Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
BookshelfAl

BookshelfAl

Joined April 2017

blurb
BookshelfAl
Lethal White | Robert Galbraith
post image

My fun fall morning is sponsored by this mystery, a cuddly kitty, and coffee in my favorite mug (By Gemma Correll)

#catsoflitsy #mystery #fallreads

review
BookshelfAl
Lincoln in the Bardo | George Saunders
post image
Pickpick

I totally understand why some don't like this book. I'd be lying if I said I kept all the narrators straight 100% of the time. Having said that, this book moved me. Lincoln's pain of losing a child compounded with the pain of fighting a war that is killing thousands was real and heartbreaking. The pain of the narrators, their own original stories, and their fear was heartbreaking.

8 likes1 stack add
review
BookshelfAl
Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro
post image
Pickpick

I finished the audio of Never Let Me Go for my second #reversereadathon read. It's a well told story. I probably would have liked it better in print.
#readathon #audio

blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

Late lunch and some short stories! #reversereadathon #readathon @DeweysReadathon

review
BookshelfAl
Hundred-Year House | Rebecca Makkai
post image
Pickpick

Finally finished my first book of the @DeweysReadathon #reversereadathon (I had to get some sleep then did an audiobook while I worked, so only just now finished this book!) I enjoyed it. It hits my bookish high notes: multi-generational, art/literary-adjacent mystery...

#readathon

13 likes1 stack add
blurb
BookshelfAl
The Hundred-Year House | Rebecca Makkai
post image

Making progress in the #reversereadathon with my favorite bookmark for company. My 6-year-old made it for me. It's my cat, Lola. #readathon #catsoflitsy

JaclynW Best kind of bookmark! 6y
blog_gal Love the bookmark! 6y
Texreader Oh how cute!! Where can I buy mine? 😉 6y
Mdargusch So cute! 6y
Ddzmini Awe 😍 6y
14 likes5 comments
blurb
BookshelfAl
The Hundred-Year House | Rebecca Makkai
post image

I'm starting in the central time zone (so that my kids are in bed) so I still have an hour before I start the #ReverseReadathon. Here's my "to pick from" pile. I've already started a couple and the others will be nice grazing.

Now off to get those kids in bed so I can start!!
#readathon
@DeweysReadathon

Reviewsbylola I loved Goodbye Vitamin! 6y
BookshelfAl It's been on my TBR FOREVER! Maybe this weekend? 6y
14 likes2 comments
blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

It's tough to make progress in @24in48 readathon when you keep getting commentary from the peanut gallery.
6 yo- Ha! Mom is reading a book about a duck!
Me- It's a book about a restaurant.
6yo- A DUCK WORKS AT A RESTAURANT?!?
Me- No. The restaurant serves duck.
6yo- The duck is trying to get away?
Me- All the ducks in this book are dead.
4 yo- (takes the book away). There's no pictures in there.
#readathon #24in48 #24in48readathon

Sace 😂 6y
12 likes1 comment
blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

After doing Agatha Christie on audio for a bit for the @24in48 readathon, I'm gonna move on to a physical book! This cover is delightful 😃

#readathon #24in48 #24in48readathon

review
BookshelfAl
Convenience Store Woman | Sayaka Murata
post image
Pickpick

This book could not look any more adorable.

I enjoyed this book. I can't decide if it was a fun, quirky read or a dark commentary on modern society (that sounds super serious, I know). The truth is probably in between. A good read!

RaimeyGallant Nice review. :) 6y
Pruzy I feel like it was not that applicable to North American society. Feel like the book would have been written/progressed way differently. Some of the restraint / lack of understanding shown by the protagonists own family was painful 6y
BookshelfAl Yes! There were times where I thought "I hope no one I know would react to a family member this way." I'm sure a lot of that is cultural. However, I wouldn't put it past some in Western culture who still really place heavy value for an individual on not just marriage, but starting a family. As I was reading I was taking mental notes about being sure to be aware of my words when I'm next talking to someone who chose a different path than me. 6y
10 likes4 comments
quote
BookshelfAl
Us Against You | Fredrik Backman
post image

40 pages in and this book is already deep, intense, quotable. Whew. #bujo #bookquotes #usagainstyou #summerreading #summerstooshort

blurb
BookshelfAl
The Word Is Murder | Anthony Horowitz
post image

My current book matches my drink of choice and it's delightful.

review
BookshelfAl
post image
Pickpick
blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

Switching over to a graphic novel for a bit. This is so me...if only bread was a health food...
#deweys24hourreadathon #readathon

blurb
BookshelfAl
A Murder for Her Majesty | Beth Hilgartner
post image

Oh my...you know a book was written in the 80s when...

