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Game of Kings
Game of Kings | Dorothy Dunnett
For the first time Dunnett's "Lymond Chronicles" are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.The first book in the legendary "Lymond Chronicles," Game of Kings takes place in 1547. Scotland has been humiliated by an English invasion and is threatened by machinations elsewhere beyond its borders, but it is still free. Paradoxically, her freedom may depend on a man who stands accused of treason: Francis Crawford of Lymond.
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snapsnarlgrowl
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I‘ve been wanting to reread the Lymond Chronicles since I finished them but those books are a COMMITMENT. Now I‘m listening to the audiobooks which, while not usually my preferred format, is very handy and entertaining in this instance!

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Traci1
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I love books with maps in them. 🗺

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snapsnarlgrowl
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Took a couple days off from reading (migraine and new nephew, respectively) and come back to see I‘ve done it again.

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snapsnarlgrowl
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Turned the page and lo! the timing!

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LeslieO
Game of Kings | Dorothy Dunnett
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1. I own 4 sets of Dorothy Dunnett‘s Lymond Chronicles (book one of three of the sets pictured) and two sets of her series The House of Niccolo.
2. They are historical fiction at its finest.
3. I would love to own a beautiful set of all the Jane Austen novels.
#sundayfunday

BookmarkTavern There are some gorgeous editions of Austen out there! Thank you for sharing! 2y
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Therewillbebooks
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Pickpick

Just released our Game of Kings episode! It was a very rich and complex novel and it frankly took me until the very end to figure out just what was going on, but it was also well worth the effort and I hear that the series just keeps getting better and better. Tune in to hear our thoughts!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/55gDkywVaVxSoOmqYEXEfy

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Therewillbebooks
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About to get it going. Dorothy Dunnett episode!

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Therewillbebooks
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Trying to pick a February book of the month

ReadingOver50 I absolutely hated Black Leopard Red Wolf 2y
Therewillbebooks @ReadingOver50 Ha! I hear it's very difficult 2y
Twainy I enjoyed The Game of kings. 2y
Ruthiella I‘ve not read it, but I want to! I also vote for 2y
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Twainy
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#WonderousWednesday @Eggs

@EadieB thank you 🤗

A BOOk journal. I started it 7/12/20. I have 12/200 pages left. I print 6 square book covers per 4x6 photo paper on my Celphy, cut them out & glue them onto the pages then write my thoughts, 1/3 to a full page. I‘ve also added stuff as life gets back to normal. It‘s a heavy swollen mess. There w/b a picture soon. 😵‍💫

Average reading month, 35 books-ish.

Today I‘m grateful to be above ground.

BookBosomed1 Omg. I want to see this journal. Also, what is a Celphy? 2y
EadieB You‘re welcome! Your journal 📓 sounds interesting! 2y
Twainy @BookBosomed1 well I spelled that wrong LOL it‘s a Canon Selphy. Small printer that prints 4X6 prints. It‘s perfect for little 2x2 inch book covers and UHU or Elmer‘s extra strength glue sticks are my jam! LOL with the PicCollage app I can print anything right from my phone 😁 well anything that can fit on 4x6 paper. 2y
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Twainy @EadieB it‘s a mess but I love it. I started out being very consistent then just everything was getting glued or stuck in it. I‘m starting a new one soon …. I‘m not sure if I will change my ways …. 2y
BookBosomed1 @Twainy ah, that‘s cool! 2y
Eggs I want to see your journal 💕❣️📚 2y
19 likes6 comments
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Twainy
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Pickpick

🎧 The Game of Kings is in my top ten books this year.

The chapters start with a short comment or poem in French. There‘s Spanish & some Latin. It‘ll take a minute to like the MC & he‘s a bit of a Gary Lou.

A bit of GreatCoats without the camaraderie with a pinch of Joe Abercrombie & political/royal court intrigue. Historical fiction/saga.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👇🏻

Twainy I‘m trash at this review. Read the summary, there must be reviews, listen to the sample … this isn‘t quite my genre & it was dense but well written! I‘m buying the paperback for an annotation reread! It‘s that good!! AND it‘s a series!! 😁 3y
26 likes1 comment
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Auntynanny
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Mehso-so

I listened to this on audio, and I just couldn't stop my mind from wandering. I think I probably would have enjoyed it if I had read it in print, though.

