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The Nature of Fragile Things
The Nature of Fragile Things | Susan Meissner
59 posts | 46 read | 60 to read
April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed. Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. San Francisco widower Martin Hocking proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie quickly develops deep affection for Kat, Martin's silent five-year-old daughter, but Martin's odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn't right. Then one early-spring evening, a stranger at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved. The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belief that love can overcome fear. From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War and As Bright as Heaven comes a gripping novel about the bonds of friendship and mother love, and the power of female solidarity.
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CaitlinR
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Pickpick

This was a somewhat predictable, but very enjoyable read, full of interesting historical details. A young Irish woman flees Ireland for New York. Answering an ad, she travels west as a mail order bride, seeking a family to love. Her husband is a psychopath who marries and kills wealthy women for their money. Set during and after the Great San Francisco earthquake. Speaks to the power of blended families and love. Interesting twist at the end.

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Kristy_K
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Pickpick

3.5 ⭐️

A historical fiction novel with a dash of mystery, I found this to be intriguing and a fast read. Taking place in 1905 leading up to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, we follow Sophie, a mail order bride caring for a widow‘s daughter as he travels for work. But things come to head when she discovers some secrets and the earthquake strikes, altering the course of her life.

#historicalfiction

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Margot0817
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Pickpick

About the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fires. Was a solid four star all the way through but by the time I hit the end it was definitely a five star! I loved all of the characters and learning about a "new to me" historical event.

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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

HF set during the Great SF Earthquake 1906. Loved the setting but the story of Sophie, an Irish immigrant who arrives in SF as a mail order bride was less appealing. #MoreMehThanYeah #UnpopularOpinion Light pick / so-so

Amiable I find that to be the case with other books I‘ve read by her —the setting is usually better than the character arc. Maybe she should switch to writing straight-up history nonfiction! 1y
Cinfhen Hahaha @Amiable that‘s brilliant! I wish she would! 1y
SilversReviews I enjoyed this one. 1y
Cinfhen I liked it while I was reading it @SilversReviews but once I put the book down I completely forgot most of it 🤷🏼‍♀️ 1y
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Jill72797
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Kshakal
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Pickpick

I love historical fiction and expected to love this book… what I didn‘t expect and made me love it even more was the mystery that was entwined with it. So beautifully created, this is a book that will stick with me for some time to come!

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sblbooks
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#12BooksOf2022 #12DaysOfChristmas @Andrew65
#HistoricalFiction
This mail order Bride got more than she bargained for during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. This book has history, mystery and lots of action. I highly recommend it.

Andrew65 I need to get to this as we loved As Bright As Heaven when we did it as a group read. @TheBookHippie @AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks 2y
TheBookHippie OH YES!!! I stacked it!! We had such a lovely and frightened time reading it and also WHO KNEW what we were to experience next!! 2y
Andrew65 @TheBookHippie That book has gone through my head so many times during the Pandemic! 2y
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TheBookHippie @Andrew65 I agree! Constantly! 2y
sblbooks @Andrew65 and @TheBookHippie I loved As Bright As Heaven too! It was a five-star read for me. I definitely want to read another book by this author in 2023. 2y
Andrew65 @sblbooks Definitely five star. One that has stayed with me for many years. @TheBookHippie 2y
Andrew65 An author I need to read more of this year for definite. 2y
tpixie I lived this book! #Sisterhood 2y
43 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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Blueberry
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1. The Nature Of Fragile Things

2. No I haven't.

3. Olive the Other Reindeer and the Nativity Story from Book Matthew and Luke in the Bible.

@Eggs @NataliePatalie
#WonderousWednesday

Eggs Oh I adore Olive❤️❤️❤️ 2y
43 likes1 comment
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Blueberry
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Currently reading. This is a good book but I'm 60% in and it feels completed.

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Gladly
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Pickpick

This was an interesting story with the drama of the San Francisco earthquake in the mix. Heroic women affected by the same evil character shared and drawn together because of him . I'll be wanting to read more books by this author.

