#MOOD

I don‘t get it.

Feeling very psychically BLAH today. Indulging in a bit of self care while I tune out for now.

Stay strong, stay committed, and vote in November like your life depends on it. Because it does.

Another winning novel from Annie Hartnett! People returning to their childhood homes and dealing with their quirky families seems to be an unintentional theme for me lately. There were some “too cutesy” elements but overall, I really enjoyed it.

Another gangbusters entry in one of my favorite series! Oh Helen, it must be exhausting being so badass. And hot. In my head. 😉

This book pressed ALL my buttons. Big, messy, Irish family drama taking place largely in the family pub/restaurant in 2016-2017. It hit that humor/pathos sweet spot and I absolutely LOVED it.

Have finally given up hope that she won‘t depress ALL of the cushions. 🤦🏻‍♀️

My monkey mind has been acting up this week so I retreated with a mac ‘n cheese read. Roy Grace is always a reliable friend. I am hoping (no spoilers please) that we start to get some answers re: Sandy as that storyline is getting a bit long in the tooth. But overall 👍🏼.

A very light pick that I probably wouldn‘t actually recommend to anyone unless you‘re a masochist. It made me wildly uncomfortable which isn‘t necessarily a bad thing, but it really felt like a chore to get through after a brilliant Part 1. There are some moments of beauty and brilliance but not enough to compensate for the sheer misery. Also, the mother in question can not be trusted around the family dogs which is a HUGE 🚫 for me.

Self-care Sunday. #bookhaul

I have no idea how this ended up on my radar because I‘m not familiar with the author. I‘m guessing I read that it revolved around a cult which is catnip for me. It‘s not really a mystery, per se, but more of an examination of the twin dynamic when both members of the pair are seemingly irrevocably broken. One sister is an addict while the other is involved in a Scientology/NXIVM type of cult. I couldn‘t put it down.

The 2nd half of this wasn‘t as affecting as the first as it veered a bit too far into sci-fi in a couple of stories. But overall I appreciated what I took from this and am glad I read it. Looking forward to tomorrow‘s discussion. #CampLitsy #CapTOB

Oof. This was a wildly uncomfortable read. Much like her specials, Hannah very deftly mixes humor and trauma to recount her childhood in Tasmania and experiences as a queer, autistic comedian culminating in the brilliance that is Nanette. This isn‘t your typical “famous, funny person memoir” so proceed carefully. 👍🏼🏳️‍🌈

This book is SOOOO not in my wheelhouse but I was intrigued by the many positive reviews here. If I had to use one word to describe it, it would just be FUN. A delightfully dark revenge fantasy, it was the perfect summer read. TV series, please! 👍🏼

I didn‘t even know she had a new book but couldn‘t resist these edges! 😍

Waterstones has a knack for turning my Monday frown upside down! #bookhaul #bookmail

This didn‘t resonate with me on an emotional level the way I‘ll Be Gone in the Dark did, but it was still imminently satisfying. I‘m always enraged by the pissing contests that take place amongst various law enforcement agencies when I read books like this. How much time and effort could be saved if people weren‘t chasing glory instead of perpetrators? And I appreciated how honest he was about what this work did to his own mental health. 👍🏼

🇺🇸 SUPER SALE ALERT! #KindleDailyDeal

SUPER SALE ALERT! #KindleDailyDeal

Heads up for my British peeps - 99p each!

In my crotchety middle age I‘ve become quite intolerant of so-called “millennial novels.” So much so that I hesitate to classify this as one even though it most definitely is one. But this has so much heart and humor and REAL LIFE, it stands miles above its contemporaries. I absolutely adored everything about it. 5⭐️

SUPER SALE ALERT for U.S. #CampLitsy #CampTOB folks!

This book is bleak AF but for some reason it felt like a cosy, comforting hug. My first Clare Chambers but it certainly won‘t be my last. 👍🏼

Oh my goodness. I need to lie down.

I hope Mr. Derek Church‘s ticker is in good working order because mine got a mighty workout.

In the background is my version of Leanne on neighborhood watch.

Such an engaging and well written story. And so educational! I am mortified by how little I knew about Deaf culture prior to reading this. There were times when I was slightly confused as to which characters were hearing but I think a lot of that was due to my own ignorance and making assumptions. I‘m glad I picked up Girl at War when I bought this. 👍🏼

An actual photo of me trying to read this shit.

NOPE.

SUPER SALE ALERT for my British friends #CampLitsy #CampTOB

Hiding from the scorching hot temperature while tackling May‘s book club pick.

Favorite book I‘ve read so far this year. Full stop.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a sure fire way to get me to read books that have been languishing on my shelves for YEARS is to make a series or film adaptation of said books. I was expecting a 5 star read but did not realize that the history of Mormonism makes up the majority of the book. 😴 I was initially fascinated but quickly tired of it and began skimming those sections. Now off to Hulu I go!

In the hands of a less accomplished writer, I might have thought that the author tried to do too much but every bit of this worked for me. I too will haunt bookshops when I die but I will be nice about it. ☺️ Those who prefer not to confront present day realities in their reading may want to steer clear as Covid and George Floyd‘s murder figure prominently. I will be referring to the book lists frequently. 👍🏼

❤️

This one, however, made my heart sing. A deeply affecting portrait of what constitutes a family, those we‘re born into as well as those we choose. I loved it. ❤️

This is a light pick for me. It was entertaining enough and moved along at a fast pace, but I found myself wishing more time was spent in 1999.

This had such potential but was sadly undercooked. It raises a lot of genuinely interesting questions but ultimately comes across a bit gimmicky.

Self care Sunday.

I‘ve borrowed this from the library like 3 times and have always returned it unread. I was perusing the “available now” section of Overdrive and thought “Why not?” This is one of those quirky, eccentric reads that either hits in just the right spots or fails spectacularly. For me it was the former. Even though I read it several weeks ago, I‘m still thinking about Miriam and Rachel. Massive CW for eating disorders.

I haven‘t been doing a lot of reading lately and my concentration is crap so I did a quick re-read of The Dime before tackling the next 2 books. This would be more properly characterized as a trilogy as there is a continuous storyline that runs throughout. I don‘t recommend reading them as standalones. Detective Betty is a badass narcotics officer in Dallas. Drug cartels and a crazy religious cult factor prominently. 👍🏼

Did my part! #IndependentBookstoreDay

Hi all, Life has thrown a metric crap ton of lemons into our life as of late. We are no longer moving so I can now continue acquiring books with abandon. This was gifted to me by the owners of our local indie bookshop. I wish for all of you that you have this level of support and friendship. ❤️

Who wants to come over and pack ALL of these for me? Anyone? ANYONE? The movers are going to curse me.

My word, this was so stupid. The new Kristen Bell series on Netflix that so perfectly satirizes all of these “Girl/Woman” thrillers was made to mock books like this.

I actually managed to read a book! Alas, I didn‘t love it like other installments in this series but that‘s me, not the book. Adulting is for the birds.

When you have gobs of home showings and need to escape for extended periods of time. The best part is the store doesn‘t even open for another 2 hours. 🗝 to the kingdom!

Leah, I‘ve captured some #WrinklesOfLitsy for you.

Unpopular opinion but this REALLY didn‘t work for me. It started off promisingly enough but then just seemed to devolve into an interminable bitch fest about motherhood. Even though it‘s only around 250 pages, it just felt endless. I started skimming when she started killing and mutilating small animals and laughed my way through her ridiculous “art piece.” I give it an extra star for reinforcing my desire to never have kids 100-fold. 👎🏼

My work book club is meeting on Monday to discuss this very slim book. I found it riotously funny but I am a notorious cranky ass. Place your bets now for how many times my colleagues make reference to this during our discussion.

One of my most reliable authors, Connelly always manages to organically inject current social commentary into his stories without it feeling preachy. Ballard and Bosch are such a fantastic team and I will be sad when Harry hangs it up for good.

This was…fine. I very nearly bailed at the 60 page mark and texted my friend who loaned this to me “I hate everyone in this book and hope the bank robber shoots them all.” There were some funny bits but it was just too hokey and schmaltzy for me.

This is a VERY light pick, tomorrow it may be a so-so. Fantastic premise and set-up but it all sort of fizzled out. I couldn‘t put it down which means it was more successful than my previous attempt with this author. Ultimately I think he‘s just a wee bit too pretentious for me.

I haven‘t spent any time with Jessica Daniel since November so I did a two-fer. The great thing about not being caught up with a series is you don‘t have to wait when a book ends on a cliffhanger. These 2 kept me sane during a week filled with a stupid number of meetings. I enjoyed them both. 👍🏼