This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. A similar meme, This Week in Books is hosted by Lipsyy Lost and Found.
Why not join in? Just answer the following three questions in a post and then put a link to that post in the Comments over at Taking on a World of Words.
The questions are:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish reading?
- What do you think you’ll read next?
As always, clicking on the cover image will take you to the book’s Goodreads page.
1. What I’m reading at the moment
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
This is so cute. Something would have to go seriously wrong before the end for me not to like this book!
The blurb: Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.
That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.
Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.
Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.
2. The last books I read
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Very, very good. I’m so glad I listened to the hype on this occasion. Here’s my full review.
The blurb: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first
AND
Kitty’s Countryside Dream by Christie Barlow
Definitely the light read I was expecting, but a little too “lite” for my tastes. So sad 😦 That cover is beautiful! Here’s my full review.
The blurb: New home. New life. New beginning. Love affairs can blossom in the most unlikely places…
When Kitty inherits Bluebell Lodge from her grandmother, a farm in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside, it’s time for fresh air and a fresh start. Up to her elbows in chickens and ponies, Kitty soon realises there’s an awful lot to learn about farming. Still, at least the locals seem friendly, not least her handsome neighbour Tom…
But just as Kitty is beginning to find her feet, and the possibility of love, the discovery of a long-hidden diary, by a mysterious character called Violet changes everything. Who is Violet and what is her message for Kitty? As Kitty fills in the lost pieces of her family jigsaw and discovers some shocking revelations, will her countryside dream and blossoming relationship fall to pieces? When it comes to life in the country, nothing is ever quite as it seems…
3. What I’ll read next
The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker (aka The Golem and the Jinni – no idea why!)
I sought this out at the library based entirely on the recommendation of Emily at A Keyboard and an Open Mind. Here’s her review.
The blurb: Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.
Struggling to make their way in 1899 New York, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their immigrant neighbors while masking their true selves. Meeting by chance, they become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.
Marvelous and compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of folk mythology, historical fiction, and magical fable into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale
AND
The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2) by Robert Galbraith
I read The Cuckoo’s Calling at the end of last year (my review). I was only mildly impressed, but I’ve been reassured that the series improves, so I’m sticking with it. Besides, let’s face it, the author has built up enough goodwill with me and the majority to last her a lifetime! 🙂
The blurb: When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.
But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine’s disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.
When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before…
Have you read/are reading any of these? What are you reading? Let me know! 🙂
Last week I featured my first gluten free recipe: almond and coconut macaroons. So easy to make and delicious!
And, if you’ve read this far… If you could take a sec to like my Facebook page I’d be forever grateful. I’m only a few likes off being able to view “insights” which would feed my stats addiction and make me very happy 🙂
I didn’t think Kitty’s Countryside Dream would be up your street but then we have to try these things to confirm it 😉
I should try another Rainbow Rowell as have only read Eleanor & Park which was very good and would recommend.
Here’s my WWW – http://bookboodle.co.uk/2016/01/20/www-wednesday-january-20th
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I have Eleanor and Park on the TBR. I think I’ve done well to space out the Rainbow Rowell books as they’re so cute and fluffy I think reading them too close together would be too much. I think I’ll save it up to read after I pick up something really depressing 🙂
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I think jinn/i is possibly an American spelling? Though I am basing that 90% on the fact that it seems to be spelled without the D in American editions and with it in the UK and Australian ones, and 10% on my own baseless speculation. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy it!
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That’s what I thought… but then it’s so odd! I’ve seen “jinn” before, but not “jinni”… Ah well, I’m sure the publishers knew what they were doing (maybe).
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So excited to see how you like the end of ‘Carry On.’ And I hope you enjoy ‘The Silkworm.’ I found it gripping and I really enjoyed the story. Happy reading and thanks for participating in WWW Wednesday!
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I can’t imagine I won’t like how Carry On ends. Unless she kills everyone off in a bloodbath (can’t see that happening some how).
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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Happy to hear you’re enjoying Carry On and Six of Crows as I really liked them both. Will be interested to see what you think of The Golum and the Djinni. I’d be tempted to read it by the cover alone 🙂
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Thanks! I can’t imagine I’ll suddenly develop of negative view of Carry On – it’s so light and lovely.
