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Tara

Tara

Joined March 2016

I'm not very good at social networking 🐈‍⬛
review
Tara
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Pickpick

Tough to rate. Love the concept, (essays on close female friendships,) but a lot of times I just wished Dancyger had written more of a cohesive memoir. The separate essay format didn‘t always work for me, yet there are a lot of great passages here.

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Tara
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Pickpick

You will find yourself asking just how many red flags can a self proclaimed feminist miss, but the conclusion I‘ve landed on is that Flannery has heartbreakingly illustrated just how easily patriarchal thinking can swoop right back in when you come out of your academic bubble and are faced with the practicalities of needing a job. This book made me feel like I needed a shower.

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Tara
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Pickpick

My heart belongs to the Franklin expedition, but I‘m trying to branch out! Endurance doesn‘t disappoint (truly HOW did they survive that) but I do have an unpopular opinion™️. I am not sold on Shackleton‘s leadership skills! Lansing glosses over mistakes and tends to give Shackleton full credit for feats that were group efforts (or even just Frank Worsley efforts, justice for Frank.) It felt biased and made me wonder about other sides to the story

Tara (Also fyi for fellow animal lovers, there‘s a cat and several dogs that do not make it out of this expedition and it is not easy to read about. Also lots of hunting of penguins and seals.) 3mo
9 likes1 comment
blurb
Tara
Butter: Roman | Asako Yuzuki
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My Libby loan runs out in a couple days idk if I‘m gonna make it 😬😬😬

#FirstLineFriday

AnnCrystal Oh no! 😳💝. 4mo
11 likes1 comment
review
Tara
Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel
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Pickpick

Interested enough to continue on with Bring Up the Bodies at least. Still figuring out what I think about this one, and a big part of that is even though we‘re basically in Cromwell‘s head the whole (very long) book, he‘s still largely a mystery. As a reader it‘s frustrating. Curious to see how I feel about it in the next two books.

review
Tara
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Pickpick

Pick, but a soft pick. I‘ve read all(?) of Miranda‘s adult reader books and sometimes they‘re brilliant and sometimes they feel half baked. This is the latter. The framing of “[x] days without rain” was pointless which is a shame because she can do atmosphere so well. (Ex: The Last to Vanish.) I did really like the evolution of the Hazel/Jamie friendship, I think that saved this book for me.

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Tara
Garlic and the Vampire | Bree Paulsen
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Pickpick

Really cute and a little spooky. I think this is recommended for middle grade but I took a chance and read it with my toddler 🫣 Her favorite character was Carrot.

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Tara
Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel
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Working on another “wow I really should have read this by now” book after being shamed by the NYT list 💀

BkClubCare Nah, never let a list shame you. There‘s just TOO MANY books and an ever added to list!! 4mo
BkClubCare But yeah, I enjoyed Wolf Hall quite a bit 😉 4mo
11 likes2 comments
blurb
Tara
Untitled | Unknown
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listennn I‘ve been off litsy for months so although I‘m sure you all have exhausted discussion on this weeks ago, I‘m posting mine now. Verdict: I need to read more 🙃📚

But really though, no Olga Tokarczuk? Three (three!) George Saunders but not a single Kelly Link?? The list is bad and it should feel bad.

BkClubCare Um, wasn‘t Drive Plow on it?! 4mo
Tara @BkClubCare on the readers choice list! 4mo
BkClubCare @Tara - ah. I am reading it now! I did much better on that list but have already forgotten my count. 4mo
10 likes3 comments
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Tara
Erasure: A Novel | Percival Everett
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Pickpick

As much as I disagreed with the NYT best books of the century list, it did highlight some gaps in my reading! Jumped into Erasure, loved the vast majority of it. The Stagg R Leigh novel in the middle is kind of unbearable and I know that‘s the point but it was such a slog to get through in an otherwise engrossing book. (The postmodern paper was equally unbearable but it didn‘t drag on as long at least.)

Lcsmcat I felt the same way. I was listening to it as I worked out and 5 am is just too early for all the f-bombs! 4mo
15 likes1 comment
review
Tara
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Pickpick

I am once again back after several months of not posting! Maybe this time I can maintain some sort of posting rhythm 🤥 Anyway this witchcraft memoir appealed to me because I too have dabbled in all things witchy on and off since tweenhood 🔮 What really worked for me is how Helmuth balanced her natural skepticism while also being open to experience.

AnnCrystal Welcome Back Litten 📚🥳👍. 4mo
11 likes1 comment
review
Tara
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Pickpick

Impossible for me to rate on a star scale, but this is a pick for me. This is part road trip memoir where Carroll travels across the states asking women “what do we need men for?” interspersed with anecdotes about the awful men in her life. The structure is all over the place, the tone varies from absolutely hilarious to straightforward and brutal. It‘s tough to get through because yikes she‘s really been through it. TW for terrible terrible men.

tpixie Happy Litsyversary!! 🌺🦄🪻📗 10mo
14 likes1 comment
review
Tara
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Pickpick

It‘s Hardy so this is still bleak and dramatic, though not as enraging as Tess nor as depressing as Jude. There are no clear villains here, just unfortunate circumstance. (Tbh I didn‘t care for Clym or Wildeve.) Also leave it to Hardy to have a minor character develop a catastrophic gambling problem in one evening only to be cured by it the next day. Wish Eustacia and Thomasin had ditched their subpar men and run away to Paris together instead.

BkClubCare Hardy is a trip. I loved Woodlanders and Madding Crowd. But DNF‘d Tess and am scared of Jude! 4mo
Tara @BkClubCare ooh haven‘t read woodlanders yet! 4mo
BkClubCare @Tara - everyone batshitcrazy pls pardon the expression. My blog has (imho) a hilarious review of Mad Crowd. Shall I share it 🤨🤣 4mo
11 likes3 comments
blurb
Tara
Dracula | Bram Stoker
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For the Dracula nerds! (Me, I‘m the Dracula nerd.) I‘ve been growing my own Hungarian paprika this year and these are finally ready to dry! Now I just have to find a good vegetarian paprika hendl recipe 🤷🏻‍♀️🧛🏻‍♂️

AnnCrystal ❤️🥀🌹🦇🌶️ SWEET 👍 1y
tpixie Pretty! I love black lentils! 10mo
14 likes2 comments
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Tara
Secrets of Hartwood Hall | Katie Lumsden
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Pickpick

Had lots of fun reading this one, Victorian gothics are my catnip. Just a couple minor annoyances, nothing that really detracted from overall enjoyment. I didn‘t care for Paul the gardener, he comes across more himbo than romantic lead in a gothic. Also lots of steadily held gazes and furrowed brows. Overall I think Lumsden shows a lot of promise and I‘m looking forward to what she might write next.

14 likes1 stack add
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Tara
The Villa: A Novel | Rachel Hawkins
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Pickpick

I think I liked this one more for the connections to the summer Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein than anything else! A good start to spooky season 👻

Tara I will say I kept waiting for the reveal that it was Chess poisoning Emily! Did I fall for red herrings or was it just meant to be left inferred by the reader? 1y
14 likes1 comment
blurb
Tara
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Fall baking is here 🤤🍏 Apple Tart from Dessert Person. My rough puff could have been puffier but this was delicious all the same!

AnnCrystal 🧐😍🍎🍏😊. Looks good 👍. 1y
12 likes1 comment
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Tara
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
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Pickpick

What a bizarre little book. A mysterious and wealthy couple moves to a small French village (post wwii) and Élodie, the neglected wife of the baker, develops a psychosexual obsession with them. That is most of the book! Based on the real life mass poisoning ?☠️ of Pont-Saint-Esprit in 1951, I think I got more out of the book knowing that bit of history. (And also having read Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead.) I loved it but it‘s not for everyone!

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Tara
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Pickpick

I LOVE KELLY LINK. So many moments where you just stop and go “how does she do that????” These stories are clever and playful and grim and unsettling and and and and…! This is an author at the height of her power and we are all just along for the ride. All but one story were 5⭐️ reads for me (I didn‘t click with the Hansel & Gretel retelling.)

