Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe: Friday Book Snippets and Book Blogger Hop

Today's Featured Book: 

Last Summer on State Street

by Toya Wolfe

Genre: Children's Fiction

Published: May 2, 2023

Page Count: 224 pages

Summary: 

Felicia “Fe Fe” Stevens is living with her vigilantly loving mother and older teenaged brother, whom she adores, in building 4950 of Chicago’s Robert Taylor Homes. It’s the summer of 1999, and her high-rise is next in line to be torn down by the Chicago Housing Authority. She, with the devout Precious Brown and Stacia Buchanan, daughter of a Gangster Disciple Queen-Pin, form a tentative trio and, for a brief moment, carve out for themselves a simple life of Double Dutch and innocence. But when Fe Fe welcomes a mysterious new friend, Tonya, into their fold, the dynamics shift, upending the lives of all four girls.

As their beloved neighborhood falls down around them, so too do their friendships and the structures of the four girls’ families. Fe Fe must make the painful decision of whom she can trust and whom she must let go. Decades later, as she remembers that fateful summer—just before her home was demolished, her life uprooted, and community forever changed—Fe Fe tries to make sense of the grief and fraught bonds that still haunt her and attempts to reclaim the love that never left.

Friday Book Snippets is a weekly blogging event co-hosted by 

Anne@HeadFullofBooks and Olivia at Bemused and Bookish. 

Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from:

 a. the book's beginning and 

b. page 56 (or another page) 

in the book you are currently reading. 

No spoilers, please.

Join the fun every Friday.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, 

hosted by Reading is My Superpower!

It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and share the first line.

SNIPPET FROM THE BEGINNING / FIRST LINE FRIDAY

I'd known Precious forever, Stacia a year, and Tonya for just a minute. We were so different, but everybody loved them some double Dutch. Sometimes we made a tight-knit crew; other days we couldn't get along for nothing. 

Wolfe, Toya.. Last Summer on State Street, p. 1. 

SNIPPET FROM PAGE 56

"He at that age, Fe Fe. Everybody checking for him now. My brother left last year when he turned fifteen." I looked for a sadness, any crack at all in her hard shell, but she just reached for the ropes, motioning for us to start a game.

Wolfe, Toya.. Last Summer on State Street, p. 56.

I brought Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe along with me to Chicago for our visit with my son and daughter-in-law this week. It will be interesting to talk about this book with my daughter-in-law, Lisa, who was a teen living in Chicago in 1999. 

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.    

How much do online reviews shape what you pick up next? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer). 

I rely completely on other bloggers to help me decide what book to read next!

  

Indie Bookshops Near Me

Last year I did the Houston Bookstore Crawl and visited twelve independent bookstores in the Houston area.

When I think of independent bookstores, I think first of Brazos Bookstore. It was created in 1974 by Karl Kilian who wanted to focus on personalized service, community engagement and passionate curation. The store prides itself on its support of writers and readers through long partnerships with Inprint!, the University of Houston Creative Writing Program, the Academy of American Poets, and the Annual Poet and Writer’s Ball. It's a small space, but it's packed with exceptional book offerings.

One of the largest and oldest mystery specialty bookstores in the US is Murder by the Book, originally established in 1980.  There are over 25,000 books -- new & used, hardbacks & paperbacks, first editions, collectibles, gift items, and more.  The store hosts more than 200 of the biggest mystery, crime, and fantasy authors for book signing events every year.  In the past, Murder by the Book has  hosted Dick Francis, P.D. James, Sue Grafton, Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwell, James Lee Burke, and Daniel Silva. 

Kindred Stories is an independent bookstore located in Houston's historic Third Ward. Kindred Stories is a celebration of Black and other marginalized voices, and it seeks to create a community in which people "can unite over our shared love of these books; delve into the ways we see ourselves reflected in their stories; learn about new and upcoming Black writers, artists, creators, and changemakers; and find connection at a time when we need it more than ever."

Basket Books & Art is an independent bookstore inside the Montrose area of Houston. It specializes in literature, art, and thought. Owners Laura Hughes and Edwin Smalling say, "Our goal is to offer a unique context in which art and books can co-mingle in exciting ways, opening up alleyways of conversation. We aim to provide a space for creative and intellectual exchange through our inventory and programming, and to offer Houston’s diverse arts and intellectual communities something for the mind, a portal to the world of art, writing, and thought writ large.”

Then & Now Bookshop began life as a pop-up bookstore in Galveston. It was always Lori's dream to own a bookshop. After working for thirty years as a preschool teacher and librarian, Lori, with a nudge from her daughter did just that.

LIT Java Coffee & Books is a BIPOC, veteran, women owned, and online bookstore. LIT believes that books are powerful tools with the capability to bring people together, dispel misconceptions, and challenge thinking.

