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#ToBLonglist
review
Hooked_on_books
Horse: A Novel | Geraldine Brooks
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Pickpick

Based on a true champion racehorse, Horse delves into the story of Lexington, starting in 1850, and the modern day people uncovering his story and skeleton. Overall, I thought this was terrific and came together well, though I was a little disappointed with one plot point, which felt exploitative to me. #toblonglist

review
Hooked_on_books
Ocean State | Stewart O'Nan
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Pickpick

From the first sentence, we know a terrible event is approaching, then we move inexorably toward that while getting to know those involved. I feel like this is a deceptively simple book. This is my second by O‘Nan and won‘t be my last—he is beautifully able to create mood. #toblonglist

Bette Complete relaxation 🐶❤️ 2mo
BarbaraBB It was my first but I read another book by him soon after and will definitely read more. 2mo
60 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Jas16
Seven Steeples | Sara Baume
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Pickpick

Couple Bell and Sigh move to an isolated cabin and withdraw into their own world with their two dogs. Not a lot of plot but plenty of gorgeous writing to keep you turning pages. Another #toblonglist selection that I preferred to many in the shortlist.

49 likes1 stack add
review
Jas16
Cyclorama | Adam Langer
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Mehso-so

#unpopularopinion While this was a propulsive read and I flew through it, I found the characters to be one dimensional caricatures which really made it difficult for me to connect. #toblonglist

43 likes1 stack add
blurb
Megabooks
Seven Steeples | Sara Baume
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I‘m going to go ahead and call my #doublespin a hibernate (possibly bail). It‘s a novel in prose verse, which is something I‘m not in the mood for right now. 🤷🏻‍♀️ This is on the #toblonglist. Unsure if anyone else attempted it??

Cinfhen Love the photo 😍but I‘ll be passing on this book. I don‘t remember seeing ANY REVIEWS yet 😬Hope you‘re feeling a bit better today xxx 2mo
sarahbarnes I have it on my library pile right no but so far I haven‘t been inspired to pick it up, 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Another lovely cover, but prose verse rarely works for me 2mo
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merelybookish I read this back before it was a #tob pick. I liked it...listened to it on audio. It was kind of trance-like, life captured in small details, almost a novel about the passing of time. Totally my cuppa! But definitely not for everyone. 2mo
Ruthiella I‘ve not yet tried it, but I did enjoy another one from her which was largely plotless and introspective and a lot about art 2mo
squirrelbrain I tried this a little while ago, I think when it was rumoured for the Booker Longlist but I didn‘t get past the first few pages. I would have tried again if it had made the #ToB shortlist, but not as it was ‘only‘ on the longlist. 2mo
Megabooks @squirrelbrain I‘m glad I‘m not the only one who struggled with it. 2mo
Megabooks @Ruthiella yes, this seems very introspective about loneliness. I think I have to be in the right mood for her. 2mo
Megabooks @merelybookish that‘s for the input. 👍🏻 I think I‘m going to have to be in the right mood. 2mo
Megabooks @TheAromaofBooks yes! It is a fantastic cover. 2mo
Megabooks @sarahbarnes I‘m interested to read what you think when you do. 👍🏻 2mo
Megabooks @Cinfhen thanks friend! 🥰 still struggling with screens today, but I‘m hanging in. Thanks for the email! 💜 V excited that your trip is soon!! 🎉🎉 2mo
80 likes1 stack add12 comments
review
Hooked_on_books
Flight | Lynn Steger Strong
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Pickpick

Three adult children come together with their families at Christmas after their mother dies, all with different ideas of what to do with her house. I enjoyed this exploration of family while listening to it, but I‘m honestly already starting to forget it. I do love the cover, though. Low pick for me. #toblonglist

squirrelbrain I was looking forward to this, but now it‘s sliding down my list a bit; there‘s just too many other books to read! 3mo
47 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
Megabooks
Plainsong | Kent Haruf
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I am quite happy with how things ended up with my #bookspin and #doublespin.

Plainsong, which I have owned since 2015 🫣, is on @Emilymdxn ‘s #ALSpine list, and I started it this morning before the draw. Only a couple of chapters in, but I‘m really enjoying it!

Seven Steeples is a bargain book find that just happened to be on the #toblonglist, so I‘m excited to read it too!

