Lisa's bookshelf: all

Lisa's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 04 Apr 2025 20:26:05 -0700 60 Lisa's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Erasure 355862 We's Lives in Da Ghetto, the exploitative debut novel of a young, middle-class black woman who once visited "some relatives in Harlem for a couple of days." Hailed as an authentic representation of the African American experience, the book is a national bestseller and its author feted on the Kenya Dunston television show. The book's success rankles all the more as Monk's own most recent novel has just notched its seventh rejection.

Even as his career as a writer appears to have stalled, Monk finds himself coping with changes in his personal life. In need of distraction from old memories, new responsibilities, and his professional stagnation, Monk composes, in a heat of inspiration and energy, a fierce parody of the sort of exploitative, ghetto wanna-be lit represented by We's Lives in Da Ghetto.

But when his agent sends this literary indictment (included here in its entirety) out to publishers, it is greeted as an authentic new voice of black America. Monk -- or his pseudonymous alter ego, Stagg R. Leigh -- is offered money, fame, success beyond anything he has known. And as demand begins to build for meetings with and appearances by Leigh, Monk is faced with a whole new set of problems.]]> 280 Percival Everett 0786888156 Lisa 0 to-read 4.17 2001 Erasure

author: Percival Everett
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2001
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/04
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]]> Telephone 53192116 An astonishing new novel of loss and grief from “one of our culture’s preeminent novelists�� (Los Angeles Times)

Zach Wells is a perpetually dissatisfied geologist-slash-paleobiologist. Expert in a very narrow area—the geological history of a cave forty-four meters above the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon—he is a laconic man who plays chess with his daughter, trades puns with his wife while she does yoga, and dodges committee work at the college where he teaches.

After a field trip to the desert yields nothing more than a colleague with a tenure problem and a student with an unwelcome crush on him, Wells returns home to find his world crumbling. His daughter has lost her edge at chess, she has developed mysterious eye problems, and her memory has lost its grasp. Powerless in the face of his daughter’s slow deterioration, he finds a mysterious note asking for help tucked into the pocket of a jacket he’s ordered off eBay. Desperate for someone to save, he sets off to New Mexico in secret on a quixotic rescue mission.

A deeply affecting story about the lengths to which loss and grief will drive us, Telephone is a Percival Everett novel we should have seen coming all along, one that will shake you to the core as it asks questions about the power of narrative to save.]]> 233 Percival Everett 1644451204 Lisa 4 4.06 2020

author: Percival Everett
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
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Apparently there are three versions of this book-- three different versions of the cover art. They also apparently differ slightly at the beginning and the end. I would have liked the book I read to have been slightly different at the end. I really thought it was abrupt and weak. But I don't know what version I was reading, because I was reading it on a Kindle! At any rate, I found the book compelling, though I found the main character emotionally cowardly. But it was written beautifully, all the way until it ended in the middle of the subplot. I was disappointed--it felt gimmicky. So now I'm going to see what other people thought.
]]> Trust 58210933 An unparalleled novel about money, power, intimacy, and perception

Even through the roar and effervescence of the 1920s, everyone in New York has heard of Benjamin and Helen Rask. He is a legendary Wall Street tycoon; she is the daughter of eccentric aristocrats. Together, they have risen to the very top of a world of seemingly boundless wealth—all as a decade of excess and speculation draws to an end. But at what cost have they acquired their immense fortune? This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit.

Hernan Diaz's TRUST elegantly puts these competing narratives into conversation with one another—and in tension with the perspective of one woman bent on disentangling fact from fiction. The result is a novel that spans over a century and becomes more exhilarating with each new revelation.

At once an immersive story and a brilliant literary puzzle, TRUST engages the reader in a quest for the truth while confronting the deceptions that often live at the heart of personal relationships, the reality-warping force of capital, and the ease with which power can manipulate facts.]]> 402 Hernan Diaz 0593420314 Lisa 0 to-read 3.77 2022 Trust

author: Hernan Diaz
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Lisa 0 to-read 4.12 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/04
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]]> The Last American Heiresses 213870628 A dazzling novel that draws readers into the ultra-glamorous lives of legendary heiresses Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton, the public rivalry that defined them, and the secret bond that sustained them both, from the author of the acclaimed Such Good Friends.

The press dubs them “the Gold Dust twins.�� Born within a week of one another in Manhattan in 1912, Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton both inherit unimaginable fortunes. By the time of their lavish
coming-out balls, they are two of the richest women in the world. Barbara, heiress to the Woolworth millions, amasses seven husbands over her lifetime. Doris, meanwhile, has a sophistication and financial savvy that Barbara tries endlessly to emulate.
��
When filmmaker Emma Radetsky begins researching her new documentary about prominent women and their jewelry collections, she’s familiar with the lore surrounding both Doris and Barbara—the couture gowns, exotic homes, and romantic interludes—including sequential marriages to the same notorious playboy. And of course, the priceless jewels they acquire as easily as candy.
��
Yet delving into their backgrounds with the help of one of Doris’s closest companions, Oliver Wendell Shaw, Emma encounters a deeper story—of a private game to manipulate the media, and a hidden, life-long kinship between two complex women who understood each other as no one else could.
��
Interweaving past and present, filled with sumptuous details from an age of excess, Stephen Greco’s novel is also a mesmerizing story about the nature of celebrity and the transformative power of friendship.]]> 496 Stephen Greco 1496746511 Lisa 0 to-read 4.03 The Last American Heiresses

author: Stephen Greco
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.03
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date added: 2025/03/26
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]]> When Women Were Dragons 57033379 The Ogress and The Orphans, Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and
watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.

In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the tyranny of forced limitations. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small—their lives and their prospects—and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve.]]> 352 Kelly Barnhill 0385548230 Lisa 4 4.08 2022 When Women Were Dragons

author: Kelly Barnhill
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
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The first 2/3 of the book seemed longer than It needed to be. But the last 1/3 was more than worth that time, and I could not put it down!
]]> Bombshell 216850865 The funniest and most heart-warming Christmas romcom of 2024 from the much-loved TV presenter Alison Hammond, perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Ruth Jones.

��If you read one novel, make it Bombshell!�� Vanessa Feltz
'I loved the whole book . . . couldn't put it down!' 5 STAR reader review
'Not what I expected!' 5 STAR reader review
'An inspiring read' Woman's Own

Her worst nightmare might just be the making of her . . .

Family has always meant everything to Madison. Married to the nation’s heartthrob, TV handyman Rich, with two beautiful children, she’s always put their needs first. And she’s never regretted a second, even if her own career has taken a backseat.

Then, out of the blue, Rich drops a bombshell. He needs some space and he’s moving out.

Overwhelmed by this revelation, Madison turns to her tight-knit group of friends for help. But when their support isn’t enough, Madison resolves to find out what’s really going on. Even if it means turning detective on her own husband.

And with her own interior-design career about to take off (once her manager stops squashing her bold ideas for his terrible ones, and provided she doesn’t get distracted by the new guy in the office), Madison’s about to rediscover her own worth.

She’s a bombshell, after all��

PRAISE FOR ALISON
'Alison Hammond is magnetic' Closer
'[A] national treasure' Metro
'An absolute tonic' Heat]]> 298 Alison Hammond 1473595762 Lisa 0 currently-reading 3.84 Bombshell

author: Alison Hammond
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.84
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date added: 2025/03/20
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]]> Anima Rising 217223362 From��New York Times��bestselling author Christopher Moore comes a hilariously deranged tale of a mad scientist, a famous painter, and an undead woman’s electrifying journey of self-discovery.

Vienna, 1911. Gustav Klimt, the most famous painter in the Austrian Empire, the darling of Viennese society, spots a woman’s nude body in the Danube canal. He knows he should summon a policeman, but he can’t resist stopping to make a sketch first. And as he draws, the woman coughs. She’s alive!

Back at his studio, Klimt and his model-turned-muse Wally tend to the erstwhile-drowned girl. She’s nearly feral and doesn’t remember who she is, or how she came to be floating in the canal. Klimt names her Judith, after one of his most famous paintings, and resolves to help her find her memory.

With a little help from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, Judith recalls being stranded in the arctic one hundred years ago, locked in a crate by a man named Victor Frankenstein, and visiting the Underworld.

So how did she get here? And why are so many people chasing her, including Geoff, the giant croissant-eating devil dog of the North?

Poor Things meets Bride of Frankenstein in Anima Rising, Christopher Moore’s most ingenious (and probably most hilarious) novel yet.

]]> 400 Christopher Moore 0062434152 Lisa 0 to-read 4.02

author: Christopher Moore
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.02
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]]> The Wedding People 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach Lisa 0 4.11 2024 The Wedding People

author: Alison Espach
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
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]]> The Wedding People 177328214 A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach 1250899567 Lisa 3 4.23 2024 The Wedding People

author: Alison Espach
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/18
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]]> Dandelion Wine 50033
Woven into the novel are the following short stories: Illumination, Dandelion Wine, Summer in the Air, Season of Sitting, The Happiness Machine, The Night, The Lawns of Summer, Season of Disbelief, The Last--the Very Last, The Green Machine, The Trolley, Statues, The Window, The Swan, The Whole Town's Sleeping, Goodbye Grandma, The Tarot Witch, Hotter Than Summer, Dinner at Dawn, The Magical Kitchen, Green Wine for Dreaming.]]> 239 Ray Bradbury 0671037706 Lisa 0 4.07 1957 Dandelion Wine

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1957
rating: 0
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]]> The October Country 93251
Contents:

· The Dwarf · ss Fantastic Jan/Feb ��54
· The Next in Line · nv Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947
· The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse · ss Beyond Fantasy Fiction Mar ��54
· Skeleton · ss Weird Tales Sep ��45
· The Jar · ss Weird Tales Nov ��44
· The Lake · ss Weird Tales May ��44
· The Emissary · ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947
· Touched with Fire [“Shopping for Death”] · ss Maclean’s Jun 1 ��54
· The Small Assassin · ss Dime Mystery Magazine Nov ��46
· The Crowd · ss Weird Tales May ��43
· Jack-in-the-Box · ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947
· The Scythe · ss Weird Tales Jul ��43
· Uncle Einar · ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947
· The Wind · ss Weird Tales Mar ��43
· The Man Upstairs · ss Harper’s Mar ��47
· There Was an Old Woman · ss Weird Tales Jul ��44
· The Cistern · ss Mademoiselle May ��47
· Homecoming · ss Mademoiselle Oct ��46
· The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone · ss Charm Jul ��54]]> 334 Ray Bradbury 0380973871 Lisa 0 4.13 1955 The October Country

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1955
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Something Wicked This Way Comes]]> 248596 Something Wicked This Way Comes, now featuring a new introduction and material about its longstanding influence on culture and genre.

