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alt(really)lovesbooks

@altlovesbooks.bsky.social

116 followers 48 following 305 posts

I read a lot of books. I have weird friends. I have a ton of different interests. I read even more books. I'm a full-time librarian at a library on an Air Force base. I cross stitch. I sometimes forget I have social media profiles. I have two cats.

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alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I finished an ARC for RJB's upcoming 'A Trade of Blood' today, did not leave disappointed. Slightly lower stakes than previous books, but still all the great taste we've come to love. More, please. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading #review full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Drool. #cats #catsofbluesky #franklin

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Just a little light reading this morning. Not a heavy topic at all. Nosiree. #reading #BookSky #truecrime

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

I finished an ARC for 'Scion' by James Islington today, and thought it was just okay. Super fast paced, but zero worldbuilding and flat characters left me wanting more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. ⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading #review full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I'm reading 'Enemy of my Enemy' by Alex Segura, a novel written in the Marvel Daredevil universe, and he used the words 'private parts' and 'doofus' in the same paragraph. Now, the Netflix series is bloody and very adult, so the fact that this novel is so strongly PG is annoying.

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alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Incredibly minor pet peeve #683 of mine: using onomatopoeia instead of descriptive words in published novels. It never looks polished or professional to me.

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alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I finished Chuck Klosterman's 'The Nineties', not what I was expecting out of a decade retrospective. Lots of words on intellectual things the author approves of, and nothing on things he probably considers low brow. ⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading #review full review here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

I'm breaking my silence here to talk about the ARC I just read for 'Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurt' by Ben Reeves. Travis is Death, and a guy living in an apartment. Sad things happen. I cried mightily. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading #arc Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

What, is "sea horse" too hard for kids? #library #librarylife #isntthatpartofthebrain

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

I finished 'The Corrections' by Jonathan Franzen today. Unlikeable characters written brilliantly, to be honest. Multiple POVs lets you follow the family train wreck from all angles. As a fellow Midwesterner, this all tracks. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of The Corrections

4/5: "It was the same problem Enid had with Chip and even Gary: her children didn’t match. They didn’t want the things that she and all her friends and all her friends’ children wanted. Her children w...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

I finished 'Silver Elite' by Dani Francis for my book club. Easily-digested dystopia that isn't really used in the story at all. No real romance between the couple. The author Writes. Like. This. for annoying emphasis. ⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading #romance Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Silver Elite (Silver Elite, #1)

3/5: Read alikes: Deal With the Devil by Kit Rocha is the only one I have to suggest here as a similar read-alike. Librarians trying to salvage knowledge in a very clearly dystopian setting. Oh, and ...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

I finished 'Mirrrored Heavens' by Rebecca Roanhorse yesterday. I left the trilogy feeling disappointed at the unsatisfying ending, where it's over in 20 pages and partly happens off-screen. Great writing, though. ⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading #fantasy Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Mirrored Heavens (Between Earth and Sky, #3)

3/5: After three books (one of which basically consisted of the same points reiterated ad nauseum), I guess I expected more of a satisfying ending than what I got. I'm glad to have finished the series...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

My cat is an engineer. #cats #catsofbluesky #franklin

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Franklin snuggles in like this almost every morning. #catsofbluesky #cats #franklin

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Wrapping Specialist Ruby is overseeing the wrapping of presents. #catsofbluesky #caturday #ruby

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

I finished 'Old Man's War' by John Scalzi this morning for a book club. Fun, but surface level. Interesting ideas brought up, but not really expanded on. Middle felt episodic, didn't feel relevant to the overall story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading #scifi Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)

4/5: "The problem with aging is not that it's one damn thing after another--it's every damn thing, all at once, all the time." Read alikes: Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton for some more humor-based...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

I finished an ARC for 'The Astral Library' by Kate Quinn. Not my cup of tea, maybe something here for Kate Quinn fans? I read it because library, but all the over-the-top humor and extras thrown in made it feel disjointed to me. ⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of The Astral Library

3/5: Soooooooo...... I grabbed this book off NetGalley because it's a book about magical libraries. I've read a ton of these, and I like the different takes. I have not read anything by Kate Quinn pre...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

I finished an ARC for 'The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos' by Kendra Langford Shaw. I don't normally like generational dramas, but this one captured my attention. Unique premise, I wanted the Spahrs to succeed. Good stuff. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos

4/5: "Piano keys. The ivory spine of the Arctic." Because I read so many Arctic expedition books, I'm uniquely interested in any book that references this area of the world. So imagine my surprise wh...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

I finished an ARC for 'Neptune's Fortune' by Julian Sancton. Walked away with lots of neat treasure hunter knowledge. Dooley was an interesting character. Just as good as his other book about the Belgica. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Neptune's Fortune

4/5: "The sea is broad and her paths are many." I read Sancton's other book, Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night, as part of my deep dive into arctic...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Ruby, fallen. An art piece.

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

I finished 'Sunset, Water City' by Chris McKinney, capping off this sci-fi trilogy. Didn't like it as much as the others, with a change in tone and POV, but a solid end to an interesting sci-fi mystery series. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Sunset, Water City (The Water City Trilogy, #3)

4/5: This is more like a 3.5 rounded up. I didn't like this one as much as the other two, but appreciate the conclusion/closure. Part of this had to do with the drastic-feeling change in tone from ...

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alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

My current reads: Sunset, Water City by Chris McKinney The Fifth Season by @nkjemisin.bsky.social Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire by Julian Sancton The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones #reading #BookSky

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

My current cross stitch work in progress, various old school Kamen Rider figures. 2 and half figures done out of 10. #crafting #crossstitch #wip #kamenrider

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Whoops, there I go, vanishing again. I got approved for an ARC of Julian Sancton's "Neptune's Fortune: Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire". Kind of excited to start this, I read his other Antarctic one and loved it. #BookSky #reading #arc

Cover of "Neptune's Fortune" by Julian Sancton

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Organizing my library's storage situation. Pens: ✅️ Pencils: ✅️ Brains: ✅️ #library #libraries #librarylife #somanybrains

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

I finished the audiobook for 'Playground' by Richard Powers. A friend group drama, an AI, and an island in the Pacific. How do these mix so well? The twist brings it all together. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Playground

5/5: "How inappropriate to call this planet Earth, when clearly it is Ocean." Read this book as a physical/ebook copy, if you can. I listened to it as an audiobook, and without the text, didn't have ...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Started a new cross stitch project last night/this morning. I picked up a pattern off Etsy of Kamen Rider characters, a Japanese show. Also upgraded my hoops because I wasn't a huge fan of the wooden ones. #crossstitch #kamenrider #crafting

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

Just finished my first decent sized cross stitch project. I'll remove it from the hoop layer and iron/de-cat hair it. I'm going to mount it on foam board and hang it (and other future projects) on my wall like art prints. #crossstitch #crafting #cats

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

I finished an ARC for 'Among the Burning Flowers' by Samantha Shannon. If you've read her other two doorstops, absolutely pick this novella up. This one is set two years before Priory. Marosa is everything. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Among the Burning Flowers (The Roots of Chaos, #0.5)

4/5: "Broken are the roots of chaos." In this novella (which, let's be honest, is about the size of a regular novel from anyone else), we're two years prior to the events of Priory of the Orange Tree...

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alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

Franklin is tangled. #cats #catsofbluesky #franklin

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Just finished 'Blood over Bright Haven' by M.L. Wang. The author tried to cram in entirely too many social issues into one fantasy book, leaving the whole thing feeling a bit muddled. Interesting magic, but complex. ⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Blood Over Bright Haven

3/5: "I can be civil, ma'am, or I can be honest. You can't have both in their entirety." This book had all the subtlety of a hammer to the face. While not a bad book exactly, there's the bones of som...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Finished a little knockoff Lego thing I picked up at my local comic book shop. Photos of the front and back. #lego (kinda) #hobbies

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

I finished 'The Moonlight Healers' by Elizabeth Becker a few days ago. Little emphasis on healing, more of a family drama with some magical realism aspects. Unnecessary dual POVs, they never really came together. ⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of The Moonlight Healers

3/5: I sort of thought the "secret healing powers" would play a more prominent role in a book about, well, healers, but I was surprised at how little it actually had an impact on things. We have two ...

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alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

Three-quarters done! The black thread on the black fabric is my least favorite part of this project. It's hard to see, and convinces me I'm blind. I've made errors in my counting in places, but I'm happy I've stuck with it so long. #crossstitch #crafting #cats

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

Ruby working on her reps in the prison yard. #cats #catsofbluesky #caturday #ruby

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

I finished 'The Cemetery of Untold Stories' by Julia Alvarez. Great prose/writing, less great of an actual story. Many POVs, it was hard for me to keep track of who was who, particularly with how much it hops around. ⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of The Cemetery of Untold Stories

3/5: As I listened to this book, I kept hopping between 5 stars for the writing and 3 stars for the story. I ultimately decided that good writing doesn't save a disjointed story, but I wish I could ha...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

There is no cat here. #cats #catsofbluesky #ruby

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

I returned from a Western Caribbean cruise. Beautiful weather all week, I read 3 books, drank my weight in free milkshakes, and a monkey stole my hat on Roatan. 10/10, I hope that monkey enjoys his hat.

