Saturday, November 07, 2020

Weekly Mews: Welcome November (I think) / My November TBR List Poll (Please Vote!)

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where participants discuss what they are reading and other bookish topics. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading.   I am linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. 


New to the Shelves:

A couple of these were must haves on my wish list but the others were on sale (and also on my wish list), so I could not resist. As you can probably tell, I am continuing to fill out some of my cozy series.  


Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow 
The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale #2) by Margaret Atwood
Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Marie Buchanan


Body on Baker Street  (Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #2) by Vicki Delany
A Scandal in Scarlet  (Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #4) by Vicki Delany
There's a Murder Afoot (Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #5) by Vicki Delany


Past Due for Murder (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #3) by Victoria Gilbert
Bound for Murder (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery # 4) by Victoria Gilbert

What I Am Reading: I currently am reading Together, Apart which is a YA short story collection set during the pandemic. I am three stories in and enjoyed them quite a bit. Next up will be Leads and Lynxes by Rebecca Chastain. I have enjoyed many of her previous books and am looking forward to this new one.

What I Am Watching: Season 2 of Mandalorian has gotten off to a good start. My husband and I love the show. We also are continuing with our Buffy the Vampire Slayer re-watch and have made it to season 3. I do not remember Xander being so annoying the first time around. And I was so excited when Anya made her first appearance (I named one of my cats after her; sadly, one who is no longer with us).  

For Halloween Mouse and I had a Halloweentown marathon and followed it up with Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. My husband joined us for the last two. They have become Halloween traditions for us. 


The following day, we had a Zoom movie date with three of Mouse's friends and their parents to watch The One and Only Ivan, which was our book/movie club pick for the month. The One and Only Ivan is based on a true story and is a bittersweet story. I think us moms had more of a discussion about the movie and book than the children did, but a couple of them had something to say about some of the major changes between the two, wanting to know why they were made. Our next book/movie club selection is Wonder, which just happens to be the book Mouse is reading with her class right now (ever so slowly). Neither Mouse nor I have seen the movie, and so we are looking forward to it.


Mouse recently made me sit through Disney's Zombies 1 and 2. They are cute musicals, and clearly my daughter has watched them more than I realized because she can sing along with all of the songs. We also saw Netflix's animated movie Over the Moon, which we both really liked. 

Off the Blog: October went by fairly fast. Towards the middle of the month, Mouse had a recital for a musical theater class she is taking in addition to her dance classes. We recorded all of her parts from home and the instructor put the final product together on his end. It was a bit of trial and error on our part, but I think we learned some things for next time! 

Our Halloween was a bit different this year. The county I live in is still in the most restrictive tier. We moved up a tier for a short while, only to slide right back to where we were before. The county strongly encouraged people not to trick-or-treat, which some people chose to ignore. We chose not to and made our own fun at home. Besides a movie day/night, we delivered goody bags to a handful of Mouse's friends around town and had had trick-or-treating stations set up for Mouse around the house. We timed the deliveries as best we could in order for us to catch her friends at home for waves and brief chats with them from a safe distance (masked, of course). She came home with as many goodies as she gave, I think! While at first Mouse was disappointed she couldn't go trick-or-treating around our neighborhood, she ended up having a great day. 

The first trimester of school has come to an end, and my husband and I met (remotely) with Mouse's teacher to hear about her progress. There were not too many surprises. The teacher had a lot of positive things to say about her. We learned that he was voluntold he would be teaching virtually this school year, having requested to be in the classroom, but he has come to really like the format. He feels he is getting to know the students more online than he was with them in the classroom. Having talked to some of my teacher friends, I know his experience varies widely from theirs, but I am glad he has taken to it so well. It's better for the students too, in its own way, I'm sure.

My stress and anxiety levels have been sky-rocketing like just about everyone else's, I imagine. Work, schooling, health issues, the rising virus numbers, and now the U.S. Election are all contributing to that. As I write this, the Presidential Election still has not been called, although it seems clear which direction it will go. The current president continues to act the fool. I have seen a lot of people say they are surprised how close the election is, but in all honesty, I am not surprised at all. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised. The divide between us has only gotten bigger continues even now. There will be no quick fix for this. I am cautiously optimistic. 

[edited 8:45 a.m. Saturday to add that the Presidential Election has been called for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Is that hope I feel? What is this strange feeling?! I had forgotten what that was like! These next two and a half months will be difficult no doubt, especially given the current president refuses to accept the results. Even beyond that though, there is still much work to do. For today though, we will enjoy this moment.]

My coworker is napping on the job again. 

What I am grateful for: The cats we meet along our evening stroll who walk part of the way with us. That we survived the first trimester of school. For a short vacation and quality time with my family. And I am grateful for that tiny nugget of hope that good news is on its way.

