🏎️ Towards the end of our second semester, some of my cohort started making sports bets (stress? Depression?) They would ask me for my opinion on where drivers would place in F1. I never bet personally, but my friends made some money lol.

🏁 Redline by Barlowe or Pole Position by Caffrey!
#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

Littens, I‘ve gotten myself into a reading rut where I have too many books I‘ve started or committed to reading with someone and it‘s become overwhelming. I haven‘t picked up any of the books I‘m supposed to read and instead have fallen into a reading slump. What do you do when you find yourself in this situation? I‘m curious to hear your thoughts.

This was so so good 🥹 I couldn‘t put it down! Ilya and Shane went through so much together, and you could see a lot of growth in their relationship. Ilya is sick of hiding, and he feels isolated with no one to talk to about being in a secret relationship with his rival. To make things worse, Shane doesn‘t seem to get it. What will matter more, them or hockey? I loved how many more side characters were in this one from the series ♥️🏒

🌼 I like to rewatch Over the Garden Wall, The Owl House, and Bluey. I just find them so comforting when I‘m stressed.

🪻Ghost in the Graveyard! 👻🪦

🌹 Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Such an amazing conclusion to the Redline trilogy! It was so nice to get David‘s perspective. The way Barlowe wrote the relationships with Caroline, David‘s family, and the teams felt so realistically messy. The issues Barlowe explored within the racing world were crucial and well done, even if there was less actual racing. I couldn‘t resist finishing this in one sitting and sobbing at the end. This was one of the better romance series I‘ve read.

This was such an emotional and heartwarming read. Albert‘s story really hit close to home, and I found myself tearing up throughout most of the book. I loved Albert‘s relationship with Nicole, his coworkers, Edith, and the people he meets along the way on his quest to find George. The narrator was phenomenal and I agree this is a good book for Backman fans, even if it was a bit sappy and a bit too long. I‘m sad it took me so long to start!

Another F1 romance by an Indie author. It was so good!!! Noah and David‘s romance went through a lot of ups and downs in a believable way. Noah went through a lot of growth and I was so proud of him. I found myself crying for Noah and Finlay as they grieved for Robbie. The plot twist was so out of left field in Short Shift but I‘m staying optimistic and I‘m so excited for David‘s perspective in Wheelspin.
Redline: 5 🌟‘s
Short Shift: 4.5 🌟‘s

While waiting for my copy of Pole Position to arrive from the UK, I was looking for a rivals to lovers queer romance with a slow burn. This is exactly what I was looking for, and I loved it. 5 🌟‘s! I‘m reluctant to read the sequel in case it sours Shane and Ilya‘s story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy! I was so ecstatic to see a holiday special of Ernest Cunningham. I will say the beginning felt a little rushed. I was a little confused about how Erin (who is back!) met her boyfriend Lyle, they seemed like such a random couple. But those are pretty minor gripes. I liked the way the book was set up with christmas-y clues for each chapter and the new cast of characters! (Full review on Goodreads).

🌹 I‘ve had a couple of friends tell me to read The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O‘Farrell, saying I‘ll love it. Nothing about this book appeals to me…I just don‘t want to read it.
🌼 Anything Sara J Maas and The Red Queen by Aveyard. Nearly all of my dear friends love this book/author and I dnf‘d them. I also feel bad about this.
🌺 Percy Jackson!
#WondrousWednesday @Eggs Thanks to @Meshell1313 and @SpellboundReader for the tags!! ♥️

I‘m a HUGE fan of Formula 1 (Team Papaya!🧡🏎️) and recently I‘ve been wanting to read an F1 book to tide me over while I wait for Race Sundays.

I‘ve never been interested in sports romances. Turns out the solution was to make it queer lol. I loved this book, and I‘ve read it twice now. I wasn‘t a fan of it being 1st person, and it was super cheesy, but it was easy to look past those. I have a few more queer sports romances to review soon 🏳️‍🌈

I couldn‘t resist when I saw @CrowCAH post about AI generating a Bridgerton portrait of yourself. This one looks the most like me, but keep in mind I‘m in my early 20s 😭 looking forward to the second part of season 3!

#TwoforTuesday @TheSpineView

1. I‘ll always be impressed with how weird and creative Vassa in the Night was by Sarah Porter. I wish all fairytale retellings were that creative.

1. Vassa in the Night is the only one I‘ve read, but I hope to read more or that she writes more like it. 🦢

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I am a big fan of Van Gogh, and I was delighted to see a graphic biography about him. I enjoyed Van Gogh‘s life being narrated by his sister-in-law Johanna since she became the steward of his legacy. I was a little let down by the art. It felt a little more aimed toward younger audiences despite the biography itself being meant for adults. I wanted more inclusions and nods toward Van Gogh‘s unique style.

