My first #BookSpin and #DoubleBookSpin ever! A couple of year‘s ago, I deleted my GoodReads TBR…and then built it back up to an astronomical height. 🙄 The Nix is the longest-standing book on my GR TBR, so it will be nice to cross it off my lists! 🍀🍀🍀

I have been eyeballing the #bookspin and #doublebookspin challenge for a LONG time! I think I‘ll give it a shot this year! Hopefully, I‘ll do it right! If I understood the rules, and because I‘m a big mood reader, I threw in some vague numbers. RM from BTS, Rory Gilmore, the 1,001 list, and my TBRs from here and GoodReads! Here‘s to more reading in 2022!!

Oh my GOSH. This is going on the list of books that stay in the forefront of my consciousness for the rest of my life. This novel examines how we look at sanity & also how we approach life itself. Do we value our lives more when faced with the loss of it? Veronika decides to die, but she awakens in an asylum & is told she only has days to live. The impact this has on Veronika & the other inmates is what follows & it‘s lovely. 213/1,001 #1001Books

This book is tough to read. It will not appeal to most. It takes all the wounds and injuries we inflict on each other in the name of love & presents them as a physical reality. Erika Kohut is a possession. She has associated love with submission and pain. In the hands of a competent Dom, she would have blossomed. Often, in our desperate need for a connection, we end up repelling others. Such a sad book. ⚠️ Self-harm, violence 212/1,001 #1001Books

My brother & sister-in-law stayed with us over Thanksgiving. She brought me this book to read. Lucie‘s story alone is tragic/frustrating but the ABSOLUTE RABBIT HOLE this book goes down is insane. I‘ll post her picture because she, along with the other victims, deserves to be remembered. Perhaps if we listened to victims instead of shaming them, these monsters would be caught quicker. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Anyway, this book was a sad, frustrating, wild trip.

This book broke me. Istina Mavet, our narrator, details her time in two mental asylums. The treatment of the inmates by society, their families, the staff, and each other is so painfully realistic. It‘s a sad, frustrating, disturbing, beautiful read. The prose alone is worth the effort. 211/1,001 #1001Books

I *really* wish I had reviewed this right after I read it because I have so many thoughts! One of the threads I think people miss is the female‘s story. Her absolute lack of autonomy & agency is so depressingly relevant. (I don‘t even think she‘s named) This is a story w/in a story. We are trapped in the madman‘s narrative right along w/ our first narrator, trapped helplessly in his spiral until, mercifully, we reach dry land. 210/1,001 #1001Books

*RE-READ* I needed to revisit this old favorite, to check it off The List, and I picked a good time to do it. I love how 🦇 💩 everything is in this book. It‘s just one insane journey to the next. It‘s not the same as the movies (as some of my fellow students asked) but I feel it‘s better. There‘s an oppressive, ominous presence that permeates the narrative. Mina‘s a boss. Shoulda named my daughter for her. I love it. 😊 209/1,001 #1001Books

This book made me absolutely JAZZED to get into my own classroom! In order to teach, we must also be learning. My motto has always been: be teachable. I don‘t know everything. Our kids should know we make mistakes. We should admit when we‘re wrong. We should allow them space to write, think, and GROW. We aren‘t raising test-takers, we‘re trying to raise functioning, contributing members of society. I cannot wait to help them find their voices.

I always find myself revisiting old favorites when school/life gets hectic. Every time I venture into Holmes‘ brain, I come away with a new appreciation for Sir Doyle. This is comfort food for my mind and these two tales left me full and happy! 😊

I‘ve been away for over a month! This semester was something else. 😅 In case anyone was curious, this is the tattoo I got in November to go with my tattoo for my Dad. My Grandma‘s handwriting & my fave Sesame Street characters for my Mom. She read to me constantly when I was small and she encouraged me to continue reading at more and more advanced levels. Now I‘m 2 semesters away from being an English teacher! But it all started on Sesame Street.

