Sasha's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 23 Apr 2025 01:56:25 -0700 60 Sasha's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Flatshare 48715812 here.

Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap.

Desperation makes her open-minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night-shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He¡¯ll be there only when she¡¯s at the office. In fact, they¡¯ll never even have to meet.

Of course, since they live together, sometimes they do need to share information. Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes¡ªfirst about what day is garbage day, then politely establishing which leftovers are up for grabs and debating the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Soon, they're sharing details of their lives: their work, their families, their romances. And it's amazing how much they learn about their flatmate just by sharing a space.

Even though they are complete opposites, Tiffy and Leon soon become friends. And then maybe more.

But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea . . . especially if you've never met. What happens when you finally bump into each other?

A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of places¡ªunder the same roof.]]> 328 Beth O'Leary 1250295637 Sasha 0 to-read 3.98 2019 The Flatshare
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mexican Gothic 53117768
Noem¨ª is also an unlikely rescuer: She¡¯s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she¡¯s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin¡¯s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noem¨ª; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi¡¯s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family¡¯s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noem¨ª, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family¡¯s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family¡¯s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noem¨ª digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noem¨ª, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 320 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 0525620796 Sasha 5 favorites OMG wtf just happened!!??


I did NOT expect this book to affect me like that. It scared the shit out of me and creeped me out so much I had trouble sleeping. I kept holding my breath throughout this book without knowing it. And I was sweating with anxiousness. And I'm just literally SHOOK.

I mean this book is so scary, super creepy, sometimes horribly disgusting, dark but also captivating, really funny, romantic and beautifully written!!!

Also special appreciation moment for the protagonist Noemi, she's a QUEEN! One of my favourite protagonists of all time. Period!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I'm a fan!

Now I just wanna know when the movie's coming.]]> 3.65 2020 Mexican Gothic
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/21
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: favorites
review:
OMG wtf just happened!!??


I did NOT expect this book to affect me like that. It scared the shit out of me and creeped me out so much I had trouble sleeping. I kept holding my breath throughout this book without knowing it. And I was sweating with anxiousness. And I'm just literally SHOOK.

I mean this book is so scary, super creepy, sometimes horribly disgusting, dark but also captivating, really funny, romantic and beautifully written!!!

Also special appreciation moment for the protagonist Noemi, she's a QUEEN! One of my favourite protagonists of all time. Period!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I'm a fan!

Now I just wanna know when the movie's coming.
]]> Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Sasha 4 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/16
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)]]> 36307634 Face your demons... or feed them.

The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country's bloody civil war--and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka's coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried--and some wounds aren't meant to heal.]]> 511 Leigh Bardugo 125014227X Sasha 4 3.5 stars

King of Scars is a great book but... it could've been greater.

I love Leigh Bardugo. I really do. When i read the Six of Crows duology, i completely fell in love with her writing. And i was looking for that captivating and magical writing of hers and the amazing plots she is so expert in creating. But this book lacks that energy.


The plot is amazing but the pacing is off. I mean it takes at least 250 pages for the story to start. But when it does start it's pretty engrossing. It's not that action packed, full of plot twists book like Six of Crows. But there's a mystery about Nikolai's demon and dark things happening all around Ravka and who or what is causing all these mysterious happenings. It's pretty terrifying once you get clues about who actually may be behind it all [spoilers removed]

The main reason I read this book was.. Nikolai! Who wouldn't fall in love with that golden haired sassy ass King?? Oh i did (forgive me for being creepy but i i have a tendency of falling for fictional characters and i can talk about them all day though i'm not gonna bore you with that now) I mean the moment he showed up in the Grisha Trilogy I was smitten!! (again forgive me) I was looking forward for all the charm and humour but.. i was let down. He's still funny and sassy but he's missing that spark which i fell so hard for in the Grisha Trilogy. There's something lacking in his character. This Nikolai walked but the Grisha Trilogy Nikolai ran. He shined. All that said I still liked that we got to know more about his past, how his childhood was as a prince and how he gradually became the charming and mastermind Sturmhond. But somehow the depth dimmed his character. But I still love him, he still shines and he's still


My second favourite character is of course Zoya. She's such a badass and powerful heroine. So confident! And the banter between her and Nikolai was so fun. I totally ship them. And i really liked the depth was added to the character. I liked reading about her past and it explains why she is the bitch that she is today lol. But i think she takes it to too much extent in some moments. I mean i understand being confident and emotionally repressed but she's too rude to others sometimes. And also the explanation why she chose Alina's side in the Grisha Trilogy was much appreciated (cuz I lost all my brain cells trying to understand that sudden change of heart.)

Nina's character was completely different from the Six of Crows duology. And i understand why and I'm still hurt about that. Honestly everytime Mathias's name was mentioned my heart hurt! He did NOT deserve that ending! And that scene when she finally says goodbye to him, i mean i knew it was coming but.. *excuse me while I go cry it out into my pillow* I did think Nina's storyline would eventually link to Nikolai and Zoya's but that didn't happen. But her storyline was pretty dark and awesome though. It actually gave me chills.

There were four POVs in this book. At first when i read Isaak's story, i thought it was useless and messed with the flow of the story. But in the end it made more sense and i actually loved it tbh. [spoilers removed]

I don't know how I feel about the ending yet. I mean i liked a *certain* character's return (and it scared me a bit tbh) [spoilers removed] but the way it all happened seemed rushed and didn't make much sense. Idk i guess I'll just have to reread the book. *like that's ever going to happen*

Overall I didn't get what i expected but I think the second book is gonna make up for it all. I'm pretty excited to read what's gonan happen next. Kinda scared to. And i absolutely love the characters so I'm really looking forward to read more about them.

So I'll see you soon Nikolai!

Merged review:

3.5 stars

King of Scars is a great book but... it could've been greater.

I love Leigh Bardugo. I really do. When i read the Six of Crows duology, i completely fell in love with her writing. And i was looking for that captivating and magical writing of hers and the amazing plots she is so expert in creating. But this book lacks that energy.


The plot is amazing but the pacing is off. I mean it takes at least 250 pages for the story to start. But when it does start it's pretty engrossing. It's not that action packed, full of plot twists book like Six of Crows. But there's a mystery about Nikolai's demon and dark things happening all around Ravka and who or what is causing all these mysterious happenings. It's pretty terrifying once you get clues about who actually may be behind it all [spoilers removed]

The main reason I read this book was.. Nikolai! Who wouldn't fall in love with that golden haired sassy ass King?? Oh i did (forgive me for being creepy but i i have a tendency of falling for fictional characters and i can talk about them all day though i'm not gonna bore you with that now) I mean the moment he showed up in the Grisha Trilogy I was smitten!! (again forgive me) I was looking forward for all the charm and humour but.. i was let down. He's still funny and sassy but he's missing that spark which i fell so hard for in the Grisha Trilogy. There's something lacking in his character. This Nikolai walked but the Grisha Trilogy Nikolai ran. He shined. All that said I still liked that we got to know more about his past, how his childhood was as a prince and how he gradually became the charming and mastermind Sturmhond. But somehow the depth dimmed his character. But I still love him, he still shines and he's still


My second favourite character is of course Zoya. She's such a badass and powerful heroine. So confident! And the banter between her and Nikolai was so fun. I totally ship them. And i really liked the depth was added to the character. I liked reading about her past and it explains why she is the bitch that she is today lol. But i think she takes it to too much extent in some moments. I mean i understand being confident and emotionally repressed but she's too rude to others sometimes. And also the explanation why she chose Alina's side in the Grisha Trilogy was much appreciated (cuz I lost all my brain cells trying to understand that sudden change of heart.)

Nina's character was completely different from the Six of Crows duology. And i understand why and I'm still hurt about that. Honestly everytime Mathias's name was mentioned my heart hurt! He did NOT deserve that ending! And that scene when she finally says goodbye to him, i mean i knew it was coming but.. *excuse me while I go cry it out into my pillow* I did think Nina's storyline would eventually link to Nikolai and Zoya's but that didn't happen. But her storyline was pretty dark and awesome though. It actually gave me chills.

There were four POVs in this book. At first when i read Isaak's story, i thought it was useless and messed with the flow of the story. But in the end it made more sense and i actually loved it tbh. [spoilers removed]

I don't know how I feel about the ending yet. I mean i liked a *certain* character's return (and it scared me a bit tbh) [spoilers removed] but the way it all happened seemed rushed and didn't make much sense. Idk i guess I'll just have to reread the book. *like that's ever going to happen*

Overall I didn't get what i expected but I think the second book is gonna make up for it all. I'm pretty excited to read what's gonan happen next. Kinda scared to. And i absolutely love the characters so I'm really looking forward to read more about them.

So I'll see you soon Nikolai!]]> 4.16 2019 King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/26
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars

King of Scars is a great book but... it could've been greater.

I love Leigh Bardugo. I really do. When i read the Six of Crows duology, i completely fell in love with her writing. And i was looking for that captivating and magical writing of hers and the amazing plots she is so expert in creating. But this book lacks that energy.


The plot is amazing but the pacing is off. I mean it takes at least 250 pages for the story to start. But when it does start it's pretty engrossing. It's not that action packed, full of plot twists book like Six of Crows. But there's a mystery about Nikolai's demon and dark things happening all around Ravka and who or what is causing all these mysterious happenings. It's pretty terrifying once you get clues about who actually may be behind it all [spoilers removed]

The main reason I read this book was.. Nikolai! Who wouldn't fall in love with that golden haired sassy ass King?? Oh i did (forgive me for being creepy but i i have a tendency of falling for fictional characters and i can talk about them all day though i'm not gonna bore you with that now) I mean the moment he showed up in the Grisha Trilogy I was smitten!! (again forgive me) I was looking forward for all the charm and humour but.. i was let down. He's still funny and sassy but he's missing that spark which i fell so hard for in the Grisha Trilogy. There's something lacking in his character. This Nikolai walked but the Grisha Trilogy Nikolai ran. He shined. All that said I still liked that we got to know more about his past, how his childhood was as a prince and how he gradually became the charming and mastermind Sturmhond. But somehow the depth dimmed his character. But I still love him, he still shines and he's still


My second favourite character is of course Zoya. She's such a badass and powerful heroine. So confident! And the banter between her and Nikolai was so fun. I totally ship them. And i really liked the depth was added to the character. I liked reading about her past and it explains why she is the bitch that she is today lol. But i think she takes it to too much extent in some moments. I mean i understand being confident and emotionally repressed but she's too rude to others sometimes. And also the explanation why she chose Alina's side in the Grisha Trilogy was much appreciated (cuz I lost all my brain cells trying to understand that sudden change of heart.)

Nina's character was completely different from the Six of Crows duology. And i understand why and I'm still hurt about that. Honestly everytime Mathias's name was mentioned my heart hurt! He did NOT deserve that ending! And that scene when she finally says goodbye to him, i mean i knew it was coming but.. *excuse me while I go cry it out into my pillow* I did think Nina's storyline would eventually link to Nikolai and Zoya's but that didn't happen. But her storyline was pretty dark and awesome though. It actually gave me chills.

There were four POVs in this book. At first when i read Isaak's story, i thought it was useless and messed with the flow of the story. But in the end it made more sense and i actually loved it tbh. [spoilers removed]

I don't know how I feel about the ending yet. I mean i liked a *certain* character's return (and it scared me a bit tbh) [spoilers removed] but the way it all happened seemed rushed and didn't make much sense. Idk i guess I'll just have to reread the book. *like that's ever going to happen*

Overall I didn't get what i expected but I think the second book is gonna make up for it all. I'm pretty excited to read what's gonan happen next. Kinda scared to. And i absolutely love the characters so I'm really looking forward to read more about them.

So I'll see you soon Nikolai!

Merged review:

3.5 stars

King of Scars is a great book but... it could've been greater.

I love Leigh Bardugo. I really do. When i read the Six of Crows duology, i completely fell in love with her writing. And i was looking for that captivating and magical writing of hers and the amazing plots she is so expert in creating. But this book lacks that energy.


The plot is amazing but the pacing is off. I mean it takes at least 250 pages for the story to start. But when it does start it's pretty engrossing. It's not that action packed, full of plot twists book like Six of Crows. But there's a mystery about Nikolai's demon and dark things happening all around Ravka and who or what is causing all these mysterious happenings. It's pretty terrifying once you get clues about who actually may be behind it all [spoilers removed]

The main reason I read this book was.. Nikolai! Who wouldn't fall in love with that golden haired sassy ass King?? Oh i did (forgive me for being creepy but i i have a tendency of falling for fictional characters and i can talk about them all day though i'm not gonna bore you with that now) I mean the moment he showed up in the Grisha Trilogy I was smitten!! (again forgive me) I was looking forward for all the charm and humour but.. i was let down. He's still funny and sassy but he's missing that spark which i fell so hard for in the Grisha Trilogy. There's something lacking in his character. This Nikolai walked but the Grisha Trilogy Nikolai ran. He shined. All that said I still liked that we got to know more about his past, how his childhood was as a prince and how he gradually became the charming and mastermind Sturmhond. But somehow the depth dimmed his character. But I still love him, he still shines and he's still


My second favourite character is of course Zoya. She's such a badass and powerful heroine. So confident! And the banter between her and Nikolai was so fun. I totally ship them. And i really liked the depth was added to the character. I liked reading about her past and it explains why she is the bitch that she is today lol. But i think she takes it to too much extent in some moments. I mean i understand being confident and emotionally repressed but she's too rude to others sometimes. And also the explanation why she chose Alina's side in the Grisha Trilogy was much appreciated (cuz I lost all my brain cells trying to understand that sudden change of heart.)

Nina's character was completely different from the Six of Crows duology. And i understand why and I'm still hurt about that. Honestly everytime Mathias's name was mentioned my heart hurt! He did NOT deserve that ending! And that scene when she finally says goodbye to him, i mean i knew it was coming but.. *excuse me while I go cry it out into my pillow* I did think Nina's storyline would eventually link to Nikolai and Zoya's but that didn't happen. But her storyline was pretty dark and awesome though. It actually gave me chills.

There were four POVs in this book. At first when i read Isaak's story, i thought it was useless and messed with the flow of the story. But in the end it made more sense and i actually loved it tbh. [spoilers removed]

I don't know how I feel about the ending yet. I mean i liked a *certain* character's return (and it scared me a bit tbh) [spoilers removed] but the way it all happened seemed rushed and didn't make much sense. Idk i guess I'll just have to reread the book. *like that's ever going to happen*

Overall I didn't get what i expected but I think the second book is gonna make up for it all. I'm pretty excited to read what's gonan happen next. Kinda scared to. And i absolutely love the characters so I'm really looking forward to read more about them.

So I'll see you soon Nikolai!
]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume Four (Heartstopper, #4)]]> 53471179 Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fourth volume of HEARTSTOPPER, for fans of The Art of Being Normal, Holly Bourne and Love, Simon.

Charlie didn't think Nick could ever like him back, but now they're officially boyfriends. Charlie's beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you.

Nick's been feeling the same, but he's got a lot on his mind - not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.

As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.

Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

This is the fourth volume of Heartstopper, which has now been optioned for television by See-Saw Films.]]> 384 Alice Oseman 1444952803 Sasha 5 This was so adorable but also quite heartbreaking to read. The mental health representation is done so well and Charlie's journey literally brought me to tears. This is definitely my favorite one so far. I can't wait to watch these characters on the show!]]> 4.58 2021 Heartstopper: Volume Four (Heartstopper, #4)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/05
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
This was so adorable but also quite heartbreaking to read. The mental health representation is done so well and Charlie's journey literally brought me to tears. This is definitely my favorite one so far. I can't wait to watch these characters on the show!
]]> <![CDATA[Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow, #3)]]> 55602827 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell's epic fantasy, the Simon Snow trilogy, concludes with Any Way the Wind Blows.

In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong.

In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward.

For Simon, that means deciding whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages ¡ª and if he doesn't, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she's smuggled an American Normal into London, and now she isn't sure what to do with him. And Agatha? Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough.

Any Way the Wind Blows takes the gang back to England, back to Watford, and back to their families for their longest and most emotionally wrenching adventure yet.

This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest.

Carry On was conceived as a book about Chosen One stories; Any Way the Wind Blows is an ending about endings. About catharsis and closure, and how we choose to move on from the traumas and triumphs that try to define us.]]> 592 Rainbow Rowell 1250254345 Sasha 3 But there was not really a plot. It doesn't feel like the series has ended, there's way too many loose ends and i have so many questions. This book would seem totally pointless to the people who are not here just for Simon and Baz.]]> 4.21 2021 Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow, #3)
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/30
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
This book was only made for SnowBaz fans. The romance was absolutely beautiful, I loved all the Snow Baz content we get. Great fan service.
But there was not really a plot. It doesn't feel like the series has ended, there's way too many loose ends and i have so many questions. This book would seem totally pointless to the people who are not here just for Simon and Baz.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings, #2)]]> 37788991 In this highly anticipated sequel to the?New York Times?bestselling?The Gentleman¡¯s Guide to Vice and Virtue, Felicity Montague must use all her womanly wits and wiles to achieve her dreams of becoming a doctor¡ªeven if she has to scheme her way across Europe to do it. A must-have for fans of Mackenzi Lee¡¯s extraordinary and Stonewall Honor-winning novel.

A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind¡ªavoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a window of opportunity opens¡ªa doctor she idolizes is marrying an old friend of hers in Germany. Felicity believes if she could meet this man he could change her future, but she has no money of her own to make the trip. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity¡¯s way, so long as she¡¯s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid.

In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl¡¯s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.]]> 454 Mackenzi Lee 0062795341 Sasha 3 Your beauty is not a tax you are required to pay to take up space in this world.

This was a really fun adventure read.

Felicity was already my favourite character from The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and I was really excited to read her story in this book. I think she's one of the best female protagonists of YA books. Honestly, I loved all three main characters. Felicity, Johannah and Sim are so brave, inspiring and unique in their own way. They make such a great team together and I loved how their friendship evolved throughout the book, they had grudges of their own but still stood together against the world.
Felicity's character development was amazing, I liked that her prejudice against other women was challenged. I loved the message that women can love dresses and parties but they can still be doctors or pirates or anything they want to be. The messages in this book are so empowering!

The plot was great, though I didn't like it as much as the first book. It was amazing at first and I knew it was headed somewhere amazing, but the pacing was off. I don't know the story kinda dragged in the middle. And I lost my interest a bit. There were so many twists that seemed unnecessary to me and messed the flow of the story.
I also missed the humour from the first book. Honestly I missed Monty and Percy so much, I thought they'd be present in the whole story but there were only a few scenes with them. And I loved every single one of them and they were my favourite scenes tbh. They're so adorable and funny!

The ending couldn't have been better. Thank goodness! I'm totally satisfied with it. Lee did an incredible job. And I loved it and hope y'all read it and like it too!]]> 4.05 2018 The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings, #2)
author: Mackenzi Lee
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/12
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
Your beauty is not a tax you are required to pay to take up space in this world.

This was a really fun adventure read.

Felicity was already my favourite character from The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and I was really excited to read her story in this book. I think she's one of the best female protagonists of YA books. Honestly, I loved all three main characters. Felicity, Johannah and Sim are so brave, inspiring and unique in their own way. They make such a great team together and I loved how their friendship evolved throughout the book, they had grudges of their own but still stood together against the world.
Felicity's character development was amazing, I liked that her prejudice against other women was challenged. I loved the message that women can love dresses and parties but they can still be doctors or pirates or anything they want to be. The messages in this book are so empowering!

The plot was great, though I didn't like it as much as the first book. It was amazing at first and I knew it was headed somewhere amazing, but the pacing was off. I don't know the story kinda dragged in the middle. And I lost my interest a bit. There were so many twists that seemed unnecessary to me and messed the flow of the story.
I also missed the humour from the first book. Honestly I missed Monty and Percy so much, I thought they'd be present in the whole story but there were only a few scenes with them. And I loved every single one of them and they were my favourite scenes tbh. They're so adorable and funny!

The ending couldn't have been better. Thank goodness! I'm totally satisfied with it. Lee did an incredible job. And I loved it and hope y'all read it and like it too!
]]> Home Before Dark 48496939 In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father¡¯s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound - and dangerous - secrets hidden within its walls?

"What was it like? Living in that house?"

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a non-fiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity - and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father¡¯s book. But she also doesn¡¯t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don¡¯t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father¡¯s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren¡¯t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie¡¯s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself - a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father¡¯s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.]]> 397 Riley Sager 1524745189 Sasha 3 4.15 2020 Home Before Dark
author: Riley Sager
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:

]]> The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die 54750412
A child bride widowed at twelve, Pishima has finally passed away at the ripe old age of seventy. But she isn¡¯t letting go just yet. Pishima has long harbored a grudge against the Mitras for keeping her in perpetual widowhood, never allowed to fall in love.. Now, her ghost intends to meddle in their lives, making as much mischief as possible. Pishima gives Somlata the keys to her mysterious box of gold to keep it out of the Mitras¡¯ hands. However, the selfless Somlata, witnessing her new family waste away their wealth to the brink of bankruptcy, has her own ideas.]]> 156 Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay 0062976338 Sasha 4 3.63 2017 The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die
author: Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/10
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves:
review:
perfectly captivating from beginning to end. just wish there was a bit more to the ending.
]]> <![CDATA[I Was Born for This (I Was Born for This, #1)]]> 34325090
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He¡¯s their frontman ¨C and playing in a band is all he¡¯s ever dreamed of doing. It¡¯s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.

Because that¡¯s the problem with dreaming ¨C eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.]]> 396 Alice Oseman 0008244103 Sasha 5
Merged review:

Out of all the Alice Oseman books, this one is the most relatable to me.]]> 4.02 2018 I Was Born for This (I Was Born for This, #1)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/25
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves:
review:
Out of all the Alice Oseman books, this one is the most relatable to me.

Merged review:

Out of all the Alice Oseman books, this one is the most relatable to me.
]]> <![CDATA[The Murders of Molly Southbourne (Molly Southbourne, #1)]]> 34417038 The Murders of Molly Southbourne.

The rule is simple: don't bleed.

For as long as Molly Southbourne can remember, she's been watching herself die. Whenever she bleeds, another molly is born, identical to her in every way and intent on her destruction.

Molly knows every way to kill herself, but she also knows that as long as she survives she'll be hunted. No matter how well she follows the rules, eventually the mollys will find her. Can Molly find a way to stop the tide of blood, or will she meet her end at the hand of a girl who looks just like her?]]> 122 Tade Thompson Sasha 4 3.79 2017 The Murders of Molly Southbourne (Molly Southbourne, #1)
author: Tade Thompson
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/03
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic]]> 35516065 From bestselling author of SIX OF CROWS, Leigh Bardugo, comes a darkly atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice and love - each featuring a stunning illustration by Sara Kiplin.Inspired by myth, fairy tale and folklore, THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS will transport you to both lands familiar and strange that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, no. 1 New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans of the Grishaverse.This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them featuring a stunning illustration by Sara Kiplin, as rich in detail as the stories themselves.]]> 240 Leigh Bardugo 1510104437 Sasha 5 WOW these were some of the most wonderful short stories I've ever read. I'm SHOOK.

Leigh Bardugo is an absolute genius. or she's a witch cause she really knows how to put magic in her writing. At this point she could write a book filled with her random thoughts and I'd be the first in line to buy it.



I don't know how to put it into more words, it's soooo good. I just really recommend everyone to read these marvelous stories!]]> 4.20 2017 The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/07
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
WOW these were some of the most wonderful short stories I've ever read. I'm SHOOK.

Leigh Bardugo is an absolute genius. or she's a witch cause she really knows how to put magic in her writing. At this point she could write a book filled with her random thoughts and I'd be the first in line to buy it.



I don't know how to put it into more words, it's soooo good. I just really recommend everyone to read these marvelous stories!
]]> Fence, Vol. 1 40680873 107 C.S. Pacat 1641440074 Sasha 4 3.93 2017 Fence, Vol. 1
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Four: A Divergent Collection (Divergent Series Story)]]> 22021811 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by these four stories, each between fifty and seventy-five pages long, told from the perspective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included in this ebook bundle¡ª¡° The Transfer,¡± ¡° The Initiate,¡± ¡° The Son,¡± and ¡° The Traitor¡±¡ªgive readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the Divergent trilogy.

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation¡¯s faction leader did the same. Tobias¡¯s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened ¡°Four,¡± he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future¡ªand the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.]]> 0 Veronica Roth 0062359371 Sasha 2
This book confirms that Roth can't change narrative, i see no difference in Tris and Tobias's POV. I don't why this book was necessary, it didn't tell me anything i hadn't already known.
Only recommend it to diehard Divergent fans.]]> 4.15 2014 Four: A Divergent Collection (Divergent Series Story)
author: Veronica Roth
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2021/01/17
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:

This book confirms that Roth can't change narrative, i see no difference in Tris and Tobias's POV. I don't why this book was necessary, it didn't tell me anything i hadn't already known.
Only recommend it to diehard Divergent fans.
]]> Fence, Vol. 3 42933251
Sparks fly white-hot on the pitch as Nicholas and Seiji finally face off once again in the halls of King¡¯s Row. It¡¯s a match that will change King¡¯s Row (and both of them!) forever, and set the stage as the team journeys to face their bitter rivals and prove themselves once and for all.?

The third volume of the breakneck series from writer C.S. Pacat (The Captive Prince) and fan-favorite artist Johanna the Mad comes at you as fast as a parry and hits as hard as a strike.]]> 112 C.S. Pacat 1641441879 Sasha 4 4.16 2019 Fence, Vol. 3
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/18
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:

]]> These Violent Delights 53549678 The Secret History meets Call Me by Your Name in Micah Nemerever's compulsively enjoyable debut novel - a feverishly taut Hitchcockian story about two college students, each with his own troubled past, whose escalating obsession with one another leads to an act of unspeakable violence.

When Paul and Julian meet as university freshmen in early 1970s Pittsburgh, they are immediately drawn to one another. A talented artist, Paul is sensitive and agonizingly insecure, incomprehensible to his working-class family, and desolate with grief over his father's recent death. Paul sees his wealthy, effortlessly charming Julian as his sole intellectual equal - an ally against the conventional world he finds so suffocating. He idolizes his friend for his magnetic confidence. But as charismatic as he can choose to be, Julian also is volatile and capriciously cruel. An admiration isn't the same as trust.

As their friendship spirals into an all-consuming intimacy, Paul is desperate to protect their precarious bond, even as it becomes clear that pressures from the outside world are nothing compared with the brutality they are capable of inflicting on one another. Separation is out of the question. But as their orbit compresses and their grip on one another tightens, they are drawn to an act of irrevocable violence that will force the young men to confront a shattering truth at the core of their relationship.

Exquisitely plotted, unfolding with propulsive ferocity, These Violent Delights is a novel of escalating dread and an excavation of the unsettling depths of human desire.]]> 463 Micah Nemerever Sasha 0 3.84 2020 These Violent Delights
author: Micah Nemerever
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2023/11/09
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
dnf for now.. should i give it another try later??
]]> <![CDATA[Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)]]> 55084279 The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times¨Cbestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda¡¯s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm¡ªand even the monster within¡ªto win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king¡¯s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.]]> 598 Leigh Bardugo 1250809665 Sasha 5 Beautiful Fantastic Bewitching Brilliant and everything I needed!!

Leigh has a talent for getting you so invested in the characters and the stories that you could forget your own life.

This will contain spoilers from all the Grishaverse books!!


"I¡¯ll call it a victory.¡±
¡°Then enjoy it,¡± Tolya said, climbing atop his huge gelding.
¡°People only say that when they know it won¡¯t last.¡±
¡°Of course it won¡¯t last,¡± said Zoya. ¡°What does?¡±
¡°True love?¡± suggested Tamar.
¡°Great art?¡± said Tolya.
¡°A proper grudge,¡± replied Zoya.


Can i just talk about the characters of the grishaverse for a minute? OMG they're so, so well written and I've become so attached to all of them that it doesn't even matter to me anymore if it's a villain, it just hurts me when they get they hurt. I do hate them for the bad things they've done but I feel like I've known all of them for so long that I can't see them get hurt. It's kind of like a genuine love/hate relationship. And that's only the villains, it doesn't even compare to how much i care about the main characters, like i want to just pack them all in a case and keep them safe forever! They must be protected at all costs! They're so realistic and alive and spirited. And that's called good writing.

"The world might crumble, but Nikolai Lantsov would be holding up the ceiling with one hand and plucking a speck of dirt from his lapel with the other when it all went to ruin¡±

Nikolai. I absolutely adore him. In my review of King of Scars I talked about how Nikolai's character seemed a bit dull and that he wasn't himself completely. But in this book he was everything we loved about him in the Shadow and Bone series and more. He was charming, brave, a genius and a total badass. I love how loyal and dedicated he is to his country, he'll do anything to save it and to serve his people even if it's something that hurts him. He denies his heart and always thinks and acts logically when it comes to his country and people. He literally shone throughout the book. His ability to lighten up the mood everytime with his ridiculous jokes and always coming up with a way to get out of a difficult situation and the way he does it all with style and charisma is just fabulous. He's one of my all time favourite male characters and i really, absolutely loved him in this book. *heart eyes*

But lately it felt hard not to be known, like keeping herself together was all the more difficult without someone to see who she truly was.

Zoya is an absolute Queen and you can't convince me otherwise. Her character arc in this book was really wonderful. She's so strong, loyal and determined and it's clear how much she has changed since we saw for the first time in the Grisha trilogy and it's absolutely beautiful to see it. She's finally learned to let people in instead of pushing them away for the fear of hurting them or herself because of what she is. She learned to accept her flaws and her past and she's all the more stronger for it. I loved how she finally opened up and used all of the power she was given and damn she literally slayed all of them. One thing i love about Zoya is that she does NOT take shit from anyone, she's so edgy and fiery and she totally owns it. She really came through as the strongest character in this book. I LOVE HER.

Don¡¯t go,¡± he said, still half asleep.
¡°I have to bathe. I smell like a forest fire.¡±
¡°You smell like wildflowers. You always do. What can I say to make you stay?¡± His words trailed off into a drowsy mumble as he fell back asleep.
Tell me it¡¯s more than war and worry that makes you speak those words. Tell me what they would mean if you weren¡¯t a king and I weren¡¯t a soldier.

Now let's talk about Zoyalai. At first when i found out that Nikolai and Zoya were going to be the romance in this series, i was nervous about how it'd turn out to be because it was hard to imagine them together but now they're the end game for me. They're quite different characters but it works so well. They have all the chemistry and angst and softness for each other. I think they make each other better and stronger and they're just so amazing and cute together and I'm all for it. All of their little scenes throughout the book made me swoon. I totally ship them.

I'll tell you a thousand stories, my love. We'll write the new endings, one by one.

Nina is so precious to me and i just want to keep her safe forever! She has been through SO MUCH. And i was so worried about her after Crooked Kingdom because she was so devastated and her powers had also changed. But she's been so brave through everything, she has found herself again and a new purpose and it's a beautiful experience to see it all. And she's so heroic, to live in the enemy country and under the roof of the person who hunts Grisha for a living and try to change the ways of their country from within while also helping her own country by being a spy and trying to manipulate the monarchy to bring peace between both countries? She's amazing! I'm so proud of my waffle Queen. I didn't think I'd ship her with anyone but Mathias, but Hanne has really won my heart and I'm so glad they've found each other and are all happy and safe now. MY HEART IS FULL.

All the other side characters only made the book better. Grishaverse characters are so diverse and complex that i think every character could have their own books and I'd definitely be interested to know more about them. Honestly, I'd love to read more about the Shu Han monarchy, they seem really interesting and awesome.


The plot was so exciting and engaging. There was so much going on in this book i was holding my breath everytime i picked it up.There's so much action and many plot twists that literally shook me. There's not one dull moment. And there are multiple POVs and i became so easily invested in all of their stories because we get to see all the crazy things happening in different places at the same time. It's just all so exhilarating and that's why this book is better than The King of Scars, it was really hard to put it down. Leigh really delivered with this one.
I'm so glad that I got to read The Darkling's POV in this book. I've always wanted to read the story from his perspective. I wanted to know how he thinks and acts (and also what he really thinks about Alina though I didn't get much information in that territory). But I'm still grateful I finally got to see the world through his eyes!

There were so many times throughout the book when i was really tearing up or completely crying my eyes out and had to close the book for a moment to pull myself together because of what a emotional ride it is. Specially when David died. I wanted to throw the book away or clutch to my heart because it was so hard to read it. And the fact that he died on his wedding day? Why Leigh WHY?? I'll never forgive you for that, it hurt so much. I feel like Genya has suffered the most throughout the series and it kinda gets put under the rug. I'm so pissed about it, like why Genya? Why does SHE always have to suffer the most?? And she's so strong even after everything she's been through, even in her grief she puts on a brave face and is always ready to fight. And in the end when she finally let it all out in front of the Darkling, I was crying it hurt too much. It just pains me, like why are you after her Leigh? Why? I just wanna see good things for her in the future, NO MORE SUFFERING. #JusticeforGenya

I¡¯m not supposed to let you in,¡± Jesper said. Brekker seemed unperturbed. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because every time I do, you ask me to break the law.¡± A voice from behind Jesper said, ¡°The problem isn¡¯t that he asks, it¡¯s that you always say yes.

The cameos were the death of me. OMG. We. Got. To. See. The. Crows. I screamed when they came. Leigh always makes Kaz's entry so brilliant, i had to stop and breathe for a few minutes otherwise I would have burst from the excitement. I love how even for just a few pages they completely took over the story. I missed their banter and chaos and cleverness. Jesper and Wylan are still the cutest couple in the room. And the moment when Kaz stumbled a little when Nikolai said Inej's name? MY HEART! Ahh i could talk for hours about them, I'm just so happy to have new Crows content.


There was nothing else to do but keep moving forward. You chose your path. You walked it. You hoped to find a way home again.

The ending was really not what I was expecting. It was absolutely mind blowing. Even though I saw a spoiler on Google I still didn't expect Zoya to become the Queen and while I absolutely love it for her because she's really an amazing leader, I still think that Ravka is not ready for a Grisha queen yet and the fact that all the nobles of Ravka agreed to it right away was kind of strange and improbable. But i love it all the same, now Zoya can really make some changes in Ravka and with Nikolai by her side they'll be the best rulers Ravka had in a while, they make such a good team!
That last part when The Darkling sacrificed himself to save the world, even if it was for some selfish reason I was still bawling my eyes. That was one of most heartbreaking scene I've read in a while, it really shook me. I just don't want him to be hurt, i know that's toxic but I don't care, i already said i care too much about even the villains of grishaverse.

And then that last line:
Get a message to the Crow Club,¡± she said. ¡°Tell Kaz Brekker the queen of Ravka has a job for him.¡±
I was literally jumping from excitement. That's the ultimate cliffhanger and I can't wait for Six of Crows 3!!!
(See how i went from crying to jumping with excitement? Leigh's really playing with my emotions.)

None of this had been fated; none of it foretold. There had been no prophecies of a demon king or a dragon queen, a one-eyed Tailor, Heartrender twins. They were just the people who had shown up and managed to survive.
But maybe that was the trick of it: to survive, to dare to stay alive, to forge your own hope when all hope had run out.

To sum it all up, this book is everything i needed. It's a masterpiece and I'm so glad i picked it up, my life is complete. I love Leigh's writing SO MUCH, she makes me laugh and cry and then laugh again in a matter of moments and I can't wait to read more of her books. *chef's kiss*
If you don't pick this up after reading all this, you've got some issues.]]> 4.47 2021 Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/20
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
Beautiful Fantastic Bewitching Brilliant and everything I needed!!

Leigh has a talent for getting you so invested in the characters and the stories that you could forget your own life.

This will contain spoilers from all the Grishaverse books!!


"I¡¯ll call it a victory.¡±
¡°Then enjoy it,¡± Tolya said, climbing atop his huge gelding.
¡°People only say that when they know it won¡¯t last.¡±
¡°Of course it won¡¯t last,¡± said Zoya. ¡°What does?¡±
¡°True love?¡± suggested Tamar.
¡°Great art?¡± said Tolya.
¡°A proper grudge,¡± replied Zoya.


Can i just talk about the characters of the grishaverse for a minute? OMG they're so, so well written and I've become so attached to all of them that it doesn't even matter to me anymore if it's a villain, it just hurts me when they get they hurt. I do hate them for the bad things they've done but I feel like I've known all of them for so long that I can't see them get hurt. It's kind of like a genuine love/hate relationship. And that's only the villains, it doesn't even compare to how much i care about the main characters, like i want to just pack them all in a case and keep them safe forever! They must be protected at all costs! They're so realistic and alive and spirited. And that's called good writing.

"The world might crumble, but Nikolai Lantsov would be holding up the ceiling with one hand and plucking a speck of dirt from his lapel with the other when it all went to ruin¡±

Nikolai. I absolutely adore him. In my review of King of Scars I talked about how Nikolai's character seemed a bit dull and that he wasn't himself completely. But in this book he was everything we loved about him in the Shadow and Bone series and more. He was charming, brave, a genius and a total badass. I love how loyal and dedicated he is to his country, he'll do anything to save it and to serve his people even if it's something that hurts him. He denies his heart and always thinks and acts logically when it comes to his country and people. He literally shone throughout the book. His ability to lighten up the mood everytime with his ridiculous jokes and always coming up with a way to get out of a difficult situation and the way he does it all with style and charisma is just fabulous. He's one of my all time favourite male characters and i really, absolutely loved him in this book. *heart eyes*

But lately it felt hard not to be known, like keeping herself together was all the more difficult without someone to see who she truly was.

Zoya is an absolute Queen and you can't convince me otherwise. Her character arc in this book was really wonderful. She's so strong, loyal and determined and it's clear how much she has changed since we saw for the first time in the Grisha trilogy and it's absolutely beautiful to see it. She's finally learned to let people in instead of pushing them away for the fear of hurting them or herself because of what she is. She learned to accept her flaws and her past and she's all the more stronger for it. I loved how she finally opened up and used all of the power she was given and damn she literally slayed all of them. One thing i love about Zoya is that she does NOT take shit from anyone, she's so edgy and fiery and she totally owns it. She really came through as the strongest character in this book. I LOVE HER.

Don¡¯t go,¡± he said, still half asleep.
¡°I have to bathe. I smell like a forest fire.¡±
¡°You smell like wildflowers. You always do. What can I say to make you stay?¡± His words trailed off into a drowsy mumble as he fell back asleep.
Tell me it¡¯s more than war and worry that makes you speak those words. Tell me what they would mean if you weren¡¯t a king and I weren¡¯t a soldier.

Now let's talk about Zoyalai. At first when i found out that Nikolai and Zoya were going to be the romance in this series, i was nervous about how it'd turn out to be because it was hard to imagine them together but now they're the end game for me. They're quite different characters but it works so well. They have all the chemistry and angst and softness for each other. I think they make each other better and stronger and they're just so amazing and cute together and I'm all for it. All of their little scenes throughout the book made me swoon. I totally ship them.

I'll tell you a thousand stories, my love. We'll write the new endings, one by one.

Nina is so precious to me and i just want to keep her safe forever! She has been through SO MUCH. And i was so worried about her after Crooked Kingdom because she was so devastated and her powers had also changed. But she's been so brave through everything, she has found herself again and a new purpose and it's a beautiful experience to see it all. And she's so heroic, to live in the enemy country and under the roof of the person who hunts Grisha for a living and try to change the ways of their country from within while also helping her own country by being a spy and trying to manipulate the monarchy to bring peace between both countries? She's amazing! I'm so proud of my waffle Queen. I didn't think I'd ship her with anyone but Mathias, but Hanne has really won my heart and I'm so glad they've found each other and are all happy and safe now. MY HEART IS FULL.

All the other side characters only made the book better. Grishaverse characters are so diverse and complex that i think every character could have their own books and I'd definitely be interested to know more about them. Honestly, I'd love to read more about the Shu Han monarchy, they seem really interesting and awesome.


The plot was so exciting and engaging. There was so much going on in this book i was holding my breath everytime i picked it up.There's so much action and many plot twists that literally shook me. There's not one dull moment. And there are multiple POVs and i became so easily invested in all of their stories because we get to see all the crazy things happening in different places at the same time. It's just all so exhilarating and that's why this book is better than The King of Scars, it was really hard to put it down. Leigh really delivered with this one.
I'm so glad that I got to read The Darkling's POV in this book. I've always wanted to read the story from his perspective. I wanted to know how he thinks and acts (and also what he really thinks about Alina though I didn't get much information in that territory). But I'm still grateful I finally got to see the world through his eyes!

There were so many times throughout the book when i was really tearing up or completely crying my eyes out and had to close the book for a moment to pull myself together because of what a emotional ride it is. Specially when David died. I wanted to throw the book away or clutch to my heart because it was so hard to read it. And the fact that he died on his wedding day? Why Leigh WHY?? I'll never forgive you for that, it hurt so much. I feel like Genya has suffered the most throughout the series and it kinda gets put under the rug. I'm so pissed about it, like why Genya? Why does SHE always have to suffer the most?? And she's so strong even after everything she's been through, even in her grief she puts on a brave face and is always ready to fight. And in the end when she finally let it all out in front of the Darkling, I was crying it hurt too much. It just pains me, like why are you after her Leigh? Why? I just wanna see good things for her in the future, NO MORE SUFFERING. #JusticeforGenya

I¡¯m not supposed to let you in,¡± Jesper said. Brekker seemed unperturbed. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because every time I do, you ask me to break the law.¡± A voice from behind Jesper said, ¡°The problem isn¡¯t that he asks, it¡¯s that you always say yes.

The cameos were the death of me. OMG. We. Got. To. See. The. Crows. I screamed when they came. Leigh always makes Kaz's entry so brilliant, i had to stop and breathe for a few minutes otherwise I would have burst from the excitement. I love how even for just a few pages they completely took over the story. I missed their banter and chaos and cleverness. Jesper and Wylan are still the cutest couple in the room. And the moment when Kaz stumbled a little when Nikolai said Inej's name? MY HEART! Ahh i could talk for hours about them, I'm just so happy to have new Crows content.


There was nothing else to do but keep moving forward. You chose your path. You walked it. You hoped to find a way home again.

