@Susannah on Litsy

Susannah

My Reading Challenge: Fun Notebook Tracker for Children (8.5"x11" UK English A4) | Chulabula Designs

I did it! The most books I‘ve completed in one year since I started doing the Goodreads challenge.🤓📚❣️

Lindy Hooray! 5y

rachelm Congrats!! 5y

Susannah Thank you, @Lindy and @rachelm! 5y

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erinreads That‘s amazing! Great job! 👍🏻 5y

CaitlinByTheBook That‘s awesome! 5y

Susannah I‘m pretty happy about it 😊! Thank you, @erinreads and @caitlin.reads.books! (edited) 5y

27 likes6 comments

Susannah

The Absolutist | John Boyne

so-so

I like stories set around the Great War, and after hearing good things about John Boyne‘s other books, I thought The Absolutist would be perfect for me. The depiction of war was brutal and extremely effective, but the secret the main character carries was awful—and not in a chilling, war-is-hell way; rather the secret was held too long, unexpected, and involved an action seemingly entirely out of character. Surprisingly disappointing. ⭐️⭐️-1/2

Susannah After reading through previous reviews of this book, I see my so-so review makes me a party of one. Ah, such is life. 😉 #unpopularopinion 5y

Cathythoughts Such is life 👍🏻. I did love it .... but we are all different, thank god !! 5y

Susannah @Cathythoughts 😊👍 5y

Dolly I loved Ladder to the Sky. Haven‘t read this one as there are soooo many war books. 5y

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Susannah

Bunny: A Novel | Mona Awad

Sorry, @pigeonsandcrows I couldn‘t resist.

Susannah Here‘s a post to talk about Part Three, @pigeonsandcrows. Before I say anything, what were your conclusions at the end of the book? 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I have more questions than conclusions. Maybe my biggest one being, are we, the readers, to believe that Samantha was squatting in an abandoned house all year with a swan she kidnapped from the park and kept as a pet? Or am I being way too literal here? (edited) 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah BTW, I love the meme. Spot on! 5y

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pigeonsandcrows @Susannah Also, the ambiguity of "the mud" at the end. Is Jonah the mud? Did she make him up as well? Not that I can say I cared overly much. I was so over this book by the end. And I have enjoyed some pretty experiential novels and love a well done unreliable narrator, so I feel like in this case, it's not my failure to appreciate the genre. I was just dead bored by the end. You? 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I can't figure out how to edit my comment above now that I've sent it. That should read experimental novels. Anyway, I'm curious to hear your conclusions so I'll sit tight for now. 5y

Susannah @pigeonsandcrows, quick note: To edit a post, you can click on “ Comments” on the main post, then touch/press the comment you want to edit. Then a pop-up screen will let you Copy, Reply, Edit, or Delete that comment. (edited) 5y

Susannah @pigeonsandcrows, my takeaway was that almost everything was in Samantha‘s mind. She either created things wholesale or embellished them *a lot*. Neither Samantha nor the Bunnies ever really did anything to transform the animals into humans, and I felt like that was because, like dreams, things happen without a clear understanding of why or how. There were a couple of points near the end where reality infringed on her fantasy: (edited) 5y

Susannah First, when the Bunnies came to workshop but weren‘t friendly anymore. Their interaction was, I thought, real, but all the embellishments—the hair, the cuts, the cupcake—were not. The clue was when each was referred to by her real name. Second was when Samantha went to confront them about Ava‘s death and the house was plain looking. As to why the Bunnies are all beat up at the end, who knows if that‘s embellishment or reality? 5y

Susannah I decided that the story that Samantha turned in as her senior thesis that the Lion complimented her on was the story of the book. 5y

Susannah I thought her talking to Jonah at the end and the mud replying was the start of a new story. In other words, I felt like Samantha didn‘t learn anything. In fact, if the graduation scene was reality, I can see her embracing the fantastic even more because she perceives it to be a successful approach to her writing. (edited) 5y

Susannah I don‘t think I was bored, per se, though if the story had gone on longer, I can see where what I perceived as stubborn unwillingness to unblur the lines between reality and fantasy would have become (even more) exasperating and indulgent. It felt super muddled to me, and I get irritated when a writer tries to pass off their own lack of clarity as something they aspired to with the story. 5y

