So I‘m a little late to this party (like 10 years late)… but I‘m glad I read this even though I‘m not typically a big YA reader. I‘m also currently reading The Anthropocene Reviewed by the same author and loving that one (five stars). ✨

When I attended RHE‘s online-streamed funeral after she died unexpectedly from a sudden illness, I had no way of knowing that within two months I would lose my own best friend in a tragic accident. Listening to this, the last book that she was working on at the time of her death, narrated by her closest friends and family, was bittersweet. She so eloquently gave hope to all of us, especially including those who have been hurt by the church.

Hopeful | Reflective | Engaging 📖 1/6/22
A perfect read on this particular date when the world needs more Hope. I especially loved the last part of the book that highlights Jane Goodall‘s personal journey. 🌱 (Now I‘m off to continue this theme with some Mary Oliver…)

Inspiring | Luminous | Collage 📖 1-2-22
Not sure why I can‘t find the appropriate tag in Litsy….
Poetry that shines a light on a moment of reckoning and harnesses the collective grief of the global pandemic through an imaginative collage of words.

Heartwarming | Middle-grade | Tender. 📖 1-1-22
About a Makah girl in the Pacific Northwest who is struggling to find her joy again after a ballet injury to her knee.
Inscribed “To anyone who needs a reminder that pain is temporary” 💗

Love this story about CS Lewis and the magic of his novel, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” A perfect read for this season! 🦁🏰❄️

I just love Strout‘s writing. This is the second of the Lucy Barton books. I‘m moving into Oh, William! next (the 3rd Lucy Barton book).

I‘m enjoying an unexpected pocket of found time with Patchett‘s book of essays and hot cocoa… The best!!

Towles is such an amazing writer and I was absolutely loving this one until “Day One”. I have to admit that didn‘t love the ending 🙈… I just was left with so many questions. However, the storytelling is compelling and I was turning the pages compulsively right to the very last page. I also think the connection to The Rules of Civility is fun!

My first Groff novel and I loved it. I can see why this might not be for everyone but I found it to be striking and powerful. A creative story about the historical Marie de France.

Just 80 pages in and already loving this! It‘s imaginative, vivid, and immersive. ☁️🪶🏰

It took me a while to get my bearings with this one but I‘m so glad I stayed with it. I found myself wanting to know even more about certain characters and I hear there‘s a sequel in the works. This wasn‘t a quick read for me but it‘s a definite pick!

It‘s here and as good as I knew it would be! ❤️🧡

Litsy made me do it! I couldn‘t resist these editions of the Emily series. I was everything “Anne” growing up but never read this series. Can‘t wait to start in! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #blameitonLitsy

📚 My Saturday plans 📚 This has already captured my full attention at just 25% in...

4⭐️ || I‘m glad to have been able to finally read this. Thought-provoking, important, and often overlooked perspective of the history of the US.

In an hour-long school pick-up line... might as well read!

I went for an impromptu walk through the woods at the local arboretum and stumbled upon this little free “Forest Library” for children. Pretty magical! 🌳🍄📚

4⭐️ || This was Ann Patchett‘s debut novel and it is very well-crafted. There are so many layers to this story, with themes of mother-daughter relationships and leaving vs. staying. This is my fifth Patchett novel this year and I‘m looking forward to her short story collection that comes out in November. This was also my #DoubleSpin pick for August!

😉

5⭐️ || I‘m not sure why people are either Team Lucy (this book‘s main character) or Team Olive (Olive Kitteridge) because I love them both. This is tender and reflective. I‘m looking forward to her new book out this fall... Oh, William!

4⭐️ || Epistolary, reflective, charming. Through letters, two people form an unexpected friendship with a shared appreciation for the Tollund Man (which I personally find haunting). This book is quiet... just what I needed.

Unpopular opinion! I wish I‘d looked at the content warnings ahead of time. Sexual abuse of children, assault, rape ... I‘m putting this down right around halfway at 300 pages (it‘s long). The writing is very well done, and I was looking forward to an adventurous read but I need something less oppressive right now.

