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Bonesetter's Daughter
Bonesetter's Daughter | Amy Tan
"The Bonesetter's Daughter dramatically chronicles the tortured, devoted relationship between LuLing Young and her daughter Ruth. . . . A strong novel, filled with idiosyncratic, sympathetic characters, haunting images, historical complexity, significant contemporary themes, and suspenseful mystery."-Los Angeles Times "TAN AT HER BEST . . . Rich and hauntingly forlorn . . . The writing is so exacting and unique in its detail."-San Francisco Chronicle"For Tan, the true keeper of memory is language, and so the novel is layered with stories that have been written down-by mothers for their daughters, passing along secrets that cannot be said out loud but must not be forgotten."-The New York Times Book Review"AMY TAN [HAS] DONE IT AGAIN. . . . The Bonesetter's Daughter tells a compelling tale of family relationships; it layers and stirs themes of secrets, ambiguous meanings, cultural complexity and self-identity; and it resonates with metaphor and symbol."-The Denver Post
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bekakins
Pickpick

#bookspin for April done. I really enjoyed this, a clever way of playing with dual timeline and really liked the journey both mother and daughter went on.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
7 likes1 comment
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shawnmooney
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shawnmooney
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https://youtu.be/NQJh0p045Fc
Books discussed:

Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

Bewilderment by Richard Powers

The Radiance of the King by Camara Laye, James Kirkup(Translator)

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan

Curtain Down at Her Majesty‘s: The Death of Queen Victoria in the Words of Those Who Were There by Stewart Richards

Jonathan Gibbs‘ A Personal Anthology blog

‘Three Miles Up‘ by Elizabeth Jane Howard

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shawnmooney
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Lindy Love this passage. Pickled turnips ARE a fine way to seize the day. Also, I live with a turnip hater who complains about their smell. 3y
25 likes1 comment
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sprainedbrain
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Pickpick

My last catch-up review from August—this was my #AuthorAMonth pick for Amy Tan and I absolutely loved it. A beautifully told story about mothers and daughters, and about loving and forgiving family. I loved LuLing and her story from early 20th-century China to her immigration to the US. I found Ruth an extremely sympathetic character and loved to see how her relationship with and feelings about her mom evolved. Just a fantastic book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nute Love love love this book! 3y
68 likes1 comment
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shawnmooney
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DivineDiana
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Pickpick

This is a photograph of a fossil display of the Peking Man. The bones were discovered in a cave near Peking in 1929. In the story, Lu Ling explores the caves with her Precious Auntie, and takes bones for healing, before they became valuable to scientists. So much happens to Lu Ling before she comes to the US. Her daughter Rose,an American, helps her mother who is losing memory, and discovers the pages Lu Ling wrote about her past. @Soubhiville

Soubhiville Cool photo 💀 3y
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Larkken
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Pickpick

I rarely read about pre-Communism China in a story that feels authentic, and the views of life for a woman at that time, and the discovery of hominin fossils in China, was the highlight of this book for me, though it was only a portion of the content. I‘d not read an Amy Tan book since high school, so this month‘s #authoramonth was a joy! This was also my #doublespin 🥳

TheAromaofBooks I enjoyed this one this month as well!! 3y
DivineDiana I love your post! Finished reading it yesterday. It did feel authentic, and I also was fascinated with the Peking Man parts of the story. 3y
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TheAromaofBooks
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Pickpick

Small review blitz as I haven't posted any for a minute!! My goal for #AuthorAMonth this year has actually been to read books by each month's author that were already on my TBR. This one has been there since I read The Joy Luck Club several years ago & I was excited to finally have the motivation to pick it up!! Like the Joy Luck Club, this story was a lot about mother/daughter relationships. Tan's writing is beautiful & thought-provoking ⬇️

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) without being polemic. While I really did enjoy this one, it's definitely a bittersweet read with some very sad moments. While there were some happy endings, there were also things that I very much wished I could go back in time and change - the characters in this story felt incredibly real, almost like I was reading nonfiction instead of fiction.

