I‘m going to try #bookspinbingo for October! No way I‘ll read 20 books in a month, but let‘s see what happens.

#Bookspin is Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

#Doublespin is Unfinished Portrait by Mary Westmacott

October goals.
Top three were started in September.
Bottom five are #TrappedinaSpookyHouse picks.

Fiction winner for September! Giant‘s Bread by Mary Westmacott (aka Agatha Christie). Special thanks to the #westmakittens - I definitely got a lot more out of it thinking it over for our discussion!

Don‘t forget to start looking for Unfinished Portrait, our #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead pick for October. Discussion will be posted Oct 15 & 22. #LMWBR

September NF pick: From Here To Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

#FFFS

Wow wow wow! Thank you so much @Chrissyreadit for the amazing #FallingForFallSwap goodies! I absolutely love the campfire/s‘mores theme, what a cute clever idea! The candle smells wonderful and I can‘t wait to bake some goodies with the loaf pan and the baking cups. I‘ve been wanting to read both of those books too - my daughter read DJ&TS and highly recommended it but somehow I haven‘t gotten around to it. Thank you! 🍁🏕️ 🔥🧡📚

#Book2book
Woohoo! #Bookmail is the best mail. Thank you @dabbe these arrived today! Nice treat on a dreary Saturday. Thank you @AllDebooks for organizing!

Happy Friday all! Time for the #bookishquestion of the week! Today‘s question is: if you‘re in a bad mood, do you read to lift your spirits, or do you avoid reading - in case your bad mood poisons your view of the book?
#BookTalk

My #bookspin list for October!

#SummerEndReadathon @TheSpineView

This was a great read. Caitlin Doughty has a wonderful style; her writing is informal without being cutesy and she presents the different post-mortem cultural traditions respectfully while avoiding an overly anthropological tone. I loved her perspective on American funeral culture and the chapters flew by. The illustrations added a lot as well.

My #book2book parcel arrived today! Thank you @Catsandbooks !!!

#SummerEndReadathon

Forgot to review Hallowe‘en Party last week! It was another solid Poirot mystery, where the solution comes not from physical evidence but from keen analysis of the characters‘ behaviors, histories, and their essential character. Published in 1969, this one features Agatha‘s perspective on the fashions of the day — both sartorial and psychological. Excellent read.

Another formulaic romance in which the female protagonist suffers from crippling self-doubt, feeling personally and professionally stuck; she meets a wonderful man, they fall instantly in love and have copious amounts of tremendously satisfying sex without ever really getting to know each other. The past comes back to bite them in the ass; there‘s a contrived breakup, a professional breakthrough, and the inevitable reconciliation. Cute but weak.

#TrappedinaSpookyHouse

@julieclair Uh oh … looks like you‘re trapped in a spooky house with just five books! Monsters, witches, murder and mayhem await…

#weekendreads

Anybody read either of these?

#SummmerEndReadathon
This is a hard book to rate, because the good parts were easily 4-5 stars, but overall, the book was too unfocused and I didn‘t appreciate Ackerman‘s tendency to indulge in fanciful flights of imagination. She would say something might have happened a certain way and then describe her imagined scene in rich detail. She writes too poetically to tell this harrowing war story in a compelling way and it was a struggle to get into.

That wraps up our discussion of Giant‘s Bread! Start looking for a copy of our next selection, Unfinished Portrait. And … get your tissues handy. This one is a semi-autobiographical character study of a sensitive, thoughtful young woman who is struggling with the direction her life should take. Looking forward to discussing it with you! #LMWBR #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead #westmakittens

#LMWBR #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead #westmakittens

I‘m getting ready to post more discussion topics about Giant‘s Bread - some heavy ideas here! I‘ll hide the next post under a spoiler tag but we‘re going to explore the significance of “the Beast” and the meaning of the title—why is it called Giant‘s Bread, anyway? #LMWBC #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead #westmakittens

Happy Friday! Although I left it so late that it‘s already Saturday for most of you. Who‘s up for a #bookishquestion of the week? This week‘s question is: what‘s a a book you read based on Litsy posts? #BookTalk #blameitonlitsy

I absolutely tore through this one—it was incredibly compelling even through it was not especially plot-driven. The book examines the psychology of a small, tight-knit community, and how social expectations weigh differently on people of different temperaments. How pride and a desire not to be found lacking can catastrophically hinder communication and intimacy even in a place where everyone knows everyone else‘s business. Gripping and profound.

