I can‘t believe it‘s time for May‘s #bookspin list already! Where has the year gone?

Here is yet another “slice of my bookshelves”, plus a few options for my topic bookclub: May‘s topic is a book with a map. And Advice for Future Corpses is for another bookclub.

What will @TheAromaofBooks choose for us this time?

I read The Mercies by this author a couple years ago and loved it, so when this book came out I bought it right away. It‘s sat on my shelf for some time, as we all know happens… but I finally pulled it down and I think it is just as good as the last one!

I can‘t imagine hundreds of people dancing for days on end, some of them until they die, and no one is sure why.

The historical event is strange but it is Hargrave‘s characters that hook me.

I didn‘t know what to expect with this book, it was a book club pick.

It‘s from the point of view of Flora 717, a sanitation bee in her hive in an orchard. Yes, it‘s from the point of view of a bee, and takes place in a beehive mostly. It‘s fictional, but on googling the bees‘ habits I found a lot of the hive‘s habits and actions are described accurately.

If you can handle strange and you like nature writing, I would recommend this.

Happy Sunday #AuthorAMonth readers! Happy Easter if you celebrate.

We are more than halfway through April already, and I hope you‘re enjoying this month‘s author Kate Quinn. Your reviews have inspired me to add a few of her books to my TBR.

A look ahead to May which will bring Percival Everett. Perhaps you are ready to place your holds or orders soon.

Happy Reading!

Add me to the list of folks who didn‘t expect to like this book based on the cover. 😆

Phoebe is deeply depressed when she walks out of her job and books one night at a fancy hotel on the Rhode Island coast. She finds she is the only person in the hotel who isn‘t part of a wedding. She meets the bride in the elevator, and her plans start to go awry.

Funny and quirky, I really enjoyed it. Great narration too. Thanks for the recommendation!

This was recommended to me by myTBR, and I liked it. It‘s historical fiction, loosely based on a true story. Jacqoutte was a queer female pirate with her own strong code of ethics. There are many bloody battles and a love story I was there for.

This is the second book in a row I‘ve read about a deep love of music from a young black man‘s point of view. This one was my #bookspin.

Stephen‘s parents moved to London from Ghana, and they all believe the only thing that might solve your problems is dancing. This is a beautifully lyrical slow moving story that focuses on love in many forms.

I loved this one. The way the author talks about music made me feel like I was there playing with the main character, a violinist. I did feel like some bits were unrealistic, specifically the ease of crowdsourcing funds, but it wasn‘t enough to deter my enjoyment of the book. Look forward to reading his next book!

Here‘s a little blep face from Sietje.

April‘s #bookspin and #doublespin. Thanks @TheAromaofBooks !

I‘m not sure I‘ll make it through Lullaby. I sometimes can‘t handle how gruesome Palahniuk can be. But it‘s number has come up so I‘m going to try.

It‘s no surprise to me that Wild Dark Shore was my March favorite. I had to add the Shadow and Bone trilogy as my first Wild Card though. Yes I‘m counting the whole trilogy as one complete work. 🙂📚 Cuz I can.
#bookbracket

Hi #AuthorAMonth readers! Tomorrow is April 1st, time to start on those Kate Quinn books. @CatLass007 wants you all to know several of her books are available for free on Audible if you use it.

Here‘s the link to the Google form if you‘d like to start keeping track of your reads for the drawings at the end of the year.

https://forms.gle/1F1BmkcTBh7uPXNp9

All the details are at the top of the form.

Happy reading! 📚❤️😁

Another book I was inspired to read after seeing the author at TX Book Fest.

5 women are cloned after being murdered by a serial killer. This is from the point of view of Louis, who was killed while running in her city‘s park.

An interesting aspect was that Louis had a daughter who was just 3 months old when she was killed, and her clone‘s relationship with her daughter.

The ending was unexpected for me, in a good way.

