Like so many others, I‘m continuing to enjoy this series. Where volume 3 was plot driven, this one was more focused on advancing character development. There is plot, but not a single cohesive narrative as in the previous book. I like that variety—it keeps the series interesting.

Clearly informed by her own time in the foster care system, this follows Anais, in the titular facility after being accused of badly beating a cop. I thought this was well done. The characters strongly came across as teens, which I personally didn‘t enjoy 😂, but it fits the book. Her memoir hit better for me, but I think this is a good one for younger (teens/20s) readers.

For me, Simon Winchester often does a great combination of pop science and human history, as he does here in his book about wind. Not sure how much of this one I‘ll remember, but I think that‘s more me than the book.

This one was a bit muddled for me. I feel like it had too many subplots and the characterization of the main character was inconsistent. At times it felt like it wanted to be All Fours (no thanks!), but then would pull back on that. I think the topic of divorce in midlife, then exploring aspects of the self as a woman that felt suppressed by marriage is a good one. And I mostly enjoyed reading it. But not quite a pick. #TOBlonglist

Hey US campers! Barnes and Noble is currently having 50% off select hardcovers online and 2 of the books you picked for #wintercamplitsy are included in the sale! So if you‘ve been looking to source either of these, this may help! #CampLitsy26

This has such a compelling beginning, starting out in immigration court, which feels so topical (even though it‘s taking place in 2011). I really liked much of Peter‘s story, as he grapples with fighting the immigration system as a lawyer plus his ambivalence toward his sexuality. But his mother Ann‘s story fell completely flat for me and I ended up skimming her parts. Plus, the climax of his story ties in with hers, which didn‘t really work ⬇️

I listened to 2.5 hours of this 25.5 hour audiobook and it just wasn‘t doing anything for me. I hung onto it for a few days, but I have no interest in going back to try to keep going. Thanks to @Suet624 for helping me know bailing was the right choice for me! #TOBlonglist

Soubhi, this is incredible! I‘m so delighted with all the books (I don‘t remember why, but I was just looking up Fiend a couple weeks ago). I threw my head back and laughed at both the activity book and the magnet, which is now proudly on my fridge, and I love the bookmarks—the clear one is so cool. The sponges will be a huge help and Tony will likely run off with the chocolate. And THE SOCKS!!! They are my new favorites!

I read and enjoyed Sophie Kinsella‘s books for years but then stopped reading her as my tastes evolved. After her recent death much too young, I wanted to pay homage to her and found there was a Shopaholic book I hadn‘t read. I enjoyed it and will always be grateful for what she brought to my reading life.

This was an interesting read about Kim Philby, who was spying for the Soviets the entire time he rose through the ranks of Cold War era MI6. He even managed to talk his way out of it when he first fell under suspicion. Something about the audio did make my mind drift away from time to time, but I don‘t know if that was just me.

This book is a collection of essays published online from about 2011-2014 on topical issues, from the treatment of the most vulnerable to the state of academia. They are through the lens of a writer based in St Louis rather than one of the coasts. Because of the structure, there‘s a fair amount of repetition, but it‘s interesting to see where we were then and how things now are somehow so much worse.

A seemingly low risk woman disappears in southern Sweden, and her disappearance ends up being linked to a white supremacist plot in South Africa. Mankell‘s books take their time, but I enjoyed this. Though written in the 90s, it unfortunately felt quite topical for today.

I read this back in college around 30 years ago and loved it; I‘ve had this copy since. I was a bit hesitant to reread it because what if I wasn‘t happy with it? Lucky for me, it remains lovely. Then, around age 20, it was clearly about time. Now, looking down the barrel of 50, it‘s clearly about mortality. Isn‘t that interesting?

I was SO excited to get an early copy of Feeney‘s next book and I truly think it‘s her best. The pacing is terrific and the twists and turns are incredibly satisfying. My only quibble is the audio uses some sound effects and I didn‘t care for that.

I picked this one up last summer and so would have read it regardless, but I‘m so glad #TOB26 nudged me to do so now, because I loved this one. From the unusual structure to the brilliant tonal shift at the narrative‘s peak to the slightly trippy cover, this was very much a book for me.

A woman looks back at her life with the father she could never quite get a hold of. The simple prose allows a clear focusing in on their relationship and how his frequent physical and emotional absence impacted her. I really enjoyed this one. #TOBlonglist

I can always count on Laura Bates to thoroughly research and report on the deep misogyny in our society. With her latest, she looks at AI, and if you thought social media was bad (it is), AI is that much worse, from digital assistants to deep fake porn to AI sexbots (which are even more horrific than you‘re thinking). Infuriating and vital.

