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A Girl Walks Into a Book
A Girl Walks Into a Book: What the Bronts Taught Me about Life, Love, and Women s Work | Miranda Pennington
25 posts | 10 read | 40 to read
How many times have you heard readers argue about which is better, Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights? The works of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne continue to provoke passionate fandom over a century after their deaths. Bront enthusiasts, as well as those of us who never made it further than those oft-cited classics, will devour Miranda Pennington's delightful literary memoir. Pennington, today a writer and teacher in New York, was a precocious reader. Her father gave her Jane Eyre at the age of 10, sparking what would become a lifelong devotion and multiple re-readings. She began to delve into the work and lives of the Bronts, finding that the sisters were at times her lifeline, her sounding board, even her closest friends. In this charming, offbeat memoir, Pennington traces the development of the Bronts as women, as sisters, and as writers, as she recounts her own struggles to fit in as a bookish, shy bisexual woman. In the Bronts and their characters, Pennington finally finds the heroines she needs, and she becomes obsessed with their wisdom, courage, and fearlessness. Her obsession makes for an entirely absorbing and unique read. A Girl Walks Into a Book is a candid and emotional love affair that braids criticism, biography and literature into a quest that helps us understand the place of literature in our lives; how it affects and inspires us.
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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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Pickpick

A fun and relatable bibliomemoir. It's a personal memoir including relationships, career, and figuring out how to love your life. But it's also very readable literary criticism infused with much love and respect, particularly for Charlotte Bronte. I wanted a bit more vulnerability from her, but she actually writes at one point that that's especially difficult for her. As a fellow bookish, introverted bisexual woman, this was quite a treat to read!

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emmaturi
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Pickpick

My non-fiction read in February and I really enjoyed it. The author has a love for the Brontë family and in particular loves Jane Eyre. The chapters are about the books written by the sisters and also about how the books have helped the author in her own life at different times. It made me want to read Agnes Grey and The Tenants of Wildfell Hall by Anne. Still haven't read either yet but bought Wildfell Hall, so hopefully soon will get to it!

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Librarybelle
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#WhereDoesTheGoodGo ? Maybe into a book...

Pennington uses the Brontes‘ works to help ground her with her personal struggles. I‘m looking forward to reading this one! #LilithJuly

Caroline2 Sounds awesome! Stacked! 😀 5y
KarenUK What @caroline2 said! 📚 5y
87 likes9 stack adds2 comments
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Insightsintobooks
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I so wish I had 2.99 ☹, but it's a great deal if anyone wants it!

#kindledeals #kindledeal #ebooksale

Briary Uu this sounds interesting, thank u for the tip! 😁 5y
Insightsintobooks @Briary you're welcome!! 5y
41 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Lissa00
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I‘m actually decreasing my goal this year as I have other personal resolutions to uphold! Happy New Year Littens!!

Andrew65 Good luck! 6y
JessClark78 Happy New Year! 6y
Lissa00 @Andrew65 Thanks! 6y
See All 10 Comments
Lissa00 @JessClark78 Happy New Year to you! 6y
MarticaMustRead I did the same! 6y
Cortg Happy New Year! 6y
charl08 Good luck with your goals ' 6y
Icewineanne Best of luck with your goals. I‘m not a fan of pressure so I don‘t set any reading goals 👻 6y
Lissa00 @Icewineanne I get that! I feel that way about reading challenges...I‘m awful about sticking to them. 6y
144 likes10 comments
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Lissa00
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I love getting this at year end🎉📚📚

PurpleyPumpkin Amazing!😉🎉 6y
SassyBookworm Wow!!! Congratulations 🎉👏🏼📚📖 6y
122 likes2 comments
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Lissa00
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This was too fun! I know everyone has used this pose but it is pretty much exactly me right now:) #bitmoji @SilversReviews

SilversReviews It was very fun. I loved seeing the #Bitmoji faces of everyone who joined in the fun. Love your bean bag reading chair. Thanks for joining in. 6y
103 likes1 comment
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balletbookworm
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Similarly, take solace in your favorite books, music, films, and art. I chose this orange cover for Day 2 of #riotgrams - Pennington‘s memoir reminds us that finding the books we love can bring us comfort and guidance. @bookriot

35 likes3 stack adds
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Lissa00
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1. 12-15
2. Both:)
3. Read a fun romance
4. 150 - just completed
5. Horror (I'm a wimp!)
6. Small magnetic clip
7. No idea! There are bookshelves and piles EVERYWHERE!
8. As many as will fit📚👍
9. We're getting a kitten for my daughter in two weeks and I am maybe more excited than her😺

MorbidAi Please share a photo of your kitten when you get it! 😍 6y
Lissa00 @MorbidAi I already have plans for cuddly kitten and book posts😹 6y
MorbidAi Yesss!! 😍👍 6y
nickimags A new kitten sound wonderful 😊 6y
[DELETED] 3803335244 Oh I love kittens, congrats 6y
84 likes5 comments
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Lissa00
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Just happened to catch this! I ❤️Litsy!

