pickThis is a gem! The quirky heroine, who works at an IKEA type of store, comforts herself with her strict routines and ongoing creation of the Very Nice Box. Then the arrival of a new store manager upends her life… Shades of “Eleanor Oliphant”, but I liked this even more. And what an ending! Shoutout to #TheNovelNeighbor bookstore and #CurrentlyReading podcast for putting this on my radar 😊❤️
pickWhat a fun summer read! It was exactly as the author intended… a”pop song” of a book. I think I smiled all the way through. Perfect for fans of Jurassic Park, The Meg, King Kong… with a lighter touch. 😊👍🏻
pickAnother Edgar award nominee and now one of my favorite books of the year. Richly drawn characters, great representation, small town politics, racial tensions and a murder or two. Written with a great sense of snark by the co-creator of Deadpool 😂
pickI went into this one knowing only that it was an Edgar Award finalist for Best Novel. And, wow! A twisty thriller with unlikeable (?) narrators… sooooo good. 👍🏻
pickFinally finished the last book in this series about an Irish detective during the Troubles… “finally” because I wasn‘t ready for it to end! Tough, gritty, with a strong sense of the times… just so good. 👍🏻
pickLove this series from Elly Griffiths…. tore through this one on an airplane yesterday! Perfect ❤️
pickThis series gets better with every book… love the strong protagonist and the slice of life in 1920s Bombay. Some Maisie Dobbs vibes too 👍🏻
pickA short compelling read about how one of the world‘s worst criminals was captured and brought to justice from Argentina. #foodandlit
pickLoved this inspiring true story of a woman who found a way to flourish, and taught others to do the same, during the Taliban regime in the late 90‘s in Afghanistan. All credit to the “Strong Sense of Place” podcast for recommending this one 👍🏻
pickFirst 5 🌟 read of 2022. Compelling characters and strong sense of place, combined with a tense plot. Loved this one!
pickReread of a favorite author poolside with fresh fish tacos and beer… does life get any better? ❤️
pickI had to pick this up after reading a review mentioning Schitt‘s Creek vibes… and boy does it deliver. Much steamier though… ❤️
pickLoved The Martian, really liked this one too. And that ending!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
pickIf you liked “The Thursday Murder Club”, you may want to check out this Edgar award nominee too…. Retirees involved in and solving crimes, with wry observations and gentle humor, may just be one of my new favorite things ❤️
I donated five boxes of books to my local library before I moved… and to celebrate? More books of course. Many are from the Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia. ❤️ Life is good.
pickPerfect summer read. Reminds me of the movie “LA Confidential” but with LGBTQ rep and a lighter touch. So glad to see it‘s the start of a series too 👍🏻
pickA gentle read... just what I needed right now ❤️
pickI started and stopped a few lit fic novels for the #foodandlit #ethiopia challenge in March, so ended up reading through this cookbook from the Ethiopian born author instead. So glad I finally did... beautiful photos and vignettes from his life in Harlem. Several recipes are also infused with Ethiopian flavors. ❤️👍🏻
“Not-knowing is where hope and art and possibility and invention come from. It is not-knowing, that old old thing, that allows everything to be renewed.”
Love this memoir... love this author‘s writing. ❤️
pickI find Churchill fascinating, though admittedly problematic, and read everything I can about him. This is now a favorite due to the glimpses into everyday life during his first year in office. Highly recommend on audio 👍🏻
pickLoved this gentle picture book about a father and son‘s quiet morning fishing... and so much more. ❤️ #foodandlit #Vietnam
pickWe love pho and finally landed on a recipe from Pinterest that hits all the right notes! This cookbook assured me that we are doing the right things, and offered plenty of inspiration for a “someday” trip to Vietnam. ❤️
#foodandlit
pickJanuary‘s travels to Brazil... a reclusive author and her persistent translator, the migration of osprey, and some delicious empanadas (internet picture). On to February!! #foodandlit
pickPitch perfect, if you‘ll pardon the pun 😊
I picked this up for a reading challenge, as its narrator is a young girl on the autism spectrum. She desperately wants to pitch for a baseball team and starts writing to her favorite major league knuckleballer as a way to sort through her feelings. But then... he starts writing back. ❤️
pickThis was the first box I ordered from the “Treat Your Shelf” subscription service provided by the indie bookstore The Book Shelf in Thomasville, Georgia... and I‘m really glad I ordered 3 months worth. Fun, quirky mystery with a strong female protagonist set in 1950s London. Perfect!! ❤️👍🏻
pickMy first two reads for 2021... very happy with this fresh start to the year ❤️
Happy New Year! 🎆🎈🎊
This year, my bookish plans are to...
- read every day
- read something uplifting every day
- read and cook from my cookbooks
- complete three reading challenges, including #foodandlit
pickFinished the next-to-latest Louise Penny... this is now one of my favorites of hers. Reading about Gamache and Three Pines feels especially poignant around the holidays ❤️ Now onto a book that I‘ve heard nothing but good about! Continuing on with #dashingdecember!!
pickHappy to report that my goal for #dashingdecember is off to a great start... Reading at least an hour a day so far ❤️ Loved this food memoir in essays and was glad to discover that this author has another book too.
Officially joining #dashingdecember with my audacious goal of just trying to read every day! Winter break has begun and I‘m excited to read and relax a bit ❤️
pickLike many, I have started and stopped more books this year than I can remember. This was exactly what I needed. Quietly strong characters who work through their struggles, all set against the backdrop of the brewing industry. I may have to crack open a Moon and just read it again! ❤️
pickI love this quiet mystery series and it‘s getting better with each book. The setting is engrossing and the supporting characters are starting to develop more. And... a baby elephant who steals the show. ❤️
pick“Stranger Things” is one of my favorite series and this read is the closest I‘ve found to it... maybe even served as an inspiration?
Any other ST fans that could recommend similar books?
pickImmersive writing... time travel... family and the choices we make. This is my favorite read so far this year ❤️
Tagged book is my #bookspin and the second is #doublespin for August. Two wildly different reads to look forward to... 😊
pickFinished this last night to wrap up a 4-corners #bookspinbingo for July 👍🏻 This is my second read from the Book Riot TBR service and it was spot-on for me. British setting, strong female lead with great supporting characters and an unpredictable ending. Perfect!
pickI love travel writing and the short descriptive chapters in this are like mini getaways. This is a must read for tea lovers too, as Lovell‘s passion for her craft shines.
pickI grew up reading the Oz series, and these books are the closest I‘ve ever read to recapturing that magic. The first book was my favorite, but I just love the way Valente writes ❤️ #doublespin
So excited about #bookspin and #doublespin this month! For the double, I‘m diving into the first three of this series... feels perfect for summer reading ❤️
“...you can be scared to death, as I‘ve been sharing these stories with you, and do the thing you need to do anyway.”
Loved this honest, unflinching memoir in essays. ❤️
My July stack for #bookspin 👍🏻 Adding five more titles randomly from my Nook app for #bookspinbingo as I finally have this stack down to a manageable level... for now 😊
My #bookspin and #doublespin picks were not for me right now, so I applied the numbers to the books in my Nook app... this one was an easy and different horror read... although a bit unsettling in pandemic times.
pickThe Oz books were some of my favorites growing up and I still have many of the original hardcover editions passed on from my grandma. This gentle and uplifting story not only brought back many memories, but was exactly the read I needed right now. ❤️
