I always say I‘m not a poetry person, but I really like Walker‘s poetry. He‘s the author of Affrilachia & is a professor/writer locally. This collection is about his life, events that have happened in Kentucky, his family. Easy to read & touching at times. My #bookspin book for January

I had read the 2nd book in the trilogy (this is the 1st) a few yrs ago. I need a book set in winter for a book challenge & thought this would fit—except it‘s set during the Alaska summer. I enjoyed this romance but was annoyed with the main conflict. The female is on vacation & falls in love with a local. She‘s a waitress—why don‘t either of them suggest she move until after a bunch of drama? 🤦‍♀️ Oh well, it‘s not meant to be a deep read. 3.5/⭐️

Thank you Jessi @MrsGagnonreads2024 for the book & giant bag of m&ms! Might take me awhile to eat them 🙂 Excited to read this book, too.
#littlechristmaswap Thanks for hosting @bookish_wookish

I‘ve been wanting to read this for several months. Ruby is a nanny who gets a job (early 1900s) with the England family. Mrs England doesn‘t pay any attention to the children, Mr England is charming, plays with the kids, & runs a mill successfully. Is that how they are under the surface? Ruby has a family secret, too. Moors, rain, set in Yorkshire, a little creepy. Really liked this story.

I don‘t need to start another series, but I did anyway. This is the first book I finished for 2025, a story of a newly widowed woman who is trying to be independent but has to solve a couple of mysteries first. A fun, light read.

My choice for #12booksof2024 In December. Sarah @TheAromaofBooks sent this to me for jolabokaflod swap & I actually read it instead of putting it on my TBR stack. I‘ll continue with the series. @Andrew65

It‘s the perfect day to stay in & read. Don‘t have to work or go anywhere. Already finished a book while snow was falling—we got all this within 2-3 hours. What we‘re all dreading here in Kentucky is the next phase, which I can hear now—ice. I‘ll be doing some chores & starting my next book.

Not the same cover as the edition I have. I usually like all the England-set, Regency or Victorian period, amateur sleuth novels, but this one is better than most. More suspense & serious issues plus middle-aged protagonists make it a little different. Loaned it to a friend & she loved it, too. Excited for the 2nd one. #12booksof2024 @Andrew65

Think I‘m behind on the #12booksof2024 so this is my October pick. I finally read Dear Martin & this one—in time to meet Nic Stone at a book fair. Loved both, but this one hit me just a bit more because of kids I have worked with. @Andrew65

September is an easy choice for favorite book, although I did love The London Seance Society & learned a lot from Sitting Pretty. #12booksof2024 @Andrew65

I don‘t think I‘ve posted a pic of my adorable Griffin in awhile.
By June, I need to read a book that has a character with one of my names. Didn‘t have luck finding anything when I googled. Don‘t think my names are commonly used in books. So, I need you all to help!
A book that has a character named 1)Shannon, 2) Cochrane, or 3) Johnson

I may not have read this if I didn‘t need a Southern Gothic book for my library‘s book challenge. I would have missed out on a great book. Lots of secrets & lies. #12booksof2024 August @Andrew65

I read a lot in July, I started the Lumberjanes GNs that month. I love the Lady Sherlock series, so the tagged wins out for the month. #12booksof2024 @Andrew65

Meant to post this yesterday, @bookish_wookish
Sorry! Sent my #lcs package & it should be there on time but at the last minute. Sent UPS so watch for it on the 6th, @JessieKB

#bookspin list for January 2025
@TheAromaofBooks

I loved this trilogy of GNs. I read Sheets and Delicates in May, then this one in June. It‘s a YA series, with a girl who runs the family laundromat befriending a ghost. In this one, they investigate how the ghost (who‘s a pre-teen) died. This series has a lot of feels. #12booksof2024 @Andrew65

Going with this for the 5th day of #12booksof2024
I had another 5 star read (Table for Two), but this book needs more exposure. A story of racism, with a MC who has severe anxiety that develops into agoraphobia, & how she copes with it. I loved that‘s it‘s told in verse & is responsible with the mental health. Some romance is there, too. @Andrew65

2 unrelated things in the same post:
1) I received my #littlechristmasswap box from @MrsGagnonreads2024 @bookish_wookish
2) My friend gave me this handmade basket for Christmas. It‘s from a craft vendor we often see at fairs. My coffee table has become to cluttered with books/other papers, so I cleaned it off. Now, the basket can hold my current book, kindle, & some bookmarks/notecards. We‘ll see how long this lasts lol

