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Valink

Valink

Joined April 2016

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Valink
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I‘m squeezing in some reading time before getting my day started. I picked this from #BOTM this month mainly because I needed a different genre to complete the BOTM challenge, but I‘m a few pages in & I think I‘m really going to enjoy spending time with this family.

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Valink
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On a sailing trip with a friend & after two buddy reads we decided to read some of each other‘s favorites. She recommended A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to me & I recommended Beartown to her.

megnews ❤️ this one 3y
marleed Oooh, I loved them both. Had I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as a middle-schooler (well, junior high in my day) rather than a grandmother, I‘m pretty sure this would have been my favorite childhood book. 3y
Valink @megnews I don‘t know how I‘ve never read this!! 3y
Valink @marleed I already recommended Daisy Jones and a few others to her, so she‘s working her way through all my favorites! 3y
24 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Valink
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We spent the weekend on the boat, but we spent so much time having fun I didn‘t get much reading in. I‘m hoping for a few quiet hours so I can finish this up & check another book off my #BOTM reading challenge.

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Valink
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My knitting matches my book! #BOTM

Tera66 So pretty! 3y
24 likes1 comment
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Valink
Malibu Rising | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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I‘m making progress on the BOTM reading challenge! Somehow I read both books I ordered in June IN JUNE!! I‘m not sure if that‘s ever happened before! I have two fantasy books on my bookshelf, so once I read one of them the Genre category will be complete.

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Valink
One Last Stop | Casey McQuiston
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Most of my reading happens on the boat in the summer. I‘m already on to my second June #BOTM book and it‘s still June, so I‘m very impressed with myself right now!

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Valink
Malibu Rising | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Pickpick

I JUST finished Malibu Rising & I‘m already looking for a sequel! Does Taylor Jenkins Reid ever do that?

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Valink
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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I have 60 books in my #BOTM backlist 😳😳. Some I purchased some were passed on my by sisters who I share books with. I want to read 2021 books for the reading challenge, but any others that should be put on top of the stack?

monalyisha I just read the Emily Henry & it was both quick & a delight! 3y
monalyisha I also *loved* Circe but it‘s not as fast-moving — so that‘s something to consider. 3y
LiteraryinPA This picture makes me so happy. So many amazing choices! 3y
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brittanyreads I'm starting Honey Girl right now to complete my debut badge! Ariadne is on my TBR(soon). As is The Guest List and People we Meet on Vacation! 3y
Tera66 You got a great start of a book fort!👏 3y
Valink @monalyisha that‘s exactly what I need, thanks! I have that book in my “summer reading” pile. 3y
Valink @LiteraryinLititz SOOOOO many!! lol 3y
Valink @BrittanyReads I started Ariadne this weekend, so hopefully I‘ll get lost in it & finish quickly. 3y
Valink @Tera66 this is just a small part of my overall collection, and I only keep books I haven‘t read yet! 3y
brittanyreads Ooh! Can't wait to see what you think of it 3y
15 likes11 comments
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Valink
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Looking for help! I‘m buying books for my nephews in 8th & 11th grade & want to give one of them this series. Which age would it be best for? I read it years ago & don‘t remember. And any suggestions for the other nephew? I haven‘t seen them since last Christmas & I‘m having a hard time figuring out what they are interested in lately.

