Happy weekend!! Currently I‘m trying to get into the above named book but it‘s not holding my interest completely. I‘m also making my way through Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho, my BOTM selection. And enjoying the snow that I don‘t have to drive in!!
#WeekendReading

You can‘t see the huge snowflakes falling or hear the sleet hitting the windows. But I think this is a great day to stay inside and read!!

I was excited to read this book but slightly disappointed after I did. I think I was expecting something more in depth regarding the inmates and how reading impacted their lives while they were incarcerated. Instead it was more just stories that focused on her and how working there impacted her. Which was okay, just not what I was looking for, I guess. ⭐️⭐️1/2 #DoubleSpin for January

I confess this is not my favorite genre (book club selection) so that may be coloring my opinion, but to me this book was just okay. The premise is intriguing but I spent so much time exasperated with the MC/narrator I didn‘t even care what happened to her by the end. ⭐️⭐️1/2

As with her previous book Migrations, the prose is stunning and so evocative of nature and place, but it‘s depressing as hell. Many of the characters made me angry (including the narrator!) for various reasons, and some of the climactic events leading to the conclusion were pretty far-fetched. But it kept me reading to the end and I loved the writing and the underlying conservation message so it‘s a pick for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 #Bookspin for January!

I had a hard time paying attention to this book, though that may be a product of everything going on in the world and my life in general. The scholastic requirements and political machinations were difficult to follow and I found myself just wanting to get on with the story. I give it extra credit for originality as well as a phenomenal cliffhanger! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just starting my January book club read. I‘m not usually a big fan of mystery/thrillers but so far I like it!

New and interesting take on vampires, placing them firmly back in the scary and horrible camp. In this world the sun inexplicably stopped rising 27 years ago; vampires and other nasties began to take over as they could now walk abroad anytime. Gabriel (MC) is a member of a holy brotherhood that hunts all monsters but especially the vampires. Very dark and violent but with beautiful lyrical prose, it was tough to get through in spots. (cont.)

Okay, this will be my first challenge of 2022! I‘m going to ease into the new year with small (hopefully) achievable goals for January:
Book goal-Complete #Bookspin and #Doublespin challenges
Fitness goal-Do some form of exercise or movement at least 3 days a week.

@wanderinglynn I appreciate the opportunity to take part, thank you!

#BFC2022

Since most of my books are still in boxes from moving I had to dig deep into my Kindle library to round out the list! Ready for #BookSpin and #Doublespin!!
@TheAromaofBooks

Great writing, fascinating characters, riveting plot; what more could you want in a book? Not what I expected, which is also a plus. If you like historical fiction with strong female protagonists and a smidge of mysticism, then I highly recommend! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

My library hold came in yesterday! 😃

New library book.

1. I would say I‘m generally good at it, but of course I sometimes guess wrong!
2. The Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
3. I like anti-heroes and kickass female protagonists!
4. I‘m grateful for Kindle sample chapters!!

Thanks for the tag @Andrew65 !

The history of slavery is the history of the United States. It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it. It is not irrelevant to our contemporary society; it created it. This history is in our soil, it is in our policies, and it must, too, be in our memories.

I‘ll be honest, I‘m not usually a fan of psychological thrillers, they tend to bore me (which is not their intended effect!). But something about this one captured my interest until the very end. Maybe it was the way the whole pandemic was a peripheral character in itself. While the ending was a bit implausible I didn‘t care by the time I got there. The author‘s use of timeline hopping didn‘t even feel cliched. Great summer read for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yes, even in the midst of reading 3 (or is it 4?) other books I‘m starting a new 560 pager! *sigh* So many books, so little time!

Finally finished another book! My feelings are all jumbled about this one, but I can say it‘s beautifully and powerfully written. I‘m amazed at how the author was able to evoke both sympathy and disgust for many of the characters. My heart ached for Wavy and Kellen while still being very disturbed by the whole situation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘m using this as a free space for #BookspinBingo.

I bought this book remembering how powerful the movie was (and mistakenly thinking the book came first!). And while it was technically well written, there wasn‘t much depth or characterization going on, which is understandable being based on a screenplay. So it was pretty good for what it was, just not what I was looking for. ⭐️⭐️1/2 #BookspinBingo free space

I feel like the motif of a woman discovering that her husband is not who she thought has been used a lot lately but it‘s pretty well done here. While it wasn‘t much of a thriller and some of the plot details were far-fetched, it managed to hold my interest until the end. Soft pick for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 #BookspinBingo

Not really book related but I love my new decal!

1. Artemis, because she‘s a badass!
2. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

#Two4Tuesday

I tag anyone who wants to play!

I‘ve never been super interested in the Kennedy clan but since this was a free birthday ebook I figured why not. If you‘re looking for dirt or scandal about JFK or Jackie this isn‘t the book for you. Written by one of the secret service agents assigned to protect Jacqueline, it‘s very respectful and admiring of her. While I confess I might have been hoping for a teensy bit of dirt, it was still fascinating to glimpse behind the mystique (cont.)

