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Bookish.SAM

Bookish.SAM

Joined May 2016

~ Book worm - Wine fan - Knit nerd - Dog mom - Yogi-to-be - Kayak newb - Tarot novice~ 📚🍷🧶🐶 🧘🏻‍♀️🛶 🔮🇨🇦
review
Bookish.SAM
The Invisible Library | Genevieve Cogman
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Panpan

Really wanted to love it, but was ultimately pretty disappointed 😔

Just too much stuff jammed in (vampire, fae, dragons, cyber insects, detectives, secret societies, etc) and not nearly enough world building.
Action was clunky.

I was really hoping for more… but I guess you can‘t win them all 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Bookish.SAM
Dune | Frank Herbert
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Pickpick

Dune all over the place!

Re-read before going to see Dune 2. Split reading the physical copy and listening to the audio to be sure I was done before the movie. Soo much better than the first read, I was able to catch ua lot more detail and the audio helped with some of the more challenging pronunciation.

The movie was great, but as always the book was better. And EVEN better the 2nd time around.
I‘m hooked all over again!

#Dunesnotjustfordudes

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Bookish.SAM
The Woman in the Library | Sulari Gentill
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Pickpick

Very fun concept 🙂
Some of the main story line wasn‘t entirely my thing, but the story in the story in the story was unique and overall I was thoroughly entertained.
Nice quick read as well.

37 likes1 stack add
blurb
Bookish.SAM
Quinte West Public Library - Trenton Main Branch | Trenton, Ontario, Canada (Library)
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Anyone else attend the #OLASC this year?
It was my first time attending (I‘m a newer member of our Public Library Board) and I was only at the Board related day but it was enlightening!!

I‘m looking forward to going next year and plan to attend the whole conference.
(I‘m super proud of myself for keeping the purchases to a minimum 🤣)

#supportyourlocallibrary
📚❤️

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Bookish.SAM
The Clarion | Nina Dunic
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Pickpick

back-to-back big feeling books.

This was beautiful. It took me a while to read despite being a slim book. It didn‘t pull me to pick it up like some page turner that you want to see how it ends, but when I was settled in and reading it pulled me right inside of it.

I‘ll keep this line with me …
“Any beautiful moments lately?”

review
Bookish.SAM
Fresh Water for Flowers | Valrie Perrin
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Pickpick

This book was sooooo beautiful! I didn‘t want it to end.
Not sure if this makes sense and feels odd for me to say but reading this made me want to live and love and lose and do it all over again. Oh, and also unlocked my newfound goal of being a cemetery keeper.
I‘ll definitely look into for more from this author.

🪦❤️

BarbaraBB Great review. Her other two books are wonderful too especially 4mo
Bookish.SAM @BarbaraBB great to hear! I can‘t wait to look into her other works. Clearly a really great translator too to maintain that beautiful writing! 4mo
BarbaraBB Yes that translation is fabulous 🩷 4mo
29 likes3 comments
review
Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

I was slow moving with this, but it was a great read. A recommendation from a friend whose daughter lives in Ireland.

I remember hearing about the Troubles in the 90s as a kid but definitely didn‘t comprehend how complex the situation was.

Reading from afar, I can‘t help but wonder how much is still felt there now.

Ruthiella I have a friend who‘s from Northern Ireland and as far as I can tell, it‘s still an undercurrent. The balance of peace is very delicate. 5mo
29 likes1 comment
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Bookish.SAM
Holly: A Novel | Stephen King
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Pickpick

Always nice to re-visit Holly 😊

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Bookish.SAM
Book Outlet | St. Catharines, ON, Canada (Bookstore)
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Not my most exciting #bookhaul but you gotta love #bookmail 📚😍

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Bookish.SAM
Nine Lives | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Clearly very influence by ‘And Then There Were None‘ but why not?! That was a classic 😊

I noticed quite a few not great reviews but it kept me entertained on my #audiowalks so it‘s a pick for me.

