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AmyWrites

AmyWrites

Joined May 2016

Read. Write. Repeat.
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AmyWrites
Mrs. Fletcher: A Novel | Tom Perrotta
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I've never been a fan of Tom Perrotta...but I am LOVING this! Can't put it down!

Notafraidofwords Never read any of his books. 7y
AmyWrites @Notafraidofwords I've tried a few...and they were so blah I couldn't finish them. This one is different. Very compelling characters and I love what he's examining through their eyes. 7y
Reviewsbylola I love his books! Can't wait to get a copy of this. 7y
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AmyWrites @Reviewsbylola can you give me recommendations of your faves? 7y
Reviewsbylola I thought Election was hilarious but I also loved The Leftovers and Little Children as well. 7y
AmyWrites @Reviewsbylola awesome! Thank you! 7y
7 likes6 comments
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AmyWrites
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Panpan

Bad writing, ridiculous plot, awful dialogue. It's been a long time since I've bothered with a book this disappointing, and it was a vacation read to boot. 😕

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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

This was an excellent read...and after just visiting the National Museum of African American History in Washington, DC last weekend it was timely for me. (I think every white American should be required to visit, fwiw) Hard to feel any misty-eyed patriotism about our first president after reading this.

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AmyWrites
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Very well-written and, even though this occurred in 1924, shockingly relevant to today.

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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

Thanks, Elena Ferrante, for taking a whole month of my life as I read the Neapolitan novels. (See my messy coffee table? Housework untouched) I'm on the last one, racing to the end at the same time I want to slow it down and make it never end.

Ericmanciniwriter This is an example of a book I'd never just pick up based on how the cover looks - but can't wait to read based on all the praise on Litsy 8y
AmyWrites I resisted all of these novels because of the awful covers. I'm so glad two separate people urged me to overlook them. Oh, and start with the first book: My Brilliant Friend. 8y
Abailliekaras I love her so much. I felt like I was in Italy reading these... Beautiful translation by Ann Goldstein. ❤️👌 8y
AmyWrites @Abailliekaras me too! I feel like I've lived in that neighborhood, with these people. I think I'm going to feel a kind a kind of grief when it's all done and I don't know what's going on with them any more. 😩 8y
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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

This was a funny and beautifully-written book, a mix of memoir and information (interview excerpts with pianists, the story of Steinway pianos, etc). My piano teacher recommended it, since, like Noah Adams, I'm learning piano as an adult without having had any music as a child. It's a wonderful adventure. 🎼

jessberk13 I highly recommend listening to Andrew McMahon music - piano rock! His bands are Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness 8y
AmyWrites @jessica thank you, I will check him out! 8y
Autumn I'll have to read this! I have hit a difficult area in my piano lessons & I'm struggling to enjoy it still😧 8y
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AmyWrites @Autumn Reading this is a boost! He tries to teach himself (in 1995) using a computer program. It is ridiculous and hilarious. 😀 8y
Autumn Nice photo, by the way😀 8y
AmyWrites @Autumn why thank you 😎 8y
BB1958 Sounds interesting. My sister was a talented pianist growing up- a relative - head of a college music department-told her "don't major in piano in college if you want to keep enjoying it" he was sorta kidding ( she chose finance). This book goes on my list- thanks Amy 7y
AmyWrites @BB1958 that seems to be the case with just about anything we love, doesn't it? 7y
13 likes1 stack add8 comments
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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

I love this book. I've gotten it twice from the library now and probably just need to buy it.

brendanmleonard I need to read this. 8y
Shortstack This has been on my wish list forever!! 8y
AmyWrites @Shortstack @brendanmleonard It's very easy to read...1-2 pages on each artist so you can pick up and read anywhere! 8y
14 likes1 stack add3 comments
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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

Spent some time with Helen Schulman in Sicily...and finally came home and read one of her books! I liked this book a lot. It's not a perfect book--I did not like the ending--but it's funny and poignant and this was a compelling story without easy answers.

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AmyWrites
Days of Abandonment | Elena Ferrante
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Pickpick

Was feeling kind of meh about trying Ferrante until someone told me at my writing conference in Sicily that I MUST read Days of Abandonment...and it did not disappoint. Ferrante is a genius. (Picture taken from the top of Erice at the Norman castle ruins, overlooking the Mediterranean in Sicily).

