New winter tradition begun. Reading along in real time. I only learned about this as a thing last year too late to participate. I'm giving myself points for remembering in time this year. Who else does this?

I'm only a few chapters in and really enjoying this one.

Today in 1775 Jane Austen was born. I celebrated with Twinings English breakfast tea, raspberries and creme scone, and an Austen movie marathon in the order of the books publications. The teapot lid has the beginning of Pride and Prejudice on the pages. Made by Carters of Suffolk.

I don't normally read contemporary romance, but I really liked this! There is a bit of spice but not excessive. Kinsley works as a content creator that does relationship endings. She gets hired to break off engagements by either the bride or groom. One of those grooms unexpectedly happens to be her old high school sweetheart. Ethan broke up with her from Marine Corps bootcamp. TW for pregnancy, miscarriage, mentions of cancer, and violence.

I've started reading The Silmarillion. And by reading, I mean listen on libro.fm because Andy Serkis has a great voice. But since I also have the paperback, I can switch back and forth when I want as well. The cake is tiramisu paired with vanilla tea.

I really loved this book. I listened to the audio on libro.fm, and the narrator was amazing.There was so much happening! This is a great example of why I will always read YA. Such great writing and stories! And there was a super cool twist that gobsmacked me. I never saw it coming. I will be watching the movie soon and will definitely read more by this author. This is a wonderful fantasy adventure. I highly recommend this book.

I never buy hardcovers. But sometimes I can't wait for the paperback to come out. Thankfully my library rocks. I haven't started it yet but I have read him before.

I really enjoyed this. It is filled with various magical and unique fantasy characters. It is ultimately a story about found family, grief, and the cost of secrets. I loved how the relationships unfolded and the imagery the writer used. I was also surprised more than once. There is a lot of heart in the story. I would read more by this author. P.S. You'll probably cry.

Book mail! The moment I saw this cover I knew I had to have it in my collection. I did a cursory look online of the authors, and I am a little disappointed that they are all white as far as I can tell. So if anyone knows of a more inclusive collection, I would love to know what it is. I will also look for one. I also couldn't find out the name of the cover artist, and I love the imagery.

I'm not far into this, but I've already noticed a talking fire and a sleeping area under the stairs. (published in 1986) This, combined with The Worst Witch (published in 1974 by Jill Murphy), might show where a certain terf got at least some of her inspiration. 🤔 Even Jill Murphy was quite frustrated with the comparisons it seems.

At 5:15pm on November 23rd, 1963, Doctor Who premiered. Happy Doctor Who Day!

I finished this last night and I loved it. Wonderful spooky vibes, great storytelling, and an ending you don't see coming. Chef's kiss of a book in my opinion.This author has now become an autobuy for me.

Once the book censor reads a book that captures his imagination, he is lost. A victim of new thoughts that worm their way in. It leads him to ask questions about existence and colors his experiences in a new way. This becomes dangerous because the more he reads, the further down the rabbit hole he goes. And real reading is illegal. His journey includes trying to save his daughter from her "affliction" of imagination. The ending leaves you wanting.

In this week of thrifted finds, I bring this set. This looks like an interesting fusion of sci-fi and fantasy. While I have all three of the trilogy, the last isn't original to the others. I can tell because the page ends have aged differently, and the cover has silver around the artwork. The order of books is The Copper Crown, The Throne of Scone, and The Silver Branch. I've heard on Instagram that these are complex and beautiful.

Book mail! Not only does this sound interesting, the cover art is stunning. I truly cannot resist great artwork. Plus, I've heard only good things about this one.

"What about the department head? How come he gets to keep the books he banned?" The question tumbled out before he could stop it.
"People who make the rules are allowed to break them."
"It's not fair"

So good!! I was so surprised at something major that happened near the end. It was a true holy crap moment. I also laughed at a key touchstone point. This story has intrigue, colonialism, class struggles, environmentalism, and poverty, among other things. I found the mythology about the royalty story fascinating. Great mix of sci-fi and fantasy. I loved the main characters. The world building is so well done. Standalone & low spice. TW violence.

I found the cutest board book for my grandbaby today. The artwork is incredible. And maybe I am trying to indoctrinate her a little. 😏

My daughter and I went out for some retail therapy and to commiserate. I got this because it sounded interesting and timely.

Still processing the insanity that is our country right now. I'm disappointed that so many people could watch him and think, "Yeah, that guy will be good for us." How on earth do we see this so differently? It is clear that this is not a democracy, this is an oligarchy. I think I'm currently in the anger stage. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

I stumbled across this book on tiktok right before Halloween, and it intrigued me. I had no idea the author also lives in Maine. Small world! I really enjoyed this. It is an interesting take on the Sleepy Hollow legend. I didn't feel like this was predictable either, which added to the suspense for me. It looks at what some people will do for power and for revenge. I would read more by this author. This is a standalone and very low spice.

I chose to read this for the Gothic vibes in this Halloween season and boy, did it deliver. At first I thought I knew the direction it was headed in, but I was wrong. This has amazing suspense, disturbing imagery and is beautifully written. Even though the ending wraps everything up well, there are still some things to ponder. I absolutely loved this book and I would definitely read more by this author. TW for body horror and drug use.

This was really interesting. A Marine Corps legend I first heard about in boot camp, and why I read it. I was curious as soon as I heard of it. He really breaks down the how and why of so many things this country & our military do & how they are flawed. He also gives his plan of how things can be done better. Being written after only the 1st World War and before nuclear weapons, some of the ideas are dated. Not to say some wouldn't still work tho.

You can never have too many knitting books, right?

This book is currently free for the Kindle on Amazon. The author is Manda Mazanec. I'm just helping spread the word for a fellow former woman Marine.

I'll be starting this tonight.

I finished this last night. I liked the writing, and the storytelling was interesting. I just didn't enjoy this as much as I expected. I did finish it, so that says something.

For much of the story, you have no idea about the why. Which I think adds to the suspense. This felt a lot like being on a rollercoaster blindfolded. The fear of not knowing what might happen next is delicious. And it really unfolds brilliantly. It covered so many themes I wasn't expecting! Which gave it great depth. Even at the end, it just kept giving me more things to ponder. I would love to know some specific backstory. I really enjoyed this.

If it's a gift card, it doesn't count as buying books. Right?

This Indigenous Peoples Day is a great time to donate to the Native American Rights Fund. Their website is narf.org for anyone interested. I read this book 5 years ago and highly recommend it. It is definitely not the whitewashed history they teach in the majority of schools. The book Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W Loewen explains some of the why they are so whitewashed.

I absolutely loved this. The storytelling is chef's kiss. It definitely has a Dark Crystal vibe to some extent. It was so well done and had such great depth. Definitely more than I was expecting. Themes include strained parental relationships, good vs evil, friendship, courage, and belief. It gets a little dark in spots, and not everyone has a good ending. I would definitely read this author again. (The libro.fm narrator was excellent.)

I've got to figure out a good way to store or display these. I'm also sad I didn't think of collecting these sooner. I've visited so many other libraries too! The top two on the right are from the same library in Cobh Ireland. A kid won a design a card contest so they had two options and gave me both. (I do own the tagged book but haven't read it yet.)

I really enjoyed seeing Bilbo's personal growth along the way. Events out of his control conspire to throw him far outside of his comfort zone, and he rises to the challenge. It did run me through all the emotions though. It has suspense, fear, wonder, joy and sadly even heartbreak. I am currently traveling home myself and also very much identify with Bilbo in wanting to be back in my very own comfortable hobbit hole.

I bought this at Parnassus Books in Ketchikan Alaska today. The cover caught me and then the blurb mentioned tea and I was a goner. It sounds like a super fun read.

I wasn't able to get a library card in Juneau, but I did find this super cool bookstore in town. I also snagged a fantasy book that comes next in a series I already own so that was exciting. They had a cute dog here too.

A beautiful gift from my dressage instructor. We frequently talk books, and she knows I love Jane Austen. This has gold edges and a built-in ribbon bookmark.

This is a long overdue re-read.

My newest book haul. Not counting the one I bought off tiktok this morning at 1am.

This was so freaking good. It is basically a book version of a D&D campaign, so I couldn't resist making the themed photo. It is both hilarious, and heartbreaking. And of course action packed as expected. When I thought I knew what might happen next, I was proved wrong. Clearly the author has played the game. You don't need to be a player to enjoy this, but it doesn't hurt. I highly recommend this one and will definitely read this author again.

I finished this last night. While the characters' story is fiction, the events in the story are based on true events. This packs an emotional punch. I loved the writing. There is a bit of a twist that I did not see coming. I admit that seeing the current images coming out of Gaza also made it a tough read, for me, for the realism it added.

This started strong but lost me along the way. I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it either. I won't be reading more of this series. The narrator did a great job though.

"I want to believe it's worth it," I say. "The revolution, I mean. But I'm scared."
"I think it will be." Kenan smiles softly. "Empires have collapsed throughout history. They rise, they build, and they fall. Nothing lasts forever. Not even our pain."

Who else does this to themselves? #moodreader

I finished the 1st book in this series last night. It ended in a cliffhanger, so I'm glad I have the omnibus . Inspired by the 80s movie Labyrinth, this is a slow burn enemies to lovers romantacy series. I'm really enjoying it. There has been a little repetition in some of the writing, but it's not enough to spoil the story for me. I'm really rooting for the characters and am intrigued by what might happen next. No spice yet but definite angst.

My souvenir from the Library of Congress gift shop. This just seemed fitting for both me and the moment.

I got to check off a bucket list experience today. It was incredible. The place is stunning in person. I highly recommend a visit if you get a chance.

Next up. This hotel chair isn't a bad reading spot. (I tagged along with hubby to a conference.)

I stayed up til midnight to finish this book. That's how deep the hook was set. It is weird. And it will have you questioning reality at the end. It also has some serious wtf moments. It was such a fun, though wild, ride. And I absolutely loved the writing.

Current travel read. Definitely finding it interesting so far. My daughter loved it and wanted to be able to discuss it with someone. She did warn me that it was weird though.

Waiting my turn at the barber. I almost always read a Star Wars book while there. I went to hairdressers for years. Turns out barber's are faster, more precise and less expensive. Of course this is just my own personal experience. No shade to hairdressers at all. Maybe I had bad experiences, or am just peculiar.