I‘m not sure why I keep reading thrillers when I end up feeling disappointed every time.I‘m not usually one of those people who can guess a twist before it happens, but even I had some idea of where this story was going.Story is based on the Greek myth of Alcestis who volunteers to die in her husband‘s place. When she is brought back to life, she refuses to speak ever again.Based on the writing style I could tell the author has written screenplays

I picked up this book mainly for the setting. Una is a grifter and conwoman in NYC in the 1880s. When she gets into trouble, she takes a spot in the Bellevue training school for nurses to hide from the police. It was fascinating to see what it may have been like for these women when the field of nursing was in its infancy. The image I chose was featured in the book and is a very early blood transfusion. There was also a very obvious murder mystery

I had really high hopes for this one. The beginning of the story really drew me in, and I wish we would have spent more time with Proctor as he was doing his job as a ferryman. The writing on a sentence by sentence level is absolutely gorgeous. I got busy with work and ended up having to put this down for a bit, which could have contributed, but the plot became overly complicated for me to follow. The ending also felt like it was missing something

@dabbe And here‘s our Snoopy. I think you can see now how she got her name. She‘s enjoying showing Happy the ropes and teaching him all of her best techniques for begging for treats ❤️

@dabbe As promised, this is my sweet Happy who joined us last month from Australia. He‘s been a handful sometimes, but he is also a total love bug 💙 He‘s been a great companion for Snoopy.

Sue Black is a world-renowned forensic anthropologist. In this book she discusses her career and her personal life. I found the sections about her work identifying victims of the war in Kosovo in the late 1990s and the tsunami in 2004 quite interesting and impactful. Her general musings on death and the deaths of her parents take up the first half of the book and were far less interesting to me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I think I downloaded this book for free on Amazon World Book Day a few years ago. Translated from Portuguese, all of these short stories take place in Brazil and feature love between women. There are no quotation marks, and at times the words read more like poetic musings than actual stories. While I appreciated the ideas here, it was hard for me to really connect with anything as is often the case with short stories. ⭐️⭐️/5

I love a good non-fiction survival story, and this book was no exception. A.H. Greely took a crew of 25 men to explore the northernmost points of the Arctic in 1885. Due to a series of unfortunate events, they were left stranded there and were unable to be rescued for 2 years, at which point there were only 7 survivors. During that 2 years period when they were literally starving to death, did some of the men resort to cannibalism? Maybe. . .

I enjoyed this modern day Muslim retelling of “You‘ve Got Mail.” Hana is trying to break into broadcasting while also working to keep her family‘s restaurant open. When a new restaurant opens in the neighborhood with a sexy new owner, it‘s a good thing Hana has her loyal online friend to turn to (you can guess who that is). There were still a few plot twists that I didn‘t expect, and I loved closeness of Hana‘s family. The food sounded amazing 😋

Historical fiction inspired by the author‘s family, this story is set in Kentucky, Missouri, then the oil fields of Kansas in the 1910s-1920s. The story follows Bertie whose mother dies young and leaves her to care for her 4 little brothers and sisters. Despite being only 16 years old, Bertie marries a very kind man who loves her and takes in her younger sisters. I didn‘t exactly expect this to be an upbeat story but it was quite bleak. 2.5/5

Although this book was very good and the movie followed it closely, I think this is one of the rare cases where the movie is actually better than the book. The book spends a fair bit of time on side characters and plots outside of the Corleone family that are just not as interesting. There was something about the writing style that made it very easy to read, I can see why it was on the bestseller lists for 70 weeks when it came out.

Nora Nierling is the daughter of a serial killer. She grew up, became a surgeon, and worked hard to distance herself from her father and what he did. Then, 2 women are killed in the same way her father used to murder his victims so she must figure out what is going on. I read this for book club and it was fine. There was a twist at the end that I did not expect but otherwise the writing was pretty average.

After the financial crash in the US in 2008, the author thought that moving her family to Vietnam would be a super easy way to save money. Well, guess what—Did you know that teaching English as a second language is actually hard? And that Vietnam is really hot and humid? Apparently the author didn‘t. But after seeing people living in actual poverty she was able to feel better about her own life once she moved back to LA.

This Breakfast Club meets Gossip Girl YA murder mystery was a fun read. 5 students are in detention when Simon, who runs a gossip app, dies from from an allergic reaction. In the investigation that follows, it seems as if he knew a secret that each of the remaining 4 students would not want to get out. So who is to blame for Simon‘s death? I actually listened to this on audio and I liked the multiple narrators that voiced each of the 4 students.

