Welcome to Litsy!

LOVE IT!! Never would have read it - so glad it was a book club pick!!

DON‘T MISS IT!!

Thanks, @ChaoticMissAdventures

“20 Day Cover Challenge - As we start a new year and think about what we want in a book.

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.” 13/20

I absolutely loved this coming-of-age novel that encompasses love, family, acceptance, friendship, forgiveness & faith. I think it‘d be a great book club book with plenty to discuss in this gripping listen performed by the author. Born with ocular albinism, Sam Hill faces merciless bullying from the start when the Catholic nuns try to bar from attending their school. But the “Devil Boy” & his family never give up, spanning 1950s-80s! Excellent!

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Definitely in the top ten that I have read for this year.
If you haven't read it, you should.

#coverlove #hat This one provided great discussion at my book club last year!

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I found this coming-of-age tale pretty predictable and a tad underwhelming. It felt like a bunch of childhood stories strung together. Just okay.

While I liked this book, I think it‘s a bit overhyped. It‘s slow in some places, and, in others, I was either bored or didn‘t care about the situation. Other situations were very predictable. Overall, though, Sam‘s journey to accept himself and learn more about faith was a good story.

I have read 4 of Dugoni‘s thriller books, and I was surprised to find this one. It came highly recommended. This is a straight fiction book, telling the story of Sam Hill from childhood into his forties. It is a testament to the author‘s skill as a writer that I found this very interesting and flew through it in 2 days.

A great coming-of-age novel that‘ll make you both laugh and cry. I feel like this one should‘ve gotten more hype than it did.

#12Booksof2023

May: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL by Robert Dugoni. LOVED Sam as a character, red eyes an all!
“There comes a day in every man's life when he stops looking forward and starts looking back“ (Dugoni).

5 out of 5!

This is a stunner of a book… I laughed, I cried, sometimes I laughed while I cried… it gave me all of the feels! Rich in character and heart this novel doesn‘t disappoint!

“Time is wicked. It comes and goes like a thief in the night, stealing our youth, our beauty, and our bodies.”

This book made me smile and cry simultaneously so many times! It was beautiful to read!

#2023readingbracket (hard to read, so ...)

Jan: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Feb: The Moonstone
Winner: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Mar: Cannery Row
Apr: Agnes Grey
Winner: Cannery Row
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Overall Winner So Far: Remarkably Bright Creatures
**************************************
May: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

I adored Sam and his parents, and the lifelong friendship between Sam, Ernie, and Mickie is, well, extraordinary. The prejudice Sam faces due to his ocular albinism is excruciatingly painful, and David Freemon is pure evil. One of the main motifs in the book is the questioning of faith. What I found challenging was the ending; it was full of preachy platitudes and a too-quick (I thought) jump on the Catholic bandwagon. Still, a heartwarming read.

Wow moment for me earlier today. Putting together the detail record of our book group ratings and I realized this past Saturday marked 280 selections and meetings. We‘re closing in on 300 selections, and this November will be our 25th anniversary. There are no words to properly express what this journey has meant and continues to mean to me. I‘ll save the real gushing until we hit that milestone. #FirstSaturdayReaders

It was so beautiful today, we had book group outside! #FirstSaturdayReaders

A little preachy, a little predictable, not really the kind of book I‘d normally pick up (it was this month‘s selection for our book group). Not the worst thing I‘ve ever read, but I don‘t get people raving about this book. #FirstSaturdayReaders #BooksWithBeth

Just started this for next book club meeting. Wondering if anyone who has already read this would share their (spoiler free) opinion of it.

Finally getting into this one after a nudge from a book club friend. I love his Tracey Crosswhite series…this is a little different.

#bookspinbingo

Chilling at desk, reading with my book dragon, Lilly!! 🥰❤️

Life is good!!
BookmatesbyRhonda.etsy.com

🌟🌟🌟

A pretty good read in the beginning. Strong character development and easy, flowing writing. However the second half brought my star rating down as it turned into a hallmark, sappy story which I cannot abide.

Book club selection for this month. Loved it. Not something I would have picked out for myself, but that is the magic of book club….you sometimes get wonderful surprises like this gem of a book.

This was a hard book to put down and I hated to leave the characters behind once the book ended. The author‘s acknowledgment opened with an explanation of the story‘s origin so I‘m glad to have read that as well.

What an extraordinary book!! I enjoyed this entire book and can‘t wait to read more by Dugoni. I loved the connected thread throughout the story, faith and that everything really does have a purpose. The friendship of Sam, Micky, and Ernie is breathtaking. I couldn‘t put it down!!! Book #48 in 2021

Like the title says, a very extraordinary book!! Highly recommend.