@Soubhiville
3y
TheAromaofBooks This also checked off my final prompt for #Fourfoursin21 - Calligraphy! @lauredhel 3y
DivineDiana I am reading it now too, and was also happy to finally have the motivation to take it off the TBR shelves! The funny thing is that Goodreads says I read it 7 years ago! 😳 I must have clicked the wrong button, because nothing is familiar! 🤔 3y
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Soubhiville Nice! Glad you liked it 😊 3y
Lauredhel @TheAromaofBooks your final one! You did it!! 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Lauredhel - I really enjoyed this challenge a lot - thank you for hosting!! 3y
Lauredhel @TheAromaofBooks I enjoyed it too! 3y
IamIamIam I loved this book sooo much!!! 3y
Lauredhel I'm wrapping up the #fourfoursin21 #readingchallenge ! If you have completed it, please email me lauredhelhoyden@gmail.com with your list of reads by the end of the year. I'll randomly choose a winner, and email you your prize questionnaire. 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Lauredhel - Thank you!!! I emailed you yesterday, so please let me know if it didn't go through!! 3y
Lauredhel @TheAromaofBooks just yoinked it out of the Junk folder! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Sometimes gmail gets a little overprotective! 😂 3y
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DivineDiana
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“So what‘s your favorite word?”

Hm, that‘s an excellent question.” He fell quiet, stroking his beard in thought.

Ruth was thrilled. He was probably groping for a word that was arcane and multisyllabic, one of those crossword items that could be confirmed only in the Oxford English Dictionary.

“Vapors,” he said at last. “

#authoramonth #amytan @Soubhiville

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Texreader
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Pickpick

Amy Tan is a fantastic writer. I loved having an excuse to read another book by her. I loved the Chinese genealogy & historical fiction, the working in of the discovery of Peking Man, the mother-daughter relationships, and the growth and decline of the characters. LuLing was an irritating mother and I don‘t like reading about irritating characters but I put my trust in Amy Tan and it worked out just fine. #authoramonth #China #readingasia2021

Librarybelle This is on my to read list! 3y
Kammbia1 I just watched her documentary on Netflix over the past weekend. I bought a copy of Kitchen God's Wife and looking forward to reading my first Amy Tan novel. 3y
Texreader @Kammbia1 I liked that one, too, and a good place to start. I‘ll have to check out the documentary. Didn‘t know there was one 3y
Kammbia1 @texreader Yeah, I just found about the documentary last week. It gives a good insight on how she writes and relationships with her family have a big part in it. 3y
61 likes4 comments
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DivineDiana
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Starting a new audiobook.
#authoramonth #amytan @Soubhiville

Larkken I‘m reading this for author a month, too ! 😻 3y
DivineDiana @Larkken We‘ll have to compare notes! 😊 3y
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DHill
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Just finished for #AuthorAMonth. My first Amy Tan novel and I really enjoyed it. She is masterful at weaving complex multi-generational stories.

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Texreader
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Early morning read.

Getting in the mindset to move my daughter into her dorm today for her first year of college. I am fortunate she got into one of the best private schools in Texas and it‘s only about five minutes from our house. But still, my world is going to turn upside down.

Karisa (((Hugs))) 💗 3y
Cortg I feel ya! I move my youngest in at the end of the month to her dorm. It‘s college though, but she‘s my first as my oldest isn‘t leaving until spring semester but also she‘ll be several states away. It‘ll be a real change for sure 🤗 3y
MaureenMc 💗💗💗 3y
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NikkiM5 Hugs to you. My daughter‘s move in day is this week too. I know how you feel. ♥️ 3y
Texreader @Karisa @MaureenMc Thanks for the Litsy love! So appreciated! 3y
Texreader @Cortg @NikkiM5 @Butterfinger Best wishes to y‘all with your last starting college, too! The house already feels so different. Dinner was quiet. No after-dinner family activity. It‘s going to take a lot of getting used to just 3 of us. 3y
Butterfinger Yes my 10 year old is walking around sad and lost. It's a huge adjustment. I think once Chaya's schedule with school and dance is stable it will be better. Abby is 4 hours away and I am already looking at events in Raleigh for Labor Day so we can see her. 3y
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Eggs
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Pickpick

In a remote mountain village where ghosts and tradition rule, LuLing grows up in the care of her mute Precious Auntie as the family endures a curse laid upon a relative known as the bonesetter. Compelling semi-biographical (Tan‘s Mom) **HF
Tan is amazing with language

#authoramonth2021 @Soubhiville

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I am planning to read this one this month!! 3y
Eggs @TheAromaofBooks Hope you enjoy it! 3y
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Texreader
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I‘m finally back to reading three books at a time: one IRL book (tagged), one ebook (right), and an audiobook. But I have a confounding problem. The main characters, modern women, in the two above each have a close female friend in whom they confide. After even a day, I can‘t remember what was confided with which friend. I can‘t keep them straight! Both are challenge reads so I can‘t put either off. Hopefully my brain will eventually sort it out.

