My Kindle went with me on my vacation to France and Switzerland. My friend teased me for reading while on the ferry with all this beautiful scenery. I can multitask! I did look around between pages. She said if anyone questions my dedication to books, I can show this picture.

I‘ve been away on my first real vacation in ages but I got back just in time to make a #BookSpin list for June. Summer reading season is here! I have high hopes for a lot of reading time.

This was a fun book about the owner of a small hotel, its residents and guests before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth as they prepare for the Queen to pass on the way to Westminster Abbey. There‘s a little mystery (some sabotage of the hotel) but it is mostly about these people and how they‘re still affected by World War II. It gets a little dramatic toward the end, but is overall a sweet book about people doing their best.

I really enjoyed listening to this! Bono performs his memoir, not just reads it, and there is music sprinkled in. (The audiobook is 100% the way to go). I‘m not a U2 super fan but I like them and am just the right age to have always had their music as part of my life. I went to one of their shows and it was a huge spectacle. This book reminded me of all the songs I loved and also about the work Bono has done as a humanitarian.

When I got caught up on the Maeve Kerrigan series, someone told me to give the Lacey Flint books a chance while I wait for Jane Casey to write more. It was a good comp for Maeve. I think this was darker than the Maeve books, and actually scared me a little if I read too late. The final twist is a great one. I definitely want to read more to see where it goes.

This was a cute YA book. I love a talent show story! This one delves into some heavier topics while also providing some wish fulfillment for readers. Skye is a great main character.

This was my #DoubleSpin for May

This was a YA novel about a young man who has agoraphobia caused by anxiety. A former classmate who barely knew him when he still went to school decided she would “fix” him so she‘d have a topic for a college application essay. Since I‘ve read books before, I could guess how that would turn out but this was still a good read. Everyone is written in a sympathetic way, which is important.

This was my #BookSpin for May

This is a historical YA romance set after Reconstruction and it features wealthy Black American families. The main characters are two sisters, their friend, and their ladies maid, all of whom are trying to find their way. It seems to be the first in a series because the ending is unresolved. I still enjoyed it, and recommend it to people who like The Gilded Age and Downton Abbey. The audiobook narrator had a very pleasant style.

My picks for this month‘s #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin. They‘re both library books so this is good motivation to get them read before they‘re due back!

My April #BookSpin report: 10 books finished, 1 DNF, and 2 Bingos. I finished by BookSpin and DNFed the DoubleSpin so that‘s two off my TBR. Overall I enjoyed the month. Grace and The Local were my favorites.

I don‘t end up enjoying this that much but I did finish it so I‘m giving it a so-so rating. It took a long time for anything to happen. I think I may have liked it more in print. This was the most monotone narration I have ever listened to, and that made the book seem more plodding. Not the best by Megan Miranda in any case.

My #BookSpin list for May. Some holdovers from the April list and library holds that should come in soon but also some random choices I found on my kindle.

This was a little unbelievable (who is trusting a patent lawyer with a murder case) but fun. Very reminiscent of early John Grisham. My only major issue with this one was the use of nicknames for side characters that I just don‘t think a person would use over and over again. Like one character was called The Leg so much that when her real name was used I couldn‘t figure out who they meant for a second. I‘d read this author again.

This was my #DoubleSpin for April and it didn‘t work for me. I thought the premise sounded interesting— the estranged daughter of a detective tries to solve a case that haunted him. But it keeps switching around in time and says a lot of words without moving very much forward. I‘m trying to get better about quitting books that I‘m not enjoying so I‘m leaving this one. #BookSpinBingo

I‘ve never read a book in first person plural before. It took me a little while to get comfortable with that style. This book covers the experiences of Japanese women who immigrated to the U.S. and ends with the terrible internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The style allows her to share many perspectives but it also doesn‘t allow the reader to connect with any individual.

I had heard great things about this author but hadn‘t read her before. This was a great introduction to her. There are two stories in the book that of course come together. It was good to read historical fiction set in the U.S. about topics that are still relevant.

I don‘t really read fantasy, but I love a cozy mystery so the description as a “low stakes cozy fantasy” and a lot of good reviews drew my interest. This really is low stakes, and it was a good book for me to switch too while I was reading a intense memoir. I thought it was fun, and though fantasy still isn‘t my favorite, I can see why people like this.

