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#burkinafaso
review
CaitlinR
American Spy: A Novel | Lauren Wilkinson
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Mehso-so

A somewhat muddy novel. As the title indicates, the plot involves spies, some CIA, some from corrupt US shadow organizations, in Cold War Africa. Some brilliant writing but the time shifting tropes are needlessly confusing, and although Marie‘s back story is meted out in dribs and drabs, the real story isn‘t revealed until the last pages, leaving us wanting more, but not interested in going back to understand earlier plot lines. Disappointing.

CaitlinR Photo of the author by Nuqui Carter. 1y
26 likes1 comment
blurb
Singout
American Spy: A Novel | Lauren Wilkinson
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And that's a wrap for #ReadingAfrica2022. Still some good books from other countries left, but not this year! A really interesting challenge, especially as my adolescent career goal was to spend my life somewhere in Africa teaching English. (I'm into my 50s and that worked out to be one week of tourism in Uganda.) A good mix of NF current politics and ancient history, award-winning literature, speculative short stories, a mystery, and a thriller.

BarbaraBB Very well done 👍🏽 1y
10 likes1 comment
review
Singout
American Spy: A Novel | Lauren Wilkinson
Pickpick

This works for 2 challenges, since we can start the Americas early! Thrillers aren‘t my first choice, but this caught my attention because it emphasizes the politics of Burkina Faso, and the CIA‘s attempt to control the the Global South, including a main character who was a historical socialist leader and reformer. Also great balance between “spy” and personal life in 3 countries.
#ReadingAfrica2022 #BurkinaFaso
#ReadingAmericas2023 #Martinique

Librarybelle Awesome!!! 1y
11 likes1 comment
review
Singout
American Spy: A Novel | Lauren Wilkinson
Pickpick

Last #Bookspin for 2022:
1. We Measure the Earth
2. Undala Trees
3. Seeing Ghosts
4. Mother Tree
5. New Jim Crow
6. The Tears of a Man
7. Wayward Lives
8. How Much of these Hills
9. The Savage Detectives
10. Sahara was Green
11. Dangerous Pursuits
12. Follow Those Zebras
13. Harnessed the Wind
14. Jade and Shadow
15. We Wish to Inform You
16. You are your best thing
17. Moonless Starless Sky
18. Rememberings
19. Grandmother‘s Hands
20. Matrix

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1y
14 likes1 comment
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Texreader
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A short book, we are already leaving #Ghana for #Togo, #BurkinaFaso, and #Niger. #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB What a journey! 1y
Librarybelle Wow! 1y
47 likes2 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
Bingo! | Rosemary Wells
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Good morning, everyone! The moment you have all been waiting for!! Our official #BookSpin number is NINETEEN!! Our official #DoubleSpin number is NINE!! I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at everyone's lists & am really looking forward to seeing your reviews!

My next post will be the #BookSpinBingo card!!! I will NOT be tagging everyone on the Bingo post - if you wish to play along (and anyone is welcome!!), please just check my profile!! ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I will be tagging everyone on this post, which takes quite a while!! When I have posted the last batch of tags I will add FINISHED at which point if you have not been tagged and want to be added, please just let me know!!

Below are the usual housekeeping items with details about the challenge, and the link to the challenge info is also always in my profile - https://thearomaofbooks.wordpress.com/bookspin-bookspinbingo-litsy-challenge
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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Happy reading, everyone!!!

1. Remember, this is a no-pressure challenge!! You can read one or both of these books. You can bail on them. You can bail on the whole challenge and try again next month. Whatever works!! This is supposed to be fun not stressful!! ⬇
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TheAromaofBooks 2. I do have a giveaway at the end of the year. Every BookSpin or DoubleSpin book completed counts as an entry!! In the past, I have tracked these myself, but for 2022 YOU are in charge of tracking your own entries!! To help with this process, I have created a Google Form that can be found here - https://forms.gle/X57ePKzuHpsqLjE5A - You can use this Form two different ways: You can update it throughout the year OR you can wait and fill in ⬇ 1y
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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) all the information at the end of the year. If you want to be entered in the giveaway you MUST use this form. However, if you do NOT want to be entered in the giveaway but still want to use the form for organizational purposes, I have set it up so that the personal info/address blank is OPTIONAL - so you can use the form without submitting your name/address. If you do not care about the giveaway you do NOT have to use this form at all ⬇ 1y
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) There is more information about how the form works when you click on the link and go to the form because I LOVE overexplaining things!!! You are also ALWAYS welcome to ask me questions!!

4. Even though I don't HAVE to see your reviews I love reading them!! So please feel free to tag me in any and all BookSpin reivews!!

5. For the giveaway, DNFs do count!! The goal for #BookSpin is to get a book off your TBR, so if you decide not to ⬇
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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) finish it, it's still off the TBR and still counts as a completion in my book!!

6. If you do not finish your #BookSpin/#DoubleSpin book this month it is STILL ELIGIBLE for a giveaway entry as long as you complete it sometime in 2022!! There is space in the form for you both to put down what book you are SUPPOSED to read & then to check off which books you DID read! ⬇
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TheAromaofBooks 7. Everyone is welcome to join this challenge!! If you wanted tagged & I missed you, it was completely inadvertent!! Please just let me know that you want to be added to the tag list. You can also let me know if you want to be removed - no hard feelings!! Feel free to jump in & out of this challenge as needed. Also, obviously, getting tagged doesn't mean you HAVE to actually participate!!


