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xicanti

xicanti

Joined February 2016

I read a little bit of everything because genre snobbery ain't cool. 🇨🇦
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Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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Strong Wine by A.J. Demas
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xicanti
Strong Wine | A.J. Demas
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Doing the whole “early to bed with book & mood lamp” thing. I read and loved the first 25% of STRONG WINE last night, but today was so busy that this is the first chance I‘ve had to get back to it. Gonna try for 50% before I pass out. #MFMarch

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love this 💗 22h
xicanti @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks mood lamps are important. 19h
29 likes2 comments
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xicanti
Skip Beat!, Vol. 28 | Yoshiki Nakamura
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I‘ve officially reached the point in my SKIP BEAT! reread where it‘s all ebooks, all the time. No more hauling around bulky bags of physical copies! Whee!

I also have the volumes on my iPad, but I love how manga looks on e-ink so I‘ll read as many of them as possible on my actual ereaders. #MFMarch

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xicanti
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Did a puzzle so I could finish MEMORIES OF ICE a bit quicker. As with the first two, I enjoyed it overall but I think time has softened the edges that made the series groundbreaking back in the day. I do wish everyone would curb their impulse towards bombastic internal monologues, too. There‘s a LOT of that.

I probably won‘t have much listening time in France, so I‘ll get the next one in late April or so. #MFMarch #audiopuzzling

TheBookHippie ♥️ 4d
tpixie Bon voyage!!! 🇫🇷 3d
xicanti @tpixie merci! 3d
36 likes3 comments
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xicanti
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Here I am, biding time with a cute dog and my daily short story while I wait for the snow (UGH) to stop. I keep reminding myself that next week I‘ll be in France, where it‘s supposed to be 20° and I won‘t even need my new tweed jacket.

In the meantime, I‘ll continue to be impressed with Drew Hayden Taylor‘s range. This guy excels at every genre he turns his hand to. His SF is as great as his nonfiction, his theatre, his YA, etc. etc. #MFMarch

dabbe 🤩🖤🐾🖤🤩 4d
tpixie You may need your tweed jacket in the evening!!! 3d
xicanti @tpixie and in the morning, too. It‘s gonna be a bit awkward carrying it around when it gets too warm out to wear it, but I‘ll manage somehow. 3d
tpixie @xicanti it‘s so beautiful though!! 3d
37 likes4 comments
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xicanti
Becoming a Matriarch | Helen Knott
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Geo helped me read a goodly chunk of BECOMING A MATRIARCH this afternoon. It‘s another Canada Reads longlist title I‘d love to see jump to the shortlist in a year or two. Knott‘s a powerful writer. #MFMarch

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 5d
41 likes1 comment
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xicanti
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I read the first 30% of SALT MAGIC, SKIN MAGIC last night, and I‘m hooked. Lee Welch writes the kind of prose that practically reads itself, with great characters and an intriguing version of 19th century England to boot. Penny‘s promised she‘ll help me devour the rest of it today. #MFMarch

dabbe #preciouspenny 🖤🐾🖤 5d
29 likes1 comment
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xicanti
Knit Blankets: 25 Colorful and Cozy Throws | Sixth&spring Sixth&spring Books
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I don‘t buy many knitting books because my library has a great collection, but they don‘t own this one, it‘s full of intriguing patterns (including leaves!), and it was $1.50 at the thrift store.

I also got cherry turnovers from the grocery store on the way home. Between the dogs‘ morning exercise and my trek to the thrift store, I‘ve done 9km so far today. Pastries are necessary.

dabbe Yum! Enjoy; you've earned it! 🍒❣️🍒 7d
xicanti @dabbe I‘ll probably even eat another one after supper, responsible calorie intake be damned. 7d
42 likes2 comments
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xicanti
Saffron Alley | A.J. Demas
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I dug into SAFFRON ALLEY before bed last night, which was a mistake because I was too tired to read more than 20% and I wanted to devour the whole thing. A.J. Demas is so good at illuminating relationships and digging into the uncertainty that comes when you‘ve had a really intense, interrupted connection with someone and you need to figure out how to build on that within the framework of your everyday life. #MFMarch

