My library bookstore #bookhaul from yesterday. The stack was $9.50 & is mostly books from my TBR. I thought the tagged book would be fun for learning more about astrology for #TravelingStars

The book🐔🐔approve of the choices, although they reminded me how gigantic my TBR stack is & how I didn‘t *need* more books added…spoilsports! 😉

New job offer accepted & now the drug test. In my car in the parking lot reading the tagged book for #diversecozy & sucking down my Starbucks & bottle of water & trying to find the sweet spot between “OMG I have to go enough to fill this cup!” & “Line, I don‘t care about any line, you let me go NOW or it‘s gonna be too late!” #bladderpressures 😬😳😱🤣

A spin-off series from one of my favorites, the author‘s Rockton series. Pre-ordering the audiobook got me an ebook of Dead Letter Days, a transitional novella not in the Litsy database yet.
The novella was good with a short mystery & a big event & the tagged book was a solid start for the new hidden in the Yukon sanctuary town of Haven‘s Rock where Casey & Dalton arrive early when two people on the construction team go missing.

#SeriesLove2023

Read for book tour review last week. I love good historical fiction that gives me different perspectives & this one certainly did. About two strong young black women from different backgrounds in the 1950s & the difficult choices they were forced to make. I‘ve read multiple books on unplanned pregnancy in the era but none from a black perspective. Told from both points of view, one in first person & one in third, it had me engrossed. While a bit⬇️

Finished last Sunday & didn‘t take part in the #independentwomen #buddyread festivities. I may go back & look at the discussion questions but maybe not.🤷🏻‍♀️ I wanted to love this book but found myself slogging through it-the idea was there, but it didn‘t quite hook me & I spent much of it a bit confused. Given recent life events, I was also not in the mood for a too-close-to-today‘s-world & ultimately depressing book, so just a so-so from me.

I‘ve been reading this month but not doing much like posting reviews or joining in on discussions. Still intensely grieving my Max & also going through final processes for a new job that I accepted verbally Friday & will be signing the offer papers on Monday. It‘s still in Learning & Development but it is a remote job with regular Neighbor Island visits, a nice increase in pay & seemingly a removal from the stress & toxicity of my current job. ⬇️

Thank you for the #WondrousWednesday tag @Pigpen_Reads 🤗 Sorry I‘m a day late.

1️⃣ Not in Hawaii = Fall, In Hawaii = Winter
2️⃣ Chips,🍿& 🍫
3️⃣ All shades of 💙
4️⃣ Lilacs, hydrangea & daffodils 💐
5️⃣ The Yukon or Alaska ❄️
6️⃣ Teas-iced or hot
7️⃣ Trivia & word games
8️⃣ Current audiobook is tagged, the 1st book in series spinoff of the author‘s Rockton series, set in a hidden town in the wilds of the Yukon.❄️

Anyone still want to play?

My 3rd book from @Laughterhp ‘s #AuldLangSpine list & one that was not on my radar, odd since it‘s a cozy, set in 1923 London & has the academia/plant/poison thing going on, so right up my alley. I really enjoyed Saffron, the MC & her friend Elizabeth & potential love interest, Alexander. Saffron is smart & daring & probably too curious for her own well-being. Overall charming & fun & I‘ll definitely read the second book when it comes out in June.

Finished this week, I got the audiobook on a 2/1 credit based on liking the author‘s Longbourn. This one‘s set in modern day & more a literary thriller than the psychological suspense it‘s tagged, but the atmospheric audiobook & assorted narrators drew me in & kept me listening as the tension steadily ratcheted up. I didn‘t warm to the (nameless) main character, but I ended up empathizing with her & maybe that was the author‘s intention. Solid 👍

Finished earlier this week. I‘m trying to get back to reading more non-fiction this year & this month I finally tackled Caste which has been in my TBR for ages. Wilkerson is an amazing writer & this book is both engrossing & infuriating. The comparisons of caste in America, India & Nazi Germany are shattering & I had to read this is short doses at times. The Warmth of Other Suns is loaded on my Kindle as well & I‘ll be getting to it soon.