WordWaller Writing conference in Sicily?? Sign me up!! 😍😍😍 8y
AmyWrites @WordWaller it was incredible. Bread Loaf in Sicily. Absolute magic. ❤️ 8y
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AmyWrites
Lust & Wonder: A Memoir | Augusten Burroughs
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Pickpick

This was hilarious and insightful. Burroughs has grown up a lot, both in life and in writing. A very entertaining read.

shawnmooney Oh, has his writing gotten better? I must say I hated 8y
AmyWrites @shawnmooney I loved Running With Scissors...but I listened to it on audiobook and I think that was a different experience (he narrated it and it was absolutely hilarious). He just seems much more mature in this memoir. And yes, better writing. 8y
13 likes2 comments
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AmyWrites
Homegoing: A novel | Yaa Gyasi
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So am I the only one who's just not loving this book? I was so excited to read it...and I'm a little more than halfway through and I am so not into it. I think it has to do with the constant shifting protagonist. Just as I get to caring about a character (and some I don't really care about), they disappear and we move on to the next generation. I'm almost ready to bail. Should I keep at it??

Notafraidofwords I think it's totally worth it to keep going. I think in the end, you will see a bigger picture. What helped me was to see them as short stories instead. 8y
DivineDiana I agree with @Notafraidofwords strategy to help you let the characters go. It is a wonderful book, well worth finishing! 8y
mllemay Exactly what @Notafraidofwords said! 8y
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AmyWrites Thank you all, @mllemay @DivineDiana @Notafraidofwords ! I will keep trudging through. I *do* see the bigger picture and I think it's very valuable, but so far I'm just not connecting with this book. I feel like a bad person saying that. 😖 8y
Notafraidofwords @AmyWrites oh no. Don't feel that way. Not every book is for every reader. Plus I struggled through it too around the middle point so I see your point. 8y
mllemay @AmyWrites don't feel bad about it at all!! I think it's still worth finishing this one because of the big picture and intergenerational aspect of it, but you might still not like it when you're done and that's perfectly fine. Life would be boring if we all thought the same things about every book 😉 8y
AmyWrites @Notafraidofwords that DOES help to know, that you struggled at the midway point. That's exactly where I am! I think I would have bailed by now but it's a rare book that I actually bought so I'm trying to get through it on principle. 😃 8y
AmyWrites @mllemay thank you 😍 8y
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AmyWrites
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This book is incredible; Mary Roach is pure genius. It's funny and gruesome and fascinating....and regardless of my feelings on war and the current state of politics, I can't help but read it and be overcome with gratitude to those who serve or have served.

Christimariea What a fascinating subject for a book. The quote made me so sad! 8y
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AmyWrites
Miss Jane | Brad Watson
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Very excited to read this. Heard the author interviewed on a podcast and he sounded so lovely.

MrBook Great cover! 😊 8y
Hazel0303 5 people ahead of me on my hold!! 8y
AmyWrites @Hazel0303 I put mine on hold last night and it was here today! I totally lucked out! 8y
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AmyWrites @MrBook I know, right? 8y
Hazel0303 @AmyWrites That is awesome! I think I put a hold on it two weeks ago. It's okay though, plenty to read in the meantime. 8y
AmyWrites @Hazel0303 always plenty to read 😀 8y
Hazel0303 @AmyWrites also, forgot to mention that I think this cover is so beautiful. 8y
AmyWrites @Hazel0303 I know, isn't it? Beautiful artwork. 8y
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AmyWrites
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I cannot put this down.

Autumn Ooh, I must get! 8y
Ericmanciniwriter Good title! 8y
AmyWrites @Eamann @Autumn I finished it in two days. It's been a long time since I've been that riveted by a book. 8y
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AmyWrites
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#uniquefact about me. I was a dog trainer for 11 years and owned my own business. I taught basic obedience classes using clicker training and I specialized in behavior modification for severe behavior problems such as aggression and separation anxiety. I loved my job--LOVED it--and miss it sometimes still. I closed my business when I started my family, but I had been doing it a long time and was ready for a break. Someday...I might be back.

