I‘ll probably give this book one or two more chapters, but I‘m within a hair‘s breadth of bailing. Maybe my sense of humor is lacking, but I don‘t find anything funny about giving a two-week old baby a cocktail sausage and making jokes about her giving a Teletubby a blow job. FFS

This sequel to Mickey7 was GREAT! Definitely read Mickey7 first, but if you like it you will not want to miss this story, which takes place about 2 years later. I would say this one has more action and adventure than Mickey7, but includes some of the philosophical and socio-political musings that made the first one so interesting. There is also some great character development. 4⭐️

Hey #GrimReaders, it‘s time for the mid-month points check-in! Please tally your points and either post an update on your profile and tag me, or post your points in the comments. How‘s everyone doing? Having a good time?
#HauntedShelf

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Antimatter Blues is the sequel to Mickey7 and it‘s excellent!

Reaper Man is the second Discworld book in the “Death” series and it‘s extremely good, also. Very funny and poignant. I so enjoy Pratchett‘s style and his sense of humor.

I‘m now 3 for 3 in books that didn‘t live up to my high hopes. I‘m giving it a pick because I learned exactly what went on in Flint that probably caused the lead crisis, but the narrative was all over the place and the tone was off. She tries to strike a conversational, storytelling tone but I found it a little too informal in places, and she comes across a little bit manic, impulsively shooting off e-mails and such

3⭐️

#10BeforetheEnd

Featuring selections from #HauntedShelf #trappedinaspookyhouse #NFNovember and my in-person book club

#HSCluedo

10pts per question/answer
10pts per guess
25pts for correct guess

I'm going to try my hand at #HSCluedo —

Players, please only use this tag. Don't tag your team or your team lead. People who want to play can just search the tag.

If you aren't playing the game, you can block this tag.

Guess the title or ask yes/no questions in the comments below.

10pts per question/answer
10pts per guess
25pts for correct guess

My #AHRS2025 package arrived today, somewhat damp from our big rain today, but none the worse for wear, I think.

I meant to send mine over the weekend, but I didn‘t manage it. Tomorrow for sure.

@MommyOfTwo I think this came from you? I‘m so excited! Thank you :)

I had high hopes for this one, but the ending left me cold. It was extremely well-written and I enjoyed both Zelu‘s and Ankara‘s storylines. Most of the book told a rich, evocative story brimming with symbolism, techno-optimism and philosophical commentary on what it means to be human and the purpose of stories in human and post-human culture. The last two chapters took that and turned it into a goofy joke.

Disappointing.

Finished this one Thursday, I just didn‘t get a chance to post about it. This is a collection of short mystery/crime stories largely set in Scotland or by authors with a connection to Scotland. Many of them were very good; a few were disappointing, partly because they just hit different 70+ years later.
#OneSnackToRuleThemAll #TeamPumpkinSpice
#grimreaders #hauntedshelf

At the risk of outing myself as the most basic of basic white b****es, this is what I‘ve been listening to last night and today. I love it and I don‘t care

#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

(Lest you think I‘m trapped in the past, I also listened to Life of a Showgirl yesterday in the car with my daughter)

#weekendreads
@rachelsbrittain

Still working through my September list 🙃

Been so busy getting up to speed with Haunted Shelf that I forgot to post my September wrap-up.
Adam Bede 5⭐️
Jar City is an Icelandic police procedural from the late 90s. Iceland‘s genetic databases featured heavily in the plot, which called my name, but it ultimately fell a bit flat for me. 3⭐️
The Big Dark Sky 3.5 ⭐️

The others are in progress. John Green I‘ve been listening to in the car with my son.
Tress I just finished last night, 5⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! Read it on Kindle which meant I could search for #HauntedShelf words - 19 words found (285 pts)

#GrimReaders

#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #TeamPumpkinSpice
#ErasGhostBingo #Midnights
#pumpkaboohunt - large (384 pp)

#hauntedshelf #grimreaders

#HauntedShelf #GrimReaders

There are 6 spooky word searches for you to complete in October. 10pts per word found

This is based on the honour system, you don't need to post

Available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1E4W1geiK9TvLniayV03nUER_UbQ0pNIx?usp=sha...

@AllDebooks @bookwormjillk @Gissy @hes7 @JenReadsAlot @JoeMo @LadyCait84 @MatchlessMarie @OutsmartYourShelf @PaperbackPirate @peanutnine @skygoddess1 @TheDaysGoBy @zezeki

Find these 31 words in any of your October readings. It can be in the title, in the main book, as part of the blurb etc

Once you‘ve found a word, mark it off or post the quote to Litsy. You can only find a word once for it to count

Plurals words will count e.g owls

Variations on the word are not allowed e.g snapped would not count for snap

15pts per word with a maximum of 465pts to earn

#GrimReaders #HauntedShelf

Hi #grimreaders, here‘s another way to earn extra points for #hauntedshelf!

Earn points by recommending books that fit certain prompts. These can be any genre of book and you can recommend them however you like. You could include information or just the book cover. Share what you love reading with the community and grow a few more Litsy stacks!

These are up to interpretation.

30pts per recommendation, infinite points available

Excited for this month‘s #bookspin selections! #hauntedshelf #grimreaders #october

October #bookspin list

Okay #GrimReaders it‘s officially October here & #HauntedShelf has begun!

