This was so cool! I appreciated the clever twists to the short stories and the overarching story. Nothing was as it seemed at first! I started this a few years ago and bailed within the first chapter, but I‘m so glad I picked it up again and started fresh.

Does anyone have a suggestion of a mystery like this that plays with the conventions a bit? The book within a book format was fun.

I found this really amusing and fun to read. I listened to the first 2/3 as an audio book and the narration was excellent. I really chuckled at all the silliness and nods to Jane Austen. Beatrice was a great character!

Thanks for the recommendation, @BennettBookworm ! This was a really well done book about a girl experiencing homelessness and navigating her relationships with family and friends. Educators would definitely benefit from reading this.

Hard to read with Tori‘s (and the other characters‘) depression, but I‘m glad I did. This was originally published in 2014, and reading the present day interview with the author at the end of the book was really eye-opening. The tone is very YA and also introduces characters that appear in Heartstopper.

This was a true delight. It reminded me of The House in the Cerulean Sea with charming characters, warm friendships, a bit of queer romance and a magical world. I don‘t read fantasy or cozies usually, but this was one of my favorite books of the year! I highly recommend the audiobook which is performed quite masterfully by the author. 💗💗💗💗💗

… Huh. I‘m not sure what to make of this one. I guess I‘m not sure what all the hype was about?

Super excited for November #bookspinbingo! I should have more reading time than last month. Here is my list!

I hadn‘t heard of this book prior to #botm choosing it this month, but it looks fun! I was really close to choosing Again and Again, but it‘s been a stressful month and I‘m much more in the mood for a sweet romance than a deep emotional journey, so I went with my gut. This was my 12th BOTM box which means I‘m a “BFF” now. 😋 I get a tote!

This was a fast-paced book where I thought the build up was better than the resolution. A soft Pick for me.

This was really well done! Sort of like Liane Moriarty in that it‘s neighbors who are all in each others‘ business and connected in ways known and hidden. Lots of misdirection and twists. I would recommend it!

I don‘t think I‘ve ever read a Sally Hepworth book that I didn‘t like!

Thanks so much for this trio of #book2book books, @Catsandbooks ! I really appreciate it and I‘m so excited to dive in! Fitz is excited too. 😋

Thanks to @AllDebooks for organizing (and my books are going to go out this week!).

Ok, here is my October 2023 #bookspin #bookspinbingo list! It feels like a good mix of books I own and library borrows as well as print and audio. I can‘t do all one genre at a time, so I‘m not planning for more spooky reads than usual.

Of course, October is my busiest work month so a lot of “free” time will be eaten up by that. But let‘s see how many books I can do…

I‘m giving this one a So-So. It started off promising, but the further it got the less I cared. The ending felt anticlimactic, like the author thought he was revealing a surprise but I didn‘t get it. Hmm. I‘m definitely not in a great mindset this week, so it‘s totally possible that this is more about that and less about the book. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#BOTM October books are up!!!! But disappointingly I don‘t think I‘m interested in any. ☹️ What catches your eye?
Wellness
Starling House
The Leftover Woman
When I‘m Dead
The Unmaking of June Farrow
The Unsettled

Four stars for this thriller about a cop who is tempted to become crooked to protect her daughter. I was definitely surprised a lot by the plot developments and there were surprises unfolding until the final pages. I still liked her previous book better- Wrong Place Wrong Time- but this was very good too!

Here is a picture of me reading with all 3 cats!

This was a very sweet romance story with the cool setting of a family-owned flower shop. Nothing earth shattering but definitely what I hoped it would be from the cover: a cute, light read. 💗

Fitz, who has been my reading buddy for several hours, is taking his cue from the title and dreaming on!

Wow… Just wow. I thought I had it figured out so many times at the end and I was dead wrong. This book was excellent on audio as well as in print (I did half and half). A really clever thriller!

