Can't believe we've gone from snow and freezing rain to a random day at 20 Celsius!! Heading back down to colder temperatures tonight though ☹️. Staring this one for #authoramonth . I enjoyed the first book in this series so thought I'd give book 2 a read. Looking forward to journeying into Ancient Rome! @Soubhiville
Read some good books in March - but The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable takes top spot for the month. I knew nothing about this book as it was a gift so definitely a nice surprise!
Note: Not my template - off Pinterest.
#ReadingBracket #ReadingBracket2025 #BookBracket2025 #BookBracket
I thought we could explore Genevieve Graham as an author for the next #OhCanada read. She has written a number of books with many of them being Canadian historical fiction set around war times. She went to school to be a musician and only started writing books at the age of 40! She also has a new book coming out in April 2025. Please vote if you'd like to and if it is a tie I will flip a coin. All are welcome to join this low key read.
pickWhile probably more fiction than historical fiction, this book captured me. A story about Anna Maria della Pieta and her journey with music. There is not much known about her but I think the author did well in writing a story around what is known about her. It is mainly a story about her and how she sees, feels and senses her music. The descriptions of colours blended with music are inspiring.
#DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks
Continuing this book while our littlest attends her first birthday party without me 😭. She is quite shy so staying near by in the car in case she wants to leave early. And yes the snow has been gone for a couple of weeks and now this is what it looks like after last night's dumping 🙁
I'm loving this book so far. The descriptions of how she sees music are beautiful! I've been fully transported into the book and I just want to keep reading!
Just wanted to put this out to those who are participating (or thinking of) - is there a particular genre you'd like to read next and if you like voting on the next pick or would rather I just pick one book? I'm happy to go any way - want to pick books that people are interested in reading! I was thinking another historical fiction for the next read and then maybe something lighter in the summer. Always love hearing from you all 😊!
@LitsyEvents
Tonight seems like a great evening for a book and snack. Going to start the tagged book with some buttery herb and garlic pretzels and an orange juice. Nothing beats a book and a snack when your heading back into winter weather after getting a tease of spring weather! I don't know much about this book but fingers crossed it's a good one.
bailedGoing to #HailTheBail on this one @Read4life . I think this is more a me thing! I got half way through and just couldn't get into this book. I guess ghosts and secret societies are not for me. I wasn't a fan of back and forth time periods in such a short span. I also didn't feel like the book really progressed at all for the entire first half. May pick it up again in the future but on to other books for now!
#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville
About half way into this book and struggling to get through it. I guess ghosts and secret societies are not my thing. I'm going to see how much I get through this weekend and then make a call on continuing. I just can't seem to get into it and couldn't care less about what happens to the characters for some reason. I think if I don't finish I might try at a later date because maybe it's just my current reading mood.
Spring weather is finally here!! This evening I'm starting Ninth House for #authoramonth while I munch on some aged cheddar cheese on baguette with a side of olives. I'm not really sure if I'll like this book - horror just isn't for me - but I'm going to give it a try.
pickA quite enjoyable book about characters finding themselves after horrible situations and a search for the lost bookshop. It was a good mix of magical realism with some historical fiction blended in. I do think the characters were a bit surface level and I feel like more could have been done with the magical portion of the plot but it was a good escape from the world at this current time.
#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks
Coffee and a book on this cold winter morning. My dream last night was of me in an unknown bookstore shopping for books - so I thought it would be fitting to start this book next. I'm really unsure as to what to expect with this book so I'm excited to see what it is all about!
pickThis book is definitely a pick! A strong historical fiction book set in 1667 that follows a kidnapped Hector Lynch as he is sold into slavery. It is written well and about such an interesting time period. I learned a lot about this time from reading this book. Slaves seemed to be sold and captured everywhere and by everyone. Felt like Hector was a little too lucky at times but a great book. I'll definitely be continuing this series!