It‘s always a curious feeling to read a prequel about a character you don‘t like so much. So yes, we know how Haymitch‘s story ends, but experiencing his Hunger Games helps show how he became who he was for Katniss‘.

I‘m not surprised I loved this. I liked it more than Snow‘s story.

I did not know how many names the Serviceberry has. The one I knew it as is Sugarplum.

If you have enjoyed Braiding Sweetgrass or Gathering Moss, you‘ll fall right back in to this short book. But be aware it is much more about Gift Economy than about plants.

My favorite idea is that if you have an abundance of food, more than you can use, you should store it in the belly of your brother (sister, neighbor, etc), trusting reciprocity.

Less than a week left in March with Leigh Bardugo #AuthorAMonth readers! I really enjoyed my reads with Bardugo, and read more than I‘d planned to.

Now might be a good time for you to put in holds or orders for our April author, Kate Quinn.

Happy Reading 📚

I‘m continuing my 2025 #bookspin “slices of my bookshelves” journey with yellow and green spines on my paperback and hardcover fiction shelves and just 2 greenish nonfiction. What will @TheAromaofBooks pull for our April numbers?

I will definitely be reading The Bees for my bookclub.

I gave this a try, but I really dislike the main character. David arrives for his first year at Harvard and becomes obsessed with another student. He enrolls in a class he doesn‘t care about in order to follow her, then starts a relationship with her roommate to hopefully see her in her room.

I don‘t want him to win her over, and I don‘t want to watch him stalk her anymore, so I‘m out.

The writing is good, the topic just isn‘t for me.

Read for my “Death Becomes Us” bookclub with @Eyelit and @thestarlesscasea . We read books about death, all nonfiction so far, stemming from a common interest in Stiff by Mary Roach and The Mummy Congress (⬇️).

Because we‘ve read a lot on the topic, this felt like repetition to me, except for the exhausting details about presidential burials, casket and hearse materials, and grave robbery protective contraptions. A bit dull, unless it‘s a new ⬇️

I thought this was a really solid YA fantasy trilogy. Glad Bardugo was chosen for #AuthorAMonth, otherwise these books may have sat unread on my shelves for who knows how long! My editions also included a short story about Genya and a prelude about The Darkling as a child.

I‘m planning to keep an eye out for a used copy of the Six of Crows Duology, and I expect I‘ll like that just as much if not more. 🙂👍👍
Hi from Venkman 🐱🖤

I love this author, and this one is another winner for me.

Near future climate fiction.

Emma Gatewood walked the Appalachian Trail starting in her late 60‘s. Her first attempt was Southbound and she didn‘t get far before an injury sent her home, but less than 2 years later she started again Northbound this time and through hiked from Georgia to Maine. She was the first woman to do it, and in the first 5 people recorded as through hiking it.

The AT is part of my family‘s history, so I loved learning about Grandma Gatewood.
(CWs)

Well unfortunately I got about 2/3 through and was just not interested in the rest. I read through a bunch of reviews and many folks said it started strong and weakened in the middle, without a clear or strong conclusion.

It‘s about a Latina reader writing to an older Latino writer she admired greatly and had a confusing relationship with 10 years prior, after being contacted by a reporter about said author being charged with sexual assault.

Book 2 for #AuthorAMonth 🙂📚. It‘s pretty rare I read more than one for any given month, but I‘m thinking I might move right on tho book 3 since I have it.

I agree with others that the common YA trope of refusing to communicate because of fear of the other‘s reaction (self-gaslighting) was annoying. But the story is compelling and I feel like so far the Netflix series did a pretty good job of keeping pace with the books.

Did we need another book about Dracula that feels not too different from the original? I‘m not sure I did. It felt overly long, and dragged in parts for me. I did like that many of the characters were scholars and that a good deal of the story is them researching, delving into old tomes in search of historic scraps about Vlad that others may have missed.

Overall though, I can‘t say I gained much from reading this.

Sietje‘s just here to show off her new blue socks.