Due mostly to Covid restrictions & life in general, I had to put off my tattoos for over a year. My Jay got together with my tattoo artist & surprised me on Friday! 😊 This one is for my Dad, who read The Hobbit to me & Bri on long car rides, sparking a lifelong love of sci-fi/fantasy. I‘m scheduled to get a tattoo for my Mom and one for my sister on Nov. 12th. Stay tuned! (I also got my Grams‘ handwriting: Work hard. Be kind. Be honest.)

*RE-READ* I have loved this book for years. I love Celie. I love her resilience, her quiet strength, and her innate kindness that draws others to her. I love Shug for helping Celie realize her worth. I love these characters for their realness. I love this book for changing how I look at things. I picked the right time to revisit this. 208/1,001 #1001Books

Junior makes the bold decision to leave the Rez and go to school at the wealthy white school in Reardon. This book details his struggle being in both communities and not quite a part of either. Definitely worth a read.

This was beautiful. When we look back on our lives, what will we see? It‘s easy to look at previous generations and say how they did it all wrong, but soon it will be our turn to be the generation on the way out. Ono was such a relatable, sympathetic character. I regretted our time together ending so soon. 207/1,001 #1001Books

This is one of those books you settle into. It takes you on a leisurely float through Jenkins‘ life and the intricacies of human relationships. I wish I could pinpoint exactly what it is that puts this book in my favor but excellent books resist paraphrasing. I‘m looking forward to the next! (1 of 12) #1001Books

This is an important read. It‘s an honest look at contemporary America but also a look at the ongoing double consciousness faced by marginalized people. Our deadliest weapon is our voice and we need stop holstering it.

One of the blurbs on the back compared this to Native Son and I think that‘s fair. It‘s a different look at oppression in a society. Balram‘s journey from a servant to an entrepreneur is well worth the read. 206/1,001 #1001Books

You know…I just…I don‘t know. I enjoyed this book as a satire and Myra‘s one-woman mission to even out the sexes…HOWEVER, there were a few things I didn‘t enjoy. ⚠️ : rape. Also: I feel like some would/could read this book and walk away with very damaging ideas about what it means to be transgender and/or gay. I don‘t know. Something just didn‘t sit well with me on this. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 205/1,001 #1001Books

This book was a slow burn that left me in tatters. Ezeulu is chief priest of Umuaro. Through him & his village, we witness the slow destruction and breakdown of people & place through the direct and indirect effects of colonization but also through one‘s own actions. This one will stay with me for a long time as Things Fall Apart has done. Definitely I book I needed to read before reaching the clearing at the end of the path. 204/1,001 #1001Books

The book‘s epitaph is: This is not for you. And maybe it isn‘t. Maybe it‘s a warning. Maybe it‘s a challenge. It‘s a love story. It‘s a horror story. It‘s a sad story. It‘s all true. It‘s all those things. I felt so many emotions reading this book. The biggest emotion was satisfaction. Because I finished. Right? But no. Like the labyrinth at its center, this book is never done with you. 203/1,001 #1001Books

Things Fall Apart is still my favorite in this trilogy so far, but this is still a solid read. Obi returns home after attending university in England. Nigeria has changed. He fights against the old ways while trying to change what Nigeria has become, but is instead changed himself. Excellent, character-driven novel. I don‘t know why it‘s not on the 1,001 list, but I didn‘t want to read the last book in the trilogy without reading this first. 😊

I wasn‘t sold on Hammett after my first two reads but this was a good one. As I was reading it, I wasn‘t sure how I felt about it. Much like Personville/Poisonville, it grew on me. The backstabbing, double-crossing, hip-deep crap-wading was fun AND not fun! These characters are all so unlikable that I started to cheer for their downfalls…we fall down the violence rabbit hole right along with our narrator. 202/1,001 #1001Books

This is strange. For most of the book, I was hovering around a so-so rating. However, Sagan writes such effective science-fiction, that it often read like nonfiction. This is one of the few books that digs in deeper into your psyche, long after you‘ve finished reading it. The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe pales in comparison to the fact that we are NOT alone ON THIS PLANET. Love each other. 201/1,001 #1001Books

