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Clare-Dragonfly

Clare-Dragonfly

Joined September 2016

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Clare-Dragonfly

So it seems like Evelina‘s mom‘s friend passed off a different baby as Sir John Belmont‘s daughter??? 🤯 That‘s so much more dramatic than him abandoning 3 different women and picking a random one to be his heir! (But still, why won‘t he acknowledge Macartney? I‘m sure this will all be sorted out by the end! I have 4 more issues to go on Serial Reader!) #RandomClassics

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Clare-Dragonfly
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These demons seem to be pretty enlightened.

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian I loved this book! 1d
19 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

I am very happy with this follow up to one of my favorite books of all time. A playwright, her musician girlfriend, their sound engineer friend, and a washed-up actress get together to rehearse a play in Hill House. Hill House doesn‘t want them there… or maybe it really, really does. There‘s a number of highly satisfying callbacks to the original novel. It‘s not as subtle, but I think it‘s stronger for not trying to precisely emulate the master.

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I love the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, but didn‘t care for the other two books they‘ve put out. Still, I wanted to read this book because I adore the character, so finding it at the #littlefreelibrary was perfect!

Patchshank I really enjoyed this one. Its my favorite of the nightvale novels even though its a bit different from the podcast. 2d
Kenyazero Good find! Hope you like this one better! I forgot this book came out. Their first book was fun but so-so, and I found the second more compelling but it still took me forever to finish. I‘ll definitely give this one a try as well. 2d
17 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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I‘m really into this book so far, but finding the wide spacing between lines really annoying! Thankfully I didn‘t cancel my ebook hold when I found it in paper at a different library, so if that hold comes in before I‘ve finished the paper book, I can switch.

17 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Bailedbailed

I‘m sure there is some good stuff in this book but I just can‘t get past her coinage of “resulting” meaning “falling prey to outcome bias.” It makes the book too hard to read.

dabbe #hailthebail! 💚💙💚 1w
Ruthiella I like to think the book helped you decide to not finish it! 😂 1w
Clare-Dragonfly @Ruthiella Hahaha, there you go! 7d
22 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

This book has everything: inspiring introduction, short lesson in embroidery, stitch dictionary, symbol library, brief lesson in color theory and composition, a bunch of project ideas, and a number of patterns. Every page is gorgeously illustrated, almost all with clear photos of actual, stunning embroidery. I am so inspired! This was a library borrow but I am definitely going to buy my own copy to have on hand.

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Prisoner's Throne | Holly Black
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Pickpick

Holly Black has done it again! Not that there was EVER any doubt. I could barely put this down and it was so satisfying. Love Oak and Wren (and Jude and Cardan and all the rest)!

Liatrek I‘m so sad still waiting on my pre order. Can‘t wait to read this one ❤️ 1w
28 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
All Good People Here | Ashley Flowers
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Panpan

Gah! There‘s a reason I don‘t read thrillers. Too many twists, not enough characterization, I rolled my eyes so many times. And, of course, it leaned heavily on my pet peeve of the character knowing something without revealing it to the reader. I only read this because I like Crime Junkie—I‘ll know better in the future!

I waited to take this picture until I had a different cat in my lap. Magrat was not a fan of being used as a Kindle prop 😹

dabbe #fanofthepan! 🤩🤩🤩 + 🖤🐾🖤 2w
Clare-Dragonfly @dabbe Not as good as #allhailthebail but I like it 😂 2w
dabbe @Clare-Dragonfly I had a harder time rhyming something with “pan“! 🤩😍😂 2w
21 likes3 comments
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Very excited about this book!

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Another fairly quick choice for #readingbracket2024… Much as I loved Galaxy and it warmed my heart, the long and magical search for Lyra‘s father has a tight grip on me. The Secret Commonwealth might end up grabbing one of the bonus slots, too. In fact, I think the only reason it didn‘t get the top slot is that it ended!

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Pickpick

Once again, Becky Chambers manages to make a disaster cozy and sweet. Five people of four different alien species are trapped in a small waystation for several days. They are forced to get to know one another and learn to understand one another‘s species. Despite early prejudices, they all become friends.

