Bernard's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 30 Jun 2024 05:47:02 -0700 60 Bernard's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg When Breath Becomes Air 25899336
At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a naĂŻve medical student "possessed," as he wrote, "by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life" into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

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

Paul Kalanithi died in March 2015, while working on this book, yet his words live on as a guide and a gift to us all. "I began to realize that coming face to face with my own mortality, in a sense, had changed nothing and everything," he wrote. "Seven words from Samuel Beckett began to repeat in my head: 'I can't go on. I'll go on.'" When Breath Becomes Air is an unforgettable, life-affirming reflection on the challenge of facing death and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a brilliant writer who became both.]]> 208 Paul Kalanithi 0812988418 Bernard 0 to-read 4.41 2016 When Breath Becomes Air
author: Paul Kalanithi
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.41
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]]> <![CDATA[Transcending Depression: Quest Without a Compass]]> 53906618 Are you or a loved one depressed?

My book can help. I've been there and have struggled with suicidal thoughts and plans. I can share with you what I did to not only survive, but to tolerate depression, live with it, and function acceptably most of the time, interspersed with periods of contentment, happiness, and joy. My strategies may well work for you.

My goal is to save lives. The primary motivation for presenting my history is to encourage others who grapple with either chronic depression or occasional bouts. I hope my journey resonates with some, validates feelings, and sparks the thoughts "I'm not alone" and "I will feel better." This book can also help family members and friends of the mentally ill, and their caregivers, find compassion and enable them to understand the struggle.

Transcending Depression differs from many other books on the topic in that it is not grounded in clinical experience, scientific research, or empirical evidence, which may make it more approachable than some. It's not a how-to book, not a model for depressed people to follow, not a toolbox. On the contrary, it shows rather than tells the reader what he or she might do to feel better.

Appendices include my Depression Survival Guide, which offers 36 suggestions to bring relief, and Chess in the Labyrinth, a metaphor that compares defeating depression to winning a chess game.]]> 163 Larry Godwin Bernard 0 to-read 4.44 2020 Transcending Depression: Quest Without a Compass
author: Larry Godwin
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.44
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]]> Love Auction II: Love Designs 60670845 Designs. On the plane to Bayville—she meets, Matthew Wittendale, a serial
killer on his way back to the city after leaving because BVPD was hot on his trail
for crimes he had committed. Matthew is intrigued by her beauty and her
designs.

Aiden St. Patrick, the VP of MHD was not thrilled his uncle hired Savanna
Wright. They’re both constantly at odds. Aiden with his British arrogance and
Savanna with her Southern sass� was problematic. Rumor around the
office—the pair had sexual energy between them.

Savanna has agreed to be one of the bachelorettes for the charity auction.
Aiden plans on winning her bid, but Matthew manipulates a kid into diverting
Aiden away from the auction to keep him from bidding.

What does Matthew have in store for Savanna?
Will Aiden get the chance to show her who he really is
and win her heart?]]> 292 Sharon Carter Bernard 0 to-read 4.40 Love Auction II: Love Designs
author: Sharon Carter
name: Bernard
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]]> <![CDATA[Where the Forest Meets the Stars]]> 40545956 In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.

After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay―just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?

Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.]]> 332 Glendy Vanderah 154204006X Bernard 0 to-read 3.98 2019 Where the Forest Meets the Stars
author: Glendy Vanderah
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2019
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]]> <![CDATA[Crossbones (Cross your Heart and Die, #3)]]> 60018069
Arthur exacts revenge on Nathanial, the man who ruined his mortal life, but eating him is too easy. Instead, Arthur systematically destroys everything Nathanial holds dear.

Arthur is captivated with Loretta, Nathanial's daughter, but Keme is in love. After a whirlwind marriage, Loretta realizes her husband is two diametrically opposed beings. Too late to save her father, she manages to outmanoeuver Arthur, and the coup triggers another soul switch. Now, she and Keme must launch a counterattack against Arthur’s inhumanity, or go to hell trying.]]> 411 Diane L. Kowalyshyn 1509239316 Bernard 0 to-read 4.40 Crossbones (Cross your Heart and Die, #3)
author: Diane L. Kowalyshyn
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.40
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]]> Teenagers War: Vietnam 1969 50812503 145 Michael Zboray Bernard 0 to-read 4.34 Teenagers War: Vietnam 1969
author: Michael Zboray
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.34
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]]> <![CDATA[Triple Deception (Remmich/Miller, #4)]]> 123425153 It starts with the kidnapping of two wives of military intelligence officers, Paul Remmich and Eric Miller. Threatened with their spouses� deaths, they are forced to go to Istanbul. Hoping to soften the men’s animosity and gain their willing assistance, the Iraqis plan a lavish distraction. Unfortunately, the trip to a Mediterranean resort with their wives doesn’t quite work out as the spy organization hoped. The CIA slips into the picture, determined to save the women’s lives and get them out of Turkey.
Forced to adjust their plan, the Tariq'Allah selects Paul Remmich to negotiate for the weapon in Washington, DC. When the officer presents the demand for the weapon, its rejection places his and Miller's life squarely in danger.
Upon Remmich's return to Turkey, he finds the failure angers and humiliates the Iraqis, and more time passes as they consider their options. When the only recourse appears to be the death of the Americans, the CIA again attempts a rescue with a clever scheme. Enraged by the attempt, Tariq'Allah follows the escape path, and a gunfight ensues. The final showdown will determine whether the Iraqis achieve the weapon they so desperately need and whether or not the American officers return home in one piece or in body bags.]]> 0 Karl Braungart Bernard 0 to-read 4.32 Triple Deception (Remmich/Miller, #4)
author: Karl Braungart
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]]> The Cleaner (John Milton, #1) 19425704 Meet John Milton

He considers himself an artisan. A craftsman. His trade is murder.

Milton is the man the government sends after you when everything else has failed. Ruthless. Brilliant. Anonymous. Lethal. You wouldn't pick him out of a crowd but you wouldn't want to be on his list. But now, after ten years, he's had enough - there's blood on his hands and he wants out. Trouble is, this job is not one you can just walk away from.
Ěý
He goes on the run, seeking atonement for his sins by helping the people he meets along the way. But his past cannot be easily forgotten and before long it is Milton who is hunted, and not the hunter.

The Cleaner

A career of state-sanctioned murder has taken its toll. Milton is troubled by nightmares, a long line of ghosts who torment his dreams. He resolves to make his next job his last and, then, perhaps, he can start to make amends for everything that he has done.

Sharon Warriner is a single mother in the East End of London, suicidal with fear that she's lost her young son to a life in the gangs. After Milton saves her life, he promises to help. But the gang, and the charismatic rapper who leads it, is not about to cooperate with him.

As London burns through summer riots, Milton finds himself in unfamiliar territory, dealing with an unfamiliar foe. And when his employer sends another agent after him, the odds against him are stacked even higher.]]> 313 Mark Dawson Bernard 0 to-read 3.71 2013 The Cleaner (John Milton, #1)
author: Mark Dawson
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2013
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]]> Eightt is God 60832578 20 Nameetta Sood Bernard 0 to-read 4.19 Eightt is God
author: Nameetta Sood
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.19
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]]> <![CDATA[Martin Swans Diary: Black Water Crossing]]> 11424443 304 Kyle Keyes 1456503790 Bernard 0 to-read 4.41 2011 Martin Swans Diary: Black Water Crossing
author: Kyle Keyes
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2011
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]]> And the Mountains Echoed 16115612 404 Khaled Hosseini 159463176X Bernard 0 to-read 4.06 2012 And the Mountains Echoed
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.06
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]]> <![CDATA[Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece]]> 62986809
Two lovers crest the wave of the golden age of Pericles, statesman and general, and Aspasia, his courtesan, a philosopher's daughter, and a brilliant woman in her own right. In a world of hierarchies, he is at the top when she arrives as little more than flotsam cast up on Athenian shores. Their love transcends social sanctions, enduring and deepening despite the grave threat it presents to Pericles' reputation as a leader of the Athenian democracy.