There was much to like about this book—the Scottish setting & food, particularly & had the author been able to stick the landing with the ending, it would have been a pick. I felt like it wasn‘t sure how it was going to make its point & that left me unsure & confused about what the point really was.🤷🏻‍♀️But, as always, LOVED the #SundayBuddyRead discussions, always impeccably led by our host @TheBookHippie & those make up for a lackluster read.

My heart is broken. Today I had to say goodbye to the best boy ever, my baby & reading companion, Max. I was lucky to have him 19 years & he was a frequent visitor on my Litsy page back in the day. He was a unique soul, a character, & my comfort. I‘m going to miss his little face, vocal personality & warm purr. If you have a fur baby (or non-furry pet friend) give them a pat & some love from me.
Rest in love, my boy.💙🌈
#CatsofLitsy #MaxtheCat

Short yet powerful coming of age story about 12-year-old (Felicia) Fe Fe & the last summer spent with her friends & family in the Robert Taylor housing projects in Chicago & how their lives were irrevocably changed. The writing is evocative & amazing especially from a debut novel. It isn‘t an easy read, (TWs for gang & sexual violence & abuse) but it‘s a good one & one I‘ll be thinking about. Tagged for fans of Jacqueline Woodsen for good reason.

Read for #DiverseCozy This was a so-so for me. I liked the main character Halia, the restaurant setting & of course, all the southern food mentions/recipes. I didn‘t like the way some of the characters were written—like Halia‘s cousin; more caricatures than feeling real & the dialogue felt awkward. In that regard, I wasn‘t shocked but still disappointed to learn from GoodReads that the author is not a black woman, but rather a white/Latin male. ⬇️

Mini #libraryhaul
Picked up my library hold yesterday for the tagged book for the #IndependentWomen weekend & renewed Chasing Plants. My favorite librarian gave me Would You Rather which she said was “pretty good fluff” & recommended Happening by Annie Ernayx, the 2022 Nobel Laureate to “counterbalance the fluff.” Book 🐔 approved.

After loving Legends & Lattes, I had to read this cozy fantasy when I heard the author on TikTok saying she got one ⭐️ reviews due to (OMG!) lesbians being in it, apparently a surprise to those readers even though it clearly states it in the blurb. So, I had to give it a try. It‘s not quite L&L for me but overall is quite delightful & the author gives credit to Travis Baldree for inspiring her. Could have used a bit more editing for the number⬇️

My #librarybookhaul from yesterday. Picked up holds on the tagged book for #Pemberlittens & A Botanist‘s Guide to Parties and Poisons for #AuldLangSpine from @Laughterhp ‘s list & Funeral Girl & Accomplished caught my eye in YA. Then the library bookstore had 1/2-off fiction so I got the 3 remaining books there for $2.50. I‘m most excited about the pretty Waterstones Signed Exclusive Edition of Under the Whispering Door! 🤗
The book🐔🐔 approve!

OK, so we are 5 days in, but here is my February TBR. I won‘t read this many books & as always, it‘s subject to change to my mood, but I think I‘ll get through the first couple of rows including the books from #SundayBuddyRead #Pemberlittens #DiverseCozy #SeriesLove2023 #FoodandLit and #IndependentWomen buddy reads.

Joining in on the #FabulousFebruary #Readathon

My goals are to read as much as possible & finish the top two books, progress in the bottom left two #buddyread titles & at least start the two bottom right. But I am a moody reader so something else might catch my eye.🤷🏻‍♀️

Reading challenges: #SundayBuddyRead #PemberLittens #DiverseCozy #SeriesLove2023

In a really busy month with lingering health stuff, I‘m pretty amazed that I read 12 books.🎉 It was a great reading month as I had several books I really enjoyed & a couple that I‘m sure with make my Top books of 2023 list. My favorite was the audiobook Remarkably Bright Creatures which I tossed into the mix when I had headaches & work commutes & I‘m so glad I did! Close behind was The Undertaking of Heart and Mercy from my #AuldLangSpine list ⬇️

