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Ruthiella

Ruthiella

Joined February 2018

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Ruthiella
Handling Sin | Michael Malone
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My #Roll100 picks for September. I intentionally chose SFF titles I‘ve been meaning to read for years and so far, they keep getting picked! 😅👍 Looking forward to The Goblin Emperor!

Cherry I got over a decade ago when I read The Liar‘s Club.

Handling Sin was a recommendation also for over a decade ago when I obsessively followed book blogs.

The las two are off my physical shelf, so bonus.

PuddleJumper I've got the Goblin Emperor as a possible October read 21h
Bookworm54 I loved the goblin emperor (I listened on audio). Enjoy! 21h
Ruthiella @PuddleJumper I have heard so many positive reviews about it! 21h
Ruthiella @Bookworm54 Great to know! I will definitely see if I can access the audio through my libraries. Plot heavy books often work really well for me on audio. 21h
44 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
Waltzing the Cat | Pam Houston
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Pickpick

#OffMyShelf “completely different”
#14Books14Weeks

Short stories are not something I normally gravitate toward, but I did enjoy this book of linked stories featuring a 30 something woman in the‘90s. Lucy‘s a photographer and a real “guy‘s girl”. She sails, she white water rafts, etc. but she is unlucky in love.

I have had this book on my shelf since 1999. 😵‍💫 It‘s moved with me three times in 25 years ! Glad I finally read it. 😅

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Ruthiella
Untitled | Untitled
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Thank you @Butterfinger for this beautiful handmade bookmark. 😊

TheBookHippie Gorgeous. 4d
kspenmoll So pretty! Love the colors! 4d
AnnCrystal Beautiful @Butterfinger 👏🏼🤩🔖💝. 4d
See All 6 Comments
Butterfinger Ahh, you are very welcome. 4d
Leftcoastzen Lovely! 4d
Cathythoughts That‘s lovely ❤️ 3d
58 likes6 comments
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Ruthiella
Flashman (The Flashman Papers, Book 1) | George MacDonald Fraser
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#WhereAreYouMonday

I‘m with Flashman on the 1842 retreat from Kabul of the British Army. He is really is a terrible person but one does get a good feel for the historical situation reading this book.

CarolynM My husband loves this series. I‘m not sure why I‘ve never read any because I do like that sort of thing. One day… 1d
Ruthiella @CarolynM It‘s definitely worth trying. I wouldn‘t say it‘s hilarious but it does give Black Adder vibes in how Flashman is successful in spite of his incompetence and cowardice. 1d
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Ruthiella
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Pickpick

#OffMyShelf - memoir
#OhCanada

“Healing isn‘t a freeing experience when you‘re in the middle of it. It feels like land mines are exploding and ripping your flesh apart. Everywhere you step is dangerous.”

Powerful and raw. Knott writes about her struggles with addiction and abuse as an indigenous Canadian. Reminded me also of “Tattoos on the Heart” with its appeal to withhold judgment.

Trigger warnings for drug use, sexual assault and abuse.

Jess861 Glad you enjoyed it! 5d
Ruthiella @Jess861 Definitely glad to read about her challenges and strength in surmounting them. 5d
Suet624 Read this a number of years ago and really liked it. 5d
See All 7 Comments
Ruthiella @Suet624 I remember. Jenny @ReadingEnvy also read it so it was definitely on my radar. 5d
Suet624 Jenny. 😭❤️ 5d
CarolynM Great review. I hope I‘ll get to this sometime, but probably not in time for the discussion ☹️ 4d
Ruthiella @CarolynM That‘s the beauty of the internet. You can read the discussion and chime in later. 4d
54 likes1 stack add7 comments
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Ruthiella
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#WhereAreYouMonday

My current book puts me back in Canada this Monday. A difficult memoir to read because the author has suffered so much pain and violence.

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Ruthiella
The Girl in the Ice | Robert Bryndza
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Mehso-so

#OffMyShelf “one season”

This was a fast paced procedural but after finishing it, I‘m not sure the plot actually hangs together. DCI Erika Foster is recovering still from the death of her husband when she takes the case of a peer‘s daughter who was brutally murdered in London. She finds herself stymied when the powers that be appear to want to pin the murder on an innocent man. The crime and its unraveling all happen during the winter season.

wanderinglynn Yay! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎉🙌🏻 2w
57 likes2 comments
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Ruthiella
Waltzing the Cat | Pam Houston
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#weekendreads

Reading the Helen Knott memoir for #OhCanada

The Pam Houston title I was gifted in 1999 😱 for my birthday. There is a dedication inside from the giver, dated. It and the Flashman book are for #14Books14Weeks

AnnCrystal 🆒👏🏼🥳📚💝. 2w
62 likes2 comments
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Ruthiella
The Kill | Emile Zola
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Pickpick

#OffMyShelf “translated”

Mon dieu! Zola does not pull his punches. Interesting to read this so close to the Rules of Attraction. The Kill is also a novel about amoral people behaving badly.

