This is Fahrenheit, friends. This is ridiculous. Thankfully there‘s a woodstove in my house and a great big pile of books and blankets.

I have five different town libraries to choose from. Stowe Library consistently has those books I‘m looking for that the other towns don‘t. Aftermath is one I preordered and brought home today after reading a fascinating review of it in The NY Times.

“While in prison, I received a dictionary.“

And so I begin the latest by Erdrich. I'm delighted this is on the list of #TOB22 books to read.

#FirstLineFridays

This novel sets you into the claustrophobic life of a young woman in the late 1920's in France. A story of de Beauvoir's intense friendship with Zaza, Andree in the book. The rigid beliefs of Catholicism, the social mores of the time, and the control that parents and men had over women serve to literally squeeze the life out of a young passionate woman. This is a short novel that packs a punch. Atwood writes a great intro as well.

I'm so glad I finished reading this. Ozeki manages to leave me with a background hum of all the components of this novel. How grief and loss manifests, hearing voices, mental illness, the life and role of a book, and those rare beings who reach out to you when you very much need it. Of course I needed to investigate and, yes, there is an organization that supports those who hear voices. My skylight seemed the perfect photo for form and emptiness.

The author of my favorite book in the world is coming out with another one. Of course I had to pre-order it. It should be in my hands by my birthday in June. I can't wait.

Ozeki quotes Walter Benjamin and talks very briefly about his life in this story. I realized that at least twenty years ago I read a book by Jay Parini, a local Vermont professor and author, about Benjamin and his attempts to flee the Nazis by hiking over the Pyrenees. He was a man ill-equipped to accomplish the task. I knew nothing about Benjamin at the time and was very moved by Parini's story. Never heard about Benjamin again until now.

That fog over the lake is what happens when the cold temperatures force the water to freeze. Sometimes it freezes overnight. Sometimes it takes days and the folks who ice fish get antsy. It reminds me of this book. Sometimes I‘m moving quickly through the story. Sometimes I feel as if it will never come to an end. I‘m kind of enjoying it but the jury is still out. #TOB22

“…it occurred to her that, really, a mother never stops carrying her child…”

Ain‘t that the truth! My four children are constantly being reminded of the fact that no matter how old they are that umbilical cord is still invisibly attached.

(My 45+ year old daughter and I at my son‘s wedding. As her 17 year old will be going to college soon I think she finally understands what I mean.)

“A book must start somewhere.”

😃

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

I love when a book knocks me sideways. I love finding an author I've never read who moves & intrigues me so much that I need to find all of their previous books immediately. This just, for now at least, rocketed to the top of my favored #TOB22 shortlist. An ultimate revenge novel for the sins of this country's past served with just the kind of humor that I like. I went in knowing nothing about the story and I'm happy I did. (Who did I not tag?)

This has been optioned to be made into a movie by Jerry Bruckheimer. For good reason. You could see the images so clearly from the writing. A fast paced, violent at times, story of two fathers seeking revenge for their gay sons murders. This genre is not usually my cup of tea, but Buddy Lee and Ike's relationship, their shared grief over not accepting their sons love for each other, and the humor kept me moving quickly through the book.

Only on Chapter 6 so I can only comment on what I've read so far. Started reading during my lunch hour & chuckled my way through. I've not read this author before, but saints be praised! The Tournament has given me a book I can laugh/be aghast about. I like that combo.

#TOB22

You can not imagine the amount of time spent on trying to make a lovely photo collage of my favorite books of 2021. Here they are, in no particular order, except for #1. Thanks to all who tagged me for my picks. It‘s been a joy to screenshot so many of your favorites. Here‘s hoping we all have a great reading year in 2022.

#Top21of21

Thanks to Litsy and, in particular, @JulesG @Jas16 and @Reggie, I found this book and devoured it in one sitting. I don't usually read romance but apparently maybe I should? Because I needed this book right now. Funny, light, sexy (eventually), and a sweet romance. The author developed her characters and I've been thinking about all of them since I finished reading it. Thanks to all who recommended it.

I‘m giving this one a pick but I have to say that of the 600 pages, it was the last 200 pages that finally connected me to the characters. They had felt very distant before that. I think I‘ll appreciate it more after it settles in a bit. Well researched with great detailed storytelling.