LibrarianRyan Tell me a little more about them. This I‘d say either. It‘s a cusp novel. Some other good series started to think about: 8th grade slays by Brewer (vampires are coming back in). Teen Killer club for the 11th. #murdertrending (11). Being that it‘s a new Prime series maybe Stormbreaker by Horowitz. The books start 8th grade okay but age as the teens age. For either age Illuminae. It looks HUGe but it‘s a fast read. 4y
LibrarianRyan You could go classic like The Book of 3 which is the first book of the Pridyan Chronicles (the black cauldron) by Alexander. Or do modern Fantasy with Redwall by Jacques. Both would be fine for either. 4y
LibrarianRyan For your 11th Escape from the furnace. Fantasy about a prison for teens. It‘s modern but feels a but feels a bit steam punk and also a bit like the first GI joe move. But I LOvE it!!! If they like movie monsters there is Dept 19. It has a new world war take on classic monsters like Frankenstein. You could go for Eragon by Paolini. He wrote it when he was 15. Either age appropriate but a bit dense if they are not a reader. 4y
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LibrarianRyan The Amulet of Samarkand. It‘s book 1 of the Bartemaus trilogy. Then there‘s the Secrets of the immortal Nicolas Flamel. They have new editions with eye catching covers in stores now. If they like playing fantasy video games try Rangers Apprentice. But be sure to start with the first series. Revenge of the witch was a great movie turned into a horror or movie (seventh son uggghh). 4y
LibrarianRyan For the 11th grade I would also probably suggest classic fantasy like Dune, iRobot, Do Androids Deam of Electric Sleep, or even HG wells or Lovecraft. 4y
LibrarianRyan Okay, I‘ll stop now. If those don‘t sound get kit me up with more info on the boys and I‘ll do a new list. 4y
Valink @LibrarianRyan thank you for all the suggestions! I was so stuck so I‘m glad I have somethings to look into. The 8th grader is such a sweet mush. Into football, cooking, saxophone & building things. I often get him activity books that we can do a project or two from together on Christmas, but I think he‘s out of that phase. The 11th is tougher. Into rap with tons of cursing and recently started weightlifting. Both a little immature for their ages (edited) 4y
Valink @LibrarianRyan this was what my son was in to when he was in HS, though the only one he read was electric sheep. I may get him a few books too. He loved Ray Bradbury so he would often pick his books for road trip audiobooks but I really didn‘t like the narrator he used, so that ruined the books for me! (Currently in his second year of college and reads a mix of graphic novels and very dense books) 4y
12 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Valink
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I‘m trying to work my way through some of my #BOTM books, but the pup wants attention.

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Valink
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I somehow inadvertently read three books in a row about suicide. Like the last one I just read, it‘s clear that the author has had his own struggles with mental health and his open approach here is appreciated. There were absolutely no surprises in this book, it progressed exactly as I thought it would, but it was still sweet and a delightful read. As much as a book about suicide can be.

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Valink
Anxious People: A Novel | Fredrik Backman
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Pickpick

I fell in love with Fredrick Backman‘s writing through the Beartown books. This was a very different kind of book, but by the end I loved it just as much. This is about a bank robbery gone wrong, and accidental hostage situation, love, loss, family, and suicide. As a social worker I appreciated the open and honest approach he took, and the resources he provided for those who may be having thoughts of suicide.

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Valink
Anxious People: A Novel | Fredrik Backman
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I think I am also “the sort of thirty-nine year old whose daily consumption of cheese and carbohydrates was more likely to be classified medically as a cry for help rather than a diet.” Except I‘m 42 and he forgot to mention the wine.

cathysaid 😂😂😂😂 #litsyconfessions 4y
17 likes1 comment
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Valink
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Today marks the beginning of suicide prevention week. I think this authors note is great and I wish more media dealing with suicide was as thoughtful. As a Social Worker I received zero training on suicide prevention in grad school, but am now a certified trainer on the topic. We can‘t just expect people to reach out though, as a colleague said the other day, we need to help people create lives worth living.

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Valink
They Wish They Were Us | Jessica Goodman
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Reading a book set on Long Island while sitting on my sailboat on the LI Sound, mentioned several times already in the book. My daughter was a very average kid who graduated from a private school w/ peers as privileged as the kids in the book. They haven‘t mentioned a town yet, but there was mention of a local planetarium and an oyster festival, both of which we do have. I found it fitting that these two fancy boats came & anchored next to to us!

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Valink
They Wish They Were Us | Jessica Goodman
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I‘m a sucker for books set on Long Island, where I live. I‘ve been having a hard time getting into anything this past week. Everything I pick up is too heavy. So, rich kids behaving badly? I‘m in.

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Valink
Valentine | ELIZABETH. WETMORE
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I have some catching up to do in this one....

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Valink
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Both of my sisters subscribing to #BOTM means picking a book is a group decision! I went with one current book and 2 former choices. We‘ll eventually pass the books on to each other.

