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eeclayton
Just Kids | Patti Smith
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#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

(1) Read, walk, enjoy the colours 🍂
(2) hopeful
(3) Just Kids by Patti Smith

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ☺️
Would you like to play @Dilara @sherrisilvera @Sparklemn ?

Eggs The book sounds great! Thanks for playing and sharing 🥳🥳 2w
22 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero | William Makepeace Thackeray
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Pickpick

I've finally finished Vanity Fair!

It was a bit wordy at times, but overall a great book with fantastic character studies and a fitting ending.

As usual, thanks for the daily posts @BarkingMadRead and all the comments and insights #pemberlittens #hashtagbrigade I loved reading this with all of you 💕

BarkingMadRead Very wordy! Somewhat Dickensian, which didn‘t help me lol because I was also reading Pickwick 🤣🤣 3w
32 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
Bonfire | Krysten Ritter
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Mehso-so

In spite of the somewhat generic plot (lawyer returns to the small town she grew up in to investigate, is haunted by her past), the book started out very promising. It was easy to read and the mystery kept me going. The second half, however, was a bit disappointing, with a messy and rather underwhelming ending. It wasn't bad overall, but I don't expect it to be very memorable.

review
eeclayton
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Bailedbailed

It's official: I've given up on Catch-22 and returned it to the library.
Thanks for hosting the buddy read @TheAromaofBooks . Even though I bailed on it, at least it's off the TBR now! 😁

TheAromaofBooks This has been a tough one! I think I'm going to make it through, but it's not going on my reread shelf! 😂 Thanks for coming along for the ride!!! 3w
22 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
A farkas gyomrban | Lszl Kolozsi
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#Two4Tuesday for last week, but it's a busy time so I'm only posting now. Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView 💕

(1) I started several books in August but only finished one, A farkas gyomrában (In the Belly of the Wolf). I wouldn't call it a favourite, but it had been on my TBR forever so I'm glad it's off the list now.

(2) It was thought provoking. Although it was preachy at some points, it did a decent job of exploring different viewpoints.

TheSpineView Never to late to play! 4w
18 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
Rebecca | Daphne Du Maurier
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#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

(1) Nope.
(2) Rebecca (tagged)

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ☺️

TheSpineView Thanks for playing 1mo
20 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
Iskola a hatron | Gza Ottlik
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#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

(1) September 1 for students, but the first meeting for teachers at my school is on August 21st

(2) Tagged; plus Villette (by Charlotte Brontë), which I didn't exactly enjoy, but it was fun to read it with my fellow #PemberLittens

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ☺️
Would you like to play @willaful @RamsFan1963 @hannah-leeloo ?

TheSpineView Happy Tuesday and thanks for playing! 1mo
17 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
Mary Jane | Jessica Anya Blau
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#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

(1) Mary Jane (tagged)
(2) It had been on my TBR for a while but some recent posts by Littens made me actually pick it up.

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ☺️

Would you like to play @RosePressedPages @AmandaBlaze ?

TheSpineView Not like a blame it on Litsy moment. 😂👍🤩 2mo
17 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
The Feminine Mystique | Betty Friedan
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#WondrousWednesday on a Friday, I've had a busy week 🙃

(1) The Feminine Mystique
(2) About 4 months (War and Peace), if we don't count the books that I tried to pick up several times and ended up bailing on
(3) 18 years (and counting) in teaching

Thanks for the tag @Eggs 💕

Eggs Congratulations #3 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 2mo
eeclayton @Eggs Thank you ☺️ 2mo
19 likes2 comments
blurb
eeclayton
Untitled | Unknown
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#Two4Tuesday

(1) Making mango ice cream from frozen mango, using the AC when it's too unbearable

(2) Julia Cameron started me on my journey of letting go of my perfectionalism

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView @The_Penniless_Author and sorry about posting so late, I've had a busy week.

TheSpineView No worries. Never too late to play! 🌞 2mo
15 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
Mary Jane | Jessica Anya Blau
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Pickpick

What a delightful book!
It had been on my TBR for a long time, so thank you @ItsAnotherJen and @fredthemoose for your recent posts, which made me actually pick the book up! 😊🤘

ItsAnotherJen I'm glad you liked it so much too!😊 2mo
fredthemoose So glad you liked it. It was such an unexpected bright spot in the summer reading list! 2mo
19 likes2 comments
review
eeclayton
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Panpan

Part of the joys of going through a blind bargain box of books is trying new genres and authors. So I'm glad I tried this one, but this soap opera style storytelling with all the repetitions, bloated descriptions and family drama is not my cup of tea.

review
eeclayton
A Room with a View | E.M. Forster
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Pickpick

#pemberlittens #hashtagbrigade

Nice read, but why are we robbed of the Rome chapters?

Thanks for hosting @BarkingMadRead 💕

TheBookHippie Yes!!! WHY?!?! 2mo
28 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
Untitled | Unknown
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#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

(1) Home-made lemonade, also cold brew coffee. I actually drink cold brew all year round, but this is the season when it tastes the best.
(2) Outside, if the weather permits. I have a balcony and I love reading there, surrounded by my potted plants.

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author 😊

TheSpineView 💛🍋💛 Thanks for playing 2mo
18 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
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Pickpick

This is supposed to be a true story of a road trip. It's also marketed (at least where I live) as a prequel to Rocket Boys/ October Sky. It didn't take long for me to realize, however, that neither of the above is true.
First, it has nothing to do with Rocket Boys apart from the fact that the two main characters happen to be the author's parents. Second, the author did not only record the tall tales his parents had told him, but most probably...⬇️

eeclayton ... chose to add his own embellishments as well. At some points the exaggeration, the extraordinary situations and the cartoonish characters may have felt a bit tiring, but the emotion in the final chapters made up for it.
A nice, light-hearted read for summer.
2mo
25 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
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Panpan

This exceptional woman would deserve a much better book than this. Of course, the story itself is interesting, but the author can hardly take credit for Madame Curie's life choices. The novel is somehow lifeless and devoid of emotional depth, even when the characters go through traumatic events.
I don't regret that I read the book, but those who are seriously interested in the life and work of Marie Curie should look elsewhere.

review
eeclayton
Titkos virgok kertje | Cristina Caboni
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Pickpick

Sometimes you come across a story at precisely the best time, and that is what happened to me here. I loved everything about this book, from the way the characters treated their plants and gardens like true companions to the story of the family riddled with secrets.
Also #coverlove 😍

review
eeclayton
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

It's great that all these women are finally given voices, their stories are finally told, their experiences are finally put into focus.
Calliope's chapters felt a bit didactic, a bit overexplaining to me, but I enjoyed everything else. Each voice was distinct and authentic. Penelope's letters and her sarcasm especially grew on me.

blurb
eeclayton
A Room with a View | E.M. Forster
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#pemberlittens #hashtagbrigade
Starting this one today 😊

review
eeclayton
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Mehso-so

#pemberlittens #hashtagbrigade
A sequel to all six published Austen novels, Old Friends and New Fancies manages to star, revisit or at least mention most of the characters we know and love from the Austen books. The first chapters were quite confusing for me, it wasn't easy to follow who was who and how people knew one another. The connections were quite clever, but that's all I can say on the positive side. ⬇️

eeclayton Sadly, most characters lost their charm, they all acted and sounded similarly throughout the book. The plot revolved around three budding romances, which weren't too compelling without the layers of Austen's character studies and social commentary.
All in all, it was an interesting read, but nothing that you shouldn't miss.
Thanks @BarkingMadRead for hosting ❤️
3mo
willaful I agree, only the buddy read really made it fun for me. (edited) 3mo
eeclayton @willaful Oh yes, that part made it absolutely worth it 😊 3mo
19 likes3 comments
review
eeclayton
Us Against You | Fredrik Backman
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Mehso-so

