Today was a good day, warm but good! ☀️It was lovely to return to an in-person San Antonio Book Festival. I attended six sessions featuring nine authors and increased my TBR list as one does. 📚#sabookfest #sanantonio #sapl

#BookReport #WeeklyForecast combo

I actually reviewed everything I read this week. 💃🏼 I‘m struggling a little with Growing Up Dead and I just started Manhunt. Other library patrons are waiting on it and Electric Idol so I want to get them done this week hopefully. Strangers is for #aam for May.

Saturday is the San Antonio Book Festival so I will lose some of my reading time and increase my TBR instead. 📚

While I don‘t think the writing is a good as the last book I reviewed, I also devoured this one in print and on audio. Candace Swain disappeared after her sorority‘s party for a week and then was found dead. Three years later, Lucas is hosting a podcast, his capstone project, to find out where Candace was for that week. He is joined in his search by a former U.S. Marshall. I knew who the killer was fairly quickly and some of the story was ⬇️

This has been on my TBR at least since I read Beukes‘ Broken Monsters in 2016. I didn‘t know I would love it and I wish I had picked it up sooner. I thought I might not love the time travel aspect and was wrong. In fact, that may be why I loved this. The writing made me feel like I stepped in to each time period with the character. Plus, it‘s gritty and about a serial killer. I found I didn‘t want to put this down so I listened and read in print.

This has been languishing on my TBR for years and I finally picked it up due the ridiculous banning in TN. Spiegelman‘s work is powerful and it‘s important to hear his father‘s story. The book is not only about the Holocaust though. It‘s also about the author‘s relationship with his parents, especially his father. I can‘t recommend this graphic novel enough.

I enjoyed this one. I requested the library purchase it a while ago. I must have forgot ‘erotic‘ was in the summary, because I didn‘t expect as much sex, lol. The romance is sweet, but some of the characters could have been fleshed out a little more and the story could have had more depth. I enjoyed the historical notes in the back.

I wasn‘t expecting this chapter, set in 1972, to be quite so relevant and for the word “forever” to feel depressing due to our current world.

Does anyone have recommendations for books on Jane?

#bookreport #weeklyforecast combo

I enjoyed everything I completed this week. Blood is my first manga and I immediately wished I had the next volume on hand. I‘m over halfway through The Shining Girls and just start the SGJ novel.

This week is going to busy so I don‘t know if will get to everything. My next reads are partially dictated by the library.

Today I returned a bag of mostly unread books to the library to lessen my guilt of not reading them yet. These 7 books were on the hold shelf for me and several have other people waiting for them. I can‘t help myself. 😏

#Bookspin #Doublespin May

Here is my updated list with this month‘s picks swapped in. So far, it looks like I will be filling up my free spaces first as my current reads are not on the list. 🤷🏼‍♀️ #bookspinbingo

#WeeklyForecast

I picked up my February #Bookspin that I had put on ice due to other library books taking precedence and now I‘m halfway through it. Started the next V.I. Warshawski on audio. The Beukes‘ is up next because I can‘t renew it due to someone else waiting for it. Thanks Apple TV! Lol

April #BookspinBingo #wrapup

Two bingos this month! I read 19 books and 1 short story.
7 audio
1 graphic novel
4 children‘s picture books
6 adult fiction in print
1 middle grade fiction
+ 1 DNF

I read one for #aam but I didn‘t get to my #bookspin or #Doublespin for April.

#BookReport

All of the books I completed this week are picks. I finished Perish and The Absolutist today. #aam Since I can‘t decide what I want to start May with I may have to spin the wheel for my weekly forecast.

May 🌻 #Bookspin #BookspinBingo

The list on the left is my ongoing list for #Bookspin and #Doublespin so that I will read some of the books I own. I have replaced last month‘s picks. The list on the right is my #Bookspinbingo TBR. I will swap out whichever numbers are drawn and replace them with the books from the right list. ☀️

#BookReport #WeeklyForecast combo

Both of my completed books were picks. Most of my reading has been on audio as I found Smaller on Hoopla. I may have it finished before bed. I thought I would devour White Spaces but its been a slower read for me.

I‘m keeping my expectations low even though I have Thursday and Friday off this week.

#WeeklyForecast

I‘m almost done with The Corpse Queen. Boogeyman is up next for audio and then Those Who Perish. All the White Spaces is due soon and I can‘t renew it so I will probably bump it up.

April is flying by and I need to get to the Boyne for #aam soon.

#BookReport

I sort of felt like a reading machine this week, lol. Everything completed was pick.

I just couldn‘t get into Valley of Terror. I tried it in print and audio. Maybe it was because I thought it was going to be more horror or maybe it‘s the translation. 🤷🏼‍♀️

#WeeklyForecast

I‘m sure that I will probably finish TBoCC and Vampire before Tuesday. Circles is good, but not as propulsive.

The other three are all on Kindle Unlimited and I want to read them before I cancel my subscription.

