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Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet
Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet | H. P. Wood
Kitty Armstrong and her mother are ready to experience the spectacles of Coney Island's newest attraction, the Dreamland amusement park. But when Kitty's mother vanishes from their hotel, she finds herself penniless, alone, and far from her native England. The last people she expects to help are the cast of characters at Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet, a museum of oddities. From con men to strongmen, from flea wranglers to lion tamers, Kitty's new friends quickly adopt her and vow to help find the missing Mrs. Armstrong. But even these unusual inhabitants may not be a match for the insidious sickness that begins to spread through Coney Island...or the panic that turns Dreamland into a nightmare.With shades of Water For Elephants and The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet sweeps readers into a mesmerizing world where nothing is as it seems, and where "normal" is the exception to the rule.
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review
LiteraryLona
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Mehso-so

So far it‘s just okay, waiting for the story to really get into gear.

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DebinHawaii
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It's Aloha Friday 🌴🍍& although I'm not ready to start my #Litsypartyofone I'm definitely thinking about it. My usual Friday morning working out of the coffeeshop, starting with an Acai bowl & cold brew coffee with coconut milk & a few pages of a current Read to get my day going before switching to work mode. Hoping to cut things off early & start a relaxing holiday weekend.🌺

Mdargusch What a great way to start your day! 🌺 7y
SheilaChew That bowl looks amazing! 7y
ChasingOm I miss the acai bowls I had while down there. 😭 7y
See All 8 Comments
LauraBrook This is a dumb question, but what's in an acai bowl? I don't know if we have them around here in WI. 7y
DebinHawaii @Mdargusch It was! 😀👍 @SheilaChew It is really yummy. 😋@ChasingOm We have some good ones on the island. 🌴👍 7y
DebinHawaii @LauraBrook Not a dumb question at all! It's like a fruit smoothie in a bowl with granola, fruit & honey. Acai is a Brazilian fruit. They became popular there, here, So.Cal & are getting more popular in other locations. I would imagine if you have juice bars & health food cafes around you, you could find them. 😀👍 7y
LauraBrook @DebinHawaii Sounds delicious! Thank you for responding. I think there are a couple of places in downtown Milwaukee hat have them, but none here in the burbs so far. Will keep my eyes peeled, though, they sound amazing! 7y
DebinHawaii @LauraBrook I hope you can find them. They are yummy. Whole Foods sells the packets of frozen Acai too. 😀👍 7y
89 likes8 comments
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tracyrowanreads
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Pickpick

Wood's characters are diverse in terms of race, nationality, and gender/sexuality — she has actually given us a context which goes beyond that of time and place, a society of outsiders who understand what it is to be different at a bone-deep level.

https://tracyrowanwrites.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/review-magruders-curiosity-cab...

DebinHawaii I just started this one! 👍📚 7y
tracyrowanreads @DebinHawaii Cool. Look forward to your commentary. 7y
17 likes1 stack add2 comments
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tracyrowanreads
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I'm well on my way to reading at least 150 books this year. I have about 2500 books inmy collection as of today. Assuming a steady rate of reading, and assuming that I buy no more books from this day forward. (Hah) I have approximately 16 years of reading in my possession as of today. I'm 65 years old. I will never finish all the books I own or will own. Not even close.

RealBooks4ever Yep, I have the same problem! Maybe I need to read FASTER?! 🤣 7y
tracyrowanreads @RealBooks4ever I'm reading as fast as I can! 😵 7y
Suet624 I love your thorough analysis. I think I might run into the same problem. 7y
See All 6 Comments
tracyrowanreads @Suet624 Mortality takes bookworms differently than most, I guess. 7y
Suet624 You're going to keep buying books though, right? 7y
tracyrowanreads @Suet624 Cats come first, then books. And there will always be sales. I bought a new one yesterday. 7y
8 likes6 comments
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theladygreer
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This book is criminally underread & has a wonderful trans character in the main action -- not always easy to come by in early 20th-century historical fiction. Highly recommended. #lbgtqpride #riotgrams

lynneamch Oh yeah! 💜👍👍🖒 7y
21 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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lynneamch
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Pickpick

This is a captivating look back to Coney Island in the early 1900s where visitors were amused by any so-called oddity. The Unusuals who are employed there sport a range of differences, yet share many needs and fears as the Dozens (as in dime a) who visit. As a plague-like illness looms, relationships are fostered and threatened. Wood's special characters capture our hearts.Like Geek Love, we are made to question what it means to be "normal".

