Livin‘ that soccer life. ⚽️

8 #writtenbyajournalist
24 #mclivingwithaids
12 #murdermystery
11 #nauticalnovel
16 #aboutsisters (and brothers!)
15 #setinahotellodgeorinn (vacation lake house? 🤷🏼‍♀️)
#Booked2022

I resisted this because of the title —I don‘t want to read about moms dying. But this blew up and I gave in to the short audiobook, narrated by the author and so glad I did. I‘ve never seen a single episode of iCarly but it‘s not necessary to have any prior knowledge of McCurdy to deeply connect with her through her experiences she shares. Her issues stem from her emotionally unstable and ill mother who manipulated Jennette into acting as a child.

October #bookspin 🍁 📚

Drove across the road to the river for this photo! We are blessed to live in a river town, with gorgeous views of the Ohio River. That‘s mainly why this book appealed to me — a grand river expedition through America‘s waterways — do any of my local areas feature in the book? The “riverman” canoed (many miles!) alone and eventually disappeared during a journey.
I was reminded of The Stranger in the Woods but I didn‘t find this one as riveting.

Read for book club and discussed yesterday. I was wishy washy on this, though it‘s incredibly readable and charming at times. After the book club discussion I came away with a deeper appreciation of this title and what the author attempted to do through this adult fairy tale. Humans assign meaning to the world which is mostly just out there doing it‘s own thing. Love and grief change how we humans see our world.

Living that stay at home mom life this week! 🙌
My in-laws are on vacation, so I‘m off work doing pickups and hanging with my boys after school.
Taking full advantage of this time to read while they‘re in school! 📖 (and ignoring the mess in the next room!)

This was good, not great and something I fear I‘ll forget in a few months. I loved the premise: a pair of girls growing up together in NYC with ties to the Italian mafia. The novel spans their girlhood through adulthood in 30s-50s Brooklyn. There was nothing specific I didn‘t like, but it just failed to “wow” me. Maybe it was my mood?

‘Coming of age memoirs that feature nontraditional childhoods‘ —there‘s an entire sub genre of this and Normal Family fits perfectly here. Conceived via AI, in a pretty random fashion, Chrysta‘s childhood is in constant upheaval. Chrysta‘s mother goes through many partners, pets, homes, jobs, and lifestyles. Readers know from the get-go that her father has fathered MANY children who are finding each other via dna testing. A great read.

My oh my how I love a Friday evening 💕 📖
Especially this early fall weather! 🍃🌾

#NaturaLitsy folks -- stumbled across this list from GoodReads! I am loving these titles, though it was published in 2021:

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2076-green-party-the-recent-rise-of-nature-b...

Carrie Soto is the tennis GOAT in this 90s-set comeback story. Highly anticipated, but really different than the author‘s previous novels I‘ve read — Daisy Jones, Malibu, and Evelyn Hugo. The entire book is about tennis, including individual sets, practicing, and even the medium through which each of the characters relate to one another. It‘s a testament to TJR‘s skill that I enjoyed the novel about something I care little about! 🎾

Spent some more time with this #naturalitsy buddy read yesterday. Based on the title and subtitle, I assumed we were going to be getting all trees, all the time but we are actually getting some trees, but loads of Simard‘s family history and experiences working for a logging company. I think (hope) we will get there with the titular subject matter, just with some personal detours… 🌳

This is why I read…my life has honestly been changed by this book “Bicycling with Butterflies” which I read one year ago. My oldest son and I have been on a quest since then to raise monarchs and create a habitat for them in our yard. I‘m over the moon to report that our effort has paid off and we will have butterflies who have hatched from eggs, eaten all of our milkweed as caterpillars, and will soon be metamorphosing in a matter of days!! ♥️

I cannot say enough good things about this! Written by the creator of the tv show “The Good Place”, this is a delightful introduction to philosophical schools of thought on how to be a good person. The author‘s interest in this subject came from his research for the show. I feel like I learned some things while giggling AND may be able to use the concepts to be “perfect” 😂
Excellent narration/audio production which is definitely the way to go.

SAMANTHA IRBY HAS A NEW BOOK COMING OUT!! eeekkkk. 🦨 Couldn't find it in the database here, but read about it on Entertainment Weekly here: https://ew.com/books/samantha-irby-first-look-quietly-hostile/

This aims to examine all aspects of modern life, namely “WEIRD” existence (western culture), compare it to humans who came before, and guide us how we should be living, covering diet, parenting, rituals, schooling, and so much more. Fascinating at times. The audio production is subpar 😬 and the authors came off as arrogant to me in several sections describing how wonderful THEY are in their parenting choices etc. However, still a great read!

First travel game for us…Carrie game along! ⚽️

Spent some time with Carrie Soto on the porch last night!

To do: watch Gadsby‘s Netflix specials.

Narrated by Hannah, this “memoir situation” audiobook contains snippets of her life, from growing up in Tasmania all the way to her explosive Netflix special, “Nanette”. Humor? Yes. Serious and emotional? Yes. Essential? Yes. She discusses her experience discovering that she‘s autistic and also her realization that she‘s gay. Highly recommend listening to her delivery of her own story.

Hard to read at times, and I think I would have benefited from this in physical book format, but an excellent, if slightly dense, read. A history of the Creek Nation, especially in relation to black people. Accepted into their culture and life initially, but later cast out after white men, namely the American government, become involved. Questions of race, identity and social belonging —who gets to decide how we define ourselves?

I‘m on a quest to finish reading books I began and abandoned—but still interested in. I began After the Flood in 2019 😱 but the story was still so vivid in my mind, so I had no trouble jumping back in. Myra and daughter Pearl are on a quest to locate her oldest daughter in a world that has been flooded and therefore must make the journey by ship. This is a post-apocalyptic pirate and yet literary novel. Love the premise but a bit repetitive.

Friends, I‘ve been reading, but so behind on posts! Treated myself a couple days ago following a less-than-fun medical appointment. (Nothing wrong!)
Starting this one for #naturalitsy and I‘m enjoying it so far, though it isn‘t exactly what I expected.

I had this checked out on Libby before I swore off thrillers for a bit. I listened to it at a higher speed than normal (2.3x) which helped me get through the repetitiveness at the beginning. Better than a few I‘ve read recently, but feels like this is a mashup of so many other books I‘ve read, I doubt I‘ll remember a thing about it. “Drunk lady thinks she sees a crime” trope but with twists. Spoiler in comments! ⬇️

Totally charmed by both the message & delivery of this audiobook. Carvan describes her fascination with Benedict Cumberbatch as an older woman and interviews others in the fandom after being caught off guard by how much it is impacting her life, making a case for jumping into whatever brings us joy in life. I found this delightful and learned so much about Cumberbatch, though this truly isn‘t ALL about him 😆 I‘ve even decided to watch Sherlock!

This was a good mystery, written by Ashley Flowers, true crime podcaster, turned novelist apparently. In this, a 6 year old little girl is murdered and crime reporter, Margot, returns to her hometown to solve the case and care for her ill uncle. Margot attempts to connect this crime to others in the area which are similar. Some unbelievable stuff, but no huge plot holes that I fell into. So a pick! One of the better thrillers I‘ve read recently.

The Dozier School for Boys was a horrific institution, located in Southern Florida, where boys were sent for all manner of reasons. From minor infractions or maybe just because they were disabled, many suffered at the hands of cruel staff and unjust practices which amounted to torture in many cases. In this book, Kimmerle documents her attempt to find some of the missing boys who died at the school under suspicious circumstances. Continued ⬇️

Dolly is a national treasure. I was able see her a few weeks ago at a luncheon for the Imagination Library for our state; librarians were invited. She‘s a true delight and reading this book has only enhanced my appreciation of the social icon she‘s become. This woman has it all figured out. She‘ll make fun of herself before anyone else gets a chance to do so. She‘s down to earth, but oh so wise. A great (short) book of essays about this gem.💎

Behind on reviews! Trailed is a #truecrime book unlike most; the author focuses on the victims, who they were, what they loved, and her connection to them as a student where they attended college. Lillie and Julie were murdered while camping and hiking in Shenandoah National Park, near the AT, in 1996. The author obviously believes that the case needs to be reconsidered. There‘s also some examination of National Parks and crimes committed within.

Whhyyyy did I read this book when I just read Winstead‘s previous “In My Dreams I Hold a Knife” and couldn‘t wait for it to be over?? Oh, because I paid ZERO attention to the author and (warp speed) checked it out based on the word “cult” in the description. But you know what? This was not enjoyable and it‘s totally unrealistic which makes me mad at myself. Also, the cover is pretty. But the title didn‘t match the book either. Ugh! #rantorreview

So many of these make an appearance each month. I‘m going to make more of an effort to clear the whole thing starting this month! 🍃 September 2022 #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

A low pick for some sweet and super relatable cartoons about reading. However, I‘m not a writer so the second half all about writing and authorship/poems were not what I signed up for. A pleasant way to start my mornings several days in a row while trying to wake up. Probably would be less forgiving if I‘d paid for this, -but I don‘t pay for any books I read (libraries rock!)- because it‘s not very meaty.

Today is my youngest‘s first day of preschool! (Pictured walking in w big brother!) 😭 my mama heart is so proud and happy for him but it‘s a bittersweet moment because he‘s growing so quickly! I‘m feeling like a housewife today—I took the day off for drop-off and pickup, so this new audiobook is perfect for today!

