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Year of Wonders
Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague | Geraldine Brooks
An unforgettable tale of a brave young woman during the plague in 17th century England from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March and The Secret Chord coming from Viking in October 2015 When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a "year of wonders." Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. Written with stunning emotional intelligence and introducing "an inspiring heroine" (The Wall Street Journal), Brooks blends love and learning, loss and renewal into a spellbinding and unforgettable read. From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

Historical fiction at its very best! Lyrical writing, vivid imagery, and realistic characters helped place me right in the action of this village quarantined by the Plague in 1666 England. From the point of view of Anna, readers experience the sights, sounds, terrors, and small moments of joy while watching family and neighbors struggle, succumb to illness, hunt witches, and lose faith in God and fellow man. A contender for top of the year for me!

Q84 I really enjoyed this book as well. 4mo
Texreader Such a good book!! 4mo
AmyG Yes, this was an excellent book. 4mo
See All 6 Comments
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 😍 4mo
TheBookgeekFrau Such a good book! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. 4mo
Bluebird Love this book! 4mo
81 likes4 stack adds6 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Resting this morning after a trip to see family yesterday and prepping to host the other side tomorrow for another Thanksgiving dinner. 📖 ☕️

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I love your mug!! 🤣😂🤣 4mo
Danay That mug tho! 😂 4mo
JenniferEgnor I loved this book. 4mo
91 likes3 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Currently reading for book club on Monday. I‘m seriously loving it! Though the subject matter is tough to read, the writing is gorgeous.

TheKidUpstairs I keep meaning to read more of Brooks' work. I loved 4mo
Chelsea.Poole @TheKidUpstairs I have been thinking of you while reading this one. I was going to wait until I finished to recommend it to you, if you haven‘t already. This is the first I‘ve read of hers. 4mo
Megabooks I need to read her. I sat three seats down from her when I saw David Sedaris at Parnassus. (She was speaking about Horse the next night.) 😎 4mo
See All 9 Comments
TheKidUpstairs If you're recommending it, I'm totally stacking it! 4mo
Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks nice! I‘d love to visit Parnassus sometime. I‘m impressed by her style in this one, and I don‘t always love historical fiction. 4mo
Chelsea.Poole @TheKidUpstairs hope it works for you! It‘s not a light read…I‘ve cried multiple times already. And it‘s based on an actual town during The 1666 Plague. 4mo
LeeRHarry This is one of my all time faves - glad you‘re enjoying it. 😊 Eyam isn‘t far from where I grew up. (edited) 4mo
BarbaraBB Gorgeous photo! 4mo
jlhammar Great book! Love Geraldine Brooks. 4mo
76 likes1 stack add9 comments
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dabbe
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What a lovely surprise on a Friday! Thanks from the bottom of my heart, @CBee. You didn't have to do this, but I'm glad you did! This book has been on my TBR since last month when we read our #BookedinTime books from the Restoration Period in England. I'll have to hide the Dr. Seuss bookmark because my husband adores Cat in the Hat! I promise to put the stickers to good use, and where oh where did you get the Pantone postcard? I love it! 💚🤗🩷🤗

CBee I got a whole box of Pantone cards from…. Oh my goodness, I can‘t remember. I thought it was Compendium (the same ones who make the pop out cards), but I‘m drawing a blank 😂😵‍💫 7mo
julieclair That Nile Blue color is gorgeous! 7mo
dabbe @julieclair It is, isn't it? I could see a calm room with that color, especially if the view was the beach. 🤩🤩🤩 7mo
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome 🫶🏻🩷 7mo
julieclair @dabbe Yes! I live at the beach, so maybe that‘s why that color spoke to me. 😉🐚🌊 7mo
dabbe @julieclair You're lucky! Which beach if I may ask? 7mo
julieclair @dabbe Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 😀 7mo
dabbe @julieclair Lovely. Absolutely lovely. 🩵💙🩵 7mo
60 likes9 comments
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Jess861
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Mehso-so

I enjoyed the book but didn't love it. A plague that basically takes out an entire small village in the England countryside. I enjoyed the story although I found it got a bit wordy at times. It was interesting to see how people dealt with so much death and being quarantined within their village with no outside sources. The ending seemed kind of random to me.

