Hellen's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:33:09 -0800 60 Hellen's bookshelf: all 144 41 https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Dead Poets Society 67238 166 N.H. Kleinbaum 0553282980 Hellen 2 4.19 1988 Dead Poets Society
author: N.H. Kleinbaum
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1988
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Antony and Cleopatra 104837 336 William Shakespeare 0743482859 Hellen 1 3.70 1606 Antony and Cleopatra
author: William Shakespeare
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1606
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Crime and Punishment 7144 671 Fyodor Dostoevsky Hellen 4 4.27 1866 Crime and Punishment
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1866
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Winter Garden 6668467 394 Kristin Hannah 0312364121 Hellen 2 4.21 2010 Winter Garden
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> No Exit 123933 The play is a depiction of the afterlife in which three deceased characters are punished by being locked into a room together for all eternity. It is the source of Sartre's especially famous and often misinterpreted quotation "L'enfer, c'est les autres" or "Hell is other people", a reference to Sartre's ideas about the Look and the perpetual ontological struggle of being caused to see oneself as an object in the world of another consciousness.]]> 60 Jean-Paul Sartre 0573613052 Hellen 4 4.12 1944 No Exit
author: Jean-Paul Sartre
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1944
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Speed-the-Plow 458836 96 David Mamet 0802130461 Hellen 5 3.68 1988 Speed-the-Plow
author: David Mamet
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hobbit, or There and Back Again]]> 5907 Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent. The text in this 372-page paperback edition is based on that first published in Great Britain by Collins Modern Classics (1998), and includes a note on the text by Douglas A. Anderson (2001).

9780618260300]]> 366 J.R.R. Tolkien Hellen 2 4.30 1937 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1937
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Chocolat (Chocolat, #1) 47401
Illuminating Peter Mayle's South of France with a touch of Laura Esquivel's magic realism, Chocolat is a timeless novel of a straitlaced village's awakening to joy and sensuality. In tiny Lansquenet, where nothing much has changed in a hundred years, beautiful newcomer Vianne Rocher and her exquisite chocolate shop arrive and instantly begin to play havoc with Lenten vows. Each box of luscious bonbons comes with a free gift: Vianne's uncanny perception of its buyer's private discontents and a clever, caring cure for them. Is she a witch? Soon the parish no longer cares, as it abandons itself to temptation, happiness, and a dramatic face-off between Easter solemnity and the pagan gaiety of a chocolate festival.

Chocolat's every page offers a description of chocolate to melt in the mouths of chocoholics, francophiles, armchair gourmets, cookbook readers, and lovers of passion everywhere. It's a must for anyone who craves an escapist read, and is a bewitching gift for any holiday.]]> 306 Joanne Harris 014100018X Hellen 4 3.97 1999 Chocolat (Chocolat, #1)
author: Joanne Harris
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Virgin Suicides 10956 250 Jeffrey Eugenides 0747560595 Hellen 5 3.80 1993 The Virgin Suicides
author: Jeffrey Eugenides
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Wit 171201 Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, and the Oppenheimer Award

Margaret Edson’s powerfully imagined Pulitzer Prize–winning play examines what makes life worth living through her exploration of one of existence’s unifying experiences—mortality—while she also probes the vital importance of human relationships.

What we as her audience take away from this remarkable drama is a keener sense that, while death is real and unavoidable, our lives are ours to cherish or throw away—a lesson that can be both uplifting and redemptive. As the playwright herself puts it, “The play is not about doctors or even about cancer. It’s about kindness, but it shows arrogance. It’s about compassion, but it shows insensitivity.”

In Wit, Edson delves into timeless questions with no final answers: How should we live our lives knowing that we will die? Is the way we live our lives and interact with others more important than what we achieve materially, professionally, or intellectually?

How does language figure into our lives? Can science and art help us conquer death, or our fear of it? What will seem most important to each of us about life as that life comes to an end?

The immediacy of the presentation, and the clarity and elegance of Edson’s writing, make this sophisticated, multilayered play accessible to almost any interested reader.

As the play begins, Vivian Bearing, a renowned professor of English who has spent years studying and teaching the intricate, difficult Holy Sonnets of the seventeenth-century poet John Donne, is diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Confident of her ability to stay in control of events, she brings to her illness the same intensely rational and painstakingly methodical approach that has guided her stellar academic career.

But as her disease and its excruciatingly painful treatment inexorably progress, she begins to question the single-minded values and standards that have always directed her, finally coming to understand the aspects of life that make it truly worth living.
]]> 85 Margaret Edson 0571198775 Hellen 2 4.14 1995 Wit
author: Margaret Edson
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1995
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Pythagorean 216505858
Pythia reveals to Theodore that he must meet his true teacher, who alone can return him to his own time. To prepare spiritually for this encounter, Theodore's best bet is one of the greatest teachers of European civilization—Pythagoras, who coincidentally lives during that era. Theo seeks out Pythagoras and becomes his student. Throughout his education, Pythagoras explains to Theodore why he ended up in the past and the significant mission awaiting him in the future. In the process, Pythagoras imparts a wealth of intriguing facts to Theodore, blending authentic Pythagorean teachings with alternative viewpoints from contemporary science.

Theodore's beloved Elena remains in Athens, and his lack of attention towards her weighs heavily on him. Through his studies, Theodore learns the practice of lucid dreaming, enabling him to communicate with Elena in his dreams and share his experiences. In a critical turn of events, Theodore steals a bottle of expensive wine, leading to his arrest. Pythagoras intervenes, securing his release on bail. However, Theodore learns he can only remain on the island for a month. With his limited time, he must pass an interview with the local ruler. In another lucid dream, Theodore meets Alkeus, the young man from ancient Greece, who now inhabits his body in the present. Alkeus' adaptability to modern life is hindered by amnesia, and he relies on others to remind him of his past.

As Theodore's training progresses, Pythagoras not only introduces alternative, scientifically backed perspectives on the Universe's structure and the existence of parallel worlds but also takes him on journeys to explore them. Theo's situation becomes dire—execution awaits him if he stays in the past, while arrest and imprisonment await him in the future. In a lucid dream, he encounters his future self in a café, realizing that his true teacher is none other than himself. Spiritual purification is the key to his return to the present. Is he prepared to embark on his crucial mission?]]> 491 Alexander Morpheigh Hellen 5 4.32 The Pythagorean
author: Alexander Morpheigh
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> If I Stay (If I Stay, #1) 4374400 208 Gayle Forman 0525421033 Hellen 4 3.92 2009 If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)
author: Gayle Forman
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2026/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mother of Death & Dawn (The War of Lost Hearts, #3)]]> 58303345 Tell me, little butterfly, what would you do for love?

In the wake of a crushing defeat, Tisaanah and Maxatarius have been ripped apart. Tisaanah is desperate to rescue Max from his imprisonment, even as her people’s fight for freedom grows more treacherous. But within the walls of Ilyzath, Max’s mind is a shadow of what it once was… leaving his past a mystery and his future at the mercy of Ara’s new, ruthless queen.

Meanwhile, in the Fey lands, Aefe has been dragged back into this world by a king who vows to destroy civilizations in her name. But even as her past returns to claim her, her former self is a stranger.

Tisaanah, Max, and Aefe are thrust into the center of a cataclysm between the human and Fey worlds. The unique magic they share is key to either winning the war, or ending it.

