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The Book That Matters Most
The Book That Matters Most | Ann Hood
A New York Times Bestselling AuthorAva's twenty-five-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children live outside of the country. For companionship, Ava joins a book group where each member presents the book that matters most to them, and rediscovers a mysterious book from her childhood ? one that helped her through the traumatic deaths of her sister and mother.
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jdiehr
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Pickpick

I love removing the jacket and finding that the book itself is just beautiful.

I also love how much I adored this book!

Part of the mystery I figured out early on, but didn't entirely figure it all out which made for a touching ending.

A book about a book club whose theme for the year is "the book that matters most to you." Everyone picks well-known classics except for Ava who chooses an obscure book with a mysterious author.

#dollartreefind

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NKB2830
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“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” Marcel Proust

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tpixie
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I can‘t believe Round 2 of #CoverToCover #LitsyGoesPostal is coming to a close! I just got my books and journals back! They are so much fun to read & make comments on them. Soon we‘ll start Round 3!

Soubhiville That‘s amazing! I‘m so glad you all have made it work so well! ❤️ 6y
tpixie @Soubhiville yes! You found just the right group for us! Thanks Superstar 🌟 6y
Daisey ❤️ our group!! It was also wonderful to get my book back and read through all the notes. 6y
tpixie @Daisey yes!!! 6y
78 likes4 comments
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tpixie
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I can‘t believe Round 2 of #CoverToCover #LitsyGoesPostal is coming to a close! I just got my books and journals back! They are so much fun to read & make comments on them. Soon we‘ll start Round 3!

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mrp27
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#literaryluck #tbrshelfie

I was in Laguna yesterday, I needed a Me day, and I couldn't resist the lure of the Friends of the Library so I popped in and bought this stack for $12.50 to add to my always growing tbr pile.

Samplergal Lots of love in that stack! 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Great stack!! We are reading One Day In December for our buddy read in December!! It‘s so good!! #BotmBuddyRead 💗📚 6y
Nute Lots of good reads in that stack. Enjoy! 6y
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Christine Great finds! 6y
mrp27 @Samplergal Yes! All these titles were on my wish list so I was very happy with my choices. 6y
mrp27 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thanks! I'll definitely save it for December so I can join in on the buddy read. 6y
mrp27 @Nute Thanks, I will! 6y
mrp27 @Chrsitine Thanks, the best part were the prices! 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @mrp27 yay!!! We thought it would be perfect for then!! 6y
vkois88 Ahhhh I want to read One Day In December! I'm on the waitlist... but it's like 6 months long lol 6y
52 likes10 comments
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sammisho
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53 likes1 comment
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Chelleo
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Already behind and only 3 days into the #ReadingResolutions challenge!

Day 2: Shelfie Saturday Vader is one of my boy‘s piggy bank and he ended up in my library. @Jess7

Jess7 Haha! Nice! 6y
Jess7 What all did you get from the warehouse?! I meant to text you back earlier but I was deep into vacation planning and totally forgot. Sorry! 6y
Chelleo @Jess7 No worries. I posted my haul a few images back. All but one is a TBR title. A few Newbery winners, a mystery, another Bachman...a hodgepodge of things really. I saw you made it and had a great haul! 6y
119 likes3 comments
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Cheekymom3
This post contains spoilers
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Pickpick

I almost said so-so .... It's the first book I actually liked in my book club ... Sometimes I wish authors didn't feel the need to clean everything up and put a bow in it

Betty The cover has a bow on it, so that fits 6y
1 like1 comment
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EmilyChristine
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Pickpick

So good!! I almost stayed up late again last night to finish but I can‘t do that two nights in a row. At its heart, it‘s a story about mothers and daughters.

“What the mother knew was that she couldn‘t go back home. She would save her surviving daughter by staying away, and letting her guilt over what happened be hers alone.”