Here is what I finished reading in October:
  • The Ghost in the Tree House (The Haunted Library #7) by Dori Hillestad Butler & Aurore Damant (il)
  • Dr. Snow Has Got to Go! (My Weirder-est School #1) by Dan Gutman
  • 15 Minutes of Flame (Nantucket Candle Maker #3) by Christin Brecher
  • Magic Team (Unicorn School #6) by Linda Chapman
  • The Hide-and-Seek Ghost (The Haunted Library #8) by Dori Hillestad Butler & Aurore Damant (il)
  • The Ghosts at the Movie Theater (The Haunted Library #9) by Dori Hillestad Butler & Aurore Damant (il)
  • A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik
  • The Underground Ghosts (The Haunted Library #10) by Dori Hillestad Butler & Aurore Damant (il)
  • Mrs. Morris and the Ghost (Salem B&B Breakfast#1) by Traci Wilton
  • The One and Only Ivan (#1) by Katherine Applegate
  • In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
  • Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Mouse and I finished The Haunted Library series in October. My daughhter really enjoyed the series. As I mentioned earlier, Mouse and I participated in our first book/movie club. I was much more enthusiastic about reading The One and Only Ivan than Mouse was initially. I think she was questioning why we were bothering for the first few chapters, given how sad and "unexciting" it was (her word, not mine). Mouse prefers a bit more action in her books. Just the same, the more we read, the more she got into the story and really came to care for Ivan and his animal friends. Now she wants to read the sequel. I might have had to fight tears back a few times as we read the novel. I enjoyed it, and  it lead to good discussions about the treatment of animals.

Much of my personal reading fit in with the Halloween season, including squeezing in Anya's Ghost, a graphic novel, on Halloween itself. I even managed to fit a Christmas-themed romance in there. It was a good reading month over all!

This Past October In Reading Mews:

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your October? Do you have anything planned for this month?


Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 




In honor of Science Fiction month, I thought I would get at least one science fiction novel in November with your help. These three have been sitting on my TBR shelf for a bit, and I think it's time I read one. Which one do you think I should read? 


How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (The Thorne Chronicles #1) by K. Eason 

First in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera—The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia. Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium. 
Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.
When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince. 
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination—how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history. [Goodreads Summary]


Ignite the Stars
(Ignite the Stars #1) by Maura Milan

Everyone in the universe knows his name. Everyone in the universe fears him. But no one realizes that notorious outlaw Ia Cōcha is a seventeen-year-old girl.

A criminal mastermind and unrivaled pilot, Ia has spent her life terrorizing the Olympus Commonwealth, the imperialist nation that destroyed her home. When the Commonwealth captures her and her true identity is exposed, they see Ia’s age and talent as an opportunity: by forcing her to serve them, they will prove that no one is beyond their control.

Soon, Ia is trapped at the Commonwealth’s military academy, desperately plotting her escape. But new acquaintances—including Brinn, a seemingly average student with a closely-held secret, and their charming Flight Master, Knives—cause Ia to question her own alliances. Can she find a way to escape the Commonwealth’s clutches before these bonds deepen?
[Goodreads Summary]


Chilling Effect
(Chilling Effect #1) by Valerie Valdes

A hilarious, offbeat debut space opera that skewers everything from pop culture to video games and features an irresistible foul-mouthed captain and her motley crew, strange life forms, exciting twists, and a galaxy full of fun and adventure.

Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profits. When her sister Mari is kidnapped by The Fridge, a shadowy syndicate that holds people hostage in cryostasis, Eva must undergo a series of unpleasant, dangerous missions to pay the ransom.

But Eva may lose her mind before she can raise the money. The ship’s hold is full of psychic cats, an amorous fish-faced emperor wants her dead after she rejects his advances, and her sweet engineer is giving her a pesky case of feelings. The worse things get, the more she lies, raising suspicions and testing her loyalty to her found family.

To free her sister, Eva will risk everything: her crew, her ship, and the life she’s built on the ashes of her past misdeeds. But when the dominoes start to fall and she finds the real threat is greater than she imagined, she must decide whether to play it cool or burn it all down.
[Goodreads Summary]



Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!


© 2020, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

54 comments:

  1. Though it hasn’t been the easiest month, you seemed to have accomplished a lot! You have some great new books to enjoy too.

    Congrats to Mouse on her recital!

    I voted for Chilling Effect as I thought the humour might be a relief.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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    1. Shelleyrae - I need to stay away from those book sales. :-) Mouse got to sing her first duet at the recital, so it was a big deal for her. Thank you for voting and for visiting! I hope you have a great week too.

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  2. The idea of fairy tale tropes and space opera (I love both genres) makes me want How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Universe!

