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A Discovery of Witches: free exclusive chapter sampler
A Discovery of Witches: free exclusive chapter sampler | Deborah Harkness
Free for a limited time only, this is the thrilling opening to the internationally bestselling All Souls trilogy. A Discovery of Witches will introduce you to the magical world of Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont. Look out for second book Shadow of Night, also available now, and the final instalment The Book of Life, out on July 15th 2014.
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xicanti
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Yeah, so, my attitude towards A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES has officially gone from, “I‘ll probably like this, despite its TWILIGHT vibes,” to, “Ugh, I dislike pretty well everything about Harkness‘s approach and it‘s so LONG and TEDIOUS and WHYYYYYY.”

I‘m gonna finish it in case the time travel element saves it, but I have few hopes.

At least my Wuhan hot dry noodles were good. I increased the noodle:sauce ratio and added MANY mustard tubers.

Aims42 I hear ya! I was enjoying this book and then halfway through it was like, “can we just get on with it?” 😂 I bailed and never looked back lol 🚀 3w
sarahbarnes 😆😆😆 3w
Amiable I also disliked this book! 3w
See All 10 Comments
quietjenn As me to the club of those who do not love this one. 3w
Ruthiella One of the few books I DNFed. (edited) 3w
xicanti @Aims42 I was like, I wanna bail, but I also wanna see the time travel, and I‘ve invested so much time in it already that I want to be able to count it on my reading list, which I don‘t do with stuff I‘ve bailed on. So here I am sorta sloppy speed-reading it. 3w
xicanti @Amiable @quietjenn @Ruthiella we‘re all in good company, by the sound of it. 3w
Aims42 @Amiable @quietjenn @Ruthiella @xicanti Yay!! I‘m relieved to know I‘m not alone 🤩 3w
PaperbackPirate I thought it was meh but was curious enough to try the second in the series. I Iiked it even less and gave up on finishing the trilogy. 😏 3w
xicanti @PaperbackPirate I was like, “Ooh, Tudor England!” But then I asked myself if I wanted to put up with Diana and Mathew for even ten more pages, let alone six hundred. I marked the omnibus as finished without even trying SHADOW OF NIGHT. 3w
44 likes10 comments
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xicanti
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Saki helped me read a couple more chapters of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES at lunchtime. I went in hoping I‘d get something like POSSESSION with magic, but as of maybe-25% (the omnibus edition makes it tough to tell) I find it more like TWILIGHT with adult academics instead of high school students. While the content differs, the vibes are there.

I think I‘ll like it overall, but I dunno if I‘ll become an ardent fan. We‘ll see how it unfolds.

Ruthiella 😻😻😻 3w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w
Larkken Definite twilight with academics vibes 😂 3w
See All 6 Comments
xicanti @Larkken it‘s like, they‘re going to yoga class! And riding horses! And he‘s got this whole big found family! I expect the baseball game is coming soon. 3w
Larkken @xicanti 🤣🤣🤣 shame on Twilight making modern authors think “sneak in and watch her sleep” should be swoon worthy (tho honestly now idk if this or twilight came first???) 3w
xicanti @Larkken Twilight was five or six years ahead of this, and the further in I get, the more it looks like Harkness read it and was like, “I‘m gonna write the adult version of that.” I‘m pretty sure I dislike ADoW now, but I‘ve invested so much time in it that I‘m gonna finish. 3w
41 likes6 comments
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Gissy
A Discovery of Witches | Deborah E. Harkness
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#WickedWhispers Day 15 prompt- witch
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#HauntedShelf #FrightClub team @Jadams89
#BookRecommendation 30 pts
#BookScavengerHunt prompt-fancy font (that letter A is fancy😜) 15 pts

530 pts (previous) + 45 pts (current) = 575 pts

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Started watching this last night! 2mo
Eggs 🧙 🖤 💀 2mo
36 likes2 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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I haven‘t read this series yet, but I‘m home alone and decided to watch it! So excited 💫🪄🖤🧙‍♀️

JenlovesJT47 Let me know how it is! The books have been on my TBR for awhile now. 2mo
Cupcake12 I love this series. Enjoy x 2mo
Scochrane26 I love the books & think they did great with the tv series. A favorite show—partly because I ❤️ Matthew Goode. 2mo
59 likes4 comments
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Catsandbooks
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1. I would love to swim with the manatees in Crystal River in Florida! 🩵

2. Tagged has The Bodleian Library, another place I'd love to visit!

#wondrouswednesday

Eggs Thanks for playing and sharing 👌🏼 3mo
julieclair Those are two wonderful “someday” dreams! 3mo
38 likes2 comments
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Sharpeipup
Discovery of Witches | Deborah Harkness
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“Once the world was full of wonders, but it belongs to the humans now. We, creatures, have all but disappeared.”
#page2screen

Apparently it‘s now on Netflix so there goes my day…😁🥰

julesG Oh! Runs to switch on the TV 4mo
Sharpeipup @julesg join the fun. I‘ve already finished season 1 4mo
julesG Not on Netflix in Germany and I'm not paying for every single episode on Prime. I'll wait. It might happen in the next weeks. 4mo
33 likes1 stack add3 comments
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chlolovesbooks
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Little Key West Bookstore haul 📚

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Littlewolf1
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This month i kinda isolated and disconnected a little, and found comfort is some rereads. This is what my month looked liked.

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MissHel
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Pickpick

The new book in the series is out, so I‘m doing a reread of the first three. (I‘m not rereading the fourth. I have mostly apathy towards it.) Wednesday was my reading buddy once again!

Ruthiella 😻😻😻 5mo
dabbe #whimsicalwednesday 🖤🐾🖤 5mo
Darklunarose Wednesday is the perfect reading companion 5mo
14 likes3 comments
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lil1inblue
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Thanks for the tag, @eggs!
1. My unusual talent is that I can write backwards (mirrored) in cursive. (Like Da Vinci only not as smart. 😂)
2. Diana Bishop's magical powers are activated in A Discovery of Witches. Love this book, and the rest of the series.
#two4tuesday

TheSpineView Cool talent! 😎 Thanks for playing! 8mo
AmyG Wow…that is a talent. 8mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Wow! So cool 😎 ✍️ 8mo
Eggs Awesome 👏🏻 8mo
lil1inblue @thespineview @amyg @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs Haha. Thanks! It's kind of a party trick. 😎 8mo
26 likes5 comments
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deeannloso
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Bailedbailed

I‘m going to leave this one for a while. It‘s a really dense book and I don‘t have the bandwidth right now to retain all the information. I‘ll come back to it later.

deeannloso @dabbe 👍🏻😊 8mo
38 likes1 stack add2 comments
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deeannloso
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In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.

34 likes1 stack add
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DebbieGrillo
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1. A Biblical character.

2. How about a book I love with an author who has the same first name as me?

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

TheSpineView An author works! Thanks for playing 10mo
36 likes1 comment
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SlytherinBookLady
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Pickpick

Holy!!!! The research that went into this series… oh my word!! I absolutely loved the first book. I will be reading the others. The tv series is so good too if you haven‘t watched it. If you love the paranormal you absolutely have to pick this series up, then go watch the tv show!!! You can‘t tell, but my is annotated fairly heavily. There‘s so much stuff that happens that I had to mark!

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jackilynn
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Finally a new one. Yipee!!!! Of course I tried to preorder it already but the links aren't up yet 😩

Meshell1313 Oh good news indeed! Thanks for sharing!! 12mo
jackilynn @Meshell1313 Your welcome! I was super excited when I saw the cover releases this morning and I figured if anyone else would be just as excited they would be found on Litsy lol 12mo
12 likes2 comments
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ReadingVampire
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Mehso-so

Diving into 'A Discovery of Witches' was like embarking on a magical mystery tour - a whirlwind of fantasy, romance, and scholarly secrets! But whoa, the storytelling was a bumpy ride, hopping from a vampire's bird's-eye view to inside a witch's mind. Plus, it was like getting lost in a maze of too many details & thoughts on repeat. Wished for a snappier, more spellbinding journey through this enchanting world! Loved the narrator of the audiobook!

Captivatedbybooks This is the few times i‘ll say the tv show was 10000xs better 13mo
ReadingVampire @Captivatedbybooks 💯 agree! 👍🏻 13mo
49 likes2 comments
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JessClark78
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Pickpick

‘It begins with absence and desire.
It begins with blood and fear.
It begins with a discovery of witches.‘

Always a great read. Love how detailed the writing is.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#RushAThon #31by31 #SpookOWeen #Witchathon
#Falling4Books #20in4 #FinalStretchathon
#SeriesLove2023 #Scarathlon2023
Related to Halloween +25
#ScarathlonWordSearch (2,056) +20,560

+20,586 points #HHC #HalloweenHexesCoven

Read4life 🍁👻🎃 14mo
annahenke I just finished watching the tv adaptation on Max and adored it! So true to the spirit of the books. 14mo
Texreader @annahenke I adored the tv series as well. I want to reread the series but mom has my books. 14mo
See All 8 Comments
TheSpineView Fantastic! 14mo
Andrew65 I started reading this two years ago then got COvID which wiped me out for over a month and never got back to it. I really need to go back and start this again as I was enjoying it, 14mo
dabbe 🧡🖤💜 14mo
Catsandbooks 🙌🏼🦇🧡 14mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 14mo
57 likes1 stack add8 comments
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JessClark78
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Finally opened one of my Monster Cereals. Had a bowl of Boo Berry, now I‘m ready to finish A Discovery of Witches.

#RushAThon #31by31 #SpookOWeen #Witchathon
#Falling4Books #FinalStrecthathon #20in4
#Scarathlon2023 #HalloweenBucketList

+11 points #HHC #HalloweenHexesCoven

dabbe 🖤💜🖤 14mo
46 likes1 comment
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Lizpixie
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I finished S3 of the tv series on Friday. It‘s been a few days of mayhem here so I‘m posting everything now, sorry about the flood of posts! #Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub 71pts

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Lizpixie
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Finished Season 2 of the TV series last night. Just finishing up Season 3 which I‘ll post later, then I‘m planning on watching The Fall Of The House Of Usher tonight. Looks really good from previews! #Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub 101pts

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Lizpixie
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I watched the 1st season of the tv series based on the first novel of the All Souls trilogy over the last few days as well. #Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub 81pts

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Lizpixie
A Discovery of Witches | Deborah E. Harkness
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Pickpick

Bk7 of #Scarathlon is done.Started listening to it as background while #audiojournaling & updating spreadsheets before I started to get into the story again.It‘s still one of the best witch/vampire novels out there. #31x31 #Falling4Books #Rushathon #Spookaween #AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #LittenListen #ISpyBingo #Witchathon #PromptMaze #BookspinBingo #PumpkinSpiceReadathon #Friday13thReadathon #ScaredyCatRC #OctoberRC👇#SpookyGhostClub 9561pts

TheSpineView Great job! 1y
Clwojick Woohoo! You‘re crushing it! 1y
See All 10 Comments
Read4life Great job! 🍁👻🎃 1y
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 1y
Texreader I love this one too! Just finished watching the series last month. It‘s so good too 1y
Catsandbooks 🙌🏼🔮💚 1y
PuddleJumper 🖤🖤 1y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 1y
Andrew65 Sensational 👏👏👏 1y
37 likes10 comments
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Lizpixie
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I‘ve been both #audiojournaling & #audiocolouring the last few days while listening to the tagged book(yes I know, again🤷🏻‍♀️). Printed out a few free Halloween colouring pages from online, there‘s so many different ones, I‘ll be printing out more for my next audiobook! And it‘s on my #ScarathlonBucketList too. A black cat is perfect for Friday 13th I think. #Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub 26pts

dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1y
Clwojick so fun! 1y
32 likes2 comments
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hissingpotatoes
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Mehso-so

2.5/5⭐ I liked the historical & magical worldbuilding & the Bishop house.

However, the romantic relationship was basically Twilight for adults. Matthew's alpha maleness & mindless possessiveness dominated the story & expected subservience at every turn. His rages were so unhealthy & worrisome, as were the ridiculous number of important secrets he & Diana kept from one another.

I have no desire to continue reading the series. #buzzwordathon

EclecticBookLover I had similar feelings. The romance is so awful. 1y
Larkken Samesies on everything for me too! *shudder* 1y
19 likes2 comments
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AileenRR
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Pickpick

Don‘t know if I would have liked it as much if I hadn‘t seen season 1 of the show first 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Captivatedbybooks
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Mehso-so

First book of #2023. I had already knew how the book was going to be because I had seen the show on tv. I must saying watching the show was way better then the book for me.

BethM I could only do these on audio. The narrator was really good. 1y
22 likes1 comment
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Shemac77
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Pickpick

Great on audio.

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kricheal
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Starting this next on #audible

Vansa It's excellent! I loved it. 1y
55 likes1 comment
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Shemac77
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Next audio
(Dark eyed junko nesting)

CoverToCoverGirl I just started reading this today. I‘m not a fan of “magical” books but I decided to attempt this one. 1y
SamAnne I love Juncos! 1y
26 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Phelangies
Pickpick

I have all three books open. Reading through two and then going back to one to check what I missed as insignificant. Hardness writes a lot of history within her books. Book two transports me into the past. I really enjoy this book. Also peaked into the series after reading the books. Glad they left the yoga out… the book is as normal better than the show

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Bookfan1414
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I know I said a cozy read but rereading a book with witches, daemons and vampires counts right?

Darklunarose It counts, it counts because you have read it, you know the story and there is comfort in revisiting old favourites. 2y
16 likes1 comment
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HiMyNames_Alyssa
Discovery of Witches | Deborah Harkness
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Pickpick

One of my checklist items on my reading for 2023 is to read a series recommended by a friend. I don't generally do well with series. There's too many stories that I want to ingest for me to spend so much time on one. But I'm really glad I started this one. Book 1/3 of this series down, 2 to go and im already on the edge of my seat for #2! Then I can watch the show!!
Also Jennifer Ikeda does a phenomenal job reading this tale ❤️ 👏

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Deifio
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Bailedbailed

It was too much...to many details and definitely too much wine tasting! And I'm still not sure what the plot is. Don't get me started on the main character, she got soo annoyingly dependent on the live interest, who was super bossy and a stalker. How is that supposed to be sexy?! Long story short, DNF

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micaelapriestley
Mehso-so

"As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear. The other is desire." #februarybookclub #4of24booksin2023 #bookclub

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Smlambert725

“It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches.”
#March2023

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Ladygodiva7
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I do like to read some supernaturals!

#snowflake #snowflakes #papersnowflakes

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kissmehardy
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Pickpick

Idk what wild impulse made me #reread this, but I'm so glad I gave in. I love the layers and the vampire lore and the way Matthew and Diana interact. Should I watch the TV show? #fantasy

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eden.s.dipersio
A Discovery of Witches | Deborah E. Harkness
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Pickpick

If I could rate this book a million stars, I would. Loved every minute of it. Magical and romantic. The romantic vibes reminded me a bit of Twilight, but this was much more intellectual than Twilight. Very heavy in history and science. Can't wait to read the next ones!

9 likes1 stack add
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MoonWitch94
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#Two4Tuesday

1: Tie between Hermoine Granger AND Diana Bishop.

2: Stephen Lawhead‘s Fantasy trilogy “Song of Albion”. Modern historians fall through a cairn and end up in a magical Celtic realm. To save their own time, they must save Albion—or both will cease to exist. Hermoine & Diana would do well in these novels.

