StoryGraph wrap up for February! I‘m one book behind on my challenge but that‘s okay. I can catch up!

I should add progress that I do when I read but I don‘t bother so the graph of reading says just marks the end lol. So spiky.

Not surprised Murderbot is the top read, really enjoying that series. And Isaac‘s song was good but not as good as Don‘t Cry for Me.

Here‘s to March! Happy reading everyone!

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I had high hopes for this as I loved Black Cake, but I was kind of frustrated with it and coincidences that kept happening.

It‘s not really my kind of book, I prefer heavier literary fiction and science fiction over historical fiction and romantic storylines, but I did enjoy the historical parts more than the modern day parts.

The book is about a jar made by an enslaved potter, a murder, and a wedding that doesn‘t go to plan.

#botm

Oh my god, it‘s a glitch but it certainly feels like my TBR is this long!!

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Low pick for me, I was annoyed at the chapters narrated by the octopus and I guess I dislike knowing things the characters have yet to figure out. It seemed very obvious to me what was going to happen even from the start.

Still, I was enjoying it more than the other book I‘m reading so that pushes it more into the pick category I guess?

Have you ever watched a movie then really wanted to read the book?

Watched Divergent last night and really enjoyed it! I think it would be up my alley. Has anyone read it? I know I‘m late to the party haha.

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Just what I needed to help motivate me to make my space work for myself and to help remove the shame around having a “messy” house or not keeping it clean enough 100% of the time, which makes me feel like a failure.

Short and fast paced. Recommended to me by a non-litsy friend.

#catsoflitsy Hazel being my reading buddy

My latest knitting project finally cast off!

#litsycrafters

More Hazel trying to get my attention!

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Loved this MurderBot story! Lots of fast paced action, emotion, and sarcasm. What a great series, already placed a hold for the next one at the library.

Counting Murderbot as asexual for #lgbtbookbingo2025. @Kenyazero

#catsoflitsy

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I think my hopes were a little too high for this one after reading Don‘t Cry for Me, by the same author, but I enjoyed hearing Isaac‘s point of view.

Overall a good book and not necessary to read the first to follow the story.

#BlackHistoryMonth
#lgbtqbookbingo2025
#BOTM

Apparently it‘s not reading time! It‘s attention for Hazel time!

#catsoflitsy
#littenkitten

#WhereAreYouMonday

I‘m in Chicago in the 80‘s. Reading this after I loved Don‘t cry for Me by the same author. So far it‘s good! I hope my high hopes don‘t let me down.

#BOTM

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Really interesting story of the world‘s most prolific art thief - who doesn‘t steal for financial gain but rather for being able to possess the beauty of the works himself. A deep dive into his psychology, relationships, and crimes.

I kept falling asleep when trying to read this at the beginning so I‘m making this as a 3.75 instead of a 4. I think I‘m just super exhausted right now though.

Read for #sharreadathon

Starting this today. Been a little behind on reading as I look for a new job. Stress has been a little high.

And yes my Christmas tree is still up 😂

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Finished this for #ohcanada a few days ago and forgot to update.

Amazing book looking into the effects and horrors of residential schools and treatment of #indigenous Canadians. Told as the story of a young boy, Saul Indian Horse, as he grows up.

Really interesting insight. Be prepared if you don‘t understand hockey to read a lot about it. I think it would be fine if you don‘t know a lot but as a fan this was a bonus for me.

#canada

« I couldn‘t run the risk of someone knowing me, because I couldn‘t take the risk of knowing myself »

#ohcanada #canada #indigenous #ojibwe

I finished one more since this was sent to me so 52 books this year!

Tagged was my favourite, I think. It‘s hard to pick!

#goodreadsyearinbooks

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Fun lighthearted read about a little free library, a book ban, and a town in Georgia where hate begins to take hold.

Book number 52 this year!

#10beforetheend

Reading with my lapcat Hazel. Just started this today!

#catsoflitsy

@Texreader posted this today!

I‘m so excited I really want to read this!

It‘s my birthday month!! Yay free book!

