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AshleyHoss820

AshleyHoss820

Joined November 2016

I‘m tall…for a Hobbit. She/her. INTJ. Enneagram 5, with a 6 wing. Nebraska, 🇺🇸. 1,001 Books List Adventurer. English degree.
review
AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

Listen, are there things that I‘d change? Sure. Overall, this was fun. Harry wasn‘t some Superman-style all-powerful boy-scout of a character. He‘s kind of a dick, but I think that‘s what kept me turning pages. I wanted to know what happened to everyone. It was worth it, just to meet Bob, to be honest. Anyway, I liked the universe and will read more. August‘s #BookSpin

TheAromaofBooks I've had this book on my TBR forever! I really loved Butcher's Codex Alera series, although I've heard they're quite different from the Dresden Files. 1mo
AshleyHoss820 @TheAromaofBooks One of the things people dislike about Butcher‘s writing is that he can‘t seem to write women well, which I can see. Also, Dresden is a bit of a jerkwad. 😂 So I went in to it lightly, knowing it was lightly problematic, but also pretty typical of male authors. I liked the universe he was building, though. The magic was interesting, so I would be willing to read more of this. I‘ll have to check out the one you mentioned too! 1mo
37 likes2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
Great Ghost Stories | John Grafton
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Pickpick

This is a collection of Victorian-era (if memory serves) ghost stories. Are they bone-chilling, jump-out-of-your-skin scary? No, but they‘re thought-provoking and fun, in some cases. There‘s usually a larger comment about society at play with Victorian stories. Anyway, give this one a go if only for The Monkey‘s Paw! ☺️ April‘s Double #BookSpin

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1mo
33 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
Hello Beautiful | Ann Napolitano
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Mehso-so

This one wasn‘t for me, but I know it will work for so many others! It‘s a Little Women homage (which have not gone well for me) about 4 sisters and their messy, complex relationships and lives. I saw a lot of tell but very little show and that‘s just a personal pet peeve. If sweeping family sagas are your jam (as they *usually* are for me) I do think you‘ll like this. I‘m sorry I didn‘t. July‘s Double #BookSpin

TheBookHippie I bailed this book 😂😅😬. 1mo
AshleyHoss820 @TheBookHippie Oh my gosh, I‘m so glad to hear that! I was feeling so guilty, but I wasn‘t a big fan of Little Women to begin with, so any homage or Little Women-inspired books and I don‘t get along. 😰 1mo
TheBookHippie @AshleyHoss820 Actually I read Little Women with my grandma every winter and enjoyed it -although we did mock it a bit 😅. I don‘t typically get along with any homage books … 😂 I just thought this one was 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫. 1mo
See All 7 Comments
AshleyHoss820 @TheBookHippie I love that you have those memories! I have something similar with Little House on the Prairie, and I know those books can be hit or miss for people. 😄 I think you‘re right. Homage books just leave me making constant comparisons. This book, I felt, telegraphed everything. I was told how every character felt, but it didn‘t come through in their actions. I just couldn‘t get myself to like it, even though I tried! ☺️ 1mo
TheBookHippie @AshleyHoss820 Solidarity!! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! I'm at the end that loves Little Women so much that most homage books just annoy me 😂 1mo
AshleyHoss820 @TheAromaofBooks Little Women holds a special place in my sister‘s heart as well, and she feels the same way. We read Geraldine Brooks‘ March together and we both struggled with it because of the LW connection (for different reasons). But I also feel that LW, while not one of my favorites, is such a classic that it‘s hard to see it messed with in any way. ☺️ 1mo
29 likes7 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

Is this my umpteenth re-read? Yes. And I don‘t care. This is one of my comfort novels, so I was glad I could use it to fulfill my Double #BookSpin prompt for July. I love Louis and his ever-present quest to simply understand what the point of his existence even is. I love Lestat‘s sassy ass. I‘ll read it again. I‘ve seen me do it.