Alicia Yay!!! ❤️🎉📚 7y
DGRachel Woohoo!🎉🎉🍾🎉🎉 7y
EchoLogical Awesome! 7y
See All 35 Comments
rubyslippersreads 🎉📚🎉📚🎉🎉🎉 7y
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mjdowens Nice job👍 7y
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No_One 😀👍🎁🍻🎈📚📚📚📚📚 7y
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Wife Wow!🌹 7y
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AceOnRoam Nice catch 7y
Andrew65 Wow! 😊👏🍾🥂🎊🎉🤠 7y
152 likes35 comments
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Lissa00
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Thanks for the tag @TheLudicReader

These are my #fivestarpredictions, all taken from the massive pile on my desk. I've seen a lot of people do this tag so I'm tagging everyone who hasn't done it yet🤷‍♀️

129 likes1 stack add
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Daisey
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this book but expect to see love/hate reviews. It's more a memoir of the author's own life and relationships than I expected and written in an often informal style. She focuses on the impact of the Brontes' writing on her life while weaving in biographical information and literary analysis. There are plot summaries and spoilers for all of the novels. Read it if you're a Bronte fan, especially of Charlotte.

#NetGalley #nonfiction

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Daisey
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Enjoying a rainy morning of snuggling with one of my nephew's 4-H rabbits and reading this book. It's an interesting mix of Bronte biography, the author's own life, and her thoughts on how their writing has impacted her life. It's full of spoilers for their books, to the point that I may skip the Tenant of Wildfell Hall section for now since I want to read it soon.

#NetGalley #nonfiction

SharonGoforth I just bought this-hope it's good! 7y
Daisey @SharonGoforth I'm enjoying it, but I see it as very likely to be loved or hated based on how the reader's views of the Brontes coincide with the author's. It's also written very conversationally and much more about the author's own life than I expected. I'll look forward to hearing what you think when you get to it! (edited) 7y
SharonGoforth Thanks for the heads up! I'll let you know... 7y
Zelma Very cute bunny! 💕 7y
Daisey @Zelma Thanks! 7y
30 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Felso
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Just love this picture, thought I'd share...

GypsyKat 💗💗💗 7y
69 likes1 comment
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WanderingBookaneer
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silentrequiem That's grounds for divorce right there. Nuh-uh indeed! 7y
79 likes1 stack add1 comment
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WanderingBookaneer
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61 likes1 stack add
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WanderingBookaneer
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WanderingBookaneer
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drokka I love this! 7y
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WanderingBookaneer
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Lizpixie So so true! 7y
Bklover Yes - that's the truth!!! 7y
mllemay That was my experience with Jane Eyre - I read it at the perfect moment 💜 7y
Smangela ❤️❤️❤️ 7y
88 likes4 comments
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balletbookworm
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Pickpick

A lovely memoir about how one woman found solace and guidance throughout her life through a love of the Brontës and their work. Lots of life lessons, dreams, heart-break, and learning to be an adult who works through difficult situations. Pennington touches on all the books, a number of the adaptations, and even includes a shoutout to the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde.

32 likes8 stack adds
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balletbookworm
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The #niecesleepover has ended, I had dinner with my parents, and now I'm relaxing on the deck enjoying this beautiful 70 degree Iowa sunset with a book and a beer. #amreading A Girl Walks into a Book by Miranda K. Pennington #amdrinking Ommegang Pale Sour Ale

Daisey I'm currently reading this book as well, and although I'm not sure it's quite what I was expecting, I am enjoying it. 7y
39 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Daisey
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"But open the right book on the right day, and it‘ll strike a bell you didn‘t even know needed to be rung."

My current #NetGalley read

#quote

45 likes1 stack add
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balletbookworm
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#newbooks bc this week has been a week, y'all. G. Willow Wilson is coming to speak at the Iowa City Book Festival in the autumn, so I had to pick up The Butterfly Mosque, and after all my Austen reading this spring, I needed a bit of balance with a book about a Brontë book-lover.

LeahBergen I really liked The Butterfly Mosque (and I'm stacking this Bronte one 👍🏼). 7y
31 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Moray_Reads
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Bailedbailed

It doesn't happen often but I'm bailing on this one. The chatty, informal writing had been annoying me since page one but there's NO WAY I can continue reading something that refers to anything written by the Brontës as a "meet-cute". Following up with the despised interrobang was just the last straw.

saresmoore The interrobang is fine...in text messages (occasionally) and in the journals of teenaged girls. From this passage alone, I support your bail decision! 7y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore totally agree, casual messages, social media but never in books and never in nonfiction, especially literature nonfiction 7y
scripturient Ok, now I had to wiki what an interrobang is. Never heard the term before. It's only 6:30 AM and I've already learned something. 😁 (edited) 7y
Moray_Reads @scripturient airways glad to be of service 😉 I hate the word interrobang almost as much at the punctuations itself (in published writing anyway) 7y
40 likes4 comments