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MariaC

MariaC

Joined October 2016

Librarian, knitter, book lover, adopted southerner
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Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
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MariaC
A Conjuring of Light | V. E. Schwab
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I'm not sure if my heart is ready for this.

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MariaC
A Conjuring of Light | V. E. Schwab
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Finally!!!

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MariaC
Lumberjanes Vol. 1 | Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevension
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Pickpick

Lumberjanes was partly a #blameitonlitsy read and partly my library system just got Hoopla and I had to try it out. Lumberjanes is so much fun! Exactly what I needed to help me out of this reading funk. It's not completely gone, but getting there!! And I love that the next volume is available to read whenever I'm ready!!

BethM What is Hoopla? 7y
MariaC @BethM Hoopla is a digital content platform, you can borrow ebooks, graphic novels, stream movies, music and TV shows. They have apps you can download and then log into with a library card if your library has a subscription. It has a decent collection, at least the parts I've looked through seem decent and you don't have to put holds on items which is nice! 7y
16 likes2 comments
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MariaC
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Thank you, thank you @AThousandLives87!! Books and chocolate, an excellent combination!! I'm saving the chocolate for when I read The Light Between Oceans, i have a feeling I will need it as I read. And I love the Alice in Wonderland bookmark ❤❤😊😊

A huge thank you to @BookishMarginalia for organizing #cupidgoespostal 💖

Reviewsbylola 😍😍😍 Circling the Sun is so good! 7y
MariaC @Reviewsbylola Yay! That's great to hear. The summary sounds interesting, so I'm excited to read it!! 7y
35 likes2 comments
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MariaC
Valentine's Day | Horton Foote
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Such fun wrapping @AThousandLives87 ! I love owls, so this made me smile 😊 #cupidgoespostal

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MariaC
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I love Lila so much!! 💜💜💜

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MariaC
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I've been going through the worst reading/concentration funk over the past month. It's been awful. I keep picking up books and nothing has kept my interest for longer than a chapter or two. And I know it's me and not the books. So many books have been returned to the library unread! It is truly making me sad.

I thought I would give a recent favorite a try, since I didn't get to it last month. Fingers crossed!!

Notafraidofwords I'm feeling a book slump coming too. 7y
MariaC @Notafraidofwords it's the worst feeling, but i'm trying hard not to stress over it. Instead, I just keep picking up different books. Hopefully one of them will be one to break the slump. 7y
16 likes2 comments
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MariaC
Crafty Valentines | Shannon Whitt
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Ahhhh...this is super, super late!!! But, it went in the mail earlier this afternoon. Fingers crossed it makes it before Valentines Day. #cupidgoespostal

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MariaC
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The Hating game is fun!! I don't remember the last time I giggled so much while reading. 😂

Notafraidofwords I know!. I've been looking for some read alikes, but nothing comes to mind. 7y
MariaC @Notafraidofwords I'll have to think about this at work later, when I have access to the library system catalog. Hopefully, there are a few more books like this out there. Or Sally Thorne just needs to write more books! 7y
LauraBeth I adore this book 😀 7y
MariaC @LauraBeth it is so much fun! 7y
14 likes4 comments
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MariaC
Crafty Valentines | Shannon Whitt
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I should have posted this on Tuesday...oops...But...I am very super excited for this book mail!! Yay for #cupidgoespostal. @AThousandLives87 - thank you!! Hopefully, I can wait until Valentines Day to open it ❤

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MariaC
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A perk of working at a library: when you forget the book you're reading at home, you have a lot of other books to choose from. I'm glad I found The Hating Game in the new books area.

19 likes1 stack add
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MariaC
The Winner's Curse | Marie Rutkoski
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Still reading The Winner's Curse...my thoughts here are, "Oh, Kestrel! How can you be so blind?"

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MariaC
The Winner's Curse | Marie Rutkoski
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I'm finding my reread of The Winner's Curse quite enlightening. There are so many tiny details I had forgotten about.

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MariaC
Zen and the Art of Dog Walking | G. Ray Sullivan, Jr.
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Not book related at all...but...Got to walk my favorite pup today during an early work break. I love that my friends let me borrow their dogs from time to time!! (My cat, on the other hand, is not a fan!!)

Tanzy13 🐶 7y
10 likes1 comment
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MariaC
The Winner's Curse | Marie Rutkoski
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Putting down Wayfarer for the time being. I am enjoying it, I'm just not in the mood for that story right now. I would rather be loving it than only finding it a so so read because it wasn't what I wanted to be reading? Does that make sense? So, picking up The Winner's Curse, a reread I know I'll love. ❤

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MariaC
Wayfarer | Alexandra Bracken
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Finally getting to take a break and hoping to read a few chapters before it's time to get back to work. #coffeeandbooks

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MariaC
The Long Game: A Fixer Novel | Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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Pickpick

So, so good!!! Jennifer Lynn Barnes knows how write a thriller! She knows just when to ratchet up the tension and the action. In The Long Game, trust is the huge question. Who can Tess trust? Why doesn't Ivy seem to trust her? What happens when people you thought you could trust have their own agenda? After the events of The Long Game, I'm worried about what Tess might have to face in the next book!! [Book 3 of 2017]

MarriedtoMrT And no information on if/when a book three might be coming out which is KILLING me. 7y
MariaC @MarriedtoMrT can I say that I didn't know how much I wanted a Tess and Henry relationship until it was a very real possibility and then was taken away a few pages later! 7y
MariaC @MarriedtoMrT I know!! I have a feeling it's going to be a long wait. 7y
MarriedtoMrT @MariaC I know! Gut punch. But what a brilliant and brave move by Barnes. I've never experienced such a sympathetic betrayal from a character like that before. I still like him, I get it, but why wasn't he stronger and less gullible! 7y
15 likes4 comments
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MariaC
The Long Game: A Fixer Novel | Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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Ahhhhh....the tag line is spot on...who can you trust????

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MariaC
The Long Game: A Fixer Novel | Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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Settling in with The Long Game. Excited for a day filled with pajamas, tea, and reading.

MarriedtoMrT Once you start you won't be able to stop! I'm here if you need to vent/rant/squee after. 😉😳❤️ 7y
MariaC @MarriedtoMrT 😊 A few chapters in and I can sense there will be a lot to vent/rant/squee about!! 7y
13 likes2 comments
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MariaC
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One final round of holiday gift exchanges happened earlier this week. I was pleasantly surprised to receive this lovely book! I have to admit I was...um...slightly jealous of everyone else's holiday book posts. I normally never get books as gifts, so YAY for a bookish gift!

Joybishoptx Isn't it cool? 7y
MariaC @Joybishoptx yes! I can't wait to try out some of the recipes 7y
Joybishoptx @MariaC be sure and post pics! 7y
15 likes3 comments
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MariaC
George Lucas: A Life | Brian Jay Jones
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Pickpick

Even though I started George Lucas in 2016, I'm still counting it as book 2 for 2017. It was an interesting read, even beyond the chapters on the Star Wars movies. something that I didn't know was that Lucas was involved, whether directly or indirectly, in so many movies of all types. I really only ever think of him in relation to Star Wars or Indiana Jones. I think it might be time to rewatch Star Wars now.

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MariaC
Defending Taylor | Miranda Kenneally
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First book for 2017! Actually, I finished this on Monday, but life has been busy...hectic...enough that I'm just getting around to talking about it. I really enjoy Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series, especially how she slips in small updates about past characters in each book. Defending Taylor was a great addition to the series and a fun book to start off 2017.

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MariaC
The Piper's Son | Melina Marchetta
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Part of my January TBR, I've decided to reread one favorite book for each new book I read in January. Not sure I'll get to all six of these, but it's good to have options!