Megabooks Fantastic! 👏🏻👏🏻 8y
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AmyWrites
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Oh I am so so SO excited for this! I hope it's as good as Bernadette was. 🙏🏻

BookishMarginalia I loved Bernadette too! 8y
Autumn Let us know! 8y
Megabooks I bailed for the time being. I may pick it up again. I hope you enjoy it more!! 8y
AmyWrites @Ebooksandcooks well I didn't realize it wasn't new...it was her first novel! She's supposed to be coming out with another one this year but I thought this was the new one because it's a new printing. Sigh. Hopefully I like it anyway. 😃 8y
16 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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AmyWrites
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So excited about this cookbook...already made one recipe (Superhero Muffins) which my entire family went crazy for. Also, it is super fun to see how Shalane Flanagan actually eats. It's real food, and it's good!

Autumn Show me more! 8y
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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

Both my babies have loved this book more than any other. Son #2 was late to fall in love with it, but now he says soft "neighs" and "woofs" as we read. ❤️

britt_brooke 😍 8y
SusanInTiburon Look how cute he is! 💜 8y
Reviewsbylola My four year old loves Eric Carle. She just got this one for her birthday and I have already had to read it multiple times. 8y
AmyWrites @Reviewsbylola My four year old does too! Pancakes Pancakes was a big hit around here recently. 😃 8y
AmyWrites @SusanInTiburon thank you! 😊 8y
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AmyWrites
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Bailed on Midnight in Sicily...the narrative was too masculine, too hard-edged. This, however, is absolutely lovely. Author married a Sicilian man and moved there, and this is her tale of their lives with their children there. A beautiful immersion in Sicilian life and culture.

Autumn Perfect! 8y
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AmyWrites
Rebecca | Daphne Du Maurier, Dame
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Pickpick

I read Rebecca for my freshman honors English class in high school and I felt as if my eyes had been opened. I had always loved to read, but that was the book that made reading essential to my life. (With conservatory photo, since conservatories remind me of the book. And Clue 😀)

LitHousewife I love what you said about this book making reading essential for you. ☺️ 8y
AmyWrites Thank you, @LitHousewife! 😀 8y
Well-ReadNeck Yes!!! This may be my favorite book of all time. I read it young as well and it made a similarly strong impression on me. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 8y
Varshitha Nice book!! Rebecca is in my TBR for a very long time.. 8y
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AmyWrites
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Reading for my trip! Only six weeks till we go! 🛩🛩

Autumn I'm so excited for you! 8y
AmyWrites @Autumn Thank you! I can't wait to hear all about YOUR trip to the other side of the pond! 😀 8y
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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

So much love for this book. Maybe my favorite craft book ever.

AmyWrites @Autumn I have been rereading bits of it tonight and it is still just as helpful as all the other times I've read it! 😄 8y
Autumn I can very publicly thank you again for my copy that I go to often🌺 8y
AmyWrites @Autumn Don't thank me...we need to write Louise a letter and thank her!! 8y
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AmyWrites
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Just a little light reading for the treadmill. 😂 It's too damn hot to even take a walk outside.

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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

One of my all-time favorites.

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AmyWrites
How to Avoid Making Art (or Anything Else You Enjoy) | Julia Cameron, Elizabeth Cameron Evans, Elizabeth Cameron
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I love this one too...and have struggled with my own equally-ridiculous versions of this ("If I don't have three full hours to write, then I won't"). Having kids took care of that one, more or less. Now I write in 20-minute increments. ?

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AmyWrites
How to Avoid Making Art (or Anything Else You Enjoy) | Julia Cameron, Elizabeth Cameron Evans, Elizabeth Cameron
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Pickpick

This is such a great little book, full of cheeky cartoons about reasons to avoid making art (or writing or acting or basket-weaving or whatever you love).

