1. Waterfall in my favorite spot in Botanic Garden.
2. Just back from Kopp‘s in Milwaukee. Amazing birthday cake ice cream flavor with actual pieces of yellow cake in it!
3. We think we finally got rid of the family of raccoons that were living under the deck.
4. Husband had two biopsies of strange growths on his skin, turned out ok.
5. Planning annual trip to Seattle to visit my son, going overnite to Leavenworth.

#5JoysFriday @peaKnit

Couldn‘t put this thriller down! Thanks @AmyG Lots to unpack in this psychological thriller about a daughter keeping her mother hostage in their house. Alternating between 25 years ago and the present, as well as alternating both viewpoints, leads to many truths, lies, murders etc. Plus a satisfying ending by a very good writer.

We do not care if husband steps right over folded sheets and towels sitting right there on the stairs to be brought up. We will call him out on it anyway to which he will reply that HE DIDN‘T SEE THEM!

#WDNCW @dabbe

Here we are at the end of June. Happy to open the discussion about Gabriele and welcome all comments. Personally I found this to be one slog of a book. I never found any of these people interesting in the slightest outside of the fact that they‘re the worst parents in history! Gabriele could have been an outstanding musician, but no, she gave up her whole career to cater to her husband. Anybody love this book? ⬇️

This was an interesting book, as was her first book, My Husband. Both are stories of obsessive women, this one being about Cloe who is determined to be a famous singer ala Taylor Swift. She sets about her course of action to achieve this and we follow her as she ascends the ladder to stardom. A few words to describe her: vicious, cold, manipulative, and she never changes. Not for a moment. Great ending that I didn‘t see coming.

1. Sent my daughter & boyfriend marble run to build for their 3rd anniversary, extra glue included.
2. Two friends and I got a commemorative brick at the Botanic Garden in honor of our friend‘s mom & brother.
3. Soilandsoulfarm.org. Met with the very cool guy who runs this regenerative farm in the northwest suburbs.
4. Brazilian lemonade recipe from NYT, frothy and made with limes.
5. Met old friend at dog friendly new restaurant.

#5JoysFriday

I loved this book. Meet Bud, an obituary writer with a wry sense of humor and an amazing circle of friends. He‘s all about life and death, living and dying. I even wrote down this quote “We do not know where death awaits us: so let us wait for it everywhere. To practice death is to practice freedom.” Did I mention that I loved this book? I cried through the last 50 pages. I even loved the author‘s note and the acknowledgments!

One day in the life of extremely pregnant Annie, who has the bad luck to be shopping at IKEA on the day of a major earthquake in Oregon. We follow her all day, interspersed with chapters describing her past, as she speaks constantly to the unborn child she‘s carrying. I liked this book and it made me think about what I would do in a devastating circumstance like this one. Very provocative for #camplitsy25

This book begins in 1908 in Paris, where Gabriele Buffet begins her adult life. She has a lifelong relationship with Francis Picabia, painter and poet, marries him and has four children with him. She has other relationships with Marcel Duchamp, Igor Stravinsky, Elsa Schiaparelli to name a few. Picabia is a horrible husband (many affairs) and a horrible father (never thinks about the kids for one minute). Hard to say why she stays with him ⬇️

Really liked this #CampLitsy25 book about a disabled Nigerian woman who writes a best-selling science fiction book. Mostly her point of view interspersed with chapters from her book, and the occasional voices of family members and her boyfriend. Did not see where this book was going, a total surprise. Very enjoyable!

@Reggie

Did anybody watch this live Broadway production last night? It was magnificent.

So happy to get the fourth installment in this series “The Elements.” Four unique stories, novellas really, all connected in ways that you don‘t see coming, each one its own journey. Highly recommend and a must to read in order. Try to get them all at one time as they‘re impossible to put down!

Finished this short book in one day for #CampLitsy25. Who is this woman who narrates two different stories about her life, either or neither of which could be true? And what exactly is her relationship with young Xavier, is it good or bad? And her husband fits into both of these stories as well. A lot to unpack, will look forward to discussing in a couple of weeks.

Just a reminder to pick up a copy of the tagged book to read in June for #EuropaCollective. Feel free to comment anytime and we‘ll plan to discuss at the end of the month. Let me know if you want to be added or dropped from the tagged list. Happy reading!

1. Got all my flowers into pots.
2. So many great books waiting for me.
3. Cutest bunny ever!
4. Korean fried chicken with grandson, which he‘d never tasted.
5. 3 Queen Bees.

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

Even knowing most of what this book says, reading the details in real time is gripping. And of course we all know the ending, no twists, no surprises. There are so many what-ifs, so many sad stories. I never read books like this, but I‘m glad I read this one.

I‘m on a roll, one good book after another! One old black and white photo causes Hannah to return to London from Australia. As we get to know her, we meet past generations of her family, who they were, how they lived. Her boyfriend Max seems so great, but he‘s a ghost from the very beginning, and as we learn about her past, he does as well. It‘s a sad story, but made quite the impression.