This book seems right up my alley but it just isn‘t working for me. After about 90 pages I‘m bailing. I‘m disappointed but yeah, I‘m just not enjoying the reading experience. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was nostalgic and warm and melancholy all at the same time. It made me feel sad but also happy? Understated and simply written, this book seemed very different from Stead‘s previous books (which I love), almost like a fable. If I still taught middle school English or even elementary school I‘d want this in my classroom. 💗

I borrowed this from the library in print and in audio and read the combination of forms over the weekend. The narrator was particularly good. Most of it was really good but I do agree with other Littens that the ending (maybe the last quarter or so) let it down. But still a fast read that I more or less enjoyed. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was a fun audiobook listen! It was fast paced and I liked the narrator. Certainly not a deep book but I enjoyed it. I also borrowed it in print from the library but mostly did the audio while driving and walking.

I tried this as an audiobook but I‘m not enjoying it after a few hours. The narrator and/or the main character are really whiny and annoying to me. Oh well! 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was so odd but in a great way. 💗 Not what I was expecting but I‘m glad I read it. I might even want to read it again some time!

#book2book This is my fourth and final post of books! If you signed up for this swap, please comment below with the name of any books you want. I‘ll have a drawing on 9/20 if there are multiple requests for the same book.

#book2book If you signed up to be in this initial book swap group, leave a comment with the name of any books you want! I‘ll do a drawing on 9/20 if there are multiple requests. Thanks!

#booktobook If you signed up to be in this initial book swap group, please leave a comment below with the name of any books you want! I‘ll do a drawing on 9/20 if there are multiple requests. Thanks!

#book2book If you signed up to be in this initial book swap group, please leave a comment with the name of any book(s) you‘re interested in! I‘ll do a drawing on 9/20 for any books that have more than one request. Enjoy!

Nope, this one did not do it for me. I generally like middle grade books, especially ones with nerdy characters, but in this one I just found the main character really annoying. Nerdy in a not endearing way. And the relationships between the kids and adults felt off. Oh well!

Five stars for my first read of September! This is the 5th book in the series and you kind of have to read the preceding ones to fully appreciate it. I‘ve liked all of them!

Here is my wrap up from August‘s #bookspinbingo board! Favorite was the tagged book. I managed one bingo this month and 11 total books. A lot of so-so ratings from me, so I‘m hoping for all Picks next month! As usual, I did not read the bookspin or doublespin books; I‘ve learned I don‘t like being “told” what to read, even if I myself put that book on the list a few days before. 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

I‘m pretty close to the end of the tagged book (which I‘m loving- why did I wait a year to read it??), but I won‘t be done today. Time to post my September #bookspin list! I‘m feeling excited about all the ones listed and hoping the start of the school year (where I work) doesn‘t cramp my reading style too much. 😋

I wasn‘t that excited about the September #botm books but I appreciate that they let me choose a member favorite instead! I‘m going with the tagged book. The reviews are really positive! This box is my 11th so after my next one I become a “BFF” and get the tote bag and some different extras. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This was a romance/friend group/city to countryside story. It‘s between a Pick and a So-So to me because although parts of the book were charming, the main character often annoyed me. I truly liked a lot of the side characters, though, and I wish I got to know them better. The concept of buying a fixer upper in the country with your best friends and totally shaking up your life is fun to daydream about. Mixed feelings but not a bad book. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This graphic novel about losing a parent to cancer was heartfelt, vulnerable, and even at times humorous. I really feel like I got to know the author and her family, especially her awesome mom. Shows a lot about what grief can look like. I definitely recommend it.

What an odd but cute graphic novel about a high school lesbian love triangle! It‘s a soft pick for me because of one really annoying character, and I also would have appreciated more background on some of the main characters, but it was a fun read nonetheless. My favorite scene was at a renaissance faire! I liked the growth we saw as the friends realized who they were as kids and who they wanted to become after high school.

