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Maria514626

Maria514626

Joined May 2016

Website copywriter. Dog lover. Podcastworm. Speaker of broken German. Goodreads: maria514626
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Maria514626
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It took me a bit to get into this. I didn‘t think I could bear with one of the narrators (the only one)? And the melancholy!

Now I‘m finding this quiet and at times, beautiful. The narrator that was bugging me? Wise.

Tamra The fig tree? 😆 I‘m loving it! 13mo
TheBookHippie Checking in! Not seen you post in a while! Hope all is well! 10mo
35 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas | Marie-Helene Bertino
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Pickpick

Three stories on a course toward each other. Delightful, sad, funny, deep. I loved the main characters. As soon as I finished the book I wanted to know, “What happened next?” The mark of a great book, IMO. ❤️

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Maria514626
One's Company: A Novel | Ashley Hutson
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Pickpick

Bonnie makes her own Three‘s Company world and escapes the “real” one and everyone in it. She creates a safe place.

Who gets to judge what is a good or happy life or a “ sane” one?

Not a happy read but I couldn‘t put it down.
#auldlangspine

19 likes1 stack add
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Maria514626
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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I wouldn‘t have known about these books without #auldlangspine and @Sharpeipup 👏👏🎉🎉

Status:
I‘d already read one (18 Tiny Deaths), one is in progress (Midnight in Chernobyl is a chunkster), and three completed.

I‘m going to read more from the list. But not by the end of the month. 😆

THANK YOU @monalyisha for arranging this fun, eye-opening swap. ❤️🥳 And THANK YOU, Tina, for the excellent list. 📚🤗

Sharpeipup So glad you‘ve enjoyed them! 14mo
18 likes1 comment
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Maria514626
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Mehso-so

This story was very tense! The author does a great job connecting you with the main characters and their personalities.

I knew nothing about the importance of Lisbon during the war.

It‘s hard to rate this. There‘s the above 👆 and there‘s the writing. I had to stop myself from automatically rewriting sentences in my head. Run-ons, excess explanations that watered down emotion, adjective and adverb overuse. See👇
#lmpbc @TheBookHippie @Pogue

Maria514626 Sentences like, “Even sleeping in the small makeshift bedroom from a converted office on those long nights didn‘t bother her.” 14mo
TheBookHippie I totally agree!!! But it was a fun read! Tense! 14mo
Maria514626 @Thebookhippie Werner! 😱😱😱 14mo
TheBookHippie @Maria514626 I wasn‘t planning on that tense a read!!! 🤣😱 14mo
22 likes4 comments
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Maria514626
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This book is full of fascinating—and sometimes funny—stories like this. Manhole covers, the strange symbols you see painted on streets, electrical substations—why are they presented like they are? And why don‘t we see them? Why do we have drinking fountains?

Each story is only a few pages, making it easy to pick up and put down. But once reading, I don‘t want to put it down. 😄

Daisey This sounds truly fascinating! Stacked! 14mo
mabell Infrastructural schadenfreude 😂😂 14mo
Maria514626 @Daisey It‘s such a fun read! The audio is great, too. 14mo
18 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Maria514626
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The first part of this is like watching a very slow-moving car crash. A call-the-police-and-ambulance-and-fire-department crash.

This is fascinating although it‘s sometimes over my head—physics is not my forte. It‘s very tough to put down. Thus, I‘m alternating between audio and print. 😄

Another book I wouldn‘t have picked up except for #auldlangspine. Thanks, @Sharpeipup 🙌🙌🙌
And thanks, @monalyisha 🤗🥳

Sharpeipup I understand there is a documentary as well but I have not seen it.
To me, it was like reading a soap opera with scientists and politicians.
1y
Maria514626 @Sharpeipup The characters certainly act like that. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ 14mo
24 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
The Very Nice Box | Eve Gleichman, Laura Blackett
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This is a strange one. It‘s a good story and send up of a lot of corporate mumbo jumbo/initiatives. I think some of the characters might belong to a cult. 😄

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Maria514626
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Mehso-so

3/3 This doesn‘t hold up to earlier books in the series. Even the weird family dynamics weren‘t as funny.

