Thank you @Hooked_on_books ! You brightened my Monday considerably 💕 I‘m excited for this new-to-me author. I‘ll post my thoughts when I finish. Thank you again for your kindness. #bookmail #lovelylittens

Mom‘s a defense lawyer, dad‘s a pastor, and teen is a budding sociopath. Told from those three points of view. Throw in a few jacked up secondary characters and simmer with distrust and betrayal, and the result is an interesting if somewhat predictable stew with the main ingredient being murder. 3/5 ⭐️

🙋‍♀️ Anyone else? #uncomfortabletruths

1. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Such a gorgeous, lyrical writing style ❤️
2. How do you continue to maintain hope when so often faced with the hopeless?
3. I‘m too scared to count 😱

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

Current situation. There‘s a book under all that cat. #catsoflitsy

A new novel is coming!!! More happy dancing!! 🕺 💃

Look what‘s coming!

**insert happy dance💃**

“This house...it won‘t let her leave.”

Rainy day TV and knitting with my favorite Edgar Allen Poe ❤️

REPOST @LibrarianRyan
Hello Everyone,
October is almost at an end. That means awards season is gearing up and before this years #LitsyAwards I want to get some feedback from all of you.
It would be ever so lovely if new and longtime Littens would be willing to fill out this survey to help make this years Litsy awards the best ever!

https://forms.gle/SKXY4VPPFgQLqiwFA

Please help spread the word by reposting. Official nominations start Dec 1.

Someone on Litsy turned me on to this series. I can‘t remember who you are...but thank you! Loving it. Irish detective with a dry wit...and lots of grit. #crime

So you know the Geico commercial where the stupid kids are debating how to escape a killer and finally one says, “Why don‘t we just get in the running car?!?!?” But instead they hide behind the chainsaws. That‘s the plot of Lapena‘s story in a nutshell. A fast read, lots of head shaking moments, and I either WANTED the characters to die or said “seriously???” multiple times as I turned the pages. Just not for me!

Just finished watching and in the final credits, who do I see but “Executive Producer Michael Chabon” (among others)! I now have mad respect for not only his writing but his part in this amazing production. If you can handle the subject matter, then I can‘t recommend this series enough. #triggerwarning #netflix

Link to the Pulitzer Prize winning article:
https://www.propublica.org/article/false-rape-accusations-an-unbelievable-story

A Kindle First Reads pick this month, this translation from the German includes a disgraced cop, the requisite murder, police-on-the-take and one seriously disturbing family secret. A few too many red herrings but otherwise, quite good. A Kindle editor compares this to Jo Nesbo's “Harry Hole“ series. I look forward to more from this author as this is supposed to be the first in a series. #mystery #Kindle #KindleFirstReads #translation

A solid first in a new series by Jeffrey Archer, following a character we were introduced to in the Clifton Chronicles. Family drama + courtroom drama combine to create a fast, entertaining, can't-put-down read (or listen...in my case). I really enjoyed the Clifton series by Archer on audio, so I can't wait for the next in this series. #series

This story from The Bitter Southerner is bone chilling. Enjoy. 😱

“The old and sturdy house, set on rolling pastureland alongside a placid river, appeared safe and calm. It was not. Nannie, and the land around her, was thoroughly haunted. In less than a year we would break the lease, perform a binding ritual, and leave.”

https://bittersoutherner.com/we-salted-nannie-southern-ghost-story

For @Trashcanman

1. My Brilliant Friend (aka Neopolitan) series by Elena Ferrante
2. House. Because...Hugh Laurie 😍
3. Not since ‘93
4. Italian tonight for my birthday 🎉
5. Rarely

#friyayintro

Can‘t tag people for some reason?

My updated reading nook with new chair and chaise (well...the new furniture is in the living room so my reading nook got a facelift with the old furniture). Much more comfy ❤️

(Photobombing courtesy of Felix)

Take my advice and skip it. Mind numbing.

Wow. Okay. Alrighty then. So that happened. And then I slept with the light on.

