I have a lot of appointments this week and in the coming months leading up to a major surgery I‘m not looking forward to, so I did a little self-soothing today and bought a copy of an old favorite. I remember spending hours searching for Goldbug on these pages as a 5 year old. Goldbug was my Waldo and I‘m just as delighted to search for him now as I was back then. 💖

I hated Daisy Jones, so I went into this with a little trepidation. I‘m constantly saying how contemporary/literary fiction is not my thing, but just like so many of the Camp Litsy picks, Atmosphere made a liar out of me. I loved the backdrop of the space shuttle program, and I loved the relationships between astronauts even more. I was literally sobbing by the end. Thank you @dariazeoli for including this on your #auldlangspine list. I loved it.

#unpopularopinion I really enjoyed Head Cases with its unique characters and special FBI division. I like the concept of PAR. This sequel did not work for me at all. The characters felt lifeless and the plot, which should have had me on the edge of my seat while they investigated and connected two cases, was tedious. Also, going into dangerous situations without back up is a lazy plot device. It angers me every time. 🤬 #bookspin #netgalley

I liked this better than Neon Gods, but not as much as Electric Idol or Radiant Sin. I liked the way the relationship between Helen, Achilles, and Patroclus developed and I am enjoying how the Olympus story line is playing out. The audiobook narration is great and Alex Moorcock does a phenomenal job differentiating between Achilles and Patroclus. I think I need a break, though. The binge may be part of my issue.

Victorious has a pub date. V announced it on IG a couple of days ago. I 👏🏻CANNOT 👏🏻 WAIT for October 6th.

The Villains series are my favorite books of hers. 🖤

I love Narwhal and Jelly. This is book 10 in the series and is all about Pal-entines Day. As is standard with this series, there are plenty of puns and waffles to balance out the science and sea life facts. The hardcover also has super cute endpapers.

Cubism isn‘t my favorite style, but these India ink drawings, some based on video footage of Israel‘s ethnic cleansing of Palestine during the last two years, are heartbreaking and haunting. The last half is a series of cartoons depicting Hind Rajab‘s final hours before Israeli military fired over 300 bullets into her five year old body and bombed the ambulance trying to save her.

The first #bookspin bingo board of the new year. 🥳🥳

I did not expect to love Psyche and Eros as much as I loved Cassandra and Apollo, but here we are. What a perfect start to 2026! Like the others in this series, it‘s very high heat, and consent is done beautifully. I‘m enjoying the soap opera that is Robert‘s Olympus. I think it‘s a series best read in order. It‘s easy to get lost in the political maneuvering and the who‘s who now of it all. Audio narration is excellent, too.

I‘m really pleased with the number of #bookspin and #doublespin books I read last year. A couple are still in progress, with two that I didn‘t start, and three that I DNFd. More importantly, I had fun making graphics. 😂

The first #bookspin list of 2026. I almost forgot to do it. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣🤣

I loved this so much. I switched between audio and print. It‘s well-written and the audio narration is pitch-perfect. I loved the setting, characters, and the unique magic system. I would have liked more/better detail on the magic system, but the story grabbed my heart anyway. There‘s danger, tension, grief, and love on many levels. A great book to end 2025.

Normally, I don‘t listen to spicy novels as audiobooks. I am so glad I made an exception for this one. The dual narrators are fantastic. I loved the story here, and absolutely loved the building relationship between Apollo and Cassandra. I will be listening to the rest of the series. With headphones. 🫣 (Also, this my 4th 5 star book this month. They are so different. How am I going to pick a “favorite” for my bracket?!?)

This is a well-written, thoughtful, and engrossing book. It looks at African religions, deities, and mythologies, and how they influenced the lives of enslaved people trafficked to the Caribbean and the US, and how they are still present and relevant today. It covers everything from slave plantations to Jim Crow to Kamala Harris‘s election loss, with discussions on midwifery, medicine, blue jeans, hairdressers, and more.

DELIGHTFUL! It‘s an exquisite Christmas tale, full of inappropriate behavior and gruesome murders. If you need a break from saccharine Hallmark Christmas movies or holiday rom-com novels, let this be your escape. It‘s a quick read and joyously grotesque.

