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Clare-Dragonfly

Clare-Dragonfly

Joined September 2016

Writer, reader, mama, knitter, baker, editor, soon to be cancer survivor. she/her
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

What a gorgeous book, rich with historical detail of Spain under the Inquisition in what I would usually call the Elizabethan era. The characters are equally rich and complex. I adored Luzia, Hualit, and Santángel, came to love Valentina, and feared all the villains. The plot took numerous turns I did not expect. Despite an irritating pet peeve toward the end, Leigh Bardugo remains an autobuy author.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Augh! Why?! Such lazy writing. Just tell us the demands.

And then it never comes up? It isn‘t relevant to the ending? Why bother with the secrets?

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Clare-Dragonfly
Rebecca | Daphne Du Maurier
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I am HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS of this costume suggestion Danny has provided. Did Rebecca always dress as this portrait? Or will Jan look like Rebecca when she is dressed up? It‘s too easy… something awful is going to happen. This is a long chapter! #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead This was 💯 a set up, I‘m guessing because of rebecca? The reaction was awful! I felt so bad for Jan! 3d
Clare-Dragonfly @BarkingMadRead It has to have something to do with Rebecca! She is the title of the book after all 😂 3d
BarkingMadRead @Clare-Dragonfly 🤣🤣🤣 3d
7 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Wow.

I didn‘t know anything about this book going in—I just knew I had to read it since I‘d loved her Winternight trilogy—and I‘m glad, so I won‘t say too much. It‘s about the horrors of war and other horrific things, and of things beyond war. It‘s about love, both family and romantic. It‘s not like the Winternight trilogy at all. I may even recommend it more highly.

Gandalf‘s opinion is not as high, but what does he know? He‘s a cat.

rubyslippersreads Gandalf looks very wise to me. 😻 5d
22 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Jane Austen Embroidery | Alison Larkin, Jennie Batchelor
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Today‘s lovely #booknlunch—the weather is beautiful!

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Clare-Dragonfly
Jane Austen Embroidery | Alison Larkin, Jennie Batchelor
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daena I need this book! 2d
25 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Becky Chambers has such a beautiful imagination. I‘m glad she chooses to share it with us.

TieDyeDude This was my first book of her. I loved it! Only read A Psalm for the Wild-Built since, but I plan to read more :) 7d
Clare-Dragonfly @TieDyeDude You definitely should! I haven‘t read the Monk and Robot series yet, but the Wayfarers is wonderful. 7d
20 likes2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Lily is a Chinese-American girl growing up in 1950s San Francisco, worrying about friends and Communists, and eventually coming to the realization that she is a lesbian. This book is rich in historical detail and provides a different view of the 1950s than what I usually see. I liked Lily and my heart ached for or leapt with her. I can‘t call this a happy book but it isn‘t too depressing either.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Whew, it was tough narrowing my March reads down to two! I‘m very happy for the bonus slots! #ReadingBracket2024

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Clare-Dragonfly
What Moves the Dead | T. Kingfisher
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Pickpick

That is the creepiest book I have read in some time. T. Kingfisher is a genius.

18 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
What Moves the Dead | T. Kingfisher
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I‘m so glad I read A Haunting on the Hill before reading this, so I can listen to “Hares on the Mountain” (I wasn‘t previously familiar with the song), in particular Fern Maddie‘s version, which Hand references in her author‘s note. I was already super into the song and Fern Maddie‘s music, and it‘s a perfect creepy accompaniment to this delightfully creepy book!

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Clare-Dragonfly
Touch of Frost | Jennifer Estep
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Mehso-so

Pretty typical YA fantasy. Gwen goes to a school for magical people descended from mythological warriors and doesn‘t understand why she belongs there, despite her own magic powers. She‘s kind of an idiot who can‘t put two and two together, but it doesn‘t help that people keep telling her she‘s there to learn things and then not even trying to teach her. I liked that her power is psychometry and the development of her friendship with Daphne.

RaeLovesToRead Hello fluffy ears!!! 🥰🥰 4w
31 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Salt & Broom | Sharon Lynn Fisher
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this witchy retelling of Jane Eyre very much. I have some quibbles with the retelling-ness (I didn‘t see why she should have changed Jane‘s pre-Lowood backstory and everything happened too fast) but the story, romance, witchcraft, and twist on what happened with Mr. Rochester‘s previous wife were all very satisfying. I‘ve always wanted a witchy Jane Eyre! I‘ll be on the lookout for more by this author.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Mehso-so

Well, that certainly is a story I‘m glad to have finished 😆

Funny, but boring—the funny parts did not advance the plot and dragged on. Evelina is a sweet character, but I really didn‘t understand the attraction the men had for her, or her for Lord Orville. If Jane Austen read this and thought “I can do better,” I can see why! #RandomClassics

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

What a wonderful book! It‘s like Good Omens meets The Golem and the Jinni, plus labor organizing and gangs… and a whole bunch of queerness. I have a feeling it‘s going to be very difficult to pick a favorite book of my March reads!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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I suppose the fake Miss Belmont and Mr. Macartney will have a happy ending now—they‘re not really brother and sister so they can get married! And if Belmont makes Macartney his heir, that‘s a pretty good outcome for the fake Miss Belmont. #RandomClassics

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So it seems like Evelina‘s mom‘s friend passed off a different baby as Sir John Belmont‘s daughter??? 🤯 That‘s so much more dramatic than him abandoning 3 different women and picking a random one to be his heir! (But still, why won‘t he acknowledge Macartney? I‘m sure this will all be sorted out by the end! I have 4 more issues to go on Serial Reader!) #RandomClassics

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These demons seem to be pretty enlightened.

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian I loved this book! 1mo
19 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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I am very happy with this follow up to one of my favorite books of all time. A playwright, her musician girlfriend, their sound engineer friend, and a washed-up actress get together to rehearse a play in Hill House. Hill House doesn‘t want them there… or maybe it really, really does. There‘s a number of highly satisfying callbacks to the original novel. It‘s not as subtle, but I think it‘s stronger for not trying to precisely emulate the master.

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I love the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, but didn‘t care for the other two books they‘ve put out. Still, I wanted to read this book because I adore the character, so finding it at the #littlefreelibrary was perfect!

Patchshank I really enjoyed this one. Its my favorite of the nightvale novels even though its a bit different from the podcast. 1mo
Kenyazero Good find! Hope you like this one better! I forgot this book came out. Their first book was fun but so-so, and I found the second more compelling but it still took me forever to finish. I‘ll definitely give this one a try as well. 1mo
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I‘m really into this book so far, but finding the wide spacing between lines really annoying! Thankfully I didn‘t cancel my ebook hold when I found it in paper at a different library, so if that hold comes in before I‘ve finished the paper book, I can switch.

17 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Bailedbailed

I‘m sure there is some good stuff in this book but I just can‘t get past her coinage of “resulting” meaning “falling prey to outcome bias.” It makes the book too hard to read.

dabbe #hailthebail! 💚💙💚 1mo
Clare-Dragonfly @dabbe 🙌🏻 1mo
Ruthiella I like to think the book helped you decide to not finish it! 😂 1mo
Clare-Dragonfly @Ruthiella Hahaha, there you go! 1mo
22 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

This book has everything: inspiring introduction, short lesson in embroidery, stitch dictionary, symbol library, brief lesson in color theory and composition, a bunch of project ideas, and a number of patterns. Every page is gorgeously illustrated, almost all with clear photos of actual, stunning embroidery. I am so inspired! This was a library borrow but I am definitely going to buy my own copy to have on hand.

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Clare-Dragonfly
The Prisoner's Throne | Holly Black
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Holly Black has done it again! Not that there was EVER any doubt. I could barely put this down and it was so satisfying. Love Oak and Wren (and Jude and Cardan and all the rest)!

