Leila, thank you so much for this purrrfect #muglove23 swap!!! Such an adorable mug and delicious sounding teas! I really appreciate this bright spot in my day 😍☕️😻

I‘ve been very MIA on Litsy lately, but I‘m looking forward to catching up with you all this week!

Uh… what?

I think I‘m glad I read this? It at least saved me from wasting time on Gravity‘s Rainbow 😬

January‘s #doublespin and another #1001books checked off @TheAromaofBooks

It‘s a no from me, dawg. Weird 80s YA sci-fi.

Read the first chapter and decided I have better things to read. I should have read the blurb before actually checking it out, but figured I‘d give it a try since I remember really liking The Chocolate War as a teen. Ah well, on to the next.

#Bookspin for Jan and first bail of the year @TheAromaofBooks

Hi Leila! Your #muglove23 packages are on their way! Amazon‘s shipping them separately 🤷🏻‍♀️, so it looks like you‘ll get one box this week and one right around Valentines Day ❤️ @Catsandbooks

@TheKidUpstairs @Cinfhen

Thank you, everyone, for your condolences. Your kindness has been a soft place for me over the last few hard days.

One more photo of Basil, one of the last I took of him, because it always makes me laugh: I made lobster tails for New Years Eve and he jumped right up to the table, expecting me to share 😹

I‘ll always be grateful for his dedicated companionship ❤️

Today was a very hard day: I made the agonizing decision to release Basil over the rainbow bridge. He made it to 18 w/ kidney disease & pancreatitis, but his body was shutting down & it was time. I had my sweet, regal boy for 14.5 years &, from the moment he looked at me w/ his bright blue eyes, I was his human & he was my shadow. It was an honor to rescue him & give him a comfortable life. To say I will miss him is an absolute understatement 💔

I‘m not a YA or romance reader, let alone a YA romance reader, so me reading this was already a stretch. There were certainly parts that were endearing or poignant and, for awhile, I thought I was actually going to love it. Ultimately, it didn‘t land for me. I‘ll leave my biggest gripe in the comments with a spoiler warning. I listened to this one and I thought the narrator was top notch.

My second #roll100 read for January

January‘s #diversecozy buddy read

Oh dear, what a mess. I really loved learning more about Filipino-American culture and food (oh the food! 🤤), but the plot/mystery itself was partly overly complicated and partly very obvious. I was baffled by some of the characters‘ motivations and reactions, including the MC‘s. Felt very much like a debut 🤷🏻‍♀️

Highsmith on January 👌

Cozy, blustery day with Basil 😻

My first #roll100 read of the year was this quick middle grade book. It was… meh, like a watered down To Kill A Mockingbird. I was digging it well enough until the last 10 or so pages- the resolution, for adult me, was not great. A very old TBR finally read, so still a win in my book!

I signed up for 2 new library cards (my county‘s and the neighboring city‘s)… may have gotten in way over my head 😬😍 #librarystack

#12booksof2022

Last, but not least, my December favorite: the Guernsey audiobook was the warm hug I needed as I adjusted to my new home. I couldn‘t help but be charmed by the cast of characters. I‘m also a sucker for an epistolary tale.
Middlemarch was a close runner up: Eliot‘s style could certainly get bogged down in minutia and obscure references, but damn, when she was on, she was ON and pulled no punches describing human nature.

I recently managed to break the handle off of a mug of mine 🤦🏻‍♀️ so this swap came at the perfect time! #muglove23

Thanks for hosting, @TheKidUpstairs @Cinfhen ! Looking forward to this sweet and simple swap! ☕️❤️

Needed a palate cleanser, so I listened to Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey gab away while I finished this belated Xmas gift for my nephew. I love The Office and listening to their podcast, The Office Ladies, so this was definitely a “shut up and take my money” situation. I‘d definitely recommend the audiobook, but also having the print on hand to see all the photographs and ephemera.