I love survival stories so I thought this book involving not one but two shipwrecks would be right up my alley. Alas, I found the writing to be incredibly dry. I found myself skimming through multiple pages of text describing species of plants & ship building techniques. And while I acknowledge that these men needed to eat sea lions to survive, I was not prepared for the many descriptions of the brutal ways they were killed. ⚓️⚓️/5

I won this book in a #GoodreadsGiveaway ♥️📚 Too bad I have actual dirty laundry I need to deal with today instead of reading

This is probably an #unpopularopinion, but this book just did not land for me. I listened to this on audio and I had to speed it up because it felt like it would never end. I did not appreciate the author dropping in random obscure words that served no purpose other than to make her sound smart. The characters did not communicate with each other, then argued and held grudges for years. It was also quite sad at times. ⭐️⭐️/5

As I am not Catholic,I was hesitant to read this,but I quite enjoyed it.The story begins with Phillippa leaving her high-level job to enter the Benedictine order at Brede,which shocks her friends.As she learns her place & adjusts to the contemplative life the nuns lead in this order,we get to meet her sisters & explore the dramas that apparently accompany any group of women who live together.There was a lovely feeling of peace throughout this book

The plot centers around Dr. Abby Whitmore who seems to spend most of the story agonizing over dating a ranger who is possessive, touches her even when she asks him not to, and eventually cheats on her.Interspersed among this drama are heavy-handed scenes of her caring for patients, who seem to love being lectured about diabetes management and the importance of getting mammograms.I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway, all opinions are mine

Hannah lives in London & answers a wrong number call from an American named Davey.This starts a relationship between them through phone and video calls.When Davey is due to arrive in London to start his new job and meet Hannah in person, he doesn‘t show up.We learn the reason why, which is very sad, but then we have to spend the majority of the book with the 2 of them not even talking & dating other people which feels wrong to me.

I liked this book but did not love it. I had many of the same issues I‘ve seen in other reviews: the cover doesn‘t match the seriousness of the story which is definitely not laugh out loud funny. Elizabeth Zott is smart and resilient but can be one-dimensional at times. And the first third of the book is incredibly sad. On the plus side I loved Six Thirty the dog.

I don‘t know how you do it, but on more than one occasion I‘ve come home after a rough day to find unexpected book mail from #LitsyLove You are all the most wonderful people, thank you so much 💌 And @AmyG , I just dropped a letter to you in the mail today, what a fun coincidence

I really enjoyed this audiobook that explores a little-discussed subject:Black musicians in classical music.Ray is a sympathetic character who is modeled after the author,himself a violinist.While we watch him endure racism within the classical music community & struggles within his own family,he discovers that his family violin is worth $10 million.When the violin goes missing,the story turns into a mystery as we try to find who took it & why.

The book club I‘m in read this book under the theme of re-reading a favorite book from childhood. I wasn‘t quite the right age so I had actually never read this before. I do remember reading Lowry‘s other Newberry award winner “Number the Stars” and really being moved by it at the time. I love that Lowry addresses challenging topics for young readers and I think this would have had an even bigger impact on me had I read it as a young teen.

When I was 12 years old or so, I was obsessed with a time travel romance book called “Prisoner of Time” by Caroline B. Cooney. If you change the characters from teens to adults and add in a touch more steaminess, then you have this book. The story is pretty forgettable, but the nostalgia factor in re-creating a story I loved as a girl made it a fun read for me. 3.5 stars

I am sitting here in awe of what I just read. I was given this book in a swap years ago and it‘s been sitting on my shelf ever since because I never really felt excited to read it. Once I finally started however I fell in love with the narrator Calliope Stephanides immediately. The story that he weaved from his grandparents in Greece to his parents in Detroit to his transformation into Cal was epic, heartbreaking and gorgeous.

I am so happy that I got to finish one more book this year. Don‘t be turned away by the bland title. This was a very cute story. The audiobook narrator was a little monotone at times, almost like Siri, but I still recommend this—it would make a great Netflix movie.

Sad at times, but a wonderful story. I fell in love with these characters especially Marcellus the giant octopus 🐙 💕 #mybookoftheyear

Happy Christmas book mail! ❤️📚 I missed out on all the Christmas swaps this year and was feeling pretty bummed until I went to the mailbox and found this book that I won in a #GoodreadsGiveaway.

The premise of this story sounded very interesting to me—A young woman starts seeing Facebook posts 18 months into the future where she learns that she is married, has a baby, and then dies. Unfortunately, the story did not deliver on that interesting setup. There were certain “rules” that were established earlier in the book that suddenly were broken in the end. Disappointing overall but at least it‘s one less unread book in my Kindle library.

I picked this up for $0.99 on sale on Audible and it was definitely worth it for that price. This was a cute, short, Christmas cozy. I wasn‘t familiar with this series before but it was easy to just jump in and figure out who was who. The narrator did a great job with different accents to help differentiate among the many characters.