Butterfinger I have gotten a habit of reading several at one time. A few chapters here and there. I can get confused too. Don't force yourself. It will work out. 3y
Catsandbooks 😆you got this! 👍🏼 3y
62 likes3 comments
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Texreader
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I finally picked my book for #authoramonth. I‘m not very far into it but it‘s already very compelling. I feel my reading slump may be easing up. @Soubhiville

Tripex Good for you, I'm kinda in a reading slump too. Not opened a book in like two weeks. I hope it eases up soon too. 3y
Soubhiville Oh good! I‘m glad you‘re enjoying it. 3y
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staci.reads
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Pickpick

Beautiful story about 3 generations of women navigating secrets, history, family, and complicated mother/daughter relationships. It's been many years since I've read a novel but Amy Tan, but she definitely has a specific niche. Enjoyed this one for #authoramonth @Soubhiville

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DebinHawaii
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Day 2 #QuotsyJul21 #object

“All objects exist in a moment of time.”

Amy Tan, The Bonesetter‘s Daughter

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kaysworld1
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Krystle13
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Pickpick

What a Book! My first Amy Tan book. I am so happy I read this. I can't wait to read another one for May Book Club. 🥰
To learn about the history, superstitions and stories from that erra, all intertwined into her story.

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Krystle13
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1st Book for our May Book Club! 🥰

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MelKelsey
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Pickpick

Book 17

I listened to this book that I had previously partially-read. I love Tan's books. The first half of the novel is about a Chinese-American woman coming to know her mother's story now that her mom has been diagnosed with dementia. The second half of the book is set in the past, about the mom getting to know her own mother's story also too late to show appreciation to her mother. Well-written. About love and family. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

rachaich I've enjoyed all of her books, and they're so informative. 4y
MelKelsey @Rachaich I agree!💜 4y
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suzie.reads
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Mehso-so

Just not my type of book really, my mum has wanted me to read it for years aswell. Enjoyed the style of writing but the actual story was boring
#Booked2020 #Fall #BottomofyourTBR #MountTBR (book 34)

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Selena85
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Pickpick

#Doublespin

Ruth and her mother, LuLing, have always had a strained relationship. As an adult, caring for elderly LuLing, Ruth learns more about her mother's life that explains why.

This book has three parts. It starts with present day Ruth; pre-revolutionary China; and back to present. I would have liked to read more about LuLing in China, but the anchoring of present Ruth rounded out the story well.

@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! I've read one other Amy Tan book and loved it. I've been meaning to pick up another ever since. 4y
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TheSpineView
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OriginalCyn620 Great quote, and also true! 4y
60 likes2 comments
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IamIamIam
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Pickpick

Some secrets need to be told, especially if Alzheimer's is creeping up on a person. LuLing has always had a strained relationship with her daughter Ruth. Worlds collide when Ruth accepts an Alzheimer's diagnosis but is rocked when she finds out that the discrepancies in LuLing's birthdate are revealed in a manuscript written in Chinese, along with her early years and family secrets.
An absolutely incredible story!

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Reviewsbylola
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Summer update:

The girls and I have been at the lake for about six weeks. I brought a decent amount of books with me and have acquired many more since we‘ve been here. The books on the bottom shelf on the left are what I‘ve finished in print so far, minus one or two books I‘ve lent out. Excited to see how many more I read before summer ends.

Megabooks Great job Steph! 4y
Megabooks Read The Knockout Queen!! 4y
erinreads I spy All My Puny Sorrows! One of my all time favorites! 💕 4y
97 likes3 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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Finished this quarter of #booked2020 🙌🏻🙌🏻

The Bonesetter‘s Daughter #panasianauthor
The Rabbit Queen #animaloncover
The Lewis Man #tartannoir
Rust #parentandchildmemoir
Man‘s Search for Meaning #aboutgenocide
David Spade is Almost Interesting #makesyoulol

Reviewsbylola Rust probably is a stretch but the author talks a lot about her relationship with her parents, her dad especially. I Mom So Hard or How We Fight For Our Lives, which I also read this quarter, probably would have fit the prompt better. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
Cinfhen Yay 🥳well done 🙌🏻This is your #OfficialSpringEntry for #Booked2020 💚📚🌹and I think Rust works for parent/child memoir 😉 5y
alisiakae 🙌 🙌 4y
Caroline2 The Lewis man is v good! 👍 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Great job! 👊🏻📚♥️ 4y
71 likes5 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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Getting some reading done with @Mdargusch ‘s little gremlin, Yo-yo. He‘s the king of snuggles.

