Other than the cover (which I wish incorporated Violet and Violence, Leia‘s comic characters. Or at least a woman sketching... something more artistic!) I really enjoyed this book. I don‘t think I had heard of Joshilyn Jackson before. Not only is she a great writer, she narrated the audio version herself, and she did a great job!
This one gets 2 thumbs up from me, and I‘d recommend it. 👍👍

I received this book in LibraryThing‘s Early Reviewers program.

It‘s a beautiful book, with photos of famous folks (mostly actors, some directors) from the 30‘s through the 60‘s. Each photo has a descriptive paragraph on the opposite page.

Unfortunately it‘s geared towards either older than me folks who will recognize those pictured, or real B&W movie buffs. While lovely, it‘s lost on me.

This author or his ap company we‘re giving away these tiny copies of his latest novel at Tx Book Fest. Apparently with the ap, you can read along to a soundtrack created for each of his books, and it seems maybe there are also visual effects that go with them? I won‘t be using the ap (even though it‘s free) because I find music distracting while I‘m reading. It‘s a pretty cool idea though! The ap is called TooFarMedia if anyone is interested.

I‘m really enjoying this so far, but I have to point out I feel like this cover, while pretty, is a terrible match for the book. The main character is a highly successful comic book artist, with all the geekiness you‘d expect to come with that. This cover doesn‘t reflect that at all.

Are there any book covers that you feel misrepresent their books?

Our topic for the December meeting of #LitsyATXReadersSociety is Banned Books. While googling to see if I have any sitting on my TBR, I came across this cool article and thought some of you might be interested.

@strandbookstore/badass-b-tches-of-banned-books-322199a82d9e" rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://medium.com/@strandbookstore/badass-b-tches-of-banned-books-322199a82d9e

My #WeeklyForecast.

I hope to finish my current read, which is my Owl Post book, read The Hollywood Book Club, which is an ARC from LibraryThing‘s Early Reviewers, and get a good start on one of the other two pictured.

The tagged book is my current audiobook. I‘m sure I‘ll finish it and probably start another.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

My #WeeklyBookReport: I finished all the books I hoped to get through, and I started my Owl Post book (a Litsy Postal club) and The Almost Sisters on audio. It‘s been a good reading week!

These were the books chosen by #LitsyATXReadersSociety for our November topic, “Something you‘ve been meaning to read.” Quite a varied range!

Next meeting is Dec 21st, topic is Banned or Controversial books. We‘re going to meet in the cafe and do a cookie swap. I‘ll post more about it in Slack.

Today‘s #LitsyATXReadersSociety was a cozy smaller group. Our topic was “something you‘ve been meaning to read”, which led to a really fun and varied selection! Our library has so many interesting spots for photos!

I can‘t believe we‘re halfway through November! You all are ripping through some Neil Gaiman books! There have been 22 reading of his books so far! I‘ll comment with the current leaders.

Now is the time to nominate authors for our 2020 #AuthorAMonth list! Please comment with authors you‘d like to read next year. I‘ll make a poll next month. Feel free to share to spread the word further, but please tag me so I‘ll see it 😊!

Wow, I raced through this book this week. I didn‘t want to stop!

I felt for the characters, and there was a bit of a surprise towards to end I wasn‘t expecting at all. I don‘t want to say too much... but this was a beautifully told story about people I cared about. I would have listened to several more hours of it!

I had no idea until I got this from the library that it‘s illustrated by Skottie Young of I Hate Fairyland. The drawings are wonderful, and remind me of some of Roald Dahl‘s illustrations.

This is a great Middle Grade story, told by a Dad in explanation of why it took him so long to go out and buy milk. You never know what sorts of trouble can befall you when you run to the corner store!

Ta Da! The finished (for now...) Library. I‘m going to end up getting a loveseat instead of or in addition to the chair, so the dog and cats can sit in here with me.

I definitely have room to grow into! There is one more wide shelf coming Thursday, one got damaged during delivery.

I‘m in heaven! I‘m so thrilled with how it has come out.

Doesn‘t this look like a fun fitness class?

This is another great installment in a series about puberty causing shapeshifting in girls. The dynamic between Sophie‘s parents is fun to watch. And again the ads make it feel like reading a magazine in a dystopian America. Fun!

I‘m pretty happy with this much reading time for this busy weekend. #mrbook1inamillion #litsypartyofone #24b4monday.

This is a sweet queer first love YA book. The characters are fun high school seniors. I loved the parts about singing karaoke and musicals. If you‘re looking for a light read in the YA romance genre, this is a good choice.