@Cuilin #BookedInTime

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ncsufoxes
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Pickpick

I did end up listening to this one on audio but I‘ve also had a copy sitting on my shelf for a while. I ended up reading this one for #BookedInTime. It was an interesting story based on a true account of the plague hitting a small village in England. The book discussed a lot of what was happening & changing at the time with religion, fear of witches, understanding of disease. #bookspin book

Cuilin Great choice and review. Hope your next one is a pick too. 👍 8mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 8mo
24 likes2 comments
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TheBookgeekFrau
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Jess861
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Back home and it's a nice warm evening. Watched our little guy play soccer and now he is tucked in bed - now it's lemonade and a book for me. Slowly getting through this book and I'm enjoying it so far.

#Lemonade #BookAfterSoccer

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Jess861
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Last morning getting this view while I read ☹️. Probably won't get much in because we want to get the kiddos into the water one last time before we pack up. Enjoying the book so far - particularly enjoying the time period it is in. It is nice to be reading a book from only one point of view as the last two books I read were both two.

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Jess861
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It was a stormy day for the most part so I was able to finish my previous book. Now the skies have cleared and I'll get to enjoy a bit of time outside reading even though it's still quite windy. I'm not sure I'm up for another pandemic like book so quickly after The Pull Of The Stars but I'm going to dive into the tagged book anyways.

#BlackTea #WindyReading #Plague #BookedInTime

Cuilin Beautiful view. Popular read for #BookedInTime hope you like it 🤞 9mo
56 likes1 stack add1 comment
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TheBookgeekFrau
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Pickpick

First off, it took me taking a pic for this very post to realize the cover was a plague bird mask and not just a random design ???‍♀️

What a great way to learn history-- a strong story and lots of Googling! This was one history "assignment' that I throughly enjoyed ??

Thank you @Cuilin for starting #BookedInTime bc I would've never picked this up on my own and I'm happy to discover this new-to-me author!

#HistoricalFiction

Cuilin Fabulous, glad you liked it. If you like this author I recommend 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau @Cuilin Stacked and looking forward to it! 9mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome cover ❤️🧡💛💚💙 9mo
See All 6 Comments
bookandbedandtea I read my first Geraldine Brooks this year and LOVED IT! I'm simultaneously eager to read more of her and desirous of spacing her books out as I suspect I'll love them all. This is the one I've read: 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau @bookandbedandtea I feel the same way!! There was a preview of Horse at the end of my book, but I didn't want to read it for fear I'd have to run to the bookstore and buy it 😂 Some of her writing was a little too floral & fauna for me, but she kept it short so I can forgive it 🤣 9mo
48 likes6 comments
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Deblovestoread
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Pickpick

A small village is ravaged by the plague and the stress of it reveals the true nature of those affected. Based on the true events of a village who encircled itself from the world for the greater good. #BookedinTime

Amiable Oh, this was such a good book! 9mo
Cuilin This was a great read. 😷 Perfect for prompt. 🎉 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau I'm halfway through this and really liking it more than I thought I would! 9mo
LeeRHarry Loved this one. 😊 9mo
64 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Jess861
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The family went out this morning to take out some books from the library for our upcoming trip to the cottage. The kiddos took out a few books each and I'm hoping to get a bit of reading time in for some challenges. The little guy mainly grabbed non-fiction once again - so there will be lots of learning about animals and dinosaurs!

#AuthorAMonth #ReadingTheAmericas2023 #BookedInTime #LibraryHaul #RaisingReaders #KidsBooks #PictureBooks

TEArificbooks My youngest loves non-fiction. His favorite right now is a world atlas. 9mo
Jess861 @TEArificbooks - It's awesome to see the love for non-fiction at such a young age! 9mo
45 likes2 comments
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TheBookgeekFrau
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If any #BookedInTime readers come across "Branks" -- here is the lovely device. I came across this as a punishment to a wife who dared curse her husband in public for his constant drunkenness.

Damn, the 17th century was a harsh time.

julesG Especially hard for women. You don't come across a lot of accounts of men wearing the scold's bridle. 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau @julesG Of course not, having been made in God's image and all they were pErFeCt 😝🤣 9mo
UwannaPublishme Yikes! 9mo
30 likes3 comments
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TheBookgeekFrau
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"I used to love this season."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

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TheBookgeekFrau
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I never realized, or don't remember at all since history was never a strength for me, that the Puritans ruled in England and the King was exiled. I just remember learning they left for the new world to practice their religion as they saw fit and without persecution.

No wonder why I still have nightmares about it being time for my history final but I somehow managed to never attend class 😂

#BookedInTime

AllDebooks I LOVE history, so grateful to my history teacher for igniting a curiosity spark in me that still burns bright today. Thank you for hosting this amazing reading group. It's so much fun x 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau @AllDebooks Maybe if I had your history I would've liked history more. It's funny though as I got older I started to have more of an appreciation for and interest in history. As for the thanks for hosting that honor goes to @Cuilin I'm just over here following orders 😂😂 and happy to do so since I'm enjoying a book I probably would never have read 😊 9mo
AllDebooks @TheBookgeekFrau ooopsy, I didn't look at the name. Just saw the pic 😳 @Cuilin 9mo
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TheBookgeekFrau @AllDebooks All good ☺️ 9mo
Cuilin @AllDebooks @TheBookgeekFrau thanks you both for sharing your thoughts. I love history too. I was also lucky to have amazing History teachers, but historical fiction sends me on mad quests for more knowledge. Love it! 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau @Cuilin Yup, I sometimes find myself going down the rabbit hole of google when I'm reading historical fiction. It helps knowing I'm not going to be tested on it and I can just enjoy what I'm learning 😁 9mo
Cuilin @TheBookgeekFrau there‘s something to be said about learning just for the sake of learning. But I do love freaking people out with historical knowledge on trivia nights. 😆 9mo
dabbe Oh, lordy, I still have those I-slept-in-and-missed-the-final dreams ALL the time, and sometimes in those dreams I'm the teacher who forgot to make the test! 🤣🤣🤣 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau @dabbe And they say school isn't traumatic 🤣🤣 BUT I'm glad to see it's just as traumatic for teachers! 😝💕😂 9mo
30 likes10 comments
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TheBookgeekFrau
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Starting this today for #BookedInTime

MommyWantsToReadHerBook Enjoy! (maybe not the right word in every respect 😬) 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau @MommyWantsToReadHerBook 😂 gotcha; but Thanks! 9mo
Cuilin Great book, perfect for prompt. 9mo
TheBookgeekFrau @Cuilin Since it was recommended by so many I figured I'd give it a go. 9mo
44 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Deblovestoread
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Year of Wonders has been on my shelf for years. Looking forward to finally reading it for #BookedinTime.

TheBookgeekFrau I'll be reading Year of Wonders too! (edited) 9mo
Cuilin Wonderful 9mo
Books_et_al This is a great read - hope you enjoy it! 😊 9mo
Amiable Oh, I really liked this one! 9mo
julieclair I really liked this book! Enjoy. 9mo
52 likes5 comments
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Rachel.Rencher
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Gooood morning! Today is UNESCO's World Book Day, a day meant for spreading the love of books & reading. 🥰
What are you reading today?

JanuarieTimewalker13 Christine by Stephen King 11mo
90 likes1 comment
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Rachel.Rencher
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Good morning 🌞 We have chocolate croissants and vanilla coffees on deck this fine Sunday morning. Lucas and I plan to read for as long as humanly possible, so my goal is to get through these two books.

mcctrish Delicious goals 12mo
LeeRHarry I enjoyed Year of Wonders. I‘m reading Horse by the same author atm. Enjoy! 😊 (edited) 12mo
85 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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kspenmoll
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🍋 Tagged
🍋 W.B.Yeats
🍋You‘ve Got Mail
🍋Youngbloods
🍋Yesterday(Beatles)
#manicMonday #letterY

47 likes1 stack add
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StaceGhost
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Pickpick

Very pleased! I even exceeded my goal by 2 books 📚 this year, I‘m hoping to read 250 & write 2! ✍️

Cupcake12 Wow…a great achievement ⭐️ 1y
Cazxxx Well done! 😊 1y
wanderinglynn Congrats! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1y
See All 6 Comments
BookwormAHN Congratulations 🎆 1y
fredamans 👏 👏 👏 1y
Gissy Impressive! 📚📚📚📚🥳📚📚📚💪📚📚📚📚👏👏👏👏👏 1y
44 likes6 comments
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Sapphire
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This was one of my top reads of 2004. I am looking back over my favorite 24 titles since I started keeping track in 1999 for #adventrecommends Geraldine brooks has become one of my all time favorite authors.

