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Clare-Dragonfly

Clare-Dragonfly

Joined September 2016

Writer, reader, mama, knitter, baker, editor, soon to be cancer survivor. she/her
review
Clare-Dragonfly
Zinester Scenester | Arthur Graham
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Pickpick

My #doublespin this month was “a zine” so I‘m finally getting a start on my (not huge) zine collection! This zine was both fun and well researched, with several pages of sources at the end. It was almost as professionally done as a published graphic novel, except for one place where the formatting was apparently messed up 😂 I had good timing to read this, as I expect a friend over soon who would love it, so I‘ll pass it on to him!

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Clare-Dragonfly
But Not Too Bold | Hache Pueyo
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Mehso-so

This was an enjoyable little creepy novella full of tarantulas. I liked Anatema as a horrific employer and love interest a lot, and the world was very well drawn for such a short book. What was missing for me was Dália, the narrator. At a few times she mentions feelings or thoughts she seems to have had for a long time, but never came up before. I didn‘t feel like I could connect with her at all.

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Twisted Ones | T. Kingfisher
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Pickpick

Not my favorite T. Kingfisher, but that‘s like saying that poppies aren‘t my favorite flower—I‘m still glad to have them! Nicely creepy and filled with fun characters. I wish I‘d already read the story this is based on, “The White People,” but I plan to read it this spooky season and I‘m sure I‘ll think back on this book when I do. And I may never look at deer the same way again!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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One of my favorite movies! I didn‘t know there was a book!

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Clare-Dragonfly
Rosewater | Tade Thompson
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Mehso-so

Strange book. I really liked the world and the way the story was told, in a complex nonlinear way that was fairly easy to follow due to date stamps (I still had some confusion about which things happened before and after the dome, but that didn‘t detract). Lots of interesting characters. Unfortunately, the POV character is a lazy, greedy, sex-obsessed bore. I did not enjoy spending time with Kaaro and I really don‘t get what Aminat sees in him.

27 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Emerald City of Oz | L. Frank Baum
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Pickpick

I liked that this book had a bit more of a plot through-line than others. Of course, the invasion plot chapters are interspersed with Dorothy having adventures and meeting silly beings all over Oz. Lots of puns and bits that are very reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. It really grates on me that Dorothy never thinks that if something can reason and talk to you, it deserves to choose its own fate.

BookmarkTavern I‘m looking forward to this one! 1w
21 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Rosewater | Tade Thompson

I‘m enjoying this book, but I sure wish there was less about sex and erections.

RaeLovesToRead 🤣🤣🤣 1w
shanaqui I seem to recall that being one of the reasons I rather bounced off it... I finished it for the concepts and plot, I'm pretty sure, but... yeah. 1w
22 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Heavenly Tyrant | Xiran Jay Zhao
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Pickpick

This was even better than the first book! It really got into the political complexities of Zetian‘s world (which mirror our own). I appreciated that she learned that, as she puts it, “drastic actions have drastic consequences.” In so many ways! I could hardly put it down as I got close to the ending. Can‘t wait for the next book!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

This book is hard to review. It‘s a manifesto for Liberatory Harm Reduction, but it isn‘t organized enough to be a manifesto. However, I think the scattered presentation is to its benefit; it‘s all about humans being humans, and humans don‘t live neat, organized lives (especially the queer, trans, BIPOC, street and sex workers this book lifts up). I was only passingly familiar with harm reduction, so I learned a lot.

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Clare-Dragonfly
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Here‘s my #bookspin list, just squeaking in!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3w
18 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Woman, Life, Freedom | Marjane Satrapi
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Pickpick

The title of this book is the rallying cry for Iranian protesters after the murder of Mahsa Amini by police. This graphic collection pulls no punches. I was disturbed and inspired. I know a lot more and have a much better understanding of the recent history and current state of protest and repression in Iran. And, unfortunately, some of it reminded me very strongly of the current state of politics in the US. 😞

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Road to Oz | L. Frank Baum
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Mehso-so

Another adventure through strange and random lands. Another thing that is pretty dark if you think too hard about it, which Baum clearly didn‘t intend the reader to do. The characters were fun, and while I‘m getting pretty sick of the way Baum correlates beauty with goodness/friendship, at least he subverts that a little in this book.

BookmarkTavern Yeah, the beauty = goodness always bothers me too. 1mo
19 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

This starts out slow—the witchcraft takes a while to show up—but builds to astonishing intensity. The real-life horrors of the Home for Unwed Mothers combine very well with the magical horrors. There are some extremely intense depictions of childbirth that I could feel viscerally! I truly felt like all the characters were real people. The epilogue fell a little flat for me, unfortunately.