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SW-T
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Pickpick

This was a good one. Love the layers and nuance. Like how each mystery was slowly and carefully revealed, even that our heroine isn‘t quite all that she seems either. Her story explains her decisions throughout and you can completely understand why she does what she does. Love the found family aspect, especially for the period the novel takes place in. This one was definitely a gem.

#historicalfiction

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tpixie
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This was a wonderful event. Adventures by the Book took us all on a great adventure!
San Diego Public Library is a beautiful venue.

Sourcebooks was well represented today at Adventures By The Book Super Book 3!

Tamra That‘s a beautiful stack of books! 😍 3y
Gissy Interesting books there📚📚👌 3y
tpixie @Tamra lol I usually just try to read as I go so I definitely have a big TBR stack now! 3y
tpixie @Gissy yes! A couple of them are not my normal reads but I‘m still interested in them and I have two more books from the event I do want to read but I‘ll probably do audio with! 3y
61 likes4 comments
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Eggs
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Pickpick

#bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

This was a winner! I forgot how much I loved Meissner💙

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I want this!! 3y
Eggs You shall have it m‘lady @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks (edited) 3y
61 likes1 stack add4 comments
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xxjenadanxx
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Pickpick

Ooh y'all, this one took me by surprise! I expected to love it, as Historical Fiction is my jam, but the book quickly transformed into a very twisty mystery that left me both wanting more time with the characters and feeling totally satisfied with the way things turned out.

SO GOOD

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MelKelsey
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Pickpick

Book 1
Susan Meissner writes a compelling story with good characters. The Nature of Fragile Things is about a woman from Ireland who responds to an ad for a mail-order-bride. As she becomes a wife and mother, Sophie learns that she isn't her husband's only wife. I wish the story would have remained here longer and unraveled slower, but it quickly progressed to a deeper and different story as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hits. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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sblbooks
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#12AuthorsIn22 Day 8 Susan Meissner
The book I've read: As Bright as Heaven - 5 star's
#HistoricalFiction Which one should I read next?

megnews Love Meissner and want to read more by her. I‘ve only read this one and it was excellent (edited) 3y
megnews My into you meissner was this one I loved 3y
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Susanita
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Historical fiction about a mail order bride and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake? Yes please!
#June #12booksof2021

Andrew65 Looks great. 3y
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Crazeedi
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#12Booksof2021 #May @Andrew65
A book that touched the heart and really made one think about women who were mail order brides

Cathythoughts Great title and cover 💫💫 3y
Andrew65 Looks great. Stacked. 3y
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Tamra
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Pickpick

Not a rave review, but this was an enjoyable enough historical fiction mystery on audio. I wouldn‘t say it‘s subtle writing though - a tad overdrawn in parts. I did like how the story wrapped up, which has to be the most difficult part of a novel to write!

BarbaraBB I love that cover! 3y
Tamra @BarbaraBB it does entice you right into the book! (edited) 3y
BarbaraBB I‘d fall for the cover but your review makes me hesitate! 3y
Tamra @BarbaraBB it is well liked on Goodreads! I‘m stingy with stars. 😏 3y
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Tamra
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Started this on audio and the tension/mystery is already intriguing in chapter 6. Something isn‘t quite right. 🧐

Cathythoughts Looks interesting! Look forward to your review ❤️👍🏻 3y
Sharpeipup I enjoyed it! 3y
50 likes2 comments
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tpixie
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Loving this historical novel about women helping women in the time of the San Francisco earthquake and fires of April 1906
Here are the photos that the author used as inspiration for the characters and their home.

EvieBee So awesome! Thank you for sharing. Want to get to this soon. 3y
tpixie @EvieBee I‘m enjoying it! 1/2 way through 3y
tpixie @SilversReviews I loved this book of hers 9mo
SilversReviews @tpixie Oh yes….SO GOOD!! Thanks for tagging me. 9mo
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tpixie
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It‘s always exciting to start a new book!
I bought this book early during the pandemic after one of her virtual Author events.
My November New Year‘s resolution:
I‘m going to work hard to read the books that I‘ve already bought and wanted to read at some point in the past!

