BlackAndWhiteCover

pick

Sometimes I read or watch something about a really tight-knit group of friends and I wish I had that. Then I read something like The Hunting Party and I think "Nah, I'm good, thanks". This novel is a very slow burn on the murder-y bits, but quick to show how these 14-year old friendships have devolved into cattiness, resentment & hate. Nine friends are at a Lodge in the Scottish Highlands for an annual New Year Holiday & early on someone dies. ⬇️

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick However, the story slowly unravels through the "now" and days prior to the death. Who is it? Who did it? Keep listening. Yes, there is a reveal in there somewhere. Just keep listening.
The audiobook was great, with a different narrator for each POV we see: Miranda, the perfect one; Katie, the single one; Emma, the outsider; and also Doug and Heather, each of the two employees at the lodge. I think this format helped me to differentiate ⬇️

3y

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick the events between people since they all had a distinct voice. I can't say the book was overly compelling, nor was I just dying to know what happened, but it was interesting. A low pick.
September #bookspinbingo @thearomaofbooks #LittensDressedInBlood @MidnightBookGirl #Booked2021 #Frenemies @4thHouseOnTheLeft @BarbaraTheBibliophage @cinfhen #pop21 #BlackAndWhiteCover

3y

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y

Cinfhen Great pick!!! I thought this one was really good 😊 3y

BarbaraTheBibliophage Know what you mean about friends vs. frenemies … good job! 3y

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KarenUK

Acts of Desperation | Megan Nolan

pick

Loved this.. so much. The writing is so fantastic. Perceptive and raw. Yes it‘s uncomfortable. I saw some of my younger self, and of so many young women, in this unnamed protagonist. It felt real and sad and painful.
This is a dark psychological portrait of an insecure young woman, and it really got under my skin. She is heart-breakingly uncomfortable in her own skin, self-destructive, lonely, damaged.
(Review continued in comments)

KarenUK She defines herself by a love unrequited, a toxic relationship with a beautiful cruel man. So many TW, for self harm, disordered eating, verbal and physical abuse. Yet I couldn‘t stop reading..... This girl felt familiar and real. Like Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan, but dare I say, even better? There must be something in that Irish water.... Loved it. (edited) 4y

KarenUK #pop21 #blackandwhitecover @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB @Kalalalatja @4thhouseontheleft @Megabooks 4y

Megabooks Ooo!! Great review. Going to keep an eye out for this! 4y

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Cinfhen What @Megabooks said....sounds like an uncomfortable but unforgettable read...I‘ll be looking for it 4y

Megabooks Impulse ordered it @Cinfhen 🤦🏻‍♀️ 4y

JennyM Great review! Echoing @megabooks and @cinfhen and stacking 😊 4y

BarbaraBB Fab review, stacked immediately 🖤 4y

Kalalalatja Oooooh sounds really good! I just finished Exciting Times, and I love Rooney, so this sounds just like a book for me 👍 4y

Cinfhen Yay @Kalalalatja I‘m glad you picked up / I thought it be your type of book

Exciting Times

Cinfhen Ha!!! @Megabooks when is it publishing?? 4y

Megabooks @Cinfhen it‘s already out! 👍🏻 4y

Cinfhen Oh, cool @Megabooks did you do print or audio??? 4y

Megabooks @Cinfhen print 4y

Kalalalatja @Cinfhen it was, and I enjoyed it, but I finished it yesterday, and I already struggle with remembering it. 😅 4y

Cinfhen Uh oh!!! That‘s bad @Kalalalatja I‘ve had that happen before too. Not a great endorsement 😜 4y

49 likes7 stack adds15 comments

Megabooks

Shuggie Bain | Douglas Stuart

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So. Emotionally. Exhausted. That said, I didn‘t love this book, but I liked it. The cycle of addiction, enabling, and codependency among the characters was heartbreaking. At times, I wanted to jump through the pages and shake some of them. It definitely makes you FEEL. #audiobook #tob

