I‘ve heard very good things about this short novel. So far, we‘re off to a good start.

Another brilliant foray into the belly of the espionage industry by John le Carré. His final novel, race-against-time novel, and much faster pace than his early works. His son, Nick Cornwell put it best: [the novel] “does something that no other le Carré novel ever has. It shows a service fragmented: filled with its own political factions, not always kind to those it should cherish … and ultimately not sure, any more, that it can justify itself.”

Since I can no longer support my usual reading crutch author, I will have to go with my # 2 author who is now my # 1 – John le Carré.

One trip to the downtown library will complete my entire bingo card. #colormyworldchallenge

Reading Ta-Nehisi Coates‘s The Message was both a humbling and galvanizing experience. Coates‘s journey—spanning Senegal, South Carolina, and Palestine—compels readers to confront the stories we inherit and the myths we perpetuate, particularly those that uphold white supremacy and obscure the realities of marginalized people. I‘ll be buying a physical copy and referencing it for years to come on how to craft stories—fiction and nonfiction alike.

Despite all the acclaim surrounding this book, I could not muster one iota of sympathy or even empathy for the main character/narrator. I found the narrator to be unreliable but I‘m not sure if the author intended to use that storytelling method. I feel the intent was the main character was narrating as a confidential confession, but the ease with which he lied to friends and casual acquaintances made his confession feel hallow.

Getting my nonfiction itch scratched by the incomparable Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Already well on my way in the #ColorMyWorld Challenge through the #ChattanoogaPublicLibrary

Ok. I‘m back to reading The Secret History, but at this point I‘m pulling for the FBI to catch these little 🍑 🎩!

The story of three flawed brothers who set the medical world on the path to an opioid crisis within three generations. The Sacklers love to lavishly spend money on their philanthropic projects, but meticulously obscured the origins of their wealth until lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit brought to light their involvement in creating an epidemic of pain pills.

The Sackler family and the history of opioids. Sounds dry, but I‘ll give it a chance.

From dyslexia (my preferred learning disability—and before everyone gets all up in arms, I don‘t actually consider my dyslexia a disability, more like an inconvenience at this point in my life) to the Civil Rights Movement to the Conflict in Northern Ireland, Gladwell challenges the notion of The Underdog. [4.5 ⭐️]

I‘ve been meaning to read this for quite some time now.

A 70s rock band? 🎸
A love triangle? 🎸
Drugs & sobriety? 🎸
So we‘re talking about a fictionalized narrative of Fleetwood Mac?
You Can Go Your Own Way, but this Landslide was only 3 ⭐️ in my Dreams.

January: “The Ministry of Time”
February: “Heavenly Tyrant“
March: “The Hitchhiker‘s Guide to the Galaxy”
April: “Babel”

Sad to see my formatting pitted “Heavenly Tyrant” and “Babel” against each so early on in the bracket.

I‘m completely ensconced in a “Nothing Keeps My Attention” mood. So let‘s try a little 70‘s faux rock biography.

I don‘t even know what this book is about, but several bookstagram accounts recommended it. Highly recommended it. So we shall see.

An incredible story about white fragility dressed up in gothic dark academia. I loved it. The MC, a young Cantonese boy, seemingly rescued from death and poverty, is groomed by an Oxford professor to join the illustrious and elite translators. Kuang is a masterful storyteller weaving together class, race, socioeconomics, and sexism centering around language—the only real barrier dividing humans and complicating true understanding. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

LOVED Kuang‘s Poppy Wars Trilogy. Finally starting this!

What an incredibly sad book, and such a long retelling of the old joke: Life—no one gets out alive. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

When we lived in New York, someone in our building would leave stacks of read books on top of the mailboxes in the lobby. This is one of many I grabbed over the years, and I‘m just now getting around to reading it nearly 4 years after we left our home.

I probably would have enjoyed this book more had I not lived through the pandemic in NYC. It took awhile for me to get into the story, especially at the beginning when the virus was running rampant and civilization began to collapse. But I can see why this book won awards. It is a bittersweet story following a diverse cast of characters—some caught in between their lives before and after, some having been too young to remember the world as it was.

I think I was supposed to read this 10 years ago. 😂

Don‘t get so pushy, StoryGraph. I don‘t need that Goodreads energy.

