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#Readaway2025
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TheSpineView
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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#Readaway2025 @DieAReader

Yesterday I read for 5.75 hours bringing my YTD total to 55.75 hours.
I worked on Things We Never Got Over, Lover Avenged and The Naughty List.

I also bought three new books just couldn't resist. #NoShelfControl

DieAReader 🤓🤗💖 16h
51 likes1 comment
review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

Short Review: This was an odd Poirot book for me, he doesn't appear for the first few chapters & when he does he seems to be more of a side character to Katherine Grey. The mystery itself was textbook Christie but it just didn't seem to work as well as some of her other books. I think the problem for me is that I just didn't like Katherine Grey. Don't know why, just didn't. 3.5🌟

TWs: racism/xenophobia, internalised misogyny.

TheSpineView 📖 💜 Excellent! 2d
Librarybelle Agree with this! 2d
See All 8 Comments
willaful I seem to recall this was Christie's *least* favorite of her own books. 2d
DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 2d
OutsmartYourShelf @willaful I wouldn‘t be surprised. 1d
Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 6h
39 likes1 stack add8 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
Wicked Jenny | Matt Hilton
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Pickpick

Short review: The storyline alternates between the past & the present so we start to see what happened back in 1988 bit by bit, & the narrative also cycles between several of the characters but the reader mainly hears from Andy. The boys were not particularly nice teens, especially to frogs. As the story progresses you get the feeling that there's something not quite right with what you are being told. No spoilers so I won't say more than that.

OutsmartYourShelf There's a paranormal element to the story as well which works quite well, although the ending was a little strange. Overall I thought it was a solid horror tale with a creepy undertone. 4🌟

TWs: (major) violence, murder, injury detail. (moderate).suicide, sexual content, animal cruelty.

My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, Severn House, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
4d
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 4d
Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 4d
35 likes4 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
Rebellious Grace | Jeri Westerson
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Pickpick

Short review: This is the third in the series but the first one I've read & for me it worked just as well as a standalone. I think because each one is set in the court of a different wife of Henry VIII, it didn't feel as if I'd missed huge amounts. If you have a rudimentary knowledge of Tudor history, you should be fine. I also adored the character of Somers' dog, Nosewise.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6920085535

PuddleJumper ❄️❄️ 4d
Andrew65 Ooh, like the sound of this one. Not a book or author I know. Well done 👏👏👏 4d
32 likes3 comments
blurb
TheSpineView
Readathon: Occasional List : Geleentheidslys | Gauteng (South Africa). Education Media Service
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#ReadAway2025 @DieAReader

On day five I read for for 6.5 hours. That brings my YTD total to 28.0.
I finished another book yesterday, The Pucking Wrong Number. I started Say You Swear by Meghan Brandy. I hope to finish Going Postal today.

DieAReader Happy reading🤓💖 5d
TheSpineView @DieAReader 😘📖📚 5d
54 likes2 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
Young Stalin | Simon Sebag Montefiore
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Pickpick

Out of Churchill, Hitler, & Stalin, I know the least about Stalin so decided now would be the perfect time to read this first book in the two part series. How did Joseph Dzhugashvili from Georgia become the megalomaniac ruler of Russia & preside over millions of deaths of his own people?

OutsmartYourShelf Even from the start Stalin seemed to have innate confidence in his own abilities & judgment & a powerful personal charisma. This book deals with his life from his humble origins to just after Lenin took power. It's informative but it's very verbose & therefore the text seems very dense. It also seemed a much longer book than it actually was & there are lots of footnotes. 6d
OutsmartYourShelf Stalin comes across as a sociopath or even psychopath at times: manipulative, able to walk away from those he professed to love without a backward glance (including some of his own children), & an astounding lack of empathy with others. I'm thinking the second book will be very interesting. 4🌟

TWs: adult/minor relationships, animal death (moderate).
6d
See All 9 Comments
Andrew65 Excellent 🎉🎉🎉 6d
PuddleJumper Nice! 6d
Librarybelle Montefiore‘s books all seem a bit verbose. I have a discarded library copy of this one to read some day: 6d
OutsmartYourShelf @Librarybelle Oh yes, I‘ve got that one too. 6d
dabbe Wowza. Those eyes just scream to me: psychopath. 😱😱😱 6d
DieAReader 🎉🤓Great!! 6d
37 likes9 comments