Has it really been three months since I posted on here?! Apparently so! I‘m posting far more regularly over on my new bookstagram (@effthecanon), but I had to hop back on Litsy because I miss it!

I just got started on The Stationary Shop and, 10 pages in, I‘m already hooked. And let‘s face it, it‘s just too pretty to not post pictures of.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. 5 stars!

I love Caitlin so this was a no-brainer pick up for me, but I actually had never read her stuff. Now I‘ll be ordering her other books. If you‘re fascinated by death or have some questions from your childhood that have still stuck around (for me it was the one about what happens if you die on a plane), this is one to try.

I‘m actually bummed how indifferent I feel about this one. It‘s an exceptionally important story to tell and for that I‘m very glad it exists, but it ultimately feels repetitive, forgiving of characters that shouldn‘t be forgiven, overly preachy, and more. I‘m thrilled to see a book where young queer kids find their way in the world, I just wish it had been more polished.

A bit slow for my taste, but a great cast of characters. They were a bit frustrating at times and the plot felt a little too drawn out. I can see why it‘d be a favorite for people but just a 3/5 stars for me.

On the subject of student reading lists: “The real crime of these lists isn‘t that they leave deserving books off them, but that they make people see fantastic literary adventures as obligations.”

Currently reading...it‘s so freaking gorgeous.

I‘ve seen some mixed opinions on this one, but I really enjoyed it. It‘s a solid sequel that shines a light on some of the darkness and mystery that The Handmaid‘s Tale left is with. Ultimately, it left me questioning what I would have done in the same situations and I never found my answer. So that‘s the sign of a good book to me.

Full thoughts are on my blog!
Medium.com/effthecanon

3 1/2 stars for this one and that half a star comes solely from the character development that only happens in the last three pages of the book. Louis, the first-person narrator, is far from likeable, but I cheered for him to get better. I loved the style of the writing so I‘ll definitely be looking for more from Mary Miller. It‘d be perfect for anyone who likes day-in-the-life plot lines and has a soft spot for grumpy guys.

I always feel weird when I don‘t love books that other people love so this one feels weird. I didn‘t hate it, finished it quick, the translation was great and the short stories were a great break from novels. But magical realism is just not my thing and I think I need to accept that. But objectively, Schweblin is a spectacular storyteller, just not my cup of tea.

Day 5: #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

Who‘s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? By Edward Albee 😍

So far, so good. Only about 75 pages in but this is normally when I decide to DNF a book or not and I‘m definitely going to keep going. The characters are a little indistinguishable to me at this point so hopefully they sort themselves out in my head, but I‘m intrigued to see what Sara does to this little town!

I was on the fence on this one for a while. I thought that maybe I was just too old for YA like this but NOPE. About halfway through I got hooked. It‘s a great story that deals with overwhelming first loves, how to love someone even when they say racist thing, and how to be exactly who you are, especially when you‘re not quite sure who that is.

Adding this to the list of books all teens need to read next to The Hate U Give.

Day 4: #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 😍

Day 3: #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, Illustrated by Júlia Sardà ?

Day 2: #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman 😍

Day 1: #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio 😍

Literally didn‘t have time to post about reading this because I read it so fast. This is up there as one of the best books I‘ve read this year. It‘s just wonderful. The characters are so frustrating but somehow endearing. The storytelling is concise with no moment that feels unnecessary or dragging. I can not wait for the author to put out more of her work because it‘s going to be an immediate purchase for me.

Now I love Abbi Waxman so it comes as no surprise that I loved this one as well! I love anything that makes me feel like less of a weirdo for planning out most minutes of my life and Waxman did so with care, love, and lots of good humor.

I picked up the Moleskine Book Journal yesterday because I might be done with Goodreads.

I just want to spend more time thinking on the books I read and really appreciating them rather than just blasting through them in order to hit 50 in a year. I love goals, but I feel like Goodreads is just doing more harm than good for me.

Outside of Litsy, how do you track what you read?

I will never get over this picture that my pre-husband snapped as I was reading Harry Potter the other day. Ginny would not stop pawing at the book so I finally just turned it around to show her it wasn‘t good and she just stared at it.

Fairly certain she can read.

Abbi Waxman is one of those authors where I‘ll read literally anything she writes. Small Beginnings and Other People‘s Houses are up there with some of my favorite books of all time so very excited to dig into this new one!

It‘s made particularly better that I‘m currently outside in the sunshine with my pup. Loving the last few days of summer, but very ready for fall!

I wrote all about these two beauties and how they save my life every time I move and every time I need to clear my mind and my house.

It‘s live now at www.medium.com/effthecanon!

So...my pre-husband left me to my own devices tonight which resulted in my creating a book blog and bookstagram! I'll still be posting all up on Litsy because I love an all-in-one casual platform. But if you wanna hear more from me, I got you.

Website: medium.com/effthecanon
Instagram: effthecanon

I gave up on The Little French Bistro after 17% (just really not my style) and have returned to good ol‘ HP. I wasn‘t planning to do a full re-read, but if I‘m already starting the second one...might as well! ⚡️

Thank you library for reminding me that I checked this out and hadn‘t started reading it yet despite it being due very soon. Let‘s see how quick I can finish it!

I‘ve been collecting old photographs to use as bookmarks for years now. They‘re always like 25 cents a piece at antique stores and I love them.

Although sometimes people will ask me who it is in the picture and I have to admit that I have absolutely no idea. 📷

Long weekends mean full and deep house cleanings so I switched from paperback to audiobook for the time being.

I‘m embarrassed to say this is my first time listening to an audiobook and I gotta say, I‘m hooked. I think it‘ll only be something I do when re-reading and cleaning since I just like the feel of holding a new book too much, but oh boy this is great.

Is there any better book to read today?

Featuring a sneaky peek at my 9 3/4 ankle tattoo. For those curious; it is outlined in red for my very Gryffindor self as a child, although, as an adult I fall more in the Ravenclaw camp. I claim both really.

I‘ve been on the hold list for this book for so long that I actually forgot I was on it. Best surprise email I‘ve ever gotten!

Still dealing with a puppy with stitches. Still working my way through The Underground Railroad (very very close to finishing). It‘s spectacular. I‘m probably not going to do a full review post for it just because I don‘t have any words for it besides spectacular. If you somehow haven‘t read it yet, add it to your list.

My pup had to get stitches yesterday as she ripped her paw pad 😔 She‘s down for three weeks and Matt and I get to be parents to a very frustrated puppy who just wants to run around in that time. She‘s doing okay, but I have a feeling a lot of couch time is in my future to make sure she stays still and just cuddles. So The Underground Railroad is the perfect “pull you in” book that‘s needed for the extended couch days!

I‘m just going to admit it: I hate summer. Unless I am on the beach somewhere with a tropical drink in hand, I want the rain and the cold. Today we‘re meant to be getting a little storm here in Missoula that‘ll at least give me (and our poor dead lawn) some water. So I‘m taking the opportunity of being on the couch with rain outside to let the dissertation prep begin! Let‘s do this, final year of grad school!

Desperately wishing it was the weekend so that I could just stay curled up on the couch with my book 📖

Still really enjoying this one! Abbi Waxman is quickly becoming one of my favorites so I‘m going to have to do some backlog reading.

The #24in48 has gone...NOT WELL. As in, this is the first time I‘ve been able to read this weekend and it‘s 9:30 on Sunday morning. But that‘s okay. While I‘m not going to end the weekend with a 24-hour timer, I will have ended it having gone to a local Cherry Festival, spent some time on the lake, and bought a new bed frame.

I know I‘m not going to be able to do the full #24in48, but I‘m building an ambitious stack anyways just to see what I can get through!

(Other People‘s Houses by Abbi Waxman is on the Kindle)

As a Murderino, this was perfection. It felt like sitting down with a cup of coffee or glass of wine (depending on if you‘re a Karen or a Georgia) and chatting with a pal. Now I wouldn‘t recommend this for anyone who isn‘t already a fan of the podcast since the ladies write exactly as they speak, but as a fan, that made me love it more. Finished it in about 14 hours...as you do. My god do I hate front cover stickers though.

Accidentally took a month long break from Litsy! Still here...still on the couch...still reading. The usual ♥️📖

The moment I finished A Weekend with Mr. Darcy I was back on my computer downloading the next two in the series from my library.

For the record, did not know it was the start of a series and immediately squealed when I realized it. Give me all of the Jane Austen spin-offs always.

Perfectly fluffy and just the break I needed. Now excuse me while I go ahead and just plow through the rest of the series...

I finally started checking out ebooks from my library and oh boy am I using it.

I‘m feeling iffy at the start of this as I‘m not big on characters that promote themselves as “not like others” and this feels a bit like that, but it seems like it‘ll be cute and endearing so still keeping it up!

Didn‘t love it. Didn‘t hate it. But a nice break from the more serious books I‘ve been reading lately.

There is pretty much nothing better than a morning like this.

Our new couch finally arrived! I maybe bought a new couch because the old one was hurting my back when I was reading. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do for a comfy reading spot!

Enjoy Virginia Woof modeling it here!

Okay, this is the fastest I‘ve ever bailed on a book. I read one chapter, put it down, and have yet to bring myself to pick it back up.

It‘s not right to bail after just one chapter but I‘m a big believer of letting go of books that don‘t immediately grab you. I‘m going to keep this on the shelf and try again another time because I‘ve heard great things so it might just not be the right time for me!

All three of us are cuddled up on the couch. The fiancé is reading Sisterhood of the Squared Circle and I‘m finishing up Blue Nights. The puppy is just sleeping because, try as I might, books just aren‘t her thing.

Counting down the days until our new couch arrives and reading on the couch won‘t lead to back pain and an inability to get up!

“In theory these mementos serve to bring back the moment. In fact they serve only to make clear how inadequately I appreciated the moment when it was here.”

Wow ♥️

Spent an evening chatting with the wonderful crew of the Snark Squad podcast all about Daisy Jones & The Six and how much I wish I was like Daisy in high school.

Who am I kidding? I kinda wish I was her now.
https://soundcloud.com/snarksquad/070-daisy-jones-and-the-six-by-taylor-jenkins-...

Something tells me that between starting this and Blue Nights from Joan Didion on the same night means I‘m going to need a good ol‘ fashioned fluffy and completely fun beach read next. Let me know your current favorites!