December #bookspin - easing back in after a bit of time away. This is always fun. Thanks to @TheAromaofBooks 📚

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I was not a good match for this book. Glad to move it off my shelves after it‘s 6 year residency. May it find a better suited match elsewhere. #ontothenextone

Written by a member of my community, in Central NJ, The Ravens tells the story of three friends faced with unimaginable - but too common- challenges when one is assaulted by their HS English teacher…who happens to be one of the friends‘ father.

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“I‘ve learned that lesson now, the hard way. You have to speak the thing that you‘re feeling, even if it scares you. You have to tell your story. You have to raise your voice.”

My November #Roll100 & what a delight to read.
4.5 ⭐️ Just a warm hug of a read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bamford fans will love this.

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Gracie discovers a blank journal that may - or may not - change the course of her teenage life. As the school year starts for her in a new town and school, how will things play out? Very sweet read.

Grabbed this from a donated bookshelf at my office six years ago…finally read it this month, thanks to #Roll100 - this is a slow burn story of the aftermath of a private plane crash with two survivors: a “starving artist” and a child of those chartering the flight. How the media twists the focus to make headlines, no matter the cost, no matter the truth. 3.75 ⭐️

You can‘t hold a black flame candle to the original movie, Hocus Pocus. The “All-New Sequel” was cute, but I‘ll choose Dani, Max, Binx, & Allison over any new crew any day. 2.5 🧙🏼‍♀️

The trailer for the Film adaptation of Eileen was released a few days ago:

https://youtu.be/wkMIv0xuzr8si=LxtZFADrU0L5J4XO

Part of it was filmed in my town, so an extra reason to be looking forward to this.

This was a quick read, and I didn‘t expect the final reveal (though I should have seen it, in retrospect). This was meh for me.

Open-door romance about a witch deciding whether or not she wants to embrace her powers. (The spicy love scenes can be skipped without missing any plot.) Hoffer is a new-to-me author that I know from growing up in Southern NY. I admire her making her author dreams come true & enjoyed seeing glimpses of our home town in her story. 🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️

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Absolutely fascinating

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Cute, quick read.

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My September #Roll100 pick - in many ways a love letter to Straub‘s father, who passed a few months after its publication, Straub tells the story of a daughter‘s quest to spend more time with her father…through time travel. Beautiful, touching, a keeper.

Thank you, @DinoMom for the #HappyMail that arrived today. #AThingADay - such a treat! 🤗

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Discovering that the BSC series is available on Hoopla is a delight. These are just little bites of comfort.

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Sweet nostalgia with the BSC - I love the tiptoeing into romance as Mary Anne and Logan get to know one another.

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This was a delightful story; one I enjoyed as among my first audiobook listens. I loved seeing all the parts come together…and Marcellus…a delight. 🐙

3.5 ⭐️ for this #Roll100 pick.

Didn‘t love it quite like I did her first, but it was a nuanced and layered story.

Next up: my August #Roll100 - a #BOTMbacklog from September 2017! 🫣😬

#Roll100 pick from earlier this year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Also found this quote amusing (non-spoiler): “I was overjoyed to hear that you may soon favour the world with a miniature copy of yourself, through the kind offices of your esteemed wife - to whom, please send my respectful regards.” Just the formality of the congratulatory wishes.

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I didn‘t enjoy this quite as much as his other collections, but did get a few chuckles from his observations/commentary. My favorite was the chapter on Journaling (“Day In, Day Out”).
#Roll100 for July

My June #doublespin was an enjoyable quick read. I don‘t think it‘s my favorite of Henry‘s, but I enjoyed it. (I still have to read People We Meet…) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day.”

My June #Roll100 - 3.5⭐️ - enjoyed this mystery around the very real Agatha Christie disappearance of the 1920s. My heart ached for the pain endured by our fictional A.C., but I was down for the unfolding of her self-spun mystery.

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This was a fun, quick read. All the characters would have benefited from better communication, but it did make the ride more exciting. June #bookspin

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I started this #chunkster at the start of 2023 and read the final pages today. My first King in quite some time. Did not disappoint.

June is just around the corner! #bookspin list is ready!

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My #doublespin was a Mood Pick, and I grabbed this on a whim at the library earlier this week.

By golly, that‘s today! Love when this happens. 🤓

May #Bookspin is set.

Cute read for young readers. I first saw the movie adaptation with my son about a year ago or so…stayed true to the book, which my son recommended I read.

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Finally read this #BOTMBacklog. Not a fan of Celestine and how she handled her relationships, but I cannot imagine being in her shoes and seeing the life she worked to build with her husband being snatched in an instant of “mistaken identity”.

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My April #bookspin was a “Mood Pick” - and I decided to return to the misadventures of the Baudelaire children.

2 - 2.5 ⭐️ April #doublespin

The story felt clunky and jumpy at times, and let certain subplots floating (ghostlike) in the background, perhaps they‘re addressed further later in the series, but I won‘t be reading to find out. It had the makings of a “pick” in terms of plot, but fell short for me. The tidy ending came abruptly. I got to The End and was surprised as I‘d expected a bit more finale.

3.5 ⭐️ for my April #Roll100 pick

Happy to be back with Klosterman on this ride through the 90s, the decade that took me through my tweens/teens. I especially enjoyed the sections on music, TV, movies…he also took a deep dive into politics…

Powerful…important…gut wrenching.

I wanted to read this after finishing Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - to compare true experiences in these internment camps with that of Keiko in her letters to Henry.

Takei‘s childhood experiences were protected in many ways by incredible parents who protected the children. Takei knew that what was happening was wrong, but the parents sheltered their children as best they could. Unfathomable💔

“Memory is a wily keeper of the past…usually dependable, but at times, deceptive.”

Sigh, Gone is a Kindle ebook deal (US) today, 3/26.

Highly recommend this memoir. ⭐️🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼⭐️

My book club‘s selection for April. Truly a story of the bitter and sweet of first love during World War II, when American government deemed it appropriate to imprison Americans of Japanese descent and their families. Just a disappointing moment in American history (one of many…).
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April #Bookspin set up before the end of March flies by!

My first Agatha Christie I‘m some time. I enjoyed seeing Poirot in action.

My edition of the book included a Wikipedia summary (located on the first few pages) that included spoilers! 😆🤷🏻‍♀️

The format of this (inexpensive) edition is amusing. I feel like I‘m reading an e-book in paperback form….

A moving memoir of a horrific POW experience in WWII, that man‘s survival, and the road to forgiveness. March #doublespin