Geologist Bjornerud takes us through various rocks as she works through her life in geology. She weaves in features of her science, like volcanism and seismology, beautifully. This reminds me so much of Hope Jahren‘s Lab Girl, and I loved both books.

I don‘t know that I strictly *wanted* to read this, but I do think the more of us bear witness to things that shouldn‘t be happening, the more likely we are to prevail against them. The abuse Giuffre suffered is front loaded in this book, with the remainder her efforts to recover and fight against those who harmed her. It‘s a tough read but so important.

This is a fascinating history of Florida in the 1920s with its real estate boom and bust that the author posits was the main cause of the Great Depression. I was wholly absorbed by this narrative nonfiction. #ReadYourEbooks

I went into this blind and was delighted to learn how unusual the central priest in the story is. To me, this book is mostly about Father Damien getting to know and deeply respect the local Ojibwe people, though that‘s not what the blurb suggests. I really liked this early on, but my attention waned as it went on. I don‘t know if that was me, the book, or the audio, which is bad. (1950s newscaster tone with inconsistent character voices) ⬇️

Hello winter campers! As a reminder, voting is open to determine the 3 books we will be reading and discussing at winter camp! There‘s a tight race at the top, so if you haven‘t voted yet, your vote will definitely count! Voting is open until Wednesday. Here‘s the link:

https://bit.ly/3MB5rGz

And the list of books to choose from:

https://bit.ly/4oQvaZ8

#wintercamplitsy #camplitsy25

This is a novel of class and gender in modern China, mainly following a nanny and her young charge with glimpses of the wealthy family sprinkled through. I found it really absorbing but thought the ending was a little lacking. #TOBlonglist

Oh Betty. When you‘re wrong, you‘re REALLY wrong. I so wish she had been right about this.

It didn‘t make the shortlist, but this is a terrific book very much worth reading. It has complex, interesting, flawed characters sometimes making bad choices, but usually doing so because of life circumstances. It balances the darkness (and it is dark) with sprinkles of humor. I loved it and am so glad the TOB introduced me to it. #TOBlonglist

I‘m not sure what I think of this. It‘s a trippy horror that‘s often more cinematic than novelistic. It does some things that make me crazy but overall really makes me think. I don‘t know if I liked it or not. And for all those reasons, I think it would be a great book club book—there‘s a lot to chew on here. #TOB26

This one for me was so uneven I can‘t give it more than a meh. Some parts I really liked, but others dragged and I was so bored at one point relatively early on that I almost bailed. I‘ll still keep reading Harrow, though she‘s been hit or miss for me.

Pulitzer Prize winning critic Jefferson writes a different kind of memoir. First she establishes the reality and long presence of the Black upper class in the US, then continues to show that class while seating herself within it, as she grew up privileged. She plays quite a bit with style in the writing, which threw me at times, but overall I found this fascinating and unique. #ReadYourEbooks

As others have said, this book is brutal, though less so than I expected. It explores how one man‘s sadism can trickle down and impact so many, carrying on a legacy of violence and domination. Huh, oddly fitting for our current moment. I found the ending satisfying in some ways. #TOB26

I‘m glad I read this so I could finish out my reading of the #NBAlonglist for fiction, but it just didn‘t work for me at all. The stories just gave me nothing to hang onto. I‘m a bit disappointed that other books I read this year weren‘t on this list and this one was.

A woman is relaxing in the tub, drinking a bit too much wine, when her attic hatch swings open and a masked man drops down and kills her. But her death is ruled an accident, so when another woman thinks there‘s a man in her attic, she doesn‘t know how truly worried she should be. I really enjoyed this page-turning thriller and would read Mara again for sure.

I enjoyed this thriller/horror enough to give it a low pick. It‘s a little slow in spots and there‘s one plot choice early on that‘s so silly it almost ruined the book. Otherwise, I had fun with it, though it‘s not at all scary.

I tried this for an off-Litsy reading challenge, but I just couldn‘t. I see that it‘s clearly setting this up to show how horrifying HH is and how he‘s trying to convince the reader he isn‘t, but even just his description of seeing the girl for the first time made me realize I don‘t want to go there. Not even with the dulcet tones of Jeremy Irons reading to me.

