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thegirlwiththelibrarybag

thegirlwiththelibrarybag

Joined May 2016

🇦🇺 books, memes, music & vegemite toast 📖 http://goodreads.com/sharnibee & sharnibee on StoryGraph
review
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

I saved the last hour of the audiobook for my walk home and end up crying so hard that I had to stop walking until I could blink all the tears clear. So - 5 stars, no notes!

Tbh, I wasn‘t sure about Bud in the beginning, if he was a character I wanted to spend time with - but then he hit submit on his own obituary and well, I was hooked.

I keep stumbling into books that explore grief in its many manifestations ⬇️

thegirlwiththelibrarybag and I really appreciated the journey that this book took me on -not just Bud‘s but everyone whose life overlapped with his - most notably his landlord/best friend Tim. 1d
43 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Ages ago, I ordered the Rainbow Crate All For The Game special edition box - and the whole thing seemed like one problem after the other, starting with wrong details on dust jackets BUT also for me a damaged book - which was eventually replaced with an even more damaged book… third time lucky and this one is what I expected to get the first time!

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Hearing Trumpet | Leonora Carrington
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My copy of The Hearing Trumpet arrived and well, my finger slipped when I placed the order so Down Below and The Skeleton‘s Holiday arrived with it… oops?!

I kind of want all the editions of The Hearing Trumpet tho - so I may haunt some used books websites… the cover art is just that good.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Escape (Animorphs #15) | Katherin Applegate
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Pickpick

ngl Marco broke my heart in this one. His biggest heartbreak (his Mom‘s death) and closely guarded secret (she‘s actually alive and an unwilling human controller for a very high ranking Yeerk) previously only known by Jake - comes to light and Marco is left to deal with the consequences.

There‘s shark morphs and some lighted jail breaking of some parrots from a fast food chain - but this one was 💔😩

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Two Can Play | Ali Hazelwood
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Pickpick

Enemies to lovers but really misunderstanding to pining to lovers while also somehow being both a slow burn and insta love???

This isn‘t really my genre but the audiobook made me laugh many times so I‘m calling it a win! And I can tick read an Ali Hazelwood off my to-read list.

ravenlee I really enjoyed this one! 4d
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @ravenlee, I‘ve been doing a lot of audiobook listening while walking - so this one was a great companion. 3d
41 likes2 comments
review
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

“I had won. I think it was the first time in my entire life that I‘d won any kind of athletic contest. Sure, I was a horse - but a victory is a victory.”

I love that every once in a while we get a book where the Animorphs get to be a little goofy, where the stakes are not quite so high… and in this one we had yeerk controllers in wild horses trying to discover what alien technology the airforce had locked up in TOP SECRET AREA, Zone 91.

thegirlwiththelibrarybag And *spoilers* it turned out what was being oh so carefully guarded was what Ax quite dismissively called a “primitive version” of an Andalite space toilet… but the shenanigans involved to get to the point of making that discovery?! Top tier and include Cassie acquiring the morph of a racehorse and accidentally getting stuck running (and winning) the race. 6d
34 likes1 comment
review
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Hearing Trumpet | Leonora Carrington
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Pickpick

♥️ this so much that upon finishing the audio, I bought the paperback. What‘s not to ♥️ about a story centring on 92 year old Marion that has multiple mentions of a 110 year old mother with a keen interest in sports?! Marion is rich in friends - it‘s Carmella that gifts her the hearing trumpet & how that transforms her world! I never knew what to expect with this book (other than the murder, that I saw coming) but oh such (delightfully weird) fun!

lil1inblue I really like that cover! The book also sounds quite interesting. Stacked! 6d
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @lil1inblue, the author was also a surrealist painter- I don‘t know if this was one of hers but it fits the vibe of the story quite well. 6d
Rissreadswithcats I‘m intrigued, so stacked! 4d
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Rissreadswithcats, going to be one of my top reads of the year FOR SURE! 4d
43 likes4 stack adds4 comments
blurb
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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The (Conservative party) fallout from the Australian federal election continues!! We are not beating the “not a serious country” allegations today because 🍿

Great day for memes and people who enjoy reading comment sections… (the funniest reel I saw put this news to Eamon‘s long forgotten 2004 song “Fuck It (I Don‘t Want You Back)” excuse me while I go and add that song to my playlist 😂

LeeRHarry Drama, drama, drama! 😏 1w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @LeeRHarry, with plenty more on the way! 7d
CarolynM It‘s been fun to watch, and it‘s all getting juicier with the McCormick-Joyce skullduggery, and Susan Ley losing her majority in the party room if the independent gets up in Bradfield. Pass some more 🍿 4d
38 likes4 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Hearing Trumpet | Leonora Carrington
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Almost let my loan expire but decided, no - I could totally finish this in 2 days, I should give it a go!! & HONESTLY best decision, I‘m obsessed with this book actually.