It‘s taken me months to finish this short book. hooks‘ writing can be dense & takes some thought. These are essays about race, finding her home & place in the world, & memories of her family. I really liked the ones about quilt making & what that meant to the elders. She also writes about my favorite author, Wendell Berry, & includes a convo they had about how racism and the environment connect & his book, The Hidden Wound. Made me wish I could 👇

The 4th day of #12booksof2024 is a close race between the tagged & The Dictionary of Lost Words. Going with this HF because I love Adichie‘s writing & the topic of war is still so relevant now. @Andrew65

I‘ve had this book on my kindle for so long. I‘ve met both authors & like both of their books. This is a Thelma & Louise type of story, with both young adults running away from family problems. An adventure, coming-of-age story, with lots of close calls with danger. A fun read, but I really had to suspend my disbelief that these girls wouldn‘t get caught. Actually got a bingo for #bookspin this month. 3.5/5 ⭐️

I read some great NF this year, but my favorite 3 all were early in the year. This is the account of the famous racehorse, Lexington, whose bloodline runs in most of our current thoroughbreds. Since I live near the heart of horse-racing (the city of Lexington, Ky), this was of particular interest to me, but it‘s a great pick for anyone.
#12booksof2024 @Andrew65

I‘ve posted about this book several times. Had a major impact on me & others I know. #12booksof2024 @Andrew65

Loved this audiobook about the first women astronauts. #12booksof2024
@Andrew65

I got interested in starting the Veronica Speedwell series after listening to the podcast A Strong Sense of Place. One of the hosts has mentioned it frequently as a fave series.
So, thank you Sarah for this book & chocolate! I‘m always excited about mint chocolate & can‘t wait to start reading. @TheAromaofBooks #jokabokaflodswap
@MaleficentBookDragon

I opened this earlier today & took a pic fast, so I could eat a cookie. So good & so are the chocolates. Can‘t wait to read this book. Thanks Katey! @bumpinthenight #jolabokaflodswap
@MaleficentBookDragon This is my favorite swap of the year—thanks for hosting it!

My 1st Larson book, I listened to this the last couple of weeks. All about the American ambassador to Germany & his family during the 1930s. Mostly set during 1933-34 when Hitler was chancellor & gaining power. Really interesting & scary, some direct connections to our current government. Some parts were slower or not as good but overall, an important read of a time period not covered much (or at all) in school.

Saw Arnold at the Ky book fair & bought his latest. A GN set mid-apocalypse after zombie squirrels caught a disease & started killing people. 4 friends are trying to make a documentary about the beginning of the apocalypse but end up on a different adventure. The friendships gets stronger, the craziness that happens is filmed, & I enjoyed all of it. It‘s a weird premise but fun. The squirrels do get stepped on a lot, fyi if that bothers you.

Same, Frank X Walker

Think this is the 5th book in the series, & if I didn‘t know there were several more, I would think it was the last one. Still doing audio, & I think this is the best of the series so far. Jane has to go to the Biltmore briefly to rescue her man, then has to outsmart the villain while back in Storyton. She makes several big decisions. There‘s a major twist. Solid series.

I got to meet Nic Stone for about 5 min at the book fair in my area. This story is about 2 teens, both dealing with trauma & mental health issues. They become bffs & eventually there‘s some romance. I‘m in the MH field & think Stone portrayed substance abuse & mental health accurately. She wrote that this is her most personal book. Also, I had a bad day, then re-read what she signed, & it made me feel better. Story is hopeful, not a downer.

This one has lots of romance tropes—enemies-to-lovers, only 1 bed, etc. The MC decides to fake being in her sister‘s role after her boss invites himself to dinner. He thinks she owns & runs a farm, but it‘s really her sister. Then, they get snowed in. PG rated romance. I enjoyed this story, it‘s a fun holiday book for light reading.