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 1w
29 likes1 comment
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xicanti
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I decided to do a Kobo Plus trial because a) they offered me bonus points, b) it‘ll give me a steady supply of digital, due-dateless reading material while I‘m in France, and c) I can finally knock a bunch of stuff off my wishlist. I began with A THIEF IN THE NIGHT, KJ Charles‘s thief/victim romance set in the same world as THE GENTLE ART OF FORTUNE HUNTING. It was great. Penny appreciated the snuggles she got as my reading buddy, too. #MFMarch

dabbe #prettypenny 🖤🐾🖤 1w
ImperfectCJ I started with Kobo Plus a few months ago (or maybe a year? Time is very slippery), and I really like it. It's so convenient when I'm traveling. 1w
xicanti @ImperfectCJ I‘m pretty sure I‘ll keep it past the trial month. It‘s got so many of the higher priced books I want to read. 1w
xicanti @dabbe she‘s soooooft right now, too. I think she must‘ve had a recent bath. 1w
dabbe @xicanti 🤩🤩🤩 1w
36 likes5 comments
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xicanti
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I got an iron on my jacket this morning, and now it‘s done! Next up: the trousers. I‘ve mostly finished them, but I want to redo the lining because the stuff I chose is way too loud.

I‘m making good progress through MEMORIES OF ICE, too. It amazes me how very D&D the worldbuilding is, but I guess that‘s all in line with Erikson‘s stated goal to offer a more nuanced take on a particular kind of fantasy. #MFMarch #audiosewing

xicanti Also of note: while in some ways he‘s moved his characters away from archetypes, everyone still engages in a LOT of intense interior monologing on the Epic Events Through Which They Live(TM). That makes them feel more archetypical than they otherwise might. 1w
tpixie Lovely jacket !!! 🧥 1w
Ruthiella Looking good! 😊 1w
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MemoirsForMe 🧥👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1w
Butterfinger Beautiful. 1w
41 likes6 comments
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xicanti
Bad Endings | Carleigh Baker
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Saki‘s just chillin‘ by my fireside bookstack. The top book, BAD ENDINGS, is my current short story collection, and it‘s a strong one. Carleigh Baker excels at finding the slices of experience that illuminate a character‘s life. #MFMarch

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2w
Ruthiella 😻😻😻 2w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2w
39 likes3 comments
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xicanti
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Supper was tasty Korean fried chicken and kimbap that was SUPPOSED to have kimchi rice instead of plain rice. Booo. I would‘ve gone for shrimp over tuna mayo if the menu hadn‘t lied to me. At least my new Jenni Keer is enjoyable. I hope to log a couple more hours with it tonight.

Also, this was a LOT of chicken, so I‘ve got tomorrow‘s supper sorted too. #MFMarch

Melismatic This looks delish! 2w
xicanti @Melismatic it was mighty good. 2w
36 likes2 comments
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xicanti
A Modern Utopia | H G Wells
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Here I am, making my sloooooow way through A MODERN UTOPIA. It‘s more interesting than I expected, and Wells has made a solid attempt to balance different perspectives as he crafts his ideal society. That said, this is still very much an early-1900s-style Utopia, and I expect the next chapter, on the role of women, may leave me somewhat scowly.

ALSO, I‘ve realized I have H.G. Wells & George Orwell tangled up in my head. THEY‘RE DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

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xicanti
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Pickpick

The fifth SHAPERS OF WORLDS anthology reminded me a lot of F&SF under Gordon Van Gelder‘s editorial eye; which is to say, it offers up a wide variety of SFF subgenres, balanced well within the TOC. While there were a few humorous notes that didn‘t quite land for me and a few stories that skewed too conservative for my tastes—also reminiscent of Van Gelder‘s F&SF—only two stories out of twenty-four didn‘t work for me at all. Definitely recommended.

