Alex's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 25 Jan 2026 13:43:38 -0800 60 Alex's bookshelf: all 144 41 https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Emotional Intelligence 2.0 6486483 From Dr. Travis Bradberry, #1 bestselling author of THE NEW EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.

The book's smooth narrative style turns rigorous research into memorable stories and practical strategies that anyone can use to his or her advantage.

With 90% of top performers high in EQ, and EQ twice as important as IQ in getting where you want to go in life, who can afford to ignore it?

What people are saying about it:

"This book can drastically change the way you think about success...read it twice."
--Patrick Lencioni, author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

"Emotional intelligence is an extremely important skill for personal and professional success. This book is excellent and the learning included in the free online test is cutting-edge. I strongly recommend it."
--Ken Blanchard, bestselling business book author of all time; coauthor The One Minute Manager®

"In the fast lane of business life today, people spend more time on computer keyboards, blackberries and conference calls than they do in face-to-face communication. We're expected to piece together broken conversations, cryptic voicemails, and abbreviated text messages to figure out how to proceed. In this increasingly complex web, emotional intelligence is more important than ever before. This book is filled with invaluable insights and information that no one can afford to ignore."
--Rajeev Peshawaria, executive director, Goldman Sachs International]]> 255 Travis Bradberry 0974320625 Alex 3 3.84 2003 Emotional Intelligence 2.0
author: Travis Bradberry
name: Alex
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2003
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot]]> 13538641 Killing Lincoln, the riveting work of nonfiction about the shocking assassination that changed the course of American history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts in gripping detail the brutal murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy - and how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a beloved president but also sent the nation into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath.

In January 1961, as the cold war escalates, John F. Kennedy struggles to contain the growth of communism while he learns the hardships of solitude, and temptations of what it means to be president of the United States. His beautiful young wife, Jackie, must also adjust to a life of constant scrutiny. Despite personal and political trials, Kennedy's approval ratings soar.

At the same time, JFK acquires a number of formidable enemies, among them Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and Allen Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. When his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, cracks down on powerful elements of organised crime, the list of those who have it in for the president grows.

Then, in the midst of a 1963 campaign trip to Texas, Kennedy is gunned down, resulting in national chaos. Jackie and the nation mourn while the hunt for the perpetrators commences.

The events leading up to the most notorious crime of the twentieth century are almost as shocking as the assassination itself. A page-turner from beginning to end, Killing Kennedy chronicles both the heroism and deceit of Camelot, bringing history to life in ways that will profoundly move the reader.]]> 325 Bill O'Reilly 0805096663 Alex 4 4.08 2012 Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot
author: Bill O'Reilly
name: Alex
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2012
rating: 4
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]]> The Men Who Stare at Goats 1824 The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry and So You've Been Publicly Shamed.

In 1979 a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the U.S. Army. Defying all known accepted military practice -- and indeed, the laws of physics -- they believed that a soldier could adopt a cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls, and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them.

Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren't joking. What's more, they're back and fighting the War on Terror.

With firsthand access to the leading players in the story, Ronson traces the evolution of these bizarre activities over the past three decades and shows how they are alive today within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in postwar Iraq. Why are they blasting Iraqi prisoners of war with the theme tune to Barney the Purple Dinosaur? Why have 100 debleated goats been secretly placed inside the Special Forces Command Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina? How was the U.S. military associated with the mysterious mass suicide of a strange cult from San Diego? The Men Who Stare at Goats answers these and many more questions.]]> 259 Jon Ronson 0743270606 Alex 4 3.64 2004 The Men Who Stare at Goats
author: Jon Ronson
name: Alex
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2004
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism]]> 179609 Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism was one of the first attempts to account for the increasing importance of the world market in the twentieth century. Originally published in 1916, Imperialism explains how colonialism and the First World War were inherent features of the global development of the capitalist economy.

In a new introduction, Norman Lewis and James Malone contrast Lenin's approach with that adopted by contemporary theories of globalisation. They argue that, while much has changed since Lenin wrote, his theoretical framework remains the best method for understanding recent global developments.]]> 192 Vladimir Lenin 0745310354 Alex 4 4.28 1917 Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism
author: Vladimir Lenin
name: Alex
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1917
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power]]> 45046690
In this wide-ranging and remarkable book, Deirdre Mask looks at the fate of streets named after Martin Luther King Jr., the wayfinding means of ancient Romans, and how Nazis haunt the streets of modern Germany. The flipside of having an address is not having one, and we also see what that means for millions of people today, including those who live in the slums of Kolkata and on the streets of London. Filled with fascinating people and histories, The Address Book illuminates the complex and sometimes hidden stories behind street names and their power to name, to hide, to decide who counts, who doesn’t―and why.]]> 336 Deirdre Mask 1250134765 Alex 4 4.07 2020 The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power
author: Deirdre Mask
name: Alex
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession]]> 6251543 Set within the world of rare-book collecting: the true story of an infamous book thief, his victims, and the man determined to catch him.

Rare-book theft is even more widespread than fine-art theft. Most thieves, of course, steal for profit. John Charles Gilkey steals purely for the love of books. In an attempt to understand him better, journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett plunged herself into the world of book lust and discovered just how dangerous it can be.

John Gilkey is an obsessed, unrepentant book thief who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of rare books from book fairs, stores, and libraries around the country. Ken Sanders is the self-appointed "bibliodick" (book dealer with a penchant for detective work) driven to catch him. Bartlett befriended both outlandish characters and found herself caught in the middle of efforts to recover hidden treasure. A cat-and-mouse chase that not only reveals exactly how Gilkey pulled off his dirtiest crimes, where he stashed the loot, and how Sanders ultimately caught him but also explores the romance of books, the lure to collect them, and the temptation to steal them. Bartlett looks at the history of book passion, collection, and theft through the ages, to examine the craving that makes some people willing to stop at nothing to possess the books they love.]]> 274 Allison Hoover Bartlett 1594488916 Alex 4 3.46 2009 The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
author: Allison Hoover Bartlett
name: Alex
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Dog Walker: The Prequel (Dog Walker #0)]]> 233936117 Before the scars. Before the secrets. Before she became the woman who couldn’t look away.Jane Ashcroft is trying to stay invisible. With a fake name, a clean slate, and nowhere left to run, she takes her first real job in years—walking dogs in Paradise Bluff, an exclusive Arizona community where privacy is prized and silence is expected.

But her newest client lives behind locked gates and hidden doors. The security cameras are everywhere. And the rules? Strict, strange, and always changing.

Jane tells herself to follow orders and keep her head down. She needs the job. She needs to stay out of trouble. But when she steps inside that house, something shifts. The doors don’t feel just locked—they feel wrong. The people who hired her are hiding something. And Jane can’t help noticing.

Maybe danger has a scent. Maybe Jane's always been able to smell it. And maybe, deep down, she’s not just okay with that—she needs it.

The Dog The Prequel is the gripping origin story of Jane Ashcroft, a woman with a past she can’t outrun—and a future that begins the moment she stops pretending she doesn’t care.]]> 296 D.L. Maddox Alex 0 to-read 4.31 The Dog Walker: The Prequel (Dog Walker #0)
author: D.L. Maddox
name: Alex
average rating: 4.31
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]]> <![CDATA[Gabriel's Fire (The Men of Thorne Enterprises #2)]]> 41462526 A race to save a life. A ruthless killer. Time is running out. Two weeks ago, Naomi James didn’t exist, but Gabriel Cummings is trained to expect the unexpected. Until the rogue federal agent appears out of nowhere, disrupts his life, and challenges every lesson he’s ever learned.Abandoning common sense, and ignoring the rule of caution, Naomi tracks an elite criminal and hired assassin—alone…and gives new meaning to the phrase ‘a dangerous woman’. Igniting desire and protective impulses, she pushes buttons he didn’t know he had. Trusting gut instinct and ignoring angry protests, the Marine intends to keep her safe, whether she likes it or not. But the odds are stacked against them. And odds are—they’re in over their heads.So…how does a Marine handle a dangerous woman? He adapts and overcomes.Thrust into the world of human trafficking and desperate to save a young girl, Naomi resents Gabe’s interference. Fighting her attraction to the hot investigator she tries to ditch the overbearing, over controlling pain in the butt ex-soldier, but she needs his help. Help she knows comes at a cost. All too familiar with taking chances or playing the cards she’s dealt, Naomi questions—is wagering her heart worth the risk?When a life hangs in the balance and hours matter, she has no choice. She’s given her word.Teaming up with the irritating hunk is inevitable. Because, how can she put a price on a promise? Gabriel’s Fire is Book 2 in The Men of Thorne Enterprises romantic suspense series. Grab your copy of this action packed adventure today.]]> 308 Lotchie Burton Alex 0 to-read 4.31 Gabriel's Fire (The Men of Thorne Enterprises #2)
author: Lotchie Burton
name: Alex
average rating: 4.31
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]]> <![CDATA[To Be a Fae Queen (Realm Chronicles, #1)]]> 57363435
The last of her line, a faerie princess prepares to take the throne. But multiple forces plot against her, some trusted friends…

After losing her brothers, Titania studies and trains to rule Aubren. When she proves her abilities in battle, she’s handed the crown. But fifteen and the first female monarch in the realm, many question her ability to reign and one of their own steps up to oppose her.

Following her inner compass she prepares to face the challenger. The contest seems lost but a latent power fuels her win and her adversaries must concede that she is the rightful ruler.

The enemy brewing under their bedrock threatens again, this time seemingly aided by an unknown spirit. Titania wonders if she will be able to access the sentient magic that hangs just out of reach. Will it manifest when she most needs it? Or do they face an eternity in darkness?

To Be a Fae Queen is the first book in the complete Realm Chronicles series, and a magical journey into the realm of Middle Earth. If you like fearless heroines, you’ll love Tricia Copeland’s thrilling fantasy.

Get To Be a Fae Queen to descend into a new world today!]]> 420 Tricia Copeland Alex 0 to-read 4.35 2021 To Be a Fae Queen (Realm Chronicles, #1)
author: Tricia Copeland
name: Alex
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> Secrets (The Dog Walker #1) 234730056
But in every new town, something pulls her in. A wealthy family with secrets. A romance that isn’t what it seems. A client who might be a killer.

In The Dog Secrets, Jane arrives in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, where the Loomis family reigns over an estate brimming with privilege, power, and carefully buried truths. At first, it seems like the perfect job—steady work, an amazing dog, and an unexpected chance at love. But the deeper Jane is drawn inside, the more dangerous the game becomes.

Smart, addictive, and emotionally layered, The Dog Secrets is a psychological thriller for readers who crave depth, danger, and a heroine who never forgets.

