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Fortifiedbybooks

Fortifiedbybooks

Joined September 2016

LibraryThing member FortifiedByBooks

The Girl in the Book Fort
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Fortifiedbybooks
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I've had a StoryGraph account for years, but back when I initially signed up, I didn't feel that it was as good as Goodreads, and stopped using it. Now, as I am trying to move away from Amazon (after learning how much the company takes from book sales), I've decided to try out StoryGraph again.

You can find me there @ FortifiedByBooks with the pic of 5 year old me sticking her tongue out at the camera. I'll follow back as soon as I get settled.

BookmarkTavern Sent a friend request! 💕 4d
dabbe Your pic is adorable! 🩵💙🩵 4d
wanderinglynn Sent friend request! 4d
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TheBookgeekFrau Friend request sent 😊 3d
Fortifiedbybooks @dabbe Thank you! 3d
Fortifiedbybooks @BoomarkTavern @wanderinglynn @TheBookgeekFrau all of my data from Goodreads has transferred over and I've accepted all of your friend requests! 3d
wanderinglynn 🙌🏻 2d
18 likes8 comments
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Fortifiedbybooks
The Wind in the Willows | Kenneth Grahame
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Here's my #BookSpin list for April! There's a lot of cozy feel-good books this time.

RayHallucinogen Reading 20 books a month is inspiring. I can do 2 books a week, so not even close. 4d
Fortifiedbybooks @RayHallucinogen I don't read 20 books in a month LOL. I only read the books that get picked for #BookSpin and the #DoubleSpin and then whatever other books I'm reading that month for other reading challenges. I average about 8 books a month. 4d
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3d
16 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Mehso-so

This was my #BookSpin for March. It was good, but I felt like a lot of the points the author's were trying to make didn't go deep enough. This whole book could have been a YouTube video. There were some funny bits of trivia, though. #2025OffMyShelf

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Pickpick

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟This was my #DoubleSpin for March, and it's one of the best books I've read this year! I love the Discworld series, and Rincewind is one of my favorite characters. #OokBOokClub #2025OffMyShelf

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“It means that if we want silence, we must actively seek it out, for instance by taking vacations without cell phones...“
After getting a bunch of non-urgent work-related texts, I found out how to temporarily block specific phone numbers while still getting texts & calls from people I actually want to talk to while I'm on vacation. I even set it up to auto activate on the weekends! Just because I have a phone, doesn't mean I'm accessible 24/7!

18 likes2 stack adds
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This week-long vacation is all about slowing down, resting, and being gentle with myself. What better way to do that then by reading this book and hanging out with my fur babies, Dresden and Raith.

dabbe 🖤🐾🐾🖤 1w
Leftcoastzen Beautiful kitties ! 😻😻 1w
22 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Fortifiedbybooks
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Vacation mode activated.

Bookzombie Book Goblin!! ❤️ 2w
Soubhiville That‘s awesome! 2w
julesG @Bookzombie Snap!! 😂 2w
julesG Enjoy your time off 2w
kspenmoll Enjoy vacation! 2w
31 likes5 comments
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Fortifiedbybooks
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My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin look like the perfect books for me to read this month.

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The Ides of March: A Novel | Thornton Wilder
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With the exception of a couple of reading challenge books, I filled my #BookSpin list for March with as much coziness as I could while still trying to get to books that have been on my TBR for years.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1mo
16 likes1 comment
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Fortifiedbybooks
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Mehso-so

My #DoubleSpin for February was nice to read, but there were no mindset-shifting insights like I heard so many other readers have had. I did notice that there is another book with the same title but by Margaret Smith, and even the covers look similar so I wonder if I read the wrong book and everyone in the Minimalism community was raving about the other one? At least it's #OffMyShelf.

