Books #35

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Caffeine Fiend

Caffeine Fiend

Brightlycolouredbowels said:
I didn’t think that was too bad? 5 for £80, so £16 each most hardback special editions with sprayed edges are around the £20 mark aren’t they?

Frustratingly they’re out of stock. I’m going to ask my independent bookshop if they can get them - they’re beautiful
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£16 is a great price. I collect SE and usually pay £20-30 per book.
 
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Booklover

Booklover

Paperbacks are 2 for £9 in Asda. I grabbed The Husbands by Holly Gramazio and Way Back by Sara Cox.
 
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twilightgarden

twilightgarden

I’m recovering from being unwell the last week or so and only just able to sit and read. Going for the easy option of a Freida McFadden (The Teacher) I had on my kindle. Not sure what to make of it so far, my friend said she liked it but the ending is frustrating.
 
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ordinaryjelly

ordinaryjelly

epl000 said:
Have you got a list of ones you're tempted by?
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My list since 2023 is quite long, but I have been through and been ruthless. Cutting it down to these books I actually want to read first, the other books are still there in the background but after 18 months I don't know if I still want to read them. I'm trying not to read "just because...." books and read (what to me) is quality over quantity. I do want to go back and read the synopsis' of the books everyone mentioned above.

In no particular order -

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Jackson

Welcome to the Hyunam Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reun

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

Angel Maker by Mirgan Greene

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
 
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LaBlonde

LaBlonde

ordinaryjelly said:
My list since 2023 is quite long, but I have been through and been ruthless. Cutting it down to these books I actually want to read first, the other books are still there in the background but after 18 months I don't know if I still want to read them. I'm trying not to read "just because...." books and read (what to me) is quality over quantity. I do want to go back and read the synopsis' of the books everyone mentioned above.

In no particular order -

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Jackson

Welcome to the Hyunam Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reun

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

Angel Maker by Mirgan Greene

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
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i absolutely LOVED tell the wolves i’m home (though haven’t read it for a long time, seeing it mentioned here makes me want to pick it up. once i locate it in my house anyway) 💙
 
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LydiaDeetzHat

LydiaDeetzHat

ordinaryjelly said:
My list since 2023 is quite long, but I have been through and been ruthless. Cutting it down to these books I actually want to read first, the other books are still there in the background but after 18 months I don't know if I still want to read them. I'm trying not to read "just because...." books and read (what to me) is quality over quantity. I do want to go back and read the synopsis' of the books everyone mentioned above.

In no particular order -

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Jackson

Welcome to the Hyunam Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reun

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

Angel Maker by Mirgan Greene

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
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Save your money on the McBride and the Hyunam dong bookshop.. i found them both a huge letdown
 
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LaBlonde

LaBlonde

LaBlonde said:
reading us against you and i don’t think i’ve been as attached to a fictional character ever as i am to benji. why can’t good things happen to him?! why can’t he just be happy?!? 😭😭 backman’s writing, as always, remains wonderful and involving, and i’m intrigued as to what it’s all brewing up to.
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giving this four stars to beartown’s five stars - it did seem like a lot of buildup to the next book and some of the little “if only they had known that THIS would happen later” did start grating on me but what a cast of characters. i care deeply about all of them, including all their flaws.

going to contradict myself completely though by saying that the choice ana made seemed hugely out of character for her and came out of nowhere? i know blackman led into it with don’t judge her! we all make mistakes! which is true but i feel it was more a thing someone like william would have done. she didn’t seem to have the cruelty in her. idk.
 
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Caffeine Fiend

Caffeine Fiend

LaBlonde said:
giving this four stars to beartown’s five stars - it did seem like a lot of buildup to the next book and some of the little “if only they had known that THIS would happen later” did start grating on me but what a cast of characters. i care deeply about all of them, including all their flaws.

going to contradict myself completely though by saying that the choice ana made seemed hugely out of character for her and came out of nowhere? i know blackman led into it with don’t judge her! we all make mistakes! which is true but i feel it was more a thing someone like william would have done. she didn’t seem to have the cruelty in her. idk.
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Weirdly The Winners was never planned IIRC. So the build up thing seems strange.

Also yes on the flawed characters. I feel like Backman seems to understand humans and humanity on a really deep level. I think many many good authors cannot write characters in the way that Backman does. They have such depth and various shades of white, black and grey. Theyre so recognisably human. People we love in real life have faults and flaws that in spite of we still love them and I think his characters are so much of that.

Too many books are rigidly goody character is good because x and baddy (auto correct changed this to Daddy - entirely different type of book) character bad because y and I think Backman really explores that its not how the world works.
 
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LaBlonde

LaBlonde

Caffeine Fiend said:
Weirdly The Winners was never planned IIRC. So the build up thing seems strange.

Also yes on the flawed characters. I feel like Backman seems to understand humans and humanity on a really deep level. I think many many good authors cannot write characters in the way that Backman does. They have such depth and various shades of white, black and grey. Theyre so recognisably human. People we love in real life have faults and flaws that in spite of we still love them and I think his characters are so much of that.

Too many books are rigidly goody character is good because x and baddy (auto correct changed this to Daddy - entirely different type of book) character bad because y and I think Backman really explores that its not how the world works.
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really?! that seems so strange because, for me, us against you feels like a slow brewing of a much bigger ending (if that make me sense).

and absolutely! i think it’s crazy how much he makes you care about the pack in particular and that teemu is basically a gang leader but shows genuine humility and decency numerous times. ana is the only character where he slips up with that imo, or that could just be my feelings based on some things in this book.

i feel like (aside from benji obviously) ramona is my favourite character in the whole thing, and even that is complete credit to how multi dimensional backman makes her.
 
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P

PrincessConsuelaBanana666

Did NOT know you could use your Waterstones card in Foyles. Appreciate this is probably common knowledge and I am late to the party but was delighted to pick up my points this morning 😊
 
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C

CommentBelow

PrincessConsuelaBanana666 said:
Did NOT know you could use your Waterstones card in Foyles. Appreciate this is probably common knowledge and I am late to the party but was delighted to pick up my points this morning 😊
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I knew you could collect stamps but I always forget to ask Foyles whether I can spend Waterstones plus balance.. I need to stop hoarding my balance and using it on my commute could be a good way. Also tempted to go to Piccadilly and buy loads supermarket sweep style!
 
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Caffeine Fiend

Caffeine Fiend

I actually spent some of my Waterstones points today! I got

Hope - Andrew Ridker
Adelaide - Genevieve Wheeler
On a Woman's Madewss - Astrid Roemer
 
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