Here's my #Scarathlon watchlist. So ready for some cozy couch time 🐈‍⬛🎃✨
#TeamBOOklovers @Bookwormjillk

My #TitlesandTunes October pick for #Blues is the Ballad of Perilous Graves. I don't know that blues specifically is involved, but music in New Orleans is the focus which I thought was pretty close.
My song is Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac ✨
@BarbaraBB @Cinfhen

Here's my October #BookspinBingo list! 🎃
Also posting this as my #Scarathlon TBR - my full list is like sixty titles long because as a mood reader I need options 😅

There's still time to sign up for the most fun spookiest event of the year! 👻 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnawYo1IDsBAr2s_LlqzBQlxM8KGwIqDxE1Dm4...

#TeamBOOklovers @Bookwormjillk @TheAromaofBooks

I forgot to post my #castthedie list before @PuddleJumper rolled the dice but here it is!
Looking forward to 1 & 11 - some witchy books! - and might try for 4 as well 🧙🏼‍♀️✨👻

I forgot to post that my #FallingForFallSwap package came earlier this week! 🍂
Thanks @Graciouswarriorprincess I can't wait ☺️
@Chrissyreadit @Avanders

Sending out my #FallingforFallSwap today! ☺️🍂
@Chrissyreadit @Avanders #FFFS

This was a really fun book, full of awkward yet lovable characters. Nina is adorably an anxious mess #relatable
I loved watching her connect with her newly discovered family and learning to embrace change and put her trust in others. I hate that I waited so long to read this but definitely looking forward to the next book set in this bookish community!

While this was a decent read, I was expecting a bit more focus on her journey through all the national parks and less relationship woes with her (ex)boyfriend. The descriptions we got of her travels were beautiful & inspiring, but I was hoping for more of them. I understand that it's a memoir though and obviously her trip changed her life in many ways. I admire her courage for traveling the country mostly solo, especially during a global pandemic.

It's been a while since I dipped back into Powell's Flos Magicae world, a 1920s alternate universe with magic. I enjoyed this quick novella that follows David after he has trekked to a secluded cabin in the north to find his best friend Amaruq, who disappeared without notice or explanation. They are now isolated together for the winter and maybe they can finally reveal their whole truths to each other. I loved the magic in this one ❄️

While I've read Pride and Prejudice many times, this was my first time listening to an audiobook version and I really enjoyed it. Rosamund Pike is amazing of course! I read this chapter by chapter along with the Live from Pemberley podcast. I learned a bunch and enjoyed the new perspectives and commentary.

This was such a fun book! Elizabeth runs a girls school but secretly writes penny dreadfuls under a penname & no one can find out or risk her school. Fletcher is an author of penny dreadfuls but also a member of the mysterious Dread Penny Society, which secretly offers help to urchins & the less fortunate. Chapters of each of their penny dreadfuls are interspersed throughout their adventures as they work together but each try to keep their secrets

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1. I'm one of the lucky ones - it's how I met my partner! Five years going on strong 🥰

2. The tagged is the first to come to mind. The app she uses is fictional but creates a unique story premise
Also My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren is a good one

Are there any NC littens who are planning on going to this event next weekend and might want to meet up?

Guess what came in the mail today! #AThingADay from @DinoMom ?
Thanks Sharon for this lovely package, it certainly brightened up my evening! I showed the book to my partner and he said "has she been spying on you?" ? I love it!

I never read this book as a child, although I had seen the movie. Reading this was every bit as magical and heartbreaking as I imagined it would be. The interview at the end with the author and her son, for whom she wrote the book, was very sweet.
August #roll100 @PuddleJumper
#2023ReadySetRead middle grade classic @Clwojick

I really loved this story! Found family at its finest. Libby arrives in London, lost in life after her boyfriend broke up with her, & meets elderly Frank on the 88 bus. He explains his daily rides as a way to find a girl he met sixty years ago but misplaced the ticket with her number. Libby is inspired to help him find her before dementia takes his memory completely. Along the way, Libby makes more friends & must contend with family relationships