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Panpan

Poetry just isn't my thing. I absolutely love The Bell Jar, but I would need to take a class to understand her poems, and even then, I think I would struggle. I'm glad that I finally read this short book, even though it took #BookSpin to get me to pick it up. At least now it's #OffMyShelf

20 likes1 comment
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The Tea Dragon Society | Katie O'Neill (Cartoonist)
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I've been having a lot of bad days lately and today was no exception. In the past, I would console myself with a trip to the bookstore where I would spend way too much money. Since I'm doing #ShelfLove this year and have an extremely limited budget, I decided to go to the library instead and check out more books than I can get through in 2 weeks (I also have 2 other books checked out already). It was just as comforting, but 100% free.

Jen2 Love all of these books!!!! 2mo
dabbe Here's hoping you have fabulous days starting now. 🩶🩷🩶 2mo
Bookzombie I hope your days get better. 💕 I always feel better after spending time shopping the library shelves, and then bringing home a stack I will renew every chance I get and possibly never even read. 😁 2mo
Fortifiedbybooks @dabbe and @Bookzombie thank you! I have been feeling a tad bit better since binging The Tea Dragon Society and Goblin Mode. Since most of the upheaval has been due to my job, and it's now the weekend, I think I'll be OK with a bit more bookish therapy. Perhaps I can store up the good feelings from reading cozy books so things don't bother me so much come Monday. 2mo
24 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Fortifiedbybooks
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Here are my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin books for February, and boy are they a morbid combination! February has been historically a not good month for me, so that's fitting.

17 likes1 stack add
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My #BookSpin list for February is full of books from my TBR, with the exception of Night Shift by Stephen King, which is the #LosersClub book of the month. I will be getting it from the library since I don't already own it. All of the other books will qualify for my #ShelfLove reading challenge and many of them will qualify for the #2025OffMyShelf prompts as well. I picked mostly shorter books since February is usually not a good month for me.

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Fortifiedbybooks
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Pickpick

My #DoubleSpin for January was magical and weird and so different from just about anything else I've read in the Fantasy genre that I'm not sure how to rate it. I didn't LOVE love it, but I did find many of the sentences and individual words were soothing somehow. I don't know how else to describe it so I'm giving it a “Pick.“ #2025OffMyShelf

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Fortifiedbybooks
Opal (a Raven Cycle Story) | Maggie Stiefvater
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Pickpick

This was my #BookSpin for January, and overall, it's a solid Pick. Though it's the last book in the Raven Cycle series, it's only a short story and is told from Opal's perspective. You would definitely need to have read the other books in the series to understand what is going on and why. Though I haven't read Call Down the Hawk yet, I imagine that this is a nice bridge between the 2 series. #ShelfLove #2025OffMyShelf

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Book Love | Debbie Tung
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I'm joining @wanderinglynn's #2025OffMyShelf reading challenge to make my own #ShelfLove challenge a little more exciting! I'll be adding books that fit these prompts to my #BookSpin lists as well.

wanderinglynn Awesome! 🎉 2mo
20 likes1 comment
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Fortifiedbybooks
Opal (a Raven Cycle Story) | Maggie Stiefvater
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My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin for January! I'm looking forward to both of them😁

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Here is my #BookSpin list for January! 2024 was my first year doing this challenge, and it helped me get through/rid of quite a few books. I have high hopes that 2025 will be just as successful!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3mo
16 likes1 comment
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Fortifiedbybooks
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Pickpick

I never thought I would enjoy a James Patterson book, and I never expected to see him as the author of a warm, family-friendly Christmas story. This was definitely a great #BlindDatewithaBook. I read this for #CozyChristmas and #YuletideSpirit.

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I'm joining #ReadOuttheOld as I finish up the #CozyChristmas readathon today! I've got a Christmas book to finish, both my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin books to read, and a couple of library books I want to get to before New Year's Day.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Enjoy!!! 3mo
7 likes1 comment
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At the airport waiting to fly home and I've been alternating between the tagged book and the audiobook of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. #CozyChristmas

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A Texas Hill Country Christmas | William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone
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Since I have the whole week off from work, I'll have plenty of time to read! So why not sign up for a holiday readathon?! #CozyChristmas

peanutnine Yay! Glad to have you join 🤗 3mo
12 likes1 comment
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I'm really excited for my December #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin! 😁

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My #bookhaul from the First Light bookstore in Austin, TX.

