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Enter the Aardvark
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
20 posts | 10 read | 9 to read
A young congressman discovers a mysterious stuffed aardvark on his doorstep and sets out on a rip-roaring journey to find out what it means in this "weird, wonderful, and very much of the moment" (Esquire) novel about the secrets we keep from ourselves and their history-shaping consequences. It's early one morning on a hot day in August, and millennial congressman Alexander Paine Wilson (R), planning his first reelection campaign and in deep denial about his sexuality, receives a mysterious, over-sized FedEx delivery on his front stoop. Inside is a gigantic taxidermied aardvark. This outrageous, edge-of-your-seat novel hurtles between contemporary Washington, D.C., where Wilson tries to get rid of the unsightly beast before it destroys his career, and Victorian England--where we meet Titus Downing, the taxidermist who stuffed the aardvark, and Richard Ostlet, the naturalist who hunted her. Our present world, we begin to see, has been shaped in profound and disturbing ways by the secret that binds these men. At once a ghost story, a love story, and a stunningly prescient political satire, Enter the Aardvark confronts the consequences of repressed male love meeting oppressive male power, and is a searing condemnation of our current American blindness. It is also that rarest of creatures: a work of art so utterly original and masterfully built that it seems to have spring fully formed from its visionary maker's head.
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MaleficentBookDragon
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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I couldn‘t help myself. My disappointment with #BOTM the past several months has led me to join #aardvarkbookclub and I‘m thrilled.
My most anticipated book for this month was on there plus at least 6 more that I wanted. Combine that with a $4 code for your first book and they got me. 🤞
😻 #aardvark
Has anyone else switched? What are your thoughts?

JamieArc I haven‘t totally switched. But I‘ve become pretty blase about BOTM and it seems that between the two subscriptions, there is something to be excited about. 5mo
DestinyMorna I‘m still loving BOTM and am excited for the new Ali hazelwood book, Not in Love. Can‘t wait for my box! (edited) 5mo
AardvarkBookClub Huge welcome from the whole team!! 🫶 Thank you so much for supporting a small bookish business! 5mo
MaleficentBookDragon @AardvarkBookClub thank you! I am VERY excited about your selections and I‘m going to have a hard time waiting for my first box to arrive.😻 5mo
MaleficentBookDragon @DestinyMorna I get it. I do think #BOTM is great for romances. I think that is why my friend @CaringLoudly joined. Her two favorite genres are romance and literacy fiction (though I guess this is a category not genre) so she usually finds more appealing options than I have of late. I‘d love to do Jenny Lawson‘s #strangelingsbookclub but is it out of my price range right now. (edited) 5mo
45 likes5 comments
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Erinreadsthebooks
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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My first Aardvark box and I am not at all disappointed 🤩🥳👏💃💯

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I‘m really wanting to join, but I‘m trying to resist!! 1y
swishandflick Isn't the book quality amazing?? 1y
Megabooks @swishandflick agreed!! So much better than its competitor! 1y
Megabooks I got SW too! 1y
32 likes4 comments
review
Megabooks
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Panpan

This book was just plain silly, and I don‘t mean that in a good way. I‘m not sure about the point the author was trying to make other than anti-LGBTQ politicians who are gay are hypocrites. 🤷🏻‍♀️

A closeted gay Republican congressman has just been sent a stuffed aardvark from his secret lover who just committed suicide. Meanwhile the parallel story of the taxidermist who stuffed it in the 19th c is told. See, weird but not funny…👎🏻👎🏻

Megabooks I finished this last week before the two nights below freezing @Suet624 and we had this much Iris greenery above ground. 🤯 2y
Cinfhen Too bad it was a miss because it sounds like it had potential too be really entertaining 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I took a risk on this from the bargain section of book outlet, and it wasn‘t a win. Others have been, but I‘m not going to like every book unfortunately! 2y
TrishB It should have been a win for the title alone! 2y
CarolynM It was weird but I liked it. The mix of satire and pathos worked for me. 2y
76 likes5 comments
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Hooked_on_books
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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My first #aardvark box has arrived and what a pretty box it is! Plus it arrived sooner than I expected, which is always a pleasant surprise and particularly so this time of year. I‘ve been disappointed by a couple book clubs recently, so it‘s nice to have my expectations exceeded!

Librariana Agree that it is quite a pretty box and the book covers are as well! It's all quite complimentary 💜 2y
swishandflick Their customer service is the best I've ever seen with a book club too! 2y
Hooked_on_books @swishandflick That‘s so good! I‘m really tired of bad book club customer service, which I have just encountered too many times. 2y
47 likes3 comments
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swishandflick
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Gahhhh, look who's joined us!! Everybody welcome and follow @AardvarkBookClub ❤️ #aardvark

AardvarkBookClub Ahhh thanks for the shoutout! Very fun to checkout another bookish service 💃🔥 2y
swishandflick @AardvarkBookClub Just so glad to see y'all on Litsy!! 👏🏽 2y
75 likes3 comments
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swishandflick
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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After seeing their post about people being cruel about shipping delays, I responded to the email to let them know how much I loved my first box and that I wasn't going anywhere! I also plugged Litsy and told them BOTM has never joined us over here. This was their response ❤️ #Aardvark

AardvarkBookClub Hey hey hey 😄👋 2y
AardvarkBookClub We‘re exploring it now and loving it so far! 🫶 2y
See All 6 Comments
Centique Welcome to Litsy! @AardvarkBookClub 2y
marleed Oh cool! 2y
Eggs Welcome @AardvarkBookClub 🥳🥳 2y
87 likes6 comments
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swishandflick
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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A note from the #Aardvark team on shipping delays! Am I the only one who's unbothered? They're a start-up, so I feel like some grace is necessary, personally. And it isn't like I don't have a million unread books staring me in the face in the meantime 😂

MicheleinPhilly “Hateful or threatening messages”? Good grief, people need to get a grip. It‘s books, not life-saving pharmaceuticals. 🙄 God, I hate people. 2y
swishandflick @MicheleinPhilly Right?! I thought the same thing. I sent an email just to say I loved my first box and that they're doing great. It always takes start ups a little time to adjust, so I don't get the hate. I also told them about Litsy, I'd love to see them on here since BOTM never has. (edited) 2y
MicheleinPhilly People are seriously unhinged. Beginning to think the bunker crowd has the right idea. Full of my books, naturally. ☺️ 2y
See All 15 Comments
jdiehr I'm totally unbothered! It gives me time to catch up on other reading. I feel bad for the ugly messages they refer to. 2y
Aims42 Your reaction and the comments here just make me feel so happy and relieved there are still good humans out there! 🥰🥰🥰 2y
swishandflick Gotta love our Litsy fam! @jdiehr @Aims42 2y
Aims42 @swishandflick @jdiehr @MicheleinPhilly YES! 100% agree that the Litsy fam is the best 💗💗💗💗 2y
vlwelser Completely unbothered. Still reading my October pick, actually. 2y
brittanyreads I feel the same. I'm not troubled by the delay and appreciate them owning up to their issues. 2y
DGRachel I saw the story on Instagram and was heartbroken. I don‘t subscribe, but I almost feel like I need to even if I don‘t care for any of the book selections to counteract hateful people. I just do not understand why people can‘t be kind. It costs you nothing to pause, breathe, think about your words, and choose kindness. 2y
KT1432 I don‘t understand the hate at all. It‘s a tough business and a million times harder for a start up! I have soooo many books I need to read lol. 2y
Breanne1 I felt the same way!!! I‘ll just have to read one of the hundreds of books in my TBR pile 😂🤣😂 Poor Aardvark!!! 2y
marleed Oh geez, I feel compelled to subscribe now! 2y
Megabooks Same! I hate that people are being mean. If you‘re enough of a reader to join a startup book club, you have other books!! 2y
DogMomIrene Doesn‘t bother me. I haven‘t read the first two books they sent. I‘m always behind on my reading. I subscribed to add more diversity to my TBR. 2y
60 likes15 comments
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swishandflick
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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This prompt from #Aardvark is kind of fun, not that I have a happy love life to report, unfortunately.

So mine would probably be either:
- Must Love Cats
- Swiping Right: A Horror Story

What about you? 😂

BookedBySunrise The Girl Who Just Wanted to be Loved One Day! 2y
marleed It Was Good While It Lasted 2y
marleed Or maybe …. It Was Good and then It Was Gone 2y
See All 6 Comments
Kerrbearlib The Things We Don‘t Talk About 2y
swishandflick @MoBee You and me both girl! 2y
swishandflick @marleed Awww *hugs* 2y
76 likes6 comments
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swishandflick
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Folks on Instagram have been commenting on the lack of diversity in Aardvark's first month of books and this was their response (personally I think it's a good one). As a fledgling company, I hope folks give them a chance to get up and running before casting judgement! (I feel like i'm starting to become the #Aardvark fan club captain on Litsy 😂)

