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TheEllieMo

TheEllieMo

Joined March 2018

review
TheEllieMo
The Thursday Murder Club | Richard Osman
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Mehso-so

Unpopular opinion:
For me, this one is between a so-so and a pan. Giving it a so-so because there was the hint of a decent story, but Osman drags everything out far too much? Are editors scared to tell celebrity authors that their books are too long? I was close to bailing several times on this one because of its verbosity.

Susanita As Anne Bogel says, it‘s never just you. I was looking forward to reading this for book club a couple years ago, but I didn‘t even finish it. 2w
TheEllieMo @Susanita good to know it‘s not just me 2w
majkia Altho I liked this particular book, there are many I haven't liked that the vast majority of readers loved. Read what you like and enjoy. We're all different. 2w
marleed I love reading reviews where opinions about the book differ from my own. I think it makes me a better reader. 2w
30 likes4 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen
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The 1995 BBC TV adaption by Andrew Davies of Pride and Prejudice, starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.

#SundayFunday
@BookmarkTavern

BookmarkTavern Oh that‘s a great choice! Thanks for answering! 2w
mcctrish Soooo good!!!! 2w
27 likes2 comments
review
TheEllieMo
You Let Me In | Camilla Bruce
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Pickpick

First finish for March is this story of Cassandra Tipp - is she a victim of trauma-induced psychosis who killed her husband, father and brother, or is her tale of faeries true?
This superbly written novel is my favourite read of this year so far.

CW: implied child abuse/rape

#17 for #ReadAway2024
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳Great 2w
Andrew65 Excellent 🎉🎉🎉 2w
23 likes2 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
My Husband: A Novel | Maud Ventura
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Plan for March:

Kindle TBR: Death of an Airman
Physical TBR: My Husband
Online book club: The Forty Rules of Love
IRL book club: The Spinning Heart
New (to me!): You Let Me In

Cuilin I enjoyed the spinning heart. 3w
25 likes1 comment
blurb
TheEllieMo
February | June Makle
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#February #WrapUp

Kindle TBR: Underground Overground ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Physical TBR: There Was a Time ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Online book club: The Dutch House ⭐️⭐️
IRL book club: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
New book: One of the Good Guys ⭐️⭐️

review
TheEllieMo
One of the Good Guys | Araminta Hall
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Mehso-so

Book 16 of #ReadAway2024

This is a thought-provoking book in that it covers the topic of male violence against women and how endemic it is in patriarchal societies. And because of that, I wish I could like it. But it follows the format of a typical psychological thriller, a genre I am not fond of. It‘s not bad, and is probably a good read for someone who likes the genre.

@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

TheEllieMo As a commentary on MVAW, I preferred Holly Bourne‘s YA dystopian style novel (edited) 3w
DieAReader 👋🏻Next 3w
Andrew65 Well done 🎉🎉🎉 3w
26 likes3 comments
review
TheEllieMo
There Was a Time | Frank White
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Pickpick

An interesting snapshot of life in a village on the Lincolnshire coast in 1940. The author was born in 1927, and joined the Navy at 17. Not so much a novel as a series of interconnected threads of daily life, the style of writing is as a dispassionate narrator looking in without judgement, which is a style that works well, I think, in this instance.

Book 15 of #ReadAway2024
@DieAReader @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳Great 3w
Andrew65 Brilliant 🎉🎉🎉 3w
27 likes2 comments
review
TheEllieMo
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Pickpick

This is an interesting tour of how the London Underground developed, and how it in turn caused London to develop and expand. It details the rivalries between the companies that originally owned the individual lines, and the key players who made the system what it became. The history and the architecture of the system fascinates me.

Book 3 of February
Book 13 of 2024
#ReadAway2024
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

DocBrown Sounds fascinating! I love the history of cities! 1mo
DieAReader 🥳Cool 1mo
CarolynM Stacked. I love the London Underground. I once did a tour that covered a lot of the history and pointed out some remnants of it like ghost stations - fascinating! 1mo
See All 6 Comments
TheEllieMo @CarolynM there‘s a programme called Secrets of the London Underground on the Yesterday channel (available on UKTV Play https://uktvplay.co.uk/shows/secrets-of-the-london-underground/watch-online) that shows the old stations and tunnels. It‘s fascinating and I‘m absolutely addicted to it🤣 1mo
CarolynM Ooo! Thank you, I will look that up 🙂 1mo
Andrew65 Sounds a great read. 👏👏👏 1mo
30 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
TheEllieMo
The Dutch House | Ann Patchett
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Mehso-so

#UnpopularOpinion but this one was just OK for me. I didn‘t feel much connection to any of the characters, the ending felt a bit rushed and too simplistic for what had, in parts, been a decent study of dysfunctional relationships. The reader is always just an outsider looking in, though.

First finish for February.

#ReadAway2024
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻 1mo
35 likes1 comment
blurb
TheEllieMo
February | June Makle
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Planned reads for February

blurb
TheEllieMo
January | Sara Gallardo
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Overloaded infographic! My spreadsheet suggest my reading has been far too straight white British so far this year!
9 books read (if you include the 90 page novella) in January. My favourite was The Goodbye Cat, though The Queen of Poisons was a close second; the worst by far was Love, Lies and Lemon Cake.

#JanuaryWrapUp
#ReadAway2024 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳Awesome! 1mo
monkeygirlsmama What do you use to give you your spreadsheet/graphs? 1mo
TheEllieMo @monkeygirlsmama it‘s a thing I set up in Microsoft Excel. 1mo
See All 6 Comments
monkeygirlsmama @TheEllieMo See I thought that's what it looked like, but I thought maybe you just superimposed the data over from someplace else. I'm too Excel illiterate to do more than basic spreadsheets. 😜 1mo
TheEllieMo @monkeygirlsmama I‘m an accountant by profession, spreadsheets are my tool of trade! I set this one up because I was curious to see if there were any unconscious patterns in my reading choices 1mo
monkeygirlsmama @TheEllieMo Such a clever idea! 1mo
31 likes6 comments
review
TheEllieMo
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Pickpick

A soft pick for me. The underlying story is charming, but for me it read as a series of essays about the importance of a work-life balance - which is of course important, but it felt a little repetitive at times.

Book 8 of 60
#Readaway2024
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳Great 2mo
28 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
TheEllieMo
She and Her Cat | Makoto Shinkai
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New bookmark 🐈‍⬛❤️

Jari-chan Love it! 😻 2mo
BookNAround My husband gave me this same one for Christmas. ❤️ 2mo
34 likes2 comments
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TheEllieMo
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Not gonna lie, Suengwoo seems like my kind of person!

Bookwomble 😄 2mo
28 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
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All set for a bit of reading time….

NatalieR Cool pic! 😎 2mo
TheEllieMo @NatalieR mostly thanks to PhotoShop! Red/Green/Blue filter 2mo
NatalieR @TheEllieMo Ah, but the creativity is all you! 😊 2mo
29 likes3 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
Hidden London: Discovering the Forgotten Underground | David Bownes, Chris Nix, Siddy Holloway, Sam Mullins
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Books I didn‘t know I needed until I stumbled upon them while browsing. The history of a 1907 road race from (what was then known as) Peking to Paris, and a look at some of the architecture and history of disused parts of the London Underground network

blurb
TheEllieMo
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Stand back, I‘m going in….

#Chunskter

dabbe May the force be with you! 🤩😃😍 2mo
keithmalek I don't know what you mean by that, but that's a great book! 2mo
TheEllieMo @keithmalek at 730 pages, it‘s a little bit daunting! 2mo
keithmalek @TheEllieMo Was it really? It's obviously been many years since I've read it. Don't worry. It will fly by. 2mo
BarbaraBB I loved this one! 2mo
32 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
Untitled | Untitled
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It‘s #Readathon time!! My goals are very loose - to read as much as I can!

#JoyousJanuary @Andrew65

review
TheEllieMo
The Goodbye Cat | Hiro Arikawa
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Pickpick

A collection of heart-warming cat-related tales from the author of The Travelling Cat Chronicles. The first story made me blub. Two of the stories feature Satoru, the main human character in Chronicles, ones prequel, the other a sequel. Based on the last sentence, I think Satoru‘s, and his cat Nana‘s, story, will feature further in another book. Which, of course, I will read!

Book #5 of #ReadAway2024
Book #1 #JoyousJanuary

DieAReader 🥳Great! 2mo
Bookwomble I also had the feels of a third book when I finished this one🤞🏼 2mo
32 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
The Goodbye Cat | Hiro Arikawa
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The cat has a point….

review
TheEllieMo
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Panpan

Thought I‘d read something lightweight from my Kindle TBR. Sort of regretting it because it‘s awful but at least it‘s off the TBR now.

My version of the synopsis is in the comments as a spoiler, just in case anyone is foolish enough to want to read this.

#ReadAway2024
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

TheEllieMo Annoying middle-aged mother with verbal diarrhoea and no filter has mid-life crisis and is apparently able to abandon all her responsibilities at the blink of an Aussie bloke‘s eye. (edited) 2mo
TrishB Loved the review! 2mo
DieAReader 👋🏻Off the kindle tbr! 2mo
24 likes3 comments
review
TheEllieMo
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this fun cozy. The uptight Englishman abroad brings to mind DI Richard Poole, the original, and best, DI in the TV series Death In Paradise. This has the same vibe, and it made me chuckle.

Snick this audiobook in as an extra to my planned 5 books this month for #ReadAway2024

@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 2mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳Great! 2mo
31 likes2 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
Small Things Like These | Claire Keegan
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The last of my #12BooksOf2023 is this small but perfectly formed novella by Claire Keegan that touches on the Magdalen Laundries of Ireland.

@Andrew65

SamAnne Everything she writes is beautiful. 2mo
TheEllieMo @SamAnne I definitely want to read more from her. It‘s amazing how she conveys so much in a relatively short novel, not a word wasted 2mo
SamAnne @TheEllieMo yes! Exactly. Reading her makes me more exasperated with writers who can‘t do that. I love a well constructed long novel but there are some writers out there who could learn something from Keegan! 2mo
See All 6 Comments
TheEllieMo @SamAnne have you read Sarah Moss? Most of her novels are also similarly short while saying so much 2mo
SamAnne @TheEllieMo such a fan of Sarah Moss! 2mo
Andrew65 Thanks for playing long, a great way to review 2023. See you for #12Booksof2024 on Christmas Day. 2mo
30 likes6 comments
review
TheEllieMo
Heaven, My Home | Attica Locke
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Pickpick

Initially I wasn‘t sure I was going to like this; I found the main character unsympathetic. But as the story progressed, it turned into a page-turner that not only provides a good crime thriller story, but also provides a lot of food for thought.

#ReadAway2024 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳Great! 2mo
Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 2mo
23 likes2 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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Now this is my sort of thing, a relaxed “choose your own goals” year-long #Readathon 😊

I will be aiming to read 5 books a month: 2 book club reads, one from my ebook TBR, one from my physical TBR, and a new purchase.

@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

Andrew65 Great to have you with us, good luck 😁 2mo
DieAReader Great to have you!! 2mo
30 likes2 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
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And this was my top read in November.

#12BooksOf2023 @Andrew65

Andrew65 A very popular series. 2mo
TheSpineView My top pick for November! 2mo
25 likes2 comments
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TheEllieMo
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I‘ve done it again, forgotten to post my #12BooksOf2023! So here‘s my favourite read of October, which is an utterly charming story of a writer and her two new kittens. A perfect gift for any bookish cat lover!
@Andrew65

Andrew65 😂😂😂 Easy to do! 2mo
rubyslippersreads I think my cats need this for their library. 😸 2mo
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
TheEllieMo
Murder for Christmas | Francis Duncan
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Pickpick

Meant to read this one before Christmas but ran out of time, so it‘s my first read of 2024 instead. First published in 1949, it is from the era of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. I rather like the amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine, and enjoyed this slow burn of a story.

This is my January E-Book TBR read for my personal #5AMonth #ReadingChallenge

CoffeeNBooks I liked this one, too! 2mo
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
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TheEllieMo
Four Seasons in Japan | Nick Bradley
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Forgot to post my September choice for #12BooksOf2023 yesterday 😱 So here it is - a delightful book within a book in a whimsical Japanese style.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Sounds great. 2mo
GoyaSnow Just added it to my tbr 2mo
29 likes2 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
The Goodbye Cat | Hiro Arikawa
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My planned reads for January for my own personal #5AMonth #ReadingChallenge:

IRL Book Club - Welcome to Hyunam-Dong Bookshop
Online Book Club - Heaven My Home
Physical TBR - The Goodbye Cat
E-Book TBR - Murder For Christmas
New release: The Queen of Poisons

blurb
TheEllieMo
Untitled | Untitled
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1. I want to aim for 5 books a month, being:
- IRL book club read
- online book club read
- something from my physical book TBR pile
- something from my e-book TBR list
- a new release (or new purchase).

2. I‘m too much of a mood reader to commit to a challenge!

#Two4Tuesday
#ReadingChallenge
@TheSpineView

TheSpineView I understand the mood reading. Thanks for playing! 3mo
23 likes1 comment
blurb
TheEllieMo
The Exhibitionist | Charlotte Mendelson
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This story of the dysfunctional family of a narcissistic artist is much funnier than that description makes it sound! My favourite thread in August #12BooksOf2023 @Andrew65

Andrew65 🤣 Sounds intriguing. 3mo
21 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
The Chalet | Catherine Cooper
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do.

And having done this for a year now, I am not planning on continuing in to 2024!

#ABookADay2023

review
TheEllieMo
The Sandpit | Nicholas Shakespeare
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Mehso-so

If you‘re looking for a gripping thriller, this isn‘t it. It‘s a very slow-burn spy novel, that takes 100 pages before it gets to the actual plot. The overall plot is ok but thin, so there‘s a lot of padding in this 400+ page novel.

blurb
TheEllieMo
Unfair Play: The Battle For Women's Sport | Sharron Davies, Craig Lord
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My seventh choice for #12BooksOf2023 is this look at the ongoing misogyny in sports governing bodies; the chapters on the 1970s/80s East German doping scandal are particularly shocking.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 A good pick. 3mo
21 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
A Winter Flame | Milly Johnson
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books.

#ABookADay2023

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TheEllieMo
Ulysses | James Joyce
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After 5 months of reading, I finished this one in June, which was otherwise a very disappointing reading month for me 😔, so despite being tricky to read and mostly bonkers, this one is my #12BooksOf2023 choice.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 A classic! 3mo
22 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
Midwinter Break | Bernard MacLaverty
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

Teresereading Hi will you keep going in 2024? 3mo
TheEllieMo @Teresereading no, I need a break! 3mo
24 likes2 comments
blurb
TheEllieMo
The Sandpit | Nicholas Shakespeare
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Shula read his text message, and the air thinned around her.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

HiMyNames_Alyssa By the time Alex managed to get the blood out of her good wool coat, it was too warm to wear it. 3mo
17 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
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My choice for Day 5 of #12BooksOf2023 is this cosy mystery/found family novel.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 I need to read this. 3mo
24 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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TheEllieMo
The Winter Killer | Alex Pine
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

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TheEllieMo
The Plea | Steve Cavanagh
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My fourth choice for #12Booksof2023 is this fast-paced court-room thriller, number 2 in the Eddie Flynn series.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Love a good courtroom book. 3mo
FromMyLectory Oohlala love the Eddie Flynn series! Eagerly waiting for the next one 😍 3mo
26 likes2 comments
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TheEllieMo
The Winter Ghosts | Kate Mosse
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

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TheEllieMo
Small Things Like These | Claire Keegan
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1. Just my usual aim of an average of at least a book a week. Currently on no. 60

2. No 5 ⭐️ reads, but I‘m quite stingy with my stars! The tagged book came closest.

3. There‘s a new Marlow Murder Club book out next month.

#WondrousWednesday
@Eggs

Eggs Thanks for joining in 👏🏻🥳🙌🏻 3mo
22 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
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My March choice for #12Booksof2023 #12DaysOfChrisas is this brilliant, well-researched, no-nonsense look at weight loss. Given that my body composition at the moment is equal parts chocolate and cheese, this will need a reread next week🤣

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Could be a popular read for a lot of people on the new year 😂 3mo
22 likes1 comment
blurb
TheEllieMo
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

blurb
TheEllieMo
The Sandpit | Nicholas Shakespeare
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Thanks for the tag, @TheSpineView

1. I think my family think I have enough books already…🤣 So the only book I gave and received was in my book club‘s Secret Santa. I gave The Goodbye Cat and received the tagged book.

2. I don‘t know anyone bookish outside my book club so I don‘t have an opportunity to give bookish presents ☹️

#Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView Thanks for playing 3mo
21 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
Death Comes to Marlow | Robert Thorogood
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I do enjoy Thorogood‘s cosy mysteries, and amateur sleuth Judith Potts is a great character.

#12Booksof2023 #12DaysofChristmas
@Andrew65

Andrew65 Always a popular choice. 3mo
28 likes1 comment
blurb
TheEllieMo
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

blurb
TheEllieMo
The Autumn Tree | Tony J Forder
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First of my #12DaysofChristmas picks is this police procedural, which centres around the trafficking of young women. The storyline is edgy, and moving - it‘s not often a crime novel makes me cry but this one did

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Don;t know this series, will have to search it out. 3mo
TheEllieMo @Andrew65 I wasn‘t too sure about the series after the first book, but it was talked of highly amongst a crime fiction group I‘m in, so I persevered, and the series has got better and better with each book 3mo
19 likes1 stack add2 comments