Enshitification is Doctorow‘s very satisfying word for what tech companies do. First, create a great product to lure and lock in users. Then, change the product to benefit businesses/advertisers at the expense of users. Then, change it again to screw the businesses and benefit shareholders. It‘s an infuriating book that‘ll make you feel like you need a forever shower, but he does include some hope at the end.

I have long been fascinated by how the brain works and how it can go wrong, and this is an exploration of the latter. Initially, Alice is incredibly relatable, heading into college with all the insecurities and fears that entails. Then things start to go very wrong for her. This is a good way to gain empathy for those suffering from significant mental illness and a demonstration of how badly our health care system lets these people down. #TOB26

Here are my picks for #ReadYourEbooks this month. I feel like I manifested the 2 spin after saying I need to read Negroland this month, so sorry if anyone is unhappy with that number. 😂 Hopefully I‘ll read at least one other as well!

And down to the wire, I am finally posting my #ReadYourEbooks list for December. I finally read one of the picked books for November. 🥳 I need to read Negroland for a reading challenge this month, so even if it isn‘t picked, I should knock at least one of these off.

As can often be the case with short story collections, this one was uneven for me. The stories that leaned a bit into horror worked the best, but I found too many of the stories pretty forgettable. #TOB26

Evie arrives to do her SAT tutoring session with a wealthy teen and finds the parents brutally murdered and a woman tied up in a closet. Then their daughter and her boyfriend arrive, prompting Evie and the woman to run, now as the #1 suspects. A bit thrillery but more than that, as the women get to know each other. I found this riveting and didn‘t want to stop listening. #TOB26

Four robots reactivate and find themselves in a restaurant, abandoned by the owner, and with lots to still pay on their contracts. So, they work together to create a noodle place. It‘s 2064 California and we get to see where society is and why it‘s transformed. I liked this, especially how clearly it is a metaphor for transness.

These are vignettes from some famous names but mostly people I didn‘t know about facing adversity. When someone said “you can‘t” because of disability, race, gender, sexuality, or other reasons, these people just went on and did it anyway. It‘s YA and definitely targeted at teens, but a good reminder for anyone about the power of determination.

I originally skipped this when it came out but have liked Harrow‘s other books so I thought I‘d give it a try. But it‘s just not working for me. I‘m finding it disjointed which is making me uninterested. I‘m glad I skipped it before so it didn‘t stop me from enjoying her other books!

Entertaining enough, but just too flawed to give a pick. The writing is a bit simple, the time idea falls apart in the lightest breeze, and the big plot points are visible miles away. Bindi says a good walkies is way better.

I really should have bailed on this one. I love the US cover and the setting, and there were some parts I found engaging, but overall I often found my mind wandering off while listening. To the point that near the end is someone named Charlie and I had no idea who that was. 🤷🏼‍♀️

You can‘t turn around these days without hearing about Ozempic, which made me curious to learn more about it. This book covers the history of identification of GLP-1, creating the drugs, getting FDA approval, as well as patient stories, good and bad. It‘s an absorbing read that includes things like the instrumental female scientists who have been ignored and the damage done to the body positivity movement movement.

I really enjoyed this look back at paperback horror from the 70s and 80s, focusing a lot on the cover art, especially since it starts with Hendrix crouching on the floor of a used bookstore, surrounded by them. We‘ve all been there! One thing I wish he had acknowledged is the huge amount of sexist objectification of women‘s bodies with all the nude women on covers. #ReadYourEbooks

Adam and Teddy are teens who decide to strike out on a road trip and then one of them buys a rifle. Their friendship is already a bit prickly and largely due to not having anyone else, building the discomfort and dread until an act of violence occurs. The dread doesn‘t then release, but continues. I thought this was very good, though there‘s a perspective shift near the end that I wish had been done differently.

In August 1944, Frankie is 12 with no mother and a soldier brother who is about to marry before shipping out. McCullers perfectly captures that in between time when you‘re still a kid but starting to see parts of the world differently. I don‘t usually like child narrators, but I thought this was terrific.

This slim book follows a boy growing up with his 2 brothers in a difficult family, struggling with poverty and abuse. Despite those things, these boys have a delight for life, but as time passes, you see the struggles start to weigh on and shape them. It‘s told in segments with time jumps and certain things left to the reader to interpret, which is great for some but might drive others crazy.

I really like the approach of this book, having a nonfiction and a fiction segment that reflect one another. The problem for me is that I found the NF section compelling but didn‘t much like the fiction section, which I felt was all over the place in a bad way. #TOB2026