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Mel

Mel

Joined May 2016

review
Mel
The Covenant of Water | Abraham Verghese
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A beautiful family saga starting with a young girl married off to a widower with a strange affliction to water in a remote part of Kerala, India. This book covers almost 80 years following the family through happiness and sadness, love and loss, death and birth. Yes, the book is very long but honestly I would have read another 700 pages to stay with this family!
#NetGalley #GroveAtlantic #thecovenantofwater

Tamra That‘s how I felt with 11mo
19 likes1 comment
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Mel
Lone Women: A Novel | Victor LaValle
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Excited for this month‘s picks! #BOTM

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Mel
Our Share of Night | Mariana Enriquez
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Spanning Argentina‘s Dirty War in the 1970s to the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, Our Share of Night tells the story of the Order, a secret society of occultists, and of Juan, a father that will do anything to protect his son from them. Not everyone will like this book. It is horror. Bad things happen. The characters are unpleasant. It is over 700 pages. But, I really liked this book and can‘t stop thinking about it. #NetGalley #OurShareOfNight

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Mel
Don't Fear the Reaper | Stephen Graham Jones
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Jade Daniels returns to Proofrock four years after the events of My Heart is a Chainsaw. In less than 24 hours after her arrival, a terrible snowstorm hits along with the infamous killer Dark Mills South. And BAM, the book goes full force into slasher sequel mode without a break in the action. SGJ brings the same slasher film vibe as the first book, but this time it is balanced out by the growth of his characters. #NetGalley #DontFearTheReaper

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Mel
The Drift | C. J. Tudor
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Multiple locked-room mystery scenarios set against the back drop of a plague-ridden dystopian future? Sign. Me. Up. This book was a win for me. The author cleverly wove together the storylines while creating compelling characters. I enjoyed how it all slowly unfolded and came together like a puzzle. #NetGalley #TheDrift #RandomHouse #Ballantine

9 likes1 stack add
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Mel
Deluge | Stephen Markley
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Whoa. This book is intense. Big. Over 900 pages. A sprawling story spanning decades as climate change catches up with the world. Scientists. Drug addicts. Environmental activists. Religious zealots. Celebrities. Politicians. Storms. Droughts. Wars. Floods. Disease. Politics. This story was terrifying and too real to enjoy; however, the meticulous research, narration style, and scope were amazing. #TheDeluge #NetGalley #January2023

8 likes1 stack add
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Mel
The Hunter | Jennifer Herrera
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A former NYPD detective reluctantly returns to her hometown to help her brother investigate the deaths of three young men. The story was a bit scattered at times; however, the setting and characters more than made up for it. Really hoping this turns into a series!
#NetGalley #TheHunter #penguingroupputnam #January2023

14 likes1 stack add
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Mel
Wormhole | Eric Brown, Keith Brooke
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Entertaining police procedural-hard sci fi mashup! #NetGalley #Wormhole #angryrobot

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Mel
The Light Pirate | Lily Brooks-Dalton
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December picks! #Botm

MaleficentBookDragon I got those too! 1y
16 likes1 comment
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Mel
The Hollows | Daniel Church
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This one checked all the spooky action horror boxes for me:
Quaint village cut off and isolated from the rest of the world by snowstorm – check!
Creepy happenings rooted in folklore – check!
Terrifying creatures – check!
Group of survivors with complicated pasts banding together to battle said terrifying creatures– check!
#NetGalley #TheHollows #AngryRobot

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Mel
The Cloisters | Katy Hays
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November book of the month picks!
#botm

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Mel
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A beautifully written story centering around the dual narrative of Mayken, a young girl in the 1600s sailing on a doomed ship towards the Dutch East Indies, and Gil, a young boy sent to live with his estranged grandfather on a tiny fishing island off the coast of Australia in the 1980s. This story was unexpected and haunting exploring the different ideas of abandonment, sacrifice, friendship, and family. #NetGalley #TheNightShip