I loved this so much. Nolan stopped standing up to his full height and I didn‘t have to burn the book. It was fun and sexy and sad and sweet and ugh. Plenty of second chances and character growth. My heart is full and my cheeks are wet from tears. 💖

Apparently, characters pulling themselves up to their full height is my biggest bookish pet peeve. Nolan has done this three times in 92 pages and I‘m about to throw the book into the fireplace. (Other than that, the book is lovely and I‘m enjoying it, but it‘s never good when I‘m counting instances of anything in a book. 🤬)

The cases were a little bizarre but the stories were entertaining regardless. The only issue I have is that most of the solutions required obscure knowledge. I came close to getting a couple of them, but didn‘t manage to fully solve any. 🤷🏻‍♀️

A little late finishing this one, but I enjoyed it. Not a fan of the racist language, but I liked that the mystery wasn‘t too over the top. I did guess a big twist very early, but I wouldn‘t have as a child and that‘s what matters.
#nancydrewbr

This is a well written and damning expose. Every single executive that has ever been at this company should be in jail. The reckless, callous disregard for human life and dignity in the quest for profits is mind-boggling. I knew I‘d be angry by the time I finished, but I had no idea of the scope of this company‘s depravity. My heart is broken for all of the people who suffered because of the greed and corruption of J&J, doctors, and the FDA.

I found this well-written, but slow. While it features a cold case with a solve I thought was unexpected, it‘s really more a book about the four women “carpool detectives”: how they met, how they began researching the cold case, and their struggles both with law enforcement and navigating COVID.

This is a fast read despite its size. It is also utterly ridiculous. If you go into expecting head-shaking insanity and are able to just go with it, it‘s entertaining. It‘s not written particularly well, and while the romance door is wide open, those scenes are…awkward and oddly cold. I laughed a lot in the first quarter, but it became repetitive shortly thereafter. It‘s fine but it won‘t become an annual reread (or an ever reread). A low pick.

I‘m going to end up rereading this every December. I loved it last year and I loved it just as much this year (but I do need to read it early enough in the year to be able to add it to my Auld Lang Spine list. 😂). I love the main characters, the writing, and the locked room mystery. I wish the others characters were a bit more fleshed out, but the focus really is on Maggie and Ethan, so Ally Carter is forgiven.

At 45%, I‘m cutting my losses and bailing. It started off so strong that I was sure it would be one of my favorites of the year and then it just became a slog. What should have been a warm hug of found family cozy fantasy (even with the underlying theme of grief) just became…something else. It‘s giving dull and icky vibes. (Pardon Tasha‘s dragon carcass in the background 💀🐉)

It‘s been a stressful couple of weeks. I had a much grumpier #WDNCW post in mind, but I‘m too tired to write it. 😂

I love how eclectic this list from @dariazeoli is! I‘ve only read Untamed and the first two books in The Dark Tower series. I think I‘m going to start with the tagged book, as I read another of Makkai‘s books a couple of years ago and I really like her style. I‘m also thinking about spreading the entire Dark Tower series throughout the year, especially since I own them all. 🖤 #auldlangspine #auldlangspine2026

I went to my local indie for a little bit of dopamine and the tagged book fell into my hands. It‘s totally the fault of @vivastory (that‘s my story and I‘m sticking to it).
Also, I need someone(s) to read House of Day, House of Night with me. I miss having an IRL book club sometimes. 😩

December‘s #bookspin bingo board and potential TBR (primary and a couple mini add-ons). I‘m going to try to be slow and relaxed about reading this month, but there‘s a lot I want to read and am excited about, so we‘ll see how things go.

I was disappointed with this month‘s Aardvark selections and was going to skip. Tracy‘s review of the tagged book had me curious, but leery. Then I saw that Scott said it was one of his favorites this year and how am I supposed to resist that? I added a book that I didn‘t pick up in July (you know, when I was trying to be good and only pick one).

Slowing down and doing other things is working well for me. I only finished 6, which is about half of what I averaged earlier in the year, but I loved almost everything I finished. They‘re all so different that I can‘t pick a favorite. I‘ll definitely take quality over quantity.

Every time I finish one of these I‘m reminded of why I did not like them as a child. Even as an adult, I fail to solve more than half. 🤣🤣 While we don‘t have the random teeth collection, this one gives us recovered false teeth for reward money (eew), plenty of Bugs Meany and friends, and more Sally sass than ever. Love to see her.
#ebbr

This is well-written and grabbed my attention early on. I found it to be freezer-worthy and only read it at night when I got near the end and had to know whodunnit and which of the residents (if any) make it out alive. I switched between print and audio so I could work on a new blanket, and January LaVoy‘s narration is excellent. This is also my November #bookspin.

I can‘t believe it‘s almost December and this is the last #bookspin of 2025. Categories worked well for November, so I‘m going with a slightly modified list, heavy on the categories.