Susannah I‘m not confident about a lot, but I do think I can read contemporary literature and perceive the difference between something that‘s experimental and something that‘s a mess. This felt like the latter. (edited) 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah If we assume it's all in Samantha's head, we basically have a simple story: she goes to the MFA program. She feels isolated and alone and doesn't fit in with the other girls in her group, who form a clique. She has a questionable friendship with a faculty member and gets drunk and overshares with him. This leads to the loss of her one connection & she's alienated and lives in her head and is struggling to write. 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah Then the clique reaches out to her and she tries to fit in with them, but ultimately there's conflict and she prefers to retreat to her own inner world rather than be embroiled in their weird relationship. In the last semester, that group falls apart from the inside and are their own undoing. Samantha is simultaneously forced to confront the fact Ava is not real and holds her darling. She is unblocked and able to write again 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah That's basically the story, and everything else is a fantastical overlay, then. When I say I was bored, it was because I had zero investment. It was too dreamlike and surreal for me to care what happened. I was turning pages with mild interest. If it's all symbolic and in her head, why do I care whether everyone gets their heads chopped off or not? It's like being invested in if the White Rabbit makes it on time or not. 5y

Susannah @pigeonsandcrows Sounds right to me. I don't mean to oversimplify, but it's not like the author gave us any choice but to apply our own interpretation to the story. What was your interpretation? You just provided a wonderfully succinct summary of mine, but I still don't know how you and I might have diverged. 5y

Susannah Oops, looks like you were still typing when I asked my question above. 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah On my app, it's only allowing me the options to delete, flag, or mark as spoiler... no edit. So just to say above that should be "kill" and not "hold" her darling. Maybe I can fix it on the desktop site later. 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah Oooo, we were writing at the same time! I am supposed to have an appointment starting in 10 minutes, so I'll wait to see if you have further reflections. 5y

Susannah Speaking of white rabbits, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned all the Alice in Wonderland allusions Mona Awad crammed into this story.... I'm with you on investment. I think that's why I was so annoyed during the earlier part of the story. If I'm going to be perplexed by the story, at least give me a character to care about. But I didn't like anyone except for Jonah, who seemed very sweet and who we barely saw. 5y

Susannah I'm glad that you and I reached some similar conclusions about the book. While it would have been great for us to react differently and to be able to share our own perspectives, I always feel bad when I dislike or don't connect with a book other people love. I do really wish I liked more of what I read, but I am wicked picky. 😏 (edited) 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I know! I feel like other readers are so much quicker to forgive a book's flaws and I'm so critical. I do admire that she was trying to do something different and some of the descriptions of the Bunnies and the MFA program are funny. But I don't think this book ultimately worked for me in any kind of meaningful way. And I like weird books. I mean, it was certainly more entertaining than Fire Sermon! 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah Will you read her other? Our library owns it. 5y

Susannah @pigeonsandcrows Ha! I‘m trying to make my thoughts about Fire Sermon coherent. So far, I‘m failing. Have you finished? (edited) 5y

Susannah @pigeonsandcrows I might try to read Awad‘s other book once the residual irritation I feel about Bunny wears off. I wonder if it‘s at all similar. (edited) 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah No, I'm still only 40% in. I was falling asleep trying to read it last night. I am extremely irritated by every part of it so far and *do not* understand the rave reviews. I may try Awad's other one...I do think it's supposed to be very different. I also have Lincoln in the Bardo potentially on tap. I recall you listened to the audiobook? 5y

Susannah I did listen to Lincoln in the Bardo, yes. It‘s another unusual one. I was not as enthralled with it as other readers were (if I had a dime for every time I said that ...), but it was worth a read, I think. Just be prepared for what I perceived as a bit of self-conscious quirkiness. 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah If you are interested, Gwen & Frank do a podcast episode where they discuss Lincoln in the Bardo. That's what inspired me to try it. 5y

Susannah @pigeonsandcrows Thanks. I‘ll look for it. 5y

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Susannah

A Farewell to Arms: The Hemingway Library Edition | Ernest Hemingway

so-so

After one memoir, three novels, and several short stories, Ernest Hemingway and I are through. I was surprised by how much I disliked The Sun Also Rises, but I didn‘t realize that the stereotyped non-Americans (they‘re not foreigners; Hemingway‘s protagonists are in *their* countries) and clingy women he writes were standard for him until I read A Farewell to Arms. I suspect my Book Lover card will be under review for it but ⭐️⭐️.