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2w
33 likes1 comment
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xicanti
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MARIGOLD MIND LAUNDRY was a random shelf grab that turned out to have a 0% Litsy rating. That‘ll probably change after I finish it because I‘m once again the unpopular opinion person and I liked the first 100 pages an awful lot. Jungeun Yun isn‘t flashy, but she has a good eye for the problems modern Koreans face. The Mind Laundry is more about emotional regulation as a coping mechanism, too, rather than fully erasing bad experiences. #MFMarch

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2w
Darklunarose 😻 2w
MemoirsForMe Beautiful cat! Does Casey have a new Feline friend to play with? 2w
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xicanti @MemoirsForMe alas, I‘m just looking after him and his Border Collie sisters. Casey would love him, though! He‘s a big fan of cats. 2w
MemoirsForMe That‘s so nice that you look after all these adorable pets. Nothing beats a house full of furry friends. 🐾❤️🐾❤️ 2w
xicanti @MemoirsForMe it‘s a very nice job indeed. 2w
38 likes6 comments
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xicanti
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Tomorrow I need to do the sleeve buttonholes, topstitch the lapels, and press the shit out of it. Then my tweed jacket is finally done!

To be honest, I didn‘t listen to a TON of DEADHOUSE GATES while I worked because the last week has all been fiddly handsewn stuff I wanted to focus on—and because, unpopular opinion coming up, I liked GARDENS OF THE MOON more than this one. Still, I‘m invested enough to tackle #3 in due course. #audiosewing

xicanti Please pardon my dummy‘s bra. Whoever made it assumed no one on this earth has ever had breasts bigger than a smallish B-cup (an assumption shared by many fashion designers, which is a big part of why I started sewing in the first place) and this is the only way I can properly test the drape. 3w
dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 3w
Ruthiella Looks amazing! 🤩 3w
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lil1inblue Excellent work! 😍 I love your solution for testing the drape. That's actually genius! 3w
xicanti @lil1inblue it was the only way forward. 3w
MemoirsForMe 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 2w
42 likes7 comments
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Lunchtime reading with my squinty friend. (It‘s borderline sunny today.) I read the first 18% of THE SECRETS OF HAWTHORN PLACE last night and I‘m looking forward to another big chunk this afternoon. Jenni Keer‘s pretty great. #MFMarch

dabbe 🖤🐾🐾 3w
32 likes1 comment
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xicanti
The Tomb of Dragons | Katherine Addison
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Pickpick

I never wanted to put THE TOMB OF DRAGONS down, so caught up was I in the minutiae of Celehar‘s ordinary, extraordinary life. I worried for him following his major life change at the end of THE GRIEF OF STONES, drank in the telling details that marked his various friendships, and delighted in the worldbuilding Addison packs into every book she writes. It left me that perfect mix of exultant and devastated that I spend my reading life chasing.

BarbaraJean Waaaait, this has been released?! Placing my library hold now… 😁 3w
xicanti @BarbaraJean I‘m excited for you! 3w
33 likes3 comments
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xicanti
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Uber Eats was like, “You haven‘t had delivery in a while! Here‘s 60% off!” but they‘d only let me use it at the poke place 8km away instead of the location 1km away. So I just went and got takeaway poke for very slightly more money.

Then I ate it and read an enormous chunk of HOW WE MET, which is one of those memoirs so clear and absorbing it practically reads itself. Gonna settle in and finish it this morning before I start my day. #MFMarch

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This Rough Magic | Mary Stewart
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I spent part of today reading Mary Stewart with my favourite cat. (He‘s also the only cat I spend significant time with, but nobody tell him that.) I like THIS ROUGH MAGIC so far, but I‘ve had too many interruptions. Here‘s hoping I can dig into a bigger chunk before bed. #MFMarch

Texreader ♥️ 🐈 3w
Sace He‘s very handsome! 3w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w
37 likes3 comments
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xicanti
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I popped into the library to return a bunch of stuff and pick up my hold (the tagged book, which I discovered by chance when I searched for something completely different by an author with the same family name), but of course I also found a couple things off the Featured displays. I‘m excited to read more poetry again after I got a bit stuck on a collection last month. #MFMarch

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Innie Shadows | Olivia M. Coetzee
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I finally started INNIE SHADOWS last night, a good two months after I borrowed it. Writing-wise, I find it pretty tell-not-show, with a whole lot of, “As you know, Bob…” whenever people meet, but I‘m interested in the community and the character dynamics so I‘ll stick with it. #MFMarch

Ruthiella It looks like Casey was recently groomed. Looking good with the new haircut! ❤️🐶 4w
Kerrbearlib What a cutie! 4w
xicanti @Ruthiella he looks like a puppy now, and he‘s way more comfortable without his thick fur coat! 4w
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xicanti @Kerrbearlib he sure is. 4w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 4w
Mimi28 🩷🩷🩷 4w
38 likes6 comments
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xicanti
The Shots You Take | Rachel Reid
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Pickpick

With her 8th book, Rachel Reid turns to second chance romance for two early-40s hockey retirees. There‘s a ton of baggage here, packed tight with decades-old fears and mental health challenges, but the drama never feels excessive because the characters have the maturity and the perspective to really SEE each other, understand the realities they both lived with in their 20s, and consider where they might go from here. Definitely recommended.

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xicanti
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I borrowed ZAO FAN because I got a ton of ground pork for cheap, but most of my favourite pork recipes need ginger and I keep forgetting to buy some. Oops. I wanted to make SOMETHING, though, so I finally tried liangfen, or starch jelly noodles. They came together fast (aside from the many hours of chill time) and tasted great with Nagi Maehashi‘s spicy peanut sauce.

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xicanti
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Before I went shopping (and lemme tell you, Superstore‘s already jacked a bunch of their prices up, like JERKS. Safeway and Giant Tiger hadn‘t), Casey and I tackled the first few chapters of TAIWAN TRAVELOGUE. It‘s WORKING for me, friends. So many layers. I‘m sad I can‘t just read all day. #MFMarch

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 4w
tpixie Casey is beautiful 💛 🐾 💛 🐾 💛 1w
xicanti @tpixie he tries hard. 1w
41 likes4 comments
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xicanti
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I got an amazing deal on ground pork this morning, so I went to the library to borrow my favourite cookbook and ended up grabbing a couple short story collections off their feature display plus a play by Tomson Highway. #MFMarch

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xicanti
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The provisional sleeve-set went well on both sides, thanks to 8300 pins. Only seven more steps until my jacket‘s ready for its Parisian debut!

I‘ve made good progress through GARDENS OF THE MOON, too. I like it a lot more than I did the first time I tried it, but I don‘t think it‘ll hit Love status. Still, most people agree this is the series‘ weakest book, so I‘ll look forward to the next one. #MFMarch #audiosewing

Mimi28 That‘s really cool!! 1mo
xicanti @Mimi28 thanks! 1mo
Butterfinger I love following your progress. 1mo
36 likes4 comments
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xicanti
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Read some more Junji Ito this morning alongside a concerned Casey. (He thinks horror is scary. Yeah, dude; that‘s kinda the point.) #MFMarch

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xicanti
Girl Runner | Carrie Snyder
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I‘ve kicked off Murica-Free March with another from the Canada Reads Longlist. GIRL RUNNER gives off that particular CanLit vibe that has the capacity to leave me deeply unsettled. Hopefully it‘ll be the good kind, not the kind that puts a bad taste in my mouth. At page 75, it‘s too early to say.

And I mean, hey, it might not unsettle me at all in the end. Sometimes early vibes mellow out. I‘ll report back. #MFMarch

Mimi28 Awesome!! So you think the #LitsyPetClub is a good idea? That‘s Casey right? So far I am thinking just Litsy name, pet names, species of pet and how many. I am not sure about breed because lots of pets are mixed breeds. I am being forced to learn spreadsheets anyway so I may as well make it homework, lol 1mo
dabbe C🐾S🐾Y! 🖤🖤🖤 1mo
xicanti @Mimi28 Im sure there‘ll be lots of interest in a new way to find Littens who share pet pics! Plenty of us post about our furry reading buddies. 1mo
Mimi28 Thanks for the encouragement and feedback 🫶🏽😉🩷 I will start on it Sunday or Monday. 1mo
36 likes4 comments
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xicanti
The Sunshine Court | Nora Sakavic
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I finished THE GOLDEN RAVEN tonight and I have MANY EMOTIONS about Jean‘s healing journey and also how great it is when there‘s a bit with a dog.

Now begins the wait for the next book.

Mimi28 Cute doggie 🐶 want to start like either prayer or not prayer group- just a group for them I know have several hashtags. I‘m still manic off of caffeine I had earlier and birthday vibes, lol 😂 1mo
Mimi28 I mean a group for the pets of Litsy, with their actual names and stuff 1mo
xicanti @Mimi28 go for it! Pets need love. 1mo
dabbe I want to kiss that nose! 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
29 likes4 comments
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xicanti
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Nine years, baby! I joined because all my book blogging friends were super excited about it, and at first I couldn‘t make it fit with my reading style. Now most of them have wandered away, but here I still am.