Next up!
#BookspinBingo

This book was heartbreaking, infuriating, horrifying and yet inspiring. It was so hard to read about the violence perpetrated against so many at the Florida School for Boys. I can only hope that the hundreds of men who shared their stories will find peace or closure of some sort. Riveting despite its difficult subject matter. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Official April #Bookspin

(Contains descriptions of graphic violence against children)

I‘ve been wanting to read this book for a long time. It‘s right in my wheelhouse: strong female MC, Arthurian ties, religious conflict, but somehow it fell flat for me. I found myself bored and skimming a lot so I just stopped. I have too many other books waiting! I‘m using this as a free space for #BookspinBingo.

Fun YA fantasy adventure with a smart capable heroine. And look at that gorgeous cover! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sharen, I‘ll have it in the mail to you next week!
#LMPBC #BookspinBingo

Looks like I picked the wrong day to stop buying new books! #Bookmail

Here is my #BookspinBingo board for May! Hope I can score at least one Bingo 😃

My #BOTM box for May (with my free birthday month add-on!) 😌

This was actually a reread and I enjoyed it even more this time around! Just a beautiful moving story about family and home and love in all forms. And I had forgotten that the ending packed such an emotional wallop! I‘m glad I decided to read it again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
#Doublespin for April

This was an interesting reimagining of Norse mythology (which I‘m not that familiar with). It‘s focused on the character of a witch who has been “killed” 3 times by Odin for not revealing the future which she has seen in her visions. She meets Loki and ends up married to him. I really enjoyed the banter between them which helped the first half be really engaging. The second half got a bit tedious but the ending gave me all the feels. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here‘s my list! I think I‘m going all in this month. I need to get some of these off my TBR so tag me for #Bookspin, #Doublespin and #BookspinBingo, Sarah! 😃

So far I‘m meeting my goal of reading every day of the readathon. 😊 (An hour yesterday, 45 minutes so far today 🤞🏻) Let‘s see how I do going back to work tomorrow! 😉

In a classic case of it‘s-not-you-it‘s-me, I cannot sustain an interest in reading this book. The banter and behind-the-scenes tidbits are great, but I just find my thoughts drifting during all the parts regarding the history of Scotland and its clans. I‘m not giving up on it but it‘s definitely telling me to wait a while. April #Bookspin

Thanks for hosting another awesome readathon, Andrew! My goals are very modest; I just want to read some each day. With work ramping up and some family stuff going on I‘ve had trouble focusing on anything. Maybe some consistency will be the kickstart that I need. 😊
#AwesomeApril

#BOTM Bookmail!! I can‘t wait to dive in.

I wasn‘t sure I was going to like this at first, as it started out kind of slow, with a lot of world building. Plus I couldn‘t decide if I liked the MC, who was the narrator. But as I got more into the story I started caring about the characters and got totally sucked in. It was a quick read, ending on just enough of a cliffhanger that I‘ll definitely read the next in the series. I also appreciated the first-rate sarcasm from El, ⬇️

#LMPBC

I didn‘t know much about this book going in. It‘s a slow character driven story that drew me in early. By the end I was a little weary of the lack of plot (other than a couple of bursts of intense action not much happened) and found my focus wandering. I enjoyed the writing and the complex characters, though. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Like everyone else, I can‘t believe it‘s already April! 😱 Here is my #Bookspin/#Doublespin list for April. I‘m still avoiding Bingo, as life continues to be pretty busy around here. Looking forward to it!

Join in this low key, no pressure readathon hosted by @Andrew65 . Set your goals as high or as low as you want, just try to get some reading done! #20in4

A clever and entertaining story about time travel and its long lasting effects on people, relationships and the entire world. While a little hard to follow at times, I enjoyed it immensely, even if it could have been trimmed down a bit for clarity. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #DoubleSpin

A rented cabin in the Smokies is a great place for some reading in my March #DoubleSpin!

I liked this book, although I wanted to love it, so it was sort of between so-so and a pick. I really wanted to find out the ending, however, so that made it a pick. I didn‘t feel any strong emotions, good or bad, about any of the characters but found the story events interesting and compelling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! At first I wasn‘t digging the non-linear storyline, probably because I am so familiar with the events of the Trojan war. But I came to enjoy the author‘s eloquent and witty prose as well as the layered way she revealed the story. What a fantastic way to celebrate and shine a light on the stories of the women of the Iliad. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sharon, I will have it in the mail to you early next week!
#LMPBC #Round11

I had forgotten (or perhaps was too young to fully recognize, when I first read it) how delightful this series is. I do remember it gets a little more serious in subsequent books but I thoroughly enjoyed the (short) first chapter!
#NarniaReadalong

I know this is early but I‘m going to be out of town for family stuff all next week and I didn‘t want to forget. 🤪 I can‘t believe it‘s almost March already! 🙄

#Bookspin #Doublespin

You don‘t have to be proficient in chess to appreciate this biography of a remarkably brilliant and complex man. The author does a good job of neither overly villainizing Mr. Fischer, nor excusing his frequently abhorrent behavior and beliefs. Definitely a fascinating examination of the life of the greatest American chess player ever. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@BennettBookworm Suzanne, thank you so much for this amazing book!! I‘m so excited to read it, I can‘t wait! And the chocolate Dove squares and Reese‘s cups are definitely my favorites. (I confess I‘ve eaten a lot of them already 😱) Hope you have a great Valentine‘s Day!!
@candority , thank you for organizing!!

#bookcupidswap

My goal is to start these two gorgeous books! One for #LMPBC, the other just for fun. If you haven‘t already, join in the fun!