en-US Wed, 27 Nov 2024 09:33:23 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 9460487 9781594744761

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.]]> 352 Ransom Riggs 1594744769 Pok 4 3.92 2011
author: Ransom Riggs
name: Pok
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2011
rating: 4
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]]> 11901
Demonstrating, once again, her gift for spellbinding storytelling and the creation of legend, Anne Rice makes real for us a great dynasty of witches—a family given to poetry and to incest, to murder and to philosophy; a family that, over the ages, is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous, and seductive being.

On the veranda of a great New Orleans house, now faded, a mute and fragile woman sits rocking... and The Witching Hour begins.

It begins in our time with a rescue at sea.ĚýĚýRowan Mayfair, a beautiful woman, a brilliant practitioner of neurosurgery—aware that she has special powers but unaware that she comes from an ancient line of witches—finds the drowned body of a man off the coast of California and brings him to life.ĚýĚýHe is Michael Curry, who was born in New Orleans and orphaned in childhood by fire on Christmas Eve, who pulled himself up from poverty, and who now, in his brief interval of death, has acquired a sensory power that mystifies and frightens him.

As these two, fiercely drawn to each other, fall in love and—in passionate alliance—set out to solve the mystery of her past and his unwelcome gift, the novel moves backward and forward in time from today's New Orleans and San Francisco to long-ago Amsterdam and a château in the France of Louis XIV.ĚýĚýAn intricate tale of evil unfolds—an evil unleashed in seventeenth-century Scotland, where the first "witch," Suzanne of the Mayfair, conjures up the spirit she names Lasher... a creation that spells her own destruction and torments each of her descendants in turn.

From the coffee plantations of Port au Prince, where the great Mayfair fortune is made and the legacy of their dark power is almost destroyed, to Civil War New Orleans, as Julien—the clan's only male to be endowed with occult powers—provides for the dynasty its foothold in America, the dark, luminous story encompasses dramas of seduction and death, episodes of tenderness and healing.ĚýĚýAnd always—through peril and escape, tension and release—there swirl around us the echoes of eternal war: innocence versus the corruption of the spirit, sanity against madness, life against death.ĚýĚýWith a dreamlike power, the novel draws us, through circuitous, twilight paths, to the present and Rowan's increasingly inspired and risky moves in the merciless game that binds her to her heritage. And in New Orleans, on Christmas Eve, this strangest of family sagas is brought to its startling climax.]]> 1207 Anne Rice 0099471426 Pok 4 4.11 1990
author: Anne Rice
name: Pok
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1990
rating: 4
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]]> 10357792 There’s always one more grave to dig.

Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones. They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war�

A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights. Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences. And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear� will be hovering on the edge of the grave.

Final Cat and Bones novel.]]> 343 Jeaniene Frost 0062076116 Pok 2 4.25 2014
author: Jeaniene Frost
name: Pok
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2014
rating: 2
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]]> 52022378 For five years Me’acca Mysuth Sheever has lived among his “sworn enemies,� pretending to be one of them. One night he buys a journal, its pages blank. The woman who sells him the journal extracts his promise to record his deeds for study. “Lo, the steps of your life mark the journey of your soul.� To expose his prior life, however, would be akin to suicide, for Sheever is a man brimming with secrets.

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

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

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

About the Author:
K. Ritz lives with her husband in a small town in Massachusetts. This is her first book in a series about a world of shadows.
]]> 410 K. Ritz 1950015327 Pok 5 4.30 2019
author: K. Ritz
name: Pok
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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]]> 6481245
In a frozen wilderness steeped in darkness, the lines between good and evil, lover and enemy, are never black or white but drawn in Shades of Midnight.

Something inhuman is stalking the frigid Alaskan wilds, leaving unspeakable carnage in its wake. For bush pilot Alexandra Maguire, the killings stir memories of a horrific event she witnessed as a child and evoke in her the inexplicable sense of otherness she has long felt within herself but never fully understood . . . until a darkly seductive stranger with secrets of his own enters her world.

Sent from Boston on a mission to investigate the savage attacks and stop the slaughter, vampire warrior Kade has his own reasons for returning to the frigid, forbidding place of his birth. Haunted by a secret shame, Kade soon realizes the stunning truth of the threat he faces-a threat that will jeopardize the fragile bond he has formed with the courageous, determined young woman who arouses his deepest passions and most primal hungers. But in bringing Alex into his world of blood and darkness, Kade must confront both his own personal demons and the even greater evil that could destroy all he holds dear.]]> 383 Lara Adrian 0440245265 Pok 4 4.28 2009
author: Lara Adrian
name: Pok
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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]]> 2282133
It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks.... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…]]> 327 Richelle Mead Pok 5 4.26 2008
author: Richelle Mead
name: Pok
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2008
rating: 5
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]]> 6058042 A stunning and suspenseful new landscape emerges in the thrilling Dark-Hunter world—a world where nothing will ever be the same again. . . Ěý

Fang Kattalakis isn't just a wolf. He is the brother of two of the most powerful members of the Omegrion: the ruling council that enforces the laws of the Were-Hunters. And when war erupts among the lycanthropes, sides must be chosen. Enemies are forced into shaky alliances. And when the woman Fang loves is accused of betraying her people, her only hope is that Fang believes in her. Yet in order to save her, Fang must break the law of his people and the faith of his brothers. That breech could very well spell the end of both their races and change their world forever.

Ěý

The war is on and time is running out...]]> 352 Sherrilyn Kenyon 0312369492 Pok 1 4.27 2009
author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
name: Pok
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2009
rating: 1
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]]> 50628479 Conspiracies. Corruption. Serial killers.

You name it—I'm fascinated by it. My mom always blamed my overly curious and highly suspicious mind on my dad.

My incredibly overbearing dad.

Mr. No One Is Good Enough For My Daughter has been terrifying my dates since I turned fifteen.

College is my chance to be free from his control and date any guy I want.

I'm absolutely certain he would hate Slade Wylder—almost as certain as I am that I do too.

Since when have I shied away from trouble?

Slade fascinates me. He lives in a house I'm certain is haunted. His dog is trained as well as any guard I've ever seen. Rumor on campus is that he deals drugs. It would explain a lot.

But it doesn't explain why he saves me from my darkest moment.

It doesn't explain why I can't stop thinking about him.

And the explanation I finally discover is far more dangerous than any rumor.
]]> 354 Jewel E. Ann Pok 4 on-my-shelf 4.28 2020
author: Jewel E. Ann
name: Pok
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: on-my-shelf
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]]> 60202761
Hardworking Isabelle Cook has a serious problem. Her family farm, site of Tilikum’s Christmas Village, is in trouble. Big trouble. And worst of all? The man trying to buy it is none other than the grumpiest, grinchiest man of them all—Elias Stoneheart.

That’s a big nope. She’s not letting him get involved. Not with his heart made of coal.

Elias Stoneheart is in the business of making money, not friends. Especially when his boss is promising a long-awaited promotion. All he has to do is convince one struggling family to sell their farm.

The problem? It’s Cook Family Farm. And Isabelle Cook is his ex.

He might have history with Isabelle, but this is just business. A Christmas-loving farm girl is not going to come between him and his ambition.

And Christmas? He hates it. Christmas Village needs to go.

But as Elias spends time in the small town, holiday spirit—and Isabelle—get under his skin. And she might be the only one who can melt the ice around his heart.

