Welcome to Litsy!

This YA book published in 2019 was the subject of today‘s Banned book Club with Ali Velshi on MSNBC. It‘s banned in Tennessee & Indiana. His interview with the author, Robin Benway, was enlightening. Usually his show lands on YouTube within a week or two. @KateReadsYA Have you read this? I plan to now that i am aware of it.

One thousand percent LOVED this so much. It‘s YA but didn‘t feel YA - real life, tough issues that the characters had to deal with. And I just adore a found family story. The ending had me teary. Just a fantastic read 💚💚💚 #booked2023 #quietya #pantone2023 #persimmon

@DebbieGrillo thank you so much for my #jolabokaflodswap gift! Two of my favourite chocolates, and a book that I'm so looking forward to reading (when I'm ready for a tear jerker, I've heard tissues are needed towards the end!). Such a lovely gift to unwrap, Merry Christmas Eve!

Thanks @MaleficentBookDragon for another great swap!

This is the second book I‘ve read in the past couple weeks about adopted siblings living with different families. Book kismet?

Grace and Maya were adopted as babies by different families and Joaquin spent his childhood in the foster system. As teens they find out about each other and meet.

I absolutely loved this, it‘s a tear-jerker towards the end. The new relationships the kids form, plus the existing ones they had, are perfectly depicted.

What a beautiful story of siblings. It's been a minute since a book made me cry... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Two of 2022 done.!! Felt a lot of emotions throughout this read.!! I love books with complex characters.. also who doesn't like happy endings..!! The love between the siblings..!! This book makes you laugh, cry and enjoy it all..!! A very comforting read! ❤️❤️

I participated in LibraryThing‘s Santa Thing swap this year mainly because my local indie was one of the participating book stores. I opened these 4 YA titles this morning. Jason Reynolds is an #AuthorAMonth this year, so that‘s perfect! Thank you Santa!🧑‍🎄 😊🎄
#SantaThing #LibraryThing

Three siblings get in touch with one another after realizing that one another exists, adopted (or in Joaquin‘s case foster care) at young ages they‘ve all been recently made aware of one another. It‘s a beautiful story of family, connection and love. I was surprised at how often I found myself crying throughout this book, I‘m not usually a crier.

Ugly tears... Feeling so many feels

Based on a friend rec. Let's see how this adventure in genre goes!

#NewYearWhoDis book number two is another pick.😊 Following giving up her baby for adoption, Grace looks for her own biological mother, which leads to her discovering two half-siblings, Maya & Joaquin. I was really impressed by the emotional depth here, as well as the varied perspectives it offered on experiences around adoption. I felt so deeply for each of the three as they navigated their own struggles as well as what it means to be siblings.

I started this audiobook yesterday, to motivate me to get some cleaning done around the house while I was listening. And I‘m enjoying it so much that I‘m already almost 4 hours in. (Confession: I did not spend all of that time cleaning...😂) #NewYearWhoDis

Excellent YA book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Highly recommend. I couldn't put it down.
It's about adoption, teen pregnancy, and foster care from all different angles. It's about family.

It would be a great book for anyone to read.

August #readingwrapup #bookreport
Light month for me, you can tell I went back to work! #teacherlife

Favorites:
📖 Happy & You Know It
📖 Far From the Tree
🎧 G‘Morning, G‘Night

Duds:
🎧 Serpent & Dove
📖 We Are Never Meeting in Real Life

For Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is in fact a middle child is a different ride altogether.
#foundfamily #tropesinaugust @Klou

Beautiful.

All the Stars and Teeth was fantastic and is now on its way to @Lauranahe. ♥️ Now, I am gulping down Far from the Tree (thanks, @TheBookkeepers). It's a really good read. I don't think I would have chosen it on my own, so I am very thankful you did, @kellyann28! Thankful for my awesome #LMPBC group!

I had some issues with parts since I have such a deep personal connection to adoption & this author did not. But overall I enjoyed this one & she did nail certain aspects! Great pick @Lauranahe I‘ll mail this out today @Karisa @kellyann28 #lmpbc

Mother‘s Day feels like an appropriate day to start this one! #lmpbc @kellyann28 @Lauranahe @Karisa

With remote learning, reading breaks happen whenever you want them too!

She‘s been delving into my YA bookshelf, and chose the tagged book because she knows the story is personal for me and that I LOVED this book, and one of the main characters shares her name. 🥰

This is being sent to you tomorrow @TheBookKeepers !
#LMPBC @Karisa @Lauranahe

Easy to see why Robin Benway's Far From The Tree is a National Book Award winner. Touching without being cloying with bursts of humor. A definite pick.

