Once again interrupting #auldlangspine for a book club selection. I‘m nearly done with O Caledonia (which is exquisite by the way) but I went ahead and started An Anonymous Girl for my book club that meets next Saturday. (The worst thing you can do is show up to discuss a suspense thriller that you haven‘t quite finished - !) And I got Frozen River back from the library so I plan to finish it up soonish
#weekendreads

#whereareyoumonday
Spending a moment on the beautiful island of Corfu this morning

#snowedin @Texreader

#auldlangspine
See, I knew I‘d end up flying through this one. It was a fast read and so, so good.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Since @BethM asked … here‘s a 2025 bracket, if anyone wants it

#bookbracket2025 #readingbracket2025

#weekendreads #auldlangspine

I enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club, but I thought ehhh, this one probably won‘t be as good as that one, right? No. Wrong. It‘s top tier, really hilarious and touching and action-packed and very English (but in the endearing way, not the annoying way). I‘m enjoying it so much that I can‘t stop reading it, and that makes me sad that I‘ll be done with it too soon.

Barbara Kingsolver is a very good writer, and this book is rich with metaphor and well-drawn parallels between the 2015 and 1870 storylines that illustrate the ideas about America she‘s trying to convey.

But. It‘s not a good book.

The problems are:
- the book is tedious and the story and characters didn‘t draw me in
- I disagreed with much of her overall sociopolitical message, which made it even more tedious to read.

#weekendreads

Reading this one for my in-person book club which meets this Thursday. I suggested it because I enjoyed Demon Copperhead tremendously. This one, unfortunately, is a slog. I‘m about halfway in, and there‘s no plot to speak of - it‘s long on characters discussing social issues and short on story.

Finishing up this slim but powerful novel recommended by @CBee and I‘ve been pondering how to articulate my feelings about it. Just a few pages before the end I came to this poignant, eloquent passage that I felt sums up [one of] the book‘s themes. I appreciate how well Newman‘s writing captures the feelings of family life in middle age, so that even though the details of my marriage & family are quite different than Rocky‘s, I can relate.

I may be busy in the next few days

My library hold came in, so I‘m listening to Lisa Marie Presley‘s story as narrated by Julia Roberts and Lisa‘s daughter, Riley Keough. I‘ve visited Graceland but I never knew a great deal about Elvis‘s personal life or that of his wife and daughter. So far it‘s quite engaging, though sad. #auldlangspine

#LCS #LittleChristmasSwap

Happy Epiphany! Hope everyone enjoyed their Twelfth Night revelries. If you are back to work like me I hope it‘s not too taxing today. Meanwhile gaze upon my glorious gifts from @bookish_wookish - how cute are those candies?! And the card says “Merry Bookmas” 😆 I love it! I am so excited to read this book, thank you Amy!! And thank you for hosting this fun event.

#weekendreads
Still dipping in and out of my Big Book of Mysteries (it‘s HUGE!) for #snowedin.

Trying to get through as much of Frozen River for #auldlangspine as I can before it has to be returned to the library - but it‘s emotionally very tough in parts. (Also, I did not manage to start it before Jan 1…)

Finally, I‘ve been listening to Why Buddhism is True in the car. Bob can be very irritating sometimes, but I‘m trying to stick with it.

I seem to have forgotten to post yesterday - my November and December books are Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, a mind-bending exploration of human nature and the immortality of ideas, and Here One Moment … which actually could also be considered an exploration of human nature, in this case as it regards our relationship to mortality and time. Both excellent though they could not be more different.

Thanks for the game, @Andrew65 - this was fun!

#12booksof2024 My first time reading this author. The writing was excellent. It had some flaws with regard to the mystery plot, but on the whole I enjoyed it. The characters were engaging and vivid, and the setting was immersive - a compelling portrait of 1960s small town Minnesota. Read with my IRL book club.