Author’s
While The Dog Secrets is the recommended starting point for the series, the novels can be read in any order. Each story stands alone with new secrets, new dangers, and the same unforgettable heroine. I hope you enjoy all of them!
—D.L. Maddox
]]> 342 D.L. Maddox Alex 0 to-read 4.28 Secrets (The Dog Walker #1)
author: D.L. Maddox
name: Alex
average rating: 4.28
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]]> <![CDATA[Split Second (Split Second, #1)]]> 26216031
What if you found a way to send something back in time? But not weeks, days, or even minutes back. What if you could only send something back a fraction of a second? Would this be of any use? You wouldn't have nearly enough time to right a wrong, change an event, or win a lottery.

Nathan Wexler is a brilliant physicist who thinks he's found a way to send matter a split second back into the past. But before he can even confirm his findings, he and his wife-to-be, Jenna Morrison, find themselves in a battle for their very lives. Because while time travel to an instant earlier seems useless, Jenna comes to learn that no capability in history has ever been more profound or far-reaching.

Now, as Jenna fights to defeat the powerful forces arrayed against her, nothing less than the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. . .

SPLIT SECOND is a roller-coaster ride of a thriller, one that will have readers pondering the nature of time, and of reality, long after they've read the last page.

"Richards is a worthy successor to Michael Crichton." (SF Book.com)

"Richards is an extraordinary writer," (Dean Koontz) who can "keep you turning the pages all night long." (Douglas Preston)

Near Future Science Fiction Thrillers by Douglas E. Richards
WIRED (Wired 1)
AMPED (Wired 2)
MIND'S EYE (Nick Hall 1)
BRAINWEB (Nick Hall 2)
MIND WAR (Nick Hall 3) -- New in 2016
SPLIT SECOND (Split Second 1)
TIME FRAME (Split Second 2) -- New in January, 2018
QUANTUM LENS
GAME CHANGER -- New in 2016
INFINITY BORN -- New in 2017

Kids Science Fiction Thrillers (9 and up, enjoyed by kids and adults alike)
TRAPPED (Prometheus Project 1)
CAPTURED (Prometheus Project 2)
STRANDED (Prometheus Project 3)
OUT OF THIS WORLD
THE DEVIL'S SWORD]]> 365 Douglas E. Richards Alex 0 to-read 3.97 2015 Split Second (Split Second, #1)
author: Douglas E. Richards
name: Alex
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Treacherous Estate (Jack Ludefance, #1)]]> 40949958
The novel opens with a shocking scene: while Jack is enjoying a quiet Friday night beer at a local restaurant, a beautiful young woman sits down beside him, whispers, “Can you help me, Mr. Ludef…?” and then collapses dead. While authorities rule her death, ‘natural causes,’ Jack suspects foul play and begins his own investigation.

He soon discovers that the woman was married to a prominent, highly respected local businessman, who is, in reality, involved in heinous crimes, including corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. As Jack begins to uncover the truth, he puts his own life in danger to bring down this powerful, corrupt figure.

Treacherous Estate is being praised for its ability to keep readers guessing, with numerous twists that turn a seemingly simple death into a major, dangerous conspiracy.]]> 314 Behcet Kaya Alex 0 to-read 4.27 2018 Treacherous Estate (Jack Ludefance, #1)
author: Behcet Kaya
name: Alex
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Murder O'Clock (Inspector Bee Thrillers Book 2)]]> 177619743 MURDER O'CLOCK

It's the autumn of 2021 and the protests of the Insulate Britain environmental group are starting to disrupt public life. When the protestors switch their focus from the motorways of southern England to the tranquil town centre of Reigate the stakes are raised. After the first protest is cleared a dead body is discovered on the pavement but none of the demonstrators recognise the victim.

But the clandestine killer has just begun and is fixated with the clock.

With Inspector Bee away on leave, DS McTierney picks up the case, but before he's had time to finish his pint a second body is discovered.

As the bodies pile up and pressure mounts on the police, Inspector Bee returns to the station to pick up the pieces. But can our erudite detective stop the blood lust and is there a copycat killer in Italy?



"Clever, masterful and hugely entertaining." - Suzi Jones.

"Absorbing drama + original plot = top notch entertainment." - Julia Richardson.

"Bee and McTierney produce the perfect blend in the fast-paced contemporary murder case." - Stuart Miller.

"Hall cleverly weaves his murderous tale around real-life events. A delight!" - Andy Lipson.

"A second helping of the delightfully antagonistic detectives - feed me more." - Ron Devlin

Scott Bee book 2.]]> 329 Phil Hall Alex 0 to-read 4.43 Murder O'Clock (Inspector Bee Thrillers Book 2)
author: Phil Hall
name: Alex
average rating: 4.43
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]]> <![CDATA[Bangtails, Grifters, and a Liar's Kiss (O'Shaughnessy Investigations Inc. 2)]]> 219360073
Book 2 of 3 of the O’Shaughnessy Investigations Inc. Mystery Series

The Homefront, summer 1943, Brooklyn, New York.
Smalley Pauley is missing. His brother, gangster Guido Bonasccoro, hires reluctant O’Shaughnessy Detective Agency partners Maeve O’Shaughnessy and Vic Marino to find him.

A year after Vic Marino walked into the O’Shaughnessy detective agency office and told Maeve he was going to help her make a go of an agency on the brink of collapse, they have managed to keep it going thanks to the challenging murder case they solved the previous year. This second year provides newer, darker, more dangerous cases as they find themselves caught in the middle of a gangster turf war and forced to do risky work for G-men.

Maeve’s teenage brother Jimmy is a junior in high school and as his guardian Maeve is concerned about providing him the attention and stability he needs. With the help of Father Jakob Tomek both Maeve and Vic have an anchor to keep them grounded.

Several of the “side issues” from neo-noir mystery Book 1 are carried over to Book 2, including the Blue Star Diner murders, the unusual goings on at The Lila Restaurant, the death of a close friend, Maeve’s soldier boyfriend overseas, Evan, the black market, and the corruption of the Police Chief who wants to destroy Vic.

Characters from Book 1 also make their appearance in Book 2 including Vic’s former police partner Gerry Loughty, barber-in-the-know Slinky, Maeve’s childhood former boyfriend Irish crime boss Lory, gambler and mob-connected informant Lev, and briefly, the red-headed bombshell Rosaleen, as well as a host of new characters.

Maeve and Vic carry on their cases against the backdrop of World War II that rages on. Rationing continues with more challenges for women to make good tasting meals with fewer ingredients. Victory gardens are considered part of citizens’ patriotic duty. So is buying War Bonds. So is contributing to rubber, metal, and book drives, considered precious resources needed to help the “boys” overseas. Women have never had so much freedom to work outside the home as they contribute to the war effort by taking over jobs men did before they were sent off to War. Jazz clubs, movies, horseracing, and Coney Island present moments of respite in a dangerous and treacherous world.

The most dramatic “sacrifices” are those of GIs’ families who receive telegrams/visits informing them of missing or dead loved ones. Yet, the majority of Americans supported the War but prayed for a faster resolution and end to the devastating World War that dominated the globe.

Find out how Maeve and Vic deal with the greed, threats, and secrets of the times in this neo-noir/ historical fiction novel.

Content Please be aware this book contains issues of violence, war violence, killing, racism and racial slurs (in the context and vernacular of the times), sexism, mob activity, verbally abusive language, and physical abuse.]]> 317 A.G. Russo Alex 0 to-read 4.38 2024 Bangtails, Grifters, and a Liar's Kiss (O'Shaughnessy Investigations Inc. 2)
author: A.G. Russo
name: Alex
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption]]> 8664353
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.]]> 475 Laura Hillenbrand 1400064163 Alex 0 to-read 4.38 2010 Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
author: Laura Hillenbrand
name: Alex
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Intuition Magic: Understanding Your Psychic Nature]]> 50366246 212 Linda Keen 1733340424 Alex 0 to-read 4.36 1998 Intuition Magic: Understanding Your Psychic Nature
author: Linda Keen
name: Alex
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1998
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)]]> 7235533 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, book one of The Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of over ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

and return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.]]> 1007 Brandon Sanderson 0765326353 Alex 0 to-read 4.66 2010 The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Alex
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2010
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)]]> 2
There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry Potter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror? It's not just the upcoming O.W.L. exams; a new teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a venomous, disgruntled house-elf; or even the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Now Harry Potter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty; and unbearable sacrifice.

This stunning illustrated edition brings together the talents of award-winning artists Jim Kay and Neil Packer in a visual feast, featuring iconic scenes and much loved characters -- Tonks, Luna Love good, and many more -- as the Order of the Phoenix keeps watch over Harry Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts. With its oversized format, high-quality paper, ribbon bookmark, and color on nearly every page, this edition is the perfect gift for Harry Potter fans and book lovers of all ages.]]> 576 J.K. Rowling Alex 0 to-read 4.50 2003 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Alex
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Nine Political Wives]]> 27015454
What if political wives are just as calculating as their infamous husbands?

If Hilary Clinton had left her marriage, she might only be known as the spurned wife of a retired politician. Instead, she became the first woman to run for U.S. president on a major party ticket.

Veteran political journalist Anne Michaud knows the hidden agendas women employ to gain and cling to power. Working as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and awarded “Columnist of the Year” by the New York News Publishers Association, Anne has researched the women behind some of the most notorious men in the public eye.

She discovered a surprising pattern as old as the dynastic maneuverings of England’s medieval queens.
Today, women married to the “royalty” of our times–politicians–make bold decisions to keep their “thrones” and their family’s history-making potential.

Why They Stay reveals the inner lives of eight political wives as they fight to maintain a grip on power and pursue personal ambition:

Melania & Donald Trump: A foreigner’s desire to live the American dream
Hilary & Bill Clinton: One masterful decision launched her political career
Jackie & John F. Kennedy: Coping in bed and all the way to the bank
Eleanor & Franklin D. Roosevelt: A lifeless marriage sparks a social champion
Marion Stein & Jeremy Thorpe: Riding out British scandal to provide for her sons
Wendy & David Vitter: Married to the Party versus married to a man
Silda Wall & Elliot Spitzer: Real-life drama spawns TV show The Good Wife
Huma Abedin & Anthony Weiner: How to win against a man and the Media
These political wives aren’t powerless pawns. They are shrewder than you expect. Why They Stay pulls back the curtain to reveal why women throughout history stand by their man … for better and for worse.]]> 279 Anne Michaud 0997663316 Alex 0 to-read 4.36 Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Nine Political Wives
author: Anne Michaud
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average rating: 4.36
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]]> <![CDATA[Little Women (Little Women, #1)]]> 1934 Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.

