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Smarkies

Smarkies

Joined May 2016

Love of books (and art) 😄
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I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti
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Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
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Murder in Canton by Robert Hans van van Gulik
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Death Comes to Bath by Catherine Lloyd
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Am on a Phryne Fisher kinda kick recently. This book is as entertaining as the first with more concentration on the mystery this time.
If there is a small quibble - there were a couple of characters named Jack.... couldn't the author have picked another name? 😅

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Smarkies
The Appeal | JANICE. HALLETT
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Mehso-so

Between a pick and a so-so for me. I enjoyed trying to piece together the clues from the letters and emails but felt that the murder happened too late in the book. Also was not a huge fan of the way it rounded up (which felt rushed and the twist was odd).

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

This book flies and I loved it as much as the first. The title itself - when an explanation was provided at the end, added alot of heart to it.

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Smarkies
What Makes Sammy Run? | Budd Schulberg
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Pickpick

An interesting premise and written from the view of his "friend" Al Manheim.
A little flat in places as Sammy just kept on running. However, I really liked the first third of the book. And I liked the ending.
#roll100

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Smarkies
Circe | Madeline Miller
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Pickpick

A slow book which had some beautiful writing. Circe is one of the lesser characters in Greek mythology and the retelling is from her view. A few Greek gods and more prominent Greek characters make appearances throughout the book.
#roll100

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Made me laugh and tear up (especially in the last quarter of the book).
An introduction to the therapeutic process. I enjoyed the stories of her patients slightly more than hers.

marleed I loved this book so much. It really busted some of my thoughts on therapy. 2mo
Reggie Oh, man….❤️John, Julie, Ruby, and Charlotte. 2mo
27 likes2 comments
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Smarkies
The Stately Home Murder | Catherine Aird
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Pickpick

A slow mystery but with alot of dry wit to in the banter to carry it through.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A good start to the series. Set in Melbourne, Australia, Miss Phryne Fisher investigates and solves multiple crimes. Liked her go-getter attitude.

IuliaC Such a beautiful cover! 2mo
Smarkies @IuliaC from what I have seen, the rest of the series are in the same style. 😁 2mo
28 likes2 comments
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Perhaps not as engaging as the previous books but it still captures India. And Mummy-ji is still a star!

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Smarkies
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Mehso-so

Audio narration was good. Mystery was a so-so as it seemed to drag in bits. Let's see if the next one in this series is better as I have liked her other books.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

More enjoyable than I thought it would be - I felt like I learnt something about philosophy 😀.
The audiobook was engaging and approached the subject matter in a humorous way.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Between a pick and a so-so as it took a while for the story to get going. It was also darker than I thought it would be. However, all in all, fairly enjoyable.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

The last book of the series. Through it all I have loved the lyrical writing and it's take on Fairy Land.

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Smarkies
Maisie Dobbs: A Novel | Jacqueline Winspear
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Pickpick

Starts off with a somewhat inconsequential mystery which as Maisie dives deeper is more intricate.
As a first book, the author decided to invest half of it to Maisie's history with the Compton's and World War 1. This left the mystery part a little as an afterthought. I wonder how the other books in the series progress as the main backstory of the character has already been mined?
Will progress with the second as I do like Maisie Dobbs.

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Smarkies
Study in Charlotte | Brittany Cavallaro
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Bailedbailed

I had high hopes for this retelling of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Bailing because half way through I find I have no connection with either the new Holmes or Watson. The relationship didn't make sense.
#booked2023
#moderntakeonaclassic

CSeydel I couldn‘t finish this one either. I thought the premise seemed so interesting, but the execution was just NOPE 3mo
22 likes1 comment
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

An entertaining read on the subject of how generalists may be the glue that helps stitch together problems that may stump specialists. There was a bit of repetition but the author managed to look at the subject from a few angles.

21 likes1 stack add
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

I like this series for the potrayal of its characters as much as for the food tour of India. The mystery in this was approached from 2 angles - one from Puri's and the other from his always delightful mummy-ji. This book highlighted a part of Partition history which I had no knowledge of - which were the Indian women who saved the abductees from across the newly created border.

22 likes1 stack add
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Smarkies
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Mehso-so

Expected this book to be a little more dynamic but it was rather dry. Yes - there were some learning points on capital allocation but after the second essay I sort of got the point.
I am also perhaps a little jaded about the capitalist world we live in and that the way these CEOs mainly returned shareholder value was via share buybacks.

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Smarkies
American Born Chinese | Gene Luen Yang
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Mehso-so

Enjoyed the general story but found the ending a little abrupt.

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Smarkies
Orison for a Curlew | Horatio Clare
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Pickpick

A slim book about conservation. It tracks the possible extinction of the slender billed curlew but covers the subject more generally as well.

26 likes1 stack add
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A short but delightful read about the enjoyment of being a reader. 😁

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Book 1 set the scene. This book picks up from there and runs with it - twists and turns galore and it sets the stage for the next book.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Interesting read of the evolution of grocery stores in America and the mechanisation of the selling of food.
Yes - it was a bit preachy, but I didn't think it was overly so - essentially, we just need to be more aware of what we are eating.

28 likes2 stack adds
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A short quiet story about the reciprocity of nature.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

I love her art and the way she uses materials.

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Smarkies
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Mehso-so

This was more a memoir than I expected.

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Smarkies
From Twinkle, With Love | Sandhya Menon
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Mehso-so

A sweet book which skewed a little bit young for my taste at this time. I have preferred her other books compared to this.

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Smarkies
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Mehso-so

A bit of a hit and miss at times though I did enjoy the humor in bits. Will give the second book a go to see if it clicks for me.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

An interesting read from a boy living with autism. However, it is a bit repetitive, especially towards the end of the book. There is controversy around the book... but maybe shedding additional light on autism helps the general awareness about it.

GatheringBooks Do share what the controversy is about! Love book 🍵🫖 7mo
Smarkies @GatheringBooks there is chatter that the mother helped write the book and therefore it is not the boy's experience but rather the mother's viewpoint on his experience. 7mo
GatheringBooks @Smarkies Hmm. Interesting. 💕 7mo
rwmg @GatheringBooks @Smarkies I hadn't heard about a controversy over his mother's involvement, but I did wonder when I read it how much of the sophistication of the language was due to David Mitchell, the co-translator with his Japanese wife. 7mo
33 likes4 comments
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Generally enjoyed this book as it has managed to occupy me during my reading slump (which is still ongoing). 😔

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A book to dip in and out of. Interesting places were highlighted (floating islands, ephemeral places, breakaway nations) and the topic of "borders" is brought up and considered.

#bookspin

rockpools Sounds fantastic. Stacked! 9mo
29 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A collection of stories by a Singaporean author which borrows its name from a book written by colonial governor, Frank Swettenham. These stories tell life from the POV of the malays as an ethnic minority in Singapore.
Short stories are not usually my jam but these managed to keep my attention through most of the book. Maybe because the subject matter was closer to home. The illustrations were fun too. #ashortstorycollection #booked2023

23 likes1 stack add
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A quick middle grade mystery set in what seems like Rennaisance Italy. There was a lot about reading and the love of books in this. ❤️
#bookspin

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A micro history of oysters and how they grew /died with the rise of New York. The cover I have does not have the bit about New York, so I was a bit thrown at the amount of content it had.
Overall interesting and I definitely learnt alot about these bivalves.
#roll100

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Smarkies
I Capture the Castle | Dodie Smith
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Pickpick

This classic has been on my shelf for a while, and it was worth the read. The narrator is perhaps a little too self-aware, but the story itself was heartfelt and full of feels.
Using this for #quietyabook for #booked2023
#192025 #1948

Tamra Totally outside my wheelhouse but I absolutely adored it! 10mo
31 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Smarkies
Shady Hollow | Juneau Black
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Pickpick

A sweet cosy mystery based in the neighbourhood of Shady Hollows. A good palate cleanser kind of book.
#booked2023 #setinaneighbourhood #52books23 #abookwithsecrets

20 likes1 stack add
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Smarkies
All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis | Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Katharine Keeble Wilkinson
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A short-ish read/listen about how to live more productively with our devices. There are a couple of takeaways that I will try to put into practise.
Can be included for #52books23 #analliterativetitle

29 likes2 stack adds
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Smarkies
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Mehso-so

#bookspin brought this back to my radar after I had sort of despaired with it as the subject matter, though interesting, is a bit too dense for me. I managed to make it through with the help of the audio.
#52books23 #abookwithasubtitle

Cinfhen Love this photo 😍 10mo
33 likes1 comment
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Book 4 in the Lord Peter Wimsey series. The first half sets up the pieces (a little bit slowly), but the last quarter really hurtles along as Wimsey solves the mystery.
Picked this up for #roll100 but it also fits #52books23 for the #aboutaninheritance prompt.

batsy I enjoyed this one! Love the edition you have. I have a very worn edition of Gaudy Night in that edition 🙂 10mo
Smarkies @batsy I tried to get second hand copies of all my peter wimsey series. Unfortunately I think only this one is in this edition. 10mo
35 likes3 comments
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Read this both for #bookspin and #192025 as this book was published in #1920 .
The publishing date is the reason why there are some racist bits. Overall, if you just focused on the adventure and the animal shenanigans it was a good read.
Generally a pick.

23 likes1 stack add
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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Second in the Vish Puri series. Enjoyed this one as well as it is really rooted in India and its social norms. All the side characters (especially my favourite Mummy-ji) help flesh out Vish Puri's daily life
My first #roll100 for the year.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

A #cozymystery set in #India with the detective Vish Puri. I enjoyed the setting and the characters - especially the mother, who was a hoot. The author really managed to capture the streets / social norms of India.
Especially good in audio.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

All I could think whilst reading this was - this could have been me.
Full of anecdotes and dark humour but oh so real. The Afterword really got to me.
My last #bookspin read for the year and it's a good one.

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Smarkies
The Honjin Murders | Seishi Yokomizo
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Pickpick

Enjoyed this as a locked room mystery even though the ending was a little convoluted. It does give a view into the Japanese feudal and honour system.
Contemplating getting the other books by this author. 🤔
My last #roll100 for the year

Ruthiella I also liked this one and want to read others with the same detective! 11mo
AllDebooks I enjoyed this one too 11mo
batsy I liked this a lot and have been meaning to get to his other books 11mo
37 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Smarkies
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Bailedbailed

Bailing on this until I decide to get a physical copy as the audiobook narrator did not suit me 😑

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Read this for #hopepunk for #booked2022 and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was heartfelt and adorable and all the characters popped off the page for me. Teared up a few times as well.
This marks the completion of #booked2022 for me. Onto next year's challenge!
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Cinfhen https://forms.gle/sMyR1gVJciu1HqkA9
Here‘s the link for the final quarter drawing form😊💗 congrats on COMPLETING #Booked2022 🎉🍾🥂
12mo
37 likes1 comment
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Smarkies
The Balmoral Incident | Alanna Knight
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Mehso-so

Unfortunately a slightly slow and disappointing end to the series which I have generally enjoyed. The mystery only sorta got going at 60%.

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

Adorable story and great illustrations. 😄

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Smarkies
The Mercies | Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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Mehso-so

Very lyrical writing but it was a little too slow for me. I may not have been able to get through it if it was not my option for #aboutanonpatriarchalsociety for #booked2022