The reader knows from the meet-cute how this HEA must end. I wondered , oh geez is this story going to sustain its length with a revolving door of bad dates before Maggie finally sees what is right in front of her. But it didn‘t go down that way and turned out to be a fun read.

Well, this was a fun book for yet another snow day. it didn‘t take long for the setting of this story to change from a mountain lodge to a gin joint 🤣

It took me a while to really get into this (wasn‘t sure I was ready to vibe with 1500s Catholicism) but once the MC, Marguerite, found herself and company facing the great unknownr on a deserted island I was all in. Jumping in blind to this book, I did not realize until the author‘s notethe MC was a real person from 1500s French - Canadian history. I liked it!

If anybody needs me, I‘m down the google rabbit hole as I learn more about the Harlem Renaissance and the men and women of color who were part of it. Do I wish the story had less pages dedicated to the fictional conversations of the affair that took place between Jessie Fauset and W.E.B Du Bois? Yes, but that pales in comparison to my exposure to this piece of American life.

This book was too weird for me. Since I had fun reading Nightbitch and this book gave me those vibes I‘m going to attribute mood reading issues as to why this gets a so-so rather than a pick. It‘s a wild read as the reader figures out what is real and not for this new mother, and who is good and not. I needed to go all in to enjoy this but couldn‘t find my way.

But in other happenings Go Chiefs for all who celebrate ♥️💛🏈

This was cute. The antics of this classic romance trope was fun to navigate because the FMC and MMC were both so darn likable. And credit to the author because we are entertained by just the FMC and MMC well past 60% before the supporting characters enter the story.

I loved how three distinct stories wove together to become with a single story of hope, love, and community.

Feb #BookSpin Category: Community @TheAromaofBooks

Book 2 of this family hooked me as hard as the first. No matter Isaac‘s journey to manhood the path of this confused, effeminate, sweet man would have been eased by accepting parents. What I thought turned this book to a beautiful piece of literature was Isaac learning to look inside himself for the truths to accept and forgive his parents‘ flaws that molded their lived experiences .

My favorite thing about my 3x3 grid is mapping out the back side of my #indexcard stack to determine who gets the tag. Brooke, turns out this one is for you!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

I seek out migrant stories but this one didn‘t work for me because of bad timing on my part. There is so much drudgery of life in this story offering little hope to contemplate, and currently, at least in my fiction, I need pieces of hope. Here I just wished this fictional couple parted ways before their Yale graduations.

This book brought up some feels. I wish I could write that I never experienced being on the surviving side of someone‘s suicide and those notes, but like so many that would not be my story.

Family drama is my go-to genre and I really liked this one. In some ways it reminded me of Nicholas Sparks storytelling. I liked that although it was not clarified, the reader knew early the reason if not the details, leading to the break up of Kyle and Casey. I liked that the reader was allowed to like both of them even through their flaws and I liked that the long resolution for the story came well before the last chapter..

Well this story, although easy to follow, went in several directions. I was both entertained and disturbed by some characters and their actions. It‘s a complete ending even though I‘m a bit unsatisfied how things played out for one (no spoiler) of them.

My body seems to have completely forgotten its Western Montana roots (maybe it was those 5 San Antonio winters I experienced🤣), because I can‘t even abide Kansas City‘s ‘Uary‘ months with comfort and ease. But at least I covered myself in the warmth of books and contributed to my new year of my #indexcard collection!

This was an interesting mystery-turned-whodunnit tangled web of an abandoned friends group from 20 years prior. I was nearing the end before I considered this author‘s magical elements were left out of the story. Then I had to laugh realizing I didn‘t consider the MC getting little clues from her deceased twin as a magical element.

Initially, I planned to save this book for an Oct ‘25 read before reminding myself a similar ‘24 plan created a TBR of well over 60 books that I still haven‘t completed. I‘m glad I read this sooner because the horrors in the 1970 setting of this story have little to do with witchcraft. And how is Grady Hendrix not a female author!

One ‘uary‘ month nearly done and one to go before I come out of hibernation 🥶. But whatever book discussions February might bring your way, I hope it is as meaningful as was this discussion of the three little pigs and the strength of brick🤣

February 2025 #BookSpinBingo
@TheAromaofBooks

When I grew up Brooke Shields was America‘s Princess, and I monitored her life through my Seventeen magazines so much that I‘ve been hard-pressed for 40+ years to ignore sightings of her. This is a good and humorous read of a woman who‘s evaluated her life in her 50‘s and realized life lessons for herself on aging, career, marriage, empty-nesting, friendships, health, and more. The mishaps in her hospital procedures are 😳

This book was a tough read (reading via my vintage kindle added to the challenge), but I stuck with because it was good. I have personal experiences that gave me specific interests in the author‘s details and I think that was essential to my positive opinion of this book. Kathleen is a poet and how that juxtaposed with her time spent in the theology of Benedictine monasteries was fascinating. #NunLitQuarterly

The story is beautifully told from 1947 forward and back to 2008. It starts in Shanghai with both Suchi and Haiwen bound in friendship and love but separated through war. They happen upon each other 20 years later in Hong Kong and 40 years later in LA. The book is rich in language from Shanghainese, Taiwanese, Mandarin, and English - even as an English written story.

