This mystery classic had humor and some quirky characters. Published in #1942 , the setting is an academic library with librarian Gilda as the amateur sleuth. She‘s prickly, but with a flare that makes her entertaining. Johnson uses this book to softly poke fun at academia. A nice lighthearted mystery at a time where levity was needed. The audio took me awhile to get into, but I overall enjoyed this one. #192025

Thanks #NetGalley & the publisher

Thanks for the tag, @Deblovestoread !

1. Burn Out: How to Walk Away and Heal - even though I left my job in September, there‘s a lot, physically & mentally, I‘m still unpacking, diagnosing, & overcoming. It definitely takes time, & it‘s been a very slow process. Stress is no joke (maybe that‘s a chapter title).

2. I don‘t read many uplifting books, but the tagged book was such a quiet and beautiful read. So much love and growth. #Two4Tuesday

We‘re two weeks away from this month‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead discussion! I know some of us have found this to be not to be an easy read, and that‘s okay! Even if you‘re not quite into the book or had to put it down, feel free to join the discussion on the 30th.

Any thoughts to share so far?

Thanks for a great discussion yesterday! Feel free to keep adding to the discussion.

Our next #NancyDrewBR is The Clue in the Diary. We‘ll discuss on May 15th.

If you would like to be added or removed from the tag list, just let me know!

Here we go, #LittenDetectives - time for another discussion of Nancy Drew and her friends!

I‘ve posted 5 questions as spoilers. You can find them on my feed, the book‘s feed, or searching for #NancyDrewBR . Join the discussion whenever!

Share any other thoughts below! I‘ll post about next month‘s book, The Clue in the Diary, tomorrow! Thanks for reading with me!!

Combined #BookReport and #WeeklyForecast :

Last week I managed to complete a few titles and bailed on one book. Hamish Macbeth seems less like the Columbo of the Scottish Highlands with R.W. Green taking up the reins from M.C. Beaton. And Nancy‘s adventures at Red Gate Farm were more enjoyable to read than her time at Shadow Ranch.

This week, I need to finish my reread of Mr. Churchill‘s Secretary for IRL book club. We‘ll see what else happens!

Nancy Drew‘s latest adventure finds her and Bess and George staying at Red Gate Farm, where interest is high in purchasing the property from the owner, and a cult hangs out near a cave. Codes and snakes and suspicious dealings have Nancy trying to figure out what ties everything together.

So much better than the last one! #NancyDrewBR

Thanks for the tag, @Eggs !

1. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: suspicious, slow burn, cold

2. I‘m looking forward to diving into the next Cat in the Stacks mystery by Miranda James…I need some light reads!

3. Most recently, Mrs. Quinn‘s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford. I also recommend Anthony Horowitz and Louise Penny.

#WondrousWednesday

At 12% into the story, I‘m just not loving it, and quite honestly, I‘m not invested enough to continue. I purely checked this out for the hype, which I usually wait for a very long time before curiosity gets the best of me, but sadly it‘s just not for me. There are plenty of other books out there to try!

@dabbe - #HailtheBail !!

I‘m surprised I‘m the first one to review this - it came out in 2019! Set in #Australia, this is a dual timeline double mystery, with similar situations and some trigger warnings (see below). Abby finds an injured teen in the bushlands, which triggers some horrific memories for her. This is the stage for the slow reveal of the past and present, involving abduction, violence, and what it means to forgive. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

The latest in the Hamish Macbeth series is kind of a tie-in to events that happened in the previous book. Green‘s contribution to the series has made the narrative a bit more polished, which I think has made the characters and setting fresher and in some ways has revitalized the series.

I can tell I am that distracted that I forgot to take a photo of the book before returning it to the library! So, enjoy a photo of #SebastianKitty #CatsOfLitsy !

Combined #BookReport and #WeeklyForecast :

Last week was a dumpster fire of a week - I had medical appointments that did not deliver bad news per se but have caused some future explorations needed. My stress has spiked, understandably, and I did much more doom scrolling than reading. But, I did manage to complete two books, including #TheBros !

