Birthday books! 😄📚

I honestly wasn‘t a huge fan of the writing style, but otherwise I thought this was a good memoir, and I have a lot of respect for McCurdy sharing her story. The abuse and mental health struggles etc. that she experienced were heartbreaking and hard to read about at times, so it couldn‘t have been easy to write about them. I really appreciate how candid she was about her experiences.
#AuldLangSpine #catsoflitsy #Ember

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
I had a lot of fun with the first half of this. The mystery was intriguing, the paranormal aspects were nice and spooky, and I was really interested in seeing where the story would go. The second half had some issues with pacing that ended up making things less interesting for me by the end, but overall, I still enjoyed it.

#AuldLangSpine #catsoflitsy #Ember #Phoenix

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this gothic tale. The mystery aspect hooked me right out of the gate, and I enjoyed how the writing created a somewhat disorienting effect at times.

#AuldLangSpine #catsoflitsy #Ember

Now that I‘ve had the chance to take a good look at your list, @FantasyChick, I‘m intrigued as well! I haven‘t read any of the books on your list, and I‘ve only heard of five of them. I think in January, I‘ll probably end up picking from the ones pictured since they appeal to me the most, but it‘s possible that might change depending on my reading mood. Regardless, I can‘t wait to get started! 😄

#AuldLangSpine

Visited House of Books while I was in Connecticut a couple weeks ago 📚

#MayWrapUp
May was a decent reading month. I gave out my first five stars of the year to Interpreter of Maladies, and I enjoyed both of the nonfiction books I read. I also finished one of my friend rec challenge books.

Total: 5
Print: 2
Ebook: 1
Audio: 2

Fiction: 3
Nonfiction: 2

#lmpbc: 1
#Booked2022: 1
#friendrecchallenge: 1

#FriendRecChallenge book 1 of 5

I honestly expected to like this one more since I really enjoyed the first Mistborn trilogy, but it fell flat for me. It had its moments, but on the whole, I just didn‘t care that much about the characters or what was happening, and there were some things that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I might give the next book a try at some point anyway, but idk. It‘s disappointing.

#catsoflitsy #Phoenix

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My first five-star read of the year! I didn‘t really know what to expect going into this, but it didn‘t take long to realize I was in for something special. Lahiri‘s writing was beautiful and absorbing, the stories moving and beautifully crafted. There were nine stories and I enjoyed them all. There wasn‘t a single dud in the bunch.
#lmpbc #GroupC #catsoflitsy #Phoenix

#AprilWrapUp
April was a good reading month for me. I finished Amazon‘s Trespass collection, which I started last month. Bloody Summer was my favorite of the collection. I also finished Jane Eyre. I didn‘t really expect to like it much, but I ended up loving it.

Total: 11
Print: 3
Ebook: 5
Audio: 3

Fiction: 9
Nonfiction: 2

#lmpbc: 1
#Booked2022: 1

Another light pick for me. Naturally, not all of these stories worked for me and some were more memorable than others, but several were clever and funny and I enjoyed the time I spent reading them.

@Megabooks I mailed this yesterday. It should get to you by Tuesday. 😊👍🏽

#lmpbc #GroupC #catsoflitsy #Ember

Time to start the next book for #lmpbc #GroupC. 😄📖

I felt like my reading slowed to a crawl this month, but I ended up finishing more books than I thought I would. Empire of Pain was a major standout and my favorite of the month, but all of these were picks.

Total: 5
Print: 1
Ebook: 1
Audio: 3

Fiction: 2
Nonfiction: 3

#lmpbc: 1

#MarchWrapUp

I enjoyed the weirdness and unique ideas in this collection, but it lost some steam for me in the second half. A light pick.

I‘m planning on mailing this tomorrow, @Megabooks . I‘ll send you the tracking number when I have it. 😊

#lmpbc #GroupC #catsoflitsy #Ember

1. Tender is the Flesh, Empire of Pain, Three Moments of an Explosion, All Systems Red, and Jane Eyre
2. I‘m currently reading Jane Eyre.
3. Of Mice and Men… One of these days I‘ll get to it.

#weekendreads

I am really happy with the amount I read in February, but most of these I feel pretty meh about. My favorites this month were Subdivision and American Baby, which were both great.

Total: 7
Print: 1
Ebook: 4
Audio: 2

Fiction: 5
Nonfiction: 2

#Booked2022: 2

This one was a dud with my book club. Opinions ranged from okay to bad. I didn‘t like it, but I do understand why people would enjoy it. I think there was a moving story in here, but it was marred in the telling. The writing style was often hard to follow and felt like it was trying too hard to be profound. The constant hinting at things to come and the tendency to dance around things rather than just say whatever it was explicitly drove me nuts.

1. All Systems Red, Unwell Women, and Jane Eyre
2. A Cure for Suicide by Jesse Ball
3. Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood

#weekendreads

There were a few parts of this book that I really liked, like the behind the scenes look at a couple nature documentaries, but the rest I didn‘t love. While the information was interesting, I don‘t think the way it was presented was very good for someone unfamiliar with the subject matter.

#catsoflitsy #Ember #booked2022 #InvolvesAnExploration

Reading this felt like reading a dream, and I loved it. I‘m sure I didn‘t understand everything, but I enjoyed trying to figure it all out.

#catsoflitsy #Ember

Hey, #GroupC! 😊 What do you guys think of these?

(The Diving Pool is apparently novellas rather than short stories, but I decided to include it anyway because if the page count is right, it looks like the novellas must all be on the short side.)

#lmpbc

I received both of these books as gifts for Valentine‘s Day last year, but I still have yet to read either one. 😬😅 I‘d like to try to read one of them this month, but I‘m not sure which one to go with. What do you all think? Which one should I read first?

#JanuaryWrapUp
I read way more this January than I usually do. I finished 2 books for #NYWD22, one of which (We Begin at the End) was a favorite this month. In Cold Blood was another favorite. My least favorite was the Watkins. I‘d been looking forward to it for months, but I ended up strongly disliking it.

Total: 7
Print: 1
Ebook: 4
Audio: 2
Fiction: 5
Nonfiction: 2

#NewYearWhoDis: 2
#Booked2022: 1

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I‘ve seen this book described as a mystery and a thriller, but I think it‘s good to know going in that 1) there is a mystery, but solving it is not the focus, and 2) it‘s not a fast-paced thrill ride. I enjoyed its focus on the characters and how they each faced what happened, but I felt like it was too short. There was a lot that could have been expanded on, and I kind of wish the author had taken that route.
#catsoflitsy #Phoenix

I thought the premise sounded great, but sadly this just wasn‘t for me. I thought there was too much telling rather than showing, and still there were certain things that I felt needed more explanation to feel believable, but they just didn‘t get much explanation. I found it more entertaining towards the end when the pace picked up, but I still had so many questions of how and why that I never fully got on board with what was happening.

My friends have spoken. These are their picks for my 2022 #friendrecchallenge! 😄 The goal of this challenge is to get me to read more of the books that my friends recommend for me, since I‘m usually not very good about doing that. So I let each of my friends pick one book for me that they‘ve read before and would recommend, and I have to read and review it before the end of the year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I honestly didn‘t like Whitaker‘s writing style, but I did enjoy the story and characters he created, especially Duchess, which mostly made up for that. This story was heartbreaking and engrossing, and I was sad to see it come to an end.

#NewYearWhoDis #NYWD22 #catsoflitsy #Ember

There‘s a new book by Anthony Marra coming out this year?! Oh my gosh, I‘m so excited! July 19 can‘t come soon enough. 😄🙌🏽

This is a light pick. The information and various examples were interesting, but it left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

#Booked2022 #weathertermintitle #catsoflitsy #Phoenix

Out of the 66 books I finished this year, 29 were nonfiction. These are the top 10 of those 29.

Special mention to The Library Book, Exercised, The Lost City of Z, and The Debt Trap which were all so close to making the list, and perhaps would have on a different day.
#bestof2021 #bestnonfiction

2021 was a great reading year for me. I finished 66 books and 21,200 pages, both of which are new records for me. Of those 66 books, 37 were fiction. Here are my top 10 fiction books of 2021!

Also, special mention to The Ghost Variations which came very close to making my top 10.
#bestof2021 #bestfiction

#DecemberWrapUp
December was a good reading month for me. I got through six books and enjoyed all of them. The Ghost Variations was a pleasant surprise. I like short stories, but I don‘t usually like them if they‘re as short as the ones in this collection (only about 2 pages each), but I ended up really enjoying them.

