At each of our book club meetups, everyone brings 1-4 books to swap and whatever‘s left over is donated to a Little Free Library. This was my pickup from todays event. 💖

It‘s so fun to find out through social media later whose swap you ended up grabbing. 🥰

Today was our in-person book club day! This was my fourth one and it‘s become so special to me! We‘ve formed friendships over our shared love of books and everyone is so *kind* and amped to be geeky about reading. My people. 💖

Preliminary February stack.

#AuthorAMonth #BlackHistoryMonth

Rejoining #BOTM might be trouble for me. 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

Two of the picks were already on my TBR and ‘The First Ladies‘ sounded so interesting.

I know it‘s *historical fiction* and yet I see similarities to modern life everywhere. 😭

If you told me five-ish years ago Historical Fiction would become a reliably favorite genre of mine, I wouldn‘t have believed you. And yet…

This author is fantastic. #BOTM

Historical fiction coming in hot!

#BOTM

If you‘re not a person whose kept up with Chelsea lately (ba dum swish), I‘d recommend watching her comedy special “Evolution” before reading this book. It shows you her headspace.

This book is not what I expected in that there isn‘t a lot of Handler‘s dark, suggestive humor. Instead, it feels more like an honest journal of someone attempting to let go and let love steer. It‘s admirable and depending on where you‘re also at in life, relatable.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Setting aside the somewhat frank discussions of suicide (bc that theme prevails throughout and if that‘s too much for you, maybe avoid this book) - the realistic portrayals of human vulnerability was really well done and heartfelt.

It reminded me a lot of The Midnight Library. I feel like if you liked this and haven‘t read that one, you should. 💖

About to finish my book club pick so figured I‘d start this memoir from NetGalley to help get the ol‘ ratio up.

I was a fan of Chelsea‘s talk shows in the early 2010‘s - especially when I first moved to NYC. I even saw her live. I‘m getting the vibe that this memoir is a bit more serious in tone and less sarcastic. We shall see!

Moving on to my in-person book club pick. We meet the first weekend in Feb. BOTM audio referral credit coming in clutch for me! 😅

It feels like everyone‘s reading this book right now. ☕️💅🏻

That ending!! 😂😵‍💫🛀

No spoilers but it was giving Scooby Doo, to me. 🤣 Yes, I did it & here‘s how & I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren‘t for you meddling Lord Peter & Co!

I hovered between So-So & Pan. I think this was a product of its time and Sayers probably needed to cook a bit more to fully get in the swing. I wouldn‘t be opposed to revisiting another installment at some point. #AuthorAMonth

TW: heavy anti-semitism

Sorting through my shelves to give myself a prelim TBR for February featuring more Black authors for BHM. Leaning toward the tagged first given this Monday‘s planned events. 😓

Have you read any of these?

(And yes, our Christmas decorations are still up lol)

Weather is supposed to be pretty dismal later today/tomorrow with lots of snow before cratering into polar vortex temps. So I fit in a long audiobook walk with a smoothie while I still could. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

I have about an hour left with Lord Peter. While I find him a bit insufferable, his costars Parker and Bunter are much more likeable. What? 😅🛀

Bunny enthusiasts, rise up! We won, Bunny! 🐰 🥀

Had a doctors appt today so decided to take a full “mental health” day from work, treat myself to brunch and a mani, and start in on my #AuthorAMonth pick on audio.

Peter Wimsey‘s gleeful singing about dead bodies & murder investigations is…something else. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

Ultimately, I think one standalone story would make me chuckle but this grouping felt predictable and goofy. Also the final two stories order felt clunky at best. I guess my beef is, though the victims don‘t appear to be great people, they never actually do anything to Maud…she just offs them because they irritate her? lol 🤷🏻‍♀️

Points for the embroidery title pages though. 🪡 🧵

I enjoyed this far more than I expected to. It‘s definitely a boilerplate mystery but much more winks and nods were felt over anything I read with Poirot. Maybe I just relate to Miss Marple more. 😅

Should be noted though - lots of not great allusions to POC, off hand comments to LGBTQIA, and pretty clumsy with discussion of mental illness. This was published in 1964 and it shows.

Oh my gosh - @Soubhiville you are really so generous!! Thank you so much! ☺️ Your #AuthorAMonth challenge is my absolute favorite, I can‘t even begin to tell you how many authors I‘ve discovered through it!! 💖 Really so kind, thank you so much!

Kept an open notepad while listening to this. Really appreciated this as a re-read — I think it‘s the type of thing that benefits for re-reading. Looking forward to the #RiseUpReads discussion. @Catsandbooks

It‘s probably criminal of me to admit this is my first dalliance with this Agatha Christie heroine - but I had no idea Miss Marple was so saucy! And in the 1960s! 🤭

Overwhelming, indeed. There‘s so much here to parse through. And to think this was Toni Morrison‘s first novel.

I need time to gather my thoughts. Most immediately, I assume this is commonly “banned” for its description of sexual assault (and sex itself) but the anchor of this story is somehow even more heart-breaking? I doubt I‘d be able to handle it at a young age myself.

#WithTheBanned

Im going off vibes here but before diving in to this months #AuthorAMonth (Dorothy L Sayers), I‘m thinking these two that I picked up on a whim at my local book festival two years ago might work as a fun pairing with my Sayers pick? 🤷🏻‍♀️🤞🏻

BOTM got me. I used to get their boxes years ago but stopped when I felt like books were just piling up. I‘m at a place where I‘ve conquered quite a bit of my TBR stack, gifted, or given away to local LFLs….so timing felt right to try it again. We‘ll see if it holds.

#BOTM

This has been on my TBR for so long!!

