This is not a book for everyone. It is actually a pretty tough read - sad and lonely, I think.
There is a quiet story line about love in all of it‘s shapes and sizes. I would not recommend this book to everyone but it is definitely a beautiful worthwhile read. I think it will stay with me for quite a while.

Here‘s hoping for a 2018 of peace, calm and empathy for others.
Read more.
Happy New Year.

And I‘m a slow reader too!

#blameitonlitsy has helped me narrow my book choices to books that are almost always on target.

https://www.bookbrowse.com/quiz/

Hmmmm...... different, funny, certainly irreverent. Definitely NOT a book to recommend to your Grandma (unless she is irreverent as well). This was a good read after all of the Christmas “togetherness” with family.
Lockwood talks about some pretty serious subjects with humor and insight.

Well, I give up. I have revisited this book 3 times thinking 3 would be the charm. I am at least half way through and still feel nothing for the characters and there seems to be very little “sense of place” to me. I know many Litsy readers enjoyed the book so I am taking Victoria to the Little Free Library down the street tomorrow in hopes that she will find a new happy home.
My apologies to the author.

My commitment to only reading library 📚after our book downsizing is going really (really really) well....
except when I go to Half Price Books.....
#blameitonlitsy

How could I have gone all of these years (and I have pretty many of them) without knowing about the heads on London Bridge? 😱

Hey @DebinHawaii I made your Moroccan Corn Chowder and it is delicious! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. #kahakaikitchen #cooksoflitsy

I am neither Israeli nor Palestinian by ancestry but if my Mom and Dad and special Aunt and grandparents were here today I would give them all great big hugs after finishing this book. Alyan tells a heartbreaking and beautiful story about family and displacement. I loved this book.

While I do not usually buy books by politicians I decided to buy this book yesterday because I want Hillary's book sale numbers to be the BIGGEST, BADDEST sales numbers ever! (Compared to that other guy's numbers).
My rule of NOT buying new books after our downsizing purge "re begins" tomorrow..... kinda

Plan A: Downsize home. Downsize bookshelves - a heart wrenching experience. Vow to get books from library.
Read 100 pages and fall in love with AWESOME book. Decide buying my own book is not much more expensive than overdue fees to finish next 400 pages. It begins.
Plan B: ....sigh.....

Still struggling with my reading mojo this year (damn Election.) Spending way too much time with political Twitter feeds! But, apparently books with food involved my be the way to my reading-self's heart! This is my second in a row. I usually like "bigger reads" but find I am reading more comfort books while I struggle with my focus issues. This is a nice story ... and I have made a copy of the recipe for a MN fall baking day. Story suggestions?

This was a sweet (literally and figuratively) story about people who care about each other. It is certainly a story you have heard before - girl leaves previous life, finds new life, new job, new love...... but it was just what I needed in this year of (political) turmoil. Read this if you need a "comfort break."

This morning I have been reading other Litsy blurbs on this book because it hasn't been a quick read for me. I realized that, indeed, the book reads like a collection of short stories. When I have stopped trying to tie family members together (because by the nature of slavery many DID lead separate lives away from each other) the story makes more sense. Well worth the read, just need to change my perspective!

A little bit of snow in MN this morning to finish Lillian's walk through NYC on New Year's Eve in 1985. This is a quiet, pleasant (mostly) story. The author's play on words and touches of humor make this book a great read.

Beautifully sad
Poetic and magical

And to all a good night.

Reading a couple of chapters before the day's Christmas busyness begins.
Cocoa for Santa.
Kicking Horse "Grizzly Claw" coffee for me.*

*I'm going to need it as we get down to the wire before company gets in town!

#seasonsreadings2016

When I went through the Litsy reviews I see that I am not the first person to have to return Lilac Girls to the library when I have not finished it. I am only about half way through - made it to the red thread. The book has been a little slow for me - could be my state of mind. Is it worth it to get the book again? I am number 74 😱on the wait list.

He is writing me a story. So far there has been a one-armed creature (?) under the water......(?)
Loving the grandson adventure!!

Whew! I have been in a pretty long post-election funk - really couldn't even read. This is the first book that came up on my library hold list once I started paying attention again. It made me feel hopeful, as if .... no matter WHO is in the White House, the people who take care of the president (whoever that is) and his family keep things on an even keel. ((small comforts))

I've owned these books for years - a few of my books that survived our downsizing purge. They are books about the seasons of a quiet, simple country life. Some copyright dates are 1937 with reissues in the 60s.
These are some of only a few books I reread. I think they will provide a much needed quiet calm in future days.

Had to take a pic from a NY Times review as I no longer own the book. This is a gripping SCARY story about life, culture and very scary politics in a closed society - North Korea. This was a gripping book and it has stuck with me a long time. It is NOT an easy read but, wow!, well worth the time. I notice obscure news items ( Japanese kidnappings) all of the time now. This book will make you glad to live in an open democracy!
#politicalfiction

#cookbooklove I have probably used Ina Garten's books Make it Ahead and Barefoot in Paris the most this year but you can see I have lots of pages marked for big cooking plans this MN winter - if we ever get a winter this year.
Still 60s and 70s here!

I love all things Paris, but I want the story about Margie STAYING in Paris, struggling through her problems, and making a life that was everything she wanted.
Also....my apologies to A Gentleman in Moscow who keeps getting set aside ( because I own it) due to all of the library books that keep coming up in my queue after months!

Not sure what I expected when I put a library hold on Shelter. The book is a quick, somewhat suspenseful read, but mostly it is just sad. I would still recommend the book - not to everybody - because it is thought provoking and I like the way Yun slowly developed the characters. Domestic violence is never a fun read but it is interesting to see the characters outward lives compared to their inner thoughts. Sheesh. Tough review.

