en-US Sat, 03 May 2025 06:45:13 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 203019740 From the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades.

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding light of hope.]]> 608 Chris Whitaker 0593798872 Daniil 4 4.23 2024
author: Chris Whitaker
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/03
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves:
review:
This book is an interesting attempt to merge a crime thriller and a family saga. Although the other reviews and ratings are through the roof, I found the pace being somewhat stop-and-go, the middle part dragging almost to DNF point for me�� A good and heartfelt story overall, but I think I would have enjoyed it more as a fast paced crime thriller at least a 100 pages shorter..
]]> 29397486
Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.

They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals.

Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.]]> 288 Robert Harris Daniil 0 to-read 4.02 2016
author: Robert Harris
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 12658 An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Pulitzer Prize–winning author James A. Michener brings Hawaii’s epic history vividly to life in a classic saga that has captivated readers since its initial publication in 1959. As the volcanic Hawaiian Islands sprout from the ocean floor, the land remains untouched for centuries—until, little more than a thousand years ago, Polynesian seafarers make the perilous journey across the Pacific, flourishing in this tropical paradise according to their ancient traditions. Then, in the early nineteenth century, American missionaries arrive, bringing with them a new creed and a new way of life. Based on exhaustive research and told in Michener’s immersive prose, Hawaii is the story of disparate peoples struggling to keep their identity, live in harmony, and, ultimately, join together.]]> 937 James A. Michener 0375760377 Daniil 0 to-read 4.21 1959
author: James A. Michener
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1959
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1629 318 Annie Proulx 0007205589 Daniil 0 to-read 3.76 1999
author: Annie Proulx
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61458888
Despite her uneasiness and misgivings from Calvin's friends and family, the two grow close and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things between them start to change for the worse. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to turn into obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him.

Told from dual points of view, You Shouldn't Have Come Here is a thrill ride and a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you open up your house and your heart to a total stranger.]]> 292 Jeneva Rose Daniil 0 to-read 3.31 2023
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222631674 From bestselling author John Boyne, a gripping and profound exploration of guilt, blame, trauma, and the human capacity for redemption.

In The Elements, acclaimed Irish novelist John Boyne has created an epic saga that weaves together four interconnected narratives, each representing a different perspective on the enabler, the accomplice, the perpetrator, and the victim.

The narrative follows a mother on the run from her past, a young soccer star facing a trial, a successful surgeon grappling with childhood trauma, and a father on a transformative journey with his son. Each is somehow connected to the next, and as the story unfolds, their lives intersect in unimaginable ways.

Boyne’s most ambitious work yet, The Elements is both an engrossing drama and a moving investigation of why and how we allow crime to occur. With masterful, spellbinding prose, he navigates this complex subject with extraordinary empathy and unflinching honesty. The story resonates on a deeply emotional level, challenging readers to confront their own conceptions of guilt and innocence at every step. Amid the wildly engrossing storytelling, the book ultimately What would you do when faced with the unthinkable?]]> 496 John Boyne 1250410363 Daniil 0 to-read 4.69 2025
author: John Boyne
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.69
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 27300577 626 Dmitry Glukhovsky 1517679273 Daniil 4 4.06 2013
author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 199698485 When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide

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

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.]]> 490 Liz Moore Daniil 0 to-read 4.15 2024
author: Liz Moore
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214868013 A terrible heatwave. A very tense baby shower. It will all end in tears...

Nicki, Lauren, Charlotte and Steffi have been friends since university. Now in their thirties, life is pulling them in different directions - but when Charlotte organises the baby shower of hell for pregnant Nicki, the girls are reunited.

Under a sweltering hot summer day, tensions rise - and by the end of the evening, nothing will ever be the same. Someone started a fire at the house - and everyone's a suspect... Is it Steffi, happily child-free but feeling judged by her friends? Is it Charlotte, desperate to conceive and jealous of those who have? Is it Lauren, who is finding motherhood far, far worse than she imagined? Or is it Nicki herself, who never wanted a baby shower anyway?

In the aftermath, the police put together the facts - but the truth will shock everyone. Even you.

BIG LITTLE LIES meets REALLY GOOD, ACTUALLY in the incredible new novel from Holly Bourne - it's the book you'll want to read three times, then give to every woman in your life.]]> 423 Holly Bourne 1529301645 Daniil 0 to-read 4.00 2025
author: Holly Bourne
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218583908 ‘A work of genius�� Philip Hoare
‘One of the best things I’ve read in many many years�� Hilton Als
'Beautifully provocative ... the most compelling exploration of life, death, love and resistance that I've read for a very long time' Eimear McBride

A story of loss and grief, sex and love, and refusing to relinquish dreams

He said he would understand if it was too much for me, that I could leave him, that I was young, I should be living, I said to him, I am living.

Johnny Grant faces stark life decisions. Seeking answers, he looks back to his relationship with Jerry Field. When they met, nearly thirty years ago, Johnny was 19, Jerry was 45. They fell in love and made a life on their own terms in Jerry’s 1, Nova Scotia House. Johnny is still there today �� but Jerry is gone, and so is the world they knew.

As Johnny’s mind travels between then and now, he begins to remember stories of Jerry’s of experiments in living; of radical philosophies; of the many possibilities of love, sex and friendship before the AIDS crisis devastated the queer community. Slowly, he realizes what he must do next—and attempts to restore ways of being that could be lost forever.

Nova Scotia House takes us to the heart of a relationship, a community and an era. It is both a love story and a lament; bearing witness to the enduring pain of the AIDS pandemic and honouring the joys and creativity of queer life. Intimate, visionary, and profoundly original, it marks the debut of a vibrant new voice in contemporary fiction, and a writer with a liberating new story to tell.
]]> 224 Charlie Porter 1802067450 Daniil 0 to-read 4.14 2025
author: Charlie Porter
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18373 Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.
��
Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence �� a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.

As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?]]> 311 Daniel Keyes 015603008X Daniil 0 to-read 4.19 1966
author: Daniel Keyes
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1966
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25489025
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman’s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.]]> 188 Han Kang 0553448188 Daniil 3 3.62 2007
author: Han Kang
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 59826557
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.

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

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.]]> 336 Tara Westover 0399590528 Daniil 5 4.47 2018
author: Tara Westover
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves:
review:
What a story, what a life, what a determination. Tara Westover’s “Educated�� is a powerful account of an escape, but not just from the rural Idaho to the marble halls of Cambridge and Harvard, but escape from the emotional trap of family obligations, from the “cult�� where education and liberation are mortal sins, from physical and mental suppression by dominant masculinity and more important - from fear and self doubt. This book also shows the extreme intellectual, educational and religious diversity that US has - the country where you find the most educated, accomplished and prosperous people coexist with communities that shun any progress and do anything in their power to actively create and remain in bubbles of deliberate ignorance and narrow minded doctrines. This book has “educated�� me about the United States, my new home, more than any other book that I have recently read. Highly recommend!
]]> 26892110
After all, she was a normal American herself, once.

That was a long time ago, of course—before the time she calls “adoption day,�� when she and a dozen other children found themselves being raised by a man they learned to call Father.

Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible.

In the years since Father took her in, Carolyn hasn't gotten out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient Pelapi customs. They've studied the books in his library and learned some of the secrets behind his equally ancient power.

Sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.

Now, Father is missing. And if God truly is dead, the only thing that matters is who will inherit his library—and with it, power over all of creation.

As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her.

But Carolyn can win. She's sure of it. What she doesn't realize is that her victory may come at an unacceptable price—because in becoming a God, she's forgotten a great deal about being human.]]> 390 Scott Hawkins 0553418629 Daniil 0 to-read 4.06 2015
author: Scott Hawkins
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 13318653 128 Justin Torres 0547844190 Daniil 0 to-read 3.84 2011
author: Justin Torres
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214152146
Against the rugged backdrop of this faraway spot beyond Shetland, Carys Davies's intimate drama unfolds with tension and tenderness: a touching and crystalline study of ordinary people buffeted by history and a powerful exploration of the distances and connections between us. Perfectly structured and surprising at every turn, Clear is a marvel of storytelling, an exquisite short novel by a master of the form.]]> 224 Carys Davies 1668030675 Daniil 0 to-read 3.97
author: Carys Davies
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53522062 444 Angie Thomas Daniil 4 4.41 2017
author: Angie Thomas
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves:
review:
What can I say, maybe the world would be a better place if White people would read Black books more often��. This was a good one - recommend!
]]> 40045986
Beckett,

If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.

I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.

My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.

And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.

So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.

Please don’t make her go through it alone.

Ryan]]> 426 Rebecca Yarros 1640635335 Daniil 0 to-read 4.43 2019
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 65215321 From the bestselling author of We the Animals, Blackouts mines lost histories--personal and collective.

Out in the desert in a place called the Palace, a young man tends to a dying soul, someone he once knew briefly, but who has haunted the edges of his life. Juan Gay--playful raconteur, child lost and found and lost, guardian of the institutionalized--has a project to pass along to this new narrator. It is inspired by a true artifact of a book, Sex Variants: A Study in Homosexual Patterns, which contains stories collected in the early twentieth century from queer subjects by a queer researcher, Jan Gay, whose groundbreaking work was then co-opted by a committee, her name buried. As Juan waits for his end, he and the narrator trade stories--moments of joy and oblivion--and resurrect lost loves, lives, mothers, fathers, minor heroes. The past is with us, beside us, ahead of us; what are we to create from its gaps and erasures?

Inspired by Kiss of the Spider Woman, Pedro Páramo, Voodoo Macbeth, the book at its own center and the woman who created it, oral histories, and many more texts, images, and influences, Justin Torres's Blackouts is a work of fiction that sees through the inventions of history and narrative. An extraordinary work of creative imagination, it insists that we look long and steady at the world we have inherited and the world we have made--a world full of ghostly shadows and flashing moments of truth.]]> 306 Justin Torres 0374293570 Daniil 4 It’s based on a life’s of a few real people, a few imaginary characters and somewhat of the author’s own life. A weirdo of a book, but a gentle and curious one. Winner of National Book Award for fiction and I can see why. Recommend!]]> 3.76 2023
author: Justin Torres
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves:
review:
It’s not so easy to describe this book. It’s certainly an unusual one, probably is one of the most unusual books that I’ve ever read.. Can I call it an “ode to a dying teacher�� or an “ode to a bygone era��..? A scrapbook of a life, love, sex lost? Scrapbook is probably the best definition of the style. It’s a journal of a sort, but of the few lives scrapbooked into one journal, which is rather poetic, somehow romantic, occasionally homoerotic.
It’s based on a life’s of a few real people, a few imaginary characters and somewhat of the author’s own life. A weirdo of a book, but a gentle and curious one. Winner of National Book Award for fiction and I can see why. Recommend!
]]> 10306358
“A tremendously gifted writer whose highly personal voice should excite us in much the same way that Raymond Carver’s or Jeffrey Eugenides’s voice did when we first heard it."�� The Washington Post

Three brothers tear their way through childhood�� smashing tomatoes all over each other, building kites from trash, hiding out when their parents do battle, tiptoeing around the house as their mother sleeps off her graveyard shift. Paps and Ma are from Brooklyn—he’s Puerto Rican, she’s white—and their love is a serious, dangerous thing that makes and unmakes a family many times. Life in this family is fierce and absorbing, full of chaos and heartbreak and the euphoria of belonging completely to one another. From the intense familial unity felt by a child to the profound alienation he endures as he begins to see the world, this beautiful novel reinvents the coming-of-age story in a way that is sly and punch-in-the-stomach powerful.