But that power demands sacrifice. Tisaanah may be forced to choose between love and duty. Max cannot forge his future without confronting his past. And Aefe must decide between reclaiming who she was, or embracing who she has become.

The choices they make will either reshape this world forever…or end it..

In the harrowing finale of the War of Lost Hearts trilogy, a tale of romance, magic, vengeance, and redemption comes to a close -- perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Miranda Honfleur, and Danielle Jenson. ]]> 722 Carissa Broadbent Hellen 0 to-read 4.34 2022 Mother of Death & Dawn (The War of Lost Hearts, #3)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I'm Glad You're Dead: Preternatural Chronicles Book 1 (The Preternatural Chronicles)]]> 197891975 My name is John Cook, and my life began the day my heart stopped beating.

You meet the most interesting men in Medieval prisons. This one time, I met a guy who offered me immortality for the low, low price of changing my diet. I didn’t read the fine print. Because he wasn’t talking about a gluten free diet. More like hemoglobin full.

And now I’m a friggin’ vampire with five centuries of pop culture references.

Granted, at the time, I was listening to the dying screams of my mother and father being burned and eviscerated alive just outside the rusty bars of the prison cell, and my new best friend was offering me my only real chance at saving my own life and avenging my parents’ murderers—some day.

Except my first chance at vengeance took about five hundred years, and I had to wade through oceans of sin and violence, blackening my soul—and my already dark sense of humor—beyond redemption until I met Father Thomes—a Roman Catholic Priest—in present-day Houston. Papa Thomes taught me how to use my dark curse to fight for the good guys. Like Alfred and Robin did for Batman—except we straight up murder Jokers and Two-Faces. Biteman and Pope’n.

We stand up for the downtrodden, the forgotten, and the neglected…

By exsanguinating the wicked in horrific, truly imaginative ways, and having a grand ol’ time doing it. You know what they say about doing what you love…

But our party is soon cut short when we learn the End of Days is just around the corner, and that the fine print of my contract might have hidden a few other tidbits. Like the fact that I was central to kicking off the Apocalypse, and that the Archdemons will stop at nothing to make sure The Dude Abides by the terms of his contract.

I guess I need a lawyer.

Get ready to laugh at extreme violence. I know I will. If you’re not laughing, you’re learning.

If you like Jim Butcher, Shayne Silvers, Cameron O’Connell, Kevin Hearne, Steve McHugh, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Shannon Mayer, or K.F. Breene, you won't be able to put down the highly addictive Preternatural Chronicles.

“Hunter Blain is my spirit animal.” — Shayne Silvers, Amazon Top 25 Bestselling Author

Available in digital, print, and audiobook formats.

What Amazon readers are

★★★★★ ‘Let me count the ways I blood thee…’

★★★★★ ‘Move over Dresden!’

★★★★★ ‘The Preternatural Chronicles MUST come to Netflix. Now.’

★★★★★ ‘John Cook puts the G.O.A.T. in gloat.’

★★★★★ ‘Shayne Silvers has found the next author to take over Urban Fantasy.’

★★★★★ ‘I need John Cook to have a story with Nate Temple. Please.’

★★★★★ ‘John Cook loves vegans. Especially when they are served raw.’

★★★★★ ‘The only thing that sparkles about this vampire is his fangs in the moonlight.’

★★★★★ ‘All the twisted humor of Pulp Fiction, but with a vampire. It’s more like Gulp Fiction.]]> 224 Hunter Blain Hellen 0 to-read 4.14 2019 I'm Glad You're Dead: Preternatural Chronicles Book 1 (The Preternatural Chronicles)
author: Hunter Blain
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master]]> 52022378 For five years Me’acca Mysuth Sheever has lived among his “sworn enemies,” pretending to be one of them. One night he buys a journal, its pages blank. The woman who sells him the journal extracts his promise to record his deeds for study. “Lo, the steps of your life mark the journey of your soul.” To expose his prior life, however, would be akin to suicide, for Sheever is a man brimming with secrets.

He begins the journal cautiously, describing the area where he works as a cook, and the people he’s forced to endure. Hints of his past emerge as he also records day-to-day events. As the journal evolves, he finds himself more entangled than he ever wanted to be in the lives around him, and more sympathetic to people he wanted to hate.

Memories haunt him, and he struggles to maintain a grip on his sanity as he prays for – and fears – the signal that his years in exile have ended and he can return home.

This then is Sheever’s Journal, Diary of a Poison Master.

About the Author:
K. Ritz lives with her husband in a small town in Massachusetts. This is her first book in a series about a world of shadows.
]]> 410 K. Ritz 1950015327 Hellen 0 to-read 4.30 2019 Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master
author: K. Ritz
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Aspect of Essence (The Aelfyn Archives, #1)]]> 203362689

Scorching slowburns, sharp tongues.
Morally gray, feral tension.
Fated bonds, ruinous magic.



Step into a shadow-drenched realm where starlight and elemental magic reign, where bonds feel like fate until they burn, plot twists bruise, and banter cuts.

Across the series, multiple slow burn romances unfold—beginning MF in Books 1–2, deepening into MFM by Book 3, and kindling a separate MM arc in Book 3 with different characters.

She was never meant to rule. A half-breed princess, torn from her throne and thrown into a brutal military academy—where a shadow-wielding commander targets her the moment she arrives.

He was never meant to be free. A healer bound to serve in a system built to break him—until his servitude twists into something darker than duty.

He was never meant to survive. A villain harboring secrets of the realm’s forgotten magic—willing to raze kingdoms to save his race.



A thousand years ago, the elves colonized the mortal realm and reduced humans to labor and breeding stock. But now, centuries later, their magic has turned on them, leaving their bloodlines sterile and their legacy fading.

An elven half-breed, Jassyn has spent his life trapped between roles—researcher of the fertility crisis, and unwilling contributor to its solution. His body is property. His brilliance, weaponized. When he’s sent to the human realm to “tutor” a half-breed princess, it feels like a temporary reprieve. Until he learns the truth behind the assignment.

Serenna, Jassyn's new pupil, has spent her life clawing toward a single goal—elevation into the elven courts. But after her twenty-fifth birthday, everything fractures. A monstrous race emerges, unraveling the lies. Half-breeds like her and Jassyn aren’t powerless, they were bred for magic and war.

Instead of a throne, she’s handed a uniform and conscripted to a military academy where half-breeds are forged into weapons. Her survival depends on awakening her magic, enduring the training, and surviving the relentless gaze of its commander: Prince Vesryn, a shadow-wielding prince with too many secrets, too much power, and a tongue that cuts sharper than his blades.

With war looming, Serenna must rise while Vesryn’s attention shifts from threat to fixation. But as Jassyn fights to protect her from the prince’s influence, his own chains tighten. And the path he takes may destroy more than just himself.






Loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, Crowns of Nyaxia, Throne of Glass, or The Empyrean?
If you admired Sansa Stark and Nesta’s evolution, fell hard for Rhysand’s charm in A Court of Mist and Fury, or can’t resist an anti-hero with Kylo Ren’s dark allure, The Aspect of Essence is your next obsession.

Reading guidance and detailed content notes are available in the sample preview.
While there’s no explicit content in The Aspect of Essence, the series features developing romantic relationships with increasing spice beginning in The Chains of Fate.

