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Beholderess

Beholderess

Joined September 2016

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The Toll by Cherie Priest
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Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
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Medieval Pets by Kathleen Walker-Meikle
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Guild Wars: Edge of Destiny by J. Robert King
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Beholderess
The Invited: A Novel | Jennifer McMahon
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Ghosts aren‘t real, but chasing after an elusive white deer like a questing knight of old is a perfectly rational behavior, right?

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Beholderess
The Winter People: A Novel | Jennifer McMahon
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Pickpick

The first 2/3rds of the book are magnificent - an atmosphere of cozy yet fearsome magic. The woods and the snow and the rocks and the wind are not your friends. It is a fairytale - and you won‘t want to be stuck in one. Or would you?
Now, the last third of the book, with Candace and the gun, completely shatters this delicate magical atmosphere. She does nothing but detail the plot, eventually dies without contributing anything

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The Winter People: A Novel | Jennifer McMahon
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Spooky listen for Halloween. The reader of this is magnificent - no monotonous mumbling, steady lyrical cadence and a lot of emotion when portraying the characters.
The whole thing is - oddly cozy, perfect for cuddling up with a cup of tea and some crocheting. It is chilling, desolate, tragic, yes, but also - points back to so many fairytales. Deep woods, dead of winter and old, old magic

8 likes1 stack add
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Beholderess
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A difficult but important book for me. I am a woman who identifies as a feminist, dealt with my share of creeps, but I‘ve also had those close to me hit by false accusations, so separating truth from lies and emotional investment is - difficult. That being said, this book, following Weinstein cause, highlights just how much proof really was gathered, and what are the Times standards of investigation - they are high. Very, very high

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Beholderess
Sourdough | Robin Sloan
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Mehso-so

Honestly, I did enjoy the book, and the narration of the audiobook. But that ending, it was just - out of nowhere, and slightly ridiculous

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Sourdough | Robin Sloan
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So far it seems like a simple, comfortable and so very cozy wish fulfillment. I do enjoy it so far

ShyBookOwl I loved this one! 5y
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
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The Toll | Cherie Priest
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Is anybody willing to share spoilers?

This book looks interesting and tempting, but - I must have my happy-ish ending. Even in horror. Especially in horror. But every blasted review is spoiler-free, and I‘m not willing to invest in a book without knowing who lives and who dies

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Sorcery of Thorns | Margaret Rogerson
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Listening to this while picking hawthorns. Oddly appropriate
Still in love with the voice acting - the grimoires whispering, Silas, Nathaniel, it‘s spot on.
And still wondering why the apprentices at the Great Library, of all place, are taught nothing about current events. So much facepalm

#ya #fantasy #audiobook

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Beholderess
Sorcery of Thorns | Margaret Rogerson
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Started listening to it the other day. Impressions so far - I adore the reader. She is whimsical, has a lot of range, and in general listening to her read feels like listening to a dear girlfriend recap her favorite TV series to me. The setting and heroine - no impressions so far, other than I‘d expect a girl raised in a library to be less ignorant #audiobook #ya

8 likes1 stack add
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Medieval Pets | Kathleen Walker-Meikle
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Serendipity at its finest. Here I am, lamenting that I no longer have access to Libby and English-language libraries, trying to use Scribd for its incredibly limited selection. It did not have what I‘ve set out to find, but somehow it has this - and I had no idea it even exists

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Beholderess
Uprooted | Naomi Novik
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Mehso-so

Uprooted is wonderful for #audiocrochet and warm autumn days.
I did enjoy it more the second time around.
Although the bad decisions by the main character still leave a bitter taste in my mouth

julesG Love the colours of that yarn and shawl. 5y
Beholderess @julesG Thank you! 5y
13 likes2 comments
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Beholderess
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Yes, it is written like bad fanfiction, but hey, I am currently obsessed with Guild Wars 2. Also - using live hyenas as floatation devices. I don‘t even #videogame

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Beholderess
Uprooted | Naomi Novik
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For all my misgivings, it is a good book for autumn days and some crocheting #audiobook #audiocrochet

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Beholderess
Uprooted | Naomi Novik
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Listening to #audiobook version of Uprooted as I walk. The voice and cadence of the reader is somewhat aggravating for me. I am Russian, and the version of Eastern European accent the reader uses is - very, very odd. The cadence is halting, as if the speaker is struggling with English language, pausing to remember a word. Is that how I sound like? :(

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Beholderess
Uprooted | Naomi Novik

Trying to give this book another chance, since I loved Spinning Silver.

