Ok I probably posted that last blurb about 50 pages too early. I related to and had empathy for George in his late teens early 20s. George in his late 20s early 30s is much harder to stomach 🙄

I gotta say, I read a lot of reviews about how much everyone hated George and I‘m 130 pages in and I have empathy for him. He‘s pretty oblivious and careless of others but it‘s a story and a perspective I haven‘t spent a lot of time with in books and that makes it worth telling. I‘m glad I decided to give the book a chance.

Loved it, super exciting to discover a series and all of a sudden know what you‘ll be reading for the next year. I just have to figure out how to space them for the podcast so I have other books to talk about 😅

Forced to stop snowboarding after only 3 runs today because my back was so tight, but there‘s nothing like a good excuse to lay in a hot bath and read.

Halfway through and loving this. There‘s so many small details about WW1 I didn‘t know. I‘ve never considered myself to be a war fiction reader but my mom and niece are obsessed with the genre so I‘m excited to recommend this to them (assuming they haven‘t already read it!)

Today‘s episode of The Checkout Stack takes us to West Virginia with the theme of Appalachian fiction that ties the people, the culture, and the mountainous terrain together. Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts.

#5JoysFriday
1) Always my dogs.
2) Perch fish fry.
3) My coworker apologized for being mean in a meeting last week without my bringing it up.
4) I switched out my seasonal mood board for spring. It‘s still snow and mud here but I‘m embracing a spring attitude.
5) Work has been stressful but I‘m managing it in a way that feels healthy whereas in the past I‘ve let it be more consuming.

Very late to this party, but excited to be here. It‘s like a more grown up Her Royal Spyness.

I really liked the two sisters in the first section but the doctor is soooo boring. Made it about 20% before bailing.

A day late #5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1) Spring snowboarding mash potatoe snow is so fun
2) Grill session in the parking lot afterwards
3) Making smoked trout and the resulting dip that I‘m obsessed with
4) I recorded two episodes of The Checkout Stack this week that I‘m really excited for
5) I caught a cloud inversion on Monday that made it look like the mountain tops were just floating in the sky

QUESTION

I got this as an epub file from Libby which I downloaded and then emailed to my kindle. I‘ve never done that before so I‘m wondering if the epub will automatically disappear when my loan ends? Or is it different than a normal Libby checkout?

What a lovely way to talk about morality and spiritual discernment. Just started middlemarch expecting I would probably put it down but idk, its more readable then I expected.

Today‘s episode of The Checkout Stack features Orange County Florida librarian Kelley Mayer. Check it out for some manga recs!

The first half of this book could have been pulled straight from my life and I suspect a lot of women will relate and cringe. It was almost hard to read but then the second half moved away from what I would consider standard ways patriarchy shows in heterosexual relationships and towards how that extends in combination with a narcissistic spouse. I LOVE a book where you get to just hate someone and there‘s nothing redeeming about John here.

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1) Ice fishing date last weekend even though we caught 0 fish
2) We‘re getting 6 eggs a day right now and one of our new chickens just started laying pink eggs!
3) I recently learned how to make hashbrowns from a potato and I‘ve made it 3 times this week I love it so much
4) We waxed our snowboards for some slushy warm weather riding I‘m really looking forward to tomorrow
5) I‘ve been very grateful for my house lately

Do you want to know what it feels like to be metaphorically boiled alive? This book is doing that for me and I suspect any woman who‘s dated a man will relate to the quiet sinister parts of patriarchy in a relationship displayed in this book.

After a gripping start I ended up finishing the book feeling a little let down. The stories mature themes felt at odds with the characters juvenile emotional development and dialogue. I really loved the concept, I only wish that it had either softened the heavy topics and leaned into YA or matured the characters up a bit.

I love when you start a book and right away you know you‘re going to love it. Such a great opening hook and the “storyteller corner” sections are so fun. Can‘t wait to keep reading.

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don‘t notice it” - Shug Avery

I would not recommend this book to a lot of people, even those who loved Fleishman Is In Trouble like I did. If you need likable characters, or atleast unlikable characters to learn a lesson, get their comeuppance, or a twist where you realize maybe the weren‘t so bad as you thought, this book is not for you. But it was for me, the way each child dealt with their generational trauma in wildly different and equally unhealthy ways was fascinating.

Today‘s episode features a great set of intro sci-fi picks from Frisco Texas librarian John Alford. Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts.

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1) Winter solo stove sessions with the ice lanterns I made last week
2) Walking in on Zeeba and Tucker spooning
3) Zach got some sweet footage of me snowboarding last weekend
4) We replaced our box spring and the difference is noticeable
5) Valentine‘s Day flowers and seafood

2/3 of the way through. Fleishman Is in Trouble was one of my favorite reads of last year and while this book is nothing like it (sans New York and Jewish main characters) I still find it delectable. There was a lot more room for sympathy in Fleishman whereas it‘s hard to feel bad for any character in the Long Island Compromise. But I don‘t mind reading about people making bad decisions and I‘m a big fan of plots about living a split/secret life.

I loved this book just like I loved Laurie Frankel‘s last novel. She paints such compelling and honest portraits of families.

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1) Finally winning a game on cribbage night after a long losing streak
2) Blizzard conditions in Montana! I love playing in the snow
3) My neighbor showing up with a skid steer and saving me an extra hour of shoveling
4) I‘ve been really into lighting a work candle in the morning
5) Winning my skeptical husband over on a new recipe (we love cooking but every time I tell him I‘m making something new he poopoos it)

Checkout today‘s episode of The Checkout Stack for some great X-Rated romance reading material just in time for Valentine‘s Day! What romance novels have been tickling your fancy lately?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6G2j6sX1se6AT4nug3S0rs?si=w_w6OfQyRM60uYYJr8uzp...