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EmilyChristine
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So I‘ve been looking forward to this book for awhile. It‘s about a woman who joins a book club and each member picks a book for their month, a book that matters most to them.
Anyway, for January they have to read Pride and Prejudice, which I LOVE. So when I read that the main character decides to watch the movie instead of read it I AM SHOCKED. I hope she at least picks the best version. Does she? NO. Which I find out on the page pictured. Argh!!

AshleyHoss820 See, this is why it‘s weird to lie about reading a book! You‘re totally going to get caught! 😄 And P&P is WORTH the read! 7y
EmilyChristine @charl08 Kinda. They aren‘t reading all of Jane Austen. The main character joined a long standing club after she had some major life changes. Each year they have a theme and this year is a book that‘s important to you. 7y
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EmilyChristine @AshleyHoss820 Exactly! Luckily the character liked the movie so she went and bought the rest of the books thinking she‘d like reading them. 7y
Betty @tpixie @Daisey @Marmie7 @Kangaj1 tagging those of you that have read this book. I giggled to read what Emily wrote here on Litsy. 6y
tpixie @Betty ha!! @EmilyChristine Yes!! She is not a very good addition to this special private book club! She isn‘t taking the honor seriously enough!! 6y
Marmie7 I had the same thoughts! 6y
29 likes7 comments
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StephanieGeiser
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Pickpick

4/5⭐️

Another book club pick. I loved it! Likely not a re-read for me (hence 4 instead of 5 Stars) but it was a very enjoyable read and even had an unexpected twist at the end that made me like it even more. I would definitely recommend this one.

#catsoflitsy #kindlesoflitsy

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KaraDunn
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Pickpick

Unexpectedly enjoyable! This book is outside my usual wheelhouse, but my mom loaned it to me and I️ have always been a sucker for books about book clubs.

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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 10! Ava's 25-year marriage has fallen apart & her 2 children live outside the country. She joins a book group for her love of literature & sheer desperation for company. Each person presents the book that matters most to them. Hers is a childhood one that helped her before. Meanwhile, her daughter Maggie lives in Paris with a destructive man. Ava's book & Maggie's decline rekindle their relationship. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

tpixie This is my in-person book club book for September. Then next years books will be our own picks of books that matter the most and share it. The books that have meant the most to me were the ones I read in childhood/adolescence. I still haven't figured out which one I'm going to choose. And do I really want to be vulnerable enough to share it? What happens if they don't agree?! 7y
StephanieGeiser @tpixie I also read this for book club and started fantasizing about running a similar “the book that matters most” themed book club! How is yours going? What book did you end up choosing? 7y
tpixie @StephanieGeiser we are reading The Kitchen House now - it will be our 1st one of the 'matters most' group- we meet next week. I cheated and didn't pick The Little Prince, but did pick a different one I liked and wondered if I would still- 7y
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StephanieGeiser @tpixie Fun! I haven‘t read any of the books you mentioned, though I did just snag a copy of The Little Prince last week so it‘s on my shelf now, which theoretically means it will be read sooner than later (but we all know how that goes 😂😂). 7y
tpixie @StephanieGeiser I hope you enjoy it! I love the fox 🦊! I read it as a child so how it impacted me then may be different than if I read it first as an adult but hopefully the child in YOU will enjoy it! 7y
StephanieGeiser @tpixie Thank you! I hope so too. It‘s a book that seemed to have a big impact on a lot of people so I figured I needed to give it a shot. I‘ll keep you posted when I get to it. 😊 7y
tpixie @StephanieGeiser ok! 💚🍀💚 7y
52 likes6 stack adds7 comments
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Kwizgiver
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Pickpick

I love the concept of the book group having themes for the year. The stories wove together beautifully. An enjoyable book.