An utter delight! I loved this quirky (but not too saccharine) novel filled with creatures and the opinions of ghosts, featuring a homecoming; it‘s silly and sweet, but also full of sad and meaningful moments. Why did I wait so long to read this? This is a book right up my alley and I will be recommending it to many! 🦊
Side note: it‘s soccer season! Love watching my boys play! ⚽️ ♥️

This was an excellent true crime book about two cases I knew nothing about. Abductions and then subsequent calls to the victim‘s home…chilling descriptions of the killer‘s conversations with the family are featured throughout. This author duo have collaborated on several others that I‘ve enjoyed as well, but this is my favorite of theirs.

I resisted this for years…seemed too [something] for my taste, but I knew our book club members would love it, so I picked it for this month‘s read. I did enjoyed the humor and sweet moments these merry band of packhorse librarians provided during their journeys around the mountains of eastern Kentucky. I appreciate this for what it is: a feel-good read with an obvious conclusion. But the characters were either too good or too bad, no nuance.

Breakfast!

#libraryhaul 📚
Now I just need to find the time to sit down with these beauties! Hopefully this weekend will include some reading time!

Loved this graphic novel! A group of twenty-somethings in NYC, Asian-American, beginning careers in publishing live together. They realize a famous author lives in their building!
I‘ve always been interested in the publishing side of the book world; I‘m in a library so I see the side of connecting readers to books. However, not a huge focus on books, and more a story about friendship and figuring out life.
This is a delight.

Having recently listened to the audiobook of Earhustle (tagged below), I wanted to continue to learn about prison life and the circumstances of one‘s life that lead to imprisonment. This was a great follow up, although Kruzan‘s story is painful and difficult to read at times. This is a short audiobook and I can definitely tell she had a co-author, as some of the passages feel distant. A similar story to Cyntoia Brown Long‘s.

I listened to this as an audiobook (available on #hoopla) and I was expecting something different than what this book actually is, in tone, not necessarily subject matter. Obviously this is going to be about moles. But the author, Welsh, nearing the end of his life, narrates his work and I found it to be rather despondent. I wonder if reading the physical book would have changed my views of this and maybe his bleak tone was just his inflection. ⬇️

Ugh, the title perfectly explains my experience attempting to read this. 😏
On paper, this book should have been a winner for me…I love nonfiction and throw a crime in there while I‘m learning something and 💥! But nope. I think it may have had something to do with the tone of the narration. Very dry and I couldn‘t care, even at 80% in! Bailed with only a little more to go because life is too short!

It‘s been a wonderful, beautiful weekend full of family, friends, reading and delicious food. Heading into this upcoming week on a high note. 📖 🌸 🌻

Intimate scenes from a life of feeling “other” as a result of the negative reactions to her disability classmates, strangers, and even those closest to Cooper Jones heap upon her. Bravely told, and beautifully written, this memoir asks readers to look unflinchingly at the author‘s life experiences, painful though they may be. An eye-opening read for me!

I did not enjoy this book. I listened to the audiobook which may be a reason why I couldn‘t keep all the many characters straight in my mind. I had hoped this would really work for me, as the blurb made me think it may be similar to The Guest List which I really enjoyed. But there were too many threads running through this that switched to a new character‘s perspective. Not enough time with any one to become fully engrossed. Then I didn‘t care.

This is one of those books that puts me right in the shoes of the main character. I could visualize her environment, feel her desperation, and yearned for some relief from it all. Experiencing these horrible circumstances on the page is of course nothing like the realities faced by, in this case a character who‘s based on a young woman who experienced these actual events. Underage sex, poverty, corrupt law enforcement, child neglect.

Submarines have always totally creeped me out, so I was uneasy during this whole book. Excellent writing and it‘s short, so I wasn‘t tortured for very long. 😆 Need to think more on this to ponder the themes and meaning behind it all. Spent much of the reading experience feeling claustrophobic. 😬
Looking forward to the #camplitsy discussion! Also this is my #bookspin for August.

The impact of humans on the earth is incredible and has far reaching consequences. I put off reading this for so long, hoping I‘d be in a better headspace for it, but I needn‘t have worried; this is surprisingly hopeful (?) and informative about the ways scientists are attempting to correct our mistakes. Who knew there‘s a fish that lives solely in Death Valley? The pupfish! Coral, the ozone, Asian carp, the cane toad, illustrate issues. Great!🐝

This was a great read and my favorite cover of the year (so far at least). Fully developed characters who were quirky, intelligent, and full of personality, feelings, and opinions like real people. I feel like I know Sam and Sadie, the two main characters who we were introduced to as young children and follow through to adulthood with a stop at Harvard along the way. Zevin unfolds their backstories in an natural way that made me want to know more!

My #bookspin and #doublebookspin seem to have a theme! I‘ll be in the ocean with both reads. 🌊
Our wives is for #camplitsy