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The Toy Makers
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
Do you remember when you believed in magic? It is 1917, and while war wages across Europe, in the heart of London, there is a place of hope and enchantment. The Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike: patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own. Into this family business comes young Cathy Wray, running away from a shameful past. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own. But Cathy is about to discover that the Emporium has secrets of its own... A dark enchanting, spectacularly imaginative novel perfect for fans of Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist and Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus
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Deifio
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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I had almost given up on this book! It starts pretty sad, and I just can't handle sad right now. I thought I'd give it a couple more pages and yes, the heroine comes through and makes a decision on her own of what her life is and is going to be.

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Deifio
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Finished these yesterday and started on the tagged book. The wrist warmers are part of a set. The matching beret is on my needles right now.

TheSpineView Pretty!!💜 3mo
AmyG Beautiful! 3mo
Deifio Thanks @TheSpineView and @AmyG! The pattern is really fun to knit. And I love the colour combo 😊 3mo
See All 9 Comments
Dilara 😍 3mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Gorgeous 🩷 3mo
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 3mo
Deifio @Dilara @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @dabbe thanks! The beret is coming along nicely, too. I just love fair isle patterns! 3mo
Dilara @Deifio You have to show us the finished set when it‘s done 😋 3mo
Deifio @Dilara I will! 😅 3mo
24 likes9 comments
review
Rachiiebookdragon
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
Mehso-so

This one was not bad, I enjoyed it mostly,
I listened to it via BorrowBox.

Read for reading challenges.

3.75/5

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Super_Jane
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

4.5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 #magicalrealism Holiday Read No. Three

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Cazxxx
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

A perfect festive read, full of whimsy and magic all set in a toy shop over many years
Loved this!
4 ⭐️

perfectsinner Sounds cute! 2y
47 likes2 comments
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TheSpineView
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Prompt: Jingle Jangle

Klou Really love the sound of this book. Perfect choice. And great cover! 2y
58 likes2 comments
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Cathyloves2read
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
Pickpick

What a perfect time of year to read this magical book. I‘d have to say that it‘s up there as one of my all time favorite books so far.I feel the the toy emporium depicted in this book symbolizes life (especially the holiday season), and how you feel about it as a child.This story sparked my imagination.As I was reading,there were times I felt that I was in the emporium.I hope that I find a place as magical as this to visit one day.LOVED this book!

BookwormM Loved this book 💕💕 3y
7 likes1 comment
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Cathyloves2read
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale

“When you were young, what you want out of toys is to feel grown-up. You play with toys and cast yourself an adult, and imagine life the way it‘s going to be. Yet, when you are grown, that changes; now what you want out of toys is to feel young again. You want to be back there, in a place that did not harm nor hurt you, in a pocket of time built out of memory and love.”

ryanme Ha! This is so true! 3y
7 likes1 comment
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Charityann
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Here‘s my #bookspin list and my shelf with all the holiday books I‘ve collected for #wintergames 🎄📚 I probably won‘t get through all of them, but I like having lots of options.😁 #merryreaders @Clwojick @StayCurious @TheAromaofBooks

tdrosebud Lots of options is the way to go in my opinion! 4y
Clwojick 😍 😍 Looks fantastic! 4y
44 likes3 comments
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IndyHannaJones
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale

....I'm having a problem with this one. Poor Cathy...who has the character development of paper and seems to only exist to be the Manic Pixie Dreamgirl for the brothers and has one line of dialogue to the brothers' eighty....is in labor and the boys are still squabbling and being brats despite the fact that they are grown ass men. Okay, this may be a DNF soon if it doesn't get better...

19 likes1 stack add
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abookishbutterfly
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Christmas books ~ yay or nay?

A year ago, my answer would have been an emphatic “no.” That‘s because I hadn‘t properly explored the world of Christmas books. Outside of A Christmas Carol, I perceived most Christmas stories to be either romances or heartwarming tales, and while there are some exceptions (like a heartwarming dog story),

Continued ⬇️

abookishbutterfly those types of books don‘t appeal to me. I hadn‘t realized there was a world of Christmas ghost stories outside of the Dickens‘ classic (like The Apple Tree) and dark fairytales, like The Toymakers, are definitely my type. 5y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego They're growing on me. It's all I've have the attention span for this year. I'm not really into the romancy stories but I'd give one a go, if it was a quick read. 5y
45 likes2 comments
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abookishbutterfly
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Do you have any books that you started earlier this year, set aside, and hope to finish before the year ends?

I read roughly 200 pages of The Toymakers back in August. So much of it was beautiful and magical but I was not ready to face what I sensed was coming. I took a break - a much longer break than I‘d intended - and I hope to finally get to the end this month.

