Received my other #jolabokaflod swap package today. @MaleficentBookDragon @Julsmarshall

Sent out both #jolabokaflod swap packages today. Hopefully, they get there by Wednesday, will be UPS. @MaleficentBookDragon

Not a book post but wanted to post that my beloved Griffin died suddenly on Tuesday. Found out in the last couple of weeks that he was having some heart probs, but he seemed fine until Sunday. Took him to vet early Tuesday, went to work, & found him when I got home. He was my reading buddy, often lying on the couch next to me or on my legs while I read. Chunky, fluffy, sweet, I‘m missing him terribly. #catsoflitsy

Finally checked my mail this week & received a #jokabokaflod package. @MaleficentBookDragon

Audiobook. My 100th book of the year. Sadly, this wasn‘t narrated by Coates, but the narrator ended up being really good. This is Coates‘ debut, his story about childhood & teen years with his father & sibs. His father used education & other methods to raise his children through the crack era in Baltimore with an opportunity for college. Loved the writing & family relationships.

I started this book once, then got distracted, but finally read it (about 2 yrs later lol). A YA story about a society where girls have markings that can interpret the future. They have a “changeling” period where they get adult markings, are more attractive, with their senses heightened. These few weeks make them vulnerable to abduction. Themes of fate vs free will, rape culture, & young women wanting choices over their own bodies.

I don‘t expect a lot out of romance books, but I wish characters would communicate better. Of course, then there would be no conflict to getting them together, so no plot. The fake-dating premise of this story, set in the academic research world is good, & I‘ll most likely try Hazelwood‘s other books. Enjoyed the side characters, too.

This is my 1st Quinn book, & I enjoyed it. Set during the Korean War & the McCarthy era, it‘s a story about a group of women living in a boardinghouse. Each main character gets her own section from her POV, with all her secrets, romances, & past exposed to the reader. Loved the friendships that formed from their weekly dinners & how each changed during a 4-5 yr period. The men were good supportive characters, too. TW: death, DV

This is a mystery from one of my fave authors (Silas House) using a pen name. A different type of book for him but still has his signature descriptions of nature. Set after WW2, a murder happens at a fishing camp & several people have to solve the case. The MC is like a country song—his wife divorced him due to cheating with his bff, he got drunk & lost his job as mayor, & now lives on a houseboat. Really enjoyed this & look forward to next one.

Adichie is one of my all-time favorite authors, but this isn‘t going to be my favorite of her books. I enjoyed it, but I gave it 4⭐️, not 5. It revolves around 4 women, each one has their own story & POV. A lot of reflection for each person, all continuing the events happening but also telling about their past. I especially liked Kadiatu‘s story. TW: Sexual assault

Last #bookspin for 2025! I‘ll probably try to do bingo, but my goal will be to read the bookspins & doublespins from past months that I haven‘t read yet. @TheAromaofBooks

I loved this middle-grade GN so much! ❤️ I got teary towards the end & am so glad they put an update about the brothers in the back so I know they‘re safe & happy. This is Co-author Omar Mohamed‘s life growing up in a refugee camp—taking care of his intellectually disabled brother, going to school, & forming a found family. They don‘t have parents, so a foster mother cares for them. All of the refugees hope to go to America but few do. 5⭐️

Continuing with this series. Veronica is asked to identify whether a man recently returned to his home after being thought dead is an impostor. She was involved with him in the past, which causes problems between her & Stoker. Some adventures ensue. This one doesn‘t have much romance—there hasn‘t seemed to be a lot of tension or romance since they became a couple. Still a good story.

Thought this story would be funny, & it is, but it‘s also a serious take on modern events. Lula decides that certain books in town should be banned & starts a group. A young adult switches books in Lula‘s LFL, so anyone who takes a book gets one of the banned. Different POVs, based on the book each person gets. Deals with racism, Nazi beliefs, slave history, etc. TW: suicide (a bad guy). Enjoyed characters & POVs, plus how it all comes together.

Loved the premise of this book—4 long-time friends spend time together & get rid of an abusive husband. A woman returns home for a wedding, reunites with her friends, spends time with her ex, & deals with her traumatic past. Definitely not a thriller, which some may assume by the title & premise, more of a friendship story. Chapters alternate between high school & present day, with each of the women‘s POV. TW: DV, Murders of spouse 4.25⭐️

I love Klune‘s books but knew this would be different. My rating is because of the pacing; I liked the story. How does an author make a story about werewolves slow??!! This is about 500 pages but could have been much shorter.
Really loved the characters & dialogue—strengths of Klune. I may try the 2nd book if it‘s not as slow. Since I‘ve been pointing out steam 🌶 levels in other reviews, I‘ll warn this one has 2 very graphic M/M sex scenes.