✨Anyone can play; how about it, @Blerdgal_Fenix @Branwen @swishandflick

Meshell1313 Ooh good choices! 2y
TheSpineView So right, they would be awesome in that world. Great picks! 2y
36 likes3 comments
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Sleepswithbooks
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Starting off 2023 on this much anticipated adventure. Thank you @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for my series of what I expect to be a magical journey 🪄 ✨✨✨

#Happy2023 #ADiscoveryofWitches #Litsylove #Booklove #ReadaJourney #Magic #MailboxHappiness

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You‘re very welcome 🤗💫🌟 2y
61 likes1 stack add1 comment
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galueth28
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I'm really enjoying this series, despite the very meandering plots and the romance being a bit iffy. But the worldbuilding is cool, and there's a cool magic house and time traveling 🤷‍♀️

#adventrecommends @emilyrose_x

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paisleyjess
Mehso-so

This is very similar to Twilight. I might have enjoyed it more if I knew that instead of thinking it was about witches in academia.

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StaceGhost
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Pickpick

Started promising but then ended cinematically. Still, there are many parts I loved! I think I‘d have preferred if it stayed more focused on old manuscripts & the mystery at the heart of it all. Still, a lovely holiday read!

Also, I took the time to decorate my desk yesterday! I love my Yuletide goat 🐐🧙🏻‍♀️

AmyG Love your plants!!! 2y
AllDebooks I love it all, gorgeous display 😍 2y
StaceGhost @AmyG @AllDebooks thank you! I‘m so excited to have an office space with enough light for plants 🪴 I don‘t even care that it‘s a cubicle lol 2y
MoonWitch94 The Yule goat is great! 2y
45 likes5 comments
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Scochrane26
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Right now, A Discovery of Witches is my favorite. I think the cast is great, & I didn‘t mind small changes or what was left out. Could have done with less politicking in the first season though. #sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz

BookmarkTavern That‘s a fun pick! Thanks for sharing! 2y
JudeCC So far, the series The Queen‘s Gambit by Walter Tevis. They did an excellent job with set dressings, wardrobe and following almost every detail to a T. Even the dialogue is spot on! LOVE when they respect the books and the author‘s work which is where the story was born in the first place. 😃🙌 2y
Scochrane26 @WJCintron I still haven‘t watched that one yet or read the book. I‘ve heard such good reviews about it, so I need to watch soon. 2y
JudeCC @Scochrane26 I really recommend it. They are both great!🙌😃 I don‘t think you‘ll be disappointed. Keep me posted. 👍 2y
30 likes4 comments
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Ericalambbrown
A Discovery of Witches | Deborah E. Harkness
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Pickpick

I ran across the tv series on AMC+ and gave it a go because I liked the cast. The chemistry between the leads was hot enough to melt your damn teeth so I had to pick up the books once I realized they were a thing. I really like this one! I‘m a science nerd and loved the academic bits that others apparently have found boring (according to other reviews). I really liked the secondary characters and how the author plays with the genre. Good stuff!

Vansa I loved this series!I absolutely love how cleverly she weaves in vampire stories with scientific explanations,and the bits about DNA testing and so on are excellent.And when they travel to the Elizabethan Age... absolutely LOVE it. 2y
Ericalambbrown @Vansa Exactly! And OF COURSE Christopher Marlowe was a daemon! 🤣 The whole thing with species decline and blood rage . . . I love that the vampires are all using their time in scientific discovery. But I also kinda really want Gallowglass to get his own book. 2y
CarolynM Supernatural stuff is really not my thing, but I enjoyed this book a lot and the next one even more🙂 I got distracted and didn‘t finish the third one, I hope to get back to it one day. 2y
SamAnne All these comments have just prompted me to stack a book Indefinitely didn‘t think was my genre! 2y
64 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Mrs_B
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Pickpick

Loved reading this book, couldn‘t put it down.
We went to Oxford today and had to of course take in some of the sights where the book is set!
Top Left: The Radcliffe Camera
Top Right: The Bodleian Quad
Bottom Left: All Souls College

My husband and I have been terribly remiss about getting our alumni reading cards for the Bodleian, we need to do that so next time we can go and read in Duke Humfrey‘s!

63 likes1 stack add
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Dcueto
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Figured it was about time I reas this one ❤️

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kimmypete1
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Pickpick

Just as wonderful the second time around. Can‘t wait to dive into the second one again!