Reagan Atonement. Started this summer and am very slowly plodding away. It is beautiful and lovely and hearwrenching which is part of the reason why I am going so slowly. 5y
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Charityann
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Gathering books for the #wintergames - can‘t wait to get started. I also have a ton of Christmas books on my Kindle.😁🎄📚 #christmasreads #winterreads @Clwojick @Crimson613 #tmskellington @StayCurious

coffees Oh snap! Someone is PREPARED, I should also start getting a tbr ready 👀💦 I can't stop staring at Winterwood and Stealing Snow 5y
Clwojick Awesome! I reorganized my bookshelf earlier today, and took out all my Christmas books aside. I don‘t have too many, but I know I‘ll end up reading mostly ebooks and audiobooks anyhow. 5y
StayCurious I haven‘t prepared any holiday books yet- but I subscribed to the W network - which plays all those Hallmark Christmas movies! 5y
See All 7 Comments
Charityann @Crimson613 I‘ve had Stealing Snow on my TBR pile forever, so I figured this the perfect opportunity to read it.😊 5y
Charityann @Clwojick I have several on my Kindle too. I always pick out more books than I actually have time to read. 😁 5y
Charityann @StayCurious I love the Hallmark Christmas movies!😀🎄 5y
Clwojick Same! I have 104 Holiday reads on my Kindle app. 🙈 5y
45 likes7 comments
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emmaturi
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

This is a lovely story, it vividly makes you imagine the amazing emporium and you can imagine being very excited by the magical toys. #bookcover

26 likes1 stack add
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emmaturi
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Day 3 from #fallisbooked challenge, I am a bit behind and honestly had no pictures of black cats. I was in a bookshop trying to see if I saw one. Then I saw a book about cats. I can't remember the name now. I saw this page! @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🖤😽🖤😽 5y
19 likes1 comment
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emmaturi
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Ok this is more than likely too ambitious, but I will try to read most. In September I did manage 16 books, it is possible! #tbrpile #bookspines #fallisbooked

Suet624 Wow! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 5y
emmaturi Yes it seems alot! I have started The Toymaker now. @Suet624 5y
BookwormM Love The Toymaker 5y
emmaturi I am liking it so far @BookwormM 5y
23 likes4 comments
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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#7days7covers

(also, I‘m not supposed to explain, but this is one of my favorite books ever 🤫)

Maike I loved this book and all its toy shop magic ❤️ 5y
45 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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abookishbutterfly
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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“Mightn‘t be, Cathy, that until you‘ve seen the dark, you don‘t really know the light?”

“I hope you never see that dark, Kaspar, not for all magic in the world.”

~The Toymakers/Robert Dinsdale

*Not my photo.*

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abookishbutterfly
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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“Mightn‘t be, Cathy, that until you‘ve seen the dark, you don‘t really know the light?”

“I hope you never see that dark, Kaspar, not for all magic in the world.”

~The Toymakers/Robert Dinsdale

*Not my photo.*

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abookishbutterfly
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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We were finally able to get the mail! My apartment complex decided to replace our mailboxes. They took our mail and held it hostage in the office! We retrieved it this morning!

So that means I finally got the beautiful handmade bookmark that I won through Read With Me Book Group on Facebook!

erzascarletbookgasm Love the bookmark! 👍 5y
Kappadeemom It‘s very pretty! 5y
LibrarianRyan 😁👍🏻❤️ 5y
71 likes3 comments
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abookishbutterfly
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Are you lost? Are you afraid? Are you a child at heart?
So are we.
The Emporium opens with the first frost of winter.

~The Toymakers/Robert Dinsdale

Avanders Ooooh 😍 I loved the way he wrote this... 5y
56 likes1 comment
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abookishbutterfly
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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All are welcome at Papa Jack‘s Emporium, for everyone was once a child, no matter what they‘ve done or whom they‘ve grown up to be. ~The Toymakers/Robert Dinsdale

56 likes1 stack add
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abookishbutterfly
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Thanks to a sweet friend‘s compassionate generosity, I was able to get this high priority wishlist book through Amazon. ❤️

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rachaich
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

Really quite different plot to what I'd assumed.
It has the fairytale element whilst including a moral theme which is so relevant even now.
I particularly appreciated the final section and the way in which the story changes, it made me think of Narnia and the first time the children go through the wardrobe.
The war theme is very well displayed.

25 likes3 stack adds
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rachaich
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Oh, this isn't just magical and adult fairy tale, but also quite soul searching about war and toys and impact...

abookishbutterfly I just ordered this book yesterday! I can hardly wait for it to arrive! 5y
BookwormM Loved this one 5y
rachaich It's definitely a good one! 5y
21 likes1 stack add3 comments
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rachaich
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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I adored The Caravel and The Night Circus so hoping this is on a par.

