My Aardvark box picks!

I am trying to curb my book buying I read Jane O. last month and absolutely loved it, so want to hold onto a copy. I really enjoyed Natural Beauty so hoping the tagged has the same vibe and great writing.

I put 3 others on hold at the library -
When the Tides Held the Moon
Julie Chan Is Dead
The Pretender

#ReadingRoundup for April -
15 Books read
6 countries
4 Nonfiction
3 chunksters (over 500pgs)

⭐
4.5
Disappoint Me
The Strange Case of Jane O.
Swans of Harlem

4
Challenger
The Faggots and Their Friends
The Most
Agent Zo
Reservoir Bitches
Stag Dance
Kingmaker

3.5
In Every Mirror She's Black

3
Beautiful Things
His Grace, The Duke
I Capture The Castle

2.5
Apartment Women

@dabbe #TLT #ThreeListThursday

I have read 59!

Many on my TBR three I would like to get to this year-
Middlemarch
The Secret Garden
Anne of Green Gables

3 I LOVED-
Bridget Jones
Perfume
Persuasion

Chipping away at this one while I enjoy a giant pistachio croissant and honey oat milk latte

Happy Thursday!

@thearomaofbooks

#bookspin = Agent Zo ✅
#doublespin = Disappoint Me ✅ 💓

#BookspinBingo = 4

Probably if you are an American of a certain age you will have a Vivid memory of the day the Challenger exploded killing all 7 aboard. This book takes you through a history at NASA from the first Apollo to that awful day. He walks you through the science and the politics, the human error and hubris that lead to the explosion and what could have been done differently. Incredibly well researched and with easy to follow language and narrative.

Lunch break

I needed another book for a free space on my #bookspinBingo board and I have been needing romance books (I have actually listened to a bunch but they're not great & I don't count for my reading goals) this is a series of connected stand alone books that all revolve around weddings. If you like fake dating, childhood crushes, and don't mind a bit of miscommunication this was pretty good. I liked that no other ladies were trashed.

This was a lot darker than I had originally thought it would be. Three Black women in Sweden, and they are all connected by one white man. I went in knowing that racism in Sweden was not pretty and this book does not shy away from it. I did feel it was a bit unbalanced, more Kemi and Brittany than Muna, but overall I thought it was well written and the characters believable, I was really rooting for all 3 even while knowing things were not good.

#weeklyforecast

Headphones for the tagged on audio.

I have a small procedure on Thursday and am taking through the weekend off so going to read a ton! I am finishing In every Mirror today, I am half into Challenger so hoping to finish that mid-week
I started Beautyland yesterday and it isn't hitting as much as I had hoped but going to finish it anyways, hoping I connect with it more as it goes along.

#Bookspin May (MAY?!!?)

"We gotta keep each other alive any way we can 'cause nobody else is going' to do it."

I don't know how to describe this book. It centers a group of gays in a commune, Larry Mitchell modeled the book off his own life . There are pearls of wisdom throughout, many gorgeous quotable lines. I love how he loves women and their wisdom, this was told between the Stonewall riots and the beginning of AIDS with a focus on revolution.

"The strong women told the faggots that there are two important things to remember about the coming revolutions. The first is that we will get our asses kicked. The second is that we will win"

???
I got this copy from the library, but I am ordering one so I can cut this page out and frame it.

"There is more to be learned from wearing a dress for a day, than there is from wearing a suit for a lifetime."

The little romance bookstore in PDX is not in the Litsy list yet but if you are in town check out Grand Gestures! It is a Black, LGBTQ owned store and they have a great selection and there is a coffee shop next door!

I am osolating between so-so and a light pick. This was a struggle for me. It took me almost 2 months to read. But I can see why people are charmed by it. It feels like another book that I should have read in my late teens early 20s to get the full pleasure and nostalgia for. But in my mid-40s it just feels a bit too forced, I didn't like Cassandra and the only person I really cared for was Stephen. Poor Stephen.

