This is an alternate reality where slavery still exists in four states, about a former slave who is currently tracking down escaped slaves in the north. It was written by a white man.
I loved it and thought the premise was fascinating. However, such a fraught topic being written by a white man made me slightly uncomfortable. The reviews I read were by white reviewers, and I can't help but wonder if any readers were offended by any of the content.

This gripped me right away. Alternate present day universe where the Civil War never happened and slavery exists today. The main character is a former slave who currently hunts down escaped slaves in the northern free states.

From the list of things that make Amy Schumer insanely furious...
"31. People who bring a book to a bar deserve to be stoned. Don't try to look mysterious and interesting. You are reading in a bar."
Judgmental much? Perhaps someone just really wants to read their book while sipping some delicious cocktails.

Read this in a single day. Lindy West is amazing! She is so strong, empathetic, and kind.

Wow. Picked this up after @Liberty talked about it.

The plot is incredibly unique. It's amazing how when there are millions of books, and there are still stories this original!

This was definitely not an easy read, and several parts were incredibly difficult to get through (similar to A Little Life). The extent of emotional manipulation was unparalleled.

With that said, I would absolutely recommend this, but only to a select group of people

Wish I would have gone with the audio book. The loooong sentences are taking multiple re-reads to comprehend.

This was in Book Riot's "addictive audiobook" list. Loved the alternating perspectives between the author, Darcy, and chapters of the novel she was writing. At times, I thought Darcy's novel seemed a bit juvenile, but it made sense as Darcy was only 17 when she wrote it. Definitely addictive, finished the whole audiobook in only two days!

So creepy, and not in the paranormal "this could never really happen" creepy. Almost too realistic, and I think I will be looking over my shoulder more often in the next few weeks.

Oh my god! So much deeper and more intense than I expected. I don't have the words for all the reasons I thought this would bore me, but I was amazed and captivated throughout.

Seriously... Chris Bohjalian just keeps getting better!

Loved this book, so much better than I was expecting. I listened to the audio and the narration was excellent.

Mr only complaint was that after finishing, I wanted to go back and re-read several passages, but had issues finding them on the audio book. One of the major advantages of print.

Can there never, ever be another male protagonist who drives home drunk? And after minor protests is rewarded with a blow job? No, your truck doesn't "know the way".

There is also a lot of talk about skanky girls.

Some unfortunately major issues in what has so far been a cute, funny romance with great characters and dialogue.

Another great dedication! (I would mind - a lot - on both counts)

Really enjoyed it, kept me on the edge of my seat, and while I suspected the ending, it wasn't too obvious. There were several really shitty characters that reminded me too much of people in real life (cough cough Bill Cunningham), which actually made me slightly uncomfortable they were so spot-on.
Also there were multiple references to a clenched sphincter. Which was... interesting.

Great dedication or greatest dedication?

Do you consider it pretentious when a character in a fiction book says "You couldn't make this up" because... someone did make it up. The author made it up.

Warning, I was ultra sensitive while reading this due to recent political events.
I struggled with this. Overall, I thought it was an interesting modern day retelling. My favorite character was Ham, he was amazing!
The rest of the characters felt like caricatures of the original. I also didn't appreciate how the author used racism and homophobia as a tool to demonstrate certain characters' ignorance and intolerance.

Not sure why, but I love sentences like this! too many would be obnoxious, but I love coming across them lightly interspersed throughout the text!

"Mary was proof, Liz had concluded, of how easy it was to be unattractive and unpleasant."

This is not the Elizabeth Bennett I remember.

Using "lesbian" as a derogatory term. Really? Why did you decide that was the best option?

I am fairly disgusted so far. Does the book redeem itself?

This was a devastating look at a dysfunctional family attempting to recover from a horrific event that in some way affected everyone. At times I wanted to throw this book against the wall, I was so frustrated with the character's choices, but their choices ultimately made the characters more complex and feel alive. Definitely not an easy book to get through, but I enjoyed it.

"...the industrial might of the 3M corporation"!!!

So good.

Friday night plans

More amazingness from Giant Days!

Words cannot express my love for this panel.

When you need something lighter to help decompress from the world at large... Comics!

I am absolutely loving Giant Days!

"...Like a Victorian lady's bustle knocking bone china off shelves. It's just there."

Love that description and the image!

Just finished and I am so confused. This was so very eerie. At times my heart hurt and now I am just so confused. What happened?!

I am not sure what it says about me that when I first read this, I thought Eleanor was interacting with the squid.

I don't fully understand what is going on, but my heart absolutely aches :(

Too astute.

I am realizing that without the context, the quotes from this book aren't quite as great... This'll be the last one.

Not sure if the average reader is OCD enough to enjoy this book (and quotes from it) but I ADORED everything about it.

"I think a high grammar standard may be a losing fight on the internet."

Too true.

Terrified to start this! I loved Bernadette so very much, and I am worried this won't be the same caliber.

Paraphrasing: Oh but you don't understand, my "poor" was so much worse than your "poor"

Not entirely sure how Neni refrained from attacking... But maybe I'm overreacting?

Am I going crazy? I swear this was mentioned on one of the bookish podcasts I listen to (All the Books, Get Booked, Reading Women), but now I can't find any evidence of it. Where would I have heard of this one. Any ideas?

"I've said that I take a dim view of the police, and I think I'll extend that line of thinking to the sheriff, who seems not to know the most rudimentary fact about a carrier pigeon, suggesting an incurious mind. I don't think he has much to offer us, do you?"

Inarguable logic :)

"I had never thought of a tomato as a fruit—the ones I had known were mostly white in the center and rock hard. But this was so luscious, so tart I thought it victorious. So—some tomatoes tasted like water, and some tasted like summer lightning."

I love quotes like this juxtaposed next to quotes about puking in a car. A book that is not only amazing, but didn't take itself too seriously.

Highly recommend!

This has been on my to read list for awhile. Excited to start it!

Thanks for letting us know about the daily deal @AmyStewart

"I had left ParkBar at 3:30 AM right when the cooks were getting another round of Jagermeister shots. I had taken one and thought I might throw up on the floor. Instead I threw myself into a cab and threw up in my own toilet like an adult. I was proud of myself."

This is so reminiscent of my priorities when I was 22.

I promise, only one more Sweetbitter quote after this one!

Book haul from the library book sale. $1.50 total, and they're all in great condition!

"It's brave if you make it, foolish if you fail."

"You know what I dislike? When people use the future as a consolation for the present. I don‘t know if there is anything less helpful."

"Come to that, he was acerbic and peculiar in equal measure, and he could raise an eyebrow as if raising a middle finger."

#jealous

Really enjoyed this one. I worked in a couple restaurants and the atmosphere, ridiculousness, drinking, fucking, drama seems to be a constant throughout the restaurant industry. My favorite parts were the fragments of the characters' thoughts regarding various events. Addictive! Narration was wonderful.

A goldfish in a blender totally counts, right? @Liberty #funfridayphoto

Sigh... Am I crazy? I love the British quirkiness, but just don't care about the story and there are too many books I am so excited to start!

Although Jane Eyre is not often considered a comedy, there were multiple passages that made me (literally) laugh out loud.

"Do you know where the wicked go after death?"

"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer."

"What must you do to avoid it?"

I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.

The character descriptions are fantastic...

"Thankfully, Patience Barbary was blessed with a face ensuring that conjugal affronts would not happen twice..."

"Edwin, on the other hand, was what his mother considered a model child; he was brown-haired and red-faced and sheepdog simple. He chewed on his bottom lip perennially, as if afraid it might go suddenly missing."