TheAromaofBooks

Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service

September was super hectic and stressful, but it feels like things are finally starting to calm down and find their equilibrium again! And I'm finally feeling like picking up some books!!! So join me this weekend (Friday-Monday) for a lil readathon. And if you're a part of #HauntedShelf, enjoy a little point stacking as well 😁

@PuddleJumper
#ScreamTeam @ImperfectCJ

AnnCrystal 🥳👌🏼📚💝. 13h

Mollyanna I feel the same way I‘m in! 12h

AmyG I am in. I have a more quiet weekend. Iwill be reading Parable of the Sower. 11h

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PuddleJumper Weekend reading! 8h

peanutnine Sounds great! Count me in 5h

Kiwidragonnerd How does it work? 5h

40 likes6 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Find You First | Linwood Barclay

pick

This book followed the pattern of other Barclay books I've read: intriguing concept, good pacing, likable characters - but then goes off the rails a bit right at the end and leaves me confused about the WHY behind the villain(s). A soft pick, because for me to really love a book, I need to get that full-circle satisfaction of everything clicking together in the end.

TheAromaofBooks #HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam @ImperfectCJ
#Roll100 #CasttheDie #PumpkabooHunt @PuddleJumper
#Read2025 - 57/100 TBR books read @DieAReader
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple @Bookwormjillk
#BookSpinBingo (edited) 14h

Bookwormjillk 🍎 🍎 🍎 11h

41 likes2 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Turn of the Key | Ruth Ware

pick

This one landed as a soft pick. It kept me glued to the pages while I was reading it, but I felt a little let down by the ending. This seems to be a common theme for me with this author.

This one is on its way to you @bookandbedandtea !! And @Jerdencon - I received Her Every Fear this week!! #TravelingThrills

TheAromaofBooks #HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam @ImperfectCJ
#WickedWords - Email @AsYouWish
#ISpyBingo
#GottaCatchEmAll - Set in Scotland @PuddleJumper
#PumpkabooHunt (Large) @PuddleJumper
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple @Bookwormjillk
#BookSpinBingo (edited) 4d

Bookwormjillk Wooo! It‘s you an me supporting the apples so far 🍎🍎🍎 4d

PuddleJumper 🧡🖤🧡 4d

TheAromaofBooks @Bookwormjillk - I have always been the apple girl, even when I was little 😂 It's probably somewhat inevitable that I ended up working at an orchard! 4d

58 likes4 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Tales of the Alhambra | Washington Irving

pick

One of my goals for October is to get back into posting regular reviews!! I started this one in September as a #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead – I had never really heard of it before and wasn‘t sure what to expect. Irving recounts a trip to Spain, where he spends several weeks living in the semi-ruined palace of Alhambra, just outside Granada. While parts of this book bog down with Irving‘s enthusiastic historical facts (apparently he was there to ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) research for a nonfiction book he was writing), Irving himself comes through as incredibly likable. He is absolutely in love with where he is and the people who live there and all the history. This book is random anecdotes from his time there, and various legends he heard as well. While most of the stories are Moors/Muslims vs Christians, I never felt like he was creating a good vs bad dichotomy. Instead, he writes with respect and ⬇ 5d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) interest about everyone. He never sounds superior or snobbish (his chapter about scaring himself by purposefully staying in a more “haunted“ area of the castle was delightful), but keeps his writing warm and friendly. While parts of this book were slow, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

@BarbaraJean 5d

TheAromaofBooks #HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam @ImperfectCJ
#WickedWords - Castle
#GottaCatchEmAll - Cloaks/Capes @PuddleJumper
#BookSpinBingo 5d

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PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 5d

BarbaraJean I completely agree with all of this!! His tone throughout was a delight—I think I‘d enjoy Irving as a travel buddy! 5d

mabell Oh my goodness, I had no idea this existed!!! I absolutely want to read this! I loved Irving‘s Old Christmas, and I love the Alhambra, so this sounds fabulous! 5d

TheAromaofBooks @mabell - I went into it with absolutely no knowledge of the Alhambra, so I would think that if you know anything about it, your reading would be even more enhanced. Irving is absolutely IN LOVE with the place, and that affection really comes through in his writing. I definitely recommend it!! 5d

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - So many of those older travel books (and even many modern ones!) are just... smug little comments about how inferior other places are from “home“ or completely lacking in any kind of appreciation for the culture and history of the place they're visiting. Irving's writing was so refreshing and enthusiastic. And the legends were great fun as well!! 5d

Cuilin I‘ve never heard of this, but your review has me intrigued. 4d

julieclair Great review! I agree that Irving came off as very likeable and not snobby. 4d

55 likes3 stack adds10 comments

TheAromaofBooks

BookSpinBingo | Untitled

Good morning, friends!! Hope things are feeling autumnal (or springy!) where you are. I LOVE October and am SO excited to see what all our new trees look like this fall!! A reminder that any books you read for BookSpin/Bingo this month count as a HauntedShelf readathon if you are participating, and bingos scored can also be counted as bingo points!! Happy reading, everyone!!

Standard monthly text below ⬇

TheAromaofBooks Here's the #BookSpinBingo card! First, I put our official numbers (14 & 7) 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 ⬇ 7d

TheAromaofBooks 1 - I don't tag anyone on this post except for @LitsyEvents but anyone is welcome to play along!!
2 - Remember – NO PRESSURE!!!! If this starts to stress you out, just take that page right out of your journal and pretend it never existed!! This challenge is to encourage you to read, not to make you feel like reading is a chore!!!
3 - FREE SPACES can be filled with any book that is NOT already on your list!! ⬇
7d

TheAromaofBooks 4 & final - As a reminder, only the “official” BookSpin/DoubleSpin numbers will count towards giveaway entries. I don‘t want the giveaway to be stacked against people who aren‘t able to read lots of books each month. So basically there is still a maximum of 2 entries possible per month no matter how many books you read from your list. This bingo card is just for fun & glory! 😁

Thanks for playing & happy reading!!!
7d

See All 8 Comments

Bookwormjillk This looks promising! 7d

julieclair Hooray! I have American Spy and

Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween

7d

Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures Yay!!! It‘s time!!! 6d

claudiuo Awesome! Thank you! 6d

MatchlessMarie Very satisfying board alignment 👻 6d

75 likes8 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Start Spinning | Maggie Casey

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

TheAromaofBooks (cont‘d) everyone/keep track of who wants to bingo and who doesn‘t!!

I use the same tag list for the entire year, so if you would like to be added or removed, please just let me know. It takes me a while to tag everyone (there are a lot of you!!!) so I will add “FINISHED” to the last tag batch so you know whether or not I missed you. If I did, it was completely inadvertent. Sometimes I just spell someone‘s username wrong. ⬇
7d

TheAromaofBooks cont'd) As always, the link to the masterpost about how this challenge works can be found on my profile or here - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ - and the link to the Google Form where you can track your reads for the end-of-the-year-giveaway can be found here - https://forms.gle/2TgEz5N3NLq3GyV56

Thanks for playing, everyone!! Please know that I read EVERY comment on this post but don't always ⬇
7d

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) have time to reply to them all!! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and for making this challenge SO much fun!!

I'm going to post the Bingo board, and then come back and start the tag list on this post. Happy reading!!!
7d

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TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 7d

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 7d

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 7d

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 7d

GinaKButler I love my picks!! Thank you so much for hosting!

The Master and Margarita

7d

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 7d

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 7d

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 7d

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 7d

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 7d

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry @Offmybookshelf @RoyallyReading @Charityann @DrSabrinaMoldenReads 7d

Lcsmcat It‘s time for

Stalking the Wild Asparagus

7d

Bookwormjillk Woo!! 🎉 7d

MatchlessMarie My BookSpin is actually one I impulse bought off the library cart a week or so ago. 🕵🏻‍♀️

Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death and Mayhem in a Small Town

7d

TheAromaofBooks @MatchlessMarie - I get nabbed by the library's “3 books for a dollar“ cart ALL. THE. TIME. 😂 7d

Clare-Dragonfly I got Frankenstein (woohoo, #hashtagbrigade) and The Art of Embroidery Design! 7d

PuddleJumper That's a challenge book and a TBR read for me. Very easy to do this month! 7d

Eggs Thanks Sarah❣️ 6d

AmyG Yay! For me

Soldier Sailor

6d

bookandbedandtea I love #BookSpin Day! I appreciate you, Sarah! 6d

claudiuo Thank you so much! 6d

Singout One Day and Crossings by Ben Goldfarb. I‘m a slowpoke but hopefully I‘ll get to one or two of these!

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

6d

Singout @Lcsmcat I still have the copy I stole from my parents shelf in the early 80s when I was a preteen. They were making me pull dandelions: I was making them drink roasted roots for coffee. 6d

Bookbuyingaddict Whoop 🙌 whoop 🙌 thank you happy reading 🥰 6d

MemoirsForMe Another memoir and a meditation book. Yay! 4d

96 likes28 comments

TheAromaofBooks

I Spy Spectacular: A Book of Picture Riddles | Walter Wick, Jean Marzollo

Somehow, it's already time for October's #ISpyBingo board!!! Anyone is welcome to join!! Find these items anywhere on a book's front/back cover or spine!! One book can check multiple prompts.

All of the 2025 boards can be found here - https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content...

⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) All the 2025 prompts are also in a Storygraph challenge here - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/85a6eb78-a914-4e84-a200-9073f75...

I am hoping to carry this challenge into 2026!!! If you have some prompts you'd like to send to me, please feel free to comment here or to email me - itsthegoodlife15 at gmail. Obviously I am going to be repeating most of the prompts from this year just in a different order, but if you have⬇ 2w

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) a prompt that has driven you absolutely crazy/feels impossible, please let me know. For instance, HANDCUFFS are NOT getting mixed in again 😂

Thank you to everyone who plays these boards with me - I don't know why, but I just absolutely love treasure hunting my covers!! 2w

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraBB @Faranae @julieclair @lauredhel @LiseWorks @LitsyEvents @Lkempf @MatchlessMarie @Read4life @peanutnine @PuddleJumper @willaful @Sarahreadstoomuch @OriginalCyn620 @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @cewilf @mom2bugnbee 2w

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LiseWorks It's an addiction for me lol 2w

PuddleJumper Flip flops! I don't read many summery books 🤣 2w

Faranae I barely read contemporary, so things like flip flops have been absolute nightmares 😂 Also, I mostly read e-books these days for access reasons (no money for books and no English library near me, so it's all digital library stuff) so it's hard to do anything with “spine“ prompts unless I happen to spot a suitable book I want to read in someone's book shelf or haul photos. ☠ 2w

willaful The ones that apply only to physical books are a bit annoying for me, but that's okay.

