I‘m officially a fan of Armfield‘s writing after this book. Even better than Our Wives Under the Sea, which I also loved, this story is equally claustrophobic. She really knows how to get under your skin. Her theme of water shows up again here in ways that hit very close to home and form the foundation of this disturbing and compelling story. I couldn‘t put it down.

This collection of short stories is fantastic - the kind of stories that make me want to write short stories. 😁 I‘m now off to read everything else Nors has written. Thank you @merelybookish for this wonderful gift! ❤️

This is a powerful story of the impact of a grief the weight of which I can‘t imagine. I struggled to hold the different threads of the story together - maybe the audio didn‘t work well for me - and it felt like perhaps the writer was trying to do too much in one story. I loved the beautiful descriptions of gardening and cooking throughout the book.

Another incredible book from Lively. This was so good - a story that starts in one place and ends up in entirely another. And devastatingly sad - looking at the ways we sometimes avoid fully seeing and knowing the people in our lives for lack of courage or ability to see very far beyond ourselves.

This held up to all the great reviews here - I loved it. A very creative approach to a story of a marriage and everything below the surface, which changes one day when Kathleen gets into a pool and doesn‘t come out.

I love the type of Japanese fiction that makes you feel just a little bit off balance and this book is one of those. Seemingly mundane, straightforward events unfold in a way that is increasingly unsettling. The narration is matter of fact but the narrator is quite the character. This was a fun read. Thanks to @Night_Reader for putting it on my radar.

I‘m rereading Smith‘s seasonal quartet this year in order of the seasons. Given that we‘re back in a world similar to the one that existed when she started publishing these, it felt poignant to finish Winter today. Art can help lead us through the darkness and give us hope. 🩵

Maybe it was all the hype around this book before I read it, but I‘ll say I liked this but didn‘t love it. The characters felt artificial and manufactured to me at many points in the story, doing what you‘d expect them to do. It just didn‘t come together for me and I didn‘t feel any of the characters as authentic enough versions of themselves (likeable or not). 🤷🏻‍♀️ A low pick.

Such a creative approach to writing about a topic that (obviously) terrifies and infuriates me. I went in expecting one kind of story and was very surprised by the twists and turns of this one. A fun read and a light pick for me. #TOB2025

I liked this so much more than I expected! Despite the plot line, it‘s not at all cheesy or sappy even though it‘s such a heartwarming reading experience. I loved the dry humor throughout and the characters are fantastic. I honestly related to Lila‘s predicament so deeply, and was rooting for Phoebe the whole time. 🩵

A strong pick for me from the #TOBlonglist. I loved the different storylines with their overlapping components, centered around an apartment in Paris, feminism, fidelity and motherhood. Some of the connections between the stories were brilliantly done. I got a little bored at times in the third part, but overall my kind of book.

I liked this strange collection of stories - another satisfying read from the #TOB2025 longlist that I may not have picked up otherwise. In some ways they reminded me of Carmen Machado‘s story collection that I loved - bizarre events presented in a matter of fact style that I am really drawn to.

These are the books I love the TOB for! Such a strange, brilliant story. Told perfectly from the perspective of a child as she grows up grappling with events from her young life in a way only children can. A fantastic read. I‘m sad this didn‘t make the #TOB2025 shortlist.

This wasn‘t what I expected, and definitely not a top pick for me from the #TOBlonglist. I liked the creepy nature of the dreams in the story and I appreciated reading about the Korean War, but much of the time I struggled to stay engaged in the story.

I got to visit one of my favorite bookstores in CO tonight! @AmyG I thought of you.😃 And I of course had to buy a few books!

Woohoo!🙌🏽 My last book for #TenBeforeTheEnd is done! I really liked it after a bit of a slow start. Another book I‘m so happy to have finally read off my shelf. Thanks so much @ChaoticMissAdventures for a great challenge! Let‘s do it again next year! 😉🎉

Here‘s my #top24of24! I read some great books this year, including some new releases, classics I‘d had on my TBR for a long time, and a few that had been sitting on my shelf. Overall a good reading year. 📚

Book 9 for my #TenBeforeTheEnd and one I‘ve had on my shelf since it was long listed for the Women‘s Prize years ago. An entertaining tale based on true events in a whaling community in 1908. The main character Mary is funny and the writing had me laughing out loud a few times. Glad I finally read it!

I loved this book so much. 🩵 Happy to have read it in time to make my best of 2024 list - I loved it from the beginning and it was so good until the end. I liked the ways the stories revealed themselves throughout the book as the reader gets a different perspective on events or a mystery revealed. #TOB2025

Thank you so much for the lovely #jolabokaflod package @Captivatedbybooks ! This book sounds very fun and I will be indulging in all of this chocolate! Thank you!! 📚🍫❄️

Oof. One of the more disturbing books I‘ve read. The writing is incredible and I can see how it won the Booker, but wow. It was too much for me. My book 8 for #TenBeforeTheEnd as I‘ve had this copy since it won in 2020 and have put off reading it since then.

My #jolabokaflod package arrived!! Very excited to open it!🌲❄️🎉

This book was a little too long and frankly I was glad to get to the end. I enjoyed a lot of it but I definitely prefer Link‘s short stories. Overall a good story and well written, but it did not need to be this long! 😆 #TOB2025

The incredibleness of this book snuck up on me. It started as a light, funny listen for my commute and before I knew it, I was furious! A brilliant portrayal of the BS that women put up with and how Margo fought back. She is my hero - I love her so much. 💜 #TOB2025

The writing in this book isn‘t great in my personal opinion, but it was fun to learn more about Barnes‘ life and her writing. I‘ve been interested in her since reading Nightwood in college (probably only understanding a bit of it 😆). I appreciate the author for shining more of a light on her life, and the graphic novel format was fun.