]]> 412 Samantha Amstutz Hellen 0 to-read 3.80 2023 The Aspect of Essence (The Aelfyn Archives, #1)
author: Samantha Amstutz
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The In-Between Bookstore 199532055 A poignant and enchanting novel about a magical bookstore that transports a trans man through time and brings him face-to-face with his teenage self, offering him the chance of a lifetime to examine his life and identity to find a new beginning.

When Darby finds himself unemployed and in need of a fresh start, he moves back to the small Illinois town he left behind. But Oak Falls has changed almost as much as he has since he left.

One thing is familiar: In Between Books, Darby’s refuge growing up and eventual high school job. When he walks into the bookstore now, Darby feels an eerie sense of déjà vu—everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the register is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen. . . who just might give Darby the opportunity to change his own present for the better—if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.

The In-Between Bookstore is a stunning novel of love, self-discovery, and the choices that come with both, for anyone who has ever wondered what their life might be like if they had the chance to go back and take a bigger, braver risk.]]> 253 Edward Underhill 0063357631 Hellen 0 to-read 3.54 2025 The In-Between Bookstore
author: Edward Underhill
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Am Not Jessica Chen 61374793
Now trapped inside Jessica’s body, with access to Jessica’s most private journals and secrets, Jenna soon discovers that being the top student at the elite, highly competitive Havenwood Private Academy isn’t quite what she imagined. Worse, as everyone—including her own parents—start having trouble remembering who Jenna Chen is, or if she ever even existed, Jenna must decide if playing the role of the perfect daughter and student is worth losing her true self forever.]]> 320 Ann Liang 133552312X Hellen 0 to-read 4.03 2025 I Am Not Jessica Chen
author: Ann Liang
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)]]> 59986018 WHERE THERE ARE GODS, THERE ARE ALSO MONSTERS . . .

For a thousand years, the Etherworld has known peace.
Until now.

Many centuries ago, desperate to save her dying sister, Dianna made a deal with Kaden, a monster far worse than any nightmare. Locked in servitude to him, she is forced to hunt down an ancient relic held by her most dangerous enemies: an army led by Samkiel, the World Ender.

After the Gods War, Samkiel hid from everything, denying his crown and deserting his people. Now, an attack on those he loves sends him back to the realm he never wished to return to, and into the sights of an enemy he had hoped to forget.

With every world at stake, Dianna and Samkiel are forced to set aside their animosity and work together, before all is lost . . .]]> 572 Amber V. Nicole Hellen 0 to-read 4.06 2022 The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)
author: Amber V. Nicole
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia, #2)]]> 62335396 Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.

In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.

The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.

When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.

But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall.

Full of heartbreak, redemption, bloody intrigue, and heart-pounding action, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King is the gutting second installment of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, and the conclusion of the Nightborn Duet – perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 626 Carissa Broadbent Hellen 0 to-read 4.05 2023 The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia, #2)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Blood Over Bright Haven 208430658
"The best fantasy novel of the year" The Guardian

“The easiest 5 star I have ever given” ***** Reader Review

-------------------------------------------------------------

For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic.

When she finally achieves her ambition to become the first woman admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry, she finds herself undermined at every turn. Instead of a lab assistant, she’s paired with a janitor, putting her crucial research at risk.

But Thomil wasn’t always a janitor. Once a nomadic hunter from the wild plains outside the city, he now sees a chance to understand the forces that decimated his tribe and drove him from his homeland.

Together they will uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever – if it doesn’t get them killed first.


Praise for Blood Over Bright Haven:

“This is the new god-tier fantasy author” Reader Review

“I couldn't put it down” Reader Review

“My favourite fantasy of all time” Reader Review

“I will never emotionally recover” Reader Review

“The best book – bar none – I've read all year” Evan Winter, author of The Rage of Dragons

"This book is a merciless reckoning that leaves you reeling long after the last page is turned." Sara Hashem, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Jasad Heir

"A scathing but truthful look at the world we live in… A stunningly powerful story." Terry Brooks, author of the epic fantasy Shannara series

"Innovative and brilliantly written, this is a glorious jewel added to the crown of dark academia." Seanan McGuire, author of the Wayward Children series

"A storytelling masterclass." Mark Lawrence, author of The Book that Wouldn't Burn

"A fantastic page-turner – clever, emotional, and thematically rich. I was completely engaged the whole way through. Highly recommended!" James Islington, author of The Will of the Many]]> 428 M.L. Wang 0593873351 Hellen 0 to-read 4.29 2023 Blood Over Bright Haven
author: M.L. Wang
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Immortal 211642122
Upon her grandfather’s death, Liyen ascends a precarious throne, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals. When she is summoned to the Immortal Realm, she seizes the opportunity to learn their secrets and to form a tenuous alliance to safeguard her people, all with the one she should fear and mistrust the most: the ruthless God of War. As they are drawn together, a treacherous attraction ignites between them—one she has to resist, to not endanger all she is fighting for.

But with darker forces closing in around them, and her kingdom plunged into peril, Liyen must risk everything to save her people from an unspeakable fate, even if it means forging a dangerous bond with the immortal… even if it means losing her heart.]]> 464 Sue Lynn Tan 0063267616 Hellen 0 to-read 3.77 2025 Immortal
author: Sue Lynn Tan
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> At the Bottom of the Garden 212294435 A murderess becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls in this mesmerizing gothic novel from acclaimed author Camilla Bruce.

Clara Woods is a killer—and perfectly fine with it, too. So what if she takes a couple of lives to make her own a little bit better? At the bottom of her garden is a flowerbed, long overgrown, where her late husband rests in peace—or so she always thought.

Then the girls arrive.

Lily and Violet are her nieces, recently orphaned after their affluent parents died on an ill-fated anniversary trip. In accordance with their parents' will, the sisters are to go to their closest relative—who just so happens to be Clara. Despite having no interest in children, Clara agrees to take them, hoping to get her hands on some of the girls' assets—not just to bolster her dwindling fortune, but also to establish what she hopes will be her legacy: a line of diamond jewelry.

There's only one problem. Violet can see the dead man at the bottom of the garden. She can see all of Clara's ghosts…and call them back into existence. Soon Clara is plagued by her victims and at war with the gifted girls in her care. Lily and Violet have become a liability—and know far more than they should…]]> 368 Camilla Bruce 059372495X Hellen 0 to-read 3.51 2025 At the Bottom of the Garden
author: Camilla Bruce
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Water Moon 211479192 Would you rewrite your destiny if it meant losing a part of your past?

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it.

Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant. And just the chosen ones – those who are lost – will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop's new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike other customers. For he offers help, instead of seeking it.

Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice – through rain puddles, hitching rides on paper cranes, across the bridge between midnight and morning and through a night market in the clouds.

But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own – and risk making a choice she will never be able to take back.

Step into the captivating and romantic fantasy novel that will sweep you away on an unforgettable adventure - perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli, Erin Morgenstern and Before the Coffee Gets Cold!]]> 374 Samantha Sotto Yambao 0593724992 Hellen 0 to-read 3.75 2025 Water Moon
author: Samantha Sotto Yambao
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of Fallen Ash (The Order #1)]]> 202644768
In the dystopian realm of "The Order" society is eternally divided between the privileged Untouchables and the struggling Unfortunates. The Untouchables, draped in opulence and power, govern the city with an iron fist, casting long shadows over the impoverished Unfortunates who toil beneath in the murky depths of the working class.