I know there was one I found so impossible recently, now what was it... oh right, power line! 2w

willaful Lol, I didn't see your comment when I made mine, @Faranae. 2w

TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper @Faranae @willaful - Thank you for the thoughts!! It helps me know how to keep it fun for everyone!! 😁 2w

TheAromaofBooks @LiseWorks - RIGHT?! Why?? 😂 2w

LiseWorks I think it's because some are hard to get, and when I have a book with no prompts, I'm so surprised 😅 like the book Well Met, absolutely no bingo spots. So, I guess my book choices are bingoless 😆 2w

Kiwidragonnerd I have to ask, what does the initials one mean? My initials? 4d

TheAromaofBooks @Kiwidragonnerd - I'm pretty flexible on interpretations 😂 In my mind, it's an author who uses their initials instead of their name, so a book cover that says L.M. Montgomery instead of Lucy Maud Montgomery. 4d

Kiwidragonnerd @TheAromaofBooks Ohhhhh thanks :) (edited) 4d

TheAromaofBooks @Kiwidragonnerd - No problem!! Also, if you'd like to be added to the tag list for each month when I post a new board, just let me know!! 😁 3d

46 likes15 comments

TheAromaofBooks

October Wind | Susan Wiggs

Well, we are less than a week away from OCTOBER! Generally, fall is my favorite but also my busiest season. Things also went a bit off the rails this month, so things have been bonus chaotic!! Hoping to get back on track in October (my birthday month!!). It is FINALLY raining (before this week we had gotten less than an inch altogether since July 29!) and we are excited to see what colors all our new trees are!!

All this is a very rambly way of ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) that if you want to #BookSpin in October, it's time to start thinking about your lists!! And just a reminder, if you're also joining in Haunted Shelf, #BookSpinBingo counts as a readathon, so any book you read from your list gets those bonus points!!

Looking forward to see what everyone's reading!! 2w

TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 2w

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 2w

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TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 2w

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 2w

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 2w

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 2w

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 2w

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 2w

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 2w

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry @Offmybookshelf @RoyallyReading @Charityann @DrSabrinaMoldenReads 2w

Eggs Thanks Sarah 🧡🧡🧡🧡 2w

Soubhiville I‘ve been considering my list, looking for spooky season reads on my shelves! I hope October evens out for you! 2w

Librarybelle How is it almost October??? I need to think of my list! 2w

PuddleJumper I'm excited for October but also why is it nearly October?!? 2w

DGRachel Echoing everyone else‘s Yay for October and how in the flippity flop is it already October????????? 2w

Bklover You are the best!!! 2w

bookandbedandtea @DGRachel You made me laugh while expressing my thoughts perfectly! 2w

bookandbedandtea Thanks so much for doing this, Sarah! I hope the "extra"crazy in your world settles back down so you can focus on the normal orchard crazy. I need more Fall reads so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's lists. 2w

Suet624 I‘ll have to take a look and revise my list a bit. Thank you for doing this. 2w

Bookwormjillk Happy almost birthday 🎂 2w

AmyG Hope Oct is a better month for you! 2w

BarbaraJean It CANNOT be less than a week to October!! Denial!!! 2w

AshleyHoss820 Happy Birthday (early)!! I hope Fall is the best season yet for all of us! It really feels like the world needs a rest! ☺️🧡 2w

BookmarkTavern Nope. Nope, nope, nope. If I close my eyes, it isn‘t almost October. 🫣🫣🫣 2w

vonnie862 Happy early birthday!!! 2w

AnnCrystal May the chaotic be over and your Birthday Month be absolutely splendid 🥳👍🏼🎂💝. 2w

GinaKButler Happy early Birthday! 2w

ElizaMarie AHH It's too soon! But.. I am working on creating a list - thanks again for hosting! 2w

90 likes29 comments

TheAromaofBooks

North American Lake Monsters: Stories | Nathan Ballingrud

@JoeMo - While on a lovely autumnal walk, you come across an empty house. Inside, you find a crackling fire, a steaming pot of tea, and a pile of books from your TBR. Surely there's no harm in sitting down to read a few pages. Surely it's not possible that while you think you've only spent a few minutes reading in this cozy nook, centuries have passed...

You've been #TrappedinaSpookyHouse !!

@PuddleJumper

CSeydel 👏👏 2w

PuddleJumper 🧡🖤🧡 2w

JoeMo This is a fun list. Thank you so much!! 2w

53 likes3 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca

While I'm a day late posting my #FallingForFallSwap pic, I was early to open it 😂 @BarkingMadRead thank you so much for everything!! I had a crap week and treated myself to a little present from you every day (which is also why there aren't as many Reese Cups in the picture as you sent 😆) I love everything!!!!

@Avanders @Chrissyreadit - Thank you so much for hosting as always!!

BarkingMadRead 😍😍😍 2w

Chrissyreadit 🧡❤️🤎💛🤎❤️🧡 2w

monalyisha Love that garland! 2w

Avanders 😍🍂🍁♥️ 2w

56 likes1 stack add4 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Across the Miles | Lucy Maud Montgomery

My #FallingForFallSwap package is finally on its way east!! And I received my package several days ago and just have never gotten around to posting about it, so I apologize!!

Thank you so much for hosting @Avanders @Chrissyreadit !!!

Avanders 🍂🍁🧡 4w

48 likes1 comment

TheAromaofBooks

Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Missing Heiress | Kathryn Kenny, Larry Frederick (Illustrator)

pick

I really enjoyed this installment. I think my favorites are the ones where they are in Sleepyside. I can't remember if the solution to this one seemed as obvious to me when I was growing up as it did when I was reading it this time around. Also, I genuinely had in my mind that Jim's stepfather had died in the house fire of book 1?! But apparently I made that up completely 😂 Biggest issue was that the sister of the poor lady in Illinois is⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) still missing! I felt so bad for her! On the whole, though, this felt like pretty typical fare for the series. It didn't blow me away, but I enjoyed it. Any thoughts?

#BobWhiteBuddies @BethM @curiouserandcurioser @BookmarkTavern @DebinHawaii @Read4life @lauraisntwilder @MaleficentBookDragon @Sparklemn 1mo

Soubhiville Look at that smiling puppy! 🩷 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @Soubhiville - My youngest sister's dog is staying with us for a week or so. She's super sweet and good natured, but I think she's at least half kangaroo 😂 I have never had such a bouncy dog!!! 1mo

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Soubhiville 🤣 a bundle of energy, huh? Sounds fun but tiring. 1mo

BookmarkTavern I had completely forgotten about the stepfather! 😂 A very solid read, but I think my favorite part was with the sheriff when literally everyone is like “do you remember how many times Trixie‘s solved the mystery?” The slow growth of everyone‘s support for her is great. Although Honey seemed much less involved in the actual mystery solving this time. 1mo

LiseWorks Love the dod 🐕 1mo

dabbe She so wants to please! 🤎🐾🤎 1mo

AnnCrystal 💕🐕🐾🦘💝. 1mo

Gissy 🐕🐾🐾 💛 💛 💛 1mo

63 likes9 comments

TheAromaofBooks

BookSpinBingo | Untitled

Happy September, everyone!! Here is our #BookSpinBingo board for this month!! Free spaces have lined up super nicely with our Spins, so here's hoping for a fantastic reading month!! As always, let me know if you have any questions!!!

Regular monthly text/info below ⬇

TheAromaofBooks Here's the #BookSpinBingo card! First, I put our official numbers (1 & 13) 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 ⬇ 1mo

TheAromaofBooks 1 - I don't tag anyone on this post except for @LitsyEvents but anyone is welcome to play along!!
2 - Remember – NO PRESSURE!!!! If this starts to stress you out, just take that page right out of your journal and pretend it never existed!! This challenge is to encourage you to read, not to make you feel like reading is a chore!!!
3 - FREE SPACES can be filled with any book that is NOT already on your list!! ⬇
1mo

TheAromaofBooks 4 & final - As a reminder, only the “official” BookSpin/DoubleSpin numbers will count towards giveaway entries. I don‘t want the giveaway to be stacked against people who aren‘t able to read lots of books each month. So basically there is still a maximum of 2 entries possible per month no matter how many books you read from your list. This bingo card is just for fun & glory! 😁

Thanks for playing & happy reading!!!
1mo

Bookwormjillk Love the fall colors! 1mo

61 likes4 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Spinning in Time | Joselyn Ignacio

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

TheAromaofBooks (cont‘d) everyone/keep track of who wants to bingo and who doesn‘t!!

I use the same tag list for the entire year, so if you would like to be added or removed, please just let me know. It takes me a while to tag everyone (there are a lot of you!!!) so I will add “FINISHED” to the last tag batch so you know whether or not I missed you. If I did, it was completely inadvertent. Sometimes I just spell someone‘s username wrong. ⬇
1mo

TheAromaofBooks cont'd) As always, the link to the masterpost about how this challenge works can be found on my profile or here - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ - and the link to the Google Form where you can track your reads for the end-of-the-year-giveaway can be found here - https://forms.gle/2TgEz5N3NLq3GyV56

Thanks for playing, everyone!! Please know that I read EVERY comment on this post but don't always ⬇
1mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) have time to reply to them all!! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and for making this challenge SO much fun!!

I'm going to post the Bingo board, and then come back and start the tag list on this post. Happy reading!!!

1mo

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TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 1mo

Lcsmcat My bookspin is

My Beloved World

1mo

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry @Offmybookshelf @RoyallyReading @Charityann @DrSabrinaMoldenReads

That's everyone on my tag list. If you didn't get tagged and would like to be, just let me know. Happy reading, everyone!!! 1mo

Librarybelle Yay! It‘s this month‘s Nancy Drew for me and a library book selection from my teetering pile! 1mo

julieclair I‘ve got Blubber and Fearless! 1mo

claudiuo Thanks so much! I've landed on a SciFi book and the other one is still TBD. 1mo

bookandbedandtea Yay for #BookSpin Day! Thanks Sarah! 🩷 1mo

BookmarkTavern My book club‘s pick is the #BookSpin number! That‘ll be good encouragement to get to it before the meeting! 💕 1mo

CSeydel Thank you! My bookspin is The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz, and Doublespin is the sequel to Mickey7,

Antimatter Blues: A Mickey7 Novel

1mo

willaful My bookspin is a book by Dorothy Bryant (probably Miss Giardino, so I can return it to my mom) and doublespin is Tom Lake, which I've really been wanting to get to! I hope I'll enjoy it as much as others here have. 1mo

BarbaraJean The BookSpin fates have done it again! For the past 3-4 months, the spins have landed on a book I was going to read anyway + one I needed a little push to read. This month, BookSpin is Jingo for #OokBOokClub and DoubleSpin (tagged) is a “stretch goals” book that I threw on the list for motivation to maybe read it for my church‘s book group!

