This short story collection was more hits than misses. She examines the intersection of being Black and Puerto Rican in America.

It‘s bookended by stories about a college girl who joins a convent. The first told by the men lusting after her and the final story by her. Another hit was a multiple perspective story about a man married to one sister while in love with and a father to the other‘s children. #doublespin

This was a wild true crime book about the evolution of fundamentalist Mormon colonies in Mexico from the 1800s on but with special focus on the LeBaron family and their current issues with narco trafficking. Even Keith Raniere of NXIVM has a cameo. Let‘s just say these Mormon colonies have evolved quite differently than the ones in the US. Interesting audiobook!

My email to @BarbaraBB about this book when I finished it last night:

1. The English translation is really well done.
2. The use of negative space was incredible.
3. The suspense was superb.

4. I didn‘t get the ending at all.

This reads very YA, but the type of YA I actually enjoy. (Plucky female heroine!) However the will they/won‘t they romantic subplot really wore on me by the end.

Sophie is a very sheltered virginal Catholic high schooler. Her parents have been hiding that a deadly disease is spreading across the country that causes victims to viciously attack and rape others. Sophie must find her way out of this hellscape on her own. #aardvark

This is my second book by Hamya, and I have the same complaint. She writes about emotional subject matter in a way that comes across as completely devoid of emotion to me. It‘s jarring in a bad way.

An author writes vulgar books and sleeps around. He doesn‘t like it very much when his daughter invites him to as play she‘s written about this and its affect on her life.

Yeah, I didn‘t like this at all. I think Jenny and I just have very different senses of humor because this was more tedious than funny to me. I didn‘t like Little Weirds either, so I think I‘ll probably pass if she writes another. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I‘ve sat on my #bookspin review for a couple of days. Blake‘s wife committed suicide at 39 just a few years into their marriage. She was a poet and had written a memoir about her dad‘s bank robberies and deceptions. He found out Molly was hiding secrets of her own. But is this intimate, unflattering portrait of a very troubled woman his story to tell? I‘m not sure. He lets himself off and his flaws off too easy. Good book but should it exist?

Two pages in and I‘m already finding this all too relatable!!

Such an important read now. The authors look at the link between right wing conspiracy thought and new age gurus. The historical ties between yoga and fascism and abuses within that movement were interesting. They also talked about specific new age social media influencers that spread false information about Covid and tried to “red pill” followers. Based on their podcast if you‘re more into those.

Wow. Just wow. This book takes a haunted house story and puts it through a funhouse mirror. I don‘t want to say too much. Just read it.

Ezri has returned to Dallas with their daughter to be with their sisters when both parents die suddenly and violently at home. The three siblings untangle the knots of childhood trauma as they deal with their parents‘ deaths and the house that may have caused them.

Dinner in the oven and an #aardvark box delivery! Winning at life!

Perfect title! This is the book I needed this week. Relatively mindless and darkly funny millennials complaining about marriage, art, and academia.

Moddie has ended a 10-year relationship and returned to X, a small Midwestern town with a university where many of her high school friends have taken positions. When visiting artist David arrives, too, their new presence shakes up pre-existing friendships and marriages.

So Bourdain‘s fiction is straight mid except for his short story collection (tagged below) that I read last month and gave 4.25⭐️. That said, if you‘re a big fan (or a completist 🙋🏻‍♀️), it‘s worth a read. There are fun Easter eggs of places he discusses in his later memoirs. It is so strange that he always has to write himself into books even if it makes little sense to the plot. (A junkie chef in this one.) There were long scenes ⬇️

I don‘t like YA because the drama feels a bit melodramatic. And while Dellaria did dial it back some from her YA roots, her first novel didn‘t hit a natural pitch. Plus, there are more young orphans than a Disney movie!

Annie and Juliette are best friends growing up in LA. When they separate for college, Juliette meets Noah. Years later Noah is trying to make it in Hollywood with his girlfriend Jesse. Their four lives colliding = devastation. ⬇️

Going to try to come back to reviews. Of course, I‘m starting with a hard book I didn‘t understand. I just couldn‘t grasp the why of this book. The Blake Crouch-ish aspects started way too late to pack a punch.

A woman moves back to Florida with her husband to care for her parents. She flashes back to times in an asylum there and works on her relationship for her sister but is flummoxed when the sister goes missing.

So I didn‘t know this was going to happen this year, but I‘ve slowly been reading my way through all of Bourdain‘s books. Some I hadn‘t read — like his graphic novels, which I just thought were okay — and others I‘ve read in new ways like this annotated version of KC that I really enjoyed. All I have left now is Les Halles CB, Typhoid Mary, and Bone in the Throat. Gone Bamboo I read on audio, and the format didn‘t work for me, so ⬇️

I‘ve got a stinkin‘, spoiled rotten dog on my heated throw this morning preventing me from taking a proper bookshelf picture, but I‘m not complaining! 😂

I was sure 12 would be picked, so I changed what was there 5 times. I ended on a book about suicide. I‘m now afraid it will be too emotionally draining 😬 #bookspin. My #doublespin is a short story collection that has been on my TBR forever.