I bought this book at a bookstore nearby that stocks authors in our state (KY). For non-religious people—this romance does mention going to church, faith, & comments like “God‘s plan”, but not that much. A romance set in Scotland. Minimal steam—lustful thoughts & kissing. A travel writer who constantly has accidents meets a Scottish guy who only wants to stay home. Both have emotional baggage, but you know it will be fine. Great setting!! 4⭐️

This book‘s plot is hard to explain since it‘s a story within a story. I definitely got sucked into the love story & was hoping the 2 characters would find their way back together. Some emotional moments toward the end. Enjoyed the modern-day characters, too. TW: talk about a parent‘s suicide

Wanted to read a banned book, & I can see why this would be challenged by some horrified parent afraid their teen might get ideas. 🙄 Mostly memoir/part guidebook for teenagers about growing up & finding their identity & belonging as a LGBTQIA+ person. A couple of sex scenes from the author‘s first experiences. An interesting book, Johnson has good stories to tell.

Dislike: story is slow-paced
A story about a girl growing up during the time of the Great Dragoning, set in the 1950‘s. Thousands of women turn into dragons one day—some eat their husbands, accidentally burn their house, etc. In the MC‘s house, her aunt dragons, her family adopts her cousin & then never speaks about the events. As she grows up, things happen in her family, & dragons slowly return. Feminist, found family, coming-of-age story. 4⭐️

A prompt for my library‘s book challenge. I really liked it, but I think of it as Gothic-lite. Not as dark as it could have been. Set during WW2 in NY, it centers around a young woman who is teaching at the local college & searching for her mother. Her parents had a large house with a library where they entertained lavishly in the library until her mom disappeared & dad died. Secrets are uncovered, there‘s murder, mystery, good characters. 4.25⭐️

While @CBee & @5feet.of.fury are right about this book being “banana-pants” & “nuts”, it‘s a low pick for me. It drew me in & left me wondering, but I was frustrated with the characters‘ actions & decisions. None of them were very likeable, which was prob intended by Hoover. Some sex scenes that were graphic—for those who like lots of 🌶🍆 I feel most of you all have read this, so I won‘t go into the premise. My 1st Hoover book.

When I started this book, I looked up the synopsis but ended up reading the movie one, which is very different than the book. Two strangers meet & talk, one proposes they each kill the person causing probs for the other one, then they go separate ways. The one follows through with his idea & harasses the other to participate. A detective is on the case. Stuff happens—don‘t want to spoil. A good psychological thriller before that was a genre.

It‘s been a few months since I listened to this book, & I gave it 3⭐️ on GR, so I admit I don‘t remember all of it. I liked it, but I may have gotten bored toward the end (reason for the rating?) A lot of info about how women aren‘t listened to, how we are overshadowed in different situations by men, & how we can change that.

I actually slowed this memoir down to normal speed (I‘m usually on 1.25) because Dietrich‘s voice/southern accent is great to listen to. Can‘t believe I‘m just discovering him & that my bluegrass-loving friends didn‘t know about him—I told them. The overall theme of this memoir is Dietrich healing from his father‘s suicide (TW). Has some funny moments & really sad ones. I loved this story & think audio is the best format. 5⭐️

I was on hold for the audiobook for months at my library. Some parts of this book were a little dry to me but it‘s written by 2 scholars/professors who are very knowledgeable, so I didn‘t mind. This was published during T‘s 1st presidency, & guess what?! He met every point on their checklist for authoritarian government! Big surprise. Would love an update from them now. Interesting info about different countries & their changes in governments.

I‘m giving a pick, but it was hard to listen to in the beginning & a little boring toward the end. Very informative though. I had little knowledge about incels, men‘s rights groups, & pickup groups. I already knew there are a lot of A**holes out there, but this one really highlights how many. Horrific thoughts & comments by these men. Bates joined several incels under fake profiles & reports their comments. TW- comments about rape, killing, etc

Audio, which is how I read almost all the first 2 Percy Jackson series. Enjoyed this book, set during Percy‘s senior year. He‘s doing quests in exchange for college recs. Annabeth & Grover are helping him, of course. Funny (I actually laughed while in the car), adventurous, it‘s fun to have the original trio together.

I haven‘t kept up with book reviews for several months. These are the 2nd & 3rd books in a trilogy of cozy mysteries. I liked the narrator better for the 2nd than 3rd.
Wandering Scholar involves a love triangle of vicars & one wife, plus several interesting characters in a small town.
Sorrowful Maiden has a lot of turns, because of the actors involved. Guessed 1 twist early on but there were a lot of red herrings to choose from. Both books 4⭐️/5

My favorite day was yesterday—the Kentucky Book Festival. Maybe not as good this year due to federal funding cuts, but I still found too many books to bring home. This is my stack, but I also bought 3 others for gifts. The tagged is my bookspin this month.
Today, I‘m continuing the bookish weekend by going to Bloomington (3 hrs away) to see Alix E. Harrow. Have we already met her twice before at signings in our own state? Yes, but should be fun

My #bookspin list for November. @TheAromaofBooks

I‘ve been tired after work this week, so I‘m finally getting my #bookspin list done & posted. Have a few I definitely want to read for spooky season. @TheAromaofBooks

#bookspin for September
Yay for Fall! @TheAromaofBooks

Between the end of June & beginning of August, I read or listened to 7 historical fiction/mystery/fantasy/adventure books & 1 modern day romantasy—all mostly set in England. Guess I was in a mood! Already reviewed 2 & another was a reread.
All are 4-4.5⭐️
Rushworth—4th in the Jonathan Darcy/Juliet Tilney series. Will they ever be allowed to get married?! The only series where Darcy is a jerk.
Blameless—Not much romance but definitely 👇

Was going to post just about July‘s bookspin bingo but my pollinator garden is much prettier. Haven‘t spent much time on the porch between the heat & work, will try to do that this weekend. Not going to finish a book tonight, so I‘m finishing the month with 1 bingo.