#pop21 #blackandwhitecover

KarenUK, Cinfhen, Kalalalatja, vivastory, alisiakae, BarbaraBB

Kalalalatja Definitely emotionally exhausting! 4y

Megabooks @Kalalalatja for sure!!! 4y

vivastory Great review. I *really* liked, but didn't love this one. I read SB because it was on the Booker list. I was rooting for Burnt Sugar to win the MB, but SB was a close second. SB winning the MB was a pleasant surprise for me because it seemed to validate a certain traditional narrative that had fallen out of favor with the MB in recent years. I will say that I will be disappointed if this wins the #tob since it already won the MB. 4y

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BarbaraBB Another pick! I‘ll let you know where I end up. For now I have put it aside for a bit. In any case I would be disappointed too if it wins the #tob since it already won the #booker. I rooted for Burnt Sugar too then. @vivastory 4y

Megabooks @vivastory @BarbaraBB thanks! I still need to read BS. I have it on my shelf, but it‘s a book that hits really close to home, and sometimes those are hard. I agree this is more a type of book that has won the MB historically. I am disappointed when a single book sweeps every award I care about. Once this won the MB, I was glad Yu won the NBA. Now, I can think of 3-4 other books that I‘d be pleased to win the Rooster. We‘ll see!! 4y

Megabooks @BarbaraBB and while I didn‘t cry with this one...it‘s not the kind of sadness that makes me cry...I did stare despondently at the wall for a good 20 minutes after finishing! 4y

Cinfhen Agree with all of you / but I will say this book lingers while some of the others have not. I‘d prefer this one not win for the same reason as all of you but I‘d be pissed if Luster won @vivastory @BarbaraBB @Megabooks @Kalalalatja 4y

101 likes7 comments

Cinfhen

Shuggie Bain | Douglas Stuart

pick

“You keep going, that‘s what mammies do.”This was a heartbreaking story of a son‘s absolute love for his mother. Yes, it‘s Shuggie Bain‘s story, but it‘s just as much his mother Agnes‘s story, too. Born beautiful but unlucky in love, Agnes has turned to drink to soothe her heart and keep her loneliness company. Her dependency on alcohol stops her from being the mother she wants to be for her 3 children.
#ToB21 #Pop21
#BlackAndWhiteCover

KarenUK, Kalalalatja, alisiakae, BarbaraBB

JennyM Lovely review. Heartbreaking book 💔 4y

Cathythoughts Great review Cindy ... it‘s all I fear then ! , but I‘m going to go there sometime this year 4y

LeahBergen Lovely review! 4y

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squirrelbrain Great review - I loved this one too. 4y

BarbaraBB Your review is very tempting! I‘ll read it soon. I bought a Dutch copy to make it easier for myself 😉 4y

TheKidUpstairs I want to read this one, but I'm sure it's going to break my heart! 4y

Simona I‘m sooo glad that you put in your review that it is Shuggie Bain‘s story! 4y

Cinfhen It took me a long while to get comfortable with this book @Simona @TheKidUpstairs @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @LeahBergen @Cathythoughts @JennyM but once I did, there was no turning back. I think the hardest part, is the idea that parts of this book might belong to the author‘s own life😣😢It reads very much like pages of a real boy and not a character. 4y

TrishB Lovely review ♥️ not tempted as yet, but definitely I will eventually. 4y

Cinfhen I know you had trouble with Angela‘s Ashes @TrishB and this felt similar in many ways 4y

TrishB Thanks for warning- I‘ve just finished Memorial Drive too, so think I‘m done with the sad for a few books! 4y

BarbaraTheBibliophage Greta review! I just finally wrote mine too, even though I finished it last Thursday. Sometimes I have to digest before I can write. 4y

sarahbarnes Lovely review. I haven‘t picked this one up yet, but I really appreciate your framing around alcoholism keeping her from being the mother she wants to be. 4y

Cinfhen I couldn‘t not mention the alcohol @sarahbarnes it‘s almost another “character” / totally devastating how it effects everyone and everything 😭 4y

Cinfhen I gave this 4 stars on GoodReads @BarbaraTheBibliophage because I did feel their were times I was losing interest/ it was a slow build for me 4y

