Bit of a reading slump right now. You know the one...where you start a book and know it would probably be good if only you could get your brain to focus? This audiobook kept my attention. Excellent brain candy. Domestic crime thriller that moved fast enough to keep my attention with enough drama to engage. A bit unbelievable but really...do you want your brain candy to be rooted in reality? πŸ˜‚ #audiobook

Apparently I enjoy Japanese magical realism? Never knew that was a genre. (Some classify #Murakami as such, so I guess it makes sense because I ❀️ him.) In this novel, Kawaguchi explores how the past and future affect the present in the intersecting lives of quirky and engaging customers and employees that visit a cafe where one can sit in a specific seat and briefly time travel. An unpredictable and delightful novel. 4/5 ⭐️

It starts like a Dateline episode and ends up being more Stephen King. Munchausen by Proxy mixed with batshit crazy. Unreliable narrators usually annoy me but this structure of both sides (parent and child) really works. Entertaining, fast-paced and disturbing read.

Well now...this will be interesting πŸ€’πŸ‡πŸ€’πŸ‡

#nyrb

Thanks for the tag @Eggs !

Favorite thing about my current job = I get to continue to work from home until July

Career advice for younger self = Don‘t expect to use your degree πŸ˜‚

First thing I do in the morning = Guzzle half a pot of coffee πŸ‘πŸ‘

Last thing I do at night = Read myself to sleep with my Kindle

#WondrousWednesday

I just started my NYRB Classics Book Club selection so I‘ll tag @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen @vivastory @Suet624 @Megabooks

While there are a few minor weaknesses, overall this was an engrossing family saga spanning several decades and locales including California, Damascus and Beirut. Love, loss, familial loyalty and personal ambition all converge to make this a thoroughly engaging and pleasurable read. 4/5 ⭐️

Nevermind that my TBR is over one hundred books. If one goes into the library to renew a library card, one can‘t possibly be expected to leave without any beauties...can they!!?! #LitsyLovesLibraries #WhatTBR

New-to-me author. Highly recommend this amazing Southern humorist. 5/5 ⭐️ Blurb says it better than I can:
β€œThese meticulously crafted parables recall William Faulkner‘s scope and Flannery O‘Connor‘s corrosive wit. Imbuing each story with charged drama, Gurganus, a sublime ventriloquist, again proves himself among our funniest writers and our wisest.”

First story not my fave but the rest are superb. If you‘re from the South, you‘ll recognize. πŸ˜‚

Finally finished reading as I‘m also watching the Ken Burns PBS documentary. If I could give more than 5⭐️ I would. Quintessential Hemingway...and I love his writing. Fascinating window into his day to day life in the early Paris years. Mind you, it is Hemingway so largely unreliable but his classic writing style. I think, however, I enjoy it so much b/c I know a bit about his life. Reading without any background knowledge might be less enjoyable.

Set in Ghana within the city of Accra, this #debut explores marriage, family, and finding your voice. Afi marries Eli at the request of both families even though she doesn‘t know him. Believing he will change, she hopes to become his β€œonly” wife. Throughout the experience, she discovers what she will do for love and security. I enjoyed it though occasionally found it hard to understand some cultural differences. Still I highly recommend. 4/5 ⭐️

The first one is good. But this one is not. Gotta #DNF it.

Another great installment (the 10th) of the Will Trent series by Karin Slaughter. And guys...this one is truly twisted. It is also a rare #crime #thriller series that continues to engage without being (too) predictable or formulaic. But the best part for me is the narrator. I won‘t read these physically because this narrator, Kathleen Early, is simply excellent. 3.5/5 ⭐️ #audiobook

Books 4 and 5 in the #series. DCI Craig Gillard is a cranky veteran investigator in these British crime thriller police procedurals. What I enjoy most about these is the end is not (always) predictable, though some are more effective than others in this regard. I saw Louth compared to Mark Bellingham in some reviews and I think that‘s pretty accurate. Solid #crime novel and equally good #audiobook series. 3.5/5 ⭐️

Ahhh...the south. 40 degrees one day, 70 degrees the next. Lucky for you I edited out the glaringly white legs. Husband said they‘re blinding. πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ #classics

Another amazing presentation by Attica Locke. Gorgeous description, characters that represent time and place without succumbing to stereotype, and a plot that keeps you turning the pages. Drama, mystery, intrigue and crime novel. 4/5 ⭐️