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 1mo
34 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
My Heart Is a Chainsaw | Stephen Graham Jones
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Pickpick

I can‘t shut up about SGJ. I didn‘t like this one as much as The Only Good Indians, but I still liked it. Jade Daniels isn‘t Final Girl material, but she does love a good slasher. When murders start occurring in her small town, could she actually be living in one? Or is Jade somehow involved? I‘ll be reading the rest of this trilogy and anything else SGJ wants to throw my way. My July #BookSpin (How am I still so behind on writing these!?)

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
27 likes1 stack add1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

This volume collects the scripts from season one of the absurdly brilliant Welcome to Night Vale podcast plus behind-the-scenes introductions to each episode. This is my brand of weird and I feel no shame about that. Actually, I feel no shame or really any other emotion…I am suspended in a jar of jelly that isn‘t really jelly, just the consistency of what you know to be jelly. Send help. Or don‘t. It‘s whatever.

ChaoticMissAdventures I used to love this pod! It was so creative. The faceless old woman always gave me the creeps 😂 2mo
AshleyHoss820 @ChaoticMissAdventures I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it until I picked this up! I forgot all about Hiram, the 5-headed dragon. The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home! So skin-tinglingly weird! ☺️ 2mo
35 likes1 stack add2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
Salt Slow | Julia Armfield
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Pickpick

This was one of those short story collections that I sat with for a while before moving on. I didn‘t want this to end and that‘s the mark of a good short story. I had this on my GoodReads TBR for a while. I went in completely blind and I think that worked in my favor. Surreal fiction is, apparently, my jam.

33 likes1 stack add
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AshleyHoss820
The Bishop's Bedroom | Piero Chiara
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Panpan

The plot? Where? The Bishop‘s Bedroom? What about it? Did I miss something? Most likely. Do I want to go meandering with these two misogynistic weirdos again? I‘m good, thanks. I literally grabbed this at the library because of the cover and the blurb on the back and boy did that pay off in no way whatsoever.

MommyWantsToReadHerBook 😂😂😂 Love your review 2mo
AshleyHoss820 @MommyWantsToReadHerBook 😂😂 Thank you! They can‘t all be winners, I guess! 😂 2mo
Ladygodiva7 🤣🤣🤣 2mo
AshleyHoss820 @Ladygodiva7 😂😂🤷🏻‍♀️😂😂 2mo
33 likes4 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

I am really digging science-fiction and/or speculative fiction short story collections lately. They‘re just hitting it out of the park. As with most collections, some stuck more than others, but it‘s a solid outing. I looked forward to each story, getting enveloped in each reality, and I look forward to reading more of Chung‘s work.

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AshleyHoss820
The Fire Next Time | James Baldwin
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There really isn‘t anything I could add, or really should add, about James Baldwin‘s work, except to say, “Read him.” I fell madly in love with his voice when I read Go Tell It On the Mountain. You must read him.

32 likes1 stack add
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

This was a fascinating memoir. Cole has a brain the size of a lemon in her brain, which went undiagnosed until her mid-twenties. Her struggle to adapt to life with, what she thought, were multiple learning disabilities would be tough to read if Cohen weren‘t so wry and engaging. It‘s worth the read for her perspective alone.

28 likes2 stack adds
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

I read Deesha Philyaw‘s The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and have been desperately chasing that high ever since. This collection of short stories came in clutch. Absolutely phenomenal. I wanted to turn around and devour it again so I could mop up any morsel I missed. Loved it. June‘s #BookSpin

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2mo
28 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
Shadows on the Rock | Willa Cather
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Pickpick

As a native Nebraskan, we love Cather, and I know why. She makes you see exactly what she wants you to see. Absolute descriptive power. This is a tale about the first European inhabitants of Quebec. Someone on GR described it as a stop-and-smell-the-roses type book and I would have to agree. It‘s a lovely, slow read. My February Double #BookSpin: OG BOTM Selection. Fun note: at the Cather museum, they said she loved fuchsia, especially as lipstick

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! 2mo
29 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
Damned | Chuck Palahniuk
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Mehso-so

I am probably in a good place to give a so-so rating because I do typically enjoy Palahniuk‘s work. This one, while a lot of fun at first, petered out for me. I‘m not sure where he lost me, but he did. And that‘s okay. You can‘t win them all. A 13-year-old girl is poised take over Hell. I was unaware this was a series when I picked it up, so I‘ll hold off Judgement Day until I finish it. Maybe it‘ll all tie up nicely?

