The past few weeks have been filled with more medical stuff and other disappointments so even though things are improving, I have been having a really hard time reading. It was lovely to have the #authoramonth excuse to pick up a cozy reread. This was exactly what I needed, a feel good read filled with magic and charm.

A young girl who doesn‘t want her life with her widowed father to change attempts to sabotage his new relationship after he announces his engagement. Such a slim novel that manages to still be weighty. Famously written by a teenaged Sagan, the main character may be juvenile but the examination of human nature is unflinching.
#24in2024

I love retired Chicago detective Cal and Trey, the teenager who essentially adopted him when he retired to an Irish town. This sequel reunites us with the unlikely duo as they deal with the return of Trey‘s unreliable father and the scheme he wants all of the locals involved in. Slow paced but so well written, French can hook me with a single sentence. Would love a book three if only to watch the relationships continue to develop. #authoramonth

I wasn‘t sure at first if I was going to read this. The House in the Cerulean Sea didn‘t really need a sequel to me and a poorly done one had the potential to damage something beautiful. Luckily nothing was ruined by these pages. Instead I got to spend more time with characters that I just love.

I recently read Mellors‘ debut and loved it but wow has her writing only gotten stronger. I really adored this book about three sisters and their grief for their fourth sister that they have all been trying to avoid in their own ways. They could not be more different in personalities and life styles but they have the way they love and wound each other fiercely in common. They also all have experiences with addiction which also cannot be ignored.

I love Louise Erdrich so it pains me to say that I did not love this book. There are some important points in here about farming and the environment but it all gets buried in a clunky plot about the lives of people in one small town including a tragedy in its past, the ill advised marriage of recent high school graduates and a string of bank robberies. The characters don‘t have Erdrich‘s usual magic so it was harder to understand their choices.

Thank you @AmyG - I really needed a book I could easily escape into while San Francisco is in the midst of a heat wave so this book was a gift in more ways than one. I love a messy family drama and really enjoyed that aspect of this book. I tend to be hard on mysteries and I was less enchanted with that aspect of the book especially the ending. Overall a really entertaining read that helped me forget I was melting while I was reading.

I see now why so many people thought this was a sure bet for the Booker shortlist. This is the story of a man exiled from his homeland of Libya and living in London and his two closest friends who both share his experience but also show how uniquely alone they are all too. It was a slower, more meandering tale and let me so gently immerse myself in Khalid‘s story that I was surprised to look up and realize how deeply entrenched I was. So good.

Glad that this ended up being my final read of the Booker shortlist. Nice to end on such a high note. A woman retreats to a convent after she decides her life is no longer working for her. Her lack of faith isn‘t a hindrance as she finds comfort in the simplicity and meditative repetition of her new life, Things happen in her community like an infestation of mice and a visit by an activist nun, but the plot is not the draw her inner thoughts are.

I have spent some time trying to figure out why I loved this less than everyone else seems to and haven‘t come to much of a conclusion. I liked the beginning with all of its fraught anxiety much more than I did the part after the revelation in the third act (which was not really much of a surprise). I liked it but I expected it be my new favorite from the Booker shortlist and it didn‘t live up to that for me. Still a pick.

Not your typical Pym- his one is darker and more cutting but still marked by her keen eye and wit. I honestly didn‘t like it at first, the main character is vain and manipulative and the love triangle she gets involved in wasn‘t especially interesting at first. Then the triangle becomes a square and as the players switch around and the winners become losers, it all became both comedic and tragic. Unexpected but still so good. #24in2024

I know many Littens are just as horrified as I am about the wave of book bans cropping up across US. Amanda Jones, an award winning school librarian in the South, spoke up against censorship in a town meeting and was then subjected to a massive hate filled smear campaign. She was called a groomer and a pedophile. She lost friends. Her story is scary and infuriating. The telling of it in this book does get repetitive but her point gets driven home.

One beautiful summer Eve and her son, Daniel,live next door to Sherry, Leslie, and their daughters and they both find something vital in the relationships they forge. Years later while struggling Daniel seeks out the former neighbors and the time in his life that felt the most secure. A lovely story filled with complicated relationships and empathy. #24in2024

My 6th book from the TOB long list and my first by Kushner. There is no denying that she is very smart; I just couldn‘t bring myself to care about anything in this book. Not for me but getting rave reviews elsewhere.

Loved the first book so much that I couldn‘t wait for the my library hold to come in and ended up buying the sequel. I should know better by now because this just didn‘t have the sparkle of the first book for me. Too much quest, too little everything else. I am hoping book three is better.

The book from the Booker long list that I thought sounded the most interesting has ended up the one I have liked least so far (although I still have several to go). Eight teenaged female boxes competing for a title, we get glimpses of their thoughts during their matches, what brought them there, and what their futures hold. But that is all that is, glimpses- not enough to be satisfying or give this story much impact.