Morning read

I really liked this book! It's probably one of the better contemporary YA books that I have read recently. Great pick @Lauranahe ! #LMPBC @TheBookKeepers @Karisa

@Lauranahe It came today! And thank you so much for the extra goodies! You are THE BEST! 🥰
@TheBookKeepers @Karisa #LMPBC

3 teens find out they‘re biological siblings, and have to navigate the meaning of family. I liked the book, and the idea of what makes a family, and the effects of different kinds of adoptions. Everything was neatly tied up at the end, which I appreciate, but don‘t find very real-life. Still a good read!

Hey Group G #LMPBC! What do y‘all think of this for my book?? @Karisa @TheBookKeepers @kellyann28

So glad that after two crap books, this was a much better reading experience! Heavy &emotional, but also funny &relatable, even for an adult w/no personal experience of adoption. Really liked the three kids‘ distinct voices & seeing their growth, appreciate the focus on how trauma impacts us in lasting ways. Ending was a bit Hallmark movie-ish, & odd to me that abortion was never mentioned as an option for Grace. Overall really liked! 4/5 ⭐️

“Hey, why are you calling me instead of texting?”
“What, I can‘t call you and talk, voice to voice? Have a human connection?”
“Nice try. Are you grounded?”
“Yep. My parents took my phone. I can only use the computer for school.” Maya sighed heavily as her mom walked past the kitchen, then one more time for good measure. “My *jailers* let me use the landline for 5 minutes. The fucking *landline*. Like I‘m on the Oregon Trail or something.”
🤣🤣🤣🤣

It wasn‘t that their parents‘ fights got violent or anything like that; words could shatter harder than a glass breaking against a wall, hurt more than a fist plowing through teeth.

Hoping this will be a much better reading experience than the last couple books. I‘ve heard almost entirely rave reviews, so 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 #nowreading

This one gave me all the feels!! I loved this story about three teens who find their biological family. I especially identified with Grace, but loved getting chapters from all three characters.

This is a story about love and family - the family we have and the family we find. Most of all, I loved seeing Joaquin and Grace and Maya grow closer together, becoming their own family. So much love in this book - I cried the entire last quarter. 😭❤️
5🌟

Devastatingly beautiful. Really lovely audio book.

I don‘t know if I would of picked this up if it wasn‘t an audible daily deal, but I‘m so glad I did because I loved. It made me feel all the emotions.

Did I laugh? Yes!
Did I cry? Yes!
Did I roll my eyes? Yes!
Were parts of this book unrealistic? Yes!
Did I love this book? Yes!!!!
#AllTheFeels 😭😂🙄🥰

#DearDecember @Eggs My current audiobook has #TreesInTheTitle and it‘s absolutely delightful 💜A mix of humor and heartache and it‘s a YA!!!!

Three teenagers discover that they are siblings in this fantastic, award winning YA novel. Joaquin, Grace, and Maya negotiate their own lives and pasts and then the additional impact of finding out they have each other, too. #allthefeels

Perfect for fans of This Is Us, Robin Benway‘s beautiful interweaving story of three very different teenagers connected by blood explores the meaning of family in all its forms—how to find it, how to keep it, and how to love it.

This is an instant YA classic! There were a few parts that were so profound and well-written that I had to pause and re-read them. The last page even brought me to tears! Some of the character‘s reactions to big events felt a little unnatural (perhaps overdramatized) to me, but such is YA. The good definitely outweighs the bad with this one!

While the probability of putting 3 kids up for adoption/release in such rapid succession baffles me, most of the huh-moments I had while reading are answered in the last chapter. I enjoyed the multi POV from the teens and the diversity and similarities that they shared. All around this was a fantastic book that can really shed light on what it feels like to be adopted, in foster care, and what it's like to be a teen parent.

A story about three biological half-siblings, each given up after birth, who find each other as teens. I enjoyed this and felt it offered a fresh perspective on subjects such as teen pregnancy, adoption, and family. Would make a great discussion book for teens or adults.

Finished off my audiobook while getting in the last of my daily steps for #BFCR2. Now to sit at home and read for the rest of the night. Current reading time: 10hrs 45mins ⏱ #24B4Monday

This was a beautiful book about family, adoption, and finding your identity. I simply devoured it! A definite recommend from me! ♥️

Content in the knowledge that no matter what happened with your parents, or your girlfriend, that your siblings will still be there, like a bookend that keeps you upright when you feel like toppling over.

This is SO good so far! I‘m loving it. 🧡

#24B4Monday

We're bonding! Over condiments!

I‘ve got some #audiobooks ready for #24B4Monday readathon. Now I‘ve just gotta get snacks!

🍉🍏🧁.🎧.🍟🍿🍫