Finished in January for my virtual foodie blogger book club. Although the MC Kate annoyed me & I would the 97-year old Cecily too gruff & grumpy to like at first, they both won me over & I ended up enjoying the book. I was going to make a carbonara as my book-inspired dish but ended up throwing together a quick Shrimp Scampi with garlicky, buttery pasta after work one night & ate it on the couch with chopsticks because it was that kind of month.⬇️

Very excited for the #AuldLangSpinegiveaway that @monalyisha is doing. Since I just finished a book featuring an MC who can see ghosts (& loved it) from my #AuldLangSpine partner‘s list, the tagged book is the one I am most interested in winning. Mahalo! 🤗

The 2nd book I finished from @Laughterhp ‘s #AuldLangSpine list. I had it in my #TBR already, but I‘m glad she gave me the push to read it. A complete rom-com in book form, it was sweet, funny & poignant. Yes, predictable, I kept yelling the “twist” at the MC, Florence, almost immediately, but what rom-com isn‘t predictable?! I liked the puns & witty banter, combined with quirky characters, ghosts, books, & the family dynamics. A feel good book.🧡

Read for #SundayBuddyRead This novella is not my favorite thing Simone St. James has written, but it was creepy & good & still a pick for me despite not loving the end. Did the novella format work well because a small dose of the unreliable main character was enough or would a deeper dive into the main character made me like her more?🤷🏻‍♀️
Waiting for her next full-length book next year.

I was afraid to read this one based on all its hype but I loved it! The audiobook narration was excellent—although it took me a few weeks of work commutes to get through it, I was always excited to get back to it. I enjoyed all the characters & I can‘t believe I fell so hard for an octopus. Ah, Marcellus! 🐙🧡 A sweet, sentimental & yes, sometimes a bit schmaltzy, debut that combined predictability with enough unique aspects to make it stand out.

Finished last week-Book 4 in the Alaska Wild series & another solid entry for this series about a popular mystery/thriller author “hiding out” in rural Benedict, Alaska while the man who kidnapped & terrorized her is at large. It‘s springtime & the annual “Death March” (an event to gather to see if anyone is missing after the winter) brings mystery & murder. It‘s a bit of a transitional book, so I‘m curious to see where the series goes next.

This one was a #BOTM pick & in my #TBR stack for ages so I am glad that I got the nudge to read it from the #diversecozy buddy read. That being said, it wasn‘t my favorite. Having spent time in the Philippines & having Filipino friends, I enjoyed the dive into the food & culture but the mystery was too easily solved, the drama overwrought, the plot holes many & things,including the MC‘s choices were either over explained or not explained ⬇️

Finished last Sunday for #SundayBuddyRead but I failed to get a review post up. I would say that mafia stories aren‘t my thing so I likely never would have read this if @TheBookHippie hadn‘t picked it but I really found myself caught up in the stories of the 4 godmothers & their life in NYC from the 1940s, through the war years and into the 1950s. It made me watch the first 2 films in The Godfather saga (I am slowly slugging through the 3rd) & ⬇️

I bumped this up my #TBR because it worked for a Kindle challenge I‘m doing & I‘m glad I did. It was fun & funny & a nice light change from heavier books & heavier times as my work is busy & health still not where I‘d like it to be which has me spending more time sleeping than reading. Hannah & Jack are great characters & Katherine Center books tend to give me warm & fuzzy rom-com vibes. It‘s a tad predictable but engaging & I liked the female ⬇️

Thank you so much @catiewithac for the wonderful & way too generous #TravelingStars gifts! I feel spoiled with the astrology calendar, the book, stamps & ink & bath bomb. I love the bookmark, post card & stickers & it made me smile because we visited some of the same sellers on Etsy!😉 I am enjoyed reading your note & learning more about you. Although my Libra air sign is more abstract & your Capricorn practical side are different, we both share⬇️

Bumped this up my TBR because the e-book goes back tomorrow & the waitlist is still long. This book will have me thinking for a while. Would I open my box or not? Loved the different stories & POVs & although a bit alarming at times how it seems to mirror current events & the state of the world, that made it all the more absorbing & hard to put down. I got emotionally attached to several of the characters & found myself tearing up more than once.

