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MissHel

MissHel

Joined May 2016

Programming librarian, occultist, indoor cat.
blurb
MissHel
Soulless | Gail Carriger
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I‘ll play!
1. Alexia Tarrabotti from Soulless- she‘s practical, funny, and a force to be reckoned with. I found her when I was in my mid 20‘s and she was what I needed.
2. Sarah Bishop from the All Saints trilogy- I love those books, and Diana‘s Aunt Sarah feels more like a real woman than the two protagonists.
3. Sophie from Howl‘s Moving Castle- she‘s so real and so feisty! #wondrouswednesday

Eggs Wonderful descriptions πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ» 3d
6 likes1 comment
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MissHel
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Do I have STACKS of books I should be reviewing for work? Yes. Do I have ARCs that I should read right now? Also yes. Am I reading a new Buffy book despite not reading the comic in forever so I feel a little lost? Definitely.

6 likes1 stack add
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MissHel
Pickpick

I‘m not really into celebrity memoirs: celebrities often feel too much like a fantasy. Tom Felton, on the other hand, has told his story in a very humble, reality-based way. He feels like a person you‘d actually meet. His story wasn‘t necessarily relatable, but it was real. #pop23 #celebritymemoir

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MissHel
Murder at an Irish Bakery | Carlene O'Connor
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Bailedbailed

Thank you to the publishers for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Friends, this style of writing is not for me. The dialogue between the Irish characters felt like an ad for Lucky Charms. I‘m confident that no one actually sounds like that. I didn‘t get through much of the plot because I was cringing so hard. There are folks who will love the quaintness of this story, but I‘m not one of them.

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MissHel
Murder at an Irish Bakery | Carlene O'Connor
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I need something light to offset the, unexpectedly, heavy pie book I started this weekend. This is light, but maybe I went too far. Other reviewers said that the dialogue was like a Lucky Charms commercial. They weren‘t wrong. This is rough.

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MissHel
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Do you ever open TikTok and think you‘re just going to look at some silly videos only to immediately get called out? Like, same. Goddamnit.

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MissHel
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Expect a lot of quotes from this book. Rossi Anastopoulo is very funny.

RaeLovesToRead Apple pie and... cheese? 🀨 3w
MissHel @RaeLovesToRead yeah, I don‘t know. Apples and cheese was a snack my mother gave me as a child, but I‘ve never tried cheese with apple pie, even as a Wisconsinite. 3w
RaeLovesToRead Could be worse I guess... I've had some fairly iffy mango sushi before now! 3w
5 likes3 comments
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MissHel
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I‘m recovering from a nasty bout of norovirus. Instead of getting up and walking all the way to the kitchen for a library book, I grabbed one of my ARCs that I never managed to get to.

SamAnne Hoping you have a speedy recovery! 3w
MissHel @SamAnne thank you! 3w
Ruthiella Hope you feel better soon! πŸ₯΄β€οΈ 3w
MissHel @Ruthiella thank you!πŸ’• 3w
6 likes4 comments
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MissHel
Bless Me, Ultima | Rudolfo Anaya
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Pickpick

What an insanely beautiful book! The writing was lush and loving. This coming of age story isn‘t like any that I‘ve read: it‘s a spiritual coming of age. What will Antonio become? Can he hang onto the magic that Ultima shows him? Will he ever have his questions answered? #pop23 #bookishouldhavereadinhighschool

RaeLovesToRead Hello gorgeous kitty!!! 3w
MissHel @RaeLovesToRead The Muffin says hello! 3w
IndoorDame πŸ–€πŸˆβ€β¬›πŸ–€ 3w
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella 😻😻😻 3w
squirrelbrain Cute puss! πŸˆβ€β¬› 3w
BarbaraBB Sounds good!! 3w
15 likes6 comments
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MissHel
Bless Me, Ultima | Rudolfo Anaya
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β€œThere are many gods,” Cico whispered, β€œgods of beauty and magic, gods of the garden, gods in our own backyards- but we go off to foreign countries to find new ones, we reach the stars to find new ones-β€œ

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MissHel
Untitled | Untitled
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I know I‘m a little late! Anyway, 1. There are lots of benefits, but my favorite is just losing myself in what I‘m reading. No thoughts, only book. 2. I just brought home When Women We‘re Dragons. It looks so good! 3. My fave new mystery author right now is Deanna Raybourn. Killers of a Certain Age was everything I wanted it to be.

