I just got home at 9 pm after a long day at work, in focus groups & helping with attending our regional All Hands meeting 😵‍💫then I realized that tomorrow is Friday! So you know what that means, it‘s time again for #5JoysFriday 💛

Make a post with those 5 things big or small that brought you joy this week. Tag it with #5JoysFriday & tag me too.

Starting off with some regulars to get things started but all are welcome to join in the joy! 🤗

#HaikuADay

I tried to post this morning from the airport & Litsy wouldn‘t let me & I was teaching class all day & just got home 14 hours later. 😵‍💫 Anyway, this one was inspired from my skylight view last night.

Pink Clouds ☁️💕

Clouds before sunset,
pink cotton candy edges,
view from my skylight

#HaikuHive @dabbe
@TheBookHippie @TheSpineView @Kristy_K
@JenlovesJT47 @lillinblue @bellabella
@julieclair @BooksandCoffee4Me @AnnCrystal

#Two4Tuesday

1️⃣ Mostly reclining or laying down unless snacking or enjoying a beverage—then it‘s sitting.

2️⃣ I‘m reading the tagged book prior to starting the ARC of the second book in the series. It‘s been a while since I‘ve read a light regency romance romp & it‘s fun so far! 🤗

If you want to join in, consider yourself tagged!

#Bibliophile

Both the book & movie are a #CultClassic My path to it was a little backwards. I first read the book in high school after the miniseries came out in 1981 & I bugged my mom about the paperback copy on her shelves & then I went back & watched the original move. 💕💖💕

#HaikuADay

Ugh, Tuesday…

Tuesday, by all rights
should be better than Monday
Please send some tacos! 🌮🌮🌮🐲🌮🌮

#HaikuHive
@dabbe @TheBookHippie @TheSpineView @Kristy_K
@JenlovesJT47 @lil1inblue @bellabella @julieclair @BooksandCoffee4Me

My May TBR is aggressive & already in progress. Lots of readalongs & challenges including:

#SundayBuddyRead #SheSaid #NancyDrewBR #BobWhiteBuddies #EBBR #FoodAndLit #Bangladesh
#AuthorAMonth #ChildrensClassicRead2025
#RiseUpReads #Roll100 (6 books) #FictionalTraveler #ThematicCozies #MonthlyNonFiction
#JaneAustenThenAndNow plus some library books & a book for work.

#HaikuADay Day #5

Practically every morning there‘s a bird argument outside my bathroom window & I wonder what they are saying…

Outside My Bathroom Window

A Common Mynah
argues daily with House Finch
“In fact, I‘m Special!” 🐦

#haikuhive @dabbe
@thebookhippie @thespineview @kristy_k
@jenlovesjt47
@bellabella
@lil1inblue

Also I just realized I could use this for today‘s #Bibliophile #Birds prompt! 🐦💙🐦

#Naturalitsy #HyggeHourReadathon

Spending my #HyggeHour tonight on the couch with Nancy Drew, herbal tea & my last pack of Cadbury Mini Eggs for the season.😢

As usual, the weekend was too short & another busy work week awaits. 😵😵‍💫

April Recap: A great reading month where I finished 20 books thanks to lots of commuter flights & airport reading.

I read books for: #SundayBuddyRead #SheSaid #NancyDrewBR #BobWhiteBuddies #EBBR #LiteraryCrew
#AuthorAMonth #ChildrensClassicRead2025
#RiseUpReads #Roll100 #FictionalTraveler #ThematicCozies #MonthlyNonFiction
#JaneAustenThenAndNow #Naturalitsy & 2 from #AuldLangSpine ⬇️

I didn‘t finish Rabbits for LSFBC but hope to finish in May

#Read2025

OK, I think this is my last book to review for April. This one was for #RiseUpReads & I loved the lyrical verse it was written in. Using fairytale & folklore room around the world to talk about clinical depression is such a creative way to talk about a difficult subject, especially for young adults. I enjoyed reading it & might listen to the audiobooks as I think that would be a powerful way to experience the prose. 💜💜💜

Choosing this recent #BOTM pick as my #FictionalTraveler selection for May #SpanishSpeaking as it‘s set in Guatemala. It‘s also one of my #Roll100 May picks #4: Any BOTM.

My May #ThematicCozies picks for #Flowers/Plants are two from series I already read or have started. The tagged book is #8 in the Potting Shed series & Fatal Flowers is #3 in the Flower House Mysteries. 🌹🪴💐

A little late but here are my #Roll100 picks for May. I decided to go with all 6 numbers as 2 of them are for other challenges. Wish me luck!