I loved Beartown (and also Anxious People) so I was looking forward to the sequel, but I am disappointed. It's a good story with a lot of value in both the plot and the characters; however, the way the author had chosen to tell it just didn't work for me. Each chapter started with some quotable life wisdom, then something happened to confirm it, then the wise words were repeated. Every single chapter. The format had its power in the beginning...⬇️

eeclayton ... but after a while it was just tiring. There were also explanations of character activities that I felt unnecessary, like the author hadn't trusted his readers enough to let them work things out on their own. I almost DNFed the book; I'm not sorry I didn't, but I'm not planning to read the third installment. 3mo
20 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
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My sister and I bought two blind bargain boxes in the Alexandra Publishing House sale, one for her and one for me. Then we negotiated and exchanged some books, and here's the pile I walked away with.
These are all new-to-me authors (I didn't know that Krysten Ritter wrote a novel) so I'm really excited to dive in! #bookhaul

blurb
eeclayton
Austenland: A Novel | Shannon Hale
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

(1) Yes, my sister used to have a writer friend and I got a signed book of his once. Unfortunately, the book didn't turn out to be my cup of tea.
(2) No, not accidentally.
(3) Austenland maybe? But only for a few days, then I'd come back to post on Litsy, of course 😁

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author 😊

Eggs Ha ha great post (Austen Land) Thanks for joining in🥳🥳 3mo
24 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
Untitled | Unknown
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#Two4Tuesday

(1) Somewhere in a forest, where I could go on nice walks in the mornings and then read all afternoon 😊
(2) My husband. We really could use some quiet time together!

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView ☺️
Would you like to play @The_Penniless_Author @Enchanted_Bibliophile ?

TheSpineView You're welcome and thanks for playing! 4mo
Enchanted_Bibliophile Thanks for the tag 4mo
eeclayton @Enchanted_Bibliophile You're welcome 🙂 4mo
18 likes3 comments
blurb
eeclayton
Untitled | Unknown
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#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

(1) Quiet by Susan Cain. When I read it, it was the first time I felt normal about being "quiet", and I wish I could have experienced that earlier.
(2) There isn't one that sticks out, but the last one I gifted was The Age of Innocence.
(3) Nick Hornby is my absolute favourite but I'm not sure I'd like to meet him. I'd have no idea what to say, except for "I love your books" ?

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ?

Eggs 🌸❤️🌺 4mo
17 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
War of the Wolf | Bernard Cornwell
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Pickpick

Another enjoyable book in the series. I especially liked the parts where Uhtred was talking to the priest about the poem.

blurb
eeclayton
War of the Wolf | Bernard Cornwell
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#Two4Tuesday again, a day late 🤦‍♀️

(1) Tagged. Haven't quite finished it yet, but almost.
(2) The Essex Serpent bored me, so I DNFed it.

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView @The_Penniless_Author ☺️

TheSpineView You're welcome and thanks for playing! 4mo
20 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
Untitled | Unknown
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#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

(1) I'm visiting my parents.
(2) I wish I could post my responses on time 😂

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ☺️

TheSpineView Thanks for playing and have a great weekend! 4mo
18 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
The Essex Serpent | Sarah Perry
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Bailedbailed

When cleaning the bathroom seems more appealing than picking up the book, you know it's time to move on.

RaeLovesToRead I also found this one completely meh. Characters felt like wooden stereotypes. 4mo
Ruthiella I wasn‘t a fan of this either. 4mo
bthegood YES!! 😂 4mo
See All 6 Comments
eeclayton @RaeLovesToRead @Ruthiella thanks for your comments, it's good to know I'm not the only one 🙂 4mo
eeclayton @bthegood Life is too short, right? 😁 4mo
27 likes6 comments
blurb
eeclayton
The Essex Serpent | Sarah Perry
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

(1) Colchester
(2) Not really.
(3) Jurassic Park comes to mind, if that counts.

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author 🙂

Eggs 🦕🩵 🦖 4mo
23 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
Cranford | Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
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Pickpick

I ended up enjoying this little book way more than I had expected after the first few chapters. At first the whole story seemed to be going nowhere, but the characters slowly grew on me, and I started to appreciate Gaskell's observations about ladies' lives in a small community.
The daily discussions with the #pemberlittens and of course @BarkingMadRead 's hashtags also enhanced the enjoyment factor for me, so thank you all!

