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smccallum

smccallum

Joined April 2016

Actor 🎭 Vegan 🌱 and running The Anti-Racist Reading Group (sign up here: https://forms.gle/nqZ7XzMShg9akJw5A)
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Hey guys, I‘ve been running a zoom book club for the past few months specifically for Anti-Racism, we read fiction and nonfiction, alternating month to month and this month we are reading ‘Natives‘ feel free to sign up in my bio and join us 18th November 19.00 BST. We‘ll pick the next book at the meeting and you can suggest your own favourites. It‘s a lovely group so I wanted to share it with you!

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Antkind: A Novel | Charlie Kaufman
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I watched ‘I‘m thinking of ending things‘ last night and now this beast has pushed its way to the top of my TBR. Apologies to all the recent recs that have been relegated 🙈

Billypar Didn't know about this: very exciting! His screenplays remind me of novels a lot of times, so I'm curious how he'll be as an author. 4y
Nute He writes pretty awesome screenplays. Hopefully it proves to be a successful transition over to authorship for him. 4y
28 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Wuthering Heights | Emily Bront
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1) Always exceptions but usually hate
2) Go out
3) Flowers please and thank you
4) They are toxic AF but Cathy and Heathcliff
#friyayintro
@howjessreads @4thhouseontheleft

Suet624 #4 😂😂👍🏼👍🏼 5y
34 likes1 comment
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Mrs Dalloway | Virginia Woolf
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Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. #FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

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Eating Animals | Jonathan Safran Foer
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I‘ve taken some time off Litsy and reading in general but recently after reading Matt Haig‘s wonderful books twinned with headspace I‘m actually making time in the day for the important things and looking after myself more and it feels really good! Just started this but couldn‘t recommend ‘Reasons To Stay Alive‘ and ‘Notes On A Nervous Planet‘ enough!

Weaponxgirl Welcome back 😁 6y
BarbaraBB Welcome back! 6y
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Brave New World | Aldous Huxley
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Pickpick

I was blown away by this book. Just breathtakingly good and plenty to think about afterwards. I knew about this book and had meant to read it and thought I knew roughly what it was but was completely wrong. I had the best time, would recommend!

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Very excited to have some Saunders back in my life. I‘ve been trying to save him books and not plough through them but I have a feeling this year I‘ll break that rule.

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Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe
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Pickpick

Amazing read. Powerful, surprising and short enough to read in a sitting or two. I found this whole book rather mesmeric and would highly recommended.

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Brave New World | Aldous Huxley
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And so we read on! This has been on my TBR for about seven years now and I‘m not exaggerating 🙈 I have in when I saw this gorgeous edition.

The.Intentional.Reader Amazing cover! 6y
Bklover Sometimes a new cover can get you started! I bought three versions of East of Eden before finding the right cover. Finally got it read though! 6y
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Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe
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And just like that I‘ve landed in America for a well deserved break 😂 kicking off the books with this which I picked up at the airport and I‘m going to try and update a load of reviews from last month before I got too busy to post them! Hope all littens are enjoying the new year!✊🏻

Dragon Happy New Year 🥳 6y
Bookzombie Happy New Year! 🎆 6y
Maria514626 This book is amazing! 6y
smccallum @Maria514626 you are completely right! 6y
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Infinite Jest | David Foster Wallace
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It‘s been more weirdness in terms of reading BUT j have a few hours to café and book (the ultimate alternative to Netflix and chill) and it‘s the 1st December which means it‘s time to read Infinite Jest again!

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I‘ve been dealing with a super intense slump, this post graduating 20s stuff is unsettling 🙈, but trying to get on it with a recommendation from the mother so hopefully I can get back into regular readings and the wonderful world that is Litsy ☺️

diaryofdifference How are you enjoying this one? 6y
Hestapleton This was one of my post-graduation 20s stuff books too! It made me want to just run into the forest. 6y
49 likes2 comments
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Mrs Dalloway | Virginia Woolf
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Pickpick

Oh wow. This book is something else! I have to read stream of consciousness slower but it was so worth it with this book. Woolf‘s prose just flows so gorgeously and feels like being in someone‘s head going through their memories. Absolutely stunning novel!

Tanisha_A Cover is lovely! And it's on my TBR! Have seen the movie The Hours based on it, really fascinating! 6y
emilyhaldi Nice review. I hope to get to this one soon!!! 🤞🏻 6y
Reviewsbylola I don‘t usually like stream of consciousness but I‘d almost be willing to overlook that solely for the cover! 😆 6y
72 likes3 comments
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Gravity's Rainbow | Thomas Pynchon
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Cram some more of this in before a work shift!