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alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

I finished 'Navola' by @paolobacigalupi.bsky.social on my trip. Like if Guy Gavriel Kay wrote Game of Thrones, with an emphasis on characters rather than action. Very Italian-forward. Loved it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Navola

4/5: "We always sit at the plank." This is like if my favorite author, Guy Gavriel Kay, wrote Game of Thrones without gratuitous sex scenes and almost all political intrigue. Which is to say, yes ple...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

Don't be this guy.

Man checks out 100 books from Beachwood Library, then burns them in social media post

A man applied for a card from the Beachwood Library and, over two visits, withdrew 100 books. He later posted two videos, one in which he burned all of the books.

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alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

From 'Hear the Wind Sing' by Haruki Murakami. What kind of monster eats pancakes like that? #reading #BookSky #grossfood

A snippet of text from a book. It reads, 'The Rat's favorite food was pancakes, hot off the griddle. He would stack several in a deep dish, cut them into four neat pieces, then pour a bottle of Coke over the top.'

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

I kind of love when you find random drawings in a book. This is from 'Wind/Pinball' (a duology) by Haruki Murakami. Terrible takes on women, but my favorite Japanese author in spite of that.

An image of a page from 'Hear the Wind Sing' by Haruki Murakami. The text on the page reads 'The T-shirt arrived in the afternoon mail three days later. It looked like this.' Below the text is a lone drawing of a t-shirt, with a rough sketch of an eye and bubble letters of 'NEB' below it.

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

I also finished 'The Library of Lost Dollhouses' by Elise Hooper. An interesting premise brought down by way too much going on across both viewpoints. All I cared about was the library by the end. ⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of The Library of Lost Dollhouses

3/5: Yet another great premise, brought down by the author trying to do too much all at once. Two points of view here: Tildy, librarian at a struggling archival library centered around historical fig...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

I finished 'Kill the Dead', the second book in @richardkadrey.bsky.social 's Sandman Slim series. I don't normally do urban fantasy, but this hits all the right notes with me. Dark humor is my jam. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview #reading Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Kill the Dead (Sandman Slim, #2)

4/5: "I guess the rich really are different. Most of us come from monkeys, but you're giving off a whiff of rattlesnake." I read the first book in this series FOUR YEARS AGO. I meant to return to thi...

Reposted by alt(really)lovesbooks

Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

For National Cartoonist Day: The archive of Herbert Block, one of the most influential American editorial cartoonists in history, resides at the Library. This 1961 Block cartoon was printed the same month Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel to space. 🧵

This April 1961 editorial cartoon depicts an astronaut floating in space, with a fantastical view of so many planets and stars. Earth can be seen just below him. Used with permission from The Herb Block Foundation.

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

I finished 'Rogues' by @praddenkeefe.bsky.social . A great true crime (adjacent?) book that ended up being super interesting. Favorite chapter was on Trump/Mark Burnett, which is really relevant this year. An easy 2025 favorite. #BookSky #bookreview Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of Rogues

4/5: There's some really great information packed into these 12 chapters. Each chapter discusses the transgressions of a different person/company that fits the theme, and the author (a journalist hims...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

I have a particular fondness for pirates. When I saw Solomon Kane by @patrickzircher.bsky.social at my local comic book store, I sort of had to grab it. Has that pulp-y, old comic book feel with some pretty great art. #comics #SolomonKane

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I finished 'In An Instant' by Suzanne Redfearn. An excellent book with a teenage protagonist that I absolutely loved. Focused on closure after tragedy, rather than the accident itself. Unique POV. Made me feel things. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #BookSky #bookreview 📚💙 Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

AltLovesBooks's review of In an Instant

5/5: "Don't just try to be happy when you think of me--be happy." It took me a bit, but I finally remembered why I had this book on my to-read shelf at home. My mom dropped it in my hands the last ti...

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

After patting myself on the back for how awesome the Tetris shelf looked, I took the idea and ran with it and made two more games for our Summer Reading Program. Frogger is next I think, once I have time. #library #libraries #librarylife #summer #gaming

alt(really)lovesbooks @altlovesbooks.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Prepping for our Summer Reading Program beginning June 1st. The theme is 'Level Up At Your Library', and I'm working on Tetris pieces with magnets to affix to a shelf in the kids room as a Tetris game they can 'play'. #library #libraries #librarylife #summer

Laminated tetris pieces, some cut, some uncut.