#BookReport

It‘s been a while since I picked up a Walt Longmire book, but I enjoyed book 7 so much that I read the short story between and book 8 this week.
Kira-Kira is for #Booked2022 #aboutsisters and I enjoyed it.
Calvin, I Eat Poop, and The Library Fish are children‘s books and all are picks. Calvin made me tear up a little, but I Eat Poop was my favorite.

#WeeklyForecast

I‘m halfway thru Hell (ha!) and it‘s possible that I could finish it today while cleaning/prepping for the week. I have only read the prologue for Smaller ( #Booked2022 ) so far.

Divorce is a Longmire short story that falls after Hell. Kira-Kira is for #Booked2022 and I‘m going to try it on audio first.

I‘m currently subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, so I‘m trying to read a few on my KU list before I cancel it for awhile.

#Bookreport

Here are the books I completed this week. All are picks. As usual, I really should review some of these. 😬

#Booked2022 First quarter wrap-up

Per usual, I started this challenge with a bang and completed 12 prompts. If history is any indicator, I will be scrambling to finish up one or two of the prompts last minute. 😂

I completed the form last night. 🙂

#BookspinBingo

I found a flaw in my two list system . Swan Song is my #Bookspin , but was also on my TBR list. 🤦🏼‍♀️Since it‘s 956 pages, I decided to just have it fill the original two spots on my TBR list and the #Bookspin spot. Next month I won‘t have any overlap. Growing Up Dead in Texas is my #Doublespin book.

April #Bookspin #BookspinBingo

The list on the left will now be my ongoing list for #Bookspin and #Doublespin so that I will read some of the books I own each month, because I always lean toward library books. The list on the right is my #Bookspinbingo TBR. I will swap out whichever numbers are drawn and replace them with the books from the right list. I hope this makes sense. Lol. 🍹

March #BookspinBingo #Wrapup

It‘s unlikely I‘m going to finish Tastes Like Candy today, so I‘m calling it for March. Even with free spaces on top of each other, I didn‘t get a bingo! 😄 I read 25 books this month, but only 13 could go on my card. I did finish both my #Bookspin and #Doublespin for the month.

7 audio
2 graphic novels
10 children‘s picture books
5 adult fiction
1 middle grade fiction

I still need to review several of these. 😏

I spent some time browsing Half Price Books today. I came home with this #chunkster (965 pages) that has been on my TBR for a while. My goal is to read it before the end of the year. 😁

#WeeklyForecast

RoB is due Tuesday and on hold by another, so working to finish it first. I will probably bump up Heartstopper Vol. 4 since I know another is waiting. I sort of feel bad hoarding library books if someone else is waiting, lol. This is part of the reason why those two on the right are “on hold.”

AIW is my current audio. My other “Up Next” choices are my #doublespin and #bookspin. Both Bellweather and Cure work for #Booked2022. ⬇️

#BookReport

2 audiobooks
6 children‘s picture books
1 print novel
All picks

I‘m still thinking about Empire of Wild and The Collective, so I haven‘t review them yet.

NBR - I returned to in-person Zumba for the first time in 2 years. I almost cried due to happiness, especially when I realized I still remembered some of the moves and songs. It also just felt so normal, which was great. 🥲💃🏼

#reviewcatchup

This is the first book in the David Brandstetter series, which is set in the 1960s. Brandstetter, a private detective, is investigating a life insurance claim on Fox Olsen, whose car is found after being swept down an an arroyo during a heavy rainstorm and no body has been found. David quickly finds that things aren‘t adding up and is determined to find out what‘s going on. Originally published in 1970, Hanson‘s detective ⬇️

#reviewcatchup

Gender Queer is one of the most banned books in the US. Below is a quote from the author I found in an news article linked in comments.
“There are a lot of people who are questioning their gender, questioning their sexuality and having a real hard time finding honest accounts of somebody else on the same journey. There are people for whom this is vital and for whom this could maybe even be lifesaving.”
I absolutely agree with ⬇️

#reviewcatchup

As a lover of horror, I‘m a little ashamed to say this my first Adam Neville read. Even though I think this could have been trimmed down slightly (it‘s 530 pgs), I enjoyed this one. Kyle, a struggling film documentarian, thinks his problems may have been solved when he is asked to shoot a documentary about the 1970s notorious cult, Temple of the Last Days. The film schedule is tight and strange things occur as Kyle and his ⬇️

Finished 3/6 #reviewcatchup

This is book 4 in the Kat Holloway/Below Stairs mysteries. I continue to enjoy this series. I love Kat, house cook/sleuth, and her band of friends, Daniel, James, Tess, and Lady Cynthia. I sometimes find myself more worried about her job when she slips away from the kitchen for too long than I do other dangers.
Even though this is set later and in England, I think this has a similarity to the Lady Darby series.

Read 3/2 #reviewcatchup

Even though I still keep puzzling about whether or not these are some kind of HP fan fiction (one character felt a little like Dolores Umbridge in this one), I am enjoying this series. I like most of the characters and the idea of Mrs. Brickett‘s. #Booked2022 #newin2022

Read 2/28 #reviewcatchup

This is another from @Patchshank ‘s #NYWD list that I had on TBR for ages and was happy to finally get to. I love the artwork and the creepiness of this southern gothic story. I have the next two volumes in from the library to read soon.