"We the Animals is a dark jewel of a book. It’s heartbreaking. It’s beautiful. It resembles no other book I’ve read.”—Michael Cunningham

"A fiery ode to boyhood . . . A welterweight champ of a book."�� NPR, Weekend Edition]]> 128 Justin Torres 0547576722 Daniil 0 to-read 3.72 2011
author: Justin Torres
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58777696 From the New York Times bestselling author of RIVER OF DOUBT and DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC, the stirring story of one of the great feats of exploration of all time, and its complicated legacy

The Nile River is the longest in the world. Its fertile floodplain allowed for rise to the great civilization of ancient Egypt, but for millennia the location of its headwaters was shrouded in mystery. Pharaonic and Roman attempts to find it were stymied by a giant labyrinthine swamp, and subsequent expeditions got no further. In the 19th century, the discovery and translation of the Rosetta Stone set off a frenzy of interest in ancient Egypt. At the same time, European powers sent off waves of explorations intended to map the unknown corners of the globe - and extend their colonial empires.

Two British men - Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke - were sent by the Royal Geographical Society to claim the prize for England. Burton was already famous for being the first non-Muslim to travel to Mecca, disguised as an Arab chieftain. He spoke twenty-nine languages, was a decorated soldier, and literally wrote the book on sword-fighting techniques for the British Army. He was also mercurial, subtle, and an iconoclastic atheist. Speke was a young aristocrat and Army officer determined to make his mark, passionate about hunting, Burton's opposite in temperament and beliefs.

From the start the two men clashed, Speke chafing under Burton's command and Burton disapproving of Speke's ignorance of the people whose lands through which they traveled. They would endure tremendous hardships, illness, and constant setbacks. Two years in, deep in the African interior, Burton became too sick to press on, but Speke did, and claimed he found the source in a great lake that he christened Lake Victoria. When they returned to England, Speke rushed to take credit, disparaging Burton. Burton disputed his claim, and Speke launched another expedition to Africa to prove it. The two became venomous enemies, with the public siding with the more charismatic Burton, to Speke's great envy. The day before they were to publicly debate, Speke shot himself.

Yet there was a third man on both expeditions, his name obscured by imperial annals, whose exploits were even more extraordinary. This was Sidi Mubarak Bombay, who was enslaved and shipped from his home village in East Africa to India. When the man who purchased him died, he made his way into the local Sultan's army, and eventually traveled back to Africa, where he used his resourcefulness, linguistic prowess and raw courage to forge a living as a guide. Without his talents, it is likely that neither Englishman would have come close to the headwaters of the Nile, or perhaps even survived.

In RIVER OF THE GODS Candice Millard has written another peerless story of courage and adventure, set against the backdrop of the race to exploit Africa by the colonial powers.
]]> 349 Candice Millard 052552407X Daniil 0 to-read 3.77 2022
author: Candice Millard
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205478762 The Overstory at the height of his skills. Twelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world’s first aqualungs. Ina Aroita grows up on naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. Two polar opposites at an elite Chicago high school bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game; Rafi Young will get lost in literature, while Todd Keane’s work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough.

They meet on the history-scarred island of Makatea in French Polynesia, whose deposits of phosphorus once helped to feed the world. Now the tiny atoll has been chosen for humanity’s next adventure: a plan to send floating, autonomous cities out onto the open sea. But first, the island’s residents must vote to greenlight the project or turn the seasteaders away.

Set in the world’s largest ocean, this awe-filled book explores that last wild place we have yet to colonize in a still-unfolding oceanic game, and interweaves beautiful writing, rich characterization, profound themes of technology and the environment, and a deep exploration of our shared humanity in a way only Richard Powers can.]]> 381 Richard Powers 1324086033 Daniil 0 to-read 4.16 2024
author: Richard Powers
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 176443690
Against the rugged backdrop of this faraway spot beyond Shetland, Carys Davies's intimate drama unfolds with tension and tenderness: a touching and crystalline study of ordinary people buffeted by history and a powerful exploration of the distances and connections between us. Perfectly structured and surprising at every turn, Clear is a marvel of storytelling, an exquisite short novel by a master of the form.]]> 196 Carys Davies 1668030667 Daniil 0 to-read 3.85
author: Carys Davies
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213562784
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? This piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller. That is what June believes, and The New York Times bestseller list agrees.

But June cannot escape Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens her stolen success. As she races to protect her secret she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.]]> 322 R.F. Kuang 0063250853 Daniil 0 to-read 3.80 2023
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 42413627 'Astonishing . . . A fascinating, detailed and dramatic story of one of Rome's most notorious emperors' SUNDAY EXPRESS

Commodus is a brilliant, thrilling novel about one of Rome's most intriguing - and notorious - emperors, for fans of Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden, Christian Cameron, Ben Kane and Harry Sidebottom.

Rome is enjoying a period of stability and prosperity. The Empire's borders are growing, and there are two sons in the imperial succession for the first time in Rome's history.

But all is not as it appears. Cracks are beginning to show. Two decades of war have taken their toll, and there are whispers of a sickness in the East. The Empire stands on the brink of true disaster, an age of gold giving way to one of iron and rust, a time of reason and strength sliding into hunger and pain.

The decline may yet be halted, though. One man tries to hold the fracturing empire together. To Rome, he is their emperor, their Hercules, their Commodus.

But Commodus is breaking up himself, and when the darkness grips, only one woman can hold him together. To Rome she was nothing. The plaything of the emperor. To Commodus, she was everything. She was Marcia.

From the author of the critically acclaimed Caligula ('an engrossing new spin on a well-known tale' - The Times) comes the new novel in The Damned Emperors series: Commodus.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE DAMNED EMPEROR SERIES:

'Commodus by Simon Turney is my sort of historical fiction - people who actually lived - with their lives told in an intriguing and interesting way' - Amazon review

'Truly a magnificent read, insightful, powerful, emotional and gripping from the start' - Amazon review

'Simon Turner is a first class writer, and he certainly did his research well' Amazon review]]> 471 Simon Turney Daniil 0 to-read 4.15 2019
author: Simon Turney
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199797783 This edition contains a bonus chapter.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?]]> 400 Lisa Jewell 1982179015 Daniil 0 to-read 4.07 2023
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59357120
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? This piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller. That is what June believes, and The New York Times bestseller list agrees.

But June cannot escape Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens her stolen success. As she races to protect her secret she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.]]> 329 R.F. Kuang Daniil 0 to-read 3.84 2023
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25848636 518 Audrey Niffenegger Daniil 0 to-read 3.96 2003
author: Audrey Niffenegger
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214958662 Going Live on television, young Luke would dress in a suit and tie and join his parents to knock on doors to spread the word of his religion. From an early age, he felt different. This feeling of displacement was not limited to his faith, as he came to terms with his own sexuality, he also faced a difficult and uncertain path. In his poignant, tender and often humorous account, Luke shares his bold decision to leave home �� and the religion �� at seventeen to move to London where vibrant Soho scene captured his heart, invigorated his creative journey as an actor and opened a whole new world of opportunity.

In finding himself, Luke also discovered his passions of singing, acting and performing. Starring first on the West End stages in iconic productions like Miss Saigon, Avenue Q and Rent, he quickly captivated the hearts of audiences and caught the eye of Hollywood's elite, going on to secure roles in blockbuster films such as The Hobbit, Beauty and the Beast, Fast and Furious and Dracula Untold.

In this intimate memoir, Luke takes us behind the scenes of his career on the stage and screen. He writes beautifully of the relationship he now has with his family and the respect they all have for one another on their different paths. Luke's story is a powerful tale of resilience, courage, and the pursuit of finding a sense of belonging and identity, but mostly (and hopefully) a story of inspiration.]]> 304 Luke Evans Daniil 5 Recommend!]]> 4.42
author: Luke Evans
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves:
review:
I have thoroughly enjoyed Luke Evan’s Boy From The Valleys. What an amazing journey his life has been so far. I am very new to audiobooks and although I certainly prefer the print, in this case I really believe that audio book does a better job as it is narrated by the author himself, and the sincerity of his voice, his own pace, emotions in his voice and that (cute?) welsh accent certainly add another immersive dimension to the narrative. You don’t really need to know Luke Evans to listen to this book - it’s an amazing “rugs to riches�� story that touches on religion, sexuality, behind-the-scenes of movie and theater, encounters with other celebrities and much much more. A beautiful, heartfelt and very diverse memoir, that is worth to be read or even better - heard.
Recommend!
]]> 30165203
Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...]]> 635 Neil Gaiman Daniil 4 4.11 2001
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this book. Love the idea behind it - to bring alive all the “forgotten�� gods that came to America with the immigrants over the centuries with their beliefs, stories and prayers. Neil Gaiman is a master of mysticism and he has certainly succeeded in creating a perfect theater for the ancient gods in this book. We inevitably learn even from pure fiction, this time - names of multiple ancient gods, how they come to be in America and what are they slowly but surely being replaced with. Well paced, captivating and a thought provoking book. Recommend!
]]> 67697
In Alexander's childhood, his defiant character was molded into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion, on whom he depended for he rest of his life, taught him trust, whilst Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations. He killed his first man in battle at the age of twelve and became the commander of Macedon's cavalry at eighteen - by the time his father was murdered and he acceded to the throne, Alexander's skills had grown to match his fiery ambition.]]> 375 Mary Renault 0375726829 Daniil 0 to-read 3.98 1969
author: Mary Renault
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1969
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 67700 The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander’s life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas was sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but found freedom with Alexander after the Macedon army conquered his homeland.
Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes-mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper. After Alexander’s mysterious death, we are left wondering if this Persian boy understood the great warrior and his ambitions better than anyone.]]> 420 Mary Renault 0394751019 Daniil 0 to-read 4.18 1972
author: Mary Renault
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1972
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199898012
Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.��

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls�� high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

A heartfelt novel of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran.]]> 336 Marjan Kamali Daniil 0 to-read 4.60 2024
author: Marjan Kamali
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55145261 A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.]]> 304 John Green 0525555218 Daniil 0 to-read 4.37 2021
author: John Green
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile�� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 528 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Daniil 0 to-read 4.56 2023
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 256008 Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America.

Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.]]> 960 Larry McMurtry 067168390X Daniil 0 to-read 4.53 1985
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.53
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207297957
Matt Rife is well aware that he’s both the most loved and the most controversial comic in America today. And honestly, he thinks that’s your problem.

Matt reveals (without apology, of course) what led him to becoming comedy’s biggest lightning rod before he reached thirty, in a story full of bold and hysterical takes on everything from Justin Bieber tramp stamps and rap battles with ex-cons to Matt’s struggles with depression and his many brushes with failure before finally hitting it big.

Born in trashy backwoods Ohio, Matt was saved by his foul-mouthed but loving grandpa Steve, who fostered his passion for standup. He started hitting comedy clubs before he could even drink, cutting his teeth in front of crowds who dared him to succeed. Matt honed a brand of razor-sharp, brutally honest standup that took no prisoners—and took him to the most famous stages of Atlanta and LA before he graduated high school. Along the way, he broke the hearts of MILFs everywhere, finally hit puberty at the ripe age of twenty-two, and never, ever backed down.

Full of Matt opening up, at his unfiltered best, about his life for the very first time, this book will give his millions of fans everything they want and more—and might even get his insecure enemies to change their minds.]]> 272 Matt Rife 1668060418 Daniil 2 Now looking back - and what did I expect? This is a memoir of a 29 year old who’s life so far has been escaping from a “white trash�� (his words, not mine) rural Ohio and moving to LA to sleep on mates�� couches and perform at every comedy venue that he can find until he finally gets noticed and makes it big. That’s really it��
Is the book funny? No. Is it full of some profound wisdom based on life long experience? No. It’s literally a rambling of a youngster who (through hard work though) became an brief media sensation and decided that now he is ripe enough to write a memoir��
There was a moment when I was a big fan of Matt Rife and that’s what pushed me to buy the book, but one thing is to be able to do a good crowd work as a comedian and the other to write a book that is actually meaningful or at least entertaining in any way..
Unfortunately, this is not the book I can recommend. ]]> 3.83
author: Matt Rife
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves:
review:
I never give 2 starts to the books, I just don’t finish those that fail to grab me. Somehow through I pushed through this one, maybe just to be able to add it to my ŷ������ list.. I had started with a paperback, but seeing how basic and simplistic it is (almost like Wimpy Kid’s Diary) I switched to an audio book and that what has helped me to see (or rather hear) the end.
Now looking back - and what did I expect? This is a memoir of a 29 year old who’s life so far has been escaping from a “white trash�� (his words, not mine) rural Ohio and moving to LA to sleep on mates�� couches and perform at every comedy venue that he can find until he finally gets noticed and makes it big. That’s really it��
Is the book funny? No. Is it full of some profound wisdom based on life long experience? No. It’s literally a rambling of a youngster who (through hard work though) became an brief media sensation and decided that now he is ripe enough to write a memoir��
There was a moment when I was a big fan of Matt Rife and that’s what pushed me to buy the book, but one thing is to be able to do a good crowd work as a comedian and the other to write a book that is actually meaningful or at least entertaining in any way..
Unfortunately, this is not the book I can recommend.
]]> 210943348
Alexei Navalny began writing Patriot shortly after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020. It is the full story of his life: his youth, his call to activism, his marriage and family, his commitment to challenging a world super-power determined to silence him, and his total conviction that change cannot be resisted—and will come.

In vivid, page-turning detail, including never-before-seen correspondence from prison, Navalny recounts, among other things, his political career, the many attempts on his life, and the lives of the people closest to him, and the relentless campaign he and his team waged against an increasingly dictatorial regime.

Written with the passion, wit, candor, and bravery for which he was justly acclaimed, Patriot is Navalny’s final letter to the world: a moving account of his last years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom matter so deeply; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life.

“This book is a testament not only to Alexei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship—a fight he gave everything for, including his life. Through its pages, readers will come to know the man I loved deeply—a man of profound integrity and unyielding courage. Sharing his story will not only honor his memory but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.�� —Yulia Navalnaya]]> 496 Alexei Navalny 0593320964 Daniil 4 Secondly, I am not sure if this memoir is a message of hope or of hopelessness. Probably Navalny’s message is one of hope, but I have no hope left for the country and the people that one way or another lived under tyranny and oppression through tzars, then soviets, then modern crooks and dictators - fatalism and submissiveness is already part of DNA. This book is a story of a modern day messiah and martyr who has sacrificed everything he had, life including, attempting to move the fatalistic masses and failed, crushed under the machine that has been designed and oiled through the Soviet regime and which now is so perfected to exploit the fear and submissiveness that it seem to be unstoppable.
May you find hope in this book. I find only hopelessness.
God bless Navalny for trying and bless his family for stoically enduring this torment..
Navalny story is a story of heroism and self-sacrifice, it’s an eye opener on shameless, blatant corruption that devoured the biggest and resource-richest country in the world, it’s an exposure of total absence of fair judiciary system. Everything is sold, everything is bought, conscience including. It’s a very frustrating read, especially for those like me, who were born in USSR and found the way out and into the western world.
Maybe I should take a break from the books about “our�� part of the world - one after the other they just left me completely hopeless that light will ever return to darker and darker mire called Russia. I apologize if this comment offends anyone.
And to Navalny - thank you and may it all be not in vain. May your story and name live as memory of a ray of light in this dark, dark night for your beloved country.]]> 4.54 2024
author: Alexei Navalny
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves:
review:
First of all, I wish I could have read it in Russian, but English copy was much easier and faster to obtain here in the US.
Secondly, I am not sure if this memoir is a message of hope or of hopelessness. Probably Navalny’s message is one of hope, but I have no hope left for the country and the people that one way or another lived under tyranny and oppression through tzars, then soviets, then modern crooks and dictators - fatalism and submissiveness is already part of DNA. This book is a story of a modern day messiah and martyr who has sacrificed everything he had, life including, attempting to move the fatalistic masses and failed, crushed under the machine that has been designed and oiled through the Soviet regime and which now is so perfected to exploit the fear and submissiveness that it seem to be unstoppable.
May you find hope in this book. I find only hopelessness.
God bless Navalny for trying and bless his family for stoically enduring this torment..
Navalny story is a story of heroism and self-sacrifice, it’s an eye opener on shameless, blatant corruption that devoured the biggest and resource-richest country in the world, it’s an exposure of total absence of fair judiciary system. Everything is sold, everything is bought, conscience including. It’s a very frustrating read, especially for those like me, who were born in USSR and found the way out and into the western world.
Maybe I should take a break from the books about “our�� part of the world - one after the other they just left me completely hopeless that light will ever return to darker and darker mire called Russia. I apologize if this comment offends anyone.
And to Navalny - thank you and may it all be not in vain. May your story and name live as memory of a ray of light in this dark, dark night for your beloved country.
]]> 15798438 The Absolutist, a propulsive novel of the Russian Revolution and the fate of the Romanovs.
��
Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, The House of Special Purpose illuminates an empire at the end of its reign.

