pickI enjoyed my second reading of The Testaments much more than the first. I‘m not sure if that‘s because I first read it when it was initially released and the collective expectations around it were so high but this time I had no expectations, or if it‘s because I listened to the audio this time and that worked way better for me than the print version, or because I‘ve really been enjoying the Hulu version and comparing them is interesting…
pickThis is hard to review! I went in with very low expectations and it was much better than I thought. I liked the 3 story strands: Aunt Lydia, Agnes (a young girl growing up in Gilead) and Daisy (a young girl in Canada). It was fast paced and I loved Agnes, but Daisy felt like a stereotypical YA heroine (born to save the world!!!!). The story was predictable, the ending left me feeling unsatisfied but overall I still enjoyed it?! 🤷♀️
Tackle the TBR 🤓📚 #boleybooks #thetestaments #margaretatwood #doubleday #booklove #bookbeast
What are you reading?😊
pickIt was exciting to get this just as it was picked for my May #bookspin! Really interesting and apropos (and I loved recognizing the #Toronto spots!) I couldn't get as deeply into the characters as I would have liked, and the shifting among three narrators made it a bit hard to follow on audio, but I got drawn in. A graphic and intelligent feminist portrayal of what a fascist-dominated future could look like. Bonus: Atwood's voice in the intros.
#JamminJune Day 24: I am clearly not a #WineAndRoses kind of girl - moscato and margarita are more my speed, clearly.
pickI like the way the the handmaids take was expanded upon and how you got a better idea of the lives of the aunts.
pick⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale, but the ending left me wondering for months. And although this book doesn't follow Offred, I still feel like I got the resolution I was looking for. I can't imagine having read The Handmaid's Tale 35 YEARS ago when it came out, and having to wait and wonder all this time.
pickI read The Handmaid's Tale ~20 years ago; it's safe to say I needed a refresher before diving into this long-awaited follow up. I was not disappointed. The narratives pulled me in from the first page, and I devoured the novel, wanting to see if/how the three narratives ultimately converged. Read during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, there were many moments in the novel that had me pausing to think, “Yep...that strikes a little too close to home.“
It's been a little while since I read The Handmaid's Tale but with an ending like that one had, it's not easily forgettable. I'm hoping this book leaves me feeling as though the story is complete.
Currently reading this gem. So far I think it's a great addition to the original story.
#books #margaretatwood #thetestaments #booknerd #currentlyreading
This is one of the best ways to describe passive suicidal ideation that I‘ve ever seen. Will save this one for future reference.
pickI loved this book. I've read it twice in the past month (that's a record for me). The Handmaid's Tale has meant so much to me since I read it in high school and I was so happy to be able to dip back into Gilead and learn how it came apart. I went back and re-read the Handmaid's Tale after finishing this one and it gave me a new perspective on it! Then I had to read the Testaments again. 😍📚
“I groped around in the dusk, found the bed slab, sat down on it. I can do this, I thought. I can get through.
I was right, but only just. You'd be surprised how quickly the mind goes soggy in the absence of other people. One person alone is not a full person: we exist in relation to others. I was one person: I risked becoming no person“ (Aunt Lydia, The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood, 148).
My #januarywrapup! 14 books!
2 audiobooks
6 library books
2 buddy reads
and some great success tackling #mounttbr
#januaryfinale #auldlangreads
Each of these was a #pageturner for me!
