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MeganAnn

MeganAnn

Joined July 2016

Reading is my escape. I am a creative, coffee loving bookworm. Etsy: fableandcharm.etsy.com Goodreads: goodreads.com/user/show/13248394-megan-elgin
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MeganAnn
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I don‘t read a ton of nonfiction, but thanks to Litsy I have found amazing reads I probably wouldn‘t have picked up otherwise. @monalyisha and @xicanti have inspired me to share my three favorites (for today anyways):

1. Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran (tagged)
2. Fly Girl: a memoir by Ann Hood
3. Good Talk: a memoir in conversations by Mira Jacob

#tlt #threelistthursday

monalyisha I used to not read a ton of nonfiction, either. More than once, it was my New Years goal to read more of it. Narrative nonfiction and memoirs (along with a long commute & listening to audiobooks) have changed everything for me! Now, if I could only read one genre for the rest of my life, it‘d honestly be a tough call between literary (or contemporary) fiction and memoirs. 😱 2w
dabbe You're all inspiring me to read more nonfiction! Thanks for sharing. 💚💙💚 2w
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MeganAnn
In an Instant | Suzanne Redfearn
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Here‘s my finished stack for February.

16 total books read
Favorites are
📚 We are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride
📚 Lady Tan‘s Circle of Women by Lisa See
📚 In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn :: (tagged)
The book follows the aftermath of a traumatic car accident from the perspective of a teenage girl killed instantly in the accident. Each character deals with what happened in a different way. I couldn‘t put it down!

dabbe Pretty, too! 🤩🤩🤩 2w
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MeganAnn
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Absolutely gorgeous cover that captures the story within.

This is a novel in verse. It‘s about clinical depression and grief, told through the lens of fairytales and ultimately ending in hope. I found the story captivating; the lyrical prose beautiful and thought provoking. I loved the way McBride‘s words propelled the reader with Whimsy in her journey through sorrow while also asking them to dig deeper into the metaphorical nature of the story.

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MeganAnn
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I forgot to take a picture of this one before bringing it back to the library so instead you get a picture of my reading journal.

This one started off slow and I had a hard time staying interested for the first half. But the second half I couldn‘t put down and I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I did predict most of the twists in advance but it was still a fun ride once it got going. 4⭐️ in the end for the second half.

MeganAnn This was another one off of my #auldlangspine list from @Karisimo 💜 @monalyisha 1mo
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MeganAnn
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January reading update:

Finished 13 books
7 #auldlangspine titles. Many thanks to @Karisimo for such an awesome list!

⭐️ Favorites were:
The Eyes & the Impossible
The Reading List
The Frozen River (I knew I would like this one and it did not disappoint!)
Much Ado About Nada
Book Lovers

I also gave 5 stars to Black Bird Blue Road.

I‘ve changed how I record books read in my reading journal this year to add this book spine artwork for each title.

dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
MeganAnn Extra thanks to @monalyisha for stellar matching skills and being an amazing host once again. I‘ll be reading books off this list for the rest of the year as well! 2mo
monalyisha I love this splash of brightness! Thanks for participating and for bringing some intrigue to my winter! 2mo
Gissy Fantastic 📚📚📚📚👏👏👏👏👌❤️ 2mo
Karisimo So glad you‘re enjoying the list! I‘m diving deep into yours this month (assuming all my library holds come in!!) 2mo
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MeganAnn
Black Bird, Blue Road | Sofiya Pasternack
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#auldlangspine book 5

I really need to be more intentional about including MG books in my regular reading. Because I love them but no longer actively keep up now that my son is older.

All that to say I loved this book also! What a unique story that is both educational and heartbreaking. It might be too much for sensitive kids, but for others it‘s an excellent read with enough action to keep them interested while still learning about the culture.

Karisimo Yes, the opening scene with his fingers is hard to read😬, but I think that‘s the worst of it? 2mo
MeganAnn @Karisimo yes, that‘s definitely the worst of it, but even the descriptions of his body taken over by illness were a little hard to read. Maybe just because I‘m a mom so reading about kids in hard situations like this always has me in tears. And I was definitely crying at the ending too. 2mo
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MeganAnn
The Reading List: A Novel | Sara Nisha Adams
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Fourth #auldlangspine title which I finished the end of last week.

