Listening to this as an audiobook! About 1/3 through and I really enjoy the voice actors. Towles writing style is always a pleasure and I‘m very interested to see how this goes. I have the next 2 days off and lots of chores to do so I‘m hoping to finish it by tomorrow night! Ambitious but hopeful 😊

⭐️2/5
Interesting concept, really like the beginning but the story felt rushed (despite being almost 400 pages) and nothing felt fully fleshed out. The relationships felt shallow that we are supposed to be connected to and the ending felt forced. Really enjoyed learning about other folktales though and I always enjoy a story where death is a main character.

I‘m really enjoying the book so far but want to know about the stylistic choices of the physical book! Someone who read the book, if you could please help me I‘d greatly appreciate it. In the audiobook, there will be pauses and then a different narrator will speak with more information on a point. Connected but not directly. Are there footnotes? Annotation? Brackets? Why does a woman narrator come in randomly? Haha I like it, just curious!

Audiobooks have been my savior this month. I‘ve been working long days with long commutes so listening on my drive and then when I get home to cook dinner has been the most reliable way to get any reading in. Though I have been keeping to lighter audiobooks, I think I‘m ready to attempt attacking this novel next with the new headphone my momma got me. Have seen tons of great reviews so I‘m excited!

The story was fine, writing was decent, I really liked the idea behind it… but it was missing something. I didn‘t really care for the characters, not that I disliked them but I wasn‘t invested in them and I kept waiting for the story to start. Easy read, so I finished rather than bailing.

What a joy to reread this novel. Spiotta plays with style, including articles with comments, and transcribed films. The narrators are varying degrees of unreliable. Very character driven rather than plot driven with the overarching theme of what makes a person good? Motifs of film, time, and sound. Definitely not a book for everyone but gorgeously done.

I have to work this Labor Day so I‘m doing so with a good book! This is my #blindbook I titled blue samples on my bingo board this month and it feels very fitting for the book itself. I loved this book when I first read it 5-6 years ago so I‘m excited to read it again!

My next read! Starting this today while at work. Hoping to get a good way through it before the day is over since it has such short chapters.

My September board! Lots of #blindbook series on here because I‘m moving next month and trying to lower the amount of loose book jackets I need to pack. Excited to see how the month goes!

Little late but my August board! It looks alright because some of the books were repeated!

Stats:
6 books read
1 reread
4 #blindbook series

A crime/mystery novel about 2 homophobic men with criminal backgrounds set out to serve their version of justice to the person that killed their gay sons and are forced to face their past along the way. Different than most of the books I read, it was refreshing and I highly enjoyed it. It was part of my #BlindBook series and while I got the color scheme right, the theme couldn‘t have been more off 😂

Realizing in the current US environment of book bans and attacks on libraries, my username is seeming very less whimsical and not so much the architectural integrity is precariously stacked piles of books that are threatening to collapse on top of me at any moment…😅

Got about 1/3 way through yesterday and the plot is finally starting to come together. Took a bit longer than expected but the world building needed to be slower for this I think and the chapters are super short which helps keeps my attention. Excited to see where Schwab takes this!

Pro moving tip: liquor and wine boxes are great for packing books! Small and sturdy so you can‘t overpack and be overwhelmed by the weight. And they fit so nicely. I got these from a restaurant I was working at but my coworker told me if I needed more he got a ton from his local liquor store for free too. Only downside, your new neighbors might think you‘re a raging alcoholic but it could also keep them away for more reading time 😂

What a beautiful love letter from the author to her mother. A memoir whose storyline revolves around the author‘s mother dying from cancer when Zauner was in her early 20s that touches on identity, grief and loss, connection and food.

Starting a new book today and someone was eager for us to get into it! Excited to start this series, heard a lot of good things about it.

Also please ignore my bed, I‘m washing sheets today lol

I really wanted to like this book. It could be a matter of timing. But especially after just finishing a book I found expertly written, this feels clunky. I tried giving it extra grace as a debut and read a little over 25% but it‘s not something I‘m moving past so I‘m going to bail for now and try again in the future.