7 likes1 stack add
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tpixie
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Picked up my next in-person Bookclub book. Gotta finish 3 others first!! #FriendsWithBooks #GetIndie

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Pandalibrarian
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Finished this book tonight just in time for book club tomorrow. I really enjoyed this book and all the different stories. The author does a great job weaving them all together in a mostly believable way. We did something similar in my book club a couple of years ago - we re-read books that were important to us. It was such a fun way to revisit past favorites.

Bostonmomx2 I enjoyed this one too. 7y
tpixie Do you remember what books everyone chose? My bookclub is reading this book for September and then we're each supposed to pick a book of ours to share for our readings for next year. 7y
Pandalibrarian It was a wide variety! Mine was Peace like a river by Leif Enger. Other ones were Wisconsin in their bones by August Derleth, Tale of Desoeraux by Kate DiCamillo, - I know there are more but can't remember them all. Have to check my spreadsheet. 7y
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JSW
Panpan

Here it is: the rare JSW PAN rating. Usually I will just bail on a book I don't like, because life is too short and my TBR is too long. But this is for book club. So : one plot twist I called early enough that it was unsatisfying to see it happen. The other twists felt too easy and unrealistic. Book club discussion should be interesting. 😏

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JSW
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It doesn't work that way.

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BookofWords
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Pickpick

It's a book about book clubs and books. But much more than that friendships, divorce, mother daughter relationships told in different points of view. The change in POV are not distracting though, it adds beautifully to the expertly woven tale. #booksonbooksonbooks #booksaboutbooks 📚

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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post! Ava's 25-year marriage has fallen apart & her 2 grown children are living out of the country. So she joins a bookclub for her love of reading & sheer loneliness. Over the year, each member will present the book that matters the most to them. She rediscovers a mysterious book from her childhood that helped her through traumas & family deaths. It's for Maggie too, her daughter in a bad relationship. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

Desha Okay...4/4...this is going to cost me too much $$ lol...#blameitonlitsytoo 8y
BookishMarginalia I admit I bailed on this one. Couldn't stand the protagonist. 8y
Tillie I want to read this... maybe. 8y
87 likes13 stack adds3 comments
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Dvmheather
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It is a warm enough day for a walk so it is time to start feeding the local Little Free Library again.

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Bostonmomx2
Pickpick

Really enjoyed this one. The drug scenes were so painful to read tho. I'm so in love with books set in Paris lately, I really want to go. I had a smidge now of trouble with the ending but won't say why because...spoiler lol but overall, really enjoyed it. I loved the concept of their book club as well.

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Bostonmomx2
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I bailed on Lemony Snicket...just not my thing. So this came available from library so I'll start this tonight.

AmbityScambity I loved this book! ☺️ 8y
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ChrisM
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Pickpick

Between life & holidays & vacation & the flu I've been MIA from Litsy & reading in general. But finally I'm feeling like myself & am back. this book was the perfect book to remind me why I love books & the book community - there are so many books that matter! Books that are there when you have loss or are lost or are just searching for something. There are old friends & new discoveries & each of us have our own books that matter the most.

moranadatter Welcome back! 8y
BookishMarginalia Good to have you back! So glad you're feeling better 👍🏼💜 8y
36 likes1 stack add2 comments
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DVGessner
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Pickpick

4⭐️ Pleasantly surprised with this book! It starts out a bit slow, probably for the first half, but it picks up significantly for the back half. An added bonus is the actual discussion of the books in their book club- although I don't really buy that the most influential books of everyone's' lives are these massive classic tomes 😃 Good read overall and I would recommend.

8 likes1 stack add
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DVGessner
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First fiction book of the new year... and what matters most is that I finish it this weekend! Huge stack of books waiting and thus far I'm only so so with just under half the book to go.

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Lauren.Archer
Pickpick

Pretty good...a little different than what I expected ( a book about books) but a good family drama non the less.

Bostonmomx2 I have this on hold (for forever now), I haven't read her before so I'm looking forward to it. 8y
68 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Lauren.Archer
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Just got this off of my hold list at the library. Good thing I just finished a book.

