Love the quotes. The first one makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Adding Wintering to my want list. Thanks!

Heavens above, You mean I actually found a romance you didn't like. Who da thunk it? LOL! ❤️💋

Talked to my father in law yesterday and we’re going to buddy read The Princes of Ireland when he finishes his current book which is a spy thriller hubby bought him. I just got through sorting through more boxes in our garage great cleanout and ‘finding’ books that I want to read this year. LOL! Redid our shelves to absorb them. Maybe hubby won’t catch on just yet. 😁

I just finished You made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by new to me Nigerian author, Akwaeke Emezi, and recommended by Smart B, Trashy Books. @kareni this is one you'd probably enjoy. The story is more than just a romance as there were so many layers to this story. It’s about loss and grief, sexual attraction, choices, and love, sorrow and learning to live again. After the loss of her husband, Feyi is trying to figure out if she can ever love again. She plunges into the dating waters full steam ahead, trying to figure out who and what she wants. She’s a woman exploring the sexual waters and falling in love with someone she didn’t expect. The beginning of the story fooled me when it went full boil with a sexual escapade, but I gave it a chance. It simmered down and the more I learned more about Feyi, the deeper I became invested in her story. It was crude, it was raw. It was full of angst, full of sorrow. Full of choices, and full of love. “It was like a fork in the road has closed, shut off by an avalanche of grief, choked with rocks and a broken heart. It wasn’t supposed to open, and honestly, it still hadn’t, but somehow, an entirely new path had formed, green and creeping.” The story sticks with you long after you finish it, making you think. One of the themes was about choice. The choice Alim makes, wants to make for himself, when in the past, all his choices were for his children. He’s choosing himself this time. Which got me to thinking about some decisions we make aren’t about the other person but about us. Food for thought. “I feel like the world wanted to remind me that it loves me, and so it gave me him. It gave me a chance, that possibility he’s always talking about, and I seized it with both hands because I know, and Alim knows, how f’ing rare it is for that door to open, even by a crack, and what it’s like when it closes.” I’m looking forward to reading more by this author. Fair warning – the story contains LQBTQ supporting cast characters. and crude language.

I loved the Virgin River series and have read Carr's other series as well. I tried watching the TV show and there are vast differences. I think the books are better and give you more background details. Enjoy!!! Yay! So glad you decided to dive in. Oh man, I loved The Starless Sea and can't wait to hear what you think when you are done. I started listening to it first in the car and loved the two narrators, their voices perfect for the story. One for the in between stories and another for Zachary's part of the story. Then picked up the book to read when home for a couple days and couldn't put it down. Really captures your imagination, with plenty of sensory detail to keep both your mind and your senses engaged. Beautiful story and one of those books I'll enjoy reading again.

Enjoy! I finished the series a couple years ago. I originally read The Eye of the World in 2010 due to a dare challenge. Then kept reading one or two a year. I don't know why it took me years to do so when I devoured the Outlander series a years ago in a matter of months. I think it's because Jordan's series was such a dense, intense, massive undertaking for the characters, it took time to absorb between each reading. That's my theory and I'm sticking with it. LOL! Maybe I'll binge read it one of these years when I have nothing else to read. Ha Ha! This year I have the last two books in Brandon Sanderson's Storm Light Archive to finish.

I also found The Whalebone Theatre through the Royal Reading Room and look forward to reading it. I'll be joining in on season 9 since I have the books in my stacks. Congratulations on Grad School!

Thank you @Vintage81for the thread! I want to read more nonfiction this year and also read more faith based books. Read Thomas Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain years ago and since then have dipped into his various books. Decided to work my way through his Journals and have had the first one Run to the Mountain in my virtual stacks forever. And I had also added the 2nd journal Entering the Silence to my physical stacks last year. So started Run to the Mountain this morning. Lots of yellow and orange highlights in kindle. LOL! So it looks like I’ll be immersing myself in Thomas Merton this year. I went hog wild with Henry Nouwen and added a few of his to my stacks. Started You are My Beloved daily devotional this morning. Plus I’ll be working through his Draw Ever Closer (30 Days with a Great Spiritual Teacher) next month most likely. My bathroom book is Mike Rowe’s The Way I Heard It So off to a good start with the non fiction. I'm reading through the alphabet again from A to Z and back again so my A books are Murakami’s After Dark and Kevin Anderson’s Clockwork Angels.