It is no secret that Alcott based Little Women on her own early life. While her father, the freethinking reformer and abolitionist Bronson Alcott, hobnobbed with such eminent male authors as Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, Louisa supported herself and her sisters with "woman’s work,” including sewing, doing laundry, and acting as a domestic servant. But she soon discovered she could make more money writing. Little Women brought her lasting fame and fortune, and far from being the "girl’s book” her publisher requested, it explores such timeless themes as love and death, war and peace, the conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities, and the clash of cultures between Europe and America.

Note: This is an alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780451529305.

]]> 449 Louisa May Alcott Alex 0 to-read 4.17 1868 Little Women (Little Women, #1)
author: Louisa May Alcott
name: Alex
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1868
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)]]> 2429135
An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.]]> 480 Stieg Larsson 0670069019 Alex 0 to-read 4.18 2005 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)
author: Stieg Larsson
name: Alex
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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]]> Stillwell 18106337 137 Michael Phillip Cash Alex 0 to-read 3.96 2013 Stillwell
author: Michael Phillip Cash
name: Alex
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2013
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]]> <![CDATA[The Final Steps: A Harbor Springs Cozy Legal Mystery]]> 123270513 Who murdered a popular law professor on a northern Michigan college campus?

Judge Rosaline Maxwell is living the good life. Retired from the circuit court bench, she now lives in the home of her dreams, lakefront in scenic Harbor Springs, Michigan. She’s written a fascinating new book and is invited to speak at a local college. But her idyllic existence is rudely interrupted by a call from her best friend, Tyler Guthrie, the college president.

A popular law professor has taken his final steps—he is found dead at the bottom of a popular outdoor staircase. The police suspect foul play. There are no witnesses, but key pieces of evidence make Tyler the number one suspect. After his arrest, Rosaline doubts her friend’s innocence but still jumps into the fray, abandoning the law, antagonizing local police, becoming an amateur sleuth with one goal and one goal To prove, conclusively, that Tyler Guthrie is innocent of this brutal crime.

Along the way, Rosaline receives anonymous death threats, warning her to stay away from the investigation, but the former judge will not be deterred from her quest for the truth. There is no shortage of interesting and quirky suspects as attorney/award-winning author Mark M. Bello keeps you guessing ‘whodunnit’ until the very end.

If not Tyler Guthrie, who killed Professor Kevin Johnstone? ]]> 247 Mark M. Bello Alex 0 to-read 4.33 The Final Steps: A Harbor Springs Cozy Legal Mystery
author: Mark M. Bello
name: Alex
average rating: 4.33
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]]> The Elements of Style 33514 105 William Strunk Jr. Alex 0 to-read 4.15 1918 The Elements of Style
author: William Strunk Jr.
name: Alex
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1918
rating: 0
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]]> Lolita 7604 Librarian's note: Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780141182537.

Humbert Humbert - scholar, aesthete and romantic - has fallen completely and utterly in love with Dolores Haze, his landlady's gum-snapping, silky skinned twelve-year-old daughter. Reluctantly agreeing to marry Mrs Haze just to be close to Lolita, Humbert suffers greatly in the pursuit of romance; but when Lo herself starts looking for attention elsewhere, he will carry her off on a desperate cross-country misadventure, all in the name of Love. Hilarious, flamboyant, heart-breaking and full of ingenious word play, Lolita is an immaculate, unforgettable masterpiece of obsession, delusion and lust.]]> 368 Vladimir Nabokov Alex 0 to-read 3.87 1955 Lolita
author: Vladimir Nabokov
name: Alex
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1955
rating: 0
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]]> When Never Comes 35889208 Author Barbara Davis deftly explores an emotionally charged landscape of pain, loss, and despair—and the risk one woman will take in the hope of loving again.

As a teenage runaway and child of an addict, Christy-Lynn learned the hard way that no address was permanent, and no promise sacred. For a while, she found a safe haven in her marriage to bestselling crime novelist Stephen Ludlow—until his car skidded into Echo Bay. But Stephen’s wasn’t the only body pulled from the icy waters that night. When details about a mysterious violet-eyed blonde become public, a media circus ensues, and Christy-Lynn runs again.

Desperate for answers, she’s shattered to learn that Stephen and his mistress had a child—a little girl named Iris, who now lives in poverty with her ailing great-grandmother. The thought of Iris abandoned to the foster care system—as Christy-Lynn once was—is unbearable. But she’s spent her whole life running—determined never to be hurt again. Will she finally stand still long enough to open herself up to forgiveness and love?]]> 367 Barbara Davis 1477808914 Alex 0 to-read 3.63 2018 When Never Comes
author: Barbara Davis
name: Alex
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2018
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]]> <![CDATA[SINE QUA NON: A Journal of Creative Writing]]> 236583127 128 Talion Publishing 1838275991 Alex 0 to-read 4.38 SINE QUA NON: A Journal of Creative Writing
author: Talion Publishing
name: Alex
average rating: 4.38
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]]> Running Stop Signs 214488788
While also investigating the tangled marriage of Melvin and Ramona Evanski, hoping to catch Ramona in a compromising position, Natalie’s resolve to crack the Brockstone Tire murder case overrides her common sense. Add in Natalie’s tumultuous love life, torn between prosecuting attorney Darren McAllister, LAPD Officer Vincent Sherburne, and the enigmatic taxi driver Alfonso Di Paolo, and discover what happens when betrayal, greed, passion, and murder collide.]]> 246 Nancy Mangano Alex 0 to-read 4.37 Running Stop Signs
author: Nancy Mangano
name: Alex
average rating: 4.37
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]]> The Forgotten Hours 41574593 In this evocative debut novel, Katrin Schumann weaves a riveting story of past and present—and how love can lead us astray.

At twenty-four, Katie Gregory feels like life is looking up: she’s snagged a great job in New York City and is falling for a captivating artist—and memories of her traumatic past are finally fading. Katie’s life fell apart almost a decade earlier, during an idyllic summer at her family’s cabin on Eagle Lake when her best friend accused her father of sexual assault. Throughout his trial and imprisonment, Katie insisted on his innocence, dodging reporters and clinging to memories of the man she adores.

Now he’s getting out. Yet when Katie returns to the shuttered lakeside cabin, details of that fateful night resurface: the chill of the lake, the heat of first love, the terrible sting of jealousy. And as old memories collide with new realities, they call into question everything she thinks she knows about family, friends, and, ultimately, herself. Now, Katie’s choices will be put to the test with life-altering consequences.]]> 361 Katrin Schumann 1503904172 Alex 0 to-read 3.51 2019 The Forgotten Hours
author: Katrin Schumann
name: Alex
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2019
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]]> The Bridge to Rembrandt 58549182 291 Nelson K. Foley 9090345892 Alex 0 to-read 4.25 2021 The Bridge to Rembrandt
author: Nelson K. Foley
name: Alex
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> When Breath Becomes Air 25899336 This memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question, What makes a life worth living?

At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away? These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir.

Paul Kalanithi died in March 2015, while working on this book, yet his words live on as a guide and a gift to us all. “I began to realize that coming face to face with my own mortality, in a sense, had changed nothing and everything,” he wrote. “Seven words from Samuel Beckett began to repeat in my head: ‘I can’t go on. I’ll go on.’” When Breath Becomes Air is an unforgettable, life-affirming reflection on the challenge of facing death and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a brilliant writer who became both—now with an epilogue by Lucy Kalanithi.]]> 208 Paul Kalanithi 0812988418 Alex 0 to-read 4.42 2016 When Breath Becomes Air
author: Paul Kalanithi
name: Alex
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2016
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]]> <![CDATA[To be a Fae Guardian (Realm Chronicles, #2)]]> 60037538
She may be the only fae standing between her realm and the evil lurking below. Will Titania be given the power she needs?

Titania defeats a group of creatures threatening to colonize Middle Earth. In ending them she broke not one but two edicts of the High Council. But justice may fall on the only person holding the key to her ability to defend the fae.

The evil spirits manifesting the terrorists lurk below, lying in wait to strike again. With loss of a much-needed ally, she lacks freedom to learn what the realm may be facing. Worse yet, many, even some most trusted compatriots, distance themselves from the reckless Queen she’s painted to be.

Her power shackled and left alone, Titania loses faith in her once clear path.

Can she find her footing in time to save them all from eternal darkness?

To Be a Fae Guardian is the second book in the Realm Chronicles series, continuing a magical journey into the realm of Middle Earth. If you like dauntless heroines, you’ll love Tricia Copeland’s gripping fantasy.

Get To be a Fae Guardian to spiral into a new world.]]> 364 Tricia Copeland Alex 0 to-read 4.49 To be a Fae Guardian (Realm Chronicles, #2)
author: Tricia Copeland
name: Alex
average rating: 4.49
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]]> <![CDATA[Slingshot: Building the largest machine in human history]]> 30220282 Slingshot is a mystery – about a missing aviatrix, a conspiracy, a true-believer. Slingshot is an adventure – about following a dream, the ocean-deep, outer space. Slingshot is about constructing the first space launch-loop stretching 2,000 km between Baker and Jarvis Islands in the Equatorial Pacific. It’s about high finance, intrigue, unlimited ambition, heroism, fanaticism, betrayal…and about opening space to the common person.
With a cast of 69, Slingshot takes you from Seattle’s world financial district, to the ocean bottom at 5,000 feet off Baker Island, to the edge of space 80 km above. You play with dolphins and battle sharks. You fly and sail and dive, you work and play and love across the vast panorama of an Equatorial Pacific being put to leash to serve humanity’s surge into outer space.
While its accurate science and precise engineering will appeal to hard science fiction buffs, Slingshot’s major focus is the grand journey, the opening of outer space to the common person by men and women who loom larger than life as they work, play, and love.]]> 362 Robert G. Williscroft 1533214417 Alex 0 to-read 4.19 2015 Slingshot: Building the largest machine in human history
author: Robert G. Williscroft
name: Alex
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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]]> Brave New World 5129 Brave New World is a dystopian social science fiction novel by English author Aldous Huxley. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarchy, the novel anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that are combined to make a dystopian society which is challenged by only a single individual: the story's protagonist.]]> 288 Aldous Huxley 0060929871 Alex 0 to-read 3.99 1932 Brave New World
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Alex
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1932
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]]> <![CDATA[Revelation: The Globur Incursion Book 10]]> 235786412
John Forest had retired on Earth, and finds out that he may not be who he thinks he is.

Suddenly, the Globur were back. Grand Admiral Jones hatches a plan to lure the Globur into a battle and unravel the mystery of their new advantage. The Globur are beaten at terrible cost, but what comes next? What really happened to John Forest? Grand Admiral Jones seeks to answer those questions and more. But he is unaware of a growing danger closer to home. Will Jones bring peace to the empire? Will there even be an empire?]]> 579 D. Rebbitt Alex 0 to-read 4.46 Revelation: The Globur Incursion Book 10
author: D. Rebbitt
name: Alex
average rating: 4.46
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]]> The Arbitrator 30760409
Max Nowaz’s science fiction novel, The Arbitrator, follows the story of 153-year-old Jim Brown, a former highly successful administrator who is now rotting in jail, for tax fraud. However, in reality, he is there for taking revenge and killing several people on the planet Levita after meeting the beautiful Narissa.
After ten years in jail, he is suddenly given a reprieve and offered a chance to redeem himself. He is sent as the ‘Arbitrator’ to ‘Pirrus’ in another solar system, to try to stop a rebellion and bring matters under control.

