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vlwelser

vlwelser

Joined March 2017

In addition to my Litsy obsession, I also write reviews on a blog: https://vlwelser.wordpress.com and I ❤ Instagram: @vlwelser
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is incredibly interesting. 5 Black ballerinas, famous (in their own way) during the 70s and 80s, tell their stories. Another rec from @TheBookHippie that I borrowed for my IRL NF book club.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheBookHippie I adored this. 🩰 3d
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2d
40 likes3 stack adds2 comments
review
vlwelser
No Place to Bury the Dead | Karina Sainz Borgo
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Pickpick

This was a really fast read. A post apocalyptic story of immigrants in an unnamed country struggle with loss and poverty and a chaotic government ruled by thugs. It's well written and thought provoking.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2d
45 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This was so good. Maybe better than Addie LaRue.

#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 6/10/25
#ARC

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2d
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2d
36 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
vlwelser
Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder | Rachel McCarthy James
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Pickpick

This title caught my attention. I have no other reason behind why I read a NF book about axe murders.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 5/13/25
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3d
42 likes1 comment
blurb
vlwelser
No Place to Bury the Dead | Karina Sainz Borgo
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Dinner + a mostly finished book at BWI. A friend asked how I could beeline straight to Pinkberry the last time I passed through here. I may come here fairly often. And it's Pinkberry.

34 likes1 stack add
review
vlwelser
Ice | Anna Kavan
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Pickpick

This was weird. It reads like a dream. Or a schizophrenic hallucination. Not that I have experience with those but whatever. You get the idea.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This is an older title that's being reissued.
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1w
36 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
The Crimson Crown | Heather Walter
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Pickpick

A Snow White retelling (prequel?) With the evil stepmother as narrator. I really enjoyed it.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1w
44 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is cute but I liked the first book in the series much more. This was a little too chaotic with too much magic.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 4/8/25
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks I felt that way about another series - Dangerous Damsels by India Holton. The first book was a super fun caper, but the second book, while still fun, felt a little frenetic. I still haven't read book 3 to see where it falls! 2w
46 likes1 comment
blurb
vlwelser
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Reading outside on the patio? Yes please! New vampire chunkster from this author? Absolutely!

41 likes1 stack add
review
vlwelser
The Resurrectionist | A. Rae Dunlap
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Pickpick

This is good historical fiction with a bit of mystery set in Edinburgh during the era of body snatchers or resurrectionists.

#Aardvark @AardvarkBookClub

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2w
40 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is very interesting. It's more a reflection on time and a history of how it is measured and how that has changed than a self help book of any sort. I would recommend not reading this if you are seriously burnt out already.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3w
43 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
Bad Girls: A Novel | Camila Sosa Villada
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Pickpick

Set in Argentina and told from the perspective of a trans sex worker, if you're looking for something unusual that is also very readable this gets my rec.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3w
40 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
vlwelser
The Red Grove: A Novel | Tessa Fontaine
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Pickpick

I don't know how to describe this. It's a feminist enclave with a mother that goes missing.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3w
37 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
Fire Exit | Morgan Talty
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Pickpick

This author is interesting. He tells a good story. His text is non-linear. The subjects are not cheerful. I recommend it anyway.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I also had an #ARC from #Netgalley 😂 oops.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3w
34 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
Motheater | Linda H. Codega
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Pickpick

This was climate fantasy. Can we make that a thing? The perils of mining with witches thrown in to try to save the environment. I liked it.

#Aardvark @AardvarkBookClub

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3w
45 likes1 comment
blurb
vlwelser
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#BookSpin #BookSpinBingo #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

I acquired way to many books in Feb. Let's see how many I can get through.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3w
25 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is super cute. And the fantasy isn't over the top. If you're looking for fluffy romance this might be for you.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Julsmarshall And the playlist that the author shares is so good! 3w
vlwelser @Julsmarshall yes! I love when they do that. 3w
TheAromaofBooks I looked up the synopsis to see if I wanted to add this one, and it's set in Moonville, Ohio?! Less than an hour from here, and home of the (locally) famous (and haunted) Moonville Tunnel. 😂 Totally stacking!! 3w
vlwelser @TheAromaofBooks I read that entire book and it never occurred to me that it might be a real place. 😂 3w
TheAromaofBooks The town itself is super small, I have only ever driven through it maybe once. But the tunnel is pretty cool - an old, brick railway tunnel. We've been there several times. They're working on a rail trail that goes from the town out through the tunnel (and a second tunnel, King's Switch, also super cool) but there are multiple bridges that have to be built so it is slow going. Totally worth googling Moonville Tunnel, though!! 3w
38 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
vlwelser
Mmoires d'une jeune fille range | Simone de Beauvoir
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Mehso-so

Did I just now finish the #SundayBuddyRead from November 2024? Yes indeed. There is nothing earth shattering in this and she feels like an unreliable narrator at times. Meh. @TheBookHippie

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Karisa 👏👏Yup! 3w
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3w
39 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This was very entertaining. This ended on a cliffhanger. It's like I HAVE to read the next book.... After I get a few more out of the way. This book had a serious waitlist but the next book is just available? Seems weird.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

ShyBookOwl Maybe they got more copies of the second one 🤷🏽‍♀️ 3w
vlwelser @ShyBookOwl I think people are probably just reading the first one and they overestimated demand 3w
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3w
45 likes3 comments
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vlwelser
From Dust to Stardust | Kathleen Rooney
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Pickpick

This might be a low pick for me but I think it's my general mood and not the book here. Getting a non blurry photo while standing on the T (subway train) was a struggle.

#SundayBuddyRead @TheBookHippie

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheBookHippie 💙🏙️💙🚆 4w
willaful It was a bit low for me too. Much I like about it but the style didn't grab me. 4w
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3w
40 likes3 comments
review
vlwelser
Razzmatazz: A Novel | Christopher Moore
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Pickpick

This author is very funny and he uses language in a very resourceful way in order to accomplish that. This is the second in the Noir series. There are dragons, inappropriate jokes, and a spaceman. What else could you possibly need?

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Fabulous title!! 4w
42 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Panpan

This author rubbed me the wrong way. For someone preaching rest, she can't seem to let anything go. We would not be friends IRL.

#SheSaid @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4w
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
vlwelser
Show Don't Tell: Stories | Curtis Sittenfeld
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Pickpick

I always think this author is writing about herself when she does short stories. I kind of like it.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 2/25/25 (😂 cutting it close there)
#ARC #Netgalley

BarbaraBB I‘ve been eagerly looking forward to this one. I have preordered it but haven‘t received it yet 4w
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4w
41 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is alternate history. What if the British never left India? A group of young women start their own rebellion in 1960s Mumbai. Stories from their diverse culture are added in and it's all lovely.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

US pub date is 6/3/2025
#ARC #Netgalley

MeganAnn Ooo this sounds fascinating! 4w
TheAromaofBooks Oh, I do love alternate history!!! 4w
31 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
vlwelser
The Black Bird Oracle | Deborah Harkness
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Pickpick

I really like this series. I got to meet the author when she was touring for the fourth book. This one mostly takes place in and around Ipswich MA which is near where I live so I thought it was extra fun.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4w
41 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is basically a history about French chaos and Berthe Morisot with a bit of Manet. She's an icon and I'm glad I took a break from (paused) my fantasy trend to give her some of my headspace.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
vlwelser
The Serpent and the Wolf | Rebecca Robinson
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Pickpick

This is was very entertaining. I will read the next book when it appears.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
41 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
Difficult Women | Roxane Gay
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Pickpick

I had no idea until I had this in my hot little hands that it was short stories. I always assumed it was essays. Side note that the ebook has additional stories in it that do not appear in the original print version. I love this author. This didn't disappoint.

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

Soubhiville Glad you liked it! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
sarahbarnes I really liked these! 1mo
51 likes3 comments
review
vlwelser
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Panpan

Pretty sure this author hated Pride and Prejudice. I felt generally icky about the whole thing by the end.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

#ARC #Netgalley (this is from the backlog mountain)

TheAromaofBooks It sounds pretty dreadful! 1mo
48 likes1 comment
blurb
vlwelser
Vilest Things | Chloe Gong
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TheBookHippie Omg love the cat. ♥️ 1mo
Catsandbooks ❤️🐱 1mo
35 likes2 comments
review
vlwelser
Skin & Bones | Rene Watson
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Pickpick

This book is amazing. I loved it. I stole it off a list made by @TheBookHippie (who gives the best recs) sometime last year. This definitely gets my recommendation as well.

#DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

TheBookHippie IT IS SO GOOD!!!! I am so glad you enjoyed it! 1mo
vlwelser @TheBookHippie you said it was your fav out of a handful of books so I added it and never read a description, totally went in blind. It really is SO GOOD! 1mo
ErikasMindfulShelf Yes! Soooo good. 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
53 likes2 stack adds5 comments
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is a cute second novel in this series. It reads as young YA. I am not the target audience.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 3/4/25
#ARC #Netgalley

review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

I loved this. Maybe not as much as the first book but still. My work friend has been referring to this as dragon smut. Another has been delivering dramatic readings when walking past my desk. One time he blushed and said it might not be work appropriate. 😂 Indeed.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Leftcoastzen Dragon Smut !👏 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 1mo
43 likes2 comments
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This took a while to get into. Margo makes a lot of bad choices. But she's also 19. I made bad choices when I was 19. I recommend giving her some time to win you over. Elle Fanning reads the audiobook.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
45 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is really freaking cute. I definitely recommend. If you like cozy fantasy.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
43 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is a fun fantasy mystery series. This is book 2. I would recommend starting with the first book.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 4/1/25
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
39 likes1 comment
blurb
vlwelser
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2mo
26 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
vlwelser
Vilest Things | Chloe Gong
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Pickpick

I love Chloe. I have no idea what happened in this book. Eagerly awaiting the next installment.

#ChloeGongReadALong @TheBookHippie

#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
46 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
vlwelser
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Me and my friend here are getting my car inspected.

34 likes2 stack adds
review
vlwelser
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Mehso-so

I admit that I have a case of the Januarys but this book was sort of meh. Or as my gen z's at work would say.... It was mid as fuck. I don't care, however, because the discussion was delightful as always.

#SundayBuddyRead @TheBookHippie

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheBookHippie 😂😂😂🤷🏻‍♀️♥️ 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2mo
46 likes2 comments
review
vlwelser
Heir | Sabaa Tahir
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Pickpick

Thoroughly entertaining. I will read the next book.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheBookHippie Teens I work with read all her books. 🙃 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
vlwelser @TheBookHippie These have a Middle Eastern vibe that I appreciate. Even if it's fantasy, the idea that other cultures are cool and interesting is something we should have more of in the world. 2mo
43 likes3 comments
blurb
vlwelser
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The book fairy that sits next to me at work let me borrow this. The cover is already warped but I must be nice to it regardless.

EKonrad The copy I bought from Barnes and Noble was completely warped after 24 hours. It was the weirdest thing! They let me exchange it for another copy luckily. Hope you enjoy the book! 2mo
vlwelser @EKonrad maybe it's the weather? It seems to get worse. This does seem like someone else's problem. I'm going to just read it and give it back to its owner. 2mo
38 likes2 comments
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

I liked this. It's cute. The characters continue to be delightful. The rant about Rowling in the Acknowledgements was something I didn't anticipate even though I agree. 😂 I guess that's a spoiler. Surprise!

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2mo
48 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
Sirens and Muses: A Novel | Antonia Angress
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Pickpick

This was not on my radar at all. A kid at work nominated it for book club. It centers around the art world and it's very good. I would read more by this author.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
48 likes3 stack adds1 comment
review
vlwelser
Stone Angels | Helena Rho
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Pickpick

This is a very interesting story. A woman tries to connect with her Korean heritage and learns of an aunt that went missing during the Japanese occupation. So good.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 3/4/25
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
32 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
Alter Ego | Alex Segura
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Pickpick

This is a really well done audiobook. Even if the story itself is a bit implausible. I did not read the first book. I think they are pretty loosely tied.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
47 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This book was amazing. And I read it after returning from MD so reading icky things about their history made my head explode a tiny bit. I picked this for my IRL book club NF reads (not a democracy) based on feedback from @TheBookHippie and she was right about how great this book is. Highly recommend.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheBookHippie ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ I‘m so glad you liked it! I wish it was more popular it truly needs to be read. 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 2mo
LoverOfLearning I've read quite a few non-fiction books on the topic of the history of psychology and criminalization in America. So important to learn and discuss. This was another great read. 5 stars. 1mo
42 likes3 stack adds3 comments
review
vlwelser
My Friends | Fredrik Backman
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Pickpick

This is lovely. I'm going out on a limb and comparing it to Three by Valerie Perrin. I loved that book. I loved this book quite nearly as much.

#DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

US pub date is 5/20/25
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
Megabooks Stacking! 2mo
bookaholic1 I have pre-ordered mine...can't wait 2mo
54 likes4 stack adds3 comments
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is a Mulan retelling and it's fantastic imo.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2mo
45 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
vlwelser
Unnatural Death | Dorothy L. Sayers
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Mehso-so

This was fine. It's entertaining. I heard that these get better, but I might stall here at three.

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks That's where I am stuck. 2mo
37 likes1 comment