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Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Special Topics in Calamity Physics | Marisha Pessl
The mesmerizing New York Times bestseller by the author of Night FilmMarisha Pessls dazzling debut sparked raves from critics and heralded the arrival of a vibrant new voice in American fiction. At the center ofSpecial Topics in Calamity Physicsis clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some friends. Upon entering the elite St. Gallway School, she finds somea clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods. One drowning and one hanging later, Blue finds herself puzzling out a byzantine murder mystery. Nabokov meets Donna Tartt (then invites the rest of the Western Canon to the party) in this novelwith visual aids drawn by the authorthat has won over readers of all ages.
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SheilaChew
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Pickpick

Wow! This was a dense read. It took me a while to get used to the main character‘s voice. The author‘s writing style is like a heavily annotated autobiography. But towards the end, things started to click and I went back to put the pieces together. It was all there and I missed most of it.
Brilliant!
September 7, 2024

JackOBotts This was a great read! I also enjoyed 2mo
SheilaChew @JackOBotts thanks for the recommendation! I‘ll look for that book! 2mo
22 likes2 comments
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SheilaChew
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This book is wordy - it took me awhile to get accustomed to the author‘s pace - but I‘m into it now!

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ImperfectCJ
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Pickpick

I read this novel for the first time 12 years ago, and although I write a very detailed review at the time, it seems I forgot almost everything about it except the tone and the ending. My children being in college and high school now changes my experience of this coming-of-age story, but I still enjoyed it. Blue's facility with language and her gradual realizations about her father still resonate for me.

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ImperfectCJ
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Kanoodle and an audiobook (a re-read) while waiting to see how intense this historic SoCal tropical storm will get. So far, in addition to the above activities, we lost internet briefly, I cut up a watermelon and baked GF bread, called my mom, and learned that my rain jacket is no longer waterproof. Next up: a movie then Skyping friends, if the infrastructure holds up.

BarbaraBB Take care 🍀 1y
Bklover Stay safe! 1y
BethM My cousin lives out there and just posted pics. Be safe! 1y
See All 8 Comments
julesG Stay safe! 1y
KadaGul @ImperfectCJ Be Safe. We all are 🙏 for your safety. #BeSafe 1y
SamAnne Stay safe! 1y
ImperfectCJ @SamAnne @KadaGul @julesG @BethM @Bklover @BarbaraBB Thank you! All is well for us today, at least in our part of town. I understand things in the mountains and deserts were quite a bit more intense, but although we've been warned that there could be more flooding today with runoff from higher elevations, it was mostly just a big rainstorm where we are. 1y
Bklover That‘s great! Hopefully you won‘t get any more flooding! 1y
59 likes8 comments
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fredamans
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Eggs Perfect 👍🏼 🤩 1y
29 likes1 comment
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cant_i'm_booked
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Mehso-so

I wanted to like this book - what with a young female protagonist who reads everything (from old Hollywood biographies to anarchic texts to physics tomes), and uses her vast stores of bookish knowledge to set about investigating the mysterious suicide of her favorite teacher on a camping trip. But….it‘s perhaps this same abundance of literary reference dotting every other sentence that made this novel feel a bit too heavy-handed and over-the-top.

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Kangaj1
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Here's my May stack for #bookspin #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

My focus is multi-colored spines, and this was a prettier way to show it than my list. A couple got cut off - Under a Dark Sky, The Shadow King, and the tagged book.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
33 likes1 comment
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JoeMo
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, and some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookaDay2023

JackOBotts Oooh! I really enjoyed this book. 2y
JoeMo @JackOBotts that‘s good to hear…Hopefully, I‘ll actually get around to Reading it someday! 😂 2y
31 likes2 comments
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Kangaj1
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Got most of these at a used bookstore today for $29 (plus three more for hubby), and the bottom two are from a friend's LFL.

Gissy Wow! Great sale📚👌 2y
34 likes1 comment
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AmandaBlaze
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Eggs 🖤📚❤️ 3y
21 likes1 comment
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Emilymdxn
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My second half of the year for #12booksof2021 - I loved all these from July to December! I just finished Night Bitch a few days ago but it was a very very clear favourite for me.

@Andrew65

Trashcanman How'd you like death in her hands? 3y
Emilymdxn @trashcanman it wasn't my favourite of hers but I've never read a book by Ottessa Moshfegh I haven't liked! 3y
Andrew65 Some interesting choices. 3y
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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

I am obsessed with this book in the most literal way. I read 600 pages in a day and a half and kept having to remind myself to slow down. So mysterious, funny, atmospheric and interesting. I loved Blue and her naive pretentious unreliable narration. I loved looking for clues, I loved the narrative style. Absolutely a top read of the year and I‘ll definitely reread.

annamatopoetry Isn't it delightful? I've met a fair number of people who compared it unfavorably to The Secret History, but I prefer it by a LOT. 3y
Emilymdxn @annamatopoetry SO amazing. I can see why people put it in the same sort of bracket as the secret history, which I also loved, but I don‘t see any way in which it‘s worse. Different tone and more quirky certainly! 3y
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Emilymdxn
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My second to last day in Greece and last day on the beach. This book is incredible, and reading on a hot beach when the wind is high in a amazing. I‘ll always associate reading this brilliant book with the sound of the waves and smell of the salt. Going to be very hard to adjust to going back to work in England on Monday!

MidnightBookGirl I do not blame you for wanting to stay- that is a gorgeous beach! 3y
mklong Beautiful! And I loved that one too. Her follow up was totally different but also brilliant 3y
batsy I enjoyed both this and Night Film! 3y
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MayJasper
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful cover!! 💗💗 3y
Eggs So pretty 🌸💖👏🏻 3y
batsy Me too! 3y
43 likes3 comments
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CharlesSwann
Panpan

Pretentious. Hated this. Tartt is better

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LaraS
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Mehso-so

I think this book would have benefited from tighter editing. Some great one-liners, and I see where the author was going with the literary quotes, but it's a long book for what happens. #ReadHarder prompt “read a doorstopper published after 1950, written by a woman.“
Photo credit here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hickatee/46813583774/in/photostream/

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JessClark78
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Dad always said a person must have a magnificent reason for writing out his or her Life Story and expecting anyone to read it.

#FirstLineFridays

Moonprismpower Two minutes into the second half, Masco‘s #19 took an indirect shot on our goal. 5y
Fil.d.Ariane I read this book fifteen years ago (🤯), I was seventeen and this first sentence kinda shook me. I never forgot it, nor did I forget this book. 3y
56 likes2 comments
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JoyBlue
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Pickpick

I first read this in January of 2007. I have remembered it *very fondly* all of these years. 😂 Sadly, I didn't lurrrrrve it this time. I still enjoyed it, but it didn't rock me. It's really long, given how little actually happens. [I guess I'm saying that she could have had a more gripping and effective book if she had (been) edited heavily.] Having just recently read Night Film (for the first time), I'd say that is a better work.

Leftcoastzen I have not read this but adore Night Film! 5y
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bookwrm526
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Pickpick

Finally finished this one - it took me quite a while! It was entertaining and I was very curious to see what Halle Ed, but it dragged quite a bit in places, and the little reference notes were distracting after a while. I do quite like her writing though, and I have enjoyed all of her books.

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Saari84
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Pickpick

Anfangs war ich mir nicht sicher, ob es mich überzeugen könnte.
Doch nach etwa 150 Seiten war ich total drin in der Geschichte, Blue und ihr Vater, ihre besondere Beziehung zueinander und zur Literatur, und vor allem Blue & ihre Clique - all das ließ mich das Buch kaum aus der Hand legen.
Das Ende brach mir etwas das Herz, aber Blue wird ihren Weg gehen. So oder so!

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Jason7
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Mehso-so

This is a long novel, packed full of allusions, metaphors, similes, and any other type of figurative language you can think of, and author often digresses from the main storyline. This, along with countless references & citations, leads to a fragmented reading/listening experience. At one point I thought I was going to like this novel a lot, but it never caught up to the potential I saw in the beginning. Overall rating: 4.07 stars

debra_a I enjoy your reviews. 5y
Jason7 Thanks. Where are your reviews? I thought you were reading Commonwealth? 5y
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Emu
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#day7 #7days7covers Post a cover you love each day for 7 days. No explanation needed

