A book to dip in and out of. Interesting places were highlighted (floating islands, ephemeral places, breakaway nations) and the topic of "borders" is brought up and considered.

#bookspin

A collection of stories by a Singaporean author which borrows its name from a book written by colonial governor, Frank Swettenham. These stories tell life from the POV of the malays as an ethnic minority in Singapore.
Short stories are not usually my jam but these managed to keep my attention through most of the book. Maybe because the subject matter was closer to home. The illustrations were fun too. #ashortstorycollection #booked2023

A quick middle grade mystery set in what seems like Rennaisance Italy. There was a lot about reading and the love of books in this. ❤️
#bookspin

A micro history of oysters and how they grew /died with the rise of New York. The cover I have does not have the bit about New York, so I was a bit thrown at the amount of content it had.
Overall interesting and I definitely learnt alot about these bivalves.
#roll100

This classic has been on my shelf for a while, and it was worth the read. The narrator is perhaps a little too self-aware, but the story itself was heartfelt and full of feels.
Using this for #quietyabook for #booked2023
#192025 #1948

A sweet cosy mystery based in the neighbourhood of Shady Hollows. A good palate cleanser kind of book.
#booked2023 #setinaneighbourhood #52books23 #abookwithsecrets

A short-ish read/listen about how to live more productively with our devices. There are a couple of takeaways that I will try to put into practise.
Can be included for #52books23 #analliterativetitle

#bookspin brought this back to my radar after I had sort of despaired with it as the subject matter, though interesting, is a bit too dense for me. I managed to make it through with the help of the audio.
#52books23 #abookwithasubtitle

Book 4 in the Lord Peter Wimsey series. The first half sets up the pieces (a little bit slowly), but the last quarter really hurtles along as Wimsey solves the mystery.
Picked this up for #roll100 but it also fits #52books23 for the #aboutaninheritance prompt.

Read this both for #bookspin and #192025 as this book was published in #1920 .
The publishing date is the reason why there are some racist bits. Overall, if you just focused on the adventure and the animal shenanigans it was a good read.
Generally a pick.

Second in the Vish Puri series. Enjoyed this one as well as it is really rooted in India and its social norms. All the side characters (especially my favourite Mummy-ji) help flesh out Vish Puri's daily life
My first #roll100 for the year.

A #cozymystery set in #India with the detective Vish Puri. I enjoyed the setting and the characters - especially the mother, who was a hoot. The author really managed to capture the streets / social norms of India.
Especially good in audio.

All I could think whilst reading this was - this could have been me.
Full of anecdotes and dark humour but oh so real. The Afterword really got to me.
My last #bookspin read for the year and it's a good one.

Enjoyed this as a locked room mystery even though the ending was a little convoluted. It does give a view into the Japanese feudal and honour system.
Contemplating getting the other books by this author. 🤔
My last #roll100 for the year

Bailing on this until I decide to get a physical copy as the audiobook narrator did not suit me 😑

Read this for #hopepunk for #booked2022 and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was heartfelt and adorable and all the characters popped off the page for me. Teared up a few times as well.
This marks the completion of #booked2022 for me. Onto next year's challenge!
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Unfortunately a slightly slow and disappointing end to the series which I have generally enjoyed. The mystery only sorta got going at 60%.

Adorable story and great illustrations. 😄

Very lyrical writing but it was a little too slow for me. I may not have been able to get through it if it was not my option for #aboutanonpatriarchalsociety for #booked2022

A memoir of travelling along with the migratory snow geese. I appreciated the parts where the author talked about the birds and himself. Less so the many detours about the people he met on his travels which seemed to left a bit hanging as he then moves on...
#booked2022

Wonderful as an audiobook! Was riveted by the performances.
Read for #booked2022
#MCorauthorlivingwithHIVAIDS

Hilarious.

A short audiobook on caffeine. Gives an introduction to the world of coffee and tea and how they have changed the modern world.

A quick-ish light memoirs -one about growing up in the shadow of WW1 and the other of working at Hogarth Press with the Woolfs. Witty with drawings by the author who was an artist.

A fun adorable read.

Setting context - I know little to nothing about Nigerian food.
The author didn't feel the need to dumb it down and explain everything to the audience that is not well versed in the food and culture. There was an essay about sex which was a bit odd and skippable.
Would I have appreciated it more if I have eaten Nigerian food? - Yes. But if I ever do I will dip back into it.
#booked2022
#fromablackownedorcentricimprintorpublisher

"We have an epidemic of grabbing. Land grabbing. Resource grabbing. Even grabbing the sky by polluting so much that there is no atmospheric space left for the poor to develop."
Ugh. But so true.
Nothing new here but she seems to have more hope than I do. ??
#bookspin

A middle grade book that tackles alzheimers in a grandparent.
#bookspin

Slightly repetitive.
Read for #booked2022 #setinaninnlodgeorhotel

Angie Thomas writes another book that keeps me hooked and reading.
#roll100

A beautiful quiet meditative read. I thought it lost my attention a few times but overall I think this is a book I will reread to fully sit in the world that the author weaves.

This unfortunately fell a little flat for me.
#bookspin

I love food memoirs but I felt a bit of a disconnect with this one - it could just be my reading mood. The look into old Livorno and Tuscan traditions were really interesting and I have bookmarked a few recipes.

As the first book in the series, I enjoyed how Ghosh set the scene with this book and delved into the characters.
I have the second book on hand (though I don't know when I will get to it) but I have read some reviews and am unsure if I will like how the series continues....

The final book of the Castle Glower series in which loose ends in the story are tied up by a journey to Prince Lulath's home and an adventure to find the unicorns.
Read for #booked2022 #anauticalnovel as Celie and her family build and travel via ship to the Well.

I enjoy books which cover small topics as you get an understanding of how this "small thing" influenced the world. And so it was in this case. The cod has helped guide the politics of territorial waters and helped in the independence of Iceland and has unfortunately facilitated the slave trade.
Read as part of my August #bookspin

A quirky book in epistolary form in which the correspondents have to use fewer and fewer letters in the alphabet to communicate with each others.
#roll100

This has sat on my shelf in the hope that the author will finish the series. This seems unlikely in the near future... so decided to tackle this for both #booked2022 #adaptedforthesmallscreen and #chunksterchallenge2022. It took me 3 months longer than I initially expected owing to the fact that Martin constantly meanders and lost my attention at times. I will still continue reading the series (if any) but was at times disengaged with this one.

An interlude in September's tale but just as richly told as the rest of the series. Looking good forward to the final book to see how thr author ties it all up.

Was introduced to this book owing to the excellent podcast by the author. It is hopeful yet sad, funny yet thoughtful. The author weaves his life through the essays about different items which he gives a rating to. Glad I finally got to this book.
#roll100

This is my wheelhouse. A cosy murder with some depth in terms of characters. This had twists and spins and also had a warmth from the characters. One quibble - It did have a little bit too many characters in it and (especially towards the end) I had to try and recollect who someone was.
Read for #bookspin

Was looking forward to pick this up as I had heard about it about 2 years ago. A short classic that is worth the read to understand the push and pull of passing as white.
#roll100
#1929
#192025

What a romp!
Read for #bookspin and #authorborninafrica #booked2022

Celie's adventures continue with the griffins and the wizards. I liked that the parents (especially the queen) were given a bit more airtime in this book.

When I realised that this was Julia Child's editor I was intrigued as I have just finished watching the TV series 'Julia'. However, this is a very slim memoir with a third of it dedicated to recipes. As such, it just skims the surface of her life. I would have appreciated a more in depth memoir of what seems to be a very interesting life.
A soft pick.
#booked2022 #includesarecipe #roll100

A very frank and passionate diary by Dara (fifteen years old at the point of writing and autistic). It documents the uprooting of his home and how he relates to nature and his increasing prominence as an environmental activist. His descriptions of his encounters with the nature around him were evocative and lyrical. The way that he talks about his autism was enlightening.
#roll100

I now understand why this book is so beloved. ❤️
Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Had never heard about this King Arthur story but it is an interesting one which centers around Gawain.
FYI - The cover is misleading. 😅😅 I expected there to be more dragon based on it.
Also my #doublespin for June.

Slim book which weaves in mystery and magical realism. I was absolutely drawn into the story when the labyrinths were introduced. However, I found my interest lagging slightly as we approached the halfway point of the book. It seemed to drag a little. The end really pivoted - I definitely did not think it was heading that way.
A soft pick for me (partially due to all the hype as well I think).