I don‘t know if anything scares me more than the abuse of the human mind through the bastardization of religion so accounts like this are hard for me. I never watched of One Tree Hill during its 9-yr run and when I saw this cover thought - ohh fun, a memoir from an Hallmark actress🤣

I followed figure skating religiously for 30+ years and can‘t name why I quit keeping up with it in the 2010s. This fictional retelling brought me right back to all that drama, and I loved my stereo experience of printed word and full-cast audio. If you are reading and think Ellis is giving you Johnny Weir feels - good call as Johnny narrates Ellis in the audio😀

I seem to be a heat-seeking missile toward sketchy author plots. (In fact, I should pull my index cards to see which ranks as my favorite!). This one was giving my SK Misery vibes then went in a direction I surely didn‘t see coming. I found it very entertaining. I did have to do a quick review of the first 14 chapters🤣

This is my second Matt Haig book. The fantastical nature of this book is lighter and more hopeful than the twists and turns of the Midnight Library. It‘s always fun to read a septuagenarian find a new lease on life.

My immediate reaction to this book was quit now - a mother paying a dude to act as her daughter‘s father for one afternoon a week for 8 years - nah. Those thoughts were so immediate that I kept reading to consider my visceral reaction. Almost just as quickly I came to like and sympathize with this MC and his logic as a man hired (non-sexually) to act the part of whatever his client needed. I believe it ended as it should have.

This book hooked me because octopus, but there‘s little to justify the title. I didn‘t dislike it except the premise made no sense. Two BFFs leave Toronto to uni in Scotland. Why there - so MC, Pen, can research the origins of her boyish middle name. Weak😜 While the bff storyline remains at university, Pen‘s is split between college life (how embarrassing to be a virgin) and her connection to the grand estate of Lord Elliot Lennox.

This memoir was a BOTM add-on. I didn‘t choose it but picked up the readily available audio. I‘ve never followed YouTube channels so never knew of the Franke family or the Vlog, 8 Passengers, until reading this book. I wish it were illegal to include minors in reality entertainment. Too often the reality of those minors is so different than what the audience sees. I hope Shari can make a difference for minor children living two realities.

I liked this, it provided the sense of war for 1937 Chinese students searching safety in the interior of their country while invaded by Japan. I‘m fascinated by Chinese lores so the effort to save volumes of legendary tales fascinated me. The touch of magical realism brought those lores to life. …That said, the storytelling was a bit simplistic for the horrors of war.

Jan #BookSpin Cat:Across an Ocean @TheAromaofBooks

Why is hauling-the-disguised-dead-body-all-around-town-trope so funny? I don‘t know, but sometimes dark humor is just the ticket for an entertaining read. Also, having a best friend old enough to be your mother adds to the charm. The hauling aspect lasted for half the book and the second half finagles a path through the aftermath. There were a few repetitive moments, but overall, it was a fun story.

I‘m very content with my first grid of 2025 because even a 4.5 breaks down to a A- with my subjective logic. Next Dec I believe I‘ll be including the tagged when posting about my favorite reads of the year.

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

It‘s such an honor to grow gracefully old with your spouse of 70 years. It‘s also impossible that grace would define every aspect of a marriage, a family, a life. This book does a lovely job of honoring an ordinary couple navigating that marriage together.

I had to experience his memoir on audio with audiotapes from Lisa Marie augmented with perspective from Riley. It‘s the later that made everything about this feel incredibly genuine. It‘s a beautiful tribute from an eldest child for her deceased mother and if there‘s a way, I‘m sure Lisa Marie is incredibly proud of the work she began and the final product completed by Riley.

I know, I‘m a grandmother now, but I still can‘t resist a thriller of moms of wee ones coveting the possessions of their ‘friends‘ and behaving badly. …It reminds when I was an overwhelmed working mom and would step out my back door to a slightly raised wood deck for my daily jump rope routine. Over the valley was the coveted neighborhood of very wealthy homes and I‘d imagine my surely easy life had I lived in that neighborhood - silly me.

Well, of course, as soon as I return Book2, Libby drops Book1 to complete my reverse series experience. This was my favorite of the 3 books since this story kept-it-in-their-pants (mostly) and focused on character development. It was fun to read the MCs for books 2&3 introduced as supporting character here. But poor Lucy, I feel she needs a .05 book so she can provide her perspective and I can keep reading this series in reverse!👇

Kudos to JP for this story in reverse accounting for many perspectives on the topic of abortion. …I strongly believe in the separation of church and state - a freedom of and/or from religion. I carry a faith personal (no proselytizing from me) so books like this are hard for me to read since a meaningful discussion about abortion sans someone else‘s religious take is near impossible.

Jan ‘25 #DoubleSpin Cat: Pub 2016-19

There was an obvious nod to PS I Love You in title and correspondence (received from the posthumous giver) setting up challenges for a year, but beyond that the story differed. I enjoyed it even with the early recognition that Maddie, the FMC, seriously needed therapy to resolve her childhood rearing as well as the manner in which her high school crash played out.

