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The Traveling Biblio Chronicles
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The Traveling Biblio Chronicles

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The Lost Man by Jane Harper. . I read this a couple weeks ago and it was unlike any other book I’ve read. I’m not going to review it today because I’m more interested in another question. . This book is based in the Australian outback which is a vast and unpopulated area. . ❗️How much do you think the setting/location of a book matters to a story? Do you feel like the location itself plays a huge role in how a story is perceived? . Say, instead of London, if the same story is told in Paris, would you maybe have a different reaction to it? . #BetterReadsChallenge 21/365 (link in bio) . #bookstagram

Have you ever traveled alone to a different country? . One of my earliest learning experiences was when I traveled solo for the first time. There are so many things that feel different. No one familiar, no strings attached, you truly get a feeling of your inner self. . Unfortunately it’s not something I get to do often, but I really am looking forward to a solo trip, hopefully soon! . ❗️If you could go travel alone to one country, which would you choose? . #WHPwanderlust . #BetterReadsChallenge 20/365 (link in bio) . #bookstagram

Refugee Stories . Today I want to introduce you guys to a book which made me feel grateful for everything I have in my life. A memoir by @Mrs_KimJones which at times almost sounded unbelievable. . ❗️I want you guys to take a minute and read the blurb below and share your thought on it. . The Girl from Vietnam: In the aftermath of treacherous war, Saigon—a city often compared to Paris—transforms into hellishness under the dictates of a cruel new government. A young Saigonese and her family flees to their earlier home in a peaceful village on the banks of a great river, but the repressive new regime is soon breathing down their backs again. Gambling everything, they put their lives and all their trust into an old frail antiquated and barely powered river boat. Never meant to traverse wide and deep waters such as the China Sea, it bobs like flotsam in waters patrolled by murdering pirates and subject to pounding storms. What follows is a miraculous event and good fortune delivers them to a Chinese fishing village within Malaysia, then a refugee camp outside Kuala Lumpur, and finally to a strange and wondrous place called San Diego, free of Viet Cong and monsoon rains and home to a yearly celebration in which kids can wear costumes and demand candy. Where many helpful people greet the newcomers with helping hands and open hearts. But also, where some people label newcomers as Gooks, or worse, act as if they are completely without human value. This thrilling and touching story is told through the eyes of a girl born just after the pivotal Tet Offensive of 1968, which turned the tide of American opinion against the dubious Vietnam war, a girl merely ten years old when she and her family faced almost certain death but who found in America a land, and a welcome, that outstripped her ability to hope. . #ad . #BetterReadsChallenge 19/365 (link in bio) . #bookstagram

SHOUTOUT GAME! . We like to have a little fun here sometimes, so let’s play! . There are 15 ‘This OR That’ style questions in the comments. Theme is TV/Movies 1️⃣Reply to each comment with your choice. 2️⃣Comment DONE once you’ve replied to all. . I will choose 4 accounts that I like and feature them on my IGstories by Monday. . #BetterReadsChallenge 18/365 (link in bio) . #bookstagram

This is the most intriguing book I’ve come across in the past few months! Read the blurb and tell me what you think! Also, there’s a question that the blurb asks...What is true freedom? . Thank you @aaknopf for sending it to me 😊 . Washington Black is an eleven-year-old field slave who knows no other life than the Barbados sugar plantation where he was born. . When his master's eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or "Titch," is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor, and abolitionist. . He initiates Wash into a world where a flying machine can carry a man across the sky; where two people, separated by an impossible divide, might begin to see each other as human; and where a boy born in chains can embrace a life of dignity and meaning. But when a man is killed and a bounty is placed on Wash's head, Titch abandons everything to save him. . What follows is their flight along the eastern coast of America, and, finally, to a remote outpost in the Arctic, where Wash, left on his own, must invent another new life, one which will propel him further across the globe. . From the sultry cane fields of the Caribbean to the frozen Far North, Washington Black tells a story of friendship and betrayal, love and redemption, of a world destroyed and made whole again--and asks the question, what is true freedom? . #BetterReadsChallenge 17/365 (link in bio) . #bookstagram

I miss my old wall of books 😭 . I still have these shelves but they just don’t feel the same! . ❗️How do you arrange your books? I’ve tried to mainly by size and TBR or Read. It was a task and a half! . #BetterReadsChallenge 16/365 (link in bio) . #bookstagram

The plan is simple: Read every day and get through most of these ASAP. . I’m pretty sure I’ll change my mind more than once but I’m hoping to pick from these only until April. . ❗️How’s your reading progress going in 2019? . I can proudly say that I have read every single day since 1st of January and I can already see the results. I’ve read at least 50 pages even on my busiest days. The first thing I’m doing is making time to read. I wake up an hour earlier than usual, make coffee and have a peaceful time reading about 45 minutes! . #BetterReadsChallenge 16/365 (link in bio) . #bookstagram

I think the most unique aspect of this book is that not everyone could write it. A very interesting intermingling of three peoples lives and the shadowy presence of an extremist cult does make for a rather intriguing read. . #theguywiththebookreview presents The Incendiaries by R.O.Kwon . I will not lie, I was pretty confused about where this book was trying to head about 50 pages in. Didn’t seem like it took any type of form to keep me interested for longer. . The characters did have their own voices to them and since things are not over-explained there is a sense of mystery to all three of them. But Phoebe’s character is the most in focus and I liked how slowly but effectively it is untangled by the end. . The book is slow and that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you get invested in the plot. Problem is I can see a lot of people simply quitting in the first 50 pages. . It is an interesting book to read and deals with multiple subjects including faith, guilt, obsessive attraction, love and the consequences of love. . Overall, an okay book. Nothing too exciting. . I would recommend this to people who like intricate relationships and unexplained choices. . I wouldn’t to those who easily quit a book if it doesn’t interest them almost instantly. Even with the subject matter of interest, they might DNF. . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 15/365 (link in bio)

