These are just so sweet. Cozy mysteries with anthropomorphic animals as the characters - I've enjoyed the first two & will definitely finish the series.

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #14books14weeks @Liz_M

Everyone I know has loved this book, & it lived up to the hype. Beautifully crafted story with great twists.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #14books14weeks @Liz_M

Not a great month, @TheAromaofBooks, but July should be better! #ISpy #ispybingo

Slow reading month due to teaching an intense summer course. I anticipate July being much better!

Next audiobook down while falling asleep... #14books14weeks @Liz_M

I always have something in my ears when I go to sleep, & while I've read the HP series multiple times, I've never listened to them. I'm slowly making my way through Jim Dale's narration, sometimes no more than 15 minutes a night before I drop off to sleep. This is one of my favorite series, so all books are 5 ⭐ for me. #14books14weeks @Liz_M

Also didn't share my May #ISpy.

@TheAromaofBooks

Didn't share my May stats!

I got 50 pages into this, went to find it on Goodreads, & realized that I had read it in 2021! 😂 And rated it 4.5/5 stars! 😂 I blame COVID brain. But I finished it again & still really enjoyed it. #readyourbookshelf #14books14weeks @Liz_M

A fun "worthless piece of fluff", as my dad would say. Will definitely read the rest of the series. #readyourbookshelf #14books14weeks @Liz_M

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love novels written from various points of view & in different timelines, but it took me a bit to keep these straight.

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #14books14weeks @Liz_M

"Sometimes you have to gather yourself, you know, sometimes you, need to gird your loins or whatever needs girding."

Made me chuckle. ?

I just learned about #14books14weeks and since my current goal is already to get through this stack of books on my floor, I'll just use it, though it has way more than 14 books. But this gives me choices! I'll post again when I have my actual 14 picked out. ☺️ @LizM

I realized today that I never shared my April #ISpy board. Much better than last month! @TheAromaofBooks

I've never read Rushdie, but heard that this was good on audio. I always enjoy memoirs read by the author. Honestly, I didn't love the writing. (I'm finding myself very irritated by judicious uses of "she said" & "he said". This is not the first time.) The story was interesting enough, and I am obviously very happy that he survived to tell it. This was a so-so for me, but I'm sure that it will resonate highly with others!

⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finally. Out of my slump - what a good month! Especially for the end of the semester. And I didn't have anything below a 3.5⭐!

Nothing extra special to say here - just a good, well-paced mystery!

Although I now realize that this is number three in a series and I skipped two! 😂 Reading in order isn't really required, however. #readyourbookshelf

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Dewey's wrap up! I had a great day of reading - completed one book in print, completed one book on audio, and started another on audio. What a lovely, lazy Saturday! @DeweysReadathon

Sobbed like a baby through the last third of this, probably because I'm in a period of changing relationships in my own life, which was a huge theme in this book. It's not often that romances have twists, nor focus on friendship nearly as much as romance - both of those were nice surprises.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Essays aren't a go-to genre for me, but a Southern girl transplanted to NYC? Sign me up. This was delightful, & the author's voice was perfect. Will definitely listen to more of her collections.

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love Ann Patchett. I love Meryl Streep. I love "Our Town".

So, yeah, I loved this book on audio.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was just lovely. Billed as a novel, this is actually five short stories in which the characters are interconnected. This was gifted to me, & I'm so glad I own a physical copy, because I foresee returning to this.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My March "I Spy"!

@TheAromaofBooks

Never posted my March stats - a low month because of family stuff (all fine, just busy!). But I've already read two books this month, so April is looking up! 😁

This was sweet! Predictable, but it's a romance, so of course it is. A perfect brain-cleansing read.

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Had a lovely chat with the lady who checked me into my appointment to have my tires changed at Walmart because she is wearing a "Read Banned Books" t-shirt. I love book people!

Wrapping my head around this one, so I don't have many words. This might be the most well-written of all of them.

Continuing to break hearts, Ms. Collins. I am unwell.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Even spelled the "correct" way! ?

I just adore Louise Penny. Inspector Gamache continues to be one of my all-time favorite literary characters.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The phone rang. Again.

