2 ⭐️s
Meh. Most of these short stories I‘ve heard before and many of the poems are just well-known Christmas carols. I was expecting a wider variety of cultures represented but it‘s very much centered around England and America.

Probably better suited for a religious reader as well.

I skipped the excerpt of A Christmas Carol since the novel is on my December TBR anyway. 😅

Woohoo!!! Last #BookSpinBingo board of the year!

I did have to swap out Dreams Made Flesh for The Invisible Ring because this one actually comes first in the series. 😅 Oopsies!

As usual, I‘ve marked my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin so I don‘t forget which ones they are. My goal is to read those and the four holiday themed books on here, so wish me luck! 🎄☃️❤️

That‘s all folks! My November #BookSpinBingo board is more filled up than I thought it‘d be at the beginning of the month. I‘m now only two books away from my 2021 goal!
🤘😆🤘
Going to start in on some holiday reads cause I am totally chomping at the bit for Christmas this year! 🎄🎅🏻☃️

5 ⭐️s
This was a really great sequel to The Shining, definitely lived up to my expectations. Seeing little Danny grow into a man with his own baggage was raw and real. I loved all the characters, even down to the side characters that take Dan under their wings when he hits rock bottom and is struggling to find the right way up again. The True Knot were evil, but their family-like unit felt realistic and made them more horrific.

Didn‘t get much reading in this weekend despite having six total hours on the road. On Friday I had to be at work two hours earlier in the morning so I napped most of the way to my in-laws. Then today on our way home, the hubby and I vented to each other about them. 😅

Very happy to be home and away from their psycho negativity. I was also super happy to be able to get all my holiday decor up, especially the tree and my brand new countdown. 😍🎄

My goals for the #20in4Readathon are to finish the tagged book and start Eaters of the Dead. We‘re driving to visit family this weekend, so hopefully I can get in plenty of reading time on the road. Not sure how much I can squeeze in while there. 😅

The last #BookSpinBingo list of the year!
❤️🎄🎅🏻☃️🎁❤️

1. Not for Thanksgiving itself, but I do have a three hour car ride on Friday that I‘ll be able to get plenty of reading packed into.
2. Oh my…so many! 🤤 I love my homemade cranberry sauce, my aunt‘s deviled eggs, my dad‘s stuffing, and my brother‘s green bean casserole. My grandma used to make the best noodles, but she kept the recipe in her head and my mom and aunts never learned it before she passed.
#Two4Tuesday

Part 2 of 2
The second half of my #Roll100 list for @PuddleJumper
It‘s all over the place. 🤣
I have “Next Animorphs book” up there as a place holder for whichever one I happen to be on when that number comes up. Haven‘t yet decided if I‘ll plug in new books as I go through or leave empty spots and just read whichever book is closest to that number… Any other participants have a game plan?

Part 1 of 2
My list for the #Roll100 challenge hosted by @PuddleJumper took a while to finalize. 😅 But here‘s the first 50! I‘m really looking forward to getting through my gigantic TBR. 🤘😆🤘

I‘ll be joining in on the #Roll100 challenge hosted by @PuddleJumper to help curb my book buying for 2022.

Visit the original post for the sign up sheet!

I‘m planning a book advent calendar for myself for next year, so I will still be buying 25 books, but I won‘t be buying anymore than that and I won‘t be allowing myself to read them until 2023. 😅

Decided to join in the #LitsyCrafters group hosted by @Catsandbooks and @curiouserandcurioser

I‘ve been needing a kick in the butt lately to work on my art again and I‘m hoping this keeps me accountable. All sorts of crafters are welcome, so if you‘re interested, please visit one of their pages and comment on one of the original posts with which crafts you love.

