Excellent memoir about deciding to become a parent and ultimately doing it on hard mode as a single mom of twins. I related to so much of the writing about having a child later in life and how grueling ART can be (assisted reproductive technology). It was also interesting to hear a Brit‘s perspective on doing this in NYC/the US. I‘m surprised this one wasn‘t more widely read! It has under 500 ratings on Goodreads.

A low pick for this one. The premise is pretty good and the plot line engaged me for the most part, but the romance was lackluster. The main character owned her impulsiveness, but it was still annoying. I‘ll probably read the next one when it comes out though! #botm

Wow, this was an excellent listen. Hess nails so much of the predatory commercialism shoved down the throats of parents from the second they‘re expecting. Her personal story of her challenging pregnancy with her first child was hard to read, especially given I had to go through similarly invasive testing in my journey to have my daughter. This book really made me want to delete all social media as I navigate life as a new mother. Except Litsy!

What a special, beautiful book. Absolutely loved this memoir about a woman and the wild hare she unexpectedly rears and who stays in her life. I had pet rabbits as a kid so might be biased, but hares are truly fascinating creatures. The writing on the human impact on nature was particularly poignant and incredibly sad. Just really moving and I highly recommend, especially the audio.

Loved this audiobook. As an NYC restaurant obsessive, I‘ve followed the food scene in question for a long time and her raw accounting of working with Batali and Bourdain is fascinating. There are few surprises here with Batali coming across as pretty gross and Bourdain as a genuinely good guy, but I can read about these personalities all day. Woolever is also remarkably brave in talking about her own struggles with alcohol, her marriage and more.

I loved this book. I couldn‘t put it down and read way ahead for #camplitsy25 - oops. Maybe it‘s because I was pregnant so recently but Annie really struck a chord with me; I related hard to so much of the writing about impending motherhood (like calling her unborn baby a “tiny unfurled soul” - 🥹). It‘s a tense and unsettling story that‘s harrowing to read, but I found it to be so well done. Excited for next week‘s discussion!

Such an interesting collection. Definitely more technical sci fi than I was expecting and some of it went over my head, but I enjoyed most of the stories. Story of Your Life though, man. One of the best (if not the best) short stories I‘ve ever read; I was weeping at the end of it. I suppose it doesn‘t help that I have a newborn, given the storyline. I want to watch the movie (Arrival) but not sure my heart can handle it just yet.

It‘s a low pick for this one. Interesting premise and an unexpected storyline but it never quite came together. The mother/daughter relationship was meant to be a central point of the novel but it didn‘t feel fully fleshed out to me, though I liked how the final chapters reframed some of the earlier events.

Enjoying a few minutes by the pool in between newborn feeds! Am about halfway through this book and not sure what to make of it, it‘s not exactly what I was expecting from Obreht after her previous novels (I loved Tiger‘s Wife). But it‘s engaging and an easy read, which is necessary for me right now!

Like many of you, my reaction to this book is mainly “what did I just read?” I appreciate what she‘s trying to do here even while I don‘t follow a lot of it, but overall this was too tedious to be enjoyable. I loved Intimacies so this was a little disappointing.

Reading all the #camplitsy25 comments was super helpful, though! I‘m on a slight delay but trying to read all the books at some point!

So fun to return to the Grishaverse! I didn‘t love it the same way I loved the Six of Crows duology, but it‘s better than the Shadow and Bones books in my opinion. There aren‘t really any new characters, but why do you need them when the existing cast is this entertaining?

I‘m also so proud to have finished my first book after having a baby a few weeks ago!! I‘ve just gotten comfortable enough to read while nursing/napping 😊

Proud to share that I have a new reader in the house - Beatrice Lynn arrived on June 5 weighing 7 lbs, 13 oz. Am enamored with her and can‘t wait to introduce her to books! For now though, we‘re focused on basic survival of the newborn phase and I‘m on a reading hiatus 😅 Hoping to at least get through some audiobooks soon!

Really enjoyed this short, odd little novel. The cadence of the writing and how Wang writes her characters just really worked for me. Keru in particular is a fascinating protagonist. I could see this not being for everyone - not much happens - but I thought it was great.

Starting this chunkster! Excited to read this since I loooved The Magicians series. I‘m due with my first baby in less than 5 weeks so this feels like my last chance to read a big physical book for a while 😅 I‘m off work today and it‘s finally nice enough to sit outside, so am very happy.

