1. Dropped off 16 (!) puzzles at Andersonville Chamber of Commerce in advance of puzzle exchange on Sunday.
2. Started Paradise on Hulu. It‘s a gripper.
3. Monument Valley 3 is out, same beautiful design and music.
4. One Queen Bee and another Wordle in two!
5. Walked in botanic garden with two best friends followed by fancy lunch.

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

1/3 of the way in and I kept asking myself why am I reading a book about four sisters who do not at all seem real. Lots of people and Jenna loved this book, but I gave up. Maybe it was going to get better? If the characters can‘t come alive for me, I‘m just not interested. Farewell Blue Sisters.

These short books really pack a punch. There are three, Earth, Water and Fire and this is the second one I‘ve read. Famous footballer, Evan, and his teammate, Robbie, are accused of rape. Did they do it? And what has led him to this courtroom, awaiting the verdict? It‘s a gripper and I‘m very much looking forward to the third book.

Really liked Lenny, a nearly 40 year old fifth grade teacher who has had one tough life and a peculiar view on living her challenging life. She‘s got so much to overcome yet her bravery pulls her forward and continues to change her life. This is a story of hope and love and living your best life. Thanks for recommending, Char. I would never have found this book without you!

@thegreensofa @monalyisha #auldlangspine

1. Chef Ping mango shrimp.
2. Bundled up and walked in botanical garden with best friend and bought new air plant.
3. Started watching Prime Target on Apple TV.
4. Queen Bee twice on New York Times Spelling Bee.
5. Made delicious brisket recipe but forgot to take a picture!

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

An excellent short book about an Irish woman who goes to live on an island. Lots of secrets, lots of relationships, lots of personal growth and lots of love. A very satisfying read for so few pages. Very much looking forward to reading his other two: Fire and Earth.

This is my second book by Adam Haslett, both books filled with odd characters who live adjacent to other odd characters. It took me awhile to get into this story about a lawyer who works to get asylum for those who need it, and his mother who owns a wellness retreat for women. These two are drawn so perfectly, it‘s as though you know them. Can their relationship survive the secret they‘ve always carried? Highly provocative.

@Amor4Libros

A very good book about two sisters, their lives, their loves, their relationships with their parents. They‘re like night and day but they always manage to find each other. There were many ways this book could have ended, but I found the ending to be perfect. I would dedicate this book to all sisters everywhere.

This is one quirky book. The story is quirky, the two main characters, brother and sister, are quirky and the ending is too! I really enjoyed the weirdness of these two siblings, their family, their lives, all made for a highly enjoyable read.

@Amor4Libros

“I come back to the apartment and find the worst thing in the world.”

Almost bailed at the beginning of this fun and quirky book, but glad I stayed with it.

#FirstLineFridays. @ShyBookOwl

1. Wordle in 2 moves only happens occasionally for me!
2. Microwave exploded when I opened it, went poof and died. But got new one same day, installed the next. Crisis averted!
3. Fun mug from Alamo trip. That‘s a quote from Davy Crockett when he lost reelection in Tennessee.
4. Got measured for my new implanted tooth to be in place in 2 weeks, ending this horrible 8 month process.
5. Bitter cold but warmer today!

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

This book is terrific! It tells the story of three siblings and the strange girl who enters their lives. Who is she and what is she doing in the midst of their lives? This is one of those books that makes you think, a feature I find to be few and far between. I did not see what was coming which made the story all the much better. Amazing character development and a twist. Highly recommend.

I‘ve checked this one out of the library twice and can‘t seem to get to it!

#49bdaygiveaway. @wanderinglynn

1. Read the top two. Can‘t wait to get to the rest of these!
2. Are these the most amazing looking lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes?? Couldn‘t finish half even sharing with a friend.
3. New nail dryer. Have wanted one of these since Covid started.
4. Started new 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle. Not looking at the picture which makes it super hard.
5. Watched the movie “The Critic”. Highly recommend.

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

Ok…this one is strange. The nameless narrator is on the run with $168,000 in cash and not much else. Who is he? What is he running from? Where is he going? It‘s a short book, but the answers appear close to the end. Hard to put down and a weird conclusion. I liked it though and I found its strangeness rather interesting.

Looks like everybody in the world loved this book but I thought it was just ok. Not much dialogue, but a well drawn picture of rural life in Indiana in the 1900s. Our narrator Zorrie has a tough life farming, but she thrives, handling life‘s disappointments so well and moving through her life in a thoughtful way. Only 161 pages but I found myself wishing something, anything, interesting would happen to her.

Really liked this story partially narrated by Marcellus, a giant octopus, and also told through the eyes of Tova, a cleaning lady at his aquarium, and Cameron, a down-on-his-luck guy who is slowly integrated into the story. I just read it‘s going to be a movie with Sally Field which should be awesome. Lots of brilliant observations by Marcellus keep the story moving.