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Bookish.SAM
People of the Book | Geraldine Brooks
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Pickpick

Late to the game on this one, it‘s been on my TBR forever.
I LOVED it!
Brought me back to the ‘Library at Night‘ immersive experience where the Sarajevo Library was one of the featured libraries.
This beautifully highlights the importance of libraries as cultural institutions and the librarians out there that care deeply about their role in protecting these spaces.
❤️📚

blurb
Bookish.SAM
Quinte West Public Library - Trenton Main Branch | Trenton, Ontario, Canada (Library)
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I feel like I‘ve got a pretty promising #librarystack considering I ran in right before closing 😍📚🤞

Ruthiella You stack reminds me that I have had this on the TBR for years 8mo
Bookish.SAM Ugh😖 @Ruthiella !! I just learned about The Blade Itself, the rest of that trilogy and the other stand-alones that you apparently should read before the one I grabbed 🤦🏻‍♀️ I just thought it was the start of a new trilogy. Not sure if I should go ahead with it or back-track 🤷🏻‍♀️ 8mo
34 likes2 comments
review
Bookish.SAM
Slaughterhouse-Five | Ryan North
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Pickpick

I read Slaughterhouse-Five ages ago and I don‘t think it had the impact on me that the book tends to elicit (in my defense it was an e-book and I don‘t take those in as well as print… anyone else?)

Anyway, I took a big break reading this GN version thinking the same was going to happen. But then I finished in one sitting and it hit! I get the hype. A lot of really important statements made about the impacts of war.

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Bookish.SAM
Anxious People: A Novel | Fredrik Backman
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Pickpick

I‘m late to the Backman game.

It started a little underwhelming for me, but I was totally charmed by the end.

I‘m looking forward to reading more of his work.

LiteraryinLawrence This is one of my favorites by him! I‘d recommend this one next. 8mo
Bookish.SAM Thanks for the recommendation @LiteraryinLawrence ! I wasn‘t quite sure where to go next. He‘s got quite a distinct writing style, I can see the appeal 😊 8mo
44 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

Well this has sure added to my TBR list!! 📚📚📚

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Bookish.SAM
Birnam Wood | Eleanor Catton
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Pickpick

Holy 💩!!!

That ending was NOT what I was expecting from a book about guerrilla gardeners!

🤯

LaraReads It was wackadoodle, huh?! 😅 And omg what a cute kitty! Matches perfectly! 😻 9mo
Bookish.SAM Haha @LaraReads gotta love when your book matched your cat! But also… right?!? What a wild ending 😱 9mo
squirrelbrain The ending threw me completely - I couldn‘t work out if I loved it or hated it. In fact, I‘m still not sure! 9mo
Bookish.SAM @squirrelbrain agreed! With a few pages left I could not figure how it was going to wrap up. That was not it! But you have a good point about love or hate…. definitely surprising but was it satisfying?? 🤔 9mo
Ruthiella Amazing cat to book cover coordination! 😹 9mo
41 likes5 comments
review
Bookish.SAM
Pretty Girls: A Novel | Karin Slaughter
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Pickpick

Well… that was all kinds of horrific, but definitely a page-turner.
I think I need to take a little breather from Karin Slaughter‘s mayhem.

KathyWheeler While I liked this book, I never recommend it to anyone without giving them all kinds of content warnings (and I honestly rarely think about warnings at all with other books). 10mo
Bookish.SAM @KathyWheeler Agreed! Not sure this would be an easy recommendation for anyone 10mo
KathyWheeler @Bookish.SAM I don‘t think so either! 10mo
33 likes3 comments
review
Bookish.SAM
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Mehso-so

Definitely disturbing… but I wasn‘t quite as consumed as I‘d hoped. The writing felt a little distant, which made a lot of sense to get the vibe of the story but that can sometimes keep the reader at arm‘s length.

Our library is back open after a month of renos and I had to check it out day one!!

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Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

Quickly becoming a Karin Slaughter fan 😍

This one was definitely a little twisted and twisty! The reveal part way in was a good one.