Contagion was a 3 🌟 read for me. I wanted more space horror after finishing Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes, and this one was recommended to me on the app Likewise. I disliked almost all of the characters, and I didn‘t care much if they made it to the end of the book or not. I started warming up to Thea and Coen toward the end, but I can‘t say I‘m motivated to pick up the next book Immunity. I will continue my quest to find some good space horror.

I read this as an ARC on Netgalley. This was a beautiful and sad story about a Jewish family during the holocaust and their violin. There were a lot of new words in this book I wasn‘t familiar with. While there are plenty of context clues to help children follow along, I think a little explanation toward the beginning would give children an excellent cultural lesson on Jewish faith and practices. Overall, a poignant story and gorgeous pictures.

I think Ghost Station was a solid 3 🌟‘s. It took a long time to get to the horror, and it wasn‘t what I was hoping for. I prefer the psychological horror and having a bit more unknown that just scares the hell out of you. Once I got the explanation, my interest just dropped off. It also felt like she copied and pasted the same character archetypes from the last book.

I will say I am loving space horror and would love any recs people have!

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs
🔹 hmm, nothing stands out. But I love going to the library!
🔹 Library + bookstore + digital downloads. I found out I have 117+ unread books at home and 300+ downloaded on my phone. I think I might have an addiction 🙋🏻‍♀️
🔹 I‘ve started getting into sci-fi/space horror, so currently reading Contagion by Bowman

#ThisorThat #ReaderEdition
My toxic trait is I will often not use a bookmark and just expect that I will remember exactly what page I was on. I will actually just close my book and hope for the best. I‘ve never dog-earred a book before. I also have never tried annotating besides for school, and I‘m not even sure what I would write if I did try it. I love some ambience music in the background 🎶

Ghastly ⭐️ (😉) I loved this one even more than the first! I decided to try the audiobook this time around, and it made the experience even better. I love the humor and the style of these books, and I enjoyed the mystery even if I didn‘t guess any of the plot twists. When the epilogue started, I actually went sheet white and gasped out loud 😱 but by the time it was finished I was giggling 🤭 I adore this series and can‘t wait for the next book!

⭐️ 🚞 🔪 📝 (tagged book, which is hilarious and so so good!)
⭐️⭐️ I‘m very excited to start Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I frequently recommend Fredrik Backman :)

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

I received this book from @Ericalambbrown for the Jolabokaflod swap a while back, and finally found time to read it. I switched between audio and my print copy. Anderson is so very imaginative and wove a unique and touching tale. I found myself tearing up quite a bit. There‘s nothing I love more than a fairy tale with Baba Yaga. It was the pick me up I needed, and I look forward to trying Anderson‘s other books!

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

#ThreeListThursday #TLT @dabbe
1. From Below by Darcy Coates ~ One of my all time favorites!
2. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien ~ It took two attempts to actually remember what I‘d read with this one. Massive respect to Tolkien, but his writing style is just not for me
3. The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith ~ I had plans as a kid to reread this book every year for some reason, but quickly got distracted by reading new books

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs
🐣 Fredrik Backman, Yangsze Choo, and Katherine Arden!
🐣 My favorite genre is magical realism and retellings, so Vassa in the Night by Sara Porter is my favorite.
🐣 This is tough! I‘m not one for series…but I think I‘ll go with Katherine Arden. I liked her Winternight and Small Spaces series. I read a lot of series as a kid but as an adult I prefer standalones.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! This time we are with the characters from Pride & Prejudice. I enjoyed how Gray expands on the lives and motivations of background characters like Anne de Bourgh or Charlotte while staying true to Austen‘s work. I wasn't as invested in the mystery in this one and the series is very slowburn but it was a solid 3.75 🌟‘s and I look forward to the next in the series.

#TLT @dabbe Thanks @Eggs for the tag!
My 3 fav short stories/novellas are:
🌼 Morrighan by Mary E. Pearson
🌼 How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
🌼 A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

🩵 My favorite holiday to spend with my family is Halloween. My dad and I will watch Halloween 1978 every year and comment on how much we love the houses in the background.
🩵 My dad!
🩵 My cousins, sisters, and I were really big on clue. We‘d play it everytime we got together and at one point made our own board that included a velociraptor as a murder weapon and the Rock as a suspect.
#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

My friend picked The Midnight Library for our book club. I was very familiar with the book but skeptical about the concept, thinking it would be a tearjerker and make me feel like a trainwreck. Instead, I found it to be hopeful and reflective. I ended up binging it in a day and am glad my friend made me give it a try. A little bit cheesy towards the end but a solid 4 🌟‘s.