For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin. Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. A calliope’s shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. Two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes…and the stuff of nightmares.

Few novels have endured in the heart and memory as has Ray Bradbury’s unparalleled literary masterpiece Something Wicked This Way Comes. Scary and suspenseful, it is a timeless classic in the American canon.]]> 293 Ray Bradbury 0380729407 Lisa 0 3.92 1962

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1962
rating: 0
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]]> The Stories of Ray Bradbury 120552 The night --
Homecoming--
Uncle Einar --
The traveler --
The lake --
The coffin --
The crowd --
The scythe --
There was an old woman --
There will come soft rains --
Mars is heaven --
The silent towns --
The earth men --
The off season --
The million-year picnic --
The fox and the forest --
Kaleidoscope --
The rocket man --
Marionettes, inc. --
No particular night or morning --
The city --
The fire balloons --
The last night of the world --
The veldt --
The long rain --
The great fire --
The wilderness --
A sound of thunder --
The murderer --
The April witch --
Invisible boy --
The golden kite, the silver wind --
The fog horn --
The black black and white game --
Embroidery --
The golden apples of the sun --
Powerhouse --
Hail and farewell --
The great wide world over there --
The playground --
Skeleton --
The man upstairs --
Touched with fire --
The emissary --
The jar --
The small assasin --
The next in line --
Jack-in-the-box --
The leave-taking --
Exorcism --
The happiness machine --
Calling Mexico --
The wonderful ice cream suit --
Dark they were, and golden-eyed --
The strawberry window --
A scent of sarsaparilla --
The Picasso summer --
The day it rained forever --
A medicine for melancholy --
The shoreline at sunset --
Fever dream --
The town where no one got off --
All summer in a day --
Frost and fire --
The anthem sprinters --
And so died Riabouchinska --
Boys! Raise giant mushrooms in your cellar! --
The vacation --
The illustrated woman --
Some live like Lazarus --
The best of all possible worlds --
The one who waits --
Tyrannosaurus Rex --
The screaming woman --
The terrible conflagration up at the place --
Night call, collect --
The tombling day --
The haunting of the new --
Tomorrow's child --
I sing the body electric! --
The women --
The inspired chicken motel --
Yes, we'll gather at the river --
Have I got a chocolate bar for you! --
A story of love --
The parrot who met Papa --
The October game --
Punishment without crime --
A piece of wood --
The blue bottle --
Long after midnight --
The utterly perfect murder --
The better part of wisdom --
Interval in sunlight --
The black ferris --
Farewell summer --
McGillahee's brat --
The aqueduct --
Gotcha! --
The end of the beginning.]]> 884 Ray Bradbury 0394513355 Lisa 0 4.46 1980 The Stories of Ray Bradbury

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1980
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[I Sing the Body Electric! & Other Stories]]> 74586 336 Ray Bradbury 0380789620 Lisa 0 4.07 1969

I Sing the Body Electric! & Other Stories

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1969
rating: 0
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]]> The Golden Apples of the Sun 50035 The Golden Apples of the Sun is a collection of thirty-two of Ray Bradbury's most famous tales. From a lonely coastal lighthouse to the pouring rain of Venus to the ominous silence of a murder scene, Bradbury is our sure-handed guide not only to surprising manifestations of the future but also to the wonders of a present we could never have imagined on our own.]]> 338 Ray Bradbury 0380730391 Lisa 0 4.09 1953 The Golden Apples of the Sun

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1953
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Death is a Lonely Business (Crumley Mysteries, #1)]]> 50015
Toiling away amid the looming palm trees and decaying bungalows, a struggling young writer (who bears a resemblance to the author) spins fantastic stories from his fertile imagination upon his clacking typewriter. Trying not to miss his girlfriend (away studying in Mexico), the nameless writer steadily crafts his literary effort--until strange things begin happening around him.

Starting with a series of peculiar phone calls, the writer then finds clumps of seaweed on his doorstep. But as the incidents escalate, his friends fall victim to a series of mysterious "accidents"--some of them fatal. Aided by Elmo Crumley, a savvy, street-smart detective, and a reclusive actress of yesteryear with an intense hunger for life, the wordsmith sets out to find the connection between the bizarre events, and in doing so, uncovers the truth about his own creative abilities.]]> 240 Ray Bradbury 0380789655 Lisa 0 3.77 1985 Death is a Lonely Business (Crumley Mysteries, #1)

Death is a Lonely Business (Crumley Mysteries, #1)

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1985
rating: 0
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]]> S Is for Space 550202
Chrysalis
Pillar of Fire
Zero Hour
The Man
Time in Thy Flight
The Pedestrian
Hall and Farewell
Invisible Boy
Come into My Cellar
The Million-Year Picnic
The Screaming Woman
The Smile
Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed
The Trolley
The Flying Machine
Icarus Montgolfier Wright]]> 211 Ray Bradbury 0553232487 Lisa 0 4.11 1966 S Is for Space

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1966
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/15
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]]> Summer Morning, Summer Night 3339422
In the course of this volume, readers will encounter a gallery of characters brought vividly to life by that indefinable Bradbury magic. Included among them are a pair of elderly sisters whose love potion carries an unexpected consequence; a lonely teacher who discovers love on Green Town's nocturnal streets; a ten-year-old girl who literally unearths the intended victim of a vicious crime; and an aging man who recreates his past with the aid of a loaf of pumpernickel bread.

Each of these stories is engaging, evocative, and deeply felt. Each reflects the characteristic virtues that have always marked the best of Bradbury's optimism, unabashed nostalgia, openness to experience, and, most centrally, an abiding generosity of spirit. Summer Morning, Summer Night is both an unexpected gift and a treasure trove of Story. Its people, places, images, and events will linger in the reader's mind for many years to come.]]> 176 Ray Bradbury 1596062029 Lisa 0 to-read 4.12 2008 Summer Morning, Summer Night

author: Ray Bradbury
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/15
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]]> <![CDATA[The Grey Wolf (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #19)]]> 204174589
Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.

That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin THE GREY WOLF, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "this might interest you", a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list—and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.

Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they’re chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.

Including Three Pines.]]> 432 Louise Penny 1250328144 Lisa 4 4.42 2024 The Grey Wolf (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #19)

The Grey Wolf (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #19)

author: Louise Penny
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
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]]> Leave No Trace 228330880 AIDE Lock and DCS Kat Frank return in the gripping new suspense procedural from the author of In the Blink of an Eye.

When the body of a man is found crucified at the top of Mount Judd, DCS Kat Frank and her partner, AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detecting Entity) Lock, of the Warwickshire Future Policing Unit, have their work cut out for them. Previously only dealing with cold cases, the FPU are thrust into the spotlight as another body is found �� also crucified �� and it appears as though there is a serial killer on the loose. But why these victims? And who will be next?

For if Kat and Lock know anything, it’s that killers rarely stop �� until they are made to.

PRAISE FOR IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE:

'The most original crime novel you'll read this year' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'Everything you could hope for in a heartbreaking, intelligent, deftly plotted and so original' FIONA CUMMINS
'Fresh, innovative and very very clever. Flawlessly paced, plotted and researched, it’s laugh out loud, heart-achingly sad and doesn’t have a dull moment. I raced through it. Simply sensational' M. W. CRAVEN
'The kind of fresh and fearless debut I just adore. Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling. Take a bow, Jo Callaghan' CHRIS WHITAKER
'This has to be a strong contender for crime debut of the year' T. M. LOGAN]]> Jo Callaghan 1398511234 Lisa 0 to-read 4.16 2024 Leave No Trace

author: Jo Callaghan
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/04
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sunday Philosophy Club (Isabel Dalhousie, #1)]]> 5458060 Nothing captures the charm of Edinburgh like the bestselling Isabel Dalhousie series of novels featuring the insatiably curious philosopher and woman detective.�� Whether investigating a case or a problem of philosophy, the indefatigable Isabel Dalhousie, one of fiction’s most richly developed amateur detectives, is always ready to pursue the answers to all of life’s questions, large and small.

In this first installment, Isabel is attending a concert in the Usher Hall when she witnesses a man fall from the upper balcony. Isabel can’t help wondering whether it was the result of mischance or mischief. Against the best advice of her no-nonsense housekeeper Grace, her bassoon playing friend Jamie, and even her romantically challenged niece Cat, she is morally bound to solve this case. Complete with wonderful Edinburgh atmosphere and characters straight out of a Robert Burns poem, The Sunday Philosophy Club is a delightful treat from one of our most beloved authors.]]> 256 Alexander McCall Smith Lisa 3 3.52 2004 The Sunday Philosophy Club (Isabel Dalhousie, #1)

The Sunday Philosophy Club (Isabel Dalhousie, #1)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
Ok, plotwise, but I find Isabel's reveries on philosophy much less engaging than Mma Ramotswe's reveries on human nature
]]> <![CDATA[Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants]]> 19488206 Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.]]> 410 Robin Wall Kimmerer Lisa 0 to-read 4.54 2013 Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds]]> 63024269
From the author of The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way, a brilliant scientific investigation into owls—the most elusive of birds—and why they exert such a hold on human imagination

For millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. Our fascination with these mysterious birds was first documented more than thirty thousand years ago in the Chauvet Cave paintings in southern France. With their forward gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls? Though our fascination goes back centuries, scientists have only recently begun to understand in deep detail the complex nature of these extraordinary birds. Some two hundred sixty species of owls exist today, and they reside on every continent except Antarctica, but they are far more difficult to find and study than other birds because they are cryptic, camouflaged, and mostly active in the dark of night.

