January #BookSpin done! @TheAromaofBooks

This was one of my bookspins last year that I didn't get to, so I was happy it was pulled again this month.

I found the pacing a little odd, but despite that this is probably my favourite of the Belgariad so far. Only one more book to go! Hopefully I'll get to it next month.

I finished my Jan #BookSpin last night (review soon) so today I'm starting my #doublespin. Looking forward to it!

@TheAromaofBooks

First book finished for #fourfoursin22 - Australia @Lauredhel

Another great Miss Fisher! I'm really enjoying getting to know the book version of the characters, as I know the show very well. I'll definitely be continuing the series.

Another #whartonbuddyread finished, and I really enjoyed this short novella. Her prose is gorgeous as always, and her depictions of people navigating different societies and cultures are deft.

#fourfoursin21 completed! Just a wee bit late, I didn't finish the 2 in green until the new year.

Now, on to #fourfoursin22! I have ideas for a few of the prompts already...

Thanks for hosting a fun challenge, @Lauredhel!

My last book for #fourfoursin21 (late but oh well) for the epistolary prompt, as this book is entirely an epistolary novel. @Lauredhel

I really enjoyed this, though almost all the men are terrible (hello patriarchy) and at times I found Evelina's discomfort with the situations she's in pretty uncomfortable to read. I'd never read Burney before and will give her others a try.

Also this is the 100th book I've read from the #1001books list 🎉

I didn't finish #fourfoursin21 in 21, but still finished the last two prompts this week. This was for centenary (century is in the subtitle) @Lauredhel

This has been on my library wishlist for long enough I couldn't remember why I put it on there... I think to give true crime a try (not a genre I have read) with a non-violent crime. It was a compelling read, parts very upsetting for human destruction of nature via exotic animal trade. However ⬇️

Starting the next #whartonbuddyread!

A slightly belated #20in4 wrap up: got to 16 hours, finished 3 books, and read from 3 others. One of these times I'll hit 20 hours!

Thanks for hosting @Andrew65!

Tallied up my 2021 stats and I'm pretty happy with them. My focus for 2022 will definitely be reading down the tbr! At least it did go down this past year...barely haha. (I just keep track by +/- acquired/read, total numbers are too intimidating lol).

Tagged my last read of 2021 which is one of my favourites of the year - ended on a strong note!

My first (print) read of the new year, though I started it yesterday.

Happy new year!

More #audiostitching for #20in4! I'm about two thirds through the tagged audiobook and now up to about 9h15 total for the readathon.

Although I haven't gotten around to signing up for it, I did make a list for the #roll100 challenge a little bit ago. My list is the entirety of my ebook tbr (and actually only goes to 99 atm but let's face it, I'll probably add to it sooner rather than later) so I'm excited about using this challenge to work down my ebooks! First pick for Jan is tordotcom short stories, 2nd is tagged in comments.

Thanks for a fun challenge @PuddleJumper !

My starting stack for #20in4! Plus 2 audiobooks. Hoping to finish 4-5 books and hit 20 hours.

@Andrew65

I'm having a lovely afternoon with apple cider, audiobook, and cross stitch. It's been a while since I did any #audiostitching but I'm looking forward to quite a bit of it over the next couple days.

1. The Kitchen God's Wife, Amy Tan (print) and Light from Uncommon Stars, Ryka Aoki (audio)
2. The Shop Around the Corner, and The Holiday
3. I just finished A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong yesterday and I liked it

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

It's been a while since I read Amy Tan, and I'm enjoying this one so far. Hoping to read a good chunk of it today.

#fourfoursin21 comestible @Lauredhel

Finished this a few days ago, and I did enjoy it overall. The focus is much more on his mental health, and less on food, than I was expecting. Which isn't a criticism.

Time to catch up on his Netflix shows.

My dad was pruning his bookshelves, so #bookhaul for me 😀 My tbr reduction goal for the year is now in jeopardy but oh well!

#fourfoursin21 indigenous @Lauredhel

Poetry primarily about residential schools. Overall, I thought the poems were well done, though of course some worked better for me than others. Obviously, this is hard subject matter to deal with and to read about.

Another day, another apple cider, and starting a new book. I've been looking forward to this one.

#fourfoursin21 education (bc of the title) @Lauredhel
November #doublespin done (only like a week late!) @TheAromaofBooks

The 4th book in the series, so I feel like if you've read this far by this point you know what to expect from the series, and this installment delivers that. An enjoyable, quick read.

It's an apple cider and book kind of afternoon. Let's see if I can finish this today.

#fourfoursin21 artificial @Lauredhel

Finished this last week, only getting around to posting now. Another one done for #whartonbuddyread and I enjoyed it. I could've gone into essay mode easily on this one, if I'd had to read it in school, lots to unpack. Wasn't expecting to be able to use it for #fourfoursin21 but the artificiality of high society turned out to be a major theme so I'm slotting it in there.

Do two books count as a #bookhaul? I think so.

It's been a while since I treated myself to some new ebooks (non-freebies, at least, though these were on sale) and I'm excited for both of these very different books!

#fourfoursin21 discovery (bc of the many archeological discoveries described) @Lauredhel

I really enjoyed this look at four "lost" (or not really lost) cities and what they can tell us about urban patterns of living over the years. I had a bit of trouble with the audiobook narrator at the start, but increasing the play speed slightly fixed that for me.

Sooo... I said I was gonna skip #BookSpin this month, since I'm behind on my challenges and it's starting to cross to the wrong side of the fun! vs making-reading-feel-like-a-chore line.

But I checked this month's numbers on my list anyway, and I'm in! They're both books on my must read pile that I'm looking forward to reading.

