Another crazy week & Friday. I will get around to see all your #5JoysFriday posts tonight or tomorrow at the latest.💛🤗

But here are my 5 joys

1. Learning about the Merlin 🐦 app from @monalyisha last week. I listened to the birds in my yard & was impressed it could identify them. Even a 🦆down by the water.

2. Babies reading. This is my great-niece 💕

3. I got the last of my #LitsyLove responses out on Monday day. 💛

4. Right now my ⬇️

5-ish hours to go before it‘s Friday here, but if it‘s Friday in your neck of the woods, you know what to do… share your 5 joys of the week (big or small) for #5JoysFriday ! 💛

Post your 5 joys, using the #5JoysFriday tag, tag me in your post & tag/share to spread the joy!

There's space on the graphic for photos/text if you want to use it. I'll post my list tomorrow. As usual, tagging a few to get started, but everyone is welcome so join in! 🤗

#ThreeListThursday #TLT

Whelp, I‘m apparently better at movies than Bildungsroman novels! 42 out of 100.

There are quite a few on my TBR stack, especially the more recent ones like Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, A Deadly Education & The Poet X & others that I just have no interest in.

Thanks for hosting @dabbe ! Good fun! 🤗

#StorySettings

A #Snowstorm is a great setting for a murder mystery thriller. Here are two that I‘ve read. ❄️🩶🌨️

#WhatsNewWednesday

I‘ve already mentioned that I am going to Maine on Sunday for a work trip. Now, in June I‘ll be going to a training/HR round table in Eugene, Oregon. I‘m happy because I‘m taking a few extra days to visit my family in Portland.🩵
So, Portland to Portland 😉

Thank you @Eggs for the #WondrousWednesday tag! 🤗

1️⃣.🏡📚😘 Home, books, ohana (family & friends)

2️⃣ ☮️ 📚✈️ Peace, books, safe travels

Play along if you haven‘t yet! 🤗

#StorySettings

There‘s a #SkyScraper on the cover of this children‘s book (which sounds pretty interesting!).🏙️

Thanks to @TheSpineView & @Eggs for the #Two4Tuesday tags! 🤗

1️⃣ Nothing unusual or that talented although I do have a head for random trivia & can remember the smallest details of facts of things I‘m interested in while forgetting where I parked my car 30 minutes ago! 😆

2️⃣ The Ribkin family has unusual & sometimes not that useful talents like making precise maps of places, belching fire & seeing colors no one else can see.🤷🏻‍♀️

My wrap up for the #AwesomeApril #readathon

I mostly got the goals I wanted done by finishing all of my in-progress books for challenges & buddy reads. (I don‘t set time goals). I also started some of my May TBR. 🎉

Thanks to @Andrew65 for hosting! 🤗

#StorySettings

This historical fiction novel with #Attic in the title has been in my TBR for way too long. About a group of Japanese “picture brides” brought to San Francisco, I really need to read it one of these days.

#StorySettings

“All must linger and gaze on a first return to the sea, who ever deserve to look on it at all.” Persuasion, Jane Austen

Jane Austen enjoyed the sea. You find a #Seaside setting most prominent in Persuasion & Sanditon

Here‘s a good article about Austen & the sea: https://austenvariations.com/what-the-sea-meant-to-jane/

#Naturalitsy #HyggeHourReadathon

My #HyggeHour is being spent with Nancy for #NancyDrewBR & with tea, a face mask & a few Girl Scout cookies

My mood is mellow & a bit bummed that tomorrow is Monday & it will be another crazy week while getting ready for a work trip next Sunday. Happy to have this #Hygge transition time.🙏🏼

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril2024 #readathon #SeriesLove2024

My library got the e-books of the Shady Hollow cozy mystery series in finally so I‘m working through them. They are fun cozies told from animal POVs & I find they just work if you can picture the friendships & relationships between the different animal characters. I really like Vera our fox reporter/detective & the small town vibe. This one centers on the disappearance of popular coffee⬇️

#StorySettings

Giving this lovely novella with its Rio Grande #River setting some love for today‘s prompt.

Just a tiny #LibraryBookHaul today. I stopped in to drop off books & pick up the tagged book for #NancyDrewBR & stopped from checking anything else out as I have too much to read already. I did grab Our Missing Hearts which is on my TBR for $1 at the library book store & 2 Free Comic Book Day bookmarks.

The book🐔🐔say I broke even, +1 point for not checking out extra books this week & -1 point for buying another to add to the giant TBR stacks!

#StorySettings

Three horror books set on or around a #Mountain that are on my TBR.🏔️

My #MayTBR Honestly, I doubt I‘ll get to all of these. I have a big work trip with long flights that may/may not help because of all the work around them. Nonetheless I‘m loading my Kindle & joining in on #SundayBuddyRead #ChildrensClassicRead2024 #NancyDrewBR #SheSaid #BobWhiteBuddies #Naturalitsy #FoodAndLit #Roll100 & #SeasonalCozies I‘m also reading a book for virtual foodie book club, a book for the work trip, some #SeriesLove2024 titles & ⬇️

Taking a break from trying to gather some things for my upcoming Maine work trip along with other errands. Camping at the coffee shop for a bit with the barista‘s recommendation of the Kai Club sandwich & my usual dirty chai latte with Oatmilk & a pump of coconut syrup.

Reading a few chapters of the tagged book & all the #5JoysFriday post I haven‘t gotten to yet. 💛💛💛 Then journaling catch up & some #LitsyLove replies.

#StorySettings

One from my TBR featuring an #AirportOrPlane ✈️

Can my main joy for #5JoysFriday be that it is FRIDAY?!?! 🎉 It was another long week.
Here we go:
1. My pork belly loco moco last week inspired so much joy I ordered it again for another breakfast meeting.
2. Yesterday I was craving poke for lunch so I ran & grabbed a poke bowl which was both ono 😋& joyful.
3. I found a🐞on my dusty car in a parking lot. I 💛🐞& so I gently transferred her to a nearby flowering bush.
4. My trip to Hilo ⬇️

Such a crazy week! I‘m still putting together my May TBR but here is my April recap. Surprisingly, I finished 18 books this month. The fact that several were short novellas or children‘s books helped.😉

I took part in #SundayBuddyRead #JaneAdjacent #ChildrensClassicRead2024 NancyDrewBR #BobWhiteBuddies #SheSaid #TravelingStars2024 & #SeasonalCozies I also finished all 3 of my #Roll100 books & read several #SeriesLove2024 books & one from my ⬇️

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon

Finished this Tuesday, my 3rd book for #Roll100 April, roll#6
It‘s my second book from Alderman & while I didn‘t like it as much as The Power, it was thought-provoking & interesting & I thought the twists the story took were well done. The survivalists‘ posts & comments I found distracting & while they were meant to help tell the story & give context to what was going on, they didn‘t add much. A soft pick.

It‘s my Thursday night & you know what that means…it‘s already Friday in some places & time for week 5 of #5JoysFriday Another long hard week & I need ALL the joys friends! 💛

To join, post 5 things big or small that brought you joy this week. Use #5JoysFriday +tag me & share to spread the joy!
There's space on the graphic for photos/text.

I'll be posting my list tomorrow. Tagging some peeps to get started, but please join in-all are welcome!

@dabbe ‘s #ThreeListThursday or #TLT this week involves going to a list of “Favorite 80s Movies” made a few weeks ago. Find the link on her post to see how many you‘ve seen.

Am I proud of my high score? Do I feel like I did nothing but watch movies? Maybe a bit of both! 😉I went from junior high through college in the 80s & probably went to the movies at least twice a week.