Susannah I do love the cover though. 5y

MrBook Great review! 5y

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Susannah

The Sparrow: A Novel | Mary Doria Russell

The Kindle edition of The Sparrow is on sale! Go get it! Even if you don‘t care for science fiction, you will not be sorry. This book is so much more.

cjk Concur! 💯😊👍🏽 5y

Tamra Agreed! It‘s really thought provoking and the SF element is incidental to the themes. (Coming from someone who isn‘t often attracted to the genre.) (edited) 5y

Tamra I didn‘t like the sequel though. 😿 5y

Susannah @Tamra Yes! I‘ve never been much of a science fiction fan either, so I always have to say that when I recommend it to people who I know don‘t like sci-fi.... I‘ve re-read The Sparrow a couple of times, but I don‘t think I‘ve ever re-read the sequel. It‘s hard to capture lightning in a bottle! 5y

Tamra @Susannah great way to phrase it! 5y

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Susannah

Ducks, Newburyport | Lucy Ellmann

Zing! I‘m intimidated but intrigued by Ducks, Newburyport, and finding this on the Instagram feed from Text Publishing in Melbourne, Australia, I now think I might owe it to Lucy Ellmann to read her book.

https://www.instagram.com/text_publishing

#manbooker

Librarybelle I might have to read this one now, too! What a great response! 5y

jillrhudy 🎤 ⬇️ 5y

Susannah @Librarybelle and @jillrhudy I know! I would have loved to be in the room when she gave that answer. (edited) 5y

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Susannah

Bunny: A Novel | Mona Awad

Ok, does the extreme bananapants vibe ever let up?

#currentlyreading @pigeonsandcrows

Susannah @pigeonsandcrows Remember when I said five days per part? Well, I have four chapters left in Part One. It‘s clearly some sort of altered reality (like maybe one of Samantha‘s stories?), but I‘m gonna lose my mind if we are bounced between Ava‘s heavy snark, Samantha‘s passiveness, and the Bunnies‘ preciousness for another 200+ pages with no insight into why or how reality is altered. 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I have 3 chapters left in the first part. The last one I read definitely shifted it in a slightly different direction (the chapter with the Bunny prom). Nothing has yet convinced me that much/most/all of this isn't Samantha's imagination, especially since we've been told repeatedly that as a child she lied a lot and had a vivid imagination. 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah I finished part one this afternoon. Let me know when you get there. 5y

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Susannah @pigeonsandcrows Hoping to finish tomorrow (Monday). This weekend was apparently not a reading one. 🙄 5y

pigeonsandcrows @Susannah Where are you at with our little Bunny at this point? I wrapped up part 2 last night. 5y

Susannah @pigeonsandcrows I‘ll be done a little later today, so if you want to start talking about it on your most recent Bunny post (with the grass-style Bunny), I‘ll be around to reply in a bit. 5y

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Susannah

Banned Book Club | Kim Hyun Sook

Raise your hand if you wish it were Banned Books Month rather than #BannedBooksWeek. I usually forget until halfway through the week. 🤦‍♀️

(Image courtesy of ALA, 2017 Banned Books Week)

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Susannah

The House We Grew Up In: A Novel | Lisa Jewell

I‘m not too keen on the heaps upon heaps of drama in this book, but wow, is it readable. I‘ve burned through 300 pages in the last three days.

#bookclub #currentlyreading

jillrhudy Sometimes heaps and heaps of drama is all that keeps me awake long enough to get through a chapter or two! 5y

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Susannah

You Can't Read This: Forbidden Books, Lost Writing, Mistranslations, and Codes | Val Ross

I know how bitchy this sounds, but I think it stinks that there are books on this list that haven‘t even been released yet.

Susannah *Pretty covers though 5y

JacqMac I agree. I had the very same thought. 5y

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Susannah

Middlemarch | George Eliot

☀️ I‘m only on Book One, but I‘m in it for the long haul.
☀️ Reading, Closet cleaning, Hair cut!!!! 💇‍♀️🙌
☀️ Jamoca Almond Fudge from Baskin-Robbins
☀️ I played the flute in junior high and high school, which was a *long* time ago. Does it count?
☀️ No problem!

Happy holiday weekend to all who have one!

#FriYAYIntro @howjessreads

Lynnsoprano Of course it counts! 5y

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Susannah

Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and you too! | Chelsea Handler

pick

I‘m too prudish to be much of a Chelsea Handler fan, but when I read the synopsis and saw this one recommended, I decided to listen to the audiobook. Though it sounds like an odd combination, her struggle to overcome the anxiety and helplessness she felt about the last US presidential election, her devotion to her animals, and the hard work she does with her therapist to deal with childhood tragedy really resonated with me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Susannah

My Sister, the Serial Killer: A Novel | Oyinkan Braithwaite

pick

For its length, I thought this was extremely effective. I‘ve never read a book this, what ... impressionistic? ... that worked for me so well. The only thing I was uncertain about was that so many people call it satire. Does Oyinkan Braithwaite describe it that way? Because there was very little about it that made me think it satirical, and I don‘t mean that as a criticism of anything but the society that might drive a woman to murder. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Susannah BTW, I read this for my book club, and I really recommend it for a group read. There is a lot to be discussed here. 5y

KathyWheeler I didn‘t understand the satire description either. It‘s also been called humorous too, and I didn‘t get that. I did love the book though — I just don‘t think it‘s either of those things. 5y