The bookstore operates according to what it calls Our 5 Cs:

1) Curated Literary Experiences

2) Community

3) Cultural Diversity

4) Connections

5) Conversations over LIT cups of Coffee!

If you are wondering, yes, that's Pear-Land, not Pearl-Land. When I was growing up in my little town of Alvin, Pearland was the closest town to us and it was a lot like us---maybe 5,000 people, predominantly rural, yet very progressive. And one of the farm crops was pears. Now---look out! Pearland has ballooned to almost 129,000 people, and it's delightfully diverse. I was very excited to try out this bookstore. Of all the indie bookstores in the Houston area, this one is actually the closest one to me. And it is not only a bookstore, but it's also a coffeeshop. Win, win.

You wouldn't know Blue Willow Bookshop was there if you weren't told about it. From the street it's just another tiny little space in a strip center. But don't let first appearances fool you. Blue Willow is all about books. And reading. And authors. And good writing. And especially books.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.   

The Sunday Salon: My First Ukulele Class is Hard

 

 We are happy you joined us at the Sunday Salon. Welcome!

What is the Sunday Salon? The Sunday Salon is a spot to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on. 

I encourage you to join in by adding your link below and then visiting other bloggers and leaving a comment on their posts. 

What I Read Last Week:

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig (Fantasy)

Wished by Lissa Evans (Children's Fiction)

What I'm Reading Now:

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Nonfiction)

Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montogmery (Fiction)

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: Shorty September Starts Soon! (I Know, I Know, It's Short Notice)

All-Things French: Ten Books about the Best French Things

Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

SHORTY SEPTEMBER

Shorty September Update 2 / 12

Hometown Shorts (Local Author/Setting)

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (64 pages)

Elton John’s Wedding Shorts (Something Outrageous)

Trash! A Garbageman’s Story by Simon Paré-Poupart

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

I made focaccia bread.

Good Thing #2:

Okay, my first ukulele class was HARD!

But I have learned that I learn best

when a class is difficult.

Good Thing #3:

I agreed to serve on our library's friends board.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

Today's Featured Book: 

The Art Thief:

A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

by Michael Finkel

Genre: Nonfiction

Published: May 8, 2012

Page Count: 242 pages

Summary: 

Stéphane Bréitwieser is the most prolific art thief of all time.

He pulled off more than 200 heists, often in crowded museums in broad daylight.

His girlfriend served as his accomplice.

His collection was worth an estimated $2 billion.

He never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom.

He felt like a king.

Until everything came to a shocking end.

In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, Michael Finkel gives us one of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of our times, a riveting story of art, theft, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

Approaching the museum, ready to hunt, Stéphane Bréitwieser clasps hands with his girlfriend, Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus, and together they stroll to the front desk and say hello, a cute couple. Then they purchase two tickets with cash and walk in.

It's lunchtime, stealing time, on a busy Sunday in Antwerp, Belgium, in February 1997.

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne of Head Full of Books. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Head Full of Books and visit others in the linky. 

Maintaining his strict back-to-the-camera position, he stiffly shuffles a few steps to his left, sliding the work horizontally along the wall until he's out of range of the lens. 

The Art Thief is our book club read for this month. We will be discussing it in two weeks. It also has only 242 pages, perfect for Shorty September.

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.   

Which book do you think deserves more love but flies under the radar? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer

Many of my favorite books fly under the radar. Have you read any of these books? I feel pretty sure that they are not commonly on people's lists of favorite books.

Working by Studs Terkel; Civility by Stephen L. Carter; My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim PotokT; Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli; I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen; The Common Good by Robert Reich; The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim; The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers; Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell. 

  

All-Things French: Ten Books about the Best French Things

Confessions of a French Baker

Introduction to French Poetry

A Very French Christmas

The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese

Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living

Anna and the French Kiss

Simple French Food

F is for France: A Curious Cabinet of French Wonders

A Breath of French Air

The French Art of Living Well

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.   

The Sunday Salon: Shorty September Starts Soon! (I Know, I Know, It's Short Notice)

Welcome! I am delighted that you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. 

What is the Sunday Salon? 

The Sunday Salon is a place to link up and share what we have been doing during the week. It's also a great opportunity to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Stillmeadow Daybook by Gladys Taber

I handed this off to a friend---I feel certain

she will love it as much as I did.

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham 

Hurray! I've already read my Spin book,

and we watched the (very different) movie.

What I Read Last Week:

What I'm Reading Now:

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig

A Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology of Poetry

Jinjer put me onto Shorty September, and off I went. I love a fun challenge, and what kind of books do I love more than any others? Short ones!

