Read this book now. It's smart, interesting and funny. I'm not a huge non-fiction person but I adored Grunt. Not that you needed more reasons to respect our service people but this book will give you a new appreciation for their sacrifices. It will also help you appreciate the scientists who work to keep them safe and heal them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm 80 pages in and really struggling to stay interested. So...much...bird. Should I persist?

In case being a solider and facing death isn't hard enough, thinking about some of the other things troops have to deal with really brings home the sacrifices they are making even when not in battle. In the above mentioned scenario, 60% of those Marines got ill.

While it dragged a little at times, I really enjoyed this intimate portrait of a loving family. Reilly really invites us into her characters' minds and she doesn't over-simplify them the way some authors do. Recommend.

Frass= insect shit. I feel a little smarter knowing this.

This book is so incredibly interesting and entertaining to read. So many new things I'm learning!

This book is chock full of astute little gems that really capture the psychological reality of feelings like love and death.

Truth

I wanted to love this book. I loved "Was". I get where Ryman was going (about the complications of parenting and how our early experiences shape our ability to be intimate) but I just got so tired of the whole premise. I got 70% in. Should I return to it?

I'm 40% into this book and I don't like/care about any of the characters. It's a breezy read...but will I start to care?

I loved this book. Why has no one read it?! It's original, beautiful and moving. It intertwines the stories of Judy Garland, a real life Dorothy, and a gay man named Jonathan who plays the scarecrow in a stage production. It deals with loss, abuse, AIDS and hope ever so tenderly. Read this book!

While the language of this book is strikingly beautiful and original, the story and character development really fell flat for me. I lost interest about 50 pages in and nothing changed as I read on. Disappointing for a book with so much hype around it. Felt over-written.

I can't believe it took me this long to read this beautiful book. Scout is one of my favorite narrators. It's a shame we will never have a sequel where we can see the woman Scout grows up to be. Then again, I know that so much of the book's charm is that the POV is that of a 7-9 year-old girl.

Well they nailed the injustice of racism but they sort of forgot about sexism ;)

What better place to listen to a story than on your daddy's chest?

I'm FINALLY reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I adore Scout's voice and description. How awesome is the above description of boredom?

Read this book. It's creepy but not so upsetting as to keep you up at night. This man's imagination is amazing. Pure enjoyment. Only complaint is that it's not longer!

I haven't been sleeping well lately and keep meaning to turn in early but this book keeps me up (and maybe it's why I'm not sleeping well???). So gripping, so creepy, so good!

I liked this book although it dragged in the middle. It's a love story that at times morphs from moving into over-the-top and saccharine (which leaves me numb). Loved the ending and cried when it was over. Worth a read but don't skip something amazing to put this on top of your stack.

"Would could not prepare a child for the future; such knowledge might be intolerable." Such an astute observation about why we lie to our children to protect them, even when they aren't little anymore (the child referred to here is 23).

I wanted to love this book. In fact, I loved parts of it. But overall Furo didn't capture me, nor did the other characters. The statement about race seems spot on but the story, sadly, didn't move me. I also found Ignoi's side plot totally unnecessary and distracting.

Starting the bookclub young with these two. Books that are songs are some of my favorites because I can read them 20 times in a row and not tire of them.

I had heard amazing things about this book so I stuck with it despite wanting to bail several times. It was very slow and I never felt invested in the story or characters. I found the writing dry and the plot hard to follow. Skip it.

I know Mo Willems is beloved (including by my daughter) but I don't get the appeal. The characters all seem manic and just off. I don't find them endearing and I find the writing awkward.

A must read for everyone- carnivores and herbivores alike. Well written and very thought provoking. Not just another poorly done "food" book. I've read this 3 times.

This lived up to the hype. Unlike what others said (that it was slow to start) I felt grabbed by the characters and pacing right away. Beautiful story. I cried at the end, which to me means I was really invested in the characters.

This book stayed with me long after I forgot the plot. The writing is so unique and powerful that I started to narrate my thoughts with the same cadence as the prose while I read it. If you like beautiful, skillful writing and characters you can almost feel, read this book.

Another one of my favorite children's books. The story of Gerald the Giraffe who was mocked for not dancing like the rest of the animals. He goes on to find his own music and dance his own way. I tear up every time I read, "sometimes when you're different, you just need a different song". Rock on..

I'm a pretty big Lena Dunham fan so I really wanted to love this book but it was fairly mediocre. Dunham has the ability to write very well but this book is not her best work. The writing was uneven and often the ideas trailed off, not fully realized.

Such a beautiful, heartbreaking book. Expertly written. A must read.

I adored the first half of this book. The second half felt like a completely different book that I wasn't nearly as taken by. Still worth reading.

Essential reading as a Gender Studies major. An interesting look into the lives of sex workers and what can empower them. @AbsReads

I read so much Butler in undergrad and then re-visited her in grad school. Her writing is so dense but her concepts are brilliant. She was ahead of her time and still is. I've heard her speak and her speaking is just as dense and smart as her writing.

This is the only book I had to use Cliff's Notes for in high school. I was so throughly bored that I cheated! Never had the courage to try another Henry James novel after this.

Currently one of my favorite children's books. Something about this book is so soothing to me. The rhythm and cadence are wonderful. Seems like the red-headed stepchild to Brown's big hit Good Night Moon but I'm a much bigger fan of this book.

One of my top 10 favorite books of all time. I've read it several times. The first time I finished it I cried that it was over (literally). Read this book to be transported and moved. And here is a photo of an adorable bunny.

I did not get this book. The writing was tedious and the characters were impossible to connect with. The backdrop is so interesting that I hoped for so much more. I had to force myself to finish it.

This book was all the rage about 5-10 years ago. I finally read it a few years ago and while it was well written I came away wondering what all of the fuss was about.

Such a great description of the feelings one can have for an infant.

I think I'm the only person I know who didn't adore this book. Perhaps it's because I found it impossible to like or attach to the characters. It certainly transports you deeply into the story but that wasn't really a place I wanted to inhabit.

I adore this book. It teaches kids that what matters is trying, rather than outcome. It also stars a girl and woman who are engineers. We need more books like this!

Bechdel's psychological understanding her father's sexuality's impact on her (and hers on his) is so spot-on.

I'm half way through this zany book. I'm curious to hear what others think but no spoilers (yet) please!

Such an interesting way to describe a dip into psychosis.

Didion gives her readers the gift of letting us intimately into her grief. So beautiful, so painful and so necessary in a culture that shies away from talking about death.