Seren and I may have differing opinions on this one.
The setting: small town, post-industrial 1990's Scotland.
The story: adolescent Cora is trying to make sense of the world, her upbringing, her ADHD, and take some control of her life.
This is a new novel about grief, belonging, makeshift family, friendship, disability. With brilliant prose and such a real-feel, I look forward to more by Tom Newlands in the future.

Scored this ARC on Sunday and managed to squeeze in a little reading time before the crazy work week. Seriously cannot wait to dive in again!

NYT's 100 best books of the 21st century intrigued me. I've read 22 and have several others on my TBR list.

Lazy Sunday reading with Seren. Loving this one so far!

Wow. Not much love for this book, which I get. I found it to be an interesting exploration of a woman's sexuality and desires, how it led to the rethinking of herself and her life, and the question of “Who gets to speak and why...“. As Joan Hawkins' afterward states, it's a theoretical fiction vs a novel. Still I understand why it's not for everyone. It's a soft pick for me. I did have the best cuddle buddy while reading it.

Seren and I had mixed feelings on this debut novel. The premise interested me but the execution fell a bit flat.

“We suicide ourselves for our own survival. Is there any hope of dipping back into the past and circling round it like you can in art?“

perfect lazy weekend full of books, keeping cool, and affogato

Beautiful, meditative read about a bookshop owner and those around her making life changes to live fulfilled lives.

One of my dinner dates this week while traveling for work. Neil Gaiman is always a good choice, and this is one of my favorites.

“No, I meant why are books important? she said. Apart from that they‘re a pleasure? I said. Because, uh, because they‘re one of the ways we can imagine ourselves otherwise.“

Edgar is a great reading companion.

“I'd like to write a magic spell. When I finished writing it, I'd break into a million pieces. And you, too, when you finished reading, you'd break into a million pieces. A spell for shattering, so that everyone could live in the world of art.“

“Her pen had a heart inside, and the nib was wound in a vein. She stained the page with herself. She sometimes forgets what she wrote, save that it was true, and the writing hurt.“

Saw this in an Edinburgh museum and thought it was neat how books were made available to sailors & soldiers. “Sack for library books made available to sailors on board Royal Navy warships during the Second World War. To the right is a watercolour entitled 'Beachhead Library' This shows soldiers using a mobile library service during the Normandy campaign, 1944. Even on campaign, servicemen were provided with diversion during periods of inactivity.“

I had a delightful, quiet morning reading at a local cafe the last morning in London before setting off for the trek home. This book is excellent reading. Lots to take in.

Finished reading Daphne du Maurier's first book on the train today. While not my favorite du Maurier by far, I still enjoyed reading it.

Kazuo Ishiguro's collection of the lyrics of sixteen songs he wrote for Stacey Kent is lyrical and emotive. I enjoyed reading through these this morning before getting out of bed. As a bonus the ebook includes a link to the songs on Spotify/YouTube.

When you find a Daphne du Maurier not already read, you have to pick it up, right? I found this copy at a local shop in St Andrews the other day and decided I could fit it in my bag. 😉📚🎒🙄

Reading on the train to Glasgow. This book is excellent!

Welcoming slow mornings while on vacation with cafe visits full of reading. Picked up this book yesterday while at another local Edinburgh bookstore, The Lighthouse. I'm only 28 pages in but excellent so far.

“I would go so far as to say that the natural, proper, fitting shape of the novel might be that of a sack, a bag. A book holds words. Words hold things. They bear meanings. A novel is a medicine bundle, holding things in a particular, powerful relation to one another and to us.“

We enjoyed some book browsing yesterday at Armchair Books. Of course, I'm forced to exercise much constraint when traveling and have limited room in my bag. But I did manage to find a couple of slim volumes including the tagged book. It's one of Penny's early works that I've not read and am curious to check it out.

I was able to finish this little book up this morning before heading to the train station as we set out for Edinburgh today. Nice overview of several phenomenal writers.

When you see a bookstore on a boat, isn't it a requirement to visit?

Airport reading. We're traveling to London and then Edinburgh over the next couple of weeks, and we pack light so it's time for a reread of the Murderbot Diaries since I have them in ebook format. And they're great fun!