BennettBookworm That‘s such a great idea! 4y
21 likes1 comment
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Valink
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We have an 11 hour trip home on this our last day of vacation, and I‘m about to start my 5th book of the trip. I usually get through a book a week if I‘m lucky, so this is a lot for me! I get motion sick, but it‘s improved significantly the last few years. Even so, I can only read when it‘s calm. Fingers crossed for 11 hours of calm seas and favorable winds so we can get these sails up!

IamIamIam Gorgeous! Have a safe trip!!! 4y
Valink @IamIamIam thank you! It wound up taking 13 hours, much of it with rough seas and not a single minute of favorable winds, but we‘re home safe and I did get to read about 150 pages! 4y
31 likes2 comments
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Valink
Mrs. Everything | Jennifer Weiner
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Pickpick

I was a little behind on my Goodreads reading challenge, but a socially distanced 10 day sailing trip caught me up! Thankfully I enjoyed all the books I read on the trip. Mrs Everything was my first Jennifer Weiner, and it makes we want to read more, but I understand this is her only historical fiction. We‘ve come a long way, but we still have so much further to go.

monalyisha That sounds so lovely. 😭 4y
23 likes1 comment
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Valink
Mrs. Everything | Jennifer Weiner
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Vacation book number 4. And rum punch. We‘re on a mooring today & tomorrow with nothing to do but hang out on the boat and relax. I‘m hoping to make a dent in this before returning to reality.

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Valink
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Started vacation book number 3 today and I‘m flying through it. Location: Block Island where I have never seen the Boat Basin or the mooring field emptier. We walked in to town today & people seemed to be very good about masks and distancing, and most stores had hand sanitizer at the door, almost all of them were selling masks.

Johanna414 I really liked this one! 4y
17 likes1 comment
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Valink
Pachinko | Min Jin Lee
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My second book of vacation. This was accidentally left outside last night on the boat. And we got some unexpected rain starting around 4.... at 6:30ish I went looking for my book, which was already pretty wet! Thankfully I took the jacket off so that wasn‘t ruined. The book is great so far, as is vacation

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Valink
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Pickpick

I know there was some controversy over the similarities between this book and another. I haven‘t read the other, but I enjoyed this. I do plan to read the other books, but the similarities I‘ve read about don‘t scream “plagiarism” to me.

keys_on_fire I haven‘t read the other book yet either, but if they were published within only 6 months of each other, they must have been writing them at the same time. Don‘t know how plagiarism could‘ve been a factor here... (edited) 4y
Valink @keys_on_fire I‘m not super savvy about the publishing industry, but this seemed like coincidence to me. I definitely want to read the other book, particularly after reading this one. I want to hear more about these remote librarians. And in The Bookwoman the main character is a blue person, which is fascinating to me! 4y
keys_on_fire I‘ve not heard that term, ‘blue person‘ so I‘m gonna have to look that up! 4y
Valink @keys_on_fire they are literally blue. It has to do with a very rare generic trait. But really, they had me at badass female librarian. 4y
25 likes4 comments
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Valink
The Cuban Affair | Nelson DeMille
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I forgot my book at home & this was on the boat. No clue where it came from, and not my usual read, but I‘m desperate for a book!

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Valink
Normal People | Sally Rooney
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Starting a new book while escaping the chaos of the real world out on the water this weekend. #BOTM

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Valink
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I‘m picking my books based on how much room they take up on my shelf. My bookshelf is so full I can‘t fit another skinny paperback on it, so this book needs to be up next & passed on. Fortunately I hear good things about it & Once Upon a Book Club boxes are always fun.

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Valink
Bonfire | Krysten Ritter
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I dug deep in to my #BOTM stash for this one!

Megabooks That‘s definitely backlist!! 😁 5y
Valink @Megabooks 2017 I think! 5y
Megabooks @Valink yes it is! Some of us read every 2017 botm, so I remember that year well! 😂😂 5y
Valink @Megabooks that‘s dedication!! 5y
35 likes4 comments
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Valink
The Dutch House | Ann Patchett
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I 100% definitely picked this as my next audiobook because Tom Hanks narrates it. I don‘t expect Ann Patchett to disappoint either!