Love me some Inspector Gamache.
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Thanks to @BarbaraBB for this link - this is fun! Going to check out this for sure.

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/quiz-which-book-from-the...

Slow month for me, but I've also been reading Iron Flame. I only record pages when I finish a book, not daily.

Not a great #ispybingo month, but I'm really enjoying these! I don't read to try to complete Bingo - I just see what happens! #ispy @TheAromaofBooks

David Tennant is my favorite Doctor & one of my favorite actors, so I jumped at the chance to listen to him narrate. And who doesn't love James Bond?

Me. I don't love James Bond. Not as books - I enjoy the films as much as the next person. The books are dated & problematic in places, but that's understandable. IMO, the action scenes translate so much better to film, even with such a great narrator.

⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #readyourbookshelf

Gosh, this was depressing. I got it on Audible because it's narrated by Colin Firth, and I finished because he narrated. ☺️ Not sure if I would have if I had been reading with my eyes. Lovely language, but I didn't like the characters, nor the plot. Just not for me.

⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I watched this movie last week (Tom Hanks, #iykyk) & cried as hard as I've cried at a movie in some time. I didn't know it was based on a graphic novel until the credits rolled, & I immediately ordered it. The premise is brilliant - the "camera" stays in one place for the entirety, as we jump back & forth through time, often with multiple years in different, overlapping panes on the same page. Almost no words. So good.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lots of fun for Trekkies/Trekkers - fun twist to the phenomenon of a "red shirt". Wil Wheaton is always a wonderful narrator. But this author MUST find synonyms to "s/he said". Every line of dialogue was followed by "s/he said". Good grief, that was annoying.

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is my first time using Storygraph & I'm hooked! What lovely graphics.

Finally out of my reading slump. Hallelujah. #JumpStart2025

1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
1 ⭐⭐⭐
2 ⭐⭐
1 ⭐✨

Another cozy mystery that just didn't do it for me. However, this was #12 in a series that I'd never read, & I imagine that I would have enjoyed it much more had I been invested for that long. I did love that the crochet patterns for important items in the plot were included!

⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

Somehow, I didn't know #ispybingo is a thing! 😁 So, I'm catching up with January. This is fun! The different colors indicate different books. I don't intend to pick books in order to check off squares, so we're just going to have to see if any of my months end up with a bingo. @TheAromaofBooks

A cat, a book-themed blanket, NFL playoffs, & my book. #hyggehourmarathon @Chrissyreadit @AllDebooks @TheBookHippie

*whew* I don't typically listen to fiction, but this full-cast recording had been recommended. I enjoyed the pandemic story throughout, and then POW! the ending just hits with a twist. Each chapter is from a different person's POV, hence the multiple narrators. Excellent all around.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

I'm sorry to say that I simply didn't find this book to be very good. Granted, it's the third in a series. The stories stand alone, but there were references to previous stories, like many mystery series. I would have bailed if it weren't a mystery. I wanted to know whodunit, but the ending fell flat for me. It simply wasn't very creative or well-written, in my opinion.

⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

Read in one day. Yes, it's predictable - it's a romance. Kudos for addressing mental health issues, but I felt it was a bit heavy-handed with explanation/exposition at the beginning - I would have appreciated more showing, less telling. Still had me racing to read to the end!

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐#readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

"They're calling him Dr. Death."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Lived up to the hype! I'm not huge on fantasy, but this one kept me reading!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #readyourbookshelf #JumpStart2025

Rose is helping to keep me warm in the snow-covered south. And my blanket is book themed! ☺️

#hyggehourreadathon

This was, for me, the epitome of "fine". I still read it quickly to see how it ended because it was a thriller, but the ending wasn't terribly creative nor surprising.

⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #ReadYourKindle #JumpStart2025 @Lizpixie

Another page turner with many twists I saw coming... But one I didn't. First Ellison I've read, but not the last! #ReadYourKindle #JumpStart2025 @Lizpixie

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The minute I read this, I knew that Ms. Ellison was from Nashville. She knows what's up. 😁