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TheSpineView
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks This sounds really good! 📚 3y
Eggs Love Meissner 🌟 Stacked 3y
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Volume_B
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My first post - sharing my collection. I adore this book. Sophie is so incredibly resilient.

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Sharpeipup
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My new book is sadly also a self proclaiming prophecy. I needed to clean my floors anyway…🧹😞

Bookwormjillk Oh no is that olive oil? 3y
Sharpeipup @Bookwormjillk Sure is. 😩 3y
Megabooks Oh no! 3y
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candc320
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Pickpick

I absolutely LOVE Susan Meissner‘s novels and this was no exception! I was expecting a historical fiction novel centered around the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 but was not expecting a thoroughly captivating whodunnit mystery or a novel with such wonderful female characters. So good! One of my favorites of her stories. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Wife
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Pickpick

#LMPBC @Bookwormjillk @DanaManiac @Tattooedteacher I finished this over a month ago and am just now posting and mailing back to Christine #procrastination I thought this was the most enjoyable book of our group. Historical fiction with a thriller feel. 3/5⭐️s

Bookwormjillk It was my favorite from this round too. 3y
Tattooedteacher Can‘t wait to read the comments. 3y
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Susanita
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Another reason work was so aggravating yesterday was that I‘d started this book the night before and just wanted to get back to it!

An Irish immigrant in New York answers an ad for a mail order bride placed by a widower and single father in San Francisco. When she gets there she falls for the child but not so much for the dad. She starts to realize things aren‘t quite right, but just as the pieces are coming together, there‘s an earthquake!

SilversReviews Loved this book too. 3y
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Cathyloves2read
Pickpick

This book contains a subject that I knew little about, the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. As with many historical fiction novels, I learned a lot while reading the story. It was both entertaining and educational. I read it as part of a book club that I belong to, and I am glad that they selected it. The story was definitely intriguing, and many times very surprising. I would recommend this book if you like historical fiction.

EvieBee This is on my TBR list, but I need to bump it up. You‘re remind me of why I added it to my list to begin with. I love learning history through historical fiction! 3y
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Crazeedi
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Pickpick

Its 1905 and Sophie answers an ad for a mail order bride and she travels to San Francisco to marry Martin who needs a wife to care for his 5 year old daughter. But hes very unfeeling and is away from home for days at a time. Then April 1906 arrives and the earthquake creates a disaster for more than just the city.
I definitely recommend this book

megnews I love Meissner. 4y
Crazeedi @megnews me too. This would have been a good one for overbooked 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
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Crazeedi
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Perfect day for reading at the lake! I've been missing a few days getting ready to come! 2 weeks of heaven!!
#litsylove #lakesidereading

Cinfhen Enjoy 😊 4y
Deblovestoread Looks lovely! 4y
curiouserandcurioser @Crazeedi looks wonderful:) we live at the lake and im always so grateful for that, even in winter:) 4y
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JennyM Have a lovely time x 4y
MemoirsForMe Have fun! 🎉 4y
Crazeedi @curiouserandcurioser you are so lucky! I love being by the water 💞 4y
curiouserandcurioser @Crazeedi i love it, too💜 it is so calming and peaceful:) i finally got a letter back to you-hope you have gotten it:) 4y
Crazeedi @curiouserandcurioser I'm not home, I'll write asap! Thank you💟💟 4y
curiouserandcurioser @Crazeedi oh no worries:) enjoy your vacation💜 4y
jb72 I hope you‘re having a wonderful vacation! 3y
Crazeedi @jb72 I am!! 3y
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Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

A most excellent #LMPBC book. This was a roller coaster of a story that had me guessing wrong all the way through.

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Bookwormjillk
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I started off slowly with this one because I only had a few minutes here and there to read it. I finally got an hour to really sit down with it this afternoon and woah. I won‘t sleep tonight until I find out what happens. 😳

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Bookwormjillk
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Got this #LMPBC book today. Looking forward to reading it!

Due to a post office mishap this weekend I couldn‘t get mine in the mail until today, but it‘s on the way!

JHSiess Loved it! 4y
Crazeedi On my TBR, I've enjoyed her other books 4y
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DanaManiac
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Pickpick

5 ⭐️

Wowza! This book had me at the edge of my seat, staying up past bedtime, excited for any chance to grab a few minutes and get one more chapter in! Sophie's past was so mysterious and Martin's behavior was so odd. I loved the connection between the three women and how they handled what life threw their way. I am so glad to have been introduced to this author as well! #lmpbc #round11

Bookwormjillk Sounds good!! 4y
Tattooedteacher Oooh, I‘m so glad you loved it. ❤️ 4y
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DanaManiac
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Sat down to start reading this with a cup of tea this evening and now it‘s past my bedtime and I can‘t stop reading. It‘s so good!

Tattooedteacher I‘m so glad your enjoying it. (edited) 4y
EKonrad Loved this one! 😊 4y
Bookwormjillk Looks good! 4y
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Serenity_Within86
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Pickpick

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ amazing like always

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Tattooedteacher
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Pickpick

#lmpbc #round11 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really enjoyed this book. I loved the strength of the female characters in the face of adversity. I would also say that the book offers a chance to examine the blurring lines of morality and what one is capable of doing to survive. This was not strictly historical fiction as there were strong elements of mystery. Sending off to the next person little early.

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Tattooedteacher
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Prompt: private. #quotsymar21

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Tattooedteacher
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This is the truth. #thinkpositivebepisitive

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So true!! 💛💛💛 4y
37 likes1 comment
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Tattooedteacher
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1/3 of the book down in this #lmpbc selection and am quite curious to find out what happens to these characters as a result of one person‘s actions.

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Tattooedteacher
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So many books in progress. Next week‘s goal is to finish a couple of the ones in progress and not start a new one until I whittle them down. #bookreport

kspenmoll I have so many in progress too! 4y
Daisey I completely understand this and have a serious problem with it myself! 4y
Cinfhen Are you enjoying the books in progress??? I saw some great titles!!! 4y
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JHSiess
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Pickpick

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⁣

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 by 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐫 explores the bonds of female friendship & solidarity, & the power of maternal love. It's an epic about survival & an intriguing mystery set in San Francisco when the 1906 earthquake caused fires that tore a 5-mile swath through the city. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: https://tinyurl.com/y8gphd7u.
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

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BlueStockingReviews
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The Nature of Fragile Things By Susan Meissner A captivating story of resilience placed Amidst the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/post/the-nature-of-fragile-things

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sounds good!! 4y
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Tattooedteacher
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Classroom #shelfie

57 likes2 comments
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Tattooedteacher
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1. An appointment with a driving school for my 16 1/2 y.o. Starting that. I survived my oldest son's driving journey...I can survive this one too.
2. 3 cats, 2 dogs, and a parrot.
3. Any HP book
#motivationalmonday
@cupcake12

Elizabeth2 I hear you on driving teens. My daughter is almost 16. We survived her older brothers learning, but I feel a little more nervous about the task this time around. Wishing you luck as you begin this journey with your next one! 4y
Cupcake12 HP would have been my second choice! Thanks for playing x 4y
34 likes2 comments
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Tattooedteacher
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#round11 #lmpbc Started this yesterday and while it‘s not high action, I‘m so drawn to it. I understand there are quite a few twists and such. Can‘t wait to get home from work and start reading again! #myjobinterfereswithmyreading

Bookwormjillk Haha love your hashtag 4y
Tattooedteacher @Bookwormjillk Jill, I only speak the truth. 4y
46 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Reecaspieces
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Pickpick
Crazeedi I have liked the books I've read by this author 4y
Reecaspieces @Crazeedi me too!! And this one is fabulous 4y
Crazeedi @Reecaspieces thanks for posting adding 4y
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EKonrad
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Pickpick

I absolutely fell in love with this historical fiction book set during the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. Plenty of plot twists and a loveable protagonist! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc

Full review at: https://erinkonrad.com/2021/02/12/the-nature-of-fragile-things-book-review/

RachelAmphlett Stacking this - I loved the Simon Winchester book about those times 4y
EKonrad @RachelAmphlett I‘ll have to check that one out! Thanks! 😊 4y
33 likes5 stack adds2 comments