Here‘s my #book2book recap!
Little Eyes - @Soubhiville
Mycroft Holmes - @dabbe
No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books 2-10 - AVAILABLE
Amazing Grace - AVAILABLE
A Crack in Creation - AVAILABLE
Liars Club - AVAILABLE

#EuropaCollective

Absolutely blown away by this story of a group of young people coming of age in the 1910s. Christie explores themes of social expectations, and what happens when one tries to subvert them; what does art require of the artist; what is love; what is genius; and most poignantly, how does each character‘s sense of self hold up when they are tested by events? What do their choices say about them? Brilliant, tragic, and thought-provoking. 5⭐️

What did you think of the different characters‘ reaction to the outbreak of WWI? Do you agree with Sebastian, that things always seem different or unique when we are living through them? What about Nell‘s emotional clarity in the face of imminent danger, versus Jane‘s stolid practicality?
#LMWBR #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead #Westmakittens

@Ruthiella @KathyWheeler @quietjenn @Librarybelle @kspenmoll @BarbaraJean @peanutnine @Roary47 @willaful @batsy

Happy Saturday #westmakittens
I haven‘t *quite* finished the book yet but I thought I‘d start posting some discussion questions just to get us started. I‘m really finding it compelling! (Hard to say “enjoying” since everyone is so dreadfully angsty all the time.) What do you think?
#LMWBR #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead

Time again for the #bookishquestion of the week! In keeping with the back-to-school theme the last two Fridays, this week‘s question is:
What‘s a book that isn‘t “required reading” in schools, but should be? What book would you choose for a literature curriculum? #BookTalk

Subject to change on a whim - there are so many great ones to choose from! Top of mind tonight are:

1. Penny Rush (The Dog of the North)
2. Nynaeve al‘Meara (Wheel of Time series)
3. Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables)

@dabbe #TLT

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

Thanks for the tag, @Sparklemn 😊

1. Hiking, watching football, baking
2. Answering for Wednesday, I‘ll say happy, because it was my husband‘s birthday and we got to go to a Rick Springfield concert featuring the Hooters! Woohoo
3. Giant‘s Bread for #LMWBR #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead

“You want to be able to live in the house of your forefathers, and to marry the girl you love, and to grow immensely rich, and to be a great composer. I dare say you might manage to do one of those four things if you give your whole mind to it.

But it‘s not likely you‘ll have everything, you know. Life isn‘t like a penny novelette.” 🔥🔥🔥

It‘s a great day!!! Two exciting things arrived in the mail:
First, my #FFFS box (pictured) - marked FRAGILE but, of course, properly battered. And it is HUGE, omg 😳
Second, my Etsy order! with the last item I was waiting on to complete my box!! It came out so cute!

I will mail my box later today, or more likely tomorrow, but definitely no later than that. #Fallingforfallswap

#HauntedHollowSwap #HHS #HHS23

1. Owl
2. Golden age crime; classic noir; ghost stories; true crime; psychological thrillers. Really anything spooky, suspenseful, mysterious, not super graphic (although I‘m ok with Stephen King-level horror).
3. I don‘t *love* dressing up but one year the 5 of us went as the Guardians of the Galaxy and that was cool
4. Sure, why not. Size 8
5. Psycho, The Sixth Sense, Corpse Bride
6. Dark chocolate anything

Underland is for my in-person book club (actually back in person this month after being virtual the last few years!) I love nonfiction and science books but I‘m having a really hard time getting into this one. Maybe it‘s just me - but my husband found it mid as well.

Giant‘s Bread is superb so far - looking forward to discussing it with the #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead #LMWBR

Open to those who signed up for #Book2Book with @AllDebooks

Comment below if you would like this copy of The Liars‘ Club by Mary Karr. If multiple people request it, I‘ll hold a drawing to determine the winner on Sept 23.

