Hi #Booked2022 friends 😁 Just another reminder….
You have until Midnight July 3 to submit all books read between April 1-June 30th to enter the #SecondQuarterDrawing :

Here's the submission link

https://forms.gle/E9QC2c79pDFcUE5Y8

Here are the 24 prompts for #Booked2022 along with the sign up info https://forms.gle/g1ZtgxMHEaLDFdXR9

We love to see what you read 😍

The author‘s husband dies unexpectedly and too soon. Their young son finds him in his last moments. And his beloved wife, now a widow, processes these events and figures out how to go on alone. Yup, super emotional. And absolutely beautifully written. Alexander is a poet and professor. She knows the craft of writing. And it shows. Loved every word of this!

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022 #booked2022 #includesarecipe

Adding four more choices to my grid!!

#pantone2022 @Clwojick

This has languished on my Audible shelf forever. So I turned it into a prompt for Kiss Your Mate Day. For me, choosing a romance is a **hard** prompt to complete, despite 27 years of happy marriage. So this one, with its topical nature fit the bill well. The MC is a Vietnam vet with trauma who helps an undocumented family and reconnects with a lost love.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022 #makeyourownprompt #booked2022

This is a solid mystery with female child abductions at its core (TW). The main character is Anna, who experiences abandonments if not abductions. She‘s a hot mess, but we like her anyway. McLain combines some real-life details in her 1993 setting, and also uses Anna and others to teach readers about the affects of trauma and more.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022

More catching up on #pantone2022 choices!

@Clwojick

IF you need something dark and long to dive into, this is my latest recommendation. But if the world feels pretty dark (not surprisingly), now isn‘t the time. I loved The Secret History decades ago and shouldn‘t have waited so long to read this one. So many genres and topics all deftly blended together. Tartt is a master of her craft.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022 #booked2022 #darkacademia

Catching up on books completed a while ago!

@Clwojick #pantone2022

This is a soft pick for me. It‘s a a melancholy, unsettling book. The setting is an imaginary town, high in the mountains. It‘s so near the mountaintop that the clouds settle in there during the evenings. Elsewhere feels as elusive as those mountaintop clouds. It‘s just slightly inside the fog, which means readers never fully understand the town or its inhabitants.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022 #celadonreads

This is set in SoCal 1987 and centers at wound a police detective and medical examiner. They‘re investigating a series of diverse crimes that have hate at their core. It‘s heavy and sometimes ponderous. But the issues are just as relevant today as back then. The writing style made it a low pick. And sometimes it was so dark I had to put it aside for a day or so. #thxnetgalley

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com

This is two parts heartstring-pulling pain and philosophical pondering, combined with two parts anger and frustration. There‘s some hopefulness added in the manner of icing on the cake, but it‘s quite tentative. All in all, if a chronic illness has touched you or those you love, this book is a must-read. Extraordinarily well-done discussion of a difficult topic to capture.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022

Cults—religious and not—function on the foundation of specific language. Montell explains how they draw members in and keep them hooked. She also points out how MANY types of entities use this language to achieve cult-like ends—businesses, fitness companies, indeed practically any brand wanting to be the next big thing.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage #booked2022 #aboutcultorreligion #nonfiction2022 #imasinner

Recently did a review / post about memoirs that use essays instead of straight through chronology. I liked both of these although they‘re wildly different. O‘Farrell titles her with drama, but ultimately it felt gentle in tone. OTOH, Madden has a semi-whimsical title and every essay is a heartbreaking gut punch.

Full reviews https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022

Good second book in trilogy. A little battle / war heavy for me. But I still love how Kuang melds the fantasy elements with real Asian history. And Ren is a flawed heroine for the ages!

Forgot to post this, so if want the full review, scroll down a bit at https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022

This genre-defying story features a Canadian police detective named Mallory. Out jogging in Edinburgh, Scotland (while visiting her gravely ill grandma), she hears a crime down an alley. And whooops … the next thing she knows, she‘s in the body of a teenage housemaid in 1869. Same town, but different time and body! Of course there‘s a murder to solve. And how to get home. ⬇️

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022

It‘s difficult to capture the gravity of these essays in a review, especially a short one. Suffice it to say, this book is a must read for everyone. Plow through it or take it small bites. Whatever works. Just do it.

And many thanks to @4thhouseontheleft and @staci.reads for their ongoing discussion topics here. I didn‘t always stay on target, but it helped to see others on the path with me. 💙

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com

I reviewed two vastly different genealogy / history books recently on my blog (https://www.TheBibliophage.com). Decided to post here, since Newton‘s book is brand new. Family history fascinates me—whether it‘s my own or not. So Newton‘s rambling discourse on her own family was a treat. I wish I‘d liked more of the people she talks about. But that really is the true challenge of family research. Sometimes you learn difficult things. ⬇️

#pantone2022 #dragonfire #orchidbloom #poppyseed #arcticwolf

Making progress!

