Published in 1980, only four years after Belenko's escape from Russia (and well before the fall of the Berlin Wall), this book was quite fascinating. Belenko actually had more or less the ideal situation in Russia as the MiG-25 pilots were highly valued and treated well (by Soviet standards). Reading about his slow recognition of the cognitive dissonance between what he was being taught about his country vs the west and what he could actually ⬇

Sadly, the sequel to Ashlords had even fewer phoenix-horses 😞 This book is all about the war, and while it overall did work, the ending where everyone just suddenly is going to get along despite generations of being enemies felt... unlikely lol (If we just take all the money from the rich people and give it the poor people, then everyone will be happy!!! ...riiight) But still, it was an engaging read with characters that I liked. These books ⬇

This book had all the ingredients that I should enjoy, but somehow they just didn't work here. Miss Carter is a middle-aged woman, never married, who lives by herself in a small flat in London and works for the censor's office during WWII. Through a series of events, she finds herself in possession of an ifrit (i.e. genie). Part of the reason this book didn't quite work for me was that the ifrit's magic never really made sense to me. Apparently ⬇

This is one of those books where I loved the concept more than the execution. It's a great world with an intriguing idea - the existence of horse-phoenixes, whose ashes can be mixed with different elements to create a horse with different powers when it rises again in the morning. My problem: I wanted MORE about these horses, but they ended up just kind of being a tool for the story. The other issue is that this book was about a (phoenix) horse ⬇

This is one of my all-time favorite books and I have read it probably 25-30 times over my lifetime. The characters, the setting, the fact that a few of the moments in this book still make me choke up even after all these rereads - this book is close to perfect to me.

SO IT WAS A COMPLETE SHOCK to find out that in the 1940s random sentences/paragraphs were edited out!!! The edition I grew up reading, despite clearly saying it was “unabridged“ ⬇

Rich Mullins was a Christian musician in the 80s/90s, who died in a car accident in 1997. This book, written by a good friend of his a few years later, is an odd sort of biography. It doesn't really outline his life or career, but rather looks at key aspects of Rich's faith and beliefs through his lyrics and writing. I grew up on Rich's music and it definitely has shaped the way I view God and His love; Rich's lyrics still can hit me sideways ⬇

The fourth Dolittle book is set back in England. As usual (because of his generous nature) Dolittle is broke, so the pushmi-pullyu agrees to travel with a circus to raise some funds. So the entire household sets off together. This book was a lot about the importance of animal comfort and care and was definitely ahead of its time in calling out circuses and the like for their treatment of animals. There were some fun moments (Dolittle getting ⬇

I really enjoyed this author's two Christmas books back in December, so I thought I would try one of her earlier series. This book didn't completely work for me because the MCs really needed to talk to each other instead of constantly assuming they knew what the other was thinking, but still an enjoyable read with likable characters, even if parts of it kind of felt like advertising for being a military wife 😂Soft pick, but I'll be reading book 2

A soft pick for the third installment of this series. I'm fascinated by how years flow by in each of these stories, yet no one gets any older 😂 As usual, parts of this worked for me and parts didn't - I wish I had read these growing up (I think I only read the first one) because I wouldn't have noticed the internal illogicality like I do not haha Fun for a one-time read, but I don't particularly see myself rereading this series.

This one was okay. The pacing was choppy/slow, and a lot of the character motivations just didn't work for me. I also get annoyed whenever I hear the “if you don't want the government tracking/checking your every move you're obviously a criminal“ argument: it's simply not true. It was a fun concept, but the execution just didn't quite work for me.

@BarbaraJean - this is my edition that has the missing passages. Interestingly, I was able to buy the entire series in these editions... except the infamous Anne of Windy Poplars! I think it's interesting that this edition apparently went back to the original text.

Good morning, everyone!! I hope all of you are also having a gorgeous morning with the windows open and the smell of spring rain wafting in!

I love the way BS/DS are together in a column, but no free spaces - BUT BookSpin does get two free spaces in its row! Some fun potential combos here!!

Looking forward to seeing everyone's boards!!!

Standard stuff I say every month below ⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is TWELVE! Our official #DoubleSpin number is FIFTEEN!! 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 ⬇

I enjoyed April's #BobWhiteBuddies read even if it did feel a little ridiculous 😂 I also kind of wanted to hear from the fortune teller again! It was fun to meet back up with some friends from an earlier book, and super nice that Dan actually got to come be a part of the club! I thought it was interesting that his NYC knowledge played a part in rescuing Trixie. My biggest issue with this one was Trixie going off to meet the bad guys on her own ⬇

Okay @Jerdencon @bookandbedandtea - do any of these sound like they would work for this round?

And, in an astonishingly timely manner, here is May's #ISpyBingo board!! As always, items can be found on the front/back cover, spine, or as a word in the title (i.e. if the word “Lake“ is in the title, that counts). If you'd like to see all the 2025 boards, they're here - https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content...

Oh my WORD we are only one week away from MAY! What even! It's kind of amazing how much greener things are around here than they were a month ago. All the windows are open right now and the birds are going crazy! 😂

If you're planning to #BookSpin for May, it's time to start thinking about your lists!! Can't wait to see what everyone is planning to read!!

I had to find out what the deal was with these magical yeast cakes (and can I still get them, because I totally would love to have my 20-year-old energy back 😂) Found this fun article - https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-healing-power-of-compressed-...

So is the renewed energy and vigor LMM experienced entirely a placebo effect? Or were the B vitamins really that helpful? Either way it's fun to see how humans always look ⬇

I finally got around to reading February's #DolittleDiscussion book!! I enjoyed this one more than the first book - I liked having a 1st person POV as it made the story seem more personable. There was more of a plot, and some good adventures. One has to let go of some internal inconsistencies (if I could talk to animals, I'm not sure I could also eat them...!!!), but overall it's a good deal of fun.

@Roary47

Okay, I'll admit that this one was a VERY soft pick for me, but hey, nostalgia FTW as this is also one that I have definite memories of reading back in the day 😂 But Trixie really got on my nerves in this one! She was so whiny and impatient and OBSESSED with the ghost fish. Like - maybe other people had other things they want to do?? Also you're on vacation, so you could just let go of the whole “we HAVE to earn money for charity!!!“ thing for ⬇

I can never decide if I like it better when the free spaces are scattered around or grouped together. We're scattered this month, although that does mean that both Spins have some helpers in their rows/columns!!

Good luck, everyone!!!

Standard monthly info below ⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is THIRTEEN! Our official #DoubleSpin number is FOUR!! 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 ⬇

Friends, I am writing to you from my new house!!! We are all moved in and working hard on various projects, including wrapping things up at the old house so we can get it on the market!! Things continue chaotic but good 😂

However, I cannot believe that it's almost April!! Absolutely crazy. It's SO exciting to see what things are popping up around here, including about five million daffodils!! They're everywhere!!

⬇

I'm kind of pretending that it's not a mere week until April. 😬 But here's the April #ISpyBingo board anyway. 😂

As always, all the 2025 boards can be found here: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content...

⬇

Is anyone else having issues with Litsy's website? I have tried multiple browsers and posts don't want to load; I get "Bad Gateway" messages while waiting for the comment area to load. If I do get the comment area to come up, it takes forever to post my comment or doesn't post it at all. The app seems to be okay. Any thoughts/is anyone else having these problems?

February's #BobWhiteBuddies read was enjoyable but not particularly outstanding. There really wasn't much “mystery,“ but I did enjoy the interactions of the gang.

Query: What do you all think was the point of making Dan a member of the Bob Whites and then literally never having him do anything with them?? 😂

Feel free to share any thoughts you had on this one!!

The move is progressing!! My windowsill books have moved to the piano for now. The bottom picture is an attempt to fit all my crates of books into one picture (unsuccessfully) - ended up with 96 crates of books + a few boxes.

I had read this Agatha Christie mystery before, but as usually couldn't remember the solution 😂 I'm the worst armchair detective ever, but it doesn't reduce my enjoyment of reading and rereading Christie's tales. ⬇

Good morning, everyone!!! The next two posts below this one are the #BookSpin numbers and #BookSpinBingo board, both marked as spoilers!! As a reminder, because I'm in the middle of moving, I am posting quite early!! So as you all are looking at the numbers and making your posts about what you are reading, please mark them as spoilers/don't show the BookSpin numbers. Thank you!!!

I apparently packed my bowl of numbers and has to use a random ⬇

100% would have forgotten about posting this if @Liseworks hadn't reminded me 😂 As always, anyone can play along - items can be found on the front, back, or spine of the book. Unless a word is in quotation marks (in which case, you need that actual word), items can be a picture of the item or the word (i.e. stripes on the cover or the word stripes). You can use this board just this month, or keep going until you clear it. One book can clear ⬇

Greetings, friends!! We are only a week away from March!!!

First off, please note that #BookSpin will be EARLY this month!! We have purchased our new house (YAY) and are in the process of cleaning/painting/moving/etc. Next week are planning to make the big shift to actually sleeping there (!!!) BUT our internet situation won't be set up yet SO I will be posting BookSpin on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28!!!

I will post the BookSpin numbers and mark them ⬇

My mom got this as a library discard when I was a kid, and I always loved it growing up. Smalleata is a mouse whose clan moves into the human house across the field when winter comes (and the people leave for the season). There, she falls in love with a house mouse. Lots of adventures, but it's actually pretty intense for a children's book, as some of the mice get eaten! I really enjoyed this reread and still find this a delightful book. And it ⬇

I first read this book back in 2012 and knew it was one I wanted to find and add to my own collection. Lindbergh writes from a seaside cottage where she is on holiday, each chapter looking at a different seashell and using it to reflect on a different aspect of life. Published in 1955, it was an era where woman were still mostly home-focused, but with advancing technology opening up more time and opportunities for them. I found her thoughts on ⬇

I was delighted to pick up this lovely hardcover/library discard edition of this book, which is the sequel to The Alley. Both written and set about 8 years after the original story, the main character is one of the younger siblings of The Alley's characters. This one was a little more implausible, but still a super fun story and one that I would have LOVED as a kid. These are both fabulous read-aloud books and as cute as they can be.

I have a lot memories of Dad reading this one out loud to us when we were growing up, but I don't think I had read it since! It's a pretty adorable story about a group of kids who live in a little cul de sac alley neighborhood. The main story is that there is a robbery, but there are a lot of little side stories and it's all such good fun.

#Roll100 @PuddleJumper
#ReadtheUSA - New York
#ISpyBingo (Bare Feet; “Author of“) #BookSpinBingo

Almost every book in my Pango shop is on sale for a dollar!! Trying to find new homes for some of these before we move. Only a few pictured... I somehow have 54 listings 😂

https://pangobooks.com/bookstore/sarahmccafferty

This is an older book of Roberts's (1991), which was mainly illustrated by how many cigarettes the MC smoked 😂 Cilla a night DJ for a Denver radio station who starts getting threatening calls from a listener who says he wants revenge and is going to kill her. You'll be unsurprised to learn that Cilla ends up with a hot, single detective to help her through these trying times. This book definitely had some weak spots in the suspense aspect of ⬇

If you ignore the fact that these people have only known each other for, like, two weeks, this was a perfectly fun read. Violet's off to Alaska to talk to a grumpy guy who could help her fix her job, but he isn't interested in having an Outsider tell him what they should do with their land. So he challenges her to see if she can handle an Alaskan winter. Violet seemed like she should annoy me, but I actually found her can-do attitude to be kind ⬇

I first bought, read, and loved this book back in 2020. Now that we're getting ready to move and I have an entire house to update, it seemed like a great time to revisit it. Atwood just does a fantastic job with this book. She gives you the science behind color and our perception of it, then moves into the more emotional aspect of it - somehow, she stays out of woo-woo land by encouraging readers to ground the way they feel about colors with ⬇

#BobWhiteBuddies !!! I finished this a couple weeks ago but then spaced on actually posting at the end of the month 😂 Did you all get to this one in January? Did you like it? I thought the setting was fun, although we've already begun the trend of leaving poor Dan behind! Why did the authors even make him a member of the gang?? I really liked the way Trixie didn't have all the answers here, and had to stop and reassess a few times. However, the ⬇

Well, February's #BookSpinBingo apparently knew it was a short month and needed to help us out, because look at all those free spaces together 😂

I packed my first box yesterday! It looks like we will be closing on our new house in about 2 weeks. I actually weirdly love moving, but it's been soooo long since we moved here that I'm out of the groove. Our first 5 Christmases were in 5 different houses, then 10 years here 😂

Anyway, the usual info⬇

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is FOUR! Our official #DoubleSpin number is TEN!! 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 ⬇

I loved this book growing up, and it definitely encouraged my ongoing love affair with alleys 😂 I hadn't read this one in several years, and it was super fun to revisit. Cleery buys a box of magic at a flea market, and accidentally magics a stuffed crow into being alive - and able to talk - but not able to fly. With an enchantment of being able to find something magical in every new alley she visits that summer, she and her best friend set off ⬇

Finally got to my November #TravelingThrills book 😂 I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's not super fast-paced - definitely more suspense than thriller - but I liked the MC so much that I didn't mind. The back and forth between past and present chapters felt balanced and even though there were some aspects of the grand reveal that left me scratching my head a bit (a side character's motivations/methods seemed like a bit of stretch), I'll still be ⬇

At first, I enjoyed Blair's sassy attitude, but after a while the flirting aka bickering between the two MCs began to get on my nerves. It could be because my husband and I are both super chill so I've never understood the “arguing as foreplay“ concept lol The mystery aspect didn't make a lot of sense either, which meant the entire plot began to drag around 2/3 through. It was an okay read, but one of those that I enjoyed less as I went along.