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BookshelfAl

BookshelfAl

Joined April 2017

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BookshelfAl
Lethal White | Robert Galbraith
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My fun fall morning is sponsored by this mystery, a cuddly kitty, and coffee in my favorite mug (By Gemma Correll)

#catsoflitsy #mystery #fallreads

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BookshelfAl
Lincoln in the Bardo | George Saunders
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Pickpick

I totally understand why some don't like this book. I'd be lying if I said I kept all the narrators straight 100% of the time. Having said that, this book moved me. Lincoln's pain of losing a child compounded with the pain of fighting a war that is killing thousands was real and heartbreaking. The pain of the narrators, their own original stories, and their fear was heartbreaking.

8 likes1 stack add
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BookshelfAl
Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro
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Pickpick

I finished the audio of Never Let Me Go for my second #reversereadathon read. It's a well told story. I probably would have liked it better in print.
#readathon #audio

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BookshelfAl
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Late lunch and some short stories! #reversereadathon #readathon @DeweysReadathon

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BookshelfAl
Hundred-Year House | Rebecca Makkai
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Finally finished my first book of the @DeweysReadathon #reversereadathon (I had to get some sleep then did an audiobook while I worked, so only just now finished this book!) I enjoyed it. It hits my bookish high notes: multi-generational, art/literary-adjacent mystery...

#readathon

13 likes1 stack add
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BookshelfAl
The Hundred-Year House | Rebecca Makkai
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Making progress in the #reversereadathon with my favorite bookmark for company. My 6-year-old made it for me. It's my cat, Lola. #readathon #catsoflitsy

JaclynW Best kind of bookmark! 6y
blog_gal Love the bookmark! 6y
Texreader Oh how cute!! Where can I buy mine? 😉 6y
Mdargusch So cute! 6y
Ddzmini Awe 😍 6y
14 likes5 comments
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BookshelfAl
The Hundred-Year House | Rebecca Makkai
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I'm starting in the central time zone (so that my kids are in bed) so I still have an hour before I start the #ReverseReadathon. Here's my "to pick from" pile. I've already started a couple and the others will be nice grazing.

Now off to get those kids in bed so I can start!!
#readathon
@DeweysReadathon

Reviewsbylola I loved Goodbye Vitamin! 6y
BookshelfAl It's been on my TBR FOREVER! Maybe this weekend? 6y
14 likes2 comments
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BookshelfAl
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It's tough to make progress in @24in48 readathon when you keep getting commentary from the peanut gallery.
6 yo- Ha! Mom is reading a book about a duck!
Me- It's a book about a restaurant.
6yo- A DUCK WORKS AT A RESTAURANT?!?
Me- No. The restaurant serves duck.
6yo- The duck is trying to get away?
Me- All the ducks in this book are dead.
4 yo- (takes the book away). There's no pictures in there.
#readathon #24in48 #24in48readathon

Sace 😂 6y
12 likes1 comment
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BookshelfAl
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After doing Agatha Christie on audio for a bit for the @24in48 readathon, I'm gonna move on to a physical book! This cover is delightful 😃

#readathon #24in48 #24in48readathon

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BookshelfAl
Convenience Store Woman | Sayaka Murata
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Pickpick

This book could not look any more adorable.

I enjoyed this book. I can't decide if it was a fun, quirky read or a dark commentary on modern society (that sounds super serious, I know). The truth is probably in between. A good read!

RaimeyGallant Nice review. :) 6y
Pruzy I feel like it was not that applicable to North American society. Feel like the book would have been written/progressed way differently. Some of the restraint / lack of understanding shown by the protagonists own family was painful 6y
BookshelfAl Yes! There were times where I thought "I hope no one I know would react to a family member this way." I'm sure a lot of that is cultural. However, I wouldn't put it past some in Western culture who still really place heavy value for an individual on not just marriage, but starting a family. As I was reading I was taking mental notes about being sure to be aware of my words when I'm next talking to someone who chose a different path than me. 6y
10 likes4 comments
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BookshelfAl
Us Against You | Fredrik Backman
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40 pages in and this book is already deep, intense, quotable. Whew. #bujo #bookquotes #usagainstyou #summerreading #summerstooshort

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BookshelfAl
The Word Is Murder | Anthony Horowitz
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My current book matches my drink of choice and it's delightful.

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BookshelfAl
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Pickpick
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BookshelfAl
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Switching over to a graphic novel for a bit. This is so me...if only bread was a health food...
#deweys24hourreadathon #readathon

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BookshelfAl
A Murder for Her Majesty | Beth Hilgartner
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Oh my...you know a book was written in the 80s when...

#deweys24hourreadathon #readathon

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BookshelfAl
A Murder for Her Majesty | Beth Hilgartner
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So this book was one I randomly picked up and read in 7th grade. I liked it then quite a bit (and the cover was soooo much better on the edition I read then!) I spent a fair amount of time as an adult trying to re-find it. I guess I'll be using #deweys24hourreadathon to see how it holds up. #readathon

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BookshelfAl
My Man Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse
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Book 3 for #deweys24hourreadathon

This was a fun book. I did not realize going in that not every story was a Jeeves story, but those were fine too (they were no Jeeves, but still enjoyable...and short!). There were several giggle-inducing moments. I especially enjoyed the moment when Jeeves was morally injured by Wooster's new mustache. #readathon @DeweysReadathon

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BookshelfAl
My Man Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse
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BookshelfAl
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Book 2 completed for #deweys24hourreadathon. This play had several laugh-out-loud lines! #readathon @DeweysReadathon

Alfoster OMG! One of my faves! When I taught it to Honors 10th so many of my kids could read with English accents that I was in hysterics all the time! 7y
BookshelfAl That would be hilarious! 7y
11 likes1 stack add2 comments
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BookshelfAl
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BookshelfAl
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Valeneayar1 loved this line 6y
10 likes1 comment
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BookshelfAl
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BookshelfAl
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Pickpick

First book finished for #deweys24hourreadathon. This was a reread. It's a graphic novel and a lot of fun. #readathon @DeweysReadathon (168 pages)

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BookshelfAl
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Required #readathon break for a youth soccer game. I'll be back at it soon. #deweys24hourreadathon.

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BookshelfAl
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Taking a break from the Kindle to reread Scott Prilgrim Vol 1. So much fun! #readathon #deweys24hourreadathon

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BookshelfAl
My Man Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse
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Starting the #readathon in bed with the 'ol Kindle. #deweys24hourreadathon

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BookshelfAl
My Man Jeeves | P. G. Wodehouse
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Here's my stack for tomorrow's Dewey's 24 hr Readathon. I'm going for short ones this time to give myself a sense of accomplishment :) #deweys24hourreadathon #readathon @DeweysReadathon

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BookshelfAl
Shadow of the Wind | Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Mehso-so

I wanted so badly to love this book, maybe that ended up being the problem. So many people love it. I LOVE literary mysteries, this one just didn't capture my attention and I really struggled to finish. It is well written and has some very quotable lines so I'm still glad I read it, but it was not as I had hoped :(

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BookshelfAl
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Loved loved this book. A great family drama, a bit of a mystery thrown in, great characters. Such a great read!

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BookshelfAl
Sing, Unburied, Sing | Jesmyn Ward
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Mehso-so

It was well written. It was heart-breaking. I'm just not big into magical realism, so a lot of it was a bit out there for me. Having said that, I enjoyed it much more than expected (knowing about the magical realism ahead of time).

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BookshelfAl
Dark Lake | Sarah Bailey
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Loved this book! Well-written police procedural, mystery, great characters!

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BookshelfAl
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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It took me awhile to get into, but I ended up really invested in the stories and characters. The gangster stories mixed well into the main plot. It actually turned out to be a neat mystery, which I wasn't expecting!

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BookshelfAl
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Loved it! I marked many poems to look back on later. Some very powerful poems about self-love, empowerment, feminism, strength of immigrants...I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. #readathon

9 likes1 stack add
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BookshelfAl
Shadow of the Wind | Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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Grocery shopping break done. Snacks refilled. Getting back into this book that I took a break from a week ago. #readathon @DeweysReadathon

9 likes1 stack add
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BookshelfAl
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Late lunch! (Too lazy to make myself "real" food!) #readathon @DeweysReadathon

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BookshelfAl
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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I slept in so I'm only a couple hours in to the #readathon. I'm taking it a bit easy today and not going to push myself too much. I'm going to work on this one a bit longer then move on to some poetry. (So far I'm liking it much better than most reviewers on Litsy. I'm hoping this will be one of those books that I am in the minority on!) @DeweysReadathon

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BookshelfAl
Jane Eyre | Charlotte Bront
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A stack of some of my favorite books by my favorite women authors! #readathon #thereadingwomen @thereadingwomen

9 likes1 stack add
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BookshelfAl
I Found You | Lisa Jewell
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Oh my goodness gracious! First book I've read in a while that I literally could not put down!

