1️⃣ One doesn't typically pick John Green for a funny book, but I don't know that I've ever laughed out loud so much while reading fiction. Warning: lots of cursing.
2️⃣ High school graduation for many long-time friends of my older daughter, who is now officially a HS senior! 😭🎓🎉
3️⃣ Italian
4️⃣ Five. My mother is an only child, so only on my dad's side.
5️⃣ 👋🏻

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a page turner, but I wanted an unexpected twist at the end. ☺ #boutofbooks

Barely 40 pages in & I'm already hooked! #boutofbooks #currentlyreading #currentread

I'm a sucker for a Sherlock retelling. This one was hovering at three stars for a while - the supporting characters were a bit bland - but then, the twist at the end! Mercy. #boutofbooks

⭐⭐⭐⭐ /⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love a good Sherlock retelling. Excited to dive into these! #currentread #currentlyreading

Not my best month - work was nuts! Here's to more reading in May! 🌸

The entire time I was reading this, I osscilated between wanting to stop reading (because it's intense & I needed an emotional break) & wanting to NOT stop reading becsuse I wanted to know what happened! Kristin Hannah hasn't missed yet, in my opinion. This isn't easy to read (abusive husband/father, life-threatening situations), but the payoff was so worth it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a lovely performance by Kenneth Branaugh. I am so looking forward to this entire series, narrated by celebrities.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

YES. PLEASE.

#currentread #currentlyreading #audiobook #readingwithmyears

#bookishquestions @Clwojick

Since @lynnsoprano tagged me... ☺

1️⃣ Magical realism - tagged book is by my fave magical realism author
2️⃣ Classics
3️⃣ Horror (although I think I'm ready to try some Stephen King 😳)
4️⃣ Magical realism
5️⃣ I'm not huge on fantasy other than Harry Potter, but I also enjoyed Miss Peregrine.
6️⃣ I truly haven't read a magical realism book that I didn't like!

📚 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
🎥 The Lion King
🎶 The Lion Sleeps Tonight

#manicmonday @joscho

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

1️⃣ Tagged book. I have others on pause, but I typically read just one at a time.
2️⃣ The last TRULY yellow book? A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia #3) by Alan Bradley
3️⃣ Ironically, yellow! 😁 It's so cheerful.

Hi, Littens! I've been in a bit of a reading slump recently & that has translated into not checking into Litsy much. The semester is starting to a close (I'm a university professor) & I'm making a new commitment to reading (and Litsy) as my primary leisure activity!

Hoping this will get me out of said slump. I've yet to read a Kristin Hannah that I haven't liked. ☺

I am fully on board with the Inspector Gamache semi-cozy mystery series!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finished this a few days ago & forgot to post about it.

The audio performance by Kate Winslet is FANTASTIC. She did such a great job with all of the character voices. Highly recommend listening to this one.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good luck & have fun to all participating in today's @DeweysReadathon ! Tonight is my daughter's prom, so I definitely won't be reading for the entire 24 hours, but I'll dip in & out as much as possible!

On to April!

Beartown - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Golden Tresses of the Dead - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Murder on the Orient Express (audio) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Troublemaker (audio) - ⭐⭐⭐

Believe it or not, I've never read this! So, I thought that a narration by Kate Winslet would be perfect! #currentread #currentlyreading #audiobook #readingwithmyears

I love memoirs read by the author. And I find the study of cults fascinating.

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh. My. Word.

Dan Stevens is AMAZING. I had no idea that he could do accents so well. His Poirot was perfect, but even more impressive to me was his range of American accents (he is English, for those who don't know him). I had read this in print years & years ago, so the ending was no surprise, but what a delightful listen. I hope that he records more Poirot mysteries!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Looking forward to this one! It's been decades since I read it. Already loving Dan Stevens' voicing of Poirot. #currentread #currentlyreading #audiobook #readingwithmyears

"And then Dogger did something that I will never forget until my dying day - if I live that long."

I love Flavia.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#pop19 - a book published in 2019; a book featuring an amateur detective

Our local library recently remodeled & this is the first time I've seen the quote that they added to this wall in the kids area. 😍

A slow reading month in February, & a late post because I was out of town in early March.

I had read Uncommon Type, but when I found that Tom Hanks narrated his own book, I had to listen. Anyone who knows me knows I adore Tom Hanks. ♥

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This is How It Always Is - Laurie Frankel
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Uncommon Type - Tom Hanks

Fredrik Backman has become an auto-buy/auto-borrow author for me. Mercy. The only reason it isn't five stars is because I don't see myself re-reading it due to the difficult subject matter.

#mmdchallenge - a book in translation
#pop19 - a book you meant to read in 2018, a book set in Scandinavia

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

On a college tour trip with my oldest, and of course we had to visit Brattle Book Shop in downtown Boston! Katie found a Doctor Who novel published in 1983 and a copy of "The Death of Superman" comic book. ☺ #raisingreaders

YAY! My hold on the newest Flavia came in! Gotta finish Beartown first, though.

🗺 Murfreesboro, TN (just outside of Nashville)
📚 Magical realism, contemporary fiction
✒️ JK Rowling, Sarah Addison Allen, Joshilyn Jackson, John Green
✔️ Anything by Sarah Addison Allen if you like magical realism

#socialsunday
@EchoLogical

As is typically the case for me, if I'm MIA for a bit, it's usually due to a show my daughter is in. And I share here when it's book related - we're halfway through her run as Margaret Dashwood! She has fallen in love with Margaret, so I hope that she'll read the book soon! Extra bonus: my husband is also in this show as Sir John Middleton!

1️⃣ I'm not a fan of Neil Gaiman.
2️⃣ Sweet. You have no idea.
3️⃣ Robert (Bob) & Marian, Donald (Don) & Beatrice (Bea). Unfortunately, all have passed. They would all be 100+.
4️⃣ Teen - Back to the Future. Younger child - Mary Poppins
5️⃣ NYC - I'd go to as many Broadway shows as possible.

#friyayintro @howjessreads

1️⃣ 35°F. Warmest we've been in three days. In The Deep South ™. 😳
2️⃣ 70°F
3️⃣ 68°F
4️⃣ Rain! ☔
5️⃣ 👍🏻

#hellothursday
@wanderinglynn

Long-time Litsy friends know that my family is incredibly involved in community theatre & I love sharing when a production stems from a work of literature. Opening in one week - my daughter Ashleigh (in pink) as Margaret Dashwood and my husband as Sir John in Sense & Sensibility! So exciting! Ashleigh has grown to adore Margaret, & I can't wait until she reads the book!

Ironic that my favorite new book & re-read from the month are by the same author. Kinda. 😉

Novels:
The Return of Sherlock Holmes ⭐⭐⭐✨
The Cuckoo's Calling ⭐⭐⭐✨
The Silkworm ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Career of Evil ⭐⭐⭐✨
The Summer Wives ⭐⭐⭐✨

Audiobook:
HP & PoA (Stephen Fry) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bails:
Meddling Kids
A Stolen Life

Riveting! I will read more of hers. Warning: there is some graphic content & quite a bit of language.

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Flew through all three of Galbraith's novels... And now I have to wait for the library loan of the fourth! 😭 😭 😭

Rated this one a little bit lower because it was bordering on too grizzly for me, but the twists & the amazing writing by JKR will still keep me going.

⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#pop19 - A book told from multiple POVs
#mmdchallenge - 3 books by the same author

Also, I'm currently re-"read"ing this by listening to it on audio.

I'm a huge Tom Hanks fan. Just ask @britt_brooke . ? I read this when it first came out, but just recently learned that he reads the audiobook (why this didn't occur to me earlier, I have no idea), so I just had to borrow it from the library to listen. ☺ #currentread #currentlyreading #audiobook #readingwithmyears #libby

I'm so behind on posting here!

I'm an official Cormoran Strike fan. Since I last posted, I read #2 (⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) & am now nearly done #3. Page-turning for sure! And JKR writing, so 'nuff said.

#pop19 - A book with a two word title

1. Teleport. I've wanted this to be my superpower my entire life.
2. The Cuckoo's Calling. The Silkworm just got delivered inbox (library e-book)!
3. Not really. Always things I'm striving for, but no true resolutions.
4. The West Wing. Haven't watched it since it was originally on nearly 20 years ago.
5. 👍🏻

#friyayintro @howjessreads

Will definitely continue the series!

⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So, I've never read, Virginia Woolf! Is this a sign? 😉

https://www.buzzfeed.com/dianabruk/which-classic-author-is-your-soulmate?utm_sou...

1. 70 books, #mmdchallenge, #pop19
2. Growing up, it was pork roast, sauerkraut, & mashed potatoes. Now, no one else in my family likes sauerkraut. ☺ Usually, it's just appetizers all day, while watching football.
3. Wonder Woman growing up, of course, but now I'd say Captain America b/c I love Chris Evans' portrayal of him.
4. June
5. 🎉🎉🎉

#friyayintro @howjessreads

Sure. Why, not? #bookishbingo

That's some awfully good reading weather right there! 😁 📚

Coffee, a new book, & a grooming cat cuddled up on my legs. Bliss. #currentread #currentlyreading #catsofLitsy

1. One 2018 highlight for each of my kids. My younger daughter played Annie in Nashville & my older daughter went on a school trip to England, Ireland, Scotland, & Paris.
2. 70 books, #mmdchallenge, #pop19
3. Best: hubby & daughter exploding onto the local theatre scene. Worst: nothing stands out. We had a good year. 🎉
4. NEED to get healthier this year.
5. Tagged! Just came in on my ebook holds.

@MinDea #humpdaypost

It's been a while, but I got back into reading through Sherlock. My only complaint about this collection of short stories is how abruptly each of them ends. But, since they were probably published as serials in a magazine or a newspaper, there was probably a word count range. ⭐⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#mmdchallenge - Published before you were born

And my 2018 stats. Had a few significant slumps this year. Here's to 2019!

December stats!

📚 AJ Fikry ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📚 Still Life ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 /⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📚 The Story of Arthur Truluv ⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📚 Pachinko ⭐⭐⭐/l⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What challenges are you tackling in 2029 (EDIT: typo! Obv 2019), Littens? I've never been good at completing challenges, but doing them has always helped to keep me reading. This year, I'm doing #pop19 & #mmdchallenge. What are you aiming for?

Here we go. I read 52 books in 2018, so raising the bar for 2019! Hope everyone had a great NYE!