My bestie and I always ask each other the same question on our birthdays..."What book do you want?"

Here I am acting surprised when I received exactly what I asked for ?

Thank you for the birthday surprise @AmyG !!

I've been waiting patiently 😄

I quickly became obsessed with this true crime story that happened in the area where I lived most of my life.

I had never heard of Olga Duncan, but I knew exactly where everything described was taking place. I love recognizing settings in the books I read.

The author's father was a newspaper reporter covering this unbelievable story when the author was quite young and impressionable.

This book is a tribute to her dad and the innocent victim.

What my November looked like...

Beware of this user, everyone.

Seems creepy and not Litsy appropriate to me.

Is there something we should do other than flag the comment??

1) Yes! Ever since moving to Oregon, we've gone out into the woods to cut down our Christmas tree 🎄

2) Old ornaments of my mom's and the ornaments we have received from our friends in Germany

3) All of the old Christmas hymns 🎶

#WondrousWednesday
@Eggs

To all of my penpals waiting to hear from me - I'm sorry!

I swore I wouldn't be sending Christmas cards to y'all because I had every intention of sending out replies before December, but here we are.

#LitsyLove

I think this was a freebie from Amazon First Reads...

I wanted to get a taste of Rebecca Yarros since everyone is talking about her more popular books.

I liked this story enough that I just might (maybe) try her fantasy books even though that is not my typical genre.

This was well-written and a page-turner. Reading the 'about the author' page made me like her even more - a hockey mom (I remember those days) 😄

I enjoyed listening to Neil read me this story.

This is a headstone at our local cemetery. I'd love to know that story! 😄

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your time in the kitchen be less stressful than David and Moira's 😂

Two months in a row now, my #botm books have been excellent!

Again and Again is about a man named Eugene who is nearing the end of his life (or, maybe just THIS life) in a nursing home.

BOTM said if you like the movie Big Fish, you will like this book, and I agree 💯

Is Eugene just a batty old man or has he lived multiple lives searching for his true love through them all?

I will be recommending this book again and again...

@AmyG Something arrived in the mail today...should I wait until my bday to open??

😃❤️😊

Dollar Tree haul and Noodle 😸

Thank you to @WildAlaskaBibliophile 😊

This is the first Litsy giveaway I have ever won! You made my day 💕

Devotional books are what you make them.

I'm giving this a pick because, while I didn't relate to much of the book, what I did relate to was great.

I highlighted passages that will stick with me and encourage me for a long time to come.

Thanks to @Chelseabillups30 for putting this on my radar.

Finally read this classic while audio-crocheting this evening.

It was written in the 50s but is still pertinent today.

I'm glad to know the story of "Fahrenheit 451."

Thank you for the tag @Eggs

My loved ones ❤️
Our good health 🙏🏻
Books 📚

If you haven't already been tagged, you're it!

Yes, there are some problematic things going on here in regards to rape and consent, but this takes place in 1799 and being a woman without means meant that extremely difficult choices had to be made in order to survive.

I couldn't stop reading.

There's murder, secrets that shouldn't have been kept, and conflict that ultimately leads to romance.

My book club should have a good discussion on Monday.

Listening to Sinead tell her story was both a pleasure and a sadness.

She wasn't perfect, but she was honest. Her talent was undeniable.

The parts of the audiobook where she chuckled at herself were my favorite.

"Don't tell me life is short."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

🎶 It's the most wonderful time of the year 🎶

This is either my third or fourth time participating in this swap. I just love it 🥰

@MaleficentBookDragon
#jolabokaflodswap

I didn't know the definition of the word anthropocene when I bought this book. It is the current geologic age in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity.

In this fantastic book, John Green gives ratings (5 stars being the best) to things like sunsets, scratch & sniff stickers, the Indianapolis 500, and much more.

In the spirit of the book, I give Fall 5 stars.

I give this essay collection 4 1/2 stars 😄

"Somewhere in the world, time no doubt whistled by on taut and widespread wings, but here in the English countryside it plodded slowly, painfully, as if it trod the rutted road that stretched across the moors on blistered feet."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

My October in reading 📚

Happy Halloween! 🧙🏻‍♀️ 🪄 🧹 🎃

If you are looking for a polished, well-written memoir, this is not that.

However, if you want a raw, seemingly honest account from someone desperate to tell her story, you won't be disappointed.

The conservatorship is covered at great length, while much of the earlier stuff is barely glossed over.

I hope Britney continues to grow into the woman she is meant to be and that she can do that in peace and confidence.

There was a time when doctors were reluctant to blame brain injuries on America's favorite sport.

It became increasingly obvious that head injuries sustained while playing football lead to CBE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).

