I really didn‘t like either cover for The Secret History of Moscow, so I made my own 😂 For some reason Slavic folklore + magical realism has been my jam and I really enjoyed this one! It was more of a character study of the people of Russia throughout the different eras of its history rather than an action driven plot. I wish the underground realm had been fleshed out more and sad no Baba Yaga. The ending had me 😱 for a good hot sec. 4 🌟‘s

I‘ve never really been one to reread books. I‘m always anxious to get started on a new book and find a new fav. But I have been thinking a lot about some of my fav books and decided to give this one a reread since I originally listened to it on audio. So far, it lives up to how I remember it. Bizarre, dark, gruesome, and magical ✨🦢

Maybe I need to reread books more! How often do you reread favs? How do you balance new reads and rereads?

I enjoyed how whimsy and cute the story was and getting a little bit of knowledge on plants! I like how the letters from the past were woven into the story and Caspia‘s journey of self-discovery, finding courage, and growing her roots. The only thing I didn't like was it seemed like Caspia didn't like her friend Laryssa all that much. It seemed like she tolerated her presence and that was it. Overall, a sweet easy read eminating warmth and magic.

June was a little bit of a dud in terms of books to choose for my bracket. But I did really love reading Jurassic Park! 🦖 The new movie was ok, not enough spinosaurus 😜 I‘m hoping July will be a bit better reading-wise, and I‘m loving the tagged book. I joined a middle grade themed book club and The Green Kingdom 🌿 is the current read. I‘m very glad to have found some fun book clubs on Fable.

I ditched my espresso machine for a French press and have been practicing making a latte! I'm very happy with the result ☕ Nothing better than a good cuppa with a good book! 📖

I just learned about this app and that it gives you a little Myers-Briggs reading personality! Are there any littens on Fable? What are your thoughts? I love trying new book apps, even though Litsy will always be #1 🥰

Some new crafts to do while I listen to my audiobook 🎧📖 So far I‘m enjoying this sapphic take on Austen 😊

🌟🌟🌟 I am of a firm opinion that the title of this book and the previous one should be flipped lol

🏎️🧡 I finally decided to try stickers for my e-reader!! I had to do an F1 (mostly papaya/Oscar lol) themed spread! The background didn‘t print perfectly but I‘m very happy with the outcome. Nevermind that Oscar‘s facial expression is how I felt about this weekend‘s Canadian GP 🫣 I‘ve also got an OTGW, Ghibli, spooky, more F1, and Cottagecore themes lined up :)

I LOVED the plot twist at the end! I find the ghosts to be the best part of these books. I wish more time was spent on them. I can‘t say the living characters have grown on me at all. Their dialogue and inner monologues are so cheesy. Keira can be especially repetitive. I do not like the possible implied romance either, I was hoping it would stick to being a mystery horror. A fun fast read, but I found myself skim reading to the ghost parts.

The Sisters Brothers is marketed as a dark comedy Western. Dark comedies are one of my fav sub genres. However, I could not for the life of me find the humor. The writing style was very simple and straightforward musings from Eli Sisters (who I found naive and annoying). The plot felt repetitive following their journey and I did not like the callous violence. A scene with a child was when I decided it just wasn‘t my cup of tea.

I feel very mixed on this one. I enjoyed the action for sure, but I was not a fan of Frodo and Sam‘s chapters. I just never felt attached to them and disliked Gollum lol. I also felt like the last chapter, and the last line, were very anticlimactic and lacking emotional depth. I think I just missed the dwarves too much from the Hobbit. Overall, loved lotr, but I don‘t think this was my fav. Excited to start The Silmarillion next!

Soft pick. I randomly grabbed this one at the library. I was looking for Dead Lake, but this was the only Coates book on hand. It was more of a fun book than a scary one. I was intrigued by the idea of a woman who can see the dead tending to a graveyard and its ghostly occupants (a weird part of me really wants that job). There was a quirky cast of characters and a plot twist in the ghosts story. Nothing mind blowing but I will grab the next one!

? I love my name, Madeline. I‘ve never liked my nickname Maddie, although my dad named me Madeline so I could go by Maddie ? Madeline feels pretty and elegant. Maybe I‘d change the spelling to Madeleine. I do love the name Josephine too as an homage to a great grandmother and my dad.

? Theodora Roosevelt aka Teddy Bear, Charlotte Ann aka Charlie, Pepper, and Ghost

? Emeline, Casiopea, Pangur Bán, Pilu, Vassa, Rose, Lily, and Ayesha

I‘ve loved the movies since I was a kid, but recently saw a review depicting the book as much more horrific and I immediately downloaded it. It was definitely more graphic and gorier. I was surprised by some of the different characters in the novel and the difference in who made it to the end. I kept reading it before bed and then feeling uneasy the rest of the night lol.

Do you think it‘s worth trying The Lost World next?

For my birthday, my friend took me to a Jane Austen picnic!! Everyone was dressed up. There were different Austen inspired activities every hour with scenes from Pride and Prejudice in between. I‘m obsessed with the pink fan I bought too 🩷 I‘m hoping to listen to the audio for Pride & Prejudice this summer and watch all of the adaptions!

🌼 I would love to learn ancient Egyptian or Akkadian. I am obsessed with the Club of Great Powers that existed between 1500 and 1200 BC and would love to read artifacts. I also love Hatshepsut. I could gush for hours about the women from that time period!

🌼 I really want to learn more about the ancient Chinese warrior and queen, Fu Hao. I haven‘t been able to find any solid books on her, but I guarantee there are some written in Chinese.

- I love reading lying down! I actually like to do my work lying down too. My back really aches when I have to sit for a while and I end up getting too distracted. I have a new chair in my living room that allows me to comfortably lay down while I read!
- I‘m just about to start the third lotr! I really love the books so far. However, I did find Frodo & Sam‘s parts a bit of drag. Hopefully everything picks up #Two4Tuesday

Yay for more space horror!! I liked the premises of her first two books, but not so much the execution. It felt like the horror really falls apart during the climax and each book has the same group of characters. I was happy this one was a little different and read it in one sitting. I still wish the horror had hit harder. I didn‘t mind the romantic subplot in this one; it didn‘t feel as random. Hoping her next one will be even creepier! 3.5 🌟

Someone listed this as a Pride & Prejudice retelling, which was enough for me. However, I‘d say this was more of typical enemies to lovers. It felt a little too instalove and the plot on the back cover was only maybe 1/4 of the book. I didn‘t love how infertility was handled. But overall it was a fun read when I was feeling a little too stressed with grad school. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize what a quizzing glass was.

I remember trying to read lotr a long time ago and not being able to get past Bombadil. However, now is the right time because I am loving Tolkien‘s work. I found the references to Númenor during Bombadil‘s chapters to be fascinating. I love Tolkien‘s lore and history of Middle Earth the most, especially of the dwarves and men. I had fun seeing what the movies kept and what was different :) There were many scenes that had me choking up too ?

Thanks to @kelli7990 for sharing! I don‘t have much to say other than please help keep libraries an integral part of our society: petition is this link https://nwmd.social/s/copylink/5QyDZVuWfuHOxbWOmQ==/b

🇺🇦💙💛🕊️ My heart goes out to Zelensky who has stood with Ukrainians during this atrocious Russian War on Ukraine. Слава Україні!

I‘ve started a ritual of reading something relaxing before bed with a cup of chamomile and honey to help with my insomnia. This is my third time trying to enjoy the Hobbit, although I love the movies. I started this attempt with a mindset that I was reading something very cozy and ended up loving it. I even cried at the ending. I‘ve purchased lotr, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The Children of Húrin to read next ☺️ It is my Feb pick ?

Thank you @LA1 for this beautifully made #ValetineCardSwap 🥰🩷💌

Well then….I feel a little attacked but this was super fun lol. Thanks @TheBookHippie for sharing #LiterallyMyCharacter 🤩

Thank you everyone for the lovely #Valentinecardswap25!!! 💌💗📝 I sent mine out a little late but hopefully they will all be arriving very soon 😊

Thank you so much @bumpinthenight for this wonderful spooky #Valloweenswap!!! The chocolates look delicious and I‘m so excited to light the candles 🕯️ 🥀 Bleached Reminders looks like it‘s gonna be so interesting 💀 I appreciate all the goodies ☺️

My cousin, who is my book bestie ♥️📚, and I have been sending each other Valentine‘s Day book swaps for a couple years now. She‘s a really big romance fan. I finally got it wrapped up and ready to send! We painted wine bottles at my friend‘s Galentine‘s day party. I think a little sweet lemon wine + reading is the perfect way to spend the evening 🥰🍋♥️

I received my #Valloweenswap! 💀🖤♥️🥀🕷️ #Valloweenswap25

I was craving a space horror and this one was recommended frequently. I liked the premise and the psychological horror. I had a minor gripe with the characters, especially Sasha. I didn‘t like how she treated Zhang, and I thought the romance was just kinda dumb. I do wish the horror had been amped up. But it was very fast paced with constant action. I‘m excited to see what horrible scene they stumble on as they explore their final destination.

I shipped my #Valloween swap! It should be there by the 5th 😊🖤💀🥀 #valloweenswap25

I read a lot of great books in January, but Hotel Lucky Seven delivered a sharply comedic and thrilling ride 🐞 I have some great books lined up for February.