marleed That is a wonderful response to criticism. 2y
BarbaraBB I am happy with you as their ambassador! 2y
DogMomIrene I‘m thrilled you‘re their unofficial ambassador! I‘ve been limiting my social media time, so I just learned about Aardvark yesterday and signed up for their updates. I‘m hoping people give them a chance to get up and running too. They ship to Canada! So many subscription boxes either don‘t or charge a lot. Come on Tim Apple😉 2y
See All 9 Comments
swishandflick @marleed I agree! Feels genuine too 👏🏽 2y
swishandflick @BarbaraBB Haha, yay! I'm not even an official member yet since I'm an Apple user, but I have a really good feeling about them and just wanting to spread the word 😆 2y
swishandflick @DogMomIrene Totally agree! While us Apple folks have to wait a bit longer, their October picks are in my last post if you want a heads up before the iOS app goes live! 💕 2y
Hooked_on_books I think theirs is a great response! People are so quick to criticize without having all the information, and this response does a beautiful job of showing how much more complex things can be than people realize. 2y
LiteraryinPA I agree. Nice way to address it and hopefully they come through in the winter. 2y
62 likes9 comments
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swishandflick
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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This #Aardvark social post made me laugh. Apparently the only thing they're waiting on before launch is their apps to be approved. I personally don't mind the wait, I'm excited for BOTM to have a little competition and to see how this goes! 👏🏽

Jemgirl2014 I just used my old Samsung Note to sign up and order. lol I got “The Swamp Queen”. The book was a little more than what I would have paid with BOTM. I will probably buy from this club sparingly. We shall see. 😊 2y
59 likes1 comment
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swishandflick
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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PSA: there's a new book club subscription service on the way! The concept seems very similar to #BOTM, 4-5 picks each month, etc (although this one's available for Canada peeps, FYI!). I'll be interested to see what kind of picks they offer, and why they chose the name Aardvark, haha.

What do you think? Is anyone's interest piqued? #Aardvark

KristiAhlers I‘m always down to explore stuff like that. You had me at books 🤣 2y
JamieArc It looks like BOTM is going to be expanded to include Canada. In a fb group, someone posted a forthcoming announcement that had Canadian images. Did you see that? 2y
wanderinglynn Thanks for sharing! 2y
swishandflick @JamieArc I hadn't seen that yet! But it wouldn't surprise me, they've had people begging for Canada access for a long time. 2y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Thanks for sharing! I've joined their mailing list so I can check it out once they're up & running. 2y
63 likes5 comments
review
JoyBlue
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Pickpick

This farce unfolds in present-day Washington, DC, and Victorian England. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#enter-the-aardvark

CarolynM Glad to hear you liked it too 🙂 3y
38 likes2 comments
review
stretchkev
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Panpan

Supposed to be a cutting political satire. More a collection of tired clichés about politics told in a provocative way.

Some interesting tidbits about aardvarks', so no at all bad.

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Kanarthi
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
Mehso-so

A blistering, hilarious start with incisive character portraits slowly slid into slightly preachy mediocrity. Worth a read for the details and surprises, but brace yourself for a disappointing whiff of an ending which wrapped up the concerns of its main characters too tightly. I was left without strong emotions except, of course, a new but deep affection towards aardvarks.

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CarolynM
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Pickpick

This is a weird one but I enjoyed the ride. It is viciously satirical but also just really f***ing sad. I liked the clever use of dual time lines and the juxtapositions of the self images of the 19th and 21st century caharacters. I'd like to think Representative Alexander Paine Wilson (R) is too much of a caricature to be convincing except too much rang true. Have you read this one @Reggie ? You might like it.

Reggie I have not but I‘ll put it on my list for my Pride month reading. ‘A ghost story, a love story, and political satire.‘ Lol sure why not. 4y
64 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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BookishMarginalia
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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A random #shelfie for pandemic times

Clare-Dragonfly Piranesi is February‘s selection for one of my book clubs! 4y
Soubhiville I‘m about halfway through Cassidy Holmes right now. 🙂 4y
117 likes2 comments
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Victoria6
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Book #50: Somehow I read two books this month about gay taxidermists.

review
AlexGeorge
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Pickpick

Delightfully weird and different. I don‘t know that, as a satire, it precisely hit its targets, but it was hugely enjoyable.

20 likes1 stack add
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AlexGeorge
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
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Weirdly, another novel about taxidermy (after MOSTLY DEAD THINGS), but that‘s OK. It‘s brilliantly written and very good. Enjoying it hugely. Or bigly.

10 likes1 stack add
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Herschelian
Enter the Aardvark | Jessica Anthony
Panpan

I thought, from what i‘d read about it that this was going to be a clever, very funny satire of US politics. I didn‘t laugh once - in fact I hardly even smiled. Satire? Seriously?