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  Review - The Album of Dr. Moreau, by Daryl Gregory: a fun sci-fi murder mystery with obvious references to a classic of the genre. Despite a weird concept, I liked it more than I'd expected! Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/27/review-the-album-of-dr-moreau/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Review - How Queer Bookshops Changed the World, by A.J. West: an emotional and informative journey following the development of the queer bookshop, and some of the trials queer bookshops have faced. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/27/review-how-queer-bookshops-changed-the-world/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Review - Eleanor Among the Saints, by Rachel Mann: I loved the idea of this and the reimagining of John/Eleanor Rykener, but personally was not a fan of the execution. Rating: 2/5 ("it was okay"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/27/review-eleanor-among-the-saints/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Book Blogger Hop: The Hook. This week's prompt is about what gets you hooked on a book, and I have a few different thoughts! https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/28/book-blogger-hop-the-hook/ #BookBloggerHop #bookstodon

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  Judge me all you like for not liking second-hand books, but then don't blame me for grossing you out and making you scared of buying second-hand books when I respond to your shaming message by explaining that second-hand books once introduced an infestation of booklice into my collection.

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  Review - The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (manga), vol 6, by Kazuki Irodori: I enjoyed volume 6 and Seiichirou's growing realisation of his own feelings a lot. And Aresh's romantic streak! Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/28/review-the-other-worlds-books-depend-on-the-bean-counter-manga-vol-6/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post: The beginning of my birthday book spree, featuring gifts from my parents and my wife, and the beginnings of a heckin' book spree (with travelogue about bookshops including indies). https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/29/stacking-the-shelves-the-sunday-post-142/ #bookstodon #StackingTheShelves

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  I'm late to listening to Thea Gilmore's newest song on the Echo Line because of my holiday, but oh boy yeah, I think this is my favourite so far. And you can check it out too! He Walks Like War: https://www.theagilmore.net/echo

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  I really don't understand how people write such long reviews. Three paragraphs and I feel like I'm tapped out!

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  Someone who thinks they've really got me on this one: "Imagine if you spent as much on mutual aid and charity as you do on books." Imagine if you minded your own business and didn't make yourself look like a fucking idiot.

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  Review - The Party at No. 5, by Shelley Smith: well written, but not something I enjoyed reading -- just nasty. Rating: 1/5 ("didn't like it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/30/review-the-party-at-no-5/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Review - Fence, vol 7, by C.S. Pacat: cursedly short, but we get to see the team grow a bit more and the aftermath of Nicholas and Seiji's date. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/30/review-fence-vol-7/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Fantasy with Friends: Historical Fantasy. This week's prompt is about things like adding magic to real events/people, historical accuracy in historical fantasy, etc. I am predictably loosey-goosey about that! https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/31/fantasy-with-friends-historical-fantasy/ #bookstodon #FantasyWithFriends

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  Review - Lost Voices of the Nile, by Charlotte Booth: a little dry at times due to being quite thorough, but I thought it was really good and well evidenced, and gives a good picture of daily life in ancient Egypt! Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/31/review-lost-voices-of-the-nile/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Top Ten Tuesday: Welsh Books. I veered slightly off-prompt to bring you a selection of Welsh and Welsh-related books I love! https://breathesbooks.com/2026/09/01/top-ten-tuesday-welsh-books/ #bookstodon #TopTenTuesday

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  Review - Mistakenly Saving the Villain, vol 3, by Feng Yu Nie: anyone who thinks this is a healthy romance needs therapy, but I love them anyway. I have no idea how this is going to wrap up. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/09/01/review-mistakenly-saving-the-villain-vol-3/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  The nice thing is, when I suddenly break off mid-conversation and frantically turn to my PC and start typing, my wife is unoffended, somehow knows it's about a book that (should have been) released today, and has a pretty good idea of what book.

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  20 Books of Summer: Getting Started! Here I pick out a wishlist of books to read (and provide myself with some alternatives). https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/14/20-books-of-summer-getting-started/ #bookstodon #20BOS26

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  Fantasy with Friends: Merch. This week's prompt is about what merch you'd like if you could have some from any book, and my answer is possibly boring... spoiler: the answer is bookmarks! https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/15/fantasy-with-friends-merch/ #bookstodon #FantasyWithFriends

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  Review - Solo Leveling (light novel), vol 7, by Chugong: a bit of an uneven volume but definitely has some hard-hitting stuff. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/16/review-solo-leveling-light-novel-vol-7/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Wishes. This week's theme asks for the books you're hankering after - and a wishlist link so people can grant those wishes. I obliged, with my usual weird mix! https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/16/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-wishes/ #bookstodon #TopTenTuesday

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  Review - Puzzles of the Parish, ed. Martin Edwards: a fun collection of church/clergy based mysteries, though it gets a bit more modern than I'd like. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/17/review-puzzles-of-the-parish/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  WWW Wednesday: The usual weekly update on my recent reading, featuring a mix of queer books, mostly! https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/17/www-wednesday-304/ #bookstodon #WWWWednesday

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  I meant to be productive this lunchtime, but instead I accidentally read 30 minutes of my danmei. Oh well.

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  Review - Queer Georgians, by Anthony Delaney: an interesting survey of Georgian queer people, some of which is surprising/not the usual narrative. Enjoyable, if sometimes sad and sometimes sordid. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/18/review-queer-georgians/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Very nonplussed to read a non-aphantasic person explaining that aphantasic people don't like to read books because we can't make mental pictures and reading isn't enjoyable... It was well-meant, but based on her experience of just one aphantasic child. Please don't do this, folks.

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  Review - In the Hollow of the Wave, by Nina Mingya Powles: a bit of a multimedia poetry collection, mixing images with the words. Not 100% my thing, but I enjoyed it well enough. Rating: 3/5 ("liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/18/review-in-the-hollow-of-the-wave/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Review - Dinosaur Sanctuary, vol 5, by Itaru Kinoshita: this volume had me a bit more emotionally involved, and I was on tenterhooks for the next volume. Love this series. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it"). Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/19/review-dinosaur-sanctuary-vol-5/ #bookstodon #BookReview

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  Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post: This week reporting on a smallish book spree (by my standards), rounding up my week's posts as usual, and chatting about my weekend reading! https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/20/stacking-the-shelves-the-sunday-post-132/ #bookstodon #StackingTheShelves

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  At the moment I am reading a chapter of one book, then a chapter of another, then a chapter of a third, then a chapter of a fourth, then going back to the top again, and I recognise that this may seem unhinged to others but it is how I read as a kid. Doesn't get books finished fast, but tickles my brain somehow, and I'm glad it's getting me spending hours per day reading again.