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Reader 📚 Gamer 🎮 Sojourner 🌍

@katie.read.me

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✝️ Rebel for Christ Jesus || 🤍 Seeker of wonder
Here to help you find books worth your time 😊
Fantasy • Sci-fi • Classics • Lit fiction

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Now then people, welcome to my page!

✨A little background✨

When I was a little girl my parents gave my siblings and I a monthly book allowance. My love for books grew as a result and I haven’t looked back since.

This new booktok/booktagram trend is INSANE! But, I think it’s really neat that people are getting back into reading again.

For me personally, reading gives me an outlet, a way to escape from reality, a way to pause. Without a doubt, hand on heart, I can say that reading has been instrumental in shaping the person I am today.

Because of this, I want reading to be just that, I don’t want it to become a chore or some sort of burden that I grow to resent. I usually take a couple of days to finish a book, then I mull it over and reflect. All this to say, that I’ll do book recommendations and reviews when it’s impressed upon myself to do so. I want everything I share to be authentic and genuine.

Don’t be surprised to see some booktok/booktagram recommendations here, too. ‘Cause if a book is good, despite the hype or lack thereof, it should be given the light of day.

Lastly, just a heads-up. The books I read, much like my music taste, are all over the place. It may not be everyones cup of tea which is a-okay, but it works for me.

Love & Rockets
Katie by @katie.read.me

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4 years ago

One thing I love about vacation? The book exchanges along the way.

I got these two gems from our hotel in London and Cardiff. Nuts!

Q: what’s the best thing about a vacation for you?

Peace be with you, and may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

#southafricanbookstagrammer #booksonvacation #katiereadme taken in Cardiff by @katie.read.me

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20 days ago

Nothing says ‘spring rebirth’ like resurrecting 19th-century authors. The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and the fictional characters are absolutely miserable 🤭

This is still an absolute dream! Thank you @cranfordcollection for these incredibly gorgeous books 😮‍💨

For the month of September you can use my discount code: Katie05. For 5% on your order - R700 minimum spend. Shipping is also FREE for orders over R700. It’s R50 for orders under R700, which is still cheaper than most.

Peace be w you, and may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

#cranfordcollection #discountcode #katiereadme #classicliterature #bookaesthetic taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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a month ago

Last year, all I read was fantasy. I took a break for a season. JBP sent this one as a surprise book. @shelves_by_sim and I did it as a buddy read and I had so much fun. In a way, The Last Starborn Seer was the nudge I needed to remind me of how much I love this genre!

Thank you for this surprise book @jonathanballpublishers 💙

Peace be w you, and may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

Q: last surprise book you read?

#buddyread #jonathanballpublishers #katiereadme #southafricanbookstagrammer #bookaesthetic taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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a month ago

Hej Book Gang, how awesome are @cranfordcollection for doing this collab w me for September!?😁

If you’re interested in purchasing any classics this month please use my Discount Code - KATIE05 for 5% off your order. The min spend is R700. Also shipping is FREE for orders over R700.

For your ease of reference, here is the website link 🔗 https://cranfordcollection.co.za/

Peace be w you, and may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

Q: what’s a classic book you’ve been wanting to read but haven’t gotten around to?

#cranfordcollection #southafricanbookstagrammer #bookworm taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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2 months ago

“She did not understand how people could approach life with such indifference, how you could simply allow yourself to be rolled over by years until one day the wheels were so heavy that they crushed you to death.”

“… his reading was delayed by a whole day. And thus the world he learned about always belonged to the past.”

Tysm to @jonathanballpublishers for this gifted copy! You lot did not miss!

I find it so crazy when what you’re experiencing irl resonates w what you’re reading. It’s books like these that convince me that reading, like music, is a form of therapy.

✨ the review ✨

The Lázár family has built a life of extraordinary luxury. They are shielded from circumstances of misfortune, as a result of their immense wealth. I love the comparison of the family to a sort of “Titanic moment” which reveals that status, wealth and perceived power cannot provide immunity from geopolitical shifts and other external upheavals. Even more, that what we assume is unsinkable is often destroyed from within.

In a way the novel juxtaposes geopolitical transformations against internal family dysfunction. It observes that while historical events strip the family of their physical property, it is their family secrets, personal desires, and buried psychological trauma that erodes their defences and consumes them.

For me, I was very fond of the protagonist, Lajos. He was depicted as a real person. He didn’t grow up knowing love from his parents. He made mistakes and confessed of them. He was an astute businessman, who made every effort to provide for his family. He was profoundly tortured by his moral failures. He was a coward. He was humbled by his work as a post services employee. He gave up. He picked himself up. He led w hope, and he found love again.

I think that’s why I enjoyed Làzàr so much. The book repeatedly demonstrates that even when people lose their homes, wealth, standing, identity or whatever else, love, memory, and hope always endure.

Peace be w you, and may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

Q: what’s a historical event you never thought would happen but did

#southafricanbookstagrammer #bookreview #bookaesthetic #katiereadme taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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2 months ago

Hej Book Gang, what’s potting?

These are some sci-fi books I will rec until I die. Fight me if you must.

📚 PROJECT HAIL MARY

Collaboration makes us stronger. Hope makes us braver. The most unexpected friendships are the sweetest.

📚 FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON

Empathy over smarts. What makes a person worthy of dignity and respect. What determines our capacity to love and be loved.

📚 KLARA AND THE SUN

Inspiring. The limits of tech demonstrate the uniqueness of being human. Faith is our purest source of strength.

📚 BABEL-17

You NEED to read this! Language shapes reality. What power lies in a name. You can rewrite your story.

Q: why do / why do you not read sci-fi?

Peace be w you, may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

#bookrecs #southafricanbookstagrammer #booknerd #bookaddict #scifi taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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2 months ago

Hej Book Gang,

I’ve had this series on my mind a lot lately. I’ve been trying to lead w compassion and I guess Rin forced that out me. She did so many things that I didn’t agree w but respected. Man, Kitay, he’s still a character that lives in my heart rent free.

Q: I dunno, have you lot ever encountered a character who seemed irredeemable, but somehow convinced you that she was worth taking a chance on all along?

Peace be w you, and may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

#poppywartrilogy #katiereadme #rinandkitay #bookaddict #bookpost taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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2 months ago

*BREAK ME*

There was drama, they did land up together, but will they have a happily ever after, that remains to be seen.

✨the review✨

I was keen for a no drama shut your brain off romance. This was not it. I was locked in and engaged. Am I mad about it? No. The book delivered.

I’m sort of bias too, I love horses. So any book that includes them immediately gets a 50% approval rate 😂

We have our classic tormented MMC who is saved by a dazzling FMC. She’s the strength he needs to hope again, live again, and love again. She’s a little spicy, resilient, has a can do attitude, but is secure enough to be taken care of and doted on.

I am keen to read book 2.

Thank you @penguinbookssouthafrica for this gifted copy 🧡

Q: Do you like a vanilla love story, or do you prefer it w some sparkles?

Peace be w you, and may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

#bookreview #southafricanbookstagrammer #penguinrandomhouse #katiereadme #bookaddict taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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2 months ago

*LAND*

At its core Land is a book about, family bonds, memory, loss and resilience.

✨ the review ✨

What’s interesting about this book? The land itself is a central character. It’s a canvas on which the characters are introduced, the paint is their trauma splashed across its pages, the words, their memories written on its skin. Very impactful, given the historical context of the Great Famine and the ongoing Anglicisation effort by the British.

I did not like the character of Father Joseph, he is everything wrong w the church - misinformation, personal agendas, exploiting ignorance and and and. My favourite character was Eugene. A boy of few words, left without guidance but he still chose to be brave. First, for his sister and then when he returned to his homeland. Then ofc we have our more complicated character in Enda, she deserved better. They all did. But that’s life I guess. It rarely, makes sense, seems unfair, but we live it anyway.

I am a little disappointed by the book, I can’t put my finger on it, but it had such potential and promise yet didn’t quite reach it in the end.

Thank you @jonathanballpublishers for this gifted readalong copy.

Q: what’s a life “shaping” moment you’ve had in the past 10 years?

Peace be w you, may you be found living
🤍&🚀
Katie

#jbpxreadalong #jbpbookclub #jbpxland #jbpbesties #bookreview taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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2 months ago

Hej Book Gang

Here’s some bangers you can finish in a day 😊

📚 I Who Have Never Known Men
A speculation fiction - about isolation. The desire for freedom. It asks. “Who are we without a name?”

📚 The Empress of Salt & Fortune
A High Fantasy - about quiet endurance. It suggests history belongs to the marginalised, and that overlooked perspectives usually outlast grand imperial power.

📚 No Longer Human
Semi-autobiographical - about alienation. How we use humour as a mask. It explores self-destruction through addition.

📚 Small Things Like These
A historical fiction - about choosing courage in a world that asks you to be blind. It demonstrates that heroism often lives in small. It’s a story about hope.

Peace be w you and may you be found living,
🤍&🚀
Katie

Q: which of these are you keen to read?

#southafricanbookstagrammer #bookrecs #katiereadme #befoundliving #bookaddict taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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2 months ago

*THE LETTER CARRIER*

Had the best time reading this w @jason_reads10.

This book enraged me, comforted me, and made me incredibly sad.

✨the review✨

“Who or what was she, without a man to love her?” I couldn’t get past this line. It angered me, but more than anything it triggered me. For years I’ve believed the same lie, who am I without a man to love me. If I couldn’t hold a man’s affection, was I really a woman? Confronted with this question I did a lot of self-reflection which was uncomfortable but necessary. Do I desire companionship? Ofc, who wouldn’t? But is it the sum total of my value? No. This revelation healed me from years of hurt I’d subconsciously felt duty bound to carry.

My own thoughts aside, I really enjoyed the character of Anna. I think many would resonate w her. She is what most want to be, but lack the courage to be. She’s a stubborn but kind. Decisive and caring. She’s an outsider who refuses to confront and so changes the world around her. She’s a woman not trying to be a man. She’s a calm but powerful force. She trusts herself and knows the value of her own mind. I really liked her.

There are so many moments in this book where your head spins, the betrayal, the escape, the return, the loss, the hope, the selfishness, the selflessness. It’s a wonderful story of real life people going through real life things, making real life decisions, with real life consequences.

Peace be w you, and may you be found living,
🤍&🚀
Katie

Q: do you prefer books that talk about real life issues or do you prefer fairytales 😘

#southafricanbookstagrammer #buddyread #bookpost #bookaddict #katiereadme taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @katie.read.me

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2 months ago