I haven‘t had nearly the reading time I want these days, but I‘m slowly making my way through this very long book. Although I really like Link‘s writing so I‘m enjoying it. #TOB2025

My package for #JS2024 went out today! ❄️📚🍫

Thank you for hosting @MaleficentBookDragon !

I enjoyed these delightfully weird short stories. The first three are longer and I loved two of them. The last half of the book is made up of 100 very short stories of different “apocalypses.” Appropriate reading for these times. It was dry, funny and absurd. Thanks to #TenBeforeTheEnd for motivating me to read this as it had been on my shelf for awhile. This was Book 7 for me.

This wouldn‘t be a good choice as the first one of Strout‘s books I don‘t think, but because I‘ve grown to love these characters it was so lovely to get to spend more time with them. I love her quiet observations about people - she has a real gift for that. And the audio as always was wonderful.

A few that came available from the library. Let‘s see how many of these I can get to! 😁 #TOB2025

It was fun to read this while in CA this week, even though I‘m closer to LA than Santa Cruz. Even so, there is something about the focus on bodies and beauty that feels amplified here in the perpetual sun and mild weather. I like how the book weaves together elements of feminism, sci-fi, thriller and Bildungsroman in subtle ways and leaves some things unanswered.

Book 6 for #TenBeforeTheEnd and another one I‘ve had on my shelf for at least a decade. It was interesting and a creative merging of two timelines and some magical realism, but I didn‘t love it. I realized this is by the author of a new book, which I do still want to read - The Most.

An appropriate title for this book I‘d say. A cast of unlikeable characters living sort of mundane lives, feeling unsatisfied for various reasons, and making poor decisions. I liked the fluid movement between points of view and the sheer bizarreness of people‘s thoughts and actions. A really weird book, but I think I liked it. 😆 And looks like it‘s on the TOB long list!

I‘d had this book on my shelf for years. I probably would‘ve enjoyed it more at another point in my life, when I was more into this type of writing. But, I appreciated the experimental nature of it nonetheless. Mostly I‘m glad that #TenBeforeTheEnd finally motivated me to get it off my shelf and read it. 😁

This was a light pick, but a fun listen for my daily commute and really fabulous audio. I didn‘t quite figure out the whole situation until the end, although at times things seemed a little too obvious along the way. Still entertaining.

I really liked this, but not as much as Elena Knows (hard to top). But this one has the same narrative style and it was often a page turner, although I did figure out the “twist” earlier on. Looking forward to reading more of her novels. Book 4 for #10BeforeTheEnd

Grief and disgust and fear over this week‘s events make it hard to write a review. But I will say that the art and beauty of fiction have been a comfort. I really enjoyed this book and Tokarczuk‘s spin on the story in The Magic Mountain. It was a relief to escape briefly into this world of mountain sanatoriums, and read her take on the power of nature, the ignorance of men, and the defiance of gender constructs.

Very excited about this library haul. 😁📚💪🏼

I found this galley proof of Hunter‘s first novel in the bargain carts at The Strand this summer. I loved The Harpy so it caught my eye. It‘s a slim, sparse account of a climate apocalypse that feels pretty realistic at this point, and the aftermath, told by the narrator who is a new mother. I liked it; a low pick.

A slightly bittersweet story of companionship and love. Written in the quirky, quiet style that I love about Japanese fiction. Great descriptions of food and lots of great non sequiturs and frank dialogue. And a lovely story as well. I really enjoyed it. Book 2 for #10BeforeTheEnd.

A fantastic book - right up there with A Secret History for me. I went in expecting a murder mystery, but really this is a story about childhood when the adults in your life are mostly failing you. Tartt captures the experience of being a child - outsized beliefs and feelings of having no control over what happens much of the time - brilliantly. I‘m counting this as my first book for #10BeforeTheEnd, which I just joined today. 😉

I decided this was the perfect season to finally pull this off my shelf and read it.🍂 I‘m loving it so far. The dog is not as convinced that reading is the best use of my time.

Another great book by Everett. I love how different each of his books are and how they always surprise me. In this one he weaves together three events happening in the past and present in such a creative way. The three timelines slowly converge in the book as the events converge in the main character‘s life. I‘m a big fan.

I am such a fan of Rooney‘s writing, and this book was as exquisite as anything she‘s written. Her ability to capture emotions and human imperfections and interactions on the page is just astounding. I was sad to leave these characters at the end of the book and they are going to stay with me for a long time.

This book is transcendently good. I can‘t put it down; I never want it to end. It‘s been very good company during my waiting around for ballet to end time this week. 📖

I really loved this book and Perrin‘s talent for slowly revealing a story and its characters layer by layer. There was no way for this to top Fresh Water for Flowers, but it was very very good.

Midway through this book it was whisked back to the library and I had to wait to get it back. I was happy to be immersed again in the woods of this story. I love the character of the woods and the house in it and the way its inhabitants‘ lives intertwine across generations. The audio version is particularly lovely and I‘m glad I went that route.

So excited! I‘ve been holding onto a B&N gift card for this. And there‘s a bonus short story included! 🎉

This book blew my mind! So incredibly good. ♥️ The unexpected turns, the almost unbearable tension at times, the sheer beauty of the story. I haven‘t read the full shortlist but would be very pleased to see this book take the prize.

My friend lent me this book and said I had to read it before going to Colorado peach country this weekend. I didn‘t love it, but I really enjoyed the way Read wrote about the land - tending it and living on it. It was interesting to read about this part of the history of the state as well. A light pick for me.