Set during the rampant speculation and corruption of the 2nd Empire, Saccard comes up from the provinces to collect his spoils by using any form of fraud or deceit. Everyone is a tool to be exploited him, including his wife and son.

wanderinglynn 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎉🙌🏻 2w
55 likes2 comments
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Ruthiella
The Age of Innocence | Edith Wharton
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#FridayNightReadingHour

I had to run an errand after work and decided to use it as an excuse to get an iced coffee. 😋 Still plugging away at the same four books as last Friday. 😅

mcctrish Look at that icy goodness 🥰 2w
Ruthiella It sure hits the spot on a hot day. 😊 2w
TheBookHippie Oh yum! (edited) 2w
Ruthiella @TheBookHippie it‘s tasty! 2w
71 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
The Kill | Emile Zola
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#WhereAreYouMonday

I‘m in 19th century 2nd Empire Paris where Haussmann and Napoleon III are transforming the city into the wide boulevards and tall buildings so characteristic of Paris today. This building frenzy invites speculation and corruption. Fortunes are made and lost. Waste and decadence are encouraged and celebrated.

DrSabrinaMoldenReads Thanks! I am highly interested in this! I checked it out. I am definitely going to read this series. (edited) 3w
Ruthiella @DrSabrinaMoldenReads I‘m only three books in (reading in the recommended reading order rather than publication date) and finding it fascinating. Highly recommend! 3w
bookandbedandtea Sounds fascinating! 3w
Ruthiella @bookandbedandtea It‘s a pretty great series. I would make a fantastic multi episode television adaptation. 3w
DrSabrinaMoldenReads @Ruthiella Thanks for sharing 2w
62 likes5 comments
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Ruthiella
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#weekendreads

A very classics heavy reading weekend for me. I have some driving to do and luckily the three classics are also available on Hoopla on audio. 👍

Leftcoastzen I really love the Joyce , I read it very long ago , I do wonder if I would like it as much now . 3w
Ruthiella @Leftcoastzen I have to say it is more approachable than Ulysses, but he‘s never going to be my favorite author. 🙃 3w
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Ruthiella
The Rules of Attraction | Bret Easton Ellis
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Pickpick

I had such fun completing the first #OffMyShelf challenge, I‘ll try the next board too! 😃 “Story was adapted”

Paul likes Sean but Sean likes Lauren but Lauren likes Victor… This was disturbing and transgressive yet surprisingly funny at times. Students behaving badly at a liberal arts college in NH. Very‘80s. So much sex and drugs. I didn‘t realize Ellis writes all his books in the same universe with character overlap.

CW for rape l/suicide.

wanderinglynn 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻 Off to a great start! 3w
Ruthiella @wanderinglynn This will be more challenging than the last to manage from my physical shelves, but here‘s hoping ! 🤞 3w
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Ruthiella
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My last category completed for the #OffMyShelf challenge! 🥳 “Gifted by a friend”.

In the acknowledgments, we find the story is based on a real woman‘s life, Eva Panic Nahir, a Hungarian Jew from what is now Croatia who was imprisoned in Tito‘s gulag and later emigrated to Israel with her daughter. In the book, Vera makes a decision to honor her principles and her husband‘s memory at great cost to herself and her relationship with her daughter.

wanderinglynn Woo-hoo! 🎉 🥳👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻 Amazing! Way to go! (edited) 3w
kspenmoll 👏🏻👏🏻 3w
Ruthiella @wanderinglynn Thanks for putting this together. I‘ve really enjoyed looking for books I own that fit the prompts. 😊 3w
Ruthiella @kspenmoll Thank you! 🙏 3w
55 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
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🔎 This is a gentle reminder for any #EBBR readers to look into getting a copy of the tagged title, the next book (no. 7) in the series, for our joint-read in August.

🔎 Another fun opportunity to channel your inner 9 year old and match wits with Idaville‘s boy detective!

If anyone wants to be removed or added to the tag list, let me know.

@LitsyEvents

Read4life I‘m traveling 8/1-8/3 and this is one of the books coming with me. 🤓 3w
Sace I go back to work today and this is the book that will comfort me this weekend 😂 3w
Ruthiella @Read4life Perfect light reading to accompany you! 😊 3w
Ruthiella @Sace I hope your first day back goes well! 😊 3w
Sace Thanks! No students yet so it‘s still pretty laid back. 3w
40 likes5 comments
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Ruthiella
The Rules of Attraction | Bret Easton Ellis
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#WhereAreYouMonday

This Monday my book takes me to a fictional version of Bennington College in Vermont. Ellis calls it Camden College and places it in New Hampshire, but it‘s clear from what I know about the author it‘s really his Alma mater.

The behavior depicted is often reprehensible but not unknown to me and my own second decade. I‘m surprised at how funny it is at times.

Cupcake12 Sounds intriguing! 4w
Ruthiella @Cupcake12 It‘s the second book from him that I have read. He‘s kinda amoral maybe? I think I will read American Psycho next and leave it at that. 4w
Reggie I am not a fan of the movie. I see his books all the time and I just remember that bad feeling I had about the movie. Should I give it a try? 4w
Ruthiella @Reggie I‘ve not seen the film but I hear it‘s pretty faithful to the book-so maybe not? This is like a transgressive rom-com with date rape. 3w
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Ruthiella
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Pickpick

Hey ##EBBR friends! How did you fare with this month‘s title?

I did pretty well-I only missed “The Case of the Angry Cook” and I thought the “solution” was pretty tenuous. 😅

I am also curious about “The Case of the Falling Woman”. I understand the reveal, but how did the kid get a picture of a woman falling in the first place!?!?🤔 Was it his mom on a trampoline?

DGRachel I didn‘t take notes so I don‘t remember specific cases, but I do remember feeling like the solution offered wasn‘t necessarily the only one possible based on the clues given. I had a lot of “but what about…” moments. Overall, though, I liked this one better than the last! 4w
Ruthiella @DGRachel For sure Encyclopedia Brown‘s success rate would be lower if the bad guys weren‘t so willing to confess! 😂 4w
Read4life I agree with @DGRachel that this was better than the last. I can see why my (much) younger self devoured these books!! 4w
Ruthiella @Read4life I also tore through these as a kid. I don‘t think I ever guessed the solution correctly, however. 😅 4w
41 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
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My #roll100 picks for August - both library borrows. I‘m going to skip No. 41 since I read it this month already. 🙊

Tamra Mma Ramotswe 😍 4w
Ruthiella @Tamra I love her too! 😍 4w
PuddleJumper 💛💛 4w
Billypar I recently read this one from Omotoso and really liked it. Woman Next Door sounds good too. 4w
Ruthiella @Billypar I started The Woman Next Door years ago, maybe because it was a ToB longlist book? But just never got back to it. 4w
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Ruthiella
A Memory Called Empire | Arkady Martine
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Pickpick

This was a slow burn, politically plotted SciFi and I thought it was great. Lots of intrigue within fantastic world building.

Mahit Dzmare is caught between her love for Teixcalaanli language and literature as ambassador to that Empire and her understanding that she will never be accepted as anything more than other and her fear that the Empire will annex her own culture and community, thereby erasing it.

My second #roll100 for July.

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 4w
60 likes2 comments
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Ruthiella
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#weekendreads

Will definitely finish “The Fiction Writer” today. I put it on pause to read some other stuff.

Diving in to my 🤞last two books for July. “The Rules of Attraction” is my last #roll100 for the month. The David Grossman is my last #OffMyShelf book and also on my #14Books14Weeks.

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Ruthiella
Nevada | Imogen Binnie
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Thank you for the tip @ChaoticMissAdventures ! None of my libraries had a copy but I was really pleased to see my local brick and mortar Barnes and Nobel had a stack of copies. 👍 #BlameitonLitsy

ChaoticMissAdventures I hope you enjoy it!! St James says it is one of her biggest influences, and it is a Trans cult classic. A bit grittier than Woodworking but so good, and historically an important book in Trans writing. If you want more context on all that this is a great article https://www.them.us/story/imogen-binnie-nevada-reissue-interview 1mo
Ruthiella @ChaoticMissAdventures Thank you for the link! I will check it out. 👍 1mo
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Ruthiella
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#WhereAreYouMonday

This Monday finds me in Malibu, California at a cliff side mansion. So far it‘s just OK but it‘ll be a fast read in any case.

mcctrish At first I read this as you were physically in a mansion on the Malibu coast and I was like “it‘s just okay?!” and then all the words and their meaning kicked in 😆😆😆 1mo
Ruthiella @mcctrish 😂😂😂 You know the jet set life I lead… 1mo
Charityann This one is on my TBR.😄 1mo
Ruthiella @Charityann I hope you like it! 😊 So far it‘s a quick read. 1mo
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Ruthiella
Wives and Daughters | Elizabeth Gaskell
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Pickpick

#hashtagbrigade
#allergictochunksters
#chunksterchallenge2025

I couldn‘t wait. I had to finish!🙈

This is a story of Molly Gibson whose life is changed by two major events: her introduction to the Hamelys of Hamley Hall and her father‘s hasty decision to remarry.

Love, loved, loved this chunky classic! Molly is often passive and put upon but there are lines she will not cross, and the reader loves her for her loyalty and her integrity.

BarkingMadRead I finished it as well 🤣🤣 1mo
Ruthiella @BarkingMadRead It was just too tempting! 😂😂 1mo
dabbe @BarkingMadRead @Ruthiella So did I! 😂😍😂 1mo
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julieclair I finished too! 😉 1mo
Amiable Yay! If you‘re gonna tackle a chunkster, it‘s always a plus if you actually love it . 🙌🏼 1mo
Ruthiella @dabbe I know! It was just too good to wait! 😂😍😂 1mo
Ruthiella @julieclair I am in good company! 😊 1mo
Ruthiella @Amiable So true! The pages just fly. 👍 1mo
dabbe @Ruthiella 🩵💙🩵 1mo
68 likes1 stack add9 comments
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Ruthiella
A Memory Called Empire | Arkady Martine
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#weekendreads

Really loving the tagged book which is one of my #Roll100 picks for July.

Getting back on track with #DoorstopKristen

The third title is a #BlameitonLitsy spontaneous read.

ChaoticMissAdventures I really loved Empire too! It felt really layered and fresh. 1mo
Ruthiella @ChaoticMissAdventures It‘s giving me Ann Leckie Imperial Radch vibes, a trilogy I loved . 1mo
Lesliereadsalot Ooh…a Hugo Award winner! I loved Imperial Radch, will have to read this one, 1mo
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Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot It has a similar complexity in its depiction of culture and diplomacy. Which would be too slow for some readers, but I enjoy it. 1mo
Centique Oh im so glad you‘re enjoying it! Yes reminded me of Ann Leckie too 😍 1mo
Ruthiella @Centique I really like being immersed in a complex SciFi world like this. 😊 1mo
56 likes6 comments
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Ruthiella
King of Ashes | S. A. Cosby
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#WhereAreYouMonday

My last #CampLitsy25 book takes me to a decaying town in Virginia.

Lesliereadsalot I‘m not loving this one, how about you? 1mo
Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot I‘ve only previously read All the Sinners Bleed and while I will read to the end, his books are a little too gritty for me. 1mo
Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot find also he uses a lot of awkward similes. Like this on page 215 “In the distance he heard a train cutting through the dark like a scimitar”. I get what he‘s trying to impart but a knife has no effect on the air or darkness. If I were his editor…😅 1mo
See All 9 Comments
Lesliereadsalot Haha. Over half way, hoping to get to the end today. Just not interested in any of these characters, but it seems like it might make a good film noir. 1mo
sarahbarnes I tried to read Sinners and like you, it was too a little much for me. 1mo
Reggie I liked his use of sobriquet and apellation right off the bat in the first 2 chapters. I thought, ooooooh someone‘s using a thesaurus. lol 1mo
BkClubCare Oh dear, I am probably going to skip this one. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1mo
Ruthiella @BkClubCare Fair, I almost did based on how I felt about Sinners, but then my library hold miraculously came in… 1mo
BkClubCare @Ruthiella - my copy from the library is just sitting there waiting for me to finish my current book. The library auto renews but I think I will return it unread. #ohwell 1mo
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Ruthiella
The Miracle at Speedy Motors | Alexander McCall Smith
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Pickpick

#SeriesLove2025
#OffMyShelf - in a series
#14Books14Weeks

Another gentle and entertaining outing with Mma Ramotswe and co. An adopted woman asks the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency to find her biological family and someone is sending poison pen letters to the agency. Both mysteries are solved with compassion and kindness. ❤️

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Ruthiella
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

The middle and upper class of a small English village rub along together awkwardly in this novel. The eccentric Mr. Monsoon, the pretentious Mrs. Rockaby, the loony Lady Tyce, etc. There‘s no real plot nor any character to root for really, but I enjoyed it on the whole. It‘s often funny and has maybe a subtle feminist edge to it at times, but as @Tamra noted, much longer would have been too long.