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AshleyHoss820
Lolly Willowes | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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Pickpick

SYLVIA👏🏻TOWNSEND👏🏻WARNER👏🏻 This was a ✨DELIGHT✨ to read. Lolly, the unmarried sister, is to be taken into her brother‘s home after her father‘s death. She says, “nah, peace out.” Which is just *shocking*! Why wouldn‘t she want to be a servant in her brother‘s home, he‘s literally being SO GENEROUS. 🙄 Anyway, Lolly chooses this little town and, wouldn‘t you know it? They‘re all witches. Is Lolly one of them? If so, would it be *that* bad?

AshleyHoss820 Before I forget, this was my #BookSpin for March. AND shout-out to Book-of-the-Month club for making this little bit of feminist critique their VERY FIRST CHOICE in 1926! 😱😍 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
37 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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Mehso-so

I really struggled with reviewing this book. I think it‘s important. I think Mailer has a deep talent for writing. I just slogged through some of this while also being completely engrossed in other parts. So it‘s a so-so, for me. This was my April #BookSpin The-Most-Popular-Book-the-Year-You-Were-Born (1949).

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2mo
29 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

There is, of course, nothing new to add plot-wise. This is Alice in Wonderland. The graphic novel adaptation is accessible to readers of all ages and the illustrations are lovely. I have started collecting different editions of this classic, and I‘m glad to add this one.

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AshleyHoss820
Carmilla: Large Print | Sheridan Le Fanu
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Pickpick

“…and they were roommates!” 😂 Hear me out, a pre-cursor to Dracula, but it‘s a thinly-veiled reference to lesbians! I can imagine the pearl-clutching this induced in the late 1800s! This was a great read, especially when you get the edition with a lovely, insightful introduction written by the editor, Carmen Maria Machado, and illustrations by Robert Kraiza. If you love vampire lore, this is a must-read!

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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

I love the short story genre because you have to do so much in such a finite amount of time. Carver is one of the few who can do so much with so little. He just understands people, even if what you see isn‘t very fun to look at. Some of the stories are so woefully raw and human, you almost feel as though you‘re a voyeur, trespassing into someone‘s private existence.

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AshleyHoss820
Station Eleven: A novel | Emily St. John Mandel
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Pickpick

This is another where I don‘t recall a lot about the plot, but I enjoyed the journey. This novel was written before the pandemic, so reading this in a post-Covid era is a bit jarring. It was a little too relatable. It‘s interesting how yearning for normalcy and human connection is so deeply ingrained in us. It‘s a good, contemplative read. May‘s #BookSpin

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! 2mo
35 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

This was the text for my art appreciation class. You think about art in layers. Notice how it makes you feel, but give the art space to take to you. Take the time to really look at it. Forget your pre-conceived notions. Let go of what you think you‘re supposed to “get” & just allow the art to tell you what it‘s up to. Combine what you see/feel/know, & you‘ll find you get more about art than you think. Art is not inaccessible, it‘s for everyone.

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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

The Anthropology class I took was a disaster, but this book was its saving grace. I actually enjoyed the readings and learned far more than I had expected. I encourage anyone to take an anthropology or sociology class if they can. I mentioned earlier that is it just so fascinating to know that you aren‘t all that different from someone from far away, yet you can learn new ways of existing as well. As we say with our boys, “Different, not less.”

