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Caralen

Caralen

Joined May 2016

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Caralen
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I love the Awkward Yeti!!! In this second volume, a lot of new internal organs join Heart and Brain. :)

Books_Wine_Repeat Love this! 8y
12 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Caralen
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^^^ I was one of those, but deeply regret it now. Memories fade over the years but: Has Roe always been so awful?? She's pregnant, her brother's missing. When everything's going on, she's annoyed that people aren't more excited about her pregnancy. When her friend needs support, she's like, what about me? And the mystery...meh. At least it was short. I wanted Ms. Harris to revisit the Harper/Grave series but after this???? No, please don't.

4 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
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First, I ❤️ all of Riordan's myth books. Yet, this series & the Apollo series have begun to let me down. Magnus's books are almost Percy Jackson-lite, formulaic, with frequent pauses in the narrative for PSAs about different Issues! he wants to cover. Why Riordan wasn't able to add these in a more organically, I don't know. OMG, I wish Litzy didn't have a character limit because I have a lot to say!!
Spoiler: Thankfully Percy is coming!!!

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Caralen
Utopia | Ahmed Khaled Towfik
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In this utopia, people are able to indulge in whatever they want. Drugs, sex, etc. So the people get bored, so they compare their boredom to Nazi concentration camps?????!!!!!

BookishFeminist Um what!? That is not okay. Why would someone even think to compare those!? 8y
6 likes1 comment
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Caralen
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DNF. I'm kinda angry about that too. I wanted to love this book, but I've been betrayed. The prose is purple (thus the purple used to outline one - of many - examples of this). It reeks strongly of RPF (real person fanfic), which is a type of fanfic I loathe. Another problem is that this is told from Melville's POV, and in this, he comes across as awful, obsessed, manipulative. Poor Hawthorne. And poor reader, bc is any of this even the truth??

10 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
Baker Street Jurors | Michael Robertson
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Two brothers have their legal office at 221B Baker St. Per their lease, they have to handle letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. They solved mysteries, for the most part. In this book (5th in the series), one brother gets jury duty and stuff starts going down. ****A SPOILER (kinda): the weird thing is that it's not him that solves the crime...it's another juror who is acting, deducting, and speaking like Sherlock.

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Caralen
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I'm so disappointed because I really wanted to *love* this one, but I probably shouldn't have read this so soon after Homegoing. While I liked it and appreciated all the characters' stories & Cora's observations of the various societies, I was really put off by the fantasy/time travel(?!) elements. I can't imagine who I could recommend this to - unlike Homegoing, a masterpiece, that I haven't stopped recommending since I read it.

6 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
Medieval Cats | Kathleen Walker-Meikle
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This cat is preaching to three mice, but, alas, two of the mice are goofing off. Lol this book was a quick read about different written accounts (nonfic, letters, poems, fic) about cats in the Medieval period. Each little account was accompanied by art featuring cats. I discovered there's a coloring book featuring some of these!!!

6 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
Revolutionary poems in the struggle against colonialism | Fransisco Borja da Costa, Jill Jolliffe
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Incredibly powerful, brutal poems by a man who soon after writing these was murdered horrifically by Indonesian invaders in 1975. His stand for his people's liberty took over 25 years to become a reality. After surviving the Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, and Indonesians, Timor Leste finally became independent in the early 2000s. Read for my #COTW challenge: Timor Leste.

5 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
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Tony is more mature, yet still his snarky self, with new armor. His new girl is awesome (read: doesn't put up with his nonsense). AwesomeFacialHairBro!Dr. Strange helped out. Madam Masque has mystical powers?! Doctor Doom is good?????!! And, MJ Watson? Whaaaaa? Seriously everything worked perfectly - it was so hard to pick just one scene for my photo.

Caralen AND, the next volume is supposed to introduce Riri Williams, the girl who takes over for Iron Man. Seriously can not wait. 8y
4 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Caralen

Tony is more mature, yet still his snarky self, with new armor. His new girl is awesome (read: doesn't put up with his nonsense). AwesomeFacialHairBro!Dr. Strange helped out. Madam Masque has mystical powers?! Doctor Doom is good?????!! And, MJ Watson? Whaaaaa? Seriously everything worked perfectly - it was so hard to pick just one scene for my photo.

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Caralen
The Last Star | Rick Yancey
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DNF @ pg 50ish. I just can't bring myself to finish this. I barely made it through the 2nd book, but with this one, I'm bored and don't want to force myself to read this, so I'm just going to post a photo of Deadpool & zombie Deadpool head because it makes happy.

5 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
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Whaaaaaaaa...?!! Nick. Offerman. reading Tom Sawyer. Yessssssssss. (I just got this email from Audible saying this is available for preorder. And freaked out. Because Nick Offerman. And Mark Twain.) LOL

BookishFeminist !!!!!!! 8y
13 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Caralen
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So far I'm liking this new series, but then this. I have questions like: What nonsense is this?! Why? Why do these new series keep doing this to beloved characters?

