I like to roll a day late 😂
#manicmonday @CBee @Librariana
📚 Homegoing (Gyasi) / Human Acts (Han)
✍️ Kang Han ❤️
🍿 Holiday (Winslow &Diaz) / Haw to Steal a Million (Hepburn)
🎤 Heart
🎶 Home (Dotan)

Why am I tearing up a bit at the end of a book people said was about gaming?
Because at the heart this book is about friendship and loss, grief and love. It is incredibly well written, and the characters are drawn believable and flawed, but likable.
4 stars because I felt it dragged just a bit about 3/4 in. Which was a fine creative choice given the storyline but did slow me down.

This volume is much more serious than earlier volumes, focused on Charlie's mental health. It is well thought out and tackles anorexia and depression well.
I still love seeing Charlie and Nick together and evolving.

Big stretch #weeklyforecast hoping to keep up my COVID reading momentum even though I am feeling better and testing negative, have to go back to work but want to finish the month strong! The Sparrow has taken me so long I had to return the library copy and buy my own. It is good, just slow going, balancing with a quick Heartstopper read and the engrossing Tomorrow (etc.) Grabbing Evicted on audio to speed things along.

A small but impactful book about one American family's forced internment in a Japanese camp during WWII and the after effects. Otsuka's choice to not give the characters names makes the work feel both more intimate and like these people could have been anyone - even you. Masterfully told and an important American tale to know.

Well, that was quick, normally I would not post about a book I find horrifyingly written, but a reminder for me when I fill out my #bookspinbingo card not that I need a reminder of this bad 1920's slap stick imitation writing. And with a lot of racial plot points that I am truly uncomfortable reading knowing a white woman wrote it.
COVID reading moving forward!

This was a ride! A woman experiences trauma, wins the lottery and builds and lives in a replica Three's Company town.
Never did I know where this was going, and after finishing I still have questions on what was 'real' throughout. This was quick reading but something so deep in plot and meaning I will be thinking about it for a long time to come.

Day 4 of COVID and starting to finish some books.

This was gorgeous. I loved the setting of Cyprus and the history woven through, the chapters told by the tree gave the book a magical realism quality that fit perfectly into the weaving of the multigenerational story. Normally I am not a fan of back and forth timelines but Shafak does this seamlessly and I was so engrossed in the story I finished in a day.

After I won the lottery, a lot of strangers showed up to tell me what a piece of trash I was.

#firstlinefriday @ShyBookOwl

I had such high hopes for this but in the end it fell flat.
The book was much too long, there were giant holes in the plot, the characters were flat and boring. There is so much drama for a story that just doesn't fit with a dramatic storyline.

#manicmonday #letterg @CBee @Librariana
📚 Great Believers (Makkai)
✍️ Lauren Groff, Yaa Gyasi
🍿 Gattaca
🎤 Guns & Roses
🎶 Gangsta Paradise (Coolio)

Ohh that's a good ending ❤️

I thought it was an interesting choice by the colorist I am unsure if these colors have special meaning in Vietnam, the story is sweet, and a good balance of Tien's modern storyline and the fables he is reading.

🎧I flew through this!
The first chapters I had a bit of a time suspending belief (ladies companions with dukes and a bit of insta love feel)but once the story started rolling I was sucked in and was trying to find things to do while listening so I knew what happened next! 450 at first felt bit much, but the length was perfect. I ❤️ getting to know Viola, and so appreciated that Gracewood had flaws but none were treating others poorly

How are we halfway through September?? My TBR for this month is still stacked high. Must get moving.
Listening to tagged from library also.

I am concerned about ableism in this book. I cannot put my finger on why, possibly because I do not know enough about the neurodivergent community, but there were things Molly the Maid (I actually liked the name and find it very cheery) did and didn't understand that was confusing.
I wish the last 2 chapters had been cut. It didn't do anything for the story and made things more muddled. Why is her defense lawyer suddenly a DA??

This is such an interesting premise. And the book itself is mostly about loss and grief. As always I love Hamid's writing, it is space but impactful.