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Valink
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Highly entertained to see The Book with no Pictures right under the sign for “Picture Books”!

tracey38 🤔😆 5y
27 likes1 comment
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Valink
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And on to the next book while waiting for it to be time to go home.

ItsAnotherJen I loooove this cover! I have this on my wish list. It looks like a good book. 5y
GloVerdino You‘re gonna have so many books to swap on Christmas! 5y
Valink @GloVerdino if I actually finish them and don‘t take books out of the library instead!! 5y
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Valink @JenFowler I‘m enjoying it so far! 5y
brit91 Cute reading buddy you have there 5y
Valink @brit91 thank you! She always has a sad face but I promise she is happy and well cared for! She‘s a literally pup- named Scout like in To Kill a Mockingbird. 5y
33 likes6 comments
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Valink
Nothing to See Here | Kevin Wilson
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Pickpick

This was just the escape I needed over a holiday weekend during which I was trying to avoid offensive/insulting comments from family members. The book was cute. Very quick read and I love weird quirky characters.

Amiable Ugh. Navigating family is tricky. I feel your pain. Glad you were able to find an escape! 5y
Gaylagal2 I needed an escape too. A couple family members wanted to talk about guns and drump. I finally had to say ENOUGH!! 😬🙄 HAHAHA And that's why I sometimes hate the holidays but LOVE Litsy and reading...my happy place 🤓❤️ 5y
Valink @Gaylagal2 oh man!! Luckily we avoided politics, but they wanted to counsel me on my finances. No thank you. 5y
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Valink @Amiable The positive is that by hiding from the family was able to finish the book in less than 24 hours! Lol 5y
Gaylagal2 @Valink I'm really looking forward to reading this🤙 5y
Valink @Gaylagal2 it was a cute read. I expected something a little deeper so it wasn‘t what I expected, but I liked it. 5y
27 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Valink
All This Could Be Yours | Jami Attenberg
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I‘ve been looking forward to this!!! Hubby will be working OT this weekend, and I have Friday off, so I‘ll have three whole days home alone to read this.

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Valink
Dispatches from the Edge | Anderson Cooper
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Anderson Cooper was the speaker for Brick City Weekend (Parents weekend/Homecoming) at my son‘s school, RIT. He was funny and adorable and I want to read his books now.

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Valink
The World That We Knew | Alice Hoffman
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My Dr appt yesterday was right by B&N, so really it would have been silly of me NOT to stop and pick up a few new books....

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I agree!! You would have needed another appointment to see if you were alright had you not stopped!! 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
erzascarletbookgasm It would have been rude not to pay a visit! 😉 5y
ljuliel Your treat for behaving at the Dr‘s office. 5y
30 likes3 comments
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Valink
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Pickpick

Heartbreaking and beautiful.

Tera66 I loved this book! 5y
marleed @Tera66 me too! 5y
15 likes2 comments
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Valink
We Were Liars | E Lockhart
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I wound up leaving knitting group last night with a book one of my friends recently finished. We often talk about books & pass them around between us. One woman drives me nuts though “I just read this book, it was great, it‘s a library book so I can‘t pass it on, but you should all read it” ok, what‘s the name/author? “I don‘t know, I read so much I can‘t keep track of that” 😂😂

cathysaid Gorgeous yarn! I'm knitting one in a similar pattern that is solid red but I like this much better. 👍 5y
Valink @cathysaid thank you! This is yarn I got from The Rhinebeck sheep and wool festival last year. I‘ve been knitting these socks ALL year because I keep getting distracted with other projects, so I‘m excited to be almost finished! 5y
Mdargusch My knitting group shares books and reading tips too. Love your socks! 5y
28 likes3 comments
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Valink
Looking for Alaska | John Green
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Reading Looking for Alaska while drinking coffee from my Alaska mug. I heard this is about to be a Netflix series, so I added it to my TBR. This was actually my daughter‘s book that she was donating and I rescued to read before giving it away.