Sam Heughan aka Jaime Frasier from Outlander woke up one morning and decided he wanted to walk the West Highland Way, a hiking path across Scotland. This book is the narration of his journey mixed with stories from his life. I found this whole story to be really self-indulgent. I enjoyed listening to his lovely accent, but honestly this would never have been published except for the fact that he is the star of a hit TV series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Written by a mother and son writing team, this book is actually the prequel story of Inspector Ian Rutledge despite being #17 in the series. Rutledge is a detective at Scotland Yard who proposes to his fiancée on the eve of WW1.He has several murders to solve, trying to figure out the connection between the deaths before he makes the difficult decision to enlist. The writing isn‘t the best, but I find this time in history fascinating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

Lucy Honeychurch goes to Florence with her uptight cousin Charlotte hoping to see the world and expand her mind. She does not plan on meeting George Emerson and his father, 2 “radicals” who believe in “Love & Courage.” When Lucy develops feelings for George despite her engagement to another man(the dull & snobbish Cecil Vyse), she has to make a tough choice. Does she follow convention and do what is expected of her or does she follow her heart?

Honestly this was kind of painful to listen to. Fisher rambles at points so it‘s hard to follow what she‘s talking about. She also yells quite a bit and seems awkward in her cadence almost as if she‘s waiting for the audience to laugh. Since the book is a transcript of her stage show that makes sense but it‘s weird to listen to. I do applaud her for her openness regarding her struggles with addiction and mental health.

Thank you @Deblovestoread for the perfect #AllHallowsRead swap package. I just know I will love both of these books and the candy will be gone in no time 🧡

This book was fine. Fairly predictable, with the exception of a few plot points that were not so much unpredictable as they were implausible. I listened on audio and the narrator did a good job, especially with the Irish accent.

The author of this book chose to mix together two things that actually existed, but not together: the blue skinned Fugate family of Kentucky who suffered from congenital methemoglobinemia and the Pack Horse Librarians who delivered books to rural communities. Either of these things would have had rich stories to tell on their own, but blending them the way she did led to an over-the-top melodrama.

This was definitely my least favorite TJR book.Carrie Soto is a very one dimensional character.She is all about winning and has a very difficult time opening herself up to any emotional connections with the people in her life.I was also very underwhelmed with the audio production.Despite being billed as a full cast recording,the main narrator read 99% of the story with the rest of the cast only chiming in for about 5 minutes as sports commentators

This is my #AllHallowsReadSwap package just moments before I addressed it and took it to the post office. @catiewithac I forgot to write it on the box but I wanted you to know it‘s your swap box when it arrives this week.

I loved this HBO series back in 2017. Now going back and reading the book it was based on, I can say this is another rare example where the show was better. The book had the same main concept—on October 14th millions of people around the world spontaneously disappear at the same time—but the book just kind of ends with no real resolution. Among many other changes, the show provided a lot more character growth and something resembling an ending.

It‘s been a few years since I‘ve seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire which was adapted from this book, but this may be one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book.The main character is a poor waiter who goes through so many horrible things—incest, rape, torture—that end up providing him with answers to win 1 billion rupees on a game show.Even though it ends happily it was still difficult to read so I can see why much was changed

Thank you so much for the surprise book mail @Sleepswithbooks ! It really made my day ☺️ #LitsyLove

I couldn‘t resist doing at least one swap this fall and this one looks like so much fun! 🎃 #AllHallowsReadSwap

Just fun to read and very clever. I really liked Hercule Poirot and will definitely read more of her books that feature him as a character.

I was utterly charmed by this story and these characters, particularly Marcellus the giant pacific octopus. At the core of this story are lonely people (and an octopus) who find each other when they need it the most. Definitely reminded me of “A Man Named Ove” in some ways. The narrators of the audiobook were also perfect. 🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙

This photo doesn‘t do it justice. This was such a charming bookstore in gorgeous Aspen, Colorado. There is a little cafe on the top floor as well. ❤️📚

This is another random book I found on my Kindle. I‘m sorry but this is some of the most ridiculous writing I‘ve ever come across. Having characters with amnesia who just suddenly get their memories back when it‘s convenient for the story reminds me of a soap opera. The casual use of abortion and suicide as plot devices also struck me as very insensitive and poorly done. This was historical fiction set in WW1 and in the present day.

Sorry for the delayed posting, but I received this surprise book in the middle of a crazy stressful week and it really made my day. Thank you! #LitsyLove is an amazing group and you are the best people in the world for keeping it all going ❤️

I don‘t think you can really rate a book like this which is someone telling the story of what they went through. A very powerful story, definitely hard to read at times. She is a courageous person for coming forward despite the risks to herself and her family.