😘 🍾 🥂 💖

Love the pictorial version! Every one seems to love Demon Copperhead and since the folks, including you have enjoyed it, I added it to my virtual stacks. I have a couple more Barbara Kingsolver books in my stacks that I need to read. One of her books I really loved and provoked much thought was The Poisonwood Bible. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. Yes, this is a must read because it humorous and sweet as well as mysterious. And there are dragons. Thank you! And well done. I totally enjoyed To Sleep in the Sea of Stars. The story, the world building, the characters and the relationships building among all of the characters. I had the biggest book hangover after finishing it. The Midnight Library was so so good and gave much to think about. I thought it was going to be depressing, but ended more philosophical.

You were an inspiration with the book chains and as I added books to my stacks this year, could see where they could link. So may give the book chain a go in 2023. Thank you ever so much for taking us on a Crime Spree. You and Amy put in a lot of work and it showed.

And Thank you for all the wonderful links over the years, contributing to my teetering tbr stacks. 😊 Congratulations and sounds like fun. I have this one in my stacks. Glad you enjoyed it. That is an idea. Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors and loved The Nightingale. It was haunting and beautiful and left me misty eyed. The Artist Way is excellent and lead to many discoveries. Can't miss with that one.

John Boyne also wrote The Boy in the Invisible Pajamas which was set in a WWII concentration camp and was about the relationship between one of the internees and the commandant's son. Liked his written but had forgotten about him. So had to investigate Heart's Invisible Furies and immediately bought it. Enjoyed your summary of the year and glad you liked Lessons in Chemistry and Other Birds as they are in my stacks. I'll be working through my TBR stack in the new year, at least until mid year, when the urge for more books no doubt will become too hard to ignore. LOL! My buying ban goes into affect at midnight, so thank you for reminding me of Boyne. And a huge thank for offering to continue a reading thread in 2023. I'm looking forward to sitting back and participating in the new year!

Hugs. Our furbabies are very special and losing them is tough. So sorry for your loss.

This year Hubby received twice as many books as me but mine are fatter. LOL!

If you still own the blog, yes that would be a great idea to resurrect it. I've been blogging since 2007 and aren't as active as a I used to be when I posted almost every day. I'm more active at the beginning of the year, than it winds down to once a week and my son also posts on it.