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

1mo

vlwelser I totally forgot this was happening today. Signs point to a really shitty day at work 1mo

Prairiegirl_reading I didn‘t realize today was the second. I think it‘s Monday. I definitely don‘t think it‘s September so this was a happy surprise! My bookspin is If We‘re Being Honest by Cat Shook and to my delight my double spin is Stoner, especially after it came highly recommended by @TheBookHippie! 1mo

TheBookHippie @Prairiegirl_reading oh yay!!! I hope you love it!! 1mo

MemoirsForMe Yay! 2 more memoirs for me! 1mo

Prairiegirl_reading @TheBookHippie me too!! 😊 1mo

Eggs Thanks Sarah 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 1mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick A Time to Be Born, a delayed Sunday Buddy Read selection, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. 1mo

82 likes29 comments

TheAromaofBooks

September Sneakers | Ron Roy

We are less than a week away from SEPTEMBER!! September of TWENTY-TWENTY-FIVE HOW IS THIS REAL LIFE!?!?!

But seriously, time is flying as always, and if you'd like to join in this month's #BookSpin/#BookSpinBingo (before or after your mini-existential crisis, whatever works best 😂) it's time to start thinking about your lists!!

The weather here has finally cooled off (it's a PERFECT morning and the windows are OPEN) so I am feeling good ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) about life, and completely pretending like the piles of books I still have to shelve don't exist 😆

Hope all of you are doing fabulously, and I can't wait to see everyone's lists!!! 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 1mo

See All 30 Comments

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @CBee @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Deblovestoread @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry @Offmybookshelf @RoyallyReading @Charityann 1mo

BarkingMadRead So jealous, it‘s still so hot and sticky here! Posted yesterday, for once I was ahead of the game! 1mo

CBee Hi @TheAromaofBooks - you can remove me from your tag list. I‘m not keeping up with this and haven‘t been for a few months 🤪 Thanks! 1mo

PuddleJumper We're having another mini heatwave. It's disgusting. It's getting dark at 9pm but still feels hot and sticky 😤 1mo

Librarybelle I need to think of my list! 1mo

Eggs Thanks Sarah😍 I‘ll be working on my list soon 🔜 1mo

Laughterhp Wow! September! But yay fall reads! 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @CBee - Sure!! I totally get it 😂 But do remember that if you complete ANY of your spins at any point in 2025, you're still eligible for the end-of-the-year giveaway!!! 1mo

Sarahreadstoomuch How is it almost September??? HOW!!??? 1mo

rockpools I AGREE WITH ALL OF YOUR CAPITAL LETTERS! Right, let‘s work on a September list. 1mo

MemoirsForMe 😳😳😳 1mo

DGRachel I reject your reality. It can‘t possibly be the end of September already. 😭😭 1mo

BookishMadHatter Holy guacamole I am so not ready for another month to start 1mo

CoffeeK8 I can‘t believe it‘s September already I‘m both excited and appalled! 1mo

Karisimo Love the choice of tagged book ☺️ 1mo

Deblovestoread Please remove me from your tag list. Thanks! 1mo

BookmarkTavern WHAAAAT? I‘m not ready! 😅😅 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @Deblovestoread - I took you off the list for now!! Remember that if you finish(ed) any of your Spins at any point in 2025 you're still eligible for the end-of-the-year giveaway!! 💕 1mo

claudiuo Not ready for fall yet! Though #BookSpin makes this bearable! I'm in as always. Thank you! 1mo

ferskner I lost the plot in August but I'm back in for September! 1mo

96 likes30 comments

TheAromaofBooks

I Spy Treasure Hunt: A Book of Picture Riddles | Jean Marzollo

Here is September's #ISpyBingo board!!! As always, everyone is welcome to play. Items can be found on a book's front cover, back cover, or spine. I personally play each board for a full year, so take however much time you like to make the challenge work for you!!

Happy hunting!!!

TheAromaofBooks On Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/85a6eb78-a914-4e84-a200-9073f75...

Link to all the 2025 boards in case you want to play them all!! https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content... 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraBB @Deblovestoread @Faranae @julieclair @lauredhel @LiseWorks @LitsyEvents @Lkempf @MatchlessMarie @Read4life @peanutnine @PuddleJumper @willaful @Sarahreadstoomuch @OriginalCyn620 @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @cewilf @mom2bugnbee 1mo

LiseWorks Love #ISpyBingo ❤️ 😍 1mo

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BarbaraBB I‘ve been hunting so much? Will show my results soon 😀 1mo

Deblovestoread Hey Sarah! You can remove me from the tag list. My reading has nose dived and I‘ve pretty much thrown in the towel on challenges. Thanks! 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @Deblovestoread - No worries!! And you are always welcome to jump back in if you want!! 1mo

52 likes6 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Mystery on the Mississippi | Kathryn Kenny

so-so

I personally found this to be one of the weakest of the series so far. The plot was really choppy and a bit random (gun runners??) and, more aggravating, the gang just felt like they kept making really dumb decisions? Let's get in a boat with a stranger!! Let's go swimming all alone when the pool is closed and no one is around!! Let's leave Trixie & Honey alone in the hotel after we said the hotel wasn't safe!! Let's run off with two people we ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) barely know and don't really trust!! Honey felt bonus air-headed in a way that just didn't fit her personality to me. There were some fun shenanigans,, but this one definitely felt like a different writer from the last few.

Did the rest of you like it better than me??

PS Also pictured my soon-to-be-removed/very stained carpet 😂

#BobWhiteBuddies 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @BethM @curiouserandcurioser @BookmarkTavern @DebinHawaii @Read4life @lauraisntwilder @MaleficentBookDragon @Sparklemn 2mo

TheAromaofBooks PPS This copy was yet another almost-fatality from the time my then-puppy got into the Trixe Belden shelf and wreaked havoc!!! 2mo

lauraisntwilder To be honest, I keep putting this one down and not wanting to pick it back up. What teenager, in any decade, would have been hellbent on getting to ride down the Mississippi? Especially a group of teens from NY who literally just competed in a boat race in the Atlantic? 2mo

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TheAromaofBooks

BookSpinBingo | Untitled

I was trying to choose some fun, summery colors, but it kind of looks like a baby announcement 😂 ANYWAY here is August's #BookSpinBingo card with both BookSpin and DoubleSpin numbers set with two free spaces in each of their columns!! Super stoked to see how everyone does this month - can't wait to see all of your boards!!

Below is my usual monthly text/info -

TheAromaofBooks Here's the #BookSpinBingo card! First, I put our official numbers (19 & 20) 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 ⬇ 2mo

TheAromaofBooks 1 - I don't tag anyone on this post except for @LitsyEvents but anyone is welcome to play along!!
2 - Remember – NO PRESSURE!!!! If this starts to stress you out, just take that page right out of your journal and pretend it never existed!! This challenge is to encourage you to read, not to make you feel like reading is a chore!!!
3 - FREE SPACES can be filled with any book that is NOT already on your list!! ⬇
2mo

TheAromaofBooks 4 & final - As a reminder, only the “official” BookSpin/DoubleSpin numbers will count towards giveaway entries. I don‘t want the giveaway to be stacked against people who aren‘t able to read lots of books each month. So basically there is still a maximum of 2 entries possible per month no matter how many books you read from your list. This bingo card is just for fun & glory! 😁

Thanks for playing & happy reading!!!
2mo

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Bookwormjillk Love your colors, so pretty. 2mo

AllDebooks Thank you x 2mo

claudiuo Thank you so much! 2mo

Bookbuyingaddict 🤣😘 2mo

MemoirsForMe 😂😂😂 2mo

DrSabrinaMoldenReads I‘m late to this. How does it work? 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @DrSabrinaMoldenReads - Hello!! The main part of this challenge is BookSpin. Everyone makes a list of 20 books. On the 2nd of the month, I draw a number at random and everyone tries to read that book from their list. After a while, people wanted to read more than one book, so I started drawing two numbers and calling the second one DoubleSpin 😂 There's a giveaway at the end of the year, and every Spin book completed counts as an entry. ⬇ 1mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) The Bingo part is for people who want to play with their whole list. I create a new bingo board every month, and each person reads the books from their list that go with those numbers to try and score bingos. 21-25 are free spaces. I have loads more details and a few pictures, plus a link to the form for tracking giveaway entries, on my off-Litsy blog - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ ⬇ 1mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Just let me know if you have any questions, or if you'd like to be added to the tag list!! 😁 1mo

DrSabrinaMoldenReads Sounds like lots of fun. Please add me to the tag list. Thanks for explaining! 1mo

TheAromaofBooks @DrSabrinaMoldenReads - Yay!! You're on the list - glad to have you along!! Feel free to tag me when you post your September list!! 1mo

79 likes14 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Spin Around Space | Igloobooks

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

TheAromaofBooks (cont‘d) everyone/keep track of who wants to bingo and who doesn‘t!!

I use the same tag list for the entire year, so if you would like to be added or removed, please just let me know. It takes me a while to tag everyone (there are a lot of you!!!) so I will add “FINISHED” to the last tag batch so you know whether or not I missed you. If I did, it was completely inadvertent. Sometimes I just spell someone‘s username wrong. ⬇
2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) As always, the link to the masterpost about how this challenge works can be found on my profile or here - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ - and the link to the Google Form where you can track your reads for the end-of-the-year-giveaway can be found here - https://forms.gle/2TgEz5N3NLq3GyV56

Thanks for playing, everyone!! Please know that I read EVERY comment on this post but don't always ⬇
2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) have time to reply to them all!! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and for making this challenge SO much fun!!

I'm going to post the Bingo board, and then come back and start the tag list on this post. Happy reading!!!
2mo

See All 30 Comments

TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @CBee @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Deblovestoread @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 2mo

PuddleJumper TBR reads ... Should be easy 😅 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry @Offmybookshelf @RoyallyReading @Charityann

This is everyone on my tag list, so if you want to be added or removed, please let me know! Happy reading, everyone!! 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper - That's how they trick you 😂 2mo

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Nice! Mine are two that I‘ve been putting off for ages, so this will be the perfect excuse to get to them! 2mo

Lcsmcat Mine are Village of Secrets and Family Man. Looking forward to them! 2mo

Soubhiville Thanks Sarah! It seems like it‘s been a long time since they came up 2 in a row like this! 2mo

Bookwormjillk Oooh I like it! 2mo

Daisey My two nonfiction slots, which I‘ve neglected most months this year. Maybe some motivation to finish some nonfiction this month! 2mo

Clare-Dragonfly Woohoo! 2mo

Librarybelle Yay! Maybe I can finally read my #14Books14Weeks selections! 😂 2mo

bookandbedandtea Woohoo! It's always so fun to see what gets picked. Thanks for keeping this going, Sarah! 🩷 2mo

vonnie862 I need to make my list! 2mo

ChaoticMissAdventures Perfect picks for me!! Thank you :) 2mo

staci.reads #BS is tagged! #DS is Jonathan Franzen's Crossroads, which is a chunkster, so it's been hanging out on my tbr shelves for years. I'm glad to be pushed to finally dive in!