🏫 I‘ve learned how to work effectively in a team, and that I really enjoy it.
🏫 I‘m currently a PhD student and teaching assistant.
🏫 In another life, I‘d be a marine archaeologist. I want to be by the ocean and near ships.
Thanks for the tag @Eggs #WondrousWednesday

I found the movie on Netflix and decided to play it on whim, and it ended up becoming my new favorite movie. I was excited to find out it was a book and quickly bought a copy. The book is very different from the movie, such as The Prince is far darker and more unlikeable. However, I appreciate both as separate medias. I loved Lemon and Tangerine just as much as I did in the movie. Looking forward to trying out more of Isaka‘s work! 4 🌟‘s

I‘m a diehard GBBO fan, and I‘ve recently been reading more whodonits, so I had high expectations for this one. I think it fell short for me in terms of characters and how the plot played out. It‘s hard to explain, but I just felt disappointed in the reveal, how the competition happened, and how things ended. I will say I‘m a little suspicious there are more nefarious things going on behind the scenes of baking shows in general now lol.

#ThisorThat @monkeygirlsmama

This was a nice cozy romance to start my new year. While it was a nice light read, the plot wasn‘t really there for me. I have to agree with a lot of the criticism this book got. I‘m demisexual, and I didn‘t think the representation was really there with Ellie‘s character. I also hated how all of the other characters, but especially Jack, treated her. I felt like Jack owed Ellie a big apology, not the other way around.

I recently watched Bullet Train (2022) and it quickly became my favorite movie (anyone else love Tangerine and Lemon?). I was really craving a thriller/murder mystery with comedy kind of like Bullet Train in terms of genre and found this book at the library. I couldn‘t put it down! It had great humor and a killer that shocked me. I can‘t say I cared for any of the characters but looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you @Ericalambbrown for the amazing Jolabokaflod gift! I apologize for the late post, I had to go out of state for a family situation and put my mail on hold. Everything is getting better now, and it was lovely to come back home to this fun swap! #Jolabokaflodswap #Jolabokaflod @MaleficentBookDragon

I got my package sent out today! It should reach its destination by Friday. I forgot to include the card in the package so it‘ll be arriving separately ❄️☃️🎄🛷 #Jolabokaflodswap23 #Jolabokaflod @MaleficentBookDragon

Don‘t Call the Wolf is a retelling of the Glass Mountain, and I thought it was a very imaginative retelling. I adored the writing style, the two main characters, the romance, the mythological monsters, and the side characters. The only thing I didn‘t love was where Ross decided Ren ended up in the epilogue. I didn‘t think it matched her character super well. Otherwise, 5 ⭐️‘s and a new favorite!

I think I prefer Grey Bees by Kurkov. I wasn‘t wow‘d at the ending like I was hoping. I think the comedy of this book went over my head, because I was mainly annoyed and bored with Viktor. I preferred side characters like Sergey and Sonya and didn‘t find myself caring what happened to the MC. I‘m not sure I‘ll pick up Penguin Lost. I usually enjoy deadpan dark comedies but I didn‘t find myself laughing at any part of this one.

Thank you @AmyG for the lovely swap!!! I can‘t wait to dig into the candy and crack open a book tomorrow 🎃👻💀🖤🧡#HHS23 #HauntedHollowSwap

This was a soft pick. It‘s very easy to scare me, so this book left me feeling very unsettled. I enjoyed the haunted house and the details of the past residents of the Arrington state. I thought the addition of the podcast, and representation with a bi main character who also has type 1 diabetes was great. I didn‘t like the ending very much. The “resolution” didn‘t make sense to me, and I was upset with how Holly‘s story ended.

1. F*ck
2. Uffda
3. Bag (but with a Minnesotan accent lol. I get ragged on a lot by coworkers)
@dabbe #TLT

Reading has been incredibly slow this month, but I received these adorable Halloween themed cookies as a gift. It was the pick me up I needed after a rough midterm. Hoping to make some progress on Death and The Penguin and The Girls are Never Gone.

I‘m saving:
🔥 Bonfire night
🎃 Halloween
🧶 Knitted Sweaters (the majority of my winter wardrobe lol)

@Cupcake12

I got my #HHS shipped out today! It should take around 4 days to arrive. 🎃👻💀🐈‍⬛🦇🧡 #HHS23

🎃 I love Pumpkin Spice cake! Especially with cream cheese frosting.
🎃I prefer a good ghost story. I‘ve never been able to really get into mysteries.
#TwoforTuesday

I‘m a little late with this, but last week I received #athingaday from @DinoMom and it made my day! I put the coffee pins up at my cubicle in my grad office 😊🍂☕️💛

I received my #HHS package! Super excited 🎃👻🦇🧡🖤 #HauntedHollowSwap I‘m just waiting on a few more items to arrive and I‘ll be shipping my swap out 😊

I love it!! Thanks for the lovely swap @Kshakal 🍂🎃 #FFF #FallingForFall @Chrissyreadit @Avanders

I love middle grade fiction! I find middle grade novels to be so wholesome. I don‘t have to worry about a middle grade novel going too far and I often find them way more creative than adult fiction. I‘ve started leaning away from YA because I get tired of the tropes, but I find YA to have way more diversity than adult fiction. I get a good mix of middle grade and adult fiction with some YA once in a while.

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern