A really nice mystery. A whole lot of sadness and pain with a good amount of crazy mixed in.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just signed up for the #Jolabokaflodswap !!! It‘s pretty much a tradition now 😁 🎄 📕 🍫

Thank you @MaleficentBookDragon for coordinating again!!! 💕

I actually ended up DNFing this one. I do love the author‘s writing style, it‘s beautiful and impactful, but the ideas in the book were so thoroughly described in Dear Senthuran (the author‘s recent memoir)I just couldn‘t get into Freshwater. I might come back to it, it just didn‘t feel like the right read for me right now.

#LMPBC @magyklyXdelish @collegecatlady @shadowspeak17

Yes, this book needs some uninterrupted time. You have to let yourself get into it without disruption…and when you do, it is such a great read! It‘s fascinating and funny, really well researched, and gave me so much more perspective on what really took place back in those days. I was worried this would be dry and was somewhat intimidated by this book. It wasn‘t and I loved it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#LMPBC #GROUPN #ROUND12

Hi #LMPBC #GROUPU #POETRY readers 😁

Here are my options to pick from. Basically I went through new poetry lists to come up with these - and this is what looked interesting.

Would you like to read any of these??

@Readergrrl @Butterfinger @mcipher

#LMPBC #GroupU is looking for 2 more poetry lovers!!! 😁

If you‘d like to join @Readergrrl and me, sign up here:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/5080444aead2ca0ff2-l...

5⭐️ A beautiful & impactful tale. A story about Wallace who‘s lived his life putting his work as a lawyer above all else - including family & friends. So when his life ends suddenly, and the one thing that gave him meaning is taken away, he must learn how to appreciate the things he didn‘t notice before. But there‘s so much more to it and so many more great characters that you‘ll truly feel very close to by the time this journey ends. 💕

Let me know if either one of these looks good for #LMPBC #Round13 #GroupO @allureofbeauty @Bianca @ImperfectCJ

If neither one works, I have a few more. Looking forward to this round! 🙂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To me this did not feel sad, but it did have a numbing effect at times, the way grief does. It also seemed to move beyond grief and slip briefly into madness, again and again. It is a story of a woman that is losing her husband to cancer, her experience during his final weeks of life, and her life shortly after his death as she‘s figuring out her own identity.
A great interview with JCO here https://youtu.be/NElkoUXn2Nc

Mr. Wyatt is ready to start a new book! #CatsofLitsy 😊🍁 🐈‍⬛

So establishing a lengthy TBR has never worked for me. I ALWAYS deviate from the plan 😁

But it‘s fun to do!!! So here we go!! This will last me a few months 🍁 ❄️

A definite pick - another #LMPBC read. I mean how can you not like this? It was funny, genuine and inspiring 😊

@sharread @Amiable @ncsufoxes @suvata

Question for librarians or anyone with good ideas 😄 📚

Thank you @MommyOfTwo !!! What a great #fffs #FallIngForFallSwap package! Great books, yummy snacks, I love the mug! Might need to get into the spirit of fall with some of that pumpkin coffee 😊🍁🍂🍁 thank you again!! Love it!

@cwarnier Thank you soooo much!!! Love everything and the books make me crave something sweet lol 🍪 🍰 yum! Love all the bookmarks and the coffee will be gone in no time 😁 so much great stuff here! Thank you 😊 🍁 🍂 🍁 #fffs #FallingForFallSwap

Before I move on to reading any of my new purchases, I am going to be spending some time with Julia as part of #LMPBC!!!

@suvata @sharread @Amiable @ncsufoxes

#BookHaul !!!! 🍁 Many based on #BookTube recommendations, some just because they looked good 😁 some from #MyTBR by #BookRiot, one from #HarvardBookstore subscription and one from #AndOtherStories Publishing…

hmm…what should I read next 🤔 🍁

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ it was hard to get into this at first, the style, names, the small snippets of the story left me confused but in the end this was a winner! It‘s a story of a family running a hair business - buying from poor women in poor countries and selling to those that can afford and want to look fabulous! But that only turns out to only be a small part of the story. A good thriller with some magical realism thrown in.
#LMPBC

Here we go! Time for some Norma! #LMPBC #Round12 @suvata @magyklyXdelish @collegecatlady @shadowspeak17

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A cool science fiction mystery /thriller. I got it through a #MyTBR #BookRiot recommendation subscription otherwise I would have never stumbled on it.
An expedition of humans and androids lands on a new planet with the intention of determining whether it could be inhabited by humans. However, things start getting really strange as soon as they arrive as some crew members catch a mysterious illness and the androids seem off as well.

Another great #LMPBC read. I‘m a bit late on leaving a review. But Jet Girl is definitely worth the read. I especially enjoyed the details, the writing style, the pictures to help make the connection. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And my second #FFFS package has arrived 😁a few days ago at this point just haven‘t had a chance to post. 🍁🍂🍁 @Avanders

Off they went…should arrive with plenty of time #FallingForFallSwap 🍁🍂🍁 @Avanders

Yay! The #FFFS package has arrived! Thank you @cwarnier !!! 😊🍁🍂🍁🤍🤎🤍🤎🤍

Wow…what to say about this one. It‘s a good horror, creepy, weird, gross, gory…maybe too much so for my taste but overall the book is great. I did have to skip a few pages here and there where it just got to be too much but if that stuff doesn‘t bother you, definitely pick it up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - would have been higher if it wasn‘t for all the stomach-turning scenes. #LMPBC #Round12 #GroupS @suvata @shadowspeak17 @collegecatlady @magyklyXdelish

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was a new experience for me…I feel like I should read it again to tie it all together. It starts with a former actress working at an audio theater, which will soon be shutting down permanently. But perhaps that‘s all unimportant. What follows is a (as the translator calls it) ‘repetition, mirroring, echoing, and overlapping‘ of events, characters and details. Hard to describe. Definitely worth a read. Or two. Or three.

