Jewell always manages to hook me in. While the ending made this one a soft pick for me, the pacing was great. I appreciated that Alix's ignoring of major red flags felt like a natural progression here - she's just too far into the story to back down now. I like my fiction tied with a bow, so some of the ambiguity at the end annoyed me (plus one major plot point wasn't how I would have gone so), but overall I couldn't stop turning pages.

This was a fun book if you're a fan of the show. Porter worked for “New Top Gear“ as the script editor during all the seasons that Clarkson, May, and Hammond were the presenters. The book is roughly linear but divided into very short chapters that each kind of read like their own little essay, so at times it felt a little abrupt, but also meant that it was easy to delve in and out of. As you'd expect, the writing is a bit snarky and entertaining⬇

Oof, what an ending! Did you find it satisfying? I wish I had gotten more details on what happens to Demetrius next, but at least he's safe for now. I really enjoyed this book and found it more gripping than I anticipated. I felt like Douglas was respectful of Jesus and His followers while still writing a compelling story. Any final thoughts?

@BarkingMadRead @julieclair @Lcsmcat @UwannaPublishme #RandomClassics

(thru ch 6) I think this is the part of the program where I remind all of you that I'm just a random person reading a random book, and actually know nothing about this book or its cultural impact, so these will literally just be my opinions, not, like, insightful commentary from a literature professor haha

So, disclaimer out of the way - what do you all think? I feel like the first six chapters have literally just been introductions! I finally ⬇

Hey friends!!! @BookmarkTavern came up with a great hashtag for us to use!!!! Thank you!!!

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed rereading The Secret of the Mansion last month and can hardly wait to pick up book two!!! Hope you all will be able to join me!!!

#BobWhiteBuddies

@curiouserandcurioser @BookmarkTavern @DebinHawaii @Read4life @lauraisntwilder @MaleficentBookDragon

This month is a bit of a mixed bag. BS is set up well with two free spaces next door, but DS is sort of hanging out all by itself haha I'm excited about starting a new board!! Thank you all so much for playing along with me. There is something so fun about getting a fresh start each month and seeing where it goes!! April was really stressful for me, so I'm ready for some spring weather and good books!!!

My usual text below ⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is EIGHTEEN! Our official #DoubleSpin number is FOUR!! I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at everyone‘s lists & am really looking forward to seeing your reviews!!

My next post will be the #BookSpinBingo card. I am NOT tagging anyone on that post!! If you want to bingo, please just check my profile for the card. This saves me having to double tag ⬇

I always feel like such a grumpy old woman when I so fervently dislike a book that everyone else seems to love. I ranted about this one a lot on GR. My main issue probably comes down to finding Dimple irredeemably unlikable. Just because someone is a strong female character interested in computers doesn't mean she also needs to be an absolute ass who goes off on everyone who doesn't 100% agree with her, ⬇

It had been about ten years since I last read this book, and I was surprised at how many details/scenes had slipped my mind. While there are things about this book that I don't like, the writing somehow grips me every time, despite a third of it being the unnamed narrator's imagination instead of things that are actually happening. Creepy, suspenseful, twisty - this one is just SO good.

This was fairly typical “horse fare“ from the era, and which I have always collected because something about the semi-predictability of these simple stories draws me in. Hastings's book is a bit more about teaching readers about various aspects of ranching life than it is about an actual storyline, but it was still an interesting (although not thrilling) read.

#192025 - 1942 @Librarybelle
#BookSpinBingo
#100YearsofBooks

I had SO MUCH FUN rereading this and am not sure I want to stick to only one book per month 😂 I remember now how I found Trixie to be a much more relatable heroine than Nancy Drew (although I love Nancy very much) - closer to my age when I was reading these, a big family with lots of brothers, parents who make her do chores, her yearning for a horse, her enjoyment in being outside, etc. Trixie's adventures always felt more like something that ⬇

It had been several years since my last reread of this one, and this spring it just felt right to pick it up. There is SO much to love about this delightful book, and I loved revisiting it. I will say that at one point it feels like Burnett kind of gets a little weird about “the Magic“ but overall this is still a heart book.