Started this yesterday and it‘s gripping so far. But I‘m only on p.24 and already distracted by historical details. A character shows up in a small Maine village claiming to be “a licensed physician and recent graduate of Harvard Medical School,” which is … weird. Medical licensing wasn‘t a widespread practice until the 1800s, and the book takes place in 1789. Plus, a “recent graduate” would have to do an apprenticeship before being licensed.

Best book of September was Connie Willis‘s comic time travel caper, To Say Nothing of the Dog (its title, setting, and overall tone are drawn from Jerome K. Jerome‘s 19th century comic travel memoir, Three Men in a Boat). #12booksof2025

I had my #bookspin list ready before Jan 1 even though I forgot to post it! (The list is all #AuldLangSpine titles - I can‘t lose!) The spinner gave me We Solve Murders by Richard Osman and Sandwich by Catherine Newman. Can‘t wait to get started!

#12booksof2024 @Andrew65

This is the eighth book in the Dr Siri series set in late 1970s Laos. It was an outstanding entry in the series, with a thrilling plot and very powerful storyline with lots of historical and political insights. I recommend reading the series in order, but this one was my top read of August.

#readingbracket2024 #bookbracket2024

#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

Finished this one the other night. It was fine - a little disappointing, but I can‘t quite articulate why. Most of the stories felt a bit undercooked, if that makes sense. There were three that I‘d say I enjoyed: The Eel Singers by Natasha Pulley; The Chillingham Chair by Laura Purcell; and The Hanging of the Greens by Andrew Michael Hurley. The others had potential but somehow fell flat for me.
#snowedin

#12booksof2024 @Andrew65

This is a quietly powerful novel in stories following the residents of a small Maine town, their secret hopes and fears, the ordinariness of their daily lives and their major turning points. Beautiful read and my second of the year that I owe to #Europacollective

#12booksof2024

May‘s book is Rebecca Wait‘s I‘m Sorry You Feel That Way, a sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-heartbreaking family story mostly about two sisters and their very different responses to their difficult mother. Beautifully written and completely engrossing.

#HyggeHour #HyggeHourReadathon

#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

Forgot to post this yesterday 🤦🏻‍♀️ My favorite read of April. This was full of fascinating history of not only the band but the larger context of the music industry in Britain and America as well as the social-political conditions that put a lot of that history into context. A slow read but HIGHLY enjoyable!

@CBee if you will permit me a late addition to my #AuldLangSpine list - this book was terrific! I always enjoy the cast of characters in a Liane Moriarty book - she can weave together a collection of storylines in a very satisfying way. I was afraid it would feel stale because, knowing the premise, I assumed (correctly) that the theme would be “enjoy your life while you can, because none of us knows what the future holds.” But she makes it fresh.

Updated stack! Ready for Jan 1! 🎉🪩📚

#AuldLangSpine

It‘s just math. It‘s all just math.

#12Booksof2024
I got a late start so I‘m posting my first three days today. The aim is to post your favourite book of each month on each of the 12 days of Christmas starting with January on Christmas Day, finishing with December on the twelfth day (5th January). My first three are:
Jan - The Hate U Give
Feb - The Postcard
Mar - Killers of a Certain Age

It‘s finally Christmas Eve here on the west coast of the USA and I am settling in to open my #jolabokaflodswap package-

SQUEEEE!! Thank you, Shannon, I am so looking forward to reading this! Thank you for the book and the yummy Dove chocolates - I love them both!

Thank you Chelle for organizing this again. Merry Christmas everyone!

