I finished both my #BookSpin picks this weekend. Somebody‘s Daughter was excellent. Ashley C. Ford writes about trauma and a challenging childhood with skill, honesty, and a lot of empathy. It would be easy for her to have written this from a place of anger but she made a different choice.

Still Life was another enjoyable installment in the Karen Pirie series. It‘s so interesting how all the story threads come together.

Thanks to library holds I‘m finally getting to read some of last year‘s top books. This one was maybe a bit over complicated but definitely worthy of the hype. At first I struggled a little because there were so many characters to keep up with and two timelines, but it all came together well. I liked that almost all of the POV characters were women, especially Judyta and Louise.

My picks for this month‘s #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin. I‘m going to be listening to the audiobook of Somebody‘s Daughter. I hope everyone has a great reading month.

Here‘s my #BookSpinBingo card from January. I got one bingo, read 13 books, and finished both my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin. The ones I enjoyed most were Don‘t Forget to Write, Five-Star Weekend, and What You are Looking for is in the Library. I also really recommend Sing Sing Files, which was not fun at all but an important nonfiction look at wrongful imprisonment.

Overall a great reading month.

I really enjoyed this book. It‘s a set of interconnected short stories about different people who are struggling when they find their way to a small library in a community center. There they are connected with books that inspire change. I read this for the #PS2025 Healing Fiction prompt. I hadn‘t heard of that genre but will definitely read more of it.

Here‘s what I‘m thinking for February #BookSpin but I might tweak it before our numbers come out. Hoping for a distracting month of reading.

I was able to finish six #AuldLangSpine books from @Jerdencon this month. I enjoyed all of them. Except for The Five Star Weekend they were all historical fiction. I enjoyed these glimpses of different lives! I will keep reading off your list this year.

Thanks to @monalyisha for hosting and coordinating this fun swap every year. This is my favorite Litsy activity! I think about what I‘m going to out on my list all year.

Another good book from the #AuldLangSpine list I got from @Jerdencon this year. I always like stories about women making their way against the grain, which is what happens in this story of life for a young widow after World War II. She gets a job working in radio, and it deals with some of the issues of the time period that I hadn‘t read about in historical fiction before.

I read this thriller about “black bag” PR, which means trying to hide/overwhelm/manage negative image problems, in this case in Hollywood. This is what is alleged to have happened in the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni situation. But in this book there‘s also murder. Overall, I enjoyed the book but the pacing was a little off and the way the 14-year-old girl character was written was not believable. Even for a jaded Hollywood teenager.

Another #AuldLangSpine winner from @Jerdencon I hadn‘t read this author before. I enjoyed how she mixed her characters on with real life celebrities in this story of life in the French Riviera before World War II came to France.

I never read a book jacket so I thought this was just going to be about Marion defying expectations by becoming a dancer. Turns out there‘s a whole other plot based on a real life bombing case. All of this was entertaining to read. My one issue was the father character was such an overbearing jerk and I think the main character was too understanding of him. I will put another thought in comments. Thanks @Jerdencon for the #AuldLangSpine pick

The cozy mystery set in a cafe or restaurant almost always works for me. This one goes into maybe a little more detail about the cafe offerings than I might need but the mysteries are always good and the cast of characters is usually fun.

This mystery had a good premise and there were secrets in both timelines, but it ended really abruptly! So abruptly I‘m not sure if there‘s meant to be a sequel or not.

Another #AuldLangSpine winner from @Jerdencon I really enjoyed this one. Marilyn and Aunt Ada were such fun characters. It ends a little tidy but I didn‘t care. I loved how rebellious both characters were.

I hadn‘t read this author before but now I want to see how the rest of her books are.

I hope all the Littens in Southern California are safe! I have family out there who are luckily ok so far. These fires are so scary and devastating. Thinking of and praying for anyone who is affected by this disaster.