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Bookish.SAM
The Atlas Six | Olivie Blake
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Pickpick

Definitely the building block of the series, a little lacking in excitement and could have used a little more editing in spots… but, I still really enjoyed and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

A book based on the Alexandria library, whether fantasy, non-fic or otherwise will always be a go-to for me 😊

27 likes1 stack add
review
Bookish.SAM
The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah
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Mehso-so

This is a hard one to rate…
It definitely gave me a lot of insight into an era and events that I wasn‘t very familiar with but goodness that was relentlessly depressing! It did get me a little weepy in a few places but wow… that was a lot!

quirkiecurls I completely agree. I just finished the book myself and I feel like I need to cry for a week. I don‘t mind sad stories but this one gave no hope and honestly I didn‘t enjoy all the bitterness either. It was educational though and has created a curiosity to learn more about this time in our history. 5mo
38 likes1 comment
review
Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

I‘ve read and enjoyed quite a few of Horowitz‘s books and have always been a Sherlock fan AND given that he had the Doyle estate‘s seal of approval, expectations were high! It didn‘t disappoint 😊
The language and atmosphere were all there, with the plot being a bit darker than your typical Sherlock mystery so that freshened it up some.

Aims42 I‘ve enjoyed the Horowitz books I‘ve read (It‘s only been the Hawthorne series and Susan Ryeland series). I‘ll have to check this one out too 😁👍 11mo
54 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

Very late to the table on this one but…🤯🤬
I‘ve generally been fairly uninformed about the goings-on in Silicon Valley but have read a couple of books about how things go there and, just, wow!

Jaw dropped repeatedly listening to this one!

#audiobook

TiredLibrarian Read this for a book group and loved it! Amazing how Elizabeth Holmes fooled so many for so long. 11mo
Bookish.SAM @TiredLibrarian wild, right?!? I couldn‘t believe every time more details came out that should have toppled the whole thing, more ppl would get on board and/or support the her! 11mo
32 likes2 comments
blurb
Bookish.SAM
Quinte West Public Library - Trenton Main Branch | Trenton, Ontario, Canada (Library)
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After a bit of a freeze on book buying another #booksale #bookhaul !! 📚😬

I guess this is what happens when you restrict yourself 🤷🏻‍♀️

But at least it was another #supportyourlocallibrary situation.

#ilikebigbooks
#chunksters

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Bookish.SAM
Brighton Public Library - Main | Brighton, Ontario, Canada (Library)
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review
Bookish.SAM
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Bailedbailed

Bailed…BUT… l don‘t think it was the fault of the book.

I‘m just not there yet…
🧘🏻‍♀️📿

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Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

When the reviews mentioned Daniel Woodrell + supernatural I was intrigued! I love a good Southern Gothic tale but the supernatural can sometimes go either way. This book did the supernatural well! No vampires or werewolves here, but some higher power (be it dark or light) was at work.

After reading a lot more cozy mystery type of books this felt like I was held at arm‘s length but it was beautifully written.

38 likes1 stack add
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Bookish.SAM
The Cruellest Month | Louise Penny
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Pickpick

Our library has the best view! (More impressive in summer, when the marina is in full swing🚤⛵️☀️)

Really enjoyed the 3rd in the Inspector Gamache series. We get a little more insight into his history and the case that still haunts him… and there are some some interesting developments in the team‘s dynamics.

review
Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

Great cover. Great subject matter to play with. Quick read. But… there were definitely some character issues. At points there were actions that just didn‘t make sense and had me shaking my head.

I‘ll still give it a pick though. It just could have been so much more.

