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The House at Riverton
The House at Riverton: A Novel | Kate Morton
The House at Riverton is a gorgeous debut novel set in England between the wars. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey, it is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever, told in flashback by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for decades.Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline. In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they -- and Grace -- know the truth. In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace's youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever. The novel is full of secrets -- some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history. Originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, already sold in ten countries and a #1 bestseller in England, The House at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and passion, with characters -- and an ending -- the reader won't soon forget.
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dabbe
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Pickpick

A low pick for me. The story about a well-to-do family in WWI England is told from the POV of Grace, one of the Hartford family's servants, who lives vicariously through the two Hartford sisters, Hannah and Emmeline. The plot moved slowly for 3/4 of the book then rushed to its cataclysmic conclusion. I also found myself wanting to know more about Grace's transformation from a maid to an archeologist than just a quick few sentences at the end. ⬇️

dabbe The pacing throughout the book was chaotic and undisciplined. It was Morton's first novel, so that's why I cut her some slack and still picked it. I cared enough about the characters, too, so I will probably read more by her. This book was for #AuthorAMonth for December 2023; I forgot to post it! 😃 @Soubvihille 2mo
51 likes1 comment
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Read4life
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I finished these two in December for #AuthorAMonth. I have two others that I own and plan to read early this year.

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dabbe
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#OutWithTheOldInWithTheNew
@Andrew65
#WinterGames

Thanks for hosting, @Andrew65. One more book to finish for #AuthorAMonth, and that's THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON. My goal is to finish it before 12/31.

And #USS, here's another special readathon to earn even more points!

Andrew65 Best of luck 😁 3mo
39 likes1 comment
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Bookgirl
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Pickpick

Very good Downton Abbey-type gothic tale of secrets, love, the British class system circa the Victorian era and past WW2, and effects of war on society and people. It‘s well written, but extremely slow for the first 3/4 and then somewhat rushed in the last 1/4. An early novel by Morton and it feels it, but I really enjoyed the experience of reading it. She credits The Remains of the Day as inspiration…at one point it felt a ripoff. Great tale!!

annahenke I love her whole catalog! 3y
43 likes1 comment
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Bookgirl
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Ready to sink into this one.

Bklover Beautiful photo! 3y
Aims42 Gorgeous view!!! Hope the book is a good one 😃 3y
JacqMac I loved this one. Enjoy! 3y
44 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Lizpixie
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Pickpick

Bk23 of June, Bk16 of #JoysOfJune #readathon & Bk7 of #LittenListen is done! This one was a reread as an audiobook on audible. I love all of Kate Morton‘s books, the fact she‘s an Aussie author doesn‘t hurt either🇦🇺Her sweeping stories always involve a beautiful manor house somewhere in England, sometimes with an Aussie connection. They invoke such a soft English summer feel, far removed from our harsh humid ones here. Loved it. #BookspinBingo👇

rockpools Wow! 23 books this week? That‘s incredible! 3y
Lizpixie @rockpools no lovely, 16 books this week! I‘ve read 23 so far this month👍 I‘m not quite that quick unfortunately.😋 3y
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DivineDiana Well, 16 is still a 😲 for me! 👏🏻📚👏🏻 3y
rockpools @Lizpixie 😂😂 16 is still unreal - I occasionally get through that many in a completely amazing month! 3y
SilversReviews LOVE her books….my favorite is THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN. I never could read that many books. (edited) 3y
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jnichole

I‘m only about 100 pages in, but loving it.

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tdrosebud
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MittenGirlPeach
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Pickpick

In the end, I loved it. It was a slow burn of a book, but I had all afternoon to sink into it. It was engrossing from the beginning, but it really sucked me in as the story played out. I lost track of time and place, and who doesn‘t need that right about now?!! The abrupt changes wrought by WWI are endlessly fascinating to me. Highly recommend.

And with that my #BookSpin is done! Onward, #BookSpinBingo!

And we had a lovely sunset too . . .