The ending was really not what I was expecting. It was absolutely mind blowing. Even though I saw a spoiler on Google I still didn't expect Zoya to become the Queen and while I absolutely love it for her because she's really an amazing leader, I still think that Ravka is not ready for a Grisha queen yet and the fact that all the nobles of Ravka agreed to it right away was kind of strange and improbable. But i love it all the same, now Zoya can really make some changes in Ravka and with Nikolai by her side they'll be the best rulers Ravka had in a while, they make such a good team!
That last part when The Darkling sacrificed himself to save the world, even if it was for some selfish reason I was still bawling my eyes. That was one of most heartbreaking scene I've read in a while, it really shook me. I just don't want him to be hurt, i know that's toxic but I don't care, i already said i care too much about even the villains of grishaverse.

And then that last line:
Get a message to the Crow Club,¡± she said. ¡°Tell Kaz Brekker the queen of Ravka has a job for him.¡±
I was literally jumping from excitement. That's the ultimate cliffhanger and I can't wait for Six of Crows 3!!!
(See how i went from crying to jumping with excitement? Leigh's really playing with my emotions.)

None of this had been fated; none of it foretold. There had been no prophecies of a demon king or a dragon queen, a one-eyed Tailor, Heartrender twins. They were just the people who had shown up and managed to survive.
But maybe that was the trick of it: to survive, to dare to stay alive, to forge your own hope when all hope had run out.

To sum it all up, this book is everything i needed. It's a masterpiece and I'm so glad i picked it up, my life is complete. I love Leigh's writing SO MUCH, she makes me laugh and cry and then laugh again in a matter of moments and I can't wait to read more of her books. *chef's kiss*
If you don't pick this up after reading all this, you've got some issues.
]]> The Elite (The Selection #2) 17230002 The Elite is a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction, fairy tales, and reality TV. This sequel to The Selection will enchant teens who love Divergent and The Bachelor.
?
In America Singer¡¯s world, a bride is chosen for the prince through an elaborate televised competition. In the second book of the Selection series, America is one of only six girls left in the running. But is it Prince Maxon¡ªand life as the queen¡ªshe wants? Or is it Aspen, her first love?
?
The Elite delivers the adventure, glamour, political intrigue, and romance readers of The Selection expect, and continues the love triangle that captivated them.]]> 337 Kiera Cass 006205998X Sasha 1

I know i didn't expect much from this book, regarding how the first one was. But OMG this is SUCH a disappointment.
If you really liked this book, good for you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Just don't send me death threats if my opinion is different from yours.

I knew this was going to be a love triangle thing. But God! This was the most infuriating love triangle I've ever read about. So America likes Maxon and Aspen both. Cass could've made it so much better! What did she do!?
America has feelings for Maxon and the moment he does something cruel, she practically runs off to Aspen and listens to him as he makes fun of Maxon. Which is so selfish, considering how Maxon let her stay in the palace for so long even though she clearly told him she doesn't want him the second time they met, even after he throws a party specially for her, even after he risks getting into serious trouble for giving her Gregory's diary. She doesn't even bother to tell him about Aspen and then she gets jealous when Maxon tries to date other girls (which is practically what this ridiculous Selection is all about) and she's constantly complaining about how Maxon doesn't tell her EVERYTHING. And why does she think it's okay to sneak around with Aspen? When she's in the Selection (a competition to become a Prince's wife) WHY doesn't she stay away from Aspen?? And then not tell Maxon about it and then SHE expects HIM to be completely honest with her. This whole book is filled with America going back and forth between the two of them and kissing them whenever she feels like it. She's practically cheating on both of them. IT'S A HUGE MESS!
The whole time I was like Girl, sit down a minute, figure your feelings out instead of USING THOSE GUYS!!!!!

She is so outrageously STUPID! [spoilers removed] Is this how a future princess supposed to be? Lazy and arrogant? Lmao the country is doomed!

She is so self centered and smug, whenever she meets Maxon or Aspen or even her maids, it's all about how SHE'S feeling. She never asks if they're alright after a rebel attack. And what's up with all the CRYING and SIGHING?? EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER! If I had to read the word SIGHING one more goddamn time I was going to LOSE MY SHIT! And why do they think that letting the Selection contestants handle their international relations is a good idea? I mean it's fine if girsl planned the reception and all but they didn't explain why did the Germans and Italians come in the first place? What was the meeting supposed to be about? Just to girl-talk, taste some amazing wine and throw the glasses against the walls? Seriously the whole international affairs thing was absurd. It was like watching girls plan the best pajama party. *sighs*
And according to Cass, America is special. HOW?? I see nothing special in her. In fact she's the most annoying heroine i've ever read about. But apparently the whole staff at the palace doesn't seem to think so, because every maid or guard have taken upon themselves to compliment America whenever they can. They're literally walking down the hall and when they pass America they're like "Hey yo! Lady America, we like you. That's all, see you around". And she's really enjoying it too. There was a scene when she meets Carter and he says he already knows her, she practically rolls her eyes and goes "of course he knows me." SMUG
America honey, I'd just like to say to you:



I addressed some real issues in this book in my review of The Selection. And they're not better in this book either. If anything they're worse! I still haven't made my peace with all the nonsensical worldbuilding and the absurd history. Don't get me wrong, it still makes me laugh. But that's all it does. The rebels. Oh God the rebels! It's all so UNBELIEVABLY STUPID. The rebels attack and the King goes into hiding again and again and again. IS THIS A BALLOON FIGHT?? Even if it were, the other team is also supposed to attack. The King does nothing but sit around and wait for them to attack over and over again. WHERE IS YOUR MILITARY FORCE? WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS??

Only sometimes did anything happen that got me a bit interested. [spoilers removed] Other than that it's just plain.
And not only America every other character is foolish. There is no actual motive behind anyone's actions. Their reactions to things are so unrealistic. The dialogues are unnatural and just so dumb. The plot is so sloppy and boring. The amount of eyerolls and facepalms i had to go through while reading this book! Honestly my eyes hurt.



Am I going to read the next book? Yes I am. Because I like to torture myself. Please God please, let it be better than this one!]]> 4.07 2013 The Elite (The Selection #2)
author: Kiera Cass
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2013
rating: 1
read at: 2020/05/30
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:


I know i didn't expect much from this book, regarding how the first one was. But OMG this is SUCH a disappointment.
If you really liked this book, good for you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Just don't send me death threats if my opinion is different from yours.

I knew this was going to be a love triangle thing. But God! This was the most infuriating love triangle I've ever read about. So America likes Maxon and Aspen both. Cass could've made it so much better! What did she do!?
America has feelings for Maxon and the moment he does something cruel, she practically runs off to Aspen and listens to him as he makes fun of Maxon. Which is so selfish, considering how Maxon let her stay in the palace for so long even though she clearly told him she doesn't want him the second time they met, even after he throws a party specially for her, even after he risks getting into serious trouble for giving her Gregory's diary. She doesn't even bother to tell him about Aspen and then she gets jealous when Maxon tries to date other girls (which is practically what this ridiculous Selection is all about) and she's constantly complaining about how Maxon doesn't tell her EVERYTHING. And why does she think it's okay to sneak around with Aspen? When she's in the Selection (a competition to become a Prince's wife) WHY doesn't she stay away from Aspen?? And then not tell Maxon about it and then SHE expects HIM to be completely honest with her. This whole book is filled with America going back and forth between the two of them and kissing them whenever she feels like it. She's practically cheating on both of them. IT'S A HUGE MESS!
The whole time I was like Girl, sit down a minute, figure your feelings out instead of USING THOSE GUYS!!!!!

She is so outrageously STUPID! [spoilers removed] Is this how a future princess supposed to be? Lazy and arrogant? Lmao the country is doomed!

She is so self centered and smug, whenever she meets Maxon or Aspen or even her maids, it's all about how SHE'S feeling. She never asks if they're alright after a rebel attack. And what's up with all the CRYING and SIGHING?? EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER! If I had to read the word SIGHING one more goddamn time I was going to LOSE MY SHIT! And why do they think that letting the Selection contestants handle their international relations is a good idea? I mean it's fine if girsl planned the reception and all but they didn't explain why did the Germans and Italians come in the first place? What was the meeting supposed to be about? Just to girl-talk, taste some amazing wine and throw the glasses against the walls? Seriously the whole international affairs thing was absurd. It was like watching girls plan the best pajama party. *sighs*
And according to Cass, America is special. HOW?? I see nothing special in her. In fact she's the most annoying heroine i've ever read about. But apparently the whole staff at the palace doesn't seem to think so, because every maid or guard have taken upon themselves to compliment America whenever they can. They're literally walking down the hall and when they pass America they're like "Hey yo! Lady America, we like you. That's all, see you around". And she's really enjoying it too. There was a scene when she meets Carter and he says he already knows her, she practically rolls her eyes and goes "of course he knows me." SMUG
America honey, I'd just like to say to you:



I addressed some real issues in this book in my review of The Selection. And they're not better in this book either. If anything they're worse! I still haven't made my peace with all the nonsensical worldbuilding and the absurd history. Don't get me wrong, it still makes me laugh. But that's all it does. The rebels. Oh God the rebels! It's all so UNBELIEVABLY STUPID. The rebels attack and the King goes into hiding again and again and again. IS THIS A BALLOON FIGHT?? Even if it were, the other team is also supposed to attack. The King does nothing but sit around and wait for them to attack over and over again. WHERE IS YOUR MILITARY FORCE? WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS??

Only sometimes did anything happen that got me a bit interested. [spoilers removed] Other than that it's just plain.
And not only America every other character is foolish. There is no actual motive behind anyone's actions. Their reactions to things are so unrealistic. The dialogues are unnatural and just so dumb. The plot is so sloppy and boring. The amount of eyerolls and facepalms i had to go through while reading this book! Honestly my eyes hurt.



Am I going to read the next book? Yes I am. Because I like to torture myself. Please God please, let it be better than this one!
]]> <![CDATA[Written in the Stars (Written in the Stars #1)]]> 52335188 With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice, a charming #ownvoices queer rom-com debut about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Year¡¯s Eve¡ªwith results not even the stars could predict!

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love¡ªand the inevitable heartbreak¡ªis the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn¡¯t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy¡¯s brother¡ªand Elle's new business partner¡ªexpresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they¡¯re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year¡¯s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.

But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?]]> 384 Alexandria Bellefleur 0063000814 Sasha 3
This was my first sapphic read, so i was really looking forward to it. Though the story was so sweet and cute and reallyyy steamy, it was also really predictable. It wasn't as captivating as i thought it would be. That might be because the characters were really typical there was nothing exceptional about them. And the chemistry was real sweet but i didn't feel it. And I found the writing a little clich¨¦-d, it wasn't engaging for me. The huge conflict in the end between the main characters wasn't really a shock, i saw it coming a mile away.

There were parts of this book that had potential like family problems and their high expectations and it was heart wrenching to read about how unfair the situation for Elle was. And Darcy's relationship with her brother Brendon was really heart warming. But other than that the story felt flat to me.

Overall this book isn't really compelling or a page turner but it's a really cute and fun read for holidays.]]> 3.94 2020 Written in the Stars (Written in the Stars #1)
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/16
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
Maybe i picked this up with too much high expectations.

This was my first sapphic read, so i was really looking forward to it. Though the story was so sweet and cute and reallyyy steamy, it was also really predictable. It wasn't as captivating as i thought it would be. That might be because the characters were really typical there was nothing exceptional about them. And the chemistry was real sweet but i didn't feel it. And I found the writing a little clich¨¦-d, it wasn't engaging for me. The huge conflict in the end between the main characters wasn't really a shock, i saw it coming a mile away.

There were parts of this book that had potential like family problems and their high expectations and it was heart wrenching to read about how unfair the situation for Elle was. And Darcy's relationship with her brother Brendon was really heart warming. But other than that the story felt flat to me.

Overall this book isn't really compelling or a page turner but it's a really cute and fun read for holidays.
]]> Fence, Vol. 2 42933250
Nicholas Cox is determined to prove himself in the world of competitive fencing, and earn his place on the Kings Row fencing team, alongside sullen fencing prodigy, Seiji Katayama, to win the right to go up against his golden-boy half-brother.

Tryouts are well underway at King¡¯s Row for a spot on the prodigious fencing team, and scrappy fencer Nicholas isn¡¯t sure he¡¯s going to make the grade in the face of surly upperclassmen, nearly impossibly odds, and his seemingly unstoppable roommate, the surly, sullen Seiji Katayama. It¡¯ll take more than sheer determination to overcome a challenge this big!

From the superstar team of C.S. Pacat (The Captive Prince) and fan-favorite artist Johanna the Mad comes the second volume of this acclaimed, dynamic series.?]]> 112 C.S. Pacat 164144150X Sasha 4 4.03 2018 Fence, Vol. 2
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/18
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> The Gravity of Us 49764792 In this smart, heart-warming YA debut perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, two teens find love when their lives are uprooted for their parents' involvement in a NASA mission to Mars.

Cal wants to be a journalist, and he's already well underway with almost half a million followers on his FlashFame app and an upcoming internship at Buzzfeed. But his plans are derailed when his pilot father is selected for a highly-publicized NASA mission to Mars. Within days, Cal and his parents leave Brooklyn for hot and humid Houston.

With the entire nation desperate for any new information about the astronauts, Cal finds himself thrust in the middle of a media circus. Suddenly his life is more like a reality TV show, with his constantly bickering parents struggling with their roles as the "perfect American family."

And then Cal meets Leon, whose mother is another astronaut on the mission, and he finds himself falling head over heels--and fast. They become an oasis for each other amid the craziness of this whole experience. As their relationship grows, so does the frenzy surrounding the Mars mission, and when secrets are revealed about ulterior motives of the program, Cal must find a way to get to the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.]]> 320 Phil Stamper 1547600152 Sasha 1 3.76 2020 The Gravity of Us
author: Phil Stamper
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2021/03/17
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves:
review:
This book was just so terrible and boring. I don't even know why I finished it, even though it physically pained me to read it?? I don't wanna waste any more of my time by writing a detailed review of this trashy book. Just read one star reviews to see why it sucks so bad.
]]> The Divines 56394456
Can we ever really escape our past?

