It‘s been a tiring day, so coming home to a package of books (my latest #bookhaul) was welcome. Not pictured is the book for the #spookysummerswap
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A Complicated Kindness | 
It‘s been a tiring day, so coming home to a package of books (my latest #bookhaul) was welcome. Not pictured is the book for the #spookysummerswap
pickI loved this book so much that I didn't want it to ever end! I laughed outloud a lot at the 16 year old angst-ridden narrator's observations on life. The ending was a bit sad, but I don't see how the story could have turned out any other way.
"When I was four years old, my mother told me it was impossible to send a letter to heaven because the wind does not go there. Heaven is always calm, with no wind."
My mom told me my sister had stopped believing in God.
"No," I whispered." "Yes," said my mom.
"That f*cking library card, man!"
???
"I live with my father, Ray Nickel, in that low brick bungalow out on highway number twelve."
#FirstLineFridays
I'm only four chapters in and I already love this book! The author really captures the main character and all her 16 year old angst. I've laughed out loud a few times already, and that's awesome!
"How are you?" Uncle Hans asked my dad.
"Oh, unexceptional. Living quietly with my disappointments. And how are you?"
???
Up next! This time I'm going to write down the characters' names and who they are so I don't miss anything. 😉
pickA delightful reread. I love this book. I love the voice of the main character.
pickI‘m glad I stuck with my #doublespin book after all. It doesn‘t have much in the way of plot, but Nomi is compelling as she endures a painful coming of age in her isolated Canadian Mennonite community. Faced with the departure of her mom and sister, everything she believed in starts to come apart. Her narration is cynical and the oppressiveness of her hometown and future oozes off the page. A character study with an end both bitter and sweet.
Exciting #readathon update. I‘ve moved to the couch where I can see the sun out the window while I read and wait for it to get warm. And I‘m sampling this tasty new beverage that popped up in my HelloFresh box last week (Or was it the week before? I don‘t know...time is meaningless now 🤷🏻♀️) #deweyapril #deweysreadathon
It‘s Dewey‘s 24 hour #readathon day and I‘m giving it a (lazy) try for the first time in a while. Kicking off by trying to finish the book I‘m already reading, but I‘ll probably switch to something with more plot and less character study later on. 🙂 #deweyapril
I‘m having some hard luck with the #bookspin this month. I bailed on the first pick and now I‘m trying my #doublespin book. The narrator‘s voice drew me in at first but at the 50 page mark I‘m feeling kind of....bored. Does there get to be a plot? Should I press on even if there really *isn‘t* a plot? 🧐
pickMy first book to start and finish in 2020. A teenage girl dealing with family tragedy precipitated by their repressive religious community. Sad and funny and honest.
pickThis is a book about loss and how hard it is to be alive, alive as a teenage girl, alive as a teenage Mennonite girl. Yes everything is bad. So we love fiercely and we take care of each other. A masterpiece of feeling.
“I would ask him if he remembers all that but I don‘t really want to have conversations about the past with anyone but myself. It prevents discrepancies from creeping in.”
The way Nomi talks about her missing sister is painfully similar to how I feel about mine.
so-so“Complicated” indeed! Not quite sure how else to describe my feelings about this one. (Also I accidentally spilled a glass of wine on it at one point and am pretty sad about that).
It‘s been a minute or two since I did some reading! I go through streaks of time where I just can‘t find the energy to pick up my book. Sometimes (often) it‘s just easier to stare at the screen and watch a show. Sometimes I have so much on the go that my brain is too tired to try and make it through a few pages, let alone a whole chapter. But tonight, I decided to take a break, run a bubble bath, and spend some time catching up on my reading. ❤️
Taking a break from the #screamathon until I can get to the library for more spooky material.
Not sure if it‘s because this is so different from my other October reads but this one seems a bit slow. Having some trouble getting into it. 🤷♀️
Dragged myself out of the house for a few hours and stopped to read at a coffee place. Disclaimer: it‘s a big cup of apple cider (even though it looks like black coffee - trust me lol) #readinginacoffeeshop
Found this on my shelf and decided to make it my next read. This is a brand new read for me - I felt the cover bend for the first time as I opened it! These reviews are promising 😊 #miriamtoews #canadianauthors #canadianliterature #tbr
pickThis is a bittersweet story of a young woman trying to live in a situation that was thrust upon her, not one that she had chosen. Even though she works slaughtering chickens on a farm, she has an optimism about her situation that she hopes will help to carry her away from the harrowing-but-funny life she lives. The writing style is strong and solutions to problems highly unexpected. Towes tackles challenging subjects but she is worth reading.
I am so happy to see all the attention Miriam Toews is getting for WOMEN TALKING, because it is INCREDIBLE. I also love ALL MY PUNY SORROWS and have wanted to read more of her books. So I could not be more excited that Counterpoint Press has published these gorgeous new editions of her backlist. I can‘t wait to dive in! 📚❤️
pickI loved this book, but don‘t think it would be for everyone. Very plot light, it is told through Nomi‘s experiences as a teenager in a Mennonite town. Her mom and sister disappear, Nomi is left with her dad to push against the strictures of her town. I loved Nomi‘s wry observations about life and laughed out loud a number of times. Found her to be a real teenage voice whose cutting view of the world was spot on.
Really liking the tone and voice in this one so far. #cafedumonde #nola
Day 15 of #31bookpics - book club! I‘m currently failing at my online book club. 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ I was supposed to read this months ago! Also, oddly, it‘s the second selection with a chicken on the cover. (The other was David Benioff‘s City of Thieves.)
Seems appropriate that the first day of outside reading this year happens on Easter. Have a happy one, all.
Wow, what an amazing double milestone! Congrats @erinreads. I loved Miriam Toews All My Puny Sorrows but I've never read anything else of hers and I've never heard of the tragedy in Salt to the Sea, it seems like great historical fiction. #50kGiveaway
Hey @erinreads , congrats on the milestone! And thanks for putting me on to all these books you loved this year, I hadn't heard of some of them! After looking through them all, I think these two top my list! #50kgiveaway
Toews's debut novel about a girl's coming-of-age in a Mennonite community. It won lots of Canadian literary awards. #complicated @Cinfhen
Being 16 is #complicated enough but Nomi is also dealing with the disappearance of her mother and sister, the rift religion made in her family, and life in a small town. #augustgrrrls
I'm in love with this book. I'm only 75 pages in and I know it will probably rip my heart out but I am ready. for. it. 💕 And now it's making me want to reread All My Puny Sorrows all over again.
✔️Tea ☕️
✔️Apple cider donut fresh from the farm 🍩
✔️Excellent book 📖
✔️VACATION 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼
I never want to go back to work. Can reading and eating donuts be my full time job? Thanks.
Gonna start doing this every time someone interrupts me while reading. 🙃
"Our textbook could have been called Proven Theories We Decry."
Some #commonwealthauthors (specifically, Canadian) going clockwise: Emma Donoghue (Irish-Canadian), Margaret Atwood, Anne Marie MacDonald, Emily St. John Mandel, Miriam Toews, and Erin Bow. #canlit #readthenorth #marchintoreading
There are so many great #womenwriters that it was hard to narrow my scope. I decided to focus on Canadian authors. As I was at work today, it wasn't hard to pull this picture together. I've read all of these and they were all enjoyable. #somethingforsept #septphotochallenge #day17
Yet another book starting today; need something "lighter" to read.
pickVery difficult subject matter, but timely topic. Suicide. On a deeper level, how much would you do for your sibling you love? What makes a satisfactory life? Where do you find enjoyment? Characters strongly portrayed.