#litsycrafters #audiostitching

#12booksof2022

I only read 4 books in November, but 2 of them were excellent. McCullers managed to capture adolescence so well in her short novel; I just love her Southern Gothic style. Fasthorse‘s critique on smug “wokeness” was 👩🏻‍🍳💋. I listened to the audio production of the play and Liza Weil (Paris in Gilmore Girls) was the female lead- she nailed it 👌. Thanks to whichever Litten mentioned the play on Tgiving and got it on my radar!

#12booksof2022

October‘s favorite is a toss up between these absolute gems. I loved them both for their strong female leads, sparkling humor, and general badassery. Everyone needs a Lolly and a Miss Pettigrew in their life 👯‍♀️

Happy #bookspinbingo day, everyone!

My #bookspin is The Bumblebee Flies Anyway
My #doublespin is The Crying of Lot 49 (this was also a #roll100 selection I didn‘t get to last year, so the universe must really want me to read this one!)

I‘ve got my eye on that last row as my way towards a bingo 👀

#12booksof2022

It took me awhile to read this one, but I was finally able to finish it in September. I‘m not typically interested in books about WWII or even historical fiction, but this one really worked for me. Curious to try some other Doerr novels- I know many of you adored Cloud Cuckoo Land 🤔

My 2022 reading stats! Goals were to read 50 books and read down my TBR, specifically books that have been on my TBR the longest- crushed both!

79/93 were from my TBR! 😱
36 read or DNF were from my oldest TBR books
Read or DNF 29/33 #roll100 selections 😱
Read or DNF all 12 #bookspin picks and 10/12 #doublespin picks (not always in their original months) 😱
Checked off 32 years for #192025
Read 8 #1001books
⬇️⬇️⬇️

#12booksof2022

A #roll100 pick for August, this one was small, but mighty. Definitely made me think long and hard about colonialism/tourism and my own actions as a tourist. Need more Kincaid in my life! 🔥

With just a couple of hours to spare, I finished Middlemarch in 2022! 🎉 #1001books

Thank you for understanding, @Graywacke , as I dealt with some curveballs that delayed my reading. That middle was a slog, but Eliot‘s sparkling wit and insight came back in full force for the final book and made it worthwhile for me. So glad I decided to give this DNF from college another shot and join you on this journey! #george

Cheers to 2023, everyone! 🥂

I‘m also excited to be participating in #bookspin and #bookspinbingo again in 2023!

Like in 2022, I‘m going to create my #bookspin lists from my Goodreads TBR, sorted by date added. In Jan, I‘m using books 1-20 on my TBR; in Feb, I‘ll use 101-120; in March, I‘ll use 201-220; and so on. Once I reach the end of my TBR, I do “second chance” #bookspin lists for the books that caught my eye, but I didn‘t get to during their original month

Excited to be participating in #roll100 again in 2023!

Just like 2022, I‘ll sort my Goodreads TBR by date added and use the first 100 titles (the ones that have been on my TBR the longest) as my #roll100 list every month.

January‘s picks:
The Fault in Our Stars (will most likely listen to this one- with tissues at the ready 😬)
After Dark (my first Murakami!)
Dovey Coe

Thanks, as always, @PuddleJumper !

#12booksof2022

Like many of you, Excellent Women won me over in July. Pym had long been sitting on my TBR, so I‘m very grateful that the #pemberlittens buddy read encouraged me to finally get to it this year. Very much looking forward to my next Pym!

#12booksof2022

I read some real stinkers in June, but I also read this gem of a novel, one of my top reads of the year. #camplitsy gave me the needed to push to read it this year instead of having it languish on my miles long TBR

#12booksof2022

Read for May‘s #authoramonth, this was my first Highsmith and boy, can she create an atmosphere. I can‘t say this was an enjoyable read per say, as I largely found it uncomfortable and itchy, but I have deep respect for an author who can evoke those emotions in a reader not only in the moment of reading, but in the months (years?) following when the reader recalls the story. Looking forward to more Highsmith!