Well, I barely met my goals. I liked this book, but became exasperated with it in the end. Forgive me if I offend, but it became too Catholic for me, more Hallmark than I like. I opened it not knowing what to expect. HAPPY SOLSTICE! Today is my last day of school with the kids. I'll have more time to accomplish these #Readathon goals. Thanks @Andrew65 for hosting

This #Readathon coincides with my last full week of work with students. Our last day is June 21st. Possibly the longest year. My goals will be:
🌥to finish the tagged book
⛅find the next read to share with my son
🌤and preview a dozen new picture books
☀️start a Follett order for the fall
#JoysofJune @Andrew65

I‘m sticking with my first impression. This was a good story, but there were no amazing sentences that demanded I stop and reread and savor them. And the ending, well that went off the rails. When characters behave in ways that go against character just to have things neatly tied up, it weakens the whole story for me. So it‘s a low pick. (I had to google ocular albinism - internet photo.) I‘m curious to see what my book club thinks about it.

My irl book club read for June. I‘m 11 chapters in (short chapters) and so far an interesting story, but no great sentences that made me stop and reread and ponder.

This book read more like a memoir to me than it did a novel. I‘m not much for memoirs, because they usually don‘t hold my interest. Maybe I am reading the wrong memoirs? I really did like this story though. By the end of the book, I felt I knew the characters personally. I am kind of sad that I‘ve finished it, because I have to tell Sam Hell goodbye. This book was definitely different then any book I‘ve ever read.

Loved it.

Finally got the chance to read this book and it doesn‘t disappoint me. A warm and beautiful story. Enjoy this book! 4.5 stars out of 5.

A fast paced read which is my #bookspin choice. It‘s a sad but inspiring story of a boy who has red eyes from birth because of medical reasons. Story is crafted beautifully with the touch of emotions, family, friendship, love, loss, & faith. I specially appreciated Sam‘s frnds & family. It‘s all about breaking down and standing stronger as the days pass by. 4🌟

#bookspinbingo

@aperfectmjk @candority #Cupidbookswap There's a whole pack of these chocolates but just one in the picture. Thanks so much!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Such a wonderful story!! This book follows a boy named Sam Hell who is born with red eyes. We whiteness his birth, his school years,
Including a bully, and all through his adult life. His mother is a strong Catholic believer. She continuously encourages Sam to have faith.

Great book! It follows the life of Sam Hill, a boy born with ocular albinism, meaning he has red eyes. Short chapters makes it go by quickly, and I really enjoyed the characters.
⭐️: 4.5/5

With rave reviews, I think my expectations for this book were a little too high.
While I enjoyed it, I‘m not sure why I didn‘t absolutely love it. I think maybe the ending was tied up just a little too neatly for me.
However, the characters were written beautifully. I adored Mickie and Ernie. Sam‘s parents were also wonderfully written.
Faith, unconditional love and firm friendship in the face of discrimination and a journey of self acceptance

Book 145
A book about a boy born with red eyes, whose mom taught him he was destined for an extraordinary life. He found the opposite to be true at Catholic school, but found camaraderie with other kids that didn't fit in. The book oscillates between his childhood and his adult life. The story is not rich, but the characters are well-written and complex.bI expected to love it more after reading others' reviews, but it was good.

If you liked A Prayer for Owen Meany, you might want to pick this book up. I thought it had a similar feel to it and was overall a very good story.🍁

This is in my #TBR list.

Any thoughts?

Day 16 : #Wordsofoctober #extraordinary

My sister-in-law told me I needed to move this one up my TBR list and I'm so glad I did!

A boy with a physical disadvantage and the mother who was convinced he would lead an extraordinary life.

This story was heartbreaking, uplifting and all together wonderful. A real gem 🙂

July WRAPUP! Most of these are audio books but I had a lot of great books this month!

⭐️⭐️

For June, I had one extraordinary (Roxane Gay), one close to home (Lilian), one fun political ( Would be president), one that didn‘t stand the test of time ( Savannah blues), and a fake German heiress (Anna). Only one nonfiction (more typical).
Good month, but not spectacular. Lots covered.

Sam is born and he is different from other kids. When his dad first looks at him he makes the the statement, “What the Sam Hell?” His name is Sam Hill and as he journeys through Catholic school with the support of his parents and his mom who knows God‘s will make it all ok, you read the story of Sam‘s journey. Loved this book.