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ImperfectCJ
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1. The North Carolina mountains is one of my happy places.
2. Cool in the morning, high near 90, sunny. SoCal weather.☀️
3. Never really dated, just hung out with people until I married one of them.
4. One teen, one tween, and one cat who's nearly old enough to drink.
5. 🌼🏵️💮🌸

#friyayintro @howjessreads

Lynnsoprano Yes to the NC mountains! Love the Asheville area. 5y
ImperfectCJ @Lynnsoprano Asheville's where I spent my honeymoon 20(gasp!) years ago. It's been discovered since then, but I still love it. My grandma's family has lived in the area since the 1600's, so I guess it's in my blood. :-) 5y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Headed to Asheville this December to see the Downton exhibit at the Biltmore 😍 5y
See All 7 Comments
AmyK1 Love the NC mountains! 5y
ImperfectCJ @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Probably the best spot in the US for a Downton exhibit! 5y
BirdsandBelles Hello, fellow homeschool mama! 🥰 5y
ImperfectCJ @BirdsandBelles And hello back to you! 5y
27 likes7 comments
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MayJasper
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#LiteraryLove Prompt 15: #flowers @vkois88 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The book cover in the middle of the top row is one of my all time favourites 😍
#coversublime

rockpools Gorgeous! 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful 💐🌹💕 6y
Cathythoughts Lots of books I want .... ♥️♥️👍🏻 6y
See All 7 Comments
vkois88 How lovely! 6y
CarolynM I have a copy of your favourite but I've never got around to it. I'm going to get it out and give it a go. 6y
batsy I love that Pessl cover a lot, too! @CarolynM I found it a fun read 🙂 6y
MayJasper I am happy you enjoyed it @CarolynM 6y
76 likes7 comments
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emilyesears
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My plan for #deweysreadathon is simple: read the last 70 pages of Special Topics in Calamity Physics, read the entire Giant Days Extra Credit graphic novel, and read the intro and first essay in Reflections on the Psalms. After that (and for the rest of October), I will focus on my magazine reading. My mom is always bringing me magazines and I have an enormous stack of them on my nightstand at the moment.

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Mamashep
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I‘m 15 hours into a 21 hour audiobook and the jury‘s till our on this one. #boutofbook #bob23

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schilller
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Pickpick

I breezed through it in 3 days. it's delightful, tho maybe a teensy bit heavy on the intellectualism of the dad. having picked it up because of a Dark Academia reading list I subconsciously compared it to The Secret History, which it resembles in a few lone points - Calamity Physics feels more alive though, less aesthetic. and it raised a number of personal questions, which I hope I'll be able to answer in time...

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erinreads
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Finished up two in progress books today, but the others I‘m reading are not what I need right now, so trying a new one? I have an interview at 10:30 tomorrow, so my anxiety is kicking in hardcore right now. 😬😬😬😬 x a million!

Nebklvr You will do great! 6y
JennyM Good luck xxx 😘 6y
mrozzz Good luck! 🍀👍🏻 6y
BarbaraBB 🍀🍀 6y
Lcsmcat Good luck 🍀 on your interview! 6y
82 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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erinreads
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I‘m excited for all of these for the summer season of #Booked2018! First up is Blood in the Water, which I started last week.

📚Beach Read: The Summer Wives
📚Japanese Thriller: The Devotion of Suspect X
📚LGBT MC: We Are Okay
📚Set in School: Special Topics in Calamity Physics
📚Diverse Nonfiction: Blood in the Water
📚Blame it on Litsy: The Dry

teainthelibrary I‘ve started blood in the water.. so far an amazing book! 6y
tammysue 😍 6y
corycatelyn We are okay is good 😊 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage I love planning my reading. And then changing my mind ... 😜 6y
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Autumnlong
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Pickpick

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as well as Pessl‘s Night Film. She brings mixed media into her writing in a way that is novel and not heavy handed. (Also, her writing is gorgeous— so much unexpected & vibrant imagery!) This one reminded me of The Secret, a little bit and it was compelling to move through even before it delves into the mysterious aspects of the story. The last chapter disappointed a smidge, but it was a v enjoyable read regardless.

