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I love the sound of "The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams" as I really enjoy reading historical fiction! I haven't done much reading this May as I have been getting ready for a reading event which is held over the summer. 😊 I did read "The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald" though and it was quiet good!

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I’d be happy to send it to you if you’d like? I was going to put it on Vinted anyway! I’d love to know more about your summer reading event too, tell me more!! 🫶 The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books ever, I need to reread it soon 📚

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Oooo... that would be lovely, thank you!! 😁 You can send me the Vinted link when you put the book up as I would love to get it. 📚

Yes, of course! I am taking part in the "20 Books of Summer" event, which is held by a book blogger (Cathy from 746 Books) every summer from the 1st of June to the 1st of September. You can choose to read 10 books, 15 or you can go for the full 20! It is a great way to help inspire me to read all of my books that I haven't read yet. I am planning on reading 10 this year as it is my first year taking part and 10 books is a lot of books when you see them all piled up... hopefully I can get through them all!

I enjoyed reading The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald has a really interesting way of writing. 😊♡

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I'll pop it on tomorrow and send the link over to you! 🫶

Ooh that sounds absolutely amazing, I can't wait to find out how you get on! I might try and challenge myself to 10 books too 👀

He does doesn't he? You might enjoy "I'd Die For You" if you enjoyed the writing style in Gatsby, it's a collection of Fitzgerald's lost/unpublished works. I adored it. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Id-Die-You-Other-Stories/dp/1471164705

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Fabulous, thank you! ♡

I am on my third book already as I have had lots of spare time to read, so I am going strong! Hopefully it lasts 😂 Here is the link to my blog post with the info about the event if you wish to take part: https://thepaintedcaravan.substack.com/p/20-books-of-summer-2024

Thank you for the book recommendation too! 😊

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Here you are! https://www.vinted.fr/items/4620516973-the-dictionary-of-lost-words-by-pip-williams I've noted it as reserved for you :)

Gosh, you've been speeding through! I've just had a look at your post and wowww your copy of Alice in Wonderland is GORGEOUS!

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Thank you so much Soph! I have just bought the book, I look forward to adding it to my “to read” pile. 😊

Thank you, I have picked out some good books at the moment for the event and I just haven’t been able to put them down lol! 😂

I know!! I picked up that copy of Alice in Wonderland in a little bookshop in Scotland when I was on holiday visiting friends. I just love the pink cover and the painted flowers 😍

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The House in the Cerulean Sea's author T.J. Kline has written two other books in the same vein (as well as some other series I'm unfamiliar with); though they aren't strictly sequels they do fall into the cozy queer found family vibe. Under the Whispering Door deals with the limbo of afterlife and made me cry in a great way, and I'm in the process of reading In The Lives of Puppets, though that one hasn't gripped me like the others or perhaps I'm not in the right mood. Anyway, highly recommend this author and this general genre of cozy fantasy!

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Thank you so much for sharing these recommendations! I'm definitely going to read the sequel and may have to pick these two up too. The House in the Cerulean Sea was my first-ever cosy fantasy read but I've 100% fallen in love with the genre!

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You're welcome! You didn't ask but here's a few more since you're newly enamored of the genre:

- For more cozy fantasy, check out Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes (and the prequel Bookshops and Bonedust)

- For cozy sci-fi (very character heavy, my favorite), check out Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot duology and Wayfarers series!

(Can you tell I've been on a cozy kick for months? Lol)

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Ohhh thank you for these recs! I almost picked up Legends and Lattes the other day so I definitely will now!

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I keep seeing Mountain in the Sea everywhere but always hesitated to grab it. Your review makes me think I should give it a try!!!

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I picked it up soooo many times before buying it! It's a great read and I'd love to see it made into a movie or further books exploring the created world. Let me know if you give it a read!

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Looks like you had a wonderful reading month! The House in the Cerulean Sea sounds especially good 🤎

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Thanks Madeline! I'd highly recommend it if you want a warming read, I loved it.

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God how I love reading lists, I can never get enough of them! Your reading list is exquisite! Do you happen to have a Goodreads account? I would love to add all the books to my account if possible, and thanks for sharing, I never get bored of recommendations :)

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Oh thank you so much for this lovely comment! I put a lot of work into my monthly reads so this really means a lot 🫶

I do indeed, here you are! https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/145283784-sophie-coombs

Please let me know if you give any of these a read, I'd love to know what you think!

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Of course! And thank you so much for sharing your Goodreads. It makes it a lot easier to add the books to my bookshelf than searching for them individually. I really appreciate it ❤️

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You're very welcome!

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Ooooh, I’m very interested in The House in the Cerulean Sea! Thank you.

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Ahh I hope you love it!

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