Yes, I‘m spending a lot of time in a bathrobe with a cat on my lap lately 😂 Chemo takes it out of you!

RaeLovesToRead Nice that you have a feline buddy looking after you! 🥰 3w
Clare-Dragonfly @RaeLovesToRead Gandalf is very good at making sure I rest! 😻 3w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w
Pageturner1 💗take care 😻 3w
20 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Well, if I‘m not allowed to get up, I may as well finish a book!

I enjoyed this, though I didn‘t love it as much as I hoped. It was a fun, pleasant read. It did hit one of my pet peeves a couple times (it seems all the books I‘m reading right now are doing that). I liked all the characters. I will be reading the prequel.

RaeLovesToRead Hello kitty! I'm curious to know which pet peeve! 😅 3w
Clare-Dragonfly @RaeLovesToRead One I encounter frequently and struggle to describe… it‘s when you‘re in a character‘s POV, and they think or obviously know something, but the reader doesn‘t get to know what that is. Like “suddenly, she knew the answer” but I don‘t get to know the answer for pages, if ever. Some authors pull it off OK (it isn‘t bothering me as much with Becky Chambers), but usually it drives me nuts. 3w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w
RaeLovesToRead Oh yes! Thriller writers in particular are guilty of this! You're not building tension... spill it! 3w
32 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Blue Castle | L. M. Montgomery
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Pickpick

What a marvelous romance!

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Storm of Life | Amy Rose Capetta
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Pickpick

I‘ve had this new phone for almost 2 months but apparently I‘m still not good at taking screenshots with it 😂 Anyway, I really enjoyed the sequel to The Brilliant Death. Teo and Cielo are wonderful, rich, complex characters—as are most of the minor characters. The worldbuilding is similarly rich and complex, though sometimes that was a drawback as I got confused. I will definitely be continuing to read everything A. R. Capetta publishes.

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Pickpick

What a fascinating look at the earliest draft of a beloved novel! This is very different from the eventually published version of The Last Unicorn. The unicorn is basically the same character, and the butterfly appears, plus a few lines are the same, but that‘s about it. A demon accompanies the unicorn for much of her journey, and it just sort of ends—nothing is discovered. The most fascinating part to me is that instead of the Red Bull…

Clare-Dragonfly …covering the other unicorns‘ footsteps, it‘s the road that the unicorn is following throughout the book, which represents the changes wrought by modernity. Both the unicorn and the demon (and a dragon) have problems with that modernity in different directions. 1mo
rubyslippersreads Kitty ears! 😻 1mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
23 likes3 comments
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And it‘s illustrated by one of my favorite artists!!! What a great choice.

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AUDIBLE GASP. I had no idea this book existed! I‘m so excited! @monalyisha

monalyisha Oh, exciting! Never would have guessed it. 😆 1mo
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Untitled | Unknown
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Stopped by the library today and they had blind dates with books! Of course, I couldn‘t resist! Any guesses before I open it up?

monalyisha I need to know! 1mo
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Clare-Dragonfly
Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror (2012) | Stephen King, Naomi Novik, Kelley Armstrong, Tim Powers, Joe R Lansdale, Gene Wolfe, Caitlin R Kiernan, Glen Hirshberg
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I won this book in Naomi Novik‘s holiday giveaway on Instagram! As you can see, I‘m very excited. So many great authors! Plus it‘s signed!

Ruthiella Congratulations! 👏👏👏 1mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
AmyG Wow! 🙌🏻 1mo
29 likes3 comments
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Pickpick

What a powerful and heartbreaking book! I feel that some of the sad parts were overdone for the story, but maybe it was necessary—Stowe certainly doesn‘t get as explicit as she very well could about some of the horrors of slavery. I can‘t fault her choice to show the best Christians rather than the worst experiences. (And some of the worst experiences are certainly implied.) I‘m glad it had the effect intended, raising sentiment against slavery.

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What‘s with all these creepy men who are obsessed with Evelina even though she is kind of rude (in smart ways) and barely talks?! Obviously after letter 21 Sir Clement is the chief creepy creep of them all, but wow.

All the jerks and idiots poor Evelina is surrounded by are funny, though, for sure! I suppose the women of the Mirvan family are lovely, but they hardly get any page time. #RandomClassics

Librarybelle I read this a few years ago and am rereading it for the group now…I forgot how funny but also cringey this is! 😂 1mo
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this but it just stops at the end! Argh! I need book 3 now! 😨😨😨

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I‘m so pleased that I was able to get this book before going off on a long-weekend trip! And now that I‘m looking at it on Litsy, I see I already have it stacked, thanks to @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Not that I‘m going to have much time to read on this trip. My sister is getting married tomorrow! Book pictured here with the lobby decor in the fancy hotel where we‘re all staying for the wedding 😄

BarbaraTheBibliophage I‘ll be curious to hear what you think! Happy wedding to your sister! 1mo
18 likes1 comment
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I‘m going to try to do #readingbracket2024. I was inspired by the fact that I barely had to think about it to pick a favorite book of January!

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Oops. I was searching for something else at the library (don‘t remember what) and this came up in the search results. I thought it sounded like fun so I put it on hold. Today I took it out to start reading and noticed the “author of” a book with a suspiciously similar name on the cover. Sure enough, this is book 2 in a series. Why don‘t they just say that in the cover/subtitle? 🙄 Thankfully my library does have book 1 so I have it on hold now!

ravenlee That‘s always so frustrating! I need the pertinent information in the description and on the cover: what number this is in a series, series title, previous titles in said series! 2mo
22 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Ice Queen | Alice Hoffman
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Mehso-so

I thought about skipping this book club selection because I was pretty indifferent on the last Alice Hoffman book I read, but I love fairy tale retellings. Unfortunately, while the fairy-tale elements kept me going through the story, I didn‘t connect with this book either. The main character really irritated me and I didn‘t understand most of the other characters‘ motivations either. I‘ll complain/CW (personal to me, and spoilery) in a comment.

Clare-Dragonfly I don‘t think I would have read this book had I known it involved a character dying of pancreatic cancer. My father died of pancreatic cancer a couple years ago, and I‘m undergoing cancer treatment now myself. 2mo
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Pickpick

This book tells the fascinating story of the development of Herceptin, a targeted antibody treatment for breast and ovarian cancer that attacks a specific receptor called HER-2. Herceptin is one of the treatments I am receiving, so this was very personally relevant! It‘s an amazing treatment that fights cancer directly without real side effects, unlike chemo. The book tells the stories of the scientists and biotech companies along with many women

Clare-Dragonfly …who fought breast cancer and were treated, or not, with Herceptin. 2mo
AmyG Wishing you all the best with your treatment. 👊 2mo
SamAnne Would you be willing to email with me on your experience with it? And book stacked. Samannemace at gmail. I have the same. Did radiation and successful surgery but postponed chemo to travel and live life this year. My doctor told me it would “smash me into the ground” for 6 months and it could me 2-5 years to feel a sense of normalcy. And likely give me heart damage. Hope I‘m not overstepping here. I don‘t know anyone personally with HER2 (edited) 2mo
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SamAnne I‘m also reading Song of the Cell right that I think also discusses Herceptin. 2mo
SamAnne And wishing you a strong recovery! They want me to take a chemo and Herceptin. Ordering this book ASAP. Have been on the fence…. Apologies for any over sharing here. (edited) 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @SamAnne Sure, I‘ll send you an email! Short version: chemo sucks but it‘s a hell of a lot better than dying of cancer 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2mo
SamAnne @Clare-Dragonfly for me, to a point. Quality of my years is also important to me. Hah! So I traveled and lived it up this year. Doctors aren‘t happy, but some nurses and techs have whispered to me: “good for you. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.” I glad you are making it through! 2mo
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Having a British author breakfast: Bath buns and Brontë tea.

tpixie Fun! 🤩 2mo
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Does anyone know what Eva is dying of? Is it meant to be a specific illness (tuberculosis?) that readers of the time would easily identify so it doesn‘t have to be named, or it is just Overly Good Literary Character Syndrome like Beth?
#RandomClassics

Librarybelle I think it‘s a little bit of both. What I do know is that having the goodly character die was the thing to write at that time. As for Eva‘s illness, I‘m fairly sure it‘s consumption/tuberculosis, but I could be wrong. So many of these novels from that time have a character with a “fever coursing through the body.” 2mo
TheAromaofBooks I'm with @Librarybelle here - consumption is my guess, but I think at the time there were many things that could kill you that we can correct now, deficiencies or a blood pressure problem, a weak heart, etc. Like in Little Women, Beth is perfectly healthy when she is young, but scarlet fever (if I remember correctly) severely damages her heart and eventually kills her. The frequent mention of a cough may be indicating TB. It's definitely a ⬇ 2mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) common plot device, but I also think part of the reason that it's common as a plot device is because it was sadly common in reality as well. Do they die because they're “too good to live“ or do they become a better person because they're acknowledging that they're on their way to the grave and want to get eternity sorted before then? I'm not completely sure. 2mo
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Clare-Dragonfly
Multiamory: Essential Tools for Modern Relationships | Dedeker Winston, Emily Matlack, Jase Lindgren
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Pickpick

Solid book of relationship advice for all kinds of relationships, including polyamorous ones. I listen to the podcast so most of this isn‘t new to me, but it is definitely easier for me to remember in written form!

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Pickpick

Well, I loved this. Soon I will read the second book and then I guess I‘ll spend a long time being mad that the third one isn‘t out yet.

I am amused that I assumed the titular Savage Beauty was Lyra, but no—she‘s a baby in this book, and La Belle Sauvage is (as I can see now from looking closely at the cover) a boat.

lauraisntwilder Seriously. Is book 3 ever coming out? 2mo
24 likes1 comment
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Pickpick

Loved this story of Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison meeting and becoming friends! Plus some little extras at the end.

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Lyra's Oxford | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

Great little read on a cozy rainy day! It was fun to see Lyra on another exciting adventure, a little older now. I also really liked the bits scattered through the book of what I call demifiction—nonfiction belonging to a fictional world—as well as the snippets and vignettes at the end. Any more of Lyra and Will is good! I really hope one of the other Pullman books on my list has a follow-up to this story. I want to know more about the birds.

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Pickpick

What a wonderful book to start the year with! This novel is both a very faithful retelling of Pride and Prejudice and a believable update to the modern day (I think it‘s set in the early 2000s). Plus, most of the characters are Chinese-American and that‘s a fun twist! Elizabeth and Darcy are compelling characters and I really feel like Chau understands Austen. I LOVE that much of the characters‘ focus is on jobs rather than marriage.

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2023: World War III | Carl Berryman
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I thought this was a surprising stat from my StoryGraph wrap-up. I know I read more light books at the very end of the year, but I read both light and dark year-round, and especially like dark stuff in October—I‘m surprised to see the line move so strongly upward! Its highest point is September and that was my month with the lowest ratings. 🤔

It says I only read 5 books from my own shelves but I think I‘m just bad at marking things as owned 😅

Kristin_Reads I love the StoryGraph stats and graphs! 3mo
21 likes1 comment
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Mehso-so

This book wasn‘t what I expected, which isn‘t its fault, but I did feel that it lacked depth. I read it out of order because I got it late, with Samhain and Yule last; it turned out to not make sense to read it in the wrong year since there is an article for each holiday with the astrological correspondences, but I rarely use those anyway. I did get a few interesting ideas for rituals and crafts, so it was worth my time to read.

Clare-Dragonfly I didn‘t deliberately set out to finish a bunch of books today, including ones I‘ve been working on for a long time, but I‘m pleased that it turned out that way! 😄 3mo
18 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Nine by Night | S.M. Reine
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Panpan

Finally made my way through this anthology. I only completed one of the nine novels (the one by Lindsay Buroker), and it was fun, but not exactly something I‘d read more of. Most of the writing was just not very good, and the ones that were decently written were all brooding werewolves and sexy drama… definitely some people‘s cup of tea, but not mine.

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A Merry Little Meet Cute | Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone
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Mehso-so

Cute holiday romance. It felt pretty contrived and I wanted more yearning and less smut! I enjoyed the characters and sympathized with their goals of keeping their secrets, but… they were really bad at keeping the secrets.

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The Amber Spyglass | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

The ending comes in soft and strange in some ways, but I still loved this book. Mary and the mulefa, the land of the dead, the Gallivespians, Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel… and especially Lyra and Will, of course. I‘m looking forward to reading the prequels now that I‘ve reread this trilogy for the first time in many years. (I own it in paper but ebook from the library was faster 😆)

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Queer: A Graphic History | Meg-John Barker
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Pickpick

A bit more dense than I expected from a graphic history—but that‘s because it‘s a history of queer theory and theorists, rather than of the gay liberation movement like I expected. It was pretty interesting and definitely informative. Queer theory is very complicated and entangled.

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Queer: A Graphic History | Meg-John Barker
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I love the “woman” rolling her eyes 😆

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The Subtle Knife | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

I love Will and the expanding, unfolding worlds—and the other characters too, especially Lee Scoresby. I am absolutely compelled by the story. However, I am baffled and turned off a bit by all the wise, good characters who go “Lord Asriel? That guy who ripped a child apart for a bit of dramatic power? Yeah, the most important thing in the world is following him into his impossible fight.” I don‘t remember well enough to know how that turns out.

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Ruins | Dan Wells
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Pickpick

This trilogy didn‘t blow me away or anything, but if you‘re a big YA post-apoc fan like I am, it‘s worth a read! The story of humans and human like gene-tweaked soldiers fighting each other when they need to learn to live together is all too real. The characters are a bit lacking; I liked and admired them, but didn‘t love them. The love triangle was especially meh when compared to the one in the John Cleaver series.

Clare-Dragonfly I would normally be all about Kira declaring her love for both the men in her love triangle… but at no time was I EVER convinced of her feelings for Marcus. 3mo
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Pickpick

The cover of this book could have made it clearer that it is more a biography of Frank Kameny than a history of gay liberation in the federal government; I found its scope a little disappointing until I realized that it was meant to be a biography. It is a fascinating picture of the mid- to late-20th century gay liberation movement, including fights against the federal government and psychiatry. Kameny is an important figure to know.

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Ruins | Dan Wells
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Wow. 🤨 I was in the middle of reading this paragraph when I received a phone call from one of the many medical offices I‘ve been dealing with lately. I guess that‘s my sign that it‘s time to share with Litsy: I‘ve been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Thankfully, my outlook is not nearly so dire as the one Armin has. The type of cancer I have is curable, and I‘m confident in my doctors. I have a long, hard year ahead of me, but it will end.

IndoorDame Wishing you strength ♥️🩷 3mo
Traci1 ❤❤ 3mo
Librarybelle ❤️❤️❤️ 3mo
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ravenlee Oh no, I‘m sorry for that news. I wish you the best of medical care and strength for the coming year. 💓 3mo
TrishB Hope all goes well for you. Take care ♥️ 3mo
JessClark78 ❤️❤️ 3mo
Ruthiella So sorry to hear that. Wishing you the best. ❤️ 3mo
13 likes7 comments
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Karhu is, of course, Finnish for “bear”! 🐻❤️

#FellowshipofTolkien #TolkienChristmas

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BookSpinBingo | Untitled
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I know it‘s already December but here‘s my #bookspin list @TheAromaofBooks ! I‘ll post the rest that got cut off below…

Elizabeth Bear book
A. R. Capetta book
Philip Pullman book
Robin McKinley book
Emma Donoghue book
Garth Nix book
Martha Wells book

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4mo
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Clare-Dragonfly
Who Fears Death | Nnedi Okorafor
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Bailedbailed

I guess I just don‘t get along with Nnedi Okorafor‘s writing style. Disappointing! Hopefully the 1 person waiting enjoys it more than I did.

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Mimosa | Archie Bongiovanni
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Pickpick

This book about queers in their 30s is astonishingly relatable! And it‘s sooooo good. I don‘t really cry at books but I definitely choked up at this one. It‘s also full of fun background details, including the author‘s other books appearing in a couple of places.