DivineDiana Great cover! 6y
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Sooo the bookchenist recommended an easier read whilst we plod through ‘Gravity‘s Rainbow‘ and the guy that runs the bookshop recommended this and I have to say it is compulsively readable!

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Pickpick

So I realised I left a look of books I‘ve been reading without reviews. This book is incredible and really rather horrific. I was left feeling shocked and really uncomfortable when I finished it. I don‘t think it reads as easily as the other McCarthy I‘ve read but the pay off is huge if you have the stomach for it!

Bklover I haven‘t read any of his books- they all seem to be very dark!! 6y
Readaholics Yep it‘s gnarly as hell. Lol my guy friends we‘re loving it a few years ago when No Country For Old Men became a movie. 6y
smccallum @Bklover they aren‘t really happy but McCarthy lite is like ‘All The Pretty Horses‘ which is a great place to start if you are unsure ☺️ 6y
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I just tried my first - The Road - so Im ready to go again! 6y
MStew Stacked! 6y
smccallum @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I‘ve heard ‘The Road‘ belongs to the other part of his work so I‘m really excited to give that a go soon hopefully! 6y
smccallum @meghan2714 Look forward to hearing what you thought ☺️ 6y
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Gravity's Rainbow | Thomas Pynchon
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So I‘ve been off Litsy for ages, everything been mad since I left for Scotland to do a show but stuff is finally starting to settle and as luck would have it a readalong was starting so I‘ve got a nice big book to bring me back! Both excited and scared for this 😂

Suet624 Nice to have you back! 6y
MayJasper Good to see you #coversublime 😊 6y
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Rebecca | Virago, Daphne Du Maurier
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Pickpick

Read this for a book group, absolutely loved it! The atmosphere in this book, especially the first 2/3 is just so tense, brilliant read.

KellyHunsakerReads It is one of my favorites. Mrs Danvers is bad!!! 6y
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Midwinter Break | Bernard MacLaverty
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Reading a wintery book on the sunniest of days 😂

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On Chesil Beach | Ian McEwan
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Interested to start this again. I last read it for A Levels and absolutely hated it but feel I‘ve changed a lot as a reader so was wondering if my opinion would have changed, if not, at least it‘s short 😉

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I really liked this one. I listened to the audio and it was well done, so maybe try that if you like audiobooks? 6y
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Mrs Dalloway | Virginia Woolf
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Doing so good old train reading and I have to say I‘m blown away by the beauty of this book, I had no idea what to expect but best way I can describe how the prose flows from character to character is how the film Birdman is shot; it‘s just so seamless!

cathysaid One of my favorite passages ever written appears in this book! 6y
emilyhaldi I've really got to read this one! 6y
Erinreadsthebooks Mine, too @cathysaid I still remember it from college 6y
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Woo🎉🎉 Litsy remains the coolness/nicest cyberspace I know and I think the real answer to what gets me through reading slumps is this awesome community 😍

Minervasbutler Congrats! 6y
Slajaunie Yay! Congratulations! 📚🎉🙌🏼🏆 6y
TrishB 🎉🎉👍🏻 6y
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RealLifeReading Hooray! 6y
Liatrek Awesome!!! And I couldn‘t agree more❤️ Litsy love ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
TiredLibrarian Congrats! 🎉🎊🥂 6y
LeahBergen 🎉🎉🎉 6y
TheLibrarian Congrats!! 6y
Librarybelle Congratulations! 6y
Ddzmini Congratulations 🎉🎈🎊 6y
britt_brooke 🙌🏻🙌🏻 6y
AnneCecilie Congrats 🎉🎉🎉 6y
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Mrs Dalloway | Virginia Woolf
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Votes are in; Mrs Dalloway here we go!

Reviewsbylola So beautiful! 📖 ☕️ 6y
AnneCecilie I love this edition of the novel. 6y
youneverarrived I love these editions 😍 6y
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JanJan Pretty! What edition is that? 6y
smccallum @JanJan Vintage Classics ☺️ 6y
LeahBergen Lovely photo (it makes me want to read it all over again)! 6y
Simone_Gibson Vintage classics have such drool-worthy covers! Great photo :) 6y
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ADVICE TIME: do I re-read or start a new book and my first ever Woolf?

