This was an incredibly through look at what led up to the Challenger space shuttle disaster. The author starts all the way back in the beginning of the space race to show how systemic failures, political maneuvers, and human hubris, led to the dangers being ignored. Some of the science/engineering vocabulary was a bit beyond me. But I really appreciated how much he humanized the people involved, especially the astronauts and their families.

I said I needed to read more nonfiction this month so my #BookSpin picks are trying to encourage me. Both of these sound so interesting.

I expected to really relate to the MC here but I didn‘t like her much. It may be that the book was too much in her head. She was way too involved with her kids. I understand it was partly about having to let go and find your role once your kids were grown, but it didn‘t fully work for me.

This was like the tragic version of Rob Lowe‘s Stories I Only Tell My Friends. A lot of his stories feature famous family and neighbors. Some of his stories had me thinking, why would you tell that? But others were engaging. The long chapter about his sister‘s murder and the court case that followed held my interest the most. They didn‘t get the justice they deserved.

Most of the lead characters in this novel are terrible people and I wanted to throw them all over a cliff at different points. But if course I knew what I was getting into after the first book, and I still wanted to see where these authors were taking us. Only a pick if you like reading about terrible people and people who make dumb decisions. Apparently I do.

This was my #jolabokaflod gift from @LeslieO and I finally got to finish it. I started it on Christmas Eve but didn‘t get far, but when I restarted it in February I finished quickly. I ended up loving Anna and Will plus the premise of the book made it fun getting where the author was leading. I‘ve enjoyed all the Sophie Cousens books I‘ve read so far. She‘s become a real favorite.

My February #BookSpinBingo card. 12 books finished, one bingo. Only 2 nonfiction this time, including my BookSpin pick Somebody‘s Daughter, which was excellent.

Here‘s my #BookSpin list for March. There are a couple here that I‘m really looking forward to!

I had fun meeting JoJo Moyes last night at Quail Ridge Books. She was so funny! This was one of the only stops on her US book tour. I also like the sign in the mantle behind us.

I finished both my #BookSpin picks this weekend. Somebody‘s Daughter was excellent. Ashley C. Ford writes about trauma and a challenging childhood with skill, honesty, and a lot of empathy. It would be easy for her to have written this from a place of anger but she made a different choice.

Still Life was another enjoyable installment in the Karen Pirie series. It‘s so interesting how all the story threads come together.

Thanks to library holds I‘m finally getting to read some of last year‘s top books. This one was maybe a bit over complicated but definitely worthy of the hype. At first I struggled a little because there were so many characters to keep up with and two timelines, but it all came together well. I liked that almost all of the POV characters were women, especially Judyta and Louise.

My picks for this month‘s #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin. I‘m going to be listening to the audiobook of Somebody‘s Daughter. I hope everyone has a great reading month.

Here‘s my #BookSpinBingo card from January. I got one bingo, read 13 books, and finished both my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin. The ones I enjoyed most were Don‘t Forget to Write, Five-Star Weekend, and What You are Looking for is in the Library. I also really recommend Sing Sing Files, which was not fun at all but an important nonfiction look at wrongful imprisonment.

Overall a great reading month.

I really enjoyed this book. It‘s a set of interconnected short stories about different people who are struggling when they find their way to a small library in a community center. There they are connected with books that inspire change. I read this for the #PS2025 Healing Fiction prompt. I hadn‘t heard of that genre but will definitely read more of it.

Here‘s what I‘m thinking for February #BookSpin but I might tweak it before our numbers come out. Hoping for a distracting month of reading.

I was able to finish six #AuldLangSpine books from @Jerdencon this month. I enjoyed all of them. Except for The Five Star Weekend they were all historical fiction. I enjoyed these glimpses of different lives! I will keep reading off your list this year.

Thanks to @monalyisha for hosting and coordinating this fun swap every year. This is my favorite Litsy activity! I think about what I‘m going to out on my list all year.

