Why do bad things happen to good people?

Two first-person narratives PLUS letters from a dead character PLUS excerpts from newspapers, books, etc? That's just too much to keep track of and was covering up a weak plot. I still enjoyed the writing because Hawkins writes such fantastic unlikeable characters but there just wasn't enough here for a novel.

I feel like Serle kinda moved the goalposts halfway through the book? I definitely didn‘t like the ending at all but there was enough in the rest of the book, even with the game-changing “reveal” that this was a nice book to spend a few hours with.

A little too much filler, mostly in the form of breaking the fourth wall over and over without adding anything to the story, but witty like the first and an interesting enough story with some fun reveals.

A book meant for a rainy October night, not a bright spring day. Nothing mind blowing here, this is entirely predictable but good if you want a fast paced thriller.

I love a historical fiction novel that centres around a major but less attention-grabbing event - in this case, the building of the Panama Canal. I liked how Henríquez gave us back story and glimpses of the future tucked around the main plot but I would have liked a slightly smaller cast of characters.

The earlier chapters were more interesting to me than the later chapters but overall, this was cute and cheeky, just as I wanted it to be.

My March #BookSpin

I‘m ready for April and #Roll100! I‘m not super excited about 2 of my 3 picks, which is funny because I had a hard time in December narrowing my list to just 100 titles. But we‘ll see how it goes.

A fun read, if a bit long. Be warned, if you are picking this up for the Downton Abbey comp, it‘s almost entirely downstairs with very little upstairs. But it had an interesting resolution and I really enjoyed Louisa and Guy.

Roll 79 for #Roll100

I really hesitated to pick this up because while it sounded great, I heard it was horror and I don‘t do horror. Well, either I don‘t know what horror is or this isn‘t horror. But it is great. The first half was quite slow, I‘d have liked slightly better pacing but overall, a compelling read.

Roll 48 for #Roll100

I‘m ready for April! I did better than expected in March given the number of library holds that came in for me, though still no bingos. But I‘m heading into April without too many library books hanging over my head so we‘ll see if I can make a #BookSpin bingo happen this month!

Why does this keep happening to me?! Thank goodness this weekend is a long one.

I‘m going to need to either check this out again or get my own copy because I didn‘t take notes and there‘s so much good stuff in here.

This one really resonated with me. Last fall, I was let go from what I now realize was a really toxic company and I was suffering major burnout. I picked this up around the time I was starting a serious hunt for a new job and this really helped me narrow in on what I wanted my next opportunity to look like.

This book is perfect.

Can you really call something a "whydunnit" if you still haven't revealed who was killed, let along who did it a quarter of the way into the book?

Ultimately, this was quite predictable.

A little chewier than I expected based on the cover and what a strong debut! Cheeks does a beautiful job with developing Willie's character and exploring all the different facets of her life as she's navigating things with the Forgiveness Act.

The structure of this was too intriguing for me to pass up, though in the end, it didn't end up being my cup of tea. Perhaps I'd have done better if I hadn't chosen to read one chapter a day?

Finally sat down to catch up on my reading journal and do my February #readingwrapup. So much reading in February!

A fresh twist on a thriller but I didn't like the ending. I did figure out what was going on so it wasn't a total shock but it felt like Williams promised one thing and delivered another. It's impossible to say more without spoilers.

My Feb #BookSpin

Holy ####, this was so good! It probably had something to do with the six cups of whole milk?

I‘ve never seen the pasta shape called for in the grocery store so I used another recommended shape and there wasn‘t enough. Next time, I‘d do 1.5x the amount of pasta and freeze half for another dinner. This also reheated way better than any other Mac and cheese I‘ve ever made.

Eighth recipe for #MtCookbook

More jam, always more jam!!

Fourth recipe for #MtCookbook

Fifth recipe for #MtCookbook was not baked goods! This was overly oily so I‘m keeping the recipe but dropping the oil drastically next time. Oh, and I couldn‘t be bothered to seek out broccolini but using broccoli was totally fine.

This was the ultimate banana bread! I pulled frozen bananas from my freezer and I think I should have given them a quick blend before adding to the batter because they were a bit lumpy and sunk to the bottom but the flavour was so good. New standard banana bread recipe found!

Ninth recipe for #MtCookbook

I‘m super behind on my #MtCookbook posts! I made these brownies back at the beginning of Feb and they were pretty good! I did use a different size pan (I think they would have been too thin if I used the size in the recipe) so they needed a lot longer in the oven but otherwise worked well!

My seventh recipe done!

A powerful read. Oluo digs deep into history to explain how we got where we are and the dangerous path we‘re still on.

Roll 76 for #Roll100

This could definitely have been shorter and I was annoyed with how a major event was unveiled but overall, I liked the story and really enjoyed the strong sense of place Morton created.

Bring on March! Did I read a tonne in February? Yes! Was it all from the library and not anything from my #BookSpin list? Also yes. Am I regretting putting 30+ new releases on hold and not reading from my shelves? Never!

March isn‘t going to be my month either, but hey, it‘s fun to pretend.

I really liked what Appiah-Kubi did with updating the P&P storyline, she made the story fresh & interesting, adding her own ideas without losing the original story. I particularly like what she did with the Jane & Bingley storyline! But when she took things past the original P&P story, the pace really shifted and it felt like the story was dragging. But this is definitely one of the better adaptations that is around!