TheBookStacker That‘s a pretty copy of Woolf 6y
Reviewsbylola That Dalloway cover is lovely so I say go for it! 6y
2BR02B None of these could be a bad decision. ❤ 6y
saresmoore I agree with @2BR02B , but I‘d say I‘m partial to Mrs. D. 6y
Billypar Not sure, but IOAWNAT is coming up on my list sometime soon- I'm looking forward to it. 6y
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Should finish this today, it‘s been a weird ride so far so I‘m intrigued to see how I feel when it ends!

britt_brooke The most violent book I‘ve ever read, but it was so good! 6y
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Continuing my McCarthy reading, actually scared to read this one 🙈

LeeRHarry Had this on my TBR for a while - I‘m scared to read it too as I‘ve heard it‘s pretty gruesome 😳 6y
AustenJennings This book is wild 6y
Kristelh It is very good however 6y
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Onwards to the next book in my road to Ulysses, I loved sections of Dubliners so let‘s see what we find here!

Suzze I read that maybe 45 years ago. Not sure if I remember it at all. 6y
Samplergal I read in college when dinosaurs 🦖 roamed the earth. I really don‘t remember a thing about it. I don‘t think that is a reflection of his writing. 😂 6y
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No Country for Old Men | Cormac McCarthy
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Finally getting back into the swing of proper reading (more coming up on that!) and this book is MENTAL I‘ve read All The Pretty Horses but this is a whole different level! Anyone else read this or have thoughts on McCarthy?

Pogue I read one of his books and it was not the easiest thing for me to get through. It was his writing style, I just can‘t. (edited) 6y
youneverarrived I‘ve only read The Road but I didn‘t love it. I do want to try another of his books though. 6y
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High Fidelity | Nick Hornby
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Bulldozing my way through this one! Love the film and I am loving the book, especially the British-ness of it 😂

2BR02B I read this over a decade ago, and loved all the great music rec's. 7y
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A Little Life: A Novel | Hanya Yanagihara
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Had to pick this for #HeyJude I adore this character and this book, it is staggering and one of the few books that has managed to make me enraged for the right reasons 🙈#heyjune

Cinfhen A worthy pick!!! 7y
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The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho
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Began this dubiously but it‘s interesting so far and I honestly thought it would drive me crazy

Suet624 Hahaha. I know how you feel. 7y
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Pickpick

Reading has been hard recently but I have to say I almost always really enjoyed reading this when I picked it up, but I do think I preferred ‘The Secret History‘ but still highly recommend this

Reviewsbylola I‘ve wanted to read this for so long. I loved The Secret History. 7y
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I‘ve had to take a few days off this beast because of school work loads but I‘m starting to fall in love with this book, about a third of the way in!

AmyG Sounds about right. 7y
bookaholic1 I enjoyed it 7y
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Nausea | Jean-Paul Sartre
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Pickpick

I‘ve delayed writing a review in this because I tend to find with books like this after a few weeks I have thought more about them and have more of an opinion but it hasn‘t really happened here. I love bits of this, I find a few bits dragged a lot, I might read it again and if your into this stuff absolutely read it but I think I prefer Camus at the moment

QuoteQueen I am definitely “into this stuff” but surprisingly haven‘t read much Sartre. (edited) 7y
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Pickpick

I read this purely for research for my next show. It‘s enjoyable enough and I got some interesting character sights but I can‘t imagine I‘ll read it again but it‘s easy to read if you want something simple and might be great fun if you care more about sports

rubyslippersreads I read it years ago after seeing the old movie. 7y
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Wuthering Heights | Emily Bront
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Pickpick

I adored this book. I thought I would hate it but it‘s easily in my absolute favourites. It‘s really hard to describe why but it‘s just so charged and powerful and almost terrifyingly raw. Unbelievable book!

RohitSawant One of my favorites! 7y
saresmoore I agree with you and @rohit-sawant —and I think that constitutes the whole of the fan club! 🙃 7y
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Nausea | Jean-Paul Sartre
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I‘ve been a real mess reading recently but I‘ve got stuff back together and hope to get through this today, mixed feelings so far

MicheleinPhilly Your drink looks YUM! 7y
smccallum @MicheleinPhilly I‘m a sucker for a decent mocha even if it‘s considered a loser drink in ‘Everything Is Illuminated‘🙈 7y
zezeki I've read Nausea and I loved it, but I admit it's not the easiest read. Before reading it, I became a bit familiar with Sartre's ideas and existentialism, so maybe that helped me enjoy it more. 7y
smccallum @zeljka I love lots of it, I think I‘ve read it badly due to some turbulent times however I also find with the period of French writing it‘s a slow burner and I‘ll enjoy it and then when I‘m musing on it after I‘ve finished I‘ll end up completely adoring it and end up re-reading it, this has happened with all the Camus I‘ve read 7y
67 likes4 comments
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Freedom: A Novel | Jonathan Franzen
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Onto the next one! #1001books