Here is the points system & the link to the Google drive with bingo boards, word searches, readathons & everything else:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1E4W1geiK9TvLniayV03nUER_UbQ0pNIx

@AllDebooks @bookwormjillk @Gissy @hes7 @JenReadsAlot @JoeMo @LadyCait84 @MatchlessMarie @OutsmartYourShelf @PaperbackPirate @peanutnine @skygoddess1 @TheDaysGoBy @zezeki

#HauntedShelf #GrimReaders

Book Cover Scavenger Hunt!
Find book covers that match the prompts. They can be from your own collection, from a bookstore or library, or from your e-book archive.

They are open to interpretation. For example ‘Orange‘ could mean an orange cover, the word orange, or the fruit orange.

15pts per cover found with a maximum of 465pts to earn. Post throughout October.

#HauntedShelf #GrimReaders Book Chain!
Teams create a chain or list of books where each book has something in common with the book before it, e.g.:
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice – Dracula by Bram Stoker (Has a vampire character) - The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (Published 1897 same year as Dracula) – The Witch King by Martha Wells (Surname is Wells)

Post each book as a new comment to the game post. 10pts per book. Infinite points

5 emphatic stars for Adam Bede!

#readingbracket2025
#bookbracket
#readingbracket

I‘ve been forgetting to note when I finish a book that qualifies for #chunksterchallenge2025. Here are all the books I‘ve read this year that top 500 pages. 3 “bitsy” chunksters but one fully qualifying chunkster. The Shadow Rising is my #allergictochunksters pick that‘s been sitting waiting for me for more than a year. It was so good, though! Looking forward to starting book 5 …

My #trappedinaspookyhouse holds came in at the library! [Not pictured: Reaper Man, on Kindle]

My #hauntedshelf is ready! #GrimReaders

Today‘s #turnthepage #readathon progress - finished part 1 of Big Dark Sky. It‘s gripping!

#beautybreak

My anniversary rose (Dec 2024)

#TurnThePage starts tomorrow hosted by @Bookwormjillk Here are the books I‘m still hoping to finish this week: my #bookspin and #doublespin from September, my bookspin from MAY, and Kindle book. Sure, no problem, what?

What are you reading?

Michelle! You have totally spoiled me!! I am super excited about both of these books - thank you! I laughed so hard at the “well-read herring“ that my husband came over to see what was so funny. The coffee, cocoa, and cookies look delicious and I am definitely going to try the biscotti recipe. And I‘m smitten with all of these totes/pouches - absolutely gorgeous! And the sticker is *chef‘s kiss*. And I‘ve been needing some more book flags! 🤩😍

Finally!! Today‘s the day! Thank you @CrowCAH for the lovely note, and for the tea and bookmark! I love citrus tea and I can‘t wait to sit back with a cup and enjoy the season. #autumncomfortswap

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Happy Friday, #GrimReaders! We still have a while until the #HauntedShelf starts, but I wanted to share my Team Lead Picks so you can start planning your October reading. Of course I chose books where Death is a character!

You‘ll get 15 bonus points for reading any of these, on top of whatever other points they count for.

Hey #GrimReaders! I know some of you have already done this, but for those who haven‘t - here is how to get some points before #HauntedShelf officially starts on October 1st.
25pts for sharing your October TBR
25pts for posting a book recommendation for Fall/Halloween
10pts for sharing the sign-up link
Please remember to tag me. You are responsible for keeping track of your own points, but I love seeing your posts 💀🪦
@PuddleJumper

Walking down a lonely road, @PuddleJumper spies a gorgeous old house set back from the road and you decide to take a closer look. The first thing you notice as you amble up the walk is that There‘s Something Wrong With The Cats. From time to time you catch a faint but horrible sound, like When Devils Sing. You begin to suspect A Darker Shade of Magic may be at work here, but you continue inside. Hmm… smells like someone is Brewing Up Bedlam.

Hello and welcome to team #GrimReaders for #HauntedShelf !

I'm Carrie, your team lead for this adventure, here to answer questions, post information and challenges, and cheer you on!

I'll tag all team members in every team-related post, but because notifications can be funny, it‘s good if you follow me at least while the event is running.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's haunted reads!

Decided I had to commit to a book for August … I‘m going with John Green purely because I enjoyed it more than I expected to.

The ghosts of my still-unread Bookspin picks are haunting my shelf … ooooOOOoooo … let‘s see if we can exorcise them during this year‘s #hauntedshelf event!

#HauntedShelf is back for another year!

This October reading challenge will let you earn points for books read, hours spent reading, and readathons!

Join me! Sign up: https://forms.gle/wmcY27wyx6awp3EfA

#September #bookspin #doublespin selections, queued up and ready to go!

#august #bookreport

All good books this month. No one stood out as a clear favorite, though.

Coming up next month - Adam Bede already a strong contender for September. It‘s so good!

My #bookspin roster for September. Spin away!

The two books I‘m reading this weekend. Tonight it‘s the Wheel of Time. #summersend #summersendreadathon

Both #autumncomfortswap boxes expected to arrive on Tuesday

Sorry for the delay!

@CrowCAH your #autumncomfortswap gift arrived today! 🍂 Thank you so much! 😍
Putting it in a safe place until Sept 22 😇

A tight race this month between Real Americans (fiction) by Rachel Khong and The Ghost Map (nonfiction) by Steven Johnson.

Happy to have pulled two relatively short books for my #bookspin this month, considering that I‘m a few months behind on my previous selections … maybe this will be the month I get caught up! Or at least don‘t fall further behind.