So very sweet and just what I needed to read tonight. All the hearts for this novella! 💗💗💗💗💗

Pictured with a cat, as 97% of my book pictures are. 😋

A definite Pick for me, enthusiastically! I know there have been mixed feelings on this one, but I liked the originality of the plot, the quirky storytelling style of the protagonist Mia, the cultural and linguistic musings, the mystery element, the disability rep, and the family relationships. I‘ll be recommending this widely so I‘m glad I own it through #botm!

Oooh, this was excellent! A satisfying twisty tale about a mother and the lengths she goes to to protect her daughter. The book is told from alternating POVs. Highly recommend!

This was a simple, quiet short story about a girl from a large family living with very kind relatives for a short time. I understand the praise it‘s gotten, but I think this just isn‘t my genre; I wanted to know a lot more. At some points I felt like I was missing some greater point that other readers picked up on.

I have loved Acevedo‘s previous books, but this one fell short for me. The structure of the book, including some weird layout choices, didn‘t work for me. It felt disjointed. I did like the sisters and hearing about their histories and special abilities. I felt there was an overemphasis on sex that I personally didn‘t enjoy reading. The ending felt rushed. Overall I was disappointed.

This one was recommended to me but I didn‘t enjoy it very much. It was truly just about revenge killings, although the academic setting made me think I‘d be more interested.

I‘m glad I read this, because I‘d love to see more genderqueer and questioning protagonists. The setting of the arts scene in NYC in the early 2000s got my attention. There were several interesting central and side characters. It‘s not a new favorite book, but it gets a soft Pick from me.

I started this while on vacation. What a great view for reading (missing it already)!

@BennettBookworm and I had a lovely trip to Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA the other day. I LOVE that place and if I still lived in the area I would be there a lot. I bought these 5 books, and the tagged book was STRONGLY recommended by the store owners. It hadn‘t been on my radar at all through Litsy but it looks great! I‘m really excited about all of these, honestly. Too bad work picks up again in August! 😬

Any ones that you‘ve read??

Ready to post my August #boookspin list! This is a mix of owned books and library books including lots of this summer‘s new releases. Let the summer reading continue! Excited to make my #bookspinbingo board this week. 💗

As soon as the #botm site fiiiiiiinally posted the August books this morning, @BennettBookworm and I went through all the choices. I‘m excited about my choice: Happiness Falls! I loved Miracle Creek! I will say that several of the picks and add-ons are ones I‘ll read but they will be library borrows: Family Lore, Gone Tonight, the Lisa Jewell, the Gillian Macallister, maybe even the memoir. Good choices this month, I think!

A local community theater is putting on On Golden Pond, and I‘m thinking about auditioning for it. I‘ve never seen it so I borrowed the play from the library and read it. It seems… fine? I‘m sure it‘s moving to see it performed. The script is definitely subtle. I think reading it made me less excited to audition, but we‘ll see.

I‘m calling it: this one looks perfect for me but is just not enjoyable to read. I‘ve started it twice and I just find it tedious. The main character is so cringey and also there‘s so much vulgarity in it that just isn‘t my style. Again, a queer love story with anxiety rep and the setting of a British baking competition SOUNDS like my ideal read, but maybe Alexis Hall isn‘t my cup of tea. Oh well! I tried.

This book was so absorbing! I absolutely should have been doing work but instead I just kept reading and reading this. I really appreciated the portrayals of different kinds of love and people trying to figure out where they fit into the spectrum of sexuality and romance. Wonderful characters!

As a bonus, I was already at the library so I can return it on my way out and let someone else discover it. 💗

Good one! This book was more like a domestic mystery than a thriller, and I liked the central relationship between Sienna and Julia, who are sisters-in-law, business partners and best friends. The central story is that their brother/husband is in a coma (not a spoiler) after an accident as they try to unravel whether he was involved in a crime. It definitely held my attention! I would have liked more about Julia‘s relationship with her teen son.