The reader didn‘t help. She made Isabelle sound like a dullard.

I‘ll probably listen to the next one since
1) an audiobook doesn‘t take away from my reading time. And it keeps me entertained.
2) I‘m curious—but not too—how the series will wrap. (Unfortunately, my library‘s audio copy of book #5 has the same reader.)

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Maria514626
Anxious People: A Novel | Fredrik Backman
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I‘m reading this for the first time. I listened a few years ago and I loved it. It‘s even better in print.

The pacing is perfect. It alternates between making me laugh out loud and squeezing my heart.

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Maria514626
Dava Shastri's Last Day | Kirthana Ramisetti
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Another good one from my #auldlangspine list!

It‘s quite the story. The characters‘ personalities are well developed and I waver between liking and disliking them. One of the brothers needs a good slap. 😆

I have no idea where this is going.

TheBookHippie I read the ARC. 👀 1y
Maria514626 👀? Oh boy! 😆 1y
20 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
Bookman Books | Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan (Bookstore)
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16 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
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Pickpick

If you work with websites and you haven‘t read this book, doooo! It‘s hugely helpful and very fun. Krug is very funny and the illustrations are great.

If you don‘t work with websites, but you‘re interested in what works and doesn‘t, you might like this, too.

On a usable website, your average person can figure out how to do what they need or want to do—without the hassle outweighing the payoff. ❤️

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Maria514626
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Beware the, “I‘ll read a few pages to see if I want to commit.” What did I expect from author who regularly appears on This American Life?
#auldlangspine @Sharpeipup

Sharpeipup I learned so much from this book. 1y
Maria514626 @sharpeipup He‘s such a good writer. He could write a book about worms and I‘d probably read it. 😆 1y
11 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
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This book flips between hilarious and maddening/sad. 👆

That said, I‘m glad this on my #auldlangspine list! It has quite the group of characters. 😄

Sharpeipup I feel the same way by those characters which is also how I feel about politics. 1y
Maria514626 @Sharpeipup I hear ya. 🤦‍♀️ 1y
14 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Maria514626
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Pickpick

First book completed in 2023! 🎉

This family. 🤦‍♀️ Off to the next book. 😆

Read4life Yay! 1y
17 likes1 comment
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Maria514626
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Oh boy. This family is “interesting.” 😆😆😆
@Sharpeipup

First book from my #auldlangspine reading list. 🎉

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Maria514626
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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My library has many of the books on my #auldlangspine list. Most of the above 👆are from that list. 👏
@Sharpeipup

Sharpeipup That‘s a good stack! I hope you enjoy them. 1y
19 likes1 comment
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Maria514626
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#readingbracket #readingbracket2022
I read so many good books this year. It was helpful, and fun, to have a way to narrow them down.

Thanks to @Pogue for recommending my #1 book (#lmpbc)!

And thanks to @chasjjlee for the layout!

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Maria514626
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My library doesn‘t have book two in this series so I have to skip to the third.

I‘m not a big series reader but in this case, I can‘t help myself! @Read4life thank you!

Man, I love this strange family.

Read4life You‘re so welcome! Glad you‘re enjoying it. 🤓 1y
17 likes1 comment
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Maria514626
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@Sharpeipup I‘m starting the year with this book from your list. I *might* start it today. It‘s *almost* the new year. 😄
#auldlangspine

Sharpeipup Hope you like it! 1y
Aims42 This sounds so good! Stacked for an audio book for hubby and I 👍 1y
24 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Maria514626
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Bailedbailed

I usually love Pride & Prejudice adaptations. Add in a different culture and I‘m IN!

