Modeling the ear warmer I made for my daughter, who requested a new ear warmer.

#craftersoflitsy #knitting

My great #auldlangspine list from @sebrittainclark

I‘ve already read Everything is Tuberculosis and Project Hail Mary, and I loved both of them. A good sign!

For January I'm going to try for Britt-Marie Was Here, Automatic Noodle, The Mercy of Gods, Kill the Beast, and the Ina Garten memoir. There‘s quite a long wait list for Kill the Beast at my library, though, so if I can‘t get it right away, I‘ll sub in Where the Axe is Buried.

#bookspin and #doublespin for December!

#November wrap-up. I started listening to Ron and Clint Howard‘s memoir The Boys, which is entertaining if a bit gentle, but paused it to listen to Sorrow and Bliss, which a friend vigorously recommended.

Only managed to complete one nonfiction for #NFNovember, but it was a banger!

#readingbracket2025 #bookbracket2025
#readingbracket #bookbracket

#December #bookspin list

Oh dear. When you enthusiastically recommend a book to a friend, is it worse if the friend doesn‘t read it, or reads it and isn‘t impressed?

A friend recently listened to this book and recommended it in the most glowing terms. She loved it so much that when she finished it, she immediately started it over from the beginning. I‘m listening to it and it IS good, but I‘m not blown away. I‘m getting frustrated with the MC … but maybe that‘s the point

#37by37 starts today! Now I just have to remember to time myself when I‘m reading 😳😬

Happy birthday, Marie!

Still working through my last #GrimReaders pick… Death with Interruptions is charming, incisive and inventive, but also a slow read. The stream-of-consciousness format, with no quotation marks or line breaks, is not difficult exactly, once you get used to it, but it does require intense concentration. I‘m enjoying it.

Hellhound is, of course, gripping. #weekendreads

#bookhaul Cashing in some credits at the used bookstore. My main goal with this purchase was the hardcover edition of The Shadow Rising, since my husband‘s 30-year-old mass market paperback did not survive my reading it. Unfortunately this edition is a different size than the hardcovers he has of later books. 😡

#bookspree

After finishing The Trees, how can I not dive directly into Hellhound On His Trail? The characters in The Trees even make a point of driving by the Lorraine Hotel when they are in Memphis.

Of course the other thing I feel compelled to do after finishing The Trees is research the names he mentions … spent the afternoon yesterday reading about the Rock Springs Riot in Wyoming, which I knew nothing of.

Definitely won‘t get through all of these, but I‘m going to try to knock out a few more October books in addition to my November reading. We‘ll see …

Great spin this month! I‘ve been eyeing this Hampton Sides book about the MLK assassination for months, since I picked it up at a used bookstore. Looking forward to reading it for #NFNovember! And Our Missing Hearts is for my in-person book club this month. #bookspin

My final #ErasGhostsBingo board. Thanks for putting this together, @Charityann !

#ReadingBracket2025 #BookBracket2025 #ReadingBracket #BookBracket

Strong contenders this month but a clear winner with Capote‘s true-crime classic. But is that Brandon Sanderson I see sneaking into the Wild Card spot? #October

Lots of great books this month! Now the decision: do I keep working on Octobers TBR, or toss it and switch to November? 🤔🍁🤎

Absolutely tremendous narrative nonfiction about a botched robbery, a senseless mass murder, and the two young men responsible. Capote successfully navigates a sensational high-wire act: he writes complex, deeply humanizing portrayals of the murderers without seeming to excuse their actions, neglect the victims, or minimize the horrific crime. I found it fascinating how a variety of circumstances lined up just so, leading to the murders. 5⭐️

I did end up finishing it, but the humor wasn‘t really on my wavelength. Pros were the creative premise and some of the comical scenarios; cons were the crass humor, the unlikeable cast, and the “twist” that is obvious to the reader long before the MC figures it out. Also the downside of a creative premise is that it‘s easy to get out over your skis and wind up with some very weird explaining to do. 2⭐️

Got to catch up with my #GrimReaders reviews before #HauntedShelf ends!