As the ruling elite revel in excess and luxury, the Unfortunates navigate a world stacked against them, grappling with meager resources and restricted opportunities. The social chasm widens daily as the Untouchables tighten their grip on wealth and influence, leaving the Unfortunates to navigate the shadows cast upon their lives. "The Order" follows the intertwining fates of two sworn enemies—one an ambitious Untouchable seeking to challenge the system from within, struggling to cope as the lies of her society unfold in front of her, the other an Unfortunate yearning for a chance to seek vengeance on any and every Untouchable in his path. Their stories unfold against a backdrop of intrigue, rebellion, and the unyielding determination to break free from the oppressive shackles of a society defined by its merciless class divisions.

The question is, can free will exist in a society this divided?]]> 610 Katerina St. Clair Hellen 0 to-read 4.01 2024 Kingdom of Fallen Ash (The Order #1)
author: Katerina St. Clair
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1) 204593914 Welcome to Phantasma. There are only two rules to the game: Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart . . .]]> 497 Kaylie Smith 1538769255 Hellen 0 to-read 4.01 2024 Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)
author: Kaylie Smith
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Witchcraft for Wayward Girls 207611566 There’s power in a book…

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.

In Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, the author of How to Sell a Haunted House and The Final Girl Support Group delivers another searing, completely original novel and further cements his status as a “horror master” (NPR).]]> 482 Grady Hendrix 0593548981 Hellen 0 to-read 3.87 2025 Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Queen's Gambit 62022 258 Walter Tevis 1400030609 Hellen 4 4.14 1983 The Queen's Gambit
author: Walter Tevis
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> The Sisters Brothers 9850443
With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters - losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life - and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West, and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.]]> 328 Patrick deWitt 0062041266 Hellen 4 3.84 2011 The Sisters Brothers
author: Patrick deWitt
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion]]> 40611032 Poland, 1909

Stanislaw is determined to escape the Russians and follow his brother to America, a land where anything seems possible.



Wisconsin, 1941

With all the men off to war, Fritzi and her sisters must learn men’s work -- from fixing flats to driving the tow truck. They add their own touches, too: neat little caps, short skirts and roller skates, and the All-Girl Filling Station is born. Their peace doesn’t last long though: skilled women are needed to fly planes for the war effort.



Alabama, 2005

Mrs Sookie Earle has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to putting her feet up. But then one day a package arrives. Its contents knock Sookie sideways, propelling her back to the 1940s, and four irrepressible sisters whose wartime adventures force them to reimagine who they are, and what they are capable of.]]> 369 Fannie Flagg 0812994639 Hellen 5 4.13 2013 The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
author: Fannie Flagg
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Angel's Game (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2)]]> 4912857
The whole of Barcelona stretched out at my feet and I wanted to believe that when I opened those windows — my new windows — each evening its streets would whisper stories to me, secrets in my ear, that I could catch on paper and narrate to whomever cared to listen…

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martin, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner.

Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Close to despair, David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has ever existed — a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, and perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realizes that there is a connection between his haunting book and the shadows that surround his home.

Once again, Zafon takes us into a dark, gothic universe first seen in The Shadow of the Wind and creates a breathtaking adventure of intrigue, romance, and tragedy. Through a dizzyingly constructed labyrinth of secrets, the magic of books, passion, and friendship blend into a masterful story.
(jacket)]]> 531 Carlos Ruiz Zafón 0385528701 Hellen 4 3.96 2008 The Angel's Game (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2)
author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[La catedral del mar (La catedral del mar, #1)]]> 54984
Una construcción que es paralela a la azarosa historia de Arnau, un siervo de la tierra que huye de los abusos de su señor feudal y se refugia en Barcelona, donde se convierte en ciudadano y, con ello, en hombre libre.

El joven Arnau trabaja como palafrenero, estibador, soldado y cambista. Una vida extenuante, siempre al amparo de la catedral de la mar, que le iba a llevar de la miseria del fugitivo a la nobleza y la riqueza. Pero con esta posición privilegiada también le llega la envidia de sus pares, que urden una sórdida conjura que pone su vida en manos de la Inquisición...

"La catedral del mar" es una trama en la que se entrecruzan lealtad y venganza, traición y amor, guerra y peste, en un mundo marcado por la intolerancia religiosa, la ambición material y la segregación social. Todo ello convierte esta obra no sólo en una novela absorbente, sino también en la más fascinante y ambiciosa recreación de las luces y sombras de la época feudal.]]> 670 Ildefonso Falcones Hellen 3 4.21 2006 La catedral del mar (La catedral del mar, #1)
author: Ildefonso Falcones
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Orenda (Bird Family Trilogy, #3)]]> 17661831
Traveling with the Huron is Christophe, a charismatic missionary who has found his calling among the tribe and devotes himself to learning and understanding their customs and language. An emissary from distant lands, he brings much more than his faith to this new world, with its natural beauty and riches.

As these three souls dance with each other through intricately woven acts of duplicity, their social, political and spiritual worlds collide - and a new nation rises from a world in flux.]]> 490 Joseph Boyden 0670064181 Hellen 4 4.22 2013 The Orenda (Bird Family Trilogy, #3)
author: Joseph Boyden
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> The English Patient 11713 320 Michael Ondaatje 0771068719 Hellen 3 3.88 1992 The English Patient
author: Michael Ondaatje
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1992
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> The Full Circle for Mick 227874701 332 Michael G. Kramer 1763586073 Hellen 4 4.32 The Full Circle for Mick
author: Michael G. Kramer
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> The Mercies 46138193 After a storm has killed off all the island's men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft.

Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Northern town of Vardø must fend for themselves.

Three years later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God and flooded with a mighty evil.

As Maren and Ursa are pushed together and are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence.

Inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1620 witch trials, The Mercies is a feminist story of love, evil, and obsession, set at the edge of civilization.]]> 345 Kiran Millwood Hargrave 0316529257 Hellen 4 3.99 2020 The Mercies
author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Hawaii 12658 An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Pulitzer Prize–winning author James A. Michener brings Hawaii’s epic history vividly to life in a classic saga that has captivated readers since its initial publication in 1959. As the volcanic Hawaiian Islands sprout from the ocean floor, the land remains untouched for centuries—until, little more than a thousand years ago, Polynesian seafarers make the perilous journey across the Pacific, flourishing in this tropical paradise according to their ancient traditions. Then, in the early nineteenth century, American missionaries arrive, bringing with them a new creed and a new way of life. Based on exhaustive research and told in Michener’s immersive prose, Hawaii is the story of disparate peoples struggling to keep their identity, live in harmony, and, ultimately, join together.]]> 1136 James A. Michener 0375760377 Hellen 5 4.21 1959 Hawaii
author: James A. Michener
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1959
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Yellow Crocus (Freedman/Johnson, #1)]]> 22319275
Revised This edition of Yellow Crocus includes editorial revisions.]]> 253 Laila Ibrahim 1477874747 Hellen 1 4.41 2010 Yellow Crocus (Freedman/Johnson, #1)
author: Laila Ibrahim
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2010
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> River God (Ancient Egypt, #1) 429138 664 Wilbur Smith 0312954468 Hellen 5 4.21 1993 River God (Ancient Egypt, #1)
author: Wilbur Smith
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Lincoln in the Bardo 29906980 Lincoln in the Bardo is a literary experience unlike any other—for no one but Saunders could conceive it.

February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln's beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. "My poor boy, he was too good for this earth," the president says at the time. "God has called him home." Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returned to the crypt several times alone to hold his boy's body.

