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TracyReadsBooks

TracyReadsBooks

Joined March 2017

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TracyReadsBooks
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Pickpick

In the twilight of her career, an aging assassin makes a connection with someone (a definite no-no in her world) while she simultaneously confronts a threat that might derail the successful end of her long career. Yes, it‘s about the reasons, from banal to more personal, people think a killing is warranted but it‘s also about aging, finding purpose in life, connection in a world that doesn‘t welcome it. A fascinating, intriguing thriller.

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TracyReadsBooks
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Next up, a book from South Korea. This one is a story about a sixty-five-year-old assassin who runs into new and unexpected trouble in the twilight of her career. The opening chapter is fantastic so I have high hopes for this one.

24 likes1 stack add
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TracyReadsBooks
Out | Natsuo Kirino
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Pickpick

This one is definitely not for the faint of heart…that being said, wow, this is a fantastically dark, riveting story that will leave you turning pages in wonder & horror. A simmering rage lurks in the background of this story about a woman who has had enough & the aftermath of a fateful decision. And then, it somehow gets even darker. Translated from the Japanese this was a thrilling, unforgettable read. Not an easy read but it‘s really good.

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TracyReadsBooks
Green Frog: Stories | Gina Chung
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I bought this book because I read a rave review on NPR‘s website…the fact it comes along with a really fabulous cover is a definite bonus!

AmyG Please let us know what you think! 3d
22 likes2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Grave Robbery | Deanna Raybourn
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Pickpick

Always fun spending time with Veronica Speedwell and Stoker—their adventures are always entertaining and full of surprises. This series is a consistently reliable read that doesn‘t disappoint. And with secondary characters like Mornaday and J.J. getting more time on the page, the world keeps expanding with more opportunities for complexity, shenanigans, and who knows what. As expected, it‘s a pick.

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TracyReadsBooks
The Law of Lines: A Novel | Hye-young Pyun
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Another thriller from South Korea to add to my TBR mountain…

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TracyReadsBooks
Grave Robbery | Deanna Raybourn
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Just in…and I know what I‘m reading tonight! Or maybe even right now…

TheIntrovertedDodoBird Gorgeous cover!! 6d
27 likes1 stack add1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
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Today‘s book mail feeds my current interest in translated fiction—both were originally published in South Korea. The Investigation—a signed first edition—was a super lucky find. Needless to say, I‘m looking forward to reading both of them.

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TracyReadsBooks
Out | Natsuo Kirino
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More murder and mayhem from Japan for today‘s reading. For whatever reason, books in translation seem to be the sweet spot right now. This one is an award winner so I‘m anticipating a great read.

batsy I thought it was great. But it is kinda tough/grim. 2w
TracyReadsBooks @batsy I‘m reading it slowly—it is indeed quite tough/grim—but really enjoying it. 7d
23 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Malice | Keigo Higashino
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This. Was. Awesome. Intriguing from the get-go, a dual POV story which is less about the who & more about the why, this mystery is full of complexity, subtlety, & the stubborn doggedness of a detective who refuses to believe what he sees & what he hears as he hunts for the truth. About midway through this one kicks into overdrive & is impossible to put down. It‘s the first Higashino book I‘ve read but it won‘t be the last. Loved it.

jlhammar This was my first Higashino too! So good. I then read The Devotion of Suspect X which was fantastic. Also enjoyed Salvation of a Saint. Planning to read Silent Parade sometime soon. 2w
Hooked_on_books I have a book by this author. I really should get to it! 2w
TracyReadsBooks @jlhammar I‘ll have to add all of those to my list! Really, really enjoyed this one. 2w
22 likes3 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Malice | Keigo Higashino
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Started this one last night and it‘s really good. Enjoying this mystery which is less about the who and more about the why.

24 likes1 stack add
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TracyReadsBooks
Wandering Stars | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

Orange‘s writing is impossibly beautiful—each sentence constructed with such care & intent that it is easy to just get lost in the cadence of his writing. More than once, I would stop to reread a passage. Raw, visceral, angry, hopeful, this is another really, really good book, one which is, however, not quite as cohesive as There There which I actually liked a little bit more. Good, occasionally great, this is a powerful, haunting read.

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TracyReadsBooks
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Starting the week off with a trip to the bookstore because why not. Tagged book is a bestseller in South Korea (recently translated). Other two books are Japanese mysteries/thrillers (also in translation).