Wow. It seems like this year just flew by. My reading year was a mixture of new reads and rereads. I had a plan at the beginning of the year and was pretty good with writing some reviews until about mid year, then meandered completely off the path. My goal at the beginning of the year was to read and whittle down my physical stack. I read a total of 145 books of which 42 were physical books and 10 were over 500 pages. I finished updating goodreads but their numbers and mine don't agree and I'm not quite sure what's up with that. I was good and read only from my physical and virtual stacks, and stuck to my buying ban until June. Then I went off the rails, especially by the end of the year. 2023 buying ban is now officially in force. Category breakdown's, (Not including entire series): Fantasy (17), Books about books (14), Science Fiction (11), Romance (11), Mystery (9), historical fiction (8), Thrillers (7), and police procedurals (6). Included in those numbers are 26 new to me authors. Discovered that over the past few years I'd started several series, but not at the beginning, but somewhere in the middle, and I'm not sure how that happened. I'm a series completionist so once I discovered that, I ended up reading them from start to finish. The series included: Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak (20) Devon Monk's Ordinary Magic (6) Drew Hayes Super Powereds (4) Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy (3) Keri Arthur's Lizzie Grace (9) Louise Penny's Armand Gamache (18) M.L. Buchman's Miranda Chase (11) Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter (15) I started the year with Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel which I adored and was not a book to speed through. The story was complex and I read it in small sips, finding there were phrases and images which stuck with me. Quotes I wanted to save of Cromwell’s wit, reactions of his family, his thoughts pebbled throughout from childhood to adulthood. The read that stuck with me as well was Stabenow's Kate Shugak which not only pitted the characters against the elements, but involved mysteries as well as the politics and culture of Alaska and native Alaskans. I was totally emersed for a full month. It had all the feels and ran the gamut of emotions from surprise to tears to laughter to anger. Another entertaining series was M.L. Buchman's Miranda Chase series which was about an autistic woman who worked for the NTSB solving airplane crashes for the military mainly. The story delved into how her autistic nature affected her working and personal relationships and how she learned to handle them. The story and character that made me want to live in their world was The Choice, part of Nora Robert's Dragon Heart Legacy series which was set in Ireland. I loved all the characters and the fact there was a portal to fairy right next door to her house. Oh, and the dragons, of course. LOL! Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay left me with a book hangover and the feeling of having read and excuse the pun, an amazing, yet exhausting adventure. In The Bookshop at Water's End, everyone down to the children had baggage of some sort and it was an emotional story which I usually wouldn't enjoy but the writing was so well done, it pulled me into the characters lives, rooting for them all the way. N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season was a dark story, but oh my f''ing God, it was so good. The theme of slavery was pervasive through out the story, child were hated because of their ability to control the land, and unfortunately they were abused and or killed because of it. The story was so well written and the author very bluntly showed the reader what was happening, without getting preachy. There were several twists and turns and of course the story didn't end. It will be continued in the Obelisk Gate, which I have on the shelves for the new year. I loved the cast of characters in Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series with the mystery playing out in the midst of some personal crisis, how they solved the crime. After a while the descriptors attached to some of the characters got a little old but other than that, each story's killer was unique. There were enough surprises and red herrings to throw every one off. In Faith Hunter's Final Heir, the last book in her Jane Yellowrock series, there are so many moments. Moments that made me sad, moments that were so powerful. Moments that were amusing or scary. Elizabeth Bear's Ancestral Night sucked me in and I had a book hangover when I finished. My mind so full from the vastness of outer space and all that happened and I had to sit with the story for a little bit as it as was a very complex story involving philosophical, cultural, political, and psychological themes. Drew Hayes Super Powered series was a great series and however much I'd like to compare it to Harry Potter, there really was no comparison. The characters were college age kids, each with a special super power, no wands, who learned how to use their powers amidst the angst of college and real life battles. It will be well worth reading again. I had so many book hangovers this year. LOL! Attica Lock's Bluebird, Bluebird was a disappointment and depressing because for a law abiding Ranger, he drank too much, suffered from black outs, didn't always follow the rules or the laws, and got himself into hot water. One book that I think everyone should read? So so hard to choose just one but if have to it would be Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak's A Cold Day for Murder. If you enjoy the first one, then get ready for a ride because you'll want to read them all. So many good books and I know I leaving something out. One of my goals for next year is to not fade mid year and at least try to write a mini review on my blog of each read so I can remember why I enjoyed it so much. Will post more later!

