I need your #help, Littens! I‘ve had several people recommend this one to me, but I‘ve listened to about 1.5 hours out of 10.5 hours and I‘m just finding myself thoroughly depressed by this woman‘s childhood! Please tell me it gets better...if it just gets more depressing, I don‘t think this one is for me. Help me decide: should I bail? #tobailornottobail (Also—is it weird that I think the author is not doing a great job reading her own memoir??)

I may have gone a little overboard ordering books for the baby. 🙈 My sis-in-law is an Usborne book lady and she hosted an online party the other night. My rationalization is that I‘m supporting her and her business! Plus, we love the “That‘s Not My...” series...and how could I pass up the 🦄?! This bookish mama has waaaaay too much fun buying books for baby girl! #babiesofLitsy #raisingreaders

So...I think I misread the order of days for the #StepfordSummerParty and posted about music yesterday with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack! 🙈 oops! Though, I actually think it works for 70s fashion too! Here‘s another 70s band my mom introduced me to much later than the 70s. Gotta love the bubblegum disco-pop hits of ABBA, right?

I plan to take the trivia quiz later on tonight when I‘ve finished the rest of the book!

My #StepfordSummerParty music pick is .... the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack! As an 80s baby, I missed the music in person, but my mom used to out this CD on as she cleaned the house and so I grew up grooving (and cleaning!) to the disco sounds of the BeeGees and all the rest! Still working on the book...starting to get pretty creepy!

I‘m still coming to the #StepfordSummerParty! I was just waiting for my fondue to melt...that‘s pretty classic 70s, right? I love me some cheese, so I think I‘d be hovering over the fondue pot most of the party! 😂

So far (and I‘m only in the middle of Chapter 1), I‘m into this book! I like Joanna a lot, and I‘m surprised that the book doesn‘t seem dated at all. I‘m looking forward to reading on and seeing when the horror will come into play!

If you need a fun literary quiz to distract you today, here‘s a Book Riot quiz to find out which Bennett sister you are!
https://bookriot.com/2018/06/18/pride-and-prejudice-quiz/

(Side note: I was pleased to get Elizabeth this time — I took a version of this quiz on Buzzfeed a while back and got Lydia! 😨 #ohthehorror)

@FantasyChick here‘s one more fur baby for you! Our old gal Cali...she had to get a lion cut at the vet because she doesn‘t groom herself well enough anymore! Sending you 💗 #catsofLitsy #furbaby

A momentous first yesterday for our little nugget—first (of many!) trip to the bookstore! We went to Barnes & Noble to grab a gift and of course walked out with more books for our sweet little reader. Sandra Boynton has become a favorite (Barnyard Dance is read almost daily!). #raisingreaders #babiesofLitsy #bookstoretrip

Secretly snapped a shot of this story time action tonight. Too cute not to capture the moment! This girl already loves books...and her daddy, but that goes without saying! This is a cute intro book to Dr. Seuss. Not written by him, but it references all his books and uses his rhyming and rhythms. I think it‘s meant to be read to baby in utero, but it still works! #raisingreaders #babiesofLitsy #drseuss #littlebookworm

I really enjoyed this novel, which focuses on the question of what makes someone a mother. The characters, even the secondary ones, were richly developed, and Celeste Ng made excellent use of the tool of multiple perspectives to tell their stories. I liked that the book began at the end, so to speak, and then the story of how it came to that point unfurled through the rest of the novel. Lots of interesting questions raised, dealing with ⬇️

I finished listening to this on Audible today and I‘m still trying to figure out how to put into words how I feel about this one. It‘s hard to say that I ‘loved‘ this story, when it made me feel so uneasy. Atwood is a masterful storyteller and I thought her world building of this eerie dystopian society was so well done. Claire Danes was an AMAZING narrator—not sure if I would have felt the same about it had I read it on my own. Offred is an ⬇️

Enjoying a brief respite from mommyhood for a few hours thanks to my wonderful husband. Just spent my pedicure time catching up on Litsy posts and welcoming new Littens thanks to the tireless efforts of @LitsyWelcomeWagon ! I‘ve missed you all ... still reading; I just couldn‘t be on Litsy as much as I would have liked this past week! Happy Sunday to all!