Thanks to all the hosts for a fun event!

This is a quietly beautiful book about several people in a small town in Colorado. I love this kind of fiction that lets you get to know the characters and gives a real feel for the little struggles in their lives.

I‘ve got another by Haruf on my TBR shelf, and now I‘m looking forward to it.

My husband asked if I wanted to go to the bookstore. Well, yeah! So I got a few things to help fill the library shelves 😍📚

Now that the unpacking is very close to done, here‘s my #weeklyforecast.

I‘ve almost finished Plainsong (it‘s wonderful). I‘d like to read all of Man-Eaters vol 2 and Fortunately the Milk. If I can also get a start on A Kind if Freedom for bookclub, that‘d be great.

This weeks audio is The Water Dancer.

Today my two bookclubs had an outing to Austin Book Arts Center. We learned to make journals! This was so much fun, and a great way to relax. It was fun to merge two groups of book lovers too.

Here are our finished journals. Thanks @Eyelit for sharing your photos!

#litsypartyofone #mrbook1inamillion
I‘m still reading these two books in my free moments today as we finish up building bookshelves. Sietje is hoping for a walk soon. (She‘ll get one, don‘t worry.)

In progress shot of my new shelves 😃
I‘ve gotten in around 4 hours for #MrBook1inaMillion #LitsyPartyofOne. Audio: What If It‘s Us, Print: Plainsong. I hope I‘ll have more time to read tomorrow. 💜📚 Cheering on all the readers out there tonight!

These are the books I‘ll be choosing from for any reading I do this weekend for #LitsyPartyofOne and #MrBook1inaMillion.

I work tomorrow and plan to set up my library this weekend, as well as having a bookclub event and a vet appointment. Honestly not sure how much reading I‘ll be able to do. But I‘m cheering you all on!

I liked this a lot! The audio narrators were excellent. I really connected with the topic and the characters, especially Gin. I‘ll be recommending this one!

Thanks for all the #LitsyLove friends! Some of this came to my old house, but I‘VE just been stashing them. I‘m taking a break from unpacking to open.

The unpacking is around 70% done. I‘ll post pictures when we‘re a bit more settled. 💌💌💌💌💌💌

Apparently my weekly volunteer shift at the library is not going to help my quest to read my own books 😅🥴🤷‍♀️. Oh well, I couldn‘t resist. Picked up one for #authoramonth.

Note to self: try not to be tempted by books you are supposed to be putting back on shelves. 🤣

What‘s been sitting on your TBR shelf for the longest? It‘s hard for me to say for sure, but I‘ve got several contenders for this month‘s topic of #LARS.

If you‘re in the Austin area and interested in checking out our monthly Litsy bookclub meetups, let me know! New comers always welcome!

Reminder: Journal making field trip this Sat, Nov 9th, 2-5.

#LitsyATXReadersSociety

You guys this is going to be my library 😍🥰📚!

I have no idea how Sietje managed to do this in her sleep, but I‘m guessing she‘s dreaming of being a Caped Canine Crusader this morning!

I‘m having tea and getting in a few pages of Plainsong by Kent Haruf before heading to the new house with cleaning supplies and a first carload of stuff! The movers come tomorrow, we‘re pretty excited 😊.
#Sietje

@Mitch and I both picked up this book at Book People to read the blurb. We talked about the interesting choice of the young female author to write a main character in his early 60‘s, going through what he calls “a 3/4 life crisis.”

While I found it an uncomfortable read, I couldn‘t put it down. With topics of late life divorce, a strained relationship with his kid, alcoholism, retiring, weight issues, it‘s rather dark. But there‘s a sense ⬇️

@wen4blu I got your package today! Thanks for the chocolate!
I‘m happy to see a book I‘ve thought of reading many times for the next #OwlPost. Definitely on my radar. Cute mermaid journal too. 🧜🏽‍♀️

@Hooked_on_books have you received your package yet? I mailed it last week...

I felt like this was a novelization of a Graphic Novel. It had tons of action and fighting, and a possibly corrupt corporation. A force of highly trained fighting women.

It wasn‘t a bad book, it‘s perfect for those who like a lot of intrigue and action packed stories. Unfortunately this isn‘t my type of book.

I‘m surprised I got through so many in October. It‘s been a very busy month! It was fun to work in a few spooky books- Strange Weather, Carmella, and When I Arrived at the Castle.