Employees at an internet startup gather at a skiing chalet in France. When an avalanche occurs and everyone is trapped...well...the title pretty much tells you the outcome. Interaction between characters was entertaining but the backstory and overall action is little more than a rewrite of Agatha Christie‘s β€œAnd Then There Were None.” Readers that haven‘t read that Christie novel will likely enjoy without having that comparison. 3/5 ⭐️

I see some of you post about missing holiday swap deliveries and thought you might appreciate. πŸ€£πŸ˜‚

The Kate Burkholder crime thriller series by Linda Castillo is a go to audio for me, with Burkholder as Chief of police in a small Amish town. Villette is my current classic read (which I‘m savoring slowly) while the Ruth Ware is my brain candy when I need a break from 19th c. sentence structure. 🀣 And Matsumoto will be a new-to-me author. #weeklyforecast

DNFing for now. 100 pages and I just can‘t get into it which makes me sad as I‘ve liked all the other Cormoran Strike novels. I really hope this isn‘t a case of a series-dying-after-the-first-three syndrome. I‘ll try again later. πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ

I think that is the best 19c. version of β€œGet the f*ck out” that I have ever read. 🀣🀣🀣

#stephenking
#butwaittheresmore

(Sent to me by a friend so I can only generally credit the interwebz.)

Since Ready Player Two was recently published, I decided I should see what this was all about. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it. Not my normal reading fare; I think Wil Wheaton‘s spot on narration increased the appeal. Set in a future world lived largely online through avatars, Wade and a group of friends fight evil forces in an attempt to achieve a massive online quest. Once again I‘m reminded I need to branch out more in my reading. 4/5 ⭐️

Interesting premise and had potential, but the ending felt so prepackaged that I felt cheated by my investment. A village outcast wrongly accused of murder defends herself in court. But the big whodunnit reveal at the end...eh.

βœ”οΈ Normal People (eh)
βœ”οΈ Someone We Know (entertaining audio)
☠️ February‘s Son (sad it was a #DNF as it is a #Europa and I generally love those)

So far I‘m enjoying my #CurrentRead of Transcendent Kingdom and hope it is as good as Homegoing which I loved.

I‘ve started and quit four #audiobooks this week so I hope The Birds That Stay makes the cut 🀞

#WeeklyForecast @Cinfhen

Domestic thriller. Think Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives (dating myself here πŸ˜‚). The mystery ends up being who would NOT want to kill these neighbors? If you‘re looking for brain candy in an #audiobook format then this is perfect. 3/5 ⭐️

...‘cause what else can you do?

I feel like I‘m missing something here. This seemed like a lot of badly written teen angst. Thought perhaps it was YA fiction (I don‘t like YA so I tend to judge the genre - not the readers 😊- harshly), but I don‘t see that it is? Lots of repetitive relationship drama and I never connected to any character. But it gets great reviews so I fully admit perhaps I don‘t understand or it wasn‘t the right time for me. πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ 2/5 ⭐️

I see a lot of people here with shipping issues so thought I would share. Apparently FedEx and UPS are even directing retailers to USPS.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/15/postal-service-holiday-packag...

Finished this week:
Fake Like Me / The Truth About Melody Browne

Current reads:
Normal People (my kindle read)
Edge of Eternity (my paperback that is taking an eternity to get through even though I really like it πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ)

Up next:
Februaryβ€˜s Son (a Europa and Edgar award winner recommended by CrimeReads)
Someone We Know (my up-next audio read)

#weeklyforecast @Cinfhen

Melody, after living more than half her life thinking her adoptive parents were her real parents and not knowing any better due to post traumatic memory loss, begins to have flashback memories of her childhood. These snatches of memory lead her to investigate and question all she thought to be true. Another solid, drama filled, low substance yet highly entertaining listen from Jewell. 3.5/5 ⭐️

#audiobooks

A lost again, found again, lost again painter has the chance to work at an artists‘ colony in rural New York. But the majestic lore surrounding the renowned colony and the reputations of the artists don‘t live up to the hype. In fact, the small group of friends residing there turn out to not only be sadly normal, but they are hiding a secret that could destroy the lives of all associated with the colony. Interesting but underwhelming. 3.5/5 ⭐️

Why yes, I am sitting outside on my patio in my pajamas while #audioknitting and drinking wine at 2pm on a December afternoon. It‘s called β€œvacation.” More specifically...vacation in the south. πŸ˜‚ #knittersoflitsy #audiobook

#LitsyHumor

My #20BestOf2020 is actually only nine. Not nearly enough reading this year given that it‘s been...you know...2020. But still, these were really good and the best of what I did read. Several new to me authors and my favorite is tagged. These lists are really helping me get excited about my reading plans for the new year and it‘s nice to look toward to that.

