I‘ve not read much about anxiety, despite living with it and panic attacks for years. The author draws a line between anxiety and habit loops, and with that, a correlation to addictions. I‘d never thought of it like that before, and never really understood what is meant by “mindfulness” practice before and how that can help. I still have a long way to go, but I really appreciated this book.

I really like Huda‘s graphic novels. This one also centers around her experience growing up visibly Muslim in America…. But now while on a long road trip with her family to Disney World. It‘s pretty great how she is able to see her sisters differently and actually bond with them.

Here‘s my list/TBR for both December‘s book spin bingo and #wintergames #restinggrinchface. Leaving lots of room to mix it up because life will get busy and I‘ll need that freedom to relax. Also, I‘m certain I forgot a book I meant to write in, and as I can‘t figure out what that was… this was my best solution!

This was so much fun! My first book by Scalzi… maybe I should try others? In any event, this nobody guy inherits his estranged uncle‘s villainous empire- including his enemies. Bond-esque action and Austin Powers-like humor follow.

Fun and quirky murder mystery in a boutique hotel and starring a neurodivergent maid. I didn‘t expect the final twist to the story, which is good- but also thought the MC was possibly a bit cliche. Still was an enjoyable way to audiopuzzle away the afternoon.

Hi everyone! Here‘s a bit about me:
1. I love the Yankee Swaps - with my dad‘s family, my in laws, and my work family..
2. I look forward to all the fun posts… and the games I like most involve bingo boards & the #wintergames #wordsearch .
3. House to myself, dogs snuggled with me on the couch, and a fabulous book

I only recently discovered Hannah Gadsby‘s stand up on Netflix, and now feel like I need to revisit Nanette with all of this background information. Hannah has been through a lot, and I feel like I‘ve learned a lot from her experiences as a queer person with late diagnoses of ADHD and autism, and as a survivor of sexual assault.

Gorgeously dark artwork on a tale perfectly relevant today. Don‘t come here looking for Calvin & Hobbes!

Book 3 - coming March 2024!

After a month of mysteries and spooky stories, I really need a warm and cozy romance, and this fit the bill. It might not be my favorite by this author (I think I‘ve read them all?) but I very much enjoyed it! And it‘s kind of Christmas-y without feeling like I‘ve got a jump on that holiday.

Really loved the descriptions and phrases in this queer female-centered western story. The audio narration was perfect too… I really felt immersed in the setting. I have to admit that some of the middle section dragged a bit, but this sure ended with a flurry of action!

I know you've all been waiting for this just like I have! #WinterGames 2023 sign ups are NOW OPEN! Please share to spread the word. Can't wait to get the festive party started!
https://forms.gle/p6XCtCRVMMLbYDwH8

@Clwojick @StayCurious

My first Tommy & Tuppance…. And it was alright. I enjoy Poirot much more. But having that spy in WWII thing, and a married couple, was pretty different. Just not among my favorites of Agatha Christie‘s.

Just in the Nick of time, here‘s my November #bookspinbingo list! Hoping to do half as well as I did in October….

This was kind of a fun listen…. Not super dramatic or tension-filled…. The majority is told as a confession, but there is a twist to the story and that was cool. #bookspinbingo #bingo #scarathlon #spookyghostclub

So I‘ve known OF this character, but never read the books. This one‘s title would make you think it‘s about a haunted house, but it‘s really about confronting a bully for a friend at a Halloween party 🤷‍♀️#scarathlon #spookyghostclub +26pts

This was fun- a novel of friendship set nicely in the 80s wherein one friend gets possessed by a demon and only her best friend realizes what‘s happening and tries to save her. I mostly listened to the audio, but had to finish with print because I‘m too impatient! The print book is designed like a yearbook too - perfect! #scarathlon #spookyghostclub also 2 bingo lines for #bookspinbingo ! +61pts

#scarathlon #week3 game: list as many words as possible that deal with Halloween…. Or spooky things in general. I‘ll stop here for 1,500 points to #spookyghostclub. Fun game @Clwojick 👻

