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Jessieleah

Jessieleah

Joined December 2017

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Jessieleah
Missing | Sharon Sala
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It‘s been a wild summer! We moved into our first home 🏑 , I got laid off πŸ˜’ , my nephew was born πŸ‘ΆπŸ», I got married πŸ‘°β€β™€οΈ , and I started a new job πŸ‘©πŸΌβ€πŸ’»

I‘ve had no time to read and even less time to catch up on my #litsylove correspondence but things have settled down and I should be back in business 😊 I miss reading and this community greatly!

Chrissyreadit Congratulations! 1y
SamAnne Welcome back! 1y
Blackink_WhitePaper Congratulations πŸŽ‰ πŸ₯° that‘s wonderful! Welcome back 1y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Wow!! You have been busy!! Congratulations πŸ’ž 1y
UwannaPublishme Wow! Congrats and welcome back!πŸ€— 1y
25 likes5 comments
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Jessieleah
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We move in a bit over a month, so my mind has been on so many things that by the end of the day I can‘t focus on anything! Which is probably why I‘m not as in love with this book as I thought I would be. I‘m about 120 pages in and I find it a slow build. I‘m not super invested in Sarah and find myself wishing the focus was more on Handful. Hopefully it picks up soon and I get back into my groove 🀞🏻

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Jessieleah
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Pickpick

The hype surrounding this book made it a must read for me. It was my first Schwab, and while I really like her writing style for the most part, I felt she repeated herself often. We get it, Luc‘s eyes are green!! I also found the ending to be a bit rushed, and I‘m a bit sceptical about the love story. Overall enjoyable, and part of me hopes she revisits this world to explore other characters who made deals with the darkness πŸ˜‰

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨

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Jessieleah
Star Wars ABC. | Scholastic Inc
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May the Fourth Be with all you Littens today 🌟

Smrloomis Adorable! 😍 2y
27 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
Untitled | Unknown
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Thanks for the tag @ShelleyBooksie 😊

1. Not very often, it‘s not my favorite genre
2. Citizen Erased. It‘s new and not on Litsy yet but is available through Amazon. A story about a 15 year old boy with high functioning autism who navigates an early childhood loss and feeling like an outsider at school.
3. For me it‘s if the MC is a teen (although as I get older that age will likely change πŸ˜†)

#sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz

Tagging any interested!

ozma.of.oz I feel the same way as you for 3. The older I get, the more I look at teen protagonists and think β€œyou are babies! Where are the adults?!” πŸ˜‚ Thanks for posting! 2y
20 likes1 comment
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Jessieleah
Mailbag, Volume 2 | Anonymous
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Saturday nights are for #LitsyLove πŸ’ŒπŸ“¬ I had a lot of catching up to do!

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Tattooedteacher

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!!! πŸ“πŸ“¬πŸ’Œ 2y
25 likes1 comment
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Jessieleah
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My April book report πŸ“š

The collection of short stories is what slowed me down a bit towards the end of the month. I enjoyed The Yellow Wall-Paper, but found the other ones to be rather repetitive in theme. I gave up about three quarters of the way through but still count it as complete πŸ˜‰

Thanks to #AxeTheStacks April these have all been removed from my TBR πŸŽ‰

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Jessieleah
Untitled | Anonymous
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Thanks for the tag @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm 😊

1. The Nightingale probably, although I just started The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue which is also a contender I‘d say!

2. House elves or dragons πŸ‰

Tagging @ShelleyBooksie if you‘d like to play ☺️

@TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 2y
21 likes1 comment
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Jessieleah
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It‘s an absolutely beautiful day here today so we took a drive to the water, where there‘s a little volunteer-run bookshop. Voilà my book haul for a grand total of 7$ ? I dropped off four bags of books so I feel it was well deserved ?

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Jessieleah
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories | Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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Pickpick

So many emotions reading this short story! The Yellow Wall-Paper has been on my TBR for a very long time, and I‘d always heard great things about it. It is a harrowing tale, describing a woman‘s descent into madness. The story‘s major theme of mental health and the way it is not taken seriously - sometimes by those closest to us, sometimes by those in the medical field - is still relevant in today‘s society. Powerful, creepy, and a must read.

Trashcanman The whole thing I think is sick. 2y
Jessieleah @Trashcanman it is, and I commend her for writing it. Only 30 pages long (in my copy!) and the emotions I felt reading it were intense. Anger at her husband, helplessness for her, empathy for her postpartum struggles. It wasn‘t what I expected and I rather liked the surprise of that 2y
31 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Jessieleah
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Mehso-so

Finishing this one for #AxeTheStacks. The writing style is not for me. Readers have called it pretentious and I tend to agree. However, the content is engaging. The novel‘s commentary on the feats and failures of marriage are compelling, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Mathilde‘s section ties up loose ends and is more interesting so if you‘re struggling through the first half, keep going.
3⭐️
Currently escaping the πŸŒ¨β„οΈ

BookDragonNotWorm I agree completely! 2y
LiteraryinLawrence Did noooooot like this book. I finished it because it was for a round of #lmpbc but not everyone did. 2y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Totally agree. My review was pretty much: πŸ™„ 2y
36 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Jessieleah
Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe
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#AxeTheStacks April is a wonderful opportunity to dive into this little classic that has been on my TBR since grad school. Has anyone read the full trilogy? Would you recommend books 2 & 3? Am I looking for an excuse to pay my bookstore a visit? πŸ˜‰

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Jessieleah
Untitled | Unknown
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To move the dog or not to move the dog - that is the question πŸ€ͺ #dogsoflitsy

BookDragonNotWorm 😍😍😍 2y
Crazeedi Puppy wants read to! 2y
37 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
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Up next for April‘s #AxeTheStacks challenge is a book only recently added to my TBR thanks to this lovely community and all the hype it‘s gotten on here 😊

@howjessicareads

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Jessieleah
Untitled | Unknown
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This is a challenge I can get behind! Time is not often on my side so I tend to stay away from any time-related challenges, but who doesn‘t have a huge TBR that needs attending to? Looking forward to participating 😊 #AxeTheStacks

@howjessicareads

howjessicareads Woohoo! 2y
31 likes1 comment
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Jessieleah
The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah
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I honestly can‘t believe I‘ve never picked up a Kristin Hannah before 😳 I am VERY excited to start this one, as I‘ve only heard great things. Today was spent spring cleaning so the rest of the weekend is Easter festivities and reading 🐰

marleed I love this book! 2y
rather_be_reading She is def one of my fav authors! 2y
34 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
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My March book report πŸƒ keeping steady at five books a month, which I‘m okay with given how busy life is right now 😊

Three 4 ⭐️ reads - My Dark Vanessa, Anybody Out There, and Any Known Blood

One 3 ⭐️ read - Unless

One 1 ⭐️ read - Worthy Brown‘s Daughter

Looking forward to April! 🐰

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Jessieleah
Unless | Carol Shields
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This is my first by Carol Shields, and I‘m an instant fan. This book is about family, feminism, the writing process, powerlessness. Shields had a true mastery of language and style; I‘m constantly amazed by her prose.

It‘s a rainy and gloomy day here so Dobby is settling in for some cuddles while I try to finish this today so I can add to March‘s book report πŸ₯°

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Jessieleah
Letters | Henry James
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It‘s a eat macaroons and catch up on #LitsyLove letters kinda evening here πŸ₯° husband is watching something involving zombies so I came to my safe space πŸ˜‚

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Jessieleah
Worthy Brown's Daughter | Phillip Margolin
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Panpan

I should have bailed. This book was all over the place, jumping from one event to the next and back again. The description at the back is misleading - the story is not at all about saving Roxanne Brown, which could have been an interesting court case to follow, especially had it involved a deeper look at the juxtaposition of racism and law in the late 1800s. Quite frankly it reads like a soap opera.

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Jessieleah
The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah
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Happy Spring!! It‘s a lovely day here, made even lovelier by this fantastic swap - thank you @Cuilin 😊

#litsylovespringswap #llss
Thank you for hosting @Bookgoil and @rsteve388 🌸

Bookgoil I loved The Nightingale hope you do too! Enjoy your goodies! ❀️ 2y
Mitch Great books and the bookmark is fab πŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌ 2y
42 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
Anybody Out There? | Marian Keyes
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I just finished reading My Dark Vanessa and needed to get out of that headspace. Marian Keyes is one of my favourite authors; her humour is right up my alley and her books are always a breath of fresh air. I‘m sad there aren‘t many left of hers that I haven‘t read!

Also, how fitting of a day to start ☘️

26 likes1 stack add
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Jessieleah
Unknown Book 7535597 | Unknown Unknown
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It‘s here!! @Cuilin can‘t wait until the 20th to open 😊

#litsylovespringswap #llss

@Bookgoil @rsteve388

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Jessieleah
Any Known Blood | Lawrence Hill
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Trying to get in some reading as my munchkin who‘s getting 3 (!!!!) teeth at the same time naps for who knows how long πŸ˜… I enjoyed The Book of Negroes so much I wanted to try something else by the same author. About 100 pages in and it‘s enjoyable, though not as gripping as Book of Negroes (so far).

