On My Nightstand August 18, 2024

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almost full moon

I know it’s gotten boring and people say this every month, but where did this month go? I can’t believe we’re more than halfway through August. Of all the fast months this year this has been the fastest.

We’re volunteering this morning, and then we’re going to see a movie for my birthday in the afternoon. School starts tomorrow, and the first field hockey games are Tuesday and Thursday. In between all that I plan on finding as much time as I can to read on my porch in between watching the moon and listening to baseball.

Quote of the week:

“It pays to do your best work even when you think there’s no point.”
— Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky- This is the book I needed right now. I’ve been reading this series since I was in high school, and I love it. I was so excited when the e-book of the latest one came from the library, and I started it as soon as I could.

Audiobook - The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan - This was another very anticipated summer read for me, and so far it is not disappointing me.

Print - Tales From The Torrid Zone by Alexander Frater - I should probably give up on this one soon, but for now it’s what I’m reading when I’m sitting in my car.

Reading in the yard

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Show Us Your Books July 2024

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July was a great reading month for me. We were away for a week, and then my kids went to Ohio for a week. All of that added up to some quality reading time.

Here are the best of the best:

Five Stars:

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore - Whew, what a ride!

An excellent summer read about a brother and a sister who disappear from camp 12 years apart. I loved it- couldn’t stop reading.

My Own Country by Abraham Verghese - Verghese wrote two of my favorite works of fiction so I had to read his memoir about his time as an infectious disease specialist in Johnson City, TN during the early days of the AIDS crisis. His perspective as an immigrant was really unique, and I thought and the stories of his patients were very touching. This was another Verghese five star read for me.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver - This was a re-read for me, but it hit much differently in my 40’s than it did in my 30’s. I loved the three stories of women breaking the mold in Appalachia and how they came together at the end. I forgot how funny this book was too. Truly some laugh out loud moments.

Four Stars:

The Suspect by Alexander Kent - I heard about this book a year or two ago and I bought it the same day, but it took to Paris Olympics to actually pull it from my TBR.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It wasn’t just about Jewell although he certainly features, but also about the reporters and FBI who investigated.

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali - I loved this book about two young women growing up in Tehran. A really good read about friendship and life under a totalitarian regime.

Thanks for reading!

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On My Nightstand August 10, 2024

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Clouds after debby

Hurricane Debby swept through here yesterday. It was a scary day with tornado and flash flood alerts going off. Luckily the damage here wasn’t too bad, and we got some much needed rain. I have to take the kids to get some back to school stuff this morning, but as soon as we get home I’m throwing on an audiobook and pulling every weed I see while the ground is soft. The things that make you happy in your 40’s!

I thought I was in a reading slump, but it turns out I just didn’t like what I was reading very much. So I bailed on a bunch of books last week and now I’m back on track. Whew!

Quote of the week:

“Rich people, thought Judy- she thought this the, and she thinks it now- generally become most enraged when they sense they’re about to be held accountable for their wrongs.”
— God of the Woods by Liz Moore

tropical downpours while reading the torrid zone

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - Bear by Julia Phillips - I have peopley things to do this weekend, but really all I want to do is hide somewhere and read this book. At 17% it’s so good!

Audiobook - Walking to Samarkand by Bernard Ollivier - I am really enjoying this trilogy of travel memoirs about Ollivier’s walk along the Silk Road between 1999-2002.

Print - Tales From The Torrid Zone by Alexander Frater - Still reading this one bit by bit while I wait for field hockey practice to end. It’s perfect for dipping in and out of.

fresh figs from my tree

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August 2024 TBR

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On My Nightstand August 4, 2024

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national gallery of art

I worked this week, but I spent a few of the evenings visiting the local sights since my kids are out of town. They don’t love going to art museums or zoos with me, so I just go when they’re gone. Now the kids are back and we’re getting ready for fall sports next week. Summers never last as long as I think they will!

I also spent some time going through my reading plans for the rest of the year. I read quite a few new releases and ARCs this year which has been fun. However I am really behind in my reading goals. So I planned a way so that I can at least finish my Reading Oceania and Reading The USA challenges.

Quote of the week:

“I started doing several different breathing exercises at once that all canceled each other out.”
— All Fours by Miranda July

national botanical garden

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - The Rhino Keeper by Jillian Forsberg - An ARC for a historical fiction book coming out in October.