Author’s Note: a sassy farm girl takes on a grumpy businessman in this stand-alone, snowy, small-town Christmas romance. Saucy banter, a guard donkey, plenty of holiday cheer, and a heartwarming happily ever after that will make you believe in the magic of Christmas.]]> 339 Claire Kingsley Pok 4 3.99 2022
author: Claire Kingsley
name: Pok
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 4
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]]> 48642911 “Tragedy brought us together, but something stronger made me want to stay.�

Julian was the boy next door. My brother’s best friend, he fit with my family in ways I never could. While he and Rhett went on to play house, I left the only life I knew, desperate for a fresh start.

Until everything changed.

Heartache came along, and the aftermath of my brother’s death was here to stay. I was now face to face with Julian more than I ever wanted to be.

Being around him brought up all my insecurities, forced me to deal with hard truths, and conjured up feelings I had no business entertaining. He wasn’t the man I thought I knew. He was complex and layered, and inherently beautiful in all the ways I’d never noticed.

Not on another person.

Not on another man.

Not until him.]]> 358 Marley Valentine Pok 4 4.15 2020
author: Marley Valentine
name: Pok
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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]]> 55218517 Two MI6 agents go undercover as a rich businessman and his sugar baby. Can their fake relationship become something real?

Sam Landon is a homeless eighteen-year-old thief desperate for a different life. When his skills attract the attention of the British Secret Intelligence Service, Sam is determined to prove himself.

His first mission: he has to steal a flash drive from a paranoid crime lord. The problem is, he has to pretend to be another agent’s sugar baby.

Dominic Bommer, his “sugar daddy,� is ridiculously handsome, charming, rich, and pretty much perfect. Dominic is kind, generous, and protective of him.

Except “Dominic Bommer� is nothing but a role performed by a cynical MI6 agent, who is actually straight, aloof, and manipulative.

Sam is perfectly aware that everything Dominic does is carefully calculated, every emotion faked. He knows that men actually do nothing for Dominic and he doesn’t really want Sam.

But despite knowing all of this, Sam still finds himself falling hard for a man who doesn’t exist.

Or does he?]]> 271 Alessandra Hazard Pok 4 3.87 2017
author: Alessandra Hazard
name: Pok
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 4
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]]> 57388047
He’s a menace on campus. Adored and feared. Hated and respected. His taunting words carve into my skin, shredding me to ribbons. Yet his intense gaze scorches my blood, fills me with a longing I don’t understand.

When I stumble upon him one night alone, I find him broken. Bleeding. My instincts scream to leave and let him suffer, but I can’t. I sneak him into my room. Clean him up. Fall for his lies. Let him possess every single part of me until I’m the one left a gasping, broken mess.

When he leaves me alone in the dead of night, he takes my journal with him.

Now he knows all my secrets. My hate. My truth. And he promises to use my words against me. I’ll be ruined if my darkest secret gets out.

That’s when I strike a bargain with the devil.

I’ll let Whit Lancaster ruin me behind closed doors instead.]]> 506 Monica Murphy Pok 5 drama 3.64 2021
author: Monica Murphy
name: Pok
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2021
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/10/28
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]]> 34705192 From USA Today bestselling author Parker S. Huntington comes a steamy, slow-burn love story full of unexpected love and banter.

It started with my bladder.

I didn't mean to witness a shady deal in the restroom hallway.
I didn't think twice when I called the cops.
And I certainly didn't know who the club belonged to.

Asher Black.
Former mafia hitman.
Billionaire CEO.
New York's most eligible bachelor.

When he shows up at my college, looking for the girl who called the cops on his business, I know I'm as good as dead.
What I don't expect is his offer--he'll pay my tuition and set me up with a cushy job after I graduate.
All I have to do is... be his fake fiancée.

Asher Black is a 90,000-word standalone novel in The Five Syndicates mafia romance series.]]> 307 Parker S. Huntington Pok 0 4.00 2017
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: Pok
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: home-library, books-i-own, 2024-tbr
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]]> 40892001 Nothing happened…Or did it?
Jeremy is an adrenaline junky who just made a serious mistake. It nearly killed him. While being drug under water with a parachute line around his neck, he saw his life pass before his eyes…plus something else, something not part of his life. Something he dismisses until he begins to suspect its true importance. Now he has to see it
Maybe to save the world.
But how do you have a near-death experience intentionally? Jeremy scrambles to solve this puzzle while the world scrambles to solve its own near death experience.
Timing is everything.]]> 369 Jody Summers 0989107973 Pok 4 4.43 2018
author: Jody Summers
name: Pok
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: 2024, 5-star-books, to-get, on-my-bookshelf
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]]> 220363612 Mike Martin 1068852933 Pok 5 4.42
author: Mike Martin
name: Pok
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: 5-stars, winter-reads, my-books, contemporary
review:

]]> 216474926 A poetic and inspirational journey into love's divine essence

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

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

Perfect for readers interested in spiritual growth, self-discovery, and a deeper understanding of love, "Just Love Her" is a testament to love's transformative power. Mihal's poetic prose and deep reflections make this book a valuable guide for embracing the divine love within your heart.]]> 240 Raz Mihal 1068630019 Pok 4 4.30
author: Raz Mihal
name: Pok
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: to-reread, favorite-books, book-club, i-own, loved, tbr-2024, fav, all-time-favs, absolute-favorites, the-best
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]]> 210434495 31 Sherman Kennon Pok 4 4.37
author: Sherman Kennon
name: Pok
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: reading-challenge, my-library, favorites, 2024-reading-list, bookshelf, want, novels, ebook, kindle, re-read, loved-it, wishlist, own, faves, favs
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]]> 44107480
Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who's played Carnegie Hall, he's a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that's before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who's already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers' fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

A sweeping, multi-layered romance with a divine twist, by the Printz Honor-winning author of The Passion of Dolssa, set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II.]]> 471 Julie Berry Pok 5 4.23 2019
author: Julie Berry
name: Pok
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/07/28
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]]> 31122 408 Dodie Smith 0312181108 Pok 2 3.99 1948
author: Dodie Smith
name: Pok
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1948
rating: 2
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]]> 25566675 A timely and powerful story about a teen girl from a poor neighborhood striving for success, from acclaimed author Renée Watson.

Jade believes she must get out of her neighborhood if she’s ever going to succeed. Her mother says she has to take every opportunity. She has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for “at-risk� girls. Except really, it’s for black girls. From “bad� neighborhoods.

But Jade doesn’t need support. And just because her mentor is black doesn’t mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference.

Friendships, race, privilege, identity—this compelling and thoughtful story explores the issues young women face.]]> 277 Renée Watson Pok 4 4.07 2017
author: Renée Watson
name: Pok
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 4
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]]> 34186576 Kirkus Reviews � Verdict: Get it.]]> 380 Sara Pascoe 0993574734 Pok 5 4.29 2015
author: Sara Pascoe
name: Pok
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 5
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]]> 93731
To make matters worse, Grandmere has gotten a busboy fired due to a mishap with her pooch, Rommel, at a swanky restaurant, so when all of the city's busboys go on strike, it causes a chain of events that result in Grandmere crashing at Mia's mom's place, her pal Lilly Moscovitz picking up a picket sign, and the prom being brought to a screeching halt.