Jennifer Ackerman illuminates the rich biology and natural history of these birds and reveals remarkable new scientific discoveries about their brains and behavior. She joins scientists in the field and explores how researchers are using modern technology and tools to learn how owls communicate, hunt, court, mate, raise their young, and move about from season to season. We now know that the hoots, squawks, and chitters of owls follow sophisticated and complex rules, allowing them to express not just their needs and desires but their individuality and identity. Owls duet. They migrate. They hoard their prey. Some live in underground burrows; some roost in large groups; some dine on black widows and scorpions.

Ackerman brings this research alive with her own personal field observations about owls and dives deep into why these birds beguile us. What an Owl Knows is an awe-inspiring exploration of owls across the globe and through human history, and a spellbinding account of their astonishing hunting skills, communication, and sensory prowess. By providing extraordinary new insights into the science of owls, What an Owl Knows pulls back the curtain on the nature of the world’s most enigmatic group of birds.]]> 333 Jennifer Ackerman 0593298888 Lisa 5 4.15 2023 What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds

What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds

author: Jennifer Ackerman
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves:
review:
Well-written, charming and fascinating. Answers all the owl questions you didn't know who to ask!
]]> <![CDATA[The Great Hippopotamus Hotel (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #25)]]> 206229182 Precious Ramotswe takes on an interesting but sensitive case and learns valuable lessons along the way in this next installment of the beloved No. 1 Ladies�� Detective Agency series.

Mma Ramotswe has a deft hand in delicate cases, and never allows an act of injustice to pass unanswered. So, when it comes to her attention that a matter involving dubious motives has arisen, and that it will require the utmost discretion to resolve, she has no choice but to lend her skills in the arts of detection and reconciliation. She is, after all, head of Botswana’s premier detective agency, but that doesn’t mean she can’t use the help of Mma Makutsi and Mma Potokwane. Meanwhile, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has found himself in complicated circumstances of his own, requiring not a little of Mma Ramotswe’s time and expertise.

In the end, as each of these predicaments comes untangled, Mma Ramotswe draws on her goodwill and generosity to bring important truths to of friendship, honesty, and love.]]> 237 Alexander McCall Smith 0593701771 Lisa 4 4.47 2024 The Great Hippopotamus Hotel (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #25)

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #25)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves:
review:
An unusually sophisticated plot and less rumination by the main character. Very refreshing. I read them all and this is among the best.
]]> The Backyard Bird Chronicles 194803881
Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.

In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired.]]> 291 Amy Tan 0593536134 Lisa 0 currently-reading 4.06 2024 The Backyard Bird Chronicles

author: Amy Tan
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Birds of the Mesozoic (Princeton Field Guides)]]> 210319454 272 Juan Benito 0691266565 Lisa 0 currently-reading 5.00

Birds of the Mesozoic (Princeton Field Guides)

author: Juan Benito
name: Lisa
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Mexican Gothic 52873094
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

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

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 304 Silvia Moreno-Garcia Lisa 3 3.76 2020 Mexican Gothic

author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/03/16
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves:
review:
3.5 really. Very slow to get going, but the second half of the book is masterful--creative in theme and briskly paced. Like Stephen King's best (and Bram Stoker's) it employs the trope of the skeptical outsider who gets trapped in a situation they have trouble taking at face value. She makes it work with all the subtlety of King, since at the end you're still asking YOURSELF "Did that really happen?" But it could have been a novella, really. One more disappointment--nothing about this seemed uniquely Mexican, other than the title and a few names.
]]> <![CDATA[The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness]]> 22609485
Scientists have only recently accepted the intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees but now are watching octopuses solve problems and are trying to decipher the meaning of the animal’s color-changing techniques. With her “joyful passion for these intelligent and fascinating creatures�� (Library Journal Editors�� Spring Pick), Montgomery chronicles the growing appreciation of this mollusk as she tells a unique love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about the meeting of two very different minds.]]> 261 Sy Montgomery 1451697716 Lisa 0 currently-reading 3.90 2015 The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

author: Sy Montgomery
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> James 173754979 A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780385550369.]]> 303 Percival Everett Lisa 0 to-read 4.47 2024 James

author: Percival Everett
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition]]> 154486930 “Reading this book is a joy...��much to say about the trans journey and will undoubtedly become a standard for those in need of guidance. �� The Washington Post

"Sante’s bold devotion to complexity and clarity makes this an exemplary memoir. It is a clarion call to live one’s most authentic life.�� The Boston Globe

“Not to be missed, I Heard Her Call My Name is a powerful example of self-reflection and a vibrant exploration of the modern dynamics of gender and identity.”�� Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2024

An iconic writer’s lapidary memoir of a life spent pursuing a dream of artistic truth while evading the truth of her own gender identity, until, finally, she turned to face who she really was

For a long time, Lucy Sante felt unsure of her place. Born in Belgium, the only child of conservative working-class Catholic parents who transplanted their little family to the United States, she felt at home only when she moved to New York City in the early 1970s and found her people among a band of fellow bohemians. Some would die young, to drugs and AIDS, and some would become jarringly famous. Sante flirted with both fates, on her way to building an estimable career as a writer. But she still felt like her life a performance. She was presenting a façade, even to herself.

Sante’s memoir braids together two threads of personal narrative: the arc of her life, and her recent step-by-step transition to a place of inner and outer alignment. Sante brings a loving irony to her account of her unsteady first steps; there was much she found she still needed to learn about being a woman after some sixty years cloaked in a man’s identity, in a man’s world. A marvel of grace and empathy, I Heard Her Call My Name parses with great sensitivity many issues that touch our lives deeply, of gender identity and far beyond.]]> 235 Lucy Sante 059349377X Lisa 0 to-read 3.56 2024 I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition

I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition

author: Lucy Sante
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie, #6)]]> 203164357 The stage is set. Marooned overnight by a snowstorm in a grand country house are a cast of characters and a setting that even Agatha Christie might recognize �� a vicar, an Army major, a Dowager, a sleuth and his sidekick - except that the sleuth is Jackson Brodie, and the ‘sidekick�� is DC Reggie Chase.

The crumbling house - Burton Makepeace and its chatelaine the Dowager Lady Milton - suffered the loss of their last remaining painting of any value, a Turner, some years ago. The housekeeper, Sophie, who disappeared the same night, is suspected of stealing it.

Jackson, a reluctant hostage to the snowstorm, has been investigating the theft of another The Woman with a Weasel, a portrait, taken from the house of an elderly widow, on the morning she died. The suspect this time is the widow’s carer, Melanie. Is this a coincidence or is there a connection? And what secrets does The Woman with a Weasel hold? The puzzle is Jackson’s to solve. And let’s not forget that a convicted murderer is on the run on the moors around Burton Makepeace.

All the while, in a bid to make money, Burton Makepeace is determined to keep hosting a shambolic Murder Mystery that acts as a backdrop while the real drama is being played out in the house.

A brilliantly plotted, supremely entertaining, and utterly compulsive tour de force from a great writer at the height of her powers.]]> 320 Kate Atkinson 0385547994 Lisa 4 3.70 2024 Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie, #6)

Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie, #6)

author: Kate Atkinson
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[From a Far and Lovely Country (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #24)]]> 81069462
“An escape from life’s woes as well as a suggestion for how to make the whole deal more palatable—fragility, fruit cake, and all.�� —The Boston Globe

This latest installment of the beloved No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series finds Botswana's premier detective agency as busy as ever, with no shortage of sensitve situations requiring Mma Ramotswe's keen eye and discerning input. Through it all, Mma Ramotswe will demonstrate that there are solutions to all manner of difficulties, there to be discovered as long as one is led by kindness, grace, and logic, and can rely on the wise counsel of close friends and loved ones. Sometimes, she reminds us, the best solutions to life's problems can be found with a bit of good humor, generosity of spirit, and a steaming cup of red bush tea.]]> 240 Alexander McCall Smith 0593317009 Lisa 0 4.20 2023 From a Far and Lovely Country (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #24)

From a Far and Lovely Country (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #24)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:

]]> Bel Canto 5826 318 Ann Patchett Lisa 0 to-read 3.93 2001

author: Ann Patchett
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Panda of Death (Gunn Zoo Series Book 6)]]> 50488880 California zookeeper Theodora Bentley is now happily married to Sheriff Joe Rejas. The Gunn Zoo is celebrating the arrival of Poonya, an adorable red panda, who forms a strong bond with Teddy. All appears fairytale blissful in the small Monterey Bay village of Gunn Landing until Teddy's mother-in-law, mystery writer Colleen Rejas, has discovered through DNA testing that Joe has sired a son he knew nothing about. Dylan Coyle, 18, arrives to meet his biological family... and then is arrested for murder.

By the end of the book, besides solving the crime, Teddy and Colleen have learned that the term "family" does not always mean blood kin. It often includes those who—although no blood relationship��are still held close in our hearts.

]]> 290 Betty Webb 1492699160 Lisa 3 4.07 The Panda of Death (Gunn Zoo Series Book 6)

author: Betty Webb
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/07
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves:
review:

]]> The Tale of Toxic Positivity 61424999 The Panda, the Cat and the Dreadfully Teddy draws on the simple, idyllic world of Beatrix Potter to shed light on some of the most pertinent issues of our time.

Beatrix, a refined and gentle lady, decides to relocate to the countryside to escape the chaotic city and exorbitant house prices of London, in search of a simpler, more holistic life. Looking forward to painting cute rural animals and writing stories about their charming ways, she desires nothing more than to surround herself with nature and to practice mindfulness and kindness.

