Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Its your modern day fantasy quest ....... nice little story nothing special. Clay breaks the code, the code is on the metal punch fonts, and the font lives forever.

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Live by Night by Dennis Lehane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of the best starts of a book!! Great story by a master, love the time period and the place, late 1920 early 1930, in Boston and Tampa Florida. Joe Coughlin falls for the girl Emma Gould, he gets all goofy, goes to jail, he thinks she dies, he hooks up with God Father, goes to Tampa falls in love, starts a family, he is the boss in Tampa making 11m a year. Old enemy surfaces with the God Father to whack him, he survives, end up in Cuba living the good life, goes back to Florida with the wife for award, crazy dad of Loretta kills his wife in shoot out.

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The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, this one was much better than #2 but not as good as #1, this story fills in most of the back story with Fermin, and oh boy does it tell a story, and the big kicker is what happens to Daniels mom, she is killed by David Martins jailer. There comes a storm brewing.

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Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thomas and Ray, Thomas is the map obsessed brother, sees someone with a bag over their head in a computer map. Ok, Alison affair with Brooke, enter dirty corrupt politicians, Alison tries to blackmail Brooke, Brooke gets killed by mistake, more people die, Thomas and Ray live, Thomas pushed the dad down the hill ...... 3 stars, some twists, nothing here that is WOW .........

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The Cleanup by Sean Doolittle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ok, nothing special here, a good story, the good guy gets away with helping the girl in the end. Matt helps co-worker that kills her abusive boyfriend. Boyfriend has $250k in his car that they did not know about, enter bad guys and bad cops, they die, Matt and the girl (the girl last you hear is in a drug induced coma recovering) as I said get away with it.

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The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After loving "The Shadow of the Wind" I was so disappointed in this prequil. The reviews said that the 'occult' was a bigger part and oh brother was it ....... not to my liking at all. This guy can write one paragraph and convey such feeling, I just did not need all that, thus my low rating, might be more your cup of tea, but not mine. Anyway David falls in love with a woman that marries his best friend and benefactor, Cristina. He signs up with the devil to write a 'religion' and goes crazy in the process, Vidal kills himself, David kills several policemen, Cristina ended up in an asylum and dies out on a lake as David is trying to reach her, she was about to get better and take David away from the devil. During the story the daughter of the grocer comes to live with David, her name is Isabella, and is just a delight and also in love with him, but Davis can never get over Cristina. Isabella goes on to marry Daniels dad the owner of the bookshop. David escapes all the mayhem, but is forever young, with all of his heart ache. The bad guy shows back up at the end with Cristina as a child and give her to David, so that he can watch her grow old and die ......... REALLY, REALLY ...... booo hisss on this ending .... it will be a long shot for me to pick up the third one.

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The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is now on my Best Ever shelf, so if you have not .... read it. An amazing story with many charcters, times and twists, stories within stories. I have never read a book with some many neat angles and plots. Daniel and Bea are married, Fumero is killed, Jullian escapes Daniel (and his friend Tomas)Julian (and his friends), Penelope, Nuria, Bea ...... Nuria is the daughter of Issac the Keeper at the Cemetary of Forgotten Books ....
My odd notes from the book, just so that I could keep up;
Julian brought to the autopsy clinic September 1936

Nuria visited Julian they became lovers, but Nuira knew that Julian would always love Penelope, Nuria left without saying goodbye

The police come to Daniel and his dad apartment looking for Fermin, a neighbor comes later with a paper that say Fermin murdered Nuria Monfort

Nuria Monfort is the daughter of Issac the keeper at the Cemetery of Forgotten Books

Fremin was a spy in earlier life, Fumero, worked for the communists, Fremin was tortured and gave up his superiors, they were killed, from then on Fremin lived on the street and in prison, hounded by Fumero

Daniel's best friend in Tomas Aguilar, Tomas sister is Bea,

Daniel and Bea meet there again, are about to make love in a bathroom, there was some warmth there, when the door is broken down, and no one is there, before leaving Daniel goes through and down stairs that was locked before, he is in a crypt, and discovers two white coffins, one has Penelope's name on it and the dates of 1902-1919, then her hears Lain Coubert say 'get out of here' .... Daniel and Bea make it out of the house with nothing else happening, Bea promises to call in the next day or 2, she does not, she does not call that whole week, THE LAST WEEK OF DANIEL'S LIFE. He would be dead in 7 days.