The one review I posted recently was of my last Doublespin, Cleopatra and Frankenstein, which I loved. My Bookspin, Up in the Air on which the Clooney film was based, was a bust. Hoping for two good ones in November! Thanks Sarah for keeping this going into the quarter-century mark! 😱😱

Damn! Aardvark coming in hot again! And the tagged one is signed. I just couldn‘t help myself. 😂 #aardvark

Here‘s my guesses for the 2024 ToB longlist. I can‘t see it without some major releases like Rooney‘s Intermezzo, Powers‘ Playground, and Everett‘s James. Ones that are interesting that may be too contemporary are Thorpe‘s Margo‘s Got Money Troubles or Lombardo‘s Same As It Ever Was. One could make a case for Camp Litsy‘s Bear, too. I think one about AI robots will make it in: the Gatwood above, Annie Bot or maybe Hey, Zoey. #tobwaiting

I am so behind in posting this I‘ve already finished my #doublespin, and boy is it a doozy. I loved it like I loved Groff‘s Fates and Furies. I got invested; I got sad; I got angry. And I‘m going to read it again. Wow!

As you can see, my up next shelf is out of control plus I have 15 library borrows. I need to READ MY OWN BOOKS, but the library is in my neighborhood. I‘m headed out of town tomorrow and taking Up in the Air! #bookspin

I have never read a worse piece of ableist bullshit. The fact that Sylvie feels she shouldn‘t be in a relationship because she‘s disabled is just such bullshit. I know this is supposed to be a great meditation on grief but the founding principle of that grief is embarrassingly faulty. People in chronic pain do not need this message. I really hope it turns around in the last 80 pages bc otherwise I want to throw my copy off a bridge into the river.

Pretty disappointed with this month‘s #aardvark selections. Still, went with This Cursed House to get one of their cool special 2nd anniversary bookmarks. Added How to Hide… from a previous month.

Dad is having surgery again in October plus I‘m traveling for some doctors plus a host of other appointments that make paperbacks more desirable, so this list is heavy on those. #bookspin

I‘ll try to post a September wrap post soon!!

Um, wow. The second in Boyne‘s elements series hits every bit as hard as the first. My second recent look at entitled men in the era of #metoo recently but a totally different take. TW in spoiler tag.

An Irish boy leaves his small home island for England. He has hard time before reluctantly becoming a soccer star. Unfortunately, a teammate draws him into an accused rape and subsequent trial. Great twists! 😬🤫

The more I think about this the harder it hits. I don‘t love Alam, and I didn‘t love this, but damn, it made me think!

A young Black woman is taken on as a protégé to a white, old billionaire at his charity foundation. As she falls deeper in with him, she feels entitled to more and more of him, his wealth, and the world.

Decently funny satire about hyper-competitive NYC private kindergarten admissions. #borrownotbuy if you‘re looking for some moms behaving badly.

Sam is a precocious oldest of three from a rich family on the Upper East Side. His mom will do anything (short of homeschooling) to ensure he gets the best education, even if it means brawling with another mom!

This was exactly the dark book I needed. Content warning for rape on page. It‘s an age-old story of women going against a powerful man, but Gilmartin updated and told it well.

One of Ireland‘s best chefs has been accused of rape by several employees. He‘s on trial for one. He, his wife, and a former employee reluctant to come forward with her own story narrate. Having all these perspectives really got to the heart of the story.

Really impressed by this Australian thriller from @AardvarkBookClub ! I had a clue where things were going by the end but she kept me guessing for a while.

Katy is looking for her sister, who disappeared last year during a van life trip around Australia‘s perimeter. She meets a girl with a mysterious and dangerous background with secrets of her own. Can they find Katy‘s sister and escape Lily‘s past? Tiny cliffhanger at the end! #aardvark

This book brings together my favorite Strout characters from ALL her books and features a beautiful friendship between Lucy and Olive. A can‘t miss if you enjoy hopeful books about friendship, love, and community.

A man has been accused of murdering his mother, and Bob Burgess takes the case. Meanwhile, other people in his circle‘s lives start falling apart. He tries to balance it all to help his family, client, wife, and community.

Mid-month check in! I took an audiobook break for 5 days, and it was very needed. Back at it strong today with the new Strout. Happy Fall Y‘all! 🍂🍁🎃👻

This was a surprising little queer novel. I liked the aspect of found family and how difficult it might be to maintain in the face of relationships and jobs.

Gordon comes to Brooklyn from Minnesota with barely any money. He quickly falls in with a lesbian friend. When a dog walking gig leads to a personal assistant position with an older gay couple, Gordon‘s friendships and ethics are tested.

These sisters tugged at my heart. The thread of addiction, loss, and unavailable parents broke my heart. NGL, totally cried at the end.

When Nicky died of an overdose, it flung her three sisters‘ lives apart. Avery disappears into work while chafing at her marriage. Bonnie gives up her boxing career lost and alone. Lucky falls into addiction herself risking her modeling. When the sisters reunite a year later, old wounds and rivalries surface.