Everyone should read this book, especially if you might ever serve on a jury. The author, a producer on Dateline, writes about his efforts bringing attention and justice to people with wrongful convictions in New York City. I‘ve read a lot about wrongful conviction but some of this was still shocking.

This was my #DoubleSpin for January

I enjoyed this book about a “Rosie the Riveter” who is trying to find her path after the war ends & women aren‘t needed at the airplane factory. I‘ve always been interested in this topic — where did these women go if they didn‘t want to go back home? This one is a bit more soapy as it involves artists, a little scandal, and a hotel. Hazel was a little naive at times but I was rooting for her to find her way. This was my #BookSpin & #AuldLangSpine

Elin Hilderbrand‘s books really go down easy. I have not read all her books in order but every time, I start out thinking all these people are awful, but she finds a way to make you care about them. (I really wanted to shake the daughter character throughout, though.) I enjoyed this as a fun start to my #AuldLangSpine reading for January.

My first #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin picks for 2025! The first one is from my #AuldLangSpine list from @Jerdencon and I‘m listening to the audiobook. The other is a nearly overdue library book that I didn‘t feel like reading in December so I‘m glad to have the extra push to get to it.

Starting my first #AuldLangSpine pick from @Jerdencon Seemed like the best way to spend my last vacation day. Happy New Year Litsy friends.

For the first time ever, I got a blackout on my #BookSpinBingo card! Holiday reading and novellas for the win. I don‘t know if this will ever happen again but I‘m excited to finish my year with this accomplishment.

My year in books! This is the most I‘ve ever read in one year. I‘m tagging #BookSpinBingo because it was a real motivator this year. Thanks, @TheAromaofBooks

Last book of 2024! Ending on a high note with this magical and melancholy story. Augusta is such a great character. “She believed in medicine and in miracles.” Highly recommend.

I realized I still needed to post my #Nonfiction2024 bingo card. Some of these are only lightly connected to the prompt but I did it! I always enjoy mixing nonfiction into my reading year.

Jimmy Carter was a personal hero to me for the way he conducted his life after leaving office. In 2011, I had the honor of meeting him after one of his Sunday School lessons in Plains. I have more than a few books about him, but it will take a lot to capture his legacy. There hasn‘t been and probably won‘t be another public figure like him. And amazing life as our longest lived president.

I really enjoyed this! The Christmas stories included here were often a little supernatural/ghostly. The sections with a recipe also included the author sharing the significance of the food in her own life and holiday experiences. I could see myself revisiting this one!

I thought this was a cute romance/rom com, but the main draw is the setting at the Tower of London, where the author lived. I loved the inside scoop about what it would be like to live there, with some history mixed in.

This was a great book to read uninterrupted during a holiday break. I‘m not sure this kind of small town really exists but I enjoyed how the main character, a bit of a fish out of water, found a home in this one. My favorite secondary character was the grumpy owner of the inn.

Made my January #BookSpin list. Like everyone I‘m surprised it‘s almost a new year already. Many of these (3-10) are from my #AuldLangSpine list with a few new options and some overdue library books that I didn‘t feel like reading in December.

Merry Christmas everyone! I was happy to finish this before Christmas lunch. It was as fun as everyone has said. I loved it. This was my #BookSpin for December.

Another holiday book winner! I finished this one last night with It‘s a Wonderful Life on in the background. I loved this story of a struggling bookshop and what happens when the owners send books to locals who need a pick me up. It has some Christmas magic and felt very much like a Jenny Colgan book. I really enjoyed it. Thanks to @OriginalCyn620 for the recommendation!

Thank you @LeslieO for my #Jolabokaflod swap gift! I love Sophie Cousens so I can‘t wait to read this. And you sent so much chocolate that I can‘t fit it all in this picture. I can‘t wait to try the sponge candy! I‘ve never had that. Happy reading to all #JS2024 participants and thanks to @MaleficentBookDragon for hosting.

