In the future, most people are no longer able to have children and the population of the world has all but died out. When a trader stumples upon Griz's family and steals their dog, Griz sets out to find the dog and bring her back. Excellent dystopian with really strong writing.

One of the creepiest thrillers I have read in quite a while

I love the Easy Rawlins series and this has been my favorite so far. Very well constructed mystery - and Mosley's characters are always wonderful.

It's not often that an author can make me literally ache for her characters. She is a master at taking the most ordinary of moments and stitching them together in such a rich tapestry. This lived up to all the hype.

Made me laugh so hard that sweet tea came out my nose. This essay collection is pure enjoyment.

I'm not quite sure how to describe this other than to say - read it, you'll be a little lost at times, more than a little uncomfortable, and you will be so glad you picked it up. It's a surreal look at an extended family, mostly through the eyes of the teenage grandkids, and deals with all the things that lay below the surface in s family. As always, King's books are incredible.

A group of Mennonite women meet to decide if they will stay in their community after 8 of the men are caught drugging and raping the women, knowing that they will be expected to forgive their rapists, or if they will leave everything they have ever known. Extremely powerful read - I need someone I know to read this so I can discuss. Based on true events.

This reading experience is going to stick with me. The narrator just wants what he perceives to be the best for his son - and pursues a new medical process, demelaninization, that will make his son white. It's a chilling satire with razor sharp writing - highly recommend.

Two young men on a wilderness canoeing trip in northern Canada find that wildfire is heading their way. A chance encounter with a couple causes their flight from the approaching fire to take a much more sinister turn. This has a slow build, but by the last 1/3, the tension had me on the edge of the seat. And as a bonus, the descriptions of the scenery are breathtaking.

If Monty Python met Princess Bride, you would get this book. Lots of silly humor, sonetimesmade me laugh out loud.

So many great February reads for #readsoullit

Absolutely loved up to the hype! Angie Thomss is an amazing storyteller. Her characters come alive on the page -- and the families she writes are amazing!

The world building was amazing, but I had. Hard time getting into the story.

Khan-Cullors is one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. Her memoir digs into issues of gender, race, and sexuality while also examining the harsh reality of the unequal application of justice in America. Lots to discuss after reading this one.

Morrison creates some of the most vivid, fully developed characters I have ever come across -and then manages to dig deep into some of the hard truths about life.

When Abeo is 9, her father, hoping to atone for bad deeds in the family's past, the leaves her at a religious shrine to become trokosi - bride for the gods. For the next 15 years, she was physically and sexually abused, long after the practice was made illegal. McFadden shines a light on the practice of ritual servitude in Western Africa and the trauma and resilience that it leaves in it's wake. I couldn't put this down. #readsoullit

Spent the day curled up by a YouTube fire with this immersive read. I've heard it described as an African Game of Thrones -- although it is in no way a repetition of that novel, but it is fantasy, African mythology, and a lot of political intrigue all rolled into one. It was a slower read than I was expecting, but that was probably due to my lack of knowledge about African mythology.

Alexander Von Humboldt's fascination with both the science and beauty of nature seems to have been well ahead of his time. His perspective of the way nature is an interconnected web is the foundation of much of our environmental science. He was also one of the first to speak out about the ecological as well as human impact of colonization. Excellent read about a naturalist who had a profound impact on both the scientific and artistic world.

This was solid pick for me -- until the last few paragraphs. Everett ended this collection of novellas about Detective Ogden Walker by having him dld something so completely out of sync with the character he developed that it was really jarring.

The philisophy/religion elements went a little over my head at times, although I did think the ideas of how people rely on or seek out a larger meaning during troubling times was interesting. Excellent dystopian - dark, grim. I'm looking forward to reading the next one. #readsoullit

TBR stack for #readsoullit

I usually like Walter Mosley, but this one isn't working for me.