I am really enjoying this book. I wasn't sure I would as I had it in my brain that it would be filled with too much gore (no reason why I had this in my head). But this book is just like many other historical fictions books I read with many accurate description and scenes of the time. 1600s are such an interesting part of history! It is well written and makes you want to keep reading. I'm hope to finish this weekend and really enjoying the author.
The second pick of the #OhCanada Book Club is underway and it is The Girls by Lori Lansens. This is a bi-monthly read so feel free to read at your leisure over the months of March and April. Will post some discussion points at the end of April for those that wish to participate. All are welcome to join this very relaxed book club! Enjoy everyone!!
#BuddyRead @LitsyEvents
No surprise that Indian Horse was the best book I read in February and that it topped West with Giraffes. The rest of the books I read in February were just ok and while West with Giraffes is good - Indian Horse is in a class of it's own.
Note: Not my template - off Pinterest.
#ReadingBracket #ReadingBracket2025 #BookBracket2025 #BookBracket
A book, a blanket and a grilled cheese is how I'm going to spend a #hyggehour tonight. Need to escape to another time before the chaos of the week takes over. Not sure how many pages I'll read because I could fall asleep at any minute but I'm going to try amd get through the entire hour.
#HyggeHourReadathon @TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @AllDebooks
I didn't post my colour list as I'm using the same one each month - probably boring to see it posted each month, lol. Here are my March #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin picks. I had quite a few books I could pick from with both these prompts which was a nice change from some of the previous colours. It's been really fun doing colours of covers - allows for more freedom in selections which is working well for me.
@TheAromaofBooks
Saul is such a strong character. I don't think many would make it through what he goes through at such a young age and then all through childhood. To have such focus on a sport while he is being abused and his culture and way of life have been completely ripped away from him shows a strong will to survive.
Thoughts on Saul?
Pictured is a Birch Bark Canoe - one of the main forms of transportation for the Ojibwe.
Another major part of the book is hockey. Saul manages to find an escape through hockey although it only masks the suffering he is going through. It isn't until much later in life that he digs deep into that past so that he can truly heal.
Thoughts on the hockey portion of the book? Did you know this book was originally only supposed to be about hockey?
A Residential School is a big part of this book. Saul is sent to one after losing both his siblings to them, his parents to grief and his grandmother to the cold. Due to his hard work and skills in hockey he manages to find a way out but not until he has suffered from many abuses. This will require him to take his own healing journey.
Thoughts on Residential Schools and/or that aspect of the book? Crazy that 1996 was when the last one was closed!
Constantly moving to try and keep your kids from being kidnapped - all while trying to preserve your culture, faith and beliefs. Multiple generations damaged by stealing and abusing kids, trying to destroy an entire peoples and pushing them to live on a Reserve. Many battling addictions due to their suffering.
These are all topics throughout the book - general thoughts on the book?
Continuing this read while the car is in for an oil change. Nice little morning break from work! I'm enjoying it so far but I'm not that far in yet. Won't get it finished today for #bookedintime but I'm glad I was led to this book by the prompt!
@Cuilin
pickThis book is just as good as a reread. Wagamese is masterful when it comes to writing - you are truly transported into the time and place of the book. He even makes hockey sound magical. I could have done with a little bit less hockey - but that's not a big deal. Truly terrible that any of this was allowed to happen but I'm so glad he wrote about it as it is important to remember and know this part of history.
#DoubleBookSpin @TheAromaofBooks
For our 'special reading time' our 8 yo and Fire Raptor went with a Magic Tree House comic. It's too bad only 7 of the Magic Tree House books have been made into comics. He is capable of reading chapter books but his confidence isn't quite there yet so he much prefers to read comics. It's safe to say he'd enjoy many of these books because of the nonfiction blend. Hoping he gets into the chapter books eventually for this reason.