MamaGina I really liked this one and think it has been on so many lists because she‘s able to convey so much meaning with so few words. I saw irony and layers of meaning in some of the prose but definitely not humor or satire 🤓 5y

Susannah @KathyWheeler I agree. It almost feels like calling it satirical and humorous is a way to make a female serial killer more palatable, which, just, aargh. I‘d love to read more about what the publishing industry apparently thought it had to do to market this book—and how it reflects some of the book‘s themes. Honestly, I don‘t know whether to be fascinated or appalled. I‘m kinda both. 5y

Susannah @MamaGina YES. So much of what I read feels bloated, so this book was refreshing for the way it presented its characters and told its story. I love what you said about irony and layers of meaning. The more I think about and discuss the book, the more depth I perceive it to have. 5y

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Susannah

'Salem's Lot | Stephen King

so-so

I‘ve been thinking about reading a Stephen King novel for a while now (the last I read was The Green Mile in ... 2000?). I was choosing between ‘Salem‘s Lot and It, and since It is 1100 freakin‘ pages long, I chose this one and was disappointed. I powered through it because King makes the pages fly, but I felt like he was much more interested in the peccadilloes of the community than building any sense of dread for at least the first half.

Susannah I had been snobby about King until my twenties, but then I read The Shining and The Green Mile, and was so impressed by how he constructs his stories and characters. That said, the characters in ‘Salem‘s Lot seemed largely without nuance, and it felt like King was really wallowing in their lurid behavior. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (edited) 5y

BookwormM You should try the Dark Tower series almost everything King has written crosses over and is connected Salem‘s Lot was much more enjoyable after learning what happened to Father Callahan 5y

Susannah @BookwormM Cool! I didn‘t realize that. Father Callahan was a big question mark, for sure. Thank you. 5y

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Susannah

Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece | Stephen Fry

How can I not admire Stephen Fry‘s consistent marriage of high and low culture?

AvidReader25 😂 He‘s the best. (edited) 5y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘ll have to check this out, she‘s so funny! 5y

Megabooks 🤣🤣🤣🤣 5y

saresmoore Bahaha! 5y

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Susannah

Reader's Block | David Markson

In the throes of reader‘s block, I feel very seen by this article. 😆 https://nyti.ms/2Yk7DZi

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Susannah

The Sparrow: A Novel | Mary Doria Russell

🍉 It‘s the only book I recommend to everyone.
🍉 Oh dear, I can‘t remember. Maybe “Thor: Ragnarok”? (I know, I know.)
🍉 👈 Watermelon!
🍉 First cousins? Six
🍉 @Q84 @texasgirl @brit91 @ljuliel

#friyayintro @howjessreads

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Susannah

Apollo 11: The NASA Mission Reports | Robert Godwin

I‘m sure that many of you have seen the video associated with this week‘s Google doodle commemorating the Apollo 11 moon landing, but if you haven‘t, I really recommend it. The animation and the narration of pilot Michael Collins are simple, but overall it is a lovely tribute to that wondrous event fifty years ago today. https://youtu.be/uzbquKCqEQY

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Susannah

The World According to Garp: A Novel | John Irving

I can‘t quite reconcile Irving‘s avowed feminism with his main female character‘s hatred of sex and his main male character‘s preoccupation with it, but I suspect that‘s my shortcoming, not Irving‘s. Garp feels realer to me than Jenny Fields right now, but I‘m not sure if it‘s because I know the book was written by a man or because of the way the characters actually are written.

Do any Irving fans or non-fans here have an opinion?

Susannah *Picture from the film version of “The World According to Garp,” which I‘m beginning to realize is a positively heroic adaptation given how dense with story Irving‘s book is. (He‘s always like that, isn‘t he?) (edited) 5y

Billypar I read this a few months ago, and really liked it. I think it reflects a pro-feminist outlook overall on the part of Irving, but he does get a few things wrong- the negative attitude towards sex by feminists is one of them. I think the Ellen James storyline betrayed an anxiety about extremism that never came to pass in the feminist movement, violent or otherwise. 5y

RaimeyGallant I suspect Irving is confused about his feminism. 5y

Susannah Thanks, @Billypar and @RaimeyGallant. I continue to be a bit ambivalent about Irving‘s portrayal of women in the book (I see less nuance than I‘d like), but I‘m also keeping in mind that Garp was written 40 years ago. I don‘t doubt Irving‘s perspective has continued to evolve. I‘m curious to know how I‘ll feel about it at the end. (edited) 5y