From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a thrilling, supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying. Willie Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory, where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state—called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo—a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul.

Lincoln in the Bardo is an astonishing feat of imagination and a bold step forward from one of the most important and influential writers of his generation. Formally daring, generous in spirit, deeply concerned with matters of the heart, it is a testament to fiction's ability to speak honestly and powerfully to the things that really matter to us. Saunders has invented a thrilling new form that deploys a kaleidoscopic, theatrical panorama of voices—living and dead, historical and invented—to ask a timeless, profound question: How do we live and love when we know that everything we love must end?]]> 368 George Saunders 0812995341 Hellen 5 3.74 2017 Lincoln in the Bardo
author: George Saunders
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Walden or, Life in the Woods 16902 352 Henry David Thoreau Hellen 4 3.77 1854 Walden or, Life in the Woods
author: Henry David Thoreau
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1854
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Falling Toward the Moon 44595705 From the authors of The New York Times bestseller Empty Bottles Full of Stories comes a brand-new collection of compelling poetry and prose.

The heart will ache, the soul will feel weary, and the mind will be weighed down by the things you wish to forget. There will be nights when all you have is yourself and the moon. There will be nights when silence will exist in abundance. And even though you may feel lonely at first. You must understand that the solitude is a gift; you must understand that even when alone, you are more than enough.]]> 240 R.H. Sin 1524853836 Hellen 4 3.71 2019 Falling Toward the Moon
author: R.H. Sin
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emerson, the Stoics, and Me: Timeless Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life]]> 61713837 "This is a beautiful book, full of ideas that could help restore America’s genius for freedom and promise.” 

— Thomas Moore, New York Times bestselling author of Care of the Soul 

A lifelong Emerson lover, teacher, and spiritual seeker reveals how American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson’s twelve essential teachings hold the answer to living an authentic and fulfilling life, one that is in harmony with our souls.

In this wise, illuminating book, award-winning author Mark Matousek reveals how Emerson’s timeless wisdom can help us with the problems we’re facing today. America’s ‘original Stoic’ confronted many of the issues before us, from polarization to fake news, from crooked politicians and rampant materialism, to the scourge of racism.

Matousek explains that Emerson’s path of self-reliance can radically improve your quality of life. The mentor and friend of Henry David Thoreau, Emerson (aka the Oracle of Concord) was America’s first self-help author, and his nation’s conscience for half a century. Like the Stoics before him, he emphasized self-knowledge and mindfulness as paths to happiness; also, self-reliance, cooperation, non-conformity, originality, adaptability, and receptiveness.

As Americans are once again discovering the power of Stoicism, Matousek shows why Emerson’s vision is precisely the medicine we need today. The principles of Waldo’s philosophy are universal and require no spiritual faith to put into practice.

Each person creates her own realityObstacles are teachers in disguiseYour character is your destinyWonder and awe are the keys to the kingdomNonconformity is the greatest virtueNature is the doorway to GodLife without self-knowledge is not worth living
Emerson encourages us to throw-off conventions and platitudes, explore ourselves in depth, tell the truth about what we find there, and awaken to our greatest potential. ]]> 288 Mark Matousek 0063059711 Hellen 5 non-fiction-to-read 3.90 Emerson, the Stoics, and Me: Timeless Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life
author: Mark Matousek
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: non-fiction-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Self-Reliance and Other Essays (Dover Thrift Editions: Philosophy)]]> 123845 Essays, First Series (1841) and Essays, Second Series (1844), offer a representative sampling of his views outlining that moral idealism as well as a hint of the later skepticism that colored his thought. In addition to the celebrated title essay, the others included here are "History," "Friendship," "The Over-Soul," "The Poet," and "Experience," plus the well-known and frequently read Harvard Divinity School Address.]]> 117 Ralph Waldo Emerson 0486277909 Hellen 4 books-i-own, own 4.12 1844 Self-Reliance and Other Essays (Dover Thrift Editions: Philosophy)
author: Ralph Waldo Emerson
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1844
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: books-i-own, own
review:

]]> Clarity & Connection 54335204 From the celebrated author of Inward comes a new collection of poetry and short prose focused on understanding how past wounds impact our present relationships.
 

In The Love Between Us, Yung Pueblo describes how intense emotions accumulate in our subconscious and condition us to act and react in certain ways. In his characteristically spare, poetic style, he guides readers through the excavation and release of the past that’s required for growth.
 ]]> 256 Yung Pueblo 1524860484 Hellen 4 4.26 2019 Clarity & Connection
author: Yung Pueblo
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: 1, nonfiction, philosophy, improvement, lifestyle, bookshelf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chasers of the Light: Poems from the Typewriter Series]]> 20821097
One day, while browsing an antique store in Helena, Montana, photographer Tyler Knott Gregson stumbled upon a vintage Remington typewriter for sale. Standing up and using a page from a broken book he was buying for $2, he typed a poem without thinking, without planning, and without the ability to revise anything.

He fell in love.

Three years and almost one thousand poems later, Tyler is now known as the creator of the Typewriter a striking collection of poems typed onto found scraps of paper or created via blackout method. Chasers of the Light features some of his most insightful and beautifully worded pieces of work—poems that illuminate grand gestures and small glimpses, poems that celebrate the beauty of a life spent chasing the light.]]> 144 Tyler Knott Gregson 0399169733 Hellen 4 4.18 2014 Chasers of the Light: Poems from the Typewriter Series
author: Tyler Knott Gregson
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: owned, development, owned-books, productivity, recommended, self-help-books, i-own, self, wishlist, my-books, self-development, professional-development, personal, kindle
review:

]]> Just Love Her 216474926 "Just Love Her" is a 2025 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Non-Fiction - Religion/Philosophy genre!

A poetic and inspirational journey into love's divine essence

"Just Love Her" by Raz Mihal is a spiritual exploration of divine love and soul connection. Through heartfelt meditations, Mihal shares his journey of experiencing an eternal bond with a beloved soul known as "Her."

Each entry offers a poetic and reflective look at love that transcends time and physical boundaries, highlighting its transformative power. Mihal delves into the intuitive nature of the heart, presenting love as a divine force and a guiding goddess. He encourages readers to embrace the divine feminine within and to see love as a central guiding principle in their lives. Interwoven with philosophical insights on existence and the spiritual dimensions of love, the book provides profound reflections on spiritual connection, the practice of divine love, and the mystical experiences that shape our lives. Key themes include daily meditations on divine love, the challenges and complexities of love, and love's power to bring about spiritual growth.

Perfect for readers interested in spiritual growth, self-discovery, and a deeper understanding of love, "Just Love Her" is a testament to love's transformative power. Mihal's poetic prose and deep reflections make this book a valuable guide for embracing the divine love within your heart.]]> 240 Raz Mihal 1068630019 Hellen 5 4.30 Just Love Her
author: Raz Mihal
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: self-help, success, motivational, inspirational, personal-growth, selfhelp, personal-improvement, motivation, home-library, life, own-it, inspiration, professional, ebooks, read-again, personal-development, my-library, books, self-improvement, must-read, growth, non-fiction, psychology, education, to-read-non-fiction, how-to
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hometown Girl at Heart (Hometown, #1)]]> 38230320
New in town, Justin is confident that his ultra modern resorts will bring Smithville into the twenty-first century. If only the local-yokels and their ringleader, the gorgeous and peculiar Tara, would stop interfering.

