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TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks

Joined May 2019

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TheAromaofBooks
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@Laughterhp - Here are your books for #SnowedIn !! I have GOT to stop participating in this challenge because all I do is add books to my own TBR 😂

@PuddleJumper thanks so much for organizing!!!

PuddleJumper 🤣🤣 That's half the fun! I love snooping on people's lists 3d
Laughterhp Thanks so much!! 3d
50 likes2 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Trixie Belden | Julie Campbell

Hey #BobWhiteBuddies !!! Quick question - do we want to skip December and pick up in January with The Happy Valley Mystery, or are we good to read Happy Valley in December? I'm fine either way, but I know this time of year can get overwhelming, so just let me know what you think!!

⬇ ⬇

TheAromaofBooks Also, I have a tiny (like envelope-sized) present I would love to send to each of you because it's PERFECT 😂 I have everyone's addresses except Beth, Chelle, and Lora. If you could please email me your addresses at itsthegoodlife15 at gmail OR just let me know that you don't care to share your address which is 100% fine 😁

I'll be back next week to chat about The Black Jacket Mystery!!
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lauraisntwilder Skipping sounds good to me, but I'll fit it in, if the rest of the group wants to keep going. 3d
See All 8 Comments
BookmarkTavern I‘m good either way! It would be a nice short read for #WinterGames , but I‘m happy to do either. 3d
DebinHawaii I‘m fine either way—whatever the group wants to do. 3d
Read4life I don‘t know if I‘ll be home from caring for my father in law in time to read it (my copy is at home) so I‘d prefer to skip December but completely understand if the group wants to continue. 3d
curiouserandcurioser @TheAromaofBooks im good with what everyone decides:) 3d
BethM Skipping seems good to me! 2d
29 likes8 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Christy | Catherine Marshall
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(thru ch10; I haven't read today's chapter yet 😂) I think this is the cover of the edition my mom had when I was growing up. This was definitely one of the first “adult“ books I read. I've been thoroughly enjoying this reread. I really like Christy and feel like she is such a realistic character. I'm not a huge fan of David though; he's so condescending. Christy has faced some real dangers and some real life in the several weeks she has been ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) there. I love Miss Alice and find her conversations with Christy to be so engaging. She has some interesting perspectives on the “why does God let bad things happen to good people“ question. Dr. MacNeil, on the other hand, seems to think that the answer is because God just doesn't care or doesn't exist.

As a side note, I loved the tall tale about the giant cornstalk 😂 But who are these strange men who were hanging around??

1w
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I love that Christy has had to face the question as to whether she was actually called to Cutter Gap or if she was just running away from life. It's hard to know where to start when everything seems so terrible, especially when you see how (comparatively) little progress has been made by the people who have already been working here for a while. The liver-grown baby 😢 such a tragic, senseless loss!

I think this book does such a good ⬇
1w
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) job of balancing humor, tragedy, sadness, and joy, making both readable and believable.

Obviously, I'm really enjoying this one, but what do the rest of you think?

@BarbaraJean @BarkingMadRead @julieclair @Librarybelle @Sace @StayCurious @Teresereading @willaful
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See All 15 Comments
Librarybelle It‘s been a good reread so far. I love the descriptions of the setting (not about the blood in the snow, though!). 1w
BarkingMadRead I‘m really loving this, I was wondering how I would feel since this is a reread for me also, but it‘s been like 20 years at least. I remember getting the book because I didn‘t like the way the series ended and I wondered if the book was different 🤣 1w
ShelleyBooksie I remember reading this book as a young teen! 1w
julieclair This is my first time reading this and I'm loving it. It really feels like a true depiction of what life was like in extreme rural Tennessee at that time. I don't dislike David, I just think he has some growing/learning to do. 1w
willaful I haven't been able to get into it, strictly mood reading right now. :-( 1w
Jadams89 This is my first time reading this one and I‘m really enjoying it! 1w
BarbaraJean I'm also really enjoying it. It's bringing up much more complex and nuanced questions than I anticipated! I've loved seeing Christy's deepening self-knowledge and wrestling with the reality of how hard life is there, and how hard it is to make a difference. I still don't really understand the whole liver-grown thing, though, and what even happened with the baby! 1w
TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I think she literally killed the baby by forcing its foot to touch its hand, or whatever the combination was. So many weird old wives' tales - I don't feel like the Dr explains the “reasoning“ behind it (I'm sure there is some “if the baby can't do this then its liver doesn't work so you have to stretch it to make it work“ kind of thinking). It's probably something most babies can do? The whole thing was just so sad! 1w
BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks That all makes sense when I re-read that section. I think my brain just couldn‘t accept that‘s what actually happened—there HAD to be some other reason, some illness or something!! 😭😭 1w
CogsOfEncouragement @BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I was so bothered and confused I shut the book and did some googling. I didn‘t make a note of the source, but it explained that Mrs. McHone broke the baby‘s back. Such a devastating truth, you don‘t want a mother to do that to the next baby, but how do you convince her she killed the baby she loved dearly? You know that would devastate her worse than the loss of the baby already has. 7d
TheAromaofBooks @CogsOfEncouragement @BarbaraJean - It seems like the actual term “liver grown“ is that they thought that the liver was actually attached to the ribs, so the idea of forcing the foot/hand to touch was that you were “freeing“ the liver. Interestingly, being liver-grown seems to be a wide-spread concept, although various regions deal with it differently, including spinning the baby around head-over-heels multiple times, or passing the baby under a ⬇ 6d
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) table (?!??!). Old midwives like the Granny described in the book had an immense amount of sway among the womenfolk in these communities because they literally saved women's lives in childbirth, so you can also see why her word would be accepted as truth/they wouldn't want to accept an opposing viewpoint, especially considering that so much of their lore WAS correct. 6d
41 likes1 stack add15 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas
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(thru ch39) - I haven't enjoyed the last week of chapters as much, since the guys' way of earning money mostly seems to be manipulating the women in their lives 🙄D'Artagnan really is showing is youth and inexperience here as well. At least he found Kitty a new job 😑 I've missed the slapstick from the earlier section of the book, but we'll see what happens if they ever actually head off on their tour of duty. I AM intrigued by some of the ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) mystery and court intrigue. Like @ChaoticMissAdventures pointed out in her review, this book was written about 200 years after the time in which is set, which makes it historical fiction when it was published - this is kind of like us reading a book about American rebels during the Revolution and even with my footnotes, I am sure that if you actually LIVED in France when you read this, you would get a lot more of the subtle humor and ⬇ 1w
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) political digs.

Anyway, how are all of you holding up? I know a few have bailed and at least one person has already finished, but I am still trying to chug through a chapter a day!!

@BarkingMadRead @Bklover @CatLass007 @ChaoticMissAdventures @Clare-Dragonfly @Cuilin @curiouserandcurioser @Deblovestoread @Jadams89 @janeycanuck @julieclair @Librarybelle @Read4life @TheBookHippie @wordslinger42
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Jadams89 I‘m still enjoying it, but I agree that the last week has been rough — Porthos is a piece of work 1w
See All 14 Comments
Librarybelle Still behind! I hope to catch up soon! 1w
BarkingMadRead I‘m still reading a chapter a day, and I‘m thinking that once they go out on their campaign things should be ridiculous again 🤣 1w
wordslinger42 I‘m still behind, but enjoying it so far! 1w
ChaoticMissAdventures Totally agree, they honestly seem like jerks. The opening couple of chapters were so funny and filled with literature references and all of that seems to be gone. It is interesting that their job is musketeer but they never seem to be doing their job. 1w
TheBookHippie I finished it 😅😵‍💫😝🤷🏻‍♀️ not sleeping helps the reading part. 1w
TheBookHippie I agree about France. I think there are nuances that they get that we do not. 1w
TheBookHippie Also I‘m so old a Leave it to Beaver came to mind when he watched 3 stooges instead of reading the book. 😝😅🤷🏻‍♀️😂🤣 1w
AnishaInkspill I 😍 reading all your comments, I haven't read this one but I have MonteCristo on my tbr 1w
CatLass007 Would you please remove me from your tag list for #RandomClassics? Everyone is great, but I‘m trying to cut back on my Litsy buddy reads for next year. Thanks.😚 1w
TheAromaofBooks @CatLass007 - Absolutely!! The buddy reads can definitely get overwhelming!! You're always welcome to jump back in if you want!! 1w
CatLass007 Thank you.♥️ 1w
41 likes2 stack adds14 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Christy | Catherine Marshall
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(thru ch5) Goodness, so much has happened already! I am remembering why I enjoyed this book so much in my teens. Like Christy, I grew up in a safe, happy, religious household, and while I love my family I can remember wanting more, wanting to do SOMETHING, wanting to find a way to make my beliefs more than just words and feelings, wanting to wrestle with those beliefs and make them my own, not just my parents'. In this readthrough, I already have⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) a lot of respect for Christy. She has grit! I can't believe the hike she took to get to the mission. And the crazy emergency surgery on poor Mr. Allen! I already love Miss Henderson, too. I'm so curious to see what happens as Christy meets her new students and their families. Are you all enjoying this one so far?