For the last few months, I haven‘t been present much here on Litsy. Even before I fell and fractured four bones in February, I just wasn‘t feeling like “reading in public.” Writing reviews feels more like a struggle and duty, so I‘m slacking there also. But the fractures are healing well, and I‘m (hopefully) feeling more bookish.

Anyway, apologies to everyone who‘s tagged me for #Booked2022 reading. And to my cohosts. I appreciate you all! 💗

Hari covers so much ground here—all of it a necessary look at our collective declining attention span. I listened on audio (great author narration) and immediately bought the ebook to revisit specific ideas. While there are plenty of tips for individuals (including our kids), Hari also challenges us to reject encroaching surveillance capitalism.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022 #nonfiction2022 #quietormeditative

My book club chose this without knowing Hough‘s book-review-related controversies. We still appreciated her writing style, despite its angry, dark edge. And there‘s plenty to discuss here—from a cult childhood and its after effects to misogynistic bosses and how people become unhoused. Def better than 3/5 but not quite 4/5.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022
#nonfiction2022 #imarebel #rebel
#pantone2022 #arcticwolf

Set in the true historical horror of the WWII Japanese internment camps, this is atmospheric and hallucinogenic. It‘s also perfect for readers of historical fiction. Its undercurrents of horror, both human and supernatural, add a twist that hits all too close to home. Katsu draws on family experiences, colored by her own perspective on the last few years in the US. Excellent!

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022

Vonk is an anthropology student interested in the life of migrants / refugees traveling through Mexico. Early on he meets Axel, who‘s got a complicated and unique story. They form a bond and traverse the dangers of cartels, immigration officers, and police together. This is a gripping true story with multiple caveats.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2020
#nonfiction2022 #imacriminal
#pantone2022 #poppyseed

#thinkpositivebepositive - Because dog, bikes, and books are positive, right? 🤓🤪🤗

Thanks for the tag, @TheSpineView !

To play post a positive quote and tag a Litten friend or two.

Hope your day is spectacular!

@paperwitchs
@SRWCF
@SarahBookInterrupted

Probably I should use more restraint in my book buying. Naaaaaahhhh … 🤪📚🤪

This epic fantasy is solidly based in real China / Japan relations during the 20th century. At the same time, the main character has meaningful development as she transforms from a rural orphan to a military neophyte. She‘s charming and smart, if also completely beyond her depth. The fantasy aspects are rooted in Chinese culture and myth. Overall a win!

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022
#setinchina #booked2022

Be sure to to enter the first #quarterlydrawing for #Booked2022 before midnight (EDT) !! We‘ll draw our winner over the next few days. Every book you‘ve finished counts as an entry so look everything over! 🤓👀🙋🏼🙋🏼‍♀️📚🎁🎁

https://forms.gle/dccxLGKSdpfxVPc26

I‘m always b*tching that #botm doesn‘t offer enough narrative nonfiction. But yay!! This month they did so I snapped it right up. Also read some good stuff about True Biz, so I couldn‘t resist.

This is the memoir of a younger sister and social studies teacher who ended up managing decades of US Senate campaigns for her brother Joe. It‘s about family that implicitly trusts each other more than anyone else. They pull together for every tragedy and laugh plenty when times are good. Even if you don‘t agree with their politics, this memoir is heartwarming and full of faith.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022

This was a strong pick for me. I love the process of genealogy research. But adding DNA testing to the process does create conflict and confusion for some folks. Copeland offers an unvarnished look at both ups and downs of getting tested. The true stories she tells are compelling. There‘s so much relevance to 21st century life here.

p.s. Yes, that IS my Ancestry family tree in the background.

#nonfiction2022 #outofyourcomfortzone

Jubilee - Wicked - Night - Becoming are all ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ favorites of mine and all have one word titles.

One word titles are rare but not better necessarily. It‘s hard to distill a whole book‘s ideas and themes to a single word.

#Two4Tuesday

😁Hi #Booked2022 friends!!
Hard to believe, but it‘s time to fill out the forms for #FirstQuarterDrawing🎊📚

You have until Midnight April 3 to submit all books read between Jan 1-March 31🧭

https://forms.gle/dccxLGKSdpfxVPc26

🌻You must use the form for submission to count but PLEASE share your reads on Litsy too!

We ♥️seeing your posts
@4thhouseontheleft @barbarathebibliophage @Cinfhen

I couldn‘t resist …

🤣🤣🤣

Interesting read to mark the beginning of our third year in a pandemic world. Sure it‘s science and medicine (such as it was in centuries past), but the most fascinating part is how Wright highlights people‘s behavior towards the sick. Sometimes we are kind and supportive. But mostly we tend to treat the sickest people with the least regard. 😳😥😡🥺🙄

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022
#nonfiction2022 #saint

Such a great book group choice! We had so many topics to discuss. That said, Bennett keeps the book focused on her characters and their circumstances. She doesn‘t get preachy or too focused on all the various themes. Plus, the genetics aspect dovetailed into some genealogy reading I‘m doing right now. Wins all around!