Pictured with some of the flats of annuals I purchased today... getting ready to get my own garden going!!!

When @BarbaraJean reviewed this one last year I knew I had to read it because LOOK AT THAT COVER 😂 Overall, I loved this book - with the exception of the ending which felt strangely, almost disorientingly, abrupt. I felt that I had become very attached to these characters and their journey, and was left with a lot of unanswered questions about their future. I mean, it wasn't a cliffhanger. It just didn't tidy up. But the rest was delightfully ⬇

Pratchett has been on my radar for quite some time, but I've never actually jumped in. So when @julesg said that the #OokBookClub was starting over, this seemed like a great time to give his writing a whirl. I enjoyed but wasn't mind-blown by this one, but the consensus seems to be that it isn't his best, and this was still an easy pick. I'm looking forward to working through some of these, as I found the characters, world-building, and humor ⬇

Oh my word, I cannot BELIEVE that it's the end of April! #BookSpin day is less than a week away!!! We've had a very rainy/stormy month but it looks like this weekend the weather is FINALLY going to be cooperative. I'm ready to open the windows and let the sunshine in!!!

If you're interested in spinning with me this month, it's time to think about your lists (if you haven't already). As always, no worries if you'd like to be removed (or added) ⬇

(thru ch15) - I'm really enjoying Marcellus's journey as he learns different stories and tales of Jesus. I love the way he is coming up with “practical“ explanations for the miracles he is hearing about - but as the reader we know that at some point he is going to have to decide whether or not to take a leap of faith.

I'm anxious to find out what is happening with some of the other characters, though! Diana, Demetrius, and Marcellus's family!!

We should be finished with The Robe by the end of April, which gives us a fresh slate for starting East of Eden. I have a kind of love/hate relationship with Steinbeck's writing, so we'll see what happens 😂 Some of the chapters are long, but some are really short, so I think we're going to go with a chapter a day and hope it averages out. There are 55 chapters, so this one will carry into June. We may take a little break around Memorial Day if ⬇

This one has been on my want-to-reread list forever, so having it be a #Roll100 pick this month gave me that final nudge! While some parts of this story feel a little cluttered, overall it's just such a fun little story with some delightfully memorable characters. Feiffer's illustrations really add so much.

Despite the cover blurb, I don't think I would term this one as “nail-biting“. However, it did keep me turning the pages. This is a sort of character-study thriller, with a slow reveal of backstories and motivations, exploring both a current and past case. While I did have some mixed feelings about some aspects, overall I enjoyed it and actually reserved the second book at the library. 😁

Now that we've finished our Nancy Drew read for the month, I'm starting another childhood nostalgia series!! I read Nancy when I was younger, 9-10ish, and didn't discover Trixie until I was a little older, maybe 12-13. I remember finding her a more relatable character - where Nancy is almost superhuman in her skills, Trixie, with her everyday family, love of horses, and parents who made her do homework, felt more approachable! A few of us are ⬇

(thru ch10) No idea what is going on with this whacky cover 😂

Whew, a lot of drama in this week's chapters!!! Marcellus is on the mend, but determined that there has to be some kind of logical/non-spiritual reason for everything that has happened to him. I really loved meeting Benjamin, and the whole section where he is closely questioning M as to whether or not Jesus was really, truly dead is goosebumpy, knowing that His followers are now ⬇

Another series I'm rereading this year - absolutely LOVED the Swallows & Amazons books when I first read them, so I'm going through them again. This is the second book in the series, full of exploring, pirates, shipwrecks, mountain climbing, caves, and more! Every page was a delight.