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club: A Novel

2mo

Zuhkeeyah Best draw ever. Both numbers are mood reads 😎 2mo

claudiuo Thank you! Thank you! 💝 2mo

Suet624 Thank you so much! 2mo

Bookbuyingaddict Thank you so much Sarah for doing this every month / love it and appreciate it 🙏😃😘x x x 2mo

91 likes30 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Across the Miles | Lucy Maud Montgomery

Time for my favorite swap of the year!! #FallingForFallSwap 🎉 Check out this post https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2886960 for the sign-up link!!!

As always, thank you for hosting @avanders @chrissyreadit 💕 💕 💕

Chrissyreadit 🎉💛🎉💛🎉💛🎉 2mo

Jjaxn95 @PageTurner1877 !! 🍂🎃 2mo

Avanders 👏🏼👏🏼🍁🍂🧡♥️💛 2mo

42 likes3 comments

TheAromaofBooks

August | K. C. Kelley

Well, we are somehow only a week away from AUGUST!!! August!!! This has been a hot summer around here (although my weather app says it's not as hot as it was in 1999 when a bunch of records were set so I guess I'm grateful?? 😂) which usually means I read more, but we have just been SO busy!! We FINALLY closed on our old house this past Monday after being under contract since before Memorial Day, which means I can stop lugging my lawn mower over⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) there!! 🎉 We are SO excited to be focused on ONE house haha My bookshelves are looking fabulous; I just haven't had time to post pictures!! Orchard work starts next week and I am NOT READY to start working full time!!

ANYWAY the actual point is that if you want to #BookSpin it's time to start thinking about your lists!!! Looking forward to seeing what books everyone is hoping to read next month!! 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 2mo

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TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 2mo

julieclair Hooray for only owning one house! 😄 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @CBee @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Deblovestoread @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 2mo

Bookwormjillk Yikes, I barely read this month. Time to recommit in August. Congrats on the house! (edited) 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry @Offmybookshelf @RoyallyReading @Charityann 2mo

PuddleJumper Yay! Congrats! Boo that it's nearly August 2mo

AmyG Congrats on the closing! 2mo

BarkingMadRead Omg I barely touched my stack for July. Divorce process sucks the life out of me 2mo

Sace Congrats on becoming a ONE house household! 2mo

Librarybelle Yay! Congrats! 2mo

Suet624 Thank you! 2mo

DGRachel Congratulations! I can‘t believe it‘s almost August. That makes me want to cry. 😮‍💨 2mo

Lcsmcat Congrats on closing! I know what a relief that is! 2mo

Mollyanna Woohoo! Congrats on closing! 2mo

Eggs Congratulations Sarah 🎉🎈🍾 2mo

lil1inblue Congrats on finally closing on the extra house! 😍Where has the year gone! 🙃 2mo

kelli7990 I didn‘t read very much from my list this much. I have 6 digital ARCs that were sent to me this month and it took me a long time to just read the first ARC and I finished the second ARC last night. I‘ll have time to start the next ARC but I don‘t know if I‘ll finish it before the end of the month. 2mo

BookmarkTavern I‘m not ready! 😂😂😂😂 2mo

CSeydel Congratulations! What a relief that is 😅 Stay cool 😎 2mo

AllDebooks Congratulations Sarah x 2mo

AllDebooks @BarkingMadRead oh Kim, I'm so sorry you're going thru this. Take care of yourself. x 🫂 2mo

Soubhiville Congratulations, I‘m sure it‘s a relief! 🩷 2mo

AnnCrystal 👏🏼🥳 Congrats 🏘️💝. 2mo

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Huge congrats on the house and not having to lug the mower! 🎉 This has been the longest and shortest year ever. My reading has been so inconsistent, but I love lists too much to not participate. 🤣❤️ 2mo

Larkken 🫠 = me in August. But also congratulations!! Great news 2mo

104 likes33 comments

TheAromaofBooks

I Spy Treasure Hunt: A Book of Picture Riddles | Jean Marzollo

August #ISpyBingo board!!!

As always, anyone is welcome to join!! Find items on the front or back covers or spine of your book. If you'd like to see all the 2025 boards/play all the boards all year, they are here - https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content...

⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) If you'd like to track your progress on Storygraph, the challenge is here - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/85a6eb78-a914-4e84-a200-9073f75...

And if you have ideas for 2026 prompts, please feel free to start compiling a list that you can email to me at any time 😂 I am hoping to make boards again for next year because I really enjoy this challenge. 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraBB @Deblovestoread @Faranae @julieclair @lauredhel @LiseWorks @LitsyEvents @Lkempf @MatchlessMarie @Read4life @peanutnine @PuddleJumper @willaful @Sarahreadstoomuch @OriginalCyn620 @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @cewilf @mom2bugnbee 2mo

LiseWorks I do too! 2mo

See All 6 Comments

OriginalCyn620 I love this challenge too! I‘ll try to think of some ideas 🤔 2mo

BarbaraBB I‘ll think of some prompts too. What is your email? 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @OriginalCyn620 @BarbaraBB - My email is itsthegoodlife15 at gmail. Feel free to make a list and send it to me all at once later in the year (I'll probably do a reminder in late October) or you can just send them over as they come to you 😂 I've been taking random notes as I read books and see things that feel like they would have been good haha 2mo

51 likes6 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Death of an Author | E. C. R. Lorac

Okay, here are a few options for the next round of #TravelingThrills !! @Jerdencon @bookandbedandtea

TheAromaofBooks

In the Waning Light

3mo

TheAromaofBooks

Twice Round the Clock. A Mystery Novel

3mo

TheAromaofBooks

Entry Island

3mo

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bookandbedandtea All of these sound good! My first choices would be Death Of An Author or Entry Island but I'd be happy with any of them. 3mo

Jerdencon All sound good to me. I like entry island too. 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @bookandbedandtea @Jerdencon - Okay, I think I'll go with Entry Island. I've really enjoyed a couple of May's other books!! 2mo

bookandbedandtea Sounds great! 2mo

42 likes7 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Mystery of the Emeralds | Kathryn Kenny

pick

Running a little behind with June's #BobWhiteBuddies read, but better late than never!! I really enjoyed this one, despite all the coincidences that let everything work out perfectly 😂 One thing I really liked was the way that Trixie gave Neil the benefit of the doubt instead of jumping to conclusions about his motives. Like the last book, the gang comes through here as feeling compassionate. Even though they frequently focus on fundraisers to

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) help far away people and causes, they still are willing to reach out to people close to them, too. I was afraid this one might turn into a little mini-travelogue about WIlliamsburg, but other than the COMPLETELY random trip to the wig shop, it felt like the right amount of background 😆 While this one was a little too coincidence/tidy at the end, it still was overall feel-good and happy. And by golly, I still ship Trixie and Jim 💕 3mo

TheAromaofBooks Thoughts? Is everyone staying caught up, or do we need to take July off?

@BethM @curiouserandcurioser @BookmarkTavern @DebinHawaii @Read4life @lauraisntwilder @MaleficentBookDragon @Sparklemn 3mo

BookmarkTavern There were a lot of coincidences in this one, but Trixie also got to show off her intelligence! Finding the staircase was such an awesome moment. And I loved Brian getting to show off his medical knowledge multiple times in this book. 3mo

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lauraisntwilder Never in my life would I agree to taking my kid's 5 friends on my business trip! 😆 And poor Dan continues to miss out. I'm looking forward to summer ending in Sleepyside so the Bob-Whites have to stay home and hang out with Dan and ride those horses they're so crazy about. 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @BookmarkTavern - Yes!! Honestly, Brian was always my crush when I read these growing up 😂 I loved his steadiness whenever there is a crisis and how he always seems to know what to do!! 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder - I really felt like there was more horseback riding when I read these back in the day 😆 3mo

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TheAromaofBooks

BookSpinBingo | Untitled

Good morning!! Look at this lovely July card the BookSpin Fates have granted us! Two free spaces in the BookSpin column!! And one each with the DoubleSpin column and row. Hope you all are using this hot weather as an excuse to sit in front of a fan, sip some lemonade, and read!!! 😁

Regular monthly text/info below ⬇

TheAromaofBooks Here's the #BookSpinBingo card! First, I put our official numbers (4 & 11) 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 ⬇ 3mo

TheAromaofBooks 1 - I don't tag anyone on this post except for @LitsyEvents but anyone is welcome to play along!!
2 - Remember – NO PRESSURE!!!! If this starts to stress you out, just take that page right out of your journal and pretend it never existed!! This challenge is to encourage you to read, not to make you feel like reading is a chore!!!
3 - FREE SPACES can be filled with any book that is NOT already on your list!! ⬇
3mo

TheAromaofBooks 4 & final - As a reminder, only the “official” BookSpin/DoubleSpin numbers will count towards giveaway entries. I don‘t want the giveaway to be stacked against people who aren‘t able to read lots of books each month. So basically there is still a maximum of 2 entries possible per month no matter how many books you read from your list. This bingo card is just for fun & glory! 😁

Thanks for playing & happy reading!!!
3mo

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claudiuo Thank you so much! This is what I look forward to beginning of each month! 💛 3mo

AllDebooks Thank you x 3mo

julieclair Thanks, Sarah! I just love filling in my bingo card at the beginning of each month. So filled with promise! 😃 3mo

78 likes6 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Spin Around Space | Igloobooks

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is FOUR! Our official #DoubleSpin number is ELEVEN (so close to 12 😂)!! 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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont‘d) having to double tag everyone/keep track of who wants to bingo and who doesn‘t!!

I use the same tag list for the entire year, so if you would like to be added or removed, please just let me know. It takes me a while to tag everyone (there are a lot of you!!!) so I will add “FINISHED” to the last tag batch so you know whether or not I missed you. If I did, it was completely inadvertent. Sometimes I just spell someone‘s username wrong. ⬇
3mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) As always, the link to the masterpost about how this challenge works can be found on my profile or here - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ - and the link to the Google Form where you can track your reads for the end-of-the-year-giveaway can be found here - https://forms.gle/2TgEz5N3NLq3GyV56

Thanks for playing, everyone!! Please know that I read EVERY comment on this post but don't always ⬇
3mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) have time to reply to them all!! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and for making this challenge SO much fun!!