BookBabe Cute! I love Julia Cameron's illustrations. Somebody should get me this as a present. *ahem* @MrBook 😉 8y
AmyWrites @BookBabe I think her sister did the illustrations! And yes, they are cute. 😃 8y
MrBook @BookBabe I don't think @AmyWrites should gift it to you. 😜 8y
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AmyWrites @BookBabe @MrBook Glad I could assist today, friends. 😄 8y
BookBabe @AmyWrites ah, yes, quite right. Must give credit where credit is due. Sorry, Elizabeth. 😜👍🏻 8y
BookBabe @MrBook Let it hereby be known that anyone is welcome to gift me any book they wish, at any time. Far be it from me to stop them. 🙃 8y
MrBook @BookBabe Don't worry, I get you a years' worth of books from time to time anyway, let alone the special occasions 😎👍🏻. 8y
10 likes1 stack add7 comments
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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

The world needs more parenting books like this. "Misbehavior" is just an unmet need. Things get so much simpler when we cut out all the erroneous beliefs about why kids do what they do!

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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

At the beginning of my morning run. Love all the books by the Another Mother Runner ladies. This first book got me started racing again four years ago.

Gulfsidemusing Love the photo! 8y
MrBook Say that five times fast! "another mother runner" If I attempted, I'd look and sound like I've come from the dentist's office and the anesthesia still hasn't weakened much yet. ? 8y
17 likes2 comments
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AmyWrites
The Last American Man | Elizabeth Gilbert
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Pickpick

What an outstanding read...SO well-written, often funny, fascinating story in a compelling narrative. Couldn't put it down. I'll be thinking about Eustace Conway for a long time to come.

DivineDiana I have this in my TBR pile. Signed by Elizabeth Gilbert. I actually bought it at her lovely store in Frenchtown, NJ. 8y
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AmyWrites
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Super excited about this one...

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AmyWrites
The Last American Man | Elizabeth Gilbert
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I think this is going to be a great read. I ❤️ Elizabeth Gilbert.

Autumn I've never even heard of this! Can't wait to hear how it is😃 8y
AmyWrites @Autumn It was a National Book Award finalist! One of her earlier books. I already love it. 8y
MrBook 😂 Sounds like something my mom would say. 8y
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AmyWrites
The Girls: A Novel | Emma Cline
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Pickpick

I know there have been mixed reviews, but I loved this book and I will tell you why: Cline has perfectly encapsulated the roiling emotions of adolescent girls, and how females are commodified. I was jarred by how spot on she was, and it brought back a surge of memories/feelings. Not all good.

WordWaller I feel the same way! 8y
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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

An unassuming and beautiful memoir...gifted to me by my favorite professor upon completing my senior thesis. ❤️

MrBook Beautiful cover. 8y
AmyWrites @MrBook Matches the quality of the text! 8y
MrBook 😊👍🏻 8y
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MrBook You talked me into it. 8y
AmyWrites @MrBook I'm glad! You'll have to post a review. It's a lovely book. 8y
MrBook Absolutely 😊. Part of the finder's fee, lol. 8y
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AmyWrites
Elsewhere | Richard Russo
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Pickpick

Everyone's been posting about Richard Russo lately so I thought I would share my pick. I loved this memoir about Russo's relationship with his mother...their mother-son bond was complicated in a very human way.

Gulfsidemusing Just finished a Russo novel today. Would love to read this memoir! 8y
BB1958 Russo's memoir comes to mind every Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there- my 87 year old mom will be with us next weekend to see her youngest granddaughter graduate high school. 7y
AmyWrites @BB1958 how wonderful! Enjoy your time together! 7y
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AmyWrites
The Girls: A Novel | Emma Cline
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Hanging out on the porch on a beautiful evening, just starting this and nibbling on some chocolate. 👍🏻 Edited to add: this relaxing scene has been interrupted at least four times by the 4-year-old wanting drinks, potty, medicine, etc. post-bedtime. 🙄

Abailliekaras That has happened to me so many times! 😬 8y
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AmyWrites
Under the Tuscan Sun | Frances Mayes
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Pickpick

You might be able to see how much I loved this book by how wrinkled the cover is. Mayes's skill and experience as a poet is so obvious in her beautiful prose. I might need to reread this before we go to Italy in September.

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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

Such a lovely read.

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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

Great book...slow in parts, but the last half was suspenseful. Bleak but beautiful writing.

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AmyWrites
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Hanging out in the camper reading while the baby sleeps. It's a beautiful Independence Day weekend!

Notafraidofwords Perfect place to read this book. 8y
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AmyWrites
A Banquet of Consequences | Elizabeth George
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This is just a portion of my TBR pile. 😬 What to read first?

Megabooks All things cease to appear!!!! 8y
JillMoore1226 Imagine Me Gone!! 8y
Autumn I loved A Short History of Tractors... 8y
AmyWrites You guys are not helping! 😝 I started with Imagine Me Gone and got fifty pages in...it is sloooow. So I picked up All Things Cease to Appear and got into that immediately! 8y
14 likes5 comments
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AmyWrites
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Another awesome quote that I want to rip out of the book and tape to the wall.

Notafraidofwords This is an amazing quote. 8y
Autumn Exactly! 8y
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AmyWrites
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Loving this book.

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AmyWrites
Red Truck | Kersten Hamilton
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Pickpick

I've already read this to the baby eleven times this morning. It's his very favorite book...he wanders around the house begging for "kuh kuck." (Red truck) ?

Reviewsbylola That is so cute! You are a much nicer mom. Two times in a row of the same book is my limit. 😂 8y
AmyWrites @Reviewsbylola I've been trying to get him into reading for months...he's 17 months now and it's finally clicked so I am happy to read a lot. 😃 Plus, he's the baby of the family...and there's just something different about the baby. 💜 8y
9 likes2 comments
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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

And my other Bible. ❤️❤️ (I think I go to this one more often than The Places That Scare You. But I love them both)

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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

My Bible. ❤️

SusanInTiburon Pema tells the truth about the world as it is, and about the ways we are in it. 🙏🏽 8y
AmyWrites @Susanintiburon She sure does. So wise. 8y
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AmyWrites
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A few of my CNF craft guides and "fun books" for writing play and inspiration. Favorite at the top. ?

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AmyWrites
The Sympathizer | Viet Thanh Nguyen
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Bailedbailed

Aaand another bail for me. I want to like it but I can't. Narrator's not intriguing and there are pages and pages of exposition without anything happening.

Oblomov26 I finished it but found it unrelenting grim 8y
AmyWrites @Oblomov26 I've never required a happy story and can handle my fair share of grim, but unrelenting? I'm glad I bailed. 😃 8y
Oblomov26 @AmyWrites not sure if I was in the wrong frame of mind when I read this ... It is on my list for a revisit to see if I missed something 8y
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AmyWrites
Modern Lovers | Emma Straub
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Bailedbailed

Meh. I quit. I really loved The Vacationers--and I hate to disparage someone's writing because writing is hard work--but I couldn't get past twenty pages of this.

Hazel0303 You know @AmyWrites I have been toying with bailing on this also. I'm around half way through and am struggling. I think it kind of just bores me more than anything else. 8y
Megabooks Really? I liked it more than The Vacationers. 8y
AmyWrites @Hazel0303 yep. I was bored. Nothing hooked me. Like is there anything less interesting to open a book with than a meeting of the neighborhood book club? 😕 8y
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AmyWrites @Ebooksandcooks I loved The Vacationers! Isn't it funny how that works? I tried her first novel though and couldn't get through that either. She must be hit or miss for me, like Elizabeth Strout. 8y
Hazel0303 Alright - I'm doing it. I'm bailing. I'm on page 158 and it just isn't doing it for me. 8y
AmyWrites @Hazel0303 I'm impressed you made it that far! 😀 8y
6 likes6 comments
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AmyWrites
The Condition | Jennifer Haigh
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Pickpick

After being blown away by Heat and Light, I'm hooked on Jennifer Haigh. This could have been 80-100 pages shorter, but it was still a great book. Loved it.

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AmyWrites
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Pickpick

A lovely book...I had a couple minor quibbles with dialogue in two short places, but otherwise, this was a great read. Cleave is an outstanding writer.

Hazel0303 I'm glad to see your positive review. I wanted to buy it bc it's pretty cheap for the kindle, but there are so many bad reviews out there... 8y
AmyWrites Really? I'm shocked that so many people disliked it. It's definitely worth a read. Perfect...no. But the writing is beautiful and it's a good story. 8y
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