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! Are you staying in the RV? Looks like a lovely site! 3y
MittenGirlPeach @TheAromaofBooks thank you! We decided to put our trailer at the bottom of our hill this Spring so we could “camp in place.” We didn‘t do much of it in the end since my father-in-law was here all summer, but we enjoyed it nonetheless, and decided to leave it there and do a little winter camping! It‘s a gorgeous site indeed. 3y
TheAromaofBooks That's so fun!! A few weeks ago we talked about renting a cabin to “get away“ but then decide to stay home instead & we weren't allowed to do anything we wouldn't have done if we were out of town (so no chores or projects) - it was surprisingly relaxing! 3y
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MittenGirlPeach
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Still wending my way through this one. Page 176 of 473 pages; close to halfway. One of the things I love about Morton‘s books is how one can sink into them, but this one isn‘t grabbing me the way Lake House did. It is enjoyable though. Mark will head up to visit his dad this afternoon, and I‘ll put on the Masters and lose myself in a book . . .

And we had a beautiful sunrise this morning . . .

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MittenGirlPeach
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A weekend with the pets for Halloween + some football watching and lots reading. My current read is historical fiction. I really enjoy Kate Morton, but I had never read Riverton, even though it‘s been on my shelves for years. Happy to play #WondrousWednesday and thanks for the tag @Eggs !

Eggs How fun! Thanks for joining in 😻🎃🍁 3y
14 likes1 comment
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tdrosebud
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#ipsy green books. Thanks for the tag @Chrissyreadit
@thearomaofbooks @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks can you show me some orange covers?

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I‘ll start looking!! 🧡🧡 4y
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perfectsinner
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Panpan

This book fell very flat for me. To have to get through flipping time periods of being a lady's maid at Riverton & an old lady in her death bed trying to make amends... To get over 420 odd pages in until the big event/climax of 1924... And then I didn't completely understand the end. This book left me wanting, in a bad way. 2.5 star

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EmilieGR
Mehso-so

Overwritten but ok to pass the time

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Krystle13
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Lady I work with brought me in these 2 books. I love it when people are "thinning out" their books!!!!(Happy dance)

Jenken1998 Love Kate Morton❤ 5y
Krystle13 @Jenken1998 I havent read any of her books before. I am excited to introduce a new author into my collections. 5y
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LauraBytheBook
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So my husband said he wanted to run into the library on our way home from work today. Who am I to say no? 😜 I picked up these 4 titles, all from my Goodreads TBR. #libraryhaul

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Llanphear
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Pickpick

Finished this book late last night. The beginning was pretty hard to get into, too many character introduction and gets a little muddled. However, the overall plot was fantastic. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Llanphear
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1. Feathers & House at Riverton
2. I just watched Boss Baby this morning with my kiddos 😂
3. Coffee with a little cream. 👍🏻
#weekendreads
@rachelsbrittain

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Llanphear
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⭐️Nebraska
⭐️ Arizona
⭐️ One I‘m assuming is the Bronx, but doesn‘t say, and the other in a town in England.
⭐️ I would say Runzas—Anything with meat & Potatoes
@Crazeedi

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Oracle
The Shifting Fog | Kate Morton
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Mehso-so

🌟🌟 PREDICTABLE and needed significant editing. Nonetheless evoked 1920s England and a life in service well. A very light read. The Forgotten Garden was substantially better.

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erinreads
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It‘s weird because this came out a couple of years before Downton Abbey, but because I‘m just now reading this, I‘m really just picturing the Downton characters in these roles. I‘m almost halfway through and I‘m not in love with it yet (basically because it‘s not The Forgotten Garden), but I‘m sticking with it, so we‘ll see if my feelings change.

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Nitpickyabouttrains
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Pickpick

A fun historical fiction, good for fans of downton. Lots of upstairs and downstairs intrigue.

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JennyM
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#AGameOfFavorites #LocalAuthor

Kate Morton grew up not too far away from Brisbane in beautiful Mt Tambourine.

This was my first and, so far, favourite book of hers. Very atmospheric, which is quite apt, as Kate says her love of gothic novels like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights have been a big influence on her writing.