This novel seemed to be a mash up of The Shining and The Omen (with a dash of The Exorcist as well). Don‘t want to give much away, but demonic possession is the main theme in this one. And Ahlborn knows just how much detail to include without going over the top. Disturbing, atmospheric and graphic. 4/5 ⭐️

I'm not normally a holiday celebration kinda gal, but seeing all the Halloween scary-ish posts have made me want to read something spooky/scary. I've seen several of you post about this one in the last two weeks ( @TheReadingMermaid @DGRachel @vivastory @reggie ), so I'm gonna try it. Several of this author's books are on a Kindle sale.

A grieving father and son move to a new house and a fresh start. An aging police detective regrets a notorious unsolved case. And now a child is missing. The fortuitous convergence of these factors leads to a level of creepiness that will keep you reading. Occasionally predictable but still a good showing. #crime #mystery #AlmostAThriler

Classic Jewell. Lots of family drama and salacious secrets. A mother‘s inability to control her hoarding affects every member of the family as they grow and change over the years. Entertaining #audiobook brain candy. 3/5 ⭐️

I‘m a born and bred Southern girl, but this tea was just too sweet for me. Characters felt flat, plot had potential but ended up being too predictable (too much romance for my taste) and the end tied everything up in a neat and tidy bow. 2.5/5 ⭐️

#toomuchsugar

Another great Murakami ❤️ With most authors that wander into the supernatural, I have a real problem with suspension of disbelief (which is why I don‘t enjoy Fantasy or Sci-Fi). But with Murakami, he blends all aspects of his novels so masterfully, it‘s difficult to place the story into just one genre. Recommended. #murakami

(Part of the novel is set in Greece. I have nothing from Greece, so here‘s a painting from a street artist in Peru.) 🤪

I collect older versions of Modern Library editions. Husband built me this table so I can display a few of the covers. He may not be a reader, but his hobbies sure benefit (read ‘enable‘) mine! ❤️😆

And I couldn‘t leave out my other favorite bookstore (tagged) in Asheville. #shopindie

My semi-annual trip to one of my favorite bookstores (tagged) happened this weekend! #shopindie #independentbookstore #bookstores

Some Europa, NYRB and Murakami. And a Yates I didn‘t know existed! 👏

Hope you all had as much success this weekend.

A #debut novel that includes murder, family skeletons, and a struggle to escape the trajectory of our heritage. Jamie Elders comes from a good-for-nothing family and it seems the deck is clearly stacked against her. But she claws and scratches in an attempt to escape, in spite of seemingly negative odds. Gritty and engaging with a refreshingly unique plot. Poignant, troubling characters. And Jamie...she‘ll stay with you. 💔 4/5 ⭐️

Great #crime series. A British police procedural with grit, Louth introduces us to DCI Craig Gillard. A once married but now happily single Gillard is pulled into a missing person investigation. As he uncovers grisly details, this case turns into a murder. And to add more layers, it turns out the victim is a long ago love that once broke Gillard‘s heart. Twists and turns and just a good ‘ol crime read, as are the two following books in the series.

Pros: Fast paced, interesting plot, a few twists and turns, Kindle sale purchase

Cons: Tried too hard to be politically correct, characters not fully developed, unlikeable narrator

Trigger warning: sexual assault

#crime #failedtobeapsychologicalthriller

I just read the excerpt. This sounds really good! Comes out on September 10.

https://apple.news/AojfXkI-_QsqtnaGJ9JE4kA

Book hangover. Slump cured. Can‘t recommend this book highly enough. Three generations of Palestinian American women navigate the intersection of two very different cultures: one represents freedom and the other is little more than servitude, where Arab women are expected to marry and have children, largely separated from the world. But in this family, the women long for more. It‘s a tough read (violence against women) but oh so good. 5 ⭐️

Reading outside while the husband plans a fire pit. Brief respite from the southern heat before it goes back to our normal mid-90s temps. Loving this book, too.

Guys...I‘ve only read one book in print this month. ONE. While I‘ve listened to several via audiobook on my commute, I‘ve only finished one in print. This has never happened. And I have several really good books going, books I would normally enjoy, but I simply. Can‘t. Focus. Can‘t concentrate. It‘s killing me!!! #RealLifeLitsy #LitsyConfessions

So good. 4.5 ⭐️ Debut novel by Benz about resurrecting old ghosts to solve past mysteries, and setting is in The Mississippi Delta, where “place” becomes another character. “Inventive, gritty, and open hearted, The Gone Dead is an astonishing debut novel about race, justice, and memory that lays bare the long- concealed wounds of a family and a country.” (From AJC Book Festival website...Benz will be there this year!) #debut #decaturbookfestival

This could appear in any modern day editorial even though it was written over 100 years ago.

While not at the level of achievement I see with the Masie Dobbs series (IMHO), still an entertaining British cozy. Unemployed former society girl looking for income successfully performs some family detective work. I‘m glad I listened on audio as I feel the narrator‘s voice lent a bit more interest, particularly since I rarely read/enjoy cozies (I like my #mystery with a bit more grit). But all in all, an enjoyable listen. 3/5 ⭐️

#audiobooks

I love being the first to check out a new book from the library ❤️ #litsyloveslibraries

📚California by Edan Lepucki - Post-apocalyptic novel set in California that examines how such an event affects relationships (and I highly recommend). What I remember most is reading about the characters' survival. Also, that it would take a post-apocalyptic event to make me sleep in a tent.

🎬Friday the 13th

🎵Camp Granada (“Hello Mudder, hello fadder...here I am in...Camp Granada“) https://youtu.be/2gtDhSA6W_E

#manicmonday @joscho

🤣🤣🤣🤣

via Bookstr.com

Isn‘t this lovely? I bought it to mark the current page of my calendar at work...to brighten my day each morning when take it out to open it and I see this. Thank you @Bookartbookmarks ! #bookmarks

The main character in the first 2/3 of this book made me slightly homicidal, but the last third finally got better. Perhaps I‘m just over the weak, unreliable narrator shtick or I was just a bit grumpy when I listened to it, but I‘ve got to stay away from such books for a while 🙄 2.5/5 ⭐️

Current read. What is it with unlikable main characters lately? At this point I want to throttle this woman. First she is presented as a sympathetic victim of circumstance, then as a woman abused who has made poor choices. Now she is pathological. Yet I'm still interested enough to continue. This might be a conundrum best discussed with a therapist... 😏

Writers on the death of Toni Morrison: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/06/rest-toni-morrison-you-were-magnif...

And a life in pictures: https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2019/aug/06/toni-morrison-a-life-in-pi...

Remember in the movie Forrest Gump where he appeared (usually unintentionally) in pictures depicting national and world events over several decades? This story follows the same trajectory. While the impetus is the escape through the window and the ensuing chase by authorities, most of the story reminiscences about Alan's life and his involvement (usually by accident) in significant events. Entertaining and humorous as an #audiobook. 3.5/5 ⭐

Meh. I really wanted to like it but it just never came together for me. A journalist invited on a maiden voyage of a cruise ship thinks she sees a woman killed. Her pursuit of the truth creates enemies and more questions than answers. Seemed overwrought...but that could have been the narrator. On the line between a pick and so-so, but since I think my opinion could have been different if I read in print, I'm giving a pick.

And in today‘s edition of book covers that SERIOUSLY skeeve me out...🤢😷

Sadly, the book sounds pretty good. “This first novel has been described as a cross between Rosemary‘s Baby and Rebecca” according to BookRiot. But there is no way I can look at that cover for any extended period of time. No. Way.

Really interesting read about the murderous origins of Where the Crawdads Sing.

https://slate.com/culture/2019/07/delia-owens-crawdads-murder-africa.html

Also referred to in the above article is this story from The New Yorker:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/04/05/the-hunted