Twice upon a time - for that is how some stories should continue - there was a mother whose daughter was stolen from her.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
ShyBookOwl Great opener! 10h
Twice upon a time - for that is how some stories should continue - there was a mother whose daughter was stolen from her.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
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This book could have been three times as long as it was, and I still would have been disappointed when it ended.
Osman has created such lovable, distinct, hilarious characters in this series - I was grinning on page 1, laughing out loud by chapter 2, and pausing to cry a few times throughout.
Cannot say enough good things. Masterfully done.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I love Roshani Chokshi‘s writing, & that doesn‘t change if her audience is middle schoolers or adults. There is something really special about this that weaves Filipino folklore into a fun, funny, heartbreaking quest with a girl, a ghost, & a gecko. I‘m grateful for these stories, and all in the Rick Riordan Presents series, because I learn about another culture, and because I could feel the healing in this book. Beautifully done.
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This is a very quick, fun, spicy read. I read it all on & off throughout the day today, and it was a easy one to put down & pick back up.
It‘s been 2 years since I read the fist book in this series, but I don‘t think it‘ll be that long before I read the next!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The newest installment in the Disney inspired romances came into my life mid-Little Mermaid obsession at my house, so that could certainly have colored how much I enjoyed this book. A fun, easy read featuring a cast of lovable (though *numerous*) side characters, this was just a treat.
Córdova had me hooked from page one, and as this is the first I‘ve read from her, it definitely encourages me to check out more of her work!
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This whole book was 🤯🤯🤯🤯 - I‘m really glad Sharon McMahon chose it for this semester‘s book club because there is so much to discuss!
I knew absolutely nothing about the Osage people & the Reign of Terror they lived through in the early 1900s.
Very well researched & the writing style kept me engaged the whole time - overall just really impressive.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is far outside of what I usually read, and I have not read the first 12 books in this series, but it was chosen for my book club & I was interested in trying something new.
There are definitely things I didn‘t love, writing style choices that weren‘t as smooth, etc.
But overall this absolutely delivers on what it is: a police procedural murder mystery set in Amish country.
Would I read more in this series? Honestly, yeah I would.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Holmes is currently one of the best historical resources on Instagram-I have learned so much from her posts- &I was so excited to read this book bringing to light ten Black women who were foundational to the Christian faith.
The majority of these names were brand new to me,& hearing how much they contributed just reinforces the certainty that we are standing on the shoulders of many other Black women history hasn‘t remembered.
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Keegan just came on my radar this year, & I am so glad she did! Her slice-of-Irish-life novellas are incredible, somehow feeling like a complete story with fully developed characters in a less than 2 hour audiobook.
I will definitely continue to seek her out.
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I‘ve been wanting to read this series for a while, and book one was not disappointing!
Very accessible & fun fantasy-heist that is just the beginning into Sanderson‘s vast Cosmere.
I‘ll definitely be continuing!
so-so⭐️⭐️💫
I think I just need to stop trying Hibbert‘s books pre-Brown sisters, they are just not as polished & (basically) perfect as her newer works.
I honestly forgot I was reading this one for most of this week, so that probably says it all.
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While I loved the end of this book & how the story across the trilogy wrapped up, for most of this book I wasn‘t super interested in the story.
That being said, seeing where she started & where she ended up just continues to cement to me the power of Jemisin & her work.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is a gorgeous slice of life look at 4 Black girlfriends. I loved everything about this! My only critique is that I wanted MORE. I know that slice of life, especially in graphic form, isn‘t set up to give you depth, but I hope there‘s a second installment where we can continue to follow these women.I thought it was amazing how Smith was able to capture the nuances of doing Black hair in her art and the care that comes with all of it.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Sebastian says that she loves to write historical stories that give queer people happy endings,&that is clear from this book.I loved both her main characters&thought they seemed like fully formed people whose issues made sense for the lives they had led. I don‘t recommend the audio. I almost stopped reading because the narrator‘s voice choices were so bizarre they didn‘t sound like real, genuine people as much as characters on 1950s radio.
Nick Russo could fill the Sunday paper with reasons why he shouldn‘t be able to stand Andy Fleming.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
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I was incredibly impressed by Woodson‘s use of language. This book is short - the audiobook is only 4 hours long - but the amount she conveyed in such a small amount of space, using so few words was remarkable.
The story also jumped around so much, to different points in time & different points of view, but somehow I was never confused. I don‘t know how she did that! I will definitely be looking for more of her work in the future.
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When I finished book one in this series, I didn‘t know where Jemisin was going to take the series, and I absolutely could not have imagined how the story would continue!
Somehow seeming both very different and perfectly integrated into the world she built, book 2 was even better than the first. I cannot wait to see what she does in the final!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I am always excited for a new Solomon book, & this one did not disappoint! While it is a very spicy romance, it does not cross the line into trashy, which I think could have been easy to do, especially with this plot. But instead it is a funny, sex positive book about always feeling behind the curve and different ways fear can keep you from moving forward. If you don‘t mind a heavy dose of spice, this is one I definitely recommend!
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️I liked the mystery, especially it all being contained on a ship, and the story begun in book 1 carried over well, but something about the main characters, I just did not connect to at all.
Partly I think the humor of book 1 was missing in this one. As if when it‘s female main characters, they can‘t have that same wit?
I am very much looking forward to the conclusion when it comes out this fall…and moving on to different main characters.
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It is very interesting reading this, Jemisin‘s debut novel, after reading her Broken Earth trilogy masterpiece(s), because you can see beginnings of her story & style here. It isn‘t as good as Broken Earth - will anything ever be? - but it was an incredibly realized, brutal world that ended in a way that I have absolutely no idea what direction book two will take. And that is very exciting!
I am not as I once was.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
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This book covered so many genres: it‘s a fantasy with an interesting magic system; it‘s a (*very* spicy) romance; it‘s a murder mystery; it‘s historical fiction set in 1908‘s England - and somehow Marske covers them all with ease.
In the Acknowledgment section she lists Pratchett & Wodehouse as influences & you can definitely see that in her very British satirical humor, which I will always love.
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Acevedo is a striking writer, & while this is written in verse, it doesn‘t sound like a poem except sometimes with the rhythms she uses. I was glad I listened to it because the narrators were amazing & it forced me to take my time with something that could have been a very quick read.
Acevedo knocks it out every time. Highly recommend.
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I loved the premise of this book - learning about the unspoken cultural differences between Western culture (where I live & read the Bible) and Eastern culture (where the Bible was actually written), and I thought the authors put the information together in a way that was relatable & informative without being condescending.
I enjoy approaching my faith intellectually instead of only emotionally, and this helped me do that.
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This was a reread of the book that started my romance reading journey back in spring 2020, & now on my third time reading it, I still love it just as much.
Hibbert is hilarious & cutting & spicy & heartwarming - sometimes all on the same page.
I grabbed this as a vacation read & wasn‘t thinking I‘d read the others in the series - but now I‘m just ready to pick up book 2 🤗
Once upon a time, Chloe Brown died.
Nearly.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This was a book I picked solely because of its beautiful cover, and it was a pleasant surprise to also very much enjoy the story! Though the crux of this story is a romance - a divorced couple with unresolved issues - and it is quite spicy, there is a lot more to this one.
Occasionally it felt too long, but I loved the setting & the characters, and it looks like it‘ll be the first in a series, so I definitely plan to check out the rest!
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This was the fictionalized story of the real life Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last person executed in Iceland in 1830.
Kent‘s writing is 5 star - it is so well told & clearly well researched.
I would definitely read more from her in the future.
@TheAromaofBooks this was my June #bookspin book!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Told in the summer when Chicago tore down all the “affordable housing” (aka the projects) buildings, it‘s the story of a 12 year old & her three friends & how they are all affected. In the telling of all the fear & sadness, there is also hope.
The frame story makes it feel more like a memoir than a novel.
I‘m grateful to Wolfe & her immense talent (and Shayna Small‘s beautiful reading) for showing us these truths. Expertly done.
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This was a reread & I mostly listed to the audiobook this time. I remembered it being good but I forgot how good it was, so I‘m glad I picked it up again!
No notes.
Solomon did this one perfectly.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️After being completely blown away by her Daevabad Trilogy last year, I was really excited to begin this next story, and it didn‘t disappoint. Definitely an adventure story with many “how will we get out of this alive?”moments, Amina is instantly & effortlessly established as a main character you can root for.The author draws from Muslim tradition, faith, & folklore,while also showing and elevating others from that rich area of the world.
God as my witness, none of this would have ever happened if it were not for those two fools back in Salalah.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
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I really enjoyed this one! The magic system McDonald created is so interesting, and it was a journey as Raine figured out who she could trust & how everyone was connected as she was thrust into a new world.
I *highly* recommend the audiobook as MacLaren is an excellent reader, and it really helped me, as an American reader, with the pronunciation of many of the Scottish-based words.
Can‘t wait for book 2!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This was such a fun ride! Following Violet through her first year at war college - with dragons! - this was a fantastic beginning to a new series! The twists were plentiful & the romance was so good. There a quite a few directions she can take book 2 & I cannot wait to read it! This was also maybe the first fantasy book I‘ve read with a MC who had a chronic illness, so that was interesting, too. I laughed, I cried, I swooned - I‘m a fan.
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️Shinn is one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy authors, so I was excited to get into another of her books, this one sci-fi with a murder mystery.
Her world-building of interplanetary travel, multiple religious sects, and different political levels was expertly done as usual, but I didn‘t feel like the mystery portion was her strong suit.
Overall, good not great. Sci-fi fans might love the world-building but it‘s not one for mystery lovers.
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It‘s impossible for me to pin down *how* she makes these books so unputdownable-it really is just detectives walking around & talking to people for 1000 pages-but her character development and pacing are expertly done, I got through this massive book in less than a week. This was, also, the first time I‘ve correctly guessed the “bad guy,” so I am very proud of myself 💁🏻♀️Looking forward to seeing where Strike & Robin are taken next!
Of all the couples sitting in the Rivoli Bar at the Ritz that Thursday evening, the pair that was having the most conspicuously good time was not, in fact, a couple.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
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Sweeping, rich, & sentimental - what is, at its heart, a love story is also so much more.
Allende travels around the world through many time periods of her characters‘ lives and does so much without it feeling like she‘s doing too much. It was beautifully & impressively done. My first read of Allende‘s work but certainly won‘t be my last.
Joanna Gleason is lovely reading the audiobook, too, so I recommend listening if you can.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Told from mult points of view over a year at a school for the deaf, True Biz is wonderfully done. Nović writes in a way that feels realistic&balances giving a real look into deaf culture, sign languages,&her story of fictional characters. She is one I will definitely continue to seek out in the future. *Note - there is an audio version of this book, but I would avoid it as so much of the book, rightfully so, would be lost in listening.
When Irina Bazili began working at Lark House in 2010, she was twenty-three years old but already had few illusions about life.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
February Waters was nine years old when she - in the middle of math class, in front of everyone - stabbed herself in the ear with a number two Ticonderoga.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
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This is my third time reading this one, and I felt like I just immediately settled into it - so much comfort & care in this story.
Julia Whelan continues to be my number one audiobook narrator & this book continues to be my top pick by Henry. And really just a top book of all the books.
The moment I finished I just wanted to start it again.