Tashreads This was my first and favourite too. I read it when I lived in the UK and was surprised to see it was called The Shifting Fog here in Aus 🤷‍♀️ 6y
JennyM @Tashreads yes! This is my copy from the UK. In fact, I think I read this just before we emigrated. I never understand why they give books different titles in different countries. Hope you‘ve had a good weekend, and had some time to sneak in a few pages. Xx (edited) 6y
CourtSmall All her books are great reads, she's a local to me too being a Queenslander 6y
erank58 One of my favorite authors!! Can't wait for The Clockmaker's Daughter! 6y
erinreads I recently read The Forgotten Garden and loved it and I actually just bought this one to read next from her! 6y
72 likes1 stack add5 comments
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thereadingowlvina
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❣ Can't recall. It was an average week for me.
❣ Long weekend - more family time!
❣ Crayon
❣ Tagged book - The 🏘 at Riverton ⛲
❣ Will do! 💕💖👋

Thank you @jesshowbooks #friyayintro

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thereadingowlvina
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thereadingowlvina
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Mehso-so

This was only a so-so read for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would:

✔ Great writing with beautiful prose
✔ Very Downton Abbey feel
✔ Endearing characters

❌ Grace's character is somewhat underdeveloped & a couple of issues surrounding her went unresolved.

Rating: 3.5 🌟

My full review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2470500049

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sprainedbrain
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#AGameOfFavorites Day 1: I am going with historical fiction-my favorite genre.

This is Kate Morton, one of my favorite authors. I found an article with 5 of her favorites, including Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which I love. And there are now 4 other books added to my tbr, so thanks for that, Kate. 😃

I seriously love every one of Morton‘s books, but The House at Riverton is probably my favorite.

Sorry for the excessive use of ‘favorite.‘ 😂

WhiskeyMistress The point of the game is favorites! 😂💁 and I have the feeling this game is going to be bad news for allll our TBR stacks!! 6y
TheKidUpstairs I keep meaning to give Kate Morton a try. And, I LOVED Rebecca, what were her other 4 faves? 6y
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sprainedbrain @TheKidUpstairs Here‘s the link... all of them look interesting, and one was already on my tbr because it‘s a #1001books book. https://offtheshelf.com/2016/08/straight-off-the-shelf-5-kate-morton-approved-no... 6y
TheKidUpstairs @sprainedbrain thanks for the link! This one especially looks interesting 6y
vivastory She's going to be here in October. I'm thinking about going. 6y
sprainedbrain @vivastory you get a lot of good authors! I‘m really looking forward to her new book this fall. 6y
Reading-In-The-Wings I love her too!! Can‘t wait for her next book! 6y
sprainedbrain @Reading-In-The-Wings Right? I keep seeing people with advance copies of it and I‘m so jealous. 😂 6y
Erinsuereads @sprainedbrain it‘s my favorite genre too!! I love Kate Morton! She is fabulous. Great choice. Also @WhiskeyMistress has a lovely first edition of Rebecca and I‘ve been trying to con her out of it for months 😈😈😈 6y
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thereadingowlvina
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Enjoying the breeze now. Anyone read The House At Riverton? It reminds me so much of Downton Abbey! 💖

SledgeReader It‘s one of my favorites! 6y
thereadingowlvina @SledgeReader I have a feeling it's going to be in my favorites list too! I'm enjoying the story so far 😁 6y
36 likes2 comments
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Zelma
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Picked up a stack of books at the library and now can‘t settle on one to read. Reader problems!

wellreadredhead Dark Matter is amazing! 6y
TheKidUpstairs Dark Matter was my number one vote getter for #makemereadit, so I'll be starting that one soon too! 6y
TheQuietQuill Dark Matter was a really great read! I couldn‘t put it down! 6y
bookandcat I've read all except the Morton and they are great! Burning Girl is short, Dark Matter is long but fast paced, I'd start with one of those to get going :-) 6y
LapReader I would have voted for Morton. 6y
63 likes5 comments
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Lauram
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Pickpick

There weren‘t many surprises for me in this book, but I really enjoyed reading Grace‘s story. It‘s easily my favorite book of the summer. I look forward to reading more from Kate Morton. #Sisters

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Lauram
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Reading on a lunch break and making my back to school/work to do list. #SummerChallenge @TheReadingMermaid

TheClevelander I loved that book. 6y
Lauram @TheClevelander I love it so far. I‘m about 100 pages in and I think I‘ve got it all figured out. 6y
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aa_guer2021
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Pickpick