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humouress

Still only on Ch 1 but feel like I‘ve been thrown in the deep end re the language:

“Amusement, principally. Don‘t you think it‘s time my family shared in my misfortunes, as Christians should? Then, vice is so costly: May dew or none, my brown and tender diamonds don‘t engender, they dissolve. Immoderation, Mariotta, is a thief of money and intestinal joy, but who‘d check it? Not I. Here I am, weeping soft tears of myrrh, to prove it.”

humouress Eheu! My C20th education doesn‘t seem to be up to C16th standards; everyone spouts and replies in Classical Latin, French, German or Italian at the drop of a hat. Dunnett‘s prose (so far) is alternatively descriptive and (more often) vague enough to be ambiguous. I keep having to go back and reread a paragraph or 2 to be sure of the meaning. Or sometimes just move on - the e-book is due back in 3 days! (edited) 3y
humouress The good thing about reading on Overdrive is that it‘s easy to look up historical characters so I have a chance of following the politics of the day. 3y
humouress ‘Sir James, in painful doubt as to whether this was meant to be humorous or not‘. Much the same feeling I get. I think it might be meant to be funny and think I might finally be making headway but then I get lost in the welter of names etc 3y
tpixie Oh my! I‘m afraid I can‘t follow the meaning! 3y
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snapsnarlgrowl
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My library has the complete series of The Lymond Chronicles on Overdrive. I think it's time to see what all the fuss is about.

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Leftcoastzen
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I have that, gee , I wish I had a short novella in the stack because all the books I‘m reading are over 500 pages long feeling.😁

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Leftcoastzen
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Tagged book is my #bookspin the Secret Servant is my #doublespin ,I‘m not going to do a September bingo card , still reading 2 from the August card..

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4y
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LeahBergen
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Day 13 of #20Series20Days and I‘m going with The Lymond Chronicles, a series set in mid-16th-century Europe and the Mediterranean. It‘s dense and erudite but rewards the persistent reader. 😊

#Top20Series

AlaMich “Dense and erudite” is the precise opposite of “light and fluffy.” So, these are not your go-to when your brain needs a rest? 😉 4y
Ruthiella On my list! I do like historical fiction. 4y
Andrew65 Another series I‘ve been wanting to read. 4y
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MsMelissa I found the first two books so hard to get through that I‘ve given up on the series! I still have the books though, so maybe one day I‘ll try again. 4y
rubyslippersreads This series has been on my TBR list for ages. 4y
erzascarletbookgasm Don‘t know this series. The spines look lovely. 4y
batsy I have a friend who loves this series and I've been meaning to read it for the longest time. Love your description of it! And the pretty spines! 4y
LeahBergen @AlaMich 😆😆 Yeah, that‘s my bit of a subtle warning. Not everyone gets on with this series. 4y
LeahBergen @Book_Fiend_Melissa Oh, that‘s too bad. 🙁 4y
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MargaretPinardAuthor
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Still truckin‘...

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MargaretPinardAuthor
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Powering through...OMG, there are enjoyable patches but I am very overwhelmed with all the multiple name tracking and place references and multiple language dropping 🙁
#scotland #oscotlandmyscotland #histfic #classics

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MargaretPinardAuthor
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Finally reading this first book of the series set in 1547 #Scotland. The mental gymnastics are way over my head but I‘m persevering...
#histfic #roughwooing #borderwars #classics

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LeslieO
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Ooooo! New editions! #DorothyDunnett @LeahBergen

LeahBergen Ooooo, these look pretty! 😍😍 5y
21 likes1 comment
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Echos_of_light
Game of Kings | Dorothy Dunnett
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Our local library is having their semiannual book sale this week and I went a little wild with the historical fiction. I haven‘t read anything by this author yet, but it looks good!

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oonaghmoon
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Sometimes you need a secret garden of roses and quiet to retreat to with a book. I'm hoping @Litsy is that safe haven. I've just finished The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett and am now scouring every blog and online forum in order to decipher all its clues and mysteries 🖤

What are you reading?

