Welcome to Litsy!

Would anyone be interested in joining me for a #LMPBC of our own? It‘s not done through Litsy anymore, but I‘d love to do it on our own if a couple of people are interested. I took this picture recently to celebrate the fact that I finally had all of Abbi Waxman‘s books, and might use The Garden of Small Beginnings as my starting book if we decide to make this happen. Of course, I have a lot of others to choose from though. @LitsyEvents

“There was loads of food set up on a large #picnic table just outside the kitchen door. Potato salad with green beans. Sautéed squash with onions and garlic. Tomatoes on their own, or stuffed with cream cheese, or with rice and peppers. Bowls of salad, dressed and undressed. Fresh bread. Berry pie, berry cobbler, berries and cream. Pretty much everything had been grown by the class, and it was enormously satisfying to eat it all.”

#JulyJazz

Abbi Waxman has been one of my favourite authors since I picked up the Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Going back to her early work has been on my list for years and I am so happy I finally got to this one. It‘s just lovely - sweet and funny and a little irreverent… It‘s everything I want and more.

My June #BookSpin and Roll 66 for #Roll100 that I actually read in June!

Love this author‘s books! I need to get to this one!
🌹🌸🌼🥀🪻🌻🪷🌺🌷💐

#TBR
#Garden
#StorySettings

There were a couple spots where continuity seemed off and the plot rushed, but overall this was a charmer. I enjoyed this much more than The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Was a bit hesitant at first but I enjoyed this one.

#fiction

As I do every year, I have undertaken a strict 2-out-1-in policy to try to get my TBR under control. And also as I do every year, I went nuts during late-in-the-year sales at the end of 2023 and put myself seriously into deficit before the year even started since I was already very much behind on the 2-out part of the policy. Oops.

Getting over a nasty cold and have been reading a ton. I absolutely adored this book! 5⭐️

Adding all of her backlist to my TBR… 🙂

Going through my shelves and picked out this one. I‘d forgotten how much I enjoy Abbi Waxman‘s writing 🙂

1-9-23: My 3rd finished book of 2023! What a lovely story! Lilian is a single mother of 2 daughters having lost her husband in a terrible car accident 4 years earlier. She is an illustrator who has been signed up for a gardening class by her boss to get a feel for vegetables. She attends with her sister and 2 daughters and becomes friends with the class especially Edward the teacher from Amsterdam. Up lifting and funny. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣3️⃣

This is a perfect book to end #September as it is light hearted & fast read. My mom is a good gardener ( those pics are from my mom‘s garden) I love gardening so I enjoyed the tips of gardening mentioned in this book. This book is about heartbreak, love, friendship, motherhood & work life. Has spectrum of emotions. A good read. But I wish author could‘ve given little more emphasis to the other characters such as Edward. 4.5⭐️ #free #bookspinbingo

I didn‘t know that this author has a backlist and a new book belong released this year!! I loved Nina Hill 💛💛

#TBR

I ❤️ this story of family, friendship and grief. Waxman creates great characters and is so funny. One minor complaint: the constant blushing. Every character blushes all the time. I was blushing at all the blushing. Needed some editing there. #DoubleSpin done and dusted.

Very excited about these two, especially the tagged book. I love the other two Waxman books I‘ve read. #BookSpinBingo #BookSpin #DoubleSpin

I didn‘t hate the book, but when it ended I felt like I could have lived without it. In her thirties with two adorable daughters, Lilian suddenly becomes a widow. I think the author does a good job describing Lilian‘s grief. For her work as an illustrator, Lilian has to take a group gardening class. Every chapter begins with a rather snarky explanation about how to plant certain vegetables. Sometimes funny, Lilian prevails

Great read, The loss of her husband has her dealing with grief in her own way. This is a story of how a good support network can help you through tough times. Good pick @michellelav

These are the only souvenirs I‘ve purchased on this trip so far. Not sorry at all. I loved The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and have been searching for more books by Abi Waxman. I think I read Water for Elephants when I was a senior in high school back in ‘06 and LOVED it. My mom tried to dissuade me from buying a book I‘ve already read. It‘s not something I do often, but I‘m excited about this one 😊

I loved this story about grief, family, healing and what happens when you open yourself up to friendship and love. It had me laughing and crying more than once.

Another good month for my #bookspinbingo. I finished 15 books with 1 DNF and 2 classics for my challenge. #bookspin. #doublespin

I love Abbi Waxman's writing and her characters. This was a realistic look at Lilian's life as a single mom after her husband dies in a car accident. With her sister to help her and some new friends at a gardening class, she learns how to grieve, live, and move forward.
I loved it. I will read everything she writes.

I loved this sweet, quiet book about love, grief gardening and life. All the hard stuff and but with a strong underpinning of love and support from family and friends to get you through. CW for death of a spouse and suicidal thoughts. I understand why this book has loyal fans, I read it in a day. I loved the quirky kids that kept me laughing through the sad bits, just like kids do. And the gardening? Awesome! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Thanks for the tag @Eggs !

1. I‘m killing my goal, I‘m at 135 books read of 150. So, 90%. I‘ve done a lot of self care by reading this year!
2. I‘m going to read some of the #Chunkers on my shelf and up my goal to 200.