I have been a lot of historical fiction lately but this book still managed to surprise me in the best way. A young mother in WWII trapped into living with her disapproving parents and who only wants to raise her daughter as best she can. Faced with a horrible choice and even worse consequences she must face her past and fight for her future. I don‘t want to give too much away and I enjoyed that this book felt unexpected and fresh.

Was this super angsty and a touch overlong? Yes. Was it also nearly impossible to put down? Also yes. I have already put the sequel on hold at the library. I loved these characters and can‘t wait to see what happens to the pack next. #authoramonth

My second book by Wagamese and it certainly won‘t be my last. I loved this story about four people experiencing homelessness who win the lottery. We get to see their care for each other and how they touch the lives of those they encounter who at first see them as their circumstances and not as people. Their story is not really about sudden wealth, although that is part of it. It is about connection, compassion and the magic of sharing our stories.

Newman certainly writes protagonists who are a lot. At first Rocky seemed like she might be a bit too much for me but like everyone else in her life, I eventually fell under her spell. I had a good time spending a week on vacation with her and her out of the nest children, aging parents, and beleaguered husband. This book had moments where I was so annoyed I thought I would bail and moments that really touched me. Overall a light pick.

It only took me seven years to get around to reading this book but I am so glad I did. Lee Miller was better known for being a model and her associations with artists when she became the first American female war correspondent in 1944. This collection of her writings and photographs for Vogue from was compiled by her son who had no idea of his mother‘s war reporting until finding her papers well after her death. #24in2024

Well that was ridiculously fun! Evie is in dire need of a job in order to support her family when she meets the much feared Villain and is hired as his assistant. She throws herself into the job because it important to do a thing well ,not because the Villain is so unfairly handsome. When his life appears to in jeopardy Evie goes all in on the investigation because that is what a good assistant does. A great light hearted, cozy read.

Despite a significant age difference Cleo and Frank get married soon after meeting. This books centers around them and their group of friends in NYC as they love, falter, grow, and lose. It would be so easy to pick this book apart based on its flaws. It is definitely not perfect and I get the divisive reviews. Even still I loved it. It just emotionally ensnared me in a way not many books have recently.

I think my problem is that every time I pick up a book by Byatt I want it to be another Possession and of course it never is. #24in2024

My second book by Gale and I can tell I will need to devour his entire backlist (any recommendations?). I just loved this story about a bipolar artist and the family who tries to piece together the story of her life after she die. I both wanted to read slowly to make it last but also to devour it whole. I could have spent countless hours with these characters.

After loving the second book in this series I went back to read the first and was delighted to find that I loved it even more. These m/m romances set in the 1950s are so tender and sweet that I just turn into a smiling, sighing, compulsively page-turning creature until the end. Please tell me there will be a third book.

As others have noted, this book really lacks cohesion- time jumps around and new characters are introduced in often brief sections which was jarring. However the sections that resonated with me, deeply resonated with me. Not my favorite from the Booker long list but some of these scenes will stay with me.

I head back to work tomorrow after more than a month off due to health issues. Very excited for things to get back to normal but I will miss all of the reading time. This was a highly anticipated read for me. I was really enjoying the writing and slow pace but found the ending so lackluster I had to go back to reread it to make sure it really was as disappointing as I first thought. A light pick verging on so-so.

Jenny has always loved to bake and at 77 feels like her life is slowing down so she tries out for TV baking competition. Along the way she revisits the memories of the recipes that have been the most important to her, including those that remind her of her most painful secret. This was a sweet (a bit too sweet for my tastes) read. It touches on some weighty topics but never scratches enough below the surface to satisfy. Still I adored Bernard.

A poetic story about a lonely woman who leaves London during the war to assist with growing potatoes in the countryside and the those she meets who ultimately change her and her life. Full of longing, love, and loss, this book made me cry more than once. #24in2024

Really wasn‘t expecting to love this book centered around a drug related kidnapping in small town Ireland but I think I did. Sure there are the violent, lackeys out to the money owed to their boss that you would expect in a book like this one but there are also the perspectives of the others that get caught up in it all that make this book anything but typical. The writing is tight and the dialogue smart all in under 300 pages.

The only good thing about being out of work for so long is that I have been able to clear off books that have been on my shelves for ages. I really like how Kidd writes but this was another book that left we wondering what the point of it all was. Two children struggling on the same island centuries apart, I was equally interested in their stories but outside of minor similarities never saw the connection. Glad I read it. Will never reread it.

Shiloh and Cary were best friends in high school, the type that were always together and everyone assumed were more. Over the years they drifted apart but being reunited at a friend‘s wedding has shown them both the person sized holes in their lives that only they can fill. As they catch up and get to know their adult selves they are also presented with the chance to try for love. This definitely got me in the feels in the way only Rowell can.

Despite its slim size this is a book you take your time with. A day of the compiled thoughts of six astronauts orbiting the earth for months, both distant from home but also seeing everything from a new perspective. There isn‘t more to the plot than that but there is gorgeous writing and reflections that had me pausing to reread and absorb.

