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Kimberlone

Kimberlone

Joined May 2016

hp⚡️ twain⚓️ shakespeare🕯beatles💎 alaska🏔 | GR: www.goodreads.com/kimberlone | IG: @readerlykimberly | Storygraph: @kimberlone
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Bleak House by Charles Dickens
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Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
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Walden by Henry David Thoreau
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Kimberlone
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Pickpick

This sequel really lived up to expectations! It is everything you could want from the cozy academia fantasy romance corner. Even though it leans into the cozy genre, there are still serious stakes for Emily & Wendell. Emily is following up her encyclopedia with a a mapbook of the Otherlands, and Wendell tries to return this kingdom while avoiding his stepmother‘s assassins. The faerie world is broadened and endearing new characters introduced.

44 likes1 stack add
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Kimberlone
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Sneaking in some reading this morning before I jump into chores for most of the day. Hoping to finish this book today!

I have been so pleased with this sequel; fans of Encyclopedia of Faeries will love this one too!

JessieKB Fun cover!!! 1d
51 likes1 comment
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Kimberlone
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Mehso-so

I kept seeing this series hyped for romantasy readers and thought I‘d give it a chance. It was free on Kindle Unlimited, so I signed up for a free trial to try it out. It wasn‘t any worse than the average romantasy (it felt very ACOTAR meets Hunger Games), but I found its utter mediocrity and tropey-ness to be a turn off. I skimmed A LOT to finish this one, and won‘t be continuing with the sequel, despite a vague interest in knowing the ending.

Bookish_Gal I‘m about to write my review, and I‘m lost as to how to go about it. The ending saved it, politically, though it dragged long for me. 2d
40 likes1 comment
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Kimberlone
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Turned in my winter reading challenge bingo card to the local library today; I got 6 entries to the final giveaway, 2 coupons for a personal pizza, and 3 cute stickers (I declined the bookmarks because I already have far too many), but resisted checking out any physical books, since my physical and Kindle TBR are already overflowing.

Leftcoastzen I agree with that quote! 5d
Cupcake12 Great quote! 4d
59 likes2 comments
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Kimberlone
The Seven Year Slip | Ashley Poston
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Limited work this week due to spring break. I had a dentist appointment at 8 am, now biding the time for a bit at a local cafe, so that I can hit up the nearby library when it opens at 10 am.

57 likes1 comment
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Kimberlone
Fireside Books | Palmer, AK (Bookstore)
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Impromptu bookstore popup at a local brewery! I resisted buying anything, but they had a lot of Alaskana options, as well as popular bestsellers.

review
Kimberlone
The Atlas Complex | Olivie Blake
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Mehso-so

An unfortunately disappointing finale to the trilogy. I absolutely love Olivie Blake‘s writing style and characterization (which is still highlighted in this book), but the plot was basically incomprehensible to me. I honestly couldn‘t describe what happened outside of a few set piece scenes and character deaths. I‘ll credit my lack of comprehension partially to distracted audiobook listening, but I didn‘t have that problem w/the first 2 books.

Meshell1313 This seems to be the consensus. I‘m reading it now! 2w
Kimberlone @Meshell1313 yep, I will eventually give it another try, I have the hardcover so I might understand the plot better if I read the physical book. I want to do a full reread of the series, so I hope I‘ll appreciate the final book more in that context. 2w
emz711 Oh no! I just finished the first and requested the second one quick from the library 2w
Kimberlone @emz711 I really liked the first two! 2w
RamsFan1963 @Kimberlone I was pretty disappointed by the final volume also. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who found the story incomprehensible. 2w
49 likes5 comments
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Kimberlone
Two Twisted Crowns | Rachel Gillig
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March #BookspinBingo card. My #Bookspin is Two Twisted Crowns and #Doublespin is Ask Again, Yes.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks fabulous!!! 2w
vivastory What did you think of Dune 2? 2w
Kimberlone @vivastory amazing adaptation! I think it did a great job of translating the very complex Bene Gesserit/messiah stuff from the book. The visuals were incredible. I‘ll be curious how the series moves forward, though. I‘ve only read Dune but I‘ve spent enough time on Wikipedia to know things get real nuts in the second book. 2w
vivastory I think that it's a safe bet that he will get the third film that he has planned. I thought it was as good as the first one & although I read book 1 years ago & was happy stopping there, but I am now seriously contemplating continuing. I'm thinking of seeing it again before it leaves, which I very very rarely do. I'm glad that you liked it. 2w
Kimberlone @vivastory I only saw part one at home on streaming…seeing part 2 in theaters really made the experience exceptional. 2w
38 likes5 comments
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Kimberlone
One Dark Window | Rachel Gillig
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Overall, a good reading month. I finished 8 books, and have two in-progress carrying over to March. Higher than average ratings for me, which means I read a lot of good books in February! My top read of February is the tagged; I finished it in 2 days and immediately started the sequel. According to Goodreads and Storygraph, I am 6 books ahead on my 2024 reading goal (75 books).