Read for book tour review this week. I‘m giving it a soft pick for what it is, a Cinderella-ish Regency romance with spice🌶️🌶️🌶️What it isn‘t, despite the blurb on Litsy (& formerly on Amazon) is Cinderella meets Pride and Prejudice (which is why I agreed to the tour-so points off for that)☹️But it‘s a quick, cute read with some snarky humor & witty banter & a very likable heroine & a pretty good debut novel so if you like that sort of thing ⬇️

I was listening to a feature about this BBC podcast this morning while driving to work, my attention caught by mafia & children. It‘s about a program that originated in Southern Italy where a judge removes children from mafia families to break the cycle & reduce organized crime.

I found it interesting given our current #SundayBuddyRead pick.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct304s

#WeeklyForecast #BookReport

I spent more time sleeping this weekend than reading as after I shook my holiday bronchitis, I now have an ear infection/sore throat. Stupid immune system!😷 On the plus side, 5 years ago this weekend I ended up in the hospital after a severe asthma attack, so could be worse!

Anyway, in addition to finishing TUOHAM, I read the section for #SundayBuddyRead & am trying to catch up in Middlemarch for #PemberLittens ⬇️

My first book read for #AuldLangSpine & @Laughterhp ‘s list. I loved this book which reminded me of You‘ve Got Mail only set in a western/fantasy world. Both Hart & Mercy were great characters as were their friends & family. Sweet, funny, & a bit spicier than I was expecting-not a bad thing., I was both tearing up & smiling.

I purchased it as a Kindle Deal but it might have languished in my TBR without the #ALSpine nudge, so thanks to Mikala! 🤗

My library haul for today. I picked up my hold on the tagged book-4th book in the Alaska Wild series #SeriesLove2023
I found up the only copy of non-Disney Bambi my library had to maybe join in #ChildrensClassicRead2023 but it‘s an adapted picture book so🤷🏻‍♀️Then Chasing Plants called to me (it‘s gorgeous!) & my favorite librarian gave me the top 2 books #ARC s she thought I might like (both sound good). Tagging them ⬇️ The book🐔🐔approve!

#WondrousWednesday

1️⃣ Fantasy You‘ve Got Mail (tagged book at least so far!)

2️⃣ Sadly, no. I have no talent for languages

3️⃣ Either Can‘t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne, Paper Cuts by Ellery Adams or Murder at Haven‘s Rock by Kelley Armstrong (I can‘t pick just one! 📚)

Play if you want to & haven‘t yet! 🤗

I was convinced with work, the holiday bustle & a bout of bronchitis I didn‘t read that much in December, but I managed to finish 14 books. 🎉📚🎉

Overall, it was a great reading month with the top row being my standouts/favorites. 11.5 were from female authors, 3.5 male & I worked some diversity into my holiday books especially. All but 1 were fiction & 3 were lingering ARCs, 2 were BOTMs, 4 were library books & 3 were for challenges/readalongs

We finally have a winner for the #HeiressPride 🏳️‍🌈 #chaoteraday readalong that I hosted for #PemberLittens

Apologies for the delay, between work, bronchitis, the holidays, etc., tabulating the entries & inputting all the entries per person took a while, but drumroll, please…

🎉The winner of an Jane Austen/Austen-ish prize pack is @IndoorDame !!🎉

We had such good & fun participation that I drew 2 more names for a few Austen-ish goodies ⬇️

First book finished for 2023 & it was a sweet one. On her 30th birthday Blythe gets a job, a proposal & an inheritance from her late beloved grandmother, Nomi, who died when she was a child. To get the inheritance she must take part in a treasure hunt to find the place Nomi wants her ashes spread on a small island in the San Juan‘s. I enjoyed the story & the 2 gifts wrapped gifts that were part of the Once Upon a Book Club “Up All Night” box.⬇️

My semi-tentative January #TBR Right now the top 2.5 rows are pretty solid because of #buddyreads #readalongs & challenges, a book tour & my virtual foodie book club pick. I am a moody reader so the rest is up subject to change.

Looking to read along with #SundayBuddyRead #ALSpine #AuldLangSpine #PemberLittens #DiverseCozy & #SeriesLove2023 so far in January

My New Year‘s Day bookish plans are to finish Improbably Yours, started last night & to get further into the tagged book which I started this morning. It‘s the first of the #AuldLangSpine books from @Laughterhp that I plan to read & 2 chapters in I‘m enjoying it. 🤗

What are your bookish plans for today?

Still a couple hours to go to 2023. My reading for tonight & probably tomorrow too as I started it a little late to finish. I treated myself to the “Up All Night” box from Once Upon a Book Club. It has 2 gifts to open on designated pages as well as the 2023 book challenge scratch-off poster, “The world belongs to those who read” champagne glass, confetti popper (it came popped in the box😆) & book club packet.

Happy New Year, friends! 🎊🍾

Finished up this epistolary novella about time-traveling female spies/assassins on different sides who fall in love during a war. I saw it on someone‘s best of 2023 on TikTok & was intrigued & my library had the e-book available last week. Beautiful writing & imagery & apparently much smarter than me as I am not sure I understood everything that happened in their somewhat cat-and-mouse relationship 🤷🏻‍♀️ but the evocative writing engaged me.

I keep forgetting to post this but I decided to join the #ChildrensClassicsRead2022 for December because it‘s been ages since I read this HCA classic & then I fell in love with this copy, illustrated by Sanna Annukka at my Barnes & Noble last month. I enjoyed rereading the story of Gerda & her fight to save Kai from the Snow Queen & the drawings just pulled me in further, capturing the cold winter vibe of the book. A quick & fun winter reread.💙

An enthusiastic pick for this one, publishing 2/7/23. I have had the #ARC for a few months & finally was able to pick it up. If you loved Empire of Wild, you will likely love this one too. Focusing on Lucky who is scrabbling to get by & take care of her grandmother when she finds a “witch” spoon that leads her to a group of indigenous women, all witches trying to find their 6th & 7th members to form a coven before time runs out or a witch hunter⬇️

Anyone who wants to join in the March #readalong of Foul Lady Fortune hosted by @TheBookHippie & who doesn‘t have the book already (or is like me & likes having options of print & Kindle) it‘s $3.99 on Amazon right now. 🤗

Thanks @Eggs for the #WondrousWednesday tag.🤗

1️⃣Taken today-my Secret Santa coworker gifted me this “Loaf Cat” Squishable as part of my gift so I too, could have a stuffed animal in my office.🤔I‘m not sure that was a *need* for me but my inner 5th grader is amused that it has a cat butt hole.🫣🤭🤣

2️⃣Still getting over the bronchitis blahs so closing up my house from fireworks & reading with Max & snacks is my plan.

Anyone not played yet?

Read this 16th book in the Bakeshop Mysteries on its Book Birthday! After the livestream event with Ellie Alexander on Facebook last night, I had Jules & the Torte team on the brain & wanted to spend time with one of my fave cozy series. Jules is catering a company retreat with difficult clients on the Rogue River & of course, there‘s a murder. The usual fun, characters & delicious sounding bakery goods & food to enjoy with recipes in the back.🧁

A good follow up to The Ex Hex. I meant to read it in October but my #BOTM box was late that month. No worries, the moody reader in me wanted something light & effortless this week & I‘m happy to finish it before the new year. Predictable, yes, but cute & fun. I liked the pairing of Wells & Gwyn & Gwyn‘s relationship with her baby witches, but as in the previous book, Sir Purrcival is the true star.
🖤✨🐈‍⬛🖤