As prequel-ish sequel this had a YA vibe that was quite different than the original. Once I settled into the story, I found it interesting. It‘s a wherever-the-facts-may-lead-us type of story!

And once again, Lucy gets all my stars - and the tag!

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. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

I finally read this! How have I lived a life as long as I have with no idea how this book progressed. I kept thinking that as I read along, this story and how it resolves would come to be me as a memory long forgotten. But nope, no idea, full surprise at the end!

Here‘s my September 2022 #MonthlyWrapUp and a few additions to my #indexcard collection. …My grand twins are spending the next couple days and overnight with me so I thought I better call it a month on completing another book - and take advantage to post this now. It‘s really hard to control my own phone in the face of two little beings exactly one month shy of two!

I have fun keeping up with JG romances because I‘m always entertained by the yarns she weaves. I appreciated the honest communication of Margot and Luke from the onset of the meet cute. Because that is too often not the case in this genre. There has to be some drama in a romance and was I tad disappointed in how that played out here, but that said, I still had fun with the story.

I loved this story and I couldn‘t stop reading it. Dikembe/Celestine took hold of my thoughts, and I had to know how his story ended. I wish I had to suspend disbelief to consider a child locked in an attic but sadly it‘s all too believable.

I have so many October type reads on my TBR that I need October to stretch into a quarter! 
Last year I loved reading Frankenstein for the first time so this month I‘m determined to at least read books 8-12 on my list. I‘m starting Dracula and The Witches today because I think they may be slow reads and I‘m committed to my plan!

October2022 #BookSpinBingo
@TheAromaofBooks

This may be the shortest space of time (2 years) in a dual timeline book that I‘ve ever read and I thought It was very effective. I found myself anxious to know the fate of Tallulah, and I really wanted Kim to find her.

There‘s aspects of this world I find interesting - separating my shadow from myself has been a fun though while out walking :). Unfortunately, I just didn‘t connect with any of the characters.

There were too many disparate parts for me to hang on and really enjoy this story. I felt like the author had a pile of ideas and put them all in one story. There‘s the family drama of 3 Chinese American siblings and their mother, a drama among work colleagues, the conflict of dating apps on society, the random dropping of book titles, and oh yea a murder to solve and those connections.

Oh my goodness, this book is incredibly thoughtful and beautifully written. I held this story closer, and now it‘s behind me ;)

I first read this book in June 2019. Tonight I host my IRL bookclub for the first time since sometime before that June. All I remembered of this book was that I liked it a lot and what the title meant, so I thought I best give it a reread. Well, I still like it a lot and I‘m humbled - all the way to the last page without recalling the story.

I liked the idea of a contemporary mystery set in Sri Lanka and was compelled to read to the conclusion, but it just wasn‘t a fun read for me. I‘m a fan some good unlikable characters, but there was just something missing here. Maybe there were just too many twists.

I like the majority of what I read and typically rate books between 3-75-5 stars (B- to A+). I‘m always surprised when I have a grid 3 or more lower ranks. Thank goodness the tagged was a fun surprise!

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. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

The factors driving this story were dull dull. I should have been curious if Raymond was Clemi‘s bio dad, if Sophie would hide out in the secret cove in her bookstore, how they‘d experience the 2017 eclipse, the efficiency of a rumba vacuum - but none of it mattered to me. I was compelled to research an Aga stove though - those are cool!

I saw this cover and dove in without reading what the story was about. The story envisioned about a black 50s girl group was really just the setup for a bigger story of three sisters‘ struggles to live (or not) their mama‘s dreams. Once I got over my misconception, I really liked it. ↓

There were some serious undertones to this book, but the funny and snarky won out. One 70ish grandmother, three 50ish (well 4) daughters, and 8 adult granddaughters exceeded my ability to track who belonged to whom. So I gave up and just appreciated the nuances of each woman‘s experience as a Vietnamese-American. ↓

I was expecting this to be a fictionalized version of the abuse of a young elite athlete, but it didn‘t really go the direction I expected. The direction she took Devon‘s character bothered me so I have a hard time giving this one a pick.