This was a perfect summer read. It told the story of a troubled family from the flashback perspective of their elderly, faithful servant. The nostalgia over the memories, the surprise of the plot twist at the end, and the heartbreak of what couldn't be. The author is great at setting the scene. Of transporting you into that other world. 4.5/5 ⭐#recentlyread #summerread #historicfiction ❤️📚

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aa_guer2021
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Pool side with a book. I could so get used to this. #currentlyreading #summertime #bookworm ❤️📖

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Lauram
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I pulled this pile of July TBR books from the bookcase in my bedroom. Some of these books have been there a very, very long time. I prefer the ease and convenience of digital books but because July normally isn‘t busy for me, I‘ve decided to focus on these before moving on to others. Any suggestions on which to start with? #TBR

AngelHelen I really enjoyed the Kate Morton one 💕 6y
Lauram @AngelHelen I decided to go in alphabetical order. I‘d started Morton a few weeks ago and look forward to giving it my undivided attention. 6y
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Lauram
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1. Cinderella

2. Monsters Inc

3. 9:02, but the skies here are already dark from the rain. It‘s a perfect night to settle in with a book!

4. Mushrooms, Pickles, Yellow Mustard

5. Thanks for the tag @CouronneDhiver ! I‘m tagging my sister @Kathleenkelly

TheKidUpstairs Your deal breakers are some of my favourites! 😂😂😂 6y
Lauram @TheKidUpstairs the thought of all those deal breakers on one sandwich makes me shudder! 🙀👎🏻 6y
LauraJ Death to yellow mustard! 6y
Lauram @LauraJ 😂 6y
13 likes4 comments
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sprainedbrain
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Hi. My name is Jenni and #HistoricalFiction is my jam.

There are so many fantastic female authors who have written so many wonderful books in this genre, to choose from. Since I‘ve already used Gabaldon‘s Outlander series for a different day of #ReadingWomenMonth I‘m going with my other fave, Kate Morton.

I‘ve read all of her books out so far, and if I have to choose a favorite, it‘s this one. ❤️

Also: the audio is 👌🏻- incredible narrator!

Reecaspieces She does have great audio book! 6y
SilversReviews LOVE her books. 6y
Lizpixie I love The Forgotten Garden & The Lake House. I can‘t wait for the new one.🤩 6y
erzascarletbookgasm I have this, must try to read it soonish! 6y
94 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Lauram
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My favorite kind of happy hour. This book has been on my tbr list for many, many years.

Lynnsoprano An excellent choice! 6y
Kathleenkelly Never read it. Any good? 6y
Lauram Yes. 6y
Crazeedi I've enjoyed every book she's written! 6y
Lauram @Crazeedi I haven‘t made much progress but I can‘t believe I‘ve only read 1 other book from this author. 6y
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MissAimz_55
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed participating in #freakyfriday ! Even tho o didn't get as much read as I wanted to, to be fair I started a new position and traveled to a different continent the last 2 weeks of the year , I am planning to continue reading these books throughout the year. Here's the graphic of those I read (half colored means halfway done with the book(. My favorite was The Nightingale . Thanks to Jamie for her amazing picks!!

BookishMe Love this Visual TBR and recording! 👍🏽👍🏽 6y
BookaholicNatty ❤️❤️❤️this @MissAimz_55 also wanted to let you know you should be receiving your package from your #FunInTheSunSummerBookExchange today or soon. She forgot to mark the outside of the box so you would know not to open it!!! I will shoot you an email too. Don‘t want you to open it and then be bummed since we are all opening together on May 15th!!! ❤️😂🌞🎁 6y
BookaholicNatty @MissAimz_55 hey girlfriend! I got your email. I emailed you back. Check it as soon as you can! 😘😘 6y
37 likes3 comments
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MissAimz_55
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It's so hard to keep up in here since I'm traveling for work. When I'm not working, I'm exploring and when om not exploring I'm trying to catch up with loved ones, read, or sleep. So busy!
1. I don't remember now. I think it was an Ig post tho
2. Yes I do!
3. I would say Litsy for sure does!!!
4. Finishing up this one for #freakyfriday @sprainedbrain
@Chellebearss