Another good book from the #AuldLangSpine list I got from @Jerdencon this year. I always like stories about women making their way against the grain, which is what happens in this story of life for a young widow after World War II. She gets a job working in radio, and it deals with some of the issues of the time period that I hadn‘t read about in historical fiction before.

I read this thriller about “black bag” PR, which means trying to hide/overwhelm/manage negative image problems, in this case in Hollywood. This is what is alleged to have happened in the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni situation. But in this book there‘s also murder. Overall, I enjoyed the book but the pacing was a little off and the way the 14-year-old girl character was written was not believable. Even for a jaded Hollywood teenager.

Another #AuldLangSpine winner from @Jerdencon I hadn‘t read this author before. I enjoyed how she mixed her characters on with real life celebrities in this story of life in the French Riviera before World War II came to France.

I never read a book jacket so I thought this was just going to be about Marion defying expectations by becoming a dancer. Turns out there‘s a whole other plot based on a real life bombing case. All of this was entertaining to read. My one issue was the father character was such an overbearing jerk and I think the main character was too understanding of him. I will put another thought in comments. Thanks @Jerdencon for the #AuldLangSpine pick

The cozy mystery set in a cafe or restaurant almost always works for me. This one goes into maybe a little more detail about the cafe offerings than I might need but the mysteries are always good and the cast of characters is usually fun.

This mystery had a good premise and there were secrets in both timelines, but it ended really abruptly! So abruptly I‘m not sure if there‘s meant to be a sequel or not.

Another #AuldLangSpine winner from @Jerdencon I really enjoyed this one. Marilyn and Aunt Ada were such fun characters. It ends a little tidy but I didn‘t care. I loved how rebellious both characters were.

I hadn‘t read this author before but now I want to see how the rest of her books are.

I hope all the Littens in Southern California are safe! I have family out there who are luckily ok so far. These fires are so scary and devastating. Thinking of and praying for anyone who is affected by this disaster.

Everyone should read this book, especially if you might ever serve on a jury. The author, a producer on Dateline, writes about his efforts bringing attention and justice to people with wrongful convictions in New York City. I‘ve read a lot about wrongful conviction but some of this was still shocking.

This was my #DoubleSpin for January

I enjoyed this book about a “Rosie the Riveter” who is trying to find her path after the war ends & women aren‘t needed at the airplane factory. I‘ve always been interested in this topic — where did these women go if they didn‘t want to go back home? This one is a bit more soapy as it involves artists, a little scandal, and a hotel. Hazel was a little naive at times but I was rooting for her to find her way. This was my #BookSpin & #AuldLangSpine

Elin Hilderbrand‘s books really go down easy. I have not read all her books in order but every time, I start out thinking all these people are awful, but she finds a way to make you care about them. (I really wanted to shake the daughter character throughout, though.) I enjoyed this as a fun start to my #AuldLangSpine reading for January.

My first #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin picks for 2025! The first one is from my #AuldLangSpine list from @Jerdencon and I‘m listening to the audiobook. The other is a nearly overdue library book that I didn‘t feel like reading in December so I‘m glad to have the extra push to get to it.

Starting my first #AuldLangSpine pick from @Jerdencon Seemed like the best way to spend my last vacation day. Happy New Year Litsy friends.

For the first time ever, I got a blackout on my #BookSpinBingo card! Holiday reading and novellas for the win. I don‘t know if this will ever happen again but I‘m excited to finish my year with this accomplishment.

My year in books! This is the most I‘ve ever read in one year. I‘m tagging #BookSpinBingo because it was a real motivator this year. Thanks, @TheAromaofBooks

Last book of 2024! Ending on a high note with this magical and melancholy story. Augusta is such a great character. “She believed in medicine and in miracles.” Highly recommend.

I realized I still needed to post my #Nonfiction2024 bingo card. Some of these are only lightly connected to the prompt but I did it! I always enjoy mixing nonfiction into my reading year.