The girls of St John the Divine, an elite English boarding school, were notorious for flipping their hair, harassing teachers, chasing boys, and chain-smoking cigarettes. They were fiercely loyal, sharp-tongued, and cuttingly humorous in the way that only teenage girls can be. For Josephine, now in her thirties, the years at St John were a lifetime ago. She hasn¡¯t spoken to another Divine in fifteen years, not since the day the school shuttered its doors in disgrace.

Yet now Josephine inexplicably finds herself returning to her old stomping grounds. The visit provokes blurry recollections of those doomed final weeks that rocked the community. Ruminating on the past, Josephine becomes obsessed with her teenage identity and the forgotten girls of her one-time orbit. With each memory that resurfaces, she circles closer to the violent secret at the heart of the school¡¯s scandal. But the more Josephine recalls, the further her life unravels, derailing not just her marriage and career, but her entire sense of self.

Suspenseful, provocative, and compulsively readable, The Divines is a scorching examination of the power of adolescent sexuality, female identity, and the destructive class divide. Exposing the tension between the lives we lead as adults and the experiences that form us, Eaton probes us to consider how our memories as adults compel us to reexamine our pasts.]]> 316 Ellie Eaton 0063012219 Sasha 3 2.5 unsatisfactory stars


The Story had potential but the narrative just failed to keep my interest, specially because of the constant back and forth between the past and present. The past was somewhat intriguing but the present timeline put me off, it was quite boring and some topics were unnecessarily and grossly detailed. The protagonist seemed an odd character to me, she kept victimising herself even though she was vain and a bully and she seemed to hate her child. She even seemed quite violent to me. But there was one point where her character felt relatable to me (I can't name it), and her narrative on it felt really personal and realistic. I know there are many people going through the same thing but reading about it was like reading my own thoughts and it was quite touching.

I didn't find any character likeable but they were all so well written and left a strong impression.
Though I struggled to get through the 80% part of the book, the last 20% was quite intriguing and almost made up for all the dull parts of the book.
The ending was quite unsatisfactory though, it felt unfinished and inconclusive. And it made me wonder if the protagonist was just imagining some things? I have a lot of questions that went unanswered. It just felt so abrupt.
I picked this book up because I'm looking for good dark academia books and the cover is just gorgeous. Though the book wasn't what i anticipated, it sure made me look back on my time in high school and now I'm thinking, was that the whole point?
Recommend it to people who have an altered view of their past than what really was.]]> 3.30 2021 The Divines
author: Ellie Eaton
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/02/08
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves:
review:
2.5 unsatisfactory stars


The Story had potential but the narrative just failed to keep my interest, specially because of the constant back and forth between the past and present. The past was somewhat intriguing but the present timeline put me off, it was quite boring and some topics were unnecessarily and grossly detailed. The protagonist seemed an odd character to me, she kept victimising herself even though she was vain and a bully and she seemed to hate her child. She even seemed quite violent to me. But there was one point where her character felt relatable to me (I can't name it), and her narrative on it felt really personal and realistic. I know there are many people going through the same thing but reading about it was like reading my own thoughts and it was quite touching.

I didn't find any character likeable but they were all so well written and left a strong impression.
Though I struggled to get through the 80% part of the book, the last 20% was quite intriguing and almost made up for all the dull parts of the book.
The ending was quite unsatisfactory though, it felt unfinished and inconclusive. And it made me wonder if the protagonist was just imagining some things? I have a lot of questions that went unanswered. It just felt so abrupt.
I picked this book up because I'm looking for good dark academia books and the cover is just gorgeous. Though the book wasn't what i anticipated, it sure made me look back on my time in high school and now I'm thinking, was that the whole point?
Recommend it to people who have an altered view of their past than what really was.
]]> The Heartstopper Yearbook 61043144
By the winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

'The queer graphic novel we wished we had at high school.' Gay Times


? Introduction
? Profile Alice, Nick, and Charlie
? Heartstopper Pride
? The Art of Heartstopper
? Profile Tara, Darcy, Elle, and Tao
? Heartstopper Summer
? Are You More Nick . . . or More Charlie?
? The Teachers
? Profile Harry, Ben, Nellie, Henry, and Aled
? Heartstopper Halloween
? The World of Heartstopper
? Moments
? Profile Tori, Sahar, Mr. Farouk, and Mr. Ajayi
? Heartstopper Winter
? Family The Springs
? Family The Nelsons
? How to Draw Heartstopper
? Girlfriends
? Heartstopper Alternate Universes
? Author's Note]]> 160 Alice Oseman 133887750X Sasha 4 4.28 2022 The Heartstopper Yearbook
author: Alice Oseman
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/20
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves:
review:

]]> Schoolgirl 18003099 Schoolgirl gained notoriety for its ironic and inventive use of language. Now it illuminates the prevalent social structures of a lost time, as well as the struggle of the individual against "them"--a theme that occupied Dazai's life both personally and professionally. This new translation preserves the playful language of the original and offers the reader a new window into the mind of one of the greatest Japanese authors of the 20th century.]]> 34 Osamu Dazai 1937563626 Sasha 4 3.89 1939 Schoolgirl
author: Osamu Dazai
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1939
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/20
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves:
review:

]]> Fence, Vol. 4: Rivals 54308344 111 C.S. Pacat Sasha 4 4.28 2020 Fence, Vol. 4: Rivals
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/18
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Wash Day Diaries 60644542 From writer Jamila Rowser and artist Robyn Smith comes a captivating graphic novel love letter to the beauty and endurance of Black women, their friendships, and their hair.

Wash Day Diaries tells the story of four best friends¡ªKim, Tanisha, Davene, and Cookie¡ªthrough five connected short story comics that follow these young women through the ups and downs of their daily lives in the Bronx.

The book takes its title from the wash day experience shared by Black women everywhere of setting aside all plans and responsibilities for a full day of washing, conditioning, and nourishing their hair. Each short story uses hair routines as a window into these four characters' everyday lives and how they care for each other.

Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith originally kickstarted their critically acclaimed, award-winning slice of life mini comic, Wash Day, inspired by Rowser's own wash day ritual and their shared desire to see more comics featuring the daily lived experiences of young Black women. Wash Day Diaries includes an updated, full color version of this original comic¡ªwhich follows Kim, a 26-year-old woman living in the Bronx¡ªas the book's first chapter and expands into a graphic novel with short stories about these vibrant and relatable new characters.

In expanding the story of Kim and her friends, the authors pay tribute to Black sisterhood through portraits of shared, yet deeply personal experiences of Black hair care. From self-care to spilling the tea at an hours-long salon appointment to healing family rifts, the stories are brought to life through beautifully drawn characters and different color palettes reflecting the mood in each story.

At times touching, quiet, triumphant, and laugh out loud funny, the stories of Wash Day Diaries pay a loving tribute to Black joy and the resilience of Black women.]]> 184 Jamila Rowser 1797205846 Sasha 4 4.40 2022 Wash Day Diaries
author: Jamila Rowser
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/10
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:

]]> The Girl from the Sea 55574239 256 Molly Knox Ostertag 1338746472 Sasha 3 4.22 2021 The Girl from the Sea
author: Molly Knox Ostertag
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/30
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures]]> 50767833 From Noelle Stevenson, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Nimona, comes a captivating, honest illustrated memoir that finds her turning an important corner in her creative journey¡ªand inviting readers along for the ride.

In a collection of essays and personal mini-comics that span eight years of her young adult life, author-illustrator Noelle Stevenson charts the highs and lows of being a creative human in the world.
Whether it¡¯s hearing the wrong name called at her art school graduation ceremony or becoming a National Book Award finalist for her debut graphic novel, Nimona, Noelle captures the little and big moments that make up a real life, with a wit, wisdom, and vulnerability that are all her own.]]> 208 N.D. Stevenson 0062278282 Sasha 3 3.98 2020 The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures
author: N.D. Stevenson
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/18
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Bloom 43693860
Writer Kevin Panetta and artist Savanna Ganucheau concoct a delicious recipe of intricately illustrated baking scenes and blushing young love, in which the choices we make can have terrible consequences, but the people who love us can help us grow.]]> 368 Kevin Panetta 1250245745 Sasha 4 3.95 2019 Bloom
author: Kevin Panetta
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2024/07/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume Three (Heartstopper, #3)]]> 53093288
Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem¡­ rather close¡­?]]> 384 Alice Oseman 1444952781 Sasha 5 THEY'RE SO PERFECT AND ADORABLE!!!




I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF THEM ON THE SHOW!!!]]> 4.54 2020 Heartstopper: Volume Three (Heartstopper, #3)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/02/16
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves:
review:
THEY'RE SO PERFECT AND ADORABLE!!!




I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF THEM ON THE SHOW!!!
]]> Coraline Graphic Novel 40317448
When Coraline steps through a door in her family's new house, she finds another house strangely similar to her own (only better). But there's another mother there and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Acclaimed artist P. Craig Russell brings Neil Gaiman's enchanting, nationally bestselling children's book Coraline to new life in this gorgeously illustrated graphic novel adaptation.]]> 205 P. Craig Russell 0062472127 Sasha 5 i haven't read the novel so i can't judge if this illustrated version does justice to the story, but i really liked it as a graphic novel!]]> 3.86 2008 Coraline Graphic Novel
author: P. Craig Russell
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/28
date added: 2024/02/17
shelves:
review:
This was extremely creepy. thank goodness no one recommended this to me when i was younger, i couldn't have slept for weeks.
i haven't read the novel so i can't judge if this illustrated version does justice to the story, but i really liked it as a graphic novel!
]]> All My Friends Are Dead 8044557
This witty and captivating tale offers a delightful primer for laughing at the If you're a dinosaur, all your friends are dead. If you're a pirate, all your friends have scurvy. If you're a tree, all your friends are end tables. Showcasing the downside of being everything from a clown to a cassette tape to a zombie, each page of this illustrated humor book is laugh-out-loud funny. Simple yet effective comic-style imagery and short, hilarious quips come together to create an amusing adventure through a range of unique grievances and wide-eyed dilemmas, from the sock whose only friends have gone missing to the houseplant whose friends are being slowly killed by irresponsible plant owners (like you). Cute and dark all at once, this children's book for adults presents endlessly entertaining stories about life and existential predicaments.

TALENTED National bestseller All My Friends Are Dead and companion volume All My Friends Are Still Dead are written by Avery Monsen, an actor, artist, and writer and Jory John, a writer, editor, and journalist. They are friends, and neither is dead. Yet.

READERS LOVE With hundreds of five-star ratings, reviewers can't get enough of this book. One calls it "gloriously dark," and another says that "guests are drawn to it like a magnet."

EDITORIAL This uproarious book has garnered praise from several media outlets, including The Huffington Post : "Laugh out loud funny, and a tiny bit disturbing. In other words, perfect." and Paste "Finds humor in mortality."

Perfect ]]> 96 Avery Monsen 0811874559 Sasha 2 that's it?? 4.15 2010 All My Friends Are Dead
author: Avery Monsen
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2023/12/28
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
review:
that's it??
]]> The Tenant of Wildfell Hall 298243 An imprudent and bitterly unhappy marriage, followed by the wife's departure and determined bid for freedom.

Set in the rakish Regency society and written during the 1840s when the oppression of women was at its height, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is extraordinary for its impassioned and bold treatment of the issue of women's equality. 'The slamming of Helen's bedroom door against her husband,' wrote one critic, 'reverberated throughout Victorian England.' In short, Wildfell Hall can be said to be the first sustained feminist novel.

Much of Anne Bront?'s painful experience acquired while she was governess is imprinted on the action of the novel. Nevertheless, the story of Helen Huntingdon and her swaggering, debauched husband and of Gilbert Markham, the man who falls in love with Helen, is notable for its honesty, psychological truth and burning sincerity--and for its startling modernity.

The cover shows a detail from 'Knostrop Hall, Moonlight' by John Atkinson Grimshaw, in a private collection (photo: Rodney Todd-White)]]> 511 Anne Bront? 0140431373 Sasha 4 4.05 1848 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
author: Anne Bront?
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1848
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume Six (Heartstopper, #6)]]> 125120424 Alice Oseman Sasha 0 to-read 4.57 Heartstopper: Volume Six (Heartstopper, #6)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.57
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 4]]> 62674302 FATES ALIGNED, BODIES INTERTWINED The Venerable of Empty Words, a monster that feeds off the fears of the fortunate, is hunting Xie Lian¡¯s friend, the Wind Master Shi Qingxuan. Knowing that his abysmal luck inoculates him from the creature¡¯s power, Xie Lian doesn¡¯t hesitate to throw himself into harm¡¯s way¡ªto Hua Cheng¡¯s horror and panic. But another one of the Four Calamities may be closer than anyone knows, and even a ghost as powerful as Hua Cheng can lose control under the right circumstances. With his inhibitions gone, will desire overtake him?]]> 448 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 1685791085 Sasha 4 4.74 2017 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 4
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/21
date added: 2023/12/30
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 5]]> 63899316 LAST GHOST STANDING, FIRST LOVE BLOSSOMS

Ghosts are converging on the cursed Mount Tonglu for a massive battle royale, the sole survivor of which may become a Ghost King, a being of unimaginable power. Xie Lian is sent to secretly infiltrate and try to prevent this¨Cby destroying any ghosts strong enough to stand a chance.

His heavenly powers are weakened near the cursed mountain, but he has one trump card on his side¨CHua Cheng, who has survived Mount Tonglu before. As they struggle against murderous ghosts and the mountain¡¯s strange defenses, Hua Cheng¡¯s knowledge of the area may prove invaluable. But can they even begin to unravel the cursed peak¡¯s secrets?]]> 498 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 1685791093 Sasha 3 4.67 2017 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 5
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/09
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 6]]> 157869604 BODY IN ABYSS, HEART IN PARADISE

White No-Face, Xie Lian's greatest fear and most hated enemy, has arrived...or so it seems. While the ghost with the half-crying, half-smiling mask is somewhere nearby, the creature is elusive as always, taunting him from just out of reach and promising the total destruction of everything he holds dear. As Xie Lian confronts the trauma of his last encounter with the terrifying ghost, Hua Cheng will do anything in his power to protect him. But White No-Face's identity and purpose are not the only mysteries to unravel, as Hua Cheng also has a history in the labyrinthine tunnels beneath Mount Tonglu. Will Xie Lian finally discover the full connection they share--and learn the true depths of Hua Cheng's devotion?]]> 432 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 1685791107 Sasha 4 4.81 2017 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 6
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.81
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/18
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 8]]> 60044962 In this final book (Volume 8), read the conclusion to this epic historical fantasy about a prince and the mysterious man by his side, in English for the very first time. Also includes bonus stories!

