I‘m calling it quits at an even 150 books for the year. After a mostly meh reading year, and a personally terrible first half of the month, this last week has brought nothing but book gems. It is impossible to pick a favorite, as my top three are all so different. Time to go decide what book to start 2025 with…

This was a good start to a new-to-me historical mystery series. I don't usually read books set in WWII, and the war plays a significant role, but I liked the characters enough to continue the series. Ellie is delightful and I love the way she plays off Major Ramsey. The audiobook narrator does a good job, as well.

I am so glad my library bought enough new copies that I was able to get this before the end of the year. It is delightful and totally worthy of the hype. It‘s the perfect locked-room mystery/rom-com combination I didn‘t know I needed but can‘t believe I‘ve lived without for so long. Entertaining, mad, and fun. I read the whole thing after work today. I simply couldn‘t put it down.

December‘s #doublespin is this ARC that publishes 3/18/2025. It‘s one of the best books I‘ve read all year. An edge-of-your-seat thriller with a supernatural twist, it grabbed me from the first page and did not let go. Go in blind, and let the writing sweep you away.

My first #bookspin list of 2025 is set. I‘ve decided to use the first 12 spaces for various reading challenges and next-in-series titles. Challenges/book clubs/buddy reads with set titles have the title listed. Ones that have multiple options in a given month are listed by challenge only so I have a bit of flexibility for mood reading. ☺️

I found this via IG, as the author has hysterical Book Goblin reels, and decided to give this series a try. I like Wheatley‘s writing style. The world building is good, even if the set up drags a bit. The ending is open, prepped for the sequel. I‘m looking forward to seeing how things play out.

Delightful. I can‘t remember the last time I read a book in one sitting. I love Fremlin‘s writing style. It kept me engaged even as I continually thought “what is happening? Wait…what?!?” I had no idea where the mystery was going and I would never in a million years have reached the ultimate solution, but it was a joy to be along for the ride. I must find more of her work.

This is probably a combination of “this December sucks” and “I do not like the audiobook narrator”, but I just can‘t bring myself to switch to my Kobo to read more. The plot feels very similar to another book I dnf‘d in the last 2 months, so maybe it‘s just the trope. I hope not, as it used to be one of my faves. Anywho…officially bailing on my December #bookspin.

I love Carissa Broadbent‘s writing style and I love the world she has created with her Crowns of Nyaxia series. This novella is just the right length for me to be able to read while still recovering from pneumonia. The characters are wonderful, there‘s plenty of danger and tension, and the love story is beautiful. I‘m so glad I discovered this author this year.

A little late to the party on this one, but with pneumonia and the loss of my heart dog, I‘m giving myself a pass. This was a fun entry in the series. There‘s plenty of danger, Nancy wears a disguise, and we get extra helpings of Ned. Bits of it are far-fetched, as per usual, but it was still an enjoyable mystery. I‘m really looking forward to continuing the #NancyDrewBR next year. Thank you @Librarybelle for hosting this.

@Mitch I opened my Christmas present a little early because I needed a pick me up. Oh, my friend. This is perfect. That stationery is gorgeous and that book! I can‘t wait to dig into it on Jolabokaflod. It sounds like something I will love. Thank you. 💖

This is a beautifully illustrated story about Baby‘s first Christmas on the Rez. It teaches a few Anishinaabe words and has a sweet story about family, the joy of giving, and that home is not just where you live, but also where you come from. The art is lovely and I appreciated the pronunciation guide at the back.

Clearly this book is my Bailey tribute section of Litsy. For those of you who were around in 2018 when I lost Pilot and adopted this goofiest of girls, I wanted you to know that she crossed the rainbow bridge this morning. I am devastated. Less than seven years was not enough time and I miss her already. 💔

I got suckered in by the “echoes of Hades & Persephone” and “Practical Magic”. I‘ve been on the fence with bailing for hours. At 63% I am done. For the love of the goddesses, in Tarot, Death means Change. It is the shedding of habits and thought patterns that no longer serve your greatest good, not literal death. Stop using the Death card as a jump scare! Just, stop.

This was a fun read - I‘d expected something a little more cozy mystery, but this is a bit more serious than your average Hallmark mystery. It‘s well written, full of danger, and a bit quirky. I also really loved the supernatural element.

Spoilers abound in this book that examines a variety of tropes in pop culture/film & television. While I didn‘t find anything earth-shattering in the author‘s observations or conclusions, it did piss me off. Admittedly, I live in a rage-filled emotional state these days, but I‘m an American woman and all you have to do is look at our elected officials to understand the anger. The essence of the book is this: Fuck. The. Patriarchy.