I put this series on hold in November and of course they are dropping in 3-2-1 sequence 😜 I liked the storyline with the HEA romance between Hazel and Noah as they uncover the mystery of marred books her shop but thought Noah‘s personal issues could have been more credible if he was written older than 25. My issue was I became bored of the lengthy focus on spice (and constant gushy inarticulated feelings) and wanted to get back to story.

This cover gave me Margo‘s GMP vibes so I jumped in without knowing more about the story. At the onset, we see Emma is a year sober after a crazy decade of sex, drugs and alcohol. Can she stay sober after earning that one year pin at AA? I really liked how this outlined just how easy it is for so many situations to pull an addict back to a dark place, how strong they have to be to overcome and how important community is to their success.

Well 💩, this was terrifying. Required reading if you dare. But holy 💩!

in 2024 I covered myself with 272 books. Years back on Litsy I bemoaned my inability to retain all I read. I paraphrase a Litten response - Like eating I read to live. I don‘t remember every meal I ate this year, and I don‘t recall every book read. But the great ones, oh boy, do I remember those! …So, it‘s like that - along with spoilers and my subjective ratings on the backside of every #indexcard pictured! Happy 2025 you gorgeous Littens!

Last batch of entries for my 2024 #indexcard collection before I throw all 12 months into a single pile for the annual pic - then tediously sort them by author last name into years worth of cards. So my day is planned!

#MonthlyWrapUp December 2024

I read the author‘s note first and it made this story set in deadliest urban disaster in US history at the time (1811) even more disturbing. That a slave has no obituary in local papers to document one‘s time on earth is not shocking but incredibly sad. That a white man would prefer a wife dead to disabled and could make that happen - ugh! That a slave is compelled to run into danger to save whites from death is heroism beyond measure.

I noticed this book became available on Libby and placed a hold on this auto-read author for me. I was 3/4 of the way through before realizing this was published in 2011. I thought it was a fun action-packed dystopian story. There were some lulls in the plot and that only made me appreciate the evolution of his writing. …And now I don‘t feel so bad about my inability to see the aurora lights so many Americans were able to witness this summer 🤣

I‘m so excited for a another year where I‘m able to prioritize reading. I hope each of you can run (perhaps with a gift from. 2024) into 2025 with eyes full of glee, hope, and youthful enthusiasm! @TheAromaOfBooks, Thank you so much for doing this. It is my favorite reading challenge since twice a month I shop my own bookshop for hidden reading treasures!

#BookSpinBingo January 2025

In November and after many Litsy sightings I placed all 3 books in this series on Libby holds, and of course the 3rd dropped first but kind of perfect timing as I prepped yesterday for the goings on of today. I enjoyed it and didn‘t feel I missed out for not knowing the backstories while at the same time anxious to read those stories.

May this day be Merry and Bright for each of you!

I appreciate that the heartbreaking pasts that give NS characters their character often happen prior to the onset of the book because Jasper‘s story was that of nightmares. Except for a certain amount of respect I lost for Caitlan‘s after her over-the-top reaction to learning more about Tanner on their official first date, this was a beautiful story of love and family. I appreciated that Jasper‘s faith didn‘t come with political analogies.

Sometimes I have to work myself up to epic stories about of ancient kingdoms - all the characters and their parts. I‘m so glad I prioritized this because I was all in from beginning to end. It was the perfect cast of characters to tell this story, and I was never completely convinced which way Xishi‘s heart would land. The ending was so good.

This is an old school sad story with those feel good moments that give you hope this time of year. It struck me, this book written in 1999 speaking of American treatment of Chinese and Irish Immigrants that in 2024 the story would be told of Hatian immigrants. It‘s not what makes America great.

This grid was filled with a pile of stories that were okay. But I‘m sure glad I prioritized the tagged - I will think about it for a long time.

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

Uhhah, I think this book was well-written - a book of ordinary people living ordinary lives - adult lives that might be better lived had George and Jenny never met. Reading about the drudgery that life can sometimes be left me rather exhausted for the experience. It tried interest with a Super Bowl commercial but that moment but wasn‘t enough for me to pull my thumb up.

A secluded cabin in Oregon at Christmas and a meet-cute with the local hometown hero, and they get to work on holiday music together - count me in!

I am so used to reading JPE books some 10+ years after they‘ve been published that I just don‘t even know what to do with a book published last month. I liked it. There‘s an interesting meet cute and love story with his typical issue of one of them with a secret so big it upends the romance. That secret (no spoilers) is one I‘ve read played out in a pile of books and genres in the last few years so interesting to read his take on the trope.

I dove in based on the title and cover art with expecting this to be a bit more holiday centric than it was, but that is true for me in a pile of holiday themed books. This romance was fun, I liked both Maggie and Ethan and rooted for their HEA. A cozy murder mystery writer falling for a serious crime thriller author makes for an entertaining storyline.