My salon closed for a few days so we could all go to the grooming convention in Atlanta, and we were inspired to dye all of our own dogs to push our color line to our clients. Sietje was a great guinea pig, but she‘s willing to do just about anything for treats.

To make this book related: I‘m enjoying Siege and Storm, book 2 in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. #AuthorAMonth

@Jas16 thank you for this sweet surprise! Coincidentally I‘m currently reading another book you sent to me: Like Happiness. 🙂📚

It was very thoughtful of you to pass it along to me, and I‘m looking forward to reading it. Thank you!

The audio on this is only 3 hours, and if you liked Horrorstor or like the idea of a story that takes place (partially) inside an IKEA-like store, this is for you. It‘s less horror that Hendrix‘s book, and leans scifi and multiverse. LGBTQIA young adults searching for a missing grandma. Good times!

Sometimes some YA fantasy just hits the spot! I bought the trilogy used a few years ago, so I‘m happy #authoramonth prompted me to finally pick it up. I liked the Netflix series, which I‘ve recently learned is a combo of this series and the Six of Crows duology. Wish they wouldn‘t have canceled it 😕.

Sietje and Venkman sunbathing in the background.

I‘ll be reading book 2 soon.

My March #bookspin and #doublespin! Thanks @TheAromaofBooks ! I‘m already a good chunk into Shadow and Bone, since it‘s also my #AuthorAMonth book. It‘s good enough I might just keep going with the trilogy.

Have a great month 📚 Good luck with your move Sarah!

Here we are in March #AuthorAMonth readers! This month we will be reading Leigh Bardugo. I‘ve started Shadow and Bone. What are you planning to read?

Now may be a good time to update your Google form tracking your #AAM reads. You may either track your books monthly on the form or once at the end of the year, it makes no difference to me. If you want to start the form now, here is the link to do so:

https://forms.gle/1F1BmkcTBh7uPXNp9

⬇️

It‘s the last day of February #AuthorAMonth readers. I hope your time with Roxane Gay has been meaningful. I know she‘s not a gentle easy read.

Tomorrow we‘ll be picking up our March author Leigh Bardugo. Dropping into some fantasy!

I‘ll proofread the 2025 google form and attach it to tomorrow‘s post, for those ready to start tracking your books.

Have a great day, Happy Reading.

It took me a little while to get into this one, as I felt held at a distance from the characters. Once I got into it I really enjoyed it though. It‘s a little slow paced, but I felt like it was a great family story, with complications.

I‘ve only read one other by this author- Cantoras, but I definitely will pick up her other books when I see them.

For fans of Sarah Waters and France‘s de Pontes Peebles. Historical Fiction that follows tango music‘s evolution in mostly Argentina, through the eyes of a young woman who chooses to disguise herself as a man in order to be accepted as a musician.

Slow moving but beautiful. Sapphic and sexy.

Continuing with my #bookspin trend for the year, here is part of the blue paperback section of my TBR shelves. I will definitely be reading Shadow and Bone for #AuthorAMonth and Last Rites for bookclub. What else will @TheAromaofBooks pull out for me?

Nayler‘s pro-animal scifi with heavy environmental themes speaks to me!

This 100 page novella is fast paced and is about Wooly Mammoths that have been cloned from ancient DNA. And the ability to implant digitally saved human minds into new bodies.

I didn‘t love this as much as The Mountain in the Sea, but I tend to enjoy full novels more than novellas in general.

Pictured is Sietje at work allowing a puppy to share her bed- uncommon!

For a huge portion of this book I was so confused! At the end it all makes sense and the message is important and the author did a great wrap up.

I chose this for my bookclub‘s March topic- dark humor, and while it has some definite dark humor there is less than I expected considering I found it on a list of humor books.

Overall a pick, even though I was lost for a bit.

I have tried a few of Amy Tan‘s fiction books and didn‘t connect well with them. This journal and collection of drawings however was delightful!

