The Need | 
bailedI got halfway through and thought about committing to it, but why read if I‘m not enjoying it? It had a good idea, but it just bored me and honestly the writing was kind of (which is maybe the point??). Maybe I would like it better if I had kids, but for right now it‘s a no for me.
pan⭐️ This seems to be quite a polarizing book, and I‘m firmly in the “no thank you” camp. I did not enjoy the story at all. It was just weird and not in a very fun or interesting way. Also, the audiobook is grating especially when the narrator voices the toddler daughter - there‘s only so much “mommy, mommy, mommy” I can hear before wanting to scream (maybe that was a little bit the point 🤷🏽♀️). Anyway, this one was a solid NO for me.
pickWow! The Need has one of the most gripping first sections that I have ever read, which turned into a really interesting and weird story. I did not expect to love this as much as I did, but I couldn‘t put it down.
Lots of people have disliked this, but I‘m giving it 5⭐️
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can see why people don‘t like this book but it‘s definitely my kind of book. It‘s speculative fiction which I didn‘t really know I liked until now. The author creates such a real tension in the early part of the book that was impressive. Lots to think about here - it‘s one I won‘t forget.
so-soAbsolutely did not see the twist coming: that built really deliciously. But it kinda fell flat after the reveal. Still really good writing but not enough plot to motivate it.
https://amzn.to/34bbetZ
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Longlisted for the National Book Award in Fiction
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Day 12: Us
This book is about Molly, a scientist and mother of two young children. They confront a masked intruder in their home. The intruder seems to know a lot about Molly's life. Tensions begin to rise, so when she learns the true identity of the intruder, she is faced with an impossible moral decision that'll have far-reaching repercussions for her children.
#horrorseason
@Klou
I was completely flipping lost with this book and if it wasn't for the Reader Q & A section on Goodreads...I would have gone on being totally confused. After reading it, I felt like I had a little more clarity on it...especially the weird ending. This is one of those stories that is really much deeper than what the synopsis leads you to believe. In reality, it is much more psychological and dwells on themes of the overwhelmingness of motherhood.
pickSo this starts off like a horror book, but it's not the horror you think. It's about the real fears that lurk in the mind of parents, about the bond of mothers to their young children, and about the grief that accompanies the love you feel for your babies. Sprinkle in some ideas about the patriarchy in religion plus judgment on mothers. I really recommend it for discussion group, tons to pull apart and talk about here!
pickI was worried when I saw the mixed reviews but I really enjoyed this hard to categorize work. It is beautifully written evoking those demanding days of caring for and feeding young children when you are short handed. Molly is exhausted; her encounter with the intruder is clever. There is much that is not clear just as reality is for a mom of very young children. Work is a whole other reality too. I got this one and what Phillips did was perfect.
so-soWell, that was a weird one. I heard about this one on a bookish podcast episode and was intrigued. I read it in one day so it‘s definitely a page turner, but the ambiguity of it was not for me.
so-soThis work of speculative fiction was a short quick read that explores motherhood and the anxieties that come with it. It quickly turns into a Twlight Zone-type story and an ending that left me scratching my head...not a fan of those ambiguous endings. That aside, based on reviews, this is a polarizing book, but it is one that kept my interest to the end.
pickThis was incredibly different. Not exactly what I was expecting but also had some of the sci-fi elements I had anticipated (judging by the cover ??♀️). But wow! The descriptions of mothering young children are so incredibly spot-on.
I don't want to give anything away, but this is not for all readers. I personally enjoyed myself but more in the way of "what is REALLY going on here!?!" ?
#currentlyreading #audiobook #readandlisten
Boy oh boy, is this thing spooky!! Glad I've got my whole family home while reading this creepy, way-too-relatable book!
Read more about the book that RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE author Karma Brown "read in one breathless sitting" on today's #read99women: http://www.greermacallister.com/blog/2020/1/29/read99women-karma-brown
so-soWhat...did I just read? I really loved the first half, even after it got weird, the ending just really threw me. It was definitely gripping and engrossing and very visceral, and I can only imagine what it would feel like for mothers.
Goes to library for one hold pickup and a of couple movies... leaves with no movies and 3 books instead 😏😅. I started The Need last night and I wish I could hermit myself away to keep reading it, very engaging from the start. I'm grudgingly reading the Roberts book (eventually) and Emily St. John Mandel recommended Dan Chaon the other day on GR. Coincidentally she has a shout out on The Need too 🤩.
so-soHard to rate. She gets the monotony and exhaustion of early motherhood and how it messes with your mind and identity. She plays with this idea as the suspense builds and she tries to figure out if there is an intruder in her house. Her eventual discovery plays out her own worst fears. Felt like had tons of potential but didn‘t quite get there. #readinoneday #booked2020
As winter break comes to an end and I enjoy some quiet time alone in the house...ever grateful to not work on mondays...this quote captures how I often feel when arriving to work especially in the early post-maternity leave days. My kids are still pretty bad sleepers so this feeling is still present.
pickThis book is why I don‘t make my best of list until the last day. I‘ve never read anything quite like it, and it will resonate with me for a long time. On the one hand it‘s a picture-perfect tone poem of the joys and drudgery of motherhood. (4 year old Viv is an absolute gem). But then it slips into something surreal or perhaps supernatural, and goes places I‘ve never thought about. I‘m not sure where we end up, but I loved the trip.