MsMelissa I didn‘t even notice you at first! It looks like the pupper is reading to himself 😂 (edited) 5y
JenReadsAlot That is an awesome picture! 5y
MyNamesParadise What a precious little pup! Thought he (she?) was reading to him/herself! 5y
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AmyG Ha! How is he enjoying the book? 5y
Leftcoastzen Cute! 5y
Gissy Ahhhh🐶great company❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4y
LeahBergen He‘s so sweet!!!!! 😮 4y
90 likes8 comments
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Carolhreads
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Pickpick

5 stars ✨ This book was so good!! Deep and sad but there were some light-hearted moments too if you loved joy luck club written by the same author Amy tan please give it a try

TheBookHippie I really enjoyed this read! 5y
Carolhreads @TheBookHippie me too ☺️☺️☺️ 5y
19 likes2 comments
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Carolhreads
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Starting

Nute Do enjoy! This is one of my favorite books! 5y
Carolhreads @Nute glad to hear it :) I hope I enjoy it as well thanks ☺️ 5y
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LibraryAndrew100
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Pickpick

Excellent!! Highly recommended! Amy Tan is in a class all of her own.

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TK-421
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“The Doppler Effect of Communication”: There is always distortion between what a speaker says and what a listener wants it to mean. “The Centrifugal Force of Arguments”: The farther you move from the core of the problem, the faster the situation spins out of control. #Communication #QuotsyDec19

Crazeedi Truth 5y
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Centique
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#wanderingjune

Many options for #chinagirl as I‘ve read almost every novel by Amy Tan - thinking about this made me realise I need to read more Chinese writers in translation. Reccs welcome!

On a side note, the woman in Bowie‘s video for this song is Geeling Ng, an Aucklander that I met once years ago as she ran a couple of restaurants. She famously had a short affair with him and said he was a lovely man. 😍

LeahBergen That‘s so cool. I bet he WAS lovely. ❤️❤️ 6y
BarbaraBB I loved that video. I was very young at the time and watched it blushing ☺️ 6y
Centique @BarbaraBB I was just reading that it was banned in some countries! 😳 6y
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BarbaraBB Really? I thought it was just me being shocked because I was a child 😂 6y
LeeRHarry Great story 😊 6y
Reggie What a great post! 6y
69 likes6 comments
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llwheeler
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Huge score at a used book sale today! It was fill a box for 10$ and I took them at their word! Book haul posts to follow 😀

Gus had to thoroughly inspect the books and the box. Callie just wanted the box. #catsofLitsy

wanderinglynn Box inspectors, always on the job! 😹❤️🐱 6y
llwheeler @wanderinglynn It's a hard job but someone's gotta do it! 😹 6y
Avanders Wow!!! 6y
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Crazeedi Awesome! Maybe they wonder if there's something in there for them?!😻😻 6y
llwheeler @Crazeedi haha probably! Books for me, box for them lol 6y
Erofan 😻❤😻 6y
47 likes6 comments
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LiterRohde
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“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”

#QuotsyNov18 | 24:#Origin

📷: Made with Typorama

Cinfhen TRUTH ❤️ 6y
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HeathHof
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Taking a little break from housework to enjoy this gem this afternoon 💎❤️

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Bertha_Mason

"She wanted to tell her mother "I'm sorry," and "I forgive you" too."
Too real. Probably for most of us. ?

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Bertha_Mason

"Dementia was like a truth serum."

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tessavi
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Two of the books I mooched arrived today! 😍
#bookmooch #bookhaul

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Chocamanda
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Thank you @Dolly !!!! I love everything you put in the basket including the adorable white chocolate bunnies! Lydia's giraffe is not pictured because she's busy with it 😂. You did an amazing job stalking me. Thank you for the books, the treats, and ESPECIALLY the gorgeous hand made bookmarks you sent! I can't wait until I can curl up and read these! #easterbasketswap

