Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
blurb
Sparklemn
Pies and Prejudice | Ellery Adams
post image

So glad I could participate in today‘s protests! Not my sign but one of my favorites. #NoKings

“Equal rights for others doesn‘t mean fewer rights for you. It‘s not pie.”

TheBookHippie Love. 1d
Deblovestoread ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 1d
BkClubCare Love this 1d
BarbaraBB ❤️❤️ 1d
dabbe 💙✊🏻💙 11h
44 likes5 comments
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

Soft pick. Trixie was annoying as could be, and my claustrophobic self hated the caves. 😵‍💫 But the ghost fish are amazing!

I have the urge to finally watch the last season of Ozark now. The Bob Whites would be eaten alive. 💰💰💰

#bobwhitebuddies

review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

Soft pick. Marshes and swamps have always creeped me out. I was happy seeing Trixie move past her dislike for snobby Gaye when she realized how miserable the little girl was. Also, an early example of misinformation from the media. 😖

#bobwhitebuddies

📸 No alligators in this marsh but I like this cartoon. 💚

review
Sparklemn
Mystery of the Blue Train | Agatha Christie
post image
Mehso-so

I joined #ChristiesCapers for this month‘s read. The male characters (except for the rich American and Poirot) all seemed too alike for me. The women were more memorable. And the rubies…😍 The mystery was ok, I guess, with hints of romance. Hoping for better with the October book!

Should add that I really enjoyed the group discussion!

Librarybelle Yay! So glad you could join us! 2w
41 likes1 comment
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

This book is a Pick as I enjoyed watching the main characters grow in their gaming careers and lives.

Speaking of gaming, I tripped across the most delightful, cozy game called Tiny Bookshop. Believe me when I say that I‘m not a gamer. My nephew had to set it all up for me. It takes place in a small seaside town. You drive your mobile bookshop to a flea market, beach, village square, university, and so on. ⬇️

Sparklemn You make recommendations to customers based on a short description of what they‘re looking for. Real books! And they get a little spikey if they don‘t like your choice. Anyway, I‘m having a lot of fun with it. 👾📚 2w
Arvena Sounds so good! 6d
33 likes2 comments
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

Loved the lambs. Terrified by the floods. The friendly competition between the East coasters and Mid-westerners was sweet. #bobwhitebuddies

MemoirsForMe So cute! 😍 3w
32 likes1 comment
review
Sparklemn
Brideshead Revisited | Evelyn Waugh
post image
Pickpick


Loved the writing. Didn‘t love the characters. But I enjoyed the discussion with the #hashtagbrigade! Ann Patchett recently recommended another Waugh novel, A Handful of Dust, on her weekly “New to you” video. Might try this one someday.

quote
Sparklemn
post image

Regarding New York. This made me chuckle. 🍎🏙️❤️

#hashtagbrigade

TheBookHippie Ah the city. I love it so. 1mo
Sparklemn @TheBookHippie I‘m due for a girl‘s trip/theater weekend soon. Love Broadway! 🎭 1mo
TheBookHippie @Sparklemn Oh how brilliant!!!! 1mo
32 likes3 comments
review
Sparklemn
Gunslinger | Stephen King
post image
Bailedbailed

I rarely bail on a book but I‘m not enjoying this at all. Normally I love Stephen King. Can‘t win them all. 🤷🏼‍♀️

#losersclub

quote
Sparklemn
Brideshead Revisited | Evelyn Waugh
post image

Sebastian: Blah blah blah blah
Charles: Please STFU
😂😂 #hashtagbrigade

TheBookHippie 🤣 1mo
lil1inblue 😂 1mo
33 likes2 comments
blurb
Sparklemn
Pride and Predujice. | Jane Austen
post image

Fun take on Elizabeth Bennet and why we love her wild side. 🩷

https://lithub.com/the-almost-wildness-of-elizabeth-bennet/

Lcsmcat Thanks for sharing! 1mo
45 likes1 comment
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

I was expecting a thriller, but this was more of a mystery layered with stories of three strong and vulnerable women. I‘m what one may call an indoor cat, but I love people who enjoy the great outdoors like these women.

