4.5 ⭐I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt like I was looking at myself 20 years ago. I was a tween librarian in Colorado who is fat. Didn‘t have the football playing best friend but that just made this all that much better. I love that this book centered around a fat girl. Not a curvy girl, a fat girl. And that romance and sex were completely allowed and rejoiced. This book is pretty gosh darn predictable.

4⭐ This was one of Nora Roberts more modern thrillers. It did involve serial killers and stolen identities. It wasn‘t a full-on romance, but romance was at its core, and did have a happily ever after. This book was a little long, but you usually expect that from Nora Roberts. I did thoroughly enjoy listening to this. It was a great way to pass the time while I was working on other things.

2 ⭐This book screams, self-published. First, the story is too long. It feels more like a spoken wood story than a written story. The illustrations are nice, but the art style and the color make it feel dated. Like I‘ve picked up a book from my childhood that is ready to be recycled. The other issues I have with this book is how easy it makes tt seem to adopt a kitten form a humane society. Anyone who has tried to adopt knows

4 ⭐This book starts out as a little odd. It starts with a person wishing they were a stone. And most of the page is telling you about stones big and small, and what can and can‘t be done with them. Then it morphs into a story about belonging. How sometimes a stone can be so small that it can be held in a hand. That the act of holding the stone could make you feel or remember the person who gave it to you. So very touching book and very well done.

4⭐This is a typical book about construction. What makes it unique is every job is done by a woman. And “this is a house that she built” is the constant reframe. Each page focuses on a different aspect of building a house: what the job is, what they do, and it emphasizes that this can be a woman, of any race creed, color, or ability. Overall this is a fabulous book for the entry into construction and building that will appeal to both boys and girls

4 ⭐ This is a children‘s picture about stereotypes, using a non-racial, non-disability stereotype. The author wrote this based off real conversations that happened in their classroom while they were a teacher. They have tattoos and were thought of as less than, riffraff, and/or gang members. This book that not only covers “stereotypes are bad”, but also how tattoos can mean different things to different people. The artwork is fantastic.

4 ⭐This book is a soft DNF. On a day when I couldn‘t find an audiobook that fit this one did. This is an extremely long audiobook over 20 hours, and I did listen to approximately three. This story is about the offspring of a king, who has no chance of ever sitting on the throne and has been in isolation on the outskirts of the kingdom. They receive news that their father and all the older brothers have died which means they are now the monarch.

2 ⭐This book started out interesting, but it didn‘t stay there. This is a family story about meeting their expectations versus your expectations for yourself. Learning about the family was interesting, but when it gets down to the main part of the book where they must get their PE credit in order to graduate on time because the teacher didn‘t turn in a report. This is where I stopped caring about this book.

2 ⭐ This was a DNF. I‘m not sure if the DNF is for the narration, or the book itself. While listening to this on a car trip, it felt like I was plugged into the middle of the story and was lost. I got about 30-35 minutes into this before I said OK I‘m done. This is normally the type of book that I like but it feels like I woke up in the middle of a video game somebody else was playing. I might like this better if I read it instead of listen.

2 ⭐This was a DNF. I started this as an audiobook three different times, and each listen only lasted an hour and a half to two hours into a 20 hour story. The main reason that I DNFed this book is that every time I started this book I couldn‘t remember anything I had already listened to. This is because so much of this book is telling not showing. At least in the beginning there is so much set up for who the characters are what they‘re doing, etc.

2 ⭐This was a DNF. This book starts with a prissy man getting in a fight with his girlfriend while the room service waiter is setting the table. The girlfriend storms off, there‘s a big explosion and now we‘re in the apocalypse. The room service waiter who is military is taking care of the trillionaires son and things are not going well. Nuowan doesn‘t want to live if life isn‘t easy and he doesn‘t have access to money.

4.5 ⭐ Mara is the last sister in a royal family. Both of her older sisters have had to marry a prince in a neighboring kingdom for protection of their kingdom. Mara is sent to a nunnery, not to become a nun but to be protected. To make sure she has no children, takes no husband , and is there in case the prince needs a third wife. Mara spends 15 years in the nunnery living her life, waiting for something. Her first sister died

4 ⭐ Wesley, known as big Mac to his friends, is a punk. He‘s a punk on a skateboard. He‘s got anger issues, rowdy friends and is struggling to find their place in the world. They also know they‘re gay but is yet to come out of the closet. Around the holidays he‘s forced to go see the Nutcracker with his soon to be stepsister and he can‘t keep his eyes off the ballet dancer on stage. Tristan is out and proud.

4 ⭐ This is a quick short read. Molly Graham works for a very special museum in New York. It‘s a museum of literature. And her museum is just getting ready to start an exhibit on Jane Austin, and some books have been lent from a very private estate in the UK. On the night of the big Premier party, our main gal, Molly has had enough of peopleing and goes back to find there‘s a stranger in her office. Figuring this stranger is some ductal

2 ⭐This is an exact repeat of I can say dada book except the pictures changed. Once again, I understand the concept of this book and have had thoughts of my niece who is turning to and isn‘t speaking yet, but this was not Helpful. It seems so rudimentary like every parent should automatically be doing.

4 ⭐ This is the third book in the supernatural sisters, and we finally get to see the nerdy book, loving youngest sister, who is a professor get together with the guardian angel. We know she‘s a professor over at Harvard and she really wants to study having apprenticeships between human and supernatural societies to create a better understanding of both societies. However, things aren‘t going so well, and she needs to move into a new apartment.

2 ⭐ Otto is lonely and really wants to make friends but is too scared to try and make friends. When they see an otter off by themselves, they go find them, but the more otters approach the more other runs away. Eventually they get close, and one tells the other that it‘s OK that I‘m alone I‘m not lonely. But this still makes them go off happily ever after. it seems like the beginning of a toxic relationship.

2.5 ⭐This book is all over the place. There is no cohesive storytelling. The book starts out with some front piece about genealogy and history and definitions, which are lovely, but I think should be at the end of the book. For me the best part of this book is the art. The artwork is fantastic. It puts a smile on your face and has a happy feel. I just wish the storytelling lived up to the art.

4 ⭐This book is all about using the quilt block New York Beauty in various ways. The author does a very good job of showing someone how to paper piece a radian beauty block. Which is a great way to start out since this is a circular block. The variations of the quilts that can be made with this one block are interesting and showing different colorways of the same patterns gives quilters an idea of what can be done. Overall, this book was well done

3 ⭐This book seems to start in the middle of the story. It‘s about a young teacher who has a new assignment and she‘s going to go teach school in the middle of the Amazon. One night the rain is coming and destroys all of her books and the community helps create new ones out of cloth and embroidery. And she realizes that these books are just as important as the books she had used before. The story is nice and interesting however, it is very long.

3 ⭐Bear is a masterful piano player. All the animals in the forest sit around and listen and when bear wants to take a break all they say is more, more, more! But all bear wants is solitude. After yelling and arguing the other animals scatter. But the zebra stays behind, offering bear a story. This book is lovely, but it feels unfinished. The illustrator is a master artist, bringing black, red and white to help set a theme and a tone for the story

4 ⭐This is a fun math concept book. A new reindeer joins the school and it‘s put their number at 13 so when the groups are told to pair there is always a remain-deer. The book rhymes well and gets it‘s lesson across. Kids will understand it and the play on words of remainder and remain – DEER. All in all, this was a fabulous math book that got the concept of prime numbers across in an excellent understandable way.

4 ⭐This was a charming picture book about girls fighting to be girls. About how they can take on the world and be whatever they want to be because nothing is going to stand in their way. That they need to believe in who they are and what they can do because they can accomplish great things. This book was fantastic, I love the illustrations. They are soft but vibrant and have a quality that‘ll keep kids coming back.