This #crime novel set in Galicia, Spain is truly a page turner. Manuel learns his husband died in a car accident, and then discovers his secret life in Galicia. While settling Alvaro‘s vast estate which includes a dysfunctional, rich family, Manuel finds Alvaro‘s best friend (a priest) and a bitter retired detective who refuses to accept an β€œaccident” occurred; this unlikely trio goes on to solve mysteries surrounding Alvaro‘s death. 4/5 ⭐️

πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡

These are the nights for which Kindles are made.

Book is good as well. A β€œFirst Reads” from Kindle if I remember correctly. A middle aged man is left a vast estate by his late husband who had a secret life he knew nothing about. Halfway through and all kinds of drama and intrigue. #kindle

β€œWho Killed the Lyon Sisters?” will be on TV this evening (11/28) at 9:00pm (EST) on ID channel. Mark Bowden wrote the tagged book about this crime. I‘m hoping it‘s good! #truecrime

Still debating about participating in #Booked2021 as I‘m TERRIBLE at book challenges, but I did look at my shelves to see what would fit for the prompts. I‘m interpreting a couple loosely right now, such as using the tagged book for (2) as I‘m not sure if it is technically β€œwomen in science.” And of course...I‘m a bit stuck for a book to fulfill (3) so for now, I‘m improvising. πŸ˜†

@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

A body on a beach in North Devon. A detective struggling with a painful family history. The crime forces Detective Matthew Venn to come to terms with that history while finding solace in his husband and his work. Cleeves weaves an interesting plot with intriguing characters and a gray, moody sense of place to create a satisfying, dramatic mystery. 4/5 ⭐️ #audiobook #crime #mystery

#BookmarkMe

Other unique and meaningful bookmarks...
On the left, a tatted bookmark made by my best friend. And on the right, wooden bookmarks made by my husband. I think they are a combination of black poplar, white poplar and cedar.

@Tove_Reads

#BookmarkMe

What a fun idea @Tove_Reads ❀️ This is my most treasured bookmark. My aunt who died long ago made it in 1950 when she was in Bible school.

I probably enjoyed this fast paced light-on-fact while heavy-on-salaciousness #truecrime novel largely because it embodies escapism at just the right time. The husband is the immediate suspect and while there‘s not a lot of physical evidence, he‘s a ginormous asshat so it doesn‘t help his case. Clearly a biased account but sometimes...if it walks like a duck...πŸ¦†πŸ¦†πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ

Alrighty then. Some predictability...it‘s true. But all in all...much better than I expected. Housewives that seem bored and β€œSouthern-proper” take on a stranger in Charleston. While occasionally throttle-worthy, in the end I admit I was cheering for these women to prevail. 3.5 ⭐️

Struggling. I‘ve got four hours left. It‘s good I‘m some ways and soooooo looonnnggg in others. But I‘m stubborn since I‘ve invested so much time. Started it because it‘s ghost story-ish but whew...getting worn out!

Well alrighty then. As a movie, this would definitely be a slasher flick. As it is, this falls in the gory #horror category. A small cultish group targets a couple and their child at a remote vacation cabin where a fight for everyone‘s survival ensues. The plot is a bit weak but the gore is strong. Moderately entertaining #Halloween read. 3/5 ⭐️

Shared! (Also...my brain keeps reading this as β€œLitsy‘s Town Squirrel” so I‘m voting for a Litsy mascot.) 🐿🐿🐿

@TK421 @LitsyHappenings @MrBook

While it took a while for me to engage (which in our current times might have nothing to do with the book), I ended up devouring the last half in two days. This is Locke‘s second book featuring lawyer Jay Porter. Set in Houston in the 90s, the combination of murder and local politics sets the stage for Porter to either succeed or spectacularly fail depending upon whether he can focus and finally leave the past in the past. Recommended. 4/5 ⭐️

Another crime novel about a group of old friends reuniting for New Years Eve. Old grievances and surprising secrets emerge. As does a dead body. Who hated who the most? Entertaining and fast paced. 3/5 ⭐️ #psychologicalthriller #iusethatphraseloosely

A bit late...oops πŸ€—

1. Depends on whether the person can be trusted to give it back. Also, if it‘s not one I would be interested in reading again in the future, then I usually donate.
2. Tagged. It just released and I love this author.

#Two4TuesdayGiveaway
@TheSpineView @Trashcanman

So sad. Such a talented #truecrime author.

https://people.com/human-interest/author-shanna-hogan-dies-after-pool-accident-w...