Total: 6
Print: 1
Ebook: 3
Audio: 2
Fiction: 4
Nonfiction: 2

I was hoping one of my holds for #NewYearWhoDis would come in in time for me to start today. Then two came in yesterday and I had to choose. 😬 I decided to go with this one first since I‘ve heard so many good things about it.
#NYWD22

I meant to post this last month, but apparently I forgot. Whoops!
I finished my 2021 #friendrecchallenge! I ended up liking all of the books this time, but Battle Royale was my favorite of the bunch. Kind of funny because that one was recommended with the least amount of confidence. My bf was completely unsure whether I‘d like it or not.
I‘m looking forward to seeing what my friends pick for me for 2022! 😄

Happy new year! 😄
My last book of 2021 was The Woman in the Purple Skirt, and my first one of 2022 will be We Begin at the End for #NewYearWhoDis.
#lastfirst

So many books this year! 😍📚
I can‘t wait to read them all!

#ChristmasBookHaul (2/2)

So many books this year! 😍📚
I can‘t wait to read them all!

#ChristmasBookHaul (1/2)

#NovemberWrapUp
Only three finished this month, but one was a chunkster, so I‘m not complaining. I enjoyed them all too.

Total: 3
Print: 0
Ebook: 1
Audio: 2
Fiction: 1
Nonfiction: 2

#booked2021: 1
#friendrecchallenge: 1

I can‘t wait to start reading from your list @Caroline2! 😃 I‘ve read The Name of the Wind and Kindred before and agree that they are great. I‘m a bit of a mood reader, so I‘m not 100% sure which of the others I‘ll start with, but I‘m currently thinking it will be one of these five.
#NewYearWhoDis #NYWD22

1. Surprisingly only two at the moment: The Way of Kings and The Copyeditor‘s Handbook
2. The Library Book by Susan Orlean
3. I currently have 17, so I won‘t list them all, but my most recent one is I Love You But I‘ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins.

#weekendreads

#OctoberWrapUp
Bad Blood was my favorite of October. Uzumaki was also good and was a hit with my book club. I also FINALLY finished Flights after starting it back in June. I didn‘t really end up enjoying it, but I‘m glad I stuck it out and finished it.

Total: 6
Print: 1
Ebook: 3
Audio: 2
Fiction: 4
Nonfiction: 2

#lmpbc: 1
#booked2021: 1
#friendrecchallenge: 0

⭐️1/2
I like the idea behind this book, but the execution just didn‘t work for me. I felt like I was being held at a distance the whole time, so I couldn‘t truly engage with anything. Several aspects of the story felt underdeveloped, and I spent a lot of time confused while trying to understand what was happening.

Thanks for a great round, ladies! 😊 @magyklyXdelish I‘m planning to mail this tomorrow. I‘ll let you know when it‘s on the way.

Next up for #lmpbc #GroupS!

#SeptemberWrapUp
The Tsumura was great! It was my favorite read in September. My book club finished the Ishiguro in September too and gave it mixed reviews. I‘d say it‘s a light pick for me, but I totally get the criticism. And I had my first encounter with an audiobook narrator I couldn‘t stand (Underland). Can‘t say I enjoyed the book itself much either. 😬

Total: 7
Print: 2
Ebook: 2
Audio: 3
Fiction: 4
Nonfiction: 3

#lmpbc: 1

⭐️⭐️1/2
There‘s a lot about this book that felt excessive. Sometimes that worked for me, and sometimes it didn‘t. I really liked how creepy and unsettling the beginning was, but that ended up fading, and then it was just gross, which didn‘t work as well for me.

#lmpbc #GroupS #catsoflitsy #Ember

This weekend‘s #bookstorehaul 😊📚

The next book for #lmpbc got here today. I can‘t wait to get started! 😄

1. Oh, definitely. I‘ve picked up books I normally wouldn‘t pay much attention too just because the title sounded cool and stuck with me.
2. Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

#Two4Tuesday

#AugustWrapUp
Battle Royale, which I read for my friend rec challenge (3 books down, only 1 to go 😄), was my favorite this month and left me with a #bookhangover. How the Word is Passed was also great.

Total: 6
Print: 3
Ebook: 1
Audio: 2
Fiction: 3
Nonfiction: 3

#lmpbc: 1
#booked2021: 0
#friendrecchallenge: 1

#Bookmail from my bestie today! 😄📚