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    1. Jenclair - How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Universe sounds like it will be a good one. I think the sequel is due out soon if it hasn't come out already. Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. Glad you're still surviving! And hey...new books are always a good thing. Have a great weekend. :D

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    1. Lark - Yes, new books are always a good thing--even if my bank account says to slow down. LOL I hope you have a great weekend too. Thank you for visiting!

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  4. What a time we live in, right? I'm glad school is going all right with your kids. It is so challenging for everyone involved. Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Ardis - I am not sure I would go do far as to say school is going right for my daughter, but it certainly could be worse. Haha. She's managing as best as she can. I hope you have a great weekend too. Thank you for stopping by!

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  5. So I was originally going to do ignite the stars because I have that book BUT...How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Universe sounds like something I would love. I am going with that one instead!

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    1. Michelle - Haha! I really want to read all of them. :-) Thank you for voting and visiting!

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  6. I love that cover for Scandal! And I've been wanting to read Harrow. Glad you guys were able to have a Halloween of sorts. It's hard this year!

    Oh and I'm so happy too about the election results. Finally we have hope again!!!

    I voted Rory Thorne although Chilling Effect came in a close second for me- it looks like a blast ha ha!

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    1. Greg - I am glad we were able to make Halloween fun despite everything. The longer this goes on, the harder it gets in some ways. Especially for my daughter. :-( I feel so bad for her.

      It's so nice to have hope again where our country is concerned. :-)

      Thank you for voting and stopping by!

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  7. Oh Gosh, I don't know any of the books on your poll, so it won't really help that I vote.

    Glad you survived the first trimester of school! Here in South Africa we can almost start saying we have survived the whole year.

    Elza usually lies here with me as well while I blog, but she (Thankfully) loves to lie on the other side of the laptop. Always grateful for small mercies!

    I need to have a look at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, sounds like fun!

    Enjoy your week and here's my The Sunday Post #17

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    1. Elza - Every vote helps. :-) Even if you just vote for the cover or because you like the main characters name. LOL

      My Gracie has a tendency to want to lay right on my laptop. I have a photo of her laid out completely on my keyboard while I was on a conference call for work. She wasn't happy when I made her move. Haha.

      I hope you have a great week. Thank you for visiting!

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  8. I'm glad a part of the stress is over and Trump is finally out, even if I don't live in the US. Hope is good ! A stay home Halloween was a good idea, I had two little girls knocking on my door that I didn't expect because of the lockdown here - I gave them wrapped up biscuits ! One of my cats tries to get on my keyboard so I placed it somewhere she can't reach it,lol, but grandma cat prefers to sleep on my books... Have a great week, stay safe :)

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    1. Iza - Thank you. I am so glad he was voted out. Now if only we can get him and his followers to accept it. Unfortunately, he can do so much damage in the meantime . . . My cat only seems to be interested in sitting on my keyboard when I am working on it. She loves the heat my laptop generates. :-)

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  9. I love the cover for (and the sound of) Once and Future Witches!

    My son and I had a Halloweentown marathon too! First time we'd ever seen them. Although, we never got to watch the fourth one... Maybe next year! Hocus Pocus is an annual favourite of ours too. :)
    We don't watch Nightmare Before Christmas until after Halloween.

    I'm glad you were able to have a nice Halloween even though it's a very different one this year. :)

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    1. Nicci - I do too! I look forward to reading it.

      The Halloweentown movies are cute. I'd seen the first one years and years ago, but the other three were new to me. Hocus Pocus has become a tradition for us too. I like the think of Nightmare Before Christmas as a good transition from Halloween to Christmas movie. :-)

      Thank you for visiting!

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  10. I cannot remember a time in my life when I have been more tense. The virus, the economic worries, the election---all of these things have kept me unnerved. I'm trying to keep hopefully optimistic about the election, and I'm hoping all goes smoothly in the transition.

    I had a hard time choosing which book to pick for you. I liked the sound of the first and last a lot.

    So glad your daughter has done well with school this trimester. If nothing else, we have created a lot of new ways to connect with others during this pandemic.

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    1. Deb - I know what you mean. It's been such a stressful year all around. Sometimes I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread.

      This school year has been a huge challenge, and that we made it through at least this first trimester feels like a huge accomplishment.

      Thank you for voting and stopping by!

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  11. I am eyeing your cozies and thinking I need the feeling that I get from that genre! Enjoy...and yes, the election results lifted my mood tremendously, even as I know that the transition will be chaotic, thanks to you-know-who.

    Enjoy your week and stay safe! Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Laurel-Rain - I know that feeling well. I think that's why I have been overdosing on cozies lately. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  12. sounds like everything is going well and you have some great books to read. i am glad the election is over. maybe our world will quiet down a bit and get to the business at hand
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. Sherry - I am looking forward to reading them. :-) It seems like there will be a bit of an uphill battle given the current leadership being unwilling to concede. Time will tell. Thank you for stopping by!

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  13. All those cozies look wonderful. Hope you enjoy!

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  14. There were no trick or treaters anywhere in sight on Halloween. But we haven't had any in many years. Most parents don't bother coming to apartment complexes they just go to houses so we always got overlooked.

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    1. Mary - The number of trick-or-treaters at our house has dwindled over the years as our street is kind of hidden away. Just a street over though, there area always a ton of kids out. The neighbors there always go way out for Halloween. Several of them did this year as well. I heard they got some trick-or-treaters, but not as many as in past years.

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  15. Those cozy mysteries look good and I have a few on my TBR. I hope you enjoy and have a great week!

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    1. Yvonne - I hope we both enjoy them! I hope you are having a great week too. Thank you for visiting!

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  16. I know what you mean about what this strange feeling is that we feel. It's hope and relief but something more too. We've seen the worst this country has become and now are looking forward to the good that can come. I suddenly feel more interested in public policy and doing what I can. What some people did -- is inspiring!

    Hope you have a great week filled with more hope and happiness. :)

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    1. Athira - Yes, some of the change we've seen come about is inspiring, and I hope it continues. I have been more interested in policy as well and seeing what I can do to do the same. We have a lot of work to do. Thank you for stopping by!

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  17. Hearing the announcement for Biden/Harris was definitely a relief. Yesterday I felt a calm that I haven't felt for a while.

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    1. Helen - Same. It was such a relief. It's no surprise he and his followers are making it more difficult, but it's still disheartening. I need to stay away from the news, I think. Thank you for visiting!

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  18. Hocus Pocus has been our tradition since Eleanor's first Halloween, when she was only three months old. Okay, so maybe she was a liiiiiiitle young but I definitely have pictures of her laying on her playmat and staring at the screen. By the time she was 3 or 4, we were watching it non-stop, any day of the year.

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    1. Sarah - Hocus Pocus is a good Halloween tradition. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  19. Yes! I love the Nightmare Before Christmas! Hope you have a great week!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  20. I'm glad you managed a workable and fun Halloween and that Mouse has a teacher who actually has adapted well to remote learning. I am with you 100% on your election thoughts and relief for now. I want to try Alix Harrow's books. You got some interesting titles. Happy reading!

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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    1. Anne - I highly recommend The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Thank you for stopping by!

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  21. I felt a lot of anger this past week and I am not usually an angry person. The election, the antics of 45 making it much more tense, etc. I am so glad it was finally called and we can breathe a little easier. Biden has already put things into motion that he promised to do. We have a COVID task force! Wow. Filled with doctors and other professionals. Maybe we can get a grip on it now.

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    1. Ti - I sure hope so. Although not surprising, it's still disheartening the amount of pushback and refusal to accept the results out there. We just have to hang in there for now. Thank you for visiting!

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  22. The Sherlock Holmes bookshop mysteries look great, I’ll have to look them up.

    Have a lovely month!

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    1. Heather - I think so too! I have long wanted to read the series. Thank you for stopping by!

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  23. Wendy, You have been busy and lots of reading going on as well. My reading slowed the last 2-weeks but, I'm back on track after the election results are in. Thrilled? YES and happy your daughter and my granddaughters will have a wonderful role model in Kamala Harris. It will be a rough road given how divided we've become but, hopefully we can begin to see civility.

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    1. Diane - I am very pleased with the results too. Not so about the failure of so many to accept them though. We knew it wouldn't be smooth sailing though. Thank you for visiting!

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  24. Missing out on all of the normal holidays can be hard on kids but it sounds like you have really figured out how to make these important days special for your daughter. I wasn't surprised by the way the election went either. It also makes me sad to think that so many people in our country still voted for the current president.

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    1. Carole - I'm trying. It's hard finding a balance and my husband and I more often err on the side of caution. Thank you for stopping by!

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  25. I'm so glad that the US Election was called in the way that we (and I think many people) have been hoping for!

    I've heard lots of good things about Piranesi and The Once and Future Witches - I can't wait to hear what you think about them!

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    1. Eustacia - Me too! I saw some of the videos of celebration around the world. It was heartwarming--kind of a welcome back. :-)

      Thank you for visiting!

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  26. Enjoy your books, Wendy! The Once and Future Witches sounds like a good one so I'll look forward to your review when you get to it.:)

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    1. Melody - I am really excited about reading The Once and Future Witches. Thank you for stopping by!

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  27. I still haven’t read The Testaments. The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my favorite books ever, so I’m nervous. I hope you have a good November!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. AJ - I really liked Thee Handmaid's Tale too, and so am nervous about reading The Testaments too. Hopefully it will be good! Thank you for visiting!

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