I realized today that I never shared my April #ISpy board. Much better than last month! @TheAromaofBooks

I've never read Rushdie, but heard that this was good on audio. I always enjoy memoirs read by the author. Honestly, I didn't love the writing. (I'm finding myself very irritated by judicious uses of "she said" & "he said". This is not the first time.) The story was interesting enough, and I am obviously very happy that he survived to tell it. This was a so-so for me, but I'm sure that it will resonate highly with others!

⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finally. Out of my slump - what a good month! Especially for the end of the semester. And I didn't have anything below a 3.5⭐!

Nothing extra special to say here - just a good, well-paced mystery!

Although I now realize that this is number three in a series and I skipped two! 😂 Reading in order isn't really required, however. #readyourbookshelf

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Dewey's wrap up! I had a great day of reading - completed one book in print, completed one book on audio, and started another on audio. What a lovely, lazy Saturday! @DeweysReadathon

Sobbed like a baby through the last third of this, probably because I'm in a period of changing relationships in my own life, which was a huge theme in this book. It's not often that romances have twists, nor focus on friendship nearly as much as romance - both of those were nice surprises.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Essays aren't a go-to genre for me, but a Southern girl transplanted to NYC? Sign me up. This was delightful, & the author's voice was perfect. Will definitely listen to more of her collections.

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love Ann Patchett. I love Meryl Streep. I love "Our Town".

So, yeah, I loved this book on audio.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was just lovely. Billed as a novel, this is actually five short stories in which the characters are interconnected. This was gifted to me, & I'm so glad I own a physical copy, because I foresee returning to this.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My March "I Spy"!

@TheAromaofBooks

Never posted my March stats - a low month because of family stuff (all fine, just busy!). But I've already read two books this month, so April is looking up! 😁

This was sweet! Predictable, but it's a romance, so of course it is. A perfect brain-cleansing read.

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Had a lovely chat with the lady who checked me into my appointment to have my tires changed at Walmart because she is wearing a "Read Banned Books" t-shirt. I love book people!

Wrapping my head around this one, so I don't have many words. This might be the most well-written of all of them.

Continuing to break hearts, Ms. Collins. I am unwell.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Even spelled the "correct" way! ?

I just adore Louise Penny. Inspector Gamache continues to be one of my all-time favorite literary characters.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The phone rang. Again.

Love me some Inspector Gamache.
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Thanks to @BarbaraBB for this link - this is fun! Going to check out this for sure.

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/quiz-which-book-from-the...

Slow month for me, but I've also been reading Iron Flame. I only record pages when I finish a book, not daily.

Not a great #ispybingo month, but I'm really enjoying these! I don't read to try to complete Bingo - I just see what happens! #ispy @TheAromaofBooks

David Tennant is my favorite Doctor & one of my favorite actors, so I jumped at the chance to listen to him narrate. And who doesn't love James Bond?

Me. I don't love James Bond. Not as books - I enjoy the films as much as the next person. The books are dated & problematic in places, but that's understandable. IMO, the action scenes translate so much better to film, even with such a great narrator.

⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #readyourbookshelf

Gosh, this was depressing. I got it on Audible because it's narrated by Colin Firth, and I finished because he narrated. ☺️ Not sure if I would have if I had been reading with my eyes. Lovely language, but I didn't like the characters, nor the plot. Just not for me.

⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I watched this movie last week (Tom Hanks, #iykyk) & cried as hard as I've cried at a movie in some time. I didn't know it was based on a graphic novel until the credits rolled, & I immediately ordered it. The premise is brilliant - the "camera" stays in one place for the entirety, as we jump back & forth through time, often with multiple years in different, overlapping panes on the same page. Almost no words. So good.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lots of fun for Trekkies/Trekkers - fun twist to the phenomenon of a "red shirt". Wil Wheaton is always a wonderful narrator. But this author MUST find synonyms to "s/he said". Every line of dialogue was followed by "s/he said". Good grief, that was annoying.

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is my first time using Storygraph & I'm hooked! What lovely graphics.

Finally out of my reading slump. Hallelujah. #JumpStart2025

1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
1 ⭐⭐⭐
2 ⭐⭐
1 ⭐✨

Another cozy mystery that just didn't do it for me. However, this was #12 in a series that I'd never read, & I imagine that I would have enjoyed it much more had I been invested for that long. I did love that the crochet patterns for important items in the plot were included!

⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

Somehow, I didn't know #ispybingo is a thing! 😁 So, I'm catching up with January. This is fun! The different colors indicate different books. I don't intend to pick books in order to check off squares, so we're just going to have to see if any of my months end up with a bingo. @TheAromaofBooks

A cat, a book-themed blanket, NFL playoffs, & my book. #hyggehourmarathon @Chrissyreadit @AllDebooks @TheBookHippie

*whew* I don't typically listen to fiction, but this full-cast recording had been recommended. I enjoyed the pandemic story throughout, and then POW! the ending just hits with a twist. Each chapter is from a different person's POV, hence the multiple narrators. Excellent all around.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

I'm sorry to say that I simply didn't find this book to be very good. Granted, it's the third in a series. The stories stand alone, but there were references to previous stories, like many mystery series. I would have bailed if it weren't a mystery. I wanted to know whodunit, but the ending fell flat for me. It simply wasn't very creative or well-written, in my opinion.

⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

Read in one day. Yes, it's predictable - it's a romance. Kudos for addressing mental health issues, but I felt it was a bit heavy-handed with explanation/exposition at the beginning - I would have appreciated more showing, less telling. Still had me racing to read to the end!

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐#readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

"They're calling him Dr. Death."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Lived up to the hype! I'm not huge on fantasy, but this one kept me reading!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

Rose is helping to keep me warm in the snow-covered south. And my blanket is book themed! ☺️

#hyggehourreadathon

This was, for me, the epitome of "fine". I still read it quickly to see how it ended because it was a thriller, but the ending wasn't terribly creative nor surprising.

⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #ReadYourKindle #JumpStart2025 @Lizpixie

Another page turner with many twists I saw coming... But one I didn't. First Ellison I've read, but not the last! #ReadYourKindle #JumpStart2025 @Lizpixie

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The minute I read this, I knew that Ms. Ellison was from Nashville. She knows what's up. 😁

Devoured this one in a day - oh, my heart. Halfway through, I decided that I need to check out more by this author, but then his acknowledgements said that this was a departure from his normal
content & tone, so now I wonder. Still will probably check out more of his, because I couldn't put this down & sobbed through the end. 🥹

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#ReadYourKindle #JumpStart2025 @Lizpixie

And, my first book of 2025 is a DNF. 😂 Tried this one for #Authoramonth, but just couldn't get into the dated language, etc. Not usually an issue for me - I adore Sherlock Holmes - but I long ago decided that if a book doesn't grab me quickly, I move on. On to other things until February! @Soubhiville

Stolen from @Texreader.

Happy New Year, Littens! 🎇

Ugh. Such a bad reading year. Life was just chaotic this year! But it's 2025... Lessgo!

I just hit my #20in4 #YearEnd by finishing up this on audio. If you know me, you are not surprised that I listened to this one, which I typically don't do with fiction (looking at you @britt_brooke 😉). This is long, but weaves together beautifully & tugs your heartstrings. No surprise that the best actor in the world has become a beautiful storyteller.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#OutWithTheOldInWithTheNew @Andrew65

Okay. Let's see what the hubbub is about. 😉 #YearEnd #20in4 #OutWithTheOldInWithTheNew #ReadYourShelves

No wonder I was seeing this all over everyone's feed! What a delight! The banter of Maggie & Ethan had me smiling throughout - I could picture a Cary Grant type playing Ethan. Read this in one sitting & absolutely adored it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#YearEnd #20in4 #OutWithTheOldInWithTheNew #ReadYourKindle @Andrew65

This was a #blameitonlitsy from @kspenmoll - I read it in one sitting - just what I was looking for! A locked room Christie-esque Christmas semi-cozy murder mystery that I blazed through in order to figure out whodunit.

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Premise was great. Twists were good. Writing... not so much. I finished it because I wanted to know how it ended, but I won't be reading more of hers.

⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When your 19yo says "I was drawn to this book by its cover, read the synopsis, & thought 'Mama will love this!', you dive into your Christmas gift! ? #currentread #currentlyreading

I've been terrible about keeping up to date on Litsy. What I haven't been terrible at is getting together with #NashvilleLittens. Our annual Christmas gathering is always full of laughter, too much food, & extravagant gift giving. @ferskner @britt_brooke @LouLouLane @Alfrazier21 @Booksnchill @adnama82 @HeatherBookNerd

Such a lovely day with some of my favorite people! #NashvilleLittens

Once again, I've been away & I'm back. ☺

It's been a busy season - in May, my older daughter graduated from Boston University & my younger daughter finished her freshman year at Dean College. I'm teaching a summer course right now which is keeping me quite busy, but in two weeks I will have much more time on my hands! I've missed you, Littens! Here's to being more consistent on the beat social media platform ever! ♥