So good! Funny, propulsive, and charming with quirky characters that you‘ll fall in love with instantly. Can‘t wait for the next one!

#whatsfordinner Tried this out of a new cookbook tonight and my meat eating husband loved it! From the carrot ginger dressing to the crunchy chickpeas, this was a easy hit that we‘ll make again.

August was a great reading month, even though I didn‘t keep up with my tracking and had to play a lot of catch up.

This was a powerful, honest, and epic family story, I was drawn in right away and didn‘t want to stop listening. Great in #audio !

Fascinating, heartbreaking, and inspiring, John Green has tackles a complex issue with patience, empathy, and a global view. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. #bookspinbingo for the center square, nearly blacked out my board! @TheAromaofBooks

My September #BookspunBingo List!

Blew through another Catherine Cowles series. It started to get a little stale but I had to find out how all that characters ended up :)

So good! If this one is on your list, move it up!

Fantastic! This snarky take on small town politics, book, and small minds is a breath of fresh air, even while making you want to pull your hair out. Unflinchingly honest, you will care about these characters and they will make you think. Great on #audio

So good! I recommend going into this thriller blind-just let it surprise and confound you. Finished this nearly 2 weeks ago but playing catch up on my reviews.

This was fantastic! A group of neighbors in the 1960s start a book club and kick it off by reading the Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. This novel follows the lives and changes of these women and their families as they navigate this turbulent time in our history. I loved the authentic relationships, the books they read together, and how they supported each other. Great on #audio !

Funny, sexy, a nice return to Fletcher mountain. This is definitely open door, read the content warnings to make sure it‘s your jam. I listened on audio and Teddy Hamilton is one of the narrators. At this point, I‘ll listen to anything he reads (swoon). This is the 2nd in a series, I recommend reading them in order. Great escape while walking or doing housework 😍

This was so much fun! Combine pickleball, fantastic chemistry, ghostwriting, great friends, and a search for a muse and you‘ve got this delightfully charming read! And that cover ! A new to me author, this releases on November 18th and I highly recommend checking it out! I will be reading more by this author 😍 #netgalleygroup @AllDebooks

Wow! I could not put down this queer romance between an F1 and F2 driver and that surprised me a little since I didn‘t know F2 existed before reading this book, lol. Starting with a horrific crash, these complicated characters find their way back to themselves, and each other, while hiding their truth from the world. James doesn‘t shy away from the real world challenges they would face yet manages to keep it from getting too dark. So good!

Finally got some pool time in this week and finished an amazing novel from a local author. This Southern Gothic odyssey follows a young man‘s quest through the wilds of 1930s East Texas. His veteran father is haunted by his time in the service and leaves his teenage son to keep the farm going. Dark in places, thoughtful in others, beautifully written throughout. Each scene is so well written, it puts you right in that moment. Released August 26.

This was a surprise for me. I haven‘t read anything else by this author and received this ARC without knowing anything about it. I really enjoyed this story of an 80 yr old woman as she confronts the boy who broke her heart years ago—while revisiting her youth as a would be pharmacist who is also fascinated by her potion-wielding great-aunt in 1920s Brooklyn. Really good!

This was so good! A historical romance with fantasy elements. The writing is beautiful and the characters are unique and complex. The first in a series, looking forward to reading the next one.

I‘ve blown through the first 4 books of the Sparrow Falls series from Catherine Cowles. Romantic suspense, they are a little repetitive but the characters are compelling, the pacing keeps me reading, and the family dynamic is heartfelt and hilarious. I‘m reading #5 and will then have to wait until fall for #6. Broken Harbor was my #BookspinBingo pick. @TheAromaofBooks

This started slow for me and I nearly gave up but I stuck with it-mainly because of the flower shop setting. A former child star who has made a new life for herself is pursued by her ex, an Oscar winning actress who has never stopped loving her. Sparks fly, will they be able to find their way back to each other while remaining true to themselves? I ended up liking it, not loving it.

This vegan cookbook is absolutely gorgeous. There are a couple of recipes I‘m excited to try and I was charmed by her Vancouver farmstead, the photos, and the life she has built for herself.

This was so much fun! If you are a Tessa Bailey fan, you‘ll love this one! With my completed #BookspinBingo July board-I got 7 bingoes which I‘m happy with as it was a busy month for work and travel.

#BookspinBingo board is ready for August! Thanks for organizing @TheAromaofBooks !

My goodness this was such a unique, strange, and fantastic book. It takes place just as the Civil War is starting and follows President Lincoln mourning the death of his young son. With pieces of history )and ghosts!) floating through the novel, this made me smile, cry, and wonder at the power of the written word. Brilliant on #audio with more than 150 narrators, led by David Sedaris and Nick Offerman. So good!

Wow! So good, a great follow up to Sandwich but one that stands all on its own. Bringing together two storylines that examine health and consequences, this compelling story packs a lot of funny, heartbreaking, and meaningful moments into 209 pages.I had the honor of meeting the author and she is just as approachable and kind as you would expect. Releasing Oct 28, you won‘t want to miss this one! #netgalleygroup @AllDebooks

Catching up on reviews. Finished this in #audio a couple of weeks ago. Nearly rated it so-so as the story was a little worn feeling and so predictable (not in a good way). But the characters were well written and I enjoyed seeing them grow as individuals and as a couple.