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1) We bought a bed frame this week and I love it.
2) Snuggles from my little dog Tucker.
3) Daily walks with the big dogs, at our recent vet visit I was told regular walks were one of the best things I could do to help slow Zeeba‘s hip dysplasia from progressing.
4) Home made lattes. I can almost do the milk art (but not quite)
5) Fresh eggs from the chickens, no one tell them it‘s January!

Deciding to put this one down. I love the octopus parts and am meh about everything else. Made it about halfway.

I think if it was 200 pages shorter OR had more of a plot line in the family drama aspects of the book I would have loved it. But at 500 pages it was just too slow to keep me engaged, I ended up skimming the last 100 for dialog and major plot points.

“And the dog goes about one of her favorite reconciliatory pastimes, trying to lick the inside of Julia‘s mouth”

So many good quotes from this novel today. Photo of my personal mouth licker in the midst of attempting to lick his own butthole. Gotta be careful of yawning too close to this one.

An ambitious and astoundingly successful memoir that aimed to shed light on and de-villainize the sociopathic personality disorder. Patric Gagne did not hold back on her story and my world is a bit more empathetic because of it. An excellent read.

Todays episode of The Checkout Stack features jukebox heroines - books of women in the music industry. Tune in for a great set of recommendations and to learn a little bit about our guest librarians self designated title of book club therapist wherever you listen to podcasts!

You are in charge of your list. Your list is not in charge of you.

An amazing portrait of womanhood in middle age in a beautifully mundane and relatable life.

2 things:

1) I love this book
2) My husband bought me a pillow for the bath that I was very skeptical about for Christmas and now can‘t live without. If you, like me, are a chronic bath reader, treat yourself. It‘s worth it.

The years of processing and healing between Tia‘s escape and the writing of this book made this memoir incredibly powerful. Tia clearly lays out all the steps that led to her horrific marriage and how she became mentally trapped in it. I was able to escape my patriarchal religious group as a young adult but have spent years dealing with the damage from it. I‘m so glad women like Tia are strong enough to share these painful stories.

Today‘s episode of The Checkout Stack features a book end of celebrity memoirs! My personal favorite celebrity memoir is by far Bossypants by Tina Fey. I didn‘t know I could laugh so hard at a book. Tina‘s life story is fascinating and her comedy hilarious. What celebrity memoirs have you read?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/40RJV3bdZwISTmKCtQEYFc?si=zWMEjcadTlOwKnbsH8n2z...

Nothing makes me happier then a combo pet snuggle during reading time 🐕🐈📚

[edit] My husband has asked me to clarify that the trim in the window is not done, but will be soon so don‘t judge him 😂🔨

I don‘t know what it is but I can‘t get enough of this series. Following Georgie through the English countryside solving murders and helping the crown has become my ultimate comfort read and I can‘t wait for the next one.

Happy New Year! May your TBR be always filled and your current read unputdownable. 💕📚

So excited to be starting the newest title in my favorite cozy mystery series: A Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen.

This was discussed as a recent read on the episode Cozy Reads With Megan and Alyisha in MA on the podcast. I found it a delight. It was compulsively readable and a fun idea for a book.

I was delighted to unwrap this little book today from my mother in law. It just so happened to be a rec in the latest episode of the podcast for the theme of “Resetting in the New Year”. Can‘t wait to dive in.

I pushed through and ended up liking parts. The tempo was weird, it was fun at times and slow at others. I felt like the mystery was introduced very late in the book so I wasn‘t even looking for clues until the end and I‘m not sure I would have been able to see them anyway. Sometimes the MC would ask a question I wanted to understand and the author wouldn‘t answer it which was super annoying. Overall an interesting read but not a home run for me.

Halfway through and debating whether or not to finish. I loved the start of the book where she was getting to know the time travel “expats” but I felt like it started to slow down when the mystery element was introduced. Did anyone else who read this feel that dip in the middle? Should I push through? Or if I‘m not feeling it at this point it‘s a sign to quit?

A new episode of The Checkout Stack dropped this morning featuring Kelly from Waukesha WI. The book-end topic for today‘s episode was “Books to Reset in the New Year”. I tagged a bonus pick from myself, Digital Minimalism which is a great read if reducing your screen time is a goal in the next year. What other book would you recommend?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2dHWnbUv1y05B1lCMsLq22?si=tuXVyWocSO-zzfE7mnKCp...

I gave it a shot but pretty quickly figured out this wasn‘t for me. I think my history with oversleep to deal with depression made it not fun to read about a main character who takes sedatives so she can sleep for a year. I was expecting something less literal from the title.

I loved this book. Sisterhood, grief, and the different facets of addiction were masterfully handled. It had the perfect amount of plot to keep me turning, and reflectiveness to slow me down and make me think. I especially loved and related to the eldest sister Avery who hides behind a facade of perfection while secretly falling to pieces and struggling to identify what she actually wants. 10/10 one of my top reads (the top?) of the year.

My first #HyggehourReadathon turned into a family reading session with the pups. Made myself a virgin hot toddy, lit a candle, and wrapped up in a blanket and my LL Bean slippers. A delightful end to a busy holiday weekend.
@AllDebooks @TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @jenniferw88