Readergrrl I loved Book of Negroes! Did you know that they published an illustrated and annotated version? So good! 2y
Jessieleah @Readergrrl oh no I didn‘t know that! I‘ll definitely have to look into this 😊 2y
26 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Jessieleah
February | June Makle
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February wrap up πŸ‘πŸ» not one but TWO five ⭐️ books this month, which is unheard of for me πŸ˜† - Book of Negroes and Hy Brasil. Looking forward to March!

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Jessieleah
Come Next Spring: Cutting Continuity | Montgomery Pittman, R. G. Springsteen
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Sent hubby to the post office with this today πŸ“¦ @Cuilin really hope it gets to you on time! I got your note in the mail today too, what timing! πŸ’Œ #litsylovespringswap

@rsteve388 @Bookgoil

rubyslippersreads You tagged one of my favorite movies! (I‘m guessing this must be the screenplay.) (edited) 2y
Jessieleah @rubyslippersreads no way! I had no idea this was a movie 😊 I‘ll have to find it and watch it! 2y
rubyslippersreads @Jessieleah It‘s on YouTube. 😊 2y
24 likes3 comments
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Jessieleah
Love Letters | Lori Brighton
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Excited to be sending out my first #LitsyLove letters today! πŸ’Œ hopefully they don‘t take ages to arrive at their destinations! πŸ₯°

Crazeedi Yay!!!πŸ’— 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks πŸ’ŒπŸ“«β€οΈ 2y
37 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
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Thank you @Cuilin for the tag!

1. London. I have a long-standing dream to visit there one day and I love reading about it!

2. No definitely not

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Tagging anyone who‘d like to play! ☺️

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 2y
Cuilin Likes ✍️ reading ✍️about ✍️ London✍️ πŸ˜‰ 2y
Jessieleah @Cuilin hahaha! Too funny πŸ˜† 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Agree with both!! 2y
14 likes4 comments
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Jessieleah
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Today is a great day! FOUR #litsylove letters came in πŸ₯° I‘ve been like a wartime bride anxiously awaiting the mailman every day since I became a member πŸ˜† already feeling the love and can‘t wait to keep it going πŸ’

AmyG Ha! Two are the same in different colors. Welcome! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!!!! πŸ’—πŸ’—πŸ’— 2y
30 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
Hy Brasil | Margaret Elphinstone
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β€œI would hate to have to choose, but I think I‘d rather have travelling than sex.”

If that‘s not a captivating first line I don‘t know what is πŸ˜† I‘ve had this book on my shelf for almost ten years🀭 something finally drew me to it yesterday and I‘m pleasantly surprised! A quirky and fun style of writing, pirates, an isolated island, volcanos, and love - I think I‘m in for another good read πŸ‘ŒπŸ»

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Jessieleah
Needful Things | Stephen King
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Hubby‘s little surprise this morning πŸ’ #happyvalentines

LeahBergen How cute! 2y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Love it!! Way to go him! πŸ‘ ❀️ 2y
18 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
My Dark Vanessa | Kate Elizabeth Russell
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Thank you so much @DinoMom for the book and these sweet treats for #bookcupidswap πŸ₯° I can‘t wait to sit down with a cup of tea and start this novel, it‘s been on my tbr for awhile 😊 you made this a great first swap experience!

Thank you @candority for organizing!

candority Fantastic book and look at all those goodies! 😍 I‘m glad your first swap was a success! Happy Valentine‘s Day! πŸ’– 2y
DinoMom Happy Valentine‘s Day and Happy Reading❀️ 2y
31 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
Devil All the Time | Donald Ray Pollock
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The stores finally opened back up here and I think I may have overdone it πŸ˜† I 100% blame this amazing community ❀️my TBR has grown exponentially since returning! πŸ“š #notcomplaining

Starting with the tagged book because my husband wants to watch the movie on Netflix πŸŽ₯

TrishB You‘ll do much better with the book! 2y
Jessieleah @TrishB I don‘t doubt it! ☺️ 2y
22 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
Untitled | Unknown
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Thanks for the tag @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 😊