jlhammar Plainsong is wonderful. Hope you enjoy! I‘m looking forward to Seven Steeples. Planning to get to it in March. 3mo
Cinfhen I LOVED plainsong and the entire series 3mo
Soubhiville I‘m another Plainsong fan. I love everything I‘ve read by that author. 3mo
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3mo
Jess Looking forward to seeing what you think of Seven Steeples. I had it in my hand the other day, put it back but am still thinking about picking it up. 3mo
Emilymdxn I really hope you love it!! Just letting you know, I‘m super excited to read tomorrow & tomorrow & tomorrow but I have a big masters deadline on the 9th so I‘ll be starting it when that‘s handed in 🥳 3mo
Megabooks @Emilymdxn yes! I‘ve found 4 from your list I hope to read this month. I‘m about to finish Head Full of Ghosts on audio (great gothic tale!), Will and Testament on audio, then Plainsong and The Bell Jar in print. Please don‘t feel you have to read that many from my list! Good luck meeting you deadline! Grad school can be tough and time consuming for sure. I hope you enjoy Tomorrow x3 as much as I did! 👍🏻 3mo
Megabooks @jlhammar @Soubhiville I‘m really enjoying plainsong! Fantastic characters! 3mo
Megabooks @Jess I‘ll tag you in my review if you want. I‘m excited for it! 3mo
Megabooks @Cinfhen would it work for #PartOfaTrilogy? And also, I think Babel would work for #GaslampFantasy because it‘s set in Victorian times?? What you you think #Booked2023 organizer?? I‘m really enjoying Plainsong. 👍🏻💜 3mo
Cinfhen Yessssss!!! Wonderful choice for trilogy and I think Babel would work for #GasLightFantasy 🙌🏻❣️brilliant thinking 😘 3mo
70 likes1 stack add11 comments
blurb
Megabooks
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Very excited for my first #Bookspin #BookspinBingo of 2023! This list is heavily influenced by challenges and other fun stuff: #toblonglist #tob shortlist (5-10), #ALSpine (16-17), #roll100 (1), #botm (12-13) #aardvark (14-15), #ReadingTheAmericas2023 (14, 18), and #authoramonth (2) as well as some gifts (5, 18-20).

Happy New Year y‘all!! 🎉🥳🎉🥳

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3mo
Cinfhen I know!!! Can‘t wait for tomorrow 🤗🤗🤗 3mo
Deblovestoread Happy New Year, Meg. 🍾🎆🥂 3mo
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Megabooks @Deblovestoread thanks! Happy New Year to you too! 3mo
BookLineNSinker I need someone to help me get started with #bookspin #bookspinbingo. I understand the concept but I don't what I need to do to get started or how to find the prompts 2mo
Megabooks @BookLineNSinker sure! @TheAromaofBooks runs it, and if you head to her page on litsy, she has a link to her blog post that explains everything. Sarah‘s great about answering questions and can probably explain it better than I! 2mo
TheAromaofBooks @BookLineNSinker - I happened to see your post from earlier and commented on it, so just let me know if you have any questions!! 2mo
63 likes7 comments
review
Jas16
The Birdcatcher | Gayl Jones
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Mehso-so

I put this audiobook on hold at my library when the #toblonglist came out and probably should have read the Litsy reviews first. I like the writing but nothing else came together for me- the plot, the characters. Gayl Jones is an author I have been told I must try again, and so I will, but this book did not work for me.

review
Megabooks
Monarch: A Novel | Candice Wuehle
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Mehso-so

This book is weird AF. The second half was better than the first, but I think the larger societal points Wuehle was trying to make were obfuscated by the quirkiness.

Jessica was a childhood pageant queen, who longs to reconnect with a girl she loved. Her father is a professor of Boredom Studies and performs odd experiments on people and animals. When she flips out at college and her father disappears, she must find out the truth about her family.

Megabooks I‘m glad I read this #toblonglist choice. And I was looking for something weird, but she tried to make these larger points about abuse and conditioning that just weren‘t done well. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Suet624 @sarahbarnes @Hooked_on_books @MicheleinPhilly @Ruthiella @Addison_Reads @RebelReader @Aimeesue @BkClubCare @merelybookish @batsy 3mo
Suet624 The description of the book makes it sound like something they could make into a movie. 3mo
Megabooks @Suet624 yes, for sure. I wouldn‘t call the writing cinematic, but the plot definitely was! 3mo
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ImperfectCJ Your description reminded me of this one a little 3mo
Megabooks @ImperfectCJ yes, I can see that! I apparently stacked Calamity Physics at one point. 👍🏻 Monarch was trying to do some commentary on domestic violence that I think it would‘ve been stronger without. 3mo
Ruthiella Sounds like it was an ambitious attempt. I‘ll see if the universe allows it to wash up on my shore again but for now, I‘m probably going to pass. 3mo
BarbaraBB It does sound good to me somehow but I trust your opinion and won‘t hurry to read it! 3mo
Cinfhen If it turns up on #Scribd I‘ll give it a chance but I won‘t be using my Audible credit! GREAT review 3mo
Cinfhen Creepy cover! 3mo
Hooked_on_books Interesting! This is one that jumped out at me from the longlist, so I‘ll definitely still read it, but will for sure keep your thoughts in mind when I do. 3mo
squirrelbrain Hmm, I‘m not sure I‘ll hurry to read this, plus it seems to be difficult to get hold of over here anyway…. 3mo
TrishB Professor of Boredom Studies sounds awesome though 😁 3mo
batsy This is an intriguing combination of themes! But it makes sense that it all might not come together, as your review describes. 3mo
MicheleinPhilly That synopsis sounds like A LOT. 3mo
76 likes14 comments