Read half the book. Great writing but all the characters are so very unrelatable to me and I can‘t get to know any of them well because each chapter is from the perspective of a different character. Depressing book. Have to bail and find something uplifting to read for awhile.

An Irish pick to read before my trip to Ireland this month!

Got lost in the middle for a little while but enjoyed the ending.

This book had useful advice for trimming accumulated belongings and organizing what was left, but it wasn‘t always practical. The advice to hold the item in your hand and if it does not bring you joy, get rid of it, was great. But her method of tackling each type of item, which is to gather all of those items from the entire house and put them in the middle of the room and sort them, just seems more effort than it‘s worth. Overall a useful read.

I picked up this lovely book for my preschooler, who has a hyphenated last name. Alma is a little girl who wants to know the story of her long name, and her daddy tells her all about the relatives she was named after.

I was supposed to read this one for book club last month but didn't get to it. Better late than never.

"And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians who, all over this country have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves...The America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate...The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries." Kurt Vonnegut, Word Waterfall at the American Writers Museum

Had the pleasure of visiting the American Writers Museum today. Really nice exhibits, inspiring, interactive. Definitely go for a visit when you're in Chicago!

I really liked Albert's writing style and Alice as the narrator. It was definitely creepy enough for me, but I'm a wimp! I thought the first half was written better than the second half, as the prose gets a lot less descriptive. I'm definitely interested in reading the sequel.

Having a moment before my date arrives.

This is such a unique and beautiful book. Each page has what looks like Chinese calligraphy but is actually a word of a song arranged artistically. So cool.

This came in the mail today! Looking forward to tonight when I have a few extra minutes to get started.

This is one of my favorites for babies. My 11 month old loves looking at the pictures of all the babies and has started to recognize the lyrical repetition of this book. So cute!

At the car wash, which is giving me time to start this book. It sure is an ugly copy! Haven't read a lot of mysteries and I heard this was good.

This novel taught me about a part of revolutionary Cuba I had not learned, the story of 700,000 Cubans being taught to read and write by over 200,000 Cubans in 1961. Interesting to read from the perspective of a 13-year-old literacy volunteer from a family who supported Castro's revolution. The author also included a brief timeline of Cuban history that was nice to have and an author's note that acknowledged the complexities of revolutionary Cuba.

"First of all, you must take that look of gloom off your face. Stand up straight and confront head-on whatever it is. Just standing taller will make you feel more confident. And that smile of yours is the greatest asset you have. Don't forget to include that."

Finally my sick baby is napping and I can begin a new book. My last purchase from the school book fair.

Reading this book is like your oldest, wisest friend giving you advice. I love how she advocates for cleaning out the clutter as a slow, thoughtful process in order to reflect on the things you love and why you loved them. And after a nice trip down memory lane with all the things, she shows us, you don't have to feel bad about letting go of them!

Loving this author. The simple drawings accompanying the texts really enrich this little book.

This was an uplifting story of a tragedy that deeply affected a young girl's life. Some of the pacing felt slow to me but perhaps parallels the slow recovery process the narrator (and the author) experiences.

Getting started on my 2018 personal book reading challenge--25 books before 2019--a little early. What's your challenge?