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Clare-Dragonfly
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Bailedbailed

Sorry, #HitchtoScreen. I just couldn‘t stand to be with these people a moment longer.

JenlovesJT47 😬 I‘m about halfway through and I have to say, the movie is much better! 3d
34 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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This book takes two hands and that‘s not permitted at the moment.

Ruthiella 😻😻😻 2w
28 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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I‘ve been sick the last couple days and Let This Radicalize You is just too much for my tired brain to take right now. This seems like it will do the trick instead.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Mehso-so

Fun, twisty murder mystery—it just never really grabbed hold of me and I found being in Pippa‘s head a little annoying. I definitely didn‘t see the ending coming and it all clicked together! I did love that the intro has her capstone project proposal and the teacher says “whatever you do, don‘t contact the families.” I immediately hoped she would contact the families and that‘s the very first thing that happens 😂

First #AuldLangSpine @Ellie_H

Clare-Dragonfly Side note: The publisher evidently moved the setting from the UK to US for this edition, but it wasn‘t done so thoroughly that I couldn‘t tell. There are a few linguistic tells and, uh… when the cops show up they don‘t have guns out 😅 2w
Ellie_H Yay 2w
Ruthiella Why do publishers do that? It‘s so obnoxious. 2w
35 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Pickpick

What a cute book! This is my first time continuing the series past the first book. It was fun to revisit the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, and all the other characters are funny. I loved how the girls with knitting needles were able to conquer the Emerald City! I didn‘t like how beauty is equated with goodness, but the ending made me very happy nonetheless. I wonder if the rest of the wishing pills will be discovered as the series continues.

KCofKaysville @Clare-Dragonfly I read a few in Grade School and was addicted! 2w
19 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Marvelous Land of Oz | L. Frank Baum
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Ruthiella 🤣🤣🤣 2w
BookmarkTavern I love the Scarecrow. 😂 2w
26 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Mehso-so

This book is part memoir, part writing instruction/inspiration. I didn‘t think the two aspects were well connected, and I wasn‘t enthusiastic about either one. The memoir was interesting, but it was told in such a non-chronological way that I was frequently confused. The writing part seemed shallow at first, but as it continued I did find some gems.

I was a HUGE fan of FLB‘s teen books when I was a teen, so maybe I expected more.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Mehso-so

I‘m disappointed not to have liked this more than I did! A sapphic sci-fi Sherlock Holmes?! Yes, please. And all those aspects were great. The worldbuilding was so creative and fascinating. But I never felt a connection to the characters or the chemistry between them. I never felt the importance of Pleiti‘s profession and the ending fell pretty flat because of that.

#doublespin for January @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2w
30 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Persuasion | Jane Austen
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Last week I got into a conversation with a coworker about Jane Austen because she was wearing a sweatshirt with Wentworth‘s letter to Anne on it. Today she gave me this sticker 😄

TheBookHippie ♥️ 2w
wanderinglynn Love the sticker! 2w
peanutnine Omg best interaction ever. Love it 2w
41 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Iron Widow | Xiran Jay Zhao
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this a lot. It‘s violent and heavy-handed but the characters and story are fun. Some of my complaints definitely seem to be assuaged by the ending and I will be reading the next book.

Also, I can now be even more enthusiastic about my hopes to knit the Chrysalis shawl, designed by disyarning inspired by this book 😄

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Clare-Dragonfly
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I have no idea why Storygraph thinks Little Women is longer than The Mysteries of Udolpho. 😂 But here‘s my 2024 wrap-up!

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Clare-Dragonfly
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Squeezing in my #booskpin list for January! You‘ll see that the final three are from my #auldlangspine list from @Ellie_H !

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4w
22 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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The tagged is my top book for December 2024. But, as soon as I read Braiding Sweetgrass, I pretty much knew it was going to be my top read for the year. *Maybe* if it had gone up against the entire Rook and Rose trilogy as a whole (as you‘ll note both the first and third books of that trilogy were my favorites for their respective months)… but that‘s not the case.

I feel really good looking at this. So many wonderful books read! #BookBracket2024

20 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

What a beautiful, intense, wrenching book. Aberg-Riger puts together words and images so creatively to tell stories from America‘s past, mostly about the ways people have been oppressed. Many of the stories I knew, but didn‘t know all the details, or had never seen them from the angles she shows. There were also stories I didn‘t know. Highly recommended.

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Mysteries of Udolpho | Anne Radcliffe
Panpan

The best thing I can say about this book is we probably wouldn‘t have Northanger Abbey without it 😂😂😂

TheBookHippie 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 1mo
BarbaraJean 😂😂 1mo
25 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Small but mighty Christmas #bookhaul 😄

lynneamch Sounds fascinating to me. Thank you! 1mo
Clare-Dragonfly @lynneamch I learned about the tagged book from the podcast Dressed and it goes with a museum exhibit too. So much cool stuff! 1mo
Amiable A friend just recommended this book to me: 4w
Clare-Dragonfly @Amiable I have that on my shelf as well! 😄 4w
23 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Not exactly a holiday book, but it‘s such a cozy reread that it‘s still perfect for the time of year! 🥰 #BeyondtheYellowBrickRoad

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Beautiful start!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

A fascinating book with a sense of humor! I love linguistic history and this book really delved deep. I learned all kinds of fascinating nuggets. For example, did you know that the “hus” in “husband” and the “house” in “housewife” come from the same thing?! The author did share some opinions that I side-eyed as on the border of TERFy. Note: the title is a little misleading; this book is very specifically about English.

23 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Mysteries of Udolpho | Anne Radcliffe

Nymph, in thy orisons / Be all my sins remembered.

Though this be madness, yet there is method in‘t.

#hashtagbrigade #hamlet

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Cruel Prince | Holly Black
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I got my #AuldLangSpine list from @Ellie_H and she obviously has GREAT taste! Holly Black 😍🖤😍

I‘ve put The Dark Fable and Primer on hold. Looking forward to them and the rest of the list! Except I‘ve already read the first four… but… maybe 2025 is a year for a Holly Black reread?

monalyisha 1/2 old favorites + 1/2 new reads to explore = happy math (which is the first (and probably last) time I‘ve ever used those two words together)! 😉 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @monalyisha Yes! 😂😂😂 2mo
30 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Mysteries of Udolpho | Anne Radcliffe
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OK, I‘m satisfied with that information about Morano. Let‘s move along now. #hashtagbrigade #accumulatemoremisfortunesplease #countkidnapper #countdickwad

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Clare-Dragonfly
Labyrinth's Heart | M. A. Carrick
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review
Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Wow. Powerful and really makes you think. Scary, as well, because how many people are actually going to be strong enough to stand up to tyranny? The illustrations are unusual and fascinating. I‘d like to read the full book at some point; there are definitely parts of this that I didn‘t understand. I wrote down a lot of quotes.

I did find it strange that there were frequent and specific references to Trump, but he is never named.

Tamra I‘d like to read both - I didn‘t realize there was a graphic novel edition until you posted about it. 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @Tamra You can thank @Lauredhel for me knowing about it! 2mo
26 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Join me and @BookmarkTavern #BeyondtheYellowBrickRoad starting next month! I read the first book many times as a kid and have been meaning to continue the series for a few years, so even though I am overloaded on buddy reads and library books, I can‘t resist joining in.

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Clare-Dragonfly
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Here‘s my #bookspin list for December! @TheAromaofBooks

20 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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“Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.”

That‘s some advice I can get behind 😁📚📚📚

TieDyeDude Separate yourself from the internet *except Litsy 😉 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @TieDyeDude Of course 😂 2mo
24 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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“The mistake is to assume that rulers who came to power through institutions cannot change or destroy those very institutions—even when that is exactly what they have announced that they will do.”

I‘ve seen so many people talk about the 2026 and 2028 elections as though we can rely on them happening. I don‘t believe we can.

Suet624 I was just talking about that with a friend this morning. That assumption is no longer a given. 2mo
Tamra Democratic institutions are not inviolable or inevitable. They can be irreparably broken and that seems lost on many. They take safety & security for granted. Change is one thing, destruction is another. 😖 2mo
Chrissyreadit I agree and am very concerned about what will happen. I think the next decade will be profoundly difficult. 2mo
26 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Labyrinth's Heart | M. A. Carrick
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Pickpick

So much happens in this book! How do I review it without spoilers? I‘ll just say that some stuff I knew would come up in the end did have a major impact (Fiavla!) and other stuff I never saw coming and was emotionally wrenching as well as story-logic perfect (Tanaquis!).

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Clare-Dragonfly
Jamaica Inn | Daphne Du Maurier
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Pickpick

Damn, Daphne du Maurier can write.

I thought this painting was of a horse so I figured I‘d use it for my review picture. When I saw it I realized it was a stag. But I didn‘t have any better ideas 😂

JenlovesJT47 I loved the book! Plan on slowly working my way through the rest of her books. 💚 2mo
33 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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I keep setting myself a limit on library books so I can find time to read books I already own. And then… #libraryhaul

Ruthiella Yup! Me too! 2mo
Kenyazero I absolutely have this same curse 🤭 2mo
Suet624 Yup. 🙋🏻‍♀️ 2mo
33 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Haymarket Press is offering ten ebooks on anti-racism and anti-fascism for free. https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/517-ten-free-ebooks-for-getting-free

31 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
Labyrinth's Heart | M. A. Carrick
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“When you order someone to give up, doesn‘t that only spur them to fight harder?”

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Clare-Dragonfly
Sheine Lende: A Prequel to Elatsoe | Darcie Little Badger
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Mehso-so

I‘m surprisingly disappointed in this after how much I loved Elatsoe. I don‘t remember Darcie Little Badger‘s writing being so stilted previously. There was a lot of unnecessary detail (like, describing every movement of a different driver making adjustments to a car) and it seems like she missed the memo that “said” is a perfectly good dialogue verb. The story was interesting and surprising. The ending was frustrating because…

Clare-Dragonfly … the real emotional resolution was given to us secondhand. 3mo
33 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Jamaica Inn | Daphne Du Maurier
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I started two buddy reads today. The first chapters of both involve a mother dying after a long illness while being faithfully nursed by her daughter. It‘s a good thing I saw my mom yesterday and she was well… 😬

#hashtagbrigade #hitchtoscreen

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Haunting of Hill House | Shirley Jackson
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It seems a bit wrong to choose a reread as my favorite book of the month, but I didn‘t read any new books that rose to the level of consideration. And there‘s a reason I reread it!

Yes, there are two blank spaces where the next tier up should go. It‘s hard to make decisions 😅

#readingbracket2024

27 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Here‘s my #bookspin list for November! @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3mo
Clare-Dragonfly The Gododdin and Bad Cree 3mo
18 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Untitled | Unknown
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1. Always! I mean, I‘ll wear one of my witch hats (probably the new one with the strawberry pattern because I love it so). That will just make it a little more obvious.

2. Is it redundant to recommend The Haunting of Hill House and Dracula? They‘re both great!

TheSpineView 🧡🎃🖤 Thanks for playing! 3mo
16 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Haunting of Hill House | Shirley Jackson
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Pickpick

I love Shirley Jackson so much.

But now I‘m out of spooky reads for October 😅 Luckily I still have the movies to watch!

dabbe “The Lottery“ is still the most shocking story I've ever read. And this one is my go-to for ghost stories. 🖤🧡🖤 3mo
29 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet | Charlie N Holmberg
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Mehso-so

I‘m glad I read this all the way through even though I wasn‘t that into it, because the ending was the best part. Very creative and unusual. I just never really connected to Maire, and I felt like the world should have either been a straightforward, conventional fantasy world or a lot more wild. I never got a sense of the “surprising yet inevitable” (until the epilogue, which I would have been mad without)—just surprising.

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Haunting of Hill House | Shirley Jackson
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I had part 1 of a shingles vaccine yesterday and it has hit me harder than any vaccine since my first covid booster. At least I can soak away the ache and enjoy a spooky classic at the same time.

LiteraryinPA Ouch! Hope it fades quickly! 3mo
Tamra Oh, really? 😬 I haven‘t done mine yet (ever) but I know I need to. 3mo
Bookwomble I hope you're feeling more comfortable now ❤️‍🩹 3mo
Clare-Dragonfly @Bookwomble I am, thank you! ❤️ No discomfort other than a tiny bruise remains. 3mo
Bookwomble @Clare-Dragonfly 💖 3mo
30 likes5 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Liar's Test | Ambelin Kwaymullina
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Pickpick

This was a fun and sweet book. Felt like a pretty young YA (for example, there‘s a romance but the feelings aren‘t overwhelming and they only kiss once), which isn‘t my favorite, and the world with the competition among seven girls to be queen felt almost like a parody of other YA novels. But the Treesinger culture is wonderful, and I enjoyed the book.

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Clare-Dragonfly
Pickpick

Lots of creepy stories. A few weren‘t very good (or at least weren‘t creepy). Most were good. A few were spectacular.

But it‘s a *lot* of stories. I‘m so glad to have finally finished it.

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas
Bailedbailed

Life‘s too short.

Clare-Dragonfly @dabbe 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 4mo
16 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Bailedbailed

Much to my disappointment, I‘m not enjoying this at all. I can see how it would be funny, but it‘s not working for me. Anyway, I wanted creepy, not funny.

21 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas
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I did not know this meaning of “levee”! #randomclassics

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Clare-Dragonfly
Dracula | Bram Stoker
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Starting Dracula for #hashtagbrigade during school dropoff!

We usually walk, but it‘s raining, and my husband usually does it, but he‘s sick. I arrived early enough to park which meant I was stuck while the line of cars went around. But I had just the right amount of time to read the first chapter!

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Clare-Dragonfly
Starling House | Alix E. Harrow
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I read a lot of great books in September, but Starling House still jumped out as my number one pick.

I forgot to mention this in my review, but anyone who loves the ecological/class and horror aspects of this book should listen to the podcast Old Gods of Appalachia. And if you like Old Gods, definitely read this book!

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Clare-Dragonfly
Happy Litsyversary! | Special Events
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Wow! It‘s my Litsyversary! 8 years on this great app. Thank you, everyone, for making Litsy one of the absolute best places on the internet.

IuliaC Happy 8th Litsyversary!! 🎈🥳 4mo
Librarybelle Happy Litsyversary! 4mo
Amiable Happy Litsyversary! Thanks for being here! 4mo
See All 7 Comments
Ruthiella Happy Litsyversary! 🥳🥳🥳 4mo
dabbe HL! 🤩🤩🤩 4mo
JessClark78 Happy Litsyversary! 🎊📚🎉 4mo
rubyslippersreads Happy belated Litsyversary! 🎉📚🎉📚🎉 4mo
22 likes7 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Here‘s my #bookspin list for October! @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4mo
Clare-Dragonfly Poor Things and New Moon Magic 4mo
19 likes2 comments