This mystery is set in a remote village on the New Zealand coast. The author did a great job of weaving the landscape and weather into the story and making almost every character seems like a plausible suspect. It kept me guessing!

These townies drink a lot of coffee.Like a LOT of coffee.☕️🤪

I'm surprised it took them until now to do this! I rarely watch the Simpsons anymore but try to catch the Halloween Treehouse of Horror episodes. This will be fun!

https://lithub.com/this-year-the-simpsons-has-a-halloween-special-devoted-to-ste...

I haven‘t read this book yet, but this story reminded me of it. 🐝 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/world/europe/bees-queen-elizabeth.html.

This book was fascinating. I knew very little about Vanessa Bell, Virginia Woolf's sister, who was a painter and an on/off caregiver for Virginia. The story focuses on their siblings and friend group. The love between the siblings was apparent. They all had to be careful around Virginia to keep her from going to her dark place. All of them wanted the best for her and each other. ⬇

I purchased this based on an article about fiction and non-fiction books to read if you want to learn more about Ukraine. This is a book of connecting short stories about Ukrainian women which take place before the recent Russian invasion. Part of the country was war-torn at that time, and the stories focused on their experiences living in those conditions. [cont'd]

Try as I might, I could not get into this book. I didn't find the characters interesting, and I could tell we were going to get into child abuse territory. No thanks. And I hated the “smucking“ made-up language. Still love Stephen King but it's hard to top The Stand and 11/22/63.

I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. After finishing it, I feel unsettled. I'd compare it to Catcher in the Rye except with a thirty-something woman having a slow meltdown while working on a cruise ship.

Not my pic. Just a random cruise ship.

So glad I finally read this book. It was my first long chapter-a-day read with the #pemberlittens and won't be my last. I liked getting to know the staff and thinking about everything that was going on “downstairs“ while the well-loved events of Pride and Prejudice unfolded “upstairs.“ I did not like how one of my favorites from upstairs acted completely out of character toward the end of the book. The pic is called Sewing Maid by Alexis Vollon.

I'm very tardy in finishing this book, but I enjoyed catching up with the #whartonbuddyread posts. I don't have strong feelings about this book either way. Of the two main characters, one is wishy-washy and one is the master of gaslighting. 😐

The pic above captures how I envisioned Anna's home at Givre. According to Amazon, it's called Rising Road Couple Walking Countryside by Gustave Calliebotte.

This lived up to the hype for me. I loved reading about a small town boy moving back as an adult and finding the high school dropout and his wife considered pillars of the community. If a situation seems too good to be true, it probably is. 🤔

It was fascinating to see how Mildred, a spinster in the 1950s, spent her days and how others took advantage of her kindness and inability to set boundaries. I fall into that trap occasionally but generally am too stubborn and lazy to be considered an Excellent Woman. And that's OK with me. 😜 😉 Enjoyed reading this with the #pemberlittens!

I had so much fun reading along with the group for the #sundaybuddyread. Loved the families and the setting in the Catskills. I had a little trouble remembering which grandparents, parents and children belonged to which family. Still a definite pick!

#wondrouswednesday

I. I don't purchase many physical books anymore, so if I do, I'll splurge on a hardcover.

II. Outdoors but only in the shade. I think I'm part vampire. 🙃

III. Spring! I hate snow so I'm so happy to see green things grow. 🌱

Thanks for the tag @christyco125!

Want to play? @rwmg @jlhammar @Addison_reads

“I saw myself playing a rather noble part, stepping into the background when they were reunited and going quietly away to make a cup of tea or do some washing or ironing.“

Oh, Mildred. Have some self respect. 😬

As a Minnesota Twins fan, I loved learning about the life of their beloved long-time announcer and his adventures with the organization. I'm not sure how much it would appeal to someone outside of Minnesota.

I'll admit to having a little crush on the author. ⚾ 💙

Thanks for the tag @pip2 !

1. Yes, I love to fill up random spots in my house with stacked books. One is the tagged book. It looks nice but is funny because my “home“ is crumbling down around it. Need to get moving on some home projects!

2. TV...particularly episodes of shows like Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls and The Office. All of these I've watched today while I'm home sick. Now back to my book.

Want to play? @amyk1 @andrew61 @susanita

The audiobook isn't cutting it for me. I don't care for the narrator and it's distracting me from the story. A lot of you on Litsy gave this a “pick“ so I'll try it another time in paper format.

This was the first full-blown romance novel that I've read in years. I enjoyed it more than I expected and was very happy with the ending. Glad I could read it along with the other campers! #camplitsy

I was worried this book wouldn't live up to the hype, but it definitely did for me. Highly recommend it! And if you're listening to the audiobook, the interview with the author at the end is worth a listen.

#librofm

#1. The most recent is tagged. As in I was sobbing out loud listening to one of the essays..while driving...not safe! 😮
#2. I guess I'd have to say literary fiction? Specifically more contemporary than historical. I like getting to know characters who remind me of IRL family & friends.
#3. The most recent one I loved is Summerwater.

Thanks for tagging me @julieclair !

Want to play @Sarahbellum @christyco125 @booknaround ?