BookishMarginalia I have to admit I bailed on this one. I thought it would be right up my alley, but, no. 8y
B.Reader I am waffling on this one. You should let us know how it goes! 8y
Readingrobin Got an early digital copy. Loved all the Rhode Island references of course. 8y
Donna_sBookMinute The synopsis reads pretty well; but I'll probably pass on this one. 8y
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AmbityScambity
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Pickpick

So. Good. Following mother and daughter on their journeys to self-discovery was definitely an emotional ride, but so enjoyable. There were some great twists at the end of the story that really tied everything together (and I, as usual, didn't see them coming until they punched me in the face). I finished the book over a week ago and I haven't stopped thinking about the characters. I love it when a book lingers. Highly recommend. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cinfhen Nice review and I book I wasn't interested in reading UNTIL now....thanks🙂 8y
AmbityScambity @Cinfhen Anytime 😁 8y
15 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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AmbityScambity
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"I never thought a book could help with, you know, life. But honestly, when I reread this one for tonight, and I thought about time travel and stuff, it actually made me feel better. Or maybe understand something?" • • • • • I don't want this book to end!

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AmbityScambity
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"No one who reads can ever be bored." You got that right! This book has thrown some curveballs at me that I did *not* see coming! Well done Ms. Hood, well done!

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JenniferJR
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I've been in a book slump. Can someone 🙋tell me if this is a good one to get me out of it?! #bookslumpcure #catsoflitsy #littens

Suzze Her and Tink need to walk the treadmill together. 😜beautiful kitty. 8y
B.Reader I can't help with your question, but I'd like to hear the answer too! 8y
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AmbityScambity
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This little kitty and I started a new book based on a recommendation by Alice Hoffman. So far I've been completely sucked into the lives of these characters. #catsoflitsy #authorrecommendation

17 likes2 stack adds
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Trina_L
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You can tell I've been in one spot all day. My coffee cup from this morning , my Snapple in between and my alcoholic beverage of choice tonight . It was a good day :))

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Trina_L
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BookishTrish
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Possibly only listening to find out which book each book club member chooses as #thebookthatmattersmost Which book would you choose?

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Graciouswarriorprincess
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Pickpick

What a wonderful premise-a book club devoting a year to books that matter the most to them. The intertwining of the book club and stories were perfection.

tpixie I'm reading this for my September in-person Bookclub. Then we're supposed to pick our own books that matter the most and start reading them next year. 7y
Graciouswarriorprincess @tpixie. What a great idea! 7y
tpixie 💕🍀💕 i'm just not certain I'm brave enough to really give them the true book that matters the most. I'm not certain if I could take the critique if they don't like it!! 7y
34 likes7 stack adds3 comments
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leslieseidel
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Pickpick

I almost returned this to the library unread but saw enough positive reviews that I gave it a chance. So glad that I did! It was a great character-based story with enough of a thickening plot to keep me turning the pages. Love, loss, and redemption are explored beautifully; in addition there is the added bonus of the ongoing book club theme. 😍

[DELETED] 2232195534 I've read other books by Ann Hood that I enjoyed! 8y
leslieseidel @kaysreadinglife this was my first. Did you like her other books? Any recommendations? 8y
[DELETED] 2232195534 I read The Red Thread and enjoyed it. About families adopting from China. We have 2 nieces that are Chinese, so this was interesting to me. I've heard good things about Comfort, but it's sad. 8y
leslieseidel Thanks @kaysreadinglife I will check them out. 8y
29 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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Marisa74
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Mehso-so

I think this would appeal to book groups. My first Ann Hood. Not my last.

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amrsprout
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Mehso-so

Great idea for a story that falls a bit short.

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Ellen
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Mehso-so

Got this book at an author's luncheon where Ann Hood spoke - she's warm, funny and master of the anecdote. Intrigued by book concept but the outset will make book lovers cringe - a woman who doesn't read joins a book club and balks at actually reading the books! Glad I stuck with it; thought it got better by the middle, and I appreciated the setting in Providence, RI, a place close to my heart.

