Whew! 😛 I finally finished! 🥳

This was quite challenging, reading it was like reading textbook of sorts. Clarke has a fascinating sense of humor and satire abounds. Thank goodness the pace actually advances somewhat during the last 100 pages or I don‘t know if I could have got through it.

Anyone who finishes this is to be commended. Overall, I‘d say it was worth the journey for me.

Still working my way through this chunkster, I finally made it to the third section yesterday 😮

It still reads a little like a history book, but I‘m gonna keep trying to finish.

Also please welcome my delightful co-worker who just joined Litsy and give her a follow @Sunspeckled

#welcome #LitsyWelcomeWagon

My summer reading corner is finally ready! Hope I can enjoy it often…

Oooh! Someone donated a ton of Elizabeth Peters books to the library! I decided to support my library by buying them all! Getting 17 out of 20 is not bad. The way things are going I can‘t always rely on libraries to keep older series like these. Better safe than sorry right! 😅
#bookhaul

Fantastic and sooo cute! One of my new favorite kid books. Explores themes of perseverance, bravery, and friendship. Recommended! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘m only 70 pages in and loving the gold mine of advice in this book!

My hold on this delightful little number came in today! Super cute, fun colors, with a variety of tasteful nature scenes. Reads like a quick board book, but is larger in size. The lift-the-flaps will wear out fast but many will enjoy this rhyme read before bed. 🌙✨

1. Knitting and watching movies, I often do both. 😁

2. I mostly just skim reviews. I write them for Litsy and staff picks.

3. Anywhere in the sunshine ☀️😎

#wondrouswednesday
@Eggs

Throughly enjoying the depth, beauty and honesty of this anthology…here‘s a sample poem. Spring is finally here where I live and the farmers are hard at work turning our valley green. 🌾 #poetrymatters

This was short and sweet. Enjoyable, with fun cutesy pictures and a few thoughtful essays. I interlibrary loaned this so I could read it. Glad I did because it‘s not one I‘d pay $13 for. Would be a great option in a coffee shop or airb&b because it‘s such a short read.

I would never have heard of this one if a library patron hadn‘t requested it. Lovely tribute to an inspirational woman. Written by her great-niece, this book relates the passion Carrie Neiman Marcus had for quality clothing and customer service. Carrie along with her husband & brother founded the Neiman Marcus clothing store in Dallas in 1907. Lots of great pictures, the most tasteful family based biographical portrait I‘ve seen in a while!

Very exotic and fantastical! I didn‘t like the MC at first (a little whiny, asks lots of questions and blunders about). Yet, apparently that strategy combined with some great magic manages to save the day. The ending was a little convenient, but the author pulls it off ok. A nice foray into YA fantasy and she resisted the temptation to make it into a series. I‘ll look forward to more books by this author!

What are the odds!? My next YA pick today matches my current outfit perfectly! Who knew 😂

Sadly, I didn‘t get quite as much reading done this past weekend as I hoped, but I did manage to finish this little one. Overall not bad, some humor and ludicrous situations, but I found it odd that the amateur detective wasn‘t the one who followed the mystery until the end. That task was actually done by someone else. 🤨 Despite this fact, I‘m going to go ahead and try the next book in the series.

Enjoyed listening to this one all in one day as I walked, washed dishes and cooked for the upcoming week. An entertaining southern tale full of romance, mystery and friendship. Not heavy or complicated, I appreciated the struggles of the 30+ aged characters as they tried to discover their lives and roles upon returning to their hometown.

I‘m still not sure what I think about this book. I‘ve almost bailed twice so far, but there‘s just enough interest to keep giving it another chance. Enjoyed about 15 minutes of sunshine today while reading over my lunch break. Nowhere near enough, but I‘ll take what I can get. 🌤

#readingoutdoors

Wow! This was so good! Definitely one to savor. I‘ve been hearing lots of rave reviews about “Braiding Sweetgrass” but am very glad I read this one first. Kimmerer‘s genuine love of mosses and respect for all nature is perfectly expressed in this short book. Now I feel prepared to move on to her next one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It‘s a cold, gray Sunday, so I decided to read an easy YA book set in Italy. A glass of white wine might be in order to complete the relaxed vibe.

I‘m enjoying this so much more than I thought I would! Kimmerer‘s detailed knowledge, personal insights, and delightful sense of humor make for a such a great read! During lunch today I found the chapter where Kimmerer describes her efforts to make slugs race…by tempting them with beer! 😂

Breezed through this one in two days…the character development continued to be solid, but I found the plot for this sequel a little disappointing. There were only a couple of clever moments and the danger/obstacles felt pretty remote. Overall it was a pleasant sequel, but not as good as the first two.

