I received @BarbaraJean ‘s #AuldLangSpine list, and it looks great! I think I‘ll tackle True Biz first…it‘s been on my list to read for a long time, so this is the perfect time to go for it. I love the variety that is also on here, so I can go classic with Heyer or Sayers or more contemporary with Moore or Osman.

Plus, you gotta love Kate DiCamillo!

Thanks, @monalyisha , for matching us!

Last minute post for my December #BookSpinBingo list!

I am very behind addressing holiday cards this year! The first batch is ready for the post office tomorrow, but I still have a number of #LitsyLove cards to write out.

I‘m also behind on sending letters…if you sent me a letter since mid-August, it‘s on my stack to respond to, and I‘ll do so over the next few weeks.

My spare time has been divided between doomscrolling and job searching. Doomscrolling is horrible, & the freelance world is crazy!

January 2025 begins a new round of Agatha Christie reading in publication order, as per the Agatha Christie website (link in comments).

The first is the 1920 The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the first Hercule Poirot book.

I‘ll post an official Styles graphic closer to January, but wanted to give a reminder that our reading starts soon!

Comment below to be added to the tag list!

#ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Our final #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead for 2024 is the tagged historical fiction novel. Discussion on the 31st!

If you would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know!

And don‘t forget to check out the 2025 list!

We‘re two weeks away from our next #NancyDrewBR discussion, #LittenDetectives ! What secrets will Nancy discover from a statue that supposedly whispers?

Discussion on the 15th!

#LiteraryCrew discussion time! I have 5 questions posted as spoilers. These can be found on my feed, the book‘s feed, or searching the group hashtag.

Please feel free to visit the questions whenever you like. This time, there are several links for more information.

December‘s book is Kaia Alderson‘s Sisters in Arms. The official post will go up tomorrow!

#20in4 is back!

My goal is to complete a few of the many, many books I am currently reading—3 completions with a stretch goal of 5.

I‘m overdue to submit a book review to my local independent bookstore, so item two on the list is to read the book this weekend.

I‘m not sure if I can reach 20 hours this weekend, so my goal is 10 hours, with a stretch goal of 20.

Welcome back, @Andrew65 !

This one was slightly better than the past two in the series. Even though amateur sleuths are supposed to be super inquisitive, Holly‘s disregard of her loved one‘s concerns really bothers me. Other sleuths do the same thing, so I‘m not sure why it bothers me with Holly! However, it‘s still a pick for me, and Mistletoe, Maine will soon rival Cabot Cove, Maine for murders.

I baked my Andes Mint cookies this afternoon while listening to this.

“‘When the world is this abysmal, getting used to it is the worst thing that can happen to you.‘”

Holly, you were so right about this one!

I find this to be more accessible than Fahrenheit 451, though I think it‘s because the prose is more to my liking. It‘s also eerily a parallel to the current book banning climate in the US, so much so that it felt in parts like I was reading a nonfiction text.

And this is meant to be satire! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Announcing the 2025 #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead lost!

Thanks to everyone who voted. I think it‘s a great reading list! As in the past, read each book at your own pace, with discussions at the month.

We had a tie in the voting, so I made Take the Mic a special discussion on January 20th.

If you are tagged, you‘re on the list for next year! If you would also like to be tagged, comment below!

The final #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is this historical fiction title! Read at your own pace to throughout the month of December. Discussion on December 31st!

All are welcome to join! If you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

I am also tallying the votes for 2025; I‘ll post the results soon!

Squee! I‘m registered!

I‘ve been so fortunate with the amazing books I found thanks to this yearly event. Thanks to all the hard work by @monalyisha to make the matches, and thanks to @LiteraryinPA , @katy4peas , @MallenNC , and @Chrissyreadit for the great lists (I still have titles from the lists on my to read list). #AuldLangSpine

Check in time for #LiteraryCrew ! Any thoughts to share on this month‘s book? Discussion on the 30th!

And, don‘t forget, if you are interested in next year‘s titles, voting ends tomorrow. I will view the votes and get the schedule put together hopefully before the US Thanksgiving holiday!

I was really liking this one—the audio is fabulous—but then I suspected something would happen that is an absolute no for me. (I‘ll post a spoiler in the comments). I did some research, confirmed my suspicions, and then read spoiler blogs to figure out how this ends.

It was a really great thriller, but will set this to the side so I don‘t become very emotional.

Good choice, @LiteraryinPA for #AuldLangSpine , but I‘m too chicken to finish!

Great discussion for this month‘s book, #LittenDetectives ! It seems we‘re all in agreement about the over the top nature of the Ivory Charm.

December‘s book varies greatly between the versions, but both contain…wait for it…a whispering statue. Let‘s hope this one is a bit less convoluted.

Discussion on December 15th. All are welcome to join. Please comment is you wish to be added or removed from the tag list! #NancyDrewBR

Alright #LittenDetectives : It‘s time for our #NancyDrewBR discussion!

I‘ve posted 5 questions as spoilers. You can find them on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtag.

Next month‘s book, The Whispering Statue, is another one with big differences between the texts.

In 1937, Nancy finds a statue that supposedly whispers & looks like her.

In 1970, Nancy is involved in a mystery around rare books & a stolen statue.

One more week left to pick the 2025 #LiteraryCrew titles! Thanks to everyone who has completed the form already…I‘m tagging the 2024 list, so if you have already voted and listed your interest in the 2025 tag list, no need to vote again!

Voting ends November 21st!

Link for voting: https://forms.gle/C6y6bxkEhaSrTsGd8

I agree with @DGRachel …this is my least favorite so far. While it has tunnels and a few hits on the head, this just seemed to lack some of the sparkle in other Nancy Drew books. It also seemed a little convoluted, and I know we have to suspend reality at times with these novels. Younger me did not read this one, and I think younger me would have a similar reaction.

Discussion tomorrow, #LittenDetectives ! #NancyDrewBR

This should be required reading for every American. Seriously.

Part true crime and part history, Nagle writes a clear and blunt look at the treatment of Indigenous communities since the founding of the US. Nagle, who is a citizen of the Cherokee nation, reports on the sins of everyone, including her ancestors—everyone has dark secrets. There are very scary parallels to today‘s world; I‘m not sure if it was wise or prudent to read this now. 5 ✨

@TheBookHippie —I found my copy!

I wanted a quick audiobook to listen to this morning and decided to try this one by James Taylor. #TodayILearned how much his adolescence and family life shaped him and his music. I also had no clue about his close connection to the Beatles (I was born in a post-Beatles world). Very interesting. #NFN

When Mrs. Elton is found murdered in the church, and Miss Bates becomes the prime suspect, Emma Knightley feels she must discover the murderer. Kelly writes a fun look at the characters from Emma and really does a good job paralleling their behavior to Austen‘s original work. I did guess the murderer, but it was still a good listen. The story could have been shortened a little, but still a fun book. Thanks #NetGalley for this ALC!

“The fight over truth is so bitter because power flows from the dominant narrative—the power to shape both public sentiment and public policy.”

I barely made it to page two of the Prologue and found this. It resonates so well today, and for Nagle, a member of the Cherokee nation, it speaks volumes to the mistruths about the indigenous past.

#TodayILearned #NFNovember

Here are three that have snow and one (!) set in the holidays:

1. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, one of my favorite books of all time. Kent does such an amazing job setting a dark, isolated, snowbound scene.

2. Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley - beautiful inclusivity

3. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny - there is a scene in blinding snow and ice. Makes me cold thinking of it. #TLT

I avoid sharing my opinions on politics online as much as possible, but this week has left me feeling numb.

If you want to see my rare political post, find me on FB!

But, my word of the year is hope, and I am somehow still barely clinging to it. Hope that I am wrong in my predictions, and hope that we can all come together.

#5JoysFriday

1. My boys. Always.
2. Litsy
3. Froot Loops for dinner
4. Law & Order reruns
5. The sun is still shining.

Longtime Littens know there have been two rounds of groups reading Agatha Christie‘s mysteries in pub order. The most recent round was amazingly led by @ferskner .

Here comes round 3! Ann is kindly fine with me starting a new round. We‘ll read in pub order, starting with the tagged in January. Read at your own pace. Discussion on the last Sunday of each month. Comment below to be added to the tag list! #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

This was perfect for #CalmReadathon …the Emily Dickinson Museum hosted a virtual poetry reading this afternoon and invited Dickinson enthusiasts to read poems by her. Some chose to read original works inspired by Dickinson and others chose to read from other poets. They centered the poetry readings on uncertainty, refuge, and hope. A truly beautiful experience.

I‘m not much of a poetry reader, but I love Dickinson. Highly recommend her work.

This is a reread for me—my IRL book group is discussing it this week. There is a reason it is considered one of the best mysteries—I cannot say much without giving it away, but the way Christie constructs the murder and the ensuing investigation is brilliant. Lots of red herrings and misdirections, but if you use your little grey cells, you can figure it out. Absolutely brilliant. #192025 #1926

@Bookwormjillk and @dabbe : here are some updated pictures!

My library is still in a transition phase. I have stacks of books in the center of the room as I shuffle books around—I‘m slowly adding shelves and bookcases throughout my house, so it‘s a constant moving of authors and subjects from one area to another. I moved into my house 10 years ago, and I‘m still organizing! 😂 I own thousands of books (not an exaggeration), so it takes time.

Voting for next year's #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead list is now open! It's a great list, and I think it will be hard to choose favorites!

Please follow this link to vote: https://forms.gle/C6y6bxkEhaSrTsGd8

If you would like to vote, select your top 5 choices from the list (links for each book included).

Voting is open through Thursday, November 21st.

The form also includes a space to let me know if you wish to be on the 2025 tag list. Thanks!!

Here we go! #HashtagBrigade

#LiteraryCrew : Our next #buddyread title is this nonfiction book by de Courcy—perfect for #NFNovember ! Discussion will take place on November 30th.

All are welcome to join! This is a low key buddy read. I post periodic checkins during the month, along with the discussion questions on the last of the month. Please let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list.

Thanks for the 2025 suggestions! I‘ll get voting ready very soon!

We‘re two weeks away from the next #NancyDrewBR discussion! What is the mystery of the ivory charm? How will Nancy solve the mystery? Let‘s find out, #LittenDetectives ! Discussion on the 15th.

My November #BookSpinBingo list!

Also, can someone tell me how it‘s November already? I feel like I blinked and October disappeared.

It is time for our #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead discussion! I have 8 questions as spoilers—you can find these either through my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtag. Feel free to answer whenever!

Thanks for reading with me! Next month is Anne de Courcy‘s The Fishing Fleet (I‘ll post a reminder tomorrow), and don‘t forget today is the last day for 2025 group read suggestions!