I went for Andromeda because the subject matter sounds interesting - about a publishing house, and for Isaac‘s song because Daniel Blacks earlier BOTM book Don‘t Cry for Me was my favourite read of 2022. So moving it made me cry!

#botm

« Damaged women? We don‘t think we deserve kindness. »

I felt this deep down. I used to have trouble accepting kindness from people, I felt I didn‘t deserve it and if I admitted to how much I needed help I‘d have to admit I‘m weak and a failure. It was a terrifying prospect. Therapy helped so much with this, but oh boy does this ring true.

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Moving lyrical memoir by a woman who was a competitive swimmer. Streaks of self destruction and glimmers of hope as she pursues a career as a writer. I could relate to the story a lot, having been a competitive gymnast and going through my own self destructive phases.

Very good read and glad I requested it for the #jolabokaflodswap!

Tigger warnings: substance abuse, child abuse, death of a child.

Wahoo! I finished my #lgbtqbookbingo card!

#lgbtqbookbingo2024
#lgbtq2024
@Kenyazero

Bought myself this while in Quebec!

I‘ve been trying to read more indigenous authors and haven‘t read any québécois ones yet (lots of Ontario because that‘s where I‘m from though).

Excited to get to this.

I was going to do a book haul post for what I got for Christmas but I didn‘t get any books! 😳

I think people don‘t know what to buy because I‘m reading so much. Still, I‘m glad I did #jolabokaflodswap this year so at least I got one book!

So here‘s some deer instead 🦌

Here‘s my book from the #jolabokaflodswap!! I had completely forgotten what I‘d requested so it was a lovely surprise!! Thank you @MittenGirlPeach

Starting this now, Christmas morning because I fell asleep super early last night. Whoops.

@MaleficentBookDragon

Getting in some Après Ski yesterday at the Sans Sabots Spa in Mont Tremblant, Québéc.

This is (from bottom up): hot tub, infinity pool, Lac Tremblant.

Very excited for #jolabokaflod tonight!!!

So I absolutely destroyed my reading challenge this year hitting 2x my goal!

Not the most I‘ve ever read but a respectable amount. Going to see how much I can get through this week and increase that number.

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Love the murderbot series! Absolutely brilliant, gritty and unusual in a way that really interests me. This was a novella and a quick read. Getting me closer to my ultimate year goal.

#10beforetheend and tagged with #lgbtqia for non-binary characters, but would you say murderbot is asexual??

#lgbtqbookbingo2024
@Kenyazero

My #jolabokaflodswap package is here! Thank you so much @MittenGirlPeach !!

Thanks for sending it wrapped, I‘m leaving tomorrow to see my family in Canada and packing a box wasn‘t going to happen lol

@MaleficentBookDragon #js2024

#midwintersolace #litsolace

Brooklyn botanic garden does a Lightscape winter walk at night for a couple months every year. I love going and getting some hot chocolate (with baileys!) and wandering the exhibits.

I‘m a member and like doing walks around there any season tbh, it‘s so close to my apartment.

@TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit

DNF

I loved the show and tried this on audiobook but I think my issue is that audiobooks are not for me. I will consider reading it in the future but damn it‘s hard to follow when someone is reading to me.

I kept falling asleep or losing my place and had to rewind but didn‘t know where I‘d lost track. It‘s been months and I‘m admiting defeat.

This is the third audiobook I‘ve tried and all of them haven‘t really been for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Package mailed!!

@MaleficentBookDragon

#jolabokaflodswap #js2024

Needles by Brian Bilston

#poetrymatters

Well…. It lasted 5 minutes before the cats knocked it over 😹

#catsoflitsy
#littenkitten

StoryGraph November wrap up!

Short books because I was really sick. 🤒 glad to say the pneumonia is gone!!! I‘m still tired and coughing a little but I‘m way better and back at work.

Fingers crossed my person for #jolabokaflodswap24 sees this!

I will be flying to Canada for Christmas and need to pack light so I‘m going to need to open the box prior to Christmas Eve. Please wrap my book if you can! If not no worries though.

Thanks!

