Between choosing my #botm book and an add on and using my 2 birthday bookstore gift cards, I had a great #bookhaul today! The top 3 will be en route soon, but the bottom 2 are pre-orders with pub dates in July and October. It‘s the gift that keeps on giving. 😋

I had never heard of either of these books until I looked at the June #botm choices, honestly, but I think both are going to be right up my alley! I‘ve skipped a few months so far in 2023 but this time around The Wishing Game jumped out at me right away. Also, as we approach the end of the school year, I have a (probably unwarranted) optimism about how many books I‘m going to read this summer!

“How lucky” I feel to have this colorful stack of books ready to go for #14books14weeks ☺️. Going around my house and retrieving the books I‘ve been meaning to read was really therapeutic, actually. You‘ll notice that there are actually 15 in this stack; I always have trouble sticking to a set reading plan, so I‘m giving myself a little wiggle room. Some are shorter, some are longer, different genres… I‘m excited! Thanks @TheHeartlandBookFairy !

This was a great fast read! For some reason I didn‘t think I‘d be interested in it when it first came out, but I just found it at a used bookstore and am glad I read it! I think I‘ll read her next one too!

This graphic novel adapted faithfully from the short story was just as disturbing as the original. I think it‘s important to read the story first but this did a good job capturing the mundane and the horrific.

This was an absorbing fast-paced read that I read in a day. I wouldn‘t call it a thriller, per se, but more of a suspenseful story where you have to unravel the truth of what happened in this secretive neighborhood where a tragedy occurred a year before the book started. I thought it was really well done. My dad lent it to me and I look forward to talking about it with him!

Hmm. This one was just too convoluted for me to thoroughly enjoy. I was intrigued by the premise but in the end it fell short for me. I preferred The Appeal. I would still read another book by this author though.

You know, I wasn‘t wild about this one. I wanted to be more charmed by the lives of the eclectic booksellers and customers but I found myself more annoyed. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What a delight! This book reminded me strongly of Cerulean Sea and I read it in 24 hours (which included a long flight, so there was a lot of reading time). If there is a sequel I will totally read it because I‘d love to spend more time with this found family!

Soooo good. I‘d been in a bit of a reading slump but I picked this up and read it straight through! It‘s been a while since I read a whole book in a day. 💗

Nope, couldn‘t do it. I read about 150 pages because it was my #lmpbc book but ultimately I‘m bailing. It‘s me, not the book. I don‘t get any of the music references and parts of it are making me feel sick. But I think my other group members liked it a lot more, and I think for the right reader it would be great!

Cool! This was a really fast read told in a creative way: as a series of interview notes from meetings between a job counselor and the main character. One thing I wonder is whether readers who don‘t know Spanish will feel like they‘re missing something. I liked that it switched seamlessly between the two languages but there isn‘t any translation, so it might be confusing.

This book resonated with me at times. Though I prefer graphic novels that tell a cohesive story, this collection of panels about mental health was meaningful in its own way. I related to some of the author‘s experiences with depression and anxiety, and it was cool how she used watercolor (or the lack of it) to convey different states of mind.

Ok @TheAromaofBooks I am ready with my #bookspinbingo list for March! As you can see, I‘ve already made some adjustments from a couple days ago when I wrote this… I‘m such a mood reader! The majority of these will be library borrows. I‘m really excited to dive in! Does anyone see any favorites on the list?

Well, after reading 17 in January I read only 7 in February. But it was an ok month with other stuff going on. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I didn‘t get a bingo and the majority were Agatha Christie books. I think I might alternate library months and months reading my own books because I liked focusing on my own shelves during February. #bookspinbingo I read my #bookspin selection this month but not the #doublespin.

Another Agatha reread for me and I really liked it! I had probably only read it once before because I didn‘t remember any plot points. A short and satisfying Miss Marple mystery!

I‘ve read this before but not for a few years. I liked it again! It‘s a Poirot book but he features very little in it. It‘s about a large family whose patriarch died leaving a young widow. Now she is the one who will get the money the rest of the family feels entitled to. Then lots of things ensue, of course.

Hello, lovely #lmpbc group members! Here are 4 #botmbacklog books I‘d love to read. Do any of them strike your fancy?

(I also have Sign Here and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow but I see that at least one of you has recently read each of those.)

I borrowed this one from my dad, also an avid reader. Harlan Coben is one of his favorite authors. I found this book very entertaining and am glad I read it. I wish I had learned more about Wilde‘s backstory because that plot was the one that hooked me the most. But I thought it was great overall and can now talk with my dad about it! #loveyourshelf This is my 5th book finished from my shelves in February.

Miss Marple is near and dear to my heart, so I knew I wanted to read the new collection of short stories featuring the detective. It was written by 12 different popular authors, and overall it was very enjoyable. I especially liked the stories that leaned heavily on characters from Miss Marple‘s town who fans would remember. While I prefer novels that give the plot more time to develop, I‘m glad I read these! You can tell the authors love Jane. 💗

I just finished this YA book about fans and famous people and how neither group is quite how the other one pictures them. It was fine but not great, in my opinion. I do wish some of the friendships were more fleshed out, and a lot of the scenes felt sort of random.

For #bookspinbingo this February I‘m doing something different: only reading books from my own shelves! I‘m calling it #LoveYourshelf. 😋 I‘m super excited about this awesome list of my own books I‘ve been meaning to read, including some I just borrowed from my dad that are now in my possession. Most are new to me but all the Agathas are rereads (as I‘m planning my Poirot/Marple tattoo). I‘ll see you in March, library!

What an utter delight! Probably my favorite Katherine Center and just my type of romance book (nothing too risqué). Both Jake and Hannah felt like three dimensional characters and their professions (a famous actor and a bodyguard) made for interesting situations.

At 7pm I decided I wanted to read one more book this month for a free space on my #bookspinbingo board to finally get a bingo. I finished it by bedtime! ? 17 books and only one bingo!?

I‘ve read this several times but it had been a while. As per usual I did not remember everything that happened (mystery book rereads= one time when that really comes in handy for me!), so it was delightful to rediscover it. I just love Agatha. 💗💗💗

I visited my parents this weekend and my dad and I spent a while geeking out over books. I really appreciate that my dad is such an avid reader and we find it fun to share mysteries and thrillers with each other. This time, I borrowed this bunch. Any suggestions of where to start?

Amusingly, there were 3 books I thought of borrowing first until- thanks to Litsy- I saw I‘d already read them. 🙄 I do that a lot! 😋

Today we visited a newish bookstore for the first time, and even though I already entered @BennettBookworm ‘a #20kgiveaway I want to contribute one more suggestion of a bookstore to visit: Pocket Books in Lancaster, PA. It‘s awesome!! I got these 3 books and their selection was great. So many cool displays about different themes, comfy places to sit, fun book-adjacent merch, and the owner Julie seems really nice. I will totally go back!

I‘m turning to my Litsy friends who are fellow Agatha Christie devotees. I‘m planning my second tattoo, which I want to represent Poirot and Miss Marple. 💗💗 My first tattoo is a quote from Pride and Prejudice; this time, I want images rather than words.

~~If you were going to represent Agatha/Poirot/Marple visually, what images would you choose?~~

Thanks, friends!! (And here are some rereads I‘d like to do for “research” 😋)

Congrats to @BennettBookworm for reaching a cool milestone! It took me 2 seconds to come up with my favorite bookstore, Aaron‘s Books in my former hometown of Lititz, PA! Then it took me 10 minutes to make the picture. 🤷🏻‍♀️ They have the best books and games and the owners, Todd and Sam, are awesome! 💗💗💗

#20kgiveaway

Highly recommend this memoir by young author Ariel Henley on her experiences growing up with Crouzon syndrome. She and her twin sister were both born with the condition, which inhibits the expansion of the skull during childhood growth. What followed were dozens of surgeries, first to medically correct the issue and then for years to reform facial features to achieve society‘s standard of symmetry/beauty. With every memory or observation, Henley🔽

This was pretty good. Sometimes I feel like middle grade books transcend their target audience and maybe this one doesn‘t as much. But if I was still a middle school English teacher I‘d put it in my classroom library, so that‘s a good sign!

I have to agree with the previous reviewers and say that this book was a bit of a let down. The beginning started out strong and I bought into the premise- who could have killed this woman when all the suspects are eliminated? The setting of a beautiful resort where the guests don‘t know each other was intriguing. But it dragged on and the reveal was sort of weird. The set up promised more than the ending delivered, I guess.

I enjoyed this one in a fun, not earth shattering way. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I didn‘t guess what had happened, so it kept me engaged til the end. Some things felt a bit unresolved? Overall I‘d say it‘s a fun, sort of campy story about a group of people at a murder mystery themed weekend at a beautiful hotel. What‘s part of the dinner theater level acting and what‘s real? Is someone really in danger? You‘ll have to read to find out. 😋

I was underwhelmed by this one. It was too gritty for my tastes and it didn‘t have the cool twists to make me overlook that. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I met the author Jamila Rowser at an author event and she was so cool! It was fascinating to hear about her process of creating graphic novels. She gets her inspiration from josei manga but adapts that to center Black and queer characters. This graphic novel was a slice-of-life style so things are purposely not “resolved” by the end, but you get to know these 4 women using the ritual of hair care as a motif. I want to amplify this new author!