I'm going to post the Bingo board, and then come back and start the tag list on this post. Happy reading!!!
3mo

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TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @CBee @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Deblovestoread @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry @Offmybookshelf @RoyallyReading

This is everyone on my tag list, so let me know if you would like to be added!!! 3mo

PuddleJumper That's an ARC and an ebook for me! 3mo

Librarybelle I‘ve got Under a Painted Sky and Murder Uncorked! 3mo

Bookwormjillk Oh, yay! Something to start the day of right on this dark and stormy morning. 3mo

Lcsmcat I got

Traitor to the Crown: The Untold Story of the Popish Plot and the Consipiracy Against Samuel Pepys

3mo

Bookbuyingaddict Thank you 🙏 🥰 3mo

claudiuo Thank you so much! 3mo

AmyG Yay! I will be reading

Under a Painted Sky

3mo

Sace Thank you! 3mo

bookandbedandtea Woohoo! Mine is

The Five Year Lie: A Domestic Thriller

3mo

Eggs Thanks Sarah❣️ 3mo

Caryl My July picks are Flush (Virginia Woolf) and Betsy in Spite of Herself (Maud Hart Lovelace). Hooray and thank you! 3mo

julieclair I've got Lost Lake for #FictionalTraveler and Burial Rites for #LiteraryCrew 😃 3mo

MemoirsForMe Yay! Thank Sarah! Another funny celeb memoir for me:

It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time

3mo

Aconight Made my list last week. Ill post now. Super busy week. 3mo

CoffeeK8 Yay! Thanks for organizing 3mo

94 likes28 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Beautiful Joe: An Autobiography | Marshall Saunders

so-so

This is one of those weird books that I like less every time I read it. When I first read it ~age 11, I loved it: Black Beauty except a dog! But subsequent rereads as an adult have made me look at this book a little more critically. My main complaint is that there isn't actually a story. In BB, we have a clear linear story, from birth to final home. But Joe is just a collection of random sermonettes against animal cruelty. I think that as a child⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I had more to learn about the concept of cruelty through carelessness - you don't have to hit your dog with a stick to mistreat him. But as an adult, I found this book much preachier than I remembered, and I definitely wanted more story. The book was choppy and abrupt, with some chapters feeling very unnecessary or shoehorned in just to get another specific lesson checked off the list. I can see why it was popular when it was published, ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) and Joe is a likable narrator, but as a more critical reader than I was as a child, I find this book to be lacking, well, soul. There just isn't a real connection between the reader and any of the characters, including Joe, who ends up just feeling like a mouthpiece for Saunders's lessons. Despite being a well-loved book when I was growing up, I actually don't see myself rereading this one again. 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - a rather late #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead review 😂

#ISpyBingo #BookSpinBingo 4mo

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TheAromaofBooks PS Beautiful Joe did not specifically address whether forcing your pet to pose with a book is animal cruelty, but I think Waylon may have thoughts 😂 4mo

PuddleJumper 🐕🐕 4mo

rubyslippersreads I ❤️ everything about this photo. 🐶 4mo

TheBookHippie 🤣 4mo

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 4mo

AnnCrystal 😍💕🐕🐾💝. 4mo

BarbaraJean I agree with all of this and since I still haven't reviewed it yet, maybe I can just refer people to your review, minus the Black Beauty/re-read context since this was my first read and I haven't read BB yet 😆 And I LOVE your book styling choices here (even if your dog does not love said choices) 😂 😂 3mo

julieclair Excellent review. 💙 3mo

81 likes11 comments

TheAromaofBooks

I Spy Treasure Hunt: A Book of Picture Riddles | Jean Marzollo

Bwahaha here I am actually remembering to post the new #ISpyBingo board in a timely manner! Miracle!!

Anyway, here are July's prompts. As a reminder, anyone can play. These items can be found on the front cover, back cover, or spine of the book. You can try to get them all in a month, or keep this board in play for longer, whatever works for you!! I personally have been adding a new board every month but plan to give myself a year to clear each ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) one, so I'll be playing this one from July 2025 to the end of June 2026 (theoretically haha)

If you want to see all the 2025 boards they can be found here - https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content...

⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks And if you want to track the prompts on Storygraph, they can be found here - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/85a6eb78-a914-4e84-a200-9073f75... (I have the challenge set to run through December 31, 2026)

Feel free to let me know if you have questions, or if you'd like to be added to the list of people I tag with each month's board!! 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraBB @Deblovestoread @Faranae @julieclair @lauredhel @LiseWorks @LitsyEvents @Lkempf @MatchlessMarie @Read4life @peanutnine @PuddleJumper @willaful @Sarahreadstoomuch @OriginalCyn620 @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @cewilf @mom2bugnbee 4mo

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LiseWorks It's July already? Love the #ISpyBingos 4mo

julieclair I downloaded all 12 boards in January, and have been working on them all at the same time. I‘m wondering which one will be my first coverall! 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @julieclair - That's what I did last year, but then it was a little crazy at the beginning of the year checking off a jillion prompts, and then by the end of the year I was just looking for a handful of weird ones. So it's been kind of fun starting a new one each month. I still haven't cleared any of them, although I only have one prompt left in January. (Handcuffs?? What was I thinking?! 😂) 3mo

julieclair @TheAromaofBooks I must admit I loved checking off a jillion prompts at the beginning of the year! 😆 January is my best month so far, too, but even so, I still have 7 empty spaces. One of which is handcuffs (yep… what were you thinking🤣 I have visions of myself in December, having no time for holiday festivities because I‘m running around looking for a book with handcuffs on the cover! 😂😂😂 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @julieclair - Your Christmas wishlist is composed of one item: ANY book with handcuffs on the cover 😂 3mo

julieclair @TheAromaofBooks 😂😂😂🎄 3mo

61 likes9 comments

TheAromaofBooks

July Jitters | Ron Roy

Oh my gosh, there is only one week of June left!!! Which means we are only a week away from being HALF WAY THROUGH 2025!!! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that years begin with “20“ so we can all see how well I'm doing with the passage of time 😂 Anyway, I hope everyone is having a lovely summer so far (or a cozy winter, depending on where you are!). We are in the midst of an intense heat wave, unusual for this early in the ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) season, and I am working on not being a whiner 😆 My husband has been working on building bookshelves for the new library!!! And I am hoping to spend some time getting the nonfiction section sorted out today!!! I'm SO excited!!

Anyway, if you're planning to spin along with me in July, it's time to start thinking about your lists!! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone is reading (or avoiding 😂)

Also, just a reminder about the⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) end-of-the-year giveaway!! Remember that every spin completed (either finished or removed from your TBR as a gave-it-a-try-bail) counts as an entry for the giveaway IF you complete the giveaway form!! You can fill it out as you go throughout the year OR track your spins some other way and enter them all at once at the end of the year. I give 5 random people a book from their TBR, open internationally. The spins can be completed ANY time ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) in 2025 (if you finish February's book in May, that counts!) Link to the form - which of course has way more explanations because I LOVE over-explaining things!! - https://forms.gle/2TgEz5N3NLq3GyV56 And also the link on my blog that explains the overall challenge in even more excruciating detail!! 😁 https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/

Thanks for spinning with me - can't wait to see the lists!! 4mo

See All 33 Comments

TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @CBee @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Deblovestoread @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry @Offmybookshelf @RoyallyReading 4mo

Bookwormjillk Gah! I need to get started on my bookspin stat! 4mo

DieAReader I‘ve decided not to follow any more lists this year. I‘m too 🐿️🧠. I‘m just considering all my physical books to be #BookSpin books & all my digital are #ReadYourKobo books. 4mo

LeeRHarry Next up is my bookspin book - thank goodness is a short one!

My Phantoms

4mo

Librarybelle It is hard to believe it is nearly July! Must think of my list! 4mo

DGRachel It‘s crazy to me how fast time goes while also feeling like it‘s not moving at all, depending on the day. As I anticipated, I‘ve read little from my June list and we‘ll see how well I anticipate my July moods when I put together that list this week. 🙃 4mo

PuddleJumper Nope. Nope. It is not July or summer, it's February! 🤪 4mo

CSeydel @DGRachel same! 4mo

Lcsmcat The days are slow, but the years are fast! Can‘t believe it‘s almost July. 4mo

AnnCrystal New Bookshelves 📚👏🏼🥳👍🏼💝💝💝. 4mo

AshleyHoss820 HOW IS THIS HAPPENING!? 4mo

MemoirsForMe What??? Hope to finish my letter to you before the end of the year! 🤪📝 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @MemoirsForMe - Starting to think we should just exchange journals once a year 😂 4mo

BookmarkTavern I‘M NOT READY 😂😂 4mo

CoffeeK8 Insanity! 4mo

Eggs January seems like yesterday… 4mo

MemoirsForMe 😂😂😂 4mo

julieclair Can‘t wait to see a pic of your new library once it‘s finished. So exciting! 3mo

Bookbuyingaddict Where the blinking heck is this year going ?? X. Xx 3mo

bookandbedandtea It's so fun that you get to organize a while new library! And I, too, am working on not being a whiner about the heat! With mixed results. 😏 3mo

Singout @DieAReader I hear you! I try every month but never seem to succeed. 3mo

113 likes33 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The mystery of the old violin | Augusta Huiell Seaman, William Hutchinson (Printer)

pick

Presumably I read this book back when I purchased it for a quarter back in 1997, but I have no memory of it 😂 A Scholastic Book Club reprint of a 1932 story, this one was perfectly fun but not particularly engaging. But I probably would have liked it better when I was the age for which it's aimed. Soft pick.

TheAromaofBooks #100YearsofBooks
#Pantone2025 - Curds & Whey @lauredhel
#Roll100 #GottaCatchEmAll (Instrument on Cover) @PuddleJumper
#ISpyBingo - Instrument - not guitar or piano
#BookChain
#Read2025 - 35/100 TBR books read @DieAReader
#BookSpinBingo 4mo

AnnCrystal 💕😻💝. 4mo

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 4mo

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 4mo

59 likes1 stack add4 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Elevator Pitch | Linwood Barclay

pick

This one kept me turning the pages, but for me the motivation for the villain wasn't strong enough to make the ending make sense. However, I've always been a little terrified of elevators, and now I'm not sure I'll ever get on one again 😂 Although ironically, I was expecting more elevator terror than I actually got. Soft pick.

#Read2025 - 34/100 TBR books read @DieAReader
#BookSpinBingo

AnnCrystal Always loathed elevators! Love the staircase contrast 😉👍🏼💝. 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @AnnCrystal - Our stairs are so steep that the “pitch“ part seemed appropriate anyway 😂 4mo

DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 4mo

AnnCrystal @TheAromaofBooks 😳😂👌🏼💝. 4mo

49 likes4 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Pollyanna Grows Up | Eleanor Hodgman Porter

pick

Well, Litsy won't let up upload an image today. Ah well. This sequel to Pollyanna is almost like two books in one. The first half takes place only about a year after the first book ended. P is able to walk again and is happily living with Aunt Polly & her husband. When Aunt P & Dr end up going abroad, P goes to stay with a woman in Boston, and we kind of get a repeat of book 1, with P spreading sunshine and happiness to all and sundry. However, ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) there is still a lot of charm here. Second half of the book opens several years later with P now a young woman. She has been abroad with Aunt P & Dr for most of that time (I honestly found it hard to believe that she hadn't come back to visit in all that time...) & Porter decided to make a plot decision that really annoys me every time (spoiler below). Here we get a little love story with everyone pairing off just right. If you enjoyed ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) the first book, you'll probably like the second as well.

