The premise was intriguing, the protagonist likeable, the setting chilling... but something didn‘t quite work. The writing could have been significantly trimmed down... every one of the many instances of quickly, suddenly, and abruptly could have gone. I struggled to stay immersed in the story. Probably due to this it wasn‘t a very haunting read for men By the end I found myself skimming just to get to the end.

Wow it‘s rare I read a psychological thriller that I don‘t find obvious or the ending to be too contrived... this was not that... I suspected everyone and was surprised at the ending. A well written thriller with a few untied up lose ends.

Opens with the wife and ex-wife standing over the bloody body of the husband. Chapter two: six weeks before.

Trigger warning: child molestation

Such mixed feelings on this one.

It kind of gives you the premise of an Ove-ish story with lots of humor and warmth. The parts that are like that are delightful—I laughed out loud so many times.

But then it also had this strong thread of hopelessness that progressively got stronger as the book went on. Which might have been fine, if I wasn‘t expecting a feel-good humorous read.

I just can‘t get enough of the fish tank escapades 😂🤣😂

I‘ve been following the author and every time she posts something about her debut novel I get more excited to read it. YA lgbtq fantasy about a crowned prince, unsure if he is ready to take on the crown, and a dragon with the appearance of a human and a secret to hide. When the prince discovers the dragon‘s secret they forge a friendship that turns into more.

And it comes out on national coming out day❤️
😍 🏳️‍🌈 🐉 🤴🏽
#lgbtq #yafantasy #mm

I mean if you‘re going to eat Southern food might as well go for it, right?

Intriguing opening line.
Also a YA Fantasy that is about Japanese mythology 😯😍

We make, not because we must, as birds do to make a nest or as beavers do to build their dams, but because we can. Because it brings us joy and challenges us and gives us meaning, and yes, in some cases because we must. We must because we need homes and cures for diseases, but also because there is some inner force that won‘t go away until we silence it with making.

Really excited to get this in the mail today. I love David Duchemin‘s books on photography and creativity.

When I read about Carry On (Harry Potter spin-off book series that characters in another one of her books reads) I had to read it just to see how she pulled it off. It was good.

But Wayward Son was wonderful. Except that it ends on a cliffhanger!?!? (I thought this was a duology)

3 20 year olds, a magician, a vampire, and a no longer magical guy with dragon wings go on a road trip across America. Funny but also poignant. Loved it.

1) This is also true for South Carolina.
2) This entire chapter of Baz making a list of all the things he hates was hilarious and made me love Baz more than ever

I wanted to love this. The eeriness and atmospheric aspect was nice. There were some things I really loved about it and I was rooting for the protagonist. But the pacing was too slow and I found the storyline predictable (which is atypical for me.) I did love the ending.

Reading weekend away with my husband and a pile of amazing books @bibliobrooke let me borrow 😍❤️

I just couldn‘t get into the storyline—didn‘t care for the characters that much, a few of them felt a bit forced. @Donettem86 finished it (🎉) and she says it‘s a 3 or 4 out of 5 for her.

A super clean teen read. Might be a best fit for middle school age range.

Lighthearted and fun. The book alternates between Simon‘s story and emails he is sending to “Blue” someone at his school he is slowly falling in love with despite not knowing his identity.
I‘m loving YA/NA with happy endings lately.

So cute. Also I can 100% get behind this playlist.

😂😍

#guilty

This 😍❤️😍

Sharing a few more favorite quotes before moving on from this lovely book ❤️

It‘s been a long time since I stayed up half the night and read a book in one sitting—but I couldn‘t put this one down. I did have to take it downstairs because I kept waking my husband laughing 😆
Loved it and I felt the author did admirably with her goal of creating an alternate, optimistic future.
The emails and literary post scripts were the cutest thing ever.
My last LGBTQ book for #pride month 🏳️‍🌈

My first impression of this was a light, easy read. I mistook the narrator‘s tone for the themes—wow was this a powerful, beautiful book. I didn‘t expect to cry while reading it.
This is exactly the kind of YA contemporary fiction I love—realistic, a bit moody, but overall hopeful.

So many beautiful themes about love, family, friendship, loyalty, secrets, mistakes, the scars we carry, and forgiveness. ❤️

I distinctly remember having this feeling about my mother as a teenager, and my grandmother later as an adult. Both times it was surprising and disconcerting and interesting all at the same time.

A beautiful opening.

I have mixed feelings on this one and I almost wonder if it‘s that I wasn‘t in the right headspace to handle this book. So much insight, uncomfortably so, into motherhood: adoption, abortion, surrogacy, birth, miscarriages, being a mother to neighborhood kids.

It‘s one of those novels that left me feeling like bits of myself were being pulled back in a painful way.

Characters were very interesting. I was left wanting to know a bit more.

So I guess this book is just a slow ramble through Shaker Heights until you hit the 50% mark and then everything blows up? 😧😅

Felt this on a personal level 😂 🏃‍♀️

Quirky but heartwarming adult fantasy.

“A bit on the nose, that.” One of the characters said at one point and I thought the entire book may be in a way. The book grew a bit didactic at times (as much as I love the message of inclusion and tolerance) but the wonderful characters and the humorous writing style entirely made up for it. I was sad for it to end.

“Do you wish you were there? Yes, very much.”

“‘Pare down to the essence, but don‘t remove the poetry.‘ The poetry is the humanity.

If that extra bowl reminds you of your grandma and brings you joy every time you look at it, well then, don‘t remove the poetry. Minimalism is as much an art form as it is a practice. There are no prescriptions or perfect answers. And where it starts and stops in your life is a bit unpredictable. Let it be.”

Wow. What is this book? Autobiography? Coming of age story? Historical non-fiction? Yes—and more. So many thoughtful reflections on race, religion, slavery, government, economics and more wrapped up in bits and pieces of his story, not told chronologically but even stronger for it. Violence and language abound but every other quote felt share-able. Definitely a pick.

“The first thing I learned about having money was that it gives you choices. People don‘t want to be rich. They want to be able to choose. The richer you are, the more choices you have. That is the freedom of money.”