Jimmy Carter was a personal hero to me for the way he conducted his life after leaving office. In 2011, I had the honor of meeting him after one of his Sunday School lessons in Plains. I have more than a few books about him, but it will take a lot to capture his legacy. There hasn‘t been and probably won‘t be another public figure like him. And amazing life as our longest lived president.

I really enjoyed this! The Christmas stories included here were often a little supernatural/ghostly. The sections with a recipe also included the author sharing the significance of the food in her own life and holiday experiences. I could see myself revisiting this one!

I thought this was a cute romance/rom com, but the main draw is the setting at the Tower of London, where the author lived. I loved the inside scoop about what it would be like to live there, with some history mixed in.

This was a great book to read uninterrupted during a holiday break. I‘m not sure this kind of small town really exists but I enjoyed how the main character, a bit of a fish out of water, found a home in this one. My favorite secondary character was the grumpy owner of the inn.

Made my January #BookSpin list. Like everyone I‘m surprised it‘s almost a new year already. Many of these (3-10) are from my #AuldLangSpine list with a few new options and some overdue library books that I didn‘t feel like reading in December.

Merry Christmas everyone! I was happy to finish this before Christmas lunch. It was as fun as everyone has said. I loved it. This was my #BookSpin for December.

Another holiday book winner! I finished this one last night with It‘s a Wonderful Life on in the background. I loved this story of a struggling bookshop and what happens when the owners send books to locals who need a pick me up. It has some Christmas magic and felt very much like a Jenny Colgan book. I really enjoyed it. Thanks to @OriginalCyn620 for the recommendation!

Thank you @LeslieO for my #Jolabokaflod swap gift! I love Sophie Cousens so I can‘t wait to read this. And you sent so much chocolate that I can‘t fit it all in this picture. I can‘t wait to try the sponge candy! I‘ve never had that. Happy reading to all #JS2024 participants and thanks to @MaleficentBookDragon for hosting.

This was more of a family drama than a mystery and it definitely wasn‘t a thriller. I was curious enough about what happened to the father but a lot of this wasn‘t compelling. I did not understand the motivations of the father character and his primary relationship, which took away some of my enjoyment. I did care enough to finish though! This didn‘t fit well with my other December reads but I had to take it when my library hold came in!

For the last few years I‘ve made it a tradition to listen to this two books. I really love Hugh Grant‘s narration on A Christmas Carol, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a childhood favorite. Written in the 1970s, some of the humor and characterizations are pretty dated but the story is still sweet. I‘d like to see the new movie version to see how it translates.

I listened to this series as part of my holiday reading this year. It was a cute series! You have to accept there is a family of Christmas tree farm owners with holiday themed names, but that goes with the territory. I liked Nick and Noel the best of the three. I listened to it second bc I didn‘t realize at first that this was a series.

Today was my last day of work for the year! Now I can stay up late and read. Starting this one now.

I‘ve read holiday books of all kinds this month and this is my favorite so far. I loved the way part of it is written in journal form! It was creepy but there was also a lot of (not necessarily happy) holiday elements in the story. Really enjoyed it. I finished it up on my lunch break. Thanks to @OriginalCyn620 for the recommendation.

I enjoyed this book even though almost all of the characters annoyed me at certain points! The two main characters decide to fake date & deal with family issues & work problems. There‘s one plot thread that wasn‘t resolved at the end but maybe it was in a future book. The cover is pretty but the book is set an hour away from where I live; as you can see from our forecast— it doesn‘t really snow here at Christmas! This was my #DoubleSpin

My #JolabokaflodSwap package just arrived. I‘m working from home today so I was able to bring it right in! #JS2024

Mixing this one in with my holiday reading. It‘s cute so far.

This was creepy in parts! Definitely a change of pace from the light seasonal books I‘ve been reading lately. I actually hadn‘t read this author before and I want to read more of her work now. This one reminded me a bit of The Return of Ellie Black.