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HyacinthGirl

HyacinthGirl

Joined May 2016

"My library is an archive of longings."
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Fresh Complaint by Jeffrey Eugenides
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

I started out kind of hating this book, but it really got engaging for me after the first third. Disturbing and funny, the whole thing had the ring of honesty and authenticity. Also, maybe racism. Still, definitely a pick for me.

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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

God damn, this book tore me up. A treatise on what we do with compassion, empathy, and love, how it goes wrong, how it gets complicated.

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HyacinthGirl
Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro
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Pickpick

I think this is far from a perfect book, but good lord it is an enchanting and devastating one. It‘s full of the same sleepy magic The Buried Giant has, with all the heartbreak and resignation.

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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

This is the first book in a while to give me a book hangover. I was all kinds of messed up by the end. Completely fabulous. Definitely excited to read more by Groff.

9 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
The Mars Room: A Novel | Rachel Kushner
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I loved this book. Bleak and painful and gorgeously told.

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HyacinthGirl
Authority: A Novel | Jeff VanderMeer
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Haunting. So excited to dive into Acceptance.

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HyacinthGirl
A Man of Shadows | Jeff Noon
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The first half of this book was significantly more compelling than the second half. Regardless, the premise stayed interesting.

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HyacinthGirl
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This book was unbelievable. Beautifully researched, beautifully written, beautifully balanced between science, philosophy and personal experience. Brb gotta see a mycologists about some mushrooms 🍄

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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

This is an artfully constructed book that I completely hated. I thought it was billed as a true crime story set against the backdrop of the Chicago World‘s Fair, when it‘s more a painstaking history of the fair with the fun fact of a murderer running amok woven through. True skill in the rendering of the story, just completely uninteresting to my sensibilities.

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HyacinthGirl
A Conjuring of Light | Victoria Schwab
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Mehso-so

I didn‘t love the conclusion to this trilogy. I thought the pacing was strange, and some of the interactions with the Big Bad of the book were frankly silly. Plenty of good ass kicking moments from the mains, though, and that was fun.

7 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
Felicity: Poems | Mary Oliver
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Just meant to flip through a little, but it‘s impossible to read Mary Oliver without a deep dive.

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HyacinthGirl
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I‘m really loving the slow burn Schwab favors; the plots of the first two books haven‘t really been high-octane, and information about the world and the mythology comes out in tantalizing drips and drabs. I have some concern that the result may be a big info dump in book three, but my hopes are high. Also, the narrators for #2&3 in audio are incredible.

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HyacinthGirl
Annihilation | Jeff VanderMeer
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Where lies the strangling fruit that came from the hand of the sinner I shall bring forth the seeds of the dead to share with the worms that...

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HyacinthGirl
Pickpick

I‘d been sleeping on this one because the title sounds aggressively like a YA book to me, and I‘m deeply skeptical of most YA sci/fi and fantasy. As it turns out, this was an exceedingly captivating story focused on nuanced world building reminiscent of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and Neverwhere. I‘m eagerly waiting to get the sequel from the library.

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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

Love love loved this. Wolitzer writes her characters with vibrancy from the inside out. Nothing about this story of navigating a world in which femaleness is so complicated feels pandering or self congratulatory. It‘s sincere and honest, and artfully written.

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HyacinthGirl
Annihilation | Jeff VanderMeer
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Love requesting books through interlibrary loan. I forget about the requests I place, so getting the notifications that they‘re available is like a little present.

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HyacinthGirl
Sleeping Beauties | Stephen King, Owen King
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Mehso-so

I listened to this one, and it ended up getting returned before I could listen to the last hour and...I didn‘t care. Interesting premise, decent characters but sooo up its own ass. It felt like it was patting itself on the back the whole time for how super understanding it was of the female plight. If media is really woke, it shouldn‘t have to keep reminding us of its wokeness.

