I am actually on time for once and have my April List ready to go. #bookspin.

More art work still to come.

@TheAromaofBooks

It may not be pretty or fancy but I actually hit a black out on my March bingo board.

#bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐5 ⭐
36 pages. 36 pages for a fantasy story that will remain with readers for years to come. This is a post-apocalyptic story where nature has once again taken over. The author Alex E Harrow has done a masterful job, blending fantasy, and science fiction into a modern tale of love and disaster. To say more gives too much of the story away. I will tell you that the sacred texts in the story are Katherine Applegate‘s series The Annamorphs.

3 ⭐I thought this was the third and final book in this series. It doesn‘t feel like a third and final book. It feels like the first ending before a new plot sequence. Ada and Ryan have made it back to the original Earth. Their combined mission is to reprogram the nanobots that will help clean up earth and save the planet. We do get to meet Ada‘s mom and some of her friends and find out important background information.

2 ⭐This story has a nice start. Pete and Susie are a seagull and another bird and they don‘t think much of the penguins until they learn they can swim. The author fails to explain what‘s happening. The reader is left to figure out what is going on. I do think this book has heart and I think the author has tried their best and just needs more practice and more experience

I‘ve listened to an hour of this and don‘t remember a bit of it. There‘s a haunted house, they‘re making a movie or documentary, and that‘s as much as I know. I don‘t think it‘s the audiobook. I didn‘t mind the reader and there‘s other characters that have voices. I think for me I need to read the story to get everything out of it. I‘m still not sure. I couldn‘t understand if they‘re high school students or college. I didnt keep my attention.

3 ⭐This is an early graphic novel about the younger siblings. You don‘t get to do the crazy adventures the older siblings do. They decide to have their own adventure and find a wishing well make wishes and have a grand adventure. This book was fine. There were some problems with my galley so I may have missed things. I do think kids will like it and find it entertaining an interesting. For me it was OK.

4 ⭐Camille is a witch. There is a family ritual to summon a demon and make a wish. Her type of witch is a blood witch. The blood witch are high society and while she lives with her aunt, she‘s been trained for this moment, but knows things are going to go wrong. Camille is left with another family member after her disastrous demon summoning to find who they are, what it means, and what has happened in their life. Camille barely remembers anything

2⭐This graphic novel is about an interim student government who takes over the university because its choosing to close the university to mine for gold. The best way to describe it is Paris Geller university years. We already saw that in the Gilmore Girls and that was way more entertaining. There is also the Alpha‘s from Revenge of the Nerds. The real student council who are going to take our school back from them because they like $$ & partying.

3 ⭐The artwork in the strips is nice, but I think some words would help the stories along. Most of these are just a few panels Long and some of them the story makes perfect sense other times I‘m not so sure. This is the world in which zombies and other types of magical or mystical creatures all roam around and interact with each other making for misunderstanding. I do like the artwork but some of the strips I‘m not sure what the author is saying.

2 ⭐A kid is worried about their next test. This is a typical Boys Town Press book. It states the problem and then it gives a pneumonic device to navigate the problem. I do like that the author chose not to Reiterate the character using these steps repeatedly. But that‘s probably because they reached the maximum number of words they were allowed already. The detail that they go to describe each aspect of the pneumonic device is long winded.

2 ⭐I hope the show is better than the books. These books are long and drawn out. They take too much explanation and quite frankly too much time. I don‘t think its story always needs to be short but halfway through this book I‘m still don‘t get why people like this.

4 ⭐ Kids who really like non-fiction are going to love this book. This book is about the history of the lakes where they came from the and the life that they have sustained since then.

5 ⭐This is a picture book about the invention of insulin. It‘s very well done and it‘s an interesting story. The illustrations work quite well, and they make this big topic approachable to children of many ages. Reading this book has the side effect of making me mad. The book does say that Frederick Banning, the person who discovered insulin, sold the rights to it for one dollar because it belonged to the world, not to one person.

