Instagram story viewer> @team.bookworm> Tagged

Lidia + Lachie

@team.bookworm

373

followers

200

following

📚 avid bookworms + mum & dad
🐛 diverse voices, fiction and otherwise
📌 melbourne/naarm
👱🏼‍♀️@lidiaeatsandreads she/her
👨🏻@lecroccy he/him

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

🖤 The Lincoln Highway by @amortowles 🤍
Rating: 🧡🧡🧡🧡/5

Amor Towles definitely has a way with words. He is a storyteller of the best kind. His ability to intertwine POV’s with character development and maintain a level of adventure.

I will say I wasn’t as hooked with this novel as I was with Gentleman in Moscow. It was a different adventure, at a steady pace. Following Billy, Emmett, Duchess and Woolly (plus a few more) we follow personal journeys of sadness, grief, constant learnings and reflection as this group discover their lives. I do think there were too many characters abs I was struggling at times to remember each characters story.

I’m grateful to have read this as a Read-A-Long because I think otherwise it would be sitting on my bookshelf for another year. Thanks read-a-long team 📚

66

7

⭐️ Book Review ⭐️
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

🚙 Synopsis:
A story about four young men journeying from Nebraska to New York City set in 1950's America.

🚙 Review:
Big Books are daunting and this one at 592 pages was not something I was confident to tackle on my own. Luckily with bookstagram the lovely @cec_loves_to_read suggested a buddy read and invited a bunch of friends.

I’ve never read an Amor Towles so I wasn’t sure what to expect but managed to slip easily into the narrative that was constructed around Emmett, Billy, Woolly and Duchess. There are various other characters that get introduced along the way as we jump from POV to POV.

One issue I had with the book was the jumping around of POVs, just as one plot point was getting interesting we would jump to something completely different and need to wait 20-30pages before coming back. It got quite frustrating for me towards the end as the suspense and tension was building and I just needed some answers. Perhaps I’m just impatient 😆 Overall I enjoyed it and there were some standout characters that just stay with you.

QOTD: What is one of the longest books you’ve read and did you enjoy it?

#bookreview #bookrecommendations #februaryreads #thelincolnhighway #amortowles #aussiekiwibooksta #bookstagram #ilikebigbooksandicannotlie #dymocksreadingchallenge

37

25

I have heard nothing but rave reviews of Amor Towles’ previous books and so when I had the chance to buddy read his latest novel, The Lincoln Highway, I jumped at the chance.

The book is set in 1950s America and begins with eighteen year old Emmett arriving home to Nebraska after spending fifteen months at a juvenile work farm. His only remaining family is his younger brother, eight year old Billy and the two of them plan to make a fresh start in California.

This plan is soon jeopardised, when they discover that two of Emmett’s friends from the work farm have escaped and stowed away in the trunk of the warden’s car. They have other ideas about their destination which will lead the four of them on a journey in the opposite direction to New York City.

Told from eight different perspectives over the course of ten days, this book was absolutely brilliant! The writing was completely captivating and although it is quite a hefty tome it never felt like it was too lengthy as every word needed to be there. Towles brings the reader into the world of 1954 in the USA through his accurate and true to the time language and societal views. His characters are engaging and beautifully written and there are several little unexpected twists that kept things interesting.

Thank you so much to my buddy readers who I’ve tagged in the photo. Apologies that I have finished this a bit ahead of schedule but I just couldn’t put it down.

#thelincolnhighway #amortowles #buddyread #readingcollaboration #readingbuddies #bookcommunity #bookishthoughts #bookdiscussion #booksandflowers #readmorebooks #happywhenreading #highlyrecommendedread #putlifeonholdforthis #readersgonnaread #booklove #fictionislife

159

39

Well it’s three from three for me with Amor Towles books. I have absolutely adored all of them and they will all forever be on my all time faves shelves. This one, right from the start, I just felt like I was reading something special - something destined to become a modern classic.
.
I read this as part of a #readalong with a lovely bunch of people (tagged) but I got so hooked I could not put it down, so I’m just waiting to vent with them and process some more. I’m really looking forward to it. And I so rarely reread books, but I plan on going back and rereading the final few chapters - I think I rushed them because I had to know how it would end.
.
So this isn’t much of a review really, just a gushing over an incredible author who makes his characters come completely alive, and can set a scene so beautifully. It’s a huge book but I was not bored for a single page. ❤️
.
#bookstagram #thelincolnhighway #amortowles #fiction #literaryfiction #whatimreading #bookrecs #bookpics #booksofig #readersofig #booklover #booknerd #bibliophile #buddyread

168

26

The Believer by Sarah Krasnostein.
🌕🌕🌕🌘🌑.

Synopsis: Sarah Krasnostein spent the last four years talking to people about their belief. Some of them believe in things most people don't. Ghosts. UFOs. Heaven and the Devil. Creation in six days. Some of them believe in things most people would like to. Dying with autonomy. Spending half your life in prison and still believing in a just God.
————————————————————————
My Review: Despite growing up in a secular household I have always been fascinated by religion and spirituality, I am particularly intrigued at understanding what and who people believe in. So, after loving ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, I was very excited to get to this one as it sounded very up my alley.

This book was not at all morbid in any way - as I was expecting it to be - but was just a really fascinating account of very varied beliefs. I really appreciated that a lot of this book focused on Krasnostein talking to experts in their respective fields such as Bible study and paranormal experiences. This allowed the book to present each belief in a very respectful and empathetic tone and coming from a well-studied and intellectual background, rather than showcasing people as crazy with illogical beliefs.

I particularly connected with the story of Katrina, a middle-aged mother who wanted to die with dignity and how her Death Doula, Annie, helped her to achieve this goal. I was touched by every snippet of their story together and it was a big stand out for me. I also really enjoyed the paranormal and UFO sections, as this isn’t really something that I think about a lot, and there was some pretty convincing anecdotes which really made me wonder!

I did find the book to be a bit hit and miss (it covers 6 different stories broken up into sections) as some of the chapters I didn’t really resonate with or care to read more. But overall, it was a really interesting story and think everyone would appreciate at least one of the chapters in here! What stories did you resonate the most in this one & why do you think that was?
————————————————————————
When To Read: If you’re wanting to understand more about the power of human faith and beliefs.

3

15

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗.

Synopsis: Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. Piranesi lives to explore the house. There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge.
————————————————————————
My Review: GUYS! This book is a must read if you haven’t already. I went into this book with 0 knowledge or expectations so I won’t spoil this one for you, as I think most people haven’t read it yet and I want you all to go in a bit blind too!

The first 10-20 pages are honestly so confusing and you have no idea what is going on, but then it all starts to unravel and it is AMAZING. It is a puzzle-box book where tiny bits of information are dripped slowly into the narration and you just keep figuring out more and more. Piranesi is a hopeless and unreliable narrator and it is quite fun to read a book where you know more than the narrator.

This slow reveal style of narration was so gripping and I ended up bingeing the book in a couple of sittings. I absolutely adored the plot and the setting of the book. They are so incredibly unique and I think that is what makes this book so special.

Piranesi as a narrator is also just beautiful, and the way he appreciates the House and walls is unparalleled. It is really interesting reading a book like this after lockdown as it does affirm the collective world’s renewed interest in the beauty of the small, everyday things. I really can’t say enough good things about this one, just give it a go and see for yourself!

Its a short-ish read and was easy to fly through, so honestly I don’t know what you are waiting for!
————————————————————————
When To Read: NOW NOW NOW!

648

54

Animal by Lisa Taddeo.
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑.

Synopsis: Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruel acts of men, but when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In the sweltering hills above Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child while forging the power to finally strike back.
————————————————————————
My Review: This is one of those books which really tries to push the audience to their comfort limits. It has a lot of pretty graphic scenes and includes almost every traumatic event possible. For this reason, it is certainly going to be one that divides many people and I can appreciate many won't enjoy it.

Personally, I am still very unresolved about how I found it. There is a lot of mystery early on of what happened in Joan's past but I thought there were many elements which were quite predictable which is always a bit disappointing. Yet the way in which the mystery was unravelled was paced really well throughout the book and it was often pretty hard to put down.

I was disappointed by the portrayal of men throughout the book as literally every single one was utterly awful and unable to remain faithful (this always really irritates me because it is so unrealistic and I can only imagine how annoyed I would be if all women were portrayed in this light). I thought this was a pretty interesting choice of social commentary and would be intrigued to see how men find this book.

On the flip side, it was really great to read a book with a strong (yet incredibly troubled) woman at the forefront. I loved how Taddeo channelled her rage towards men and society into the character of Joan. I related with Joan's fears towards men, and it was interesting to see this explored.

Again, Taddeo has a lot of thoughts on sex and also uses her second novel as a vessel to explore them.
————————————————————————
When to Read: It's out today so grab your hands on a copy if you love an angry novel, deep dive on trauma and an unlikeable protagonist.

TW: suicide, miscarriage, murder, sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence

572

38

Luster by Raven Leilani.
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑.

Synopsis: Edie is just trying to survive. She’s messing up in her dead-end admin job, is sleeping with all the wrong men, and has failed at painting. And then she meets Eric, a white, middle-aged archivist with a suburban family, a wife who has sort-of-agreed to an open marriage and an adopted black daughter who doesn’t have a person in her life to show her how to do her hair.
————————————————————————
My Review: This book was an excellent exploration of a young black girl growing up in NYC dealing with childhood trauma, everyday racism and sexism in all aspects of her life. A lot of the book was done excellently, the idea of a white family adopting a black child but then actually having absolutely no idea what to do was so interesting to me and I think unfortunately is not uncommon. The micro aggressions which Edie built up in herself as a result of the subtle racist looks and comments she received was also portrayed in a very realistic way.

BUT the situation of Edie living in a house with her ‘boyfriend’ Eric and his wife and child was just one step too far for me. Obviously that is not how the situation begins but the way it ended up was so unbelievable to me and for this reason I really struggled to connect with it. I did think Rebecca was SUCH an interesting character and wished we got more insights from her rather than Edie’s rambled narrative. At times I was convinced that Rebecca and Edie would get together, but alas not in this book!

The police brutality storyline also felt a bit rushed and thrown in at the end, and to me was a bit unnecessary. I thought the exploration of race throughout the book was much better than this explicit plot point, but perhaps I am just being picky.

Honestly my thoughts for this book remain quite muddled and I probably need to re-read it, because I still have no real idea how I feel about it.
————————————————————————
When To Read: I saw a lot of people say they struggled with the long chapters and sentences, but I listened to it mainly on audio and it didn’t bother me at all. So if you’re thinking of reading would recommend audio.

TW: suicide, abortion, miscarriage

556

22

❤️ Against the Loveless World – Holy moly – if this is one that has been sitting on your shelf and you are yet to read it, I urge you to bump it up your list.

We follow Nahr’s story as she spends her days in solitary confinement, she retells her story and reflects on the events that landed her in prison. We follow her hope, love, loss, pain, rebellion and so much more as she navigates her way through this turbulent time.

Abulhawa’s writing enables us to completely immerse ourselves into Nahr’s motivations, actions and thinking. As a reader, you are right there with her through the whole journey, emphasising the decisions she feels she had to make to keep her family out of poverty and safe.

I adored the fact that such a brilliant book addresses the middle eastern female experience – something that is very rarely discussed and explored in fiction. The novel flowed through each location seamlessly and kept me gripped the whole way. There was a wonderful balance of plot and character development and I adored all the supporting characters also.

Some sections of this were really challenging to read, particularly with the explicitness that is described. While some may struggle with this, I did feel it enhanced Nahr’s narrative and further illustrated why she pursued certain decisions.

For me, this is a must read!!

🛑 Trigger warnings: sexual assault, rape, violence, abortion, war and conflict

💭What this made me consider: I really enjoyed reading from a Middle Eastern, Palestinian view. It would be great to read more Middle Eastern, European, Asian, African historical fiction perspectives.

🔊Quote: “I know in alone here. I’m not delusional. But the way memory animates the past is more real than the present.”

💛 Rating: 4.63/5

#bookstoread #mustreads #auskiwibooksta #reading #reader

89

26

Heartstopper (Vol 1') By Alice Oseman.
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑.

Synopsis: Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed as gay last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner.
————————————————————————
My Review: I have never read a graphic novel before and didn't think I ever would if it weren't for the booksta hype preceding this beautiful book. I really enjoyed the different in style, as this book is solely made up of dialogue and pictures.

I really love that these diverse books are now SO accessible for YA readers (and even slightly older-young adults such as myself) and really wish this was the case when I was younger. I think it is really important to have accessible and relatable LGBTQI+ books for school-aged children, and enjoyed that this one was very current and up to date with the times (I swear for me 'Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit' was the only option!!).

This is a super book to read but that doesn't take away from the depth behind it at all. I was smiling the whole way through, and have already forced various family members to read it as well!

I would love to know any other LGBTQI+ recs you think I would enjoy.
————————————————————————
When to Read: Because it is a graphic novel this one is super quick to read. I would recommend for anyone who thinks they are in a bit of a reading slump or if you're looking for a quick 1/2 hour pick me up.

388

22

We got to our goal with days to spare! An hour remaining and zero waste goodies to win. So much appreciation and love to everyone that got us here.

12

0