en-US Wed, 01 Jan 2025 23:22:01 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 202907408 A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom

When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world with no place for the undocumented. Her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school鈥檚 elite subcultures鈥攊nternships and literary journals, posh parties, and secret societies鈥攚hich she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper鈥檚 skepticism: She is both fascinated and repulsed.

Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?]]> 224 Karla Cornejo Villavicencio 0593449096 erin 0 3.57 2024
author: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
name: erin
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-be-released, fiction, currently-reading
review:

]]> 195703882 Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister, the Serial Killer in this feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.

Ji-won鈥檚 life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her appa鈥檚 extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying鈥� yet enticing.

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George鈥檚, who is Umma鈥檚 obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family鈥檚 claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma鈥檚 fawning adoration. No, George doesn鈥檛 deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.

For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won鈥檚 hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.

A brilliantly inventive, subversive novel about a young woman unraveling, Monika Kim鈥檚 The Eyes Are the Best Part is a story of a family falling apart and trying to find their way back to each other, marking a bold new voice in horror that will leave readers mesmerized and craving more.]]> 278 Monika Kim 1645661237 erin 5 3.82 2024
author: Monika Kim
name: erin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves:
review:
i love when men get what they deserve 鈾�
]]> 33623253 To co utraci艂y艣my w ogniu nie oszcz臋dzaj膮 czytelnika 鈥� kobiety, kt贸re w prote艣cie przeciwko przemocy domowej dobrowolnie wst臋puj膮 na stosy; uczennica wyrywaj膮ca sobie rz臋sy i paznokcie; s艂ynny argenty艅ski seryjny morderca z pocz膮tk贸w XX wieku, objawiaj膮cy si臋 po blisko stu latach przewodnikowi turystycznemu; 偶yj膮cy w internetowym 艣wiecie hikikomori, kt贸rzy trac膮 poczucie rzeczywisto艣ci; tr贸jka dzieci odwiedzaj膮ca opuszczony dom; prokurator pr贸buj膮ca rozwik艂a膰 spraw臋 艣mierci dw贸ch nastolatk贸w, kt贸rzy uton臋li w zatrutych wodach rzeki Riachuelo. A to tylko fragment bogatej rzeczywisto艣ci zarysowanej przez Marian臋 Enr铆quez z perspektywy ch艂odnego obserwatora.

Budz膮ce dreszcze grozy opowie艣ci to tylko jedno oblicze skondensowanej prozy Argentynki. Strach to zaledwie pretekst do zbadania innych kwestii, takich jak poczucie winy, patriarchat czy historia. Horror jest tu pr贸b膮 opisu codziennej obco艣ci i odchyle艅 od normy.

Piorunuj膮ca mieszanka kobiecego punktu widzenia, po艂udniowoameryka艅skiego folkloru i naturalistycznych opis贸w to idealna propozycja zar贸wno dla mi艂o艣nik贸w niepokoj膮cych tajemnic, jak i niez艂omnych tropicieli problem贸w spo艂ecznych.]]> 232 Mariana Enr铆quez 8380153324 erin 4 3.78 2016
author: Mariana Enr铆quez
name: erin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
review:
猸� paj臋cza sie膰, pod czarn膮 wod膮, to co utraci艂y艣my w ogniu
]]> 214268996 From New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies comes a new southern gothic supernatural thriller about a teen girl in a small Ozark town who can hear the bones of the dead.

The past three years have been tough for Lucifer鈥檚 Creek, Arkansas, a small town quietly tucked away in the Ozark mountains. More than two dozen people have disappeared on the local hiking trails; there one moment, gone the next, not a trace left behind, until their buried bodies are discovered.

17-year-old Dovie doesn鈥檛 believe in magic even though she comes from a long line of women who can hear the bones of the dead sing, and for the past few years the bones have been crooning nonstop, calling out to Dovie to dig them up.

Some of the old-timers believe that it鈥檚 the monstrous Ozarks howler snatching people off the Aux Arc Trail. Well Dovie doesn鈥檛 believe in the howler, and she doesn鈥檛 believe her best friend Lo when he tells her he is being haunted by dark shadows. All she believes in is her talent that guides the local sheriff to the bones when they begin their song, then reuniting the dead with their families to give them some peace.

Lo doesn鈥檛 know peace, though. The shadows follow him everywhere. He soon learns they鈥檙e the murdered hikers and they want answers. But the truth of their deaths isn鈥檛 buried with their bones; it鈥檚 hidden somewhere deep in the hills. And Lo and Dovie must unearth it before anyone else is killed.]]> 342 Ginny Myers Sain 059362548X erin 0 to-read 4.08 2025
author: Ginny Myers Sain
name: erin
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203578770 Author of sales sensation If We Were Villains returns with a story about a ragtag group of night shift workers who meet in the local cemetery to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave.

Every night, in the college鈥檚 ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.

One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn鈥檛 there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?

Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks鈥攁nd that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.

Atmospheric and eerie, with the ensemble cast her fans love and a delightfully familiar academic backdrop, Graveyard Shift is a modern Gothic tale in If We Were Villains author M. L. Rio鈥檚 inimitable style.]]> 144 M.L. Rio 1250356792 erin 3 3.19 2024
author: M.L. Rio
name: erin
average rating: 3.19
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: horror, to-be-released, mystery
review:
it's on me for getting too hyped-up
]]> 58800402
Noem铆 is also an unlikely rescuer: She鈥檚 a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she鈥檚 also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin鈥檚 new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noem铆; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi鈥檚 dreams with visions of blood and doom.

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

And Noem铆, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 376 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 8367014243 erin 5 horror, mystery, owned 3.46 2020
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: erin
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/26
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: horror, mystery, owned
review:
it went into a completely different direction than i expected, and it was incredible. super moody and atmospheric and also very disturbing. i read it mostly at night so it gave me the creeps lmaodjdbj
]]> 207200706 Featuring beautiful ruby sprayed edges!

Red, White & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas in a sexy, quirky rom-com where the golden-hearted Prince of Christmas falls for the totally off-limits Prince of Halloween.

Nicholas 鈥淐oal鈥� Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR fa莽ade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make-out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother鈥檚 not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.

Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess鈥檚 hand鈥nd Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar Hex, the Prince of Halloween.

It鈥檚 a fake competition between two holiday princes who can鈥檛 keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 304 Sara Raasch 1250333202 erin 1 mm-romance
also. "wear nothing so I really can put Coal in Your Stocking." brother in christ.

]]> 3.96 2024
author: Sara Raasch
name: erin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: mm-romance
review:
i tried to give romance books another chance in the name of christmas forgiving etc etc but oh my god i wish i didn't waste my time. this read like the worst kind of fanfiction, with a flowery language and a relationship that we're supposed to root for and love even though they have no development or chemistry and characters who we're supposed to already know. and then i saw that it's marketed as a rwrb-like book, and i was like. wow. alright. this makes sense. because this literally reads like a rwrb fanfiction. though, no offense to fanfic writers. i'm sure i could easily find one that would be written better than this book. because, god. some of the sentences genuinely just didn't make sense? they were so long that it feels like the author got lost in their head and then left us without any points made.

also. "wear nothing so I really can put Coal in Your Stocking." brother in christ.


]]> 203993169 Szczerze m贸wi膮c, nie bardzo maj膮 wyj艣cie. B贸g nie stanie po ich stronie. On jest przecie偶 m臋偶czyzn膮, a cho膰 bohaterki 鈥濿艣ciek艂ych suk鈥� kochaj膮 swoich ojc贸w, braci i wybrank贸w, to m臋偶czyzna jest dla nich zwykle wrogiem. Kim艣, kto powo艂uj膮c si臋 na odwieczne prawo, ro艣ci sobie pretensj臋 do kobiecego cia艂a i 偶ycia.
Ale de la Cerda nie gra na jednej nucie. Jej tarantinowskie z ducha opowiadania pulsuj膮 偶yw膮 mow膮 i skrz膮 si臋 od pomys艂贸w. W trzynastu monologach bohaterek gorzkiej prawdzie o biedzie i przemocy towarzysz膮 groteska i czarny humor; mn贸stwo tu odniesie艅 do kina i muzyki pop, lokalnych zwyczaj贸w, legend i kultury narco.
Brawurowy debiut m艂odej meksyka艅skiej pisarki i aktywistki.]]> 184 Dahlia de la Cerda 8396811393 erin 5 3.99 2019
author: Dahlia de la Cerda
name: erin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves:
review:
鈥渕茅xico es un monstruo enorme que devora a las mujeres. m茅xico es un desierto hecho de polvo de huesos. m茅xico es un cementerio de cruces rosas. m茅xico es un pa铆s que odia a las mujeres.鈥�
]]> 211003894
Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their dead family has reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.

When Mercy鈥檚 predatory leader demands Noon and her mom capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it鈥檚 time to answer the monster itching at her skin.]]> 272 Trang Thanh Tran 1547611111 erin 0 to-read 3.64 2025
author: Trang Thanh Tran
name: erin
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 51475366 Electrifying and provocative, visceral and profound, a powerful literary debut novel about a young woman whose compulsion to eat earth gives her visions of murdered and missing people鈥攁n imaginative synthesis of mystery and magical realism that explores the dark tragedies of ordinary lives.

Set in an unnamed slum in contemporary Argentina, Earth-eater is the story of a young woman who finds herself drawn to eating the earth鈥攁 compulsion that gives her visions of broken and lost lives. With her first taste of dirt, she learns the horrifying truth of her mother鈥檚 death. Disturbed by what she witnesses, the woman keeps her visions to herself. But when Earth-eater begins an unlikely relationship with a withdrawn police officer, word of her ability begins to spread, and soon desperate members of her community beg for her help, anxious to uncover the truth about their own loved ones.

Surreal and haunting, spare yet complex, Earth-eater is a dark, emotionally resonant tale told from a feminist perspective that brilliantly explores the stories of those left behind鈥攖he women enduring the pain of uncertainty, whose lives have been shaped by violence and loss.]]> 224 Dolores Reyes 0062987739 erin 4 3.53 2019
author: Dolores Reyes
name: erin
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves:
review:
i loved it but it still left me with a hunger for more
]]> 203578775 Eliza Moss's intoxicating debut novel is a dark, intense, and compelling account of what happens when a young woman falls in love with the wrong kind of man.

Enola is approaching 30 and everything feels like a lot. The boxes aren鈥檛 ticked and she feels adrift in a way she thought she would have beaten by now. She wants to be a writer but can't finish a first draft; she romanticizes her childhood but won鈥檛 speak to her mother; she has never been in a serious relationship but yearns to be one half of a couple that DIYs together at the weekends.

Enter: enigmatic writer. Enola falls in love and starts to dream about their perfect future: the wedding, the publishing deals, the house in Stoke Newington. But the reality is far from perfect. He鈥檚 distant. But she鈥檚 a Cool Girl, she doesn鈥檛 need to hear from him every day. He hangs out with his ex. But she's a Cool Girl, she鈥檚 not insecure. Is she? He has dark moods. But he鈥檚 a creative, that鈥檚 part of his 鈥榩rocess鈥�. Her best friend begs her to end it, but Enola can鈥檛. She's a Cool Girl.

She might feel like she鈥檚 going crazy at times, but she wants him. She needs him. She would die without him...That's what love is, isn鈥檛 it? Over the next twenty-four hours (and two years), everything that Enola thinks she knows is about to unravel, and she has to think again about how she sees love, family, and friendship and鈥攎ost importantly鈥攈erself.

With notes of Fleabag & I May Destroy You but with the sparseness and emotional accuracy of writers like Ali Smith and Lily King, What It's Like In Words is a close examination of what it means to experience the intense emotional uncertainty of first love.]]> 320 Eliza Moss 1250355052 erin 0 to-read 3.65 2024
author: Eliza Moss
name: erin
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58379858
艢ledztwo ods艂ania mroczny 艣wiat, w kt贸rym dominuj膮 bieda, przemoc, mizoginia i najmroczniejszy erotyzm. Gdzie uprzedzenia i wykluczenie spo艂eczne wyznaczaj膮 los i umacniaj膮 piekielny kr膮g. Gdzie beznadziejno艣膰 osi膮ga punkt kulminacyjny i doprowadza do zab贸jstwa wied藕my, kt贸rej zw艂oki s膮 jak oko huraganu, przekraczaj膮ce czas i przestrze艅, obserwuj膮ce wirowanie opowie艣ci utkanych w przesz艂o艣ci i przenikaj膮cych tera藕niejszo艣膰.
Historia przedstawiona przez Fernand臋 Melchor, rozgrywaj膮ca si臋 w wyimaginowanym miasteczku La Matosa, pozornie przypominaj膮cym meksyka艅ski stan Veracruz, szybko przekracza ograniczenia zwi膮zane z histori膮 kryminaln膮. Winowajcy s膮 wymieniani na pocz膮tku narracji, wobec czego najwa偶niejsze staje si臋 pytanie o to, dlaczego. Napisana z brutalnym liryzmem nakre艣la okrutny, a zarazem fascynuj膮cy portret Meksyku. Stawia tak偶e odwieczne pytania o natur臋 z艂a.
Tajemnica morderstwa, dla kt贸rej t艂em jest groza i brud 鈥� ksi膮偶ka Melchor wskazuje na narodziny meksyka艅skiej gwiazdy. (鈥�) Nie jest to wyb贸r do klubu ksi膮偶ki Oprah, tego mo偶na si臋 spodziewa膰, ale nie mo偶esz przeoczy膰 tej powie艣ci. O ile jeste艣 na ni膮 przygotowany. 鈥� 鈥濼he Guardian鈥�
W swojej imponuj膮cej nowej powie艣ci Fernanda Melchor zg艂臋bia powi膮zania mi臋dzy bajk膮 a kobietob贸jstwem (femicide) 鈥� okre艣leniem, kt贸rego meksyka艅skie feministki u偶ywaj膮 do rozliczenia si臋 z narastaj膮cymi, coraz bardziej sadystycznymi morderstwami kobiet i dziewcz膮t w ich kraju. (鈥�) Melchor tworzy opowie艣膰 nie tylko pot臋piaj膮c膮 potworno艣膰, ale tak偶e uosabiaj膮c膮 pi臋kno i 偶ywotno艣膰, kt贸re ta potworno艣膰 wypacza. 鈥� 鈥濼he New York Times鈥漖]> 256 Fernanda Melchor 8366967247 erin 0 3.50 2017
author: Fernanda Melchor
name: erin
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
this book got progressively weirder, more shocking, and disgusting with every next chapter. it was definitely not what i expected and i don't think i would've picked it up if not for one of my classes. but at the same time, the writing style gets you hooked ans makes you want to keep reading because it flows in a way that feels almost hard to get back into when you take a break, especially with the difficult topics involved. i don't know how to rate this tbh
]]> 43369533 108 Juan Rulfo erin 0 4.00 1955
author: Juan Rulfo
name: erin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1955
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves:
review:
do not ask me what happened in this book
]]> 59763168
Adam Aleksandrowicz, detektyw wroc艂awskiej policji, walczy ze swoimi demonami od lat. Teraz uda艂o im si臋 przedrze膰 do realnego 艣wiata, a kolejne osoby gin膮 mordowane wed艂ug tego samego bestialskiego schematu.

Czy duet Aleksandrowicz-Soyta rozwi膮偶e kolejn膮 zagadk臋? Czy zd膮偶膮 namierzy膰 psychopat臋, zanim zaatakuje ponownie? Jak膮 rol臋 w tej uk艂adance pe艂ni Konrad, w艂a艣ciciel nocnych klub贸w dla gej贸w?

Niejednoznaczne postaci, zag臋szczaj膮ca si臋 fabu艂a i tajemnica, kt贸rej poznanie mo偶e kosztowa膰 偶ycie. Witajcie w 艣wiecie, gdzie dobro i z艂o nieustannie si臋 przeplataj膮, a echa przesz艂o艣ci zag艂uszaj膮 tera藕niejszo艣膰.]]> 490 Aleksandra 艢widerska 8382196012 erin 0 3.97 2021
author: Aleksandra 艢widerska
name: erin
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves:
review:
te krindzowe teksty bohaterow do siebie ktore mialy byc hot albo chociaz smieszne... DBJBDFBGGJG moze dla kogos kto nie ma za soba ery wattpada i ao3
]]> 30763882
A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural hospital clinic. A boy named David sits beside her. She鈥檚 not his mother. He's not her child. Together, they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins, and the power and desperation of family.

Fever Dream is a nightmare come to life, a ghost story for the real world, a love story and a cautionary tale. One of the freshest new voices to come out of the Spanish language and translated into English for the first time, Samanta Schweblin creates an aura of strange psychological menace and otherworldly reality in this absorbing, unsettling, taut novel.]]> 183 Samanta Schweblin 0399184597 erin 0 to-read 3.62 2014
author: Samanta Schweblin
name: erin
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56224079
Mo偶emy smakowa膰 wyrafinowany styl Carpentiera i bogactwo jego 艣wiata za spraw膮 艣wietnych przek艂ad贸w Kaliny Wojciechowskiej.]]> 170 Alejo Carpentier 8306033892 erin 0 4.00 1949
author: Alejo Carpentier
name: erin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1949
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/14
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves:
review:
i was lost half of the time but it was a quick read and very immersive and descriptive, too
]]> 208318452 Najbardziej znana na 艣wiecie meksyka艅ska powie艣膰.

T艂umaczona na trzydzie艣ci j臋zyk贸w, sprzedana w ponad trzech milionach egzemplarzy.



W sercu meksyka艅skiej tradycji, w czasach rewolucji z pocz膮tku XX wieku, zrodzi艂a si臋 opowie艣膰 o mi艂o艣ci 鈥� tak intensywna jak smaki, kt贸re j膮 przenikaj膮.



Tita, najm艂odsza c贸rka, pozbawiona mo偶liwo艣ci 艣lubu z ukochanym Pedrem z powodu surowej rodzinnej tradycji, tylko w kuchni znajduje przestrze艅 do wyra偶ania swoich uczu膰. Przygotowuj膮c potrawy tak pe艂ne emocji, 偶e potrafi膮 zmieni膰 bieg wydarze艅, przekazuje mi艂o艣膰 w najczystszej formie.

Ta powie艣膰 to pochwa艂a kulinarnego artyzmu, w kt贸rym ka偶dy sk艂adnik, ka偶dy przepis kryje w sobie g艂臋bokie uczucie. Laura Esquivel, mieszaj膮c elementy realistyczne z odrobin膮 magii i fantastyki, kreuje 艣wiat, gdzie jedzenie staje si臋 metafor膮 nami臋tno艣ci, a przygotowywanie posi艂k贸w 鈥� aktem mi艂o艣ci. Opowiada te偶 histori臋 o sile tradycji, rodzinnych wi臋zach i poszukiwaniu w艂asnej drogi do szcz臋艣cia, nawet je艣li oznacza to 艂amanie zasad.]]> 272 Laura Esquivel 8383600208 erin 4 3.60 1989
author: Laura Esquivel
name: erin
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/13
date added: 2024/11/13
shelves:
review:
hm it was obvious that was going to be the ending but it's still disappointing that after tita calls pedro egoistic and cruel, she still ends up marrying him. like, that man is a piece of shit and a predator (like quite literally all men in this book)
]]> 62226126
An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.

As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.

With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?]]> 421 Richard Osman 0241512441 erin 4 mystery-crime, mystery 4.44 2023
author: Richard Osman
name: erin
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/07
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves: mystery-crime, mystery
review:
the way my [spoilers removed] is alive and well LMFAO this one was kinda sad but i loved it all the same and i can't believe i have to wait for the next part [skeleton-falling-over.gif]
]]> 58957615
Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot.

While Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim chase down the clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?

From an upmarket spa to a prison cell complete with espresso machine to a luxury penthouse high in the sky, this third adventure of the Thursday Murder Club is full of the cleverness, intrigue, and irresistible charm that readers have come to expect from Richard Osman's bestselling series.]]> 413 Richard Osman 0241512425 erin 4 mystery, mystery-crime, owned 4.32 2022
author: Richard Osman
name: erin
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves: mystery, mystery-crime, owned
review:

]]> 57500970
Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.

As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?

But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?

May have book cover with ISBN: 9780593490549, which differs from book fly sheet.]]> 368 Richard Osman erin 4 4.36 2021
author: Richard Osman
name: erin
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves:
review:
the definition of found family
]]> 52843028
A refugee of the Great War, Poirot has settled in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactor, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work. Suspects are plentiful, including the victim鈥檚 much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be visiting the nearby village.

All of them have secrets they are desperate to keep, but none can outwit Poirot as he navigates the ingenious red herrings and plot twists that contribute to Agatha Christie's well-deserved reputation as the queen of mystery.]]> 174 Agatha Christie 1734452595 erin 3 mystery-crime 4.06 1920
author: Agatha Christie
name: erin
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1920
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/15
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: mystery-crime
review:

]]> 199927990 A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine 鈥� but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the author of Mexican Gothic.

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

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

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

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

Before the curtain comes down, there will be tears and tragedy aplenty in this sexy Technicolor saga.]]> 336 Silvia Moreno-Garcia erin 5 3.76 2024
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: erin
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: historical-fiction, owned, mystery
review:
gorgeous beautiful interesting. i especially loved the salome parts and would gladly read a book with just her pov but this was just sooo scrumptious
]]> 200100950

When Stephanie Kiser moves to New York City after college to pursue a career in writing, she quickly learns that her entry-level salary won't cover the high cost of living鈥昻ever mind her crushing student loan debt. But there is one in-demand job that pays more than enough to allow Stephanie to stay in the city: nannying for the 1%. Desperate to escape the poverty of her own childhood, Stephanie falls into a job that hijacks her life for the next seven years: a glorified personal assistant to toddlers on Manhattan's Upper East Side.


At first, nannying seems like the perfect solution鈥晅he high pay covers Stephanie's bills, and she's surprised by how attached she becomes to the kids she cares for, even as she gasps over Prada baby onesies and preschools that cost more than her college tuition. But the grueling twelve-hour days leave her little time to see her friends, date, or pursue any creative projects that might lead to a more prestigious career. The allure of the seemingly-glamorous job begins to dull as Stephanie comes to understand more about what really happens behind the closed doors of million-dollar Park Avenue apartments鈥昦nd that money doesn't guarantee happiness. Soon she will have to decide whether to stay with the children she's grown to love, or if there's something better out there just beyond her reach.


Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant is alternately poignant and funny, a portrait of a generation of Americans struggling to find work they love balanced against the headwinds of global uncertainty and an economy stacked against anyone trying to work their way up from the bottom. It's a provocative story of class, caregiving, friendship, and family鈥昦nd a juicy, voyeuristic peek behind the curtain of obscene wealth and the privilege and opportunity that comes with it. In this unputdownable memoir, Stephanie chronicles her journey from newbie nanny to beloved caregiver鈥攁nd the painful decision to eventually say goodbye to the children she has grown to love.]]> 336 Stephanie Kiser 1728298164 erin 2 owned, nonfiction 3.62 2024
author: Stephanie Kiser
name: erin
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: owned, nonfiction
review:
i don't know how i feel about this book other than disappointed
]]> 123177105 Reina Roja Juana G贸meza-Jurada to pierwszy tom bestsellerowej serii thriller贸w, kt贸ra sprzeda艂a si臋 w samej Hiszpanii w ponad dw贸ch milionach egzemplarzy.

W Madrycie pope艂niono morderstwo niemo偶liwe. Zgin膮艂 syn prezeski jednego z najwi臋kszych bank贸w w Hiszpanii. Zab贸jca w niewyja艣niony spos贸b obszed艂 wszystkie 艣rodki bezpiecze艅stwa w ekskluzywnej willi i nie zostawi艂 przy tym 偶adnego 艣ladu.

Inspektor Jon Guti茅rrez nie ma nic do stracenia. Godzi si臋 na propozycj臋 wsp贸艂pracy z enigmatyczn膮 Antoni膮 Scott. Nie jest policjantk膮. Nie u偶ywa broni i nie pos艂uguje si臋 odznak膮, ale mimo to rozwi膮za艂a ju偶 kilka zawi艂ych spraw kryminalnych. Jest te偶 uwa偶ana za najinteligentniejsz膮 osob臋 na 艣wiecie.

Razem nie spoczn膮, dop贸ki nie z艂api膮 sprawcy. S膮 gotowi zrobi膰 wszystko.]]> 544 Juan G贸mez-Jurado 8382107052 erin 0 3.81 2018
author: Juan G贸mez-Jurado
name: erin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/14
shelves: currently-reading, mystery-thriller, mystery-crime
review:

]]> 213120658 Stare zbrodnie maj膮 d艂ugie cienie.

Kiedy Paulina Marzec, dziennikarka popularnego portalu informacyjnego, dostaje do napisania artyku艂 o sensacyjnym odkryciu archeologicznym, nie przypuszcza nawet, 偶e b臋dzie to dla niej pocz膮tek r贸wnie ekscytuj膮cej, co 艣miertelnie niebezpiecznej przygody. 艢ledzona przez tajne s艂u偶by pa艅stwowe i 艣cigana przez gangster贸w, Paulina mo偶e liczy膰 na pomoc tylko jednej osoby 鈥� m艂odego kustosza jednego z mazowieckich muze贸w. Czy oboje zdo艂aj膮 wydosta膰 si臋 z tarapat贸w i ujawni膰 prawd臋, kt贸ra mo偶e wstrz膮sn膮膰 ca艂膮 Polsk膮 i zmieni膰 bieg historii?]]> 320 Alek Rogozi艅ski 8383574215 erin 2 mystery 3.70 2024
author: Alek Rogozi艅ski
name: erin
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/09
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: mystery
review:
czasami bywa艂o 艣miesznie i nawet na pocz膮tku by艂o ciekawie, ale punktu kulminacyjnego nie by艂o, a autor nie wie chyba, czym jest showing and not telling lol plus to, 偶e napa艣膰 seksualn膮 (non-con poca艂unek) traktowano jako co艣 艣miesznego sprawi艂, 偶e w og贸le ju偶 mi si臋 odechcia艂o ko艅czy膰 czyta膰
]]> 52186666 From the acclaimed and award-winning author of The Hunger comes an eerie, psychological twist on one of the world's most renowned tragedies, the sinking of the Titanic and the ill-fated sail of its sister ship, the Britannic.