Daniel and Bea..... Daniel takes Bea to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, they briefly kiss, then they meet again, at the old house of Jorge and Penelope, which is supposed to be haunted and full of bad history, they make love there, and promise to meet there again, why there with all its bad history.

Penelope disappeared in 1919, a year after Julian went to Paris, Penelope's family went to either America or Argentina

Penelope and Julian fell in love, and were going to escape to Paris with Miquel's help, the week before leaving they are discovered making love in Jacinta's room by Penelope's mother. Julian escapes to Paris, Jucianta is kicked out of the Aldaya household and is committed to an asylum for two years, she never sees Penelope again.

Jacinta Coronado was Jorge and Penelope's governess

Julian is friends with Jorge, Miquel and Javier in school, Javier tried to kill Julian the last year they were in school together, Javier was obsessed with Penelope

Julian is supposedly killed the day before his wedding in a dual. Possibly by someone from his supposed wives family, she was elderly and had supported him and was going to leave him an inheritance. Quite a bit of mystery around Julian's murder, who killed him, was he killed, did his father ID him, when he was at the morgue he never verbally said, 'that's him', Fumero was probably in the morgue at this time, he spit on the corpse face and told them to bury the person in common grave at Montjuic.

Jorge and Julian were childhood friends

There surfaces a picture of Penelope and Julian, along with a letter from Penelope about her love for him

Jorge Aldaya and Penelope Aldaya are probably husband and wife

Talking with Nuria Munfort about Julian, Julian real father was not his mothers husband, this guy verbally abused Julian, calling him a son of sin.

Gustavo and Clara Barcelo, housekeeper is Bernada, Clara is blind, and Daniel fell for her when he was very young, he walked in on her making love to her music teacher. Gustavo wanted to buy the book from Daniel from the very beginning.


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The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Its a good story, it just did not have the suspense to rate any higher, Margaret Lea is asked by Vida Winter to write his life's story. Vida is England's most famous author. Vida was abandoned at the Angelfield home, father was Charles, who was mentally incompetent, Charles sister, Isabelle had twin daughters Emmeline and Adeline, Adeline was also nuts. Vida lived amongst the twins as a ghost, Emmeline who is also mentally pretty much a child gets pregnant and has a child. Adeline becomes jealous of the baby and one night tries to burn it to death, Vida saves the baby, but kills one of the twins, you're not really ever sure who, because of the survivor is horribly burnt in the house fire. Vida takes Emmeline's baby to a neighbor to be raised ........ as I was saying ..... a good story, I found it compelling but it did not capture me.

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The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Its a good book, Harold is a mostly likeable guy ........ Harold gets a letter from a long lost friend, the friend is dying of cancer and writes to say goodbye. Harold pens a reply and ends up walking 600ish miles to take the letter to her. I did not like that Harold once on his way did not prepare for the walk, he stayed with his yachting shoes, and shunned a back pack for a long time .... he also feel into and out of bouts of depression on the trip, some seemed "jump the shark' to me, the whole 'pilgrim' thing was also Forrest Gumpish ..... he makes it there, learns and remembers many things about life and his marriage, and his son David, (how committed suicide). Queenie is barely alive when he makes it, she can not even speak and barely even knows he is there, Queenie passes just after his visit. Harold and his wife are restored.

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The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a compelling book in so many ways, and it also left me hanging in so many ways. Talmadge was such a likeable guy, if he had just had a backbone and would have talked to all the women that we had in his life and then lost, his sister, Jane and then Della. Anyway, after making to the Washington mountains with Talmadge's mom and sister after his dad died in mining accident and starting the orchard, the mom dies of lung disease and then years later the sister goes for a walk and never comes home. Then when Talmadge is 40 years old Jane and Della show up pregnant, after escaping from Michelson's brothel. They are as wild as feral cats and barely ever come inside. Jane's child lives and Della's twins die in child birth. Then Michelson shows up at the orchard, both girls hang themselves from a tree, Della lives, along with Jane's child, Angelene. Della becomes a wild thing and leaves the orchard, years later he admits to a murder that she did not do, to be thrown in jail because she sees Michelson in jail. Talmadge discovers her and starts to visit, after a failed attempt to get Della out of jail, Talmadge and Della are thrown in jail. Talmadge gets out, but not Della. Della dies in a construction accident in jail, Talmadge dies an old man, Angelene sells the orchard. Talmadge left so much unsaid and unasked with all these women ......

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The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one great read ..... Tom returns from WWI, with some scars, becomes a light house keeper, ends up on the most remote light house island that there is in Australia. He meets Isabel on a shore leave, they fall in love and get married. They return to the island and in the course of a few hear Isabel has three miscarriages. And then the boat show up with a dead guy and a baby. Isabel convinces Tom to keep the baby. They discover where baby Lucy came from on a shore leave, and Tom can not stand it, over the next couple of years he leaves a couple of clues for the real mother that the baby is ok. They are discovered and have to give the baby back. Its a heart wrenching time for all. Tom is in jail and taking the whole fall for Isabel, Isabel is so mad at Tom she will not come to his aid. Finally she does, and the baby's real mother pleads for leniency. Tom goes to jail for six months and Isabel needs up in an asylum, but are reunited, and live a comfortable life. Isabel dies of cancer just before Lucy-Grace finally returns with her own son to see them. Great Great Book.

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The Yard by Alex Grecian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 stars because of the gratuitous violence, it mostly has to do with the forensic kind, the Doctor doing things to the bodies once they made it to his lab for study. The tailor gets caught, the kid goes back to his parents. Some very likeable characters.

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Creole Belle by James Lee Burke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Big Clete book, and his daughter, who is an assassin. She ends up in California going to film school.

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The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I like them that will jump up and grab you, this one did not, a compelling story, but just did not grab me.

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City of Thieves by David Benioff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

During WWII, the city of Leningrad, Russia is being held under siege by Germans. Lev is caught looting a dead German officer he is arrested and thrown in a cell, to be executed by the next day. With him is a fellow Russian, Kolya, who has been arrested under the premise of deserting his rank. They must procure a dozen eggs within a week for a powerful colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake. They soon begin to discover the horrible measures people have come to survive; children eating the pages of books, hunger-crazed citizens turning to cannibalism. They happen across a group of rebellious partisans, mostly compiled of farmers- with the exception of Vika. She is an expert marksman, and a girl posing as a man so she can fight. Lev and Kolya find themselves working with the partisans to help destroy important German units. Lev discovers he has feelings for Vika. Lev and Kolya have two days to retrieve the eggs they had long forgotten about. With some luck Kolya convinces the German General into a chess match with Lev. If Lev wins the three will be granted their freedom from the Germans and twelve eggs, if he loses the three will be killed. Lev wins out, kills 2 Germans and he and Kolya run back to Leningrad, parting ways with Vika to Lev’s dismay. Tragically upon their entering the city Kolya is killed accidentally by a Russian soldier. Lev receives his liberty alone and lives in Leningrad till the end of the siege. Eventually he is reunited with Vika.

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The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Joanna Stafford, a Dominican novice, leaves the priory to go and see her cousin burned, Margaret Blumer, at the stake. She and her father are there and are taken to London Tower, Bishop Gardiner, threatens that her father will not be released unless she goes back to the priory and tries to find Athelsan Crown, the crown of Christ. There are a couple of murders and much intrigue, she ends up finding the crown and taking it to another priory for save keeping and she returns to the town, since her priory is closed. You can hope that she returns to Geoffrey Scovill??

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The Lost Souls of Angelkov by Linda Holeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a great read, I can not believe that I did not see it coming, the twist at the end. Antonina grow up as nobility and kind of a tom boyish, meets Lilya as a girl and the two become friends. Antonina father thinks she is seeing a peasant boy buts its Lilya, Antonina lies about it, her father finds out the truth and sends Lilya and her brother Lyosha away. Antonina is married off to Konstantin who is much older, they have one child Mikhail, who is stolen. Grisha who is the steward on the estate, runs away from his home as a 15 year old when he was suppose to be going after his brother, that the dad gave away to a maestro because of his musical ability. Things get crazy as Konstantin is dying, Grisha and Antonina sleep together one night, Grisha was involved in Mikail's kidnapping and along with Lilya's husband. Antonina befriends Valentin and serf musician, Valentin turns out to be Grisha's long lost brother, Lilya kills Valentin out of jealously for Antonina, Grisha, Lilya and Lyosha go and get Mikail from kidnappers but Soso and Grisha are arrested because Lilya tips off the police. Grisha goes back to Siberia, Lilya goes into a covenant and Antonina, Mikail and Lysosha and his wife move to St Petersburg.

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good little quick read, could very well have a follow up. Kids end up leaving the loop and island, looking for ..............

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A Morning For Flamingos by James Lee Burke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dave and his partner are transporting Tee Beau and Jimmy Lee Boggs to Angola prison. Jimmy Lee tricks them and kills Dave's partner and shoots Dave. Dave goes undercover to try and get Cardo (drug dealer) and to maybe get close to Boggs. Dave hooks up with Cardo through Lionel and Fotnent, two dead beats. At a drug buy Lionel and Fotnent are are going to rip off the drugs but get killed in a bust. Dave runs into old girlfriend Bootsie, and Cletus goes undercover to help him, and there is also Kim Dollinger. Dave gets close to Cardo, spending time at his house, and learn he has a disabled boy, who he treasures. Things come to a head, Boggs drowns after being shot, Dave lets Cardo and his son go free. Dave marries Bootsie and Kim and Cletus hook up.

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The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great story, good Russian history, Barbara is Catherine friend and confident from childhood to when Catherine takes the throne. Catherine begins to question Barbara's child about things, Barbara feels betrayed and ends up in Poland on small estate. 2nd book to come, will read it if I don't read something else about Catherine first.

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Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a heavy book. A young woman, Anna Frith, lives through a year of the Plague in a tiny town in England. She loses everyone she loves, including her two young children, year 1666. Michael and Elinor Mompellion, rector and wife, she is killed by Aphra, Anna stepmother, Michael turns out to be WACKED, never loved his wife cause he was making her repent from earlier sex before marriage. Anna escapes to Middle East.

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Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Harry Clifton, Giles Barrington, and Denkins ... Harry's dad is welded inside ship, Hugo Barrington does nothing to stop this, Hugo is also Harry's real dad, Harry and Emma's wedding is stopped on the altar By Old Jack. Harry on ship, ship torpedoed, Harry decides to take on Tom Bradshaw's identity, Harry is arrested for murder when he gets off of rescue boat in NY.

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The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charlie and Eli Sisters are killers working for the Commodore, they are sent to kill Herman Kermit Warm. Quite the trip to SF, they find Warm and the scout, Herny Morris that was sent before them to find Warm. The two of them are on a claim using Warm formula to reveal gold in the creek. The 'formula' does the trick but poisons them, Warm and Morris die, Charlie hand is burned by the formula and the loses it. Indians steal the gold, stash hidden in Mayfield stolen, stash at home stolen. They end up at their Mothers home SAFE and at peace. Loaded with life lessons on every page woven into the very quirky story. The horses were Tub and Nimble.

