I started reading this immense tome in January and finally finished it! The first third was a slog and all of it was challenging, but now I'm sad it's over. I'll spend the next month reading articles explaining what I just read and I may even do a reread one day. I think I must be a real glutton for punishment! 😂

This was the obvious choice for the “Grimmsnarl: Read the longest book on your TBR“ prompt. #gottacatchemall @PuddleJumper

#TodayILearned what a terrible leader Henry III was. That's probably why there aren't many films or books devoted to him. Still, I'm really enjoying Costain's Plantagenet series. It's very readable, even if some of the feelings and thoughts the author attributes to these real-life characters might have involved some guesswork.

#NFNovember @Bookwormjillk
#BookSpinBingo #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

I love that Toronto Public Library created a reading list to celebrate Taylor's Swift week in Toronto!

This is the weakest of the Nancy Drew series I've read since starting from the beginning with #NancyDrewBR. It's got a bit of everything -- elephants, a charm with mysterious powers, a kidnapped boy from India -- and most of it unbelievable.

@Librarybelle

I finally got around to reading this classic, and found this post-apocalyptic novel with relgious themes to be very thought-provoking and surprisingly humorous.

#192025 #1959 @Librarybelle

I'm currently reading this collection of short stories set in my hometown of Montreal. I live in Ontario now and today bought these locally-made Montreal bagels. They're not bad but not as good as the real thing from St. Viateur Bagel.

Montreal bagels are the best! Sorry, New Yorkers.

#FoodandLit #Canada
@Catsandbooks @Texreader

My final total for #HauntedShelf: 12530 points.

@PuddleJumper Thank you for all your work in organizing this event and for being an inspiring leader for team #Flerken!

Many thanks to all those who organized #HauntedShelf readathons and challenges, especially @TheSpineView @Catsandbooks @TheAromaofBooks @Texreader @Emilymdxn @TEArificbooks @Bookwormjillk

I was finally able to fill one of the more difficult #52bookclub categories, “Author debut in second half of 2024.“ I've read a number of novels by Andrew Pyper, but this is his debut under the pseudonym Mason Coile.

This short novel is a spooky haunted house story featuring AI “monsters“. I didn't enjoy it as much as the other Pyper works I've read, but as it was set on Hallowe'en day, it was a good one to read this week.

A low pick. Inspired by Le Fanu's Carmilla, this graphic novel set in 1990's NYC features mysterious deaths, vampires and Chinese folklore. It was a good quick read for Hallowe'en night.

#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #GottaCatchEmAllSpooky
#GottaCatchEmAll (Morgrem: Character has a fringe)
#Spookoween @TheSpineView

This thriller, about an FBI agent hunting a serial killer, kept me reading late into the night!

#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #GottaCatchEmAllSpooky
#Spookoween @TheSpineView
#31by31 @Catsandbooks
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#HalloweenAtoZReadathon @Texreader
#RedTaylorsVersion @Emilymdxn
#LongNights @Bookwormjillk

I had read this many, many years ago and reread it just now. I'm not sure I liked it any better second time around. There were interesting sci-fi ideas but I found the plot dragged with its inconsistent pacing.

#ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella
#192025 #1980 @Librarybelle
#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #GottaCatchEmAllSpooky
#gottacatchemall (18. Vespiquen: Yellow cover)

My November #BookSpinBingo list! @TheAromaofBooks

I felt so-so about the first book in the Scholomance series but I decided to give this second book a try, especially since it fit a couple of challenge prompts that I was finding hard to fill. I enjoyed this installment more, perhaps because I'm finally warming up to the characters.

I loved this installment of the Shardlake series, set in the later years of Henry VIII's reign. It's an excellent historical mystery with great characters (both real and fictional) and lots of political intrigue. I'm looking forward to discussing with the #ShardlakeSeriesBR group. @dabbe

A fun and creepy haunted-house story with great characters. T. Kingfisher's stories are always so enjoyable!

#PSReadathon @bookwormjillk
#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #GottaCatchEmAllSpook
#Spookoween @TheSpineView
#31by31 @Catsandbooks
#BookSpinBingo #PromptMaze @TheAromaofBooks
#HalloweenAtoZReadathon @Texreader
#RedTaylorsVersion @Emilymdxn
#Witchathon @TEArificbooks

This installment of the Inspector Rebus series has Rebus sent for “retraining“ among other problematic police officers and involves several complex storylines.

#PSReadathon @bookwormjillk
#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #GottaCatchEmAllSpooky
#Spookoween #SeriesLove2024 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

I've been doing some #audiocooking during the Pumpkin Spice Readathon, making these mini pumpkin loaves. The Instant Pot makes cooking a pie pumpkin so easy!

#PSReadathon @bookwormjillk
#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper

I enjoyed this installment of the Constable Molly Smith series set in the Banff Springs Hotel in the Rocky Mountains. It was especially fitting that the story was set over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, which we had just celebrated.

#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper

I'd read both the 1935 and 1972 versions of this book for #NancyDrewBR. The two stories were completely different, the first set in the Canadian North and the second at an archeological dig in Ohio. I much preferred the 1935 version, which had more action and a somewhat more plausible storyline.

@Librarybelle
#CozyReads @Bookwormjillk
#HauntedShelf #Flerken #BodyDoubleReadathon @PuddleJumper

My points check-in for #HauntedShelf: 4605
#Flerken @PuddleJumper

I enjoyed the twists and turns in this mystery and I found the conclusion satisfying. However, Miss Marple doesn't make an entrance until we're well into the story. I kept waiting impatiently for her to show up!

#CozyReads @Bookwormjillk
#HauntedShelf #Flerken #BodyDoubleReadathon @PuddleJumper

This was my introduction to Bowen's mystery series set in Regina, Saskatchewan. I enjoyed the story and especially liked the characters and will be looking out for more books in this series.

#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #GottaCatchEmAllSpooky
#Spookoween @TheSpineView
#31by31 @Catsandbooks
#BookSpinBingo #PromptMaze @TheAromaofBooks
#HalloweenAtoZReadathon @Texreader
#RedTaylorsVersion @Emilymdxn

Discworld, Hollywood and Cthulhu all get mixed up chaotically together in this novel. I enjoyed all the references to old movies and Hollywood stars, and I especially loved Gaspode the Wonder Dog!

#OokBOokClub @julesG

I've got a bunch of cozy mysteries lined up for #CozyReads and #BodyDoubleReadathon, including the next #NancyDrewBR book.

The Molly Smith mystery is especially fitting as it takes place during Canadian Thanksgiving, which we're celebrating this coming long weekend.

#Flerken #HauntedShelf @PuddleJumper @bookwormjillk @Librarybelle

It seemed fitting to watch The Invasion of the Body Snatchers in preparation for the #BodyDoubleReadathon. This was the 1978 version with the incomparable Donald Sutherland, RIP. The snack of choice is, of course, edamame pods!

#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper

The cover of Finney's book that the movie is based on is for #ScavengerHunt #monochrome.

I loved this installment of the #Discworld series, which has the wizards discovering the game of football. This one introduces wonderful characters Glenda, Nutt, Juliet and Trevor but it also features a number of Discworld favourites.

#OokBOokClub @julesG
#BacklistReadathon @clwojick @TheAromaofBooks
#SeriesLove2024 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

I finished this second book for the #CatsAndDogs readathon, featuring a bookshop owner, a faithful dog, and lots of Hallowe'en themed fun.

I liked the setting and the characters but the reading experience was marred by very slopping editing. Still, this book fulfilled a lot of #HauntedShelf challenges!

@Bookwormjillk #Flerken @PuddleJumper

This series is so much fun! I love the mix of witches, vampire and knitting in the Oxford UK setting. This installment also featured the cast of a Shakespearean production and romantic chaos when love potions get administered to the wrong targets.

#CatsAndDogs @Bookwormjillk
#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#GottaCatchEmAll (66. Rapidash: Romance)

This sci-fi/horror story is creepy and atmospheric but the plot dragged along and there wasn't much character development. It's too bad, as the sci-fi elements were interesting and had lots of potential for a great story.

#LitsySciFiBookClub @TheSpineView
#HauntedShelf #Flerken @PuddleJumper

One of my favourite knitting books, along with my current project, for the #knitting prompt of #HauntedShelf #ScavengerHunt.

#Flerken #LitsyCrafters
@PuddleJumper

An enjoyable historical novel set in 1920's London. It started slow but I liked how the various plotlines eventually wove together, and I also found the morally ambiguous characters (which, frankly, were almost all of them) interesting.

My first book finished for #HauntedShelf! #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#52bookclub (A revenge story)
#AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #PumpkabooHunt #GottaCatchEmAllSpooky

I really enjoyed this memoir of the author's experiences during WWII. I appreciated that she did not hide the heartbreak, deprivation and horrors of the war but at the same time could also convey the humour and ridiculousness of some of the situations she found herself in.

I've got these two books planned for the #CatsAndDogs readathon, featuring a witch's feline familiar and a bookshop owner's faithful dog!

#CatsAndDogs #HauntedShelf #Flerken
@Bookwormjillk @PuddleJumper

It was a good September for #BookSpinBingo. I finished my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin selections and got a bingo as well! @TheAromaofBooks

1. No one book in particular, but I'm looking forward to reading some darker mysteries, like the tagged book.

2. Carving pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds for Hallowe'en.

3. Moon cakes, which are usually available at Asian stores before the Mid-Autumn festival.

4. All the bingo boards, and seeing all the scary/spooky books Littens are reading!

#Flerken #HauntedShelf @PuddleJumper

My TBR list for October‘s #BookSpinBingo and #HauntedShelf!
@TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper #Flerken

This book was a low pick for me. The author provided a lot of detail and insight into David Koresh's development and explained the hold he had on his followers. However, I found the writing weak and the book could have done with a much better editing job.

#BookSpin #52bookclub24 (prompt 11: Title starting with the letter “K“)

This story about a tourist shuttle trapped in a sea of dust on the moon seemed somewhat dated, in that the roles of men and women reflect very much those of the time. However, it was still a very good hard science-fiction story with a lot of tension, as the shuttle's occupants and scientists on the outside work on a rescue.

#ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella
#192025 #1961 @Librarybelle

I adore these authors' comic-book cookbooks! I already have their book on making dumplings and borrowed this from the library to try a few recipes. I made ramen eggs, pickled shiitake mushrooms and marinated bamboo shoots and they all tasted great in my ramen bowl!

#gottacatchemall (2. Nickit: Food on cover) @PuddleJumper

I loved this memoir of a gay Chinese American growing up in Detroit. I'd seen a few very negative reviews on other sites, but this book really resonated with me. Growing up in a Chinese restaurant in Montreal in the late 70's and early 80's, parts of this book felt like my own autobiography. The author and I even share the same surname!

#gottacatchemall (48. Polteageist: Hospitality setting) @PuddleJumper

A low pick for me. Loved the Icelandic setting but still warming up (in the chilly locale!) to the characters. I definitely liked it enough to try the next in the series.

#gottacatchemall (prompt 51. Mr. Rime: Snowy setting) @PuddleJumper

This is my recommendation for #HauntedShelf participants. It's creepy and spooky and IMO, even better than Shirley Jackson's better-known The Haunting of Hill House.

I also adore this updated Penguin Classics edition that my family gifted to me, with the penguin in the cat's clutches.

#Flerken @PuddleJumper

I'm looking forward to #HauntedShefl with Team #Flerken! I've got so many languishing books on my shelves and expecting this will give me the motivation to clear some of them off!
@PuddleJumper

It's been a while since I've done a #192025 update. These are the slots I've filled, in the past few months. I've completed 75 of the 106 prompts!
@Librarybelle

This novel felt different from many other post-apocalyptic novels I've read, where survival is not necessarily characterized by suffering, heroic actions or unwavering optimism. Instead, the protagonist Ish is dismayed with the complacent, relaxed attitudes of his fellow survivors and descendants. Yet, they do survive and Earth abides, as the title suggests.

#ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella

Charles de Lint is the author I most associate with “urban fantasy“, though the term has evolved since he published his first books. This collection of stories from his Newford series delves into the lives of city dwellers, including the artists, the homeless, and the marginalized. I love de Lint's beautiful writing and the mix of fantasy, folklore and horror.

I greatly enjoyed this Tommy and Tuppence novel, which was as much of a spy thriller as mystery. I loved Tuppence's cleverness, and Hugh Fraser's narration of the audiobook was perfect.

#gottacatchemall (prompt 31. Perrserker: Set during a war) @PuddleJumper

#NancyDrewBR @Librarybelle

Another good installment in the Nancy Drew series. This one had a lot of excitement and danger, with kidnappings and near drownings, but also some unpleasant abusive behaviour from the villains. Fortunately, Nancy brings them to justice in the end.

This novella is the second in Malka Older's series, which is a mix of cozy mystery, romance and science fiction. I liked this one much better than the first, as it provided more details about the interesting setting (Jupiter and its environs) and the mystery was better developed.

#gottacatchemall (prompt 74. Corvisquire: Second book in a series) @PuddleJumper
#52bookclub (prompt 52. Published in 2024)

Cozy Golden Age mysteries are a comfort read for me, even if some of them feel very dated in their attitudes toward women. In this series, Miss Silver comes across as a less “fluffy“ Miss Marple.

Also happy I was able to fill the “Musical instrument on the cover“ prompt for #52bookclub, with the church organ on the cover of my edition.

#gottacatchemall (prompt 35, Impidimp: Guilty pleasure) @PuddleJumper