NewYearWhoDis22

Hamnet | Maggie O'Farrell

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In the Author‘s Note, O‘Farrell writes, “It is not known why Hamnet Shakespeare died; his burial is listed but not the cause of death…this novel is the result of my idle speculation.”

IDLE?!

What a word to describe what she‘s done! This novel is such a powerful act of creation! It‘s horrible. And wonderful. Tender, heartbreaking; infused with time, & art; sickness & healing; myth & nature.

Definitely making it onto my #NYWD list next year. 5⭐️

monalyisha Thank you, @TheKidUpstairs, for giving me the push I needed to read this! I was intimidated, for some reason. I think historical fiction sometimes does that to me; despite knowing that I‘ll learn as I go, the power of all I don‘t know can overwhelm me before I even begin. Add to that the garnering of awards, &, well…🤷‍♀️ But this novel was totally accessible — if crushing — & absolutely flawless. 💔 I loved it. 2y

TheKidUpstairs This was my absolute top book of 2021, so I'm glad that you read it and loved it to. I get that hesitancy with historical fiction, but I think this was so powerful because she rooted it so fully in the humanity and the family and so it was through their lives and their eyes that you felt the time and place. The end, when Agnes stands in the theatre and watches and goes through anger and grief and understanding and love, it destroyed me 😭😭😭 2y

monalyisha @TheKidUpstairs SAME. And now I‘m just like, “Welp, I guess I‘ll head to work like it‘s a totally normal day & I‘m not *wrecked.*” 😅 2y

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monalyisha #NewYearWhoDis #NYWD22 #NewYearWhoDis22 2y

sprainedbrain One of my favorites last year too! ❤️ 2y

marleed I loved this book. My public library chapter met virtually tonight to discuss, and it was a great discussion. Not everyone loved it as much as I did, but that‘s what makes bookclubs interesting! 2y

monalyisha @marleed Great choice! What were their criticisms/dislikes? 2y

marleed @monalyisha several criticisms were in not liking the detail. One didn‘t like fiction added to history. One didn‘t realize the husband was Shakespeare until 1/3 of the way in. …. I had counter thoughts to each but it‘s a large 1 hour group and I don‘t personally know anyone (like my regular bc) so my library challenge is one comment, two if I just can‘t contain myself. They all agreed to the greatness of the flea and rat detail! 2y

monalyisha @marleed People are so weird. 😅 Of all the things to agree on… 2y

marleed I thought it was genius that Shakespeare was not mentioned by name as it kept me in the author‘s consideration of what she imagined went down. That was actually my comment #1. A reader (above) disagreed with my statement and found that part in the book confusing. 2y

vivastory Wow, you really sold me on this one! It's been on my TBR shelves since it came out and like you I've had a mental block about it. Am definitely going to give it a shot next month! 2y

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monalyisha

Hamnet | Maggie O'Farrell

Back to #NYWD22 titles for the remainder of January!

Moxie approves. 🐰 She thinks @TheKidUpstairs crafted a fabulous reading list.

monalyisha #NewYearWhoDis #NewYearWhoDis22 2y

tpixie Cute bunny 🐰! That is a great read! 2y

TheKidUpstairs Thanks Moxie! Love your mug 😄 2y

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monalyisha

Ghachar Ghochar | Vivek Shanbhag

I started my 3rd #NYWD22 book last night…& then promptly flew into a panic when we realized our pet was having a medical emergency.

Ultimately, we think it was a bout of GI stasis (common in rabbits) but it was much more sudden & dramatic than anything we‘ve experienced. We thought we were going to lose her. ❤️‍🩹

Today, she‘s returned to her usual ravenous, food-motivated self. So, I‘m gratefully & relievedly returning to my usual, too. 📖

TheKidUpstairs

monalyisha #NewYearWhoDis #NewYearWhoDis22 2y

Bookwormjillk I‘m glad she is okay! 2y

monalyisha @Bookwormjillk Thank you! It was a long, scary night. We‘re exhausted but so thankful. 💓 2y

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Suet624 💕💕💕 2y

rabbitprincess 😨😨😨 Whew, so glad she is OK 🐰♥️ 2y

Eggbeater I'm glad she's okay. I know how helpless you feel when they are hurting. ♥️ 2y

monalyisha Me too, @rabbitprincess! She was so lethargic, & breathing heavily, & just totally limp in our arms. I‘ve never felt a panic like that. We didn‘t even bring her to the vet. I was afraid of losing her in the car on the way there, or behind closed doors. She‘s nearly 10, & it just felt imminent. It was *awful.* Then, a miraculous rebound (aided by Critical Care & Metacam, I suspect)!They‘re such mysterious, vulnerable, lovable little creatures. 2y

monalyisha Thanks, @eggbeater. 💞 2y

Clare-Dragonfly My goodness, I‘m glad she‘s OK! GI stasis is so scary. 2y

sprainedbrain Oh I‘m glad she‘s ok! ❤️ 2y

Smrloomis Yikes, sorry that sounds so scary! 💕 2y

TheKidUpstairs I'm so glad to hear she's back to herself. It's so scary when our pets get sick, they can't tell us what's wrong. She's lucky to have such a loving, safe home! This book is one that was gifted to me by @Blackink_WhitePaper and it's one that I still think about often. 2y

xicanti WHEW. I‘m glad your scary night turned out all right. 2y

readordierachel Glad she's OK! 2y

monalyisha Thank you, @Clare-Dragonfly @sprainedbrain @Smrloomis @TheKidUpstairs @xicanti @readordierachel 💗! I‘m still watching her closely. Poor thing…every time she lays down I‘m like, “Are you relaxing or are you lethargic again?” She must be thinking, “Well, I *WAS* relaxing. THANKS.” 🙈 2y

vivastory Glad to hear that she's okay! 2y

Megabooks Glad she is okay! 💜 2y

MaureenMc Glad she‘s doing well! 💙 2y

rachelsbrittain Hugs and glad to hear she's doing better! 2y

Bookzombie So glad she is okay! 💗🐰 2y

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TheLudicReader

Shadow of the Wind | Carlos Ruiz Zafon

My #NewYearWhoDis22 list was curated by @JamieArc and I was astonished by how many of the books I had never even heard of! I have only read the tagged book. At least one of the others is not even available to order and a couple more are only hardcovers which…expensive. 😬 May need to get a library card. Pictured are intriguing.
I have a copy of Firekeeper‘s Daughter in my class library.
@monalyisha , thanks for organizing (and catching my error!)

monalyisha Just a heads up that you‘ve got the wrong Wintering! Popular title. You want this one. Good luck gathering! 💖💯

Wintering: How to Survive When Life Is Frozen

TheLudicReader Thanks, @monalyisha. I fixed it. Lol. 2y

monalyisha @TheLudicReader And the new cover matches your collage background perfectly! 😉 2y

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JamieArc @TheLudicReader Is it the Blanche White book that isn‘t available anywhere? I had to get it through my library‘s inter loan system. I know a few of these will be coming out in paperback soon - sorry about that. Hope you enjoy whichever you end up reading! 2y

TheLudicReader @JamieArc worry not. Although I am a chronic book buyer, we have an excellent library which I should really be using more. I am looking forward to exploring these new-to-me titles. 2y

JamieArc I couldn‘t remember what I put on my list, so I was searching for this post. Hence, my comments on some older posts 😊. Are you an English teacher? If so, if I remember correctly, Phuc Tran writes about how his English classes and literature impacted his life, and I remembered thinking that I wanted all my English teacher friends to read it. I listened to the audio. 2y

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