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022

This is an elegantly and gently written memoir about the author‘s struggle with her hearing. She is deaf in one ear and has been since birth. And her family conditions her not to tell anyone or to ask for help. They do offer hearing aids but the technology and experience are 😳. Her journey through teens, college, first jobs is unique and well-told. Lots to learn ⬇️

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022

This is a literary, convoluted, mystery with odd characters. Reading it is like looking at life through main character Skyla‘s failing eyes. The corners are dark and nothing is at all clear. If you‘re in the mood for something off-kilter but not off-putting, this is for you. I loved it!

p.s. The author and I share a surname, but aren‘t related. 😎

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022 #pantone2022 #spunsugar

If you‘re a history / politics wonk / social justice reader, this book is for you! It‘s scholarly and moves slowly, but the value of the analysis and information is priceless. Topic: why Democrats promised “sizzle” for POC and other communities “left behind,” but failed to offer any actual meat / help. 1975 - 2000s

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022 #nonfiction2022 #outofleftfield #pantone2022 #supersonic #thxnetgalley

Here‘s another set of four covers for the #Pantone2022 challenge. Was holding off until I finished Scorpica, but then life slowed me down so I‘m just remembering to post. For Echo, there‘s not much “Snow White” on the cover, but I also chose it in the spirit of a VERY snow-focused book.

Glad I decided to do this challenge—it‘s fun to be visual instead of just focused on content.

Set in the time of the Khmer Revolution, this fictional piece draws from the author‘s life. It‘s slow, poetic, and deeply sad. And brutally violent. Coming-of-age in a horrific authoritarian regime.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022 #readingasia2021 #cambodia #belatedchallenge

Imagine a 500-yr. matriarchy but women stop having female babies. Women are the crux of this society and not having another generation destabilizes everything. Scorpica is world-building, fabulous intrigue and plotting, and characters I‘m dying to read about for another decade or more. Divine epic fantasy!!

Full review https:// www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022 #booked2022 #nonpatriarchalsociety
#Pantone2022 #sudanbrown

I‘m making graphics to keep track of the #Pantone2022 challenge and the colors I complete as I go. So here is the second group of four!

2 / 2 … so far!

I‘m making graphics to keep track of the #Pantone2022 challenge and the colors I complete as I go. So here are the first four!

1 / 2

Urban fantasy fans - if you aren‘t reading this author yet, you should be. He has several long series available (one I like more than the other). But these two more recent books are a great way to test him out. (On Kindle Unlimited if you have it.)

Great story of a skeptic journalist turned believer in an alternate version of NYC. Incorporates myths and literature!

Full review of both books https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022

Olde Heuvelt combines elements from ancient legends, village superstitions, weather phenomena, and mountain climbing techniques. Plus, he injects fear and dissonance at every level. Told in voices of two characters (one who has diarrhea of the mouth). It‘s hard to truly creep me out, but this did. OTOH, some parts were 💤. The translation is top-notch too.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022
#pantone2022 #snowwhite

This is more historical fiction than mystery / thriller. Which shouldn‘t be surprising coming from Whitehead. As always, the writing is stellar with thought-provoking themes. Read with my IRL book group and it lends itself to discussion. I will always be a fan, but this isn‘t as good as his last two.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022

Well, this is my Feb pick after skipping January. I‘m 80% sure I‘m going to cancel my membership, though. I have SO many unread #BOTM in my house. And the selections just feel meh lately. ☹️

This book is transcendent. Absolutely amazing in characters, plotting, and weaving a tapestry of time shifts and story arcs. She blends gentleness with brutality so well. I regret not having read it in 2014 and three times since. OTOH, I really did NOT like what the adaptation did to the story especially The Prophet.

For all my thoughts read the full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2022 #booked2022 #adaptedforsmallscreen

I love a good witch goddess story just as much as the next reader, but this one just left me flat. #Unpopularopinion I know. But I didn‘t like Circe, thought the story only plodded along, and struggled to finish this one. Made me sad, b/c I loved The Song of Achilles with my whole heart.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022
#booked2022 #mythretelling #pantone2022 #coralrose

Wonderful in concept, but lacking in execution. Ida B. Wells-Barnett is an icon for a reason. Sadly, this book about her fell flat for me. It was light on content, confusing in structure, and cluttered with many other people‘s stories. Left me wanting more Ida!

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022
#shesaid #nonfictionchallenge2022 #rulebreaker #pantone2022 #daffodil