I was drawn to the intriguing premise of this mystery. There‘s a lot going on here, with everyone having secrets and a few different mysteries at the same time. I think it could have deleted one layer of story and been better. I cared more about the murder mystery than the Ponzi scheme story. Overall a fun reading experience with some good twists.

I really enjoy this series. They‘re funny and light but not quite a cozy mystery. I like how the author keeps getting Finlay and Vero into some kind of situation where they have to solve a mystery. The setting in a citizens police academy training week, complete with Finlay‘s nosey neighbor, was fun. The ex-husband character still gets on my nerves though!

While I was reading this I kept thinking, Kevin Wilson sure thinks in interesting ways. The author‘s note at the end relates to that idea. He always takes a somewhat simple story and gives it a twist. I didn‘t like this as much as Nothing to See Here, but I did enjoy it.

I‘m enjoying this book but as a North Carolina native my teeth are set on edge every time the narrator says Appalachian.

This book is set in North Carolina and here we say App-ah-LATCH-un. Not Appa-LAY-shun. I just had to get that off my chest. It‘s a pet peeve.

I came across this article during my lunch break. It‘s a look at President Obama‘s book lists. I can‘t wait for his summer list.

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a43530028/barack-obama-reading-list/

This is a memoir focused mostly on the week during which Keenan‘s office had to write a eulogy after the racist killings at a church in Charleston and in response to two important Supreme Court decisions. He also weaves in some other significant speeches from his time in the Obama White House. You really get a sense of the stress of trying to find just the right words and to prepare for different outcomes.⬇️

I don‘t read a lot of poetry but I loved How the Word is Passed so I preordered Clint Smith‘s new collection and I‘m reading my way through it slowly. Today‘s poem is powerful especially in the face of all the upheaval happening in our world.

It helps that I can hear his voice as I read thanks to listening to the audiobook of his previous book.

After being disappointed in the previous book in this series, I was pleased to see it has returned to form. The setting on a ship was fun, and I liked the roles Charlotte and the other main characters played in the story. This is one of my favorite mystery series and this was a strong installment in it. The narrator of the audiobooks continues to be great and the cover is gorgeous as usual.

This wasn‘t on my TBR for March but when Oprah chose it as her 100th Book Club pick I wanted check it out. I loved it. This story of sisters, inspired by Little Women, was great. I keep thinking about the characters and the writing in this. The author let her characters make choices the reader may not like, and her writing is both sympathetic and unapologetic. It‘s not a direct retelling but has the same spirit.

My March #BookSpin results: One Bingo, 11 books finished, including my BookSpin, and one DNF. (The Marriage Portrait just wasn‘t as interesting as I‘d hoped). Overall a great month of reading. My favorites were Hello Beautiful, The Close, Shoe Dog, and Zero Fail.

My #BookSpin list for April is kind of a hodgepodge. But these will work, I think! April is a busy month for me at work so I‘m hoping for some diverting reads.

The people who most need to read a book like this probably never will. I liked that the author recognizes she can‘t speak for all kinds of women so she gets input from many successful women from different places, fields, and backgrounds. The “What We Can Do About It” is only one chapter, but it does cover individuals, society, teachers, parents, etc. A good book if you haven‘t read similar books before. #SheSaid

I loved this book, which traces the start of Nike, from a “wild idea” to the company‘s initial public offering. It‘s so well written I found myself hoping things would turn out well whenever they hit a challenging point. Which is quite a feat considering we all know how things turned out for Nike. I read this for two reasons: @Cinfhen told me to, and the co-writer also wrote Andre Agassi‘s book, which is my all time favorite memoir.

I have been trying to get to this memoir ever since @Cinfhen put it in her #AuldLangSpines list. March Madness seems like the right time! Especially since all the teams from my ACC are out already so nothing needs my full attention.

I‘m making an effort to read more of the books that have been in my shelves forever, and I‘m glad to have finally read this. Afi was such a great main character. I loved that she stood up for herself and didn‘t settle.

Luckily my #BookSpin was the book I most wanted to read this month. I finally got caught up to the current book in this series, so I was anxious to see what happens next to Maeve. This was a complicated storyline, as usual, with more than one case. Her books always seem like one thing before becoming a lot more. This one focused a lot on her relationship with her coworker, Josh. I‘m not even sure what I want to happen there! A spoiler in comments

It was really interesting and also pretty terrifying to read about the U.S. Secret Service, including the challenges and flaws of this force. The short version is it‘s a miracle that President Obama survived his two terms. It covers all the modern presidents except Biden.