Someone, or something, is haunting the ship. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the Titanic from the moment they set sail. The Titanic's passengers expected to enjoy an experience befitting the much-heralded ship's maiden voyage, but instead, amid mysterious disappearances and sudden deaths, find themselves in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone. While some of the guests and crew shrug off strange occurrences, several--including maid Annie Hebbley, guest Mark Fletcher, and millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim--are convinced there's something more sinister going on. And then disaster strikes.

Years later, Annie, having survived that fateful night, has attempted to put her life back together by going to work as a nurse on the sixth sailing of the Britannic, newly refitted as a hospital ship to support British forces fighting World War I. When she happens across an unconscious Mark, now a soldier, she is at first thrilled and relieved to learn that he too survived the tragic night four years earlier. But soon his presence awakens deep-buried feelings and secrets, forcing her to reckon with the demons of her past--as they both discover that the terror may not yet be over.

Featuring an ensemble cast of characters and effortlessly combining the supernatural with the height of historical disaster, The Deep is an exploration of love and destiny, desire and innocence, and, above all, a quest to understand how our choices can lead us inexorably toward our doom.]]> 420 Alma Katsu 0525537902 erin 1
my favorite quote: "Perhaps she was not pregnant with a girl after all, she thought, but a boy. The rush of desire she sometimes felt these past few months was positively masculine." 鈾]> 3.34 2020
author: Alma Katsu
name: erin
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves: historical-fiction, horror, mystery, owned
review:
this is not a horror story, but a telenovela, and a boring one at that. anniebear, kill yourself.

my favorite quote: "Perhaps she was not pregnant with a girl after all, she thought, but a boy. The rush of desire she sometimes felt these past few months was positively masculine." 鈾�
]]> 51138403
Oficjalnie policjantka. Trudny charakter, ale 艣wietne statystyki rozwi膮zanych spraw. Nieoficjalnie 鈥� wied藕ma, kt贸ra dzieli sw贸j czas mi臋dzy toru艅ski komisariat a Thorn 鈥� alternatywne miasto, gdzie mieszkaj膮 magiczni. Do perfekcji opanowa艂a utrzymywanie tych 艣wiat贸w w r贸wnowadze i kompletnej izolacji. Do czasu.

W Thornie gin膮 istoty nadprzyrodzone i to Dora ma znale藕膰 sprawc臋. W Toruniu dyskretne korzystanie z magii w trakcie 艣ledztwa odbija jej si臋 solidn膮 czkawk膮. Na szcz臋艣cie nie jest z tym wszystkim sama 鈥� wspiera j膮 Miron, wnuk Lucyfera.

Akcja, emocje i humor 鈥� jedyna i niepowtarzalna wied藕ma Dora Wilk powraca w nowym wydaniu i lepszej formie ni偶 kiedykolwiek. Jedna z najpopularniejszych serii urban fantasy w 艣wie偶ej ods艂onie.]]> 455 Aneta Jadowska 8381297117 erin 1 fantasy 3.55 2012
author: Aneta Jadowska
name: erin
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2012
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/08/13
shelves: fantasy
review:
pocz膮tek zapowiada艂 si臋 dobrze, dora wilk wydawa艂a si臋 by膰 girlbossem (a potem okaza艂a si臋 by膰 tylko mary sue, i to nie nawet daj膮c膮 si臋 polubi膰). liczy艂am, 偶e na g艂贸wnym planie znajd膮 si臋 obydwa 艣ledztwa, i to ze 艣wiata ludzkiego, i z magicznego, ale by艂o kompletnie inaczej, bo ca艂a uwaga zosta艂a skupiona na przekomarzaj膮cych si臋 bohaterach, kt贸rzy s膮 w sobie od op贸r zakochani (najwyra藕niej, ja tam tylko czuj臋 偶enad臋, jak o nich pomy艣l臋) a do tego doskakuje trzecia osoba, nagle i niespodziewanie i bezsensownie, i robi si臋 z tego jeszcze bardziej 偶enuj膮ca kombinacja, maj膮ca chyba na celu pokazanie tylko tego, jak bardzo po偶膮dana i niesamowita i cudowna jest g艂贸wna bohaterka, kt贸r膮 wszyscy鈥攊 to absolutnie wszyscy, nawet archanio艂 gabriel i cholerny lucyfer鈥攌ochaj膮. (autork臋 chyba ponios艂y w艂asne fantazje.) kryminalny w膮tek robi艂 tylko za t艂o ich relacji i zosta艂 rozwi膮zany dos艂ownie na dw贸ch stronach, a build-up by艂 zwyczajnie s艂aby; zero napi臋cia, faktycznego zmierzenia si臋 z przest臋pstwem, dla kt贸rego osobi艣cie si臋 tutaj znalaz艂am. pomys艂 na alternatywny 艣wiat i systemy razem z w膮tkiem kryminalnym by艂 naprawd臋 zach臋caj膮cy, a jednak po od艂o偶eniu ksi膮偶ki jestem zwyczajnie zawiedziona. nie si臋gn臋 po reszt臋 serii.
]]> 37004370
When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards. As fear and loss close in around them, they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.

A surreal, provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, The Memory Police is a stunning new work from one of the most exciting contemporary authors writing in any language.]]> 274 Y艒ko Ogawa 1101870605 erin 1 science-fiction, fiction 3.72 1994
author: Y艒ko Ogawa
name: erin
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1994
rating: 1
read at: 2024/08/02
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: science-fiction, fiction
review:
the only reason why i finished this is because i had to take a four hours-long train to eras tour
]]> 209419483
All they heard was her scream.

Quill has lived on the Red Pine reservation in Minnesota her whole life. She knows what happens to people who look like her. Just a girl when Jimmy Sky jumped off the railway bridge and she ran for help, Quill realizes now that she hasn鈥檛 ever stopped running. As she trains for the Boston Marathon early one morning out in the woods, she hears a scream. When she investigates, she finds tire tracks and a lone, beaded earring.

Things are different now for Quill than when she was a lonely girl. Her friends Punk and Gaylyn are two women who don鈥檛 know what it means to quit; she has her loving husband, Crow, and two beautiful children who challenge her to be better every day. So when she realizes another woman has been stolen, she is determined to do something鈥攁nd her first stop is the group of men working the pipeline construction just north of their homes.

As Quill closes in on the truth behind the missing woman in the woods, someone else disappears. In her quest to find justice for the women of the reservation, she is confronted with the hard truths of their home and the people who purport to serve them. When will she stop losing neighbors, friends, family? As Quill puts herself, her family, and everything she鈥檚 built on the line to make a difference, the novel asks searing questions about bystander culture, the reverberations of even one act of crime, and the long-lasting trauma of being invisible.]]> 336 Marcie R. Rendon 0593974875 erin 0 to-read 3.85 2024
author: Marcie R. Rendon
name: erin
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58659343
Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.

Our Wives Under The Sea is the debut novel from Julia Armfield, the critically acclaimed author of Salt Slow. It鈥檚 a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep deep sea.]]> 240 Julia Armfield 152901722X erin 2 horror 3.75 2022
author: Julia Armfield
name: erin
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/06/27
date added: 2024/06/27
shelves: horror
review:
this unfortunately did not make me feel much. there was also the fact that at one point i was just thinking that the story would take a different turn (my notes said, "[spoilers removed]") so i was surprised to know that it actually didn't turn anywhere and all we got was some mumbo-jumbo here and there
]]> 61065982
But she soon discovers that being known as a "self-made" widow has some surprising perks. No one messes with her, no one threatens her, and no one tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It's even been good for her business; no one wants to risk getting on her bad side by not buying her jewelry.

Freedom must look good on Geeta, because other women in the village have started asking for her help to get rid of their own no-good husbands...but not all of them are asking nicely.

Now that Geeta's fearsome reputation has become a double-edged sword, she must decide how far to go to protect it, along with the life she's built. Because even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry.]]> 342 Parini Shroff 059349895X erin 5 mystery-crime
[spoilers removed]

[spoilers removed]

Geeta did not react. She decided.]]> 3.90 2023
author: Parini Shroff
name: erin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/18
date added: 2024/06/18
shelves: mystery-crime
review:
one of my favorites this year!! darkly funny, chilling, and sad.

[spoilers removed]

[spoilers removed]

Geeta did not react. She decided.
]]> 51591602
The summer is winding down in San Diego. Veronica is bored, caustically charismatic, and uninspired in her photography. Nico is insatiable, subversive, and obsessed with chaotic performance art. They鈥檙e artists first, best friends second. But that was before Mick. Delicate, lonely, magnetic the perfect subject, and Veronica鈥檚 dream girl. The days are long and hot鈥昮ull of adventure鈥昦nd soon they are falling in love. Falling so hard, they never imagine what comes next. One fire. Two murders. Three drowning bodies. One suspect . . . one stalker. This is a summer they won鈥檛 survive.

Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray , this sexy psychological thriller explores the intersections of love, art, danger, and power.

Christy Ottaviano Books]]> 336 Wendy Heard 125024675X erin 1 3.63 2021
author: Wendy Heard
name: erin
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2024/06/05
date added: 2024/06/05
shelves: ff-romance, mystery-thriller, owned
review:
this doesn't even deserve two pity stars
]]> 17346273 The House of Ulloa fully deserves to be recognised as one of the great novels of the age.

The House of Ulloa follows pure and pious Father Juli谩n Alvarez, who is sent to a remote country estate to put the affairs of the marquis, an irresponsible libertine, in order. When he discovers moral decadence, cruelty and corruption at his new home, Juli谩n's well-meaning but ineffectual attempts to prevent the fall of the House of Ulloa end in tragedy. Combining gothic elements with humour and social satire, The House of Ulloa is the finest achievement of Emilia Pardo Baz谩n, a prolific writer, feminist, traveller and intellectual, and one of the most dynamic figures of her time.]]> 288 Emilia Pardo Baz谩n 0141392959 erin 3 3.51 1886
author: Emilia Pardo Baz谩n
name: erin
average rating: 3.51
book published: 1886
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/04
date added: 2024/06/04
shelves: school-readings, owned, historical-fiction
review:
the beginning was slow, but once we got to the marriage part, the real insanity began omggg it was actually really fun
]]> 60827741
芦Un libro luminoso. Enhebra una b煤squeda preciosa para narrar de forma 煤nica y diferente todo aquello que nos atraviesa y nos duele禄. Mar铆a S谩nchez

Mientras su madre muere de c谩ncer en una ciudad del norte, la narradora hace el amor con una mujer en un hotel de Barcelona. Tiene un vuelo para visitar a su madre la ma帽ana siguiente, pero ya llegar谩 tarde. Poco despu茅s, su amante desaparece de forma brusca y definitiva. Cuando su pareja vuelve de Londres para instalarse con ella en un peque帽o apartamento junto al mar, esta intenta ser la calma que sostenga la angustia de un cuerpo que llora a una madre y anhela a una amante.

芦Amar es amar siempre despu茅s de mi madre. No puedo hablar con mam谩, tampoco con Ella. Mi vida se ha suspendido con la interrupci贸n de esas dos conversaciones禄. La autora retoma ese di谩logo en este libro para indagar en las aristas del abandono y el anhelo y tratar de entender a una madre que marc贸 la vida y las maneras de su hija con su arrolladora forma de amar.

El debut narrativo de la premiada poeta Sara Torres conjuga lirismo y honestidad para navegar el duelo, el amor y el deseo, su b煤squeda y su p茅rdida. El resultado de la traves铆a es un mapa de las grietas que nos hacen humanos; una invitaci贸n a acariciar sin miedo los surcos que nos conforman.]]> 224 Sara Torres 8417910964 erin 0 to-read, ff-romance, fiction 3.95 2022
author: Sara Torres
name: erin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: to-read, ff-romance, fiction
review:

]]> 20690885
The tale of a high-spirited, ambitious young woman or man breaking free from stifling provincial constraints to pursue a life of independence is a staple of the novel. In 'Tristana' the great Spanish novelist Benito P茅rez Gald贸s disconcertingly reverses the formula.

His beautiful and brilliant and very winning heroine breaks free from a perverse and imprisoning relationship to a womanizing older man, supposed by all to be her father. But after a terrible stroke of misfortune, she retreats鈥攅ither out of timidity or, perhaps, simply because confinement has its own seductive power.

'Tristana', here in an exceptionally fine and fluent new English rendering by Margaret Jull Costa, is an unequaled exploration of the tragedy of human desire.]]> 169 Benito P茅rez Gald贸s 1590177657 erin 4 classics, school-readings
"libertad, tiene raz贸n la se帽orita, libertad, aunque esta palabra no suena bien en boca de mujeres."

"el d铆a en que te descubr铆 fue el 煤ltimo de un largo destierro."

"what crime have i committed? loving you? is that a crime?"]]> 3.68 1892
author: Benito P茅rez Gald贸s
name: erin
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1892
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/25
date added: 2024/05/25
shelves: classics, school-readings
review:
why am i kinda obsessed omgggg

"libertad, tiene raz贸n la se帽orita, libertad, aunque esta palabra no suena bien en boca de mujeres."

"el d铆a en que te descubr铆 fue el 煤ltimo de un largo destierro."

