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Rikki

@thewildcraftreader

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We don’t know how else to say: you should really be reading #ABorzoiBook right now 👀❤️‍🔥

Swipe for some recs from across #Bookstagram 📖

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This could be one of my most variegated reading experiences ever.

Why did I pick this up? Because it says it won the 2005 Booker Prize. Did I know who John Banville was? Not until a few hours ago, after I turned this novel’s last page. What did I think of it? It was complex/masterful but failed to resonate with me on a level that would make me go, “this is such a wonderful book.” Although, I must concede, it is a novel of fine craftsmanship. It did try so hard to impress.

I wanted to DNF it so much, especially during the first 50 pages. We were not hitting it off; Banville would have thought me an imbecile, and I consider him, to this hour, a pompous show-off. The type of writer that drops in every sentence a word that you’d have to consult the dictionary for. A big word bigwig who I suppose is as haughty and as snobbish as could be, constantly appraising his ranking in literary history. I might be wrong of course; he’s still alive and some of you might be rubbing elbows with such a personality.

Felt like I was reading an excellent Nabokov impersonation. Bootleg Pale Fire+reverse Lolita.

When I was through (it was a tender story of youth, memory, old age, and impressions, written with a virtuoso command of English, maybe a tad too highbrow for me), I checked the backcover blurb for the first time; a chap said Banville is Nabokov’s heir or something. Haha. I wasn’t being weird. The guy would deny it but that’s how he came across.

And as I did the post-read Google/Wiki (I do that for every movie or book I finish; I suspect I am not alone), found out that this is the entry that beat out Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go for that year’s Booker. Supposedly sweet revenge for Banville, who craved acclaim throughout his career; in 1989 Ishiguro won over him with The Remains of the Day (we all know Kaz would go on to win the Nobel). And it looks like a little controversy surrounded The Sea’s triumph: some say it was a “mercy” win, a sort of consolation. They let the old man win once, in chess, so he does not go to bed utterly ruined.

And yet the big guy believes he did a work of art so profound it towers over everything else. Nah.

It is a good read, though. Still.

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My dear @foraging_pages tagged me to do the #whenimnotreading tag!🌿 Thanks love!🫶🏻

🎨 at my desk painting to my heart’s content
🐿️ watching the furry creatures roam about
☕️ drinking way too much tea
🌻 planting and picking flowers from the garden
🍄 creating little clay figures
📖 binding sketchbooks
🎼 listing to music all day long
🪺 collecting bits of nature, to put on my shelves
🎞️ watching period dramas
📚 rearranging my bookshelves
🍃 spending moments in nature, daydreaming about the Shire
📸 taking photos/creating content for bookstagram

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#novels #classicnovels #classicreads #austen #read #reading #books #nature #bookstagram #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookphotography #bookphotograph #naturephotography #naturephotographer #summer #july #janeaustenjuly #readingjaneausten #bookcontent #booklover #bookaddict #bookcommunity #flowers #literature #classicliterature #booktag #bookstagramtag

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$These are just a fraction of the amazing bookstagrammers on here! Give them a follow. Happy reading! @fallintoliterature - fellow flight attendants sharing their love of books and travel! @oliviadaywrites - currently writing a novel and a great resource for backlist thrillers @thaatswhatsheread - reads at the speed of light and always posts honest reviews! @thrillerbookbabe - all things suspense and thrillers @bookswithamanda_ - one of the nicest people on bookstagram! @jillslibrary - fellow PNWer with a plethora of genres @thewildcraftreader - the coziest photos @thesleuthreader - we have the same tastes in books! @thelithomebody - swoonworthy pics @kelseyandherbooks - a great person to follow for indie recs @thereadroversbookclub - rarely gives 5 stars and will always be honest with her reviews! Super sassy and fun @scaredstraightreads - honest reviews with a side of housewives @crimebythebook - the account that got me into thrillers. Abby is the BEST!$

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