16 likes1 stack add
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MommyWantsToReadHerBook
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Pickpick

I loved this. It wasn't always a fun read but I'm blessed to not have experienced loss of this kind. Others may find it upsetting, I'm sure. As always, her historical writing is amazingly detailed and exquisitely executed.

megnews This is one of my favorite books. 1y
DivineDiana On my TBR shelves for too long. Hopefully in 2023! 🤞🏻 1y
45 likes3 comments
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Bklover
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#alphabetgame #lettery #letterz
This was fun Misty! Thanks!
Both of these books I enjoyed, but didn‘t love. Didn‘t have too many options for Y and Z!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thanks for playing!! 😻 2y
52 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Karisimo
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This #letterY was my intro to Geraldine Brooks who has become a favorite of mine!

#AlphabetGame
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

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AliD73
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Pickpick

This novel, inspired by the true story of a plague stricken English village in the 1660s, is told from the perspective of a maid named Anna Frith. Superstitions and accusations run rampant as one person after another becomes ill and the death count rises. It‘s well written and researched, but it has an unexpected ending that‘s rather abrupt and puzzling. The ending doesn‘t ruin the story, though; it‘s well worth reading. Highly recommended.

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booksandsympathy
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Today I went to a parking lot sale at an antique market with my mom and brother and I found these books for 50¢ each.

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KCofKaysville
Pickpick

A great novel with marvelous language and a plucky heroine who goes through great trials. Ending is a little different but overall it's worthwhile.

megnews I loved this. 2y
rwmg I think it would have been better without the epilogue 2y
31 likes1 stack add2 comments
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KCofKaysville
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My first fiction of the new year will be this one off my shelf. It is about plague in England in 1666 and avoiding it.

megnews This one is excellent. 2y
Lcsmcat Such a good book! 2y
32 likes1 stack add3 comments
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rockpools
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#gratefulharvest #apples

Couldn‘t resist joining in with today‘s prompt. This is one I *really* want to read - one day! It‘s about Eyam during the Great Plague of 1666. For some reason the last year hasn‘t really felt like the time.

squirrelbrain I read this *years* ago - I seem to remember it was good! 2y
LeahBergen I really enjoyed this one. 2y
rockpools @LeahBergen @squirrelbrain I really enjoyed 👇 so I have high hopes 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome! Thanks for playing ❤️📚 2y
Eggs Beautiful 🧡🍎🙌🏻 2y
51 likes5 comments
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lonelybluenights
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Curious to read this as cases of the Delta variant increase over here.

3 likes1 stack add
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Anna from Gustine
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Pickpick

I loved this book until the end. It is based on the real-life 17th century English village that went into self-isolation to prevent the spread of plague to nearby villages. The hysteria, trauma & horror of such a situation is brilliantly & deftly imagined by the author. There is also humanity, compassion, & selflessness, particularly with the friendship between the main female characters. The ending, however, felt abrupt and out of place.

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Kristin_Reads
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Pickpick

4⭐️ || The third pandemic-adjacent book I‘ve read this year (Hamnet and Station Eleven were the other two). A well-crafted work by a Pulitzer winning author.

megnews I really loved this. Brooks is an amazing writer. 3y
Kristin_Reads @megnews I agree. I loved March, too. 3y
65 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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leah152
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Pickpick

Little bit late pandemic-wise, I know! But better late than never! As harrowing & downright heart wrenching & scary this tale is, I actually did enjoy reading it! I was amazed at some of the restriction similarities between then & now though I spose Geraldine might have just put them in as part of the story. Anyway, a good story all over. Although it's probably a good thing I didn't read it at the height of the pandemic last year!

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Caryl
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Pickpick

Last week, I finished my re-read of this great work of historical fiction. It was just as compelling the second time—maybe even more so, due to the connections I could find to human experience in our current pandemic.

This was my January #bookspin title for #BookSpinBINGO.

Kristin_Reads This is next on my TBR shelf! Glad you enjoyed it. 3y
Chrissyreadit I loved this book. 3y
rockpools I have this on the shelf next to me - I keep wondering if now is the time! 3y
See All 8 Comments
Reviewsbylola I haven‘t read this one in years but I loved it! 3y
Caryl @Kristin_Reads @rockpools Ooh, lucky you to be reading it for the first time! 💕 @Chrissyreadit @Reviewsbylola Yes, this is one of those books that‘s stuck with me, too. I was happy it held up in a re-read! 3y
Caryl @TheAromaofBooks - I don‘t know that I would have picked this up again if it weren‘t my #bookspin pick. So glad it was and I did; thank you! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! I love it when that happens!! 3y
41 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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Caryl
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Ready to begin #BookSpinBingo! Thank you for organizing, @TheAromaofBooks 💖

(When I posted my list originally, this is the book I tagged, and look! It‘s my #doublespin!)

