Buy, Don't Borrow: Calm the F*ck Down by Sarah Knight

Buy, Don't Borrow: Calm the F*ck Down by Sarah Knight
Tell me something: Is it too much that I used my “Read a Fucking Book” bookmark with “Calm the F*ck Down,” Sarah Knight’s new addition to her “No F*cks Given” series? I do swear a lot. I’m also highly anxious. So, it would make sense for this bookmark and this book to find each other... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
February 17, 2019 at 11:46 am • 

Just Cut My Heart Out Already: The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

Just Cut My Heart Out Already: The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
I’m not sure how much more my heart can take. Between “A Little Life” and “Less” and “The Great Believers” and even “The Immortalists,”— phenomenal love and friendship stories — you’d think I’d steer myself away from another book sure to make me cry. But these were all so damn good, I couldn’t help myself... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
February 4, 2019 at 11:00 pm • 

Thanks, but I'll Skip the Smoothie: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Thanks, but I'll Skip the Smoothie: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Everyone has a handful of go-to authors. Even just one. But they are the writers you know will entertain with every new book. Liane Moriarty is on that list for me. I’ve been a fan since “Three Wishes.” And while “Nine Perfect Strangers” may not be perfect, or my favorite (I think that honor still... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
January 5, 2019 at 8:52 pm • 
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LitzyDitz's 2018 Book List

LitzyDitz's 2018 Book List
Like I say every year, “I wish I read more.” Really, this was a year in which I fell off the wagon a bit in favor of way too much TV. (By the way, “Ozark” is fantastic! And, if you need someone for Trivia Night that can name all the MSNBC commentators, I’m your girl.)... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
January 1, 2019 at 9:46 am • 

What's Your Story? Becoming by Michelle Obama

What's Your Story? Becoming by Michelle Obama
It’s interesting where your mind can go when you are reading a memoir. When someone is sharing their story, I think it’s only natural to try to meet the author on some shared plane of existence. After all, it’s just a person telling their story — not unlike meeting a new friend for coffee and... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
December 28, 2018 at 6:11 pm • 

Best Books of 2018

Best Books of 2018
… and in the blink of an eye, we are halfway through December. Why, at the end of a year, does it always seem like it flew by? Based on how much I actually accomplished in reading, it seems like I should have at least another 6 months to tackle my TBR list. Which, by... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
December 15, 2018 at 10:04 am • 
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Staying in a Moment Forever: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

Staying in a Moment Forever: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Should you read “The Great Believers?” Short answer: Yes. Short, but longer answer: I cried ugly through the last 30 pages. My God, yes, read this. “The Great Believers” is above all else, a love story about the closest of friendships. At its core sits Fiona, a young, determined woman adopted as a sister by... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
December 2, 2018 at 6:24 pm • 

Short but So Sweet: Elevation by Stephen King

Short but So Sweet: Elevation by Stephen King
Sometimes, you just need a palate cleanser. A book that’s quick to read and leaves readers with bittersweet tears. The kind you buy a few copies of and hand out to friends. Thank you, Stephen King. “Elevation” may have been the last thing I expected to be rolling around in your brain after “The Outsider”... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
November 1, 2018 at 9:50 pm • 

You Keep Thinking It Won't Get Worse: The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

You Keep Thinking It Won't Get Worse: The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
Seriously, though — it can. Michael Lewis, author of popular reads like Moneyball and The Blind Side takes his turn with President Trump’s administration in “The Fifth Risk.” Of course, given my addiction to MSNBC and having already exhausted “Fire and Fury ” and “Fear,” I wasn’t sure how much more we could learn about the... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
October 30, 2018 at 4:24 pm • 
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Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Lincoln in The Bardo by George Saunders

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Lincoln in The Bardo by George Saunders
It’s an upcoming author chat that forced my hand to lift a book off my perpetual TBR pile — last year’s Man Booker winner, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” by George Saunders. And now I am left wondering if he was listening to The Clash’s “Combat Rock” while he toiled away on this tale of President Lincoln’s... Read more »
By Kelly Konrad,
October 27, 2018 at 2:29 pm •