Megabooks I fell in love with Cultural Anthropology in undergrad and ended up making it one of my minors. I don't use it much today, but I truly enjoyed studying it! 2mo
AshleyHoss820 @Megabooks Were I a younger woman when taking this course, I think I would have changed majors. I always wanted to go into forensic anthropology! It‘s such a feather in your cap and I love that you had that experience! ☺️🧡 2mo
30 likes2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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Mehso-so

I‘m only giving this a so-so because some of her viewpoints were simply outdated. I did appreciate when she would call herself out for her negative attitude. She could have edited the book in her favor, but didn‘t. I loved learning about the cultural aspects of people living in West Africa. It is also so wonderful to see how connected and similar humans are and yet how we differ also, and not in a this-is-superior/inferior way, just different. ☺️

AshleyHoss820 By the way, Dettwyler was studying malnutrition in adolescents, which I think often led to her frustrations with the local people. There were some cultural differences in how adults perceive children which sometimes contributed (unwittingly) to the malnutrition. Sometimes, it was more a question of lack of access to necessary nutrients, which isn‘t much different than some areas in the United States. 2mo
26 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
Troll's-Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales | Ellen Datlow, Terri Windling
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Pickpick

I always find it a fun take when a classic tale takes the point of view of the villain. It served to remind us that perhaps not everything is as it seems. Maybe the hero in one narrative is a villain in another. I don‘t really remember too much, except it was a nice little YA-vibe story collection that I would read again. ☺️ March‘s Double #BookSpin

BarbaraBB Good to see you here again 🩷 2mo
AshleyHoss820 @BarbaraBB Thank you!! I joined the working world after graduation and my free-time has been so different! 🧡🧡🧡 2mo
BarbaraBB Yes that‘s a completely new phase. A good one though, I hope! And you have been reading at least 😀😀 2mo
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AshleyHoss820 @BarbaraBB Not nearly as much as I used to read (earning an English degree required a lot of that), but I am still reading! I hope you are still taking awesome pictures! ☺️ 2mo
BarbaraBB I hope I am 💚 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
29 likes6 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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June is here and Summer too! It‘s my 21st anniversary on the 14th and I think I‘ll celebrate like we did last year: I read, he fishes. Otherwise we might find some fun NebraskaLand Days stuff to do. ☺️ Happy Reading, fellow Spinners! #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 7mo
23 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
Cinco de Mayo | Rachel Grack
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It‘s my birthday month! And my birthday happens to be on the absolute baller holiday of Cinco de Mayo! Here‘s my May #BookSpin list! I‘m juggling multiple reads, as usual, but I‘m excited to catch up on reviews soon! Also, I GRADUATE IN 3 WEEKS!!! Wooo! Bachelors of English, at your service! Anyone wanna hire me? 😂😂😂

Sace Happy Birthday and congratulations on graduating! 8mo
AshleyHoss820 @Sace Thank you so very much!! ☺️🧡 8mo
JackOBotts Congratulations on your graduation!!!! 🥳🥂 8mo
AshleyHoss820 @JackOBotts Thank you!! ☺️🧡 8mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! And congrats on making it through college - so exciting!!!! 8mo
32 likes5 comments
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AshleyHoss820
The Case Worker | Gyorgy Konrad
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Pickpick

This book was a trip. The narrator is a social worker who mostly works with children (I think). I enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look, the disjointed nature of the narrator‘s thoughts. Social work, work with the public in general, can you leave you feeling jaded and cynical, and maybe even a little deadened to things that should shock you. I look forward to reading more by Konrad. 241/1,001 #1001Books

BarbaraBB I loved all three of the Konrad books on the list. Especially 9mo
AshleyHoss820 @BarbaraBB That is so good to hear!! I‘m excited to read it! Thank you! ☺️ 9mo
38 likes2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