"what crime have i committed? loving you? is that a crime?"
]]> 195513225 Rachel Lacey, author of Stars Collide, serves up a steamy tale of Hollywood fame and subterfuge about a glamorous actress and the sexy bodyguard posing as her girlfriend.

Natalie Keane is one of Hollywood鈥檚 top leading ladies, but she鈥檚 paid a steep price for her fame. After she was stalked eight years ago, the ensuing media frenzy almost broke her. So when a new threat arises, Natalie agrees to extra security, but she wants to keep it under wraps. The last thing she needs is another tabloid spectacle, especially during awards season.

Taylor Vaughn has made a career as a bodyguard to the stars, but an injury has kept her sidelined for the past three months, jeopardizing her future in the job she loves. When an opportunity arises to work for Natalie Keane, Taylor jumps at the chance鈥昬ven before knowing the details of the assignment.

From the moment they meet, Natalie knows this could work: Taylor, the bodyguard, masquerading as her girlfriend. The perfect cover story. But as circumstances push the two women closer, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur.]]> 299 Rachel Lacey 1662517408 erin 2 ff-romance, owned
i need to preface this by saying that i'm the #1 fan of the fake dating trope. i'm the #1 apologist. i can excuse a lot when it comes to silly plot and suspense my disbelief as long as i'm entertained by the fake relationship. i am also a lesbian so ESPECIALLY when it comes to my lesbian stories. but this is just TOO MUCHDJBFJDK it's just too cringe. i can't even embrace it.

it's really hard to remember that these people are grown (in their late 30s, early 40s) because they act in a such juvenile manner and their behavior makes no sense.

the conflictis absolutely stupid and we could do without it and fill the book with some actual getting to know each other and bonding. like [spoilers removed]

it was hard to find romantic chemistry, especially if you compare it with sexual attraction, so the epilogue was hilarious. [spoilers removed]]]> 4.10
author: Rachel Lacey
name: erin
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/20
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: ff-romance, owned
review:
猸愶笍 2.5

i need to preface this by saying that i'm the #1 fan of the fake dating trope. i'm the #1 apologist. i can excuse a lot when it comes to silly plot and suspense my disbelief as long as i'm entertained by the fake relationship. i am also a lesbian so ESPECIALLY when it comes to my lesbian stories. but this is just TOO MUCHDJBFJDK it's just too cringe. i can't even embrace it.

it's really hard to remember that these people are grown (in their late 30s, early 40s) because they act in a such juvenile manner and their behavior makes no sense.

the conflictis absolutely stupid and we could do without it and fill the book with some actual getting to know each other and bonding. like [spoilers removed]

it was hard to find romantic chemistry, especially if you compare it with sexual attraction, so the epilogue was hilarious. [spoilers removed]
]]> 59722215
PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She鈥檚 even analyzing the genre in her dissertation鈥攊f she can manage to finish writing it. It鈥檚 hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn鈥檛 had a relationship with for years.

It doesn鈥檛 help that she鈥檚 low-key convinced that her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he鈥檚 clearly up to something). It鈥檚 not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier鈥攁 genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armor to reach her vulnerable heart.]]> 336 Alicia Thompson 0593438663 erin 3 owned, fm-romance 3.27 2022
author: Alicia Thompson
name: erin
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves: owned, fm-romance
review:
i liked it but didn鈥檛 love it. i liked the first part where the main couple was getting to know each other better than the second, where the 鈥渁ngst鈥� felt poorly executed. the best thing of it all was the kitty cat 鈾�
]]> 151984427 A shocking discovery of human bones reopens an almost fifty-year-old cold case鈥攁nd rips apart the lives of a group of friends鈥攊n a riveting novel by Loreth Anne White, the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Maid鈥檚 Diary.

When human bones are found beneath an old chapel in the woods, evidence suggests the remains could be linked to the decades-old case of missing teen Annalise Jansen.

Homicide detective Jane Munro鈥攑regnant and acutely attuned to the preciousness of life鈥攈opes the grim discovery will finally bring closure to the girl鈥檚 family. But for a group of Annalise鈥檚 old friends, once dubbed the Shoreview Six by the media, it threatens to expose a terrible pledge made on an autumn night forty-seven years ago.

The friends are now highly respected, affluent members of their communities, and none of them ever expected the dark chapter in their past to resurface. But as Jane and forensic anthropologist Dr. Ella Quinn peel back the layers of secrets, the group begins to fracture. Will one cave? Will they turn on each other?

The investigation takes a sharp turn when Jane discovers a second body鈥攖hat of the boy long blamed for Annalise鈥檚 disappearance. As the bones tell their story, the group learns just how far each will go to guard their own truth.]]> 351 Loreth Anne White 1662518005 erin 3 3.96 2024
author: Loreth Anne White
name: erin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/06
date added: 2024/05/06
shelves: mystery-thriller, mystery, mystery-crime
review:
overall, i really enjoyed it! the story unfolded at a steady pace, and so it was actually easy to get immersed in the story without getting bored with one or two very high-action scenes thrown in. i have to say there were juet too many characters. and although the ending was unexpected, it was so in the grossest way possible, especially with [spoilers removed]
]]> 51075332 The first book in an epic and romantic YA series following the fictionalized descendants of the only officially recognized empress regent of China

Gemma Huang is a recent transplant to Los Angeles from Illinois, having abandoned plans for college to pursue a career in acting, much to the dismay of her parents. Now she鈥檚 living with three roommates in a two-bedroom hovel, auditioning for bit roles that hardly cover rent. Gemma鈥檚 big break comes when she鈥檚 asked to play a lead role in an update of M. Butterfly filming for the summer in Beijing. When she arrives, she鈥檚 stopped by paparazzi at the airport. She quickly realizes she may as well be the twin of one of the most notorious young socialites in Beijing. Thus kicks off a summer of revelations, in which Gemma uncovers a legacy her parents have spent their lives protecting her from鈥攐ne her mother would conceal from her daughter at any cost.]]> 304 Diana Ma 141974996X erin 2 owned, fm-romance
the characters have no depth. gemma is just as indecisive and unstable in the last chapter as she was in the first. she makes a decision and then doesn't even overthink it, but on the next page you see her being like ACTUALLY! so there's absolutely zero development to her. her friends are so bland and unimportant, the only reason why i could discern them at all was because camille's only personality trait was also being white and dumbed-down by gemma's internal monologue. she must like her friend so much and have so much faith in her lmaooo the first boyfriend was also there for literally no reason. we could've cut him out and it would make zero difference to the plot. he was truly just useless.

also, i just love how the reason why i picked up this book showed up for like 2 pages 90% in and was overall insignificant to the plot. like brother in christ what is this writing what is this pacing!!!

the fact that not even lesbians could save this book should speak for how bad it was ]]> 3.61 2020
author: Diana Ma
name: erin
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/01
date added: 2024/05/01
shelves: owned, fm-romance
review:
this book is just NONSENSICAL. it tries to be bouth rom-com-y, light and cute, while also bringing up (with little to no actual conversation) a lot of heavy topics. it feels performative at best with the "look we have gay people! look i'm DISGUSTED with this homophobic line in the movie! look i'm so against this and that! eat the rich!" at some point even the evil director becomes so cartoonishly villainous, it just makes him look like a poor caricature. i can't take him seriously.

the characters have no depth. gemma is just as indecisive and unstable in the last chapter as she was in the first. she makes a decision and then doesn't even overthink it, but on the next page you see her being like ACTUALLY! so there's absolutely zero development to her. her friends are so bland and unimportant, the only reason why i could discern them at all was because camille's only personality trait was also being white and dumbed-down by gemma's internal monologue. she must like her friend so much and have so much faith in her lmaooo the first boyfriend was also there for literally no reason. we could've cut him out and it would make zero difference to the plot. he was truly just useless.

also, i just love how the reason why i picked up this book showed up for like 2 pages 90% in and was overall insignificant to the plot. like brother in christ what is this writing what is this pacing!!!

the fact that not even lesbians could save this book should speak for how bad it was
]]> 164444179 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593492918.

Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn鈥檛 exist.

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

Evie isn鈥檛 privy to Mr. Smith鈥檚 real identity, but she knows this job isn鈥檛 like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she鈥檚 starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can鈥檛 make any mistakes鈥攅specially after what happened last time.

Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there鈥檚 still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn鈥檛 be higher鈥攂ut then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .]]> 340 Ashley Elston erin 2
the beginning was very intriguing, but then i got bored, and at the end i was just close to laughing idk it was just hard to follow and some of those backstories felt unimportant and took too long to get the point across. also, this book plays a lot on suspension of disbelief and convenience, so, for example, the thing about devon being able to do just about anything in any place and time was just little believable.]]> 3.97 2024
author: Ashley Elston
name: erin
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/29
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: mystery, mystery-thriller, owned
review:
猸� 2.5

the beginning was very intriguing, but then i got bored, and at the end i was just close to laughing idk it was just hard to follow and some of those backstories felt unimportant and took too long to get the point across. also, this book plays a lot on suspension of disbelief and convenience, so, for example, the thing about devon being able to do just about anything in any place and time was just little believable.
]]> 157020084 384 Chelsea Ichaso 1728251095 erin 1 mystery, owned
this book was more about dylan and paige vrushing on each other, being "cute" and their silly relationship drama, than it was about the mystery. this would've been better if paige had a crush on audrey and not on dylan. i don't even know why i'm supposed to root for them. it was totally unnecessary and brought nothing to the plot. even when they were in danger, there wasn't this sort of, oh my god, this person i love is in danger i'm going insane feeling. they should've just stayed friends, it would've been more fun.

the teenage angst drove me insane. the dialogue was cringy and unnatural and when the author wanted to come off as funny, i just wanted to smash my skull open with a hammer. like, i'm supposed to still be the target audience of these ya books? i'm not an old hag? i just started uni? so why is all of this so juvenile. it feels like the author doesn't know how to write teenagers.]]> 3.67 2024
author: Chelsea Ichaso
name: erin
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/04/26
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves: mystery, owned
review:
i gave this author two chances and went into this with zero expectations and somehow still got disappointed lmao you had a chance to improve and you missed it!! like, is a good mystery with fleshed-out characters and a sense of urgency and suspense too much to ask?

this book was more about dylan and paige vrushing on each other, being "cute" and their silly relationship drama, than it was about the mystery. this would've been better if paige had a crush on audrey and not on dylan. i don't even know why i'm supposed to root for them. it was totally unnecessary and brought nothing to the plot. even when they were in danger, there wasn't this sort of, oh my god, this person i love is in danger i'm going insane feeling. they should've just stayed friends, it would've been more fun.

the teenage angst drove me insane. the dialogue was cringy and unnatural and when the author wanted to come off as funny, i just wanted to smash my skull open with a hammer. like, i'm supposed to still be the target audience of these ya books? i'm not an old hag? i just started uni? so why is all of this so juvenile. it feels like the author doesn't know how to write teenagers.
]]> 126918202 Jennifer Thorne skewers all-too-familiar family dynamics in this sly, wickedly funny vacation-Gothic. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology.

Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly and survive.

It isn鈥檛 easy when she鈥檚 the only one in the family who doesn鈥檛 quite fit in. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow so much he鈥檚 practically dissolved, and her older sister, Nicole, is so used to everyone鈥攊ncluding her blandly docile husband and two kids鈥攆alling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question. Mom seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, just wants some peace and quiet.

The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness, until things start going off the rails鈥攖he strange noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself.

(Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.)]]> 296 Jennifer Marie Thorne erin 2 horror, owned
anna is annoying, and acts like a teenager (and her father also goes and tells her something like, 鈥測ou will not talk to me like that, young lady!鈥� which is. hilarious) so imagine my surprise when i realized she was over 30 years old.

the ending was kinda hilarious idk.

also. the inconsistency in anna鈥檚 ability to speak italian is crazy. first she serves as the family translator and can understand everyone fine and she can speak it, and then it turns out she鈥檚 learning it on DUOLINGO and that she actually doesn鈥檛 speak it well. and then there was the [spoilers removed] with grammar mistakes that made me crack up. i鈥檓 giving the author the benefit of the doubt that she just wanted to show that anna鈥檚 italian wasn鈥檛 that good, but then again, [spoilers removed]. and also the fact that she found it in some old ass italian witchcraft book. like brother in christ how did you read and understand it with your duolingo italian. it would take you 5 years to get through.]]> 3.85 2024
author: Jennifer Marie Thorne
name: erin
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/24
date added: 2024/04/24
shelves: horror, owned
review:
for a horror book, it doesn鈥檛 really give you that chill. sometimes the descriptions were really good, but sometimes they were either so flat or so over the top that the vibe was just. nonexistent. the author can鈥檛 keep up the suspense for more than a page or two.

anna is annoying, and acts like a teenager (and her father also goes and tells her something like, 鈥測ou will not talk to me like that, young lady!鈥� which is. hilarious) so imagine my surprise when i realized she was over 30 years old.

the ending was kinda hilarious idk.

also. the inconsistency in anna鈥檚 ability to speak italian is crazy. first she serves as the family translator and can understand everyone fine and she can speak it, and then it turns out she鈥檚 learning it on DUOLINGO and that she actually doesn鈥檛 speak it well. and then there was the [spoilers removed] with grammar mistakes that made me crack up. i鈥檓 giving the author the benefit of the doubt that she just wanted to show that anna鈥檚 italian wasn鈥檛 that good, but then again, [spoilers removed]. and also the fact that she found it in some old ass italian witchcraft book. like brother in christ how did you read and understand it with your duolingo italian. it would take you 5 years to get through.
]]> 75495002 When a father goes missing, his family's desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another--both a riveting page-turner and a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.

