pickThis was as lovely as everyone said it would be. Sybil's voice is strong, her letters are an ode to the importance of the written word, and the gradual reveal of her backstory creates enough intrigue to keep the reader turning pages. I loved this reading experience.
pickIt took me all month to read this just because I knew the ending, and it‘s so easy to judge in hindsight. I‘m glad I persevered though because the afterword was excellent. #NonfictionNovember
Reading this on the way to Thanksgiving dinner with family was absolute joy. I‘m nearly halfway and loving Sylvia as everyone promised. Sure to be an easy winner for my personal #ToB26 long list. Also, I didn‘t realize how many books we‘d see name-dropped! I love that in a book.
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It‘s fascinating to think how one‘s correspondence can be pieced together to create a mosaic of a life. Evans pulled this off beautifully, painting a unique & vivid portrait of aging, regrets, forgiveness, & the art of letter writing. The epistolary format also allows us to read between the lines & notice what is revised, omitted, or unsent. The audiobook‘s brilliant full-cast narration makes this special novel shine even brighter. 🎧
so-soThe importance of this work is extolled in The Bookshop by Evan Friss. It is interesting but it is hard from this time to understand how someone feeling it ridiculous to be governed by a king far away could not acknowledge how the Native Americans might feel being under the power of people who were new to the land. The author yells for freedom while many colonists were enslaving people. Also, the usual antisemitism.
pickOoooooof. I‘ve been chipping at this extremely small book for the majority of the year. I‘d read a section, get depressed, put it aside, pick it up two months later. It‘s very powerful. It‘s very important. #bookspinbingo
pickI loved everything about this book! The epistolary style was engaging and made it a fast read. The depth of character development was on point. It‘s a great examination of life‘s complex ups and downs written beautifully. I couldn‘t put it down and I cried at the end. I‘ll need a few days before I can read anything else because this one needs to be processed and thought through. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickStarting the day that President Joe Biden announces he is not running for a second term, VP Kamala Harris takes the reader through probably the most historic presidential campaigns in history.
I listened to it during a particularly rough patch with the current administration so it was a bit like pouring salt in the wound, but it was interesting to learn what it took for Harris & her team to take a campaign from 0 to 100 in no time.
so-soThe last two chapters in part three in this book saved it being panned by me. The last chapter was about Lee Hays, a song writer and singer of protest songs in the late 1940‘s and early 1950‘s. I definitely want to read more about him. I almost bailed on the book after the first chapter, but I just started skimming through the book, something I very seldom do, and then read the last two chapters. Read it if you must. 🙏
pickI usually don't enjoy epistolary novels, but between the reviews and the fact that I know one of the narrators, I decided to pick this one up on audio, and I am so glad I did. It felt a little disjointed at first, but once I got the hang of it, I just loved it. Sybil's character arc is so moving and beautifully drawn. Now I feel like writing letters (I've already written notes to two neighbors to go with some treats we're giving them).