#dorothydunnett #thelymondchronicles #lymond #thegameofkings #historicalfiction #historicalliterature #penguinbooks

emilyhaldi Pretty 🌹🤗 6y
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Oblomov26
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Pickpick

Wow.. despite the recommendations of many friends it took me three attempts to really get into this book/series. Why? I found myself really disliking the protagonist. At the start of this book he comes across as an insufferable bore who is ridiculous gifted in pretty much everything. It takes a while to discover his back story, why he assumes the stance that he does, the pain and loss which he seeks to conceal. Story wise? Well Lymond is a noble

Oblomov26 Outlaw in the time of Mary Queen of Scots minority, hated as a traitor by his countrymen but also despised by his English enemies, seeking to clear his name, reclaiming the life he has lost. 6y
LeahBergen It takes a while to get into but it‘s definitely worth it. Will you be reading the rest of the series? 6y
Oblomov26 @LeahBergen yep by the end I was enjoying it a lot, so will continue reading 6y
59 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Tove_Reads
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It‘s time to go back in time!

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Jdpalmer5
Game of Kings | Dorothy Dunnett

“Versatility is one of the few human traits which are universally intolerable. You may be good at Greek and good at painting and be popular. You may be good at Greek and good at sports, and be wildly popular. But try all three and you‘re a mountebank. Nothing arouses suspicion quicker than genuine, all-round proficiency.”

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Tove_Reads
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Could one of these end my book slump???

knittedgnome I have only read Crocodile on the Sandbank of these but it was a fun light adventure! Amelia's sass is so fun! 6y
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Traci1
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My Thriftbooks order came in this morning. I was kind of hoping they'd come tomorrow so I could count them on May's tally. This puts April's bought books count at 34. 😯 Shhh, let's just keep that between us...

Jess7 I didn‘t know there was a Book based on #gilmoregirls ?! 😍😍😍 6y
Traci1 @Jess7 I THINK there are 4. This was the only one I could track down that was less than $50... 6y
TrishB Your 34 made me feel slightly better 😁 6y
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Traci1 @TrishB lol glad I could help. 😆 6y
Jess7 Wow! This is pretty cool. 6y
StephanieGeiser Ooo I‘m interested to hear what you think about the Gilmore Girls book!! I‘ve toyed around with picking it up a few times myself. 6y
Kate.Braithwaite Game of kings (and the rest of the series) are in my list of very, very, very favorite books 😍 6y
monkeygirlsmama I couldn‘t get into Passenger. Hope you like it though. 🙃 6y
Traci1 @StephanieGeiser @Jess7 I was looking at the Gilmore Girls book this morning, and it doesn't list an author. It says "adapted by" which had me wondering if it's just an episode written out. I hadn't looked at reviews but now wish I had. Apparently it is just an episode written in diary form with word for word dialogue from the show. I'll still read it, but I thought I'd say something before y'all spent $ on these without knowing. 6y
Traci1 @Kate.Braithwaite I hadn't even heard of these until I joined Litsy. It sounds like a great series. I'm really looking forward to it. 6y
Jess7 Thanks for the heads up @Traci1 6y
Traci1 @monkeygirlsmama it was one I added just to get the free shipping so it's no big loss if it's not great. 😊 6y
StephanieGeiser @Traci1 Thanks for letting me know! I‘ll just rewatch some of my favorite episodes instead 😆 6y
94 likes13 comments
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sprainedbrain
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Fun swap alert! The lovely @Captivatedbybooks is organizing, and I just signed up. Who else is in? 👑

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkSu0vd-My5ee4A8vsnHEWOU21HCPBmj-hyj33...

#kingsandqueenswap

BethM I did it too! 6y
Captivatedbybooks Thank you!!!! 😻😻😻 6y
81 likes2 comments
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LeslieO
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Chelsea Clinton and I have the same literary crush. (From this week's Entertainment Weekly)

rubyslippersreads I so need to move these books up my TBR list! 6y
LeslieO @rubyslippersreads You won't regret it! 6y
LeahBergen Whaaat? That‘s so cool! 👏🏻👏🏻 6y
LeslieO @LeahBergen She also cites the Lymond Chronicles as some of the few books she re-reads 6y
41 likes4 comments
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Tove_Reads
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I am totally addicted to historical fiction tomes at the moment! Anyone read and liked:
👁Dorothy Dunnett: The Game of Kings 👀C. McCullough: The First Man in Rome 👣S.K. Penman: Here Be Dragons?

