Tag: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday

Posted April 19, 2016 by Nicky in General / 18 Comments

This week’s theme is books that make you laugh, and I am… notoriously humour-challenged. I have a sense of humour, but sometimes it goes AWOL or hides up a tree or something, and I’m very particular about my humour. All in all, books generally do not make me laugh.

So instead, here are books which elicited a “khee!” sound from me, which is known to be my noise of utter delight.

Cover of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell Cover of In The Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan Cover of Clean Sweep, by Ilona Andrews Cover of The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne Valente Cover of City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

  1. Carry On, Rainbow Rowell. Probably not a surprise, considering how much I’ve been talking about this lately. And the narration is often clever and funny.
  2. In the Labyrinth of Drakes, Marie Brennan. Fans of Isabella have plenty to love about this book… and, you know, we get to find out about certain things that have been hinted at for ages.
  3. Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews. I don’t know why Ilona Andrews’ writing so reliably pushes my buttons, but yep.
  4. The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way HomeCatherynne M. Valente. Blunderbuss. <3
  5. City of Blades, Robert Jackson Bennett. These books are just so stunningly awesomely crammed with worldbuilding, of course I make fannish noises.
  6. The Midnight Queen, Sylvia Izzo Hunter. Must get round to the second book soon!
  7. This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab. Lots of awesome. No romance.
  8. The Masked City, Genevieve Cogman. A great follow-up to The Invisible Library.
  9. Ancillary Mercy, Ann Leckie. I have not the words. But cuddles!
  10. The Seventh Bride, T. Kingfisher. HEDGEHOG! Fairytale retelling, also.

Cover of The Midnight Queen by Sylvia Izzo Hunter Cover of This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab Cover of The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman Cover of Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie Cover of The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher

I just got back from moving, so I can’t be more coherent, but hey, luckily these are all recent reads and I’ve linked to my reviews! Except for In the Labyrinth of Drakes, which is so recent I haven’t reviewed it yet. Oops.

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted April 12, 2016 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments

This week’s theme is “Ten Books Every X Should Read”… and I’m having a hard time picking what “X” is. I’m going to go a little off-script for me and talk about romances, I think! Unfortunately, I have just a few authors I tend to come back to, rather than reading a lot of romance, so you might want to take it with a pinch of salt… Oh, and I am using the modern version of romance, not the fantasy-romance of medieval times! So I guess “X” is “people reluctant to read pure romance”, since some of these books nudged me into trying it.

Cover of Camelot's Shadow by Sarah Zettel Cover of A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon Cover of Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan Cover of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Cover of Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

  1. Camelot’s Shadow, Sarah Zettel. This is an interesting take on the Arthurian world, and features Gawain being decidedly-not-perfect but not being the murderous asshole from Malory or even Mary Stewart’s The Wicked Day. This is proooobably one of the books that really got me interested in Gawain, and especially his relationship with Dame Ragnelle.
  2. A Dangerous Thing, Josh Lanyon. Technically, this is the second book of the series, and I think you should read the first book in order. I just think the second book is objectively better. This will not be your thing if you don’t like gay relationships, though, and I’m told that’s a thing that one is supposed to make clear about romance? So yes, gay romance!
  3. Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan. Super cute and 90% positive. More YA-ish, and also gay.
  4. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern. Also fantasy. If it doesn’t stir your heart, it’s probably made of stone. Your heart, not the book.
  5. Attachments, Rainbow Rowell. This completely won me over so I was willing to try everything of Rowell’s. Sweetly nostalgic, and not too bad about the “communicate, damn it!” issue.
  6. The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer. Lots and lots of fun, and features two couples to root for.
  7. Gaudy Night, Dorothy L. Sayers. Okay, the romance between Peter and Harriet is more of a slow burn thing and probably needs the build-up, but any book with the line “if I should once give way to [him], I would go up like straw” has to count.
  8. The Second Mango, Shira Glassman. Want sweet and silly in a lesbian fantasy love story? Tahdah!
  9. The Ivy Tree, Mary Stewart. I was torn over which of Stewart’s novels to include here, but this is the one that’s probably stuck with me the most. Heavy on the mystery, too!
  10. Season of Storms, Susanna Kearsley. The side characters in this are actually pretty much the amazing thing that gets it onto this list. They feel real too, and feature a gay couple basically having raised a daughter (but It’s Complicated). The main romance is straight, though.