KateFulfordAuthor @BookshelfAl perhaps you could consider my debut? Reviews are saying: “I loved this book more than I initially thought I would. Fulford infuses her characters with intense personalities that are prone to clashing with those of others. I loved Eve from the very beginning..." It‘s been nominated for The People's Book Prize 2018 too!

Learn more via the link in the BIO
6y
9 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookshelfAl
The Stars Are Fire | Anita Shreve
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Pickpick

LOVED this book. The story of a woman trying to find herself and her independence after tragedy (sounds cliche, I know. But it's well done). Historical fiction that takes place after the wild fires in Maine in the 1940s.

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BookshelfAl
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Mehso-so

I can tell this is a good book. It is well written and a compelling story. However, I just don't think it's for me. I got about 2/3 of the way through and couldn't press on. Part of it is knowing how it ends, and the monotany of the men's​ daily lives began to feel like monotony for me. BUT if you love disaster stories, well written nonfiction, and/or survival tales, this is the book for you. I just don't think it's right for me. And that's ok.

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BookshelfAl
The Dry | Jane Harper
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Weeee! Book mail! Summer reading can commence!

#bookmail #modernmrsdarcy #summerreading

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BookshelfAl
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Mother's Day breakfast in bed. Cold book and warm food!

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BookshelfAl
Picnic at Hanging Rock | Joan Lindsay
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There's a book black hole in my house. I finished it a couple days ago and now can't find my copy, so no pic with this review! 🤣

This was a weird, oddly dark book. It's definitely not a straightforward mystery. It is super atmospheric and has a lot of mysterious qualities. Not for those who like their mysteries to be neat and tidy!

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BookshelfAl
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Finally got my #botm! My mail is soooo much slower than most of y'all's!!!

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BookshelfAl
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Pickpick

Oh my goodness. This is a good one. It's horrible, not the book, but the story it tells. It is a true story of how people in power take advantage of the Osage and it's a hard read at times, but so important. The stories of the murders that this book tells should not be forgotten. This should be required American history reading. #botm #american #history #nonfiction #mystery

9 likes1 stack add
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BookshelfAl
The Hangman | Louise Penny
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I'm a couple days late with my #aprilreads but it's all good. I'd say my favorite read from #april was The Hangman. I love me some #gamache. I'm noticing that with summer approaching I'm starting to read more #mystery. I seem to do that every year. I don't know why but I LOVE it :)

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BookshelfAl
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I decided to go with The Leavers for my May #BOTM
I had a hard time deciding. I added on And We're Off because it sounded like a lot of fun and it sounded like a good #ya read for #summerreading

JanuarieTimewalker13 It won the Bellwether Prize for 2016, which is fully funded by Barbara Kingsolver. She started it to give recognition to books which address issues of social justice. I just discovered that today! I'm reading her book of essays published in 1995 called High Tide in Tucson. I bet The Leavers will be a great read! Enjoy! 8y
BookshelfAl @JanuarieTimewalker13 I had no idea! Thanks! Kingsolver is an embarrassing gap in my reading. I hope to read something by her this summer; I have heard such wonderful things. 8y
JanuarieTimewalker13 You're welcome! What's really weird is GR has pub date of May 2017, yet Wiki says it won in 2016? I wonder how that happened? Unless it's received as an arc? I plan on reading more Kingsolver! This essay collection is my first foray into her work. I have learned so much from her. 8y
8 likes1 stack add3 comments
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BookshelfAl
Wrinkle in Time | Madeleine L'Engle
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Finally making up for a deprived childhood ;)

First time ever reading Wrinkle In Time. I probably would have loved it more if I had read it as a kid, but I still enjoyed it! My favorite moment: when Mrs. Whatsit compares life to a sonnet " You're given the form, but your have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you​."

#childrenslit #springcleaningreadathon #kiddielit#scifi #readathon

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BookshelfAl
Wrinkle in Time | Madeleine L'Engle
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My to do list was too long today for tons of reading, so I'm only just now starting book 2 for the #readathon Starting it with my son during our nightly ritual of us reading together before he goes to sleep.

#springcleaningreadathon

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BookshelfAl
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Not my favorite Christie but definitely not my least favorite. A good Poirot #mystery
#readathon #springcleaningreadathon

BibliophileMomma Love Agatha! 8y
8 likes1 comment