Needed to get out of the spooky books for a bit… and this still hit some of the #scarathlon word search words 😊 somehow I hadn‘t read this before… it‘s so cute! Exactly middle grade level. #spookyghostclub

This was so cute! And it got me my first ever #ISpyBingo line!!! #scarathlon #spookyghostclub ++46pts plus a bunch for the word search

Super cute little audio - either music and sound effects- a Halloween version of the classic children‘s tale. #spookyghostclub #scarathlon

This was an alright cozy mystery. It did everything it was supposed to. My only problem with is that I could absolutely feel the age difference between the author and the characters, and that was annoying. Maybe next year the cozy choice could be more Halloween related though? #scarathlon #spookyghostclub #teamread +51pts

I MADE A CRAFT!! I always want to do something but never have the time. This year I made sure I didn‘t run out of time! These ghosties will stand guard over our candy table on Halloween night…. And hopefully for many Halloweens to come! #scarathlon #spookyghostclub +16pts

I had hoped that this audio would have had some music, or be set to a beat like the early Pete the Cat books, but no ☹️ #scarathlon #spookyghostclub

Absolutely loved this novella retelling of Poe‘s Fall of the House of Usher! So delightfully creepy…. Excellent on audio. #scarathlon #spookyghostclub

Almost forgot to do this weeks game! And it‘s one of my favorites! So here we go: 245 words for 2,450 pts (+1 for the post)! #scarathlon #spookyghostclub

I listened to and read this back and forth… even though the chapters didn‘t align for some reason. And then the British narrator made the mystery set in Ancient Egypt feel a bit off…. A little strange. But an interesting stand-alone for sure. #scarathlon #spookyghostparty #bingo #bookspinbingo

I bought this completely on a whim…. It‘s been a long time since I‘ve read a werewolf story, and this looked fun. And it was fun! Easy entertainment. #scarathlon #spookyghostclub

Um, no. I couldn‘t with this. I have the book but was doing the audio because I needed something when driving. And as much as I have liked A.S. King‘s strange stories in the past, I just don‘t think this was meant to be on audio. I got 33% in and I really can‘t tell you anything; I‘m just so confused and don‘t have the mental capacity to focus on it

One last #scarathlon book for today…. This was a re-listen for me, but it had been a few years and I‘d forgotten pieces of it. This novella is kind of like A Christmas Carol but Halloweeny…. And folks, so many word search points! #spookyghostclub also, it‘s my #doublespin for this month!

So I‘ve just discovered a bunch of Agatha Christie‘s short stories on Libby. This was a fun one where Poirot quickly discovers the true thief of Mrs Opalson‘s pearl necklace. So fun! Only one word search word though…. #scarathlon #spookyghostclub

I‘m always up for a Brene Brown audio! This one is from a few years ago, but nonetheless filled with great lessons born from her research on shame and vulnerability. She just makes so much sense. But I also feel like I‘ll need to revisit this and her other books to help them really sink in. #scarathlon #spookyghostclub #hardlyanywordsearchpoints

I think this counts for #scarathlon? We just finished my second viewing (husband‘s first) of Derry Girls on Netflix and so tonight included the emotional Halloween episode…. So I think +6 to #spookyghostclub my apologies to James, not the best screen shot.

I used to love the Nancy Drew books when I was a kid. My grandmother had kept all the originals, and I‘d read them non-stop when visiting her. But it‘s been years and years… so I saw this and thought I‘d give it a quick read for #scarathlon. It‘s so cute! It imagines a more current day Nancy as a third grader solving mysteries with her “Clue Crew”. Adorable. #spookyghostclub +26pts

I think this is the third #scarathlon I‘ve read this book! It‘s perfect today too because it‘s a bunch of word search points, but also the photo challenge today is #pumpkin AND reading a book that relates to the photo challenge is even more points! #spookyghostclub +46 pts plus word search to be added later

