Genuinely had such a fun time while reading this. A bit of lovely banter, characters I thoroughly liked, and the charming setting, all worked together to please my sappiest side.

I ached through the entirety of this book. Such troubled, troubling characters...so much of loss and love. And what a premise! Highly recommend.

The classic rock lover in me truly had a blast with this fictional oral history of a ‘70s rock band‘s rise to glory (and abrupt ending). While certain aspects of this book left me conflicted — the obvious themes of drug use and infidelity were handled too cavalierly, in my opinion — the story‘s movement and the members of the band‘s magnetism all felt real and made for a fun read.

I feel this one in my chest; it‘s so heavy in a beautiful way. Gorgeous prose — with so many phrases and sentences that just bowled me over with their perfection — that builds, powerfully, to a heart-wrenching climax.

The story on this one didn‘t click for me...it was not nearly as witchy as I would have liked, and some aspects of it felt like absurd curve balls. But, I do like Louis Morgan‘s writing style, and that helped me get through this easily despite my disappointment in the plot.

I‘m so disappointed this book wasn‘t better. The premise of a Legend of Sleepy Hollow retelling/story expansion, focusing on the side female character of Katrina Van Tassel, was compelling and (in theory) the perfect set up for a great seasonal read. But it just didn‘t deliver.

I enjoyed the start and slow-building setup of the first 300 or so pages...but ultimately found the fanatical, tunnel-visioned romance at the book‘s center to be objectionable, and the two main characters themselves rather unlikable by the end. Haven‘t decided yet whether I‘ll continue the series.

Enjoying this book immensely (even if the Twilight comparisons come a bit too easy for my liking).

Also enjoying fall temperatures finally reaching Cincinnati these last few days. Autumn outdoor reading is my favorite.

Eleanor is both heartbreaking and hilarious, and for much of the novel can‘t acknowledge that she‘s either. She is a character that I cared about deeply, and from whom a valuable reminder can be taken: You deserve a whole lot better than ”fine.”

Not a bad Sunday afternoon.

This book ended up delivering exactly what I was hoping for from my first witchy read of the spooky season...something atmospheric, and fun, and easy to lose myself in for a while. Not a literary masterpiece, just an enjoyable story of strong women, sisterly bonds, and magic.

A swift, engrossing thriller. I enjoyed this much more than the over-hyped Girl on the Train and appreciated how carefully the true story, as well as the several untrue versions, are teased out, a detail at a time, by the shifting narrators.

Starting my first thematic read of the spooky season and I‘m just so glad it‘s finally September...

This book took me by surprise. I had to readjust my expectations a few times, and actively decide to lean into its more farcical elements or they‘d have seemed too ridiculous to take any of the rest of it seriously. But it was an easy, enjoyable read, with several characters who I found myself rooting for affectionately. Didn‘t charm and fascinate and move me, like Big Little Lies managed to do. But still fun.

A unique and magnificent novel that weaves together insights on tribalism, gender inequality, victim blaming, and the trauma of attempting an ordinary life in dangerously extraordinary circumstances. But the style is intentionally challenging — often rambling and hectic, with phrasing that pivots between awkwardly infantile, and gorgeously descriptive. I can see why it won the Man Booker Prize, but it maybe isn‘t for everybody.

An unnerving collection of eerie and absurd short stories, some fantastically ambiguous to the very last word. But the overall quality is uneven, and, by the end, such a curated tone of creepiness grows monotonous.

Enjoying a quiet Saturday night (he games with headphones on when I‘m reading so we can hang out in the same room) and trying to make progress on this month‘s book club pick. Half way through and, so far, it‘s one of the most uniquely-voiced novels I‘ve ever read.

I very much enjoyed this book...but honestly would have really loved it if several of the intertwining plots had been instead untangled and allowed to each serve fully as a story on their own.

While it follows the domino effect of hardships trailing behind (and leading up to) a consuming tragedy, ultimately the story is about the resiliency of love and the fact there is no expiration date on the possibility of forgiveness.

The book never fully delivered on the sharpness I felt it promised — neither in humor, nor insight — and its protagonist is excruciatingly terrible, save her extreme fondness for both Whoopi Goldberg and Harrison Ford. But it was an easy, unusual read...which are great in the summer.

It was difficult to read, to focus on personal struggles, when the systemic injustice that put it all in motion set my entire being into a maddening and distracting rage...but that‘s an important aspect of it? That this story wasn‘t just a sample statistic, a commentary on the failing, still painfully racist system, but instead was about the depth and ripples of trauma in a man‘s life when years are stolen via incarceration. #24in48

I had not known the topic of this book before I started, and that was a bad idea... lots of crying and hugging on my very confused dog, which I had not prepared either of us for in advance. But the story had lots of heart, even humor. #24in48

Finished my first book of the #24in48 readathon and it would have gone a little faster if I hadn‘t cried so much....but I really loved this gutpunch of a novel. Families are so complex, and the genuine love we hold for another can still fall short, and fail them (and us) spectacularly. It does hurts to see this spread out across page after page, so full of grief and loss, but in that beautiful way of so many good books.

I did not like this book. It was too derivative to be as experimental or original as it seemed to want to be, and was unnecessarily murky. Plus, it was over-reliant on soupy imagery of blended sex-and-violence to manipulate the reader more than to convey any real theme or story. But there was a pulling curiosity for me all the same, and as I told my fellow book-clubbers: Ms. Awad has a talent for writing beautiful sentences about ugly things.

1) Emma, because I loved the movie Clueless.
2) I was 11 and my mom gave me a volume of Austen for Christmas.
3) Colin Firth, as both his Darcy gents.
4) Definitely Lizzie when younger. Possibly Elinor now?
5) Knightley.
6) Wickham. The timeless cad.
7. Oh. The 2005 P&P film soothes me - I fell asleep to it every night through some hard years. Also, the 2009 BBC Emma is utterly charming. #janeites #austentatiousanswers #janeausten

July book club read is off to a bizarre start but I think I like it?

Lived up to all the praise. What a perfectly put together story of accidental families and those who can‘t keep themselves from fighting the good fights, big or small. Ove truly was irresistible, and Backman continues to be one of my most favorite authors. With absolute deftness, he can inspire both chuckles and tears in the span of a sentence.

Finished this late last week for my June book club meeting, and enjoyed it despite not caring for either of the central characters. It blurred the line between co-dependency and intimacy, and highlighted how thoroughly and easily communication can breakdown, even between people desperate to remain close to one another.

I‘ve been wanting to read this for a long, long while. I‘m already such a fan of Backman, and have heard so many wonderful things about this book.

A difficult topic handled with meticulous care and the most human of touches, this novel not only shows more of the true and tragic circumstances of the 80s AIDS epidemic than any other literary work I know, but it also broaches the universally applicable question of what happens to those left behind by trauma, long after it‘s all “over?”

This book has already proven it packs some emotional sting, and I am not half finished. Not the easiest pick for Pride month, but an important story of facts (the magnitude, the terror, of the AIDS epidemic in ‘80s Chicago), surrounded by fictional characters who feel real.

I‘ve been looking forward to this adaptation for so long that I am finding it hard to pace myself, but I‘m determined to draw it out so as to enjoy it longer.

Also, the casting is absolutely perfect.

The story was interesting and it read quickly, but the prose and overall execution would have really benefitted from additional editing.

Honestly, the most I‘ve ever enjoyed a book with an entirely unlikable protagonist.

Holiday weekend plans.

This was the second of Ms. Ware‘s novels I‘ve read, and I truly enjoyed it. In this modern mystery of mistruths and mistaken identities, I particularly appreciated her use of classically gothic atmosphere and an almost Christie-esque situational set up. It was a nice blend of old and new that set this apart from other thrillers I‘ve read recently.

I adored the previous two installments of Arden‘s Winternight Trilogy, and was not disappointed by this beautiful yet bittersweet conclusion. Her talent for rooting the fantastic in flesh and earth, for bringing new dimension and maturity to fairytales, without losing their sense of lyrical wonder, is remarkable.

An intense and often troubling read, this book was thought-provoking as it layered deep, almost unanswerable questions about gender and identity within a nightmarish tale of power struggles and imbalances, and the brutality that goes with them.

An exploration of family that delves not only into the roles each member is born into, but the issues that come from roles forced upon them by circumstances. Though I wanted to connect more with the characters, especially the 3 sisters whom the book follows through alternating perspectives, & I found the conclusion rushed, it was still a good read for examining the strands of love, anger, hurt & envy that can form familial bonds.

I‘d definitively pick the first half of this book, but I‘d pan the back half. I loved the setting, Alaska‘s wildness is fascinating and was also an apt metaphor for many of the themes of the novel. However, there were too many conflicts, which felt cheap and emotionally manipulative as one predictable trauma after another popped up. There was so much potential in the central conflict, that the rest just became distraction.

Not at all what I expected, but this book detailing the history leading up to, and mystery surrounding, a massively destructive fire in the downtown LA library circa 1986, showcases quirky characters, a century‘s worth of cultural changes, and the many societal needs addressed by libraries.

I could only read it during daylight hours, but it‘s a true crime masterpiece.

While I didn‘t particularly care for some of the key characters (mostly Daisy, I really didn‘t like Daisy), this book is an important addition to YA fiction. It‘s not perfect, but it is one of the most honest depictions of mental illness I‘ve encountered and this is absolutely a conversation that society needs to start having more often, especially with our young people.

I found this to be an interesting story — especially with the eerie echoes of my own short-lived teaching career held within — highlighting a type of relationship that rarely gets explored, and showing the impact, both positive and negative, we can have on a person without ever realizing it.

Playing along for #socialsunday, courtesy of @EchoLogical — love getting to know other book lovers so hope you will consider playing too!!

I live right at the northern most tip of Kentucky. I‘m all about literary fiction, classic & contemporary. But I also adore a well-built fantasy world. My favorite author is tough. If picking someone current, maybe Madeline Miller? I read The Snow Child based off a friend‘s rec last summer & it was fabulous.

A fast and entertaining read, Manson‘s writing doesn‘t just amuse with its cheeky phrasing...it challenges readers to shed their entitlement, to take responsibility for their choices, to refine their values, and face their mortality. He asks the hard questions: what are you willing to suffer for, and what will you leave behind? He also introduces the hero Disappointment Panda, which was my favorite part.

The rave reviews were right! I loved the novel, and greatly enjoyed the lively book club discussion it inspired. Adding onto an existing infatuation with Circe, this undoubtedly secures Madeline Miller as one of my favorite contemporary authors and I hope hope hope she has more books planned.

A few weeks ago, I accidentally started a book club.

Our first meeting is next week, and I shamelessly picked a book high on my own to-read list for our inaugural discussion. So now here I am, ready to dig in and annotate and plan conversation-starters and generally nerd out in the most bliss-inspiring way.

Barnhill builds a gorgeously lyrical world of witches and monsters and dragons, who are all so much more than you‘d expect, to tell a simple and familiar story of love against power, hope against sorrow — and it was wonderful to read.

Snuggled up with my pup and ready to read.