#BookReport - Absolutely lovely, relaxing week with my husband off. We've puttered, gotten the porch set for summer, done a bunch of gardening, had a canoe adventure (my phone is now at the bottom of a river 😂), helped Grandpa with some projects, played video games, and of course done some reading. And the weather has been PERFECT!! Down to the long weekend now, so sad to see vacation ending!!!

@Cinfhen

Gah! Another month gone!! May has also been a little crazy for me (maybe life is just crazy now?? 😂) and life is going faster than ever!! Loving this warm, sunny weather, though. After I post this, I'm off to the garden to finish putting in our tomatoes!! YAY!!

If you're wanting to play along with BookSpin/BookSpinBingo for June, it's time to start thinking about your lists!! As always, let me know if you want to be added or removed from the ⬇

#WeeklyForecast - my husband is off this week for a staycation so I will either get tons of reading done OR we will be running around adventuring. I let him take point during his time off because he doesn't get a lot of it!! This is our first vacation at home since we bought this house in 2014 that we haven't had a gigantic remodel project hanging over us, so that part is awesome!! We get to actually - this is crazy - ENJOY the house we've been⬇️

Speaking of June - the new #ISpyBingo board dropped this week as well!! We have some good ones for this month. While there are a few tricky ones, these in general feel a little easier than some of our earlier months!! 😂

@Clwojick

#BookReport - Still slow going (for me) - I've been in a sort of mini-slump for a while. Still reading, but definitely not at my usual pace. Still, I finished two books for the #BacklistReadathon and should finish the third today, which was my goal, so that's something!! 😁 I can't believe I'm already putting together my June TBR! This year is going SO FAST!!!

@Cinfhen @Clwojick

This book was a surprise win!! I absolutely hated North and South when we read it last year, so my expectations for Cranford were extremely low. But I ended up loving this one!! Delightful small-town shenanigans, a likable (if somewhat distant) narrator, and a pile of elderly ladies that made me laugh far more than I expected, yet also moments that genuinely had me choked up. I will definitely be rereading this one in the future.

Isn't it annoying when the last 40 pages aggravate you so much that it brings down your overall feeling for the book?? This was a 4* read for me until the final misunderstanding, which left it as a borderline so-so. The main story employs a marriage of convenience, which is pretty much my favorite trope. Tessa and Leo are both likable characters, although I would have liked more from the supposed decades-long feud between their families. In the⬇️

Okay, time for a little #WeeklyForecast action. It's been a minute since I have felt inspired to post one of these!! Currently reading the tagged, and I will probably read the (not-pictured) sequel next. Then I have three Jill Shalvis books pulled for the #BacklistReadathon, which starts tomorrow!! Looking forward to a week of some fluffy reads!!
@Cinfhen @Clwojick

This book was quite the ride. In the near future, the discovery has been made that everyone has a specific gene that is matched between only two people in the world: those people are Matches, genetically predetermined to be a perfect couple. Match Your DNA is now a huge business, with people sending in a DNA swab to find out if their match is in the database. The book follows five different people who have just found their Matches. I was afraid⬇️

So I am going to try to participate in the #14books14weeks2023 challenge hosted by @TheHeartlandBookFairy !! The 14 weeks start the week of Memorial Day and go through til Labor Day. For my books I have chosen 14 books I was SO EXCITED about when they arrived, but somehow have never actually READ. As you can see, several BOTM and OwlCrate editions lurk here!! Since taking the photo I rearranged the shelf into alphabetical order, which is how I ⬇️

What. Even. How can it already be time for May's #BacklistReadathon !?!? Absolute madness! As usual, we're taking the third week of the month to focus on an author whose backlist you've been meaning to read. I'm sticking with Jill Shalvis - her Lucky Harbor series is conveniently broken into multiple trilogies, so I'm ready to hit up the third set of three books!! Be sure to let @Clwojick and me know what you're reading if you decide to join us!!

I am on the struggle bus with time lately!! Not sure why things feels way busier the last couple of weeks. Partially it's the good weather - lots of outside stuff starting to happen. I just haven't been reading as much lately. So I was actually a little excited to take a car in for a tire rotation/balance because it meant some uninterrupted, guilt-free reading time!!! Unfortunately, I ended up really disliking this one but I was trapped with no⬇️

Chapters 1-8:
Hey friends!! I was supposed to post this Monday, and it's only Wednesday, so that's pretty good 😂 How are you enjoying the book so far? I think I may have read this one back in high school, and remember the basic premise, but none of the details. For instance, I had completely forgotten that Edward doesn't WANT to go out and explore London - that happens accidentally! I feel bad for Tom, who really is trying to explain, but I am⬇

Okay, I just want to clarify that I genuinely draw these AT RANDOM, so I was losing it when I ended up with three free spaces in a column!! AND BookSpin and DoubleSpin and a Free Space all in another column!! I think we have some good opportunities this month, friends!!!! 😁 ⬇ ⬇ ⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is FIVE! Our official #DoubleSpin number is TWELVE!! I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at everyone‘s lists & am really looking forward to seeing your reviews!!