The next couple of weeks will be stressful, but I hope to escape into reading!

I can think of 2 right away:

1. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes - I loved the movie (hello ‘90s rom-com fun!), but had a hard time getting through the book. I‘ve tried others by her too, and she‘s just not my author. 🤷🏻‍♀️

2. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Recbecca Wells - hated the book, loved the movie.

3. Bridget Jones‘s Diary by Helen Fielding - I liked the movie slightly more than the book.

#TLT #ThreeListThursday

I did it! While there were chapters that I did not understand the significance of, I overall liked this novel. I know, unpopular opinion! Dostoevsky examines good versus evil, religious ideology, love and hate, and family. There are the struggles to conform to a given mindset, to break away from familial ideals, to resist temptation. Dostoevsky longwindedly dissects religion - what is belief, what does it mean to follow the church, and, through ⬇️

Thanks for the tag, @Eggs !

I think the only new thing to report this week is completing book 50 for the year, which is I think the quickest I‘ve reached 50, well, ever. I‘m well on my way of reaching my Goodreads goal this year.

#WhatsNewWednesday

Thanks for the tag, @Sleepswithbooks !

📚I read both paperback and hardcover!
📚Both fiction and nonfiction!
📚Historical fiction!
📚Both recent releases and classics!
📚Neither coffee nor tea - hot chocolate is my hot drink of choice, when I crave a hot drink!
📚 I much prefer physical, though I read a lot of digital!
📚I prefer print, but also read a lot of audio!

#WondrousWednesday

My April #BookSpinBingo board and my March results - no bingo, but I‘ll get there one of these months!!

While I wished this one had a bit more thriller aspects, I did enjoy the view of a con from the con artist‘s perspective. #IgnoranceIsBliss when the female MC is on the case, hiding her true intentions from her marks. There were a couple of twists that I did suspect and others I did not. Overall, a quick, fun read. #BBRC #Adult

Today begins this month‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead !

Read at your own pace throughout the month. I‘ll post checkins periodically. Discussion on April 30th!

If you would like to be added to this month‘s tag list, let me know! And, if you would like to be removed from the list (for this month or the main tag list) let me know too!

#LittenDetectives : we‘re two weeks away from our next #NancyDrewBR discussion!

Questions will be posted on the 15th!

In the meantime, @lauraisntwilder shared info on a video game based on last month‘s book on Shadow Ranch: https://store.steampowered.com/app/572740/Nancy_Drew_The_Secret_of_Shadow_Ranch/

I‘m very excited to go back to Manderley this month! I read Rebecca years ago and enjoyed it so much. Thanks to #PemberLittens #HashtagBrigade for enabling the revisit!

March stats!

I read a number of really good books in March. Besides Evelina, which I adored, I loved Mrs. Quinn‘s Rise to Fame, The Collected Regrets of Clover, and North Woods. I ended the month with completing 16 books.

I‘m doing very well with my GR goal, and of course I had to add a graph from Storygraph because it‘s awesome.

Wishing everyone a good April reading month!

I made this a few days ago and then proceeded to forget to post! My list for April‘s #BookSpinBingo …many of the titles are recycled from past bingo boards. I‘ll get to them one of these months!

Combined #BookReport and #WeeklyForecast :

I‘m still thinking about North Woods! It was so good. As I listen to the birds outside, I cannot help but be reminded of the setting.

I‘m not as far along with the remaining March #buddyread titles as I had hoped, but I‘ll keep plugging away. The Golden Notebook is harder to get through than #TheBros …shocking to me!

I‘ve got a lot of buddy reads lined up for April - I hope I remembered all of them!

It‘s time for this month‘s discussion #LiteraryCrew ! I‘ve posted 7 questions as spoilers that can be found on my feed, the book‘s feed, or searching the hashtag. Answer whenever you would like!

I‘ve not quite finished this month‘s book, but I have to say I am greatly enjoying so far!