With her quirky and protective hometown behind her, will Tara confront Justin and the town’s long buried secrets to take on the financial and emotional risk of a lifetime?]]> 321 Kirsten Fullmer 1973326612 Hellen 4 4.32 2014 Hometown Girl at Heart (Hometown, #1)
author: Kirsten Fullmer
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Restaurant (The Nantucket Restaurant #1)]]> 49221547 (The Nantucket Restaurant, Book 1)

Set on Nantucket, this heartwarming 2025 release — penned by a USA Today bestselling author — is perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand! Author Pamela Kelley invites listeners to step onto the shores of Nantucket, the perfect backdrop for your summer beach book. After their grandmother passes away, three sisters, each at her own crossroads in life, are surprised to inherit a popular Nantucket restaurant. But there’s a catch: Before selling it, they each have to work there for one year…

Mandy, Emma and Jill O'Toole are as close as three sisters who live hundreds of miles apart can be. They grew up together on Nantucket, but have scattered around the country. When their beloved grandmother passes peacefully in her sleep a week before her ninety-ninth birthday she leaves them quite a surprise. In addition to her Nantucket home, they learn that they've inherited Mimi's Place, one of Nantucket's most popular year-round restaurants. They had no idea that she was the silent owner of a restaurant, and no idea how they're going to handle this kind of inheritance.

There is of course, a catch―she left the restaurant equally to Mandy, Emma, and Jill―and also to Paul, the executive chef for the past fifteen years.

And before they can sell, all three women need to work at the restaurant for a period of one year. Now they have to examine their priorities and figure out a way to make it work, all while discovering that Mimi's Place is in serious need of a facelift. The restaurant hasn't changed in years, and its finances are challenging. Meanwhile, Nantucket is a special place, a tight-knit and insular upscale beach community, both supportive and challenging.]]> 282 Pamela M. Kelley 0991243552 Hellen 5 3.72 2020 The Restaurant (The Nantucket Restaurant #1)
author: Pamela M. Kelley
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Nantucket Inn (Nantucket Beach Plum Cove, #1)]]> 45014889
Her only options are to sell the house and move off-island, or, she could use her cooking and entertaining skills and turn her home into a bed and breakfast. She desperately needs it to succeed because she has adult children with problems of their own and wants to stay close to them.

Her oldest daughter, Kate, has a fabulous career in Boston--working as a writer for a popular fashion magazine and engaged to a dangerously handsome photographer, who none of them have met.

Kate's twin, local artist, Kristen, is growing frustrated with her relationship with an older, separated businessman.

Youngest daughter, Abby, is happily married to her high school sweetheart, and they've been trying to have a baby. But it hasn't happened yet, and Abby wonders if it's a sign that maybe their marriage isn't as perfect as everyone thinks.]]> 324 Pamela M. Kelley Hellen 4 4.00 2019 The Nantucket Inn (Nantucket Beach Plum Cove, #1)
author: Pamela M. Kelley
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Match (It Happened in Charleston, #1)]]> 53257881 Sometimes, love finds you when you least expect it...

Having worked for Southern Service Paws for a few years now, I like to think I’m prepared for just about any client meeting under the sun. I am dead wrong.

The day I meet with single dad, Jacob Broaden, about potentially matching his daughter with one of our service dogs, I learn a few valuable lessons.

1) Always set my alarm clock.
2) Single dads are way hotter than I previously thought.
3) It is possible to go from fantasizing about kissing someone to wishing they would be run over by a truck in a matter of two minutes.

Unfortunately, I don’t hold that opinion of him for very long. Not when he shows me a different side of himself—one that’s sweet as maple syrup and hot as apple pie fresh out of the oven. And after a few days of working closely with him and his daughter, he starts looking at me with fire in his eyes, making me dream of something I probably shouldn’t…
A family.

The Match is a feel-good, closed-door romantic comedy! Perfect for readers who enjoy sweet, sizzling chemistry with passionate kissing only. ]]> 284 Sarah Adams Hellen 4 3.91 2020 The Match (It Happened in Charleston, #1)
author: Sarah Adams
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Beach House (South Carolina Sunsets, #1)]]> 49896791
Faced with a new reality, she decides to rebuild her life on an island off the coast of South Carolina and learn to make it on her own.

The only thing she isn't expecting is to be thrown together with her estranged sister, the flower child wanna-be, yoga teaching bane of her existence. She also doesn't expect to meet a handsome stranger who will help her transform the money pit she accidentally bought into the home of her dreams.

As she starts to create a life she loves, her husband causes a wrench in her plans once again. Will she be forced to help the man who broke her heart? Or will she finally break away and live life on her terms?

You're going to love The Beach House and its quirky cast of characters, including Dixie, the epitome of Southern charm and wit, who runs the local bookstore called Down Yonder!]]> 288 Rachel Hanna Hellen 4 4.03 2019 The Beach House (South Carolina Sunsets, #1)
author: Rachel Hanna
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> The Banty House 52635854
An abandoned teen with a baby on the way and nowhere to go, she’s given a room to call her own for as long as she wants. The kind invitation is made all the sweeter when Ginger meets the sisters’ young handyman, Sloan Baker. But with a past as broken as Ginger’s, he’s vowed never to get close to anyone again. As a season of change unfolds, Ginger and Sloan might discover a warm haven to heal in the Banty House, a place to finally belong, where hope and dreams never fade.]]> 289 Carolyn Brown 1542017238 Hellen 5 4.33 2020 The Banty House
author: Carolyn Brown
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> The Light Through the Leaves 54741127
In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended—for just a few minutes. But when she returns, Viola is gone. A breaking point in an already fractured marriage, Viola’s abduction causes Ellis to disappear as well—into grief, guilt, and addiction. Convinced she can only do more harm to her family, Ellis leaves her husband and young sons, burying her desperate ache for her children deeper with every step into the mountain wildernesses she treks alone.

In a remote area of Washington, a young girl named Raven keeps secrets inside, too. She must never speak to outsiders about how her mother makes miracles spring from the earth, or about her father, whose mysterious presence sometimes frightens her. Raven spends her days learning how to use her rare gifts—and more important, how to hide them. With each lesson comes a warning of what dangers lie in the world beyond her isolated haven. But despite her mother’s cautions, Raven finds herself longing for something more.

As Ellis and Raven each confront their powerful longings, their journeys will converge in unexpected and hopeful ways, pulled together by the forces of nature, love, and family.]]> 455 Glendy Vanderah 1542026210 Hellen 5 4.40 2021 The Light Through the Leaves
author: Glendy Vanderah
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/05/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Secret Stealers 54760203
Anna Cavanaugh is a restless young widow and brilliant French teacher at a private school in Washington, DC. Everything changes when she’s recruited into the Office of Strategic Services by family friend and legendary WWI hero Major General William Donovan.

Donovan has faith in her—and in all his “glorious amateurs” who are becoming Anna’s fast friends: Maggie, Anna’s down-to-earth mentor; Irene, who’s struggling to find support from her husband for her clandestine life; and Julia, a cheerful OSS liaison. But the more Anna learns about the organization’s secret missions, the more she longs to be stationed abroad. Then comes the opportunity: go undercover as a spy in the French Resistance to help steal critical intelligence that could ultimately turn the tide of the war.

Dispatched behind enemy lines and in constant danger, Anna is filled with adrenaline, passion, and fear. She’s driven to make a difference—for her country and for herself. Whatever the risk, she’s willing to take it to help liberate France from the shadows of occupation and to free herself from the shadows of her former life.]]> 443 Jane Healey 1542023548 Hellen 5 4.37 2021 The Secret Stealers
author: Jane Healey
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/05/15
shelves:
review:

]]> My Husband's Daughter 54631025
It is past ten o’clock on a cold Friday night when Rebecca and her husband Jack’s doorbell rings. Outside is a woman who introduces herself as Jack’s ex-girlfriend Cara. And she’s holding the hand of a shivering, blue-eyed, four-year-old girl. Who she claims is Jack’s daughter.

Rebecca is shocked to discover he has a child from his last relationship – even one he hadn’t known about. Because becoming parents isn’t part of their life plan. They like children, but they also love their freedom and spending time together uninterrupted; the way that, if they wanted to, they could travel the world at a moment’s notice.

But Cara needs them. Because Cara has a devastating secret that she can’t tell anyone yet. Not even her daughter. A secret with the power to change all of their lives.

A secret that will ultimately mean Rebecca has to ask herself – could she find it in herself to welcome her husband’s child into her home, and into her heart?]]> 266 Emma Robinson 1838887911 Hellen 5 4.24 2020 My Husband's Daughter
author: Emma Robinson
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/05/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Making Hearts 56313556
A life-affirming, feel-good story of love, family and the special way new babies can inspire, Making Hearts introduces a character readers will strongly care about and root for. Noelle wins the hearts of all with her loving enthusiasm for life, her wit, and by personally defeating the villain’s lowdown scheme in an astonishing climax readers will never forget.]]> 148 Jack Getze 164396156X Hellen 5 4.28 2020 Making Hearts
author: Jack Getze
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/05/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Winter Sisters (Mary Sutter, #2)]]> 35876392
As contemporary as it is historic, Winter Sisters is part gripping thriller, part family saga, and ultimately a story of trauma and resilience that explores the tremendous good and unspeakable evil of which humans are capable.]]> 416 Robin Oliveira 039956425X Hellen 4 4.03 2018 Winter Sisters (Mary Sutter, #2)
author: Robin Oliveira
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/05/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, #1)]]> 1472878 New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . .

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness. 

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship---jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget . . . one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.]]> 479 Kristin Hannah 0312364083 Hellen 2 4.18 2008 Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, #1)
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2021/05/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Moonlight Child 54733883 A gripping and emotional novel that will leave you wondering about the neighbors next door...

On a cold January night, Sharon Lemke heads outside to see a lunar eclipse when she notices something odd at the house behind her backyard. Through her neighbor's kitchen window, she sees what appears to be a little girl washing dishes late at night. But the Fleming family doesn't have a child that age, and even if they did, why would she be doing housework at this late hour?

It would be easy for Sharon to just let this go, but when eighteen-year-old Niki, a former foster child, comes to live with Sharon, she notices suspicious activity at the Flemings' house as well. When calling social services doesn't result in swift action, the two decide to investigate on their own.]]> 343 Karen McQuestion Hellen 4 4.15 2020 The Moonlight Child
author: Karen McQuestion
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/05/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[C. S. Lewis: A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet]]> 16184825
In C.S. Lewis: A Life, Alister McGrath, prolific author and respected professor at King's College of London, paints a definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. After thoroughly examining recently published Lewis correspondence, Alister challenges some of the previously held beliefs about the exact timing of Lewis's shift from atheism to theism and then to Christianity. He paints a portrait of an eccentric thinker who became an inspiring, though reluctant, prophet for our times.

You won't want to miss this fascinating portrait of a creative genius who inspired generations. (Tyndale House Publishers)]]> 448 Alister E. McGrath 1414339356 Hellen 3 3.97 2012 C. S. Lewis: A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet
author: Alister E. McGrath
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/10/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Not My Father's Son 22934446
When television producers approached Alan Cumming to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show, he hoped to solve the mystery of his maternal grandfather's disappearance that had long cast a shadow over his family. But this was not the only mystery laid before Alan.

Alan grew up in the grip of a man who held his family hostage, someone who meted out violence with a frightening ease, who waged a silent war with himself that sometimes spilled over onto everyone around him. That man was Alex Cumming, Alan's father, whom Alan had not seen or spoken to for more than a decade when he reconnected just before filming for Who Do You Think You Are? began. He had a secret he had to share, one that would shock his son to his very core and set into motion a journey that would change Alan's life forever.

With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as the celebrated actor of film, television, and stage. At times suspenseful, at times deeply moving, but always incredibly brave and honest, Not My Father's Son is a powerful story of embracing the best aspects of the past and triumphantly pushing the darkness aside.]]> 292 Alan Cumming 0062225073 Hellen 3 4.05 2014 Not My Father's Son
author: Alan Cumming
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/10/03
shelves:
review:

]]> The Souls of Black Folk 318742 Publication of The Souls of Black Folk was a dramatic event that helped to polarize black leaders into two groups: the more conservative followers of Washington and the more radical supporters of aggressive protest. Its influence cannot be overstated. It is essential reading for everyone interested in African-American history and the struggle for civil rights in America.]]> 288 W.E.B. Du Bois Hellen 1 4.30 1903 The Souls of Black Folk
author: W.E.B. Du Bois
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1903
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2020/09/25
shelves:
review:

]]> How to Be an Antiracist 40265832 How to be an Antiracist, Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it.

In this book, Kendi weaves together an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science, bringing it all together with an engaging personal narrative of his own awakening to antiracism. How to Be an Antiracist is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond an awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a truly just and equitable society.]]> 305 Ibram X. Kendi 0525509283 Hellen 4 4.35 2019 How to Be an Antiracist
author: Ibram X. Kendi
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/09/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom]]> 38530663
Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spoke widely, using his own story to condemn slavery. By the Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely travelled orator in the nation. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot. After the war he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican party or the cause of black civil and political rights.

In this biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private collection that few other historian have consulted, as well as recently discovered issues of Douglass’s newspapers.]]> 888 David W. Blight 1416590315 Hellen 5 4.15 2018 Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
author: David W. Blight
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/09/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Autobiography of Malcolm X]]> 92057
Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister. Here, the man who called himself "the angriest Black man in America" relates how his conversion to true Islam helped him confront his rage and recognize the brotherhood of all mankind.

An established classic of modern America, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" was hailed by the New York Times as "Extraordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book." Still extraordinary, still important, this electrifying story has transformed Malcolm X's life into his legacy. The strength of his words, and the power of his ideas continue to resonate more than a generation after they first appeared.]]> 466 Malcolm X Hellen 4 4.36 1965 The Autobiography of Malcolm X
author: Malcolm X
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1965
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/09/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Africa's Child (Dancing Soul Trilogy, #1)]]> 29977617 356 Maria Nhambu Hellen 4 4.30 2016 Africa's Child (Dancing Soul Trilogy, #1)
author: Maria Nhambu
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/09/25
shelves:
review:

]]> Born Survivors 23287193 The Lost and The Nazi Officer’s Wife, Born Survivors celebrates three mothers who defied death to give their children life.

Eastern Europe, 1944: Three women believe they are pregnant, but are torn from their husbands before they can be certain. Rachel is sent to Auschwitz, unaware that her husband has been shot. Priska and her husband travel there together, but are immediately separated. Also at Auschwitz, Anka hopes in vain to be reunited with her husband. With the rest of their families gassed, these young wives are determined to hold on to all they have left—their lives, and those of their unborn babies. Having concealed their condition from infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, they are forced to work and almost starved to death, living in daily fear of their pregnancies being detected by the SS. In April 1945, as the Allies close in, the inmates are sent to Mauthausen concentration camp on a hellish seventeen-day train journey.

On the seventieth anniversary of Mauthausen’s liberation from the Nazis by American soldiers, renowned biographer Wendy Holden recounts this extraordinary story of three children united by their mothers’ unbelievable—yet ultimately successful—fight for survival.]]> 385 Wendy Holden 0062370251 Hellen 4 4.03 2015 Born Survivors
author: Wendy Holden
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/09/25
shelves:
review:

]]> Night of the Rat 43619901
Before sunrise, one was going to be freed in a field, the other from custody.

One would see worlds he could never dream, the other would have all his worst fears confirmed.

Night of the Rat tells the dark and comedic lengths one couple will go to rid their neighborhood of unwanted guests.
]]> 83 Tanya Thompson Hellen 4 4.25 2019 Night of the Rat
author: Tanya Thompson
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> The Overdue Life of Amy Byler 42399951 An Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller, and a Goodreads Choice Award finalist.

“A laugh-out-loud funny, pitch-perfect novel that will have readers rooting for this unlikely, relatable, and totally lovable heroine, The Overdue Life of Amy Byler is the ultimate escape—and will leave moms everywhere questioning whether it isn’t time for a #momspringa of their own.” —New York Journal of Books

Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City.

Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.

But before she can choose, a crisis forces the two worlds together, and Amy must stare down a future where she could lose both sides of herself, and every dream she’s ever nurtured, in the beat of a heart.]]> 328 Kelly Harms 1542090571 Hellen 5 3.87 2019 The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
author: Kelly Harms
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> The Dutch House 44318414 Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, delivers her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are.

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.]]> 337 Ann Patchett 0062963678 Hellen 2 4.08 2019 The Dutch House
author: Ann Patchett
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2020/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir]]> 12868761 318 Jenny Lawson 0399159010 Hellen 5 3.88 2012 Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir
author: Jenny Lawson
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> The Paris Wife 8683812
Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises. Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.

A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.]]> 336 Paula McLain 0345521307 Hellen 3 3.81 2011 The Paris Wife
author: Paula McLain
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood]]> 29780253
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.]]> 289 Trevor Noah 0385689225 Hellen 1 4.47 2016 Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
author: Trevor Noah
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2016
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2020/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Calypso 38348476
If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong.

When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.

With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny--it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's powers of observation have never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.

This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet--and it just might be his very best.]]> 272 David Sedaris 0316392359 Hellen 5 4.10 2018 Calypso
author: David Sedaris
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> One Summer: America, 1927 17262366 One Summer Bill Bryson, one of our greatest and most beloved nonfiction writers, transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life.

The summer of 1927 began with one of the signature events of the twentieth century: on May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane nonstop, and when he landed in Le Bourget airfield near Paris, he ignited an explosion of worldwide rapture and instantly became the most famous person on the planet. Meanwhile, the titanically talented Babe Ruth was beginning his assault on the home run record, which would culminate on September 30 with his sixtieth blast, one of the most resonant and durable records in sports history. In between those dates a Queens housewife named Ruth Snyder and her corset-salesman lover garroted her husband, leading to a murder trial that became a huge tabloid sensation. Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly sat atop a flagpole in Newark, New Jersey, for twelve days—a new record. The American South was clobbered by unprecedented rain and by flooding of the Mississippi basin, a great human disaster, the relief efforts for which were guided by the uncannily able and insufferably pompous Herbert Hoover. Calvin Coolidge interrupted an already leisurely presidency for an even more relaxing three-month vacation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The gangster Al Capone tightened his grip on the illegal booze business through a gaudy and murderous reign of terror and municipal corruption. The first true “talking picture,” Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer, was filmed and forever changed the motion picture industry. The four most powerful central bankers on earth met in secret session on a Long Island estate and made a fateful decision that virtually guaranteed a future crash and depression.
     All this and much, much more transpired in that epochal summer of 1927, and Bill Bryson captures its outsized personalities, exciting events, and occasional just plain weirdness with his trademark vividness, eye for telling detail, and delicious humor. In that year America stepped out onto the world stage as the main event, and One Summer transforms it all into narrative nonfiction of the highest order.]]> 509 Bill Bryson 0767919408 Hellen 5 4.08 2013 One Summer: America, 1927
author: Bill Bryson
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Bossypants 9418327
She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon—from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.]]> 283 Tina Fey Hellen 3 3.97 2011 Bossypants
author: Tina Fey
name: Hellen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake]]> 138269
Known by the police of 26 foreign countries and all 50 US states as 'The Skywayman', Abagnale lived a sumptuous life on the run - until the law finally caught up with him. Now recognized as America's leading authority on financial foul play, Abagnale is a charming rogue whose hilarious, stranger-than-fiction international escapes, including one from an aeroplane, make 'Catch Me if You Can' an irresistible tale of deceit.]]> 219 Frank W. Abagnale 1840187166 Hellen 5 4.03 1980 Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake
author: Frank W. Abagnale
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> The Wright Brothers 22609391 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize David McCullough tells the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly: Wilbur and Orville Wright.

On a winter day in 1903, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two unknown brothers from Ohio changed history. But it would take the world some time to believe what had happened: the age of flight had begun, with the first heavier-than-air, powered machine carrying a pilot.

Who were these men and how was it that they achieved what they did?

David McCullough, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, tells the surprising, profoundly American story of Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Far more than a couple of unschooled Dayton bicycle mechanics who happened to hit on success, they were men of exceptional courage and determination, and of far-ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless curiosity, much of which they attributed to their upbringing. The house they lived in had no electricity or indoor plumbing, but there were books aplenty, supplied mainly by their preacher father, and they never stopped reading.

When they worked together, no problem seemed to be insurmountable. Wilbur was unquestionably a genius. Orville had such mechanical ingenuity as few had ever seen. That they had no more than a public high school education, little money and no contacts in high places, never stopped them in their mission to take to the air. Nothing did, not even the self-evident reality that every time they took off in one of their contrivances, they risked being killed.

In this thrilling book, master historian David McCullough draws on the immense riches of the Wright Papers, including private diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks, and more than a thousand letters from private family correspondence to tell the human side of the Wright Brothers' story, including the little-known contributions of their sister, Katharine, without whom things might well have gone differently for them.]]> 320 David McCullough Hellen 3 4.15 2015 The Wright Brothers
author: David McCullough
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage]]> 139069 The harrowing tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole, one of the greatest adventure stories of the modern age.

In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and set sail for Antarctica, where he planned to cross the last uncharted continent on foot. In January 1915, after battling its way through a thousand miles of pack ice and only a day's sail short of its destination, the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. When their ship was finally crushed between two ice floes, they attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization.

In Endurance, the definitive account of Ernest Shackleton's fateful trip, Alfred Lansing brilliantly narrates the harrowing and miraculous voyage that has defined heroism for the modern age.

First edition: here.]]> 282 Alfred Lansing Hellen 3 4.43 1959 Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
author: Alfred Lansing
name: Hellen
average rating: 4.43
book published: 1959
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]>