I love this list from @Mollyanna - it has a bit of all the things I love and I‘ve only read one of them! I will probably start with the 3 I already own, and I will definitely read The Ravenmaster. I may try to read the first five Phoebe and her Unicorn books this month, to catch up to the one on the list. They look like nice palate cleansers/escapist reads. Then I‘ll have to throw the rest in a hat to decide what to read next. #auldlangspine2025

TY to the author for the LibraryThing Early Reviewer copy. This did not work for me. I should have loved this book. It has a missing persons cold case, a dead body that appears to age at an alarming rate, pixies, dragons, magic, and a talking dog! None of it was engaging. The writing was flat & I was bored to tears. There‘s a disconnect between what we‘re told and the actions of characters. ⬇️

The final #bookspin bingo board of 2024! I do love making these, even if I rarely cross off more than the free spaces. 🤣🤣

December‘s TBR is doable, but only if I can get my focus and will to read back. Another mood month like November will kill this. Fingers crossed as I have several book clubs/buddy reads and LibraryThing Early Reviewers/Netgalley titles to get through.

I‘ll put my bingo board together after work, but for now…#bookspin is The Christmas Murder Game and #doublespin is The Bane Witch. I have to laugh (so I don‘t cry) - neither of these were on my already overloaded December TBR. I have The Christmas Murder Game on my Kobo, but there aren‘t going to be enough hours in the day to read it with my eyeballs, so I checked the audiobook out from Hoopla and will read it with my ears. 🎧

Not my favorite of the series, but still wonderful. It ends on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger and I can‘t wait for the next volume.

The Devil Aspect capped off a lackluster November for me. The top two were the best of the non-rereads. I really hope December is better. #novemberwrapup

I like Russell‘s style a lot. The Devil‘s Playground was my favorite book last year. I had high hopes for this one. It is a well-written, serial killer, suspense novel, with a supernatural element. I enjoyed the Slavic folklore interspersed throughout, but I was disappointed by the ending. Really disappointed. I switched between print and audio, and the audiobook narrator was excellent.

I don‘t leave the house on Black Friday anymore, but Small Business Saturday still calls to me. A little yarn from Charlotte Yarn and some books I‘m really excited to read from Park Road Books. 💖

Why must there be a clown in my serial killer novel? Why, Mr. Russell? Why? 😭 🔪🤡🔪

I think I‘ve finally decided on my last #bookspin list for 2024. Considering how I‘ve struggled to stick with any books this month, I don‘t have high hopes for making a dent on this list next month. We‘ll see.

Thanks for continuing to host this Sarah. I enjoy putting together the graphics even if I don‘t manage to read the books. 😂

As with the first George Smiley novel, Call for the Dead, this is a murder mystery, not the Cold War spy stories for which Le Carre became famous. It's a good mystery, plenty of English Murder Village style secrets, and it's tinged with sadness. Smiley always seems to disappointed, although not surprised, when people do bad things, and you can't help but walk away with a bit of that same melancholy. (Cont.⬇️)

These are brief encouragements to keep going, reminders that we are each unique, special, loved, and worthy. There‘s nothing particularly earth shattering here, but if you need a pick-me-up, it‘s worth dipping into. I wouldn‘t recommend reading it all in one go, though. It‘s nice to actually finish a book, even if I didn‘t love it. Not being able to stick with anything is very stressful and that makes it harder to stick with something. 🤦🏻‍♀️

#auldlangspine2025 sign ups are live! This is one of my favorite things every year. @monalyisha does an incredible job pairing reader. Thank you, Alyisha for all of your hard work and for doing this year after year. 💖

Ridiculous, delightful, and amusing. The audio narration is great. This is lighthearted escapist fantasy and the perfect distraction from reality.

*Thanks to Zeitgeist Publishing for the free copy.* Being new to herbal medicine, I found this informative & encouraging. I like that the author discusses issues around sourcing herbs. The layout of the book is good, enhancing its usefulness as a reference guide. There‘s some annoying repetition though, maybe poor editing, or legal CYA, but I was internally screaming “yes, yes, consult a medical/herbal professional. I GET IT!”

This is a fun cozy fantasy series and I enjoyed spending time with Reyna, Kianthe, and their griffins. There‘s plenty of adventure, painful puns, a bit of a body count, and of course, pirates. It took awhile to really get going, but overall it was enjoyable. I‘m making allowances for the pacing to simply be a personal problem focusing thanks to the dumpster fire of life right now.