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Susannah

A Place Called Winter | Patrick Gale

pick

It took me a long time to read this book. The subject matter is not light, and its heaviness led me to put it down for a while. But it was so good. I don‘t read many stories set in Canada, let alone ones that imagine the world of early 20th Century prairie life (albeit for white settlers), but I really recommend this. The main character experiences very difficult circumstances but his increasing inner strength makes it totally worthwhile. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TrishB I loved this one 👍🏻 5y

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Susannah

The Great Believers | Rebecca Makkai

pick

A slightly premature #recommendsday suggestion, this was the most recent read for my book club and one of my favorites of the year so far. It‘s kind of odd: I found the book to have a lot of flaws (mostly stemming from the fact that I think Makkai diluted the Eighties story by including the 2015 thread and that the two threads resulted in weaker character development), but I was totally engaged while I was reading it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️-1/2

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Susannah

The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London | Christopher Skaife

pick

I saw the ravens of the Tower of London last year, so this book was very fun (I ❤️ an “I‘ve been there!” book). I appreciated the obvious affection Christopher Skaife has towards the Tower ravens, and the humaneness he tries to show them. There is clearly a measure of captivity, but Skaife‘s up front about it while conveying that he believes the birds allow him to care for them, and that he owes more to them than they to him. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Susannah

Me | Katharine Hepburn

Cuss, Read, Snack

How did they know? 🤬📚🍫
(Courtesy of Electric Literature)

LauraJ Read, nap, sleep. Whoa! Creepy. 🌀 5y

LeahBergen Read, Tweet, Drink. 👍🏻 (edited) 5y

julesG Sleep, Love - strange, and I don't have a middle name 5y

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jenniferw88 @julesG I don't have a middle name either - Sleep Hide! 5y

Libby1 Eat, Sleep, Marry. Sounds about right! 5y

sprainedbrain Sleep, Tweet, Read... 😃 5y

dariazeoli Tweet, Read, Destroy 🙌🏻 5y

I_Like_Big_Books Pray, Cuss, Kill. (That escalated quickly 😆) 5y

Slajaunie Cuss, love, read- I don‘t really cuss but I like the other two. 5y

Eyelit Read, Nap, Read 😄 sounds about right! 5y

Susannah @Eyelit 🤣👍 5y

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Susannah

The Six Wives of Henry VIII | Alison Weir

pick

I couldn‘t put this book down for good without giving Henry VIII‘s other three wives their due. In the end I think I admire Anne of Cleves the most. She had the good sense to accept the comparatively fine offer of a divorce from Henry. None of them lived long, though. 👇

Susannah Anne of Cleves outlived both Henry and his last wife, Katharine Parr, but still died at 43, a rather young age for a woman who bore no children nor fell victim to her (ex-)husband‘s propensity for violence towards the people who had been close to him. 👇 5y

Susannah I think it‘s the concentrated misogyny that unnerves me so much, and it probably shouldn‘t. It‘s not like women were anything but chattel in any other historical setting. Still, depressing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (edited) 5y

rubyslippersreads Have you read

My Lady of Cleves

Susannah @rubyslippersreads I‘ve never even heard of it. Thank you for mentioning it! 5y

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Susannah

Vox | Christina Dalcher

I know that many readers have said this book‘s conclusion doesn‘t live up to its beginning, but the first 70 pages have sure scared the hell out of me. 🤭

#currentlyreading

ManyWordsLater Love that cover! 5y

Susannah I do too! 5y

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Susannah

Surveys: A Novel | Natasha Stagg

🌼 Circe by Madeline Miller
🌼 This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender
🌼 I‘ve just started The Great Believers with my book club, and I really hope I love it.
🌼 I set a 60-book goal on Goodreads, and it says that, at 27 books read, I‘m two books ahead of schedule! 💪
🌼 @emz711 @Kaymaynard @Sic_Corneille @I_Like_Big_Books @ScatteredThinker

#thursdaysurvey @laurenslibrary

emz711 Hi! 5y

Susannah @emz711 Hi there! 5y

AvidReader25 Loved Circe!!! 5y

Sic_Corneille I absolutely loved Circe too ! 5y

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Susannah

If We Were Villains | M L Rio

Listening to If We Were Villains because I was hoping the narrator would do justice to this wonderful campus/theater novel (which I read in print form last year). The narrator isn't as versatile as I hoped, but if you like books set in academia starring a group of theater majors in Shakespeare's thrall, I really recommend it.

*whisper* I liked it more than The Secret History. *whisper* 😲

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐-1/2

#recommendsday #currentlylistening

erzascarletbookgasm I‘ll put this further up my tbr, I loved The Secret History! 5y

Susannah @erzascarletbookgasm I hope you like it! 5y

sisilia Whooaaaa better than The Secret History! Stacked! 5y

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Susannah

Mediocre: Making Fun of Life | Julie McCulloch Burton

After trying to push myself for the OWLs Readathon in April, then (unrelatedly) getting sick just before it ended, May was a bit slumpy for me. I didn‘t finish a book until nearly mid-month, and most of what I read was just ok.

I am happy, however, already to be rebounding in June. Thank heavens for a short slump.

In May:
Quaint Honour by Roger Gellert ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Eternal Life by Dara Horn ⭐️⭐️
A Different Light by Elizabeth A. Lynn ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Susannah

The Six Wives of Henry VIII | Alison Weir

390 pages in, and Henry‘s first three wives are dead because of his insane drive to have a son. As ever, the ironies are that science has taught us that the male parent is responsible for the sex of his children; and it would be his daughter who became the most famous monarch in English history. (Did someone say “karma”?)

julesG Both daughters are famous. Kind of. 😉 5y

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Susannah

Wednesday | Anne Bertier

📚 Hmm. As I finish a book, I usually just get an urge that there is one book in particular I want to read next. 🤷‍♀️
📚 When I lived in Washington, DC, I read every day on the Metro. Now I live in a car culture, so I listen to audiobooks when I‘m in transit.
📚 Television, Internet
📚 Nothing reading-specific, but I do always like a handful of M&M‘s.
📚 Oh dear, this is late, but I‘m tagging @Kloves2read and @Jinster

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Eggs Love #1!!! Serendipity 5y

Susannah @Eggs, yes! Thank you. 😊 5y

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Susannah

Owls: Our Most Charming Bird | Matt Sewell

#OWLsReadathon2019 Progress/End, April 30

✔️ Ancient Runes / Retelling / 📚🧠🎓🗝: Radiance by Grace Draven
✔️ Charms / Read an Adult Work / 🧠🎓🗝: The Last Cruise by Kate Christensen
✔️ Potions / Next Ingredient: Sequel / 🧠🎓🗝: When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr #2) by C.S. Harris
✔️ Transfiguration / Sprayed Edges or Red Cover / 📚🧠🗝: The Graces by Laure Eve

Susannah Well, I called it at seven books completed for the OWLs Readathon. I was all ready to get to 10, but then I lost the last week of April to a cold. Oh well. I did learn that I don‘t care for having prompts drive my book selections, so I won‘t be carrying on with the NEWTs. I‘m glad I tried it though! 6y

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Susannah

Owls: Our Most Charming Bird | Matt Sewell

#OWLsReadathon2019 Progress, April 11

✔️ Herbology / A Book with a Plant on the Cover / 🧠: Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
✔️ Care of Magical Creatures / Land Animal on the Cover / 🎓: The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
✔️ Muggle Studies / A Contemporary Book / 🧠🎓: The Lost Man by Jane Harper

📚 Librarian
🎓 Hogwarts Professor
🗝 Curse Breaker
🧠 Mind Mender

Susannah At this rate, I‘ll finish 7ish rather than the planned 10 books, but that‘s ok. 10 is a stretch goal. 🤓 6y

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Susannah

Circe | Madeline Miller

For USA Littens with Audible accounts: look at today‘s Daily Deal! If you‘re remotely interested in Circe, I really recommend the audiobook, narrated by Perdita Weeks (she has an English accent). Terrific novel wonderfully narrated.

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Susannah

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (20th Anniversary) | Judy Blume

🎵 “Ordinary World” by Duran Duran
♈️ Aries
🖊 Judy Blume
❤️ I tag everyone who hasn‘t yet offered their #WondrousWednesday deets! 😁

Many thanks to @Eggs. These were fun!

Eggs So happy you enjoy these 😊💗😊 6y

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Susannah

Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? | Caryl Churchill

pick

No one will accuse Caryl Churchill of taking it easy on her audience. This play about a (British) man falling in love with a country (the USA, represented by another man—an Alpha male, natch) reflects Churchill‘s attitude about early 21st C. relations between the UK and US in fragmented conversations between the play‘s two characters. It‘s exhausting to read, but the concept is full of fascinating ideas. I‘d love to see it performed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emilymdxn LOVE this play 6y

Susannah @Emilymdxn I really like the issues it raises. I do wonder if it will get much attention in the future, though. People who associate the play closely with Bush and Blair may ultimately wonder what all the fuss was about after the horrors of Trump and Brexit. 🤦‍♀️ 6y

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Susannah

The Kindle Pocket Guide | Scott McNulty

KathyWheeler I have a Kindle Paperwhite, which I love. It‘s easy to read, there‘s no glare, fonts can be adjusted, and it‘s light. 6y

That-Bookish-Hiker I have the newest kindle fire. I love it especially because it is a colored screen but I can also use my OverDrive app on it and check out books on it without having to do do it on my laptop. 6y

