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The Book Eaters
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
Sunyi Dean's The Book Eaters is a contemporary fantasy debut. It's a story of motherhood, sacrifice, and hope; of queer identity and learning to accept who you are; of gilded lies and the danger of believing the narratives others create for you. Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book's content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries. Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devonlike all other book eater womenis raised on a carefully curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories. But real life doesn't always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hungernot for books, but for human minds.
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staci.reads
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

Such a strange premise, but very readable. The plot moves quickly, using alternating chapters with flashbacks to get the backstory. Lots of disturbing images and plot points as the mc wrestles with morality vs keeping her son alive.

63 likes1 stack add
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E.Bolhafner
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

An easy 5 star ⭐️ read for me. With the exception of a chapter or two a single POV with chapters alternating from present day to a linear past. Fantasy without the epic, and confusing, world building or ever expanding cast of characters. Highly recommend

13 likes2 stack adds
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E.Bolhafner
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean

Like so many places in the north, Alnwick was all history and no future. Gardens and castles for tourists, dwindling high streets and rising unemployment for locals.

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E.Bolhafner
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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I find myself lingering over this one. No breathless sprint to the end. Utterly delightful. Savoring every chapter

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E.Bolhafner
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Engrossing start. Cannot believe I put off opening the book since I purchased it as soon as I heard about it.

edit: I added it to my librarything on Dec of 22 so I have sat on this book for a year. Totally crazy

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Rachiiebookdragon
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
Pickpick

I enjoyed this one.

Read for reading prompts.

Library Book

4/5

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xicanti
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Gonna aim for a reading day today. I‘ll definitely finish THE BOOK EATERS (which I don‘t dislike, but also care about way less than I want to) and YUMI AND THE NIGHTMARE PAINTER, with some comics, poetry, short fiction, and 18th century fandom on the side.

Ruthiella I thought The Book Eaters was just okay. Interesting premise but it didn‘t add up in the execution. 3mo
xicanti @Ruthiella I like each individual component, but they didn‘t come together in a way I could get excited about. Sadness. 3mo
39 likes2 comments
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Bamazin
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

Finishing strong with 143 books and 60,000 pages for the year!
Also I truly love the story graph stats something about it just gives me a dose of endorphins

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Honeybeebooks
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

Loved this novel! Devon is a rare female in one of the reclusive families of book eaters. They gain sustenance and knowledge from the books they eat. Girls, like Devon are raised on fairytales as they prepare for marriage. In this dwindling species, some children, including Devon‘s son are born needing to eat minds to survive. Seeking freedom from the families, Devon goes on the run with her son. This gritty, inventive novel deserves 4+/5 ⭐️s.

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Honeybeebooks
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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“But, I do I know we can only live by the light we‘re given, and some of us are given no light at all. What else can we do except learn to see in the dark?”

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Honeybeebooks
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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“What price do you put on love, Devon Fairweather?” She knew that answer by heart. “No price. There isn‘t one. Love doesn‘t have a cost. It‘s just a choice you make. “

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Honeybeebooks
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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“How did one give shape to absence? Fill a black hole with light?

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Booksandtea23
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Booksandtea23
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Booksandtea23
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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So far this book has become my favorite book of the year 🥰

10 likes1 stack add
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Balibee146
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Had to give in and buy the Kindle edition as the print in the paperback is impossibly tiny.

#kindle

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Booksandtea23
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Booksandtea23
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Kenyazero
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

Not a pick for me, but it‘s not so-so. I‘ll admit that I just don‘t like dark gothic stories. If you do, maybe give this interesting spin on a vampire story a try. The book eaters and mind eaters concept kept me intrigued enough, and the out of order storytelling was interesting. Check content warnings before diving in. #LGBTQIA #Gothic #Vampires

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Balibee146
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Starting this while I wait for my son to get out of school.

34 likes2 stack adds
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diovival
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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I left the library with an arm full of books and one book bundle bag of Mexican fantasy and horror. It was all too enticing to leave behind. I'm definitely readathon ready now! Should I open the mystery bag or wait until Saturday for a readathon surprise???

rockpools I am intrigued! How does a library book bundle bag work? 6mo
diovival @rockpools There is a shelf at the library with different themed bundle bags to choose from. Each bag containing five books and stapled shut so patrons can't peak inside. The library puts their book barcodes on the back of the bag so it can be scanned at checkout without having to open and spoil the surprise. I love it! 6mo
rockpools @diovival That‘s such a fun idea! 6mo
20 likes3 comments
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IndoorDame
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
This post contains spoilers
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I see the kittens are psyched about next year too!!! Thanks for the sneak peek Christine! 💜 @TheBookHippie #sundaybuddyread #2024 #catsoflitsy

Soubhiville 🤣🐈‍⬛ nice job kitties! 7mo
Branwen 😹 😹 😹 7mo
13 likes2 comments
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smalldogs_bigbooks2419
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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I‘ve been asking for new bookshelves for my birthday on Saturday. I don‘t think it‘s going to happen, so I decided to buy myself more books to add to my already over flowing bookshelf. Also, I don‘t have little dogs anymore. I have a little one and a big one. I‘m taking suggestions for what my new username should be!

TheBookgeekFrau paws_and_pages or tails _and_tales or printlove (as in paw prints and the printed word) or . . . Yeah, I think my creative inspiration just ran out 😂 but I kind of like paws & pages 8mo
Ruthiella I like “paws and pages” too! 8mo
SassyBookworm I love ‘paws and pages‘ too! Such a great username! 🐾📖 8mo
50 likes3 comments
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Bookworm54
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

Devon is from the six families, Book Eaters who feed on the written word and have traditional patriarchal values. As a woman Dev is fed on fairytales and is expected to marry and give up her children twice before returning to her family to live out her days. When Dev‘s child is born a Mind Eater (a subset of Book Eaters that feed on the minds of humans) she learns just what she is capable of in the name of love.

#DoubleSpin

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 8mo
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookMaven9
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Mehso-so

🌟🌟🌟the whole concept of this book was brilliant and unique. However the execution and lack of connection with any of the characters made this book just ok. I couldn‘t feel anything for any of them. But I love the idea of eating a book and absorbing all its knowledge, especially a foreign language lol. The mind eaters were a more horrific. Kind of vampire. Overall I liked but didn‘t love it.

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Kboltz
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

Read this in one day. So good! The title tells it all. You‘ll devour this book. I guess it‘s true, you are what you read!:). Great concept. A mothers love leads this books message. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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jdiehr
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

This was way out of the norm for me, but I ended up liking and and couldn't put it down for the last few chapters.

Devon is a young woman who comes from a line of people who literally eat books and retain the knowledge therein. Girls tend to be fed fairy tales and boys eat adventure stories.

Females are scarce so they are married off in hopes that they will give birth the girls.

When Devon has a son who is a Mind Eater things turn dangerous.

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kyraleseberg
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Finished releasing the last of the Valentine's Day bakery treats with this chocolate chip cookie cake.
I can't believe I put down the tagged book (I'm obsessed!!) long enough to bake and post on social today!

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encinarus
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
Pickpick

At its core, this is a book about a mother trying to save her son against a system that wants them dead and gone. She happens to be a book eater, a being who eats books, internalizes the words and gains the knowledge inside. That is sustenance, normal food doesn't do it for them.

The core story is interesting, jumping between periods of Devin's life. I wish we had more details about book eaters, where they came from, and an epilogue.

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kyraleseberg
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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I've had the tagged book on my TBR for a while and couldn't resist picking it up at the library. It's competing with my current ARC for all my attention!
Thinking about adding flour tortillas to my menu so I made some last night for shrimp tacos.

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Sharv_Sona
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean

All little children are beautiful. Adults, not so much. We‘ve done too many things in our lives to be beautiful.

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Sharv_Sona
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean

Everyone is a monster to somebody.

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Sharv_Sona
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean

“Be strong, love, and don‘t let ‘em see y‘ cry. It‘ll all be reet in the end.”

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Robotswithpersonality
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Mehso-so

I've got to assume it's the writing that worked for me here because there's so much about this book that I shouldn't/didn't like. There's something about a dual time period told story that really endears me to short chapters - you don't feel like you're slogging along too long without hearing from the other parallel narrative, especially when one is filling in blanks for the other, but a bit too handmaid's tale for my taste overall. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality I did you enjoy the imaginative way the different books are described as tasting, down to the type of paper and covers used, as well as the genre and subject matter.
Tricky to sympathize with any character other than Jarrow, even knowing Devon, most characters actually, had no good choices - comes back to my disconnect with vampire fiction maybe - hard to relate when the world described has you labelled as disposable prey. 2/?

1y
Robotswithpersonality A strong theme paralleling several characters: to sacrifice for your family, and lose yourself at the same time - choices and consequences they can't come back from.

I don't know whether this story raised any flags with Romanian readers, I can't speak to the rep - will have to look out for own voices reviews. 3/3
1y
6 likes2 comments
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Zuhkeeyah
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

Imagine if words and stories had their own textures and flavors. In this creative thriller, there is a mythical race called Book Eaters who subsist by literally eating books. The words on the pages they eat stay with them, but they are unable to write anything themselves. A whole world of knowledge you can eat without ever being able to pass along your own. I thoroughly enjoyed this twist on a vampiric society living in the shadows.

19 likes1 stack add
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Robotswithpersonality
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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This introvert is feeling a lot of kinship with this wording: "civilization's hard neon edges...lack of bodies created a vacuum of calm."

4 likes1 stack add
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KateReadsYA
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Thank you so much for the book @MatchlessMarie I am so grateful and love this edition!

Soubhiville Beautiful! It‘s a really good book too! 1y
KateReadsYA @Soubhiville I am soooo excited excited to read it. :) 1y
Zuhkeeyah Just finished this today. I really liked it 👍🏾 1y
KateReadsYA @Zuhkeeyah omg maybe I should be reading this as soon as possible haha 1y
MatchlessMarie Awesome! Glad it arrived safely! 😃 1y
66 likes5 comments
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StellaDz
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

On its surface, this is a pretty fantastic upgrade to the traditional ‘vampire story.‘ Going deeper it‘s also a fantastic discussion on breaking the mould and finding your own way, whether it‘s your family, sexuality or sense of self. A complex read, with a fantastic fantasy adventure.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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StellaDz
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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The trip back home, and back to the real world, begins with the next audiobook!

rachelm I loved this one! 1y
StellaDz @rachelm I managed 3/4 today and very much enjoying it!! 1y
17 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Bookboss
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

This is not the book for those who need characters that they like. This is a story about monsters surviving when they are pushed to interact with humans. I found the premise interesting, and the characters intriguing, but the plot wasn‘t very compelling. Overall, I am glad that I read it for the world building and the engaging perspective.

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Frasdawg
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Ok, I‘m liking this book so far BUT, if I were a book eater I can‘t see myself starting with the spine of a book. You know that feeling when something is off-centre and you need to fix it, or when a crease is in the wrong spot... That itchy feeling when your socks heel and toe are in the wrong position on your foot. That‘s how the book eating is feeling to me 😬

julesG That's a great analogy. 1y
Frasdawg Haha makes me shudder 😆 1y
11 likes2 comments
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julesG
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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57 likes1 stack add
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rachelsbrittain
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Check out Book Riot's Best Books of 2022! My pick is tagged.

https://bookriot.com/bestbooks2022/amp/

TheLudicReader I love these end of the year lists. 1y
33 likes1 comment
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Frasdawg
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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My first SWAP done!! #creepychristmas going out today 😆

DinoMom So it has begun! They are addicting. Lol 1y
11 likes1 comment
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wen4blu
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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These days, Devon only bought three things from the shops: books, booze, and Sensitive Care skin cream.

#firstlinefridays
#currentlyreading

Breanne1 I have that pan in green and ❤️❤️ it. 😂 1y
40 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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GidgetsTreasures75
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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Pickpick

11-20-22: My 116th finished book of 2022! Loved this one. Devon is a book eater, she comes from an old secret family of book eaters, people who consume books as their source of food but also retain all the knowledge that comes from it. Devon starts as a princess with a family of brothers, uncles and aunts, but turns out to be a bad ass Mom who would do anything for her kids. Her chosen family surpasses her related one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣1️⃣1️⃣6️⃣

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GidgetsTreasures75
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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11-19-22: Enjoying some outdoor reading this afternoon 📖☀️

emz711 How is it? 1y
GidgetsTreasures75 @emz711 Just finished and I loved it! 1y
13 likes2 comments
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ShawnYLibros
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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What a Strange read but i am loving it

KateReadsYA I want to read this one very soon!!! It sounds like nothing I've heard of before. 1y
14 likes1 stack add1 comment
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AllDebooks
The Book Eaters | Sunyi Dean
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On my final book for #20in4 easily acieved 20+ hours reading goal. Books finished over the weekend
Disability Visibility - 4 ⭐️
The Virago book of witches - 4 ⭐️
The Blackhouse - 3.5 ⭐️
The nature of witches - 3 ⭐️ Loved the nature writing but loathed the repetitive tendencies
The Book Eaters - great so far, I'm off to finish it

Thanks for hosting @Andrew65