Thanks @TheAromaofBooks for such a fun challenge 🙂

#fourfoursin21 virtuoso @Lauredhel

I wanted a light palate cleanser after some of my last reads, and came across this one browsing the library. My first time reading this author, and overall it fit the bill, though I was more interested in the first half than the second half, as the conflict could have been resolved much quicker. Maybe I actually only needed half a palate cleanser. A light pick.

September #doublespin done! @TheAromaofBooks

I enjoyed continuing on with this series. A large part of this book is the characters travelling, so it has a bit of a slower pace, but I don't mind that. Looking forward to the next book!

Also using for the #fourfoursin21 elevation prompt, as I realized belatedly partway through book 2 that flying dragonback definitely gives some elevation... @Lauredhel

Another one done in the #whartonbuddyread and I enjoyed this novella. Very strong emphasis on morality and consequences of decisions... There are no heroes here, only humans making choices.

Also using for #fourfoursin21 sanctuary prompt @Lauredhel

(this was another unphotogenic Gutenberg ebook so please enjoy a random pic of my cat charging in a sunbeam)

I was going to keep the same #BookSpin list for October as last month, then decided at the last minute to update it. That gave me Free Fall and Hidden Cities, both of which are sequels to previous months' #BookSpin picks that I haven't gotten to yet. I guess the numbers are telling me to get a move on. 😅

Can I get to all 4 this month? Probably not, but we'll see.

Thanks @TheAromaofBooks!

#14books14weeks2021 update: I made it almost exactly halfway through my list, currently reading the 8th book from it. Nowhere near finishing my stack, but it was a fun challenge anyways, as always.

Thanks for hosting @TheHeartlandBookFairy !

Me: hmm with this month's bookspins added, my owned-tbr "must read/read soon" pile is a bit intimidating. I'll focus on owned books this month!

Libby: yeah, totally. good idea. oooor...

Me: *hits borrow so fast*

#BookSpin day! 🎉

These are my September picks - I'm especially looking forward to continuing with Temeraire.

@TheAromaofBooks

How is it September?

Anyway, got very close to a bingo for August despite only reading 5 books from my list (and of course none of them were my #BookSpin or #doublespin).

September list is ready to go! Thanks as always for hosting @TheAromaofBooks!

March #doublespin done! (I'm slowly catching up...)

I loved this! Napoleonic war + dragons = right in my wheelhouse. And I knew that all along, so why did I leave it sitting on my shelves for years?! Ah well, happy I've gotten to it now.

#seriesread2021
@TheAromaofBooks @TheSpineView

It's #BookSpin day! 🎉 Thanks @TheAromaofBooks!

My #BookSpin is Jade Man's Skin, another reread that I can't remember anything about, so I can finish the series. Looking forward to it.
My #doublespin is part 2 of the Faded Sun trilogy. Part 1 was my June #BookSpin and I haven't read it yet, so who knows when I'll get to this.

I wasn't going to do bingo this month, then i thought... Why not! Let's see if I can get a bingo.

July #doublespin done! @TheAromaofBooks

I've been wanting to get to this one for a while now, so I was pleased it got pulled for #BookSpin this month. I enjoyed it and would read more by this author. It was a total cover buy, nice when that works out... love those colours.

1. Sarong Party Girls (print); The Haunting of Hill House (ebook); In Praise of Walking (audio)

2. Morning for non-fiction, night for fiction

3. Hmm... I think Heartstopper would make a pretty good beach read

@rachelsbrittain #weekendreads

#ReadCanada PEI - somewhat cheating for my PEI selection, as this is a cookbook and covers all the Atlantic provinces not only PEI but whatever.

Not a cookbook I feel the need to own as there were only a few recipes I could see myself actually making, but neat to flip through. The mini-essays (on cod, lobster, etc) were well done and added good context. Mostly it made me want to road trip east again and eat all this food, rather than make it.

#fourfoursin21 woolgathering @Lauredhel

I think this book suffered a bit from a case of right book, wrong time for me. I can see all the elements I would normally enjoy, and I did like it, but I guess I wasn't quite in the mood. But it did make me want to journal more. So a qualified pick.

I enjoyed this short read. Having read a few of Wharton's later works, I can see some of the themes she's interested in already. And I just love her prose.
I'm looking forward to reading through her work and seeing the progression with #whartonbuddyread!

(unrelated garden pic bc Gutenberg ebooks, though an amazing resource, are not the prettiest of things)

July #BookSpin list ready to go!

@TheAromaofBooks

#20in4 wrap up! Almost 16 hours, and more #audiostitching puffin progress 😊

Read from 8 (I need to stop starting more books ahh) and finished 3.

This #20in4 readathon brought to me by Libby... This is the 4th hold I've gotten in this weekend. Diving into this one right away, so much for reading my own books 😅

I'm up to 12 hrs 20 mins, which is already better than my last time 🎉

What timing for the #20in4 readathon this weekend! What else am I to do in weather like this but read? (clean my house? Does not compute.) If that wasn't enough, Libby also dropped two of my library holds on me this morning.

I'm aiming for the full 20 hours again. Haven't made it yet, but maybe this time!

#fourfoursin21 - illustrated @Lauredhel

What a cute, quick read this was. I see why it gets so much love. Thoroughly enjoyed it and have put the next two vols on hold at the library.

BC for #ReadCanada

This was a good book and good audiobook. The political rhetoric made me mad, as I think it was intended to. I appreciated the emphasis on the intergenerational nature of trauma and the way that trauma gets repeated through history. No easy answers here.

It's been a while since I posted an #audiostitching update. My puffins are coming along!

I'm almost finished the tagged book, which is excellent but is making me mad.

May #doublespin done! @TheAromaofBooks

Actually I finished this a bit ago, but keep forgetting to post. This was a reread so that I can finally finish the series, and I'm happy that I loved it just as much as the first time.