iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

📚 January Reading Wrap Up 📚 It was a good reading month, enjoyment-wise. Nothing below a 3🌟 and no DNFs. Ratings and mini reviews in the Alt Txt 📚 📚 #booksky #books #reading #read #readingwrapup

Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin 5 🌟 📖 His writing and story telling is 👨‍🍳 💋

Erasure by Percival Everett 4.5 🌟 📖 I wasn't as engaged as I was with James, but it was still a great read.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 4🌟 📖 Jane Austen's wit just hits, but the ending fell flat for me.

Jade War by Fonda Lee 4🌟 🎧 📖 Took me a year to get to this one, but was immediately swept up in the world.

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji 4🌟 📖🎧 A solid closed circle murder mystery.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig 3.5🌟 🎧 As expected for the type of book it is.

Shadow's Heart by Kresley Cole 3🌟 🎧 The series is feeling dragged out.

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

On Monday, as I.C.E attacked L.A., these 9 California House Dems voted in favor of a GOP-introduced resolution that expresses "gratitude" to ICE. Names and district are listed in the ALT text #abolishice #lastrong #fightfascism

Image depicts pictures of the 9 reps.

Top Row
Adam Gray (CA-13) San Joaquin Valley
Josh Harder (CA-9) Stockton
Dave Min (CA-47) Irvine, HB, CM

Middle Row
Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) San Jose to Santa Clara coastal area
Raul Ruiz (CA-25) San Bernardino area
Eric Swalwell (CA-14) Livermore area

Bottom Row
Norma Torres (CA-35) Inland Empire cities
Derek Tran (CA-45) Cerritos, Cypress, Buena Park area
George Whitesides (CA-27) Lancaster area

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

🌸 March Wrap Up 🌸 It was a good reading month. 😊 The fact that I'm being more liberal with DNF'ing helped. 💙📚 Stats: Total read: 18 -Audio reads: 9 -Physical reads: 9 Average rating: 3.75⭐️ (ratings in alt text) DNF's : 11 #booksky #readingwrapup

Image depicts a collage of the covers for books I read in March

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito 4⭐

Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura 3⭐

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer 4.5⭐

Home by Toni Morrison 4⭐

Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen 3.5⭐

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff 4⭐

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima 3.5⭐

Resevoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda 5⭐

Only For The Week by Natasha Bishop 3.5⭐

Boulder by Eva Baltasar 3.75⭐

Maame by Jessica George 4⭐

Small Favors by Eric A Craig 3.5⭐

Maya's Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja 3.5⭐

Daisy by Asia Monique 3.75⭐

Jade City by Fonda Lee 4⭐

Hakaran/Severin by Alexandra Ivy 3⭐

Angel/Hiss by Alexandra Ivy 3⭐

Lady Susan by Jane Austern 3.5⭐

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Nellie Cubed @nelnelnellie.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

I’ve got a book on hold through Libby and this week I have moved up from 160th to 28th in line AND the book has not been published yet. Get your Libby requests/holds in early so your libraries know to order lots of extra copies! 📚💙

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

As much as I'm enjoying this one, I admit I have smirked or giggled every time they mention fingers, fists, and the armpit. 😄 💙📚 #booksky #listentoabook #fantasybook

Image of phone showing audiobook of Jade City by Fonda Lee

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review in alt text #booksky #translatedfiction #womensfiction

Image is Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda

This book was 100% a cover by. I mean, look at it. 💗 I went into it blind and was immediately pulled in. The storytelling is unflinching and can be difficult to read at times, but the compulsive writing style keeps you engaged. The girls and women in these stories are written in a real way. Tjeybare complex and you see the good and the bad. This is one that will stay with me. Definitely planning to read it in the Spanish edition. Highly recommend is you're looking for stripped down, but compulsive stories about what it's like navigating through life for too many girls and women in this world.

Passage from the novel.

No one is ever ready for the death of someone they love. But this wasn't death. It was theft. You were stolen, violently ripped from my side. I broke down. I'd never cried like that before because I'd never felt like that before. Rage and sadness, all at once. When I remember that moment, I still feel the knot in my throat. It was terrible. I can't write about it. It ripped me apart. An unidentified woman. You were one more body in this genocide. Another nameless woman adding to the death count. Another pink cross.

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

Reading this one today. 🧵 I've been slowly reading through Toni Morrison's novels the last few years, and I'm sad there's only one left after this that I'll get that "read for the first time" feeling from. 💙📚 #booksky #reading

Image shows me holding up Home by Toni Morrison

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

💚 March TBR (possibilities) 💚 I've already started Jade City. I'm only about 60 pages in, but enjoying it so far. Have you read any of these? 💙📚 #booksky #reading #marchtbr

Image shows the following books:

THE JUNIPER TREE by BARBARA COMYNS

Reservoir Bitches by Dablia de la Cerda

ORGAN MEATS by K-MING CHANG

THE ILIAC CREST by Cristina Rivera Garza

THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS by LAURA PURCELL

THE WATER CURE by SOPHIE MACKINTOSH

RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE by RITA MAE BROWN

Eva's Man by Gayl Jones

Antelope Woman by Louise Erdrich

MONKEY BEACH by EDEN ROBINSON

Wonder Valley by IVY POCHODA

CRAFT: STORIES I WROTE FOR THE DEVIL by ANANDA LIMA

LEARNING FROM THE GERMANS by SUSAN NEIMAN

SHALOWSTITCH by Cari Thomas

Nasty Women Poets edited by Grace Bauer & Julie Kane

Home by Toni Morrison

Jade City by Fonda Lee

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Don't forget to also request banned books if your library doesn't carry them. Buying banned books is great, but making them accessible to those who aren't able to purchase them is even better! 💙📚

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

💕February Reading Wrap Up💕 💙📚 It was a good reading month. I enjoyed everything I read. The Street, The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois, and Deacon King Kong were all 5⭐️. The rest landed between 3-4⭐️. #booksky #readingwrapup #Februaryreads

Collage of the following books covers:

Acting on Impulse by Mia Sosa

I Am the Dark That Answers When You

Call by Jamison Shea

Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes

The Street by Ann Petry

Root Magic by Eden Royce

The Plot Is Murder by V.M. Burns

A Burst of Light by Audre Lorde

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

Kiss and Spell by Celestine Martin

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

💕 In the mood for something light-hearted after a long day. 💙📚 #booksky #romancebooks

Image shows Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Finished The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois last night. 5 ⭐️ Starling this one now. #booksky #currentlyreading #readabook

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office. Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc. Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Life got busy, and I got behind on this. So, I'm wrapping it up. 💙📚 Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. Day 15 - 20 #BookSky #Books #20bookchallenge

Collage display covers for the following books

King, Queen, Knave by VLADIMIR NABOKOV

SECRET LIVES OF CHURCH LADIES by DEESHA PHILYAW

THE EXORCIST by WILLIAM PETER BLATTY

Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

NEEDFUL THINGS by STEPHEN KING

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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 21/02/2025

🚨 JUST IN: Canada DEFEATS the USA 3-2 to take home the #4Nations Championship

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Jacob Bogage @jacobbogage.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

📬🚨 HUGE NEWS 📬🚨 Trump plans to fire the USPS governing board, merge the Postal Service into the Commerce Department. It would disrupt 55 years of non-political mail service, and threatens to upend trillions of dollars of ecommerce and the 250 year-old US mail system.

washingtonpost.com

Trump expected to take control of USPS, fire postal board, officials say

The move threatens to upend trillions of dollars in ecommerce business and the 250 year-old Postal Service.

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

This is your reminder to get a FREE library card and let your local gov't know that the library is an invaluable resource. In addition to books, they also offer music, movies, and community events. ALL FREE! It's especially important with the current state of U.S. 💙📚 #booksky

Stacked library books.

Books shown:

BLACK GIRLS MUST DIE EXHAUSTED by JAYN ALLEN

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by GRADY HENDRIX

A MASTER OF DJINN by P. DJELÍ CLARK

HARLEM RHAPSODY by Victoria Christopher Murray

GLORY by Noviolet Bulawayo

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

The SEVENTH VEIL of SALOME by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE by JAMES MCBRIB3

LESSONS in CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus

FUNNY STORY by EMILY HENRY

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Democracy Now! @democracynow.org · 18/02/2025

BREAKING: Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier released from prison after nearly 50 years

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Just finished this, and I understand why it's the first novel by an African American woman to sell more than a million copies. 💙📚 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #booksky #classics #classicsbyblackauthors

The Street by Ann Petry being held up in front of a bookshelf

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Michael LaBorn @michaellaborn.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

I started this month with an unreasonable goal: to get 1,000 people to invest in my publishing imprint for $5 or $12 a month. I know it’s crazy…but what if it happens? Crazier things have happened. 🤷🏽‍♂️ Help us fight for Black & brown stories. They’re worth it. Leftunreadbooks.binderybooks.com

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. Day 14 #BookSky #Books #20bookchallenge

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Maxwell Frost @maxwellfrost.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Republicans have a 2 seat majority in the House. They’d love nothing more than a few progressive members of Congress being behind bars for days/weeks while fighting federal obstruction charges. Every vote matters over the next two years.

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Looking for your next read? Try one of these. Three made me sob when I read them and make me tear up just thinking about them. 💙📚 #booksky #bookrecommendations #read #nonfiction #magicalrealism #fiction

Collage of books by black authors.

Red At the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Mama Day by Gloria Naylor

Passing by Nella Larson

Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Kindred by Octavia E Butler

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth

The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B.Du Bois

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. Day 13 #BookSky #Books #20bookchallenge

Image is the cover for Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

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Krystal Lang @krystallotuslang.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Its Black History month! Grab a rec and stick around if yout want to diversify your shelves by reading stories by Black authors in every month. #booksky @skylight.social

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Why do library holds always come in all at once? Even when wait times are weeks apart when I put them on hold. 😬 💙📚 #booksky

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Some #fantasy #bookrecs for this month and every month of the year. 🪄🧜‍♀️👻 #booksky #books #fantasybooks #readfantasy

Image depics a collage of fantasy books by black authors.