This book was so good! I was crying and laughing and generally feeling all the feels with the characters through this one. It is about the power of reading to bring people together and to help heal. I loved all the characters here and the friendships they formed along the way. I think anyone who loves to read will love this book.
💙💙💙💙💙

Karisimo I read this with my book club which was so fun! Glad you liked it!! 2mo
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MeganAnn
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Another fantastic #auldlangspine title from @Karisimo

This is a middle grade novel that felt like a modern classic. It‘s about Johannes, a dog who lives in the park by the sea. He is the Eyes, sees everything going on and reports to the ancient bison who then decide what to do about it. There are also other animals in the park who are his assistants and friends, who each have their own well fleshed out personalities I found delightful. 👇🏻

MeganAnn I loved Johannes and his animal friends and I couldn‘t put this one down. I also really loved the paintings included in the book. These are old landscape paintings from long dead artists (all listed in the back of the book) and the illustrator has added Johannes to each of them in a way that feels like he was always there. It‘s a brilliant addition that really works well with the story and enhances the tone throughout. This one is a new favorite! 2mo
Karisimo It won the Newbery award, just announced yesterday!!! 2mo
MeganAnn @Karisimo that‘s awesome! 🎉 2mo
monalyisha Need to read this stat! 2mo
MeganAnn @monalyisha you do!! I think it‘s one you will really enjoy as well. 😉 2mo
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MeganAnn
Much Ado About Nada | Uzma Jalaluddin
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Finished my second #auldlangspine book from @Karisimo ‘s list!

This was a delightful Muslim focused second chance romance based loosely on Austen‘s Persuasion. Jalaluddin‘s novels have been on my TBR for a long time and I‘m so happy I finally picked one up because I loved it! Nada and Baz have a long history which we find out about in bits and pieces between the present day storyline. I loved the way their big secret is slowly revealed. 👇🏻

MeganAnn I also loved how Nada‘s past is weighing down her present life choices and how when she finally manages to reconcile those past experiences, she can make better ones. It felt like such a true to life experience. I also greatly appreciated and enjoyed the insight into Muslim culture and daily life told through Nada & Baz‘s daily lives. Second chance romances when well done are one of my favorite tropes and this was beautifully executed! 5⭐️ 2mo
Karisimo So glad you liked it! I highly recommend 2mo
MeganAnn @Karisimo that one has been on my list for a long time. I always forget to check if it‘s on the shelf when I‘m at the library but I‘ll have to make a point to pick it up next time. 2mo
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MeganAnn
The Goblin Emperor | Katherine Addison
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First #auldlangspine title finished from @Karisimo ‘s list & I loved it.

Maia is thrown into court life when he is crowned emperor after the unexpected death of his father & half-brothers. Having grown up in exile with only an abusive caretaker, he knows nothing of life at court or how to rule. I very much enjoyed watching him find his way, create friends & learn to deal with bullies & enemies. This one felt cozy-adjacent to me.

4.5 ⭐️

Karisimo So glad you enjoyed it- i like that description “cozy adjacent”! 2mo
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MeganAnn
The Goblin Emperor | Katherine Addison
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Started my first #auldlangspine read this afternoon. 84 pages in already and I can tell this is going to be a good one!

Maia‘s youthful naïveté is so far endearing as he is thrown into court politics and formality. I‘m very curious to see how he handles it, the friends he continues to make and where it all goes.

So far, it reminds me a little of The Queen of the Tearling which I loved.

@Karisimo your picks are off to a great start!

Karisimo I‘m about halfway through Fly Girl and really enjoying it! 2mo
MeganAnn @Karisimo I‘m happy to see you are enjoying it! I found her life and her take on being a stewardess fascinating. It was a surprising favorite for me. 2mo
shanaqui This is one of my favourite books, aaah, love to see people enjoying it. 2mo
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MeganAnn
Black Bird, Blue Road | Sofiya Pasternack
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#auldlangspine update. @Karisimo has such a great list I basically want to read everything! It was so hard to decide where to start & I‘ve been debating all week. These five titles were available at my library right away so I picked them up yesterday.

I also put holds on The Frozen River, The Wishing Game and Ink Blood Sister Scribe for when they become available.

Bonus: my hold on Wildfire finally came in, plus I picked up the new Book Page.

DebinHawaii I loved Much Ado About Nada! It just missed my #AuldLangSpine list but it was close! 💙 2mo
monalyisha This one‘s been on the periphery of my interest for awhile; looking forward to your review! It might be just what‘s needed to push it more towards the center. (edited) 2mo
MeganAnn @DebinHawaii the author‘s other books have been on my TBR for quite some time but never quite make it home with me to read. I‘m looking forward to it even more knowing you enjoyed it. 😊 2mo
MeganAnn @monalyisha it‘s been on the periphery of my interest for awhile too! #auldlangspine pushed it forward and I‘m very curious to read it now. 2mo
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MeganAnn
The Sisters of Sea View | Julie Klassen
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Ok friends, here are my 23 favorite books from 2023 in no particular order, except that the five along the bottom row are my top 5.

All are 5 ⭐️ For me, a 5⭐️ read is one I enjoyed reading so much I didn‘t want to put it down, I would recommend to others, that made me think or gave me all the feelings, and oftentimes some of them are ones I simply had a lot of fun reading.

Most of these ended up on #auldlangspine list.

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego I liked spinning silver. 3mo
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MeganAnn
Marry Me by Midnight | Felicia Grossman
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Mehso-so

StoryGraph‘s stats are always so fun to review and I love the shareable graphic they added this year.