Not my pic because…indoor cat. 🐱😉

AmyG I just finished and enjoyed this too. I also describe myself as an indoor cat. ALL my friends are outdoor hiking dogs 🤣 (edited) 2mo
Sparklemn @AmyG 😂 2mo
monalyisha Gorgeous pic, though! If you‘re not experiencing it at least you‘re an astute observer. 😉 2mo
See All 8 Comments
Sparklemn @monalyisha I like to think so! 😀 2mo
tpixie That‘s the great part about books! We can meet people and go to places we otherwise wouldn‘t! 2mo
Sparklemn @tpixie I agree! 2mo
tpixie @Sparklemn 🩵💚🩵 2mo
rubyslippersreads @AmyG @Sparklemn I always say I‘m like Rose in Titanic (or at least the way Jack first perceives her)—more of an indoor girl. 😹 2w
45 likes1 stack add8 comments
review
Sparklemn
Atmosphere: A Love Story | Taylor Jenkins Reid
post image
Pickpick

Started out slow but then I couldn‘t put it down. Enjoyed the characters and learned a bit about the skills required and politics involved to be part of the astronaut corps. The romance was well portrayed and added to the emotional punch of the story.

review
Sparklemn
post image
Mehso-so

I took a chance and tried a contemporary bright covered romance. I had heard this was a little meatier than the usual. Nah. Also, it was in desperate need of editing. Could have removed at least 20% of the interactions of the MC with the love interest and with the subject of the book. I‘m probably being a bit harsh. It‘s just not my genre. Sweet ending though.

📷 Beachy island in Georgia. Not my pic. Reminds me of the setting of the story.

Ruthiella It‘s is not my genre either. Where I give other genres and/or writers a pass, I have no patience with romance tropes. 3mo
Sparklemn @Ruthiella Same. And when I do run across a romance that‘s unique and surprising, I love it. Can‘t think of any I‘ve read recently. 3mo
tpixie Not my genre. As a palette cleanser I have enjoyed the humor in Annabel Monaghan‘s books 2mo
50 likes3 comments
review
Sparklemn
post image
Mehso-so

Nothing surprising here. The author should have got out as soon as she saw how soul-less management was. She thought if she stayed, she could change things as an insider. Nope!

KadaGul I have concluded that, working in corporate America, people who want to change would have changed by now; otherwise, they would NEVER change, so why bother losing sleep over it!!! 4mo
Sparklemn @KadaGul That has been my experience, too! Ugh. 4mo
49 likes2 comments
review
Sparklemn
Devolution | Max Brooks
post image
Pickpick

Fun read! Creepy as it gets going. I looked up from reading yesterday and realized my internet was out and my phone dead. I was cut off just like the town in the book. Just as scary as the Sasquatch!

42 likes1 stack add
review
Sparklemn
Reading Quirks | Javier Garcia del Moral, Andres de la Casa Huertas
post image
Mehso-so

Cute comics. Full confession - I‘ve had this sitting on my shelf for years and only picked it up now for a quick hit toward my 2025 reading goal. 🤷🏼‍♀️🙂

review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

Fun cozy mystery that takes place over Thanksgiving weekend. Lots of delicious food. The mystery aspect was fine, but what I really loved were the characters and setting. I‘ll definitely continue with the series. 🦃🍄‍🟫🐱🍁

review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

This is a soft pick only because the first 40% was rather boring. I bailed at that point but picked it up again. Glad I did. Loved the narrators in the audio book. I‘ll add the sequel to my wish list.

📷 Pic (not mine)is a Game of Thrones-themed pub in Scotland. This is how I imagined the village pub in the novel.

willaful I also almost DNFd and then went on to like it. 5mo
RaeLovesToRead What's the name of the bar??? 5mo
Sparklemn @RaeLovesToRead It‘s called the Blood & Wine bar. I‘ve never been there but I like the name. (edited) 5mo
34 likes3 comments
review
Sparklemn
The Jane Austen Book Club | Karen Joy Fowler
post image
Mehso-so

Maybe I'd have enjoyed this more if I hadn't gone into it thinking it was the book version of Austenland (which I haven't seen). I kept wondering which character Keri Russell played. Oops!! 😳 😜 Regardless, I never warmed to the characters in this book even after I realized my mistake. I have no desire to see the movie version of Book Club, but Austenland is still on my list!

review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

This is a soft pick for me. I enjoyed the author's writing but agree with other reviewers that it could have been covered in a long essay. In a nutshell -- do fewer things, work at your own pace, and focus on quality.

📸 I liked the section about Jewel passing on a million dollar contract to focus on her growth as a performer first. Hence the picture of her. That dress is bananas! 😂

Suet624 That dress! 5mo
32 likes2 comments
review
Sparklemn
Kew Gardens | Virginia Woolf
post image
Pickpick

This was a quiet short story told from the viewpoint of a snail. Admittedly, I read it to bump up my “books read“ count for the year. But I enjoyed it. And it makes me to want to pick up another of hers. I've been contemplating a re-read of Mrs. Dalloway. Perhaps now is the time.

📸 I've never been to Kew Gardens but it looks inviting.

review
Sparklemn
post image
Bailedbailed

I was having trouble engaging with the story to start. Then I realized the fairies weren‘t all going to be sweet and sassy Tinkerbells. Too dark for me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

33 likes1 comment
blurb
Sparklemn
post image

Anyone else participating in one of the Hands Off rallies tomorrow?