This story is told by the young son of a fictional NFL player. ZJ's dad isn't acting like his usual self. Headaches, memory loss, and sudden angry outbursts have everyone struggling to find a way to help.

1) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the first book I ever spent my own money on 💰
2) Milk chocolate
3) Reese's all the way!

Thanks @TieDyeDude
#nationalchocolateday
Who to tag?? Have you played @catiewithac @iread2much @Bookwormjillk

I got into this second book in the Witchlore Series much quicker than I did the first.

This book is about banished witch Rebekah Wilde, who is back in St Cyprian and has something to prove.

Her relationship with immortal witch, Nicholas Frost, is the ultimate age gap romance 😄

This was a fun, witchy read for the season.

"Let me just run into Costco real quick!"

Husband just shakes his head ?

Check out the crows hanging out in the tree down the road ?‍⬛

What I picked up as a funny, lighthearted look at girlhood turned into a reflection on myself.

These essays were often entertaining, but I took them personally. Why do I always want to be "Everybody's Favorite?"

Why am I still concerned about disappointing my dad? I'm a middle-aged woman, for crying out loud!

Perfectionism is exhausting, and I need to let go of it.

Well, I fell for the viral story about this author and decided to read the book when I saw it for free on Amazon.

It was OK.

A double murder, a teenage girl, and a haunted house.

Cute, but not earth-shattering. I'll forget it more sooner than later.

And, for the highlighted reasons, I'm out.

The cover made me think this would be cute. Nope. Just stupid and juvenile.

I gave it 3 chapters.

Labeling this as a "pick" doesn't seem like enough. It is a Pick+++

I absolutely loved this book about, well, everything from marriage to parental relationships, to algorithms, to the 90s, and more!

I was engaged in every page.

I especially loved the recurring image of our souls leaving our bodies at night to explore...so awesome.

My eclipse shot and book review all in one ?

"Monsters" grapples with the question of what to do with about the artwork of monstrous men (and a couple of women).

My example is Woody Allen. "Midnight in Paris" is one of my all-time favorite movies. I have a friend who won't even consider ever watching a Woody Allen film - no matter what.

Should we consume and support the work put out by immoral, wicked monsters?

This was thought-provoking.

I love Lisa Kleypas.

After the ending of the second Wallflowers book, I HAD to see what was in store for Evie and Sebastian - a sweet virgin and a notorious rake.

Any guesses? 😄

Loved this magical romance between a witch and a merman ❤️

The setting was enchanting, and the love story was sweet.

I've got post-it notes on pages ready to discuss at book club 🙂

I read this book because I want to better understand what it means to be transgender.

Admittedly, it is something I have a hard time wrapping my head around.

After listening to this raw, gritty memoir, I feel like I can empathize better.

I think this sentence near the end of the book sums it up nicely - "Let me just exist with you, happier than ever."

Some cool books I picked up at estate sales yesterday and today 📚

Sometimes, I walk into a room, and Noodle absolutely cracks me up ?

"Woke Up Like This" was a fun teen angst, time-travel story.

I much preferred the characters as they were in the future, but I think the high schoolers were typical of their age - annoying and poor communicators.

All in all, a pick ?

1) Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (I can't remember how to tag a book!)

2) I am always excited to see what #botm comes up with 😁

Thanks @The_Penniless_Author @TheSpineView
#Two4Tuesday

Now, who to tag...how about @quietjenn @Texreader

I was rooting hard for Maeve and her friends as they awaited their test results and planned their futures.

In the meantime, they take a job at the local factory to save money for their departure from their working class hometown.

The smarmy factory owner doesn't make things easy.

This is written in Irish dialect, but it was easy for me to follow. I only had to look up the pronunciation of one name 😁

I enjoyed listening to Joanna narrate this book.

The gist of it is that everyone's stories are important.

I have been inspired to start journaling and roller skating again 😊 🛼

Found some cool vintage classics while garage saling today 😁

I wish they were still 35 cents like they're marked

Well, I did my part for #stuffyourkindleday 😁

The author said she wants dog pictures, so I posed with Liesel for my Instagram book review ?

In "The Stranger Upstairs," the very unlikable main character buys a cheap house in an upscale neighborhood with intentions to flip it.

The house is cheap because a murder happened there.

The neighbors want it bulldozed.

And there's more to the main character than meets the eye.

Short book about a young woman whose mother may or may not be a witch 🧙🏻‍♀️

The mom claims to have a centuries long beef with the gym teacher and that she turned the father of her child into a garden gnome, so the chances of something witchy going on are strong 😄

Loved it!

The parallels to Little Women made my literary heart sing ♥️

The only thing I knew about Beth Moore before listening to this audiobook was that she wrote several Bible studies.

I'm not even sure I've ever done one of her studies 🤔

Hearing her difficult, messy, knotted up story was a pleasure and encouragement.