#deweys24hourreadathon #readathon

blurb
BookshelfAl
A Murder for Her Majesty | Beth Hilgartner
post image

So this book was one I randomly picked up and read in 7th grade. I liked it then quite a bit (and the cover was soooo much better on the edition I read then!) I spent a fair amount of time as an adult trying to re-find it. I guess I'll be using #deweys24hourreadathon to see how it holds up. #readathon

review
BookshelfAl
My Man Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse
post image
Pickpick

Book 3 for #deweys24hourreadathon

This was a fun book. I did not realize going in that not every story was a Jeeves story, but those were fine too (they were no Jeeves, but still enjoyable...and short!). There were several giggle-inducing moments. I especially enjoyed the moment when Jeeves was morally injured by Wooster's new mustache. #readathon @DeweysReadathon

blurb
BookshelfAl
My Man Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse
post image
review
BookshelfAl
post image
Pickpick

Book 2 completed for #deweys24hourreadathon. This play had several laugh-out-loud lines! #readathon @DeweysReadathon

Alfoster OMG! One of my faves! When I taught it to Honors 10th so many of my kids could read with English accents that I was in hysterics all the time! 6y
BookshelfAl That would be hilarious! 6y
11 likes1 stack add2 comments
quote
BookshelfAl
post image
quote
BookshelfAl
post image
Valeneayar1 loved this line 6y
10 likes1 comment
blurb
BookshelfAl
post image
review
BookshelfAl
post image
Pickpick

First book finished for #deweys24hourreadathon. This was a reread. It's a graphic novel and a lot of fun. #readathon @DeweysReadathon (168 pages)

blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

Required #readathon break for a youth soccer game. I'll be back at it soon. #deweys24hourreadathon.

blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

Taking a break from the Kindle to reread Scott Prilgrim Vol 1. So much fun! #readathon #deweys24hourreadathon

blurb
BookshelfAl
My Man Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse
post image

Starting the #readathon in bed with the 'ol Kindle. #deweys24hourreadathon

blurb
BookshelfAl
My Man Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse
post image

Here's my stack for tomorrow's Dewey's 24 hr Readathon. I'm going for short ones this time to give myself a sense of accomplishment :) #deweys24hourreadathon #readathon @DeweysReadathon

review
BookshelfAl
Shadow of the Wind | Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Mehso-so

I wanted so badly to love this book, maybe that ended up being the problem. So many people love it. I LOVE literary mysteries, this one just didn't capture my attention and I really struggled to finish. It is well written and has some very quotable lines so I'm still glad I read it, but it was not as I had hoped :(

review
BookshelfAl
post image
Pickpick

Loved loved this book. A great family drama, a bit of a mystery thrown in, great characters. Such a great read!

review
BookshelfAl
Sing, Unburied, Sing | Jesmyn Ward
post image
Mehso-so

It was well written. It was heart-breaking. I'm just not big into magical realism, so a lot of it was a bit out there for me. Having said that, I enjoyed it much more than expected (knowing about the magical realism ahead of time).

review
BookshelfAl
Dark Lake | Sarah Bailey
post image
Pickpick

Loved this book! Well-written police procedural, mystery, great characters!

review
BookshelfAl
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
post image
Pickpick

It took me awhile to get into, but I ended up really invested in the stories and characters. The gangster stories mixed well into the main plot. It actually turned out to be a neat mystery, which I wasn't expecting!

review
BookshelfAl
post image
Pickpick

Loved it! I marked many poems to look back on later. Some very powerful poems about self-love, empowerment, feminism, strength of immigrants...I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. #readathon

9 likes1 stack add
blurb
BookshelfAl
Shadow of the Wind | Carlos Ruiz Zafon
post image

Grocery shopping break done. Snacks refilled. Getting back into this book that I took a break from a week ago. #readathon @DeweysReadathon

9 likes1 stack add
blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

Late lunch! (Too lazy to make myself "real" food!) #readathon @DeweysReadathon

blurb
BookshelfAl
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
post image

I slept in so I'm only a couple hours in to the #readathon. I'm taking it a bit easy today and not going to push myself too much. I'm going to work on this one a bit longer then move on to some poetry. (So far I'm liking it much better than most reviewers on Litsy. I'm hoping this will be one of those books that I am in the minority on!) @DeweysReadathon

blurb
BookshelfAl
Jane Eyre | Charlotte Bront
post image

A stack of some of my favorite books by my favorite women authors! #readathon #thereadingwomen @thereadingwomen

9 likes1 stack add
review
BookshelfAl
I Found You | Lisa Jewell
post image
Pickpick

Oh my goodness gracious! First book I've read in a while that I literally could not put down!

