Last night I discovered that my dog who has never chewed anything in a year decided to eat my library book (I suspect on the cat's behest). Whhhhyyyy?? Also, this book is making all my fangirl parts nostalgic. Such a precious.

Oh my gosh, this a good one. One of the best historical romances I've read so far that actually seems to fully embrace the term historical. Yes, there is some fantastical elements. This is a romance, but this book is obviously well researched and is a fully realized concept by the author. I have read another book by Alyssa Cole, and this book is a huge leap into 'must buy this author' land for me. Civil War, spies, badass heroine, charming hero!

I've listened to Sleeping Giants and Waking Gods on audiobook, and I highly recommend that experience if you want something different. The full cast recording brings this to life. I don't know what I was expecting but Waking Gods went off into some weird, awesome, and dark directions. I didn't love everything but I loved the majority and I'm looking forward to a continuation as there is a major cliffhanger at the end.

Crossing a river has always been a fear of mine, usually just daydreams of driving my car in headfirst. But maybe I just knew instinctively what this book described to me: there could be a nest of water moccasin waiting for me. Thank you for giving me my new worst fear.

Why choose a 34 hr listen for your first Audiobook of the year. No clue, but I have a feeling I am going to love every second. First hour was hard but now I am getting to know the characters and I'm in. Also, this is part of my 2017 backlist reading challenge. I am doing both that and Read Harder 2017.

Today at book club everyone brought a cookbook and made a dish from their book for our Christmas potluck. Very fun idea! Someone made the most yummy wassail. I made the apple crisp from The Skinnytaste Cookbook.

It's a chilly rainy Sunday, snuggling in a blanket with book and dog to keep me company.

Not the best month for reading, and even though I planned to read during my Thanksgiving break, I read zero books. Too much going on and too much turkey. However, I am already in the saddle again. Here's hoping Christmas Break is better. I am so close to 100 books for the year.

Delightful morning read, this is my second Sarah MacLean and I'm loving it so far.

Well, this was awesome. Joshua wasn't perfect and I could nitpick but he may also be my favorite hero of the year.

This book needs a spot on reading lists for Black Lives Matter. Detailed & unflinching on the rise of gangsta rap in the era of crack, Rodney King, & crumbling cities, this book gives context to issues alive today. A chronicle of how N.W.A. voiced the anger, spirit & frustration of black youth and stuck it in politicians, the FBI and white america's living rooms. Equally fascinating is the close look at how music pioneers, though flawed, operated.

I started this book yesterday, and OH MY GOD I couldn't put it down. It's a fascinating and engrossing story. It's not just fluff though. It has researched facts and first person accounts. Very readable for nonfiction. #nonfictionnovember

Confession, I wasn't a huge fan of the first LumberJanes volume. I wasn't expecting much from Nimona, but it is recommended so often (and The Reading Women just did a show on it) that I gave it a try anyway. And ohemgee, it's so good. I had so many feelings about this. So many feelings. Read it!!!!

YES! All the yes'es. This laugh out loud funny. I want to buy this series for every young child I know (and me too) to read forever and ever.

I honestly didn't expect to read this book so fast, but the narrative is quite readable despite its complexity. This is a strange, thought-provoking dystopia aimed at religion and patriarchy that is unsettling. My one gripe is there is no discussion of intersectionality here. What happened to the women of color in this world? I assume they had it worse but it was hard to parcel out and the narrator never mentions it.

This week I made two trips to the library to retrieve some holds, and I picked up a couple other things while there. Whoops. I plan to only read from this stack for the month so I'll see how far I can get. I'm half way through The Handmaid's Tale. It's strange and unsettling but I can't wait to see the ending.

I tweeted that I'm not sure if I'm loving this or confused or if I hate it, but I can't stop thinking about it. I'm a 100 pages into Book 1 and I already bought the other two. I don't know what I'm doing anymore.

I loved this book so freaking much. I've read a number of romances this year but this is high on my list of favs for the year. India is the best!!!! Her emotional turmoil feels very true and believable based on her backstory. I enjoyed the surprise pregnancy trope much more than I expected. Also Mike is a fab hero, and I liked the relationship here. Just a great entertaining read. Can't wait for Jonathan's story next.

Original concept from other post-apocalyptic narratives I've read. This story is set years after the major events of a nationwide blackout and society has decayed but is getting back on its feet enough that our heroine is moving to one of the new colleges training workers and engineers. She is joined by her crush Edwin who is like a big brother to her. That relationship is tense as is one with an old ex. Enjoyable quick romance.

Just started this series after a recommendation on Get Booked, and what a delightful read. Babs is amazing and her friends even more awesome. Very inclusive and modern. I'm new to the character so I can't speak on faith to origin but this is a fantastic reboot for a new reader. I love that it isn't dark or gritty. It's fun!

Wooo! I've been not so patiently waiting for the next book in this series to drop. AND IT'S FINALLY OUT TODAY!! I loved Love On My Mind. It has a WOC heroine and a hero with Asperger's, a very different kind hero than I've read. Plus, bi-racial couple woo. Tracey teased this new story at the end if Book 1 and I've been intrigued to see where it goes.

I finished Book 1. On one hand I'm totally loving this book and on the other I have no idea what the hell is going on. Little People, what?

Finally went and retrieved my #botm pick. It's so gorgeous.

Currently reading this for my book club pick. It's long so not certain I'll finish but it's a very engaging and easy to read prose.

On audiobook, this book is painful and hard to stomach in moments, but there was this underlying current to the plot that kept me completely engaged as the characters made their way off the plantation and through the south on the railroad. There were chilling moments of suspense and action, but beautiful thoughtful prose that connect to situations of black lives in modern america. Highly recommend everyone read.

I'm just going to spend a few days staring at this one.

I finished this two weeks ago, and it's nagged at me ever since so I know I loved it. This is a romance with a black heroine written by a black author, and it's a mixed race couple with a hero that has Asperger's. It's also a book about two people falling in love, not about race which I enjoyed. Mostly I liked how the author dealt with Adam's relationships with Chelsea & his friends due to his Asperger's. Can't wait to read the next in the series.

Checked this out from my library's Overdrive collection and it was an entertaining way to spend a Sunday morning as I consumed this entire thing in one sitting. Absolutely loved the hero, Simon, in this one. Some minor irritations (ridiculous nicknames blergh) but the book is funny and there is the most hilarious cat. The heroine, Caroline, loves Ina Garten, and I feel that on a deep spiritual level.

I have listened to a considerable portion of this book, enough that I should know if I like it or not. Mainly I am confused beyond all reason. Do I continue for Idris Elba? There are six more books and I don't know if I can get through this one. Also I didn't know much about this series but it was recommended to me by a couple of friends. Plus Idris.

I have listened to a considerable portion of this book, enough that I should know if I like it or not. Mainly I am confused beyond all reason. Do I continue for Idris Elba? There are six more books and I don't know if I can get through this one. Also I didn't know much about this series but it was recommended to me by a couple of friends. Plus Idris.

An interesting action packed sci-fi thriller that has elements of multi-verse theory. I did have some qualms with the book (females characters in this book don't have much to do) but I think most people will enjoy this one. Think Sliding Doors plus Time Traveler's Wife but with a buttload of science: you get this book.

An interesting action packed sci-fi thriller that has elements of multi-verse theories. I did have some qualms with the book (females characters in this book don't have much to do) but I think most people will enjoy this one. Think Sliding Doors but with much more science and a Time Traveler's Wife-like romance.

I finished up #24in48 yesterday by starting this audiobook. Still loving everything Brene Brown has to say. The way she speaks about courage and vulnerability is something worth trying to bring into my life. So glad I found her work. Aside from that had a great time reading this weekend, ended up about 16 hrs and 4 books finished. Then I spent Sunday afternoon at a production of Wicked, and it was a total blast.

Day 1 ended at 14.5 hrs read. I can chalk up some of my wandering mind to fatigue but I do think this book comes at a slower pace compared to The Girl at Midnight. Much quieter, the plot drifts in places, and there's a rather tedious love triangle. Yet, I still love this world, the lore, and the characters. Once the plot gets moving the story takes you on a wild ride setting up what's sure to be an exciting conclusion to the series. #24in48

Finished up this audiobook today. Another notch in my quest to consume all of Brene Brown's work. Some of the ideas here were in the first course I listened to called The Power of Vulnerability but I still loved this. I'm constantly thinking about how to adapt her ideas into my daily life. #24in48

#24in48 Next up, the sequel to The Girl at Midnight. Been excited to read it. I will probably sleep soon and wake up to this one. 5 hours 40 mins down.

I finished my second book for #24in48 making whale noises. It ends on a cliffhanger. But before that this is a cute contemporary YA romance with fake relationships and awesome siblings. Features a biracial Korean-American family.

For #24in48 I finished up the last 150 pages of this one, and oh my god what an exciting finish. Lots of intrigue and sword fights and burly warriors to contend with while the hero and heroine fell in love. I just loved Mairin's take no prisoners attitude. She's a well drawn tough but caring character that was easy to root for. Can't wait to look up the other two books in the series to get the rest of the McCabe story.

Funny, entertaining historical romance about a plainjane wallflower named Callie and the man she's admired from a far, Gabriel, a dude with a notorious rep with the ladies. Add in an entertaining surrounding cast. Plus an easy to follow plot that doesn't feel needlessly drawn out.

An action-packed scifi romp. Simple premise: elderly humans are made young again to fight intergalactic wars. The twists and conspiracies of that process are fun as you find out how this all occurs. Beneath it all there's thoughtfulness about humanity and colonization that give the book great depth.

Okay, I'm going to be sad when this book is over. As someone just getting into reading lots of different romance novels, I feel like this is ringing more of my bells than other historicals I've tried previously. I just love Gabriel and Callie, I can't even explain.

As I was adding updates on Goodreads this morning (loving Old Man's War btw), I decided I needed more book friends to stalk, erm, follow. So it's now Follow Friday. If you operate a Goodreads account or a Twitter I'd love to follow you. I am at goodreads.com/lisamakewords and the same on Twitter. 😘

My first Courtney Milan novel, and I'm enjoying it. Some shocking revelations and there was this one scene where the heroine catches the hero in a rather indisposed position and I wasn't expecting that. I'm kind of a romance newbie though.

Just finished her course on Audible called The Power of Vulnerability. Now I want to consume all of her work, so I bought this book and others. I find her information to be applicable to real life, and completely inspiring.

Hanging out with my best friends and a pile of books at the beach. Can't decide what to read first.

I also kind of loved the library scenes in this book. A million book friends!

Great YA fantasy novel with a funny & spirited female protagonist set in an interesting world of birds and dragons, where people have feathers for hair and scales. Well-paced plot as the heroine finds herself in the middle of a war along side a merry band of misfits. Also has a LGTBQ side pairing.

Nabbed this one off Amazon a couple weeks ago when it was rec'd on twitter. Spent the morning reading a big chunk. People don't have hair, they have feathers and dragon scales. That's awesome enough right?

Yaa Gyasi's writing is amazing at capturing such honesty. Her words blow you back for a second.

Powerful. Interconnected stories weaving a family history from Ghana to the deep south to Harlem that is painful and sad in very honest ways. I highlighted more than a few sections. Wow.