I think if this book had a different narrator I would have enjoyed it more. Her character voices were annoying and over the top at times. The writing tried too hard to be witty and whimsical. I really hate to give such a rough review. The book was okay, I honestly think I would have enjoyed it more if I liked the narrator.

Just finished listening to this audiobook. My third one this month!
The Last Time I Saw You was okay. It had good moments and meh moments. The pacing was decent, and the writing of a person being gaslit was great. But, I‘m pretty tired of the mental illness trope in thrillers. I‘m wondering if I should change genres for a bit?

I was moving a friend from Michigan to St Louis, MO on Friday, so I wasn‘t able to order my books early. But, I finally got a chance to look through all the options and here are my choices! Since it‘s my birthday month, I got The Space Between Worlds for free. It‘s a book I‘ve considered adding on before, so I figured why not? #botm

My wife has to work this weekend, so I‘m doing some crocheting and listening to an audiobook. This is the second book I‘ve finished this month, which means I‘m very close to my #bfc goal (1 more to go!)
The Hunting Party was okay, but not great. There could have been a decent amount of editing on the story, especially in terms of subplots and background info. It was a good cast of narrators, though, which made it an enjoyable experience.

I was slightly disappointed with this book. The reveal of what the equation means seems improbable. The pacing was choppy, with following 3 characters, the ebbs and flows in each storyline coincided to make some spots intense and others a drag. It was a bad book, but I wasn‘t blown away by it either.

#BFC update: this is 2 of 3 books this month and I‘m did 19 of 20 days for drinking 2 glasses of water. Need to hurry to finish my third book.

I was supposed to have a virtual doctor‘s appointment and then teach two classes, but everything was cancelled. Instead, I‘m going to catch up on some reading, drink coffee, and stay in bed as long as my dogs will let me. Grading papers can wait 😁

#BFC21
First week of February‘s BFC complete! It took about 100 pages to get sucked into the story, but I flew through most of The Vanishing Half today.
7 out of 7 days for drinking two glasses of water. I had to chug a glass of water last night to make it, but it still counts :)

I‘ve never done the #BFC21 challenge before. I‘m in a bit of a reading slump, but I know if I can make time to read, I‘ll pull myself out soon. Some accountability would be nice!
Book goal: 3 books (at least 1, hopefully 2, will be #BOTM reads)
Nutritional goal: drink 2 glasses of water per day. I‘m terrible at this and consequently, perpetually dehydrated.
@wanderinglynn

I‘m starting this book while I wait for my wife to wake up. We have errands this morning and work all afternoon. I‘m soaking the quiet and relaxing for as long as I can. I‘ve read two other books by Elle Spencer and enjoyed both; I‘m excited to read another!

My 2021 goal is to read all of my #botm picks that I‘ve missed, as well as keep up with the ones I will acquire throughout the year. I just filled up my 3rd shelf with January‘s picks. Excited to see what this year brings.

There are so many books on my TBR list.... but here are #3books that are at the bottom 😢 there are so many books and so little time. I frequently see these on my shelf and think “I should read that soon,” but there‘s always another book that catches my attention first...

Turns out there are A LOT of banned books I‘ve never read. So I decided to go with the #3books that seem to be the most popular banned books. They‘re all on my TBR list...they just always get bumped down the line when new books come out.

Casting Lacey is a sweet, easy read. It puts a twist on the common story that a successful actress (Quinn) goes into a fake relationship with a rising star (Lacey) for publicity sake, only to realize there might be something real between them. It‘s fairly predictable, but so refreshing to see this storyline told between two women, with a beautiful coming out story in the process. I loved, and rooted for, both Quinn and Lacey. 4.5/5 ⭐️

We went camping this weekend, so here‘s my Sunday post... these are #3books that are banned books I‘ve read. Annie on my Mind is the first YA lesbian novel to have a happy ending where the characters end up together. It was published in 1982.... it was banned in a lot of states. Some groups of people (most religious) would burn copies of the books on the steps of schools and libraries.

A random of assortment of #3books gifted to me! Hitchhikers was a gift from my brother-in-law that‘s on my short list TBR. Frida‘s quotes was a wedding anniversary gift from some friends who know I love Frida and my wife hates Frida. Pastrix was a “gift” but more of a pass-along book. My cousin gave it to my aunt, who gave it to me, my wife read it, then she gave it to a friend. We all signed our names in the front, so it‘s a sort of library card!