Interestingly, I‘m diving in for #WithTheBanned by getting a copy from my local library - there was a short wait because several copies were set aside for a local school assignment! Makes me hopeful that meaningful conversations are being held locally at least!

Fitting that this was my first completed read of the year, given….the state of America currently, I guess. 😵‍💫🤷🏻‍♀️😂

I loved ‘The Power‘ and I do think it was the stronger of the two novels but I‘d argue this was more accessible. This does get a bit repetitive to hammer in the point but ultimately it‘s effective. Strangely lighter than ‘The Power‘….despite being about global climate catastrophe. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Last year I had a formal book planner but it felt like a chore to fill out. This year I‘m trying something different.

I got this pretty embroidered journal on clearance from Rifle Paper Co during Black Friday — planning on jotting thoughts about each read as I finish/as I go. No minimums, just feelings and thoughts. 😍🫶🏻

#RiseUpReads

This is actually a re-read for me but I read a few years ago and recall it being chock full of great info. I‘m about a quarter in. Current stand out:

“The bullets that didn‘t hit me still change me”

The accuracy of this is so real to our current moment - esp in social media. An age of misinformation that isn‘t being solved because “engagement” is valued over truth.

Was able to fit in one more with this quick read bringing 2024‘s total to 87. Not my best, but definitely not my worst.

My goal for 2025 is to continue to challenge myself out of my comfort zone, and to keep crushing physical books on my TBR rather than going to my audiobook crutches.

What a strange novel. Admittedly it took some pushing to get through the back half. So many ideas were present — grief, depression, complicated mother/daughter dynamics, the beauty industry. I‘m not sure it fully came together for me, but it certainly offered a lot to think about!

Mona Awad loves to play with truly weird ideas. I‘m not sure what‘s going on right now but it‘s both creeping me out and making me laugh. 🤷🏻‍♀️ ♥️

I get why this author is so beloved, I just think I wasn‘t in the headspace for his type of comedic writing. I enjoyed this well enough (especially the Granny character at its center) but I personally think his style probably isn‘t for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️

#AuthorAMonth

Wanted to share that my friend‘s candle company is launching a bookish set that includes three themed candles in a cute book themed package *today* !! It‘s been a labor of love for over a year and I‘m so proud of her.

Just bought a set as a Christmas gift to myself. 💖 Link in the comments if you‘re interested!

I love/hate how this novel blurs the line between sci-fi elements and real history. So much mentioned in the footnotes is factual. There‘s a Netflix doc about Cyntoia‘s case.

I‘m 3/4ths through and kind of fear the ending of this book. 🫣

Wow. 🫨

No words. I finished this audiobook on my train ride to visit my family for the holiday. This is a memoir about this young actress falling victim to a nefarious religious cult based in Idaho while on a popular CW TV show. I wasn‘t familiar with the show but that doesn‘t really matter. The crux of the story is about how easily vulnerable people can fall prey. So important for this moment.

I really enjoyed this book - blend of descriptive and well researched history of the “Y2K Era” of 1997 through 2008 in the US with personal commentary. The author is a year younger than me, so much of what she wrote rang familiar to my own formative years from middle to high school and college.

Trying to decide between these two for my long train ride home during Thanksgiving.

Opinions?

🎯

Well, gosh. Sometimes a novel can sneak right into your heart when you‘re in an emotional place, almost like the author themselves knew you needed it.

That was this book for me, a warm hug. A reminder to care about the people around you. What a gift. Another shining example of finding a new favorite author through #AuthorAMonth. 💖

Spitballing for any kindred spirits here.

Is anyone planning a book challenge based on activism, education, creating conversation? Maybe a list centered around “Banned Books”? A re-read of 1984 and/or The Hunger Games? If you know of one, point me to it. Or if you‘d like to start one with me, sound off.

I feel like we should use these emotions in a constructive way. ❤️‍🩹

You know, sometimes you see your sign.

Glimmers are important. 💙

This week has been heavy to say the absolute least.

Grateful I have books — and you all — to keep my mind off some of the frustrations I feel. Distractions and Joy are not nothing in difficult times.

Wishing everyone peace and empathy. 💙

Library run to pick up my #AuthorAMonth choice (no hold list required for once, found it on the shelves 💪🏻) and grabbed the one on the right on a whim from the New In shelf. Seems like everywhere I turn people are in a frenzy about the upcoming Wicked film(s) — there‘s even Starbucks drinks in its honor. 😂

Happy Halloween! We were the only ones who “dressed up” at work today. 😂 Not sure if I count, I only put Mouse ears on. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤪

I have a lot of complicated feelings about this novel but I think perhaps that was the author‘s intent. It felt like a fever dream.

The prose was so poetically written and was so vivid with its intense dark imagery. It would make an excellent film. Elements felt predictable but the ending truly lived up to the grim fairy tale theme in a way that felt sad and impactful.

Truthfully? This was very slow. It felt like it took ages to get to the meat of the mystery — and once it did, it was largely revealed quickly and anticlimactically. I wouldn‘t even label this as a mystery really - more like a crime novel with social commentary sprinkled about. French‘s trademark insane detail didn‘t do this favors because it just felt bogged down. Same story could have been told more succinctly. 🤷🏻‍♀️ #AuthorAMonth

Three years ago I saw this show Off-Broadway (and cried). I had always planned to see the Broadway upgrade but when I heard it‘s leaving in January, I knew I had to see it before voting this cycle. Keep Marching! The Young are at the Gates!

Went to the first ever NYC preview performance of TEETH last night. Maybe the wildest piece of theater I‘ve ever seen.

Based on the film of the same name. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

I‘ve only read one title from this author years ago but I loved it so so much. Wanted to start at the beginning of her main series for #AuthorAMonth but no copies were available at my library - so a standalone it will be.