Favorite of the month: The Secret Wisdom of the Earth, followed by the tagged book.

November #AuthorAMonth is Neil Gaiman. Are you ready?

I first heard about him through comics- specifically Sandman. My fave I‘ve read by him is Neverwhere.

What Gaiman books are you excited for this month?

Another #AuthorAMonth is ending tonight. There were 7 readings posted of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie‘s books 📚😊.

@ValerieAndBooks is in the lead again with 7 books read.

Starting tomorrow we‘ll be reading Neil Gaiman for November!

NBR: For those wondering: Igor had his dental today. Everything went fine. He had two teeth pulled, one of which had a broken root, which is probably the explanation of why he‘s been not wanting to eat for the last couple of weeks.

He‘s feeling good tonight thanks to pain meds. Hopefully we‘re back on a normal track with him once he heals.
#catsoflitsy #IgorAndFroedrick

I have mixed feelings. I love Pullman‘s writing, and I‘m confident Book 3 will satisfy all the questions this one leaves hanging. But this book is sad! Lyra and Pan can‘t seem to connect the way they used to, and their strife leads to separate journeys. Their world is also going through political and religious turmoil, and everything is bleak.

You‘ve got a lot to finish in book 3 Mr. Pullman. Please don‘t let me down!

TW in spoiler below!

Finally getting around to my #weeklyforcast (what a terrific and fun idea @Cinfhen !)

I hope to finish The Secret Commonwealth and maybe a good way through Plainsong. I‘ll be finishing up the tagged audiobook too, on my work commutes.

I‘m not sure how much reading I‘m going to actually have time for though, as this coming weekend is our move! We still have packing to do...

If I could choose a bookclub‘s entire year of books, at this moment I would choose these. What would your choices be?
#MyIdealBookclub @monalyisha

@Eyelit @Sg1224 @jpmcwisemorgan @alysonwrites

My final #TXBookFest2019 #BookHaul. I would have gotten more, but several books sold out before the end of the day Sunday. Which is great! I‘m glad for the authors and for Book People! (TX largest indie bookstore provided sales for the fest.)

Photobombed by #Froedrick. He‘s grouchy because he couldn‘t go to the fest.

One of the best parts of #TXBookFest2019 is sharing book love and nerdiness with friends! I should have gotten pics with the other #LitsyATXReadersSociety gals, but here‘s one of me and @Eyelit from the end of the day yesterday just before we left.

At #TXBookFest2019 Marino Tamaki (author of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me) interviewed Rainbow Rowell, and it was wonderful and charming. My favorite part, I have to say, was when they opened it up for questions and all of the questioners were nervous, awkward teenaged fans stumbling over their words. Adorable.

Mesha Maren and Chantelle Benz talked about the sense of place in their books, specifically rural America. I am interested in reading both of their books.

#TXBookFest2019

Alix Ohlin and Michael Parker talking about novels of sisterhood. They spoke about family and sibling relationships in general. Alix said something about shared history with siblings shaping who we are as whole people, and that relationship being like no other. That really spoke to me. I bought her book.
#TXBookFest2019

Julia Phillips and Rachel Monroe talking about violence and women. They spoke a lot about how social hierarchies influence how prone you are to experiencing violence. I like when panels have both fiction and nonfiction authors.
#TXBookFest2019

Ruta Sepetys at #TXBookFest. She talked a lot about the research she does for her historical fiction.

She told a story of a co-bookclub reading of her book- a group of elementary school kids and a senior center. The school kids got bussed to the senior center to discuss the book. How cool is that?

The #TXBookFest sales tent was out of the book I intended to buy, so I may have bought two others in retaliation. Take that Book People! That‘ll show ya! 🤣📚

About to see Ruta Sepetys! Probably going to buy more books later...

I got to hear these beautiful speakers talking about Toni Morrison at #TXBookFest2019. They made me want to read all of her books right this second. They also made me want to buy both of their books, which I am likely to do first thing in the morning.

Day 1 of #TexasBookFestival2019 was wonderful.

“Science Fiction in Several Styles”, with Nicky Drayden, Jen Julian, and Christopher Brown. Three very different books led to an interesting conversation about where science fiction is today, and where it might go.
#TXBookFest2019

This was an interesting panel about mathematics and women. I‘m interested in the tagged book.
#TXBookFest2019

I picked this up! He was fun to hear speak, but I didn‘t get any decent photos. Next up: wandering the vendors, and food.

#TxBookFest2019 #TexasBookFestival2019