Len Pennie's poyums is phenomenal! Written in a mix of Scots and English, the collection is hard hitting and emotionally resonant. Truly brilliant writing.
5/5⭐

Excited to start Len Pennie's Poyums just released in the US yesterday!

Overall I found this collection of stories interesting with the first couple and last three capturing my attention the most. The others made less of an impression on me but still worth reading.

“I think people make themselves beautiful. I think everything on our outside is a line sketch, and whatever‘s on the inside blows those lines into three dimensions.“

Finally feels like spring this week! Front porch reading 😊

I've never been so excited for a book release. I raced down to pick up my pre-ordered copy from my local indie on lunch today. Grabbed a coffee at the cafe next door and sat simply staring at the cover almost afraid to open it up. And when I did start reading with held breath, I began to find myself on every page. Joy Sullivan has such a way of bringing beauty to the ordinary. Her poems always connect, and her writing is devastatingly beautiful.

This volume published by Taschen is a stunning volume of the gorgeous artwork of Gustav Klimt.

“This was one of the lessons I kept learning: the difference between the story of love and the texture of living it; between the story of motherhood and the texture of living it, the story of addiction and the texture of living it, the story of empathy and the texture of living it.“

This was a quick, fun read, but only a soft pick as I felt it lacked a bit of depth and background.

I was surprised at the number of mixed and even harsh reviews I've seen on Land's second memoir, which disseminates how poorly our systems are setup to support the poor. I appreciated her vulnerability in writing and bringing attention to areas needing improvement and being a voice for many that are unable or lack the platform to share, all the while acknowledging her privilege. It's a pick for me. (📷 of NYT article)

Beautifully written. I definitely enjoy Patti Smith's writing. Solid pick and Seren-cat approved!

Edgar has been my reading buddy this afternoon for this heartbreaking book

Yesterday was long. Traveling for work. 4 hour flight + 5 hour layover + 2 hour flight = lots of reading time. Finished my audiobook, an ARC, and started a reread of the tagged book, which is excellent. I love Patti Smith's writing.

Took advantage of the absolutely gorgeous evening with a walk through the park and this audiobook ☀️🦆🎧📚

Spending a cozy evening reading with Edgar

This is definitely a pick! I must admit I was disappointed at first and thought it'd only be a so-so. But by part 2, it became a solid pick. I hadn't realized the level of disrespect vets faced returning from Nam nor did I know how utterly disregarded the women were. Not only was misinformation spread in the US, but the women who served were blatantly told they were never in Nam. I also appreciated the voice given to trauma and it's potent impact.

I spent much of my time in this books saying “WTF is going on?“ and I think that was intentional (perhaps coupled with too much time passing since I read book 1). This volume was about grief, trauma, and dissociation. It's about the feeling of not being able to trust your own senses and perceptions of what's real. And the second person narration lent itself well to the storytelling IMO. And now I'm going to start book 3!

“I began reading books, reading books to delirium. I began by vanishing from the known world into the passive abyss of reading, but soon found myself engaged with surprising vigor because the things in the books, or even the things surrounding the books roused me from my stupor.“

Just wow. I was absorbed in this from the start an read it in one sitting and had no idea my partner snapped this picture until this morning. I definitely found it to be a powerful and introspective story and recommend (but with a content warning of suicide). Edgar was a great reading buddy. I don't think he moved from his spot until I finished.

Finally starting this book today. Had to do a quick refresh on Gideon the Ninth first since it's been awhile, but ready or not, I'm diving into this one!

“I was like a woman trying to make spaghetti in the dark, destroying the kitchen as I grabbed every ingredient in the cupboard just in case it happened to be the one I needed. In the midst of my verbal wandering, I inevitably reached for the word “shame”—the box where I had lived for so very long, the box I still find myself tumbling back into with less provocation than I‘d like to admit.“

“She has always felt safest surrounded by books.“

Reading time is an essential for my self-care. Paired with coffee and a croissant is a bonus.

Hooked by the tagline, I was thrilled to get this ARC! “The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats. Nor do they have tails. But they are most assuredly dead.“ Funny and dark, I was fully engaged and immersed in this world immediately. Clark's newest is fast paced with the total badass Eveen, who was also a bit of a book nerd.