I so enjoyed this! This is a new to me series and quickly becoming a favorite - delightful plots and even more delightful characters.

@rachelsbrittain - my #weekendreads are Erasure (tagged) on audio, and I'm debating between my #bookspin (The Paper Menagerie and other stories by Ken Liu) and #doublespin (A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas) for my next physical book. The movie made from Erasure, American Fiction, is the movie I'm most excited to see right now, based on how much I'm enjoying the book.

Here's my Bookspin list for February! I am both pleased by the number of books that didn't and and slightly dismayed by the number of books that did carry over from the last time I did this in August. Lets see if we can knock this list down some more!

For 2023, I've decided to do a top 10 for both fiction and non-fiction in 2023. Here's the fiction list - in more or less ranked order (the hardest part!):

1. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi
2. When the Angels Left the Old Country
3. System Collapse
4. Legends & Lattes
5. Some Desperate Glory
6. Mammoths at the Gates
7. Station Eleven
8. Nona the Ninth
9. Killers of a Certain Age
10. A Tale for the Time Being

I'm alive! Hopefully.

Emerging from a very busy season of my life to a hopefully slightly less busy one. Hoping to be back around here more! Still been reading through it all - November in particular was a good month. Hoping to very belatedly do some end of year wrap-up thoughts.

Missed you all! What were some faves from 2023 for you? Anything you're looking forward to reading soon?

(tagged is most recent read - good book in a great series!)

Did more Library Reading than bookspin reading, so no bingo for me! But I did manage to finish the #bookspin (tagged) - at the last minute. I read the whole thing yesterday! Also managed the #doublespin - Convenience Store Woman.

Free Spaces were:
Bloodmarked - Tracy Deonn
Witchmark - CL Polk
Stormsong - CL Polk
The Professor and the Madman - Simon Winchester
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store - James McBride

I enjoyed this poet memoir! The structure was fascinating, bouncing between narration, letters, and yes, recipes (delicious!). A very solid read, though, I had the nagging feeling that this book was written for the authors daughters, and maybe things on the page shouldn't be for public consumption. I think that's a part of the point of the book, his mixed feelings about processing through writing, but it landed wrong for me.

Secret societies, hidden magic, and an unflinching look at grief and family loss. Our black protagonist winds up in a secret society run by old-money white families, and all the racism and status struggles that implies. A fascinating through-line in the book of legacy and how that looks different between plotted genealogies and families interrupted by slavery. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Continuing my Global Reading Challenge - this was my book for Sweden! A not-quite-charming tale of a woman in her late eighties with a variety of life problems. She solves them all…with murder. I'm not quite rooting for her, but I'm not NOT rooting for her if you know what I mean. I wouldn't want to know her, but she sure was fun to read.

Nona, oh Nona! Muir shakes up the POV character yet again. This time, the narrator is full of sunshine and joy-and knows almost nothing about what's going on with the main plot (so tasty from a writing craft perspective). Meanwhile I'm scouring the background details trying to figure out what happened! Fascinating worldbuilding and it comes together in the end. I finished and wanted to reread the series almost immediately.

I had heard this sequel was more confusing than the original, and OH BOY was that true. It worked for me, though! The expansion of the world and slow revealing of how it became that way was fascinating. When I didn't know what was going on, it was fun to try to guess. And it all paid off in the end, with a satisfying “Oh THAT'S what's going on!“ that grabbed me. I don't know who exactly I'd recommend this to - but it was a treat for me.

Hi book friends! I got a new phone, found out I couldn't download the litsy app, and suddenly became much worse at keeping it updated. But I have some free time, lets see if we can get caught up on reviews!

Wanting to complete a row in July's #bookspinbingo finally had me read this, which has been sitting on my Libro.fm app after buying it on sale. I was hesitant because I've heard mixed things about the series from trusted reader friends. (1/2)

And here's my #bookspinbingo card! Interesting layout this month - I'm curious what I'll manage to get done. Tagged is the bookspin, and I'm satisfied that it's in line with Lireal - they feel like they might be a good reading duo.

Excited for the month's reading ahead! Trickster's Choice is a new to me book from a favorite author, and Convenience Store Woman is one that I'm going in with vague good vibes, but I know very little about.

For my Global Reading Challenge - a book by an author from Algeria. Written in the 1990's - when Algerian women were being killed by extremist terrorists. This book is pulled from true stories told by Algerian refugees to France. It explores what it means when the unthinkable is the everyday, how to love a place and not be able to live in it. Incredibly heavy, I had to read in small doses, but I'm so glad I spent the time with this book.

This book took me SO LONG to get through, it being my #Bookspin finally pushed me to finish it. It took a long, slow time to get started, and I kept losing focus. Might have liked it more if I read it straight through. It had interesting things to say about stories and POV, but I felt it lacked subtlety in its execution. So-so, but I'm going to give the second book in the series a shot, as it focuses on a lovely side-character of the first book.

I know the author has described this book as fully indulging in all the narrative tropes they love, and I think it shows. Loyalty and fealty are strong themes in this love story between an anxious prince and his stoic rules-following bodyguard. It's set in a fascinating world and I loved the supporting cast in particular. I wanted more exploration of the magic system, but enjoyed the way it was sprinkled in here and there.