The novel unfolds against the background of the arts and history of the Golden Age, seen through the eyes of two individuals who lent their particular brilliance to make it "golden": Pericles, the great orator and visionary of democracy, and its most influential woman, Aspasia. Their story takes them from the Agora-Athens' marketplace to the Acropolis, from the raunchy Athenian Port Piraeus mercantile across the Aegean Sea to East Greece. Pericles and Aspasia—together and apart—navigate treacherous paths from venal calculations to impassioned philosophical inquiry, from high-stakes sea battles to the passions of family life.

Pericles and Aspasia engages issues that are vital today—the paradoxes of democracy, the tensions of hierarchy, the ironies of gender, and others—but this novel is immersed in classical Athens: the city, its sunshine, its physical presence, its people, and their struggles and aspirations.]]> 557 Yvonne Korshak 1959182234 Bernard 0 to-read 4.29 2022 Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece
author: Yvonne Korshak
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average rating: 4.29
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]]> <![CDATA[The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts]]> 23878688 Over 20 million copies sold!

A perennial New York Times bestseller for over a decade!

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?

In the #1 New York Times international bestseller The 5 Love Languages®, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.

The 5 Love Languages® is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

Includes the Love Language assessment so you can discover your love language and that of your loved one.]]> 232 Gary Chapman 0802492401 Bernard 0 to-read 4.32 1990 The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
author: Gary Chapman
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1990
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]]> <![CDATA[AI Doctor: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare - A Guide for Users, Buyers, Builders, and Investors]]> 204866266 Explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the healthcare industry

AI The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare provides a timely and authoritative overview of the current impact and future potential of AI technology in healthcare. With a reader-friendly narrative style, this comprehensive guide traces the evolution of AI in healthcare, describes methodological breakthroughs, drivers and barriers of its adoption, discusses use cases across clinical medicine, administration and operations, and life sciences, and examines the business models for the entrepreneurs, investors, and customers.

Detailed yet accessible chapters help those in the business and practice of healthcare recognize the remarkable potential of AI in areas such as drug discovery and development, diagnostics, therapeutics, clinical workflows, personalized medicine, early disease prediction, population health management, and healthcare administration and operations. Throughout the text, author Ronald M. Razmi, MD offers valuable insights on harnessing AI to improve health of the world population, develop more efficient business models, accelerate long-term economic growth, and optimize healthcare budgets.

Addressing the potential impact of AI on the clinical practice of medicine, the business of healthcare, and opportunities for investors, AI The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in

Discusses what AI is currently doing in healthcare and its direction in the next decade Examines the development and challenges for medical algorithms Identifies the applications of AI in diagnostics, therapeutics, population health, clinical workflows, administration and operations, discovery and development of new clinical paradigms and more Presents timely and relevant information on rapidly expanding generative AI technologies, such as Chat GPT Describes the analysis that needs to be made by entrepreneurs and investors as they evaluate building or investing in health AI solutions Features a wealth of relatable real-world examples that bring technical concepts to life Explains the role of AI in the development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics during the COVID-19 pandemic
AI The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. A Guide for Users, Buyers, Builders, and Investors is a must-read for healthcare professionals, researchers, investors, entrepreneurs, medical and nursing students, and those building or designing systems for the commercial marketplace. The book's non-technical andĚýreader-friendly narrative style also makes it an ideal read for everyone interested in learning about how AI will improve health and healthcare in the coming decades.]]> 0 Ronald M. Razmi 1394240171 Bernard 0 to-read 4.27 AI Doctor: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare - A Guide for Users, Buyers, Builders, and Investors
author: Ronald M. Razmi
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]]> <![CDATA[Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master]]> 52022378 For five years Me’acca Mysuth Sheever has lived among his “sworn enemies,� pretending to be one of them. One night he buys a journal, its pages blank. The woman who sells him the journal extracts his promise to record his deeds for study. “Lo, the steps of your life mark the journey of your soul.� To expose his prior life, however, would be akin to suicide, for Sheever is a man brimming with secrets.

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

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

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

About the Author:
K. Ritz lives with her husband in a small town in Massachusetts. This is her first book in a series about a world of shadows.
]]> 410 K. Ritz 1950015327 Bernard 0 to-read 4.30 2019 Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master
author: K. Ritz
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
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]]> Little Fires Everywhere 34273236
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned � from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours 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 teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just 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 rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends 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 an unexpected and devastating cost . . .]]> 338 Celeste Ng 0735224293 Bernard 0 to-read 4.05 2017 Little Fires Everywhere
author: Celeste Ng
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2017
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]]> Looking for Alaska 99561 Before. Miles “Pudge� Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps� even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.]]> 221 John Green 1435249151 Bernard 0 to-read 3.97 2005 Looking for Alaska
author: John Green
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2005
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]]> <![CDATA[Awful Reckoning: A Cade Chase and Simon Pack Novel]]> 59080422 256 John M. Vermillion Bernard 0 to-read 4.40 Awful Reckoning: A Cade Chase and Simon Pack Novel
author: John M. Vermillion
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]]> Victor's Blessing 63140926 Meticulously researched for everyday life (rather than battles), Victor's Blessing takes the reader on a journey from quaint Ste. Genevieve Missouri, the patent halls of Washington D.C., the battle of Wilderness, till finally the infamous Andersonville prison. With a bevy of rich male and female characters, that experience the turbulent decade before and after the Civil War, Victor's Blessing is a haunting love story, that seems to whisper the eternal question, is death really the end?]]> 582 Barbara Sontheimer 1639885897 Bernard 0 to-read 4.34 2022 Victor's Blessing
author: Barbara Sontheimer
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.34
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]]> Red Russia 36043601
Red Russia is the story of an American businessman and his interpreter in Russia, of business, lies, and deception, of fortunes bought and told.
]]> 189 Tanya Thompson Bernard 0 to-read 4.06 2017 Red Russia
author: Tanya Thompson
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
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]]> Eat, Pray, Love 19501
Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want—a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be.

To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world—all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way—unexpectedly.

An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society’s ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.]]> 368 Elizabeth Gilbert 0143038419 Bernard 0 to-read 3.64 2006 Eat, Pray, Love
author: Elizabeth Gilbert
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.64
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]]> Taming Flame 61608233
"Just that she is all heart. She doesn't have an artificial bone in her body, and therefore, doesn't have the ruthlessness necessary to survive the royal court."

Flaminius's days of bouncing between beds are snatched away the instant he sets eyes on his perfect genetic match, Aurelia. Suddenly, the tedious task of claiming his rightful place on the throne of Arkhnuet doesn't seem as daunting with his whip-smart wife by his side. But it's not like Aurelia had a choice; Flaminius is the only soul she can reproduce with, and she's not about to play a role in her people's extinction.