I struggled finding #3books that made me uncomfortable.
1. The wine bottle 🤢
2. The immense amount of gore and the reason for the kidnapping 🥵
3. The brick. 😱 The childhood. 🤬 The hurting while feeling all alone. It made me uncomfortable. But it also made me so, so sad. 💔

I had a hard time coming up with #3books that gave me a hangover.

Little Fires Everywhere leaves you with so many little nuggets of life lessons that I kept thinking about it after setting it down.

Hearts Like Hers is the last in a series. Not my favorite, but the epilogue made me cry happy tears.

I had to use Evelyn again. After I finished reading, I asked my wife if we could watch one of Evelyn‘s movies. I forgot she wasn‘t a real person.

I loved Pinborough‘s first novel, I thought her second was good (if not a little sad). But I couldn‘t make myself like this one. It was a slow burn with an ending that just fizzled out. I don‘t regret listening to it...but I feel torn about reading another Pinborough book, if she writes another.

I‘ve realized I recommend a lot of books to various people 🙈 I decided to choose the top #3books I‘ve recommended most frequently. Evelyn Hugo is probably my favorite book and I recommended it to everyone I know. AND I just learned that Evelyn Hugo is going to be adapted into a TV series on Freeform. Taylor Jenkins Reid is writing the screenplay. I‘m excited, but nervous the casting won‘t live up to my expectations.

Here are #3books that were recommended to me. My aunt recommended Bel Canto (actually gave me her copy to keep) and A Prayer for Owen Meany. I still need to read Owen... All the Bright Places was a recommendation from my friend who loves books that break your heart. Looking over my shelves, I‘m realizing that I tend to recommend books to people more often than they do me. Not sure why that‘s the case 🤔

I just finished my September #botm pick. It‘s my first book by Backman, but certainly not my last. I didn‘t want to set this book down. It‘s heartwarming, uplifting, and respectfully deals with topics such as grief, anxiety, and suicide. I highly, highly recommend it. (I waited maybe 10 minutes after finishing it to text a couple people, telling them to read this book)

I had a hard time choosing #3books I hated. Three Women was an easy choice...I couldn‘t get past the first 50 pages. Tomboy felt like the summary was misleading. And Honor Girl was just a slog. For a story about a coming-of-age lesbian identity novel, it didn‘t focus much on her journey of identity discovery. I also couldn‘t get past the idea that a 19 y/o would want to get romantically involved with a 15y/o. It felt gross.

I simply adore this book. It‘s the YA lesbian story I needed when I was in middle school/high school. Given the way it‘s written, it‘s easy to read in one day. I couldn‘t put it down. I highly recommend it. Tam and Kate meet each other after school one day. And then all of a sudden they keep running into each other. Pretty soon they‘re friends...but maybe want to be more than friends. And if that‘s the case, what does that mean exactly?

Joining the party late, but I‘ve loved reading everyone‘s posts, so I thought I‘d jump in. Here are #3books that I love. I picked some recent-ish reads, because my two all-time favorite reads fit multiple categories and I wanted to show some other books some love too.

I‘m 100 pages in and bored... does the pace pick up at all? I keep reading raving reviews for Rebecca and I want so badly to like it. I am starting to see how du Maurier is building suspense around Manderley. Maybe it would feel more sinister if I didn‘t find the narrator so annoying.

I just finished Verity by Colleen Hoover, making it my 85th book of the year! I reached my goal with a week left of the year. 🙌🏼

By far, the best thriller I‘ve read this year. I found it nearly impossible to put down. I would highly recommend it. This was my first book by Colleen Hoover—I will definitely be reading more of her work.

Tig Notaro takes us through the hardest year of her life. First bronchitis and a sinus infection lead to a deadly bacteria infection. While she‘s recovering, her mom suddenly dies. She goes through a mutually agreed upon break-up. Then she‘s diagnosed with breast cancer and goes through a bilateral mastectomy. At times funny, Notaro‘s book is an account of tremendous loss, but also tremendous strength. 4/5 ⭐️ #queerbooks

This book is kind of hard to rate... I didn‘t love the main character, but didn‘t hate her. She talked so negatively about herself that it was a little annoying, and that aspect of her character didn‘t really evolve, but wasn‘t brought up anymore. I really liked her family and support network. Overall 3.5/5 ⭐️

This was an okay YA #queerbooks . When Rukhsana‘s parents find her kissing her girlfriend, they take her to Bangladesh to set her on the “right path.” The ending was tied together quickly. It was a decent listen, but I wouldn‘t strongly recommend reading it.

