I finished my #BookSpin choice but didn't manage to finish #DoubleSpin or get a bingo. Still, with 13 squares filled, I'm pretty happy with May's result for #BookSpinBingo.

Thanks to @TheAromaofBooks for hosting!

I filled in 4 more slots in the #192025 challenge in May! @Librarybelle

My June #BookSpinBingo list! @TheAromaofBooks

This was a fun adventure set in the Arctic waters. I was happy to find this book in French at a local book sale, as I continue trying to improve my reading skills in that language.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #1942 @Librarybelle

This was a charming story about a woman's attempts to help her friend get reintegrated into society after a breakup and reconciliation. I was uncomfortable with some of the attitudes toward women but had to remind myself that this book was written in 1938. I especially liked the main character and the humour.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
#192025 #1938 @Librarybelle
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I enjoyed this Golden Age mystery about a retired governess who helps a former pupil by investigating mysterious events at a combination nursing home and boarding school. The story was creepy and suspenseful but also had touches of humour, and the characters were great.

Thanks to @Mitch for hosting this group read as part of the #goldenagecrimeclub!

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #1941 @Librarybelle

I finished off the #VictoriaDayReadathon with this excellent installment from the October Daye series. In this one, Toby negotiates the politics of a conclave involving faerie kings and queens, and ends up as lead investigator when one of the monarchs is murdered.

#BacklistReadathon #BookSpinBingo #BookSpin #SeriesLove2023
@melissajayne @clwojick @TheAromaofBooks @TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

This historical fantasy set in Chicago of the 1920's features demons, angels and a noir-style mystery. I enjoyed it very much and thought it had a lot of depth in its plot and characters for a novella-length book.

#victoriadayreadathon @melissajayne
#auroraawards
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This novel didn't quite live up to my admittedly high expectations given all the hype it's gotten, but I still found it very charming and enjoyable. I especially liked the audiobook narration, done by the author himself.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

The #victoriadayreadathon hosted by @melissajayne is just what's needed to fill out the upcoming long weekend! For once, we're not travelling anywhere, so I'm looking forward to a relaxing few days with lots of reading.

The Aurora Award nominees (for Canadian sci-fi and fantasy) have just been announced and I'll be reading from that list: https://www.tor.com/2023/05/15/heres-the-2023-aurora-award-ballot/

I'm continuing with Seanan McGuire for this month's #BacklistReadathon, starting with the tagged book. @Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

This monthly readathon has really helped me make progress with #SeriesLove2023. I may actually catch up with the October Daye series by the end of the year! @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

This novella set in an 18th-century parliament inhabited by humans and fairies is clever, funny and satirical, but the plot and characters just didn't appeal to me all that much. I adore the cover image, though.

This was the final book I finished for the #MagnificentMay readathon. I met 5 of my 6 goals so am quite happy with the result. Thanks to @Andrew65 for hosting!

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I couldn't believe that a true crime novel not involving murders or missing persons could be so absolutely riveting. I found it especially interesting since I've been working at a small tech company for over 20 years, and this book is essentially a guide on how NOT to run a tech business!

#MagnificentMay @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I didn't love this one the way I did Beartown, the only other Backman I've read. However, I really liked how the characters' lives were all intertwined and the idea that one person's actions can have such a great effect on others.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#Magnificent May @Andrew65
#BookCrossing

This is a low pick, as the plot is rather implausible. However, rereading it reminded me of why I loved this series so much when I was young.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#Magnificent May @Andrew65
#192025 #1932 @Librarybelle

I liked the Yukon setting of this dark mystery/thriller. I've read a lot of Kelley Armstrong's novels but this is the first without any supernatural elements.

#MagnificentMay @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I‘ve got my #MagnificentMay #readathon goals ready! @Andrew65

I loved this story about two estranged Korean American sisters trying to reconcile while grappling with their own individual challenges. It's funny, moving and heartwarming, and I also love this cover design.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#BookCrossing

April was a good month for the #192025 challenge. I've filled 53 slots for this challenge so far. @Librarybelle

I managed to read 15 hours for the #20in4 #readathon this time around. One day, I'll get to 20! Thanks to @Andrew65 for hosting!

Had a good April for #BookSpinBingo: finished my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin choices, and I managed to get a bingo!
Many thanks to @AromaofBooks for hosting.

D. K. Broster seems to be mostly forgotten these days, but I've enjoyed very much several of her historical fiction novels . This novel is the first of a trilogy about the unexpected friendship between two soldiers on opposite sides of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion in Scotland.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#20in4 @Andrew65
#192025 #1925 @Librarybelle

This was a good read that taught me some (uncomfortable) things about Canada's history that I hadn't known. The book's subtitle doesn't really reveal the main theme, which is the inequities in the education systems of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#20in4 @Andrew65

My #BookSpinBingo list for May! @TheAromaofBooks

I had a slow start to the #20in4 #readathon yesterday, as I was swamped with work, but I'm hoping to make up time today. Today, there is the added motivation of #DeweyApril, a yearly readathon that I always enjoy!