I‘ve got no idea where we are going but I‘m loving the journey - it just went off on a tangent about a nun - whose portrait hangs in the dining room of the institution where the book takes place & I‘m excited to see how that comes back round to fit in with the main narrative.

TheKidUpstairs Slightly obsessed with that cover! 1w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @TheKidUpstairs, the author, Leonora Carrington was actually better known for her surrealist paintings - this edition features her painting “the giantess” on the cover. It‘s absolutely gorgeous! 1w
48 likes1 stack add2 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Birds | Daphne Dunaurier
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I have a mild bird phobia AND YET the movie (which I saw first) and the short story (which I decided to read to see how it differed from the movie) both live absolutely RENT FREE in my mind which is why I immediately bought tickets to Malthouse Theatre‘s The Birds - because what‘s a little more bird related trauma?!

Absolutely phenomenal one woman show. It‘s a lightly modernised version of the short story & 😍 but also 😩 & 🥺 & tbh also 😱

thegirlwiththelibrarybag If you are in Melbourne - I recommend! Loved how sound (delivered via headphones) and light were used to make it feel like you were surrounded by birds. https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/season-2025/the-birds 1w
RaeLovesToRead 🤣🤣🤣 oh my days! I can't imagine going to any shows full of things I'm scared of. Nope nope nope nope nope. 1w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @RaeLovesToRead, I couldn‘t see any birds so in some ways, less traumatic than I was expecting 🤣 but yeah, I‘m never moving on from the question, what would happen if birds suddenly turned on us? 1w
RaeLovesToRead I only watched the first bit of the film. Didn't get far enough for any avian insurrection. (I'm not scared of birds.) The scariest bird in films I've seen is Feathers McGraw hahaha 1w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @RaeLovesToRead, it‘s a great film - I started it thinking that it was full of over acting but then the story gets going and I was transfixed. One the best and most sinister villains, Feathers McGraw!! 7d
44 likes5 comments
review
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

Low pick. This is my second Nghi Vo book and I love the way she writes. Lots of other reviews have pointed to this being very vibe based - and that‘s both a strength and a weakness - loved watching a city rise, fall and rise again over a large span of years but the weakness is that there isn‘t really a character that you grow to care deeply about.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Murder of Mr. Ma | SJ Rozan, John Shen Yen Nee
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This certainly is a fast paced affair, full of intrigue, double crossing, opium taking, English prejudice against the Chinese people who have made their home in London and more fighting than you'd expect in a murder mystery. Lao She, is the shy academic who gets swept up in Judge Dee Ren Jie's investigation into the murder of an old acquaintance. There is definitely a Holmes/Watson vibe to the pair.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Comes the Night | Isobelle Carmody
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Dreams are a reoccurring theme throughout Isobelle Carmody‘s works - and this is no exception. The basic premise is woman processes traumatic event through lucid dreaming but there is layers. The story was perhaps fairly predictable but the unfolding of it remained interesting. The ideas from this short story went on to be explored more fully in Comes The Night, which I haven‘t read yet so I‘m looking forward to seeing how the stories intwine.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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More than a week after the election and I can finally stop refreshing the page to see if my electorate has been officially called (it was called on election night but then the vote count narrowed, partially because of postal votes - which lead to it being put back to “too close to call” 😭)

I did hit the iPhones limit on tabs open (500 🤪) so this means I can safely close ONE tab!