#JS2024

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Interesting atmospheric novel about a soon to retire school teacher and one of his former pupils turned famous artist. Set in Paris and translated from French. I kept thinking something different would happen, or that anything at all would happen, but that‘s not this type of book. It‘s more meandering and focused on the life and emotions of the teacher.

Interesting read nevertheless, not as good as the 6:41 to Paris.

#10BeforeTheEnd

Oh wow only 3!! Lots on my TBR though.

This is the New York Times notable list of 100 books (fiction and non-fiction). Link in the comments.

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Excellent, but I kept falling asleep while reading the beginning (still sick). I can‘t tell if I was bored or the start was slow or if I was just still too sick to read. Worth persevering for the ending.

An LGBTQIA classic published in 1956, about an American living in Paris coming to terms with his homosexuality. His girlfriend Hella is on an extended vacation to Spain, when he meets Giovanni.

#LGBTQBookBingo2024
#10beforetheend

Well, I have pneumonia. 🤒

Have been feeling really under the weather and unable to read for about two weeks. I got slightly worse this morning and went back to the doctor for x rays and yup - bilateral pneumonia.

Fingers crossed all these meds help and I‘m back to work and reading soon.

October wrap up from StoryGraph.

November is going to be much slower. I am travelling a lot and just came back from a conference really sick 🤒 it sucks. I can‘t concentrate to read.

Rapid tested for both Covid and flu, because this feels like the flu (although I did get my vaccine), I was wondering if this was a different strain. Negative for both. Day off today to Veterans Day but I‘ll have to take more time off this week I think.

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Soft pick. Targeted at straight couples but there was some interesting bits I got out of this as a single queer woman.

IFS is all about finding the parts of you that are hurt from previous experiences and the protector parts that defend them. It works to calm the protectors and soothe the hurt parts to facilitate better communication with your partner.

Recommended by my therapist, I think it was worth a read.

#10beforetheend

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Great debut novel set in a slightly dystopian world where you get another shadow if you are convicted of a crime or hurt someone. Shadesters have reduced rights, wish extra time for healthcare and pay more for everything.

Kris (a shadester) and Beau (a NoShad), a lesbian couple, have a baby with a sperm donor and Beau dies during the birth. Kris and is left to raise the baby, who has a second shadow, on her own.

#lgbtbookbingo2024

“Had she been paying attention, she would have known it hadn‘t happened overnight, that it took a million tiny stabs to bleed democracy dry.”

That hit home a little too hard.

US friends, please VOTE!! I cannot as I‘m here on a visa but I‘m very concerned about the future of the country.

#hyggehourreadathon (from last night!).

I started this book about grief. It was on my StoryGraph recommendations and I plowed through about a third of it yesterday.

Beautifully written and devastating depiction of losing your wife at a vulnerable time, during childbirth. The main character struggles as a new mother, alone.

It‘s got a dystopian flavour, and is lgbtqia. Definitely up my alley, thanks StoryGraph algorithm.

#lgbtqbookbingo2024

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Love this series! It‘s so cute and heartwarming. A great prequel, even if I knew exactly what was going to happen.

Before Legends & Lattes, Viv the orc is flighting with the Ravens against a fearsome necromancer and is injured in the battle. This is the story of her convalescence and maybe of a few fights along the way.

Worth a read if you like cosy fantasy with lgbtqia themes.

#lgbtqbookbingo2024
@Kenyazero

Oooo!

So tempted but I got a kindle Paperwhite in 2021 and it still works great.

Also the price tag 😱 $279.99!

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I think this is an important book, the messy emotions and queer family structure highlighted are all true, but I struggled with it a bit. Accepting the decisions the three of them had come to was … I didn‘t really believe it.

I saw myself a lot in Ames, their trauma, struggles with dissociation. It was hard to sit with and see on the page. I‘m not trans, but as a queer person I struggled a lot.

#readyoukindle
#lgbtqbookbingo2024

Sat inside Book Trader Cafe for a bit in this glass portion and read my kindle. Feel a little silly reading a kindle in a bookstore but no one seemed to mind!