I always seem to read TJ Klune books when depressed and they always just add more sunshine to my world. I love the romance in this book and I don‘t like romance stories. I love the creativity, the deeper messages on life and death and meaning in all this insanity. Just *chefs kiss*

I loved it. It‘s gorgeously written but definitely not for everyone. Reminiscent of Normal People x Hemingway because there is no quotation marks, limited dialogue tags with stifled conversation. But Washington trusts readers to make the jumps between the gaps he leaves rather than holding your hand the whole way. Which I love. The description here says rom-com but for me this is more of a character driven literary fiction with a romance angle.

I reread this book ever 3-4 years and every time I‘m blown away by different aspects of this novel. This time it was how recent this was actually set in our history. My grandma and I discussed her reading this book when it was first published in the US and how much she loved it. A classic for a reason, and something I look forward to rereading again in my 30s.

A wonderful summer ghost story! This is my first kind of scary, horror book being read as an audiobook and I really enjoyed it! I think listening to it around 4th of July (the same time frame of the story) made it even better. As a lover of history, a fan of fantastical, this story was the perfect spooky summer read.

An action/mystery story on identity, family and love. I appreciated the history, the critical look at what love and family and can look like. Maybe because I‘ve never been in similar situations but I felt like at times reality had to be slightly suspended during this read but overall I really enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed this book! Took just a bit to reel me in, but once I was there it was hard to pull me away. Feminist vibes, sometimes a bit too on the nose but still always love to see it, story retelling, mild fantasy. I can‘t speak to how well done the retelling is since I had never engaged with the story before this. Easy pick that I was sad to be down with.

Good morning Litsy! I haven‘t been on much because I‘ve spent the last couple weeks prepping for an intense job interview process that included flying out to NYC for the day and flying back home the same night! But it‘s finally calmed down enough that I‘m back to post some updates and reviews!!

Finally getting into this audiobook. Learning I need to just trudge through the first couple hours typically before I know if I like or dislike a story. Thankfully I listen at 1.5x speed so it‘s not so bad time wise!

Starting my next book while at work today. Hoping to finish this book before the month is over!

This is a reread for me! I seem to pick it up every couple years with a new appreciation for Plath. Lately, I‘ve been seeing booktok videos (I‘m assuming that‘s where they started but I don‘t have TikTok) creating lists of books to read to master female manipulation and this book is always listed. Maybe I‘m confused, but even as I‘m reading through this I‘m not seeing the MC as some manipulative mastermind.

Catching up with some reviews… and this series is such a joy. A creative reimagining to the origin of Peter Pan with familiar and new characters. This was originally the final book in the series and then a 4th book was published much later. But this book was my favorite of the original three. It concluded wonderfully and all the nods to the stories origins was delightful. Great MG series, look forward to reading the fourth book!

Starting my next audiobook today. It‘s a rainy dreary summer day where I‘m at, so I‘m hoping to get some good reading and light cleaning in today.
I‘m just a couple chapters into this book and so far I‘m finding all the characters a bit confusing and hard to keep straight. It was definitely a book I picked because of the cover so I won‘t be upset if I decide to bail on this one.

This book had a slow start for me that I would have stopped if not an audiobook but I understand why the author set it up the way she did. I really appreciated the way sex, childbirth and menstruation were portrayed in this story. Since this book was originally recommended to me by my grandma when I was 15 I was surprised by the amount of sex talked about in the book, but nothing graphic. Soft pick because it did reel me in.

I wasn‘t really sure I liked this book enough to continue listening but didn‘t want to take the time to find a different book. Well, I‘m finally at a point where I want to keep listening and it‘s almost over. Hoping to finish this book either tonight or tomorrow!

My sister picked my next read and went with my poolside paradise #blindbook. I‘ve barely started but I‘m excited!

Still one of my favorite reads! Definitely going to make this something I revisit yearly. I love how Wilder pushes boundaries and while the theme of the play isn‘t revolutionary, the presentation is. It‘s a quick read that could really be done in a couple hours.

