This is going to be a great month! #BookspinBingo

I had a rough start in May but finished strong. I‘m hoping June is more even. #BookSpinBingo

Of the 17 books I read in May these were my top 12. Don‘t let the cow wearing clothes, communicable diseases, or near starvation fool you. May was an excellent reading month.

A decent cozy for after work reading during a stressful week. This one featured a chocolate shop in Amish country. Yum.

Thanks @Andrew65 for las weekend‘s Readathon. May flew by but #20in4 was great motivation to finish up a few books I had planned on reading for various challenges. Looking forward to next month already!

It wasn‘t supposed to rain this afternoon, but also I was supposed to be doing yard work. So, I‘m sitting on the porch reading instead and I‘m not mad about it.

More deep than a typical summer romance but I‘m here for it. I enjoyed this romance that was just as much about family and friendship and growing up.

I expected to like this because Marconi Beach is one of my favorite places on Earth. It just never sunk in with me though and I ended up listening to end ending at 1.5 speed just so I could finish. The same thing happened to me with his Churchill book so maybe I am just not a Larson fan. #AuthorAMonth

I am in love with my June #BookspinBingo list. I can practically smell the sunscreen and taste the mojitos.

1 Thorn Birds
2-3 LMPBC
4 Bandit Queens
5 Birnam Woods
6 Work book
7 Word For World Is Forest
8 Brontë Project
9 The Road w/ St Francis
10 Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek
11 Feet in the Clouds
12 Heir Affair
13 Cozy
14 Backlist
15 Embarrassment of Mangos
16 Annie John
17 Around the World
18 Peach Blossom Spring
19 End of Watch
20 Exiles

My start of summer splurge every year lately is the new book by Emily Henry. Love the color of this year‘s book- reminds me of play dough.

I‘m so glad to have discovered Silas House this year. The way he writes about families and grief just sucks me in to his stories. Perfect for summer reading- I‘ll be searching around for more of his books soon. #BacklistReadathon

Fun but very predictable. #LMPBC

Let the summer reading begin 😎🍉👙⛱️🕶️

I shouldn‘t have started this tonight knowing I have to get up at 4 tomorrow. I think I know who “did it” and I don‘t want to stop reading. #LMPBC

The #TitlesandTunes theme for June is #GuiltyPleasure

First I have to say I don‘t really feel guilty about either of these things. I live a pretty clean life 🤣

But I do love sitting in the sun reading a sweeping multi generational novel, and singing along to Dolly loud in my car. So I‘m going with The Thorn Birds and 9 to 5.

Journalist Cameron Dueck decided to ride his motorcycle from Canada to Argentina to better understand his Mennonite roots. I had no idea there were so many Mennonite settlements across North and South America, and the stories of how they came to be were pretty interesting. They weren‘t all flattering either. #ReadingTheAmericas #FoodAndLit #Canada #Paraguay #Mexico #Bolivia #Argentina

So much of this book about the discovery of a dinosaur egg laying area in Argentina went over my head, but the illustrations of adorable baby dinosaurs made it a worthwhile read. I didn‘t love the insistence that Jurassic Park could never happen. Why do you have to crush my dreams dinosaur man? #ReadingTheAmericas #Argentina

@Andrew65 claims that it‘s the end of May and that he should be hosting his monthly #20in4 Readathon. I‘m not sure I believe him. However I‘ll take any excuse for a Readathon. My goal is to finish up four books. (I‘m in the middle of some.) Everyone is welcome!

I don‘t even know what to say about this book I loved it so much. Who knew a book about a leper colony could make my heart sing like this. This is a must read for historical fiction readers.

I had forgotten that the trio of Holly-Bill-Jerome doesn‘t show up until late. Once I got over that I enjoyed my re-read of this one. I think King was messing with us when he made the villain an obsessive book worm.

Counting down until Holly is released!

After hearing wonderful things from my reading friends at work I‘ve been working on this chunkster mini all year. I‘m sad to say I just thought it was okay. There were too many divergent stories at the beginning and by the time they came together it seemed like an afterthought. Sorry Priory lovers, this one just wasn‘t for me. #ChunksterChallenge

I was in the mood to read about ultramarathons for some reason the other day so I downloaded this audiobook from Scribd. I really enjoyed this book by Charlie Engle who went from addict to athlete to felon. It‘s brutally honest and interesting. His running took him all over the world so I‘m counting this for #ReadingTheAmericas #Ecuador and (still) #ReadingAfrica #Libya

I maybe bit off more than I could chew reading wise last week. I wanted to read six books, but failed to take into account that I had a huge project due, and I was in the middle of two chunksters.
Here‘s where I ended up:
✅ Embassy Wife done
✅ Island Queen done
✅ chapters a day on pace- The Long Winter and Cranford
⚠️ Priory of the Orange Tree getting there
⚠️ Moloka‘i just started

Thanks @Andrew65

It took me a while to get into this book, but by the end I was so glad I stuck with it. Sad to say I knew next to nothing about the history of slavery in the Caribbean, and this book brought it to life. Thanks @Texreader for bringing this book to my attention.

#TitlesandTunes #IslandVibe

#ReadingTheAmericas2023 #Dominica #Grenada #Barbados #Jamaica

Since the pandemic started I have not been able to stomach books where the whole storyline is based on a character‘s inability to communicate. I always think “If you two can‘t talk now what are you going to do when you‘re locked in a house together for two years?” #SundayFunday

Looking forward to this month‘s #BacklistReadathon

This month I want to read more by Silas House, starting with the tagged.

I‘ve got some ice cream, 4 hours left in this book, and I don‘t have to drive anyone anywhere tonight. Is life good or what?

This was a fun novel about US Diplomats living in Namibia during the Trump administration. Nothing too deep, but I enjoyed it. Still #ReadingAfrica2022

Couldn‘t find my kindle for the longest time today. Finally found it under a cat. Peak cat lady.

I‘ve been in a slump, and I was really happy this book brought me out of it. Not a perfect book, but a really enjoyable one.

I usually take a whole stack. I love mysteries, light reading that I can deal with getting interrupted all the time, chunksters I can get lost in, and if I can find them, books set in the location where I‘m staying. #SundayFunday @ozma.of.oz

This book had a lot of ideas, but for me they never really came together. There were some great themes about freedom in there, and the descriptions of pregnancy were beautiful. However unlikable characters and a storyline that never really took off made it a so-so for me.

#ReadingTheAmericas2023 #Haiti

Me and Daisy are taking a mental health day, and getting a head start on #MagnificentMay Readathon. My goal is to finish 6 books. I‘m in the middle of four so that should be doable!

Of the 16 books I read in April these were the top 12.

And now it‘s May 4th already!

Okay! #PemberLittens #HashtagBrigade

Here‘s my stack for #14booksin14weeks23

It‘s a mix of books for challenges and books that have been sitting on my shelf for too long.

I can‘t wait for summer reading!

See @TheHeartlandBookFairy for more information on this challenge!

Nothing I read really wowed me last month, but I did get a few BINGOs and read my #Bookspin and #Doublespin

I‘m excited for tomorrow!

It was a successful #20in4 Readathon weekend. I finished From Here to Eternity and Razorblade Tears, and kept up with the Little House readathon. I don‘t think I‘ll finish Laudato Si‘ tonight so I‘ll call it there.

My May choices for #TitlesAndTunes

I picked Island Queen- kind of a literal choice. My song is Royals by Lourde. Queen—>Royals and it‘s a good song to listen to with the windows down when you‘re near the water.

Wow, this book was STRESSFUL. I liked it, but my heart was racing by the end.

#LMPBC

I can‘t get to the post office until Wednesday, but I promise I will mail it priority.

After a few losses the last 2 years I wasn‘t sure if I could get through this one, but I actually found the death rituals from different places comforting. It also gave me a lot to think about in regards to my own eventual plans.

#LMPBC @TheBookHippie @Bookishlie @megnews

I can‘t make it to the post office until Wednesday, but I promise to mail it priority!

(May flowers)

Here‘s my #bookspinbingo list for May:
1) Royals
2) At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig
3) Thunderstruck
4) LMPBC 1
5) LMPBC 2
6) Little House
7) PemberLittens
8) The Glass Hotel
9) The Covenant of Water
10) Priory of the Orange Tree
11) The Meeting Point
12) Embassy Wife
13) Molokai‘i
14) Walking on Eggs
15) ARC
16) Parenting
17) Happy Place
18) Finders Keepers
19) Cold People
20) Liberties

I enjoyed this history of ransomware, and the stories of the (sometimes) misfits who stepped in to help stop it when the government was slow to act.

I found this book about the Cambodian genocide in the 1970‘s to be captivating and inspiring. It‘s astounding what people will do to other people, and the lengths people go to to stay alive in the face of it. This book really brought the plight of refugees to life. This book was provided to me by the publisher as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. #ARCApril

It‘s going to be a rainy weekend here, so my plans are to stay in my pjs, read, and clean out closets. My reading stack is pictured here. The Long Winter is a buddy read, and I only want to keep up. The rest I want to finish before May 1.

This was so-so for me with the caveat that this was the third mystery I read in a row, so I could have just been bored. I did very much enjoy the characters, the setting, and the quotes from George W Bush at the beginning of each chapter. #FoodAndLit #Thailand

These books make very little sense, but when you read mysteries having to do with North Korean government agencies that‘s part of the charm. This is book two in the Inspector O series and I found it just as confusing and enjoyable as the first.

You know it‘s been one heck of a week when you Fitbit tells you to stay off your feet a little bit 🤣 So glad my Saturday plans don‘t involve anything more than reading and cake on the couch.

Took a little field trip at lunch to pick up my DC library card and some Thai food for #FoodAndLit

DC has a reciprocal agreement with my city‘s library so we can check out each other‘s books.

I listened to the tagged book while walking. It‘s only okay, but I need to find out why there‘s a random quote from George W Bush at the start of each chapter.