This novel tries to portray the darker side of colonisation, where a population is ruthlessly exploited in the guise of bringing them civilisation. Brown, a well-oiled cog in such a system, prides himself on being ruthlessly efficient in his tyrannical task of keeping the population under control. However, he has a change of heart driven by remorse after meeting Gina, a girl he uses as his plaything while under the influence of drugs to satisfy his compulsive addiction, which he is trying to control without success, as it is slowly killing him.

He then slowly embarks on a path of self-emancipation in trying to better the lot of the people under his charge. He is not only up against his own government, the EPA, but also against other forces trying to overthrow him. He also discovers a plot by some external powers trying to invade the planet and is hurled into an epic adventure in a game of survival.

In prison, he was coerced into a drug habit, which was meant to kill him, but he has somehow survived. His only chance of survival is a very expensive renewal process, which will make him young again and cure his drug habit. Will he complete the mission successfully to earn enough funds for his regeneration? Only time will tell.]]> 229 Max Nowaz 1785892134 Alex 0 to-read 4.24 2016 The Arbitrator
author: Max Nowaz
name: Alex
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2016
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]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom Wealth: The Power to Get It - 2nd Edition]]> 63132146 131 Apostle J. Vernon Duncan Alex 0 to-read 4.37 Kingdom Wealth: The Power to Get It - 2nd Edition
author: Apostle J. Vernon Duncan
name: Alex
average rating: 4.37
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]]> <![CDATA[Be More Pirate: Or How to Take On the World and Win]]> 36200494
"Fun, easy to digest ideas that are especially applicable to start-ups with youth, vision and a big focus on ethics. Business Book of the Month" Financial Times

"A Modern Life Bible" Shortlist Magazine

A model for how to break the system and create radical change" The London Evening Standard


- - - -

Mischief, Purpose, Power

Pirates didn’t just break the rules, they rewrote them. They didn't just reject society, they reinvented it. Pirates didn’t just challenge the status-quo, they changed everyf*ckingthing.

Facing a self-interested establishment, a broken system, industrial-scale disruption and an uncertain future, pirates rebelled against an unfair world and change it for good. Now, you can follow in their footsteps.

Be More Pirate unveils the innovative strategies of Golden Age pirates, drawing parallels between the tactics and teachings of legends like Henry Morgan and Blackbeard with modern rebels, like Elon Musk, Malala and Banksy. With takeaway sections and a

Featuring takeaway sections and a guide to build you own pirate code 2.0, Be More Pirate will show you how to leave your mark on the 21st century.

Whatever your ambitions, ideas and challenges, Be More Pirate will revolutionize the way you live, think and work today, and tomorrow.

[BACK INSIDE COVER PRINT]

‘Be More Pirate feels so important as it looks to history to help us grip the future.’ Martha Lane-Fox, do you have a specific bio Martha would like us to use?

‘A refreshing, entertaining and inspiring perspective on work, leadership and why we do what we do ... it’s a call for a more radical rethink of where we’re going wrong, and where we’re going next.’ Bruce Daisley, Host of the Number 1 Business Podcast ‘Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat’]]> 290 Sam Conniff 0241307872 Alex 0 to-read 3.67 Be More Pirate: Or How to Take On the World and Win
author: Sam Conniff
name: Alex
average rating: 3.67
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]]> <![CDATA[Murder in Buckhead (Jack Ludefance #4)]]> 61789688
Buckhead, a district within Atlanta that boasts many high-end residences and businesses, is the scene of the discovery of a body. As the meticulous detective Shamir Turner assesses the circumstances of the alleged suicide of Casey Ray Olmsted, the son of the influential US Senator Bartholomew Jeremie Olmsted, he is certain of foul play (all shreds of evidence are contrary to the suicide claim). In the wake of Senator Olmsted's request not to proceed with the investigation of his son's death (since it’s a suicide), Turner has no choice but to do nothing (well, just officially...). Meanwhile, in his mid-40s, private investigator Jack Ludefance from Florida receives a phone call from Scarlet Olmsted asking him to look into the ‘real’ deed behind his son Casey's death. Blaire Olmsted, Casey's widower, issues a second exhortation, pleading with Ludefance to probe the senator (her father-in-law) who is after her life.

Amidst the seemingly well-heeled proceedings of the murder-mystery investigation, Ludefance makes some unexpected discoveries about the case that goes against his reasoning. Blaire puzzles him with her switch between slyly seductive innuendos and her innocent persona, genuinely concerned about the senator and the threats he makes (a devious diva or an innocent suspect?). Additionally, not only has Blaire become a thorn in the motive of concealing the true story behind Casey's death, but Jack has also become part of the follow-ups and death threats. In a bind, Ludefance must deal with two situations that both get in the way of the corrupt and wicked Senator, who believes in getting rid of any weeds that might stand in the way of his objectives. With Rudy, the young expert hacker, Turner, the ever-ardent detective, and many incidental characters on board, the plot follows Jack’s adventure to unravel the mysterious death of Casey – suicide or murder, or is there an entirely different angle to the case?

Through the luxury settings of Atlanta, the criminal underworld, and (not to overlook) the various eateries and human basic appetites for delicacies and meals, the author weaves an interesting tale that goes beyond a mere murder mystery riddle. All of the characters reveal their true selves in their own sexuality, backgrounds, and social positions, whether expressing natural human passion, appetite, or wrestling with their inner conflicts. Despite being a minor force behind the propagation of the murder mystery, the plot's plethora of characters, including Rudy with his subtle fatherly relationship with Jack, Cindy, Jack's sexual interest, as well as Turner and County Sheriff Lawson (aka Hiker), the ideal professionals and boon companions, provide enrichment to the plot with their unique presence and personalities.]]> 311 Behcet Kaya Alex 0 to-read 4.38 Murder in Buckhead (Jack Ludefance #4)
author: Behcet Kaya
name: Alex
average rating: 4.38
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]]> Steel Blood 215598873 308 Gabriel F.W. Koch 1977272754 Alex 0 to-read 4.32 2024 Steel Blood
author: Gabriel F.W. Koch
name: Alex
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
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]]> Iola O 41219459 270 G.M. Monks 1945805951 Alex 0 to-read 4.33 Iola O
author: G.M. Monks
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average rating: 4.33
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]]> <![CDATA[EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORIES OF SURVIVAL IN BURMA WW2: tens of thousands fled to India from the Japanese Invasion in 1942]]> 237066763 Less known are the stories of civilians of many races who were forced to retreat to India in 1942 along with British, Indian and Chinese soldiers. Most had to walk through dense jungle and climb high mountains during the monsoon, often sick, exhausted, and starving. The statistics of deaths on the route can only be estimates. This book contains extracts from three unforgettable detailed true stories written by a British doctor, a Captain in the Burma Frontier Force and a British soldier. It is outstanding that they were able to record so much from day to day and their accounts draw us in and keep us absorbed till the end.]]> 179 Elizabeth Tebby Germaine Alex 0 to-read 4.39 EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORIES OF SURVIVAL IN BURMA WW2: tens of thousands fled to India from the Japanese Invasion in 1942
author: Elizabeth Tebby Germaine
name: Alex
average rating: 4.39
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]]> <![CDATA[Arising Son: Part Two (The Guardians of the Temple Saga)]]> 58768200 When the person closest to him commits the worst betrayal, the Dark becomes even more enticing.
With the oncoming eclipse, Ryan must choose which side he is on: the Dark or the Light...for there was never a time until now when the fate of the world rested on just one man's choice.]]> 120 Marie Montine Alex 0 to-read 4.40 Arising Son: Part Two (The Guardians of the Temple Saga)
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name: Alex
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]]> <![CDATA[Relating Revolution: All It Takes Is One Person To Change]]> 50731987
The majority of people have never been taught how to do relationship. You likely created your relationships using a paradigm where one person wins and the other loses. While this may not show up all of the time, it can create an unconscious tendency to maneuver the other person.

In this book, Relating Revolution: All It Takes is One Person to Change, you will learn a new paradigm called Third Consciousness, which will change how you view all of your relationships. You will:
- see a bigger picture that holds both your truth and the other person's
- see your role in repeating patterns of disconnection and what is really going on underneath the “he said, she said”
- learn how to break old stuck patterns to access an infinite set of new and magical possibilities
- incorporate what you learn into your life through suggested practices and exercises

This applies to more than just romantic partnerships. It works in relationships with friends, family, and even colleagues. Using this book, you can start to transform your relationships into fuel for the MORE in your life.

Whether you want to address a challenging relationship situation; or learn to play the relationship game so both people win; or are just curious to find out what is really possible when relating with others, you are not alone. This book can be your guide.]]> 122 Kris Kelkar 1658595580 Alex 0 to-read 4.41 Relating Revolution: All It Takes Is One Person To Change
author: Kris Kelkar
name: Alex
average rating: 4.41
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]]> <![CDATA[Poems from Still Waters Running Deep]]> 100452497 75 Emma McClain 1733301178 Alex 0 to-read 4.29 Poems from Still Waters Running Deep
author: Emma McClain
name: Alex
average rating: 4.29
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]]> <![CDATA[Playing Ball: Life Lessons from My Journey to the Super Bowl and Beyond]]> 202470606 NFL football star Vernon Davis delves into his astonishing career, from winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016 with the Denver Broncos to reinventing himself as an actor and producer, and recalls the hard-won lessons—including that infamous press conference—that paved his path to success. In October 2008, after a San Francisco loss to Seattle, Vernon Davis was put on blast by Coach Mike Singletary in a fiery speech criticizing his “me-myself-and-I attitude”. It proved to be the turning point in Davis’s career, and the inspiration for him to change his mindset, his playing, and his life. At the time, Davis was a young, talented player who had been drafted by the 49ers in 2006 at number six, one of the highest draft positions for a tight end in NFL history. He played ten years for the team, which included a 2013 Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens in a 34-31 heartbreaker, where he recorded six catches for 104 yards. Winning a Super Bowl in 2016 with Peyton Manning, Davis landed a crucial downfield block and sprung teammate C.L. Anderson for a key 34-yard run that helped the Broncos defeat the Carolina Panthers 24-10. Davis retired in 2019 after a final four years playing pro for his hometown team in Washington. He’s now deeply involved in his new acting and producing feature films. Here he rewinds the tape to reflect on his career and competitive spirit—and the insights about teamwork, leadership, and responsibility that came in the aftermath of Coach Singletary’s press conference, spurring him to transform his life for the better. Weaving personal reflections with frank, real-world advice, Playing Ball is not just one athlete’s memoir but an eye-opening exploration of what winning—on the field and beyond—really means.]]> 240 Vernon Davis 1496746570 Alex 0 to-read 4.27 Playing Ball: Life Lessons from My Journey to the Super Bowl and Beyond
author: Vernon Davis
name: Alex
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]]> <![CDATA[Homecoming Queen: A Small-Town Political Thriller]]> 201924694
Anika Raven faces the challenge of a lifetime. She must rescue her little sister from a neglectful family as the hurricane of a century barrels toward her hometown of Miranda, Texas. Time is of the essence, but the deadly storm is not her biggest problem.

