In 1970s Texas, Lou is a mostly closeted lesbian who lost part of her livelihood when Miss Kate died and is now at a crossroads since a hurricane decimated her small town. Then Kate‘s daughter Joanna returns to town and more upheaval ensues. Part mystery, part portrait of a community, this starts a bit slowly but fully hooked me. I really enjoyed it.

I knew this book would show truly deplorable behavior, but I was not ready for such bottom of the barrel depravity. I honestly believe there is nothing these people won‘t do to achieve their own ends, which is horrifying and terrifying. Such an eye-opening book. I hope a lot of people who continue to use Facebook read this and think on what they are supporting.

According to Sarah, Mark Zuckerberg believes Andrew Jackson was the best president of the US. WOW. That says so very much.

This book explodes the myth of Austen being the first female writer of significance by exploring the lives and work of the women who influenced Austen herself while looking at gatekeeping and sexism in “canon.” I really enjoyed this and @LeahBergen , this has you written all over it.

I am beyond frustrated by this book. It has such rich material—fish out of water, racism, stranger in your own land—and it‘s just kind of a mess. Plus, there‘s an explosive event near the end that was so gripping, I really wish the book had been set around it, but instead it‘s squandered. What is this doing on the #WP25 short (or long) list?

I loved Amber and Lacey‘s first book, and their second it equally good. It‘s astounding to see some of the racism Lacey has had to face and a good reminder of how not to behave. I‘m glad these ladies are able to approach this with humor while not diminishing the importance of revealing racism. I‘ll read anything they write.

I really liked Beautyland and the Book Riot podcast folks love this one, so I figured I‘d give it a try. I made it almost halfway through but I just don‘t care. It isn‘t grabbing me at all. So, on to the next.

I loved her debut novel and thus was excited for this, but it didn‘t quite get there for me. I thought the 3 stories were good, but the novella never pulled me in. And had some really high quality technical aspects and a great central metaphor, but it was almost like the technical bits got in the way of the magic. A low pick for me.

This was more action than other Klune books I‘ve read, but that worked for me. The story is engrossing and I enjoyed the characters. But I have some quibbles. The biggest is that there‘s a cute drawing on every chapter page that is actually a major spoiler, and I really didn‘t like that. Also, the overuse of italics for emphasis is insulting to the reader and the bashing of vegan food was old before it started.

I am finally submitting my nominations for #CampLitsy25. I tried to pick books that haven‘t been nominated yet. I particularly think Careless People would provide a lot of conversational fodder.

I listened to this mainly because it sounded like she spilled the tea about her relationships and conquests, which is largely true. (I love how she really tried to get with Keanu and he showed himself to be the gem we know he is.) I do feel like she held back a ton (her prerogative, of course), and she did mainly focus on her relationships here, but it was fun to hear about all the famous people.

Any collection of writing runs the risk of being uneven, and this is a bit. It starts off with 2 somewhat off-putting essays, but when it gets into the travel stuff, it‘s great, especially the 100+ pages on China. The end is a little bumpy as well, but overall I found this a really worthwhile read.

This book starts with a young American woman being injured in a hit and run in Shanghai. It is then an onion of a family story, slowly peeling away the layers to reveal each family member. Overall, I enjoyed it, but the section at the end is told by the woman‘s sister and the shift is a bit jarring; I wish her perspective had been incorporated throughout.

This book is a look at Fagan‘s brutal childhood in the foster care system in Scotland, filled with every horror that can be wreaked upon a child. This makes it a difficult read, of course, but it‘s very well done and vital for exposing the deep inadequacies in care systems and mental health care. A worthy presence on the #WPNF25 longlist.

Having never identified as a witch, I felt a little skeptical going into this, but I ended up being SO seen by it. After all, how many women persecuted through the ages as witches identified as such? I kept saying, “Exactly!” out loud as I listened. I especially connected with the chapter on choosing whether or not to have kids (I chose no) and aging. Definitely in defense of women!

I loved meeting Vera Wong in book 1 and am delighted there is a book 2, in which she is back and just as much of a hoot. There is a part of this book that is serious and heavy, but overall it is a delight and I sure hope to see Vera and company again.