I look forward to this every year. Thank you for hosting this again @monalyisha
It‘s such a bright spot on the year. 💖💖
#auldlangspine2026

I wanted something light to crochet by and this Hoopla find was perfect. It‘s a great small English murder village cozy mystery featuring older, female protagonists. There‘s rivalry between charity shops (one for dogs, one for cats), charming side characters, and a decent mystery. Fans of The Thursday Murder Club and The Marlow Murder Club will probably like this, too. OH! Zara Ramm narrates the audio. She‘s one of my faves.

I‘m on a roll this weekend. This was a fun fake-dating holiday rom-com. It‘s spicy, and more importantly, filled with great characters and solid writing. I don‘t think anything billionaire romance truly feels believable, but the fantasy is fun and you can‘t help but root for Fable and Wilder. This is all the NetGalley backlist title I chose for #doublespin

I think this is my favorite one to date! We had at least one off-page #NNK, kidnappings, near-drownings, ghosts, mediums, and QUICKSAND!!!!!!! Seriously, this was absolutely DELIGHTFUL. Ned and Carson both had a lot more page time. Bess, George, Hannah, and even Nancy‘s dog got in on the action. There was the obligatory fat-shaming of Bess early on, but no harmful racist language or stereotypes. So 👏🏻Much 👏🏻Fun!
#nancydrewbr

QUICKSAND!! 🤣🤣🤣

#nancydrewbr

I didn‘t find this one quite as immersive and difficult to put down as the first, but Wells is an incredibly gifted storyteller. There‘s plenty of action and deep history of the world Wells created. If the real world wasn‘t such a mess, I probably would have loved this more and finished it faster. Kudos to Wells for keeping me coming back.

I‘ve had tears in my eyes and a grin on my face all day. #wdncw This is resistance and hope. F*** trump and MAGA and billionaires and patriarchy and capitalism. I‘m so proud of NYC and all of the other cities and states that voted against fascism.

November‘s #bookspin is a title on my bookshelf that starts with A-M and #doublespin is a 2025 NetGalley backlist title. Hopefully this is flexible enough for success. 🤞🏻Thanks for making this such a flexible challenge, Sarah!

I have struggled to read anything this month, so I‘m making my November #bookspin list almost nothing but categories. It feels like cheating, but I‘m hoping this will be more successful for me since the country is still burning. 😭

I‘m late to everything this month. 😩 I managed to solve only one case, but in my defense (do I need one?) some of the solutions relied on inaccuracies, and some relied on selective clues. The Case of the Growling Dog irritated me, and The Case of the Tooth Puller made me queasy. But, half-assed solves aside, this has some of the fun analogies that always make me laugh, so it wasn‘t a total waste of an hour. 🤪 #ebbr

Annual reread complete. I‘ve read this every year since 2019 and it still makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I adore this graphic novel. I hope it never feels old or stale.

I‘m late finishing this one for #nancydrewbr and I think I have another potentially #unpopularopinion. 😂 I was surprised to see this with a 33% rating and I enjoyed it for exactly the reasons many hated it. While I have major objections to the Romany stereotypes and the pejorative used to name them, I liked that the mystery didn‘t involve a lot of secret rooms and exploding oranges. The side characters were awful, but that was part of the charm.

Rounding out my #bannedbooksweek reading with this illustrated overview of Palestinian history and culture. There‘s a lot of great info here, in bite sized pieces, from geography to cultural symbols, food, arts, history, and well-known poets, authors, and journalists. It‘s a really important book that showcases the rich history and culture of a people being othered and erased.

I feel rather shamed by all of the Threads posts about how we “should” be reading banned books by living, marginalized authors, instead of the “classics”. I‘ve ditched my original list for books by Black and Palestinian authors actively being banned/challenged. I‘ve only got bandwidth for picture books, but this was a great one about belonging and finding a place in the world. The illustrations are beautiful.

Beautiful, heartbreaking, and inspiring poems set to gorgeous illustrations. There‘s pain here, but also strength and hope. I haven‘t read the adult version of the 1619 Project, yet, but it‘s on my TBR.

I‘m not sure how this got on my radar, but it‘s a cute, quick MG graphic novel. Ellie is orphaned and sent to live with aunts she doesn‘t know it turns out her aunts are witches and living with them awakens her powers. The story is a little choppy, but it‘s a debut, so I imagine the future issues are more polished, have better flow. The artwork is good, though, and I like the coloring as well.

#wdncw (on a Saturday)

I‘m in a mood. What can I say? I had the worst migraine I‘ve had in more than a month yesterday and it broke my cup of care. 🤷🏻‍♀️