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Ruthiella

Ruthiella

Joined February 2018

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Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
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#WondrousWednesday

1. Now I don‘t care, but as a kid, I wished I‘d been named Naomi. I thought it was pretty. 😊

2. My current feral cat living in my front yard I usually call Fluffer Nutter Butter instead of Tom. He is very fluffy. His now deceased brother I called Skinny Minnie instead of Tim. 😻

3. It‘s not a favorite, but I assumed Bryony was a made up name when I encountered it in Mary Stewart‘s “Touch Not the Cat”, but it‘s for reals. 😅

review
Ruthiella
The Mill on the Floss | George Eliot
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Pickpick

#Hashtagbrigade
#ChunksterChallenge2025 Bitsy chunkster 544 pages
#AllergictoChunksters

I‘m not sure if I love or hate the ending? Set in the mid 19th cent., this is the story of Maggie Tulliver who, were she a man, would have had the education and success she deserved. She‘s smarter than her father, who favors her, and her brother, who loves her but holds her back. Phillip is her intellectual equal. Stephan I think she‘d eventually tire of…

Amiable Excellent work! 🥳 1d
Ruthiella @Amiable Thank you! 😊 1d
mcctrish It should have been a story about a girl‘s triumph 1d
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @mcctrish It so easily could have been that. There was space for it. 1d
eeclayton I also think Stephen would tire of her eventually, too. Once he got over the honeymoon phase, he'd may even start to blame her for lost opportunities and their situation in life. 9h
Ruthiella @eeclayton I wonder if that‘s the reason the ending is what it is…because none of the other options were good. 8h
56 likes6 comments
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Ruthiella
The Black Prince | Iris Murdoch
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Pickpick

Murdoch is for me an acquired taste and only to be enjoyed in measure. She‘s impossible to read quickly.

This is farce set in late sixties London, Bradley Pearson is a retired civil servant and unsuccessful novelist. Told from his POV, which is questionable, it‘s what happens when instead of writing his magnum opus, his life falls apart, with no little help from his own ineptitude, jealousy, and solipsism. Wickedly funny at times and quite dark.

BarbaraBB I loved this one!! 2d
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB It was a #blameitonLitsy read because of you! 2d
CarolynM My favourite of the Murdochs I‘ve read. I love those alternative perspectives at the end😊 2d
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @CarolynM The letters at the end are interesting (if contradictory! 😂). My favorite Murdoch (so far) is 2d
sarahbarnes I already have this one stacked! I haven‘t read anything by her yet. 2d
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes She‘s a great writer, but definitely I can only read her a little at a time. Next I want to read 2d
58 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Ruthiella
The Law and the Lady | Wilkie COLLINS
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#WhereAreYouMonday

I‘m only 100 pages in, but this is a kind of a Victorian detective novel where I suspect the sleuth will be traveling a bit between England and Scotland looking for clues and witnesses to overturn a “Scotch Verdict”.

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Ruthiella
The Law and the Lady | Wilkie COLLINS
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#weekendreads

Trying to get to my #Roll100 picks before the end of the month! 🤞

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Ruthiella
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Hello #EBBR armchair detectives! I hope all are having a good weekend, especially if you are in the US and have Monday off. This is a quick reminder to get your mitts on the next book for June.

I vaguely recognize the cover of this one, so may have read it before? 🤔 We‘ll see if anything feels familiar when I dive in.

This monthly buddy read is open to all! If anyone would like to be added to or removed from the tag list, let me know. 😃

Sace I‘ve got my mitts on my copy! I look forward to starting every month with Encyclopedia Brown 😊 3d
Ruthiella @Sace It‘s also something I fondly anticipate each month. It‘s a small vacation from heavier books. 😊 3d
39 likes2 comments
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Ruthiella
O Pioneers! | Willa Cather
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#WhereAreYouMonday

I‘m in Nebraska with Alexandra Bergson and family as they try to farm and prosper while so many of their neighbors fail and move back to the cities to try their luck.

This is also the fourth book on deck for the #ShelfSweeper readathon. 😊

51 likes1 stack add
review
Ruthiella
Sally-Ann | SUSAN. SCARLETT
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Pickpick

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

A charming Cinderella story, though I felt a little sorry for bad-girl Cora. Also, when Bunny fainted, I laughed, it was so melodramatic- which was I think not the intended reaction. 😂

Aesthetician Ann, from an impoverished but proud and upstanding middle class family, meets cute Sir Timothy. Will class differences hold back true love? If you‘ve ever read Susan Scarlett before, you know the answer. 😍

rubyslippersreads ❤️ those old ads. My great aunt told a story about a beauty salon that caught fire. Ladies had to be extricated from those permanent wave machines. 😲 1w
Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads 😳 OMG! I can only imagine the panic! 1w
LeahBergen Yes, I also had an inkling about how it would turn out. 😉😆 1w
Ruthiella @LeahBergen Shocking! 😜😂 1w
60 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
Dr. No | Percival Everett
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Pickpick

#OffMyShelf “indy press”

After the intensity of “The Trees”, maybe Everett just wanted to have a little fun? This book is pretty goofy, with just the slightest edge. It did make me laugh. A James Bond like spoof. Professor Kitu (born Ralph Townshend) has made a career out of the study of nothing. When he‘s approached by a super villain who wants to harness nothing to achieve world domination, he agrees. He‘s up to nothing. Nothing happens. 😂

Tamra I bailed on this one. That‘s ok though! I have liked all the others of his I‘ve read. 😄 2w
Ruthiella @Tamra I can see that. I listened to it on audio from the library, and even though I own a hard copy. I don‘t know if I‘d have managed the word play in print. 2w
sarahbarnes I haven‘t tried this one yet! I do love how different all of his books are. 2w
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes Agree! You never know what you might get! 1w
wanderinglynn Yay! Another one off the shelf! 4d
62 likes5 comments
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Ruthiella
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Hello reading friends. I hope you all had fun reading this month‘s #EBBR book. I missed the solutions for three of the cases! 😅 My powers of deduction seem to be getting worse!

I must say, winning a pie a day for a month in The Case of the Blueberry Pies sounded delicious! 🥧😋

Sace I think I missed solutions to two of them. I missed the penguin one. I‘m a little embarrassed by that 😂. 2w
TheAromaofBooks I was so confused about who really thought it was a good idea to stuff kids full of pie and then make them run as fast as they can 😂 2w
Ruthiella @Sace The penguin one was the only one I remember from childhood, I think it‘s how I learned that difference between the North and South Poles! 😅 (edited) 2w
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @TheAromaofBooks Yes, running a race after scarfing down an entire pie seems like a bad idea. 😅 But the reward I can get behind! 2w
DGRachel I am sorry to be late to commenting. I think I was typing something, got called away, and then…life. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I didn‘t track how I did, but I think I missed half. 🤣🤣 I will say that I did enjoy the light reading without trying too hard to pay attention. I remember thinking-only boys would be insane enough to eat all that pie and then run. (Totally sexist of me, I know, and I am a little ashamed of that) 4d
Ruthiella @DGRachel No worries! Life was certainly simpler for me when I first read these books! 😅 If the prize is a month‘s worth of pies, I think I would be tempted to compete! 😂 4d
32 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Ruthiella
Nana | Emile Zola
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#TLT #ThreeListThursday

Thank you for the tag @dabbe 😊 I‘ve picked for my three, some Zola titles I‘ve not yet read. I will nominate all three for next year‘s #HashtagBrigade selections. 🤞 I know that Zola super fan @sisilia will support this! 😂

sisilia Yes!!! Hahaha 😅 2w
TheBookHippie Oh I adore Zola!!! 2w
dabbe Yay! Having never read anything of his, I'm excited! Thanks for playing and sharing. 💜💚💜 2w
Cuilin Fabulous idea. I‘ve read Germinal and own some others. 2w
39 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown Unknown
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#14Books14Weeks

📚This is my stack of 14 books to read between May 26 and September 1. The library copy of “Kristin Lavransdatter” is only a place holder, since I actually own it on Kindle. All the others are from my physical shelves. 📚

Liz_M Erdrich and Zola! Plus some fun reads. 2w
Ruthiella @Liz_M Definitely no theme other than getting them read finally! 😅 2w
CarolynM Have you read any of the Flashman series before? My husband is a fan but I‘ve never got around to them. 2w
Ruthiella @CarolynM I have not! I bought it on a whim at a library book sale. I know it will be dated in its attitudes, but I hope otherwise will be fun. 🤞 2w
CarolynM I don‘t know that you should take any attitudes expressed seriously. I think the author intended a kind of pastiche or even parody of those terribly British adventure novels of the 20s & 30s which are hilarious if your sense of humour works that way. If it does, I particularly recommend the novels of Dornford Yates. 2w
69 likes5 comments
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Ruthiella
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Lesliereadsalot Loved Salt Water. Cant wait to hear your thoughts. 3w
Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot I‘m reading it because of your review! 😅 I‘m 80% done and don‘t love it the way you did. That is, unless the last 20% knocks my socks off. It is entertaining but slow and I don‘t appreciate multiple perspective storytelling generally. 3w
BookNAround Although there is certainly some problematic language and attitudes in the Christie Mallowan memoir, I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope you do too. 2w
Ruthiella @BookNAround Definitely the memoir reflects a less enlightened view of non-Europeans etc. which is also often found in her novels as well. 2w
51 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
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#TLT. #ThreeListThursday

Thank you for the tag @dabbe . 😊 My three are books that I have read with the #HashtagBrigade and probably would not have picked up otherwise! 😃

dabbe Thank goodness for the #hashtagbrigade! 🤣 Thanks for playing and sharing. 🩵📚🩵 3w
46 likes1 comment
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Ruthiella
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Pickpick

#OffMyShelf “Owned > 5 years”
My first completed book for #Shelfsweeper readathon . 😃

I listened to this on audio, read by the author. It was like a very long podcast…entertaining but I don‘t know that much will stick. But I don‘t think it‘s Gladwell‘s intention to write a how-to about how to create social movements or ad campaigns. He‘s more interested in exploring the fascinating and contradictory nature of human behavior and thought.