Read 135 books + DNF 2 books
It‘s no surprise that Romance was my top genre as I needed some light, hopeful reads.
I don‘t actively rate every book on StoryGraph so the average star rating is skewed here. I do rate them all on Goodreads which shows an average rating of 4.2 stars.

The tagged book was my last book finished this year 👇🏻

MeganAnn I really wanted to love this book. It‘s a historical romance centered around a Jewish community. I enjoyed that part & thought the setting was well written. However the characters fell flat. When they weren‘t together on the page, their chemistry completely disappeared & I no longer cared if they got together or not. The steamy scenes abruptly ended also. One went from descriptive oral to closed door & took me several pages to realize it was done 3mo
MeganAnn I think I‘ll try this author again in the future to see if she does better with a different storyline. I think this one just didn‘t quite work for me. 3mo
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MeganAnn
The Goblin Emperor | Katherine Addison
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@Karisimo I am very excited about your excellent #auldlangspine list!

I haven‘t read any of these yet, but several are already on my TBR and several are completely new to me. I‘m excited to dig into this list a bit more after the Christmas holiday.

The tagged book is one I‘m definitely planning to read. It‘s been on my TBR for a long time and I never quite manage to get ahold of a copy so I‘m taking this as a sign that I need to read it now.

monalyisha The tagged is calling to me, too! 🥕 3mo
MeganAnn @monalyisha I‘m intrigued by that one as well. 3mo
Gissy That bookmark😱soooo pretty 😍 👌 3mo
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monalyisha @Gissy Seconded! Where did that come from?! So perfect. 🌊 3mo
MeganAnn @monalyisha @Gissy thanks so much! I actually painted it myself 😊 I‘ll be selling bookmark prints of it in my Etsy store soon. 3mo
monalyisha @MeganAnn Holy [expletive]! That‘s incredible! 3mo
MeganAnn @monalyisha thanks so much! 🥰 3mo
Karisimo @MeganAnn I was introduced to The Goblin Emperor through #auldlangspine last year!! Thanks to @BarbaraJean 3mo
Gissy @MeganAnn Wow🤩 beautiful 👌Waiting for your store announcement 😃 3mo
BarbaraJean @Karisimo 💜I love how these Auld Lang Spine recs come full circle—especially since @MeganAnn was my match a few years back! 3mo
MeganAnn @Karisimo @BarbaraJean yes!! Every year some titles from this event end up on my list of favorites for the next year. 💖 3mo
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MeganAnn
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“I am part proud and part heartbroken, which may be the defining emotional condition of parenting young adults.”

Currently reading and this quote hit home for me as the mother of a 14-year-old.

“We watch as those who were our children come to see the world — from which we have spent over a decade and a half vainly sheltering them — for what it is. Including, of course, us.”

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MeganAnn
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Littens,
I‘m looking for a book to gift my mom for Christmas and who better to ask than you?
She likes to read:
📖 Nora Roberts
📖 Sandra Brown
📖 Clive Cussler
📖 Diana Gabaldon
📖 Erin Morgenstern
Books with a little mystery, a little romance, sometimes a little fantasy or magical realism thrown in. Historical fiction is also good.

Preferably a series or author with a long backlist.
I‘m thinking a cozy mystery might be a good option?

rubyslippersreads Mary Stewart? Vintage, but popular romantic suspense and lots of titles. (edited) 3mo
wanderinglynn If she hasn‘t already read it, Nora Robert‘s has a detective series set in the 2060s New York written under the pen name J.D. Robb. She‘s up to like 60+ titles in that series. https://jdrobb.com/book-list-2/ 3mo
MeganAnn @rubyslippersreads I was going to get her a Mary Stewart to try and then I found out she read several back in the day and thought they were just fine. 🤷‍♀️ 3mo
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MeganAnn @wanderinglynn yep she‘s read that too. Basically everything Roberts has written under either name my mom has devoured. But she keeps telling me she wants to find a new author she can read like Roberts. 3mo
MeganAnn She also really likes Susanna Kearsley. Alice Hoffman is hit or miss for her. I‘ve tried Sarah Addison Allen which she said was okay, but not a favorite. 3mo
Gissy Elizabeth George has a series Inspector Linley. Nicci French has a series where the protagonist is a psychiatrist; Tana French or Jane Harper that first book in Aaron Falk trilogy is fantastic. 3mo
Librarybelle Has she tried Jayne Ann Krentz? She‘s got a bunch of romantic suspense, with a touch of magical realism/fantasy elements in some of her books. She also writes under Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle. 3mo
Bookzombie A historical mystery series that might work is the Lady Darby series. There are 11 so far. There is a romance that grows through the books. 3mo
Ddzmini Sharon Sala, Danah McCall, Joann Ross, RaeAnne Thayne good authors with great books 📚 3mo
MeganAnn @Bookzombie that series actually looks perfect for her! Thank you! 3mo
MeganAnn @Gissy those look like some good options. Thank you! 3mo
MeganAnn @Librarybelle I think I remember seeing some Krentz or Castle books on her shelf, but she never talked about them with me or passed them along so I have no idea what she thought. 🤷‍♀️ I might have to bring them up with her as potential options. 3mo
MeganAnn @Ddzmini these look like some good possibilities as well. Thank you! 3mo
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MeganAnn
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All signed up for my favorite reading event of the year! #auldlangspine2024

Cozying up with books off my match‘s list always makes January seem a bit brighter. Visit @monalyisha for the sign up link if you want to join in.