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Kimberlone
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Technically The Fragile Threads of Power and The Atlas Complex are still in-progress, but I am marking them off because I don‘t plan on including them on the March bingo card. No bingos, but I did clear all the free spaces (I always leave those to account for my mood reading tendencies).

Now off to plan for March #BookspinBingo!

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Fantastic month!! 3w
30 likes1 comment
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Kimberlone
The Lily of Ludgate Hill | Mimi Matthews
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Pickpick

I‘ve enjoyed all the entries in this historical romance series (I feel like Mimi Matthew‘s is becoming an auto-read author for me). This one especially nailed all of the romance tropes it includes (childhood friends > lovers > enemies > lovers), by actually making the scenario feel realistic based on the characters‘ circumstances and the timeline of their relationship.

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Kimberlone
Frog and Toad All Year | Arnold Lobel
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Happy Leap Day (aka bonus reading day), Littens!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You too!! 💛 3w
41 likes1 comment
review
Kimberlone
Holly: A Novel | Stephen King
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Pickpick

Holly was my favorite character from King‘s The Outsider, so I‘ve been looking forward to reading her stand-alone since it was announced. I haven‘t read the Mr. Mercedes series, although I‘m interested now to go back to the start of her story. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I kind of feel like giving away who the serial killers were right at the beginning took away some of the suspense. Didn‘t care at all for the heavy handed COVID commentary

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Kimberlone
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I‘ve been really underwhelmed with the BOTM picks recently, so I was excited to see several interesting options for March! I ended up choosing A Fate Inked in Blood, but I almost picked Annie Bot. If I see good feedback on that one, I might add on later.

The BOTY winner and other finalists were really not my jam this year (plus I‘d already read 2 of them), but I feel like Shark Heart is one I might actually enjoy.

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Kimberlone
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Trying to post more regularly on my bookstagram. I love this sweatshirt I received as a gift from my SIL. It‘s my favorite reading outfit! I also have a lot of reviews overdue to post on Litsy!

If you want to follow me on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/readerlykimberly?igsh=ZW9keXpreTVpZW0y&utm_source=qr

BarbaraBB Reviews are never overdue on Litsy 😉❤️ 1mo
bthegood cute pic and sweatshirt! 4w
67 likes2 comments
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Kimberlone
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Thoughts on this year‘s BOTY finalists?

I had a lot of issues with the content and execution of Weyward, and I thought The Wishing Game was very mediocre with juvenile writing (despite a promising premise). Really surprised that they were voted that highly. Not interested in the romance or mystery/thriller options, so I guess I‘ll be choosing Shark Heart.

BookwormAHN I'm not very impressed with any of them 🤦🏼‍♀️ 1mo
Kimberlone @BookwormAHN right?! I just feel like the overall quality of the finalists have really declined. Just glancing at the monthly picks in 2023, there are a ton of books better (and more popular?) than what was included here. 1mo
ChaoticMissAdventures Also not impressed. The lack of diversity is expected but disappointing. I only read one. Shark Heart and I found it very average. 1mo
JenReadsAlot Huh those surprise me... 1mo
Laughterhp I own all but Shark Heart… 1mo
46 likes5 comments
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Kimberlone
The Lily of Ludgate Hill | Mimi Matthews
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It‘s only appropriate that I should be settling in for a quiet Valentine‘s night in with a sweet historical romance. Unfortunately, my husband headed back to his work yesterday (he has a 2 week on, week off schedule), but at least I have a swoon worthy duke to spend my solo evening with 😉.

Side note: the page turner remote that @Saknicole gave me for Christmas has completely revolutionized my Kindle/iPad reading!

