Kylie
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Posts posted by Kylie
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Okay! The cover is a little faded (it must have been part of a stack of books that have been in the sun) but for £1 I thought it was worth buying! You know me!
If I come across a better copy I will replace it!
Nice! Those illustrations look familiar. Do you know if they're the original illustrations?
My book activity today consisted of walking around Waterstones and moving a copy of Guards! Guards! from my living room to my bedroom.
Living. The. Dream.
Unrelated to your book activity, but related to your avatar: Have you seen the new trailer for Deadpool 2?
I started reading The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells last night. It's one of those books that I've been meaning to read for many years. I'm already halfway through and really enjoying it.
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I bought a copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens in the Bookbarn today!
Post a pic? Pretty please?
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Belated happy birthday to you, Claire!
I ended up finishing Isaac's Storm yesterday. Another brilliant book by Erik Larson!
I then returned to a book I started reading earlier in the year, called The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. Just finished it today. It was a pretty book, and interesting, but a bit repetitive. I think I would fit in well in Denmark.
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What's your book activity today?
Having finished The Lifeboat, I've returned to reading Isaac's Storm by Eric Larson. It's been hard to put down, and I've read more than 60 pages in the past day. Hoping to finish it in the next couple of days.
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This looks really interesting! I read a little about Laing and Kingsley Hall in Jon Ronson's The Psychopath Test. Very interesting stuff.
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I've read around 200 pages of The Lifeboat. I'm really enjoying it and excited to see where it goes.
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You don't?? I thought I was the only one.I don't know how to explain this to you... I would've said that a pen has ink, but then a marker has ink, too, but it's a different type of ink.
Okay here's a picture of a marker.
Here's a pen:
http://stationeryinfo.com/uploads/images/company/54673c504e7be22151287365/pr/1416055250.jpg
We often call those types of markers 'textas'. And yes, that's what I picture when I think of 'pen'. I think, for me, a marker is partway between a pen and a texta. Whereas textas are quite thick and 'heavy', markers are more delicate but have a different type of ink than a normal pen. Does that make sense?
It's really addictive, the whole thing, isn't it
I love looking at people's BuJo pages online (on Facebook) and I envy some of the people's hand lettering... And I should get busy practicing mine, but I've been having other things on my plate so far. I hope things will settle down so I can get carried away in hand lettering <3 I bought my set of Sakura Pigma Micron pens maybe three weeks ago, when the previous set was a disappointment (it had been water resistant, not waterproof). So I'm currently using Pigma Microns 
And I checked and mine say they are archival ink. But thanks ever so much for mentioning this, because now I know to look for archival inks in the future! (Should I not be able to find the same Pigma Microns for some odd reason)I've created a board on Pinterest to help me keep track of particular spreads and lettering that I like because I found I was visiting the same pages over and over.
I don't think I've seen Pigma Microns around. I'll have to look into them.
Last weekend I went to a stationery store that's attached to my favourite bookstore in Sydney. I looked to see if they had any LT1917s and they had a huge range! I took a pic to show you all.
Did anyone else know that LT1917 also does a range of Ex Libris notebooks in which you can track your reading?
They look lovely! I'll be going back to the shop this weekend, and I'll probably buy one. (The Ex Libris journals are the pink ones halfway along the top shelf in the below pic.)
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Yesterday I visited an excellent indie bookshop in Sydney and splurged on a couple of books. I bought The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan and The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie, as well as the Emma expansion to the Marrying Mr Darcy card game (not that I've even played the original game yet!
).The Lifeboat was bought on Poppyshake's recommendation. I started reading it on the train on the way home and I'm already enjoying it.
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The worst spoiler for me occurred when I was halfway through reading my first Agatha Christie novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I was browsing through a secondhand bookshop around that time and came across a book called Who Killed Roger Ackroyd? I picked it up to read the blurb and found the twist written right there in the first sentence of the blurb. I mean, I suppose I should have known it was a possibility, but the blurb could easily have been written without mentioning the actual twist! It totally ruined the book for me.