4 ⭐This Illinois reads for 2025 is a short graphic novel. It‘s been categorized three through five but I think it would work for readers in first and second grade as well. Duck and his friends are just hanging out for the summer until they meet the cool cat. The cool cat is too cool, and it leaves an uneasy feeling in duck. Can duck conquer this feeling or will the friends realize that some people brag to feel better about themselves.

4 ⭐ This book by an Illinois author is about a monster who seeks to find the help his town needs. They need help getting rid of the monster. He asks the witches, ogres, and unicorns for help. But they all want something from the monster that the monster can‘t do. So Monster goes home feeling they failed. But it turns out they did the exact right thing. The words and the messages are fun, but what really sets this book apart are the illustrations.

3 ⭐This is one of those picture books meant for adults. It‘s a look at the 2020 election. It is tongue and cheek. It is satirical and decently interesting. However, as a picture book, it doesn‘t really work. It‘s too long and gets a bit confounding. Since this was written for adult, it gets a pass. It‘s one of those books that is a flash in a pan. Will laugh at later and will only be found in Specialty collections in the decades to come.

4 ⭐Tessa lives in Vancouver and just lost their job as a coffee barista. They‘re an artist but has yet to find success. Losing their job gives them a great reason to visit home. And it turns out their best frenemy is living in an apartment in their parent‘s basement. Tessa must dig through old memories to remember why her and Olive were friends and then enemies and the effect it had on them. This was a cute romance. It feels autobiographical, but

3 ⭐This is another dog book for the Day Star center from Bethany House press. This one gets into God‘s love in the end and with more prevalence than the previous book in the series. This book is almost a repeat of the first book . The dog is scared, must overcome their fears and then becomes an aid to the therapy that happens at Daystar. The story is nice and OK.

3 ⭐Owen is a dog and they are trained for therapy work. This book is very repetitive. It‘s Owen learning and then kids learning and then relearning with adults and relearning with grandparent. It‘s Long and Dan out for no reason. The story is a nice story. The artwork is nice. And I know this book is by Bethany house, which is a religious publisher.

4 ⭐This book is just fun. It‘s individual cartoons that illustrate what being a real dog owner is like. In between the single pages, there is the story of a dog getting adopted that‘s heartbreakingly beautiful. Altogether this was a lovely and fun read great for any coffee table and any dog lover.

4 ⭐This little birdie loves their friends. They are always up for a good time. But sometimes when all the friends are bigger, it leaves Peg behind. Peg worries that they can‘t keep up. That they just can‘t do it. But when they take a moment to stop and think they realize yes, I can because I‘ve already been doing it. The story is typical but adorable. The best part are the illustrations. They are so fun.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐5 ⭐
I feel like this book was purposely written for me and only me. Or me and all my friends who randomly say “essence” in a very particular way. This book was also written for all those who do the magic dance with the goblins, who ride Falkor, or for those who search for the Red Bull. This is for the Jim Henson dark era loving adults who‘ve been craving more. We have a creator named Bob. He created this movie that is now cult.

4⭐This is a pretty typical romance novel. I did listen to this as an audiobook and will say that I did not care for the reader. They grew on me, but if it wasn‘t for the topic of book banning in the very beginning I might not have finished this book. In it, we have Artemis Jones who is a school teacher. She‘s also a spinster and firmly on the shelf at 29. She doesn‘t want to get married. She instead wants to start a college and educate young women

4⭐This suicide mystery started off with a bang, but ended with a fizzle. Trigger warning the very first thing that happens in this book is a suicide. At the side of the person who dies is left a notebook that says the thrasher. The thrasher happens to be a group of five students who are led by Zachary Thrasher. They‘re more collection of friends than any type of organized group. For our wealthy one is not. It is well known that to be thrashed is t

4 ⭐ Wow, this is not a boys town press it kind of reads like one. Where you‘re given a problem and ways to deal with it. The refrain in this book is worry worry go away. I don‘t have time for you today. And that actually really works especially with the examples that are given , and that the reaction isn‘t always the same as long as you take time to think about it and know that you can be better. Over all this book works.

