The first batch of 2026 hopefuls.
January #Bookspin and #DoubleSpin list.
@thearomaofbooks

If anyone is looking for another challenge for cleaning out their TBR, and is on #GoodReads, the January #DustyBookShelfChallenge is up.
You post 5-10 books (ones you OWN prior to 2026) that you'd like to read the next month. Decide if you'll read 1 (turtle) or 2 (hare) books, plus an optional bonus book.
Here's January's post to add your list-
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/510072
⬇ (con't in first comment)

@guinsgirlreads I can‘t tell you how happy this #winterwitchswap 📦 made me! The books! The colors! The candy! The crystals! And that book sleeve! Everything is so perfect and amazing. I love it all so much. You have made day. Thank you so much. I‘m looking forward to exploring the beautifully illustrated Yule oracle deck.
And thank you @BookwormAHN for hosting this great swap.

Did I possibly squeal out loud when I got the approval email for this one?
Yes. Yes I did.
This will be my first read of 2026 for sure.
#netgalley

I‘m bound and determined to learn to sew.
Here are a few book sleeves I made in varying degrees of successfulness/failure. 🫤
Only one of these was good enough for a gift. One I‘m keeping (I don‘t mind crooked lines). And the third? Well…..

Sorry for the late post (I finally got a new job! I started last week and I‘ve been super busy and exhausted).

I‘m working my way through all the #jolabokaflodswap posts.

Harpy is guarding the #winterwitchswap and Jolabokaflod packages I have received.
Mine all have gone out. If my recipients haven‘t gotten them yet, they will any day now.

With this clever little novella finished today I have finished all but 2 of my #bookspin and #doublespin books for the year.
@TheAromaOfBooks

When I went to pick up a couple baking holds at the library I was able to find these two books for 50 cents each on their book-sale shelf. They look practically new.😍

#Goodreads Challenge met. This will give me 7 rows of 9 squares for my #2025readingblanket. Now I need to read either 3, 5, 7, 9, 13, or 17 (😹) more by the end of the new year for my #bookblanket to be even rows of 9 or 10 or have rows with 4 end squares that would have the year crocheted on them. Considering I can never time out my dishes to come out at the same time when cooking this should be interesting. 😜😁 3 or 5 seem doable.

Another cocoa morning with the pups in snowy Virginia. ☕️ 🐕 🔥 📖 🎄

With just a couple weeks left, I wonder what book will emerge to challenge the tagged book (which narrowly beat out We'll Prescribe You a Cat) to be my #2025BookOfTheYear
All in all, this wasn't the most exciting year for my reading, with this as my only ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ book. I enjoyed a lot of what I read, but not many amazed me.
#2025ReadingBracket

My December #Bookspin (20) is a seasonal #MoodRead from books that I already own and my #DoubleSpin (10) is The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson. I've been wanting to try something by him, so this little seasonal novella might be a good intro into his work.
@TheAromaofBooks

The #aardvarkbookclub picks are up! This one looks really interesting, with the potential to be heartbreaking.
What did you all get, or did you pass on the last box of the year? #aardvark.

Random colorful yet horrific #shelfie

Hoping to finish my #BookSpin #DoubleSpin books this weekend.🤞I've been in a reading slump the past 2 months. This year I added a new “rule“ to help me finish more books for the challenge & scale down my #TBR. Once a quarter I allow myself a swap of the picks with another one from my list that month if I am really not feeling the chosen one. That way I'm still reading off my planned TBR list. I've used ALL 4. 😂 #bookspintracker
@TheAromaofBooks

Here are my holiday themed December #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin hopefuls.
@TheAromaofBooks

All #JolabokaflodSwap matches have been sent out!
We have almost 100 people participating this year, and I see a couple of new faces (Welcome!!!) along with lots of old friends who have been with me for this swap since the beginning.

I'm off to bed now. 😴

I‘ve been in a funk/slump lately and just not reading very much even though both of these are enjoyable. I need to snap out of it soon.

#weekendreads

Last chance to sign up for this year‘s #JolabokaflodSwap
At last count we had 89 participants!

I‘ll be working on the matches this weekend.

This is a simple, budget friendly swap. You will send ONE book to your recipient AND some chocolate. Opening day is December 24th.

Sign up here-
https://forms.gle/AVnqdj6quby9jLyZ6

I can't believe it is November already. I‘m thrilled to host my 6th Jólabókaflóð Inspired swap. I just love the idea of giving and receiving a new book and chocolate on Christmas Eve. But you do not have to celebrate Christmas to participate.

This is a simple, budget friendly swap. You will send ONE book to your recipient AND some chocolate. Opening day is December 24th.

Sign up here-
https://forms.gle/AVnqdj6quby9jLyZ6

#JolabokaflodSwap

November #bookspin and #doublespin
@thearomaofbooks

I'm doing so-so this year on my #bookspin #doublespin progress.
@thearomaofbooks

November 2025 #bookspin and #doublespin hopefuls
@thearomaofbooks

Thank you @bookish_wookish for this wonderful #modernwitchswap 📦! #MWS
I love it all! And it is Harpy approved. She was especially thrilled by the colorful book sleeve and the little cat crystal figurine. Thank you so much. Everything is perfect.
And thank you @BookwormAHN for hosting one of my favorite swaps. Now I‘m looking forward to your #winterwitchswap

@mcipher I adore everything about this #AllHallowsReadSwap package! The sprayed edges on the tagged book are fantastic. I‘m very intrigued by the brown butter chocolate bar. The apple candle smells like a fall afternoon and Pennywise has a spot on my shelf right next to my Michael Myers candle. Thank you so much!

