Last #bookspin list of 2024!

I'm holding to a bunch of books that I've been meaning to get to (several to finish up reading challenges. I know I won't get through all the books I want to read, but hopefully I'll at least enjoy my reading!

This was a pretty rough month for me, between illness, family stuff, and just overall anxiety...and my reading suffered for it as well. I just had such a short attention span! Fingers crossed that I'll finish the month strong.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

My TBR keeps getting longer and longer...we'll see how many I actually finish from this list!!

@AromaofBooks #BookSpin

It wasn't the best reading month -- and I pulled mostly OFF my TBR. Again, the library keeps messing with my TBR! 😂

@AromaofBooks #BookSpinBingo

Last post for #HauntedShelf (I think?) -- another bingo achieved!

@CatsandBooks #HexesandCrows

Final board for #SupernaturalBookBingo, and I even managed to get a bingo (much thanks to the free space!) for some #HauntedShelf points!

#HexesandCrows @Outsmartyourshelf @CatsandBooks

My final #PumpkabooHunt tally for #HauntedShelf!

@PuddleJumper @CatsandBooks @HexesandCrows

And just for fun...another #HauntedShelf Book Scavenger Hunt post for 135 more points!

@CatsandBooks #HexesandCrows

Finally posting for the #HauntedShelf Book Scavenger Hunt! Nine covers here for 135 points...

@CatsandBooks #HexesandCrows

I found 13 more words (highlighted in blue) in this book for the #HauntedShelf Word Search!

#HexesandCrows @CatsandBooks

This one has been on my Kindle for years, and I finally decided it was time to read it -- after all, seemed appropriate for spooky season. But it wasn't that spooky, and the titular “ghost“ didn't make itself known until the final pages. I was tricked!

#HauntedShelf #HexesandCrows @PuddleJumper @CatsandBooks #witchathon @TEArificbooks #SupernaturalBookBingo @outsmartyourshelf

I found 13 words in the tagged book for the #HauntedShelf Word Search!

@CatsandBooks

Not a personal favorite of mine, but I think this would be a great pick for a middle grader who's into reading books that are on the creepy, spooky side. I also love that it's written by a Black woman and centers young Black girls, who aren't necessarily well-represented in the horror genre (at any age).

#HauntedShelf #HexesandCrows @PuddleJumper @CatsandBooks #SupernaturalBookBingo @outsmartyourshelf

Surprisingly, I'm not all that familiar with this story -- never saw any of the movies or anything like that -- and honestly, I was less than impressed. Maybe the narrator just didn't have me adequately creeped out!

#HauntedShelf #HexesandCrows @puddlejumper @CatsandBooks #SupernaturalBookBingo @outsmartyourshelf

Low pick for me, because honestly, I'm not a huge fan of horror -- especially when it comes to gore, and this book has plenty of that! That said, I did enjoy the premise and the quasi-epistolary format.

#HauntedShelf #HexesandCrows @PuddleJumper @CatsandBooks #PumpkabooHunt #Witchathon @TEArificbooks

I was so glad I was able to get back to this book after having to return it to the library last month! I kept turning the pages (loved the short chapters!), hoping for some happiness for these characters who seemed to face nothing but heartbreak. Definitely one of my favorites this year.

#HauntedShelf #HexesandCrows @PuddleJumper @CatsandBooks #PumpkabooHunt #SupernaturalBookBingo @outsmartyourshelf #Witchathon @TEArificbooks

Posting just a little late...

September was a decent reading month overall, even though I missed out on a #bookspinbingo!

Ready to see what October will bring!

@thearomaofbooks

It's time for my October TBR! This is my list both for #bookspin and #hauntedshelf -- as usual, I expect to finish several of these while reading many more not on the list. 😁

And while I'm not typically a seasonal reader (and a bit of a fall scrooge, honestly), hopefully I'll have a little fun this month for Team #HexesandCrows!

@TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper

This book was super tricky for me. I actually almost gave it up about a third of the way through, because I was just kind of bored, but I persisted, and it was...fine. The premise seemed interesting, but what really bugged me was bad editing! Plenty of unnecessary repetition -- like the time Elsy leaves a ten dollar bill on the table (to pay for lunch) twice in the span of about three paragraphs.

Sigh.

My #bookspin list for September, which doesn't even include several of my Libby holds that all came in around the same time (and which, for some reason, I went ahead and checked out instead of just having them delivered later!).

@thearomaofbooks

I actually finished several more books this month, but leaned heavily on books NOT on my TBR! That's okay, I still had a #bookspinbingo!!

@thearomaofbooks

My little #bookspin list for August. I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I wish I wasn't so addicted to the library -- especially Libby and the 12 cards I have on it!! It makes it sooo hard to focus on the books I already own. Oh well...at least my addiction is doing no harm to my wallet! 😂

@TheAromaofBooks

Two bingos and almost two more for my July #bookspinbingo -- that has to be some kind of personal record! Many thanks to @TheAromaofBooks for a quite favorable board. 😁

I finished this at the beginning of July, and with the Paris Olympics coming up, it was the perfect time to listen to this memoir from a legitimate swimming superstar. There weren't a lot of salacious details, because Katie Ledecky seems to lead a pretty normal life...other than that whole "shattering world records" thing. While obviously no one is perfect, she seems like a genuinely good person...it makes it so easy to root for her!

As always, one of my favorite events of the month, as my July TBR awaits this month's #bookspin selections! Some of these books have been on my list for quite a while, others have just been added...I'm just excited to see what I end up actually reading!

@TheAromaofBooks

As far as my June #bookspinbingo card goes, I think I did pretty well: one bingo, close to several others, and both my #bookspin and #doublespin picks complete! Of course, plenty of books I still haven't gotten to, and several more waiting for me in July!

@thearomaofbooks

The last book I finished in June also happened to be one of my #roll100 picks for the month (which is great, since I haven't been doing so well with those!).

This was a low pick for me -- but mostly because it's a blend of two genres that aren't my faves (horror and historical fiction). That said, I think it was well-done, and being a short, quick read didn't hurt either!

@PuddleJumper

Since I DNF'ed my original choice for this prompt (too scary!!), this book worked just fine for #52bookclub24 #includesapersonalphobia. Skydiving. Enough said!

Overall, I enjoyed this one, though it did start out pretty slow for me. I definitely preferred “The Guncle“ to this, but it was still worth reading. And it was my #bookspin pick for June!

PLEASE take my DNF with a grain of salt!

This story centers around an elderly woman's relationship with a mouse. I am TERRIFIED of mice. But since I've heard such wonderful things about this book (it's been frequently described as a “warm hug“), I thought I would try it -- it would slot in perfectly for the #52bookclub24 #includesapersonalphobia prompt.

Except...the moment the mouse appeared, I started hyperventilating. Oops! 😂

My #bookspin list for June! I have more library books (and less from my shelves) than I should, but...oh well! Whatever makes my reading heart happy, right? 😁

@TheAromaofBooks

So close to #bookspinbingo, but not quite there! By the numbers, May wasn't a bad reading month, but everything kind of came to a halt the last week, as I was stuck working through a few more dense books. Still pretty good though!

@TheAromaofBooks

I picked this up from the library without reading the blurb...it was definitely a surprise! Despite the fact the cover says "A Love Story," I didn't realize it was a rom-com. Yes, that's my own sexism on display. ?

That said, it was a cute, light-hearted read. I'm not a huge romance reader, but every once in a while I enjoy them, and this hit the spot.

Oh, and it was my #doublespin pick, so yay!

@TheAromaofBooks

I'm ready with my #bookspin list for May!

My biggest goal this month is to stay away from the library -- as much as I love it, I have way too many books on my shelves that need some attention! Although there is a library book sale coming up this weekend, so...that could cause an issue. 😂

@thearomaofbooks

Even though I managed to finish 20 books this month (more than I have in quite a while!), I still didn't get a #bookspinbingo. I guess there were a couple books that could have qualified as DNFs, but for me, they were simply NRNs (Not Right Now).