September BookSpin #DoubleSpin @TheAromaOfBooks

Imagine reading ‘City of Girls‘ set in the 1920‘s and this book would result. It gets a pick from me not for the fictional conversation therein but for introducing me to 4 fascinating IRL New Yorkers that deserve to be remembered and researched (thanks google!): Dorothy Parker, Jane Grant, Margaret Leech, Winifred Lenihan. ↓

My summer TBR was too high to stack this atop it, but the book kept calling me to it. It‘s all sorts of adorable so I have no regrets that another book remains stacked until next year. I love the influence of Joseph Campbell and that his recommendation to follow your bliss inspired the story - added nod to him, not lost on me, when supporting character Aunt Gert was described as a retired professor of theology and mythology :)

Even though the first book in this rereleased series garnered a pan from me (I felt even the narrator was in on the childhood fat shaming), it seems I cannot give up on a J-Co series. I still don‘t love this series, but it‘s growing on me, and dang it, now I‘m awaiting Book3 to see what Maggie does for love.

Other than a HS girl attending an elite summer running camp in Oregon, I found nothing here credible. I could go on and on about plot points I saw as significant fails, but I‘ll just mention two in a spoiler comment. I wish I could at least give this a so-so, but it has to be a pan from me. ↓

The setting and timeline here fascinated me - Italy, France, and Scotland over 4 generations, and I enjoyed how it was told. To google I went to read about the sinking of the Arandora Star (quick but meaningful mention in the book) - fascinating and so sad.

It‘s fun to enjoy some light-hearted books this month before my desire for October thrills takes over. My favorite is tagged, and I seldom give all my stars to a romance because I get so judgy about them!

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. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

Do you ever just pull up Netflix and scroll through to find a simple movie about friends - nothing complex or overly dramatic, maybe even forgettable in the grand scheme of movies? But it‘s want you want right now. This is that in book form.

This book contains some of my favorite characters of the year. I really enjoyed the story and the timing was different than a typical romance. I don‘t mind reading unlikable characters, but kudos to an author when they can tell a story chalk-full of likable voices. The audio is great and somehow even funnier that the author is the lone narrator.

It took a bit for my thumb to go up but this ended up a strong pick. Often times in sweeping family sagas I like the early story more than the later (I‘m thinking Pachinko). I liked how this story was not sequential and chapters revisited daughters already introduced - it stopped me from picking a favorite time. Epigenetics - google here I come. September #DoubleSpin

Since I‘m not familiar with Jeannette McCurdy I planned to skip this memoir but kept seeing positive reviews from Littens so I put a hold on it. Holy Moly! This may be as far back in the queue as I‘ve ever been with a library copy. Fortunately, my library purchased 120 copies. There‘s currently 710 holds on it, and I‘m curious how long my wait will actually be!

There was a point in my life when I moved into a newly built house with my All-American family to an emerging suburb. It was full of families similar to mine, and it was everything I ever wanted. Oh my gosh, this book reminds me of that because that picture of perfection is just a snapshot taken at an exceptional moment in time. Things will go awry, and one can never really know another household.

I find Hollywood of the 30s and 40s fascinating so I was intrigued by this immigrant story where so many worked on those famed lots in the lead up to the American entry into WWII. I liked the history and the fictional characters had potential. There were just so many characters that I didn‘t think they were written to their full potential. It could make for a great limited series though!

All by itself this was a quick fun HEA read. I can‘t help but compare it to The Love Hypotheses because the two are so similar. Hazelwood‘s women in STEM background is a hoot but I hope her future efforts are written with a romance trope different than bad assumptions and miscommunication because I just want more common sense from these women.

I anticipate TJR books long before my pre-order arrives at my doorstep on publishing day. I knew this one was heavy on tennis, and since my knowledge of the game is limited I was wary my interest in the story would wain. But I loved it - TJR put me in the head of a fictional elite athlete, and I was fascinated by the ride.

It‘s another #MonthlyWrapUp preserved via #indexcard. I‘m so glad I jot down notes on the backside of each card. It‘s funny how a few lines in my own handwriting can unfold the locked details of an entire book which is somewhere stored in the cavernous halls of my mind.

