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Spill Simmer Falter Wither
Spill Simmer Falter Wither | Sara Baume
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2015LONGLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD 2015WINNER OF THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR, IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2015You find me on a Tuesday, on my Tuesday trip to town. A note sellotaped to the inside of the jumble-shop window: COMPASSIONATE & TOLERANT OWNER. A PERSON WITHOUT OTHER PETS & WITHOUT CHILDREN UNDER FOUR.A misfit man finds a misfit dog. Ray, aged fifty-seven, too old for starting over, too young for giving up, and One Eye, a vicious little bugger, smaller than expected, a good ratter. Both are accustomed to being alone, unloved, outcast but they quickly find in each other a strange companionship of sorts. As spring turns to summer, their relationship grows and intensifies, until a savage act forces them to abandon the precarious life theyd established, and take to the road. Spill Simmer Falter Wither is a wholly different kind of love story: a devastating portrait of loneliness, loss and friendship, and of the scars that are more than skin-deep. Written with tremendous empathy and insight, in lyrical language that surprises and delights, this is an extraordinary and heartbreaking debut by a major new talent
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Onioons
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“I lie down and let life leave its footprints on me.”

#alphabetgame #letterS @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing 📚 2y
23 likes1 comment
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living_for_literature
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I‘d give this book three stars. It probably deserves more, but I couldn‘t deal with how sad this book was! It was a tear-jerker from page one. I think the pacing could have been better.
That being said, the descriptions and writing style in this book was beautiful.

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AlexGeorge
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Pickpick

Gorgeous, quiet, powerful, poignant. This one will stick with me.

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Helen19
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A misfit man finds a misfit dog. Ray, aged fifty-seven, ‘too old for starting over, too young for giving up‘, and One Eye, smaller than expected, a good ratter. Both are accustomed to being alone, unloved, outcast – but they find in each other a strange companionship of sorts. Their relationship grows and intensifies, until they‘re forced to abandon the precarious life they‘d established, and take to the road. #foreverfriends #flyhighjuly

Eggs Sounds so good! 4y
Helen19 @Eggs it‘s a very poignant one 😊 4y
6 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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charl08
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Gorgeous nature writing!

readordierachel That *is* gorgeous! 5y
charl08 @readordierachel I wasn't expecting it to be so nature focused, a lovely surprise. 5y
42 likes1 stack add2 comments
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charl08
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It says something like MAKE WAY FOR A WHOLE NEW YOU. But it took me fifty-seven years to become this me, I think, and I just don't have the stamina to make so many mistakes again.

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charl08
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Really touching story about a guy and his rescue dog.

Oryx I liked this book. Lovely writing 5y
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
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RogueMusings
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Pickpick

Another Kalani approved book and perfect for those snowed in days. A socially inept man adopts a one-eyed dog who he shares his biggest secrets with. Written beautifully it puts into words the loving bond between a man and his dog.

It is a depressing story - being real. But there is also beauty that makes it worth the read.

#dogsoflitsy

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CaitlinR
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Pickpick

Don‘t miss this lovely, loving book. I‘ll never forget the relationship between Ray and One Eye. Ms Baume crafts the most wonderful character and voice for One Eye.

Love dogs? Run, don‘t walk to get a copy to read.

Herschelian I found this stream of consciousness novel a difficult book to read. I nearly gave up on it early on, but persevered to the bitter end. A tale of a damaged dysfunctional man who lives. In a seaside town in Ireland. He adopts a damaged dog who has one eye missing. The book is the story of his life both before and after he gets the dog. They 5y
14 likes1 stack add1 comment
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SiriuslyWeasley
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1. Ohio ?
2. Cara Hunter
3. "To infinity and beyond!" ?
4. Sofa
5. Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume...beautiful, underrated book. ?
#littenintro @tessavi

MrBook Love 3! 😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻 6y
tessavi I agree with @MrBook 😁 6y
39 likes2 comments
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Freefallinmissy
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Book haul from bargain section of Barnes and noble . Anyone read any of these ?