@BarbaraJean - I think you mentioned something about being concerned about a potential weird age-gap romance but I can reassure you that that is not remotely an issue 😁 4mo

TheAromaofBooks For some reason, Porter decides to kill off Dr. Chilton, leaving Aunt Polly a bitter widow! I think the idea is that we have to have Pollyanna in “reduced circumstances“ etc but honestly it makes me mad every time! At the end of the book, literally everyone else is happily paired off except freaking poor Aunt P who apparently only gets to have 4mo

See All 7 Comments

Bklover Noooo!!!! 4mo

BarbaraJean Haha—I need to read this now! 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I think you would enjoy it!! I also really wanted to post the picture because I have a 1940s hardcover edition that still has the jacket cover - and it's impressive how many times Page managed to fit “Trademarked“ onto it 😂 I don't know how he ended up with the rights to Pollyanna/Glad books after Porter's death, but knowing him, it was something shyster-y! 4mo

MemoirsForMe Oh my! 🫣 4mo

46 likes7 comments

TheAromaofBooks

BookSpinBingo | Untitled

Okay, friends, here is the June #BookSpinBingo board!! I like the way every row got its own free space this month 😂 I used a light blue marker and after I uploaded the picture realized that it's kind of pale in the photo but hopefully everyone can see it okay. If not, I can reupload it with a darker blue!! May was my best reading month for a while, so I have high hopes for June. Hope everyone is heading for a fabulous summer!!!

Usual stuff ⬇

TheAromaofBooks Here's the #BookSpinBingo card! First, I put our official numbers (12 & 10) 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 ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks 1 - I don't tag anyone on this post except for @LitsyEvents but anyone is welcome to play along!!
2 - Remember – NO PRESSURE!!!! If this starts to stress you out, just take that page right out of your journal and pretend it never existed!! This challenge is to encourage you to read, not to make you feel like reading is a chore!!!
3 - FREE SPACES can be filled with any book that is NOT already on your list!! ⬇
4mo

TheAromaofBooks 4 & final - As a reminder, only the “official” BookSpin/DoubleSpin numbers will count towards giveaway entries. I don‘t want the giveaway to be stacked against people who aren‘t able to read lots of books each month. So basically there is still a maximum of 2 entries possible per month no matter how many books you read from your list. This bingo card is just for fun & glory! 😁

Thanks for playing & happy reading!!!
4mo

See All 10 Comments

BookmarkTavern So many free spaces in a row! 🤩 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @BookmarkTavern - Right?? Column N is here for the win! 4mo

Bookbuyingaddict Hooray 🙌🏻 thank you so so much and thank you for the lovely 🥰 letter ✉️ one will be winging back Iv just been manic ! Lots of bookish love ❤️ x x. X x x x 😘 4mo

Offmybookshelf How do I sign up for this? 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Offmybookshelf - I will add you to the tag list and then you'll get notified every month about the BookSpin numbers and the BookSpinBingo board. Beyond that, just make your list of books and you are good to go!! If you need more information on how it works, you can check out my master post on my blog (link in my profile) or just ask for clarification and I can give you more of an explanation!! 4mo

RoyallyReading I'd like to be part of July's BookSpin 😁 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @RoyallyReading - I added you to the tag list!! 4mo

71 likes10 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Spinning Forward | Terri DuLong

Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is TWELVE (again 😂)! Our official #DoubleSpin number is TEN (...also again??) !! 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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) having to double tag everyone/keep track of who wants to bingo and who doesn‘t!!

I use the same tag list for the entire year, so if you would like to be added or removed, please just let me know. It takes me a while to tag everyone (there are a lot of you!!!) so I will add “FINISHED” to the last tag batch so you know whether or not I missed you. If I did, it was completely inadvertent. Sometimes I just spell someone‘s username wrong ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) As always, the link to the masterpost about how this challenge works can be found on my profile or here - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge/ - and the link to the Google Form where you can track your reads for the end-of-the-year-giveaway can be found here - https://forms.gle/2TgEz5N3NLq3GyV56

Thanks for playing, everyone!! Please know that I read EVERY comment on this post but don't always ⬇
4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) have time to reply to them all!! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and for making this challenge SO much fun!!

I'm going to post the Bingo board, and then come back and start the tag list on this post. Happy reading!!!
4mo

See All 29 Comments

TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 4mo

PuddleJumper TBR reads for me! 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @CBee @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Deblovestoread @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui @LeeRHarry

That is everyone I have on the tag list, so if you'd like to be added, please let me know!! 4mo

MatchlessMarie Number 12 must be feeling pretty smug 😂 4mo

Suet624 I‘m so excited to be reading blacktop wasteland by SA Cosby. I‘ve read all of his except for that one. Thanks for the push to take that off my TBR. 4mo

Bookwormjillk Yay! Bookspin day! I forgot. That gives me something fun to do at lunch. 4mo

LeeRHarry Both short books so yay! Bookspin has been kind! 😊 4mo

claudiuo Thank you so much! 4mo

TheSpineView Ready Or Not, we know June is here when we get our #BookSpin numbers. Thanks! 🥰 4mo

AmyG Yay!!! Thank you! 4mo

Librarybelle Yay!! 4mo

ferskner What is up with 12!!!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣 4mo

willaful @ferskner This will be my third 12 read! 4mo

MemoirsForMe Yay! 12 is a lucky number for me! 4mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick My goodness, 12 has some strong energy this year! Good Omens and The Watcher in the Shadows. Both on my physical shelves, and I believe they are both for #192025 . Huzzah! 4mo

Sace Yay! Another #PaperbackCrush for me! Those are quick, nostalgic reads. 4mo

Eggs 🩵💙🩵 4mo

Bookbuyingaddict Thank you 🙏 I may have to re write my list as too many books not enough time 🤣😘x x x x 4mo

104 likes29 comments

TheAromaofBooks

I Spy Treasure Hunt: A Book of Picture Riddles | Jean Marzollo

Sorry, gang, totally spaced on posting June's #ISpyBingo board!!

As always, if you want to track on Storygraph, the challenge is here - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/85a6eb78-a914-4e84-a200-9073f75...

And if you would like to see ALL the 2025 boards in once place (especially since I can't seem to remember to post them in a timely manner 😂) the link to the Canva document is in the comment below!!

All are welcome to play!!

TheAromaofBooks Canva document with all the 2025 boards: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVO4NctsY/-lGsmflP3sUW9FsAung8hg/view?utm_content... 4mo

TheAromaofBooks If you want to be added/removed from the tag list, just let me know!!

@BarbaraBB @Deblovestoread @Faranae @julieclair @lauredhel @LiseWorks @LitsyEvents @MatchlessMarie @Read4life @peanutnine @PuddleJumper @willaful @Sarahreadstoomuch @OriginalCyn620 @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @cewilf @mom2bugnbee 4mo

Lkempf This looks like a great game. Please add me to the tag. 4mo

BarbaraBB Still loving this! 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Lkempf - Absolutely!! You are welcome to do one month at a time, or do all of the 2025 boards at the same time, or whatever combo of those methods work for you! 😁 4mo

51 likes5 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Mystery on Cobbett's Island | Kathryn Kenny

pick

I really enjoyed the 13th Trixie Belden book. The banter and teasing between the Bob-Whites was just like I remembered - and just the right amount of flirting between Jim and Trixie!! 😍

@BookmarkTavern was saying how it would be fun to know who ghost-wrote which books, so I did a little research yesterday, but it just looks like that list doesn't exist! The best information I could find is linked below, but it's a lot of hypotheticals. ⬇

TheAromaofBooks https://trixie-belden.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Authors

While I was looking this up, I found a couple of other interesting articles about the originator of Trixie, Julie (Tatham) Campbell. Both talk a little bit about how Campbell literally wanted to create an anti-Nancy Drew 😂 who wasn't perfect and had pesky things like chores interfere with life.

https://bookfever.com/trixie-belden-series/ - I thought it was interesting that Campbell also ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) created the Ginny Gordon books (which I've never read but do come across from time to time) and also wrote a few of the Cherry Ames books - another series I've always meant to read!

https://www.series-books.com/trixiebelden/trixiebelden.html - I liked this article because I personally 100% agree with the writer of it about Nancy vs. Trixie - I love both!! But for entirely different reasons. ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) So what did you all think about this month's story? I really enjoyed it but also found it kind of... I am not sure what the word is I'm looking for. Not unique? Like I wouldn't especially remember this one vs any of the others in the series, if that makes sense😆 But I really enjoyed the interactions within the gang (minus Dan, of course!), and thought it was fun to see the Bob Whites learn about sailing. I'd love to hear your thoughts! 4mo

See All 6 Comments

TheAromaofBooks #BobWhiteBuddies @BethM @curiouserandcurioser @BookmarkTavern @DebinHawaii @Read4life @lauraisntwilder @MaleficentBookDragon @Sparklemn 4mo

BookmarkTavern I did miss Dan, especially since he had played such an important part in the last one. And I loved the trick with the map! But also, this resolution was particularly satisfying. Because not only do we see al the BobWhites and their compassion for their adopted community, but as soon as Trixie learns the background of the “villain” she is instantly empathetic and hoping to not make things worse for him. And the other BobWhites following her lead! 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @BookmarkTavern - Yes!! I loved the way that everyone was really willing to take into account the situation of the “bad guy“ and we're left feeling like he is going to get the support he needs to build a better life. It kind of ties into Jim's dream of having a boys' camp to help kids in similar situations. I also loved the little connection to Brian getting to meet a medical student and encouraging him with that dream as well. 4mo

60 likes6 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder | Dianne Freeman

pick

My sister loaned this one to me quite a long time ago, but because historical mysteries aren't usually my jam, it's been lingering on the TBR pile. I finally picked it up, and honestly it was super adorable. I really liked the characters and even though not everything quite worked, it worked enough 😂 and I'll definitely be reading book two.

AnnCrystal 😍🌸💝. 4mo

67 likes1 comment

TheAromaofBooks

A History of Wild Places: A Novel | Shea Ernshaw

pick

I had mixed feelings about this one. It was super engaging and I could hardly put it down while I was reading it. But the whole explanation/plot twist at the end just didn't really work for me. I don't know what I wanted, but it wasn't what I got 😂 A soft pick. I liked it, but don't see myself rereading it later.