But after months spent in isolation during ‘hibernation��, all the local wildlife emerge grumpy, sweary and having forgotten all their social skills—Jemima Puddleduck has even been cancelled. Will Beatrix’s new small garden and spare room make all this aggro worth it?]]> 144 Beatrix Pottymouth 0008558159 Lisa 5 3.67 2022 The Tale of Toxic Positivity

author: Beatrix Pottymouth
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983]]> 25459 213 Barbara Kingsolver 0801483891 Lisa 0 to-read 3.93 1989

Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983

author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store]]> 85148114
��As these characters�� stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.]]> 400 James McBride 0593422961 Lisa 4 4.25 2023 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

author: James McBride
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness]]> 30844156 Finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction * New York Times Bestseller * A Huffington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of the Year * One of the Best Books of the Month on ŷ�� * Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of the Year * An American Library Association Notable Book of the Year “Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus does for the creature what Helen Macdonald’s H Is for Hawk did for raptors.�� —New Statesman, UK “One of the best science books of the year.�� —Science Friday, NPR Another New York Times bestseller from the author of The Good Good Pig, this “fascinating…touching…informative…entertaining�� (The Daily Beast) book explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus—a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature—and the remarkable connections it makes with humans.In pursuit of the wild, solitary, predatory octopus, popular naturalist Sy Montgomery has practiced true immersion journalism. From New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, she has befriended octopuses with strikingly different personalities—gentle Athena, assertive Octavia, curious Kali, and joyful Karma. Each creature shows her cleverness in myriad escaping enclosures like an orangutan; jetting water to bounce balls; and endlessly tricking companions with multiple “sleights of hand�� to get food. Scientists have only recently accepted the intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees but now are watching octopuses solve problems and are trying to decipher the meaning of the animal’s color-changing techniques. With her “joyful passion for these intelligent and fascinating creatures�� (Library Journal Editors�� Spring Pick), Montgomery chronicles the growing appreciation of this mollusk as she tells a unique love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about the meeting of two very different minds.]]> 273 Sy Montgomery 1501161148 Lisa 0 to-read 4.19 2015 The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

author: Sy Montgomery
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> You Are Here 201465867
Michael is coming undone. Adrift after his wife's departure, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks across the English countryside. Becoming ever more reclusive, he’ll do anything to avoid his empty house.

Marnie, on the other hand, is stuck. Hiding alone in her London flat, she avoids old friends and any reminders of her rotten, selfish ex-husband. Curled up with a good book, she’s battling the long afternoons of a life that feels like it’s passing her by.

When a persistent mutual friend and some very unpredictable weather conspire to toss Michael and Marnie together on the most epic of ten-day hikes, neither of them can think of anything worse. Until, of course, they discover exactly what they’ve been looking for.

Michael and Marnie are on the precipice of a bright future . . . if they can survive the journey.]]> 368 David Nicholls 0063394057 Lisa 0 to-read 3.97 2024 You Are Here

author: David Nicholls
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Paris Novel 195430688
Stella reached for an oyster, tipped her head and tossed it back. It was cool and slippery, the flavor so briny it was like diving into the ocean... Oysters, she thought, where have they been all my life?

When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual a one-way plane ticket and a note reading Go to Paris . But Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a childhood trauma has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. When her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.

Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and, for the first time in her life, Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress and together they embark on an adventure.

Her first iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters, and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces her to a veritable who’s who of the 1980s Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, Stella begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.

As weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a “tumbleweed�� at famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and discovers a passion for food that may be connected to her past. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home.]]> 288 Ruth Reichl 0812996305 Lisa 0 to-read 3.68 2024 The Paris Novel

author: Ruth Reichl
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Drinks With Dead Poets: A Season of Poe, Whitman, Byron, and the Brontes]]> 33011553
“I am walking along a country lane with no earthly idea why . . .��

Poet Glyn Maxwell wakes up in a mysterious village one autumn day. He has no idea how he got there—is he dead? In a coma? Dreaming?—but he has a strange feeling there’s a class to teach. And isn’t that the poet Keats wandering down the lane? Why not ask him to give a reading, do a Q and A, hit the pub with the students afterwards?

Soon the whole of the autumn term stretches ahead, with Byron, Yeats and Emily Dickinson, the Brontës, the Brownings, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Wilfred Owen, and many more all on their way to give readings in the humble village hall.

And everything these famed personalities say—in class, on stage, at the Cross Keys pub—comes verbatim from these poets�� diaries, essays, or letters. A dreamy novel of a profound autumn term with Poe, Yeats, Whitman, Dickinson, and the Brontës.]]> 350 Glyn Maxwell 1681774984 Lisa 0 to-read 3.00 Drinks With Dead Poets: A Season of Poe, Whitman, Byron, and the Brontes

Drinks With Dead Poets: A Season of Poe, Whitman, Byron, and the Brontes

author: Glyn Maxwell
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Remarkably Bright Creatures 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 368 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Lisa 5 4.35 2022 Remarkably Bright Creatures

author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves:
review:
A beautiful book, moving without being mawkish. Fewer sharp edges than A Man Called Ove, but it has similarities, in a good way. By coincidence, I read and enjoyed A Man Called Ove immediately before this book--then I read all the reviews that compared this book to "Ove." If you're one of the people, like me, who've jumped on the octopus bandwagon, you need to read this book.
]]> Secrets of the Octopus 202374652
This new book—written by the beloved author of the international bestseller The Soul of an Octopus and enhanced with vivid National Geographic photography—brings us closer than ever to these elusive creatures.

The companion to the highly-anticipated National Geographic television special, this beautifully illustrated book explores the alluring underwater world of the octopus—a creature that resembles an alien lifeform, but whose behavior has earned it a reputation as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.

This magical journey into the world of the octopus will reveal how the large and capable brain of these creatures occupies their whole body–not just their heads—and they can actually adjust their genetic makeup to respond to the demands of the environment. It will allow readers to watch them change shape and color in order to camouflage themselves more effectively than any other species. And it will divulge how octopus mothers give their all in order to bring forth a new generation.

With this offering, acclaimed author Sy Montgomery—known, thanks to her bestselling book, as the “octopus whisperer”—returns to the species she knows and loves, offering current and compassionate stories about the scientists on the front lines of octopus research and conservation.

For all animal lovers—and especially those drawn to this magical marine being—this will be a book to relish, for both its fascinating imagery and its charming storytelling.]]> 219 Sy Montgomery 1426224230 Lisa 5 4.46 2024 Secrets of the Octopus

author: Sy Montgomery
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves:
review:
A perfect primer on the astonishing intelligence, diversity, and mystery of octopuses, complete with gorgeous photos. If you enjoyed "Secrets of the Octopus" on TV, this is the companion book, and it goes into much greater (fun, amazing) detail than the show! Don't be dissuaded by the length; a chunk of that is the index and other end matter.
]]> <![CDATA[Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945]]> 8200580 Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award
One of the��New York Times'��Ten Best Books of the Year
Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world's most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep readers through thirty-four nations and sixty years of political and cultural change-all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. Both intellectually ambitious and compelling to read, thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy.]]> 952 Tony Judt 1440624763 Lisa 0 to-read 4.40 2005 Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

author: Tony Judt
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Man Called Otto 63911372 An alternate cover edition can be found here.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.�� But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents�� association to their very foundations.]]> 346 Fredrik Backman Lisa 5 My only criticism is that Ove is only 59, and a strong, energetic 59 at that, yet he is routinely referred to as "old." That annoyed me.]]> 4.54 2012 A Man Called Otto

author: Fredrik Backman
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves:
review:
Another beautifully written (and translated) Backman novel with the healing and redemption of deserving people at its core. I read it in a day.
My only criticism is that Ove is only 59, and a strong, energetic 59 at that, yet he is routinely referred to as "old." That annoyed me.
]]> Secrets of the Octopus 179270378
This new book—written by the beloved author of the international bestseller The Soul of an Octopus and enhanced with vivid National Geographic photography—brings us closer than ever to these elusive creatures.

The companion to the highly-anticipated National Geographic television special, this beautifully illustrated book explores the alluring underwater world of the octopus—a creature that resembles an alien lifeform, but whose behavior has earned it a reputation as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.

This magical journey into the world of the octopus will reveal how the large and capable brain of these creatures occupies their whole body–not just their heads—and they can actually adjust their genetic makeup to respond to the demands of the environment. It will allow readers to watch them change shape and color in order to camouflage themselves more effectively than any other species. And it will divulge how octopus mothers give their all in order to bring forth a new generation.

With this offering, acclaimed author Sy Montgomery—known, thanks to her bestselling book, as the “octopus whisperer”—returns to the species she knows and loves, offering current and compassionate stories about the scientists on the front lines of octopus research and conservation.

For all animal lovers—and especially those drawn to this magical marine being—this will be a book to relish, for both its fascinating imagery and its charming storytelling.]]> 192 Sy Montgomery 1426223722 Lisa 0 to-read 4.42 2024 Secrets of the Octopus

author: Sy Montgomery
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> You’ve Got To Laugh 58363100
But who is Alison Hammond really, and how did she become the personality we know and love? Shaped by the influence of her incredible mum, Alison went from small roles on television shows as a youngster to that life-changing appearance on�� Big Brother , before landing her dream job on�� This Morning . And through it all, she found the joy in every day, the positives in any situation.

You've Got to Laugh ��gives a never-before-seen insight into Alison's her loves, her losses - with a side order of gossip. As well as being a hugely entertaining and uplifting read, Alison's story will inspire you to grab life with both hands and make the most of every single moment.]]> 320 Alison Hammond 055217856X Lisa 0 to-read 4.11 2021 You’ve Got To Laugh

author: Alison Hammond
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Hunter (Cal Hooper, #2) 174156145
Cal Hooper took early retirement from Chicago PD and moved to rural Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more or he’s built a relationship with a local woman, Lena, and he’s gradually turning Trey Reddy from a half-feral teenager into a good kid going good places. But then Trey’s long-absent father reappears, bringing along an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold in the townland, and suddenly everything the three of them have been building is under threat. Cal and Lena are both ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey, but Trey doesn’t want protecting. What she wants is revenge.

A nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide.]]> 467 Tana French 0593493435 Lisa 3 3.96 2024 The Hunter (Cal Hooper, #2)

author: Tana French
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/24
date added: 2024/08/24
shelves:
review:
Whatever happened to the Tana French who wrote spooky, complex, delicious novels like In the Woods, The Likeness, and Broken Harbor? I thought we had her back with The Witch Elm, which had that delicious spookiness. But then we have these Cal Hooper family dramas. And in this one, nothing substantial happens for the first half of the book. Then when it did, the "big reveal" became inevitable and obvious about 100 pages before it happens. Her prose is beautiful, as always. But the plot seemed thin to me and definitely didn't warrant 400+ pages. But I do love the rooks!
]]> <![CDATA[Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)]]> 46228086 466 Stephen Fry 1452179042 Lisa 0 currently-reading 4.30 2017

Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)

author: Stephen Fry
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/09
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Bright Sword 201750794
They aren’t the heroes of legend, like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Tables, from the edges of the stories, like Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill. Together this ragtag fellowship will set out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance.

But Arthur’s death has revealed Britain’s fault lines. God has abandoned it, and the fairies and monsters and old gods are returning, led by Arthur’s half-sister Morgan le Fay. Kingdoms are turning on each other, warlords are laying siege to Camelot, and rival factions are forming around the disgraced Lancelot and the fallen Queen Guinevere. It is up to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this ruined world and make it whole again. But before they can restore Camelot they’ll have to learn the truth of why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell and lay to rest the ghosts of his troubled family and of Britain’s dark past.]]> 673 Lev Grossman 0735224048 Lisa 0 to-read 3.94 2024 The Bright Sword

author: Lev Grossman
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida]]> 199797807
On the face of it, Denise Williams and Brian Winchester had the perfect, quintessentially Southern lives. The two were hardworking devout Baptists and together, with their respective spouses, formed a tight-knit friendship that seemed unbreakable. That is, until December 16, 2000, when Denise’s husband Mike disappeared while duck hunting on Lake Seminole on the border of Georgia and Florida.

After no body was found, it was assumed that he had drowned and was consumed by alligators in a tragic accident. But things took an unexpected turn when Brian divorced his wife and married Denise. Their surprising marriage was far from happy and in 2018, he confessed to police he killed Mike with Denise’s help nearly two decades earlier.

Now, the full, shocking story is revealed by Mikita Brottman, acclaimed true crime writer and “one of today’s finest practitioners of nonfiction�� ( The New York Times Book Review ). With tenacious investigating and clear-eyed prose, she exposes the dark underbelly of far-right conservative Christianity and how it led Brian to choose murder over adultery. A fascinating and in-depth page-turner, Guilty Creatures is destined to become an instant classic in the true crime genre.]]> 288 Mikita Brottman 166802053X Lisa 0 to-read 3.38 2024 Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida

Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida

author: Mikita Brottman
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Finding Me 58750893
This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.

As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get to some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be . . . you.

Finding Me is a deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you.]]> 289 Viola Davis Lisa 4 4.54 2022 Finding Me

author: Viola Davis
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/09
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves:
review:
This is the most unflinchingly, brutally, candid memoir/autobiography I have ever read. The courage it took to write this book this way is surpassed only by the courage it took to live that life. I am astonished that anyone could live that childhood and be what Viola Davis has become. What's more astonishing, and heartbreaking, is that most black women who lived that childhood have to find a way to survive emotionally without becoming rich, celebrated actors. I don't say that to take away from Ms Davis's accomplishment. Just horrifying to remember, while reading, that most women never get out of their Central Falls.
]]> Shrines of Gaiety 60371805
The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho’s gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost.

With her unique Dickensian flair, Kate Atkinson gives us a window in a vanished world. Slyly funny, brilliantly observant, and ingeniously plotted, Shrines of Gaiety showcases the myriad talents that have made Atkinson one of the most lauded writers of our time.]]> 439 Kate Atkinson 0385547978 Lisa 3 3.78 2022

author: Kate Atkinson
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/09
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves:
review:
An interesting ride. But to me, any book that needs epilogues to wrap up loose plot ends has a pacing problem. Sadly, I think this book falls into that category. Good writing, interesting characters, but plot progress was lacking for about 2/3 of it. Looking forward to her next Jackson Brodie, though!
]]> Italian Folktales 9807 ��
Filled with kings and peasants, saints and ogres—as well as some quite extraordinary plants and animals—these two hundred tales bring to life Italy’s folklore, sometimes with earthy humor, sometimes with noble mystery, and sometimes with the playfulness of sheer nonsense.
��
Selected and retold by one of the country’s greatest literary icons, “this collection stands with the finest folktale collections anywhere�� ( The New York Times Book Review ).
��
“For readers of any age��.��.��. A masterwork.�� The Wall Street Journal
��
“A magic book, and a classic to boot.�� Time
��]]> 800 Italo Calvino 0156454890 Lisa 0 to-read 4.20 1956 Italian Folktales

author: Italo Calvino
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1956
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans]]> 203164283 From three-inch fang blennies to thirty-foot prehistoric crocodiles, from gaboon vipers to Neanderthals, Bite is a fascinating journey through the natural, scientific, and cultural history of something right in front of—or in—our faces: teeth.

In Bite, zoologist Bill Schutt makes a surprising case: Teeth are responsible for the long-term success of vertebrates. The appearance of teeth, roughly half a billion years ago, was an adaptation that allowed animals with backbones, such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, dinosaurs, and mammals to chow down in pretty much every conceivable environment.

But teeth are not just for food. Tusks and fangs have played crucial roles as defensive weapons—glimpsing the upper canines of snarling dogs is all it takes to know that teeth are an efficient means of aggression. Vampire bats use their razor-sharp teeth to obtain a widespread but generally untappable resource: blood. Early humans employed their teeth as tools to soften tough fibers and animal hides. Our teeth project information and social status—the ancient Etruscans were the first to wear tooth bling, and it’s doubtful that George Washington would have been elected president without the false teeth he wore.

So much of what we know about life on this planet has come from the study of fossilized teeth, which have provided information not only about evolution but also about famine, war, and disease. In his signature witty style, Schutt shows us how our continued understanding of teeth may help us humans through current and future crises, from Alzheimer’s disease to mental health issues.]]> 308 Bill Schutt 1643751786 Lisa 0 to-read 3.83 Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans

Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans

author: Bill Schutt
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/01
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]]> Demon Copperhead 60317128 Demon Copperhead is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia. It's the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.]]> 550 Barbara Kingsolver Lisa 5 4.58 2022

author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/30
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves:
review:
My new favorite Kingsolver novel! In fact, my favorite novel of the last couple years (at least)! The voice, tone, and humor of the main character is so perfect, and they mature so perfectly with the character. And while the events of the plot are sometimes tragic or horrifying, I remained engaged, because I cared so much about the character. I felt he could turn things around. This was one of those novels I wanted to go on and on! (And don't feel like you need to know David Copperfield to read this, I haven't read David Copperfield since I was 10.)
]]> Flight Behavior 13438524 Flight Behavior takes on one of the most contentious subjects of our time: climate change. With a deft and versatile empathy Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious world.

Flight Behavior transfixes from its opening scene, when a young woman's narrow experience of life is thrown wide with the force of a raging fire. In the lyrical language of her native Appalachia, Barbara Kingsolver bares the rich, tarnished humanity of her novel's inhabitants and unearths the modern complexities of rural existence. Characters and reader alike are quickly carried beyond familiar territory here, into the unsettled ground of science, faith, and everyday truces between reason and conviction.

Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife who gave up her own plans when she accidentally became pregnant at seventeen. Now, after a decade of domestic disharmony on a failing farm, she has settled for permanent disappointment but seeks momentary escape through an obsessive flirtation with a younger man. As she hikes up a mountain road behind her house to a secret tryst, she encounters a shocking sight: a silent, forested valley filled with what looks like a lake of fire. She can only understand it as a cautionary miracle, but it sparks a raft of other explanations from scientists, religious leaders, and the media. The bewildering emergency draws rural farmers into unexpected acquaintance with urbane journalists, opportunists, sightseers, and a striking biologist with his own stake in the outcome. As the community lines up to judge the woman and her miracle, Dellarobia confronts her family, her church, her town, and a larger world, in a flight toward truth that could undo all she has ever believed.

Flight Behavior takes on one of the most contentious subjects of our time: climate change. With a deft and versatile empathy Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious world.]]> 436 Barbara Kingsolver 0062124269 Lisa 0 to-read 3.79 2012 Flight Behavior

author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> First Lie Wins 164444179 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593492918.

Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job isn’t like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.

Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .]]> 340 Ashley Elston Lisa 0 to-read 3.97 2024 First Lie Wins

author: Ashley Elston
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/18
shelves: to-read
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]]> The God of the Woods 199700434 When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.]]> 478 Liz Moore 0593418913 Lisa 0 to-read 4.10 2024 The God of the Woods

author: Liz Moore
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> H is for Hawk 24353103 * Winner of the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize
* #1 Bestseller in the UK
* A Guardian and Economist Best Book of the Year

When Helen Macdonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer, Helen had been captivated by hawks since childhood but she'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators, the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel, and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T.H. White's chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Projecting herself "in the hawk's wild mind to tame her" tested the limits of Macdonald's humanity and changed her life.

Heart-wrenching and humorous, this book is an unflinching account of bereavement and a unique look at the magnetism of an extraordinary beast, with a parallel examination of a legendary writer's eccentric falconry. Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator.]]> 327 Helen Macdonald Lisa 3 This book was beautifully written, and the descriptions of Mabel are very engaging. But really? People can't own tigers and bears and wolves and other wild animals. Why should they be able to capture wild birds and "tame" them?
And why was T.H. White such a prominent part of this book? Those parts were just distressing and tedious.]]> 3.78 2014 H is for Hawk

author: Helen Macdonald
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/17
date added: 2024/07/17
shelves:
review:
One of the 100 Best Books of the 2000s, according to The New York Times, and a book I've been meaning to read for awhile. But I found it disturbing. Falconry-- enslaving a beautiful young predator for one's own amusement, and keeping it half-starved all the time, so you can watch it hunt. You do this to be the master of something, I guess? And while you do it you extol--and fear--the wildness of the bird. Which you've mostly destroyed.
This book was beautifully written, and the descriptions of Mabel are very engaging. But really? People can't own tigers and bears and wolves and other wild animals. Why should they be able to capture wild birds and "tame" them?
And why was T.H. White such a prominent part of this book? Those parts were just distressing and tedious.
]]> <![CDATA[The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #12)]]> 10974951 THE NO. 1 LADIES�� DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 12Fans around the world adore the best-selling No. 1 Ladies�� Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma�� Ramotswe—with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi—navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea.At a remote cattle post south of Gaborone two cows have been killed, and Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s No. 1 Lady Detective, is asked to investigate by a rather frightened and furtive gentleman. It is an intriguing problem with plenty of suspects—including, surprisingly, her own client.��To complicate matters, Mma Ramotswe is haunted by a vision of her dear old white van, and Grace Makutsi witnesses it as well. Is it the ghost of her old friend, or has it risen from the junkyard?�� In the meantime, one of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s apprentices may have gotten a girl pregnant and, under pressure to marry her, has run away. Naturally, it is up to Precious to help sort things out. Add to the mix Violet Sephotho’s newly launched run for the Botswana Parliament and a pair of perfect wedding shoes—will wedding bells finally ring for Phuti Radiphuti and Grace Makutsi?—and we have a charming and delightful tale in the inimitable style of Alexander McCall Smith.]]> 242 Alexander McCall Smith 0307379639 Lisa 0 4.29 2011 The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #12)

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #12)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2024/07/15
date added: 2024/07/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems]]> 43852758 The world's most entertaining and useless self-help guide, from the brilliant mind behind the wildly popular webcomic xkcd and the #1 New York Times bestsellers What If? and Thing Explainer

For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.