LeahBergen That ditch! 😂 1mo
Tamra 😷😂 1mo
Tamra I really expected more about Mrs. Tyce and her poison pen! That could have been a really fun storyline. (edited) 1mo
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Ruthiella @LeahBergen The ditch is the only character that has a transformative arc! 😂 1mo
Ruthiella @Tamra For sure! 1mo
Tamra @Ruthiella 🤣 1mo
CarolynM Perfect picture! 🤣 @LeahBergen 1mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM You can almost smell it! 😷 1mo
rubyslippersreads I‘m surprised someone didn‘t get thrown into that ditch! 🤣 1mo
Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads Oh! That would have been quite something! I guess Mr. Monsoon winging his daughter-in-law was enough excitement. 😂 1mo
76 likes10 comments
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Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
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#weekendreads

I have two lighter books on tap this weekend, which is a relief from other heavier reads.

One for #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub and one that will fit both the #serieslove2025 and #offmyshelf challenges.

I need to get back on track/catch up with #KLBR !

rubyslippersreads I‘m in the same boat with #KLBR. 1mo
Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads May we both get our groove back! 🤞 1mo
57 likes2 comments
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Ruthiella
Tilt | Emma Pattee
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#whereareyoumonday

I‘m in Portland, Oregon at an IKEA store. Only one chapter in so far.

peaKnit How auspicious! 2mo
Ruthiella @peaKnit What will the main character buy? Will she get the meatballs for lunch? 😅 2mo
peaKnit I think that you‘re the main character today and vote yes to all good things! :) 2mo
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dabbe You can actually read while you're in an IKEA store? #bravo! 👏🏻😂👏🏻 2mo
BarbaraBB Very excited to read this one. 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures Welcome to my home town, where my entire life people have been warning about "The Big One" ? 2mo
Ruthiella @dabbe No, the character in the book is at an IKEA store in Portland, not me. 😂 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB I have a good feeling about it ! 🤞 2mo
Ruthiella @ChaoticMissAdventures I didn‘t realize that earthquakes were an issue outside of Southern California, where I live and they are not uncommon. 🙈 I also grew up with warnings about “The Big One”. 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures @Ruthiella they are not at all common here in PDX. Not really common at all in Oregon. Maybe 1-2 a year that people claim they can feel. I lived in San Diego for 8 years, it is no comparison! But Oregonians have a weird built in fear about it, and PDX freaks out because our city is split in half by the river and our infrastructure is old. 1mo
dabbe @Ruthiella OMG!!! 🤦🏼‍♀️😂🤦🏼‍♀️ 1mo
sarahbarnes I just spent a week in Oregon so I‘m looking forward to reading this one! 1mo
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes How perfect! A literary re-visit! 1mo
Meshell1313 Oooh wow! 😮 1mo
sarahbarnes Right?! 💕 1mo
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Ruthiella
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#weekendreads

Two main books to focus on for #CampLitsy25 and #NancyDrewBR but also still keeping up with #HashtagBrigade and #KLBR . 👍

IMASLOWREADER omg…nancy drew!!! such a classic (edited) 1mo
Ruthiella @IMASLOWREADER We are reading all of them in a group on Litsy #NancyDrewBR . Join us if you like! 😊 1mo
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Ruthiella
Every Man Dies Alone | Hans Fallada
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#OffMyShelf “started before”

A powerful novel about resistance in Nazi Germany based on true events-both depressing and hopeful to read now.

“As it was, we acted alone, we were caught alone, and every one of us will have to die alone. But that doesn‘t mean we are alone, Quangel, or that our deaths will be in vain.Nothing in this world is done in vain, and since we are fighting for justice against brutality, we are bound to prevail in the end.”

Leftcoastzen This has been on my TBR for a long time 2mo
Ruthiella @Leftcoastzen I‘ve had this copy for a few years now. It‘s really good . Doesn‘t feel dated, good translation. 2mo
wanderinglynn 🎉👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Way to go! 🙌🏻 2mo
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Ruthiella @wanderinglynn Only two more spots to fill! 🤞😃 2mo
wanderinglynn @Ruthiella you are rocking it! 🎉🙌🏻🥳 2mo
BkClubCare Similar theme to Sea of Rust! #justsaying 1mo
Ruthiella @BkClubCare Interesting! 🤨 I saw that you were reading it on goodreads and I added it to my TBR. 1mo
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Untitled | Untitled
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Taking stock of my #Roll100 progress at the half year mark. The majority have been owned books from my shelves and I hope I can keep the momentum up in the second half.🤞

Many thanks @PuddleJumper for making this happen! 😊

willaful Nice job! I'll have to make next years list with books I own, they always get sidelined. 2mo
PuddleJumper That's brilliant! Great progress 2mo
Ruthiella @willaful @Suet624 That‘s my #Roll100 strategy: about 70% owned books and 30% unowned books I‘ve been meaning to get to. (edited) 2mo
Ruthiella @PuddleJumper I got great satisfaction out of making this graphic and seeing the actual results. 2mo
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Ruthiella
Untilted | Autechre
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#mellowmonday

This is something I have to remind myself of frequently when fear holds me back.

Thank you for the tag @KadaGul 😊

Tamra Great, reminder! 2mo
KadaGul Love 😍 It. #SummerVibes 2mo
Eggs That is a great quote. Thanks for playing 🥳 2mo
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Ruthiella
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#WhereAreYouMonday

The present day story takes place in London, England while the “fictional” story within a story is set on the Côte d‘Azure. Super fun, these books are like brain candy for me. I like reading them but have no memory of the story a mere few weeks later. ?

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Another month and another #EBBR title to read or re-read! Time for all those participating to hunt down a copy. So far I‘ve been lucky that my library system has them available in ebook format.

This blast from the past is a group read available for all. If anyone wants to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know. 😊

Sace I ring in every month with Encyclopedia Brown. It‘s become my first day of the month tradition. 😁 2mo
Ruthiella @Sace I really look forward to this and the #NancyDrewBR each month. It‘s a mini mental vacation. 😃 2mo
Read4life @Sace same here. I‘m grabbing my coffee and sitting down to read it now. 🤓 2mo
Ruthiella @Read4life Awesome! Enjoy! 2mo
38 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
A Memory Called Empire | Arkady Martine
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My #Roll100 picks for July. Two are from my shelves and the tagged is one I‘ve long wanted to get into. Can‘t wait!

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Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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👋 Hello #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! This is a reminder that our bimonthly pick for July is the tagged title. I‘m looking forward to this novel about village life in the mid century…it‘s my catnip, one might say.

All are welcome to join this group read. Read at your own pace, but please do tag the group if you review or post on it so we all can like and comment.

If anyone wants to be tagged or be removed from the list, say the word. 😊

Tamra I can do this one! 😊 2mo
Ruthiella @Tamra Yahoo! 😃 2mo
willaful Sounds like a fun one. 2mo
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CarolynM Really looking forward to this one! 2mo
Kimzey Thank you! 2mo
catebutler Looking forward to this! 2mo
Ruthiella @willaful I agree. I think it‘s going to be amusing! 2mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM Me too! 2mo
Ruthiella @Kimzey You‘re welcome! 2mo
Ruthiella @catebutler I think it sounds delightful! 2mo
Sace Looking forward to this! 2mo
Ruthiella @Sace I have a good feeling about it. 🤞 2mo
Tamra Chapter 1 has me hooked! 2mo
Ruthiella @Tamra Fantastic! I will start later. I still have two books I want to finish in June. 2mo
LeahBergen Yayyyy! 👏 2mo
julieclair Catnip! Perfect way to describe books like this. 👍 Looking forward to it. 2mo
Ruthiella @LeahBergen Yippee! 🙌 2mo
Ruthiella @julieclair Yup! We all have our sub-sub-sub-genre sweet spots! 😅 2mo
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Ruthiella
Every Man Dies Alone | Hans Fallada
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#whereareyoumonday

I‘m in Nazi Germany this week. Not a fun place. But I think this is going to be a good book - worth reading and a particularly timely reminder.

kspenmoll This does sound good. Different perspective. Please keep me posted. 2mo
Ruthiella I will. It was written by a German who experienced the war and the rise and fall of fascism and published this in 1947. So contemporary fiction. 2mo
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Ruthiella
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Pickpick

#EBBR

My solved to stumped ratio was particularly bad in this one! 😬 Though, IMO, none of the solutions were particularly convincing. Was the author running out of ideas, I wonder?