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Mel
Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel
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Mel
Our Share of Night | Mariana Enriquez
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Thank you thank you, Netgalley! So excited to read Marianna Enriquez‘s new one. I was a huge fan of her Things We Lost in the Fire. Yay!!!
#NetGalley #ourshareofnight #arc

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Mel
Killers of a Certain Age | Deanna Raybourn
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September pics! #botm

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Mel
Die Around Sundown | Mark Pryor
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A former WWI veteran, now detective, is assigned a murder case, barred from the crime scene, and given five days to solve it or face dire consequences from the Nazi regime. The mystery itself was somewhat predictable: however, the setting of 1940s Paris as the Germans were beginning to creep in really ratcheted up the tension and almost became a character in itself. Really hoping this turns into a series! #NetGalley #DieAroundSundown

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Mel
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Perfect breezy summer read! Nonstop action with spies, car chases, explosions, and a clever plot. Enjoy! #AliasEmma. #NetGalley

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Mel
Upgrade: A Novel | Blake Crouch
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Upgrade is fun twisty read tackling the subject of gene editing and the complicated ethics surrounding it amongst the backdrop of an intense cat and mouse game. I enjoyed this book immensely. Heavy on science but completely understandable from a layman‘s point of view and super interesting. Definitely makes one think of the upsides and downsides of tinkering with evolution. #NetGalley #Upgrade

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Mel
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This one spoke to the Gen Xer in me. Not for everyone but I loved all the characters and it delivered all the feels. ❤️ #tomorrowandtomorrowandtomorrow

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Mel
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Caine prize shortlist announced this month along with links to shortlisted stories! #africa #caineprize

http://www.caineprize.com/the-stories-2022

review
Mel
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Andrew moves back to his sleepy Maine hometown and discovers his old acquaintance‘s rise to riches may not be what it seems. This isn‘t so much a suspense story as it is a focus on character and how things are not always black and white. The reader follows Andrew as his weaves the story together through flashbacks and town gossip. This was a solid & compelling debut from Adam White and I look forward to his next one! #TheMidcoast #NetGalley

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Mel
Hide | Kiersten White
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Hide, on one level, is a great creepy story about 14 adult contestants that enter into a hide and seek contest set among a dilapidated theme park. On another level, it is a subtle commentary about class, trauma, trust, and family ties among this new digital age. This one really delivered on the creeps and chills, along with a smattering of the myth of the Minotaur! #Hide #Netgalley

19 likes1 stack add
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Mel
A Black and Endless Sky | Matthew Lyons
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Sibling road trip goes way awry. Was unable to put this book down. Creepy and original. Loved it!

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Mel
Sea of Tranquility: A Novel | Emily St. John Mandel
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Beautiful story, writing just flows and even tho at times I wasn‘t sure where it was going, I still found myself enthralled.

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Mel
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Oh this one was fun - perfect book to start the weekend!

17 likes2 stack adds
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Mel
Breathless | Amy McCulloch
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Excited for this month‘s BOTM picks! #botm

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Mel
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Beautiful, tender, and unique…will forever see figs in a different light and will definitely be reading Elif Shafak‘s backlist now.
#cyprus #womensprize2022

19 likes2 stack adds
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Mel
The Verifiers | Jane Pek
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Original fun witty mystery with fabulous characters!

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Mel
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I am a sucker for doomed expedition stories and love a good supernatural scare – throw in some complex characters with fabulous writing and you have me! A post WWI Antarctic expedition that goes awry leaving a stowaway and the surviving crew to contend with supernatural forces, oppressive cold, and personal demons to survive the winter ashore was fabulous written and stuck with me for weeks. #NetGalley #allthewhitespaces #antarctica

Nute Stacking! 2y
11 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Mel
Mickey7: A Novel | Edward Ashton
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Such a fun and unique concept - a great easy weekend read!
#NetGalley #Mickey7

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Mel
Dead Silence | S.A. Barnes
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Perfect brain-candy-like-a-movie book to lose yourself in - parts Aliens and Event Horizon with a dash of Titanic. #space