BookwormM I loved this one hope you enjoy it 5y
rachaich @BookwormM so far I'm enchanted :) 5y
15 likes2 comments
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Exterminate1977
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
Pickpick

Enchanting, took me a bit to get into because it‘s not a normal read for me but I really enjoyed it.

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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

I loved this book so much!!
It was a solid 4-star read for most of it, but the ending was spectacular. If you‘re drawn even a little to the “fairytale for adults” genre, this is for you.
The story isn‘t light-hearted, however, and deals with some dark themes, like war, guilt, and hubris.
I can‘t rave enough about this book.

Mdargusch Great review! I‘m intrigued. 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @Mdargusch Thanks! If you read it, let me know what you think 😁 6y
63 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Had to buy!
I can‘t remember the last time I paid full price for a book and got it on the release date. Just arrived and Ive got wine and a blanket and Im going in.
Fairytale for adults is one of my favorite genres.
#blameitonlitsy

LeahBergen This sounds so good! 6y
catebutler I just had this arrive on my porch, today! I did read the ebook around Christmas. This one is sooooo good! 6y
Zelma Sounds kind of like The Night Circus. I‘m in! 6y
See All 6 Comments
BibliOphelia @Zelma I came to say the same. The cover even looks very similar! 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @LeahBergen @Zelma @BibliOphelia Im already loving the imagery! I love books like this! 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @catebutler I‘m glad it‘s a good one - I‘m loving it so far! 6y
46 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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Gissy
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Mehso-so

Historical fiction with fantasy.Beautiful metaphors but I didn't see a well integration of the story.The beginning was all about magic: "Are you lost? Are you afraid? Are you a child at heart? So we are, The Emporium" a place where toys are alive.This is Cathy experience in Emporioum.Some scenes were long.The near end is dark, not expected for me but end is too happy, but in general I enjoyed it.Cover is?Not a happy story 3.4⭐️In GR it has 4⭐️

Avanders I agree on that cover 🤗 The book was definitely not what I was expecting! Love your pic ♥️ 6y
Gissy @Avanders Thank you for the picture comment. I thought this book would be related with Christmas and Nutcracker I don't know something like that. But it was more drama and the magic part was not well integrated in the story. But there are some beautiful metaphors that keep you reading😱Weird sensation😳 6y
44 likes2 comments
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Karen3
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

Papa Jack‘s Emporium only opens after the first frost. What‘s inside is truly magical. Toys come to life, childhoods are renewed, and lives are changed. This story follows Cathy through her life as the Emporium takes her in during her times of struggle and London‘s struggle during the war. I throughly enjoyed this book! 4 🌟

51 likes3 stack adds
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scripturient
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

This book is absolutely amazing. A true marvel that will blow you away with its magic and almost epic scope. Highly recommend!

BookwormM I love 💕 this book 📚 6y
120 likes13 stack adds1 comment
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scripturient
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

This book is absolutely amazing. A true marvel that will blow you away with its magic and almost epic scope. Highly recommend!

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Mrs_G
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

A whistle-stop tour through the first half of twentieth century London, comprising reflections on love, war, childhood, humanity, social change and sibling rivalry, with a huge dose of magic to boot. A recommended read.

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scripturient
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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I‘m totally in love with this story already, even though I‘m only 60 pages in. 😍 @julesG - looks like they gave the book another edit for the paperback version.

MayJasper I love your photo 😊 6y
Cinfhen Great photo ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
julesG It needed another edit. I liked the story a lot, it was the darn terrible editing that took the fun out of the book. 6y
Sarah83 Still need to read it 🤩 6y
106 likes8 stack adds4 comments
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toric
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Sorry for the pic quality

This book sounds good and its currently 99p

#kindledeals #bargains

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Lel2403
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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This looks interesting...99p for Kindle at the moment

julesG You beat me to it. Just wanted to post about this, too. 6y
Lel2403 @julesG lol, great minds think alike 💕 6y
BookwormM This is an amazing book buy it 👍👍 6y
64 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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YourWordsByDesign
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Obsessed with the story, the cover, and the red page edges 😍♥️🎄 #thetoymakers #fiction #bookblogger #christmasiscoming #obsessed #amreading #amwriting #writer #reader

readingjedi Ooh, nice! 6y
10 likes1 comment
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Belle-Bookworm99
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Pickpick

I loved this book so much! Who else loved it as much as me?