TieDyeDude 🎈 🎉Happy Litsyversary!!! 1mo
Ruthiella Happy Litsyversary! 🥳🥳🥳 1mo
dabbe HL! 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
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Mimi28 Happy Litsyversary!! 🌼🌞🌞 1mo
JessClark78 Happy Litsyversary! 🎊📚🎉 1mo
27 likes6 comments
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xicanti
Skip Beat!, Vol. 6 | Yoshiki Nakamura
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Casey‘s helping me dig into a full-series SKIP BEAT! reread ahead of Volume 50‘s English-language release. Everyone‘s grown so much since these early days. MY BABIES. 😭😭😭

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Hello Casey 🐾 ❤️ 1mo
dabbe #cuddliestcasey 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
30 likes2 comments
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xicanti
The Sunshine Court | Nora Sakavic
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Nora Sakavic‘s new book dropped the very day I stopped regularly checking for it! Good thing Kobo sends out reminders when they know you‘re waiting on series additions.

Now I know what I‘m doing with the rest of my reading month. I bought THE GOLDEN RAVEN as soon as I got the email this morning, formally bailed on the poorly-written Shakespearean fantasy I tried last night, and dove in at lunch.

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xicanti
Sister Snake: A Novel | Amanda Lee Koe
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1. Casey got an adorable haircut. He‘s no longer at risk of heat stroke in the middle of winter from the shear wealth of hair on his body!

2. I started SISTER SNAKE tonight and I immediately feel all OMG about it. Is this the book I‘ve been waiting for? I sure hope so.

TheBookHippie Such a cutie! Enjoy your read. 1mo
Texreader He‘s so adorable! Nice haircut!! 1mo
dabbe #cutehaircutcasey! 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
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xicanti @TheBookHippie @Texreader @dabbe he‘s so much happier when he‘s not a giant fluffball. 1mo
dabbe @xicanti My buff cocker Caramel felt the same way. She LOVED when the hair between her toe pads was trimmed! 🤩 1mo
xicanti @dabbe toes trims are the best! Casey‘s feet become little mops when they‘re fuzzy. It makes life awkward for him. (edited) 1mo
dabbe @xicanti #truth! Their fur is so beautiful and silky, but man, can it grow! 🤩 1mo
34 likes7 comments
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xicanti
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This week‘s tiny library haul, plus Duffy‘s bandaged leg. (He has what‘s probably a follicular cyst.) I read and loved the first volume of UNHOLY BLOOD last year, so I‘m glad to see my library‘s purchased more volumes of this Korean comic! I already have vols 3-5 on hand, so now I can have a little binge.

I was also pleased to get a Taiwanese novel I heard about on Instagram and another Parisian guide, because I haven‘t read enough of those yet.

dabbe Heal up quickly, Duffy! 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
xicanti @dabbe he‘s headed to the vet on Thursday, but I think he‘s already on the mend. Everything looked much better when I changed the dressing earlier. 1mo
dabbe @xicanti 🙌🏻🤞🏻🙌🏻 1mo
32 likes3 comments
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xicanti
Wind and Truth | Brandon Sanderson
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I thought I was really gonna have to stretch to finish WIND AND TRUTH before the end of the month, but I don‘t wanna turn it off. I keep looking for more excuses to listen. Earlier today I did the collar and facings on my jacket, then finished this puzzle. Tomorrow‘ll probably involve pressing the jacket so it‘s photogenic, then at least the start of another puzzle. At this rate, I should finish the book on Tuesday. #audiopuzzling

dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 1mo
34 likes1 comment
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xicanti
The Shots You Take | Rachel Reid
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And now, some hockey romance! This one‘s a bit of a departure for Reid; a second chance romance with a LOT of baggage, complicated by very recent grief. Also, both characters are in their 40s and retired from hockey. Gonna devour the back half tonight.

