thebelljarinas

How to Be a Heroine: Or, What I've Learned from Reading too Much | Samantha Ellis

#MakeMeReadIt #rainnyday #coffeeandbooks #groundedcoffeeco
Back in Willimantic in Grounded Coffee Co. -wish it were closer. Flat White, Raisin bagel &!cream cheese.
About to dive into this book‘s next chapter titled “Esther Greenwood” Happy I reread The Bell Jar this spring with #thebelljarinas hosted by @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks & @Nuwanda

LeahBergen, BeansPage

readordierachel Looks like a good morning! 7y

73 likes1 comment

CoffeeNBooks

The Hazel Wood | Melissa Albert

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks This is the August book for #thebelljarinas, correct? Has a reading/discussion schedule been posted yet?

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks It was going to be... I am working more in August and I don‘t think I‘ll be able to keep up 2 book clubs, Litsy welcome wagon and just because... And read lol 😂 I do want to read this book though! I think I‘m trying to do too much! I do the photo prompts and I‘ll be doing Litsy birthdays in September 💛 (edited) 7y

CoffeeNBooks @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Ok 😊 I completely understand! 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @CoffeeNBooks thank you 😘❤️ 7y

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel | Peter Swanson

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Thank you to everyone who participated in our buddy read! Such a great book! Any final thoughts?!

#thebelljarinas

Nuwanda

rjsthumbelina I loved how the book kept me guessing and I didn't guess a single one of the twists. But I don't think I can overlook the stereotypes present in the characterization. I think it's worth me researching to see if I can figure out more about why he chose to characterize that way. Based on the total creep factor I felt with Kimball, and my feeling that Lily is the intentional "antihero", I wonder if he wanted us to root for the evil ladies! 7y

rjsthumbelina The interview I just read makes me think we were maybe supposed to LIKE Kimball. Swanson enjoys the challenge of writing poetry. I hope I'm reading too much into that! Also, Swanson is a huge Hitchcock fan. So the femme fatale trope makes some sense there. Maybe he was intentionally trying to twist the trope by making Lily almost likable? Would love to hear everyone's thoughts! 7y

kspenmoll @rjsthumbelina Your point well taken I did end up rooting for Lily! But you are right, characters are stereotypes. Did not know author is huge Hitchcock fan. That knowledge helps makes sense! 7y

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @rjsthumbelina I didn‘t like Kimball from the beginning!! I can‘t believe we were supposed to like him! 7y

mrp27 Huh. I felt ambivalent towards Kimball. 7y

mrp27 And thanks for hosting another great buddy read! 7y

CoffeeNBooks I liked that the book kept me guessing, and I like the intrigue at the end with Lily thinking she's gotten away with murder, again, only to learn that the farm where Chet & Brad are buried is being sold. 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @mrp27 you‘re welcome 😊 thank you for participating!! 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @CoffeeNBooks me too!! I really enjoyed this book! 7y

15 likes9 comments

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel | Peter Swanson

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Question #3

Which characters, if any, did you find redeemable or likable in any way? Were there any passages or quotes that stuck with you?

#thebelljarinas

Nuwanda

Nuwanda I don‘t know that I found any particularly likable besides the detectives, but I think I ultimately felt some pity for Ted. He was despicable but clearly in way over his head. 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Nuwanda I agree... I really don‘t think he would have gone though with killing Miranda. What a crazy bunch!! 7y

rjsthumbelina @Nuwanda @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I agree that Ted was theost likable character, but I didn't like him much either. I disagree with liking the detectives though. The female one might have been somewhat likable, had we gotten to know her better. But I hated Kimball. I don't care that he thought she was hiding things- stalking her was NOT okay. I almost agreed with her stabbing him. Strangely, I felt that Lily was the easiest to understand. (cont) 7y

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rjsthumbelina ...At least she was honest with the reader about her reasons and feelings 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @rjsthumbelina I was almost pulling for her as crazy as that sounds! I thought Kimball was a creep with those poems! 7y

rjsthumbelina @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I forgot about the disgusting poems! Ugh, such a creep. Kimball's behavior, though, almost makes me thing that the author wants us to root for the evil ladies over the idiot/creepy guys. Glad I wasn't the only one rooting for her! 7y

kspenmoll @rjsthumbelina @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Nuwanda In the end I actually felt for Lily & was glad she got away with it all- did not realize that. I felt that way until news of the property with the well was going to be bulldozed. I did lime the female detective. Kimball was sleazy. 7y

mrp27 The only character I liked was Lily, despite the fact that she was a murderess, I disliked Ted, Miranda, Brad even her parents. I felt ambivalent towards the detectives. (edited) 7y

CoffeeNBooks I don't think I liked any of them. A curious interest, yes. I did kind of feel bad for Ted, because I still sort of felt like maybe he wouldn't really go through with killing anyone. 7y

14 likes9 comments

Nuwanda

The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel | Peter Swanson

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Hello! Welcome to our last week of discussion for The Kind Worth Killing! I‘ll have questions 2 and 4; check out @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for 1, 3, and 5.