5⭐️ || Confession: Between reading the classics and literary fiction, I love listening to celebrity memoirs on audio. This was a perfect fit since I loved Lauren in Parenthood and I‘ve been binge-watching The Gilmore Girls for the first time. 📺 What is your favorite celebrity memoir?

5⭐️ || Honest and stunning... a story about family, immigration, and hope. An excellent read!

DNF - This was on my list because the BBC series is now available in the States, but I just couldn‘t get into this one. It was my #BookSpin pick for this month, so I‘m checking it off and moving onward (and watching the series guilt-free!)

One of my favorite activities, after reading of course, is to take walks around the neighborhood. This was taken on one of my daily walks recently. I love clear days with a good view of Mt. Rainier! (Also, I‘m loving all of the photos posted for today‘s challenge!) #LitsySummerCamp

5⭐️ || Oh, my heart, I love this! I wonder why I never picked it up before? I thought it was a children‘s book, but it is so much more. It was interesting to learn that the author originally intended this as memoir before her publisher required a change into fiction. A beautiful coming-of-age story.

☀️ August #Bookspin List ☀️
Books 1-9 / 11-19. Books 10/20 will be Libby audio holds.

Isn‘t it funny how library holds seem to come in all at the same time?!

My “next up” stack! Books 65-67.

3.5 ⭐️ || Entertaining look at the behind-the-scenes of this reality series.

4⭐️ || Loved this prequel to the Anne series. I really enjoyed the imagined backstories of Rachel Lynde and John Blythe. An absorbing comfort read. 👒

3.5⭐️ || The physical book is beautiful and it‘s descriptive nature-writing is soothing. This can be picked up in little bits here and there. 🌿 It‘s my #BookSpin for June.

5⭐️ | This novel was perfect for what I needed it to be. It‘s an easy, well-written escape that took me back to my SoCal years. Loved seeing the cameos and characters from her other novels. A great start to summer 💦🏄‍♀️

This has been on my shelf and I can‘t wait to dive in... especially after today‘s Pulitzer announcement.

I was really looking forward to this because I love Maggie O‘Farrell‘s writing. Perhaps it was the narration but I found the stories to be too melodramatic. She‘s such a talented writer but this one just didn‘t work for me.

Eric Carle
June 25, 1929 - May 23, 2021

In the light of the moon,
holding on to a good star,
a painter of rainbows
is now traveling across the night sky.

RIP Eric Carle. My kids and I grew a love for reading through your classics 🐛🍎

Posting this now so I can check it off my list. Looking forward to June reading ☀️ #BookSpin #DoubleSpin

4⭐️ || An enjoyable historical fiction novel based on the real life story of the freed Cuban woman Evangelina Cisneros in 1896. The captivating story centers on three women who are working toward Cuba‘s freedom. I like this even more than Next Year in Havana.

5⭐️ || Why did it take me so long to pick this one up? I loved the interweaving of faith and grief and science and wonder. This will stay with me for a long time; it‘s easily one of my top reads this year.

3.5⭐️ || Easy and light... a series of character sketches centered around a cooking class with lots of food writing. A bit cliche, but overall a fine escape. This was my #BookSpin pick for May 👩🏻‍🍳

4⭐️ || Part memoir, part history, part nature-writing, this explores Macdonald‘s experience of raising a goshawk, dealing with the grief of her father‘s death, and also the author TH White (Once and Future King). Such an interesting weaving of subjects!

This beautiful nature diary arrived in the mail today and it‘s making me so happy! Apparently there is also a podcast by the same name.🌿

3.5⭐️ || I enjoyed this one... I was drawn in from the very beginning. This is my #DoubleSpin for May!

5⭐️ || This is un-putdownable. I picked this up because it is recommended by Ann Patchett. Such a compelling read.

4⭐️ || No. 39 I‘m not sure this story has aged well, but Patchett‘s writing is exquisite as always. And it‘s a signed copy!

My #BookSpin list for May! I‘ve read through almost all of my TBR shelf because of this challenge. I added library and Libby holds this month because I have stacks of both to get through, as well.

4⭐️ || This is #19 of the No. 1 Ladies‘ Detective Agency series. Set in Botswana, it‘s a charming comfort read. It‘s also my #DoubleSpin pick for April!