This is one of those weird books that I like less every time I read it. When I first read it ~age 11, I loved it: Black Beauty except a dog! But subsequent rereads as an adult have made me look at this book a little more critically. My main complaint is that there isn't actually a story. In BB, we have a clear linear story, from birth to final home. But Joe is just a collection of random sermonettes against animal cruelty. I think that as a child⬇

Bwahaha here I am actually remembering to post the new #ISpyBingo board in a timely manner! Miracle!!

Anyway, here are July's prompts. As a reminder, anyone can play. These items can be found on the front cover, back cover, or spine of the book. You can try to get them all in a month, or keep this board in play for longer, whatever works for you!! I personally have been adding a new board every month but plan to give myself a year to clear each ⬇

Oh my gosh, there is only one week of June left!!! Which means we are only a week away from being HALF WAY THROUGH 2025!!! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that years begin with “20“ so we can all see how well I'm doing with the passage of time 😂 Anyway, I hope everyone is having a lovely summer so far (or a cozy winter, depending on where you are!). We are in the midst of an intense heat wave, unusual for this early in the ⬇

Presumably I read this book back when I purchased it for a quarter back in 1997, but I have no memory of it 😂 A Scholastic Book Club reprint of a 1932 story, this one was perfectly fun but not particularly engaging. But I probably would have liked it better when I was the age for which it's aimed. Soft pick.

This one kept me turning the pages, but for me the motivation for the villain wasn't strong enough to make the ending make sense. However, I've always been a little terrified of elevators, and now I'm not sure I'll ever get on one again 😂 Although ironically, I was expecting more elevator terror than I actually got. Soft pick.

#Read2025 - 34/100 TBR books read @DieAReader
#BookSpinBingo

Well, Litsy won't let up upload an image today. Ah well. This sequel to Pollyanna is almost like two books in one. The first half takes place only about a year after the first book ended. P is able to walk again and is happily living with Aunt Polly & her husband. When Aunt P & Dr end up going abroad, P goes to stay with a woman in Boston, and we kind of get a repeat of book 1, with P spreading sunshine and happiness to all and sundry. However, ⬇

Okay, friends, here is the June #BookSpinBingo board!! I like the way every row got its own free space this month 😂 I used a light blue marker and after I uploaded the picture realized that it's kind of pale in the photo but hopefully everyone can see it okay. If not, I can reupload it with a darker blue!! May was my best reading month for a while, so I have high hopes for June. Hope everyone is heading for a fabulous summer!!!

Usual stuff ⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is TWELVE (again 😂)! Our official #DoubleSpin number is TEN (...also again??) !! 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 ⬇

Sorry, gang, totally spaced on posting June's #ISpyBingo board!!

As always, if you want to track on Storygraph, the challenge is here - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/85a6eb78-a914-4e84-a200-9073f75...

And if you would like to see ALL the 2025 boards in once place (especially since I can't seem to remember to post them in a timely manner 😂) the link to the Canva document is in the comment below!!

All are welcome to play!!

I really enjoyed the 13th Trixie Belden book. The banter and teasing between the Bob-Whites was just like I remembered - and just the right amount of flirting between Jim and Trixie!! 😍

@BookmarkTavern was saying how it would be fun to know who ghost-wrote which books, so I did a little research yesterday, but it just looks like that list doesn't exist! The best information I could find is linked below, but it's a lot of hypotheticals. ⬇

My sister loaned this one to me quite a long time ago, but because historical mysteries aren't usually my jam, it's been lingering on the TBR pile. I finally picked it up, and honestly it was super adorable. I really liked the characters and even though not everything quite worked, it worked enough 😂 and I'll definitely be reading book two.

I had mixed feelings about this one. It was super engaging and I could hardly put it down while I was reading it. But the whole explanation/plot twist at the end just didn't really work for me. I don't know what I wanted, but it wasn't what I got 😂 A soft pick. I liked it, but don't see myself rereading it later.

Another classic off the list. I can't say I enjoyed this one. Maggie honestly got on my nerves. I was thinking about it while writing my GR review, because in some ways she reminded me of Helen from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, but I really respected Helen and had pretty much no respect for Maggie, and I was trying to figure out why. I think it's because Maggie's brother is her god. Everything she does is based on whether or not he will approve. ⬇

This book was really similar to the first one in the series, with likable MCs and no smutty scenes, which I prefer. There were times that Ellie annoyed me, and I really wish we could have gotten Jake's POV, but overall this was a pleasant read. I'm mostly posting this because I don't like covers with real/real-looking people on them, so I created a new cover for this book and put it on myself. Slightly crooked, but I like it so much better than ⬇

The post is mostly to say that I am pretty sure my library edition has the cover for The Sign of the Twisted Candles 😂