2 #jolabokaflodswap packages went out via UPS this morning. Expected to arrive on 1) Wednesday & 2) Friday. @MaleficentBookDragon

Had a very busy day but decided to check my mail around midnight when I got home. Got my #jolabokaflodswap gift from @TheAromaofBooks It‘s been a long but happy day with friends, laughter, my friend‘s sweet dog, food, & Christmas movies (we didn‘t pay much attention to the movies). @MaleficentBookDragon

This GN is by the author of the Plume series I read earlier this year. It‘s not in the GR or Litsy database, but I found it on Storygraph. The MC takes a janitorial job at a home for what she thinks are ill people. But, then she finds out they‘re more than that. She snoops a lot & starts to find out the secrets, then it ends on a cliffhanger. My friend said Vol 2 will be coming out soon, thanks to Kickstarter. Can‘t wait! Bookspin for Dec

I liked Ayesha at Last, so I picked up this holiday romance co-written by the same author. It‘s not steamy, for those that aren‘t into that. Enjoyed the characters, especially the grandfather. My #bookspin for December

Received 1 #jolabokaflodswap24 package today! Excited to see it on my porch when I got home from work. @MaleficentBookDragon

This was an impulse buy based on the title & cover. Sadie and her family have magic that also comes with a curse; both are unique to each person. Sadie has shut her heart off to most others because her curse is heartbreak. Then, family drama ensues & she has to figure out how to save her twin. There‘s also a lot of baking, some romance, and recipes. Sadie is a bit whiny, maybe too much plot, but I enjoyed this story. 3.5/5 ⭐️ #doublespin for nov

Not many people have read this book (looks like none have on Litsy), but it‘s one I bought in 2023 at the book fair. HF, set during 1941 in North Carolina, when our government promoted growing kudzu in the South, an invasive plant. This is a coming-of-age story, with Mattie as the MC. She is fiercely loving & protective of her family & friends, stubborn, curious, and a teenager. At first, everyone is taken with the Kudzu King who comes to sell 👇

I haven‘t read/listened to a book about our food industry in a lot of yrs so thought this would be a good one. It was a bit science-y for me, but I also liked the information about studies & explanations about our bodies. My horror about our food industry was renewed, but I‘m not sure how to reduce my UPF intake. We don‘t have many non-UPF options in my area, except the farmers market in summer. Would have liked more of that info.

#bookspin list for December, last one of 2024! @TheAromaofBooks

A prompt on my library‘s book challenge is to read the book that‘s been on your tbr the longest. I‘ve owned this book for over 20 years. I love Binchy‘s slow-paced, small town, Irish family stories, but they‘re long. This one is about a mother who leaves her family to live with her first love, but everyone thinks she died. Goes back and forth between mother‘s life & her daughter. Good story, felt the ending was too fast. #doublespin for March

I have a harder time sticking to a series in recent years & can take forever in between books. I do enjoy easy series like cozy mysteries or romance. The world-building fantasies though—I have to love the characters if I‘m going to tackle them. Also, I don‘t have to buy multiple books with stand alone.
#sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

Continuing with this series. Enjoyable cozy read, especially as audio on my commute. This one involves solving the mystery of a skeleton & rare book found on the Storyton estate. Another poisoning (this seems to be the murder weapon of choice in this series). The next book is going to have a change of setting, which I think will be good.

I loved this book! Middle-aged spinsters get involved with freeing females from an abusive husband, mental asylum, & a brothel. Told in 3 adventures, set in 1812, a historical look at women‘s status in that time. Adventurous with some romance and strong women. This is the beginning of a series—yay! #bookspin for November

Thanks @Sace for the tag.
1. My sunporch in a hammock or lounge chair (currently I have a chair I don‘t like much).
2. The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies
@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

Still a favorite of the year, I learned so much from this one. #sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

Was excited to meet Nic Stone & have a convo with her & Mariama J. Lockington. I didn‘t get to attend their bigger talk. Nic Stone did talks at 2 schools while she was in town, what a treat for those students. I loved Lockington‘s Forever is Now, so I bought another. She also has an anthology about adoptees. Got a GN from David Arnold (squirrel zombies!). Of course, had to stop by & get poetry from Frank X. Walker.

Got some Kentucky-centric books. My sister wanted 2 of them, but I‘ll read them also. The tagged is an anthology of Ky authors & others about the flooding we had about 2 years ago. Think it raises $ for eastern Ky where the floods were. I accidentally got the hardback for Haint Country-it cost a fortune! Independent presses, ooops.

I‘m going to do several posts about the Kentucky book fair. 1) I got to meet the sweet granddaughter of MLK & Coretta Scott King. This is a great tribute to her family, as well as inspiring.
2) Also got to meet our First Lady of Ky, who came to hand out the adorable coloring books about their dog. Winnie became popular during the pandemic because she would often be present at daily press briefings. Of course, Winnie wasn‘t at the fair ❤️