After a swift wedding and passionate honeymoon, an assassination attempt plummets the lovers back into the reality of ruling. Fueled by their indomitable matched hormones and fierce loyalty to each other, together they must evade his mother's Machiavellian schemes, hunt down the mysterious cause of death among the match-making Keys, and protect the people from a violent supremacist cult, the Oradagra. But it turns out that the greatest threat to their existence is something neither of them could have seen coming, and it's a race against time to save the entire Arkhnuetian planet.]]> 312 Therisa Peimer 1039125611 Bernard 0 to-read 4.29 2022 Taming Flame
author: Therisa Peimer
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.29
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]]> <![CDATA[A Decade of Desire: Erotic Memoirs from The Office Diaries]]> 57601103 378 Charles Dyson 1527290069 Bernard 0 to-read 4.36 A Decade of Desire: Erotic Memoirs from The Office Diaries
author: Charles Dyson
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.36
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]]> <![CDATA[Down in the Valley (The Netahs)]]> 208354245
With the council’s approval, he makes a hesitant entry into the community, and marvels at the amazing technology that has allowed the shapeshifters to live in harmony with nature, and away from prying human eyes. But everything is so different from his former life and Josh wonders how he can fit in. He has so much to learn about how to live as a Netah, and very few of his housemates seem willing to share their knowledge with him. Luckily, he finds a few friends who are brave enough to support him on his journey, and they warn him that his father appears intent on making contact with Josh.

As he learns about the Netah ways and what role he can play in his new world, he can’t stop thinking about the missing piece of the puzzle in his life, his birth father. Josh is torn by the need to know about his roots, and the dangerous killer his father appears to be.]]> 318 Lisa Kaniut Cobb 1039174639 Bernard 0 to-read 4.38 Down in the Valley (The Netahs)
author: Lisa Kaniut Cobb
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.38
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]]> <![CDATA[The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art]]> 123208587
This book is both a memoir of their life together as artists and teachers and a collection of the special celebrations that they shared with a wide variety of guests over the years. The book includes more than one hundred recipes from their collection, each illustrated with John’s original paintings. Every occasion has a story to tell about a time and a place when friends and family came together to share their lives, their passions, and their daily bread.

In this unique love story of a creative couple who have always “lived the artist’s life,� John and Mallory O’Connor share their favorite special occasions and recipes along with the places and the people who made them memorable.]]> 296 Mallory M. O'Connor 1639887962 Bernard 0 to-read 4.39 The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art
author: Mallory M. O'Connor
name: Bernard
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]]> A Connection to Lennon ? 55179036 16 Timothy Dorr Bernard 0 to-read 4.35 A Connection to Lennon ?
author: Timothy Dorr
name: Bernard
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]]> Addicted to Time 123271879 252 Steven Decker Bernard 0 to-read 4.27 Addicted to Time
author: Steven Decker
name: Bernard
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]]> <![CDATA[Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Nine Political Wives]]> 27015454
What if political wives are just as calculating as their infamous husbands?

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

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

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

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

Melania & Donald Trump: A foreigner’s desire to live the American dream
Hilary & Bill Clinton: One masterful decision launched her political career
Jackie & John F. Kennedy: Coping in bed and all the way to the bank
Eleanor & Franklin D. Roosevelt: A lifeless marriage sparks a social champion
Marion Stein & Jeremy Thorpe: Riding out British scandal to provide for her sons
Wendy & David Vitter: Married to the Party versus married to a man
Silda Wall & Elliot Spitzer: Real-life drama spawns TV show The Good Wife
Huma Abedin & Anthony Weiner: How to win against a man and the Media
These political wives aren’t powerless pawns. They are shrewder than you expect. Why They Stay pulls back the curtain to reveal why women throughout history stand by their man � for better and for worse.]]> 279 Anne Michaud 0997663316 Bernard 0 to-read 4.37 Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas of Nine Political Wives
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]]> <![CDATA[Fire Prayers: Building Arsenals That Destroy Satanic Kingdoms]]> 75511257 If there's one spiritual weapon Satan doesn't want you to use, it'sĚýprayer.
Ěý
This book will show you the importance of fighting the enemy in the spirit, and why being equipped with God’s warfare weapons is one of the most life-changing experiences of all.
Ěý
Christians have an enemy who will do everything in his power to alter, edit, stop, delay, and abort their God-given destiny. Satan and his demonic kingdom have one to kill, steal, and destroy.
Ěý
The enemy does not want our God-ordained prophetic destiny to be fulfilled in this very hour. This is why we need to pray like never before and arm ourselves with the arsenal of heaven like the ambassadors and soldiers of the Lord we are. Fire Prayers will equip you to pick up your weapons of warfare and fight the good fight of faith.
Ěý
Filled with powerful teachings, Fire Prayers will equip you with a spiritual warfare arsenal that will leave Satan and his kingdom trembling and unable to manipulate, control, or dominate you; hinder your relationship with Jesus; or thwart your destiny.
Ěý
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Readers will is the key for blocking the enemy’s attacksWhy it is so important to fight the kingdom of darknessHow they can live a life free of spiritual chains]]> 218 John Ramirez 1636411568 Bernard 0 to-read 4.29 Fire Prayers: Building Arsenals That Destroy Satanic Kingdoms
author: John Ramirez
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.29
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]]> <![CDATA[There's No Business Like International Business: Business Travel � But Not As You Know It]]> 60682382
Next, follow along as he travels around the Far East for three weeks in the company of an obstreperous, can’t-do-without but can’t-do-with female colleague, learning new cultures fast. Oh, and all in the pursuit of business goals that somehow still seem to be met along the way.

These unique trips may have had a business purpose, but this is no business book or how-to guide; rather, it’s a delightful, off-beat travelogue with an off-beat much travelled narrator. There are plenty of vivid characters to meet en route, an abundance of anecdotal fun, plus an education on local cultures and cuisines to be gained.

Pre-publication reviewers �Exceptionally well crafted, each page illuminated with entertainment, wit, and candour, to categorize it as simply a travelogue seems to do it a great injustice. Here, we have something of true merit.� (Thomas J Kenny), �Exciting, fun, and all-around surprising. A clear masterpiece.� (Andrea Scholar), �Oliver Dowson has created something I never thought a nonfiction book about business trips that is actually fun and engaging to read.� (Brandon Diehl)]]> 253 Oliver Dowson 1803139102 Bernard 0 to-read 4.30 There's No Business Like International Business: Business Travel – But Not As You Know It
author: Oliver Dowson
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.30
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]]> <![CDATA[Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine]]> 31434883 No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen, the three rescue one another from the lives of isolation that they had been living. Ultimately, it is Raymond’s big heart that will help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one. If she does, she'll learn that she, too, is capable of finding friendship—and even love—after all.

Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

the only way to survive is to open your heart.]]> 336 Gail Honeyman 0735220689 Bernard 0 to-read 4.21 2017 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
author: Gail Honeyman
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> Persuasion 2156 249 Jane Austen 0192802631 Bernard 0 to-read 4.15 1817 Persuasion
author: Jane Austen
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1817
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]]> The Wife Between Us 34189556 You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.
You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement � a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love.
You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.
Assume nothing.

Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

Read between the lies. ]]> 432 Greer Hendricks 1250130921 Bernard 0 to-read 3.82 2018 The Wife Between Us
author: Greer Hendricks
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Fire & Blood (A Targaryen History, #1)]]> 39943621
Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.

What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why did it become so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What is the origin of Daenerys’s three dragon eggs? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty all-new black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.

With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire and Blood is the ultimate game of thrones, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros.]]> 706 George R.R. Martin 152479628X Bernard 0 to-read 4.03 2018 Fire & Blood (A Targaryen History, #1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
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]]> The Help 4667024
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women, mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends, view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.


Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here]]> 464 Kathryn Stockett 0399155341 Bernard 0 to-read 4.46 2009 The Help
author: Kathryn Stockett
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.46
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]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners: Your Essential Guide to Living the Keto Lifestyle]]> 32926344 Lose weight and keep it off with the straightforward guidance and simple recipes in The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners--your all-in-one resource for starting--and sticking to--the ketogenic diet.

Eat healthier, lose weight, trim your waistline--it sounds so simple. And yet, the CDC reports that more than one third of Americans face significant weight loss challenges--with nearly 1 in 20 suffering from type 2 diabetes--and have yet to find a solution that works.

When on the ketogenic diet, you're simply using your body's own natural response to certain foods in order to burn unwanted fat and shed weight. Endorsed by the Mayo Clinic and others in the medical community, the ketogenic diet has been proven as a healthy, effective way of achieving weight loss, as it consists of low-carb, high fat foods that prompt the body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose.

The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners is the most simple, easy-to-use guide for beginning the ketogenic diet and starting on the road to success.


75 easy to follow, no-fuss recipes for every meal--including several -fat bombs, - a ketogenic diet favorite!

Uncomplicated guidance into the fundamentals of the ketogenic diet, advice for living the keto-lifestyle, and a complete two-week meal plan.
Easy-prep recipes using five main ingredients or less--this diet requires no costly or specialty foods.
A handy -keto-quotient- aligned to each recipe empowers you to make confident decisions about what to eat every day.
With The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners you can enjoy your favorite foods, instead of avoiding them. Indulge in Peanut Butter Cup Smoothies, Bacon Artichoke Omelets, Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower, Chicken-Bacon Burgers, Garlic Braised Short Ribs, Raspberry Cheesecake, and so much more.]]> 158 Amy Ramos 1623158087 Bernard 0 to-read 3.68 2016 The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners: Your Essential Guide to Living the Keto Lifestyle
author: Amy Ramos
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Wanted: An Honest Man (Lindsey Lark #1)]]> 30409158
Though she doesn't want to be alone, she isn't ready to go looking for new love, but men find her anyway. A handsome college student involved in some tricky human research gets into trouble in more ways than one. His inherent propensity to play detective, though helpful at times, seems to attract Murphy and his darned Law far too often ... and now his eyes are on Lindsey. Will his heart follow?

"Charming ... unexpected ... emotionally charged!"

--- Amylynn Bright, author of Finish What We Started

"Ms. Rohman's entertaining novel, WANTED: AN HONEST MAN, has all the hallmarks of a bestseller including a cast of inspired characters that bring real-world authenticity to her tale." --- BookViral]]> 353 Cricket Rohman 0989697169 Bernard 0 to-read 4.41 2016 Wanted: An Honest Man (Lindsey Lark #1)
author: Cricket Rohman
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite, #1)]]> 22341263
When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past � and open the door to deadly danger.]]> 410 Robert Dugoni 1477825576 Bernard 0 to-read 3.92 2014 My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite, #1)
author: Robert Dugoni
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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]]> Chasing the Red Queen 38343303 277 Karen Glista Bernard 0 to-read 4.20 Chasing the Red Queen
author: Karen Glista
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.20
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]]> <![CDATA[The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma]]> 18693771 A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing.

Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world's foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers' capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain's natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk's own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.]]> 464 Bessel van der Kolk 0670785938 Bernard 0 to-read 4.36 2014 The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
author: Bessel van der Kolk
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2014
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]]> Shared Sorrows 59345767 200 Vincent Panettiere 1667807676 Bernard 0 to-read 4.30 Shared Sorrows
author: Vincent Panettiere
name: Bernard
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]]> The Lazarus Men 58408830 242 Christian Warren Freed 1365417077 Bernard 0 to-read 4.17 The Lazarus Men
author: Christian Warren Freed
name: Bernard
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]]> <![CDATA[Blind Pony: As True A Story As I Can Tell]]> 56303766
After a troubling reunion, she flees to the promising lights of La-La Land. Desperate to forget the past, she immerses herself in a spectacle of drugs, decadence, and money in Hollywood.

But when a wealthy playboy mistakes her Pittsburgh accent for British, a new spiral of white lies begins, and a new identity is born. Swept to Europe, Samantha floats through champagne parties, sexual adventures, and a whirlwind of international escapades. With a portfolio of nude photos under her arm, she is determined to make something of herself.

Will her young, broken spirit find the strength to persevere, to survive the unsurvivable? Will she transcend the temptation to give up in a world that seems so set against her?

BLIND PONY: AS TRUE A STORY AS I CAN TELL is the tale of one young woman's unwillingness to accept the circumstances life dealt her, and instead, takes the reins to find success beyond her wildest dreams.]]> 352 Samantha Hart 1648710107 Bernard 0 to-read 4.31 2021 Blind Pony: As True A Story As I Can Tell
author: Samantha Hart
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
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]]> <![CDATA[Uncanny Alliance (Jack Ludefance PI Series)]]> 211159893 278 Behcet Kaya Bernard 0 to-read 4.38 2024 Uncanny Alliance (Jack Ludefance PI Series)
author: Behcet Kaya
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.38
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]]> Get Rich or Get Lucky 33623824
After a string of disappointments with his literary career, Adam is not doing well in life, particularly where women are concerned. His last girlfriend left him for somebody taller, and he was sacked from his job at an English Language School for flirting with the boss's wife after a few drinks at the Christmas party.

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

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

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

Get Rich or Get Lucky is a dark-humoured fantasy thriller, and may not appeal to the very sensitive reader with a strong conventional bias. It will however be a favourite for open-minded readers who enjoy adult, fun fantasy fiction and also a fast-paced adventure thriller.]]> 276 Max Nowaz Bernard 0 to-read 4.25 Get Rich or Get Lucky
author: Max Nowaz
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.25
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]]> <![CDATA[Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch]]> 12067
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons � well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel � would quite like the Rapture not to happen.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…]]> 491 Terry Pratchett Bernard 0 to-read 4.27 1990 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1990
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Being a Witch, and Other Things I Didn't Ask For]]> 34186576 Kirkus Reviews � Verdict: Get it.]]> 380 Sara Pascoe 0993574734 Bernard 0 to-read 4.29 2015 Being a Witch, and Other Things I Didn't Ask For
author: Sara Pascoe
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
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]]> Orion Surfacing 30834524 Undeterred, he continues on with the help of unlikely allies, and mysterious beings whom he struggles to understand. When the dust settles... everything he knows about the world, and himself, will be called into question, and nothing will ever be the same.]]> 349 I. James Forrest 1460270258 Bernard 0 to-read 4.24 2015 Orion Surfacing
author: I. James Forrest
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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]]> The Unremembered Girl 34663153
Abandoned and nearly feral, Eve has been watching them, seduced by the notion of family—something she’s known only in the most brutal sense. Soon she can’t resist the temptation to get close. Where Henry’s mother sees a poor girl in need, his father sees only wickedness. When Henry forges an unexpected bond with Eve, he believes he might be able to save her. He doesn’t know how wrong he is.

Eve is about to take charge of her own destiny—and that of Henry’s family. As both their worlds spin violently out of control, Henry must make an impossible choice: protect the broken woman who’s claimed a piece of his soul, or put everyone he loves at risk in order to do the right thing.]]> 0 Eliza Maxwell 154360286X Bernard 0 to-read 3.48 2017 The Unremembered Girl
author: Eliza Maxwell
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> Inara (Godfrey Davis, #3) 215186841
But the death of a human subsequently gave rise to the question. Would the masses ever trust Artificial Intelligence again?

When Nine and the other androids voted to leave Llar behind, the rioting started shortly after their departure. Where it would lead to was anyone’s guess.
Except for one man, and an ethereal green hologram in the Grand Plaza.

As Godfrey reflected on his excursion into the future, he knew. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. While the old hologram stood and watched the hoards destroying their heritage, the clock was ticking.

Time was running out.]]> 351 A.R. Merrydew Bernard 0 to-read 4.36 2024 Inara (Godfrey Davis, #3)
author: A.R. Merrydew
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> Adoption Stories 56389340 88 Janine Myung Ja Bernard 0 to-read 4.30 Adoption Stories
author: Janine Myung Ja
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.30
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]]> Exit Rostov 53056333
Uncovering hidden characteristics and unexpected motives, Frederick fears that his friend, presumed dead, has been caught up in a tragic sequence of events leading to his destruction. As a rite of passage, a journey of discovery, a travelogue and a psychological portrait of friendship, the novel draws the reader into the hidden world of being which beats beneath the semblance of reality.

The story is intricate and evokes another world, of suburban Rostov tenements, of dachas in the Steppe, of Tashkent, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, Moscow, the Nyeskuchniy Gardens, the River Don, making love in Tanais, of the sea of Asov, the northern Caucasus, of Stavropol, of refugee camps in Ingushetia, mountains, and field hospitals in the Caucasus, of fin de siecle London, and Aquitaine. From the viewpoint of Frederick, a young man of 23yrs, seeking his friend Cazimir, in the Northern Caucasus in 1996, the narrative blends observation about Russian people and culture, the Don Steppe, post-Soviet urbanscapes at the turn of the century with intimate and sensitive meditations on love, sex, death, religion, God, one's place in society and money, and investigates the potent forces of sexual desire, attraction and adolescent mental health, coming to terms with the powerful subconscious drives of lust, desire, and obsession.

Written as an interior dialogue, with reported conversation, notebook extracts, poems and transcriptions, the text is varied, raw and sometimes uncomfortable. The voice of the narrator Frederick is constant, but on discovery of notebooks written by Cazimir, we learn from Cazimir's first-hand writings, which illuminate his thoughts, despairs, motivations and obsessions. Exit Rostov is a story of friendship and the ends to which one will go to save it. A story of love in its various forms, of the unrequited, the fulfilled, of new love and love that has run its course. A story of how individuals and companies took over ex-Soviet assets and territories, in the aftermath of the Soviet Union's demise, with Public-Private Partnerships. A story of intelligence gathering, Sufi-Islam, of art's supremacy over politics and how other people seek to control others at any cost. A story of how setting out with the best intentions can be fatal. It's a story of discovery, learning how to find people hiding in the layered depths of their divided and most essential, secret selves.]]> 686 Henry Virgin 1916414001 Bernard 0 to-read 4.31 Exit Rostov
author: Henry Virgin
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.31
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]]> Frankenstein: The 1818 Text 35031085 This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780143131847.

Mary Shelley's seminal novel of the scientist whose creation becomes a monster.

This edition is the original 1818 text, which preserves the hard-hitting and politically charged aspects of Shelley's original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by author and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.]]> 260 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 0143131842 Bernard 0 to-read 4.02 1818 Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1818
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Dreams of Winter (A Forgotten Gods Tale, #1)]]> 38109136
Senior Inquisitor Tolde Breed is sent to the planet Crimeat to investigate the escape of one of the most deadly beings in the universe. Amongeratix, one of the three sons of the god-king is loose once again, the fabled Three. Tolde arrives on a world where heresy breeds insurrection and war is only a matter of time. Tolde is aided by Sister Abigail of the Order of Blood Witches in his quest to find Amongeratix and return him to Conclave custody before he can begin his reign of terror. What he doesn’t know is that the Three are already operating on Crimeat. Each serves a different emotion: Vengeance, Sorrow and Redemption. Their touch drives the various characters beyond themselves and towards an uncertain future that can only end one of two ways. Either the Three win and finally destroy the gods, or humanity stops them and continues to survive.
]]> 424 Christian Warren Freed Bernard 0 to-read 4.34 2015 Dreams of Winter (A Forgotten Gods Tale, #1)
author: Christian Warren Freed
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Lift: Five Practices Great Managers Do Consistently: Raise Performance and Morale - See Your Employees Thrive]]> 55455888 116 Raymond Wheeler Bernard 0 to-read 4.32 Lift: Five Practices Great Managers Do Consistently: Raise Performance and Morale - See Your Employees Thrive
author: Raymond Wheeler
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.32
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]]> Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? 105552 Oh, the wonderful things Mr. Brown can do!

In this "Book of Wonderful Noises," Mr. Brown struts his stuff, as he imitates everything from popping corks to horse feet ("pop pop pop pop" and "klopp klopp klopp," respectively) while inviting everyone to join him in the fun.

Young readers who are still learning their sounds and letters will get a wacky workout as they follow along with the very serious-looking, squinty-eyed Mr. Brown. Whether it's eggs frying in a pan or a hippo chewing gum, the skillful Mr. Brown just keeps topping himself, with a "sizzle sizzle" or a "grum grum grum." "Mr. Brown is so smart he can even do this: he can even make a noise like a goldfish kiss!... pip!"

As usual, the words and pictures of Dr. Seuss make reading (and making all sorts of funny noises) impossible to resist. Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? will stay fresh through many a giggling reading.]]> 32 Dr. Seuss 0007169914 Bernard 5 4.14 1970 Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
author: Dr. Seuss
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1970
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/06/11
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]]> Dogs vs Bears 197525278 52 Austin Davis 1636983006 Bernard 4 4.31 Dogs vs Bears
author: Austin Davis
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 4
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]]> James and the Giant Peach 6689 176 Roald Dahl 0375814248 Bernard 3 4.04 1961 James and the Giant Peach
author: Roald Dahl
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1961
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!]]> 17797344 24 Dr. Seuss 0385375166 Bernard 5 4.23 1963 Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!
author: Dr. Seuss
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1963
rating: 5
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]]> The Souls of Black Folk 318742 Publication of The Souls of Black Folk was a dramatic event that helped to polarize black leaders into two groups: the more conservative followers of Washington and the more radical supporters of aggressive protest. Its influence cannot be overstated. It is essential reading for everyone interested in African-American history and the struggle for civil rights in America.]]> 288 W.E.B. Du Bois Bernard 4 4.30 1903 The Souls of Black Folk
author: W.E.B. Du Bois
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1903
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/03/03
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]]> The Fire Next Time 464260 The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation and gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement. At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin’s early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document. It consists of two “letters,� written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism. Described by The New York Times Book Review as “sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle…all presented in searing, brilliant prose,� The Fire Next Time stands as a classic of our literature.]]> 106 James Baldwin 067974472X Bernard 4 4.55 1963 The Fire Next Time
author: James Baldwin
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1963
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/03/03
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]]> Educated 35133922
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.

Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.]]> 352 Tara Westover 0399590501 Bernard 5 4.46 2018 Educated
author: Tara Westover
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2018
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/03/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Autobiography of Malcolm X]]> 92057
Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister. Here, the man who called himself "the angriest Black man in America" relates how his conversion to true Islam helped him confront his rage and recognize the brotherhood of all mankind.

An established classic of modern America, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" was hailed by the New York Times as "Extraordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book." Still extraordinary, still important, this electrifying story has transformed Malcolm X's life into his legacy. The strength of his words, and the power of his ideas continue to resonate more than a generation after they first appeared.]]> 466 Malcolm X Bernard 4 4.35 1965 The Autobiography of Malcolm X
author: Malcolm X
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1965
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/03/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Africa's Child (Dancing Soul Trilogy, #1)]]> 29977617 356 Maria Nhambu Bernard 4 4.30 2016 Africa's Child (Dancing Soul Trilogy, #1)
author: Maria Nhambu
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/03/03
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]]> <![CDATA[I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness]]> 35883430 From a powerful new voice on racial justice, an eye-opening account of growing up Black, Christian, and female in middle-class white America.

Austin Channing Brown's first encounter with a racialized America came at age 7, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches, Austin writes, "I had to learn what it means to love blackness," a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America's racial divide as a writer, speaker and expert who helps organizations practice genuine inclusion.

In a time when nearly all institutions (schools, churches, universities, businesses) claim to value "diversity" in their mission statements, I'm Still Here is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words. Austin writes in breathtaking detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice, in stories that bear witness to the complexity of America's social fabric--from Black Cleveland neighborhoods to private schools in the middle-class suburbs, from prison walls to the boardrooms at majority-white organizations.

For readers who have engaged with America's legacy on race through the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Eric Dyson, I'm Still Here is an illuminating look at how white, middle-class, Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the reader to confront apathy, recognize God's ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness--if we let it--can save us all.]]> 185 Austin Channing Brown Bernard 4 4.36 2018 I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
author: Austin Channing Brown
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/03/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Voice of Power (The Spoken Mage, #1)]]> 43260546 In Elena's world words have power over life and death--but none more so than hers.

As the daughter of shopkeepers, Elena has always known that the mysteries of reading and writing were closed to her. Only the mageborn can risk harnessing the power unleashed from putting pen to paper. Until Elena discovers an impossible new ability and joins the elite ranks of the mages.

But with the kingdom at war, the authorities can't agree if Elena is an asset, or a threat they need to eliminate. Thrust into the unknown world of the Royal Academy without friends or experience, Elena will need all of her wits, strength, and new power to carve a place for herself.

Except as the attacks become more personal, wits and strength won't be enough. Elena will have to turn to new friends and an enigmatic prince to unlock the mysterious potential of her words and survive her first year as a trainee mage.

If you enjoy strong heroines, fantasy worlds, adventure, intrigue, and romance, then try the Spoken Mage series now!

The Spoken Mage reading order:

Voice of Power
Voice of Command
And coming in 2019:
Voice of Dominion
Voice of Life]]> 314 Melanie Cellier 1925898024 Bernard 3 4.18 2018 Voice of Power (The Spoken Mage, #1)
author: Melanie Cellier
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 3
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date added: 2021/11/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Everything We Give (Everything, #3)]]> 36647644 From the author of Everything We Keep comes the final novel in the Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling Everything Series. Brimming with suspense, mystery, and romance, Everything We Give brings to a powerful close the gripping series of love, lies, and the secrets families keep.

Award-winning photographer Ian Collins made only one mistake in life, but it cost his mother her freedom and destroyed their family, leaving Ian to practically raise himself. For years he’s been estranged from his father, and his mother has lived off the grid. For just as long, he has searched for her.

Now, Ian seemingly has it all—national recognition for his photographs; his loving wife, Aimee; and their adoring daughter, Caty. Only two things elude him: a feature in National Geographic and finding his mother. When the prized magazine offers him his dream project on the same day that Aimee’s ex-fiancé, James, returns bearing a message for Ian but putting a strain on his marriage, Ian must make a choice: chase after a coveted assignment or reconnect with a mysterious woman who might hold the key to putting his past to rest. But the stakes are high, because Ian could lose the one thing he holds most dear: his family.

]]> 300 Kerry Lonsdale 1503957322 Bernard 4 4.16 2018 Everything We Give (Everything, #3)
author: Kerry Lonsdale
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/11/02
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]]> The Dressmaker's Gift 44285117 A Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts bestseller.

From the bestselling author of The Beekeeper’s Promise comes a gripping story of three young women faced with impossible choices. How will history—and their families—judge them?

Paris, 1940. With the city occupied by the Nazis, three young seamstresses go about their normal lives as best they can. But all three are hiding secrets. War-scarred Mireille is fighting with the Resistance; Claire has been seduced by a German officer; and Vivienne’s involvement is something she can’t reveal to either of them.

Two generations later, Claire’s English granddaughter Harriet arrives in Paris, rootless and adrift, desperate to find a connection with her past. Living and working in the same building on the Rue Cardinale, she learns the truth about her grandmother—and herself—and unravels a family history that is darker and more painful than she ever imagined.

In wartime, the three seamstresses face impossible choices when their secret activities put them in grave danger. Brought together by loyalty, threatened by betrayal, can they survive history’s darkest era without being torn apart?]]> 276 Fiona Valpy 1542005140 Bernard 3 4.24 2019 The Dressmaker's Gift
author: Fiona Valpy
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2019
rating: 3
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date added: 2021/11/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved]]> 35133923 A divinity professor and young mother with a Stage IV cancer diagnosis explores the pain and joy of living without certainty.

Thirty-five-year-old Kate Bowler was a professor at the school of divinity at Duke, and had finally had a baby with her childhood sweetheart after years of trying, when she began to feel jabbing pains in her stomach. She lost thirty pounds, chugged antacid, and visited doctors for three months before she was finally diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.

As she navigates the aftermath of her diagnosis, Kate pulls the reader deeply into her life, which is populated with a colorful, often hilarious collection of friends, pastors, parents, and doctors, and shares her laser-sharp reflections on faith, friendship, love, and death. She wonders why suffering makes her feel like a loser and explores the burden of positivity. Trying to relish the time she still has with her son and husband, she realizes she must change her habit of skipping to the end and planning the next move. A historian of the "American prosperity gospel"--the creed of the mega-churches that promises believers a cure for tragedy, if they just want it badly enough--Bowler finds that, in the wake of her diagnosis, she craves these same "outrageous certainties." She wants to know why it's so hard to surrender control over that which you have no control. She contends with the terrifying fact that, even for her husband and child, she is not the lynchpin of existence, and that even without her, life will go on.

On the page, Kate Bowler is warm, witty, and ruthless, and, like Paul Kalanithi, one of the talented, courageous few who can articulate the grief she feels as she contemplates her own mortality.]]> 178 Kate Bowler 0399592067 Bernard 4 3.77 2018 Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved
author: Kate Bowler
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/10/22
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]]> <![CDATA[The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?]]> 56495 336 Rick Warren 0310276993 Bernard 5 3.97 2002 The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?
author: Rick Warren
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2002
rating: 5
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date added: 2021/10/22
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]]> Letters to the Church 39975223 If God had it His way, what would your church look like?
Ěý
The New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Love challenges readers to be the Church as God intends.
Ěý
Do you want more from your church experience?
Does the pure gospel put you in a place of awe?
Are you ready to rethink church as you know it?
Ěý
Sit with Pastor Francis Chan and be reminded that you are a part of something much bigger than yourself, something sacred.
Ěý
In his most powerful book yet, Chan digs deep into biblical truth, reflects on his own failures and dreams, and shares stories of ordinary people God is using to change the world.
Ěý
Chan says, “We’ve strayed so far from what God calls Church. We all know it. We know that what we’re experiencing is radically different from the Church in Scripture. For decades, church leaders like myself have lost sight of the inherent mystery of the Church. We have trained people sitting in the pews to become addicted to lesser things. It’s time for that to change.�
Ěý
When Jesus returns, will He find us caring for His Bride—even more than for our own lives? Letters to the Church reminds us of how powerful, how glorious the Church once was � and calls us to once again be the Church God intended us to be.]]> 224 Francis Chan 0830776583 Bernard 4 4.26 2018 Letters to the Church
author: Francis Chan
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/10/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers]]> 52891090 224 Dane C. Ortlund 1433566133 Bernard 4 4.50 2020 Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers
author: Dane C. Ortlund
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/10/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory]]> 26267465 250 Tod Bolsinger 0830841261 Bernard 4 4.05 2015 Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory
author: Tod Bolsinger
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2015
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/10/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires]]> 244383 314 Esther Hicks 1401904599 Bernard 5 4.19 2004 Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires
author: Esther Hicks
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2004
rating: 5
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date added: 2021/10/22
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lighthouse Effect: How Ordinary People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact in the World]]> 58868338
Our polarized, divisive culture seems to be without heroes and role models. We are adrift in a dark sea of disillusionment and distrust and we need "human lighthouses" to give us hope and direct us back to the goodness in each other and in our own hearts.