I‘m a sucker for the trope - American girl flies to foreign country to meet up with her busy, successful bf and plans go awry when gorgeous foreigner speaking perfect English swoops in to save FMC from a life of drudgery. Yeah, that‘s all good and all here, but don‘t go to Paris in December if you‘re gonna complain about cold, the French accent, or constantly remind French meet-cute he is 1/2 American by virtue of his bio dad‘s birth place.

James was atop my list to read before year‘s end. Then my Dec #BookSpin category was YA/Mid Grade so I decided the stars and moon aligned for me to reread a book more than 1/2 century since my initial experience. I appreciate this for the classic it is, but I really wanted to be done with it soon after starting. The casual and constant use of the ‘N‘ word is painful to read.

The concept of this intrigued me, two sisters reunite after inheriting their paternal grandparents‘ Oregon Christmas tree farm - one ready to sell, the other eager to maintain tradition. In a novella I want to be impressed that a story is completely told in such few pages. But here - two sisters, visiting mom, hunky widow next door and his two daughters - too much was ignored to get to the HEA for the MC and her HS crush.

Over half a century has passed since I read, watched, imagined, and loved the adventures of Tom and Huck. I hope it was just the young girl in me… wanting to Nancy Drew Becky Thatcher up and get more of her perspective of life on
the Mississippi, because I don‘t recall wondering about Jim‘s perspective… I‘m humbled.

I‘m always surprised how much story RPE creates inside these little books. I own all three books but didn‘t realize they were a series and picked the third book to read. My opinion might differ if I had the backstory, but I was never sure if I was Team Faye or Team Blythe - both seemed lovely. … This book written in 2000 has several lines reading as micro aggressions today - I wonder if I‘d have realized that 24 years ago - I hope so.

It‘s hard to explain my giddy pleasure when I pull a grid together, gather my ratings (back of index cards) and discover the book languishing on my shelf won the grid😀

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

This book lingered on my shelf following controversy from the first book about who has the right to tell Cilka‘s story. I‘m glad I read it and felt the author well-defended in both preface and afterward her effort to write and her wish to honor the memory of the real life Cilka. But female rape survivors of Nazi war camps were subjected to chargers of sleeping with the enemy an sentenced gulogs in Siberia. That‘s so wrong.

Dec #DoubleSpin

Honestly, now that we know and love Molly and her entourage so well, I thought this novella was a fun way to add a little holiday detail to her story. It was adorable and just right for the season. Congrats to Molly and Juan Michael.

I stacked this book expecting to read HS inspired by the Russian art world defections. Good thing the MC explained early on she was 7 in 1992 so I could adjust my head to a current story. It was hard to root for the MC, Natalia, because she was so self-involved (as her profession demands). She tells the reader her sweat doesn‘t smell and describes herself among the great artists so it becomes obvious her character is one to simply observe.

This was a cute story - a snowed in holidays between a college‘s house mom and the head football coach with the obvious HEA outcome. The only thing that bugged me was Becca imparting her leadership skills Harrison as if a professional coach has neither experienced his own mentors nor undergone any leadership training.

Props to the author for this slow roll of a years-flipping mystery. There were just a handful of characters here and I think that adds to the challenge of creating a good mystery. At several points I thought it could be either of the three primary characters with just enough mention of supporting characters to think - well, maybe that character. I do seemed drawn to mysteries set in the PNW.

I settled into this knowing I was reading a Christmas love story and forgetting there was a mystery involved. I was probably 2/3 in when I realized oh, wait a minute is this going to happen (insert spoiler here)… Well, yes that deed indeed go down, and yet it‘s still an RPE HEA. …I do love reading his little books this month even though it destroys my GR average page count for the year 😄

This was a cozy murder mystery with 3 IRL writers collaborating about 3 novelists (each with expertise in their respective genres) ostensibly traveling to Scotland to collab on an old murder. Ostensibly being key here. Fun but way too long. I felt I knew each of the characters quickly and the authors spent too many words convincing me what was already clear. I just expected more from this collaboration so a so-so to almost slow pick

I give this HEA props for being a story with a Christmas cover and setting maintaining a holiday spirit for its entirety. Not all holiday touted romance succeed to that end. The meet-cute was funny while the subsequent drama (monetary need to upkeep an old English estate) could have been sharper. But overall, the story of a one-and-done child actress of a holiday classic now all grown-up and hating all things seasonal was a fun read.

This was a light, easy, somewhat flawed read. It was obvious from the get-go who was going to be the HEA for Anna so that had me lightly reading her dates concocted by her kids. The reader was also privy to Anna‘s inner voice which seemed a bit redundant for the outcome we already knew was going to happen.

What entertains me about my #indexcard collection is I don‘t differentiate between physical, e-book, or audio, thrifted, pre-purchased, or library loan - it‘s just stories I‘ve consumed. And good lord, I need the spoilers written on the backsides to re-open the ‘pages‘ locked in the cavernous halls of my brain!

Dec 2024 #MonthlyWrapUp

The lion‘s share of my reads fall between a 4.0 (solid B) to a 4.75 (solid A) reflecting I enjoy most of what I read. I developed my quarter-point system after realizing my yearly GR average indicated a score well below my actual enjoyment level.

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F