I love the cover of The Golem and the Djinni too. The story sounds great, and then the cover just clinched it 🙂
Thanks for visiting and happy reading.
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Six of Crows is on my reading list, too, I can’t wait to finally get to it. Carry On sounds interesting, I’ll have to look into it!
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I’m pretty sure you’ll like Six of Crows. It’s so well written and I’m really impressed with how she handles the complex plot while shifting between 5 points of view.
Carry On is lovely and light and fluffy. Ideal if you’ve just read something very heavy and depressing!
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It definitely sounds like my kind of book! I love multiple view points – all the more reason to be excited for it 🙂
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I’m glad you are enjoying Carry On. And you really did like Six of crows huh? I guess I’m the only one who hasn’t read it now.
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Six of Crows is very good. It takes quite a long time to get going though… but it’s worth it in the end.
Carry On is just lovely. I wish I’d read it before Christmas as it’s making me smile so much 🙂
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I read The Silkworm last yr and really enjoyed it. They aren’t HP but I find them to be nice enjoyable escapism.
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That sounds great. I’ve been told the first book in the series was the weakest and they just keep getting better. So I’m looking forward to The Silkworm and then eventually Career of Evil.
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I’m glad you’re enjoying Carry On so far. Am currently waiting rather impatiently for my hold on Six of Crows to come in. And I’m curious to see how you’ll like The Golem and the Djinni. I’ve only just recently heard of it, and I’m on the fence about reading it.
Thanks for visiting my WWW post, and happy reading!
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I have a feeling you’ll like Six of Crows. It takes a while to get going, but it’s so well-written you end up hooked.
I only heard about The Golem and the Djinni thanks to Emily’s review. I have a feeling I’m going to like it though. It sounds an intriguing mix of historical fiction with fantasy.
Thanks for visiting and happy reading too!
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Hi Claire,
I plan to read Kitty’s Countryside Dream because I like to read a book that doesn’t have me thinking all of the time about the what ifs. I’ll let you know what I think after I read it, but it will take some time.
Shalom,
Patricia
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Hello!
That’s great because it’s a nice, light read. I look forward to hearing what you think of it when you’ve finished 🙂
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I’ve been venturing into YA a bit more having just finished the Ransom Riggs Miss Peregrine series. Have you read it? I highly rec! I was thinking of giving Eleanor & Park a try. Have you read that one of Rowell’s?
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Miss Peregrine’s has been on my to read list for a good while now… I have to see if I can get it at the library as yours is another glowing recommendation 🙂
Eleanor and Park is also on my list. I’ve been saving it for a day when I might need some of Rowell’s brilliant cuteness to cheer me up!
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The Peregrine series, especially the first one, is so usual with its use of photography, I admire what it accomplished. I have always loved the idea of mixing media and don’t really know why we don’t have more adult books with illustrations or photography or even external links to music. But that’s just me! My mother’s artist influence, I think. If I get to Eleanor and Park soon I will let you know how it goes. Hope all is well! 🙂
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I completely agree! I have four complete playlists for my novel and when it’s published in e-format I want to give links to Spotify so readers can go and listen to them. I’d also love to get all the paintings described in the book produced. So when I win the lottery… 😉
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Wow, that is so neat! Four playlists! I’m very intrigued and can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and then have a listen. 🙂 Do you have a publication date set?
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The first three chapters are currently being revised and critiqued by an editor. I’m hoping to apply his suggestions and re-start submissions to my final batch of agents and a couple of online imprints (the first 23 agent submissions having come to nothing). If that comes to more nothing (I should know for sure by the end of April), I’ll send the editor my entire manuscript so we can start getting it ready for self-publication. So, realistically, that probably means the autumn/winter of this year for self-publication.
I’m half excited to get professional feedback and half terrified he’ll be ever so polite while telling me my chapters are awful! I’m steeling myself to take the worst possible criticism as a constructive thing to help me improve, but I also know I’ll be a bit upset 😦 We’ll see. I will report on the blog soon, hopefully!