1. Does #bookcupidswap count πŸ˜† otherwise not really unless hubby decides to!

2. Possibly? I might be an odd one out in the Litsy community but I don‘t pick books in advance, I generally only read one at a time and then pick my next one once I‘m finished! πŸ’

Who would like to play? ☺️

@TheSpineView #Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 2y
candority Ahaha the swap totally counts! πŸ˜‚ 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❀️❀️❀️ 2y
16 likes3 comments
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Jessieleah
Untitled | Unknown
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Bookriot πŸ’―% putting into words what I have found so frustrating since becoming a mom! I received some wonderful recommendations on here for more diverse childrenβ€˜s literature and Iβ€˜m really thankful for this communityβ€˜s knowledge - but there really is a gaping hole in baby πŸ‘ΆπŸ» books. Full article linked below

https://bookriot.com/board-books-featuring-disabled-people/

rockpools I think this is a picture book rather than a board book: 2y
Jessieleah @rockpools this is great thank you! 2y
rockpools I think most of the ones Iβ€˜ve come across are picture books rather than board books (I read most of them online, so I donβ€˜t actually know!) but thereβ€˜s an organisation here in the UK called BookTrust - you can search for books by age, which include characters with disabilities: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/bookfinder/bookfinder-results/hic... 2y
Jessieleah @rockpools oh this is a fantastic resource!! Picture books are good too, i mean at this stage I make up the story for him based off the pictures a lot of the time anyways πŸ˜† thank you very much 😊 2y
12 likes4 comments
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Jessieleah
The Book of Negroes | Lawrence Hill
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Snow on the horizon for this weekend to add on top of the two storms we already got this week ❄️ What more Canadian way to start it off than with these classics - Timmies and Lawrence Hill β˜•οΈ πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦ 🍩 I am confident this book will break my bad book cycle!

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego This book is very good. 2y
TheKidUpstairs As soon as I saw the picture, I thought "yay! Another Canadian Litten!" 2y
Jessieleah @TheKidUpstairs πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ 2y
21 likes3 comments
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Jessieleah
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Mehso-so

William is a 12 year old boy living in an orphanage in 1934 Seattle. William suspects actress Willow Frost is his mother, and sets out to find her with his friend Charlotte.

Most of the characters are one dimensional unnecessarily awful and EVIL monsters. William and Charlotte unrealistically think and speak like adults.

Depression era Seattle was interesting to read about. It was clear the author did their research in this area.

⭐️⭐️

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Jessieleah
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January books! I feel like I never have much time to read anymore so I‘m pleased with 5 total πŸ‘πŸ». There were more so-so novels than amazing ones this month. I gave Devil‘s Highway 4 ⭐️ as it was so interesting, and definitely saved the month! Fallen Skies was one of the worst books I‘ve ever read πŸ˜… hoping things look up in February!

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Jessieleah
Tales of the Peculiar | Ransom Riggs
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Pickpick

While part of the Peculiar universe, this collection of short stories can be read as a standalone. Newcomers to Peculiardom might not understand all the character references or some of the terms, but would still enjoy these quirky and strange stories. For those of you who have read the series, you‘ll recognize this as the folklore often referenced throughout the books. Each tale is surprisingly layered with meaning and moral. Quick and enjoyable!

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Jessieleah
Unknown Book 6651492 | Unknown Unknown
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I‘ve never been very good at keeping diaries πŸ“” I‘ll start off strong and then life takes over and I get too busy! But my mom bought me this for Christmas and I look forward to filling it out every day! There‘s only 4 lines/day with little prompts - some light, some soul searching. I love that it‘s over 5 years and that every year I‘ll be able to relive the little daily memories that we tend to forget over time πŸ’™

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Jessieleah
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β€œCutters read the land like a text. They search the manuscript of the ground for irregularities in its narration. They know the plots and the images by heart. They can see where the punctuation goes. They are the landscape grammarians, got the PhD in reading dirt.”

Absolutely love Urrea‘s style of writing. Incredibly interesting read; also quite disturbing. Have a glass of water handy.