“Because I‘m Gaunt‘s secretary I should say that my lips were sealed and stand to one side like a noble-minded dumb-bell while you made yourself miserable over him. I don‘t behave like this because I‘m not such a fool, and also because I‘m falling very deeply in love with you myself. There are Webley and your father…so we can‘t pursue this conversation. Go back into the house. I love you. Put that on your needles and knit it.” 😳😂

So delightful, beautiful and inspiring! While a lot of the flowers and plants she mentions are not native to my area, the concepts, styles and methods in this book can still be applied. After reading this book I was motivated to go get the grass I‘ve had drying in the barn for the past 6 months and put it in a vase. 😀 Even decided to take it in to work! The perfect book to own or borrow for natural inspiration!

Finally got my hands on this one from earlier in the series. Wrapped it up last night and stayed up too late (again). Excellent pace, storyline and mystery. I always love the varying perspectives between Bill Smith and Lydia Chin. This time Bill faces off against a street gang, politicians, real estate agents and a crusty lady in charge of a nursing home! Throughout Rozan explores themes of doing the wrong things for the right intentions.

Fascinating read, provides a historically accurate sketch of 6 women & their times. Includes: Anne Carroll Moore (1st children‘s librarian at NYPL), Alice Jordan (children‘s librarian at BPL) Louise Seaman Bechtel (first woman children‘s dept. editor at MacMillan) May Massee (head of children‘s dept. at Doubleday) Bertha Mahoney Miller (bookstore owner & founder of Horn Book magazine) & Elinor Whitney Field (co-editor of Horn Book & bookseller).

I‘m almost done with my current nonfiction read and today I came across this little gem:

“Good business practices should be based on relationships that were, if not face-to-face, at least personal, involving mutual vows of integrity and goodwill.”

Despite facing severe financial deficits during the Great Depression, the women responsible for the publication and success of the Horn Book magazine, held themselves to higher standards.
#nonfiction

Ooh…look what came in today! I put in an acquisition request at my library and it was approved. Thanks to @Mitch for putting this book on my radar. It looks so good and has lots of beautiful illustrations! Can‘t wait to get started 😀

I‘ve been trying to read this for about a year in preparation for the next movie, but I just couldn‘t get into it. Thankfully I decided to give the audio version a try. The narrator was fantastic and really helped me keep all the characters straight! Such talent! Thanks to him I finished the book in 2 days! 👍

“One thing about a boiled egg, as her sister-in-law had remarked on a similar occasion, you don‘t have to take the stove apart and scour it after a man got through cooking one.” 😂 My mom could relate!

I started reading this months ago, but then loaned it to my dad. Finally got it back and wrapped it up today! Highly recommended to anyone interested in community, belonging, citizenship and responsibility. Plus in his new edition, Block does a rare thing - takes out stuff that isn‘t working or pertinent! 🤩

I also had to show off my Mandalorian bookmark!

A delightful easy reader! Reminds me of the Cowboy Sam books both my mom and I learned to read with. Illustrations are great and it‘s full of fun cowboy terms to help little ones learn the language! 😊 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Short chapters and lots of different viewpoints. (FYI Trigger warning for abuse) Character development is promising…

A nice enough mystery set in modern day England. I‘m afraid I missed the strong, spicy, and badass female character type (i.e. Charlie Fox) which made me one of Sharp‘s fans. Still, maybe she‘s still developing these new characters and we can expect greater things. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh my, I just wrapped up another thrilling adventure with Spensa and M-bot!! 👍👍

What a great way to spend a cold, snowy and windy Sunday! However, I don‘t know why I thought Sanderson would wrap up this series on the third book. 🤔 I guess I thought it was a trilogy…? Anyways, the good news is that I can look forward to another book! The bad news is that now I have to wait till he writes the next one! 🤣

Got some sci-fi reading in during my lunch break today! Degrees in the 50s and bright sunshine feels great! My favorite quote so far is the following: “It‘s curious, isn‘t it? It‘s like…people are all a little more real when they‘re together. Maybe together we remind one another what it is to be alive. To have a family.”

#readingoutdoors

Took me a while to get into this one. But my Libby loan was about to expire so I had to up my game. Have to admit the constant back and forth between narrators was a little hard to get used to. Overall, it was a fun romance and entertaining while I finished knitting my mittens.

#audioknitting

Absolutely delightful! I learned some fascinating facts about Frances Hodgson Burnett. The book also has lots of lovely pictures: photos of Burnett‘s life & her gardens, various illustrations from different editions of “The Secret Garden” and even some drawings/paintings of flowers. Will be appealing to anyone who loves flowers, gardens, and of course, “The Secret Garden!” Will have to read more by this author…

#nonfictionnovember

Wrapped this one up last night. As expected it wasn‘t as good as the first one, but that‘s pretty normal. I got bogged down in the middle, but after taking a break, managed to persevere through to the end. It‘s pretty realistic though, because the heroine spends a lot of time wishing things were more simple like they used to be. Welcome to adulthood girly! I‘ll probably start the third one soon. ⭐️⭐️

Argh! It happened again…Some new books came in at work today and this one looked so delightful and interesting I had to take it home. 😊😂

A native of Idaho, Olmstead brings a fresh and informed perspective on many of the current challenges surrounding farming and rural life. I found myself relating to her throughout most of the book and appreciated her passion for concepts such as the nature of place, belonging, and rootedness. This was a quick read and deeply personal.

Recommended if you are interested in rural America, farming and community. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#nonfictionnovember

Didn‘t realize the similarities until I sat down. 😳 😄 I‘ m on page 85 and the real detective finally showed up…

Enjoying my “Italian” reading night with my current nonfiction read! Review is pending…
#nonfictonnovember

Decided to try this one after my sister recommended it. So glad I did! A fun trip through a world of fantasy, hot deserts and magical legends. The world building was a little complex, but I enjoyed it and the character development was solid. I‘ll definitely be checking out the next one from my library. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. The Chronicles of Narnia 😀 (they were read to me as bedtime stories while I was a kid. Never could quite recreate that childhood magic…

2. Usually prefer to read indoors during colder days, or anywhere where there‘s sunshine. ☀️

3. Conversation. Just had a friend over for dinner and we ended up talking for hours…What about? Books of course! (Among other things) 😉

#WonderousWednesday
@Eggs

Spent a cozy evening at home tonight reading about Tiffany Aching‘s adventures. What a treat to light my new beeswax candle for the first time this season. It‘s been getting darker here and I‘m glad I splurged and got some new candles. ☺️

I don‘t read historical fiction very often but this was quite enjoyable. Set mostly in Paris after WWI, Isabelle is a lovely country girl who brings her seamstress skills to work for Coco Chanel. A fascinating trip into that time period! This book introduces you to the world of French fashion, and provides a dash of mystery and romance.

This is simply the best children‘s book about the Mars Land Rover project! The illustrations are fantastic and the complex details of the Rover‘s design are tastefully explained without glossing over the details. Sure to be a hit with any child or adult interested in science, engineering, robotics and space exploration! 👍👍

“Peter was wondering why in tunket he‘d thought a fireside chat with this old ghoul would be preferable sitting alone in a cold, lonesome upstairs bedroom.” —Why don‘t authors write like this anymore!? 😂
Definition of tunket: HELL —used interjectionally to express curiosity, puzzlement, or exasperation.

Learned a new word tonight! 😀. “This had been too halcyon a day to clutter up the memory of it with some backwoods bully‘s melodramatic bellowings.” Here‘s the definition according to Merriam-Webster: halcyon—characterized by happiness, great success, and prosperity : GOLDEN —often used to describe an idyllic time in the past that is remembered as better than today.

Just wrapped this up last night while reading in bed. Fun adventure story about a boy and his twin sister who join a family on their vacation to Yellowstone Nat. Park. As someone who has been there, I can honestly say Lewis does a great job describing the trip! Their crazy adventures include dealing with spoiled kids, eating tons of junk food, and encountering mysterious kidnappers! Enjoyable if you like kids books 👻

I enjoyed this one fairly well! (The first person narrative gave the impression that the main character was a little self-absorbed, but maybe that was just my reaction). Overall, a clever mystery in an excellent setting. Its obviously appealing to librarians and book nerds, but if you love mysteries, libraries and book references this is the book for you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My hastily assembled bouquet which will be the last one of my summer flowers. Had to try and save some before it snows tomorrow (sigh) 😔. This book is a little overly complicated regarding artistic tools, but it does give lots of ideas on how to broaden your ideas and try new things. From rubber stamps, to sketching, or making intentional coffee stains, lots of inspiration for the taking!