Holy shit dude ur so Westing Game Lemony Snicket Mysterious Benedict Society Blackthorn Key Pseudonymous Bosch Mr Lemoncello's Library ha ha ha

Doing my annual reread of The Westing Game and as always: godDAMN what a perfect book.

“It is not what you have, it’s what you don’t have that counts. And what we don’t have is a verb. Nothing makes sense without a verb. --The Westing Game/Ellen Raskin

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is a YA Knives Out

I will not elaborate. Go read it.

January 2024 Wrap Up--

January was a weird month for me. I've been trying to keep in control of my reading since my goal for the new year is to read fewer books. My goal is between 52 and 104 books for the year. Which would be such a drastic decrease over the past couple of years. I managed to stay within the two books per week maximum boundary that I set for myself. But only just. I'm still fighting the feeling I get when I'm doing some other hobby instead of reading that I'm doing the wrong thing. Hopefully this gets better as I continue to work on this goal.

Comics/Graphic Novels--

Short Stories/Novellas-- 1. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin--3 stars.

Novels-- 1. The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes--3.75 stars.

2. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros--5 stars (original rating).

3. Behind the Net by Stephanie Archer (kindle)--2.5 stars.

4. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (NetGalley)--4 stars.

5. Going Postal by Terry Prachett--4 stars.

6. Liar's Beach by Katie Cotugno (library)-- 3.5 stars.

The average star rating for the month was 3.68 stars. Not a bad reading month at all. I'm glad I'm keeping with my goals and still having a good time.

Sarah: A New Bookseller Appears!!

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. I have wonderful memories of visiting the old downtown Bellevue Library on Main Street, signing up for the annual summer reading program at the Eastgate KCLS branch, and running my fingers along the spines of books at the University Bookstore whenever my family ate out at the nearby Azteca restaurant. My mom almost always bought me the latest Baby Sitter’s Club or Sweet Valley Twins book. I was such a devoted reader that I used to force my friends to lounge under our family’s ping-pong table and listen to me read aloud some of my favorite novels, including Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, and Wendy and the Bullies. It was a surprise to no one when I became a 6th grade reading teacher and then an elementary librarian!

In late 2020, deciding I needed a break from education, I applied to the Master’s in Children’s Literature program at Simmons University, not knowing where it would lead me, but excited by the prospect of a grand adventure. In July of 2021 my husband, daughter, dog and I moved across the country to Newton, MA so I could study children’s literature and, while I am so grateful for everything I learned and all the fabulous people we met, I can’t wait to be back in the Pacific Northwest, especially because I’ll be working at Island Books! I have always wanted to work at an independent bookstore, so having an opportunity to grow the children’s department, connect readers with books, and meet even more people who are passionate about kidlit is beyond exciting.

I love all kinds of kids' books, from picture books to young adult novels, but I gravitate toward middle grade stories. I even produce the Happy Reading podcast, which spotlights middle grade books by topic. Some of my all-time favorite books include The Westing Game, the Vanderbeekers series, Boy Meets Boy, and Should I Share My Ice Cream? (an Elephant & Piggie book). Some more recent five-star reads include The Mona Lisa Vanishes, The First State of Being, The Color of Sound, and Dear Mr. G (I’m a sucker for picture books that make me cry).

When I’m not reading or browsing the shelves at my local library or bookstore, I also enjoy crocheting (I taught myself a few weeks ago and love it), baking, building with LEGO, planning our next Disney vacation, walking our adorable dog Jefferson, and watching movies with my family while snuggled up on the couch.

I can’t wait to start the next chapter of my life at Island Books!

Find me on Instagram as @kidlit_lover and via my podcast website: https://happyrdng.blogspot.com/

— Sarah Threlkeld

ROUND 2 PART 1

Have you ever read the westing game??

It made me cry

(Im kinda sensitive tho)

I have read the westing game!! And I loved it </3 im a huge fan of the genre so that’s part of what made me love it so much lol

"In life, you’re either a devotee of The Westing Game, or you’ve never heard of it."

Book recommendations

Just finished reading The Westing Game for the 1,000th time and I'm so fucking pumped up about WRITING! WORDS! GOOD WRITING BOOKS AND WORDS!

goodnight to the girlies who read the westing game in 6th grade and ur home room teacher cast you as angela and ur not sure how he clocked you that well at 11 fucking years old