White No-Face's mask is off, and the final conflict has begun. Deep in the ancient caverns and lava flows of Mount Tonglu, Xie Lian must face the one whose hatred has plagued him for centuries¡ªbut this time, he won't have to do it alone. His beloved, Hua Cheng, has spent his long existence amassing the power to protect him, and now with their feelings for each other out in the open, they have all the more reason to fight for survival.

In this thrilling conclusion to Heaven Official's Blessing, can Xie Lian and Hua Cheng triumph against an all-powerful foe?

Also included in this final volume are five bonus tales of romance, celebration, and adventure.]]> 404 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 1638585539 Sasha 4 4.81 2017 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 8
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.81
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/30
date added: 2023/12/30
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]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 7]]> 60044950 LIFETIMES OF CRUELTY, CENTURIES OF DEVOTION

The Kiln is open, and White No-Face is back to his full power. The past eight hundred years have not blunted his hatred nor his obsession with Xie Lian¡ªhe aims to break Xie Lian down to nothing, even if all of humanity and the heavens themselves are collateral damage.

This time, however, Xie Lian will not face him alone. Together with Hua Cheng¡ªpowerful ghost king, stalwart protector, and devoted love¡ªcan Xie Lian finally reveal the face behind the mask and put an end to the nightmare forever?]]> 404 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 1685791115 Sasha 4 4.74 2017 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 7
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/07
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1]]> 58701949
Eight hundred years after his mortal life, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for the third time, angering most of the gods in the process. To repay his debts, he is sent to the Mortal Realm to hunt down violent ghosts and troublemaking spirits who prey on the living. Along his travels, he meets the fascinating and brilliant San Lang, a young man with whom he feels an instant connection. Yet San Lang is clearly more than he appears... What mysteries lie behind that carefree smile?

This Chinese xianxia fantasy novel series built around the romanticized love between two men (danmei) is the newest work from author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, and has spawned an ongoing multimedia franchise that's beloved across the world--including the animated series (donghua) that amassed 100+ million views in just its first month. The Seven Seas English-language edition will include covers from ÈÕ³öµÄÐ¡Ì«ê– (tai3_3), and exclusive, all-new interior illustrations from ZeldaCW.]]> 416 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 1648279171 Sasha 4 4.61 2020 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/30
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (ħµÀ×æʦ )]]> 49784144
He incarnates into the body of a lunatic who was abandoned by his clan and is later, unwillingly, taken away by a famous cultivator among the sects¡ªLan WangJi, his archenemy.

This marks the start of a thrilling yet hilarious journey of attacking monsters, solving mysteries, and raising children. From the mutual flirtation along the way, Wei WuXian slowly realizes that Lan WangJi, a seemingly haughty and indifferent poker-face, holds more feelings for Wei WuXian than he is letting on¡­]]> 1452 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ Sasha 4 4.61 2015 Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (ħµÀ×æʦ )
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/15
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Semantic Error, Vol.2 (Boys Love Comic)]]> 57742226
But he didn¡¯t imagine how involved he would become with the person whose study-abroad plans were messed up because of that project. The involved the campus star who everyone knows, Department of Design¡¯s Jang Jaeyoung. He has everything from skills, looks, family background and good relationships except for 1 big Chu Sangwoo.

What happens when an engineer and an artist whose personalities are like oil and water have to work together? Jang Jaeyoung is like a semantic error in the perfect world of Chu Sangwoo. Will Sangwoo be able to debug this?]]> 511 Angy Sasha 4 4.36 Semantic Error, Vol.2 (Boys Love Comic)
author: Angy
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/30
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
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]]> Semantic Error, Vol.1 57743198
But he didn¡¯t imagine how involved he would become with the person whose study-abroad plans were messed up because of that project. The involved person: the campus star who everyone knows, Department of Design¡¯s Jang Jaeyoung. He has everything from skills, looks, family background and good relationships except for 1 big problem: Chu Sangwoo.

What happens when an engineer and an artist whose personalities are like oil and water have to work together? Jang Jaeyoung is like a semantic error in the perfect world of Chu Sangwoo. Will Sangwoo be able to debug this?]]> 493 Soori Jeo Sasha 5 4.36 2018 Semantic Error, Vol.1
author: Soori Jeo
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/25
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Fangirl, Vol. 3: The Manga 62919719 The manga adaptation of the beloved novel featuring all-new scenes by Rainbow Rowell!

¡°The graphic novelization of Fangirl is a beautiful, contemplative, and fun reading experience.¡± ¡ªWomen Write About Comics

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath¡¯s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can¡¯t let go¡­

Everything in Cath¡¯s offline life is going wrong. Just when she¡¯s started to realize her feelings for Levi, she sees him kissing someone else. Plus, her writing partner, Nick, is acting strange, and her twin sister, Wren, is suddenly making time for their mother¡ªthe?same woman who walked out of their lives ten years ago!

When their dad ends up in the hospital,?Cath?decides it¡¯s time to rethink her plans for the future.

But how can she leave the past behind when it keeps showing up at her door?]]> 224 Rainbow Rowell 1974738876 Sasha 5 4.38 2023 Fangirl, Vol. 3: The Manga
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/14
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves:
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will i ever get tired of this story? NO.
]]> <![CDATA[Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered, #1)]]> 40404720
After an injury ends Travis Ford¡¯s major league baseball career, he returns home to start over. He just wants to hammer out his frustrations at his new construction gig and forget all about his glory days. But he can¡¯t even walk through town without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his¡­ bat. And then there¡¯s Georgie, his buddy¡¯s little sister, who is definitely not a kid anymore.

Georgette Castle has crushed on her older brother¡¯s best friend for years. The grumpy, bear of a man working for her family¡¯s house flipping business is a far cry from the charming sports star she used to know. But a moody scowl doesn¡¯t scare her and Georgie¡¯s determined to show Travis he¡¯s more than a pretty face and a batting average, even if it means putting her feelings aside to be ¡°just friends.¡±

Travis wants to brood in peace. But the girl he used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman who makes him feel whole again. And he wants her. So damn bad. Except Georgie¡¯s off limits and he knows he can¡¯t give her what she deserves. But she¡¯s becoming the air he breathes and Travis can¡¯t stay away, no matter how hard he tries...]]> 380 Tessa Bailey 0062872834 Sasha 0 to-read 3.71 2019 Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/17
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 3]]> 61114390 SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR, SOMEONE TO LIVE FOR

Gods should never meddle in the affairs of mortals, but Xie Lian is not one to follow the rules when lives are at risk. He spits in the face of heaven and its laws and descends in a fury to save his country from drought and civil war. Yet this golden child gets a harsh dose of reality when he discovers just how little one individual¡ªeven a god¡ªcan do to save a crumbling nation. As the people reject and betray him, one young soldier stands by Xie Lian¡ªa boy with a face wrapped in bandages and a fierce loyalty in his heart. In this chaotic past, can an unshakable bond grow from the ashes of unimaginable destruction?]]> 490 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 1685791077 Sasha 4 4.65 2017 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 3
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/01
date added: 2023/08/22
shelves:
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]]> North and South 1496339 With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Patsy Stoneman, University of Hull.

Set in the mid-19th century, and written from the author's first-hand experience, North and South follows the story of the heroine's movement from the tranquil but moribund ways of southern England to the vital but turbulent north. Elizabeth Gaskell's skilful narrative uses an unusual love story to show how personal and public lives were woven together in a newly industrial society.

This is a tale of hard-won triumphs - of rational thought over prejudice and of humane care over blind deference to the market. Readers in the twenty-first century will find themselves absorbed as this Victorian novel traces the origins of problems and possibilities which are still challenging a hundred and fifty years later: the complex relationships, public and private, between men and women of different classes.]]> 417 Elizabeth Gaskell Sasha 5 4.05 1855 North and South
author: Elizabeth Gaskell
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1855
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/19
date added: 2023/07/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2]]> 58705562 THE TOUCH OF A HAND, A ROLL OF THE DICE

Xie Lian has confirmed that the bewitching youth San Lang is actually Hua Cheng, one of the Four Calamities and a supreme ghost despised by all heavenly officials. Still, he has trouble matching the terror of his companion's reputation with the charming, clever, and protective young man he's come to know.

When a distress signal leads Xie Lian into Ghost City, a bustling metropolis containing all the horrors and delights of the dead, he sees Hua Cheng in his element--and his true form--for the first time. But despite their chemistry and care for one another, there are missions to fulfill and secrets to uncover, and Xie Lian's centuries of troubled history are never far behind.]]> 438 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 164827918X Sasha 4 4.65 2017 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/03
date added: 2023/07/15
shelves:
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]]> Little Fires Everywhere 51704136 Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned--from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren--an enigmatic artist and single mother--who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood--and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

Named a Best Book of the Year by: People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more...

Perfect for book clubs! Visit celesteng.com for discussion guides and more. ]]> 368 Celeste Ng 0143135163 Sasha 0 to-read 4.06 2017 Little Fires Everywhere
author: Celeste Ng
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I¡¯m Glad My Mom Died 59366244
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother¡¯s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called ¡°calorie restriction,¡± eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, ¡°Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn¡¯t tint hers?¡± She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I¡¯m Glad My Mom Died , Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail¡ªjust as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (¡°Hi Gale!¡±), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I¡¯m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.]]> 304 Jennette McCurdy 1982185821 Sasha 5 4.42 2022 I¡¯m Glad My Mom Died
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/26
date added: 2023/06/04
shelves:
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]]> Happy Place 61718053
They broke up six months ago. And still haven¡¯t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group¡¯s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they¡¯ll all have together in this place. They can¡¯t stand to break their friends¡¯ hearts, and so they¡¯ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It¡¯s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week¡­ in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.]]> 400 Emily Henry 0593441273 Sasha 0 to-read 3.95 2023 Happy Place
author: Emily Henry
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> Sea of Tranquility 58446227 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time travel, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.

One of the Best Books of the Year: The New York Times, NPR, GoodReads

"One of [Mandel's] finest novels and one of her most satisfying forays into the arena of speculative fiction yet." --The New York Times

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core.

Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

A virtuoso performance that is as human and tender as it is intellectually playful, Sea of Tranquility is a novel of time travel and metaphysics that precisely captures the reality of our current moment.]]> 259 Emily St. John Mandel 0593321448 Sasha 0 to-read 4.04 2022 Sea of Tranquility
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/05/25
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review:

]]> Yerba Buena 57693648 The debut adult novel by the bestselling and award-winning YA author Nina LaCour, following two women on a star-crossed journey toward each other

When Sara Foster runs away from home at sixteen, she leaves behind not only the losses that have shattered her world but the girl she once was, capable of trust and intimacy. Years later, in Los Angeles, she is a sought-after bartender, renowned as much for her brilliant cocktails as for the mystery that clings to her. Across the city, Emilie Dubois is in a holding pattern. In her seventh year and fifth major as an undergraduate, she yearns for the beauty and community her Creole grandparents cultivated but is unable to commit. On a whim, she takes a job arranging flowers at the glamorous restaurant Yerba Buena and embarks on an affair with the married owner.

When Sara catches sight of Emilie one morning at Yerba Buena, their connection is immediate. But the damage both women carry, and the choices they have made, pulls them apart again and again. When Sara's old life catches up to her, upending everything she thought she wanted just as Emilie has finally gained her own sense of purpose, they must decide if their love is more powerful than their pasts.

At once exquisite and expansive, astonishing in its humanity and heart, Yerba Buena is a love story for our time and a propulsive journey through the lives of two women finding their way in the world.]]> 304 Nina LaCour 1250810469 Sasha 0 to-read 3.85 2022 Yerba Buena
author: Nina LaCour
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> House of Cotton 60784369
One night while working at her dead-end gas station job, a mysterious, slick stranger named Cotton walks in and offers to turn Magnolia¡¯s luck around. He offers her a lucrative ¡°modeling¡± job at his family¡¯s funeral home. Magnolia accepts. But despite things looking up, Magnolia¡¯s problems fatten along with her wallet. When Cotton¡¯s requests become increasingly weird, Magnolia discovers there¡¯s a lot more at stake than just her rent.

Sharp as a belted knife, this sly social commentary cuts straight to the bone, revealing the aftermath of the American plantation and what it means to be poor, Black, and a woman in the God fearing south.]]> 304 Monica Brashears 1250851912 Sasha 0 to-read 2.99 2023 House of Cotton
author: Monica Brashears
name: Sasha
average rating: 2.99
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> No One Is Talking About This 53733106
As this urgent, genre-defying book opens, a woman who has recently been elevated to prominence for her social media posts travels around the world to meet her adoring fans. She is overwhelmed by navigating the new language and etiquette of what she terms "the portal," where she grapples with an unshakable conviction that a vast chorus of voices is now dictating her thoughts. When existential threats¡ªfrom climate change and economic precariousness to the rise of an unnamed dictator and an epidemic of loneliness¡ªbegin to loom, she posts her way deeper into the portal's void. An avalanche of images, details, and references accumulate to form a landscape that is post-sense, post-irony, post-everything. "Are we in hell?" the people of the portal ask themselves. "Are we all just going to keep doing this until we die?"

Suddenly, two texts from her mother pierce the fray: "Something has gone wrong," and "How soon can you get here?" As real life and its stakes collide with the increasingly absurd antics of the portal, the woman confronts a world that seems to contain both an abundance of proof that there is goodness, empathy, and justice in the universe, and a deluge of evidence to the contrary.