JacqMac I have a Paperwhite and I love it. The no glare is my favourite part. And I can set the light low enough when reading in bed, that it doesn‘t disturb my hubby. The only con for me, is that it isn‘t compatible with Canadian libraries. 6y

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Rachel.Rencher My husband and I both have Kindle fires. I think they're great, but definitely get a case. They're slippery buggers. 6y

Susannah @KathyWheeler @That-Bookish-Hiker @JacqMac @Rachel.Rencher Thank you all so much! This info will definitely help with my decision. 6y

TrishB Paperwhite 👍🏻 got last year and it‘s great. 6y

Emilymdxn I have a paper white, I‘ve had it a few years and it‘s lasted very well and I love it a lot 6y

jillrhudy Another vote for Paperwhite. I got the one with a reading light and ads (they are just images on the home screen and don‘t interrupt reading experience) four years ago on Prime Day for $79. Love it. 6y

saresmoore I‘ve had a few different models, but the new Paperwhite is my favorite, far and away. 6y

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Susannah

The Immortalists | Chloe Benjamin

so-so

Disappointing. Each section seemed weaker than the last—and no one section was especially strong because there was little time to tell each character‘s story (with minimal overlap even though they were siblings).

Benjamin seemed more interested in proving that she knew the times and places she was writing about. Her acknowledgments included information on her research, which I found irksome: I wish she had cared more for her characters. ⭐️⭐️

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Susannah

Owls: Our Most Charming Bird | Matt Sewell

Ambition took over when I reviewed Booktuber Book Roast‘s Wizarding Careers Guidebook for her O.W.L. Readathon this month. Trying to keep my options open, I‘ve got to read 10 books, which, given my five-book-per-month average is a bit unlikely, but oh well. Above are the prompts I‘m going to follow. Here are my career choices (in order of preference):

📚 Librarian
🎓 Hogwarts Professor
🗝 Curse Breaker
🧠 Mind Mender

#OWLsReadathon2019

Susannah Actual books read to follow throughout the month, as I didn‘t want to lock down my TBR. (edited) 6y

Susannah I really recommend Book Roast‘s readathon announcement video if you‘re at all interested. It‘s impossible not to be impressed by the work she did to put the readathon together. https://youtu.be/dk-wc72whn4 6y

tpixie Herbology - does the word ‘plants‘ on the cover count?

Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities

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Susannah @tpixie I think you should be able to interpret the prompt however you wish. In other words, sure! 😁 6y

tpixie ☺️ 6y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa What is this? Tell me more!! 6y

Susannah @Riveted_Reader_Melissa here are some useful links: Readathon Announcement Video: https://youtu.be/dk-wc72whn4
Book Prompts: http://tinyurl.com/y2g7mo37
Wizarding Careers Guidebook: http://tinyurl.com/y5eqtkwj 6y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Thank you! 6y

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Susannah

What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery | C.S. Harris

pick

I am forever starting book series that I have no interest in continuing, so I am excited to have enjoyed book one of this Sebastian St. Cyr series so much. While I think author C.S. Harris could do a slightly better job of establishing place and time (early 19th Century London), I appreciated that she includes the trauma faced by St. Cyr due to the time he spent fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. I‘m looking forward to book two.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

kspenmoll I enjoyed this as well. Want to get book two from library. 6y

23 likes1 comment

Susannah

Is That the Orange Cat? | Joanne Meier, Cecilia Minden

This boy has been with me for a year today. After losing my four beloved girl kitties over the last three years, it‘s been such a gift to have him to lavish attention on. Happy cataversary, Rudy! ❤️😺

#catsoflitsy

julesG Happy Catsyversary! 6y

Susannah Thank you, @julesG! 😻 6y

batsy He's so sweet! 6y

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cariashley Aw so cute! Love an orange cat 😻 6y

AlaMich He looks like a sweetie! 😻 6y

Susannah @batsy @cariashley @AlaMich Thank you! He is a sweet boy. ❤️ 6y

kspenmoll Such a pretty color and those imploring eyes!😻 6y

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Susannah

You're Only Old Once!: A Book for Obsolete Children | Dr Seuss

Accurate #birthday card is accurate. 👩🏻🎂👵🏼

Texreader Oh yea... 6y

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Susannah

The Weekend | Bernhard Schlink

📚 Whew, so many right now (I‘m hoping to finish at least a couple this weekend):
Red, White & Royal Blue
Whose Body?
Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?
A Place Called Winter
The Odd Women
🎞 “On the Town” during last Monday night‘s Turner Classic Movies‘ tribute to director Stanley Donen
🥤 I‘m not much for special drinks. Usually, it‘s just water or Diet Coke (my very own liquid kyptonite 🤣).

