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PtP R23 - Knead to Read (6)
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Mary-Megan
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Oct 11, 2024 01:59PM

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Bookcover/link The Keeper of Hidden Books

Page numbers 416 pages
How the book qualifies - Set in Warsaw, Poland which is in Europe.

Week #2 , Option 1
Task: 1. Sourdough originated in Egypt and spread through Europe

Page count: 387
Qualification: MP Setting Cumbria, England (UK).
[*book:Weyward|127280850]

option 1
1. Sourdough originated in Egypt and spread through Europe
Task: Read a book set in Africa or Europe
Book:

Pages: 202
How it fits: Set in Ireland


Oh yay! If you do end up reading it, I'll be looking forward to your review for sure :)

Selection post Option 1:
Week #2
Bookcover/link:

Page numbers: 387
How the book qualifies -. Set in London, and other parts of England.

Option 1
1. Sourdough originated in Egypt and spread through Europe
* Read a book set in Africa or Europe.
Books set in the UK, Ireland, Greenland and other similar islands work. Egypt has a foot in both Africa and Asia therefore books set in Egypt will also qualify.
If you aren't sure how to insert links in your posts, please read these instructions in the Q&A thread
Option 2
Key date: 12 April 2024
Team mate read on or after this date and rated at least 3 stars
Option 3
Pass
A selection post must be made for whichever option you choose - INCLUDING A PASS
Refer msg 3 in your team thread for formatting of all 3 options

Week #1
Bookcover/link: Georgie, All Along

Completion Date: 10/10
Rating (1-5)⭐⭐⭐
Review: I enjoyed this book and watching Georgie figure out what she wants to do with her life. She’s revisiting the dreams she had before going to high school which she’d written in a notebook. The number of times the notebook was mentioned was a bit annoying, especially as it was “the fic”. But I liked Georgie and Levi coming together. He had his own issues as he tries to prove himself in a town where his dad who disowned him is in high standing. Levi and his dog are wonderful. So this is a nice sunshine/grump romance.

Week #2
Bookcover/link: The Keeper of Hidden Books

Completion Date: 10/15
Rating (1-5) ⭐⭐⭐
Review: This novel is WWII Warsaw and the destruction that the Nazis left behind as Poland fought back. That, though, was really just the last portion of the book. The story follows Zofia who loves books and helps out in a library. Did I mention she loves books? So much talk about books and how wonderful they are at the time of war and all of their efforts to protect them when Hitler is demanding they be destroyed. It’s all very honorable, but it felt a little heavy handed and slowed the book. It is a good story, but it could have been better - less book talk and more action. Zofia was also on the outside for a lot of it. She wasn’t in the ghetto, her friend was. So we just got a lot of her worry and being told what it was like. Not the best WWII fiction I’ve read, but certainly not the worst.

option 1
1. Sourdough originated in Egypt and spread through Europe
Task: Read a book set in Africa or Europe
Book:

Pages: 202
How it fits: Set in Ireland
Read: 14/10/24
Rating: 4★s
Review: I have been working my way through all of Nancy Warren’s series - this is the latest book in Vampire Book Club series.
Quinn is a witch from the USA who has been banished to run a bookshop in Ireland for a magical crime she committed. It’s not a bad move as she loves books, running a bookshop (and a Bookclub for her local vampires) and living in a small seaside village. Trouble is, there have been four murderers since relocated here - and now (in book 5) the 5th body has shown up. Murder victim is a porno movie director and there quite a few suspects. Quinn and her sort of love interest, the head vampire honcho Lachlan, investigate and eventually the killer is revealed. I love the quirky village characters and the vampire characters living in Lachlan’s castle. Last book some leprechaun characters moved into the village and they played a bigger part in this story. Looking forwards to book 6.



Week 2 -
Option 1
1. Sourdough originated in Egypt and spread through Europe
Task: Read a book set in Africa or Europe

Pages: 409
How it qualifies: Set in the UK

Week #1: 15. Home cooking at its best

Pages: 394
How the book qualifies - #144 on the Romance with Home in the title
Date Completed: Oct. 18, 2024
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
Maddie lives in a small town where everyone knows everybodies business but Maddie was caught off guard when her husband and father of her children leaves them for someone else. Things become a mess for this family but when Maddie decides its time to pick herself up and do what's best for herself and family. This was a sweet story with loving friends and family. It does have some moments when you'd like to smack some people but really enjoyed this book.