I had a good reading month in February but it was a little chaotic. Mood reading lead me to read books that were not on my TBR plan. I finished my #doublespin but not my #bookspin and I almost but not quite got a bingo. I really enjoyed the Last Remains, Finlay Donovan, and More Than You‘ll Ever Know.

I really enjoyed this re-read of A Full Life, Jimmy Carter‘s reflections on his life. It‘s not very long so each topic is brief but it gives a great overview of all he has done both in the White House and beyond.

I may fiddle with this list again before March 2 but this is what I have in mind for March #BookSpinBingo.

This was a cute book. The story was mostly fun with a bit of deeper content (with the main characters dealing with grief and some self-esteem issues). I wanted a little more of the MC at work on other cases just because i think being a bodyguard is fascinating. I had never read this author before but I will read more of her soon.

I was in the middle of several books and really had no business starting another one, but after hearing the author on Sarah‘s Bookshelves Live I immediately got this from the library. I really enjoyed this story of a woman with two husbands and what led to the death of one them. It‘s not a thriller, but more of a character study of a complicated woman. I read it fast and am still thinking about Lore and her choices.

Jimmy Carter was president before I was old enough to know what a president was, but I have been a great admirer of his post-presidential life. I‘m sad to hear that he is going into hospice care, but so happy that I once met such an amazing role model. This is me with him after his Sunday School lesson in 2011. I‘m re-reading the tagged book in his honor. He‘s certainly had a full life.

The Ruth Galloway series are my favorite mysteries—so much so that I order them from the UK because I can‘t wait the additional months for the US publication. This is the last of the series and I‘m sad it‘s done. I don‘t know how I wanted it to end, but I liked what happened. The mystery was good but of course the personal relationships were what kept me reading.

This is an odd book. I am somewhat aware of the Twitter account and its mysterious origins. (You don‘t find out who she really is) This memoir is actually pretty sad and parts got on my nerves bc the anonymous author kind of acts like she‘s the only person who has had problems. I did like the parts with Lyle Lovett and it‘s a snapshot of a weird time in social media. This is the MMD book club pick for February and it‘s short so I finished it.

I‘m all caught upon the Maeve Kerrigan series so while I wait I decided to read this standalone thriller. It seems straightforward at first, but of course, there are twists! It kept me guessing to the end. I liked this one a lot, especially that the MC wasn‘t helpless. I heard they are making a TV show of this in the UK and I hope it comes to one of the US streamers.

It‘s a rainy cold day where I live, so my cat made herself a bed on one of our chairs. I hope all my Litsy friends have a day that is just as cozy! #CatsofLitsy

This is such a fun series. I liked this one just as much as the first. I think Vero, Findlay‘s nanny and sidekick, is my favorite. My one criticism is that Finlay‘s ex husband is even more of a jerk in this one and I was really rooting against him. That could be toned down a little and it wouldn‘t hurt the dynamic.

It‘s Grammy night so it seems like a good time to review this. I really enjoyed listening to Brandi Carlisle‘s story. My favorite part was about when she was first trying to make it in music. The audiobook is the way to go bc she sings at the end of each chapter. Some are her songs but most are covers.

I only discovered Catherine Ryan Howard about a year ago, but now with this one finished I‘ve already read all her books. She always does something clever with her stories. I enjoyed this but it didn‘t displace 56 Days and Rewind as my favorites.

This was my #DoubleSpin for Feb.

I forgot to post my January #BookSpinBingo card! I got one bingo, finished 12 books including my BookSpin and DoubleSpin, and three #AuldLangSpines picks. Five were nonfiction. I haven‘t done reviews for all of these yet — maybe I‘ll get caught up soon.

Here‘s my final #AuldLangSpines report: I finished three books from my match with @Cinfhen and thought all three were great. I wasn‘t surprised by that since we had a very successful match last year! Two of these were nonfiction and the other a novel. I don‘t think I‘d have read any of these on my own. I am planning to keep Cindy‘s list close at hand so I can keep reading from it.

Thanks again to @monalyisha for coordinating this match!

I read this pick from my #AuldLangSpines list from @Cinfhen and it was so good. It was well written and helped me learn about the healthcare workers who fought the virus so hard. The last chapter of this book, written before COVID-19, was pretty prescient about the pandemic to come. I‘m not sure if this Ebola outbreak was technically a pandemic or an epidemic but I‘m counting it for #Booked about a pandemic