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Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

4th in the series and I flew through it 😊… might have been my favourite 🤔… certainly up there!

blurb
Bookish.SAM
Quinte West Public Library - Trenton Main Branch | Trenton, Ontario, Canada (Library)
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Little #bookhaul from the Friends of the Library used book store ❤️📚

#locallibrarylove
#supportyourlocallibrary

Ruthiella Nice stack! 👍 14mo
32 likes1 comment
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Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

I can not stop with this series! Love it! Love the atmospheric Canadiana 🇨🇦 back drop, the individual mysteries, the overarching story lines coming out, and even love all those #unlikeablecharacters (I think I‘m becoming a sucker for those unlikeables!)
Yes, there are a few questionable/cringy descriptions but over all I‘m just loving the series.
Now I feel like I can finally dive into the show on Amazon video 😊
🌲🌲🌲

Texreader What a darling!!! ❤️🐈‍⬛ 14mo
Texreader I‘ve read some of the books, out of order. They were great so I‘m going to invest someday and get the series and start with book 1. 14mo
Bookish.SAM @Texreader … I‘m actually a little surprised at how much I‘m enjoying these books! I really started them just because I have a bit of a compulsion to read the source before watching the show and since I heard that the Amazon series was based on the 2nd book, I figured i‘d read to that then watch… but already I‘m searching for Book 3 😊 14mo
Aimeesue Such a great series! Gamache ❤️❤️❤️ 14mo
39 likes4 comments
review
Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

Well… I didn‘t ‘get skinny‘ from reading this 🤣 but there were a lot great points to connect with, and since reading but I have been able to settle into a fairly regular meditation routine so that‘s been a great improvement to my day!
🧘🏻‍♀️📿

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Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

Read. This. Book!

I can‘t recommend highly enough. This was an absolutely random pick as I was running out of the library at closing time, but it will stick with me. I tell anyone/everyone I‘m talking to about it.

Terrifying. Eye-opening. Well researched. Clearly articulated.

Seriously… Read. This. Book!

33 likes3 stack adds
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Bookish.SAM
Silver Girl | Elin Hilderbrand
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Panpan

Sadly not for me.. at all!
At first I though it would be an alright change of scenery, and it was at first. Then I caught myself audibly groaning at some of the dialogue 🤦🏻‍♀️ But I did make all the way through, so I guess there‘s that.

31 likes1 stack add
review
Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

After a LONG week, this is all I wanted to do with my Friday night🍷📚❤️

I was very pleasantly surprised by this first of the series. Loved it and can‘t wait to read more. Bonus that this a (until recently unknown to me) 🇨🇦 author.

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Bookish.SAM
Quinte West Public Library - Trenton Main Branch | Trenton, Ontario, Canada (Library)
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I‘d not walked to the library yet from the new house. With such an unseasonably lovely day I figured this was the day.
I learned it‘s a 2 hour round trip walk… my feet are not ok with this discovery 😬
I also need some far more comfortable/durable shoes if I‘m going to do this again (literally walked holes into mine 👎)
But at least I felt zero guilt about the 🍕I ate afterward.

TEArificbooks That is a lovely trail though 1y
38 likes1 comment
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Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

#expandeddt completed ✅

This took me far longer than intended as I went on a lot of reading detours along the way but I‘m happy to have finally made it through. I finished up with the Dark Tower VII which just has so much going on but did have me in tears towards the end. 🥺
I thoroughly enjoyed tracking the connections thru so many books (if even loosely connected).
To be inside the head of SK 🤔
❤️Oy ❤️

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Bookish.SAM
State of Terror: A Novel | Louise Penny, Hillary Rodham Clinton, To Be To Be Confirmed Simon & Schuster
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Pickpick

I acquired this accidentally (a friend ended up with two copies and gave me one) and I liked it SOOOO much more than I expected to. It was a great reminder that I really enjoy political thrillers tho I haven‘t read one it a while.
Lots of suspense, great female leads and a tribute to friendships.
The acknowledgements were almost as impressive (It had me near tearing up! And had a great backstory of what brought this book to life).

Dragon Agreed- great book 💚🐉 1y
32 likes1 comment
blurb
Bookish.SAM
Books & Company and Miss Lily's Cafe | Picton, Ontario, Canada (Bookstore)
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A visit to my favourite bookstore and then the cafe next door led to some purchases (that I Do Not need!)

Hot stew because ‘Elmet‘ and
All‘s well because ‘Bunny‘.

I hadn‘t heard anything about these new books but these authors‘ previous works had me hooked!

