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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

What's everyone's reading plans this weekend? 📚️ 💙

ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Ready to read? Say yes! Join me on 18/10/26 at the The Vegan Coffi House #Aberdare for a day of reading and delicious #plant-based food. Tickets are £52 and include teas & coffees, lunch, and a gift bag to take home. Sign up here: www.trybooking.com/uk/GTOL #RCT #Wales #booklovers 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Another non-fiction book for me. This time an autobiography. We Did Ok, Kid by Anthony Hopkins. I still need to watch a film of his just to complete the vibe. What's your fave Anthony Hopkins film? 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

It's not often I read non-fiction, but I gave this one a go. I enjoyed it, but not sure I'd read another one. I think I just prefer fiction. No shade on the author. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

My reading hasn't gone to plan this weekend but we're still on our walk to Mordor - so this is kind of reading related. Today was the Four Waterfalls Walk otherwise known as somewhere near Minas Morgul. 💙📚 #LoTr #conquerorchallenge #SouthWales

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The weekend is here and it is raining. Perfect reading weather. What are you reading this weekend? Where will you be reading? Any exotic readers here - have you gone to a coffee shop *gasps in awe*? Why have you chosen that book? Has it been recommended by a friend or on your TBR list for ages? 💙📚

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

It's a dragon for me every time. What about you? 💙📚

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Can't say I enjoyed this one. Although the author is female, the focus on how all the female characters looked was just cringey and the male characters were just horrible people. Won't be going into my read again pile, sorry 💙📚

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I do love a #library haul. Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: the library's book club choice. Recycling bags: we'd just run out. And, I dropped off some physical flyers for my reading retreat. Ooo, exciting! 💙📚

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Preparations are underway for our first day Reading Retreat on the 18th October at the The Vegan Coffi House, #Aberdare. Naturally there will be gifts and I'm so excited to be supporting 3 local authors. Check out my pinned post for more info or book here www.trybooking.com/uk/GTOL 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Oppsie. Would love to win a copy of a book with the wrong title - because now I'm interested.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I'm a bit behind posting my reviews sorry. I'm hoping to have proper reviews on my new website...when it is built! 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Anybody here from the #SouthWales #Valleys* and likes reading? Come and join me at my first reading retreat in #Aberdare on the 18th October. *Anyone else is also welcome, I'm just aware it might be a bit of a trek for a day. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

This morning I finished a 1,000+ page book, the last in a trilogy. It was epic. There is a lot to digest and characters to mourn and annoyances with some author decisions to work through. I have time on my hands to read. Is it too soon to start something new? Do you jump right back in? 💙📚

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

#Pontypridd library book club today and we discussed Emelia Hart's Weyward. Turns out we all enjoyed it despite the subject matter. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

I've got two book clubs next week so I'm getting my reading in, starting with Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Slight change of plan. The #readingretreat will now be on Sunday October 18th. Looking forward to the cooler weather and cosying up with a good book and pot of tea. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

1. How many of you have time for this? A relaxing breakfast with a book...on a school day? How many of you stopped reading your book halfway through a sentence because the washing machine stopped and you can't just not hang the washing out while the sun is shining?

Abook open at chapter 18 'Kate' with a purple and orange celtic pattern paper bookmark to the left. Above the book is part of a laid table with a purple tablecloth and blue stoneware mug and a blue and pink empty cereal bowl.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

That moment of panic when you realise you have 3 book club books for 2 different book clubs to read before you can dig into the chunky tome you've ordered in from the library. I can't wait to read the final book in Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow & Thorn trilogy. 💙📚 #fantasy #bookclub

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Ready to read? Say yes! Join me on 23/08/26 at the The Vegan Coffi House #Aberdare for a day of reading and delicious #plant-based food. Tickets are £52 and include teas & coffees, lunch, and a gift bag to take home. Sign up here: www.trybooking.com/uk/GTOL #RCT #Wales #booklovers 📚💙

