Instagram story viewer> @kjazz93> Tagged

Kathleen Jastrzebski 🎀⚓️🍾

@kjazz93

538

followers

583

following

I’ll bet you at least $100 that my insta story is mostly food and charcuterie boards ✨ {Third grade teacher}

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Title: The Unknown
Author Riley Sager

Book club rating: 4 ⭐️

Okay, this one gave our book club A LOT to talk about! 😂 Riley Sager knows how to create that creepy, unsettling feeling where you’re never quite sure what’s really going on. A few of us didn’t end up finishing the book, so we told those members what happened. We felt there was definitely a red herring towards the beginning that had a few of us thinking we knew what was coming. But we were definitely wrong!

The premise pulled me in right away, and I loved trying to figure out where the story was headed. There were definitely moments where I had theories flying all over the place, and I changed my mind more than once! I was worried that this book would lean more to the horror genre, but it was more of a ghost/thriller than horror.

This would be a great book club pick because there is SO much to discuss—especially the twists, the characters, and what you think is actually happening. You need to suspend reality a bit if you don’t believe in the supernatural. The setting fit the story perfectly and made it so atmospheric. Perfect for a late summer, early fall read!

Definitely one of those books where you want to finish it and immediately ask, “Okay…WHAT did everyone else think?!” 😂📚 we also welcomed 3 new members to book club! Welcome Laura, Sarah and Annalise!!!

30

9

Book Review: The Book Club for Troublesome Women

July Book Pick

Rating: 4 ⭐️

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a novel about friendship, courage, and personal growth. The story follows a group of women who form a book club and, through their discussions, begin to challenge expectations and make positive changes in their own lives.

The alternating chapters got a bit confusing and sometimes the characters felt hard to connect to. We found some parts of the book to be a little slow, but overall appreciated the sentiment of the story. The writing is easy to follow, and the themes of resilience, self-discovery, and the importance of supportive friendships make the story both meaningful and enjoyable.

Overall, we enjoyed this book because it shows how books and strong friendships can inspire people to grow and find their voices. It was a good book for our book club because it reminded us of how much we appreciate having each other. #bookclubreads #bookstagram #summer #readingiscool #bookclubsofconnecticut

25

6

Title: Swan Song
Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Review: this was our June book club pick. We didn’t end up meeting this month due to life and the start of summer just being crazy. The overall consensus on this book was that it was disappointing! We usually love Elin’s books, they are easy, and great summer reads, but this one was not as likable as her other books. The setting of Nantucket is always idyllic. I took the photo while on the Cape last weekend, which is close! We’re hoping to turn our streak of two not so good picks in a row around with our July pick of The Book Club for Troublesome Women!

#bookclub #summerreading #beachreads

20

2

Title: Notes on An Execution
Author: Danya Kukafka

Book club rating: 4 ⭐️

For the month of April we read Notes on An Execution. This was an emotionally heavy read that left us with more questions than answers. The timeline is non-linear so if you don’t like that then this might not be the book for you. It’s not a typical thriller, you know the end at the beginning.

What makes Notes on an Execution especially powerful is its refusal to offer easy answers. It does not excuse violence, nor does it present punishment as a form of closure. Instead, it explores how cycles of neglect, abuse, and silence shape lives long before a crime is committed. The novel also challenges the reader to consider empathy not as forgiveness, but as understanding—a distinction that gives the book much of its moral force.

Kukafka’s prose is restrained and precise, never sensationalizing the crimes at the novel’s core. The writing often feels spare, but that spareness carries weight; moments of emotional clarity arrive quietly and linger long after the page is turned. The author excels at showing how systems—family, law enforcement, the justice system—fail people in small, accumulative ways, ultimately leading to irreversible harm.

We all agreed that despite the heaviness of the topic the book was well written and really made us all think. Photo cred to Lynsie who finished the book while on vacation and Nancy with the photo at our meeting location! (Side note, used some AI to help me organize my thoughts for the review)

#bookclub #bookstagram #meeting #friendswhoread #ctbookclub

19

6

Book: Sounds like Love
Author: Ashley Poston

📖Book club recap:
For the month of February we read Sounds like Love 💕 it was a cute rom-com, perfect for Valentine’s Day. It was quick, enjoyable, and most members gave it 4 stars. The writing was done well and the characters were good. It had some deeper topics with the main character’s mother having dementia. Overall, it was a good pick.

We enjoyed brunch at a member’s house and even some of our kids joined to have a play date! The food was good, the conversation was great, love my book club ladies! Even though it was a smaller group again, it was nice to see everyone and talk all things books!

We picked The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin for March.