TheAromaofBooks PS The most unbelievable part was that they got a truck running right away that had been sitting for ~3 years. At a minimum, the battery would have been dead. Probably the tires would have also been flat. And it was sitting in the woods! So many critters would have nested in it and chewed wires. Just. Seriously people. 😅 4mo

TheAromaofBooks #ReadtheUSA - California
#Pantone2025 - Moonbeam @lauredhel
#Roll100 #GottaCatchEmAll - Jewelry is important @PuddleJumper
#Read2025 - 32/100 TBR books read @DieAReader
#BookSpinBingo 4mo

PuddleJumper Wahoo! 4mo

DieAReader Excellent!! 4mo

66 likes4 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Mill on the Floss | George Eliot

so-so

Another classic off the list. I can't say I enjoyed this one. Maggie honestly got on my nerves. I was thinking about it while writing my GR review, because in some ways she reminded me of Helen from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, but I really respected Helen and had pretty much no respect for Maggie, and I was trying to figure out why. I think it's because Maggie's brother is her god. Everything she does is based on whether or not he will approve. ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Except he's a jackass, so the way she followed him around like an abused dog, ever-hoping for head-pats despite only ever receiving kicks was both depressing and irritating. I get that this was a different era and that Eliot was making a statement about the position of women at the time, but honestly you have to be stupid to worship Tom. I actually think that I wouldn't have minded Maggie's decisions if I ever remotely felt like she was ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) making them for herself, or even (like Helen) due to a true religious conviction. But it all just came back to her obnoxious brother who actually couldn't care less about Maggie or what happened to her so.

Between this and Middlemarch, I've had enough of George Eliot to last me probably forever, but I genuinely appreciate @BarkingMadRead helping me plow through yet another classic I probably would have given up on my own! 😂 4mo

eeclayton Couldn't agree more. I also have no idea what she saw in Stephen. He's a selfish and arrogant emotional blackmailer. 4mo

See All 6 Comments

TheAromaofBooks @eeclayton - I could at least see the whole young love thing where you meet someone and don't notice their negative qualities yet because you're caught up in the fizz, especially in Maggie's situation where she is so desperate for attention and affection. Like long-term if they got married it would have been terrible because he sucked, but her short-term infatuation kind of made sense. But to still think Tom is perfect after all these years...!!!! 4mo

dabbe A 🎯🩵🎯 review. Stephen also reminded me of Heathcliff in WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Way too angsty and Byronic-heroey for my taste! 🤣 4mo

Clare-Dragonfly I was thinking the same thing about having had enough of Eliot! Disappointing, because I think she was a really cool individual. (edited) 4mo

58 likes6 comments

TheAromaofBooks

As You Are: A Sweet Military Romance | Claire Cain

pick

This book was really similar to the first one in the series, with likable MCs and no smutty scenes, which I prefer. There were times that Ellie annoyed me, and I really wish we could have gotten Jake's POV, but overall this was a pleasant read. I'm mostly posting this because I don't like covers with real/real-looking people on them, so I created a new cover for this book and put it on myself. Slightly crooked, but I like it so much better than ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) the original. I've seen a lot of videos of people recovering their paperbacks and turning them into hardbacks and I'm quite intrigued by them. However (A) I don't have time to learn a whole new skill set right now, (B) I don't want to invest in all the tools and materials I need to get a start, and (C) actually, I really like paperbacks and don't want all my books to be hardcover. So I thought I would try to design my own cover that I ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) then printed onto a half-sheet mailing label and stuck on the book. Then I covered the whole thing in clear contact paper like they frequently do with library books. Worked brilliantly, and I now have the first three books done up in floral covers instead of people 😂 Of course, then I read somewhere that the author is quite pleased because she has real-life military couples on each cover of this series but... it's just not for me!! 4mo

willaful Nice! 4mo

AnnCrystal Pretty 🤩👍🏼🖼️✂️📚💝. 4mo

51 likes4 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Nancy Drew 19: The Quest of the Missing Map | Carolyn Keene

pick

The post is mostly to say that I am pretty sure my library edition has the cover for The Sign of the Twisted Candles 😂

@Librarybelle

bookandbedandtea 😆 I think you're right! 4mo

AnnCrystal 😍🌸🌱💝. 4mo

Bookwormjillk 😂😂😂 4mo

Ruthiella A new cover illustration was not in the budget! 😂 4mo

Librarybelle 😂 So true! 4mo

62 likes5 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Hound of Florence | Felix Salten

pan

I actually really love the book Bambi and have read it and its sequel (Bambi's Children) several times. So I was excited to randomly come across another reprint of one of Salten's works. I had never heard of this one, although by reading GR reviews I discovered that it was apparently the (incredibly loose) inspiration for DIsney's The Shaggy Dog. Sadly, this book was a huge disappointment. First off, it's plain boring. Set during the Renaissance ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Lucas, presumably in his late teens, has been left orphaned in Vienna and yearns to get to Florence so he can become an artist. Through a bit of magic/wishing, he ends up being transformed into the dog who belongs to a rich aristocrat who is traveling to Florence. However, he's only the dog every other day. On the other days, he's himself, but the dog just disappears, which literally made no sense to me. In this way he makes his way to ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Florence in what has to be the most boring road trip to read about ever. On his dog days he's beaten and mistreated. On his human days, he's starving and cold. So it was boring AND depressing. We're told from the beginning how the spell/curse can be broken, but Lucas himself doesn't know and also weirdly doesn't seem to really care or spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. He just goes with the flow. The flow eventually gets him to⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Florence where he becomes an art student (every other day, of course). There, he falls in love with a courtesan. Which brings me to another point - this book is billed as a children's story and it is NOT remotely a children's book. Besides the animal/human cruelty, Lucas has sex a few times and then yes falls in love with a courtesan who is very proud of sleeping with rich and powerful men. In an absolutely BIZARRE scene that had NOTHING⬇ 4mo

See All 9 Comments

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) to do with the rest of the story, the pimp who “discovered“ the courtesan that Lucas is in love with brings another girl to show off to some men (who are all artists/art students). She's described as “a little girl“ and “a child“ and we're told that she “might have been twelve or thirteen years of age.“ She then proceeds to strip naked and dance for the men while the pimp reminds the men of all the other “Aphrodite's favorites“ he's ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) discovered because he “never descends to common prostitutes.“ He describes her beauties and potential for being an artistic model, including pointing out her “firm little breasts.“ This scene was absolutely appalling and also literally had nothing to do with the rest of the story. I can't imagine handing this book to the middle grader it's supposedly aimed towards!

Lucas never develops as a character and wasn't particularly likable. ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) This book felt like it had no point, purpose, or direction. The ending is bizarre and vague. All in all, incredibly disappointing considering how much I've enjoyed a couple of Salten's other books.

#Roll100 #GottaCatchEmAll - Artist central character @PuddleJumper
#Read2025 - 30/100 TBR books read @DieAReader
#ISpyBingo - &, Author in Blue Letters
#BookSpinBingo 4mo

DieAReader 👋🏻👋🏻 #Next 4mo

AnnCrystal Horribly horrifying 🥺...great review, I would have believed this was a cozy read by the cover alone. 4mo

Clare-Dragonfly Wow!!! I wonder why this book was even reprinted. 4mo

60 likes9 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Big Blue Soldier | Grace Livingston Hill

pick

Now that I'm down to only a handful of years to read to complete the #192025 challenge, I've turned to my shelves to see if I can fill any gaps. This slim story by Grace Livingston Hill checked of 1946, plus got an unread book off my shelf!! It's a perfect pleasant little story - Aunt Marilla is adorable - but too short to really build any kind of tension or actual romance between the two main characters. A soft pick, but one I won't reread.

TheAromaofBooks #192025 - @Librarybelle
#100YearsofBooks
#WickedWords - Car @AsYouWish
#ISpyBingo - Blonde Hair
#GottaCatchEmAll - Book you forgot you owned @PuddleJumper
#Read2025 - 29/100 TBR books @DieAReader 4mo

Librarybelle Yay!!! 4mo

merelybookish That's exciting! I am also down to a handful of years! 4mo

Bookwormjillk Nice!! 4mo

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 4mo

61 likes5 comments

TheAromaofBooks

June Moon | Kathleen Souza

Well, my efforts to deny reality aren't working - June is only a week away!!! I have to admit that I'm excited about the longer days and warm evenings. Plus, everything around here is busting out into flowers and it's super happy!! But... JUNE!? 😂

If you are planning to #BookSpin it's time to start thinking about your list!! I'm excited to see what everyone has planned. Do you like to read summery/beach reads in the summer, or just whatever ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) comes your way? Feel free to use this post to tag a book either you're hoping to read this summer, or one you recommend for the rest of us to try!!

Looking forward to seeing your lists!! As always, let me know if you'd like to be removed or added to the tag list. I'll be back on June 2 with the numbers!! 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @PuddleJumper @ChelseaM6010 @guinsgirlreads @OriginalCyn620 @TheSpineView @Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures @julieclair @Jess861 @BookNAround @Megabooks @AmyG @Suet624 @PathfinderNicole @SusanLee @JoeMo @Librarybelle 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie @Sace @Elizabeth2 @JackOBotts @Enchanted_Bibliophile @Zuhkeeyah @Jadams89 @wordslinger42 @LeafingThroughLife @vlwelser @Bookworm54 @peanutnine @LitsyEvents @Mollyanna @BarkingMadRead @Daisey @AnneCecilie @Bookwormjillk @JenReadsAlot 4mo

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TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @sherrisilvera @staci.reads @zezeki @behudd @JamieArc @AudioBookingWithLeah @sebrittainclark @Maggie4483 @BookmarkTavern @Jari-Chan @bookandbedandtea @Laughterhp @Chelsea.Poole @ShananigansReads @vonnie862 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Yuki_Onna @Eggs @Read4life @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @CBee @merelybookish @TheBookgeekFrau @Clare-Dragonfly @CoffeeNBooks @BacklistReader @Karisimo @Sarahreadstoomuch @Allylu @MatchlessMarie @ChaoticMissAdventures @rachelsbrittain 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @RaeLovesToRead @Bklover @Sargar114 @MemoirsForMe @BarbaraJean @michellelav @tdrosebud @Larkken @ImperfectCJ @CSeydel @HeyT @Deblovestoread @Prairiegirl_reading @Caryl @Nessavamusic @BookwormAHN @AsYouWish @Caterina @Singout @AshleyHoss820 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @DGRachel @willaful @kelli7990 @CoffeeK8 @majkia @BookKenz @BookishMadHatter @VeganCleopatra @Soubhiville @MallenNC @mrp27 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @kwmg40 @aperfectmjk @Lkempf @Marmie7 @janeycanuck 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @bekakins @The.Great.Catsby @Pigpen_Reads @lil1inblue @Coffeymuse @robinb @DieAReader @DogMomIrene @rabbitprincess @hissingpotatoes @LeslieO @katiekat311 @TieDyeDude @ferskner @Kristelh @Chrissyreadit @KatieB @llwheeler @hes7 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Bookbuyingaddict @Scochrane26 @triplem80 @MaleficentBookDragon @candc320 @claudiuo @booksblanketsandahotbeverage @kstadt929 @Jess861 @Librariana @Lizpixie @GinaKButler @Rachel_reads @Librariana @becliz @5280reader @gossamerchild @rockpools @LibrarianRyan 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @kimmypete @Rissreads @audraelizabeth @RainyDayReading @MittenGirlPeach @julsmarshall @melissajayne @Fortifiedbybooks @aCleverDuck @galueth28 @Bookzombie @GirlNamedJesse @Aconight @Allydanielle88 @Airykah13 @beliz @Nelnjali @cewilf 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @KellyHamHer @a_lunae @Kiwidragonnerd @Shanaqui 4mo