Leniverse Omg 500 open tabs 😅 Congratulations on getting the result you were hoping for confirmed. Although it's concerning that it was so close! 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Leniverse, I‘m down to 474 open tabs 🤣 and I haven‘t closed the Kooyong page yet, so I can tell you that Monique‘s lead has increased and she‘s currently 1,128 votes ahead - so close but not as close as some. 2w
DogMomIrene Woot on those results! 🙌🏼 2w
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Prairiegirl_reading I‘ve currently got 328 tabs open so I find comfort in knowing it could be worse. 🤣 Happy to hear you got the result you were hoping for. I understand, here in Canada, I was watching the leader of the Conservative Party lose his seat with glee until I couldn‘t stay awake any longer on election night. He‘s now running in another riding in a by-election. 🙄 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Prairiegirl_reading, those are amateur numbers 🤣😅🫣. I also got to watch the Opposition Leader (also of the Conservative party) lose his seat on election night - absolutely delightful! Been weird watching people praise his “compassionate” and “gracious” concession speech like 🤔 what?! (even worse when they are then viciously gleeful about the Greens leader losing his seat). How is that allowed? He should make a graceful exit from politics! 2w
Prairiegirl_reading @thegirlwiththelibrarybag for me it‘s absolutely ridiculous that they don‘t just get a new leader but if they want an unelectable creep as leader I‘m okay with it. People aren‘t going to vote for him. He couldn‘t be graceful so all the money in the world. 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Prairiegirl_reading, 🤞🏼 that he remains unelectable. 2w
CarolynM Glad Kooyong got the right result in the end. How long do you think Susan Ley will last? One of the QLD Liberals might unexpectedly need to resign… 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, hard to say, i don‘t exactly wish good things for the party but it sucks that she‘s been elected at a time that makes the glass cliff seem likely. 2w
37 likes10 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Untitled | Unknown
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lil1inblue 🙄 🙄 🙄 2w
CoveredInRust Cause men, historically, have been overlooked in publishing. 😑 2w
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jen_the_scribe Poor oppressed men, they just never catch a break 🙄 2w
ImperfectCJ Trying to be charitable, I thought, well, if I take Cook at his word and if this gets more nuanced fiction out there, perhaps it's not all bad, but then I think of Nathan Hill, Kevin Wilson, Percival Everett, Richard Powers, and others, and I'm like...the fantastic literature by men exists and is getting great press already. How will publishing only men get men to read more? Just by giving the illusion of some exclusive men's club? 2w
TrishB Jeez…. 2w
Booksblanketsandahotbeverage If they read more, they might make better choices… 🤪 2w
Susanita Good grief 2w
Hooked_on_books What a crock of shit 2w
RamsFan1963 WTF is this garbage?!? As a man, I don't need books written by men for men. What a load of $#!+ I don't care if the writer is a man, a woman or a very intelligent house cat, as long as it's done well. It sounds like people trying to win favor with the Orange 💩 2w
Hooked_on_books @RamsFan1963 A very intelligent house cat! 😂 2w
CarolynM Seriously? 🤦🏻‍♀️ 2w
37 likes13 comments
blurb
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Feeling unhinged about this, actually.

(The election was a week ago 🫣😭 they technically have 13 days to count the votes but I NEED to know if Monique is gonna hold Kooyong!!!)

Anyway, never let anyone tell you that your vote isn‘t powerful - this is a gonna be a tight race to the bitter end.

Leniverse There recently was a by-election in England where the seat was decided by six(!) votes. It had been a safe seat for half a century. Times are changing, I think. 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Leniverse, yes! I saw that article. A shame it went to Advance or whatever party Nigel is fronting these days. I‘ll be disappointed if Kooyong flips back to liberal (liberal meaning the exact opposite in Australia to what it does in the rest of the world). Hamer ran such a scandal ridden campaign that I‘m surprised it‘s this close. 2w
Leniverse Reform UK 😝 Yes. Honestly, I don't take any political labels at face value. Norway, my birth country, has two liberal parties. One is populist right (socially conservative and financially libertarian), the other is more socially progressive and sort of centre-slightly-left but currently having an identity crisis. Meanwhile the labour parties of both Norway and UK have nothing to do with the working class anymore 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2w
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Leniverse, Reform UK, yes (maybe Advance is one we had here in Australia, same vibes tho). It‘s honestly been such a weird/unexpected election. The vote count is slow because we have preferential voting - the tighter the race the slower the count. I‘m glad we avoided a Dutton led liberal government (he‘d been dubbed Temu Trump by parts of the media) and the billionaire founded Trumpet of Patriots failed to win any seats (despite spending $60 mil 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Leniverse on advertising, including spam texting people). And to see Dutton lose his seat was very good! But we also lost the leader of the Greens - in what had been considered a safe seat. Wasn‘t expecting either major party to get a majority so I find myself somewhat disappointed in the result. 2w
Leniverse Any party that started texting me, I would automatically not vote for! And yikes, Temu Trump is very descriptive. I'm glad you avoided that. I'm genuinely scared of what might happen in the next general election in the UK, but at least it's four years away. The last election was about getting rid of the Tories, and Labour is now being Tory Light. There's a vacuum, and it's getting filled by Reform, and it stresses me out. 2w
DogMomIrene Individual votes sure do count! Just saw a headline that a Quebec seat flipped here in 🇨🇦 from bloc to liberal on a recount. I don‘t have the details, but that will definitely be part of my Sunday morning reading. 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @DogMomIrene, I had a quick Google and you are in for some interesting Sunday reading! That‘s the closest result I‘ve heard of. 2w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Leniverse, you couldn‘t avoid their ads on YouTube either 😩 honestly the most annoying political party. He‘s had a few goes at forming a political party - he ran candidates in almost every electorate. Clive Palmer claims he‘s retiring from politics now so🤞🏼 Hopefully things improve in 4 years - but it‘s depressing when you are presented with a very bad or not great party‘s to vote for. 2w
DogMomIrene @thegirlwiththelibrarybag Seriously! Won by one vote. Like what!?! 2w
42 likes10 comments
review
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Wolf at Bay | Charlie Adhara
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Pickpick

I woke up the other day & thought "i am ready to be hurt again" and immediately started my reread. I remembered the basics but had forgotten so much- and going on Cooper's emotional journey (he's really going through it!!!) was SO GOOD. Will I be brave enough to move on to book 3... where it very much looks like the boys will be going through it again - but this time with Oliver's family being the ones entangled in a murder investigation? TBD.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Lives of Christopher Chant | Diana Wynne Jones
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Folio Society continuing to lead me into temptation with DWJ titles…

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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Pickpick

An ode to the power of books & their readers - there was a part that reminded me of the message in 'the velveteen rabbit‘ that the things we love have a life of their own. In some respects, this is a warning against the commodification of books, the dangers of book banning & the power of books to both inspire & connect people. I'm guilty of choosing to read this based on the cover & while I enjoyed it - there was less magical cat than anticipated.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

That pesky Ellimist is back! And “not interfering” in what could be interpreted as quite an interfering way…

This is a Tobias book and we *finally* see him offered something of a pathway back to being a real boy.

Really enjoyed getting to meet two Yerk free Hork-Bajir and how it challenged all of the Animorphs previous assumptions about them being violent (like, them eating bark and using their blades primarily as tools rather than weapons).

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Well, I got two of my three election wishes… which isn‘t bad. Senate votes will still take awhile to be finalised. #auspol

Fingers crossed my IG algorithm stops serving up young Albo thirst traps now because 🫣 whyyyyy?!

CarolynM I can‘t wait to stop seeing THAT face. Young Albo was hot, though…😆 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, would have thrown my phone in a bucket of water if I‘d scrolled through a young Dutton thirst trap. 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, Kooyong was uncalled 🫠 the suspense!!! 3w
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CarolynM Has it been declared yet? It still looks like Monique Ryan is ahead and the AEC website says 100% of the vote has been counted. 3w
CarolynM I have a friend in Bendigo. She is very sweaty about the result there😬 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, ooh! I‘ve been looking at the count via ABC where they are reporting that only 78% of the vote has been counted! Well that‘s quite heartening! I‘m going to bed a bit happier! Now if they could count Melbourne faster that would be great!!! Good luck to your friend in Bendigo 🤞🏼 (edited) 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, it still hasn‘t been called. Not sure what‘s going on with the AEC website but ABC has Monique ahead by 622 votes 🫠 (I‘m also 😩 about how slow the Melbourne count feels) 3w
CarolynM Yeah, I can't work it out either🤷‍♀️ I really hope Monique Ryan holds on. It's such a shame about Zoe Daniel. I guess there was a big protest vote last time. 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, every time I look Monique Ryan‘s lead has shrunk a little bit more. Melbourne has been called 🫣 who knew dismantling the seat of Higgins would have such an effect on the surrounding areas (plus, yes, there would have been a protest element last time around) 3w
CarolynM Preferences seem to be heading in the right direction now 🙂 3w
36 likes10 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Settling in for a long night of election coverage…

Couldn‘t miss Antony Green (Australian Election Analyst and Commentator) calling his last election for the ABC…

The campaigning in my electorate has been kind of wild - my highlight was definitely the elderly lady that punched a neo Nazi in the face when he event crashed. Will be interesting to see who wins the seat.

LapReader Wow! Don‘t mess with the crones. Who did you vote for? 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @LapReader, she very politely said “excuse me” to the people in front of her too. Greens - but I‘m hoping that the independent candidate holds it against the liberals. How about you? 3w
LapReader Greens for me too. I want my nieces and nephews to not die from climate change. 3w
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CarolynM As Annabelle said, we‘re Canada 🎉 3w
DogMomIrene Just got the alert that Albanese won by a big margin. It‘s encouraging to see other countries reject Trump‘s playbook. 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, what a night!! 🎉 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @DogMomIrene, I was always hopeful for a Labor win but such a win was unexpected! And for Dutton to lose his seat as well. Absolutely delicious. 3w
CarolynM Shedding a tear after Antony's signing off. It won't be the same without him😢 3w
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, seeing ScoMo on screen was a bit of a jump scare tho! It definitely won‘t be the same without him, but what a brilliant legacy! I laughed when he said he started in ‘88 with a 6 month contract and got the job because he had strong computer skills! 3w
36 likes10 comments
review
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Andalite Chronicles | K. A. Applegate
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Pickpick

CRAZY work making me care about Elfangor - the andalite warrior prince who DIES DRAMATICALLY in book one after giving the “Animorphs” the power to morph AND for making it EVEN MORE TRAGIC in retrospect for the already most tragic of the Animorphs kids.

I‘m feeling totally normal and fine about it
🫨🫨🫨😭🫨🫨🫨

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

I came to the Peanuts comics long after they‘d stopped being published - I‘ve always loved grumpy Lucy. I‘m new to manga style biographies but I really enjoyed this, it lays out Charles “Sparky” Schulz life in a simple manner, concentrating on his major milestones both at work and with family. I especially enjoyed learning how diligent he was, and how far in advance he completed his work - he never grew out of being anxious about being late.

dabbe My favorite cartoonist of all time. I started collecting his comic books in the early 70s. I wrote him a “fan“ letter back in the 1980s, and he sent me a signed comic strip. 😱 It's hanging in my house to this day. He was so kind that he called me at his expense to ask me which characters I wanted in the strip! What a man. 🤩 1mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @dabbe, thank you for sharing that - how lovely to have such a memento, I can‘t imagine anyone being able to respond on such an individual level these days. Which characters did you choose? 1mo
dabbe @thegirlwiththelibrarybag My mom was the 1st Peanuts fan in our family, and Snoopy and Woodstock were her favorites. So, I asked for the two of them and gave it to her for her 50th birthday in 1988. I inherited it when she died in 2011. It's my most prized possession. 1mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Green Kingdom | Cornelia Funke, Tammi Hartung
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Caspia from Maine starts to soften towards Brooklyn when she discovers a stash of old letters between sisters at the apartment her parents have rented for the summer. Each letter contains a clue about a plant and before long Caspia is set on an adventure towards solving riddles, falling in love with nature and making new friends in the neighbourhood. All in all - just a feel good time!

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

In which Rachel makes a series of bad decisions starting with causing a fake distraction at the zoo so that she could rescue a small child who‘d fallen into the crocodile pit and ends with her completely losing control of her morphing anytime she feels strong emotions aka at the most inconvient times possible. Marco hits peak annoying boy several times (bless him 🤣).

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

There‘s something rather charming about the idea of the recently deceased stopping in a magical photo studio to help create a photo lantern, made with a photograph from every year of their life. Then there is also the chance to revisit a moment from their past, to take a photo of a moment that they really treasured - they are guided in this by Mr. Hirasaka.

⬇️

thegirlwiththelibrarybag I really enjoyed this snippet into each guests life, a retired nursery teacher, a yakuza overseer and an abused child. Humankind‘s capacity for compassion shines brightly in this cozy time travel tale. 1mo
BooksandCoffee4Me Hmmm, looks and sounds incredible. Adding it. 1mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Words I didn‘t expect to read in a picture book in general and in a Snow White retelling featuring minature ponies in particular : “I‘m a tax attorney” 🤭

Soubhiville 😆 1mo
monalyisha I totally forgot that this book existed! It‘s so good! 1mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @monalyisha, the joke with the glue at the end took me out (Was very happy to see that Queenie was just getting her scrapbooking on, creating posters, on the next page) 1mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

I listened to this while taking a walk and it made me snort laugh more than once. It‘s a time travel adventure that starts with a somewhat delusional plan to steal a bug fighter to land it on the White House lawn to prove to the world that Yeerks exist but very quickly derails into a time travel adventure… when they get into a fight with Visser Three‘s blade ship and tear a rip in the space time continuum.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Happy Earth Day! | Alex Appleby
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My supervisor approved this display on the condition that I wouldn‘t refer to it as CliFi 🤭 (I wasn‘t going to - I was just saying!! 🤣)

I was quite pleased at being able to curate a list of 55 titles for this display. I think the list would have done better if it had been on the catalogue (rather than just in one branch) but there has been a bit of movement.

Happy Earth Day! 🌎

julesG Oooh, nicely done. I see Doctorow, which is on my #52bookclub25 list 1mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @julesG, thank you! I discovered the climate fiction prize while I was researching. It‘s a really interesting genre - I hope to read at least a few! (edited) 1mo
lil1inblue Excellent display! I screenshotted it for my TBR. 😅 1mo
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BookmarkTavern Oh very nice!👍🏻 1mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @lil1inblue, oh thank you! That‘s such a lovely compliment! 1mo
julesG @lil1inblue snap!! I took a screenshot too. 😁 1mo
45 likes9 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

It was mostly the Barbara Streisand effect that led to me looking up to see if I could get the audiobook of this from the library… The Zuck getting a court ruling to prevent the author from promoting her book?? Interesting choice.

Well worth the read.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Murder by Memory | Olivia Waite
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My first SFF cozy murder mystery and it‘s a swift moving series opener featuring Dorothy Gentleman as a retired ship detective who finds herself abruptly returned to duty and a body (not hers) after an electrical storm causes damages to some memory books.

Looking forward to further adventures!

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Rainfall Market | You Yeong-Gwang
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It was the premise of the rainfall market itself that drew me in - an invitation to go to a magical market to try and find your dream life… say less. It made me think of the Magic Faraway Tree.

I really enjoyed the magical realism elements, and the shopping component of the market but it‘s marketed as as adult fiction but really read as something more on the younger side of the YA scale. Which is fine, but adjust your expectations accordingly.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Last weeks book chat books… I‘m trying to read more nonfiction books this year - so I was quite pleased to talk about 2 this month. Was super pleased that Everything is Tuberculosis sparked a great conversation with more than one attendee revealing that they had a parent who‘d survived TB… the colleague I‘ve done book chats with for the last year - her contract is finishing - I‘m going to miss her!

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Mehso-so

Ultimately, this is a book that I thought I‘d devour but it ended up taking me ages because it wasn‘t quite what I was expecting. The premise is fantastic but the supporting characters are undeveloped and under-utilised so it was hard to really care one way or the other about how everything unfolded.

That said, the writing itself was beautiful, and I will definitely be trying another Allison Saft book at some point.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Prosper's Demon | K. J. Parker
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My resolve to not pay any attention to the library deletions giveaway trolley dipped FOR A MERE MOMENT and I came home with these two k. j. parker novellas… no regrets!

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Great Gatsby | F. Scott Fitzgerald
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🤭

lil1inblue 😏😏😏 1mo
OrangeMooseReads 🙄😂 1mo
Ruthiella 😂😂😂 1mo
dabbe 🤣🤣🤣 1mo
47 likes4 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

The Animorphs just keep finding themselves in situations! This time it‘s because Marco wants to sneak into an outdoor concert in dog morph and spots an old school friend who curiously doesn‘t smell human… which COULD MEAN NOTHING but obviously doesn‘t because this is an Animorphs book!

Love all the ethical dilemmas that are getting woven in to these stories - I just know that there is going to be a ripple effect of consequences down the line.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Took my sister‘s dog, Hugo, for a walk this morning - and couldn‘t resist putting him in jail 🤣

Not a lot of reading happening this week - but I did listen to a couple of chapters of Careless People at work today.