Steve Pemberton found a lighthouse in an ordinary man named John Sykes, his former high school counselor. John gave Steve a safe harbor after Steve escaped an abusive foster home and together they navigated a new path that led to personal and professional success. Through stories of people like John and several others, you will identify how the hardships you have overcome equip you to be a "human lighthouse," inspiring those around you.

The humble gestures of kindness that change the course of our lives can shift the course for America too. With a unique vision for building up individuals and communities and restoring trust, The Lighthouse Effect opens your eyes to those who are quietly heroic. You will reflect on the lighthouses in your own life and be reminded that the greatest heroes are alongside us--and within us.]]> 240 Steve Pemberton 0310362334 Bernard 5 4.29 The Lighthouse Effect: How Ordinary People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact in the World
author: Steve Pemberton
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done]]> 48931078 Being a Lazy Genius isn't about doing more or doing less. It's about doing what matters to you.

"I could not be more excited about this book."--Jenna Fischer, actor and cohost of Office Ladies podcast

The chorus of "shoulds" is loud. You should enjoy the moment, dream big, have it all, get up before the sun, track your water consumption, go on date nights, and be the best. Or maybe you should ignore what people think, live on dry shampoo, be a negligent PTA mom, have a dirty house, and claim your hot mess like a badge of honor.

It's so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages of what it means to live well.

Kendra Adachi, the creator of the Lazy Genius movement, invites you to live well by your own definition and equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn't. Everything from your morning routine to napping without guilt falls into place with Kendra's thirteen Lazy Genius principles, including:

- Decide once
- Start small
- Ask the Magic Question
- Go in the right order
- Schedule rest

Discover a better way to approach your relationships, work, and piles of mail. Be who you are without the complication of everyone else's "shoulds." Do what matters, skip the rest, and be a person again.]]> 240 Kendra Adachi 0525653910 Bernard 4 4.11 2020 The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done
author: Kendra Adachi
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/10/22
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]]> The Witch Elm 46007673 509 Tana French 0735224641 Bernard 3 3.54 2018 The Witch Elm
author: Tana French
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2018
rating: 3
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date added: 2021/03/07
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]]> An Abundance of Katherines 49750 Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.]]> 229 John Green 0525476881 Bernard 4 3.54 2006 An Abundance of Katherines
author: John Green
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2006
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/01/28
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]]> <![CDATA[You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life]]> 15843166 The #1 New York Times Bestseller You Are A Badass is the self-help book for people who desperately want to improve their lives but don't want to get busted doing it.

In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word. If you're ready to make some serious changes around here, You Are a Badass will help you: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, blast past your fears so you can take big exciting risks, figure out how to make some damn money already, learn to love yourself and others, set big goals and reach them - it will basically show you how to create a life you totally love, and how to create it now.

By the end of You Are a Badass, you'll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can't change, how to change what you don't love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass.]]> 254 Jen Sincero 0762447699 Bernard 4 3.95 2013 You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
author: Jen Sincero
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/01/28
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]]> <![CDATA[Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking]]> 40102 The Tipping Point a classic, Blink changes the way you'll understand every decision you make. Never again will you think about thinking the same way.

Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant - in the blink of an eye - that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work - in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?

In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of "blink": the election of Warren Harding; "New Coke"; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren't those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing" - filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.]]> 296 Malcolm Gladwell 0316010669 Bernard 3 3.97 2005 Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2005
rating: 3
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date added: 2021/01/28
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]]> The Book of Negroes 23316548
A sweeping story that transports the reader from a tribal African village to a plantation in the southern United States, from the teeming Halifax docks to the manor houses of London, The Book of Negroes introduces one of the strongest female characters in Canadian fiction, one who cuts a swath through a world hostile to her colour and her sex.]]> 512 Lawrence Hill 0393351394 Bernard 3 4.50 2007 The Book of Negroes
author: Lawrence Hill
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/12/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, #3)]]> 1412138 I could smell her fear, and it satisfied something deep inside me that had been writhing under her cool, superior gaze. I curled my upper lip so she could get a good look at my sharp teeth. I might only weigh thirty or so pounds in my coyote shape, but I was a predator...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson can shift her shape - but not her loyalty. When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to Mercy to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not.

Mercy's loyalty is under pressure from other directions, too. Werewolves are not known for their patience, and if Mercy can't decide between the two she cares for, Sam and Adam may make the choice for her...]]> 287 Patricia Briggs 0441015662 Bernard 3 4.34 2008 Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, #3)
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/12/14
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]]> The Pelican Brief 32499 400 John Grisham 0385339704 Bernard 4 4.06 1992 The Pelican Brief
author: John Grisham
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> American Psycho 28676 American Psycho is a bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to confront.]]> 399 Bret Easton Ellis 0679735771 Bernard 5 3.82 1991 American Psycho
author: Bret Easton Ellis
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> The Thirst (Harry Hole, #11) 32775291 Harry Hole returns in the eleventh installment of the author's best-selling, electrifying crime fiction series—published in 48 languages, more than 30 million copies sold worldwide.

InĚý±Ę´Ç±ôľ±ł¦±đâ€�the last novel featuring Jo Nesbø's hard-bitten, maverick Oslo detective—a killer wreaking revenge on the police had Harry Hole fighting for the safety of the people closest to him. Now, inĚýThe Thirst,Ěýthe story continues as Harry is inextricably drawn back into the Oslo police force. A serial murderer has begun targeting Tinder daters—a murderer whose MO reignites Harry's hunt for a nemesis of his past.]]> 445 Jo Nesbø 0735272492 Bernard 5 4.13 2017 The Thirst (Harry Hole, #11)
author: Jo Nesbø
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> <![CDATA[Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)]]> 140077 291 Charlaine Harris 0441012183 Bernard 3 4.13 2004 Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)
author: Charlaine Harris
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> A Dirty Job (Grim Reaper, #1) 33456
It's a dirty job. But, hey! Somebody's got to do it.]]> 387 Christopher Moore 0060590270 Bernard 3 4.04 2006 A Dirty Job (Grim Reaper, #1)
author: Christopher Moore
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> The Last Song 6400090 Alternate Cover Edition can be found here

Seventeen-year-old Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father . . . until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.

The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms - first love, the love between parents and children - that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts . . . and heal them.]]> 390 Nicholas Sparks 0446547565 Bernard 2 4.16 2008 The Last Song
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> The Art of Racing in the Rain 3153910
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life ... as only a dog could tell it.]]> 336 Garth Stein 1554681723 Bernard 4 4.22 2008 The Art of Racing in the Rain
author: Garth Stein
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2008
rating: 4
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date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> <![CDATA[Fatal Voyage (Temperance Brennan, #4)]]> 128759 448 Kathy Reichs 1416510567 Bernard 5 4.05 2001 Fatal Voyage (Temperance Brennan, #4)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> The Corrections 3805 After almost fifty years as a wife and mother, Enid Lambert is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson's disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. The oldest, Gary, a once-stable portfolio manager and family man, is trying to convince his wife and himself, despite clear signs to the contrary, that he is not clinically depressed. The middle child, Chip, has lost his seemingly secure academic job and is failing spectacularly at his new line of work. And Denise, the youngest, has escaped a disastrous marriage only to pour her youth and beauty down the drain of an affair with a married man - or so her mother fears. Desperate for some pleasure to look forward to, Enid has set her heart on an elusive goal: bringing her family together for one last Christmas at home.
Stretching from the Midwest at midcentury to the Wall Street and Eastern Europe of today, "The Corrections" brings an old-fashioned world of civic virtue and sexual inhibitions into violent collision with the era of home surveillance, hands-off parenting, do-it-yourself mental healthcare, and globalised greed. Richly realistic, darkly hilarious, deeply humane, it confirms Jonathan Franzen as one of our most brilliant interpreters of American society and the American soul.]]> 653 Jonathan Franzen 1841156736 Bernard 3 3.83 2001 The Corrections
author: Jonathan Franzen
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> <![CDATA[A Question of Blood (Inspector Rebus, #14)]]> 336236 The fourteenth Inspector Rebus novel - and No.1 bestseller.