Sophoclessweetheart I‘ve heard only bad about this one. I preordered it but I‘ve never read more than the first page xx 6y
HyacinthGirl @Wanderingwithwords yeah, I feel like if you have a tbr like, this one can definitely wait 6y
7 likes2 comments
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

This book was an interesting experience. Loved the magical realism elements and the dreamy quality, but still felt like some of it was a slog with not a whole lot of payoff. I might try again in the future though; anyone else feel like Murakami says things that you need to be in the right frame of mind to really appreciate?

ephemeralwaltz I feel that what you get out of a Murakami book depends a lot on the reader. I feel like our mood and individual thoughts complete the reading experience - a lot of his writing is very open to interpretation! Which is what I love about his writing. Each of his books gives me a new chance to reconnect with myself. 6y
HyacinthGirl @ephemeralwaltz absolutely! I felt like a new person after reading Kafka on the Shore. I didn‘t quite feel as changed by this experience, but on reflection I was pretty blown away by how many layers to the narrative there were—particularly the ones that didn‘t find any definite conclusion. 6y
ephemeralwaltz @HyacinthGirl I'm usually bothered when narratives don't have definite conclusions but not with Murakami!😂 And YES, Kafka on the Shore blew me away completely -probably my favorite by him. It was like being in a trance during the whole novel. 6y
10 likes3 comments
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

Grim & compelling

15 likes3 stack adds
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HyacinthGirl
Under the Dome | King, Stephen
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Pickpick

I read this one coming off of The Stand, so it‘s hard not to compare them. They‘re alike in scope and theme, though UtD had a lot to say for itself. Vibrant characters, and that blend of truly literary and truly abominable writing that only Mr. King can provide. I think I liked The Stand better, but I most certainly wasn‘t bored by this one.

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6 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
Mr. Mercedes: A Novel | Stephen King
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6 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
The Stand | Stephen King

“The thought process can never be complete without articulation.”

4 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

Jemisin is extraordinary. The world building and character development are truly a wonder. Excited to read the rest of this trilogy.

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HyacinthGirl
Three Early Stories | J. D. Salinger
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Pickpick

Found this at a record store and couldn‘t resist!

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HyacinthGirl
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My favorite in the series so far. I love King's Lynchian resistance to over explanation, and his blending of genres is so satisfyingly seamless. So excited for Wizard and Glass.

TrishB Wizard and Glass is my fav in the series ❤ 7y
HyacinthGirl @TrishB oh yay! I can't wait to get into it. 7y
6 likes2 comments
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

Loved this second installment. I did get a little weary of the medicine hunt that drove the plot, but Eddie and Odetta are such great characters that it balanced out for me. I'm already knee deep into The Wastelands and loving it

5 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
Horns: A Novel | Joe Hill
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I love Joe Hill's style. He goes for gritty without excessive indulgence of cynicism. I loved this book, and I'll read more from him for sure.

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HyacinthGirl
A Man Called Ove: A Novel | Fredrik Backman
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Pickpick

Lovely. Perhaps a little predictable, but charming nonetheless. An honest and earnest human story.

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HyacinthGirl
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Mehso-so

I think there's probably something impressive about this book. But the teenage pretension stopped being charming about halfway through, it stopped being fun hating every single character with absolute fervor, and the climax during which the narrator discovers the secrets of the novel is mind numbingly boring. Still, the format is interesting, and the scope is something to praise.

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HyacinthGirl
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I mean, Shakespeare did it, so why not Stephen King?

BookBabe Seeing that brought to mind the lobster scene in "The Rosie Project". Anyone? ? 7y
sprainedbrain Ugh... those nasty things! 😱 7y
12 likes2 comments
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

I'd forgotten what it was like to read a book that confronts you with the uncanny reflection of your own personhood. This is one of those stories that will be in me forever, I think. Also, this is the fourth or fifth one I've read as a rec from @MLRio who has not steered me wrong yet.

MLRio If you liked this you really must read The Art of Fielding. 7y
HyacinthGirl @MLRio even the presence of baseball makes me feel skeptical, but I'm gonna give it a shot. 7y
10 likes2 comments
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

I haven't read a lot of King, but I've immensely enjoyed each one I have. The opening to the Dark Tower series was poetically written and compelling in a cerebral way. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the series.

