Welcome to Litsy!

Current audiobook…I have never heard of this woman before I saw this memoir making the rounds, so of course I was curious.

Going into this blind was probably the best choice for me, because WOW

Marion and Art go to Niagara Falls for their 30th anniversary. They have behind them 2 kids, 2 affairs, a looming bankruptcy and a possible divorce. They‘re at casino to bet it all. Maybe even on each other. O‘nan is this expert pathologist showing all the wounds on the heart of Marion and Art‘s marriage through inner dialogue and their intimate interactions. I had this constant tug on my heart wishing the best for them. A pick!

A friend told me her mom read this and just could not stop thinking about it…I had to try it!

This is gripping with lots of red herrings and a big surprise (at least for me). Verity‘s husband is found murdered in their home. Moving between her story and “the other woman,” the reader learns more about Verity, her husband and his behavior, and their marriage. Toxic, controlling characters. Some graphic content (description of the victim‘s body). ⬇️

I admit I read this motivated in no small part by pure nosiness. I wanted to know “what happened.” I‘ve followed Jen on social media long enough to have seen some of her faith deconstruction process in real time, long enough to witness the backlash she suffered for her honesty about that process and her changing beliefs. Long enough to remember when her marriage fell apart and be curious about her divorce. This offers some of the details I was ⤵️

Via @PUDDLEJUMPER https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2915993

You've found yourself in a lonely cabin in the middle of nowhere. Heavy snowfall means you are #Snowedin but you've found several books, a warm blanket, and a comfy chair. Time to settle in and read away the night.
Make a list of books and someone else will pick what you read. You will also pick what someone else reads
Full rules and sign up On her page ..

You've found yourself in a lonely cabin in the middle of nowhere. Heavy snowfall means you are #SnowedIn but you've found several books, a warm blanket, and a comfy chair. Time to settle in and read away the night.

Make a list of books and someone else will pick what you read. You will also pick what someone else reads

Full rules and sign up in comments

Jen Hatmaker takes the rude awakening that ended her 26-year pastoral marriage and turns it into a reflective and bold enlightenment, shining a light on the dark roots of shame, misogyny, and hypocrisy in the evangelical church and freeing herself and her readers along the way. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I bookmarked, and I‘ve already given multiple copies away to family and friends. Fans of Brené Brown and Glennon Doyle, AWAKE is a must read!

This book was so frustrating. I wanted to know how it was going to end, but I was also so put out with the characters‘ choices. Joe might be an absolute jerk, but nothing he did would have been possible without her enabling him. I‘m not someone who needs likable characters to enjoy the book, but for me, the plotting was slow and the resolution left me cold. Based on Joe‘s actions, I couldn‘t figure out any real motivation for Joan‘s choices.

Checking off another one from the “self-help” list I found. I actually thought this one had some really great information of how to keep love strong after the honeymoon. Focused to married couples, but I saw he has some others focused on singles, for teens and for giving love to kids. My only complaint is it seemed a bit antiquated with a lot of examples of stay-at-home wives ironing, cooking and cleaning for their hard working husbands.

This author can really write! I love her stories, the secrets and surprises seep out of the pages and the meanings are never crystal clear. In this book, the narrator lives her quiet, routine life with her family until she starts receiving pages from her diary of 20 years ago, pages she hasn‘t thought about in all this time. It‘s a mystery and a character study, each of equal importance.