I didn't know much about Maggie Smith aside from her runaway popular poem, Good Bones. I picked this up, curious, and found it to be a beautiful, emotional look at her marriage ending. It's nuanced and poetic, I enjoyed hearing her narrate the story. It was slower and sadder than I thought I wanted, but there's enough moments of wit and joy that I left the book feeling hopeful. You could make this place beautiful, indeed.

(also - great cover!)

Vo does it again!! I finished this one and I just immediately wanted to re-read it. A fun adventure, with stories within stories that tie together in fascinating ways. Its such a complex tasty little treat. Like one of those fancy patisserie desserts in book form.

I'm surprised and sad that I bailed on this one, but it really wasn't clicking for me. I think part of the problem is the audio. I found the companions, who were supposed (I think) to be charming, mostly irritating. Maybe I'd like the companions better if I narrated them myself? I've put the text on hold at the library, right now the wait is 6 weeks so we'll see how round two goes in a month or so.

Looking forward, here's the plan for August! Tagged is the book I'm most excited for, we will see what the randomizer holds!

I'll probably be reading the tagged book for the rest of the month, so it's time to post my Bingo board!

One Bingo managed, my other reading is too scattered :)

Free Spaces were:
1. Harrow the Ninth
2. Nona the Ninth
3. Legendborn
4. You Could Make This Place Beautiful
5. Into the Riverlands

Reading by Country:
A-F: Algeria - The Tongue's Blood Does Not Run Dry
O-Z: Sweden - An Elderly Woman is Up to No Good

Finished! So good! In addition to the excellent audio experience I shared earlier (which continued throughout the book) it was a heartfelt romp in a world that felt so real. Really good things to say about being a woman, parenting, and friendship. Nuanced representation of faith, and the elements of the fantastic kept the plot humming along. I adored all the characters we spent time with. In contention for favorite book of the year!

I am really loving these short stories! I love the way the world gets woven as it becomes relevant to the story at hand. Every character feels like they have a depth to them, even if we only see them for a fraction of the time. It's such a well painted world, too. Excellent stuff!

(Love the covers, too, it's such vibrant art, they're on my to-buy list, for sure)

While I know of Sedaris, I don't think I've actually read him before? A Libro.fm sale was a good excuse to give him a shot - he's lovely reading his own work. This was a fun read, but not exactly in my personal humor pocket - it keeps edging toward embarrassment humor. But there were a few moments that were perfectly set up and gut-punched me with a combo of humor and emotion. Well worth the read.

One percent into the audiobook and I had to stop to comment on the sound design. I've never heard a book play with the idea of "there's a microphone" before! Asides are slightly muffled, like she turned away, but still picked up clearly. It's so clever, I gasped when I heard it.

I'm also enjoying what little I've heard of the story so far ?

I did not know a lot going into this one - a friend said, hey, I liked it, and then let me borrow the book. I usually need more than that, but I gave this one a shot and enjoyed myself! Rich world and fun characters, led along by an engaging plot. A good time, and I'm curious about the sequel.

This is the first book I've added to Litsy! I feel like I just earned an achievement of some kind :D

It was a fascinating listen - beautifully soundscaped, it was a lovely, slow walk through her poems and the themes around them, narrated in audio by multiple people sharing thoughts and feelings. Interspersed is Mary Oliver and others reading her work. I enjoyed the journey; it is very gentle and slow - good listening right before bed.

I've been interested in this book for a long time but…you know, pandemic happened. Finally felt up to it recently. I really, really enjoyed this read, the timeline shuffle worked, weaving together past and present. It's fascinating that a relatively recently written book (2014) can feel so historical. So many more people have tangible experience (pandemic and demagogue related) of what St. John Mandel wrote. Fascinating to think about.

Decided on my Global Reading book for #bookspin - the country is Algeria, and author Assia Djebar. My goal when I started was to read books written by people living in the country, who had been born in the country. I didn't want a tourist writing about a place they'd visited. I quickly realized it's more complicated than that, and the as the book of hers I'm reading (tagged) is a great example. (cont...)

Tagged is this month's #bookspin. And here's the #bookspinbingo.

I just now noticed that Of Fire and Stars managed to sneak on there twice. Not sure what I'll do about that...maybe if I read it I'll check off 9 and let 15 be a second free space. We shall see!

We've got our #bookspin and #doublespin for the month! The numbers have decided I'm continuing my global reading challenge, and finally facing down the book that I've been “actively“ reading for the longest. I've been about a third of the way through with this book months now. Time to either finish it or officially DNF.

Tagged by Barbara Jean to share my best reads of the year so far. Difficult to choose! But looking at it - a fun mix! My comfort zone of SFF is well represented, but nonfiction, which I'm trying to read more of, makes a strong showing. There's even a literary novel on there!

Fun story - I finished When the Angels Left the Old Country and Maybe You Should Talk to Someone on the same day! I wandered around in a very satiated good book daze.

