Finally finished this one. It took forever, not from lack of interest, just lack of time. It's my 2nd Du Maurier after Rebecca. She's a fantastic storyteller and a master at establishing atmosphere. Great book!

#bookhaulchallenge This was my first #bookhaul post. It was from about a year and a half ago, a few months after I joined Litsy. I have read all of them except In the Garden of Beasts, so 7/8. It was a great haul because I absolutely love 6 of the 7 I read. This was a great idea @Lcsmcat ! I love seeing everyone's hauls!

Poured through this in a day! Such an enjoyable read filled with tons of relatable characters and clever dialogue.

Such a gorgeous morning! I may not move from this spot. ☀️📚🌳🐦
My only Du Maurier experience has been Rebecca. This one has the same atmospheric quality right off the bat.

I'm heartbroken 😔 She was a gift to the world and a literary artist.

Been working my way through this slowly between other reads and finally finished it this morning. I loved the anecdotes about authors and the history of each book. Also appreciated that it helped me understand why certain books made the list...even if I still think they don't belong there 😏 Also, some beautiful pictures of 1st editions and other notable publications.

I really liked this. It was described on the book jacket as "darkly comic." It was definitely dark, but not comic. Korede is a great narrator, and Braithwaite's storytelling pulled me in immediately. My only critique is that the ending felt flat. I turned the page, and it was just over.

In a not-so-distant future, Muslim Americans are rounded up into internment camps when the President convinces America they are an enemy combatant and threat a threat to the nation. Eerily disturbing and powerful, this book explores the possible outcomes of unfettered nationalism and the politics of fear. The author reminds us that this is our nation...all of ours, and that massive resistance and revolution often start with a single voice. #YAL

A YA take on Jane Eyre in space...what a fantastic idea! Earth has suffered super volcano eruptions, bringing on an ice age, and humans have taken to the skies, orbiting for centuries until Earth is habitable again. In this midst of this setting, Stella, an orphan aboard the farming ship, sets out to find a better life. It was a fun read #YAL

I like the way the author uses cooking, food, and spices as metaphors for family, friends, and choices we make in life. It's a unique subtopic for a YA book. Identity is a central theme as the author explores the blending of cultures and backgrounds of characters. #YAL

Had to share a few more pictures. It was a beautiful book shop!

Visited Faulkner House Books today in the French Quarter. Gorgeous historic store! Left with four new books.

I loved The Poet X so I'm excited to dig into this one!

Told in alternating accounts of Sadie Hunter as she hunts down her sister's killer and her own abuser and transcripts of a podcast made by a man tracking clues of Sadie's disappearance, this book is riveting and heart breaking.

This is the gorgeous 1892 edition of Mansfield Park that I am giving a new home 😍

Visited the tiniest, darkest, most crammed-full bookshop I've ever seen today...and it was great! ❤ Books were stacked ceiling to floor and aisles were barely wide enough to fit through. Kept myself under control and walked out with only 2 books. One was a 1892 edition of Mansfield Park 😍

Great book, great ending! And thanks to day 2 of road-trip reading, done ahead of schedule for part 4 ? "It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world." #EoE

It's a gorgeous day and I'm road tripping, so I'll make the best use of the time by starting part 4 of East of Eden. I'm determined to finish it in the next couple days, so that I'm ready for the discussion this time 😁 #EoE @Cinfhen

#top6reads so far of 2019. Thanks for getting this started @Cinfhen ! It's been fun to see everyone's picks and which books keep repeating. I've definitely moved a few up on my tbr list! I have a feeling East of Eden will be on my end of year favorites list once I've finished it.

Great story, excellent pacing, just enough mystery to be compelling. Green explores how social media has changed human, society, fame, and news. He also speculates how our polarized society would react to contact from outside our planet. His style is casual and conversational, so I could see it turning some readers off, but I found it very readable.

"Sometimes life can pull a lot out of you, Althea. Just squeeze you dry. And if you don't have a way to get back whatever's good and precious to you, it's like losing your soul." 4 siblings, damaged in different ways by the early death of their mom and a volatile, often-absent father, have to learn to find forgiveness and a way forward in this novel about the messy love, loyalty, and resentment coursing through family dynamics. Highly recommend.

😢😢🌩🌧 My beautiful day turned stormy, and I forgot I left my book on my patio 😢 A wet, swollen book is a sad sight.

Finally getting started on my Mother's Day gift. It's a beautiful patio-reading day 🌞📚🐞🌻

Wow. I got drawn in quickly! The premise is wild, yet so believable. A fundamentalist govt creates the "Pure Movement"& passes laws putting women back "in their place." Trackers limit females to 100 words/day through electric shock. It's a cautionary tale about the dangers of ignoring extremism when we could speak up then finding it's too late. The conclusion is rushed & becomes an action story, but I definitely recommend it in spite of its flaws.

3 stories, set decades apart, of families fleeing their homes intertwine in this powerful book. Though the 3 families are from different eras and regions, their stories are tragically similar. The author challenges humanity and the current rhetoric about refugees and immigrants by illustrating the desperation humans face when we choose not to embrace those who are suffering. It's an important book for YA readers and future decision makers. #YAL

This follows the lives of the Jongas, immigrants from Cameroon, trying to live out the promise of the American Dream. A secondary story of the Edwardses, the family of a Wall Street exec, highlights the pitfalls of striving. The Jonga husband/wife disagree about America vs Cameroon, staying vs going, & the best future for their children. It explores what it means to be happy, what it takes to be home, & what it is to dream of better.