Like…I‘m sure there are people out there who will like this but... The prologue was so good! What happened!? Characters disappear and are then mentioned later in the book like you‘re supposed to know/care. The plot was disjointed. The big twist was…meh…Characters who didn‘t even have anything to do with the plot are main characters. I wanted to like this, I really did. But I think the *idea* was better than the execution. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Oh man, did I go on a JOURNEY with this one! I was up and down. Midway, I was lagging. But I pushed through and I‘m glad I did. Evil cannot survive in the face of Hope. Think of what humans can be. Create the future you want. Make your inside face more beautiful than your outside face. 😊 I cared about the characters. Were there flaws? Sure, but I don‘t think they detract from the overall feeling this left. #PBSGreatAmericanRead

An elderly couple is murdered. The public‘s issues concerning immigration are causing problems with the investigation. Winter is settling in and the Swedish landscape is just as bleak as Wallander‘s chances of solving this case…and as bleak as his personal life. This is a GEM. A wonderful procedural. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I didn‘t have a clue about whodunnit until the end. This 100% belongs on The List. 200/1,001 #1001Books

This is a novelization of the fall of the Han Dynasty. (Right?) It‘s fantastic. I obviously did not read the nearly 3k page work, but I am impressed all the same. If you‘re not big on military strategy, you‘ll not find this enjoyable. There is a lot of action and people to keep straight. I can understand why this is one of China‘s important works. It‘s an anime y‘all!? I gotta find it. 199/1,001 #1001Books

The movie has always been a solid favorite for me. Being objective, I have a few plot-hole issues where my suspension of disbelief took a little more work than usual. However, I was deeply invested in the mystery and the easy writing style kept me turning pages. I do find the movie to be better, but the killer plot alone gives this a pick.

NOS4A2 is still my favorite but I can see why people recommend this one. An aging rockstar buys a dead man‘s suit for his collection of the macabre but it is SO much more than he anticipated. More and more twists and turns show up. Hill is deserving of the King legacy. As usual, the doggos are my fave characters. Now I want to get myself some canine familiars. My black cat, Nox, would most likely be apathetic to my safety...🤣

Seeing everyone go all out with their true abilities is just a fun ride. I can‘t wait to see Ichigo v. Aizen. Still a solid manga. It can get a bit drawn out, but I imagine it moves much faster in the anime.

Honestly, this just gets better for me. The battle between The Soul Society and Aizen‘s crew is heating up. My favorite villain so far: Ulqiorra (I have no idea if spelled that right...)

This is another brilliant entry by Smith. It‘s just beautiful. Art & his girlfriend, Charlotte, are on the outs. He hires a girl he meets at a bus stop to pretend to be Charlotte when he goes to his mother‘s for Christmas. His mom, Sophia, is hallucinating. She will see her sister, Iris, for the first time in decades. They swirl together and settle in, then swirl and settle again. It‘s relatable, tragic, real, sad, and lovely. 198/1,001 #1001Books

I was starting to waver a little because I felt bogged down with battle after battle. Volume 35 started throwing in some backstory on Aizen and I got engrossed again. And Byakuya is one of my absolute favorites. This has one of the most sadistic endings for a villain. Every second lasting 100 years or something. Agonizing yet inventive.

GAH! This just keeps getting better! Orihime has been abducted by the Espada. The Soul Society has deemed her a traitor, but that won‘t stop our boy, Ichigo, from heading to Hueco Mundo to save her. Awesome battle sequences and world building. Is it just me or is Grimmjow a hottie? 🤣🤣🤣

This is just such a solid manga. The character development is impressive. Ichigo & Co. are fighting against Aizen‘s Arrancar‘s. Ichigo‘s battle with his inner Hollow is fantastic. I can‘t wait to dive into the next 5 volumes! 😄

This is my 2nd/3rd Ali Smith & she just does not get enough love, in my humble opinion. She‘s like if someone wrote down a surreal, fever dream. Her writing engulfs you & takes you down a visual journey. Sometimes my husband asks me what my book is about & I struggle to answer with Smith because it‘s about SO MUCH. This book, about the friendship between Elisabeth and the now-101-year-old Mr. Gluck, is beautiful. I borrowed this but I‘m buying it.