#RaisingReaders
so-soI debated between giving this book a pick or a so-so. It is an extremely quick read and I did enjoy the end and how it brought everything together. I also enjoyed the setting of a wintry, 19th century Iceland. I was a bit confused by all the characters but the end wrapped it up nicely and the pieces all fall into place. I'm glad I read this book but just feel a little underwhelmed by it. Probably won't stick with me, but it was worth the read.
Just over a week left and I'm excited to discuss with those who are interested. I'll post a few discussion points in the afternoon of Saturday, March 1st. I'm thinking I'll post one overall discussion about the book and then a couple more specific questions about topics in the book or the book itself. If there is anything specific you are interested in discussing please feel free to comment here. #OhCanada
so-soThis book was ok bordering a thumbs down for me. While there are many important issues touched on, none are fleshed out. International aid, gender inequality, human trafficking, and classes are just a few that come up - but only on the surface. The story could have focused on fewer issues and gone deeper into those. Too many characters and the stories feel disjointed - although they did tie together in the last few chapters.
It is slow goings to get through this book. I don't hate it and still glad I picked it up but I'm finding too many characters with stories that only kind of intertwine. Alot of acronyms for aid in Nepal being thrown around and I'm struggling to see where this story is going. It's a short book and just over 100 pages to go. We'll see how the rest is.
Excited to announce that our second pick for the Oh Canada Book Club will be The Girls by Lori Lansens - a fictional book about conjoined twins. I flipped a coin because the vote was tied. This book club will run every two months, so this will be the March/April book. Excited to continue the Canadian book journey!
All are welcome to join! Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!
#OhCanada #BuddyRead #BookClub #Canada @LitsyEvents
Reading the tagged book for #FoodAndLit #Nepal. I've realized I'm awful at taking food pictures so I will probably just grab pictures of the recipes I try off the internet 😆. Nepal Cucumber Salad (Kakra ko Achar) is what I am eating tonight while I continue this book. I left the cucumber skin on because I like it - and it was good. I also didn't put much Chilli on as I'm not big into spicy food.
@Texreader @Catsandbooks
pickI read this book 4 years ago and just read it for a second time for the #CosmereBuddyRead. If anyone knows me, you know that I don't remember anything about it if it was longer than a few months ago, 😆! I loved it just as much as the first. The descriptive world, using metals as powers and even though it's fantasy, it feels like this world could exist. It is easy to follow for those of us that aren't as much into fantasy as others.
I'm trying hard to read multiple books a month this year and hopefully I'll be able to follow through so I can complete a book bracket. It will be a small amount of books to pick from a month but still fun none the less. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge was my favourite read in January. I will never forget the characters from this book.
Note: Not my template - off pintrest.
#ReadingBracket #ReadingBracket2025 #BookBracket2025 #BookBracket
Here are my February #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin picks. It's been a while since I read a non-fiction book so I'm going with What An Owl Knows for brown on the cover. Definitely had to look through some book covers to find one with brown on it - funny enough both from last month had brown. I am reading Indian Horse for OhCanada anyways and it has green on the cover.
@TheAromaofBooks
I'm going to have the same bookspin each month as I'm doing it by colours on the cover this year. I really enjoyed this in January and it will be neat to see how many of the colours I actually end up doing by end of year!
#bookspin #February #2025
@TheAromaofBooks
My first interlibrary loan came in. I had no idea that it includes books from across the province and not just the nearest city. Why they get them from libraries nowhere near here instead of a library close by when they have them in stock seems odd. Only allowed to request two at a time so I went with a Nepal read for #FoodAndLit and a short book set in Iceland.
#LibraryBooks #Nepal #Iceland
Tonight we spent our reading time learning about Mars. Simple kids book that had some neat facts. It was easy for an 8 year old to follow along. The fact he enjoyed learning the most was that the North and South Poles have dry ice.
#Mars #RaisingReaders #Space #KidsNonFiction #LibraryBook
I hope everyone who has had a chance to start is enjoying Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese! Just over a month to go and I will post a couple of discussion points on the book.
For our next read, I thought we could pick from two Lori Lansens books. I feel she is a less known Canadian author. These are two of my favourite books by her. Please feel free to look up each book and vote (if you want) on the one you'd like to read.
#OhCanada @LitsyEvents
pickThe start of this book was slow and the writing wasn't capturing me. But once this book found it's footing, it was great. I could just hear the music at the house parties. I loved learning a bit about what the people of the Netherlands went through in WWII. The book shows both sides - Dutch resistance and the Dutch NSB. This book could have gone so many ways but I liked the ending, although I did find it a bit drawn out.
Finally starting to feel a bit better...today is my first full day back working after spending the last few days mostly sleeping this bug away. Started reading a bit last night and I'm hoping to get a decent chunk into it tonight. I'm about 50 pages in and nothing has really happened yet, but it's still been an enjoyable read so far. A fellow litten had let me know it was a slow start so I was expecting it.
My goodness - I can't remember the last time I was this sick. It feels like a freight train ran me over and backed right back up over me. The worst part of being this sick is not being able to read because your head feels like it's swimming! Here's to hoping for healthier days ahead so I can get back to my books!
I am hoping to start reading The Dutch Orphan this weekend while I eat my first Broodje Rookworst. I need to go into the city to buy the rookworst, so I'm not sure if I'll pick up ingredients this weekend or the next but I'm so excited to try this sandwich. I love sauerkraut and to mix it with a sausage on a sandwich - yummm!
#FoodAndLit #Netherlands
@Texreader @Catsandbooks
pickThis was a nice coming of age story about a boy who has no one and nowhere to go. It was a lighter, quick read and I felt connected to the characters. Mostly fiction, as the only real historical fiction is the giraffes being driven across the country. But it was nice to see that story become a story. Giraffes humming is probably my favourite fact I learned.
#JumpStart2025 #DoubleSpin @Lizpixie @TheAromaofBooks
One of my favourite things to do each evening - as our son calls it - "Our special reading time". We each read our books together for 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. It's become part of our bedtime routine and it really is special. Tonight he is reading Dog Man while I continue West with Giraffes.
#RaisingReaders
I plan to spend a cozy evening for #hyggehourreadathon by starting West With Giraffes with a hot tea while the cold stays outside. Starting my #DoubleSpin before my BookSpin since it's a library book and I'll have to return it in a couple of weeks. This is a perfect way to end the weekend and reset for the week after the kids are in bed!
@TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @AllDebooks
so-soI didn't love this book but I didn't hate it either - it was a little long but I'll never forget it. The book seems to be true to it's time. I wish the witchcraft had been dialed down a bit. It seemed overdone at times, making the book less historical fiction. The characters are all awful people and the relationships absolutely toxic - but I feel this works for the time period. This is a dark read.
Note: Many trigger warnings in this book.
I'm going to join in on the #HyggeHourReadathon tonight. I spent the majority of the afternoon getting everything for the family ready for the week. This included making a cream cheese spread for cucumber sandwiches (ingredients listed) I plan to eat at work this week. I am pairing them with some blueberries, oranges and yogurt.
Now I'm going to spend the next hour relaxing with my book!
#HyggeHour @TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @AllDebooks
The kids and I went to the library this morning and got a pretty good haul. Even though our boy struggled and disliked reading for the longest time he is now quite the reader! Once reading started clicking for him he started really enjoying books! He now reads every night for at least an hour.
#LibraryHaul #Library #RaisingReaders #EarlyReaders #KidsComicBooks
Starting this book tonight for #BookedInTime . My goal is to get at least half way through by the end of the weekend. Have a couple of appointments for the kids tomorrow and they have swim class Saturday - but other than that it will be a relaxing weekend before the chaos of real life starts again on Monday!
#BookedInTimeJanuary25 #BookedInTimeTudors #JumpStart2025
@Cuilin @Lizpixie
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