This was fun! I‘m officially a fan of her books, though I liked Yours Truly a little bit more. I‘m usually much more into historical romances so glad to find a contemporary author I can enjoy. #romantsy

Really liked this one; was just really good timing for this type of reflective, intentional writing. I went in a bit blind and was pleasantly surprised at it taking place in both Long Island and Ireland. Only fitting to take this photo of the book ON Long Island!

Absolutely loved this, just ridiculously fun. And fantastic audio reading by Wil Wheaton, as usual. Hyper intelligent cats, unionizing dolphins, bumbling villainous henchmen, what‘s not to love? Mad that I waited so long to read it.

Unpopular opinion incoming! I did NOT like this one. I thought the plot was silly and thin, and moved along with the boring efficiency of a writer following a detailed outline. The characters were flat and underdeveloped, especially Heath. Only after finishing it did I see all the comparisons to Taylor Jenkins Reid books (not a fan) - if I had known this was in that vein, I would have avoided. I see most people loved this but it‘s not for me.

I liked this so much more than I thought I would - I‘d read mixed reviews and didn‘t love The Flamethrowers. But it was in my Strand fiction subscription box last year, so I felt like I should give it a try. I knew it would be contemplative so slowing down my reading really helped me appreciate it more, and I actually found it to be quite engaging in the end.

Finished this the other day and am now a #tob25 completionist (better late than never)! I really liked it, though it took me forever to read; in fairness, that wasn‘t really the book‘s fault as I have a lot going on right now (7 months pregnant). It felt like a cross between Stephen King and Neil Gaiman in a good way. Darkly entertaining and I liked the ending, after not being sure how it would be wrapped up.

Book(er) of the Month time! 😹 It‘s a minor miracle I was able to stage this, haha. I wasn‘t super excited about these when I ordered, but now that they‘ve arrived I‘m looking forward to them. #BookerCat #botm

Some beautiful writing, but this kept me at arm‘s length enough that I couldn‘t love it. I know that was the point. The writing about loss at the end was a true gut punch and my favorite part of the book. Will be interested to see how this fares in #tob25!

Skeptical about this month‘s #botm choices again, so went for a “member fave” to get the free book. I‘d read three of those already and am not a Kristin Hannah fan so here are! Hope Lion Women is good.

Eh? I listened to this instead of reading in print/digital, and not sure if that was a good thing. But also not sure I would have liked it more otherwise. There were some clever things going on, but I felt like a lot of it went over my head, and I just generally didn‘t love it. Not a strong contender for #tob25.

A light pick for this #tob25 entry and Booker prize winner. The writing is gorgeous but I have incredibly limited patience for meditative, not-quite novels right now. I probably would have liked it more if I‘d read it at a mentally quieter point in my life.

#TulinCat is again a wonderful book prop! I‘m pretty sure he ate a hair tie earlier so I‘m really on edge about it, please wish us luck. Kittens, ugh.

It‘s a mild pick for me. This installment makes it way too obvious that she‘s stretching a trilogy to five books. It started slow but got going midway through, when it finally became hard to put down. The ending was a total mess though, I had to google it to figure out what on earth was actually going on, and I‘m honestly still confused!

I‘m not usually a fan of satires, but I liked this one. Though it was a bit too close for comfort to our potential medium term future in the US. #tob25

Liked but didn‘t love this one. The protagonist‘s relationship with Samuel was really well written as were the real/not real elements. The way his relationship with his wife and son was described felt a little shallow and unfinished to me, I couldn‘t quite get a hold on it. Definitely a unique story overall and I‘m glad I read it. #tob25

Now on to beach reads!

A truly excellent short story collection that I really enjoyed on audio, which can be hit or miss for me with literary fiction. The historical fiction in particular was so well done, I loved it. #tob25

This was excellent. Happy to finally be pleased with a #tob25 entry after a couple letdowns in a row! It‘s cleverly pulled together and the writing is beautiful (would expect nothing less from a poet author).

This was just ok; the world felt under-developed as did the characters. The romance wasn‘t very believable either. It did move along at a decent pace given the number of pages, so at least there‘s that. #botm

#TulinCat is also skeptical 😺

Another meh #tob25 entry. I‘m glad I listened to this one. This was tough to read so recently after Good Material, which I enjoyed MUCH more. It just didn‘t come together for me, though it had some funny moments.