#auldlangreads
My crossword got literary this morning. 3-down was THE TESTAMENTS, while 8-down was a book I‘ve never heard of called LIFE BEFORE MAN. Apparently I have only a sketchy knowledge of Atwood‘s extensive bibliography.
pickLoved it! The Handmaid‘s Tale is one of my favorite books, so I was both excited and nervous to read this. Though this one is done differently than the first book, I thought it perfectly tied up some loose ends, mainly Offred‘s fate. And if we had to revisit Gilead, I‘m glad this ended the way it did! 😉🙌🏻
#popsugar2020 - book I meant to read in 2019 and book that won an award in 2019
pickRead both books in Atwood‘s best-selling series over the break! “The Testaments” ties several loose ends up from “the Handmaid‘s Tale” and really highlights the strength of female empowerment. I loved the first book so much so the second had a lot to live up to - and at times I felt that it did not deliver the same punchliness that Atwood is known for! A must read even though I liked the first better!
pickI was very curious to see how this book was going to be written out. After reading the first book which I loved and watching all the season on Hulu this book did a great job at tying everything together. I was thoroughly interested and invested in this book. I loved hearing from the three points of views. Just sad to see it end.
pick2-2020 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had been reluctant to read this, with the success if the TV Series 35years after the original book was written I wondered if the story line for this would be influenced by series, and was this what Atwood originally planned for these characters?. I have to say I loved it and the way it was written from three points of view.
pickAdmittedly, I wasn‘t sure I wanted to read the sequel to The Handmaid‘s Tale. But, I‘m impressed by this, a continuation of Gilead‘s story that is an aftermath to the original, yet it‘s different enough that it does not have a true sequel vibe. I was spellbound and horrified. Glad I could sneak this in before the end of 2019.
pickAs a die hard fan of Margaret Atwood, I unsurprisingly loved this novel. Really fun sequel for Handmaids Tail
so-soI finally finished “The Testaments.” It was a good book, but I still cannot figure out WHY we needed this sequel to “The Handmaid‘s Tale.” The ending to the original book was perfect, and I just don‘t understand why we had to revisit Gilead. And if we did, I don‘t know why this is the story Atwood chose to tell. Ultimately, “The Testaments” didn‘t impact my feeling for the original book-this sequel was just…kind of…there.
#HollyJollyReading Day 17: The #CandyCane Holiday scents of Bath and Body are a hit in my household, not to mention the 75% off sale. Bought way too many. I will still be smelling like Christmas by middle of next year.
pickHaving not loved the handmaid‘s tale I didn‘t go into this read with high hopes, but was pleasantly surprised. This book provided a lot of the context and world building missed in its predecessor, and the ending was the catharsis I had been long awaiting. Not only did I enjoy this book, but it made me retrospectively enjoy the handmaid‘s tale more as a result!
pickThis was a worthy sequel to The Handmaid‘s Tale. I think your opinion on this book will greatly depend on what you think about the narrative choices Atwood makes which differ from from the first book. I also wonder how much Atwood was inspired by the TV adaption (and vice versa) in the expansion of the world of Gilead and beyond in this book. The narration of the audiobook is fantastic with 3 different main narrators and cameos by Atwood herself.
I‘ve had the audiobook for this on hold from my library for months and it finally came in while I was on vacation. Now I only have 8 days to finish it before my checkout expires, so this is going to be my main priority for the next few days!
pickA compelling book that brings the reader on a story that expands the world and the people of Gilead. It tells compelling stories of brave women and unlikely circumstances and hope. Hope for a new and different and better. And creates questions with every piece of information.
"As they say, history does not repeat itself, but it rhymes."
#bookclubreads
pickThis is pretty much everything I could have asked for in a sequel to The Handmaid‘s Tale.
pickTe Araroa kilometers tramped: 106.3 of 3005.3
Books completed on trail: 1
Finished this audiobook on 90 Mile Beach and the road wall from Ahipara to Kaitaia. It kept me riveted till the end.
#audiowalking
My final time for the #readathon ! Just over 9 hours.
I didn‘t get as many hours as I would have liked, but still pretty happy!
I‘ve been so busy with exams and projects. It was nice to have a bit of reading time to relax.
I finally finished The Institute and started The Testaments.
#MrBook1InAMillion #24B4Monday #LitsyPartyOfOne #CatsOfLitsy
I‘m not doing any readathons this weekend (too busy with #NaNoWriMo!) but I finally got this from the library and I hope to read a lot of it. Barely twenty pages in and my heart is already broken.
The Testaments | 