Tove_Reads Woohoo! 3w
Andrew65 Brilliant 🎉🎉🎉 3w
See All 11 Comments
Ruthiella @Liz_M Maybe? Would you recommend it? I have “What the Dog Saw” still on my shelf and I previously read (listened to) “Blink”. 3w
Liz_M @Ruthiella I read Ttp back in the day, haven't read the sequel. I was hoping you would and report back 😆 3w
Ruthiella @Liz_M 😂 I will put it on my TBR! Just for you. 3w
wanderinglynn 🎉👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 3w
RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella @Liz_M I've read the sequel, and it's very entertaining. I don't think it had as big an impact on me as the first book, but Gladwell is always an author worth reading. 3w
Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 Great! Thanks for the tip! 3w
uncommonlycozies I'm currently reading Talking to Strangers by Malcom & it contains courtroom reenactments, news broadcasts, historical audio.. ect.
I totally agree that he's fueled by his interests rather than trying to give a guide. I'm studying the complexities of human behavior & The Tipping Point is up next. Thank you!
2w
Ruthiella @uncommonlycozies I listened to his podcast about The Bomber Mafia which he later turned into a book and it was similarly layered with different sound bites, which definitely makes for rich listening experience. 2w
67 likes2 stack adds11 comments
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Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
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Come celebrate @peanutnine ‘s milestone of 100k Litfluence by telling her about one of your favorite BlameitonLitsy titles. Details about this #100KGIVEAWAY are in her original post.

My pick is The Cazalet Chronicles, which I‘d heard of prior to Litsy, but it was really the effusive praise from Littens that tipped me over the edge!

Honorable mention goes to Cranford by E. Gaskell. I didn‘t really like North and South, but I LOVED Cranford!

Bookwormjillk Cranford was so good! 3w
Ruthiella @Bookwormjillk It was! I was so surprised to love it based on previous experiences with Gaskell. Now I am super excited to try Wives and Daughters which is our next #HashtagBrigade book. 3w
peanutnine Amazing! I also really enjoyed Cranford, and never would have picked it up without Litsy!! 🤩 3w
Ruthiella @peanutnine Those are the best book surprises! 😃 3w
47 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
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#WhereareyouMonday

This Monday I‘m in 1930s Syria at an archaeological dig with Dame Agatha and her second husband, Max Mallowan. Some of my favorite Poirot novels are those set in the Levant region, so I am looking forward to this memoir.

BarbaraBB Interesting location! 3w
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB I think it will be an interesting read! 🤞 3w
64 likes2 comments
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Ruthiella
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Pickpick

Slow but steady progress with #SeriesLove2025 . This is book 2 in the 5 book series set in England during WWII.

Howard excels at writing interesting characters that are fully human, with all the good and the bad that comes with that. And her balance is impeccable as well with this exceptionally large cast of an extended family and their servants.

The UK/US covers are a little bland IMO, so I have included some of the foreign editions for fun.

TheSpineView Well done!🤩📖 3w
Ruthiella @TheSpineView Thanks! 😊 3w
Suet624 Those covers! 💕💕 3w
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @Suet624 I know! They are all so colorful! 😍 (edited) 3w
Andrew65 Excellent 🎉🎉🎉 3w
Ruthiella @Andrew65 Thanks! 🙏 3w
58 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Ruthiella
The Girls | Lori Lansens
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Ruthiella
Brideshead Revisited | Evelyn Waugh
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#ThreeListThursday
#TLT

Thank you for the tag @dabbe 😊

I agree, the list was particularly Pratchett heavy! 😅 Pictured are three titles that I would like to re-read and lucky me, the tagged book is going to be the #HashtagBrigade pick for September! 🥳

willaful Oh, that should be fun! 4w
dabbe You sure kicked my sorry butt! I look forward to BRIDESHEAD, having never read it. 😱 Thanks for playing and sharing. 💜💜💜 4w
Ruthiella @willaful I think it will be tons of fun. I read it first in the last century not too many years after the popular miniseries (Hello Jeremy Irons!😃)! 4w
Ruthiella @dabbe It‘s going to be great taking a crack at this after so many years with the group! 👍 4w
43 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
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These are all books I physically own that I hope to read in May for the #ShelfSweeper readathon hosted by @Tove_Reads and @Andrew65 .

I didn‘t see any from @eanderson ‘s list that happened to coincide with my plans but I will still be reading in her memory #4Elizabeth ❤️ If there is a heaven, surely it is a library.

LeahBergen I really enjoyed the tagged book! 4w
Andrew65 Looks some excellent reading ahead, good luck. 4w
Tove_Reads 💪🏽 4w
47 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Ruthiella
Sally-Ann | SUSAN. SCARLETT
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Happy Spring #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! Our choice for May is the tagged by club favorite Susan Scarlett, aka Noel Streatfield. Based on previous books by her, I expect a heroine we can root for and a baddie we can love to hate! 🤞😂

Be sure to tag everyone when you post blurbs or a review so we can like and comment. Read at your own pace.

All are welcome. If anyone wants to be added/removed from the tag list, let me know.

@LitsyEvents

Kimzey Thanks for the prompt! I‘ll track down my copy. 1mo
willaful Already read this one, not sure if I'm going to reread. 4w
LeahBergen Yay!! 👏👏 4w
See All 8 Comments
Sace This is one I‘ve really been looking forward to! 4w
CarolynM Me too @Sace ! Thanks Ruth😘 4w
Tamra Thank you! 😃 4w
bookandbedandtea I've got it and I'm ready! 4w
quietjenn Thanks! 4w
44 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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Ruthiella
Marking Time | Elizabeth Jane Howard
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#whereareyoumonday
#roll100

I‘m on the home front in Britain in 1940. The extended Cazalet clan has taken up permanent residence on the Sussex estate. Told mostly from the perspective of the third generation of the family teenagers Louise, Clarey, and Polly who experience the uncertainty of life during wartime while also navigating the transition from childhood to adulthood.

LeeRHarry Loved this series! 😊 1mo
Ruthiella @LeeRHarry It is so good! It‘s been a couple years since I read the first one but it was so easy to pick right up again and immerse myself in the storylines and characters. 1mo
BookNAround I loved this series so much. 1mo
Ruthiella @BookNAround My picking it up was definitely a #blameitonlitsy occasion! 😅 1mo
56 likes4 comments
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Ruthiella
Marking Time | Elizabeth Jane Howard
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#weekendreads

Busy weekend for me, but I do have all three on Kindle, so I might be able to squeeze a little in here and there on my phone. 🤞😬

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Ruthiella
The Black Prince | Iris Murdoch
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I‘m going to try to read all six of my May #Roll100 options. 🤞

Tagging @BarbaraBB and @CarolynM because I know you will cheer me on to read your favorite Iris Murdoch. 😅

🎲 3 - The Black Prince
🎲 30 - Shadow and Bone

🎲 4 - Tell Me How You Live
🎲 40 - The Law and the Lady

🎲 7 - Baby Doll Games
🎲 70 - Dr. No

CarolynM I look forward to your thoughts🙂 1mo
BarbaraBB Yay! It‘s so good! 1mo
PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 1mo
62 likes3 comments
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Ruthiella
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#EBBR

Ready for another round with our favorite boy detective? Time to put in your hold or otherwise grab a copy of the tagged for May.

Looking at the cover of the 1967 edition with the polar bear, I remember the solution to that particular mystery! It‘s weird what sticks from childhood, huh?

This buddy read is open for all-if anyone not tagged wants to be, let me know. Equally, if anyone wants to be removed, say the word.

@LitsyEvents

TheAromaofBooks I have the polar bear/penguin cover and can't WAIT to find out what that story is all about 😂 1mo
Read4life Mine is the purple cover. Wish I had the polar bear. 🐻‍❄️ I‘ve been loving this buddy read so much I will probably read it at the very beginning of May. 🤓 1mo
Ruthiella @TheAromaofBooks I can‘t wait either to revisit and find out if there are any others that I can remember or to see if I am still stumped! 😃 1mo
See All 7 Comments
Ruthiella @Read4life I‘m glad you‘re having fun! Me too! 😃 (edited) 1mo
Sace Mine is the cover on the top right. I just caught Bugs Meany smoking in one of the illustrations. I had to 🤣 because now we have parental warnings for smoking on shows. 4w
Ruthiella @Sace l cannot see any kid reading these books and taking away Bugs as their role model! 😂 4w
Sace @Ruthiella oh absolutely not! It‘s definitely a “hey kids! Smoking is not cool!” There‘s actually a lot of smoking going on this book. It‘s kind of surprising to me (now). My parents were smokers so I guess I didn‘t even think about it as kid. 4w
42 likes7 comments
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Ruthiella
Little Bee | Chris Cleave
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Mehso-so

#OffMyShelf “New Author”

Little Bee flees violence and murder in Nigeria only to encounter prejudice and indifference in England. She seeks out a British couple and their horrific original chance meeting and its repercussions are revealed.

I appreciated the message in this book, which calls for compassion towards asylum seekers, but I didn‘t get on with the style. It felt too heavy and obvious. Glad to have experienced this author however.

wanderinglynn You are rocking it! Another bingo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1mo
Ruthiella @wanderinglynn This one was only 266 pages, a breeze compared to the previous one! 😅 1mo
56 likes2 comments
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Ruthiella
Das achte Leben (Fr Brilka) | Nino Haratischwili
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Mehso-so

#OffMyShelf “Award Winning”
#ChunksterChallenge2025
#AllergictoChunksters

Longlisted for the 2020 International Booker, it also won two German awards per the back flap.

It took me two months to read this 1275 page monster. It‘s a multigenerational saga about a Georgian family from 1900 to 2007. Very melodramatic - I didn‘t particularly like it but appreciated the mental workout of reading in German. I read it w/ a friend & complained to her. 😂

Graywacke I read it in English and i can relate. She depends on well known historical happenings for shock value. But they don‘t have a lock of shock if we all already know about it. That weakens it a bit. 1mo
Ruthiella @Graywacke It would have been a stronger book for my taste if it had been edited down. That said, it sold well and many readers loved its emotion and expansiveness. (edited) 1mo
Readerann 👏 1mo
See All 15 Comments
BarbaraBB I had a hard fine finishing it in English so kudos for you to read it in German! I didn‘t knew you speak/read German! 1mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB Yes, I don‘t think it was the translation that made it a chore at times to read. 1mo
sarahbarnes Congrats! 🎉 1mo
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes Thanks. 😊 1mo
Amiable But you get the Colossal Chunkster credit! That makes it all worth it ! Right? 😳😀 1mo
Ruthiella @Amiable Absolutely! 😂 1mo
wanderinglynn Who-hoo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎉 1mo
julieclair I‘m impressed you finished it in only two months! 👏 1mo
Ruthiella @julieclair It felt like longer! 😂 1mo
Reggie Wow, congrats on this! And shoutouts to all those friends who listen to us complain! lol 1mo
Ruthiella @Reggie Absolutely! 👏👏👏 I‘m so grateful to have friends like that! 1mo
56 likes15 comments
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Ruthiella
The Mill on the Floss | George Eliot
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#WhereAreYouMonday

Apparently based on Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, I am still with Maggie Tulliver and co. in the mid 19th century reading for #HashtagBrigade . The “real river” is the Trent and it is quite imposing looking. “Floss” sounds so sweet and gentle. But the Trent is known for its dramatic flooding that can even change the course of the river.

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Ruthiella
Untitled | Unknown
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#moodboardcontest #mbc

Congratulations @dabbe on your 200k milestone! 👏👏👏

My mood board is a selection of dream libraries and book nooks on Pinterest. It is a reflection of where I go in my head when I need a break from reality. I find them soothing to look at. ☺️

RaeLovesToRead That chaise longue!!! 💕 1mo
Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead Can‘t you just imagine yourself in it? 😊 1mo
RaeLovesToRead *reclines* although if that's one of those plants that creeps into everything like some kind of snake-triffid I'm out 🤣🤣 1mo
See All 17 Comments
Lesliereadsalot I almost bought a rundown house once because it had a book nook in the window. 1mo
Ruthiella @RaeLovesToRead Plants are definitely optional! 😂😂 1mo
Ruthiella @Lesliereadsalot I understand the temptation! 1mo
Amiable I want to live in all of these rooms! 1mo
Ruthiella @Amiable I know, right? I just love looking at them. 1mo
dabbe I'm in library heaven! Someday, we'll both have our dream libraries. Right now I have books just everywhere! 🤣 Thanks for sharing yourself. 💙🩵💙 1mo
Readerann I know where I‘m going in my next visualization exercise! 😁❤️ 1mo
Ruthiella @Readerann It definitely works for me! 😊 1mo
bookandbedandtea I can relate, I have a pinterest board full of dream libraries. Hopefully someday. 🤞🏻 1mo
Ruthiella @bookandbedandtea In the meantime, we can enjoy vicariously. 😊 1mo
Gissy I‘m glad I am not the only one who spends time admiring home libraries in Pinterest, looking for ideas to create mine….someday📚☺️ 1mo
Ruthiella @Gissy I think we are both in good company! 😊 1mo
kspenmoll Oh i love this! 1mo
Ruthiella @kspenmoll It‘s just heavenly, isn‘t it? 1mo
71 likes17 comments
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Ruthiella
Little Bee | Chris Cleave
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#whereareyoumonday

I appear to be in Kingston upon Thames in greater London some time earlier this century with a young Nigerian refugee, Little Bee, and a recently widowed mother and her young son. There‘s a bit of a mystery as to how they are connected and what Little Bee has escaped.

Susanita I was thinking of this book today… 1mo
Ruthiella @Susanita I‘ve only read the first three chapters, but her situation as someone seeking asylum in a society that doesn‘t really want to provide it is timely. 1mo
68 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Ruthiella
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Checking in with my #EBBR pals! I was bested in three cases. I‘ll put in under a spoiler comment my issue with one particular.

Fun fact: we find that Encyclopedia lives in a state with a coastline! I‘m imagining Oregon.

I am enjoying the goofy humor, like:

“I‘ve seen a match box and a boardwalk, but I‘ve never had to solve a pillowcase,” said Encyclopedia thoughtfully. 😂

“He‘s like a set of false teeth, always trying to get even” 🤣

Ruthiella In “The Case of the Stolen Diamonds “ would small glass beads really break that easily? 🤔 I think not?
1mo
TheAromaofBooks These are a lot of fun, but there were a couple where I found myself looking slightly askance at the solution 😂 1mo
Ruthiella @TheAromaofBooks Yes, me too! 😂 But a ten year old would not notice, probably. 1mo
44 likes3 comments
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Ruthiella
Let's Go Camping! | Jan Mader
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I‘m excited to join in this summer with #CampLitsy25 ! These are my nominations. Whatever we end up reading, the experience and discussion are always enlightening.

ChaoticMissAdventures I am starting Stag Dance this week and am so excited! 2mo
Meshell1313 Ooh these look great! 2mo
Deblovestoread Great choices! Loved Wild Dark Shore 2mo
See All 17 Comments
Ruthiella @Meshell1313 As @BarbaraBB mentioned, choosing the nominees is half the fun! 2mo
Ruthiella @Deblovestoread I have heard so many great things about it! 2mo
squirrelbrain I have Stag Dance reserved at the library. 2mo
sarahbarnes Great choices!! I want to read all of these! 2mo
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes I know, right? I want a deserted island and a pile of books! 😅 2mo
AmyG Stag Dance…good choice. 2mo
Ruthiella @AmyG I‘m definitely going to read it! 2mo
sarahbarnes My dream 😆 2mo
BarbaraBB Such great choices. I want to read them all! 2mo
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB I know, right! ALL THE BOOKS! 🤪 2mo
Megabooks All of these are on my TBR besides WDS, which I've already read. Fantastic choices! 1mo
Ruthiella @Megabooks I‘m definitely going to read (or at least try ) all of them, whether they make the short list or not. 👍 1mo
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Untitled | Unknown
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This quiz was fun. I‘m mostly purple. One of the books suggested was Cloud Atlas , which I loved, which tracks. But I‘m also almost equally orange, which leans towards epic fantasy. Try it! https://www.readyourcolor.com/take-the-assessment

Thanks for the link and post @TheLudicReader ! 😊

Soscha I also got Purple but Red was very close. Anybody know what the Red is about? 2mo
Soscha Ah…”You don‘t just read stories—you live them. You crave intensity, high stakes, and stories that grip you from the first page to the last. Red Readers are fearless, bold, and driven by a relentless desire for adventure and raw emotion.” I am a suspense/thriller reader. 2mo
Ruthiella @soscha I was 35% red and I am definitely drawn to thrillers, though they often disappoint me . 2mo
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Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick At 85%, I am a Purple Reader, too. The others were mostly 45-55%, which feels right since I like a bit of everything. 2mo
Ruthiella @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I also like a little bit of everything. My lowest was green, which seemed a little non-fiction/memoir/self help to me which are not genres/categories that typically appeal to me. 2mo
TheLudicReader I thought it was a fun quiz and my results were pretty dang accurate! Thanks for playing! 2mo
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Green was my lowest, too! I like a celeb memoir and dabble in other NF, but the topics noted sounded rather dry. 2mo
dabbe 💜 2mo
Sace I was surprised that orange was my second highest. I am generally not one for epic fantasy. 2mo
Ruthiella @Sace I don‘t read that much experimental fiction, which it seems like purple leans towards, but I would say it intrigues me. 2mo
Bookwomble I got Purple Reader, too, and what it said about that type didn't feel wholly relevant to me. Also, I have actively avoided the four books it recommended for me! I think I'm just a grumpy old contrarian! 👴😄 1mo
Ruthiella @Bookwomble I will never read House of Leaves! But I can see why the made up blurbs might lead me in that direction. 😅 1mo
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#whereareyoumonday

Nancy and I head down to Florida. Perfect timing for spring break!

Librarybelle Watch out for the explosive oranges! 😂 2mo
Ruthiella @Librarybelle I will! 😂 2mo
dabbe Right there with you! 🍊🧡🍊 2mo
Ruthiella @dabbe Perfect timing to be in Florida! 😂 2mo
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Untitled | Unknown
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#weekendreads

Two chunksters this weekend. Won‘t finish either, naturally, but steady as she goes.

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#50KGIVEAWAY

Congratulations on reaching this milestone @CSeydel ! 🥳 And thank you for the giveaway opportunity.

As others have pointed out, there are many, many things to love about Litsy. For this prompt, I‘m gonna say DISCOVERY. I love encountering books and authors I might not otherwise. It‘s an adventure! 😊

CSeydel So true! 2mo
kspenmoll Discovery! 💜 2mo
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Hello fellow amateur sleuths! Time to pick up a copy of the next book for this month‘s #EBBR group read. I‘ll check in with y‘all in a couple of weeks to see how you fared!

This buddy read is open to all. Let me know if you would like to be tagged. 😃

Read4life I‘m probably reading it tomorrow. I love that I kept my copies all of these years. 2mo
DGRachel Can‘t wait to get started on this one. These have been such a delight! 2mo
DebinHawaii Didn‘t look ahead to see my library doesn‘t offer the ebook copy of book 3. 🙁 It is free on Audible so I will try listening &/or put a hold on a print copy. 2mo
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Ruthiella @Read4life I love that too!😊 2mo
Ruthiella @DGRachel They are such a break from heavier “adult” reading! 👍 2mo
Ruthiella @DebinHawaii I‘ve not tried them on audio yet. Glad you have options. 😃 2mo
DebinHawaii @Ruthiella Me either so I want the print copy as back up in case they don‘t work well for me in audio! Options are always good! 2mo
audraelizabeth I put my hold in should be 4 weeks. 2mo
Ruthiella @audraelizabeth Maybe you will get it sooner! That‘s happened to me before. 🤞 2mo
audraelizabeth @Ruthiella oh it definitely would if i had multiple holds. It came in a few days early last month. 2mo
TheAromaofBooks I read a chapter a day as a lunchtime brain teaser 😂 (edited) 2mo
Ruthiella @TheAromaofBooks Perfect! I have to really brake myself from reading them all in one go! 😅 2mo
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Mill on the Floss | George Eliot
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I‘m going with library a ebook/audiobook combo this month unless, like with Cranford, I develop such a passion that I break down and buy a copy!

#HashtagBrigade

BkClubCare You lurve your classics! 🌟 1mo
Ruthiella @BkClubCare I do! 😅 1mo
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Master of Djinn | P Djeli Clark
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#WhereAreYouMonday

This Monday I find myself in an alternative historical, steampunk version of early 20th century Cairo, where magic and djinns are commonplace. A murder mystery with supernatural elements, this fantasy world that Clark has created is fantastic.

ChaoticMissAdventures This is on my shortlist TBR for April! 2mo
Ruthiella @ChaoticMissAdventures I hope you like it! I read the two stories/novellas set in this series a couple of years ago now and was intrigued. 2mo
CaramelLunacy This sounds so cool 2mo
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Centique I love this series (or is it a collection?) Whatever it is, I loved being in such an exciting and different fantasy world. I need more of these! 2mo
Ruthiella @CaramelLunacy It‘s a fantastic alternate and fantastical world the author has conjured up! 2mo
Ruthiella @Centique Right? Maybe less of a series and more a shared fictional world? I also love it because it‘s different from so many other fantasy imaginings. 2mo
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Ruthiella
Three Act Tragedy (Poirot) | Agatha Christie
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Pickpick

I‘m back on track with #OffMyShelf “Favorite Author” after a slew of library books paused my efforts.

This was very entertaining and one of her cleverer plots: three deaths, connected by method but the motive is obscure. The puzzle intrigues Poirot and brings him out of retirement. Mr. Satterthwaith, a reoccurring character from some non-Poirot short stories takes on the role of Hastings somewhat in aiding Poirot.

wanderinglynn Yay! You are rocking it. Plus, I love the Poirot stories. 🙌🏻 2mo
Ruthiella @wanderinglynn Slowly but surely! 2mo
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Three Act Tragedy (Poirot) | Agatha Christie
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#weekendreads

Busy weekend for me, but should finish the Christie title today. 🤞

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Childhood's End | Arthur Charles Clarke
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A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

🚀 What do you think about the novel‘s imagined trajectory for humanity? Do you see it as a positive or negative development? Did any of you also read “Almost Human”, one of our earlier group reads? It posits a very different possibility.

swynn I found it oddly hopeful. There will come a time when there aren't any humans left. I love Star Trek and Perry Rhodan, but a future where humans thrive and expand into every corner of the universe is a pipe dream. Given the choice between (a) we wipe ourselves out and (b) we survive but as something else, I find (b) more interesting and appealing. I haven't read Almost Human but should fix that. 2mo
kwmg40 I'm afraid I didn't manage to get to this one in March. I did read it a long time ago but have forgotten the details. I hope to get to a reread eventually. 2mo
Ruthiella @swynn I found it a little creepy. But maybe because it‘s so outside my understanding and sense of individuality. I guess I want a few centuries of cooperative, less self destructive humankind before we move to a non-corporal collective. 2mo
Ruthiella @kwmg40 No worries! I see it‘s also been adapted to television. Might check that out. 2mo
kwmg40 @Ruthiella I hadn‘t known that. Thanks for the info! 2mo
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Ruthiella
Childhood's End | Arthur Charles Clarke
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A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