@eggs

I really enjoyed the interactions between the sisters and sister-in-law and would have loved seeing what Jane had in mind for these characters. I‘ll have to be content with following along with the #pemberlittens who are reading the completed version. 🙂

Yikes. This was a convoluted mess. There was very little about the story that resembled Romeo & Juliet. It read like a young adult novel with a few “edgy“ terms thrown in to make it seem less PG, I guess? I had fun reading it along with the group. Misery loves company. 😉

#sundaybuddyread

I read as part of the monthly #losersclub. If you liked The Stand, you may enjoy this as well. Comments below with spoiler tag. 😀

Thank you to the #persephoneclub for introducing me to this lovely little book. I‘ll add my thoughts below with a spoiler tag.

Thanks for tagging me, @jillsbookshelf!

1. 💛 🎡 📚 ✨ 🏠 🎒 🐥 🐺
2. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Nina is so endearing. I'd love to see what happens in the next “chapter“ of her. life. 🙂
3. How High We Go in the Dark --> Pick, 4 out of 5

@marleed @akfreeborn @librarybelle

#wondrouswednesday #sundaybuddyread

If you're ready for pandemic dystopian fiction, here you go. Some of the interconnected stories were more meaningful to me than others. What I'll take away from it is the importance of not letting relationships with loved ones slip away when times get tough. #camplitsy

Interconnected stories taking place over the course of one rainy day? This was right up my alley. The writing is beautiful. I loved getting a peek into the thoughts of ordinary people going about their days doing ordinary things. #librofm

I've had this sitting on my e-reader for a long time. Glad I was finally prompted to read it. I loved how it felt so relevant for 2022 but took place in 1997. If anyone has any recommendations for other books by Lily King, I'd love to hear them! #buddyread

I finished this book wishing I could be friends with the author. 😊
#librofm

Hi, all. I'm looking for a way to get out of my reading slump. Too many distractions these days. I thought joining a buddy read would be fun. I know about #buddyread, #pemberlittens, #furrowedmiddlebrowclub, and #sundaybuddyreads. I plan to check these out. Any suggestions for others? I don't care for rom-coms, science fiction or short stories. Other than that, I'm pretty open.

Thank you!

Much of this book hit home with me, although most who know me would say I'm more of an ambivert (can flex as an extrovert) than an introvert. This is my favorite cartoon from the book. Except for the tablet - can't deal with one more device - this is my happy place, too! 📓 💙 💻

It took me a while to get into the story but I‘m glad I finished it. Listening to the audiobook, I had trouble keeping track of all the nuns. I think I may have enjoyed the print version a bit more. #librofm

The world feels like such a mess right now that I think I need to dive into something a bit sunnier to offset the doom & gloom. #librofm

This is a fun book if you‘ve read and watched as many British mysteries as I have!!

The author rates all of his essay topics on a five-star scale. Includes a wide variety of essays including scratch and sniff stickers, the small pox vaccine and Indianapolis. I love how he views many of these topics through the lens of mental illness. It makes them all the more interesting. #librofm

So excited to read this after seeing Come From Away last weekend! #bookbub

Short novel about a Beijing man who builds stereo systems for a living and his struggles with love, family and money. It was…odd. I‘d give it a pick because it‘s short and strange. #boxwalla

I wasn‘t sure I was enjoying this at first but then stayed up until 2:00 AM to finish it. So I guess it‘s a pick! I‘m excited to try more books in the “novelized” mythology genre that seems to be popping up everywhere recently. ☀️ #bookbub

Fun read for the holidays. Definitely interested in trying the series. #bookbub

Cute story. Worth having in your library if you collect her other books. 🐷

…feeling the sun go down inside her. #librofm

This was a fun listen. I enjoyed hearing someone cover serious issues without taking himself too seriously. There is a bonus at end of the audio version that made my day. I won‘t spoil it! #librofm

Love this picture of the ladies in modern dresses. I bought this as a coffee table book but it turned out to have a lot of really interesting content covering the time period and real life events alongside how these were portrayed in the show. Just loved it!

The mystery in this one didn‘t hold my interest but I love thinking about Walt and Henry waking the streets of Philadelphia and maybe wandering by this beautiful sculpture. 💙💙

Does this ring true for any Litsy introverts?? 😁

Short but sweet audiobook. Thought I should read something with a Halloween theme although I finished it a bit late. 🤷‍♀️👻 #librofm

I tried. I really did. But, unlike other Russian novels that I've enjoyed, this goes so deep into the Soviet political and war machines that I just couldn't get into it. It might work for someone else! #boxwalla

Ok, I‘ll admit that this one took me a while to get through. The narration was great in the audiobook but I may have had better luck keeping the names straight with a paper version.

Amazing story that read like fiction but was actually gleaned from letters and diaries and real-life interviews. I‘ll try another by this author. 👍 #librofm

The story is cute. The maple syrup making storyline reminds me of my own family‘s operation years ago. I loved being outside in early spring collecting sap and the lovely aroma from the cooker.

Pic from my favorite episode of Parts Unknown — Quebec!

Those interviewed for the book alternated between saying Tony was a selfish narcissist and a truly kind and generous person. My guess is that both descriptions were true. Regardless, it was a sad ending for a talented and charming man. 😞 #librofm