ReadingOver50 I‘ve heard good things about this 2y
14 likes1 comment
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Mel
Wahala: A Novel | Nikki May
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Oddly compelling story of three best friends that bring a fourth friend in to their circle. While I wasn‘t a fan of most of the characters, I could not stop reading. #wahala #NetGalley

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Mel
Wish You Were Here | Jodi Picoult
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Was a bit hesitant to read a book set during early Covid - so glad I did! Jodi Picoult‘s still got it! #NetGalley #WishYouWereHere

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Mel
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DivineDiana And add I did! Thank you for the link! 👍🏻📚❤️ 2y
10 likes1 comment
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Mel
The Candy House | Jennifer Egan
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Happy Friday all! Super excited about this Arc! #NetGalley #thecandyhouse

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Mel
Sankofa | Chibundu Onuzo
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A gentle novel about about a middle aged woman debating on whether to divorce her philandering, but remorseful, husband only to find out the father she never knew is living and a former President of a small African nation. While the book is rather slow paced, I did find myself strangely unable to put it down - a slightly different take on a mid life crisis #NetGalley #Sankofa

EvieBee This didn‘t interest me, but your review perked me up. Just placed a hold at the library. No. 2 on the list. Yay! 2y
Megabooks I got this from BOTM. Glad to know it‘s good! 2y
20 likes2 comments
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Mel
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Perfect kick off to spooky reading season with Vibes of Crimson Peak, Jane Eyre, and Frankenstein! #NetGalley #TheDeathofJaneLawrence

14 likes1 stack add
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Mel
Revelator: A novel | Daryl Gregory
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Unique unsettling tale about a girl in Tennessee and the god her family has worshipped for years. Hard book to classify in just one genre, has a bit of everything in it (horror, gothic, coming of age, mystery, creepy ick, heartwarming vibes, and sci if). #NetGalley #Revelator

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Mel
Velvet Was the Night | Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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As the title suggests, this is a slick noir set against the murky backdrop of Mexico‘s 1970s political tensions. Slightly slow to start, it picks up and has an excellent cast of characters. #netgalley #velvetwasthenight

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Mel
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The dark winter months of Antarctica make this a fun twist on the locked-room murder mystery trope! #TheDark #NetGalley #Antarctica

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Mel
The Book of Accidents | Chuck Wendig
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Reminiscent of the big horror tomes of the 80s (think King, Koontz, McCammon), this is a chunkster of a book that really delivers on the good versus evil, return-home-to-creepy town story! #NetGalley #TheBookOfAccidenrs

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Mel
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Twisty and breezy summer read that will make one think twice about their choice of travel companions! #NetGalley #WeWereNeverHere

14 likes1 stack add
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Mel
Malibu Rising | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Perfect book to kick off the summer! Gentle and moving story about the tight knit Riva family that unknowingly sucks you in. I could almost feel and taste the sun, saltwater, and sand grit of the beach! #netgalley #maliburising

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Mel
In the Quick: A Novel | Kate Hope Day
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Mel
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Nute Yes! 2y
15 likes1 comment
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Mel
The Apocalypse Seven | Gene Doucette
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An entertaining and “gentle” end-of-world novel focusing on the nuts and bolts of what to do when life as you know it is gone. #NetGalley #TheApocalypseSeven

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Mel
Burning Girls | C J Tudor
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Fun twist on the usual new-vicar-in-sleepy-village tale complete with cold case disappearances, town secrets, corrupt families, and religious martyrs. #netgalley #Theburninggirls

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Mel
Ramona the Pest | Beverly Cleary, Louis Darling
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Mel
Lonesome Dove: A Novel | Larry McMurtry
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Mel
PostScript Murders | Elly Griffiths
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Fabulous characters- an ex monk coffee shop owner, 90 year old retired BBC correspondent, care giver from the Ukraine with a mysterious past, an elderly “murder consultant”, and officer trying to climb the ranks with her bland but loyal partner - a delightful read! #netgalley #postscriptmurders