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Brooke_H

Brooke_H

Joined April 2016

Reader/Library Worker/Nonpracticing Editor - A real dingbat 🛎 🦇 according to That Guy on NextDoor
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Brooke_H
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Reading this for the March fiction Feminist Book Club pick. Enjoying it so far.

review
Brooke_H
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Mehso-so

Reason for reading: I‘ve been an Anne Rice fan since I was 17 (that‘s appx 500 years for anyone counting; just kidding…I‘m not a gorgeous or angsty immortal vampire being—or am I?).

The good: Lestat is the same old Brat Prince he ever was, so if you‘re into that…

The bad: 300 pgs too long, way too much talking.

Conclusion: I didn‘t hate this book but I did a mini groan every time I picked it up & I was so happy to be done with it.

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Brooke_H
Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 2 | Ryosuke Takeuchi
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Pickpick

Liked Vol 2 more than Vol 1. Getting to know the characters. We‘ve got some more familiar faces. I like loose cannon Moran. I do NOT like Cockney Sherlock. Will def read Vol 3. I want to know where this is going.

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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

This was a fascinating examination of a part of history I didn‘t know much about: the girls and women who worked painting luminous watch dials with straight-up radium and the resulting court case against the US Radium Corporation. This book is very hard to read at times—radium poisoning is a horrifying way to die, and Moore doesn‘t shy away from giving us every detail. I would have liked more personal details about the women.

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Brooke_H
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Barnes & Noble haul thanks to bday gift cards 📚🩷

ShyBookOwl Happy Belated Birthday 🎂 2mo
AmyG Happy Belated. You got a great haul! 2mo
Jas16 Happy belated Birthday! 🎂🎈 2mo
Megabooks Happy birthday!! Great stack!! 2mo
26 likes5 comments
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Brooke_H
Argylle: A Novel | Elly Conway
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When the first sentence of a new book has a typo. 🤦‍♀️

julesG 😬🙈 Ouch! 2mo
Deblovestoread Just bought this last night and had to go check my copy…it is just 😞 2mo
LiteraryinLawrence Are you KIDDING me? 2mo
Caroline2 Crickey. This took me too long to notice the typo!!! 😬 🤦‍♀️ 2mo
17 likes5 comments
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Brooke_H
Indigo | Beverly Jenkins
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Panpan

The ultimate reason I didn't like it is because I did not love the juxtaposition of spicy hot romance with a part of history filled with darkness and death. I think I prefer my romances to be a bit more "fun." I found it jarring to be part of the group of characters learning about John Brown's death (he is a very minor character in the book), then literally the next page our sexy protagonists are all over each other. Just not for me.

Suet624 Haha. Yeah, sounds confusing. 2mo
20 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
I Kissed Shara Wheeler | Casey McQuiston
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Mehso-so

The first 25% was a quirky, fun mystery. But then it devolved into a too-long hot mess of a romance with too many characters.

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Brooke_H
Black Cake | Charmaine Wilkerson
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The best bookstore is the kind with a dog. 🐶

Leftcoastzen Yay!🐶 2mo
AmyG Agreed! 2mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
25 likes3 comments
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Brooke_H
The Fury | Alex Michaelides
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My very first #botm 📚

28 likes1 stack add
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Brooke_H
The Baker Street Journal: An Index to an Irregular Quarterly of Sherlockiana | Donald Aitcheson Redmond, Baker Street Irregulars (Organization : U.S.)
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"The Scion Societies" sections in the back of these old journals are so adorable. The officers of each scion are listed. My favorite is Belden Wigglesworth, archivist of The Speckled Band of Boston.

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Brooke_H
The Baker Street Journal: An Index to an Irregular Quarterly of Sherlockiana | Donald Aitcheson Redmond, Baker Street Irregulars (Organization : U.S.)
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Pickpick

Reading the very first BSJ was a total delight. All the heavy hitters are repped—Edgar W Smith, Helene Yuhasova, Christopher Morley, Bliss Austin, Vincent Starrett, etc.

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Brooke_H
The Witches | Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake
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Mehso-so

I think 9yo me would have read this a hundred times because I was dark AF as a kid. And that is what this book is--dark AF. And I don't think I'm at a particular point right now where I want dark kidlit. This book didn't completely work for me, although there are some things I liked.

I did like Grandmamma. She is a badass. I kind of want a retelling from her pov.

BookmarkTavern The Witches from her POV would be amazing! 💖 3mo
19 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
The Terror: A Novel | Dan Simmons
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Panpan

I literally cannot believe I slogged through this doorstop. Blergh.

I love a good history mystery. Polar explorers - two gigantic ships full no less - who disappear without a trace for almost 200 years? Yes, please.

I also love the random minutiae of arctic explorers in the 1840s - what clothing did they wear, what food did the ships store, what technological innovations did the ships have?

These minor cool things can‘t save this snoozefest.

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Brooke_H
Our Missing Hearts | Celeste Ng
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Pickpick

I found this novel unsettling--it takes place in a US that is just hair's-breadth adjacent to our own. This is a dictatorship where books are banned, people are punished for questioning authority, and PAOs ("people of Asian origin") are constantly targeted. Worst of all, children of marginalized people are taken suddenly from their parents at the slightest infraction or whiff of disloyalty. These children are the "missing hearts" of the title.

REPollock Such a thought-provoking and disturbing book. 4mo
28 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
No Shelter (Holly Lin, #1) | Robert Swartwood
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Pickpick

Basically a breakneck action movie. Perfect distracting airplane reading.

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Brooke_H
Our Missing Hearts | Celeste Ng
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It‘s Feminist Book Club book mail day! 💖📚

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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

A fictionalized account of the life of the younger (by 11 months) brother of Vladimir Nabokov, a gay man who traveled through the high-art circles of 1920s and '30s Berlin and Paris. Unfortunately he did not survive the '40s, dying in a Nazi camp in 1945, two months before liberation. I love books about the supporting characters in historically important people's lives, and this one is excellent.

tpixie Sounds great! And 🥪 looks 😋 5mo
Brooke_H @tpixie Grilled cheese is my perfect fall comfort food! 5mo
Bklover Beautiful sandwich! 5mo
tpixie @Brooke_H yes!!! 5mo
22 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Brooke_H
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I bought this damaged book in a blind date with a book situation a few months ago and just now see that it is signed. 😳 I‘m not excited about reading it, so I really hope it‘s not terrible! 😂

marleed Something kept me going with this one and I liked it all the while thinking why do I like this book! 5mo
Brooke_H @marleed I‘m feeling my Gen X today, I guess! 😂 5mo
21 likes2 comments
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

Set in the same universe as Williams's The Dictionary of Lost Words, this is a story of a female bookbinder who longs to study at Oxford at the dawn of WWI. I enjoyed this novel more than The Dictionary of Lost Words. The setting is immersive, the plot is evenly paced, and the dialogue is good. I also learned so much about the process of bookbinding at the turn of the 20th century and took a deep internet rabbit hole dive on WWI. Excellent read.

24 likes1 stack add
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Brooke_H
If It Bleeds | Stephen King
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Pickpick

Mr Harrigan's Phone: Texts from beyond the grave. 5 ⭐️
The Life of Chuck: Surreal novella split into 3 parts. The first part is perfect. The second part is pointless. The third part is good, but what is it doing here? 3 ⭐️
If It Bleeds: Holly Gibney. One of my fave King characters. I wish the bad guy here wasn't so like the one from The Outsider, but 🤷‍♀️. 4 ⭐️
Rat: Writer goes to isolated cabin to write novel. Disturbing times are had. 5 ⭐️

dabbe Hello there, sweet, sleepy pup! 🖤🐾🖤 5mo
20 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
Y: the Last Man Omnibus | Brian K. Vaughn
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Pickpick

Very suddenly and violently all living creatures with a Y chromosome (except plants and some insects, but that's not too important) die...except for NYC escape artist Yorick and his pet monkey Ampersand. This sounds like a goofy and potentially cool set up for an adventure story. And it is. But it so much more. Also, this tome weighs 10 pounds. Which made bedtime reading interesting. 😂

rwmg I'm at an age where I have to consider whether a book will cause serious injury if I nod off while reading 6mo
Brooke_H @rwmg This one will for sure! 6mo
26 likes2 comments
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

Breakdowns of nine "negative" tropes characteristically pushed onto female characters in pop culture. Examples from mostly films and TV shows for each one are given. Sometimes the plots of these are broken down kind of exhaustively. (Prepare for every movie and TV show in which an "unlikeable" woman appears to be completely spoiled. LOL) But it was very conversational and interesting.

25 likes1 stack add
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

Breakdowns of nine "negative" tropes characteristically pushed onto female characters in pop culture. Examples from mostly films and TV shows for each one are given. Sometimes the plots of these are broken down kind of exhaustively. (Prepare for every movie and TV show in which an "unlikeable" woman appears to be completely spoiled. LOL) But it was very conversational and interesting.

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Brooke_H
Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

With both Donna Tartt books I've read, I opened the first page and just sort of fell in. The writing is perfect and gorgeous while also completely effortless to read and so real-seeming. In the first five pages, the reader is told that a group of friends has murdered one of their own. The lead-up and aftermath are the rest of the book. A nail-biting slow burn.

REPollock I read this when it first came out, I was the same age as the characters. Blew me away. 6mo
Brooke_H @REPollock I was also right around that age when it came out, and I was just thinking how I would have LOVED it back then. 6mo
REPollock @Brooke_H I reread it like 3-4 years ago and I was struck by how I could feel so keenly why I had loved it and also how much now-me was like OMG YOU ARE ALL PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLES. 6mo
30 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

I cried so hard my dog (dog! like Apollo! insert crying face emoji!) came to check on me.

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Brooke_H
Smile | Raina Telgemeier
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Pickpick

I had some vicious orthodontia from ages 7-21, including various surgeries, so this incredible graphic memoir really resonated with me. (The scene where Raina is mashing her face into the couch cushions because it's the only thing that makes the pain better...literally me.) Loved it.

Suet624 Ouch. 😬 6mo
26 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

First off, ignore that "thriller" subtitle on the cover. Although the plot centers around a murder and some dangerous things happen to some of the characters, this is really more historical fiction. Extensively researched and impressive historical fiction. The murder case the novel is built around is a real cold case.

Most of the characters in the novel were real people. DiVello does an exceptional job of building a true-to-life riveting read.

24 likes1 stack add
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Brooke_H
The Ripped Bodice - Brooklyn | Brooklyn, NY (Bookstore)
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I was lucky enough to be able to go to the grand opening of The Ripped Bodice Brooklyn! If anyone lives in the area, I highly recommend.

DivineDiana Fun! 👏🏻📚👏🏻 7mo
27 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
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Finally got to visit the real Pooh and friends at the NYPL. 🍯

wanderinglynn 😍😍😍 7mo
TheBookHippie I love them. 7mo
23 likes2 comments
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Brooke_H
The Cartographers | Peng Shepherd
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Pickpick

I actually did enjoy this book as a quick read I didn't have to focus too hard on.

Nell is a cartographer who finds a mysterious map after her father's death and...figures out what is up with the map. Basically. It's not mind-blowing stuff.

I already knew about trap towns on maps, even Agloe, NY specifically, and because of that, I found the plot incredibly predictable. But I had fun reading it & liked the NYPL setting so 🤷‍♀️

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Brooke_H
The Water Dancer: A Novel | Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Pickpick

Hiram is a young enslaved man in Virginia, a son of the plantation owner. His special task is to babysit Maynard, his white brother, a fool of a grown man who consistently wreaks havoc throughout the town. Then one night an accident kills Maynard and reveals to Hiram that he has a magical power involving teleportation.

That is a really simple-sounding set-up for this very complicated novel. I won‘t forget it anytime soon.

SamAnne I‘ve been meaning to get to this one for ages. 8mo
21 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

This is pretty much what the subtitle says it is, although very tongue-in-cheek, the sarcasm flag flying high. The book is written in the second person, which I found clever and silly at the same time. The conceit is that the author has whisked the reader (a woman, presumably) back through time, and now she has to learn how to survive as a Victorian lady. Which is not pleasant. I had a good time with this kind of easy breezy history lesson.

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Brooke_H
Malorie | Josh Malerman
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Pickpick

No, Mel does not want to wear a blindfold for this photo shoot, thank you very much.

Bird Box gave me nightmares. Malorie...also gave me nightmares. I can think of very few scenarios scarier than needing to wear a blindfold 24/7 because if you happen to peek out at the world, you may or may not see a "creature" that will instantly give you a madness causing you to violently murder everyone around you, then yourself. (No thank you goodbye.)

dabbe Hello, Marvelous Mel! 🖤🐾🖤 The book terrifies me just by your review! 😳 8mo
23 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
The Booksmith | San Francisco, CA (Bookstore)
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My mini haul from The Booksmith and Borderlands in San Francisco today… I think Booksmith is my new fave SF bookstore (sorry, City Lights!).

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Brooke_H
The Booksmith | San Francisco, CA (Bookstore)
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My “love at first line” book from The Booksmith in San Francisco today. Any guesses?

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Brooke_H
Anatomy of a Scandal | Sarah Vaughan
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Panpan

Disappointing

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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

This is exactly what the subtitle says it is...not any kind of exploration of gender identity, but simply easy breezy essays about women all over the world throughout history who have disguised themselves as men to do the things they want to do that women weren't/aren't allowed to do. (I have issues with Joan of Arc being included here, but I'll let that go.) The essays are short, and this was a perfect book for me to read in between heavier books

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Brooke_H
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Panpan

If the book had been told from Lucy Grey's POV, it might have been better. Not knowing every terrible thought Snow has would be a plus, and would make his actions shocking and far more interesting.

Another idea would have been to start the book with Snow's parents' deaths when he was much younger. Maybe that could have built that empathy connection.

Overall this was spectacularly average. Would not recommend.

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Brooke_H
One Last Stop | Casey McQuiston
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It‘s delightful when my favorite show is randomly mentioned in the book I‘m reading. #LOST (I 🩷 time travel stuff.)

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Brooke_H
Ruby's Books | Folsom, CA (Bookstore)
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TheNeverendingTBR Love the hat! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙 11mo
31 likes2 comments
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Brooke_H
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Mehso-so

Would have done 3.5 starts if GR would allow it.... While the personal aspects of the author's experiences and the minutiae of security guard life at the NYC Met were nicely explored, the discussions of the art itself were sometimes a tad overwritten. Still, I'm visiting the Met this summer for the first time, and I'll be thinking of this book while I'm there.

25 likes1 stack add
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Brooke_H
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Once upon a time, Chloe Brown died. #firstlinefriday

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Brooke_H
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Mehso-so

At #30 (even though I'm skipping some), these are starting to feel repetitive. Mary Anne took three entire chapters just to explain to the reader who everyone is, what their function is in the club, and key things that have happened to every character all along the series. If someone is picking up a book at #30 in a series and they are confused as to what's going on, that is on them. We don't need all the exposition.

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Brooke_H
The Address | Fiona Davis
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Pickpick

I read this bc I am going to NYC for the first time this year, and the Dakota/Strawberry Fields is high on my list of places to check out.

I loved reading about the design/building of the Dakota and how barren the area around the building was at that time. Little historical touches like Nellie Bly's investigation of Blackwell's Island and the arrival of the Statue of Liberty helped to fill things out. I enjoyed the story from the 1980s as well.

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Brooke_H
Rose Quartz: Poems | Sasha taqw?blu LaPointe
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My April Feminist Book Club box came early! Happy National Poetry Month! 🌹

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Brooke_H
McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969 - 73 | Allan Kozinn, Adrian Sinclair
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Pickpick

If you are a Beatles/Paul McCartney fan--and I do mean "FAN," not "casual listener, I enjoy their music sometimes"--and if you are seriously intrigued by sentences such as "On Monday, October 23, 1972, Live and Let Die was mastered at EMI Studios and given the matrix number 7YCE.21722," this book is for you! And me.

What I did NOT like: There are no captions on any of the photos, so sometimes I had no idea who was in the pic or what was going on

20 likes1 stack add
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Brooke_H
Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel
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Pickpick

After I got used to the quirks of Mantel's writing along with the fact that every other person in the book is either named Thomas or Mary, I was way more into this book than I ever thought I'd be. Especially considering that it's history, and I already knew what was going to happen. "Omg, will Anne Boleyn become queen?? What is going to happen to Thomas More??" I'm excited to read the second one in the trilogy.

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Brooke_H
Orchid Thief | Susan Orlean
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Mehso-so

This book is not about John Laroche, the "thief" in the title. He shows up a few times. But he is by no means the focus. Orlean goes to Florida, meets a lot of quirky orchid-obsessed collectors, learns about shady real estate deals and the exploitation of native people, and absolutely does not EVER, not one single time, EVER see a ghost orchid. Not one. Sorry if that's a spoiler, but I would have liked to have known this going in.

SamAnne The movie is so great if you haven‘t seen it. It is a complete retelling with Nick Cage, Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep. I‘m not a big Orlean fan. Movie is called Adaptation. (edited) 12mo
Brooke_H @SamAnne Yes! I loved the movie when I saw it years ago. I would love to rewatch it. 12mo
15 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Brooke_H
Hell of a Book | Jason Mott
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Pickpick

I don‘t know how to review this fever dream. I read it in one go, couldn‘t put it down. Five million stars.

Suet624 Totally agree. And now you‘ve made me want to reread it. 12mo
Tamra It‘s fabulous, I agree! 12mo
25 likes2 comments