December = A Month of Faves. Today's prompt is Popular Books Worth the Hype. I chose 3 nonfiction (top) and 3 fiction (bottom) titles I had heard a ton about in 2019 and felt lived up to the hype around them. (Well actually, the hype around Nadia Bolz-Weber's book is a whole different story, but I loved it!) All 6 books were published this year. #AMonthofFaves
Recently heard about this on the #readingenvy #podcast.
In the background is Ember. #petsoflitsy #dogsoflitsy
pickA woman taking care of her two young children is startled by a familiar but some malevolent intruder. At work looking for plant fossils, she keeps finding mysterious artifacts, like a bible that uses female pronouns for god. This novel was often unsettling in a good way.
bailedI got up to part two and when I saw where it was going, I bailed. My interest faded away just like that.
pickThis was truly unsettling from start to finish. I'm not exactly sure what happened at the end, and I don't really want to entertain the ideas I have. I know there's symbolism packed into the focus on breastfeeding/the let-down reflex, but it felt so heavy-handed and repetitive that I caught myself rolling my eyes. Helen Phillips had me in this character's headspace the whole time, which was downright disturbing. Psychologically a thrilling read.
pan#nbafiction2019 Did I miss something here? I‘m not sure. This book raised a number of tantalizing and mysterious situations, but then all the MC did was breastfeed her infant son and take care of her toddler daughter. Big wasted opportunity with this one.
Two of my favorite things: fall drinks and books
https://bookriot.com/2019/10/26/fall-drink-and-book-pairings/
so-so2 stars for awesome concept and moments of brilliance. But the execution and the ... story? Not remotely for me. And to be clear, I *am* a mom of a toddler. So I haven't “forgotten,“ I just don't think this hits it. Not for me anyway.
***ETA: After much thought & discussion w/ #RLBookClub members... upgrading to 3 stars. Lots of really smart, impressive stuff here... but some disappointing stuff too.
#screamathon
so-soThis started out so strongly for me, but overall I don‘t think it worked. I don‘t know who this book is for: moms? Maybe, but it seems too painful for moms, and like not enough substance for anyone else. #scarathlon #teamStoker 2 points.
The first review I stumbled upon said to go into this one blind, so let‘s get this started! #scarathlon #teamStoker 1 point
pickA weird thriller about a paleobotanist, a bible with feminine pronouns, motherhood, identity, & parallel universes. It hooks you immediately with alternating timelines between Molly's daily life at the archeological pit & the moment she realizes there's an intruder in the house. The writing is so immersive it was uncomfortable at times, but that's a testament to the writing. Ending is a bit abrupt, but overall a really weird, entrancing read.
Well, this sure starts out creepy!
Here‘s my #spookytbr for the #screamathon #screamathonreadingchallenge ... erm, #aspirational ... #veryaspirational ... #letsbehonestillprobablyonlyreadacouple
Plus unpictured audios: Billionaire Blend (mystery) and the tagged ... and an as-yet-unknown #cozybeanbookclub #cbbc selection I‘ll receive... Oh!! And The Silence for #LMPBC!
1. Gideon the Ninth and The Need
2. The Deep by Rivers Solomon
3. Orpheus Girl, Don't Read the Comments, and The Light at the Bottom of the World
#weekendreads
pickDescribed as “mom horror,” this book is a story with supernatural elements about a mother‘s paranoia about an intruder in her house and protecting her children while her partner is away. As a childless adult, I found this book powerful and engaging. It was hard to put down!
*finally* some time to read again and celebrate getting through the first draft of a new book with donuts 😍
panSuch a bizarre read! I know a lot of people loved it. Not my cup of tea though. A lot of hype about the end. I found it strange and confusing.
pickAn intense novel about the fears that come with becoming a mother. When Molly is home alone with her two young children, an intruder enters the house and the intruder knows more about Molly and the kids than can be possible. Creepy and terrifying, this is a sharp, tightly written novel about a mother's worst fears for herself and her children.
so-soWhat a bizarre fever dream of a novel. This was certainly interesting, but some elements I wish had been more fleshed out, rather just grazed upon with just enough to keep you thinking it was going to be relevant to the story. I went into this on audio with no expectations, and I think if I had known more, I may have held off on reading this one for a bit longer.
pick@GrilledCheeseSamurai woah that‘s a lot of Litsfluence #sixdigitsamurai ! Congrats and thanks for the opportunity for such a cool giveaway. Fellow littens, follow and enter if you‘re silly and have yet to do so. I tagged a book I gave 5 stars to that I think is probably my favorite that I haven‘t already plugged, so also go read that if you haven‘t!
panI‘d like to talk about this book. What did it mean to you? I have some ideas..... were there really two? Molly and Mol? Was she delusional from being exhausted? Was she psychotic? At times, I thought maybe she had been in an accident and was in a coma and was dreaming. I was disappointed with the end, because it did not answer my questions. What do you think?
so-soEH....the writting was superb but the plot and action were less than 🌋. The author captures the portrait of an exhausted working mother of 2 under the age of 5. Molly confronts an intruder in her home and then it kind of goes flat from there. I was confused not understanding if this was a suspense thriller, paranormal thriller or horror piece.. it left a lot of questions. I gave it 3 stars because i did like the words.
