We're very close to the airport here in Mobile, AL, which reported 7.5" of snow. 130-year-old records were broken yesterday. This morning it's 15° but "feels like" 3°.

I love Ellen Gilchrist. I can't even explain why. Her characters are so flawed and I don't think I'd ever want to have a conversation with any of them. Well, not from this book anyway. I get completely invested though.

I fell behind in reading this with #kindredspiritsbuddyread last year, but I caught up this month by reading a few pages every morning. This is the third volume of LMM's journals and I've found them all so interesting. I especially like reading a little a day. It has made LMM feel like a companion.

I just realized I didn't post about this. I can't believe we've read 15 of these already. I feel like we just started. Nancy continues to be perfect, which is sometimes a little dull, but ultimately I love her. She didn't get knocked out in this one, but she did fall through a bridge in a rainstorm! #NancyDrewBR

This ending, oh my goodness. 😳

Reread for #kindredspiritsbuddyread. The first Anne book (Green Gables) is my favorite, but this is an easy 2nd. I was behind on reading LMM's journals, so was reading these concurrently and that definitely added to the fun. There was at least one instance where I read the real life inspiration shortly before it showed up in the novel. It's amazing how sweet and happy the novel turned out when LMM was so worried by WWI while writing it.

This isn't book related, but I have to share my newest obsession. I got a birdfeeder with a camera for Christmas. So far, it has "caught" 14 different species. Here are a few of my favorite pictures so far.

I was completely enthralled by this book about a murder in the abandoned city of Pripyat, near Chernobyl. The mystery was solid, the pacing was good, and the setting was equal parts horrifying and fascinating.

I'm catching up on LMM's journals and am also reading Anne of the Island, both for #kindredspiritsbuddyread. Today, I happened to read this same phrase in both books! Maud gave Anne her own dislike of change, definitely.

First book of 2025 and my #bookspin for January. This poetry collection went well with my New Year's mood of slowing down after the crush of December. I'm in no hurry to take down my tree.

My #bookspinbingo card for January is ready to go! My #bookspin is Girl Sleuth and my #doublespin is Eye of the Beholder, a poetry collection I read most of yesterday. Thank you, Sarah!! @TheAromaofBooks

I am so unprepared for a new year, but nevertheless, here's my January #bookspin list! @TheAromaofBooks

I didn't finish my December #bookspin or #doublespin, buy I've started them both and am enjoying them so far. I was out of town more than I was home and haven't even thought about my January list. That's my project for today! @TheAromaofBooks

Christmas/birthday book haul for 2024. (My birthday is 4 days after Christmas.) The tagged book is one I've already read, but wanted to reread and I discovered I didn't own a copy.

I liked this, but I think it would probably be more enjoyable to people with a deeper knowledge of British history.

There are a lot of repeated themes and plot devices in these stories, but I think that's forgivable, since LM Montgomery didn't write them to be read together, but instead as freelance writing for various publications. Overall, it's a sweet collection and perfect for a cold night on a warm couch.

We're leaving tomorrow to go to see family for Christmas, so we had Christmas for the three of us last night. I am watching the beginning of the series while I fold laundry and pack. I have a suspicion that I might have loved this show as a kid because every girl is dressed like Samantha Parkington.

I've been meaning to buy this set of books and read the rest of the Oz books for years. #BeyondtheYellowBrickRoad was a great excuse! I finished my reread of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz today. I had totally forgotten how much happens after the witch melts! Everything after this will be new to me, but to be honest, this one felt pretty new, too! 😜

I loved this! It was fun and light, without making me check my brain at the door. I was rooting for all four women and I enjoyed the atypical setting.

Not a favorite, but MUCH better than the last one!

This didn't feel especially like a Hiromi Kawakami book to me. I wonder if she has more like it that haven't been translated to English yet. I wish I'd read it all in one go, but instead I read a bit here and there and I think my opinion of the book suffered as a result. I ended up liking it, so maybe sometime I'll reread it under better circumstances.

Catching up on posting! I've had this ARC, from my days as a bookstore owner, for something like 15 years. My husband read it back then and recommended it, but I only just now got to it. It's fantastic. So atmospheric and nice and long.

December is going to be a whirlwind, but I'm hoping to get in some reading. 🤞 My #bookspin is The Lagos Wife and my #doublespin is Starcarbon. I'm hoping to finish my November spins this month, too. #bookspinbingo Thank you for hosting, Sarah, and happy holidays! @TheAromaofBooks

I have my doubts that I'm going to read anything in December that I'll like as much as I did Marmee. And though I loved Marmee, I think I may be looking at the final choice being between I Cannot Get You Close Enough and The Road to Dalton. I'm not sure I'll be able to choose.

Here's my #bookspin list for December. 🎄 @TheAromaofBooks

Well, I didn't finish either my #bookspin or my #doublespin, but I'll probably get them finished in December. (Or January? 😜) @TheAromaofBooks

Yay! We're back in Sleepyside, getting lost in the woods repeatedly! But now there's a mountain lion! I love this cover so much, and loved the idea of Trixie judging someone for wearing a black leather jacket. 😂 My biggest critique was that, in my edition, Di Lynch didn't show up until page 80 and she wasn't part of any of the action of the story. Not sure how another BWG is going to fit, if we barely had room for Di! #bobwhitebuddies

I forgot to post about this sweet book, shame on me! 😉 Picking up right where The Story Girl leaves off, this volume sees the young King cousins through the winter. They create a magazine, make New Year's resolutions, get caught in a snow storm, and show distinct signs of growing up. This sequel is a little more melancholy than the first, but isn't that how it always is in winter?

Playing catch up, since I missed last month's #bobwhitebuddies read. I enjoyed this one, even though the mystery took a backseat. My favorite part was when Trixie went dress shopping with her mom.

Going in, I knew this was just a short story collection with Anne Shirley basically forced in here and there. While, yes, that's true, the Anne bits are relatively unobtrusive. Several of the stories were sweet, like "Old Lady Lloyd" and "Each in His Own Tongue," and several had classic LMM tropes like a quarreling couple, a man hater, and old maid sisters. I enjoyed it!

I didn't like this one, but this was the line that made me want to pitch it across the room. This poor kid is being taught "correct grammar," but "it is me" isn't incorrect, it's just informal. Poor Rishi spent almost as much time in Nancy's trunk as he did safe in her house. No one seemed worried enough about him, certainly not enough to keep him safe.

This was the #EuropaCollective pick for September, which I've finally read. I ended up liking it, but I can understand why not everyone did. Jessica isn't terribly likeable at the beginning and the plot doesn't seem to go anywhere. But, it started working for me around the time of the house party. Jessica changes and matures. This won't be a favorite, but I enjoyed it. (The book for December has been shipped, so maybe I'll read that one on time!)

Maybe flash fiction just isn't my thing? These were so short and yet, somehow, they couldn't hold my attention. I literally read the whole book this morning and not a single story stuck with me through listening to my son talk about video games for 10 minutes after I finished it and before posting this review. I couldn't tell you anything about it. (But apparently my kid is almost done getting the sword he wants in Armored Core.)

The writing in these stories is great and reminds me of Lorrie Moore. However, I typically like the main characters of Moore's stories and I didn't like any of these women. They collectively seemed to think being fat or enjoying "mom" activities were the most horrifying traits a woman could have. I couldn't relate to them.

Here we go for November, if you can believe it. 2025 is coming for us like the baddie in a slasher movie. My #bookspin for this month is Under the Eye of the Big Bird. My #doublespin is Kehua!, which was one of my spins last year and I didn't even start it. Thanks, as always, Sarah! @TheAromaofBooks #bookspinbingo

I ended up switching to the audio because, as I've described in other posts, October was A LOT and I had zero focus. I listened while I did a jigsaw puzzle, which I think improves any book. I didn't dislike it, but it seemed to be all atmosphere and no plot.

I loved this. My sister has had metastatic breast cancer for 3+ years and had a not-so-great scan this month. I was definitely in the mood for sisterhood. I loved the life that Miller imagined for Margaret in and around the storyline of Little Women, adding in some of the truth of the time period (slavery, war, poverty, infant mortality, etc). Made me want to read an Alcott bio.

My October #bookspin. @TheAromaofBooks

Catching up on posting what I read in October...
I read through a lot of this on Indigenous Peoples' Day. I read several lines (and sometimes whole poems) aloud whenever my family was in the room with me.

I'm not ready for November, but here's my #bookspin list anyway! Thanks, Sarah! @TheAromaofBooks

I didn't read nearly as many books this month as I'd planned. To be honest though, I'm surprised I read as many as I did. I work in royalties and October is when all Jan-June payments come in, leaving me pretty wiped out at the end of the day. I either couldn't focus or fell asleep. And we went to New Orleans for a weekend, too, in the middle of the month. So, yeah, I'm pleased with 6 books! 😜 @TheAromaofBooks

If this had been the first Nancy Drew I read, I'm not sure I would've tried another one. The mystery feels so pointless. Random dangerous things keep happening, with no effect on the plot, so it's just, "Oh no! But it's fine!" The villain is straight out of Scooby Doo. There's an unnecessary side plot where a boy has a crush on Nancy and she seems, at worst, mildly inconvenienced by it. Oh, and Nancy digs up a baby's grave. Hard pass on all that.

I don't think any of us reading this for #kindredspiritsbuddyread loved it. It was fine, I guess? I don't understand why she married that man; he seemed like such a boring, misogynistic grump. I read The Enchanted April seven years ago and I remember that I liked it, but it didn't stick with me. I doubt this one will either. This was my #doublespin for October. @TheAromaofBooks

I forgot to post about this one, which I read last weekend. This is probably my favorite Tey I've read so far. At one point, I thought I'd figured out the twist, but I was wrong and it took a totally different turn. (I hate this cover, but it was from a library book sale, so it was super cheap.)

Here's my #bookspinbingo board for October. Happy October, everyone! 😁 My #bookspin is Marmee. My #doublespin is Elizabeth and Her German Garden, which is also the current pick for #kindredspiritsbuddyread. Looks like a good month! Thank you, Sarah! @TheAromaofBooks

With no time to spare, here's my #bookspinbingo list for October! @TheAromaofBooks

Here's my completed #bookspinbingo board for September. I have a feeling I forgot to tag my #bookspin and #doublespin when I posted reviews. 😬 Sorry, Sarah! And thank you! @TheAromaofBooks

There are a lot more books in this series, but this is the last one by original author Julie Campbell. The Bob-Whites meet some new kids at the end of this one and we get a very quick version of the highlights of the series so far. It felt like a nice send off for and from Campbell. #bobwhitebuddies

I don't know if this was legitimately better than the last one or if I was simply glad to be back at Coopers Chase. This one did feel especially poignant though and I'm realizing I need to reread them all.

Flavia de Luce is growing up. What enjoyed most about this newest installment was the moments when Flavia was dealing with occupying the space between child and adult.

From what I've seen, this is a comfort read for a lot of people, so I'm very glad that it exists. To me, it seemed like a lot of world building, but it didn't go anywhere. It's the first in a series though, so maybe things that started in this one will be picked up later? Top marks for diversity and inclusivity!