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Clare-Dragonfly
A Harvest of Hearts | Andrea Eames
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I won this book in an Instagram giveaway. I‘m so excited to read it! Look at that cover, those sprayed edges, the stickers the author included! 😍🫀

Ruthiella Neat! 🤩 1mo
30 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly

I don‘t think I‘ve ever seen a fictional depiction of pregnancy rhinitis before. It‘s not a well-known side effect, and it was one of the worst parts of pregnancy for me—my nose just running constantly. So it‘s really cool to see this main character also having to deal with it!

Blueberry Yeah, I had it too. 1mo
19 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
THE FOXGLOVE KING | Hannah Whitten
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed the world of this book, the dead and missing gods and the way the magic worked—primarily, controlling (or at least trying to control) the essence of death. I felt at a remove from the POV character much of the time, since it was clear she was hiding information about her own past, even from the reader, but that didn‘t annoy me too much since she was also trying to keep it from herself. I loved the twisty plot.

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Clare-Dragonfly
Rosewater | Tade Thompson
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Today‘s #libraryhaul—I returned one and picked up two so I‘m behind again 😂 I think I heard about Rosewater on a podcast and I don‘t remember what it was about but it sounded incredible. But Not Too Bold references a nice creepy fairy tale and the back said “dark fiction” and “Latin” and “sapphic” so there was no way I was leaving without it.

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Clare-Dragonfly
Half Sick of Shadows | Laura Sebastian
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Love a #littlefreelibrary haul!

CBee Oh my gosh! The Celery Stalks at Midnight!! That brings back memories ♥️ 2mo
32 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Lolly Willowes | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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Pickpick

What a delightful book! Oddly paced, for sure, but worth the time it takes to get there. I‘m glad I finally read it.

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Clare-Dragonfly
Mill on the Floss | George Eliot
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I‘m reading this as an ebook, but I just had to share the gorgeous copy that my library has. The page edges are shiny gold! 🤩

StaceGhost Oh this is so pretty! 2mo
Leftcoastzen Nice! 2mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
31 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Lolly Willowes | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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“I don‘t think one has much option about keeping a cat,” Laura said. “If it wants to stay with me, it shall.”

It seems the Cat Distribution System was in full effect a hundred or so years ago! (Featuring: Magrat!)

Ruthiella I suspect it is as old as the domestication of cats (or as old as the domestication of humans from the cats‘ point of view!😹) 2mo
26 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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And here‘s my #bookspin list for April! @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
19 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Pride and Protest | Nikki Payne
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Bailedbailed

There‘s nothing wrong with this book. I just don‘t have any enthusiasm for it. And why bother spending time on books I‘m not enthusiastic about?

32 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Long Live Evil | Sarah Rees Brennan
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Pickpick

This is a very fun read. I loved how Rae embraced her villainous character. It irritated me how she kept believing (or trying to convince herself) that things would happen the way she half-remembered them going in the book, even though her very presence in the plot massively changed things. The ending was a great twist! I think book 2 comes out soon and I‘ll definitely be reading it, but I‘m not running out to buy it.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Lots of fun craft ideas in this book, mostly using old sweaters or other clothes you can buy at a thrift store. I liked the cute illustrations but at times they made it unclear what to do. I‘m sure I could work out what to do if necessary though. Also unclear at times were the British words unfamiliar to this American 😂

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Clare-Dragonfly
The woman in white | Wilkie COLLINS
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Pickpick

Murder! Conspiracy! Intrigue! That was a great deal of fun, made even more so by reading it with the #hashtagbrigade. It has its issues due to the time period, but the characters are surprisingly complex—even the villains, while being over-the-top evil, have real depth. Thanks as always to @BarkingMadRead for being our hashtag queen!

BarkingMadRead This one was actually really good! We‘ve had some bad luck lately 🤣🤣 2mo
Ruthiella I measure all Victorian sensationalist literature against this book. It is the superlative example in my experience. 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @Ruthiella Udolpho isn‘t Victorian, but I‘d rather read this a dozen more times than reread that 😂 2mo
34 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz | Lyman Frank Baum
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Pickpick

Very fun and silly story! It reminded me of a couple of the Narnia books—I wonder if Lewis had read it. Dorothy, the Wizard, a boy named Zeb, a horse named Jim, and a kitten named Eureka travel through many lands under the earth, each dangerous in its own whimsical way. The Wizard is kind of a badass in this book. It irritated me that it took Dorothy so long to come up with her solution. But at least her speech didn‘t have so many apostrophes.

26 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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For my Grady Hendrix fans: one of my favorite witchy podcasts did an interview with him! I haven‘t read any of his books yet but after this interview I definitely will. When he starts off his discussion of researching witchcraft with “it‘s complicated” you know he really did the work.

https://newworldwitchery.com/2025/03/14/episode-258-witchcraft-for-wayward-girls...

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Clare-Dragonfly
Pride and Protest | Nikki Payne
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Did I need two new library books? Absolutely not. Did I pick some up anyway when I went in to make returns? Indubitably! #libraryhaul

Aims42 …. Wait. You can return library books without checking new ones out? SINCE WHEN? 🤪 I‘m on the “2 books returned, 3 new ones checked out” routine currently 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @Aims42 If I‘d been good, I would have used the outdoor book return slot and never set foot inside the library! 😅 I am doing well, though—I actually returned 3 and only checked out 2. 2mo
Aims42 @Clare-Dragonfly 🙌🙌🙌🙌 Nice!! 2mo
25 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

This book is exactly what it says it is: techniques, patterns, and samplers for blackwork embroidery. Unfortunately, it doesn‘t have any information about doing blackwork on clothing (as it historically was), which is what I really want to do. But I suppose I can practice on Aida and figure out the rest myself.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

What an absolutely spectacular book. Alix E. Harrow is officially an auto-buy author. In fact, I was six pages into this when I decided to buy A Mirror Mended (I already have A Spindle Splintered) so I can read alllllll of her books.

RaeLovesToRead I'm really looking forward to Starling House in particular! (Although I think I got this one in the Orbit sale too) 3mo
LoverOfLearning Oh I love this book! Read it reads ago. I hope I can reread it one day! 3mo
Clare-Dragonfly @LoverOfLearning I think it would be a great reread! 3mo
33 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath
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Pickpick

What a gorgeous, wrenching book! I‘m sorry it took me so long to read it, and grateful to @BarkingMadRead and the #HashtagBrigade for moving it up my TBR. I don‘t know if it would have been even better to read when I was a teenager or if it would have been a little *too* relatable then.

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Clare-Dragonfly
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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Got my #bookspin list ready to go for March! Will this be a month that I read both my picks? Probably not! 😂

Suet624 LOL 3mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! There is always hope 😂 3mo
19 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Dark Fable | Katherine Harbour
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Bailedbailed

Big twist! The POV character has known most of the mysteries all along. Nooooooope. I‘m out. #AuldLangSpine @Ellie_H

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Clare-Dragonfly
Embroidery: A Maker's Guide | Victoria Museum
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Pickpick

Quick and informative book on embroidery, including a wide variety of historical styles. There didn‘t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to the different styles described (one of the contributors‘ bios has a lot about her being a sashiko expert but there‘s no sashiko?) and I think many of them could have used more description, but I really liked being introduced to some styles I‘d never heard of. With modifications, I may try some of the projects.

34 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Ozma of Oz | L. Frank Baum
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this, though not as much as previous books. Dorothy is really obnoxious in the beginning and it annoyed me a lot how Baum wrote her pronunciation, especially since it‘s a change from the first book. But it‘s funny (albeit quite dark at times, in a way the narrative doesn‘t seem to acknowledge) and the characters—Billina the talking hen, Langwidere the lazy princess with her heads, Tik-Tok—are delightful. #BeyondtheYellowBrickRoad

BookmarkTavern I‘ve always wished that Langwidere showed up again in a later book. She‘s such an interesting character. 3mo
Clare-Dragonfly @BookmarkTavern Yeah! Where did she get all those heads?! She can‘t have traded for them all, like she offered to do with Dorothy… 3mo
willaful @Clare-Dragonfly I actually had a conversation about this recently! I had never wondered, assuming it was like Barbie accessories or something. 😂 My friend had always assumed she killed people for them!

I actually prefer the way Dorothy talks here. I find the first book too formal in tone to really enjoy.
3mo
Clare-Dragonfly @willaful Oh, Langwidere is definitely too lazy to kill anyone! 3mo
21 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

I considered bailing on this during the first few chapters, but decided to stick it out until the title happened. I‘m so glad I did! The dull, frustrating first several chapters are important to set up why no one wants to listen to or help Iris. I figured out the mystery fairly early on but reading along to see how the characters would figure it out and the mental tortures Iris goes through along the way was very enjoyable. Movie is on Hoopla!

JenlovesJT47 I‘m so bad I didn‘t even get to this book yet! 😭 Glad you enjoyed it! 🤗 2mo
25 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

I forgot to review this when I finished it! I loved it so much. It was like a cross between The Secret History and Pamela Dean‘s Tam Lin in many ways—so it felt derivative, but in a great way. In the second half, though, it pulls away from those comparisons and becomes much more its own thing. Heartbreaking and gorgeous. I just wish I were more familiar with Julius Caesar (the play).

LoverOfLearning Listened to it on audio 2 years ago. Gave it a 3 star but I listened to it quick quickly so I think I lost some detail. Currently rereading it :) 3mo
Clare-Dragonfly @LoverOfLearning Yes, I think this is one where you really have to pay attention to the details! I think I had to reread the last few pages to fully understand. Hope you like it better the second time around! 3mo
LoverOfLearning @Clare-Dragonfly I'm sure I'll love it a lot more this time! :) 3mo
30 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Primer | Thomas Krajewski, Jennifer Muro
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Mehso-so

Fun story. The characters felt pretty flat and, well, cartoonish—especially the villain. I thought everything came too easily to the main character. The idea of body paints that confer superpowers is very cool.

The art is incredibly fluid and vibrant. I felt like I was watching a really well-animated movie (Lilo and Stitch came to mind) instead of reading a book at times!

@Ellie_H #AuldLangSpine @monalyisha

TieDyeDude Good review! I think this character has a lot of potential, but it was definitely geared towards a young audience and focused more on the fun of becoming a hero than the challenges. 3mo
Ellie_H Yay!!😁 I am so happy you liked some parts of the book!! (edited) 3mo
33 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
Bookshops & Bonedust | Travis Baldree
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Mehso-so

I kept expecting some exciting twist and it never showed up. Which I guess is the point? I hope it isn‘t that I dislike cozy fantasy. I adore Becky Chambers. I‘m sure a big part of it is that Baldree likes to use my biggest bookish pet peeve.

I did adore Satchel.

Rachel.Rencher I liked the first one more than this one. This one just kind of fell flat. 3mo
RaeLovesToRead Which pet peeve is this??? 3mo
Clare-Dragonfly @RaeLovesToRead As an example, we are in Viv‘s POV, and she comes up with a plan, but we readers don‘t get to know what the plan is. 3mo
RaeLovesToRead Ah yes, that is super annoying! 3mo
32 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Nobody here guessed it but my bestie (who got me into Shirley Jackson) did! 🥰 One of my favorite books.

Suet624 Oh! 3mo
34 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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What do you think it could be? I‘ll open it up in a few hours and find out! If someone guesses right they win a trophy. An emoji trophy 😂

Bookwomble The Shining? 👯‍♀️ 3mo
Suet624 @Bookwomble sounds about right. 3mo
Clare-Dragonfly @Bookwomble That was what I thought on my way to the car. 3mo
25 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

This book is aimed at organizers, but I highly recommend it even if you (like me) don‘t intend to do any organizing. It‘s full of information, both actionable and philosophical. This is a book we need in this time of terrifying fascists destroying our government.

35 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Bailedbailed

This book is gorgeous and informative, but it‘s too dang heavy and the font is really small and cramped. For a book that has so much emphasis on design, they really didn‘t design that aspect well.

32 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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#bookspin list for February! @TheAromaofBooks

You may note the inclusion of “a zine” at the bottom of the list. I have a bunch of zines that I want to get around to reading. I‘m pretty sure I even know where they are on my shelves. However, I simply have not bothered to pull them off the shelves (no spines!) to get their titles, so if no. 20 is picked, I‘ll just grab a random zine.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4mo
18 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Mehso-so

I liked very few of the projects in this book. I would definitely not call all of them upcycled, and many of them needed more detailed instructions. Also, the author seemed really arrogant. But there are some good ideas and useful tips (like what kind of glue to use), and I think one of the things about upcycling is it‘s hard to say “here‘s a project you can do” because it‘s so dependent on what materials you have at hand. Borrow, not buy.

dabbe 🖤🐾🐾🖤 4mo
Clare-Dragonfly @dabbe I think this was the first time they‘d both been on my lap at the same time! 😻 4mo
dabbe @Clare-Dragonfly So adorable! 🩵🩶🩵 4mo
28 likes3 comments
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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! 4mo
35 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 😻😻😻 4mo
30 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 😅 4mo
Ellie_H Yay 4mo
Clare-Dragonfly @Ellie_H ❤️😄 4mo
Ruthiella Why do publishers do that? It‘s so obnoxious. 4mo
35 likes4 comments