Here‘s my #BookSpinBingo board for October… only missing my IRL book club pick for the month since that‘s being finalized tonight! @TheAromaofBooks - because of the way I set up my list, on my board, Free Space Mountain has become Unread BookSpin Mountain. 😂 I‘m excited for this month of reading, and ever-optimistic about a bingo!

Another short story collection finished this week… another mixed bag of reactions! I disliked the first few stories, loved several in the middle, and am on the fence about the rest. I did love the little connections between the stories as well as the hints of magical realism, which become more pronounced as the stories progress. This was my August #DoubleSpin.

I‘m not sure if this was a re-read or not. 😂 I could‘ve sworn I‘d read this. I remember listening to the audiobook—pre-Goodreads or annual reading lists, so I can‘t verify that! But I saw Three Thousand Years of Longing recently, discovered it was based on the title short story, picked the book off my shelf to glance through, and I had absolutely NO recollection of the story. So I read the whole book. And I didn‘t remember any of it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ ⤵️

Today at lunch, I finished the last of the multiple books I‘ve had going for the past couple weeks. I planned to come home tonight after a get-together with friends and dig into one of the four books in the pile above. But my reading plans have been delightfully hijacked because my friend lent me her brand-new copy of The Golden Enclaves, which she just finished on audio. 😁🎉💜 I‘m starting it right now!!

Oh, I just loved this YA fantasy. It‘s an interesting take on dragons: many are living within human society while in their human form, but of course there‘s anti-dragon prejudice and an uneasy peace between the two races. The main character is relatable and likable, and I really enjoyed the palace intrigue and the emphasis on music. Looking forward to picking up the second book. This was my September #BookSpin.

This was excellent. I‘ve been hearing resounding praise of Brooks for years. I‘m glad my August #BookSpin prompted me to finally pick this off the TBR shelf. It traces the journey of an illuminated manuscript back in time, interweaving the story of the expert called upon to restore the book in 1996 Sarajevo. There was so much fascinating history here—I loved the glimpses of each era and the people whose (often-harsh) lives the narrative explores.

This was a low pick for me. It was fascinating & a bit quirky, a family saga with interwoven timelines gradually revealing the secrets of the past—and a mysterious book at the heart of it all. Following the family through its lost history was interesting, but I didn‘t connect with it as much as I wanted to. The characters felt a bit distant. The settings were so rich & vivid, though—I‘d love to see a film adaptation! This was my June #DoubleSpin.

I read this months ago for #rememberingjenny, and I loved it. It‘s quiet and slow and thoughtful, almost a meditation on a friendship between two couples. The characters felt so true to life—at times thoroughly familiar but also so often unknowable, in the same way it‘s so difficult to completely know even those we are closest to. Such a lovely book.

October #BookSpin list! 🎉🎃🎉

I‘ve racked up a few unread Spins this year, so this month I decided to populate slots 21-25 with those that are still lingering unread. Maybe the added #BookSpinBingo motivation will help! The rest of my #BookSpin list is a combo of October-y TBRs and books to complete some challenge prompts I‘m trying to finish up (sometimes with more than one option per slot).

The Litsy Events Team does a great job of getting the word out on buddy reads, swaps, reading challenges and more! Happy to repost this for @LitsyEvents

❗️ANNOUNCEMENT ❗️

@litsyevents is looking for more volunteers to help post events that are happening on Litsy. If you are interested please send an email to LitsyEvents at gmail dot com

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Mistress Pat discussion- part 5

Did you like the book? Why or why not?

Is there anything else that stands out for you about the Pat books or about Pat as a character?

Anything else you‘d like to discuss from Mistress Pat?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Mistress Pat discussion - part 4

How did you feel about the ending: was it contrived, inevitable, satisfying, rushed?

Further questions are under a spoiler tag in the comments 😊

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Mistress Pat discussion - part 3

What did you think about May Binnie and the Binnie clan, and the way they are characterized in Mistress Pat?

Are they just Josie Pye and the Pye clan 2.0? Or is there more to it than that?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Mistress Pat discussion- part 2

I saw SO many similarities here with other LMM books—just a few listed above. Were there others you noticed?

Did these similarities endear you to the Pat books, or did they feel too same-y?

What did you like or dislike about the way these themes and plot devices were handled in the Pat books?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Mistress Pat discussion - part 1

We have several new (or newly fleshed out) characters in Mistress Pat: Tillytuck, Cuddles/Rae, Suzanne and David Kirk.

What did you think of these characters?

How do they affect the narrative? How do they affect Pat?

October is swiftly approaching!😱 For October‘s #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead, we‘ll read Among the Shadows, a collection of LMM‘s short stories (subtitled “Tales from the Darker Side”). I can‘t find a library copy, so if you‘re in the same boat and want to join in the buddy read, here‘s the Table of Contents. Lots of the stories are in the public domain & are available online or in other collections. Looking forward to diving into these stories!

