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CogsOfEncouragement

CogsOfEncouragement

Joined June 2016

Stay up late reading. Regret it in the morning. Repeat.
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Shady Hollow by Juneau Black
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Rocky Start by Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer
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Wuthering Heights by Emily Bront
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A Groom of One's Own by Emma St. Clair
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King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
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The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
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CogsOfEncouragement
Heiress Takes All | Austin Siegemund-Broka, Emily Wibberley
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Pickpick

A lighthearted, fun caper.

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CogsOfEncouragement
A Groom of One's Own | Emma St. Clair
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Two lighthearted novels and one darker tale on the agenda this weekend. I‘ve been enjoying each of them the last few days. #weekendreads

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I recently read Africa Is Not a Country with an IRL book club. One of the countries it highlights is Nigeria. I went into Death of the Author with helpful knowledge and I just love when these serendipitous experiences occur.

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Pickpick

I usually take the dust jacket off while reading a book. This novel made me glad of that habit. Such a cool second cover. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, really glad it was chosen for #CampLitsy25

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CogsOfEncouragement
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Pickpick

I‘m with @Librarybelle and also rate this a light pick. I always enjoy the #NancyDrewBR discussions of these iconic chapter books. I have more to say about this one and put my comments as spoilers below.

CogsOfEncouragement What I found kinda far fetched in this one was using a candle to search the attic. ND drove back and forth from the March's home a zillion times. She is even said to have run errands at one point. Girl, pick up a battery from your house or the store. Better yet, grab a camping lantern from your garage which we all know you have. 3w
CogsOfEncouragement I love when Ned is around to take direction from ND and do just as she says. To have her back, and assist in the caper. Ned showed up out-of-nowhere just to save ND this time and that was a disappointment. George and Bess should have saved ND if the writer couldn't figure out how to have Ned in the plot. 3w
dabbe 🩵🎯🎯🩵 for both of your points. 3w
Librarybelle Yes! Completely agree! 3w
30 likes4 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
The Summer Book | Tove Jansson, Thomas Teal, Kathryn Davis
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This is a tenderhearted delight.

#MidsummerSolace

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CogsOfEncouragement
Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy
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Fitting title. Ready for #CampLitsy25 discussion.

38 likes1 stack add
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CogsOfEncouragement
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Pickpick

5⭐️

This book not only taught me so much, it explained why I didn‘t already know.

34 likes3 stack adds
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CogsOfEncouragement
Better Luck Next Time | Cara Bastone
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Fun. It gives a seriously encouraging message with a very unserious delivery.

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I first read “whizbang” in Nancy Drew 19 last month. Soon after, I read “whizbang” in a brand new novel retelling Pride and Prejudice, titled Stuck Up and Stupid. On Saturday, I knew right away that the answer to the NYT Mini 4 Down was amusingly enough, “whizbang”.
#BaaderMeinhofPhenomenon #FrequencyIllusion
#NancyDrewBR

rubyslippersreads And “The Music Man” mentions the scandalous Captain Billy‘s Whizbang. 😄 2mo
CogsOfEncouragement @rubyslippersreads I have some friends that particularly like that musical, but I‘m not sure I‘ve seen it all the way through. Thanks for adding to the list of references! 2mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
Librarybelle Wow! 2mo
22 likes4 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
Audition | Katie Kitamura
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All done and ready to discuss with other campers.

#CampLitsy25

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CogsOfEncouragement
Untitled | Unknown
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“Sorry ma‘am. We can‘t help. We‘re gritty police and yours is clearly a cozy mystery.”

Ruthiella 😂😂😂 2mo
Caroline2 😂 2mo
mcctrish People staying in their lane, who knew 🤣🤣🤣 2mo
Roary47 🤣 2mo
dabbe 🤩🤣🤩 2mo
31 likes5 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
Stuck Up and Stupid | Angourie Rice, Kathryn Rice
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An absolutely lovely retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Knowing P&P so well added a layer of entertainment for me, but this story would be just as worthwhile for someone who is not familiar with it. The narration was top notch as well.

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CogsOfEncouragement
Nightshade | Michael Connelly
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My husband has read a ton of Connelly. I thought it would be fun to also read this one set on Catalina. If he continues writing this as a series, I‘d read the next one.