Two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. The mystery takes Rebus into the heart of a shattered community. Ex-Army himself, Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer, and finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene, and won't be shaken off. The killer had friends and enemies to spare and left behind a legacy of secrets and lies.

Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. He's fresh out of hospital, but won't say how it happened. Could there be a connection with a house-fire and the unfortunate death of a petty criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke?]]> 440 Ian Rankin 0752877135 Bernard 4 4.05 2003 A Question of Blood (Inspector Rebus, #14)
author: Ian Rankin
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/11/30
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]]> Against the Day 409
With a worldwide disaster looming just a few years ahead, it is a time of unrestrained corporate greed, false religiosity, moronic fecklessness, and evil intent in high places. No reference to the present day is intended or should be inferred.

The sizable cast of characters includes anarchists, balloonists, gamblers, corporate tycoons, drug enthusiasts, innocents and decadents, mathematicians, mad scientists, shamans, psychics, and stage magicians, spies, detectives, adventuresses, and hired guns. There are cameo appearances by Nikola Tesla, Bela Lugosi, and Groucho Marx.

As an era of certainty comes crashing down around their ears and an unpredictable future commences, these folks are mostly just trying to pursue their lives. Sometimes they manage to catch up; sometimes it's their lives that pursue them.

Meanwhile, the author is up to his usual business. Characters stop what they're doing to sing what are for the most part stupid songs. Strange sexual practices take place. Obscure languages are spoken, not always idiomatically. Contrary-to-the-fact occurrences occur. If it is not the world, it is what the world might be with a minor adjustment or two. According to some, this is one of the main purposes of fiction.

Let the reader decide, let the reader beware. Good luck.

--Thomas Pynchon

About the Author:
Thomas Pynchon is the author of V., The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity's Rainbow, Slow Learner, a collection of short stories, Vineland and, most recently, Mason and Dixon. He received the National Book Award for Gravity's Rainbow in 1974.]]> 1085 Thomas Pynchon 159420120X Bernard 2 4.01 2006 Against the Day
author: Thomas Pynchon
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2006
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)]]> 1 652 J.K. Rowling Bernard 5 4.57 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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]]> Let the Great World Spin 5941033
Let the Great World Spin is the critically acclaimed author’s most ambitious novel yet: a dazzlingly rich vision of the pain, loveliness, mystery, and promise of New York City in the 1970s.

Corrigan, a radical young Irish monk, struggles with his own demons as he lives among the prostitutes in the middle of the burning Bronx. A group of mothers gather in a Park Avenue apartment to mourn their sons who died in Vietnam, only to discover just how much divides them even in grief. A young artist finds herself at the scene of a hit-and-run that sends her own life careening sideways. Tillie, a thirty-eight-year-old grandmother, turns tricks alongside her teenage daughter, determined not only to take care of her family but to prove her own worth.

Elegantly weaving together these and other seemingly disparate lives, McCann’s powerful allegory comes alive in the unforgettable voices of the city’s people, unexpectedly drawn together by hope, beauty, and the “artistic crime of the century.� A sweeping and radical social novel, Let the Great World Spin captures the spirit of America in a time of transition, extraordinary promise, and, in hindsight, heartbreaking innocence. Hailed as a “fiercely original talent� (San Francisco Chronicle), award-winning novelist McCann has delivered a triumphantly American masterpiece that awakens in us a sense of what the novel can achieve, confront, and even heal.]]> 351 Colum McCann 1400063736 Bernard 3 3.95 2009 Let the Great World Spin
author: Colum McCann
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2009
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2)]]> 2282133
It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks.... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…]]> 327 Richelle Mead Bernard 5 4.26 2008 Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2)
author: Richelle Mead
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2008
rating: 5
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]]> Snow 11691
A spellbinding tale of disparate yearnings � for love, art, power, and God � set in a remote Turkish town, where stirrings of political Islamism threaten to unravel the secular order; by the winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature.

From the acclaimed author of My Name Is Red comes a spellbinding tale of disparate yearnings–for love, art, power, and God–set in a remote Turkish town, where stirrings of political Islamism threaten to unravel the secular order.

Following years of lonely political exile in Western Europe, Ka, a middle-aged poet, returns to Istanbul to attend his mother's funeral. Only partly recognizing this place of his cultured, middle-class youth, he is even more disoriented by news of strange events in the wider country: a wave of suicides among girls forbidden to wear their head scarves at school. An apparent thaw of his writer's curiosity–a frozen sea these many years–leads him to Kars, a far-off town near the Russian border and the epicenter of the suicides.

No sooner has he arrived, however, than we discover that Ka's motivations are not purely journalistic; for in Kars, once a province of Ottoman and then Russian glory, now a cultural gray-zone of poverty and paralysis, there is also Ipek, a radiant friend of Ka's youth, lately divorced, whom he has never forgotten. As a snowstorm, the fiercest in memory, descends on the town and seals it off from the modern, westernized world that has always been Ka's frame of reference, he finds himself drawn in unexpected directions: not only headlong toward the unknowable Ipek and the desperate hope for love–or at least a wife–that she embodies, but also into the maelstrom of a military coup staged to restrain the local Islamist radicals, and even toward God, whose existence Ka has never before allowed himself to contemplate. In this surreal confluence of emotion and spectacle, Ka begins to tap his dormant creative powers, producing poem after poem in untimely, irresistible bursts of inspiration. But not until the snows have melted and the political violence has run its bloody course will Ka discover the fate of his bid to seize a last chance for happiness.

Blending profound sympathy and mischievous wit, Snow illuminates the contradictions gripping the individual and collective heart in many parts of the Muslim world. But even more, by its narrative brilliance and comprehension of the needs and duties]]> 463 Orhan Pamuk Bernard 2 3.60 2002 Snow
author: Orhan Pamuk
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2002
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2)]]> 13148
In Los Angeles, a reporter investigating a series of murders is killed.

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a beautiful medical intern suddenly disappears.

And in Washington D.C., Cross needs to find the solution to the most baffling and terrifying murder case ever. Two clever pattern killers are collaborating, cooperating, competing - and they are working coast to coast. Is Alex Cross up to the challenge?]]> 481 James Patterson 0446677388 Bernard 5 3.99 1995 Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2)
author: James Patterson
name: Bernard
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1995
rating: 5
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]]> The Leopard (Harry Hole, #8) 23355220 Ěý
Inspector Harry Hole has retreated to Hong Kong, escaping the trauma of his last case in squalid opium dens, when two young women are found dead in Oslo, both drowned in their own blood. Media coverage quickly reaches a fever pitch. There are no clues, the police investigation is stalled, and Harry—the one man who might be able to help—can’t be found. After he returns to Oslo, the killer strikes again, Harry’s instincts take over, and nothing can keep him from the investigation, though there is little to go on. Worse, he will soon come to understand that he is dealing with a psychopath who will put him to the test, both professionally and personally, as never before.]]> 634 Jo Nesbø Bernard 4 4.13 2009 The Leopard (Harry Hole, #8)
author: Jo Nesbø
name: Bernard
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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]]>