Once Miranda High School’s beloved homecoming queen, Anika now possesses a dark secret that must remain hidden. Unable to outrun the shadows of her past, and terrified to confront the demons of her future, she finds herself running from the law.
Concealing a dark secret of its own, the town of Miranda’s corruption permeates every aspect of society. Each time Anika catches a break, a scheming mayor and powerful political forces deliver her another life-threatening setback.

With the storm looming, and tensions in town escalating, Anika and her sister are trapped. To escape town, they will need unspeakable courage, perseverance, and the help of a special gift possessed by Anika’s little sister. But all bets are off as adversity abounds. To stay alive, they must overcome a jealous town, rabid adversaries bent on vigilante justice, and a monster hurricane . . . all coming at them with a vengeance.]]> 344 Chad Boudreaux 1636983677 Alex 0 to-read 4.33 Homecoming Queen: A Small-Town Political Thriller
author: Chad Boudreaux
name: Alex
average rating: 4.33
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]]> <![CDATA[A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)]]> 8667848
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.]]> 592 Deborah Harkness 0670022411 Alex 0 to-read 4.01 2011 A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Alex
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
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]]> In the Shadow of Ruin 57425735 King Jide Adelani has ruled the lands of the Yoruba in West Africa for many peaceful years, but now his kingdom is in turmoil and the cold grasp of death's embrace is closing in around everything he holds dear.

Jide spent years garnering the respect and loyalty of the tribes in the hopes of uniting them into one cohesive empire when his half-brother, Prince Olise, returns from banishment to claim the throne as his own.

The offspring of a union between the late King Adeosi and the evil enchantress Ekaete, the bitter Olise has devoted the last decade to one purpose; to seize the throne and rule the kingdom. If he fails, he risks his name being erased from the history of the tribes.

With the support of his mother, a powerful witch whose name is whispered in fear across the lands of the tribes, the outcast Olise now seems unstoppable in achieving his goal.

Facing overwhelming military might and dark forces that he cannot comprehend, Jide must either choose to ignore the warnings of the gods, and seek help from those who also practice dark arts; or risk losing his kingdom.]]> 362 Tony Debajo 1838358617 Alex 0 to-read 4.59 2021 In the Shadow of Ruin
author: Tony Debajo
name: Alex
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/08/29
shelves: to-read
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]]> Twentymile 58801931
Tsula’s investigation will lead her deep into the park and face-to-face with a group of lethal men on a mission to reclaim a historic homestead. The encounter will irretrievably alter the lives of all involved and leave Tsula fighting for survival – not only from those who would do her harm, but from a looming winter storm that could prove just as deadly.

A finely crafted literary thriller, Twentymile delivers a propulsive story of long-held grievances, new hopes, and the contentious history of the land at its heart.

PRAISE FOR TWENTYMILE:

"[A] taut, page-turning thriller . . ."
--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"In C. Matthew Smith’s engrossing novel Twentymile, a park service biologist turns up dead in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and discord regarding annexed land fuels a treacherous chase....a disturbing, potent thriller about ownership and trespassing, as well as unrealized dreams and aggression."
--Foreword Reviews

"Twentymile is packed with everything I love: A strong, female character; a wilderness setting; gripping storytelling; masterful writing. . . I loved every word. A beautiful and brutal and extraordinary debut."
--Diane Les Becquets, bestselling author of Breaking Wild and The Last Woman in the Forest

"Original, intelligent. . . Twentymile is an accomplished first novel from a talented and fully-formed writer."
--James McLaughlin, Edgar Award winning author of Bearskin

“Twentymile is a moody, atmospheric tale of family, vengeance, and anger too-long held, all set in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. Ultimately, it is the story of reaching for- discovering and recovering- home, and how such a complicated yearning can play out on both sides of the law."
--Steph Post, author of Miraculum, Lightwood, and A Tree Born Crooked​

"Smith’s spellbinding debut takes readers on a murderous journey through the backwoods of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. . . A thrilling and evocative tale."
--Scott Graham, National Outdoor Book Award-winning author of Canyonlands Carnage

"A highly enjoyable read suited best to those who like their thrillers to simmer for awhile before erupting in a blizzard of action and unpredictability with a future promise of grander adventures."
--Kashif Hussain, Best Thriller Books

"C. Matthew Smith's gripping tale centers around the history of our public lands and the people who use and protect them. Twentymile is a tremendously entertaining first novel from a writer who knows how to spin a good yarn."
--Rob Phillips, bestselling author of The Cascade Killer, Cascade Vengeance, and Cascade Predator]]> 325 C. Matthew Smith Alex 0 to-read 4.31 2021 Twentymile
author: C. Matthew Smith
name: Alex
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/08/29
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]]> <![CDATA[The Cases Nobody Wanted (O'Shaughnessy Investigations Inc. Mystery Series Book 1)]]> 199121904
The homefront, summer 1942, Brooklyn, New York. Six months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, America was fighting overseas with the Allies in World War II. Maeve O’Shaughnessy’s fight for survival was different. Her three brothers were shipped out and left her with their new detective agency and fifteen-year-old brother to manage. Before the War, Maeve worked as a secretary. She knew nothing about detective agencies. From the start she struggled to make enough money to feed Jimmy and herself. Vic Marino, a no-nonsense ex-cop, showed up and told her he was going to help her make a go of the agency. Maeve vehemently protested but Vic insisted she had no choice.

Against the backdrop of a war many Americans never wanted, more men were drafted and volunteered to serve every day. Those left behind supported the war effort the best they could. As 1942 wore on sacrifices were necessary for the War, while the losses became real and heartbreaking. Thousands of women took up the cause working outside the home. Yet Maeve found herself trapped in circumstances beyond her control.

Vic’s “deal” to help the detective agency survive came at a cost. He took on responsibility for the detective agency along with an angry naïve woman and her teenage brother. The business was sinking and needed to make money fast. They needed a client. One walked in on Vic’s first day in the office. Mrs. Sullivan implored them for help. Her daughter Lucille, a “beautiful angel,” was brutally murdered in an expensive apartment owned by a rich businessman. The police showed no interest in her violent death. Maeve and Vic had no choice. They took the case nobody wanted.

From the mean streets of Brooklyn to Chinatown to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the Fulton Fish Market to upstate New York, dealing with thugs, colorful characters, and puzzling clues, O’Shaughnessy Investigations, Inc. pursued the baffling case. A blend of neo-noir mystery and historical fiction. Book 1 0f 3.

Content Please be aware this book contains issues of violence, racism and racial slurs (in the context of the times), sexism, pregnancy and childbirth, and abusive language.
Previously published as O'SHAUGHNESSY INVESTIGATIONS, INC. Episodes 1-32 on Kindle Vella.]]> 316 A.G. Russo Alex 0 to-read 4.35 2023 The Cases Nobody Wanted (O'Shaughnessy Investigations Inc. Mystery Series Book 1)
author: A.G. Russo
name: Alex
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/08/29
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]]> <![CDATA[Love on the Line 2 (Women at Work, #2)]]> 60297858
Andrea has come to understand working outdoors in inhospitable climates and is thriving in her role as assistant bending engineer. She and Rooster have moved in together and are starting a new job. Although exhausted, Andy is glad to be working with Grandpa Buck again, even though it limits her time with Rooster. She’s missed the other hands too, and she is very curious about the new coating foreman; an intelligent, confident, and independent young woman. So is her friend, Nick. Andy also finds herself befriending a neighbor at the RV park, the wife of a welder on the line. Seeing a girl her age as a mother has Andy wondering about her own future. Could she manage to pipeline and be wife and mother too?

As always, pipeline construction is interrupted by delays, fraught with fatigue, and contingent on the weather. Caught up in a world of egos, Andrea and Rooster struggle to maintain their workload while finding time for each other after hours. When a serious on-the-job accident tips the scale of leadership, Andy and Rooster are thrown into conflicting positions. If stress at work, little time for love, and their reputations in danger wasn’t enough, Andy’s parents show up to complicate things further. Rooster is determined to prove himself capable of his new position, and Andrea isn’t about to let Buck down; will their fledgling romance pay the price? The couple has their horns locked in battle and they can’t let go, but they need each other, especially now. Both will have to make sacrifices and take a chance on ruining their credibility in order to stay together.]]> 341 Kirsten Fullmer Alex 0 to-read 4.30 Love on the Line 2 (Women at Work, #2)
author: Kirsten Fullmer
name: Alex
average rating: 4.30
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rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)]]> 256683
This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...]]> 485 Cassandra Clare 1416914285 Alex 0 to-read 4.07 2007 City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Alex
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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]]> Stalker Stalked 58553366
Stalking isn’t new to Lexi. She ultimately won over her ex Steve by following and manipulating every minute detail about him so he’d fall for her. In fact, she landed her other ex-boyfriend Jeremy in the same way. Being a pharma rep, she’s used to manipulation to get doctors to buy her drugs, along with the perk of saving pills for herself.

But what happens when the stalker gets stalked?

Recently, Lexi has felt someone watching her: in her apartment in Queens, at her job. At first, she thinks her mind’s playing tricks, but the watcher is behaving just like she would. And soon they begin leaving threatening clues like she starts to do to Magnolia once her obsession grows more dangerous. Is it one of her exes out for revenge? Her only real friend from childhood who she’s always had an unhealthy rivalry? A detective who may have figured her out? The reality star Magnolia trying to turn the tables? Or even someone she might not know?

Lexi learns the only way to beat her stalker is to use her own stalking prowess to outsmart them at their own game. But has she finally met her match?]]> 270 Lee Matthew Goldberg 1643962299 Alex 0 to-read 4.16 2021 Stalker Stalked
author: Lee Matthew Goldberg
name: Alex
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/08/29
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]]> Get Rich or Get Lucky 33623824
After a string of disappointments with his literary career, Adam is not doing well in life, particularly where women are concerned. His last girlfriend left him for somebody taller, and he was sacked from his job at an English Language School for flirting with the boss's wife after a few drinks at the Christmas party.