The main character is a great modern-day Elizabeth, but the book didn‘t do it for me. 😞

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Maria514626
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I love this dysfunctional family. And the book is a perfect accompaniment for crafting.

17 likes1 stack add
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Maria514626
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This is the first book for my local businesswomen‘s book club. We‘ll be reading and discussing professional development books. 👏👏👏

The author is tenacious! Setting and achieving goals is first-grade material compared to how she plans. It‘s overwhelming and inspiring.

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Maria514626
2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas | Marie-Helene Bertino
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I need a break from espionage so I picked up this one.

It‘s a delight. It has so much heart and depth. It‘s also laugh-out-loud funny.

TheKidUpstairs I so loved this one! 1y
jlhammar One of my favorites! So glad you're enjoying it. 1y
Maria514626 @TheKidUpstairs @jlhammar I‘m glad to hear it holds up all the way through! (edited) 1y
20 likes3 comments
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Maria514626
Jackdaws | Ken Follett
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Mehso-so

I spent most of the day glued to this book. Once they landed in France I was on the edge of my seat.

I writing was often distracting—not in a good way. I didn‘t appreciate how he described women, especially if he didn‘t think they were attractive.

Two of the group were lesbians and another was a cross-dresser—for no apparent reason. (Is this a guy thing?)

I want to learn more about the the real-life Jackdaws!

#lmpbc @Pogue @TheBookHippie

Maria514626 Trigger warning! There are torture scenes. They didn‘t give me nightmares but I didn‘t appreciate the mind pictures. Insinuations are creepier. (I think he was going for high creepiness.) (edited) 1y
TheBookHippie Oy! 😵‍💫 1y
20 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
Jackdaws | Ken Follett
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Such a vivid description!

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Maria514626
Jackdaws | Ken Follett
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I‘ve been pretty critical about the writing. Still, it‘s a good story and very suspenseful.

Its good to see an all-women crew, even though they‘re sometimes painted with sexist brush. (I wonder what this would have been like with a woman writer?) #girlpower

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Maria514626
Jackdaws | Ken Follett
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I am a snob about writing and soup. 😆 This is my first Follett book. I like the story but he uses too many words.

In this case, you know that the women have to sneak an injured, incapacitated man into Gilberte‘s apartment. “Unfortunately” is unnecessary. And, removing it makes the sentence more powerful.

Off soap box. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

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Maria514626
The Godmothers: A Novel | Camille Aubray
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Panpan

This was very soap opera-y and was way too earnest. Maybe it was the reader? Maybe all the family secrets and incidents were too convenient and stereotypical?

I got to 60% and gave up.

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Maria514626
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@Sharpeipup
Kim Philby—from my #auldlangspine list—with the author of the tagged book.

The author was head of the foreign intelligence division of the Stasi for most of the Cold War.

“In the West he was known as ‘the man without a face‘ due to his elusiveness.” (Wikipedia)

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Maria514626
The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey
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This book is such a delight. It‘s quiet and beautiful, even though the setting is so harsh. I‘m glad I‘m reading this with my book club. There‘s so much to discuss! #winterreads

Verdict: 5/5 ✨

rmaclean4 Read this one years ago, still love it!! 1y
Maria514626 @rmaclean4 I have trouble putting it down! I love the ebb and flow of Mabel and Jack‘s relationship. 1y
Wesleypaker @Maria514626 Hello How are you doing today ? 1y
35 likes3 comments
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Maria514626
Unlikely Animals | Annie Hartnett
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Pickpick

This may be one of my favorites of the year. The reader was excellent.

I don‘t know where to begin. It‘s like The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I just love the book and can‘t explain why.

The narrator was sublime. You find out very quickly who it is but I won‘t give it away. It makes the book magical.

5/5 🌟

27 likes1 stack add
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Maria514626
Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey
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Time to get busy. Book club is next week. 🤭

The cover art is delightful.

28 likes1 stack add
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Maria514626
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Pickpick

Who knew there was so much science and empowerment behind home ec? This was quite the eye opener!

