Lots of lovely bits and characters sprinkled throughout. Loved the plot and her growth. The end got pretty racy, which I wasn't expecting...I'm not sure I will recommend it as much I had originally planned.

(Is this written about me?)

So far, you are delightful. Please don't let me down.

This book is written so beautifully, but when I accidentally got spoiled, I had to walk away. I am not in the headspace for the second half, for sure.

This book was not at all what I expected, and that's a good thing. Strong character work and lots of interesting storylines.

I kept waiting for something more...that twist to take it from "meh" to "oh my gosh!" But, nope.

I tried so hard, but it just couldn't equal the charm of the movie.

Gah! These illustrations are exquisite!

"I was so tired of being alone."

Man, do I feel for Allyson. This describes my childhood to a T. I'm so thankful to my husband for showing me I have the courage to walk through that door and slam it shut.

I gave this one five stars the last time I read it. Hoping it lives up to my memory.

"But the scent she longed for...was sandalwood... It was how love and stability and belonging smelled."

I'm avoiding making dinner with playdough and a good book.

I'm not a millennial, but this resonated with me. Anyone else?

I really enjoyed Mrs. Maudsley!

I don't care about the plot at all yet, but this writing is keeping me intrigued.

Perfect description!!

Good work, good rest, and KINDNESS. Pretty much our family motto, right there.

If you haven't read this series, I implore you to start. Book 1 was good, Book 2 was better, Book 3 is incredible...and I've heard only great things about Book 4.

Mr. Andrew Peterson can WRITE! Love these characters. :)

I've read many WW2 novels, but this one is unbearable. Too many good books out there to keep going with Lilac Girls.

A delightful read for a hot, humid Saturday night. Read by the pond while my littles fished with their dad, surrounded by fireflies at dusk. I think I would be friends with Laure and Laurent.

I have a theory, so help me out with data.
Are you A) someone who loved high school or B) not?

After reading the synopsis for this one, I was skeptical. Really surprised to be enjoying it as much as I am!

Poor boy.

Another character with synesthesia! I wish it had been a better-known phenomenon when I was a child, so I didn't feel so alone.

Heading to bed at a ridiculously early hour to continue this one. @annebogel Your podcast keeps me reading!

As recommended by my 12-year-old niece. Fun, creative premise (a little "out there") and strong characters. Loved some of the twists and especially appreciated that the main character and her male friend had ZERO romantic interactions (not even the hint of a crush!)...perfect book for middle grades.

So many acerbic, unnecessary details. The front half of this book is full of unkindness toward people who don't really deserve it. This is the problem with memoir; real people become "characters," typically without their knowledge or consent. Howard excels at being the hero of her own life.

Artham is undoubtedly my favorite character in this series so far. So noble and good.

I love character development, and sadly that element was lacking in this book (or maybe lost in translation?). I also feel like it was about 100 pages too long...

Kindness. (p. 344)

A book about a bookshop in Iowa. So far, so good!

"Shakespeare is all about the power of goodness and honesty and faithfulness," she said...

The book was quite melancholy, but well-written.

Pursuing perfection makes you unforgiving of the faults of others.

Even the illusion of perfection requires an enormous amount of work...There's some muscle group around your shoulders that seizes up during the perfection dance and doesn't let go until you are asleep, or alone. Or maybe it never really lets go at all.

"So if this sounds in any way familiar to you, if you have been trying to be perfect, too, then perhaps today is the day to put down that backpack before you develop permanent curvature of the spirit."

"And eventually being perfect* became like carrying a backpack filled with bricks every single day." *[trying to be]

But the things we remember are what we hold onto, and what we hold onto becomes the story of our lives. We only get one story, and I am determined to make mine a good one.

Listening to this one on audio, which is my least favorite way to consume a book. Unfortunately, it's the only version our library has.

Lovely recipes and stories about living in small-town Iowa.

The parent I want to be floats in and out of my life, and some days it speaks through me, and other days I lunge after it like it's a shaft of sunlight I want to capture.

Thought-provoking read. I was hardly outside as a child; trying to build a different family culture for our girls.