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A colleague recommended me this book during a rece

A colleague recommended me this book during a recent Reader's Advisory exercise we ran, and sold it to me as "J. K. Rowling at her best". So of course I had to check it out.

Continuing in the vein of reading coincidences,while I was reading this at my parents' house this weekend, my dad stopped in his tracks and went "HEY I'm reading that too!"

Don't pick this up if you're just after more #harrypotter, it's definitely @jkrowling_official branching out (duh, hence the pseudonym). But it is a great example of a good airport novel, with some sleuthing and fun characters.

My colleague did say that as the series progressed, she very quickly tired of hearing about Strike's leg, but I don't think that will put me off picking up the next book or two.

⭐⭐⭐/5

Was trying to sneakily #bookstagram when my friend

Was trying to sneakily #bookstagram when my friend exclaimed "HEY I'M READING THAT TOO!!"

This book seems to be everywhere, and for once I can understand the hype - there's a ton of positive messaging in these pages, from fighting for equality to acceptance of race and sexuality and more, all mixed in with some wonderful world building. Magic, friendship, indeterminately cuddly creatures and blood thirsty war - what DOESN'T this book have??

Will definitely be recommending #thegildedones by @namina.forna to my students. The ending wasn't my favourite, but that's very much due to personal taste and not the quality of the book itself. I haven't stayed up late to finish a book in a while, which is testament to it being great storytelling.

Add it to your libraries if you haven't already!

⭐⭐⭐/5

I gave up on this book in disgust a few years ago

I gave up on this book in disgust a few years ago when <spoiler alert>the dog died</spoiler alert> but after muuuuuultiple pleas from friends and students to give it another shot, I finally picked it up again over the weekend.

I didn't throw it down in disgust this time, although I still cried when they left Manchee behind. Not my favourite Patrick Ness book so far, but I have two books to go in the series so let's see how this plays out.

⭐⭐⭐/5

#bookstagram #chaoswalking #patrickness

This wasn't the most uplifting book, but it was a

This wasn't the most uplifting book, but it was a pretty fitting read for International Women's Day.

#bookstagram #kimjiyoungborn1982

⭐⭐⭐/5

One of the worst feelings is finishing a book only

One of the worst feelings is finishing a book only to THEN discover it's part of an unfinished series.

A colleague lent me this book because she thought I'd like it. I did.

Except that one part where the main character decides to destress by bowling four frames and ends up drenched in sweat because I mean I can suspend disbelief only so far.

Anyway, brilliant premise (so much so that my 69 year old non-YA reading father has put this on his TBR pile after reading the blurb), writing and plot almost fully live up to the promise, will be reading the sequel when it's out.

⭐⭐⭐/5

It's been a hot minute since a book made me cry.

It's been a hot minute since a book made me cry.

(And cry and cry and cry).
#thehouseintheceruleansea

A very accessible book about the life of natural h

A very accessible book about the life of natural historian Alfred Russel Wallace who came up with the theories of evolution and natural selection independently, and jointly published his work with that of Charles Darwin.

The art is stunning, and I found cheap thrills in spotting characters from Animal Crossing New Horizons on some of the pages.

(Also the bit about tigers regularly mauling people on the streets of Singapore 🤷🏽‍♀️)

Georgette Heyer and fast food late lunches - just

Georgette Heyer and fast food late lunches - just out here living my best life on my day off.

Ever since I read my first Cindy Antsey YA regency

Ever since I read my first Cindy Antsey YA regency romance, I've kept my eyes open for books from Swoon Reads.

A couple weeks ago I read To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin, expecting a story about body positivity, and sisterly bonds, and learning how to stand on your own when the people you love may not be as close as you're used to for you to lean on for support.

The book does get into all that, but the body positivity aspect of it especially seemed a bit rushed. And unfortunately the book suffers from my current pet peeve in YA - in an attempt to be inclusive and diverse and all that other great stuff, editing seems to occasionally take a step back and the writing comes across very stilted (swipe for samples). The overall impact is that of a how-to guide superficially disguised as a story, rather than just a book that happens to feature a character with certain underrepresented characteristics.

I docked my rating by a couple of points because of those moments that broke the flow and my immersion in the story, as well as the rushed ending, but overall the book was a fun read. Especially as my sister has just embarked on motherhood (?!?!?!!!!!!!), so I can totally relate to the anxiety and uncertainty Savannah faces as her beloved big sister starts a on new journey without her.

#comfortfood calls for #comfortreads and vice vers

#comfortfood calls for #comfortreads and vice versa
#peterwimsey

Gideon the Ninth was the most haunting impactful b

Gideon the Ninth was the most haunting impactful book I'd read in 2020, so I was super excited for the sequel to come out #tamsynmuir #harrowtheninth