Impressions so far - a wizard tried to teach a sorceress. Hilarity ensues

sprainedbrain 😂 (I really liked this book, but it took some getting in to) 5y
12 likes1 comment
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Beholderess
Geekerela | Ashley Poston
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Mehso-so

As a fanfiction-devouring geek myself, I really wanted to like this book. But the female lead is such a complete and utter doormat with no personality that I fervently wished for the book to finally end.
It's saving graces are an extremely likable and relatable male lead, and obvious love the author has for fandoms
#ya #romance #fandom

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Beholderess
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Mehso-so

Pros: perfect "voice" of the protagonist. Her point of view is maintained at all times, and she is brilliant but definitely flawed
Cons: Slow. Really, really slow book that takes forever to get to the point and in which there are unforgivably long sections of nothing happening.

Joriebooks I loved this book but I agree on the pacing. When I think of dragons, I expect a faster pace. 6y
6 likes1 comment
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Beholderess
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Pickpick

History is not my favourite topic. I don't really care about history, and I care about revolutionary war even less, yet somehow this book made me care. The author's delightful irreverence and deep affection make is a pleasure to read.

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You have no idea how much I'm enjoying this #audiobook read by Neil Gaiman himself. His voice is soothing, and kind, and has the inimitable cadence of a master storyteller, and the baffled vulnerability of an absent-minded dreamer. And, most of all, Neil is hopelessly, gloriously in love with storytelling in all its forms

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Beholderess
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Just started listening to the #audiobook Thing is, the reader's super-educated voice and slightly condescending cadence (as if explaining things to a small child) makes it unintentionally amusing #nonfiction #socialjustice

JaimeDawn If you enjoy paranormal at all, this narrator does a series called Immortal Guardians and she's wonderful. 7y
9 likes1 comment
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Beholderess
Between the World and Me | Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Pickpick

The only book I've read and left unrated on Goodreads, because I am simply not qualified to rate it, not qualified to pass judgement on how convincing someone else's lives experience is to me. It is not his job to convince me. #nonfiction #audiobook #socialjustice

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Beholderess
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That voice. I'm willing to listen to Neil Gaiman speak no matter what he says :)

#audiobook #nonfiction

DebinHawaii He is the best! 😍😍😍 7y
8 likes1 comment
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Beholderess
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls | Elena Favilli, Francesca Cavallo
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Margaret Thatcher? Really? Of all the people...

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Beholderess
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls | Elena Favilli, Francesca Cavallo
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Because that's what pirates did. Right

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Beholderess
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls | Elena Favilli, Francesca Cavallo
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Honestly, somewhat disappointed so far. The only entry from Russia is Anna Politkovskaya. And Catherine the Great, if you count the ancient times. No Tereshkova, the first female astronaut? No Night Witches? And don't get me started on entries about pirate ladies, that make it sound as if piracy is a cool thing to do
#feminism #nonfiction

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Beholderess
Shades of Milk and Honey | Mary Robinette Kowal
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Pickpick

Loved this book, and the author's own performance of the audiobook is very pleasant. She gives her women a lot of character, although her male voice are very, very strange. Overall, a pleasant, sweet, relaxing read for a quiet summer evening. I really liked how the romance was based on mutual interest in art and magic
#romance #regency #audiobook

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Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls | Elena Favilli, Francesca Cavallo
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The waitlist at the library is more than half a year long, so I gave up and bought that book

#nonfiction #creativenonfiction #feminism

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Beholderess
Fantasy Lover | Sherrilyn Kenyon
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I can't even. Laughing out loud. This book is so bad it's great

#romance #guiltypleasures

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Fantasy Lover | Sherrilyn Kenyon
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#guiltypleasures to the max. It is ridiculous - ridiculous set-up, over the top smuttiness, gratuitous guy-candy. So bad its good, hilarious even. Can't put it down

