In Liebe, Layla: Roman | 
pickThemes: Family drama, The Great Depression, WPA Projects
This chunkster was good, not great - a soft pick for sure. Annie Barrows does a wonderful job with her characters and the setting, I just wish the plot was more exciting right from the get go, instead of picking up during the last 100 pages. All that said, Jottie, Willa, Bird, everyone (except Felix) felt like people I‘d love to sit and have some ice-tea on a porch with any day of the week.
Well, this goes in the “You make plans, God laughs” bucket 🤪
Me to my friend: “I can pick up sushi for lunch, I know they open at 11 since I get lunch here all the time when I‘m in the office. I‘ll see you around noon!”
The Universe: “Yeah, no, the restaurant opens at Noon on Saturdays. Good thing you brought your book to read in the parking lot for 45 mins” 🤣🤣🤣
I didnt know she had another book! Im going to have to look into this
pick🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 I loved this book so much I could cry. It‘s bittersweet and funny and so readable it hurts. It‘s a 416 page 8.5 x 11 case-bound chunkster and I read it in two days. If you loved Guernsey Literary Society the storytelling is similar (Burrows finished Guernsey after her aunt died). Depression era, historical fiction set in West Virginia. The first half is slower than the second half but it languidly sucks you in. Like the heat.
BINGO!
A lovely morning after a tough day. Ahhhh. Eddy Charcoal says hello!
I‘m loving the tagged book. It‘s just what I needed and it‘s FUNNY, in addition to being a terrific story. We finally got lots of needed rain last night, and 57 and sunshine predicted tomorrow, so I‘ll have lots of green updates to post from the yard and gardens!
It‘s my one year #Litsyversary! One year ago today I went looking for a bookish social media site, and I‘m so happy I found Litsy.
I think the tagged book is my next read—it will give me a first ever #BookSpinBingo, and should be a good change before I dive back into mysteries.
I got myself a new toy this week. I LOVE coffee.
🎶 on the 8th day of Christmas my reading gave to me, another great 5 star read 🎶
Federal Writers Project set in West Virginia. I knew I was going to love this before I even started. It didn‘t disappoint.
#12booksof2020
pickDelightful characters!
From BookRags:
"The Truth According to Us" by Annie Barrows is a Depression-era historical fiction that explores the secrets of the Romeyn family of Macedonia, WV. Twelve-year-old Willa's determination to prove her ferocity and devotion lead her to discover long-hidden family secrets as she strives to protect her father from falling in love with Layla Beck, a writer researching the town's history.
so-soI came to this book having read GLAPPPS, loving it and hoping this book would be just like it. She writes mesmerizing prose, with vivid imagery and captivating descriptions that immerse the reader in the settings she creates. Her characters are quirky and endearing and precocious little Willa Romeyn stole the show. But while the writing is entrancing, the story flounders and stalls under the weight of excessive words. #ReadtheUSA2020 #WestVirginia
pickWhy did I wait so long to read this? Love love love.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ which I don‘t give often.
I recall this feeling when I was young and especially when we‘d be down South with family.
❣️❣️❣️
Loving this book so much. Why‘d it take me so long to get to it when I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society so much?
pickThis audiobook has excellent voice acting, which made it very engaging. I loved the obstinate Willa character. The story is not really my style, set in early 1900s small town USA, an upper class woman arrives to write the town's history and the resolution to town mystery unfolds. I believe it's the well-crafted writing that really makes this book, excellent perspective from multiple characters and the timing being spot on.
pickI had no idea what to expect going into this book, but I‘d seen many good reviews. This was a story of a small town in WV during the 1930s, but ultimately it was about what defines history and truth. It was clever and nuanced, humorous and serious. It dealt with control, family, identity, truth, perception, and loyalty. “Ferocity and devotion.” Not a perfect story but a human one.
Similar read: And the Ladies of the Club
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
True Story- I live in a state #wherethestreetshavenoname -and have had to follow many directions to homes solely by landmark. There are still areas that not only have no street names, but no internet or cell phone service. I‘m always nervous driving through them. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/01/where-the-streets-have-no-n...
#wanderingjune
Busy week for work and kid activities. I needed to abandon my current non-fiction audiobook for something lighter. This one is fun so far, and the narrator has a West Virginia accent that I‘m enjoying.
pickThis was a wonderful historical fiction ! Set in 1938 and early 20th century West Virginia . Several good characters to cheer for and it keeps you guessing as to who the real "villian" is in the mystery subplot . Highly recommended !
Started my next novel ! Loved her last one , Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Hope this is just as good .
Guernsey is one of my favorite books and I just came across this on sale right now on kindle. It looks good, don't know why I haven't heard of it! Just a heads up to grab it while it's on sale!
P.S. I reallllly can't wait until the movie of Guernsey comes out! 🤗❤️
#sale
#kindle
#historicalfiction
It's not #recommendsday, but I'm recommending this one anyway. 😊
Water, always water 😊
Hmm, does the new season of Survivor count?
The tagged book, 37% of the way, not sure, may bail, it is not holding my interest. Has anyone read it?
Today‘s weather was the winter storm that missed us. We just had a little snow ❄️
Ear piercings, that‘s it for now 😊
@MinDea #humpdaypost
A friend gave me $66 in bookstore credit for my birthday. This is what $30 of that credit snagged me today. 😍
#TBRtemptation post 2! In the Summer of '38 Layla's father, a US senator, as her find employment with the Federal Writers' Program. She finds herself writing the history of isolated Macedonia, West Virginia. Boarding in the Romeyn family's house, she begins uncovering their thorny past. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Willa looks for answers to her family's past. Everyone will be transformed. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎
The ones that did not make it home with me. So sad have to leave them behind. Another time, perhaps, my loves. 😔 #wishlist
so-soI had high expectations for this book but, unfortunately, it didn't quite meet them. The story involved family secrets, loyalty, forgiveness, and growing up. I had a difficult time getting into it, and it ended up being a bit of a slog to finish. Some of the characters were too caricaturey with little nuance. Sometimes that doesn't bother me, but it just didn't work for me here.
pickTook a while to get into the book. Enjoyable ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trying to read this this fine Sunday afternoon #sundayreads
pickI love when the setting of a story becomes another character in the book - I was fully immersed in this West Virginia town of Macedonia through the descriptive writing. The story mostly revolves around secrets and lies, forgiveness and redemption, and how holding onto hate harms you most of all - although if Felix was my brother, I'd want to punch him right in his face. 👊🏻
Today's #labsoundtrack for report writing!
Neues Buch, #InLiebeLayla Libro nuevo, que todavía no ha sido traducido al español #TheTruthAccordingtoUs #AnnieBarrows
pickWe had a great discussion of this one at our book club. Lots of comments about sibling relationships, forgiveness, evil, etc. A good read but unsatisfying end.
so-soWell...it was a good read but not earth shattering...
so-soI really wanted to love this book, but it's left me with a sort of "meh" feeling. Lovely writing, characters worth caring about, but a bit draggy getting to the point, and by then I'd pretty much figured out the "mystery." Overall, good but not great. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
"I've learned that history is the autobiography of the historian, that ignoring the past is the act of a fool, and that loyalty does not mean falling into line, but stepped by out of it for the people you love."
This is what I do at the end of the day when I don't feel like working anymore.
Hate de le terminer. Plus que 100 pages...