Tanisha_A I have this book looking at me longingly and asking me to be read! Will wait to see how you like it! 7y
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Wuthering Heights | Emily Bront
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Okay so I‘m about half way in, the start was typically what I find with more gothic stuff (I always find the beginnings slightly slow) but wow. I might be in love with this book, Cathy and Heathcliff are mental and sometimes repulsive but this is the strongest reaction a book pre 1930s has elicited from me! Loving it!

ephemeralwaltz 😍😍 I had the same reaction and classic lit is not for me! It's so good. 7y
catebutler I adore this novel, it is definitely not your typical classic. I hope you continue to enjoy it! 7y
emilyhaldi Oh man, you're really pushing me to get to this one sooner rather than later! 7y
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The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

This book is just much fun! I loved how everything escalated more and more and it‘s so compulsively readable, highly recommend!

emilyhaldi Yes!!! One of my all time favs 🙌🏻 7y
melbeautyandbooks Yes! Loved this! I didn‘t like The Goldfinch at all. Happy I read this one first. 7y
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Wuthering Heights | Emily Bront
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Back to the classics! This has been a hole in my reading for far too long 🙈

emilyhaldi Yes, me too! I must get to this one this year finalllyyyyyy 🙃 7y
AlaMich Don‘t feel bad, I have never read it either. 😔 7y
TommieMarie74 Pretty cover!! 7y
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The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Let‘s finish this bad boy!

Andrew65 Need to get to this one. 7y
Rockjonny I love that cover 7y
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The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Onwards! Loving this book so far!

MelissaS One of my all-time favorites! 7y
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The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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In tech, we read books

AmyG Such a good book. 7y
Elsje I loved that soooooo much! 7y
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The Painted Veil | W. Somerset Maugham
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I‘m slumping so I‘m postponing my pre 1930s limit and trying a chapter of each of these in the hope something will@grab me! Anyone have any thoughts on these?

LitLogophile Secret History is one of my all-time favorites ... didn‘t love it as much as The Goldfinch but it‘s a wild ride of a story and the more I learn about Donna Tartt, the more I love her trippy books 7y
KellyHunsakerReads I love The Painted Veil! 7y
Yellowpigeon I am a Cat was great. One that I think about randomly even years later 7y
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mauveandrosysky The Secret History is worthy of all the hype, IMO. Nausea is good but not as engaging as, say, Camus. (edited) 7y
tjwill I loved The Secret History. I haven‘t read the others. 7y
Blaire Secret history is a page-turner and maybe the easiest of those to get into quickly. 7y
JenP The man who loved children is fantastic. 7y
tstan Loved The Painted Veil 7y
Kryckett The Secret History is fantastic! 7y
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Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Dafoe
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Pickpick

Just scraping a pick for me. I did enjoy the book on the whole but a hit a wall towards the end when I just wanted it to end, oddly my favourite parts of the book were mainly during his complete isolation which had less obvious action than the later stuff. There are also a few moments where you have to remind yourself that cultural norms were very different when this book was written but I still think I‘d say it‘s worth a read ☺️

LauraBeth That cover though! 7y
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Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Dafoe
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Due to unforeseen circumstances my attempt at this #24in48readathon is not going to be very impressive but hey, it‘s still nice to take part!

BeckyD Mine isn't either. I haven't even read a page. 7y
LibrarianJen I went in knowing I wasn‘t going to be able to finish. It‘s still fun to keep track of my reading and finding creative ways to sneak more reading in. 7y
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Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Dafoe
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Coffee and a book? Yes please.

UrsulaMonarch Lovely! 7y
Lwiesman Great book! 7y
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Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Dafoe
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Some weekend café reading

Tjackson I have wanting to r wad this book for years. I have multiple copies, but still haven‘t done it. 2018 is the year! 7y
Susannah I was just at Canterbury Cathedral last week and got the same bookmark. Not that Thomas Becket's murder was a laugh riot, but the depiction of Henry II's frustration made me giggle. 😳😉 7y
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Silas Marner | George Eliot
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Book haul from a lovely used bookshop in Camden Market today!

TheKidUpstairs Nice haul! I love that No Country cover (and I love Camden Market!) 7y
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