Another thing to love about PDX (Portland Oregon) we have Indie Bookstores. Many are Black and/or LGBTQ owned. One of ours is often considered the largest Indie Bookstores in the world (Powell's)

Happy International Independent Bookstore Day!!

😂

Found on IG (Bookaholic)

39/100
You are at a huge advantage if you have not read a ton of Terry Pratchett or the UK children's writer Jacqueline Wilson, which I have not.
3 favorites:
Frankenstein
Atonement
The Forsyth Saga .....or Dorian Grey.

@dabbe #TLT

Bailing 100 pages in. Scalzi is always hit or miss for me. I love the idea of this book - the moon has, in an instant, turned to cheese and no one knows why or how it what is next. Scalzi uses interviews, news reports and (for me) way too many pov. The book is creative but I have been sitting here for the last 40 or so pgs wishing I was reading Blake Crouch's Project Hail Mary instead so I am going to stop now

I thought this was great. Kathy gets in the apartment complex pool one warm November day and refuses to come out. We then get her and her husband Virgil's versions of their courtship and marriage. My one complaint is I wish we had less of Virgil and more of Kathy. It is a fleeting character and relationships study, I can see why people would want more but I thought it was well written & well crafted. I'm going to look for more from the author.

"All around them was death, and Kathleen had never been more in love with Virgil in her life."

Well. I have 2 days of jury duty. Let's see how much reading I can get done. We are currently one lunch during day 1 and I am finishing this one up. I am liking it way more than the GR reviewers.

This is fantastic. Peters knows how to weave a story. I find it so interesting how she placed the stories, there are a few stories that relate to one storyline and it is mixed up chronologically making for an onion layer reveal between that are strong stories and the one novella (title story). My only complaint is that novella was a bit too long.
TW for one brutal animal scene that is upsetting in a story called The Chaser.

Yesterday some friends and I got together for lunch and a theater showing of the Keira Knightly Pride and Prejudice! This weekend is the 20th anniversary if you can believe it! We had a ball, I sometimes forget how incredible the cinematography is in this film, seeing it in theaters really shows you what an amazing job they did. And goodness everyone in this is gorgeous 😍

Starting this one today feels serendipitous after the highly publicized "flight" this week. I have so many thoughts and feelings.

I was in the first grade when the Challenger tragedy happened and I still remember the shock of it all. I have heard good things about the this one and think it is a perfect time to read it.

I was turned on to this during wishlist talks for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction this year. Before this I had never heard of Pamela Churchill Harriman. What a fascinating woman she was! From a fat frumpy teen running around the Mitfords to the wife of Winston Churchill's son, to socialite and finally to a US democratic fixer. Told with an obviously great amount of research this story is captivating, Pam was a complex woman. 👇

I found this book on lists of hopefuls for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction long list. and honestly so glad I did. If you want to dip your toes into who Pamela Churchill Harriman was there is an excellent New Yorker article about the book. I personally had never heard of her before -
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/09/23/kingmaker-sonia-purnell-book-revie...

“Pamela, who lived and died in the twentieth century, believed that a superpower that did not protect the vulnerable was not worthy of the name."
She died during Clinton's term and I cannot help but wonder what she would think of us today.
Pamela is one of the few old school political people who enjoyed favor with both sides of he aisle, but she seemed to always (after her teens) have a firm moral compass.

Photo -Pamela 1995 from britannica.com

Book 2 in the series, you really have to read these in order. Rosalie has been adopted into the Corbin family and she is quickly becoming the center of three men's lives.
This is much spicier than the first novel and I am still scratching my head and annoyed that Trump supporters are mad at Rath for her saying she doesn't want them near her (the reason I picked up the books)
Overall a great read - plenty of plot and character growth.

I have read 65 (I am counting some series even if I only read the first)

Favorites:
P&P
Beloved
Sirens of Titen ties with Hitchhikers Guide

3 I do want to read:
Anne Green Gables
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Another Country (one of the only Baldwins I have not read)

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

Harmon who? We know who the winner was in this situation.

Trying my luck with Pango, I started listing today, so if anyone in the US is shopping for some new to them books - often I get books then listen to them on audio so many of the ones listed have not even been read!

If any Pango sellers have any advice would love to hear it!

You can see the books here: https://pangobooks.com/bookstore/chaoticreadingadventures

Who's this? New profile photo, same person. 😁

I truly dislike this part of it. 😂

The sun has come to Portland for the afternoon 😍☀️💗📚

One of my favorite things about my neighborhood is spring, we have over a thousand cherry blossom trees and it makes my daily neighborhood walks a total pleasure.

Listening to the tagged, at the point where Pamela is making friends with Kick Kennedy and trying to stay clear of the gross Ambassador Kennedy. Would have loved to have seen him go through #MeToo

Wow. Fantastic! 4.25/5

This is everything I had wished that awful Alex Michaelides was. Jane is having a breakdown and her psychiatrist is lost on what is going on or how to treat her and the mystery keeps growing. The writing is spot on, I loved seeing everything from his notes and her journal. I don't want to spoil anything so if you had read and want to discuss spoilers below.

Article from 2023.
Do you ever read a throw away line in a book and think "say what now?" I don't know anything about Bardot beyond her name and that she was an actor/model and somehow I missed that she is a god awful terrible person! This article from VF has me saying jezus multiple times. A supporter of Le Pen, Bardot encapsulates right wing bigotry and hatred.
I am glad I know now.

"I wonder if accepting moral complexity is a sign of my poor standards"

I am in love with Dinan. This is her sophomore novel and I cannot decide which I liked more. I do know I will be internet stalking her waiting for her next book. Her writing is wonderful, I love her morally great struggling characters, and how their daily life is never boring even if I cannot concisely articulate what exactly the plot is.
4.5/5 ⭐ I love this.

I fear these may be too obvious, but I would love to get to all 4 of these soon.

#CampLitsy25 @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Megabooks

I love a lil quiz! Purple Reader is The Unbound Innovator—a bold, unconventional thinker who thrives on experimental storytelling and genre-defying narratives. They read to challenge norms, stretch their imagination, and fuel radical creativity. After finishing a book, they want to feel intellectually awakened and creatively invigorated, as if they've glimpsed a new way of seeing the world

Every single time.
😂

I think I am going to bail on this for now. I have read 30 pages and it isn't pulling me in. I know so many enjoyed it, but it is due back at the library tomorrow and so many people are waiting. There is no way I am going to push through it all today. And obviously I have plenty to read from the library.

😂😂

It's funny because it's true.

Edited to add: Solabees in Portland Oregon, they have an Instagram if you want to see more of their beautiful work!

Not book related...but my best friend just passed her licensure for therapy and I have picked her up these flowers from my favorite florist in my town.

Are they not gorgeous 🥰

I originally checked this out from the library, got 2 chapters in and ran to my bookstore and bought a copy. This book is amazing. It is written with such care and tons of research. The 5 women it focuses on each have small chapters woven into the narrative. Their struggles are glaring on the page, the way they controlled their bodies while struggling with so much racism and socioeconomic challenges.
4.5/5 this is wonderful.

“She wanted to be like her childhood heroes Ginger Rogers and Natalie Wood, emerging from limousines onto red carpets to snapping bulbs, the plot of her life playing out like one of the feel-good Million Dollar Movie films she loved to watch on her family‘s black-and-white television.”

Photo of the 5 beautiful ballerinas featured in the book

The man behind the company.
The first Black dancer at the NYC Ballet.
Arthur Mitchell started the Dance Theater of Harlem. He is both a monster (yelling at the women for eating or not being loyal enough to him and the company) but also seen as a father figure. The women talk about how his death in 2018 crushed them. A complex and interesting look at a teacher relationship.

While this book is about the women of Dance Theatre of Harlem, there is tragedy in how the men of the company were abandoned by government. They died of AIDS
“'I witnessed and entire male ensemble pass away.' Sheila Rohan says of the epidemic. She was working at Alavin Ailey in those years. 'These were our Black gods. Prima donnas of the dance world. And then you had to see them decline. At least 25, 30 of them, 1 right after another dropped.“