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sunspot

Lover of all genres exploring deep character-driven stories and rich prose. Ideal reading spot: a sunny day, a shady park, my Greyhound snoozing next to me.

203 points

0% overlap
Early UserLevel 2
Spring 2025 Readalong
Reading...Great Big Beautiful Life
My Taste
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Harold Fry, #1)
Babel
Happy Place
How to Say Babylon
Happiness Falls

Post from the Great Big Beautiful Life forum

1d
  • Great Big Beautiful Life
    Thoughts from 27% (page 114)

    It's giving Fox News for me... I'm so curious where this is going! I feel like so many reviews have said that Margaret's story doesn't interest them, but my interest is definitely piqued! And EmHen's writing is my happy place.

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  • sunspot finished reading and wrote a review...

    3d
  • Promise Me Sunshine
    sunspot
    May 26, 2025
    5.0
    Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 4.5Characters: 5.0Plot: 4.5
    🥰
    🥺

    Cara Bastone is That Girl. This was beautiful and heart wrenching and funny, and I absolutely loved Miles and Lenny. Ready or Not and this one have solidified my love for Cara Bastone...and now I'm thinking I need to check out her older books.

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  • sunspot started reading...

    3d
    Great Big Beautiful Life

    Great Big Beautiful Life

    Emily Henry

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    sunspot finished reading and wrote a review...

    1w
  • Hungerstone
    sunspot
    May 22, 2025
    4.0
    Enjoyment: 4.5Quality: 4.0Characters: 5.0Plot: 3.5
    🩸
    🏚️
    👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

    This was such a fun ride of a novel, and it was my first gothic novel in a while which has me craving more. So atmospheric! I love a woman who descends into "madness/hysteria" and especially in this one, I loved how hunger is examined in different ways. I wish we got a little more insight into the other women in the town and what happened with them in the wake of their "incidents." But overall I absolutely loved this!

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  • sunspot commented on a post

    1w
  • Hungerstone
    Thoughts from 74%
    spoilers

    View spoiler

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  • Post from the Hungerstone forum

    1w
  • Hungerstone
    Thoughts from 79% (page 257)

    Something about female rage just does it for me. *chefs kiss*

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  • sunspot finished reading and wrote a review...

    1w
  • Lies and Weddings
    sunspot
    May 19, 2025
    4.0
    Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 4.0Characters: 4.5Plot: 3.5
    🤣
    🤑
    ✈️

    LOVED every second of this reading experience. If you’re looking for a good time, look no further. I’ve heard that the ending is predictable, but I think that’s a bit of an overstatement — it’s predictable in the way that many rom-coms are. Comforting, but this one is so much more about the journey and the family dynamics.

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  • Post from the Lies and Weddings forum

    2w
  • Lies and Weddings
    Thoughts from 36% (page 157)
    spoilers

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  • sunspot wants to read...

    2w
    What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma

    What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma

    Stephanie Foo

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    sunspot finished a book

    2w
    Stay True: A Memoir

    Stay True: A Memoir

    Hua Hsu

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    Post from the Lies and Weddings forum

    2w
  • Lies and Weddings
    Unexpected start
    spoilers

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    1
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  • sunspot started reading...

    2w
    Lies and Weddings

    Lies and Weddings

    Kevin Kwan

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    sunspot finished reading and wrote a review...

    2w
  • I Who Have Never Known Men
    sunspot
    May 13, 2025
    4.5
    Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 4.0Characters: 3.5Plot: 3.5
    🤯
    🧐
    😥

    View spoiler

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  • sunspot commented on bookgang's review of Green Island

    3w
  • Green Island
    bookgang
    Mar 30, 2025
    4.0
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    Wow, I just love when a book educates you on a time in history that you have been completely unaware of. Ryan pulls off a magnificent literary feat by tackling six decades set in Taiwan over the course of the twentieth century. It is horrific what so many endured during this time and begins with the story of the unnamed narrator's father being captured because he is suspected of Communist activities. He is kept for over a decade in brutal and inhumane conditions. It then follows his return home, the unkindness of others, the stress of feeling watched, and the other generations that continue to struggle through the decades with their own issues. It's far too much to go into in a quick review, but you will learn a lot along the way!

    Things I would note with this one. First, I wish I would have educated myself a bit before diving into it. I knew nothing about the Chinese nationalists or the history of Taiwan and the author offers no real introduction into the history of that, assuming the reader can follow along. After a browse through Wikipedia, I was able to understand better, but it was a confusing time in politics and reading that first would have helped me through the book.

    Secondly, the book does drag in parts, but the good parts in this far outweigh the slow parts. Power through and I hope this time in history is as eye-opening for you as it was me. She is a masterful storyteller and I'm glad I read this!

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