Link to week 52

“Books are keys to wisdom's treasure; Books are gates to lands of pleasure; Books are paths that upward lead; Books are friends. Come, let us read.” ― Emilie Poulsson Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my lovelies. It's time to retire this year's walking shoes, hang up our hats, and sort through our backpacks to see what treasures we found during our reading adventures. Come join me in the parlor, grab a hot cup of tea or coffee, a glass of wine, or some juice, and curl up by the fire, while we talk about our books. So, how'd it go? Are you the type of reader who likes to have a reading plan or do you like to meander about the countryside, reading whatever comes to to hand? Do you like to read only one book at a time or do you like to dip your fingers and toes, even your whole body into more than one story at a time? Did you heed the call of those chunky and dusty books? Did you read only from your TBR pile or did you seek out new stories, new thrills? Tell us about your most entertaining read of the year? Which story or stories stuck with you the longest? Which characters did you fall in like or love with? Did they make you want to dive into their world and live there? Which stories surprised you, made you reflect, laugh out loud, tear up, or irritated the heck out of you? Which stories inspired web wonderings and lead you on rabbit trails? Where in the world and through what time periods did your reading adventures take you? What is the one book you think everybody should read? Everyone's last mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read one of those books in 2023. Let us know which one you choose. Sandy and Amy took us on a delightful crime spree into the world of clues and conundrums, the crafty and the cagey, and the quick and clever with the grandparents of crime, to the classic children's mysteries to the golden age, and around the world and back again. Where did your adventures take you during your crime spree? Thank you ladies! What are your reading plans for next year? How many books did you read? Share your stats, new to you author discoveries, favorite quotes, or covers. We've had a long run, my lovelies, but it's time to retired my hosting shoes. Thank you to all our BAWers, both past and present, who have shared in our reading adventures. Your friendship and sharing your reads and lives have meant the world to me. Thank you also to all those who followed our progress and hope we've inspired you to read more. Whether you read fast or slow, dive into the classics or delve into comtemporary romance, sleuth your way through mysteries, explore translated stories or pour through non fiction, the most important thing is the reading. “Reading is like thinking, like praying, like talking to a friend, like expressing your ideas, like listening to other people’s ideas, like listening to music, like looking at the view, like taking a walk on the beach.” – Roberto Bolaño 52 books will be morphing into a more casual reading thread thanks to Vintage81, who will be posting a monthly thread for all of us to talk about our reads. Although 52 Book may be ending here on the forum, all the mini, annual, and perpetual challenges along with an updated 2023 bingo and bookology challenge will still be available on Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks blog if you like participating in any of the challenges. Cheers to a happy and healthy, enlightening and inspiring, reading new year! Link to week 51 Visit 52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini, and perpetual challenges

Coming in a little late with a different take. There is also the drastic step of putting it all on his shoulders. Quit providing economic support and let him handle it all. He has a roof over his head even if it is currently couch surfing. He's paying rent. He has a job, although it's not one you think is the best for him, but he has a job. If he is responsible for everything, it may give him the impetus to get another job, a better paying job. He's young. Let him experiment, find out what makes him happy. Living under someone else's roof beside mom gives him a sense of independence. You have given him, taught him, everything he needs over the years. Now it's time to let him fly solo. It's hard to let go but sometimes we have to. We have to let them fail. Let him fly solo for a while, a year at max. He might surprise you and fly. I can't tell you how many times I moved back home over the years when I was between jobs but mom was always there with open arms to accept me back for however long I needed.

I just finished Ilona Andrews Clean Sweep and realized I'd never read it. I must have started but didn't finish for some reason eons again and it's been languishing in my virtual stacks. Another dusty book completed. Have the rest of the Innkeeper chronicles in my stacks ready to go for 2023. I wanted to complete my reread of Cemetery of Lost Books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon this year. Currently on the 3rd book The Prisoner of Heaven which is 282 pages so that's doable. I'll end out the year with The Labyrinth of the Spirits which is more hefty at 800 pages so maybe, maybe not. We'll see. Have been updating my goodreads but for some reason the numbers are not matching up with my manual count on the blog. I'm pretty sure I added everything so scratching my head over that one.

Safe travels!

Yay! decided had to have Grief of Stones in my tbr pile to read when finish Witness for the Dead and couldn’t resist browsing a bit and added a few more fun books to my virtual stacks. My will power is gone. Buying ban may be going into affect a few days early. I start the year with absolutely nothing on my amazon wishlist in order to avoid impulse shopping. But of course it starts to get quite long by the end of May. Don’t know if I saving money that way or just fooling myself, but it works. Most of the time. 🙃

I didn’t know they were connected. Have read Stations Eleven, but not Glass Houses, but have it and SoT on my nightstand. According to a book blog review, “Both tales are connected to each other as they both feature some of the same characters: Vincent and her half brother Paul. However, and I hope I’m not saying too much, the events of Sea of Tranquility take place in a slightly altered timeline: …. To that end, can you say that Sea of Tranquility is a sequel to The Glass Hotel, or is it just merely a companion novel(la)? Hard to tell, but readers of Sea of Tranquility will find it fun to spot all the Easter eggs that link it to the previous novel. That said, you don’t have to have read The Glass Hotel to enjoy Sea of Tranquility, though it might help to be familiar with Mandel’s work first.” I think I may need to do a reread of Stations Eleven since its been a while to appreciate the other two.

It's been a while so forgotten about that. Did remind me of a lord of the rings, hobbit, and a few others.