Grandson and I rolled my coins. $76. There was a bookstore across the street. My $76 has evaporated but I‘m very excited. Grandson, not so much. He wanted some of the loot. And check out this description of the book on the top: “Based on fragments from the Christian mystic's autobiography written in the 1430s and the author's tale of unrequited gay love, offers a story of Margery's sexual obsession with visits from Jesus.” I‘m here for all of it.

You can‘t tell from this photo but I just set my reading goal on Goodreads to 70 books for 2022. This is 10 less than last year. Magazines, which I refuse to throw away until they are read, are piling up. It‘s an embarrassment of riches, quite honestly. So much to catch up on. I need to set a magazine reading goal for myself to get caught up!

My sister-in-law sent me a book for Christmas written by my imaginary boyfriend. Grohl provided me the gift of an almost three hour live concert at Madison Square Garden, the Foo Fighters first concert since March of 2020. The band is ready to play and I‘m ready to read. Just a win-win.

And here comes January‘s #bookspin options. Still haven‘t read December‘s. All in good time.

While many folks on Litsy have many reading goals I have only one. To reach my Goodreads goal. With this story, I have reached it. 80 books read this year. My favorite was the one I finished on January 17th-Fresh Water for Flowers. I feel such a connection to that book.

I‘m delighted to finish the year reading this author. I had only recently found her & have enjoyed her storytelling style. A bit hit or miss but always an interesting concept.

A way to be kind to yourself is to read this book. 💕💕😆😍 I keep thinking that this book includes all the things my therapist used to tell me that I always neglected to write down. It‘s a wonderful reminder of the really important things about life.

This page is unlike any other page in this book. It is merely an example of a random thought/event in which God may or may not be involved. At first I thought none of it made any sense. As I progressed I was more and more delighted by her thought process. Pointing out situations in which God was equally confused by the game plan, offering tidbits on Kafka, Bonhoeffer, mystics, OJ Simpson‘s jury, it all worked for me. It is one to pick up again.

A very short borrow-not-buy from my library. After finding a letter from years ago, a woman begins to reminisce about her time in Paris as a young woman, writing snippets of experiences that she and two other women share.

This may have been your typical story of a hot summer lusty out-of-their-minds affair, but it took place in Alabama in the 1930‘s between two married folks and had enough twists and and turns that I couldn‘t stop reading it. The writing was descriptive and reminded me so much of my time in Tennessee that i could envision the time and place without effort. Off my shelf and on to my number of books read for the Goodreads goal. Phew!

I gave this book 5 stars mainly because it brought Leon just a tiny bit closer. It required that I spend time going to Spotify because of all the great artists & songs that I had to listen to again, it required that I purchase two DVDs of performances, one of which I knew nothing about 🔼, & it took me hours to read a book that in most cases would only take an hour at most. Sadly, it left so much out and was never finished by Russell. I miss him.

This book that I purchased two years ago, that I was sooo excited to read, has sat on my shelf ever since it arrived. I thought this was a good short book to read. Here‘s the problem with it: he played with everyone and he‘s bringing up memories that I just have to listen to again. Artists I‘ve long forgotten. He talks about this one event that was televised in 1964 and of course I had to watch the whole dang thing. Some of you might like it. 🔽

I have to read 5 more books before year‘s end to reach my Goodreads goal. Wasn‘t sure it was going to happen. However, last night I decided to take the week off of work and searched for thin books in my collection. Apart from cleaning the large downstairs Airbnb twice this week I‘ll be spending the rest of the time reading. Onward!!

My librarian handed this memoir to me saying I would appreciate it. She wasn‘t wrong. Owusu covers so much-her mother‘s desertion, her beloved father‘s death when she was a teenager, the cultural history of the many countries she lived in as the daughter of a UN worker, her stepmother‘s abandonment, blending into cultures, racism, about the earthquakes we experience as part of trauma. While this many not sound cheery, it sure was captivating.

This may seem like a small thing to some, but I was so excited to see that New York Review Books had a fulfillment center in Vermont send my book to me. Does that mean there a lot of NYRB readers in my area?

I really wasn‘t happy with the author‘s previous book so I was nervous about reading this one for the Tournament of Books. I also knew nothing about the story before heading into it. What a delightful surprise it turned out to be! A single woman navigating a new country, a new job at The Hague as an interpreter, and a potential relationship. A 👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻 from me. #TOB22

Such a rich novel. The way Rooney writes dialogue puts you smack in the middle of the conversations. The longing and disguised and repressed desires to connect honestly, to connect, period, almost felt claustrophobic but also so, so familiar. Rooney writes in such a way that I feel I‘m fully aware of the surroundings without overwhelming me with descriptions. I came out of it thinking, “Why THERE you are, beautiful world.” #TOB22

Library comes through again. Two from the #Tob22 shortlist and the Love Hypothesis which folks seem to love!

While it is true this book is more serious than her previous books I appreciated all that she had to say. Lawson‘s humor and honesty make her an author I will always search for. One section had me laughing so hard that I couldn‘t catch my breath. I hadn‘t laughed with such gusto and for so long in years.

Makes me laugh every time I read that line.

Coming home late at night after working my second job of the day and finding a surprise gift from Reggie was a blessing. Sat right down on the steps and cried a little bit. Don‘t mean to sound melodramatic, but knowing you were thinking of me brought my day to a wonderful end. And this book! I had stacked it immediately when I read your review of it. So many thank you‘s.

@Reggie

This section in Lawson‘s book is a somber chapter about health insurance and how they fail anyone who is suffering from (fill in the blank). In her case in particular it‘s about her mental health. I‘ve worked in HR and spent hours tussling with insurance companies on behalf of our employees. Every word she says is true. “Sometimes I think you want me dead.”

I‘m not really sure why Litsy‘s search function is often so completely off base. Are there really so many people reading these titles that they would pop up before Jenny Lawson‘s? Deerhunter? Really? 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ it‘s been like this for a while - that one needs to be super cunning to find the book one is searching for - but this morning just seemed like the time to say something.

A short and impactful novel about a family dealing with deportation, separation, and loneliness. My daughter lived in Colombia for several years and the writing brought me right back to the scenery, climate, and statues of the Virgin in grottos. Will the family ever be able to unite? It was an unexpectedly emotional read for me.

I only read this because it‘s on the #TOB22 shortlist. Every year the Tournament of Books provides me with at least one book where, when finished, I scratch my head and say, “what the hell WAS that?” If you want to read an exquisite account of living with chronic pain, the first 100 pages is perfection. After that it goes off the rails and I‘m not sure what the point of it all is. It‘s not a pan, but it‘s not one I‘d recommend to anyone either.

Just a reminder to folks that there is a way to not see all the winter games posts. No offense to those participating, but with limited amounts of time available I don‘t need to see how many points people are collecting. Under settings, there is a section where you can mute a hashtag. I had to do it in my desktop but I imagine it‘s possible to do it on your phone.

A coworker handed this to me three months ago. She kept asking me about it, so before it became really embarrassing I finally read it. A lovely day off, lots of bed and couch reading, and I‘ve finished it. A light Friday read.

A brief stop off at the library to return some books and here we are. Unexpected good fortune. Some Litsy-recommended, some librarian-recommended, and Jenny Lawson is always a go-to for me. It‘s a great day.

This particular library sits between life and death and allows the MC to review other life options. Much like It‘s a Wonderful Life, the message is simple. You really do have choices, change your life in small ways, see what shakes out, look for the magic. (Oh wait, that last little bit is my own philosophy.) I‘m glad so many folks enjoyed this book and I‘m glad Haig is well received. However, I have enjoyed other books written by him more.

I‘ve been immersed in the Beatles documentary and of course had to look into Glyn John‘s more. I love how he worked with the group throughout the film and his clothes were perfection! (If you‘ve seen the film, you know what I‘m talking about!) Found he‘d written a book, which apparently was only available through Kindle. Even as I muttered about Amazon and Bezos, I downloaded it.

Doing this before I forget!

#bookspin
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I have a feeling I will like this book more as I think back on it. I expected to love it as much as All The Light which is unfair to a book. Each individual character had a terrific story to tell but I was unclear how they were intersecting and that seemed important to me at the time. I guess I also wanted to care about the characters more. I appreciate Doerr‘s storytelling but I give this one a soft pick. #TOB22

I‘m keeping this puppy company this weekend. He‘s only 5 months old. He‘s huge already! I‘m having trouble focusing on the many plot lines going on in this story. Hopefully I‘ll settle into it soon.

I have so enjoyed the last two books I‘ve read by this author. This was a so-so for me. Said to be semi-autobiographical it tells the story of a child in Japan who comes to life finally at the age of 2 1/2. The novel speaks of the God-like beliefs of a child, the understanding of loss and the feelings of/absence of pleasure. Brief and to the point.

Congrats! So funny to have just finished reading this today. Such a good book.