I loved this. 5⭐️ loved this. The characters were so real. I got so attached. Sweet, touching but not saccharine or simple.

A suicidal divorcée checks into a costal hotel where all the other guests are attending the wedding. A sudden connection with the bride upends her plans and her life.

Read with Jenna‘s latest picks have been ??!

Another odd #nbalonglist (translated) choice. In costal Uruguay, fish suddenly started dying, birds left the sky, and people got sick. In this strange dystopian world, a woman is paid to care for a child with a syndrome that causes extreme eating while keeping tabs on her mom and hospitalized ex-husband. Honestly, I didn‘t get this at all until about halfway through. The pieces came together a bit but not a very enjoyable reading experience.

I finished this #nbalonglist choice today, and it‘s definitely a “wtf did I just read, but I like it” book. A woman is sent to infiltrate a group of eco-extremists in Southern France. Honestly, that main plot was just okay, but when the MC gets into emails by the anthropologist who inspires the group — that was fascinating! Stuff about Neanderthals, the Cugot Rebellion, and Polynesian seafaring. Enthralling, but really out there!

While I‘ve still read more nonfiction this year, fiction is continuing to trend upward for me. I‘ve also been listening to a lot fewer audiobooks. I‘m about to podcast it while I make dinner. New thing for me!

Now that the storygraph has square graphics, I‘ll share August‘s here! Both the tagged and Boyne‘s Water were excellent! Boyne‘s Earth is on my TBR for this month.

So happy my @AardvarkBookClub box came out of one stop mail purgatory! (NGL, I kinda hate they‘re using that service now…😒) But I‘m very excited for these and our Fall/Halloween #SoThirstyReadalong! I think I‘m going to start with Red River Road first, though. #aardvark

My stack from Parnassus yesterday!! I really liked ZZ, too, so I picked up her story collection. The other two were fun finds. Night Guest is horror about chronic illness (too close to home 🤔🫣)!! Penance I‘ve seen around here about #metoo in the restaurant industry. Sounds very Mario Batali.

If you have the chance to see Danzy on book tour, I highly recommend it! Can‘t wait to read Colored Television. Pics of my stack from Parnassus tomorrow. Now sleep!

ZZ Packer is on the right, and I picked up her short story collection, too!

Loved getting the info a day early this month @TheAromaofBooks ! Thanks so much!

Very excited for both of these. The Band is from the recent half off hardcovers sale at BN. That sale and the penny-a-page at my local 2NC recently didn‘t help my owned TBR! 🤯 Plus I have about a dozen library books checked out. Yikes! 🫣 And so many good releases this fall! I‘ll never crawl out of my TBR but that‘s okay. #bookspin #doublespin

Hopefully as the weather cools down I‘ll be able to spend more time on Litsy. Until then, here are my #bookspin choices for September!

Normally, Colored Television would be a no-brainer from @AardvarkBookClub but I‘m hoping to see Senna Saturday at Parnassus and get a signed copy. I‘m psyched about these three, though!! #aardvark

I‘ve known this word for years, but I hadn‘t seen it in print for awhile until recently. I love that this statue came up when I googled it! #weirdwords #weirdwordwednesday #facepalm

I never thought I‘d recommend a book about UFO/UAP on here, but Elizondo lays out the evidence clearly and constructively. Y‘all, I‘m shook. A must-read.

Sorry I‘ve been gone y‘all! Too many books to catch up on, but I had to share this one. Started slow. Great middle. I violently hated, just hated the last 10%!! 😡😡

Two friends have lived together since college. In their 30s, one gets pregnant from a one night stand. When baby daddy returns to Hawaii, their world changes dramatically.

I started following Tia on insta a couple of years ago. She posts anti-evangelical and anti-fundamentalist (IBLP and the like) content. This is the harrowing story of her abusive marriage to a man who jumped through many of these fundamentalist groups looking for “enlightenment”. TW for physical abuse, religious trauma, and gaslighting/verbal abuse. She has an important story to share and a warning about people with these beliefs coming to power.

This was a surprise hit! Lacroix wrote about a presumably auto-fictional woman named Miriam and her relationship with Allison in various genres and milieus. A memorable horror one has them parents to children they slowly eat. In another, Allison runs an environmentally unfriendly company and wants to be punished by Miriam in an S&M relationship. In a tamer one, they take up running to get more in sync. Odd yet wonderful! #Bookspin

I was so hopeful that I‘d enjoy this but it was mid AF. Really disappointing, especially since reality TV usually works for me as a trope.

The four Persian-American Milani sisters have grown up wealthy from their Dad‘s fast food fortune. Right before the pandemic, they start taping a Kardashian-esque reality show, but their different reactions to the pandemic threaten to tear the family and show apart (in a VERY low-key way). 🙄

Beautifully written memoir about a mother and son traveling across the country. So much love between them.

Jed‘s mom and dad walked across the country together in the 70s and wrote bestsellers about it. Following an acrimonious divorce, Jed mainly stays with his mom. Later, her Christian beliefs clash greatly with his homosexuality. They follow his parents‘ path to bond, and he wants to convince her it is possible to live a happy life gay.