Welcome to Litsy!

I wish I had a book club to read this with because there is much to discuss! This ended up being deeper and darker than I expected. I was impressed by both Essie & Roarke. She meticulously planned her future and, while she needed him to be able to pull it off, she saved him too. Every time we delved into Libby's backstory I was annoyed because it pulled us away from Essie's & Roarke's stories but I did understand that her history was important ⬇️

Captivating.

Getting ready to listen to classical music, read and vibe 💜

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

My final audiobook of 2021! This was a compelling listen, but also pretty predictable and straightforward; I wish it would have gone deeper. I loved Essie‘s character and still enjoyed watching how her story played out. 🎧

I‘ve never seen a single episode of the Duggars but I was drawn to this book. Well-written and engaging and satisfying, The Book of Essie draws on fundamentalist headlines from the Duggars to Ruby Ridge to conversion therapy. Essie is the 17 year old, secretly pregnant youngest daughter of a Christian celebrity family—and Essie has a plan to break free, but it‘ll take every trick she‘s learned on her family‘s reality tv show.

I've never been interested in the Duggar family... never watched the show or followed them in the news, but its pretty clear they were the inspiration for this book. It's pretty much taken right from the headlines. That being said, it was well-written and compelling. I can't say I necessarily enjoyed it, because the subject matter was difficult, but I'm glad I read it.

Spent my first day of summer vacation cleaning and setting up my favorite reading room while listening to the tagged book! 😍

I just finished my final book of the year: The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir. I was not expecting to finish tonight but I could not put it down, walking away from family festivities to finish ASAP. Interestingly, my first book of the year was Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson, and they would make a great book pairing.

Essie plots her escape from her extremely religious family, who make all of their money through an ongoing TV show.

This novel felt really realistic to me, even though I have no direct experience of such things but based solely on the aforementioned TV shows. Although I guessed Essie‘s terrible ‘secret‘ early on, I was still entranced by the rest of the book. It might even have made my #20bestof2020 but then what would I take out?!

#doublespin

Can't say I'd recommend this one.

You can read my full review here:
https://sumisbooks.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-book-of-essie-by-meghan-maclean-w...

Starting this one tonight. Has anyone read it?

This book sat atop my TBR for nearly two years but sat unread because in the negative sense of the word I‘m uncomfortable around pious behavior. So imagine my surprise when I was intrigued by this book from beginning to end. I hope all the Essies out there find a way to read this book, and I hope it helps them find their muffled voice.

#SideProfile
#BiblioMAYnia

Yet another book I need to read!!

Isn‘t @Caroline2 the most wonderful Litten?! Not only has she handmade me two face masks - she‘s made them out of squirrels! (Well not real squirrels; that would be cruel, and probably not very effective!)

Thank you so much Caroline, and for the book too (and the bookmarks). You were very brave to go to the PO!

Can you see where the postman decided to play hide and seek?! That‘s right round the back of the house too.... rather random!🤷‍♀️

I really enjoyed this! A young girl plots her escape from an extremely religious family who are also part of a reality TV programme. This was an intriguing, easy read that completely hooked me in. Exactly what I needed right now!

I really enjoyed this one. My only “complaint” is wanting more backstory on certain characters (mainly Essie‘s mother - how does one get to be that cruel?). Highly recommend!

I don't remember which Litsy friend recently mentioned this book but I'm glad they did. I read through it quickly because I just had to know more about Essie's secrets. Even though it's a fictional book it felt so realistic. #ImpulseRead

@Bookwormjillk @Clwojick @StayCurious #wintergames #elfies

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We didn't do much for it this year so I mostly got some reading done. Ruby always sits like she has something serious to discuss with you 🤣 #dogsoflitsy

⭐️⭐️ Meh. There was too much going on, but not enough depth to the story or characters. In a 300-page book, this causes a disconnect for me. I just didn‘t like, nor care, about these people.

DAY 24 #RayofLight | I snapped a quick photo during my greenway run this morning - The Book of Essie in my ears - and a ray of sunlight shone through the naked trees.

#MOvember
@Cinfhen

This was an enjoyable read, despite some plot points that just seem far fetched and unbelievable.

I never claimed to keep up with my BOTM selections...
#botm #currentlyreading #betterlatethannever

Essie belongs to a conservative Christian family who are popular reality TV show stars with a mass following. But when she gets pregnant at 17, things are not #likeaprayer and we begin to see that this family is not as reverent as they want to appear. #movember

⭐⭐⭐
Drawing some similarities to the now cancelled reality TV show "19 Kids and Counting" (and to the allegations of molestation faced by the family's eldest son), as well as a possible amalgamation of the standoff at Ruby Ridge and the Waco siege, The Book of Essie touched lightly upon many themes, from victim advocacy, teen pregnancy, and conversion counseling, to conservativism, religion, and fame. (Continued ⬇️)

#bookreport @Cinfhen

@Cinfhen, you are brilliant and we shall all sing your praises 😊 Hooray for creative prompts that keep the reading discussion goin'!

I am slowly nursing myself back to health after an icky weekend with the flu as my companion.

I'm still not 100% bettah, so based on how I'm feeling in the morning, I'll either stay home and read the tagged title (and adjoining graphic novel) between naps or... go hang out with my coworkers 😁

#weeklyforecast

I listened to the audiobook via Scribd, which was well done. Very much enjoyed this book about the youngest daughter of an evangelical reality-TV-star family that is not all it seems to be. It was especially interesting to read this at the same time as The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, and note similarities and differences. Four stars, would recommend, especially the audiobook.

