This is a low pick for me and that‘s disappointing. I love this series and I‘ve loved all of the other books so far - some of my favorite reads of the past year. This one took forever for the story to gain traction. Most of the first half was a slog. It finally picked up and became more engaging but it‘s all a little too late. I wanted more and I wanted a little less predictability.

I adore Vera Wong and this cozy mystery series. It makes me yearn to be part of Vera‘s adopted family. She is good-naturedly nosy and manages to fumble her way into trouble and into the solution to the murder. This series is a murdery book hug and I am here for all the hugs. (Also, April‘s #bookspin)

Women have been choosing the bear since the dawn of time…

I picked this up at my first stop on the Greater Charlotte Bookcrawl. It is DELIGHTFUL. Beautifully illustrated and amusing. It‘s a light, quick read.

The tone of almost approval (or at least the lack of condemnation) of David Koresh in the first quarter of the book is appalling and nauseating. I can‘t keep going. The number of times the author mentions the ages of the girls Koresh “chooses” (rapes) and then says “her dad gave permission” like that somehow makes everything okay is repulsive. THEY WERE CHILDREN. THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN HAVING CHILDREN!

Friendships can be complicated when you‘re 12 and school projects can be, too. Maizy learns both of these lessons as she discovers Nancy Drew and solves her own mystery with the help of old and new friends. This was cute and fun and I enjoyed watching Maizy work through some very 6th grade problems. It‘s a great homage to Nancy Drew. Also, Maizy‘s mom is a Toad the Wet Sprocket fan, so the book is a winner for that alone!

In today‘s episode of “bands I loved in high school that I NEVER expected to see referenced in a MG book published in 2022”, may I present Toad the Wet Sprocket? 😱😱😱😱 …and now I must go search for them on Tidal. 🎶

#Bookspin bingo card for April. I was so sure I had a book in my shelves that would work for Egypt for my Double Spin and I was right. It‘s just not going to be fun to read. 😭 Oh well. At least Vera should be fun!

Excited for my #bookspin. I preordered this on audiobook the second I saw it was coming out! I love Vera. I have no idea what I‘m going to do for The StoryGraph challenge, though. I have 9 countries to choose from. I‘m leaning towards Egypt, though, for Arab American Heritage Month.

While there‘s a missing hiker and the search for her is at the core of the narrative, this isn‘t really a mystery/thriller. It‘s about three women - Valerie, the missing hiker; Bev, the Maine Warden leading the search; and Lena, an elderly woman in Connecticut who remotely aids the search - who they are, what formed them, and how they navigate through the world. It‘s well-written, engaging, and I was invested in the outcome from the beginning.

My tentative TBR for April - a few book club/buddy reads, a couple of books I checked out from the library, and a handful of “just because” that I put here so I don‘t forget them (ebooks can be out of sight/out of mind for me). I‘ll update the graphic when bookspin numbers are pulled. There‘s already one book here I know I don‘t want to read, but I will if it ends up being bookspin or double spin.
EDIT to add #doublespin pick

I finished 13 books in March. Lots of middle grade and graphic novels, because that‘s all I could mentally handle. The Spear Cuts Through Water was my favorite, even though it took me two months to read. It was so worth the effort. Both of the Swifts books by Beth Lincoln were delightful. #marchwrapup

I loved the format of this graphic non-fiction book about everyday people fighting for their homes and futures.. The brief interviews provide a personal touch, connecting the reader to the fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia. Even though greed, capitalism, and white supremacy win, it ends on a positive note, calling for community care. The art was simple, yet effective. Also f*ck Sen Manchin. #netgalley

There are so many POV shifts, interjections and one liners that are spoken by other people in other timelines that it is very confusing. Audio is the way to go with this one, if you can. That said, I absolutely loved the writing and the story. It was an immersive fantasy tale of two warriors journeying to free a goddess and end a kingdom. The format was inventive and clever, even if it was a little hard to follow. It‘s well worth the effort.

The chaos of communicating in multiple languages was presented very effectively. It was charming, but also made following the story a bit of a slog. There didn't seem to be much chemistry between the main characters. My first thought was the romance came out of nowhere, but I think that is part of the point, and is no less believable than insta-love. The art style isn't my favorite, but the use of color to evoke mood was done well. #netgalley

More historical romance with a supernatural element than “Romantasy”, it‘s an ok distraction from world events. While the narrative dragged in places, I appreciated the unique setting and take on the Morrigan. The villains are caricatures, Emma‘s mother is beyond horrible, and so many of the characters are obnoxious stereotypes. Rua and Finn are the only ones with depth. Recommended if you enjoy romance novels set in Gilded Age New York.