BarkingMadRead Stack made! And I even finished both books this month already! 4mo

BookishMadHatter I just realized last night that I'll have to get my June list ready soon and my brain nearly broke 4mo

bookandbedandtea I love the flowers everywhere but... JUNE?! 🤯 4mo

TheSpineView It can't possibly be June already 😫 4mo

Librarybelle Yay! 4mo

Bookwormjillk I think I‘ve changed mine 6 times. There‘s something about summer reading that makes me go more overboard than usual. 4mo

KellyHamHer I‘m with you, love the longer days and warm weather. I have started my list and then changed it twice 😜 4mo

willaful My list is already pretty much my idea summer reading, so I'm keeping it pretty much intact. 4mo

MemoirsForMe Already? 😳 4mo

CoffeeK8 Can‘t believe it‘s here already 4mo

gossamerchild I *just* realized I never made or posted May's bingo card 😂 😂 So hard to believe it's already (almost) June! 4mo

Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures Why is June so close?! 😬 4mo

BookmarkTavern Nooooo! I‘m not ready! 😂😂😂 (edited) 4mo

Eggs Thanks for tagging me❤️ 4mo

Bookbuyingaddict Thank you so much ☺️ 🥰🥰🥰 4mo

claudiuo No no no... June already?! Thanks for reminding me about the list, I thought I still have a while but only a few days apparently. 😬 4mo

Allylu Already?? Noooo…❤️📚 4mo

LeslieO Can‘t wait to start the summery, beachy reads! 4mo

PaperbackPirate The summer is the only time I get to play BookSpin Bingo! Can‘t wait to share my stack. 📚 4mo

104 likes30 comments

TheAromaofBooks

MiG Pilot: The Final Escape of Lieutenant Belenko | John Barron

pick

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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) observe with his own eyes was intriguing. Thoroughly enjoyable and a reminder of what life in the Soviet was actually like.

#MonthlyNonfiction - April (358) @julieclair
#GottaCatchEmAll - Recommended by a friend @PuddleJumper
#Read2025 - 28/100 TBR books @DieAReader
#ISpyBingo - Airplane
#BookSpinBingo 5mo

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 5mo

TieDyeDude I used to read a lot about the Cold War, though admittedly most of my reading had a Western bias. This sounds like it would be a really interesting book! 5mo

TheAromaofBooks @TieDyeDude - It's a really quick read (under 300pgs), which is nice but also means that sometimes I wished I could get more details. When I was checking to see what happened to Belenko after 1980, I was surprised to find that he just passed away two years ago! 5mo

58 likes1 stack add4 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Bloodsworn | Scott Reintgen

pick

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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) also had minimal romancing, which was nice. Enjoyable, but not books I'll read again.

#GottaCatchEmAll - Enemies to friends/lovers @PuddleJumper
#Read2025 - 26/100 TBR books read @DieAReader
#BookSpinBingo 5mo

TheSpineView Love the cover 💙🐎 5mo

DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 5mo

48 likes3 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Miss Carter and the Ifrit | Susan Alice Kerby

so-so

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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) he can't actually make things, just conjure them from other places? But he has to actually go in person and fetch them? Or something? And he physically flies to these places and consequently can be shot down by bullets? Or something? I was very distracted by the lack of sensible magic (you know what I mean haha) There is also a strange romance (ish) that I guess is supposed to be an acceptance of practicalities, but instead I just felt ⬇ 5mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) bad that Miss Carter was giving up her peacefully independent life to go live with someone who more or less takes her for granted/doesn't seem to appreciate her. It was a strange vibe.

All in all, it was okay for a one-time read, but it's not a book I'm planning to keep. Right ingredients, wrong mixture.

But look at all those #ISpy prompts! 😂 - Cleaning Utensil, Cursive Font, Cat, Title/Author in Different Font, Book, Circle 5mo

TheAromaofBooks Also!! 1945 for the #192025 challenge @Librarybelle
#100YearsofBooks
#GottaCatchEmAll - Ghost or Spirit @PuddleJumper
#Read2025 - 25/100 TBR books read @DieAReader
#BookSpinBingo 5mo

DieAReader Great!! 5mo

Librarybelle Yay!!! 5mo

52 likes5 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Ashlords | Scott Reintgen

pick

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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) race AND about the start of a war, so there were times that the plot felt a little muddled. Personally, I wanted more race and less war lol While the characters were likable and engaging, Reintgen made the unfortunate decision to make one of the POVs in second-person, which felt clunky, awkward, and kind of like he didn't have another way of writing a distinguishing voice. I am STRONGLY of the opinion that if a book is going to have more⬇ 5mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) than two POVs, then they should be in third-person. Multiple first-person POVs (and in this case, one second-person) is confusing, and it's difficult to make them all distinguishable from one another.

Despite my complaints, I really enjoyed this one and picked up the sequel immediately.

#WickedWords - Gambling @AsYouWish
#GottaCatchEmAll - Set in the mountains @PuddleJumper
#BookSpinBingo 5mo

Roary47 That cover! 😍 5mo

51 likes3 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Rilla of Ingleside | L.M. Montgomery

pick

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“ ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) was, in fact, abridged! As was virtually every edition published from 1942-2010! But in 2010 a restored text was published. Since I didn't know it existed, I didn't seek it out, but I just so happened to purchase this edition a couple of years ago as my old faithful Bantam paperback is wearing out and I love this cover. Turns out, it's the 2010 text. So obviously I didn't read the two editions side by side noting every passage I could ⬇ 5mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) find that had been removed, because that would be ridiculous. But if I did, the note in the picture indicates how heavily each chapter was edited - ✔is unabridged, - is only a couple words or a sentence, + is several sentences, and ++ is multiple paragraphs.

I'm still completely befuddled as to why these passages were removed. It's true, nothing vital was taken out, but there are moments of humor, depth, and character, that were cut. ⬇ 5mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) A lot of the editing were various speeches of Susan's, so maybe they just decided they didn't like her character...???? But other moments, like Rilla clinging to hope so as to not 'break faith' with Walter, Anne recounting the hair-dying episode of her youth, or more details of how Dog Monday settled in at the station, seemed so arbitrary to remove.

So it was kind of fun to do a little treasure hunt and discover that there is even more ⬇ 5mo

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) of a favorite book than I thought!!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead @BarbaraJean
#192025 - 1921 @Librarybelle (I only have 5 years left to find so I think I may actually complete this challenge!!!)
#100YearsofBooks
#ISpyBingo - Cake, Stars, Train, Silhouette, Heart
#BookSpinBingo 5mo

swynn Ridiculous? I don't know, reading the two editions side by side noting every passage that had been removed or altered sounds perfectly reasonable to me. How else would you know? Thanks for sharing your research! (edited) 5mo

Librarybelle That‘s incredible! 5 years left…way to go!!! 5mo

rubyslippersreads My copy is from 1921, so I think I‘m safe. 😊 Have you heard of this book?

Readying Rilla: L.M. Montgomery's Reworking of Rilla of Ingleside

5mo

Kristin_Reads That‘s amazing! I would have never guessed! 5mo

CSeydel Wow! 5mo

BooksandCoffee4Me I‘ve never heard of it, but I want to read it. Hope I can find a true version. 5mo

BarbaraJean And obviously I'm not going to go through your handy notes and check out all the differences between the two versions... and I'm also not reading the original unaltered edition in the ebook with my print versions at hand so I can check anything that doesn't sound familiar... 😆

It absolutely IS like a treasure hunt!! I love your perspective that it's like finding out there's MORE to love. I've been feeling betrayed by my old faithful Bantams!! 5mo

TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads - OOoo a first edition, so fun!! I have a few Anne books from the 1930s, but not Rilla. I hadn't heard of that book, but definitely want to check it out!! 5mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - You can let me know if you find anything in the chapters I thought were intact - sometimes it would just be even a word. For instance, one time Rilla is cuddling Jims and says something like “I hope your poor little mother knows you're safe.“ Except in the original it's “poor little white mother“ and they cut the word white - which I feel like in this instance is more a reference to her being frail/sick rather than her actual race?⬇ 5mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) But I have also felt rather betrayed by my old Bantams that I grew up reading!! So crazy!! 5mo

Daisey I also love this book, but I didn‘t have time for a close comparison on this reread. I appreciate your notes! 5mo

kspenmoll Happy Litsyversary!🎉🎉 (edited) 5mo

TheAromaofBooks @kspenmoll - Thank you!!!! 5mo

willaful @TheAromaofBooks I would feel the same! Hate that! 4mo

71 likes2 stack adds18 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Rich Mullins | James Bryan Smith

pick

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 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) sometimes. I've read this book before, but it had been several years. Taking time to read it during an especially busy and stressful time in my life was so beneficial. Smith does a great job of not portraying Rich as some kind of hero or saint. This book encourages readers not to follow Rich and his teachings, but rather Jesus and His, with Rich's lyrics as a tool that sometimes illuminate some aspect of them.

This is a niche kind of ⬇ 5mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) book that won't appeal to everyone, but for me it's an incredibly grounding and encouraging read.

#MonthlyNonfiction (March) @julieclair
#GottaCatchEmAll - Band/Musical Group @PuddleJumper
#Read2025 - 24/100 Books off my TBR @DieAReader
#BookSpinBingo 5mo

Desha I have always loved Rich Mullins…he‘s one of my favorite Christian artists! 5mo

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BarbaraJean I had never heard of this book and now I want to track it down! An approach to Rich‘s life through his faith and his writing—pointing to Jesus above all—sounds like such a Rich Mullins approach. Rich Mullins‘ music was so meaningful for me in high school and college (still is) and I was devastated when he died. That year I had a campus radio show with a friend and the week Rich Mullins died, we just played his music for the full hour. 💔 5mo

DieAReader 💖💖💖 5mo

TheAromaofBooks @Desha - His music has always meant so much to me!! 5mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I definitely recommend picking this one up if you enjoy Rich's music. I was a teen when he passed, and it devastated our whole family. My parents and I got to see him in concert shortly before that, when he was traveling with Mitch McVicker. 5mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I just found the audiobook on Hoopla! 5mo

julieclair Great review. I‘m not familiar with Rich Mullins‘ music, but will definitely listen now! 5mo

62 likes2 stack adds9 comments

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