Crazeedi That's a very cool tool! 1mo
lil1inblue I am obsessed with the idea of that remote. I find I'm always hovering my thumb over my kindle in anticipation of a page turn, and sometimes it actually gets sore holding in that way! 😂 1mo
Kimberlone @lil1inblue @Crazeedi now that I have one, I am totally reliant! Can‘t go back! 1mo
Saknicole So cozy! Happy late Galentines! 1mo
56 likes5 comments
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Kimberlone
Bride | Ali Hazelwood
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Does it count as a Target run if you *don‘t* get sucked into the book section? A pleasant surprise for me is that these books ended up being BOGO 50% off at checkout, so I got to feel less guilty!

TheBookHippie My adult daughter loves Target book and movie section. She‘s gotten some really good deals. 1mo
Kimberlone @TheBookHippie I like that they usually have the paperback versions and they are always at least 20% discounted! 1mo
TheBookHippie @Kimberlone She prefers paperback as well. 1mo
See All 10 Comments
TEArificbooks Target also lowest price matches on books as well. You can even ask the cashier to check the low price online for you. Sometimes their sales make the books cheaper than Amazon 1mo
Kimberlone @TheBookHippie Yes, I feel like I am unusual that I prefer paperbacks! 1mo
Kimberlone @TEArificbooks oh my goodness, I never knew that! 😲 1mo
TheBookHippie @TEArificbooks oh I‘ll tell my daughter! Wow! 1mo
vivastory The Target BOGO def sucked me in last week 1mo
Ruthiella Any time I get out of Target without spending at least $50 is a miracle . 😆 1mo
Tamra My paychecks should be direct deposit to Target. 1mo
65 likes1 stack add10 comments
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Kimberlone
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Happy V Day, Littens!

🩷💖💗💓💞💕💘

TheBookgeekFrau Happy Valentine's Day 💝 1mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love it!! 😍 1mo
BooksNBowls 😂😂 love it! 1mo
Ruthiella Happy Valentine‘s Day!💘 1mo
51 likes4 comments
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Kimberlone
Bookshelves and Books | Alfred H. Wall
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Shelves and drywall patching are done and arranged for now. So happy that at least a portion of my books are now on display! Decided to focus these shelves mainly on my nicer hardcovers.

Still need to figure out shelving in our office for all of my paperbacks (10 boxes worth 😬 packed away), but that‘s a project for another week. We also want to display some of our framed artwork around the shelves on this wall.

Enjoy the #bookhusband cameo!

dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
Ruthiella Nice work! 👏👏👏 1mo
IndoorDame Looks awesome!!! 1mo
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UwannaPublishme 🙌🏻📚🙌🏻 1mo
TheBookHippie Whew. Looks so wonderful. 💕 that‘s a lot of work. I never know what to do with paperbacks. 1mo
Kimberlone @dabbe @Ruthiella @IndoorDame @UwannaPublishme @TheBookHippie my hubby did a great job installing the shelves! I‘ve been looking forward to having them since we moved into our place in October! The paperbacks are going to be their own beast 😬 1mo
WildAlaskaBibliophile Your sofa looks super comfy too! 1mo
TieDyeDude 🎉 Looks so good! 1mo
TheBookgeekFrau Bravo BookHusband!! 🎉 1mo
Gissy 😍📚📚📚👌Beautiful 1mo
mabell Turned out so pretty! 1mo
kspenmoll They looked great! Wonderful hubby!!! 1mo
BarbaraBB Wow that looks so attractive! The ahelves I mean, or rather all of it 😃 1mo
marleed It looks great! 1mo
59 likes15 comments
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Kimberlone
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I made all the snacks (not pictured: nachos and second round of wings still currently in the oven) and now I get to enjoy the game (i.e. read my book) until the half-time show (who else is excited to see Usher?!).

Ignore the book boxes I emptied yesterday when filling out living room shelves.

Bookzombie I‘m not watching the game but I will definitely look up the halftime show later. 🙂 1mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yeah, yeah, yeah 🎤 🕺🏾 🙌🏻 love Usher! 1mo
Kimberlone @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks he brought it! 🥵🔥 1mo
60 likes3 comments
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Kimberlone
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Pickpick

Just finished my re-read of this series in anticipation of finally reading The Fragile Threads of Power. While it can be a common fantasy series pitfall, I really appreciate how Schwab uses the increasing lengths to deepen the character development, expand the world building, and add complexity to the continuing plot. Each book still tells a distinctive story that builds upon the overarching narrative. I ❤️ Kell, Lila, Rhy, Alucard, and Holland.

TieDyeDude Nice! I read Darker Shade a couple years ago, and I'm really anxious to continue the series. Hope you like Fragile Threads! 1mo
Kimberlone @TieDyeDude it‘s really a wonderful series! 1mo
66 likes2 comments
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Kimberlone
Bookshelves and Books | Alfred H. Wall
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Shelves are partially filled. My husband has to finish the drywall patching before I can finish the top shelf.

I will probably also be reorganizing the bottom shelf, moving most of the fiction hardbacks to the top, where I am also going to display my non-fiction and then fill in the bottom with more fantasy books to go along with the HP collection.

Will be happy when this project is done, so we can push the couch back towards the wall.

Ruthiella Looking good!👍 1mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
Gissy Yes, looking good 👌 (edited) 1mo
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TheBookgeekFrau Looks good! 🤩🤩 1mo
BarbaraBB That looks absolutely gorgeous 😍 1mo
Bookzombie Looks great! 1mo
68 likes6 comments
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Kimberlone
Bookshelves and Books | Alfred H. Wall
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Status update on my husband installing shelves in our living room! I can‘t wait to fill these with books!

The plan is to use these living room shelves for my nicer hardcovers. We still have to figure out shelving for the rest of my books; there are still 15 boxes worth packed up since our move back in October!

Bookzombie Can‘t wait to see what it looks like! 1mo
Kimberlone @Bookzombie of course I will post the final result! 1mo
Leftcoastzen I bet that‘s going to look great! 1mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
BarbaraBB Such great things to worry about ❤️ 1mo
55 likes5 comments
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Kimberlone
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I was out of state attending a wedding last weekend, so finally getting to post my February #bookspin board.

BookSpin: The Family
DoubleSpin: The Fragile Threads of Power

KristiAhlers I love your board! 1mo
Kimberlone @KristiAhlers thank you! I use the iPad app Paper and have just recently figured out how to best use the tools/templates…only took me 2 years to finally maximize! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
35 likes3 comments
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Kimberlone
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Late post for my final January #bookspin. I did finish my BookSpin (The Mitford Affair) but not my DoubleSpin. Still very proud that I finished 10 books last month!

KristiAhlers That's awesome! 1mo
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Fantastic month!! 1mo
32 likes2 comments
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Kimberlone
January 2024 | S. H. Miah
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Proud of my strong start to reading in January! Apparently I am already 4 books ahead on my 2024 reading challenge (set for 75 books).

I did a lot of escapist/destress reading this month due to a lot of anxiety around work (today is actually my last day at the job I have done for 9 years 😳), and am now looking to be fun-employed for a few weeks before I start a new position.

My top book of January was Bright Young Women!

Gissy Congratulations for your successful reading month and wish you the best in this new position, new year, new good challenges 🙌 2mo
Ruthiella Good luck on the new position! Enjoy your fun-employment. 👍 2mo
LiteraryHoarderPenny Good luck at the new job! Bright Young Women was a great read from January for me too! 2mo
42 likes3 comments
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Kimberlone
Dreams Lie Beneath | Rebecca Ross
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Pickpick

I fell in love with Rebecca Ross as an author last year when I discovered A River Enchanted and Divine Rivals, and wanted to explore more of her back catalog (found on Hoopla).

This ended up being a light pick (3.5 ⭐️). Ross has a beautiful writing style that really brings forth the magic of the worlds she creates. Overall, though, this ended up being a somewhat generic (but above average) YA fantasy romance.

I recommend to #BorrowNotBuy!

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Kimberlone
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Pickpick

If I was rating just on the merit of the bold, stylized illustrations, this graphic novel would get 5 ⭐️, but I found the approach to the narrative was really lacking.

I would have preferred a more even split between the biographical elements and the imaginary Glass Town. The silliness of the Glass Town characters‘ exploits took away too much from the reality of the Brontës‘ early lives. Maybe because the book‘s aimed at a young audience?