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MissAimz_55
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It's cold and rainy in England today and I have not had any chance to really read during my trip over because I've been busy with work and then after work we all go out. Therefore as a result of the weather today I am going to spend my time reading today when I get the chance. My april numbers are going to be bad but I have an excuse #worktravels #superbusy

sprainedbrain It‘s a wonderful excuse! Enjoy yourself. ❤️ 6y
AmyG Looks like a perfect reading day. 6y
25 likes2 comments
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MissAimz_55
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#humpdaypost
1. I'm visiting Nottingham for work, checking out the sites
2. Nope
3. The Sun and her Flowers
4. Ummmm do I have to? I guess totes
5. Ummmmm Pride & Prejudice
#humpdaypost

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MissAimz_55
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I was able to get some reading In during my drive to Nottingham. I will be in Nottingham, England for the next 2 weeks for work but hopefully I can finish a few books while I'm here. #freakyfriday #travelreading

40 likes2 stack adds
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MissAimz_55
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Books 3 & 4 for #freakyfriday , which one do you think I'll finish first? I started Shadow of the Wind yesterday on audio and I'm starting House at Riverton today! #readingresolutions #foreigncountry Both of these are set in a different country

sprainedbrain Is that the Shadow narrated by Jonathan Davis? If so... 😍😍😍 6y
MissAimz_55 @sprainedbrain it is and I really like his narration 💗 6y
22 likes2 comments
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kspenmoll
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Reviewsbylola ♥️ her books. 6y
Jess7 I want to read this one! 6y
emilyhaldi I don‘t think I‘ve read any of her books yet but they‘re on my list!! 😅 6y
Mdargusch I‘ve had this on my TBR for years! 6y
kspenmoll @Reviewsbylola @jess7 @emilyhaldi @Mdargusch This was a gift from a Litten swap- I just started it.Heard good things. 6y
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MissAimz_55
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My library #bookhaul today 📚📚❣️ The bottom four are #freakyfriday reads and that's on top of my brooks and holds. I really need to up my reading to get to all of these!

APLitlife Great books! 6y
sprainedbrain Good heavens I put a lot of big books on that list. Sorry! 😳 6y
MissAimz_55 Hahaha no worries . I love big books and I cannot lie 6y
24 likes3 comments
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Lynnsoprano
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It was a good month of reading for me, especially since I was out of town for part of last week and didn‘t get any reading done while I was away. My favorite of the month was definitely The House at Riverton.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Congratulations 🎉 6y
Jess7 Awesome! #FebStats 6y
85 likes2 comments
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Victoria_Clyne
The Shifting Fog | Kate Morton
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Pickpick

This is my second Kate Morton book and I'm becoming a fan. They are a nice easy read with a bit of a historical mystery. And the style in which they are written appeals to me as a reader.

JillR I enjoy Kate Morton too, although find I have to space them out as the ones I‘ve read have been a little same-y :) 6y
Victoria_Clyne @JillR I know what you mean. There are several authors that I need to space out for this reason. 6y
17 likes3 comments
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Lynnsoprano
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Pickpick

What a wonderful book! The power of secrets is at the heart of this story. This is one of those books that I might not have picked up on my own, and I absolutely have to thank @hermyknee for including this in my #secretsantagoespostal package. I‘m now hooked on this author. 5⭐️

GondorGirl I've read and loved everything that she's written! 💗💗💗 6y
hermyknee YAY!!!!! 6y
PenguinInFlight Kate Morton is AMAZING. I love her. 💜💜💜 6y
Bknrdadventures This was the first Kate Morton book I read so long ago. It was great! If you liked it, you‘ll love her book The Lake House, too.😀 6y
Jess7 🤗🤗🤗 I want to read this one badly!!! I loved The Lake House! Her writing is so beautiful! 6y
98 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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Liatrek
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#cupidgoespostal @RainyDayReading Thank you so much for all the lovely gifts! I‘m a huge Doctor Who fan and I‘ve been meaning to buy the books❤️ I‘m sure I‘ll love the other two after looking over the description. Hope you have a lovely Valentines Day🎉🎉🎉

RainyDayReading I‘m glad you liked it all! Happy Valentine‘s Day! 6y
Avanders 💋💖🌸 6y
78 likes2 comments