"Marina once told me that we only remember what never really happened."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

I remember, as a kid, taking the movie out from the library repeatedly. I never got more than 15-20 minutes in because I'd start sobbing at the idea of the last, lonely unicorn. My mom finally told me I wasn't allowed to borrow it anymore. 🙃

I didn't realize when I borrowed the book that it was the graphic novel, but in the end I'm so glad. Beautiful artwork to tell a beautiful tale.

And this was my #BookSpin for this month! @TheAromaofBooks

Darn cats. Even the talking ones are incredibly obstinate.

#DecemberChill I edited down my "Sunday Night" playlist for some chilled out faves: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4sBcEs9WEofectG6zU9aXr?si=4frPPO1ORXaTQwJ6HZTK...

If I have time, I may make a second one with holiday faves, because I'm all about the Christmas music this time of year!

@Cinfhen @BarbaraBB

@Blerdgal_Fenix yes! I'm totally up for a December buddy read. Something holiday related? Do you have anything in mind? I'll tag some in comments that I've got on my TBR, but I'm up for anything!

#LitsyLoveWinterSwap and #JolabokaflodSwap packages heading out today! Woo Hoo!

@Bookgoil @rsteve388 @MaleficentBookDragon

I think I wanted to like this one more than I actually did. It was entertaining enough, but seemed to just skate along the surface of ideas without delving deeply into anything.

A beautiful, magical story of family, both born and found, in rural Mexico through the Spanish flu, the Mexican revolution, and Agrarian reforms. The first half dances through history with gorgeous prose, touches of magical realism, heart, heartache, and a refreshingly wry humour. The second half barrels towards the inevitable, breaks your heart to pieces, then stitches them together. Stunning.

#foodandlit #Mexico @Texreader @Butterfinger

My hastily thrown together #BookSpin list for December!

@TheAromaofBooks

"... had she still been the woman of days gone by, before life executed her character by firing squad..."

@monalyisha I absolutely love your list! Thank you for the excuse to buy the tagged if I don't get it for Xmas 🤣 World of Wonders and Here for It weren't on my radar, but sound like beautifully hopeful reads to start the year. Liar's Dictionary is compared to some of my faves, so I'm all in. The Ogawa and Acevedo were both on my TBR so I'll try to get to those as well (if not in January, sometime in 2022!) and so many more. Bring on the new year!

Totally freakin' cute Rom Com.

#WeeklyForecast

? Continuing my slow savouring of Doctor Zhivago for #DecemberChill with @BarbaraBB and @Cinfhen
? Falling for the beautiful magic of Murmur of Bees for #foodandlit #Mexico @Butterfinger @Texreader @Catsandbooks
? My first Fiona Davis! My boys bought me Lions of 5th Ave for my birthday "because it's got New York and a library, mom, so you have to read it next!" They know me so well.
? And the tagged for some light fun!

"Rome was a flea market of borrowed gods and conquered peoples, a bargain basement on two tiers - earth and heaven - slaves on one, gods on the other."

#DecemberChill

The concept is fascinating, and when the men's thoughts and opinions are allowed into the narrative you can see the potential for a thought provoking read. But Brottman is, quite frankly, insufferable. She gets frustrated when the men don't share her own views on whatever they're reading, she complains that they're not connecting to the work, but then says they're wrong whenever they start drawing connections. Just when it seems that she's 👇

Traveling the world with Litsy, from the comfort of my own home. Tostadas for lunch, inspired by this month's #FoodandLit destination #Mexico. Russian winter through the lens of Doctor Zhivago for #DecemberChill. And springtime at a tea shop in Paris for my buddy read with @Blerdgal_Fenix

"This story deserves to be told; all stories do. Even the waves of the sea tell a story that deserves to be read. The stories that really need to be told are those that shake the very soul of you.

I prepare to be shaken."

It's that time! Registration is open on @monalyisha 's page for #NewYearWhoDis! I've discovered some absolute favourites in past years off lists from @MeganAnn and @sprainedbrain and I can't wait to discover more this year! It's the way to kick off the year right!

Next up, starting on this one for my buddy read with @Blerdgal_Fenix

Magic and Paris and tea, what more could you need?

This was fantastic. Biting satire of Hollywood's problems with representation of Asian and Asian Americans. Funny, heartfelt, surreal, thoughtful, and layered. Delves into issues of racism, stereotyping, poverty, aging, and family. All in an interesting format that never feels gimmicky. A fast and entertaining read that will also leave me thinking for a long time.

I needed something fun and frothy, and this fit the bill. There were some things that didn't work, or didn't quite make sense, but if you don't think about it too much it works as a fun diversion!

#Booked2021 JewishAuthor/MC
@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

I needed something light when my brain needs a break from Zhivago, so I grabbed this one from the library for #Booked2021 #JewishAuthor/MC

@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Book Outlet order! The tagged is for a buddy read with the wonderful @Blerdgal_Fenix 💖 The other two are because it is nearly impossible to only order one book from Book Outlet 🤷‍♀️

I love a thorough character list. This is why I'm reading Zhivago in hard copy instead of digital!

#Booked2022 prompts are here!!! This is always such a fun, no pressure, low key reading challenge. Interpret the prompts however works for you, complete as many or as few as you'd like. Have fun with it!