A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison

Pawsitively Poisonous by Melissa Erin Jackson

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

PET by Akwaeke Emezi

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. Day 12 #BookSky #Books #20bookchallenge

Image of the cover for The Sellout by Paul Beatty

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Looking for #horror #bookrecs ? Here are a few of my my favorites. I'm currently reading the sequel to I Fed Her To The Beast and The Beaat Is Me. 💙📚 #booksky #reading #tbr

Image is a collage of horror books by black authors.

I FEED HER TO THE BEAST AND THE BEAST IS ME by JAMISON SHEA

AMARI AND THE NIGGT BROTHERS by BB ALSTON

RISE OF THE JUMBIES by TRACEY BAPTISTE

FLOWERS FOR THE SEA by ZIN E. ROCKLYN

MAMA DAY by GLORIA NAVIOR

BLACK CANDLE WOMEN by DIANE MARIE BROWN

DELICIOUS MONSTERS bu LISELLE SAMBURY

THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING by ALEXIS HENDERSON

THE FORGOTTEN GIRL by INDIA HILL BROWN

LONE WOMEN by VICTOR LAVALLE

CINDERELLA IS DEAD by KALYNN BAYRON

THE BLACK GOD'S DRUMS by P D'JELI CLARK

MONSTERS W DEFY by LESLYE PENELOPE

PET by AKWAEKE EMEZI

THIS POISON HEART by KALYNN BAYRON

THE DEEP by RIVERS SOLOMON

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 💙📚 Day 11 #BookSky #Books #20bookchallenge

Image shows cover of East of Eden by John Steinbeck

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Romance recommendations ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #booksky #romance #read

Image is a collage of romance books by black authors.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Ante Up by Christina C. Jones
Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams
The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson
The Many Dates of Indigo by Amber D. Samuel
Sweethand by N.G. Peltier
Make a Scene by Mimi Grace
Magnolia: A Perfect Love by Asia Monique
How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole
Rebel by Beverly Jenkins
The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton
When I Think of You by Myah Ariel

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JoJoFromJerz @jojofromjerz.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

“Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president. He is trying to substitute perception for reality. He is hoping that perception then becomes reality. That can only happen if we believe him.” - Ezra Klein

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Jordan The Grey @jordanthegreywitch.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

So, it’s actually a coup. This whole thing. It’s a coup. We need to start treating it as such.

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Kara Swisher @karaswisher.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Btw let me reinforce this again when it comes to this crew: EVERY ACCUSATION IS A CONFESSION.

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Craig Calcaterra @craigcalcaterra.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

The men carrying out Musk's coup are Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran. Make them famous. And, eventually, when possible, arrest them and charge them with multiple felonies. www.wired.com/story/elon-m...

wired.com

The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover

Engineers between 19 and 24, most linked to Musk’s companies, are playing a key role as he seizes control of federal infrastructure.

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Mark Cuban @mcuban.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

He is going to say "pinky swear you will protect our border. And buy more booze and stuff from us. " They will say yes. Won't actually buy the stuff. And he will declare victory Trumpenomics

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Vulture @vulture.com · 03/02/2025

"This category was introduced in 1989. And two women have won...THREE WOMEN HAVE WON." We're not crying, you're crying at Doechii's Best Rap Album #Grammy win

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

My February stack of possibilities along with a few romance audiobooks. Currently listening to What A Match by Mimi Grace. 💙📚 #booksky #tbr #February #reading #audiobooks

Pictured is a stack of books.

The Street by Ann Petry
Dr. No by Percival Everett
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
Organ Meats by K-Ming Chang
Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston
Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Reading wrap up. 🖊📚 January was a great reading month. More than half of the books I read were 4/5 ⭐️. I'm also getting better at putting down books I'm not enjoying. Stats: 17 books completed -6 physical -4 ebooks -7 audio 4 DNF's 4 x 5⭐️ 6 x 4⭐️ 7 x 3⭐️ #booksky #readingwrapup #books

Image shows cover for 5 star reads Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas by Machado de Assis, and James by Percival Everett

Image shows cover for 4 star reads Chicas Muertas by Selva Almada, We the Animals by Justin Torres, The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer, Black Skin White Masks by Frantz Fanon, The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, and Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco.

Image is of 3 star reads Las Posadas by V Castro, Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen, Rental House by Weike Wang, Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater, Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison, A Very Beechwood Christmas, and The Witch Queen of Halloween by Kresley Cole

Image is of the DNF'S Graveyard Shift, So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison, Tangerine by Christine Mangan, and Dia de los Slashers by V. Castro

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. Day 10 #BookSky #Books #20bookchallenge

Image is of the cover for Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Edith Grossman. The cover is red with a knight's helmet displayed predominantly in the center.

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Maria ♒️ @aquariusunbound.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. Day 9 #BookSky #Books #20bookchallenge

Image is of the cover for Cometierra by Dolores Reyes (english title Eartheater)

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