3 ⭐️

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Kimberlone
Bright Young Women | Jessica (Author) Knoll
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Pickpick

This book was so close to perfect for me (rated 5 ⭐️ on GR and 4.75 on SG). Directly inspired by the Ted Bundy case, specifically the sorority house attack in Florida, one of his final crimes. The books centers on two characters (Pamela, the sorority president, and Ruth, a victim from Seattle) and moves back and forth in time. What this book does differently from other true crime inspired novels is breaking down the media mythologizing of…👇🏼

Kimberlone The Defendant by revealing there is actually nothing special or impressive about him. His crimes weren‘t perpetrated by a charismatic, genius serial killer, but rather a textbook misogynist who was only able to get away with them for as long as he did due to police incompetence and patriarchal inability to take crimes against women seriously. (edited) 2mo
Kimberlone My one criticism is why use a real case as setting for a book about the screwed up relationship we have with true crime and the tendency of the media focusing on the perpetrator rather than victims? At the end of the book it gets a little too meta when the MC overhears a group of younger women discussing the new Bundy-related media including the Zac Efron movie. I would have personally preferred the book to not be so obviously about Bundy. 2mo
TieDyeDude Interesting. I don't think I've read a fictional book inspired by a true crime event. Thanks for the review! 2mo
See All 10 Comments
Kimberlone @TieDyeDude glad to share! 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures This is my next up! 2mo
JenniferEgnor This one is sitting on my couch. A friend let me borrow it, said it was really good. 2mo
Melismatic @Kimberlone Im with you on this. It bugged me a bit that it‘s so obvious what it‘s based on - but some names are changed while others aren‘t. I‘m guessing there‘s rationale behind it. 2mo
Kimberlone @Melismatic yeah overall I thought the book dealt with the subject matter so well, that was the only thing that didn‘t sit right with me. If you‘re going to only call him The Defendant to make a point, why even have it be so obviously a Ted Bundy facsimile? The conversation at the end of the book removes any ambiguity and for some readers will definitely lead them to just seek out more Bundy content which I thought the book was critiquing 🤷🏽‍♀️ 2mo
vivastory I had seen this around but was unaware what it was about. Stacking! I just finished Dahmer & really appreciated for several reasons, some of which you enumerated in your review (despite their victim demographics being entirely different) 2mo
67 likes3 stack adds10 comments
review
Kimberlone
When Women Were Dragons | Kelly Barnhill
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Mehso-so

If I hadn‘t used an Audible credit, I would‘ve DNF‘d this, but I felt obligated to finish. The premise sounded pretty interesting (alternate history in which women have the power to turn into dragons) in theory, but the execution did not live up to expectations. Sort of a coming of age story, but the overall theme is just Patriarchy = BAD. The level of suspension of disbelief needed to accept the society-level ignorance/amnesia is laughable.

CatLass007 You do know that you can return a book to Audible within a year of purchase and get your credit back, don‘t you? There was a lawsuit a few years ago. 2mo
Kimberlone @CatLass007 yes I am aware! Last time I tried it was too long since purchase to get a refund but I might try again with this. 2mo
Kimberlone @CatLass007 thanks for the reminder! I was able to return and get back my credit! 2mo
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CatLass007 You‘re welcome. I‘m glad you were able to get your credit back! 2mo
ICantImReading I remember being disappointed in this one! The premise had seemed so great! 😕 2mo
Kimberlone @ICantImReading the whole time I kept forcing myself to keep listening I was just hoping it would get better. Nothing happens in this book! 2mo
SamAnne It should have been a short story, not a novel. I would have DNFd if it wasn‘t a book club read. (edited) 2mo
68 likes7 comments
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Kimberlone
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Pickpick

Light pick (3.5 ⭐️) The premise is perfection (reclusive author of an extremely popular children‘s book series comes out of hiding to hold a Wonka-esque competition for his most rabid fans to win the only copy of his next book), but the boring Mary Sue main character with the predictably traumatic backstory (that isn‘t even that traumatic) really brought down the vibe for me. Overall I liked it, but totally understand the mixed reviews.

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Kimberlone
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Pickpick

Is this a pretty obvious Hunger Games/Red Queen YA dystopian ripoff? No doubt. Did I still have a fun time reading it and enjoying the very slow burn romance? For sure. Light pick (3.5 ⭐️) that I would recommend if you enjoyed the YA dystopian era of the early 2010s, but it‘s not doing anything original and of course ends on a cliffhanger since it‘s the first in a duology. If you know what you‘re getting into and that sounds appealing, go for it.

45 likes1 stack add
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Kimberlone
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Panpan

I rated this 2 ⭐️ on GR and 2.5 on SG. This was just not it. I really enjoyed Nancy Mitford‘s Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate, so I was really interested in learning more about her and her family, whom many of the characters in her autobiographical novels are based on. Read like a narrative Wikipedia article. It was impossible to root for any of the characters: Nancy is so passive & woe-is-me, while Diana and Unity are straight up Nazis.