On February 9, 1964, the Beatles first performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, and to celebrate the 60th anniversary of that event I‘m hosting a year-long reading challenge from Feb 2023-Feb 2024!
#bigfabbeatles

Each month I will post a prompt for a different Beatles album. Join anytime! To see all the prompts, visit my challenge page on StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/341534ff-8451-4f08-b50a-c7523a8...

Time for the #bookishquestion of the week! Following up on last week, this week‘s question is: what‘s a book that was required reading in school that you did NOT enjoy at the time, but you enjoyed more as an adult? #BookTalk

#SummerEndReadathon

Read this over Labor Day weekend. I did not love it. I‘m giving it a “pick” because I‘m not a romance reader, so it seems unfair to judge it too harshly. This started out promising and I really liked both the main characters, but too much of the story was taken up with their insecurities. They‘re supposed to be 30 but they act like teenagers. “Does he really like me, or are we just having a lot of sex for some other reason?”

Late post, but how can I not participate? #SummerEndReadathon

My goals are to keep up with the various book clubs/buddy reads that I‘m reading with, and catch up on some of the books that I planned to read in July and August but didn‘t 😣

This book was suspenseful, violent, and chilling (get it? get it? sorry, I couldn‘t help myself).

This was my first Jo Nesbø novel and I found it quite compelling. It was well-crafted with lots of false leads that he tied up well at the end. It did feel a little too crafted at times, rather than unfolding in the seamless, organic way a good mystery sometimes will, but maybe that‘s just me reading too many mysteries and recognizing the tricks.

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

Movie: Galaxy Quest “Do I have a last name? DO I?!?!”

TV: Arrested Development “There‘s always money in the banana stand” *wink*

Book: Three Men in a Boat “George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day, except Saturdays when they wake him up and put him outside at two.”

I really like this description of how psychiatric diagnoses are made.

#Book2book

On offer: 3 hardcover No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels. Like-new, read once. Choose one or take all three! Ships from US.

@Bookish_Gal @LiteraryinLawrence @Chrissyreadit @Clwojick @Cuilin @bcncookbookclub @Tineke @julieclair @Catsandbooks @TheAromaofBooks @Soubhiville @BookwormAHN @Lizpixie @KateReadsYA @TheBookHippie @dabbe

#Book2book

On offer: 3 hardcover No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels. Like-new, read once. Choose one or take all three!

@Bookish_Gal @LiteraryinLawrence @Chrissyreadit @Clwojick @Cuilin @bcncookbookclub @Tineke @julieclair @Catsandbooks @TheAromaofBooks @Soubhiville @BookwormAHN @Lizpixie @KateReadsYA @TheBookHippie @dabbe

Hey #LMWBR gang! So after a dramatic couple of weeks I‘ve finally got my hands on Giants Bread, our #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead for September. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far - I will plan to post discussion prompts on Sept 16, but this is an egalitarian project - please do post your own reviews & discussion topics as you finish and tag the group!

#Top10summer2023reads

Fun idea! Who‘s next?
@peanutnine @Tamra @Lizpixie @quietjenn @BarbaraJean @batsy @Ruthiella @kspenmoll @julieclair @dabbe

Ok … this did not go the way I hoped

First of all, I only finished 7 of the 14 books I picked out, way lower than the lowest guess. But - surprise! My plan all along was to send everyone the book they picked out. (Happily, no two people asked for the same one.)

Problem: I still haven‘t read the ones you asked for. Except Dead Fathers Club, which I forgot to set aside and accidentally sold on Pango Books. 🤦🏻‍♀️What else can go wrong???
⬇️⬇️⬇️

Feels too early to be planning for Halloween on Labor Day, but I thought this would be a fun way to prep for the #HauntedHollowSwap #HHS #HHS23

1. Scary
2. Witches
3. Pumpkin spice
4. Both!
5. Great Pumpkin
6. Chocolate all day
7. Both!
8. Vampires
9. Both
10. Jump scares

My Halloween vibe.

- spooky, eerie, psychological
- chocolate
- tablecloths, wall decor (think small space)
- bookish accoutrements
- chocolate!
- murder mystery
- ghost stories
- did I mention chocolate?

#HHS23
#HauntedHollowSwap