OSChamberlain It looked like he was kissing a butt 😂 8y
Caralen That's all I can see now!!! LOL 8y
8 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Caralen
The Invoice: A Novel | Jonas Karlsson
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Just started this and what an intriguing book it is so far! Our (so far) unnamed narrator gets an invoice for $$$$$$$$$. At first he thinks it's a scam, then learns it's the 'cost of living.' I wonder if this will be a moral-of-the-story-type fable.

2 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
Soppy: A Love Story | Philippa Rice
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"True love isn't always about the big romantic gestures" in this quick, charming graphic novel. It's the small moments, the living through the humdrum of every day life.

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Caralen
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Hellcat: subject of comics about her teen years, investigator for She-Hulk, can sense mystical energy. Almost as cloyingly sweet as Squirrel Girl, but still palatable - she's supposedly going through her midlife crisis, but she acts like a teenager. Without spoilers, I do enjoy her new purpose and can't wait to read the next volume! (This is a variant cover: actual quality of the art varies widely thru the whole volume.)

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Caralen
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My first Mary Roach book - but definitely not my last! She covers so much in this book about science that helps soldiers survive during battle and thrive after - from hearing protection to shark repellent to maggots. I love the blend of humor and seriousness. Even the footnotes are awesome!

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Caralen
Fatherland | Nina Bunjevac
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"I would do anything you ask but I am too deep in sh*t and cannot get out of it." Frequently on lists of must-read graphic memoirs, this both chronicles and parallels the unfortunate life of her father (who, among many things, is a terrorist) and the unfortunate history of the Balkins (specifically the former Yugoslavia).

3 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
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Squirrel is very silly, sometimes fun, and always intensely, relentlessly perky. Which is fine, if you like those things. My only problem with her run is that the villains that are menacing, dangerous are dumbed down, weakened to such an extent that it's ruined for me. BTW, this guy is Wolverine Squirrel. Because that's a thing, apparently.

4 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
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Oh please please don't let this Squirrel Girl be part of the main Marvel universe. Please let this be an AU. Because no. No no no.

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Caralen
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Spider-warriors from various 'verses VS Electros (and Doc Ocks) from various 'verses... So much action and lots of fun. Spider-Gwen is supposed to be the standout. But the best parts: Steampunk Spider Lady! Spider-Ben! Octavia Otto! Love them and can't wait for the next volume!

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Caralen
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I like Spider-Gwen. But in this volume, all of the secondary characters shine. I want more of the mysterious black, female Captain America and the Falcon. I want more Matt Murdock and Frank Castle. Even the random trip to the regular Marvel-verse with Jessica Drew... Moslty I want more of Gwen's dad - he's the best!

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Caralen
Homegoing: A novel | Yaa Gyasi
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Amazing. This blew me away. It follows 2 branches of one family through generations, from Ghana to America to .... I've been recommending this to anyone willing to listen to me.

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Caralen
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This is where I am now. Growing up, everyone around me had extremely toxic self-images. I struggle to resist. So I have to give myself pep talks. I'm going to the beach next weekend with some family. They're worried about what to wear. I told them that this fat girl is wearing a bikini! Lol

QueenAnne 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼you go girl! 8y
5 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Caralen
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During an argument with his wife, Torben snaps and kills her. Deeply regretting what he has done, he seeks to find someone who will hold him responsible for his wife's death. He is driven mad by the society - one that does not believe people are responsible for their actions. Very good, very though provoking. Read for @24in48 and my #COTW challenge - Denmark.

3 likes1 stack add
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Caralen
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My first in the @24in48

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Caralen
Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories from Around the World | Robert Shapard, James Thomas, Christopher Merrill
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Short stories are a great way to get a quick introduction to an unfamiliar author. What's even better is flash fiction. From one paragraph to a couple of pages, these extremely short works offer quick tastes of authors from all over the world. Most are really compelling, really good.

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Caralen
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written in the style of Dr. Seuss. I couldn't help myself.

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Caralen
Death Deluxe Edition | Neil Gaiman
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I love this one!! Death, appearing as a 'young' goth girl, is fun and friendly! She loves her job and her family. She's my favorite Gaiman character so far. The stories are really great. The portraits of Death in the back make this even better.

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Caralen
Art Ops | Shaun Simon
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The basic concept intrigued me: elite art ops agents, art that comes alive, shenanigans... It's the execution: I don't know if I like it or not. It was very odd, extremely surreal. I'm definitely going to try the next volume.

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Caralen
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I can't decide what I feel after reading this. For such a short book, it completely changed how I see the world and life as I understood it. I think the feeling I'll settle on is "awe."

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Caralen
The Question: Peacemaker. 6 | Dennis O'Neil, Denys Cowan
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The final volume in the late 80s - early 90s run. It's like Star Trek: TOS, there's action and campiness, but there's real thought, real philosophy, real depth to the whole series.