So much fun! Is it a romance filled with true crime elements and history? Yup. Not scary but unique for sure, we follow a woman working on her doctorate about the relationships between true crime writers and their subjects and she believes that everyone she encounters could be a serial killer. Including her new hot, shy, kind neighbor. This was a blast!

Loved this on #audio Friends to lovers, she buys a bus on a drunken whim and he helps fix it up. They both have challenges in their pasts and do the work for themselves and each other. And I loved his family so much! Highly recommend!

Having a hard time dealing with the fact that it is August but a new #BookspinBingo list is a silver lining. My #Roll100 has August in the title so that tracks 😊

So good!!! Loved this conclusion to the Crimson Moth. Suspenseful, steamy, and beautifully written, I‘m sad this story is over but I look forward to reading whatever is next!

Great novella, riveting, fast paced, and twisty. Looking forward to reading (listening) to more in the series.

Wow! I understand all the buzz about this book. Beautifully written, this dark, twisty thriller had me riveted. I was so invested in these relationships, I loved the art and true crime elements, and the characters were just so real. There were upsetting elements so you may want to check content warnings. The audio narration is great, I highly recommend this powerful novel!

A Joanna Shupe historical romance is always a great read & this one may just be my favorite yet! With Anastasia vibes, this novel brings together a talented singer who knows nothing of her past with a slick con man who is determined to cash on her resemblance to a missing heiress. Sparks fly & I was sucked in right away. You‘ll swoon while rooting for these 2 knuckleheads even as you are wishing they‘d just talk about their feelings. Releases 8/26

This gaming romance follows two people who are new to D&D and find friendship while learning about the game, and each other, along the way. As a non-gamer, I found the storytelling via D&D fascinating and really enjoyed every part of those books. Filled with quirky side characters, real life and imagined, this was a great world to sink into while escaping our too real one. This came out a few days ago, make time to go and seek it out!

I enjoyed this so much! This author is new to me; I loved her premise, pace, & characters. Connor, an older than usual intern, joins a small newspaper publishing team, & surprises them with his dedication and smarts. Bel is a driven journalist & podcaster who discovers a juicy political cover up & when Connor stumbles into her cover story, fake dating ensues. The chemistry is electric, the story compelling, & the banter top notch. Releases Oct 7.

Read this over 4th of July weekend, finally posting. Loved it, Ms Beverly always hits the mark. Sexy and captivating (see what I did there?), her characters are authentic and jump off the page.

This psychological thriller follows an author whose wife has gone missing, or has she? Unreliable narrators abound and you spend much of the story not quite sure what is happening. I really liked the author/publisher perspective and I‘m always a fan of an isolated island filled with strange inhabitants. Fun on #audio

Was in Philadelphia for the American Library Association annual conference last week and came home with a few goodies. Many of these I will share with family and friends, there are a few I‘m really excited to keep 😊

Delightful! I giggled my way through this book! Picked up this ARC at the ALA conference and had to dive right in. This is the book for one of the Bearcat rookies, otherwise known as one of the “orgasm donors” 🤣 Releases in September. It also was my #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Hilarious! This was great on #audio and it surprised me how much I enjoyed every minute.

Loved this one, read nearly the whole thing while traveling and it was the right read at the right time. A therapist and the editor of her column have a true connection that neither of them are ready to explore. Until they do and I was happy to be along for the ride.

If you are trying to decide which #BOTM book to choose, I highly recommend These Summer Storms. Succession meets Elin Hilderbrand and the perfect summer read!

This was a lot of fun, I enjoyed the setting and the strong female characters.

Great fun on audio-the perfect steamy summer escapist read!

This powerful and raw exploration of queer love in the turbulent 80s doesn‘t pull any punches. Upsetting at times, illuminating at others, every moment meaningful. So thankful to have read this book, I‘ll be thinking about it for a long time. Fantastic on audio!

Wow! I went into this fantasy completely blind and I wish the same for you so I‘m not going to say much. Just that it was great fun, remarkable world building and a fascinating cast of characters. Can‘t wait to read the next one when it comes out this fall.

This thriller from the author of the Girl on the Train was strange, haunting, and complex. Set in the art world, it has a unique cast of characters that kept me guessing. It was tightly written and well paced and I‘ll be thinking about it for a while. A great summer read for someone looking for a little something different.

Ooooh boy (as I fan myself). Not for the faint of heart, this one pushes all the boundaries. This one is dark, steamy, snarky, spicy, funny, sexy. Great on #audio but beware listening in public. Did I mention it is hot?

This nonfiction history of the Disney channel, how it began and through its hey day was fascinating. The author explored the business side things, the creative minds working to create something new, and the young actors that made it all come to life. This made me angry, made me laugh, and made think about the channel that was on so often when my kids were tweens. Highly recommend if you watched in the 2000s-2015s.

This was a spooky romance full of ghosts with spark of mystery that was a fun, quick read. I enjoyed the Montana setting, the family dynamics, and the small town vibe. The newest from Lyla Sage, this releases on Sept 30th. The characters didn‘t charm me quite a quickly as in her last series, but they grew on me and I‘m looking forward to the next in the series. Thanks to netgalley for an ARC. #netgalleygroup @AllDebooks

Unexpected! This quirky romance between a curse breaker and an archeologist was charming and different and I really enjoyed it! Danan always surprises me with the way she approaches a story and it is always a great time.