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This story, like so many stories, begins with a gift.
This story, like so many stories, begins with a gift. The gift, like so many gifts, was a book – and the book was given to me by a man called Don, with whom I became friends in Beijing during the autumn and winter of 2000. Don and I were working as English literature teachers in a university on the west side of the city, third ring-road out.
“As honest as you can expect a man to be in a world where its going out of style.”
― The Big Sleep
― The Big Sleep
“A bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once."
Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.
"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts.”
― Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.
"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts.”
― Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
“Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.”
― The Shadow of the Wind
― The Shadow of the Wind
“The words were on their way, and when they arrived, she would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain.”
― The Book Thief
― The Book Thief
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
— 42494 members
— last activity 8 minutes ago
Hi there! SFFBC is a welcoming place for readers to share their love of speculative fiction through group reads, buddy reads, challenges, ...more
Constant Reader
— 6016 members
— last activity 47 minutes ago
A forum for friendly discussion of classics, literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry and short stories. We also love movies and art. Don't ask to join th ...more
Goodreads Reviewers' Group
— 13503 members
— last activity 11 hours, 33 min ago
This group helps to bring Reviewers and Authors together! Reviewers can make their own thread to post their reviews in, or post their reviews in the r ...more
Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels
— 2126 members
— last activity 58 minutes ago
This group is for like-minded people who want to read all of the Hugo and Nebula winners and runners-up. The Hugo Awards are chosen by the fans. The ...more
Canadians Club
— 105 members
— last activity Mar 20, 2025 01:38AM
Hey everyone! I’ve created a new group called Booktok & Bookstagram for book lovers who enjoy talking about books, sharing recommendations, and making ...more
Don’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Don’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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Favorite Genres
Adult Fiction, Art, Biography, Book Club, Classics, Ebooks, Fantasy, Fiction, History, Horror, Mystery, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics, Religion, Science, Science fiction, and War
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