I think I have given this author so many tries. I am probably not his audience, I try to like his writing. Most of the books I have read of his have been 3 stars, which for me is ok, but nothing memorable. This one was a small bit below that. I cared more about the preacher, than the vampire Native American, which I don‘t think that‘s the point. Once I start to dread picking up a book then it is time to put it down.

Finally finished reading a book this month! A great 1980‘s horror road trip.

June 2025 Reads: 8 books. Mostly thrillers that are tense and mysterious. I really liked Old Man‘s War. My least favorite was Polybius.

My spot for the weekend.

This is my first read by Julie Clark, and I loved it. A ghostwriter is hired by her father to write about the killings of his siblings. Did he murder them? Twists and turns that make you second guess yourself.

This is a hilarious science fiction story. Do you want to join the army knowing that you could possibly live a younger life?

May reads: 7 tense reads this month. Usually this month is my highest of the year, but due to my focus on my physical and mental health and a very busy time at work, it‘s a little low. Don‘t think I will make my yearly reading goals.
My favorite read has to be The Dream Hotel.

Anyone‘s book life this crazy?

I have started my weight loss journey, so I have made up my mind to abandon a lot of my reading challenges to lessen the stress of getting everything done.

Would you get an implant that would help you sleep? What if it tracked your dreams and rated you on your actions? What if your rating landed you in jail?

I would say a 4 star. It was exciting and horrifying. Cousin‘s from a women‘s cult are separated and years later are reunited. Crazy things start to happen in one of their lives and the other seems to always be her savior, at what price?

This series continues with the recently reunited family going on a trip to the Alps. Some one is leaving notes stating they know what happened at the Christmas party. Someone is found dead. And a surprise guest shows up.

What would you do if you found out that you were still married to one of the richest people in America, and there is a possibility that you were about to get a lot of money? One catch…you have to pretend that you have been married for years at a destination wedding.

April reads: 9 great books! Favorite was American Rapture. Least favorite was Splinter Effect.

May‘s #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

It was good at times and other times cheesy. Spicy! Maybe a little long and repetitive at times.

This read of a Korean American student that is having issues with racist men and the desire to eat their eyeballs.

Really enjoyed this retelling of Tom Sawyer, through the eyes of Jim.

March Reads: I read 7 books. I‘m 3 books behind my yearly goal. My favorite read was Leave no Trace. It has a robocop. My least favorite was Blighted Stars. Reprinted people is crazy.

I‘m so behind on my challenges, which is causing a crazy High priority TBR. Stars are kindle books. Others are physical.

#bookspin April list @TheAromaofBooks

Unhauls for March: the lonely hearts book club, a short story collection, and we were never here.
This year I am unhauling books per month. This month is 3 and next month I will be unhauling 4. I am hoping that this will help me with better book buying and reading.

You are picked to be a part of a survival reality show with 7 strangers. At the end of the year you are to be on the island, no one comes to get you and the two camera crew you are with are dead. What would you do? Very interesting and love the characters.

This is a story of a group of people exploring planets for resources. Instead of dying you get reprinted. Apparently the printer in space can make misprints of people! Weird!

This is another Canadian character that is a writer, that receives really bad reviews for her debut novel. Soon, she starts to receive harassing calls and messages. She tries desperately to look for who is doing this to her. But things get worse and personal.

I loved the whole IA robocop. I did not know that it was a part of a series, so will be going back and reading the other books.

This is a story of women accused of murdering her wealthy husband. It alludes the reader into thinking that she has killed before. It kind of bounces between what happened in the past and now. Really liked the setting in Canada.

It has been a while since I read the original series. I might have read it before starting this one as a refresher, even though this story takes place 75 years later. Not sure if I will continue.

This is a creapy, gotesque, occultist read. People start to see a doppelgänger of themselves or someone they know. Then the double start to interfere with the original‘s life. I had to stop for a few minutes every two or three chapters to digest what I had written. It‘s so descriptive that I almost had to put it in the freezer scary.