Things I noticed when curating my list this year:
⭐️ I gave 5 stars to a LOT of titles this year.
⭐️ I read a variety of genres, but had more historical & literary fiction titles on my favorites than I expected.

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MeganAnn
Untitled | Untitled
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@Marmie7 Driving home on an autumn night, your car breaks down. The only light comes from a nearby house. As you walk up, the front door creaks open. You call out as you walk inside. No one answers, but the door slams shut behind you. You franticly try to open it but it won‘t budge. You‘re #trappedinaspookyhouse ! As you follow the light deeper inside the house, you find a cozy room with a fireplace, squishy chair and a stack of books on a table.

MeganAnn You settle in to read as you wait for help, feeling an eerie presence looking over your shoulder the entire time. When you turn to look no one is there. The ghost silently reads over your shoulder as you turn the pages, happy to finally have someone corporeal who can open these books for him. 👻 6mo
Marmie7 Love this little scenario! And the books you chose🖤 6mo
monalyisha I haven‘t checked in lately! Heads-up that #AuldLangSpine is open. Figured I owed it to you as a (wonderful) former match! 3mo
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MeganAnn
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Here‘s my #castthedie list @PuddleJumper

Choosing Southern Sass & Killer Cravings as my lucky book since it is also a #roll100 pick for October. 🍀

PuddleJumper Awesome! 6mo
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MeganAnn
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#weekendreads

Grim and Bear It — finished yesterday and this is my favorite book from this series! 5⭐️

Currently reading
The Front Runner — romance, 3rd in series, just started

Emily of New Moon — my first time reading this one! Loved Anne growing up but never got to read any of her other books

Windfall — nonfiction. Bit slow to start, but interesting so far.

I‘ve been reading a lot, but avoiding social media over the summer. Back to it now

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MeganAnn
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Another food + family title I loved in May! This takes place in northern Minnesota where Mariel runs the Lakeside Supper Club, the restaurant passed down through her family. Her husband, Ned, also grew up with the family restaurant, now grown into a large franchise. The legacy of the Lakeside is told in various timelines following Mariel, her mother Florence, and her grandmother Betty, while modern day Mariel and Ned deal with their own issues. ⬇️

MeganAnn One thing I loved about this was the nostalgia. In high school, I worked as a waitress at our local restaurant which wasn‘t called a supper club, but felt exactly like the Lakeside down to the decor and food descriptions. Growing up in rural North Dakota, the rural MN community felt like a piece of my own past as they do have a lot of similarities. My husband‘s family is from small town MN as well. Stradal captures that life vividly. 10mo
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MeganAnn
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On the theme of family and food, this was another title I loved. It‘s about the Palladino family, but the title is a little deceiving - the book is not just about Varina & has multiple POVs from the rest of the family including her mother & adult children. What I most loved about this was the focus on two older women (Varina & her mother) making the most of their lives, something that is usually more common with a younger woman protagonist. ⬇️

MeganAnn It‘s about the family as a whole as much as it is about Varina herself. Every time they get together, the food on the table is made with love and underlines the family dynamics. And the Jersey Italian slang definitions at the beginning of each chapter are both fun and humorous, plus they add a layer of depth to the story with the ending. I loved it! 10mo
UwannaPublishme This sounds hilarious! 😁 10mo
MeganAnn @UwannaPublishme it really is!! 10mo
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MeganAnn
Lessons in Fusion: A Novel | Primrose Madayag Knazan
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This has been patiently waiting on my shelf since January when I bought it for #auldlangspine
I picked it up this morning and have spent the entire day reading, swept up in Sarah‘s (pronounced SAH-reh) story of food, family and finding her cultural identity. I‘ve stumbled across a few books recently that dealt with themes of family and food, how love is expressed through food and also culture. This was the perfect fit to continue those themes.⬇️

MeganAnn I think perhaps I would have loved it no matter when I read it. But today it feels especially right, like the book knew I needed to wait for now to put it all together. All this to say I loved this book! It‘s going on my favorites list for the year and I‘m going to recommend it to so many people! @xicanti ‘s review is also excellent if you want more info - check it out! 10mo
xicanti ❤️❤️❤️ 10mo
Karisimo I‘m starting it tonight! 1mo
MeganAnn @Karisimo oooh yay!!! I can‘t wait to see your review. 1mo
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MeganAnn
Mem | Bethany C Morrow
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March #bookspinbingo update. I finished 11 titles.

Favorites were Spinning Silver, Songs in Ursa Major and MEM (tagged, also a March #roll100 pick) all 5 ⭐️ reads.