This challenge is hosted by the wonderful @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage and @Cinfhen - head to one of their profiles for sign up and with any questions!

Help a girl out? I'm trying to decide what to read for #Booked2021 - Underrated or Lesser Known Titles. What are your favourite reads that you think not enough people know about?

"And revenge, when it came, came from another quarter altogether, and it rolled out onto the ground, gleaming and golden."

#Apples #GratefulHarvest
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#Truth

Tagged is the Christmas read I bought myself today!

📷: Harper Collins Canada

Thank you thank you, Sharon! This book is totally up my Halloween alley, I'm so excited to read it! And I love the orange edges and added colours and spooky stickers throughout, can't wait to find them all as I read 😁

Thanks a million @DinoMom and thanks to our always awesome organizer @LibrarianRyan 🎉🎉🎉

#AlteredNightmareSwap #ANS

Happy #AlteredNightmareSwap opening day, folks! I had to take a pre-unwrapping shot to show everyone the awesome Halloween sticker. I totally plan on cutting that party off the wrapping out and keeping it for a bookmark! And I love that the goodies are on theme with colour changing hot chocolate and colour changing tea (which also sounds like it's good delicious flavouring!) THANKS @DinoMom 🎉🎉🎉

Alright, I'm going in!
@LibrarianRyan #ANS

Feminist fairy tale retelling with a hearty dose of multiverse theory, a wicked fairy (who maybe isn't), and badass princesses saving themselves and each other. It's like it was written just for me 💖💖💖💖💖

Between my birthday, the boys hockey, work, and Halloween this coming weekend is packed full with chaos. So I'm using this weekend's #Halloween #Readathon (hosted by the always awesome @Andrew65 ) as a gentle reminder to take some moments for myself in the midst of it all!

My only goal is this: find time every day to read. Even just a little bit. That's all 🤗

Love this dedication ❤❤❤

I'm loving the novella form lately. Hyper-focused stories making for quick, satisfying reads. Loved this first installment in the Murderbot Diaries, following a rogue Security Bot (SecUnit) who has hacked their monitoring systems to binge watch mindless entertainment but instead has to figure out who is trying to kill their humans and why. Action, intrigue, and wit packed into 149 pages.

These poems demand attention, thought, and focus. There is beauty here, and fear, heartache, science, and an interplay between Western and Indigenous cosmologies. A few poems stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away. A fantastic collection that I will return to again and again

#Booked2021 - Poetry Collection
@4thhouseontheleft @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage

I love this world of steampunk and djinn magic set in an alternate Cairo in the early 1910s. This first full length novel is not quite as effective as the novellas, but it's still a fun, worthwhile read. Fun nods to Peter Pan and Lord of the Rings in its inspiration.

A fast paced, intense novella about the assassination of David Rizzio, Private Secretary to Mary Queen of Scots. Full of intrigue, blood, and a healthy dose of wit. I needed to shake things up with something gripping and satisfying and this one totally fit the bill. Highly recommended!

#Booked2021 - #Newin2021 @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

"In a courtly world where the placement of a kerchief has a special symbolic meaning, Ruthven's outfit resembles confusion screamed in high C by a panicked goat."

???

I really needed something light and fun, and this cozy did not disappoint. It's not world changing, but it's certainly entertaining! And now I really want to try some of the recipes...

My ankle is hugely swollen and I'm in a lot of pain, BUT ER waiting rooms mean lots of quiet reading time. All about finding the silver linings, right?

Happy Halloween! My #AlteredNightmareSwap package is ready to ship! I had so much fun with this one...

@LibrarianRyan

Honestly, it was just meh for me. I can see what other readers loved, but it just didn't all come together. I love a good Gothic, but this one fell short.

I've definitely said #2 many many times!

If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . .
If you‘re a pretender, come sit by my fire,
For we have some flax golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

Got my first tattoo this morning!!! And of course it's something bookish!

"From nowhere but the graveyard of history could someone marshal the cruelty of denying someone the solidity of everyday life."

Woo Hoo! Another quarter complete! Here's what I read for #Booked2021 Summer prompts:
Colour in Title: The Black Echo
Contains Photos: The Case of the Murderous Dr Cream
Appalachian Noir: Blacktop Wasteland
Related to 9/11: Channel of Peace
Under 150 Pages: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse
Latinx Author: Mexican Gothic

Thanks for another fun season @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage (I filled out the form as well 😁)

@Read-y_Picker your package has arrived! I can't wait to read everyone's thoughts on the #LMPBC books. And thank you so much for the extras, I adore books about Paris, and the pencils are the cutest!

New reading glasses 👓 Same snuggly reading buddy! October doesn't start until Friday, but my #Screamathon reading is in full swing. Reading the tagged on my Kobo, and continuing My Heart is a Chainsaw. Bring on spooky season!

There is no way I'll read them all, but as a mood reader I like to have options. Here's a partial stack of horror and dark fantasy for me to choose from for #Screamathon 2021! I'm starting early by diving into the tagged. I loved The Only Good Indians, so I have high hopes for Graham-Jones' new one!

@4thhouseontheleft

@Tianarose your #LMPBC package arrived yesterday! Excited to read everyone's thoughts on Radium Girl and to dive into the tagged pick!

@StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego @DinoMom