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Shemac77
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Pickpick

This was my second time reading this book; the first was over 10 years ago (I think).
The second read was great, not as enthusiastic as I was the first time and found the writing a little tedious. But. It‘s still one of the best books I‘ve ever read. Blue is a wonderful character and I found the premise so unique. Everyone was so well fleshed. Can‘t wait to see what I think when I read it for a third time.

Cathythoughts I really like the sound of this one ! Stacking 👍🏻 6y
Cathythoughts I see some comparisons to Donna Tartt ... excited to discover a new book 6y
Shemac77 It‘s definitely not for everyone; I can see why people would be frustrated with her writing. But I absolutely loved it. Let me know what you think of it when you‘ve read it! @Cathythoughts 6y
52 likes3 comments
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Shemac77
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I read this years ago and remember being blown away by the writing. Hoping I get to revisit that same feeling.

Bookgirl I actually found the writing in this book pretentious, but I was obsessed with the story and it led me to read A Secret History and The Basic Eight, among others. Definitely deserves a reread! 6y
valeriegeary @Bookgirl yeah I couldn't stand the writing of this one either but I loved her other book NIGHT FILM 6y
Bookgirl @valeriegeary Agreed on Night Film!! 6y
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CoffeeAndABook
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Bailedbailed

Nope, not for me!!! I SERIOUSLY wanted to like this book but, alas, DNF!!! Very frustrating!!

I just didn‘t care to spend more time with it, with the pretentious characters & well, honestly, the somewhat pretentious writing.
I did find an online plot summary though, to find out where the story goes.
I can see how this is a matter of taste, it wouldn‘t hurt to give it a chance, the story is quite intriguing & the overall style very original!!

ValerieAndBooks I tried this one quite some time ago, and it started out really promising. Then I ended up bailing (can‘t remember if it was because of some event in the book or because it didn‘t hold my interest anymore). 6y
CoffeeAndABook @ValerieAndBooks Yes, I agree on that it starts out so promising. And then quickly becomes unbearable! 😣 Oh well, bailing was the right decision - so many great books waiting to finally be read by us 👏🏻👏🏻 🎉 6y
26 likes2 comments
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CoffeeAndABook
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Slow morning...
I‘ve got to go to work later but for for now I‘m takin‘ it easy with my delicious first cuppa & giving it a whirl with this new book. With all the mixed reviews I‘m optimistically cautious about it 😁
The first pages are certainly refreshingly different!
And - yeah, the cover is so pretty 🎀

LibrarianJen I like this cover! 7y
CoffeeAndABook @LibrarianJen I know right? Hard to resist 😊 7y
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KimmyM
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This book has been on my shelf for ages, and I've enjoyed her other books so I'm thinking about starting to read this today.
#bookandabeverage

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Mamashep
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Finally got to the library book sale for audiobooks. Now what to listen to first? Have you read any of these?

intothehallofbooks I looove Robert Goolrick! I love Heading Out to Wonderful so much. Just, ahhh, emotions. 7y
Mamashep @intothehallofbooks should have started with that one! It‘ll be next! 7y
13 likes2 comments
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mcipher
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Chatting Marisha Pessl with my sister. It‘s so great when you lend someone a favorite book and they love it too. ❤️

batsy That's a great description of Night Film. It's how I felt reading Jennifer Egan's The Keep, as well. I was also in a hotel room alone and had to sleep with a light on 😆 7y
mcipher @batsy oh, that was another creepy one!! 7y
vivastory I wish I could read Night Film for the first time again. Completely brilliant. Will definitely be checking out The Keep! 7y
See All 11 Comments
Avanders Agree with 👆🏽👆🏽 loooved Night Film! 7y
MyNamesParadise Night Film is one of my favorite books!! I wish it would be made into a movie! A new book by Marisha comes out in June! 7y
mcipher @vivastory I was surprised by how awesome my second reading of it was - I still got totally freaked out! The Keep is also good but not as good (sorry). 7y
mcipher @MyNamesParadise It would be such a good movie! I can‘t wait for her new book. 👍 I can‘t imagine she can improve on Night Film (one of my all time favorites too) but if it‘s even half as good... ❤️ 7y
TorieStorieS I loved that book too!!! 💕💕 7y
Autumnlong Yes! I loved this book! And I had no idea she had a new one coming out. Did you read Special Topics in Calamity Physics? I have it on a shelf somewhere, yet to read! 7y
mcipher @Autumnlong Yes! I loved that one, too. But Night Film is my favorite (so far). 7y
72 likes1 stack add11 comments
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MayJasper
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#bookwithabeautifulcover is the #janinbooks18 challenge. I remember picking this book in the library first because of the gorgeous cover then because of the quirky title. It was a good pick as I really enjoyed reading it.
Thanks @bookisglee

Miss_Kim Gorgeous! I would read it based solely on the cover too! 7y
AmyG I read this, but the cover was not this lovely. 7y
batsy I quite liked this, too. 7y
63 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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maggiereadsgood
Pickpick

Astonishingly refreshing, filled to the brim with wit and heart and a twist that'll leave you dumbfounded. Cannot recommend highly enough.

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writerlibrarian
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Was bored. It was supposed to be all I suspect... See there were all these clues I left you reader.. aren't I clever type of ending. The twist at the end was OCC to the power of a 💯. This was more a vanity writing look how cultured I am, see how I read Lolita, type of novel than the father/daughter relationship with a curious mystery type of novel. Very disappointing and definitely a waste of my time which makes me 😡😡😡 #emojinov

suvata I bailed on this book. 7y
writerlibrarian @suvata I did throw it, metaphorically, across the room a few times, I did finish it but I wish I didn't. So much time lost finishing books that I 😡 7y
mjdowens I was so excited to get this one. Got about halfway and was like WTF am I reading?? It would be a good book if it was not written like you were a philosophy professor. 7y
34 likes3 comments
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HyacinthGirl
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Mehso-so

I think there's probably something impressive about this book. But the teenage pretension stopped being charming about halfway through, it stopped being fun hating every single character with absolute fervor, and the climax during which the narrator discovers the secrets of the novel is mind numbingly boring. Still, the format is interesting, and the scope is something to praise.

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ReadingMidwife
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So delightfully meta!! I can't wait!

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jenniferw88
Pickpick

4 ⭐. It would have been 5 ⭐ but the constant referencing of other media texts started to get annoying.
P for #LitsyAtoZ completed ✅ @BookishMarginalia

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jenniferw88
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jenniferw88
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Anyone fancy being reminded of Doctor Who? 😉❤️😍

Kaitlyn.keith.529 I had to check the title to see if it was something Doctor Who related 😂 that was my first thought 7y
TheBookkeepersApprentice One of my favorite books! 7y
70 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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jenniferw88
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Why is it every time I open a book today I get one of the photo challenge prompts? #bugs for #sizzlinsummerreads @Tiffy_Reads. Photo taken on holiday in Crete.

Quote: Nigel was sitting in his chair staring at Hannah, and the way his eyes were buried behind his glasses, reflecting the candles, until he turned his head and they emerged for a moment like beetles in sand, the way he sat so straight, so small yet so substantial, he looked like 👇

jenniferw88 Napoleon, especially the unappealing oil rendering of the diminutive French Emperor on the cover of Dad‘s foundational seminar textbook, Mastering Mankind (Howards & Path, 1994). 7y
58 likes1 stack add1 comment
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HannaPolkadots
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#marchintoreading day 31: #bestofmarch. These are my stats for an amazing book month. A lot of good books. Now I look forward to @RealLifeReading 's book challenge for April and I thank @Simona for inspiration as to how to log my reading progress . 🤗

Simona I like to track this categories , because then I'm more aware of what I'm reading and how. 8y
HannaPolkadots I agree. Especially interesting to track where the authors I read are from, I think. Great idea @Simona ! 8y
BookwormBeth Ooh I have this book notebook from the bookish box. 8y
10 likes3 comments
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Lauren.Archer
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Pretty good month...it started off slow, but finished strong.

britt_brooke Excellent month! 👏🏻 8y
Cinfhen Amazing 💕💕 8y
Allietaylor16 I love this. I'm really considering getting into bullet journaling. 8y
See All 7 Comments
PurpleyPumpkin Great month!👍🏽 8y
MayJasper Love your journalling 👏 8y
Reviewsbylola That's awesome! 👏👏👏 8y
rachellayown 👍👍👍 8y
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suvata
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Love this quote.

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suvata
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I started reading this today. I just love the terminology and book references. Fun read so far.

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