I was just a couple chapters into the tagged when I was pretty sure it would be my clear favorite of this reading grid. I was completely immersed in skating beauty and drama for years and this book took me back!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

I don‘t know if anything scares me more than the abuse of the human mind through the bastardization of religion so accounts like this are hard for me. I never watched of One Tree Hill during its 9-yr run and when I saw this cover thought - ohh fun, a memoir from an Hallmark actress🤣

I followed figure skating religiously for 30+ years and can‘t name why I quit keeping up with it in the 2010s. This fictional retelling brought me right back to all that drama, and I loved my stereo experience of printed word and full-cast audio. If you are reading and think Ellis is giving you Johnny Weir feels - good call as Johnny narrates Ellis in the audio😀

I seem to be a heat-seeking missile toward sketchy author plots. (In fact, I should pull my index cards to see which ranks as my favorite!). This one was giving my SK Misery vibes then went in a direction I surely didn‘t see coming. I found it very entertaining. I did have to do a quick review of the first 14 chapters🤣

This is my second Matt Haig book. The fantastical nature of this book is lighter and more hopeful than the twists and turns of the Midnight Library. It‘s always fun to read a septuagenarian find a new lease on life.

My immediate reaction to this book was quit now - a mother paying a dude to act as her daughter‘s father for one afternoon a week for 8 years - nah. Those thoughts were so immediate that I kept reading to consider my visceral reaction. Almost just as quickly I came to like and sympathize with this MC and his logic as a man hired (non-sexually) to act the part of whatever his client needed. I believe it ended as it should have.

This book hooked me because octopus, but there‘s little to justify the title. I didn‘t dislike it except the premise made no sense. Two BFFs leave Toronto to uni in Scotland. Why there - so MC, Pen, can research the origins of her boyish middle name. Weak😜 While the bff storyline remains at university, Pen‘s is split between college life (how embarrassing to be a virgin) and her connection to the grand estate of Lord Elliot Lennox.

This memoir was a BOTM add-on. I didn‘t choose it but picked up the readily available audio. I‘ve never followed YouTube channels so never knew of the Franke family or the Vlog, 8 Passengers, until reading this book. I wish it were illegal to include minors in reality entertainment. Too often the reality of those minors is so different than what the audience sees. I hope Shari can make a difference for minor children living two realities.

I liked this, it provided the sense of war for 1937 Chinese students searching safety in the interior of their country while invaded by Japan. I‘m fascinated by Chinese lores so the effort to save volumes of legendary tales fascinated me. The touch of magical realism brought those lores to life. …That said, the storytelling was a bit simplistic for the horrors of war.

Jan #BookSpin Cat:Across an Ocean @TheAromaofBooks

Why is hauling-the-disguised-dead-body-all-around-town-trope so funny? I don‘t know, but sometimes dark humor is just the ticket for an entertaining read. Also, having a best friend old enough to be your mother adds to the charm. The hauling aspect lasted for half the book and the second half finagles a path through the aftermath. There were a few repetitive moments, but overall, it was a fun story.

I‘m very content with my first grid of 2025 because even a 4.5 breaks down to a A- with my subjective logic. Next Dec I believe I‘ll be including the tagged when posting about my favorite reads of the year.

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

It‘s such an honor to grow gracefully old with your spouse of 70 years. It‘s also impossible that grace would define every aspect of a marriage, a family, a life. This book does a lovely job of honoring an ordinary couple navigating that marriage together.

I had to experience his memoir on audio with audiotapes from Lisa Marie augmented with perspective from Riley. It‘s the later that made everything about this feel incredibly genuine. It‘s a beautiful tribute from an eldest child for her deceased mother and if there‘s a way, I‘m sure Lisa Marie is incredibly proud of the work she began and the final product completed by Riley.

I know, I‘m a grandmother now, but I still can‘t resist a thriller of moms of wee ones coveting the possessions of their ‘friends‘ and behaving badly. …It reminds when I was an overwhelmed working mom and would step out my back door to a slightly raised wood deck for my daily jump rope routine. Over the valley was the coveted neighborhood of very wealthy homes and I‘d imagine my surely easy life had I lived in that neighborhood - silly me.