Also, and this is totally on me for not submitting my faves on that ⬇️

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon

Finished the last chapters on the plane yesterday but as I was 3/4 done, I‘m counting it as an April book. This was on my #AuldLangSpine list from @Itchyfeetreader (I‘m trying for one per month) & while I didn‘t love it as much as the others I‘ve read from the list, it gets a pick. The writing is gorgeous but pensive, even a little depressing & I found myself wanting to shake both MCs, a pair of somewhat ⬇️

#StorySettings

I love Molly Katzen‘s cookbooks full of her illustrations & recipes. (She was with the Moosewood Collective if she or her style looks familiar). This one has today‘s prompt #Cafe in the title. 💛🍽️

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon #SeriesLove2024

Finished in April but I‘m behind in posting. Book 6 in the Lady Sherlock series. One to go before the new one in June. I liked this one overall, the mystery was intriguing & the setting of a cult sanctuary & I love the sexy sassiness of relationship of Holmes & Ash but things were a bit disjointed & it will be interesting to see how things pick up or change for Holmes in the next one. So ⬇️

Thank you @Eggs for the #WondrousWednesday tag!🤗I know it‘s Thursday but my Wednesday was spent traveling, presenting & crashing when I got home last night!🥱😴

1️⃣ Mangoes🥭 Mango season starts in spring.😋

2️⃣ I keep repeating myself but it‘s Zorrie by Laird Hunt. I‘ll tag it below.

3️⃣ Lots of work stuff including a work trip to Maine in a couple of weeks.😬🛫🛬

I‘m sure everyone has played but consider yourself tagged if you want to!🤗

#StorySettings

Much of this cozy foodie mystery series book takes place at Mount A in Ashland, OR so that counts as a #SkiResort
❄️⛷️

Early flight to Hilo to teach in-person leadership all day. Can‘t believe it‘s May! Will catch up with posts & things tonight. At least some captured reading time on the flights. 😉

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon #SeriesLove2024

Finished yesterday for #SeasonalCozies I am afraid this just wasn‘t a good book. It‘s a risk I take when I go for first in series, cheap or free (this was a Kindle Unlimited title) but it‘s disappointing nonetheless. I went between wanting to shake & throat punch the MC who was kind of an idiot. Then there was the dialogue which was not even close to natural. I highlighted a part where the⬇️

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon #SeriesLove

Read along with @TheAromaofBooks & some friends for a book a month Trixie Belden readalong (we need a hashtag!) It‘s been a few years since I reread the series & this first book which sets it up with Trixie meeting poor-little-rich teen Honey Wheeler & them discovering runaway Jim Frayne hiding in the old mansion. I forgot Brian & Mart (Trixie‘s brothers) are away working at a boys camp for ⬇️

Thank you @TheSpineView for the #Two4Tuesday tag! 🤗

1️⃣ Although I had lots of books I really enjoyed this month, I have to go with Zorrie 🩵🩵🩵

2️⃣ I have 2 books to finish up tonight & I can start Just for the Summer tomorrow. 🎉 Or realistically Thursday since I‘ll be in Hilo facilitating ALL DAY tomorrow. 😬

Anyone want to play along who hasn‘t yet? 🤗

#SpringSkies2024

#NFIndigenousPpl This book is Queen Lili‘uokalani ‘s story of how the independent kingdom of Hawai‘i was overthrown as she was arrested at gunpoint by U.S. Marines on January 17, 1893.

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon

Finished last night for #ChildrensClassicRead2024 It was fun to reread Pippi, it‘s been decades & the books & movies were something I shared with my dad. As a child I wanted to hang out with Pippi, as an adult, she tired me out! 😉 I need to see if I can find the movies now.

#SpringSkies

I have to go with Zorrie for my #FavBkOfMarch 📚Read for #SundayBuddyRead it was an unexpected delight. 🩵 As I mentioned in my review, it will be a definite 2024 favorite for me.

#Naturalitsy #HyggeHourReadathon #Litsolace

My #HyggeHour is going to start soon & a little earlier as I have to pick up a colleague early from the airport tomorrow & it‘s a day full of meetings.

Finishing up Pippi Longstocking for #ChildrensClassicRead2024 & the tagged book for a Trixie Belden read-along. Snacking on dill pickle trail mix.

Mood is channeling my inner child when times were easier because I‘m not happy about Monday at all! 😬

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon

Read with #SheSaid for April, it‘s a well-researched & well-written look at why the Second Amendment was set up to fail Blacks from the get-go. The author expertly pulls facts & data together & it had me both horrified & angry.

The last sentence says it all “The Second is lethal; steeped in anti-Blackness, it is the loaded weapon laying around just waiting for the hand of some authority to put it to use.”

#ReadAway2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon

Finished last night for #SundayBuddyRead this book was a surprise for me. A quietly beautiful telling of the simple life of a resilient woman. Short in pages & it deserves a slowly savored read. Thanks to @TheBookHippie for choosing it & hosting it so well. It will be one of my favorites for 2024. Lovely.

#SpringSkies

For today‘s #2BksWSimilarTitle we‘ll start with the top 2 books with the same title. The tagged one is about a Paris apartment full of hidden treasure as are the bottom 3 books. A lot of these came out after the Paris apartment that was shut up for 70 years was discovered. I read The Paris Secret & Paris Time Capsule & always get them confused!

#ReadAway2024 #SeriesLobe2024 #AwesomeApril #readathon

Read along with #Pemberlittens #JaneAdjacent I‘m giving it a soft pick. It was enjoyable & I liked the MC Jane & also Mr. Vincent, but the other characters not so much & while I enjoyed the magical elements, I felt like the world-building around them wasn‘t deep enough. But, overall, it was a nice nod to Jane Austen while still maintaining its own story. I may read more in the series if it ⬇️

OK, I think this will be my May pick for #SeasonalCozies as it is set during Memorial Day. It also meets my criteria for being first in a series (Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery) & cheap/free (it‘s on Kindle Unlimited).

Still finishing up April‘s pick.

After a puttering morning & the post office I am now ensconced in a corner of the coffee shop for my iced dirty chai, oatmilk+ 1 pump coconut syrup latte & breakfast turnover.

Reading this book from my #AuldLangSpine list from @Itchyfeetreader & after things are less puff-pastry-messy I‘m catching up on journaling & maybe a few more #LitsyLove replies.

My gray/cloudy/drizzly #SaturdayVibe is rest & recovery from the workweek.

Forgot to snap a photo at home but I finally got to the post office this morning & sent out @TieDyeDude #500KGIVEAWAY prize & my #TravelingStars2024 to @inthegreensandblues & about ten #LitsyLove responses. I didn‘t bring my list of who those are going to so I won‘t tag, but if you sent me mail one is probably coming your way soon. I still have about 6 to go out this week. Lots of #HappyMail 📦📫💌

#SpringSkies

A few books I‘ve read & enjoyed with #Secret or #Secrets in their titles.🤫

My #Roll100 books for May:

# 29 The Last Word (BOTM)
# 59 If the Shoe Fits (OUABC)
# 62 Any BOTM (I chose Butcher and Blackbird)

I‘m excited to have the push to read all three of these! 📚

TFW you guess the movie in one frame! 🍿🎬 💪🏼
It‘s an additional moment of joy on my Friday! 😉

Anyone else play Framed or want to try today‘s? https://framed.wtf

My goals for the #AwesomeApril readathon are to try & finish my in-process April TBR books & maybe start a couple for May. Many of these are close to being finished so it isn‘t as daunting as it looks! 📚📚📚🙅🏻‍♀️📚📚📚

#SpringSkies

A favorite #Poetic memoir told in verse.💙

Not the best week but it‘s Friday & there were plenty of moments of joy sprinkled in. Here‘s my #5JoysFriday list:

1. My #BOTM & #AardvarkBookClub boxes came in & I‘m especially excited to start Abby Jimenez‘s new book!

2. Had to attend a benefits strategy meeting😵but they bought us breakfast & I found great joy in my smoked pork belly loco moco.😋

3. The smell of my mango coconut lotion🧴

4. “Found” 2 boxes of Girl Scout cookies I hid ⬇️