This is my last semester of school (yay!) and I only needed American Sign Language II to complete my degree audit. However, because of grants and scholarships, I needed to be full-time. I decided to take a geography class…for fun…😂💀 Anyway, I was dreading this b/c it is NOT my forte, but the book is highly readable. It also helps that the professor is kind, massively organized, and efficient. Bonus: it has helped me when reading novels too! ☺️

tpixie Great learning experience! 9mo
AshleyHoss820 @tpixie Yes! Very much! 9mo
LiteraryinPA Good for you for trying a class out of your comfort zone! 9mo
AshleyHoss820 @LiteraryinLawrence Thank you! ☺️☺️☺️ 9mo
35 likes5 comments
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AshleyHoss820
The Bluest Eye | Toni Morrison
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I‘m sorry, this was her FIRST NOVEL!? Hang it up, everybody else, b/c dang. I know Morrison is going to chew up my soul and spit it out, but I can‘t help but keep coming back for more. Every story in here is painful. You see Pecola through a child‘s narrative. That‘s where Morrison‘s magic lies: her ability to weave and manipulate language. It‘s beautifully written, but it‘s also mean and hard and angry. As it should be. 240/1,001 #1001Books

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AshleyHoss820
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I won‘t add anything new to the discussion, so I won‘t try. It reminds me of the adventure novels popular w/ boys in the Victorian era, but fantasy. I want to thank Christopher Tolkien for taking his father to task about remembering the small details of his bedtime story so that we could all benefit from it. The original NPR broadcast was stellar & should get a listen, if you‘re so inclined. Know what Aragon‘s shirt is made of? Husband material.

tpixie lol husband material 😝 9mo
AshleyHoss820 @tpixie 🤭🤭🤭 It‘s just so true! ☺️😂 9mo
tpixie @AshleyHoss820 👏🏻 👏🏻 9mo
34 likes4 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

Again, I listened to the original American National Public Radio broadcast. Other than some different pronunciations than we‘re used to, this was another stellar performance. This was also around the 3-hour mark. If, like me, you‘re familiar with the story and just want to have some ear candy while crafting, give this a listen!

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AshleyHoss820
The 19th Wife | David Ebershoff
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Some of the writing fell a *smidge* flat, for me. But, I stayed engaged enough that I wanted to finish. The narrative is split between a present-day FLDS plural wife who is charged with her husband‘s murder & her estranged son who tries to solve who-really-done-it & the story of Ann Eliza Young. Both women are the 19th wives. Ann Eliza to Brigham Young himself, & she documented their very public divorce. #ReadingAmerica Utah; February #BookSpin

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 9mo
33 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

I listened to the original American National Public Radio broadcast and I loved it. An ensemble cast really brought the story to life. Coming in at 3 hours, I know it‘s abridged, so I won‘t be counting it toward my 1,001 books journey until I read it in full. This was just such a nice listen while I crocheted. ☺️

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AshleyHoss820
Dracula | Bram Stoker
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Pickpick

This is, like, my 4th read. This time, I listened to an audiobook (not the one with Alan Cumming and Tim Curry, though, blast!) and it was so fun! This is, certainly, problematic in places. However, the lore is SO STRONG that even today, few stray from it. (If they do, we get sparkly vampires. At least she tried something new. Bless.) Anyway, still a solid pick.

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AshleyHoss820
The Art of Fiction | Henry James
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Mehso-so

This was also on the #RoryGilmoreChallenge and I couldn‘t have been more bored. Maybe I‘ll try again, but reading this immediately after a semester of Victorian Lit was not ideal…

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AshleyHoss820
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I don‘t like kitschy. I don‘t like sappy. So I was quite worried about this. It surprised me. Eddie dies trying to save young girl in a Ferris wheel accident. We know it‘s coming, so don‘t worry, that‘s not a spoiler! ☺️ The narrative follows him as he meets 5 important people in his life. I enjoyed the contemplative nature, the inter-connectedness of humanity. If you want to get off the roller-coaster and take a nice swan boat ride, this is it.

