For The Love of Reading....#shareyourshelf and #WOYBS

Welcome to my What's On Your BookShelf post. The #WOYB link party is hosted by Deb, Jo, Jennifer and Bernie....all gals I follow on a few other link parties. I love their blogs. Go check them out. #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge You can link up on the third Thursday of the month.

I also decided to link this with #shareyourshelf hosted by some great bloggers I follow, like Joanne. I'll link it on the week they post theirs, which is the first Thursday of each month. 

My rating system:

⭐ DNF (which there's a reason), story lacking any depth, grammatical or spelling errors (too many), just did not enjoy it and enough because maybe it wasn't my type of book. If I can't get into it after 1/4 of the way (or less), I don't want to waste my time. Don't bother reading

⭐⭐ Story line is a bit all over the place, struggle to read it but maybe it had some redeeming parts. Characters  or story line weren't believable or too unrealistic. I wouldn't want to read it again. Grammar wasn't "realistic". Too many storylines going on at the same time. Read it or don't read it.

⭐⭐⭐ Solid story line and characters. I liked it but didn't necessarily LOVE it, but I didn't HATE it either. I may have felt that it dragged on, or had parts that weren't necessary to the story. Maybe was a little hard to follow. Probably wouldn't recommend but it wasn't a total disaster.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A really great read that I enjoyed picking up each time. I enjoyed it from front to back. The characters and storyline were really good.  As someone said "a truly good book, but missing the cherry on top".  Go ahead and read it

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book knocked it out of the park and I couldn't put it down. OR it was a book that really opened my eyes to something or taught me something about someones life. One I have bookmarked and even taken notes. It left me wanting to read more by the author or more in the series. Definitely go read. 

I've probably already said it....I love my rating system, but I'm not always great at following it. I hate leaving low ratings...lol.

April was a good reading month. I enjoyed the books I read. I haven't updated my Goodreads trackers and I will say, I'm probably behind, along with being behind in meeting my reading goal, but I'm not too worried about it. 

April Reads: 

Here We Goat Again by Janna Rollins  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The latest installment of the Zen Goat series released and I was so excited to receive an ARC. I really enjoy this series. Anyone ever done goat yoga? I haven't but this series is all about that, along with solving a murder or two. The characters are fun, I love that family is center point in the series. The main character Callie has settled into life with her family and the small town she's come to love. The end of the book has me anticipating the next in the series as there were some teasers. 

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After reading this, I know why people reserve 5 stars for certain books (doesn't mean I won't throw out 5 stars like glitter, but .....). For me, this was a 5 star. I rarely underline and mark up fiction books, but I did with this one. It was our in person book club read and I can't wait to discuss it. It just really stuck with me. The hope in the midst of grief. The thoughtfulness of her husband. The rawness of pain and grief, but that other emotions can also exist.  There was a fun surprise at the beginning of each section that I loved and I wish more books did this, especially ones that have to do with bookstores, book clubs, etc. 

On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life by John O'Leary ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I listened to this on audiobook and it was good. Not a 5 star, but I think worth listening to or reading.What he went through at such a young age is horrific, but the direction his life went is inspiring. So much of life is about our perspective and the choices we make, and sometimes the choices others make on our behalf. The people we surround ourselves with matters, doing the work of healing matters. He made a choice at 9 that impacted not just his life (he was burned over the majority of his body), but also his family's, yet how they all navigated it made a huge difference. They didn't navigate it perfectly, but it made an impact. 

A Very Novel Murder (Novel Detectives Mystery #1) by Ellie Alexander ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was the first book I've read by Ellie Alexander and I enjoyed it. Actually, never mind that. I have read the first in another of her series (The Bakeshop mysteries). There is a previous series (Secret bookcase series), that introduces all the characters, but you don't miss much if you start with this one. However, after this one, I did go back and am reading the first in the other series. In this series, Annie and her friend Fletcher are the owners of a bookstore, and have started a detective agency. Their first case has them solving the murder of a local surfer. I will say, I had suspicions of who did it, but I just wasn't 100% sure. I did feel like the book ended really fast and a bit abrubtly.

A Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons (Saffron Everleigh Mystery) by Kate Khavari. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I read this one for an April challenge on one of the cozy mystery author pages. It was a fun read, as I haven't read many, if any, historical cozy's. This one was a bit different. No murder (just an attempted murder). It seemed to drag at times, but it was interesting, and hooked me more at the end. I might be interested in reading another in the series to see where it goes.

The Last Green Valley by Mark T. Sullivan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was for my passalong book club and I was surprised at the end to find it was based on a true story. It either didn't say that or I just missed it. There were times it dragged, and times it hooked and reeled me in. I think it could've been shorter, but it was good. It was a heartbreaking story. I could not imagine going through what they went through. 

What I'm Currently Reading: 

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (Elderly Lady #1) by Helen Tursten

I'm listening to this one, mostly because it was mentioned in the book A Very Novel Murder that I read above. It's a short listen, which is why I'm still listening to it. Not quite sure where it's going. We are following Maud who is 80 something years old and still lives in the apartment she's lived in most of her life. The book is a series of stories, and Maud seems to get herself into trouble with no one suspecting...so far. 

Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere by Savannah Guthrie

I always liked watching Savannah Guthrie on the Today Show and when I spotted this book (it's also a short listen), I decided to give it a go. It is a sweet listen, I love her voice, and it is inspirational. In light of what she is going through now, it gives a view of her faith, and I'm sure the importance of it right now. For those who don't know, her mother has been missing from her home since February. All signs lead to someone taking her, but as far as I know, they haven't gotten any closer to answers or finding her. 

The Mysterious Visitor (Trixie Belden, #4) by Julie Campbell

I loved Trixie Belden as a young reader. She is probably the character who really got me into loving mysteries. I spotted this one at a local vintage market and snapped it up. As I started reading, I immediately remembered this one. I won't give anything away, but an old friendship is restored as the "Bob-whites" solve a mystery.

The Body in the Bookstore (A Secret Bookcase Mystery #1) by Ellie Alexander

I mentioned above that I read the first in Ellies newest Bookshop mystery series that spins off of this series. In this one we are introduced to Annie, Fletcher, Hal and others in the town of Redwood Grove. This series delves into Annies past which includes the murder of her best friend in college that seems linked to a case they were working on for one of their criminology cases and remains unsolved. So far I'm enjoying it.

Still Life by Louise Penny

This book is for my passalong bookclub. It's the first in the Inspector Gamache series and takes place in a quirky Canadian town of Three Pines. One of it's senior residents is found murdered in the woods, but who would want to kill the well liked Jane. Everyone seems to have some secrets, including Jane. I'm only about 30ish% done with it and need to get busy since I'll need to send it out in the next few weeks. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin