The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic: A Novel | 
bailedOnly read 35 pages of this book but I was already pretty bored. I then looked up on goodreads to remind myself what the book was about and then saw @wanderinglynn ‘s review and decided to bail.
I‘m not sure how this book got on my radar, but I‘m glad I just borrowed it from the library.
It‘s too bad because I really like the title and cover.
#TBRPile 📚 Nora‘s life is not going quite as planned. Getting away for the weekend for a friend‘s wedding seems like a great idea, especially when she meets the glamorous Ilissa, who is determined to take Nora under her wing. Drawn into a world of decadence and wealth, Nora revels in her newfound popularity and confidence, but Ilissa is not what she seems and it may be too late for Nora to escape her clutches...
Jack and I are glad that it‘s finally #Spooktober 🎃👻💀
pick⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved this book! I know others have not enjoyed it and I wonder if I would have stuck with it if I had been reading and not listening. The beginning is slow...and weird.
It seems clear that the author does have more to write. The ending wasn't a cliffhanger, but the reader is very much left wanting more. I'm going to pin my hopes on the fact the the author's website at least has a title for a second book posted.
So this book has a pretty low rating here and I guess mediocre ones on Goodreads and LibraryThing, but I am quite enchanted. Maybe it's because I'm listening? It's 26 hours and I've already blasted through 17 hours. It a book that has me looking for any excuse to listen.
One complaint I've seen is that nothing happens. I feel like this is a book of world and magic-system building which I normally detest, but I'm loving it in this instance.
When #bookspin and #PemberLittens collide. The main character in my bookspin book brought a copy of P&P with her to the magical world.
It's officially Day One of the #CYOReadathon! I'm starting with my #bookspin audiobook and some household chores.
Welcome @slategreyskies @rockpools @Morr_Books @MittenGirlPeach and @Clare-Dragonfly! Glad to have your company. May the snacks, beverages and books be abundant! (If you are joining and I didn't tag, please let me know!)
bailedI had to bail on the tagged book...I haven‘t had time to read much, but this one was such a struggle to get through in the free moments I had. That, and I couldn‘t stop thinking about my Hunger Games prequel just waiting to be read🤗.
Has anyone read this? I‘m about 120 pages in, and I‘m just not hooked, by any means. Can someone tell me it gets better, please? I‘m close to bailing, and I almost NEVER bail. Heeeeeeelp😩
#7days7covers #covercrush Day 2
7 days, 7 covers you love, no explanation. Try to tag someone new each day.
Anyone who hasn‘t been tagged yet you‘re invited to join in! ✌🏼
panI think the blurb on the cover neglected the first phrase, which should be “Not at all . . . “
I kept reading because I kept expecting something to happen. But a lot of nothing happening for most of the book. Then in the last 1/8 of the book, a little action. The title is completely misleading & the ending is utterly stupid. I‘m just glad to be done with it. My advice, it‘s not worth reading.
Mini vacay at Pacific Beach, WA & getting in some reading.
For lovers of fantasy. Nora is miserable in grad school and with an ex boyfriend about to marry someone else. She wanders off at a friend's wedding and ends up going through a portal to another version of this world. Here she must learn magic to survive and find a way back home. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and can't wait for the long awaited sequel.
#hellothursday
1. I used to read #buffy fanfic as an adolescent. 🙈 I loved unconventional relationship pairings (Willow/Angel). I also frequented a role-playing chatroom where I went by Queen C (because it was fun to play someone so unlike me)!
2. Tagged (I‘ve only been waiting for about 6 years. Nbd.)
3. We get the local paper at work. I read the occasional article.
4. Poetry in the morning if I‘m in a hurry! 😅
5. They‘re cute! But not really.
so-soSo many books that came out in the early years of this decade tried to capture magic and delve into magical worlds like Harry Potter‘s. But in my experience most just didn‘t get there. Every one that I read I wanted it to be as good as or better than Harry Potter. And it‘s the same for this one. I love the basic idea of this story, but it doesn‘t quite meet the potential I think this story has.
Reviewing and cleaning up my TBR list. I enjoyed the tagged book when it came out (2013) but wondering if I still care about the sequel. Which is apparently still a work in progress. It makes you appreciate authors who have a book a year.
#sequel #waiting #waitinggame
pickI really liked this. The ending, though.... 💖📚
February's TBR and Read planner bookshelves
The Thinking Woman‘s Guide to Real Magic is incredible so far! I‘m about 45% into it and loving every minute. It is a very in depth novel so it‘s not for everyone. My teacup book sleeve is by Fabric Bound and the store can be found on Etsy!
Me: My first Litsy quote!!!
Litsy, soon: By God, what have we done???
That highlighted sentence made me laugh out loud. Second time in the first two pages of the sample!!! I'm totally getting it.
(Huge sale, btw. Only $1.99, instead of $14.99. Might make it tomorrow's deal pick!) https://amzn.to/2LgeBI4
#fantasy #magic #humor
“The Thinking Woman‘s Guide to Real Magic” came out in 2013, which means I‘ve been waiting for the sequel for about 5 years. I‘m starting to forget why, even. 😅 This little snippet released by the author today reminded me.
The MC is an English grad student, & there‘s serious Elizabeth Bennet/Mr. Darcy vibes between her & Arundiel. Also, magic! And righteous female indignation!
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6583169.Emily_Croy_Barker/blog
pickI‘m giving this a “pick” because I did find it enjoyable, but I had a few problems with it. First of all Nora is supposed to be the “thinking woman” to which the title alludes, yes? So why does she so often come across as a bit thick? And I didn‘t buy the burgeoning love between her and Aruendiel at all. Barker never succeeded in making him a remotely sympathetic character, or even presenting a credible reason why Nora did. Still enjoyable, but..
“She'd been an easy mark, so greedy for love that she had given the best of her own heart without stopping to consider what she received in exchange.”
― Emily Croy Barker, The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic
Received my last book order of 2017 today. Since I bought them on December 31st, I‘m counting them as candidates for the #MountTBRchallenge. 👍🏽 #MountTBR2018 #MountTBR
Can‘t wait to get this tattoo!
One bookstore down, a million to go! #seattle #vacation #theelliottbaybookcompany
"She went inside for a sweatshirt. Out of habit, she stopped by the bookshelf in the living room to see if there was a paperback that she could stuff into her pocket for emergencies - you never knew when you might need a book to entertain and comfort and distract you in the day's empty places."
so-soThis is a very interesting world with some unique magic but this book felt too long. I would have appreciated it more if there had been a little less of it. Despite that I am interested to know what happens next for our main characters, especially since Nora has returned to our world. Will she be able to get back to Aruendiel? Where are Illisa and Raclin? Will Nora ever be able to remove that darned ring?
so-soEhh. This books was fun once you get past the beginning (and I did not like the beginning), but I never found it great.
Hmmmm. About 100 pages in and finally starting to get into this book. It's a book club pick and I generally like books about magic, so I'm going to keep going.
I hate starting a series and then waiting for for the next book to come out. Sometimes it takes forever. Sometimes it never gets finished or ends up having to completed by someone else. Sometimes I have to go back and reread all the previous books because I know I need to be reminded of important details. These days I try to wait until a series is completed before I start but I am weak. #youdrivemecrazy #90sinjuly
so-soI read this fairly quickly and I guess I was pretty entertained, but the engaging intro fades into a fairly forgettable middle and rather disappointing ending. I just found out there's a sequel in the works, so that redeems it a bit because on its own it's really not quite worth the 500+ page effort
pickStayed up to the wee hours of the morning finishing this one . A young Grad student wanders into another world and into the clutches of a fae queen. Stuff happens, there's magic and a character very reminiscent of Dragon from Uprooted appears.
#evilwoman #rockinmay. It just so happens that my current read has an evil Queen 👸 of the fairies. She's a bad one !
Just finished a trilogy of long books about witches so now I'm going to start a long book about witches? The blurb Deborah Harkness wrote has convinced me to at least give it a try "...a perfect escape from humdrum reality "
pickLoved this one. A favorite from the past few years.
pickI adore this book and have re-read it at least six times. Can someone plz convince the author to hurry up with the sequel?
Happy New Year!
I'm not expecting 2017 to be any less of a dumpster fire than 2016 but maybe I will read some great books.
pickI came across this book at my local public library - thought it looked interesting and wound up devouring it over the weekend. It's just so much fun.
pickSlow start but a super engrossing setting and I can't wait for a sequel.
#novemberbookchallenge #9: Worst Book I've Read
#thethinkingwomansguidetorealmagic
This book infuriated me. The main character is not a "thinking woman", she is a complete moron, putting thinking women everywhere to shame. There is no world building, no characterization. The whole book is a rambling mess. Don't waste your time.
#angiebookishnovember
Same book, different mode of transportation home
Megabus PHL --> DC. Amtrak was over $70 coming back. Megabus was $17.
