Yay ~ it‘s #DecemberChill #MusicalMatters
Here‘s my chill playlist!!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7xSc3WbnY4nCc65o8TpApN?si=m-JmuzGVQ3aYin0xv-PP...

Bonus points if you can identify one of my top 5 all time favorite song that‘s on this playlist😉

I‘m enjoying this audio, since dysfunctional families are a satisfying jam…BUT this story needed better editing, it‘s LOOOOOONG!!! I feel like the old Liane Moriarty is back, her prose is cracking and the story/ suspense is 🔥🔥🔥 Audio narration is 🙌🏻♥️🎧#AudioCooking

Looking forward to my #BookSpin & #DoubleSpin books for December @TheAromaofBooks ♥️🎉📚
And someone is looking forward to bath-time 🐶🐾😉

Up next 🎧 My library hold came in ♥️🙌🏻

Katie Couric goes from sugar & spice & everything nice to channeling Bethenny Frankel #ZeroFucks attitude 🙊
Katie definitely GOES THERE and frankly, I was ALL EARS 👂🏼 🎧
With more than 40 years of behind the scenes TV history, Katie has a very extensive arsenal of explosive material and she‘s decided now is the time to detonate 💥☄️💥☄️ 👇🏽

This is a REALLY captivating listen 🎧 Katie is endearing and ripping😉 She‘s definitely GOING THERE!!! I‘m loving the inclusion of some actual audio clips from her illustrations career. SO GOOD 😊

Woohoo 🙌🏻 my library FINALLY bought an audiobook I recommended!!!! I‘m so excited 🎊 This is going right into play!!

I‘m really loving this book. Lamb writes so viscerally and beautifully. I‘m taken right back to the late 1970‘s - when Thursday‘s meant the new issue of TV Guide would be waiting in the mailbox. And that euphoria of discovering what lay ahead in the upcoming week. I would read the TV Guide cover to cover, like it was a text book. Life was full of wonder & anticipation pre Internet. Ohhh, and the JOY of those Fall Preview Issues🥰

“Everyone has something”
Ain‘t that the truth!?!!
I thought this book was going to be mindless fluff, but Nooooooo…There‘s body positivity, motherhood, hidden illnesses (PCOS), social media(toxicity), mental health, female friendship and SEX (lots of sex). It‘s about what we perceive about others, and what others want us to assume about them. There‘s one bit towards the end, I didn‘t like, but that‘s probably more me.
👇🏼

I have zero self control
Just bought 6 more audio deals….

Here we go @KarenUK xxx I LOVE the cover and the author‘s narration - gorgeous voice

Since my next audio is going to be fiction and I‘m currently reading 2 fiction books, I think I‘m ready to wrap it up for #NonFictionNovember 🤓I read 19 books and many ended up being my favorites of the year!!! Thanks to @Soubhiville who reminded me November was the month for NonFiction!! Only one of these books were in print, the rest were all audios 🎧♥️Will Smith was my favorite but the whole top row was outstanding!!

This was a wonderful companion to Patchett‘s earlier essay collection, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. It‘s full of introspection and reflections. Written while the world was facing isolation from Covid, Patchett touches on family, memory, her career, writing, living & dying. Parts were bittersweet & her story about Tom Hank‘s assistant broke me. Title & cover image took on a whole new meaning after listening to this audio. 👇🏼

Went on a little holiday shopping spree #AudibleSale
Wish I had #NonFiction22 prompts yesterday - go to @Riveted_Reader_Melissa page and check out her challenge 🙌🏻
Might need to go have a second look, just waiting & hoping that #Pop22 drops today 🤞🏼

My newest #audio courtesy of @Megabooks

This feels like a cozy reunion with an old friend - enjoyable so far
Very introspective

This was a pleasant listen. Nothing scandalous or earth shattering but more about an earnest young man who had a dream to share his love for music & faith with the world.
Jonathan Cain songwriter and keyboard player for the band, Journey, proves in his memoir that “Journey wrote American songs that weren‘t about sex, drugs & rock and roll but instead about love, hopes and dreams.”
#BorrowNotBuy #Hoopla

Keeping my forecast brief as I‘ve got three books in progress and it‘s a busy week with Hanukkah 🕎 #DrZ will probably be a bail, the Lamb is 900 pages, but I‘m loving it and my current audio is good not great, I‘m ready for it to be over! I‘m looking forward to my next 2 audios that were both gifted to me ( thank you @KarenUK & @Megabooks ) and The Millet is a re-read for bookclub on the 7th. I‘d like to add a #ToBLonglist but waiting to borrow😁

Enjoying this audio, but not nearly as good as some of the others I listened to this month. At 50% listening time, Cain has JUST joined Journey. Cain seems like a good guy ~ clean living and has a deeply religious belief. He hums & strums between chapters and his voice is really beautiful. #Hoopla #NonFictionNovember #MusicalMemoirs

