My first ghost-involved read for October. Florence has to return to her hometown for a family event & then her editor, who‘s a ghost after an accident, shows up & romance ensues. I liked the plot to this, the way Poston managed a happy ending was unique. Enjoyed the family & small-town characters. Deals with grief.

My October #bookspin list. A combo of paranormal, mystery, & local authors (want to finish before this year‘s book fair). @TheAromaofBooks

After re-reading The Giver for my church book club, I decided I should finally read the rest of the series. We are all curious about what happened to Jonas & Gabriel. This is Kira‘s story—she lives in a primitive society where everyone is hunting/gathering. She gets picked to live an easier life because of her gift of sewing & dyeing colors. She finally realizes the evil of certain people in her society & plans to help fix it.

I‘m almost done with the Poirot series, 1 more to go. Ariadne Oliver is in this one a lot, which makes it more entertaining. Otherwise, the story is good with a predictable ending.

Picked this up last yr at a book fair from the author. I think her books are Christian, this one was. Set in eastern Kentucky, another fiction story about the packhorse librarians. There‘s a love triangle, neighbors helping each other, some hardships, and what it means to be family. Enjoyed the characters, esp Aunt Perdie, a crotchety old maid.

I‘ve meant to read this for a long time & glad I got it during banned books month. This is a very weird book about the suicide of all 5 daughters in a family. What makes it weird is that it‘s told from the perspective of neighborhood male peers who have spent many yrs observing, then investigating the tragedy. Mostly unemotional, you only know the girls from other people. Some cringe parts, but I was interested through most of the story.

This was suggested to use for my church book club. I enjoyed this HF & am disappointed that I didn‘t know about the Library on my previous trips to NYC. Definitely want to go next time. 4 🌟

I had to take a break from this audio after about 7-8 hrs because it was making me angry. I think I‘m just skeptical with the severe neglect-to-riches memoir.
1) I know Appalachia has poverty but how did no one do something about the family?
2) I had questions that weren‘t answered—most of the book was spent on minutiae of life until 10 so doesn‘t answer when Walls saw her parents differently or how they learned to navigate NYC life. 👇

Not a well-known book, this is a debut from a Kentucky writer. In western Ky, there is an area known as Land Between the Lakes, with a huge lake & dam. In 1966, people were bought out & moved from their towns to create the lake & the rec area. This book is HF with connected stories centered around one family. Really evokes the mixed feelings of the displaced people—while many enjoy the lake, their homeland is at the bottom of it. @Megabooks

Enjoyed this one, too. The title story is longer, then there‘s 8 short stories, all with Poirot. This is listed near the end of Poirot books, but GR labels it as 5.5 in the series. Most of the stories feature Hastings, which was great after so many without him.

I enjoyed this story a little more than the previous two, mainly because Poirot is in it from the beginning & Ariadne Oliver is always a great character. A slow book, this spends a lot time on the characters, no murder for most of the book. I also didn‘t guess the ending at all on this one.

A little known book, I bought this last year at the Kentucky book fair. Poetry isn‘t typically a genre I like, but these are lyrical, emotional, and thought-provoking. I highly recommend this book—you can find it on Amazon. 5 ⭐️

Audio read by the author. Think this was a Litsy rec from awhile ago. At first, I wasn‘t sure I was in the mood for this, but by the time she started in on Biden, I was enjoying it (even though I lean left). She even goes after my beloved Bernie, but I appreciate that she pointed out how politicians on both sides have chosen white male privilege over people of color and women. Some chapters engaged me more than others, a good read though.

#bookspin list for September. Goal this month is to read some books I bought at our Ky book fair last yr before Halloween & this year‘s book fair. @TheAromaofBooks

Signed up for #hauntedhollowswap! Getting excited about fall. @wanderinglynn

Close to being done with the Poirot books but disappointed that the last 2 I‘ve read hardly have Poirot in them. This one was interesting, I figured out who the murderer would be but not completely how it happened. The characters aren‘t that intriguing though, so more Poirot would have improved it.

This story has been languishing on my kindle for a long time. Co-authored by Aisha Saeed, this is a ya story about a Muslim girl and Jewish guy who are pushed into canvassing, become best friends, & love Target (& eventually each other). Based on Albertalli & Saeed‘s experience helping with a local election, the MCs become passionate about political issues. Really enjoyed this & now want to hang out in Target‘s patio section. #bookspin for August

I flew through this book, I haven‘t done that all year with any others. The reimagined story of Jane Eyre (way better than the original, imo), with the Brontes, ghosts, some villains, & adventure. A lot of humor including some ghostbusters references that made me laugh. This one was more grounded in reality than My Lady Jane, but I love both. #doublespin for August

Started off loving this story, but then I think it dragged a bit in the middle. I usually love a romance, & at first I wanted the MCs to get together. But, I think it would have been better without the ya romance trope, with them just having a friendship. The last chapter was a perfect ending. ❤️ enjoyed learning so much about the Ojibwe culture & plan to look up the words later to learn better pronunciation.

Someone may have already posted this, but I just saw it. I got to see McGregor very briefly in May at Star Wars Celebration. I didn‘t know there was a plan for a show, so I‘m excited about that & the casting. So many of us love this book!

My first manga. Picked this out to complete a prompt on my library‘s book challenge. It looked & was cute after I got used to reading a different way. A girl wants desperately to go to witch school, makes mistakes, & is starting to make friends in this volume. It didn‘t convert me to manga or anime, but if you like the genre, it‘s fun.

Audiobook. Feel like it‘s a version of one of my faves, “A Walk in the Woods”. I like Offerman, both because of Ron Swanson & because he recognizes how legendary Ky author Wendell Berry is. This book has a lot of Berry quotes & mentions, as well as quotes from other agrarians.
What I didn‘t like— there‘s a lot of politics. Just wasn‘t into hearing about his views in this book.

Eastern Kentucky had massive floods recently, & cleanup will take a long time. One of the hardest hit was the real Troublesome Creek area in Letcher Co (whitesburg). The tagged author has set up a go fund me for the public library (see pic) & 3 school libraries that were destroyed. https://gofund.me/870d73bc
I have an address also where you can send elementary & middle grade books if you feel inclined.

#bookspin list for August @TheAromaofBooks

Loved listening to John Green narrate his NF essays. Not sure why I hadn‘t read this before because I love Green‘s fiction. Some of these essays hit my emotions hard, some were more humorous. And the last few lines of the postscript are what sealed my rating. After all of his ratings in the book, I‘m rating this 5🌟

I‘m late to reading this compared with most Littens, but I‘m happy I finally got to it. I loved the apothecary‘s story, & the present-day was good, too. Only thing I hated was at the end when she throws the vial back—it‘s a pet peeve that probably started with Titanic when a character does that. Enjoyed the characters & unique story. 4/5 🌟

My coworkers gave me this one for my bday, from a library sale. Should have looked it up because it‘s the 3rd in a series, but it didn‘t matter because the situation is recapped. My mom loves Hilderbrand books, this is my first one. If you want a beach read or an armchair travel story, this is good. I wanted there to be more mystery because it‘s marketed that way on the flap. The teen character had a storyline, 👇

Borrowed this from my sister because I‘ve never read James Still before. Unpublished at his death but edited by a fave author. He often wrote Appalachian stories, but this one is a western set in TX. Many wonder if it‘s autobiographical. A boy goes with a family friend to TX & is taken in by a wealthy rancher couple as their child for awhile. Short book, wonderful prose, interesting characters. #bookspin for July 4.5/5

Not my typical book, but this was chosen for IRL club as “Christmas in July”. Didn‘t know at first that the movie Christmas with the Kranks is based on this & will watch it during the season. A funny story about a couple who decides to take a cruise instead of doing Christmas. They mystify & anger their neighbors & friends. A twist at the end changes their mind. I‘m very glad my neighbors don‘t expect me to put a giant Frosty on the roof!

I bought this at least a year ago because I loved Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Didn‘t love it as much, but I enjoyed the humor & characters. It‘s also relatable for parents who have teens. A mother who works too much takes her daughter on a college tour (apparently, this is something the wealthy do?) hoping to connect better with her. Told from both perspectives. #doublespin for July

#100kGiveaway Thanks @Nessavamusic Vanessa for your generosity and congrats!

I‘m giving this one a pick because it has 2 new pieces of info, & I think it‘s a good basic guide for people to start with if they want to learn. For me, & probably most Littens, it may be too basic. Interesting chapters were 3 &4, when she explains the stages of coming out & scales available that allows us to identify orientation, gender, gender expression, & attraction. Less than 6 hrs on audio, less than 200 pages.