❤️🎨🧶🪡🧵🧸✏️❤️

Super excited to receive my #NYWD22 list from @shortsarahrose 🥰
It‘s full of some gems, but these are the four I‘m most excited to read. I‘ve been meaning to watch the anime for Kiki‘s Delivery Service for years and just never gotten around to it, so I‘m very excited to read the book first. It‘ll finally give me the push I need! 😅
Now to figure out which of these gets to be first… Is it January yet?!?!
@monalyisha

What. The. Actual. FUCK!?!
I wasn‘t expecting a perfect book-to-screen adaptation, but THIS is inexcusable!!! 🔥🤬🔥 The husband and I suffered through the first episode and I can guarantee we won‘t be putting ourselves through anymore of it. If you‘re a WoT fan and haven‘t watched it yet, save yourself! If you haven‘t read the books yet, PLEASE don‘t judge them by this joke of a show.
I‘m going to go cry over my precious copies of the series now…

5 ⭐️s
The team meets with a super powerful entity, an Ellimist, and are given the choice to stay on Earth and continue what he says will be a futile fight against the Yeerks or be moved to a new planet with their loved ones and enough humans for a sufficient gene pool.
Will the group decide to throw in the towel or continue to fight, knowing it‘s a losing battle?
Rachel comes across as more of a real person in this one. ❤️
My #DoubleSpin!

5 ⭐️s!!
Caitlin Doughty is one of my favorite people to watch on YouTube, and I‘m JUST now getting around to reading one of her books!
This one covers her world travels to experience the death rituals of other cultures. It was a beautiful journey through what, especially for Westerners, can be an ugly topic.
Over the years, she‘s inspired me with her death positivity and I now feel much better about my plans for my body when I pass on.

1. I‘ve got five more books to read to make my yearly goal. I‘m hoping I can make it!
2. Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien. I‘ve put it off ALL YEAR so that I could specifically read it during Christmas time. 😅🎄
Thanks @The_Penniless_Author for the tag!
@TheSpineView
#Two4Tuesday

4 ⭐️s
I really enjoyed this story from Luke‘s perspective! It made me want to rewatch the original trilogy, it‘s been far too long. Seeing Luke interact with a potential love interest that wasn‘t his sister was a nice change of pace. 😅 It has quite a few funny moments, but gets quite serious towards the end. The talks about his dad being betrayed by Vader (this is before he KNOWS) were particularly sobering. That last line…oof! 💔😭

@monalyisha is hosting her #NewYearWhoDis event again this year! Last year I was thoroughly impressed with her magical matching powers! @Bits had an AMAZING list for me! If you need some reliable recommendations for 2022, make sure you try and get in when sign-ups open on the 11th! There‘s only 80 spots. Have between 5 and 20 favorites from this past year ready! Good luck everyone! ❤️
#NYWD22

One of my vacation traditions is to stop in at a local independent bookstore. The Book House was…interesting. Their selection overflows off the shelves and many are stored sideways in piles all over the floor, which freaks me out as a book lover. It was overwhelming and left me feeling like I didn‘t want to bother digging through the stacks. Still, it can‘t be said they don‘t have a wide selection, and I did walk out with Bully for Brontosaurus.🦕

The husband and I are staying at an AirBnB this weekend with some friends. This introvert is EXTREMELY grateful for her few hours of quiet morning reading time before the rest of the group wakes up to start the day‘s adventures. 😅

4 ⭐️s
I really liked this fast paced thrill ride. It‘s like Jurassic Park meets Jaws. The cast of characters was great, believably flawed and (mostly) likable. Alten‘s humor and way of writing dialogue are absolute gems. Looking forward to the rest of the series. I didn‘t know about the movie til I was reading this, and it has Jason Statham in it, so I HAVE to watch that now! 😅

I feel terrible bailing on this seeing as not one but TWO people gifted it to me in swaps last year. 😬 I just couldn‘t take it anymore. Maybe I wasn‘t in the right state of mind for it… It was what I attempted to read most of the time I was sick. Might give it a second chance later, but leaning towards likely not. I found the characters, especially Alex, to be extremely unlikeable and rather boring. The writing style grated on my nerves too.

3 ⭐️s
I was expecting this book to fit the theme for #TeamHendrix last month, but unfortunately it was more Toy Story than Chucky… Still a well written MG book that I‘ll be keeping on my shelves for any future Bookwyrms I might end up having. It dealt with real life problems that kids face, like bullying and feeling uncomfortable with who you are, without talking down to its audience. I chuckled a few times too.