"We didn't call the police right away." Those are the first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean-American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything--which is why she isn't initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don't return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia's brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.

What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, race, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another.]]> 387 Angie Kim 0593448200 erin 1 mystery-thriller, mystery 3.72 2023
author: Angie Kim
name: erin
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2024/04/22
date added: 2024/04/22
shelves: mystery-thriller, mystery
review:
boring as hell, a thriller that isn鈥檛 at all thrilling, and definitely something far from a page-turner. i鈥檝e also read other people鈥檚 reviews and it turns out that the author is promoting a debunked and harmful autism rhetoric, which just makes it all worse. i regret i wasted so much time on this book, especially that i didn鈥檛 even have it on my tbr and picked it up on a whim. ugh
]]> 195820829 听
Alma Cruz, the celebrated writer at the heart of The Cemetery of Untold Stories , doesn鈥檛 want to end up like her friend, a novelist who fought so long and hard to finish a book that it threatened her sanity. So when Alma inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she has the beautiful idea of turning it into a place to bury her untold stories鈥攍iterally. She creates a graveyard for the manuscript drafts and revisions, and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life and who still haunt her.
听
Alma wants her characters to rest in peace. But they have other ideas, and the cemetery becomes a mysterious sanctuary for their true narratives. Filomena, a local woman hired as the groundskeeper, becomes a sympathetic listener as Alma鈥檚 characters unspool their secret tales. Among them: Bienvenida, the abandoned second wife of dictator Rafael Trujillo, consigned to oblivion by history, and Manuel Cruz, a doctor who fought in the Dominican underground and escaped to the United States.
听
The characters defy their author: they talk back to her and talk to one another behind her back, rewriting and revising themselves. The Cemetery of Untold Stories asks: Whose stories get to be told, and whose buried? Finally, Alma finds the meaning she and her characters yearn for in the everlasting vitality of stories.
听
Readers of Isabel Allende鈥檚 Violeta and Barbara Kingsolver鈥檚 Demon Copperhead will devour Alvarez鈥檚 extraordinary new novel about beauty and authenticity that reminds us the stories of our lives are never truly finished, even at the end.]]> 243 Julia Alvarez 1643753843 erin 3 fiction, owned 3.64 2024
author: Julia Alvarez
name: erin
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/16
date added: 2024/04/16
shelves: fiction, owned
review:

]]> 174156090 The New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies delivers another chilling supernatural thriller filled with murder, romance, and a decades long mystery that haunts a small Florida town.

The perfect blend of Natasha Preston, Krystal Sutherland, and Delia Owens, with a paranormal twist.

Mount Orange, Florida, is famous for two things: Cerulean freshwater springs, ideal for free divers who aren't afraid of lurking gators. And the gruesome cold case murder of best friends, Bailey and Celeste, twenty years ago.

Bailey and Celeste's murders cast a permanent darkness over sunny Mount Orange. Tru has always lived in that shadow. Now she's supposed to head to FSU in the fall with her boyfriend, but those unsolved murders -- and the death of her own sister -- invade her every thought. It鈥檚 only in the shadowy deep of Hidden Glen Springs that she can breathe.

When a strange girl named Rio rolls into town, hell-bent on figuring out who killed Bailey and Celeste, Tru can't resist entangling herself in the thrill of solving the decades old mystery any more than she can resist her familiar, aching attraction to Rio.

As the summer heat ignites, so does the spark between Tru and Rio...along with their other-worldy connection to Bailey and Celeste. But when someone begins stalking them, the girls become convinced the killer is back in town. And if they keep digging into the past, Tru and Rio know this time, it could be their blood that makes the springs run red.]]> 384 Ginny Myers Sain 0593625455 erin 5 mystery-thriller, mystery 3.78 2024
author: Ginny Myers Sain
name: erin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/13
date added: 2024/04/13
shelves: mystery-thriller, mystery
review:
no one can write twists, tension, and dread the way this author does. even when you think you know a piece of the mystery for sure, it always ends up being even more surprising. the writing and the story are incredible and engaging.
]]> 773788 280 Henryk Sienkiewicz 8373899626 erin 0 2.95 1911
author: Henryk Sienkiewicz
name: erin
average rating: 2.95
book published: 1911
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: school-readings, did-not-finish
review:

]]> 203956647 A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy鈥檚 business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn鈥檛 stay still long enough for habits or routines. She鈥檚 currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D鈥橝ntonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 059365322X.]]> 400 Richard Osman erin 0 4.07 2024
author: Richard Osman
name: erin
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, mystery, mystery-crime
review:

]]> 43785830
In Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, Doughty blends her mortician鈥檚 knowledge and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five questions. In her inimitable voice, Doughty details the lore and science of what happens to, and inside, our bodies after we die. Why do corpses groan? What causes bodies to turn colors during decomposition? And why do hair and nails appear longer after death? Readers will learn the best soil for mummifying, whether you can preserve your best friend鈥檚 skull as a keepsake, and what happens when you die on a plane. Beautifully illustrated by Diann茅 Ruz, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? shows us that death is science and art, and only by asking questions can we begin to embrace it.]]> 200 Caitlin Doughty 039365270X erin 0 to-read, nonfiction, owned 4.13 2019
author: Caitlin Doughty
name: erin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, nonfiction, owned
review:

]]> 27833843
From serial killer to natural disaster, 'perfect murder' to freak accident, Shepherd takes nothing for granted in pursuit of truth. And while he's been involved in some of the most high-profile cases of recent times, it's often the less well known encounters that prove the most perplexing, intriguing and even bizarre. In or out of the public eye, his evidence has put killers behind bars, freed the innocent and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads.

But a life in death, bearing witness to some of humanity's darkest corners, exacts a price and Shepherd doesn't flinch from counting the cost to him and his family.]]> 400 Richard Shepherd 0718182715 erin 0 to-read, nonfiction, owned 4.32 2018
author: Richard Shepherd
name: erin
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, nonfiction, owned
review:

]]> 59089921 The secret is hidden within a collection of Dior dresses...

London, 2017. There's no one Lucille adores more than her grandmother. So when her beloved Granny Sylvie asks for Lucille's assistance with a small matter, she's happy to help. The next thing she knows, Lucille is on a train to Paris, tasked with retrieving a priceless Dior dress. But not everything is as it seems, and what Lucille finds in a small Parisian apartment will have her scouring the city for answers to a question that could change her entire life.

Paris, 1952. Postwar France is full of glamour and privilege, and Alice Ainsley is in the middle of it all. As the wife to the British ambassador to France, Alice's job is to see and be seen--even if that wasn't quite what she signed up for. Her husband showers her with jewels, banquets, and couture Dior dresses, but his affection has become distressingly elusive. As the strain on her marriage grows, Alice's only comfort is her bond with her trusted lady's maid, Marianne. But when a new face appears in her drawing room, Alice finds herself yearning to follow her heart...no matter the consequences.

The City of Light comes alive in this lush, evocative tale that explores the ties that bind us together, the truths we hold that make us who we are, and the true meaning of what makes someone family.]]> 384 Jade Beer 0593436814 erin 0 to-read, owned 4.03 2022
author: Jade Beer
name: erin
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 7232473
Pewnego dnia Janina dowiaduje si臋 o 艣mierci s膮siada k艂usownika, potem o nast臋pnej ofierze鈥� Seria mniej lub bardziej niewyt艂umaczalnych zgon贸w ro艣nie, a na 艣niegu nie ma innych 艣lad贸w jak tylko zwierz臋ce... Janina pr贸buje zbada膰 spraw臋 w艂asnymi metodami. Ma intryguj膮c膮 teori臋 na temat motywu i sprawcy tych zbrodni, ale policja ignoruje j膮, traktuj膮c jak nieszkodliw膮 dziwaczk臋. Jednak Janina wie wi臋cej ni偶 wszyscy, bo potrafi czyta膰 w gwiazdach, jak w otwartej ksi臋dze鈥]> 320 Olga Tokarczuk erin 0 to-read, mystery, owned 4.09 2009
author: Olga Tokarczuk
name: erin
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, mystery, owned
review:

]]> 43444323 Pierwsza cz臋艣膰 fenomenalnej Trylogii bia艂ego miasta, pe艂nej mrocznych rodzinnych tajemnic, baskijskiej kultury i tradycji.

Mieszka艅cami hiszpa艅skiej Vitorii wstrz膮sa wiadomo艣膰 o podw贸jnym morderstwie, 艂udz膮co podobnym do brutalnych seryjnych zbrodni sprzed dwudziestu lat. W tym samym czasie na swoj膮 pierwsz膮 przepustk臋 z wi臋zienia ma wyj艣膰 skazany za tamte zab贸jstwa Tasio Ortiz de Z谩rate. Wracaj膮 stare obawy i strach, ludzi zaczyna ogarnia膰 przera偶enie.

Unai L贸pez de Ayala, "Kraken", 艣ledczy specjalizuj膮cy si臋 w profilowaniu kryminalnym, stara si臋 zapobiec kolejnym zab贸jstwom. Jego metody pracy nie podobaj膮 si臋 Albie, podkomisarz, z kt贸r膮 utrzymuje dwuznaczne relacje鈥� Rozpoczyna si臋 wy艣cig z czasem, niebezpiecze艅stwo czai si臋 za ka偶dym rogiem, a ka偶dy dzie艅 przynosi kolejny zwrot w 艣ledztwie.

Seryjny morderca dbaj膮cy o ka偶dy szczeg贸艂 makabrycznych zbrodni i profiler, kt贸ry potrafi dotrze膰 do najmroczniejszych zakamark贸w ludzkiego umys艂u. Kt贸ry z nich wyjdzie z tego pojedynku zwyci臋sko?]]> 576 Eva Garc铆a S谩enz de Urturi 8328711427 erin 0 to-read, owned 4.15 2016
author: Eva Garc铆a S谩enz de Urturi
name: erin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 61127178
OPOWIE艢膯 JEDNEGO Z NAJBARDZIEJ DO艢WIADCZONYCH 艢LEDCZYCH Z ZAKRESU MEDYCYNY S膭DOWEJ

DLA FAN脫W BESTSELLERA 鈥濩IA艁O NIE K艁AMIE鈥�

Oto Nowy Jork, jakiego nie zna艂e艣: podr贸偶 przez pe艂ne robactwa noclegownie w ponurych dzielnicach i luksusowe apartamenty w centrum miasta, podczas kt贸rej z kolejnych szaf metropolii niespodziewanie wychodz膮 trupy. W tej opowie艣ci medycyna s膮dowa s艂u偶y nie tylko rozwi膮zywaniu kryminalnych zagadek, ale te偶 ratowaniu 偶ycia.

BLI呕EJ METROPOLITALNYCH KOSTNIC ZNAJDZIESZ SI臉 TYLKO JAKO OFIARA MORDERSTWA.

Shiya Ribowsky przez pi臋tna艣cie lat pe艂ni艂 funkcj臋 艣ledczego w Biurze Naczelnego Lekarza S膮dowego Nowego Jorku 鈥� najbardziej rozbudowanej organizacji tego typu na 艣wiecie. Kierowa艂 najwi臋kszym przedsi臋wzi臋ciem w dziejach medycyny s膮dowej, identyfikuj膮c szcz膮tki ofiar zamach贸w z 11 wrze艣nia 2001 roku. Rozwi膮zywa艂 sprawy ponad o艣miu tysi臋cy zgon贸w i odegra艂 kluczow膮 rol臋 przy wyja艣nianiu kilku najbardziej zagadkowych przypadk贸w 艣mierci w Nowym Jorku.

CENTRUM 艢MIERCI, ksi膮偶ka wci膮gaj膮ca, a zarazem niezwykle bolesna, stanowi wyj膮tkow膮 biografi臋 Nowego Jorku, w kt贸rej to, co straszne, przeplata si臋 z tym, co wznios艂e. Autor odmalowuje nader celny portret 艣mierci (i 偶ycia) w mie艣cie, kt贸re nigdy nie zasypia.]]> 408 Shiya Ribowsky erin 0 to-read, nonfiction, owned 3.79 2006
author: Shiya Ribowsky
name: erin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, nonfiction, owned
review:

]]> 174147413
Scotland, 1567. A pregnant Mary, Queen of Scots is dragged out of her palace by rebel lords and imprisoned in the isolated Lochleven Castle, an ancient fortress surrounded by a vast lake. Her infant son and heir, James, has been captured by her enemies.听

Accompanying Mary are two inconspicuous serving observant, ambitious Jane and romantic, quick-tempered Cuckoo, who endeavor to keep their mercurial mistress company while sharing the space of a claustrophobic room over the course of their eleven-month forced stay. Their hosts want them dead. They'll settle for Mary's abdication.