Also, it was unpleasant reading due to one incident of animal cruelty and racist portrayals of indigenous Americans. The fact that it was the Seminole, however, it does help geolocate Idaville as being in Florida or one of its neighboring states with a coastline.

DGRachel This one was definitely not my favorite and I‘m glad I‘m not the only one who thought some of the solved involved questionable logic. I remember thinking, “well, yes, that‘s true, but what about…”. 2mo
Ruthiella @DGRachel Yes. The real mystery here is why the perpetrators confess so readily when faced with such flimsy “proof” of their crimes. 😅 2mo
Read4life I‘m with you on this. I think this was the weakest in the series so far and by far my least favorite. 2mo
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Ruthiella @Read4life Let‘s hope the next one is better! 🤞 2mo
Sace I‘m glad I wasn‘t the only one with fewer solves than usual! 2mo
Ruthiella @Sace This does seem to be one of the weaker entries in the series. 2mo
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Ruthiella
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#whereareyoumonday

While still visiting Norway and England in other books, today I am concentrating on Costal Maine, the setting of this collection of stories/vignettes by Sarah Orne Jewett, who was a writer much admired by Willa Cather.

Tamra Loved that book! 2mo
Cathythoughts I must stack 👍🏻❤️ 2mo
Ruthiella @Tamra I am enjoying it! 2mo
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Ruthiella @Cathythoughts It‘s very quiet with a lot of landscape descriptions. I think I can see where it might have inspired Cather. 2mo
Andrea313 This is on my list, thank you for the encouragement to bump it up in my queue! I'm also loving these Smith & Taylor editions- so gorgeous. 💛 2mo
Ruthiella @Andrea313 You are welcome. That is not the edition I am actually reading but I picked it for the picture because it is so pretty. 2mo
65 likes6 comments
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Ruthiella
The Forgotten Home Child | Genevieve Graham
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Mehso-so

#offmyshelf “most recent TBR”
#ohcanada

This novel brings an important aspect of Canadian history to light-the use/abuse of indigent British children as indentured servants in Canada in the 19th and 20th cent. Told from the present with flashbacks to the past by Winnie to her granddaughter.

I‘m glad to have read it. However, I didn‘t like the writing or storytelling style personally. I found it too basic, the characters felt one dimensional.

Jess861 Glad you were able to read it but sorry you didn't enjoy the writing style. I just finished my reread today oddly enough. 2mo
Ruthiella It‘s bound to happen now from time to time. 😅 I did think the subject was interesting. I didn‘t know anything about it or the similar “orphan trains” in the US beforehand. 2mo
CarolynM I‘m just getting started, but I fear I‘m going to feel much the same ☹️ 2mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM For what it‘s worth, it reads quickly. 2mo
wanderinglynn Yay! Another one #offtheshelf! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻 2mo
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Ruthiella
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#weekendreads

I have a lot going on this weekend, but I hope to at least have enough time to finish the #ohcanada pick and #EBBR and #NancyDrewBR . Those are quick ones.

I‘m reading the Sarah Orne Jewett b/c of the podcast “One Bright Book” and it takes time to digest.

The bottom two are also slower for me #hashtagbrigade and #DoorstopKristen #KLBR .

KadaGul You are FULLY BOOKED 📚🤓📚 2mo
Ruthiella @KadaGul I am! 😅 2mo
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Ruthiella
Kristin Lavransdatter | Sigrid Undset
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#whereareyoumonday

I am going to be in medieval Norway for the next couple months for #KLBR #DoorstopKristen. Enjoying it a lot, though I know it‘s also at times going to make me sad.

Texreader Nice map!! 2mo
Ruthiella @Texreader I know! It‘s so pretty. 2mo
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Ruthiella
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Pickpick

#Roll100
#OffMyShelf “Out of your comfort zone”
#14Books14Weeks

A good friend gave me this book, it‘s very much not what I usually read. But I‘m glad I did. There are no easy fixes or answers. Boyle asks only that we have compassion for our fellow humans.

“The strategy of Jesus is not centered in taking the right stand on issues, but rather in standing in the right place-with the outcast and those relegated to the margins.”

wanderinglynn Awesome! 🎉👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 2mo
65 likes1 comment
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Ruthiella
Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson
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My #TimeTravelTop5

1. Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
2. Kindred - Octavia Butler
3. Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
4. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
5. Version Control - Dexter Palmer

I had to use the internet to remind me of what I have read that fit. There were some titles I‘ve read but don‘t like b/c romance was the focus - not my cuppa.