I‘ve been meaning to get to this book for ages. 40 women locked in a bunker for years, not abused, just living their lives, day after day, guards bringing them food. How did they get there? What happens to their minds? How are they living like this? It‘s narrated by the youngest among them, the one who‘s thinking the clearest. I couldn‘t put it down.

A very thought provoking 122 page book about an inflatable dinghy filled with migrants trying to cross the English Channel. Parts 1 and 3 are narrated by the coastguard agent who is in communication with someone on the boat, and part 2 describes what the people on the boat are actually going through. Short listed for the International Booker, brilliantly written, highly recommend.

Thanks so much to everyone who recommended this book about an ordinary Irish family who is forced into a devastating situation. Is it possible 10 year old Lucy murdered 3 year old Mia? We learn the back story of every member of Lucy‘s household and what could have led up to this horrifying possibility. An excellent story about families, suppressed feelings and making peace with the world into which you are born.

1. Went shopping for summer flowers. It was cold and rainy but empty so easy to navigate.
2. Finally found a use for a dish I bought in Seattle last summer, my first succulent garden!
3. Hubby and two grandkids looking good.
4. Excited to think about getting back to #EuropaCollective.
5. One Queen Bee, it‘s been awhile.

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

Harlan Coben writes good mysteries and I think I‘ve read them all. This one kept me guessing til the end, what happened to wealthy Victoria Belmont on that fateful New Year‘s Eve and why did she disappear for eleven years. Sometimes you just feel like a good mystery told with humor and this book does exactly that. I particularly liked the narrator‘s class that he teaches to would-be detectives, No Shit Sherlock.

So…BarbaraBB and I are going to get #EuropaCollective back together in the fall. If you want to be added or dropped from the list, just let me know. Meanwhile, thanks to @tpixie we‘re going to read the tagged book in June and discuss at the end of the month.

@BarbaraBB @mcctrish @Jess_Read_This @GatheringBooks @tpixie @kspenmoll @Gleefulreader @LeahBergen @TheBookDream @DrexEdit @Sapphire @TheKidUpstairs @Aimeesue @Deblovestoread @charl08

War and Peace, I think. Two semesters of Russian novels in college!

@BookmarkTavern #SundayFunday

For some reason, it took me ages to finish this book. An interesting story about Hester, dying of cancer, who decides to quit her job, drive across the country and murder her most horrible father who she hasn‘t seen in years. Along the way she picks up John, whose life mission is visiting Superfund sights and they continue on their journeys together. A soft pick as I never really identified with these two characters.

1. This week is all about the kids and me in Charleston and Savannah!
2. Angel Oak Tree outside of Charleston
3. Captain Jim on tour of Charleston back alleys
4. Birdgirl statue at the Telfair Academy in Savannah
5. Have never been in such an amazing bookstore as E. Shaver! Room after room, books stacked on the stairs, lots of cats

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

1. So many restaurants in Naples! First up is Turtle Club, feet in the sand and view of the Gulf of Somewhere. That‘s hubby Norm and a turtle carved in a bench “Welcome to our paradise “
2. Banana bread French toast at Baleen‘s, also at the beach.
3. There‘s a fig jam and goat cheese burger nestled between the chips at Brooks Burgers.
4. Mango shrimp and crispy duck to die for.
5. Off to Charleston with the kiddos.

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

So…the story is kind of far-fetched. Murders, kidnappings, double-crossings, lots of bad people. I just don‘t get what makes a book like this so popular. It was ok, but so much going on at the end I could hardly keep it straight. A fast easy read tho.

1. Definitely laying down. I like to stretch out and get comfy.
2. The Perfect Divorce, a beach read from the first page. Old murder, new missing woman, lawyer vs soon to be ex husband lawyer…the usual. This book is #1 on the New York Times best seller list?

@TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday

Book 2 of the Hyperion series, continuing the story of a group of pilgrims who are traveling together and doing their part to get rid of the bad guys and save the entire universe. Same interesting characters from book 1 and this book follows them all to their conclusions. Really liked it and when I feel like 1200 more pages of sci-fi I‘ll pick up books 3 & 4!

This week is all about food in Florida.
1. Coconut Jack‘s for coconut shrimp with raspberry Melba sauce.
2. Cafe Gourmand for a lemon crepe followed by an apricot crepe.
3. Harpoon Harry‘s for the shrimp Hawaiian salad with coconut creme dressing.
4. Thrilled to find Miss Mae and her coconut cake at the farmers market. Obsessed with coconut this trip!
5. Super fun air fryer in our condo, plastic, easy to clean.

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

1. No physical library, just books on shelves and wall units and tables and sometimes the floor. Maybe 100. I‘m on vacation or I would go count.
2. Wild Dark Shore was amazing!