Cover of The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer Cover of Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers Cover of The Second Mango by Shira Glassman Cover of The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart Cover of Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley

I am a little irritated by the fact that I could only find one lesbian romance I wanted to include, but Sarah Diemer/Elora Bishop has some good ones, too!

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted April 5, 2016 by Nicky in General / 14 Comments

I’m in a bit of a hurry to get this one done as, naughtily, I no longer have any scheduled posts ready to go! So not much commentary, just a list for this week’s theme: “Ten Bookish People You Should Follow On Twitter/Instagram/Youtube/Snapchat/Facebook”. And I’ll go with “people I enjoy following”, since I have no real idea what people like in blogs!

  1. Cait @ Paper Fury. Hilarious, and calls people pineapples.
  2. Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm. I think I’ve been following Charnell since I started blogging!
  3. Kaja @ Of Dragons and Hearts. Some awesome conversations, and also an interesting perspective as she works as a translator.
  4. Ryan @ SpecFic Junkie. Can’t miss out my book bestie.
  5. Robert @ Bastian’s Book Reviews. Shares my regard for Jo Walton’s work, not to mention running a good bookclub.
  6. Kristen @ My Friends Are Fiction. Check out the Lego book covers!
  7. Mogsy (and the others!) @ Bibliosanctum. I have been steered to some awesome books by this blog.
  8. Chuckles @ Chuckles Book Cave. We actually don’t share much of a taste in books, but her reviews are still interesting. (And I often pass on recs to people who do like the same genres.)
  9. Lynn @ Little Lion Lynnet’s. Okay, more a writer than a reader at times, but we have had so many good conversations about books.
  10. You! Well, maybe? I always like discovering new blogs! Comment and I always comment back.

And now I’d better run away and do half a dozen other things!

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted March 29, 2016 by Nicky in General / 4 Comments

This week’s Top Ten via The Broke and the Bookish is “recent five star books”. Annoyingly, I don’t enter my ratings on Goodreads immediately, so this was more fiddly than I expected!

Cover of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan Cover of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell Cover of Vicious by V.E. Schwab Cover of The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope Cover of City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

  1. A Natural History of Dragons, Marie Brennan. No surprise here, really; the first time I read it, admittedly I gave it three stars, but I appreciated it far, far more this time.
  2. Carry On, Rainbow Rowell. Simon and Baz and Penelope, ’nuff said.
  3. Vicious, V.E. Schwab. Possibly my favourite of Schwab’s books so far (I found ADSOM enjoyable, but not perfect). Must make my partner read this one…
  4. The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope. Another reread; I liked this even more than I did originally. It tweaks the ballad of ‘Tam Lin’ and makes a new story — one I really enjoyed.
  5. City of Blades, Robert Jackson Bennett. Pretty much perfect, and possibly even stronger than the first book… Apparently I didn’t read anything worth five stars between City of Stairs and this sequel, because that’s actually the next one as I go back! Though I’m seeing a lot of fours.
  6. The Grey King, Susan Cooper. No surprises there: I normally do a reread around Christmas every year or two, and this was an on-year. Let’s just take it as read that The Dark is Rising and Greenwitch would make the list too…
  7. The Color Purple, Alice Walker. From vague reviews and such, I figured this would be really depressing and not my thing. I was wrong.
  8. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula Le Guin. Another reread — and you wouldn’t be surprised to note that The Tombs of Atuan would make the list too.
  9. The Mirror World of Melody Black, Gavin Extence. Gets some stuff very right about mental illness.
  10. The Wicked + The Divine: Fandemonium, Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie. The final couple of pages were just evilly good, and the art was beautiful throughout.

1416949674.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_ Cover of The Color Purple by Alice Walker Cover of A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin Cover of The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence Cover of The Wicked + The Divine vol 2

Should be interesting to see what other people have! I had to go back to September 2015 to get ten. What about you? Do you give out five stars often?

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted March 22, 2016 by Nicky in General / 18 Comments

This week’s theme is “Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven’t Talked About Enough/In A While”. I can do that, right? Right!

Cover of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison Cover of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell Cover of Seaward by Susan Cooper Cover of Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds Cover of Sunshine by Robin McKinley

  1. The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison. I’m never going to be over this book, or feel like I’ve said enough about it. It probably dethroned my previous fairly longterm favourite. I would rather reread it right now than reread The Lord of the Rings, and believe me, nobody expects me to say that.
  2. Carry On, Rainbow Rowell. Okay, I haven’t talked about it enough because my review hasn’t gone up yet. But STILL. I loved it and I loved what Rowell did with the starting material and I can’t get over Simon and Baz.
  3. Seaward, Susan Cooper. It’s like The Dark is Rising grew up and discovered sex. Except not in any crude way, it’s just that attraction is a thing for the main characters and it shapes what they grow through. A magical journey for a different stage of adolescence.
  4. Century Rain, Alastair Reynolds. I haven’t talked about this much because it’s been so long since I read it, but I’m rereading it right now, so there’s that. It’s actually the book that made my sister into a reader after she totally lost interest.
  5. Sunshine, Robin McKinley. I have to confess, I’m actually a little scared to reread it in case it isn’t as awesome as I remember.
  6. My Real Children, Jo Walton. I feel like I didn’t talk about this enough when it came out, though I loved it. I might even love it more than Among Others, in that it might have more to say to an adult version of me, whereas Among Others talks to the teen I was.
  7. Vicious, V.E. Schwab. I don’t anyone in my day to day life who has read it, and my partner hasn’t read it (yet). CAPSLOCK WITH ME.
  8. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern. I love this book and I want to read it again. It’s just so magical. And people often say “but I don’t like circuses”, and guys, it doesn’t matter.
  9. Kushiel’s Dart, Jacqueline Carey. I always tack disclaimers on this one because of the sex and BDSM, which often makes people look at me like “what weird things are you into?” But I love these books for the politics and the world and Joscelin, who is not at all kinky unless paladins who are meant to be celibate but fall in love are your fetish. (More power to you, if so.)
  10. Bloodshot, Cherie Priest. I haven’t fallen for any of Priest’s other books as much as the duology this kicks off. And there’s no series I can think of that I want more of so powerfully. Must reread soon. (My partner tried and was bored. Aaah.)

Cover of My Real Children by Jo Walton Cover of Vicious by V.E. Schwab Cover of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Cover of Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey Cover of Bloodshot by Cherie Priest

I could probably think of a ton more books to flail about. This is a good topic!

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted March 15, 2016 by Nicky in General / 14 Comments

This week’s prompt from The Broke & The Bookish is about your TBR for spring! I do have a March TBR up already, so this isn’t a binding promise to read these particular things… just a hope.

Cover of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Cover of Different Classes by Joanne Harris Cover of False Hearts by Laura Lam Cover of Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance Cover of The King's Peace by Jo Walton

  1. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers. I hear so many good things, I really should check this out. And I’ve had it ages now.
  2. Different Class, by Joanne Harris. I always enjoy Harris’ work, and I got this as an ARC, so I really should get around to it.
  3. False Hearts, by Laura Lam. Again, got it as an ARC. I should also read Pantomime and Shadowplay, but since False Hearts is out soonish, I should read that first.
  4. Lyonesse: Suldrun’s Garden, by Jack Vance. I have had this hanging around on my list for aaaaaaaaaaages.
  5. The King’s Peace, by Jo Walton. I really want to reread this, and soon.
  6. Radiance, by Catherynne M. Valente. I wanted to read this anyway, ’cause Valente, and then I read a bit of the prologue and ohhh, must fit it in soon.
  7. The Copper Promise, by Jen Williams. And the second book, since the third is coming out soon.
  8. Every Heart A Doorway, by Seanan McGuire. I want this so badly, I can’t wait for it to be out.
  9. Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds. Doing an epic Reynolds Reread with my sister, and this one is first up.
  10. A Gathering of Shadows, by V.E. Schwab. I am very much converted to the Schwab Supporter Camp or whatever we’re gonna call ourselves. I must get round to reading this noooow.

Cover of Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente Cover of The Copper Promise by Jen Williams Cover of Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire Cover of Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds Cover of A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

What’s everyone else itching to get their hands on, or excavating from their TBR Mountain?