After Mary reluctantly surrenders her throne, her closest friend, the reserved, devoted Lady Seton, is permitted to join the captive women. Against the odds, as they hatch a perilous getaway plan, the four women form a bond that transcends class and religion, and for Jane and Seton, becomes something even deeper. At the center of it all is Mary--calculating, charming, brave, and unbowed. Flora Carr's thrilling, feverish debut is a celebration of resilience, a meditation on the meaning of power, and a testament to the unshakeable strength of female friendship, starring one of history's most charismatic leaders.]]> 272 Flora Carr 0385550189 erin 0 3.61 2024
author: Flora Carr
name: erin
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, historical-fiction, owned
review:

]]> 65211848 In the morning, who鈥檚 alive?

In the course of a single winter鈥檚 night, four people vanish without a trace across a small town.

Nora鈥檚 estranged best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to untangle the truth of Becca鈥檚 disappearance, she discovers a darkness in her town鈥檚 past, as well as a string of coded messages Becca left for her to unravel. These clues lead Nora to a piece of local folklore: a legendary goddess of forgotten origins who played a role in Nora and Becca鈥檚 own childhood games...

An arresting, crossover horror fantasy threaded with dark magic, THE BAD ONES is a poison-pen love letter to semi-toxic best friendship, the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief.]]> 382 Melissa Albert 1250894891 erin 0 to-read, owned 3.60 2024
author: Melissa Albert
name: erin
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 200776812 The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation鈥檚 imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can鈥檛 resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?

Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer," Asako Yuzuki鈥檚 Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.]]> 464 Asako Yuzuki 0063236400 erin 0 3.51 2017
author: Asako Yuzuki
name: erin
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, fiction, mystery-crime, owned
review:

]]> 127306192 New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death

1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn鈥檛. By 1998 Anita鈥檚 name has been all but forgotten鈥攃ertainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.

But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita鈥檚 story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.

Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.]]> 342 X贸chitl Gonz谩lez 1250786215 erin 0 3.76 2024
author: X贸chitl Gonz谩lez
name: erin
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, historical-fiction, fiction, owned
review:

]]> 193540910
Alistair Caddell is a young, established novelist and university student who is accused of murder shortly after the release of his third novel: 鈥淚f the Nightingale Sleeps.鈥�

Bribed with the lifestyle he's always dreamt of and pursued by an unexplainable paranormal force, Ellis races against the clock of justice in an attempt to clear Alistair鈥檚 name by finding out what happened in 1993. But as their relationship bleeds into dangerous territory and both men are forced to make questionable decisions, Ellis and Alistair must take accountability for their past sins, and face the dark truths they've been hiding from one another since their separation many years ago.]]> 400 Kieran Dimitri erin 0 to-read, to-be-released 4.64
author: Kieran Dimitri
name: erin
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, to-be-released
review:

]]> 133286777 From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio P茅rez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen鈥攁nd P茅rez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive鈥攅ven if that means enlisting the help of Guill茅n Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.]]> 387 Leigh Bardugo 125088425X erin 0 3.74 2024
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: erin
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: to-read, historical-fiction, fantasy, owned
review:

]]> 64414866 An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.

On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.

But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.]]> 352 S.T. Gibson 0356519325 erin 2 3.51 2024
author: S.T. Gibson
name: erin
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/11
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves: fantasy, ff-romance, horror, vampires
review:
thia book could be summed-up with one word: anticlimactic. someone said it lacked soul, and that's exactly how it feels. it was trying to achieve something (chemistry) that ended up being unreachable (just because you make them 'rivals' doesn't mean the tension is already there and the reader is going to be rooting for them). carmilla and laura used to hate each other, and then "laura caused a scene at the party" (which, she didn't, because she just looked down at the floor and left) and then they love each other. ah wonderful (i'm so disappointed)
]]> 26032912 He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan鈥檚 betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict鈥檚 bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity鈥�

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.]]> 321 Holly Black 0316310409 erin 4 fantasy, fm-romance 4.33 2019
author: Holly Black
name: erin
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/09
date added: 2024/04/09
shelves: fantasy, fm-romance
review:
i liked this one the least from the series but it was still so good
]]> 182484360
Lights. Camera. Lies.

18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom鈥檚 mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on.

But the case is dragged up from the past when the Price family agree to a true crime documentary. Bel can鈥檛 wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again.

Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her. Unbelievable, because Bel isn鈥檛 sure it鈥檚 real. If Rachel is lying, then where has she been all this time? And 鈥� could she be dangerous? With the cameras still rolling, Bel must uncover the truth about her mother, and find out why Rachel Price really came back from the dead . . .

From world-renowned author Holly Jackson comes a mind-blowing masterpiece about one girl鈥檚 search for the truth, and the terror in finding out who your family really is.]]> 448 Holly Jackson 0593374207 erin 3 mystery
half of a star for that moment when [spoilers removed] at the end lol

this book was insane, but not in the best way. the characters were insufferable and unlikeable. i only liked ash, and he wasn't even the mc jdbfjdndjf

also, literally irrelevant but the way bel flushed [spoilers removed] down the toilet and clogged it forever pissed me off SO bad.

i also knew since the beginning that [spoilers removed] was shady but the truth was still a bit insane. and the whole [spoilers removed] thing was just too much like. let's tone it down a bit.

but it was intriguing 鈥� i just wanted to know who the hell did it, so i read and read and finished it in one day.

]]> 4.09 2024
author: Holly Jackson
name: erin
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/07
date added: 2024/04/07
shelves: mystery
review:
猸� 3.5

half of a star for that moment when [spoilers removed] at the end lol

this book was insane, but not in the best way. the characters were insufferable and unlikeable. i only liked ash, and he wasn't even the mc jdbfjdndjf

also, literally irrelevant but the way bel flushed [spoilers removed] down the toilet and clogged it forever pissed me off SO bad.

i also knew since the beginning that [spoilers removed] was shady but the truth was still a bit insane. and the whole [spoilers removed] thing was just too much like. let's tone it down a bit.

but it was intriguing 鈥� i just wanted to know who the hell did it, so i read and read and finished it in one day.


]]> 26032887 The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.]]> 336 Holly Black 0316310336 erin 5 fantasy, fm-romance, owned in. sa. ne. 4.27 2019
author: Holly Black
name: erin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/05
date added: 2024/04/05
shelves: fantasy, fm-romance, owned
review:
in. sa. ne.
]]> 51900242 Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves
A female cop with her first big case
A brutal murder
Welcome to鈥�
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it鈥檚 too late?]]> 355 Richard Osman 1984880969 erin 5 3.93 2020
author: Richard Osman
name: erin
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/04
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves: mystery, mystery-crime, mystery-thriller, owned
review:
one mystery turning into five different ones #slayful i enjoyed it so much
]]> 196774347 We Could Be So Good.

The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O鈥橪eary鈥檚 life. He can鈥檛 manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he鈥檚 living out of a suitcase, and he鈥檚 homesick. When the team鈥檚 owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he鈥檚 ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he鈥檚 already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree.

Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he鈥檚 barely even managing to do that much. He鈥檚 had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he鈥檇 never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York鈥檚 obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers.

Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he鈥檒l never be someone鈥檚 secret ever again, and Eddie can鈥檛 be out as a professional athlete. It鈥檚 just them against the world, and they鈥檒l both have to decide if that鈥檚 enough.]]> 400 Cat Sebastian 0063272806 erin 0 to-read, mm-romance, owned 4.27 2024
author: Cat Sebastian
name: erin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/28
shelves: to-read, mm-romance, owned
review:

]]> 202470530 This lush, atmospheric novel blends witchcraft, queer love, a vibrant Edinburgh setting, and Scottish folklore for a propulsive and emotional story exploring what it means to resist the patriarchy and find your voice.

In an alternate Edinburgh of 1824, every woman lives in fear that she will be the next one hanged for witchcraft. All it takes is invoking the anger, or the desire, of the wrong person. Nellie Duncan, beautiful and unwed, keeps to herself until she encounters the Rae Women鈥檚 Apothecary. There, fiery Jean Rae and the other women provide cures and teach others that they too can aid the winter deity, the Cailleach, embracing her characteristic independence, agency, and craft, in turn becoming witches themselves.

Nellie finds a place and a purpose at the shop, and a blossoming romance with Jean, as she learns about nature-based craft and a witch鈥檚 ability to return to life after death. But the Cailleach has an ancient enemy intent on stripping the power of the deity and all her witches, leaving a wake of patriarchal violence and destruction.

When heart-breaking disaster strikes, Nellie flees and spends the next two centuries hiding from the world鈥攗ntil love gives her the courage and the motivation to come back. Nellie鈥檚 past is waiting for her there, and hanging witches is no longer the only means of oppression. But this time, Nellie refuses to run鈥攅ither from her foes, or from her resolve to awaken others to the unimaginable power that can come with fighting the patriarchy in its many forms鈥攁nd finding one鈥檚 own magical inner-strength.]]> 370 Marielle Thompson 1496742648 erin 0 3.51 2024
author: Marielle Thompson
name: erin
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/14
shelves: to-read, fantasy, to-be-released, witches
review:

]]> 198563688 416 Sophie Kim 0593599667 erin 0 4.05 2024
author: Sophie Kim
name: erin
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/13
shelves: to-read, fantasy, to-be-released
review:

]]> 26032825 Of course I want to be like them. They鈥檙e beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him鈥揳nd face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.]]> 370 Holly Black 0316310271 erin 5 owned, fantasy 4.01 2018
author: Holly Black
name: erin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves: owned, fantasy
review:
even though i knew. the gasp i gasped. BRILLIANT!!!!
]]> 55812253 WILDER GIRLS meets THE CRAFT in this Sapphic horror debut that asks: What price would you be willing to pay to achieve your deepest desires?

Finch Chamberlin is the newest transfer student to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy... but she's also not what she seems. Months before school started, Finch and her parents got into an accident that should have left her dead at the bottom of a river. But something monstrous, and ancient, and terrifying, wouldn't let her drown. Finch doesn't know why she woke up after her heart stopped, but since dying she's felt a constant pull from the school and the surrounding town of Rainwater, like something on the island is calling to her.

Selena St. Clair sees right through Finch, and she knows something is seriously wrong with her. But despite Selena's suspicion, she feels drawn to Finch and has a sinking feeling that from now on the two will be inexplicably linked to one another.

One night Finch, Selena, and her friends accidentally summon a carnivorous creature of immense power in the depths of the school. It promises to grant every desire the girls have kept locked away in their insecure hearts鈥昩eauty, power, adoration鈥昳n exchange for a price: human body parts. But as the cost of their wanting becomes more deadly, Finch and Selena must learn to work together to stop the horror they unleashed, before it consumes the entire island.]]> 352 Kayla Cottingham 172823641X erin 2 owned, horror, ff-romance
the beginning was so good i was on twitter talking about instant favorites lol the middle dragged on with unnecessary teen drama, and then the ending was a bit meh. the tentacles KILLED me. also the writing was questionable at times, like your mom trying to be cool and hitting you with the tiktoks and the sus sbsjksbj the dialogue was just a miss for me, it's really far from natural so it made me laugh at times]]> 3.73 2022
author: Kayla Cottingham
name: erin
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/02/12
date added: 2024/02/12
shelves: owned, horror, ff-romance
review:
猸� 2.5

the beginning was so good i was on twitter talking about instant favorites lol the middle dragged on with unnecessary teen drama, and then the ending was a bit meh. the tentacles KILLED me. also the writing was questionable at times, like your mom trying to be cool and hitting you with the tiktoks and the sus sbsjksbj the dialogue was just a miss for me, it's really far from natural so it made me laugh at times
]]> 52219386 This story is, in short, about a monster meeting another monster.听

One of the monsters is me.

Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He does not have friends鈥攖he two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that鈥攂ut his devoted mother and grandmother aren鈥檛 fazed by his condition. Their little home above his mother鈥檚 used bookstore is decorated with colorful post-it notes that remind him when to smile, when to say "thank you," and when to laugh. Yunjae grows up content, even happy, with his small family in this quiet, peaceful space.

Then on Christmas Eve鈥擸unjae鈥檚 sixteenth birthday鈥攅verything changes. A shocking act of random violence shatters his world, leaving him alone and on his own. Struggling to cope with his loss, Yunjae retreats into silent isolation, until troubled teenager Gon arrives at his school and begins to bully Yunjae.听

Against all odds, tormentor and victim learn they have more in common than they realized. Gon is stumped by Yunjae鈥檚 impassive calm, while Yunjae thinks if he gets to know the hotheaded Gon, he might learn how to experience true feelings. Drawn by curiosity, the two strike up a surprising friendship. As Yunjae begins to open his life to new people鈥攊ncluding a girl at school鈥攕omething slowly changes inside him. And when Gon suddenly finds his life in danger, it is Yunjae who will step outside of every comfort zone he has created to perhaps become a most unlikely hero.听

The Emissary meets The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime in this poignant and triumphant story about how love, friendship, and persistence can change a life forever.]]> 272 Sohn Won-Pyung 0062961373 erin 4 fiction, owned what a crazy read 4.16 2017
author: Sohn Won-Pyung
name: erin
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/08
date added: 2024/02/08
shelves: fiction, owned
review:
what a crazy read
]]> 60870737
Amor. Magia. Secretos. La historia que ha seducido a miles de lectoras en Wattpad.

