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Catherine Bruns

@wholehearted.reader

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📚Omnivorous reader, but mostly fiction
📍☀️🌊 Hawaii dweller
🍷 wine lover ✈️ world traveler

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Have you read Land? I have a question for you.

Land was one of my most anticipated reads for this fall and I am a Maggie O’Farrell completist. I was so excited to get the hard copy, though it sat on my shelf for a while since I felt anxious about starting it. What if I don’t like it? What if I’m disappointed? Always a risk right?

So, I’m a bit more than halfway through. I loved the first part and I adore her writing about the land and the history of the place. However, I’m not feeling very drawn in by the family and their story. I feel like I’m reading now in an ambivalent sort of way and I can’t quite resolve what this story is about completely.

I’m definitely going to finish, but I’m wondering from those of you who have read Land, does it all come together? Or should I be satisfied with the lush writing and beauty of the land?

#readerquestion #booklover #bibliophile #booknerd by @wholehearted.reader

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6 days ago

New Additions 📚💕

Of course I come to California and buy 7 books 😆. Do I have enough room in my suitcase to bring them home? We’ll see.

I bought Tata because I have loved reading Valérie Perrin’s previous books and even though it’s a chonker hardback, I didn’t want to wait.

The rest I got at the most spectacular used book sale in Santa Barbara. If you’re in the area it’s at the showgrounds until 9/20.

What a great selection, right?? I’ve listened to The Safekeep and wanted it for my shelf, but the rest are going on the TBR shelves.

Are there any I should put in my carry on to read on the flight home??

#bookstack #usedbook #booklover #booknerd #bibliophile by @wholehearted.reader

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1

20 days ago

Recently… 📕 🎧 🧩

In the last week or so I’ve read/listened to some really good books and finished a pretty jigsaw puzzle. So I thought I’d share.

📕 The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal was on the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist this year and I finally got around to it. I had zero expectations because I haven’t seen this one all over the place, and I was pleasantly surprised. A lovely story of found family and it hits my sweet spot of unexpected relationships and connections. I loved it and would recommend.

📕 Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise. Also a nice surprise. A young woman flees from the US to Ireland with a stolen passport and creates a life. I loved it, though I thought the ending was unbelievable. I am willing to forgive that though.

🧩 French Garden jigsaw puzzle. I love Galison puzzles and this one was a bit harder than most. This is one of my fave activities when I’m audiobooking (a new verb!).

🎧 Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom came out a few years ago and is the story of a real Crow woman in the late 1700s. I loved it and definitely recommend.

🎧 The No Show by Beth Leary is the audio I’m in the middle of right now. Though I’m not a romance genre lover, I do like O’Leary. I’m liking the complications that are being revealed so far.

I hope you’ve been reading some great things. What do you do while you’re audiobooking?

#booklover #audiobook #galisonpuzzles #reader #bibliophile by @wholehearted.reader

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23 days ago

Ten Before The End 📚

Like a few of you I’m getting a head start on my #tenbeforethend plans. It just seems so much more attainable in 4 months rather than scrunched during holiday season.

I chose a mix of new additions to my shelf as well as some that have been languishing for a couple of years. And, I’m really looking forward to reading all of them.

Are there any you’ve read that I should prioritize??

✅ Land - Maggie O’Farrell
✅The Cartographers - Peng Shepard
✅These Is My Words - Nancy Turner
✅Black Wood, Blue Sky -Eowyn Ivey
✅The Benefactors - Wendy Erskine
✅The Best of Everything - Kit de Waal
✅Table For Two - Amor Towles
✅The Garden of Evening Mists - Tan Twan Eng
✅Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash
✅ Nymph - Sofia Montrone

Are you thinking about your end of the year reads?? by @wholehearted.reader

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8

a month ago

August Reading Recap 🎉

My reading in August started slow and picked up speed - kind of like the hurricanes brewing in our Pacific waters right now 😬. Out of the 13 that I read, none were 5 star, but some came pretty close.

Loved 4+ ⭐
📖 Our Souls At Night - Kent Haruf. I might change this to 5 stars.
📖 The Secret History - Donna Tartt. A re-read for my book club
📖 John of John - Douglas Stuart
🎧 Confessions - Kanae Minato
🎧 Hammajang Luck - Makana Yamamoto
📖 The Singer's Gun - Emily St. John Mandel

Liked A Lot 3.5+ ⭐
🎧 Enormous Wings - Laurie Frankel
🎧 The Boy From the Sea - Garrett Carr
🎧 Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead - Mai Nguyen (trigger warning)
🎧 American Fantasy - Emma Straub
📖 Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt - Ben Reeves

Liked Just Fine 3ish ⭐
🎧 Port Anna - Libby Buck
📖 Heather - Caitlin Mullin

DNF - The Great When - Alan Moore

Do you like to re-read? And, what's a 5 ⭐ to you? I'm having some trouble figuring that out for myself.

#readingrecap #booklover #booknerd #bibliophile by @wholehearted.reader

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a month ago

The Secret History.

This modern classic seems to be having a resurgence of popularity right now.

I reread it with my book club and had a great discussion about the complexity of Donna Tartt’s ability to weave a story.

After I finished the last paragraph I needed to know more. Why Greek? Who is Donna Tartt? How did this story come to be? So I went down a rabbit hole.