KateFulfordAuthor @BookshelfAl perhaps you could consider my debut? Reviews are saying: “I loved this book more than I initially thought I would. Fulford infuses her characters with intense personalities that are prone to clashing with those of others. I loved Eve from the very beginning..." It‘s been nominated for The People's Book Prize 2018 too!

Learn more via the link in the BIO
6y
9 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
BookshelfAl
The Stars Are Fire | Anita Shreve
post image
Pickpick

LOVED this book. The story of a woman trying to find herself and her independence after tragedy (sounds cliche, I know. But it's well done). Historical fiction that takes place after the wild fires in Maine in the 1940s.

review
BookshelfAl
post image
Mehso-so

I can tell this is a good book. It is well written and a compelling story. However, I just don't think it's for me. I got about 2/3 of the way through and couldn't press on. Part of it is knowing how it ends, and the monotany of the men's​ daily lives began to feel like monotony for me. BUT if you love disaster stories, well written nonfiction, and/or survival tales, this is the book for you. I just don't think it's right for me. And that's ok.

blurb
BookshelfAl
The Dry | Jane Harper
post image

Weeee! Book mail! Summer reading can commence!

#bookmail #modernmrsdarcy #summerreading

blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

Mother's Day breakfast in bed. Cold book and warm food!

review
BookshelfAl
Picnic at Hanging Rock | Joan Lindsay
Pickpick

There's a book black hole in my house. I finished it a couple days ago and now can't find my copy, so no pic with this review! 🤣

This was a weird, oddly dark book. It's definitely not a straightforward mystery. It is super atmospheric and has a lot of mysterious qualities. Not for those who like their mysteries to be neat and tidy!

blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

Finally got my #botm! My mail is soooo much slower than most of y'all's!!!

review
BookshelfAl
post image
Pickpick

Oh my goodness. This is a good one. It's horrible, not the book, but the story it tells. It is a true story of how people in power take advantage of the Osage and it's a hard read at times, but so important. The stories of the murders that this book tells should not be forgotten. This should be required American history reading. #botm #american #history #nonfiction #mystery

9 likes1 stack add
blurb
BookshelfAl
The Hangman | Louise Penny
post image

I'm a couple days late with my #aprilreads but it's all good. I'd say my favorite read from #april was The Hangman. I love me some #gamache. I'm noticing that with summer approaching I'm starting to read more #mystery. I seem to do that every year. I don't know why but I LOVE it :)

blurb
BookshelfAl
post image

I decided to go with The Leavers for my May #BOTM
I had a hard time deciding. I added on And We're Off because it sounded like a lot of fun and it sounded like a good #ya read for #summerreading

JanuarieTimewalker13 It won the Bellwether Prize for 2016, which is fully funded by Barbara Kingsolver. She started it to give recognition to books which address issues of social justice. I just discovered that today! I'm reading her book of essays published in 1995 called High Tide in Tucson. I bet The Leavers will be a great read! Enjoy! 7y
BookshelfAl @JanuarieTimewalker13 I had no idea! Thanks! Kingsolver is an embarrassing gap in my reading. I hope to read something by her this summer; I have heard such wonderful things. 7y
JanuarieTimewalker13 You're welcome! What's really weird is GR has pub date of May 2017, yet Wiki says it won in 2016? I wonder how that happened? Unless it's received as an arc? I plan on reading more Kingsolver! This essay collection is my first foray into her work. I have learned so much from her. 7y
8 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
BookshelfAl
Wrinkle in Time | Madeleine L'Engle
post image
Pickpick

Finally making up for a deprived childhood ;)

First time ever reading Wrinkle In Time. I probably would have loved it more if I had read it as a kid, but I still enjoyed it! My favorite moment: when Mrs. Whatsit compares life to a sonnet " You're given the form, but your have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you​."

#childrenslit #springcleaningreadathon #kiddielit#scifi #readathon

blurb
BookshelfAl
Wrinkle in Time | Madeleine L'Engle
post image

My to do list was too long today for tons of reading, so I'm only just now starting book 2 for the #readathon Starting it with my son during our nightly ritual of us reading together before he goes to sleep.

#springcleaningreadathon

review
BookshelfAl
post image
Pickpick

Not my favorite Christie but definitely not my least favorite. A good Poirot #mystery
#readathon #springcleaningreadathon

BibliophileMomma Love Agatha! 7y
8 likes1 comment