El hermano de Arianne desapareci贸 hace cinco a帽os tras el feroz ataque de un lobo. Desde entonces su madre se ha sumido en un profundo silencio, insiste en dejar el pasado atr谩s y se niega a contarle la verdad 鈥減or su seguridad鈥�. En consecuencia e impulsada por una fuerza desconocida y perturbadora que brota desde lo m谩s hondo de su ser, Ari busca desesperadamente la forma de regresar a New Hope, descubrir qu茅 ocurri贸 y sigue ocurriendo en ese pueblo siniestro, averiguar qu茅 es lo que produce tantos cambios en su interior y encontrar a su hermano, ya sea vivo o muerto.

En esta arriesgada misi贸n, Arianne sacar谩 a luz todo lo que le ocultaron sobre sus or铆genes; la sorprender谩 el amor m谩s visceral que hubiera imaginado jam谩s; tendr谩 que enfrentarse a fuerzas tan oscuras como poderosas que operan en otros planos y en su interior; y tendr谩 que resolver los misterios que la acechan. Eso, antes de que todo acabe en llamas.
Jessica Rivas nos enciende con una historia adictiva a la que no le falta nada: secretos familiares, poderes letales, noches de luna, licantrop铆a, luchas y besos que prenden fuego.]]> 488 Jessica Rivas 9504975925 erin 0 to-read, fantasy 3.82
author: Jessica Rivas
name: erin
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/02
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> 58885789 Three women confront the compromises they've made to appease the men they love.

Joy and Annie are friends and roommates whose thirty-something lives aren't exactly what they'd imagined. To make ends meet, they decide to rent their extra bedroom to Theo, who charms Joy with his salt-and-pepper hair and adoration of their one-eyed cat. When Annie goes to live with her boyfriend, Theo and Joy settle into a comfortable domesticity. Then Theo brings home Celine, the girlfriend he's never mentioned, who is possibly the most stunning woman Joy has ever seen. Joy resolves to do whatever it takes to hold on to him, falling ever deeper into an emotional hellscape of her own making. She is too obsessed to realize that Celine's beauty doesn't protect her from pain. Haunted by an event from her past, Celine can't escape her shame and finds herself in an endless cycle of self-sabotage.

Annie is baffled by Joy's senseless devotion to Theo, but she's consumed by her own obsessions: she can't stop parsing her commitment-phobic boyfriend's texts in an exhausting mission to maintain his approval. At work, where she fully embraces her natural assertiveness, Annie is a star. But when an anonymous letter lands on her desk accusing her esteemed and supportive boss of sexual misconduct, she is forced to decide who and what she's willing to stand up for.

Perceptive, mordantly funny, and full of heart, How to Fall Out of Love Madly examines women's many relationships--with one another, their mothers, their work, men, and themselves--to reveal their underlying power and complexity. It asks, why do so many smart, compassionate, otherwise empowered women tolerate egregious behavior from the men they love? And what will it take for them to reclaim control?]]> 352 Jana Casale 0593447727 erin 3 fiction, fm-romance, owned
it was hard to remember that joy was a grown-ass woman when she was acting like a 15 year old child for the entirety of the book like girl get up ]]> 3.46 2022
author: Jana Casale
name: erin
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/30
date added: 2024/01/30
shelves: fiction, fm-romance, owned
review:
猸� 3.5

it was hard to remember that joy was a grown-ass woman when she was acting like a 15 year old child for the entirety of the book like girl get up
]]> 60788826
When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize this is no accident. They have been trapped by someone out there in the dark, someone who clearly wants one of them dead.

With eight hours until dawn, the six friends must escape, or figure out which of them is the target. But is there a liar among them? Buried secrets will be forced to light and tensions inside the RV will reach deadly levels. Not all of them will survive the night...

Eight hours. Six friends. Five survive. A road trip turns deadly in this addictive YA thriller from the bestselling author of the worldwide phenomenon A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.]]> 388 Holly Jackson 0593374169 erin 3
the writing and the ending [spoilers removed] saved the day. also, at the beginning i thought simon and arthur were going to be a thing and now i fell insane a bit]]> 3.97 2022
author: Holly Jackson
name: erin
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/26
date added: 2024/01/26
shelves: mystery, mystery-crime, mystery-thriller, owned
review:
猸� 3.5

the writing and the ending [spoilers removed] saved the day. also, at the beginning i thought simon and arthur were going to be a thing and now i fell insane a bit
]]> 54351235 The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes鈥攐ne that might just be killer....

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she's the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila's left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block鈥�
]]> 336 Mia P. Manansala 059320168X erin 2 owned, mystery-crime so fake, info-dumping, and on top of it all, we have multiple deaths, vandalism, assault, and a looming "threat" of prison, and simply no one in that town cares. like, oh my god? where is the grief the emotion the shock!?!??!

the only good thing about this book was adeena. love her.]]> 3.54 2021
author: Mia P. Manansala
name: erin
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: owned, mystery-crime
review:
one-dimensional characters, an investigation that makes zero sense, dialogue that's just so fake, info-dumping, and on top of it all, we have multiple deaths, vandalism, assault, and a looming "threat" of prison, and simply no one in that town cares. like, oh my god? where is the grief the emotion the shock!?!??!

the only good thing about this book was adeena. love her.
]]> 55246122
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 44 G.V. Anderson 1250784433 erin 0 horror, owned 3.50 2020
author: G.V. Anderson
name: erin
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/15
date added: 2024/01/17
shelves: horror, owned
review:

]]> 55509199
Spokojny rejs po Nilu zamienia si臋 w koszmar, kiedy Linnet Ridgeway zostaje 艣miertelnie postrzelona. By艂a m艂oda, pi臋kna i bogata, mia艂a wszystko鈥� Poirot przypomina sobie s艂owa jednej z pasa偶erek: "Mam ochot臋 przy艂o偶y膰 jej do g艂owy pistolet i poci膮gn膮膰 za spust". Rozwi膮zanie zagadki wydaje si臋 proste, jednak w upalnym klimacie Egiptu niczego nie mo偶na by膰 pewnym...

Porywaj膮ca opowie艣膰 o mi艂o艣ci, zazdro艣ci i zdradzie. 艢mier膰 na Nilu to jedno z dzie艂 Agathy Christie, kt贸re si臋 nie starzej膮.]]> 336 Agatha Christie 8327160303 erin 4 i could hardly put the book down once the murder happened, and every page had me hooked and wanting more. it was such a treat i feel like reading the rest of agatha christie鈥檚 books right this goddamn moment. ]]> 4.07 1937
author: Agatha Christie
name: erin
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1937
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/11
date added: 2024/01/14
shelves: mystery, mystery-crime, mystery-thriller
review:
firstly, linnet stealing simon from jackie is a bitch move but simon is actually a piece of crap for leaving jackie just for linnet鈥檚 money, all the while acting like the loveliest husband. i could treat her better!! anyway, i love the juiciness, the intrigue, love, backstabbing, money, deception, the whirlwind of paths everyone takes, and how all these people have something up their sleeves. i had a feeling that [redacted] wasn鈥檛 quite as innocent as they painted themself as, but the reveal was surprising nonetheless.
i could hardly put the book down once the murder happened, and every page had me hooked and wanting more. it was such a treat i feel like reading the rest of agatha christie鈥檚 books right this goddamn moment.
]]> 58065033 390 Bonnie Garmus erin 4 owned, fiction 4.23 2022
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: erin
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/12
date added: 2024/01/12
shelves: owned, fiction
review:

]]> 127306128 An outsider threatens to expose the secrets at an elite private school in this suspenseful debut novel

Louise Manson is the newest student at Highfield Manor, Dublin鈥檚 most exclusive private school. Behind its granite walls are high-arched alcoves, an oak-lined library...and the dark secret Lou has come to expose.

Lou鈥檚 working-class status makes her the consummate outsider, until she is befriended by some of her beautiful and wealthy classmates. But after Lou attempts to bring the school鈥檚 secret to light, her time at Highfield ends with a lifeless body sprawled at her feet.

Thirty years later, Lou gets a shocking phone call. A high-profile lawyer is bringing a lawsuit against the school鈥攁nd he needs Lou to testify. Lou will have to confront her past and discover, once and for all, what really happened at Highfield. Powerful and compelling, When We Were Silent is a thrilling story of exploitation, privilege, and retribution.]]> 320 Fiona McPhillips 125090823X erin 0 to-read, to-be-released 3.54 2024
author: Fiona McPhillips
name: erin
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/11
shelves: to-read, to-be-released
review:

]]> 101124639
The survivors, including key witness Pamela Schumacher, will be forever changed by this night. They have all become victims. But they tell their perspectives here, they remain masters of their stories. And they hunt the perpetrator on their own - against resistance from the justice system and the police; against public opinion, which idolizes the serial killer.]]> 384 Jessica Knoll 1501153226 erin 5 fiction, mystery-crime 3.99 2023
author: Jessica Knoll
name: erin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/07
date added: 2024/01/07
shelves: fiction, mystery-crime
review:
the visceral reaction i had while reading this........ i actually think this is a very important book that a lot of people should pick up and think about, especially in the age of true-crime mania. gripping, full of emotion, but also just very well-written
]]> 54711210
But Val has to get on that ship. Her twin brother, Jamie, who has spent two long years at sea, is on board, as is an influential circus owner. Thankfully, there's not much a trained acrobat like Val can't overcome when she puts her mind to it.

As a stowaway, Val should keep her head down and stay out of sight. But the clock is ticking and she has just seven days as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic to find Jamie, audition for the circus owner, and convince him to help get them both into America.

Then one night, the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Val's dreams of a new life are crushed under the weight of the only thing that matters: survival.]]> 368 Stacey Lee 1524740985 erin 3 historical-fiction, owned 3.67 2021
author: Stacey Lee
name: erin
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/03
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: historical-fiction, owned
review:
i don鈥檛 know how to feel about this book. on one hand, it was written beautifully. on the other hand, i feel like that was what carried the story for most part. the beginning of the book was great and engaging, but then the action slowed down and i didn鈥檛 really know if something was supposed to unfold, or if it would be just... nothing happening. and then again, the last 20% were amazing, gripping, and vivid. also, the ending kind-of surprised me. i really liked april, though, so there鈥檚 that.
]]> 28815372 Sorry Not Sorry, Naya Rivera shows us that we're not alone in the highs, lows, and in-betweens. Whether it's with love and dating, career and ambition, friends, or gossip, Naya inspires us to follow our own destiny and step over--or plod through--all the crap along the way. After her rise and fall from early childhood stardom, barely eking her way through high school, a brief stint as a Hooters waitress, going through thick and thin with her mom/manager, and resurrecting her acting career as Santana Lopez on Glee, Naya emerged from these experiences with some key life lessons:

Sorry:
-听 All those times I scrawled "I HATE MY MOM" in my journal. So many moms and teenage daughters don't get along--we just have to realize it's nothing personal on either side.
-听 At-home highlights and DIY hair extensions. Some things are best left to the experts, and hair dye is one of them.
-听 Falling in love with the idea of a person, instead of the actual person.

Not Sorry:
-听 That I don't always get along with everyone. Having people not like you is a risk you have to take to be real, and I'll take that over being fake any day.
-听 Laughing at the gossip instead of getting upset by it.
-听 Getting my financial disasters out of the way early--before I was married or had a family--so that the only credit score that I wrecked was my own.

Even with a successful career and a family that she loves more than anything else, Naya says, "There's still a thirteen-year-old girl inside of me making detailed lists of how I can improve, who's never sure of my own self-worth." Sorry Not Sorry is for that thirteen-year-old in all of us.]]> 256 Naya Rivera 0399184988 erin 0 to-read, nonfiction, owned 3.96 2016
author: Naya Rivera
name: erin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, nonfiction, owned
review:

]]> 61111034
A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality.

For Gaspar, the son, this maniacal cult is his destiny. As the Order tries to pull him into their evil, he and his father take flight, attempting to outrun a powerful clan that will do anything to ensure its own survival. But how far will Gaspar鈥檚 father go to protect his child? And can anyone escape their fate?

Moving back and forth in time, from London in the swinging 1960s to the brutal years of Argentina鈥檚 military dictatorship and its turbulent aftermath, Our Share of Night is a novel like no other: a family story, a ghost story, a story of the occult and the supernatural, a book about the complexities of love and longing with queer subplots and themes. This is the masterwork of one of Latin America鈥檚 most original novelists, 鈥渁 mesmerizing writer,鈥� says Dave Eggers, 鈥渨ho demands to be read.鈥漖]> 588 Mariana Enr铆quez 0451495144 erin 0 to-read, horror, owned 4.07 2019
author: Mariana Enr铆quez
name: erin
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, horror, owned
review:

]]> 61688564
Mina, daughter of the duke, is grieving and lonely. She has lost all hope of any future for herself in Blumwald. So when the Witch demands her next companion, Mina offers herself up 鈥� though she has no idea what fate awaits her. Stranded with her darkly alluring captor, the mystery of what happened to the previous companions draws Mina into the heart of a terrifying secret that could save her life, or end it.]]> 368 Kat Dunn 1839132957 erin 0 3.89 2023
author: Kat Dunn
name: erin
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, ff-romance, fantasy, owned
review:

]]> 65213381
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there鈥檚 more to her parent鈥檚 disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian鈥檚 infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent鈥檚 disappearance鈥攐r risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.]]> 416 Isabel Iba帽ez 1250803373 erin 0 3.83 2023
author: Isabel Iba帽ez
name: erin
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, historical-fiction, owned
review:

]]> 63917489
Ari is sexy, out and proud, and a serious control freak, according to Nina鈥檚 boss. She has her own ideas about how Nina should handle her emails鈥攁nd about getting to know her ghostwriter. When she tells Nina she should be writing again, Nina suddenly finds it less scary to revisit her abandoned life than seriously consider that Ari is flirting with her. Between reconnecting with her old crew and working on a new script, a relationship with a movie star seems like something she鈥檒l definitely mess up鈥攂ut what could be more worth the risk?