Coincidentally, I found this book at the bookfair the other day and I decided to buy so I can read the actual analysis of the book. -
I love all of your lists at the beginning of your thread, Willoyd! The US states challenge particularly appeals to me, not least because many of the books on your list are already on my TBR pile, so I wouldn't have to go out of my way to acquire more books!
I loved your review of The Invisible Woman and I've added it to my wishlist.
Also loved your review of The Shadow of the Wind, which I've read and loved. -
I hope Kylie is alright. They are having a record breaking heatwave in Sydney, temperatures up to 44C today in some parts and even higher tomorrow. Even worse, they're having power outages due to the high electricity demand from air conditioning
Naw, thanks Poppy.
We've had the most insanely hot summer I can ever remember. It's been absolutely horrible. Most years we get just one or two days over 40C (104F) during the entire summer—and those rare days are usually followed by cooler weather in the form of a southerly breeze and a thunderstorm at the end of the day. But this year we've easily had one or two days per week over 40C. I also live in the hottest part of Sydney, and when it finally cools down in other parts of the city, it doesn't out here because we're too far from the sea breeze. I read today that my suburb was the tenth hottest place on the planet yesterday, with a temp of 46.9C (116.4F).
And the worst thing is that we don't get the cool change to make up for it at the end of the day.In January we had 8 days over 40C and another 6 days between 35C and 40C. In the first 12 days of February, we've had 3 days over 40C and 4 between 35C and 40C. The moment you walk into the sun, you can feel your skin start burning. Argh. I never thought I'd say this, but I long for the days when the temp only reached 35C! We've actually had a rare cool change tonight. I can't remember the last time I felt cool air on my skin! I just stood outside for ages in wonder and excitement.
I'm planning to move up into the mountains later this year, where it's consistently around 6+ degrees cooler than my current hometown, and it even snows in winter. I can't wait!!
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Oh wow! I'll have to remember that. Thanks for the tip.
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Here's my haul from the book fair! I haven't included a handful of books that I bought to replace other editions I already own.
Fiction (29)
Douglas Adams The Salmon of DoubtAgatha Christie A Murder is AnnouncedAgatha Christie The Complete Short Stories: Miss Marple I think I squeaked when I found this book. I have the Hercule Poirot short stories in the same edition, and I accidentally bought a second edition of the HP stories, but this is the first time I've found the Miss Marple stories! Absolute bargain because it's been too expensive to buy brand new, and this book (despite its length) is in 'as new' condition!Agatha Christie The Secret of ChimneysAgatha Christie Six Against the Yard (written with the Detection Club)Agatha Christie Third GirlDave Eggers McSweeney’s Issue 46: Thirteen Crime Stories from Latin America A gorgeous hardcover book.Elena Ferrante My Brilliant FriendNina George The Little Paris Bookshop I'm pretty sure Frankie didn't like this, but I couldn't resist it anyway!Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe The Sorrows of Young Werther I've wanted this for ages!Vasily Grossman Everything FlowsEmma Healey Elizabeth is MissingHugh Howey WoolMarvin Kaye The Game is Afoot: Parodies, Pastiches and Ponderings of Sherlock Holmes Hadn't heard of this before, but it looks like a great find.Herman Koch The DinnerAndrey Kurkov The President’s Last Love Yay for Kurkov! Love this author.Ann M Martin BSC #127: Abby’s Un-Valentine Still ever-so-slowly completing my collection. Always very happy to tick another one off the list.Haruki Murakami Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage Thrilled to find this, and it looks brand new.Vladimir Nabokov GloryBoris Pasternak Doctor Zhivago I used to own a tattered secondhand copy of this but got rid of it. This edition is much prettier and is almost brand new.Marcel Proust Swann’s Way #1: In Search of Lost Time Gulp. This is the first volume I've bought. It looks brand new and is the edition I've always wanted. I guess I now need to buy the rest before they become more difficult to find!Vita Sackville-West The EdwardiansLionel Shriver We Need to Talk About KevinRobin