Liatrek I‘m so sad still waiting on my pre order. Can‘t wait to read this one ❤️ 1mo
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Clare-Dragonfly
All Good People Here | Ashley Flowers
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Panpan

Gah! There‘s a reason I don‘t read thrillers. Too many twists, not enough characterization, I rolled my eyes so many times. And, of course, it leaned heavily on my pet peeve of the character knowing something without revealing it to the reader. I only read this because I like Crime Junkie—I‘ll know better in the future!

I waited to take this picture until I had a different cat in my lap. Magrat was not a fan of being used as a Kindle prop 😹

dabbe #fanofthepan! 🤩🤩🤩 + 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @dabbe Not as good as #allhailthebail but I like it 😂 2mo
dabbe @Clare-Dragonfly I had a harder time rhyming something with “pan“! 🤩😍😂 2mo
21 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Very excited about this book!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Another fairly quick choice for #readingbracket2024… Much as I loved Galaxy and it warmed my heart, the long and magical search for Lyra‘s father has a tight grip on me. The Secret Commonwealth might end up grabbing one of the bonus slots, too. In fact, I think the only reason it didn‘t get the top slot is that it ended!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Once again, Becky Chambers manages to make a disaster cozy and sweet. Five people of four different alien species are trapped in a small waystation for several days. They are forced to get to know one another and learn to understand one another‘s species. Despite early prejudices, they all become friends.

Yes, I‘m spending a lot of time in a bathrobe with a cat on my lap lately 😂 Chemo takes it out of you!

RaeLovesToRead Nice that you have a feline buddy looking after you! 🥰 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @RaeLovesToRead Gandalf is very good at making sure I rest! 😻 2mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
Pageturner1 💗take care 😻 2mo
20 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Well, if I‘m not allowed to get up, I may as well finish a book!

I enjoyed this, though I didn‘t love it as much as I hoped. It was a fun, pleasant read. It did hit one of my pet peeves a couple times (it seems all the books I‘m reading right now are doing that). I liked all the characters. I will be reading the prequel.

RaeLovesToRead Hello kitty! I'm curious to know which pet peeve! 😅 2mo
Clare-Dragonfly @RaeLovesToRead One I encounter frequently and struggle to describe… it‘s when you‘re in a character‘s POV, and they think or obviously know something, but the reader doesn‘t get to know what that is. Like “suddenly, she knew the answer” but I don‘t get to know the answer for pages, if ever. Some authors pull it off OK (it isn‘t bothering me as much with Becky Chambers), but usually it drives me nuts. 2mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
RaeLovesToRead Oh yes! Thriller writers in particular are guilty of this! You're not building tension... spill it! 2mo
33 likes4 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Blue Castle | L. M. Montgomery
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Pickpick

What a marvelous romance!

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The Storm of Life | Amy Rose Capetta
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I‘ve had this new phone for almost 2 months but apparently I‘m still not good at taking screenshots with it 😂 Anyway, I really enjoyed the sequel to The Brilliant Death. Teo and Cielo are wonderful, rich, complex characters—as are most of the minor characters. The worldbuilding is similarly rich and complex, though sometimes that was a drawback as I got confused. I will definitely be continuing to read everything A. R. Capetta publishes.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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What a fascinating look at the earliest draft of a beloved novel! This is very different from the eventually published version of The Last Unicorn. The unicorn is basically the same character, and the butterfly appears, plus a few lines are the same, but that‘s about it. A demon accompanies the unicorn for much of her journey, and it just sort of ends—nothing is discovered. The most fascinating part to me is that instead of the Red Bull…