2.5 ⭐This book is about the way your face looks different under different emotions. The story rhymes decently even though it does have some sand in its cadence. The story is nice and so are the illustrations, but it feels very self-published. The message seems convoluted. Like a book you‘d give to a little girl about not needing makeup or not needing augmentation. It feels like it‘s halfway between what it wants to be and what it should be.

2 ⭐This is an exact repeat of I can say dada book except the pictures changed. Once again, I understand the concept of this book and have had thoughts of my niece who is turning to and isn‘t speaking yet, but this was not Helpful. It seems so rudimentary like every parent should automatically be doing.

2 ⭐Part of me can‘t believe anybody would pay for this. The book is simply pictures of fathers doing something with simple words like looked at, up dada, poo, poo dada, etc. It‘s supposed to help reiterate who dada is. Most interesting part of the book is the one page at the end that tells you how to use the book and why it works. I understand all that, but I still cannot see spending any money on this book.

4 ⭐I remember when the first don‘t push the button came out. I was reading it with my three-year-old nephew on my iPad, so when he pushed the button the page would change and things would magically happen. The push the button books are about the only time I have found this style of book that can live up to Press Here. this short sweet, very interactive book will be loved by children whether read as a go to bed book or read and story time.

3 ⭐ I really appreciate the illustrations that are soft and textual. The story rhymes decently, but issues arrive with the cadence. The layout of the book in general, you have pages that are just illustrations and pages that are just words when most of the words could have been laid over the illustrations and been a much better. Overall, this book is not bad and there will be kids that thoroughly enjoy it.

3.5 ⭐This is about spontaneous human combustion. There‘s a teenage boy Melvin, and two different time periods where Melvin has not been born yet, and the one he is experiencing right now. There‘s a new journalist following him around trying to get to the bottom of all the fiery deaths. This is a horror graphic novel, so it is a bit bloody and a bit dark but if you like that, give this a shot.

Hey all,

Sorry I have been gone for a while. I haven't really been much of anywhere. haven't' loaded reviews, haven't read much (for me), haven't quilted. It's just been a blahhhh time. I am hoping to get back to fighting form. the first step, posting reviews.

Y'all have a great day!

Sorry I have been massively busy. But I did get my #boospinbingo card ready. @TheAromaofBooks

5 ⭐This picture book is amazing. It tells the story of a child who must evacuate because of the fires in California. This child‘s mother had to evacuate Vietnam because of the floods decades years ago. This book connects both stories together and impart a of feeling of everything will be OK. The artwork is a master class. The effect of the colored pencils makes one feel like you‘re looking at the children‘s drawings.

4 ⭐This was a fun middle grade graphic novel about changes. It‘s about how people you know and love change but are still themselves in ways that counts. For our main character Mia, her best summer camp friend is now going to get to be her all the time friend because they‘re moving into the same school. But things are not how Mia planning. One friendship is cracking, school is changing, and it now matters if things are cool or crazy.

4 ⭐This book reminds me of the days of Twilight. Our main character Rotem is a “Sunhead”. She is a fan of the Sunrise vampire romance novels. No one else understands her devotion to these books until she makes a new friend who finds them just as wonderful as she does. This book takes place in Israel, which for the most part doesn‘t matter, except for the parts when they‘re talking about American schools and having to learn a second language.

2 ⭐ I fully understand why kids like these books. And I will go on letting them like them. They don‘t have the staying power that people are going to be able to quote in 20 years. Not my type of thing and not my type of book but to each of their own.