In Weiner‘s latest, 2 sisters were in a band that went big before quickly breaking up. We follow them in the current day then get to see what happened 20 years ago. She really knows how to tell a story and I was really pulled in. I will say, though, that one of the major characters reveals themselves over the book to be a truly despicable person.

I was so excited when I saw this on the #WPNF25 longlist because Vikings, but I ended up being a little disappointed. It focuses on grave goods and exploring the culture through them but never quite pulled me in.

This is a fascinating look inside Russian warfare, detailing the life of Yevgeny Prigozhin and his founding of the Wagner group. He had his hands in a lot of different conflicts before he eventually turned on Putin and was killed (I presume).

#Bookhaul! My husband gave me a Powell‘s gift card for Christmas but then said I couldn‘t use until we moved back (rude!). So now that we‘re back and I finished the taxes yesterday, I made the drive and found some great books. I removed myself from the store when too many things started looking good. 😂 You all know how that is.

This book looks at numerous disasters through Oregon history (mostly natural) and tells each story in brief. I enjoyed it but do wish it had been a bit meatier. It‘s a good nonfiction companion piece to Tilt, which depicts the coming at some point Cascadia event.

In this gothic, sapphic vampire story, Lenore is married to the chilly Henry; they happen upon a carriage wreck and a woman in white, Carmilla, who they take in. She turns out to be quite unusual. I liked the subtleties in this book and the gradual awakenings of Lenore.

We all have certain political issues that are our most important. For me, abortion rights are among them for the health and safety of all women. So, I keep up on what‘s going on. But I still didn‘t know some of the infuriating things Valenti reveals in this factual, straightforward clearinghouse of what‘s happened with abortion since the fall of Roe. This is a vital resource for all in the US.

We all saw during COVID that who you are can impact your health outcome and accessibility to care. This book expands on that concept and looks at different diseases through history, showing how black people in particular have been impacted disproportionately. So, it‘s a history with a sociologic focus, not a medical one. It‘s very well done.

In this vital condemnation of the genocide in Gaza, El Akkad juxtaposes scenes from that devastated place with moments from his own life as well as the reactions of many in the west, from looking away to applauding the violence. It is not a screed or polemic but a devastating examination of facts. Everyone should read this.

This is the story of modern day Europeans coming upon and then eventually deciphering/translating Cuneiform. Overall it was interesting, but I fully admit my mind wandered at time and some spots were a bit dry. Low pick for me.

I found this cool little map on Mental Floss. The article didn‘t add anything, so I didn‘t bother to post the link. I‘m surprised by the popularity of poetry! And my mom and aunt definitely contribute to mystery being the most popular in California! 😆

I LOVED Tender is the Flesh, so I jumped on this when I saw it was the author‘s latest. I went in blind, so I at first enjoyed trying to puzzle out what was happening, but I eventually got a little bored and never quite recovered.

Here are my books for April #ReadYourEbooks. Three of them have been picked before and I didn‘t read them, so hopefully their time has come this month!

I found this story of a retention system that holds people with elevated danger scores to allegedly prevent crimes engrossing. It has so many parallels to the current immigration approach in the US as well as mass incarceration. I do feel that the dream element should have either been more fleshed out or removed entirely. I really feel like Lalami‘s books could be exceptional with a little more editing.

I meant to post this yesterday, my April picks for #Roll100. I only managed to read one of the March books, but I blame that partially on my books being boxed up for half the month. Looking forward to doing better in April!

Here‘s my list for April #ReadYourEbooks. After months of ignoring them, I did read one from my list in March!, so I consider that a win! I look forward to see what numbers the spinners come up with tomorrow.

I‘ve been reading Hiassen since the 90s and always appreciated his ability to look at disheartening things with humor. His latest is very good, but instead of reading like an outrageous, exaggerated version of people it reads more like NF in our current era, which I found a little depressing. (To be clear, he isn‘t being any less outrageous, people are just being moreso.)

Two extremely emotionally stunted women (they are 46-48 and read like an immature and ignorant 20) in a small town barely living their lives. Despite being on the #wp longlist, this is not award-worthy material. The author was effective at creating a character I very much wanted to push out a window, but it wasn‘t one of the central women.

I don‘t usually like Greek myth retellings, though I‘ve had some luck with some of Haynes‘s books and I liked this one, too. I didn‘t read the description and actually didn‘t realize who Jocasta was until about halfway through, which was fun.

Dorothy retired from being detective of a generational ship 2 years ago. So she‘s quite surprised to suddenly awaken in someone else‘s body to find the shipmind drunk and someone dead. This sci-fi mystery novella is fun and seems to be setting up lots of possibilities for future books while also resolving the mystery.

Many in the western PNW are very aware of the Cascadia event, and this book brings it to life, specifically as a major earthquake hitting Portland. We follow a woman in late pregnancy, in IKEA when the quake hits, then through the rest of the day as she traverses town. For me, this was hard-hitting and visceral; really well done.

I typically really like Donoghue, so this surprises me. And I‘m honestly not sure if this is me, the book, or the format. I found the audio reader hard to hear somehow, and that certainly didn‘t help. (I think the performance was fine and the mixing just needs to be adjusted.) I may try it again in print just because of the author.

I kept seeing good things written about this book and they‘re all true! It looks at people who aren‘t necessarily remembered in American history, but who made major, notable impacts on some very familiar things. And McMahon is such a delightful audiobook reader that I would like to request she read all history audiobooks from now on.

Most of the Everett books I‘ve read are somewhat steeped in the madcap, as though you can see the author with a manic glee in his eye while writing. This one is quieter, following a professor who seems to feel stunted in his work and marriage having to deal with a slow motion tragedy at home. I found it devastatingly sad. #ReadYourEbooks

I was looking forward to this one and am a little disappointed by it. It tells the story of a series of murders but the organization isn‘t great, making it disjointed. It also tells it to some degree from a social justice lens, which I loved, but I think it would have been better if that was the focus and the murders and attitudes around them were illustrative. #WPNF25

While listening to this one, I put together this kit and just had to show it to you all. I think it came out great!

This one started well, with Ivy League secret societies, racism, a death, and family strife. And I mostly enjoyed it, though it is at times unclear which sister is talking. But by the end, there‘s way too much going on and it just devolves into silliness, such that I almost panned it.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I do think it‘s well written, but I also know I am not the audience for it. I knew nothing about these men and felt some sort of prior knowledge was imperative to fully enjoying this book. I never would have made it through the print; the audio was well done.

I was glad to have seen some of the somewhat ambivalent reviews of this from other Littens, because it made it easier to bail when it wasn‘t working for me. I gave the audio about an hour and a half and I was just so bored.

In this follow up to Killers of a Certain Age, the gang is back together when called in by the head of their agency after another agent is killed. This sets off their adventure which is lots of fun and just as laugh out loud funny as the first book. Loved it!

This near future story follows multiple characters as a space station for billionaires is being established, climate change is ravaging the earth, and tech is steadily infiltrating everything. I was engaged in it immediately and it never let me go. Super satisfying read.

I was very taken aback by how this book starts, but I‘m glad I continued, as it is part of the exploration of the lived reality of a severely disabled woman confined to a group home. It doesn‘t shy away from what she has to contend with daily while also showing her as a whole person with the same needs and desires as anyone. A tiny book that packs a punch.

Alternating in voice between her treating psychiatrist and Jane herself, we hear Jane‘s usual story. It gradually comes together at the end in a way I found incredibly satisfying. While a very different book, I can tell this is from the same brain that wrote The Age of Miracles, which I also loved (though it‘s very different than this). I can‘t recommend this one enough!

My “I must read every book from the Women‘s Prize lists but several aren‘t available in the US” Blackwell‘s order is here! 🥳 I‘m so much further along with the NF list, so I‘m hoping to get at least one or two more of them read before the shortlist comes out next week. Thus, I‘m leaning toward The Peepshow as my first read from this stack, though I‘m super interested in Tracker as well.