“Being black can get you killed. Being gay can get you killed. Being a black gay boy is a death wish. And one day if you are lucky your life and death will become some artist‘s new project.”

This book is honest, and funny, and important.

So many books! So many apps!

Augusten Burroughs is no stranger to the revelatory memoir, but there is one thing he‘s failed to mention until now: he‘s a witch. Go ahead, scoff. He wouldn‘t believe him either, except he‘s willing to offer proof. Enter Toil & Trouble. This is old school Burroughs - tough truths told with the sharpest of wits and the keenest of observations . I loved Running With Scissors and Dry, and this book reminded me why. He‘s just so freaking funny.

Please fucking vote.

No one: People don‘t cry reading graphic novels.
Me: Hold my beer.

Oof. Needed that one. Probably 20 years ago, but I‘ll take it now.

Colson Whitehead‘s got a new one coming this year, which makes this a perfect time to dig into the backlist. This story of a summer in Sag Harbor is told simply, but includes such vibrant minutia and hilariously honest observations, that the book is so much more than a snapshot of summer

I listen to a lot of non-fiction audiobooks, and never ever have I been so drawn into a narrator. Listening to this audiobook feels more like sitting down with a friend who is telling you a 19 hour story. Except that it‘s awesome!

Getting a popular hold from the library the day it‘s released is a special kind of victory.

Just diving in to this one, & there are so many social issues to unpack. The haves vs. have nots; the ways we use social media; politics-& that‘s just the start. So I don‘t mean to make light of the serious topics, but I‘m reading this less than a mile away from Nashville‘s Ensworth Academy-one of a handful of private schools that I assume make up the composite of this book‘s Windsor-and I can pretty much put a face to each character. So do tell.

NEVER do I re-read or re-listen to books. I mean to, and I have favorites, but there are just too many books for me to repeat anything. BUT after 2+ years of having this soundtrack on repeat, I‘ll be seeing HAMILTON (my phone autocorrected to all caps, per texting history, I‘m sure) at the end of the month. So for this, I‘ll make an exception to the no-repeats practice. Knowing the story behind this story takes my breath away.

I couldn‘t turn this one off! Reminiscent of Big Little Lies but absolutely stands in its own. It‘s the winning combination (for me) of a peek into the never-as-they-seem lives of the uber-rich, and a detestable main character.

You do not need to be a fan of golf or sports to find this book fascinating. The comprehensive research and narrative writing results in a story of unbelievably high standards, overbearing parents, the psychology of success, and more. I‘m only about a quarter of the way through, but I cannot stop listening.

Such a unique look back at one‘s life, all while the now swirls around a family patriarch. So well done!

A scene in this book just stole my breath in a way no story ever has. I can‘t say any more without ruining someone else‘s experience, but read this.

The excitement I felt when the badass, awesome aunt in this book is A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN made me squeal right out loud. It‘s how I want my nieces and nephews to think of me, but I‘ve misused slang and danced in front of them one too many times.

A book couldn‘t be more timely. A stark commentary on the state of our nation that is also darkly funny, wise, and an uncomfortable mirror for today.

This is shaping up to be a one-sitting read, err, listen. I love multiple storylines with casually intersecting characters. It gives me the feeling that I‘m a tiny speck in a large, busy world.

A fresh take on true crime. While the typical whodunnit thread is intricately researched and compassionately reported, the glimpse into the author‘s life is such a great addition to this story. Knowing that the author passed away so young, there are revelations she makes that just punch you in the gut. Absolutely lives up to the hype.

Sophie Kinsella has a style and character type, and if you‘re a fan, you‘ll love Surprise Me. I am a fan, and enjoyed the familiar quirk of main character Sylvie, but also appreciated the marriage issues, parenting questions, and real-life heartache and resilience in this book. And a perfect cover for Valentines Day!

This book about a hockey team is so much more. It‘s small town politics and priorities. It‘s both the huge fish and the minnow in a small pond. And it‘s sexual assault.
In this #timesup & #metoo time, there‘s a lot of talk about how women can‘t do this ourselves, we need the voices of good men. The compassion shown in the few compassionate characters, & the characters who stand up for what‘s right makes me think Backman is one of those good men.

Such a perfect lazy Sunday. I am only a little ashamed to admit that I‘m a total sucker for The Real Housewives of Anywhere, so I‘m loving this new Jessica Knoll book (thanks, #netgalley) that follows the stars of a Housewives-esque tv series. Handsome is more interested in his nap.

Such an interesting scandal! It go into detail, but that title pretty much sums it all up.

This book details the horrible and abusive childhood that results from having FLDS leader/convicted child molester as a father. The tale is horrifying, and the resilience displayed in actually breaking free is a toughness I‘ll never know. With that being said: the author narrates the audiobook, and her childlike tone and stilted cadence made me nervous I was being put into a trance.

Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking, important story. I have to catch my breath after this one.

Bought this 15 years ago when I was bound and determined to study abroad in Australia. That never worked out, but we‘re leaving next month for a sunburned country vacation, so I‘m finally getting around to reading it!

The creep factor in this book snuck up on me, then stayed with me. It also made me compile a mental list titled “Library Patrons Who Are Probably Keeping Women in Their Basement,” which I‘ve been diligently updating while finishing this book.

This audiobook is compulsively listenable. A fascinating true crime tale of a serial arsonist in a small Virginia town. Typically, true crime follows a murder, but Hesse does such a great job of establishing the setting as a character of this story, it's not a stretch to say the systematic burning of this place is indeed a murder mystery.

"Ted Cruz is the Dwight Schrute of the Senate."

Direct quote from this book. If this doesn't make you pick this up (or listen - the audio book is ?) I can't help you.

These books are so good, and easy to devour quickly. An interesting glimpse into Asia's super rich, family drama, love stories, and always a hint of mystery. Extra props to the narrators who nail a vast array of accents.

When a book you can't get enough of mentions your city!!

Side note: reading this book is like getting punched in the face while said puncher is cracking you up. Funny and crude (a total compliment!) but also honest, dark, and so very real.

37% check in. Still crying.

Whoa! I was JUST debating whether or not I should have a second piece of break room fudge when I turned the page. How could I ignore such a creepily timed message??

The dedication has already made me cry. This may be a rough one.

Such a cute shelf talker in our teen section!!

...so far. A great book, but I'm a little more than a quarter through, and the experience of this family isn't what I was expecting.

I just quit the book about a quarter through, but I'm willing to give the audio a try. I'm just not fully invested. Is there anyone giving this the hard sell? Do I just need to stick it out a little longer?

First in line for this hold! We read The Woman Who Walked Into Doors in high school, & it's stuck with me ever since. I am thankful (in retrospect) to have gone to a school with teachers who pushed the envelope with required reading, & believed the students could handle tough material. I didn't realize until I looked it up TODAY, though, that TWWWID was only about a year old when we read it. I just assumed all assigned reading was old stuff. Oops!

This is my favorite book of the year, so far. A multi-generational look into one family and both the love and struggles that seem to be stronger then the passage of time. The characters are so real, you'll feel like they're your own family. As I reader I stood by, knowing a screw up was on the horizon, and already thinking that we'd all do better next time. We'd figure this out together.

Just shy of 2.5 hours into this audio, & I'm hanging on every word. The book starts w/the story of 2 people falling in love in New Orleans, 1944. Chapter 2 fast forwards to 1986 where we meet their daughter who's fallen on rough times. I haven't gotten there, but their grandson will narrate the next chapter in 2010, and then skip between times and narrators. This family is so real, and I'm already cheering so hard for them.

I agree with the middle-of-the-road reviews on this one, but it also reminds me of a (watered down) marriage of Lionel Shriver's Big Brother and We Need to Talk About Kevin, so I'll happily listen through.

You have my attention.

This book begins with a punch in the face, and continues with a span of narrators, years, and clues. It's a fascinating and troubling look into a marriage and life gone terribly wrong. I'm a sucker for a book with multiple narrators, all adding a piece to the puzzle.

Oh Jesus. Here I go again on another 33%-er.

I need this book to be 100 more pages. Phenomenal writing.

I am a Kindle Paperwhite true believer. However. These two non-fiction books are not available as eBooks from my library, and their narrow margins, small font, and general density is throwing me off. I really want to read them but I also really like adjustable fonts and not knowing how much book I have left. Sooo I'll just sit here and watch Big Little Lies instead.

Just getting started on this, but into it so far. It seems like a solid mystery/thriller. I love Litsy, but I think the so-so rating results in an unfair shake to titles sometimes. I get being lukewarm on a book, but 33% is a failing grade!! This poor book probably studied so hard and just had a bad day! It didn't sleep the night before! It respectfully requests extra credit.

There's something about dystopian novels where the underlings (in this case, women) are forced to submit to the horrible whims of the men in power that are extra terrifying these days, right? This Handmaid's Tale read-alike lives up to the hype.

An honest, funny look at a family doing their best to make things work - a family who happens to have an array of supernatural abilities. A great pick for those who prefer their realistic fiction with just a hint of magic. And the audiobook narrator nailed it!

Listening to this audiobook & it's brutal. The narrator uses abhorrent slurs for every group of people that aren't straight white men. A lot of people seem to bail on this one because of the language, and that is fair, especially if you've been on the receiving end of these words. But I'm going to plug on, cringing all the way, b/c turning these people off & pretending they don't exist is partly how we arrived to our current state of affairs.