#gotoauthors
#autobuyauthors

Ruthiella Awad is an auto-read for me now too. I thought Bunny was a little more cray-cray but I also really liked 1y
Bookish.SAM @Ruthiella Bunny was most definitely cray-cray! But definitely intriguing. Looking forward to 1y
36 likes2 comments
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Bookish.SAM
Mexican Gothic | Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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Pickpick

I‘m a little late to the party on this one!

I liked the unique take on the haunted house trope... sort of gave me Annihilation vibes.

We‘re getting into ‘reading by the fireplace‘ season around here 😊❄️🔥📖

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Bookish.SAM
Dracul | Dacre Stoker, JD Barker
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Pickpick

It was a slow burn, but I enjoyed it 😊
Especially, the concept of pulling from Bram Stoker‘s notes.

36 likes1 stack add
blurb
Bookish.SAM
Quinte West Public Library - Trenton Main Branch | Trenton, Ontario, Canada (Library)
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My spooky October #libraryhaul was a little too ambitious. I only made it through one. 😕

So, bring on Spooky November!!
💀😈👻🧛🏻‍♂️

Clare-Dragonfly Let the spooky be unending! 1y
Bookish.SAM Agreed @Clare-Dragonfly!! I love it 🖤 1y
37 likes2 comments
review
Bookish.SAM
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Bailedbailed

I NEVER do this but… this one‘s a DNF for me.

I feel like I‘ve been reading this too long for me to only be on page 70. I‘m clearly not connecting with it and since I soooo cherish my summer reading, I think it‘s time to move on to something more enjoyable.
🤷🏻‍♀️

Ruthiella I totally support your DNF! But the book changes style and perspective at 150 pages or so. It makes the reader re-think the first section. HOWEVER, you still might hate it…😂 2y
34 likes1 comment
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Bookish.SAM
A Line to Kill | Anthony Horowitz
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Pickpick

I read this (# 3 of the series) immediately after The Sentence is Death (# 2) … this is the first time I‘ve ever gotten to books in a series back to back and it was a nice change!
Either one was good, but I definitely got more from reading them so close together.

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Bookish.SAM
MY DARK VANESSA. | KATE ELIZABETH. RUSSELL
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Pickpick

The depth and nuance the author used to articulate a subject that most (myself included) would like to think of as fairly black and white made this story way more compelling than I expected!

I feel like this is an important read.

And on a lighter note (if there is one) I always love books that reference so much other literature 📚🤓

#booksandbooze

Ruthiella Agree. I found this book difficult to read due to its subject matter but appreciate how it showed how abuse messes with a victim‘s perspective. 2y
30 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Bookish.SAM
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Mehso-so

Not bad, but I was expecting/hoping for more. I‘ve enjoyed some of Swanson‘s other books a lot more. This was a quick read and entertaining enough though

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Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

I related a lot to this #audiobook (as the whole thing is written through the lens of her therapy sessions!) 🤣
Chelsea is always a good time.

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Bookish.SAM
Quinte West Public Library - Trenton Main Branch | Trenton, Ontario, Canada (Library)
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I just wrote on someone else‘s post that there was no such thing as going overboard with a #libraryhaul.

My apologies, I lied. I overdid it. Just couldn‘t stop grabbing books! 🤷🏻‍♀️

1/2 were grabbed because I‘ve read good reviews. 1/2 are repeat authors I‘ve enjoyed in the past.

#librarylove
📚❤️

SilversReviews LOL!! Enjoy them all. 2y
LiteraryinLawrence Nothing looks amiss to me! 😋 2y
Clare-Dragonfly You only got one more book than I did! I feel vindicated 😂😂😂 2y
35 likes3 comments
review
Bookish.SAM
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Pickpick

This was pretty compelling.

She does a great job of describing the history and systems that have been put in place that have lead us to where we are today.

As I was finishing up this #audio this article popped into my notifications: https://apple.news/TTiTSd5oTQ9qMujWUJFZIZg
Timely… and sad that this is so common place right now.