#bookclub #ctbookstagrammer #brunch #booksandbrunch #friends

28

5

Title: In A Dark, Dark Wood
Author: Ruth Ware
📚January book club pick

Our thoughts 💭
An atmospheric thriller, with some good albeit predictable twists. Most of us rated this a 4. The suspense buildup was well done, the ending left things a little too neat. Overall it was a good pick for the cold winter months. I find it funny that in England a bachelorette party is called a “hen-do”. Ruth Ware’s writing did not disappoint.

It was a smaller gathering this month as life and illness got in the way. Hopefully a better turn out for February! We’re reading Sounds Like Love 💗 by Ashley Poston.

#bookclub #bookstagram #winter #bookclubsofct

23

11

Title: The Once and Future Witches
Author: Alix E. Harrow
No rating

🍁🍂📚❤️

Book club meetup yesterday to discuss our October pick. None of us really enjoyed this book. It was not the witchy vibes we were hoping for. Most of us DNF’d this one, it was just disappointing. The book club vibes were good as always. Lots of laughs, good food and a great view! We enjoyed a beautiful but windy 🌬️ fall afternoon at Longview Ciderhouse. We also welcomed a new member to our book club! For November we’re reading Demon Copperhead, it’s been on my TBR forever!

#bookclub #fallvibes #booklover #bookstagram #reading #booknerd #readersofinstagram

26

7

Title: The Amalfi Curse
Author: Sarah Penner

Book club rating: 3.75 ⭐️

Here is our July book club review (better late than never)! This was an enjoyable read. We all agreed that the dual storyline was good, but we preferred the 1800s story to the modern day. The setting was a whole vibe! It made me want to book a trip to Positano immediately! There were a lot of good themes in this story: forbidden romance, magical realism(witches/spells) historical fiction, adventure (treasure hunting). You need to suspend reality for a lot of parts, but the way Sarah Penner wove together the interlocking stories was well done. I enjoyed this one much better than her second book and it gave me The Lost Apothecary vibes!

We skipped our meeting in August. With the end of summer/back to school/vacations we just couldn’t get together. We’re reading The Hunting Wives for September! Cannot wait to read and discuss!!

#bookclub #bookstagram #coffee #ctbookclub #bookworm #summerreading

30

10

Title: The Grace Year
Author: Kim Liggett

Book club rating: 4⭐️

The Grace Year was our book club pick for June. This story reminded a lot of us of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games. A story of survival, struggles, and overcoming challenges, this book grabbed me from the beginning. It is about a group of girls who are sent away for their sixteenth year, the men believing it will rid them of their magic. This was dystopian novel that followed 16 year old Tierney as she navigated the world, and coming to terms with what she’s capable of. As a book club we enjoyed this book. It created a good discussion and a lot of comparisons to other stories.
Do you like dystopian novels?

#ctbookclub #bookclub #bookstagram #summerreading #thegraceyearbook #lovetoread #bookworm

24

11

Title: Sometimes I Lie
Author: Alice Feeney

May book club pick: 3-3.5 ⭐️

This was the second book by Alice Feeney we read as a book club. Many of us felt confused by the storyline. So it was just an okay read. We liked the premise of the woman being in a coma, but felt the characters unrelatable and unlikeable. We welcomed a new member, Karla! Welcome to the craziness! But seriously love this group of women! Bry took our group picture so she is not in it this month! Next month we’re reading The Grace Year. Can’t wait to meet up again!!

#bookstagram #bookclub #sometimesiliebook #maybookclub #booklover #readersofinstagram #meetup

33

9

Title: Here One Moment
Author: Liane Moriarty

Book club pick April 2025
Average rating 3.75-4⭐️

This was a great discussion starter for book club. Overall we enjoyed the book, but felt it had too many POVs. We also felt like it could have been shorter and didn’t need the 500 pages to wrap up the story. A few of us were let down by the ending. Felt it was too clean for everything that happened during the book. It was an interesting concept and as usual Liane Moriarty had wonderful writing and developed the characters well. I was worried I would compare it to The Measure by Nikki Erlick but this was very different.

Question: Do you believe in palm readers/ clairvoyants etc? Would you live any differently if you knew when you were going to die?

#bookclub #booknerds #bookclubsofct #bookstagram #lianemoriartybooks #bookreview

32

10

Title: Olivetti
Author: Allie Millington

March book club pick

Review: This was our March book club pick. It was quirky, had interesting characters and an interesting storyline. We went into reading this book blind and found it to be overall a quick read with some mysterious elements but the ending was unsatisfactory. It’s actually considered a middle grade book so that could explain why the author chose to end it that way. Loved meeting up with the ladies as always!

For April we chose Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. @rcgirl822 we took the pics after you left! 🩷

26

8