#NonFictionNovember continues to be providing me with some AMAZING reads!!! I LOVED both the Will Smith & Cicely Tyson memoirs. The wreckage of my presence was also good. I‘ve started listening/ reading books from the #ToBLongList - 3 this week - the best for me was The Echo Wife. I really hope it advances to the next round. Didn‘t care for Dream Girl & found Crossroads just ok. #DrZ is NOT going well, I think I‘m OUT. My other 2 in progress 👍🏻

Today it‘s me, Yuri & Lara!! On page 350 and I‘m FINALLY seeing the seeds of a story!! It‘s been a LONG, DIFFICULT harvest😉🙄#DecemberChill is one week away!!! I will admit to a little joy when Lara & Yuri reconnect in a library ( that‘s definitely my idea of a romantic encounter)🥰

I thought I would have enjoyed this book more than I actually did. I felt it‘s heaviness, both physically and emotionally but I grew restless with the religious aspects & loquaciousness of the author. Franzen crafted some really interesting characters, I loved Marion (until the last 25 pages) but the book was about 200 pages too many for me. I‘m sure I‘ll pick up the next book (FoMo), but hoping it‘s less of a tome. #ToBLongList

Woohoo 🙌🏻 Finally, Marion #PREACH ❣️❣️I‘ve been waiting for this book to start moving and now on page 366, I feel the beginnings of a great story 📚 Up until this point, I‘ve felt like this novel was a bit of a slough. I‘m here for it, Pastor Russ Hildebrandt is a total A-hole( nicest word I could think of). Hope the next 200 pages don‘t disappoint.

The poor #HanukkahFairy must be exhausted!! She‘s just made another fantastic delivery to my Audible account 💝🎧 My dear friend and #AudioGuru @Megabooks has gifted me the new Ann Patchett essay collection 🙌🏻I‘ve been eagerly awaiting it‘s release for months!!! Thank you, Meg for your thoughtfulness and sisterhood 👯‍♀️I‘m so blessed to have you in my life 😘😘

Our #DecemberChill #buddyread is nearing and while #DrZ turns out to be a bit of a challenge, let‘s take a cue from our theme & chill 😉

Dec 3: 🎧what music do you relax to during these chilly days? Is it jazz, acoustic or blues? Holiday music? Let‘s hear it 🎶

Dec 4: 📸 Share some chill photos! A beach stroll with your dog, having coffee with a friend, building a snowman?? Anything goes!

Dec 5: 📚 A very basic bookish discussion of DrZ 🤓

Squeeeeeeee!!! The #HanukkahFairy strikes again 🪄🤩🧚🏻

Thank you so much for spoiling me @KarenUK You KNOW my love for all things Housewives is INSANE XXX

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving 🧡🧡🧡

Continuing on with my #MusicalMemoirs for #NonFictionNovember ♥️🎼🎸🎧🎤 I love when musicians/ performers/ artists surprise you with their humility and veracity. Love that Jon Cain hums, strums and croons as he shares his journey (😉)

Ok, was not expecting this book to be what it was (in a good way, I guess) I was thinking light rom/com and this was not that book. It starts off lite but becomes an emotionally heavy read. Great narration/ a pleasant surprise that has me searching for the author‘s backlist. I will put TW under spoiler tag because it is definitely a spoiler!!

I just woke up to an email from the #HanukkahFairy aka @KarenUK
THANK YOU my dear friend
What a wonderful and unexpected treat xxx
I feel like the tagged book…So Lucky 🍀
Super excited for 2 new audios!
You‘re the best 😘😘

“This is my story, this is my song”
Wow, I just took a 16 hour master class on Black History, seen through the eyes of the illustrious Cicely Tyson. Written when she was 96 years old, Ms. Tyson reflects on what is was like being a black women coming of age in 1920‘s Harlem. A powerhouse of grace, grit, poise, energy and influence, she shares and ruminates about her life‘s journey and all the incredible people whose path she‘s crossed.👇🏼

Here‘s my #BookSpin #DoubleSpin for #December @TheAromaofBooks
Skipping Bingo
Sarah, thanks for hosting this fun monthly challenge 🙌🏻🧡🎉 Looking forward to 2022🥳

Just look at this gorgeous photo! Very excited my hold came in. Cicely Tyson lived through the most explosive decade. Born in Harlem 1924 and passed away this year. Almost 100 years of living! So glad that Ms. Tyson had the opportunity to share her story before her death. Her voice is commanding and sultry. It‘s clear this was a woman of wisdom and grace.

This was great!! A pleasant surprise, since I had no idea who the author is but @Megabooks and @britt_brooke recommended the audio ( and that was enough for me)🥰Casey Wilson has that like-ability factor that Jenny Lawson possess. She‘s self deprecating, honest and extremely funny. This was a perfect listen while I prepared dinner and did household chores.

This is fun!! I‘m LOVING The Housewives essay!! I think you‘d like this audio @KarenUK 😘Thanks for putting this on my radar @Megabooks @britt_brooke

Hell yeah!! I REALLY enjoyed this twisty tale. Evelyn Caldwell is a geneticist who is hyper focused on her career, her husband Nathan wishes he could tweak her just a tiny bit. Parts Frankenstein/ parts Stepford Wives this book about AI cloning was a zillion times better than Klara & the Sun. Im so glad I discovered this gem on the #ToB22LongList I thought the audio narration was deadpan perfect for Evelyn‘s sterile personality. #Hoopla 🙌🏻🎧🧡

I had NO CLUE that I bought this until @britt_brooke reminded me!! I literally went to buy it and saw I already owned the audio. #HotDamnMyMind #UpNext ❣️❣️❣️

#MorningCoffee ☕️Thinking of you @Kalalalatja I still use this mug ALL the time!! I hope you‘re feeling well 🤰💕That was a FUN swap @TheKidUpstairs #MugLove …you should bring it back 🥰I haven‘t done a swap in ages but I‘d happily participate in that one🤩I‘m on page 349 / 200 more to go. I‘m liking this book, but NOT loving it. Its like a tasty dish but there‘s a lot of prep work first.

An obvious shoutout to Misery but this didn‘t have the King magic.
I found wayyyy too many plot holes to enjoy this book.
#ToB22LongList
#MoreMehThanYeah

Another one from the #ToB22LongList 🎧#Hoopla @BarbaraBB @Ruthiella

Wait, what?!? Part two!! Hmmmm, I‘m not sure if I can accept this course of action😳Interesting choice for the #ToB22LongList @Ruthiella Enjoying the audio @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

#ScribdAudio Taking a cue from @BarbaraBB trying to read/listen to at least one book a week from the #ToB22LongList

#USKindleDailyDeal #NewYearWhoDis #Winning Wow!! So glad I found this today 💜 @MallenNC @Blaire

My apologies to Trevor Noah, but you have just been usurped from my memoir throne. The new King of Audio is Will Smith.
I LOVED this book!!
One of my FAVORITE audios of the year!!!
Two words: Scorched Earth
The first 2/3 was absolute perfection however I did find the last 3 hours a tiny bit sanctimonious. Smith becomes philosophical & parts of the narrative came across as preachy ( to me). However, I still found this audio to be PURE JOY🥰

Today‘s #MiniBookHaul from my charity bookshop ☺️Tagged book for #ReadingAfrica22 #SierraLeone and the Wally Lamb I‘ve been wanting to read for a very long time.

I‘ve been enjoying all the #NewYearWhoDis lists so I‘m definitely getting loads of suggestions for January but the next few weeks are gonna be tough.
Here‘s what I got…. both are audios. Famous People was suggested by @Megabooks and Wild Thing was recommended by #Scribd 😉
My 3 in progress should keep me busy. I‘m LOVING Will, Crossroads is good (a little puffed-up) and #DrZ is dragging but I‘m not ready to call it quits.

Thanks for this great match @monalyisha
This is the list I received from @MallenNC
The top row I own and had already planned on reading, the other books I‘d like to read over the course of 2022, especially since a bunch will work for #Booked2022
#NewYearWhoDis2022
I have read #7, 12, 13, 18 & 19 - all were good 😊

My #NonFictionNovember books are proving to be outstanding
I really loved listening to Born To Run on my re-listen 🎧
The Sedaris was inappropriately hilarious
Sad Sacked was just ok, haven‘t written my review yet because it‘s still NOT in the Litsy database

I‘m almost done with the Will Smith audio and it‘s PHENOMENAL 🙌🏻💕 Probably will end up being my TOP audio of 2021
Still slowly making my way through #DrZ and just started Crossroads

I need recommendations for a coffee table book or a good biography for an art major.

Please share all suggestions 🙏🏻 🖼 🧑‍🎨 ♥️

Thanks xx

Totally blaming this #ImpulseBuy on @MicheleinPhilly and I‘m LOVING it!! #PhillyRules 🥰♥️

My current listen isn‘t in the database (yet). It‘s a memoir about a woman coming to terms with her husband‘s job loss after 17 years of being the family provider. It‘s ok so far. #AudiblePlus #Freebie #NonFictionNovember

I get why this collection isn‘t for everyone but for me, listening to Sedaris share his days as a Macy‘s Holiday Elf was priceless. And when he describes the traditions associated with Christmas Eve around the world, I was laughing out loud. I‘ve heard Sedaris read a few of these personal essays before and they are STILL just as funny. His delivery is always perfect.