I read the preview online and found it so mesmerizing that I had to buy the kindle copy immediately. This was my first time reading Sally Rooney and so maybe it was just that her voice and character development are new to me; in that regard this book was love at first read. The way she characterized the relationship between C+M was perfection. I was a little bummed about the ending, but maybe that‘s because I never wanted it to end?

I loved Delia‘s rich language, and she is masterful with painting setting and organic details with her words. I felt the story could have been stronger or more complex...I found the ending a bit obvious. I love her character development, I just wish the plot had been paced differently. A great read for a nature lover, on a day when you need an easy reader.

Not sure why Litsy has no option for the regular version of this book? At any rate, the first two sections were amazing. So inspiring and well told. I felt we lost some steam and we lost some MICHELLE when part 3 rolled around. You can feel the hardships of public life and their impact on the Obama family in this part and it‘s heavy to carry. Well worth reading and will recommend to friends.

If I had never been a single mom (of TWINS) myself, had never started a 6-figure business as I raised those twins alone and went to school full-time, I may have found this book more impressive. But as a result of my unique experiences I had a hard time understanding the impact of this story. I wish the author had dug deeper in fleshing out her feelings versus simply recounting the facts of her life. I wanted more introspective revelations

Beautiful. A prayer.

I got a ‘Glass Castle‘ vibe from it - he and Walls have a more elitist tone to their “I did it, so can you” message, which I think they intended to be inspiring/relatable. Both have crackerjack IQs which they fail to identify as the magic ingredient that helped lift them out of poverty and escape the drama of their class of origin. All in all, I appreciated this book as I never read conservative white male work and now I‘m set for ‘19. 🎉

All hail Queen Anne. You‘ll laugh, you‘ll cry, you‘ll be horrified, and you may even challenge yourself to a Dry 2019. (dec 2018)

The most hilarious book I‘ve read in years. I laughed out loud so many times, nodded with my whole body in the silent-crying-laughter of agreement, and actually even sobbed in one instance. I need more John Hodgman in my life. (December 2018)

Was so grateful I had this on hand after finishing Interpreter of Maladies. Jhumpa‘s voice rings like a bell and leaves you craving more. Having a longer collection like this was a perfect immersion. And the ending left me weeping. A must read. (Note to self: A December 2018 read, don‘t count toward 2019 tally)

So in love with this book. Had been sitting on the shelf waiting patiently for me for years. Left me wanting more Jhumpa, stat. Read this one in Dec, so technically can‘t count toward my 2019 tally 🤗

Lovable. Hard to believe it‘s an NYT bestseller? But sweet nonetheless. Perfect easy read between dense texts.

“....and a lump rises in my throat like the one my mom can‘t hide when she talks about her high school boyfriend—emotion that 40 short years can‘t dull, a tremor that makes me love my mother more because I understand her in those moments, relate to an ache that takes nothing away from our family but illuminates the million different lives each of us could have led if we‘d washed up on different shores.” ♥️

Revisiting an old favorite. Gotta love a good sobriety memoir.

Dang, two ‘so-so‘s in a row. I love Nietzsche and wanted this to be a fleshier and more humanizing memoir. But it was written by an academic and read exactly in keeping with that, which made for an educational - but not engaging - read. Next book will be a bit of brain candy to balance back out.

I wanted to like this book. I bought it years ago and finally dove in this holiday. I felt it was too disjointed for my taste, and abstract, unless you are already a fan of the author and know her well.