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melissajayne
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Sorry this is a little bit late.

Here are my plans:
📚finish Half-Blood Prince & Last Mission to Tokyo
📚read The Bookbinder & Bloodletting and miraculous cures

#novelnovember

Andrew65 Best of luck 😁 2w
Lin3han Yay!! Good luck! I‘m rooting for you! 2w
julieclair Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on The Bookbinder! Hope the Readathon has gone well for you. 😀 6d
22 likes3 comments
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melissajayne
Weekly Forecast | Thomas Gibson Inc
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#bookreport: A much better week of reading; I finished two books this past week (I read about 15 and a half hours) and feel quite pleased with myself. I will post my reviews later on, but fairly soon.

#weeklyforecast:
#currentlyreading: I am still working on Last Mission to Tokyo and am in the midst of reading HP and the Half-Blood Prince and should get that completed fairly soon.

Continued down below.

melissajayne #upcomingreads I am going to start Bloodletting as soon as I have the two current reads completed and I hope it shouldn't be too long of a read. And I will probably start The Bookbinder soon as well, as I have a meetup with the Book Cougars with this book.

Hope you all have a great week of reading.
2w
17 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
Weekly Forecast | Thomas Gibson Inc
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#bookreport: nothing was finished this past week; didn't read much due to not feeling well 🤒

#weeklyforecast
#CurrentlyReading: I have a bookclub coming up on Saturday for the Half-Blood Prince and am still in the midst of Order of the Phoenix. Still slogging through Last Mission and am hoping to finish All the Quiet Places

#upcomingreads: These two are bookclub books, one of which I will not be attending due to not feeling well.

melissajayne I am planning on reading it, as its been on my TBR list since about 2007. Fortunately, Half-Blood Prince is one of my favourite reads, so that shouldn't be hard to read in a few days. 3w
15 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
Untitled | Untitled
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#tlt

This one always changes, but lately my favourite apps are:

a) Apple Podcasts: so little time and so much to listen to

b) Zen Color/Disney Emoji Blitz: these games help me calm down and are way too addictive

c) Bookly: really like seeing how much I have left in my books to read.

dabbe Three apps I need to explore; thanks for sharing! 💜🖤🧡 1mo
16 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
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My #bookspinbingo list for November

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
16 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
A Good Year | Peter Mayle
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Here are my #roll100 selections for November; decided to go with my no. 1 selection.

keys_on_fire This #roll100 idea sounds neat! I‘ve never done it before… 2w
16 likes2 comments
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melissajayne
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#outstandingoctober wrap-up:

📚I read most days for about 30 minutes, but some days I didn‘t pick up a book, but my reading has become more regular.

📚 Finished both When the Elephants Dance and The Dictionary of Lost Words, plus a couple other books.

📚 Didn‘t quite finish a line on my #bookspinbingo card, but I‘m close. I‘m also close to completing my #doublespin book

Overall I feel quite successful with the #readathon

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melissajayne
Weekly Forecast | Thomas Gibson Inc
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#bookreport
Finished three books this past week, mainly yesterday during #deweyoct. All had aspects that I enjoyed, some more than others.

#weeklyforecast
#currentreads: Am reading Order of the Phoenix because I didn't finish it earlier this year and I do need to read Half-Blood Prince for next month. Last Mission was a #roll100 selection and so far it is very interesting.

melissajayne #upcomingreads: I am hoping to read those two, but am considering reading some lighter reads instead. Happy Reading. 1mo
16 likes1 comment
review
melissajayne
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Pickpick

4.5⭐️ When I went back to see how I had reviewed this book a couple years ago, I was surprised to find that I had given it exactly the same rating as I did this time. But I think I appreciated the romance between Esme and Gareth a little more this time around than my first time reading it. #2023 #bookclub #reread #bookreview #wwi #fiction #historicalfiction #reesesbookclub

23 likes1 stack add
review
melissajayne
When the Elephants Dance | Tess Uriza Holthe
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Mehso-so

3.5⭐️ There were aspects of the book that I liked, but there were also aspects that I didn‘t enjoy. I also felt that the book read slower than I expected. #2023 #bookclub #wwii #pacificwar #fiction #historicalfiction #bookreview

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melissajayne
Goodnight Moon | Margaret Wise Brown
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I‘m starting to get a bit tired. Been up since 5 am Pacific and I read for a little over 10 hours, read almost 700 pages and completed 3 books. I‘ve had a blast reading today. I also managed to get a lot of podcasts listened to and am very close to catching up on them. #readathon #deweyoct

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melissajayne
Untitled | Untitled
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How I‘m feeling today with #deweyoct #readathon today. I‘ve read a little over 7 hours and have completed 3 books. Onto something a little bit different for the time being.

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melissajayne
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Watching this as I eat my dinner #booktomovie #deweyoct

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melissajayne
Pizza Pizza Pizza Pizza | Robert Lesser
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My #readathon dinner. I finished When the Elephants Dance and have almost finished The Dictionary of Lost Words. Reviews will be up either sometime tomorrow or Monday. #deweyoct

review
melissajayne
Charlotte's Web | E.B. White
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Pickpick

4⭐️ 1st book for #deweysreadathon; a nice read to start off with. I started at the start time but fell asleep at around 6:30 am and woke up about 30 minutes later. #deweyoct #readathon #childrens #middlegrade #2023 #bookreview #fiction #classics #newberyhonor #greatamericanread

23 likes2 stack adds
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melissajayne
Mosaic Books | Kelowna, BC, Canada (Bookstore)
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Went to Kelowna in September to see family and went to two bookstores. I got the bottom book at the tagged bookstore (would love to have a bookstore like that here nearby). The other three I got at Indigo in Kelowna (the Emily Henry book was $25; its regular price is $37 here in Canada).

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melissajayne
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#bookreport: Finished two books this past week. The Golden Spruce was very interesting, but the author seemed to spend more time on the history of forestry than on the actual events that led up to the chopping down of the Golden Spruce. The graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary was very fascinating and was also made me put the book down for a bit because of how I wanted the ending to be different.

melissajayne Currently Reading:
#weeklyforecast: Am continuing to work on When the Elephants Dance and The Dictionary of Lost Words and hope to finish them this coming week. Started Order of the Phoenix because the book club with my friends is going to be reading Half-Blood Prince for late November and knowing how slow I am reading these days, I want to get an early start on that book.
2mo
melissajayne #upcomingreads: I am hoping to start In Memoriam this week and I need to start/finish The Postcard, as another one of my other holds has come through and I will have devote a lot of time to that one after I get it. I am planning on reading Charlotte's Web for the #deweysreadathon that is coming up on Saturday (they aren't doing sign ups this time around).

Happy reading.
2mo
18 likes2 comments
review
melissajayne
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Pickpick

4.75⭐️ Really enjoyed this adaptation. I had heard about the book through various sources that were talking about how the book had been banned in a number of jurisdictions in the past few months. Strongly recommend reading the author‘s note at the end of the book. #2023 #bookreview #adaptations #graphicnovels #bookstagram #nonfiction

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melissajayne
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It‘s that time of the month again where @Andrew65 ‘s monthly #readathon takes place.

My goals are:
📚read for at least 30 minutes
📚finish When the Elephants Dance and The Dictionary of Lost Words
📚get at least one line completed for #bookspinbingo and get my #doublespin book completed

#outstandingoctober

Andrew65 Great to have you with us, best of luck 😁 2mo
19 likes2 comments
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melissajayne
When the Elephants Dance | Tess Uriza Holthe
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My #bookspinbingo for October

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2mo
20 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
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1) Dessert, particularly pie
2) Cozy mysteries

#two4tuesday

TheSpineView Awesome! 2mo
17 likes1 comment
review
melissajayne
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Pickpick

3.5⭐️ It was something that I was glad to have read, even though I probably wouldn‘t have picked it up on my own. #2023 #bookclub #bookstagram #nonfiction #bookreview #mystery #truecrime #biography #britishcolumbia #forestindustry

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melissajayne
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Pickpick

4.5⭐️ I enjoyed the book for this #reread. I think it was that I understood the book better than my first reading a few years ago. I can see why people still enjoy this book. #2023 #bookclub #bookreview #lgbtq #bookstagram #historicalfiction #fiction

mommyincolortv I LOVED this book🥰 2mo
34 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
31 Days | Barry Werth
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Now I‘m probably not going to read a lot of scary books, but this perfectly ties in with the #24hourreadathon later on in October. Check out @Catsandbooks for more details. #31by31readathon #31by31

I am going to try for 31 hours.

You can find more information here: https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2638414

Catsandbooks Thanks for sharing! 🧡 2mo
18 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
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I feel that a child should read whatever they are interested in, even if the author or books are problematic. Yes this includes the Harry Potter and the Little House books. The reason that I feel this way is because I feel that people, including children, should be exposed to a variety of points of view, whether they agree with them or not.

Bklover Yes! 2mo
mommyincolortv A series that I think is great for all kinds of kids is The Bad Kitty series by Nick Bruel 2mo
BookmarkTavern Yes, and I think this also provides an excellent opportunity to discuss with the kids why an author is considered problematic. Thank you for posting! 2mo
18 likes3 comments
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melissajayne
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#bookreport: Didn‘t read that much but I am reading more regularly. Finished Seven Husbands last night; review to come later.

#weeklyforecast: Plan to finish Little Fires, as I have about a couple hours left to read. Planning to start either The Golden Spruce or When the Elephants Dance or restart In Memorium this week.

#upcoming: May continue with Charlotte‘s Web or start Dictionary of Lost Words later this week. Happy reading.

melissajayne Reason for my absence is due to either not doing well mentally or crappy wifi. 2mo
mom_of_4 I am wanting to read charlottes web 2mo
Cinfhen Happy to see you‘re back to posting 🫶🏼 2mo
19 likes3 comments
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melissajayne
Roll the Dice | Wayne Avrashow
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Here‘s what books got selected for me for #roll100 for October

PuddleJumper 🕸️🕸️ 2mo
20 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
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#bookreport: Had a really good week of reading. I read for a total of about 7 hours, finished 2 books and averaged about 108 pages a day. Most days I read for over an hour, except for two.

#weeklyforcecast: I am pretty sure that I will be finishing Evelyn Hugo and Little Fires, as I have about 2 hours left in each book, based on the pace I am reading at.

Continued below...

melissajayne #upcomingreads: Seeing as I have 3 book club meetings in October that are all within a 5 day span near the beginning of the month, I will very likely be working on When the Elephants Dance and The Golden Spruce; I have already read The Dictionary of Lost Words and that won't take long for me to complete (it took me about 6 hours to read last time I read it).

Continued below...
2mo
melissajayne As for the remaining books, I will probably focus on In Memorium, as I have had this book on pause for a while now and need to get my library copy back soon (I'll probably have to restart it, as I have forgotten what happened earlier on in the book).

Hopefully this coming week will be as good as it was this past week. Happy reading.
(edited) 2mo
22 likes2 comments
review
melissajayne
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Pickpick

5⭐️ To say that I enjoyed the book would undermine the story that Ms. Beaton told in this #graphicnovel. What the author tells is a very powerful story, despite the complicated nature of the story. It‘s really hard to pin down what I liked about the book. But I think it was her being honest about went on in the camps in northern Alberta which made it a winner for me #2023 #nonfiction #memoir #bookreview #bookstagram

SamAnne One of my best reads of the year. 2mo
30 likes1 comment
review
melissajayne
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Pickpick

4⭐️ I read this for a #bookclub meeting today and quite enjoyed it. Some of the things was a little bit dry but found it enjoyable. #2023 #reread #sciencfiction #fiction #bookreview #bookstagram

38 likes1 stack add
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melissajayne
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#weeklyreport
My reading is slowly coming back. I find that I can read read for about 30-45 minutes at a time, but its usually closer to 30 minutes most times. I currently am working on The Martian and Seven Husbands for my book meetings this week. And when those are done, I will get onto In Memorium and When the Elephants Dance. I will attempt to work on Little Fires and Charlotte's Web, but I have some others in the wings to work on.