Fragmentary and omniscient, incisive and sincere, No One Is Talking About This is at once a love letter to the endless scroll and a profound, modern meditation on love, language, and human connection from a singular voice in American literature.]]> 210 Patricia Lockwood 0593189582 Sasha 0 to-read 3.56 2021 No One Is Talking About This
author: Patricia Lockwood
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Tell Me I'm An Artist 60199552 A portrait of the artist as a work-in-progress (Sharma Shields), this hilarious and incisive coming-of-age novel about an art student from a poor family struggling to find her place in a new social class of rich, well-connected peers is perfect for fans of Elif Batuman's The Idiot and Weike Wang's Chemistry

At her San Francisco art school, Joey enrolls in a film elective that requires her to complete what seems like a straightforward assignment: create a self-portrait. Joey inexplicably decides to remake Wes Anderson's Rushmore despite having never seen the movie. As Tell Me I'm An Artist unfolds over the course of the semester, the assignment hangs over her as she struggles to exist in a well-heeled world that is hugely different from any she has known.

Miles away, Joey's sister goes missing, leaving her toddler with their mother, who in turn suggests that Joey might be the selfish one for pursuing her dreams. Meanwhile, her only friend at school, the enigmatic Suz, makes meaningful, appealing art, a product of Suz's own singular drive and talent as well as decades of careful nurturing by wealthy, sophisticated parents.

A masterful novel from an author known for her candid and searching prose, Tell Me I'm An Artist examines the invisible divide created by class and privilege, ruminates on the shame that follows choosing a path that has not been laid out for you, and interrogates what makes someone an artist at all.]]> 368 Chelsea Martin 1593767218 Sasha 0 to-read 3.89 2022 Tell Me I'm An Artist
author: Chelsea Martin
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Kill a Kingdom (Hundred Kingdoms, #1)]]> 34499221
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby¡ªit¡¯s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she¡¯s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good¡ªBut can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind¡¯s greatest enemy?]]> 344 Alexandra Christo 1250112680 Sasha 0 to-read 3.71 2018 To Kill a Kingdom (Hundred Kingdoms, #1)
author: Alexandra Christo
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he¡¯ll enroll in Oxford University¡¯s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation¡ªalso known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working¡ªthe art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars¡ªhas made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Sasha 0 to-read 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> One by One 50892433
When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.]]> 372 Ruth Ware Sasha 0 to-read 3.70 2020 One by One
author: Ruth Ware
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Deko Boko Sugar Days - Special Edition]]> 61435388 274 Atsuko Yusen 3770443101 Sasha 0 to-read 4.00 2018 Deko Boko Sugar Days - Special Edition
author: Atsuko Yusen
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Orange: The Complete Collection, Volume 1]]> 25667474 A Plea From the Future

On the day that Naho begins 11th grade, she receives a letter from herself ten years in the future. At first, she writes it off as a prank, but as the letter¡¯s predictions come true one by one, Naho realizes that the letter might be the real deal. Her future self tells Naho that a new transfer student, a boy named Kakeru, will soon join her class. The letter begs Naho to watch over him, saying that only Naho can save Kakeru from a terrible future. Who is this mystery boy, and can Naho save him from his destiny? This is the heart-wrenching sci-fi romance that has over million copies in print in Japan!]]> 523 Ichigo Takano 1626923027 Sasha 0 to-read 4.43 2016 Orange: The Complete Collection, Volume 1
author: Ichigo Takano
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Vita Nostra (Vita Nostra, #1) 38633526
Our life is brief . . .

While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin.

As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels it¡¯s the only place she should be. Against her mother¡¯s wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education.

As she quickly discovers, the institute¡¯s "special technologies" are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences which are nothing she has ever dreamed of . . . and suddenly all she could ever want.

A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction¡ªbrilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey¡ªis reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossman¡¯s The Magicians, Max Barry¡¯s Lexicon, and Katherine Arden¡¯s The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds.]]> 408 Marina Dyachenko 0062694596 Sasha 0 to-read 4.00 2007 Vita Nostra (Vita Nostra, #1)
author: Marina Dyachenko
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow]]> 61207289 This is not a romance, but it is about love

Two kids meet in a hospital gaming room in 1987. One is visiting her sister, the other is recovering from a car crash. The days and months are long there. Their love of video games becomes a shared world -- of joy, escape and fierce competition. But all too soon that time is over, fades from view.

When the pair spot each other eight years later in a crowded train station, they are catapulted back to that moment. The spark is immediate, and together they get to work on what they love - making games to delight, challenge and immerse players, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives. Their collaborations make them superstars.

This is the story of the perfect worlds Sadie and Sam build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success: Money. Fame. Duplicity. Tragedy.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow takes us on a dazzling imaginative quest as it examines the nature of identity, creativity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play and, above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love.

Listening length: 13 hours, 53 minutes]]> 14 Gabrielle Zevin 059359164X Sasha 5 3.92 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/26
date added: 2023/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1)]]> 50916505 7 Toshikazu Kawaguchi Sasha 2
i've heard a lot about it and i've been quite excited to read it for a while. the concept seems very interesting on the surface, but when you start reading the book it becomes boring and repetitive really fast.

i don't understand how you have such an amazing concept but still fail to execute it well. i can't even say the writing's bad, it's pretty decent actually and easy to read.

my main problem is with the message of this book. while reading it, i kept getting confused about the time it was set in bc the morals and ideas are so conservative and old fashioned.


in one story, a highly successful, smart and career driven woman ends up crying over her boyfriend who left her to work in the USA and she decides that she'll be happy just to wait for him to come back. i get that she loves him, but this did not seem like her character at all. she's reduced to a whiny person who can't even communicate to her boyfriend properly.
another woman ends up giving up on her dreams and leaving her business to go and work at the family inn like her parents always wanted her to, who by the way had cut her off and hadn't talked to her for years when she left to do what she wanted with her life.
and the last but the most irritating one is the story of a woman who dies of a pregnancy. and she CHOSE to do this knowing that she'd die bc of the pregnancy.

i don't know if it's just me or the cultural difference but all this just doesn't sit right with me. specially considering how all these things are praised in the book.

all of the characters seem unreal to me, their actions and dialogues are not realistic or relatable. they don't seem human but a 20th century instruction manual of what a person should be.

overall the stories are too corny for me. it's like the author was trying so hard to make me cry and feel for these characters but i couldn't care less. i couldn't wait for the book to end so I'd be done with it.

and the most important thing was never explained, how did this cafe come to be? why and how does the time travel thing work? how did it start in this particular cafe?? all this was left untouched. i felt unsatisfied bc the only thing i cared about was never explained.

i liked the writing though and some moments are really wholesome to read but other than that i don't understand the hype. ]]> 3.54 2015 Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2023/03/22
date added: 2023/03/22
shelves:
review:
LORD THIS BOOK!

i've heard a lot about it and i've been quite excited to read it for a while. the concept seems very interesting on the surface, but when you start reading the book it becomes boring and repetitive really fast.

i don't understand how you have such an amazing concept but still fail to execute it well. i can't even say the writing's bad, it's pretty decent actually and easy to read.

my main problem is with the message of this book. while reading it, i kept getting confused about the time it was set in bc the morals and ideas are so conservative and old fashioned.


in one story, a highly successful, smart and career driven woman ends up crying over her boyfriend who left her to work in the USA and she decides that she'll be happy just to wait for him to come back. i get that she loves him, but this did not seem like her character at all. she's reduced to a whiny person who can't even communicate to her boyfriend properly.
another woman ends up giving up on her dreams and leaving her business to go and work at the family inn like her parents always wanted her to, who by the way had cut her off and hadn't talked to her for years when she left to do what she wanted with her life.
and the last but the most irritating one is the story of a woman who dies of a pregnancy. and she CHOSE to do this knowing that she'd die bc of the pregnancy.

i don't know if it's just me or the cultural difference but all this just doesn't sit right with me. specially considering how all these things are praised in the book.

all of the characters seem unreal to me, their actions and dialogues are not realistic or relatable. they don't seem human but a 20th century instruction manual of what a person should be.

overall the stories are too corny for me. it's like the author was trying so hard to make me cry and feel for these characters but i couldn't care less. i couldn't wait for the book to end so I'd be done with it.

and the most important thing was never explained, how did this cafe come to be? why and how does the time travel thing work? how did it start in this particular cafe?? all this was left untouched. i felt unsatisfied bc the only thing i cared about was never explained.

i liked the writing though and some moments are really wholesome to read but other than that i don't understand the hype.
]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 12: Finis (Death Note, #12)]]> 445046 The battle ends here! 216 Tsugumi Ohba 1421513277 Sasha 4 4.39 2006 Death Note, Vol. 12: Finis (Death Note, #12)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/20
date added: 2023/03/20
shelves:
review:
this series would've been perfect if it ended a few editions ago. the first few installments were so addicting i couldn't put them down. but later i found that i was forcing myself to read them. however the last installment was quite good and i really enjoyed it. though the ending was expected, i didn't like what became of Light Yagami in the end, he was completely unrecognizable, he didn't act like himself at all. he became so desperate and whiny, not the calm and clever man who always found a way out. i thought the ending was better presented in the anime compared to the manga.
]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 11: Kindred Spirits (Death Note, #11)]]> 445044 216 Tsugumi Ohba 1421511789 Sasha 3 4.21 2006 Death Note, Vol. 11: Kindred Spirits (Death Note, #11)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/17
date added: 2023/03/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Lessons in Chemistry 59616018
A delight for readers of Where¡¯d You Go, Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this blockbuster debut set in 1960s California features the singular voice of Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show.

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it¡¯s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel¨Cprize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with¡ªof all things¡ªher mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America¡¯s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth¡¯s unusual approach to cooking (¡°combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride¡±) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn¡¯t just teaching women to cook. She¡¯s daring them to change the status quo.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.]]> Bonnie Garmus 0593507533 Sasha 4
i wish i had read it instead of listening to the audiobook. the writing is amazing and i think it'd be better to experience it by reading.]]> 4.17 2022 Lessons in Chemistry
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/19
date added: 2023/03/19
shelves:
review:
4.5 stars

i wish i had read it instead of listening to the audiobook. the writing is amazing and i think it'd be better to experience it by reading.
]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 9: Contact (Death Note, #9)]]> 13622 208 Tsugumi Ohba 1421506300 Sasha 3 4.20 2005 Death Note, Vol. 9: Contact (Death Note, #9)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/24
date added: 2023/02/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 8: Target (Death Note, #8)]]> 13614 208 Tsugumi Ohba 1421506297 Sasha 4 4.23 2005 Death Note, Vol. 8: Target (Death Note, #8)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/15
date added: 2023/02/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Power of Your Subconscious Mind]]> 68984 The Power of Your Subconscious Mind has been a bestseller since its first publication in 1963, selling many millions of copies since its original publication. It is one of the most brilliant and beloved spiritual self-help works of all time which can help you heal yourself, banish your fears, sleep better, enjoy better relationships and just feel happier. The techniques are simple and results come quickly. You can improve your relationships, your finances, your physical well-being.

Dr. Joseph Murphy explains that life events are actually the result of the workings of your conscious and subconscious minds. He suggests practical techniques through which one can change one's destiny, principally by focusing and redirecting this miraculous energy. Years of research studying the world's major religions convinced him that some Great Power lay behind all spiritual life and that this power is within each of us.

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind will open a world of success, happiness, prosperity, and peace for you.

]]> 304 Joseph Murphy 0553583182 Sasha 0 4.10 1963 The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
author: Joseph Murphy
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1963
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/13
date added: 2023/02/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 7: Zero (Death Note, #7)]]> 13621 211 Tsugumi Ohba 1421506289 Sasha 5 4.44 2005 Death Note, Vol. 7: Zero (Death Note, #7)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/07
date added: 2023/02/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 6: Give-and-Take (Death Note, #6)]]> 13620 215 Tsugumi Ohba 1421506270 Sasha 4 4.39 2005 Death Note, Vol. 6: Give-and-Take (Death Note, #6)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/02
date added: 2023/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 5: Whiteout (Death Note, #5)]]> 13617 201 Tsugumi Ohba 1421506262 Sasha 4 4.33 2005 Death Note, Vol. 5: Whiteout (Death Note, #5)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/26
date added: 2023/01/26
shelves:
review:

]]> The Love Hypothesis 56819423 384 Ali Hazelwood 0593336836 Sasha 2 3.94 2021 The Love Hypothesis
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/10/25
date added: 2023/01/23
shelves:
review:
In the books with a fake dating trope, the most important thing for me is that both characters' reason for lying to everybody and going out of their way to convince people that they're dating and creating a whole lot of mess should be a really effing good one, but this one was really, really unconvincing. The amount of miscommunication and withholding of information instead of building the tension, irritated and baffled me. And all the cliches, the extremely cheesy dialogues, and forced PDA situations made me really uncomfortable. Overall I think this book is for people who are new to the romance genre, anyway this was not for me.
]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 4: Love (Death Note, #4)]]> 13616 204 Tsugumi Ohba 142150331X Sasha 4 4.42 2004 Death Note, Vol. 4: Love (Death Note, #4)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/20
date added: 2023/01/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Felix Ever After 45359713
Felix Love has never been in love¡ªand, yes, he¡¯s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it¡¯s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What¡¯s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he¡¯s one marginalization too many¡ªBlack, queer, and transgender¡ªto ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages¡ªafter publicly posting Felix¡¯s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned¡ªFelix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn¡¯t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi¨Clove triangle....