#4: Any BOTM: The Sun Was Electric Light
#40: Any ARC: Look Before You Leap
#3: Any ARC: A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic
#30 Any Audio: A Proposal to Die For
#7: Any Memoir: Be Ready When the Luck Happens
#70: Any Children‘s Book: The Racketty-Packetty House

#FictionalTraveler #ChildrensClassicRead2025

#HaikuADay Day #4

Outside the library bookstore there‘s a bookcase of “free stuff” & I noticed a box marked “old post cards.” Of course I brought it home & opening it inspired today‘s haiku.

Box of old postcards
Musty attic memories
Travel by paper

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Another delayed April review—this one I finished early in the month but never got around to posting. This is the third in the Sea Wicche Chronicles which is a spin-off of the Sam Quinn series. It‘s paranormal fluff overall with lots of danger & spice mixed in, but sometimes you need just that & I like the characters & setting, so I‘ll keep reading. 😉

#Bibliophile

For a #BKBasedOnPainting my thoughts went immediately to this classic. I may need to reread it soon.

These two covers made me laugh (from these articles on some of the many Dorian Gray covers:

https://www.pixartprinting.co.uk/blog/covers-picture-dorian-gray/?srsltid=AfmBOo...

https://www.tumblr.com/universitybookstore/103078201900/the-many-pictures-and-bo...

#Bibliophile

I‘m not that far into this book but there‘s a talking black cat who wants to be called Cornelius. Since the book is supposed to have a Studio Ghibli vibe, in my mind I picture him as Jiji from Kiki‘s Delivery Service.🐈‍⬛The MC, Foss, likes his purring.

“I‘d never seen the point of #Cats before, really, other than for catching mice, but the warm weight and the peaceful sound were pleasant, and they helped me fall asleep again.”

#Bibliophile catch up

I don‘t have an extensive #PoetryCollection so these two new books are a welcome addition. The tagged book is a prize from @TheBookHippie & the Oliver I picked up on #IndependentBookstoreDay last weekend.

Catching up with Mat‘s #Bibliophile prompts. This #Circus title is in my TBR stack.🎪

#Read2025

Finished this one last weekend for April‘s #ChildrensClassicRead2025 First published in 1957, I‘m not sure how I missed this one growing up especially since the author‘s The Story of Holly and Ivy was a holiday favorite as a child. This is a quick & sweet read about Bonnie, a baby mouse who gets pushed out of her family‘s crowded flowerpot & finds a mouse house to live in. The illustrations are wonderful. 🐭🏠

#Read2025

I‘m catching up on my April reviews this weekend & I loved this book! A good thing as it was a trifecta of challenge prompts: #AuthorAMonth #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead & one of the books from @JacqMac ‘s #AuldLangSpine list. This is my third Kate Quinn book & maybe my favorite. The audiobook was stellar & I finished & listened to the author notes twice + an interview with the author & narrator who really brought the characters to life. ⬇️

Thank you @dabbe for the #ThreeListThursday #TLT tag! 🤗 As usual I am late to the party but here goes: 52/100 is not bad considering I haven‘t read any Terry Pratchett (or Jacqueline Wilson for that matter).

My Top 5 (can‘t pick 3) are:
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Persuasion
3. Jane Eyre
4. Little Women
5. The Stand
Giving a bonus shout out to The Great Gatsby which I hated in high school but loved when I reread it in March. Personal Growth!🎉

Day #3 for #HaikuADay

A tribute to my morning at the monthly makers market by my house & my bounty of treasures pictured above.

Saturday market,
Warm breezes, lots to look at
Artisan treasures

Catching up with #HaikuADay with @dabbe

Day #2 is an ode to Friday:

Friday, ender of work weeks,
bringer of joys, rest
and weekend pleasures

P.S. I love the rough haiku rules where I can mix my 17 syllables & not have it be 5-7-5 but I think my 5th grade teacher would frown on it! 😉😂

Joining late to @dabbe ‘s #HaikuADay
This one is for Thursday, May 1 Which rather than May Day, is called Lei Day here. Each island has a flower & color. Oahu‘s is golden ilima. 💛

Day #1

You call it May Day,
in Hawai‘i it‘s Lei Day
Aloha is love

Thanks for the #Chatterday tag @AllDebooks & @TheSpineView 🤗

Spending my Saturday after a crazy workweek being mellow & trying to play catch-up on life stuff. I went to the local monthly makers market this morning & spent too much supporting local.😉Then to the library to pick up a hold & return books & now I‘m at the coffee shop having brunch, checking email & posts & starting the tagged book.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.🤗

It‘s still Friday here & so my #5JoysFriday post is actually on time this week.

1. I made 3 day trips this week & while I‘m exhausted, I get great joy from the beautiful island views.💙🌤️

2-3. I got joy from the most blueberry-filled scone, a veggie eggs Benedict & a fresh Vietnamese shrimp salad. All of it gave my tastebuds joy.😋

4. A lychee-mango lemonade with mango bursting boba was very joyful.🍋🍋🧋

5. Joy in my mailbox this week from⬇️

#Read2025 #MonthlyNonFiction

I‘m behind on reviews & discussion but I finished this for April‘s #Naturalitsy #BuddyRead I borrowed an ebook copy from the library & it‘s a quick & interesting book of essays about the Owens Valley & Mohave Desert in California. Written in 1903, it‘s wonderful nature writing & while my version may have suffered for lack of photos, the writing was descriptive enough to make me see it in my mind. While reading & ⬇️

On one hand the week flew by, on the other, it felt unending. TGIF because I‘m way behind on everything & need the weekend to catch up. Still, there was joy & #5JoysFriday means it‘s time to share it.💛

List the 5 things big or small that brought you joy this week, tag your post with #5JoysFridqy & tag me & a few friends to spread the joy. Use the background as you like.

#Tagging some regulars to get things started but everyone please join in!🤗

And my third neighbor island flight of the week is to Kauai. The usual caffeine & breakfast (potato, cheddar & chive cakes). I‘ve got to do some work but hope to read more of the tagged book on the quick flight there and back.

It‘s a later flight today & my airport barista said, “Debra, you‘re late today!” That‘s when you know you are spending too much time & money at the airport! 😂

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished this one for #Pemberlittens #JaneAustenThenAndNow It‘s the 2nd book in the For the Love of Austen series & was an enjoyable retelling of Pride and Prejudice—I think I might have liked it even better than their take on Emma. . I loved the beach town setting & what the authors‘ did with the characters—making Mary a passionate environmentalist was perfect. And we got to spend time with Emma & Knightly too. Fun!

#Read2025

This week work is totally kicking my butt so I‘m behind on reviews, book clubs, posting—all the things.😵‍💫

Posting a quick review for this book, my third #Roll100 pick of April (#24 Any short stories or essays). I have been meaning to read this since it came out & overall I really enjoyed it. The stories explore the experiences of Native Hawaiian & mixed race women in Hawaii & are a mix of speculative fiction, horror, magical ⬇️

And again, today‘s trip is Hilo but with coworkers so the reading will only happen on the plane. Hoping to finish this one today for #Naturalitsy.

Here we go again. Headed to Kona today, the first of 3 day trips this week. I should finish the tagged book in transit.
The airport lounge is hopping this early morning. I think it‘s a Monday thing.

#Baturalitsy #HyggeHourReadathon

For tonight‘s #HyggeHour I‘ll be reading Mouse House for #ChildrensClassicRead2025 & with the remaining time, more of the tagged book for #JaneAustenThenAndNow

I‘m drinking pineapple lemonade (it‘s humid tonight) & having some of this lemon cake bomb that I got at the bakery near the bookstore on Saturday. 😋🍋💛

Mood is tired & not ready for Monday at all. I‘ll be heading to Kona very early tomorrow. 😵‍💫

I didn‘t do a great job of taking a picture of yesterday‘s #IndependentBookstoreDay haul but I got a good haul. My local indie bookshop, Da Shop had 20% off all purchases, a free bookstore print after 2 pm & a new tote bag with the same print from a local artist plus a few local vendors. So I got 5 books (tagged 1 & I‘ll link the others below), tote bag, bookmarks lots of stickers & postcards from the vendors. The artist that drew the print had ⬇️

#Read2025 #MonthlyNonFiction

Read with #SundayBuddyRead I had heard of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay & was familiar with a few of her more famous poems but through this memoir/biography created from her journals , I was able to learn about her life. From the mundane moments to her popularity & celebrity of her times, we get glimpses of her daily life & the world around her. While not always extremely likable, she was a talented force of nature.

#Read2025 #MonthlyNonFiction2025 #RealHistory #HonestHistory

Read with #SheSaid for April, Brittney Copper writes clearly & passionately & I like how she weaves her personal experiences in with culture, history & current events. It‘s dismaying that this book was written in 2018 with Trump in office the first time & reading it in 2025 things just continue to get worse. Truthfully as a white woman, it was uncomfortable reading at times as she ⬇️

A bit late for #ThreeListThursday #TLT but thanks for the tag @dabbe

Not my best showing—I apparently need to read some Terry Pratchett & Jacqueline Wilson. 🤷🏻‍♀️

3 favorites from this list:
-James and the Giant Peach 🍑🐛🐞🪱🕷️
-The Color Purple 💜
- It 🤡 😱

#DynamicDs

One of the #Dazzling books that Judith Krantz wrote in the 1980s-90s that “helped define a new sub-genre of the romance novel - the bonkbuster or "sex-and-shopping" novel.” I both read her books & watched the dazzling mini-series & movies that were made from them back in the day. ✨?✨

#DynamicDs

I really enjoyed this one, where books & book banning become a #Divisive issue in a small Georgia town. 📚

#Read2025

Another book I finished a while ago & didn‘t post a review for. My second April #Roll100 pick (#16 Any Library Book). While not my favorite Hendrix book (it didn‘t have as much dark humor as his others), I did enjoy it. It did drag a little in spots, but by the end I was anxiously turning the pages to find out what happened. Less about witchcrafty horror & more about the horrors done to unmarried pregnant girls & women in the era.😱

As has become a habit lately, I‘m a day late to #5JoysFriday but here‘s my list:

1. I went to the Easter BYOB (bag) 20%-off sale at my local craft store chain to stock up on my favorite pens & other goodies including:

2. Washi tape. I get a lot of joy from washi tape & got a few cute rolls. I especially💛the books one so I got 2.

3. Thursday afternoon I went to an HR Director roundtable event where we made bamboo cups & got books & Kimbap

⬇️

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished earlier in the week, this was my second book for #ThematicCozies April #Sports theme. I really enjoyed this mystery set in the world of river rafting on the Arkansas River in Colorado. The MC, Mandy Tanner is a River Ranger who rescues two people when a tour raft upsets & one of them dies—turns out he was poisoned & since the raft & guide were her uncle‘s, she gets involved in the investigation. I liked the ⬇️

#DynamicDs

Catching up & I think this mystery-thriller about 3 generations: grandmother, mother & teenage #Daughter has some #Dark humor in it.

I blinked & another Friday is upon us which means it‘s time to start posting your #5JoysFriday lists of those things big or small that brought your heart some joy this week! 💛

Make your post & tag it with #5JoysFriday making sure to tag me & anyone else you‘d like to join in to spread the joy party. You can use the background if or as you like. As usual, I‘m tagging some regulars but everyone is welcome to join in!

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Finished the Sunday before last for #EBBR & I need to review these right after finishing them or take notes because I promptly forgot the (2?) that stumped me & I returned the library book.🤔Ah, well… also I couldn‘t get the ebook or print from the library at first so I tried the free audible version but I find I like reading these more than listening to them so I transferred the print copy in. Fun nostalgia as always.⬇️

#Read2025 #SeriesLove2025 #DynamicDs

Finished this weekend for #BobWhiteBuddies there is always a chance of #Danger when Trixie Belden is around. This one was a favorite growing up probably because of the NYC setting & finally, Dan gets to go somewhere! (Granted it‘s within state lines but anyway…) I can still recite the first 2 lines of the fortune Trixie is given by a fortune teller she helps at the airport which is pretty impressive since ⬇️

Thanks to @Eggs & @TheSpineView for the #WondrousWednesday tags.🤗

1. Currently I‘m pet-less. It was 2 years ago in Feb that I lost my Max🐱💔after 19 years. He had a tough last year & my heart hasn‘t been ready for another yet. I feel I‘ll know when the time is right.

2. I read & enjoy both F & NF as long as they aren‘t sad. I just can‘t do sad animal books.😭

3. The tagged is a fave NF & Remarkably Bright Creatures is a fave fiction.💙🐙💙
⬇️

#Read2025

I finished this last week but I‘m behind in reviews. Read for #MonthlyNonFiction it was also one of my April #Roll100 picks (#16 Any Non-Fiction). It was an interesting juxtaposition to read this book while watching random famous people try to pass themselves off as astronauts & having Nancy Drew solve a mystery with exploding oranges at Cape Canaveral. I remember being in class (college) in the morning when they wheeled in a tv & ⬇️