February Reads: You would think with how the weather was this month I would have read more. 7 enjoyable books. I would say my real favorite would be My Darling Boy, and my least favorite was House of Glass.

March TBR: I unhauled Ice like fire and Horns because they have been on my shelves the longest and I have not picked them up to read. I am adding Memorials for #bookspin and we were never here, the completionists, and the lonely hearts book club for #roll100. I have numerous kindle reads for my TBR not pictured.

My March #bookspin list. @TheAromaofBooks

On the way to a guided trip in the woods, a tree has fallen due to a winter storm. The guests find a cabin and then one by one each is found without their heads. It was beautifully twisty and turny.

This is a near future story about a woman that had escaped a cult and was living in the woods. She comes home to find her husband dead and her daughter missing. She goes to look for them. Meanwhile the police are looking for her. There are fires everywhere, birds falling from the sky. Could this be the end times? Could the daughter be the beginning of the end?

#litsyauthoramonth I enjoyed this read. As a woman that struggles with my weight, it was nice to hear about someone else‘s experiences. I am not really sure on the why of my struggle, maybe control, stress, or boredom, or a combination of those.

My Darling Boy is a tense, emotional thriller that dives deep into friendship, guilt, and revenge.

Alice and Christy were best friends, so naturally so we're their sons, Leo and Robbie. Until one New Years eve when Leo ends up murdering Robbie. Leo is sent to prison and is released two years early for good behavior. When his mom eagerly arrives at the prison to pick him up, Leo has been released early and no where to be found.

This was an interesting idea. An advocate for a mute kid whose parents are getting a divorce after their nanny is killed. Was it the mute child? And what is going on with the grandmother?

My February TBR. Icebreaker is my #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks . Looks like not a lot of knitting unless I can find the audio of some of these on Libby.

Xmas gift card book haul.

January 2025 Reads: 11 books. Most favorite was Incidents Around The House. Loved the audio with the kid narrator voice. Not so into Ordinary Human Failings.

This was a crappy story of a little kid being followed by a demon.

February #bookspin list. Mostly made up of books to be finished or series to be finished. @TheAromaofBooks

A preschool teacher is killed and the kids drink blood. Who did it? Really funny and entertaining. Read for a Facebook group.

I can‘t believe that it‘s time to think about February TBR! I am still reading my #Roll100 for January. I am DNFing one from January, The Young Widower‘s Handbook, since it has been on my shelf a while and did not pick it as my next physical read. For February, my picks are The Teacher, The Maze Cutter, and Ice Like Fire. @PuddleJumper

This was a very creepy read. Love the characters and descriptions

This is a thrilling read with family secrets and a glitzy setting. Erin hasn‘t seen her family in 10 years and is looking for a reunion at her Christmas Party, but one thing, a dead body is found at the end of the night.

n this second book, Beth‘s adventures continue, and we get to know the characters and setting of Benedict even more. In this installment, dead bodies, mysterious satellite residents of town, and mute children are popping up all over the place. I found the mystery less compelling this time

This is not an authoritarian creed on the evils of smartphones. What this book addresses is the next seemingly obvious question - if you detox from screens, how are you entertaining yourself? You probably don't have a great answer and neither did I. This is one reason kids refuse to leave their screens. This is at the core of why adults are often worse than kids with their screen addictions. People just don't know what to do with their free time.

I absolutely love the feel and atmosphere of this book! I love the gothic, historical fiction feel. I also found it to be quite confusing. I do love Ruby Vaughn's character and had a great time reading this. enjoyed this! I did not realize it was the second in a series, and I do think the first book would have helped this one make more sense. I will definitely go back and get caught up!

I read this one for #bookspin. It‘s on the shortlist for #tournamentofbooks. It is an interesting story of a teenage alien in the 1990s and early 2000s, learning to be human.