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xicanti
The Tomb of Dragons | Katherine Addison
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I got so busy reading and loving THE TOMB OF DRAGONS that I never actually posted about it, so please consider this a prelude to the review I‘m still mulling over. In particular, I‘m thinking a lot about how Celehar is someone who always, always does the right thing in relation to his calling, even when it causes major problems for him, but who does the easy thing in his personal life, and how the series helps him learn to take more risks there.

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xicanti
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Another tasty DELICIOUS TONIGHT recipe that isn‘t remotely the same colour as the example picture. Oh well. The lentils in this soup cooked down beautifully and the overall flavour is great—which is a relief, because the recipe made a TON of it. That‘s my supper sorted through the weekend.

TheBookHippie I had this tonight and forgot to take a picture but I was remembering our conversation about this very thing! 1mo
xicanti @TheBookHippie so much intense filtering. Sigh. 1mo
TheBookHippie @xicanti seriously!!! 1mo
42 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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xicanti
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I took a break midway through my worldbuilding-forward dark fantasy and switched to this character-driven historical fantasy set in a queernorm version of Regency England. It‘s an absolute delight as of 24%. I‘m happy with my life choices.

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xicanti
Wind and Truth | Brandon Sanderson
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I pressed the hell out of my jacket today, then paused to finish this miniature tea shop. That took me to 29% with WIND AND TRUTH, which I‘m loving. It‘s common for epic fantasy to have a POV or two that the reader just doesn‘t care about, but I‘m interested and invested in all these people and have been all along. I‘m excited to keep listening tomorrow. #audiocrafting

MemoirsForMe 😍😍😍 1mo
43 likes1 comment
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xicanti
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Plugging along through BLACK SUN RISING with my favourite schnauzer. It‘s not bad, but I haven‘t become invested in the characters or the story, so it‘s slower going than I want right now. (It probably doesn‘t help that I still can‘t stop thinking about THE TOMB OF DRAGONS by Katherine Addison.) One of the LT reviews said things click into place about 200 pages in, though, and I‘m ALMOST there. Hopefully that does it for me.

Lindy Oof. 200 pages is a lot of commitment before reaching any payoff. Stay strong! 1mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
xicanti @Lindy I MIGHT pause and read something else before I finish. Depends on how this next chunk goes. I like it enough that I don‘t want to bail, but I feel like I‘ve lost momentum. 1mo
xicanti @dabbe 🐕‍🦺🦴 1mo
Lindy @xicanti 🍀 1mo
44 likes5 comments
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xicanti
Wind and Truth | Brandon Sanderson
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I spent a goodly chunk of my Louis Riel Day listening to WIND AND TRUTH while I sewed the bulk of a new jacket to take to Paris. It‘s impossible to tell from the picture, but this tweed is shot through with green and goldenrod. I‘m really happy with it.

I‘m also so glad the book came in for me! At 63 hours, it‘ll be a stretch to get it finished before my month off from American writers, but it‘s doable. #audiosewing

BkClubCare Cool. 1mo
Butterfinger So pretty. 1mo
Soubhiville 63 hours?!?! Wow that‘s a big commitment. 1mo
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Singout A month off from American writers as a political statement? Or because you‘re going to France? 1mo
xicanti @Soubhiville I listen at 3x speed, but it‘s still gonna be a pretty lengthy undertaking. 1mo
xicanti @Singout it‘s something I do every year because I need breaks from the way that many, if not most, American creators write with the assumption that their audience is entirely American, primed to treat their culture as the default. It‘s really fucking nice to have a month where I‘m not gonna run up against things like temperatures in °F or nicknames for grades. I won‘t deny, though, that I need it more this year than I usually do. 1mo
Lindy Louis Riel is a character in the play I attended in Vancouver on Saturday: Women of the Fur Trade by Frances Koncan. Your blazer is looking fine! 1mo
xicanti @Lindy Riel‘s doing the theatrical rounds lately. A friend recently saw an opera about his romantic life. 1mo
Lindy @xicanti 😁♾️👍 1mo
41 likes9 comments
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xicanti
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I finished Katherine Addison‘s forthcoming novel last night and now I‘m BEREFT. Gonna try to drown my sorrows in Duffy snuggles and early-90s dark fantasy. C.S. Friedman is one of those authors I‘ve always been AWARE of but never quite managed to read, so it‘s about time I gave her work a try. It‘s off to a promising start.

