Here's my #Scarathlon bucket list this year

#Scarathlon2023 #mischiefandmayhem

Here's my #scarathlon watch list. I think there's a strong possibility that the only one I'll actually watch this year is Curious George.

Also, only a few more days before one of my favorite litsy events of the year begins.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnawYo1IDsBAr2s_LlqzBQlxM8KGwIqDxE1Dm4...

#mischiefandmayhem

1: My favorite from last year was What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

2: Cooler weather & seasonal coffee drinks

3: This is basically the one time every year I read horror, but I also like reading some paranormal romances to keep it from being too scary

4: I've been in a reading slump and scarathlon always motivates me to read more

5: Dress my toddler up in his costume, take some pictures, and eat some candy

#mischiefandmayhem #scarathlon

Audiobook: New Adult by Timothy Janovsky
e-book: Tall, Duke, and Scandalous by Amy Rose Bennett

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Miss Jane Delaney burst through the front door of Halifax House in a flurry of green silk skirts and ruffled petticoats. Breathless with rushing and bristling with ill humor, she came to an abrupt halt at the bottom of the stone stairs, then frowned as she scoured Chester square.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

3.5/5

This chronicles Ox's journey to becoming part of the Bennett pack over 11 years. It starts slow, when Ox is a teenager and Joe is a child. The book makes fun of itself referencing twilight and imprinting, but I found it a little weird that the connection between Ox and Joe, even if it wasn't romantic yet, started so young. Once I got to about the 40% point of the book, everything really picked up and it was an enjoyable paranormal story.

#bookspin: Wolfsong by T.J. Klunr
#doublebookspin: Tall, Duke, and Scandalous by Amy Rose Bennett

I already started Wolfsong a few days ago, and I always love when the bookspin and double bookspin line up for a #bookspinbingo.

@TheAromaofBooks

Favorite read of July was The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler

@chasjjlee

Managed 3 bingos in July

#bookspin #doublebookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

August #bookspin list

@TheAromaofBooks

July's #ISpyBingo

@TheAromaofBooks @Clwojick

4/5

After announcing their relationship to the world, Dani and Jameson have to figure out what it means for a celebrity to be one half of a royal couple, and if their new relationship can survive the pressure. I got a little frustrated with the choices Dani made, but they definitely made sense for her character. It continues to be a fun contemporary romance series. And with the way the book ended, I hope there's a third in the series.

audiobook: The Duchess Effect by Tracey Livesay
e-book: Wolfsong by T.J. Klune

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

4.5/5

This was a really dense book on what Collaborative Emotion Processing is and how it can be used with young children. It was a slow read for me because there's a lot to absorb and think about, but I do think it had a lot of useful and practical idea for helping children become more emotionally intelligent that I will return to.

#netgalley

3.5/5

When Hettie is blackmailed by her cousin she doesn't see any choice expect to marry him, until Finn, a Scottish Duke, offers her an alternative. Now she's married a man she knew as a child and together they must figure out if they can work together to create a life for themselves.

I found some of the communication issues a little frustrating, but overall it was a fun read.

4/5

When the annual Christmas party ends in disaster, Lyla owes her nemesis and co-ceo Mason Klaus a favor. She certainly doesn't expect that favor to be that he magically whisks her away to a Christmas lover's dream village where it turns out Klaus is more than a last name. This was such a fun, whimsical holiday romance.

#ChristmasInJuly @Littlewolf1 @Roary47

ebook: The Naughty of Nice Clause by Kate Callaghan
Audiobook: The Duchess Effect by Tracey Livesay
non-fiction: Tiny Humans, Big Emotions by Alyssa Blask Campbell and Lauren Elizabeth Stauble

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

4/5

The last thing Dani could imagine when she accepts an opportunity to perform in a tribute for the Queen of England's late husband, is that she would end up in a whirlwind romance with her grandson, Prince Jameson. It was more instant dislike to lovers than enemies to lovers, but it was still a wonderful read. I loved that it was from both Dani and Jameson's perspectives.

“Lyla didn't think her day could get worse. She had torn her tights on her bike, her curls had frizzled and doubled in size thanks to the rain, and now that she had finally reached the salvation of her office, she'd found a mandate on her desk that had caused her mood to plumet to sub-zero temperatures.“

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

3.5/5

Ivy moves to a small town after her divorce, and learns that her new home was the house of the town's own Mr. and Mrs. Clause. Ivy finds a letter in the pocket of the santa suit left in the house that leads her to uncover a small mystery and connect with her community. It's a short and sweet Christmas read.

@Littlewolf1 @Roary47 #ChristmasInJuly

Audiobook: American Royalty by Tracey Livesay
Library e-book: The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler
Nonfiction e-book: Tiny Humans, Big Emotions by Alyssa Blask Campbell and Lauren Elizabeth Stauble

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Sitting forward in the red leather club chair, Dani braced her elbows on her knees and bobbed her head, lip-syncing in time to the playback booming through the large airport hangar.

#firstlinefridays @shybookowl

2.5/5

Photographer Winter is about to experience the adventure of a lifetime when she join's Dr. Logan Spencer's trek to a lost Thai city. Unfortunately, Logan's isn't thrilled to have Winter on his team.

I thought the rom-com adventure part of the book was fun, but I couldn't get over Logan's bad attitude towards having a woman on his team. It felt misogynistic and there was never an explanation given for any other reason he acted that way.

4/5

Mary's life is changed in the moment she buys a winning Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot ticket. Now not only does she have more money than she can imagine, but she's going to have to finally divorce her estranged husband. Leo doesn't want to take Mary's money, but he doesn't want to sign the divorce papers either. I thought this book did a good job of forcing the characters to grow and deal with the consequences of the choices they made.

