This was an interesting Miss Marple mystery. A string of hateful letters in a village lead to a suicide, but maybe it's a murder after all? I liked the main character Jerry Burton, who is new to small town life and shocked by the proceedings. He reminded me a bit of Poirot's Captain Hastings, eager to solve the mystery but a bit in over his head
#SeriesLove2024 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

#WeirdWordWednesday
I know we usually rely on @TheBookHippie for Yiddish lessons but this word came up in my book twice already and I had to look it up! I like the positive connotation behind it
@CBee

After the intro to the Lincoln Knights in Drama Queen, I had to check out the newest series exploring more characters from the rugby team. Mason explores his newfound bisexuality as friends with benefits with his roommate after walking in on Ryan jerking off and staying for a show. Their friendship was fun to watch grow into more, especially as they shared other sides of their personalities as well, learning sport rules and playing DnD
Cont ⬇️

I love the interconnected world that Charlie has built with her stories. This new series connects Eli's drag friend Rory from the Court with West, Theo's brother in Heather Bay. While the romance is adorable & low angst, there are still some heavy themes. Rory deals with pushback for planning to perform a drag story hour. West has to learn to stand up for himself against homophobic microaggressions from his toxic masculine rugby team

Finished this a while ago with the #littensloveromance group. I enjoyed it immensely. Very character-driven, which I don't mind, but I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and something to happen to ruin their idyllic holiday, which never really did. Solid found family vibes, looking forward to the next Earl's story when it comes out next May.
#SeriesLove2024 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
@StayCurious

Still loving this sci-fi detective series. I liked the character growth in this one, with Mossa and Pleiti as a couple but also individually. The mystery was fun to follow, as we learn more about the culture of the futuristic world. Overall a cozy read.
#SeriesLove2024 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

Also, I splurged and bought this hardcover special edition because LOOK at the gorgeous endpaper art!! 😍🌊😍

I finished this book ages ago but haven't been able to find words to review it. I was so looking forward to it and it did not disappoint! I devoured the audiobook and have been rereading the print book here and there when I miss the characters. Just such a decadent story with lust & pining, wanderlust & cuisine, and a great exploration of sexuality & gender. I adore these two bisexual disasters 💖
#LGBTQ2024 @Kenyazero

I really enjoyed listening to this memoir. Chin talks about his experience growing up as a gay Chinese American in 1980s Detroit, where his parents ran a long lasting Chinese restaurant. He discusses the turbulence of the city during that time, tensions with race, expectations of family, & coming to terms with his sexuality. Chin narrates the audiobook & does a great job inflecting it with character & humor
#Nonfiction2024 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

The final book in the Divorced Men's Club series. We finally get Mack & Davey's story, second chance for the ex-husbands who still live together. After Mack's pining in the other books I was looking forward to this one but honestly it wasn't my favorite. There wasn't any new conflict in their relationship, other than Davey being home more than usual & realizing he missed being a part of the family. Still sweet though & I'm glad they got their HEA

I'm gonna try to start catching up on reviews for books I've read the past few months. I finished this back in August 🫣
I took my time listening to this one and really enjoyed the introspection Kimmerer applies to nature. I appreciated the way she uses science as a tool to understand the beauty of the natural world, and the insights into indigenous culture.
#Nonfiction2024 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Thought I'd share a cool little library phone booth that we stumbled upon in Scotland. We were driving through the countryside in the middle of nowhere when I spotted it and we pulled over to take a look. It was such an unexpected and fun surprise! 📚
Reminds me of the tagged book, which I really need to read now!

#ReadingBracket2024 Fiction Update
I'm months behind on reviews still but really enjoyed the #QueerBC buddy read pick for October. So unique and kept me on the edge of my seat
@PuddleJumper

#ReadingBracket2024 Nonfiction Update
October was a slower reading month and I didn't manage to finish any nonfiction books. I hope to remedy that in November! But the third quarter pick is finalized, Chin's memoir moving up the ranks

Can't believe it's been four years since I've joined this amazing community on Litsy. Y'all have helped stoke my passion for reading and talking about books, as well as been a safe space online to escape to when other social media apps have been a downer. This is true now more than ever. Love you all and thankful for this app and community ❤️

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii
Not gonna lie, it's been hard finding much joy this week. So instead, I'm gonna share some of my joys from the past few weeks since I've been absent here.
-our wedding had beautiful weather and a gorgeous sunset backdrop
-my amazing bridal party who helped make the day flawless
-showing my mom my veil which was made from her wedding dress
-playing with my niece at the end of the night
cont ↩️

Wigtown book haul!
Bythell wrote the tagged based on his experience running The Bookshop, where I bought this copy. It's a signed edition & we actually briefly said hello to him as he was taking his recycling out 😅
At the children's bookstore, I found this cute locally written & published picture book for my niece who is obsessed with cows & cowgirls right now
And I'd been looking for a good folklore book - this one has beautiful illustrations

On our international flight, I finally got the chance to watch the new Little Women adaptation. It was amazing as promised. I loved the way it was set up, flashing between timelines. And the ending was perfect, how Jo's storyline was wrapped up!