@BarbaraJean @BarkingMadRead @Librarybelle @Sace @StayCurious @Teresereading @willaful
2w
Librarybelle I am enjoying it. I can remember why I read it so quickly in school—it‘s an easy read, and I like the view of the rural community. It was an eye opening read for me in ways—so different from where I grew up, and it‘s historic, so definitely captured my interest when I was a tween. Now, I‘m appreciating the descriptions and the setting. This is a good read for this time of year! 2w
BarkingMadRead This is a reread for me, but I still love it just as much! 2w
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kspenmoll I remember reading this as a teen too! 2w
Suet624 Oh boy! I read this as a teen too! Haven‘t thought about it in ages but I know it had an impact on me. 2w
Teresereading My first read. When I started, I wasn‘t sure that it was m6 thing. Then all of a sudden I was racing ahead and had to remember is was a chapter a day! 2w
Sace I only just got to chapter 5 but I‘m really enjoying it. I particularly like the way the residents of Cutter Gap speak. (edited) 2w
BarbaraJean I got behind on my reading this week, then forgot to come back to comment when I caught up! I‘m really enjoying this so far, and amazed by the fact that I remember basically nothing from reading it as a teen 😂 I didn‘t realize how Christian-y it is, but I like the way it portrays faith and its conflicts so honestly. It doesn‘t feel preachy even though it‘s very upfront about its Christian message. And I love Miss Henderson, too! (edited) 2w
CogsOfEncouragement This is my first time reading, I‘m a bit behind but I‘ll catch up. I‘m enjoying it. 1w
48 likes9 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Here's the #BookSpinBingo card! First, I put our official numbers (12 & 1) back in the mix. Then I drew them all out & wrote them down as I went, meaning the official numbers are just mixed into the card with the rest! As you can see, 21-25 are both labeled with their numbers & also as free spaces, so you can use them to match however you wrote your list. To score a bingo, just read books (in any order) that are in any row or column!! MORE INFO ⬇

TheAromaofBooks 1 - I don't tag anyone on this post except for @LitsyEvents but anyone is welcome to play along!!
2 - Remember – NO PRESSURE!!!! If this starts to stress you out, just take that page right out of your journal and pretend it never existed!! This challenge is to encourage you to read, not to make you feel like reading is a chore!!!
3 - FREE SPACES can be filled with any book that is NOT already on your list!! ⬇
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TheAromaofBooks 4 & final - As a reminder, only the “official” BookSpin/DoubleSpin numbers will count towards giveaway entries. I don‘t want the giveaway to be stacked against people who aren‘t able to read lots of books each month. So basically there is still a maximum of 2 entries possible per month no matter how many books you read from your list. This bingo card is just for fun & glory! 😁

Thanks for playing & happy reading!!!
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bthegood Thank you!! 3w
See All 6 Comments
DGRachel Woohoo! Thank you for continuing to host this! Off to build my board graphic…💃💃 3w
GinaKButler When those books you‘re definitely reading all line up…chef‘s kiss! Thank you for hosting! 3w
claudiuo Thank you so much for hosting this every month! 3w
83 likes6 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Spin of Fate | A. A. Vora
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Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is TWELVE! Our official #DoubleSpin number is ONE!! 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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont‘d) everyone/keep track of who wants to bingo and who doesn‘t!!

I use the same tag list for the entire year, so if you would like to be added or removed, please just let me know. It takes me a while to tag everyone (there are over 200 of you!!!) so I will add “FINISHED” to the last tag batch so you know whether or not I missed you. If I did, it was completely inadvertent. Sometimes I just spell someone‘s username wrong. ⬇
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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) As always, the link to the masterpost about how this challenge works can be found on my profile or here - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ - and the link to the Google Form where you can track your reads for the end-of-the-year-giveaway can be found here - https://forms.gle/4kTBMWAsCa9Cvmqs6

Thanks for playing, everyone!! Please know that I read EVERY comment on this post but don't always ⬇
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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) have time to reply to them all!! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and for making this challenge SO much fun!!

I'm going to post the Bingo board, and then come back and start the tag list on this post. Happy reading!!!
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See All 33 Comments
Librarybelle Yay! An audiobook selection and The Fishing Fleet are mine! 3w
TheAromaofBooks That is everyone I have on my tag list, so if you didn't get tagged and would like to be added, please let me know!! Happy reading, everyone!! 3w
Soubhiville Yay! I‘ll be reading How to Fly in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons (poetry! Haven‘t done that in a long time!) and a reread of one of my favorites- The Starless Sea! Thank you Sarah! 🙂📚 3w
bekakins This is amazing, in a happy coincidence I had just started reading number 12 on my list anyway! 😁 3w
Lcsmcat I‘ll be reading Sea Runners (Doig) and Trying to Save Piggy Snead (Irving). 3w
Suet624 It's time for me to come up with a whole new list. I've been slacking because I didn't want to read the books I had selected! :) 3w
Julsmarshall Woohoo! Finished my #1 yesterday on a long drive while traveling for work. Great way to kick things off! Thanks for organizing this, it has made me really look forward to the 2nd of every month! 3w
GinaKButler Woo-hoo!! I got 3w
bookandbedandtea Good morning, Sarah. Yay for #BookSpin day! 3w
claudiuo Indeed what I was waiting for 🎉 Thank you so much! 3w
BookmarkTavern Woohoo! 🎉🎉🎉 3w
DieAReader I‘m gonna skip this month & next to try catching up lol😂 3w
dabbe Thank you! #yourock 🤎🍁🧡 3w
willaful Oooo.... two toughies for me this month! But both in my #10BeforeTheEnd list, so that's excellent. 3w
Sace I‘ve got a week off for Thanksgiving so I‘m hoping for lots of reading time this month! 3w
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Looks like I need to prioritize A Series of Unfortunate Events #12 The Penultimate Peril and the tagged that I've wanted to get to for years. 3w
102 likes33 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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Had so much fun with #HauntedShelf this month, especially with these four month-long readathons!! I had set a goal of averaging 210pgs/day for the #Spookoween readathon and ended up at 216pg average, so I was pretty stoked!! I completed 24 books/short stories, so not quite 31 but close!!! This also means 24 Pumpkaboos captured (8 short, 8 medium, 6 large, 2 super!!). And finally I also captured 8 Pokemon for the #SpookyEdition challenge.

TheAromaofBooks Thank you all for hosting!!! @TheSpineView @Catsandbooks @PuddleJumper

And also a thank you to @Bookwormjillk for the bonus weekend readathons!!
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PuddleJumper Whoop whoop! That's an amazing month! 3w
TheSpineView YW! Congrats on an awesome month! 3w
Catsandbooks Awesome job! 👏🏼 🧡 3w
43 likes4 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
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Pickpick

Fifteen years ago, Emma's three cabinmates at summer camp disappeared in the night without a trace. Em is still haunted by that event. When the camp's owner decides to reopen the camp, she invites Em to come as an art instructor and Emma agrees, wondering if this could bring her the closure she needs. But of course instead things get really scary haha As with the other Sager books I've read, when I got done I still had a few questions, but ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) while I was reading it I was completely engaged. The pacing is great, and despite not being sure what Emma was holding back as a narrator, I still liked her.

#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620
#SpookyEdition (Ghost) #AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #Pumpkaboo (Large) @PuddleJumper
#AtoZ @Texreader
#31by31 (20/31) @Catsandbooks
#Spookoween @TheSpineView
#LongNightsReadathon @Bookwormjillk
#BookSpinBingo
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TheAromaofBooks This one is on its way to you @bookandbedandtea !! Hope you and @Jerdencon enjoy it. 😁 I mailed it yesterday, so technically during the month I was SUPPOSED to mail it, which has to be a first for me 😂 3w
OriginalCyn620 Love Sager! 🖤 3w
TheSpineView Fantastic! 3w
DogMomIrene Loved this one too! 3w
48 likes5 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Dracula | Bram Stoker
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Pickpick

This month's #HashtagBrigade pick was kind of a reread for me. I read it last year with #DraculaDaily which, while super fun, is also not exactly the best way to read this book for the first time. So I liked reading it in order and in one month instead of six 😂 Now I might do Dracula Daily again next year lol Anyway, while there are places where the action bogs down a little, and the ending feels a little rushed, this book still has some ⬇

BarkingMadRead I‘m glad you liked the format! Dracula daily sounds intriguing but I wonder of i would last long that way! 🧛🏻 3w
PuddleJumper I've been receiving the Dracula Daily emails for 3 years and I've still not finished it 🤣 3w
See All 7 Comments
TheAromaofBooks @BarkingMadRead @PuddleJumper - I love the concept of Dracula Daily, but when you get into October sooooooo much happens on certain days that it really gets bogged down. Combined with the fact that you go WEEKS in the summer without anything happening, so I would kind of forget what was happening 😂 I think I may try it next year now that I know how the story goes and who all the characters are. 3w
OriginalCyn620 🖤🖤🖤 3w
TheSpineView 🖤🧛‍♂️🖤📖🖤 3w
inthegreensandblues I agree; last year I went to the book launch for Dracula Daily but ultimately decided to read it the old fashioned way for my first read. Some of the out of order entries work best the way Stoker wrote them. This year, I've re-read through DD (still going!) and it's fun to revisit this way. 🖤 3w
50 likes1 stack add7 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Eclipse the Moon: A Novel | Jessie Mihalik
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed the middle book of the Starlight's Shadow trilogy. If you want romance with a scifi setting, Mihalik is a great pick. Fluffy, but there is some action, too. In this series, the setting is a few years after a war has finally ended. It seems like someone is trying to eradicate the uneasy truce. This crew of people from both sides of the war are working together to prevent it... all while falling in love haha

45 likes5 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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Pickpick

Book 7 in the Trixie Belden series is the first book not written by Julie Campbell. However, I felt like if I hadn't known that, I wouldn't necessarily have guessed it haha There were several things about this one that I liked, and a few things that kind of annoyed me. The entire premise of the school forcing the Bob-Whites to disband felt unrealistic (can the school control what you do at home??) ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (con'td) especially since the Hawks just got a “oh yeah you're cool“ with zero effort. It just seemed like they could have done this entire fundraiser without the weird school board potentially breaking up the club. Someone else who reviewed this book this week (I can't remember who, sorry haha) mentioned the outdated stereotypes of the Japanese men in the story. While this is definitely true, this book was published in 1961, a time when many ⬇ 3w
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) people were still biased against the Japanese, despite them technically being our allies. So the fact that the author chose to present them as kind and helpful, instead of making them the villains of the piece, actually seemed like a solid move to me. We also get a little glimpse into the idea of the Japanese having a beautiful, rich, interesting heritage.

I was a little let down by how little the code actually figured into the story??⬇
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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I also JUST read the Sherlock Holmes story that involved a similar code - do you think that's where the author got the idea?? I know St. Nicholas was a real magazine, but I couldn't find out if the code actually appeared in it at any point.

I actually really enjoyed a lot of the scenes of the club just being friends, plus the little spark of (very innocent) romance between Trixie and Jim. I shipped them soooo hard growing up! 😂 ⬇
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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) So, any thoughts from you all? This one didn't blow me away, but I enjoyed it. Can't wait to hear what all of you thought!!

#BobWhiteBuddies @BethM @curiouserandcurioser @BookmarkTavern @DebinHawaii @Read4life @lauraisntwilder @MaleficentBookDragon @Sparklemn
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Read4life Due to some unavoidable circumstances, I haven‘t finished yet. But I will. I love this buddy read. 3w
BookmarkTavern The beginnings of the romance were very sweet, and felt really age appropriate! You make an excellent point about the context of the inclusion of the Japanese men. And the code made me think of that Holmes story too! I looked up those ones and while the actual code is different, the dancing men are the same style! 3w
TheAromaofBooks Tagging everyone on this post again because I found a little something-something that I would LOVE to send to each of the #BobWhiteBuddies (very small, like in an envelope haha) If you all are willing to do so, could you email me your mailing addresses?? itsthegoodlife15 at gmail

@BethM @curiouserandcurioser @BookmarkTavern @DebinHawaii @Read4life @lauraisntwilder @MaleficentBookDragon @Sparklemn
1w
49 likes7 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Christy | Catherine Marshall
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I picked up my edition at a yard sale for a dime a few years ago 😂 Looking forward to starting this one with you all on Friday!!

#RandomClassics @BarbaraJean @BarkingMadRead @Librarybelle @Sace @StayCurious @willaful

Soubhiville Looks like that book has been through some things! 🙂 3w
BarkingMadRead Mine has its dust jacket but it‘s the same version, I think. I‘ll take pics later 🤣 3w
StayCurious I‘m going the audiobook route - read by the actress that played her in the movie I think 3w
Librarybelle Yay! My paperback copy looks a little rough from me taking it back and forth from school. Looking forward to this! 3w
Sace I was just thinking about this yesterday. I‘ll pull out my copy tonight. 3w
51 likes1 stack add5 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas
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(thru ch30) Okay, I've not been doing a great job hosting this one 😂 But I actually am really enjoying it! These guys are so ridiculous and over-the-top. And D'Artagnan finally gets to be a real musketeer... if he can find the money to get all his gear. Of course he's too busy chasing the mysterious stranger all over town haha And what do you think has happened to poor Constance??

Are you all enjoying this one or no?

Once we get to where the ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) days of the week don't match the chapter numbers anymore, I start to get confused 😆 So here is November's reading schedule. We are going to use the first weekend and the last weekend as catch-up days, especially with Thanksgiving (US) at the end of the month. There are 67 chapters, so we'll wrap up in early December!! 3w
CatLass007 I‘m enjoying this one quite a lot. I‘ve been trying to come up with a word that summarizes our Musketeers. They seem to be such scoundrels. They don‘t pay their bills. They‘re always tricking someone into doing something else. Scoundrels. But very funny scoundrels. 3w
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wordslinger42 I‘m really enjoying it as well!! Their antics are amusing 😄 3w
Jadams89 I‘m really enjoying it!! 3w
BarkingMadRead I‘m loving this so much! Thanks for the schedule, this is really helpful! Looking forward to more hijinks 3w
julieclair I haven‘t even started this one yet, but really want to. Fingers crossed I can catch up! 🤞 3w
Librarybelle Thanks for the schedule! Still catching up but am still liking it! 3w
curiouserandcurioser @TheAromaofBooks im loving this, as well! 3w
CatLass007 I‘m not quite sure how it happened but as of 11/03/2024, I‘ve finished through chapter 32, which would put me only one day ahead of the group. Except, @TheAromaofBooks, your book has 67 chapters and my audiobook has only 56 chapters. All my chapters have named titles. So actually, I may only think I‘m a day ahead. I could be behind. Because using different translations can really screw things up. So, while I am still confused, I am enjoying it. 3w
TheAromaofBooks @CatLass007 - Sometimes audiobooks divide things differently, or even have an abridged edition instead of the full version. In my book, chapter 32 is titled “A Procureur's Dinner“ - does that match up with anything at your end? 3w
CatLass007 @TheAromaofBooks Yes, that‘s what my chapter 32 is called. I go out of my way to avoid abridged books. In fact, if there‘s more than one translation of a particular book, as there is with the current one, I always choose the one that is longer (if there are only two), or if there‘s more than two, I choose the longest. Abridged books and Astroturf should be outlawed! 3w
35 likes12 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Untitled | Untitled
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I picked up this book from 1965 because it's illustrated by Sam Savitt, and it's staying on my shelf for that reason despite it being a pretty so-so story. It's only 89 pages long, and some brief research makes me think it's a sequel to an earlier book about a Shetland Pony named Christy. There just isn't much story here, but I'm sure 10-year-old me would have been enthralled by a girl being gifted her own pony 😂

56 likes7 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Untitled | Untitled
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An old Scholastic Book Club book from 1935 that isn't in the database. Another soft pick, this was perfectly fine but somewhat boring fare. A brother and sister at the seaside on vacation meet up with a local boy with a semi-tragic backstory involving a lost inheritance. In the end, they find the long-lost will and happy endings are handed out all around. There's birdwatching, too, so I probably would have loved this when I was younger haha

Bookwormjillk 😻😻😻 3w
OriginalCyn620 Cute kitty! 😻 3w
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TheSpineView Awesome!❤️🐾❤️ 3w
PuddleJumper 😻 😻 3w
Texreader ❤️🐈‍⬛❤️🐈‍⬛ 3w
Gissy 😻🖤🖤🖤 3w
Ruthiella 😻😻😻 3w
AnnCrystal 💕😻🐾💝. 3w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w
Catsandbooks Sweet kitty! 🧡🐈‍⬛ 3w
CatLass007 😻🐾🐾🐾 5d
61 likes12 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
The Little Grey Men | B B, Denys Watkins-Pitchford
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Pickpick

This story, about the last three gnomes in England, seems like it should have been a book I loved. Three brothers traveling to try and find their lost brother and running into plenty of adventures and animal friends along the way. However, it somehow just didn't quite work for me. Maybe it was the random murder in the middle? I liked it but didn't love it. Soft pick.

Bookwormjillk Random murder will sometimes put a damper on things 😂 3w
OriginalCyn620 Random murder 😂 3w
TheSpineView Excellent! 3w
Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻💚 3w
52 likes5 comments
blurb
TheAromaofBooks
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Oh my word, October is almost over!! November is right around the corner, so if you would like to #BookSpin next month, it's time to be thinking about your lists!!

And for those of you who REALLY like to plan ahead, I have every intention of continuing this challenge (+ #BookSpinBingo of course!) into 2025... even if it's absolutely bonkers that next year is going to TWENTY-FIVE YEARS into the 21st century! What. Even.

Anyway, can't wait to see⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) everyone's November plans!!

Also, don't forget, there is a giveaway associated with this challenge!! I'll be picking five people to receive a book!! Every BookSpin and DoubleSpin book completed (or DNF'd in good faith lol) counts as an entry!! The form to track your reads/enter the giveaway can be found here: https://forms.gle/Cb63LhTodq5CoRhHA You can edit the form so you can either fill it out as you go or all at once at the end of ⬇
4w
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) December. As always, let me know if you have any questions!! 4w
See All 42 Comments
BarkingMadRead Hooray for #bookspin 2025! I‘ve been slowly making my pile, I will double down in the next couple days! 4w
Bookwormjillk I was working on my list this morning but realized I left out #FiidAndLit and #AuthorAMonth so I still have some work to do. Hooray for 2025! 4w
Lcsmcat I‘m in! Thanks for taking this on! 4w
CoffeeNBooks How is it almost November?! 😁 4w
janeycanuck I do not agree with your premise that 2025 is 25 years into the century. 4w
TheSpineView Can't believe how fast this year has gone! 4w
Librarybelle Can we just ask time to pause for a moment??? 4w
Sace Yay! I‘m going to try to get a bookspin list up this week. I‘m so glad you will continue into 2025! Thanks so much for this fun activity. (edited) 4w
Jari-chan Well, I'll totally be in in 2025 as well. You don't seem to get rid of me 😁 4w
CSeydel Thanks, Sarah! I think I need to take November and December to get caught up on the earlier months that I haven‘t read yet 😬 but you can keep me on the list, and I‘ll definitely keep playing in 2025! 4w
Deblovestoread Yay! Thanks, Sarah! 4w
Megabooks Yay!!! I know I haven‘t been posting much, but I‘ve been faithfully reading those two books every month! 4w
Eggs Thx Sarah! I‘ll make the list 🥰🥰 4w
kelli7990 I want to keep playing in 2025 and I will be making another list for November even though I‘m not finished with this month‘s list. I‘m enjoying making my lists and bingo boards. The bingo boards are my favorite to make because I find the most beautiful backgrounds to use for them from Pinterest. 4w
dabbe Thanks for all your hard work, Sarah. I can't wait to update the form for the entire 2024 year! 🤩 4w
Soubhiville Thanks Sarah! I‘m in for next year too. 🙂 4w
sherrisilvera Love these lists!! 4w
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick No! I need a few more months to complete my 2024 challenges! 🤣 I found a book on my shelves published in 2000 titled Internet Cool Guide or something like that. I'm tempted to post about it daily comparing what sites are still around, which are defunct, how they've changed, etc, as a way to celebrate the last quarter century but I don't know if I can commit. 4w
vonnie862 I haven't been doing my best this month. Let's see how November goes. 4w
CloakNQuill Just waiting on my GR partner to choose my PIFM & I‘ll post my November list 4w
Allydanielle88 How dare October end so quickly! I've only read one book. 😭 4w
BookmarkTavern I‘m not ready! 🤣🤣🤣 4w
bekakins Omg how is it almost 2025 😭 4w
MaleficentBookDragon I‘m in for next year! I love making my boards even though I mostly go rogue every month. 😜 4w
PuddleJumper Yay! I'm here for the long haul! 4w
Bookbuyingaddict Hooray 🙌🏻 so glad 😌 your continuing next year love 🥰 our monthly bingo boards and altering mine every month 😂 3w
claudiuo Thank you so much for continuing next year, I really love both challenges and they help me so much to read more! Thank you! (edited) 3w
julieclair Yay for 2025! Thank you, Sarah, for continuing. 😘 3w
105 likes42 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
The Last Close Call | Laura Griffin
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Pickpick

A traveling book that I was supposed to read in September, whoops. This one was borderline so-so for me, mainly because the two MCs were inconsistent and kind of annoying. Also it felt like the overall message in the end was that in the nature vs nurture debate, you can't escape nature (more details in the spoiler), and I didn't care for that. However, the use of forensic genealogy was intriguing and I enjoyed the secondary characters.