Audiobook - The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty - I bought myself a paper copy of this last year for my birthday, but I realized I just find them much more enjoyable on audio. So I switched to audio but kept my copy of the beautiful book for my shelf.

Print - Tales From The Torrid Zone by Alexander Frater - This one will be with me for a while. I’m enjoying the travel memoir that takes place in various tropical countries, but it’s not something I can curl up with and read for hours.

the national zoo

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On My Nightstand July 28, 2024

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Waking up late today because I stayed up way too late last night watching the Olympics. This will be my life until mid-August. I can’t get enough!

I’ve been reading a lot too, and trying to finish up my July goals. I’m behind this month since we have been on the go so much, and my concentration has been terrible when I do get a minute. Oh well. It’s a hobby not a job. (Talking to myself here.)

Quote of the week:

““Guess what that old family named the house,” he said. “Give me a minute. I’m thinking,” said Delphine, seriously. And then she said: “Manderly.””
— The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells - An impulse read- I love books set in National Parks, and have been looking for something similar to Alice Henderson’s series.

Audiobook - The Suspect by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen - Listened to a bunch of things before the one thing I really wanted to listen to. This week!

Print - The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes - For a book club. I hope it’s a good one! I have a love/hate relationship with “required reading.”

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2024 First Half Favorites

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Better late than never, here are my top five reads from January to June 2024. Note these may have been published before 2024, and I’m not including re-reads. They’re in no particular order.

Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka - This autobiographical graphic novel gave me all the feels. Jarret grew up with his grandparents after being largely abandoned by his drug addicted mother and his MIA father. His grandparents weren’t exactly traditional but they got the job done. Bonus points for 1990’s Massachusetts nostalgia.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - I can’t say it better than a million reviewers and the Pulitzer Prize have already said. I’ll just say this lived up to the hype for me, and I recommend it on audio.

On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu - This is one of the great books of 2020-2021 that I feel got lost amid all of the world events. If I could make it required reading though I would because it puts a very relatable face on a refugee family.

All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby - Another book that deserves the hype. Cosby is a auto read author for me. I know that once I start his books I can’t stop.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe - This was one of my most anticipated summer releases. It was so unique while being relatable all at the same time. How to describe the book about a young single mother making it work via her only fans account with the help of her washed up pro wrestler Dad? I can’t. Just read it.

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On My Nightstand July 21, 2024

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We just got back from my annual extended family vacation in New Hampshire. What a time. I am still processing. It’s an awesome thing to see children turn into adults and adults who should be slowing down decide they should do new things like zip lining. I am profoundly grateful for this time with my family. I am also profoundly grateful to be home with my books and my cats!

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week:

“both human nature and a pastry are frail...”
— All Fours by Miranda July

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - Sandwich by Catherine Newman - Very timely to read this book about a woman on vacation with her kids and parents while on vacation with my kids and parents.

Audiobook - The Suspect by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen - I never got to this last week, but am looking forward to it now. The Olympics start soon!

Print - I’m not sure! I finished My Own Country while I was away and aren’t sure what I’m in the mood for now! Picking out my next book is fun so I’m looking forward to deciding.

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On My Nightstand July 13, 2024

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It’s a busy morning. My daughter is on her way home from summer camp. Once we pick her up let the laundry begin!

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week:

“I hate estimable young men with brown eyes!”
— Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - Feral Creatures of Suburbia by D. Liebhart (ARC) - Still working on this one. No reflection on the book, just hasn’t been a kindle type week.

Audiobook - The Suspect by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen - I’ve been wanting to read this book about the Atlanta Olympics bombing for a while, and figured now is the time.

Print - My Own Country by Abraham Verghese - I absolutely love Verghese’s fiction. I’m happy to say his non-fiction is just as immersive. This is a memoir about his early days as a doctor during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.

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Show Us Your Books July 2024

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June was a great reading month. I read some new books for summer reading challenges, and finally got to a book from last summer’s reading guides.

Five Star Reads

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe - This was one of my most anticipated summer reads and it did not disappoint. I loved this completely dysfunctional family so much.

Four Star Reads

The Postcard by Anne Berest - What to say about this book? I was so mad at first that the family stayed in France. The book did such a good job showing how evil the Nazis were in hiding what they had planned. Of course they didn’t believe the worst would happen. Unbelievably sad and sobering. I thought I’d read all of the WWII books by this point but I’m glad I read this one too.