I read this as part of a book club with others at my school. We have had powerful discussions that have helped me get to know some of my colleagues better and have helped me form a vision for where we need to go as a school. I am blessed to work with so many amazing educators who care passionately about our school, our kids, and our profession. I'm excited for next year!

3rd book expands Binti's universe as she continues to absorb & embrace identities and cultures, finding that seemingly opposite people and worlds can live not only together, but within individuals. It weaves politics, sociology, science,math, psychology, and a coming of age story. Okarafor creates vivid creatures & worlds,evoking classic sci fi (think Weinbaum and Clarke)while addressing core issues in our society, like intolerance and sexism.

No second-book slump with this gem! Angie Thomas did it again, creating characters we fall in love with, telling a story we need to hear, and using language in powerful ways. I will recommend this one as loudly as I recommended THUG. In other news...The sun is out, things are greening up, tulips are budding, and I'm patio-reading once again 🌷🐞🌞📚 I adore spring in the midwest 😍

I really should quit doing this to myself. I swear off Jane Austen retellings, but then one gets lots of buzz on social media, and I get sucked in. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. It was clever in places and cringy in places. Typical of an adaptation.

Super excited that our school librarian snagged me a copy of this for the weekend! Hoping to get it done tonight so I can put it back in circulation Monday. It's been a hard one to get my hands on 👐

My reading life has taken a hit over the past weeks, but I finally was able to spend some time on me. This book story centers around a unique protagonist, Lauren Olamina. Although only a teenager, she sees the coming demise of her world clearer than any adult and begins to prepare for an uncertain, dangerous future in an America that has collapsed into chaos. The storytelling is compelling and disturbing. I highly recommend this.

Perfect combination for a Saturday afternoon 📚🍺 I may have found one to add to my favorites list. Oh, and the book is good so far too 😉 @phatsallylee @Jilly6183

Thank you, thank you @phatsallylee ! I love it all so much! Sorry I wasn't home yesterday to open it, but what a great way to start my morning!! I'm excited to dive in to these along with some recommended beverages from the east coast! #BBSRedacted @Jilly6183

It's an excellent novel, but a tragic story that blurs the lines of love, loyalty, and family. Most of the time I wasn't sure who to root for, as the characters are complex and flawed but human.

12 inches last night on top of the 6 we already had. The Interstate is closed down and the county has pulled the snowplows off the roads due to blizzard conditions. Upper right picture shows the doors to my school 😯 Just came in from digging our vehicles out of the drifts, and now I'm in front of the fire trying to thaw. Rest of the day/night = a fire and a good book. ❄❄#snowmaggedon

This book was a lot of fun! The bitchy back and forth among the school moms, the snarky, hilarious voice of Bernadette in her correspondence, and the smart insightful voice of her daughter Bee, all made for great dialogue and storytelling. This book reads so quickly, I was near the end before I realized it. This was another instance of "right book, right time."

There's so much to process from Book 2! 😯 I'm loving the cultural struggles and complexity of the worlds Okorafor has built. I'm looking forward to seeing how she ties it all together in Book 3!

Original and intriguing, and for a novella, it touched on a lot of topics, such as tradition, intolerance, social class conflicts, and war. Hopefully the next two in the trilogy explore those topics more. I'm excited to continue reading about this powerful female character.

Toni Morrison
Jane Austen
JK Rowling
Edgar Allan Poe
Ray Bradbury

I love this challenge, but wow this was hard! @britt_brooke

Looking forward to starting this one as I settle in for the night. #fridaynightbookclub @JoScho @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Oh how I loved this book ❤ It's a beautiful novel about loneliness and abandonment, resilience, the majesty of nature, and love. One of the best aspects of this novel for me was the author's ability to capture time and place. I was there as the story unfolded...and what a beautiful story it was.

Today's much better than yesterday, and this weekend it's supposed to get up to 40° Mother Nature is drunk again 😂 @wanderinglynn #hellothursday

This book was fantastic! It pulled me in immediately with a wonderfully written prologue and kept me hooked through the layers of small town drama and periodic flashbacks from multiple perspectives. It worked well to have parallel mysteries, decades apart. I would definitely read this author again! Thanks for recommending it as my next read @Mitch @Librarybelle @LapReader @gradcat @BarbaraBB !

Wow. Reading this book is a journey, a trip through through time, place, and all the emotions. Boyne is a master storyteller. This is the best novel I've read in a very long time. Highly recommended!

School is cancelled today and tomorrow for the ridiculous wind chills, so I'm probably not moving from this spot for the next 48 hours 🔥. I'll be finishing up The Heart's Invisible Furies soon, but I'm having trouble choosing where to go next. What advice can you give, Littens? #isthisthenorthpole?

It's ridiculously cold. For the next week, we are to have the coldest temps we've had in more than 20 years. Wind chills of 50 to 60 below are predicted for Wednesday...for goodness sake. I may not go outside until spring, so it's a good thing I have a seriously big tbr stack, including my latest Half-Price Books haul.

I had no idea that Mary Shelley was a) the daughter of feminist and author Mary Wallstonecraft, and b) led such a tragic life. How did I miss this in all my college lit. classes?! I feel like someone owes me some tuition money back 🤯

This is a good YA fantasy novel. The characters were interesting, the plot unpredictable, & the world building complex. That being said, it didn't live up to the hype for me. In talking with fans, I expected to become really invested in the story & characters to where I couldn't put it down and would want to dive right into the sequel, but neither held true. Again, a good book that I think suffered for me from too high of expectations.