I don‘t know what exactly I wanted out this book but I am not getting it.

PHENOMENAL. I was hooked from the first page. I discovered Morgan Talty‘s writing in Never Whistle At Night and can I just say that I love short story collections? I‘ve discovered so many great authors that way and I can‘t wait to read more of Talty‘s writing. He recently came out with another book and I‘m waiting for it at the library. But this is hands down one of my top 3 reads in 2024.

I picked this book up at a used bookstore on a trip to NM this past spring. I think we were supposed to read it in HS? I didn‘t remember it. Anyway. It recently was challenged at a Tillamook HS and has been removed from the curriculum so I bumped it to the top of my list. It was phenomenal.

B this one was way too close to home. When my grandpa died, Emily chased me down the driveway with a fucking puppet she found in his house.

Honestly this was a good read and it made me laugh but I am leaving it on a 737 for a bored passenger to find and love vs lugging it home to a special spot on my bookshelf. I can think of one friend I‘d recommend it to and that‘s it. But also, it was a quick read and perfect for the beach.

Read bc I promised a friend. Slow, beautiful, anti-climactic. I understand why it‘s a DNF for most. I‘m not sad I finished it though and I did enjoy reading it while watching KAOS.

I‘m giving this book a so-so because it was so repetitive but otherwise it‘s an important read.

I absolutely loved this collection of spooky stories (save maybe one or two at the most). I am going to read it every fall and I‘m excited to have discovered new authors ✨ Don‘t read before bed or you will have nightmares.

I didn‘t know anything about Jennette McCurdy before reading this book so I didn‘t come into it as a fan girl which I think probably left some context on the table. I liked her writing and her authenticity but this isn‘t a book I‘m going to run around recommending. It was a good beach read even though the subject matter (eating disorders, abuse) was dark.

Ugh, I love everything else Chelsea Bieker has ever written but nothing about this book landed for me. I‘m biased but the motherhood theme was boring, the Portland references made me roll my eyes (born and raised in the same neighborhood the book is based), and the ending wasn‘t surprising but so obvious from the moment the character was introduced. I preordered the book (vs waiting for it at the library) and I‘m not keeping it.

I loved this book for the second time! I picked it up in anticipation of our trip to Chile next month 🇨🇱✨

Cover to cover in six hours! Not my usual genre but came highly recommended by my SIL Kimmy. It was a fun read. 💖

Fucking brilliant. He tears my heart clean open.

I read about a third but the first person narrative was all over the place and I couldn‘t keep up. It honestly made me feel dizzy.

Ugggggg I loved the beginning of this book. It started to get less exciting and then the pandemic aspect made it absolutely dull. I can‘t stand reading about the pandemic. It‘s so boring. I need warnings on books that cover it. I‘m extra disappointed because the beginning was so fucking good. So good. So absolutely good. What a waste.

Absolutely brilliant. I found Anthony Veasna So while reading The Best American Essays 2022. His writing goes deep and opens something in me. I‘ll be looking for a used copy of this gem to add to my personal library.

An editor makes all the difference. This was a phenomenal group of essays (I only bailed on two) with Baby Yeah by Anthony Veasna So as the standout. Ghost Bread by Angelique Steves was also a winner.

"Queerness is that thing that lets us feel that this world is not enough," Muñoz writes, "that indeed something is missing." Without a doubt, hanging with my friend, you perceived the world as too small, too limited, too shortsighted. You'd think-or maybe this was only me—that society had to be operating in profoundly inexcusable ways if no secure place existed for him to thrive in. -Anthony Veasna So / Baby Yeah

This book is a must read. It was relatable, honest. It‘s heavy but Myriam also lightens it in a way where you don‘t have to put it down for days. I wish I had read it before Creep.

I love a less than 24-hour read. B you should read it 🤪. Ps why are the filters on this app so much better than IG

Ok I‘d give it a pick because the writing was great but I don‘t recommend it to my bestie and I wouldn‘t read it again. However, it did surprise me. I picked it up after I heard someone quote it. Even though it‘s from when I was born, it‘s still relevant and fascinating.

Thanks for the recommendation @birdie_gw 💕 I‘m so glad I listened to this because Julia Fox read it but I still missed having a physical book because when she reintroduced Harmony, I was like who? Anyway! Definitely recommend it 🔟/🔟

This book could have been half the length but it was really insightful and I now have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the neurodiverse folks in my life. Read for my company‘s DEI book club.