#reviewcatchup

“Hello, I‘m Rozzum unit 7134, but you may call me Roz.”
Roz awakes (after curious otters push the button on the back of her head) to find she is on an island. She doesn‘t know where she is from, but begins to explore and learn. Initially the animals distrust Roz, but through kindness she makes friends. She finds family and a home in the wild, until a past she is unaware of catches up to her.

These were so enjoyable! 💗

#reviewcatchup

When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball - I wasn‘t previously familiar with Rudolph. This is about her childhood before she became an Olympic gold medal winner. Pick! This book has been challenged in Texas. ☹️

The Big Bath House - I loved this celebration of Japanese traditions and female body positivity of all types and ages.

Aaron Slater, Illustrator - A great addition to the series. **I‘m in no way related to the illustrator. 🙂

#reviewcatchup

Virgil Wounded Horse is the resident vigilante on the reservation stepping in when the community is unable to prosecute and the federal government fails to take action. Then heroine shows up on the reservation and his nephew becomes entangled. I enjoyed this one even though I did see the ending coming. I hope we will get another Virgil book in the future. #Booked2022 #weathertermintitle

February #BookspinBingo

No February bingo, but I have a hunch that I will get one this month. 🙂 I completed my #doublespin (The Wild Robot), but still need to finish my #bookspin (The Cure for Death by Lightning).

Here is my March #Bookspin list. I‘m excited to see what will be picked and to set up my next bingo card. #bookspinbingo

#WeeklyForecast

I‘m not terribly far in Death Acre‘s, Beyond Reach, and The Cure. It‘s possible I will have to put BR on ice if I can‘t renew at the library (maxed renewals 😏). I‘m about 1/2 way through MacBeth and the second Marion Lane book.

I‘m hoping to have more reading time this week. I can‘t control all of life‘s stresses, but at least I‘m not working overtime. 😁

#BookReport

I missed last week‘s book report. It‘s just been a long couple of weeks and my reading has been off. Everything was a pick.
Mississippi Bridge is a short story in the Logans series.
Winter Counts is my pick for #Booked2022 #weathertermintitle .
When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball is one of the children‘s books being challenged in TX. 🤬
The Big Bath House and Aaron Slater are also children‘s books.
INWTCBS is my third reread ⬇️

#WondrousWednesday

@TheAromaofBooks Thank you for tagging me! I haven‘t been very posty lately.

1. Janet Evanovich - I read the first 25 books in the Stephanie Plum series. #TeamRanger
2. Couch, recliner, or bed, but I read everywhere.
3. Sometimes

Since it is almost the end of the day, I tag anyone who wants to participate. 💗

Robin, this was such a lovely surprise to get in the mail today! Thank you so much for thinking of me! It made my day extra special. ☺️💕

#BookReport #WeeklyForecast combo

I enjoyed all of my completed books this week. Death‘s Acre is ongoing. I just started Beyond Reach and Winter Counts.

Hester, an AI expert, is working as a security officer for the company to pay off her medical bills after surviving a terrorist attack. She now has a prosthetic left eye, ear, arm and leg. She receives an unexpected encrypted message from another survivor. Before she can respond, he is dead. She asks to be assigned to the team on his case. I really enjoyed this sci-fi mystery. I had one aspect figured out, but it didn‘t take anything away.

I‘m not sure how I missed this book as a kid. I read/listened to it and the narrator was perfect. Often I do chores when I listen to audiobooks, but I just sat and read-along with this one. Set in Depression-era Mississippi, this story, narrated by 9 year-old Cassie, follows the Logan family for nearly a year. That‘s such a simple summary for such great book. I can‘t recommend it enough. This one is actually the fourth book in a series.⬇️

I enjoyed this and have already put the second book on hold; but was this originally some sort of Harry Potter fan fiction? There is no magic, but I spent a great deal of the book thinking about who/what felt like HP rather than solving the mystery. #Booked2022 #amurdermystery

I dragged my feet picking this up because I wasn‘t ready for it to end. I love many of the characters Older brought to life in this NYC of living, dead, and half-dead. While I would have liked more time with Reza and a couple of others, this was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

#BookReport #WeeklyForecast combo

Library guilt (no more renewals) bit me again, so I bumped different books (indicated by 🦖) up on my TBR. I have three weeks to read them. I devoured BHB on Saturday. I actually finished Marion Lane while cleaning this evening.

I had started Roll of Thunder in print but am also listening to it on audio now. I‘m dipping in and out of Death‘s Acre. I just started Dead Space today.

I wasn‘t too far into this one when I told my husband I think this blurb may be 100% right and it was. Hades and Persephone have great chemistry🔥. I enjoyed the world that Robert created. The gods feel more like the mafia and they aren‘t really immortal. I know some readers said there isn‘t enough plot, but I enjoyed the development of the characters and was happy to hang out with H & P. I would say this is an erotic romance. There is ⬇️