#romance

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Shades of Milk and Honey | Mary Robinette Kowal
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Regency novel with some added magic. Along with drawing, needlework and housekeeping, a skill in illusion magic - glamour - is essential for a lady. The audiobook is read by the author, and she is wonderful with the heroine, although her male voices are odd
#audiobook #romance #fantasy #regency

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Beholderess
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Wanted to read this book ever since I've heard about it on 99% Invisible #podcast several months ago

#nonfiction

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Beholderess
Fangirl: A Novel | Rainbow Rowell
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Thoughts so far - too much pointless teenage drama about who likes who, the narrator of the audiobook often sounds as if she is dying from exhaustion, but still, interesting so far

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Beholderess
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Pickpick

I hoped for a little more monster lore and a little less of the story of Bobby's life, but then again, it is Bobby freaking Singer. His life is anything but boring
#supernatural

Grim_Reader 🙌🏻 need 7y
6 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Beholderess
Fangirl: A Novel | Rainbow Rowell
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I've been neglecting books in favor of reading fan fiction lately, and I am going back to school soon, so I thought this book would be relevant for me. Will see how it goes
#currentlyreading #audiobook #ya #youngadult

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Beholderess
Good Omens | Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
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Pickpick

Just finished listening to the audiobook. Narration is excellent, and it finally allowed me to get that story

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Beholderess
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Again, it is way more beautiful than any book about charts has any right to be. Chinese diagrams, medieval manuscripts and modern infographics. Every single page looks like something you could use to summon demons :)
#nonfiction #currentlyreading

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Beholderess
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Pickpick

Gorgeously illustrated, and way more beautiful than any book about charts has any right to be. I love how the author seamlessly meshes medieval manuscripts and modern computer-generated algorithms to trace the evolution of the same ideas of data visualization. Graphic designer's and imfographic orgasm
#nonfiction #design #beautifulbooks

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Beholderess
Dear Data | Giorgia Lupi, Stefanie Posavec
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Pickpick

#nonfiction #design

Part performance art, part information and data visualization science, part sketchbook, part deeply personal experiment - mistakes, ugly drawings, watts and all. And all parts friendship and curiosity. Must have for graphic designers

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Beholderess
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Why yes, I am on the #supernatural binge now, why do you ask?

7 likes1 stack add
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Beholderess
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Bailedbailed

I really wanted to like this book. But 10 percent in no plot was forthcoming, and the social issues are hammered about on and on without any reason or relevance. Every second sentence is about what a disgrace it is for a woman (sorry, "female". For some reason women are referred to exclusively as "females" in the book, even from their own POV) or a black person to practice magic. Even bigots have other things to talk about from time to time, no?

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Beholderess
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#diversereads

Not my usual genre, but sounds promising and fun

8 likes1 stack add
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Beholderess
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Pickpick

Now that is useful to know :)

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Beholderess
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Very personal and raw, but I can't help but think that it perpetuates the ideas that fat people are that way because there is something wrong with them, something broken. As someone who is into #fatacceptance and #bodypositivity this is still disturbing for me

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Beholderess
Labyrinth Lost | Zoraida Cordova
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Pickpick

Loved this book, even though it is a standard Chosen One fantasy flick. But it is gloriously, lushly Latino. Also, it really should be made into a movie
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#diversebooks #fiction #ya

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Beholderess
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Should I read this before bedtime? :)
#supernatural #horror #nonfiction #readinginbed

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Beholderess
Rat Queens Vol. 3 | Kurtis J. Wiebe
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Mehso-so

I really wanted to like this one, but I find the storytelling disjointed and difficult to follow, and some characters (re: Hannah) too broken to be even remotely likable. And I am someone who plays tiefling wizards in DnD myself

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Beholderess
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Rather enjoying it so far. The main takeaway seems to be - cars are overrated

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Beholderess
Labyrinth Lost | Zoraida Cordova
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Lush mythology, adventure, and a queer heroine of color - count me in!

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Carmilla | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
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About to start reading the original lesbian vampire story

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Beholderess
The Wendigo | Algernon Blackwood
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Mehso-so

Not nearly as atmospheric as The Willows, but still, I think I like Blackwood's writing