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 3y
megnews I love this book. 3y
Caryl Me, too! I‘m rereading it with a friend. 💕 3y
23 likes3 comments
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Caryl
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Here it is: My #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo list for January. I‘m looking forward to giving this a try!

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Glad to have you along!! 3y
20 likes1 comment
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Mollyanna
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Pickpick

Molly says “why did you wake me up to take this picture?” Well, cuz you match the book of course. 🥰

This was my #bookspin book for August. Geraldine Brooks certainly can write a compelling novel, even about as devastating a topic as the Plague. A little weird reading this during our current pandemic. The characters were so well developed and it was interesting to see their growth during the course of the book.

Hooked_on_books Molly looks so sweet! 🐶💚 4y
Mollyanna @Hooked_on_books Thanks. She is a sweetie 🐶 4y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 4y
28 likes3 comments
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inthegreensandblues
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#Judge2020ByTheCover using titles from my shelves.
Super fun exercise! 🙈😂

Thanks for the tag @Laughterhp
@marleed

marleed Oh, I want a do-over on my June! I agree, it‘s so fun to describe this time through book titles. My sister has a monster collection of Celtic CDs. I challenged her to describe the year through those CD titles! 4y
inthegreensandblues @marleed Haha, that sounds like it could be amazing! 😂 4y
Avanders 💙💙 4y
35 likes3 comments
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underground_bks
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#2020challenge, but make it #bookfacefriday. Inspired by book club queen @reesewitherspoon 💁‍♀️📚🌸

(My bookstore does #bookfacefriday every single week!)

Reggie Lolol awesome! 4y
underground_bks @Reggie thanks!! 🤗📚 4y
21 likes2 comments
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JulAnna
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this one, almost as much as People of the Book.
Interesting historical fiction of the year 1666 and the Plague.

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Helen19
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A young woman's struggle to save her family and her soul during the extraordinary year of 1666, when plague suddenly struck a small Derbyshire village. #fruitonthecover #boundtogetherjune

OriginalCyn620 👍🏻📚🍎 4y
Helen19 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I‘ve visited the village where this happened and the sacrifices they made to stop it spreading were amazing but yes, pretty heartbreaking! 4y
kspenmoll Great book! 4y
6 likes1 stack add4 comments
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SanjanaGhosh
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Pickpick

The epidemic may be different but it had such an eerie resemblance to the current Covid situation, with the quarantines, social distancing coupled with superstitions.

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Matt_Austin

I tried to read this book twice, once reading myself then again through audiobook. Couldn‘t get past chapter 2 both times. Just wasn‘t my thing and it never will be. You might love it though and it could just be me not getting it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

megnews I loved it. But everybody‘s different. 4y
rwmg I enjoyed the body of the book but then she had to ruin it with the epilogue 4y
4 likes2 comments
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LatrelWhite
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When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition.

LatrelWhite Started the audiobook the reading is horrible and don‘t really understanding the language their trying to portray. Don‘t mind reading about a plague but something about this is just not coming together for me. 😕 I‘m about to bail on this one👎🏽 (edited) 4y
10 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookMaven9
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Mehso-so

In light of our world pandemic, I thought a plague book would be amazing. Sadly this wasn‘t really the one. Lacked characters I cared about and had the strangest ending. A big meh!

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Zelma
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Bailedbailed

Not my smartest move, reading a book about the plague right now. It seemed like a good idea at the time and I‘ve been wanting to read more from my bookshelves at home rather than library books. I ended up bailing as the language felt stilted and forced, trying to sound old-timey as opposed to historical fiction.

Cinfhen I generally LOVE Geraldine Brooks but this book was pretty meh 😕 4y
Amiable I actually loved this book—my favorite by Geraldine Brooks. But this is probably not the best time to read it, I agree. 4y
Zelma @Cinfhen @Amiable I will definitely try her again. I just didn‘t care for her writing style/choice in this book. And yeah, wrong timing. 😬 4y
Cinfhen My favorite by her is 4y
42 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Follow.my.read
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A book from years ago!!! Still a favorite of mine!

76 likes2 stack adds