Thankfully, staunch yet boy-wise Grandmere has a plan to change Michael's mind and put everything back on track, making Mia the happiest "prom princess" on this side of the Atlantic - and readers more starry-eyed than Molly Ringwald in her prettiest pink frock.

Following up the brief Volume IV and a Half and introducing a new addition to Mia's family, this knee-slapping fifth volume makes the series glitter brighter than ever, placing yet another jewel in Cabot's crown.]]> 275 Meg Cabot 0060096128 Pok 1 3.71 2003
author: Meg Cabot
name: Pok
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2003
rating: 1
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]]> 61762207
It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness—or so they thought.

As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?]]> 464 Michael Grant 0061449091 Pok 3 4.01 2010
author: Michael Grant
name: Pok
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2010
rating: 3
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]]> 23197837
But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision.

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.]]> 448 Dhonielle Clayton 1484728491 Pok 5 3.82 2018
author: Dhonielle Clayton
name: Pok
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2018
rating: 5
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]]> 34897 The Dragon Reborn—the leader long prophesied who will save the world, but in the saving destroy it; the savior who will run mad and kill all those dearest to him—is on the run from his destiny.

Able to touch the One Power, but unable to control it, and with no one to teach him how—for no man has done it in three thousand years—Rand al'Thor knows only that he must face the Dark One. But how?

Winter has stopped the war—almost—yet men are dying, calling out for the Dragon. But where is he?

Perrin Aybara is in pursuit with Moiraine Sedai, her Warder Lan, and Loial the Ogier. Bedeviled by dreams, Perrin is grappling with another deadly problem—how is he to escape the loss of his own humanity?

Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve are approaching Tar Valon, where Mat will be healed—if he lives until they arrive. But who will tell the Amyrlin their news—that the Black Ajah, long thought only a hideous rumor, is all too real? They cannot know that in Tar Valon far worse awaits...

Ahead, for all of them, in the Heart of the Stone, lies the next great test of the Dragon reborn....
]]> 624 Robert Jordan 0765305119 Pok 5 4.27 1991
author: Robert Jordan
name: Pok
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1991
rating: 5
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]]> 43204703 here.

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.]]> 484 Brigid Kemmerer 1681195089 Pok 4 3.94 2019
author: Brigid Kemmerer
name: Pok
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
rating: 4
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]]> 3475161 420 Jim Butcher 0451462564 Pok 4 4.43 2009
author: Jim Butcher
name: Pok
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/06/28
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]]> 61608233
"Just that she is all heart. She doesn't have an artificial bone in her body, and therefore, doesn't have the ruthlessness necessary to survive the royal court."

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

After a swift wedding and passionate honeymoon, an assassination attempt plummets the lovers back into the reality of ruling. Fueled by their indomitable matched hormones and fierce loyalty to each other, together they must evade his mother's Machiavellian schemes, hunt down the mysterious cause of death among the match-making Keys, and protect the people from a violent supremacist cult, the Oradagra. But it turns out that the greatest threat to their existence is something neither of them could have seen coming, and it's a race against time to save the entire Arkhnuetian planet.]]> 312 Therisa Peimer 1039125611 Pok 4 4.29 2022
author: Therisa Peimer
name: Pok
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2022
rating: 4
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]]> 10790290
Can a self-serving thief and an idealistic swordsman survive long enough to unravel the first part of an ancient mystery that has toppled kings and destroyed empires?

And so begins the first tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

When author Michael J. Sullivan self-published the first books of his Riyria Revelations, they rapidly became ebook bestsellers. Now, Orbit is pleased to present the complete series for the first time in bookstores everywhere.]]> 691 Michael J. Sullivan 0316187747 Pok 5 4.23 2011
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Pok
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/06/28
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]]> 6186357 There are alternate cover editions for this ASIN here and here.

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run.]]> 384 James Dashner 0385737947 Pok 3 4.05 2009
author: James Dashner
name: Pok
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/06/28
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]]> 673657
Then suddenly the Voice of Prophecy cried out a warning: “Beware Zandramas!� Not even Belgarath the Sorcerer knew who or what Zandramas was. But Garion discovered hints in a previously obscured part of the Mrin Codex. Worse, he learned that the Dark Prophecy was still waging its ancient struggle against the Prophecy of Light. Again, great evil was brewing in the East. And again, Garion found himself a pawn, caught between the two ancient Prophecies, with the fate of the world somehow resting on him.]]> 438 David Eddings 0345352661 Pok 5 4.11 1987
author: David Eddings
name: Pok
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/06/28
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]]> 57109107 The bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility and master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction returns with a stylish and propulsive novel set in 1950s America

In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett’s intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head west where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future.

Spanning just ten days and told from multiple points of view, Towles’s third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary styling while providing them an array of new and richly imagined settings, characters, and themes.]]> 576 Amor Towles 0735222355 Pok 5 4.18 2021
author: Amor Towles
name: Pok
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/12/27
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]]> 16527
As we follow her spirited heroine on a perilous journey north in the hold of a ship to the rough-and-tumble world of San Francisco and northern California, we enter a world whose newly arrived inhabitants are driven mad by gold fever. A society of single men and prostitutes among whom Eliza moves--with the help of her good friend and savior, the Chinese doctor Tao Chien--California opens the door to a new life of freedom and independence for the young Chilean. Her search for the elusive JoaquĂ­n gradually turns into another kind of journey that transforms her over time, and what began as a search for love ends up as the conquest of personal freedom.]]> 432 Isabel Allende 0061120251 Pok 5 3.93 1998
author: Isabel Allende
name: Pok
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1998
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/12/27
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]]> 6578507
What would happen if someone did the unthinkable-and didn't deliver a letter? Filled with stunning parallels to today, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.]]> 11 Sarah Blake 0143145444 Pok 5 3.34 2009
author: Sarah Blake
name: Pok
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2009
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/12/27
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]]> 62986809
Two lovers crest the wave of the golden age of Pericles, statesman and general, and Aspasia, his courtesan, a philosopher's daughter, and a brilliant woman in her own right. In a world of hierarchies, he is at the top when she arrives as little more than flotsam cast up on Athenian shores. Their love transcends social sanctions, enduring and deepening despite the grave threat it presents to Pericles' reputation as a leader of the Athenian democracy.

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

Pericles and Aspasia engages issues that are vital today—the paradoxes of democracy, the tensions of hierarchy, the ironies of gender, and others—but this novel is immersed in classical Athens: the city, its sunshine, its physical presence, its people, and their struggles and aspirations.]]> 557 Yvonne Korshak 1959182234 Pok 4 4.29 2022
author: Yvonne Korshak
name: Pok
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2022
rating: 4
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]]> 41219 A beautiful hardback edition of the Booker Prize-winning novel. A romance, a literary quest, a modern classic.

A pair of young scholars investigate the lives of two Victorian poets. Following a trail of letters, journals and poems they uncover a web of passion, deceit and tragedy, and their quest becomes a battle against time. Possession is an exhilarating novel of wit and romance, at once a literary detective novel and a triumphant love story.]]> 555 A.S. Byatt 0679735909 Pok 3 3.89 1991
author: A.S. Byatt
name: Pok
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1991
rating: 3
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]]> 9375 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a now-classic novel about two women: Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age, and gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode, who is telling her life story. Her tale includes two more women, the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, offering good coffee, southern barbecue, and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder. And as the past unfolds, the present will never be quite the same again.]]> 416 Fannie Flagg 0375508414 Pok 4 4.28 1987
author: Fannie Flagg
name: Pok
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/12/27
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]]> 89763 304 Pam Muñoz Ryan 043912042X Pok 2 4.03 2000
author: Pam Muñoz Ryan
name: Pok
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2023/12/27
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]]> 8069828
Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana� Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells� inner turmoil, Raisa’s best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she's falling in love.

