pickI‘m surprised this has such a low rating on here. I absolutely loved this book! A beautiful coming-of-age story, with each chapter like a short story unto itself. I also really love books that have a strong sense of place, which this one definitely does.
bailedI wanted to like this one, but gave up after 60 pages. I just couldn‘t get into it. Too many characters to keep straight and I found I didn‘t care as much about them I was probably supposed to.
My next read and my newest reading partner. Meet Milo, my little rescue friend.
#currentlyreading #catsoflitsy
Sitting on the dock of the bay... This is my favorite reading spot of the summer.
Do I get a head start on the book club selection for May? Or do I start the new ARC that showed up today? Chloe is unimpressed and unhelpful. #catsofLitsy
so-soThis was enjoyable and made even more so after hearing and talking with author Jane Hamilton. But I gave it a so-so because I wanted more! I needed an epilogue to learn more about Mary Frances and her family in the future. Learning about present day apple farming was fascinating and gave me the chance to think about a fruit I eat almost every day.
"Our father, the living skeleton, Exhibit A, underneath the coveralls nothing but hanging bones, and on display all the teeth, the hard grin signifying great effort, our father going at it as if he were still a teenager himself and not in his fifties; and yet of course he wasn‘t crazed and of course he would not ever put a single person—except himself—in any kind of jeopardy." Skillful example for those who heard amazing Jane in Iowa. She's a hoot
If you're curious what the Hachette Book Club Brunch was like, there is a write-up on my blog at www.livewonderstruck.com. Spoiler alert: It was awesome, and if you can go next year, you should.
Yep that's author Jane Hamilton talking to a 🚌 full of readers heading to NYC for the Hachette Bookclub Brunch!
so-soIt was a little slow. Kind of nostalgic and sad, but not super engaging.
pickComing of age story? An apple orchard? I knew I would like it! Took me back to the days when we helped my grandpa in his small orchard. I still love picking apples and the smell of the orchard on fall days.
so-soScenes from a '90s apple orchard childhood. While I loved the voice of the narrator as she looked through of younger self's eyes, maybe that perspective is what kept the story from seeming fully realized. Almost, not quite. Lovely prose, some vivid characters and scenes. Didn't quite add up for me.
Getting ready for Hachette's Book Club Brunch in October.
On to the new book. Hoping it will transport me
But now she‘d come upon me at the peak of my frenzy. What was the matter with me? A good question. Certainly I was crying about how the world in the space of one Tuesday morning had completely changed. Maybe, however, there were also other lurking sorrows that had piggybacked on the big one.
The Excellent Lombards | 