BarkingMadRead I‘m glad you liked it!!! 4mo
30 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
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Pickpick

Although the book is about science, it's not too scientific, with quite a few cases of anecdotal evidence, hunches and personal interpretations. Still, I loved reading it. Alda is very down to earth and never pretends to be an expert of the field. He tells stories about stuff he's curious about, his enthusiasm clearly shows, and it definitely pulled me in. It's a bit repetitive at times, but a great read nonetheless.

review
eeclayton
Nem nagy gy | Boldizsar Feher
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Pickpick

The agony of small talk, misunderstanding, and scripts we repeat over and over again, even though we all know they make no sense, are in the focal point of this little volume. There is lots of dry humour in these stories, I found them bittersweet and very relatable.

review
eeclayton
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Pickpick

I fell in love with Duff when I read his first book, and now I fell in love with him all over again. The man is super cool but also very down to earth, honest and authentic.
That said, I enjoyed "It's so easy" a lot more. It's a tighter book with a strong theme, whereas this one is a mixed bag.

Find my full review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1555873424

review
eeclayton
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Pickpick

The title is somewhat misleading, at least to me it suggested that it would be about Genghis Khan's wives, but actually it's more about the women around him, a wife, daughters, daughters-in-law, a slave.
These women weren't all queens by title, but they were definitely queens by their strength and attitude. I enjoyed reading their stories and finding out about what happened in their lives when men went to conquer.

review
eeclayton
Agnes Grey | Anne Bront
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Pickpick

I'm glad I re-read this. On second reading, I noticed Anne's social commentary much more, and as a teacher, I also picked up on her observations on parenting and what a nightmare governessing might have been.
Thanks for hosting @BarkingMadRead and thanks for the #pemberlittens #hashtagbrigade for all the posts and comments. I love reading with you all ❤️

eeclayton The romance was not an earth shattering or complicated one, but I'm glad Anne/Agnes gave herself a happy ending. 5mo
SamAnne @eeclayton me too! I also really enjoyed the social commentary. I found this easier read a little refreshing after Villette and Middle March. (edited) 5mo
eeclayton @SamAnne Totally. Villette was especially bleak. 5mo
21 likes3 comments
review
eeclayton
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Pickpick

I first heard of Chris Voss and this book in Alan Alda's podcast.
In the book, he draws on his experience as a hostage negotiator to explain how and why his techniques and strategies work, and offers some examples of how these techniques can help in more ordinary situations. I appreciated his take on active listening & the reminder that "the adversary is the situation and that the person you appear to be in conflict with is actually your partner".

review
eeclayton
The Song of Achilles | Madeline Miller
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Mehso-so

#unpopularopinion What a disappointment. The beginning was promising, but then it was just boring. Both Achilles and Patroclus felt flat for me, and I didn't get why it was supposed to be an earth shattering romance when all it seemed to be based on was how hot and perfect Achilles was.
I don't understand the hype.

review
eeclayton
Middlemarch | George Elliot
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Mehso-so

I didn't exactly like Middlemarch but I did appreciate the author's observations about life in a small town, people's expectations and especially marriages. In many books, the plot ends with a marriage, and we consider that a happy ending, but we don't get to see what happens after the wedding. It was interesting here to look at some of the ways marriages may fall apart or at least prove to be very different from what the husband and wife expected

eeclayton Thanks for @BarkingMadRead for leading the #pemberlittens buddy read, without which I might have never finished this book 😁 6mo
BarkingMadRead I feel this in my soul, y‘all kept me going as well! Our next read should be better lol 6mo
Bookwormjillk @BarkingMadRead if not better than shorter! @eeclayton good point about seeing what happens after marriage. 6mo
eeclayton @BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk after Villette and this, I think we all deserve a read that is both better and shorter 😂 6mo
33 likes4 comments
review
eeclayton
Rites of Passage | William Golding
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Mehso-so

I didn't like this book and I didn't dislike it. It was interesting but not necessarily enjoyable to read about how the hierarchy of a ship's society worked, and the second narrative complementing the first was compelling. All in all, however, I wasn't too invested in the story, and I don't think I'll continue with the trilogy.

review
eeclayton
The Flame Bearer | Bernard Cornwell
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Pickpick

