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As spring is in the air and I watch the butterflies frolic around my lilac bush, I wonder what’s missing from my reading life as the change in seasons leads me to some regrouping all around.  Just like my television life (which is much more restricted), it needs more British influence!  My beloved PBS Masterpiece started a new show last night, and soon Neil Gaiman’s American Gods will be at the top of my reading schedule, and I hope yours!  Sign up here to join us on Friday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. CST and chat with us about what you think of this novel!

Some months, we know what we’re reading, and sharing, half the year ahead (like next month, and I’m SO excited), but for others it isn’t so clear.  As we have just finished the first quarter of the year, it seems like a great time to regroup and reassess, and READ FROM THE HOLDS LIST!  I know, I know dear readers, I said when it got over 100 I would regroup and make some decisions.  My decision is that it doesn’t matter yet, and when it does I’ll deal.  (And for the record, I did ask Ashley earlier this year if I should file holds bankruptcy.  We decided not yet.)  Meanwhile, me and my 130 holds are doing just fine with each other.  When my Kindle Unlimited expires at the end of May, I will let it, and then I will focus on knocking out more and more holds for a while.  It’s a great way to narrow my decisions without forcing me into making a decision (or many of them, in this case), that is just not worth the mental energy it would take for now.  So, for this month (including our last post on All This Could Be Yours), we’re bringing you seven titles from our mutual holds list!  

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

The Queen’s Fortune by Allison Patakai

Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston

Sands of Arawiya Series by Hafsah Faizal (AKA We Hunt the Flame Duology)

And, a bonus non-fiction pick,

All Things Reconsidered by Knox McCoy

Readers, what’s on your holds list?  (Maybe it’ll be considered for an upcoming Virtual Book Club!)

~Nikki

I am so proud of Nikki (and myself) for committing to reading books that are on our library holds lists. This ‘theme’ has been in the works for several months and it has obviously been the stop gap for Nikki having to declare holds bankruptcy and start from scratch. It’s hard to get these books when we want them at the same time, so starting over is never a good plan when we take our buddy’s list and needs into consideration. In addition, I am thrilled for our mutual non-fiction, Monday post title this month with Knox McCoy’s All Things Reconsidered. I was scrolling through one of my (yes one of many!) Amazon lists of titles to be read and noticed that it had that kindleUnlimited icon. (Yes, we know it was released in June of last year, but we knew of its publication long before then thanks to our The Popcast habit!) We must have checked it out from KU just in time, because it’s no longer available as a KU title!

Unlike Nikki, my holds are much more manageable. As of this writing I have four open spots out of fifteen and several more will open up in the coming weeks as we read April’s titles. My kindleUnlimited disappears on April 30th, so I’m going to try to get in as many bonus books as possible this month – like titles by my favorite smut authors as well as some Harry Potter. I’m nervous for my Reading List going over the 14 titles that I have space for. I kept a couple titles in progress on purpose going into April, but I don’t think that’s going to be a good plan for May… oh, well, such is my reading life!

Another ask, besides the perpetual: please help us with our VBC titles, is what other things would you like to see on the blog. We’re planned out through the end of May, but the summer has some empty slots we’d love to fill with titles you’re drooling over or other bookish life topics for Monday posts, or even full-on theme months. Never forget, however, that October is for Witches.

Can you help us out, dear reader?!

~Ashley

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