This was a bit too quirky and nonsensical for me to really get into or enjoy. I only finished it because I was so far through it.

I've been reading The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson [not pictured] but it's a bit strange so I'm proceeding slowly. I ordered Before The Big Bang The Prehistory of Our Universe by Brian Clegg from my interloan system at my library, and just got notice that my Libby hold of The Winners by Fredrik Backman is in. It will be a lit-erary weekend for me 🤓📚

I forgot I ordered this thru my library system. I'm glad they're open late and I was able to remember to pick it up. Time to find out if I like reading about space as much as I enjoy watching videos about it.

I finished!!! Wow, what a ride.

I'm just about at the halfway mark in this. It's getting strange but so far I'm still following and it's not too fantasy-like for me. So far, I'm still enjoying it quite a bit and am interested to see where it's leading. I'm crossing my fingers 🤞 that I can finish it up this weekend. This is my first buddy read book.

My first book for 2023 and my first ever buddy read.
Got to use my new book journal trackers too 😊

A celestial blank journal my bestie got me, also for tracking books, as the first pre-made one is quite short and she knows I read a lot.

My best friend got me a book tracker for xmas

I haven't read anything historical fiction in quite a while

This was on my on my want to reads list for quite a while. What a sweet, feel-good type book. Just what I needed

Finished one Libby read (Things in Jars) & now onto Midnight at the Blackbird Café. It's been on my want to reads list for ages.
I do wish, sometimes, that my Kindle was colour... if only for the book cover photos 😔

Just finished The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and moving on to this. It was available now so decided to try it... but I've seen really mixed reviews so idk... might be a DNF

I'm not sure if it's the book or just me.... I feel like I've been reading this for forever. I've not read her before, but I know she's prolific and it sounded right up my alley. But something just isn't gelling and I've heard others say this isn't her best book. I'm about halfway through and it's just ok so far. 😐

Book haul from a book sale yesterday. It was the last day, so it was $2 a bag... but I met up with some friends and they bought my bag for me, so technically it was all FREE
Unfortunately I think I'm kind of starting a slump as I'm not really wanting to read anything 🥺😕

I have always seen a lot about this author and haven't ever read her. Picked this up at a yard sale fairly recently over the summer. I haven't read any historical fiction in quite some time. I guess some are telling me it's not a great one of hers to start with, but.... 🤷‍♀️

Went to a used book sale
These were my finds

Going to another one with a friend at the end of the month

Fuck, that ending. Goddamn he got me.

I think I had different expectations from this book than what I received. I thought it was just some retelling or their stories-- I hadn't quite realized that she did a master thesis in this genre and the work would be so full of technical details of the backstories, or reference so much historical artwork. Thus, I was bogged down through a lot of this book.

Anyone else wanna stop constantly and Google the images of all the art pieces she speaks about for references?

My two holds came in. Pandora's Jar & A Thousand Ships. Can't get enough mythology lately, I guess.
I tried to start this last night and I'm finding it a little more technical than I had thought it would be, but I'm hoping I'll still enjoy it.

Stopped at my library. I've seen a lot about it so I thought I would give it a try. I wish it wasn't large print, but alas.

Part II

Loki is insufferable and infuriating, like a lot of men! Yeesh
I'm finding myself smirking and rolling my eyes a lot @ what he says. Yet of course, he's charming in his own way, and doubtless that's why Angrboda puts up with him.

Shopping haul from Saturday

Everyone seems to rave but it was really just ok to me. Much too long, too much religion and too much political stuff. This really wasn't a highly rated one for me.

Pg 423/645... about 65% thru
Things are starting to fall into place... 🤔
I will say I do dislike how long the chapters are.

Hope this is good, I've seen a lot about it. Most people in my groups have had good things to say, but some said it's tedious 🤔

Book mail

Going thru my curious tags on Libby and finding anything that's available for reading now, at this very moment
Looks like it's this one today

My Libby loan for this book has come in 3x and I kept having to send it back due to other commitments. Finally getting ready to start this, though! Hope it's worth the wait/hype.

Onto book 5/6 as vacation winds to a close 😭
I remember not caring much for Lagercrantz versions of the series but in fairness it's been years. I'm giving this a shot.

This book was disappointing and yet eerily familiar in that it focuses on a plague in the 1910s infecting Chinese & Russians alike. Unfortunately I found no real resolution, I felt the story ended abruptly and we never find an answer as to what caused the virus or the fates of the main characters.

This was a quirky book. I liked it.

I'm still on vacation so I went back to my library for round 2 🤓📚
The Atonishing Life of August March, Aaron Jackson
The Physick Book of Deliverance, Katherine Howe
The Winter Station, Jody Shields
Artemis, Andy Weir
The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye, David Lagercrantz
The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street, Susan Jane Gilman

I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely try reading the others!

gave up on King.
Currently reading The Great Witch of Brittany by Louisa Morgan

'To be a reader, Ursule had always understood, was to be a rebel. To offend the traditional ways. To risk being isolated even more than she already was.'

Starting this while waiting for dinner at the campground

Checked into the campground this afternoon and continued a bit of this

2.5 star
I loved Water for Elephants and thought the premise of this book sounded good.... unfortunately it fell very, very flat. None of the main characters were at all likable and the story drags on and on. I had high expectations and this book didn't deliver at all.

After Harry's passing, Bess spends 10 years trying different methods of contacting Harry, as he left two codes for her so she would know it was really the magician. What Bess eventually discoverers might be more than she had ever imagined.
This book was a pretty decent read. Some of it was a bit slow, but I still wanted to keep reading. I quite enjoyed the ending as well. A solid middle of the road, 3 star good book.

Started this tonight. I'm about 130 pages in so far... not loving it... it's kind of slow and I'm still not sure what's happening. I'm guessing it's gonna be a 2-3 star for me... but guess we'll see

Stopped at my library
Maybe one of these will pull me out of my slump
Stopped myself at 5 📚
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections Eva Jurczyk
Mrs. Houdini Victoria Kelly
At the Water's Edge Sara Gruen
Full Dark, No Stars Stephen King
The Great Witch Louisa Morgan

.... and it's like letting her go in pieces. Selling off his grief. Addie knows that he sits down here because he's afraid of dying alone in his apartment, of not being found--- not being missed.
"I keel out over here, " he says, "at least someone will notice."
He is a gruff old man, but Addie likes him. Sees the sadness in his anger, the guardedness of his grief.

Saddened and angered over the events/decisions in the US today, so I'm comforting myself with a reread of a fav book, a snack, and some bitch beer

Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives---or to find strength in a very long one.

🎧 audiobook came in

Started my little free library find. I won't read the entire book as I've only watched a few of the franchises and only a couple seasons of those. But, a light hearted, easy read is just what I need right now. I feel a book slump coming on. (Happens to everyone at some point, right?)

Hated this book