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#Read2025

I‘m catching up on my April reviews this weekend & I loved this book! A good thing as it was a trifecta of challenge prompts: #AuthorAMonth #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead & one of the books from @JacqMac ‘s #AuldLangSpine list. This is my third Kate Quinn book & maybe my favorite. The audiobook was stellar & I finished & listened to the author notes twice + an interview with the author & narrator who really brought the characters to life. ⬇️

I‘m a day late for #literarycrew it started with a murder and a cast of characters I mainly abhorrd. 100 pages in and I wondered if I‘d keep going. Almost immediately I started liking it more and cared who died and what was going to happen to them all. The politics of the day aren‘t too far off today‘s

It's been years since I've read Kate Quinn, so I'm very glad #authoramonth had her listed for April. This book had me hooked from the first chapter. I couldn't stop reading. Pixel and I went on extra long dog walks all to give me more time with this audiobook. The ending did not disappoint. Highly recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction.

I‘m dilly dallying with my #literaryclub #buddyread I will join when I can hopefully sooner than later ( I‘m on page 100)

It‘s time for the #LiteraryCrew monthly book discussion! I have 7 questions posted. You can find them on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtag. Stop by and answer whenever!

May‘s book is Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is discussion day for this month‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead ! Zeke had his visit with the specialist today with a medical procedure to determine things tomorrow, so I will post at some point during the day—the specialist is over an hour away from me, and he has to be there early morning with a pickup time in the evening.

I will tag everyone to let you know the questions have been posted!

1. I keep a spreadsheet with all of our books and recently realized that we have over 2,000 books in our collection! That doesn‘t include audiobooks. We do have a dedicated library but it can‘t hold everything. 😳
2. The tagged novel was so good! I really enjoyed the audiobook and I‘m definitely going to read more by this author. 😉
#Two4Tuesday
(April 29, 2025)

Stupid stickers ( still in pyjamas at 4 pm but my bathrooms are clean )

4.5/5⭐️

Loved the characters and their stories (including the house). I‘m really looking forward to the discussion later this month with the #LiteraryCrew.

@Librarybelle

A found family set in a 1950‘s DC boarding house. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters (including the house) although I think I would have liked it more if it were based on just one character. That‘s just a personal preference though and this was a good read overall. #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

📗 I loved The Briar Club (tagged) so much! It features my favorite trope of found family and a wide array of strong, female characters. So good!

📕 I couldn‘t get through Anxious People. I just couldn‘t get into it🤷🏻‍♀️

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1. The Briar Club and James
2. Bibliophobia and The Women

#WonderousWednesday
@Eggs

Joining my voice to the choir singing this historical fiction book‘s praises. Sixty percent in and loving all the quirky, found family vibes of this boarding house of women circa 1950‘s DC. It‘s making me need to go watch A League of Their Own (maybe Fried Green Tomatoes) too⚾️😭💗

#LiteraryCrew

“Because when you called bullies to account they weren‘t likely to back down. They were more likely to put their hands around your neck and choke you.”

I really enjoy Kate Quinn books and this is no exception. Set in a Washington DC boarding house during the McCarthy era 7 women, each with their own secrets, bond over weekly dinners. The audio was great but now will borrow from the library to look at the recipes from each character‘s chapter. Pic is from IG of Candlestick salad. 4.5 🌟

Look forward to discussing with #LiteraryCrew

@Librarybelle

#WeeklyForecast

I normally do not have this many books going at once and it all looks like a bit much grouped together like this.

April buddy reads: About 1 1/2 hrs left on Briar, close to finding out who‘s dead and why hopefully. Next will finish Heartstone on audio.

Loving Wild Dark Shore. Still making slow progress on King.

NG: Finding it hard to get into the Donoghue and the Book & Beach Club is ok.

Repost for @Librarybelle

April‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead features the latest the Kate Quinn. Read at your own pace, and discussion will take place on April 30th!

See original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2852647

April‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead features the latest the Kate Quinn. Read at your own pace, and discussion will take place on April 30th!

Repost for @Librarybelle

Apologies for not posting this earlier.

April‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is the amazing Kate Quinn! Read at your own pace; discussion on April 30th.
All are welcome to join. Let @Librarybelle know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list.