Question 2: How might the story have been different if perspectives like Detective Kimball‘s had been introduced earlier? Do you think you would have predicted the ending if those POVs had occurred sooner?

#thebelljarinas

rjsthumbelina I don't think it would have changed the story much. I felt like Detective Kimball fell into the stereotypes the author put forward the entire book. He was stalking her; he wasn't a good guy, either. But he was seen as a total innocent, who couldn't be smart enough to outsmart evil Lily. I liked the idea of the final ending- that they might find the remains during construction. But was disappointed with every single character. 7y

kspenmoll @rjsthumbelina No because Kimball‘s character, although one dimensional & stereotypical seemed well developed to me. The stalking was creepy & his poetry. 7y

mrp27 I don't know if it would have changed much. If anything Kimball would have just been killed by Lily early on. He was too careless. 7y

CoffeeNBooks I don't think it would have made much sense to include Kimball earlier, because I don't think he really figured anything out until he talked to that bartender who identified Lily as having been there after Ted died. 7y

6 likes4 comments

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel | Peter Swanson

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Happy Sunday everyone!! I will have questions 1, 3, and 5 and @Nuwanda will have 2 and 4!

Question #1
Do you think Lily was born the way she is or did her childhood experience with Chet cause her to become a killer? How does she hide this part of herself from those closest to her? Do you think her parents know her true nature and choose to look the other way?

#thebelljarinas

rjsthumbelina I think that Lily always had, at least, the tendency toward being a sociopath. It may have been possible to overcome it with a better childhood. Her parents didn't help it, and the whole thing with Chet made it so she needed some MAJOR therapy. Still though, her choices in her childhood were solely her own. I don't think her parents have any idea- they're too wrapped up in their own crazy. 7y

kspenmoll @rjsthumbelina I agree. She must have been born with a tendency toward lack of empathy or moral compass but I wonder if she felt she could tell her parents about Chet her development may have been different. Her parents seemed very narcissistic, & enmeshed in their own craziness. 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @kspenmoll @rjsthumbelina when she killed the cat I immediately thought she is a sociopath and there‘s nothing that she probably can‘t change! 7y

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mrp27 I think Lily was just born that way and her parents didn't help. I think there is an argument to be had that her her Dad knew, hence his letter to her about the farm being sold. 7y

CoffeeNBooks I don't know, but Lily had these tendencies toward violence early in life, so maybe she was born with it. I certainly think her environment growing up didn't help. 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @mrp27 hmmm I didn‘t think about that! Maybe he did!! 7y

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel | Peter Swanson

Final discussion today at 2pm!! I will have questions 1, 3, and 5 and @Nuwanda will have 2 and 4!! 📚📚

#thebelljarinas

Eggs Irises!!!💛💛💛 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs these were beautiful! And I love yellow 💛💛 7y

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CoffeeNBooks

The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel | Peter Swanson

pick

I don't usually read thrillers, but Litsy is definitely changing my reading habits. This one was crazy, with lots of twists and turns along the way!! Looking forward to #thebelljarinas discussion of it tomorrow!

JenReadsAlot Loved this book! 7y

brookesiem What‘s been you favorite find since joining litsy? 7y

YouReadMyEyes Yes, this was a good one! 7y

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CoffeeNBooks @brookesiem I didn't realize how much I liked historical fiction before Litsy. I've recently read The Alice Network and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and loved them both! 7y

CoffeeNBooks @brookesiem Also, A Man Called Ove. 7y

brookesiem Thanks for the recommendations @CoffeeNBooks! 7y

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rjsthumbelina

The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel | Peter Swanson

pan

This book was strange for me. The twists were great, and the plot kept me engaged, but I couldn't stand how far the author took the femme fatale motif. Everyone in you story made terrible choices; not one character was redeemable. But the way Swanson angled what was happening, the women were pure evil while the men were clueless to the wiles of the women, and innocent even after they'd done terrible things themselves
#thebelljarinas

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kspenmoll

Kind Worth Killing | Peter Swanson

#thebelljarinas #buddyread #Julychoice
Could not put this down while reading this last section. Did not foresee events, nor surprising twist in the end. Purposely vague for those who have not finished yet! “Chilling” indeed!

Nuwanda, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I agree!! Very chilling!! 7y

Mdargusch I thought this was a great thriller! 7y

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