I loved dipping in and out of these gorgeous poems throughout the weekend. #24in48

Decent teen fiction about Lily, an 18 year old girl concerned about her potential future with mental illness, and her efforts to save a baby elephant. My only wish is that they would have left the romantic side story out -- didn't need it at all. #24in48

Extremely interesting-- but I think it will take a second pass for me to fully wrap my head around all the concepts in here. It definitely pushed my to consider things from a different perspective . #24in48

Post apocalyptic fiction set in Australia -- the struggle between natives and settlers has been going on for more than a generation. Jacky, a Native, has escaped and the search is on to being him back. At the same time, Sistra Bagra's school/home for Native children is under investigation. This would be excellent for a book club or to pair with another read on colonization. #24in48

It was definitely a fast paced read, but the plot points were such a stretch that it detracted from the story. #24in48

I loved the mix of the scientific elements with Berwald's personal experiences. Jellyfish are fascinating -- and this reading experience prompted me to spend some time watching them at Shedd Aquarium today. Really interesting read. #24in48

It's a readathon weekend! I love putting together a TBR! These plus my audio of Sapiens are the top of my list. #24in48

I love that moment, only a chapter in, that you realize you are going to love a book.

This was powerful conclusion to an incredible series. I loved this Russian fairy tale trilogy -- the magic, the power, and the characters were so well developed. I thought the first two were outstanding, but this one left them both in the dust. So, so good.

Extremely grim and completely riveting. Ree is struggling to care for her mother and young brothers when her father goes missing while out on bail from charges of cooking meth. She needs to find him or they risk losing their home and land. The characters in here are strong and flawed and perfectly executed.

Solid crime novel with an exceptionally good first chapter. Eskens has become an auto-buy author for me

The imagery in Oliver's poetry is exquisite-- and at times. She is able to stop me in my tracks with just a sentence or two.

Hedy Lamarr's life story is amazing, and the biography I read about her life is a favorite of mine. This fictionalized account of her life is a good introduction to a fascinating woman.

Excellent addition to the Tensorate series. I love the world that Yang has created as well as the characters. Each novella is told from a different point of view -- this variance adds a lot of richness to the stories

The world-building in this series really stands out as does the way the author works with concepts of gender.

Enchanting tale of a small village and a missing, then found, child. Loved the writing in this one.

When Nahid receives a diagnosis of terminal cancer, she has to confront the most difficult elements of her past -- her time as a revolutionary in her home country of her Iran and the loss of many she loved, her experience and identity as as refugee, and her role as both a daughter and a mother. Short but powerful read.

I am not smart enough for this work of speculative fiction. I got more and more confused as it went along and by the end I was completely lost.

I was mostly interested in the historical aspects of the Biltmore -- and Kiernan did a nice job with those elements. The society elements were there too -- how the families were related, who knew who, the parties, etc -- but that wasn't particularly interesting to me.

One of the best short story collections that I have read in a while. Thompson Spires is amazing at creating believable, nuanced characters in just a few pages, and is wickedly sharp in her dialogue and use of humor, even while exploring tough subjects. Definitely worth picking up - looking forward to more from this author .

If I could give this a double pick, I would. The writing and storytelling were incredible. The themes resonated for me in a profound way.

Excellent world building that pulled me right into the story.

Alexievich compiles an oral history from the women who served at the Soviet front lines during WWII. These are stories that were often silenced, but their courage and patriotism should have been honored all along. Heartbreaking read, but highly recommend.

Excellent retelling of the siege of Troy, from the perspective of Briseis, a former queen, now Achilles slave.

Something beautiful happens when poets turn their craft to prose. These essays are exquisite. The level of detail in her writing makes it seem like you are looking through her eyes. These essays focus both on nature and on writing/authors.

This reads like a corporate espionage thriller. The level of deceit from Theranos is hard to fathom. Bad Blood is a riveting read that was impossible to put down.

This installment in the series wasn't as well constructed as previous novels, but I enjoy the characters so much, I don't really care.

This was a delight to dip in and out of. Shapiro and Wax put together this collection of interviews with 150 people about the one object that they would keep, that has meaning for them and brings them joy.