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted March 8, 2016 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments

This week’s theme from The Broke and the Bookish is  “Ten Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get”. Hold on to your hats, let’s see if I can even make ten…

Cover of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Cover of Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas Cover of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

  1. The Darkling, from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. All I hear is ‘wah, wah, wah, waaaaah’, sorry.
  2. Mal, from Shadow and Bone. Wait, you only like Alina when she’s helpless and dependent on you? Really? Why am I the only one seeing this?
  3. Dorian, from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I didn’t get the appeal of him in the first book, and I still don’t see him as a potential romantic match. Sorry not sorry!
  4. Gale Hawthorne, from The Hunter Games by Suzanne Collins. At least not after the second book or so, when he started getting all militant. He was a fine character but Peeta won hands down, for me. (Though if I’m on a team, it’s just plain ol’ Team Katniss Can Kiss Who She Likes).
  5. Draco Malfoy, from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. I never understand people shipping him with Harry or Hermione. Even if he’s not the worst, he’s a coward and a bully.
  6. Severus Snape, from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s StoneOkay, I never got to his redemption stuff, but really? Snape?
  7. Simon, from The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong. Okay, he wasn’t a bad character, but I hated the misdirected romance with him. Derek, darn it!
  8. Lancelot, from Arthurian Legends. This one is cheating because there are so many versions, and the one that inevitably jumps to mind is one that nobody is meant to like — Bernard Cornwell’s version. I don’t care! Lancelot’s whole character just doesn’t appeal, though one or two authors — Steinbeck, Guy Gavriel Kay — have had a light enough touch to make me sympathise.
  9. Lin Chung, from the Miss Fisher Mysteries by Kerry Greenwood. No, not really, I still love him. I just wish Phryne would sleep with someone else for once, it’s getting really out of character. As I type this I’m reading Death By Water, and she’s had at least three opportunities to flirt and hasn’t really taken them. Whyyyy!?
  10. Katsa, from Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I got it a bit more the second time I read it, but I still don’t adore the character.

Cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling Cover of The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong Cover of The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell Cover of Death by Water by Kerry Greenwood Cover of Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Okay, so I did hit ten. But mostly I seem to follow the crowd…

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted March 1, 2016 by Nicky in General / 10 Comments

This week’s theme is Top Ten Books for if you’re in the mood for [x]. I’m gonna go with complex fantasy worlds!

Cover of Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay Cover of The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia A. McKillip Cover of The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson Cover of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan Cover of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

  1. Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay. All kinds of stuff here — politics, magic, storytelling, music, love…
  2. The Bards of Bone Plain, Patricia A. McKillip. Gorgeous, and lots to bite into.
  3. The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Seth J. Dickinson. If you’re sick of fantasy stories in which queer people suffer, maybe not, but I love the fact that this makes being an accountant seem exciting.
  4. A Natural History of Dragons, Marie Brennan. Dragons! In a semi-historical-ish setting. Just read it; I love it.
  5. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke. I know it’s a hell of a read, but there’s a lot of rich detail, careful characterisation, as well as throwbacks to Victorian fiction.
  6. California Bones, Greg van Eekhout. Unusual magic system? Got it right here!
  7. Warbreaker, Brandon Sanderson. I’d say Elantris, but I’ve somehow started and not finished reading that twice now. Either of these books seems to have very intriguing settings, though.
  8. Sunshine, Robin McKinley. Want vampires, only actually weird? Magic? Alternate world post-apocalyptic stuff? Go!
  9. Assassin’s Apprentice, Robin Hobb. Okay, it’s the start of an epic series which shows no sign of closing, but come on. Here Fitz is endearingly young and things are not, yet, quite as dark as they will get…
  10. Magician, Raymond E. Feist. Makes this list from pure nostalgia, really — Arutha searching for the cure for Anita in Silverthorn was just, oh, the most romantic thing when I was a teen. Also a major major epic world, with a lot going on.

Cover of California Bones by Greg van Eekhout Cover of Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson Cover of Sunshine by Robin McKinley Cover of Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb Cover of Magician by Raymond E. Feist

What would you add to my list? Gonna try anything I’ve included?

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted February 23, 2016 by Nicky in General / 10 Comments

This week’s theme from The Broke and the Bookish is about books you’ve enjoyed recently that weren’t in your typical genre. Well, I’m not sure I have a typical genre, so I’m going to go with books I didn’t think I was going to enjoy quite as much as I did!

Cover of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Cover of Miss Phryne Fisher Investigates by Kerry Greenwood Cover of Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie Cover of The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley Cover of The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

  1. Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo. From what I’d read about the Russian-ish setting and so on, and the liking other people had for the Bad Boy Darkling, I was really prepared to dislike this. And then I read it in an hour. Oops.
  2. Cocaine Blues, Kerry Greenwood. I tried to read it once before, and bounced off with many complaints about the writing. Then in the last year I had another go and… loved it and devoured all the books as fast as I could get my hands on them.
  3. Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie. Okay, everyone told me I’d love it, but after my partner wasn’t 100% sold on it, I was a bit doubtful.
  4. The Mirror Empire, Kameron Hurley. Same with this one. My partner didn’t even finish this one, I think.
  5. The Crystal Cave, Mary Stewart. This was another reread job — the first time I read it, the misogyny really set my teeth on age. I appreciated it more the second time.
  6. The Mirror World of Melody Black, Gavin Extence. I was fully prepared for this to be a disappointment after how much I loved The Universe Versus Alex Woods, and especially after seeing some early reviews. They were all wrong. It was great.
  7. The Accident Season, Moira Fowley-Doyle. It just… didn’t seem like the kind of YA read that was gonna be my thing. And then I four-starred it.
  8. A Taste of Blood Wine, Freda Warrington. I expected silly indulgent vampires. I got a lusciously indulgent vampire story that didn’t dodge the issues, nor humanise the monsters.
  9. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs. This either looked too creepy or too young for me, but I ate it and the second book up.
  10. The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson. After the complaints about the queer tragedy and appropriation and such, I expected to be horrified. Instead, I loved it.

Cover of The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence Cover of The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle Cover of A Taste of Blood Wine by Freda Warrington Cover of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Cover of The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted February 16, 2016 by Nicky in General / 12 Comments

This week’s theme is all about music — and one of the suggestions is “10 songs I wish were books”. Well, let’s see…

  1. Suzanne Vega’s ‘Gypsy’Please do not ever look for me, but with me you will stay / and you will hear yourself in song blowing by one day.
  2. Dar Williams’ ‘The Ocean’. I didn’t go back today, I wanted to show you / that I was more land than water / I went to pick flowers, I brought them to you / Look at me, look at them, with their salt up the stem.
  3. Danny Schmidt’s ‘Firestorm’. I used to flap my tongue like fists of flint against the granite fools / Until sparks blazed in my eyes, it’s true / But now I’m done with that, I haven’t / Torched the woods to kill one rabbit / Not for years, not until they came and fucked with you.
  4. Show of Hands’ ‘Haunt You’. I’ll haunt you / Sleep in fear / Whisper curses in your ear / I’ll course right through your heart of steel.
  5. Jon Boden’s ‘Beat the Bounds’. Sat behind the broken wheel / soft-top gone, nothing left to steal / broken shades upon her eyes / oblivious to cloudy skies.
  6. Fairport Convention’s ‘Matty Groves’. “A grave, a grave,” Lord Donald cried / “To put these lovers in / But bury my lady at the top / For she was of noble kin.”
  7. Heather Dale’s ‘Lady of the Lake’. And their touch was like a lover’s / Clear and sweet, drenching and unfolding / With no need for air or sunlight in the deep / And in the passions that they bared / In pledges won and secrets shared / They’d stand together in what destiny would bring / And crown a king.
  8. Heather Dale’s ‘Confession’. She’s given up the veil, the vows she’d sworn / Abandoned every effort to conform / Without a word to anyone she’s gone her way alone / A dove escaping back into the storm.
  9. Dar Williams’ ‘This Was Pompeii’. I am thinking about a teacup / Suspended and half-served / and all the scholars know is that it’s perfectly preserved.
  10. Thea Gilmore & Joan Baez’s ‘The Lower Road’. From the fruit on a poplar tree / To the bruise round a band of gold / From the blood in a far country / To the war of just growing old / We travel a lower road / And it’s lonely and it is cold.

I listen to folk music a lot, so there’s a whole wealth of songs which tell stories. And sometimes I’d like a glimpse deeper…

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