Some time last year or maybe 2017 @ratherkeen sent me some bookish pins and I lost them 😣 . At least I thought I did until last week when I found them in one of my boxes that I’d carefully packed! . This ones shaped like a bottle cap! . Pumpkin Juice anyone? They’ve got Butter Beer too! . ❗️Harry Potter fan? What’s one specific thing from Hogwarts you’d want? . A character? Maybe Hermione or Ron! A pet? Hedwig or maybe Crookshanks! You can choose anything! . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 14/365 (link in bio)

The African Game of Thrones! . Black Leopard, Red Wolf is Part 1 of the Dark Star Trilogy. . It has been praised especially by Neil Gaiman. He has compared Marlon James’ work to Tolkien’s work! . I picked this up today and 35 pages in I can say that it’s going to be a very interesting journey! . ❗️Do you think comparison of books and authors to others you’ve liked can make you pick a book? . Thank you @penguinukbooks for sending me this copy! . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 13/365 (link in bio)

Haruki Murakami turns 70 today. . Happy Birthday to one of my greatest inspirations from the literary world. . I’ve always thought of Haruki Murakami as an experience not everyone is privileged enough to enjoy. And I like that about his writing, it can connect instantly or not make sense at all. . ❗️Have you read Murakami? Share about your experiences with his books. Also, you’re totally allowed to fangirl 😸 . There’s a link in my bio, follow that to find a beginners guide to reading Murakami 😺 . Pictured is the Killing Commendatore Tote from @aaknopf (which I recently found is pronounced Kuh-nopf and was like 🙀) . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 12/365 (link in bio)

If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also. - Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . I was going to write my review for this book but there are a few things I want to be sure about. I did not expect this book to have so much nuance to it. I guess over the years having heard references of it every now and then made me think it was a simple story. . ❗️What are your thoughts on the Horror genre? I’m yet to be properly spooked. I don’t think reading a book can actually scare people. . If you have read it and have articles or YouTube videos on it please share via DM😊 . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 11/365 (link in bio)

Want a Shoutout on my page? Read below! . There are 10 ‘This OR That’ style questions in the comments. 1️⃣Reply to each comment with your choice. 2️⃣Comment DONE once you’ve replied to all. . I will choose 4 accounts that I like and feature them on my IGstories by Monday. . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 10/365 (link in bio)

One of the bigger books on my tbr this year: The William H. Gass Reader. Thank you @aaknopf for sending me this copy! . ❗️Do you read Essays and short Stories? . About the book: A literary delight--a reading feast; a Gassian celebration--the best of the best: more than fifty selections chosen by Gass himself from his essays, criticism, commentary, short stories, and novels. . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 9/365 (link in bio)

There are 8 stars on the cover of this book, I want to give it none. I’m going to try my level best to not sound mean here but I had high escapist hopes from this book. . #theguywiththebookreview presents Theatrical by Maggie Harcourt. . I read this book mid December when I wanted something light, silly and fun. @sumaiyya.books joined me in reading it and boy did we discuss the crap out of it! . I liked the easy natured writing of the book, nothing too serious. Simple plot, nothing too exciting and pretty chilled out. But that was just the first 80 odd pages. . Pretty soon the characters started falling on their faces. It seemed like they kept changing every few chapters. . But my main problem with the book was how the protagonist wants to prove to everyone she can make it in the world of theatre without using her mom’s name (Her mom is a famous fashion designer) but keeps doing silly stuff which don’t reflect her so called mission to be professional and successful. . How does one romantically get involved and not focus on the job within the first month of trying to prove something is beyond me. . Another annoying thing was how the protagonist and her love interest kept repeating stuff. (I want to prove to people I don’t need my moms reference, blah blah blah) . And believe me, I had kept my expectations extremely low with this book, I just wanted to have a fun time but it ended up irritating me. . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 8/365 (link in bio)

Shooting coffee beans doesn’t sound like a bad idea, it’s the only type of Cowboy gunfight I could get involved in 🤠 . Thank you @sumaiyya.books for the surprise gift! . Mug is from @obviousstate ☕️ . ❗️How was your first week of 2019? Reading progress? Still going strong with your resolutions? . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 7/365 (link in bio)

The only risk taken during this photo shoot was the risk of my book falling on my face 🤣 . We didn’t expect to find this random stretch of abandoned road on top of a hill, but we took advantage of it to do something a bit silly, hope you like the blue sky and mountain range! . ❗️What’s the most naturally beautiful place you’ve ever visited? . Thank you @sumaiyya.books for taking the picture! . #WHPunexpected #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 6/365 (link in bio)

The time had finally come to hit the cafe (not gym 😋) with my books that I have to post pictures of! . These are some of the books I’m hoping to pick in the next few weeks. I finished The Incendiaries today (If you’ve read it, I’d love to discuss) . I’m starting The Lost Man today and next will be Black Leapord, Red Wolf by Marlon James. . 📍Do you see any that you’ve read or is in your tbr? . #bookstagram . #BetterReadsChallenge 5/365 (Link in Bio) . #booksofinstagram

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