MarriedtoMrT Loved Winner's Curse and Raven Boys! I really need to read The Thief as well. I've only heard wonderful things. 7y
TirzahPrice Ah, I adore The Piper's Son!! 7y
MariaC @MarriedtoMrT Yes, you definitely need to read The Thief!! It's so good, plus the series gets even better with each book. 7y
See All 7 Comments
MariaC @TirzahPrice I have loved everything I've read by Melina Marchetta. It's her characters that always draw me in! 7y
TirzahPrice @MariaC She's brilliant. Did you read her newest?! 7y
MariaC @TirzahPrice She is brilliant!! I did read Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil, loved that one too!! 7y
Chachic MWT and Melina Marchetta! 💖💖💖 And they both are fans of each other's books. 7y
18 likes1 stack add7 comments
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MariaC
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Lots more knitting than reading over the past two weeks, including a first attempt at a snowflake patterned hat. I did finish one book and read some more of another. I'm looking forward to a catching up on some reading over the, hopefully, quiet weekend.

LeahBergen Lovely! 7y
9 likes1 comment
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MariaC
George Lucas: A Life | Brian Jay Jones
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More baking and knitting than reading at the moment. But, I'm squeezing in a few pages, and some caffeine, before the day really gets started.

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MariaC
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Getting ready to start The Wangs vs. the World. It's the first book added to my TBR thanks to Litsy!! 😊

Megabooks #blameitonlitsy 😃👍🏻😃👍🏻 7y
MariaC @Ebooksandcooks yes!! I'm going to use that from now on ...just had to add it to the TBR #blameitonlitsy. 😂 7y
12 likes2 comments
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MariaC
The Magnolia Story (with Bonus Content) | Chip Gaines, Joanna Gaines
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This was in between pick and so-so for me. I did enjoy learning about Chip and Joanna and how their company came to be. And how the TV show came about, there actually isn't that much about Fixer Upper, but enough to get an idea of how it has changed their lives. You can definitely hear each of their voices in the writing, also the book uses different fonts for Joanna's and Chip's sections. Definitely a good read if you are a fan of Fixer Upper.

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MariaC
Scythe | Neal Shusterman
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I'm not sure what I was expecting when starting Scythe. I had read a couple great reviews and some possible Printz discussion, but still I went into Scythe not knowing a lot about it. As it turns out, that was a perfect way to read this book. I loved it from the first few pages, an increasingly rarer and rarer thing. Was it a perfect read? No. But, it was a book that made me think. And, the characters! I can't wait to see them again in the sequel!

Joybishoptx Can't wait to read this! 7y
11 likes1 stack add1 comment
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MariaC
Scythe | Neal Shusterman
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I put aside The Magnolia Story for now and started Scythe. Wow, wow, wow!! Excellent so far!

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MariaC
The Magnolia Story (with Bonus Content) | Chip Gaines, Joanna Gaines
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Picked up this book because Fixer Upper is my favorite HGTV show. Halfway through, I'm still not sure about the book.

9 likes1 stack add
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MariaC
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Pickpick

I returned The Sun is Also a Star to the library before I could take a photo, but this might be one of my favorite book covers of 2016. I didn't think too much about it, other than thinking it was pretty, until I read the book. While I enjoyed Nicola Yoon's first book, I loved this one. So much that I devoured it in two sittings and when the end came I wanted there to be more.

Reviewsbylola I think this surpassed EE for me too, as much as I loved that one. 7y
MariaC @Reviewsbylola yes, as much as I enjoyed EE, there was just something about this one that drew me in and made me want to keep reading. 7y
12 likes2 comments
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MariaC
Scythe | Neal Shusterman
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Today's #libraryhaul...aka when most of your holds come in at once!! I like how the spines coordinate so nicely. #bookstack

MariaC @MrBook Thanks! 😊 7y
10 likes2 comments
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MariaC
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Love this!! Also, later on that same page: "Words shouldn't be allowed to change meanings. Who decides that the meaning has changed, and when? Is there an in between time when the word means both things? Or a time when the word doesn't mean anything at all?"

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MariaC
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Pickpick

Finally finished! Not because it didn't capture my interest, but because I've been reading so slowly lately. Plus, I tend to have several books going at once. This is a book everyone should read!! (In my very humble opinion.)

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MariaC
What Light | Jay Asher
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Pickpick

Being sort of ba humbug this holiday season, so far, I wanted to find a book that would help put me in more of a holiday mood. What Light did just that while I was reading. I found it to be a sweet story and my only complaint is that I wish some of the secondary characters had more page time! And, of course now I want to visit a Christmas tree farm!

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MariaC
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When visiting a new bookstore it's important to check out the cookbook section. #bookstack

EloisaJames I'd love that Bittman! 7y
9 likes1 comment
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MariaC
City of Saints & Thieves | Natalie C Anderson
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Book mail really is the best type of mail!! A very nice surprise on an otherwise kind of blah day.

Bookish.Heart This sounds like a great book! 7y
MariaC @Bookish.Heart it does! I'm excited to read it ☺ 7y
6 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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MariaC
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One sleeping cat + one large cup of coffee + one snuggly blanket + The Underground Railroad. 136 pages in and I can see why all the accolades. Actually, it hooked me right from the start. And now that the day is done, I'm happy to have some uninterrupted read time!

5 likes1 stack add
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MariaC
George Lucas: A Life | Brian Jay Jones
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A much needed #coffeeandbooks break. Slowly making my way through George Lucas: so far, very interesting.

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MariaC
George Lucas: A Life | Brian Jay Jones
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Starting this because it was about to be displayed in the New Biography section and I thought, "Why not?"

4 likes1 stack add
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MariaC
All in Pieces | Suzanne Young
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Pickpick

The writing was excellent, Suzanne Young never disappoints when it comes to the writing. As an adult, I question some of the choices the main character, Savannah, made. There was a time or two when I wished I could tell her to trust at least one of the adults in her life, granted there weren't many, but confiding in one of them could have made all the difference. Still, definitely a good read.

MrBook Interesting... 😊👍🏻 7y
8 likes1 comment
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MariaC
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"In the beginning I was so young and such a stranger to myself I hardly existed. I had to go out into the world and see it and hear it and react to it before I knew at all who I was, what I was, what I wanted to be."

I keep going back to read these 2 sentences and thinking about whether I've done enough of the seeing, hearing, reacting to the world.

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MariaC
All in Pieces | Suzanne Young
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Just about to start All In Pieces. I've liked every Suzanne Young book I've read so far. So high expectations for this one! (One problem with library books, shiny covers...sorry about that flash spot at the bottom)

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MariaC
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currently reading

3 likes1 stack add
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MariaC
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Felt like the perfect morning to reread a favorite.

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MariaC
The Thief | Megan Whalen Turner
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Books I like to revisit from time to time. I'm a huge rereader. Really, I should say: I love books that no matter how many times you read, you always find something new. And really it's all the Marchetta books (all of them!) And the whole Raven Boys series and the Queen's Thief series (so excited for Thick as Thieves!!)

Angieville 😍 7y
Chachic Melina Marchetta and MWT! 💙💚💛💜 7y
7 likes2 comments
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MariaC
Ghost | Jason Reynolds
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Pickpick

Great characters, quiet story, excellent writing. This is one of those books I'll be talking up at the library, a book everyone should read.

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MariaC
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Pickpick

Finished this in the wee hours of the morning. While I loved Walk on Earth a Stranger, there's just something about a Western, I'm not quite as enamoured with Like a River Glorious. It's more of a liked it a lot type of feeling. It was a good read, kept my attention and made me care about certain characters. And I absolutely loved what Lee figured out about herself and home, as it's something I've come to realize about myself as well.

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MariaC
Ghost | Jason Reynolds
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I wasn't going to start this until I finished Crooked Kingdom, which is taking me forever to read, but I couldn't wait.

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MariaC
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Finally starting Like a River Glorious! Excited to see what's next for Lee and Jefferson.