SpeculativeFemale Out of everything I've read of Stephen King's, The Dark Tower series is still my favorite. 7y
HyacinthGirl @SpeculativeFemale between the richness of the writing and the expansiveness of the story, I can see myself agreeing after I've read the other books. How are you feeling about the film coming out next month? It sounds like they're going to attempt a multi-format adaptation style, which might be interesting. 7y
SpeculativeFemale @HyacinthGirl I'm cautiously optimistic about the movie. The cast looks phenomenal, and it seems like Stephen King It is fairly involved in the production, which it's usually a good thing. I'm really just crossing my fingers that they do it justice. 7y
HyacinthGirl @SpeculativeFemale that seems completely justified. I agree about the cast, the choices seem auspicious (edited) 7y
8 likes4 comments
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HyacinthGirl
Pickpick

So many feelings about this book. Odd and immensely compelling, though it struggles under the weight of its structure. The denouement is uncomfortably elongated, but extremely satisfying all the same. Very excited for whatever else Hawkins will churn out.

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HyacinthGirl
Mehso-so

A nice installment in the Avalon cycle, but it follows the general theme that the magic of Mists is lacking from these prequels.

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HyacinthGirl
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Not in any particular order, but it's so beautiful

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HyacinthGirl
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Mehso-so

Entertaining, for sure. I enjoyed the scope of the story, even if the pacing was a little strange. Too many battle scenes not written particularly well, though.

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HyacinthGirl
Mehso-so

I can't help it: I'm positively enchanted by Bradley's vision of Avalon, so for the first time I'm going through the expanded series. This first one is good fun as an origin story of sorts, but is a bit drawn out and lacks the immersive grandeur of Mists. Still reading the rest of them, though.

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HyacinthGirl
Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen
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I love my @outofprint Pride and Prejudice pouch! I'm keeping all the supplies for my current cross stitching project (#Hamilton themed) tucked away in it.

12 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

I liked this. It felt a little...thin for reasons I need to think about for a couple of days, and there were a couple spots of hackey writing that had no business next to some really beautiful prose. Still, it moved smoothly, it was just erudite enough without being alienating, and the ending was finely crafted.

11 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
The Vorrh | Brian Catling
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Loving this nightmarish alt-history fantasy

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HyacinthGirl
The Power of Myth | Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers
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Always worth a reread.

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HyacinthGirl
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Exhaustive and nuanced, this look at this history and development of Scientology demands that the reader think critically about religion itself and its sociological implications.

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HyacinthGirl
Cinnamon | Neil Gaiman
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A charming, sweet, strange story. It'll be a picture book in May, which I think I'll buy for my little nephew.

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HyacinthGirl
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I love reading the second book in a trilogy without the feeling that I have to get through filler plot development material before the thrilling conclusion. This definitely qualifies. I'm listening to these on audio, and I gotta say that the production is great. Pullman is a great narrator, and the full cast they have to read the characters is terrific.

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HyacinthGirl
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I love the worlds Phillip Pullman has created. I'm rereading His Dark Materials in preparation for the first in the Book of Dust trilogy this October.

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HyacinthGirl
Kindred | Octavia E. Butler
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My first Octavia Butler. Painful and moving. I couldn't stop talking about it, so my roommate was convinced to buy it too so we could discuss.

6 likes1 stack add
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HyacinthGirl
Norse Mythology | Neil Gaiman
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Tiny shelfie

ephemeralwaltz Cute😍😍 7y
7 likes1 stack add1 comment
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HyacinthGirl
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My @outofprint Beowulf tshirt came!

Merethebookgal Very cool! 7y
13 likes1 stack add1 comment
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HyacinthGirl
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Pickpick

What can you say about a book that speaks so loudly for itself? An extraordinary sequel, and a shockingly good middle book in a trilogy. Book three of the Broken Earth series cannot come soon enough.