A gorgeous setting, a twist I NEVER saw coming, a creepy ending.

Beautiful Ugly did not disappoint.

While listening to this audiobook, I found my mind wandering.

The female main character is orphaned, and her sister has been taken to be part of the evil king's harem. She vows to rescue her sister no matter what.

The story is based on true events in Korea in the 1500s.

Bookish birthday gifts from my sister who always knocks the gift-giving out of the park!

I have enjoyed every book that I've read by Lucinda Berry.

She used to be a psychologist and uses her expertise to write psychological thrillers.

Her stories are gripping and suspenseful. "When She Returned" is all of the above.

Loved it!

The main characters, the mystery, the little bit of romance... I loved it all.

I normally don't read seasonal books, but this year, I've read two and am really enjoying it 😄

Loved it! ❤️

A romance 10 years in the making that is totally worth the wait.

Denise!! You are so kind and generous ☺️ Thank you, friend 💕 I'm so excited!

@dabbe

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you, Misty, for the #LitsyLove 🥰 📚

@AmyG My Jolabokaflod AND a birthday surprise arrived today (on my actual birthday!!) 😁🥳

Thank you so much!!

#jolabokaflod #jolabokaflodswap24 #jolabokaflodswap #js24
@MaleficentBookDragon

Even though my kids were more Nickelodeon than Disney, I found this book interesting.

Shia LaBeouf, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato - all very interesting.

My only gripe is with the audiobook narrator and her pronunciations. The word 'complimentary' was pronounced "compliment-airy." The era of the 90s was the "nigh-knees."

It drove me crazy, but I'm told that's how the kids these days speak ???

I really wanted to like this better.

It started off fine, but then it got too repetitive, angsty, and annoying.

I'm glad everything worked out for Poppy and Ryan, but, man, getting to the HEA was exhausting.

I feel really bad because I know Maisey.

It's off!
@MaleficentBookDragon

#jolabokaflod
#jolabokaflodswap24
#js2024

Valerie Bertinelli details how she went from constantly worrying about her weight to finally being happy.

There was a lot to like, but I found this repetitive and very common sense.

The recipes sound delicious, the photo section was fun, and the stories about Eddie were great.

I liked more than I disliked, but I am happy to move on to my next read.

November wrap-up

I squeezed one last book in for November and loved it!

A fake dating trope, likable but damaged characters, and witty banter made for a very enjoyable read.

My Romance Book Club will be discussing this at our December meeting 😊

Cute little vintage bookend that I found at an estate sale today 😊 📚 🦉

Loved it!

What a life. Privileged, exciting, tragic.

I wish I could find a who's who for this photograph. There are a few faces I'm not sure about. Google didn't help at all.

Noodle doesn't know what to think, but I do! I really liked this twisty thriller!

And I'm not just saying that because the heroine posted a 1 star review and was stalked by the disappointed and deranged author 😄

A suspenseful and enjoyable page-turner.

I overdid it yesterday when I was feeling good post surgery 😔 but at least I have a good book and the BEST cozy blanket to snuggle under today!

Hey @MaleficentBookDragon I edited my response through Google Forms...just wanted to bring that to your attention 🙃

#jolabokaflodswap

This was gifted to me, and I had no idea what to expect.

What a well-done, intricate story!

McMasters is best described as an academy for adults who are dedicated to deleting (murdering) major problems (their bosses) in their lives.

The writing style was like a Lemony Snicket book.

Very entertaining and clever!

PS - I didn't consider my reflection in the glass in this photo. I would have failed my McMasters test 😄

I finally dipped my toe into the world of Finlay Donovan and loved it!

* Couldn't find this in the database, so I chose another title by Mazanec.

A fake dating romance that also became a suspense/mystery at the end that made me wish I had paid closer attention to the side characters.

This unique book is about a young woman whose sister was raped.

Em deals with her feelings through writing about a historical figure named Marguerite de Bressieux. I had never heard of Bressieux, but immediately took a deep dive after finishing this book.

The author did a great job using prose, poetry, and art to tell a difficult story.

My husband went to book club for me last night because author Jane Porter was there with swag!!

All of the goodies and the signed book made my night as I recover from my surgery.

How funny is it that he got to meet her?! 🤣

I love historical romance 💕

In this book by the amazing Lisa Kleypas, our heroine is widowed after three days of marriage.

She should have a long mourning period, but the groom's cousin thinks otherwise.

I am a sucker for stories about cults.

Her religious journey started off very much with the truth, but that truth was twisted by people who took advantage of her during a vulnerable time in her life.

I'm glad she's on the other side of this experience and still has faith in God.

A great "dog memoir" by my favorite author!

I'm so glad I splurged and ordered a signed copy that came with a postcard of one of the three rascals ?

Funny, touching, sad - everything you'd expect from a book about dogs and how they touch our lives.

A difficult story with a hopeful/happy ending.

This memoir is something else! The author was raised by two very mentally ill parents and was helping her dad deal drugs when she was a preschooler.

Unbelievable. Powerful. Well told. Well-written.

Monthly report

I am grateful to my Romance Book Club for introducing me to author Jane Porter.

I loved this book about a 58 year old widow finding love "again" - but really, for the first time ❤️

Dollar Tree 💵 🌳 #bookhaul

An adult fairy tale about a young man who promises to bring a fallen star to the woman he thinks he is in love with.

Turns out the star is a young woman - the daughter of the moon.

It's always a pleasure listening to Gaiman narrate his own books.

The extras at the end were great!

Look!

My letter holder is empty!

That's because I'm all caught up on #LitsyLove 💞

A fun romp about a woman who is hours away from walking down the aisle to marry the wrong man.

👰‍♀ 🎄 🤵‍♂️💞

I am always leary of reading books by the "it" authors of the moment, but I still chose this for BOTM.

It was okay.

What I liked:
●I didn't see the twist until it happened
●It was a quick read

What I hated:
●The stupidity of the female main character
●That the made-up word "unbecredifabulous" was used three times

This was really good!

I have always been intrigued by the real Anastasia and the Russian royal family.

This book reimagines the life of Anastasia, throws in some magic, and gives her a happily ever after.

The book is over 650 pages, but it went fast and includes illustrations.

My sister sent me a Halloween box that included this book!

I read Camino Island a while back at my dad's recommendation and just finished book two, so I think it's safe to say I'm enjoying this series 😄

To me, this was a great idea but could have been done better.

I felt like I was reading a Creative Writing assignment that was predictable and not very creative.

Okay, but not earth-shattering.

Onward!

One of the perks of being in a book club led by an author 😀 📚 🖊

Thanks for tagging me @Deblovestoread !

1) No! We don't get trick or treaters out here in the sticks, and I've held off buying Reese's pumpkins for myself (so far...)

2) Looong, intriguing, illustrated

#Two4Tuesday
@TheSpineView

I'll tag @Bookwormjillk and @iread2much

This morning, I finished my second read-through of the Bible 😊

Five stars
Highly recommend

🙏🏻⛪️✝️

Anne Lamott always speaks to me, and this book about love was no exception.

You guys, look what my bestie sent me...a cool "from the library of" embosser thing!! ??

The story of a woman obsessed with true crime who finds her perfect match 🥰

This was fun!

Romance Book Club assignment for October.

I couldn't be more excited about my estate sale book haul today!

*Gift From the Sea
*Wuthering Heights
*The Hokusai Sketch-Books
*The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
*Green Mansions
*Salome

So annoying.

So repetitive.

This is my first Riley Sager and will most likely be my last.

I hated it so much that I found myself wishing the heroine would just die so I wouldn't have to hear about the "movies in her head" anymore.