#bookspin was R‘Jaal‘s Resonance - Ruby Dixon is always a great read. I loved being back on the Ice Planet.

#doublespin was The Lightkeeper‘s Daughters which was in my stack from mom category.

Icebreaker was a #booktokmademedoit read for #nsr23 ⬇️

MeganAnn American Demon was for #serieslove2023 @andrew65 and I loved being back in the Hollows. 12mo
Andrew65 That‘s brilliant 👏👏👏🥳🎉🍾🥂 12mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Fantastic month!! 12mo
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MeganAnn
Songs in Ursa Major | Emma Brodie
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Another February #roll100 title finished in March.

In anticipation of watching Amazon Prime‘s Daisy Jones & the Six series when it released, I wanted something to get me in the mood without expressly rereading Daisy. This was just the ticket! Some similar themes here of rock ‘n roll, dealing with fame and music and art. There‘s also drugs and addiction, along with mental health all rolled into various ways these things influence people. ⬇️

MeganAnn And in the end if you loved Daisy Jones I think you‘ll probably also love this. But for me, I love them as separate books that only contain a common theme but really aren‘t the same at all. I think this would be a great summer beach read. I almost wished I would‘ve had a beach to sit on in the sun while reading this one. 12mo
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MeganAnn
Spinning Silver | Naomi Novik
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This was a February #roll100 title I finished in March and had been languishing on my TBR shelf for a few years now.

I enjoyed Uprooted: I freakin‘ LOVED Spinning Silver! I loved the strong female characters here who refused to allow their circumstances to dictate who they can be. Novik masterfully creates such unique voices that I instantly knew which POV I was reading and those threads are slowly spun together into something very special.

MeganAnn Also used this for #nsr23 : lesser known fairytale retelling @Nessavamusic 📚 and #pantone2023 #macchiato #grayedjade @Clwojick 12mo
TheBookHippie I love this book. 12mo
Nessavamusic One of my favorite fairytale retellings!! 12mo
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MeganAnn
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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April #bookspinbingo board is all ready to go. 🎉📚

#bookspin is The Audrey Hepburn Estate which is an ARC I won through the StoryGraph. Looks very interesting.

#doublespin is our #littensloveromance April read, By a Thread. @StayCurious

I have a few titles I have to get through this month for my next book reviews article so hopefully after those I‘ll have time for some of these other categories.

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Looks fabulous!! 12mo
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MeganAnn
R'jaal's Resonance | Ruby Dixon
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First book of March!

Released the end of February, this is technically book 1 of a new series: Ice Planet Clones. However, really this is a continuation of Dixon‘s other Ice Planet books and I do not think it would work very well as a standalone for readers who haven‘t first read at the very least the last few Icehome books. That being said, as a continuation this worked very well and I really loved R‘jaal‘s redemption in this book. ⬇️

MeganAnn Dixon expands of some hints laid out in previous books here giving us new information about this world & the newcomers. I loved Rosalind‘s sexy librarian who wrote fanfic vibe. R‘jaal who was a bit of a jerk in previous books gets a heroine who understands his loneliness & us readers get to see some of the emotions behind his previous attitude which I loved. His previous actions made sense with these emotions driving him & it just worked for me. 12mo
MeganAnn Also using this for #noshamereadathon23 #aliens @Nessavamusic which makes it my March #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks 12mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 12mo
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MeganAnn
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This was my last catchup review from February I didn‘t get posted earlier this week.

An informative and interesting graphic novel about Cook‘s experience living with Borderline Personality Disorder. I enjoyed the alternating chapters of more graphic content then more text heavy descriptive content. I think that gave the reader more insight into her feelings and experiences than a regular graphic heavy version might have. ⬇️

MeganAnn I loved the bright colors and the art style. Knowing basically nothing about Borderline before going into this, I thought it brought to light the prejudices and the emotions she experiences regularly in a way that was thoughtful and well done. 4⭐️. #pantone2023 #lovebird @Clwojick 12mo
Clwojick Well done! 12mo
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MeganAnn
Fire in His Blood | Ruby Dixon
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February catchup review 4:
Spent some time with Ruby Dixon‘s Fireblood series this month. I‘ve been meaning to read these since reading “Veronica‘s Dragon” in the Icehome series.

Dixon does steamy and “alien man treats her better” really well. I always get caught up in the romance. I also love how her series give us more world building in each book so it‘s not a big dump of info in the first book, but gives you enough to stay interested.

