karencampbellmoore.bsky.social
Spend most of my free time on books and word puzzles & games
Chronically ill, disabled from long COVID
Work in tech, background in business and econ
30 posts
84 followers
282 following
Regular Contributor
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Genre: Mystery
I thought the mystery itself was well-constructed! The author made a choice to have the tone be very fourth-wall breaking and meta-aware, though, which I found distracting to the point of being annoying
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Genre: Contemporary/Historical Fiction
Interesting plot that really painted the picture of growing up in the Caribbean, but I wanted more character development. This was also the third book in three weeks that I read with (mostly off-page) SA as a plot device, and I’m just over it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
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Genre: Romance
Representation of autism and anxiety within the bounds of a healthy relationship, we love to see it. This one also, though, had a baffling third act choice that seemed to both appear and resolve out of nowhere.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
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Genre: Science Fiction
Less of a story and more of a reverie on humanity and what gives life meaning.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Genre: YA Fantasy
LOVED this. Grounded in Arthurian legend, voodoo, and modern day North Carolina. Addresses real-world issues while also delivering on the fantasy plot. Immediately ordered the second book in the cycle.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Genre: Romance
Sweet romance with a twist of a little magical realism. The vibe was Disney princess levels of sweet, but it matched the setting. I was onboard with this, but didn’t love a specific third act choice that knocked it down a star for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Genre: Mystery
Kicked off February with the latest (for me) of JD Robb’s In Death series. At 50-something books in, I feel like you know what you’re signing up for. This delivers right down the middle.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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V: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, The Vanishing Half
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I suspect this is the secondary reason (after controlling women) that some religious folks have turned so anti-IVF. If you realized how few fertilized eggs result in a live birth, it ruins a lot of pro-life arguments.
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The NIH recently published a study: one of every 22 covid infections triggers ME. People are not being warned that their whole life could just vanish. Journalism literally exists for situations like this. #JohnVsJonVsME
#GreatestMEdicalScandal
💗💝💕💝💗
www.livescience.com/health/coron...
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That’s a wrap for January!
February shows no signs of being less of a shitshow, so maybe I’ll blow past my reading goal for the year!
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Rounded out the month with the latest in the Empyrean series
Look, was it good? Definitely not.
Was the plot just filler because Yarros is stretching what was meant to be a trilogy into five books?
💯
Did I still enjoy it?
Mostly, although I’m getting sick of Violet
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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I find most of T Kingfisher’s work delightful, and this was no exception
The Fall of the House of Usher retelling with more science nerdery and nonbinary representation
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Deeply weird. Most of it is on purpose, but the last third in particular it shifts to being downright confusing. Didn’t work for me, particularly given how heavy the subject matter is
CW: Eating disorder, sexual assault, gore
⭐️⭐️/5
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Shifting to historical fiction!
This was one really interesting as a character study - in-depth portrayals of the citizens of this town, with something of a mystery plot
Plot takes backseat to characters, but still an engaging read
CW: Sexual assault
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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I’ve been reading my way through Becky Chambers, and she’s become one of my favorite authors
Her books are funny and touching and thoughtful about what it means to be human. This book in particular has a scene that I found especially poignant and kind of profound
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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After watching Wicked, I wanted to read the source material
I should have DNFed but finished it out of spite
Full of unnecessary $10 words and weird scenes that were shoehorned in only to impact the plot zero
Extra star for an interesting idea, but if you love the musical, skip the book
⭐️⭐️/5
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I started the year by finishing my “Blind Date with a Book” Christmas present
Sweet and mostly well-executed enemies-to-lovers romance set in the UK with lots of travel
Nice way to ease into the year
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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My HR rep got mad at me for disclosing my disability *to her* in the context of asking a question about our benefits. I sometimes need to use a wheelchair or cane - hard to keep it a secret even if I wanted to, and hella insulting to be shamed for talking about it.
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Whatcha reading?
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This was my exact experience as well
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It’s that fucking scene…that had no real impact on the plot!
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I’ve never seen an author so insistent on using a $10 word when a $1 word would do. I hate DNFing books, but I only finished it out of spite
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Currently reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
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Oh, I didn’t realize it had been that long since book 3 came out! There was a new short story just this past October, though
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Have you read The Lies of Locke Lamora? Similar kind of vibes, but without the never finished series issue
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I’m in the middle of doing this with Becky Chambers