3.75 stars

This review has been harder to write than most, despite the fact that I made more notes than usual throughout my reading experience. I have a lot of jumbled thoughts about The Book of Essie, as my feelings vacillated between loving it & feeling unease over the way certain things were approached.

Full review here: https://www.facebook.com/262384764521804/posts/330570804369866?sfns=mo

Or follow me on Goodreads. Link in profile.

This is one of my current reads, which I‘m enjoying so far, pictured with a bookmark I made. Have you read The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir? I was so excited to pull this one from my TBR jar because I‘ve been wanting to read it for a while!

I did my “to be read” goals for September a lot differently than usual! Check out what I‘ll definitely be reading next month and let me know what‘s on your TBR over in the comments on my YouTube video! https://youtu.be/BOw_gPYK_S4

#booktube #youtube #bookvideo #septembertbr #toberead #pickingmytbr #tbr #tbrpile #tbrbooks

🌟🌟🌟#botmsummerslam

• I certainly do NOT take Instagram-worthy photos but I try. This was my reading (and eating/drinking) spot last night while starting the tagged book. Finished chapter 1 just in time to return to the library today. As soon as I can, I'll pick it back up. The first chapter was very good, and I think there will be a compelling story here. Already much to digest about our celebrity-obsessed culture. Until we meet again, book friend 😁 •

• ASK LITSY: The library is hollering for this one back 🤫 Is it worth starting before I return it in the next few days? As in, did you find it captivating and hard to put down? If so, I might try it... •

#askLitsy #recommendations #bookrecs #fiction #novel #librarylends #overduebooks

#ayupaugust #babies #bfc #bfcr2 #goteam #botmbacklog

This book starts with a pregnancy test and has a lot of twists and turns before a very satisfying end! It follows a daughter in a Duggar-like religious family and reminded me why I stopped watching that family years ago. It also made me question watching any kids that grow up on TV (Teen Mom, The Little Couple, all of TLC, etc.) I enjoyed the multiple perspectives. #Recommended 4.5⭐️

New day (not quite 😉), three new books! 🥳📚🎧

I‘ve finished so many books the past two days that I‘ve started the new Megan Miranda on #Audible and The Book of Essie, #botmbacklog, as well as the one I posted about at 4 AM!

As Travis Tritt sang, it‘s a great day to be alive! @Cinfhen we need to do a country one! 😘

My book haul from my semi-annual book swap with my sisters

A very timely and powerful read in the reality TV, click bait obsessed culture of today.

‘I wanted a safe place...that‘s all any of us ever want, but we won‘t get there unless we refuse to stay silent‘.

This was another audiobook I couldn't get enough of! I listened nonstop. I wish I knew a bit more about the mother and father and their perspectives, but Essie is a strong character with a complex story. There are many layers outside of the main plot, and I would read another book about Roarke or even Caleb. So glad I got this in the 2 for 1 audiobook sale on Audibke last month. Both picks were winners!

A reality tv family hiding a devastating secret. This one had me from the first line - "On the day I turn seventeen, there is a meeting to decide whether I should have the baby or if sneaking me to a clinic for an abortion is worth the PR risk."

Essie decides to take charge of her own life. How she does that makes for a great story.

Starting this today...🎧

Audible has a 2 for 1 sale today, and I got The Book of Essie--adult fiction based around reality TV, religion, and a pregnancy scandal--and the YA When by Victoria Laurie about a girl who can see people's death dates.

Anyone read either of these yet?

🎼 Friday morning, at nine o'clock
She is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Meeting a man from the Motortrade 🎶

A girl who is looking for a way out.
#BeatleMaynia @Eggs

Behind the author during her presentation. New insights: *I never thought of this book as YA, but it well could be. *I had no idea of the pervasive influence of medicine in the book when I read it. *I didn‘t think the only Litten I‘d see would be @ChrisBohjalian . *How were there audiences full of what looked like only white people?

Nice day to be at #newburyportlitfest !

Do you know what these books are about? Join me and my special guest as we play a fun synopsis guessing game! https://youtu.be/vBuRQ-Z8IRc

#booktube #bookcommunity #bookgame #booklovers

What do these books and Groot have in common? They will be making an appearance in my next BookTube video, airing tomorrow! Plus, I have a special guest and a fun game featured! Make sure you subscribe to my channel so you‘ll be notified when the video is posted. You don‘t want to miss this! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2BFuHz65YO9Ak_h_ovgkDQ

#booktube #booktubevideo #booktubegames

I completely devoured this, getting sucked in from the very beginning. I didn‘t completely love the ending - I think it would have been stronger without the last 6 or so pages but the rest was fantastic.

Do you want to win a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble? Of course you do! Help me decide my TBR list for May for your chance to win. Find my Facebook page A Bookish Butterfly for a chance to vote and details on how to win. There are currently two polls up and one ends tomorrow so hurry! There will be a total of 8 polls for 8 days and other opportunities for entries!

https://m.facebook.com/abookishbutterfly/

Discussion Question Number Three.

My daughter‘s book shelf❤️❤️

Discussion Question Number Two.

Discussion Question Number One.