Option 1
9. After mixing, let it rise
* Read a book from a popular new author. Their first published book must be from the year 2020 or later.
Please note their first published book , along with its date of publication, in your qualification. You do not need to note how/why they are popular.
Option 2
Key date: 19 April 2024
Team mate read on or after this date and rated at least 3 stars
Option 3
Pass
A selection post must be made for whichever option you choose - INCLUDING A PASS
Refer msg 3 in your team thread for formatting of all 3 options

option 1
9. After mixing, let it rise
Task: Read a book from a popular new author. Their first published book must be from the year 2020 or later.
Please note their first published book in your qualification. You do not need to note how/why they are popular
Book:

Pages: 294
How it fits: Her first book The Cedar Tree was published in January 19, 2020 - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Bookcover/link: Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Page numbers: 503 pages
How the book qualifies - This was Sue Lynn Tan’s debut novel, published January 11, 2022

Task: Option 1
1. Sourdough originated in Egypt and spread through Europe
* Read a book set in Africa or Europe.
Bookcover/Author/link:
My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite
Page number: KE 228
How the book qualifies: Book is set in Lagos, Nigeria….noted under book details/setting/précis.

Week #3 , Option 2

Page count: 329
Read by: Carmen on June 5, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★
[*bookcover:The Housemaid|60556912]

Week # 1
Bookcover/Author/link:
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens
Date completed: 10/14/24
Rating (1-5): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
Review: One of my favorite’s, probably one of the top 10 books I’ve read over the last few years. This book makes you feel and think, engaging from the beginning. Beautifully written ….and now I want to listen to the audio and watch the movie!

Week 2
Book: Weyward
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review: This book follows 3 different women through time, Violet, Kate and Altha. At the beginning of this book, Kate is in an abusive relationship, Altha is being charged as a witch, and Violet is a young girl. Although they are all different times in history, it's odd how there were similarities in each of the women's stories. Without giving too much away, it was great to see how the stories came together in the end.

Week 3
Option 1: Author's debut 2020 or later
Book:

Pages: 352 pages
How it qualifies: This author only has one book and was released in 2024. :-)

Task: Option 1
9. After mixing, let it rise
Task: Read a book from a popular new author. Their first published book must be from the year 2020 or later.
Please note their first published book in your qualification. You do not need to note how/why they are popular
Bookcover/Author/link:
The Maid
Nita Prose
Page number: KE 385
How the book qualifies: Debut book published Jan 2022.

option 1
9. After mixing, let it rise
Task: Read a book from a popular new author. Their first published book must be from the year 2020 or later.
Please note their first published book in your qualification. You do not need to note how/why they are popular
Book:

Pages: 294
How it fits: Her first book The Cedar Tree was published in January 19, 2020 - The Cedar Tree - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Read: 21/10/24
Rating: 5★s
Review: The author, Heather, is a neighbour of mine and she is a lovely woman. The Tullagulla series is set in the Darling Downs and the first book in the series was loosely based on her own experience on a property near Warwick. Joining the characters at Tullagulla was like visiting with friends. The MC is Lou who rents a room on the property for a month to work out what she wants to do with her life after the death of her mother and the discovery that her husband has been having an affair and wants to end their marriage.
Lou is embraced by the families living in and around Tullagulla and gradually sorts out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Loved it!

Week 3
Option 1: Author's debut 2020 or later

Pages: 422
How the book qualifies: Debut book The Tourist Attraction published May 2020

Week 3

Rating: 2 stars
Review: This book started out very cute and fun, which is what I expected. Lauren isn’t married, but after a fun night out with friends, she comes home to find that she is married and that her attic is what is dropping the husbands into her life. When she sends the husband back into the attic, a different husband comes down. Some of the book is genuinely funny. But then the book gets a little dark, and I want there to be some consequences for her actions. By the end of the book, I really thought the MC was terrible person and should be thrown in jail. I was literally rooter for a jail cell for her. I almost DNF’d this book after reading 85% of it. It went on too long and they probably could have cut out about 15-20% of this book.