#jolabokaflodswap HELP

I didn‘t receive a match email and I thought I didn‘t get signed up for this in time - but today I received a package! I need to get this sorted out ASAP so I don‘t leave my match hanging 😭

#333Challenge

Auto-buy (I don‘t buy books, so let‘s say “auto-add” to my library holds):
Liane Moriarty
Candice Millard
Connie Willis

Want to read more of:
Charles Dickens
Hampton Sides
Terry Pratchett

Want to read for the 1st time:
Valérie Perrin
Han Kang
Tea Obreht

#SnowedIn
Swamped this week, so a bit late posting my review. This book was the perfect read at the perfect time. A quietly mournful tale of two people building a life on the frontier when their familiar life becomes unbearable. I didn‘t mind the magical realism and elements of ambiguity around the child. I loved that the story centered on the female experience, contrasting Mabel, Esther, and Faina‘s relationships with society, but also ⬇️

Excited for #auldlangspine2025!

Is it overkill to check out all these now? Yes. But it feeds my winter hoarding impulse, so I went with it.

I might (will) have to cheat and start Frozen River before Jan 1, because it has a list of holds. (I‘m honestly surprised I got it already.) I figure this is allowable because ~technically~ it wasn‘t on your official #auldlangspine list 😉

Didn‘t get a photo of the box itself, but my #LCS package is in the hands of the US Postal Service and on its way to Michigan!

#littlechristmasswap

#december reading plan. Finished the tagged book today for my Brunch+Book club. It was cute - about halfway through, I was starting to get frustrated that it was kinda cliche and predictable. But in the second half, the plot picked up and I found myself enjoying it more. It was indeed predictable, but Pooley is laugh-out-loud funny and sometimes you just need to let go and embrace the cheese.

Tonight‘s read: The Haunting Season 👻🎄❄️

Thank you again @monalyisha for putting this event together! This list from @CBee looks very promising 🤩 Three of them I‘ve already read, and four are already on my TBR.

Looking forward to digging in and seeing what‘s available from the library and what I might want to ask Santa to bring me 🎅🏼

#auldlangspine

#monthlywrapup #bookreport #november

Happy Thanksgiving @Texreader - here are your #snowedin selections!

#whereareyoumonday Tonight I‘m in Luang Nam Tha, Laos, 1978. China has just invaded Vietnam, causing complicated political ramifications for Laos…

I wasn‘t gonna do it again but then … I did

#auldlangspine2025

Went to a used book swap this morning. How‘d I do?

I love you Frankie but babe, get an editor

This was a little softer and more lightweight than I expected. It was sweet and cozy and all the characters were fun to root for. The mystery doesn‘t really get going until the second half, maybe the last third of the book. The plot is mostly predictable, though she does bring a twist out of nowhere, and the resolution of the mystery doesn‘t quite stand up to scrutiny. But that‘s ok, it‘s not a book to scrutinize. Happy endings for everyone. 👑🖤

Posting my fifth and final #trappedinaspookyhouse review just in time for #snowedin, haha.

This was fun and I enjoyed it, but somehow it felt a little flimsy to me. The gimmicks and wordplay were great and the worldbuilding was very creative, but the plot and particularly the love story needed a little more polishing. Maybe the later books in the series do better with this? Let me know. Anyway I‘m glad I read it; it‘s been on my TBR for years.

#TuesdayTunes

Today I‘m listening to a new-to-me record from the Fever Dolls, an indie-rock group from Vermont. I was quite taken with the album cover - thought the #NancyDrewBR gang might enjoy it as well!

#hyggehourreadathon

With the darkness falling earlier, it‘s easier to get into my hygge space by 8 pm!

My final selection from #trappedinaspookyhouse

#weekendreads

#bookreport October wrap-up

A great batch of reads!

4⭐️
And Then There Were None
Ordinary Grace
Things in Jars

3⭐️
The Motion Picture Teller
The Island of Sea Women
All the Sinners Bleed
The September House

#trappedinaspookyhouse

Been putting off my review of this one because I don‘t quite know what to say. It was good; I enjoyed it. Thought-provoking and left me wondering if I‘d missed some of the symbolism (no, actually - I‘m *sure* I missed some). I liked the idea of the strange world “Piranesi” inhabits and the book does a good job of contrasting the motives of the different characters who come to see him there.