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Tara
Cursed Bread: A Novel | Sophie Mackintosh
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Me, absolutely delighted: WHAT is wrong with these people?

Not very far into this one so far, and I understand all of the mixed reviews/comments. It‘s totally working for me though.

quote
Tara
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“Pity the introvert with the face of a therapist or a kindergarten teacher. Like the werewolf we are uneasy in human spaces and human company, though we wear a human skin.”

suvata I‘m a big Kelly Link fan 1y
9 likes1 comment
review
Tara
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Mehso-so

Ok I do love gossipy books about neighborhood drama, but this one fell short for me. The characters felt flat and tropey, the twists were predictable, and it was just missing, idk, heart? It seemed like the author cared as little about the characters as I did. But it seems like mine is the minority opinion on this one so ymmv!

Tara Side note in the comments because it‘s a little snarky: which established male author is trying to break into the domestic suspense market by hiding behind a gender neutral pseudonym? This book‘s marketing/blurbage is too good for an author with zero internet presence. 1y
12 likes1 comment
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Tara
Sea Change | Gina Chung
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This one has been a little slow going for me so far. Wouldn‘t have expected that from a book with a giant octopus! (think the book should feature more of the octopus 🐙)

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Tara
Fruiting Bodies: Stories | Kathryn Harlan
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Pickpick

So many gems in this collection! Stories featuring mostly lesbian or bi women, lots of the stories have themes of climate change and have elements of magical realism. I‘m not always a short story person, but I found these really rich and immersive. Favorite here was “Fiddler, Fool, Pair” but really all of them are great.

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Tara
Last Call at the Nightingale | Katharine Schellman
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Pickpick

Soft pick! What worked for me: speakeasy vibes + cozy mystery. Pure brain candy. What didn‘t quite measure up imo: I didn‘t care that much about who actually killed the dead guy, and I wanted a little more complexity in the main characters. I know Schellman can do better because I love her Lily Adler mysteries. This book sets things up for future installments, so I‘m hoping the characters will feel a little more lived in by that point.

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Tara
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Pickpick

Loved this one! A 40 something woman returns to her boarding school to teach a class, and ends up digging into a murder that happened while she was a student. I thought Makkai skillfully weaved together a compelling mystery while also exploring what it means to be “into” true crime and the ramifications it can have on victims and their families.

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Tara
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Loved Fever Dream and Mouthful of Birds. This story collection is more grounded in reality (so more approachable, if her previous stuff wasn‘t for you.) The stories here are centered around uneasiness in houses or domestic life, and I suspect different stories will resonate with different readers depending on what you‘ve got going on in your own life! The standout here is the novella, Breath From the Depths.

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Tara
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legit lol. thundering enthusiasm for pete wentz here

review
Tara
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Pickpick

Haven‘t been on Litsy in 5(?) years! I‘m not sure anyone I follow is even still active anymore, lol. Wouldn‘t mind doing some casual book posting again, so! GBBO + murder, a fun cozy mystery. Anyone else get the feeling the author hates Pa*l H*llywood?

The_Book_Ninja Always interested in reading peoples‘ reviews🙌🏼 1y
slategreyskies Oh, I haven‘t seen this book yet! I love GBBO, so I‘ll have to look into this one! 😎 1y
DGRachel I agree about PH. I definitely don‘t look at competition shows the same way after reading this one. 1y
10 likes3 comments
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Tara
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definitely didn‘t expect to come across an unsolved murder from my hometown 🤔

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Tara
Borne: A Novel | Jeff VanderMeer
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Realized “Borne” was the perfect name for my new airplant 🤓🌱

shortsarahrose Your airplant is so cute! And I still need to read this book. 7y
Tara @shortsarahrose I definitely think you‘d like it! 7y
mab-solenne Awesome plant lookalike! 7y
9 likes3 comments
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Tara
The Hazel Wood | Melissa Albert
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Pickpick

Tentative pick. Lots of moments that were really intriguing, creepy, and magical, but it also takes a while to get going, and my interest waned at times. Very interested and hopeful for where the future books will go! (Also, gorgeous endpapers)

shortsarahrose I want that endpaper as wallpaper. So pretty! 7y
7 likes1 comment
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Tara
Call Me Zebra | Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi
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Library haul 📚😬

shortsarahrose Impressive (and/or intimidating) 7y
7 likes1 comment
review
Tara
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Pickpick