@Librarybelle

I actually really love the book Bambi and have read it and its sequel (Bambi's Children) several times. So I was excited to randomly come across another reprint of one of Salten's works. I had never heard of this one, although by reading GR reviews I discovered that it was apparently the (incredibly loose) inspiration for DIsney's The Shaggy Dog. Sadly, this book was a huge disappointment. First off, it's plain boring. Set during the Renaissance ⬇

Now that I'm down to only a handful of years to read to complete the #192025 challenge, I've turned to my shelves to see if I can fill any gaps. This slim story by Grace Livingston Hill checked of 1946, plus got an unread book off my shelf!! It's a perfect pleasant little story - Aunt Marilla is adorable - but too short to really build any kind of tension or actual romance between the two main characters. A soft pick, but one I won't reread.

Well, my efforts to deny reality aren't working - June is only a week away!!! I have to admit that I'm excited about the longer days and warm evenings. Plus, everything around here is busting out into flowers and it's super happy!! But... JUNE!? 😂

If you are planning to #BookSpin it's time to start thinking about your list!! I'm excited to see what everyone has planned. Do you like to read summery/beach reads in the summer, or just whatever ⬇

Published in 1980, only four years after Belenko's escape from Russia (and well before the fall of the Berlin Wall), this book was quite fascinating. Belenko actually had more or less the ideal situation in Russia as the MiG-25 pilots were highly valued and treated well (by Soviet standards). Reading about his slow recognition of the cognitive dissonance between what he was being taught about his country vs the west and what he could actually ⬇

Sadly, the sequel to Ashlords had even fewer phoenix-horses 😞 This book is all about the war, and while it overall did work, the ending where everyone just suddenly is going to get along despite generations of being enemies felt... unlikely lol (If we just take all the money from the rich people and give it the poor people, then everyone will be happy!!! ...riiight) But still, it was an engaging read with characters that I liked. These books ⬇

This book had all the ingredients that I should enjoy, but somehow they just didn't work here. Miss Carter is a middle-aged woman, never married, who lives by herself in a small flat in London and works for the censor's office during WWII. Through a series of events, she finds herself in possession of an ifrit (i.e. genie). Part of the reason this book didn't quite work for me was that the ifrit's magic never really made sense to me. Apparently ⬇

This is one of those books where I loved the concept more than the execution. It's a great world with an intriguing idea - the existence of horse-phoenixes, whose ashes can be mixed with different elements to create a horse with different powers when it rises again in the morning. My problem: I wanted MORE about these horses, but they ended up just kind of being a tool for the story. The other issue is that this book was about a (phoenix) horse ⬇

This is one of my all-time favorite books and I have read it probably 25-30 times over my lifetime. The characters, the setting, the fact that a few of the moments in this book still make me choke up even after all these rereads - this book is close to perfect to me.

SO IT WAS A COMPLETE SHOCK to find out that in the 1940s random sentences/paragraphs were edited out!!! The edition I grew up reading, despite clearly saying it was “unabridged“ ⬇

Rich Mullins was a Christian musician in the 80s/90s, who died in a car accident in 1997. This book, written by a good friend of his a few years later, is an odd sort of biography. It doesn't really outline his life or career, but rather looks at key aspects of Rich's faith and beliefs through his lyrics and writing. I grew up on Rich's music and it definitely has shaped the way I view God and His love; Rich's lyrics still can hit me sideways ⬇

The fourth Dolittle book is set back in England. As usual (because of his generous nature) Dolittle is broke, so the pushmi-pullyu agrees to travel with a circus to raise some funds. So the entire household sets off together. This book was a lot about the importance of animal comfort and care and was definitely ahead of its time in calling out circuses and the like for their treatment of animals. There were some fun moments (Dolittle getting ⬇

I really enjoyed this author's two Christmas books back in December, so I thought I would try one of her earlier series. This book didn't completely work for me because the MCs really needed to talk to each other instead of constantly assuming they knew what the other was thinking, but still an enjoyable read with likable characters, even if parts of it kind of felt like advertising for being a military wife 😂Soft pick, but I'll be reading book 2

A soft pick for the third installment of this series. I'm fascinated by how years flow by in each of these stories, yet no one gets any older 😂 As usual, parts of this worked for me and parts didn't - I wish I had read these growing up (I think I only read the first one) because I wouldn't have noticed the internal illogicality like I do not haha Fun for a one-time read, but I don't particularly see myself rereading this series.

This one was okay. The pacing was choppy/slow, and a lot of the character motivations just didn't work for me. I also get annoyed whenever I hear the “if you don't want the government tracking/checking your every move you're obviously a criminal“ argument: it's simply not true. It was a fun concept, but the execution just didn't quite work for me.

@BarbaraJean - this is my edition that has the missing passages. Interestingly, I was able to buy the entire series in these editions... except the infamous Anne of Windy Poplars! I think it's interesting that this edition apparently went back to the original text.

Good morning, everyone!! I hope all of you are also having a gorgeous morning with the windows open and the smell of spring rain wafting in!

I love the way BS/DS are together in a column, but no free spaces - BUT BookSpin does get two free spaces in its row! Some fun potential combos here!!

Looking forward to seeing everyone's boards!!!

Standard stuff I say every month below ⬇

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

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

I enjoyed April's #BobWhiteBuddies read even if it did feel a little ridiculous 😂 I also kind of wanted to hear from the fortune teller again! It was fun to meet back up with some friends from an earlier book, and super nice that Dan actually got to come be a part of the club! I thought it was interesting that his NYC knowledge played a part in rescuing Trixie. My biggest issue with this one was Trixie going off to meet the bad guys on her own ⬇

Okay @Jerdencon @bookandbedandtea - do any of these sound like they would work for this round?

And, in an astonishingly timely manner, here is May's #ISpyBingo board!! As always, items can be found on the front/back cover, spine, or as a word in the title (i.e. if the word “Lake“ is in the title, that counts). If you'd like to see all the 2025 boards, they're here - https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content...

Oh my WORD we are only one week away from MAY! What even! It's kind of amazing how much greener things are around here than they were a month ago. All the windows are open right now and the birds are going crazy! 😂

If you're planning to #BookSpin for May, it's time to start thinking about your lists!! Can't wait to see what everyone is planning to read!!

I had to find out what the deal was with these magical yeast cakes (and can I still get them, because I totally would love to have my 20-year-old energy back 😂) Found this fun article - https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-healing-power-of-compressed-...

So is the renewed energy and vigor LMM experienced entirely a placebo effect? Or were the B vitamins really that helpful? Either way it's fun to see how humans always look ⬇

I finally got around to reading February's #DolittleDiscussion book!! I enjoyed this one more than the first book - I liked having a 1st person POV as it made the story seem more personable. There was more of a plot, and some good adventures. One has to let go of some internal inconsistencies (if I could talk to animals, I'm not sure I could also eat them...!!!), but overall it's a good deal of fun.

@Roary47

Okay, I'll admit that this one was a VERY soft pick for me, but hey, nostalgia FTW as this is also one that I have definite memories of reading back in the day 😂 But Trixie really got on my nerves in this one! She was so whiny and impatient and OBSESSED with the ghost fish. Like - maybe other people had other things they want to do?? Also you're on vacation, so you could just let go of the whole “we HAVE to earn money for charity!!!“ thing for ⬇

I can never decide if I like it better when the free spaces are scattered around or grouped together. We're scattered this month, although that does mean that both Spins have some helpers in their rows/columns!!

Good luck, everyone!!!

Standard monthly info below ⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is THIRTEEN! 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 ⬇

Friends, I am writing to you from my new house!!! We are all moved in and working hard on various projects, including wrapping things up at the old house so we can get it on the market!! Things continue chaotic but good 😂

However, I cannot believe that it's almost April!! Absolutely crazy. It's SO exciting to see what things are popping up around here, including about five million daffodils!! They're everywhere!!

⬇

I'm kind of pretending that it's not a mere week until April. 😬 But here's the April #ISpyBingo board anyway. 😂

As always, all the 2025 boards can be found here: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content...

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Is anyone else having issues with Litsy's website? I have tried multiple browsers and posts don't want to load; I get "Bad Gateway" messages while waiting for the comment area to load. If I do get the comment area to come up, it takes forever to post my comment or doesn't post it at all. The app seems to be okay. Any thoughts/is anyone else having these problems?

February's #BobWhiteBuddies read was enjoyable but not particularly outstanding. There really wasn't much “mystery,“ but I did enjoy the interactions of the gang.

Query: What do you all think was the point of making Dan a member of the Bob Whites and then literally never having him do anything with them?? 😂

Feel free to share any thoughts you had on this one!!

The move is progressing!! My windowsill books have moved to the piano for now. The bottom picture is an attempt to fit all my crates of books into one picture (unsuccessfully) - ended up with 96 crates of books + a few boxes.

I had read this Agatha Christie mystery before, but as usually couldn't remember the solution 😂 I'm the worst armchair detective ever, but it doesn't reduce my enjoyment of reading and rereading Christie's tales. ⬇

Good morning, everyone!!! The next two posts below this one are the #BookSpin numbers and #BookSpinBingo board, both marked as spoilers!! As a reminder, because I'm in the middle of moving, I am posting quite early!! So as you all are looking at the numbers and making your posts about what you are reading, please mark them as spoilers/don't show the BookSpin numbers. Thank you!!!

I apparently packed my bowl of numbers and has to use a random ⬇