I think I missed the other two Oscar Nom list posts, so I‘ve done all three just now. Ive seen a total of 17, with 1963-1987 being my best at 10. But, the early years have some of my favorite movies ever - Gaslight, To Kill a Mockingbird, Captain Blood (OMG, Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, AND Olivia de Havilland?? HEAVEN!), Adventures of Robin Hood, and Philadelphia Story (KATE!!). This was fun @dabbe Thank you. #threelistthursday #tlt

@BookNAround I haven‘t picked which set to go with which Saturday or Sunday, but this was my pre-planning from last weekend (not at all excited, can you tell? 🤣) My boss and I are meeting for lunch to go over my annual performance review and will then be going to PRB (her idea!) and Book Rack is close to me, so I‘ll probably take a drive over there at lunch one day. That Salisbury one, though…😭😭

Where has the first quarter of the year gone. Seriously, it‘s been simultaneously too fast and the longest year ever. (I really hate it here, and by here I mean being ruled by Mango Mussolini, the Muskrat, and all their cronies. It‘s one catastrophe and atrocity after another with these idiots. Anyway…) On a brighter note, my April #bookspin list is all set and I have the Greater Charlotte Book Crawl in April to look forward to. 😮‍💨

This is both my #doublespin for March and the March pick for the Morbidly Curious Bookclub. I didn‘t realize that it‘s built around the kidnapping of two young girls, but as soon as the girls were approached by a man, my whole body went “nope” and turned off the audiobook. I can‘t bear to see how it turns out. Posting my DNF for the #bookspin record. I see high praise for it here, but it‘s not for me.

Shenanigan is on the hunt for a gang of art thieves. The search takes her to France, and the hotel owned by the French branch of the Family, the Martinets. Full of great characters with even better names, chaos and murder abound. While it is easy to give this a surface read (and completely acceptable!), it also offers a chance to deep dive into lessons on processing big emotions, reparations, legacy, and greed among others. I adore this series.

This is the Veronica Ruiz origin story of sorts. I don‘t know that it really adds much to the series, but it‘s a light, quick, entertaining read. I didn‘t love the audiobook narrator, though, and I‘m glad the novels are narrated by someone else.

Finlay and Veronica find themselves deeper in trouble. There‘s another dead body, more suspicious cops, difficult exes, lots of awkward moments, and some good laughs. This one was enjoyable, but the formula is starting to wear a little thin. This is definitely not my favorite of the series.

#bookspin for March

After finishing the first book a couple days ago, I grabbed this one from my local indie today. I‘m sorry I waited until bedtime to start it. I‘m trying not to disturb the household with my laughter and I can‘t wait for Shenanigan to visit the Family Murder Hotel in France.

Theres a lot going on in this one and none of it good or amusing to me. I‘ll leave the bulk of my review under a spoiler comment. I am looking forward to discussion though and hearing that the 1930s version had a shipboard cat makes me really sad I got stuck with the newer version. #NancyDrewBR

So much fun! I love matching wits with Encyclopedia Brown. I should probably be embarrassed at not solving all of the cases, but I deduced most of them, and I‘m totally okay with that. I love the format, and other than Charlie‘s creepy teeth collection, I enjoy the characters. Thanks @Ruthiella for starting the #EBBR! This has been so much fun!

I adored this MG mystery and its quirky cast of characters. On the surface, it‘s my favorite kind of mystery-a group of people isolated from the outside world while one-by-one bodies start piling up. Dig a little deeper, and it‘s about family, language, living up to or defying expectations, and self-discovery. Shenanigan Swift is also my favorite kind of MG character-a little wild, a little feral, a little naughty, and a whole lot of fun.

My library system is hitting it out of the park with this year‘s Community Read selections. Art Club is the MG pick and it is delightful! The artwork is colorful and fun. I love the story of kids forming an art club, exploring different styles of art, and proving to school administration and the community how art is important, too.

This is the picture book selection for my library‘s Community Read. It is adorable and I want a physical copy for my own shelves. I love the watercolor artwork and how the illustrations are all done inside watercolor dots. It‘s a great story about harnessing creativity. The whole thing just makes me happy.

A soft pick, this is book 2 in a 5 book series. I really like Wheatley‘s style, but the book is sooooooooo slow. Why she‘s stretching this story into 5 books is beyond me. I really feel like this would be better as a couple of chapters rather than 300 pages. I‘ll keep going, because I like the writing, characters, and overall story. Plus, I already own the rest of the series. 😂
This is also my February #doublespin.

Today was a good day. I went to my local indie to pick up hard copies of the last two audiobooks I listened to, got recommendations from one of my favorite booksellers, and got to hear an award winning illustrator talk about his craft and read the tagged picture book that he illustrated. Went to get 2 books, came home with 7. #bookmath

I read more nonfiction than usual in February and much of it was heavy. I did not finish my current read like I had wanted to and am already stressed about meeting my March obligations. I truly love the Litsy community but I do sometimes miss the days when I didn‘t get swept up in all the books and buddy reads. I was lucky to finish more than 20 books a year, but there was so much less stress. 😩

On a much lighter note than my most recent reads…my #bookspin and #doublespin books for March. Thankfully, both of these are already on my March TBR!