I almost bailed twice, but 1.5 hours away from the end it was hard to just give up. The first 30% of the book was cute and fluffy, but then the author tried introducing what should have been two concepts to explore outside of the romance, and then she poorly executed all of the plots she had created. Sana was way too whiny, even by YA standards. Poorly executed storyline + whiny annoying protagonist = 2⭐️ review

I finished listening to this on my way to work. It was okay. Definitely could have been shorter. I didn‘t see the ending coming, but it still fell flat. It‘s my third mystery genre audiobook in a row; I think I need to switch genres for my next listen.

Sarah‘s out of town with friends tonight, so I am having a beer, playing with fire, and listening to an audiobook. This is the relaxing end to a crappy week that I really needed.

I made a mistake... I only brought one book with me to get my oil changed. It‘s never taken this long. I‘m not sure how I‘m going to entertain myself now. This was a great book to read as an introduction to the horror, haunted house genre! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished this book on my drive home today. Lie to Me is really predictable. I purposefully do not try guessing the plot twists, because I enjoy experiencing the surprise of the reveals. So if I can guess it without trying, you know it‘s very predictable. But, it was an entertaining listen. I‘m planning to listen to the follow up book, Tear Me Apart.

There‘s a decent chance I might regret reading this book, considering that I‘m a huge baby when it comes to horror. But it‘s been on my TBR for a while, and I‘m too intrigued to walk away. Plus, it seems like a very fitting October read. 👻

I finished Bringing Down the Duke last night, which meant that I completed my reading challenge! I‘ve read 65 books this year :) 👊🏼📚

I finally finished this audiobook today. I really hoped this would be a great read. But oh. my. god Arthur is soooo annoying. He‘s melodramatic, immature, self-centered, and whiny. There were so many “problems” in their relationship that weren‘t actually problems at all. I get that YA novels can be immature, but this was a little too petty. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘m hoping that this month‘s pick is better than the last... I‘ve heard good things about Bringing Down the Duke. 🤞🏼🤞🏼

I‘m in a terrible reading slump right now. I‘m still reading, but everything I read I dislike. With this book I can‘t tell how much of it is slump related and how much is book related. Maggie‘s story hit too close to home. And I decided to call it quits after Taddeo says that Sloane “gave herself an eating disorder.” One does not give oneself a mental illness. Maybe I‘m overreacting, but I found that statement so insensitive.

Book mail is the best mail! Not only did my #botm choice come this week, but I also got a prize from the last #24in48 readathon. Thank you so much to everyone who does @24in48 I love my new tote bag!

I have been thinking for a few days about how to review this book. I can‘t fully explain why I really, really disliked Tomboy. It reads as a boring story about one person‘s friendships throughout her life. Her gender identity journey definitely takes the backseat in this book... that is about her gender identity. So much of this book is about Liz working through not being a boy, but not being a girl. Except, she does know she‘s a girl. Cont‘d👇🏼

“To borrow a metaphor from the kitchen sink... children form strong opinions easily. They soak up information from their parents, school, and the media and repeat it back to the world. So when you don‘t look or act like what everyone is told is the norm, you get proverbially barfed on a lot.”
This is so, so relatable.

This book is so hard to review. When Carol was nice, I loved her; when Carol was cruel, she was an ass. Ultimately, I wish the book was from Carol‘s perspective. She was going through so much and I think her heartache and falling in love would have made for a better book. Also, I couldn‘t stop picturing Carol as Cate Blanchett, whom I adore. 3.5/5 ⭐️

About 100 pages in and I really like this book. Finally sitting down to relax. It‘s been a rough week for our dog. Trying to figure out how to manage his seizures. A queer book and episodes of Friends should help.

The character development is what really drives this plot. The narration style was different, told from the perspective of women in the church, following the story of three teenagers. This book included several hard topics (suicide, molestation, domestic violence), which I wasn‘t expecting; but they were handled well. Overall, an enjoyable read 3.5/5 ⭐️

Final time for #24in48 I was hoping for 10 hours, but life kind of got in the way. Hopefully next time I won‘t have so many unexpected obligations pop up. All in all, it was a fun weekend :)

Taking a quick break from reading for #24in48 . My eyes need a rest. I‘ve read one novel and three graphic novels so far. After my break I‘ll start this one. I‘m definitely ready for a snack break.

I don‘t have a lot of book merch, but I love the few things that I have 😍 #24in48

Cup of coffee in Harry Potter mug ✔️
Current read ✔️
Next read as a palate cleanser ✔️
House to myself ✔️

All ready for day two of #24in48 📚☕️📚