This book is not for the faint of heart. I realized early on that I should have grabbed Gurba‘s memoir Mean and read it first but I just got it from the library so it‘s next on my list. My favorite piece from this collection was The White Onion which brilliantly exposed Joan Didion for what she was and I couldn‘t be more pleased.

This selection of essays brings on feelings of the throes of seasonal depression. They‘re moody and heavy. I don‘t need everything I read to be uplifting but I also don‘t seek out essays that make me feel like I need to cut myself. That being said, there were some great essays in here (I think I gave up on about 25%). My faves were by Erik Borsuk, Scott Spencer, Kathryn Schulz, Xujun Eberlein, and Robert Anthony Siegel.

Quick read! I picked this book up because I‘ve been taking my time with the 2023 Best American Essays and so far, the best essay is Eric‘s and the premise intrigued me. His writing is solid.

Not for me. I found it repetitive and not interesting. I couldn‘t get lost in the fantasy. It just felt flat the whole way.

I picked this book up from the library a few hours ago and I inhaled it. Cover to cover. It‘s my perfect read. I could read a thousand more books exactly like this. The author‘s voice, the tea, the early aughts! It‘s giving me a millennial high.

Picked this up on Tuesday from the library and it‘s not even Saturday night and it‘s done! Thanks for the recommendation @birdie_gw ✨

This book was good but not great. I wanted to finish it before picking up other holds that just became available to borrow.

I enjoyed the author‘s voice and her story but I found much of the book repetitive.

I loved this book! I took a class by the author at PCC and quite honestly could hear his voice as I read. When I saw he had published a book, I didn‘t even read what it was about - I just picked it up from the library and started reading. The story wasn‘t what I was expecting but it was phenomenal all the same.

Damn. This book was good. I wouldn‘t push it to the top of your list, and occasionally her name dropping and privilege made me roll my eyes, but it really turns the narrative on sociopathy. I‘m better for having read this book. Without question.

What is with the hype? I felt like this book was written for Karens while blundering through problematic tropes. The bit with Chona is no different than a white savior, and why are all of the descriptions of women so sexual? It‘s cringe. Also the way that disabilities are discussed- sure, make this a period piece, but you can do that without calling each character a cripple and denying them any thoughts beyond their physical limitations.

I am actually so surprised by this book. Jill‘s ghost writer is better than Mariah Carey‘s (and Britney Spears‘). I binged 19 Kids and Counting when I was recovering from my hysterectomy and it seemed obvious at the time that the kids were being exploited but jeez.

This book is beautiful when you get accustomed to the cadence. I think it‘s going to stay with me a long time and at some point, I‘m sure I‘ll flip this to a pick.

I got to see Amanda Montell at Powell‘s last night with Chelsea Bieker! It was such a great event and I can‘t wait to dive into Amanda‘s new book!

Parts of this book I couldn‘t put down but other parts were so boring I wanted to give it up. I‘m not satisfied with the ending, I‘m not satisfied with the weird hotel/well drama, I don‘t know. I feel like this book could have been great.

This book took me a second to get hooked but then I didn‘t want to put it down. Written from the perspective of a girl raised in a cult and although it‘s fiction it seemed very real, probably because the situation is more common in the US than we like to acknowledge.

I picked this book up on Saturday morning when the library opened and it‘s Monday night and I just finished it. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. Holy shit it was so well written. It was refreshing writing. I placed the author‘s only other book on hold. I became aware of her because she‘s going to be at Powell‘s in April with Amanda Montell (author of Wordslut and Cultish). I am a huge Montell fan girl but now I might be more excited to see Bieker?!

This was a fantastic collection of short stories picked by Min Jin Lee. My favorite was The Master Mourner by Benjamin Ehrlich with Ling Ma‘s Peking Duck right behind it. Peking Duck had some of the same early childhood references as Severance which stood out. 10/10 highly recommended

I loved some stories and others made me ill like old school RL Stine. I love the author‘s imagination. She‘s weird and I love that about her stories. But I probably wouldn‘t read the book again which gives this a rating of so-so.

@birdie_gw have you read this one? If not, put it on your list. C and I are going to Chile in October bc Isabelle Allende inspired me - specifically this book - and I‘m going to reread it in Sept before we go. We can read it at the same time if you‘re game!

I can‘t believe Dom Casmurro was written in 1899. It‘s brilliant. I read the translation by Margaret Jull Costa and Robin Patterson.

I wish I could remember who recommended this book to me. It kind of reminded me of The Joy Luck Club with how it was organized and in that way, I want to reread it already.

Loved it and floored that is was written in 2018.