My next post will be the #BookSpinBingo card. I am NOT tagging anyone on that post!! If you want to bingo, please just check my profile for the card. This saves me having to double tag ⬇

Sorry for the posting binge this morning!!! This weekend was just tooooo crazy for much Litsy-ing. But our new floors are, as my husband will proudly tell you, BITCHIN 😂 They look SO good and I'm super excited, but it has been quite the wild end-of-the-month adventure, taking up two full weekends and some evening work as well!! ANYWAY. We are through it now, and it is already MAY!! Which means we are ready to jump into a new #ISpyBingo board! ⬇

Hey #LMPBC friends! The end of April really got away from me as we have been installing new flooring!! But I am almost done reading the tagged book and it along with Auntie Mame are my top reading priorities this week!! I should have them both in the mail by Friday - SO sorry that I am running late!!

May's #RandomClassic (literally I draw a number to find which classic is next! 😂) is The Prince & the Pauper, which I feel like I may have read in middle school?? But that was many a year ago, so I can't remember anything about this one at all. I'll be reading a chapter a day, starting today, until I finish - with 33 chapters, it will take me just a little bit into June. I'll be posting a weekly discussion post every Monday if anyone wants to ⬇

Unbelievably, we less than a week away from MAY. MAY! Whoever is in charge of the speed of time needs to take their foot off the accelerator! 😂

If you'd like to play along with #BookSpin/#DoubleSpin/#BookSpinBingo this month, it's time to start thinking about your lists!! Some of you have already been posting them, so sorry if you get tagged in this reminder post when you're already ahead of the curve!!

I totally had to look up these floating water stills to understand how they work. How cool are they?? Any thoughts on this week's chapters? I couldn't believe Pi said he was stranded for SEVEN MONTHS. How do you keep from going absolutely crazy? Only ten chapters left, and I am SO interested to find out how he is rescued!

@willaful @peanutnine @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Bookwormjillk

#RandomClassics

May's #RandomClassic is going to be The Prince and the Pauper!! I've read this one in the far distant past, but honestly don't remember much about it. If anyone would like to join me, please let me know! I'll be reading a chapter a day starting May 1, which means it will carry over very slightly into June as there are 33 chapters.

Also let me know if you would like to join me with any of the year's later reads, and I will add you to the tag ⬇

I haven't been able to participate in this event before, so I'm excited for #CampLitsy23 !! Not sure if I will be able to read all six books, but I will try to jump in for at least a couple of them. Here are my nominations!!

@megabooks @squirrelbrain @barbarabb

Pretty typical clean Regency romance fare. The main character is trying to escape an unwanted marriage, etc. A soft pick - perfectly pleasant, but I didn't love it, and found some of the scenarios to be rather contrived. However, I did like the characters so I will be picking up the second book.

Do you ever have a book that you think is super pretty so you put it off because you are afraid the story won't be as good as the cover?? This one has been on my shelf for a year and I think it's so gorgeous!! But it has been a #TrappedonanIsland pick for multiple months, including this one, so I decided to finally take the plunge. While it wasn't the best fantasy I have ever read, I did enjoy it. I liked the narrator & while the world-building⬇️

Life has been a little crazy, the weather has been fabulous, I found a new video game addiction for the evenings, and my reading has suffered 😂 but it's all good! Today it is chilly and rainy so a great time to catch up on things like book reviews!!

This was a fun read, fast and engaging. Don't think too hard about the details. Probably not one I would ever reread, but a fun thriller as a one-off.

It's also time to reveal May's #ISpyBingo board!! There are some tough ones on here!!!

Remember: These items can be found anywhere on the cover of a book you read, and you can check off more than on item with a single book (if it has the letter Q and a ghost, you get them both!). Feel free to be creative with checking these off - we're flexible! 😂 Also, let us know if you have any ideas for items on future bingo boards!!

@Clwojick @LitsyEvents

Oh my goodness, April is getting away from me!! It's already almost the third week of the month! Which means that it's time for our next #BacklistReadathon !!! I'm sticking with Jill Shalvis this month, hoping to read the next three books in the Lucky Harbor series. Feel free to join us this week by picking any author whose backlist you've been meaning to read!!

@Clwojick @LitsyEvents

So technically we have read through Chapter 37, but since that chapter starts Part 2, I don't have as much to say about it (other than wow! Talk about leaping into the action section! 😂) I didn't find this week's reading quite as engaging. It's a LOT about religion, and since I didn't quite agree with all Pi's conclusions, I didn't completely connect. What did you all think? I was also very struck by Pi's father's decision to give them such ⬇

Since I went wildly off script last week, this week's #WeeklyForecast looks a lot like last time! 😂 Back in the groove now, though - already finished Dangerous Island and am halfway through the tagged. This weekend was busy and this week the weather is looking gorgeous which means more time outside and less time reading, so we will see what happens!!
@Cinfhen

Well, I got this one for a quarter in 2003, so it only took me 20 years to get around to read this 178pg MG book 😂 It was good fun but not amazing. Three kids are playing on a raft when it breaks free from its moorings and goes out with the tide, stranding them on a small, rocky island. All of that, and their survival stuff, was great fun. However for some reason the island is sinking (never explained). The kids mark the water line to see if ⬇️

The final book in the Bridal Quartet is my favorite. First off, it's just fun because by now you know all the characters so well. But I also really relate to Parker a lot, and also her entire relationship with Mal just ❤️ I also married a blue collar, rough-around-the-edges man whose motorcycle was unexpectedly attractive 😂 Overall just a happy series that I always love to reread.

For the #EasterOMC I am continuing my chapter-a-day reads, finishing the tagged book, and then jumping into who knows what 😂 And I think this the part where I also confess that although I am not a coffee drinker, I get my caffeine elsewhere, due to an unfortunate addiction to this incredibly specific and only this incredibly specific Monster LOL
#BookandaBeverage @Clwojick @LadyKatrina

The third book in the bridal quarter focuses on Laurel, who makes the wedding cakes. I really like Laurel and Del a lot, and Laurel's lifelong crush kind of gets me all heart-eyed every time. I just love this entire group of characters together so much. However, reading this did make me really want cupcakes.

Although this series has been published in one volume (The Once and Future King), they were originally published separately, so I kind of feel like I should review each book on its own 😂 I honestly had no idea what to expect from this story of King Arthur's youth, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! There was so much humor and everyone is basically kind and nice (in the Disney version Sir Ector and Kay are kind of bullies, but here they are actually ⬇️

While this book is just as fun and engaging as the rest of the series, the final conflict/resolution annoys the bejeebers out of me and makes it my least favorite of the quartet. I just get very aggravated that the whole thing is blamed on poor Jack who has had a horrific day at work and has a throbbing headache and comes home to have Emma immediately get hurt feelings about something she's never discussed and then she just goes off on him and ⬇️

I haven't been able to access Litsy on my desktop since yesterday afternoon. Is anyone else having this issue?

I am not usually a mood reader. I just pick up the next book on the windowsill and go! 😂 But every once in a while every book on that windowsill looks stupid, and when that happens I pick up an old favorite instead. This week, my mood was for one of my all-time favorite romance series, the Bridal Quarter by Nora Roberts, which starts with this book. I love these! Four life-long friends who run a successful wedding venue together, each of them ⬇️

I'm emotionally devastated by the closure of Book Depository! I absolutely love being able to buy the British editions of certain books. Does anyone have a suggestion of where I should purchase those now? I really wish they would have just started charging for shipping instead of closing entirely. 😕

King-Smith wrote some odd little books, and this is one of them. It starts out engagingly, with a rich elderly man living in a giant house by himself and spontaneously deciding to get some pets since he was never "allowed" to have them by his overbearing wife. What better place to put them than in his house? So chickens in the living room and bunnies in the dining room, etc. I could see this part really appealing to younger readers. But then ⬇️

I found this one to be quite engaging, partially because I actually liked Hal, which is more than I can say about other Ware MCs that I have read haha Not a lot actually happens here and it seemed like I should be bored, but instead I really did want to find out how Hal was connected to this family. Not a book I will read again, but a one-off I really enjoyed.

Discussion for Chapters 1-7...

I'm not great at leading discussions, friends! 😂 Did you start the book? Any initial thoughts?

I rather like that we haven't jumped straight into action, yet we are getting little teasers that something big happened in Pi's life. I'm quite delighted with the writing style as well. Let me know what you all are thinking!!

Next Monday: Thru Chapter 37!!

@willaful @peanutnine @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Bookwormjillk

@JulieClair here are some picks for you!! I've read the tagged book - my copy says “Delightfully Bonkers“ on the front, and that about sums it up 😂 I've also read and enjoyed Raven Black, although it isn't very springy! The other three sound lovely; I've been meaning to read The Country Diary for years!

Happy reading!!!

Thanks for hosting @aperfectmjk !!!

#WeeklyForecast includes some April reads, woohoo!! I started the tagged book yesterday and it's good so far. Not pictured are this month's buddy reads: The Once and Future King, Life of Pi, Agnes Grey, and On the Shores of Silver Lake. I have some shorter books coming up so hoping to get through a few this week, but I am also really addicted to Horizon: Zero Dawn right now so...what can you do? 😂
@Cinfhen

Here's the #BookSpinBingo card! First, I put our official numbers (12 & 9) back in the mix. Then I drew them all out & wrote them down as I went, meaning the official numbers are just mixed into the card with the rest! As you can see, 21-25 are both labeled with their numbers & also as free spaces, so you can use them to match however you wrote your list. To score a bingo, just read books (in any order) that are in any row or column!! MORE INFO ⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is TWELVE! Our official #DoubleSpin number is NINE!! I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at everyone‘s lists & am really looking forward to seeing your reviews!!

My next post will be the #BookSpinBingo card. I am NOT tagging anyone on that post!! If you want to bingo, please just check my profile for the card. This saves me having to double tag ⬇