Well, I am just mad. I LOVE the premise of this book. (I mean, I don‘t want to think about babies drowning, but that may have been a large concern back then too?) My problem is that it gets super preachy about a bunch of stuff and it ruined the fairy tale element, for me...doggone it. I wanted to like this. 😕 197/1,001 #1001Books

I know this is an unpopular opinion and I am SO sorry! I just went back & forth with this one. I wanted more of Einstein and The Outsider. The end was honestly so good. I really did love Einstein so much. I just didn‘t need to be hammered with all that detail and I could‘ve used less Travis/Nora. (Again, I‘m not big on romance.) So I‘m just not sure how I felt about this. I didn‘t love it, but I didn‘t hate it either. #PBSGreatAmericanRead

Man, I am just a solid McCarthy fan. This book is atmospheric, bonkers, and has one of the best villains I‘ve read in a long time. The sheriff was my favorite. I haven‘t been so into a book that I stayed up all night to finish it in a while!

I was not expecting to enjoy these tales as much as I did. Rashomon and In A Bamboo Grove inspired the movie. I borrowed this from the library but I loved it so much, I ordered a copy...😂 196/1,001 #1001Books

Edith Wharton captures humanity in such a realistic, soul-bearing way. The pressure of society, isolation, familial obligation...she‘s a master. This tale of two sisters and their relationship with one bachelor is definitely worth the read. As I‘ve warned before, Wharton doesn‘t write happily-ever-after. She gives you a window into a real world. #1001Books 195/1,001

Ah! I loved this one! A man discovers a large hole between his boarding room and the room next door. He spies on the various occupants and waxes philosophic. The beauty is in the novel‘s depiction of both the solitude of man and the universality of man. 194/1,001 #1001Books

Early blatant anti-semitism aside, I related hardcore to this neurotic, clearly-anxiety-ridden Lieutenant Gustl. Gustl is called a fathead by a baker and he fails to defend his own honor...well, he just CANNOT have that so he decides the only honorable way out is suicide. So he spends an entire night over-analyzing everything. It‘a a slim volume and nearly all of it occurs in Gustl‘s thoughts. 193/1,001 #1001Books

Once you get used to the Middle English...oh, who am I kidding, it‘s no simple task to make your brain read Middle English. However, these were some neat, fun, sad, silly, interesting slice-of-life tales that I really did enjoy. Poor little Margaret. Two things: 1) Thank GOODNESS for the rise in standardization of written English and 2) I HAVE to stop taking my modern-day privileges for granted. 192/1,001 #1001Books

All right, listen...I know this is, like, my 4th reading of this book but it is just that damn good. I 100% guarantee there will be a 5th re-read within the year...There is so much to love here.

Everest fascinates me b/c I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. I hate how it became about Boukreev‘s fragile ego. I never even felt Krakauer insulted him. I found out about the controversy in the epilogue. To me, a lot of simple mistakes were made by good people. Everest is a soul-sucking monster and simple mistakes can/will become fatal up there. Then you add a storm on top of that!? Krakauer, as usual, delivers a raw, emotional book.

I will *never* not read a Gaiman book. This isn‘t my favorite collection, but I still enjoyed it. Chivalry, The Price, Troll Bridge, The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, and Snow, Glass, Apples were among my favorites!

Oh what a tangled web we weave! Yasha, a far-from-devout Jewish man leads a devil-may-care life. He is married to the devout, loving, Esther but, despite multiple mistresses, he is planning to leave everything behind for his newest lover, Emilia. One twist of fate after another, his life begins to unravel and Yasha makes an interesting life choice. I didn‘t want to care about Yasha‘s fate, but Singer made sure that I did! 191/1,001 #1001Books

Hit reading rut. Look up short books on #1001Books list to jump start reading. Go through inter-library loan. Open book to start reading...Immediately realize this will not be a quick read...🤣🤷🏻‍♀️🤣 Flashbacks to History of the English Language class in 3, 2, 1...