Same, Frank X Walker

Think this is the 5th book in the series, & if I didn‘t know there were several more, I would think it was the last one. Still doing audio, & I think this is the best of the series so far. Jane has to go to the Biltmore briefly to rescue her man, then has to outsmart the villain while back in Storyton. She makes several big decisions. There‘s a major twist. Solid series.

I got to meet Nic Stone for about 5 min at the book fair in my area. This story is about 2 teens, both dealing with trauma & mental health issues. They become bffs & eventually there‘s some romance. I‘m in the MH field & think Stone portrayed substance abuse & mental health accurately. She wrote that this is her most personal book. Also, I had a bad day, then re-read what she signed, & it made me feel better. Story is hopeful, not a downer.

This one has lots of romance tropes—enemies-to-lovers, only 1 bed, etc. The MC decides to fake being in her sister‘s role after her boss invites himself to dinner. He thinks she owns & runs a farm, but it‘s really her sister. Then, they get snowed in. PG rated romance. I enjoyed this story, it‘s a fun holiday book for light reading.

2 #jolabokaflodswap packages went out via UPS this morning. Expected to arrive on 1) Wednesday & 2) Friday. @MaleficentBookDragon

Had a very busy day but decided to check my mail around midnight when I got home. Got my #jolabokaflodswap gift from @TheAromaofBooks It‘s been a long but happy day with friends, laughter, my friend‘s sweet dog, food, & Christmas movies (we didn‘t pay much attention to the movies). @MaleficentBookDragon

This GN is by the author of the Plume series I read earlier this year. It‘s not in the GR or Litsy database, but I found it on Storygraph. The MC takes a janitorial job at a home for what she thinks are ill people. But, then she finds out they‘re more than that. She snoops a lot & starts to find out the secrets, then it ends on a cliffhanger. My friend said Vol 2 will be coming out soon, thanks to Kickstarter. Can‘t wait! Bookspin for Dec

I liked Ayesha at Last, so I picked up this holiday romance co-written by the same author. It‘s not steamy, for those that aren‘t into that. Enjoyed the characters, especially the grandfather. My #bookspin for December

Received 1 #jolabokaflodswap24 package today! Excited to see it on my porch when I got home from work. @MaleficentBookDragon

This was an impulse buy based on the title & cover. Sadie and her family have magic that also comes with a curse; both are unique to each person. Sadie has shut her heart off to most others because her curse is heartbreak. Then, family drama ensues & she has to figure out how to save her twin. There‘s also a lot of baking, some romance, and recipes. Sadie is a bit whiny, maybe too much plot, but I enjoyed this story. 3.5/5 ⭐️ #doublespin for nov

Not many people have read this book (looks like none have on Litsy), but it‘s one I bought in 2023 at the book fair. HF, set during 1941 in North Carolina, when our government promoted growing kudzu in the South, an invasive plant. This is a coming-of-age story, with Mattie as the MC. She is fiercely loving & protective of her family & friends, stubborn, curious, and a teenager. At first, everyone is taken with the Kudzu King who comes to sell 👇

I haven‘t read/listened to a book about our food industry in a lot of yrs so thought this would be a good one. It was a bit science-y for me, but I also liked the information about studies & explanations about our bodies. My horror about our food industry was renewed, but I‘m not sure how to reduce my UPF intake. We don‘t have many non-UPF options in my area, except the farmers market in summer. Would have liked more of that info.

#bookspin list for December, last one of 2024! @TheAromaofBooks

A prompt on my library‘s book challenge is to read the book that‘s been on your tbr the longest. I‘ve owned this book for over 20 years. I love Binchy‘s slow-paced, small town, Irish family stories, but they‘re long. This one is about a mother who leaves her family to live with her first love, but everyone thinks she died. Goes back and forth between mother‘s life & her daughter. Good story, felt the ending was too fast. #doublespin for March

I have a harder time sticking to a series in recent years & can take forever in between books. I do enjoy easy series like cozy mysteries or romance. The world-building fantasies though—I have to love the characters if I‘m going to tackle them. Also, I don‘t have to buy multiple books with stand alone.
#sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

Continuing with this series. Enjoyable cozy read, especially as audio on my commute. This one involves solving the mystery of a skeleton & rare book found on the Storyton estate. Another poisoning (this seems to be the murder weapon of choice in this series). The next book is going to have a change of setting, which I think will be good.

I loved this book! Middle-aged spinsters get involved with freeing females from an abusive husband, mental asylum, & a brothel. Told in 3 adventures, set in 1812, a historical look at women‘s status in that time. Adventurous with some romance and strong women. This is the beginning of a series—yay! #bookspin for November

Thanks @Sace for the tag.
1. My sunporch in a hammock or lounge chair (currently I have a chair I don‘t like much).
2. The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies
@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

Still a favorite of the year, I learned so much from this one. #sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

Was excited to meet Nic Stone & have a convo with her & Mariama J. Lockington. I didn‘t get to attend their bigger talk. Nic Stone did talks at 2 schools while she was in town, what a treat for those students. I loved Lockington‘s Forever is Now, so I bought another. She also has an anthology about adoptees. Got a GN from David Arnold (squirrel zombies!). Of course, had to stop by & get poetry from Frank X. Walker.

Got some Kentucky-centric books. My sister wanted 2 of them, but I‘ll read them also. The tagged is an anthology of Ky authors & others about the flooding we had about 2 years ago. Think it raises $ for eastern Ky where the floods were. I accidentally got the hardback for Haint Country-it cost a fortune! Independent presses, ooops.

I‘m going to do several posts about the Kentucky book fair. 1) I got to meet the sweet granddaughter of MLK & Coretta Scott King. This is a great tribute to her family, as well as inspiring.
2) Also got to meet our First Lady of Ky, who came to hand out the adorable coloring books about their dog. Winnie became popular during the pandemic because she would often be present at daily press briefings. Of course, Winnie wasn‘t at the fair ❤️

It been so long since I listened to the first 2 books in this series, but it was easy to pick back up on the adventures of Jackaby & Abigail Rook. This time, they are investigating some new deaths related to Jenny (the ghost that owns their house & whose murder hasn‘t been solved). There‘s interesting supernatural elements. Satisfying ending but with a lead-in to the last novel. I like the narration with this series. #frightclub #hauntedshelf

I actually got a bingo for October #bookspinbingo Didn‘t have enough time to complete another book, so I still have my doublespin book to read.

My #bookspin list for November. This list doesn‘t include books I‘ll buy at Ky book fair. @TheAromaofBooks

While I was still processing Dear Martin, I wanted to listen to this one. The story of Quan, who‘s in juvie for murdering a cop, & his contacts with Justyce. TWs for domestic violence, gangs, gun violence. This book is one I can relate to because I used to work in a school with these types of boys (poor, poc, trauma in fams). I have thought about my 3 Black boys from that school who have died before they were 18 in the last few yrs. The school 👇

This Saturday is my fave day of the year—the Kentucky book fair. Some out-of-state authors are attending, including Nic Stone (& Al Roker). So, I decided I should prob read this book that‘s been on my kindle for several yrs before meeting her.
Part of this story ripped my heart out (I‘m sure a lot of you know which part). It‘s a great story, even if you‘re well past YA age. Loved the teens & insight into growing up Black. 5/5 ⭐️

I opened my #hhs gift this morning but didn‘t have time for a pic before work. I‘m so excited about these books—they‘ve been on my tbr for awhile & I really want to read them! I also love the notebook because I need a new one for tracking my reads. Bookmark & stickers are cute, & I‘m going to enjoy the Reese‘s. Thanks so much Tanya! @tdrosebud
Thanks for hosting this swap again @wanderinglynn I love to participate in at least 1 Halloween swap.

Finished the last Lumberjanes GN. I‘ve enjoyed spending time with the girls as they deepened their friendship, made new friends, had adventures, and fought off evil beings. A great series for adults even though it‘s written for teens. Glad my friend lent the series to me. Sometimes the artwork was frustrating though—wasn‘t done consistently by the same artist. Friendship to the max! #frightclub #hauntedshelf

Got home from work to a lovely #HHS package. @tdrosebud @wanderinglynn

My pic showing evidence that I sent my #hauntedhallowswap package out this morning. Should get there by Wednesday. 🎃👻 #hhs @wanderinglynn

I was putting off this volume of Lumberjanes because its the penultimate! I have loved this series, except the artwork is done by different artists through the series & some isn‘t great. #frightclub #hauntedshelf

This is the 3rd book in Dev‘s series of modern Jane Austen stories with the Raje family. Yash is running for California Governor, but a crisis happens, & he ends up working with a yoga instructor. They have a history. Yearning, lies, truth, Romance. Plus, some political fantasies that policies will actually change. Enjoyed this story but felt it was a bit over-dramatic in one scene. Sweet puppy—Chutney. #frightclub #hauntedshelf

Took me awhile to finish this prequel to Practical Magic, but it seems Hoffman is always a slow read for me. This is the story of the beginning of the Owens women (in America), telling Maria‘s story. She makes a lot of mistakes, including the curse about the men that love Owens‘ women. It‘s a well-told, interesting story of women caring for each other & dealing with patriarchy in the witch trials era. #frightclub #haunted shelf

Corn maze (I loved hay rides when I was young though)
Pick apples
Nature walk
Bonfire
Curl up with a book
Caramel apples
Chili but I also like potato soup
Apple cinnamon @Eggs #wondrouswednesday

Continuing this series with the 3rd story (on audio). I really like the characters & setting in this series, even though I guessed the killer before the end. It‘s a cozy mystery—not really aspiring to be an Agatha Christie novel. Romance makes progress, a couple of new characters are introduced, the kids & cat are still fun. I do hope that next book‘s victim doesn‘t die by poison—this has happened in all 3 books. #frightclub #hauntedshelf

I really loved The Ex-Hex, so I‘ve continued with the series. This one involves the 3rd brother who is awkward, shy, & a hermit at first. He & his love interest end up time traveling & have to figure out how to get back. A steamy romance with fun magic & plot. Still enjoyed the first book best. #frightclub #hauntedshelf 3.5/5 ⭐️

I can‘t count this book for #HauntedShelf because I started it several days before October. I think this is my favorite of Arnold‘s 5 books—because I‘m a sucker for romance. YA, 2 MCs who are dealing with grief & start hearing songs that only they hear. The story is interspersed with chapters set at different times where the MCs have found & been in love. Love the little brother in the main story. Arnold wrote the songs & I think recorded them.

Not sure why I didn‘t listen to this one back when I listened to the Halloween one. Another fun story, this one features the Herdmans a lot more & even shows the sweet side of Imogene a couple of times. Not really a plot, more of events that happen through the school year. #TBR #FrightClub #HauntedShelf

I thought I was finally going to listen to the sequel of one of my fave books. Then, thanks to GR, I realized I listened to this in 2020. Ooops! I remembered nothing so listened again. Still not enough Herdmans in this one but a cute story & the kids win instead of the parents. #frightclub #hauntedshelf #halloween

I made a #bookspin list that doubles as my TBR for #HauntedShelf. I put as many magic/witch/fantasy books as I could find on my TBR. As usual, I‘m excited about October! #frightclub @TheAromaofBooks @Jadams89

My favorite book of the year. Giving it all the stars ❤️🌈🌻🌸🍄🐚🎼🌳

I started on this today as soon as work was over. So excited & love it so far! If anyone wonders what I‘m doing this weekend, I‘m on the couch reading.

I don‘t usually post political news, but this is book-related & exciting. McBride may be our first transgender person in Congress! If you haven‘t read her memoir, you should. When I finished her book, I knew I needed to keep up with her career because she is capable of moving up the political ladder.

Thanks @LiteraryinLawrence for recommending this book! I really loved it on audio, & I learned so much about the disabled world. I didn‘t realize I needed to learn so much, which connects to a lot of her points. This is a memoir through essays with education. What bothered me the most is her story about disabled people being seen as defects. I wish everyone would read this book. The other books recommended will go on my TBR. #bookspin for sept

I listened to this as part of my library‘s book challenge —using a part on their catalog that suggests books like one you already read. Since I loved The Six earlier this year, thought I‘d try this history of the first group of astronaut wives. It was a good listen for my commute & a little sad when some wives lost husbands, but was not on the same level as The Six. 3⭐️ liked it but should have checked Litsy for reviews before reading

I usually love Rainbow Rowell, but I didn‘t love this one. An adult romance, about besties from high school reconnecting after years apart. One has a Navy career & the other has been married, had 2 kids, & divorced. It‘s realistic with the romance—including the kids & figuring out how to merge lives. I think the female MC was supposed to be a little autistic. But, the writing was too choppy for me & there was a lot of miscommunications. 👇

I was excited for this book, but it took me a bit to get back into the world & understand what was going on. A sequel to Discovery of Witches‘ series, this is about the Proctor side of Diana‘s family. She ends up spending her summer break with her great-aunt & learning higher magic. Pip & Becca, the kids, are great, and I‘m happy that Matthew had a bigger part after the first 50-ish pages. There‘s obviously going to be a sequel—yay!

My friends have worked for about 2 months on their Little Free Library. I‘ve wanted one for a long time but am fine with donating to theirs instead. After they put it up, they got a hook for dog leashes & are going to add a bench. Pictured is Lulu on her birthday (they made up a birthdate & we aren‘t sure how old she is).

Since I signed up for a Halloween swap, I think I should actually post about books I‘ve read the last 2 months. I like Adams‘ Secret Book & Scone Society series, so I knew this would be a fun cozy mystery to listen to. Set at a book-themed resort, with a secret library, interesting characters, & murder. Will continue the series on audio.