Bailed on the audiobook at 80% because I was struggling so much to pay attention. I just don‘t like “fiction” that‘s so closely based on real events. A disappointing #tob25 entry.

Belated, but here‘s my Christmas book haul from my mom! Very excited about all of these. I‘m prioritizing Martyr! though, for the 2025 TOB.

I liked this, though it did make me cringe quite a bit. I knew it would be “why would you do that, no” kind of book though. Really unlikeable characters but highly entertaining, and doesn‘t hold back on the biting social commentary. #tob25

Really unique structure; I liked some of the linked vignettes more than others. This felt different and more interesting than typical writing about teenage girls, which I appreciated. I‘d give it a slightly low pick overall given the unevenness. Am glad I read it and wonder how it‘ll do in #tob25!

Stanley Tucci is, as ever, utterly charming and delightful with this new memoir. I loved this on audio, the diary format really worked and had me salivating, and inspired to cook more off the cuff Italian food. The casual hobnobbing with other actors is unapologetic and fascinating. His reflections on life amongst all the food porn were surprisingly touching.

Just starting this after taking it out of the library, and it‘s signed?! Have never seen this with a library book, granted I don‘t take out physical books that often. I even checked the other side of the page and saw marker bleed, so it looks real! #tob25

Wow. What a quiet but devastating last book of the year. I‘ve been meaning to pick up Keegan forever and am mad I waited so long. I loved everything about this novella.

Happy new year, all!

Excellent linked stories and a satisfyingly meta experience. It‘s really smartly done, though some of the stories went really over the top, but that was clearly the point. Highly recommend the audio (but make sure to use earbuds or your family may question your reading habits!). Book 4 of #tob25 done - I have a long way to go but am excited to participate this year after skipping last year!

Yay, I did it!! Was a bit of a rush at the end, thank goodness for time off. Not my best reading year in comparison, but I‘ve had a lot going on. Proud that I managed to hit this (and hoping to sneak in one or two more quick ones if I can!).

Enjoying this follow up more than I expected (fantasy sequels have been disappointing me lately). I‘m off for the rest of the year and excited to do as little as possible outside of chilling with these kitties and reading ☺️ #BookerCat #TulinCat

Hmm. This was a little too out there for me. While it‘s full of great lines that will actually stick with me, the protagonist was just too over the top on the sex stuff and it felt incomprehensible to me. Not that there isn‘t a certain enjoyment in reading those kinds of characters. The parts about her birth trauma and perimenopause were far more interesting to me than the lust parts. #tob25

Perfect time to read this book! I‘ve never read a cozy mystery let alone a cozy mystery romance, and I can see the appeal. This was very cute and I breezed right through it which is just what I needed this week to decompress. Really don‘t love the cover, though. #botm

I really liked this one even with all of Andy‘s hapless male foundering. It was funny, smart, and I loved all the British-isms. But the ending just floored me and turned this from a 3-star to a very high 4-star read. #botm

A fine, very light listen. Not ashamed to admit I was fitting in a short audiobook to get closer to my 2024 reading goal 😅 I follow Kacie on Instagram and she‘s charming and earnest, though she seems to pander to the “dumb American” a little too much (do all Americans truly think fettuccine Alfredo is the pantheon of classic Italian cooking?). I would have liked it to be more memoir and less self help/motivational, but it was entertaining.

I learned how to cook watching Ina and Giada on the Food Network years ago, and have always been a Barefoot Contessa fan. Her life is even more fascinating than I expected, and I loved reading about her relationship with Jeffrey, warts and all. I‘m a Hamptons girl myself and her warm and breezy aesthetic reflects all the best things about this area. Listening to this was a balm for the past week and all the horrendous news here in the US.

Excuse the non-book post, but I early voted today with hope in my heart for our first woman president 🤞 I know I don‘t need to preach to this community but if you‘re in the US, I hope you‘ve gotten out there or are planning to do so soon. The kittens #BookerCat and #TulinCat humored me by posing with our stickers (I learned the hard way that you shouldn‘t put a fresh sticker on a cat, poor Booker got a little wax 😅)

Just starting this and really liking it so far. I love Elizabeth Strout. Also featuring #TulinCat who is now 5 and half months old! 😸

About to start this one to feed my denial about summer ending 😢