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@libraryofavirgo

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📖🕯️🖋️☕ | navigating life one book at a time
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Juneteenth is an important reminder that history is not just something we read about, it is something lived and fought for, and continues to shape the world we live in. This is not just a holiday, it is a call to remember and act.

There is still a lot of work to be done in the fight for equality, justice, and equity. I celebrate the legacy of those who fought for freedom and the power of those still fighting.

Today I am reflecting, listening, learning, and celebrating the stories that deserve to be read all year long.

💬 Recommend me your favorite books by black authors. by @libraryofavirgo

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4 months ago

Happy pride month! 🏳️‍🌈

I humbly lay before you a few of my favorite queer books. It’s been amazing seeing so many posts featuring diversity this month. But it is essential to remember to make a conscious effort to read queer all year; not just when it makes good content.

If I had to choose only one to recommend you read, I Loved You More by Tom Spanbauer will always take first place. I read it back in 2024 and I still have never recovered from it.

Admittedly, a few of my recommendations sit on a fence of representation, as it is not always explicitly laid out. Though in my opinion, the characters are objectively queer.

⁉️ What is your favorite queer book?

🏷️: #pridemonth #queerbooks #readqueerallyear #lgbtqia+books by @libraryofavirgo

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4 months ago

“The messaging was clear. Women needed to be jet-set bronzed, high-end edible, and very, very straight even when they were very, very gay.”

It’s 2015 and Maxine Thomas, the founder and creative director of the cult makeup company Reveal, has just been suspended by her own Board. Housebound and awaiting the verdict on her future, Max recounts her version of the events that have brought her to this moment. Max proselytizes cosmetics through a female gaze—all while battling sexist investors, the whiplash of cultural change, and the mounting pressure to keep her sexuality a secret. But when Max’s story catches up to her present, she must contend with the cost of true transparency. Who has she become in her relentless pursuit of success? And what will happen if she loses it all?

Rating: ★★★★★

My first read of 2026 is a five stars!!! Sheer is more than just an incredible read; it is a testament to the flawed society we live in, tackling a number of topics from beauty standards, misogyny, homophobia, sexism, classism, and more.

Lawrence’s background as a journalist covering beauty, fashion, and society makes this even more unique. Lawrence writes in a true literary fiction style that flows oh so beautifully. All of the characters are written with such authenticity that I found myself sometimes forgetting that they are not real. I love the beauty aspect of this, exploring the interaction between women as the muse and yet at the same time, the ones we exploit. It was amazing seeing the different avenues of womanhood explored, and the way that we all end up being pitted against and hurting one another.

Anyone who is a fan of literary fiction and, more importantly, queer fiction, should pick this up. Sheer is beautifully human and does not shy away from the cruelty women experience at the price of success.

Sheer will be available on January 13th. 💄💋

Thank you Dutton Books for the opportunity to read this!

⁉️QOTD: What is your favorite makeup product?

🏷: #lgbtqiabooks #queerbooks #bookreview #literaryfiction #2026books by @libraryofavirgo

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9 months ago

My 26 books to read in 2026! 📚✨

While not an exhaustive list of all the books I plan to read (because I am but a mood reader at heart), I am making an attempt to prioritize my approved arcs and cutting down my physical tbr. While I do love my kindle and its convenience, I would like to cut down on all of my screen time in the new year.

⁉️What books are you most looking forward to reading in the new year?

🏷️: #2026tbr #tbr #bookstagram #physicaltbr #arc by @libraryofavirgo

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10 months ago

‘Tis the season for wrapped! 🥂✨

Happy new years everyone! My reading wrapped is a combination of my stats across different trackers I use. I think it’s so fun to see everything come together at the end of the year.

Happy 2025, and see you all next year! 🥳🍾

⁉️QOTD: What was your favorite read of 2025?

Template credit: @avaasbooks

🏷️: #readingwrapped #BookTok #2025wrapped #nye #bookstagramwrapped by @libraryofavirgo

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10 months ago

Happy Barnes and Noble sale day!!! 📚

I somehow made it out with only 2 books today. Yay for my wallet!

🌊 Yes, Daddy has been on my tbr since this past summer, and today is finally the day I picked it up. This a story about a young playwright who has an affair with a wealthy older man, sprung into a life a luxury, or so it seems on the outside….

🏨 The Gold Persimmon is actually a new find for me. I had not heard of this and picked it up because of its absolutely gorgeous spine (featuring a picture of a spine.) The story follows parallel realities: 1) a hotel check-in girl meets an unexpected guest, and 2) a non-binary writer becomes trapped in a hotel with six other people during a storm. How this stories connect, I’m not sure yet, but I am excited to find out.

⁉️QOTD: What new books have you acquired over the holidays / post holiday sales?

🏷️: #barnesandnoble #bookhaul #booksale #lgbtqplus #bookstagram by @libraryofavirgo

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10 months ago

Merry Christmas and happy Yule tidings! 🎄

This year I’m traveling for the holidays (with my kindle of course). I’ve got an arc lined up to finish that I am so excited to share my review of.

My heart goes out to all of those who are unable to spend the holidays with their friends and families due to the current circumstances of the world.