Clare-Dragonfly …covering the other unicorns‘ footsteps, it‘s the road that the unicorn is following throughout the book, which represents the changes wrought by modernity. Both the unicorn and the demon (and a dragon) have problems with that modernity in different directions. 2mo
rubyslippersreads Kitty ears! 😻 2mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
23 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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And it‘s illustrated by one of my favorite artists!!! What a great choice.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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AUDIBLE GASP. I had no idea this book existed! I‘m so excited! @monalyisha

monalyisha Oh, exciting! Never would have guessed it. 😆 2mo
20 likes1 comment
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Untitled | Unknown
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Stopped by the library today and they had blind dates with books! Of course, I couldn‘t resist! Any guesses before I open it up?

monalyisha I need to know! 2mo
22 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror (2012) | Stephen King, Naomi Novik, Kelley Armstrong, Tim Powers, Joe R Lansdale, Gene Wolfe, Caitlin R Kiernan, Glen Hirshberg
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I won this book in Naomi Novik‘s holiday giveaway on Instagram! As you can see, I‘m very excited. So many great authors! Plus it‘s signed!

Ruthiella Congratulations! 👏👏👏 2mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
AmyG Wow! 🙌🏻 2mo
29 likes3 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

What a powerful and heartbreaking book! I feel that some of the sad parts were overdone for the story, but maybe it was necessary—Stowe certainly doesn‘t get as explicit as she very well could about some of the horrors of slavery. I can‘t fault her choice to show the best Christians rather than the worst experiences. (And some of the worst experiences are certainly implied.) I‘m glad it had the effect intended, raising sentiment against slavery.

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What‘s with all these creepy men who are obsessed with Evelina even though she is kind of rude (in smart ways) and barely talks?! Obviously after letter 21 Sir Clement is the chief creepy creep of them all, but wow.

All the jerks and idiots poor Evelina is surrounded by are funny, though, for sure! I suppose the women of the Mirvan family are lovely, but they hardly get any page time. #RandomClassics

Librarybelle I read this a few years ago and am rereading it for the group now…I forgot how funny but also cringey this is! 😂 2mo
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Clare-Dragonfly
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I really enjoyed this but it just stops at the end! Argh! I need book 3 now! 😨😨😨

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I‘m so pleased that I was able to get this book before going off on a long-weekend trip! And now that I‘m looking at it on Litsy, I see I already have it stacked, thanks to @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Not that I‘m going to have much time to read on this trip. My sister is getting married tomorrow! Book pictured here with the lobby decor in the fancy hotel where we‘re all staying for the wedding 😄

BarbaraTheBibliophage I‘ll be curious to hear what you think! Happy wedding to your sister! 3mo
18 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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I‘m going to try to do #readingbracket2024. I was inspired by the fact that I barely had to think about it to pick a favorite book of January!

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Oops. I was searching for something else at the library (don‘t remember what) and this came up in the search results. I thought it sounded like fun so I put it on hold. Today I took it out to start reading and noticed the “author of” a book with a suspiciously similar name on the cover. Sure enough, this is book 2 in a series. Why don‘t they just say that in the cover/subtitle? 🙄 Thankfully my library does have book 1 so I have it on hold now!

ravenlee That‘s always so frustrating! I need the pertinent information in the description and on the cover: what number this is in a series, series title, previous titles in said series! 3mo
22 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
The Ice Queen | Alice Hoffman
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Mehso-so

I thought about skipping this book club selection because I was pretty indifferent on the last Alice Hoffman book I read, but I love fairy tale retellings. Unfortunately, while the fairy-tale elements kept me going through the story, I didn‘t connect with this book either. The main character really irritated me and I didn‘t understand most of the other characters‘ motivations either. I‘ll complain/CW (personal to me, and spoilery) in a comment.