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I always feel that way whenever I send my stuff to my editor. I get butterflies just thinking about it, ha ha. Hopefully he’s the kind of editor that is honest while remaining encouraging. I remember getting feedback years ago on the first novel I’d ever written, which I thought was great at the time, but of course was awful. My editor told me everything I needed to hear in order to improve, but told me to keep writing. At the time I was devastated, but her honesty made me trust her. Sigh, I’m in the same boat when it comes to querying and agents. I have to steel myself every time I check my work email, which is usually filled with more polite rejections. I hope your search is fruitful! 🙂
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I hate to tell you this, but I felt the same way as you did for the Cuckoo’s Calling and I didn’t appreciate The Silkworm. I think I gave it 2 stars. It was okay, but felt like it was trying too hard to be the first book. Hopefully you’ll like it more than I did though.
I’ve seen a lot on Carry On and Six of Crows, it’s nice to know they live up to the hype!
Happy Wednesday!
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Oh dear… I was hoping that now she’d got the character introductions our of the way in The Cuckoo’s Calling she could lose the superfluous 200 words and give us a short, tighter mystery. To be honest, as long as she doesn’t use words like “pellucid” again, I think I’ll get along with it ok 🙂
Six of Crows and Carry On are both excellent. I worry about reading books which are the centre of a lot of hype and was delighted to find these two are worthy of it.
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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Lol! Well, I’ll await your review to find out 😉
Ahh, this is how the TBR pile grows lol
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happy Wednesday Please come check out my post to www Wednesday: https://firstdreamofbooks.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/www-wednesday-3january-20-2016/
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Thanks! I’ll check it out now 🙂
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The end of Carry On is the best part. I wanted to love it but I found the beginning too slow. Totally redeemed itself at the end though. Eleanor and Park is my favourite Rainbow Rowell and a must read!! I’ve picked up the Golem and Djinni a few times so I’ll be interested in what you think.
Here’s my link for today http://hollykerr.ca/im-reading-im-writing/
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I think I’m going to have to request Eleanor and Park from the library as soon as I make it through my current pile. I only went in to collect The Golem and the Djinni and came home with 6 books! So that’s the next 3 weeks taken care of.
I’ll visit your post now…
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So happy you enjoyed Six of Crows! I’m looking forward to what you think of Carry On. I started it (didn’t make it past the first chapter) and then had to return it to the library. I didn’t get far enough in to decide if I wanted to try to read it again. Happy Wednesday!
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I’ll definitely finish Carry On today because it’s a very easy book to fly through. It’s very cute and fun.
Six of Crows was great and I’ll be looking forward to the next in the series. Who would be fool enough to cross Kaz? Idiots. They’ve got it coming to them!
Thanks for visiting and happy reading 🙂
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Glad to hear your liking Carry On and Six of Crows! I’ve been wanting to check out the cuckoos calling so it’s nice to know that the series gets better as it goes.
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They’re both so good! 🙂 It’s lovely when the hype turns out to be justified.
Thanks for visiting even though you’re really busy and I hope the move goes well 🙂
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Thanks 🙂 I hope so too!
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The Golem and the Djinni looks really interesting! I’ve just added that to my TBR list on Goodreads. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
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Thank you! I hope so too so I can recommend it 🙂
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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So glad to see you’re enjoying Carry On. I keep pushing that one back because I didn’t love Fangirl. I recently got Cuckoo’s Calling and The Silkworm but haven’t read them yet. I’ll be interested to see what you think of The Silkworm.
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It’s difficult to say if you’d like Carry On if you didn’t like Fangirl. The story is so different… hmn.
I really hope I like The Silkworm more than The Cuckoo’s Calling. I see she hasn’t made her stories any shorter!
Thanks for visiting and happy reading 🙂
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I’m so glad you loved Carry On and Six of Crows! Those were some of my favorite reads last year! Here’s my WWW for the week. Happy reading!
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Me too! I was worried it would be one of those cases where they’d been over-hyped (and I know, in particular, there are quite a few people who didn’t like Carry On)… but I think they’re both great!
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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So good to hear you love both Carry On and Six Of Crows! They where among my favorite 2015 reads. I have to read The Silkworm too at some point… Although like you I wasn’t really impressed by the first book either.