I was drawn to this as translated from the S Korean in a genre I don‘t typically read in translation. It was an interesting glimpse into how a 65-year old woman without family (okay, so she‘s a paid assassin) considers her future in S Korea. However, the thriller aspect was a little strange for me. I‘m giving it a so-so, but I‘m curious what Littens with more discriminating thriller tastes will have to say in their reviews. ↓

Knowing how this book resolves, it was great to just appreciate the writing in this IRL bookclub reread. The first time around I didn‘t recognize the narrator jumping out of the story to talk directly to the reader - I suspect there is an art to doing this writing technique successfully.

So I told Canon next month I plan to add this list of books to my personal canon of books read. I don‘t think he believes his grandma!

September 2022 #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaOfBooks

There was a rhythm to the first half of this book and my thoughts were pretty straightforward - just say no to polygamy. Then, the wind began to switch, the house to pitch, and suddenly this story became unhitched!

Another great grid of reading with my favorite tagged. I can‘t really complain about one ‘meh‘ story because those occasional experiences help me understand what I like in a book.

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. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

I loved the telling of this story. Until the last chapter everything happens in past tense but it‘s narrated with such intrigue that it felt very present. I was team Joey every step of the way. Perhaps my strongest conviction is my belief that every child needs and deserves to feel and know they matter. Stories like this gut me.

Post WWI to pre WWII historically fictionalized women fascinate me, so of course I was all in when the two timelines were 1928-1937 and 1947. I also got a kick out the 1947 Janey uncovering the early story with sidebars to explain to the reader how it was for women in 1928.

This series was not on my radar until I binge-watched the Netflix series in the early days of the Covid lockdown. Discovering characters adapted to screen seldom impedes me from enjoying the book later, so I wanted to at least read the first book to decide if the adaption has similar vibes to the book. Significant differences but similar vibe! ↓

I was invested in this story - it‘s thought provoking from all sorts of aspects. The thrills are subdued in the middle by courtroom drama, but I was equally intrigued by the legal elements. I liked that sides were not clearly drawn as the good and the bad - it helped paint the picture of how tenuous a reputation is.

This was just weird and I couldn‘t figure out what I was reading. I think the bungled up kidnapping was supposed to be funny but I failed to find the humor. As a romance, the third person telling fell flat. I didn‘t know if this would be an HEA or a thriller where the good guys would die. It just didn‘t work for me. Not a pan, but close. I love the cover art though.

This is a fascinating story. Blake Couch makes me question why sci-fi is not my go to genre!

There‘s no mystery here and only a hint of a budding romance, but i found something charming and satisfying in this book. Newly divorced, empty nested, and orphaned -if we can say that of a 40+ woman, Adie Lou has the opportunity to press reset on her life and find the thing that gives her joy. ↓

This makes me happy. I like stories IRL and in fiction when someone discovers that an elderly family member was actually quite bad ass in their day and lived an enviable life.

This book has been on my shelves for a minute - okay years, and finally found its way to my Bookspin list of 20. I‘m surprised I didn‘t read it when I still remembered the premise because I‘m fascinated by memoirs of those who realize a stalled life and sacrifice comfort and security to create more meaningful experiences. And this book is so pretty!

August #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

My reading goal for the remainder of the year, because I want to read from everywhere, is at least one book from my physical shelves for every library or e-book read. So far I‘m on target. Tagged was my favorite!

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. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

There was still much to know about Elin at the conclusion of Book1. Here there‘s characters to track should they be significant to a Book3, along with sisters, a cousin, boyfriends and deaths key to this story. As a reader I didn‘t get to be a fly on the page and resolve murders with Elin. Instead I was told what she figured out. It just wasn‘t a fun way for me to read a thriller - too many relationships for the mystery to properly unfold.

This little book has so much to say. The primary message is about the regrets of a man believing a good father had a responsibility to raise a ‘masculine‘ son. But the sub story of this aging father finally discovering black men proud of their blackness through the discovering of reading books is equally powerful - especially in today‘s environment.