This #Scarathlon was a bust for me. I was sick most of the month, so it bit into my participation. This was all I was able to muster after week 1. 🤦‍♀️ I‘m sorry for letting #TeamHendrix down.

My #BookSpinBingo board for November! I‘m certain I won‘t get a bingo. I‘ll be focusing on reading my #Bookspin and #Doublespin and if I finish those, I‘ll probably just read at a whim. 😅

Most of my November #BookSpinBingo list is repeats from October since I barely read at all this month. Not sure how much I‘ll get through this month either. It‘s a busy month, but I hope to at least get my #Bookspin and #Doublespin read so that I feel like I actually accomplished something. 😅

Apologies for being MIA pretty much all month. I caught the flu and it wiped me out. After a trip to urgent care and a week of recovery, I‘m starting to rejoin the living again. Huge apologies to my #TeamHendrix teammates, I haven‘t contributed like last year. 🤦‍♀️ There wasn‘t a lot of reading going on here on my end. I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween!! Thank you to everyone who wished me well on my initial sick post, I love you all!

My absolutely amazing #HHS from @BookwormAHN ❤️❤️ The dolls are both so precious!! Thank you for the addition to my collection! The voodoo one will be hanging in my car. I‘m VERY excited about the book choices. The Kaiju one might be my next read! The mini artwork and bookmark are gorgeous! I couldn‘t stop staring at them after I opened them. Thank you SO much, I feel very spoiled. Oh, and I loved the stickers on the wrapping! 😍

Thank you SO much @sprainedbrain for this awesome swap! I literally rewatched Jaws earlier yesterday and had to laugh when I saw it in my swap! ❤️ I really love it all! The IT pin didn‘t show up too well in the photo, but I adore it! Very excited about the nail stickers too, I love doing my nails. Thank you again for everything, it‘s perfect!
#AHRS

Apologies for being absent much of the week. I‘ve been sick, barely keeping anything down, splitting headaches. So my reading and ability to play the weekly games for #TeamHendrix have been severely impaired. I‘m still not out of the woods, but I‘ll try and make some progress for my #Scarathlon2021 scores.

Alrighty @Kdgordon88 and @BethM your #HHS and #AHRS packages (respectively) are on their way! I know technically it‘s supposed to be a secret til you get them, but I wanted you guys to know to keep an eye out for them. Happy Halloween!!! ❤️💀🎃❤️
#HauntedHollowSwap
#AllHallowsReadSwap

Just signed up for #CreepyChristmas hosted by @teebe
If you can‘t stand to have spooky season end with Halloween, this is the swap for you!! ❤️🎄💀❤️

5 ⭐️s!!
This was everything I could have wanted in a horror book! Non-stop gore, humor, a whole group of characters to root for, more monsters and freaks than ever, and a “can‘t turn the pages fast enough” pace! Not for everyone. I‘m not joking about the non-stop gore, but if that and an insane line-up of monsters is your thing, READ THIS!
15 points for #TeamHendrix #Scarathlon2021

Okay, third time‘s the charm! 🤦‍♀️ Apparently I‘m not great at following simple directions or arithmetic. 😅 This is my ACTUAL grand total for #Scarathlon2021 Week 1 for #TeamHendrix. I am SO very sorry @StayCurious I went ahead and deleted my other post since it was a mess. I‘ll do better next week! 🤞
Also apologies to all of you running the readathons and getting double-tagged by me now. 😣

Omg @carlthecattt you have definitely spoiled me!!!
❤️😱❤️
I absolutely love it all! Can‘t wait to try the tea! 🤤 The little ghostie is adorbs! 😍👻❤️
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!
#LitsyLoveFallSwap #LLFS

My ambitious goals for #AnyWayYouReadathon. I‘ve started The Haunted Forest Tour and think I‘ll fly through it. Loving it so far. Halloween Nation is a library book, hoping it‘s enjoyable. Meanest Doll in the World is sort of mid grade, so I can definitely whip through that one quick. From Here to Eternity will be the first Caitlin Doughty book I‘ve read, been a long time YouTube fan. If I can get all these in, I‘ll have a bingo on #BookSpinBingo!