Bestselling author and cartoonist Randall Munroe explains how to predict the weather by analyzing the pixels of your Facebook photos. He teaches you how to tell if you're a baby boomer or a 90's kid by measuring the radioactivity of your teeth. He offers tips for taking a selfie with a telescope, crossing a river by boiling it, and powering your house by destroying the fabric of space-time. And if you want to get rid of the book once you're done with it, he walks you through your options for proper disposal, including dissolving it in the ocean, converting it to a vapor, using tectonic plates to subduct it into the Earth's mantle, or launching it into the Sun.

By exploring the most complicated ways to do simple tasks, Munroe doesn't just make things difficult for himself and his readers. As he did so brilliantly in What If?, Munroe invites us to explore the most absurd reaches of the possible. Full of clever infographics and amusing illustrations, How To is a delightfully mind-bending way to better understand the science and technology underlying the things we do every day.]]> 308 Randall Munroe 0525537090 Lisa 0 to-read 4.14 2019 How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems

How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems

author: Randall Munroe
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Passage of Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #4)]]> 13009546 A��New York Times��Top Ten��Book of 2012
Best Biography of 2012, National Book Critics Circle
A Washington Post Notable Work of Nonfiction
A Best Book of the Year:��The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, St. Louis Dispatch��

The Passage of Power follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and most triumphant periods of his career��1958 to 1964. It is an unparalleled account of the machinations behind both John Kennedy’s 1960 presidential nomination and his decision to offer Johnson the vice presidency, and of Johnson’s humiliation and powerlessness in that role.

With the consummate skill of a master storyteller, Caro exposes the savage animosity between Johnson and Robert Kennedy, portraying one of America’s great political feuds. And for the first time, in Caro’s breathtakingly vivid narrative, we see the Kennedy assassination through Lyndon Johnson’s eyes, and watch as the political genius with which Johnson had ruled the Senate now enables him to grasp the reins of the presidency with supreme mastery, and, within weeks, make it wholly his own, surmounting unprecedented obstacles in order to fulfill the highest purpose of the presidency. It is an epic story, displaying all the narrative energy and illuminating insight that led the Times of London to acclaim The Years of Lyndon Johnson as “one of the truly great political biographies of the modern age.”]]> 1340 Robert A. Caro Lisa 0 to-read 4.70 2012 The Passage of Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #4)

The Passage of Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #4)

author: Robert A. Caro
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge, #1)]]> 1736739
At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.

As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life �� sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty.]]> 270 Elizabeth Strout Lisa 0 to-read 3.85 2008 Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge, #1)

author: Elizabeth Strout
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 2666 63032 1128 Roberto Bolaño 843396867X Lisa 0 to-read 4.22 2004 2666

author: Roberto Bolaño
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lessons in Chemistry 206305528
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride��) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.]]> 404 Bonnie Garmus Lisa 0 to-read 4.24 2022

author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/08
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]]> The Seventh Veil of Salome 199927990 A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine �� but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the author of Mexican Gothic.

1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times.

So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.

Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood—a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue—make for a sizzling combination.

But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself, consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who foretells the doom of her stepfather, Herod: a woman torn between the decree of duty and the yearning of her heart.

Before the curtain comes down, there will be tears and tragedy aplenty in this sexy Technicolor saga.]]> 336 Silvia Moreno-Garcia Lisa 0 to-read 3.75 2024 The Seventh Veil of Salome

author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/28
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]]> Bear 196056205 A mesmerising novel of two sisters on a Pacific Northwest island whose lives are upended by an unexpected visitor �� a tale of family, obsession, and a mysterious creature in the woods, by the celebrated, bestselling author of Disappearing Earth.

They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.

Sam and her sister, Elena, dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works long days on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they can’t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.

Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it’s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the plan to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.

A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us �� and within us �� Bear is a propulsive, mythical, rich novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.]]> 304 Julia Phillips 0525520430 Lisa 0 to-read 3.22 2024 Bear

author: Julia Phillips
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.22
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/28
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Solve Your Own Murder (Castle Knoll Files, #1)]]> 181350367 For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate.... Now it's up to her great-niece to catch the killer.

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?

As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.]]> 358 Kristen Perrin 0593474015 Lisa 0 to-read 3.76 2024 How to Solve Your Own Murder (Castle Knoll Files, #1)

How to Solve Your Own Murder (Castle Knoll Files, #1)

author: Kristen Perrin
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents]]> 51152447 The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.��

In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.

Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.]]> 544 Isabel Wilkerson 0593230256 Lisa 0 to-read 4.52 2020 Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

author: Isabel Wilkerson
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/19
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]]> <![CDATA[The Llama of Death (A Gunn Zoo Mystery, #3)]]> 15811829 416 Betty Webb 146420067X Lisa 0 to-read 3.74 2013

The Llama of Death (A Gunn Zoo Mystery, #3)

author: Betty Webb
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/18
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]]> <![CDATA[The Puffin of Death ( A Gunn Zoo Mystery, #4)]]> 25721746 258 Betty Webb 1464204160 Lisa 0 to-read 3.68 2015

The Puffin of Death ( A Gunn Zoo Mystery, #4)

author: Betty Webb
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/18
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]]> Beowulf 52357 259 Unknown 0393320979 Lisa 0 to-read 3.46 1000 Beowulf

author: Unknown
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.46
book published: 1000
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/18
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]]> The God Delusion 11106714 A preeminent scientist—and the world's most prominent atheist—asserts the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society, from the Crusades to 9/11.

With rigor and wit, Dawkins examines God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence. The God Delusion makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong but potentially deadly. It also offers exhilarating insight into the advantages of atheism to the individual and society, not the least of which is a clearer, truer appreciation of the universe's wonders than any faith could ever muster.

]]> 464 Richard Dawkins 0547348665 Lisa 0 to-read 4.17 2006 The God Delusion

author: Richard Dawkins
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/18
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]]> <![CDATA[Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #10)]]> 8129314 Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies�� Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma�� Ramotswe—with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi—navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea.In this installment in the endlessly entertaining series, Precious Ramotswe faces problems both personal and professional.��The first is the potential demise of an old friend, her tiny white van. Recently, it has developed a rather troubling knock, but she dare not consult the estimable Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni for fear he may condemn the vehicle.�� Meanwhile, her talented assistant Mma Makutsi is plagued by the reappearance of her nemesis, Violet Sephotho, who has taken a job at the Double Comfort Furniture store whose proprietor is none other than Phuti Radiphuti, Mma Makutsi’s fiancé.�� Finally, the No. 1 Ladies�� Detective Agency has been hired to explain the unexpected losing streak of a local football club, the Kalahari Swoopers.�� But with Mma Ramotswe on the case, it seems certain that everything will be resolved satisfactorily.]]> 257 Alexander McCall Smith Lisa 0 4.33 2009 Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #10)

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #10)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2024/06/18
date added: 2024/06/18
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]]> <![CDATA[Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #10)]]> 4285768 Mma Ramotswe's ever-ready tiny white van has recently developed a rather disturbing noise. Of course, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni-her estimable husband and one of Botswana's most talented mechanics--is the man to turn to for help. But Precious suspects he might simply condemn the van and replace it with something more modern. Can she find a way to save her old friend?
In the meantime, Mma Makutsi discovers that her old rival Violet Sephotho, who could not have gotten more than fifty percent on her typing final at the Botswana Secretarial College, has set her sights on none other than Mma Makutsi's fiance, Phuti Radiphuti. Can Mma Ramotswe's intuition save the day? Finally, the proprietor of a local football team has enlisted the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to help explain its dreadful losing streak. The owner of the team is convinced he has a traitor in his midst. But how is Mma Ramotswe, who has never seen a football match in her life, going to discern who is throwing the game? Help, it turns out, may come from an unexpected quarter.
There are few mysteries that can't be solved and fewer problems that can't be fixed when the irrepressible Precious Ramotswe puts her mind to them. A good cup of red bush tea might be the best solution of all.]]> 212 Alexander McCall Smith 0375424490 Lisa 0 4.13 2009 Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #10)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2009
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/16
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]]> <![CDATA[On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service]]> 207689829 The memoir by the doctor who became a beacon of hope for millions through the COVID pandemic, and whose six-decade career in high-level public service put him in the room with seven presidents

Anthony Fauci is arguably the most famous �� and most revered �� doctor in the world today. His role guiding America sanely and calmly through Covid (and through the torrents of Trump) earned him the trust of millions during one of the most terrifying periods in modern American history, but this was only the most recent of the global epidemics in which Dr. Fauci played a major role. His crucial role in identifying HIV and bringing AIDS into sympathetic public view and his leadership in navigating the Ebola, SARS, West Nile, and anthrax crises make him truly an American hero.