Nothing says "joy" like the fact that our US election season (hopefully) comes to a close two weeks from today.
My vote has been cast - easiest POTUS vote I have ever cast - and now I am trying to wait patiently ? for results.

Company last weekend so Lola and I are spending some time "speeding" through @Litsy to catch up with posts. May I just say I don't like this version of Litsy time. I like the slow-every-morning-with-a-cup-of-coffee visit better. ( I am thinking company will have to wait in the mornings from here on out). Glad to be back!

The life history of a fairly dysfunctional family and I find myself sympathetic to and caring for all of the characters -all within only 300+- pages. How does Ann Patchett do that?!

Sounds like a perfect night for reading 🌨🌬❄️🍷( wine is my own idea).

This is a great book and my MN self loves these lines! ( Better drawing skills to come at a later date, hopefully).

What a ride! This series is an adventure in Neapolitan life and culture told through the story of a "splendid and shadowy" friendship. The four books detail the lives of Elena and Lila with passion, darkness and moments of beauty. It is my hope that if Elena Ferrante's true identity HAS been discovered, the author will sell rights to the books and PBS will make a Downton Abbey-like story with many long, delicious seasons to watch.

The man is a Keeper!
My husband is a big reader but not at all a social media guy. I told him about all of the great reviews on @Litsy about this book and he downloaded it right away.
He decided I would love it too so he bought the book for me ( I don't really like reading on an iPad unless I'm traveling).

Yep, he's mine!

#blameitonlitsy and Thank you very much!

Huh. Sounds like somebody else we know in our election season here in the states.
🤔😜😒

Sigh.... It took me several days to digest this book before I could even begin to think about a review.
Read this book!
It is one of the toughest I have ever read and it is important, heartbreaking and eye opening.
I really appreciated the fact that CW took us all over the country to show how slavery and racism was/is everywhere. It has not been limited to the southern states. I want everybody to read this book!

It is a beautiful chilly morning in MN. I am making a big cup of coffee and settling in with my book for a little while.
This candle is definitely Litsy's fault. I live in MN and had never heard of Frostbeard Studio until seeing book lovers' posts on @Litsy
The candle adds a very nice fall touch to my morning.

#blameitonlitsy
#damnitlitsy

My turn! My turn! My turn!
My name ( finally ) came up on the library hold list just in time for the weekend.

This book came up in my library queue just in time after finishing The Underground Railroad.
There is nothing earth shattering in the book. It is a quiet, sweet love story set in Burma.
Definitely worth a read if you are looking for a gentle heart warmer.

Not my photo ( because of these darned down-sized bookshelves at my house ....grrrrr) but I read Anne Rice's The Witching Hour years ago and it is still one of the scariest books I've ever read. Truth be told, I read very few scary books. 😖
I read this on a snowy weekend in a very drafty (cue wind sound) rented condo while my family went skiing.
I couldn't put it down. The guys were lucky to eat that weekend!

#scarybooks
#septphotochallenge

I have been through so much with her and there are still 50 pages of fear and trepidation left, but this line from a quiet moment for Cora kind of breaks my heart.

I spent most of the afternoon (at the expense of other things that should have been done) reading about Cora. I REALLY want to finish this book but I must confess, I don't think I can read it before I go to sleep! I am using
The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell to calm my mind. Underground is amazing and intense!
I will be back at it ASAP tomorrow.... in the light of day.

#Litsywimp

After a nice respite with Louise Penny's Still Life, I'm goin' in!

BTW, after downsizing my life AND our books a year ago, this is the first fiction book I've bought as opposed to getting it from the library. I just couldn't wait. ((I'm looking for new places to put bookshelves in this little down-sized house now)) ....sigh.....

#DamnitLitsy

I have had so much fun going through the #getindie book store posts! I finally got a chance to get a pic of my local indie shop. Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake is just a little pocket of a shop ( downstairs only) but they always seem to have what I go in to find. Best of all, it's close enough that I can walk there in a snowstorm...should a book emergency come up. ❄️🌨🌬☃

I found my light read that seems to be holding up well after Americanah. I decided to try Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache books after so many Litsy people talked about them. This book is certainly a cozy mystery - perfect for fall - and has made me chuckle more than once. Best of all I am just beginning the series!

I'm afraid this book had the unfortunate circumstance of following Americanah. I am looking for a light read but, sadly, this one is going back to the library. Maybe another day.

Wow.
I'm sorry this isn't a very helpful review.
I loved it, it moved me, it opened my eyes to things I didn't know.
I'm glad I was alone when I finished it.

#lemonade
#lemonadesyllabus

Wow @BookishFeminist this is a very timely read for our election season! I really can't pick a quote - there are so many. This is a book I always heard about but may not have read without a nudge for #LitsyFeministBookClub. Thanks for putting this together!
#lemonadesyllabus

Rewritten history (again).
"In American history we learned of the Vietnam War. We read about guerilla warfare and the Vietcong. The Ho Chi Minh Trail and communism and democracy and Americans and Vietnamese. There were no Hmong - as if we hadn't existed at all in America's eyes."
Most of the Hmong here in MN came as refugees because they fought with Americans in the Vietnam war.
Kao Kalia Yang's book is a good telling of the Hmong refugee story.

Ahhhh.....not as much time as I would have liked, but I was able to get some reading done today after a nice weekend with friends. I am really enjoying Americanah and The Latehomecomer is a nice memoir written by a MN author about coming to The US after living in a refugee camp in Thailand. Both books are good stories about other lives and other places - some of my favorite kinds of reads.

I am sure it will be a wonderful weekend with our out of town friends coming to stay tomorrow, but.....sigh.....
I just picked this up at the library. Kind of looking forward to Monday evening. 😏

#lemonade

@LitsyFeministBookClub