I think he may have missed the mark a bit on the race issue in this, it didn't feel fully flushed out and I thought he could have gone deeper, but overall a truly gorgeous book.

I am not surprised but saddened at the amount of racist people on GR giving this 1 ⭐ childish and disgusting.

#manicmonday #letterf @CBee @Librariana

📚 Fire keepers Daughter
✍️ F Scott Fitzgerald (hate to be that person but I do love his books and cannot think of anyone else!)
🍿 Fight Club; Funny Face (Audrey version of course)
🎤 Foo Fighters
🎶 Feeling Good (Nina)

#manicmonday #lettere @CBee @Librariana

📚 The Enchanted, Empire of Pain (Keefe)
✍️ Annie Ernaux
🌮 (Somehow my popcorn icon got replaced by tacos but we are going with it) Easy A
🎤 Elton John, Ella Fitzgerald
🎶 Everlong (Foo Fighters)

This, I have to say was a bit of a disappointment. I normally love O'Farrell's work and breeze through it with her excellent writing. I struggled to get through the first 100pages. I didn't enjoy the back and forth timeline. I do not understand why she randomly renamed Alfonso 's sisters and I spent the entirety of the book confused by who they were (she notes at the end she changed the names to avoid confusion - what?)
👇👇

Plenty of twists and turns. This was fun but not too deep.

I didn't like the short changing of POV that happens almost 3/4 of the way in. It felt odd, would have been better to space that out throughout the book.

The audio is excellent with a cast of narrators.

#manicMonday #LetterD @CBee
📚 Detransition, Baby
✍️ Cherie Dimaline
🍿 Death at a Funeral
🎤 Dean Lewis
🎶 Deliverance (Ry X)

#manicmonday #LetterC @CBee
📚 The Color of Law
✍️ Becky Chambers
🍿 Clueless
🎤 Cyndi Lauper
🎶 Cloud (Elias)

#manicmonday #letterb @CBee

📚 The Book of Mother
✍️ Octavia Butler
🍿 Breakfast at Tiffany's
🎤 Bon Jovi
🎶 Before You Go (Lewis Capaldi)

#manicmonday #letterA @CBee
thanks for the tag @Librariana
I had to go back and start at the beginning 😂

📚 Alif the Unseen
✍️ Jane Austen (boring I know)
🍿 Almighty Johnsons
🎤 Andra Day
🎶 Always (Bon Jovi)

A rare 5⭐read

Me: a vegetarian who hates the kitchen

This book: a masterpiece.

I loved the interjections and excessive use of exclamation points!! Julia Child sounded like a riot of fun and love. The story was adventurous and entertaining, it is her memoir so it is a one sided story. I am curious now about Simca's version of how the books came together.
A well written & whitty feminist book about a woman finding her passion. Loved it.

"French bread was the recipe I worked hardest on that the fewest people bothered to try"

The first version of Child's volume 2 cookbook had people placing the bread in the oven on asbestos cement slabs!! It was a good thing not many people attempted the recipe.

Just lovely. Does anyone know -does Paul Child have a book of his work? Many of the photos in this book were taken by him, it would be wonderful if there was a book or exhibit of his work.

I am blown away by this book. I love her story and storytelling, and these photos in the book are gorgeous.

I really enjoyed this, I do not have the historical or mythological knowledge to compare this story to the original, but I loved the feminist bend, and the pacing, I also loved to see a polyamory family that is represented so healthy and loving.
I do think Kaikeyi's character was a bit flat, she seemed to be always right and a bit too perfect. But overall an engaging and adventurous read.

Thank you @TheAromaofBooks excited for this September #bookspin #bookspinbingo

Clean board lets go!

tagged books is my first read of the month.

August Reading Roundup!
August is Women in Translation month so I stepped up that reading this month with 2 French, 2 Japanese, and 1 Danish translated works.

4.5☀️
The Happening (Annie Ernaux)
Ace

4☀️
Reluctant Immortals
Tar Baby
Convenience Store Woman
A Closed and Common Orbit
Last Night at the Telegraph Club

3.5☀️
The Employees
Bonjour Tristesse
Don Quixote

3☀️
Catherine the Great

2.5☀️
Goodbye Tsugumi

Some months are just like that.