This was more of a family drama than a mystery and it definitely wasn‘t a thriller. I was curious enough about what happened to the father but a lot of this wasn‘t compelling. I did not understand the motivations of the father character and his primary relationship, which took away some of my enjoyment. I did care enough to finish though! This didn‘t fit well with my other December reads but I had to take it when my library hold came in!

For the last few years I‘ve made it a tradition to listen to this two books. I really love Hugh Grant‘s narration on A Christmas Carol, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a childhood favorite. Written in the 1970s, some of the humor and characterizations are pretty dated but the story is still sweet. I‘d like to see the new movie version to see how it translates.

I listened to this series as part of my holiday reading this year. It was a cute series! You have to accept there is a family of Christmas tree farm owners with holiday themed names, but that goes with the territory. I liked Nick and Noel the best of the three. I listened to it second bc I didn‘t realize at first that this was a series.

Today was my last day of work for the year! Now I can stay up late and read. Starting this one now.

I‘ve read holiday books of all kinds this month and this is my favorite so far. I loved the way part of it is written in journal form! It was creepy but there was also a lot of (not necessarily happy) holiday elements in the story. Really enjoyed it. I finished it up on my lunch break. Thanks to @OriginalCyn620 for the recommendation.

I enjoyed this book even though almost all of the characters annoyed me at certain points! The two main characters decide to fake date & deal with family issues & work problems. There‘s one plot thread that wasn‘t resolved at the end but maybe it was in a future book. The cover is pretty but the book is set an hour away from where I live; as you can see from our forecast— it doesn‘t really snow here at Christmas! This was my #DoubleSpin

My #JolabokaflodSwap package just arrived. I‘m working from home today so I was able to bring it right in! #JS2024

Mixing this one in with my holiday reading. It‘s cute so far.

This was creepy in parts! Definitely a change of pace from the light seasonal books I‘ve been reading lately. I actually hadn‘t read this author before and I want to read more of her work now. This one reminded me a bit of The Return of Ellie Black.

My snowman supervised the wrapping of my #Jokabokaflodswap24 gifts! They were shipped out today via UPS so they should arrive to @Readergrrl one day next week. I did not get a picture of the box. #JS2024

This has been a very busy week at work so I‘ve only now been able to really look at the #AuldLangSpine list provided by @Jerdencon and I can‘t wait to start planning for January. We‘re a good match bc I also had The Women and almost put Reykjavik on my list! I also love the Val McDermid book. I especially see a lot of potential with the historical fiction picks on this list. I‘m going to see what my library can provide! Happy reading to us both.

This is a cute holiday novella so far! It involves a book editor, a cozy mystery book, and Hanukkah.

At first this felt literally all over the place since the two MCs weren‘t in the same location and then the plot took them around the world. But once I settled in I liked the story and will definitely read more of the series. Amy and Steve are interesting characters so it will be fun to see what happens next. Nicola Walker‘s narration was great as always. She really adds to the story for me.

First holiday read of the season! Someone posted this in one of my FB book groups and I honestly got it for the beautiful cover. It was a great story — it‘s a romance but there are also elements about class, wealth, and a time of transition in the Victorian period. I really enjoyed the main character and how the holiday celebrations were done.

My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin for December fit with my seasonal reading mood. I‘m really excited about the tagged book — I loved The Blonde Identity by this author.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I‘m ready for holiday reading! I welcomed the holiday season today with my first Christmas book of the year, hot chocolate in a seasonal cup, my decorations (only a little tree so my cats can‘t destroy it) and carols on in the background. I really love Leslie Odom Jr.‘s holiday albums.

November was a great reading month! I focused on #NonfictionNovember reading but had to throw in some fiction too. I finished 16 books (one not on the card) and got two bingos. I finished my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin too. My favorite nonfiction were the memoirs by Lisa Marie Presley and Bethany Joy Lenz, and my favorite fiction was Margo‘s Got Money Troubles.

Nonfiction November was good for me — a lot of rich and famous along with some regular people from history and present day. I like nonfiction all year but I make it a special focus in November.

#NonfictionNovember