TheAromaofBooks The criminal in this one is a serial rapist. He was given up for adoption by his 16-year-old birth mother. At the end, you find out that she had gotten pregnant because she had been raped, and there is this overall vibe that the reason this guy was a rapist was because his dad was a rapist, and that was just the way it had to be, despite him being adopted and raised in a loving home. This isn't stated explicitly, but combined with the fact that ⬇ 1mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) after they capture the criminal the reader never gets any explanation/viewpoint from him at all - we never find out what his motivation was, if something triggered him to start this, why he left Texas for five years, why he came back, whether or not his girlfriend was remotely suspicious, etc. NOTHING. So all we're left with is “his birth father was a rapist so“ and that just didn't sit well with me. 1mo
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TheAromaofBooks @Jerdencon @Bookandbedandtea - FOR REAL I am also going to finish my pick for October and then mail them both to Paula before the end of October 😂 I would be interested to hear if you had any thoughts on the nature vs. nurture aspect of this book - was that just me reading too much into it?? 1mo
PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 1mo
Jerdencon @bookandbedandtea honestly I do believe nature plays a part (I work as a school psychologist so seen this happen) - kids are raised in a wonderful home but still have issues BUT I‘ve also seen the other side of it too - think it‘s one of those mysteries of life and genetics. Also my books will be in the mail beg of next week! (edited) 1mo
OriginalCyn620 🖤🖤🖤 1mo
bookandbedandtea @Jerdencon @TheAromaofBooks I did feel this leaned a little hard on nature because I've always wanted to believe nurture weighs heavier in that balance. I'll send my books out next week as well. 😄 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @Jerdencon @bookandbedandtea - It seems like nature has to play a substantial role because, like Denise said, you see kids raised in lovely homes and still turn out troubled. Just looking at myself and my five siblings (including one adopted) all raised by the same parents, but all really different as adults, it's obvious that nature is there haha But it felt weird that the conclusion was kind of “oh his birth dad was also bad, that explains why ⬇ 1mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) this guy was also bad“ without any real nuance or exploration of other influences/aspects of the bad guy's life. Anyway, it was an interesting book and I didn't dislike it, but I felt like the ending dragged out kind of purposelessly haha 1mo
bookandbedandtea @TheAromaofBooks I think you have a good point, Sarah, about the lack of nuance regarding the bad guy and that more explanation about him would have made for a better story. I could have stood for more if that and less of the romance between the leads. 1mo
Jerdencon @bookandbedandtea I agree about the romance part 1mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼🦇🖤 1mo
56 likes13 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
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Mehso-so

I know going into it that this type of romantic suspense is going to need me to gloss over a lot of ?!?!?! moments to make it work, but this book was really pushing the limits haha Pretty ridiculous on the whole, but sometimes that's what you need. A long while back someone gave me a box of random thrillers/romantic suspense, and this was one of them. Mildly entertaining, but off to a new home now.

#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620

50 likes5 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
The Willows in Winter | William Horwood
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Pickpick

The first book read for my #BirthdayBashReadathon was a bit of a random choice - a sequel to The Wind in the Willows, written by not-the-original-Willows-author. I'm always somewhat leery of people piggy-backing off of someone else's work, but I think Horwood makes it work. It's obvious that he has a great deal of love and respect for Grahame's original characters, but says he was always a bit saddened by the ending of Willows, which reassures ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) the readers that Toad was “indeed an altered Toad.“ Horwood says he could never believe that a rascal like Toad could ever be completely reformed, and from that thought, this book was born. It's a soft pick for me, and I'm perhaps able to be more generous with it because while I like Willows, it isn't a heart-book for me, so the fact that Horwood doesn't *quite* get the tone right doesn't horrify me haha The pacing is a little uneven ⬇ 1mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) but for the most part this is a warm, respectful sequel to a beloved children's classic. Horwood went on to write three more books about the Willows characters, which I seem to have collected over the years, so I'll hopefully be reading them this year as well.

#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620
#SeriesLove2024 #Spookoween @TheSpineView
#100YearsofBooks #192025 (1993) @Librarybelle
#WickedWords (Winter) @AsYouWish
#AtoZ @Texreader
1mo
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Librarybelle Oddly, I‘ve never read The Wind in the Willows! 1mo
PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 1mo
TheSpineView Excellent! 1mo
OriginalCyn620 🖤🖤🖤 1mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼🐈‍⬛💜 1mo
54 likes8 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
Hideaway: A Novel | Nora Roberts
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Pickpick

Soft pick. I liked the main character and her close family ties, but this book was very slow paced, and the motivation of the bad guy just never really made a lot of sense. I get it that revenge is a dish best served cold... but sheesh. Nice for a one-off read, but this one is headed to the giveaway pile.

#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620
#ReadOrDonate @julieclair
#AtoZ @Texreader
#PromoptMaze
#BookSpinBingo

54 likes4 comments
blurb
TheAromaofBooks
The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas
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(thru ch21) How is it going, friends? I know a few of us are a little behind 😂 So without getting into too many spoilers, I have to say that the action has been quite exciting over the last couple of chapters!! (Although I felt terrible for the horses! 😢) I didn't realize there was going to be so much political intrigue, but on the whole I feel like Dumas keeps it light enough to stay entertaining.

I am planning to stick with the chapter-a-day⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) plan through October, but would you all like to take the first weekend of November as catch-up days, and then pick up with chapter 32 on November 4? Let me know what you think!!

@BarkingMadRead @Bklover @CatLass007 @ChaoticMissAdventures @Clare-Dragonfly @Cuilin @curiouserandcurioser @Deblovestoread @Jadams89 @janeycanuck @julieclair @Librarybelle @Read4life @TheBookHippie @wordslinger42
1mo
janeycanuck I‘m on chapter 10 but I think I need to reread a couple of chapters so a bit of extra time to catch up would be awesome! 1mo
TheBookHippie Yes catch up would be wonderful!!! I struggled the first bit but now I‘m hitting my stride. 1mo
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ChaoticMissAdventures I am trying to catch up with 2 chapters a day which is doable for me, but goodness he really likes his words huh? Did he get paid by the letter in writing this? 😂. After watching King James and George it is interesting to see the Duke here running around France wooing the ladies 1mo
BarkingMadRead I‘m loving this, it‘s still very Don Quixote-like without the insanity 🤣 1mo
Librarybelle Sounds good to me! I‘m very behind still and hope to read more this week. 1mo
nanuska_153 @ChaoticMissAdventures yes, Dumas actually got paid by word/line 😅 It's kind of like when series were on tv rather than streaming and seasons where 20 episodes, some of them where nothing happened: Halloween episode, Christmas episode,etc Now with streaming it seems like there's only 8 episodes and all of them important.Dickens is particularly obvious cause he was paid by installments and there are chapters that have a Thanksgiving episode's vibe 1mo
CatLass007 I‘m enjoying this much more than Don Quixote, something on which I quickly bailed. It was just too depressing. So much of this current book is tongue in cheek. Not depressing at all. Audible lists this as the first book in “D‘Artagnon: The Musketeers Cycle.” Depending on how this one winds up, I probably would enjoy listening to more in the series or other books by Dumas. 1mo
36 likes8 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Christy | Catherine Marshall
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In November we will be continuing to read the rollicking adventures of the Three Musketeers, but also will be starting another book: Christy, by Catherine Marshall. First published in 1967, Marshall drew on stories from her mother's experiences teaching in a remote area of eastern Tennessee circa 1912. I read this book as a teen an enjoyed it, but I'm interested to see what I think of it now that I have some more life under my belt 😂

nanuska_153 Sorry, I am still interested in this club, it's just that I'm struggling to meet my TBR targets for the year, but I'll be more of a participant next year when the pressure is off! Any chance of joining Crime and Punishment for next year? I really want to re-read it and my head remembers Raskolnikov as an extremely meme-able character. No pressure if you read it recently or are not interested in Russians! 1mo
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Librarybelle I too read Christy as a teenager and am interested to see what I think of it as an adult. Looking forward to it! 1mo
Lcsmcat I‘m going to sit this one out. But keep me on the list for future months please. 1mo
janeycanuck No Christie for me! I‘m behind on Three Musketeers (obviously…) and I still haven‘t picked Don Quixote up again. But I‘m at 78% complete for Evelina! 1mo
wordslinger42 I‘m going to sit November‘s read out and keep enjoying Musketeers! I‘m excited for next year‘s reads (and can‘t believe it‘s almost November already 😳😂) 1mo
BarkingMadRead I read this as a teen as well and watched the series. Can‘t wait to read it again 1mo
TheBookHippie I‘m sticking with Dumas. And November ?!?! 😅🤣 1mo
BarbaraJean I shouldn‘t commit to another chapter-a-day style buddy read at this point, but I‘m going to anyway 😂😂 I just pulled my copy (also from my teen years) off the shelf and have it ready to go for November! 1mo
StayCurious I‘d love to join - I enjoyed the series so I‘d like to read the book. 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @nanuska_153 - No worries, this group is set up so people can dip in and out as it suits their tastes and schedules!! So the way that it gets the “random“ part of its name is that I have all the titles I'm thinking about reading in a spreadsheet and choose a number at random to read each month 😂 So Crime & Punishment is a possibility, but it may or may not come up any time soon!! 1mo
curiouserandcurioser @TheAromaofBooks i think ill stick with Three Musketeers for November:) im looking forward to next years reads!! 1mo
Sace I plan to dip in for Christy! Read it in my early twenties while working on my degree in education. 1mo
willaful What's the format for the read? Can't remember if I've joined in this group or not. 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @willaful - A chapter a day until we finish - looks like there are 46 chapters in Christy, so we will carry into December a bit. Usually I will check in a little before we start to see if the group would prefer to double up on chapters and do two a day, but we usually end up going with just one to make it harder to fall behind haha 1mo
willaful I think I'll join! Haven't read Christy since I was a teen. 1mo
Teresereading I‘d like to join, is there a start date? 3w
TheAromaofBooks @Teresereading - I always start on the first of the month, so Christy will start on Friday!! Would you like to be added to the tag list? We will be reading one chapter a day until we finish. 3w
CatLass007 @TheAromaofBooks I think I asked to be removed from your master tag list. But it‘s a woman‘s prerogative to change her mind (Does anyone remember what product for which that was the slogan? It‘s driving me slightly nuts that I can‘t remember.) so I‘d like to be re-added. That doesn‘t mean I‘m actually going to read any of them, but I like knowing that if I want to read them I will be able to discuss them with others. And if I read (cont)⬇️ (edited) 5d
CatLass007 something, I might read it all at once instead of a chapter a day. That seems to help me keep my focus. (edited) 5d
TheAromaofBooks @CatLass007 - No worries, I added you back in!! This is one of those challenges you can take a book at a time, depending on how your schedule is looking!!! 5d
CatLass007 Your schedule, the availability at the library, and your wallet…💸 5d
48 likes24 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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A little late with my weekend readathon plans, because I was offline yesterday and forgot to post on Thursday haha I got a lot of reading in yesterday and am almost finished with the tagged book. Hoping to get through at least two more books by the end of Monday - it's looking like a chill weekend so it's pretty doable as long as I don't get toooo sucked into playing Stardew Valley 😂