It lagged in spots and then, boom!, it was off and running again. It‘s heavy on “trailblazing” women. 💪👍
#lmpbc @mabell @Bookwormjillk @Amandajoy

mabell Sounds interesting! 1y
Birdsong28 You might like the tagged book it is Fiction but it covers this subject 1y
Maria514626 @Birdsong28 Thanks for the recommendation! I‘ve heard great things about it. I might have an ARC buried in my Kindle. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ 1y
21 likes3 comments
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Maria514626
Red Joan | Jennie Rooney
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Pickpick

👍👍👍👍 This had more nuance than I expected. Joan was multidimensional: good, bad, gullible, wise, pliable, strong. The secondary characters, too, were nuanced and surprising.

The transitions between current and past are done really well. There are intelligence reports on the characters interspersed throughout. Even though this is a novel, they add gravity to the story.
#lmpbc @TheBookHippie @Pogue

Maria514626 Note. It‘s *inspired by*—not based on—the life of Melita Norwood. 1y
TheBookHippie Looking forward to reading this one! 1y
Maria514626 @TheBookHippie Must get the books to the post office🤯 And your book from the last round. 🫣🤦‍♀️ 1y
TheBookHippie @Maria514626 No worries I am sending my book out tomorrow 😂 @Pogue how are you doing??? ♥️♥️ 1y
18 likes4 comments
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Maria514626
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Oooh! What a fun list! @Sharpeipup Thanks!

I just started 18 Tiny Deaths—the audio—today, before I saw the list. 😄👍

@monalyisha

Sharpeipup How perfect that you‘re reading one of my selections today! Sounds like we have the same taste… 1y
12 likes1 comment
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Maria514626
Red Joan | Jennie Rooney
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The writing. The story. The make-you-thinkness. This book is remarkable.
#lmpbc @TheBookHippie @Pogue

Reggie This came to me this past Thanksgiving in not a too horrible of a way. Where when you were younger you said that famous “I would never..” and then you….did. Lol 1y
Maria514626 @Reggie 😆🤦‍♀️😆 1y
14 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
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👆👆👆This hit me right in the stomach. “Cannot tolerate complexity.”

She notes that it doesn‘t correlate with intelligence. And, others take advantage of this intolerance.

This book is depressing and fascinating.

SamAnne this is a great quote. And observation. 1y
14 likes1 comment
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Maria514626
Red Joan | Jennie Rooney
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There aren‘t a lot of innocents in this book. But there are a couple of particularly slippery, slimy ones. With lovely faces and manners.

This one is hard to put down. It seamlessly switches between the present day and flashbacks.

(My margin notes: “I‘d like to punch him.” 😄)
#lmpbc @Pogue @TheBookHippie

TheBookHippie 😂😂😂😂😂♥️ 1y
tpixie He is sneaky 🦇 1y
Maria514626 @tpixie Love the bat 🦇! 1y
tpixie @Maria514626 lol 😂 1y
18 likes4 comments
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Maria514626
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I‘m reading this book. This shows up today in the New York Times:

Jewish Allies Call Trump‘s Dinner With Antisemites a Breaking Point

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/us/politics/trump-kanye-west-nick-fuentes-ant...

#antisemitism #fighthate

AmyG Took them long enough. 1y
Maria514626 @amyg Right? 😡 1y
Cinfhen I just finished this book last week, 1y
See All 7 Comments
Cinfhen So empowering!! And SO GLAD to finally see Trump supporters calling out his true colors!!!! 1y
TheBookHippie This is on my wishlist!!! 1y
TheBookHippie @Cinfhen SERIOUSLY ughhh WTF … so glad my great grandma & grandma aren‘t alive to witness this. 1y
TheBookHippie @AmyG ughhhhhhh 1y
26 likes7 comments
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Maria514626
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First line:
“Sometimes your body is someone else‘s haunted house.”
🤯

@Cinfhen Thanks for the recommendation!

