Harmony | 
pickHarmony was one of the best fiction takes on cults I‘ve read, as Parkhurst aptly demonstrated how alluring the idea of Camp Harmony was & how subtle the waves of change can be. Until, of course, they erupt into a tsunami. This felt like an accurate depiction of both parenting a neurodivergent child with needs that go beyond what people are willing to understand & the dynamics of a seemingly innocuous following that leans into cultish practices.
This was hard!!! But this is my #top10ofthedecade #fictionedition. Anyone have any of the same? I‘m interested!
pickPretty easy to read but really hit close to home since my brother has aspeberger's. I cried when thinking about my mother being in the same position trying to find the best path for her child. However, its not all supposed to be deep and thought provoking. Harmony has a bunch of quirks that make her really fun to follow as the story progresses. You adore her and her sister. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
#Edie is too hot today to snuggle, but she did hang out with me while I read. Finished Bird Box and The Silent Patient this weekend and I needed a non-thriller. Parkhurst is a great writer and doesn‘t shy from embarrassing or uncomfortable truths - in this one, she‘s dropped some great lines about parenting and marriage that I think apply to anyone with kids, but especially when your kids struggle. ♥️
#catsoflitsy
pickEven though it was pretty clear to me something weird was going on with this family counseling camp in NH, I enjoyed the unfolding story. I wish Iris had confided in her parents more.
I like audiobooks with different narrators for each POV.
3.5 of 5 ⭐️
I started Harmony on my way to work this morning. It takes place in Laconia, NH, close to where I grew up! Does anyone else sometimes choose to read books mostly for their locations? I find I have nostalgia for New England, and read a lot of books set there because of that.
An hour in and I think this is going to be a great audiobook!
pickI could read books about autism all day long. The author did a great job exploring the emotional rollercoaster of parenting a child with autism. I related so much to the story in this book—seeking any and every potential way to make the life of your child as simple as possible. The story takes a twist toward the end. #autism
pickThe Hammond family decides to pack up their belongings in DC and leave when Tilly, the oldest daughter, is kicked out of her last school. Tilly struggles with social queues, but is an off the chart genius. The family heads to New Hampshire for Camp Harmony and the wisdom of child behavior guru, Scott Bean for a solution. But what they find out in the woods of Camp Harmony will push them to the limit.
Wow! I‘ve read a lot of fiction and non-fiction on the topic of autism spectrum disorders and this is the first one that has fully captured the essence of how a parent feels when their child receives their diagnosis. Incredibly well-written. #autism
A bookstore with a sign. Think they‘ll let me live here? #dcbookstoretour #eastcitybookshop #bookstore
'Harmony' is on my TBR list and would be perfect for #siblings day for #AprilBookShowers. The story is told from the mother's (Alexandra) and her daughter's (Iris) perspectives. Tilly and Iris are sisters, Tilly has some kind of crazy hard -to -understand developmental issues mixed with genius. Funny, dark, and emotional.
#TBRtemptation post! This sounds like an engrossing read. The Hammond family seems normal. Their oldest daughter, Tilly, is off-the-charts genius & socially inept though, & gets kicked out of all DC's schools. At the end of their rope, they meet Scott Bean, a child behavior guru starting a camp for families like theirs in NH. They can be a "core family". It tests their limits. Narrated by mom Alexandra & youngest, Iris. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook ?
so-soI thought this book could have been 50 pages longer! Those flashbacks were a beautiful gut punch though, tragic, specific, and universal.
pickWritten by the author of Dogs of Babel - this is no masterpiece, but it is a thought provoking glimpse into a family with a child on the autism spectrum and the lengths they'll go through to help any way they can. Mixed with a large dose of humor. Not a huge fan of the ending, but I'm glad I read this. I feel like I've gained a deeper level of understanding. #LitsyAtoZ #letterH
so-soI couldn't sleep so I spent the night finishing this book. The ending was so abrupt and left me with more questions and just frustrations. The book has many dry parts that I skimmed past hoping for more than I actually got. Did Scott Bean have multiple personalities? Like I just really don't understand. And the "kidnapping part", that could have been developed so much better. Just too many loose strings. PASS!!
Well I have $1.47 left on my amazon gift card after getting a bunch of kindle books in today's sale. (Good As Gone, Before The Fall, The Wangs vs. The World, Juniper and Harmony) plus I have 4 new borrowed library ebooks and 2 audio book holds that just came though. Guess I won't be grading this weekend. 😂
I took an extra few days of PTO after the holidays, so I am trying to cram in as much reading as possible. My cat, meanwhile, is trying to lick lunch off my face.
#ReadHarder #within100miles
#LitstAtoZ #letterH
#LitsyChallenge #multipleperspectives
pick"Even now, you think that's where this is going?" a character asks, but we can't be blamed for forgetting this is a down to earth story with rich, believable characters because it's so damn suspenseful. This is the best novel I've read in a while. Tightly constructed and full of sumptuous paragraphs, a book about many things, and how desperately we need to treat autistic children as people instead of problems. #family #cults #camp
Today's haul! Got the three books at the consignment shop for about $14. The notebook and pencils are from the local bookstore. They are so me, I couldn't pass them up!
#photoadaynov16, Day 19: One-Word Titles
Just got this bad boy from the library. It sounded good, but I have disliked every book I've ever read with a Picoult cover blurb. Anyone else read it?
stuck in the car for awhile yesterday so started listening to this book. I adore Parkhurst and so far I LOVE this book. I'm more than half done (listening at 1.5x speed). it's told from the perspective of a mom and 2 daughters, one kid has PDD-NOS (similar to autism). the family is moving to NH to help work at a camp built to help families like theirs. most captivating child narrator since Where'd you go Bernadette? or Room #audiobook #audible
pickThe audio version of this story of a family struggling with the joys and frustrations of a special needs child is outstanding.
The Hammond family is living in DC, where everything seems to be going just fine, until its clear that the oldest daughter, Tilly, is developing abnormally--a mix of genius and social incompetence. Once Tilly is kicked out of the last school in the area, her mother is out of ideas.
The family turns to Camp Harmony and child behavior guru Scott Bean for a solution. But what they discover in the woods of New Hampshire will push them to the limit.
75 and sunny yesterday. 60 and raining today. 80 tomorrow. So glad I can read no matter what the weather because, whoo, Maine, you crazy. 😝
pickAs a mom of a boy with autism, this hit close to home for me; so spot-on in portraying the big and little moments of the special needs parenting life that I cringed and laughed in recognition often! Really great writing, and I would have happily spent much more time getting to know the characters. The ending wasn't my favorite, but it's still a book that will stick with me for a long time.
Starting this next but I don't know if I can read it, since I sprained my eyes, rolling them so much at the last book I read. 😂
sooo good. Cassandra Campbell is brilliant, as usual.
pickPick up this novel for its deft portrayal of the joys and sorrows of living with a child with special needs. Tilly is thirteen and pretty much unmanageable: inappropriate, defiant, aggressive. She is also brilliant, incisive, imaginative. When a "parenting guru" offers hope, the family moves to NH to start Camp Harmony. Though both guru and ending ring false, the virtues far outweigh the faults of this engaging novel. #NetGalley #autism
How your Google history reveals all.
A mom reminds herself that her daughter --her rebellious, defiant, brilliant, unpredictable thirteen-year-old child with "special needs"-- is a both a gift and an awesome responsibility. #powerful
Arriving at school extra early because @WanderingBookaneer has a field trip with her sixth graders gives me extra time to read 👍🏼🤓
#somethingforsept #SeptemberPhotoChallenge #septemberfavorites Had a big reading month --finished 25 books! Here are my favorites. Three of which I listened to on audiobook (which surprises me because I'm pretty picky about audio). And three were ARCs. (Also surprising because I don't usually have a lot, but netgalley rained down on me this month). The other 2 were Decatur Book Festival finds!!
Carolyn Parkhurst is an elegant, gifted literary writer, & also she knows her Simpsons. #twentydollarscanbuymanypeanuts
pickThis book is well written.... Beautiful in fact. The point of the mother is spot on... I related to myself in her perspective... The problem is that I found myself very angry when when I finished this book.... I haven't gotten over it yet so... I guess we are calling this a book hangover.
pickAwake too late because I started (and finished) this book tonight. Told from point of view of mother (in the second person, no less), 11 year old daughter, and 13 year old daughter who is on the autism spectrum. Couldn't put it down, obvs. Off to sleep, littens. 😴