No bingos, but a fabulous vacation! I read a lot of things that there were not enough Free spaces for.

@thearomaofbooks #bookspinbingo

#bookspin #september list!

LET'S GO!!

@thearomaofbooks

I really enjoyed this even though there was no time travel (IYKYK).
I thought the characters could be a bit deeper, but it was interesting to follow Lily on her journey to find her sexuality while also being concerned about Communism.
Mostly the book is about her outings to the club with Kath and her exploration of her feelings, the setting of Chinatown SF was perfect for this book and I would read Malinda Lo again.

#chuncksterchallenge2022
@Amiable

With the help of 2,000 miles in the car last week I was able to finish Don Quixote with a mixture of listening and reading.

It wasn't my favorite classic ever and the last 200 pages were a bit of a struggle. But ✔️ made it to the end.
(Litsy has way too many options for tagging this book, it is very confusing, my copy is 891 pgs)

The book quote that sticks with me the most is from the tagged -
"All money is dirty, if it wasn't no one would want it"

I also have a tattoo of Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five -
"So it goes".

#littenswanttoknow @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
#littenswanttoknow

Non-fiction edition

1) 1619 Project
2) Empire of Pain
3) Ace

One week road tripping and I got through this #chunkster
It kept me entertained for the most part. But I admit I got bored towards the end. Not sure I would have finished it if I was reading it. There was a repetitiveness that makes me think 1-200 pages could have been cut.
There is a special humor throughout and it makes sense that this has continued to be a beloved classic.

"A woman alone in a restaurant was unusual. She must have gone through something traumatic, something that had separated her from everyone she loved"

I read while sitting alone drinking wine at a winery ?
Not traumatic, I just told everyone they couldn't come!
At Hearst Ranch Winery

#womenintranslation
Another short one in translation. I have a thing for French novels. I enjoyed this. There are so many moral topics brought up. I didn't read the intro so may have missed if the author was sending a message. The main character is likable even as she uncontrollably tries to ruin lives as she manipulates to get the life she wants. As I get older the more I cringe at predatory relationships and there is 1 here.

Not going to lie, I totally got this book confused with the ads I saw for Last Night in Soho and am a bit bummed there is no time travel. So far though this is a great YA book set in San Francisco, perfect for my few days here!

Heading to San Francisco for a week of museum hopping hoping I am bringing enough to read!

Fantastic. Such a great introduction to Asexually, and it brought up many questions for me (I am not Ace) and how we look at relationships, romance, and sex.

#alphabetgame #letterq @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A bit of a stretch maybe on Q but I am going to start this one for the first time next week! Planning a mixture of reading and listening since I am road tripping!

This has been the most disappointing of my #womenintranslation reads this month.
The characters were such a drag I didn't want to pick the book up. A book that should have taken me an afternoon to read stretched to over a week. The book revolves around the main character and her ill and rude cousin. I was annoyed by the amount of times the cousin called people stupid, idiot, ugly, dumb, and more. It was painful.

I had a bit of a hard time concentrating on this one but I am unsure if it was me or the book.
I was very interested after watching Hulus The Great to see how much was true there (not much) and to see how Austria's Marie Theresa overlapped after reading a fantastic book on her earlier this year. The relationship with MT's son and Catherine was interesting, a long with all of her relationships I enjoyed learning about her fight for 👇👇👇

#alphabetgame #letterP @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Children creep me out a bit in general so I was very disturbed by this read!

#alphabetgame #letterO @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#womenintranslation
A book I don't see much but is incredible! A group of women who work together have to solve a problem. Set in industrial Japan.

I am loving this series! It is very rare for me to read more than one book in a series anymore and I have already reserved book 3!
I enjoyed 1more than this one, I think the broader look was better for me, and all adults, in this one we spent a lot of time with young Jane and it wasn't as interesting for me. But I love the world Chambers has built and the adult stories and struggles.
Her different species are so interesting &I ❤️ imagining them.

Queen Roxane Gay
#alphabetgame #letterN @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks