful day today. I‘m tired of doom scrolling on my tablet so I took myself outside with a good book.

Y‘all, meet Nathan Drum. The other option was Linus Baker from The House in the Cerulean Sea. Those two characters make my heart swell, and so does this tiny face. 🤗😍🤩🤟🥰

I appreciate Krueger's writing style. Although I enjoyed this book, and it was a fast read, I wasn't as blown away by it as I expected to be. I did predict the twist rather early on; I thought it was very obvious, but maybe it wasn't meant to be a twist at all. Perhaps, it was meant to be obvious, and the point was to watch the narrator make the discovery.

I really enjoyed this mystery told through the point of view of a young boy. William Kent Krueger is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. #CocoTurns50 #ReadYourWay #TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon2020

Thanks to:

#WORDSOFOCTOBER
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@OriginalCyn620

Today‘s Prompt:

EXTRAORDINARY

The writing was “extraordinary,” the storyline was sweet, just like the era that pulled you in, and the storyline unquestionably kept your interest.

This book is EXTRAORDINARY even though the title says ORDINARY.

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/yy9p3wbn

@williamkentkrueger
@atriabooks

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 A book that simultaneously breaks your heart yet makes it swell with the knowledge and understanding of the goodness that lies in people. I learned so much about being a good person while reading this book. Nathan Drum, he‘s everything I ever want to be in this life. I LOVE this book. All the feels.