Cinfhen So glad to hear that you‘re starting to return to reading!! Hope that means you‘re beginning to feel better! 3mo
melissajayne @Cinfhen it‘s still a little bit of a struggle, so I‘m going to be moving in with my parents for a few years and rent out my apartment during that time. I talked to my sister about it and she gave me some great advice and as she was saying it, I made the decision to go and stay with my parents for that time.⤵️ 3mo
melissajayne @Cinfhen my sister said something about me being overly recovered rather than being just barely recovered from cancer treatments and moving backwards. Something about being at like 105% ready to go back and going to 95% ready instead of being 90% ready and going back to 80% ready to be on my own. I‘ve just barely recovered from my last surgery (got the all clear to go swimming about 2 weeks ago). 3mo
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melissajayne @Cinfhen I just have so little motivation to do anything, including just the regular day to day routine. A decade ago, I had no problem doing the daily routine, but most days I just plop down on my couch and turn my laptop and tv and basically just ignore most things, until I can‘t stand the mess, etc. 3mo
Cinfhen You‘re body and mind has been through so much. It‘s understandable that you have zero motivation, energy and strength. Moving in with your parents seems like a great way to begin to rebound. Best of luck - Every little step is a victory 🙌🏻💗 3mo
melissajayne @Cinfhen they have; thanks. 3mo
27 likes6 comments
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melissajayne
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I have been listening to this podcast series during the summer. I will warn you that your notion of Laura and The #littlehouse series will be changed. Highly recommended.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-wilder-112847598/

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melissajayne
When the Elephants Dance | Tess Uriza Holthe
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Sorry that this is late, but here is my #bookspinbingo list for September

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3mo
27 likes1 comment
review
melissajayne
Ask Again, Yes: A Novel | Mary Beth Keane
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Pickpick

4⭐️ I really quite liked the overall story. Was chosen as a #bookclub read and read it while I was on my Oregon/Mt. St. Helen‘s trip. Definitely for those that like #familydrama ‘s. I think one reason that I enjoyed it was that it felt realistic and felt like the author really had in mind what she wanted to write. Didn‘t blow my mind by any means, but was engaging enough for me to stick with the book and enjoy it.

28 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
The Wednesdays | Julie Bourbeau
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1) Julie & Julia
2) Forrest Gump
3) That I can go swimming before the warm weather goes away.
#wondrouswednesday

Eggs Thanks for joining in 👌🏼 3mo
19 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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Since I have the weekend free, I will be joining, if I remember.

My selections are:
• The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
• The Martian
• In Memorium
• When the Elephants Dance
#20in4

Andrew65 Hope it‘s going well 😁 Great book choices. 3mo
melissajayne @Andrew65 I finished a book on Friday afternoon, but since then I‘ve been busy and I‘m still healing from my surgery about 2 months ago. I have less to do on Sunday and Monday, so hopefully I‘ll be able to get more reading in. 3mo
20 likes2 comments
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melissajayne
Ramona the Pest | Ramona Cleary
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Me with Ramona on the Beverly Cleary walking tour yesterday.

BarkingMadRead Ohhhhhh that‘s fun! 3mo
31 likes2 comments
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melissajayne
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On the Ramona walking tour in Portland #ramona #beverlycleary

Julsmarshall So cool! 3mo
melissajayne @Julsmarshall it was very cool. The place I was sitting in was the library that Beverly used as a kid. 3mo
25 likes2 comments
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melissajayne
Firefly Lane | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

5⭐️ I was really surprised that I liked this book. While I wasn‘t really surprised at how well the story was written, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how much it drew me in. I also liked how the author made the cancer storyline very believable. I didn‘t know I had breast cancer until there was a shooting pain in my breast; breast cancer doesn‘t always make itself known with the usual signs. ⤵️

25 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
The Daring Game | Kit Pearson
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1) Day after Labour Day (it‘s just a half day for the kids, with the rest of the day being basically a PD day for the teachers.

2) Tagged book. I read that book so many times, even though I didn‘t have a copy until recently.

#two4tuesday

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 4mo
20 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
The Suggestion Book | Duncan Ferguson
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I‘m feeling very frustrated my inability to focus on reading books for long periods of time. I‘m lucky if I can focus on a book for more than a few minutes without my mind wandering off and thinking about something else and then struggling with whatever I am reading at the moment. So to ease the pressure, I‘m going to postpone going to my library book clubs until such time I can focus on a book better.⤵️

melissajayne I still want to read and I want to work my way back up into reading more dense books that I like reading. My mom suggested Jodi Picoult, Elin Hildenbrand, etc. Does anyone have any more recommendations? 4mo
ravenlee What about a short story collection/anthology, or poetry? I like Nikita Gill‘s poetry when I‘m short on attention. 4mo
dabbe I don't know what genres you like, but the short story a day is a great idea that @ravenlee gave you. My favorite story of poetry is OUT OF THE DUST by Karen Hesse. If you like mysteries, you could read the 56 short stories of SHERLOCK HOLMES. I love reading comic books when I'm in a rut, too (my favorites are PEANUTS and MUTTS); you can get whole anthologies for those. Take a deep breath, and don't be so hard on yourself. Sending hugs. 🤗🤗🤗 4mo
Tamra I typically turn to a go-to comfort read or author. 4mo
16 likes4 comments
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melissajayne
When the Elephants Dance | Tess Uriza Holthe
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My August #bookspinbingo list

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4mo
15 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
Weekly Forecast | Thomas Gibson Inc
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#bookreport: Didn't finish anything this past week, but I am recovering from surgery and my cancer treatments (I have heard it can take up to 18 months after radiation treatments to fully recover) and I am hoping that this week I can finally finish something.

#weeklyforecast
#currentlyreading: I will be starting The Cure for Death by Lightning this coming week and continuing to read Order of the Phoenix and In Memoriam. Continued below...

melissajayne I will be continuing with These Happy Golden Years for the #littlehouse readalong

#upcomingreads: My plan is to hopefully also start Little Fires Everywhere (its for another bookclub that I belong to), Looking for Jane and Remarkably Bright Creatures (its my #bookspin read for July) this coming week. But that depends on whether I can get some of my current reads completed.
5mo
Cinfhen Your upcoming reads are good, especially 5mo
22 likes2 comments
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melissajayne
The Cure For Death By Lightning | Gail Anderson-Dargatz
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My July #bookspinbingo list

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 5mo
22 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
Status Update | Annabeth Albert
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As many of you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer about two years ago and went through its subsequent treatments, including starting my breast reconstruction. So on June 23rd, I had the second half of that reconstruction, in which the balloon that expanded the skin in my breast area was taken out and a prothesis was put in as a result. I also had a lift on my right side done to make my breasts look symmetrical.

Continued below...

melissajayne So because of the surgery, I moved back into my parents place for a few weeks, as I recover. I have read a bit, but not much, as I still find reading quite taxing and takes a lot of energy for me. So I have been watching a lot of TV, whether it be The Crown, This is Us, Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age or Succession. I will probably start The House of the Dragon after I have finished The Gilded Age. (edited) 5mo
TrishB Hope all is going well. Take care. 5mo
CarolynM That sounds like a lot. Glad to hear you‘ve got your parents to help you. Hope you‘re healing well💕 5mo
See All 13 Comments
Tamra Wishing you the very best as you recover and get your energy back. 5mo
melissajayne @TrishB it is and I am taking care. 5mo
melissajayne @CarolynM it is a lot 5mo
melissajayne @Tamra thank you and I hope so too. 5mo
TheSpineView Hoping you are back to 💯 soon! 5mo
TheLudicReader Sending healing thoughts your way. 5mo
fredamans Sending positive vibes!! 5mo
rabbitprincess Best wishes for a speedy recovery ❤️ 5mo
BookmarkTavern Wishing you a complete and quick recovery! 💕 5mo
dabbe Hope you continue to heal--thinking of you. 💙💚💙 5mo
29 likes13 comments
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melissajayne
The Wednesdays | Julie Bourbeau
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1) Yes I have had a book signed

2) yep. Usually it‘s because I have misplaced a book and forgot where I put it.

3) Probably the world of Harry Potter

#wondrouswednesday

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melissajayne
Sweet Tea Tuesdays | Ashley Farley
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1) probably to a quiet beach resort where I could spend the day reading with plenty of libations being brought to me,

2) I probably would go on my own

#two4tuesday

TheSpineView Sounds like my perfect reading vacation. Thanks for playing 6mo
26 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
The Odyssey | Homer Homer
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1) The Odyssey; it was originally written in the late 8th or early 7th century BC

2) 6 or 7

3) The Little House and Harry Potter series

#wondrouswednesday

Eggs #3 Absolutely 💯 6mo
21 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
Finding Me: A Memoir | Viola Davis
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1) The tagged book. I only listened to the book because I had heard really great things about the audiobook.

2) Lots. The radiation treatments from a year ago are still wearing me out, especially when I do a number of things in a day.

#two4tuesday

TheSpineView Thanks for playing 6mo
17 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
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I became a Bookshop affiliate about two months ago. So going forward, I will be posting an affiliate link either in post or in the comments. If you want to throw me a few bucks by either purchasing the book I have reviewed or something else that you would like to read, you can purchase through my shop: https://bookshop.org/shop/jaynesbooks