Here's a little info about the month-long challenge: Shorty September is a month long booktube readathon to read short books. It was originally created by Bert and Sian at Pastorytime. And while they put a pause on their booktube channel for now, this is year six and Shorty September is being carried on by @gormodoheathers (Too Many Heathers), @roving_reader (Karen) and Marcella (@marcellainthemargins) all over on Booktube. Follow them on YouTube, make your own Shorty September videos, comment and be merry! Everyone is invited!

From the 1st to the 30th of September, we read “shorty” books all month. Shorties are maybe about 200 pages (or up to 250 pages) or less, it's also defined by some as any book you can read in a day. Whatever is short for you, you define your own shorty length! Read shorties throughout the month - and it's Shorty September, easy as that. You could just pick any "shorty" books. Read one short book, read through a  a stack you’ve saved up (as I know many of us have!) or follow this year's prompts.

Okay, I'm not making a video and I don't really know what Booktube is, but I'm going to find a way to join in, even if it's in my own little blogging way. Here's a list I keep of One-Night Reads that you might find helpful.

What I Posted Last Week Here at Readerbuzz:

The Sunday Salon: The Joy of Blue Polka-Dotted Piggy Squeak Toys

Bookish Places I’ve Visited

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig: Book Beginnings on Fridays, First Line Friday, The Friday 56, and Book Blogger Hop

One yearly challenge to go!

Summer challenges are complete!

Big books. A lot of people like to take on a big book for summer. 

And fortunately for all of us who enjoy big books, Sue Jackson of Book by Book hosts a Big Book Summer Reading Challenge. 

Here's a little about the challenge.

The idea behind this reading challenge is simple: Use the ease of summer to tackle a Big Book (400+ pages) or two or ... however many you want! You set your own goals. And if it is the start of winter where you live, then it's your Big Book Winter Challenge. Everyone is welcome to participate. 

The Details:
Hey, it's summer, so we'll keep this low-key and easy!

• Anything 400 pages or more qualifies as a big book.
• The challenge runs from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (May 22 this year) through Labor Day (September 7 this year).
  
• Choose one or two or however many big books you want as your goal. Wait, did you get that?  You only need to read 1 book with 400+ pages this summer to participate! (though you are welcome to read more, if you want).
• No sign-ups are necessary! All readers are welcome to participate.

What kind of books "count"? All kinds! Middle-grade, YA, graphic novels, classics, all genres, all types--as long as they are at least 400 pages. Yes, e-books and audio books count, too--just check online for the number of pages in the print edition. 

My reads (7):

• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 475 pages 

•  The Wide, Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides - 408 pages 

• My Friends by Frederik Bachman - 448 pages 

•  The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor - 400 pages

• Beyond Words by Carl Safina - 482 pages  

•  Buckeye by Patrick Ryan - 464 pages

• The Earth by Émile Zola - 512 pages

 

 

 

But maybe you are not a person who enjoys reading big books. Maybe you like to read in quantity over the summer. In that case...

When Cathy of 746 books announced in 2025 that she would not host 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel of AnnaBookBel both volunteered to take it on. This year, Annabel will run the challenge alone.

• The 20 Books of Summer2026 (#20BOS26) challenge runs from Sunday June 1st to Sunday August 31st
• The first rule of 20 Books is that there are no real rules, other than signing up for 10, 15, or 20 books and trying to read from your TBR.
• Pick your list in advance, or nominate a bookcase to read from, or pick at whim from your TBR.
• If you do pick a list, you can change it at any time – swap books in/out.
• Don’t get panicked at not reaching your target.
• Just enjoy a summer of great reading and make a bit of space on your shelves!

Annabel will have monthly summary posts where you can add progress reports and recommendations. The final one at the at the beginning of September will stay open for a while to catch all the last reviews.

If you’re planning to join in please do add your blog / planning post link to the Mr Linky here.

Here are my (planned, but subject to change) 20 Books of Summer:

20 / 20

 

*Lost Horizon by James Hilton.    

*The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim   

*Beyond Words by Carl Safina.   

*The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Mcfarlane.     

*The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout.  

*Make Life Happier by Mark Williamson.       

*The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

*Autumn Journal by Louis MacNeice

*Annie Knows Everything by Rachel Wood

*The Earth by Émile Zola     

*Candide by Voltaire

*Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes by Robert Louis Stevenson

*The War of the Buttons by Louis Pergaud     

*A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

*My Friends by Frederik Bachman.       

*The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

*The Lark and the Laurel by Barbara Willard   

*The Shippers by Katherine Center.    

*The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith

*Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See

  

I began to list 3 Good Things every day during the pandemic. Now I've established a regular routine of writing down my 3 Good Things. Here are 3 Good Things from last week:

Good Thing #1:

Blueberry French Toast

Good Thing #2:

The Mississippi Kite is 

still hanging around.

Good Thing #3:

My first ukulele class 

starts this week.

Weekend linkup spots are listed below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

I hope you will join the linkup for Sunday Salon below.