Cutting it close to the wire with my #bookspinbingo list for November! Today was our last day in Scotland, we've got a long travel day back to the states tomorrow. Here's a picture of a cute highland cow I saw 🐮☺️
@TheAromaofBooks

While in Scotland, I had to visit Wigtown - the National Book Town! There are so many different book stores, I was in heaven 😍 I only bought a couple books because I have to fit them in my suitcase home somehow! I'll post my finds later ☺️📚

Haven't had much time for reading with all our honeymoon adventures this week but our latest B&B has a beautiful bath so I got some relaxation time with a good book! 📖🛁

September #ReadingBracket2024 fiction update
It was very close to being three months in a row of Alexandra Rowland books. However, although I adored Yield Under Great Persuasion, Celestial Monsters beat it out. The conclusion to the Sunbearer Duology was very exciting and satisfying

A late update to my #ReadingBracket2024
I only finished one nonfiction book in September. It was a quick yet encouraging listen

Lydia's account of the events of Pride and Prejudice 😂 Loving her commentary so far in this witchy retelling

I haven't been on litsy much lately and I'm sad I don't have the time/energy to participate in all the fun spooky events this month. But I'm getting married in a couple weeks and then we'll be on our honeymoon until November‼️so my brain is currently scrambling. That said, I will always have brain space for #bookspinbingo - I've left a lot of room for mood reading but I can't wait to see the #bookspin picks tomorrow @TheAromaofBooks

#WeirdWordWednesday @CBee
Saw this on instagram the other day. This word definitely describes me 📖🛌🏼😁

This one just didn't sit right. The main character is an established romance writer with writer's block who begins finding her story through the hate/lust she feels when she reconnects with her ex. I was already on the fence about the romance but then she had a conversation with her friend about the steps to a romance novel that were so cliche and simplified that I decided to stop reading. I didn't find her believable as a writer at that point

This might be my new favorite Emily Henry novel! I absolutely loved the concept and the characters. Their chemistry was so well developed from practically strangers living together, to real friends, and then to more. Daphne's feeling of isolation after her breakup was so heartbreaking yet relatable. And Miles was just so sweet! The way they worked through their baggage together was satisfying. 5🌟

Oof I try not to dwell on it, but I'm a massive mood reader so I've usually got at least 5 active reads 🙈 usually 2 ebooks, 1 physical book, and 2 audiobooks (1 fiction & 1 nonfiction)
And that's not including daily chapter buddy reads.
If I look at my storygraph currently reading it's usually upwards of 20 because I'll start reading something and put it aside for a few months before coming back to it 🙃
#moodreader @BookmarkTavern #SundayFunday

I got rid of a bunch of books from my main shelves, some moved to a smaller shelf and some to be donated/stored elsewhere. Then I added in all the many many stacks of recent purchases that have been sitting around on various tables and surfaces. I'm pleased with how it turned out, although I'll be in the same predicament again soon when more preordered books arrive with nowhere to go 🙈 It's a never ending cycle lol
#shelfie 📚

Cam is "helping" me rearrange my shelves
#catsoflitsy #camothecat

This is a great reference on queer history. Some of it I already knew but I also learned a bunch. The style is humorous while still being informative. Great listen!
#Nonfiction2024 the Color Purple @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

This was a very cozy & magical found family story. Yet it also hit hard on themes of grief & loneliness. Basie is immortal. His mother was too, but she chooses to end her life unexpectedly & Basie can't cope. He sells his family home, wanting to escape the small town, but can't seem to leave once newcomer Kit buys the house. Even with the harder subject matter, this book was a warm hug, filled with a lovely community plus gardening & baking galore

Fun little short story freebie. Travis Baldree sets up and solves a murder mystery in just a few pages, creating quirky characters with some hilarious commentary over a dead body. I would totally read a full length novel about Zyll the goblin's escapades.