Well, of course, as soon as I return Book2, Libby drops Book1 to complete my reverse series experience. This was my favorite of the 3 books since this story kept-it-in-their-pants (mostly) and focused on character development. It was fun to read the MCs for books 2&3 introduced as supporting character here. But poor Lucy, I feel she needs a .05 book so she can provide her perspective and I can keep reading this series in reverse!👇

Kudos to JP for this story in reverse accounting for many perspectives on the topic of abortion. …I strongly believe in the separation of church and state - a freedom of and/or from religion. I carry a faith personal (no proselytizing from me) so books like this are hard for me to read since a meaningful discussion about abortion sans someone else‘s religious take is near impossible.

Jan ‘25 #DoubleSpin Cat: Pub 2016-19

There was an obvious nod to PS I Love You in title and correspondence (received from the posthumous giver) setting up challenges for a year, but beyond that the story differed. I enjoyed it even with the early recognition that Maddie, the FMC, seriously needed therapy to resolve her childhood rearing as well as the manner in which her high school crash played out.

I put this series on hold in November and of course they are dropping in 3-2-1 sequence 😜 I liked the storyline with the HEA romance between Hazel and Noah as they uncover the mystery of marred books her shop but thought Noah‘s personal issues could have been more credible if he was written older than 25. My issue was I became bored of the lengthy focus on spice (and constant gushy inarticulated feelings) and wanted to get back to story.

This cover gave me Margo‘s GMP vibes so I jumped in without knowing more about the story. At the onset, we see Emma is a year sober after a crazy decade of sex, drugs and alcohol. Can she stay sober after earning that one year pin at AA? I really liked how this outlined just how easy it is for so many situations to pull an addict back to a dark place, how strong they have to be to overcome and how important community is to their success.

Well 💩, this was terrifying. Required reading if you dare. But holy 💩!

in 2024 I covered myself with 272 books. Years back on Litsy I bemoaned my inability to retain all I read. I paraphrase a Litten response - Like eating I read to live. I don‘t remember every meal I ate this year, and I don‘t recall every book read. But the great ones, oh boy, do I remember those! …So, it‘s like that - along with spoilers and my subjective ratings on the backside of every #indexcard pictured! Happy 2025 you gorgeous Littens!

Last batch of entries for my 2024 #indexcard collection before I throw all 12 months into a single pile for the annual pic - then tediously sort them by author last name into years worth of cards. So my day is planned!

#MonthlyWrapUp December 2024

I read the author‘s note first and it made this story set in deadliest urban disaster in US history at the time (1811) even more disturbing. That a slave has no obituary in local papers to document one‘s time on earth is not shocking but incredibly sad. That a white man would prefer a wife dead to disabled and could make that happen - ugh! That a slave is compelled to run into danger to save whites from death is heroism beyond measure.

I noticed this book became available on Libby and placed a hold on this auto-read author for me. I was 3/4 of the way through before realizing this was published in 2011. I thought it was a fun action-packed dystopian story. There were some lulls in the plot and that only made me appreciate the evolution of his writing. …And now I don‘t feel so bad about my inability to see the aurora lights so many Americans were able to witness this summer 🤣

I‘m so excited for a another year where I‘m able to prioritize reading. I hope each of you can run (perhaps with a gift from. 2024) into 2025 with eyes full of glee, hope, and youthful enthusiasm! @TheAromaOfBooks, Thank you so much for doing this. It is my favorite reading challenge since twice a month I shop my own bookshop for hidden reading treasures!

#BookSpinBingo January 2025

In November and after many Litsy sightings I placed all 3 books in this series on Libby holds, and of course the 3rd dropped first but kind of perfect timing as I prepped yesterday for the goings on of today. I enjoyed it and didn‘t feel I missed out for not knowing the backstories while at the same time anxious to read those stories.

May this day be Merry and Bright for each of you!

I appreciate that the heartbreaking pasts that give NS characters their character often happen prior to the onset of the book because Jasper‘s story was that of nightmares. Except for a certain amount of respect I lost for Caitlan‘s after her over-the-top reaction to learning more about Tanner on their official first date, this was a beautiful story of love and family. I appreciated that Jasper‘s faith didn‘t come with political analogies.

Sometimes I have to work myself up to epic stories about of ancient kingdoms - all the characters and their parts. I‘m so glad I prioritized this because I was all in from beginning to end. It was the perfect cast of characters to tell this story, and I was never completely convinced which way Xishi‘s heart would land. The ending was so good.

This is an old school sad story with those feel good moments that give you hope this time of year. It struck me, this book written in 1999 speaking of American treatment of Chinese and Irish Immigrants that in 2024 the story would be told of Hatian immigrants. It‘s not what makes America great.

This grid was filled with a pile of stories that were okay. But I‘m sure glad I prioritized the tagged - I will think about it for a long time.

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F