#litsylove mail going out tomorrow! I sincerely apologize to all for the delay in my response. April was quite the month. Luckily, life has calmed down in May.

Happy reading!

#thoughtfulthursday @MoonWitch94

💠 The Woman In The Library (mystery, thriller)

💠 Its an e-book.

💠 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I‘m very curious to see how it all plays out.

💠 I only highlight e-books though I‘d love to annotate a physical one someday. Need to work up the courage to write in a book first.

If you‘re reading this, consider yourself tagged!

These books are like popcorn. You can‘t read just one. I read the first last May and, for some crazy reason, didn‘t read the rest. Happy to say I have rectified this. I love Murderbot. Their observations on human behavior are the best. We are incredibly predictable creatures that are very fragile physically and emotionally.

My favorite of the series is pictured above. (It was really, really hard to pick a favorite.)

It‘s a soft pick for me. Kamilah and Liam have to fake date to hold onto their dreams of running their respective family businesses. I love a fake engagement but this one didn‘t sit quite right. The grandpas‘ antics started off cute, but were too much at the end. Kamilah‘s family walked a fine line between tough love and bullying. The saving grace was the genuine relationship between Kamilah and Liam which built off their years of friendship.

1. Playing tennis 🎾
2. Yes to both. I‘m still new to the review writing, but I like sharing my thoughts on a book and starting a discussion.
3. Winter: my couch. Summer: anywhere outside ☀️

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

I found this one via a #bookstagram recommendation. I read the blurb but still had no idea what to expect. As an audiobook it was beautiful. It took a moment to find the rhythm of the book and it was hard to parse out poem from memory sometimes, but I enjoyed this read. The poems were beautiful. I never thought about how the voices and lives of women from the past can often only be found within the words of men.

I felt very seen with this book. The MC is in her early thirties, single, trying to figure it all out while her family asks really important questions such as “when are you going to settle down?”. At least for me it‘s just a couple family members unlike Yinka who had it coming from all sides. And yes I do have an aunt that prays about my singleness. I felt for Yinka and as she was learning to find her voice amid the smothering aunties.

A fun reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. It includes some entertaining multiverse references that actually end up making sense. Thank you to Alix Harrow for giving me a chance to finally use the Disney knowledge stored in my brain.

May #bookspin is complete! @TheAromaofBooks

May #bookspinbingo board is ready to go! I have high hopes of a bingo with that row of free spaces.

#bookspin: A Spindle Splintered
#doublespin: a NetGalley read (either A Proposal They Can't Refuse or The Woman in the Library)
Goal: to finish at least one of my sci-fi/fantasy semi-chunksters

@thearomaofbooks

Disclaimer: Belle is my favorite princess. She loves books, I love books. We‘re basically the same. Which meant I was expecting a lot of a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast by one of my favorite authors. By the Book was a tale as old as time full of little Easter eggs that had me giggling with joy. In public. Izzy works hard to uncover the prince of a fellow hidden beneath Beaus‘s gruff personality.

Thank you Hyperion Avenue for the ARC!

Two bingos! #bookspinbingo There is a tie for my favorite book his month: Daisy Jones & The Six and True Biz. Honestly, this has been my favorite reading month so far. Most of these were hard to put down.

I‘ve finally realized that the 1619 project is not a straightforward read so I replaced it with a Hugo Award nominee. All other additional reads are outside the board.

@TheAromaofBooks

My #bookspin list is ready for reading! I had big plans to add a few fantasy novels ...then I realized I had 10(!) digital holds already (the kindle has been returned to airplane mode). Then there's the literal pile of books I've accumulated from raiding friendly bookshelves. It's almost overwhelming (but in a good way) to have so many choices.

@thearomaofbooks

I liked this book but I wasn‘t blown away by this book. The attitudes of 19th century men regarding female intelligence are incredibly frustrating. Hazel is smart, determined, and spoiled. Not spoiled in a terrible person way. More like she‘s so used to things working in her favor, she‘s too trusting. The ending was not my favorite. I don‘t need roses and a bow, but it felt abrupt and not quite in keeping with the rest of the book.

The start of #wyrdandwonder is fast approaching! I have big plans to finish the tagged and to add way too many new fantasy reads to my TBR pile.

@imyril

The premise was interesting and I think the authors could have done more with it. I enjoyed the read, but there were some unnecessary plot points. Marissa did start to get on my nerves a little by the end. Overall, a decent thriller.

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

“The frog was dead, there was no doubt about that.”

I want to make everyone read this book. The story was riveting and immersive. Each viewpoint offered a new perspective on influences within and outside the Deaf community. February is an awesome headmistress who is more focused on understanding her students than delivering punishment for infractions. I‘ve learned so much information about the Deaf community and hope that I will be a better ally moving forward.