Cinfhen Great review , I liked this one too but I've read better on this topic/era. Have u read 8y
lynneamch Thanks @Cinfhen . I'll stack them both. 8y
See All 7 Comments
Foragingfantasy Read this recently! I enjoyed it. 8y
[DELETED] 2111265813 I loved this one!! 8y
lynneamch @MrBook Noticed you were interested in thoughts on this one a few months ago. I was hooked--review above. 8y
MrBook 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Most excellent! Thank you for remembering, @lynneamch ! 8y
44 likes4 stack adds7 comments
review
Foragingfantasy
Pickpick

The story was nothing like I imagined it would be when I started it. It was full of horrible, difficult people and situations but it definitely had more wonderful people. I wouldn't not compare it Night Circus or books like that, it was more about the actual people in that live the Coney Island circus life. They were flawed and fabulous.

24 likes2 stack adds
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Foragingfantasy
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I'm intrigued, I don't know what's going on exactly! But it's definitely got my attention.

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Jerdencon
Pickpick

Loved this book... Free copy from net galley...
Had no expectations... But totally hooked me from beginning to end!

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theladygreer
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Also in today's #bookmail: finished copy of MAGRUDER'S CURIOSITY CABINET, one of my favorite reads of the year so far. So hard to jam all that love into one short paragraph, but I tried.

MrBook Ohhh, I've seen this one in the bookstores. Interested to know your thoughts when you finish it.😊👍🏻 8y
Madeline Just started it! 8y
3 likes2 comments
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Lauren.Archer
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Not sure this one is for me, but trying to expand to some different types of books.

ReadingOver50 I love that cover 8y
28 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Heather_Reads
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Pickpick

Gosh this was a lot of fun - there were loads of interesting characters and I loved the setting. Kinda like The Night Circus and The Book of Speculation, but with fleas and without the magic.

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Heather_Reads

"Books beside the bed, under the bed, and stacked at the foot. As he picks his way across the floor, Spencer thinks—not for the first time—that if an earthquake hits Brooklyn, his brother will perish happily in an avalanche of printed pages."

5 likes1 stack add
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Heather_Reads

This book is causing me to ponder a question I never thought I would: How do you get fleas into costumes?

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MelindaOtt
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Pickpick

A captivating read which brought to mind such works as The Wizard of Oz, The Princess Bride, and The Night Circus

6 likes1 stack add
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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

Magic, whimsy, beauty, strangeness, hope,despair,longing and love all live inside these wonderful pages! Prepared to be dazzled 🌟🌟🌟🌟 definite must read for those who like different

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MelindaOtt
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He coughs--not politely as a tuxedoed giant should...

2 likes1 stack add
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Cinfhen
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Part CHURCH OF MARVELS part MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS, completely captivating and imaginative. Love the setting and time period, Coney Island early 1900's

ChasingOm I've been on a "freak show" reading kick since reading Geek Love. I'm adding these two to my list! 8y
1 like1 comment
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Corbo
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I can't wait to read all of these books! #thanks #netgalley

Corbo @Liberty it's like a celebrity liked this! I love All the Books and have been listening since day 1!! 8y
Liberty Awww, thank you for listening! And happy reading! 🤘🏼📚 8y
1 like2 comments
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Cinfhen
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Thank you Sourcebooks landmark for gifting me with an ARC of Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet! I fell in love with the cover, now I can't wait to discover what's inside❤️

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MelindaOtt
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This just arrived and I'm so excited to start it. I'll be moderating a FB Launch Party with the author on 6/13 at noon Pacific/3 Eastern.

3 likes1 stack add