In 1935, five men set off to follow in the ill-fated footsteps of the 1905 expedition up Kangchenjunga. Little do they know the mountain is hiding a dark secret. I like historical and psychological horror but this one was a soft pick. There was just so many opportunities to make this story truly horrifying, disturbing, and unsettling but Paver chose to take a safer route. I‘m hoping her other book Dark Matter will make me afraid of the dark.

The Mantis follows the inner life of a singular assassin, Kabuto, who works for an eerie handler called The Doctor. Kabuto is a talented and ruthless hitman, but at home he‘s fearful of upsetting his wife and not being a good father. This was a mix of humor and lots of emotion, and Isaka definitely threw a gut punch at the end that left me teary eyed. While this was markedly different from the rest of the series, I devoured it in one sitting!

Ladybug is back! 🐞 What should have been a simple delivery job has turned into a crazy fight for survival in a hotel crawling with assassins. I was so happy to have another ensemble cast of hitmen with wacky names like Cola and Soda. The twists at the end were so fun with a few I didn‘t see coming. I didn‘t love this group as much as previous books, but it definitely left me craving more from Isaka‘s quirky Japanese underworld.

Three Assassins is the prequel to Bullet Train, told in three perspectives. Cicada is a knife expert, but he wants to escape his controlling handler. The Whale convinces his victims to commit suicide, but lately all 33 have been haunting him. Asagao pushes people into traffic, more phantom than real. Poor Suzuki just wants to avenge his wife who was murdered. Action packed, funny, with an ending leaving you reeling. I LOVED this installment.

For my book club we read Red Rabbit, which I would characterize as a spaghetti horror western. A ragtag group set off across the plains to collect a bounty on a witch, running into all sorts of horrors along the way. It was a bloody ride! But there‘s more at play than the group realizes. I loved the two cowboys, Ned and Moses. This is a genre I would love to read more of! The cover is also gorgeous.

My cousin (aka my book bestie) and I like to sit down and make our own book brackets each year with a theme. We send each other monthly updates as we add books, it‘s one of my favorite bookish traditions. My bracket for 2024 was a witchy theme and I‘m happy to say I LOVED Isaka‘s Assassins series and Three Assassins is my book of the year 🥂✨ I went with a pond theme for 2025! 🦢🐸 Excited for another year of books!

#StuffedStockingSwap Thank you so much for the lovely swap!!! I adored the nutcrackers on the outside and had so much fun making the Lego nutcracker with my friend 💙🩵 I‘ve been dying to read The Wind Child and was so so excited to see it in the swap! I can‘t wait to curl up with it while drinking cocoa and munching on candy canes 🥰

My #StuffedStockingSwap arrived! I‘m loving the Nutcrackers on the outside ❤️❄️⛄️🎄 @Avanders

Package sent! ❄️⛄️🎄 #StuffedStockingSwap @Avanders

🎶 Wow this is hard! I‘m a huge Red Hot Chili Pepper Fan but recently I‘ve enjoyed What You Know by Two Door Cinema
🎶 Hmmmmm, maybe the Jamie Bower and King Sugar cover of Run On (Johnny Cash). I‘m reading Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian
#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

Clearly I need to up my Thanksgiving game! There were so many foods on here I had never thought to try. I‘ve got so many ideas now! Although, the pickle dip I make for our relish tray will always be a favorite 🥒

Foods I want to try:
🧁 cranberry and orange muffins
🍎 Sausage and apple dressing
🍠 sweet potato casserole (instead of candied yams)

Among many more! Thanks @KadaGul for the tag! @dabbe

I was gonna try to resist the holiday season at least until Thanksgiving because Halloween is my favorite holiday. But the minute I walked into a store with all the holiday stuff on display, the winter coziness slammed into me and I had to embrace it. I just love winter wonderland and winter coziness. I think of it as Nutcracker season if anything else 🩰✨🐭 Time to crack out my B&N book copy of the classic ballet! 🥰 #stuffedstockingswap

This is a really dark day. I am in shock and disbelief. I cannot believe how far we have fallen. But I wanted to share something positive that did happen as a small bright spot 🏳️‍🌈♥️🏳️‍⚧️

💀#WondrousWednesday @Eggs 🩸

Thank you so much @MaleficentBookDragon for this amazing #AllHallowsReadSwap #AHRS swap!!! The little ghost is the cutest thing I‘ve ever seen, and I am so so excited to work through the sour candy 😆 I loved a previous Coates book, so I‘m pumped to try the ones you sent 🖤🧡🎃👻

My #AllHallowsReadSwap arrived!! I‘m so excited for opening day ☺️🧡🖤🎃 #AHRS

I dropped off both my #HauntedHollowSwap #HHS and my #AllHallowsReadSwap today! I didn‘t get a photo of the packages but here‘s me leaving the post office lol. They should both arrive in a couple of days 👻🎃🖤🧡🕷️