Sloan Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour BookstoreAleksandr Solzhenitsyn The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: Volume 3 There was a definite squeak when I found this! This edition is lovely and looks brand new. I recently added all three volumes to my wish list, but they're really quite expensive, so this was a big and exciting find. I saved so much money! Unfortunately I couldn't find volumes 1 and 2, but finding volume 3 was such a big deal that I don't even care about the other two.Julian Symons A Three-Pipe ProblemDonna Tartt The GoldfinchAnne Tyler Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant This book (and this particular edition of this book) has been on my wish list for ages.Evie Wyld All the Birds, SingingNon-Fiction (13)Douglas Adams The Deeper Meaning of LiffPierre Bayard Who Killed Roger Ackroyd? Years ago I saw this book in a secondhand bookshop. I was partway through The Murder of Roger Ackroyd at the time (the first Agatha Christie I ever read), so I picked it up and read the blurb. I was gutted to find that the first sentence of the blurb spoiled the ending of the book. So now I want to read the book that spoiled the other book for me.Michael Bright 1001 Natural Wonders You Must See Before You DieBrian Cox Human UniverseDavid Crystal Just a Phrase I’m Going ThroughSimon Garfield On the MapSteven Gilbar Bibliotopia This is a book of various trivia about books. I already have one or two books similar to this but I had to get this because the cover is gorgeous!!Steve Hare (ed) Penguin Portrait: Allen Lane and the Penguin Editors 1935–1970 I hadn't heard of this before, but I love Penguin, so this sounds right up my alley!David Hunt Girt Book about Australia.Joanna Rakoff My Salinger Year I bought this because Kay and Sari recently discussed it on the forum. That's all it took!John Reed Ten Days That Shook the World I've wanted this for years!David Sacks The AlphabetMartin Toseland Infographica Another book that I may have squeaked for; it has been on my wish list for years. -
Emoticons culled. *sad face*
Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary
!! That is amazing.
I can imagine having to deliver bad news to people isn't nice at all. I'm glad you got it over with.
How exciting you're going to the book fair in Canberra! Last year I wasn't sure about going to the yearly book fair near here - but I decided to go in the end and was glad I did. I hope you have a great time and that you find many lovely books.Thanks Gaia! Time flies when you're having fun.
The phone calls were the worst.
I understated how bad it was in my original post. I slept badly for a couple of nights and felt sick to my stomach because I was worrying so much. There were also tears before and after phone calls (mine, not the auditionees'!) I've already sworn that if I ever direct another play I'll get someone else to make the phone calls, or I'll just advise people via email (even if that's considered less polite). I just can't go through that again!Congrats on your 10th anniversary.
Here's to the next decade! Thanks Janet! I know you joined before I did, which means we've 'known' each other for 10 years!
Congratulations on directing! I remember when you started stage managing!
Happy anniversary and have fun at the book fair, it's good to see youThanks Anna! My 'promotion' to director has been very fast indeed! I still can't believe they agreed to let me do it. Seriously. If you knew me 'in real life', you'd understand how crazy it is because I'm one of the quietest, least confident, least authoritative people I think you'll ever meet!
Ooh, 10 whole years ! Well done !
Hee, have a lovely time at the Book Fair.
Thanks! I had a great time at the book fair. It was a quicker visit than usual (we went there and back in one day, which is around 6 hours of driving) and it was a stinking hot day, but it was lots of fun, as usual. Mum and I were tired but happy when we got home.
Happy 10th Anniversary
Ooh, I love it when you post about the book fair and all the books you acquire ... can't wait to see what you get this year.
Hehe.
Thanks Claire! I'm going to post the list shortly. I think it may be my smallest haul ever, but it's a good one!There are always moments when I'm browsing the books and I suddenly spot a title that I would never have expected to find there, and I always let out a squeak of excitement (I would squeal rather than squeak, but I don't want people nearby to think I'm crazy!) I know it's been a successful outing to the book fair when I've squeaked a few times.