Squeezed in a bit of reading time during sweet girl‘s nap today...really enjoying this one so far! Happy Memorial Day weekend to all of us stateside Littens! 🇺🇸

Just took advantage of the Audible 2-for-1 credit sale (I‘m pretty sure the site said today was the last day). I‘m finding myself listening to more audiobooks these days while on maternity leave. Anyone read or listened to either of these? They‘ve been on my TBR for the longest!

Babies, both fur and non-fur, getting in on the read aloud action yesterday evening. Giraffes Can‘t Dance is one of our faves! #raisingreaders

Wow. Just wow. I finished this one a few days ago (took me a bit longer because I could not, would not listen to it a) alone in the house with my baby girl or b) at night. Yup, it was that creepy...or I‘m just that big of a wimp!) The research and writing were superbly done. Although McNamara sadly died before she could finish this work, it doesn‘t detract from the storytelling at all. Her fellow researchers did an excellent job filling in the ⬇️

@Djspens congratulations on reaching a Litsy milestone! Thanks for the chance to win your #newbygiveaway

Hi @Emiller ! Here is one of my kitties, Sirius! This is throwback to when he was a wee kitten. He is quite the dapper gentleman now! Sending you 💗

Congratulations @Soubhiville on such a fun milestone! Thanks for the chance to win! #57sGiveaway

Congrats to @JoScho on 50K litfluence! I‘m excited to enter your #UniquelyYou giveaway!

I think the obvious external thing that makes me unique is my bright red curly hair, shared by no one else in my immediate family. One not-so-obvious thing is although I have an extrovert‘s job (elementary school teacher), I am an introvert at heart...need down time daily to feel at my best! Downtime obviously includes reading!! 😊

Thanks again @JoScho !

Happy Mother‘s Day to all you Littens, whether you are mamas, or soon-to-be mamas, or hoping to be mamas, or like a mama to some special little one (furry or human!). This Mother‘s Day, my first, is a joyous one for me, but for the past few years, this day was full of heartbreak and anguish as I wished and hoped for my own sweet baby. Though my prayers have been answered, I am thinking especially of those mamas who are waiting- sending you 💗.

I‘m finally doing another #friyayintro, from @jesshowbooks !
1. Ok, this is silly, but it‘s driving me crazy—one of my best friends gave birth yesterday, and they still haven‘t chosen/shared her name!!
2. $10 at Target...does not compute! I don‘t know that I‘ve ever spent that little there! These days the $10 would go to diapers.
3. Tagged...comes out end of May, but close enough!
4. A Siggi‘s lemon yogurt
5. If you‘re reading this, tag! 😊

@GripLitGrl congrats on the milestone!! And thank you for the chance to win the #glggiveaway !
I‘ll give you both! My favorite book so far this year has been Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine—I fell madly in love with Eleanor and her story! My most anticipated read is The Death of Mrs. Westaway...love Ruth Ware.

Congrats @laurenashley on such a fun litfluence number! For the #4444 giveaway, here are my top 4 TBR books that I don‘t already own...
1️⃣ The Death of Mrs. Westaway (Ruth Ware)
2️⃣ Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
3️⃣ The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
4️⃣ The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

Thank you for the chance to win!!

Day 4️⃣

#4NewFavesin4Days @Cinfhen

(Thanks for the challenge @Cinfhen ... fun to play along!)

Finished listening to this one today. All in all, an enjoyable thriller, if a bit predictable. Once the ‘twist‘ was figured out, it made the ending a little anticlimactic. But the characters were well-developed, and, as usual, I liked the use of multiple perspectives to tell all their stories. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Day 3️⃣

#4NewFavesin4Days @Cinfhen

Day 2️⃣

#4NewFavesin4Days @Cinfhen

Day 1️⃣

#4NewFavesin4Days @Cinfhen

Hey fellow parent/family Littens! Anyone else heard that Amazon is launching a book subscription box for kids? I got an email from them inviting me to try it out a couple of days ago (I think it may be still in beta testing? They said for now you had to be invited by them). I decided, “Why not?” Plus, 22.99 seemed reasonable for 4 brand new board books. You can choose from every 1, 2 or 3 mos delivery. You also get to pick all your books ahead ⬇️

Hey hey Littens! Did you have as much fun as I did doing @lauren.lerner ‘s #7favesin7days challenge? Join @Cinfhen starting tomorrow for the #4NewFavesin4Days...I will be joining in for sure! I definitely have quite a few faves from the last year of reading.