27 likes1 stack add
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CogsOfEncouragement
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Earlier this month I learned the word “whizbang” while reading a Nancy Drew mystery. Today I encountered it again while reading Stuck Up and Stupid, originally published in 2023.
#BaaderMeinhofPhenomenon #FrequencyIllusion

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CogsOfEncouragement
Stuck Up and Stupid | Angourie Rice, Kathryn Rice
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Everyone knows that past performance is a good indicator of future behavior, so when four young people arrived at Pippi Beach‘s most expensive house by yacht, Lily wasn‘t surprised that her mother was the first to notice. #FirstLineFridays

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Perfect afternoon to start a new read for an IRL book club.

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Pickpick

I‘m always hoping for something I have not heard before and this collection is definitely that. Superb.

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Pollyanna | Eleanor H Porter
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I watched the movie a few times as a child but this is my first read. Delightful and certainly still relevant today. #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

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The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexander Dumas
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Thanks to StoryGraph, I see that The Count of Monte Cristo is my answer, at about 1,276 pages. I read it in 2015. I loved the 2011- 2015 TV show Revenge. I learned it was based on this classic. I had put it off due to the length, but really enjoyed it and was happy I dove in. #SundayFunday

BookmarkTavern That is such a good one! Thanks for posting! 3mo
konlitsy Tom Jones by Henry Fielding 3mo
AnneCecilie I had no idea Revenge was inspired by the Count of Monte Cristo. I see the series a little different now (edited) 3mo
22 likes3 comments
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George: We‘re used to Nancy‘s whizbang brain.

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new book vase

dabbe 🤩😍🤩 3mo
31 likes1 comment
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CogsOfEncouragement
Heartburn | Nora Ephron
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My daughter gave me a book from my tbr and a book from hers. She bought herself the same. Two more buddy reads for my Mother‘s Day gift!

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Only Magic in the Building is a whimsical rom com series with different authors. Each book takes places in the same building but is a stand alone. The first two stories are super easy reads with likable characters. I plan to continue with the series.

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I‘m enjoying the second whimsical rom com in the Only Magic in the Building series. I‘m reading a story a day in House Gone Quiet. I plan to start Nancy Drew 19 for the BR today. #weekendreads

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The mayor told us not to wear clothes anymore.

House Gone Quiet is a short story collection. I bought it on Indie Bookstore Day and am really enjoying it. I‘m reading the story titled Decency Rule today. #FirstLineFridays

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Untitled | Unknown
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Ruthiella Synchronicity! 🤯 3mo
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CogsOfEncouragement
The Switch | BETH. O'LEARY
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Perfectly lovely. A cozy city-country swap (grandma & granddaughter trade homes for two months) with generations learning from each other.

I realize there are bits in the story that might make it less cozy for others. Trigger warnings under spoiler in the comments.

CogsOfEncouragement Sister/granddaughter has lost battle with cancer before story begins, but is often discussed. A mother/daughter deals with severe depression. The MC has a cheating boyfriend. A character has an ex cause him to rarely see his 9 year old daughter. 3mo
26 likes1 comment
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Ninety-five years of Nancy Drew!
The Secret of the Old Clock was first published
April 28, 1930.

BooksandCoffee4Me This and The Hidden Staircase were my favorites as a kid. 3mo
Ruthiella Nancy was an important part of my love of reading as a kid. 🔍📚❤️ 3mo
AnneCecilie Those endpapers are amazing 🤩 3mo
dabbe 🤩😍🤩 3mo
32 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Parable of the Sower | Octavia E Butler
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This dystopian novel has become extra popular again because it was written in 1993 and is set in 2024-2027. Kinda like when I read 1984 (written in 1948) in 1986. This was a downer of a read and I ended up taking several weeks off at the midway point. It does provide some moments of hope and the MC is a likable heroine I readily cheered on.

My intermission made me fall WAY behind the #WithTheBanned BR hosted by @Jadams89

36 likes1 stack add
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CogsOfEncouragement
His Last Bow | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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I enjoyed rereading this collection of short stories with #NoPlaceLikeHolmes

@dabbe and @Cuilin always host worthwhile discussions and I appreciate them so much.

dabbe You have no idea how much this means to me. TY, m'dear! You have greatlly enlightened me during our discussions, and I have learned tons from you. 🩵💙🩵 3mo
CogsOfEncouragement @dabbe Very kind of you to say that. 💟 3mo
Cuilin Thank you, I look forward every week to our discussions. Like Denise said I also appreciate your wonderful contributions. 🩷 3mo
27 likes4 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
Shady Hollow | Juneau Black
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I went to my local indie with a couple books in mind, but none were on the shelves. I ended up reading a few jackets and picked two books I‘ve never heard of. House Gone Quiet is a collection of apparently “beautifully crafted” short stories if the pitches are to be believed. Shady Hollow promises to be an ultra cozy mystery and that sounds perfect right now. Everyone who made a purchase was able to choose an ARC on their way out.

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CogsOfEncouragement
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I gifted this to my foodie husband months ago. He enjoyed it and read several passages to me which he was particularly entertained by. It was this month‘s pick for my local bookstore‘s book club so I read it myself and really liked it too. Great discussion and the facilitator brought two types of tomatoes for us to sample. She also played Homegrown Tomatoes by John Denver which was new to me.

28 likes1 stack add
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CogsOfEncouragement
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This took me much longer to read than it should have so I‘m behind schedule for #HitchToScreen with @JenlovesJT47

I had not heard of it before, and really enjoyed it.

JenlovesJT47 💚💚💚 4mo
32 likes1 comment
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CogsOfEncouragement
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Panpan

I enjoyed reading the revised series when I was in elementary school. I did not come even close to reading them all, but enough to have a genuine love for Nancy and her friends. Reading these with the #NancyDrewBR is really fun, but if you just want to read the “good” mysteries skip this one. It was choppy, and needed some more editing imo.
My favorite line from this caper -
George: Bess, you‘re the heroine of the occasion!

Librarybelle That was a good line! And, I‘m so enjoying these with the group—it makes these so much fun! 4mo
32 likes1 comment
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CogsOfEncouragement
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Great pick for #WithTheBanned @Jadams89

This was my first time reading Perks. I watched the movie many years ago and pretty much just remembered the scene pictured above.

Difficult topics dealt with respectively and with hope.

37 likes2 stack adds
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CogsOfEncouragement
Let's Go Camping! | Jan Mader
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Looking forward to #CampLitsy25

All The Other Mothers Hate Me, Sarah Harman
Three Days in June, Anne Tyler
My Name is Emilia Del Valle, Isabel Allende
Happy Land, Dolen Perkins-Valdez

@squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

Ruthiella Great list! 👍I definitely want to read more Ann Tyler. 4mo
squirrelbrain I‘ve just got the Tyler on audio from the library - great choices! 4mo
Megabooks Nice choices!! I have Other Mothers out from the library now! 4mo
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Megabooks @squirrelbrain I read it on audio. Enjoyed it!! 4mo
GatheringBooks Oooh! A new Anne Tyler! Nice. 💕 4mo
MeganAnn Happy Land is on my list of must reads. 4mo
BennettBookworm I really want to read All The Other Mothers! 4mo
43 likes7 comments
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Anyone else listening to songs mentioned?

#WithTheBanned @Jadams89

Andrea313 I definitely made a mix CD of all the songs mentioned in this book when I read it decades ago. ? Suzanne Vega's "Gypsy" became a longtime favorite. 4mo
31 likes2 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
The All of It | Jeannette Haien
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A grand story, with grand lessons and symbolism all in 145 pages.

Forward by Ann Patchett, who brought this book back into print.

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CogsOfEncouragement
The All of It | Jeannette Haien
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While visiting Nashville, I toured Cheekwood Estate. This is a dumbwaiter in a nook off the library. They used it to easily get books up to and down from the second floor for reading in the bedrooms. Genius.
(I started the tagged book while on this trip.)

HeatherBookNerd Cheekwood is beautiful. 4mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 4mo
38 likes2 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
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I tagged along on my husband‘s work trip to Nashville. While he was at his conference I visited Ann Patchett‘s bookstore, Parnassus Books. Luckily she was there and I spoke with her briefly. She was friendly and gracious. I‘ve listened to The Dutch House and Tom Lake. I‘m currently reading The All of It which she got back in print and wrote a forward to. I look forward to reading these signed copies soon.

BkClubCare Aw! Enjoy. I love her nonfiction, too (edited) 4mo
britt_brooke Awesome! You were in my neck of the woods. So happy she was there. 🩷 4mo
AmyG Oh wow! 4mo
HeatherBookNerd I just finished Commonwealth 4mo
35 likes4 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
My Fine Fellow | Jennieke Cohen
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This is a retelling of My Fair Lady with an Elijah instead of an Eliza. Higgins and Pickering are young women. I‘ve seen the movie many times and used to listen to the soundtrack on repeat so I definitely picked up on the nods given by the author. This was the lighthearted romp I‘d hoped for.

I listened to the audiobook and it was superb.

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Finished # 17.
Ready for our #NancyDrewBR tomorrow!

Marctgore Hi, amazing writer! How are you doing? I would love to give you some advice on how to improve the sales of your books. here is my
Telegram: MarciTGore
discord : @me" rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://discord.com/channels/@me ,
EMAIL: christianahgeorge88@gmail.com
link you can message me so we can talk further.
5mo
Librarybelle Yay!! 5mo
29 likes2 comments
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CogsOfEncouragement
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I‘m reading ND 17 for our BR on Saturday while I wait for the eclipse. Kinda cloudy where I am so I‘m also watching the livestream from Griffith too. https://www.youtube.com/live/BguB5KSBYd0?si=OdK92PWQUeviTD9X

Marctgore Your book still has me in awe! You are a master writer.
I would love to collaborate with you on a unique project as a huge fan. Let's take a novel way to bringing your story to life.
Let's discuss this wonderful opportunity! I would love to talk to you about how we could tell your story again.
5mo
25 likes1 comment
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CogsOfEncouragement
Rainbow Valley | L. M. Montgomery
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This is a reread for me of Anne of Green Gable # 7. I read it the first time over ten years ago and I didn‘t remember much. A nice happy escape with some laugh out loud moments. I look forward to the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion on Saturday.

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My Fine Fellow | Jennieke Cohen
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Started this today and enjoying the escape. My Fair Lady is my fav movie. I read Pygmalion a few years and enjoyed that too. This audiobook is well done and I‘m enjoying the nods to the original story.

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CogsOfEncouragement
Leslie F*cking Jones | Leslie Jones
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I listened to the audiobook that was over 16 hours long. The book is only about 290 pages. Leslie covered the same stories in the book (and added some) in her own words that she felt in the moment of the recording. She laughed a lot and she cried a lot. She shared her testimony more than once. This was incredibly moving and I‘m glad I heard her story. Amazing. Four stars for the unending, absolutely countless f-bombs. lol She knows.

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Rainbow Valley | L. M. Montgomery
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“Mr. Wiley used to mention hell when he was alive. He was always telling folks to go there. I thought it was some place over in New Brunswick where he come from.”

- Mary Martha Lucilla Moore Ball Vance, age 12

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

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CogsOfEncouragement
1022 Evergreen Place | Debbie Macomber
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Macomber leaves the reader with a few cliff hangers to head into the next and final novel of this easy read series.

29 likes1 stack add
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CogsOfEncouragement
The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath
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This has been on my tbr for years. Knowing the dark topic, I put it off til later. When the opportunity to read it with a group arose, I figured it was time. I‘m really glad I waited to read it with others, much better experience than I would have had going it alone. A HUGE thank you to @BarkingMadRead for hosting the BR. #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead I don‘t know if I could have read this on my own!! 5mo
CogsOfEncouragement @BarkingMadRead I definitely needed all of you and I looked at Sparks Notes for clarification on a couple chapters too. 5mo
ElizaMarie I agree!! This book really lent itself well to the #HashtagBrigade reading :) 5mo
dabbe 🎯🎯🎯! 5mo
julieclair Totally agree. On my own, I think I would have bailed because of the intensity. 5mo
43 likes5 comments