3 ⭐ Celebrity author, books are one thing but when they use their life to tell a fake story, it doesn‘t always work. This book very much reads like Alex Rodriguez is sharing the glory days of his youth. It‘s overly long and tad bit tripe and feels like a giant fish story. I do think the illustrations are great and I love how in the end they included real pictures and Ted bits about Alex Rodriguez‘s life.

4⭐This is a reminder that you can do anything. A little girl and her baby doll named Qai loved to dance. And they look forward to dancing but worried they might not be good enough. But Qai Qai reminds baby girl that as long as you do your best, that‘s all anybody‘s asking for. This book is lovely. A tad bit obnoxious with always saying baby girl and not giving the child a name. But overall, it was a joy to read little girls are going to like it.

2 ⭐Complete vanity project. First off, this book is massively too wordy for a picture book. And it‘s about little Mariah; Mariah Carey when she was younger. She even talks to herself in the form of a letter at the beginning of a book. It is also not an adverb or an adjective that I think this woman has forgotten about. Everything must have three to four, sometimes five adjectives to describe it. And things are constantly told to the reader over

4 ⭐This book is fantastic. It sounds like John Cena if I‘m beginning to end. It‘s a story about always trying your hardest and that it‘s OK to be different. I love that one of the monster trucks is electric, which is what makes them different from the others but yeah, there‘s still this message of family. This book feels like the author and like someone who spends a lot of time with children.

4 ⭐This book is very creative. There are no pictures. The book tells the reader that whoever is reading this to you must say every word because with no pictures there‘s no way to skip. This sounds like something someone mad at their librarian and would say. Because we are known to skip sentences or pages when story time getting a little out of hand. But I say this with love and affection with a smirk on my face. I love this book.

2 ⭐The best thing I can say about this book is, I‘m not sure I understand it. Our character in her buttercream yellow swimsuit knows the world is blue. She‘s depressed and crying and her tears won‘t stop until she sweeps herself down the drain of the pool. She comes back from either the other side or a world of make believe. I‘m not quite sure. There are so many different things this could be. I will say the artwork is top-notch and beautiful.

3 ⭐This is the autobiography of a lone child in China. This story is about a young girl learning to be her own friend and recognizing true friends. The story is interesting but slow. We see Yinfin as a child with a family, both large and small. This book is about the everyday things that make life. It‘s an interesting look and an interesting autobiography, but not one I think will be long remembered.

4.5 ⭐The girls in the neighborhood each like to do things but like to do them in different ways. And at first, they don‘t get along and it‘s only by talking things out and working together that they realize they can be better as a team. These are written in such a way that it‘s understandable. You can feel each character‘s, frustration, and their hope when they realize that they‘re not as different as they think they are.

2 ⭐ This book is based off a TV show which itself is based off a book. The original books are decent. The show is fine for the age it‘s written. However, the books based on the show are too long too complicated and boring. They should‘ve just left this where it was and not created a book to go with the show.

2 ⭐ This story is about the water cycle. There is a vaguely rhyming story of the cloud telling you the type of mood that they‘re in from beginning to end. But then there‘s also a little red bird telling the reader about the water cycle. The illustrations are interesting but once again nothing amazing or unique.

4 ⭐This is a nice little rhyming story about what a baby does in their day. The illustrations are lovely the story rhymes quite well and altogether it works.

4.5⭐I love the sloth and squirrel books. I also love the illustrations. They share an illustrator with the Steve the Horse books. In this book, the pickle booth has been so fantastic that Sloth and Squirrel need a vacation. They decide to stay close to home and as you know, sloths do certain things very slowly and like to nap. But squirrels are very active and busy. They find that they both get a fantastic adventure when things don‘t go as planned

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐5 ⭐
This book is translated. And I think it‘s done very well. Octavio has had a problem seeing, but they have a new pair of glasses and now they get to explore the world. They explore the world through the stories in the books that they read and the dreams they have while sleeping. This was a great book to bring to US audiences. And one I could see being read for storytime for years to come.