Eggs Thanks for the thoughtful responses 😍 3w
11 likes1 comment
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MissHel
Lore Olympus | Rachel Smythe
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Pickpick

What a fun twist on Greek mythology! The story is not light (there are definitely adult themes including SA) but the way the author deals with the subject matter feels organic. I love the art and especially the color work. Also, Zeus answers the phone with β€œAhoy hoy.” It‘s so dumb. I love it. #pop23 #bookwithalovetriangle

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MissHel
Bless Me, Ultima | Rudolfo Anaya
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This is such a beautiful book. What an interesting idea that thinking any old thing could be blasphemous.

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MissHel
Borders | Thomas King
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Pickpick

In a previous post, I wrote about books we are considering for our next Community read. This is one that my coworker is thinking about and thus recommended to me. The artwork is beautiful! The story is all about pride, conviction, and holding onto your sense of self even if the powers that be don‘t want you to. #pop23 #bookthatafriendrecommended

squirrelbrain Just looked back at some other reviews / pictures on here and, you‘re right, the artwork is lovely! 4w
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
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MissHel
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β€œCards on the table: this is not going to be my proudest moment. In fact, my mum doesn‘t even know about this story. Sorry Mum.” #FirstLineFridays

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MissHel
They Called Us Enemy | George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott
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We‘re finishing our library‘s Community Read of Firekeeper‘s Daughter, and already planning for next year! Here‘s my some of the ones I‘m considering for my short list. (Plus coffee mug for pretty!)

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MissHel
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Pickpick

After a string of books that I just couldn‘t get through, this was a quick, cute, and funny collection. #pop23 #bookwitharabbitonthecover

Ruthiella That seems like a fun way to console yourself after a few duds! 1mo
squirrelbrain I read this one for the same prompt. I love the page you picked - I often think this myself when people suggest I should β€˜just stop worrying‘! 🀣 1mo
Cortg Graphic novels always pull me out of a reading rut. It makes your brain read different when taking in the graphics with the storyline. A nice little reset. I‘ll have to check this one out. 1mo
17 likes3 comments
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MissHel
Alice | Christina Henry
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Bailedbailed

You guys, I could not. I made it a quarter through and I‘ve noped out. Between the SA and the weird sexual tension, I‘ve determined that this is not for me.

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MissHel
Constant Rabbit | Jasper Fforde
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Bailedbailed

I didn‘t get far in this, honestly. I think it was supposed to be funny and scathing, but I‘m not British and the jokes didn‘t land.

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MissHel
Alice | Christina Henry
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After a full day headache yesterday, self care Sunday is all about household chores and audiobooks. So far this is… pretty much what you‘d expect. #bookwitharabbitonthecover #pop23

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MissHel
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Pickpick

This series is my current comfort read, and I especially love the audiobooks. Meg is hosting a slew of Canadian programmers in her rambling Victorian, including their soon to die lout boss. Comfy hilarity and unlikely serendipity ensues. My only qualms with this book are to do with it be of the suspects and the geography of WI and how cold weather works in the series as a whole. Pictured is Nurse Wednesday.

Ruthiella 😻😻😻 1mo
4 likes1 comment
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MissHel
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I‘m horrible at keeping house. Like, it makes my stomach ache when I think about it. I really love Domesticblisters on TikTok, so I acquired this, her book. I shouldn‘t be crying over this, right?

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MissHel
Lab Girl | Hope Jahren
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Pickpick

This book is going to join my list of recommendations. I came for the science (history of science is one of my favorite sub genres) but the found family theme that the author wove through the book kept me going. Hope and her best friend Bill‘s relationship is what everyone needs in their lives: crazy ideas, crazier implementation, and laughter and profanity when stupid shit invariably happens. #pop23 #bookwithgirlinthetitle

squirrelbrain Sounds great! 1mo
Cortg Nice job! I love this one. I really want my daughter to read it. 1mo
KarenUK A great read πŸ’• 1mo
23 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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MissHel
Lab Girl | Hope Jahren
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Is this a biblical quote? Whatever it is, I love it.

Lindy Yes, it‘s in Psalms 1mo
MissHel @Lindy thank you for the confirmation! It sounded Old Testamenty. 1mo
Lindy @MissHel β€œThey that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” (I don‘t personally believe that suffering is rewarded with joy in the future, btw.) 1mo
MissHel @Lindy I don‘t know that I believe that either entirely, but it feels hopeful and that is a valuable commodity this time of year. 1mo
Lindy @MissHel True 1mo
9 likes5 comments
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MissHel
Lab Girl | Hope Jahren
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A little backstory on what‘s happening here, Hope is a geochemist and Bill is her best friend and lab partner. Bill just shaved his head and Hope isn‘t taking it well. They‘re nuts. I like them a lot.

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MissHel
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Pickpick

I love the Barker and Llewelyn series. If you‘ve never tried them, picture a world with real historical people and events, a Sherlock with morals and a heart, and a Watson who is a young man and occasionally not a brain between his ears. Occasionally, I get so annoyed with Thomas that I have to stop reading because I can‘t take the second hand embarrassment. (Pictured Wednesday with second hand embarrassment)#pop23 #bookthatmybestfriendwouldlove

Ruthiella 😻😻😻 1mo
RaeLovesToRead Aww, kitty! πŸ₯° 1mo
squirrelbrain 😻 1mo
16 likes3 comments
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MissHel
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I‘m off desk for the rest of my shift, so I‘m getting some processing done and listening to Barker and Thomas on the trail of a wiley assassin.

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MissHel
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I love this series and almost always listen to it. The audiobook reader for the series is normally fabulous however, has the worst American Southern accent I‘ve ever heard. Yowzer. The rest of the book makes up for it.

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MissHel
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Pickpick

I am now in the camp that, for me, the only way to read Tolkien is an audiobook. My brain glazes over all the long lists of names and the songs and plodding plot. But, if it‘s an audiobook with the charming Rob Inglis (or Andy Serkis!) reading it to me, I can be present in the story. #pop23 #bookaboutavacation

Ruthiella I love audio books. They are a great resource. 2mo
MissHel @Ruthiella me too! I need to have one waiting for me or I‘m all twitchy! 2mo
RaeLovesToRead I love the idea of LOTR as a vacation! πŸ˜„πŸ’• 2mo
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BarbaraBB I‘ve never made it through LOTR. Maybe I should do audio too 2mo
Cortg I still haven‘t read these but I did read The Hobbit, thought I‘d hate it but loved it! They‘re on my TBR! 2mo
MissHel @BarbaraBB I highly recommend the audiobook. The readers are charming. It‘s kind of like your old uncle is telling you a story, sometimes you tune him out a bit because he‘s nattering on, but mostly he‘s a hoot. 2mo
21 likes6 comments
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MissHel
Lab Girl | Hope Jahren
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I‘m not far in, but this book is hitting me right in the feels.

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MissHel
Lab Girl | Hope Jahren
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#firstlinefridays Okay, not technically the first first line, but in the first paragraph.

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MissHel
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Bailedbailed

Maybe I‘m too old to just get into Discworld. All the jokes were flat, and it was nothing but jokes. Sigh. I feel like I wasted a Hoopla checkout.

Ruthiella I‘m ancient and I love the Discworld! But if Pratchett‘s sense of humor isn‘t yours, you aren‘t going to be a fan. I‘m always a little happy to know there are certain books that aren‘t for me, so I can skip them with a free conscience. But, that is a bummer about one less Hoopla borrow! 2mo
MissHel @Ruthie that is just the most delightful perspective! Thank you! 2mo
4 likes2 comments
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MissHel
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It‘s -13 here in NE WI and I need to keep my hands busy. This was appropriate! The color way is β€œAutumn at the Last Homely House” by Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm. I think I‘ll make a cowl.

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MissHel
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You know, I‘m enjoying Tolkien much more in audiobook than otherwise. #pop23 #bookwithavacation

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MissHel
Killers of a Certain Age | Deanna Raybourn
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Pickpick

Did you see the movie RED or RED2 with Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren? The are a lot of similarities between this book and those movies. The four retired killers are a group of ladies that rely less on gun power and more on planning and their friendship. Add in some clever one liners and #aforbiddenromance and you have yourself a fun time! #pop23 (Cabbits not featured, but there was a Kevin)

RaeLovesToRead Awww kitty!! πŸ₯°πŸ₯° 2mo
Ruthiella I definitely want to read this book. And that cat is adorable! 😻 2mo
Cortg Sounds like a fun read! And I love the bunny ears, too cute! 2mo
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OriginalCyn620 I have not seen those movies, but the book sounds good. Stacking it! And the cat is too cute! 2mo
BarbaraBB It sounds fun indeed! 2mo
squirrelbrain I‘ve had my eye on this one for a while. Love the ears! 2mo
19 likes1 stack add6 comments
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MissHel
Killers of a Certain Age | Deanna Raybourn
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MissHel
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I cry malarkey! Hardship and stress are the best times of dessert!