Ruthiella I will try. There are two in my immediate area that I can easily get to. 🤞 7mo
BarbaraBB I hope you all will make a difference. Good luck tomorrow ❤️ 7mo
Bookbuyingaddict I am with you in spirit dear America 🇺🇸 friends it is just too sad 😢 what is happening to your beautiful country 💔 demonstrate 🪧 push back 🦾💪🏻🫵 how dare Vance accuse uk & eu on freedom of speech 🎤 🤬 NO books r banned in uk 🇬🇧 abortion is legal & a woman‘s own right to choose & her own right to her own body 🤬 good 👍 luck 🍀 🫶🏻 7mo
37 likes3 comments
blurb
Sparklemn
V Is for Voting | Kate Farrell
post image

Looking to my Litsy friends for thoughts on the League of Women Voters. I‘m considering getting involved. Is anyone a member? Any opinions or experiences you would be willing to share ?

review
Sparklemn
post image
Mehso-so

I saw others refer to Amy Levy as a Jewish Jane Austen. I think this is a fair comparison of the content - sitting rooms, dances, afternoon tea, manners & propriety, etc. However, the characters in the novel aren‘t as fleshed out as in an Austen novel. The writing was sparse and simple.

The P&P quote doesn‘t have anything to do with Rueben Sachs. But I didn‘t willfully misunderstand the book. 🙃

StaceGhost This is on my comps list! I want to compare it to Daniel Deronda, but I love George Eliot so much I‘m scared I‘m going to dislike it on principle 7mo
37 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
Sparklemn
Greek Mythology | Ken Jennings
post image

Saw Hadestown this afternoon. Loved it! Does anyone have any recommendations for novels with Hades, Persephone, Orpheus or Eurydice?

CBee If you like graphic novels/comics, Lore Olympus is a great retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth! 8mo
Sparklemn @CBee I‘ll put it on my list. Thanks! 8mo
41 likes2 comments
blurb
Sparklemn
Great Gatsby (Classic) | F Scott Fitzgerald
post image
charl08 Hope it can be recovered and reinstated. 8mo
Sparklemn @charl08 Me, too! 8mo
Bookwormjillk Recycling F Scott Fitzgerald sounds like the title of a novel 8mo
See All 6 Comments
Larkken Honestly this is pretty funny to me. 8mo
Sparklemn @Bookwormjillk it totally does!, 😂 8mo
Sparklemn @Larkken I thought it was funny, too 😆 8mo
35 likes6 comments
blurb
Sparklemn
Untitled | Unknown
post image

This was my first foray into the world of zines. This particular zine included essays, short fiction, and pie recipes. It was a speedy and enjoyable read. Anyone have any zine recommendations?

blurb
Sparklemn
All Fours | Miranda July
post image

I can‘t remember ever rooting so hard AGAINST the main character. She is dreadful. That being said, I‘m enjoying the book (about 70% complete) and looking forward to seeing how the story ends. Did anyone else feel this way about her?

Ruthiella I didn‘t find any character particularly likable. But I was curious to see where it would all end up. I also wondered how much of this was culled from the author‘s life. 8mo
TheBookHippie LOATHED her. LOATHED and I bailed. 😵‍💫😂😝🤪🤷🏻‍♀️ 8mo
fredthemoose Also completely loathed her, so much that when a friend read it we spent a 5 day trip having one long book club conversation about what a self absorbed jerk she was. 8mo
See All 14 Comments
Sparklemn @Ruthiella I hadn't even thought about that. I'll have to research the author when I've finished. 8mo
Sparklemn @TheBookHippie I almost bailed, too, but stubbornly pushed on. Not sure why. Hopefully it be worth it. 8mo
Sparklemn @fredthemoose Now that sounds like fun! I'm looking forward to reading reviews when I'm done. I'm not sure I can convince any of my friends to read this one. 8mo
TheBookHippie @fredthemoose was 5 days long enough????? 😝😂😩😵‍💫🤷🏻‍♀️😅 8mo
TheBookHippie @Sparklemn 😝😵‍💫😅 8mo
fredthemoose @TheBookHippie 😂😂😂 No! But it was as long as we had so we had to make do! 8mo
TheBookHippie @fredthemoose 😂😂😂 8mo
CarolynM Loathed her 8mo
BarbaraBB I enjoyed the book so much! I didn‘t particularly like the narrator but loved what the author did. I now follow Miranda July on IG and she‘s so fun. 8mo
Sparklemn @CarolynM yes! 😖 8mo
Sparklemn @BarbaraBB Can‘t wait to finish! 8mo
47 likes14 comments
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

“Always they carried mechanically on without pause to the next job at hand. What would life be like, he wondered, if they were given time to think and reflect over things? Might their lives be different or much the same - or would they just lose the run of themselves?”

review
Sparklemn
A Doomful of Sugar | Catherine Bruns
post image
Mehso-so

A little darker than a typical cozy mystery. Not a huge fan of the main character. Probably won‘t continue with the series.

review
Sparklemn
Mr. Timothy: A Novel | Louis Bayard
post image
Pickpick

“The door whispers shut behind us. Above us, the moon drives its sickle through the encumbrances of cloud. Beneath us, veils of mist blossom from the pavement, weave through the ochre day-fog, and bind it tight. The world is falling away.”

review
Sparklemn
All the President's Men | Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein
post image
Pickpick

I knew about the break-in and the tapes but had no idea of the extent of crimes and unethical behavior coming out of Nixon‘s White House. It‘s amazing they got away with it as long as they did. I had a little trouble keeping track of the names. Virtually all the players were men which shouldn‘t surprise me given the time period. I watched the movie before reading the book. Might watch it again. 🐘😡😖

TheBookHippie It was immense…he should have never been pardoned IMO. 9mo
38 likes2 comments
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

The back and forth between the main character and the podcast works really well as an audiobook. Kept me guessing until (almost) the end!

review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

My favorite book of 2024! The audiobook was perfect. Great narrator. Great story. Lives up to the hype. 🩷🤍🩷

Melismatic Im reading now for my in person book club! Glad to hear you loved it! 9mo
mcctrish It was so good 9mo
AmyG I loved this too. Just recommended it to a woman on my flight! 9mo
sarahbarnes Agreed the audio is fantastic! 9mo
54 likes4 comments
review
Sparklemn
post image
Mehso-so

Wow, the main character is full of herself! I preferred her friends. Will I read the next in the series? Maybe. 😐

review
Sparklemn
God of the Woods | Liz Moore
post image
Pickpick

My second favorite of 2024! Only lost to Wedding People by a speck. Highly recommend the audiobook.

review
Sparklemn
post image
Mehso-so

I wanted to love this book. I really did. I kept putting it down and picking it up. Maybe it was better suited for one long reading session.

review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

I absolutely adored this audiobook! Definitely my cup of tea. 😉

review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

Oh Stanley, why can‘t we be friends?? 💚🤍❤️

marleed I feel the same way even knowing my life would bore him to tears in minutes🤣 9mo
AvidReader25 I love this book! 9mo
Sparklemn @marleed Mine would, too! 9mo
Sparklemn @AvidReader25 I loved when he said that cutting your pasta when eating it was unforgivable but that it was ok if you broke it before you cooked it. Whew! (edited) 9mo
AvidReader25 @Sparklemn Right! His second book was good too. I love listening to him read the audio version. 9mo
45 likes5 comments
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

This was a cozy afternoon read. Sweet stories and memorable characters.

review
Sparklemn
Search: A Novel | Michelle Huneven
post image
Pickpick

This is a tale about a church committee in southern California looking for a new pastor. As often happens in real life, when the loudest voices win, everyone loses. 🙃

review
Sparklemn
post image
Mehso-so

Wintering was life changing. I‘ve listened to it multiple times. Enchantment? Not so much. But her writing is beautiful. Maybe I wasn‘t in the right frame of mind. May give it another listen as background entertainment when doing chores around the house.

📸 of the stones she mentions in one of her essays

JamieArc I felt the exact same way. 13mo
31 likes1 comment
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

This wasn‘t an entirely flattering portrayal of Hillary, but I feel like I know her better. And respect her for what she has accomplished and where she fell short. I think the author feels the same. Made a great audiobook narrated by Amy!

37 likes1 stack add
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

Another lovely essay collection from Ross Gay. Makes the perfect audiobook with Ross narrating. 🌻 🌿

review
Sparklemn
Calm the F**k Down | Sarah Knight
post image
Pickpick

I‘m pretty chill most of the time but I love Sarah‘s irreverence. 😏

review
Sparklemn
These Precious Days | Ann Patchett
post image
Pickpick

Here is Ann in her very own bookstore. Love that! I really enjoyed these essays. The story of her friend with cancer will stay with me. Sharing that journey created a deep intimacy between Ann and her friend. It was inspiring and heartbreaking. 💕

AmyG I recently read this and loved it. 13mo
Suet624 This was so sad. Read it years and years ago. Okay, in 2012. But that feels like 50‘years ago. 12mo
49 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

Great fun to hear how Ruth took on different looks and personalities to dine undercover as a NY Times food critic. Personally, I‘d find it exhausting! Looking forward to trying another of her books.

review
Sparklemn
post image
Pickpick

I enjoyed this 3rd installment of the series. It has some dark plot points. Definitely not a cozy mystery.