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Mayra 📚 | Reader

@mayrathereader

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183

following

I like to read 📚
GoodReads reviewer
Mostly at used bookstores
✨ Genres: E for everything 💯

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📚 Currently reading: The Queen's Command by Sarah Raughley

A dark academia thriller coupled with historical fiction and poignant social commentary. The writing is delicious and captivating. I'm almost halfway through this book and I've been hooked since the first page.

I'm enjoying how Sarah Raughley has given a voice to Victoria Davies who was the daughter of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, real-life African princess and goddaughter of Queen Victoria. Yes, that Queen Victoria! I can definitely see this being a TV series, it's that good!!

I was lucky to win this Advanced Reader's Edition from Goodreads.

Release date: 10/20/26

@s_raughley
@epicreads
@goodreads

#thequeenscommand #sarahraughley #goodreadsgiveaway by @mayrathereader

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14 days ago

📚 Anger Is Only A Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo comes out September 15, 2026!

Book excerpt from @harpercollins

"Lil is anything but small. She’s rebellious, she's loyal; she's figuring out what kind of good person she wants to be, or if she wants to be a good person at all. But more than anything? Lil wants to be free.

When her instinct for freedom leads to another stay in D.C. juvenile detention, Lil knows she’s lucky to just be on probation. But judgment, guilt, and an ankle monitor weigh heavily on her, and she can’t shake that pinned-down feeling.

The only person who might understand is her big brother, Aldwin. Except he’s more distant now than just the hundred miles where he’s away at college. Something’s been off with him for a couple of months, but only Lil seems to realize how important it is to get to him.

As her court hearing ticks closer, a question looms over Lil as the missed phone calls and strange texts from her brother pile up: will she follow the rules until her sentencing, or put her future freedom on the line?"

Can't wait to read it! 🙌

*Disclosure: Won this advance reader's edition from a Goodreads giveaway hosted by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing. by @mayrathereader

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a month ago

Speculative, compelling and bewildering.

Life Out of Order follows a nonlinear timeline, jumping across several decades and between multiple character POVs in a dystopian society. I was about 60% through the book before the story finally hooked me and everything started to make sense.

The story follows Alba DeTamble, who inherited the same Chrono-displacement disorder as her father, as she tries to make sense of her life (past, current and future) and her two unconventional romantic partners, Zack & Oliver. The way Audrey incorporated climate change, AI/virtual reality ("interstices") and current events to the story made me think about our own complicated times.

Although every character has their own flaws, the way they try to work together for the common good was thought-provoking. As Oliver poignantly says, "Adding to the good in the world can never be pointless."

I rated this 4/5 stars on Goodreads. If you enjoy trime travel in a dystopian, fragmented world, I recommend this book!

**I received an advance e-copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Release Date: October 6, 2026
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Length: 560 pages

#lifeoutoforderdeluxelimitededition #netgalley #bookreviewer by @mayrathereader

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a month ago

My idea of a perfect day: Iced coffee and book shopping 😌📚

#booklover #bookstores by @mayrathereader

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a month ago

📚 Recent used book purchases.

Ann Patchett - This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage

Elizabeth Gilbert - Big Magic

Tracy Deon - Legendborn

#usedbooksale #booklover

Love love love Ann Patchett!

This is a collection of essays about love, friendship, books and art.

Would love to visit Parnassus Books one day.

I have heard so many great things about this fantasy series.

A King Arthur reimagining with a strong FMC is intriguing 🙌

A writer recommended this book on YouTube for all creatives.

The premise intrigued me so I had to get it when I saw it online for a terrific price. by @mayrathereader

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a month ago

📖 Shadow of the Serpent Fort by Arti Chavan is an Indo-Greek historical adventure set in 324 BCE.

A story filled with betrayal, mystery and forbidden love, all things I adore.

Thank you @artiwritesstories for the gifted copy. I can't wait to dive into the story!

#shadowoftheserpentfort #artichavan #debutnovel #booklover by @mayrathereader

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2 months ago

I finished reading Thistlemarsh last week and it was such an enjoyable cozy read! 🤗

Set in post WW1 England, where faeries haven't been seen in over one hundred years, Mouse learns she has inherited Thistlemarsh Hall.

With conditions.

She has one month to rehabilitate the dilapidated manor or she loses it.

A bargain is made with an insufferably handsome Faerie and everything is going smoothly but the manor is fighting back and they have to quickly discover the cause of it before the deadline.

Do they succeed? 👀

Thistlemarsh is a story about sacrifice, family and love.

The yearning was enchanting 💗

The twist was unexpected 🔑🧚

The ending was deeply satisfying 🪄

@mooreacorrigan I need the completed Lady Blakeney's Tales of Faerie Stories! 😁 by @mayrathereader

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2 months ago

🔏 A hauntingly beautiful labyrinth of a story.

Melissa Albert has a lyrical prose that fits this story like a glove. I'm not sure how to categorize this. Horror and gothic fiction usually aren't my thing, but I could not put this book down. Like Guin, I found there was no escaping the story.

The ending left me unsettled, asking myself how much of our childhood was real and how much was fantasy.

"The children who grew up on these books and reread them later often say the same thing: These are darker than I remember. Crueler, stranger, more haunted by longing and loss.

All good children's books are." 🖤

#thechildren #melissaalbert
@williammorrowbooks
@melissaalbertauthor by @mayrathereader

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2 months ago

"...I threw my hat in the air and caught it boastfully." 😁

#franzkafka #booklover #kafkaisthatyou by @mayrathereader

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2 months ago

📚 Thank you to @history_in_five for my gifted copy of Angel Down by Daniel Kraus.

"An immersive, cinematic novel about five World War I soldiers who stumble upon a fallen angel that could hold the key to ending the war."

Can't wait to read it!

#angeldown #danielkraus #pulitzerprize @atriabooks by @mayrathereader

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3 months ago

Forget Diamonds, BOOKS were Marilyn Monroe's best friend!

In Marilyn and Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe, Gail Crowther explores Marilyn's personal book collection (she had over 400+ books when she passed in 1962), her influences and why her literary pursuits have not been considered part of her legacy and achievements.

Marilyn was never asked, "What are you reading?" in any published interviews. If she was photographed with a book, the assumption was that it was a prop - she couldn't have possibly read "Ulysses" by James Joyce...right?!

Why wasn't Marilyn seen as a serious reader?

According to Gail Crowther, several factors contributed to Marilyn Monroe's reputation being at odds with her intellectual life:

- The Hollywood studio system: Actors had little creative control. Studios carefully managed their public image, and films often reinforced traditional gender roles.

- Patriarchal representation: Marilyn's public image was shaped by a culture that limited women's agency and prioritized the male gaze.

- The "dumb blonde" stereotype: Marilyn played the role convincingly, but the persona ultimately overshadowed who she was off-screen.

- Social expectations: Marilyn's difficult upbringing and lack of formal education led many to assume she lacked intelligence. As Gail Crowther notes, Marlon Brando came from a similarly troubled background, yet his intelligence and reading habits were rarely questioned.

In 1955, Marilyn founded Marilyn Monroe Productions to gain greater control over her career, becoming one of the first Hollywood actresses to establish her own production company. Even so, she continued to struggle with imposter syndrome.

Books were one of the few constants in Marilyn's life. Her library tells the story of someone who was deeply curious and determined to grow, both personally and professionally.

For too long, the "dumb blonde" overshadowed the woman behind the image. I think it's time we add this to her legacy:

Marilyn Monroe, the reader. 📚

#marilynandherbooks #gailcrowther @gallerybooks by @mayrathereader

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3 months ago

@halfpricebooks score! 📚

After recently learning about the great Octavia E. Butler, I was ecstatic to find this vintage copy at Half Price Books 😁

This one's moving straight to the top of my reading list!

#halfpricebooks #octaviaebutler #bookfind by @mayrathereader

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3 months ago