@thegreensofa @monalyisha #auldlangspine

If you liked The Gods of the Woods, don‘t miss this one by the same author. We meet Ada as a young girl, home-schooled by her father and socially inept. As he begins his descent into Alzheimer‘s she is left to herself and must also come to terms with who her father really was. There‘s a mystery thread throughout the book that leads to a very satisfying ending. Terrific ending!

@EadieB I loved this one!

1. Last minute trip with son to Austin and San Antonio. So much fun even tho I fell down the steps of the Capitol and twisted my ankle.
2. Is this van too funny?
3. Davy Crockett at The Alamo. There‘s a whole museum of Alamo artifacts donated by Phil Collins.
4. Amazing tacos at Torchy‘s in Austin.
5. Even the Austin airport is so cool!

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

1. One more beautiful sunrise from my porch.
2. Saw the Bob Dylan movie. It was just ok, but the music and Timothee Chalamet are superb.
3. Daughter‘s folding menorah that she took on a trip, really made me smile.
4. Excited to read new book from jolabokaflodswap @Marmie7
5. In Austin Texas with son having a blast. Even the airport is really cool!!

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

Really liked this one, although it‘s not for everyone. I couldn‘t put this book down, reading about Evie and Richard on their honeymoon on a Greek island, one catastrophe after another. Nobody is who they seem and there are lots of teases that pay off at the end. It‘s quirky but in a good way.

@Ruthiella Thanks for recommending!

Thanks so much Annie for the Jolabokaflod swap! Have not read this book and it looks right up my alley. And who told you I love sea salt caramels? I‘ve been craving chocolate all week and was SO tempted to open your package. I waited so tonite‘s the night! Again, thanks for bringing extra joy to the holidays.

@Marmie7 @MaleficentBookDragon #jolabokaflodswap

Turned out I had read this one four years ago, but reread it as I didn‘t remember the story. Lots of layers here: Duchess and her brother Robin, trying to survive and take care of their mother. Chief Walker watching over them and trying to keep up his friendship with his best friend who went to prison at 15. Lots of trouble, lots of love, lots of twists. A good book all the way around.

1. Meeting son in Austin next weekend for spur of the moment trip.
2. Crazy car covered in Xmas lights!
3. Books to read, excited about the Chris Whitaker as I loved All the Colors of the Dark. Also looking forward to a book from my swap buddy, Char.
4. Really liked this Heath bar apple pie. Leaving last piece for the husband.
5. Got my Prolia shot for healthy bones!

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii @thegreensofa

Auto-buy: Susanna Clarke, Chris Whitaker, Valerie Perrin
Read more: Meg Howry, Julia Phillips, Shannon Bowring
First time: Rebecca Reilly, Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Penny

@ChaoticMissAdventures @Deblovestoread

This is an extremely hard book to read, giving you so much to think about page after page. Twin girls, Arc and Daffy, live with their drug addict mother and aunt, prostitutes as well. What kind of life do they have to look forward to, to hope for? Can they ever escape the life they‘re born into? Unforgettable this book is, with a gigantic twist at the end.

@Amor4Libros @AmyG

1. Fresh fruit salad every morning.
2. Just started the tagged book, but apparently the twin girls live with a drug addict mother and prostitute aunt, so I would say survival is their best trait.

@TheSpineView

Jolabokaflodswap is here! Thanks Annie Y!! Excited for the 24th🩷

#jolabokaflodswap. @MaleficentBookDragon @Marmie7

Read this in one day. A fast moving story about a brother and sister who are convinced their father was murdered, not suicide as the police have determined. Big twist! Interesting characters too.

1. Amazing sunrise from my front porch.
2. Inside of my Magic World book nook which I worked on all week. Such a fun change from jigsaw puzzles!
3. Lunch with daughter for her birthday included grilled cheese with 3 kinds of cheese, bacon and crispy onion bites.
4. Recipe for tagine reminded me of trip with my kiddos to Morocco last year.
5. Bitter cold didn‘t stop us from pizza Thursday at favorite pizza joint.

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

I liked the characters in this book but I felt that 460 pages were way too many to tell this story. Star-crossed lovers and a couple of tragedies moved this book along, but a lot of it felt predictable including the ending. Took me forever to read it.

1. Me and the kiddos at the Lightscape show at the Botanic Gardens. It was SO COLD but beautiful.
2. Fun game daughter brought to Thanksgiving.
3. Birthday gift of Edward Gorey plate.
4. Favorite books reading list from @thegreensofa
5. Breakfast with two best friends. So much love!💕

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

So excited to get your list! I‘ve only read The Husbands and Yellowface. I‘m not familiar with any other book on the list. If they‘re in order of your favorites I‘m going to start at the top. Thanks so much for expanding my world!

@monalyisha You are truly appreciated!!

#Jolabokaflodswap on the way tomorrow.

@MaleficentBookDragon

1. When the kids were small, they would get into their pjs and we would drive around the suburb with the coolest lights. Now that they‘re in their 30s they probably wouldn‘t want to go!
2. On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel. Recommended by a couple of Litsy readers.

#Two4Tuesday. @TheSpineView

1. Me and daughter at my birthday brunch.
2. Gift of very cool Edward Gorey beach towel that I actually hung on the wall with Command Strips!
3. Me with oldest friend from high school.
4. Terrific movie that I highly recommend.
5. Turkey that had already eaten too much on Thanksgiving morning walk with son.
Bonus joy: Wonderful Thanksgiving with family, but we didn‘t take any pictures!

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

Really liked this Hugo award winner about six people and a baby who are traveling to a far away planet to confront the latest monster, or whatever, who is threatening other planets. The interesting thing about this book is each character telling his or her backstory, and the stories are each gripping in their own way. It takes place in the way distant future, and I really liked the occasional references to “Old Earth”.

“The Hegemony Consul sat on the balcony of his ebony spaceship and played Rachmaninoff‘s Prelude in C-sharp Minor on an ancient but well-maintained Steinway while great, green, saurian things surged and bellowed in the swamps below.”

Really good sci-fi book!

#FirstLineFridays. @ShyBookOwl

1.Worst picture of me ever, with hubby and grandson at jazz band concert.
2.Two puzzles son sent for my birthday. Bottom one is a booknook, a tiny dollhouse kind of thing.
3.Watching Day of the Jackal on Peacock, great show!
4.Frosted lemon cookies from daughter, note 2 are missing.
5.First snow yesterday was beautiful, now melted.

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

Here are my two Roz Chast cartoons.

@MemoirsForMe @AmyG

1. I am a serious planner who could probably use a little more spontaneity!
2. Nothing went according to plan in the tagged book. Wild things happened until the last minute.

#Two4Tuesday. @TheSpineView

Couldn‘t put this one down. Three murdered women who are now ghosts are stalking their killer. The narration changes from chapter to chapter as we get to know the three women. Would make a good movie! At the end you can connect to the author‘s Instagram account for a follow up.

@TamTracy Thanks for recommending! 🩷

OK, week 11. I‘m staying optimistic with my Bears, Baltimore over Pittsburgh, Indy over Jets, Denver over Atl, Seattle over SF, Buff over KC, Cincinnati over Chargers, Houston over Dallas and Rams over New England. Maybe this week will be better for me as I got killed last week. Lots of chaos here with the Bears which is nothing new unfortunately.

#GridironGab @KadaGul @RamsFan1963 @AmyG @MemoirsForMe

1.Fun lunch at Women‘s Club of Wisconsin with speech about women influenced gardens in England. Who knew there‘s an underground in Kew Gardens where they cultivate 2 1/2 million seeds and plants!?!
2.Finished jigsaw puzzle that Amazon sent me accidentally.
3.Husband made ribs with his special sauce.
4.Son in Seattle says he‘s “seeing” someone.
5.Friend‘s cancer turns out not life-threatening, big sigh of relief.

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

Really liked this book about a woman trying to get her long lost father out of jail in East Berlin. The last 50 pages were really gripping as she travels right into the heart of the Stasi before the wall came down. So interesting to read about the part that punk rock bands played during that time.

@kspenmoll

100 pages of this book was enough for me. Long rambling passages about Neanderthal life, interspersed with witty dialogue from Sadie who seems to be in the midst of a long term spy operation. I didn‘t stick around to find out as I have too many other books calling me.

1. Spots for sure. I love polka dots.
2. Tagged book and I have eight more on my shelf (and one to pick up tomorrow)! Distracted by my jigsaw puzzle.

@TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday

November is birthday month for one kid and two best friends!

1. Cadence travel capsules for my traveling friend, with mini spatulas to transfer products.
2. Universal Yums for the kid in Seattle who likes snacks, started with Italy in honor of a trip we took there.
3. Autumn watercolors book for the other kid with December birthday.
4. Swapped out all black utensils for neutral
5. Wonderful week of weather…again!

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

The cover is so beautiful for this teeny tiny 60 page fantasy story. I love Susanna Clarke but this one didn‘t do too much for me.

Really liked Normal People. Really didn‘t like her last book which I believe I bailed on due to lots of boring people having meaningless conversations. This one is magnificent. Two brothers and the three women in their lives. And their relationships with their parents. Every word that they speak is very real, very believable. Every situation is very true. I really feel like I read something here.