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Spill Simmer is wonderful. I loved it!! 6y
10 likes1 comment
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Oryx
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My first attempt at home made cinnamon rolls. Yum! They go very well with books.

rockpools Yum indeed! They look great! 6y
Sace Looks delicious! 6y
eanderson Yum! 6y
minkyb It‘s all about the icing! 6y
Oryx @minkyb always! 6y
107 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Oryx
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Can't decide what to read this afternoon, so maybe I'll try a bit of each. Either that or I'll fall asleep in the sun...

DivineDiana Currently reading Circe but also a Picasso book. So, I go back and forth. 😀 6y
ephemeralwaltz This varied stack is aesthetically pleasing to me :) 6y
93 likes2 comments
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HeatherBookNerd
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Day 3 of the RiotGrams Challenge:
Favorite Title

Love this title and the book is one of my favorites this year so far.

@bookriot #riotgrams #day3 #favoritetitle

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Suet624
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Pickpick

Beautifully written and worthy of the awards it has received, but deeee-pressing. The details are so lavishly described that I almost lost track of the story itself and yet it‘s quite a simple story. I can see why people may have bailed on the book, but I‘m glad I didn‘t.

Nat_Reads Great review! I loved this book, and bawled through most of it. 7y
Suet624 @Nat_Reads Thanks! And I find myself more teary now that I‘ve finished it. 7y
Reggie You had me at deeee-pressing. 7y
Suet624 @Reggie Hahaha. You‘re funny. 7y
58 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Suet624
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I think we can all relate to this ....

minkyb Truth 7y
Clwojick This is so true. 💗 7y
Kendra.Diane So true 💜 7y
youneverarrived 👍👍 7y
Lmstraubie Yes! 💖💖 7y
56 likes5 comments
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Suet624
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A man talking about his dog. To live in a state of wonder is a desire I can relate to.

batsy This is beautiful and is making me tear up 🐶 7y
Suet624 @batsy I know. I get teary thinking about it. The sentiment continues to reverberate within me. 7y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I loved this book! The ending was so powerful - I think I read the last 10 pages about 3 times. 7y
See All 13 Comments
Suet624 @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled just at the beginning and I‘m feeling so many feelings. An unexpected stir the pot of my heart book. 💕 7y
mgallo1968 @Suet624 I read this last year. I thought it was wonderful. Such beautiful writing. Very moving read. 7y
Reggie That‘s quite the title. 7y
Suet624 @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I‘m only on page 58 and I keep rereading so many passages that I may never get to the end. 😀 7y
Suet624 @mgallo1968 Yes! This book is an unexpected delight. I almost returned the book to the library unread. I would have missed something truly special. 7y
Suet624 @Reggie 😂😂. It is. 7y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I was the same way! Let me know what you think when you get to the end. 7y
mgallo1968 @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I reread the end a few times too! One of my favorite books last year. 7y
HeatherBookNerd I highlighted this passage as well. 7y
44 likes1 stack add13 comments
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Jess7
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My pick for #BooksAcrossOceans | Day 6| #BooksWithDogs
is #SpillSimmerFalterWither by #SaraBaume bc it has a #schnauzer 🐾on the cover 😍#TBR

Over four seasons a relationship between a shunned man and his one-eyed dog is forged. One of those rare stories that utterly, completely imagines its way into a life most of us would never see, it transforms us not only in our understanding of the world, but also of ourselves. Poetic and mesmerizing prose

Varshitha 😍 7y
Sace ❤️ 7y
See All 9 Comments
Melissa_J OMG They are adorable 😍🐶 My Schnauzer says hello 😊 7y
Jess7 @Varshitha @RestlessFickleBookSlut @Melissa_J My mini schnauzers (Jenna (gray) & Parker (white)) say thank you and to tell Ellie hello for them too! 🐾 (edited) 7y
LeahBergen They are so stinkin' cute! 7y
Zelma So flipping cute!!! 😍 7y
BostonBookAddict Such cuties! I got this book for that exact reason. It's still on my TBR pile but I need to move it up! 7y
andrew61 I loved a line made by walking so will look for this especially with a schnauzer attached, ours barney is currently on his holidays at the in law's back Tuesday 7y
133 likes1 stack add9 comments
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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 3! A photograph of a mangled face within a caption for a tolerant owner with no other pets or kids. Ray, 57, misfit, buys One Eye, also a misfit. Vicious but a good ratter. Both are accustomed to being lonely, unloved outcasts. They find a strange companionship. As Spring rolls into Summer, they grow on each other. Then there's a savage act. And they hit the road. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

Jess7 This is on my #tbr list bc it looks like a schnauzer on the cover !! 7y
BostonBookAddict It's been on my Tbr shelf forever. Bought it last year. Wsj had it as a top 10 book of the year! 7y
ReadingRover This one has been on my list for a while now. 7y
MrBook @Jess7 @BostonBookAddict @ReadingRover I'd say, well, get crackin', but I understand how much incredible biblio-material vies for our time 😂👏🏻🙌🏻. 7y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
62 likes6 stack adds5 comments
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JenReadsAlot
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Panpan

I did not enjoy the writing style at all. If done differently I would have connected with these 2 a lot more.

MayginReads Thank you for not bailing. I'm sorry you didn't like it. I struggled with the writing style as well, but still got sucked in and had to learn what happens to them. But I selected it because the book left me with more questions than answers, not because it was the best ever. I hope it wasn't too awful! 7y
JenReadsAlot @MayginReads I didn't bail because I wanted more information as well! I have a few questions for bok club.... 7y
MayginReads 😄 I love when book club books lead to discussion! I'm excited! 7y
5 likes3 comments
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BooksCatsMaine
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Day 2- and onto Book 3/3!
Another day of beautiful weather- this is at the Chihuly Gardens this morning!

BookishTrish How is the Garden? I've never been. 7y
Cinfhen Looks lovely 😊 7y
24 likes2 comments
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Simona
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Pickpick

Story about compassion, towards all living creatures and nature. It's a tale about man (Ray) and dog (One Eye), both outcasts in the community. Through the story, with first person narration we get to know some psychological scars that have shaped Ray and his inner world, full of thoughts. It's a vivid and touching portrait of man, forgotten by society.

The narrator, Ray, lives in a village but he goes into #smalltown ones a week to run errands😉

Simona Thank you @Onioons for picking this book for me. You were right - I love it 😍 8y
Cinfhen Sounds like a real tear jerker 😰😰I've heard it's a beautiful story! 8y
Nat_Reads Great review! I never tire of being reminded about Ray and One-Eye. ❤️ 8y
See All 7 Comments
Simona @Cinfhen It's sad, beautiful story, with beautiful prose. Absolutely worth to read it. 8y
Simona @Nat_Reads Thanks 🙏 8y
books_cats_art Absolutely beautiful book! 7y
Simona @radishandhare Yes, it's very touching portrait of a man with disabilities. 7y
83 likes8 stack adds7 comments
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Liberty
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My book haul from my Print Bookstore visit with @ultrabookgeek ! 📚📚📚

JoeStalksBeck Gah! Waiting for my BOTB to arrive! 8y
See All 9 Comments
kricheal @Booksandcooks I'm going to have to bump it up on the tbr list 8y
Liberty @Booksandcooks @kricheal It is! I needed a finished copy. 8y
kricheal 😍😀😍😀😍😀😍 8y
Gayan The Crime Book!!! 💘 8y
Graciouswarriorprincess The Crime Book. I love those DK books. I have the Literature and Shakespeare ones. 8y
Megpyre I just discovered that MR Carey is Mike Carey while ordering myself a copy of Lucifer Book One. I'm really excited to read his novels now. 8y
175 likes3 stack adds9 comments
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Simona
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My next book for #readathon I'm going to cry ... right?

#springcleaningreadathon #deweysreadathon

LeahBergen Stroopwaffel!!! 8y
Simona @LeahBergen With honey 🍯 filling 😋😋😋 8y
Nat_Reads You are going to cry! But in good ways! I love this book! 8y
MaleficentBookDragon Stroopies!!!!❤️ 8y
Simona @MaleficentBookDragon Very delicious stroopies! 8y
73 likes5 comments
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teebe
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Having another "Attack of the Weird Reading Mood" so who knows how far I'll get with this but I'm determined to at least finish The Night Circus ?#marchtbr #marchintoreading

RealLifeReading So many books I want to read! 8y
Scott_BookInvasion Off to Be the Wizard is great fun! 8y
30 likes2 comments
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teebe
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Came home to a wonderful surprise from @Onioons !! She sent me her favourite Irish book from last year and a calendar of Irish writers. I'd never heard of this book before but it sounds fantastic and I can't wait to read it. Thank you, Aine!

Onioons Great, it arrived! I think mail must take the scenic route because it's such a pretty country 😄 8y
teebe @Onioons lol a well-traveled book is a good book! 8y
24 likes1 stack add2 comments
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PlannerGirlBookClub
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Thank you so much @radishandhare ! I absolutely love my gifts - the book washi is beyond perfect! I'm looking forward to reading the two books you sent! #cupidgoespostal

books_cats_art I'm glad you like it! :) 8y
87 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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tricours
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Pickpick

With every sad revelation this book just got better and better. The audiobook narrator is excellent, he so perfectly matches the character in the book.

31 likes4 stack adds
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tricours
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Made Walter a toy from some very ill-fitting jeans. It didn't take very long though, so I'll move on to some knitting for the remainder of the book!

Suzze Nice! 8y
34 likes1 comment
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tricours

"With summer comes hope, and with hope comes disappointment." So true! Still looking forward to summer.

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Love this book too!! Great quote 8y
17 likes1 comment
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Ohdomino
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Got to check off spill simmer wither falter today. Nothing is more satisfying then finishing an amazing book. The way the story was told was unlike any I have ever read 😍

I highly recommend

2 likes1 stack add
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tricours
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Just started reading (listening to) this. Social anxiety? Dog? I'm in!

Varshitha I love your lamp😍 8y
tricours @Varshitha we switched to these kinds of lamps after the cat tipped over a tall candle and singed his fur 😛 (he didn't get hurt, he was just very confused) 8y
Varshitha Ohh.. Glad he was ok.. 😺 8y
20 likes3 comments
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KerriArista
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Panpan

Well written and award nominated but slow and just an isolating story. A misfit, reclusive man with his misfit rescue dog. Barely any dialogue bc it's just the man and his dog. I just couldn't get into it. Not much of a plot and I just wasn't in the mood.

Suet624 I love the sweet faces of your pups! 8y
3 likes1 comment
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wanderaven
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Pickpick

Just absolutely gorgeous writing. Violent, gruesome, tender... don't let the synopsis or dog on the cover fool you into thinking this is cutesy. It's the beauty and harshness and love and sadness that I want from a story with a dog at the heart.

Very appropriate image found online by the photographer Anthony Hazelden.

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Nat_Reads
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Pickpick

Sad and beautiful. The man and his love for the unlovable dog that changes everything in his sad little life. I felt like he was Frankenstein's monster (Shelley's, not the movies) and Lenny from Of Mice and Men--the saddest most misunderstood characters. Sara Baume you made me cry! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

BostonBookAddict @Nat_Reads how much is this book going to make me cry? 8y
Nat_Reads @BostonBookAddict I wept a bit, throughout, and sobbed at the end--it's not really gut wrenching or tragic necessarily, just SAD. 8y
BostonBookAddict @Nat_Reads thank you for the warning. I will make sure to read it at home and when I can hug my dog when I am sad :-) 8y
18 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Nat_Reads
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This book better not make me cry 🙇🏻‍♀️

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled You're in trouble! 😂 8y
Aliking1986 Oh dear... 😭😭😭 (edited) 8y
21 likes1 stack add3 comments
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BostonBookAddict
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I saw this book months ago when strolling through B&N. Of course I was drawn to it immediately because of the dog on the cover. even though it sounded good, I was on the fence since I think a lot of dog books. I finally caved and got it recently. Today I saw it was listed as one of the top 10 fiction books of the year by the Wall Street Journal!! Cant wait to start it!!!

ChaseNight I got this in a Kindle sale a while back but haven't tried it yet. Good to know the WSJ thinks I made a good investment! 8y
BostonBookAddict @ChaseNight you and me both!! It's moving up my TBR list! 8y
MrBook 😻😻😻 8y
books_cats_art It's so good!!! 8y
BostonBookAddict @radishandhare thank you!! I am very much looking forward to it!! 8y
21 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Aliking1986
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Pickpick

I wasn't sure what to make of this at first; it's brutal in places, bleak and desolate and lonely. Still it manages to hold a certain beauty. The main character is not likeable but he is a product of a judgemental world and if his father's grief. A story to ponder.

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Kimmie
Pickpick

An interesting and thoughtful read.Two loners heal each other in a year long journey. One of those books I wasn't sure about until I slept on it and now I know I would recommend it Settle in and enjoy their journey

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NikkiA
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Pickpick

This is beautifully written, so I'm sure it works well in text form as well, but the audiobook is magic - that Irish accent! 🐶🇮🇪💚

Penny_LiteraryHoarders I've been trying to track this one down! They had a sale on it a while back and I didn't buy it! 🙁 Silly! Glad to hear it's a good one! 8y
books_cats_art I loved this as a physical book and now I'm going to have to seek it out on audio! 8y
53 likes2 comments
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NikkiA
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"She has the look of a John Dory about her, mooneyed and frowny"

So far, this book is fabulous ?

Onioons One of my favourites. Enjoy! 8y
Texreader Excellent post! 🐟🐡🐠 8y
46 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Onioons
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Can't let #nationaldogday pass without paying tribute to one of my characters (either human or canine), One Eye ? "How can you be so unremittingly interested? How can every stone be worthy of tenderly sniffing, every clump of grass a source of fascination?... I wish I'd been born with your capacity for wonder. I wouldn't mind living a shorter life if my short life could be as vivid as yours" Photo from pixcove.com

Tanzy13 🐶 8y
32 likes1 comment
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
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Pickpick

Wow. This short books reads like a T S Eliot poem. The ending left me wide-eyed with my hand over my mouth, muttering "Oh my god." Definitely pick this one up. One of the most beautiful and achingly sad books.

Onioons 🐶❤️ 8y
ValerieAndBooks Books featuring dogs almost never end happily. Looks really good! 8y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @ValerieAndBooks True enough! Surprisingly, this really isnt a man/dog friendship book. It's more about loneliness and abandonment. But that's all I want to tell you! I don't want to ruin it 🙊 8y
ValerieAndBooks Sold...added to my stack! 8y
36 likes5 stack adds4 comments
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alldinareads
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Your thousand-mile stare 🐶 #Lola #simmerreads #spillsimmerfalterwither

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Polking
Pickpick

The most sadly beautiful novel I have read in years.

1 like1 stack add
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Well-ReadNeck
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As heard about on the So Many Damn Books podcast (rated one of their top 6 of the year so far). Spill Simmer Falter Wither is available on Kindle for $2.99. They really want us all to use up our credits!!!

BookishFeminist It's really good! I read it a few months ago and it's stuck with me. 8y
36 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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books_cats_art
Pickpick

Hauntingly beautiful. Lyrically stunning. Favorite book of the year so far. I'll absolutely read this many more times.

5 likes1 stack add
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books_cats_art

"My sadness isn't a way I feel but a thing trapped inside the walls of my flesh, like a smog. It takes the sheen off everything. It rolls the world in soot. It saps the power from my limbs and presses my back into a stoop."

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books_cats_art

"Where were you last winter? I find it hard to picture a time when we were simultaneously alive, yet separate. Now you are like a bonus limb. Now you are my third leg, an unlimping leg, and I am the eye you lost."