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julesG

julesG

Joined September 2016

LibraryThing member JulesGDSide

https://www.goodreads.com/JulesG313 Book hoarder, avid reader of nearly any genre. 🇩🇪 The Blog: https://scepticalreading.com/
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julesG
Motivation Monday | Bennett Tanton
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#MotivationalMonday @Cupcake12

1) send off my nephew's b-day gift and get rye flower (flour!!! Wonder where my head was)

2) at least 8 hours, but often about 12-16 hours.

3) urban fantasy, because it's fantasy, but it's the 'real' world too, and I could add a thriller plot, or romance, or make it historical

Cupcake12 I like the idea of no.3, thanks for joining in 👍🏻 21h
37 likes1 comment
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julesG
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It's definitely @Jari-chan's fault I'm re-reading this #RomCom right now.

Jari-chan Aww, enjoy!! 🤩 21h
GingerAntics How does it compare to Boyfriend Material and Husband Material? 13h
julesG @GingerAntics I like it more than BM/HM. I'm not saying I don't like the two, but 10 Things has slightly more mature MCs. Luc is Luc and I love him, but I really like Sam, who has his baggage, a large portion of sarcasm and does stupid things, but he doesn't act as "immature" as Luc sometimes does. In other words, I recommend 10 Things. The audiobook is great, because Sam is from Liverpool and the narrator nails the accent. 5h
52 likes3 comments
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julesG
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Mehso-so

This is the account of what happened over a year and a bit working as a "bridge" at the Ministry of Time, written by the "bridge" herself.

The unnamed female MC is bridge to the fictional version of Commander Gore (of the Terror, one of Franklin's ships to find the North Passage). Gore has been extracted from the Arctic in 1847, from a possible certain death, and now has to acclimatise to a Britain that's very different from the Empire he left.⬇️

julesG Most of the book reads like a slice-of-life novel, with Gore getting used to indoor plumbing, computers, modern transport and so on. About halfway through a spy-thriller plotline is added, as well as a romance.

The book, in my opinion, tries to be too much. Topics like refugees, slavery, racism, misogynism, homophobia and homosexuality, climate change, the history of the Empire,... ⬇️
1d
julesG compete with the I'm-falling-for-my-charge and there's-a-threat-to-the-ministry plotlines.

At the end of the book I was still wondering why the people had been extracted from the past in the first place.
1d
julesG #52bookclub24 - another entry for: Self-insert by an author 1d
See All 6 Comments
Librarybelle Nice! 1d
69 likes6 comments
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julesG
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Mid-month-ish #BookReport

It's been a bit busy, so not my usual quota of a book a day. 😝

🍀💚🍀Happy St Patrick's Day! 🍀💚🍀

Crazeedi Top O' the Mornin' to ye! 2d
57 likes1 comment
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julesG
Evenings and Weekends | Oisn McKenna
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#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Grabbed 📘Mycroft Holmes from my shelves earlier knowing I had to queue for a few hours.
📘At the Stroke of Midnight - eARC meanwhile published (I'm behind on #MountARC)
🎧 Riley Thorn #2 - for the chores
📘Ocean's Godori - eARC, not published yet, but see above

CogsOfEncouragement I read Mycroft Holmes with a friend a few years ago and we both enjoyed it. I made us bracelets to remember our fun buddy read. 3d
julesG @CogsOfEncouragement That's a wonderful idea. 2d
53 likes2 comments
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julesG
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Repost for @LitsyBirthdays

April…already??! 😱 Yes, friends it‘s just around the corner, and here are the wonderful folks celebrating their birthdays during the month! 🎉 Looking forward to lots of parties coming up! 🎂🎁

If you‘d like to be included on the Litsy birthday calendar, please send your Litsy handle and birthday to litsybirthdays@gmail.com. Please send your info only, please and thank you. 😊

#BirthdayFaries

49 likes3 comments
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julesG
The Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman
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@dabbe #TLT #ThreeListThursday

1) Jane Eyre

2) Great Expectations

Had a pocket paperback edition for 1+2 that fit into my coat and I read it whenever I had a spare moment. Even walking to school.

3) The Graveyard Book

I chose books I didn't have to read in school, because the majority of books for the genre (that were required reading) were not my cup of tea.

dabbe I sometimes wonder how many books I might have “killed“ when requiring students to read them. I tried to pick good ones, but there's nothing like a person being able to choose what they want to read. #3 is on the TBR! #1 could have been in my top 3, too! Thanks for sharing. 💚💙💚 5d
Cheryl_Russell_BookNotes The Graveyard Book-great choice! 5d
51 likes1 stack add2 comments
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julesG
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#MotivationalMonday @Cupcake12

1) a tiny school conference for Chemistry on Wednesday and I need to get cat food/kibble
2) forensic scientist/medical examiner but I put a spanner into this myself, I was lazy at school, didn't get enough credit points to get into medicine at uni, would have had to acquire extra credits by waiting for two years - studied sth else
3) not yet. Maybe visit England or Scotland with my daughter again
4) one of several