Reaper Man was a solid Discworld installment, full of Pratchett‘s signature satire and wordplay, but I felt the plot was a little all over the place. There was a wizard/Ankh-Morpork storyline and a Death storyline, and the balance between them felt uneven. That said, even a second-tier Pratchett is a worthwhile read. 3⭐️

Oooh thank you so much @MommyOfTwo for this fabulous #AllHallowsReadSwap package! How cute are those little bows?! I am definitely going to save the fabric to use again! I have actually not read any of Joe Hill‘s novels yet, although I did read his story collection Twentieth Century Ghosts and enjoyed it. And I am a big fan of Werthers Originals, thank you! The soap is so cool also, looking forward to trying it.
Happy Halloween! 🤎🧡💜🖤

#bookspin November list

Just a couple more days until #HauntedShelf is finished! This is your last chance to finish a book, get those bingos, and check in on the Cluedo game to earn some extra points #GrimReaders

**Report your final points total by Sunday 2nd November**

That is ALL of your points, everything you‘ve got from readathons, games, word searches etc. Take the time to get everything added up then either make a post or comment below.

Thanks for playing!

I‘ll probably give this book one or two more chapters, but I‘m within a hair‘s breadth of bailing. Maybe my sense of humor is lacking, but I don‘t find anything funny about giving a two-week old baby a cocktail sausage and making jokes about her giving a Teletubby a blow job. FFS

This sequel to Mickey7 was GREAT! Definitely read Mickey7 first, but if you liked that one, you will not want to miss this story, which takes place about 2 years later. I would say this one has more action and adventure than Mickey7, but definitely includes some of the philosophical and socio-political musings that made the first one so interesting. There is also some great character development. 4⭐️

Hey #GrimReaders, it‘s time for the mid-month points check-in! Please tally your points and either post an update on your profile and tag me, or post your points in the comments. How‘s everyone doing? Having a good time?
#HauntedShelf

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Antimatter Blues is the sequel to Mickey7 and it‘s excellent!

Reaper Man is the second Discworld book in the “Death” series and it‘s extremely good, also. Very funny and poignant. I so enjoy Pratchett‘s style and his sense of humor.

I‘m now 3 for 3 in books that didn‘t live up to my high hopes. I‘m giving it a pick because I learned exactly what went on in Flint that probably caused the lead crisis, but the narrative was all over the place and the tone was off. She tries to strike a conversational, storytelling tone but I found it a little too informal in places, and she comes across a little bit manic, impulsively shooting off e-mails and such

3⭐️

#10BeforetheEnd

Featuring selections from #HauntedShelf #trappedinaspookyhouse #NFNovember and my in-person book club

#HSCluedo

10pts per question/answer
10pts per guess
25pts for correct guess

I'm going to try my hand at #HSCluedo —

Players, please only use this tag. Don't tag your team or your team lead. People who want to play can just search the tag.

If you aren't playing the game, you can block this tag.

Guess the title or ask yes/no questions in the comments below.

10pts per question/answer
10pts per guess
25pts for correct guess

My #AHRS2025 package arrived today, somewhat damp from our big rain today, but none the worse for wear, I think.

I meant to send mine over the weekend, but I didn‘t manage it. Tomorrow for sure.

@MommyOfTwo I think this came from you? I‘m so excited! Thank you :)

I had high hopes for this one, but the ending left me cold. It was extremely well-written and I enjoyed both Zelu‘s and Ankara‘s storylines. Most of the book told a rich, evocative story brimming with symbolism, techno-optimism and philosophical commentary on what it means to be human and the purpose of stories in human and post-human culture. The last two chapters took that and turned it into a goofy joke.

Disappointing.

Finished this one Thursday, I just didn‘t get a chance to post about it. This is a collection of short mystery/crime stories largely set in Scotland or by authors with a connection to Scotland. Many of them were very good; a few were disappointing, partly because they just hit different 70+ years later.
#OneSnackToRuleThemAll #TeamPumpkinSpice
#grimreaders #hauntedshelf

At the risk of outing myself as the most basic of basic white b****es, this is what I‘ve been listening to last night and today. I love it and I don‘t care

#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

(Lest you think I‘m trapped in the past, I also listened to Life of a Showgirl yesterday in the car with my daughter)

#weekendreads
@rachelsbrittain

Still working through my September list 🙃

Been so busy getting up to speed with Haunted Shelf that I forgot to post my September wrap-up.
Adam Bede 5⭐️
Jar City is an Icelandic police procedural from the late 90s. Iceland‘s genetic databases featured heavily in the plot, which called my name, but it ultimately fell a bit flat for me. 3⭐️
The Big Dark Sky 3.5 ⭐️

The others are in progress. John Green I‘ve been listening to in the car with my son.
Tress I just finished last night, 5⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! Read it on Kindle which meant I could search for #HauntedShelf words - 19 words found (285 pts)

#GrimReaders

#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #TeamPumpkinSpice
#ErasGhostBingo #Midnights
#pumpkaboohunt - large (384 pp)

#hauntedshelf #grimreaders

#HauntedShelf #GrimReaders

There are 6 spooky word searches for you to complete in October. 10pts per word found

This is based on the honour system, you don't need to post

Available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1E4W1geiK9TvLniayV03nUER_UbQ0pNIx?usp=sha...

@AllDebooks @bookwormjillk @Gissy @hes7 @JenReadsAlot @JoeMo @LadyCait84 @MatchlessMarie @OutsmartYourShelf @PaperbackPirate @peanutnine @skygoddess1 @TheDaysGoBy @zezeki

Find these 31 words in any of your October readings. It can be in the title, in the main book, as part of the blurb etc

Once you‘ve found a word, mark it off or post the quote to Litsy. You can only find a word once for it to count

Plurals words will count e.g owls

Variations on the word are not allowed e.g snapped would not count for snap

15pts per word with a maximum of 465pts to earn

#GrimReaders #HauntedShelf

Hi #grimreaders, here‘s another way to earn extra points for #hauntedshelf!

Earn points by recommending books that fit certain prompts. These can be any genre of book and you can recommend them however you like. You could include information or just the book cover. Share what you love reading with the community and grow a few more Litsy stacks!

These are up to interpretation.

30pts per recommendation, infinite points available

Excited for this month‘s #bookspin selections! #hauntedshelf #grimreaders #october

October #bookspin list

Okay #GrimReaders it‘s officially October here & #HauntedShelf has begun!

Here is the points system & the link to the Google drive with bingo boards, word searches, readathons & everything else:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1E4W1geiK9TvLniayV03nUER_UbQ0pNIx

@AllDebooks @bookwormjillk @Gissy @hes7 @JenReadsAlot @JoeMo @LadyCait84 @MatchlessMarie @OutsmartYourShelf @PaperbackPirate @peanutnine @skygoddess1 @TheDaysGoBy @zezeki

#HauntedShelf #GrimReaders

Book Cover Scavenger Hunt!
Find book covers that match the prompts. They can be from your own collection, from a bookstore or library, or from your e-book archive.

They are open to interpretation. For example ‘Orange‘ could mean an orange cover, the word orange, or the fruit orange.

15pts per cover found with a maximum of 465pts to earn. Post throughout October.

#HauntedShelf #GrimReaders Book Chain!
Teams create a chain or list of books where each book has something in common with the book before it, e.g.:
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice – Dracula by Bram Stoker (Has a vampire character) - The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (Published 1897 same year as Dracula) – The Witch King by Martha Wells (Surname is Wells)

Post each book as a new comment to the game post. 10pts per book. Infinite points

5 emphatic stars for Adam Bede!

#readingbracket2025
#bookbracket
#readingbracket

I‘ve been forgetting to note when I finish a book that qualifies for #chunksterchallenge2025. Here are all the books I‘ve read this year that top 500 pages. 3 “bitsy” chunksters but one fully qualifying chunkster. The Shadow Rising is my #allergictochunksters pick that‘s been sitting waiting for me for more than a year. It was so good, though! Looking forward to starting book 5 …

My #trappedinaspookyhouse holds came in at the library! [Not pictured: Reaper Man, on Kindle]