Yesterday, I graduated with my master‘s degree in Information and Library Sciences.

I‘m finished decorating my mortarboard. Each book is a chapter of my life. It was fun designing this on Canva.

Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time.
Chapter 2: Making Besties.
Chapter 3: Marriage, Kids, Grief.
Chapter 4: The Awkward Years.
Chapter 5: Making Mistakes is Part of Life.
Chapter 6: Growth.
Chapter7: This Chapter is Sponsored by Hard Work & Coffee.
Chapter 8: The Last All-Nighter.
Chapter 9: The Best is Yet to Come.

Alice is a pop culture writer who tracks down Margaret Ives, an heiress to a media fortune kind but she disappeared years ago. Margaret invites Alice to visit her in Georgia. Alice finds out that another writer, Hayden, with a Pulitzer are basically competing to win the right to tell Margaret‘s story.

The characters are realistic & flawed, the plot is intriguing & mysterious, & romance is beautiful. Perfect ending. I cried!

Book 60.

One of my classmates sent me a gift card to @bookshop_org for all the help that I provided to her during our capstone project this final semester.

I used it to get to this Pride and Prejudice board game.

May hopefuls.

This doesn‘t include my ebooks or audiobooks.

April‘s monthly report.

Book 59 of the year.

The Duke of Falconridge‘s third son, Jon, leaves for France on a grand tour. He leaves with his tutor, William Morris & they are detained in a French prison during Napoleon‘s war. During this time, Morris dies, & he asks Jon to take care of his daughter, Tori. Jon returns to England to find that he is the current Duke. Tori (Victoria) is Jon's sister governess. The attraction is instant between them.

The banter between Jon and Tori is fun.

Books 52-58 of the year.

Seeing the Book Club Play tonight.

I was disappointed today as it is #indibookstoreday & I had to work at the library.

However, a new #indiebookshop opened by me two weeks ago , @daughterscoffeeandbooks & they were doing a book bedazzle event after I got off.

I wanted to try it & it was so much fun! I still need to complete the word “Lovers” & I did slightly mess up the “B” however for a first attempt, I am happy. And I celebrated #independentbookstoreday in a small way!

I finally used my birthday BN gift card from son, I got the Pride and Prejudice bookends, another copy of P&P, a flower journal and a gratitude journal. Michaels was next door so I went it and found the book club papers. B

Now that I don‘t have school, I can come home and read!

Happy release day to @emilyhenrywrites on “Great Big Beautiful Life” and it‘s a @reesesbookclub pick for May.

Omg….i am in heaven! I asked the local @amctheatres manager if I could have the movie poster. He called me today to say that he had a brand new one to give to me. I picked it up after work and can‘t wait to use it for my Jane Austen library display!

It truly is the little things in life that make it grand!

Book mail from Zibby Publishing, Kensington Publishers and Grand Central Publishing.

Books 45-51 read for the year.

It‘s officially hashtag#TakeActionForLibraries Day! To celebrate and advocate for libraries and library funding, we want every library lover to make their voice heard today. Head to ala.org/showup to learn how you can take action by calling or emailing Congress, writing a letter to your local newspaper, and more! Tell Congress how important your library is to your community - and how important federal funding is to sustain their work.

It‘s #nationallibraryweek and you can support your local library by visiting it.

Checking out resources and attending programs/events is one way that you can support your library. Numbers are librarians‘ friends because higher numbers of resources being used by the local community translates into more funding for us.

#supportyourlocallibrary #nationallibraryweek #resources #programs

It‘s getting real! My cap, gown and honor cords arrived today!

#mlisgradstudent #gradschoollife #congratulations🎓

During #nationallibraryweek , thank your librarians and library workers. Stop into the library and thank them or write them a thank you note.

#nationallibraryweek #thankalibrarian #thankalibraryworker

Today is #RighttoReadDay!

Books and the right to read has been under attack more so now than in past years. Please show up #forourlibraries and librarians and library workers to let them know that you support them and that we‘re not alone in this fight.

Freedom to read, books and free access to information for all is a necessary right! Join us in celebrating the right to access diverse ideas and books!

#NationalLibraryWeek, April 6-12, 2025, is a celebration which highlights the value of libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.

If you don‘t have a library card, get one. Have friends and family get a library card. Use it!

This is one way to support libraries!

Thank you to Kensington books for the fun book mail!

I‘m late posting my March reading report.

This was a fun and quirky read. #thematiccozies

Book 45 of the year.

Book 44 of the year.

Book 43 of the year.

The story introduces Billie Hope, a former New York City food scene star whose career crumbled during the pandemic. An email offering a stunning Victorian house in Juliana, Georgia, for just a hundred dollars, plus a generous business grant. With little hesitation, she uproots her husband, Peter, and their daughter, Meredith, and heads south. A twisty psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the end!

Book 42 of the year.

One of my lovely patrons came in yesterday with a belated birthday present for me. They know me well with all the pink, florals and Pride and prejudice!

I absolutely adore my patrons without presents and this just made my day!

#grateful #blessed #librarypatrons #librarylive #librarylove #librarian

More bookish birthday items: a book light and bookmarks.

My sons got me some bookish tshirts along with a BN gift card for my birthday!

My sons got me some book earrings for my birthday!

I went to the book outlet warehouse this weekend. Everything is 70% off. This is my haul. $100 spent.

I completed the New Year Kindle challenge.

I read this with the @litsybookclub . Book 41 of the year.

Summer in the City is a perfect summer book but yet it's just perfect all the time. Elle, is a screenwriter who is writing for a movie set in New York City. Elle meet Parker, who is a billionaire at a nightclub two years earlier, they have a stairwell hookup and she swears never to visit NYC again.

This was a lovely story from start to finish!

Book 40 of the year.

This is my first Alex Aster book and it is so fun. I love how pretty this book is with the stenciled edges, colorful end pages and embossed cover! There are four editions and each one is different. I have the Walmart edition.

I saw these posters for a dollar a piece and I had the frames.

#thrifting

Today is my 1,000 day of consecutive reading.

#readeveryday #bookly

Every year, I reread Pride and Prejudice. I have been reading this book since I was 12 years old.

Book 39 of the year.

#janeaustenthenandnow

I‘m trying to read more graphic novels and magna books. This was a fun read and I‘m looking forward to continuing the series.

Book 38 of the year.

This is book five in the “Meant to be “ series. It is a modern day retelling of Mulan. I love that @disneybooks is doing this series.

Book 37 of the year.

March‘s Thematic theme was hobby for the cozy mystery. I chose this cozy as I used to do some quilting and it looked fun.

Book 36 of the year.

Attending an event tonight about public libraries sponsored by my local PBS station.

When I saw this display at BN, I needed a picture. Less than 8 weeks til I graduate with my master‘s degree in Information and Library Science.

My friends book tour.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishers for these cozy mysteries.

Book 35 of the year.

This was a fun modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice.

Book 34 of the year.

This story grabbed me from the first paragraph. The descriptive words of the Shenandoah Valley, the Civil War battles, the people were so real. As someone who has visited this part of the country, I felt that I was drawn back there and watching this story unfold.

Gripping, wonderfully written, well thought out, and hard to put down, Chris Bohjalian delivered a powerful and moving book with The Jackal's Mistress.

Book 33 of the year.