I used to live walking distance from two Little Free Libraries, and have been sad about losing the opportunity to wander past them on my daily walk. Yesterday I spotted one while driving home, so I took a different route on my walk today to check it out. It‘s so cute! There‘s even a little bench to sit on & rest or read for a while. ☺️ I picked up the tagged book from my GR TBR, and I‘m looking forward to visiting this charming spot more often!

Another historical reading list… my mom wrote this one up, in October 1991. I DO remember a lot of these—so many favorites here! Anne of Avonlea & Anne of the Island, George MacDonald‘s Light Princess, Just Like Always (I remember LOVING that book), and some favorites by Jean Little. And I can‘t forget Miss Bianca and Jean Fritz! October 1991 was a good reading month.☺️ Also note how my mom got tired of adding up # of pages & just wrote “lots” 😂

I came across several relics of the past this afternoon, including this summer reading list from 1991, when I was 13. It runs to 55 titles over three pages, and I have little to no recollection of any of the books on the list, other than Sideways Stories from Wayside School which shows up at number 50 😆 Any of these ring a bell for anyone else?!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead reminder: our discussion of Mistress Pat is next week. I‘ll post questions mid-morning Pacific Time.

And, our October read will be a short story collection, Among the Shadows. I‘ve had a hard time tracking down a copy and am borrowing one from a friend—so if you‘re interested in this one, you may have to do some hunting for the book. I‘ll post a Table of Contents so people can find the stories elsewhere if needed.

This pic showed up in my FB memories today… a stack of books purchased at my favorite local used bookstore at their annual Labor Day Fire Sale. This was from 7 years ago. Guess how many of these I‘ve read in those seven years? Yep. 0️⃣

I mean, “Forty Thousand Sublime and Beautiful Thoughts” isn‘t a reading book, it‘s a flip-through pretty-on-the-shelf book, but I have no excuse for the others. 🙈

Yay for #BookSpin day! My BookSpin is tagged, and even though I buried it at the bottom of the list because I want to prioritize books from my own shelves… my #DoubleSpin ended up landing on the one slot I allotted to a library hold. 😆 I‘m excited about the #BookSpinBingo possibilities, and maybe I‘ll even catch up on some past months‘ spins. (Ah, the optimism at the beginning of the month…😂)

Another low reading month. I‘m still unpacking & organizing from our move in July, which has kicked my summer reading to the curb. I did finish June‘s #DoubleSpin, though! Favorite this month is tagged—I 💜Becky Chambers and I 💜Mosscap & Dex. I had two re-reads for book groups, but I didn‘t mind. It was a delight revisiting Pat of Silver Bush for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead and Nation for my IRL book group. I had forgotten just how GOOD Nation is.

September #BookSpin! I‘ve got a few next-in-a-series titles here, plenty of the usual suspects from my own shelves, and a couple of library options… maybe I‘ll actually read more than one from my list this month (unlike August 🙈)

Discussing the recent Netflix adaptation of Persuasion with friends… 😂

Can I just say how much I love it when I go to start a new book and realize I have the perfect book-to-bookmark pairing? 😍

This is uncanny. I knew my first reading of this was around this time in 2020, but I had no idea it was almost to the day! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Pat of Silver Bush discussion- part 6

Did you enjoy this book? What did you like or dislike?
Will you continue on to read Mistress Pat?
Is there anything else you‘d like to discuss about Pat of Silver Bush?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Pat of Silver Bush discussion - part 5

In this book, the places themselves almost act as characters within the narrative. There are many beloved places described here—from Silver Bush itself, to the Secret Field, the Hill of the Mist, Happiness, and Jordan. Do you have beloved places in your life that have acted as “characters” in your own story?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Pat of Silver Bush discussion part 4

Love of home and resistance to change are two fairly obvious themes throughout Pat of Silver Bush. Did you resonate with these themes as presented here in the book? Why or why not?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Pat of Silver Bush discussion part 3

At least from the reader‘s perspective, we see very little of the parents; Judy is a much larger presence in the home and in Pat‘s life. What do you think about the family dynamics within the Gardiner clan? Whether parent/child or sibling relationships—how do these contribute to Pat‘s character?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Pat of Silver Bush discussion part 2

Judy, Sid, May Binnie, Jingle, Bets—there are some wonderful supporting characters here. Which are your favorites? I won‘t ask how they contribute to Pat‘s growth, since, well… she doesn‘t change much. But what roles do these supporting characters play within the story?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - Pat of Silver Bush Discussion part 1

One of the main criticisms of the book is that Pat herself is a completely static character. What do you think of Pat? Did you find her likable or frustrating or somewhere in between?

I feel like I‘ve been SO MIA on Litsy and with my reading in general this month, BUT… I am still planning on discussing Pat of Silver Bush on Saturday! Hoping everyone can join in. I‘m definitely looking forward to hearing what we all have to say about Pat!!

This is a busy weekend for me, so questions won‘t be posted til late afternoon on Saturday (Pacific Time). Jump in and discuss when you are able!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

She had an endless store of weird yarns of ghosts & “rale nice murders”… Pat‘s favorite one was a horrible tale of a murdered man who was found in pieces about the house…an arm in the garret…a head in the cellar…a hambone in a pot in the pantry. “It gives me such a lovely shudder, Judy.”

Starting this month‘s #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead & finding it hilarious that Judy thinks it‘s appropriate to tell 6-year-old Pat stories about dismembered bodies⤵️

Another hug of a book from Becky Chambers. I loved this—it picks up just where we left off, with Dex and Mosscap venturing into society to seek answers to Mosscap‘s question of what humans need. This felt a lot like Psalm for the Wild-Built: reflective and thought-provoking and comforting and affirming. Becky Chambers somehow always knows just what I need to read. (I mean, that dedication! 💜)

This was a delight—an honest, vulnerable, funny memoir advocating the principle that proximity (and vulnerability) breeds empathy. He weaves in some serious conversations about racism in the U.S.—both his own experiences and brief sketches from history. And his own story is relatable and a joy to read. I really enjoyed both his voice and his message.

“…one must always be mindful of the thin line between righteous indignation and self-righteousness. Work for social change, he warned, could breed in one a dangerous arrogance disguised as holy impatience. Related to this, he said, ‘Never hate evil more than you love the good. . . . you will become a damn good hater! And the world has enough of that kind of activist.‘”

(—Or N. Rose, recalling an interview with William Sloane Coffin)

I liked this conclusion to the Last Dragonslayer series. It‘s very Ffordean, all the way down to his own cameo as a fantasy writer brought in to imagine the villain‘s plans, since fantasy writers can always come up with something bigger and bolder than anyone else could imagine. 😂 It‘s a bit light on emotional connection/depth for me, which is the same criticism I had with the previous book. But it‘s a fun YA novel in true Ffordean style.

I‘m a little torn on this one. I loved the first section. I found the poems in the second section kind of mediocre and eye-roll-y at times, then the rest of the book was a mixed bag—some fantastic poems and some just okay. Overall, I think Francisco is a young poet with a lot of promise. I‘m interested in hearing him read his work—he‘s a spoken word poet, so I feel like I‘m missing something by only experiencing his poems on the page.

I‘m excited about this month‘s #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin picks—I got one selection from each half of my list: one specific book, and one shelf to pick from as the mood strikes. People of the Book is my BookSpin pick, and the DoubleSpin landed on this shelf of fiction choices. There are certainly some chunksters on this shelf, and I probably won‘t end up going for Count of Monte Cristo, but I have a lot of great options!

Next up for the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead: Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat. I first read these in 2020–they were such lovely comfort reads that I decided I needed to re-read Anne… and thus the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead was born. 😊 I‘m looking forward to re-reading even though it hasn‘t been that long!

All are welcome to join in—we‘ll discuss Pat on August 28th & Mistress Pat on Sept. 24. Let me know if you‘re not tagged & would like to be!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - A Tangled Web Discussion, Part 6

Did you like the book overall? Why or why not?

Does the closing of the novel ruin it for you? We‘ve touched on this before, but I‘ll ask it again in light of this ending: how do you respond to or handle problematic content such as this in older books?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - A Tangled Web Discussion, part 5

One of the common threads I saw between several storylines was the contrast between dreams & reality: it‘s revealed that what characters longed for is quite different than they‘d made it out to be.

Did you find this theme relatable? Were these realizations and reversals believable or did they feel contrived?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - A Tangled Web Discussion, part 4

Which characters grow and change the most over the course of the book?

Do you think those changes were inevitable, or are they due to the “competition” over the jug?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - A Tangled Web Discussion, part 3

What do you think Aunt Becky was up to with her will—was she just enjoying herself, poking fun at the clan, exercising her power as matriarch? Or did she mean for the clan to change or grow in some way?

Do you think her will accomplished its aim?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - A Tangled Web Discussion, part 2

What did you think of Aunt Becky?

Meddlesome, petty, fond of ridiculing others… is she just another of LMM‘s awful old ladies, or does she have some redeeming qualities?

Is she amusing to you or irritating?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - A Tangled Web discussion, part 1

How did you feel about the large cast of characters—was it manageable or overwhelming?

Which storylines did you find most (or least!) compelling, and why?

Were there characters or subplots you‘d have liked to read more about?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead reminder: The discussion for A Tangled Web will be tomorrow—I‘ll post questions around mid-morning Pacific Time. Super looking forward to everyone‘s thoughts on this one!

Then for August and September, we‘ll be reading Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat. All are welcome to join in! Just let me know if you‘d like to be tagged.

Trying a little different approach to #BookSpin for August: about half of the list is a usual list of book titles, but for the other half I‘m listing specific TBR shelves to choose from, giving me a little more room for mood reading. Of course, I still have five past BookSpin/DoubleSpin picks to catch up on, so this may not make much of a difference…but I like the idea, so here goes!