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Jessieleah
Valentines | Olaf Olafsson
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Received my #bookcupidswap package today! So excited to see the goodies inside from @DinoMom but I‘ll be patient πŸ₯°

Took about 17 better pictures than this one but Litsy wouldn‘t let me upload them 😬

@candority

DinoMom Yay! Glad it arrived. 2y
candority Yay! πŸ’– I don‘t know what‘s going on with Litsy and uploading pictures! Very frustrating! 2y
15 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
Untitled | Unknown
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Thanks for the tag @Butterfinger ☺️

1. Biggest adjustment has been becoming a mom during a pandemic and being prohibited from seeing most of my friends and family

2. I am grateful for my family, my baby boy, our health, my dogs, the roof over our heads β™₯️

#thankfulthursday @Cosmos_Moon
@StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego

Cosmos_Moon Congratulations on your addition. It is a major change becoming a parent, in addition to this year has been a major change for us all. 2y
Jessieleah @Cosmos_Moon thank you πŸ₯° 2y
15 likes2 comments
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Jessieleah
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Litsy world I need your assistance! πŸ™‹πŸΌβ€β™€οΈ I want a diverse library for my kid. One that has books with protagonists or characters that don‘t look, talk, or act like him. Ben‘s Adventure and Daniel Tiger (who has a friend with leg braces) have been recommended to me already. Stores are closed where I‘m at so I can‘t go browse 😞, but you all are a community with so much knowledge that thought I‘d try here!!

Butterfinger My suggestion is to go to #BBRC because this challenge has A-Z picture books with diversity. I read Zen's Stories about a little girl in a wheelchair from China for Z. Also, I get a lot of ideas for my class library from @megnews - she finds excellent children's literature that is diverse. For middle grades, Out of My Mind is a wonderful novel about a child with cerebral palsy who can't communicate verbally, but is on the Quiz Bowl of her school. 2y
Butterfinger Wonder 2y
Jessieleah @Butterfinger oh wow thank you so much this is fantastic ☺️ 2y
See All 14 Comments
Butterfinger I hope it helped. I love children's lit. 2y
megnews Wow. Thanks the the shoutout @Butterfinger I love children‘s lit too. I agree about #BBRC being a great resource. Here‘s some I recommend: 2y
Jessieleah @megnews @Butterfinger you both really made my day, thank you so much!! 2y
10 likes14 comments
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Jessieleah
Manson in His Own Words | Nuel Emmons, Charles Manson
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My husband and I are watching Night Stalker on Netflix. I was really in the mood for a true crime πŸ” show (that‘s a normal person mood right? πŸ˜…) So in keeping with the theme, I‘ve already decided on my next two books. With the help of Jack Torrance πŸͺ“ #truecrime

swishandflick I watched that this past weekend! Really good, but soooo creepy. 2y
AmyG I started to watched and paused because I got too creeped out. 🀣 2y
Jessieleah @swishandflick @AmyG I made the mistake of watching the last episode before bed last night 😬 well done but I agree with you both, so creepy πŸ˜† 2y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego It was so good! And creepy, I had to watch it in daylight only. 2y
8 likes4 comments
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Jessieleah
Q & A: A Novel | Vikas Swarup
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25cm of snow ❄️ calls for a good cup of coffee β˜•οΈ and a good book. Seriously hoping I break my streak of bad books with this one!

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Jessieleah
Crafty Valentines | Shannon Whitt
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Off to the post office to mail my #BookCupidSwap package! πŸ“¦ Proof that it was wrapped pretty before it passes through the chaos of the postal service πŸ˜†. @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego be on the lookout for your package shortly and hope you enjoy! ☺️

Thank you @candority for organizing! πŸ₯°

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Ohh! Looks beautiful. I can't wait. 😊 2y
Crazeedi I'm waiting for the books I ordered to get here! Have the other goodies already 2y
candority Yay! πŸ™Œ I love that wrapping paper 😍 2y
Jessieleah @Crazeedi ahh so exciting!! πŸ₯° 2y
11 likes4 comments
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Jessieleah
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Pickpick

I wasn‘t the only one to receive books as a gift this holiday season! Although my munchkin is still too young to appreciate these stories just yet, I‘m really looking forward to sharing them with him. It‘s so important to me that I raise him surrounded by diversity, inclusion, and empathy - books like these certainly help me do that 🀘🏻

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Jessieleah
Fallen Skies: A Novel | Philippa Gregory
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Panpan

Seems I‘m cursed this year to read books I don‘t like written by authors I usually enjoyπŸ‘ŽπŸ»Stephen Winters is probably one of the worst protagonists I‘ve ever had the displeasure of reading 😩

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Jessieleah
Origin | Dan Brown
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Panpan

πŸ™…πŸΌβ€β™€οΈI am SO happy to be finished with this. The only reason I didn‘t bail is because it‘s such a quick read. I loveddddd DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons but I‘m thinking Robert Langdon (and maybe Dan Brown 😬) should start looking into retirement πŸ™ƒ #origin #danbrown