May your day be full of love and light. 🕯️

⁉️QOTD: What are your plans today? / What is your holiday read?

🏷️: #merrychristmas #yuletideseason #bookstagram by @libraryofavirgo

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10 months ago

“White ribbons for the young girls, red for the grace year girls, and black for the wives. Innocence. Blood. Death.”

Girls: dangerous, wild, unpredictable, evil, and full of devil charms. The girls of Garner County have grown up knowing their place and at 16, it is finally time to prepare for the chance of marriage. But to be a wife, you must first survive the grace year; banished into the wilderness to release your magic and become purified. Tierney James dreams of anything but her wifely duties, wishing for the freedom of the men around her. But as her grace year draws nearer, she realizes that it is not just the elements, poachers, or gallows she must fear. The biggest threat may very well be the girls she’s grown beside.

If you are ever going to take any book recs from me, please take this one!!!! I am ashamed of how long it took me to get around to this book, because this is something every single person should read. The Grace Year is reminiscent of so many important pieces of media, such as The Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale, Yellowjackets, Lord of the Flies, the list could go on forever. Just know it takes all of the best parts of our favorite dystopians and combines them to something greater than I could have ever imagined.

This is easily one of the best-written dystopian books I have come across in a long time. Horrifying and breathtakingly beautiful all at once, Ligget’s writing is phenomenal. It left me with such a haunting feeling because it was written in such a way that, despite this being fiction, I could see this actually having occurred in real life. There were parts I genuinely had to put the book down and just sit in order to digest everything that was happening.

The Grace Year touches on a plethora of heavy topics, such as oppression, misogyny, sexism, religion, marriage, female relationships, and so much more. This is the definition of women’s literature, a true feminist masterpiece.

I recommend this book with my entire being for every single person to read!

⁉️QOTD: What book empowers you most?

🏷️: #thegraceyear #feministliterature #dystopian #bookreview by @libraryofavirgo

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a year ago

Five Finger Challenge! (ft. my nails from my amazing nail tech)

Narrowing down to just these five was a horrendously long process. But here we are!

🤎 A book I give 2 thumbs up to: The Hounding
I read this twice and listened to the audio book all in the same week. I love this book with my entire being.

☕️ a book I recommend: I Loved You More
This also is an all time favorite of mine, I read this a couple years ago and I still think about it all the time. I recommend this to everyone as it’s a book that will not only resonate but completely destroy you in the best of ways. Spanbauer is a true artist.

❌character I hate: Fourth Wing
Controversial, I know. But this book was just not it for me.

✨character I would marry: Caleb
Zodiac Academy is one of the first long series to truely capture my attention and I will forever be grateful to the twisted sisters for all the trauma they’ve cause me. House Terra for life!

🕯️ book I promise to read: Katabasis
This has been on my tbr months before it’s release. I love Kuang and everything she writes but I have been putting this beast off.

⁉️QOTD: What is a book you cannot recommend enough? I’m always on the hunt for recs because evidently my tbr is not long enough.

🏷: #fivefingerchallenge #bookstagram #bookblog #readersofinstagram #romantasy #litfic #fantasy by @libraryofavirgo

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a year ago

Library book haul! 📚🏛️

My local library was having their book sale this weekend to get rid of some stock and raise money.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to support our libraries, especially now more than ever. They not only supply books to everyone but also movies, ebooks, wifi, computers, databases, passport photos, crafting tools, community events, and so so much more. And all of it for FREE.

Please go out and get a library card if you do not have one. Talk to your librarians, check out books and everything your community has to offer.

⁉️QOTD: What’s your favorite library find? Also, have you read any of these?

🏷️: #bookstagram #bookblog #readersofinstagram #library #publiclibrary #saveourlibraries #libby #hoopla by @libraryofavirgo

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a year ago

Once upon a midnight dreary...... 🕯️

👻🦇Happy Halloween! 🦇👻

As a lover of all things horror and spooky, I am not ready for October to be over. But alas, I do not possess the power of magic, so I suppose I shall just carry the same vibes over into November with me.

I actually had a rare day off today! And I took full advantage and went to a book sale at my library this morning. Tonight I’m going to the movies to watch Frankenstein. That book is one of my favorites and I desperately hope the new movie will live up to its hype.

⁉️QOTD: What’s your favorite spooky / fall activity?

🏷: #bookstagram #bookreview #bookblog #readersofinstagram #horror #spooky #halloween #samhain by @libraryofavirgo

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a year ago

Weekly Report: Oct. 12-18 🤎

Happy Sunday! And almost (sort of) fall weather!

This week has felt so incredibly busy. I read 5 books, all very short, as I was in a bit of a slump and needed things that are fast paced. I went to Apple Butter Makin’ Days last weekend and secured some goodies. I’ve recently gotten back into animal crossing after deciding to restart my entire island. And with it being mid October, I am so ready for fall weather and desperately need Missouri to get it together and stop being 80.

⁉️QOTD: How has your week been? Did you find any new favs (books, shows, etc.)?

🏷️: #weeklyreport #readingrecap #bookstagram #bookblog #classicbooks #horrorbooks #litfic by @libraryofavirgo

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a year ago