His memoir reaches back to his boyhood in Brooklyn, New York, and carries through decades of caring for critically ill patients, navigating the whirlpools of Washington politics, and behind-the-scenes advising and negotiating with seven presidents on key issues from global AIDS relief to infectious disease��preparedness at home. On Call will be an inspiration for readers who admire and are grateful to him and for those who want to emulate him in public service. He is the embodiment of “speaking truth to power,�� with dignity and results.]]> 464 Anthony Fauci 0593657470 Lisa 0 to-read 4.47 2024 On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service

On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service

author: Anthony Fauci
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/15
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]]> <![CDATA[The Koala of Death (Gunn Zoo Series Book 2)]]> 53055217 When zookeeper Theodora "Teddy" Bentley fishes the body of Koala Kate out of Gunn Landing Harbor, she discovers that her fellow zookeeper didn't drown; she was strangled. The clues to Kate's killer implicate other animal keepers at Gunn Zoo, including Outback Bill, marsupial keeper and Kate's Aussie ex-boyfriend; and Robin Chase, the big cat keeper who's got it in for Teddy. Also displaying suspicious behavior are several "liveaboarders" at the harbor; Speaks-To-Souls, a shady "animal psychic;" and even Caro, Teddy's much-married, ex-beauty queen mother.

But murderers aren't all Teddy has to worry about. Her embezzling father is still on the run from the Feds, and the motor on her houseboat is failing. To pay for the repairs, Teddy agrees to appear on a weekly live television broadcast featuring misbehaving animals that range from a cuddly koala to a panicky wallaby - and all hell breaks loose in the TV studio. All the while, the killer is narrowing in on Teddy....

]]> 250 Betty Webb Lisa 5 4.34 2010 The Koala of Death (Gunn Zoo Series Book 2)

author: Betty Webb
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/12
date added: 2024/06/12
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie, #6)]]> 202951635 The stage is set. Marooned overnight by a snowstorm in a grand country house are a cast of characters and a setting that even Agatha Christie might recognize �� a vicar, an Army major, a Dowager, a sleuth and his sidekick - except that the sleuth is Jackson Brodie, and the ‘sidekick�� is DC Reggie Chase.

The crumbling house - Burton Makepeace and its chatelaine the Dowager Lady Milton - suffered the loss of their last remaining painting of any value, a Turner, some years ago. The housekeeper, Sophie, who disappeared the same night, is suspected of stealing it.

Jackson, a reluctant hostage to the snowstorm, has been investigating the theft of another The Woman with a Weasel, a portrait, taken from the house of an elderly widow, on the morning she died. The suspect this time is the widow’s carer, Melanie. Is this a coincidence or is there a connection? And what secrets does The Woman with a Weasel hold? The puzzle is Jackson’s to solve. And let’s not forget that a convicted murderer is on the run on the moors around Burton Makepeace.

All the while, in a bid to make money, Burton Makepeace is determined to keep hosting a shambolic Murder Mystery that acts as a backdrop while the real drama is being played out in the house.

A brilliantly plotted, supremely entertaining, and utterly compulsive tour de force from a great writer at the height of her powers.]]> 324 Kate Atkinson 1473568757 Lisa 0 to-read 3.96 2024 Death at the Sign of the Rook (Jackson Brodie, #6)

author: Kate Atkinson
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/02
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs: A handy guide to dodging deadly predators, riding out mega-monsoons, and escaping other perils of the prehistoric]]> 61918775
Test your chops and discover if you have what it takes to survive at a time when Earth looked, well, a tad different in this ultimate survival guide to the prehistoric age.

Find out how to make it through exploding volcanoes and mega monsoons—while dodging giant Permian bugs! See how to fend off an angry pterosaur and learn what to do if you’re caught in a stampede of enormous titanosaurs. Discover what you could eat (spoiler You better like the taste of insects!), and find out which hungry creatures just might try to eat you!

Packed with tips, tricks, and helpful maps, this is the ultimate handbook for dinosaur fans who want to know what life on Earth was really like when dinos ruled. Could you survive in the age of dinosaurs?

Check out these other humorous books about ]]> 96 Stephanie Drimmer 1426373694 Lisa 5 4.33 How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs: A handy guide to dodging deadly predators, riding out mega-monsoons, and escaping other perils of the prehistoric

How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs: A handy guide to dodging deadly predators, riding out mega-monsoons, and escaping other perils of the prehistoric

author: Stephanie Drimmer
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/05/23
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review:
A great, well-written, entertaining,up-to-date primer on dinosaurs for enthusiasts of any age! 10-years and younger would probably need this read to them, but middle-graders and up, including adults, can likely enjoy it for themselves! Lots of helpful infographics to keep reading level down but still communicate a lot of info. Super fun!
]]> The Secret Garden 2998
Mary Lennox, a spoiled, ill-tempered, and unhealthy child, comes to live with her reclusive uncle in Misselthwaite Manor on England’s Yorkshire moors after the death of her parents. There she meets a hearty housekeeper and her spirited brother, a dour gardener, a cheerful robin, and her wilful, hysterical, and sickly cousin, Master Colin, whose wails she hears echoing through the house at night.

With the help of the robin, Mary finds the door to a secret garden, neglected and hidden for years. When she decides to restore the garden in secret, the story becomes a charming journey into the places of the heart, where faith restores health, flowers refresh the spirit, and the magic of the garden, coming to life anew, brings health to Colin and happiness to Mary.]]> 331 Frances Hodgson Burnett 0517189607 Lisa 5 4.16 1911 The Secret Garden

author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1911
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/19
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]]> <![CDATA[The Woman in Cabin 10 (Lo Blacklock, #1)]]> 29883629 340 Ruth Ware 1501132954 Lisa 0 to-read 3.69 2016

The Woman in Cabin 10 (Lo Blacklock, #1)

author: Ruth Ware
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Anteater of Death (Gunn Zoo Series Book 1)]]> 52373391 2009 Winner of the Arizona Book Award for Mystery/Suspense

If Lucy, the pregnant Giant Anteater from Belize, didn't kill the man found dead in her enclosure at California's Gunn Zoo, who did? Zookeeper Teddy Bentley must find the real murderer before her furry friend is shipped off to another zoo in disgrace.

Then another human bites the dust, the monkeys riot, and the wolves go nuts. Things get worse when the snooty folks at Gunn Landing Harbor attempt to evict Teddy from the Merilee, her beloved houseboat.

That's just the beginning. Her father, on the lam from the Feds for embezzling millions, gets targeted by a local gangster; and Caro, Teddy's socialite and former beauty queen mother, who loathes Teddy's dangerous job, starts introducing her to eligible bachelors. Then Teddy herself becomes a target for murder.

]]> 250 Betty Webb Lisa 4 4.28 2008 The Anteater of Death (Gunn Zoo Series Book 1)

author: Betty Webb
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/20
date added: 2024/05/11
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]]> The Nightingale 21853621 In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.]]> 564 Kristin Hannah 0312577222 Lisa 0 to-read 4.63 2015 The Nightingale

author: Kristin Hannah
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/05
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]]> <![CDATA[The Miracle at Speedy Motors (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #9)]]> 8129333
Mma Ramotswe is busy investigating her latest a woman who is looking for her family. The problem is, the woman doesn't know her real name of whether any members of her family are now living. Meanwhile, Phuti Radiphuti has bought Mma Makutsi a glorious new bed. Unfortunately, it will inadvertently cause her several sleepless nights. And life is no less complicated at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni--Mma Ramotswe's estimable husband--has fallen under the sway of a doctor who has promised a miracle cure for his daughter's medical condition, which Mma Ramotswe finds hard to believe. But Precious Ramotswe deals with these difficulties with her usual grace and good humor, and in the end discovers that the biggest miracles in life are often the small ones.]]> 224 Alexander McCall Smith 0307377199 Lisa 0 4.29 2008 The Miracle at Speedy Motors (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #9)

The Miracle at Speedy Motors (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #9)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/17
date added: 2024/04/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Slow Horses (Slough House, #1)]]> 59336841
London, England: Slough House is where the washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what's left of their failed careers. The "slow horses," as they’re called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated here. Maybe they messed up an op badly and can't be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle—not unusual in this line of work. One thing they all have in common, though, is they all want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there─even if it means having to collaborate with one another.

River Cartwright, one such “slow horse,�� is bitter about his failure and about his tedious assignment transcribing cell phone conversations. When a young man is abducted and his kidnappers threaten to broadcast his beheading live on the Internet, River sees an opportunity to redeem himself. But is the victim who he first appears to be? And what’s the kidnappers�� connection with a disgraced journalist? As the clock ticks on the execution, River finds that everyone has his own agenda.]]> 336 Mick Herron Lisa 0 to-read 4.29 2010 Slow Horses (Slough House, #1)

author: Mick Herron
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Good Lord Bird 16171272 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

From the bestselling author of The Color of Water and Song Yet Sung comes the story of a young boy born a slave who joins John Brown’s antislavery crusade—and who must pass as a girl to survive.

Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, when the region is a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces. When John Brown, the legendary abolitionist, arrives in the area, an argument between Brown and Henry’s master quickly turns violent. Henry is forced to leave town—with Brown, who believes he’s a girl.

Over the ensuing months, Henry—whom Brown nicknames Little Onion—conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive. Eventually Little Onion finds himself with Brown at the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859—one of the great catalysts for the Civil War.

An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, and told with McBride’s meticulous eye for detail and character, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity and survival.]]> 417 James McBride 1594486344 Lisa 0 to-read 3.90 2013

author: James McBride
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The House of Hidden Meanings 181109983
A profound introspection of his life, relationships, and identity,�� The House of Hidden Meanings ��is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag. Central to RuPaul’s success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world’s largest television franchises, RuPaul’s ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and supermogul.

Yet that adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, his most intimate and detailed book yet, RuPaul makes himself truly known. Stripping away all artifice, RuPaul recounts the story of his life with breathtaking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography. From his early years growing up as a queer Black kid in San Diego navigating complex relationships with his absent father and temperamental mother, to forging an identity in the punk and drag scenes of Atlanta and New York, to finding enduring love with his husband Georges LeBar and self-acceptance in sobriety, RuPaul excavates his own biography, uncovering new truths and insights in his personal history.