I couldn‘t do it @Kshakal 😂 I kept trying to pick it back up, to get at least 35% in before bailing but I just had no interest in forcing myself through that. After doing a quick search online, I saw quite a few people felt this book was missing something and didn‘t feel as bad bailing. It just feels too disjointed and apathetic for me.

Enjoying a slow Saturday morning with a cute MG book and some iced coffee! Have a couple reviews I‘m behind on that I‘m hoping to post later today. But for now, I‘m going to enjoy the birds singing and a Peter Pan adventure. Hope everyone‘s having a great weekend!

One of my favorites reads from high school… found this copy in a little library outside the local school. So happy I picked it up and it‘s fun to see what notes the different kids have left in the margins. Also super interested to see how I‘ll feel about the story now that I‘m in “act 2” compared to when I first read it!

Cute start to a series. The world building was its strongest feature. The MC was a bit annoying but he‘s also a 14year old boy so it felt fitting. Excited to keep reading the series to see how things progress!

This was a mid book for me. Nothing remarkable, quick simple read. I liked the premise and wish we got more of the historical aspects or a story that focused on their journey more. I also was not a fan of the husband at all and have a spoiler related question in the comments for others! This is something I‘d recommend to people who are just getting into reading and need a simple story with slight intrigue.

This is the best my bingo card has ever looked and that‘s entirely because I repeated books on my list! I‘m okay with that, because it‘s motivating to keep reading! Currently reading a freebie, not for a bingo but because my SO picked my next read and didn‘t follow directions 😒😂 happy reading everyone!

Welcome to the time of year where all my photos will be taken on my very messy balcony. My SO picked my next #blindbook and it‘s a reread of The Lacuna. I read this book about 4 years ago and just remember being confused for most of it. After reading the first 30 pages, I can see why. Going to try to be intentional with slow reading this time to try to cancel some of that

What a charming, thought provoking yet simple story. Four separate stories that are loosely tied together all centering around a small cafe that can let customers travel in time within a set of strict rules. At first I was found the narration style irksome but quickly grew to enjoy it. A great reminder to live your life in the present and to its fullest. Would recommend for a nice light read.

Started this book 2 days ago as next in #blindbookdate series and it‘s my #bookspin for June! Only a couple chapters left so I‘ll finish it tonight!

A modern day twist on the legend of King Arthur and the round table, filled with grief, loss and growth. I wasn‘t sure I was going to like this book despite the rave reviews at first, and then it even ended with my biggest book irk and set up for a sequel (I don‘t know why, but I like first books to be able to stand alone) but I still loved it and can‘t wait to read the second. It‘s ya in the way I needed a good ya story.

Soft so-so, arguably a pan. The stories were short enough that I kept reading but I was waiting for something new, for love to be expressed in a new way. The drama all felt very ya to me (which would be fine if it was marketed as ya) and the stories felt the same just packaged differently. Highly disappointed as I was looking forward to this book when I got it.

Mixed feelings on this read. I didn‘t see the twist coming until almost the end when it was basically there but overall it was pretty meh to me.

Help, I‘m trapped sitting outside on this gorgeous day reading because a cat thought my legs were the perfect place to take a nap 😂

Working through this short story collection as my #blindbookdate submarine book. Mot sure how I‘m feeling about it so far, most of the short stories have been predictable and not given me anything different on the idea of love to be wowed by 🤷‍♀️

Catching up on some reviews… this was a neat debut novel with interesting concepts and a cute ya romance. Parts felt a bit unrealistic for the characters and that could be because I can‘t relate to aspects of their lives. Felt like there was room for more character growth but it was overall alright.

My June #bookspin list! Since last months reading was so slow, I decided to repeat the book spin and double spin books from last month in my empty spaces this month. Definitely will feel like some cheating on my bingo card but I‘ll get them read 😂

May was a slow reading month for me. If it wasn‘t for audiobooks I don‘t know if I‘d have even finished one physical book 😅 but that‘s okay! Still glad I got these off my TBR!