Through a complicated web of lies and unholy alliances, former streetlord Han Alister has become a member of the Wizard Council of the Fells. Navigating the cut-throat world of blue blood politics has never been more dangerous, and Han seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it?

A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series.]]> 598 Cinda Williams Chima 1423144333 Pok 5 4.46 2012
author: Cinda Williams Chima
name: Pok
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 11487807
Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, “the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat,� just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame’s family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter’s path.

Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla’s young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed’s sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.

Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near-mythical power of the lion-shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man’s title. She lives only to avenge her father’s death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father’s killer. Until she meets Raseed.

When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince’s brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time—and struggle against their own misgivings—to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.]]> 274 Saladin Ahmed 0756407117 Pok 5 3.62 2012
author: Saladin Ahmed
name: Pok
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 43900612
Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she's tiny until the night she's sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows that she has only one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball . are forfeit.

But Sophia doesn't want to be chosen - she's in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia's night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella's tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world.]]> 400 Kalynn Bayron 1547603887 Pok 5 3.68 2020
author: Kalynn Bayron
name: Pok
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 2402971 here

After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris, the City of Lights. Home for Nicholas Flamel. Only this homecoming is anything but sweet. Perenelle is still locked up back in Alcatraz and Paris is teeming with enemies. Niccolo Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, is working for Dee. He’s after them, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenelle. For every day spent without the Book of Abraham the Mage, they age one year-their magic becoming weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophecy is becoming more and more clear.

It’s time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic: Fire Magic. And there’s only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel’s old student, the Comte de Saint-Germain-alchemist, magician, and rock star. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world’s only hope-if they don’t turn on each other first.]]> 464 Michael Scott 0385733585 Pok 1 4.10 2008
author: Michael Scott
name: Pok
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2008
rating: 1
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 8752885
Marcus' hero days are behind him. He knows too well that even the smallest war still means somebody's death. When his men are impressed into a doomed army, staying out of a battle he wants no part of requires some unorthodox steps.

Cithrin is an orphan, ward of a banking house. Her job is to smuggle a nation's wealth across a war zone, hiding the gold from both sides. She knows the secret life of commerce like a second language, but the strategies of trade will not defend her from swords.

Geder, sole scion of a noble house, has more interest in philosophy than in swordplay. A poor excuse for a soldier, he is a pawn in these games. No one can predict what he will become.

Falling pebbles can start a landslide. A spat between the Free Cities and the Severed Throne is spiraling out of control. A new player rises from the depths of history, fanning the flames that will sweep the entire region onto The Dragon's Path-the path to war.
]]> 555 Daniel Abraham 1841498874 Pok 4 3.79 2011
author: Daniel Abraham
name: Pok
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2011
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 113304
Befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord, they shelter in an old, disused cinema. On their trail is a bungling detective, obsessed with disguises and the health of his pet tortoises. But a greater threat to the boys' new-found freedom is something from a forgotten past � a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.]]> 350 Cornelia Funke 1903434777 Pok 4 3.99 2000
author: Cornelia Funke
name: Pok
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 22522805
The Buried Giant begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years.

Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in nearly a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge, and war.

Included on TIME Magazine's "THE 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME"]]> 317 Kazuo Ishiguro 030727103X Pok 3 3.56 2015
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Pok
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2015
rating: 3
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]]> 7011403 508 Robin Hobb Pok 4 4.07 2010
author: Robin Hobb
name: Pok
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 8694389
Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation.]]> 352 Catherynne M. Valente 0765326302 Pok 5 3.97 2011
author: Catherynne M. Valente
name: Pok
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 7923006 613 N.K. Jemisin 184149819X Pok 2 3.96 2011
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Pok
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2011
rating: 2
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date added: 2023/09/01
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]]> 137883
Ruiz changes the way we perceive ourselves, and the way we perceive other people. Then he opens the door to a reality that we once perceived when we were one and two years old - a reality of truth, love, and joy.]]> 234 Miguel Ruiz 1878424548 Pok 5 4.19 2000
author: Miguel Ruiz
name: Pok
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2000
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/07/01
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]]> 40873423 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER •ĚýThe pioneering experts behindĚýThe Whole-Brain Child—Tina Payne Bryson and Daniel J. Siegel, theĚýauthor of Brainstorm—now explore the ultimate child-raising discipline.

Highlighting the fascinating link between a child’s neurological development and the way a parent reacts to misbehavior, No-Drama Discipline provides an effective, compassionate road map for dealing with tantrums, tensions, and tears—without causing a scene.
Ěý
Defining the true meaning of the “d� word (to instruct, not to shout or reprimand), the authors explain how to reach your child, redirect emotions, and turn a meltdown into an opportunity for growth. By doing so, the cycle of negative behavior (and punishment) is essentially brought to a halt, as problem solving becomes a win/win situation. Inside this sanity-saving guide you’ll discover
Ěý
� strategies that help parents identify their own discipline philosophy—and master the best methods to communicate the lessons they are trying to impart
� facts on child brain development—and what kind of discipline is most appropriate and constructive at all ages and stages
� the way to calmly and lovingly connect with a child—no matter how extreme the behavior—while still setting clear and consistent limits
� tips for navigating your child through a tantrum to achieve insight, empathy, and repair
� twenty discipline mistakes even the best parents make—and how to stay focused on the principles of whole-brain parenting and discipline techniques
Ěý
Complete with candid stories and playful illustrations that bring the authors� suggestions to life, No-Drama Discipline shows you how to work with your child’s developing mind, peacefully resolve conflicts, and inspire happiness and strengthen resilience in everyone in the family.

Praise for No-Drama Discipline
Ěý
“With lucid, engaging prose accompanied by cartoon illustrations, Siegel and Bryson help parents teach and communicate more effectively.��Publishers Weekly
Ěý
“A lot of fascinating insights . . . an eye-opener worth reading.��Parents
Ěý
“Insightful . . . The ideas presented in this latest book can actually be applied to all of our relationships, as it will help us in many circumstances to be able to calm down, have empathy for another person, and then communicate in a constructive way about our concerns and proposed solutions. What works to help children learn and behave better might also help our world’s leaders and large groups of people get along better, as many of us adults failed to develop these mindsight skills as we were growing up and we tend to sabotage our relationships with others as a result. Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or just a person who wishes to learn to get along better with others, you may find some valuable insights in No-Drama Discipline.��Examiner.com

“Wow! This book grabbed me from the very first page and did not let go. Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson explain extremely well why punishment is a dead-end strategy. Then they describe what to do instead. By making the latest breakthroughs in brain science accessible to any parent, they show why empathy and connection are the royal road to cooperation, discipline, and family harmony.�—Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D., author of The Opposite of Worry


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 290 Daniel J. Siegel 0345548051 Pok 3 4.26 2014
author: Daniel J. Siegel
name: Pok
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 3
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]]> 232088 219 Richard Templar 0131743961 Pok 4 3.70 2005
author: Richard Templar
name: Pok
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/07/01
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]]> 64653012 154 Aimee Cabo Nikolov 1637461941 Pok 0 to-read 4.30 2018
author: Aimee Cabo Nikolov
name: Pok
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/14
shelves: to-read
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]]> 54143393
​A first person LitRPG Gamelit Fantasy novel, Savvy Sage Online tells the story of how Nate, a twenty something guy ended up a beta tester for a next generation game system. While inside, he tries to build relationships while avoiding evil sorcerers, deadly monsters and learning how to creatively apply his new magical skills in interesting ways.