AshleyHoss820 I think this was on the #RoryGilmoreChallenge I‘m not sure I would have given it a chance otherwise, which is a shame. ☺️ 9mo
27 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
Aprilheks | Majgull Axelsson
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Not me, thinking I was ahead of the game and had already posted my #BookSpin list only to realize I‘m a month behind…🙄😂💀 Sheesh. April already!? Well, the list is the same anyway, so no harm no foul! I‘m excited to pick the books to fit the spins!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 9mo
25 likes2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
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March‘s #BookSpin list! An extra day in February and we still flew by it like a fence post on the interstate. Happy Reading, fellow BookSpinners! ☺️

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 10mo
AshleyHoss820 #2 & #17 (edited) 9mo
28 likes2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
Fatal February | Barbara Levenson
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School started again and I lost my doggone brain…February‘s #BookSpin list 🎶Second verse, same as the first🎶 Happy reading, everyone! ☺️🧡 📚

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 11mo
29 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
The Bridges of Madison County | Robert James Waller
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Mehso-so

Lordt. I was ranting about this book to my husband and he said the movie was good. 🙄🤣 Well, yeah, Eastwood‘s in it. The dialogue was obnoxious (“My God, your power” Girl, no.) if I read that he was “a leopard that rode in on a comet” ONE MORE TIME. The author 100% wrote himself as the main male character. She looked down her nose at the Iowans (all they want out of life is to farm and raise families. Okay? And?) I get it. Shes lonely. 👇🏻

AshleyHoss820 Life didn‘t quite turn out how she wanted it. It is really sad when you get cornered by your choices and no one should feel trapped. I really, REALLY wanted to like this one. I really did. I just felt their 4-day love affair pushed my boundaries of disbelief too far. 12mo
Clare-Dragonfly “A leopard that rode in on a comet” definitely seems like a description you should only use once 😂 12mo
AshleyHoss820 @Clare-Dragonfly Also, the overuse of “I‘m the last cowboy” or “I‘m the last of my evolutionary branch.” I get it. You think you‘re cool. 🙄😂 12mo
See All 6 Comments
AshleyHoss820 I was so busy ranting about this book that I forgot that it was my January Double #BookSpin pick: The-Most-Popular-Book-The-Year-You-Were-Born (1993) from Good Housekeeping. @TheAromaofBooks 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Great job getting through this one 😂 2mo
AshleyHoss820 @TheAromaofBooks The struggle was real! 😂 2mo
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AshleyHoss820
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Pickpick

This book is so silly and gross. I loved it. I brought this home from the library. My daughter (15) said, “Wait! When you said Dog Man, I thought you were talking about some weird fantasy novel, not THESE! These are low-key really funny.” I agree. I was even making my husband look at panels that made me laugh audibly. Just good fun. My favorite bit was: *ring ring* Hello? There‘s been a jail break! Where? At the jail! Oh. So dumb. 🤣🤣🤣

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AshleyHoss820
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Mehso-so

First, I know I‘m not the target audience. Second, I get it. Middle-schoolers and the personal fable (main character energy), people are flawed, etc. I absolutely see why kids would dig this series. I just really struggled with this. There were parts that were funny, but mostly I was like, “Wow. You‘re a real d-bag…” I won‘t dissuade anyone from liking/reading them, I just didn‘t connect with this.

Daisey Completely get this review. I get why kids love them, and I also love my own fluff sometimes. Yet, I also want them to read better stuff along with this. 12mo
AshleyHoss820 @Daisey There were just so many problematic things for me. I agree with you. I both get it and don‘t get it. And I‘m not one of those readers who needs a big moral lesson or likable characters, but dang…😂🤣 12mo
32 likes2 comments
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AshleyHoss820
The Thirteen Problems | Agatha Christie
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I‘ve never read Miss Marple, so I thought I‘d take advantage of this Nebraska Blizzard season and get a start. I love these little mysteries and Miss Marple reminded me of Father Brown. I genuinely love trying to solve the puzzle and being outwitted by Dame Agatha every time. Even if I figure out part of the mystery, I never unravel every bit.