TheBookHippie I cannot stand this author 😂😵‍💫🤷🏻‍♀️ but I‘m in the minority. 2mo
Kimberlone This my first by the author, but I‘m aware she is a prolific historical fiction writer. I will definitely not be seeking out anything else by her. How could a book about spying and Nazis be SO boring???? It took me over a month to finish this! 2mo
Karisimo This author‘s books always sound so good but then never deliver. I‘ve tried a few, but don‘t want to waste time on more. (edited) 2mo
See All 6 Comments
Kimberlone @Karisimo yeah so disappointing…if I hadn‘t bought it on kindle I probably would have DNF‘d 2mo
ChaoticMissAdventures Agree with @Karisimo I read the summary of her books and they always sound so good but she does not deliver for me, always too light on facts and the writing is too boring. 2mo
Karisimo @ChaoticMissAdventures glad to know I‘m not alone! 2mo
42 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Kimberlone
The Atlas Complex | Olivie Blake
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I meant to post this last week when they arrived in the mail, but….it finally happened…I preordered the same book twice 🤦🏽‍♀️

My husband opened the packages and was totally “WTF, Kimberly?!”

Thankfully I have a sister that already owns the first two in this series in hardback, so the extra copy will end up going to her.

vivastory 😂 😂 If it's any consolation over the weekend I realized I had 2 copies of the same book checked out from the library 2mo
Kimberlone @vivastory haha! That is even funnier 🤣 2mo
Saknicole So pretty 😍 now I just have to read the two I have on the shelf 😂 (well I have two others of her‘s I haven‘t read either from our Target outing a while back) 2mo
Kimberlone @Saknicole you could also start with one for my enemy since it‘s a standalone and I think you would really love it (magic, folk tale, Romeo & Juliet vibes)! 2mo
47 likes4 comments
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Kimberlone
Amazons Audible Audio Books | Albert N Thomas
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2023 is the last year I‘m going to be paying for an Audible subscription. I have so many un-listened-to audiobooks already in my library, plus access to Hoopla and Libby libraries, I know I won‘t miss getting new books from Audible.

These stats are still always fun to see!

Suet624 👏 👏 👏 👏 I'll always clap for someone not paying Jeff Bezos. If you find at some point you just have to buy an audiobook, Libro.fm is an option. You probably know that already though. :) 2mo
Kimberlone @Suet624 definitely aware of the alternatives! I‘ve also done scribd briefly in the past. Trying more to just not pay for audiobooks at all moving forward. Audible is just so easy because it‘s part of the Amazon ecosystem and everything integrates so seamlessly, but yes Bezos definitely doesn‘t need/deserve any more of my money. 2mo
55 likes2 comments
review
Kimberlone
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Mehso-so

I randomly picked this up on a kindle deal, but I would definitely recommend it as a borrow not buy situation. Other than the section about The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, I didn‘t really learn that much substantive about the teen shows featured. For the shows that were included, it didn‘t really feel like the comprehensive “teen show deep-dive” that I was expecting going in. Ending with Glee as the last chapter felt very arbitrary.

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Kimberlone
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Pickpick

This is definitely your run-of-the mill regency romance. No spice at all, just a very brief kissing scene at the very end; it‘s definitely a slow-burn romance, and the banter between the love interests is well-done. Not quite enemies to lovers, as the love interests pretty quickly get over their initial conflict and become friendly before it develops into more. I appreciated the FMC‘s single-minded commitment to providing for her sisters.

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Kimberlone
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January #BookSpin! I really fell off last year during the spring/summer, but I am excited for a blank slate this month!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks fantastic!! 2mo
48 likes1 comment
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Kimberlone
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Finally, here‘s my 23 in ‘23! I made this graphic to go with a yearly wrap-up post for my bookstagram. I post reviews much more frequently on Litsy still, but please give my bookstagram a follow if you are interested in more lengthy reviews and regular story updates.

My Instagram handle is @ readerlykimberly

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Kimberlone
Winter Games Mad Libs | Roger Price, Leonard Stern
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Final #WinterGames points total: 70,750 points

During the second half of the month I logged a lot of extra points from the week 3 word game and compiling my final word search and bingo totals.

Another fun year on the books! Thanks for @Clwojick for hosting again and @Roary47 for being the #GingerbreadGems team leader!

Roary47 Wow! Great job 🎉 I‘m glad you had fun. 🥰 3mo
23 likes1 comment
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Kimberlone
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I love that The Storygraph tells you these less common stats!