🚀 The characters are fairly flat, which isn‘t uncommon for some classic SciFi. Did particular character or behavior stand out to you? Maybe Karellen? He‘s the only one present in all three sections of the book.

swynn Karellen is the most interesting character, since for most of the book he represents the Overlords so it's through him that I was looking for hints about their motivation which is the central mystery. But I most strongly identified with the stowaway Rodricks, and his refusal of the ban on space travel. 2mo
Ruthiella @swynn I definitely, by the end, felt Karrellen‘s sadness and empathized with him. Jan was interesting. I feel like there should‘ve been more humans like him, questioning their limits. 2mo
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Thank you for the tag @Deblovestoread 😊

1. I don‘t have any good way of finding inner peace. It‘s always an uphill battle for me. So if you struggle too, you are not alone.

2. I don‘t know of any book personally that gives or helps maintain inner peace. But I do reread Agatha Christie novels for succor. I find them soothing. Probably because they are nostalgic and because there is always a clear resolution at the end.

#Two4Tuesday

Deblovestoread You're welcome! 2mo
TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 👍📖📚 2mo
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Marking Time | Elizabeth Jane Howard
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My #Roll100 picks for April are pretty sweet. I already read Jazz back in February, so only have two “musts”.

Marking Time will work for #SeriesLove2025, as it‘s the second in the Cazalet Chronicles.

I own a physical copy of Little Bee and will make it work for #OffMyShelf

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 2mo
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Three Act Tragedy (Poirot) | Agatha Christie
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#WhereAreYouMonday

I spontaneously decided to jaunt to Cornwall, England. This is a Christie title that I‘ve seen adapted, but never actually read. This will also help me get back on track with #OffMyShelf because I own a physical copy. 🤞

Lesliereadsalot St. Ives is one of my favorite places that I‘ve been to. And Cornwall itself is incomparable. Hope the book makes you feel like you‘re there! 2mo
Ruthiella Well, the beautiful scenery from the adaptation is in my mind! I did google a bit and it is a beautiful coastline, for sure! 2mo
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Mr. Loverman | Bernardine Evaristo
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My weekend plans for #weekendreads

1. Finish Mr. Loverman and Red Clocks for #Roll100 .

2. Get stuck in to Childhood‘s End for #ClassicLSFBC .

I‘m pausing on Das Achte Leben for now. Will pick up again in April. 🤞

TheBookHippie Can‘t wait to hear what you think of Red Clocks. 2mo
Ruthiella @TheBookHippie So far it‘s a little too on the nose for my taste, but I appreciate its themes. However, I‘m not 100 pages in yet. (edited) 2mo
TheBookHippie @Ruthiella I loathed it 😂👀🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ 2mo
Ruthiella @TheBookHippie I‘m going to finish it - it‘s a quick read, but it‘s not for me. I feel like instead of a story, we have points the author wants to make with her characters as mouthpieces. (edited) 2mo
TheBookHippie @Ruthiella 🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯 2mo
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Ruthiella
Sourcery | Terry Pratchett
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Pickpick

A thumbs up because I do love Pratchett and the Discworld, but this has to be my least favorite thus far. I did laugh and appreciated the message about the abuse of power (all too close to reality alas) but the story was a bit of an unwieldy mess. Also, The Luggage 🧳❤️! IYKYK

#SeriesLove2025

TheSpineView Fantastic! 👍📖 2mo
Andrew65 Excellent 🎉🎊🎉 2mo
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Ruthiella
The Woman in White | William Wilkie Collins
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Pickpick

Two thumbs up 👍! This was my 3rd time reading this and it never disappoints-especially since I never remember the details! 😆 If you‘re going to read one Victorian Gothic novel, make it this one; epistolatory and perfectly paced. Thank you to @BarkingMadRead for leading the #HashtagBrigade ! 🙏

This counts toward my #AllergictoChunksters / #ChunksterChallenge2025 at 626 pages!

I listen to this mostly and the Blackstone audio production was 👌

Amiable I‘ve never read this one— will have to add to my list! 2mo
Ruthiella @Amiable Awesome! I think you will like it. Also, if you do audio, it‘s particularly a great option for this one due to its structure of multiple narratives. 2mo
julieclair Great review! I totally enjoyed this one, too. 2mo
Ruthiella @julieclair It‘s definitely a winner! 🤩 2mo
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