LittlePixels My daughter is working her way through Agatha Christie right now, and she loves Hercule Poirot so much that she‘s loathe to even try any of the Miss Marple novels. I think she feels like it‘s a betrayal or something. 🤣 12mo
AshleyHoss820 @LittlePixels I have to be honest, I was doing the same thing! 😂🤣 I love Hercule and his mustaches and little grey cells! But honestly, I think I could dig Miss Marple too! 12mo
LittlePixels @AshleyHoss820 I‘ll have to tell my daughter she isn‘t alone. 😄 And maybe convince her to give Miss Marple a try… 12mo
AshleyHoss820 @littlepixels Definitely! I‘ve only read one Miss Marple, but she‘s a sly lady! 12mo
40 likes4 comments
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AshleyHoss820
Wolf-speaker | Tamora Pierce
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I know some on GR felt this one was slower than the first, but I think that worked in its favor. Daine is gaining powers, learning her magic. If it were rushed it would feel cheap. Daine & Numair uncover a plot that threatens not just the throne, but all of Tortall. When Daine and Numair separate, and a magic barrier soon makes that separation against their will, Daine must work with the People in ways she hasn‘t before. Will they be in time?

AshleyHoss820 The photo is from 8tracks.com, but I don‘t know who the artist is! 12mo
31 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
Alexander's Bridge | Willa Cather
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Pickpick

Bartley Alexander is larger-than-life and it‘s destroying him. He‘s restless and hates that about himself, yet he can‘t stop it. Happily married, yet continuing an affair. Alexander is living not a double-life, but a triple one. Work Alexander, Home Alexander, In-Pursuit-of-Youth Alexander. The various cables of his life are threatening to pull him asunder, just like his bridges. What will become of this man who is too full of life? #ABCChallenge

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AshleyHoss820
Barabbas | Par Lagerkvist
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Pickpick

Pontius Pilate offered the people a choice (to keep his own hands clean): The Messiah or Barabbas. Pilate was sure no one wanted to free Barabbas, but he was wrong. No one talks about how this substitution affected Barabbas. What made him worth this 2nd chance? What if he just can‘t make himself believe? I love this short search for identity. Excellent read. 239/1,001 #1001Books December‘s #TBRTarot: author whose last name begins w/ “L”

CBee Awesome 👏🏻 12mo
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AshleyHoss820
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After much finagling, I settled on a perpetual list for #BookSpin 2024! I added more prompts to give me more options. I also added some of my bookshelves from GoodReads to really force me to chip away at that TBR! Happy Reading Year, everyone! ☺️☺️☺️

BarbaraBB Happy new year 🎈 12mo
AshleyHoss820 @BarbaraBB Happy New Year to you too! 🎉☺️ 12mo
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AshleyHoss820
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This was my December Double #BookSpin, but I‘m going to have to pick this one up another time. I don‘t want to mark it as DNF. I don‘t wanna ruin its stats. It‘s definitely me, not the book. Happy New Year, everyone! Happy Reading in 2024! Thank you for hosting again, Sarah!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Sometimes it's just not the right time for a book!! 12mo
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AshleyHoss820
Dolores Claiborne | Stephen King
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Pickpick

🎶 HE HAD IT COMIN‘! HE HAD IT COMIN‘! 🎶 This was a good outing by King. This isn‘t horror, but it‘s terrifying all the same. The ways we hurt each other, the ways we save the ones we love. #TBRTarot A book dedicated to Mum/Mom (I ransacked my books until I found one. 🤣)

CBee Awesome 👏🏻 12mo
37 likes1 comment
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AshleyHoss820
Wild Magic | Tamora Pierce
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Pickpick

I mentioned to my friend that I needed a palette cleanser after finishing this last semester. She got so excited and told me all about this series she had read and loved as a young girl. When someone‘s eyes light up when discussing a book, you read that book. I am SO glad I did. Strong female characters, good world-building, the magic made sense. I loved the dialogue. A young girl who can talk to animals!? Middle-school-me would‘ve swooned! ☺️