Andrew65 Love the Welsh Princes Trilogy by Sharon Penman, one of my favourite trilogies! Although to be fair all her books are excellent. (edited) 6y
toofondofbooks I've read everything by Sharon Kay Penman. She is wonderful. McCullough's masters of time series is fantastic as well. I'd start with Here Be Dragons, the first of her Welsh Trilogy and For McCullough The First Man in Rome. 6y
toofondofbooks Masters of Rome, not time lol 6y
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DGRachel Penman is my absolute favorite historical fiction author. All of her books are phenomenal! 6y
LeahBergen I love Penman and Dunnett. If you want to read a stand-alone Penman, try 6y
drokka I struggled with this one, but many really enjoy her writing. This is stand-alone, she also wrote a series set in Egypt. 6y
Andrew65 @LeahBergen That is a great book too! 6y
37 likes7 comments
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BarbaraJean
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If #HistoricalFiction is your jam, Dorothy Dunnett is definitely worth your while. She can be a bit heady at times, but so rewarding. These are the Lymond Chronicles, centered on the fictional Francis Crawford of Lymond—one of the most fascinating & maddening characters I‘ve ever read. They‘re set in the 1500s, traveling everywhere from Scotland, to the English court, to Constantinople & Russia. I can‘t recommend them highly enough. #ReindeerReads

MommyWantsToReadHerBook Never heard of her in my life! I like good historical fiction once in a while 6y
erzascarletbookgasm Ooo, will look them up. Thanks for sharing, sounds good 6y
BarbaraJean @MommyWantsToReadHerBook I feel that I failed you as a friend and a book-group leader! Never mind that I didn‘t finish the last half of the series until after I moved back to California. 😏 The series is so, so good—I do think you‘d enjoy them. They do require lots of attention, but it‘s so worth it. @erzascarletbookgasm You‘re welcome! Definitely check them out!! 6y
MommyWantsToReadHerBook @BarbaraJean haha failed me as a friend! I'll see if I can get it here or maybe on kindle 6y
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ph9k
Game of Kings | Dorothy Dunnett
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Love to put book and place together.
#Scotland

RaimeyGallant Welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Check put my post from today if you're interested, because I added a link back to an older post with all my Litsy Tips. 7y
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tracyrowanreads
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In the mail today: hard copy of Penumbra, and the latest Whispering Gallery from the Dorothy Dunnett Society, with an article on Lymond's library. Whee!!!

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jenniferw88
Mehso-so

#litsyreadingchallenge2017 Number 13 - based on a historical event ✅. This was very 'meh' for me - I'll probably continue the series but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. 3 ⭐

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Yamich49
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Pickpick

Although it took me a while to get into this book, I really enjoyed it! There are too many names, quotations, literary references and other crazy smart things to keep track of - you have to pay very close attention while reading. However, once I got past the first hundred or so pages I could not put it down! This book is full of intrigue, plot twists and complex characters. And amazing writing. Starting the second one in this series immediately!

LeahBergen Yay! ❤❤ 7y
44 likes1 comment
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jenniferw88
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Anything about ducks tends to make me laugh, especially if I'm not expecting the sentence to end this way!
Also, my GCSE Spanish should be helping here - but I can only translate 6 words! ☹️

21 likes1 comment
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CaitlinSiem
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Pickpick

When I started, I didn't realize this was written in '64. This impressed me because there were scenarios in this book written in 1964 about people in 1548 that were relatable to me, a reader in 2017. It was a reminder that problems of love and family don't really change from one century to the next.

Lymond is fantastic. I missed him when the story focused on others. I'll definitely continue this series to see what other tomfoolery he gets into.

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LeslieO
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Day 3 #feistyfeb #mostreread I post Dunnett stuff a lot, but this is my most re-read. I've read the series 5 times!

rubyslippersreads I need to read these. 7y
LeahBergen Five times? Wow! I've only read the series once. 7y
LeslieO @LeahBergen Well it's 5 times over 40 years! 7y
11 likes4 comments
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Yamich49
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My #whereiread for #Riotgrams day two! 90% of my reading time is spent in my bed and it's been that way since I was a kid. The other 10% of the time I spend reading is in the bath, at the kitchen table and outside when the weather permits!