#2forTuesday. @TheSpineView

I‘ve had this book on Kindle for months, way back when it was the last book for #EuropaCollective. Finally got around to it! A very interesting story about Belle Greene who became the chief librarian for J.P. Morgan in the early 1900s, all while passing as “white” even though her parents were descended from slaves. It‘s amazing how far we‘ve come from when having a single drop of black blood disqualified someone from so much.

1. Listened to podcast with two people trying to start a Jewish museum in Chicago. Loved their enthusiasm!
2. Excellent shrimp and scallop salad with pineapple-mango dressing and key lime pie colada.
3. Michelbob ribs in Naples, Florida. Had to “Take a picture with Mick”.
4. Two queen bees.
5. 90s and sunny every day in Florida. Lots of reading at the pool for hours…heaven!

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

1. I do carry cash for small transactions. Recently had a Lyft driver who I tipped in cash.
2. Boy does money affect these characters, a group of manipulative liars!

@TheSpineView

1 Still doing my French toast thing! This one is stuffed Bavarian cream (shared with a friend)
2 Three favorite shows streaming again.
3 Beautiful display of tulips caught my eye
4 One Queen Bee
5 Off on vacation tomorrow! Really looking forward to a break.

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

Ran out to get book 2 as soon as I finished book 1. Tara continues to be stuck on November 18th, but in this volume she begins to plan out her life, how she will continue to live day after day. Book 3 coming out in the fall, and yikes! there will be 7 books in this series. These books are very different from anything else I‘ve read, and that makes them valuable to me.

Only 38. I took 18th and 19th century Russian lit in college, so I did have those long ones! I might have read more, but can‘t really remember. 🤔

#TLT @dabbe

It‘s a long few years for Addie, whose husband is diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia in his 50s. She narrates the book throughout all the stages, sometimes with humor but mostly with despair. No kids, they had each other and their cats and lived a happy life until this came along. It reads like a true story, and I can verify this having lived through dementia with my mother and mother-in-law. She‘s a survivor and I understood her perfectly.

1. Hubby is a tax accountant so ours was filed a month ago.

2. Dementia

@TheSpineView Thanks for the tag! 🩷 #Two4Tuesday

Couldn‘t put this short novel down. The Danish author writes of a woman who is stuck on one day in time, every day for her is that same day. I of course thought it would be like Groundhog Day, but it‘s not at all as it‘s mostly about her feelings and thoughts and emotions. What to do about her husband and her future consumes her every waking moment. It‘s a thriller in an odd sort of way. Excited to read book 2!

This book is amazing, truly! A family lives alone on a remote island off the coast of Antarctica, protecting a seed bank until the next supply ship arrives. When a woman washes ashore, all their lives are changed forever. It‘s a story of hope, of secrets, of lies and of course of love. Narrated one chapter at a time by each character, we slowly learn their stories. My favorite book of this year so far. Highly recommend!

My favorites by a mile! Thanks for hosting, you‘re the best! 🩷🩷🩷

#CampLitsy25. @squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

Fun quiz! Are we the only yellow readers? @MemoirsForMe

1. One amazing lunch! Nachos and coconut shrimp, not to mention a Pina-Rita rimmed in toasted coconut.
2. Puzzle of the week. I love romantic puzzles like this one.
3. Pumpkin Spice tea on a cold morning really hit the spot.
4. Hebru Brantley, Chicago muralist, interviewed on Chicago Humanities Tapes.
5. One Queen Bee, always fun to get it.

#5JoysFriday. @DebinHawaii

This is one peculiar book, clocking in at only 90 pages. Through the eyes of the narrator, we learn about the life of severely disabled Shaka, her fantasies, her dreams. She‘s so resentful of able-bodied people, especially when it comes to reading a book which she has so much trouble with. A soft pick for me, I doubt I‘ll be thinking about this again.

Saw 77/116. Before Covid, I saw everything at a theatre. Streaming is my theatre now!
Faves: Women Talking, Poor Things, The Banshees of Innisheer, Lady Bird, Silver Linings

@dabbe

1. Freesia has always been my favorite, so fragrant!
2. I‘m grateful that my family and friends all have their health. Grateful that I appear to still have all my marbles (maybe hubby wouldn‘t agree!). Grateful that my parents brought me up with unwavering love and instilled a lot of confidence and the feeling I could accomplish anything.

Thanks @Deblovestoread 🩷

#WondrousWednesday

Do not miss this book!! This is one gripping murder mystery with so many twists and turns. Great character development, a really good story and what an ending. Not kidding here, this book checks all the boxes. I was up half the night reading it. Thanks @Amor4Libros

So many of you guys loved this book. And so did I! Having just finished two short story collections (North Woods, also amazing, and Show Don‘t Tell, bailed on that one), I wasn‘t too excited about a third one. But these stories have such interesting characters plus they‘re written in pairs, each one with a connecting story. Every single one called out to me. So happy I found it due to #LitsyToB25.