It has been next to impossible to read this week, but I picked up the next #nancydrewbr book because I knew I could power through it in about 90 minutes. Sadly, my efforts were not rewarded. Honestly, I think this is my least favorite of the series so far. It‘s filled with annoying characters, and while the plot made me roll my eyes, as usual, it just wasn‘t nearly as much fun. Even Scooter is like “why did we bother?” 😂

…and now my official TBR. There‘s only 11, which is doable. I‘m pretty sure I‘ll hit 11 books read, so the only question is will it be this 11 or something else. 🤔

My money is on something else. 🤣🤣 #moodreader

The Free Spaces were kind this month! I have high hopes for multiple bingos.

#bookspin
#doublespin
#bookspinbingo

I‘m finally going to have to stop putting off Rednecks now that it is my #doublespin. The #bookspin book is an IG ad I fell for. 😂😂

16 books finished for October and very few were spooky season reads. Oops. In my defense, though, there was a surprise new Smiley, and that overrides just about all other considerations.

I‘ll do my official wrap up later, but I keep up with my #bookspin board all month. I bailed halfway through my bookspin, didn‘t get to the #doublespin, but still managed a #bookspinbingo by 7:30 last night.

Delightful. It was a happy accident that brought me to this series and each installment has been great fun. I love murder mysteries where everyone is trapped on a remote island. Throw in a missing, cursed treasure, two fake (?) mediums, and precocious 8-year old twin boys, and you have a recipe for a fun cozy-ish mystery.

After reading Karla‘s Choice, I had to go back to the original Smiley stories, starting with this first one. It‘s definitely more murder mystery than espionage story, but it introduces a character who will become significant in later Smiley books (and I‘d totally forgotten about that!). This is at least my 3rd time reading this one. It‘s safe to say I love it still.

Not sure why this list felt so hard to put together, but it‘s done. I may start A Pirate‘s Life for Tea before the end of the month. If so, I‘ll swap it out for Curses are for Cads. I just can‘t decide which of them I want to read first. #bookspin
(EDITED TO MOVE REDNECKS TO THE PRB CHALLENGE CATEGORY AND REPLACE ITS SPACE WITH LORE OLYMPUS VOL 7)

Was I nervous about anyone, even Le Carre‘s son, taking on my favorite fictional spy? Yes. I needn‘t have been. Harkaway captures the heart of the original, while still keeping his own style and cadence. I loved being in his version of the Circus, revisiting old friends, and getting a new, deeper backstory to the cold war that exists specifically between Smiley and Karla.

I kind of love when ebook preorders drop a little early. I should go to sleep, but…Smiley and Karla?!? How am I supposed to resist that?

I cannot fully express how much I detested this book. Everything about it was ridiculous, from the structure to the conclusion. The constant breaking of the fourth wall wasn‘t clever. It was annoying. The audiobook narrator‘s voices for various characters, and her inability to keep them consistent, didn‘t help. This is apparently going to be a series. I will not be reading more.

As usual, I devoured this book. It‘s a heartbreaking read. Slaughter is a gifted thriller writer and this latest installment in the Will Trent series is just as compulsively readable, horrifying, and gut-wrenching as the others. Faith‘s description of the case is perfect, but potentially spoiler-y, so I‘ll put it in the comments under a spoiler tag.

I bought these exclusively for the artwork. The illustrations are gorgeous. There‘s a weird gap in the story that makes it feel like a bit of text is missing and I kind of wonder if I got a dud copy since the title is different (I ordered direct from the author). I‘m not sure if a small child would notice, though.

Maybe it's my mood, or maybe it's the audiobook format on this one, but I just found the whole thing to be a tedious advertisement for Adam's TV show, Kindred Spirits. I didn't find anything to be particularly deep, transformative, or comforting. (October selection for The Morbidly Curious Bookclub)

I‘m giving this one a pick with serious reservations. The mystery itself, finding an unknown object in an unknown oak tree, was fun. The desecration of Native American burial grounds? Not so much. I‘m also pretty anti-angst in most of what I read, so the jealousy subplot was annoying and the damage to old oak trees was heartbreaking to read. I also think we should add at least a 1/2 count to #NNK thanks to the goat. 😂 #nancydrewbr

Not thrilled with the Native American plot line, but trying my best to remember the time period in which these were written. I like Clem already, though.