Lovesbooks87 It going to be on Hulu starting October the 18th. 5y
MidnightBookGirl I love a book and mug pairing! ;)
5y
Valink @Lovesbooks87 oops, yes, Hulu! I don‘t know if/when I‘ll actually watch it since all I seem to watch lately are shows about zoos, but it was a good reason to move this up the TBR list! 5y
Valink @MidnightBookGirl I couldn‘t resist! 5y
Erinreadsthebooks The mug is beautiful 😍 5y
33 likes5 comments
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Valink
Light from Other Stars | Erika Swyler
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Pickpick

I was unsure about if I liked this book or not until the last 20% or so. I have to admit that I just didn‘t understand the science and couldn‘t picture some of the things that were being explained. It was the human parts of it that I liked, the connection between Nedda and all those that surrounded her, both on earth an in space.

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Valink
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I was presenting at a Behavioral Health Town Hall this morning an hour away from my office and finished my audiobook on the drive out, so I‘m downloading my book for the drive home now!

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Valink
Nothing to See Here | Kevin Wilson
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I think I get more excited than I should for the #BOTM selections each month! There were several I wanted, along with several backlist that I have my eye on, but I‘m trying to work through some books I already own so I limited myself to just one book this month.

cathysaid More excited than you should? For a book? Psssshhh...no such thing! 5y
21 likes1 comment
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Valink
The Testaments | Margaret Atwood
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My library book expires on Weds, so I‘m trying to squeeze in reading time wherever I can!

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Valink
The Great Alone | Kristin Hannah
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Vacation reading. We flew out to Seattle on Friday & today we board a cruise ship bound for Alaska. This has been my dream trip for 17 years- we waited until we were empty nesters to take it. I‘m super excited to read about Alaska with a backdrop of Alaskan mountains and glaciers!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Oh wow!! Have fun!!! ❤️❤️ 5y
42 likes1 comment
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Valink
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I started listing to this on my way home from work today and so far it‘s adorable!

marleed One of my favorites of this genre! 5y
23 likes1 comment
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Valink
The Empty Nesters | Carolyn Brown
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I‘m dropping my youngest off for his first year of college. I have a few minutes before the next event starts, so I pulled out my kindle and this is the ad that popped up when I opened it. Targeted advertising or coincidence?

LibrarianRyan I'd say targeted advertising. I put nothing past Amazon. 5y
27 likes1 comment
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Valink
Light from Other Stars | Erika Swyler
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I‘m 1/4 through this book and saw the author tweet yesterday that she would be at a library close to my job tonight. Perfect timing! I love her moon dress and kick ass red boots! Here she‘s reading a passage about the Challenger explosion. I was about the same age as the main character and remember watching with horror in school as it happened live.

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Valink
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My 11 year old niece just joined Goodreads and her book reviews are my new favorite thing ever! Her review of this book made me immediately place a library hold for it.

Jas16 That is a great review! 5y
MelissaSue81 What a great review! I was considering having my 10 year old join goodreads just today! Maybe I will! 5y
CouronneDhiver 🙌🏽🙌🏽 5y
27 likes3 comments
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Valink
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One of my favorite movies. I‘m hoping I love the book just as much!

Blueberry You will ♡ 5y
wanderinglynn Love this book! I hope you enjoy it! ❤ 5y
Valink @Blueberry @wanderinglynn - I haven‘t even finished the intro and I already love it! 5y
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AsYouWish I for one, highly recommend it!!! A bit different from the movie, but still really good!! 5y
Chelsea.Poole I love it 😊 5y
brit91 One of my all time favorites!!😍📚 5y
32 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Valink
Untitled | Anonymous
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I signed up for a free trial of Kindle Unlimited so I could read the Harry Potter books on vacation without having to wait for my library loan to come through (there are still wait lists all these years later!!). Are there any other good books available through this platform? I haven‘t come across any that were really on my radar yet.

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Valink
The Last Book Party | Karen Dukess
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I forgot I even requested this from the library, but the timing is perfect since I finished Marlena last night. #booksonboats