@Andrew65 @DeweysReadathon

The story was all over the place and didn't actually feature much baseball, despite the promise of the cover, but this series about a cannibalistic detective is a lot of fun, if you can put up with the grossness!

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I found this classic to be a very enjoyable, though not especially memorable, read. The best part of reading the book was following along with @BarkingMadRun and seeing the commentary from the #PemberLittens!

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I liked this 4th and final book in the middle grade series, A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying, by Kelley Armstrong. The series, about how a princess with an affinity to wild creatures strives to become the “Royal Monster Hunter“ for her kingdom, is charming and enjoyable.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I finished the #BacklistReadathon with this 9th book from the October Daye series, which seems to get better with every subsequent book. Toby goes to another Faerie kingdom to try to prevent a war and in doing so, learns surprising secrets about her alchemist friend Walther.

@Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Part 2 of my book sale haul. I returned to the sale and came home with these. I‘m especially happy with the #VMC finds.

This is my haul from a big charity book sale in my city this weekend. Because of work, I could manage only an hour to browse, and I didn't even get to see half the books. I'm considering going back tomorrow, though I'm trying hard to reduce the number of books in my house!

I was a little disappointed by the last few additions to the Wayward Children series, so I am especially happy that this latest installment is so strong. It's the 8th book in the series but is a standalone, so it can be enjoyed by those who are new to the series.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#BacklistReadathon @clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

I'm going to continue working on Seanan McGuire's backlist, starting with the tagged book (9th in the October Daye series).
#BacklistReadathon
@Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

I had a very good #AwesomeApril readathon, finishing 5 of the 6 books I had lined up. Many thanks to @Andrew65 for hosting!

A creepy and compelling retelling of Poe's “Fall of the House of Usher“. T. Kingfisher (a.k.a. Ursula Vernon) is an excellent storyteller and captures the gothic feel really well.

#AwesomeApril @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I really liked Malka Older's Infomocracy series so I had high hopes for this new book. I loved the idea of a cozy mystery on Jupiter but the execution was so-so. The sci-fi elements were definitely better than the mystery ones.

#AwesomeApril @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #2023 @Librarybelle

I met my goal of finishing 3 books for #EasterOMC. Thanks to @Clwojick and @LadyKatrina for hosting this fun challenge!

A compact, sad and beautiful story, set at the end of WWI, about a family's struggles with poverty and the severe disfigurement of the returning father and husband.

#EasterOMC @Clwojick @LadyKatrina
#AwesomeApril @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#BookCrossing

I decided this book is a pick even though I have very mixed feelings about it. It's excellent as a mystery and I liked many of the characters but ideas and attitudes described in the book are definitely dated.

#goldenagecrimeclub @Mitch
#EasterOMC @Clwojick @LadyKatrina
#AwesomeApril @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #1948 @Librarybelle

This is an Asian twist on dyed eggs for Easter. These Japanese ramen eggs, marinated in soy sauce, mirin and sake, are great on top of ramen but I like eating them on their own as a snack too.

#EasterOMC challenge 5. @LadyKatrina @Clwojick

Inspector Rebus investigates the disappearance of a young woman who was involved in a mysterious online game. I liked the complexity of the mystery and the multiple facets of the investigation that involved several of Rebus's colleagues.

#EasterOMC @Clwojick @LadyKatrina
#AwesomeApril @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #2001 @Librarybelle

This third and final book in the Arthur of the Seeing Stone trilogy was a weak pick for me. This historical fiction novel follows young crusader Arthur de Caldicot, while the parallel story of King Arthur plays out in his seeing stone. I liked the premise but didn't care for the writing style.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #2003 @Librarybelle

My goals for the #AwesomeApril readathon. @Andrew65

Morning coffee in my favourite Penguin Books mug.

#EasterOMC challenge 3 @LadyKatrina @Clwojick

As I've not read many books by South American authors, I enjoyed the experience of reading these horror stories, mostly set in urban Argentina. However, the stories themselves were mixed. A couple were excellent and some were just unpleasantly disturbing.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Although I like Simu Liu's acting, I was at first doubtful that this celebrity memoir, written at a relatively young age, would have much to offer. I ended up being surprised by how much it made me think about the immigrant experience, parenting, goals and expectations. I would definitely recommend this book.

#BookSpinBingo #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

Looking forward to a weekend of reading! These are my goals for #EasterOMC. @Clwojick @LadyKatrina

This recently published book about the mining town of Cobalt was written by Canadian Member of Parliament Charlie Angus, who has represented his Northern Ontario district for many years.

It covers many aspects of Cobalt and mining history, including the effects on the environment, Indigenous populations, the national economic, and more.

I loved this brilliant examination of small-town English life in the 1800's, and reading it was made especially enjoyable with the chapter-a-day read-along with the #pemberlittens. Thank you @BarkingMadRead for hosting!

I'm glad I discovered this book through #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub. It was a slow start, but I grew increasingly absorbed in the characters' lives as I continued reading. The author provides an insightful look into how people from the different classes of English society dealt with the aftermath of WWII.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#192025 #1945 @Librarybelle