40 likes5 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
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Pickpick

While not my favorite Poirot, this one does involve Mrs. Oliver (although not nearly enough of her haha). I still haven't decided whether or not the ending is a bit of a cheat. Soft pick.

#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620
#SpookyEdition (Fiendish) #BodyDouble #Pumpkaboo (Medium) @PuddleJumper
#CozyReads @Bookwormjillk
#AtoZ @Texreader
#Spookoween @TheSpineView
#31by31 (8/31) @Catsandbooks
#PromptMaze #BookSpinBingo

OriginalCyn620 🖤🖤🖤 1mo
PuddleJumper 🧡🖤🧡 1mo
TheSpineView Fantastic! 1mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼🐦‍⬛💜 1mo
57 likes4 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
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Mehso-so

Like many of the other buddy readers, I found this one to be one of the weaker entries of the series so far. The plot felt jumbled and unrealistic (more so than usual haha) and the whole “jealousy“ side line definitely felt like padding. Definitely not my favorite.

#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620
#SeriesLove2024 #Spookoween @TheSpineView
#SpookyEdition (Scream) #Pumpkaboo (Medium) #BodyDoubleReadathon @PuddleJumper

OriginalCyn620 I love your ghost! 👻 1mo
PuddleJumper 🐈‍⬛🖤🐈‍⬛ 1mo
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TheSpineView Awesome! 1mo
Bookwormjillk 🌳🌳🌳 1mo
Librarybelle Cute ghost! 1mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻🧡 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @OriginalCyn620 @Librarybelle - I'm not usually a ghost girlie, but something about the shades totally sold me on this one 😂 1mo
55 likes8 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
Hunt the Stars | Jessie Mihalik
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed another trilogy by this author that I read last year. These are what I think of as sci-fi lite. They're set in space, we're zipping around the spaceships, but these aren't super science-y haha It's more about the romance, and I'm cool with that. I really liked the way these two crews, from opposite sides of a recently-ended war, had to get over their suspicions and work together. The pacing was a little a slow in spots, but ⬇

OriginalCyn620 🖤🖤🖤 1mo
Texreader Sci fi lite! Perfect! 1mo
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PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 1mo
TheSpineView Great job! 1mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻🧡 1mo
50 likes6 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Audiobooks on the Go | Audiofile, Robin Whitten

Question - my husband is interested in listening to audiobooks at work. This is so not my thing so I don't know anything about them haha He mostly likes to read nonfiction. Any thoughts out there on which of the audiobook options is a good deal/user friendly/more likely to have nonfiction available?

wanderinglynn Any of the audiobook providers have nonfiction. But I recommend using Libby, which allows you to check audiobooks out from the library. After Libby, to purchase audiobooks, I recommend Libro.fm because it supports independent bookstores. He‘s welcome to use my referral code: https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm99480 (edited) 1mo
DogMomIrene I use the Libby app from my library combined with an Audible subscription. Some libraries allow you to access their digital collections if you‘re in the state, but not that metro area. Others have subscription fees to access digital. Google that one for sure. I know book bloggers have covered it. Audible has a lot of “free” material as well, and it usually covers a variety of genres, incl NF. Get on their email list for sales too. 1mo
Laughterhp You can also see if your library has hoopla. I use Libby and hoopla for audiobooks (both through library) and refuse to pay for audiobooks lol. 1mo
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CogsOfEncouragement My library no longer uses Libby, now it uses CloudLibrary which is also great. So just check to see what yours gives you access to. 1mo
JenReadsAlot I can only do NF on audio! I use Libby through my library and Audible. 1mo
AmyG I use Libby and love it. I say try the library first and see how that works. (edited) 1mo
Ruthiella Definitely go the library route first if that‘s an option. There‘s also an unlimited subscription service for a fee through Scribd.com which I used to use and https://www.chirpbooks.com/ has good deals if you prefer to buy. 1mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I agree with others if he is just getting started the library is always the best option. If you don't have access I also use Everand (used to be called Scribd) they are something like $10 a month and have tons of books. Also if you already have Spotify they have some audio - just make sure you don't have shuffle turned on! 1mo
TieDyeDude If he has access to a CD drive at work, you can also check out used book sales at your local libraries. They will usually have audio books on CD for sale as well. 1mo
shortsarahrose Echoing what everyone else has said about checking your local library - mine has Libby, Hoopla, and Cloud Library! 1mo
BarbaraJean Here‘s yet another recommendation for audiobooks on Libby and Hoopla! I find SO many nonfiction audiobooks on Hoopla that I want to read, but audio is NOT my preferred format for NF so they sit in my “favorites” forever 😂 1mo
lauraisntwilder My library doesn't use Libby, but other places I've lived had it and it's great. I use libro.fm a lot now, since my library's selection on Hoopla and CloudLibrary leave a lot to be desired. 1mo
MonicaLoves2Read Check with your local library and see if they offer Libby. I get a lot of my nonfiction audiobooks from Libby. 1mo
Bookwormjillk I agree with others that Libby is a good starting point. I also use Everand and Libro.fm. Both have a good NF selection. 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Thank you all sooo much for your insight and recommendations!!! I'm definitely going to get him hooked up with Libby and see what our library has to offer and go from there. I really appreciate everyone's comments!!

@wanderinglynn @DogMomIrene @Laughterhp @CogsOfEncouragement @JenReadsAlot @AmyG @Ruthiella @ChaoticMissAdventures @TieDyeDude @shortsarahrose @BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder @MonicaLoves2Read @Bookwormjillk
1mo
33 likes15 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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Hey friends!! I think I'm actually going to get tomorrow off, so I've decided to kick off a weekend of reading to celebrate my birthday!! 😁 Tag me with your reads, and feel free to eat some birthday dessert in my honor 😂

If you're participating in HauntedShelf you can totally use this for bonus points, but even if you're not, I hope you'll still join me in the worthy goal of trying to work as much reading into the weekend as possible! 😉

AmyG I‘m in….and I will celebrate with you as my birthday is the 21st! I might not eat cake but I will be eating Halloween candy. 🤣 (edited) 1mo
OriginalCyn620 I am in! Happy early birthday! 🥳 I probably won‘t have cake but I am planning to make chocolate chip pumpkin bread. 1mo
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Meshell1313 Fun! And Happy Almost Birthday! 🎂 🎉 1mo
Mollyanna I‘ll read along with you too. Have a Happy Birthday weekend. 🎈🎂🥳 1mo
TheBookgeekFrau Early Happy Birthday!!! 🎉🎊 1mo
Cuilin Happy Birthday 📚 🎂 1mo
Yuki_Onna I'll totally read (and eat 😁) and celebrate along! What a fun way to celebrate your birthday! 🧡 1mo
dabbe HB! 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
PuddleJumper Have a great birthday! 1mo
Seabreeze_Reader 🎈🥳🎂🎉 1mo
kspenmoll Happy birthday!!!🎊🎈🎉 I will read sling with you! 1mo
Gissy Nice! 🙋🏽‍♀️🎂🥳📚🎉📚 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @AmyG - Birthday buddies!!! 🎉 Hope you have a fabulous weekend/birthday, too!!! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @OriginalCyn620 @Meshell1313 @Mollyanna @TheBookgeekFrau @Cuilin @Yuki_Onna @dabbe @PuddleJumper @Seabreeze_Reader @kspenmoll @Gissy - Thank you!!! And I just found out I don't have to go anywhere this weekend after all, so my birthday got even better! 😂 1mo
AmyG @TheAromaofBooks Same here. i am home ALONE. My husband is away on business. So read ALL weekend! 1mo
BarbaraJean I love this—I will join in where I can! And a very Happy Birthday weekend to you!! 1mo
Gissy Started on the 17th, They Never Learn. Already motivated😃Is there a hashtag related with this Readathon? 1mo
Sace Happy Birthday 🎉🎂🎁 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean @Sace - Thank you!!! 💕 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @Gissy - Sorry, I was offline yesterday haha The hashtag is #BirthdayBashReadathon - hope you having a great time reading this weekend!! 1mo
kwmg40 I hope you're having an excellent birthday weekend! 1mo
BennettBookworm Happy happy birthday!!! 1mo
willaful Hope you had a good birthday! A friend of mine has the same birthday so I actually ate some cake on yours. :-) 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @kwmg40 @BennettBookworm - Thank you!!! It was a fabulous birthday weekend!! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @willaful - Nice!!! I'm always excited to hear about birthday buddies haha Funny story, my family was out of town so we aren't going to do my actual cake until this coming weekend. I still treated myself to some other goodies, though 😁 1mo
willaful @TheAromaofBooks Your birthday buddy is my daughter's aide and an extremely nice person! 1mo
51 likes27 comments
blurb
TheAromaofBooks
The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas
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We're 14 chapters in and I'm only just now checking to see how everyone is doing 😂 The first couple of chapters were a bit of a struggle for me, but I am starting to enjoy it now. This book is a lot more snarky than I was anticipating. And even though D'Artagnan is a hot-headed mess, I'm finding him entertaining. How is it going for all of you? Have any of you decided to bail? Any favorite characters/scenes?

Librarybelle I‘m behind! Not because of the book but because of life. I‘m liking it so far, but admittedly I‘m not very far into the book. 1mo
BarkingMadRead It‘s starting to get interesting now, a little dramatic, and still a cooler version of Don Quixote 🤣 1mo
See All 11 Comments
Clare-Dragonfly I bailed 😅 I agree that it was snarkier than expected, but I wasn‘t having fun. 1mo
CatLass007 I‘m really enjoying this. I‘ve been listening to an Audible free selection but it‘s going to stop being free toward the end of the month so I went ahead and bought it. I‘m loving the snark. I‘m not sure why it would be compared to Don Quixote because that was incredibly depressing and I definitely bailed. This isn‘t depressing at all (yet). 1mo
Jadams89 I agree, the first couple of chapters were strange, but now I‘m enjoying it! 1mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I loved the name dropping of other books (Don Quixote and Gulliver's Travel) this is my first Alexander Dumas and I am really enjoying the humor and the political commentary..I am a couple of chapters behind already but I am enjoying it. 1mo
curiouserandcurioser @TheAromaofBooks this is a reread for me:) im enjoying it again this time around, though its been such a long time, its like reading for the first time! 1mo
janeycanuck I‘m on chapter 8! Not as behind as I expected I‘d be. Like everyone else, I‘m enjoying the snark. I was hoping to buckle down and get caught up this weekend but it didn‘t happen. I think I‘ll double up on chapters for the next few days instead. 1mo
Read4life I‘m enjoying the snark. Love me some snark 😂😂. I‘m a bit behind but will catch up this week. 1mo
43 likes11 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Hunt the Stars | Jessie Mihalik
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Several readathons this weekend and I'm ready!! Like @PuddleJumper said, I could definitely use a #BodyDouble to do my chores while I do my reading 😂 @Bookwormjillk is hosting a #CozyReads weekend as well. I am hoping to finish the tagged book and read at least one more!! @TheSpineView my #Spookoween goal for the month is to average 210pgs/day - currently I'm only 238pgs behind, so I'm going to try and catch up this weekend!! Also still ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) trying to achieve 31 books in 31 days for the #31by31 which I just realized I think I have been tagging 31in31 in all my other posts 😅 @Catsandbooks Currently I'm only at 5 books for the month, but I have several short stories that should boost the number.

Thanks to everyone for hosting!! Looking forward to getting some reading in this weekend!!
#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620
1mo
OriginalCyn620 🧡🧡🧡 1mo
TheSpineView You got this! 👍📖📚 1mo
Catsandbooks No worries! 😂 Great job so far! 🙌🏼 1mo
47 likes4 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
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Pickpick

Five years ago a high school senior disappeared. Although her body was never found, police decided that she was murdered by her boyfriend, who committed suicide a few days later. However, Pip - who is now a high school senior herself - has never believed that the boyfriend was the murderer. With the help of the boyfriend's younger brother, she sets out to reexamine the evidence. I really liked the format of this book, with parts of it Pip's notes⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) some in the form of transcripts of people she was interviewing, and other sections just regular third-person narration. It did drag a little in the middle, but I really did want to find out what happened and I liked the way the different pieces of evidence kept shifting the pointing finger. While the ending did make sense on the whole, I was actually convinced that it fit the personalities of the characters. There were also a few things ⬇ 1mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I found kind of unbelievable/a big stretch. But on the whole, an enjoyable YA thriller, and I'll probably pick up the sequel soon.

This was a #TrappedinaHauntedHouse pick (thanks @Charityann !!) and also my list to read for the #AcquiredViaLitsy challenge @MatchlessMarie - it was gifted to me as part of the #Bestof2021Swap by @kellyann28 back in - you guessed it - January 2022!

#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620
1mo
See All 7 Comments
TheSpineView Awesome! 1mo
OriginalCyn620 Me and my youngest love this series, but I agree that some things are a big stretch! 1mo
MatchlessMarie Awesome! It seems to have a similar vibe to One of Us Is Lying series by Karen M McManus which I really enjoyed. 1mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼🐦‍⬛🧡 1mo
58 likes1 stack add7 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
Elizabeth and her German Garden | Elisabeth Von Arnim
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Mehso-so

The consensus for this one seems to be a sense of mild disappointment lol There were parts of this I really enjoyed and that resonated with me, but on the whole I found Elizabeth herself to be too self-absorbed and condescending to really like her/enjoy being in her head for an entire book. Also, I honestly wanted more garden. 😂

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead @BarbaraJean
#HauntedShelf #DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620

julieclair I‘m with you 💯 1mo
OriginalCyn620 They can‘t all be winners, but at least it‘s off your TBR! 1mo
See All 8 Comments
TheSpineView Well done! 1mo
Bookwomble I despised her attitude and gave up after about 30 pages! Urgh! 1mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻🧡 1mo
Gissy But beautiful edition😍💛💛💛 1mo
lauraisntwilder I wanted my gardening, too! More flowers, less complaining about friends. 1mo
51 likes8 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
Silver in the Bone | Alexandra Bracken
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Pickpick

First off, how gorgeous is this OwlCrate edition?? I LOVE hardcovers with pretty (not-jacket) covers. I ended up enjoying this one more than I anticipated. The pacing was a little off for me, and the MC was a little too prickly for too long, but on the whole it was an engaging story with some twists I wasn't expecting, and I'm looking forward to picking up the sequel.

This was one of my #CasttheDie picks @PuddleJumper !!

51 likes5 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
The Spellshop | Sarah Beth Durst
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Pickpick

This one was a soft pick for me. It had a lot of the right ingredients and I did enjoy it, but it still somehow felt flat. I love the concept of cozy fantasy, but like any other book, you need a sensible conflict/resolution to go with pleasant characters and an intriguing setting. This book tried to have an absolutely gigantic political upheaval in the background, but this either needed to not exist or be a bigger part of the story. I found it ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) hard to believe that everyone was so ambivalent towards the fact that the entire government had been completely overthrown. There were a lot of fun moments and some really fun critters, but while I liked reading this, I wouldn\'t ever pick it up for a reread. 2mo
willaful Oh my, sounds like not the book for me right now. 2mo
See All 12 Comments
PuddleJumper 🍵🍵 2mo
OriginalCyn620 That cover though! 💚 2mo
TheSpineView Awesome! 2mo
LiteraryinPA Great review! I‘m planning to start this one soon and it‘s good to hear what you think. 2mo
mrp27 I‘m currently reading this one and I‘m feeling the same. Not as good or cozy as I was hoping. 2mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼🎃🖤 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @OriginalCyn620 - I gave it an extra half-star on GR because of that cover 😂 It also has sprayed edges!! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @mrp27 - It wasn\'t terrible, but it somehow just didn\'t completely click for me. I loved so many of the ideas and concepts, but the actual story felt kind of meh. 1mo
TieDyeDude Good to know! \“Cozy\“ isn\'t a go-to genre for me, but that cover! 🤤 If I do get around to reading it, I\'ll keep this in mind 1mo
65 likes1 stack add12 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder | Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir
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Pickpick

First read completed for #HauntedShelf was this week's #NoPlaceLikeHolmes read. I really liked this one! I felt like it was very solvable for the reader (although not THIS reader haha) and the solution did a great job making all the “weird“ clues make sense.

#DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620

dabbe YAY! We just discussed it this morning! There\'s more where that came from! 🤩😂🤗 2mo
OriginalCyn620 Nice! 2mo
TheSpineView Excellent! 2mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻🧡 1mo
59 likes5 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Good morning, good morning, here is October's #BookSpinBingo card ready for all you crazy people who love to play this game with me every month 😂 I LOVE seeing how everyone makes this challenge work for them!!! It's just so fun to see how creative everyone is, from their lists to decorating their boards. Thank you all so much for reading with me every month!!!

A reminder that if you are participating in HauntedShelf this month, BookSpinBingo ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) counts as a readathon, so embrace the points!!! As always, let me know if you have any questions, and I can\'t wait to see everyone\'s boards!!

Standard monthly text/info below ⬇
2mo
TheAromaofBooks Here\'s the #BookSpinBingo card! First, I put our official numbers (9 & 4) back in the mix. Then I drew them all out & wrote them down as I went, meaning the official numbers are just mixed into the card with the rest! As you can see, 21-25 are both labeled with their numbers & also as free spaces, so you can use them to match however you wrote your list. To score a bingo, just read books (in any order) that are in any row or column!! MORE INFO ⬇ 2mo
TheAromaofBooks 1 - I don\'t tag anyone on this post except for @LitsyEvents but anyone is welcome to play along!!
2 - Remember – NO PRESSURE!!!! If this starts to stress you out, just take that page right out of your journal and pretend it never existed!! This challenge is to encourage you to read, not to make you feel like reading is a chore!!!
3 - FREE SPACES can be filled with any book that is NOT already on your list!! ⬇
2mo
See All 10 Comments
TheAromaofBooks 4 & final - As a reminder, only the “official” BookSpin/DoubleSpin numbers will count towards giveaway entries. I don‘t want the giveaway to be stacked against people who aren‘t able to read lots of books each month. So basically there is still a maximum of 2 entries possible per month no matter how many books you read from your list. This bingo card is just for fun & glory! 😁

Thanks for playing & happy reading!!!

2mo
Bookwormjillk Looks like a winner. Thanks! 2mo
BarkingMadRead Great placement on those free spaces! 2mo
claudiuo Thank you so much! 2mo
willaful This will be a fun month! 2mo
SusanLee Thank you 🙏🏻 2mo
Bookbuyingaddict Love it 🥰 so much a. Huge thank you 🙏 for making us all happy 😃 every month 😍😍🥰😘 2mo
76 likes10 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Shadow Spinner | Susan Fletcher
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Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is NINE! 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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont‘d) everyone/keep track of who wants to bingo and who doesn‘t!!

I use the same tag list for the entire year, so if you would like to be added or removed, please just let me know. It takes me a while to tag everyone (there are over 200 of you!!!) so I will add “FINISHED” to the last tag batch so you know whether or not I missed you. If I did, it was completely inadvertent. Sometimes I just spell someone‘s username wrong. ⬇
2mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) As always, the link to the masterpost about how this challenge works can be found on my profile or here - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ - and the link to the Google Form where you can track your reads for the end-of-the-year-giveaway can be found here - https://forms.gle/4kTBMWAsCa9Cvmqs6

Thanks for playing, everyone!! Please know that I read EVERY comment on this post but don\'t always ⬇
2mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) have time to reply to them all!! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and for making this challenge SO much fun!!

I\'m going to post the Bingo board, and then come back and start the tag list on this post. Happy reading!!!
⬇ ⬇ ⬇
2mo
See All 36 Comments
TheAromaofBooks PS Just a reminder that if you are playing HauntedShelf this month, this challenge counts as a readathon!! 😁 2mo
Allylu Woohoo! 🎃🧙‍♀️👻📚my two books are definitely on theme: #9 is The Witches of Moonshyne Manor and #4 is My Roommate is a Vampire!!! Happy Reading everyone! 2mo
TheAromaofBooks That is everyone on my tag list, so if you didn\'t get tagged and would like to be added, please just let me know!! 2mo
GinaKButler Thank you for hosting! I got: 2mo
Bookwormjillk Yay! My bookspin is the book I‘m listening to now. (edited) 2mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I totally spaced on what today‘s date was so I was extra excited when I got the notification. 😅🤣 2mo
Lcsmcat Thanks again for organizing this! My bookspin is 2mo
Librarybelle Mine is The Secrets of Hartwood Hall and Conspiracy in Death! 2mo
peanutnine Wow this is the fourth time 4 has been drawn this year! Lucky number!! I'm excited for my picks, Pilot X and 2mo
Eggs Thanks Sarah 🧡🎃🍁 2mo
TheQuietQuill Woohoo! Looking forward to my picks this month 🥳 2mo
claudiuo The bad part of traveling to Europe on #BookSpin draw day is I had to wait until the afternoon to get the numbers 🤩 Thank you so much! 2mo
Gissy #BookSpin number is my birthday day🙌😃 2mo
bookandbedandtea Yay for #BookSpin day! Thanks Sarah! 2mo
dabbe Thanks again for all your hard work, Sarah! 🧡🤎💛 2mo
CSeydel Thanks so much for doing this! I‘m skipping bookspin this month because my trapped-in-a-spooky-house list includes two from my bookspin list. But I‘ll post my picks again next month! 2mo
bekakins 4 again!! Crazy! Thanks for organising!! 2mo
CoffeeK8 Thanks for organizing! 2mo
TheSpineView Thanks! 2mo
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Spirits Abroad, last month's #foodandlit book that I never got around to reading, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, this month's #foodandlit selection. 2mo
96 likes36 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas
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Getting ready to start this #RandomClassic !! I'm curious to know what translations everyone is reading? @janeycanuck shared an article yesterday with some fantastic information on the various English choices - https://welovetranslations.com/2022/07/13/whats-the-best-translation-of-the-thre... - and reading it made me purchase a different copy! I really wanted to read the two volume hardcovers that I have had on my shelf for so ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) long, but there isn\'t any copyright/translation info listed and I\'m afraid they are abridged - and now that I have a definitely-not-abridged copy to compare the sheer volume of pages, I\'m pretty sure my hardcovers don\'t have the full story!! So far I\'ve only read one page, and I\'m delighted to see a shoutout to another #RandomClassic hero, our old friend Don Quixote 😂 Looking forward to reading with you all!! 2mo
TheBookHippie So….. I got many editions coming from the library, because I was this days old when I realized I have a junior edition 🫣🤪😅 2mo
See All 16 Comments
BarkingMadRead I have the comic book cover edition pictured here! And I was so excited to see our good friend Don mentioned 🤣 2mo
Librarybelle I found a cheap Kindle edition! But, the translation so far flows well, so that‘s good. And yes to Don Quixote! 😂 2mo
CatLass007 I‘m listening to the one that‘s free on Audible. It doesn‘t say in the listing who is the translator. Six buddy reads this month and most of them are free. I guess I‘m a glutton for punishment. And I‘m already behind… 2mo
Jadams89 I have the Bantam Classic edition translated by Lowell Bair — it says it‘s complete and unabridged 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures Goodness Paper Mill Press doesn't want to give any credit to their translator! I had to Google a bit but it looks like Richard Pevear translated this pretty copy 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly The edition I got from the library was translated by Eleanor Hoffman. 2mo
julieclair I‘m reading on Serial Reader, and have no idea what edition I‘m reading! 🤷‍♀️ 2mo
Read4life With so much back & forth traveling coming up this month, I decided Serial Reader would make the most sense as far as portability. 2mo
Bklover Whose version are you reading? I have an anonymous version but was thinking of ordering Ellsworth. 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @Bklover - Apparently I asked everyone else but forgot to actually mention which translation I am using 😂 Richard Pevear is the translator for this Penguin edition. 2mo
SamAnne I love that a Tom Gauld cartoon is the cover. 2mo
wordslinger42 My translation is by Eleanor Hochman! It‘s the Signet Classics edition; I‘m enjoying it so far 😊 2mo
AnishaInkspill this one\'s on my wishlist 2mo
53 likes16 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Bride | Ali Hazelwood
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@guinsgirlreads thank you so much for this amazing #FallingForFallSwap package!!! I had trouble fitting everything into the photo!! I'm genuinely delighted with everything, especially the bonus book, very appropriate for my line of work 😂 Thank you so much and happy fall!!!

Thank you for hosting this swap @Avanders @Chrissyreadit - truly one of my favorite swaps of the year!!!

Avanders 🤩🤩🍁👏🏼🍂♥️ 2mo
guinsgirlreads I‘ve been super curious about Bride so I hope it‘s good‘ 2mo
Chrissyreadit 🍁🧡🍁🧡🍁 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @guinsgirlreads - Me too!! It\'s on the voting list for #LittensLoveRomance this month, so I\'m hoping it gets picked!!! 2mo
55 likes4 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
Anne of Green Gables | L.M. Montgomery
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Pickpick

Yes, I'm reviewing books I read at the beginning of August 😂

I've read and reread Anne until I ought to be tired of it - but never have been. I love this book so much and am not REMOTELY objective about it. As part of the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead I did try to be SLIGHTLY more critical in my reading this time around... but no, actually, it's still perfect 😆

@BarbaraJean

marleed Sometimes I like letting a book sit before I give it a review. 2mo
BarbaraJean Haha! I get it—I have 6 or 7 books from the last several weeks that I still need to go back and review! That kind of review backlog is one reason I often give myself a pass on reviewing re-reads 😆 I agree, Anne is still basically perfect! No notes. 😁It amazes me how perfect LMM‘s first novel is!! 2mo
See All 6 Comments
Singout I have two copies, dating back to 1977, because the first one is in shreds. 2mo
TheSpineView Better late than never as they say! 2mo
AnishaInkspill It\' good to see what you thought. I finally got around reading this this year what a surprise.

I\'m new here and importanting my books didn\'t work so I am doing it manually (which might take me months 😃) and you\'ll see ones that go all the way back to Jan.
2mo
68 likes1 stack add6 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
This Or That? | Joginder Singh
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OriginalCyn620 🖤🖤🖤 2mo
41 likes1 comment
review
TheAromaofBooks
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Pickpick

I think this is my softest pick out of the Trixie books we've reread so far. The random infodumps seemed kind of out of place. It also felt way more like boys vs. girls instead of everyone working together like they usually do. But I kind of liked the lack of a big mystery - this felt somewhat realistic, with several people having small(ish) problems that the gang was able to address. I really like the way that they pay attention to the people ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) around them and try to help where they can.

This is the last book in the series written by Campbell, so I\'m interested to see if there is a noticeable writing-style difference in the next book.

Share your thoughts, #BobWhiteBuddies !! What did you think of this one? Any favorite or not-favorite parts?

@BethM @curiouserandcurioser @BookmarkTavern @DebinHawaii @Read4life @lauraisntwilder @MaleficentBookDragon
2mo
BookmarkTavern I loved how we got to see the girls especially changing their minds from their initial dislike of the three guests, and adopting all of them. These kids are so kind, and willing to own up when they jump to conclusions about people. But I also love Trixie‘s suspicious nature. 2mo
Read4life Well said @BookmarkTavern . I think this was the last one I read when I was younger so I‘m looking forward to reading the rest for the first time. @TheAromaofBooks I‘m curious to see how/if the writing style changes as well. 2mo
See All 12 Comments
lauraisntwilder Weirdly, I liked the info dumps. They were a little out of place, that's true, but this came out originally in 1958 and I was pleased with how (relatively) respectful this book was, compared to the movies and TV of the time. The language was still dated, of course, but I liked that the kids were interested in Mexican and Native American culture. 2mo
Sparklemn @TheAromaofBooks Just curious about #bobwhitebuddies. Are you reading one per month? I own all but one of the series and have read most several times. I‘d love to join along with your discussions if I may. 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @BookmarkTavern - I loved the way that initially the girls were apprehensive about the \“problem\“ guests, but how they were able to realize that those guests were a problem because they had troubles - and I also loved how those guests each eventually recognized that by choosing to wallow in the their problems instead of enjoying themselves, they were causing extra work and stress to the people around them. I guess there was just a lot of reminders⬇ 2mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) to think about other people besides yourself, and I liked that as an ongoing lesson. 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @Read4life - It\'s hard to find information on who actually wrote the rest of the series. It appears to be a mix of at least eight different people, but I can\'t find any records linking specific individuals to specific books, at least not for the whole series. Growing up, I just assumed that \“Kathryn Kenny\“ was one person, so it wouldn\'t have even occurred to me to notice if there were differences in writing styles from book to book. 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder - I also thought that this book felt a little ahead of its time in regards to having respect for other cultures and recognizing that they had a lot to learn from other people, so in that regard maybe the infodumps make sense, a way for the author to help shed some light to her readers who hadn\'t been exposed to the idea of Native Americans even having a cultural heritage. 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @Sparklemn - Yes!! We are reading one a month and I try to post the discussion post sometime on or around the 30th every month. October\'s book is The Mysterious Code and you are very welcome to join us!! Just let me know if you want to be added to the tag list. We\'re just a group who read and loved Trixie growing up, so we\'re enjoying some reread nostalgia!! 😁 2mo
Sparklemn @TheAromaofBooks I‘d love to be tagged! 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @Sparklemn - Yay!! Glad to have you along!! 2mo
47 likes12 comments
review
TheAromaofBooks
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Pickpick

I seem to be, oh, two months behind on reviews. We'll see how many of them I get posted haha I really liked the concept of this one - Emmeline & William got married several years ago to fulfill the requirements of E's capricious uncle so that E can continue to live in her childhood home. But things are about to come apart at the seams - a secondary requirement was that they produce an heir, which never happened... but E's uncle thinks it has ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) because she\'s been lying to him via letter all this time! Now he\'s coming to visit, so E has to confess to William and find two suitable children to convince her uncle that her imaginary family is real.