I‘M YELLING. This series keeps getting better. The Diviners is one of the best YA series going right now. It‘s a long wait between books, but it‘s been so worth it.

monalyisha 😂 RIGHT?! 7y
6 likes1 comment
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Tara
House of Leaves | Mark Z Danielewski
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No book has scared me more than reading House of Leaves for the first time 🎃👻💀👽🕸🦇 #boobooks

bitterbear that's a good one... 7y
bitterbear (Book) 7y
6 likes2 comments
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Tara
Are You Sleeping | Kathleen Barber
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Pickpick

As someone who was obsessed with Serial a couple years ago, I readily inhaled this one. Nothing brilliant, but definitely worth a read.

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Tara
Found Audio | N. J. Campbell
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Mehso-so

To me, this would work better as three connected short stories. The framing of the found audio tapes, the disappearances, etc never quite did what I imagined it was supposed to. Excellent concept, though.

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Tara
The Arsonist | Stephanie Oakes
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Pickpick

Adored this one. A mystery, 1980s Berlin, and the best seizure alert pug ever. There‘s a whole bunch of stuff going on in this book and some of it is fairly easy to see coming, but I enjoyed it so much I truly didn‘t care. (Also hi Litsy 👋 I‘m going to try to remember to post regularly again!)

shortsarahrose Yay! Welcome back! Also, you had me at “best seizure alert pug ever.” 7y
6 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Tara
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I'm on a work trip this weekend, but I do have a few goals for #24in48 🤓📚

8 likes1 stack add
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Tara
Wax | Gina Damico
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Pickpick

Funny, quirky characters and creepy wax imposters. Some really clever things here-- will have to check out more by Damico 😱💀👻🎃

8 likes1 stack add
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Tara
Wax | Gina Damico
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Love this opening 😍

8 likes2 stack adds
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Tara
The Deal | Elle Kennedy
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Really glad I got over my judgey lit nerd phase because ohhhhmygosh are romance novels hilarious

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Tara
All the Missing Girls | Megan Miranda
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Pickpick

SO GOOD. The story of two missing girls is told backward, and I was a little concerned it would be too gimmicky, but I didn't feel that at all! Great pacing and energy throughout 😱🎡

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Tara
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Pickpick

This book thoroughly distracted me when my flight was delayed. Thank you, book!!!

brendanmleonard Boo, delays! Yay, book distraction! 8y
5 likes1 comment
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Tara
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Pickpick

Enthralling. The present day/future perspectives didn't work as well for me as the 1980s one, but I loved everything about Ada and the decades long development of ELIXER. 💾💾💾

brendanmleonard Sounds amazing - this has been on my list all summer! 8y
10 likes1 comment
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Tara
A Wife of Noble Character: A Novel | Yvonne Georgina Puig
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Pickpick

House of Mirth retold in contemporary Houston. HoM is one of my favorites, so I was a little apprehensive about this one. And while it can't quite live up to Wharton's classic, I still found it an engrossing read. (It also made me want to enroll every single character into a gender studies class)

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Tara
Multiple Choice | Alejandro Zambra
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Alejandro Zambra is a treasure. Wittiest multiple choice test I have ever read. What are your answers? I like B for both 🤓

mauveandrosysky I pick E for both! 8y
shortsarahrose This looks pretty wonderful. I would say my answers are C (though tempted by B), then E. 8y
6 likes2 comments
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Tara
The Good Divide | Kali VanBaale
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Pickpick

A lot is packed into this relatively slim book. Bleak Midwestern, character driven, a little Ethan Frome-y, but in a good way

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Tara
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Arguably, Lerner isn't saying anything new here, but this is a breezy, earnest essay that made me want to get into poetry again.

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Tara
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Who doesn't love a charming tale of ergotism????

Liberty YESSSSSSSSSSS. I love her. 🤘🏻 8y
6 likes2 stack adds1 comment