4/5

Sammy Espinoza's life is a bit of a mess. She's gone through a terrible breakup and she's about to lose her job, if she can't convince Max Ryan, the guy who ghosted her a decade ago to let her interview him about his new solo album. Back in Ridley Falls she is going to be forced to confront her past and the family who didn't want her. It's both a wonderful romance and a beautiful story about family that made me cry.

4/5

Alexei is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to figure out what direction his life is going to take now that he's become estranged from his homophobic parents and community when Ben literally runs into him. They decide to begin hiking together. It's a romance that builds gradually as the two become closer and closer as hiking partners and have to figure out what they want in their futures.

I usually only read 3 books at a time, but I had a library hold come through unexpectedly early, so I'm reading 4 this weekend.

Library: The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler
Nonfiction: Tiny Humans, Big Emotions by Alyssa Blask Campbell and Lauren Elizabeth Stauble
Audiobook: Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly
e-book: Sammy Espinoza's Last Review by Tehlor Kay Mejia

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

4/5

Anisa's boyfriend tells her about the Centre, a place where in 10 days you can become fluent in a new language. She goes to learn German and becomes close with the manager. The more she learns about the Centre the more she wants to understand its secrets. It's a suspenseful book that has a lot to say about colonialism and language. The ending left me with more questions than answer, but it was a thought-provoking and slightly horrifying read.

4/5

I picked this book up without reading the description and assuming it was a cozy mystery where an elderly lady would solve a crime, so I was little surprised when that was not at all what this collection of short stories was about. Once I got over my surprise, I really enjoyed this. I think it was particularly good to listen to the audiobook.

July's #bookspinbingo

#bookspin: The Nanny by Lana Ferguson
#doublebookspin: The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

@TheAromaofBooks

5 #bookspinbingos in June. It was an incredibly good reading month for me.

#bookspin #doublebookspin @TheAromaofBooks

More hard decisions deciding my top book of July between Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann and Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood. And an even harder decision between How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis and Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki which are definitely my top 2 reads of the year.

@chasjjlee

July #bookspin list. Lots of ARCs to finish out my #nggSummerSwapUp goals as well as a few #ChristmasInJuly reads.

#bookspinbingo #doublebookspin @TheAromaofBooks @AllDebooks @Littlewolf1 @Roary47

I managed a bingo again for this month's #ISpyBingo

@clwojick @thearomaofbooks

4/5

A cute, quick read about high school and crushes.

4/5

I really enjoyed this book that really encourages you to think about your friendships and put effort in both maintaining and creating the relationships you need.

audiobook: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
e-book: Tiny Humans, Big Emotions by Alyssa Blask Campbell and Lauren Stauble
#naturalitsy: Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Coriolanus released the fistful of cabbage into the pot of boiling water and swore that one day it would never pass his lips again. But this was not that day.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

4/5

In a regency England full of magic, fae, and old gods, Maelys has been cursed. She and her friends must figure out how to break the curse before it's too late. I enjoyed the story overall, but my favorite part was having Puck be the narrator. I thought it was very fun and allowed a lot of context of the world's mythology to be added through his perspective on Maely's story.

audiobook: The Life Council by Laura Tremaine
e-book: Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
#naturalitsy: Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

4.5/5

This is such an important book about the impact diet culture and anti-fat bias can have on children and teenagers. It's a book that both educates on the topic and offers some suggestions for how to combat the anti-fat bias kids are being exposed to.

Content warning: eating disorders, fat phobia

4.5/5

Beatrice Steele is a young woman living in the very proper town of Swampshire, but good manners begin to fall aside as a local ball is the setting of a terrible murder. Beatrice must work together with Inspector Drake to figure out who among her friends and family is a murderer.

It's a very tongue in cheek take on classic regency characters and tropes. It's a fun read for anyone who enjoys regency novels.

Introductions, gentle reader are in order. I am that knavish sprite that frights the maidens of the villagery. I am Oberon's jester - was Oberon's jester, that's rather the issue.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

audiobook: Fat Talk by Virginia Sole-Smith
e-book: A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seale
#naturalitsy: Islands of Abandonment

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

4/5

I think I liked the main character of this book the least out of the series, but I really liked the plot and ending. It's not exactly a satisfying ending to the series, but I enjoyed it overall. I'm glad to have finally read some Butler, and will probably attempt Parable of the Sower at some point in the future.

4/5

This is a fun, fairly lighthearted adventure as Valentine chases down his fiance across the country with the help of her brother, Bonny Tarleton. The adventure reveals to Valentine that perhaps he has been chasing the wrong Tarleton. It's fun and much steamier than some of Alexis Hall's other books.

I slipped into my first metamorphosis so quietly that no one noticed.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

4/5

Another super fun book in this series. When work finally pushes Lulu to her limit, she quits and throws her phone into a tub full of water. Clearly in need of a break, she joins friends on her cousin, the Dueling Kilts, on their Ren Faire tour for a few weeks.

This was a little more focused on Lulu's journey than on the romance with Dex, and I wish we'd gotten more about Dex's journey and growth, but it was still a fun read within the series

4.5/5

Elsie is an adjunct physics professor who makes money on the side by fake dating people, but when she interviews for a tenure track job at MIT she knows things will change. Except one of the members of the interview panel is not only an academic rival, but also the brother of the man she's been fake dating to help him avoid his family's questions. I loved this just as much as I loved The Love Hypothesis. A fun and steamy science romance.

3.5/5

I read Where Am I Now a few years ago, and I really enjoyed Mara Wilsons' return to look at some parts of her life, especially the difficult time right after her mother died, that she wasn't ready to share in her previous book. She talks a lot about the pressure on both her specifically and child stars in general to be a certain way and the affect it had on her. It's a quick, fun read.