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A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival

A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival (2025) by Al Ridenour ⭐⭐⭐⭐ From the host of the Bone and Sickle podcast, this is a fantastic book about the customs of Carnival in many different countries of Europe. It is an in-depth look at the many different facets of the history…
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My Friends

My Friends (2025) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Fredrik Backman I read an ebook version. From the author who brought us A Man Called Ove (which I reviewed here) we get the story of four soul mates during the summer before they turned 15. One of them becomes a famous artist and paints three children on a pier.…
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Exiles

Exiles (2025) ⭐⭐ by Maison Coile I read an ebook version. I’m teetering between 2 and 3 stars with this one. I decided to go with two stars. Three people have been sent to Mars. When they get there, they find out that there’s something off with the three robots that were sent ahead of…
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The Substitute Guest

The Substitute Guest (1936) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ by Grace Livingston Hill Inside the cover of my copy, there is a shiny gold sticker that says “Honaker’s Huntington W. VA.” and someone did a series of subtraction math problems in it. In the front flyleaf, it says “Clara Stover 1102 Chestnut St. Kenova W. VA”.…
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Helen of the Old House

Helen of the Old House (1921) ⭐⭐⭐ by Harold Bell Wright My copy is so dirty that I decided to cover it with a wrapping paper cover. Inside my copy, it says “Christmas, 21” in pencil. It was published by D. Appleton and Company. Helen of the Old House is a thoughtful story of society…