Once inside the game world, Nate quickly makes friends, first with Roger and then Jenny, a plucky warrior redhead who saves him from becoming cat food. After that, Nate meets Alice, a mage working tables to save for guild dues. When Alice gives Nate a Request, he dives deep magical exploration to help make their ambitious plans come true.

Together, the three fight monsters, dive into a dangerous dungeon, learn innovative magical techniques and plot to create a new place of learning for the curious. Debut novel from Richard Sprout, Savvy Sage Online is an original story over 124,000 words in length.

Pick up this binge-worthy tale today!

Themes from the Relationships with women, cultivation of magical skills, settlement building, meta-magic, crafting, gamelit, game mechanics, RPG elements, level progression, exploration, crafting, skill development, wuxia and more. Savvy Sage Online is a book that will thrill fans of authors like Eric Vall, Logan Jacobs, Noah Layton, Tamryn Tamer, A.J. Markam and Simon Archer, or series like Princess Master, Ex-Supers, Herald of Shalia, Skullduggery, Tribe Master and Forge of the Gods.]]> 372 Richard Sprout Pok 0 to-read 4.27
author: Richard Sprout
name: Pok
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 63908459
Roman’s patience teeters on Karo’s deception. Bitter, desperate, and vengeful, Karo dutifully completes her missions while withholding data from her uncle Loukin’s operation. She swore to get out from under his thumb, even if she has to break a few hands. Each assignment brings her closer to uncovering his goal, and using it against him, but she also draws closer to new foes. And they all want the same thing—Karo’s secrets.]]> 294 M.R. Noble 1509247106 Pok 0 to-read 4.30 2023
author: M.R. Noble
name: Pok
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 123000232
During their run for freedom, they encounter an unlikely friend in the form of a replicant searching for something only they can help him find.

The land they journey through is full of bones, abandoned towns and starving wolves.

If they can reach Zeko's, the replicant promised it could save them from Finch.

Finch isn’t alone anymore. He has the support of the people under the mountain. The ones who would do anything to own people who can make babies.]]> 264 Eli Wilde Pok 0 to-read 4.29
author: Eli Wilde
name: Pok
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
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]]> 19063 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

(Note: this title was not published as YA fiction)]]> 592 Markus Zusak Pok 0 to-read 4.38 2005
author: Markus Zusak
name: Pok
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
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]]> 54183020 262 Gabriel F.W. Koch Pok 0 to-read 4.30
author: Gabriel F.W. Koch
name: Pok
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
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]]> 44790978 296 Kyle Keyes Pok 0 to-read 4.30 2019
author: Kyle Keyes
name: Pok
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 60576339
A secret engagement is one of the most unforgivable of sins in Surry, England in 1814. But Jane couldn't resist Frank Churchill's charms, and agreed to wait for him while he persuaded the rich aunt who controls his life to allow their marriage.

Days stretched into weeks, weeks into months. The lovers are able to visit through the coincidence of Jane's grandmother living in the same town as Frank's father. But the necessary permission proves to be elusive. Meanwhile, their secret becomes harder and harder to conceal.

Can their love survive the social pressures that threaten to tear them apart?]]> 322 Jeanette Watts Pok 0 to-read 4.22 2022
author: Jeanette Watts
name: Pok
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 33623824
After a string of disappointments with his literary career, Adam is not doing well in life, particularly where women are concerned. His last girlfriend left him for somebody taller, and he was sacked from his job at an English Language School for flirting with the boss's wife after a few drinks at the Christmas party.

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

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

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

Get Rich or Get Lucky is a dark-humoured fantasy thriller, and may not appeal to the very sensitive reader with a strong conventional bias. It will however be a favourite for open-minded readers who enjoy adult, fun fantasy fiction and also a fast-paced adventure thriller.]]> 276 Max Nowaz Pok 4 to-read 4.25
author: Max Nowaz
name: Pok
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/03/20
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]]> 18745837 Amazon Kindle
Amazon Central Seller for Europe
Limited hard copies available. Other countries order on our website livingthebestdayever]]> 327 Hendri Coetzee 0620570601 Pok 0 to-read 4.39 2013
author: Hendri Coetzee
name: Pok
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 55761614
Derek Taylor, fugitive hacker and contractor to the National Security Agency is living under the name of a murdered best friend, hiding from powers who still want him dead. Taylor’s ties to a terrorist hacker group called SNO leave him open to investigation by Lt. Jennifer Scott, the daughter of a Joint Chief—a woman determined to go to any lengths to prove her worth.

But when a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) internet virus threatens national security, SLVIA warns Taylor the fifth seal of end time prophecy has broken. This unexpected assault soon forces an autocratic US President to deploy a defective AI weapon. Now, Taylor and Lt. Scott must join forces across three continents to stop the evil AI virus from crippling America or destroying SLVIA before an apocalypse swarms over Jerusalem.

Combining conspiracies, cyber espionage, and advanced weapons, Swarm reveals what happens when AI singularity and prophecy collide to shake the world at its very foundations.]]> 435 Guy Morris Pok 0 to-read 4.30 2020
author: Guy Morris
name: Pok
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 43641
Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.]]> 368 Sara Gruen 1565125606 Pok 0 to-read 4.11 2006
author: Sara Gruen
name: Pok
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 54329757
She is a rebel. Lilla is fighting for the refugees's freedom from oppression. The king, her father, lost touch with reality ever since Lilla's mother died. Now everyone else is paying the price.

The arrival of Callum, a powerful Teryn general, complicates Lilla's life. His presence leads to conflicted feelings and friction with Arrov, a handsome pilot and fellow rebel.

Her life is not what she imagined it to be. Not by far. Meddling gods, love interests and sudden magical abilities have no room in Lilla's world, but that has become her new reality. No matter how hard she pushes them away, it's too late. They all seek to control her anyway.

Now the Era War between two ruling archgods forces Lilla to act: accept who she really is magic and all; find true love; fulfill her destiny by defeating the Archgod of Chaos and Destruction before He finds her. The Last Lumenian.]]> 328 S.G. Blaise 1734760508 Pok 0 to-read 4.26 2020
author: S.G. Blaise
name: Pok
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/20
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]]> 122773590
Single mom Cynthia Pace has her hands full with her uniquely gifted child. She has no idea how or why Maddie does the things she does, and neither does her daughter. But there is an answer, discovered by mother and child only after tragedy strikes.

Then all becomes clear, except now they are millions of miles apart.

From the bestselling author of Time Chain comes a novel rooted in the intricacies of human emotion and our enduring fascination with the universe in which we live.]]> 392 Steven Decker Pok 0 to-read 4.30
author: Steven Decker
name: Pok
average rating: 4.30
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]]> 62244184 Take command of your future with this groundbreaking, Wall Street Journal bestseller, from the experts who brought you How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Take Command offers powerful tools and time-tested methods to help you live an intentional life by transforming how you approach your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and future. Filled with stories of everyday people and based on expert research and interviews with more than a hundred high-performing leaders, Take Command gives you the strategies you need to unlock your full potential and create the life you want.