Day 7️⃣

#7favesin7days

Thanks for tagging me to take part in this @lauren.lerner ... that was fun!

Day 6️⃣

#7favesin7days @lauren.lerner

Day 5️⃣

#7favesin7days @lauren.lerner

(Terrible cover image...but I was too tired to get a better pic!)

Day 4️⃣

#7favesin7days @lauren.lerner

Day 3️⃣

#7favesin7days @lauren.lerner

A little #bookhaul from my Target run today...I‘ve definitely done waaaay less book buying for myself since the baby was born! Decided to get this one to see what you all were raving about. 😉

Day 2️⃣

#7favesin7days @lauren.lerner

Day 1️⃣

#7favesin7days @lauren.lerner

Ok, couldn‘t stand it any longer. I was having a serious case of #fomooagr (that would be Fear of Missing Out on a Great Read 😝) seeing all your posts and seeing the story break on the news over the last few days. As soon as I finished Ove today, I went right to the Audible store and grabbed this one! Excited to start listening!

I did not want this book to end. That‘s how good it was—especially for a book that I began reading, thinking, “What is all the fuss about? Why does everyone seem to love this book?” I was hooked as soon as Backman started sharing Ove‘s backstory. As Ove transformed, I was right there with him, laughing and crying through his story. This one will stick with me for a long time.

Congrats @Mommamanzi on hitting 30,000 ! WOW!
And thanks for the giveaway chance! My favorite read of the year so far is Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I fell in love with the character and her story. I listened on Audible and the narrator was fantastic! I would choose #3...sounds like a fun read! Thank you!

1. Mostly listening to audiobooks right now, so 9 hrs 9 min
2. 7 hrs 37 min in
3. 2:43 am
4. 14.5
5. 29
6. 2014
7. 1.5 years
8. 18 years
9. 9 lbs 9 oz
10. 45 min
11. 800s I guess? I usually stick to the adult fiction section. Had to look these numbers up! 😂
12. 160 (1/2 of a Halo Top pint!)
13.92
14. 495
15. Abt. 11,000
16. 8
17. 0 😞
18. 6
19. 2 months and 45 years
20. Errrm, maybe 3?
@Kaye congrats again and thanks for the giveaway!!

Sneaking in breakfast and more of Ove while my sweet daughter sleeps on. I know I‘m going to be sad when this one finishes...I have grown to love Ove! #audiobreakfasting

Congrats to @TrishB on hitting 205k litfluence!! 🎉🎉🎉And thanks for the chance to win your #205giveaway!
I‘d love to win A Gentleman in Moscow...I‘ve heard amazing things about it!

Woohoo @IheartYA !!! Congrats on hitting 15k litfluence...hope to join you there soon! 😉 #15kgiveaway
1. I have really liked Ruth Ware so far, so I‘m dying to read The Death of Mrs. Westaway. I also haven‘t read The Lying Game yet! Finally, I‘ve heard many good things about The Wife Between Us.
2. Go read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine! Just finished on audio...adored Eleanor and her story!
3. @AndreaReads @vicgreentoriafield @morgan_krahn

Congratulations to @BarbaraTheBibliophage on a very cool milestone! #2468giveaway

What an amazing milestone @Tiffy_Reads !! Thank you for the opportunity to win!

1. I love that Litsy brings us all together as a Bookish community, and I so enjoy exploring new book recommendations from fellow book lovers.
2. The Death of Mrs. Westaway is one I‘m dying to read!
#tiffysmilestonegiveaway

Finished this one yesterday in a breathless rush of the final 60 pages! What a thrill ride! Loved the fast-paced nature and that the author kept you guessing until almost the very end. The writing style was right up my alley, and Finn did an excellent job developing the main character and making you care for her despite her flaws. As a Hitchcock fan, I loved reading all the references to his films...the author cleverly used them as clues too.

1. Middle child of three!
2. I used to think I wanted a sister, but then over time I realized I enjoyed being the only girl!
3. Older brother and younger brother.
4. The March sisters and the Weasley siblings!
5. I‘ve been reading them all...haven‘t seen a match yet! Any other middle children of 3 out there??
@jesshowbooks #friyayintro