Here in RuPaul’s singular and extraordinary story is a manual for living—a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different, and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly. If we’re all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is RuPaul totally out of drag. This is RuPaul stripped bare.��]]> 256 RuPaul 0063263904 Lisa 5 3.79 2024 The House of Hidden Meanings

author: RuPaul
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/24
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves:
review:
Loved this crisply written and candid story of RuPaul's life up until Drag Race. His long, hard climb to international fame, which he now uses to tutor, encourage, and help finance new artists. A really beautiful person.
]]> <![CDATA[Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum #30)]]> 108517348 _______________
Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day.

With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there.

To complicate matters, her best friend Lula is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions.

As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too.]]> 332 Janet Evanovich Lisa 0 4.51 2023 Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum #30)

author: Janet Evanovich
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/03/16
date added: 2024/03/18
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond]]> 65215014 From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole

Henry Winkler, launched into prominence by his role as “the Fonz�� in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.

Since the glorious era of Happy Days fame, Henry has endeared himself to new generations with roles in such adored shows as Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, where he’s been revealed as an actor with immense depth and pathos, a departure from the period of his life when he was so distinctly typecast as the Fonz that he could hardly find work.

Filled with profound heart, charm, and self-deprecating humor, Being Henry is a memoir about so much more than a life in Hollywood and the curse of stardom. It is a meaningful testament to the power of sharing truth and kindness and of finding fulfillment within yourself.]]> 246 Henry Winkler 1250888093 Lisa 0 to-read 4.10 2023 Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

author: Henry Winkler
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Grey Rabbit and the Wandering Hedgehog]]> 1513802 Book by Uttley 48 Alison Uttley 084310726X Lisa 5 3.94 1948

author: Alison Uttley
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1948
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/17
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review:
Charming little story about how once you get to know someone different you can have compassion for them. Such a lovely, gentle story!
]]> Eastbound 74827320 In this gripping tale, a Russian conscript and a French woman cross paths on the Trans-Siberian railroad, each fleeing to the east for their own reasons.

Eastbound is both an adventure story and a duet of two vibrant inner worlds. In mysterious, winding sentences gorgeously translated by Jessica Moore, De Kerangal gives us the story of two unlikely souls entwined in a quest for freedom with a striking sense of tenderness, sharply contrasting the brutality of the surrounding world.��Racing toward Vladivostok, we meet the young Aliocha, packed onto a Trans-Siberian train with other Russian conscripts. Soon after boarding, he decides to desert and over a midnight smoke in a dark corridor of the train, he encounters an older French woman, Hélène, for whom he feels an uncanny trust.

A complicity quickly grows between the two when he manages to urgently ask—through a pantomime and basic Russian that Hélène must decipher—for her help to hide him. They hurry from the filth of his third-class carriage to Hélène’s first-class sleeping car. Aliocha now a hunted deserter and Hélène his accomplice with her own inner landscape of recent memories to contend with.]]> 135 Maylis de Kerangal 1953861512 Lisa 3 4.05 2012 Eastbound

author: Maylis de Kerangal
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/10
date added: 2024/03/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Consumed: On Colonialism, Climate Change, Consumerism, and the Need for Collective Change]]> 57213320

In the 'learning' first half of the book, she will expose you to the endemic injustices in our consumer industries and the uncomfortable history of the textile industry; one which brokered slavery, racism and today's wealth inequality. And how these oppressive systems have bled into the fashion industry and its lack of diversity and equality. She will also reveal how we spend our money and whose pockets it goes into and whose it doesn't (clue: the people who do the actual work) and will tell her story of how she came to learn the truth.

In the second 'unlearning' half of the book, she will help you to understand the uncomfortable truth behind why you consume the way you do. She asks you to confront the sense of lack you have, the feeling that you are never quite enough and the reasons why you fill the aching void with consumption rather than compassion. And she makes you challenge this power disparity, and take back ownership of it. The less you buy into the consumer culture the more power you have.

CONSUMED will teach you how to be a citizen not a consumer.]]> 288 Aja Barber 1914240049 Lisa 0 to-read 3.96 2021 Consumed: On Colonialism, Climate Change, Consumerism, and the Need for Collective Change

Consumed: On Colonialism, Climate Change, Consumerism, and the Need for Collective Change

author: Aja Barber
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Conundrum 19092011 One of the first-ever books on gender transition, this poignant memoir by a trans woman is “the best first-hand account ever written by a traveler across the boundaries of sex�� (Newsweek). “A profoundly poetic story.�� —The New York Times“An exquisite read.�� —Maria Popova, The MarginalianThe great travel writer Jan Morris was born James Morris. James Morris distinguished himself in the British military, became a successful and physically daring reporter, climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and established a reputation as a historian of the British empire. He was happily married, with several children. To all appearances, he was not only a man, but a man’s man.Except that appearances, as James Morris had known from early childhood, can be deeply misleading. James Morris had known all his conscious life that at heart he was a woman.Conundrum, one of the earliest books to discuss transsexuality with honesty and without prurience, tells the story of James Morris�� hidden life and how he decided to bring it into the open, as he resolved first on a hormone treatment and, second, on risky experimental surgery that would turn him into the woman that he truly was.]]> 193 Jan Morris 1590177126 Lisa 4 I read this book because of the great review by a friend whose taste in books I trust. I was afraid it would be cringingly outdated, but its themes were largely timeless. There was some internalized sexism toward the end after Jan had transitioned to a woman, as she was learning to accept the welcome and unwelcome consequences of being woman-appearing. Doors were opened for her, but other, metaphorical, doors were closed. This was written shortly after her surgery, and from her comments later in her life (she died in November 2020 at the age of 94), it seems that she put up with being underestimated for awhile because she was so thrilled with her new body, but then started pushing back.
What fascinated me most about this book is her objective description of what it feels like to be in a young male body (climbing Everest, no less) as she looks back upon it from the standpoint of a middle-aged woman. It was eye-opening.
She had great hopes for the future freedom of gender and sexuality. She'd be disappointed that we've traveled backwards in that respect recently.
]]> 4.26 1974 Conundrum

author: Jan Morris
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1974
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/11
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves:
review:
One of the most gorgeously written books I've read in many years! While the prose style and diction might seem a bit old-fashioned to some people, I'm old-school. Her every word has a precise and intended meaning. (This book was written in the 1970s, and she was an Oxford grad.)
I read this book because of the great review by a friend whose taste in books I trust. I was afraid it would be cringingly outdated, but its themes were largely timeless. There was some internalized sexism toward the end after Jan had transitioned to a woman, as she was learning to accept the welcome and unwelcome consequences of being woman-appearing. Doors were opened for her, but other, metaphorical, doors were closed. This was written shortly after her surgery, and from her comments later in her life (she died in November 2020 at the age of 94), it seems that she put up with being underestimated for awhile because she was so thrilled with her new body, but then started pushing back.
What fascinated me most about this book is her objective description of what it feels like to be in a young male body (climbing Everest, no less) as she looks back upon it from the standpoint of a middle-aged woman. It was eye-opening.
She had great hopes for the future freedom of gender and sexuality. She'd be disappointed that we've traveled backwards in that respect recently.

]]> <![CDATA[Pay Dirt (V.I. Warshawski, #22)]]> 181109994 400 Sara Paretsky 0063010933 Lisa 0 to-read 3.87 2024

author: Sara Paretsky
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #8)]]> 6013689 THE NO. 1 LADIES�� DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 8

Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies�� Detective Agency series, the basis of the HBO TV show, and its proprietor Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, and good humor—not to mention help from her loyal assistant, Grace Makutsi, and the occasional cup of tea.

There is rarely a dull moment in the life of Precious Ramotswe, and on Zebra Drive and Tlokweng Road many changes are afoot. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni wants be put in charge of a case involving an errant husband, and Mma Makutsi is considering leaving the agency, taking her near perfect score on the Botswana Secretarial College typing exam with her. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe has been asked to investigate a series of unexpected deaths at the hospital in Mochudi. Along the way, she encounters other tricky mysteries, and once again displays her undying love for Botswana, a country of which she is justly proud.

From the Trade Paperback edition.]]> 242 Alexander McCall Smith Lisa 0 4.26 2007 The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #8)

The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #8)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/27
date added: 2024/02/07
shelves:
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]]> Their Eyes Were Watching God 37415 238 Zora Neale Hurston 0061120065 Lisa 0 to-read 3.98 1937

author: Zora Neale Hurston
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1937
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #7)]]> 5057651 Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies�� Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma�� Ramotswe—with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi—navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea.Life is good for Mma Ramotswe as she sets out with her usual resolve to solve people’s problems, heal their misfortunes, and untangle the mysteries that make life interesting. And life is never dull on Tlokweng Road. A new and rather too brusque advice columnist is appearing in the local paper. Then, a cobra is found in the offices of the No. 1 Ladies�� Detective Agency. Recently, the Mokolodi Game Preserve manager feels an infectious fear spreading among his workers, and a local doctor may be falsifying blood pressure readings. To further complicate matters, Grace Makutsi may have scared off her own fiancé. Mma Ramotswe, however, is always up to the challenge. And Blue Shoes and Happiness will not fail to entertain Alexander McCall Smith’s oldest fans and newest converts with its great wit, charm, and great good will.]]> 242 Alexander McCall Smith 0375424261 Lisa 0 4.23 2006 Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #7)

Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #7)

author: Alexander McCall Smith
name: Lisa
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/07
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Book of Essie 34503571 A debut novel of family, fame, and religion that tells the emotionally stirring, wildly captivating story of the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family's hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow their entire world apart.

Esther Ann Hicks—Essie—is the youngest child on Six for Hicks, a reality television phenomenon. She's grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family's fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie's mother, Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show's producers: Do they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Do they pass the child off as Celia's? Or do they try to arrange a marriage—and a ratings-blockbuster wedding? Meanwhile, Essie is quietly pairing herself up with Roarke Richards, a senior at her school with a secret of his own to protect. As the newly formed couple attempt to sell their fabricated love story to the media—through exclusive interviews with an infamously conservative reporter named Liberty Bell—Essie finds she has questions of her own: What was the real reason for her older sister leaving home? Who can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom?]]> 319 Meghan MacLean Weir Lisa 5 3.90 2018 The Book of Essie

author: Meghan MacLean Weir
name: Lisa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/03
date added: 2024/01/20
shelves:
review:

]]>