Another month, another #bookspin list. I read a lot from my list in July, so hopefully, I‘ll get some more off my tbr in August (somehow I never run out of books lol). @TheAromaofBooks

I‘ve been listening to this book, but I‘m so confused about the last few minutes. What do you all think is going on at the end? If you respond, don‘t forget the spoiler button.
Really loved this book, & I‘m sure I‘ll buy the physical copy when it‘s in paperback. Also, just saw there‘s a sequel coming out in Sept—yay! Heartwarming, sad, hopeful, with some cat antics in each story. Told in 5 stories, each person is prescribed a cat. 👇

Tagged
One of my favorite mythological books. @BookmarkTavern #sundayfunday

Finished this one tonight, & I liked this much more than Afterlife. Short stories about the same family—a large Dominican family but mostly focused on parents & their 4 girls. Different structure because it starts when they‘re older, then goes back in time. I enjoyed the stories, except there was a mean incident with a cat in one.

For my library‘s book challenge, we had to let a librarian pick out a book bundle for us. 3 out of 5 ended up being books I have read. This story was good & falls into feel-good fiction or a comfort book. Fantasy—seems like what DND fan-fiction would be, but it‘s cozy. Viv has been a killer but wants to own a coffee shop. Slowly builds a loyal found family around her. Has a villain to deal with. Descriptions of baked goods—yum! F/F romance.

I‘ve been visiting some indie bookstores & have wanted to go to The Taleless Dog for a long time. I went yesterday while I was in town for an arts fair. It was my first experience with a bookstore cat! This is Nora, a chunky cat without a tail (not my pic). Bought a book, tote, & socks. A great bookstore if you‘re ever visiting Berea, Kentucky. Berea is a very artsy community, with a college that‘s free. bell hooks lived and taught there.

Really enjoying this series on audio. In this one, the MCs end up in Scotland, & we have more machinery (steampunk vibes), werewolf politics, & background about the male MC. Loved this one. Big twist at the end which is spoiled immediately if you read the summary for the 3rd book before reading this one.

This is the sequel to A Most Agreeable Murder, & I was excited when I heard about it. Met the author when the first came out. In this story, the MC, Beatrice, has moved to London to be a partner in a detective agency. It‘s a mystery but has some elements of parody & humor. Of course, there‘s a slow-building love interest. I really enjoyed the mystery & other events in this one. 4.5 ⭐️

A friend recommended this book. It has magical realism with doors that take characters to other places, but the rest is set in our current world. It‘s about the migrant experience, around the time when migrants were trying to flee to Greece by boat. The 2 MCs live in a place that is taken over by militants, & they eventually take a door, trying to get to a better place. While it‘s sad at times, it does have a hopeful ending. Bookspin for July

Have you all seen this? Apparently, it looks like Bezos‘ wedding invite. Thought Littens would be interested—free shipping!

This is somewhat outdated because it was published before the Gates‘ divorce, Melinda isn‘t running the foundation anymore but has her own.
Still interesting though. Gates narrates the audiobook. She talks about women‘s issues, how her foundation is trying to solve problems globally (like birth control to help with family planning), & tells some of her personal stories. Liked hearing about the work she does to give people more opportunities. 👇

I found out about this “Groundhog Day” version of Pride & Prejudice on Litsy. I‘ve read a lot of retellings & really liked this one. Elizabeth has to repeat the day of the Netherfield Ball, but she doesn‘t know why. Her attempts to change the events of the ball are funny.

I‘ve never had Colleen Hoover on my written TBR but have been interested in what all the hype is about. So, I borrowed the tagged from my friend‘s LFL & will try to read it this year. #sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

Read this book since it was Pride month & it‘s about a summer camp (I was at mine during early June for a few days). This is a great book for middle school/high school age, but the MCs have some heavy problems, including the death of one‘s mother & self-harm. Two girls go to a month-long music camp, meet new people, navigate friendships, crushes, & first romance, & try to improve their musical abilities. I enjoyed this.

This is a shorter book, & I borrowed it from my friend‘s LFL. I just didn‘t get into the storyline on this one, but others may love it. A widow is dealing with grief after her husband dies, then has 2 different events going on—being drawn into helping an undocumented Mexican couple and searching for a missing sister with her other sisters. I‘m still going to read another Alvarez book, i just didn‘t love this one. 3⭐️