I looked forward to this book‘s publication because I loved her first one. While this one didn‘t impact me as much as her first, I still love it. Set in Ky, the MC has too many problems & not enough resources. Sometimes people get a door that allows them to escape, but they don‘t know where it takes them. MC‘s mother took her door when MC was a child, causing her trauma. MC has to decide if she‘s taking her door. Grief, addiction. A little romance

My #bookspin list for July. @TheAromaofBooks

A re-read for me, this time on audio. Still all the 🌟. I laughed in the car most days because the kids are hilarious. Lucy is still my favorite, but I had forgotten how funny Talia is. The narration was great, except the narrator‘s pronunciation of “gazebo”.

My new-ish coworker enjoys books, too. Which is great because I have someone to talk about books with if we have a free minute. Currently, we are looking for a good NF about ADHD to help us with our clients.
I told her about Litsy today, & she immediately made an account! Please welcome Jamie, @Jnb2012 and follow her.
@LitsyEvents @Megabooks @StayCurious @TheAromaofBooks @Chrissyreadit @TheSpineView @Kappadeemom @Texreader

My first book by Baldwin. Listened on audio. I think I‘ll want to read it in print sometime because it has so much to ponder. Very interesting to learn Baldwin‘s thoughts about whites & his experiences with religions. #doublespin for June

Bought this book after meeting the author last November (book fair). I have mixed feelings about it, but I do think it‘s a pick, just not a favorite. Her story is interesting, but parts went on too long. I also felt like there were some gaps that I wanted explained (like why did her family return home to Ky). Think it ended in a weird place, too, with a paragraph about her future that should have been the end. #doublespin for February

Saw this on fb yesterday & think it‘s cute. Love the Peanuts gang.

Was in the mood for a quick read this weekend. One of the later Poirot mysteries as I continue to go through Christie‘s books. A satisfying ending, this mystery stumped Poirot for a brief time. Ariadne Oliver makes an appearance, which is always fun.

Forgot that I hadn‘t posted about this audiobook. Downloaded it after seeing it at the bookstore & listened before my vacation. Very informative if you‘re interested in how DisneyLand was started. It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between the park of 1955 and now. There was one long chapter that basically transcribed the opening tv broadcast that I didn‘t think was necessary.

I got back from 12 days in LA/Anaheim late last night so didn‘t think about #bookspin until late today. Here‘s my list. I need to catch up on some past bookspin books, so I‘m not sure I‘ll get a bingo this month. #thearomaofbooks

Another book that I saved for vacation. I don‘t know if this series will continue, but I hope it does. I laughed often during this one, between the banter and the ridiculous situations. The story encompasses so many genres—romance, adventure, comedy, fantasy.

Such a funny story, although you have to suspend your disbelief about the dead body plot. Enjoyed learning more about Indo-Chinese culture, the theme of family, and the romance. A great vacation read-started this on the plane to L.A.

Another great Emily Henry romance. I‘ve noticed she usually writes about grief for a parent (I‘ve read 4/6 of her books). I really loved the characters in this one, she‘s good at writing banter between the love interests. Was a little annoyed with the barrier to a happy ending—it seemed easily solvable. Fun & steamy, but I like that she always has depth to the plot & characters.

We picked this for my church book club because 1)it‘s shorter than Becoming 2) we are trying to find books every generation can like. This memoir was good on audio because Jenna & Barbara narrate. Not political, so even if you didn‘t like the policies of either Bush, you can still enjoy the personal stories.

It‘s fitting that I finished this story about a mother on Mother‘s Day. I enjoyed this imagining of Agnes & William Shakespeare‘s life, but I knew it would be sad since you know going in they will lose their son. Most of you all have read this already.

Having a hard time finding audiobooks that hold my interest lately. I enjoyed parts of this book, but I felt like a lot of it was filler. The last 45 min was unnecessary, imo. I think the author was giving historical context, but she wrote a lot about other events besides what the title implies. Prob not enough info for a whole book about the mothers, but those are the parts I enjoyed. Giving it a pick because I did like it until the conclusion.

Last minute #bookspin list. I‘m going on a 12 day trip to California this month, so I‘ve already planned a couple of books to take, plus my kindle.

I‘m a little biased on this one since I know the author, but I think it‘s a fun debut novel. K-Hill (nickname) was a summer staff at my church camp at least one year, & there was a funny reference to camp in the book. Not a perfect rom-com, but I liked the characters, the puns, & the plot. This is more a ya romance since MCs are 18.
I went to her signing event & was excited that so many people attended. Most were friends & family.