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TheAromaofBooks 8 & final (FINALLY) - While I don't have time to reply to all of the comments to this post, I do read every one and love seeing which books got picked for you!! I do respond to any direct questions or confusion, so please feel free to ask away if something doesn't make sense or you need some clarifications. Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm, and happy reading!!! 1y
Bookwormjillk You‘re up early! Looking forward to BINGO in November. 1y
vlwelser I got a NetGalley backlog (almost done with The Ingenue) and The Brides of Maracoor. 🎉 1y
TheAromaofBooks @RealLiveHuman @mom_of_4 @PageShifter @persephone1408 @Lin3han

Finished!! If you haven't been tagged and you would like to be added, please let me know!!
1y
TheAromaofBooks @Bookwormjillk - I have an absolutely crazy day at work ahead so I wanted to make sure these got posted first!! I'm not sure what condition my brain will be in when I get home! 😂 1y
Allylu Ooh! #9 is River Secrets by Shannon Hale and #19 is Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian - a lovely book I‘ve been longing to read! Yay! #BookSpin Day is the best day! 😊💕📚 1y
Clare-Dragonfly Woohoo! Thankfully one of mine is short 😂 but the other looks long! Sister Light, Sister Dark and 1y
TheSpineView Fantastic! 1y
Soubhiville Yay! I love waking up to see this post! 1y
mollyrotondo Thank you! Bookspin is The Hatching and Doublespin is Shadow of the Wind! 1y
Kangaj1 Yay! Bookspin is The Wisdom of Your Body and Doublespin is In the Time of the Butterflies. 1y
persephone1408 Bookspin is Beautiful Creatures. Doublespin is Lake of souls. 1y
claudiuo My BookSpin is The Cold Dish, the first Longmire book and DoubleSpin is a random library book. Thank you so much! Getting the spin numbers makes the passing of months so fast feel a bit better 😃 1y
myellenbee Bookspin is Jurassic Park and doublespin is Tentacles. Looks like monsters for me this month! And I'll finally stop saying I need to read the book when I watch Jurassic Park! 1y
Bookzombie Yay! My BS is Anoka and my DS is Taaqtumi. Both fit categories for the #skodenreadathon this month. 1y
BarbaraJean Woohoo! That‘s perfect! My BookSpin is tagged—a Nonfiction November pick from my TBR shelf. And my DoubleSpin is my IRL book club pick for November, The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow. 1y
BeckyWithTheGoodBooks Yay! My bookspin is tagged and my doublespin is Captain Corelli‘s Mandolin! 1y
willaful Oh, the #bookspin gods *were* kind to me! I got “a book on my ereader“ and The Lark by E. Nesbit, which just came through from the library. Most exxellent. 1y
UwannaPublishme Yay! It‘s going to be more Anne Tyler for me! 1y
117 likes44 comments
review
SarahBookInterrupted
American Spy: A Novel | Lauren Wilkinson
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Pickpick

This was an excellent book. I loved all the details weaved into the story. I live in Senegal and little things like drinking water from plastic bags just added life to the story. She transported you to New York and Burkina Faso. She also painted a vivid picture of being a black women in the 80‘s in the FBI. You see how she must be on guard, always. I wish I knew how the lives of the characters continued after the book. I didn‘t want it to end.

45 likes1 stack add
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Onioons
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Latest book for Read Around The World is from Burkina Faso. Enjoyed Somé's autobiographical novel about being taken away from his village, as a very young child, to be raised in a French seminary. Loved that he read the audiobook himself.

ATW so far: Ireland, England, France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Mali, Cote D'Ivore, Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso. Up next: Niger.

review
jenniferw88
American Spy: A Novel | Lauren Wilkinson
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Pickpick
squirrelbrain Yay for the #doubledip! 2y
BarbaraBB I enjoyed this one too! 2y
Cinfhen I didn‘t love this one but I‘m still happy I read it. Nice use for #PoP22 ❣️❣️ 2y
Librarybelle Yay for the double prompt use! 2y
Cortg I have this one on my radar. It looks like it would also work for a book set in the 80‘s 😀 2y
58 likes2 stack adds5 comments
review
Cinfhen
American Spy: A Novel | Lauren Wilkinson
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Mehso-so

I‘m not sorry I read this book, but it wasn‘t what I was expecting. It‘s not a fast paced “thriller” by any means. It‘s more about US policy, politics and bad governance. I enjoyed Bahni Turpin‘s narration. 3 stars #ReadingAfrica22 #BurkinaFaso

TrishB I couldn‘t finish this one. 2y
ChaoticMissAdventures I could finish this either, but it sounded so interesting. I do love Bahni Turpin... Maybe the audio is better than the physical? 2y
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BarbaraBB Glad i didn‘t buy it for you. I liked it but I often like political novels. 2y
Cinfhen Definitely try audio @ChaoticMissAdventures because there was an interesting story here, it was just slow going and meandering at times but Bahai‘s voice is so melodic @TrishB so I just enjoyed listening to her. 2y
Cinfhen I wasn‘t expecting a political novel @BarbaraBB that‘s a good way to define it! But I liked it enough not to bail😜 2y
Librarybelle Great description of it! 🔼 I also liked the “I liked it enough not to bail” comment 😂 2y
Cinfhen Haha @Librarybelle I‘m not afraid to bail so if I was REALLY not liking the book I would have easily bailed!! 2y
60 likes1 stack add8 comments