Susan Bade Haukaas (she/her)

I'm adding it to my list!

I'm in the Denver airport and THIS is just in the stall. Can we please normalize this?! Basic needs should just be met!

Book #21 cont. Funny, surprising & completely disregards the 4th wall. I'll actually need to reread this to catch everything I missed the 1st time thru. Great twist on a traditional murder mystery! 2 of 2

@missagatha.bsky.social recommends the BEST books! #21 of 2025 - Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I mentioned I was stuck on what to read next & she came thru with this great read. 1 of 2

Book 19 of 2025 - Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read this book in 1 day. Compelling & fast-paced. Lucy is the main suspect in a murder & now a podcast is dredging it all up again. Did Lucy kill her best friend? Maybe the podcast will exonerate her, maybe not. Great read!

Well done and well worth reading. I would also recommend reading both works back to back... It heightens the impact of Everett's work. 3 of 3

Everett's new work brilliantly highlights the different perspectives of a white boy & a black enslaved man in the 1800s south in American. More than that Everett shows how Twain's lighthearted treatment of the subject is a disservice to those who suffered under the institution of slavery. 2 of 3

Book 18 of 2025 - James by Percival Everett ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Retelling of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Twain imagines the adventure & hijinks of a boy & a runaway slave on the Mississippi. Everett tells the story from "Jim's" perspective, it's harrowing, unflinching, and sobering. 1 of 3

#17 of 2025 - Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A product of it's time, so the language & racist attitudes of the characters are problematic. Twain is clearly critical of slavery & sympathetic to Jim's plight. Ridiculous & (more) heartfelt moments. Listen to the Big River soundtrack as you read.

#16 of 2025 - 7 1/2 Lessons About the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read this for Continuing Ed class. I found it accessible & interesting. Science is a struggle for me, but this was easy to understand & thought provoking (HA!). If you're interested in how brains work this is a great read.

#15 of 2025 - The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This book about a father trying to reconcile with his estranged daughter was way more than I expected. It's twisty, turny, & surprising. A great commentary that the very rich live in a different world. Thanks for the recommendation Mom!

#14 of 2025 - Where God Meets Man by Gerhard Forde ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I remember this as one of the most accessible theological books from my Seminary. Still good, but I found the last 30 more challenging than I remembered and pretty spot on for the 1970s. It was our church book club book for February.

I have a list of comfort movies that always make me happy. "About Time" is one, a romance but also about loving & living well. The relationship between Tim (Domhnall Gleason) & his Dad (Bill Nighy - ALWAYS brilliant) is the true love story. If you haven't seen it, it's great & will make you cry.

Book 13 of 2025 - The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Liked this book but the communication between these 2 was terrible! I get it's a plot point but yuck. Decent look at infertility & dating. Of all her books, this isn't my favorite but still a good read. Also Stunt Man Mike has a cameo!

This is 4.5 instead of 5 stars cause the names are crazy in this book and hard to read/say. I listened to the audiobook and it was still hard.

This book is by the creator of Book Goblin ... Who is my Patronus.

#12 of 2025 - Tears of the Wolf by Elisabeth Wheatley ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Great start to new series. I'm looking forward to more. Main female character desperate to avoid the crown. A young Lord trying to provide for his people ...and TELEPATHIC DOGS! + credit toward Bookhalla for starting an unfinished series!

Book 11 (2 of 2)
2) I don't understand the arc of forgiving Willoughby. A villain & a cad who deserves absolutely no pity after all he does to Eliza & Marianne. 3) I want the stories of the Dashwood's servants & how they feel about leaving Norland for worse conditions.
Austen is always brilliant.

#11 of 2025 - Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I know this story well (from the 1995 film). Always surprises me when I reread it. This time I was struck by 3 things. 1) John Dashwood is a villain. He's carelessly awful to his sisters, looks to others to provide for them. Jackass. (1 of 2)

#10 of 2025 - When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 This book made me long for dragons & sad that they aren't real. It speaks beautifully to the challenges of being female. The progression of the narrator's journey is lovely. It's both sad & hopeful. If only we could really be dragons.

Book 9 (2 of 2) Not your average rom-com. There's such maturity here, plus recognition that real relationships, face real issues. Justin says, "It isn’t glamorous, it isn’t all butterflies& stars in your eyes. It’s real. This is the kind of love that forever is made of." Read Abby Jimenez's books!

#9 of 2025 - Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best of this 3 book series! In the midst of current political drama I needed escape. These books fit the bill. I want to applaud Abby's encouragement to seek mental health in all her books. Mental health is a central theme in this book. (1 of 2)

#8 of 2025 - Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm hooked on this series. Read this in 1 day. Characters pretend to be dating to help him get thru his brother's wedding. That's an annoying trope, but it's a great love story. Explores both social anxiety & abandonment trauma. I highly recommend it.

#7 of 2025 - Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I saw Abby's TikTok about this book, decided the premise was fun. I was completely sucked in, couldn't wait to finish it. Fun & light. A nice story about priorities and finding your own path. The male lead is wonderful. I highly recommend this.

Book 6 (cont) I'm often moved by books but this one made me cry a lot & gasp & cheer. It's a new favorite. Already in the running to be my favorite this year. I highly recommend this book. I'd love to talk with you about it after you read it. Excellent recommendation by Tara Longden (2 of 2)

Book 6 - The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A gorgeous book, incredibly insightful. Deeply satisfying. Lovely premise, about a death doula who helps people die w/ dignity & peace. I expected a series of encounters with the dying. Instead it's about Clover learning to live. (1of2)

#5 (cont) I liked this book, but I struggled with the timeline which went backwards by hour. Confusing at times, it took me out of the story as I struggled to keep characters and their stories straight. I'd like to read it again in chronological order, but that was hard with the audiobook. (3 of 3)

#5 (cont) Picoult doesn't flinch away from the details, so there are biological details that some might struggle to hear about. At the end of the audiobook she talked about her research and her process. She says, "Laws are black and white. The lives of women are 1000 shades of grey." (2 of 3)

#5 of 2025 - by Jodi Picoult ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
A book about abortion and a hostage situation in a women's clinic (written before Row v. Wade was overturned). As usual there are a variety of perspectives from the characters and I found them to be balanced. (1 of 3)

#4 (cont) I HIGHLY recommend this book. For parents of High Schoolers read with your kid and have great conversations. One small critique, the ending was a little too good to be true in parts. That does give it an optimistic spin though. My Banned Book for January (3of3).