Ruthiella 🐶❤️🐶❤️🐶 1mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 1mo
Leniverse I remember that one as being really good! But I actually read it in the 90s so who knows what I would think of it today 😅 1mo
xicanti @Leniverse so many of the things I loved back then haven‘t aged well, but thus one‘s well-written so far! Interesting worldbuilding, too. 1mo
35 likes4 comments
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xicanti
Sister Snake: A Novel | Amanda Lee Koe
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This week‘s library haul. I‘m taking next month off from American writers and artists (something I usually do in February but couldn‘t swing this year due to some ARCs and imminent library holds), and while I‘ve got a couple more American-authored titles in the pipeline for next week, my holds list already reflects Murica-Free March‘s mandate. Today I picked up stuff from Canada, Japan, and Singapore. #MFMarch

TheKidUpstairs I'm interested to see your review of Girl Runner. I was intrigued by it on the Canada Reads long list. 1mo
BkClubCare ❤️ 1mo
xicanti @TheKidUpstairs I think I kept all the longlist titles on my holds list. Chances are I‘ll wish at least one of them made it to the shortlist in place of something that did. 1mo
39 likes3 comments
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xicanti
Lovestruck in London | Rachel Schurig
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Onward through my Kobo! I hit 95% read last night after I bounced off a fantasy sequel that reminded me of how and why I disliked the first book in the series. Now I‘m into a new adult romance I‘ve had for I dunno how many years. It started a bit rough, but I‘m really enjoying it as of 28%. It strikes a good balance between the joy and fear of exploring life in a new city.

Please also enjoy my kitty sheriff mood light.

cjk So cute! 😍 2mo
xicanti @cjk right? I was gonna give it to my cousin‘s kid, but I think I‘ll keep it instead. 2mo
37 likes2 comments
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orange Vol. 1 | Ichigo Takano
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Poor Duffy lost his beard to an unfortunate gnat infestation, but he‘s still a committed reading buddy. Tonight he‘ll help me reread another chunk of ORANGE, my favourite high school friendship manga. It‘s high stakes slice of life stuff.

dabbe Poor Duffy! He's still beyond adorable. 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
xicanti @dabbe I tell him this often. He needs the reassurance after his big image revamp. 2mo
CBee It‘s okay, Duffy. Your beard will grow back ♥️ He‘s such a cutie!! 2mo
AmyG Awwww….tell Duffy he is still a handsome boy. 2mo
47 likes5 comments
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Funny Story | Emily Henry
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My mum gave me a fun, non-Covid respiratory virus that involves an enormous amount of coughing. All I wanna do is snuggle dogs, eat crunchy foods, and read books.

I was in totally the wrong mood for the YA SF novel I tried earlier, but this romcom‘s really working for me. Gonna spend a goodly chunk of time with it this evening. Maybe gonna have more hashbrowns topped with cheese and spicy mayo, too, because who cares about nutritional value.

Ruthiella Feed your cold! 2mo
xicanti @Ruthiella on it. 2mo
45 likes2 comments
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The Companion | E. E. Ottoman
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Casey helped me finish THE COMPANION earlier. It was my first E.E. Ottoman, after years of curiosity about his books, and I very much appreciated it as a celebration of trans love and self-acceptance, all wrapped up in woodsy writing vibes.

That said, I wanted more emotional grounding before the romances actually kicked off, and I feel like the book needed one more close line edit to fix issues like missing words and homonyms.

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 2mo
38 likes1 comment
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xicanti
The Desert Talon | Karin Lowachee
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Pickpick

If you‘re after fantasies about colonialism, displacement, and environmental degradation, you need the Crowns of Ishia novellas in your life. THE DESERT TALON looks at refugees in a land of people with whom they share ancestry but not a viewpoint on what their magic is and how it should be used. Karin Lowachee digs deep into her themes across these 150 pages, all while she delivers her signature stellar characterization. I couldn‘t put it down.

humouress Book bullet. But it's only on my wish list since I can't find any e-library books 2mo
xicanti @humouress I hope you‘re able to source both this and the first one! A friend found the audio of THE MOUNTAIN CROWN on Hoopla, if that‘s an option. 2mo
33 likes2 comments