I have vacillated between pick and so-so for this book. This was a book I flew through but it didn‘t wholly work for me. I think if it were more of a collection of connected short stories I would have liked it more. As a novel it didn‘t come together for me and I found myself asking where Stradal was going with it all and the ending did not satisfy. StillI cannot ignore the writing and heart on these pages.
#fourfoursin24 #meatytreaty

When I started this book I didn‘t see what all the fuss was about but by the time I was finishing it I was hugging my Kindle to my chest every couple of pages. Loved it!

Sad to see this series end as I love spending time with the Bergmans. In this book in love with love Viggo decides to follow his passion and open a romance bookstore. When he needs help he finagles a mutually beneficial arrangement with snarky, cynical mystery writer Tallulah who needs help ironing out her next book. They are opposites in almost every way but their hearts don‘t seem to care. Just the escape I needed. #fourfoursin24 #snarkysparky

Another book with a spooky house. Olivia thinks she is alone in the world when she suddenly receives a letter from an unknown relative inviting her home. When she arrives what she finds is not the warm family reunion of her dreams but instead a house inhabited by ghouls and a cousin who does not want her there. Olivia is not one to scare easily or to leave without answers. This started out strong and then fizzled as it went along.

Too long and with glacially slow pacing but I was still caught up in this post war tale of a doctor who becomes involved with the family living in a crumbling house whom his mother once worked for. As he grows more entangled in their lives, sinister things seem to be occurring . Is the house haunted or is something else afoot? This is more than a spooky house story with its examinations of changing class structures which I enjoyed.
#authoramonth

This has been on my shelves since I went to an exhibit about Miller and Man Ray. I think the cover should read “Her Many Lives” instead of “A Life” because this book shows that she was not someone content to stay within the boundaries of expectations. She was a Vogue model, a muse, a photographer, a war correspondent; over and over she reinvented herself and pursued her desires. An interesting look at a complex but important figure. #24in2024

Presley Fry is 25 and still figuring it all out. She loves living in NYC with her best friend and has a job that is a step towards her dream. However it is hard to live on an assistant‘s salary, she is grappling with grief over the death of her mother, and when it comes to her heart she wants to keep it safe but also may want more. Presley‘s journey is filled with humor and vulnerability. This book just clicked for me within the first few pages.

For some reason I expected to have a strong reaction to this one- either deep love or utter hatred. Instead all I could think was “meh.” Even the polarizing fig tree narrator who passes on information that they learn from bees and mosquitoes did nothing for me either way. There was some lovely writing and important ideas but otherwise I felt underwhelmed. #24in2024
#fourfoursin24 #fuzzybuzzy (for the bee who talks to the fig tree)

Set in a boarding house in Washington DC during the 1950s where none of the tenants really know each other until a new girl moves in and hosts weekly dinner parties in her room. We know from the start that a murder will eventually take place and we slowly get to know each resident of the house and their secrets. This was different from the other books I have read by Quinn but still a book I had no choice but to finish in practically one sitting.

I‘m in the Litsy minority on this one because I just didn‘t love this. It grew on me a bit overtime and I did end up caring about the characters but I honestly didn‘t find it especially funny or special as far as stories about dysfunctional families go.

Evelyne Redfern is the perfect character to center a historical mystery series around. She is a spunky, smart, avid reader with an intriguing backstory. When she finds the body of a murdered coworker, of course she is going to investigate and do a better job than anyone else and I am going to enjoy every page detailing her progress. This was a really charming start to a series that I am looking forward to continuing.

This book sat on my shelves for too long because I was daunted by the size of it. I shouldn‘t have been concerned because I was easily drawn into the story and the pages flew by. It was an overly long parts but I didn‘t much mind. Two timelines, one modern with scholars rushing to discover the secrets held in a trove of newly discovered documents, and one set in the 1660s about a female scribe. I found it all fascinating. #24in2024

Another delightful adventure with Emily as she aids Wendell in the search for the door he needs to a fairy realm. New characters with some old friends along for the ride as well, new dangers, but the same Emily who just wants to be left alone to do her work. I really enjoy this series.
#fourfoursin24 #mortalportal

After over a week in the hospital (I am on the mend and better every day) this was the first book to hold my attention. Two sisters are barely getting by while taking care of their terminally ill mother when a bear appears in their lives. Each sister reacts differently to the danger in ways that might reveal more than their feelings about nature. I flew through this book but its impact lingers. I think there will be a lot to discuss in #camplitsy.

I don‘t know if my expectations were too high or it was the fact I read this while I bed with pneumonia (yes 2024 really hates me) but this didn‘t fully work for me. June is deliciously unlikeable and Kuang managed to create tension even when I wasn‘t fully invested. Glad I finally read it but I appreciated it more than I liked it. #autheramonth

Another book I likely never would‘ve picked up without the Litsy reviews I read and just would have missed out. I found this audiobook fascinating. I really didn‘t know anything at all about Griner until her Russian arrest so I learned a lot about who she is alongside the story of her arrest and Russian imprisonment. Her story was moving as well as just being really interesting. Definitely recommend.