An advert for a reading retreat at the Vegan Coffi House in Aberdare on the 23rd August. £52 per ticket. There is a QR code that will take you to the booking website.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Bit too gruesome for me. Turns out I like cosy murder. I'd also like to have seen fewer descriptions of the main character hanging out in her underwear. I'm all for slobbing out (we are in a heatwave after all), but it just didn't sit right with me. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Should have read the small print. Didn't. Failed to even submit funding for my #readingretreat. #StartupFail #SmallBusiness #Booksky

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Eden Fox comes home from a run one day to find that her door key no longer fits the lock, a strange woman answers the door, and her husband claims not to recognise her. Dun dun duuuun. WWYD? Kept me hooked, but not a great listen at the same time. Too many 'oh FFSs!' at the ending 3/5 💙📚

Screenshot of my Borrowbox app displaying the cover for My Husband's Wife and my completed progress - also managed to accidentally screenshot the volume bar as well.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf describes the LGBTQ+ movement from a black and female perspective. Story explains how the history of Stonewall is being erased by white supremacist ideologies and that we need to listen more to black, latinx, & female voices, the trans community in particular. 💙📚

The words 'The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf' written in black capital letters with 'On the Myth of LGBTQ+ Solidarity' underneath in a slightly smaller font. Underneath that is the authors name in white capital letters 'Kaila Adia Story'.
The writing is superimposed on a yellow background with lines of different colours around the edges.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

#AgathaChristie 's are my goto when I need a quick fix. The Cat Among the Pigeons is not one I've read before. Love it when I find a new (to me) one! Making my way through all Poirot's novels and short stories in order. In-between other books, if course. 📚💙

A multicoloured old-style wooden tennis racquet on a black background. At the bottom of the page is written 'Poirot' in capitals with Agatha Christie's signature over the top. Underneath is written 'Cat Among The Pigeons' in capitals

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Enjoying the heat or conserving energy by doing absolutely nothing? Either way, what are you reading on the hottest day of the year so far (thanks climate change)? 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Got a busy few days as I check out possible venues for both weekend reading retreats and day retreats. Can't go anywhere without my trusty ideas book and my checklist. What would make THE perfect venue for a reading retreat for YOU? 📚💙 #Pontypridd #RCT #ReadingRetreat

The picture shows me holding up my black notebook sitting in my car. I'm kind of smiling.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Last week saw our book club discuss Animal Farm by George Orwell. Many of us hadn't read it since school and it hit harder this time around. The discussion inevitably led to a discussion of global, regional, and local politics - but that was kind of the point of Animal Farm - to make us think. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

House of Chains, Book 4 of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. I have a vague idea of what happened, and I enjoyed it, but I might have to do a side quest into the Wiki to understand it. Will I read book 5? Hell yes, just as soon as we find it in a charity shop. 💙📚

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Just finished Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman. This is a 'kids' book but she pulls no punches. In this world the whites (noughts) are the minority and we see how the relationship between best friends Sephy (cross) and Callum (nought) plays out. Still an important message for modern times. 📚💙.

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Reposted by ThistleBee

Sraars @sraars.comrades.social · 05/03/2026

Anyone have good resources on how to open a bookstore? #booksky #📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

A story about a true crime podcast investigating a cold murder case. I got to the end thinking there was going to be an obvious twist - which didn't happen, so the ending felt flat. Maybe I should read it again with my expectations managed. A solid 3*** from me. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Borrowed a couple of puzzles to take on Retreat for the 'social' room. Couldn't take them back without finishing them first!

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

The Trials of Marjorie Crowe by C. S. Robertson. I am a bit annoyed with myself for not sitting down properly with this modern day witch hunt. I picked it up in the evenings waiting for my HRT gel to dry, or while cooking, or trying to switch off on retreat. Not a long book. Must read again. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

My first reading retreat We did it! But I haven't really had a chance to process it yet. Feedback has been great and I have spent the weekend with an amazing group of readers. Now I have to decide if I want to turn this into a viable business. More updates to follow once I've reflected 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

I don't like to give bad reviews, as I know I can't write for toffee, but I just can't get on with Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series. Well, I needed a breather after reading the Tawny Man trilogy, and that was it. Not sure yet what I'm going to read next. To the TBR pile...📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Been a bit incommunicado recently because I've been obsessively reading the Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb. I've loved it...BUT...spoilers ahead

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

It's #nationalreadingday in the USA. Maybe if our 'friends' at ICE sat down and read a book or 2 they'd stop shooting prople and the 🌎 would be a nicer place to live. So, this is where I'm at this Friday. 📚 Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb 🎧 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald How about you? 📚🌎

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

I run a #bookclub and someone has asked for some romantacy. If I was to read a standalone book, which one should I start with? 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Happy Friday night everyone 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Finished 2 books yesterday. 1/2 The List by Yomi Adegoke explores the ethical dilemma of trial by social media of alleged abusers & what you would do if someone you loved's name was on that list. Would you believe them innocent even if you knew guilty people were on that list? 📚💙

Light purple softback book on a red fluffy background. The author's name, Yomi Adegoke, is written in black capital letters at the top with a couple of quotes in smaller letters either side of the centred name.

In the Centre is a mixture of a yellow emoji showing a hand over the mouth.

At the bottom is 'The List' is capital letters

This picture shows a screenshot of my Borrow box app. At the top of the image it says Death On Ice in black icy/horror-ish letters. R. O. Thorp is written in smaller, red capitals underneath. The image behind the text shows a black steam ship with red rooms on top cracking through yellowy/cream ice. Red glaciers rise up.out of the ice either side of the ship.

Underneath the image is a picture of my progress through the audiobook (the end) and has a volume bar up the side of the image.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

#BookClub today and our discussion of #Child44 started with chiding our host on his choice of Xmas reading, and ended up discussing global politics and the monarchy. I love where these discussions take us. 1/2 💙📚

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak. I didn't know anything about this book when I randomly bought it, but I like water. Set on the Thames & the Tigris, 3 stories across time intertwine. I didn't know it would be so emotional. Opened my eyes to more genocide. Why are people so evil? 💙📚

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Child 44 was a difficult read. Based on a true investigation in Cold War Russia, but dramatised. Learnt a lot that I should probably have already known. Glad I read Winter Gifts as a cleanser after. Magic & monsters in the US. Wish I'd read it in 1 sitting, would have been perfect for a W/E read. 💙📚

Two books side by side on a red background. On the left is Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith and on the right is Winters Gifts byBen Aaronovitch

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Real Murders by Charlaine Harris was a BSky rec for a 'cosy murder'. But, I am a prude and don't like people dating more than 1 person (unless they're open about it and poly). It feels like cheating to me. My problem, not the books. Apart from that, it was enjoyable. I would read another one. 📚💙

The picture shows a book on a blue-green-purple multicoloured background (my quilt cover). The book has a picture of a pink hill with a tree on top. The tree is in black. There is also a black ladder and a black bookcase and a white fingerprint. At the top of the book it says in yellow 'An Aurora Teagarden mystery'. Right aligned below that it says 'Real Murders' in big yellow writing. It is raining and the sky above the hill is grey. At the bottom it has 'Charlaine Harris' is yellow and underneath that 'Sunday Times bestselling Author'.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

There's some stories that you just know are going to be difficult to read. This is one of them. Not sure I'd carry on if it wasn't for the fact that it's a book club book. I'm only a few chapters in 😭 Secret police in Moscow in 1953 investigating a child's murder Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith 📚💙

A photo of the book cover. Child 44 is written in large red letters with a man walking up a snowy railway track. The author's name is at the bottom.

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Read The Mill House by Yukito Ayatsuji for my book club on Tuesday. This is the 2nd book I've ready by this author and a second locked room murder mystery. Some of the plot twists I guessed, which was disappointing. A light read, but easily solved if you're a Christie fan. 📚💙

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ThistleBee @thistlebeereads.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

I've just left my book at my mother-in-law's - 3 hours away - with about one chapter to go 🙈😭. Looks like I'll be down the library tomorrow and hoping they have it in stock...📚💙

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