When people talk about the history of romance, this historical is one of the ones they always mention and I finally gave it a go. The writing is compelling, the 12th century setting and circumstances fascinating, and the romance is steamy. It was hard for me to get through because the way these characters initially connect is pretty problematic. I kept reading and I‘m glad I did but I nearly put it down several times and it is hard to recommend.

Caught up with the series. Compelling, heartbreaking, hilarious. These poor kids, they have a lot to work through but I can‘t help cheering them on. Next book in the series is our May 27 and someone may have ordered the ebook. I got all the others from the library but I‘m just not waiting :)

May #Bookspin looking good! Left pretty broad but I‘ve got picks for #Roll100 , #AAM , and #netgalleygrou‘s go!!!!

8 Bingoes this month! Not bad considering it was a busy work month :)

If witchy, quirky characters are your jam, romance make you happy, and you need a little escape from the current messy world, this book may be perfect for you. Swoony, silly, and heartwarming, I was happy to be back in the world of Moonville and soend some more time with this family and friend group. So much fun!

This started out a bit slow but when it got going-my goodness. I couldn‘t stop listening! I both read and listened to this one so I could spend more time with the story-it was that good. She is such an amazing writer, really drops you into the historic world and the way she wove the different element together was masterful. Highly recommend! #AAM @Soubhiville #authoramonth

So good! Loved every minute of this and will avoid saying much so you can go into it without expectations. I will say that some of the descriptions about space, the natural world, and love will stay with me for a long while. Just fantastic! #Bookspin #Doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

My May #BookspinBingo list. May! How is it May? @TheAromaofBooks

I read this one before the first one, but I think that is okay, I think the stories stand alone. I really enjoyed each story and even more how they all fit together tangentially. Quiet, thoughtful, and beautifully written, I look forward to another.

In the last couple of weeks, I blew through this series. Pretty tough in parts, it is set in Ireland and follows young adults dealing with pretty difficult situations, physical and mental abuse in the home, bullying, and the financial challenges that existed in the late 2000s. Walsh writes with an intensity that kept me reading, even though most of these are 600 pages or more. Waiting in the next one to become available at my library :)

This was powerful, sad, and upsetting but I‘m so glad I read it. Hearing Eve Ensler‘s perspectives on the world, war, and the environment while she shares her backstory and cancer journey makes for a memoir unlike any I‘ve read. I was angry at times at the sheer horror that is the world but then was also lifted up by the ways we show up for each other. This is pretty short but still manages to pack a punch. I enjoyed on #audio, read by the author.

So behind on book reviews! I finished this one awhile back, sweet, funny and set in Austin, where I live, so that is always fun. A librarian who likes her quiet life makes a deal (fake relationship, anyone?) with an exuberant gubernatorial candidate and sparks fly. Great on #audio , a nice escape from the pit of despair that is Texas politics right now.

Made a visit to my beloved Lark and Owl bookstore in Georgetown Texas today for Independent Bookstore Day! Bought a couple of books for my grown kids and these goodies for me. And, in case you need a book or two, bookshop.org is doing free shipping through tomorrow!

Flirty, fun, steamy and set on the Isle of Skye, I really enjoyed this romance. Opposites attract-and do they ever-and I love a complicated and prickly main character, especially when it is a woman. This releases on July 7th, and it isn‘t necessary to read the 1st in the series, Whisky Business, but I recommend it. Great fun all around with the McCabe brothers! #netgalleygroup @AllDebooks

I read 60 of 100, what a fun Quiz! #ThreeListThursday #TLT @dabbe
1. Survey link: https://www.listchallenges.com/litsy-the-great-american-read-2018-from-100-1
2. Share your score if you'd like. Happy with mine above!
3. Share your 3 favorites; So many amazing books but 3 I‘ll share for me were the tagged book, Pride and Prejudice, and Beloved.
4. Tag a few folks, @Ireadkidlit @The_Lost_Librarian @The.Book.Drunkard Thanks @Texreader for the tag!

Oof, this one tore out my heart and then put it back together. What happens when you meet your person and have the best date of your life and move across the country the next day? I fell so hard for these characters and Jimenez really put them through the wringer. She always does a great job exploring deeper themes and my goodness, she can write a story! amy first pool read of the season, highly recommend!

Dark, funny, steamy. Great way to end the series!

This short memoir was lovely and read by the author. Exploring his time as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bringley shares his story and that of his colleagues while also delving into art and its meaning and history. Felt a lot like a great conversation with a good friend. Highly recommend!

Wow! What an expansive, heartbreaking, informative, and thoughtful story. Immersing you in the story of a young nurse who goes to Vietnam to honor her brother and serve her country, it explores what veterans of this terrible war went through overseas and when they returned home. The unique POV of an army nurse was powerful and while it is tough to get through, I‘m so thankful to have read it. Amazing on #audio by Julia Whelan. Highly recommend!

So good! MacLean‘s first contemporary novel was fantastic! This sharp, sexy story follows an uber wealthy New England family through ups and downs, secrets and lies, family members that you love and hate. If you are a fan of Succession, You really need to check this one out! Releasing July 8th, I highly recommend this one, it is the perfect summer read!

Was this dark? Yes! But not as horror adjacent as the first in the series. I really liked these characters and how they both took care of and pushed each other. Can‘t wait for the third in the series! #Bookspin #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Starting to catch up on sleep and reading after an amazing Texas Library Association conference. We had 4800 librarians, authors, vendors, and volunteers in Dallas learning, connecting, and sharing their stories. And so many books, y‘all! Here are a the ones that came home with me 😍

After being gone for a week for my conference, so happy to finish my book, cuddled up with my dogs. I really enjoyed this romance about a couple, together since they were teens, finding their way back to each other. It explores tough themes like grief and loss, but really gets the balance right. Really enjoying this author!

Fascinating, a bit slow in places, but if you are a wine lover or interested in the history of wine, this book may be right for you. Following the wine tasting that changed the world of wine, this looks at the history of California wine and what happened when they beat the best French wines in France in 1976. I savored this one! #Doublespin #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Quirky and fascinating, I love experiencing the natural world through Sy Montgomery‘s eyes. This love letter to our most common avian friends was funny and interesting, made me smile, laugh, and think. Short too, about 2 hours on #audio and read by the author.

Solid historical, I love the setting in NYC during the gilded age. Strong characters, witty banter, and political machinations make this a fun ride!

Cute and fun, enjoyable on #audio. Not a fave but glad I gave it a try.

#BookspinBingo time! Bring it on, April. March is a crazy work month for me so I hope to play some catch up in April. @TheAromaofBooks

So good! Well written and great on #audio with both Cher and her long time friend reading it. Loved hearing about her backstory and the difficult lives of both her and her mom. I knew she had experienced a difficult upbringing but her mother‘s history was truly shocking.

This was just okay for me. The premise was promising, winter in Scotland, touring the Isle of Skye for a book with a l ada ape photographer that happens to be an ex, shenanigans ensue. I just wanted a little more intensity, both from the characters and the story. Maybe just not in the right mood? Released March 4.

This was so great! Exciting, and thought provoking with great characters that want to spend time with. Which is good, because this one is long! Could maybe have been a bit shorter but so good that I‘m not mad ☺️ Fun on #audio , Brown can really tell a story!

I really enjoyed this novella. Clever premise, compelling backstory, happy ending, all in a two hour read. What more could you want?

Loved the latest in this series! This couple is funny, frustrating, and so meant to be! Time is such a great small town to visit and get comfortable.

My birthday #bookhaul is a pretty good one! Checked out a new bookstore that opened in the Austin area, Flutter, which specializes in romance. It was quite lovely, though nearly an hour away so not sure how often I‘ll make the trek. All in all, a pretty great day!

This was amazing, I listened on #audio and it contained recordings from Ruth Bader Ginsberg herself, as well as chapters read by the fantastic Linda Lavin. I learned a bit, remembered some special moments, and mourned for both the person and the American hero that she was. So blessed to share a birthday with her!

Easy, breezy, a little cheesy but a whole lot of fun. Great read while work is a little crazy. It is always a good time in Sunrise Cove. Releasing in June of this year.

Hazelwood does it again. Steamy and fun with compelling characters going through it. Not for the faint of heart, especially if power dynamics aren‘t your thing. Not really mine but the high level aquatics competition setting was a big hit for me.

Delightfully funny, steamy, and full of hilarious family and four legged characters. Interesting premise of a single man who wants to be a dad and the surrogate who is willing to try to make his dream come true. My first by this author but it won‘t be my last. I throughly enjoyed getting lost in this one. Highly recommend! #netgalleygroup @AllDebooks

I‘m in awe of how Rainbow Rowell writes such singular characters-authentic, complicated, and quirky. She manages to make you forget you are reading fiction and makes you feel more like you are remembering the story of close friends. I loved this on #audio, didn‘t want to stop listening, and I can‘t wait to read it again. It is a romance, but different. It is a novel of patient friendship, and enduring love. So good!

The Librarians documentary film was absolutely amazing. We are all so blessed to have these heroes fighting for our children and marginalized communities to feel supported and safe while at the same time holding the line against censorship and fascism. I‘m honored to know so many of these patriotic librarians and hope that this film will bring their story to the broader public. It comes out maybe next year on PBS.

What a juicy, gossipy, and thrilling ride! I loved stepping into the ice dancing world with all the intrigue, personalities, and drama. Complicated characters making passionate and often poor decisions in a wonderfully specific space and time made for a book that was really hard to put down. Released in January, I suspect we‘ll be hearing a lot about this one and oh how I‘d love to see it as a series :) So good!

Thought provoking, riveting, and a little infuriating, I didn‘t want to stop listening. An interesting take on consumerism, fame, and success, I‘ll be thinking about this one for awhile.

Loved the idea someone else was doing for their #BookspinBingo list this month. Should be fun for my birthday month!

This lovely novel examining grief, love, and finding one's purpose is so good! Memorable, funny, and heartbreakingly sad in others, Bastone's latest doesn't disappoint. It feels authentic and effortless and doesn't shy away from real problems; you can't help but keep reading to see what happens next. Releasing on March 4, you'll want to pick this one up if you like layered romance that goes a little deeper and makes you reach for the tissues.

An amazing fairytale retelling filled with gorgeous prose, deeply drawn characters, and a story that sticks with you. So good!

Sad, compelling, full of sisterly love, competition, and disappointment. Content warnings for addition, child abuse, and suicide.

So happy to read this while available on #netgalley for 72 hours. Funny, challenging, and steamy, this enemies to lovers had it all. Eddings is such a gifted writer, managing to weave deeper themes into the story that make it so satisfying. Highly recommend! Releases August 4th.

While on a work trip last week, I stopped at a wonderful indie bookstore in Waco, Texas called Fabled. I will definitely stop in again!

I love a B.K. Borison book and this was no exception. Funny, charming, and full of author characters, I laughed and cried while watching Aiden and Lucie fall for each other. A perfect example of why we love romance, this one will stick with me!

Mouth watering, fascinating, a chef‘s kiss of a memoir. I loved hearing about Ripert‘s growing up in his mother‘s kitchen, live of restaurants from a young age, and his early training in french kitchens. This one will make you hungry! Great on #audio