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.]]> 368 Kacen Callender 0062820273 Sasha 0 to-read 4.38 2020 Felix Ever After
author: Kacen Callender
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 3: Hard Run (Death Note, #3)]]> 13618 193 Tsugumi Ohba 1421501708 Sasha 5 4.46 2004 Death Note, Vol. 3: Hard Run (Death Note, #3)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/31
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 2: Confluence (Death Note, #2)]]> 60592903 196 Tsugumi Ohba 1421543664 Sasha 5 3.86 2004 Death Note, Vol. 2: Confluence (Death Note, #2)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/31
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom (Death Note, #1)]]> 13615
Boredom
Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily, Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?]]> 195 Tsugumi Ohba 1421501686 Sasha 5 4.47 2004 Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom (Death Note, #1)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/30
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Shortcomings 53187017 Shortcomings was one of the most acclaimed books of 2007. Among many interviews and reviews in outlets around the country, Tomine was interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air and also in The Believer, New York magazine, and Giant Robot. Shortcomings landed on countless "best of" lists, including those in Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times; was praised by Junot D'az in Publishers Weekly; and was the subject of a solo review in The New York Times Book Review that drew comparison between Tomine and Philip Roth. The groundbreaking graphic novel now returns in paperback.]]> 111 Adrian Tomine 177046428X Sasha 3 3.87 2007 Shortcomings
author: Adrian Tomine
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2022/12/29
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Blue Is the Warmest Color 18476582 Le bleu est une couleur chaude, Blue is the Warmest Color is a graphic novel about growing up, falling in love, and coming out. Clementine is a junior in high school who seems average enough: she has friends, family, and the romantic attention of the boys in her school. When her openly gay best friend takes her out on the town, she wanders into a lesbian bar where she encounters Emma: a punkish, confident girl with blue hair. Their attraction is instant and electric, and Clementine find herself in a relationship that will test her friends, parents, and her own ideas about herself and her identity.]]> 160 Jul Maroh 1551525429 Sasha 4 3.81 2010 Blue Is the Warmest Color
author: Jul Maroh
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/27
date added: 2022/12/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Happily Ever After & Everything In Between]]> 60595845 From the bestselling author of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World and Book Love comes a funny and adorable collection of comics about married life. From choosing a movie and sharing (or not sharing) dessert to snoring (naturally) and knowing when someone needs a cup of tea and a cozy blanket, Happily Ever After is the perfect gift for anyone in a relationship.

The comics in Happily Ever After & Everything In Between may be inspired by Debbie Tung¡¯s marriage to her extrovert husband, but any couple can relate to increasingly relaxed anniversaries and slowly seeing more of each other¡¯s weird sides. Happily Ever After humorously captures what everyday love looks like¡ªboth the sweet moments and the mundane¡ªmaking it a fitting gift for weddings, anniversaries, and Valentine¡¯s Day.]]> Debbie Tung 1524864595 Sasha 4 4.04 2020 Happily Ever After & Everything In Between
author: Debbie Tung
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/26
date added: 2022/12/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Big Mushy Happy Lump (Sarah's Scribbles, #2)]]> 34603106
In addition to the most recent Sarah's Scribbles fan favorites and dozens of all-new comics, this volume contains illustrated personal essays on Sarah's real-life experiences with anxiety, career, relationships and other adulthood challenges that will remind readers of Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half and Jenny Lawson's Let's Pretend This Never Happened. The same uniquely frank, real, yet humorous and uplifting tone that makes Sarah's Scribbles so relatable blooms beautifully in this new longer form.]]> 128 Sarah Andersen 1449485499 Sasha 4 3.94 2017 Big Mushy Happy Lump (Sarah's Scribbles, #2)
author: Sarah Andersen
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/22
date added: 2022/12/22
shelves:
review:
I need one Sarah Anderson comic everyday.
]]> <![CDATA[Adulthood Is a Myth (Sarah's Scribbles, #1)]]> 33405787 Are you a special snowflake?

Do you enjoy networking to advance your career?

Is adulthood an exciting new challenge for which you feel fully prepared?

Ugh. Please go away.

This book is for the rest of us. These comics document the wasting of entire beautiful weekends on the internet, the unbearable agony of holding hands on the street with a gorgeous guy, dreaming all day of getting home and back into pajamas, and wondering when, exactly, this adulthood thing begins. In other words, the horrors and awkwardnesses of young modern life.]]> 112 Sarah Andersen 1449478417 Sasha 5 why so relatable??? 4.05 2016 Adulthood Is a Myth (Sarah's Scribbles, #1)
author: Sarah Andersen
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/21
date added: 2022/12/22
shelves:
review:
why so relatable???
]]> Fence, Vol. 5: Rise 61845940 111 C.S. Pacat 1646686128 Sasha 4 4.36 2022 Fence, Vol. 5: Rise
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/18
date added: 2022/12/18
shelves:
review:
I WANT THE REST OF THE VOLUMES NOW!!!!
]]> A Quiet Life 60321484 A Little Hope ¡ªa Read with Jenna Bonus Pick¡ªcomes another ¡°heartwarming, character-driven¡± ( Booklist ) life-affirming novel about three individuals whose lives intersect in unforeseen ways.

Set in a close-knit suburb in the grip of winter, A Quiet Life follows three people grappling with loss and finding a tender wisdom in their grief.

Chuck Ayers used to look forward to nothing so much as his annual trip to Hilton Head with his wife, Cat¡ªthat yearly taste of relaxation they¡¯d become accustomed to after a lifetime of working and raising two children. Now, just months after Cat¡¯s death, Chuck finds that he can¡¯t let go of her belongings¡ªher favorite towel, the sketchbooks in her desk drawer¡ªas he struggles to pack for a trip he can¡¯t imagine taking without her.

Ella Burke delivers morning newspapers and works at a bridal shop to fill her days while she anxiously awaits news¡ªany piece of information¡ªabout her missing daughter. Ella adjusts to life in a new apartment and answers every call on her phone, hoping her daughter will reach out.

After the sudden death of her father, Kirsten Bonato set aside her veterinary school aspirations, finding comfort in the steady routine of working at an animal shelter. But as time passes, old dreams and new romantic interests begin to surface¡ªand Kirsten finds herself at another crossroads.

In this beautiful and profoundly moving novel, three parallel narratives converge in poignant and unexpected ways, as each character bravely presses onward, trying to recover something they have lost. Emotionally riveting and infused with hope, ¡°the soothing tone and warm worldview of this grown-up bedtime story will be good for what ails you¡± ( Kirkus Reviews ).]]> 294 Ethan Joella 1982190973 Sasha 0 to-read 4.02 2022 A Quiet Life
author: Ethan Joella
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Everything Is OK 61377732 From the bestselling author of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World comes a gently humorous and poignant collection of comics about anxiety and depression¡ªbecause sometimes even the simple things like getting out of bed every day feel like an uphill battle.

Everything Is OK is the story of Debbie Tung¡¯s struggle with anxiety and her experience with depression. She shares what it¡¯s like navigating life, overthinking every possible worst-case scenario, and constantly feeling like all hope is lost.

The book explores her journey to understanding the importance of mental health in her day-to-day life and how she learns to embrace the highs and lows when things feel out of control. Debbie opens up about deeply personal issues and the winding road to recovery, discovers the value of self-love, and rebuilds a more mindful relationship with her mental health.

In this graphic memoir, Debbie aims to provide positive and comforting messages to anyone who is facing similar difficulties or is just trying to get through a tough time in life. She hopes to encourage readers to be kinder to themselves, to know that they are not alone, and that it¡¯s okay to be vulnerable because they are not defined by their mental health struggles. The dark clouds won¡¯t be there forever. Everything will turn out all right.]]> 196 Debbie Tung 1524881546 Sasha 5 4.35 2022 Everything Is OK
author: Debbie Tung
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/08
date added: 2022/12/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Evidence of the Affair 58705006 The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Dear stranger¡­

A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she¡¯s never met¡ªa choice that will forever change both their lives.

My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you¡­

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here.

Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it¡¯s broken.]]> 85 Taylor Jenkins Reid Sasha 4 3.87 2018 Evidence of the Affair
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/06
date added: 2022/12/07
shelves:
review:
short but absolutely amazing. totally recommend
]]> My Evil Mother 61228507
Life is hard enough for a teenage girl in 1950s suburbia without having a mother who may¡ªor may not¡ªbe a witch. A single mother at that. Sure, she fits in with her starched dresses, string of pearls, and floral aprons. Then there are the hushed and mystical consultations with neighborhood women in distress. The unsavory, mysterious plants in the flower beds. The divined warning to steer clear of a boyfriend whose fate is certainly doomed. But as the daughter of this bewitching homemaker comes of age and her mother¡¯s claims become more and more outlandish, she begins to question everything she once took for granted.]]> 32 Margaret Atwood Sasha 4 3.76 2022 My Evil Mother
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/03
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea]]> 56978100
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village¡ªand the beloved of Mina¡¯s older brother Joon¡ªmay be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong¡¯s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin¡ªas well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits¡ªMina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn¡¯t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking¡­]]> 325 Axie Oh 1250780861 Sasha 0 to-read 4.10 2022 The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
author: Axie Oh
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #2)]]> 59808071 Not every love is meant to be.

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she¡¯s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn¡¯t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline¡¯s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she¡¯s not sure she can...]]> 416 Stephanie Garber 1250268427 Sasha 0 to-read 4.49 2022 The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #2)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cursed (Gilded, #2) 59251223
Romance, danger, and Serilda's journey to find her power as a woman, a mother, and a storyteller make this reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin one that Meyer fans¡ªold and new¡ªwill treasure.]]> 485 Marissa Meyer Sasha 0 to-read 3.98 2022 Cursed (Gilded, #2)
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> All My Rage 57899793 Lahore, Pakistan. Then.
Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Cloud¡¯s Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start.

Juniper, California. Now.
Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding.

Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah¡¯s health fails and his grieving father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle¡¯s liquor store while hiding the fact that she¡¯s applying to college so she can escape him¡ªand Juniper¡ªforever.

When Sal¡¯s attempts to save the motel spiral out of control, he and Noor must ask themselves what friendship is worth¡ªand what it takes to defeat the monsters in their pasts and the ones in their midst.

From one of today¡¯s most cherished and bestselling young adult authors comes a breathtaking novel of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness¡ªone that¡¯s both tragic and poignant in its tender ferocity.]]> 376 Sabaa Tahir 0593202341 Sasha 0 to-read 4.48 2022 All My Rage
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cleopatra and Frankenstein 57693262 For readers of Modern Lovers and Conversations with Friends, an addictive, humorous, and poignant debut novel about the shock waves caused by one couple's impulsive marriage.

Twenty-four-year-old British painter Cleo has escaped from England to New York and is still finding her place in the sleepless city when, a few months before her student visa ends, she meets Frank. Twenty years older and a self-made success, Frank's life is full of all the excesses Cleo's lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a Green Card. But their impulsive marriage irreversibly changes both their lives, and the lives of those close to them, in ways they never could've predicted.

Each compulsively readable chapter explores the lives of Cleo, Frank, and an unforgettable cast of their closest friends and family as they grow up and grow older. Whether it's Cleo's best friend struggling to embrace his gender queerness in the wake of Cleo's marriage, or Frank's financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates to support herself after being cut off, or Cleo and Frank themselves as they discover the trials of marriage and mental illness, each character is as absorbing, and painfully relatable, as the last.

As hilarious as it is heartbreaking, entertaining as it is deeply moving, Cleopatra and Frankenstein marks the entry of a brilliant and bold new talent.]]> 368 Coco Mellors 1635576814 Sasha 0 to-read 3.70 2022 Cleopatra and Frankenstein
author: Coco Mellors
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Maid (Molly the Maid, #1) 55196813
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter¡ªshe throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black¡ªbut will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different¡ªand reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.]]> 304 Nita Prose 0593356152 Sasha 0 to-read 3.71 2022 The Maid (Molly the Maid, #1)
author: Nita Prose
name: Sasha
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1)]]> 57789637
¡°Epic, romantic, and enthralling from start to finish.¡±¡ªStephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series

¡°An all-consuming work of literary fantasy that is breathtaking both for its beauty and its suspense."¡ªBookPage, starred review

A captivating and romantic debut epic fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang¡¯e, in which a young woman¡¯s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin¡¯s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor¡¯s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream¡ªstriking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice¡ªwhere love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.]]> 503 Sue Lynn Tan 0063031302 Sasha 0 to-read 4.08 2022 Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1)
author: Sue Lynn Tan
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Kaikeyi 57127277 ¡°I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions¡ªmuch good it did me.¡±

So begins Kaikeyi¡¯s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on tales about the might and benevolence of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the worthy. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to the marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.

Desperate for independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With it, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen.

But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. And Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak¡ªand what legacy she intends to leave behind.

The unforgettable tale of a woman determined to leave her mark in a world gods and men dictate the shape of things to come. "Patel's mesmerizing debut shines a brilliant light on the vilified queen from the Ramayana"
(Publishers Weekly, starred review).]]> 478 Vaishnavi Patel 0759557330 Sasha 0 to-read 4.18 2022 Kaikeyi
author: Vaishnavi Patel
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 10 29237224
Collects: Saga #55-60.]]> 160 Fiona Staples 1534323341 Sasha 0 to-read 4.30 2022 Saga, Volume 10
author: Fiona Staples
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World]]> 53138220 The remarkable, little-known story of two trailblazing women in the Early Middle Ages who wielded immense power, only to be vilified for daring to rule.

Brunhild was a Spanish princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet¡ªin the 6th-century Merovingian Empire, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport¡ªthese two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms for decades, changing the face of Europe.

The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a years-long civil war¡ªagainst each other. With ingenuity and skill, they battled to stay alive in the game of statecraft, and in the process laid the foundations of what would one day be Charlemagne¡¯s empire. Yet after Brunhild and Fredegund¡¯s deaths¡ªone gentle, the other horrific¡ªtheir stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend.

In The Dark Queens, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak sets the record straight. She resurrects two very real women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of an unfamiliar time and striking at the roots of some of our culture¡¯s stubbornest myths about female power. The Dark Queens offers proof that the relationships between women can transform the world.]]> 384 Shelley Puhak 1635574919 Sasha 0 to-read 4.09 2022 The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World
author: Shelley Puhak
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma]]> 58214328 A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life.

"Every cell in my body is filled with the code of generations of trauma, of death, of birth, of migration, of history that I cannot understand. . . . I want to have words for what my bones know."

By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD¡ªa condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.

Both of Foo's parents abandoned her when she was a teenager, after years of physical and verbal abuse and neglect. She thought she'd moved on, but her new diagnosis illuminated the way her past continued to threaten her health, relationships, and career. She found limited resources to help her, so Foo set out to heal herself, and to map her experiences onto the scarce literature about C-PTSD.

In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Foo interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies. She returns to her hometown of San Jose, California, to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community, and she uncovers family secrets in the country of her birth, Malaysia, to learn how trauma can be inherited through generations. Ultimately, she discovers that you don't move on from trauma¡ªbut you can learn to move with it.

Powerful, enlightening, and hopeful, What My Bones Know is a brave narrative that reckons with the hold of the past over the present, the mind over the body¡ªand examines one woman's ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.]]> 352 Stephanie Foo 0593238109 Sasha 0 to-read 4.50 2022 What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
author: Stephanie Foo
name: Sasha
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>