In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

Just started this. I'm not a huge romance fan, but I did enjoy Book Lovers, so I have hopes for this one. We're having a book discussion of it at the end of the month.

I really enjoyed this. There's more Eleanor in me than I'd like to admit, and I'd love to have a Raymond (minus the cigarettes)!

A lot of food for thought in this one; I'll need to go back and revisit parts of it. I have a feeling it simplified and Westernized the Tibetan Book of the Dead almost beyond recognition, but it's great for where I am right now.

I enjoyed this one about a death doula who may have forgotten how to live. It was a bit too cute in places, but I could relate to the main character, and I liked the insights into our attitudes toward death.

Enjoying this one so far; I can really relate to Clover.

I'm not big on challenges, but I think I'll try the #BookedInTime challenge for July. This has been on my TBR for years! After I read it, I can see the film, which apparently stars a very foppish looking Robert Downey Jr. @Cuilin

A thought provoking little book. More religious that I expected, but some wise advice on how and why to carry on when the very act of getting out of bed seems to be too much.

A heart warmer. I was prepared to find it too cutesy with an octopus character, but it really worked well. Got something in my eye toward the end.

Going to try this one next; I've heard good things about it.

The author follows three teachers through a school year, and adds some research about teaching in this day and age. I would have liked more of the personal stories and less of the factual content, but it's still an eye-opening read. #nonfiction #education

A Maryland administrator to a group of female math teachers: "Long-term subs are really hard to find, so I need you to not get really sick or pregnant this year." #FirstlineFridays @ShyBookOwl

About 1/3 into this, and really enjoying it. The teachers profiled are amazing. #nonfiction #education

I've read parts of this before, but now seems like a good time to go back to it. There are some difficult things going on in my life right now, and I can use the gentle wisdom of Pema Chodron. #spirituality #Buddhism

This was so good, but it's not for the faint of heart: there are no heroes, and there's a fair amount of violence. But Dennis Lehane can write like nobody's business. #mystery #thriller

Just started this last night & couldn't put it down! Great so far, even if the main character is hard to like at times. Can't wait to see where this is going. #mystery

Just started this one; the opening really hooked me! Looks like a combo thriller & shaggy dog story.

I read the previous books in the Bill Smith / Lydia Chin series and enjoyed them, so I expected this to be a good read. Instead it was a bit of a slog. Slower paced, less of the relationship between the two, and a less-than-compelling mystery plot. The bright sides were the few scenes with Lydia's mother, and the commentary on the New York art scene. ⭐⭐⭐ / 5 #mystery

1. New York City

2. I like London and NYC, but really anything where the author writes with such detail that you feel like you're in the place, with the sights, sounds, and smells.

3. The Shire

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

I guess reading time is over for now. 😻

Shifting colors on a monster billboard bled through the April evening mist, showed me a shadow in the alley.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Just started this one. I'm in the mood for some mystery in the Big Apple, and I've enjoyed others in the Bill Smith/Lydia Chin series. #mystery

An interesting novel centered around a meeting between Queen Elizabeth I and Grace O'Malley, Irish pirate queen. There's also a lot about Elizabeth's late-in-life favorite, Essex, and the wars and clashes in 16th century Ireland. The structure is odd - much of it is a monologue by O'Malley- but I enjoyed learning about the period. #HistoricalFiction #Ireland #Tudors

📺 Three Pines (based on the Louise Penny books). Great stuff!

⛱🌊 Maine - Ogunquit or mid-coast.

🎲 Wordle & Quordle - my morning rituals!

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

I thought this one was much better than the 1st in the Letty Davenport series. Great pacing and plotting, lots of action. I would like to see a softer, more personal side to Letty, but I get that that isn't what Sandford is doing with this character - she's a bit like a female Jack Reacher. #mystery #thriller

1. I like them both, as long as the multiple POVs are distinctive enough to follow easily.

2. Not really. Tried reading a Spanish language book; it was painful.

3. Both, but probably more of a mood reader.

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

A library display for Irish American Heritage Month and St. Patrick's Day! Wish I had room for more goodies there. #librarydisplays #displays #Ireland

Been in a bit of a slump. About 1/2 done with this one, and it's mildly interesting. #mystery #booksaboutbooks

1. Tough one! Louise Penny, Jon Krakauer, Robert Kolker?

2. Uncle Pumblechook, Gradgrind, (Dickens is full of crazy character names), Bean (in Louise Penny's A Rule Against Murder - it's a plot point in the story)

3. Tagged

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1. I reached my GR goal, which was one more than last year 😊

2. I'd like to catch up on the Gamache series, and a few others, but between time constraints & getting distracted by other books, it's probably not happening 😕

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

📖 About 1/3 done; not sure how I feel about it yet.

🍁 Seeing a new cat in our backyard trying (and failing, repeatedly) to catch something. Many pounces!

📚 Running up against library due dates 📆

#ThoughtfulThursday @MoonWitch94

Thanks for the tag, @Eggs 😊 #WondrousWednesday

1. There are many places I'd love to travel to after reading about them, but the first to come to mind is Malta, setting of the tagged book. It sounds lovely & has such an interesting history.

2. Having a good, FT, decent paying job with health insurance.

1. A new bookstore, Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop, opened near me; can't wait to visit! The tagged is an old favorite. Would also like to visit the Hobart Book Village, but you could plunk me down in any bookstore & I'd be happy 📚😊

2. Sometimes but not usually; I love the serendipity of book browsing.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Just began this one; off to a good start. #fiction #suspense #thriller

@Eggs #WondrousWednesday

1. The Nancy Drew series; The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

2. I love reading in all kinds of weather, but if I had to choose, it would be rain or snowy weather. Something about cuddling up with a good book, a throw, a beverage and a cat (if the cat cooperates!)

3. Having my mother in my life; today's her 91st birthday 🎂

I read the 4th in this manga series yesterday. It's cute fluff, and was a nice palate cleanser after reading Into Thin Air. It's a little too cutesy for me, but it has its wholesome charm. Now, on to a book about Sylvia Plath! #manga #graphicnovel #graphic #cats

I checked this out of the library for a November read, but I picked it up and got hooked. So good! #nonfiction #adventure

1. It's a very odd book; early American Gothic.

2. I (luckily) don't have a lot of nightmares. A recurring one is some kind of school-related panic: I'm late for class, or lost on campus, or missed an important assignment. The worst version is that I failed to complete some requirement and they want to take my degree away!

3. Detest it!

#sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz

It's not every day that a new bookstore opens in your town - in fact, we haven't had one in about 25 years! The bookish folk here are all very excited. I'm planning to check it out on Saturday and probably give it a little financial support 😊❤📚 #bookstore

This is so much fun! Collections of lists (pictured are mystery & horror by diverse authors), author picks, featured bookstores, and more. The design is very colorful and attractive, with thick paper and a lovely cover. Thanks to the publisher & Goodreads for a copy in exchange for an honest review. #nonfiction #booklists #litlovers #bibliophile #BibliophileDiverseSpines

On an equatorially sunny day in southern Vietnam, our banana-yellow speedboat carves a broad white wake into the Saigon River.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl #nonfiction

It's an interesting premise: you can briefly travel in time, as long as you return before the coffee just served grows cold. This quick read has 4 vignettes of people who take that journey. The writing is awkward and, in places, repetitive, which may be a result of the translation. I do think I'll pick up the sequel and see how that goes. ☕😊 #fiction #timetravel #fantasy

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

📚 No. I work at a library; why would I pay for one?

📚 I'm on FB, GoodReads, have an Insta account that I check intermittently, a Twitter account that I check rarely. Litsy is the most fun and has the friendliest users. ❤

📚 The good health of myself & my loved ones, and progress on some long deferred tasks. 😊

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView 😊 #Two4Tuesday

🔍 I'll take a crime novel every time.

🔍 I think the main difference is tone. In cozies, the murder is a puzzle to be solved, but there's usually a sense of an orderly community, and a lighthearted tone. The murder's an aberration. In a crime novel, the murder is symbolic of a greater break in the social order. There's greater fear, suspicion & isolation.

Started this tonight. Interesting premise, but the writing is oddly stilted and repetitive (problems with the translation, perhaps?) Not sure if I'll finish or bail at this point. #fiction #fantasy #timetravel

Heartbreaking, as expected. Life-affirming, and beautifully written. Today's mission, in addition to reading & football, is to tell a few people how much I love them. ❤ #nonfiction #health #medicine #death

Finished A Great Reckoning tonight. Very good, but I wished there had been more about the residents of Three Pines.

I think my next pick will be nonfiction. Arriving Today addresses something that intrigues me: the changes in the supply chain & consumer behavior. (What's with the weird shortages?) And I read an excerpt of Invisible Child that's enough to break your heart. Which to read next? 🤔

#mystery #ThreePines #vivegamache #nonfiction

Thanks for the invitation @kimmypete1 @Eggbeater @MidnightBookGirl - I will try to set a few goals for the weekend, although it's pretty full!

🍁 Finish tagged book (20% left)
🍁 Finish A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny (40% left)
🍁 Start & finish 1 other book TBD

#Anywayyoureadathon

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1. None at the moment. I was going to join #BFC but I forgot 😕

2. Sweet potatoes, squash, potatoes, carrots, broccoli

3. I was able to take my mother to get her Covid-19 booster & flu shot today. 💉❤

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1. Tagged
2. I love the series characters. It's like revisiting old friends, with enough personality changes/reveals to keep it interesting each time.

#mystery #ThreePines #ViveGamache