Ooh, I liked this one. And checked off my #bookspin early this month! Even got a few #scarathlon #wordsearch words too. I‘ll say that a couple of scenes were a little long/overdone and the ending was completely expected but I really enjoyed the journey. #spookyghostclub

Finished this audio for book group. It‘s a sequel, and I think it is necessary to read the first one - The Family Upstairs. This one brings together loose strings, but with a pretty neat ending. There‘s still the opportunity for another, but I‘d be surprised if it goes there. Book 1 of #Scarathlon done (at least the second half!) and got some word search points. #SpookyGhostClub

I know you‘re all shocked- I‘m posting my #bookspinbingo list DAYS before the end of the month. DAYS! Mostly as it‘s doubling as my #scarathlon TBR as well :) #SpookyGhostClub

I really enjoyed the first half of this book…. I liked her stories of growing up, her family, and all the amazing Pakastani foods. It wasn‘t all nice happy stories, but I was right there with her. The end part, maybe the last 1/3, had a different feel to it and I‘m not sure why. But I have to acknowledge it. Great audio, narrated by the author.

The Pros: explores a setting & events & POV I was unfamiliar with (and should), in verse which is appealing to me. The Cons: if there weren‘t section breaks for the different wars, I would not have realized time was passing (maybe that‘s on purpose?) and I felt that Lt Death was unresolved. I still wondered if he would pop up again in the end. Still, glad to read it and would recommend. Newbery Honor, Pura Belpre Award Winner

There is still time to sign up for the Biggest* and Best* October event on Litsy- Starting up Oct 1! It‘s time for Scarathlon! (* totally my subjective opinion) #SpookyGhostClub

Form to join can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnawYo1IDsBAr2s_LlqzBQlxM8KGwIqDxE1Dm4...

I enjoyed this audio very much (but had to finish with my physical copy. I definitely had an authentic NYC feel and I thought it (eventually) dealt well with disordered eating.

This was so fun - a kind of weird futuristic mashup of Pinocchio and Frankenstein… the audio was fun (my teen boys even laughed a bit in the car when they were paying attention). Some scenes seemed overly long… and it‘s not quite Cerulean Sea… but I enjoyed it far more than any novel I‘ve ever read involving robots.

I really liked this one! It‘s so strange…. I think I really needed that. I‘m not sure why I waited so long to read it, honestly. Makes me think I might need to read his backlist.

How is it September already? Here‘s my list. Hoping to get a good start on this long weekend! #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I was a bit confused and underwhelmed for a bit at the start. Somewhere in the middle, though, it sneakily got a hold of me. This is a story of the very real magic and monsters and stars of early Hollywood… told by Luli Wei, a young, queer, Chinese woman and aspiring actress. I can‘t wait to see what the rest of the book group thinks!

Oh, this was marvelous. I absolutely hated the main character and her arrogant cluelessness made me laugh out loud at points! At its heart, though, is the very serious topics of racism, privilege, white savior mentality and how that plays out in publishing. The audio narrator was fantastic!

I typically can‘t stand the middle book of planned trilogies…. But this was better than expected. It follows Maud as she tracks down a piece of the final contract, and it all goes down on a transatlantic voyage back to England. There is one other familiar face from the first book, and a bunch of new ones (including love interest Violet) and now I‘m looking forward to the finale this fall.

I honestly thought I had read this before! But by the 2nd or 3rd chapter, it was clear to me that I hadn‘t. Yes, it‘s the story of a family just trying to survive after their farmland dries up and is taken by the bank during the depression/dust bowl. But it‘s also a stark look at family, togetherness, survival and the attitudes of haves vs have nots and how easy it is to boil over. The audio was excellent- complete with harmonica interludes.

Um, for a short book - this took me forever to read. It‘s slow, haunting, atmospheric story with very little plot and very little revealed. It just is. Many seem to be disappointed/shocked at the ending. It made sense to me - I was more shocked that Leah actually did come back and all of it was real and not Miri‘s hallucination. Just not the book for me I guess.