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Caralen
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This one almost ruined the whole thing for me. It was promised to be 'feminist' because yay! female Thor - but made the men look like idiots and the female villain do this. Poppycock. Furthermore, who knew that 'Thor' isn't a given, personal name but a title?

Caralen The relaunch, The Mighty Thor, is much better. 8y
2 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Caralen
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A nice balance of humor, bravery, and tragedy. Much much better than the first volumes. These villains are written as true villains who don't give up because 'girl power' and 'we girls just have to stick together.' Sheesh.

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Caralen
Why Read Moby-Dick? | Nathaniel Philbrick
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Started this to help me through the dry parts of Moby Dick. Ended with me feeling nostalgic about a book I hadn't even finished yet and left me planning a reread of Moby. It's excellent propaganda.

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Caralen
Moby Dick Or The Whale | Herman Melville
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Been there, read that, bought the shirt. Its reputation had me dubious going in - alternating chapters: plot & essay. The essay chapters became more tedious as the book progressed then last few chapters suddenly OMG the plot roared back and I couldn't stop reading! I can't wait to reread!!

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Caralen
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Such a unique voice in the immigration debate: an America-born child of two illegal immigrants. I learned so much from her - a lot of which outraged me. Like, it's not unheard of that they take parents, and then leave minor children behind. Awful.

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Caralen
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I found it extremely appropriate that the author separates the chapters using lines from Alice in Wonderland. She was only there 10 days, but I can't believe that she was able to get out without going crazy. It's like the Mirror-verse. Wow.

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Caralen
Deadpool: The Ones With Deadpool | Gerry Duggan, Christopher Hastings, Paul Scheer, Nick Giovannetti
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Deadpool funding the Avengers? Deadpool also funding Heroes, I mean, Mercs for Hire? A Deadpool imposter? How could this get any better? Oh yeah. Old Man!Steve Rogers (adorable) and others make cameos adding to the awesomeness of this new run of Deadpool: Millionaire with a Mouth.

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Caralen
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Disclaimer: I know almost nothing about hip hop or rap. Although the medium is graphic nonfic, I feel like I learned a lot! There's so much info, that I felt, at times, overwhelmed. But, I did start a new playlist!

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Caralen
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Meh. Some good parts, some not so good. I'm not an Austen purist - by any measure, but I didn't like how the author developed the Elizabeth/Darcy relationship. At all.

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Caralen
Decent Proposal | Kemper Donovan
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Normally I stay away from romances, but this one intrigued me. We follow the MCs through mutual distaste to the gradually deepening affection. It's not just romantic love either! Deepening, platonic love is given equal time and space. It was wonderful, relaxing book.

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Caralen
Smoke | Dan Vyleta
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I started this as a hate-read because the plot sounds ridiculous, but I was proved very wrong. It's historical, paranormal, dystopian fiction. The writing reminds me of a more mature Rigg's Peculiar style. It's speaks to class conflict, religion... It's so good!!

words10000 Can't wait to read this! 8y
5 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Caralen
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My brain hurts in the best way. These six physics lessons are just teasers. I didn't know much about the subject before, and now it's like I can see shadows of huge ideas. I just need to do more research so they'll be clearer, more in focus. I'm so eager now to learn more!

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Caralen
Scenes from an Execution | Howard Barker
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Galactia, a Venetian painter, only paints the truth - how events and people really are. She's commissioned to paint a battle scene glorifying the Venetian armed forces and their admiral. It goes over really well as one can see from the play's title and the meme.

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Caralen
The Liar | Pierre Corneille, Richard Wilbur
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This is the Tale of Dorante who has the flaming liar pants. Wilbur (translator) is always fantastic! The rhyming couplets...they just do something for me. Love them!! Corneille is fun, but pales against the awesomeness of Moliere. Also, this quote is my new catchphrase!

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Caralen
Euripides' Heraclidae | Euripides, Z. Philip Ambrose
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After Hercules got promoted to godhood, the king responsible for the Labors is out to kill all Hercules' kids. All that stands between them and certain death is an older Iolaus, Hercules' bestie. That and a shock human sacrifice. Not as good as Medea, but it's pretty okay.

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Caralen
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Man is fated to die. Discovers that his fate is transferable. Begs any and everyone to take his fate. His wife, Alestis, accepts and dies slowly. Man's dad stops by and gets chewed out because he wouldn't die for his son. Man eventually realizes that he's a huge coward. And then...Surprise ending!

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Caralen
The Medea | Euripides
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Don't be afraid of the ancient classics! This is my favorite by Euripides. The tale is terrible, yet so timeless: the scorned spouse gives into wrath and destroys everything. We feel Medea's anguish, that of the chorus, OMG the children's fear, and even Jason's. So very sad.

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