4 ⭐️s
I know, 4 stars but still only a so-so?!? I just can‘t quite settle on a solid rating for this. 😅
Maybe once I finish the trilogy I‘ll be able to judge it more completely. It‘s certainly an interesting roller coaster ride through culture clash via time travel. There were a few inaccuracies/liberties taken, but it was written in the 90‘s, so I went in sort of knowing to expect that. Multiple trigger warnings for some, but overall a fun read.

Okay #TeamHendrix…I did it for you.
2 ⭐️s
It felt…sanctimonious..? That‘s not…quite the word I‘m looking for… I didn‘t…like it. It was…Romeo and Juliet…with zombies. Zombies are…my favorite horror movie…monsters. But this…did to them…what Twilight did…to vampires. Ugh…
Good premise…terrible execution.
I was going…to use this as…week 1 challenge…for #Screamathon but…don‘t have strength…to watch the film.
#Scarathlon

A fitting quote for where I am in life right now.
Thanks for the tag @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️
#ThinkPositiveBePositive

Share a positive/uplifting/funny quote of your own using the above tag if you want to play along! 🤗

@carlthecattt It arrived! 😍
I also realized today that I completely mailed off one of the wrong books to you. 🤦‍♀️ Feel free to keep it, I‘ll be repurchasing it for its original swap recipient. Your intended book came in late and with a torn page from HPB. Despite it being advertised as “Like New” 🤬 so I‘ll buy a better version and have it mailed out to you ASAP. So sorry for this mess! 🥺
#LLFS

The best #BookSpinBingo of the year!!!!! I wish the Halloween season could be more than just a month, I live for it!
#BookSpin is From Here to Eternity
#DoubleSpin is Doctor Sleep
I‘m heading out to my local library now to pick up Warm Bodies, which I‘ll slide into one of the Free Spaces.
@Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick were you still interested in doing a buddy read of Ninth House?

1. HELLZ YEAH! GO #TEAMHENDRIX!!! 🤘😆🤘
2. This was hard to choose. I‘m honestly stoked to read EVERYTHING on my October TBR, but I finally settled on the tagged book. 😍
I‘m tagging all of my fellow #Scarathlon team members!!
Thanks for the tag @wanderinglynn ❤️🎃❤️
#Two4Tuesday

Martha is definitely one of my favorite characters so far. 🤣
The entire island of Nantucket has been transported back to about 1250 BC. No one knows why or how, but the local pastor is convinced Science can‘t explain it, only God, and that there must be a reason for it…
“Mount St. Helens didn‘t blow up because God was mad at the bears.” ❤️

1. LOVE THEM! 😍
2. Not outside of the books, but I have one from the Walking Dead tv show. 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️
3. My current read. I can‘t believe there‘s not a map, even if it‘s just the island of Nantucket itself! 🤨 A world map or navigation chart would be really fabulous. Luckily I have my World Atlas and Human History Timeline books to reference. 🤓😅
#SundayFunday

The perfect Saturday night! 😍🥃📖❤️
Hope everyone else is having a great weekend!

Alrighty @carlthecattt your #LLFS package is on its way to you!! 🤘😆🤘
#LitsyLoveFallSwap

1. EVERYTHING! 🤣 Mostly the sweater weather, leaves changing and of course Halloween!
2. Pumpkin Spice Latte or HOT apple cider
3. So far the best part was the last item finally coming in for my #LLFS match! I was really starting to worry, but now everything‘s wrapped and I can ship it tomorrow! 🤘😆🤘
4. My health and my job.
Tagged if you want to play!
#WondrousWednesday

5 ⭐️s
The Animorphs infiltrate the Yeerks newest front, a hospital, in order to stop the aliens from infesting a potential presidential candidate while he‘s in for surgery. Things go wrong and Jake falls headfirst into a small Yeerk pool. He comes out with one of the slugs in his head. He‘s become a Controller.
Another awesome edition to the series! ❤️
This is also my read for the #RoaringWolf Sci-Fi September prompt: Warp Speed (read in one day)