This was excellent. It starts with a woman giving birth in a Beijing hospital on the night of the Tiananmen square massacre. Then it moves backwards and forwards from there, as we learn about the mother as a young woman and then her daughter brought up in the US. It's about families, and time, and physics, and grief, and things unsaid. Lovely writing.

Book mail! This was a preorder, so it was 2022 me who is to blame, not current me 😇

I should be working on the train, but the internet is so ropey, there's only one thing I can do instead...😉

Foot warmer

Got my reading sweatpants on. Gotta be comfy, right?

Trying to read a few books from my shelves before I buy anything new... let's see how long I can last. This one is proving a strong read so far - we've got communism, captilism, political manoeuvring, a bit of a love story, some physics. It's all going on. Only my second Le Guin (after The Lathe of Heaven, which I really liked).

I really really enjoyed this. So good. Great concept - a plane inexplicably duplicates - now there are two of every passenger. Great execution - it's not a straightforward narrative, but a really interestingly structured book, and very very readable. And a great start to the year's reading.

I was give given a 'book nook ' kit for Christmas. I've spent the entire weekend painting and assembling. It was not easy, but I'm so pleased with how it turned out. Adorable ☺️
Now I need to find a home for the books I had to displace!

I opened up this book I got at a charity shop last year, and this paper fell out. A newspaper clipping from 1987. I assume someone clipped this to bring to a bookshop to get the book, and then popped it in the back. And there it's been ever since. So cool.

I can't put this down. What a superb writer she is.

Jolabokaflod haul ❤️ (I've assimilated Mr Oryx's into my pile - because let's start as we mean to go on).

Thank you for the lovely cards @scripturient @youneverarrived @eraderneely @RaeLovesToRead . Sorry I didn't get around to sending any this year - am very lazy and bad- I made a donation to the Book Trust instead.

Somehow I ended up in WH Smith and then these somehow got bought. Weird.

Thank you @squirrelbrain @jenniferw88 @kaysworld1 for your lovely cards and book marks and calendar. You are so nice! Sorry I've not got to sending cards this year! I'm going to make a donation to Book Trust instead to assuage my guilt at being lazy.

My #gladstonerds book club book finally arrived after about three weeks with royal mail. And it arrived on the same day as the snow itself.

This was my little London book haul from last week's trip. Three of them were new to me, so let's hope I picked wisely.

We're giving this a go this weekend

You have my attention. If anyone can do this right, it's Mike Flanagan.

Crossing my fingers @TrishB

Thank so much for this @squirrelbrain - thank you for thinking of me then and now ❤️
Can't wait to play Helen vs the Guardian 🤣

It's early days (18%), but I'm really enjoying this one.

Had to go back here @squirrelbrain @Leniverse @scripturient @LeeRHarry

New (to me) book shop. Great location and good selection

I always love seeing this sign.

One last treat before Christmas...

Is there anything more welcoming?

My little book haul today. And my hat, because it matched the colour scheme.

When in Scotland. Our Airbnb has the most amazing mugs.

Close up for you @Soubhiville - I haven't seen these before but they look fabulous

More book store eye candy. Book ladders!

So excited to visit this beautiful bookshop.

What a beautiful inside cover of this book 🐅

And another deadly predator in the background

It's Lego building season again. 🦅🔥

Really liking this one - took me a few chapters to get into it, but I'm pretty hooked now. Loving these badass women.

I was very very lucky recently - found a secondhand treasure trove of Persephone at Oxfam online. These worked out at £4 each and they are like new. I don't even think the covers were opened before. They even have their bookmarks. This is about 4 years of collecting at my normal Persephone rate of about 2 per year.
Excuse the picture - Litsy cut off ted's head.

Sunday nights in November just seem to say Persephone to me.

At the theatre. Apparently there's a risk of blood splatter in the first row. Not quite sure what I'll think of this one - but I did like the book and film.

So excited! Out 25 April 2023. Just in time for my birthday - very nice of Caroline to plan it that way

What could possibly go wrong?

I've been waiting for this. Very excited to finally see the Mulefa. Beautiful. Need to see those feet next. Can't wait for season 3.

I'm giving this a pick as it's well written and very atmospheric. I enjoyed the device of opposing narrators - Wilhelm, a doctor who wants to bring the object of his obsession back from the grave, and Gabriela, the sister of the girl on the receiving end of Wilhelm's 'affections'. However, it's very very grisly and I definitely skimmed bits for that reason. It's based on a true story, which makes it even grimmer. ⬇️

Rainy Sunday. This book is creepy

After reading Fly Girl, which was ace, I went down a rabbit hole and somehow ended up with these ordered (all second hand though).

Almost Halloween - time for the bleakest film ever made.

Made myself a little inflight snack and drink situation to go with this book, which I'm loving.

The lovely people at Blackwell's were able to get me a signed copy of this one when I wasn't able to make it to the event. It sounds so interesting from the blurb, but I don't know much more about it than that, so hoping it's good.

Thanks for the tip @Susanita - The library of Congress was beautiful. Well worth a visit.

My purchases @squirrelbrain

Don't you love that feeling walking into a book shop. This one is lovely!

Managed to get a little break from work today, so went to The National Air and Space Museum in Washington. After fangirling over the Apollo 11 lunar module (which was so cool) of course I left the gift shop with a book.

Bumped this one up the list after @squirrelbrain 's review. First work trip since the before times. Or as I like to call it, free reading time.