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

AlwaysForeverReading Thirteen Reasons Why; Creed; tea 6y

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Susannah

Red, White & Royal Blue | Casey McQuiston

I am terrible about reading my books from #netgalley in a timely manner, but I started this late last night and tore through the first 100 pages. It‘s adorable! Light as a feather in the best way and a perfect antidote to a frustrating work week.😍

Beachesnbooks I just got this one from netgalley too and based on all the reviews i‘m super excited to read it! 😄 6y

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Susannah

Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy, from the Seventies to the Twenty-first Century | Simon Reynolds

pick

I did my own #marchintothe70s with this book. I usually have little patience for overlong books on popular music (this was 687 pages), but I loved the essay style of each chapter. David Bowie was, unsurprisingly, a thread in almost every chapter, but otherwise the chapters were quite self-contained, which really kept me interested. Needless to say, my “Glamorama” playlist has been getting quite a workout recently! 👩🏻‍🎤🎵 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lizpixie This sounds fantastic! #stacked 6y

Susannah @Lizpixie, it was fun. You‘ll just want to warn your family, friends, and neighbors that David Bowie, T. Rex, and many other glam rock bands will be in heavy rotation while you‘re reading it! 😉 6y

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Susannah

The Death of Mrs. Westaway | Ruth Ware

pick

I was frustrated by how Ruth Ware made her main character, Harriet (Hal) Westaway intuitive enough to make a living as a tarot reader but dim enough to place herself, alone, in the path of a homicidal lunatic; however, I also understand what these types of books are trying to be: Pure entertainment. It‘s best not to ponder the possible character inconsistencies and plot holes too much. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

callielafleur I think this very thing is why so many thrillers and mysteries bother me- smart people doing dumb things purely in service to extending the plot. 6y

Susannah @callielafleur YES! Exactly. For some reason, I believe that readers have gotten more—not less—sophisticated since Agatha Christie was writing, so I expect more intelligent popular mystery. Evidently, popular mystery writers disagree with me. 😒 6y

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Susannah

If I Ran for President | Catherine Stier

I don‘t know about y‘all, but I‘ll be keeping this tweet handy. 🇺🇸🗳

#themoreyouknow🌈

Susannah Especially BOOT-edge-edge. Whew! 6y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Looks good to me for @MelissaSue81 ‘s #ReadTheCandidates 6y

Susannah Thanks, @Riveted_Reader_Melissa! I was going to tag @MelissaSue81, then forgot. 🤦‍♀️ 6y

BarbaraTheBibliophage So many good names in the mix! #diversityinpolitics 6y

15 likes4 comments

Susannah

Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology | Robin Morgan

#internationalwomensday

SoManyBooksNotEnoughTime 😂 6y

That-Bookish-Hiker Yaaas! Love it. 😂 6y

GingerAntics 💙💙💙 6y

sprainedbrain 😂😂😂 Yes! 6y

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Susannah

Betrayal | Harold Pinter

pick

Thank heavens I was able to find an audio version of this play (BBC radio drama with Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott, no less!) because at the halfway point, I was totally adrift.

I can‘t remember if Pinter always writes this way, but Betrayal is not great for play readers. I can imagine actors have a field day with everything he leaves off the page, but for me, reading this was akin to this Eddie Izzard bit: https://youtu.be/Qfw60qXtOH0

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Susannah That said, I do recommend this if you like plays. The more I sit with it, the more I realize how effective it was (if you can set aside how Pinter‘s characters are very much beset by first-world problems that ring rather hollow in these times). 6y

23 likes1 comment

Susannah

All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson | Mark Griffin

so-so

Try as he might, author Mark Griffin doesn‘t provide any new insights into Rock Hudson in this new biography. He simultaneously echoes many of the details of Robert Hofler‘s salacious biography of Hudson‘s slimy agent, Henry Willson; glances off the actual relationships Hudson had; and gives short shrift to Hudson‘s professional career in movies and TV. At almost 500 pages, I expected better. Much better. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reecaspieces I found this to be extremely slow. Glad you so so liked it. Lol. I did not finish it. 6y

Susannah @Reecaspieces I found the audiobook on Scribd so listened to much of it, which helped a lot. In my opinion, though, it also made the shortcomings of the book really stand out. 6y

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Susannah

Circe | Madeline Miller

📚 #YA, specifically, Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
📚 Errands: Groceries, Car mechanic, Library(!!)
📚 👆🏺🌞👸🧜‍♂️🦑🏝🐅⚓️🍷🐖💑🤱🧑⛵️🗾⚔️⚰️👩‍👦👩‍👦💑🤱❤️
📚 Nothing—unless you count the “galloping myopia” my optometrist once told me I had 🤔🤣
📚 👋👍

#friYAYintro @howjessreads

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Joined May 2016