This is a review about the audiobook. I didn't know anything about Beryl Markham before I started reading this book. She is a remarkable woman, and the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west. This is one of those audiobooks that I almost wished I was reading instead. There are so many gorgeous, descriptive passages about Africa in the 1920's. This book made me want to read Markham's memoir West with the Night. Read it?

I loved this audiobook! It was a perfect bedtime listen. I occasionally grab an US Weekly or People at the check-out as a guilty pleasure....same pleasure here! And just as I was starting to get a bit tired of the superficiality of a lot of the characters (not until about 3/4 through) the author delivered with a pretty deep, satisfying ending. I started a new audiobook tonight, and I am missing this book already. Sequel please!

Just started listening to this one on audio. I need to keep it real light for bedtime listening, and this fits the bill! A humorous and fascinating peek into Asian cultures and the lives of the super wealthy. Looking forward to getting back to it tonight. 💤

I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed it. Solid narration. The character of 9-year old Frank stole my heart. He will steal yours too. Promise. 💜

Traded The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry for The Husband's Secret. Love my neighbor's little free library. 💜 I want one in my front yard too.

This one seems to have it all - mystery, art, politics, history...In 1940's New York a young artist disappears. 70 years later, her great-niece pieces together the truth about her disappearance. I've also heard good things about the author's book The Art Forger but haven't read it.

This was a very enjoyable read. The story takes place around the time of prohibition and the great Mississippi flood of 1927. I adored the main character, Dixie Clay. This is a tale of bootleggers, moonshine, saboteurs, revenuers, and unexpected love.

This is an inspiring collection of interviews from the Storycorps project on the theme of finding meaning in work. I'm setting a new goal of reading one non-fiction book each month from my TBR list.

Next up on audio...

I'm torn between "pick" and "so-so". I was prepared to give it a great review, until the end. The story line with Sue Lin completely fell apart for me, and things got really far-fetched. For the first 80%, I'll give it one thumb up - light and entertaining. ? Great narration on the audio!

The cat's all cuckoo tonight. Maybe that's a sign that this book will be really good. 😺🔮

I tried. I really did. Read 6 out of the 9 stories. If you like magical realism, you'll probably really like this collection. Not for me though. Movin' on...

Picked up "The Boys in the Boat" at this place - The Bookstore and Get Lit Wine Bar. ??? A friend told me it's a great read.

Bernadette, on her anxiety..."I'm lying in bed when the thumping arrives like a foreign invader...it enters my body and releases adrenaline, like a black hole that sucks up any benign thoughts that might be scrolling across my brain and attaches visceral panic to them."

Necessary.

Next up - this collection of short stories recommended by my local indie bookseller. From the back cover..."This is art that re-enchants the world. Who needs tediously believable situations? Give us magic; give us wonder." - The Washington Post

"I do not think of old age as an ever grimmer time that one must somehow endure and make the best of, but as a time of leisure and freedom, freed from the factitious urgencies of earlier days, free to explore whatever I wish, and to bind the thoughts and feelings of a lifetime together."

Munro perfectly captures the emotional journey of Del Jordan during her transition from girlhood to womanhood. Although it takes place in rural Ontario in the 1940's, I could relate to her experiences of friendship, sexuality, self-discovery, first-love, and to her relationship with her mother.

You know she's a good friend when, for your birthday gift, she checks out your TBR list on good reads. 💜

Do you want to feel empowered, confident, less anxious, happier? Strike a pose! A power pose, that is. Apparently, our body language has a HUGE impact on our thoughts and emotions. Curious? Check out her TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en

"We do not need to tell women to be like men. But we do need to encourage girls not to be afraid to express their personal power...you deserve to adopt open, comfortable postures and take up your fair share of space regardless of your gender." ?

Yay! I can participate in Fun Friday. On vacay and only brought a few books (7 to be exact), and I just started this one. Thanks Ange44 for mentioning in your post that Alice Munro is Canadian! 😊 Happy Canada Day!

Love that feeling of anticipation while a new audiobook is downloading! Think I'll climb into bed and get started...🛌

This was such an enjoyable listen. Wonderful narration. I'm amazed at how one person can play so many characters and pull it off. I'm going to miss the Turner clan now that it's over. 😢

Real. Powerful. Intense. Important. Devastating. I bow down to Lilith and all the night women.

A thoroughly enjoyable read...for when you're in the mood for something a little on the lighter side.

Picked this up on the Staff Favorites table at Three Lives books in NYC. It's the story of Lilith, a Jamaican slave woman.

No trip to NYC would be complete without a trip to the Strand. Think I recall Simon and Thomas of the Readers talking about Alice Munro. Something tells me I'm late to the party...

Next up...The Boston Girl. That's me. 😉Funny how the colors in this book cover perfectly match the bedspread in this hotel room. Not sure the photo does it justice.

Not impressed. I recall liking some of his other novels so much more.

Searching for my next audiobook, I remembered Ann Kingman from the BOTNS podcast saying how much she enjoyed this one. Hope I do too!

I expected more from this one. The storytelling fell flat at times, and I didn't feel any emotional investment in the characters. The story in it's essence is moving, but how it's written doesn't do it justice.

Just saw the movie "The Winding Stream: The Carter's, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music" ??. I hadn't realized how much this family influenced the trajectory of country, folk and bluegrass music - an interesting slice of American history...can't wait to learn more...

The main character has decided to hike into the mountains and commit suicide to spare himself and his family the pain of his imminent death from cancer. The descriptions of the country in Washington state, his encounters with others, and his insights along his journey are beautiful and poignant.

In a NY Times review of one of Ellen Gilchrist's more recent books, the reviewer wrote "Her style can be an acquired taste. If I were you I'd acquire it." I agree. This is an enjoyable collection of short stories.

Rough day at work, so I did some book shopping therapy at lunch time. This should do the trick. #lovemesomejonesbo

Just downloaded...The reader reviews that convinced me: "I recommend this book to those of us who enjoy Native American stories and realistic fiction." And "Characters you can really care about." ?

This is a review of the audio book. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction about the American West. The storytelling drew me in night after night. I enjoyed listening to all 16 hours. Really good narration. Can't wait to start the sequel, Epitaph.

"I don't buy group guilt. Or any of that politically correct bullshit. Most of the people in the world are doing the best they can with whatever knowledge they have managed to attain or been fed by whatever myths they were raised under." Amen.

Just looking over my pre-Litsy "Read" list from earlier this year. This is one of my favorites - maybe of all time. It's a moving and quietly beautiful story about what it means to love as we grow old. Simply beautiful. I listened to the audio version. Highly recommend it.

Another used bookstore find. From the author of "Snow Falling on Cedars". The main character has terminal colon cancer. "Accompanied by his two hunting dogs, he sets out through the American West - sage deserts, yawning canyons, dusty ranches, vast orchards - on his last hunt."

I can't resist a used book store. Especially when I happen to stumble upon it while visiting a quaint little New England seaside town. This collection of stories about "passionate women who live well", and the sound of the waves are keeping me company this evening. ?

What a lovely introduction to graphic novels! This was an honest, authentic account of how the author experienced growing up deaf. I chuckled out loud more than once. Really well done. I will definitely be reading more graphic novels.

If it wasn't for the Litsy reviews, I wouldn't have considered reading a graphic novel. There is a graphic novel store right in my neighborhood and I've never gone in, until today! The owner recommended El Deafo, a memoir about growing up deaf. Feels like a new adventure...

This book fulfilled my desire to read something absorbing. I wanted to keep reading and reading to find out what happened. The ending was pretty weak though. Overall, it's a quick, easy, fairly entertaining read.

Realizing I really need a page-turner I can get absorbed in. Hope this one fits the bill...

I almost bailed on this one, but I managed to hang in there. While some of the writing was beautiful and poetic, I felt like the author was writing in circles - saying the same things only slightly differently throughout the whole book. Loved Housekeeping, but Lila, not so much.

Lunch break. Switching it up with a little non-fiction. I heard Gretchen Rubin speak about creating habits, and it inspired me to get her book.