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 😢

Wow. This was unputdownably excellent. Lives up to all the hype, and I truly didn‘t know how it would come together until the last moments. Absolutely loved it. #BOTM

I loved this so much more than I thought I would. It‘s been a while since a novel actually made me laugh and cry. I thought her first book was fine, but this one is just excellent; I felt Phoebe‘s struggles deeply. #botm

Thanks to #bookercat and #tulincat for helping with the photo 🐱🐱

I was mildly concerned this wouldn‘t live up to the hype, but happily I had no reason to worry. This was just excellent in every way. Everett is such an amazing writer and I‘m so glad he‘s finally getting his due. #tob25

My husband poked me last night and whispered “Litsy” and pointed to our sleepy kitten Booker, who‘s really living up to his name 😸 #BookerCat

Just finished this and it was exactly what I was looking for - page turning, steamy with lots of twists and gory violence! Some of the world-building is a little flimsy but I‘ll forgive it. I love romantasy but am wary about what I pick up since it‘s such a trend, but this one was good.

I‘m now a David Mitchell completionist! Unfortunately, this was probably my least favorite of all his books. It was unrelentingly odd in a madcap way and my attention span at the moment is not the best. It took me over two weeks to get through and I probably should have set it aside for a better time, but oh well.

One more post of our new kittens since they‘re so enjoying the #botm box 😺😺 Booker is on the left and Tulin is in the box! #bookercat #tulincat

My husband and I lost our almost 15 year old #percycat last November (remaining guy from a bonded pair) and we‘d been without cats for way too long. We finally adopted two kittens a couple weeks ago and it‘s been pure chaotic joy. This is Booker, who is already living up to his name 😸 #bookercat #catsoflitsy

I haven‘t posted in forever! Enjoying a muggy, cloudy day of reading and wine at the vineyard. Almost done with this book and really enjoying it. #vineyardreads

I now understand why a nearly 500 page book about sheep and coffee is such a classic. One definitely needs to be in the right headspace to focus on this type of novel, but once you give over to it, it‘s rewarding. It has many themes but the one that resonated with me most was resilience in hard times. Because wow, the times were so often hard in this kind of life. Bjartur is one of the most infuriating and memorable protagonists I‘ve come across.

A wholehearted and enthusiastic pick for this excellent memoir. Read to moving effect by the author on audiobook.

I generally liked this one but felt the second half dragged a bit and it felt longer than it should have been (and it‘s not a long book). Definitely an interesting framework and provocative theme; would say it‘s a low pick for me. I really love the purple, though.

Kate Atkinson can do no wrong in my book, and I loved her latest collection of linked stories. It was really fun to read her work in a new type of format. I‘ve been watching the BBC adaptation of the Jackson Brodie novels and am getting myself really psyched for the new one coming out later this year!

Loved the prose in this book, which was just gorgeous. The first half was excellent but the second half lost me a little, but still appreciated this for its beautiful writing about truly horrific things. #LitsyTOB24 #botm

Really enjoyed this memoir by a longtime NYC medical examiner. It was sometimes hard to listen to - she doesn‘t hold back on the detail. She tied in her own mental health struggles in a really effective way. Definitely recommend.

I really liked Rooney‘s debut novel, which I finally got to after reading her newer ones. The characters frustrated me a good amount of the time, but I expected that. There were a few parts that snuck up on me and took my breath away with the realness. And that ending - I loved it.

I found this to be very entertaining, once I suspended my disbelief and stopping quibbling with plot inconsistencies. It was good, page turning fun. Can‘t wait for the inevitable screen adaptation. #botm

I liked but didn‘t love this one. It started out very strong and I love deep character studies, but the way some of the relationships developed (or degraded) just didn‘t always feel true to life to me. I‘m glad I read it, though. #litsytob24