Week #2, Option #1

Date read: Oct 23
Rating: 2★
Review: I'm really sad to give this a low rating but two things ruined the book for me: First, there were way too many plot devices. You have the necklace, the brooch, the feather, the locket, the various letters, notes, books, photos... After a while I gave up trying to keep track of them all. Plus they appeared in the most contrived, on-the-nose manner, like one of the FMCs just so happens to drop something on the floor and voila, there's this clearly important item lying under the bed/table/whatever. Better see what it is, right? Or the more common one, someone opens a book and finds important letters stuffed in the pages. I mean, if this happened once or twice, that's fine. Instead, this happened every single time a new plot device showed up. Gah!
Second, the multiple POVs hurt the story a lot imo. I already had trouble connecting with the characters, so right when things were starting to get interesting, suddenly I'd get yanked into the next POV. The last third of the book was so jarring, the way it kept jumping back and forth between the three mains confronting their three villains/obstacles. It was like having whiplash with a bazillion cliffhangers!
The one positive was Altha. I enjoyed her character/storyline the most, which is why the multi-POV switches irritated me because I wanted to read about her. Stop dragging me back to the other POVs! 😤 Now, if the entire focus was on Altha, this book would have been 3.5, maybe 4 stars. Sadly the real thing fell short.

Week #2, Option #1

Date read: Oct 23
Rating: 2★
Review: I'm really sad to give this a low rating but two things ruined the book for me: First, the..."
I'm so sorry you didn't like this book as much. I loved the switching perspectives. Even though I had to flip back to the beginning of a chapter if I stopped in the middle. The biggest dislike for me was that almost all the men in the story were terrible people. I have some thoughts about that but they're kinda spoilery...

Week #2, Option #1

Date read: Oct 23
Rating: 2★
Review: I'm really sad to give this a low rating but two things ruined the book f..."
Yeah, it's a bummer. Usually I love the switching perspectives/multi-timeline style books, but I just wasn't feeling it for this one.
And I agree! It was a bit OTT how all the men in the story were so awful (minus the brother, but he was a brat at first lol).


Week #3 , Option 1
Task: 9. After mixing, let it rise
* Read a book from a popular new author. Their first published book must be from the year 2020 or later.

Page count: 309
Qualification: Author's first book The Girl in the Painting was published Jan 28, 2024
[*book:The Wrong Neighbour|214668449]

Bookcover/link: In a Holidaze

Page numbers: 307 pages
How the book qualifies - #28 on Contemporary Christmas/Winter Romance

Week #3
Bookcover/link: Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Completion Date: 10/25
Rating (1-5): ⭐⭐1/2
Review: I’m going to be a bit harsh in this rating just because it didn’t hold up to my regular 3 star rating. The book was interesting as you have an immortal girl whose mother is imprisoned on a moon because she’d been mortal and stole a potion that made her immortal. Now Xingyin is in hiding because the people who imprisoned her mother don’t know about her. She works her way into being the prince’s companion/friend and learns to harness her magic which makes her a powerful archer. She uses her skills on dangerous tasks in the hopes of earning the emperor’s favor which might free her mother. It was an interesting story, but it just didn’t capture my attention. There’s a sequel and I don’t really have any desire to pick it up. Part of what I didn’t like was how lyrical the writing became. For most the beautiful writing might be a positive, but for me it felt too flowery, like it was trying too hard to be poetic. Maybe some of that was the narration (I did the audiobook) but I just didn’t connect with this book, even though it was a good story and all of the little bits intriguing. It just wasn’t a fantasy novel that pulled me in and had me eager for more.

😆

Option 1
17. Eat it straight away or freeze for another day
Read a book from one of the following lists:
Best Seasonal Romance Christmas Winter
Contemporary Christmas Winter Romance
Best Gay Winter'ish Holiday Romance
Best Gay Winter Themed Romance
If you use this option, your book MUST be on one of these lists. Please note which list you have used.
Option 2
Key date: 26 April 2024
Team mate read on or after this date and rated at least 3 stars
Option 3
Pass
A selection post must be made for whichever option you choose - INCLUDING A PASS
Refer msg 3 in your team thread for formatting of all 3 options.

Week 4
Option 1

Pages: 311
How it qualifies: #874 on the Best Seasonal Romance Christmas Winter list

option 1
17. Eat it straight away or freeze for another day
Task: Read a book from one of the following lists: Best Seasonal Romance {Christmas & Winter}
Book:

Pages: 223
How it fits: # 205 on the “Best Seasonal Romance {Christmas & Winter}” list - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

Week 4 Selection Post
Option 1.
From the list: Best Seasonal Romance Christmas Winter
#5 Simply Irresistible

Pages: 337.

Week #4 , Option 2

Page count: 329
Read by: Carmen on June 5, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★
[*bookcover:The Housemaid|60556912]
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