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Christmas Present | Jodi Taylor
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I'm posting my December #BookSpin list early since I'm going to be too busy during the week and next weekend to post.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4mo
16 likes1 comment
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Fortifiedbybooks
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Pickpick

My #DoubleSpin for this month was a quick read that spoke to my Hobbit self. Someday, I want to live somewhere surrounded by trees, even if that means I have to plant them myself.

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The Lost Library | Wendy Mass, Rebecca Stead
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Mehso-so

This was my #BookSpin for this month. It was only OK. The writing sometimes felt a little off, but I'm not sure why.

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The Lost Library | Wendy Mass, Rebecca Stead
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My November #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin books look like the perfect cozy reads as I slow down for the month.

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Come November | Katrin van Dam
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My #BookSpin list for November! Most of these are physical books that have been on my TBR for quite a while, and the others are a mix of audiobooks and ebooks I've been wanting to read.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 5mo
11 likes1 comment
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Fortifiedbybooks
Tales of the Peculiar | Ransom Riggs
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Pickpick

My #BookSpin for this month is absolutely beautiful and I will be keeping it as part of my permanent collection. I will also definitely be rereading it at some point, especially the stories “The Splendid Cannibals“ and “The Woman Who Befriended Ghosts.“ #TrappedInASpookyHouse #RIPXIX #Spookoween #FrightFall #SomethingWickedFall #HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew

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Carrie | Stephen King
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Pickpick

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐This was my #DoubleSpin for this month as well as one of my #CastTheDie books and this month's book for #LosersClub. I'm so glad I finally read it, and I only wish I had read it years ago! #HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew #FrightFall #RIPXIX #Spookoween #SomethingWickedFall

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Carrie | Stephen King
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The #FrightFall 24-Hour #Readathon starts in about 15 minutes (10 am EST)! These are just the physical books that I will be choosing from, and they're all from my #BookSpin list and a couple of them are books picked for me for #TrappedInASpookyHouse and #CastTheDie. I'll also be trying to get bingos on several boards including #SuperNaturalBookBingo. #LosersClub #HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew #Spookoween #RIPXIX

Ladygodiva7 EXCELLENT PICTURE!! 🕷️🐾🖤💀🕸️ 5mo
15 likes2 comments
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Tales of the Peculiar | Ransom Riggs
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My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin for October are also two of my #TrappedInASpookyHouse books. Carrie is also one of my #CastTheDie books and this month's book for #LosersClub and both count for #RIPXIX and #HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew Hopefully I'm not forgetting any tags.

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Halloween Fiend | C. V. Hunt
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Here are my books for #CastTheDie. I'm definitely reading Carrie by Stephen King, for the #LosersClub read-along, and I will try to get to the others as well, especially the tagged book, which was my lucky pick. All of them count for #HauntedShelf team #BlackCatCrew and #RIPXIX.

PuddleJumper Nice! 6mo
18 likes1 comment
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Fortifiedbybooks
October Country | Ray Bradbury
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Another #readathon in October? Sure, why not?! My goal will be to finish as many books from my October #BookSpin list as possible, and I'll also try for at least one bingo on the #Spookoween bingo card.

@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Thanks for joining in. Enjoy! 6mo
18 likes1 comment
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October Country | Ray Bradbury
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My TBR list for what feels like a million reading challenges & readathons in October that I signed up for! While it is primarily my combined list for #BookSpin and #CastTheDie, it includes the books picked for me while I'm #TrappedInASpookyHouse. All of the books count for #FrightFall, #RIPXIX, and #HauntedShelf as part of the #BlackCatCrew. I will also try to complete several different bingo cards along the way!

@BookwormAHN
@TheAromaofBooks

BookwormAHN Yay 🐈‍⬛ 6mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 6mo
17 likes2 comments
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Bird Box: A Novel | Josh Malerman
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@DieAReader - I hope this was your list! If so, enjoy your time being #TrappedInASpookyHouse I loved Bird Box (and the sequel too)!

@PuddleJumper

DieAReader I can‘t wait to get started! Thanks so much❤️‍🔥🤓📚 6mo
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Night of the Living Trekkies | Sam Stall, Kevin David Anderson
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Pickpick

My #BookSpin for September was a lot of fun. I could see it being made into a movie. I loved the Star Trek jokes/references. It was a great last book of #SciFiSummer for me (even though the reading challenge doesn't end until the 21st) and a great light-hearted start to #RIPXIX (even though I've already got a fair number of short stories under my belt for that reading challenge).

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Mrs. March: A Novel | Virginia Feito
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Pickpick

This was my #DoubleSpin for this month, and WOW was it intense! It was incredibly disturbing and most of the time I didn't want to put it down as the main character became more and more unhinged. As with most of the books Jenny Lawson has picked for her Fantastic Strangelings book club, I was left wondering what I had just read, but in a good way.

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Night of the Living Trekkies | Sam Stall, Kevin David Anderson
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My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin for September: Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Mrs. March by Virginia Feito. I'm especially looking forward to Mrs. March since I'm really behind on the Fantastic Strangelings Book Club books. Mrs. March was the pick for August 2022! #RIPXIX #SomethingWickedFall

BkClubCare So great to see the #RIPxix tag 😎👻🎃🙀 7mo
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This weekend is the start of my major reading season, and my and the boyfriend's anniversary (11 years and we haven't killed each other...yet)! #SciFiSummer is going strong until the Autumnal Equinox, but #RIP starts on the 1st, which is also #BackToHogwarts day. I also signed up for the #WhatTheDickens #BuddyRead of David Copperfield. My goal is simple: read when I can and as much as I can #ForTheLoveofBooks #readathon hosted by @TheSpineView

TheSpineView Great goal! Good luck!💜📖 7mo
17 likes1 comment
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The September House | Carissa Orlando
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September for me means a combination of #SummerSciFi and #RIP, so I tried to reflect that in my #BookSpin list for the month.

@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 7mo
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Fortifiedbybooks
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Mehso-so

I finally finished my #BookSpin for this month. It wasn't bad, but it was gross much of the time and kind of ruined the glamour of being an astronaut. This book is not for the squeamish or those who would rather remain oblivious to the often disgusting logistics of putting humans into space.

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Pyramids | Terry Pratchett
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Pickpick

This was my #DoubleSpin for this month. While it was good, it's probably my least favorite of the Discworld series so far. I loved all of the others, but this one not so much. It's still a Pick, though.

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My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin for August both look great. I'm especially looking forward to reading Pyramids!

13 likes1 stack add
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Project Hail Mary | Andy Weir
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Pickpick

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐I don't know why I waited so long to read this #NetGalley ARC. Maybe I feared it wouldn't be as good as Weir's other novels. While this isn't quite as awesome as The Martian, it's a close second, and will probably be my favorite book this year. I'm hoping Weir comes out with a new novel soon because he has reached auto-buy status. This was my 6th book for #SciFiSummer

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Dog Days of August | G F Gorman
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Here is my #BookSpin list for August. Since I'm already nearing the Time Lord level of my #SciFiSummer reading challenge, this list is a mix of SciFi, music, and other books I've been wanting to read before #RIP begins in September.

@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 8mo
11 likes1 comment
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Gemina | Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
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Pickpick

This was my #BookSpin for this month, and I finished it with mere days to spare. With over 600 pages, I'm a little surprised at how quickly I flew through this book, but then again, it was awesome and didn't feel like 600+ pages. I need to get the final book, Obsidio NOW #SciFiSummer

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Starter Villain | John Scalzi
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I decided to go to the SciFi panel at the Columbus Book Festival today since it's #SciFiSummer. I didn't even look at who would be on the panel, so when John Scalzi walked in I couldn't believe it!

All 3 authors on the panel were wonderful and I wrote a bit about them and my time at the festival on my blog: https://fortifiedbybooks.com/columbus-book-festival-2024/

LiteraryinPA That‘s so exciting! 9mo
julesG Serendipity!! 9mo
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