Written by Joe Hart (CEO) and Michael Crom (Board Member) of Dale Carnegie & Associates, Take Command is a modern manual for personal development that will help anyone, at any age. It is structured around questions geared to encourage self-reflection, such
-How do we use the power of mindset to deal with stress and anxiety, gain perspective on negative emotions, and build resilience?
-Once we understand our inner lives, how do we create enriching, rewarding, and enduring relationships?
-How do we deal with difficult people and manage conflict?
-After mastering our thoughts and relationships, how do we live courageously and intentionally to build a vision that will bring out the best in ourselves and other people?

For more than one hundred years, the wisdom of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People has provided people around the world with richer, more fulfilling relationships and a happier way of life. Now, Take Command combines decades of Dale Carnegie’s award-winning training and timeless principles—ones that have transformed the personal and professional lives of millions—into a master text that tells you everything you need to know about the art of human relations.]]> 267 Joe Hart 1982190124 Pok 0 to-read 4.27
author: Joe Hart
name: Pok
average rating: 4.27
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]]> 6690798 THIRTY-TWO MINUTES FOR ONE WORLD TO DIE, ANOTHER TO BE BORN.

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he's done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. Wolgast is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors, but for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—toward the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterly prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.]]> 784 Justin Cronin 0345504968 Pok 0 to-read 4.04 2010
author: Justin Cronin
name: Pok
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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]]> 65498175 275 Rick Mystrom 1637470649 Pok 0 to-read 4.32
author: Rick Mystrom
name: Pok
average rating: 4.32
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]]> 13232888 Librarian note: Older cover edition of B006IGCAGC.

Sometimes,
a promise kept
can change your life.

Reeling from the violent death of her husband in war-torn Iraq, Jordan Phillips is at her wit's end, left to fend for herself and her baby. Alone and desperate in backwater Pelican Pointe, she faces an uphill battle against a judgmental and hostile town as she tries to rebuild her life. But when a mysterious and handsome stranger with a tragic secret appears, her fragile new world threatens to come crashing down around her. A heartbreaking story of love and romance, Promise Cove will hold you breathless until the very last page.]]> 335 Vickie McKeehan Pok 0 to-read 4.07 2011
author: Vickie McKeehan
name: Pok
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> 13328554 347 Kyle Keyes 1449981550 Pok 0 to-read 4.31 2010
author: Kyle Keyes
name: Pok
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
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]]> 60623908
Banking and finance, pharmaceuticals, automotive, medical technology, retail. Artificial intelligence (AI) has made its way into many industries around the world. But the truth is, it has just begun its odyssey toward cheaper, better, and faster predictions to drive strategic business decisions--powering and accelerating business. When prediction is taken to the max, industries transform. The disruption that comes with such transformation is yet to be felt--but it is coming.

How do businesses prepare? In their bestselling first book, Prediction Machines, eminent economists Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb explained the simple yet game-changing economics of AI. Now, in Power and Prediction, they go further to reveal AI as a prediction technology directly impacting decision-making and to teach businesses how to identify disruptive opportunities and threats resulting from AI. Their exhaustive study of new developments in artificial intelligence and the past history of how technologies have disrupted industries highlights the striking phase we are now in: after witnessing the power of this new technology and before its widespread adoption--what they call "the Between Times." While there continue to be important opportunities for businesses, there are also threats of disruption. As prediction machines improve, old ways of doing things will be upended. Also, the process by which AI filters into the many systems involved in application is very uneven. That process will have winners and losers. How can businesses leverage, or protect, their positions?

Filled with illuminating insights, rich examples, and practical advice, Power and Prediction is the must-read guide for any business leader or policy maker on how to make the coming AI disruptions work for you rather than against you.]]> 256 Ajay Agrawal 1647824192 Pok 0 to-read 4.23
author: Ajay Agrawal
name: Pok
average rating: 4.23
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]]> 59717828 For the so-called Reborn Celts, who run the summer school, have been infiltrated by white supremacists. Could their immersion in myth be less a symbol for psychic wholeness and more a clue of their intent to engage in terrorist violence? Who better to penetrate their secret rites than an apparently harmless woman of a certain age?
Mary agrees to spy on the Reborn Celts, then learns, to her horror, of Anna's passionate affair with the chief suspect, Joe Griffith. With Griffith also the object of Rhiannon's obsession, Mary realizes too late that that these 21 st century Celts mean murder.
The Reborn Celts draw Mary and her friends into three rites to summon their at an Oxford sacred well, by the Thames on the way to London, and in Celtic London, where bloodshed will restore one of the Thames' 'lost rivers.'
Before the fatal night of the summer solstice, Caroline and Anna race to London seeking Mary, who has been kidnapped. Will she end as the crone sacrifice? Or will the three women re-make their detecting family, so re-constituting a pattern of archetypal feminine compassion?]]> 336 Susan Rowland 168503005X Pok 0 to-read 4.29 2022
author: Susan Rowland
name: Pok
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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]]> 33946361 This motivational how-to book provides insights into the crucial difference between people who make things happen and those who only think about making an impact. Based on research from many disciplines and interviews with professionals at the top of their fields, Firestarters creates a complete roadmap to achieve personal success and make an impact in the world.
The heart of the book features stories about successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, organizational leaders, and forward-looking thinkers from a variety of professions. They describe the factors and conditions that ignited their lives and helped them become achievers. Some are known to the public; others will be completely new. But all the stories demonstrate how they became--and you can become--a Firestarter.
The authors provide pragmatic advice on how individual readers can ignite the qualities that will lead them toward pursuing and realizing their dreams. Self-assessment exercises, checklists, and other tools will help readers apply Firestarter insights to their own lives. Also included are group exercises and discussion guides so the book can be used in business and nonprofit settings to develop the skills that help companies grow.
Whether you're an individual seeking ways to realize personal ambitions or a leader trying to motivate your team, you'll benefit from the Firestarter methods featured in this inspirational book.]]> 325 Raoul Davis Jr. 1633883477 Pok 0 to-read 4.29
author: Raoul Davis Jr.
name: Pok
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> 62606951 Anthony DiPaolo Pok 0 to-read 4.38
author: Anthony DiPaolo
name: Pok
average rating: 4.38
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rating: 0
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]]> 29629427
The president’s visit to his office later that morning gave credence to his earlier experience in the foyer, and somehow his long deceased father now seemed implicated. As Godfrey’s week spiralled out of control the future of the colony was now in jeopardy, and it was all because of him. He should never have left his latest piece of technology unattended.

If only he could find his father’s secret invention and turn back the clock then maybe he could redeem himself and save their society. But the past was about to collide with the present and the future now seemed very uncertain indeed.]]> 307 A.R. Merrydew Pok 0 to-read 4.22 2015
author: A.R. Merrydew
name: Pok
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
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]]> 59741120 â€Äⲹ°ů˛ą Gay, New York Times editorial board member and MSNBC political analyst.Penis A Memoir of Women, Men and Power is a compelling coming-of-age story, set both in small-town Mississippi and big-city New York, with a long layover in the nation’s capital. Karen Hinton chronicles her life from tiny Soso, Mississippi (pop. 408), to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), where she played on the Lady Rebels basketball team, had embarrassing encounters with literary luminaries such as William Styron and Willie Morris, and received a degree in journalism . . . to stints at two newspapers, where she worked as a reporter—the Jackson Daily News and the Rocky Mountain News—to working on the political campaigns of two Black political candidates, one of whom was elected to Congress, thus becoming the first Black representative from Mississippi since Reconstruction.Hinton went on to become one of the most colorful and outspoken political communications professionals in Washington and New York. Best known for her role as press secretary to both former Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, Karen played what Politico dubbed the “Helen of Troy roleâ€� in the clash between the former Governor of New York and the Mayor that the New York Times called “one of America’s ugliest political feuds.â€� The Wall Street Journal described “the wisdom she dispensed in a Southern twangâ€� in dealing with the strutting and chest pounding of New York’s two most powerful leaders. At the center of Hinton’s incredible rise to the pinnacle of success was an undercurrent of men behaving badly. The role that “penis politicsâ€� played in Hinton’s life began in childhood with a male school employee who demanded sexual favors from her female classmates—and extended throughout her life as she bore witness to the struggles that she and her friends and colleagues have undergone to deal with sexual abuse, sexual harassment and gender discrimination.Known for never ducking a fight, Karen was at the peak of her career when a catastrophic brain injury from a freak accident confronted her with the battle of her life. Emerging from a coma, learning to walk and talk again, as documented in a CBS News broadcast, Karen was determined to “speak up, not shut upâ€� on issues involving women, men and power in politics.]]> 278 Karen Hinton 1736211676 Pok 0 to-read 4.27
author: Karen Hinton
name: Pok
average rating: 4.27
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]]> 123138808 The Balance of Time, before it's too late.]]> 314 Steven Decker Pok 0 to-read 4.21
author: Steven Decker
name: Pok
average rating: 4.21
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> 74917267 313 Michael G. Kramer 0645570133 Pok 0 to-read 4.32 2020
author: Michael G. Kramer
name: Pok
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 58250317 318 Patrick G. Cox 1946824909 Pok 0 to-read 4.50
author: Patrick G. Cox
name: Pok
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> 33413128
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.]]> 432 Fredrik Backman Pok 5 4.27 2016
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Pok
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/12/14
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]]> 30734567 HE DIDN'T DO IT.
He really didn't.
But proving it,
will be a killer.

Framed for murder and on the run, former Olympic biathlete Kyle Achilles is also in the crosshairs of assassins' guns. Why? He has no idea. He's fighting blind against two master strategists and one extraordinary invention--known as Brillyanc.

Achilles' only ally is the other prime suspect, a beautiful Russian mathematician who is either the best or worst person to ever enter his life. Katya was engaged to Achilles' brother -- before he died.

Chasing clues while dodging bullets, Achilles and Katya race around the globe, uncovering a conspiracy conceived in Moscow, born in Silicon Valley, and destined to demolish both the White House and the Kremlin. Along the way a lost soul finds purpose, a broken heart confronts forbidden love, and America gains a new hero.

Packed with heart-stopping surprises, paced by razor-sharp plotting, and populated with richly rendered characters, Pushing Brilliance will leave you breathless and longing for more.]]> 375 Tim Tigner Pok 4 4.13 2016
author: Tim Tigner
name: Pok
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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]]> 22609391 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

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

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

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

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

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

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

In this thrilling book, master historian David McCullough draws on the immense riches of the Wright Papers, including private diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks, and more than a thousand letters from private family correspondence to tell the human side of the Wright Brothers' story, including the little-known contributions of their sister, Katharine, without whom things might well have gone differently for them.]]> 320 David McCullough Pok 5 4.14 2015
author: David McCullough
name: Pok
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 5
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]]> 2265 294 Lance Armstrong 0425179613 Pok 4 3.71 1999
author: Lance Armstrong
name: Pok
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
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]]> 6287100 460 Gillian Gill 0345484053 Pok 3 3.83 2009
author: Gillian Gill
name: Pok
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2009
rating: 3
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date added: 2021/12/28
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]]> 13049569 The Passage of PowerĚýfollows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his careerâ€�1958 to1964. It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power he had created for himself as Senate Majority Leader for what became the wretched powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that disdained and distrusted him. Yet it was, as well, the time in which the presidency, the goal he had always pursued, would be thrust upon him in the moment it took an assassin’s bullet to reach its mark.

By 1958, as Johnson began to maneuver for the presidency, he was known as one of the most brilliant politicians of his time, the greatest Senate Leader in our history. But the 1960 nomination would go to the young senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Caro gives us an unparalleled account of the machinations behind both the nomination and Kennedy’s decision to offer Johnson the vice presidency, revealing the extent of Robert Kennedy’s efforts to force Johnson off the ticket. With the consummate skill of a master storyteller, he exposes the savage animosity between Johnson and Kennedy’s younger brother, portraying one of America’s great political feuds. Yet Robert Kennedy’s overt contempt for Johnson was only part of the burden of humiliation and isolation he bore as Vice President. With a singular understanding of Johnson’s heart and mind, Caro describes what it was like for this mighty politician to find himself altogether powerless in a world in which power is the crucial commodity.Ěý

For the first time, in Caro’s breathtakingly vivid narrative, we see the Kennedy assassination through Lyndon Johnson’s eyes. We watch Johnson step into the presidency, inheriting a staff fiercely loyal to his slain predecessor; a Congress determined to retain its power over the executive branch; and a nation in shock and mourning. We see how within weeks—grasping the reins of the presidency with supreme mastery—he propels through Congress essential legislation that at the time of Kennedy’s death seemed hopelessly logjammed and seizes on a dormant Kennedy program to create the revolutionary War on Poverty. Caro makes clear how the political genius with which Johnson had ruled the Senate now enabled him to make the presidency wholly his own. This was without doubt Johnson’s finest hour, before his aspirations and accomplishments were overshadowed and eroded by the trap of Vietnam.

In its exploration of this pivotal period in Johnson’s life—and in the life of the nationâ€�The Passage of PowerĚýis not only the story of how he surmounted unprecedented obstacles in order to fulfill the highest purpose of the presidency but is, as well, a revelation of both the pragmatic potential in the presidency and what can be accomplished when the chief executive has the vision and determination to move beyond the pragmatic and initiate programs designed to transform a nation.]]> 712 Robert A. Caro 0679405070 Pok 3 4.36 2012
author: Robert A. Caro
name: Pok
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2012
rating: 3
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]]> 23719479 They were the most prominent American family ofĚýthe twentieth century. The daughter they secreted away made all the difference.

Joe and Rose Kennedy’s strikingly beautiful daughter Rosemary attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the Queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. And yet, Rosemary was intellectually disabled â€� a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family.ĚýĚýMajor new sources â€� Rose Kennedy’s diaries and correspondence, school and doctors' letters, and exclusive family interviews â€� bring Rosemary alive as a girl adored but left far behind by her competitive siblings. Kate Larson reveals both the sensitive care Rose and Joe gave to Rosemary and then â€� as the family’s standing reached an apex â€� the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly intractable in her early twenties. Finally, Larson illuminates Joe’s decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three, and the family's complicity in keeping the secret.Ěý
Ěý
Rosemary delivers a profoundly moving coda: JFK visited Rosemary for the first time while campaigning in the Midwest; she had been living isolated in a Wisconsin institution for nearly twenty years. Only then did the siblings understand what had happened to Rosemary and bring her home for loving family visits. It was a reckoning that inspired them to direct attention to the plight of the disabled, transforming the lives of millions.]]> 320 Kate Clifford Larson 0547250258 Pok 5 3.80 2015
author: Kate Clifford Larson
name: Pok
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2015
rating: 5
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]]> 32075671 An alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062498533 can be found here.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice.]]> 454 Angie Thomas 0062498533 Pok 3 4.46 2017
author: Angie Thomas
name: Pok
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2017
rating: 3
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date added: 2021/03/15
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]]> 16322
There's a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway Guide beside each victim's body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover, and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill, who will then be Victim C? More importantly, why is this happening?

Often considered to be one of Agatha Christie's best.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ.]]> 232 Agatha Christie 1579126243 Pok 3 4.03 1936
author: Agatha Christie
name: Pok
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1936
rating: 3
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]]> 21936809 The Girl on the Train will love this modern reimagining of Patricia Highsmith’s classic Strangers on a Train from the author of the acclaimed The Girl with a Clock for a Heart—which the Washington Post said “should be a contender for crime fiction’s best first novel of 2014.�

On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start—he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit—a contrast that once inflamed their passion, but has now become a cliché.

But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.� After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse. . . .

Back in Boston, Ted and Lily’s twisted bond grows stronger as they begin to plot Miranda's demise. But there are a few things about Lily’s past that she hasn’t shared with Ted, namely her experience in the art and craft of murder, a journey that began in her very precocious youth.

Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, one they both cannot survive . . . with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.]]> 320 Peter Swanson 0062267523 Pok 4 3.98 2015
author: Peter Swanson
name: Pok
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/03/15
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]]> 6138
This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the definitive 1871 edition.]]> 528 Wilkie Collins 0375757856 Pok 3 3.90 1868
author: Wilkie Collins
name: Pok
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1868
rating: 3
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]]> 501124
The event thrusts Jackson into the orbit of the wife of an unscrupulous real estate tycoon, a washed-up comedian, a successful crime novelist, a mysterious Russian woman, and a female police detective. Each of them hiding a secret, each looking for love or money or redemption or escape, they all play a role in driving Jackson out of retirement and into the middle of several mysteries that intersect in one sinister scheme.

Kate Atkinson "writes such fluid, sparkling prose that an ingenious plot almost seems too much to ask, but we get it anyway," writes Laura Miller for Salon. With a keen eye for the excesses of modern life, a warm understanding of the frailties of the human heart, and a genius for plots that turn and twist, Atkinson has written a novel that delights and surprises from the first page to the last.]]> 418 Kate Atkinson 0316012823 Pok 5 3.78 2006
author: Kate Atkinson
name: Pok
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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date added: 2021/03/15
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]]> 52089753 From author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.

When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her—until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla’s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that’s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.

Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow—another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla’s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can’t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.
]]> 305 Colleen Hoover 1542000181 Pok 2 3.63 2020
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Pok
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2020
rating: 2
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date added: 2021/03/08
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]]> 36175491
In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal.

Nearly thirty years later, Hugo’s estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father’s funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.

Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father’s history—and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father’s secrets now…]]> 353 Rhys Bowen Pok 5 4.11 2018
author: Rhys Bowen
name: Pok
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 5
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]]> 52149789
Reeling from the worst night of their lives, the three mothers plunge into a desperate investigation of the bizarre incident. How could something so horrible happen in their wealthy Southern California suburb?

They soon discover that the accident was just the beginning, and troubling discoveries lead to chilling questions: Do they really know their children? Do they even know each other? As more secrets surface, a fog of doubt and suspicion threatens to poison their families, their friendships, and the whole community.

With the illusion of happiness and safety long gone, these women must now confront the hazards of heartbreak, the consequences of jealousy, and the dangers of living double lives.]]> 285 Lucinda Berry 1542022134 Pok 4 3.98 2020
author: Lucinda Berry
name: Pok
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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]]> 53522588 FBI Agent Atlee Pine's search for her sister Mercy clashes with military investigator John Puller's high-stakes case, leading them both deep into a global conspiracy -- from which neither of them will escape unscathed.

For many long years, Atlee Pine was tormented by uncertainty after her twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Now, just as Atlee is pressured to end her investigation into Mercy's disappearance, she finally gets her most promising breakthrough yet: the identity of her sister's kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo.

With time running out, Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey -- and unknowingly stumble straight into John Puller's case, blowing his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation.

Stunningly, Pine and Puller's joint investigation uncovers a connection between Vincenzo's family and a breathtaking scheme that strikes at the very heart of global democracy. Peeling back the layers of deceit, lies and cover-ups, Atlee finally discovers the truth about what happened to Mercy. And that truth will shock Pine to her very core.]]> 417 David Baldacci Pok 5 4.20 2020
author: David Baldacci
name: Pok
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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]]> 35297426 She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?]]> 359 Lisa Jewell 1501154648 Pok 5 4.02 2017
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Pok
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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]]> 54552798
A meditation on love lost and unfulfilled dreams, The Ancestor is a thrilling page-turner in present day Alaska and a historical adventure about the perilous Gold Rush expeditions where prospectors left behind their lives for the promise of hope and a better future. The question remains whether it was all worth the sacrifice�.]]> 348 Lee Matthew Goldberg 1643961144 Pok 4 4.27 2020
author: Lee Matthew Goldberg
name: Pok
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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]]> 1379961 The New Yorker) novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks follows a rare manuscript through centuries of exile and war.
Inspired by a true story, "People of the Book" is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author.
Called "a tour de force" by the San Francisco Chronicle, this ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain.

When it falls to Australian rare book expert Hanna Heath to conserve this priceless work, the tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding—a butterfly wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—only begin to unlock the book’s deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics.
]]> 372 Geraldine Brooks 067001821X Pok 5 4.02 2008
author: Geraldine Brooks
name: Pok
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2008
rating: 5
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]]> 45978
Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns�

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn't know whom he can trust.

Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle–one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.

Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .]]> 704 Christopher Paolini 0375840400 Pok 4 4.04 2005
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Pok
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> 16160314
Sophia is a 25 year old Brazilian widow. Intelligent and ravishing, she flees from her own country after a tragic incident. Hiding from everyone and everything, she remains alone, torn between the love for a dead man, the torment of living without part of her memory and the fear of moving on.Ěý

Ethan is one of the most important tycoons in the steel industry. As the memory of an awful evening in his adolescence haunts him night and day, he keeps looking for an elusive woman whom he could love - and who would love him - as he never has in all his 35 years... Until he finds Sophia.Ěý

Alistair is a 34 year old powerful banker, searching for one–night stands with women who will warm his bed. And that he can punish physically to abate his anger for his late wife's black deeds and his own guilt for being such a debauched man for so many years. Any woman will do, and he has many to choose from, as they all fall instantly for his manly, devilish charming ways.

In Europe, in the months after October 2009, their paths will cross and clash. Who will win the prize of love?



This book is the first installment of a trilogy.
It is intended for 18 and up.]]> 464 Cristiane Serruya 1480236292 Pok 5 3.50 2012
author: Cristiane Serruya
name: Pok
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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date added: 2021/02/08
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]]>