2 ⭐This book was adorable. Small Saul wants nothing more than to be a pirate. But even after finishing pirate school, he doesn‘t have an easy life at sea. He‘s eventually kicked off his boat when the rest of the pirates realized how good they had it they go back and rescue Saul. While I like this book, I also do not like this book. I love that Saul chases his dream and makes the way he does things work into getting his dream.

4 ⭐ This is a nice mixed used book. It‘s both a picture book with an adventure club as well as a nonfiction book with facts about sea turtles. It altogether works quite well. You can leave out the info bit if you want to read it for story time or just read the info bit if you‘ve got a kid really interested in sea turtles.

2⭐This book is too long and it‘s not one I think most parents want to read to their kids. Freya sees a snake. She tells her parents. Dad spends a few pages trying to catch the snake. Instead of catching it, he kills it. Freya calls him a murderer And after that I don‘t care anymore. It appears they‘re in nature where snakes should be and the lesson should be leave the snake alone and it will leave you alone.

2 ⭐I wanted to like this. Bob is a boo-boo or an Ouchi. It needs to find the right person to stay on make friends with until he eventually disappears. And then they‘ll move on to the next person. Or come back and visit another one after a tragic accident. I like the idea of making boo-boos, scrape, scratches, etc. something fun. And something not to fear but there‘s something about the way this book does it that makes it more ugly than cute.

3 ⭐When you have a kid that won‘t go to sleep, and you tell him to count sheep this is the book you get. Our little person is determined not to go to sleep, and their mom says count the sheep. When they get to 68 the sheep does not want to be counted. And the kid gets to experience what mom experiences when it‘s time to go to bed. This book was fine.

4 ⭐James loves kites. James has a little sister Gigi. Her brother‘s kites are not just given to him. He works hard to buy them himself. And when he‘s worried that Gigi might harm one, he works even harder to buy her kind of her own. They even eventually fly it. This book was endearing. It was bright. It was beautiful and full of heart. The illustrations are an older style. Reminds me very much of Madeleine. I loved it from beginning to end.

4 ⭐This book is sad but hopeful. Our main character is sent to spend the summer with her grandparents. We know that Anna is sick, which is why Anna is not there. This is about how you spend time waiting and wondering. This book does have a happy ending where Anna comes back. I do think that‘s lovely and it‘s a great way to talk about issues when a sibling is sick. Not a good one if a sibling dies, but a good one to read when there is an illness.

4 ⭐The Steve graphic novels are adorable. In this one, a red balloon has floated into Steve‘s world and Steve is trying to figure out what it is. Him and his friends Raccoon and Hair tried to help with the scientific method but the best they come up with is egg balloon. And we get to watch Steve, and his friends have an interesting time with a balloon they think is an egg. Overall, this is well done, and I can‘t wait for the next adventure.

2 ⭐Mega man is all grown up. And he got boring. I grew up with mega Man and the adventures were always exciting. Whether you were reading or watching a cartoon Mega Man was exciting. Mega man as an adult is boring. A lot of this is setting up the world and the universe in which we now find Mega Man. Maybe I didn‘t get far enough, but this book was boring and put me to sleep.

4 ⭐This is a sweet and romantic book series. It‘s much better to read book one and two together. Follow this couple that are not friends but something more. It‘s little vignettes that give you a peak into their lives. You wait for the tension of a kiss or something more. The artwork still stands out as being entirely unique. Altogether this is a book series that I‘m glad I‘ve read. I‘m not sure who I would suggest it to, but I‘m glad I‘ve read it.

3.5⭐ A blind girl encounters a security officer on the street. She goes to work with him and the rest of this is a romantic drama. The artwork is highly unusual for a manga. I believe it‘s Russian or supposed to be reminiscent of Russian styling. It also feels like it‘s a step at a time like this should be the 50s.It‘s hard to say I enjoyed this, but I am intrigued. I do want to read the next volume because I‘m hoping to see a love story progress.