MeganAnn Book 2 was my favorite of the series so far: 13mo
MeganAnn Book 4 was also good, but I wasn‘t quite as into Amy as I was with Sasha and Emma in the previous two books until closer to the end. That‘s probably more of a me thing and by the end I did appreciate her story and felt she grew the most of any of the female MCs. 13mo
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MeganAnn Book 5 gives us a bit more information about the dragons and I‘m curious to see what happens next. 13mo
JamieArc I discovered her Ice Planet series and have been making my way through them. My only complaint is that the same female and male narrators are used for each one and they are distinct voices so at this point, 9 books in, I CANNOT distinguish between all the characters. 13mo
MeganAnn @JamieArc I can see how that would get frustrating! Especially as they all continue to make appearances in future books. I read all her stuff in ebook form so I didn‘t listen to the audio, but that would probably make it harder for me to keep going if I had. If you haven‘t gotten to the Icehome series yet, I loved it even more than Ice Planet Barbarians (they are tied together with some of the same characters and overlapping timelines). 13mo
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MeganAnn
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February catchup review 3/
Henry writes great rom-coms! A fun read especially as we are still stuck in the midst of winter (hello 15” of snow yesterday). It felt lovely to escape with Poppy and Alex on their various vacations while outside it was cold, snowy and icy.

Poppy and Alex were a fun duo and I really liked how Henry weaves the threads of their past vacations through what was happening now to bring the story together at the end. 4⭐️

MeganAnn This was also my February #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks (Books from Mom category). 📚 #pantone2023 #andeantoucan #tenderpeach @Clwojick 13mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 13mo
Clwojick Woohoo great matches! 13mo
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MeganAnn
As Bright as Heaven | Susan Meissner
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February catchup review 2:
This one was been on my shelf for a few years now and I‘m so glad I finally got around to it. It ended being one of my favorites this month and might even make it on the year end list I loved it so much.

It takes place during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic and follows the Bright family as the lose loved ones, take in an orphaned baby, and learn to navigate the aftermath of the pandemic. It‘s harrowing and hopeful… ⬇️

MeganAnn … there is loss and death, love and strength, and it promises that we too can continue on and even find happiness in the aftermath. I think this one was even more compelling having read it after our own pandemic experience. 5⭐️ Also love this beautiful cover! 💖 #pantone2023 #airyblue #skylight #graylilac @Clwojick 13mo
Clwojick Great matches! 13mo
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MeganAnn
Women Like Us: A Memoir | Amanda Prowse
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February catchup review 1:
Came across this on KU when looking for health/wellness related books for an article I write for a local women‘s magazine.

I had never heard of this author before but apparently she is quite popular in the UK. Here she opens up about her own life, her battles with self-esteem, body consciousness, health and her toxic relationship with food. I found her writing to be full of sincerity and candor. ⬇️

MeganAnn I appreciated the way she openly told her story. Many women will resonate with her descriptions of insecurity and body consciousness while her strength in overcoming those insecurities and her toxic food addiction is inspiring. 4⭐️ 13mo
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MeganAnn
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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February #bookspinbingo
2 bingos 🎉🎉🎉

Finished both my #bookspin (The Hurricane) and #doublespin which was a book off my stack from Mom: People We Meet on Vacation.

16 book read and 1 bail.

Favorites were As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow and As Bright As Heaven.

I have reviews to post yet for a few of these.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Fantastic month!! 13mo
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MeganAnn
Heartstone | Elle Katharine White
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Chapter 1 #HeartstoneBuddyRead is off to a good start.

We meet some creatures & characters — mainly Aliza and Daired.

The hobgoblins throwing mud at Daired cracked me up! 😂

Also got a chuckle out of Moira (aka Mrs. Bennet) possibly having a little banshee blood in her ancestry.

We already have a few references to P&P sprinkled in which is a lot of fun. I think this author is already showing her own voice & I‘m excited to see where she goes.

CrowCAH You‘re graphics are spot on! 😂 13mo
ElizaMarie Haha yes!! I can see the banshee being in her bloodline 13mo
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MeganAnn
Heartstone | Elle Katharine White
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Starting chapter 1 for the #Heartstonebuddyread and look 👀 there‘s a map!! More books should include maps. They are one of my favorite things 😍

My goal is to post more “as I read” observations with this one. I usually think of things on these buddy reads but then never actually create a post about them and then I forget what I wanted to say to begin with. Probably not every day… but shooting for every few days?! 🤷‍♀️🤞🏻😬

CrowCAH A good goal! I‘m sure if not every day, you‘ll make a post most days! 13mo
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MeganAnn
Exciting Times | Naoise Dolan
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Another book I finished this week. I had a hard time rating this one because for the first half of the book I felt sort of blah about Ava‘s story. But the second half I enjoyed much more.

