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okay so i have no idea how to include the last photos and how it came up like this and frankly i’m too tired to figure it out.the last books were ignite me,restore me and defy me.

and my goal was 40 and i read 50 so i smashed that

@books-and-strawberry-tea , @fundamentalcherrytree

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@books-and-strawberry-tea my goodreads 2024 reading year in review.

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My 2024 Goodreads Year in Books. Thanks for the tag @books-and-strawberry-tea!

@skylarkblue

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So I found this Christmas tree thing:

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youtube channels for the book girlies

♡ a frolic through fiction

♡ alexa raye

♡ alexandra roselyn

♡ anda kent

♡ ashley’s little library

♡ basically britt

♡ becca and the books

♡ briddy

♡ carmen gilfraguada

♡ coverswithcassidy

♡ destiny sidwell

♡ ellen catherine

♡ fruitful reader

♡ gabbyreads

♡ hailey hughes

♡ haley pham

♡ heather mclarry

♡ jack and the books

♡ jaime fok

♡ jodie

♡ katie is reading

♡ katherine karas

♡ kendall watson

♡ larry

♡ leora aileen

♡ lexi aka newlynova

♡ maditales

♡ melreads

♡ peachapplebi

♡ pursuit of the truth

♡ rachel catherine

♡ reading with asha

♡ read with kate

♡ reading with meg

♡ sara carrolli

♡ taylor ann wright

♡ tia chu

♡ the book leo

♡ withcindy

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My Good Reads 2024 Review! What did you guys get?? Tag me! @fundamentalcherrytree @koresflowers

@hollie47

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I don’t normally comment about booktube here. But I’ve just seen a video and I have to get some comments off my chest.

This video was about e-readers. And while the person has a huge collection of books behind them, goes on to explain that e-readers are so unnecessary, cause they are expensive. And if you are going to buy an e-reader, just buy an iPad cause they are similar in price….

I’m sorry but in what world is an iPad and an e-reader the same price?? (Or yk other tablets of a similar nature).

This person goes on to talk about how e-readers can’t install apps like Libby etc…are we just going to ignore the e-readers that run on android?? That function like a regular phone just with an e-ink screen??

I honestly gave up watching this video cause this person just sounded like they were pretty single minded on the topic. So here’s my two cents.

Pro’s for an ereader: (at least in my case)

1. E-reader’s are amazing for portability. Physical books can get very heavy, and although I love them, I hate taking physical books out with me cause I’m terrified of damaging them.

2. Books in my country, are incredibly expensive. You can go to the bookstore, and end up spending $50 AUD and get 1-2 books depending on what you get. Hard covers are usually $40+! Paperbacks can range between $17-$40 also. And if it doesn’t get printed in Australia?? Good luck. The only way I could get Hunting Adeline was to pay $65. Because whenever I ordered it from Amazon at $35, from America, it would come absolutely obliterated because they don’t package it in anything but a basic plastic mailer bag. No protection at all.

3. E-readers are much better for your eyes and don’t have constant distracting notifications and people trying to ring you. I have weak eye muscles. Always have. I wear glasses for this. And I used to read on my phone cause it’s what I have with me while I was out. But once I got an e-reader, I realised just how bad my eye strain was from my phone. E-readers have seriously improved my reading stamina especially since mine has the orange light feature. It’s not like we all don’t have an internet or phone addiction anyway. At least according to statistics I’ve seen in the past. Majority of us are trying to spend less time on our phones and more time doing what we love. And e-readers absolutely help with that. (Much better for my ADHD too honestly.)

4. I live with roommates, I have very limited space. So big book collections is just not something that’s possible for me. I’d love to, but again, space and money.

5. E-readers have given me the opportunity to read books that I’d never be able to get. Because of space reasons, money reasons, and the fact that Australia just does not get the wide selection of books that other countries do. We miss out so much. Some books, we have to wait YEARS for, while everyone else gets them on release dates. My e-reader has been such a huge investment for me, as well as an opportunity maker to give me the option to read books I’d never be able to get other wise.

I will clarify this by saying yes, I do have an iPad. But that was a gift. I didn’t buy it for myself. My mother very graciously bought it for me with her inheritance money. She went out of her way to make sure I had a good working device for university. That iPad was over $2,000 aud. My e-reader?? $250!!! HUGE price difference. And it has helped me save so much money in the process. Cause if I read the ebook, and don’t like it, that’s okay, refund. If I do??? Then I can absolutely go out and hopefully track down a physical copy. If that’s not possible?? I still have the digital version. That I can enjoy over and over.

No, I’m not ignoring the cons to do with DRM, and companies censoring ebooks, not at all. But I feel like either way there is still more pros then what this person was giving e-readers credit for. She sounded privileged honestly, she may not have a use for e-readers. But to be saying that you don’t need one, and that they are completely unnecessary….its just incorrect.

I haven’t even touched on how e-readers help others with disabilities to be able to access books. I have a friend for example that has been very unwell for many years now. And because of this, she has fatigue and strength issues. She at one stage could barely hold a book. But once she got her kindle, she was so over joyed cause she could finally enjoy books again. Kindles are so light, they have stands etc. It honestly reminds me of the people that say audiobooks arnt counted as reading and you shouldn’t do it. Sure, let’s just alienate all the people that can’t read or have vision impairment right? (For clarity, I’m being sarcastic.) Or how about all the cultures that past on the culture, history, legends etc all by word of mouth?? For centuries, way before anyone invented written script. But that’s a whole other tangent I can go off about later.