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Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jacob is at Cornell Vet school, his parents die in auto crash, fathers home and vet business taken by bank. Jacob in shock is not able to take final exams. Ends up jumping a Circus train, run by Evil Uncle Al and August. Jacob gets on as vet for circus, falls in love with Marlena, August's wife, and befriends Camel (becomes cripple from drinking Jake), and Walter ("Kinko" dwarf clown with Queenie the dog). Things turn bad and Camel and Walter are redlighted from train both die, next day there is a stampede August is killed by Roise, (the elephant) and Uncle Al is killed by those redlighted and others. Jacob, Marlena, Roise , Bobo (the monkey) and horses join Ringling Bros. Story told by 93 year old Jacob, who makes his way to circus in town where in lives in nursing home, ends up in the RV of circus manager, who takes Jacob away from Nursing home to join the circus for his remaining days.

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The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Great book about the Hungarian Jews in WWII, too much of a love story for a good part of the book, therefore my 3 stars. Andras, Klara, Polaner, and Jozef survive and migrate to NY.

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Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok, this one make the One of Best Ever Books ...... what a treat, Marion, Shiva, Thomas Stone, Hema, Ghosh, Genet ....... Marion gets part of Shiva's liver, surgery done by Thomas, Shiva dies from transplant complications, Marion's illness comes from Genet, Genet dies, Marion discovers long lost letter from Sister Mary Joseph Praise. Marion calls Thomas to tell him about letter.

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What it Was by George Pelecanos
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ok, things about the 70's haven't thought about in quite sometime, taking cigs out of the bottom of the pack from a cut out hole, bellbottoms, the shirts, etc ... Red gets it in the end in prison.

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The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The best I have read in some time, think to Kill A Mockingbird on steroids, don't read any further unless you want to know who did it. Cecil did it, great characters, Harry, Tom, Jacob, Grandma, Miss Maggie, Mose ...... just a great great book.

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The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Too much about the fair for me ..... like the story about HH Holmes ...... no suspense .... but that's my take on it.

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Edge of Dark Water by Joe R. Lansdale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Must read ........ what else is there to say ..... if you like a great story .......
May Lynn wants to go to Hollywood, until her dead body is pulled from the Sabine with a sewing machine tied to her legs.  Sue Ellen, Terry and Jinx dig up May Lynn's body burn it to ash and head off to Hollywood down the Sabine.  Chased by Uncle Gene, Constable Sy and legendary Skunk.  

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Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great book, Garfield never wanted to be president, shot by delusional dude, died from terrible medical care at the time. Garfield lived for 2 months, killer executed.

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Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dixie Lee, Clete (introduction) Harry Mapes (bad guy) Sal Dio (MOB) Dave ends up in Montana with Alafair trying to beat a murder wrap in Louisiana. Sal dies in plane crash, thanks to Clete, Mapes gets arrested.

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The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Timothy Wilde, and brother Val, 21 dead kinchin, 2.5 were guilty, Madam Marsh (pays $350 to Timothy and he hopes to see her swing in future), Rev Underhill (suicide), and Dr Palsgrave. Bird Daily goes to live in Catholic children's home, Timothy gives the $350 to Mercy for her to go to London. Tim and Val Copper Stars for life.

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Savages by Don Winslow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good book, prose very choppy, the girl and 2 dudes die in the end.

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Defending Jacob by William Landay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

interesting position to take for the book ....... what in the world would you do ............ son kills not one but 2 people, boy from school, beats that one with help from his dad who is prison, creepy twist then the family goes on vacation and girl comes up missing, mother drives the van into bridge, boys dies, she is in critical condition ......

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The Retribution by Val McDermid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dude escapes prison, it's Retribution time, Tony Hill's Mom kills the guy. Tony and Carol are on the outs......

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The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Not my cup of tea ......... "where's the action"

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