My final #BOTM pick. It looks super cute and I think I need that right now.
I have one more credit to burn but I couldn‘t fine anything else I really wanted that I don‘t already own, and I‘m due to renew in November, so I have to pause or cancel.
I am very excited about this hat however.
What did you all get?

Sorry I‘ve been offline for a bit (out of town, a couple days of technical difficulties, job hunting, interviews, ADHD hyper focused obsessive crafting, flu shot reaction, puppy nannying, READING, yada yada yada) but I swear I will get to ALL of my notifications today.

I have received AND sent out both my #modernwitchswap and #allhallowsreadswap #ahrs2025 packages (my recipients should have gotten theirs already).
Can‘t wait for opening day!!!

i picked up three new-to-me titles at the local book door in Lititz PA on my annual Chocolate Walk trip with my sister and my past TV coworkers. I had not heard of any of these books or authors so these were interesting finds. They look spooky, twisty, and fun.

Here is my (overly ambitious) TBR for this month.
There are too many books I want to read for spooky season and just not enough time. I had a hard time narrowing the list down to these as it is. I will probably get to about 5 of them. The rest will roll over into next month.

It's a Rachel Harrison October for my #Bookspin and #Doublespin and I'm all in for it. @TheAromaOfBooks

Thank you #Netgalley! I was just approved for this #ARC.
I am always excited for a new Starling book. Thankfully this one had a Send-to-Kobo option as well.
It almost makes up for me being rejected for the Tim Curry memoir (I‘d rather get that on audiobook anyway 😁).

@AardvarkBookClub delivers again. I was hoping for the tagged book. The other‘s an unexpected surprise that I had not heard of, but am excited for. It‘s perhaps a slasher version of Thursday Murder Club? If so, I‘m all in! Just in time for spooky season. I‘m going to have to change up my #bookspin post.☺️
#aardvarkbookclub
What did you all get?

Spooky season 👻 🐺 🧛🏻‍♂️ 🧙🏻‍♀️ 👿 has officially begun now that Slasher Summer 🔪 is over. (I guess that means for me it‘s always sort of spooky season).
Up next is Such Sharp Teeth. I can‘t believe I haven‘t read this one yet. I love werewolves 🐺 and I love Rachel Harrison; so exactly what have I been waiting for?!?!

I was VERY pleasantly surprised to see this as a #BOTM selection today.
I didn‘t like Armstrong‘s last foray into horror, but this one sounds good so why not? Another credit burned.
I also picked up a book from one of my swap match‘s wish lists.
What did you all get?

Some #audiocrochet today.
I made a little Sandworm.
#ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

My spooky October hopefuls.
#bookspin #doublespin
@TheAromaOfBooks

Harpy does not approve of the 2 page “cozy” cigarette ad in my 1971 paperback copy of this month‘s #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3 #Bookclub selection
🐈‍⬛She‘s so judgy. 😹😹😹

This year‘s #AllHallowsReadSwap matches have been sent! If you signed up and did not get a match, please let me know.
We have a small group of 39 this year. It was nice to see some new faces along with some of us who have been doing it since the beginning. I love hosting this and the #JolabokaflodSwap each year.
Opening Day is Thursday, October 30th. Have a spooky good time stalking your match. #AHRS2025

Found this at a local used book store yesterday. You know I love me some a vintage Christie paperback. 😍

OK I have NO concept of time since I got laid off. So here is last call to sign up for this year's #AllHallowsReadSwap!
Opening Night is Oct. 30th.

Sign up here-
https://forms.gle/yF672JHARgW4fB85A
I'll be making the matches tomorrow night.

This is a simple swap - You will be sending 3 Items-
1 BOOK From Your Recipient's Wish List
1 SCARY BOOK you recommend.
Halloween Candy or other treat.

Up next. This has been a good weekend of staying in and doing a lot of reading.

This looks like fun to read AND cook from. Perfect for the spooky season.

Next up is an #arc from #netgalley that I‘m finally getting around to.
This was also my June's #bookspin pick.

YES!!! Very excited to have been approved for this book by #NetGalley.
I LOVED The Change. I'm hoping this is as good.

Tea, cocktails, and book shopping at Kramers in DC last week.

Well this one looks like a lot of fun. Horrorstor meets Hobby Lobby! Thanks #netgalley!

My latest two #arcs

The camera did not do a great job of showing the pretty foil #aardvarkbookclub edition of this book. So pretty.

Meh. One of my least favorite of Christie‘s works so far.
Hastings was especially annoying in these stories.
I mostly listened to the audio while knitting Estella, my emotional support chicken, seen here with the paperback, so it was worth it.
I got laid off last month & am having a hard time finding a new job. Thankfully I have books & hobbies to keep me from falling too far into depression. #christiescapers #agathachristieclubr3 #audioknitting

Random #shelfie of some of my favorite reads both past and present.

#AllHallowsReadSwap is back! I can‘t believe that it‘s Sept already.
Opening Night is Oct. 30th.

This is a simple swap - You will be sending 3 Items-
1 BOOK From Your Recipient's Wish List
1 SCARY BOOK you recommend.
Halloween Candy or other treat.

Sign Ups are open until Sept. 21st .
https://forms.gle/yF672JHARgW4fB85A

Here is the inspiration I had 8 years ago for this swap.
https://youtu.be/1tYtLeWN5NQ?si=HZAFglrhmxAF4M8X