This novel about generational drama I found uneven. The story in London was more compelling to me than the "Then" part set in Australia. Just did not work for me. 2.5 ?

#womensprizeforfiction This is a very well written, compelling, and uncomfortable read. Particularly uncomfortable in Trumps America. I am happy I read it, but I can't say I enjoyed it. 4 🌟

##womensprizeforfiction I am surprised this made the short list. It is a story unlike any I have read before. I found the tone super uneven. I liked it but did not love it. 3.5 🌟

I loved this authors last book, An Island. In Crooked Seeds, she has written an extremely unlikable main character... and makes us care about her. Set in the near future in South Africa, as there is less and less water. There is a mystery at the heart of this book. I thought it was masterfully written. 5 🌟 ##womensprizeforfiction

Unpredictable, uncomfortable, poetic, and completely compelling. I loved this thorny series. Not for every reader, but I am delighted I read these 3 books. 4.5 🌟

#@carolshieldsprize This was a fast read for me. It was well written, but I did not think the novel was special. 3 🌟 I am surprised it is on the long list.

Sweet, cute, but I don't know if I will remember much of this novel in a couple of weeks. Good break from all the awful news in the US and the world.

#walterscottprize I could see, smell, and feel the setting of the historic fiction love story. It is a brutal love tale set in an unforgiving land written in lyrical poetry. A big thumbs up. 4 🌟

A romp of a fantasy written at a gallop. Fun world building and the characters are interesting enough to keep me flipping the pages. 3.5 🌟.

I see why this is up for the #womensfictionprize. Beautifully written, propulsive, and claustrophobic. I could not put it down
4 🌟

I deeply appreciate this book written by a Jewish author whose family survived nazi Germany. It is a ditopic philosophical novel. I did not enjoy the reading experience. 2.5 🌟

This was an auto-buy for me. I have loved her other two novels. This one did not disappoint. I did not love it as much as The Snow Child, but I still enjoyed this story of a mother, daughter, and a bear in Alaska. Like all of her work, there is a magical element. They read like a fairytale. 3.5 🌟

This is a slow, contemplative novel about a young artist battling with her mental health. I was surprised by all the love in this sad novel. I am glad I read it. 3 🌟

This was a disappointment. I loved the first book in the series. This second book was so heavy-handed in getting its message across that it took away the enjoyment of the world the author had created. 2.5 🌟

Continuation of a grand adventure. Wonderful writing and a compelling story. Can't wait to read the third book.

What a big fat historical adventure story. Just loved getting enbeded into 1560s France. If you are in the mood for historical adventure, this is a great pick. 4.5 🌟
I am on to book #2.

Intriguing short novel. I need to sit with this one. I loved how the tennis imagery carried through this surprising novel. 4 🌟 (for now, this is a book that I need to think about and see how it stands up to time).

I always love her writing, but her books leave me mid. I'm glad I read this, but it's not an all-time favorite. Story set in ND in a tight-knit farming community. 3 🌟

Beautiful slow paced story set in a small Irish town during the 1962 Christmas season. Story focused on community and family. Loved the ending, I did feel that it dipped in the middle of the novel. 4 🌟

Surprising at every turn. Some very explicit sex scenes in this novel about a woman facing change in her body. A story about family and how to be an individual within parenthood. Great first book of 2025. Not for the faint of heart. 4.5 🌟

Fun diverting mystery. 3 🌟

If you enjoy a novel about a large community, including a large cast of characters, this is your book. Well written with interesting diverse characters. I just enjoy a tighter focus. 3 🌟

Loved the writing in this novel about war and art. Highly recommend. 4 🌟

I found this romance/science fiction novel both confusing and dull. It did not work for me. 2 🌟

There is a lot to admire in this novel. The first half of the book worked best for me. Once the novel picked up where There There left off, I started to lose interest. Well worth a read, but not on my personal short list. 3 🌟 #bookerlonglist #booker @squirrelbrain @AnneCecilie @charl08 @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @Graywacke @jlhammar @Deblovestoread

A novel about ghosts, abuse, absent family, and found family. Nothing deep and nothing new. Charaters' pasts feel more like a plot device than truly being explored. 2 🌟

August Reads
5 🌟
James: Percival Everett 📖
Galatea: Madeline Miller 🎧
4.5 🌟
The Safekeep: Yael Van Der Woden 🎧
Enlightenment: Sarah Perry 🎧
4 🌟
Chain-Gang All Stars: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 🎧
Brotherless Nights: V. V. Ganeshananthan 📖
3.5 🌟
Whale Fall: Elizabeth O;Connor 📖
3 🌟
This Strange Eventful History: Claire Messud 🎧
Orbital: Samantha Harvey 🎧 📖
2 🌟
Held: Anne Michaels 📖

I love Madeline Miller's writing. This short story retelling the Pygmalion myth is as close to perfect as I can imagine. 5 🌟 I needed to read a short fiction that I knew I would love before I move on to more #bookerlonglist novels.

A loosely connected collection of short stories. Some worked better than others for me. I found them over written. Not a fan, proud that I finished this short novel. 2 🌟 Not on my short list #bookerlonglist @Deblovestoread @squirrelbrain @JenP @AnneCecilie @charl08 @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @Graywacke @jlhammar

This poetic, rhythmic, meditative novel was not for me. There is no plot, and although I can appreciate what this work is doing, it did not captivate me. I switched to the audio version at about the 50% mark since I was having trouble making myself pick it up. 3 🌟 #bookerlonglist
@squirrelbrain @JenP @AnneCecilie @charl08 @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @Graywacke @jlhammar @Deblovestoread

I am in love with Thomas Heart. Strongest novel of Sarah Perry's that I have read. I hated Melmoth and thought The Essex Serpent was interesting. This book took my heart. The exploration of different love and the nature of time. This is one I want to reread. The way she would blur timelines as if "all life happened at once." 4.5 ? This would be on my #booker shortlist. @squirrelbrain @JenP @AnneCecilie @charl08 @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @Graywacke

3 🌟 read for me. I can admire this novel, and I enjoyed listening to the audio book, but I did not feel invested. This would not make my personal short list. 3 read, 3 in the process of being read, and 7 to go! #Booker @JenP @AnneCecilie @charl08 @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @Graywacke @jlhammar

"Who should read this book? Every single person in the country." Anne Patchett "Percival Everett is a genre." Kiese Laymon 5 ? Everett is one of my favorite writers. This is my favorite novel of his. The book takes off when it stops following the plot of Huck Fin. A top read of the year for me. #booker2024 @BarbaraBB @jlhammar @Graywacke @JamieArc @Leniverse @AnneCecilie @JenP

Finally read the winner of the #Womensprize and #carolshieldsprize. An important book about war and truth. Beautifully written. I felt removed from the book emotionally. Can appreciate this novel. 4 🌟

Wonderful start to the 2024 #Bookerlonglist . Rich tale of how we begin to reconcile with the holocaust. Set in the early '60s in the Netherlands. This novel also explores what it means to be gay. Highly recommend. 4.5 🌟

A quiet lyrical novel set on an island off the coast of Wales right before WWII. Beautiful writing. 3.5 🌟

A violent, fast-paced novel about the wrongs of the incarceration system in America. This gave me a lot to think about, packaged in an alternative future. 4 🌟

July Reads

5🌟
Prophet Song: Paul Lynch 📖
4🌟
Soldier Sailor: Claire Kilroy 🎧
3.5🌟
Good Material: Dolly Alderton 🎧
The Midnight News: Jo Baker 📖
The Coast Road: Alan Morrin 🎧
3🌟
Happy Place: Emily Henry 📖
2🌟
The Book of Love: Kelly Link 🎧

Brutal honest portrait of early motherhood. At times, it was uncomfortable to read. Beautifully written. 4 🌟

A story set in 1990's Ireland looking at three marriages in a country where divorce is not legal. Some beautiful writing, but it did not blow me away. 3 🌟

A delightful romp. It dragged a bit in the middle. 3 🌟

This was a very long, complicated story about coming of age. It is a fantasy that did not work for me. This was my first Kelly Link, and I will not be rushing out to read more of her sadly. 2 🌟

One of the best books I have ever read. All the stars. This is a brilliant book about a community's decent into war. The author is able to make the reader believe it will all be OK as the world erupts around this family. I lost sleep to race to the end of this novel. #bookerwinner2023 If you only read one novel this year, read this! 5 🌟

I loved Longbourn by this author. Her voice as a writer really works for me. I enjoyed this novel set during the Blitz. Reads like a historical mystery. My only hesitation is that the author tackles so many topics that, at times, it comes off as a bit muddled. Still recommend this novel for Historical Fiction fans. 3.5 🌟

A delight of a book. Story of grownups going through a breakup. Strong writing. Recommend! 3.5 🌟

June Reads
4🌟
You Are Here: David Nicholls 🎧
3.5🌟
Ordinary Human Failings: Megan Nolan 🎧
3🌟
The House Of Doors: Tan Twan Eng 🎧
Western Lane: Chetna Maroo 📖
The Warm Hands of Ghosts: Katherine Arden 📖
2.5 🌟
A Handful of Dust: Evelyn Waugh 📖
2 🌟
Assassin of Reality: Marina & Sergey Dyachenko 🎧

I read this novel published in the 1930s on Ann Patchett recommendation. She is using this novel for her next novel. I enjoyed this classic. It has a huge shift in tone at about 50% through the story. I am glad I read it, and it has made me hungry for the next Patchett novel. 3 🌟

I wanted to love this novel, but something in it just does not work. Set during WWI, a sister desperately searches for her brother. The end was wrapped up too neatly, and for all the action, I found that it dragged in the middle of the novel. I still love this author, but this was a miss for me. 3 🌟

Loved this sweet novel. A grownup romance and the slow process of getting to know someone on the hiking trail. Highly recommend. 4 🌟. Sweet novel.

What a suprise this novel was to me. It starts so bleak and desperate. This novel follows an Irish family as they relocate to London where a tragic event happens. Imagine my suprise as the book takes a major turn near the end. Loved it! So glad the #womensprize brought this novel to my attention. 3.5 🌟