#12booksof2022

April was an okay reading month for me overall, but listening to a production of M. Butterfly was absolutely a highlight of my reading year. I fell down many Wikipedia rabbit holes with this one. Would really love to see this performed live one day!

Everyone is welcome to join the super casual #diversecozy buddy reads in 2023!

Read the monthly book at your own pace and tag us when you have comments to share. Many of these are the first in a series- if you‘ve already read the first book, feel free to read whichever is next in the series for you. Skip any you want and join in again whenever!

Let me know if you‘d like to be added to the tag list 🙂

#12booksof2022

March was another mixed reading bag. I really enjoyed listening to Meaty, a collection of very funny essays that had been on my TBR for ages.

Close runners up were Circle of Friends (just the right amount of chick lit vibes) and Malibu Rising (TJR can certainly nail a setting). I had never read any of these authors before and now I want to read everything all 3 have written!

Finished Dec‘s #diversecozy read right before heading out the door for trivia night tonight.

There were some mistakes that should‘ve been caught by an editor that drove me a little batty, but I enjoyed this more than I didn‘t. The town was charming, it wasn‘t too romance-y for me (a genre I‘ve never been able to enjoy), and the mystery wasn‘t easily solvable. Very easy to read, especially for the holidays, but will probably be forgotten soon

#12booksof2022

February was a mixed bag of a reading month. My favorite was listening to Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson. I appreciated how he didn‘t shy away from his flaws and missteps.

Close runners up were Ivanhoe (way more entertaining than I thought it‘d be going in) and Half Empty (another audiobook; highly recommend for David Sedaris fans)

#12booksof2022

January was a very good reading month for me, both in quality and quantity. My favorite book of the month, and will most likely be my favorite book of the year, was the graphic memoir, Good Talk by Mira Jacob. Close runners up were I Capture the Castle and In Waves.

A few ways I‘ve been taking care of myself during this season of major change (aside from reading, of course): hiking and exploring my new town, cooking comforting meals, taking the time to fill my new home with meaningful things instead of grabbing the first thing, speaking regularly with friends, researching ways I can participate in my new community, finding future fun things to do in the area

#holidayfriends

Welp, I had my flight canceled on Friday and then again this morning, so it‘s just my cat and me in my new apartment for Christmas this year. I was so looking forward to seeing my family, who I haven‘t seen since 2019, but you can‘t control the weather 🤷🏻‍♀️. Looking forward to making the most out of a bummer of a situation- getting some major reading and organizing done, stocked up on yummy food, found some gorgeous hikes to explore 🎄

Happy Litsyversary, anniversary twin @Chrissyreadit ! 🥳👯‍♀️

So glad I found this community 6 years ago. Not only my reading life, but my whole life, is all the better for it 🥰

While interesting, I‘m not really sure what to take away from this book. Things are often more interconnected than one might think? The key to research is a good dataset? I‘m glad I finally gave this a listen, but I have a feeling I‘ll be forgetting most of it very soon 🤔 #rolldecember pick @PuddleJumper

The audio production of this book was wonderful and probably the only reason why I finished this book and am considering it a light pick. Something about a white woman (who got sued for using a maid‘s likeness in the book) writing as Black women just felt off to me. This was very much a white centered story when it had true potential to not be.
Almost finished with my cross stitch gift for my grandma! #audiostitching #litsycrafters

December‘s #diversecozy buddy read is In the Winter Woods: a little M/M Christmas romance mystery for you! Available on Hoopla for easy access.