Adam wants to stand out in a crowd and not be the most unspectacular person in it. To improve his lot Adam decides to ditch his ambition of becoming a writer and embark on a get-rich-quick scheme, by renovating run-down houses.

When by chance he discovers a book of magic in the basement of a derelict property, he can’t believe his luck. Excited by his find, he invites his friends Dick and Charlie, to tell them about it. But things quickly take a turn for the worse when Adam inadvertently casts a spell which turns Dick into a crayfish. Adam is unable to reverse the spell immediately and while searching for the solution, leaves Dick in the garden pond, which gets flooded and Dick disappears.

Dick's wife Rachael reports him missing and the police then suspect Adam of being responsible for Dick's demise. Things continue to spiral out of control when the book is stolen and he discovers that a powerful, evil warlock is looking for the book. Adam finds himself in a race against time, to recover the book and thwart the warlock to stand any chance of bringing Dick back, if he can.

Get Rich or Get Lucky is a dark-humoured fantasy thriller, and may not appeal to the very sensitive reader with a strong conventional bias. It will however, be a favourite for open-minded readers who enjoy adult, fun fantasy fiction and also a fast-paced adventure thriller.

This novel does not purport to be literary fiction, but is a good old-fashioned Urban Fantasy genre romp. Any criticism from pseudo-intellectual critics (more than likely failed writers themselves) about any lack of highfalutin vocabulary and intricate, superfluous prose seems unjustified. The novel is a thriller, and it is all about action and a good story and should be enjoyed as such.]]> 276 Max Nowaz Alex 0 to-read 4.26 Get Rich or Get Lucky
author: Max Nowaz
name: Alex
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God]]> 59317244
Unpacking the power of knowing our true identity in Christ, Winship takes us on a journey of telling ourselves the truth, changing our mindsets, and experiencing actual life transformation that leads to radical courage in the face of all that life throws at us. With humor, clarity, and real-life practicality, Living Fearless is your invitation to listen closely to what God is trying to say to you about himself, about the person he created you to be--and also about all those other people he created and loves.

If you want to discover the incredible difference abiding in Christ will make in your life and faith, get ready to do "a new thing" with God.]]> 176 Jamie Winship 0800740297 Alex 4 4.39 Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God
author: Jamie Winship
name: Alex
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers]]> 52891090 224 Dane C. Ortlund 1433566133 Alex 5 own 4.48 2020 Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers
author: Dane C. Ortlund
name: Alex
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/08/12
shelves: own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional]]> 19353106 384 Paul David Tripp 1433541386 Alex 5 4.52 2014 New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional
author: Paul David Tripp
name: Alex
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2014
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage]]> 214269329 In his first major work since The Universal Christ, one of our most prominent spiritual voices offers a wholehearted and hope-filled model for living today, grounded in the timeless words of the Hebrew prophets.

How do we live compassionately in a time of violence and despair? What can we do with our private disappointments and the anger we feel over an unjust world? In his most personal book yet, Richard Rohr turns to the writings of the Jewish prophets, showing how some of the lesser-read books of the Bible offer us a path forward today.

The prophets’ writings echo the spectrum of human development. Beneath their initial fervor and their forceful words, there lies a profound lamentation about our shared human condition and the pain of the world. Yet, in their astute critiques of culture and institutions, and their movement from anger and lament to wholeness and hope, the prophets embody what Rohr calls holy disorder—a distinct approach to confronting malevolence and recognizing the wholeness of every living being.

Drawing on a century of Biblical scholarship and written in the warm, pastoral voice that has endeared millions to Rohr, The Tears of Things breathes new life into ancient wisdom and paves a path of enlightenment for anyone seeking a wholehearted way of living in a hurting world.]]> 173 Richard Rohr 0593735811 Alex 4 4.24 The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage
author: Richard Rohr
name: Alex
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 4
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shelves: personal-development, motivation, success
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]]> <![CDATA[The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible]]> 51343629
Have you ever closed your Bible and thought, What did I just read?

Or maybe you have tried to read through the Bible in a year, but quit when it felt confusing or impersonal. The Bible Recap is here to help

· 365 daily Scripture readings in chronological order

· Grasp the full story of the Bible—from Genesis to Revelation—like never before

· Daily reflections on God’s character and faithfulness perfect for devotional reading

· Insightful but easy-to-understand summaries that will fortify your faith

· Each day's recap is only 2 pages and takes about 5 minutes to read

· Ideal for small-group Bible study, as a faith-forward gift, or for morning or evening devotions

· Use The Bible Recap alongside your regular Bible

· Join millions who’ve read the Bible for the first time with The Bible Recap

Whether you're brand-new to the Bible or you grew up in the second pew, reading God’s Word can feel confusing or boring at times. Understanding it well seems to require reading it thoroughly (and even repeatedly), but who wants to read something they don't understand?

If you've ever wanted to read through the Bible or even just wanted to want to read it, The Bible Recap is here to help. Following a chronological Bible reading plan, these recaps explain and connect the Old Testament and New Testament, section by section. Soon you'll see yourself as a child of God who knows and loves His Word in the ways you've always hoped for.

"Tara-Leigh gets me excited to read the Bible. Period. I have found a trusted guide to walk me into deeper understanding of the Scriptures."—MICHAEL DEAN MCDONALD, the Bible Project]]> 752 Tara-Leigh Cobble 0764237039 Alex 5 how-to, educational 4.81 The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible
author: Tara-Leigh Cobble
name: Alex
average rating: 4.81
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/08/12
shelves: how-to, educational
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]]> <![CDATA[Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul]]> 54453439 The bestselling book that has revolutionized the lives of millions of men, revised and expanded.

John Eldredge has revised and expanded his phenomenal bestseller, Wild at Heart, and invites men to become most complete selves by:


recovering their masculine heart; 
seeing themselves in the image of a passionate God; and
delighting in the strength and wildness that they were created to offer.
In this life-changing book, John Eldredge provides a look inside the true heart of a man and gives men permission to be what God designed them to be--dangerous, passionate, alive, and free.]]> 255 John Eldredge 1400225272 Alex 5 4.33 2001 Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
author: John Eldredge
name: Alex
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2001
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/08/12
shelves: recommended, inspirational, motivational, self-improvement
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seeing the Supernatural: Investigating Angels, Demons, Mystical Dreams, Near-Death Encounters, and Other Mysteries of the Unseen World]]> 216052740 Discover solid biblical answers to the provocative questions you have been asking about the supernatural world--healings, angels, demons, mystical dreams, near-death experiences, heaven, hell, and more--through the investigative work of a former spiritual skeptic.

We hear stories all the time about the supernatural--miraculous healings, unexplained sightings, near-death experiences--but how do we know what is real? Are rumors of spiritual beings, healings, and prophetic dreams dangerous deceptions, or is there something important for us to explore? Join investigative journalist and former atheist Lee Strobel as he examines the evidence and considers how we should think about the unseen world--and the God who made and rules over it.

As the bestselling author of the popular Case For series, which has sold millions of copies, Lee Strobel has interviewed some of the most brilliant scientists and philosophical thinkers in the world on topics of apologetics and faith. In Seeing the Supernatural, Lee weaves together his best material from several previous books with dynamic new and never-published interviews to investigate what the Bible really teaches about the unseen world.

As he asks scholars the very questions you have about otherworldly experiences, Lee will help

Better understand how God chooses to work in the fascinating supernatural realm--and why it is importantAvoid common mistakes people make, including both ignoring the supernatural and becoming obsessed with itHave answers ready for when you face objections or deceptions that are common in a world of supernatural counterfeitsDraw closer to God as you catch glimpses of his power and glory in ways you don't typically experience 

Written for skeptics and believers alike, Seeing the Supernatural is a transformative exploration of how the supernatural can shape our understanding of God's character and our own faith.]]> 320 Lee Strobel 0310369061 Alex 4 4.23 2025 Seeing the Supernatural: Investigating Angels, Demons, Mystical Dreams, Near-Death Encounters, and Other Mysteries of the Unseen World
author: Lee Strobel
name: Alex
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 4
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shelves: inspiration, wishlist, nonfiction, philosophy, lifestyle
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]]> <![CDATA[Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer]]> 25245760  
So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter will guide you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit.
 
New York Times bestselling author Priscilla Shirer, widely known for her international speaking, teaching, and writing ministries, brings her new role from the 2015 film War Room into the real lives of today’s women, addressing the topics that affect them most: renewing their passion , refocusing their identity , negotiating family strife, dealing with relentless regrets , navigating impossible schedules , succeeding against temptation , weathering their worst fears , uprooting bitterness , and more. Each chapter exposes the enemy’s cruel, crafty intentions in all kinds of these areas, then equips and encourages you to write out your own personalized prayer strategies on tear-out sheets you can post and pray over yourself and your loved ones on a regular basis.
 
Fervent is a hands-on, knees-down, don’t-give-up action guide to practical, purposeful praying.
]]> 190 Priscilla Shirer 1433688670 Alex 4 4.44 2015 Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer
author: Priscilla Shirer
name: Alex
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2015
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/08/12
shelves: non-fiction-to-read, personal-growth, 1, personal-improvement, professional-development, ebooks, owned, education, improvement, growth, ebook, read-again, self-help, life, professional
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unlock Your Deliverance: Keys to Freedom From Demonic Oppression]]> 216151199 When we have the power of God, demons will be manifested and forced to flee, and people will be set free.
 
While reading this book, you will wholeheartedly believe in Christ’s promise to the Church in John 10:10. Likewise, you will prepare yourself for deliverance so that you can lead others to freedom as well.
 
People are looking for answers to be freed from addictions, anxiety, and depression. They want healing in their marriages, their children to be free from the symptoms of autism, or to not live in poverty any longer. People want relief from mental disorders. They are searching everywhere, paying tons of money to try and find the answers to these problems, or if not finding complete relief, at least alleviating some of the symptoms. All of these things are demonic, and the answer can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Finding Freedom from Demonic Oppression will help guide you step-by-step to learn what you’ve been missing. The good news is that deliverance and freedom are easy. You only have to give your life to Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Deliverer, is the answer to all questions. You simply have to come to Jesus and believe. He does the rest. You don’t have to pay tons of money. Deliverance is free. God gives it to you. There is a cost, but that cost is surrendering; it’s nothing you can buy.

