#wondrouswednesday

1. Probably The Iliad, written in 8th century BC, published in English in 1598

2. Depends on the series and if it‘s still interesting to me. JD Robb‘s In Death series is up to 56 and I still enjoy it. But other series, I‘ve burned out after 7 or 8.

3. Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. I was sad but book 10 was a good place to end it.

#two4tuesday

1. I‘ve been so busy that I honestly didn‘t realize it was going to be a holiday weekend! So no plans, but I might have to do something about that 🧐

2. Based on the stories I‘ve read about wishes, they seem like tricky things, so I might just wish for the genie‘s freedom & go back to reading. 😉😁

Thanks for the tag @Eggs 💜

Karen Hallion, one of my fave illustrators, started what would become the “She Series” with Princess Leia when she added the action word Rebel. She went on to do more fictional characters & then was asked to do real women icons. When she announced this project via Kickstarter, I immediately supported it. For the book, she asked women writers to write about each icon. I received my book today & it is stunning. So many amazing women icons. 💜💪🏻

#two4tuesday

1. Art & writing

2. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I haven‘t read any books lately where the characters are in school.

Thanks for the tag

QT

🧠 Sherlock because his brain is fascinating.

🎧 both. Sometimes I‘m doing chores or walking, sometimes I‘m vegetating.

📚 so far, 77. I‘ve done some rereads but I‘m only counting the new reads.

Thanks for the tag @Eggs 😀

What a wonderful surprise to come home from vacation and find 2 pre-orders (that I had forgotten about) arrived! Now the dilemma is which one to read first. 🧐

We randomly stopped at this little cafe after leaving the Fairy Pools, which turned out to be an amazing find. I had the most delicious breakfast at Cùil Cafe (pronounced cool). The salt & pepper were in seashells. And I got these two fun little books.

Because self-imposed book buying bans don‘t count when (1) you‘re in a foreign country and (2) you‘re buying an different edition of a fave book that you already own so it‘s not a “new” book per se.

#two4tuesday

1. No

2. If they‘re done well and fit the story, then yes.

Thanks for the tag Lisa!

I just found out about this game for book nerds! My Shelfie (2-4 players) starts with empty shelves that each player has to fill.

This looks like sooo much fun! 😍 Has anyone played it?

Photo screenshot from IG: Jaysen Headley (ezeekat)

#wondrouswednesday

1. None. Nothing has really interested me in a long while. I‘d rather read.

2. None because it won‘t be the same and/or the story will be changed and that will just make me mad.

Once again, Abby Jimenez hits all.the.feels.
😭❤️😭❤️

This is why she‘s an auto-buy author for me. Love her books!

#two4tuesday

1. Always more. 😆

2. I walked into a bookstore and I found a new book that I had to read.

Clearly I text/write a lot about books because predictive text knows me well. 😆

#awesomeApril readathon starts Saturday 🎉

After audiobook February and a very weird, kind-of-in-a-slump March, April is looking up! My goal is to finish 2 physical books from my huge TBR pile.

#wondrouswednesday

1. My parents weren‘t the kind to ask me what I wanted to be—they focused more on qualities (kindness, compassion, etc.) because they understood a career is not really who you are. It‘s just a job. So I never really had many thoughts about jobs/careers. I guess the two things I did think about as a kid were writing and traveling.
2. I write and travel so 👍🏻👍🏻
3. 90s grunge, 80s punk, & classsical

Wow! 7 years! And hundreds of books, numerous swaps, readathons, pen pals, meet-ups, and and one amazing community. Thanks to all who make Litsy the best place! 🩵📚

I randomly picked this up the other day because who wouldn‘t pick up a pink book with a cat peaking over the title & a collaged chameleon? Exactly.

Then I opened it & there‘s a warning instead of a dedication.

Then I read the prologue, which starts “It is called Cabinet 13. But there is no particular reason for the number 13. It only means it‘s the 13th cabinet from the left.”

Needless to say, despite my book buying ban, I bought this book.

I picked this up at a local book yesterday afternoon & started reading it while waiting to go to dinner with some friends. I ended up staying up too late to finish it! Super fun, witty dialogue that made me laugh out loud, and an adorable romance. I totally want a Jack. 💜

Thank you @AmyG 😘

Featuring 26 horror movies, this would be a horrific town to live in but a super fun puzzle to put together.

I feel seen.

😆😆😆

#bookwormhumor #humor

A melancholy, unsettling book that left me with more questions than answers.

You'll “never know what it‘s like here.”

That's pretty much how I felt. Is it speculative fiction? Magical realism? Female dystopian? Folk horror? A bit of all of the above? Maybe. Kind of. I'm not sure.

I was that strange visitor from Elsewhere in this surreal, particular world. In the end, I'm not even sure what to think.

Book 2 #fabulousfebruary
#roll100 roll 3

#two4tuesday

1. Normally I‘m a mood reader. But this year, it‘s all about reading challenges, so I have a monthly TBR that I pick from.

2. Any day ending with a y. 😆 This post pretty much sums up my feelings on best day to read: http://www.lonebookclub.com/2014/09/the-best-day-of-week-to-read-book.html?m=1

So book buying bans don‘t count when buying a signed edition with an art print & bookmark? Right???

#amiright #failedbookbuyingban #bookhaul

My building has a bookcase to share books. Our own little free library. I took a couple down and found these two.

💯 #truth

I love this Twitter account.

A #blameitonLitsy book -> I ❤️ octopuses + had a Libro.fm credit & needed an audiobook for crafting

Michael Urie narrates for Marcellus & he was perfect. I loved hearing Marcellus‘s POV. As for the story, it's a sweet and, with the addition of Marcellus, unique, albeit a bit predictable. I enjoyed it but it‘s a soft pick as it didn‘t give me all.the.feels like Ove or Harold Fry did.

Book 1 for #fabulousfebraury
Fiction pick for #naturalitsy2023

@AllDebooks some fungi puzzles to go with the tagged 🧩💚

The left puzzle is from Puzzle Culture.
Top right is Woodland Magic by Elena Essex
Bottom right is Mushrooms by New York Puzzle Co

It‘s going to be cold tomorrow so a perfect day to stay inside & read. My #FabulousFebruary goals are:

📚 finish all 3 Library books
📚 read my #LMPBC
📚 read my #bookspin
📚 at least start my #doublespin, #roll100, & #12challenge books

Repetitive, generic, predictable. I thought maybe, just maybe some of the issues I had with the first book might have improved. If anything, it was worse. I skimmed major portions of each chapter and still knew exactly what was happening. But at least it‘s off my shelf.

My February #bookspin is the tagged & #doublespin is The Art of Racing in the Rain.

I love Kate and Curran. And this was such a fun novella, a day in the life of Kate & Curran in Wilmington keeping a "low profile." Ilona Andrews has built an amazing world and I'm so glad she keeps allowing us to visit.

January wrap-up: I posted a comprehensive breakdown on my blog, but in short, a total of 20 books -> 17 finished & 3 DNFs. I read every day. And I‘ve started another 2 but won‘t finish them before tomorrow.

A solid start to the year! 🎉

To save me some time, I listed all 321 TBRs (now 313) on a spreadsheet and then used the RANDBETWEEN function to randomly assign each book a number. I‘m using this list for both #bookspin & #roll100. When I read a book from the list, I delete it and the numbers will be reshuffled for the next month.

#two4tuesdsy

1. Surprisingly, the one book I read strictly based on the cover (tagged) ended up being my fave.

2. I needed a book to match January‘s postcard for the postcard reading challenge. The cover of the book has to match something on the postcard. The postcard had a typewriter in it (along with other things), so I just searched for covers with a typewriter. And voilà!

Thanks for the tag @Eggs

I love when a library hold comes in just in time to start a book club. February will be the first month I‘ll actually be on schedule! 🎉

#naturalitsy

I started this book on 12 Jan. Normally, a book this size would take me two, maybe three days. The writing style feels forced, the world building & character building lacks, and the plot is taking too long to get anywhere. After forcing myself to pick it up again tonight, I‘ve decided to admit I‘m not enjoying it and move on.

DNF‘d at 21%

This was my January #doublespin.

The 3rd Jansen brothers book features the oldest brother Wes. It was okay. I never felt a spark between Wes and Hailey. The meet-cute was awkward and felt a bit over-the-top. The rest was just okay and a bit bland.

Book 1 for #20in4

#audiopuzzling

Yesterday, I finished Sherlock (1500 pieces) & completed The Capitol (100 pieces) for National Puzzle Day. Today I finished Book Wyrms for International Puzzle Day. 🧩💚📚

Happy Puzzling!

I got my candle order from From The Page, including my Mystery Candle ➡️ Marsyas Island (ocean, sea salt, & orange). Any guess of the book I requested?

Thanks Sarah for recommending From The Page. These candles smell delicious!

Who wants to have a readover? 🙋🏼‍♀️📚

I‘m totally onboard for this idea.

An 80-year-old German man collected and stored over 70k books in a hidden library! And he didn‘t tell anyone about it!

I just want to tour his home. Look at the shelves on the ceiling!

https://bookstr.com/article/70k-books-found-in-hidden-library-in-this-germany-ho...

Jenny - I got the book today! Looking forward to starting it.

#LMPBC

My goal is to read 20 hrs.

I need to start The Pillars of the Earth & try to finish my #doublespin Sorcerer to the Crown.

#wondrouswednesday

1. This week, it‘s a writing competition that I‘m failing at. 🖋️🤷🏼‍♀️ Writer‘s block is causing my stress. To manage stress, I work out, take a walk, do yoga, read.

2. I hope everyone experiences love, laughter, & joy.

Originally written in 1997, I read the 2017 version that has a new preface. This is not an easy read & requires time to absorb all the information. But an important book to read to understand how this structural denial of reproductive justice of Black women threatens the liberty of all women and all Black people.

Book about reproductive rights for #booked2023

Asking me to pick a favorite bookstore is like asking me to pick my favorite book—it‘s too hard! 😆 Out of all the bookstores I love, I‘ll give Borderlands Books in San Francisco, CA a slight edge because it‘s all fantasy, SciFi, & horror. I could have spent my entire San Fran trip in this shop. 📚📚📚

Congrats @BennettBookworm on your milestone! And thanks for the opportunity to enter your #20kgiveaway

#JoyousJanuary wrap-up

8 books finished and another 3 started. A great start to the new year. I‘m ahead on all my reading challenges! 🎉

Thanks @Andrew65 🥳⭐️📚

I knew very little about the Spanish Flu other than it happened. This book provided an interesting look into the history & how it changed the world, specifically public health & epidemiology. But I felt it started to bog down in the last half.

Book 7 for #joyousjanuary
About a pandemic for #booked2023

I got the new Kate Daniel‘s novella and so of course I needed to go back and reread the entire series. Since it‘s a dreary day, I decided to finally dig out my craft stuff and started a new cross stitch project.

It‘s retro in the sense that I‘ve had this craft for a while, a long while. 😆 #litsycrafters

The book starts with a quote from Terence Ranger, The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 (2003):

“The brevity of the influenza pandemic of 1918 posed great problems to doctors at the time . . . It has posed great problems to historians ever since.”

This is my book about a pandemic for #Booked2023