gemabbott.bsky.social
Legal Director @thehowardleague.bsky.social. Trustee @dignityindying.org.uk. Views my own. She/her š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ
787 posts
6,489 followers
2,378 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
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Done! :)
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Well, Iāve already read one post, absolutely loved it *and* have two new books on my āto readā list! Result!
Thanks very much
open.substack.com/pub/blgtylr/...
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Oh thank you! My Substack subscriptions definitely represent the person I want to be, rather than the person I am - so Iāll sign up and possibly fail to read themš
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Book 32/? - Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
I enjoyed this - itās beautifully written, a bit maudlin, the main character awful - redeemably - at times. I slightly resented the neatness with which strings were tied up, but you could see it coming at least
šš
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Yes, delicious!
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Aw, thanks!
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Book 31/? - The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor
I found this bleak; the charactersā despondency somewhat contagious. I wasnāt enjoying it and then suddenly I was, but I nonetheless felt fairly glad to turn the final page
Has anyone read Real Life or Filthy Animals? Adding to my (long) listā¦
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Book 30/? - Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
This is the PERFECT audiobook - read by the author with so much life and humour. Itās so clever, educational even, and so bloody funny
One of those ones where you find you miss the characters when youāre finished - highly recommended
#BookSky
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Book 29/? - Birding by Rose Ruane
As someone who was a teenager in the 90s, the descriptions/ ramifications of ālad cultureā were all too resonant. But generally I found this heavy-handed. Not for me.
#BookSky
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Book 28/? - The Boyhood of Cain by Michael Amherst
I listened to this across one long, jet-lagged day. It was everything the reviews acclaim - evocative, beautiful, searing. I found the protagonist frustrating, ridiculous, sometimes unbearably sweet
Highly recommended
#BookSky #TheBoyhoodOfCain
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Iāll add you to both! Sorry to be slow - Iāve been away :)
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Done!
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Thank you! It sounds beautiful - on the list! š„°
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Book 27/? - Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
I really enjoyed Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkersonās first novel, and had this on pre-order. I found myself quickly entranced
Sheās a wonderful storyteller, as well as so deft in weaving intricate layers of plot, history and character
#BookSky #GoodDirt
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Oh lovely! I hope you enjoy it!
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Thank you! I shall add it to the list!
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Book 25/? - My Friends by Hisham Matar
I LOVED this. The audiobook is read by the author and it is utterly beautiful. His voice and words are poetic and resonant, so soothing even as he deals with war and exile and heartbreak
I now want to read everything heās ever written!
#BookSky #MyFriends
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Book 24/? - Levitating for Beginners by Suzannah Dunn
Vivid, unsettling, funny too (poor Deborah with her schoolgirl crush on Tutankhamun). Iām sure I missed some of the cultural references (not often these days I feel too young for things, tbh) but enjoyed it nonetheless
#BookSky #Reading
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Sheās absolutely merciless! I donāt know Bristol at all so Iāll have to take your word for it, but I suspect it resonated across the country š
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Oh Iām so glad!
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Book 26/? - Arlington Park by Rachel Cusk
āThe rain fell at the window. It was so grey, so grey and unavailing! It was like sorrow: it seemed to preclude every possibility, every other shade of feeling.ā
This pretty much sums up both the book and the month of February
#BookSky #RachelCusk
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Ha! I liked it!
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Book 23/? - The History of My Sexuality by Tobi Lakmaker
This made me laugh out loud on several occasions (including the paragraph in the photo). Somehow both bleak *and* uplifting
#BookSky #Reading
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I thought so! Sadly I have to leave before then but one day I will come to see it!
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Iām sure there are richer sources, but the ārestorationā section of this Wikipedia article might be somewhere to start! Iām afraid I know nothing more than Iāve just read en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Pier
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Itās very beautiful
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Iām just visiting! But moving to Sussex in the summer and will be a bit closer! Itās lovely
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Itās the West Pier in Brighton. Iām just visiting and have some time to kill, so quietly reading a book/ staring out the window in a quiet hotel on the sea front. Itās delightful!
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Oh I hope you like it too! Let me know!
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Book 22/? - The Party by Tessa Hadley
This is outrageously good. When it comes to the indignities & agonies of not yet being/ knowing yourself, this was full of acute observations (that landed like arrows)
The worst bit was the decrepit mam who had ālet herself goā at FORTY THREE. Ouch.
#BookSky
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Great! Thank you
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On the plus side, I just saw your donation page! Good luck with your run šāāļø
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I think this may be my fault! I had tried to ask individuals before adding, so Iām really sorry if I didnāt ask you
Please do let me know if youād like to be removed š
go.bsky.app/2sQ9xmz
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Of course! Iāll add you to the criminal justice one too :)
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The selection isnāt amazingly up to date but Iāve definitely found some good ones!