This was an extremely well-written and self-reflective memoir. It was truly heartbreaking to read about the level of abuse and neglect that Tara and her siblings experienced due to their survivalist, fundamentalist Mormon parents (one of whom seemed to have severe mental illness). This just missed being a 5 ⭐️ read for me due to a few inconsistencies. While the author very effectively describes her childhood in vibrant detail, 👇🏼 (cont‘d)

I had zero expectations going into this audiobook, but found myself really enjoying it. The audio format worked really well with the narrative: alternating narrators for the dual POV and podcast excerpt sections. The romance was a bit rushed, but the tension and relationship still worked for me. The true crime Serial-esque podcast plot & coinciding road trip investigation was interesting to follow along with.

I wanted to like this book more than I eventually did, but overall still enjoyed it. Listened to the audiobook through my Spotify subscription. Being inside the mind of a sad, self-pitying 35 year old struggling comedian, who is reeling from a recent breakup, for 10 hours was frustrating at times. Probably what I appreciated most was the accurate depiction of mid-30s millennial life, when everyone around you is getting married and having babies.

I‘ve been a fan of Anthony Bourdain since the No Reservations days and have read all of his non-fiction (including a couple co-written with this author), so this has been on my Kindle TBR for ages. I was a bit disappointed with the Roadrunner documentary, so I was happy that this book delved a lot deeper into Bourdain‘s life before Kitchen Confidential and the early TV days before he was a household name. Unfortunately, 👇🏼 (cont‘d)

This was a fun palate-cleansing read. There‘s a lot going on for ~300 pages: pirates, assassins, flying houses, cartoonishly evil villain, secret identities, and extensive literary references to the Brontës. Based on what I was expecting from the cover and blurb, it had a surprising level of spice (which was pulled off well). While I had a fun time with this, it only gets 3.5 stars due to cramming in a bit too much plot for such a short book.

I enjoyed delving back into the world of literary criticism, reading and annotating this book, but I think my enjoyment was probably hampered by not being familiar with Smiley‘s books (which she references A LOT) and the inclusion of a sizable number of rather obscure novels. Smiley had a lot of insightful things to say about the art of novel writing & reading, but I did skim a lot in sections about books I didn‘t have personal experience with.

Finally put together my May #BookspinBingo card. Looks like I have two nonfiction in the queue for this month‘s #Bookspin and #Doublespin!

Final April #BookSpinBingo card. I finished my #Bookspin (tagged) and read 7 total books last month.

On paper, this should have been a 5 star read for me: historical fiction, lovely prose, siblings separated by WWI, PLUS fantasy & romance. While I did end up rating it 4 stars, there were a few things that didn‘t quite work for me in execution: Faland & his magical mystery hotel, the slowest slow burn romance(s) that don‘t come to fruition until literally the final chapters of the book, and some of the plot logistics of the climax and dénouement.

I never felt like the author had anything really all that insightful to say about the female character archetypes she sought to examine in this book. There were some sections more interesting to me than others, but I did find myself skimming a lot in some parts. The author‘s inclination to dissect historical/period characters from an intersectional/2024 modern feminist lens was flimsy at best and disingenuous at worst.

I had high expectations for this one because I have loved all of Kate Quinn‘s feminist historical fiction. The setting around the San Francisco earthquake was so intriguing to me, but unfortunately this one fell flat in execution. The romantic subplots didn‘t work for me at all, so it was hard to feel invested in the way they tied into the broader plot. On audio, I felt like the book went on ~2 hours too long. Listened using my Spotify account!

Both of these just edged into Pick territory for 3 ⭐️ reads. I appreciate that Ali Hazelwood is finally branching out from the (now very) repetitive trope formula established in The Love Hypothesis (Grumpy/Sunshine, extreme height difference). Check & Mate still featured a very nerdy subject (professional chess) and Bride‘s FMC is a Vampire Princess-in-STEM, but exploring new genres (YA, Paranormal Romance) has breathed new life into her writing.

These contemporary western romances were cute enough, but the prose was far too simplistic (bordering on juvenile) to really enjoy the reading experience. The romance/plot felt a bit more developed in the 2nd book, but they are both so short that any strong character development was impossible. I do love the pulpy western-style covers (definitely what convinced me to try), and I could see them being adapted into Hallmark/Netflix-style Rom-Coms.

3 stars, but more So-So than Pick for me. Entertaining enough for me to finish the 1st duology, but I won‘t be continuing. I was curious since A Fate Inked in Blood by the same author is a BOTM on my upcoming TBR (still excited for). This feels incorrectly marketed as romantasy - yes, there‘s a steamy romance, but no magic or fantasy elements (unless you count characters‘ inexplicable ability to run/climb/swim/fight while fatally wounded).

I should have loved this book, and I had high hopes based on my previous experience with Cinemaps by the same artist/author. This one was disappointing because the books featured in the illustrations were overwhelmingly obscure. Even with an English degree, I found myself skipping about half of the books, since there were so many I hadn‘t even heard of and had no context for. Highlights were the “maps” of Pride & Prejudice and A Wrinkle in Time.

I really enjoyed this duology; the fact that it‘s a complete duology was a big factor in its favor. While I definitely preferred the first book, overall it had a satisfying arc. A really good combination of gloomy, gothic vibes, a truly unique magic system (although I have some questions about the total # of Providence Cards), engaging action scenes, and a swoony romance.

Well, while it‘s still snowing at home, I‘ve found a couple nice, warm, sunny spots to read while on a work trip further south in Alaska, and I am loving soaking up the vitamin D. I had a yummy mocha earlier and now sipping on a strawberry basil smash canned cocktail. Wishing I had packed sunglasses today!

Stopped by this sweet bookstore in Sitka, AK while I was visiting for work. They had a great selection of books (I resisted) and store merch (couldn‘t resist a cozy crewneck and tote bag).

April #BookspinBingo card! My #Bookspin is Bourdain (excited to finally have the impetus to read this Kindle book I bought on a deal ages ago!) and my #DoubleSpin is Green Dot (an ARC I won from a Goodreads giveaway a few months ago).

I did finish my #Bookspin for March, but didn‘t get to my #Doublespin. I came very close to hitting a bingo, but as usual my mood reading distracted me from focusing on that. I did read 10 total books in March, and I have a couple that I am almost done with to get April off to a good start. Overall, I did a good job of balancing reading books from my TBR and those new releases that pull me in from Libby.

I just wasn‘t that interested in the options this month. There were a couple I would maybe get from Libby if/when they become available, but I am trying to be more judicious about only choosing something I really want to read. I have way too many BOTM books that are still on my physical TBR.

This was the appropriately named brewery in Charlotte, NC that I hung out at yesterday!

In Charlotte, NC for a work trip this week, and yesterday I spent some time at a local brewery with the book I brought. Book accompanied by a yummy pretzel and tasty Plum-Rosemary-Orange Sour Ale. I was impressed, you can really taste the rosemary in this drink!

Side note: any Charlotte/Raleigh Littens around? I have one more day here (I have to drive back to Raleigh tomorrow from Charlotte) and would love a good bookstore recommendation!

This sequel really lived up to expectations! It is everything you could want from the cozy academia fantasy romance corner. Even though it leans into the cozy genre, there are still serious stakes for Emily & Wendell. Emily is following up her encyclopedia with a a mapbook of the Otherlands, and Wendell tries to return this kingdom while avoiding his stepmother‘s assassins. The faerie world is broadened and endearing new characters introduced.

Sneaking in some reading this morning before I jump into chores for most of the day. Hoping to finish this book today!

I have been so pleased with this sequel; fans of Encyclopedia of Faeries will love this one too!

I kept seeing this series hyped for romantasy readers and thought I‘d give it a chance. It was free on Kindle Unlimited, so I signed up for a free trial to try it out. It wasn‘t any worse than the average romantasy (it felt very ACOTAR meets Hunger Games), but I found its utter mediocrity and tropey-ness to be a turn off. I skimmed A LOT to finish this one, and won‘t be continuing with the sequel, despite a vague interest in knowing the ending.

Turned in my winter reading challenge bingo card to the local library today; I got 6 entries to the final giveaway, 2 coupons for a personal pizza, and 3 cute stickers (I declined the bookmarks because I already have far too many), but resisted checking out any physical books, since my physical and Kindle TBR are already overflowing.

Limited work this week due to spring break. I had a dentist appointment at 8 am, now biding the time for a bit at a local cafe, so that I can hit up the nearby library when it opens at 10 am.

Impromptu bookstore popup at a local brewery! I resisted buying anything, but they had a lot of Alaskana options, as well as popular bestsellers.

An unfortunately disappointing finale to the trilogy. I absolutely love Olivie Blake‘s writing style and characterization (which is still highlighted in this book), but the plot was basically incomprehensible to me. I honestly couldn‘t describe what happened outside of a few set piece scenes and character deaths. I‘ll credit my lack of comprehension partially to distracted audiobook listening, but I didn‘t have that problem w/the first 2 books.

March #BookspinBingo card. My #Bookspin is Two Twisted Crowns and #Doublespin is Ask Again, Yes.

Overall, a good reading month. I finished 8 books, and have two in-progress carrying over to March. Higher than average ratings for me, which means I read a lot of good books in February! My top read of February is the tagged; I finished it in 2 days and immediately started the sequel. According to Goodreads and Storygraph, I am 6 books ahead on my 2024 reading goal (75 books).