The conceit of this book was interesting: How would life have gone if we made different choices? But the book ultimately felt more like an excuse for a philosophical exercise than a solidly written story - I could tell where the plot was bending very early on, and I got impatient for it to just get there already. Also wasn't expecting the very heavy exploration of suicide and despair - while it was handled decently it was a shock.

Wanted to love this more than I did. Great idea! Louise - a woman in her eighties with a mysterious past - and Tanner - a 21-year-old who dropped out of college after an injury - become unlikely friends and go on an adventure together. Unfortunately, Tanner felt so flat and some choices she made (mostly stupidity needed to advance the plot) didn't feel true to character. (1/2)

I have been *missing* toothy, well-plotted epic sci-fi, and this delivered! Earth has been destroyed, and we follow a teenager who has been trained from birth to fight. The thing that made this book so refreshing? It's so clear she's not a hero. Her people are a radical, hateful cult, and the story is a look at escaping that sort of brainwashing that feels more realistic (yes, even with the aliens) than most child-soldier stories. (1/2)

This was a fun time of a book. Fake-SNL writer love story. I was glad to be forewarned that the pandemic featured. Going into it with eyes open let me enjoy the story, and enjoy it I did! Was particularly delighted by an epistolary section in the middle - I really do love epistolary.

A scientist tells stories about fish, and about her life at the same time. It was poetic and meditative, diving into hard stories of generational war trauma, sexual assault, and being queer and trans. It was good, but I was expecting more Fun Science Times with Fish and felt a bit knocked over by this one. I listened - maybe would have been better in print, I found myself drifting during the more meditative essays.

Pitched to me as Good Omens but Jewish, this angel and demon pair stole my whole heart. Love them, love the story of immigration and life in America in the early 20th century. A fun mystery and supernatural element grounded by warm relationships. Between this book and Elatsoe, publisher Levine Querido is quickly becoming one of my favorite new author discovery tools. Going to have to explore their catalog more widely.

Engaging memoir about a therapist going to therapy. Great story and a practical look at what happens in a therapist's office. I really enjoyed this both as someone who has been in training to do therapy and as someone who has been in therapy, as well as just being a reader!

Tagged is the book I'm most excited about for next month's #bookspin - Here's to reading!

Tagged book finished out the month! Not a bad for June's #bookspinbingo. I got a bingo! And successfully knocked some lingering titles off my to-read list. Feels good.

Free Spaces and Challenges:
Country J-M: Kenya: One Day I Will Write About This Place
The Oleander Sword
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone
When the Angels Left the Old Country
The Midnight Library
Station 11

This is a classic middle-book-in-a-trilogy. Doesn't really resolve things, draws things darker. Some really heartbreaking moments. The so-so ranking is my feeling after finishing, not the overall quality. I don't love unresolved stories, and while the series remains an engaging and fast read, I sort of wish I had waited to do the re-read until the third book came out and I could finish the whole story in one go.

Bookspin! And a reread, so I could move on to the sequel. Fantasy with cultural inspiration drawn from India that's fresh and easy to read. I like the toothy complications of the main relationship, and the side characters were richly drawn in their own right.

A fascinating look at Kenya through one man's memoir. Language was a beautiful recurring theme in this - English is the official language of Kenya, but also the language of the outside world. Kiswahili is the proud language of the independent nation - but a nation painted over individual tribes. The individual tribal languages draw and divide people in different ways - across country lines into neighboring nations. (continue...)

I was so drawn into this world. A traveling historical monk gets a chance to unravel some secrets of the past. My only complaint is that I wish it were longer! An engaging tale that slowly reveals a world - it does a lot with the space it's given. The story stayed engaging for me too, there were some twists I didn't expect that made it a very satisfying bite-sized read.

And with that I am FINALLY caught up in reviews. I think. Yay reading!

Brilliant novel with rich character voice. The plot unravels and knits together at the same time. Slow start for me, I kept zoning out. But that's due to an unfamiliar genre than actual issues with the pacing. By the end I was absolutely hooked. Firmly grounded in the setting - a Brooklyn housing project in 1969. In that place, the author brought to life a whole crowd of characters - the good, the bad, and how nobody is entirely one or the other.

Cute and fun romance. Nothing unexpected, but nothing that irritated me either. I loved the Austen references all the way through. Had some sentences that I laughed and shared out loud with a reading buddy. Ultimately a fun, fluffy book and a nice easy read in the middle of more intense titles.

Featuring the book being snuffled dubiously by my great big puppy.

I adore the Anders nonfiction, but struggled through this one. This book is classic YA - big stakes, impulsive decisions, feelings forward - but more queer and in space. Love the setting, the author clearly had fun with the worldbuilding. But it got info-dumpy. Unevenly paced and I had trouble connecting to the characters. But there's much to enjoy and I'm glad it was written - I want more queer and female-forward sci-fi books in the world!

This story was fascinating. It's a plot where, as the story goes on, the reader knows more than the main character, and so much of the story is trying to figure out who will know what when. But that happens alongside this huge and mysterious world where the narrator knows much more than the reader does. It's a fascinating balance, told well. Clarke's writing style adds to the story, giving it a sense of mystery and charm.