Clare-Dragonfly I don‘t think I would have read this book had I known it involved a character dying of pancreatic cancer. My father died of pancreatic cancer a couple years ago, and I‘m undergoing cancer treatment now myself. 3mo
19 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

This book tells the fascinating story of the development of Herceptin, a targeted antibody treatment for breast and ovarian cancer that attacks a specific receptor called HER-2. Herceptin is one of the treatments I am receiving, so this was very personally relevant! It‘s an amazing treatment that fights cancer directly without real side effects, unlike chemo. The book tells the stories of the scientists and biotech companies along with many women

Clare-Dragonfly …who fought breast cancer and were treated, or not, with Herceptin. 3mo
AmyG Wishing you all the best with your treatment. 👊 3mo
SamAnne Would you be willing to email with me on your experience with it? And book stacked. Samannemace at gmail. I have the same. Did radiation and successful surgery but postponed chemo to travel and live life this year. My doctor told me it would “smash me into the ground” for 6 months and it could me 2-5 years to feel a sense of normalcy. And likely give me heart damage. Hope I‘m not overstepping here. I don‘t know anyone personally with HER2 (edited) 3mo
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SamAnne I‘m also reading Song of the Cell right that I think also discusses Herceptin. 3mo
SamAnne And wishing you a strong recovery! They want me to take a chemo and Herceptin. Ordering this book ASAP. Have been on the fence…. Apologies for any over sharing here. (edited) 3mo
Clare-Dragonfly @SamAnne Sure, I‘ll send you an email! Short version: chemo sucks but it‘s a hell of a lot better than dying of cancer 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3mo
SamAnne @Clare-Dragonfly for me, to a point. Quality of my years is also important to me. Hah! So I traveled and lived it up this year. Doctors aren‘t happy, but some nurses and techs have whispered to me: “good for you. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.” I glad you are making it through! 3mo
18 likes1 stack add7 comments
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Having a British author breakfast: Bath buns and Brontë tea.

tpixie Fun! 🤩 3mo
31 likes1 comment
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Does anyone know what Eva is dying of? Is it meant to be a specific illness (tuberculosis?) that readers of the time would easily identify so it doesn‘t have to be named, or it is just Overly Good Literary Character Syndrome like Beth?
#RandomClassics

Librarybelle I think it‘s a little bit of both. What I do know is that having the goodly character die was the thing to write at that time. As for Eva‘s illness, I‘m fairly sure it‘s consumption/tuberculosis, but I could be wrong. So many of these novels from that time have a character with a “fever coursing through the body.” 3mo
TheAromaofBooks I'm with @Librarybelle here - consumption is my guess, but I think at the time there were many things that could kill you that we can correct now, deficiencies or a blood pressure problem, a weak heart, etc. Like in Little Women, Beth is perfectly healthy when she is young, but scarlet fever (if I remember correctly) severely damages her heart and eventually kills her. The frequent mention of a cough may be indicating TB. It's definitely a ⬇ 3mo
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) common plot device, but I also think part of the reason that it's common as a plot device is because it was sadly common in reality as well. Do they die because they're “too good to live“ or do they become a better person because they're acknowledging that they're on their way to the grave and want to get eternity sorted before then? I'm not completely sure. 3mo
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Clare-Dragonfly
Multiamory: Essential Tools for Modern Relationships | Dedeker Winston, Emily Matlack, Jase Lindgren
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Solid book of relationship advice for all kinds of relationships, including polyamorous ones. I listen to the podcast so most of this isn‘t new to me, but it is definitely easier for me to remember in written form!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Well, I loved this. Soon I will read the second book and then I guess I‘ll spend a long time being mad that the third one isn‘t out yet.

I am amused that I assumed the titular Savage Beauty was Lyra, but no—she‘s a baby in this book, and La Belle Sauvage is (as I can see now from looking closely at the cover) a boat.

lauraisntwilder Seriously. Is book 3 ever coming out? 3mo
24 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Loved this story of Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison meeting and becoming friends! Plus some little extras at the end.

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Lyra's Oxford | Philip Pullman
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Great little read on a cozy rainy day! It was fun to see Lyra on another exciting adventure, a little older now. I also really liked the bits scattered through the book of what I call demifiction—nonfiction belonging to a fictional world—as well as the snippets and vignettes at the end. Any more of Lyra and Will is good! I really hope one of the other Pullman books on my list has a follow-up to this story. I want to know more about the birds.

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