Do you have a favorite time travel book? Post ‘em or let me know in the comments! 😃

Liz_M The tagged really made me think about how ingrained gender roles and racial stereotypes are in our society. It made quite an impression and i won't re-read it because i don't want to find out if it's awful. 😂 3mo
Ruthiella @Liz_M It‘s so tricky reading SciFi written in the past. What was ground breaking then definitely can feel out of touch now. I‘ve never read anything from Piercey. I will put it on the list but definitely approach it with a grain of salt. 😅 3mo
Centique Ohhhh I loved Life After Life. I havent heard of Version Control - have to try it. 3mo
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Ruthiella @Centique I read it for The Tournament of Books short list years ago. It was such a great surprise and why I like using book prize lists as a potential discovery method! 3mo
Readerann I agree about Version Control. It was a pleasant surprise! 2mo
Ruthiella It was! I liked his follow up too, but not as much. My expectations were maybe too high. 2mo
Ruthiella @PaperbackPirate I remember that book made such a splash when it came out! 2mo
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Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
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#wondrousWednesday Thank you for the tag @Ddzmini 😊

1. Be satisfied with enough.
2. 🙊😻📚
2. The book I am reading “Woodworking” by Emily St. James.

If you‘re reading this and want to respond, consider yourself tagged!

Eggs 👏🏻❤️📚 3mo
49 likes1 comment
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Ruthiella
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#whereReyoumonday

Reading very much out of my comfort zone, I‘m in East Los Angeles in the current century with Pastor Gregory Boyle and the congregants and residents of the area in this nonfiction account of Boyle‘s outreach efforts.

BarbaraJean Ohhh, I want to read this! Greg Boyle has been referenced a LOT in my spiritual direction studies this year. 3mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraJean I think you will get a lot out of it given your interests. I appreciate what Boyle is saying a lot about humanity. (edited) 3mo
Deblovestoread Loved this book! 3mo
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Ruthiella @Deblovestoread Glad to hear it! 😃 3mo
Christine I have to get to this one. I‘m just finishing a semester of teaching incarcerated folks, many of whom grew up in SoCal gang life. They are remarkably thoughtful and diligent students. I wish they‘d met Boyle and been offered a different path. 3mo
Ruthiella @Christine That‘s wonderful that you are teaching people who are incarcerated. Education is such a game changer. One of the things Boyle underscores in this book is that it‘s never too late to change one‘s path. 3mo
55 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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Ruthiella
Stag Dance | Torrey Peters
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#weekendreads

I have two library books on my kindle this weekend. Should finish Stag Dance by Sunday. 🤞

59 likes1 stack add
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Ruthiella
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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Thanks so much to @Andrew65 and @Tove_Reads for hosting the #ShelfSweeper readathon in May. I was uncertain at first but I managed to read all six of my planned books. 🤩 I appreciate this kick in the pants to dust off (sometimes literally! 😂) a few of those lingering tomes and read ‘em!

sarahbarnes Great work!! 🎉🎉 3mo
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes Thank you! 🙏 3mo
Tove_Reads Wow! 💪🏽🥳 3mo
Ruthiella @Tove_Reads 🙏😊 3mo
50 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
The Law and the Lady | Wilkie COLLINS
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Pickpick

@batsy is right. This book is 🍌👖! Per the introduction it‘s one of the first novels to feature a female (amateur) detective. The “Lady” definitely shares some characteristics with Marion Halcolmb from The Woman in White. She‘s subverting Victorian ideals of femininity but apologizing for it, more often than not. In some ways this book made me think the fairytale Bluebeard in the protagonist‘s effort to find out the truth about her husband.

Ruthiella My final book for #shelfsweeper 🥳 3mo
BarbaraBB Oh wow I have never heard of this one but I loved The Woman in White so am definitely stacking. And I do miss @batsy and her recommendations! 3mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB This is a good one! I recommend it! 👍 3mo
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Bookwormjillk Ohhhh I loved that character! Must read this! 3mo
Ruthiella @Bookwormjillk If you read it, you will have to tell me if you agree with the parallels! 3mo
Reggie I miss Suba. 3mo
Ruthiella @Reggie I know, me too. We are friends on Goodreads, but that platform doesn‘t have the immediacy of Litsy. (edited) 3mo
CarolynM I miss Suba too. Hoping she‘ll come back sometime. (edited) 3mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM Maybe she will. 🤞 3mo
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