This deserves more space than Litsy provides. This offers more nuance on Israel and the October 7th Hamas attack than I‘ve seen previously, without both-siding genocide. I appreciate the discussion of language, terminology, and how those are interpreted. Beinart does a great job weaving Jewish theology into his arguments and I am grateful for the insight he provides. Thank you @JamieArc for the recommendation.
Free Palestine 🇵🇸

I enjoyed this. It‘s part travelogue and part history of witch hunts/persecution of predominantly women in both Europe and the US. Sollée is a practicing witch, so there are mentions of supernatural experiences she has in some of the places she visits. I liked hearing about her experiences, but it might not be for everyone. ??‍♀️

I have so much I want to say about this, but I‘m alternating between rage and grief, so I‘ll settle for this. Part memoir, part history, part journalistic reporting on current events, this is a concise damnation of Western imperialism, particularly the pervasive Islamophobia and unwavering support for genocide. If it doesn‘t make you mad, you aren‘t paying attention. Free Palestine. 🇵🇸

I‘m really hoping that the #bookspin gods are kind to me and pick books that are already on my March TBR. Between library books with due dates that can‘t be extended, books clubs/buddy reads, NetGalley books that publish this month, and my library system‘s annual Community Reads program, my schedule is already packed. In fact, looking at this makes me so stressed, I may bail on everything and just watch Netflix. 😂

The Finlay Donovan books are ridiculously fun escapism, reminiscent of Janet Evanovitch‘s Stephanie Plum series. The story is far-fetched, with awkward situations and plenty of laughs. The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Angela Dawe. My only quibble is that I hate even the slightest hint of a love triangle and Finlay‘s law student versus detective dilemma makes me want to scream. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

I can‘t believe it‘s almost March. One good thing about categories instead of titles is that it makes creating my #bookspin list a little easier and faster.

Congrats on the new house, Sarah!

It‘s been ages since I picked up one of Penny Reid‘s books and I‘m so glad I grabbed this one.It‘s set in her Knitting in the City series world, featuring the adult children of that series‘s main characters. This book is a sexy, funny, heartwarming tear-jerker, with the requisite HFN, authentic representation of Bipolar 1, and it reminded me of why I fell in love with her books in the first place.

I‘m on the fence with this one. I‘m all for a good f*ck the patriarchy, capitalism, racism, white supremacy, and ableism are bad, kind of book. But there‘s so much repetition here and a ton of anger (justified, but unfocused) that the book itself is exhausting and draining, which seems to defeat the purpose. A low pick. I like the idea of the book better than the execution. #shesaid

Excited for today‘s #bookmail. 😍 It‘s fun to get new books from new-to-me indie booksellers, especially Indigenous books from Indigenous-owned booksellers.

I feel like I read a different book than other reviewers. I forced my way through this ARC and that‘s 5 hours of my life I‘ll never get back. I did not like the authors writing style at all. There was no flow to the prose. The narrative is clunky, dialogue is awkward, and the solution is unsatisfying.

Following in the steps of @TheBookHippie I searched Pinterest for Literally My Character, but I‘m a Gemini and make my own rules, so I picked the first 8 instead of the first six. Also, replace “cat” with “dog” on the middle one.

I am so torn. I got this ARC through LibraryThing‘s Early Reviewers program and I have a 100% review percentage. I saw other reviews that promise gets better, but (a) it took 60 pages for someone to die, (b) it took 30 pages for her to stop calling the authors by their full names (“Dorothy L Sayers” instead of “Dorothy”), and (c) I really dislike her writing style. Do I review based on what I‘ve read or suffer through it? 😭

I‘m listening to this on audio for #shesaid, so I don‘t have the exact quote, but can someone tell me - do they truly no longer have nap time or recess in elementary school? I remember nap time in Kindergarten and we had recess throughout elementary school. (Also, the audio is fine, but I think I‘m going to need my own print copy!)

Adding another book to my already packed February TBR because I got a free copy of the first book in Wheatley‘s new series. She printed a set of paperbacks with an error in the blurb (it mentions wolves and she removed the wolves from the final version of the book) and she offered them to her fan group subscribers. Yay for free books!

I am on a roll of bails lately. I‘ve scrapped at least three books in the last two weeks, maybe more. Natasha is tired of my nonsense and we‘re both hoping this one sticks.

This was an interesting, if dry, look at the initial creation of the polygraph, early cases, and how lie detection devices have evolved. It is also a tale of injustice, of guilty people going free and innocent people being executed, based on a device proven inaccurate. The polygraph won't die, but people do because of it. I found this to be heartbreaking and anger-inducing. It's one more example of how the justice system in the US is unjust.

DELIGHTFUL! I can‘t believe I never read these as a kid. I adore the format - short stories with the solution to the mysteries at the end, giving you time to puzzle out the solution, if you can. This was a lot of fun. #EBBR