Another superb entry in the In Death series! Eve confronts parts of her past and has to prove her bff‘s innocence. I laughed out loud in a couple of parts, and I‘m enjoying how much Eve and even Roarke have grown so far. Cannot wait to see what is in store for them next. #InDeathLongReadalong

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

2. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

3. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

#TLT #ThreeListThursday

Oomph…I can see why this book has a low rating on Litsy! I was so tempted to increase the listening speed just to get through the book at times. It has a good premise - friends quarantining together, and said friends have lots of issues. Not very likable characters, and that did not bother me. But, the last part of the book was like reading something completely different and just randomly added.

Using this for #BBRC #Adult #RainOnMyParade

Overall, I enjoyed this retelling of Emma. The ending to me seemed to be a very different tone from the rest of the book, which disappointed me a bit, but this is still a pick. I loved seeing Emma‘s passion for art shine throughout the novel and her convictions to stand on her own in certain situations - lots of growth. It was cute and light…great choice for #PemberLittens ! #JaneAdjacent

Thanks for the tag, @Read4life !

1. Simone St James, Nora Roberts, Anthony Horowitz, Louise Penny

2. That‘s hard! My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice, but my favorite genre is probably mystery. Let‘s go with And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

3. Louise Penny, Donna Leon

#WondrousWednesday

This beautifully written novel entranced me from page one. Mason writes such a unique novel, focusing on a body of land and its inhabitants over centuries. Telling the story through various mediums - prose, diary, poem, letter, song - really made this so riveting and lyrical. The tie in with everyone too, the little nuggets thrown in over the years, just added perfectly to the story. I am so glad I read this! #52BookClub24 #AtLeastFourDifferentPOV

For this week‘s #hyggehour , I read North Woods. Purely a #blameitonlitsy book. I‘m loving it. So unique & original.

#Vladimir joined me this week in my reading nook & chair, with my Candied Apple Yankee Candle scenting the air. #CatsOfLitsy

It felt good to turn off life for a bit…my mental health has not been strong this past week. This was a good reset moment, & I plan to listen to a session on the Calm app later tonight.

I realized I forgot to post an earlier checkin…so sorry #LiteraryCrew ! We are a week away from our discussion of Hour of the Witch.

Any thoughts to share before the 31st? I‘m starting this soon so I‘ll be ready for the discussion! #buddyread

Combined #BookReport and #WeeklyForecast :

I managed to complete three books this week and keep up with most of my buddy reads. The Housemaid did not have stellar writing, but McFadden can craft a very suspenseful storyline. And, I just love the Cat in the Stacks mystery series!

This week, I have a large stack of books due this week to the library, so my aim is to read as many as I can. The end of #TheBros is in sight!!

April‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is the acclaimed first in a trilogy centered on Tudor England. I‘ve read it before, and it‘s good!

Read at your own pace…I will post periodic checkins throughout the month. Discussion on April 30th.

If you would like added to this month‘s tag list or the group tag list, just let me know! All are welcome!

I greatly enjoy this cozy mystery series featuring Charlie the librarian and his cat Diesel. This series entry features a children‘s author whose books are very similar to Nancy Drew (perfect #NancyDrewBR tie in). Book collecting and the antics of obsessed collectors is comically explored. And, of course, murder happens. Fast read with entertaining characters.

Thanks for the tag, @Eggs !

1. I think anytime my family can get together is special - it‘s just my parents, my brother and his family, and myself, so pretty small. Nice time to catch up and share news.
2. My mom
3. Saturday night pizza night and MST3K (Mystery Science Theater 3 Thousand)!

#WondrousWednesday

Light pick…the writing was less than stellar - how many times McFadden repeats the same thing over and over got on my nerves - but the thrill of the story kept me reading and the various twists. And the end - wow! I can see why she has become extremely popular, with long waiting lists for her books at the libraries. Fast read that left me gasping in parts. #52BookClub24 #AnAuthorEveryoneHasRead