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I’ve now finished Carry On and I just loved it. I wanted to climb inside and hug Baz… even if he is a vampire! 🙂
I’m hoping The Silkworm is better as everyone has told me because it’s another long one!
Thanks for visiting and happy reading.
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Baz was my favorite character too! I hope The Silkworm is better, for the both of us. 😉 Happy reading!
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Carry On just gets better and better as it goes along- I’m sure you’ll love how it ends 🙂
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I’ve just finished it and it was lovely! I’m going to go to sleep grinning tonight thinking about the cuteness 🙂
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I know right!!
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A great selection as always – I have, to my shame, still not read any of the Robert Gailbraith books, maybe your views will help me pick them up!
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Thank you! I hope The Silkworm is an improvement on The Cuckoo’s Calling now I’m familiar with the main characters 🙂
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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I think it’s definitely about time I got around to Six of Crows now…! I also have The Silkworm on my list and Carry On. I’ve seen a few people saying that Carry On is basically fanfiction, but I did like Fangirl so I think I might give it a whirl at some point!
Here’s my WWW.
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That’s exactly what I thought about Carry On! I liked the little bits in Fangirl, so I thought, “Oh, why not?” And I liked it!
Thanks for visiting and happy reading 🙂
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You’re making me think about reading the Silkworm….Happy reading! https://ireadboooks.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/www-wednesday-january-20-2016/
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In that case I *really* I hope it’s good! Thanks for visiting and happy reading too 🙂
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I’ve got the Golem and the Djinni as an audiobook. Need to actually listen to it. LOL.
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Sounds like what I need to do with the pile of books I have upstairs… I seem to have a need to stockpile books “just in case”. And then I think, “Just in case of what?!” haha!
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Of the Zombie apocalypse! Duh! We will need access to NON-energy dependent entertainment!
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The Silkworm is on my TBR for 2016. I enjoyed the first book more than I thought I would.
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I’ve heard The Silkworm and Career of Evil are better, so I have high hopes 🙂
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I’m interested to hear your take on The Golem and the Jinni (my American version is spelled Jinni). I read it awhile ago, and went back and forth in liking it/not liking it.
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Well I’m extra intrigued now! 🙂 I’m going to try and follow Emily’s advice of reading it in as few sittings as possible… time allowing.
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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That’s a good idea – part of my problem was keeping all of the characters straight, and I ended up reading the book over a very long period of time. Here’s a link to my review, although you will probably want to read it after you’ve already finished the book http://luvtoread.com/2015/07/28/book-review-the-golem-and-the-jinni-by-helene-wecker/
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Glad you’re enjoying Carry On! I actually liked it a lot more than Fangirl. 🙂 Hopefully, I’ll get to Six of Crows soon. I’ve heard so many good things about it, and when I bought it, I read through the first few pages and became so curious about how it continues! Cuckoo’s Calling and The Silkworm are also on my TBR list. Excited to see what you think of The Silkworm.
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Thanks! Carry On is lovely. I’ll be writing my review later today when I’ve calmed down (it left me a bit giddy…in a good way!).
Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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Oh yes I understand those giddy feelings! Can’t wait for your review. 🙂 Thanks, you too!
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I’ve had The Golem and The Djinni on my TBR for ages saving it for when I’m in a real fantasy mood. I’ve heard nothing but good things look forward to hearing your thoughts. 🙂
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Oh I’m glad to hear that 🙂 I’d only seen Emily’s review so I’m going in a bit “blind” with this one. I really hope I’ll be able to recommend it!
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I can’t wait to read Carry On and Six of Crows! I think I will be reading Carry On in February! 🙂
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They’re both really good! You have some great books coming up soon 🙂 Thanks for visiting and happy reading!
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So glad you enjoyed Six Of Crows! It’s been on my tbr since the hype started and I might bump it up to the top now!
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It’s brilliant. You won’t regret it 🙂
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So happy you enjoyed Six of Crows! ❤ It really is an amazing book. Happy reading!
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Me too! I was worried it would be one of those super-hyped books that I eventually got to and just didn’t get it. But no, this one deserves the hype!
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