I really enjoyed Vonnegut‘s writing style and his take on a WWII story. Billy Pilgrim was a POW in Slaughterhouse-Five when Dresden was bombed. Vonnegut spins the story by using time travel to tell Billy‘s story during the war and his life before/after the war. He also adds a twist of an alien abduction. This book left me wondering how much actually happened and how much was in Billy‘s head, much like I felt after reading Life of Pi.

Finally finished this book and loved it BUT the first half took me weeks to read because nothing really happened and I wasn‘t invested in the characters. The second half I gobbled up in a couple days. Basically, it‘s the story of gay siblings living together and their day to day life. They have a large, complicated yet lovable family and though far from perfect, they have each other‘s back through rain or shine with ALL the love.

An extraordinarily exaggerated story by quirky Baltimore‘s quirkiest writer, John Waters. Marketed as “a perfectly perverted feel-bad romance” this felt like it was written by a sexually frustrated high school boy. The scam artist characters are not ones to love but the story was kinda funny in an absurd kinda way. Not for everyone but living in the B‘more suburbs, it resonated with me. Bonus points for the author narrating it. 3.5⭐️

This was a sad story but I enjoyed it. Charles is a Native American living in Maine. He‘s taking care of his mother who has dementia. He lives across the lake from his daughter and her mother, keeping tabs on them though his daughter doesn‘t know of his existence. Charles is a storyteller and tells us about his life through various stories about himself. There are a lot of layers to this one and it is thought provoking.

Reads like a quaint southern book, but the drama is political with book bans, white nationalism, antisemitism etc. Each chapter touches on a character who takes one of Lula‘s books, but each book has had the cover replaced, and we learn how the chosen book relates to the individual. Things get out of control when book banning leads others to wanting a Confederate statue removed. A divided town learns how to respect one another and their history.

I don‘t read a lot of mystery, but picked this one up and looooved it! The storylines take you back to the 60‘s and mid-70‘s, two missing children cases, siblings, @15 years apart. Young, female detective and it all takes place in and around a summer camp in the Adirondacks. You get to meet several people and get various points of views. Different.

This book had me reflecting on our country during Lincoln‘s time in office and how divided America was vs the division we face today. I liked hearing about how Lincoln listened and worked with both sides of slavery and differing opinions though I found some of the Civil War battle stuff dry. Since starting this book, I‘ve seen a lot of Lincoln references. Timely indeed and I‘m looking forward to our book club discussion.

This is a beautiful ode to Mother Earth. Elegantly written by a biology student/professor and Native American about all the Earth gives to us. I learned a few things and I‘m grateful for what she has to teach us. In many ways, this book reminded me of Lab Girl but a much softer read if that makes sense.

This an extremely well researched book highlighting a wealthy town/school system in TX. I feel like I can just leave it there. You know where it goes. Racism, book banning, conservative, right wing, Christian nationalists, you get the gist. It‘s sad and frustrating and infuriating but I hope people read this, see the wrong in these ideas and thinking, and be the change. My heart breaks for the non-white, LGBTQ+ kids in this school district. 💔

#1 read this year! I‘m not usually a fan of short stories because they always seem to leave me wanting more, but these short stories hit different. Each story is a different POV, but each is Palestinian and living in Baltimore, so the characters tie together. Most stories revolve around culture, the older generation favoring Palestinian, the younger American. I loved getting that glimpse into important events in their lives.

This one was kinda odd but I enjoyed the message of living your life and not wallowing in the past and your regrets. A lot of magical realism to make the story fantastical and creative. Overall, I enjoyed listening to it.

I‘m so happy DH continued the All Souls series! Matthew and Diana are back and this book revolves around Diana‘s higher power, her father‘s family (the Proctor‘s) and where the twins stand with their powers. I loved all the new Proctor characters, the ghosts, the Salem stories etc! This book made a blah week so much better! *I had to use my Bodleian Library bookmark for this one 😀

This was recommended to me by a colleague and though I do enjoy weird books from time to time, I just couldn‘t get into this one. It was like Beauty and the beast but the beast was a worm like monster disguised as a human who falls in love with a human whose awful family is hunting the monster. It just wasn‘t for me.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction romance story between news reporter Nick and newspaper owner‘s son Andy. The story did a great job of depicting NYC in the 1950‘s for gay couples.

This is a slow burn of a read. I loved the story and the characters and this was probably the best ending to a book I‘ve ever read. *I took my kindle on a backpacking trip in Wyoming and my son snapped a picture of me reading by the water ❤️

This was an interesting concept for a book. It made me think about life and living and it has some great discussion topics for a book club. My big question is what happens with life insurance after the strings are released? If you have a short one, can you sign up for insurance knowing you don‘t have long to live and how does insurance companies respond. That‘s my big question.

I really enjoyed this story! I could see some inspiration from The Stand, HP‘s the phoenix, Fahrenheit 451 etc. Basically a mushroom spore sickens people and causes them to burn up so the world is in the midst of an apocalypse. A group of sick people find themselves at a summer camp turned commune of sorts but when a division occurs, survival is amped up. I loved that Martha Quinn keeps their hopes up 😂

I finished this one last week for book club but forgot to take a picture and write a review! Overall, this was a great read. The author researched and interviewed her Jewish family heritage, shared pictures, but published it as fiction. There were a few odd parts where a story either started or ended abruptly, but I learned some things and enjoyed the strong female role models that were highlighted.

This one caught my attention for the first half as I was curious and intrigued as to where the story was going, until it began to drag, only to finish with an underwhelming ending. It‘s a weird one, but after reading Bunny, I knew I was in for something strange.

I adored Curtis‘s stories of growing up Chinese in Detroit in the 70‘s and 80‘s. He shares stories about being one of 6 kids, helping out in his family‘s Chinese restaurant and his coming to terms with being gay. Just delightful. Also, Chin reads his memoir which is an added bonus.

A.J Jacobs is a delight to read. I loved his Year of Living Biblically and was thrilled he wrote about the Constitution. It made me chuckle and it made me think. My book club chose this as our November read and I plan to do a reread with a physical copy the next go round and maybe even bake an election cake to share 😊The audio I just finished was read by Jacobs.

My NYT Best 100 Books of the Century reads. There are quite a few on the list I have no interest in. 😂 The tagged book is my favorite.

I adored this story. Three generations of Vietnamese women whose stories intertwine; telling the tales of immigration, relationships, motherhood, regrets, secrets, love, loss, healing and moving forward. I loved that the Banyan House tied them together and I enjoyed hearing Minh‘s voice after her death.

This one was an okay read for me. I felt it didn‘t really stand out and a few parts just kinda skipped ahead leaving a bit of a hole in the story, unless my mind wandered, which very well could have been the case. 😂
The grandmother‘s story just kinda felt there. Ava made so many terrible decisions. Cass is an ass but I had all the feels for poor Toussant stuck in the middle at a young age trying to process life.

It‘s been a slow start this year but I finally got my kayak on the water and enjoyed a lovely sunset paddle for dinner with some friends ❤️

1960‘s. This is the story of a couple that flees America to seek asylum in Ghana. It quickly turns into a cat & mouse chase, love triangle, crime story. This wasn‘t a favorite but crime stories aren‘t usually my jam.

I really loved everything about this story. I loved Julia and her fiery personality. There are a lot of big coming of age topics topped off by being the child of undocumented immigrants that occur throughout and seeing Julia learn and grow from them was great. I think a lot of high schoolers can take a lot away from this one.

This was such a great summer read and a debut novel to boot! The story is told from two points of view, Ruthie/Norma and her brother Joe, from a Mi‘kmaq family in Nova Scotia. During the summers, the family relocates to Maine for the blueberry picking season. When Ruthie is four, she is stolen and raised by an affluent couple. I loved how well I got to know both Norma and Joe and the writing is quite beautiful. This book needs more readers!

#WhatsNewWednesday I‘ve been feeling old at work lately; so many new, young staff now! During dinner my daughter told me my playlist sounds like Marshall‘s music! 😩

I also finished this audiobook on my drive. I was familiar with 4 of the 13 trials. The book makes its way through history. A little dry but informative. Many people seem to not care much for the final trial with Stormy Daniels but I liked hearing about how the topic of witches has evolved and how it‘s perceived on multiple sides/views of today‘s culture.

My daughter and I listened to this on a roadtrip. She had not read the first one and was still able to follow along just fine with a quick summery. Not sure I loved it as much as the original but it was still a delightful read.

My sister and I helped our nephew lay out some plans for his future to include registering for community college and money investments. We‘re all super excited. Fingers crossed he follows through now 🤞🏼#WhatsNewWednesday

This is excellent! I‘ve read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn multiple times as a kid and need to do a reread now. I loved the story from Jim‘s POV and Everett‘s twist on his education. So, so good!

#WhatsNewWednesday I‘m late to the game this week! My daughter and I celebrated #21 with a NYC weekend getaway and were fortunate to see TWO books to musicals! 🎭

This is a beautifully written memoir! I started reading the physical copy and immediately picked up a cadence, not realizing at first that Sinclair is a poet. I was recommended the audio as she reads the words herself and I ended up switching back and forth because her words are brilliant and I loved both reading the words and listening. I learned a lot about the Rastafarian lifestyle and beliefs and look forward to my book discussion tonight!

My library branch partnered with the SCA and had a Renaissance Faire for our summer reading kickoff on Saturday. It was one of the best events we‘ve had and so much fun! I really do have a great job 😊
#WhatsNewWednesday

I really enjoy Orange‘s writing style and storytelling. This prequel/sequel ties in Orville‘s family lineage dating back to the late 1800‘s as we learn about each generation‘s story. We are then brought into the more present time as we learn about Orville and his family after the powwow. So much to think about after closing this book. ❤️

This book talks about America‘s low income & poverty housing in Milwaukee, WI. Desmond did such a thorough research, he moved into these housing areas to get to know both the tenants and landlords called ethnology (new vocabulary for me.) He shares stories of the people who have been or continue to get evicted from their homes; the how and the why and also the side of the landlords. It‘s really sad all around and reminds me how fortunate I am.

This is a reread after seeing the musical. My first read was the original when it was first published. This go round I picked up the graphic novel version which I preferred. The illustrations really added to the story and because the book was written in verse, I think all the wording was kept rather than simplified as is often the case with graphic novels?! ❤️
PS The musical was awesome!

Got a mini vacay in with the fam. We rode roller coasters, played mini golf, lounged poolside, fine dined and played games. We also met up w/ my daughter‘s childhood bestie for some shopping. Kid #1 is now on the road cross country for a year+ of adventures. My heart is full ❤️ #WhatsNewWednesday

Caught up with Jason Reynold‘s talk at the Olney Theatre from last night over my morning coffee while on vacay. I can‘t wait to see this show next weekend ❤️ ❤️❤️

I‘m not the intended reader for this one, but it takes place at Wellesley College and I wanted to get a glimpse into campus life from a recent grad. Dear Wendy is one of many instagram pages on campus. A second page, Dear Wanda, pops up causing some feuding. It‘s also about friendship and sexual identity. I did recommend it to a colleague starting a queer book club because, though kinda overdone, it opens a lot of positive LGBTQIA+ discussions.

My son finished his college classes! He‘s off to Wyoming for an internship and other adventures for the next 14 months or so. I‘ve been tasked as primary caregiver for Sir Wiggles, his banana ball python. I‘m learning. 😬 #WhatsNewWednesday

Hubby‘s favorite band is Rush. We had a couple of roadtrips together recently and listened to Geddy‘s book. He read it himself, which was nice. I enjoyed his stories and how close the band is/was with each other. It was a bit long but otherwise a good read. I enjoyed the stories of his earlier years best.

Brought my girl home after moving her out of her dorm, surgery, and her followup after an orbital floor fracture. I‘m happy to have her home for the summer. Fingers crossed her double vision clears up ❤️

This was a great young adult read about the case Juliana vs The United States. Twenty-one children got together from different parts of the country and sued the gov‘t over climate change. The lawsuit was filed in 2015 and, I believe, is still ongoing. Holding the government(s) accountable for their participation in global warming and hearing the children speak about their future and their expectations makes for a powerful read. ❤️

I enjoyed Hazelwood‘s vampire/werewolf world and appreciate the mystery she added. I‘ve read 1 of her 3 Love Hypothesis books and 1 of her 3 STEMinist novellas. If this one continues, I‘ll probably stick to just this one out of repetitiveness, even though it was a fun read.

I‘m fairly new to using a sewing machine, but thanks to some amazing coworkers, I‘m learning. Last week I made an up-cycled bag to carry my book and a few odds and ends for a trip this week. It‘s been so convenient and my new favorite thing! #WhatsNewWednesday

This is a heavy read. It‘s deep. It‘s complex. The characters, the issues, the world. It‘s scary because it‘s not far from current issues and the brink we are living with climate change and covid. I‘ll be thinking about this one for some time. There‘s so much to take in and absorb. It‘s interesting that Butler‘s ideas of the world in the 90‘s are not too far off from what we are living in ‘24. Exaggerated, but not by much.

I am so freaking excited about this debut musical! I purchased tickets for the end of the month. Eeek! 🤗