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MissHel
Meat Cute | Gail Carriger
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Pickpick

This was the tiny break I needed before I work on my two massive reads for the challenge and a work project that I‘ve been putting off. Meat Cute is a prequel and cute and silly and just adorable. It was like opening a box of chocolates and grabbing one at random to discover that, wow! It‘s a really good ganache! (Not my photo, but pertinent to the story.) #pop23 #shortestbookonmytbr

squirrelbrain Aw now I want a baby hedgehog! (edited) 2mo
Cortg Adorable! We have a hedgehog storytime at the library I work at coming up. It‘s always a big hit! 2mo
MissHel @Cortg ohmygod, seriously?! That‘s the best! One of our branches has read to a goat and before they were reading to chickens. A hedgehog would be AMAZING! 2mo
15 likes3 comments
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MissHel
Meat Cute | Gail Carriger
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I have a bad habit. When I really love a series, I acquire all of it… and then I don‘t finish it. Sometimes ever. I LOVE the Parasol Protectorate. I love the entire Parasoloverse, except I have three books that I can‘t bring myself to finish. Here‘s number one. It‘s a prequel, and it will certainly be the least serious thing I read all year (unless I‘m very lucky.) #pop23 #shortestbookinmytbrpile

Ruthiella Good luck! πŸ‘ 2mo
2 likes1 comment
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MissHel
The Power | Naomi Alderman
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Panpan

After this book, I‘m going to look up content warnings before I acquire the items. If you‘re planning on reading this, please know there are several instances of SA. Blech. This book started out fascinating; what if women one day learned that they could shoot electricity out of their hands? It‘s a cool premise and the characters are really interesting! But then, it devolves into a gross mess. Blech again. #pop23 #booksintotvshowsormovies

RaeLovesToRead Kitty πŸ₯° 2mo
squirrelbrain Hi puss! πŸ‘‹ 2mo
MissHel @squirrelbrain @RaeLovesToRead her name is Muffin Marple and she‘s my reading buddy! 2mo
14 likes3 comments
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MissHel
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Mehso-so

When I started the Reacher novels, I burned through the first dozen in a matter of months. I loved them. Now rereading this. I can‘t help hearing all the jackass dudebros trying to be as cool and inserting themselves into his persona. Reacher is still kinda fun and he always saves the day, but he‘s not as fun as I remember. #pop23 #readitlike10yearsago

RaeLovesToRead I've only read the first Reacher novel... it was entertaining in a daft kind of way πŸ˜† 2mo
OriginalCyn620 I haven‘t read any of them! 2mo
Cortg Haven‘t read this series but I‘m kinda excited to go back and read a book from 10+ years ago. My reading interests have changed soooooo much πŸ˜‚ 2mo
squirrelbrain Yes, I‘m looking forward to that too! @Cortg 2mo
15 likes4 comments
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MissHel
The Power | Naomi Alderman
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This year, to pry me out of my comfort read hole (I think I only read comfort reads for the last couple of years because… life) I‘m try Pop Sugar UK‘s 2023 Reading Challenge. I‘m going to alter it slightly (I am not reading all the romance suggested.) For the β€œbook that is coming out as a tv show or movie” I‘ve selected The Power. So far, so fun! I haven‘t read dystopian in AGES!

squirrelbrain There‘s a group of us on here that are all doing this challenge. Search for #pop23 and you‘ll find us. I‘ll try and tag everyone here, but as I‘m doing a few challenges I get confused as to who‘s doing what, so hopefully I get this right! 😬 @RaeLovesToRead @Laughterhp @KarenUK @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB @IndoorDame @jenniferw88 @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @jlhammar @Ruthiella @AshleyHoss820 @Cortg @OriginalCyn620 @BookBelle84 2mo
MissHel @squirrelbrain that‘s great! Thanks so much! 2mo
RaeLovesToRead @squirrelbrain Just doing a quick comparison of our #pop23 lists... I haven't got @jlhammar @Ruthiella @OriginalCyn620 and @BookBelle84 ... Will add you all! @MissHel - would you like adding to the tag list?? 2mo
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RaeLovesToRead @squirrelbrain I also have @alisiakae on my list (previously 4th house on the left) 2mo
MissHel @RaeLovesToRead I‘ve never been on a tag list before! That sounds fun! Thanks! 2mo
RaeLovesToRead @MissHel Yay! 😊 When you do posts about books for the challenge, feel free to tag us all in the post / comments! (Optional, of course!) It's always fun to see what everyone is reading for the prompts. 2mo
Cinfhen I don‘t mind being tagged for #pop23 but I‘m actually sitting it out this year @squirrelbrain @RaeLovesToRead I‘m doing a bunch of other challenges but not Pop sugar ☺️Have fun @MissHel and the rest of the pop crew πŸ’•πŸ’•πŸ’• 2mo
squirrelbrain I may be wrong @RaeLovesToRead though, like I was with @cinfhen, (sorry! 😁) so wait and see what they say…. 2mo
OriginalCyn620 I read this book when it came out and loved it! Enjoy! 2mo
16 likes10 comments
review
MissHel
Firekeeper's Daughter | Angeline Boulley
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Pickpick

It took me a whole year to get into this book, but I‘m so very glad I persevered. Past the teen hormones (and they‘re necessary because this is a book for teens first) and the thrilling FBI case, is so much heart and love for indigenous folks. I cannot do Firekeeper‘s Daughter justice in my review. It was beautiful. Parts made me sob. I saw a few things coming. I cheered Daunis on. I sobbed some more. #pop23 #meanttoread2022

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MissHel
Firekeeper's Daughter | Angeline Boulley
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I‘m still plugging away. So far, the deeper I get, the less teenage angst there is!

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MissHel
Firekeeper's Daughter | Angeline Boulley
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Confession time: This is the Winter Community Read for our library. The library I work at. I am on the committee that chose this book. I‘ve known that we were going to be reading this book since last January. I‘ve had this very book in my house since June. Internet friend, I have not read this book. Oh well, no time like the present.

SamAnne πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚. 2mo
MuddyPuddle Hopefully you‘ll enjoy it as much as I did! 2mo
5 likes2 comments
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MissHel
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Pickpick

Donna Andrews always delivers cute and funny murders, this was no different. I had a hectic week, but this was a lovely Christmasy escape. My only complaint is that the author clearly has never spent any time in my fair state, WI. There is a small plot point that involves some characters from WI, and they don‘t act like people from here. That‘s just me being nitpicky though.

RaeLovesToRead Oh my Gosh!! πŸ₯°πŸ₯°πŸ₯° so cute! 2mo
5 likes1 comment
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MissHel
Panpan

This is a spin off from a long running series. Maybe if I had read the series, I‘d find some redeeming quality in this book. Alas, I did not. I couldn‘t make myself care what happened. I hate giving books bad reviews, especially since I was given this as an ARC by the publisher, but it was dull.

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MissHel
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Finally we‘re looking into the suspects! It feels like it‘s taken a while to get here, but it may be that I‘ve had a lot going on. #PegAndRoseSolveAMurder

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MissHel
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I‘m on my lunch break and trying to get a few chapters in. Let me set the scene: the murder from the title has occurred. The protagonists are sitting at a table chatting about the murder. One of the protagonists offers the other cake. They‘ve had a shock. The second refuses because cake is sinful. I am firmly on Team Peg. Rose is insufferable. #PegAndRoseSolveAMurder

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MissHel
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I won an ARC! (That‘s really the only thing I ever win, but not complaining!) So far, it‘s a cute book. Peg and Rose are septuagenarian SILs. Peg is a little prickly, but funny. Rose is a bit holier-than-thou, but she‘s starting to loosen up. I‘ll let you know how it goes. #PegAndRoseSolveAMurder

QuietlyLaura Sounds like a fun story. 7mo
MissHel It‘s cute! There‘s a lot of jargon about dog shows and bridge that I don‘t understand, but it‘s an interesting story. 7mo
4 likes1 stack add2 comments