I've been wanting to reread this series for quite some time, so I was pleased when the first book was chosen as this month's read for the #BakerStreetIrregulars, giving me an excuse to kick off the series reread!! This book was just as funny and entertaining as I remember, with just delightful characters and a romp of a mystery. I remember reading that Peters wasn't intending this to be a series originally, so this one ends with a HEA epilogue ⬇

(thru ch 5) Well! We've been given quite the set up. What do you think of the characters so far? I feel like I should make it clear that I don't know much about the culture from this era/place, so I will NOT be speaking about the inaccuracies and/or accuracies thereof 😂 Marcellus and Demetrius are both intriguing characters to me. I really admired Marcellus's determination to make the best of a bad situation, trying to live up to his ideals. ⬇

On the whole, I really enjoyed this romantic suspense, although I did find the suspense part to be a bit unevenly paced. The characters are likable and I totally shipped the main couple. I also liked that Landry was becoming part of an entire community/support system, not just learning to depend on one person. I had a few niggles, but found this to be a solid start to a new series.

Bwahaha the Fates have been KIND to us this month, friends!! BookSpin, DoubleSpin, and a free space all in the same row!!! Funny story, I had already drawn the BS number like a week ago because I'm in charge and can find out my own BS read early 😂 but didn't draw the DS number until after I had filled in the card! I couldn't believe when I pulled the 2!

Good luck, everyone!!

My regular monthly text/info below ⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is ELEVEN! Our official #DoubleSpin number is TWO!! I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at everyone‘s lists & am really looking forward to seeing your reviews!!

My next post will be the #BookSpinBingo card. I am NOT tagging anyone on that post!! If you want to bingo, please just check my profile for the card. This saves me having to double tag ⬇

I kind of fell of the bandwagon with posting on this one. Things have been a little crazy!!!

In the end, this book was just okay for me. There were parts that were interesting, but there was also way too much wandering around aimlessly - I never was sure what the actual point of this story was. Plus, I didn't particularly warm to David, who seemed conceited and not overly bright haha Some of the adventures were fun, but I didn't enjoy this ⬇

@kshakal - Thank you so much for this lovely #FoundFamilySwap package!!! I'm in love with this gorgeous tote bag!!!!

Thank you for hosting @KateLovesYA !!!

The conclusion to The Hoboken Chicken Emergency is just as ridiculous and fun as the first two. Nick and his two friends are bored in the summer heat and decide to try creating art. They make new friends, participate in an art contest, and visit a museum under the chaperonage of a giant chicken dressed as a nun. 😂 Somehow Pinkwater makes it work.

#SeriesLove2024 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#100YearsofBooks (2005)
#BacklistReadathon

Nick's parents have sold their house in the suburbs and moved into the heart of Hoboken so he can experience urban culture. Luckily, Nick makes friends with two kids who live in the apartment next door. They spend the summer looking for the Phantom, who sometimes leaves odd gifts for people, and trying to find out more about a giant chicken who rampaged through the city years ago. Super fun sequel to The Hoboken Chicken Emergency.

Either you find Pinkwater's snarky, offbeat humor to be hilarious, or you find it to be completely bizarre and not particularly funny. I'm in the pro-Pinkwater camp and while this isn't as funny as The Snark-Out Boys and the Avocado of Death, it's still great fun.

Soft pick for this MG historical fiction about one of Daniel Boone's daughters, who adopts a cat just before the family heads west to Kentucky. It was a perfectly nice little story, but it covers several years so the pacing was a little odd for a younger reader's book. It also would have been nice to have a note from the author about what was made up for the story and what was based on real life. Not my favorite by Mason - I think I prefer ⬇

I ended up feeling pretty ambivalent towards my pick for this month's #ReadorDonate challenge. There are a lot of positive reviews for this one, but I found the pacing to be slow and never particularly warmed towards the characters. I never felt a sense of urgency, or like time was running out or that something bad was going to happen. Just... oh, your husband isn't who you thought he was. I guess we should find who he really was. Oh. Awkward. ⬇

Well friends, there is only a week left of March! What even! I'm not going to lie, I've been way more into playing Stardew Valley this week than reading, so maybe a new list is what I need to spice things back up 😂 If you're interested in spinning along for April, it's time to think about your lists. Looking forward to seeing what everyone is hoping to read!!

As always, the details about this challenge can be found on my blog at the link below ⬇

(thru ch21) - I don't know why, but this book just isn't really holding my interest much. There doesn't seem to really be a plot?? Just wandering around from place to place haha And the chapter where David was “stranded“ on the island because he was too dumb to check and see if he could cross when the tide was out... 😑

It's not a terrible read, but I find myself rather ambivalent towards it. What do you all think?

