January wrap up! #booksky 💙📚🎧

"Hate is loud, but I think you'll learn it's because it's only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as you remember you're not alone, you will overcome." -House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (Reread, I need whimsy) #booksky 💙📚🎧

Another one that's been on my TBR forever. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. 3.5⭐, unique story but so incredibly slow and books that bounce around in the timeline aren't really my thing. #booksky 💙📚

Finally got around to Red Rising (graphic audio version). I think I'm burned out on the trials narratives- it was a decent story but felt fairly predictable. I'll probably continue the series but I have higher priorities on my TBR. 3.5⭐ #booksky 💙📚🎧

Reread: Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan, 5⭐, my absolute favorite of her books. Do yourself a favor and grab this one on audio. #booksky 💙📚🎧

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, 4⭐, but I'm not invested enough in the characters to make the rest of the series a high priority.

Starfish by Lisa Fipps (for Book Girls' Lifetime of Reading challenge), 3.5⭐, but I'm not the target audience here. #booksky 💙📚

Catching up on my ratings from the last week and a half! First up, Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber (hitting January buzzword "after"). 3⭐, I don't think I'm going to continue the series. #booksky 💙📚

First 5⭐ read of the year - The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. While there is a romance subplot, this was fantasy, not romantasy. I think this was the first time I've listened to narrator Daphne Kouma, and I'll have to keep an eye out for her as well. When is book 2 coming out?! #booksky 💙📚🎧 🪐📚

Unpopular opinion- We Who Will Die 2⭐. Too many pages of fight scenes, not enough actual plot. #booksky 💙📚🎧

Book 1 for 2026! Shield of Sparrows 4⭐ #booksky 💙📚🎧

What book did you borrow from the library but love so much that you bought a copy for yourself? #booksky 💙📚🎧

Twelve recs for your TBR from my 2025 reads! All of these were 4+⭐ for me, and I tried to cover a variety of genres so hopefully there's something here for everyone. I did about half as audio (noted in alt text) and there are some great narrators here as well! #booksky 💙📚🎧

That's a wrap! I had One Dark Window as a DNF on audio, but I'm so glad I went back to it in ebook. That was a great duology but the narrator just wasn't working for me. Heartless Hunter was also excellent, and Henrietta Lacks should be required reading! #booksky 💙📚🎧

2025 Reading Challenge Wrap Up (part 1): - Book Girls' In Case You Missed It Challenge - Buzzword Challenge - A to Z (most of these are crossovers from other challenges) #booksky 💙📚

Starting to plan out which book challenges to do in 2026. I'm thinking Book Girls Bingo, Book Girls Lifetime of Reading, a "tackle the TBR" type, and Buzzword (once they come out), +Book Riot Read Harder as aspirational. Are there any really great ones I should do? #booksky 💙📚🎧

November wrap up! The Book Club Hotel was the surprise top pick this month, which I picked up just for a book challenge. Brimstone was not as good as Quicksilver, but I'll still pick up the next one. #booksky 💙📚🎧

October reads! Between working FT and job hunting, I only managed to get through 5 books this month and they were all audio. Highly recommend Voyage of the Damned, less impressed by the new Dan Brown. A bit behind on challenges but I can still catch up! #booksky 💙📚🎧

September wrap up, albeit a little late! Fewer books this month- things were busy with back to school stuff. I was disappointed in Oathbound after enjoying the first two in the series. The Thief was a reread. Katabasis was really good until about 2/3 in, then I felt it lost its way. #booksky 💙📚🎧

It's my favorite day of the month! What's the best thing you read in August? #booksky 💙📚🎧

July books! Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is not among my normal genres, but I try to branch out on occasion and it was definitely worth the time. I was disappointed by Problematic Summer Romance, I usually like Hazelwood more.

So many good books in June! Project Hail Mary was excellent (my 11yo liked it, too), and Love Haters was the most body-positive rom-com I've ever read.

Summer reading program rewards! (Yup, adults can earn prizes at our library, too. The kids got Artemis Fowl and My Weird School.) #booksky 💙📚

May reads! June means it's time for summer reading at the library - did you know a lot of libraries have prizes for adults, too? #booksky #bookchallenge 💙📚🎧

Giraffes Can't Dance for a board book, The Twelve Dancing Princesses (illustrated by K. Y. Craft) for a picture book, and Phantom Tollbooth for a novel!

Took my kiddo to a crochet class tonight and found myself crashing a book club meeting at the same time. I'm a fan of book clubs where you just share your current book and then sit and read awhile. #booksky 💙📚

April reading wrap up! Still need to finish Death of the Author for Book Girls Book Lovers for April. #bookchallenge. #booksky 💙📚🎧

Just finished the audiobook for Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q Sutanto and narrated by Eunice Wong, and it's every bit as good as the first book. #booksky 💙📚🎧

March wrap up! I intended to read James (Percival Everett), but wanted to read Huck Finn first. Hate to say it, but DNF Twain. I'm now halfway thru James and think it's a much better book. A bit behind on my challenges for the month, but should be back on track by the weekend. #booksky 💙📚🎧

being an indie bookseller in the helltimes has felt both very stable and very stabilizing, and part of me wishes everyone could be on my side of the counter for a little while, because I think it would help some of you be a little less cynical and doomy right now. so here is my VERY anecdotal data:

I finished my first ebook from bookshop.org this week. I was happy to have a better source than Amazon, but honestly the app needs some work. It reverted to default display settings between uses, the page turn was twitchy, and sometimes it messed up my location between seasons. #booksky 📚💙

The 1st is my favorite day of the month on #booksky since everyone's posting their monthly wrap ups and I discover new books for my TBR. 💙📚🎧

February reading wrap up! Top reads this month were Novel Love Story (5⭐), Legendborn (5⭐🎧), and What you are looking for is in the library (4.25⭐) #booksky 💙📚🎧

I've been intentionally working on diversifying my reading lately. This is the third Japanese translation I've read in the last year, and this one has definitely resonated more than the previous two. No rating from me yet as it's a current read, but I enjoyed the third story (about a working mom)!

February started blah, but it's looking up with a second 5⭐ read! Looking forward to Ashley Poston's next book in June. #booksky 💙📚

Legendborn has been on my TBR for awhile, but I finally got around to it this month! Such a good story! 5⭐ #booksky 💙📚🎧

House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (narrated by Daniel Henning) is always my first rec when someone asks. I also loved Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (narrated by her as well).

Final January wrap up! Plus 3 DNF, one of which went back on my TBR since the issue was the format and not the book. On track with all my challenges except Reread 2025 which is in progress! #booksky 📚💙

I read a lot this month (leaned hard into escapism for some unknown reason), so I'm going to start my monthly wrap up early. Only listing 4⭐ and above!

I didn't reread Fourth Wing and Iron Flame and I think that was a mistake. I might actually have to pause Onyx Storm and backtrack, but I'm worried how long the hold would be at the library if I did. #booksky 📚💙

For those trying to break up with Amazon, tell your kids your intention and why. They will be more than happy to call you out for it when you slip.

I honestly did not expect my library hold of Onyx Storm to come through today. Poor planning on my part, I just started another book yesterday. #booksky

I'm canceling my Kindle Unlimited before it renews next month. Any must-reads there I should check out before then? I primarily read contemporary fiction, some romance, fantasy, mystery. #booksky

Super sad that my local indie bookstore isn't open on Mondays. I was just thinking that would be a good way to spend part of my day tomorrow. 💙📚

It’s important to be clear that TikTok could have stayed up through the inauguration. Joe Biden said he’d not enforce the law. They made a choice to shut down and display a pro-Trump message. They weren’t forced to.

Did your child lose their book collection in the Los Angeles fires? Are you a teacher at a school that lost its library or your classroom library? Whether you need one book or a whole library, we can replace your books. 📚 Everyone else, please boost this post so we can connect with those in need. 🙏

I'm doing the Buzzword and Buzzword Cover challenges, Book Girls' Book Lovers and ICYMI challenges, and I'm tracking progress towards Bookriot's Read Harder challenge. I don't expect to finish that last one and am considering it a stretch goal. #BookishQOTD #Booksky

I can't do the 20 book challenge because I don't have the attentive span AND because I can't leave it without any kind of explanation. That being said, the book that probably had the biggest impact on me was easily Cheaper by the Dozen, which got me interested in operations research. 📚💙

˚｡⋆୨ #bookishcheckpoint : the TBR ୧⋆｡˚🍵⋅ ❥ last book added to your TBR: Color of Dragons ❥ added for its cover: How to Age Disgracefully ❥ next anticipated read: Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat ❥ a book everyone should + to their TBR: House in the Cerulean Sea ೃ⁀➷ quote with yours ! #booksky

January 12, 2025