Sports romance - friends to lovers - coach's son
After an injury, Raine and Mikey take some time away in a small Colorado town so he can recuperate and the chemistry they've been fighting for years becomes too much to resist.
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
#Booked2023 set in a mountain region @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @alisiakae

Finally found the energy to update my August #bookspinbingo board 🌻
@TheAromaofBooks

Thought the #pemberlittens might be interested in this interview with Jo Baker about her book Longbourn that the #hashtagbrigade read last year
Also I highly recommend this podcast in general, they just finished their read-through/discussion of P&P and I learned so much!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kcFnaLJodE1NNqHSqvNjA?si=U5viT6Q-TJ-9_dSTWyk_n...

I don't read a lot of poetry, and I know a lot of this probably went over my head. But I still found this collection to be so moving. The sadness and longing leaks off the page. He writes about his experience as a gay Vietnamese man and the rejection and otherness he has felt from each facet of his life. A beautiful examination of trauma.
But definitely check the TW: sexual assault, child abuse, suicidal thoughts, homophobia, racism

This was a really interesting, fun, fantastical novella. It was a quick dip into an alternate Egypt in 1912 filled with the supernatural. We follow Special Investigator Fatma as she unravels the mystery of a curious suicide and adventures through magic rituals, angels, and the undead in order to stop a bigger plot that risks the world.
Really enjoyed this one & looking forward to learning more about this alternate history in the rest of the series

Reading sentinels 🐈🐈
#catsoflitsy

I wanted to read this especially because it is so highly banned. It is a great resource for teens & others who have questions about their identity or sexuality but also a tool for parents & others who want to better understand their loved ones. I found the humor to be a bit jarring at times but overall Dawson does a good job explaining the basics of living a queer life - the good & bad
#Nonfiction2023 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa
#LGBTQ2023 @Kenyazero

My #Top10Summer2023Reads @Cinfhen
Lots of lighthearted reads and bright colors 🌈💖

What a strange weekend it's been. I started feeling ill Saturday afternoon and had a fever through Sunday evening. Luckily I tested negative for covid. Yesterday was a bit better but I had to cancel my plans with family I was looking forward to and had a horrible headache all day that made it impossible to read 😫
I did manage to watch this lovely adaptation of a favorite book though so there's that

Another VFD to investigate, a library to search for answers, and a dastardly plot by Olaf 🔥
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

This was my bookclub's pick for the month and we all really enjoyed it. Jenny has such a weird, funny way of dealing with her mental health and sharing it with anyone who'll listen. I frequently laughed out loud at some of her antics. I especially enjoyed when she related some of her "fights" with her husband. Their relationship is one of a kind.
#Nonfiction2023 Master of Puppets (because of her obsession with taxidermy) @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

August Fiction #ReadingBracket2023 update
This month was a very tough choice as I had multiple five star reads and it came down to AJ Fikry vs The Lost Ticket. Fikry just won out. Going with A Restless Truth for the overall pick though because magical queer adventures are the best.

Started this buddy read with the #pemberlittens today
I'm listening to the audiobook and my library's version has this beautiful cover design 🐘
@BarkingMadRead

August Nonfiction #ReadingBracket2023 update
I managed to finish FOUR nonfiction books this month, which is a record for me! Furiously Happy was my favorite for sure. But Book of Pride won top spot just cause I got so much more from it and I still think about it.

I was waiting until my bookclub picked our next book last night to post this. (It's A Clockwork Orange 😳)
But anyway ready for September! 🍂🌻
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Book 2 delves more into the cold case murder mystery of the small town. Holden's true crime podcast digs up enough evidence to call in a recovery diver. When Cal is injured he reluctantly crashes with Holden until he recovers. There was a lot of emotional healing, with Cal's PTSD & Holden's chronic pain & wheelchair use.
Looking forward to the final book for Worth's story
#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#LGBTQ2023 disability rep @Kenyazero

Fun little collection of comics showing snippets of day to day life in this animal neighborhood. Cat's cafe is the hub of a community full of friendships and mutual support, whether it be for Penguin's coffee addiction, Rabbit's anxiety, or Snake's loneliness.
Definitely a happiness booster ☺️

Book one in a new series set in a small town in the northwest. A newly retired navy lieutenant returns to town to fix up an inherited mansion before moving on to a new life. But he doesn't plan on falling for his childhood best friend's adult son in the process. This was a really sweet story examining family relationships and finding where you belong.
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
#LGBTQ2023 includes a cat @Kenyazero

#20in4 readathon wrap-up!
Yesterday the internet was out at work so I got to stay home, which gave me more reading time! I hit my goal of 20 hours, clocking in over 23. I finished the pictured books and made progress on a few more. All in all a successful weekend ☺️
Thanks @Andrew65 as always for hosting!

Day 3 #20in4 update
Yesterday got a bit crazy with the vet and everything but still managed a little over 5 hours of reading time in between everything. I'm on track to meet my goal of 20 hours today ☺️
@Andrew65

Sunday self-care: bubble bath and a book 🛀📚

I couldn't decide which library book to start next so I brought them both

We had to make an unexpected vet visit today - Oakley has been very lethargic and not eating. Luckily it looks just to be a virus and some antibiotics should do the trick to help her feel better. She is very grumpy after the whole ordeal

Some low angst dad's best friend and enemies to lovers
These were good palate cleansers
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

#20in4 Day 2 @Andrew65
Spent a lot of time reading today outside in my hammock as well as inside snuggling with the kitties. I finished two books and made progress on two more

I really enjoyed this one. AJ Fikry is a lonely bookseller after the death of his wife. When a rare book is stolen from his home and a young child is left in his bookshop, his life takes a different path. I loved the unexpected friendships and community he finds in his small town once he learns to open his heart to new experiences. I also watched the film adaptation and it was really well done

End of Day 1 of the #20in4 readathon
I managed to fit in four hours of reading - listening to part of an audiobook at work and reading on the couch this evening. Off to a good start ☺️
@Andrew65

This was super adorable. Vera calls tech support and connects with Cal, who is sweet and shy and oh so thoughtful. Over the course of the week, they get to know each other through calls and messages while he's trying to fix her website. The audio format was really well done and felt like a radio play

"Frank spotted her out of the front window as the bus pulled up at Clapham Common Station."
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Also how cute is this title page illustration??

Starting the #20in4 readathon today
My goal is to read for at least 20 hours, focusing on library books that are due back soon
@Andrew65

Super duper cute graphic novel! This was funny and punny and lovely 😍 I came for the cheese puns and stayed for the amazing found family. I loved the exploration of societal norms and gender expression. And the fashion!! Gorgeous outfits and images in general. Cannot recommend this more!
#LGBTbookclub @AbigailJaneBlog #LGBTQ2023 2023 release @Kenyazero #2023ReadySetRead read at night @Clwojick

The family dynamics in this one were especially fun. At the funeral of the patriarch, one of his nieces reveals that she thinks he was murdered. The next day, she is found killed by a supposed thief and everyone wonders at the coincidence...
I like that the lawyer did most of the sleuthing and called Poirot in later to put all the pieces together. Solid Christie twist at the end as usual.
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

This was a fun video game fantasy adventure story. It was picked for my irl bookclub by my partner, an old favorite of his. Giannine gets stuck in a virtual reality game and must win before time runs out or she'll die in real life. She encounters all kinds of riddles and challenges as her character fulfills her role as the new heir to the kingdom and is constantly getting killed and having to start over. It was silly and enjoyable

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1. So many to choose from but I'll go with a recent favorite, Palm Springs - love me a time loop plot

2. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry - a great adaptation

3. Healing for my and my partner's grandmothers, they are both dealing with some health issues ❤️‍🩹

Wanna play? @BethM @CSeydel @LeslieO

Wow okay this book destroyed me. I did not expect to cry so much 😭 Kristen's struggle with her debilitating periods & coming to terms with infertility is emotional & raw. She & Josh have such a sweet friendship while fighting their attraction to each other. I was only frustrated that she kept so much a secret for so long.
My first Jimenez but not my last. Coming prepared with tissues next time
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
TWs 👇🏻