By reading this essential guide, you will What deliverance is Why we need deliverance in the church today The first key to receive deliverance How to help others receive deliverance]]> 224 Kathryn Krick 1636414427 Alex 4 4.28 Unlock Your Deliverance: Keys to Freedom From Demonic Oppression
author: Kathryn Krick
name: Alex
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/08/12
shelves: self-help-books, must-read, non-fiction, development, kindle, books, self-development, psychology, home-library, my-books, bookshelf, self, selfhelp, owned-books, to-read-non-fiction, my-library, personal, i-own, own-it, books-i-own, productivity
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order]]> 413179 Foreign Affairs, Samuel P. Huntington's The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order is a provocative and prescient analysis of the state of world politics after the fall of communism. In this incisive work, the renowned political scientist explains how "civilizations" have replaced nations and ideologies as the driving force in global politics today and offers a brilliant analysis of the current climate and future possibilities of our world's volatile political culture.]]> 368 Samuel P. Huntington 0684844419 Alex 5 3.76 1996 The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
author: Samuel P. Huntington
name: Alex
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1996
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/05/06
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]]> The Complete Maus 15195
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust” (The New York Times).

Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.]]> 296 Art Spiegelman 0141014083 Alex 4 4.58 1992 The Complete Maus
author: Art Spiegelman
name: Alex
average rating: 4.58
book published: 1992
rating: 4
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]]> Between the World and Me 25489625 “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.”
 
In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?
 
Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.]]> 152 Ta-Nehisi Coates Alex 5 4.40 2015 Between the World and Me
author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
name: Alex
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2015
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Socialism Is Dead! Long Live Socialism!: The Marx Code—Socialism with a Human Face: A New World Order]]> 34640476
The first book, The State, represents a radically new political system of society, one which is the most democratic system ever possible! This is a completely new society, a real civil society, which otherwise in the capitalist system is only a utopia. In this book, I scrutinize the principles of scientific socialism; i.e., all those principles of Marxism concerning the state that build socialism as a political system.

The second book, The Economic Theory of Socialism, is a sequel, and as far as I know, the only sequel of the greatest work by Karl Marx – Capital. The economics of socialism makes Marx’s socialism already completely possible. In this book, I scrutinize the economic laws that build socialism as a more effective economic system than capitalism. These laws are extracted from Marx’s main work – Capital.

From 1917 to 1991, the totalitarian system in USSR and East Europe was called socialism, and even by the scientific nonsense and absurd names of communism and communist system. In this system, the official ideology was allegedly Marxism, but really it could not endure any Marxist criticism. There was never any socialism anywhere!

In the twentieth century, we passed through a system of utopian socialism as proof that this was not socialism that was not possible, but for the utopia of writers before and after Marx. We were visited by a utopian socialism, which at the contemporary stage is simply capitalism – state, monopolistic.

There is no better application of Keynes’s doctrine than the “socialism” of the twentieth century. His “planned capitalism” is actually “planned socialism.”

About the
Todor Bombov lives in Varna, Bulgaria, the town called the Pearl of Black Sea.]]> 269 Todor Bombov 1681819643 Alex 5 4.28 2017 Socialism Is Dead! Long Live Socialism!: The Marx Code—Socialism with a Human Face: A New World Order
author: Todor Bombov
name: Alex
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story]]> 32722510 368 Diane Ackerman 0393354253 Alex 3 3.47 2007 The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
author: Diane Ackerman
name: Alex
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2007
rating: 3
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date added: 2025/05/06
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]]> Letters to a Young Poet 46199
A hugely influential collection for writers and artists of all kinds, Rilke's profound and lyrical letters to a young friend advise on writing, love, sex, suffering and the nature of advice itself.]]> 80 Rainer Maria Rilke 0486422453 Alex 5 4.30 1929 Letters to a Young Poet
author: Rainer Maria Rilke
name: Alex
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1929
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Consequences of Capitalism: Manufacturing Discontent and Resistance]]> 54546067

Is there an alternative to capitalism? In this landmark text Chomsky and Waterstone chart a critical map for a more just and sustainable society.

'Covid-19 has revealed glaring failures and monstrous brutalities in the current capitalist system. It represents both a crisis and an opportunity. Everything depends on the actions that people take into their own hands.'

How does politics shape our world, our lives and our perceptions? How much of 'common sense' is actually driven by the ruling classes' needs and interests? And how are we to challenge the capitalist structures that now threaten all life on the planet?

Consequences of Capitalism exposes the deep, often unseen connections between neoliberal 'common sense' and structural power. In making these linkages, we see how the current hegemony keeps social justice movements divided and marginalized. And, most importantly, we see how we can fight to overcome these divisions.]]> 388 Noam Chomsky 0241482615 Alex 1 4.31 2020 Consequences of Capitalism: Manufacturing Discontent and Resistance
author: Noam Chomsky
name: Alex
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2020
rating: 1
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]]> The Cure for Dreaming 20702018 352 Cat Winters 1419712160 Alex 5 3.92 2014 The Cure for Dreaming
author: Cat Winters
name: Alex
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2014
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/04/06
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]]> Turtle in Paradise 6871737
She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935 and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to live with relatives she's never met. Florida's like nothing Turtle's ever seen before though. It's hot and strange, full of ragtag boy cousins, family secrets, scams, and even buried pirate treasure! Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she's spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. Filled with adventure, humor and heart, Turtle in Paradise is an instant classic both boys and girls will love.]]> 177 Jennifer L. Holm 0375836888 Alex 4 3.94 2010 Turtle in Paradise
author: Jennifer L. Holm
name: Alex
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[It's in His Kiss (Bridgertons, #7)]]> 110393 Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth’s sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past… and the key to his future. The problem is—it’s written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.

Meet Our Heroine…
All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She’s fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there’s something about her—something charming and vexing—that grabs him and won’t quite let go…

Meet Poor Mr. Mozart…
Or don’t. But rest assured, he’s spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual–and annually discordant—Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth’s every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other… and that there is nothing as simple—or as complicated—as a single, perfect kiss.]]> 384 Julia Quinn 006053124X Alex 2 3.93 2005 It's in His Kiss (Bridgertons, #7)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Alex
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2005
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Mistress of Rome (The Empress of Rome, #1)]]> 49570871 The first in an unforgettable historical saga from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network.


First-century Rome: A ruthless emperor watches over all--and fixes his gaze on one young woman...

Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia. Now she has infuriated her mistress by capturing the attention of Rome's newest and most savage gladiator--and though his love brings Thea the first happiness of her life, their affair ends quickly when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.

Remaking herself as a singer for Rome's aristocrats, Thea unwittingly attracts another admirer: the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But the passions of an all-powerful man come with a heavy price, and Thea finds herself fighting for both her soul and her sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor's mistress.]]> 470 Kate Quinn 0425232476 Alex 5 3.87 2010 Mistress of Rome (The Empress of Rome, #1)
author: Kate Quinn
name: Alex
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2010
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe]]> 9375 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a now-classic novel about two women: Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age, and gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode, who is telling her life story. Her tale includes two more women, the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, offering good coffee, southern barbecue, and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder. And as the past unfolds, the present will never be quite the same again.]]> 416 Fannie Flagg 0375508414 Alex 4 4.28 1987 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
author: Fannie Flagg
name: Alex
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1987
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Pardonable Lies (Maisie Dobbs, #3)]]> 7432
A deathbed plea from his wife leads Sir Cecil Lawton to seek the aid of Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator. As Maisie soon learns, Agnes Lawton never accepted that her aviator son was killed in the Great War, a torment that led her not only to the edge of madness but to the doors of those who practice the dark arts and commune with the spirit world.

In accepting the assignment, Maisie finds her spiritual strength tested, as well as her regard for her mentor, Maurice Blanche. The mission also brings her together once again with her college friend Priscilla Evernden, who served in France and who lost three brothers to the war — one of whom, it turns out, had an intriguing connection to the missing Ralph Lawton.]]> 342 Jacqueline Winspear 0312426216 Alex 5 4.06 2005 Pardonable Lies (Maisie Dobbs, #3)
author: Jacqueline Winspear
name: Alex
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/04/06
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]]> Malibu Rising 55404546 Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.]]> 369 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798657 Alex 3 4.01 2021 Malibu Rising
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Alex
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 3
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]]> The Virgin Blue 2873 The Virgin Blue is a novel of passion and intrigue that compels readers to the very last page.]]> 304 Tracy Chevalier 0452284449 Alex 3 3.68 1997 The Virgin Blue
author: Tracy Chevalier
name: Alex
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1997
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici]]> 6082552

From Jeanne Kalogridis, the bestselling author of I, Mona Lisa and The Borgia Bride, comes a new novel that tells the passionate story of a queen who loved not wisely . . . but all too well.

Confidante of Nostradamus, scheming mother-in-law to Mary, Queen of Scots, and architect of the bloody St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Catherine de Medici is one of the most maligned monarchs in history. In her latest historical fiction, Jeanne Kalogridis tells Catherine’s story—that of a tender young girl, destined to be a pawn in Machiavellian games.

Born into one of Florence’s most powerful families, Catherine was soon left a fabulously rich heiress by the early deaths of her parents. Violent conflict rent the city state and she found herself imprisoned and threatened by her family’s enemies before finally being released and married off to the handsome Prince Henry of France.

Overshadowed by her husband’s mistress, the gorgeous, conniving Diane de Poitiers, and unable to bear children, Catherine resorted to the dark arts of sorcery to win Henry’s love and enhance her fertility—for which she would pay a price. Against the lavish and decadent backdrop of the French court, and Catherine’s blood-soaked visions of the future, Kalogridis reveals the great love and desire Catherine bore for her husband, Henry, and her stark determination to keep her sons on the throne.

]]> 468 Jeanne Kalogridis 0312368437 Alex 4 3.93 2009 The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici
author: Jeanne Kalogridis
name: Alex
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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]]> March 13529 Winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

From the author of the acclaimed Year of Wonders, a historical novel and love story set during a time of catastrophe, on the front lines of the American Civil War. Acclaimed author Geraldine Brooks gives us the story of the absent father from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women—and conjures a world of brutality, stubborn courage and transcendent love. An idealistic abolitionist, March has gone as chaplain to serve the Union cause. But the war tests his faith not only in the Union—which is also capable of barbarism and racism—but in himself. As he recovers from a near-fatal illness, March must reassemble and reconnect with his family, who have no idea of what he has endured. A love story set in a time of catastrophe, March explores the passions between a man and a woman, the tenderness of parent and child, and the life-changing power of an ardently held belief.]]> 280 Geraldine Brooks Alex 5 3.78 2005 March
author: Geraldine Brooks
name: Alex
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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]]> Rose Under Fire 17262236
Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.]]> 360 Elizabeth Wein 1423183096 Alex 5 4.10 2013 Rose Under Fire
author: Elizabeth Wein
name: Alex
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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]]> The Full Circle for Mick 227874701 332 Michael G. Kramer 1763586073 Alex 4 4.32 The Full Circle for Mick
author: Michael G. Kramer
name: Alex
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 4
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]]> Madame Tussaud 8689913
Smart and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie's museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, and even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, yet her greatest dream is to attract the attention of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI; their stamp of approval on her work could catapult her and her museum to the fame and riches she desires. After months of anticipation, Marie learns that the royal family is willing to come and see their likenesses. When they finally arrive, the king's sister is so impressed that she requests Marie's presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. It is a request Marie knows she cannot refuse - even if it means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles.

As Marie gets to know her pupil, Princesse Élisabeth, she also becomes acquainted with the king and queen, who introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with more delicacies than she's ever seen to rooms filled with candles lit only once before being discarded, Marie steps into a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.

Meanwhile, many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and cafés across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon, there's whispered talk of revolution... Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more important, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?

Spanning five years, from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom]]> 446 Michelle Moran 0307588653 Alex 5 3.95 2011 Madame Tussaud
author: Michelle Moran
name: Alex
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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]]> Cane River 5167 A New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club Pick-the unique and deeply moving saga of four generations of African-American women whose journey from slavery to freedom begins on a Creole plantation in Louisiana.

Beginning with her great-great-great-great grandmother, a slave owned by a Creole family, Lalita Tademy chronicles four generations of strong, determined black women as they battle injustice to unite their family and forge success on their own terms. They are women whose lives begin in slavery, who weather the Civil War, and who grapple with contradictions of emancipation, Jim Crow, and the pre-Civil Rights South. As she peels back layers of racial and cultural attitudes, Tademy paints a remarkable picture of rural Louisiana and the resilient spirit of one unforgettable family.

There is Elisabeth, who bears both a proud legacy and the yoke of bondage... her youngest daughter, Suzette, who is the first to discover the promise-and heartbreak-of freedom... Suzette's strong-willed daughter Philomene, who uses a determination born of tragedy to reunite her family and gain unheard-of economic independence... and Emily, Philomene's spirited daughter, who fights to secure her children's just due and preserve their dignity and future.

Meticulously researched and beautifully written, Cane River presents a slice of American history never before seen in such piercing and personal detail.

]]> 522 Lalita Tademy 0446678457 Alex 3 4.08 2001 Cane River
author: Lalita Tademy
name: Alex
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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]]> Big Lies in a Small Town 45046808
North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?]]> 391 Diane Chamberlain 1250087333 Alex 4 4.09 2020 Big Lies in a Small Town
author: Diane Chamberlain
name: Alex
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Man in the High Castle (Vintage)]]> 216363 I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some twenty years earlier the United States lost a war—and is now occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan.

This harrowing, Hugo Award-winning novel is the work that established Philip K. Dick as an innovator in science fiction while breaking the barrier between science fiction and the serious novel of ideas. In it Dick offers a haunting vision of history as a nightmare from which it may just be possible to wake.]]> 259 Philip K. Dick 0679740678 Alex 5 3.63 1962 The Man in the High Castle (Vintage)
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Alex
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1962
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Dante Club (The Dante Club, #1)]]> 18402 424 Matthew Pearl 034549038X Alex 5 3.43 2003 The Dante Club (The Dante Club, #1)
author: Matthew Pearl
name: Alex
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2003
rating: 5
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]]> The Masterpiece 37504654 In her latest captivating novel, nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis takes readers into the glamorous lost art school within Grand Central Terminal, where two very different women, fifty years apart, strive to make their mark on a world set against them.

For the nearly nine million people who live in New York City, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different.

For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future, which she is certain will shine as the brightly as the constellations on the main concourse ceiling. It is 1928, and twenty-five-year-old Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. A talented illustrator, she has dreams of creating cover art for Vogue, but not even the prestige of the school can override the public's disdain for a "woman artist." Brash, fiery, confident, and single-minded—even while juggling the affections of two men, a wealthy would-be poet and a brilliant experimental painter—Clara is determined to achieve every creative success. But she and her bohemian friends have no idea that they'll soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression, an insatiable monster with the power to destroy the entire art scene. And even poverty and hunger will do little to prepare Clara for the greater tragedy yet to come.

Nearly fifty years later, in 1974, the terminal has declined almost as sharply as Virginia Clay's life. Full of grime and danger, from the smoke-blackened ceiling to the pickpockets and drug dealers who roam the floor, Grand Central is at the center of a fierce lawsuit: Is the once-grand building a landmark to be preserved, or a cancer to be demolished? For Virginia, it is simply her last resort. Recently divorced, she has just accepted a job in the information booth in order to support herself and her college-age daughter, Ruby. But when Virginia stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the terminal and discovers a striking watercolor hidden under the dust, her eyes are opened to the elegance beneath the decay. She embarks on a quest to find the artist of the unsigned masterpiece—an impassioned chase that draws Virginia not only into the battle to save Grand Central but deep into the mystery of Clara Darden, the famed 1920s illustrator who disappeared from history in 1931.]]> 368 Fiona Davis 1524742953 Alex 4 3.79 2018 The Masterpiece
author: Fiona Davis
name: Alex
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Sky in the Deep (Sky and Sea, #1)]]> 34726469
Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

Part Wonder Woman, part Vikings—and all heart.]]> 340 Adrienne Young 1250168457 Alex 5 3.91 2018 Sky in the Deep (Sky and Sea, #1)
author: Adrienne Young
name: Alex
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2018
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Being a Witch, and Other Things I Didn't Ask For]]> 34186576
Emotionally wounded, she’s spikey and keeps people at bay. Her unbridled emotions accidentally fling her to 1645 England amidst their deadliest witch trials, along with an equally smart-aleck talking cat. Her modern clothes and inexplicable sudden appearance bring her under suspicion of the historic "Witch-Finder General", Matthew Hopkins.

Despite people trying to help her come home, she sticks her fingers in it again and transports to 1645 Istanbul, where life is leaps and bounds ahead of England's. There she meets extraordinary historical figures as well as ordinary people. She starts to let family-type love in. Only through mending her heart does she have a chance of coming home.

“Raya’s bittersweet memories of her mother are absolutely heartbreaking and serve as an important touchstone for readers who may have experienced similar trauma. The author’s talent for balancing real-world issues with adrenaline-pumping exploits through time (including a perilous sojourn to 17th-century Istanbul) is impressive, as are her richly detailed descriptions of various people and places.”
Kirkus Starred Review – Verdict: Get it.]]> 380 Sara Pascoe 0993574734 Alex 5 4.28 2015 Being a Witch, and Other Things I Didn't Ask For
author: Sara Pascoe
name: Alex
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/02/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Perfect (Pretty Little Liars, #3)]]> 1651302 IN ROSEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, FOUR PERFECT-LOOKING GIRLS AREN'T NEARLY AS PERFECT AS THEY SEEM.

Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.

Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say... or else!]]> 298 Sara Shepard 0060887370 Alex 4 3.94 2007 Perfect (Pretty Little Liars, #3)
author: Sara Shepard
name: Alex
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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]]> You'll Be the Death of Me 56200366
Type A Ivy lost a student council election to the class clown, and now she has to face the school, humiliated. Heartthrob Mateo is burned out--he's been working two jobs since his family's business failed. And outsider Cal just got stood up.... again.

So when Cal pulls into campus late for class and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They'll ditch and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Except they've barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say...

Until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school--and follow him to the scene of his own murder. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it's about to get worse.

It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common. They all have a connection to the dead kid. And they're all hiding something.

Now they're all wondering--could it be that their chance reconnection wasn't by chance after all?

From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand-new pulse-pounding thriller. It's Ferris Bueller's Day Off with murder when three old friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly--and fatally--wrong.]]> 336 Karen M. McManus 0593175867 Alex 4 3.72 2021 You'll Be the Death of Me
author: Karen M. McManus
name: Alex
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2021
rating: 4
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]]> Incarnate (Newsoul, #1) 8573642
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.]]> 374 Jodi Meadows 0062060759 Alex 3 3.74 2012 Incarnate (Newsoul, #1)
author: Jodi Meadows
name: Alex
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2012
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Queen of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, #2)]]> 40158 Revenge

When Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eugenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered... she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge.

...but

Eugenides can steal anything. And he taunts the Queen of Attolia, moving through her strongholds seemingly at will. So Attolia waits, secure in the knowledge that the Thief will slip, that he will haunt her palace one too many times.

…at what price?

When Eugenides finds his small mountain country at war with Attolia, he must steal a man, he must steal a queen, he must steal peace. But his greatest triumph—and his greatest loss—comes in capturing something that the Queen of Attolia thought she had sacrificed long ago...

Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL) and Bulletin Blue Ribbon Best of 2000 Award.]]> 362 Megan Whalen Turner 0060841826 Alex 4 4.17 2000 The Queen of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, #2)
author: Megan Whalen Turner
name: Alex
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Exiled Queen (Seven Realms, #2)]]> 7801229
Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden's Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

Everything changes when Han and Raisa’s paths cross, in this epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.]]> 586 Cinda Williams Chima 1423118243 Alex 5 4.32 2010 The Exiled Queen (Seven Realms, #2)
author: Cinda Williams Chima
name: Alex
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2010
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo, #5)]]> 48717744 416 Rick Riordan 1484746457 Alex 5 4.44 2020 The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo, #5)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Alex
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Wideacre (The Wideacre Trilogy, #1)]]> 16188 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory comes the stunning first novel of a thrilling trilogy about the Lacey family, and the captivating woman at the heart of a power-hungry estate willing to go to any means to protect her family name.Beatrice Lacey, as strong-minded as she is beautiful, refuses to conform to the social customs of her time. Destined to lose her heritage and beloved Wideacre estate once she is wed, Beatrice will use any means necessary to protect her ancestral name. Seduction, betrayal, even murder—Beatrice’s passion is without apology or conscience. “She is a Lacey of Wideacre,” her father warns, “and whatever she does, however she behaves, will always be fitting.” Yet even as Beatrice’s scheming seems about to yield her dream, she is haunted by the one living person who knows the extent of her plans...and her capacity for evil. Sumptuously set in Georgian England from the “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY), Wideacre is intensely gripping, rich in texture, and full of color and authenticity. It is a saga as irresistible in its singular magic as its heroine.]]> 688 Philippa Gregory 0743249291 Alex 5 3.33 1987 Wideacre (The Wideacre Trilogy, #1)
author: Philippa Gregory
name: Alex
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1987
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/12/24
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]]> Summer of '69 42283286

Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha's Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. And thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, while each of them hides a troubling secret.


As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country. In her first historical novel, rich with the details of an era that shaped both a nation and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again earns her title as queen of the summer novel.]]> 432 Elin Hilderbrand 0316420018 Alex 3 3.91 2019 Summer of '69
author: Elin Hilderbrand
name: Alex
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 3
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date added: 2024/12/24
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits, #1)]]> 42117380
Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.

While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?]]> 336 Olivia Waite 0062931784 Alex 5 3.92 2019 The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits, #1)
author: Olivia Waite
name: Alex
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/12/24
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