Dolly Oh no! The bunnies are white chocolate!?😲 I knew the kisses were (carrot cake supposedly) white chocolate but I thought the little bunnies were milk choc. Sorry, that was a mistake! One of the books is a signed copy. Probably not Bleak House so don‘t get excited. ☺️ Glad Lydia likes her giraffe. Smirk enjoys those toys so much she stole the original one I bought for Lydia. Kids these days! The Easter basket YOU sent was huge!! I‘ll post it soon. 7y
Chocamanda OMG OMG OMG!!! @Dolly you have no idea how amazing it is that you got me a signed copy of The Bonesetter's Daughter! Fun fact: I went to the same university as Amy Tan, where I studied literature and creative writing. I even had some of the same professors as her. I've admired her work since I was in high school. You have been so generous. Thank you so much! 7y
Dolly @Chocamanda It was pure chance. Funny how that happens. 7y
21 likes3 comments
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PenguinInFlight
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1. Amy Tan. I just love her!
2. 1969, to see the Beatles in concert before they broke up.
3. Rebel Wilson or Melissa McCarthy
4. I‘m not sure who has played, I‘m late on the draw today! Anyone that would like to! 💜 @JenlovesJT47 #tuesdaytidbits

JenlovesJT47 Would be so awesome to see the Beatles in person! 💚 7y
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cj82487
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"A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin"
I love this #QuotsyFeb18 challenge by @TK-421 and when I saw the prompt #shelter for today I thought of this quote by Amy Tan. Aren't mothers the best shelter there is?

Cathythoughts Yes they are ! The best shelters 👍🏻❤️❤️ 7y
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jfalkens
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So while at a local used bookstore I totally nerded out and convinced @knittedgnome to join Litsy 😀 so let's give her some #litsylove 😊 also here's my #bookhaul #bookmarkhaul from while I was there #MummphysBookNook #MittenLitten #catbookmarks #birdbookmark #squirrelbookmark #3Dbookmarks
@LitsyHappenings

litznbooks Welcome to Litsy @knittedgnome 💕 7y
Addison_Reads Welcome @knittedgnome 😁 I'm fairly new myself and still learning the ropes. It's a really welcoming community though, so just jump right in and have fun! 7y
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DHill Welcome to Litsy @knittedgnome ! 7y
tif Welcome to litsy @knittedgnome (and @Addison_Reads). This is a great community to be part of, it's just terrible for your bank balance 😁 7y
knittedgnome Thanks for the warm welcome! @litznbooks @daniwithtea @DHill and @SiriuslyWeasley I was so excited to meet @jfalkens irl! 7y
knittedgnome @Addison_Reads it is so fun and welcoming! I'm excited to be here! 7y
knittedgnome @tif I'm sure it will be. It's already hard enough working in a used bookstore! 7y
Libby1 😃 7y
tif @knittedgnome I can imagine! My pay would go straight back into books! 7y
cj82487 I loved The Bonesetters Daughter. Amy Tan is such a great story teller 7y
jfalkens @cj82487 yay I'm excited to read it 😊 7y
cj82487 @jfalkens definitely has some teary moments but worth the read. I love how she rights mother-daughter stories 7y
jfalkens @cj82487 sometimes you need the kind of cry only a book can give 😊 7y
cj82487 Agreed 😊 7y
Eggs Welcome❣️❣️ @knittedgnome 7y
Velvetfur Welcome @knittedgnome to our little corner of the internet! I love that photo, and the bookmarks with the kitties on are just adorable! 💜 7y
knittedgnome You all are so sweet to welcome me like this! @Eggs @Velvetfur the book marks are really inexpensive on wish! 7y
jfalkens @Velvetfur thank you 😊 the bookmarks are the cutest! 7y
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bookworm.krizia
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Mehso-so

😐😐

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shawnmooney
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TOKYO USED BOOKSTORE HAUL - BOOK 2 OF 15

I don't think I ever got around to reading any of her stuff, and this gorgeous oversized softcover jumped off the shelf. So now maybe it's finally time!

Libby1 This is my favourite of her books. Enjoy! 7y
Reviewsbylola I have this one waiting to be read. 7y
saresmoore It is quite lovely! 7y
Lindy This holds a special place in my bookish memories because it was the very first book chosen for my Two Bichons book club. 7y
LeahBergen I like Amy Tan. 7y
41 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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Bambolina_81
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Wow, what a dedication. I'm really looking forward to starting this ebook tonight as it's been on my tbr forever! The only other Amy Tan I've read is Joy Luck Club which I loved and I have a great feeling about this one 😊

BooksForEmpathy All of her books are so good!! Well, the ones I have read. Her memoir is coming out soon!! This one is just wonderful. She gets mother/daughter relationships like no one else. 7y
Bambolina_81 @BooksForEmpathy I used to follow her on Twitter (when I did other social media) and she was always so funny. I think she is such an interesting woman and an amazing storyteller 😊 7y
63 likes2 comments