Two thumbs up for this mystery set on a lake at the border of England and Wales. Sort of a town and gown dynamic between the Welsh who live there and the English on holiday. Lots of secrets all the characters are hiding, the murder of a generally disliked guy, lots of motives and several twists to find out what happened. It looks like the author is writing a second book featuring the police officer Ffion Morgan, and I will totally want to read it!

I read this cover to cover today! It is my January book for #lmpbc and it is very out of character for me to finish one so early in the month. In fact, I still have to mail my December one. 😬 I found this one fun and easy to breeze through. It certainly didn‘t shy away from graphic descriptions of murder, so it wasn‘t a cozy, but it was fast-paced. If you liked Finlay Donovan, Dial A for Auntie or Thursday Murder Club, you‘ll probably like this!

Really, really good. I also loved this author‘s first book, so I hope she writes more! I‘m a fan of her writing style and characters. This had lots of great intergenerational friendships and was about different ways to have a fulfilling life, and a lot about independence versus relationships and how they‘re not mutually exclusive. It‘s also a lot about a decoy duck. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Basically you should read it and find out how it all fits together! 💗

Lucy Knisley is a favorite graphic novelist of mine, and this one didn‘t disappoint! Although there were 2 characters I was annoyed with throughout the story, you‘re supposed to feel annoyed at them because that‘s how the young main character, Jen, feels. The dialogue and the illustrations showed the ups and downs of life on a farm when Jen‘s mom moves in with her boyfriend. I loved the afterword where Lucy explained it was based on real life!

Book 2 of 2023 was fine but not a standout for me. I‘ve been in a graphic novel mood lately and I liked the last 2 better. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I loved this graphic novel, which was my first book of 2023! Great illustrations, a charming gay romance, realistic friendships, and fun kitchen scenes. Totally enjoyable and I hope there‘s a sequel someday!

This was a cute and fast read about 2 high school seniors who team up to compete in a baking competition with a huge grand prize. The money would help both of them and their families a lot but they aren‘t willing to cheat to get ahead. Can they win by playing fair? It was cute and had lots of recipes included for the things they baked. Yum!

I‘m so glad I read this classic Japanese murder mystery! It was a really quick read and paid homage intentionally to the Golden Age mystery writers. I can understand why it‘s famous!

What a fascinating memoir. Wow. So this 900 page graphic novel can be read in one sitting so don‘t let the heft worry you. It‘s about Emma, a transgender woman who enters therapy with the hope of being approved for hormone therapy. She presents 3 different personalities in the sessions. Does she have DID? Who is the core personality? How did her past contribute to the situation? I‘m so glad the author wrote this to explain her complex journey.

I get a little twitchy when the library is going to be closed for several days, so I just went and stocked up. Most of them are #blameitonlitsy reads. The tagged book is one I found on the New Book shelf. I had no idea Willett was coming out with a new book but I‘m really excited! Also the graphic novel at the bottom is huge! Wow.

Not one but two kitties hung out with me while I read this tonight. 💗 Overall I liked this queer holiday romance novel. I think I liked the parts about friendship and found family even more than the romantic parts, but that‘s just me not being that into romance stories/sex scenes. This is my second book by this author (she‘s only written the two) and I liked both, but The Charm Offensive gets the win over this one in my opinion.

Continuing with the weekend of reading! I finished my #jolabokaflodswap book this morning. I liked it but I wish the ending had been stronger. Maybe less abrupt? You know that feeling when you can see there aren‘t that many pages left and you wonder how the author can wrap things up in time? I was still feeling that way with like 20 pages to go. And then 10. Still, a twisty winter thriller!

Thank you @Pogue for the wonderful #jolabokaflodswap gift! I‘m so excited to read this thriller set in the winter while eating these yummy chocolates! Thanks to @MaleficentBookDragon for organizing! 💗💗💗

You know, this didn‘t quite do it for me. I‘ve read 3 of Wilson‘s books before and truly loved each one, but this one had his characteristic weirdness without the heart or depth of his other ones. I‘ll still read whatever he writes next, but I was disappointed by this one. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Today has been spent just reading so far, which is lovely! I read this book that @BennettBookworm gave me this fall, and while I didn‘t love it as much as Waxman‘s previous book The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, it was very sweet and fun with a colorful cast of characters. Fitz snuggled with me while I read and the headphones were to cancel out the noise in the house. 💗

Now I‘m going to open my #jolabokaflodswap package!!

Getting in under the wire, this is a new favorite of 2022. Amy King is someone I know in real life as we used to live in the same small town of Lititz, PA and love the same indie bookstore. She‘s also a well known middle grade author. This book about a group of 6th grade friends encountering censorship at school is so incredibly well done. I just love all the complex characters- “kids” and grownups alike. Buy it for any middle schooler or parent!