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Cinfhen

Shuggie Bain | Douglas Stuart

I can‘t believe this is a debut😱It feels a bit semi-autobiographical (so sad😭😭😭)I‘m mixing print with audio #Hoopla #ToB21 #Pop21 #BlackAndWhiteCover

KarenUK, Kalalalatja, alisiakae, BarbaraBB

Cinfhen #CoverCrush 4y

BarbaraBB Another one I still need to read! 4y

Megabooks I own it but haven‘t read it yet. 4y

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Cinfhen I think you‘re gonna like it @BarbaraBB I‘m not sure about you @Megabooks do you have the audio or print copy, Meg?!! In the beginning the Irish accent was throwing me but now I‘m warming up to it. It‘s heartbreaking to see a women being so beaten down by a man. 4y

Megabooks @Cinfhen oh definitely print! I read the first third and enjoyed it back in November, but then something external happened and I cleared the slate. It‘s very sad though. 4y

JennyM I‘m absolutely head over heels for the book. I think it‘s going to be a fave read of mine. Glad you are liking it too xx 4y

Kalalalatja Everytime I see something positive about this book, I want to give it a second chance. It feels like my kind of book, so I‘m super bummed I couldn‘t get into it last year 👎 4y

Cinfhen It is VERY SAD @Megabooks maybe try the print @Kalalalatja it might have been the audio, also the first chapter was not the best... it really gets better in terms of reader‘s comprehension 4y

Cinfhen I‘m not sure it‘s going to be a favorite but I‘m definitely engaged and emotionally invested @JennyM 4y

Megabooks I think I‘m going to wait until I know more about the dog situation before I start anything sad. Maybe try Deacon King Kong for my tob slot in bookspin bingo. I feel more at peace than I was yesterday but still slightly nervous about the whole thing. All I can do is wait. I‘m a very impatient person, in case you didn‘t realize that. 😉 Waiting on college and vet school admissions was terrible because I‘m SO OLD it was still by mail! Lol! 😂😂 4y

Cinfhen DKK is really funny @Megabooks much better option / I also hate not knowing, I like to be in “control” and I get very anxious when I‘m waiting on news ...I worry endlessly and make myself sick ~ so I totally get how you‘re feeling 🤞🏼🤞🏼sending good vibes your way. 4y

britt_brooke This was just so-so for me. 😕 4y

Kalalalatja I tried both the print and audio. I‘m thinking it might have been a timing issue, but I don‘t know 🤷‍♀️ 4y

Cinfhen Hmmm, then it could just be this book @Kalalalatja I‘m definitely invested in the story but I don‘t think it‘s going to be a five star read for me @britt_brooke like the Boyne was

Heart's Invisible Furies

Cathythoughts I‘m looking forward to reading this one! Look forward to your review 4y

Cinfhen I think this will resonate with you @Cathythoughts 💚 4y

93 likes16 comments

Lcsmcat

The Crow Road | Iain Banks

#blackandwhitecover #namastenovember @Eggs

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🖤🤍 5y

Eggs Love the design! 5y

34 likes2 comments

CoffeeNBooks

The Stranger | Albert Camus

#NamasteNovember #BlackAndWhiteCover
@Eggs

Eggs Ooo good one!! 5y

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The Huntress | Kate Quinn

#Blackandwhitecover
#NamasteNovember

🖤🤍🖤🤍

Eggs

Eggs Great choice! Oh I loved this book so much-I was rooting for the female protagonist so hard-truly satisfying! 5y

Eggs Oh the angel friends are in the photo shoot again 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. That‘s your way of telling me you love me 🤓😘 5y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I do love you!! I leave them there so that o can see them everyday ❤️❤️❤️😘😘😘 5y

CoffeeNBooks I still haven't read this one. 🤨 I bought it as soon as it came out, because I loved The Alice Network so much, but it's been sitting on my bookshelf unread. There are just so many books to read!! 😂 5y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @CoffeeNBooks ikr!!! It causes me anxiety sometimes!! 🤣🤣💞💞 5y

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