[DELETED] 1409720085 I am definitely a bed reader as well. I love getting all cozy with my blankets and pillows. My husband thinks I'm crazy because I use flannel blankets year round but I love the snuggly feeling. 7y
LeahBergen I see a $5 off Book Outlet bookmark. 😂 7y
LeeRHarry Love the bedlinen! 😄 7y
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LitHousewife I love your bed set!!! I'm more likely to read in my bed than any other place. If I'm in my living room, chances are someone in my family is, too. Not much reading happens. 7y
Shortstack I am also a bed reader 7y
Yamich49 @emilydecato @Shortstack @LitHousewife Right? Nothing better than snuggling up in a comfy bed and reading! 7y
Yamich49 @LeahBergen Haha don't remind me! I'm trying to restrain myself this month! 😂😂 7y
Yamich49 @LeeRHarry Thank you! It's new and a lot more colorful and pretty than my previous set. I love it! 7y
charloteemilyjane Love your bed sheets and the layout! Looks cosy! 7y
71 likes9 comments
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Yamich49
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#bookmail! So I may have been on ThriftBooks last week and I may have ordered this entire series. 😬 I remember someone commenting on one of the C.S. Pacat book posts and mentioning that those books are a m/m reimagining of these books so I've had them on my list to get for a long time. But I refuse to start a series unless I have at least the next one ready to start. This choice was easy because these were so cheap on there!

LeahBergen I love this series!! ❤❤❤ 7y
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CaitlinSiem
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I'm not even 50 pages into this book and I am loving it. While it's intense with it's literary references (many that I know are going over my head), Lymond is positively hilarious and smart and sarcastic and quite the antihero, and I really like him already and can't wait to see where this goes.

LeahBergen I LOVE this series. There is a companion book (actually 2 volumes) to her work that helps with all of the literary references (and poems and quotes in other languages). I didn't find it until AFTER I read the Lymond Chronicles 😒but I will use them when I get around to reading her House of Niccolo series. 7y
LeahBergen They aren't necessary ... just so you know they're out there. 🙂 7y
CaitlinSiem Oh! Thank you, @LeahBergen! I found something like it online just now. I'll use it as I go, for sure. I am already in love with it, too. I just got to the scene where we meet Will and I was laughing out loud so much I was in tears. The snark is strong with these boys. 7y
LeahBergen You're making me want to start a Dunnett! 7y
Yamich49 Ahhhhh I just ordered these on thrift books last week and am waiting for this one to come in so I can start it (but every other one in the series has come in already). 😆 7y
48 likes5 comments
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KatieMM
Game of Kings | Dorothy Dunnett
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I have read these all digitally but I want to reread them and I felt like physical books would be better, despite the snow they arrived this weekend! At some point this year I'm doing a full reread!

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krismlars
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A recommendation from my good friend, Bonnie, who is celebrating a birthday today! To be read in 2017...

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jessplummer
Mehso-so

Honestly, I could barely follow this book, it was so convoluted, and I disliked so many of the characters that it hardly seemed worth the effort. I know so many people who love it but I'm not one of them.

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nitalibrarian
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My fiction/non-fiction pairing for #seasonsreadings2016 is a historical fiction that takes place in Scotland and a history of Scotland.

Otherworld_Library I have Game of Kings and still have not got around to it! 7y
9 likes1 comment
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rabbitprincess
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For #booktober and Unforgettable Women, I nominate the ensemble of women in The Game of Kings, namely Sybilla, Mariotta, Christian, and Philippa. Looking forward to reading more about them in Queens' Play, whenever I find a copy.

LeahBergen Brilliant series. 7y
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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

Really good. Best when read for large chunks of time. Looking forward to reading more of the series and about this period in Scottish history!

GinaAnderson Lymond 😍😍😍 7y
rabbitprincess @GinaAnderson It took me a while to figure him out, but I am more on his side now 😊 7y
LeahBergen Yes!!! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 7y
See All 7 Comments
rabbitprincess @LeahBergen Nothing better than a new series to discover! 7y
GinaAnderson How I wish I could read this series again for the first time. 7y
rabbitprincess @GinaAnderson My library just ordered this book. Perhaps it might be worth checking out as well? 7y
GinaAnderson @rabbit princess I definitely will! Thank you. 7y
18 likes1 stack add7 comments
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GinaAnderson
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Best #antihero? Lymond. Obviously. #octphotochallenge

LeahBergen Yep! 👍🏼👍🏼 7y
53 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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rabbitprincess
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Tea, shortbread, and Lymond.

LeahBergen Sheer perfection. 8y
12 likes1 comment