✨We are all stardust and stories✨
🐝🗝️🗡️

My newest bookish tattoo! I love it so much, even if no one understands it and I'll be forever badly explaining my favorite story

This book is a riot! I laughed so much, it's such a joyful silly story. At the same time, there is a lot of heart and it was really a comforting read. The characters were delightful and their growth individually and as a unit was satisfying to witness. I loved that while this is a novel about pirates, the main concluding event wasn't a cannon battle or treasure hunt, but a community cake competition. Utterly surprising in the best way 💖

Book 2 in the Unstoppable series, I'm really glad I switched to audio. It was really well done. This one follows Rachael & Elza as they deal with the ramifications from the ending of book 1 & try to find their place in alien society. I can't say too much w/o spoilers but I loved the character growth, especially w getting multiple perspectives this time. Lots of great action packed battles as well. This series definitely gets even better as you go

I heard Pretty Woman retelling & I came running lol. This was a fun twist on the story. Cole is the CEO of a sex worker app who needs a boyfriend to impress a potential investor. Teddy just lost his business & could use the cash, plus the sex is amazing. Both their past traumas soon come into play & they have to figure out if what they have could be real. I really enjoyed this, my only complaint was the ending didn't feel completely resolved

I finally dumped this one after struggling through to 73% and it was a relief! I felt obligated to finish it because I won it in a giveaway but I finally stopped myself. None of the characters were likeable. Everyone was so childish and the focus on virginity was so cringey like who even cares that much?? I thought this would be an empowering reclaiming of sexuality but it just reinforced sexist ideology
This was my July #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

This was a cute manga romance in which cafe worker Riku accidentally gets with the owner of the cafe after another breakup. I just didn't care for the miscommunication trope. The whole time he's convinced it's just a friends with benefits situation. Josh lets him believe it because it enables Riku to be himself without the pressure of a relationship title but I wanted him to be more forthright about his feelings

Finally updated my #bookspinbingo board from August. I managed two bingos with dnfs despite being in a bit of a reading slump. A bunch of these I've started and just not finished yet so hopefully this month I'll clear them off my currently reading list
@TheAromaofBooks

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1. End-of-summer pool day with my niece, who started an impromptu dance party 💃🏼 I love her so much
2. Booked our lodging for our Scotland trip finally! I'm getting so excited 🗺️
3. Spotted a cool caterpillar guy on our porch 🐛
4. Won lottery tickets to the Lion King and invited a friend I don't get to see often 🦁
5. Cats getting cozy on the couch with me on my lazy Monday off work 😻

August Nonfiction #ReadingBracket2024 Update
I read two great nonfiction books this month. The tagged took the month spot but I kept Rainbow History Class as a wild card. I'll decide who's moving on in the ranks next month once I've sat on them a bit

August Fiction #ReadingBracket2024 Update
This month created the battle of the Rowlands, with Running Close to the Wind ultimately moving on in the ranks. Both were delicious but the way Running had me cackling from all the hijinks 🤣
Also, The Pairing obviously had to make a wild card appearance, I loved it sm 💖

My September #bookspin picks. Looking forward to both of these 😊
@TheAromaofBooks

Here's my #5JoysFriday (a bit late) @DebinHawaii

1. My friend from PA was in my area so she stopped by for a chat and we went out to lunch! 🥰
2. Lewis being silly with his cat son Arthur 😹
3. Snuggles from Benny always 😻
4. Been listening to the audiobook for The Starless Sea as a comfort between other reads ✨
5. (not pictured) Dance lessons with Lewis, we're finally starting to choreograph our first dance 💃🏼

So I've been a bit MIA on here lately, I haven't reviewed any books from August 😭 But I've still been reading! Hopefully I can catch up soon.
Anywhoo I've got my September #bookspinbingo list ready for a fresh month! @TheAromaofBooks

Happy #5JoysFriday 🥳 What a whirlwind of a week! @DebinHawaii

1. New bookish tattoo! (will post better pics when healed) 🐝🗝️🗡️
2. Charlotte Pride! 🏳️‍🌈
3. Video chatted with some college friends, catching up on life 🥰
4. Lost dog showed up at work! Turns out he was chipped & went home with his owner 🐶
5. My parents were here for a quick visit. Got to hang with them & my sister & niece! Jolene put stickers on her arm to match my tattoo 😂

🤭😅

Spent last night at a friend's house for a game night and I managed to coax this sweetie onto my lap! Her name is Gravy and she loves head pets 😻
#catsoflitsy