Butter by Asako Yuzuki - I think the publishers did this book a disservice by billing this as a book of food and murder when it really wasn’t that. Really it was about living up to expectations in Japan, and how people are judged for their weight. Once I let go of the food and murder thing I really liked this book.

Challenger by Adam Higginbotham - We listened to this chunkster of an audiobook on trips from Virginia to Tennessee and then from Virginia to West Virginia. We all really enjoyed it, although it almost went too much in depth. I did appreciate that it focused on all the astronauts not just McAuliffe.

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby - I love the characters and the setting in S.A. Cosby’s books. In this one a former getaway driver gets behind on his bills, and needs to do one last job. Fun summer reading.

Long Island by Colm Toibin - This book was quiet but so complicated. I am still trying to wrap my head around each of the characters. They were all so flawed but in a way that makes you want the best for them.

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On My Nightstand July 6, 2024

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This week went by so fast! The weeks with days off always do. I’ve been trying to take advantage and read, but it’s so hot I’ve just been falling asleep a lot. I have also been distracted by season two of The Mole on Netflix. Nothing beats the original Anderson Cooper version, but these new ones are pretty good.

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week:

“From past investigations, Juliet had learned that few combinations were more delightful than investigations and scones.”
— The Perils of Lady Cathering de Bourgh by Claudia Gray

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - Feral Creatures of Suburbia by D. Liebhart (ARC) - If this book is as good as the cover it will get a good review from me.

Audiobook - Claws for Concern by Miranda James - These cozies are nice light listens for my audio walks.

Print - I’m about halfway through The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Gray. This series is so fun.

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July 2024 TBR

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June Beginning TBR: 424
June Ending TBR: 416

I made a tiny dent on my TBR last month. I’ll take it!

Books I Want To Read In July:

1-6 Are all book club reads: FoodAndLit, my postal book club, my work book club, Author A Month, and the next Nancy Drew. I’m not sure what all the titles are yet so I won’t list them.

7) Within Arm’s Reach

8) Tales From The Torrid Zone

9) The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh

10) Myst

11) The Oceanography of the Moon

12) Triumphant Sky

13) The Eyre Affair

14) In Extremis

15) The Earth Cries Out

16) All Fours

17) James

18) The Empire of Gold

That’s all I’ve got so far! I’m hoping a shorter list means I’ll get more done? We’ll see!

On My Nightstand June 29, 2024

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It’s almost July, my youngest is away at camp, and the weather report says approximately 3 million degrees with 200% humidity. Summer reading is in full swing!

We’re halfway through the year so I’m going to be working on some best of 2024 so far lists this week, plus starting to think about the reading challenges I’m committed to and how best to finish them before the end of the year. None of that is necessary or required of course, but I really do love planning my reading almost as much as I love reading!

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week:

“‘There is nothing in this world so pathetic, so moronic, so meaningless as dieting.’”
— Butter by Asako Yuzuki

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - Long Island by Colm Tóibín I’m loving this one just as much as the first one so far. I’m so glad I was able to get it from the library so quickly.

Audiobook - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver - I’m not sure if this is working for me on audio so I might switch to print. I’ve read it before so I know I like the story.

Print - Still working on Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes. Hopefully I’ll get some time to finish this weekend.

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On My Nightstand June 22, 2024

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We were away last week touring colleges and hiking in the smokies. I did a lot of reading but barely finished anything. Just one of those weeks where I couldn’t decide what to read so I read a bit of everything.

I’m itching to start a new cookbook project so I’ll be researching for that this week.

Have a great week all!

Quote of the week

“Language is a maze, and the mind can get lost.”
— The Postcard by Anne Berest

Reading This Week:

Kindle - Long Island by Colm Toibin - I loved Brooklyn and am really looking forward to the sequel.

Audio - Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby - I love his books and this audio has been perfect summer listening so far.

Paper - Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes - Still working on this! Not sure why it’s been such a struggle for me, but now I’m 100 pages in so I might as well finish.

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On My Nightstand June 9, 2024

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This is it on the 2023-2024 school year. Son is done with school, and daughter has one soccer game plus 3 half days of school. We have almost survived. I am looking forward to a little breathing room where every second of every day doesn’t have to be scheduled. I’m behind on visiting blogs. I’m hoping to spend an afternoon this week catching up. After all, my TBR isn’t going to add to itself!

Have a great week all!

Quote of the week

“Nope. Uh-uh. We don’t stick around for that applesauce.”
— The Hudson Collection by Jocelyn Green

Reading This Week:

Kindle - The Postcard by Anne Berest - This book in translation was all over summer reading lists last year, but I’m just getting to it this summer.

Audio - A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman - For a book club. Sounds fin!

Paper - Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes - A lot of people love this one, but I’m still waiting to get into it. I paid cash money for it, so I want to like it, but I won’t give it too much longer.

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Walking Wednesday June 5, 2024

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I ran into a lot of wildlife this week! Soccer practice is coming to an end so I will need to find another walking routine yet again. My daughter wants to start going to the gym which may not be a terrible idea once it starts getting really hot.

I’ve been listening to The Exchange by John Grisham. It’s fun to catch back up with Mitch and Abbey from The Firm!

Food and Lit May: Spain

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This month’s #FoodAndLit country on Litsy was Spain. I checked out a few cookbooks from the library, and had dreams of making fabulous tapas, but time and budget demanded I dial it back. I was so happy to find this gazpacho recipe on Gimme Some Oven. It used things I had on hand and was quick to throw together. Score!

I read two books set in Spain. The first, Walking With Sam by Andrew McCarthy, was excellent on audio. Plus the story of father and newly adult son walking across Spain came at the perfect time- my nephew graduated and my son turned sixteen last week. I told my brother about it and he downloaded it right away as well. Book therapy!

The second book I read was Sleeping Arrangements by Madeline Wickham. This really could have been set anywhere, but the easy read set in a Spanish Villa was great for evening porch reading during a busy week.

Next month we read and eat from Iceland!

On My Nightstand June 1, 2024

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I’m back from my nephew’s graduation and a visit to my favorite book store in the world- Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut. If you ever have a chance to go, do it! I could spend hours there wandering between the various buildings searching for treasures. I ended up with some summer reading for my kids, one for me, and a mini-stack of vintage Nancy Drews.

Now that we’re home I’m putting in the hours cleaning up my garden and getting back to my walking routine. I have an audiobook going at all times of course!

Have a great week all!

Quote of the week

“This is what you must remember: the ending of one story is just the beginning of another.”
— The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Reading This Week:

Kindle - The Hudson Collection by Jocelyn Green - I have an ARC of this book. It comes out in three days so I need to get it done. I’m enjoying it so far so that shouldn’t be a problem!

Audio - The Silence of the Library by Miranda James - I’ve been listening to this series in between other heavier books.

Paper - Songs In Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris - I got this at a friends of the library sale last year and I keep forgetting to read it. This is the week!

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June 2024 TBR

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May beginning TBR: 393
May ending TBR: 424 (hello summer reading guides!)

I’m hoping to get this back down under 300 by the end of the summer. There are so many good books that came out this summer! The TBR creep couldn’t be avoided.

20 Books I Want To Read In June 2024:

1) My Own Country by Abraham Verghese

2) The Exchange by John Grisham

3) Cultures of Growth by Mary Murphy

4) Clear by Carys Davies

5) Butter by Asako Yuzuki

6) Betrayal by Lilja Sigurdardottir

7) Orphans of Bliss (Short Stories)

8) Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

9) It’s Up To The Women by Eleanor Roosevelt

10) All We Can Save (Various authors)

11) Songs In Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris

12) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

13) The Guncle by Steven Rowley

14) The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

15) The Silence of the Library by Miranda James

16) Wolf Trap by Connor Sullivan

17) Litsy Mark Up Postal Book Club

18) Little Women Chapter A Day

19) Nancy’s Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene

20) Dead Upon Arrival by Kat Bellemore

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On My Nightstand May 18, 2024

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It’s another busy weekend! Prom tonight, soccer tomorrow, and prep for a week of end of year parties and banquets. Then Friday my son turns 16, and early Saturday morning we leave for a graduation party in Massachusetts. It’s an eight hour drive, but I wouldn’t miss it! (Plus that’s 16 hours of audiobooks.)

Have a great week!

Quote of the week

“Edwin might have clung to England a little longer, but he holds secretly radical views which emerged unexpectedly at a dinner party, thus speeding up his fate.”
— Sea of Tranquility of Emily St. John Mandel

What I’m Reading This Week

On Kindle - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - I didn’t get very far with this last week, but this is the week! I’m hoping for a lot of long nights on my porch with this one.

On Paper - Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel - I’ve been loving diving into her books this month with the #AuthorAMonth group on Litsy. I put this one off a few days because I didn’t want to be done with my little project, but now’s the time.

On Audio- I need to start The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger before it disappears from Everand again.

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