I liked Ava‘s thoughts on grammar and some of her pointed conversations. And her relationship with Edith seemed more interesting than her one with Julian… which makes sense once we got a bit more of Ava‘s backstory towards the end. Liked it, didn‘t love it. ⬇️

MeganAnn 1/2: This was one off of @xicanti ‘s #auldlangspine list that I didn‘t get to last month. And they compared it‘s tone to Fault Lines which I completely loved — I think that‘s an accurate comparison and if you liked one you may like the other. Personally I connected better with the MC in Fault Lines, but a different person might connect better with Ava‘s story here. (edited) 13mo
MeganAnn 2/2: I think the ages of the characters is a contributing factor to that as I‘m at a stage closer to Mizuki from Fault Lines as a mother comparing her younger self with who she is now while Ava is younger and sort of unsure of who she is. In the end I did appreciate the themes of classism and queerness here, just didn‘t love it as much as I wanted to. But I did check off #tangelo and #crystalrose for #pantone2023 @Clwojick 13mo
xicanti I‘m glad you got something out of it, even if it wasn‘t a fave! I found the first third tedious and ordinary, but then it all clicked into place for me and I went from about to bail to totally obsessed. 13mo
Clwojick Great colour matches! 13mo
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MeganAnn
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A gut wrenching, important, beautifully told story rich with so much humanity.

I absolutely loved this book! Finished it earlier this week and I‘m still thinking about it often while not really sure I have the words to fully express everything I felt and thought while reading. I will be buying my own copy eventually as I checked this one out from the library. And will be passing that copy to everyone. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MeganAnn #pantone2023 Love this cover! Those beautiful blues match #blueperennial and #electricbluelemonade @Clwojick (edited) 13mo
Cinfhen Great color match and gorgeous cover art 13mo
Clwojick Great match! 13mo
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MeganAnn
The Hurricane | R.J. Prescott
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Catching up on some reviews from this week‘s reading.

Finished this #littensloveromance read earlier and I really liked this one. Seems most of the group agrees from a few other reviews I‘ve seen posted so far. I will probably pick up the second book at some point.

Also, the light hitting those defined abs matches #graylilac #pantone2023 @Clwojick

MeganAnn This was also my February #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks 13mo
Clwojick Good match! 13mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! This one seems way more popular than last month's book 😂 13mo
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MeganAnn
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#bookspinbingo board for February is ready & I updated my habit tracker bookmark with pages read each day. 🎉

#bookspin is The Hurricane for our #littensloveromance read this month. That works out nicely!

#doublespin is my Books from Mom category. She‘s borrowed me a wide variety so I‘ll see what I‘m in the mood for after finishing some library books I currently have.

Finished a mood read on KU this morning (tagged) which was fun & quick.

mabell What a cool idea for a bookmark! 13mo
TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! I'm doing the pixel page tracker as well and it's so fun!!! 13mo
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MeganAnn
Exciting Times | Naoise Dolan
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#auldlangspine wrap-up! I read 6 of the 20 books on @xicanti ‘s list. Of those, my absolute 5 ⭐️ cannot live without favorites were:
❤️The Charm Offensive
❤️Felix Ever After

I also gave 5 ⭐️‘s to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and loved it, but the other two were my favorites.

4⭐️‘s each go to the other three books: Battle Royal and All the Feels were fun romances I enjoyed getting swept up in. Underground Railroad I really liked also.
⬇️

MeganAnn As for the rest of the books off their list, I‘m planning to start the tagged book tonight. I also have two more currently checked out from the library (Something Fabulous and When No One is Watching). I‘ve purchased 3 more for my own shelves to read whenever: The Paris Apartment, Lessons in Fusion and The Archive of Alternate Endings. And I may check out a couple others when they are available from my library. 14mo
xicanti I‘m so glad you found some books to love! 😍 Here‘s hoping the others you purchased work just as well for you. I‘m especially excited to see you got your hands on Lessons In Fusion. It was one of my biggest surprises of 2022. 14mo
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MeganAnn
It Takes a Villa | Kilby Blades
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Finished this one last night. One of my #roll100 picks and also my January #bookspin 🎉

This was sweet romance set in Italy. After losing her Grandmother, Natalie leaves everything and goes to Italy to restore a Villa just like they always talked about doing together. Pietro is an Italian architect and restorationist who is also part of the restoration council. He starts helping Natalie with her villa and they fall in love. ⬇️

MeganAnn This was mostly sweet & the restoration aspect was a fun addition. However some of it felt rushed or like there were some steps missing. The MCs go from meeting & dislike to being attracted very quickly without much reason. And the mystery about her grandmother‘s past in Italy was sort of forgotten about then tied up in the Epilogue. Not sure if this was the author‘s error or an editing issue & some of those steps were taken out. 14mo
MeganAnn Overall I still liked it and if you can suspend some disbelief and go with it then you may like it. Especially if you like HGTV remodeling shows or want something set in Italy filled with sunshine and lemons. #pantone2023 #springcrocus @Clwojick (edited) 14mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 14mo
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MeganAnn
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#auldlangspine book 6 finished a couple days ago.

Another fun contemporary romance. I liked the witty banter between the two MCs & appreciated the way their attraction grew as they got to know one another better. No lust at first sight which was somewhat refreshing. The whole fanfic angle was so fun & had me laughing out loud a couple of times. I‘ve been meaning to read Spoiler Alert for awhile so this has me itching to pick that up soon.

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MeganAnn
Spinning | Tillie Walden
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Here‘s my #bookspin list for February.

Three holdover #auldlangspine titles I have checked out from the library.