I think I'm in the minority here, but this one just wasn't for me, despite having really enjoyed some of Harper's other books. This story was just relentlessly depressing. With a strong focus on abuse and how that reverberates through a family even when the abuser is gone, plus some bonus content regarding rape, divorce, community ostracizing, depression, suicide, isolation, etc. I was just honestly sad the entire time I was reading this. ⬇

This book gets full marks for being absolutely lovely, with tons of beautiful photographs. However, while the theme was good, the material was very repetitive. They gave the steps for planning a garden (found in virtually any gardening book: hardscape, focal points, anchor plants, filler plants, groundcover), then said, “you can replace any of your regular plants with edible plants!!“ and then covered the same steps for your front yard, back yard⬇

A soft pick for the first #BakerStreetIrregulars buddy read. I liked the concept and the characters, but the pacing was all over the place. This definitely had “first book in a series“ vibes (hopefully it is!!), with a lot of character introductions. So many different mysteries meant that some things felt glossed over in the end. However, all in all a fun read, and I would definitely pick up a sequel.

I may regret this, because obviously I don't have enough buddy reads going on 😂, but is anyone interested in reading the Trixie Belden books with me? I'm thinking very similar to the Nancy Drew readalong - one book a month with a few discussion posts? Since we read ND in the first half of the month and discuss on the 15th, I'm thinking Trixie in the second half and discuss on the 30th?

If yes, start this month or in April?

@LitsyEvents

I'm not sure how many of you will be interested in April's #RandomClassic as it does center around Christianity, although I'm not sure I would exactly call it a religious book. Historical fiction published in 1942, this book topped the best seller list for months. The main story is about one of the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus and his journey, but there are a lot of other threads woven in. If anyone wants to read along, let me know!!

This #RandomClassic gets a soft pick from me. I actually loved Evelina and enjoyed much of the writing, but some of the scenes where we had to listen to obnoxious people being obnoxious just went on wayyyy too long. Still, parts were quite funny and overall this one was a lot of fun.

Thank you all for reading along with me!!

When I was ambivalent towards the first Lord Peter book, I had SO many people tell me that the series gets better as it goes along, so I've had the second book sitting about for quite some time waiting for me to pick it up. I did enjoy this one more (and found Lord Peter less annoying), but I also thought the mystery was a little weak. Still, I'll get around to book 3 one of these days. Soft pick.

Wow, reading the GR synopsis made me realize that my 1931 edition is LITERALLY an entirely different story from the later version! Maybe that's because this one didn't have a super cohesive mystery. It's mostly Nancy and her friends riding around mountains getting almost eaten by wild animals 😂 I was cracking up at the way some of the situations resolved themselves at the end (wife of husband with amnesia perfectly happy he's coming home with a ⬇

So in the end, the first book was my favorite of the four, but this was still a satisfying conclusion. There was one plot gimmick that mildly annoyed me (see spoiler), but these books are so ridiculous that I just kept rolling with it haha 100% absurd, shallow melodrama that I totally was into 😂

Soft pick for the third book in the series. This one got really repetitive to me (like I get it, being a not-white person dating white royalty is super tough, do we have to mention it in EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER??), although I did like the direction some of the drama went. So trashy, but I still am totally into it haha

I've had mixed results with Goudge's books, but this one was a win for me. She tends to write books that are more like interconnected character sketches for the first half of the story, so it's a slow start. But she also writes compellingly realistic and relatable people. Religion plays a big part here, but her characters don't use it as a crutch or a bandaid or an excuse. ⬇

(thru ch 13) Sorry I have kind of fallen off the face of the earth with this readalong!! Okay, so I literally had to do some research on the Jacobites and that whole deal. Stevenson has a much higher opinion of my historical knowledge than I deserve 😂

While this story is perfectly fine, I'm not in love with it or anything. But I can definitely see it appealing to its target audience with gold! Danger! Shipwrecks! Sword fights!

⬇