This is a book I think I\'ll enjoy more the second time around. It\'s not nearly as much about the romance between E & W as I was expecting - instead, it\'s more about what makes a family and them coming together that way. It was a nice ⬇
2mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) read, just not exactly what I was expecting.

#ISpyBingo - Pillow, Newspaper @Clwojick
#ReadOrDonate - I decided to keep this one!! @julieclair
#BookSpinBingo
2mo
julieclair Sounds very fun! 2mo
57 likes3 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Mazes and Labyrinths | Adrian Fisher
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Hey friends!! The #PromptMaze is back for #HauntedShelf !!! I don't have a lot of time, so I have reused all of last year's prompts and shuffled them around haha Below is the link!! You will need to MAKE A COPY and then you will be able to edit your own copy so that you can see the prompts. I went ahead and left the 2023 edition available as well, so if you want an added challenge you can work your way through two mazes - same prompts, but since⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) they are in a different order, you shouldn\'t be working on the same prompt for both mazes. Each book can count for ONE PROMPT PER MAZE (so you it can only count for one prompt in the 2024 maze, but it can also count for one prompt for the 2023 maze, if that makes sense). This counts as a readathon, so if you are participating in #HauntedShelf you can earn 10pts per hour reading a book that fits a prompt.

Below is the link - let me know ⬇
2mo
TheAromaofBooks @Allylu - Thank you for reminding me to post this!!! I had kind of forgotten 😂 2mo
See All 22 Comments
PuddleJumper 🖤🖤 Love this! Thank you! 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper - I am not good at understanding how to add things to the main Google Drive folder 😂 So please feel free to add the spreadsheet to it if you like!! 2mo
PuddleJumper @TheAromaofBooks I\'ve added a link in the readathon document. I\'ll see if I can add the actual thing. I don\'t know either! I just poke at things until they work 😅 2mo
Larkken Yay! This is always fun 😃 2mo
Deblovestoread Yay! 🧡🖤🧡 2mo
Allylu Thank you!!! 💕😊🎃🧙‍♀️📚 2mo
LibrarianRyan This is just evil. I never get very far. 2mo
Read4life Thank you! 🎃👻🐈‍⬛ 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @LibrarianRyan - I always seem to end up stranded in some loop, despite my attempt to make it difficult to get stranded in a loop 😂 2mo
PuddleJumper All of the cells are empty for me 😅 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper - Are they all still black? You will need to select the cell you want to see, and then choose a not-black background color. Theoretically then the words should be visible, since they are also black 😂 2mo
PuddleJumper @TheAromaofBooks No, all the cells are white. Nothing shows up if I change background colour or font colour 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper - Hmmmm I don\'t know what else to try because I am terrible with tech 😂 Is it blank when you click on the link, or is it blank when you make a copy for yourself? 2mo
PuddleJumper @TheAromaofBooks Sorry, I'm a moron. The app wasn't showing me there were more sheets. I was on the first page 🤦‍♀️ 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper - Yay, I\'m glad you got it figured out!! I am not the best with computer stuff so no judgment here 😆 2mo
willaful Ack, how did I miss this?! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks @willaful - You can totally start with whatever book you read first in October and work your way forward from there if you want!! 1mo
willaful @TheAromaofBooks you know I do! 😂 1mo
49 likes22 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas
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Hey friends!! We'll be starting this #RandomClassic on Tuesday!! I am here to take a poll: do we want to stick with one chapter a day, which means it will take us a little over two months to read this; or go with two chapters a day and finish in early November? I'm slightly inclined to stick with the single chapter because I have a lot of buddy reads for October, but I also understand if we don't want it to drag out so long haha ⬇

Librarybelle Single chapter would work better for me, but I am open to either option. 2mo
wordslinger42 A single chapter would be a lot more manageable for me! 2mo
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BarkingMadRead Single chapter would be amazing 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly I also have enough other reading commitments in October that I don‘t think I could manage two chapters a day! I also find one chapter a day a lot easier to keep track of, so that‘s my vote. 2mo
curiouserandcurioser @TheAromaofBooks could i be added to this please? One vhapter a day works best for me:) thanks! 2mo
TheBookHippie Single! 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I am up for either! I started chapter 1 and they seem like I could get through one a lunch time which is nice. 2mo
CatLass007 I‘m voting for one chapter a day. 2mo
Deblovestoread I‘d love to jump into this one with you all. Chapter a day would be perfect. 2mo
janeycanuck It makes no difference to me. I‘ll be behind in 4 days no matter how many chapters we do 🤪 2mo
Read4life I prefer one chapter a day. 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @curiouserandcurioser @Deblovestoread - I have you both added to the tag list for this one!! If either of you would like to be added to my master list, which I tag each month so people can decide whether or not they want to read that month\'s book, just let me know!! 2mo
Bklover So glad you‘re sticking to one chapter a day! 2mo
Jadams89 Can I be added to the tag list? I‘ve had this book on my shelf for probably 15 years waiting to be read 2mo
curiouserandcurioser @TheAromaofBooks yes, please add me to master list! Thanks❤ 2mo
julieclair I‘m going to try! Glad it‘s one chapter a day. 😎 2mo
56 likes1 stack add18 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Elevator Pitch | Linwood Barclay
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Well friends, any of these tickle your fancy for our next round of Traveling Books? @Jerdencon @bookandbedandtea

Jerdencon Haven‘t read any of these - I like the burning man the best and 2nd choice would be last time I lied. @bookandbedandtea 2mo
bookandbedandtea I like the sounds of Last Time I Lied or Elevator Pitch @Jerdencon 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Okay, I\'ll go with The Last Time I Lied!! @bookandbedandtea if it\'s okay, I\'ll wait and mail Last Close Call and The Last Time I Lied together next month? @Jerdencon 2mo
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bookandbedandtea @TheAromaofBooks Mailing them together makes sense to me 👍🏻 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @bookandbedandtea - Sounds good!!! @Jerdencon feel free to wait and combine two books for sending to me, too, if that works better!! 2mo
Jerdencon Sounds good! 2mo
48 likes6 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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With only ONE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER LEFT (!!!!!!!!!!) it's time to start thinking about your #BookSpin #BookSpinBingo lists if you're planning to play along in October!! A lot of you have already been posting your lists since you are combining this challenge with the HauntedShelf party. If you're participating in HS, keep in mind that BookSpinBingo counts as a readathon, so you can count those points when reading a book from your list!! ⬇

TheAromaofBooks I LOVE October; it\'s my birthday month; the weather is fabulous; I love colorful leaves; so many delicious apples are pouring in; it\'s just fantastic!!! Looking forward to seeing what everyone is reading - I don\'t really care for spooky reads myself, but I do plan to indulge in a pile of thrillers!! 😁

As always, let me know if you have any questions. I\'ll be back with the numbers next week!!
2mo
See All 26 Comments
Lcsmcat I‘m in! 2mo
PuddleJumper I'm so excited! 2mo
Librarybelle Yay!! 2mo
TheSpineView I'm ready! 2mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Ooh, I need to put my special spooky list together! 🖤🎃🖤 2mo
Eggs Wow that went fast! Thanks Sarah! Creating my bingo grid this week 🥰 2mo
BarkingMadRead Just posted my dark and spooky #bookspinbingo stack yesterday! Woohoo!! 2mo
BookmarkTavern I‘m not ready! 🤣🤣🤣 2mo
Deblovestoread Have my list. Will post today. Thank you 🍁🧡🍁 2mo
Prairiegirl_reading @BookmarkTavern I‘m with you!! How can September be almost over??? 2mo
kelli7990 I haven‘t finished all of the books on my list for this month. 2mo
gossamerchild As much as I love October, this is just stunning; I CANNOT believe it\'s the end of September already! 2mo
Allylu Are you making a #PromptMaze for #HauntedShelf? 2mo
104 likes26 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Hideaway: A Novel | Nora Roberts
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So basically all I've done in September is read the Amelia Peabody series, which has been great because I've been quite busy at work and when I'm really busy I like to read “safe“ books - books I already know I'm going to enjoy, which means that even if I only get to read 20 or 30 pages in a day, they're at least good ones haha

All that to say, my #HauntedShelf includes a lot of challenge/catch-up reads. I also have an additional pile of books ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont\'d) from the library, plus I seem to be in the middle of several other series that I would like to at least progress, if not finish entirely. As usual, more options than time to read them!!! October is also going to be busy at work, but because of the hot, dry weather, all the apples have been coming in early, so I think we are going to be done picking sooner than usual.

#DeadSerious @OriginalCyn620
2mo
TheAromaofBooks The bottom of the list are my options for #CasttheDie - all unread books from my shelves!* @PuddleJumper

*Except for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, which I\'ve read many times and feel like I am overdue for yet another reread.
2mo
OriginalCyn620 Looks good! 💀 2mo
PuddleJumper Sounds look a plan! 2mo
63 likes4 comments