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thewallflower0707
The Toymakers | Robert Dinsdale
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Every time I‘m in a foreign city I go to visit a bookstore. My local bookstores at home don‘t have an English section. The Waterstones first at Trafalgar Square (they didn‘t have Vicious) and Piccadilly Circus were a paradise for me! I bought #TheNowhereGirls, #Vicious (sadly only that boring cover), #TheBearandtheNightingale (half price) and #TheToymaker. It was an exhausting day!
#london #bookstore #shopping #waterstones #uk

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julesG
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Mehso-so

I did it! I finished this! And yes, I needed tissues in the end.

The rather poor editing put me off more than once. The book could easily be 50 pages shorter and would not lose any of the magic within.

A good read, but did not meet my expectations, which were probably very high due to the reviews the book got so far.

#MakeMeReadIt #Book3 @TheReadingMermaid

#WarTimeStory #StoryWithSoldier #SFFTBRChallenge @DuckOfDoom

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julesG
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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The middle was fairly well edited and now the mistakes start up again. Like,
Two full stops..
Adjectives instead of adverbs

🙈🙈🙈

Why, oh why?

Perfect example of how to ruin a good book with bad editing.

quietlycuriouskate Oh, that drives me to distraction. 😣 6y
88 likes1 comment
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julesG
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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I did not expect to be plunged into WW I. But the story has picked up, the editing mistakes are fewer in this part of the book (there's one that stopped my flow, where there was a "he" instead of a "she").

I might finish it this week.

#MakeMeReadIt #Book2 @TheReadingMermaid

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julesG
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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The kids are off to their father's. I can lie down on my sofa.

I'm determined to make some headway with this. It's dragging a bit.

I guess I'll see you in 5 minutes when I take my next reading break. 😁

monalyisha Ha! I identify with the last sentence of this post DEEPLY. 😅😆 6y
Sarah83 Love the cover 😘 6y
89 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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julesG
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Just a few pages further in, I've come across a slip in grammar. From past tense to present tense.

It annoys me. Really. I'm itching to take red pen to the pages.

#bookishpetpeeve

Headinherbooks_27 That's one of my pet peeves too! 6y
83 likes1 comment
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julesG
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Not the first 'wrong word' in this book. And I'm not yet in the three-digit page numbers. Heavens! No proofreading? Someone should have spotted this.

Honestly, for a book being sold in hardcover, I'd expect the publishers to take more care.

How does an error like this even happen? Auto-predict? Was this written on a mobile?
I get spelling errors but wrong words like the one above?

#bookishpetpeeve

Cinfhen 😠 6y
CarolynM You have to wonder... 6y
Sarah83 That's pretty sad 🤔 6y
See All 9 Comments
CoffeeAndABook Wow. Pretty bad 🙈 6y
PickwickPlockPlock I would expect such an error with OCR, when you scan a book and automatically convert it to text. 6y
TrishB Doesn‘t make me want to read.... 6y
Lcsmcat Errors like that take me so far out of the story that I usually bail. Or if it‘s for book club and I _have_ to finish, I spend the rest of the Book looking for them and tallying them in my head. 😡 6y
julesG @TrishB @Lcsmcat - this error put me off the book for a few hours at least. It's just so annoying. 6y
julesG @PickwickPlockPlock Wouldn't you expect that when using OCR, they'd proofread extra carefully to catch such mistakes? 6y
83 likes9 comments
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julesG
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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Good Morning Littens!

Sitting outside. Kids are still sleeping. There is some sunshine but it's pretty cool (16°C). My steaming mug of tea was cropped by the app.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

#catsoflitsy #teaandbooks #MakeMeReadIt

mhillis They are so cute. Have a good Sunday! 6y
Mitch A lovely way to start the day x 6y
Lcsmcat The kitties look so peaceful and cute! 6y
See All 6 Comments
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Good morning ☀️🌞❤️ 6y
tpixie Cute kitties!!! My weekend is hot and humid. 6y
tammysue Sweet!! 😻😻 6y
115 likes1 stack add6 comments
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julesG
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale
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The #ShadowCat has decided to get some 'lovies'. So I can't read because I cannot hold open the book with one hand, it's so heavy.

😂😂😂
Just dictated this and Google made funny sentences.

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Belle-Bookworm99
The Toy Makers | Robert Dinsdale

Wow!!! Who else had read this wonderful book? I thought I'd never love a book as much as I loved The Night Circus but I was sorely mistaken. The Toy Makers is absolutely magical, breath taking and truly a flight of fancy! It's just taken an unforseen twist!!! 😮😊😉 Xxx

rather_be_reading stacked! 6y
rather_be_reading welcome to litsy!! 📚🎉📚 @LitsyWelcomeWagon 6y
Belle-Bookworm99 It's a truly wonderful book! I've just finished it and I'm missing it already...! I'll definitely read it again. Thank you very much. It's such a wonderful place for bookworms like us. 😊 X 6y
7 likes1 stack add3 comments