She‘s an incredibly talented artist, and I found her observations and commentary on her backyard visitors funny and interesting. Highly recommend if you also like birdwatching or feeding your locals.

February is already halfway over #AuthorAMonth readers. I hope you‘re enjoying your time with Roxane Gay.

In case you need to place an order or hold for March, our author will be Leigh Bardugo.

Happy Reading! 📚❤️🙂

I‘m surprised to see a low rating for this here, I thought it was a solid interesting scifi.

A group of Earth Humans who fled a dying planet find themselves on a very far away world. Their plan is to leave all of humanity‘s bad traits on Earth, and live in harmony with nature on their new home. Then the plants begin to show fast adaptation, even sentience, and things get complicated.

This spans several generations. I really liked it.

I have had more time than usual to listen to audiobooks in the last few days, and got through this one quickly.

It‘s a sweet sapphic romance, maybe New Adult since the MC is 18 or 19. The title makes it sound like fantasy but it‘s not, though Tarot plays a big part. I enjoyed the little explanations of all the cards in the major arcana. And it takes place in Salam MA, right around Halloween.

I‘m glad I finally read something by this author. I‘ll definitely read more by her.

It took a bit to settle into, because at first I didn‘t care for the main character. But once it grabbed me the story had me hooked. Very sad, lots of content warnings.

Venkman wishes I hadn‘t woken him for a photo this morning. Or is he winking at you?

@TheAromaofBooks just pulled the #bookspin numbers, and perfect timing for me as I just minutes ago finished my last book.

I‘m really looking forward to Honor, as I‘ve been meaning to try reading an Umrigar for ages. The tagged feels pretty fitting for our current times!

I picked up this short stack from my library‘s used book sale this weekend. I‘ve had the top and bottom books on my to read list for some time. Any you loved here?

A short Chilean novel about societal treatment of outsiders or people who choose to live outside the norms.

It‘s a quick read. From the point of view of 12 year old Miguel whose uncle Ramon decided to leave their neighborhood and live in a billboard alone. Ramon has always valued silence, and finds more of it in his isolation.

Definitely has a melancholy cast, but interesting philosophical ideas.

It‘s February #AuthorAMonth readers. This month we‘ll be celebrating Roxane Gay. What are you planning to read?

I haven‘t gotten to this year‘s Google form yet. I will try to do that by my mid month post so you can start recording what you‘ve read. In the meantime, if you use StoryGraph here‘s the link to the challenge there:

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/3fd3a3c4-e3eb-4846-b89e-b9024ac...

My StoryGraph January cover collage! I love that StoryGraph does this now!
Idlewild was definitely the best of the month. Second place to Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear.

I had high hopes for this because I loved The Passage series. And it started out strong, but about halfway in it becomes a chaotic jumbled mess. I slogged through the next quarter of it, and while it does all come together to make sense at the end, I‘m still disappointed overall. I came very close to a bail but I did want to see how it ended.

I looked at other reviews here to see if I should press on and it looks like others felt similarly.

My new grooming shop is finally up and running! Here‘s our new mural, featuring our shop kitty Cali who didn‘t survive the hurricane floods, and Sam the owner‘s dog. On the couch Mazi, Sietje, Sam (as above so below 😆) and Kira. Kira is a client, but she wanted in for the photo. Mazi and Sam are Sietje‘s coworkers, lol.

I do like this author and that she writes romances featuring characters with more depth. Not my usual genre.

I‘m continuing with my 2025 #bookspin plan to just post sections of my shelves, with a February theme of pink and red. Plus my bookclub book. Ready for Bookspin day @TheAromaofBooks ! 🙂📚🩶

Sietje got up and left when I tried to get the photo, so you just get her toys today.

I came to really care about these characters and some tears were shed. I think we all know what this is about, it‘s pretty hyped, and I felt like it brought up interesting questions. The main one of course- would you open your box? If I knew what it contained I would not.

I enjoyed this Amy, thank you!