3.5 ⭐95% of this book takes place in 24 hours. There is a group of six teenagers who are on an E-sports team, but they need to be down to five. They are having a contest to decide which get to play in next week‘s tournament. Big prize money is on the line. However, nothing goes according to plan when Cristal gets a message from a special app on her phone saying play my game or your sister dies. What proceeds is 24 hours of Cristal playing

4 ⭐ Another fantastic Lieberson book. This time we follow Sarah, who is the daughter of a single mother. Her best friend happens to be a boy, and they have been friends for as long as she can remember. However, she at that age where she starting to have feelings, and it just so happens, she has feelings for her best friends other guy friend. Sarah must come to terms with where her friendship is with her current friend, and if she can or is

4 ⭐ One of the reasons that I like these books is that even though they‘re a series, they can all be read independently. Each book takes place at approximately the same time and a reader can see each of the kids the important events in their lives. In this case, Brianna has been asked by her mother to be bat-mitzvah. While she‘s dreading it, she‘s also finding out more about herself, and why she likes her family religion.

4 ⭐ This sequel does not suffer from the second book slump. It gives you a mystery and it just keeps on going. Pip is winding up her first podcast for the mystery Sal‘s brother and Addie. There‘s been a little bit of backlash on the podcast because well, it‘s the Internet. But now her friend, Connor‘s brother, is missing, the police won‘t search for him. Pip is the only person who can help. This book continues the ideas and the characters

4 ⭐This was a book about being yourself. Friends are hard to make it at any age but when you spend your life constantly being the new kid, making friends can be hard to do. Coming into a new school three weeks after start makes it even harder. This is a sweet graphic novel about not only being a good friend but about being yourself. It‘s got a great message and a fun story for any age.

2 ⭐ This was a DNF. I started and stopped at least 4 or 5 times all throughout 2023. I‘m surprised I couldn‘t get into this considering how much I adore and love both the original book and the movie. I think part of it for me was the illustrations. And while they are fit for the topic because they‘re so brown and dreary, they seem disheartening, instead of hopeful and enlightening. This is a great introduction , but original novel does it better

Okay. I think I am ready for Feb. it‘s needs color but it works for now.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I honestly do not think I can finish another book this month. It was a great kick off to the new year, but no bingos. Bummer.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

3.5 ⭐ I listened to this is a full cast audio. The audiobook is incredibly well done. However, the last hour was missing on my digital download. Thank goodness for TBBS as they helped fill in the last hour. I was a tad sad. None of the libraries around me, had Promise Boys on audio! This is a mystery about a prep school that has some very, strict rules. The idea is to teach boys to be “men”. However, this is not a happy go lucky school,

3 ⭐This is the first in a long series of books on money matters for kids. It spends a lot of time focusing more on the story, so it rhymes quite well and has a nice cadence. The illustrations are soft and lovely and feel like they stepped out of an animated show. This book gave an idea of all the ways people earn income. That was interesting, but I hope that there‘s deeper information in the following books in the series.

4 ⭐This is exactly what the title implies. This is a “Waldo” type of book, but instead of finding Waldo, you‘re finding various things under the letter of that page. The illustrations are fun and the author illustrator even talks about how while they‘ve left the images black-and-white so the reader could find joy in coloring them. This is well done, and I can see it getting checked out over and over again.

3 ⭐This book is fine. It sets out to do something and it does it. It is a tad bit long, but this isn‘t a “read before bedtime” type of book. This is an informational book about different feelings and how to talk about those feelings with other people. This book serves its purpose.

2 ⭐The team behind this book spent so much time, drafting words about a kid‘s right to happiness, types of happiness, etc. that they didn‘t spend any time on the story. All the front matter should be in the back of the book. This book is heavily loaded front and back with extra material. That extra material is important and serves a place so make this a nonfiction book. The fiction story is severely lacking, and the illustrations feel rudimentary.

4 ⭐ This is a wonderful book that gets into the heart of how emotions work. The book does not shy away from using real scientific words and languages. It also uses a 70‘s style art to help illustrate what‘s going on. It all works together quite well to make not only an educational book but entertaining one as well.

2 ⭐ This story is entirely too long. It feels more like a story that should be told than a story that should be read. The illustrations are lovely, but it‘s a fight to get to the end and the illustrations are not enough to redeem it.