I'm sorry I'm a day late, but let me wish you a very happy 10th anniversary here on BCF!!
And well done for having gone through the auditions!
I know it's a big thing but it's amazing that you still did it! I wish I could see you at work!! All the best for the rehearsals! Also, have an amazing time at the book fair!!
And do tell us what you got when you have the timeThank you my dear! I wish you could be here too!
You would have barely recognised the book fair this year! It's now so big that they've split the non-fiction and fiction books into two separate rooms! You remember how we turned right when we went indoors, and then we walked down a ramp into the room where all the books were? Well, if you turn left instead of right, there's another massive room, and they moved the non-fiction books there. And then the fiction books were rearranged a bit in the main room. There wasn't really extra space in the main room though because they moved all the checkout parts into the room (whereas they were set up in an attached tent thing in previous years). I'm not sure if I approve of the new layout. I'll have to go back next year and see it again.
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Think of all the rereads of A Christmas Carol you'll be able to add, Janet!
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Just a quick update...
I haven't done much reading lately, but I've had a big week, and the next couple of weeks will be big too.
Today I celebrate my 10th anniversary on the forum! Woohoo!
Earlier this week I held auditions for the play I'll be directing. It was a huge step outside of my comfort zone, as I had to take charge and speak in front of a group of around 20 people. I managed to get through it well enough, but then I had the terrible job of ringing everyone to deliver good and (more often) bad news. It was awful having to turn people down (many of whom I consider friends). Anyway, that's over with, thank goodness. We start rehearsals next week.
My beloved bookfair starts in Canberra tomorrow! My mum and I weren't planning to go. In fact, we were very firm in our decision not to go, as we both have too many unread books. But then I rang Mum the other day and cheekily read her an article I'd found that said this bookfair would be the biggest one yet. I thought she would say 'no' and that would be the end of it, but she said that maybe we should go! I unexpectedly caught her at a weak moment, so now we're going to the bookfair! It's now midnight and I have to get up at 4.30 am so we can drive down. I'm feeling a bit unorganised because I usually prepare by updating various lists, but I haven't had a chance to do so yet! Never mind. I'm super excited!
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Wow! I'm glad I was sitting down when I read that! Goodreads actually implemented a featured recommended by a huge number of its users?
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Oh dear...I'm horrified that I haven't posted in your (not-so-)new thread yet (although I did read through your lists as soon as you posted them). I see that your reading year is already off to a cracking start.
As always, I'll be keenly reading your wonderful reviews, both to add books to my wishlist, and for the sheer entertainment that your reviews provide. Claire bought our Christmas presents with her, she made this absolutely gorgeous patchwork Christmas cushion for us
You can see from the photos how gorgeous it is but it is even more fab in real life. She is so, so, clever! That cushion is gorgeous!! And it's so very 'Kay'. Well done Claire!
I meant to post this a while ago
Diane sent me a beautiful Christmas card with book spines on it back and front and it was just too good to only display at Christmas so I cut it in half and framed them. Thanks Diane .. I love it That's so cute! You're very clever to think of doing that.
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Okay, the Pigma Micron markers are great!
I now have what I need! I'm a bit sad that I can't use my colored Stabilo markers (I can use them but I don't want to in case of a sudden flood or whatever and BuJo gets wet!), but I've now actually realized that maybe I would prefer writing in black, and not writing in every color under the sky... Writing in black and keeping the colors to the embellisments might be a much nicer look in the long run. I do love the colorrrific pages people make in their BuJos, but I really also like the minimalistic, chic look of plain black colors... Luckily one can do both in one's BuJo I love my Pigma Microns and also the two Zig Calligraphy markers I got (teal and baby blue). I love it that I now have what I need and I know where to get more!! I'm well happy!!! (Also, the previous permanent markers that I got and was disappointed with might actually be okay... The thing is, as soon as I wrote something down and then tried to smudge it with water, it did smudge. But maybe it's a case of not having given the ink enough time to dry? So maybe they can be permanent. I'll have to test them
Yes, I'm impatient sometimes!!)I'm glad the new markers are working better! Have you now had a chance to re-try the markers that you originally thought didn't work as well?
I'm with you...I like both the minimalist and and non-minimalist styles of BuJos.
I'll probably go with minimalist and try adding a bit more colour once I'm more used to what I'm doing.Care to show any pictures? I may have said this before, but I never understood what the grid notebooks were for, but now it all makes sense
Love it! I've heard of Staedtler the brand and maybe of the pens, too. They're pens and not markers, right? A silly question but I'm just making sure. The word 'marker' is really new to me, I would've earlier just used the word pen for markers, too. Or maybe a felt tip pen. This is a whole new jargon for me.
Here's a pic showing my new Leuchtturm1917, which my brother sent me for my birthday, my triplus fineliners and the basic grid book that I bought for practicing.
I'm not even really sure what the difference is between a pen and a marker.
Oh yes I did! I've not had much chance of posting about it. For some reason I thought it would be an A5 book but it's actually a bit wider than an A4.
I'm glad the book has worked out for you.
OK, so I posted my previous message 3 hours ago. Then I immediately started typing this response, but partway through I started looking up BuJo stuff. That means I've just lost 3 whole hours.
I could have set up my own BuJo in that time!! 
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Frankie, I said it elsewhere, but the pages in your Leuchtturm1917 look awesome! I love your writing.
I love the below BuJo image that I found in this BuzzFeed article.
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I hope you didn't get rid of all your knickers when Konmari-ing?
LOL. No, I didn't. In fact, I've started following her method for folding my underwear (but not for other clothes).
I think your BSC would be perfect there
And I would've totally suggested a series, so that you wouldn't be wondering which books you had in the drawer later. A series is easier to remember. Not that you couldn't always just look what's there But it would save you the trouble! I haven't done anything about this yet, but I've been looking at ideas online and found some cheapish IKEA boxes that would be perfect to go under bed if the books don't fit in my drawers.
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I'm a fan of de Botton's writing. So far I've only read Essays on Love, but I have quite a few of his books on my TBR pile. Religion for Atheists and The News: A User's Manual are the two that I most want to read.
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I finished Fire and Hemlock by Dianna Wynne Jones last night. Today I started reading Books v Cigarettes by George Orwell (one of Penguin's Great Ideas books). Then, when I had to grab some reading material and didn't have BvC handy, I grabbed another Great Ideas book: A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift. Not sure how I'll go with the latter, but the former is going well.
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Lots of emojis culled...
Bobbly: A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson. I've read this numerous times and have just finished my most recent re-read. It covers such a variety of topics and of course, he makes it all the more interesting by his writing style and sense of humour.
Frankie: This scares me to high heavens becauce I'm not very good at science at all and I fear it'll all go over my head. And I'm saying this even though I just recently read someone's review on the book and they said that Bryson uses layman's terms as he's no scientist himself and it's readable.
Kylie: It won’t go over your head! It’s definitely written so us laypeople can understand it all. It filled me with a sense of wonder and awe at the world we live in. I remember the first few pages in particular, which talk about how many crazy things had to happen just so you and I could be here today. It really makes you appreciate life. Man, I need to go and re-read that section now…
Bobbly: House of Leaves - Danielewski, Mark Z. I've tried this one many years ago but struggled with all the footnotes and stylised form of story telling. I still have my copy on the bookshelf and I'm determined to give it another attempt.
Frankie: This, too, scares me! And it's not good because I do want to read it and I do want to love it!! I got it because of the Rory list, haha
Kylie: (I meant to multi-quote the bit where you said I liked it, but you couldn’t remember if I loved it. Anyway…) I LOVED IT! It’s quite a strange read, but it’s brilliantly done, in my opinion (some might say pretentious, and I understand that, but I choose to think it’s clever). READ IT!
I think I've told you guys that my computer crashed a few years ago and I lost all the documents and stuff on the hard drive. Meaning the list with all the titles of the books I own, and their price in parenthesis, along with the details of where I bought them and when, or if I got them as a present and from whom. A few weeks ago I tried my old computer, and managed to fish out the document from there. It hasn't been updated since 2012, but there's still a lot of titles! I was so happy
Ooh, that’s great news! And yes, you can easily add your books acquired since 2012 from your lists here at BCF. It’s so handy to have a place where we’ve kept all this information!
I could've spend some time today on doing the TBR, but instead I got interested in hand lettering and I spent too much time looking for brush pens that I could buy online
LOL. I’ve lost so much time recently to BuJo and appropriate pens etc!
My favorite Finnish comedian, Stan Saanila, recently published a book on how to pronounce all things Finnish.
Nice-ten-rice-cow?
This book is a Birthday/Christmas present from my dear Kylie!! I had no idea what she would get me... Well, a book most likely, but which book, I had no idea! Inside was The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson!!
It's a book that's been on my wishlist for ages! It's a true crime book and it's on the Rory Gilmore reading list, so that's twice the excitement! I'm totally psyched about this book, thank you Kylie ever so much!! And I love the edition, too!Naw, you’re welcome! I love the cover too (but not as much as what’s on the inside!)
Oh yay, that's awesome! I bet you can't wait for the mail I'm really not one for bright colors myself, usually, but the only colors available online were pink and red so I went for pink. But I do like the pink now... I love it very much! But I think pretty much all the Leuchtturm 1917 colors are beautiful... I think if I'd gone to the bookstore and seen them all, I would've had a very difficult time choosing one. So in a way I got lucky that I had fewer options. I might still be standing at the bookstore, choosing "Sorry Boss, I can't make it to work today... Gotta choose a notebook color!"
When I was looking up Leuchtturm 1917s available in Australia, they mostly seem to have only the black version available. The online place that had the widest range of colours available only had the other colours in the plain or ruled style. Thankfully I’m quity happy with ‘boring’ black, and I probably would have chosen it even if the other colours were available, just because I’m so indecisive and black is the ‘safest’ colour. Like you, Frankie, if I had been looking at them in person, I’m sure it would have been a very difficult choice! I’m sort of glad the journals aren’t available locally, because I probably would have made several trips to the store to stare at them, then go home undecided to think about it, then go back again, etc.
I got another book in the mail from Kylie!
Maybe The Devil was my Bday present and today's was my Christmas present? I don't know, but I'm mighty happy and grateful for my news books! Thank you Kylie ever so much!!!
I got Skippy Dies by Paul Murray, which has been on my wishlist since 2010. As it just so happens, I was in Australia, living with Kylie, when I saw this book at a bookstore or somewhere and read the blurb and added the title to my wishlist. I've been wanting to read it for ages! And now I have my very own copy
Yes, one was for Christmas and one was for your birthday. I know it’s hard to tell when they both arrive so long after each day! I’m glad you like them, though. I had to get a fiction book to offset the non-fiction (not sure why—it just seemed like I should do it!) And I partly got it because it’s on Poppyshake’s list of books that we both must read. Maybe we could do a group read of it one day.
But I'll just have to deal with it. At least I have Netflix and books to read
Ah, I’ve been wondering if you kept your Netflix after the first free month. I’ve kept mine, but only because I keep forgetting to cancel it!
Thank you poppyshake for my new books!
Aw, cute doggy books!
4. How to Find Love in a Book Shop by Veronica Henry
This sounds lovely! Would you say it’s a bit like the AJ Fikry book, I mean, in spirit (if that makes sense)?
First line of current book - 2017
in General Book Discussions
Posted
On February the 1st, 1887, the Lady Vain was lost by collision with a derelict when about the latitude 1º S and longitude 107º W.