Finally, Uhtred can focus on what he really wants, Bebbanburg.
This is the tenth book in the series, but it's still exciting. I appreciated how subtly Cornwell made Uhtred's age felt. He's not as young as he once was, and while he can still outsmart pretty much everyone around, he's not always in the forefront of the events, and he lets his son do some of the more difficult actions.
I can't wait to find out what happens to him next.

review
eeclayton
Maybe in Another Life: A Novel | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Mehso-so

Hannah, a girl in her late 20s, is completely clueless about what to do with her life. She's just moved back to her home town after a failed relationship in New York. She's about to rekindle an old flame, when she finds herself at a crossroads, and the two possible decisions would result in very different paths for her. The book explores both paths in alternating chapters. ⬇️

eeclayton While the premise was intriguing, the execution left me disappointed. All in all, it was an OK book and it held my attention, but I feel it could have been so much more.

Check out my review with more details and spoilers at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1331892448?book_show_action=false
7mo
23 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
They Were Divided | Mikls Bnffy
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Pickpick

This one left me broken hearted. I took my time with it, the third book in the trilogy, partly because I didn't want it to end, and partly because it wasn't an easy read with all the loss and despair the characters had to go through, and all the stupidity and manipulation the country had to experience as World War I was approaching.
This story will definitely stay with me.

blurb
eeclayton
Zenga znek | Miklos Vamos
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#manicmonday #letterZ

📖 Zenga zének
✍️ Lajos Zilahy
🎞️ Zodiac 📺 Zorro
🎤 Zeals
🎵 Zitti e Buoni by Måneskin

Thank you so much for hosting @CBee ! It's been so much fun both to think about my answers and to see what everyone else has posted. Thanks for giving us something to look forward to each Monday ❤️

CBee You are so welcome 🥰 8mo
21 likes1 comment
blurb
eeclayton
You | Caroline Kepnes
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#manicmonday #letterY @CBee

📖 You
✍️ I've got Jane Yolen on my TBR
🎞️ You Again 📺 You Rang M'Lord
🎤 The Yardbirds
🎵 You Could Be Mine by Guns N' Roses

review
eeclayton
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Mehso-so

This is a nice overview of why it's beneficial to become a minimalist, how to go about decluttering your home and your life and then keep both uncluttered. There's nothing groundbreaking in this short book, but there are some clever tips about how to get rid of stuff. I also liked the chapter on gifts.
That said, I'm not sure I learned anything that's particularly useful in my situation right now.

21 likes1 stack add
blurb
eeclayton
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📖 Xanadu
✍️ I've got nothing
🎞️ X-Men
🎤 I've got nothing
🎵 I've got nothing

#manicmonday #letterX #notmybestletter 😂 @CBee

review
eeclayton
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Mehso-so

A murder mystery in an exotic setting was just the kind of book that I needed right after having finished The Feminine Mystique.
At first, I had a hard time following the different strands because there were so many characters, and it wasn't easy to keep up with who was who exactly. Later on, when the murder finally happened, the pacing got quicker, and the twists held my interest. It didn't take away from the enjoyment factor that... ⬇️

eeclayton ... I had figured out who the culprit was before the big reveal scene.
What disappointed me was that, although this is Death on the Nile, the story could've taken place anywhere, really. There were some throwaway references to sights in Egypt, but that's about it, and I would've expected more local colour.
All in all, it was a solid story, not Christie's best, but a good read nonetheless.
8mo
25 likes1 comment
review
eeclayton
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Pickpick

I'm glad I read this book. It was a long one, some parts were a bit outdated, some were a little weird (the comparisons to the Holocaust, for example), but many were very interesting and valuable. I loved Friedan's critique of Freud.
Also, though the situation was very different in Hungary in the 1960s, the book is eerily relevant in my country today, with the current government's family policy.

RedCurly Imádtam ezt a könyvet 💟 8mo
eeclayton @RedCurly Nekem is nagyon tetszett ☺️ 8mo
28 likes2 comments
blurb
eeclayton
West with the Night | Beryl Markham
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#manicmonday #letterW @CBee

📖 West with the Night
✍️ Dan Wells
🎞️ When Harry Met Sally 📺 The Wire
🎤 Walking Papers
🎵 Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses