Deep & Conceptual. This is a short book, but each page is rich and worth lingering. Simpson writes in 1st person of a variety of characters, personifying a myriad of social topics of decolonization here from the internet to politics to guns and more as she sways the reader back and forth from prose to poem. Angry and loving and funny and stark. #Booked2019 #indigenousauthor @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Elie Wiesel gives a brave and naked view of his time in concentration camp. His account is both excruciating and matter-of-fact, from starvation, the chimney, the babies, illness, beatings, death...this is the story of human depravity...and it's true. #Booked2019 #Spring #NightOrientedTitle

Winter summary. Now looking forward to Spring! 🌸🌺
1. The Lost Girls of Paris
2. Ever Alice
3. The Little Book of Hygge
4. A Woman is No Man
5. The Heart's Invisible Furies
6. Circe
#Booked2019 #Winter #Summary @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Good pick for a book club, discussions questions included at end. Less historical specifics than I expected with a heavier lean on the fictional plot. Parts of plot felt incomplete, while some of the elements seemed drawn out. Still, a good debut, and the reader will walk away with some Civil War knowledge and a view of both the internal and practical struggles of southern abolitionists, which may help challenge one's own assumptions.

"I must find myself where I am and stop the fantasy of where I ought to be."

I feel like I've just had a (highly enjoyable) crash history course on Finland, socialism vs capitalism, northwest America, labor unions, and more. The history lessons are rich, but the plot was not compromised for historical accuracy in any way. This is a quote-rich tale full of points that beg for deep discussion, whether in a book club or across the dinner table or up on Capitol Hill. Enthusiastically recommended!

Well, I won't be reviewing my #BOTM selection anytime soon. 😣 A local app has been buzzing about package, mail, and auto break-ins all around town. Seems someone took my BOTM box off the front porch yesterday, but hey, I believe books can change a person. Let's hope that book made it into exactly the hands that needed it. I'd be just fine with that, although a small part of me would also like to dive into a Dostoevsky study with our Swiper 🦊. 💁

My kids put this magnet in my stocking this Christmas, and they did so because of books like this. This marvel shreds you through rage, heartbreak, & laughs. This is the life journey from conception through the next 70 years of one man; expect to be deeply attached. It spans WWII Catholic-ruled Ireland to 2015 Reformation Ireland, winding a painful path of bigotry to progress. #Booked2019 #Irish @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Silliness, timeless characters, psychological twists, stark contrasts, meaningful questions, this novel has it. It seemed like a slow start, but the ending is strong. Did you like the movie Fight Club? Then this is a good pick for you.
#Booked2019 #Winter #Retelling @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

This is "What to Expect When You're Expecting" for historians. Knott has a formal writing style that I appreciated. She writes this fact-filled stroll through the history and stages of motherhood as if writing a descriptive novel. She injects her personal anecdotes, making it modern and relatable also. Sarah is more than a historian, and her delightful literary skills make this an enjoyable read. This will be a great gift to any expecting mother.

I enjoyed the before and after bounce bringing the timeline closer and closer together. The author adds more and more to character development with each scene. The end is satisfying. This is a good first novel. I look forward to seeing more from the author. I did feel the author could have made the gas company role more dynamic, and I've expanded that in my Goodreads review.

This book is solidly sourced with evidence-based research, but it isn't dry. Luscombe has a great sense of humor that had me chuckling throughout the book. She helps break down the fault lines in a 6-part alliteration that is easy to follow. I appreciated the marriage of a sociological & therapeutic approach, as well as her anecdotes relating the science to her her marriage, which helped tie in the research and advice to real life examples.

It was perfect! Each storyline is packed full with hardships, dreams, love, betrayal, and hope as the author knits the two back to a crossroad of one moment in time. The theme is of women finding ways to be true to themselves. This was a meticulous novel. Even the supporting characters were developed well. It's worth every minute to read this. Toni Jordan draws you into each scene with vivid detail.

"The girl lived as a parallel constellation. Like a child who obsessively colors within the lines, she had to regulate her every move or she might end up in the terrifying universe that lay beyond the shape she‘d drawn to contain herself."

It's a fast read, easy to follow, hard to put down in parts. It's mostly sweet with some very hard bites. The first part kind of reads like a young adult book, mysterious but calm and clean. Then the climax just slams you. I wasn't expecting that at all. This book is great entertainment and I can easily see it being made into a movie. It's great for a quick, lazy weekend read.

I'm probably going to fan girl hell for this, but... The veil of humility that was central as a theme of GWYF is tossed out the window in this latest release. While GWYF was digestible, Girl, Stop Apologizing just left a sour taste in my mouth.

Lysa is a meticulous author, one you can almost envision the paint strokes of each word in each sentence. She crafts her writing with a beautiful intentionality. I've happily devoured her works for years. In her latest book, It's Not Supposed to Be This Way, she returns full force, and takes the smallest of concepts, dust, and molds a masterful answer to "Where is God when...."

Wamariya's literature background shines in her exceptional writing and rich vocabulary that colors the pages of this remarkable memoir.

The fragmentation of her history and her struggle to find wholeness deeply resonated with me. This is a book that will sit on my soul for quite awhile.

Raw and Infuriating. I'm so proud of this author for taking a stand and speaking up for the many who are still silenced. Etaf Rum rips down the curtain and shines the spotlight on cultural misogyny right here on an American stage. It's sure to be one of the most talked about books of 2019. I'm grateful for her courage to write this debut novel.
#Booked2019 #Winter #RelatedToAPodcast @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

One of the best books I've read in modern literature. Miller wrote fluidly, and the novel read effortlessly. As a reader, I felt if all my senses were alive and I could see, feel, and hear every detail. Her choice of first person makes Circe intensely relatable through naivety, heartbreaks, pain, horror, growth, redemption, and more. EXCELLENT!
#Booked2019 #Winter #NewToYouAuthor
@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Overall, I did enjoy the novel, especially the first two-thirds, but the final third lacked the creativity and zeal such dynamic characters deserved. I loved the theme of women forging through insurmountable odds, and thus still would recommend this for a women's book club. #Booked2019 #Winter #FemaleDetective @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Stephanie crashes stigmas, opens your emotions, and sweeps you into a renewed view of poverty. I was angry for her, cradled the ghosts of my own past, and refreshed my gratitude for my present life.

This book is solid with research references that open engaging discussions on unique challenges women face and ways to overcome them. This would be an excellent choice for a women's book club.

This book is an excellent coffee table book. I love the format of quick quips to pick up almost as a daily happiness devotional. Just glancing at it on the table washes away any guilt as I eat that next bite of cake sitting by the warm fire. It helps remind us to slow down and enjoy one another.
#Booked2019 #Winter #RemindsYouOfYourHappyPlace
@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

This book was just what I needed to read at this time in my life. If you can relate to an anxiety-ridden life that has left you bouncing from ostriching to freaking, this book just may be perfect for you, too.