If you’ve done the same, then you know that DT doesn’t do many interviews and is slightly mysterious. I did find a podccast that delves into the class at Bennington College that produced Brett Easton Ellis, Donna Tartt, and Johnathan Lethem. What a class, right?!

How much does A Secret History resemble Bennington college in the 80s? An awful lot and it definitely answered some questions for me.

Once Upon A Time… At Bennington College.

Have you read TSH?

#thesecrethistory #reread #bookclub #booklover by @wholehearted.reader

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a month ago

Any Emily St. John Mandel fans out there??

In preparation for the release of Exit Party next month, I’m reading The Singer’s Gun, which I understand connects to the upcoming release.

The #mandelverse does not disappoint.

I’m about halfway through and I’m having a hard time putting this one down. What’s happening? I’m totally sucked in.

Have you read this one? Love it?

#emilystjohnmandel #currentlyreading #booklover by @wholehearted.reader

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12

a month ago

July Reading Recap - Ta Da! 🤩

Better late than never, right?

In July I had a wonderful reading month and really enjoyed 8 of the 9 books that I read. My book picker was on fire this month (sadly that's not the case for August so far). No 5 ⭐ favorites, but I loved or really enjoyed all the rest, except one stinker.

Loved 4+ ⭐
📖 Cemetery Road - Greg Iles. This was a super surprise for me and a new author. Thanks to @drcreadsbooks for putting him on my radar. Billed as a literary thriller and it delivered!
📖 Whistler - Ann Patchett. I knew I'd love it and I did.
📖 The Great Wherever - Shannon Sanders. Lives up to the hype.
🎧 The Road to Tender Hearts - Annie Harnett
📖 Villa Coco - Andrew Sean Greer

Liked A Lot 3.5+
🎧 The Mad Wife - Megan Church
📖 The Dream Daughter - Diane Chamberlain
📖 The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion Vol 3 - Beth Brower

Wish I Threw Over the Balcony
📖 Finding Grace - Loretta Rothschild. I can't believe I read this all the way through, but honestly it was the ending that made a meh book terrible.

I also DNF'd a few, which probably made my reading month even better.

How about you? Are you reading anything great that will help with my August slump?

#readingrecap #julyreads #booklover by @wholehearted.reader

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a month ago

Travel acquisitions 🌟

One of the things I love to do when I travel is find the bookstores and see what I find that’s different from home.

These four lovelies come home from Norway. While Norway had an abundance of bookstores, the English language selections were slim until I got to Bergen. There I found a good selction of literary choices and some popular recent releases.

I love that in Europe new books are often published in a larger size paperback rather than hardback. I do love a paperback!

So I happily packed home:

Villa Coco, which I read in one go on my 11 hour flight. What a great plane read!

Whistler, which I just finished right now and loved. I am a big Ann Patchett fan.

John of John, which I hear nothing but rave reviews about. It will be my first Douglas Stuart.

Ootlin, which was on The Women’s Prize non fiction list this year. I do love a memoir.

I bought so many souvenirs in Norway that those, along with the books, made me have to check a small bag home. Totally worth it!!

What do you like to bring home from travels? by @wholehearted.reader

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2 months ago

June Reading Recap🌟

While everyone else is sharing their July reads, let me tell you about June. I read 16 books in June, which is on the higher side for me. I consumed a lot of audio reads, which I can listen to while doing so many other things. All in all, a good month of reading.

Favorites 5 ⭐
📖 Kin - Tayari Jones
🎧 Raising Hare - Chloe Dalton (what a surprise!)

Loved 4+ ⭐
📖 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol 1. - Beth Brower
📖 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol 2 - Beth Brower
📖 Mad Mabel - Sally Hepworth
📖 Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke
🎧 Love & Saffron - Kim Fay
📖 Tartufo - Kira Jane Buxton
🎧 This Book Made Me Think of You - Libby Page

Liked Just Fine - 3+⭐
🎧 Aftertaste - Daria Lavelle
🎧 Whidby - T. Kira Madden
🎧 Five - Ilona Bannister
🎧 Bog Queen - Anna North
📖 The Favorites - Kayne Fargo

No Thank You 2+
🎧 The Satisfaction Cafe - Kathy Wang
📖 The Burning Side - Sarah Damoff

DNF - mostly because audio wasn't working for me
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones
Canon - Paige Lewis

How's your summer reading going?
#summerreading #readingrecap #booklover #booknerd by @wholehearted.reader

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2 months ago

taken in Flåm, Norway by @wholehearted.reader

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2 months ago

May was an interesting reading month. I attended the Santa Fe International Literary Festival, so I had a couple of books to finish by authors I was going to see. And, since I had the great pleasure of seeing Lauren Groff there, it made reading her new short story collection even better. I also got three read off my TBR shelf at home, which always feels satisfying.

Favorites - 5⭐
📖 Brawler - Lauren Groff
🎧 The River Has Roots - Amal El-Mohtar

Loved 4+⭐
📖 Walk the Blue Fields - Claire Keegan
🎧 Lady Tremaine - Rachel Hochhauser
🎧 Good People - Patmina Sabit
📖 Nuclear Family - Joseph Han
📖 Heavy - Kiese Laymon

Liked Just Fine 3+⭐
📖 The Removed - Brandon Hobson
🎧 Lake Effect - Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeny
📖 Make Nice - Ryan Effgen

A very eclectic month, now that I look at it.

#readingrecap #mayreads #readingreview #booklover #booknerd by @wholehearted.reader

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2

4 months ago