ShananigansReads Acting as his unlicensed lawyer, my client is innocent. Release him immediately! 🤣🤣🤣 2mo
CarolynM Hope it didn‘t take him long to roll a double😆 2mo
Leftcoastzen 👏😂🐶 2mo
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dabbe 🤩🖤🐾🖤🤩 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @ShananigansReads, he was released with a stern warning 🤭 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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I had wondered if I turned the wifi off and put my phone in flight mode… if I‘d be able to finish listening to my audiobook in the morning…

Happily, it turned out that I was able to renew it (so another copy must have become available just in time for me to be able to keep it)

Ruthiella A library miracle! 🙏 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Ruthiella, I mean, I‘d have been able to finish it with the extra hour extension they were offering but it was getting late… so I‘m glad it worked out for me. 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

“And so we have entered a strange era of human history: A preventable, curable infectious disease remains our deadliest. That's the world we are currently choosing.“

I didn‘t have a book about tuberculosis being my most anticipated read for the year on my bingo card but I‘ve never felt more invested in following John Green down his TB rabbit hole.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Mehso-so

I wanted to love this because the concept of night librarians and book characters trying to sneak out of their books because they are tired of their stories is great… I just didn‘t care? Also naming twins Page & Turner should be a jail-able offence.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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It‘s been years since the Melbourne Writer‘s Festival remembered that not all readers are into Lit Fic! I‘ve booked in for Kaliane Bradley and Lev Grossman - quite excited! Now to read the books 🤣

https://mwf.com.au/program

LeeRHarry I agree it‘s a good line up this year. 😊 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @LeeRHarry, did you know the Adelaide Writers Festival is free? Melbourne should take note! 2mo
LeeRHarry @thegirlwiththelibrarybag oh wow no I didn‘t! 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag @LeeRHarry, I went in 2020 - heard about toilet paper selling out in Melbourne in the news… basically a lifetime ago. It was a great festival, held in one of their parks. Food trucks on site - had a great time! 2mo
LeeRHarry @thegirlwiththelibrarybag must think about going myself one year. 😊 2mo
charl08 Wow, what a great range of authors. 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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TBD if this little haul is “a reasonable amount of reading material” (just kidding, I‘m not even going to try to cram this into my carry on - I have a checked bag for the trip home)

rabbitprincess Ooh I want to read The River Has Roots!! Also your haul is very nicely coordinated 😄 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @rabbitprincess, I read the first page in the bookstore and was like, you are coming home with me! ☺️ book coordinatation was all accidental 😉 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Over the Influence: A Memoir | Joanna Jojo Levesque
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Pickpick

The (millennial) child pop stars are not alright.

This was a really raw account of addiction (her own and her parents), being the breadwinner from a young age and being screwed over by record labels… as well as what it does to a person to be continually chasing after the music success that they had as a teenager.

This was every bit as devastating a read as Britney‘s book. Really glad that she seems to be in a good place now.

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
A Spindle Splintered | Alix E. Harrow
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Very in character for me to read a Sleeping Beauty reimagining - the theme for February‘s #fairytalereadingchallenge at the end of March… it kept me company on the train from Canberra to Sydney. I love Alix E. Harrow and this was enjoyable BUT calling girls who love Cinderella best vanilla right at the start. Ouch! The Disney version features the art and colour palette of Mary Blair AND Gus Gus! 😐

tpixie I agree - she was a little judgy judgy! Fun read though Sleeping Beauty returns in 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @tpixie, especially since she gave the romantic girls Beauty & the Beast 🤔 like ok? I am slowly working my way through her backlist - so I‘ll get to Mirror Mended, eventually! (edited) 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag @tpixie, I haven‘t read that one yet - even though the paperback is sitting patiently on my bookshelf 🫣 my favourite so far 2mo
tpixie @thegirlwiththelibrarybag that‘s great also! I really enjoyed her novels. The Novelas were OK, but the novels were great. 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @tpixie, I‘ve really enjoyed her short stories too - she has a new one out (an Amazon exclusive unfortunately) the knight and the butcherbird. 2mo
tpixie @thegirlwiththelibrarybag oh! Thanks! I‘ll look for it. 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
A Spindle Splintered | Alix E. Harrow
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Vanilla! Those are fighting words!!!

OrangeMooseReads 😄 they are indeed fightin words! Cinderella is anything but vanilla 2mo
lil1inblue 😂 I think I take issue with all of the descriptions. 😂 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @lil1inblue, fair! (In the main characters defence, she is a dying girl so she does relate to sleeping beauty) 2mo
Centique I always preferred Sleeping Beauty. Maleficient! Merryweather and Flora and Fauna! But then again the mice in Cinderella were awesome too 😍 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Centique, both movies had concept art by Mary Blair (you can tell by the bold colour palette) so both top tier in my book! Gus Gus does have my whole heart tho! 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Frost Burned | Patricia Briggs
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Book 7 sure had a bit of everything! Mass kidnapping, fae artefacts, shifting alliances, assassins for hire… and my personal favourite, Mercy learning more about being a Walker. The Princess Bride reference was also quite good. This brings me to the halfway point of this series and I‘m still having a fantastic time!

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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I‘ve made it to the ACT! Taxi driver monologued about how much he hated Melbourne on the drive to the hotel (happily a short drive). Gonna leave my little stress ball travelling companion and go and see the Pompeii exhibition.

LeahBergen That sounds fun! 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @LeahBergen, it‘s a really nicely put together exhibition. It‘s set up like you are walking through the centre of town- with projections of people going about their day along the walls (that look like buildings). Have been admiring the frescoes. 2mo
CarolynM Lots of great spots in Canberra these days. Enjoy! 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, I came for the Ethel Carrick exhibition - and now I‘m waiting for the train to Sydney. 2mo
CarolynM I‘ll be in Sydney next week. Let me know if you find any hidden gems 🙂 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, unfortunately I‘m a bit aimless. Today I‘ve been to Ken Done‘s Gallery, the Dymocks on George St and Abbey‘s Bookshop (and straight up the stairs to Galaxy), had a walk through the Queen Victoria Building. Been a bit underwhelmed with veggie options at cafes - they all seem to be offering avocado bruschetta… which was fun when I had it in Canberra the other day but now I‘m ready for something else. 2mo
CarolynM There‘s usually something good at the Library. Try Newtown for more Melbourne-like cafes. 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @CarolynM, don‘t think I found any hidden gems but I did have a good time walking through Newtown (there is a bookstore called Better Read Than Dead) and Marrickville (bought the cutest cooler months dress from Made590). I found The Ferry hanging in the art gallery too (my favourite E. Phillips Fox painting from when I was a kid). Hope you have a lovely trip! 2mo
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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“A reasonable amount of reading matter” 🤔 I need more information

TheBookHippie “Reasonable …” 👀 2mo
shanaqui Reminds me of the somewhat related anecdote of the books in my suitcase when I regularly travelled by Eurostar. Turns out a suitcase packed solidly with books didn't make much sense on x-ray so they would at first have me unpack it every time. 2mo
shanaqui Oops, pressed send before I was done. Anyway, point is, after a while they got to recognise me and stopped searching my suitcase. My dad pointed out that would have been an excellent time to staf 2mo
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shanaqui Start smuggling!! Goodness sakes I'm having difficulty not pressing send too early on this phone. 😬 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @shanaqui, haha - your dad is not wrong 🤣 I haven‘t actually packed any books for today… (I have my kindle but it‘s only a short flight and I wanted to leave room in my suitcase for any spontaneous purchases) 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @TheBookHippie, I fear my reasonable and their reasonable may not align 🤣 2mo
TheBookHippie @thegirlwiththelibrarybag Bookcon 2016 on the train- the conductor watching us… that‘s three canvas bags and one suitcase and one backpack on each of you and this is all books?!?! Where have you ladies been 👀 2mo
Leftcoastzen 😆yes , I need more information! 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @TheBookHippie, very impressive!! That‘s definitely an amount that would require checked baggage if ✈️ 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Leftcoastzen, a diagram would be helpful! 2mo
julesG Define reasonable? Also, what about my stack of emotional support re-reads? 2mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @julesG, the emotional support rereads may have to be left at home. For it to be on the list, you just know someone turned up with an incredible amount of reading material 🤣 2mo
Texreader 🤣🤣 2mo
ferskner No. Way. 2mo
CarolynM 🤣🤣🤣 2mo
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