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Kimberlone
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I think my average time to finish was disproportionately affected by one audiobook that I started in 2022 but didn‘t finish until 2023.

I like these extra blurbs that The Storygraph adds to their reading wrap up!

Suet624 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 3mo
TieDyeDude 💪🎉 3mo
39 likes2 comments
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Kimberlone
Saint | Adrienne Young
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Love the graphic that The Storygraph generated this year!

BarbaraBB Yes it‘s awesome and so attractive! 3mo
TieDyeDude 💪🎉 3mo
42 likes2 comments
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Kimberlone
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No big reading resolutions this year. Going to keep my goal to 75 books since that is what felt comfortable this year, and I‘ll feel extra accomplished if I get closer to 100. I do want to read more nonfiction, and of course read more from my already owned TBR. I still haven‘t set up my books yet in our new house, so that is a goal I want to work on when my husband is back from work.

kspenmoll Love this!!!! 😁 3mo
mcctrish I love non fiction on audio and using that platform has enabled me to get to so many more than I would in print #readforfun 3mo
Kimberlone @mcctrish I agree! 3mo
48 likes3 comments
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Kimberlone
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*according to GR. I plan on posting my Storygraph stats tomorrow. They are a lot more accurate, since it differentiates better on ratings and pages read vs. minutes listened.

I generally am pretty stingy w/giving out 4 & 5 ⭐️ ratings, so I‘m not surprised my average is around 3.5.

While I definitely did read quite a few 500+ page books, I guess some of the shorter ones (thinking the new Saga issues) must have pulled the average length down.

BarbaraBB My average rating has been 3.5 for years too. 3mo
marleed Haha. I readjusted my rating system about 3 years ago when goodreads had me consistently reading at 3 stars. I decided I really did enjoy reading the books I completed more than my GR average suggested so I wanted to come up with a new scale for myself. 3mo
Kimberlone @marleed for me 3 stars still means I enjoyed, they just aren‘t going above and beyond the average. Like I would recommend to the right person but probably not a book I would revisit by choice. I like Storygraph better for rating because I can differentiate with .25 and .5 stars. There‘s a big difference between 3 ⭐️and 3.5 ⭐️ for me. 3mo
40 likes3 comments
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Kimberlone
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My final Goodreads stats for 2023!

A couple database discrepancies meant my GR and Storygraph stats don‘t align perfectly; I actually finished a couple more total titles. I did have to reduce my original goal of 100 to something more achievable.

Life was good in 2023 (got married and bought our first home together!), but it did get in the way of reading. I had a major reading slump in the spring/early summer that got me off track.

Ruthiella Great job! 👏👏👏 3mo
Deblovestoread Well done !! 🎉 3mo
Bookzombie Nice! 3mo
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BarbaraBB Well done 🩵 3mo
TieDyeDude 💪🎉 3mo
Gissy Yes!!!🥳📚📚📚🎉🎉🎉🎉👏👏👏👏 3mo
Kimberlone @Ruthiella @Deblovestoread @Bookzombie @BarbaraBB @TieDyeDude @Gissy thanks guys! I am hoping to hit about the same mark in 2024! 3mo
48 likes7 comments
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Kimberlone
The New Years Party | R.L. Stine
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Happy new years! Had to borrow this cute graphic I saw on Instagram 🎆🎇🪩🎊🎉🥂

Ruthiella Happy New Year to you! 🥳 3mo
Bookzombie Happy New Year! 🎆 3mo
dabbe HNY! 🖤💙🖤 3mo
42 likes3 comments
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Kimberlone
The New Years Party | R.L. Stine
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I‘m definitely more low key for NYE, the older I get. I can appreciate a quiet night in, but I also enjoy a fun dress up & go out, just depends on the options and how I‘m feeling. This year I am spending NYE at my friend‘s family cabin, and we will be setting off fireworks later!

#WinterGames #GingerbreadGems

Roary47 Have fun! 3mo
16 likes1 comment
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Kimberlone
Reading Goals: Extended Readers for Basic Reading | Glenn McCracken, Charles Child Walcutt
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Audiobook listening…accurate!

Ruthiella The nonfiction one is accurate for me! 😂 (edited) 3mo
CaliforniaCay 🤣🤣 3mo
Roary47 Truth! 3mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Haha! Love this! 🤣😂🤣 The “Friendships under review” bit made me snort. 3mo
44 likes4 comments