Cinfhen I‘m so happy to see others picking this up!!! Thank you. I thought it was really thought provoking and enlightening. Thank you for tagging me. 1y
Maria514626 @Cinfhen I checked it out from the library and I‘m now on a two-hour drive. Wow. China. 1y
Cinfhen China - crazy but not surprising 😔But how about an Orthodox Jew employed at the Anne Frank House asked not to wear his religious head covering but instead hide it under a baseball cap!!! That just infuriated me. The hypocrisy!!!! 1y
Maria514626 @Cinfhen That one mystified me. Angered me. It‘s one of those situations where I‘d like to hear the excuse 1:1. Just to say, “I‘m not Jewish either. [Establish common ground.] But you realize how stupid that is, right? And… that‘s the tip of the iceberg.” I didn‘t visit while I was in Amsterdam. It seemed ghoulish—as did the people queued up. Now I‘m even more glad I didn‘t. 1y
19 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Maria514626
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Mehso-so

A so-so mystery. It kept me company while making cookies for Thanksgiving.

I did enjoy the heroine‘s fight against low expectations. She pushed against the walls of the tiny box she‘s squished into. Her husband. 😠

It had little to do with Christmas. 🙁

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Maria514626
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This is quite charming. Aggie and Hector investigate a murder (modeled after Agatha Christie characters, including Hercule Poirot).

Children in 1902 are taken even less seriously than today. These two run circles around the adults.

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Maria514626
Wake | Anna Hope
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Pickpick

It took me awhile to get into this book. I wanted to put it down many times—melancholy is the word for it. But I didn‘t want to leave these characters. And at the end of the book, I wanted to follow them.

World War 1 cast a long shadow. And in ways I hadn‘t thought of.

This book is exquisite.

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Maria514626
Wake | Anna Hope
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The epitome of melancholy. The reverberations of World War 1 on three women.

I want to put this down, but I can‘t give up these characters.

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Maria514626
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Pickpick

I‘ve been writing, “I heard NOTHING about this in school” waaaay to often.

This was an incredible story. It reads like a novel which is quite the feat considering the detail. The author writes in a way that grabs your heart.

I gave it 4⭐️s instead of 5 because, like His Boys in the Boat, there were several areas where I wanted it to move on—enough detail already.

Don‘t miss this one! #forgottenhistory #historymatters

mabell I LOVED Boys in the Boat! (And that is not my type of book at all). Such an amazing story, and Joe - inspirational 💕 1y
Maria514626 @mabell I was so surprised I liked Boys in the Boat. 😄 Kind of like Seabiscuit. A book about a rowing team—or a racehorse? Mmmm. Pass. SO WRONG! 1y
26 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Maria514626
Red Joan | Jennie Rooney
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It‘s here *and* it‘s a Europa edition!
#lmpbc @TheBookHippie @Pogue
@suvata

TheBookHippie Ooooooo pretty. 1y
Pogue @Maria514626 @TheBookHippie I need to apologize to you both. I have been very sick for the last few weeks and am now starting to feel like a human again. Is Jackdaws ok for my pick? 1y
Maria514626 @Pogue Oh no! I‘m so sorry you‘ve been sick. No apologies necessary! Jackdaws sounds fabulous! 1y
Maria514626 @Pogue I hope you keep feeling better. Sending good thoughts. 1y
TheBookHippie @Pogue no worries. Feel better!! 1y
24 likes5 comments
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Maria514626
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#auldlangspine
Happy to vote today. Especially against the person who claimed George Soros was controlling two Jewish Democrats in MN. The same candidate has also been in trouble for anti-immigrant remarks.

monalyisha People are utterly ridiculous. Thank you for voting! Remember to email me, too, if you haven‘t already at: monalitsy@gmail.com. It‘ll help me to keep track. 😊 1y
25 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
Untitled | Untitled
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2022 to date.