Roll 50 for #Roll100

Yay, March #Roll100 time!! Some good picks for me this month.

I needed a palette cleanser after my last read so I turned to this sweet little graphic romance. Mari and Hazel are separated in their youth but reunited 50 years later - the art was so lovely but the story moved a little too quickly in places for my taste. Another 10 pages would have really helped with that.

DNFing at 300 pages because of the absolutely unnecessarily graphic depictions of violence.

Seriously. I can‘t believe how much buzz this book has and NO ONE seems to be talking about the particularly graphic gun violence.

This was an interesting one because early on, I felt like I could really tell when Quinn was writing and when Chang was writing but either I got so sucked into the story that I couldn't tell anymore or the meshing of their styles improved. Either way, I loved getting a more thriller-like story from Chang and a more character-driven story from Quinn. I hope they collaborate again!!

Oh shit.

Well, I guess this is what happens when you have 35 books on hold. And only one is renewable!!!

I‘m not a brittle fan and I don‘t handle spice well but this is right up my husband‘s alley so I made it for him to take on his ski weekend with his buddies. It didn‘t have a lot of kick to it but the spice is sprinkled on top so easy to adjust for taste!

#MtCookbook (6th recipe made!)

I love a good dysfunctional family thriller and this family is dysfunctional AF! Marshall has some good layers here, leading to a couple of possible conclusions and while I did think I knew who did it pretty early on, she had me second guessing myself a lot. A good one to keep you turning the pages!

I see why this is compared to the Secret History. I liked the little bits of philosophy, religion, etc. that were peppered in through Ari's lessons but it did get to be a bit too heavy b the end. And while the book isn't light be any stretch of the imagination, it gets REALLY intense & dark at the end, which makes for a page-turner but also kinda leaves you feeling like you've been punched in the face.

My Jan #BookSpin

Hey #MtCookbook friends... It took me a while but here's a Google doc we can use to share recipes! Hopefully it won't take too much time to update. If you don't have a URL for your recipe, snap a photo and throw it at the end of the doc and I'll take care of linking it :)

Feel free to add all the recipes you try or just the ones that people ask for.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Ult3c_4oBXJRxZNySTk3neLRh-twMpFRof3hdpTZtY/...

Does Janice Hallett need any new friends? This was such a fun book. I love how Hallett uses the epistolary style to unfold such an intriguing mystery and does it with such humour & style! Hallett is such a unique writer and I can't wait for her next one.

Wow, I loved the way this unfolded! It‘s more like a series of short stories that form part of the larger mystery but still have their own resolution. Over the course of the book, there is a subtle shift to more of a traditional narrative. It‘s just so well done, I love how each of these Kaga mysteries is a little different!

With this finished, I‘m caught up on the Detective Kaga mysteries! First series done for #SeriesLove2024

Huh. This has such a strange structure that just defies description. It works, giving such depth to Coral‘s story, but it can be hard to stay in the story. I liked the Wildfire excerpts the best, oddly, and I think if this had been longer, I‘d have better appreciated & understood the way Blackburn was telling the story.

I‘m moving slowly this month but got my #FebruaryTBR sorted.

I don't get it.

This is definitely the earliest I‘ve ever done my #readingwrapup! I had a really strong start with January for my reading but it kinda tapered off. I want my early Jan momentum back for February!

I have no idea why I put this on hold because I‘m not much of a middle grade reader but this came in for me at the library and it sucked me in!

What a beautiful way to tell a story, the stream of consciousness approach worked so well. The lighter moments & poop stories helped break up the heavier aspects, which were told so well.

No bingos for me in Jan but it was a good reading month so I‘m carrying that energy into February!

#BookSpin

February #Roll100 already?! I‘m delighted that I did actually get to all of my January rolls so let‘s hope this momentum continues!

A strong debut but there was some inconsistency in the writing - generally, it was really easy reading but Parekh would throw in words here & there that didn't seem to suit (like arrhythmic to describe a pounding heart.) But she really shines with how she sets a scene, creating such a strong atmosphere, I kept looking out the window expecting to see rain.

Just missed my last #JoyousJanuary goal by 50 pages with this! There‘s always next month.

I probably should have known better than to pick this up. I definitely preferred the second half with more of the fallout/impact of the relationship than the time at Browick but I can‘t say I enjoyed this (if one can even say they enjoyed a book about statutory rape…)

Roll 83 for #Roll100
2/2 #BookSpin or #Roll100 books for #JoyousJanuary and 5/6 overall

Hey #MtCookbook friends!

Everyone is posting such delicious photos of their cooking and I just want to try so many of the recipes!!

If I set up a shared doc, would people be interested in sharing the recipes they‘ve tried with some commentary (like if you‘d make any changes next time - that sort of thing)? We‘ll keep it simple - a link if available online or a photo of the recipe and a short note

Tagging folks in comments, tag anyone I miss!

Higashino constructs such an elegant resolution to the opening murder, which is both simple & insanely complicated all at the same time. I particularly like how we follow multiple detectives as they pursue their lines of inquiry, really showing how complex a case this is. And the writing is just so crisp & precise!

2/3 library books (and 4/6 overall) for #JoyousJanuary AND progress for #SeriesLove2024