#twofortuesday @TheSpineView I‘m tagging @Ireadkidlit and @Soubhiville

April wrap-up: 1 bingo and 8 books, and 4 of them were over 400 pages. Also made it past the halfway point in Roots, which I‘m reading for the #chunksterchallenge2021

Great reading month, and I‘m looking forward to May! #bookspin #bookspinbingo #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

Starting my #bookspin
We just planted some tomatoes, jalapeños, herbs, and banana peppers and I‘m hoping for a little garden inspo in this book!
@TheAromaofBooks

Woo-hoo! My #bookspin and #doublespin for April. The Garden of Small Beginnings was gifted to me recently and I‘m using The Fault In Our Stars for the “Book Everyone Else Has Read But Me” prompt in the Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Challenge. Looking forward to a great month. Thank you for hosting, @TheAromaofBooks

Look what came in the mail @Cinfhen Such a treat to come home to after the holiday away. This book sounds wonderful and I am just in love with that cat bookmark. Where did you get the Litsy sticker? It‘s so SO cool! And your lovely book filled card is gorgeous - the words inside even more so! Most exciting of all is a seperate package for #hiselderliness 🥰 I‘ll take it up to him tomorrow! I‘m so thankful for your friendship Cindy ⬇️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I so enjoyed this! Waxman writes thoughtful stories that are emotional yet also incredibly funny. These characters felt real, as if I could picture myself along side them, sharing highs and lows. Textbook illustrator Lilian, a young window, finds an eclectic group of friends at a work-related (for her) gardening class. There are clever little gardening tips at the start of each chapter. Just so heartwarming! Waxman is a must-read for me.

For me Abbi Waxman‘s books are the equivalent of curling up on the couch in the baggiest, rattiest sweats I own (that J keeps threatening to throw away) and binging a marathon of Notting Hill, Bridget Jones, and You‘ve Got Mail. I‘m sure I‘ll get back to more substantive fare soon enough, but I‘m still feeling a bit scatter brained.

I think I‘ll just park right here for a bit. I‘m wearing pants, shorts, it looks like I might not be...I may be working from home but I still wear pants. Lol!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 I am a huge fan of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, so reading this one brought me to such a happy place. Really lovely and sweet.

This was just what I needed - a little bit of ‘fluffiness‘ but still not afraid of tackling difficult topics, and also a bit of a giggle.

I liked that not everything was tied up in a perfect bow at the end but that it still all had a positive slant.

A cozy read about Lili, a widow and mother of two young girls, who takes a gardening class as part of a work assignment. The story takes place several years after the death of her husband, Dan. Lili is still struggling with Dan‘s death. Author Abbi Waxman throws in enough snarky comments to keep it from being too dark. The audiobook narrator, Emily Rankin, is really good.

This book was just what the doctor ordered for me. It is the first of this author‘s work that I have read, and I liked her voice. I enjoyed meeting the characters in this book. I liked how between each chapter there was a short description on gardening, it was different and I liked it.

I actually sat and read this entire book yesterday which was such a relief. This is a breezy,uplifting read filled with dry humor about a widow who starts taking a weekend gardening class with her sister and two daughters. My second book by Waxman and I will continue to seek her out when I need something lighter.

This was fun and smart with nice characters and a nice story.

I really liked “The bookish life of Nina Hill,” so I was happy to see that the author had another book. I‘m liking this one a lot so far.

#2019Book87
The characters in this romance were quirky and fun, but also kind of interchangeable. It was difficult to remember who was who for most of the book, especially since there were so many characters. The story itself was pretty cute, if predictable, and I'll likely read more of Waxman's books in the future.

I went a little extra with the fake plants, but I can't keep anything alive (ironic since this book is full of gardening tips). I don't know why, but something is stopping me from giving this book a "pick". It was cute, but a lot of the plot felt contrived. The protag, Lili, almost broke the 4th wall a couple times when she said things like, "How perfect that the situation worked out like this!" over and over. Other than that, it was charming.

I didn't fully realize that this book was going to be a about a widow when I grabbed it today, but ugh. 😭 I couldn't do life without my husband. This story is all about moving on in a healthy way, but I'd be like the girl in P.S. I Love You, except I'd never get out of bed.

On a lighter note, here's Winston. On the surface he looks very interested in what I'm doing, but I'm convinced there's a circus monkey in place of his brain. 🐒

I'm facilitating a senior research symposium today, which means that I get to sit at my desk and read books while students write speeches. This is why I still substitute on my days off from teaching college prep. I'm getting paid to take attendance, read books and drink Red Bull. 😋

Day 2: #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman 😍

Having recently and thoroughly enjoyed The Bookish Life of Nina Hill *and* having received lovely mail from the author, I didn't hesitate to read Waxman's debut. Who knew that a story about a grieving young widow and her family could be so funny?! I especially enjoyed Lillian's relationships with her sister and her gardening teacher, as well as the antics of her 7- and 5-year-old daughters . Highly recommend.

This a lovely, sad, sweet story about moving forward in your life after unthinkable loss. Waxman has an amazing ability to inject humour into complex stories that in the hands of a less talented author would feel one dimensional. Great story!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🎧2019.08.14
This book did the trick of getting me out of my reading rut. Loved the characters, the snark and the depiction of motherhood. A bit disappointed by the ending because I wanted to hear more about each character‘s next steps. The narration was nicely done too!

🎧 #currentlylistening to this #audiobook after a series of books that I #bailed on.

🔸#UglyLocationChallenge : Walmart‘s Cosmetic Department

#letstraveljuly

#garden

Still on the TBR shelf but looks good....

Lovely and charming, I would categorize this one as women's fiction. Widowed, with two young girls, Lily is trying to navigate life without her husband. She comes to realize his death touched so many aspects of her life. Sounds like a sad book, but it's really very funny and at times uplifting. I liked the #audiobook
Also, practical gardening tips! 🥦🍅🥬🥕🌻

Work lunch 🥗 #readandeat