I apologize—I should have posted this sooner! Zeke is going through another rough patch & has an ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday. I picked up more meds for him from the vet today. I‘m not as consistent keeping up with everything else. 😂

April‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is by the amazing Kate Quinn! Read at your own pace; discussion on April 30th. All are welcome to join. Let me know if you wish to be added to or removed from the tag list!

This was wonderful. The way Kate Quinn told each woman's story drew me in and then to have a murder mystery intertwined made this book a fantastic read. 🤓 #greatread

“Opportunities were things that fell in your lap, but second chances had to be fought for.”

-Kate Quinn

#CoverStories #Keyhole

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This is my first Kate Quinn novel and I enjoyed every minute of it. I liked how each chapter was used to develop a character and gradually revealed how their lives intertwined. I also liked how every time I thought I had a connection figured out it changed. Seeing the characters become a chosen family of sorts and how challenges brought them together was refreshing. Definitely recommend.

Up next on audio 🎧

#bookspinbingo

“Isn‘t that just DARLING, darling?”

This is a darling book set in post WWII Washington and laced with girly friendships that could knock the socks right off of you with ferocity. Touch of murder, some spies and a Pilsbury Bake-Off.

December. #12Booksof2024
@Andrew65

My favorite book in August. Kate Quinn is always a winner for me.
#12BookOf2024 @Andrew65

Here‘s to my last read of 2024!

I loved doing this bracket! It‘s so fun to reflect, but it‘s so hard to pick a favorite. My top SIX reads this year were:
🏡Family Family
🐕The Eyes and the Impossible
🤫First Lie Wins
☕️The Briar Club
🛩️Here One Moment
🦜How to Read a Book

#readingbracket2024
@CSeydel

I opened this earlier today & took a pic fast, so I could eat a cookie. So good & so are the chocolates. Can‘t wait to read this book. Thanks Katey! @bumpinthenight #jolabokaflodswap
@MaleficentBookDragon This is my favorite swap of the year—thanks for hosting it!

Whew! It‘s been too long since I‘ve been here. What can I say, life happened. I‘m taking a pass on a number of books that I read, but I just finished this and loved it. It‘s a bit different from Quinn‘s other books, more of an ensemble, multi-thread story. Wonderful characters and set at an interesting time in history. Definitely 5⭐️

Hey @Librarybelle one of the #LiteraryCrew 2025 selections is on sale for $1.99! 🎉

5 ⭐.
Friendship and family, war-time 1950's,
some abuse, some art, some communism, some gangster, some women's baseball leagues...a little bit of slit of stuff.
This will probably be my next pic for my f2f bookclub.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

I love Kate Quinn, bar none. I‘ve enjoyed all of her books, and this is no exception. There are a few things that kept it from being a favorite: there are just too many characters (the house is even a character, which I actually liked, but come on) and she tried to fit almost too much cultural and political history into the narrative which made it really long and sometimes hard to keep up with. That all being said her characters were well drawn ⬇️

The story opens with a murder. Who is it and why did it happens slowly unfolds through the book as we meet all the wonderful women of the Briar Club. Quinn has her touch of historical fiction highlighting life in the 50‘s giving each character a piece of what woman struggled with in that decade. It‘s a great story of women coming together and how their lives intertwined. Satisfying ending as well ☺️

I‘m in the minority here but I didn‘t even finish this one. I still had 4 hours left & I doubt I‘m going to renew it to finish. Maybe because there were so many characters, it was hard to keep up. Plus I‘m not really into the whole pulling characters from other stories & entwining it into another story. There were some other things that irked me: all the different accents, it just felt like she was trying to address every major issue women were

Very good. Enjoyed the suspense and the build up to the conclusion. Loved getting to know all the characters and their stories. Rich in details which makes you feel part of the story. Also loved how the house is a character all of its own which gives it an extra layer. Thank you #Netgalley and #HarperCollins for the free copy.

@HarperCollins

To anyone who found this book slow at first, and wondered where in the heck it was going- you‘re not alone.I‘m so glad I stuck with it, as it‘s now up there as one of my favorites. Many of the characters will live in my heart forever. I could not put this book down once I reached the halfway point. As a bonus, the story contains recipes, many of which I plan on trying. I highly recommend this book!!