Technically The Fragile Threads of Power and The Atlas Complex are still in-progress, but I am marking them off because I don‘t plan on including them on the March bingo card. No bingos, but I did clear all the free spaces (I always leave those to account for my mood reading tendencies).

Now off to plan for March #BookspinBingo!

I‘ve enjoyed all the entries in this historical romance series (I feel like Mimi Matthew‘s is becoming an auto-read author for me). This one especially nailed all of the romance tropes it includes (childhood friends > lovers > enemies > lovers), by actually making the scenario feel realistic based on the characters‘ circumstances and the timeline of their relationship.

Happy Leap Day (aka bonus reading day), Littens!

Holly was my favorite character from King‘s The Outsider, so I‘ve been looking forward to reading her stand-alone since it was announced. I haven‘t read the Mr. Mercedes series, although I‘m interested now to go back to the start of her story. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I kind of feel like giving away who the serial killers were right at the beginning took away some of the suspense. Didn‘t care at all for the heavy handed COVID commentary

I‘ve been really underwhelmed with the BOTM picks recently, so I was excited to see several interesting options for March! I ended up choosing A Fate Inked in Blood, but I almost picked Annie Bot. If I see good feedback on that one, I might add on later.

The BOTY winner and other finalists were really not my jam this year (plus I‘d already read 2 of them), but I feel like Shark Heart is one I might actually enjoy.

Trying to post more regularly on my bookstagram. I love this sweatshirt I received as a gift from my SIL. It‘s my favorite reading outfit! I also have a lot of reviews overdue to post on Litsy!

If you want to follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/readerlykimberly?igsh=ZW9keXpreTVpZW0y&utm_source=qr

Thoughts on this year‘s BOTY finalists?

I had a lot of issues with the content and execution of Weyward, and I thought The Wishing Game was very mediocre with juvenile writing (despite a promising premise). Really surprised that they were voted that highly. Not interested in the romance or mystery/thriller options, so I guess I‘ll be choosing Shark Heart.

It‘s only appropriate that I should be settling in for a quiet Valentine‘s night in with a sweet historical romance. Unfortunately, my husband headed back to his work yesterday (he has a 2 week on, week off schedule), but at least I have a swoon worthy duke to spend my solo evening with 😉.

Side note: the page turner remote that @Saknicole gave me for Christmas has completely revolutionized my Kindle/iPad reading!

Does it count as a Target run if you *don‘t* get sucked into the book section? A pleasant surprise for me is that these books ended up being BOGO 50% off at checkout, so I got to feel less guilty!

Happy V Day, Littens!

🩷💖💗💓💞💕💘

Shelves and drywall patching are done and arranged for now. So happy that at least a portion of my books are now on display! Decided to focus these shelves mainly on my nicer hardcovers.

Still need to figure out shelving in our office for all of my paperbacks (10 boxes worth 😬 packed away), but that‘s a project for another week. We also want to display some of our framed artwork around the shelves on this wall.

Enjoy the #bookhusband cameo!

I made all the snacks (not pictured: nachos and second round of wings still currently in the oven) and now I get to enjoy the game (i.e. read my book) until the half-time show (who else is excited to see Usher?!).

Ignore the book boxes I emptied yesterday when filling out living room shelves.

Just finished my re-read of this series in anticipation of finally reading The Fragile Threads of Power. While it can be a common fantasy series pitfall, I really appreciate how Schwab uses the increasing lengths to deepen the character development, expand the world building, and add complexity to the continuing plot. Each book still tells a distinctive story that builds upon the overarching narrative. I ❤️ Kell, Lila, Rhy, Alucard, and Holland.

Shelves are partially filled. My husband has to finish the drywall patching before I can finish the top shelf.

I will probably also be reorganizing the bottom shelf, moving most of the fiction hardbacks to the top, where I am also going to display my non-fiction and then fill in the bottom with more fantasy books to go along with the HP collection.

Will be happy when this project is done, so we can push the couch back towards the wall.

Status update on my husband installing shelves in our living room! I can‘t wait to fill these with books!

The plan is to use these living room shelves for my nicer hardcovers. We still have to figure out shelving for the rest of my books; there are still 15 boxes worth packed up since our move back in October!

I was out of state attending a wedding last weekend, so finally getting to post my February #bookspin board.

BookSpin: The Family
DoubleSpin: The Fragile Threads of Power

Late post for my final January #bookspin. I did finish my BookSpin (The Mitford Affair) but not my DoubleSpin. Still very proud that I finished 10 books last month!

Proud of my strong start to reading in January! Apparently I am already 4 books ahead on my 2024 reading challenge (set for 75 books).

I did a lot of escapist/destress reading this month due to a lot of anxiety around work (today is actually my last day at the job I have done for 9 years 😳), and am now looking to be fun-employed for a few weeks before I start a new position.

My top book of January was Bright Young Women!