Ruthiella I‘ve had Out on my shelf for forever. I need to get to it! 2w
26 likes1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
Richard III | William Shakespeare
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As much as I enjoy reading Shakespeare, his plays are always better live. Excited to see this one on stage for the first time!

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TracyReadsBooks
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I‘ve never been a huge fan of Melville‘s work BUT I‘ve never read any of his short stories which are supposed to be excellent. So, here goes. Let‘s see if these change my opinion…

#ReadingOnTheTrain #OutAndAbout

charl08 Gorgeous edition! 3w
KCofKaysville @TracyReadsBooks My youngest sister hated Billy Budd which she had to read in HS. I really liked Bartleby and saw a short movie of it. Only made it half thru Moby Dick as a teen. Will try again! 3w
TracyReadsBooks @KCofKaysville I really liked Bartleby a lot. Haven‘t gotten to Billy Budd yet. I‘m finding the stories surprisingly readable. Enjoying them perhaps even more than I expected! 2w
23 likes3 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Wandering Stars | Tommy Orange
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Started this last night and it is every bit as good as you would expect it to be…maybe even better. No slump here. Orange‘s second book is bringing it…

Ruthiella Good to know! 👍 3w
SamAnne Can‘t wait to get my hands on this! 3w
27 likes2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
In The Miso Soup | Ryu Murakami
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I get why this is considered a classic work of Japanese crime fiction. Not always an easy read, it‘s a fantastic one. The feeling of something off which quickly grows into a sense of wrongness is pervasive from the beginning, the tension pulling you along until there is a sudden eruption of explosive violence that leaves the main character unmoored but refusing to give up while hunting & hoping for a way to survive. Dark. Atmospheric. Excellent.

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TracyReadsBooks
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Pickpick

This YA fantasy retelling of The Scarlett Pimpernel (one of my favorite books when I was a teenager) is a lot of fun—predictable but an entertaining page turner that kept me engaged. It‘s the first in the series so it leaves you in the thick of it and with plenty of reasons to read the next installment.

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TracyReadsBooks
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Going with witches tonight…that and probably a lot of drama. We‘ll see!

21 likes1 stack add
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TracyReadsBooks
In The Miso Soup | Ryu Murakami
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Friday reading…

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TracyReadsBooks
What Moves the Dead | T. Kingfisher
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Of course Kingfisher writes an unputdownable retelling of Poe‘s The Fall of the House of Usher…one that will have you looking over your shoulder and maybe even leaving the lights on as the creepiness and horror is ratcheted up page after page after page in a story that is told with just the right amount of dry wit. A decrepit house with even more decrepit residents, intrepid visitors, and a rotten core make for a fabulous read. Loved it.

Patchshank This is my book club book for next month. I didn't know it was a retelling of house of usher. Pretty excited to hear that. 4w
29 likes1 stack add1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
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Grann explores another fascinating, lost to the mists of time moment in history that is fantastical & utterly compelling. With painstaking research, he examines a hard to believe story filled with hubris, the randomness of chance & what people will/won‘t do in the face of adversity. It is the stripping away of the thin veneer of humanity to what lies below when survival is at stake that makes this an unforgettable story about the human endeavor.

29 likes3 stack adds
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TracyReadsBooks
The Fox Wife: A Novel | Yangsze Choo
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Set in 1908 during the waning days of the Qing Empire, a detective with an uncanny ability to discern truth from lies investigates the death of a courtesan & comes across an even more incredible tale than he anticipated . At the same time, a young woman seeking vengeance joins a wealthy household as a servant hoping she‘ll find the one she‘s looking for. Engrossing historical fiction, a tale of murder, vengeance, & forgiveness. A really good read.

Texreader Great review!! Stacked! 4w
Crazeedi This sounds like a good one! Adding!! 4w
35 likes6 stack adds2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
North and South | Elizabeth Gaskell
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#Two4Tuesday

1. We last moved in 2003. Just completed a renovation of our home so we can lively here comfortably for another 20+ years. 🤞

2. Tagged book for a classic where a character moves. Billy Summers by Stephen King for a more recent one.

@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Great book choice! Thanks for playing! 4w
20 likes1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
Something Wilder | Christina Lauren
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Mehso-so

This was exactly what you would expect it to be—a by the numbers story about second chances & adventures gone wrong all wrapped up with a more or less satisfying HEA. Nothing wrong with it & it was enjoyable enough—great for an afternoon at the beach or a plane trip—but it is not particularly memorable & doesn‘t leave you wanting to rush off to buy another book by the duo.

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TracyReadsBooks
Something Wilder | Christina Lauren
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I can‘t be the only one who throws a book in the bag on my way to visit family knowing full well I mostly likely won‘t have any time to crack it open but nevertheless feel the need to cover my bases because you never know…maybe there will be 30 seconds here or there when I can sneak in a page or two… So, taking this book along for the ride. No idea if I‘ll actually get to start it…

Ruthiella It‘s good to have insurance! 1mo
Jari-chan Yes! You never know! 1mo
29 likes2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
100 Bullets Omnibus Vol. 1 | Brian Azzarello
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The comic standing up is one I got for free from my local comic shop—apparently the writer gave them a bunch of copies—and the two omnibus volumes below (100 issues or so in total) are what I bought in order to get to the free comic so that the story makes sense. 😬 It won lots of Eisner Awards so I‘m hoping for a good read.

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I read Vol. 6 before bed last night because reading James Tynion IV horror right before bed is a very, very good idea. 😬 It was excellent, of course, and now I‘m on to Vol. 7 which I anticipate will be equally awesome…as any multiple Eisner Awards winner should be…

22 likes1 stack add
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TracyReadsBooks
The Fox Wife: A Novel | Yangsze Choo
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Starting the weekend with this one…

rockpools Gorgeous cover 😍 1mo
24 likes1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
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Arden is a masterful writer able to situate readers in a time & place with such effortless ease that before you even realize you‘ve been transported to the battlefields of WWI, you find yourself there struggling to survive, searching for the missing, &, impossibly, finding reason to hope & dream in the midst of the horror. This haunting story about a sister looking for her missing brother as war rages is fantastic. I really enjoyed this one.

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TracyReadsBooks
The Book of Doors | Gareth Brown
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Mehso-so

I‘m likely an outlier on this book which I thought was ok but a story I likely won‘t remember. The premise is fantastic—magical books, people who collect them, & those that will kill to possess them—& the mystery, adventure, danger & twists are all the ingredients for a great story. And yet, I found myself ambivalent about the characters & the story. In fairness, this may be a me not the book issue. I think a lot of readers will love this one.

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TracyReadsBooks
The Book of Doors | Gareth Brown
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Today‘s reading…

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TracyReadsBooks
We Are Not Free | Traci Chee
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Yes it‘s cliche to say that truth is stranger than fiction & yet…Truth is also more horrifying, heartbreaking, frustrating, & enraging…all of which is encapsulated in this outstanding YA historical fiction about the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. I don‘t yet have all the words I need to write a well reasoned review because every time I think about what happened in the book/real life it makes me immeasurably sad. Excellent.

TheBookKeepers Ooooh. I‘ve had this on my TBR for a bit, I need to pick it up 1mo
TheBookHippie I heard this author speak it was heartbreaking - A Place Where Sunflowers Grow is a wonderful picture book by Amy Lee Tai, whose grandmother was sent to the Topaz internment camp during the war. 1mo
TracyReadsBooks @TheBookHippie Such an important book. I imagine it was quite powerful hearing the author speak about it. I‘ll look for A Place Where Sunflowers Grow. Thanks for letting me know about it! 1mo
33 likes3 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Carry On | Rainbow Rowell
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#Two4Tuesday

1. No particular plans but if I had to guess, I imagine we‘ll find ourselves on the couch watching tv. 😬😂

2. The tagged book is filled with friendship, romance, and lots of magic which makes it a great read for Valentine‘s Day.

@TheSpineView

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TracyReadsBooks
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I‘m simply not capable of resisting something with this title…and so far it does not disappoint. Great story and amazing, gloriously colorful art.

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TracyReadsBooks
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While it should be a contradiction to say that Liu and Takeda write and illustrate beautiful horror, it isn‘t. It‘s the genius, the sheer unmitigated brilliance of their collaboration. It‘s scary to begin with—I see you, you super creepy dolls—but then it gets even scarier because you simply cannot look away from Takeda‘s art. The book didn‘t suffer at all from middle book syndrome and I‘m looking forward to feasting my eyes on what happens next!

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TracyReadsBooks
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A little bit of this, a little bit of that in today‘s #bookhaul.

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TracyReadsBooks
We Are Not Free | Traci Chee
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Thursday morning reading…

#OnTheGo #ReadingOnTheTrain

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TracyReadsBooks
Bride | Ali Hazelwood
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I mean yeah, it was every bit as entertaining as I expected it to be. If you‘re a fan of Hazelwood‘s other books, you‘ll probably enjoy her foray into fantasy/paranormal romance too. It‘s a fun story set in an interesting world—I like the way in which she situated human/Were/Vampyre relationships—populated with fun characters. This initial story is wrapped up but there are dangling threads suggesting there might be more books in the future. Yay!

Booksofkell I loved this one!! 1mo
30 likes1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
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Loved it! So fun to return to this world! This collection of short stories includes prequel stories, several set during the events of the Celestial Kingdom duology, & an epilogue (which is everything you could hope for). The stories are told from a multitude of POVs giving readers a glimpse into the thoughts & hopes & dreams & of several different characters. If you enjoyed the duology, you‘ll enjoy this collection. I know I did. A great read!

25 likes1 stack add
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TracyReadsBooks
Untitled | Untitled
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Not untitled—just a new comic announced a few hours ago so it‘s way too new to be listed. Anyway, Skottie Young and Jorge Corona—the team behind Middlewest and The Me You Love in the Dark—are back with a dark western. It certainly looks very cool! First issue is out in May. Can. Not. Wait.

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TracyReadsBooks
Bride | Ali Hazelwood
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Just as soon as I finish work, I‘m going to make a really tough decision…I‘m totally going to have no trouble picking which one of these highly anticipated reads to start first…really l will have NO trouble…by which I mean it‘s going to be really hard to pick one over the other. 😬 Needless to say, I‘m excited to read both of these books…probably in quick succession.

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TracyReadsBooks
The Nine Cloud Dream | Kim Man-Jung
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A very interesting & entertaining tale—I really enjoyed this classic work (written in 17th c. Korea) of fiction. After a young monk succumbs to temptation, he is reincarnated as an ideal man and as he lives that life, he learns more about the Buddhist teachings he strayed from. The introduction provided excellent background & context for the story which definitely helped with understanding much of the nuance. A good read.

Ruthiella I love a good introduction (even though I sometimes read them after I‘ve read the book, not before). 1mo
25 likes1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
The Nine Cloud Dream | Kim Man-Jung
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Going with another classic this weekend. This one, written in the 17th century, is also from Korea and is regarded as a classic work like The Story of Hong Gildong which I read earlier in the week.

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Ruthless Vows | Rebecca Ross
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I liked, for the most part, but didn‘t love this sequel to Divine Rivals (which I thought was excellent). In the aftermath of a devastating attack, Iris & Roman find themselves separated & on different sides. As war rages, things will get much more complicated before there‘s a chance—if there is one—things will get better. I found myself often skimming as the story lacked the emotional depth I was hoping for. A low pick. #UnpopularOpinion? Maybe.

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TracyReadsBooks
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There‘s a lot of story packed into this slim volume which tells the story of a young mother who starts to speak in the voices of other women. What follows is a narrative of her life in which the everyday pervasiveness of sexism & misogyny, the weight of familial & societal expectations, & the confining limits of gender rolls takes center stage. It‘s a story that will be familiar to many women. An excellent book & my first 5 star read of 2024.

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TracyReadsBooks
Ruthless Vows | Rebecca Ross
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Next—excited to start this one. Ross never disappoints and I‘m anticipating a great read!

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Takeover | Cara Tanamachi
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Sure you know exactly how everything is going to play out from the very first page but that‘s okay because the pace is good, the banter snappy, & the story—former high school nemeses meet in an enemies to lovers story centered around the takeover of a tech company in Chicago—entertaining. I laughed out loud more than once and enjoyed this one.

Dragon Sounds fun - stacking ❤️🐉 2mo
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TracyReadsBooks
Story of Hong Gildong | Minsoo Kang
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This classic work of Korean fiction tells the story of the brilliant & talented but illegitimate son of a government official. Dismayed by his status, which means he can‘t address his father or brother as such, Hong Gildong leaves home. Thus begins a wonderful tale of adventure filled with magic, bandits, fame and glory, military prowess & much more. The introduction provides some great background on the origin & intent of the tale. A good read.

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TracyReadsBooks
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#Two4Tuesday

1. Tagged—absolutely loved this short story collection. I‘ll definitely read more by this author.

2. More than one actually—Tales of the Celestial Kingdom by Sue Lynn Tan (can‘t wait to return to this world), the new Katherine Arden book The Warm Hands of Ghosts and Bride by Ali Hazelwood. Lots of good reading to look forward to.

@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 2mo
16 likes1 comment