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

🌸 I love books that let me escape into a totally different world like the tagged series.
🌺 All the Littens! Everyone is so incredibly nice.
🌷 Anatomy: A Love Story because everyone‘s been saying good things about it.

#thinkpositivebepositive

“That‘s one good thing about this world: there are always sure to be more springs.”

I love the transition from winter into spring. It always makes me feel like the world is starting anew.

Thanks for the tag @MoonWitch94 😊

I‘m not sure what I expected based on the cover (I didn‘t read the blurb), but what was inside was nothing like anything I could imagine. The lives of three women from very different worlds collide in LA. Katrina is searching for acceptance. Lan is searching for safety. Shizuka is searching for a soul. Each has to decide what they stand for. The power of music is beautifully woven into the fabric of the story. I get why it‘s a Hugo Award finalist.

As a Bachelor and Bachelorette fan, I was all in for this book. It absolutely delivered. Charlie is utterly adorable and will tug at all your heart strings. Dev will make you want to believe in Disney-like happy endings. Honestly, I could gush about all the characters. The interviews and the extra footage transcripts really sold the behind-the-scenes feel of a reality show. I‘m very glad I treated myself and bought this book.

Two teens fall in love during a steamy Memphis summer. A chance encounter at the roller skating rink brings together Ray and Orion. Ray is determined never to fall in love and Orion wears his heart on his sleeve. The power in Ray‘s found poetry was unexpected. It was new and familiar all at once. This wasn‘t just a story about first love. It was also about healing and how everyone grieves differently.

Memphis is an ode to family and to a city. The street names have as much importance as the people who live and love on that street. The streets define what is home for the North sisters. You bounce between multiple generations to gain the full history that gives the women in the North family their gifts. This story celebrates the strength of Black women, the resilience of the Black community, and what family can do when they stand together.

Absolutely worth all the hype. I had to monitor when I picked this up to read because I couldn‘t put it back down. I loved how no one remembered an event the same way. I loved how personalities came through each time a moment was retold differently. All of it was so well done. I‘m excited to see the tv adaptation.

Part of this book overlaps with the first book of the Fix It Witches series. I liked diving into the witch Clem‘s complicated relationship with Gavin The Witch Hunter. A constant sense of impending disaster hung over each interaction between them. Clem knows why Gavin is in town and has set out to distract him with seduction which eventually becomes something more. The colorful characters kept the book from slipping into a darker space.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

1. Wicked Beauty (ARC), The Golden Couple (audio), Anatomy: a love story (ebook), Pretty Broken Things (physical)

2. So many library holds coming available at once.

3. Just borrowed Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez this morning.

1. Started the tagged book a couple days ago. Not even halfway through and I‘m hooked.

2. Nope. My reading choices are not very systematic.

3. The sudden burst of green that occurs all at once is my favorite moment of spring.

Thanks for the tag! @MoonWitch94 #thoughtfulthursday

I finally understand what all the fuss is about. This book is impossible to put down.

This was less thriller-y than other JP books. Still an entertaining read though. There is a main character who is absolutely based off of Dolly Parton.

AnnieLee‘s journey to stardom is full of grit and lucky breaks. I appreciate how stubborn/strong she is. Though she gets in her own way a few times. I am not a country music fan, so it was fun learning more about the nuances of the genre.

My brain is still working it‘s way through all the little details that seemed trivial until the eye opening ending. This was dark academia at its best. Six elite medians (magic users) are chosen to be part of an elite society that protects a magical library full of dangerous knowledge. Be ready to question reality and the concept of time itself. I‘ll admit my nerd self was all in for the physics discussions even though it‘s not my favorite topic.

Super cute enemies to lovers romance. I liked everything about this book. London Kelley, MD is not looking for anything but a fling when she decides to sleep with her high school nemesis. At the core of this book is an important conversation about healthcare access and poverty. I enjoyed the fact that it was a story featuring Black love and social issues without it being about race. I loved how both London and Drew were confident and successful.

#weekendreading I started this book weeks ago but keep getting distracted by new borrows or new NetGalley opportunities. Goal for today is to finally finish it. I am really liking the premise and have no clue how everything is going to play out.

March was an interesting month. Started off on a thriller kick, which was great. This is a month where I had TWO bails (not so great). This is also the month I gave in and joined NetGalley. That decision promptly altered my March TBR list.

Not as thrilled about my bingo since it came on the back of a DNF.

Anywho, I had some extra reads but no space for them so went ahead tucked them in at the bottom. I like that March had a bit of everything.

Dragons ☑️ Adventure ☑️ It had a similar feel to Eragon (which I really like), but still a unique storyline.

As a commoner, Holt will never qualify to join the order and fly a dragon. So he steals an egg that would have been destroyed because of a suspected weakness in the developing baby. Then Ash is born blind. Together Holt and Ash learn to overcome the assumptions others make about them.

I enjoyed the epic adventure feel of it all. ⬇️

I thoroughly enjoyed this best-friends-to-lovers romance. Bree and Nathan have been besties since high school. Both think the other has friend zoned them. After an adorable drunk almost confession from Bree that goes viral, the pair start fake dating. There are so many great moments all adding up to a fun read. The “exit friend zone” planning session was probably my favorite.

CW: panic attacks

April #bookspin! Where did March go? I know I lost at least a week adjusting to Daylight Savings, but it really feels like the days are flying by.

I caved this month and made a NetGalley account. Not sure yet if this is a good or bad thing considering how it has distracted me from my original reading list for the month (though, to be fair, it doesn't take much). I'm adding specific spaces to limit my NetGalley requesting to a manageable amount.

Welcome to a world where magic is an open secret. Annie heads to her estranged father‘s home on a mysterious island to honor his final wishes. In the process of reconnecting with a childhood friend, Annie finds herself caught up in the dark magic of the island. This book is a dark fantasy that will have your heart racing with fear and desire.

I really wanted to like this book. The first third was intriguing and educational. I had never heard of foot binding until I read Iron Widow. This book details the excruciating process along with the risks and potential rewards. I abandoned ship about 2/3 through. The timeline went from a stately march to a sprint and my interest got left behind in the dust. The detailed recounting of big events which pulled me in disappeared.

This is now one of my favorite Emma Hart novels. The banter was on point and all the characters were entertaining. Lady Gabriella is attempting to woo the estates head gardener, Miles, in this romantic comedy. Miles is determined to keep Gabby at a distance despite her witty comebacks to his surliness. All the talk about planting has me wanting to buy more plants I don‘t have room for. Highly recommend if you‘re in need of a low stress audiobook.

A slow Sunday full of reading and replying to all the lovely #LitsyLove mail.

I‘ve heard everyone raving about this book. I get it now. So many nuances within one story. It‘s one of those reads that will sit with you. One of the most important things highlighted was how though Chiamaka and Devon were both Black they came from very different worlds. This affected how they interacted with those around them at school and each other, but not how the world saw them. I could keep going. The author put the stacked system on blast.

My thriller reading mood continues. I actually started his as an ebook months ago but couldn‘t get into it. Finally thought to switch to audiobook which did the trick.

This book was just okay for me. I think the MC is focused on all the wrong things and her man doesn‘t sound worth the effort she‘s putting in. Maybe this is my single brain speaking, but I don‘t understand her focus on getting married so quickly. Glad I can check this off my tbr.

Finally there‘s a psychological thriller with a reliable narrator. Lowen‘s only negative was being an unpredictable sleepwalker. I couldn‘t put this book down. The tension within the house and between the characters built at a steady pace. Of course there are a couple plot holes, but they are very tiny. Only one had my true crime brain buzzing. Absolutely recommend. Finished a couple days ago and still thinking about the ending.

My first DNF of 2022. Might revisit as an ebook instead of an audiobook later this year. The leading lady was stressing me out. I also get uncomfortable when a relationship starts because of an intent to get revenge for something that occurred years ago. I didn‘t totally dislike the premise though so will hopefully be able to get into at a later date.

I always love a good thriller and this did not disappoint. There were almost too many characters in the beginning to keep track of, but it improved as you got to know everyone better. I had trouble following one particular plot point (not detailing because it‘s a spoiler) which could be blamed on my love of true crime podcasts. I liked how the stories finally merged at the end. Little details coming into focus.

Does this happen to anyone else? Because this is a regular occurrence for me. I applaud those who have the willpower to read just one chapter.

This is the second of the Dark Olympus series. It was good but didn‘t have the same immediate draw the first book did. Psyche finds herself on Aphrodite‘s very literal hit list after an image of her and Eros gets splashed across social media. The only way out is to marry Eros. I liked that Psyche has curves and that there‘s a whole discussion about clothes being created with curvy bodies in mind instead of just adding fabric. ⬇️

#weekendreads

1. Currently reading The Club. It‘s the March RBC pick. Really liking it so far.

2. So many digital holds thanks to me constantly browsing.

3. Last physical checkout was The Iron Widow back in January. Last digital checkout was The Club yesterday.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

“I am what they call in our village ‘one who has not died yet‘ - a widow, eighty years old.”

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Look at all the free spaces in a row! I have high hopes for a #bookspinbingo this month. Also, I really like my options this month. A few are library books I already have borrowed which makes things easier. My #doublespin is the #authoramonth so maybe I'll finally finish one.

Thank you @thearomaofbooks!