Wow. Loved this book even though it is hard to read. There is a lot of hurt and pain and lies and abuse in this one. It starts out with a woman and a man having a meal together at a restaurant. Another man walks in with a gun that he then turns on himself. The rest of the book is a journey…can‘t say too much or I‘ll give it away. And yes, it made me cry at the end.

5⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another five star read for me! Gorgeously written! This is not a book that you will soon forget. A ‘black spirit memoir‘ that will take you on a journey, will make you think, will make you pause…I did have to take a break half way through reading it and let it all digest before moving on. It is a bit repetitive in the middle but I think in the end it all serves a purpose. A great and impactful work of art.

#LMPBC #Round12 #GroupN

A change of pace of my other #LMPBC #Round12 read for #GroupN

Tacking some nonfiction this time..can‘t wait!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I had so much fun reading this one! Definitely creepy and weird although not until about 80 pages in. It‘s about a newly divorced Kara moving into a room at her uncle‘s place which is a museum of all sorts of oddities. And of course soon after she moves in, a portal to another world (not a friendly one) opens up in one of the rooms…as you can imagine Kara (and her friend Simon) decide to explore… 😬

#LMPBC #GroupS #Round12

Congratulations on 100K litfluence!!! 🎊

#K100KGiveaway
@RamsFan1963

😊

Starting up my #LMPBC #GroupS for #Round12 read…

I positively LUV the cover 😍

Can‘t wait to read it!!!

@magyklyXdelish @shadowspeak17 @collegecatlady

@Loops I got the book today! Thank you so much, this totally made my day 💕 😊

And I love the bookmarks. Already putting them to good use 😄

Thank you!!!!

Hi #LMPBC #GroupN #Round12!!! 🌸

Here are some choices I have for narrative nonfiction. Let me know if any of these look interesting!

@sharread @ncsufoxes @Amiable

#LMPBC #GroupN for #Round12 is now full!

We are reading narrative nonfiction!

Do any of these look good? If not I‘ll do some more searching 😁

#LMPBC #Round12 #GroupS

@magyklyXdelish @collegecatlady @shadowspeak17

To me this was a 5 🌟 read! A woman invites a famous artist to stay at a ‘second place‘ on her property. His paintings have had a profound impact on her and she wants to bring the artist himself closer to her. The book reads like a memoir, is thoughtful and genuine and full of great one liners. A work of art itself. I‘ll be reading this one again for sure.

It‘s been a while since I‘ve done any meaningful reading - I‘ve had way too much stress in my life to be able to focus. But I feel like I‘m ready...

#JuneTBR

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ loved this one! I received it from @Gaylagal2 as part of #BasicWitchSwap 🧙 it‘s over 300 pages but it‘s a fast read. It‘s a chilling mystery, taking place on 2 different timelines. There are family secrets, the undead, and lots of ‘detective work‘. 😁

A deeply moving story about two brothers, 16 and 12 years old, and the reality of what it means to be a black child / teen in America. There are elements of magical realism, which make the story all the more intriguing. There is quite a bit of conflict, both internal and external, leaning on family, even those who have come generations before us, and of course lots and lots of deep feelings. A truly 5 star read for me.

Starting on another ARC. This one is for ages 12+. I‘m intrigued by some of the blurbs on the back cover...

“An essential read relevant to our times. This story matter.”

“An emotionally nuanced story layering grief, masculinity and generational trauma...”

I think I‘m ready...

Won‘t lie, I LOVED this middle grade book. It‘s about a girl dealing with her fears and anxiety, how she relates to her friend and family and how in the end she conquers those fears. Very relatable and genuine. You‘ll definitely be rooting for Marisol!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reading an ARC - for ages 8-12 - cute so far. Makes you want to go outside and climb a tree 😆

Got it in the mail today....USPS is being speedy these days...😁 #LMPBC

@booksellerofyourdiscontent @shadowspeak17 @rjsthumbelina

Next up! Another #LMPBC #GroupJ pick...can‘t wait! 😁 @Wife @Hestapleton @Allylu @suvata

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ This coming of age story centers around the life of two young women in the early 1980‘s New York who are desperately trying to become part of the in-crowd. There‘s lots of partying, glamour and glitz, drugs, bad decisions, bad people and some very raw feelings. The story builds up overtime revealing all the hidden intricacies of what‘s really going on and becomes very real and moving by the end.

ARC received from a GoodReads giveaway.

Time for something different! I got this ARC from a Goodreads giveaway...so excited!

“A vivid portrait of a seedy, edgy, artsy and seething New York City that will never exist again.”

Sounds like fun 😁

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A great sequel to the Three Body problem and a thoroughly enjoyable hard science fiction read. It brings in physics, astronomy and philosophy (and lots of it) but also spends quite a bit of time alternating between the message of desperation and that of hope. It gets inside the human soul and explores some of the darkest corners. A five star read for sure.

Thanks for the tag @dandy.punk ! 😁 #Two4Tuesday

1. I love reading challenges! I love finding new ones, signing up, PLANNING 🥰 but I don‘t often finish...get distracted... 😕

2. I‘m loving #ReadingAsia2021 right now! Having something that‘s longer term helps me. And I get to find new interesting authors.

Want to play @Smartypants and @Simplykellyk ?

2020 was a tough year for me in terms of reading. I didn‘t really have the time to read, and when I did, stress made it hard to focus on a book. I‘m hoping 2021 will be better but I‘m not overdoing it in terms of goals. I think 45 books will be a challenge anyway since I prefer to read long books.

But here‘s to a better 2021! 🥳