Reread:
I‘ve always loved this book. It‘s ridiculous. Think: Monty Python wrote a sci-fi novel. {chefs kiss}

‘Iron Widow‘ churns with feminist rage. ‘Heavenly Tyrant‘ surges with laborist rage, as Wu Zetian continues her rampage through Huaxia‘s misogynistic, wealthy class. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Time travel is confusing. It‘s messy. It‘s run by the British government. This book uses a lot of sci-fi themes—character-out-of-time, time travel for starters—all dressed up as a political thriller and [redacted] twist to boot. While not fast-paced, the pacing certainly wasn‘t slow and allowed for the characters to each grow at their own pace. A definite book worth rereading.
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Apparently, I forgot to post this when I actually finished the book.

Fantastical. But more than fantasy. Lyrical. But more than poetry. Epic. But simple in scope. The circus has come to town. Two children bonded together and pitted against one another in a magical, mystical challenge. The circus is the venue, but the challenge is not about acts of wonder. If only they had known before they fell in love.

Because I don‘t already pay enough to Spotify, I guess.

I will finish “Heavenly Tyrant” next month I guess. And start “The Night Circus” now. One of the first books to be completed as a NaNoWriMo project and then traditionally published.

Finally!!! I started this audiobook on Spotify because my library system in the South is not that eclectic in terms of the variety of genres or BIPOC authors. Unfortunately, I ran out of time credits and have to wait to finish it next month! #ihatespotify

Time travel without a DeLorean? We‘ll see about that. 😉

The high point was definitely “Shawshank” and “Apt Pupil” was infinitely more unsettling than the movie. So I give it 3.5 ⭐️ out of 5.

Been meaning to read this one for a long time—for obvious cinematic reasons.

Who else but the writer of true-life horrors could produce a ghost story built upon historical accuracy, mixed with a dash of macabre and suspense? This audiobook-only story was the perfect end to October, as the author said many times in the forward and credits: ghost stories are best to be heard, not read.

A narrative fiction from Erik Larson?!?! Yes please!

And a ghost story to boot for All Hallow‘s Eve!

It really is as good as Iremember it. Along with Jules Vern or HG Wells, Frank Herbert was one of the OG authors who mashed up sci-fi and fantasy. There is so much packed into this one book: commentary on politics, commentary on society, religion, feminism, toxic masculinity (before that was even a thing), revenge, love. I feel like the grandfather at the beginning of “The Princess Bride” explaining to his grandson why this book is so exciting.

Rereading for the first time since probably high school some 30 years ago. 😳

Autumn vibes

Happy Friday

“(Crowley) rather liked people. It was major failing in a demon. Oh, he did his best to make their short lives miserable, because that was his job, but nothing he could think up was half as bad as the stuff they thought up themselves. They seemed to have a talent for it. It was built into the design, somehow. They were born into a world that was against them in a thousand little ways, and then devoted most of their energies to making it worse.”

I need Litsy to update the app for iOS 18. I can only post words. No pics. It‘s mildly frustrating. #firstworldproblems #litsyissues #ios18

It‘s as if Gaiman and Pratchett wrote the characters specifically for Tennant and Sheen.

When in doubt: read a Neil Gaiman book.

It is a rare feat to capture the human experience in prose, but to do it in a mere 128 pages is nigh impossible. Claire Keegan is a rare literary gift, offering up another distinctly Irish story while simultaneously is a distinctly human story of birth, death, love, loss, anxiety, calm, family, and acceptance.

I didn‘t know what I wanted to read so a novella from the incomparable Claire Keegan is the perfect remedy.

Erik Larson crafts a riveting narrative, blending history and suspense as he chronicles America‘s path to civil war. Through the lens of personal diaries and secret records, Larson vividly portrays key figures like Major Robert Anderson and Mary Boykin Chesnut, along with villain secessionist Edmund Ruffin. This gripping account reminds us how impending disaster often goes unnoticed until it‘s too late. A haunting and captivating political drama.

Only had to wait ~16 weeks for the new Erik Larson release on the lead up to the Civil War after the election of Lincoln. Having been born and raised in the South, I‘m 99.99% sure this book will soon be banned throughout the Southeast!

An enjoyable read, but not paced with the urgency of its predecessor. The plot movement became languid in the middle third, as if a word count was the primary focus rather than plot development. I imagine the primary purpose was to build character tension in between the first third and final third which again utilized a frenetic pace which I so enjoyed in the first installment. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Starting Book 2 of the Gearbreakers series. This is my beach read for the summer, so I‘m gonna need Debby to move on so that Hilton Head is reachable by Thursday.

This is an interesting take on the theory of multiple universes and chaos theory. Nora loses her job. Her cat dies. The old man in the building no longer needs her to pick up his prescriptions. She thinks no one needs her in this life any longer. Caught between life and death, she is offered a chance to try on the infinite number of lives that could have been at every tiny decision she's ever made.