If e-readers arnt for you, that’s totally fine. But to say no one has a need for them, because physical books exist, is just closed minded. Just because you have the privilege of a huge book library and may not have use of an e-reader, doesn’t not mean that other people don’t have a great use for them.

Anyway, that’s my rant. I don’t like ranting online. But this just frustrated me so much. No hate to this person personally, I just think they weren’t open to the possibilities of how these devices are used and fulfil needs for other people that live differently.

If you read this, cool! I hope you have a good day. And enjoy reading what you are currently 💝

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Guys just so you know this is really what I look like

aesthetistt

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Just arrived in the mail. I've heard a lot about The Vegetarian and I'm looking forward to reading it.

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㋡🥀

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Spark of the Everflame

★ ★ ★ .5 ☆ ☆

“But I was made of swinging fists and rash words, my edges too jagged and my temper too hot. Nothing about me was delicate.” -Diem

I will be honest, for me, this book felt like it took a while for the story to actually start. It was her daily regular life for the first half of the book. With slow build up and you go through. Honestly Diem’s interactions and temper is what kept me going. Pointing fingers to the Prince’s chest and telling him “If you value that hand, you’d best remove it from my arm,” like Diem…girly…I know you’re strong but do you have a death wish?? She was so entertaining I couldn’t help but read on. Is she reckless? 100%. She is so incredibly loyal and I couldn’t help but like her, even though her confidence is bigger than her body in the first book.

Diem works as a healer in Mortal City. She has been taught from a young age by her mother about the healer profession and works at a healing centre in town. Because of being taught so young, she was able to achieve full healer status by 14. The age where mortals are considered adults. While others are usually trainees at this age.

Once Prince Luther was featured more in the book, is when it really became exciting for me. The chemistry between the two was incredibly captivating. Especially in scenes where she’d be talking to Luther with all the attitude in the world, or joking around, and he’s just there staring (with a sliver of a smirk) at her, letting it happen, while everyone around is shocked and in fear for their lives. We love a man that’s soft for the girl.

Prince Luther is hoping to be the next in line to the throne. His Uncle is currently the king of Lumnos. A lot of people expect him to be chosen. He is ready to be chosen if that is the will of the gods. Will he be though?? (Guess you better read the book to find out.)

I think its important to mention, Diem is Mortal. Luther is a Descended, which is a mix of mortal and the Gods. These two races are separated, they cannot be together. Any Mortal or Descended that is found to have a relationship will be punished. And if a child comes of this, the child will be executed. They can not be together. Out of fear of dulling the Descended bloodline. The Descended have diamond hard skin, magic talents, riches and faces of beauty coming from the gods themselves. They have blue eyes, at least if they are from Lumnos. And mortals have brown eyes. And yes, this is important. Every nation has their own eye colour showing who and what they are.

Lumnos, Realm of Light and Shadow - A light which burns, while shadows bite. Their eyes of blue haunt day and night.

Chapter 27 really solidified it for me. Yes, 83% in. Is when I was officially sold. Some people may look at this as a bad thing. I want to clarify that the first half wasn’t boring, not in the slightest, the story needed to be built up. There was a fair bit to go over. So I’m glad I could learn a lot about this unique world and its cities and nations. Chapter 23 is when things lifted for me a lot. So much happens from this point on. I read the last half of the book in half a day cause from that point on I was hooked.

And bruh…I’m sorry…that ending?! Holy shit!!! I dropped my kindle and jaw simultaneously in shock! Through the book you can tell what she is. You can tell she isn’t what she think’s she is, what she’s been told all her life. But damn!! I did NOT expect that last scene to happen. It made me instantly download the next book. I couldn’t not continue after that. It’s like the plot punched a crater in me, and the second book would be the only cure to the hole in my chest that it created. I’ve been thinking about it since the 16th when I finished it (It’s the 20th of Dec as of writing).

So yes, I’ve already started the second book, I already have thoughts. I’m so excited to see how far this Queen of a character goes. Even though she’s small (I guess compared to the Descended), man she’s a beast and an enchantress in my books.

Man…Henri will not be pleased.

I absolutely recommend this book. It’s so much fun, the events just get more and more captivating as the book goes on. And by the end you’re left wanting more in the best possible way.

“…If you’re the way my fate finally catches up to me, I can’t fathom a more beautiful end.” - Prince Luther

@fundamentalcherrytree @koresflowers for you two beautifuls💝

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the great thing about medieval literature is that it returns us to a time when men were men and women were women, *insert gritty realism gif here*, featuring such important and eternal gendered characteristics such as

(M) Why Would I Learn To Think Critically When I Could Find a Random Damsel In The Woods To Tell Me What To Do

(F) Demands To Be Brought The Heads Of Her Enemies

(M, to F) Be Mean To Me, No, Meaner Than That

(F) Meticulous Maintenance Of Social Connections And Alliances Via Writing Letters

(M) Crying

(M) More Crying

(M) Even More Crying, While Being Held Tenderly By Brother In Arms

(F) Necromancy

(M) Meticulous Maintenance Of Social Connections And Alliances Via Mistaking Friend’s Identity, Attacking Him, Then Kissing And Making Up

(F) Expert Medical Practitioner

(M) Self-Care By Episodes Of Madness In The Woods

(F) Owner Of Haunted Castle

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— December 18, 1913 / Franz Kafka diaries

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Can’t believe Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice in the 2000s

And in 2015 Emily Brontë released literary clsssic Wuthering Heights

Thank God someone paved the way for them…

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Anyone wanna hear a review for Spark of the Everflame??