Friends, how are we feeling about continuing #diversecozy in 2023? Should we stick to one a month or shift to every other month? Want me to continue picking out titles or should we do suggestions/voting? Thanks for your input! 🙂

This book was… fine and a borderline so-so. It was easy to read and kept me interested enough to keep coming back. I enjoyed learning more about the tensions between Britain and India post WWI. I kept getting the police force and military personnel confused though and the ending felt very thrown together. Probably won‘t read more of the series. November‘s #diversecozy buddy read

I finished this Xmas present for my mom a few days ago. A colorful crab for a Cancer. Now on to a bouquet of pansies for my grandma. #litsycrafters #audiostitching

I‘ve been listening to The Help while stitching and packing. It was my #doublespin from way back in January, so hoping to finally finish it this month. It‘s very long, but the audio production is 👌

The #bookspinbingo gods were good to me this month: both my #bookspin (Middlemarch) and #doublespin (The Exclamation Mark, Chekhov‘s parody of A Christmas Carol) were two that I was already planning to prioritize reading in December.

Well, I completely whiffed my reading goals for November. Between traveling and personal stuff, I‘m surprised I managed to finish anything.
✅ 1 #roll100 title
✅ 3 audiobooks, one of which was my #bookspin
✅ 2/4 from my TBR
✅ 4 years added to #192025
🚫 1 DNF

I‘m midway through 3 books right now, so hoping my Dec reading will look a bit more robust 🤞

Hi, friends. Apologies for being a bit behind on just about everything. I ended my long term relationship last week and have been busy getting ready to move 200+ miles to a brand new town. Everything‘s a bit topsy turvy right now and reading has sadly slid to the bottom of my to do list. I‘m doing fine, all things considered, and am looking forward to a new chapter in my life, along with having time to read again. Thanks for being here 💖

I‘ve been trying to figure out how to participate in #rolldecember since there‘s no way I‘m going to be able to read these 4 AND the #roll100 selections AND all the other books I want to read by the end of the year. Now I‘ve got it- I‘m going to consider these 4 as possible substitutes for any Nov or Dec #roll100 titles I‘m not really feeling. I will most likely switch out 2 titles for Freakonomics and BUtterfield8 in the coming weeks 🤔

Listened to this relatively short memoir while cleaning and stitching over the weekend. The latest from Graham, I found this entertaining enough with a few gems folded in. Not earth shatteringly good or insightful, but if you‘re a fan of her or her shows, you will most likely enjoy hearing her unique voice again.

Thanks to Libro.fm for this free audiobook!

#bookspin for Nov @TheAromaofBooks

Finished up book 5 this weekend.

I noticed that Ladislaw kept being referred to as an “Italian with mice” and had no idea what that meant (no footnote about it was in my edition). I took to Google and I wasn‘t the only one miffed by that phrase. Apparently, it was common for Italian immigrants in Victorian times to be street performers with monkeys or mice. So more xenophobia being thrown at Ladislaw. Hoping his is a redemption story! #george

Finished this audiobook while making progress on a Xmas gift for my mom (she‘s into astrology & her sign is Cancer) #audiostitching #litsycrafters

I mainly enjoyed this book; I thought the narrator was excellent. So much privilege & seeming contempt for others, especially overweight people, though. I found many of the stats & facts uncomfortable and, no doubt, things are more dismal now than in the late 90s when Ehrenreich did her experiment ⬇️

December‘s #roll100 picks are up! Even though I have a perfect track record of reading all #roll100 selections through October (!!!), I‘m not gonna lie- I feel myself slowing down with my reading and I‘m not sure how strong I‘m gonna finish the year. I‘ll give it my best shot all the same 🤞. Thanks, as always, @PuddleJumper !

Hey, #george friends, did you see that Middlemarch was a Double Jeopardy category last week? Didn‘t seem like any of the contestants had read it recently 😅. Full list of answers can be found at the URL in the comments ⬇️

I‘ve slowly been working on book 5 the last few weeks and should be able to finish it by the weekend

Same, American Airlines, same 🤓📚

About to fly home after almost 2 weeks away. Didn‘t get much reading done between the conference and road tripping with a best friend. Looking forward to getting back into it and catching up on Litsy!