Cupcake12 I don‘t think I have the stomach for no.2 and I don‘t know how you do number 4. I can only read one book at a book! Thanks for taking part and have a great week x 1w
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julesG
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#SundayFunday on Monday @BookmarkTavern

Do plays count?
🎭 Antigone by Sophocles - ca. 440BC

Does part of the Latin Bible count?
📔Vulgate - ca. 4th century AD

Other than that 🤔
Probably a Medieval book on either religion or medicine I needed to read for my studies in History. At a guess ca. 12th/13th century AD.

mrsmarch I mean, if we‘ve read the Epic of Gilgamesh, we‘ve pretty much read the oldest book in the world, right? 1w
julesG @mrsmarch Right! I hadn't thought of Gilgamesh when I posted earlier. Amazing how old the story is and it's still being read. 1w
BookmarkTavern Both totally count! Thanks for answering! 1w
49 likes3 comments
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julesG
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#BookMail
The bookshop either send the order by carrier pigeon or the books were shipped to Germany by rowboat. Well, they are here now.

The Book of Doors is a shelf trophy, I read the eARC. @Mitch reviewed the sourdough book a few weeks ago and it will hopefully get me back to baking bread.

Mitch Yeah xxxxx 2w
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julesG
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Thanks for the tag @RaeLovesToRead

A Curious History of Sex by Kate Lister

The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris

Stiff by Mary Roach

Also see #YellowNFShelf 😁😁

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

dabbe Love Mary Roach! #s 1 and 2 on the TBR. Thanks for sharing! 💚💙💚 2w
RaeLovesToRead Ooh! I have the sex one! I have quite a lot of sex ones to be fair haha 2w
random_michelle Another Mary Roach fan!

I enjoyed Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation which is about evolutionary biology.
2w
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monalyisha Not putting Mary Roach on my list hurt my heart a little. Glad (and not at all surprised) to see that she‘s being represented without me! 2w
julesG @RaeLovesToRead It's an interesting topic. 2w
julesG @random_michelle @monalyisha - I have most of Roach's books, but not read all of them yet. 🙈 2w
52 likes6 comments
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julesG
The Discworld Atlas | Terry Pratchett, The Discworld Emporium
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#OokBOokClub

Hello friends! Open discussion is in the FOLLOWING POST marked as a spoiler. Find the #ALifeWithFootnotes post & tap "show me" on the spoiler tag to join in the discussion. Join in whenever you can! Today. Tomorrow. Next month! The post will always be up so just tag each other & we'll jump in to discuss with you. Feel free to chat about anything!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead

38 likes1 comment
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julesG
The Discworld Atlas | Terry Pratchett, The Discworld Emporium
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Thank you all, dear #OokBOokClub-ers!

We've read our way through the #PratchettVerse. It was a pleasure hosting the #ReadAlong and discussing the books with you.

Thank you to @TricksyTails for starting the #EpicBuddyread. I took over hosting in the autumn of 2018 (thank you, @DGRachel, for helping me find my feet) and I'm sure to miss my regular calendar alarms reminding me to send off the next #OokBOokClub posts.

What are we reading next?

willaful Start over? 😁 2w
julesG @willaful Definitely an option. 2w
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kwmg40 I would love starting over, as I joined this buddy read late and never caught up. I‘ve finished about a third of the books. However, I‘d totally understand the rest of the group wanting to move on and do something new! 2w
TheSpineView I would like to choose another author. However, I did miss a lot because I went down several rabbit holes. 2w
kwmg40 Another author would be fine with me, but if we do end up rereading Pratchett's books, maybe we can start with a collection (such as City Watch or Witches) instead of reading through all the books in publication order? 2w
julesG @kwmg40 I like that idea of reading the collections. But I'm also up for a new author, @TheSpineView. 2w
BookmarkTavern I‘d love either way! This has been an utter delight! 2w
julesG @BookmarkTavern @TheSpineView @kwmg40 @willaful - Re: re-reading Pratchett -- I'd want to do Discworld collections. I'm not very keen on (re-)reading The Long Earth series, but would be up to re-read the children's books (Carpet People, Maurice, etc.). Re: different author, my thoughts -- a) it should be an author with at least 12 books under their belt to get us through a year at least, b) it should be "light" reading, c) ⬇️ 2w
julesG c) books should be easy to access, neither of us wants to comb through archives or spend lots of money on collectors' copies, d) I'm open to suggestions 2w
TheSpineView @julesG As a reread are you thinking an author in the same vein? Like Neil Gaiman? 2w
julesG @TheSpineView Gaiman came to mind, but he has some doorstoppers (American Gods). Also thought Jasper Fforde and Ben Aaronovitch. Jodi Taylor might work too. Further Chesterton and Wodehouse, who were both influences for Pratchett. 2w
julesG And if we stick to a Pratchett re-read then I'd want to do The Witches, Death, The Watch,... 2w
kwmg40 If we're going outside the fantasy genre, Chesterton and Wodehouse would be OK with me. Within fantasy, maybe Martha Wells or Seanan McGuire (who also writes as Mira Grant)? Their works aren't necessarily “light“ as in humorous but they tend to be quick to read and there are lots of novella-length works. 2w
kwmg40 If we stay with Pratchett, my top choices would be City Watch or Industrial as collections, as I have the most gaps in those collections, but any would be fine with me. 2w
SconsinBookyBadger Please tag me for the next buddy reads whichever direction it leads to a re-read or different author. I fell behind on this one and regret has been nagging at me lately. 1w
julesG @SconsinBookyBadger I know that feeling. Will tag you. 1w
rretzler I have no idea how I missed this until it was over. I guess partially because I haven‘t been active in a couple of years, but I wish I had some upon it before now! Please tag me if you do something else. 1w
julesG @rretzler Will do! 1w
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julesG
This post contains spoilers
show me
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Here we are, our final #OokBOokClub discussion for #ALifeWithFootnotes. Feel free to discuss anything! Don't forget to tag each other in the comments so your friends can see your reply. Have fun!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyread

julesG I enjoyed Rob Wilkins' sense of humour, which might not come as a surprise. He loved Pratchett's books already before he worked with him. And, I'm sure, some of Pratchett's wit certainly rubbed off over the years. 2w
julesG Do you have favourite anecdotes about Pratchett? 2w
willaful Yes, I'm finding it more entertaining than I expected. (But perhaps should hve expected.) 2w
BookmarkTavern I‘m not quite finished yet, but listening to the stories has been so lovely. Hearing how people and places shaped him. Also, I would have loved to see how he ran a D&D campaign. My mind cannot imagine how awesome it must have been. 💕 2w
9 likes5 comments
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julesG
Happy Mondays | Simon Spence
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#MotivationalMonday @Cupcake12

My week was just freed up a bit by the public transport going on strike (again) Tuesday and Wednesday. I had to reschedule a few appointments (one for the second time).

1) another visit to the vets' tomorrow with #GhostCat (hopefully the last) & more speaking exams on Sat+Sun

2) the next Veronica Speedwell book: A Grave Robbery (out on 12th March)

3) Historical Fiction - it's a broad genre 😁

Tag!

Cupcake12 Thanks for joining in. Have a great week x 2w
AnnCrystal 💕🐈🙏💝. 2w
52 likes2 comments
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julesG
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Panpan

This was a #MoreMehThanYeah read.

Two timelines, one set in 1930s, one in 1880s.
Both about a Scottish woman taking care of their ailing fathers, both forced to work, one set mainly in Scotland the other mainly on the US east coast.

In 1930s, Emmie has come back to the UK from Australia, where she got a doctorate in botany and spent time discovering plants in jungles and deserts. ⬇️

#BookChain24
#52bookclub24 - Published by Hachette

julesG On one of her trips to the tiny islands in the Pacific she encounters a shaman, who gives her a stuffed bird of paradise that a ghost left with him about 50 years ago. Now Emmie is supposed to work at a remote Scottish castle to classify the collection amassed there. But it turns out that job is a ruse, Emmie is supposed to help find a treasure and she has a key to it in her possession.
⬇️
2w
julesG Emmie starts her treasure hunt and finds the diary of Hester, written 50 years ago. It tells how Hester grew up in the castle, then moved to the USA and then had to run for her life.

This book is not just a treasure hunt, but also a finding of identity. Because, it seems, no one involved in the story truly is who they pretend to be. (spoiler: it was rather obvious from the start) ⬇️
2w
julesG Annoyingly, the 1880s timeline about the Scottish woman who grew up in the Scottish Highlands until she was 9/10 years old then moved to the US with her Scottish father was narrated by an American. Why? This child and later woman would retain some of her Scottish accent, especially since she lived rather isolated with her father for quite some time. It pulled me out of the story every time. 2w
Librarybelle That‘s a disappointment! 2w
dabbe #fanofthepan! 🤩🤩🤩 2w
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julesG
The Love Plot | Samantha Young
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Pickpick

An okay #RomCom about a fake relationship between a handsome grumpy vet and a sunshine "temp/queue-sitter". Set in New York City.

Low pick

Prompt 24 for #BookChain24 @TheAromaofBooks
2nd entry for "Title starting with Letter L" for #52bookclub24

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2w
53 likes1 comment
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julesG
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It's March. That means it's time for some exam paper rubrik reading.

I've organised a cat sitter for HFH #GhostCat -and #ShadowCat, of course- who will stay with the clingy cat until the firstborn arrives.

But, before I head off, I'm hoping to read a few more pages of the tagged book/ARC.

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w
53 likes1 comment
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julesG
Once Upon an Algorithm | Clara O'Connor
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Before I forget to post this again

Here's my #WorstRead2024 for January and February and the "Winner"

Can't exactly say why Once Upon an Algorithm won, no lost(!!) against City of Stardust, I disliked the cover a bit more.

@CSeydel

Hooked_on_books This is the first time I‘ve seen a “worst” card. I love it! 😂 3w
lil1inblue This is frickin' fantastic. 😂 3w
CSeydel @Hooked_on_books Recognition for those books we love to hate! 3w
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willaful I'd like to do one, but I don't usually finish books I absolutely hate. 3w
Booksblanketsandahotbeverage Love this! I had an e-arc of The City of Stardust, but I just couldn‘t get into it.. 3w
julesG @Hooked_on_books I'm thrilled @CSeydel came up with it this year. It's been fun going through my one star reviews and deciding which was the worst for January and then February. Also much easier than picking a favourite. 3w
julesG @willaful Does that mean you don't review bailed books? 3w
julesG @Booksblanketsandahotbeverage It's overhyped, in my opinion. And I am, again, flabbergasted at the quality some books have that get a publishing contract with a big house. Maybe I should actually try to publish some of my raw first drafts. 😜 3w
CaramelLunacy The whole battle of the worst is great - especially like that there's a wild card in there 3w
willaful Mmmm... most of the books I DNF aren't because I hated them either. 😂 Just because I found them dull or not my cup of tea. But maybe I'm taking the whole thing too seriously. 😁 3w
RaeLovesToRead Omg I totes want to do this now 🤣 3w
61 likes11 comments
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julesG
February | Gabrielle Lord
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More books than in January. Also, 20+ episodes of therestishistory.pod.com podcast.

Favourites:
📘The List
📘Word Puppets
📘One Puzzling Afternoon
📘Good Material
📘The Curious History of Sex
📘The Book of Doors
📘Exception to the Rule (novella)
📘The Tainted Cup
📘Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge
📘Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone

Re-read:
📘Relight My Fire
📘Fugitive Telemetry

TrishB A great month 👍🏻 3w
bthegood love that podcast! 🙂 3w
julesG @bthegood it's the only podcast I really like. I have tried many but couldn't stick to them. With this podcast I'm glad I have so many more episodes to listen to. 3w
49 likes3 comments
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julesG
Simon's Cat | Simon Tofield
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The lampshade had to come on. (we don't like to call it cone of shame) #GhostCat is not amused. I'm definitely persona non grata for the rest of the day. Have to take HFH in for a check-up on Saturday morning.

All in all, it could have been worse (like a UTI). She got antibiotics and painkillers and I hope she'll sleep off some of her grumpyness.

robinb What a cutie…lampshade or not. 😉 3w
AmyG Hope she is ok. 3w
julesG @robinb thanks. She is. Even when grumpy. @AmyG She will be. Might take another shot of antibiotics and a week with the lampshade. 3w
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Tamra 😘 3w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w
AnnCrystal 😘💕😽💝. 3w
HeyT We've had one on our littlest girl for a week but today we released her so now she's bathing everything. Here's to Ghost's freedom soon! 3w
julesG @HeyT Thank you. I think Ghost has a bit of PTSD when it comes to vet visits and the lampshade. Her belly didn't heal well after her spaying and she had to wear the cone and a literal catsuit for weeks. 3w
Mimi28 Aaaawwww poor kitty I hope she feels better 😻🩷🫶🏽😊 3w
Gissy Soon recovery for her😻 3w
Ruthiella Poor kitty! 🐱 3w
julesG @Mimi28 @Gissy @Ruthiella Thank you. She seems better this morning. B 3w
batsy Get well soon, lil Ghostie! 3w
julesG @batsy Thank you 3w
Gissy @julesG That‘s good to hear🤗 🐾 🐾♥️ 3w
61 likes16 comments
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julesG
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Change of scenery for this afternoon's reading - #GhostCat and I are at the vets'. Her feline highness has a wound in a rather delicate area that might need antibiotics.

Never a dull day, especially when I had planned to have a dull afternoon.

#CatsOfLitsy

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Balibee146 Aww hope she's OK and doesn't need a cone of shame too 🤞🤞 3w
Cupcake12 Hope she‘s ok x 3w
kspenmoll I hope she is ok. 3w
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dabbe Hope she's on the mend soon. 🖤🐾🖤 3w
squirrelbrain Oh no, hope she feels better soon. 3w
AnnCrystal Poor baby 😽 may your little feline highness be back to healthy again soon 💕🐈💝. 3w
RaeLovesToRead Poor Ghost. Is she gonna need a cone of shame to stop her chewing on it? 3w
julesG @RaeLovesToRead Sure. The funnel has been attached. 😈 She was grumpy for a few hours and since then she's been basically clinging to me. The bubo has been expressed. It was wet all last night (my sheets look interesting) but it seems dry for now. Will try to clean up and disinfect the area again later today. 3w
RaeLovesToRead Hope she is doing OK! Not sure I needed to know about the bubo 🤣🤣🤣 Give her a snuggle from me! 3w
julesG @RaeLovesToRead You're a GP, you can handle the mild TMI. 😜 3w
RaeLovesToRead Just don't post a pic of the leaky bubo sheets for us all to admire hahaha 🤣 3w
julesG @RaeLovesToRead Damn! Too late for that. Fresh sheets on the bed and the others are in the machine. I promise you get a picture tomorrow. 😈😝😜 No, won't post a picture, promise. I actually hope the doctor uses that silver spray stuff on the wound when we visit tomorrow, Ghost is nothing like her usual self with the cone on. 3w
51 likes13 comments
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julesG
Funny Story | Emily Henry
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Panpan

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC #UnpopularOpinion

This was #MoreMehThanYeah

Daphne was dumped by her fiancé Peter. Miles was dumped by his girlfriend Petra. Petra is Peter's BFF. Peter decides, at his bachelor party, that Petra is the woman for him, not Daphne. Daphne now needs to move out. She can have a room in Miles's flat, since Petra moved out of Miles's flat to move in with Peter. When the wedding invitation for Petra and Peter's wedding... ⬇️

julesG ... arrives, Daphne blurts out that Miles and her are an item. Let the fake dating games begin. But, of course, both MCs come with a wagon-load of baggage each that makes making friends, dating, and trusting very difficult.

The characters were supposed to be over 30 years old, but neither MC felt like they matured past their mid-twenties. Neither seemed to be fully fleshed out to me, either.⬇️
3w
julesG I was turning the pages to find the special something that I liked about Henry's earlier books, but just couldn't find it.

(By the way, both P-named characters have a last name starting with Co - why?)
3w
dabbe #fanofthepan! 🤩🤩🤩 3w
See All 6 Comments
julesG @dabbe Love your # 3w
dabbe @julesG Life's too short--too many books to read. I love when people give it a go and are ready to move on! 🤩😂😘 3w
julesG @dabbe right, life's too short 3w
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julesG
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Just started this. Was on #audiobook #MountTBR for quite some time, bought purely because of the cover. Reading it for #52bookclub24 now, prompt: 38 - Published by Hachette (Headline imprint).

64 likes3 comments
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julesG
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Wanted to post a #BookReport last week, forgot and by the time I remembered it was Wednesday. Here's what I finished during the last two weeks.

Highlights:
📚 The Book of Doors
📚 A Curious History of Sex
📚 Good Material
📚 The List

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julesG
The List | Yomi Adegoke
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#20in4 #readathon @Andrew65
#FabulousFebruary

Making Naan while listening to the tagged #audiobook. I blame @squirrelbrain's review, because I wanted to ignore the book because of the social media aspect. I'm glad I read the review and put the book on #MountTBR. Just took me an age to get to it, as usual.

The narration is 👩🏻‍🍳😘

squirrelbrain It was good wasn‘t it?! What have you been making? 3w
julesG @squirrelbrain The book was great. I'm glad I gave it a chance. The audiobook had a Q&A with Yomi and the female narrator at the end, which was about where the idea came from and why Yomi branched out writing fiction. Today's dish is butter chicken and naan. Again 🙄🙄🙄. Seems like the kids can't get enough of it. 3w
squirrelbrain Yummy! I used to make butter chicken in the slow cooker, but haven‘t done it for ages - might have to make it again soon. 3w
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julesG
Untitled | Anonymous
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TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Looking great!! 4w
Crazeedi Tell me about bookchain!! 4w
julesG @Crazeedi It's a challenge @TheAromaofBooks came up with. I think this is her first post about the 2024 challenge: https://litsy.com/p/RW80blZuTzBX 4w
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TheAromaofBooks @Crazeedi - The post @julesG linked to has the link to the StoryGraph page, where all the prompts are listed. But if you don't do SG and would like the list of prompts, let me know and I can email them to you. Thanks for sending Diane in the right direction, Julia!! 😁 4w
Crazeedi @TheAromaofBooks I am on SG but I somehow can't find a lot of things I search for! I know I'm following you, but there's that are on there I can't seem to find 4w
Crazeedi Just joined the chain on storygraph! 3w
julesG @Crazeedi Great! 3w
Crazeedi @julesG don't know how I will do, I have to figure out what book i.have to start, lol 3w
julesG @Crazeedi You could cheat and chose a book you've read in January. I won't tell anyone. 😉 3w
Crazeedi @julesG hehehe!!!😉 3w
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julesG
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Pickpick

Edie's school friend Lucy vanished in 1951, 67 years ago. Edie sees her outside the post office. She knows that she needs to find out what happened to Lucy, but it's been so long and her memory isn't what it used to be.

A story about the second sight, dementia, being independent, growing up in the years after WWII and doing what is right even decades later.

60 likes2 stack adds
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julesG
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

It's difficult choosing one favourite. Here are my favourite British UF characters ?

? - Madeline "Max" Maxwell
? - Peter Grant

Currently reading about octogenarian Edie, who has dementia and maybe the second sight. She sees a girl she went to school with, who vanished in 1951. With the help of her granddaughter Edie wants to find out what happened to the girl.

tpixie Love an octogenarian MC! 4w
Eggs That sounds good 👌🏼 4w
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julesG
Argylle: A Novel | Elly Conway
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Panpan

This was nothing special. Can't believe it's supposed to have been written by a woman. Boring spy story.

I'm Team Marketing Ploy

dabbe #fanofthepan! 🤩🤩🤩 4w
Dragon The movie is quite fun - but I‘ll skip the book 📚 🐉 ❤️ 4w
TEArificbooks It is written by a woman and man co writing team 4w
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julesG @TEArificbooks I didn't check. I know there were lots of rumours about who's behind the pen name 4w
Teresereading I saw the movie last week and my library hold came in! Glad I saw the movie first because I would have been confused otherwise! 2w
Teresereading I know who the woman is now, is the man Matthew Vaughn? 2w
julesG @Teresereading You mean the co-author? No idea. I don't actually care. 2w
63 likes7 comments
review
julesG
Good Material | Dolly Alderton
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Pickpick

#52bookclub24 - 30 - Picked without reading the blurb

Andy and Jen broke up. Andy still loves Jen and can't fathom what went wrong. Over the course of the months after the breakup he needs to find not only a new home, he needs to find out who he is.

I enjoyed this story about a breakup mainly from the man's POV.

The writing was good and the narration (80% by Arthur Darvill) excellent.

This book will move onto the favourites pile for this year.

Librarybelle I‘ve wondered about this one. Great review! 4w
squirrelbrain I just finished this (in print) and really enjoyed it - a great, fluffy, funny, but still intelligent book! 4w
See All 6 Comments
triplem80 I totally skipped over your review because I was thinking of using this for the same prompt. Glad it's a pick though! 🤣 4w
julesG @squirrelbrain I really liked how this came together. It's not exactly a romance book, but it also is. 4w
julesG @triplem80 Don't read the blurb and you're fine. 😁 4w
76 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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julesG
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Pickpick

Full of information, anecdotes and pictures. This was interesting, sometimes eye-opening and definitely funny. I like Lister's humour.

#YellowNFShelf

72 likes4 stack adds
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julesG
When Grumpy Met Sunshine | Charlotte Stein
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Pickpick

Ex-Footballer Alfie and writer Mabel meet when Alfie is shopping for a ghostwriter for his memoirs. Their first meeting doesn't go well. Neither does their second,...

I really liked the audiobook version of this romcom. I fell for the narrator's voice and the North English accents.

The chapter headlines were funny and interesting, they made me continue listening to the book although I had planned to not devour the book in one go.⬇️

Low pick

julesG I was thinking of giving the book 4 stars until we got to the third act and the seemingly unavoidable break-up. Here based on excessive mis-/non-communication; so unnecessary. Just like good banter, I like a bit of miscommunication in a romance novel, but this felt over the top and quite frankly a bit out of character for both MCs. There is, of course, a reconciliation, but it felt off to me. 3 stars. 1mo
CarolynM Agreed. I think the hardest thing for a romance author to pull off is a really convincing third act. If you believe in the break up you‘ve then got to be convinced all over again by the reconciliation. 1mo
68 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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julesG
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Pickpick

Final book in the "Regency Vows" series.

At last we get Sophie and West's story. One that was hinted at and one that the avid readers of this series were waiting for, probably just as much as West and Sophie themselves.

PS: I really appreciated the talk about parenthood

#SeriesLove2024 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

#52bookclub24 - The other book with similar plot (take 2)

56 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
julesG
Untitled | Untitled
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Mehso-so

Between "So-So" and "Pan"

The story/plot and some of the humour of this Urban Fantasy debut set in contemporary-ish London was good, but the writing was not. Right from the start the POV skips between characters and timelines without any kind of marker, sometimes from one paragraph to the next. ? There's loads of dialogue written in accented English. (Zhe better to understand zhat zhe speaker is foreign, non?)

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

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julesG
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#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

A Curious History of Sex - Found out this morning that Lister reads the audiobook and it's free with Audible subscription - I'm doing immersive reading

#MountARC needs eroding I'm hoping to read at least one eARC this weekend

Also, I'll be in the car for an hour tomorrow and the current audiobook is Network Effect (GraphicAudio edition)

MariaW Nice tip! I just added it to my Audible list - school starts on Monday again with my daily commute of almost 2 hours. 🙈 (edited) 1mo
julesG @MariaW Enjoy! It's a fun wild ride with so many interesting things to learn. 1mo
54 likes2 comments
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julesG
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Someone recently asked why I wouldn't shelf a novel with a yellow spine with the other yellow books. I explained the #YellowNFShelf and we got talking about books and linguistics and swearing. 😁

Today I started the tagged book (bought a copy two years ago 🙄🙈) and was reminded of Wordslut (and a buddyread with @squirrelbrain), which is how the #YellowNFShelf came into being.

As for the tagged book, it has a much more satisfying explanation ⬇️

julesG about "cunt" and it's linguistic demise. Lots of examples of how well the word did in history, with numeric evidence. ?? 1mo
squirrelbrain Oh, you love a good swear word, don‘t you?! 1mo
julesG @squirrelbrain I was behind the door when they handed out "prim and proper" ?? And swear words are just more interesting (for a linguist) than (prim and proper) verbs. 1mo
52 likes3 comments
review
julesG
The Book of Doors | Gareth Brown
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Pickpick

Spoiler-free

"A debut novel full of magic, adventure, and romance, [...] for readers of The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, The Night Circus" - I don't agree. It's not whimsical and I'd go so far and say it's more Sci-Fi than Fantasy. Think The Starless Sea meets Tenet with a hint of Piranesi.

I read this in one sitting. I wanted to know whether the author stumbled at any point, because there are ⬇️

julesG several story threads interconnecting. He didn't. The story comes together nicely.

Some twists were absolutely predictable for me. It's a me-thing, I'm wired differently.

Romance?! Well, there is chemistry and something might come of it, but it's not a fantasy romance à la "Addie LaRue".

A book I'll recommend a lot and which is going to be among my favourites this year.
1mo
See All 6 Comments
CSeydel Great review - sold! 1mo
Librarybelle Great review! 1mo
JoyBlue I'm looking forward to this one. I have a few on-deck before it. 1mo
59 likes4 stack adds6 comments
review
julesG
The Exception to the Rule | Christina Lauren
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Pickpick

Wait a second, did Christina Lauren hack my laptop and read the story I wrote 12 years ago? Okay, my story wasn't set around Valentine's day, but it was about a misfired email that turned into email-pen-pals to meet-cute to lovers. (no, I won't publish it)

So far my favourite in the series, but I've just started Worst Wingman Ever, which is read by Andy Arndt and Zachary Webber and I really like listening to the two of them.

#SeriesLove2024

Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 1mo
TheSpineView Fantastic! 1mo
64 likes3 comments
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julesG
Royal Valentine | Sariah Wilson
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Pickpick

Princess switches places with her PR assistant to spend a couple of days as a normal tourist exploring Rome. A headache turns into a meet-cute.

And that's as much as I can say without spoilers.

An okay story, but definitely not my favourite in the series.

#SeriesLove2024
@TheSpineView @Andrew65

Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 1mo
TheSpineView Fantastic! 1mo
51 likes2 comments
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julesG
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Pickpick

Making my way through the "Impossible Meet Cute Collection"

This one was #MoreMehThanYeah until that unexpected (and rather tiny thing) that gave the story an interesting twist.

Rosie treats her sister to a luxurious spa day and gets trapped in the floating tank. An embarrassing situation turns into an impossible meet cute.

#SeriesLove2024 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

Andrew65 Great progress 👏👏👏 1mo
TheSpineView Awesome! 1mo
51 likes2 comments
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julesG
The Lily of Ludgate Hill | Mimi Matthews
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Pickpick

Third book in the Belles of London series. #SeriesLove2024

Lady Anne and Hart (Felix Hartford) were engaged ages ago, but this fell through. Now Anne needs Hart's help (because of a matter that's dealt with in book 2) and both of them tell themselves there are no feelings left between them. Well, it's a second chance historical #Romance set in Victorian times, so...

Well-researched, with an extensive Author's note.

Enjoyable, but ⬇️

julesG Unfortunately the plot is similar to that of another book I'm currently reading. Which makes it my second entry in the "A book with a similar plot" category of the #52bookclub24 1mo
See All 8 Comments
Librarybelle At least it fits the prompt! 1mo
julesG @Librarybelle I think I'd have given it 4 stars if I hadn't been reading a similar historical romance at the same time. I had a similar experience with Emily Henry's Happy Place and Steven Rowley's The Celebrants - similar and published at about the same time. 1mo
Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 1mo
TheSpineView Fabulous 1mo
Librarybelle Good to know!! 1mo
50 likes8 comments
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julesG
Julia's Chocolates | Cathy Lamb
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@Hooked_on_books I'm a bit ashamed at how much chocolate it is, but we have given some to my daughter's bestie to take home. The trip was part of my daughter's 14th birthday party.

Top left: bucket of chocolate covered gingerbread, "nougat bombs" (nougat filled gingerbread), three bags of chocolate covered raisins (500g each)

Top right: contents of the Surprise Box

Bottom: milk-chocolate with salted caramel (left), with salted almonds (right)⬇️

julesG The Surprise Box has lots of Christmas-y themed bars of chocolate this time. There's chocolate with Christmas biscuits, with spiced almonds, Christmas-y spices. But there's also Earl Grey chocolate, and dark chocolate filled with Gin&Tonic scented filling,.... 1mo
TheBookHippie Yummmmmmm 1mo
Hooked_on_books Oh my gosh, that all looks amazing! 🤤 Thanks for posting a pic! 1mo
See All 13 Comments
Cupcake12 This post is making me hungry 🤣🍫 1mo
BeeCurious Looks so delicious! Yum! 1mo
Leniverse I can practically smell that photo! 😂 Looks fantastic. 1mo
julesG @Leniverse I'll bring some to Wales. 1mo
Leniverse You think you'll have any left by then? 😂 Have to admit I'm intrigued by the Earl Grey chocolate. The sea salt one you brought last time was divine. 🤤 1mo
julesG @Leniverse I'm going back before Wales. It's really not far. About 35min with public transport. 1mo
Ruthiella Yum! 😋 🍫 1mo
Leniverse Well in that case! 😋 1mo
AnnCrystal 👏🍫😍👍. 1mo
LeahBergen Ooo! 😍 1mo
53 likes13 comments
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julesG
Untilted | Autechre
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Went to the neighbouring town today. Bought a rucksack full of chocolate at a factory outlet (they make posh chocolate for export) and came across this little free library in the middle of a town square.

DocBrown I want one of those! 1mo
Tamra Oh, that is fabulous! 1mo
Cupcake12 I love this x 1mo
See All 10 Comments
BeeCurious So cute! 📚👍 1mo
Ruthiella Neat! I take it that it didn‘t have any books you were interested in? 🤔 1mo
TieDyeDude Fun! 1mo
LeahBergen Very cool! 1mo
kwmg40 This is great! 1mo
AnnCrystal 🤩📚💝. How whimsical! (edited) 1mo
Hooked_on_books Looks like a lovely LFL, but quite frankly I want to see the chocolate! 🍫 😬 1mo
80 likes10 comments
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julesG
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#MotivationalMonday @Cupcake12

1) not half-term, but carnival week. My daughter has half the week off from school. We might go to the neighbouring town today to buy chocolate at a factory outlet. Tomorrow and Wednesday is going to be busy, daughter needs to finish a mini term-paper about Mushrooms and she only has notes so far. 😬
2) no. Will probably shout at my useless printer, see above.
3) I'd be a fashionable young widow in Regency London 😉

Cupcake12 You had me at chocolate 🍫😊 have a great week, thanks for joining in x 1mo
julesG @Cupcake12 We came, saw, and bought 6 kilograms of chocolate. 🙈🙈🙈 And 1.25 kilograms of gingerbread, which my son is taking to the barracks next week. 1mo
Cupcake12 Wow 🤩 impressive! 1mo
44 likes1 stack add3 comments
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julesG
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Pickpick

Jess is squatting in an empty house when the owner suddenly shows up and she has to run away again. She fears the worst when she returns a few days later, but finds a note from the owner who invites her to stay. They meet, strike a bargain, and Jess helps fixing and furnishing the house. When Gethin moves in, Jess stays as his lodger. Soon it feels like they are more to each other than landlord and lodger, or even good friends. But even though ⬇️

julesG Jess likes to travel light out of necessity, she has a huge load of emotional baggage that she needs to sort through first.

I liked that both MCs are middle-aged and with a bit of life experience under their belts. Both have had rough breakups. Both have had interesting but completely different lives so far. So, do opposites really attract? I found this a hopeful #romance with believable characters and believable problems.⬇️
1mo
julesG The #audiobook was a delight as the story is set in a Welsh town and I'm a sucker for a well-narrated book with accents. 1mo
64 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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julesG
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Wanted to say Holmes and Watson, but ACD didn't actually write a Bromance. Well, that's what fanfiction, revisits to the original material and other dynamic detective duos are for.

That's why: Veronica and Stoker

#SundayFunday
@BookmarkTavern

BookmarkTavern LOL What a great set of answers! Thanks for sharing! 1mo
40 likes1 comment
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julesG
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#BookReport

Finished reading
📚the two latest additions to the #YellowNFShelf - 🌟🌟🌟(both)
📚Ashley Poston's + Jasmine Guillory's Novellas - 🌟🌟🌟(both)
📚Other Plans (McGarry Stateside book 4) - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
📚Curves for Days - 🌟🌟🌟
📚The Tainted Cup - ARC - 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
📚Lawful Interception - 🌟🌟🌟✨
📚Relight My Fire - re-read because the ARC had bits missing and I wanted to see the final book - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

review
julesG
Curves for Days | Laura Moher
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Mehso-so

Plus size Rose has to flee from her hometown after winning the lottery and everyone and their grandmother suddenly being her best friend and asking for money.

She gets to a small town in North Carolina and decides to start all over, where no one knows her. She soon makes friends, buys a fixer-upper house and falls for the handyman. But does he fall for her?

Found the reasons for the third-act-breakup contrived.

#52bookclub24

68 likes2 comments
review
julesG
With Any Luck | Ashley Poston
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Mehso-so

An okay second chance #Romance novella.

#52bookclub24

59 likes2 comments