Amy Spalding鈥檚 For Her Consideration is full of heat and heart as Nina learns that her story just might include the kind of love that lasts.]]> 326 Amy Spalding 0008601380 erin 0 to-read, ff-romance, owned 3.73 2023
author: Amy Spalding
name: erin
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, ff-romance, owned
review:

]]> 63874788 ENROLLMENT BEGINS NOW

A beguiling, sinister collection of 12 dark academia short stories from masters of the genre, including Olivie Blake, M.L. Rio, Susie Yang and more!

In these stories, dear student, retribution visits a lothario lecturer; the sinister truth is revealed about a missing professor; a forsaken lover uses a s茅ance for revenge; an obsession blooms about a possible illicit affair; two graduates exhume the secrets of a reclusive scholar; horrors are uncovered in an obscure academic department; five hopeful initiates must complete a murderous task and much more!

Featuring brand-new stories from:
Olivie Blake
M.L. Rio
David Bell
Susie Yang
Layne Fargo
J.T. Ellison
James Tate Hill
Kelly Andrew
Phoebe Wynne
Kate Weinberg
Helen Grant
Tori Bovalino

Definition of dark academia in English:
dark academia
1. An internet subculture concerned with higher education, the arts, and literature, or an idealised version thereof with a focus on the pursuit of knowledge and an exploration of death.
2. A set of aesthetic principles. Scholarly with a gothic edge 鈥� tweed blazers, vintage cardigans, scuffed loafers, a worn leather satchel full of brooding poetry. Enthusiasts are usually found in museums and darkened libraries.]]> 340 Marie O'Regan erin 0 to-read, owned 3.38 2023
author: Marie O'Regan
name: erin
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 124932739 I Hope This Doesn't Find You is Never Have I Ever meets To All the Boys if Lara Jean wrote hate emails instead of love letters.

Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class." It鈥檚 not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course -- she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings -- but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work.

All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. "You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft..."

Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them... that is, until they're accidentally sent out.

Overnight, Sadie鈥檚 carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare -- now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie -- Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate...]]> 320 Ann Liang 1338827154 erin 0 to-read, owned 4.17 2024
author: Ann Liang
name: erin
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 60784432 Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.

On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau鈥攖he sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family鈥攁re mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn鈥檛 sick鈥攕he鈥檚 cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.

Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.

Cristina and Clement used to be each other鈥檚 most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they鈥檒l have to find a way to trust each other and their family's magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city鈥檚 magical and non-magical communities. And if they don't succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse.

Terry J. Benton-Walker's contemporary fantasy debut, Blood Debts, with powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and deadly drama in New Orleans.]]> 416 Terry J. Benton-Walker 125082592X erin 0 3.81 2023
author: Terry J. Benton-Walker
name: erin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: fantasy, mystery, to-read, owned
review:

]]> 61109069
1873. At an abandoned ch芒teau on the outskirts of Paris, a dark s茅ance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D鈥橝llaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister鈥檚 death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London鈥檚 exclusive S茅ance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves鈥�
]]> 352 Sarah Penner 0778387119 erin 0 to-read, owned 3.46 2023
author: Sarah Penner
name: erin
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 63035432
Unfortunately, the gods aren鈥檛 quite done with him yet. Poseidon breaks the bad news that if Percy expects to get into New Rome University, he will have to fulfill three quests in order to earn the necessary three letters of recommendation from Mount Olympus.

The first task is to help Ganymede, Zeus鈥檚 cupbearer, retrieve his golden goblet before it falls into the wrong hands. You see, one sip from it can turn a mortal into a god, and Zeus would not be pleased with that result. Can Percy and his friends Grover and Annabeth find the precious cup in time? And if they do, will they be able to resist its special power?

Readers new to Percy Jackson universe and fans who have been awaiting this reunion for more than a decade will delight equally in this latest hilarious take on Greek mythology by the "storyteller of the gods."]]> 288 Rick Riordan 1368098177 erin 0 to-read, owned 4.27 2023
author: Rick Riordan
name: erin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 63310912
It's the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah...

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn't know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there's only one explanation: obviously. . . she's a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she's not. She's a spy's identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she's not the woman they're looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.

That's easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they're lying their way across Europe--dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister's name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can't remember or the mysterious man she can't let herself forget...]]> 304 Ally Carter 006327664X erin 0 to-read, fm-romance, owned 3.73 2023
author: Ally Carter
name: erin
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, fm-romance, owned
review:

]]> 63892214 Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters鈥攈er home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, N茅stor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and N茅stor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion鈥攁nd Nena鈥檚 rage at N茅stor for seemingly abandoning her long ago鈥攊s quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.

And unless Nena and N茅stor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.]]> 371 Isabel Ca帽as 0593436725 erin 0 3.87 2023
author: Isabel Ca帽as
name: erin
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, historical-fiction, vampires, owned
review:

]]> 10836810 A stunning story of love, sexual obsession, treachery, and tragedy, about an artist and her most famous muse in Paris between the World Wars.

Paris, 1927. In the heady years before the crash, financiers drape their mistresses in Chanel, while expatriates flock to the avant-garde bookshop Shakespeare and Company. One day in July, a young American named Rafaela Fano gets into the car of a coolly dazzling stranger, the Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka.

Struggling to halt a downward slide toward prostitution, Rafaela agrees to model for the artist, a dispossessed Saint Petersburg aristocrat with a murky past. The two become lovers, and Rafaela inspires Tamara's most iconic Jazz Age images, among them her most accomplished鈥攁nd coveted鈥攚orks of art. A season as the painter's muse teaches Rafaela some hard lessons: Tamara is a cocktail of raw hunger and glittering artifice. And all the while, their romantic idyll is threatened by history's darkening tide.

Inspired by real events in de Lempicka's history, The Last Nude is a tour de force of historical imagination. Avery gives the reader a tantalizing window into a lost Paris, an age already vanishing as the inexorable forces of history close in on two tangled lives. Spellbinding and provocative, The Last Nude is a novel about genius and craft, love and desire, regret, and, most of all, hope that can transcend time and circumstance.]]> 320 Ellis Avery 1594488134 erin 0 to-read, owned 3.89 2012
author: Ellis Avery
name: erin
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, owned
review:

]]> 34324484 Dexter meets This Savage Song in this dark fantasy about a girl who sells magical body parts on the black market 鈥� until she鈥檚 betrayed.

Nita doesn鈥檛 murder supernatural beings and sell their body parts on the internet鈥攈er mother does that. Nita just dissects the bodies after they鈥檝e been 鈥渁cquired.鈥� But when her mom brings home a live specimen, Nita decides she wants out 鈥� dissecting living people is a step too far.

But when she tries to save her mother鈥檚 victim, she ends up sold on the black market in his place 鈥� because Nita herself is a supernatural being. Now Nita is on the other side of the bars, and there is no line she won鈥檛 cross to escape and make sure no one can ever capture her again.

Nita did a good deed, and it cost her everything. Now she鈥檚 going to do a lot of bad deeds to get it all back.]]> 368 Rebecca Schaeffer 132886359X erin 0 4.14 2018
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: erin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, horror, fantasy, owned
review:

]]> 60784841 Mexican Gothic.

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She鈥檚 always lied to fit in, so if she鈥檚 straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don鈥檛 belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can鈥檛 ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don鈥檛 eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house鈥攖he home her family has always wanted鈥攚ill not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house鈥檚 rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.]]> 352 Trang Thanh Tran 1547610816 erin 0 to-read, horror, owned 3.36 2023
author: Trang Thanh Tran
name: erin
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, horror, owned
review:

]]> 60353768 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

The author of award-winning Hamnet brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de鈥� Medici as she makes her way in a troubled court.

Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf.

Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her new husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble?

As Lucrezia sits in constricting finery for a painting intended to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court鈥檚 eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferranese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, the new duchess鈥檚 future hangs entirely in the balance.

Full of the beauty and emotion with which she illuminated the Shakespearean canvas of Hamnet, Maggie O鈥橣arrell turns her talents to Renaissance Italy in an extraordinary portrait of a resilient young woman鈥檚 battle for her very survival.]]> 355 Maggie O'Farrell erin 0 3.97 2022
author: Maggie O'Farrell
name: erin
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, historical-fiction, owned
review:

]]> 59366193 All鈥檚 Well That Ends Well, the play that promised and cost her everything, she faces a mutinous cast hellbent on staging Macbeth instead. Miranda sees her chance at redemption slip through her fingers.

That鈥檚 when she meets three strange benefactors who have an eerie knowledge of Miranda鈥檚 past and a tantalizing promise for her future: one where the show goes on, her rebellious students get what鈥檚 coming to them, and the invisible doubted pain that鈥檚 kept her from the spotlight is made known.]]> 384 Mona Awad 1982169672 erin 0 to-read, horror, owned 3.78 2021
author: Mona Awad
name: erin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, horror, owned
review:

]]> 58724914 In this sweet and funny new f/f romance from the author of Cool for the Summer, a cheerleader and the school's newest quarterback are playing to win, but might lose their hearts in the process.

Amber McCloud鈥檚 dream is to become cheer captain at the end of the year, but it鈥檚 an extra-tall order to be joyful and spirited when the quarterback of your team has been killed in a car accident. For both the team and the squad, watching Robbie get replaced by newcomer Jack Walsh is brutal. And when it turns out Jack is actually short for Jaclyn, all hell breaks loose.

The players refuse to be led by a girl, the cheerleaders are mad about the changes to their traditions, and the fact that Robbie鈥檚 been not only replaced but outshined by a QB who wears a sports bra has more than a few Atherton Alligators in a rage. Amber tries for some semblance of unity, but it quickly becomes clear that she's only got a future on the squad and with her friends if she helps them take Jack down.

Just one problem: Amber and Jack are falling for each other, and if Amber can't stand up for Jack and figure out how to get everyone to fall in line, her dream may come at the cost of her heart.

Dahlia Adler's Home Field Advantage is a sparkling romance about fighting for what - or who - you truly want.]]> 304 Dahlia Adler 1250765846 erin 0 to-read, ff-romance, owned 3.82 2022
author: Dahlia Adler
name: erin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, ff-romance, owned
review:

]]> 60652964 White Horse is a gritty, vibrant debut from Erika T. Wurth about an Indigenous woman who must face her past when she discovers a bracelet haunted by her mother鈥檚 spirit.

Some people are haunted in more ways than one.

Heavy metal, ripped jeans, Stephen King novels, and the occasional beer at the White Horse have defined urban Indian Kari James鈥檚 life so far. But when her cousin Debby finds an old family bracelet that once belonged to Kari鈥檚 mother, it inadvertently calls up both her mother鈥檚 ghost and a monstrous entity, and her willful ignorance about her past is no longer sustainable鈥�

Haunted by visions of her mother and hunted by this mysterious creature, Kari must search for what happened to her mother all those years ago. Her father, permanently disabled from a car crash, can鈥檛 help her. Her Auntie Squeaker seems to know something but isn鈥檛 eager to give it all up at once. Debby鈥檚 anxious to help, but her controlling husband keeps getting in the way. Kari鈥檚 journey toward a truth long denied by both her family and law enforcement forces her to confront her dysfunctional relationships, thoughts about a friend she lost in childhood, and her desire for the one thing she鈥檚 always wanted but could never have.]]> 320 Erika T. Wurth 1250847656 erin 0 to-read, horror, owned 3.48 2022
author: Erika T. Wurth
name: erin
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, horror, owned
review:

]]> 59435944 From the cocreator of Deadpool and author of Suburban Dicks comes a diabolically funny murder mystery that features two incredibly likable--and unlikely--sleuths investigating a murder that reveals the dark underbelly of suburban marriage.

After suburban mother of five and former FBI profiler Andie Stern solved a mysterious murder--and unraveled a decades old conspiracy--in her New Jersey town, both her husband and the West Windsor police hope that she will set aside crime-fighting and go back to carpools, changing diapers, and lunches with her group of mom-friends, who she secretly calls The Cellulitists. But Andie can't help but get involved after the husband of Queen Bee Cellulitist Molly Goode is found dead--and signs point to Molly's involvement. As Andie begins to dig into the case, she risks more than just the clique's wrath--and what she discovers might hit shockingly close to home.

Meanwhile, journalist Kenny Lee is enjoying his rehabilitated image after his work with Andie. But he too is drawn back into the thicket of suburban scandals in West Windsor, which in this involve secrets, affairs, and a huge sum of money. Andie and Kenny once again are thrust into a mystery that is in turns terrifying and titillating--and altogether original.]]> 400 Fabian Nicieza 0593191307 erin 0 to-read, mystery, owned 3.89 2022
author: Fabian Nicieza
name: erin
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/01
shelves: to-read, mystery, owned
review:

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