Plus some additional books I need to read and review this month.

Filled in the rest with #roll100 spots and some categories for mood reading. Hoping to get to all of the titles listed by name and a couple others.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 14mo
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MeganAnn
Felix Ever After | Kacen Callender
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This is another one off @xicanti ‘s #auldlangspine list that‘s been on my TBR for quite awhile. And I am so, so very glad I picked it up this month. I‘m a sucker for a good coming of age/figuring out who you are story. Felix goes through a lot and I loved the way art played a big part in helping him work through it. I could not put this one down once I started and cried lots of happy tears at the end. All the love for this one! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

MeganAnn I also love this cover and how it illustrates a beautiful and important part of Felix‘s art and his journey. Those flowers match #empireyellow and #pinkcosmos for #pantone2023 @Clwojick 14mo
Suet624 Such a striking cover. 14mo
Clwojick Great job! Love this cover as well. 🧡 14mo
xicanti ❤️❤️❤️ I couldn‘t stop thinking about this right after I read it. Even now, months later, bits of it pop back to the front of my mind and demand I spend a goodly chunk of time reliving them. 14mo
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MeganAnn
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Finished a couple books this week.

First was this fantasy novel which was delightful. I loved following Addie through her long invisible life. Schwab writes characters that I immediately feel could be my friends & who I instantly cheer for… Addie was no different. So far, I‘ve loved everything I‘ve read by this author, just hadn‘t made time for this one yet. I‘m really glad I finally picked this one up thanks to @xicanti ‘s #auldlangspine list.

xicanti I‘m so glad you loved it! 14mo
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MeganAnn
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#auldlangspine book 3

I appreciate Whitehead‘s way of making the reader face the violence & difficult truths without having to wallow in the darkness. I thought this was well written & enjoyed the idea of a literal Underground Railroad taking Cora from one place to the next. However, I did find it harder to stay engrossed when the sections moved from Cora‘s story to one of the minor characters. 4⭐️ Overall I think I liked The Nickel Boys better.

MeganAnn @xicanti I‘m really glad you had this on your list as I‘m not sure I would have made the time for it otherwise. Now I‘ll have to check out the tv show on Amazon. 14mo
MeganAnn #pantone2023 #cherrytomato @Clwojick This matches better in person. Taking photos of library books is hard with the shiny plastic cover they put over the book. 14mo
xicanti I‘m glad you enjoyed it! I was the opposite; this one really got inside my soul, in large part because of all the different characters it touches base with, while I didn‘t feel quite the same spark from The Nickel Boys (which I just realized I never reviewed; oops) even though I did love it. Still, it‘s great that we gave each other that push to read more Whitehead! 14mo
MeganAnn @xicanti I think The Nickel Boys really hit me deep because I‘m a mother to a teenage son so I really connected with those boys. I am happy to read that you liked it! And yes, I love that we pushed each other read more Whitehead as well! 14mo
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MeganAnn
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Introducing my long awaited Etsy shop: Fable & Charm!
Pictured are some of the printable bookmarks I have including my bookshelf set scanned from my original artwork and my series tracker bookmarks. More coming soon!

Two special coupon codes for you all to show my love.
10% off any purchase: LOVELITSY10
20% off when you buy 3 or more items: 3LOVELITSY20
*Coupon codes are good until 06-02-23 so check back often for new items
fableandcharm.etsy.com

MeganAnn Direct links to use coupon codes here (or type in the code at checkout):
10% off https://www.etsy.com/shop/FableandCharm?coupon=LOVELITSY10
20% off 3 items https://www.etsy.com/shop/FableandCharm?coupon=3LOVELITSY20

I'm working on some new watercolor shelves to post soon, as well as some more tracking bookmarks. If you have ideas for something specific you'd love to see in my shop, please let me know. I also love creating custom orders!
1y
MeganAnn All bookmarks are currently sold as digital downloads you can print at home. If you prefer to purchase printed bookmarks and have them shipped to you, please let me know what you'd like to order and I'll set up a custom printed bookmark listing just for you. I can print them at home and ship to you for an additional cost. #fableandcharm (edited) 1y
mabell Congratulations! Love the bookmarks! 😍 1y
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MeganAnn
Battle Royal: A Novel | Lucy Parker
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If you like baking shows or a grumpy-sunshine trope this book is a good choice. My second title finished for #auldlangspine was another fun romance.

I loved Sylvie‘s bakery, her glittery personality, and the enchanted forest speakeasy in the basement. Dominic is her rival baker and her opposite in every way… at least on the surface. It took a bit, but eventually I was so invested in their story that I had to keep reading until the end. 4⭐️

MeganAnn I‘ll probably pick up book 2 at some point after it‘s released later this year. #pantone2023 #summersong matches the background and #beetrootpurple matches the title @Clwojick 1y
xicanti I‘m glad you enjoyed this one, too! It‘s my favourite of Lucy Parker‘s books. 1y
Clwojick Great job! Those matches are spot on! 1y
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