Still it was a great reading month, including my first five-star (yes, I'm stingy with stars!) read of the year -- James.

@TheAromaofBooks

So, I have to thank @JenReadsAlot for bringing this one to my attention! I had listened to the podcast for awhile, but didn't realize there was an accompanying book/audiobook -- and I'm so glad I finally had the chance to listen.

My tween/teen years were in the '90s, so these songs definitely hit home for me (although, surprisingly, there were some I wasn't familiar with AT ALL). Still, it was a fun trip down memory lane.

My TBR/#bookspin list for April. There are so many more books I wanted to add, even though I know there's no way I'll get to them all! It'll be interesting to see which of these (and how many!) I'll get to this month.

@thearomaofbooks

Here's my #bookspinbingo card for March -- no bingos, as I read more books OFF my TBR than on it. That's okay though...sometimes mood reading is a necessity!

I'm hoping to catch up with some of these in April, but I've already got a new stack of library books to go through, so...we'll see! 😄

@thearomaofbooks

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, but here's my March #bookspin TBR list. There's a lot of stuff I've been looking forward to (and plenty more that aren't even on the list) -- we'll see how the month pans out!

@thearomaofbooks

Maybe my best #bookspinbingo card ever! Two bingos in February, and I even managed to knock off my #bookspin and #doublespin picks. Apparently that's what happens when I focus on my TBR. 😄

Even better, I did so while reading all Black authors for the month!

@thearomaofbooks

This graphic novel was a quick, fun read that took a snapshot of the lives of four black women -- including their hair routines! I usually like a little more dialogue with my graphic novels, but the illustrations did a good job of celebrating the concept of “wash day.“

My February #bookspin list! I try to stick to Black authors for the month of February (although there are a couple holdovers from last month that don't fit), and there are so many books in this stack that I'm excited about!

@thearomaofbooks

I didn't finish all the books I was working on this month, but I DID get a #bookspinbingo. (Woohoo!) I also knocked off my #bookspin pick, and am just a chapter away from finishing my #doublespin. But there are so many books I'm ready for in February!!

@thearomaofbooks

From the marketing copy: “A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion narrates this star-making fever dream of a novel.“ Indeed!

This was a really fast read -- even though I had to go back and re-read a few sections because I was so confused about what was going on! If you're looking for conventional storytelling, this is definitely not for you, but if you're open to something outside of the box, it's worth checking out.

This was an enjoyable listen. No startling revelations (like many celebrity memoirs have), but Henry Winkler seems like a genuinely good guy, and I liked getting to know more of his story.

#52bookclub24 - Prompt 21: #writtenbyaghostwriter

This was a YA book tackling the topic of racism and discrimination at a (fake) Ivy League institution. While I thought the story was good, the writing fell a little flat for me -- I prefer authors like Angie Thomas and Nic Stone. That said, it wasn't bad, just a little disappointing.

#52bookclub24 #morethan40chapters

I had mixed feelings about this. “Scattershot“ is definitely an appropriate title, because Taupin gets easily sidetracked in his storytelling, jumping from one anecdote to another without any clear transition. It's also very name-droppy, so if that bothers you, skip this.

On the other hand, it's obvious what a lyrical writer he is, and if you're a fan of his and Elton John (or music from that era in general), the stories are pretty interesting.

It was a quick listen, and a good choice for fans of the Colbert Report. Unfortunately, I like the real Stephen Colbert much more than his alter ego. 😆

Used this to fill the #PublishedbyHachette prompt for #52bookclub24.

This was a hilarious read, and great on audio. If you liked “Here for It,“ definitely check this out!

Using this to fill the #52bookclub24 prompt for a cover without people on it.

First #bookspin list of 2024 -- with a lot of holdovers from 2023. Excited to start a new year (including all the new reading challenges!!).

@thearomaofbooks

No bingos for the last #bookspinbingo of the year (I went off the list too much), but that just means more books to carry over into 2024!

@TheAromaofBooks