BookishMarginalia I bailed on it 8y
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Anniepie120
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Pickpick

Enjoying this on a Saturday afternoon!

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Bookishaf
Mehso-so

After joining a book club in her attempt to find companionship, Ava embarks on a quest to find the author of a book that helped her get through tragedies that occurred when she was young. Ava's story runs parallel with that of her daughter's, Maggie, who makes one bad decision after another while she is in Paris. This search will unravel secrets from Ava's past and will ultimately help her reconnect with her daughter in a tale of love & redemption

Bookishaf Didn't think I'd finish this ARC (comes out in August) but overall, I'm glad I stuck with it. If you like books about book clubs and family secrets, then give it a shot. 8y
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BookishMarginalia
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Bailedbailed

So the book that matters most is definitely not this one. I gave it my best and reached 26% but I just cannot stand the vapid characters and the insipid pseudo-literary book discussions. Life's too short to keep reading an unappetizing book! (And no, the main character did not read Pride & Prejudice; she watched the Knightley version on Netflix 😳)

Bibliogeekery I have such a hard time bailing on books, even when they are terrible. I'm going to try to take inspiration from Litsy folks and try to let them go. It does feel like such a waste of time! 8y
BookishMarginalia @Bibliogeekery I used to have trouble too, but really, life is just too short and there's so much great stuff to read that I've overcome my scruples. Bail away! 🤓 8y
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Penny_LiteraryHoarders Yup! Just skimmed around this book I picked up yesterday. Too terrible to read every word. Sigh. Was so looking forward to it too. 8y
[DELETED] 2232195534 Yep, life is way too short and we all know there are way, way too many books. If a book isn't working for you, move along to one that is. So says the former 'librarian'. 😀 8y
MrBook Oh boy. 8y
readinginthedark You know what's sad? I got in an argument with a boy in one of my college lit classes trying to tell me that Pride and Prejudice wasn't worthwhile, just romance for desperate women. When I asked him to prove his point, he quoted that movie to me. Lines that weren't even in the book, because he'd never read it! 8y
57 likes7 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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This does not bode well...

LauraBeth I don't like this Ava character and I'm not even reading this. She's exhausting 🙄 8y
BookishMarginalia @LauraBeth Yep! The narrative switches between Ava and her daughter Maggie (who is just as unlikable, and who is making awful choices while living in Paris...) -- I bailed! 8y
Lacythebookworm Oh no! Doesn't sound promising. 8y
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[DELETED] 2232195534 And see, this is an issue with me - Jane rules - 😀😀😀 8y
BookishTrish I almost stopped listening at this line. 8y
BookishMarginalia @BookishTrish I bailed on this book! 8y
44 likes6 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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That awkward moment when you are 4% into an ARC from NetGalley and you find this mention of Proust. Mind you, it's supposed to be a novel about a book club. I'm wondering if the issue (lack of knowledge about Proust) is the author's or the characters'...

LauraBeth Every time I see the cover for this, it reminds me of the cover of Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld 8y
RebeccaRenner @LauraBeth Me, too! I thought it was just me! 8y
Sue Oh, have just been reminded I'm a terrible literary snob. That would probably be enough for me to make terrible judgements for the rest of the book! 8y
LauraBeth Great minds... @BeckyRenner 😀 8y
36 likes4 comments
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memoriesfrbooks
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Pickpick

The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood is less about books than I expected. I love the idea of a book club where members pick “the book that matters most” to them. This story, however, introduces other side stories and a mystery about Ava's childhood. I wish it stayed closer to its main premise.

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Rhondareads
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Love novels about books ,book clubs & Ann Hood is wonderful.

jennifersmeth I got this one the other day in the mail! 8y
22 likes5 stack adds1 comment