Eighty-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past—a past of death, suffering, and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days. Living in England with his beloved wife, Zoya, Georgy prepares to make one final journey back to the Russia he once knew and loved, the Russia that both destroyed and defined him. As Georgy remembers days gone by, we are transported to St. Petersburg, to the Winter Palace of the czar, in the early twentieth century—a time of change, threat, and bloody revolution. As Georgy overturns the most painful stone of all, we uncover the story of the house of special purpose.]]> 469 John Boyne 1590515986 Daniil 3 4.14 2009
author: John Boyne
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:
I’ve red most of John Boyne’s books and this is so far my least favorite. It’s a good story overall, I like how it jumps between the past and present, the unlikely story of a peasant that by a stroke of fate landed in the middle of Romanov’s (tsar’s) family, even liked the hopeful story of a “survivor��. But how on earth the writer of this caliber, when writing a book populated solely by Russian characters does not run the names by a native Russian speaker. Some of the nonsensical patronymics that he has generated using “one rule fits all�� approach made me irk every time I stumbled across another “Boryavich�� or “Ilyavich��.. I actually left the book at some stage, but then picked it up again and pushed through a few months later. Really didn’t expect this kind of a blunder from one of my favorite authors :(
]]> 199798785
On January 28, 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of a crew including New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like 9/11 or JFK’s assassination, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in 20th-century history—yet the details of what took place that day, and why, have largely been forgotten. Until now.

Based on extensive archival records and meticulous, original reporting, Challenger follows a handful of central protagonists—including each of the seven members of the doomed crew—through the years leading up to the accident, a detailed account of the tragedy itself, and into the investigation that followed. It’s a tale of optimism and promise undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; of hubris and heroism; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light. Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and ultimately kept from the public.

Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program, the lives of men and women whose stories have been overshadowed by the disaster as well as the designers, engineers, and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space.]]> 563 Adam Higginbotham 198217661X Daniil 0 to-read 4.52 2024
author: Adam Higginbotham
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40538681
Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers not only its own citizens, but all of humanity. It is a story that has long remained in dispute, clouded from the beginning in secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation.

Midnight In Chernobyl is an indelible portrait of history's worst nuclear disaster, of human resilience and ingenuity and the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will - lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats - remain not just vital but necessary.

Now, Higginbotham brings us closer to the truth behind this colossal tragedy.]]> 538 Adam Higginbotham 1501134612 Daniil 5 4.35 2019
author: Adam Higginbotham
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
review:
This certainly is an incredible account of one of the most tragic human-made accidents. Kudos to the author for not only collecting all the personal stories of the real heroes and victims of the tragedy, conducting the factual research, but also for making it so readable for non-nuclear scientists
]]> 30236962
The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself--to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.]]> 704 Elizabeth Kostova Daniil 0 to-read 3.94 2005
author: Elizabeth Kostova
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 32049 376 D.H. Lawrence 039460430X Daniil 0 to-read 3.56 1928
author: D.H. Lawrence
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1928
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 28264701 Perfect for readers of The Secret Life of Bees and The Help, a perceptive and searing look at Apartheid-era South Africa, told through one unique family brought together by tragedy.

Life under Apartheid has created a secure future for Robin Conrad, a ten-year-old white girl living with her parents in 1970s Johannesburg. In the same nation but worlds apart, Beauty Mbali, a Xhosa woman in a rural village in the Bantu homeland of the Transkei, struggles to raise her children alone after her husband's death. Both lives have been built upon the division of race, and their meeting should never have occurred...until the Soweto Uprising, in which a protest by black students ignites racial conflict, alters the fault lines on which their society is built, and shatters their worlds when Robin’s parents are left dead and Beauty’s daughter goes missing.

After Robin is sent to live with her loving but irresponsible aunt, Beauty is hired to care for Robin while continuing the search for her daughter. In Beauty, Robin finds the security and family that she craves, and the two forge an inextricable bond through their deep personal losses. But Robin knows that if Beauty finds her daughter, Robin could lose her new caretaker forever, so she makes a desperate decision with devastating consequences. Her quest to make amends and find redemption is a journey of self-discovery in which she learns the harsh truths of the society that once promised her protection.

Told through Beauty and Robin's alternating perspectives, the interwoven narratives create a rich and complex tapestry of the emotions and tensions at the heart of Apartheid-era South Africa. Hum If You Don’t Know the Words is a beautifully rendered look at loss, racism, and the creation of family.]]> 432 Bianca Marais 0399575073 Daniil 0 to-read 4.24 2017
author: Bianca Marais
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 117896 ]]> 164 Venedikt Erofeev 0810112000 Daniil 0 to-read 4.08 1969
author: Venedikt Erofeev
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1969
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 127280850
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 392 Emilia Hart 1250842727 Daniil 0 to-read 4.02 2023
author: Emilia Hart
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 51542229
In 1957, Frank Kameny, a rising astronomer working for the U.S. Defense Department in Hawaii, received a summons to report immediately to Washington, D.C. The Pentagon had reason to believe he was a homosexual, and after a series of humiliating interviews, Kameny, like countless gay men and women before him, was promptly dismissed from his government job. Unlike many others, though, Kameny fought back.

Eric Cervini's The Deviant's War is the story of what followed. This book is an assiduously researched history of an early champion of gay liberation, one who fought for the right to follow his passion and serve his country in the wake of Joseph McCarthy's Lavender Scare. We follow Kameny as he explores the underground gay scenes of Boston and Washington, D.C., where he formulates his arguments against the U.S. Government's classification of gay men and women as "sexual perverts." At a time when staying in the closet remained the default, he exposed the hypocrisies of the American establishment, accelerated a broader revolution in sexual morals, and invented what we now know as Gay Pride.

Based on firsthand accounts, recently declassified FBI records, and forty thousand personal documents, The Deviant's War unfolds over the course of the 1960s, as the Mattachine Society of Washington, the group Kameny founded, became the first organization to protest the systematic persecution of gay federal employees. It traces the forgotten ties that bound gay rights to the Black Freedom Movement, the New Left, lesbian activism, and trans resistance. Above all, it is a story of America (and Washington) at a cultural and sexual crossroads; of public battles with Congress; of FBI informants; murder; betrayal; sex; love; and ultimately victory.]]> 494 Eric Cervini 0374139792 Daniil 0 to-read 4.29 2020
author: Eric Cervini
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 239186
Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude. Riveting, powerful, and unbearably suspenseful, Isaac's Storm is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets the great uncontrollable force of nature.]]> 323 Erik Larson 0375708278 Daniil 0 to-read 4.04 1999
author: Erik Larson
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 9938498
A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the New Germany, she has one affair after another, including with the surprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, confirmed by chilling first-person testimony, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance and ultimately, horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler's true character and ruthless ambition.

Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Goring and the expectedly charming—yet wholly sinister—Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.]]> 448 Erik Larson 0307408841 Daniil 0 to-read 3.87 2011
author: Erik Larson
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 397483
Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison.

The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims.

Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing. - John Moe]]> 464 Erik Larson 0609608444 Daniil 0 to-read 4.02 2003
author: Erik Larson
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 22551730
On May 1, 1915, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were anxious. Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone, and for months, its U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era's great transatlantic "Greyhounds" and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack. He knew, moreover, that his ship - the fastest then in service - could outrun any threat.

Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger's U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small - hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more--all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.

It is a story that many of us think we know but don't, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour, mystery, and real-life suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope Riddle to President Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love. Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster that helped place America on the road to war.]]> 430 Erik Larson 0307408868 Daniil 0 to-read 4.10 2015
author: Erik Larson
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59811242
Maybe Archie Coomes has been watching too many horror movies.

All of a sudden, the most ordinary things have taken on a sinister edge: a penny on a doormat. A man in a brown suit under a streetlamp. The persistent sound of an ax chopping in the middle of the night.

He keeps telling himself that this is Seaham, a sleepy seaside town where nothing ever happens. Or at least nothing did, until his dad’s construction company opened up the cliff beneath the old—some say cursed—Langdon place.

Soon, though, he and his friends can’t deny it: more and more of the adults in town are acting strangely. An ancient, long-buried evil has been unleashed upon the community, and it’s up to the kids to stop it before it’s too late. . . .]]> 336 Colin Meloy 006301551X Daniil 4 3.67 2022
author: Colin Meloy
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/10/18
shelves:
review:
Just finished this YA book. It is not something that I would usually read, but picked it up from my son’s shelf just to read a few pages of “something�� before going to bed. The writing has quickly captured my attention and I ended up really enjoying this lighter distraction from my usual heavier read (presently on Chernobyl), even staying up later than usual to finish the book. I recommend this as good, slightly spooky (perfect for Halloween) YA mystery fiction
]]> 42201431
Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781501128035.]]> 432 Christina Lauren 1501128035 Daniil 0 to-read 3.88 2019
author: Christina Lauren
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 13079982 Sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.�� But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.]]> 194 Ray Bradbury Daniil 0 to-read 3.97 1953
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1953
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 49090884
His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.�� Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.]]> 209 Agustina Bazterrica 1982150920 Daniil 0 to-read 3.75 2017
author: Agustina Bazterrica
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 54493401
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?]]> 476 Andy Weir 0593135202 Daniil 0 to-read 4.49 2021
author: Andy Weir
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 36121086 We forgive murderers, not pedophiles.

Not since Lionel Shriver brought us We Need to Talk About Kevin has a writer delved into the complexities of a disturbed mother/son relationship. Until now.

Meet Noah—an A-honor roll student, award-winning swimmer, and small-town star destined for greatness. There weren’t any signs that something was wrong until the day he confesses to molesting little girls during swim team practice. He’s sentenced to eighteen months in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation center.

His mother, Adrianne, refuses to turn her back on him despite his horrific crimes, but her husband won’t allow Noah back into their home. In a series of shocking and shattering revelations, Adrianne is forced to make the hardest decision of her life. Just how far will she go to protect her son?

Saving Noah challenges everything you think you know about teenage sexual offenders. It will keep you up at night long after you've read the last page, questioning beliefs you once thought were true.]]> 259 Lucinda Berry Daniil 0 to-read 3.89 2017
author: Lucinda Berry
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35525142 Телефон - это резервное хранилище нашей души. В нем самые яркие наши воспоминания, фотографии смеха и наше видео о том, как мы пытаемся почувствовать счастье. В почте - письма от матери и вся подноготная нашей работы. В истории браузеров - все, что нам интересно на самом деле. В чатах - признания в любви и прощания. В нем снимки наших соблазнов и свидетельства грехов, слезы и обиды. Такое время. Картинки. Текст.
Телефон - это и есть я. И тот, кто получит мой телефон, может стать мной - для всех остальных. И они даже ничего не заметят - а когда заметят, будет уже слишком поздно. Для нас всех.]]> 320 Dmitry Glukhovsky 5171035210 Daniil 4 4.00 2017
author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 43330 489 Sidney Sheldon 0006472613 Daniil 0 to-read 4.14 1982
author: Sidney Sheldon
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58938614
Epic and intimate, heartbreaking and galvanizing, Charlotte McConaghy's Migrations is an ode to a disappearing world and a breathtaking page-turner about the possibility of hope against all odds.]]> 278 Charlotte McConaghy Daniil 0 to-read 4.22 2020
author: Charlotte McConaghy
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35403647 'An engrossing new spin on a well-known tale' Antonia Senior, The Times'Caligula as you've never seen him before! A powerfully moving read from one of the best ancient world authors in the business' Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network Everyone knows his name. Everyone thinks they know his story.Rome 37AD. The emperor is dying. No-one knows how long he has left. The power struggle has begun.When the ailing Tiberius thrusts Caligula's family into the imperial succession in a bid to restore order, he will change the fate of the empire and create one of history's most infamous tyrants, Caligula. But was he really a monster?Forget everything you think you know. Let Livilla, Caligula's youngest sister and confidante, tell you what really happened. How her quiet, caring brother became the most powerful man on earth. And how, with lies, murder and betrayal, Rome was changed for ever . . .'A truly different take on one of history's villains . . . All through this I am seeing Al Pacino in The Godfather, slowly stained darker and darker by power and blood' Robert Low, author of The Oathsworn series'Enthralling and original, brutal and lyrical by turns. With powerful imagery and carefully considered history Simon Turney provides a credible alternative to the Caligula myth that will have the reader questioning everything they believe they know about the period' Anthony Riches, author of the Empire series]]> 360 Simon Turney 1409175197 Daniil 4
Merged review:

No one is inherently evil. Or so they say�� All I knew about Caligula until now is his reputation as one of the most ruthless and perverted emperors of Roman Empire. Starting this book I have expected 400+ pages of atrocities, and yet - it turned out to be an incredible narrative of his life journey through the eyes of his loving sister Livilla. Step by step, threat by threat, betrayal by betrayal, loss by loss, Simon Turney unravels a gradual and tragic transformation of intelligent, loving and caring child and brother that becomes the tyrant that trusts no one and spares no one. But can you blame him? Read this book and decide for yourself. Fast paced and enjoyable. Recommend!]]> 3.94 2018
author: Simon Turney
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/13
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:
No one is inherently evil. Or so they say�� All I knew about Caligula until now is his reputation as one of the most ruthless and perverted emperors of Roman Empire. Starting this book I have expected 400+ pages of atrocities, and yet - it turned out to be an incredible narrative of his life journey through the eyes of his loving sister Livilla. Step by step, threat by threat, betrayal by betrayal, loss by loss, Simon Turney unravels a gradual and tragic transformation of intelligent, loving and caring child and brother that becomes the tyrant that trusts no one and spares no one. But can you blame him? Read this book and decide for yourself. Fast paced and enjoyable. Recommend!

Merged review:

No one is inherently evil. Or so they say�� All I knew about Caligula until now is his reputation as one of the most ruthless and perverted emperors of Roman Empire. Starting this book I have expected 400+ pages of atrocities, and yet - it turned out to be an incredible narrative of his life journey through the eyes of his loving sister Livilla. Step by step, threat by threat, betrayal by betrayal, loss by loss, Simon Turney unravels a gradual and tragic transformation of intelligent, loving and caring child and brother that becomes the tyrant that trusts no one and spares no one. But can you blame him? Read this book and decide for yourself. Fast paced and enjoyable. Recommend!
]]> 198281740
“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…��

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.]]> 324 Matt Haig 0593489276 Daniil 0 to-read 3.45 2024
author: Matt Haig
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60556912
Every day I clean the Winchesters�� beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out�� and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of��

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!]]> 329 Freida McFadden 1803144378 Daniil 4 I am not going to comment on my verdict of suitability of this book for young minds in order not to create another heated debate��

But for me personally, it ended up being a rather enjoyable, fast paced mindless entertainment. The Housemaid is perfect to kill time on a long haul flight or on the beach. It’s not going to boost your IQ or add any amount of knowledge in any particular field, but not all books are meant to do that - sometime we all need a “The Housemaid�� to give your brain a break and just enjoy the thrill ride. This book is perfect for the purpose. Recommend!]]> 4.31 2022
author: Freida McFadden
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves:
review:
Well, to be honest, the only reason I ended up reading this book is because my 9 years old chose to buy it at the book shop, probably captivated by the cover.. this is the first time he chose a proper “grown up�� book. Although I had some doubts, I let him read the book without reading it myself first. Then, once I have posted in one of the Facebook book clubs how proud I am of my 9 year old for finishing this book, i have received an outpouring of very opinionated comments about a suitability of such literature for children. One person even call me a “whacko��.. So, needless to say, I had to pick it up myself and see what have caused such a flood of opinion��
I am not going to comment on my verdict of suitability of this book for young minds in order not to create another heated debate��

But for me personally, it ended up being a rather enjoyable, fast paced mindless entertainment. The Housemaid is perfect to kill time on a long haul flight or on the beach. It’s not going to boost your IQ or add any amount of knowledge in any particular field, but not all books are meant to do that - sometime we all need a “The Housemaid�� to give your brain a break and just enjoy the thrill ride. This book is perfect for the purpose. Recommend!
]]> 9371086
Новая проза Глуховского �� взгляд на реальный мир человека с большим опытом журналистской работы в военных точках, на двух телеканалах и радиостанции, человека, имеющего собственную гражданскую позицию. Кто-то отнесет рассказы к политической и социальной сатире, кто-то �� к современной прозе. Каждый решит для себя сам. Но вопросы, затрагиваемые Глуховским в «Рассказах о Родине», безусловно, остроактуальны и не оставят равнодушным ни одного думающего человека.

Какая она, наша Родина? Раскрашенная версия «Семнадцати мгновений весны»? Что такое патриотизм по-русски? Что такое власть? Кто на самом деле управляет нашей страной?]]> 224 Dmitry Glukhovsky 517067175X Daniil 4 3.97 2010
author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves:
review:
This book is a collection of short, satiric/ironic stories based on the sad realities of modern day Russia. As all the other Glukhovsky’s works, it is an excellent, punch in the gut read.
]]> 64404150 Fiela's Child tells the gripping story of Fiela Komoetie and a white, three-year old child, Benjamin, whom she finds crying on her doorstep. For nine years Fiela raises Benjamin as one of her own children. But when census takers discover Benjamin, they send him to an illiterate white family of woodcutters who claim him as their son. What follows is Benjamin's search for his identity and the fundamental changes affecting the white and black families who claim him.

"Everything a novel can convincing, thought-provoking, upsetting, unforgettable, and timeless."—Grace Ingoldby, New Statesman

"Fiela's Child is a parade that broadens and humanizes our understanding of the conflicts still affecting South Africa today."—Francis Levy, New York Times Book Review

"A powerful creation of time and place with dark threads of destiny and oppression and its roots in the almost Biblical soil of a storyteller's art."—Christopher Wordsworth, The Guardian

"The characters in the novel live and breathe; and the landscape is so brightly painted that the trees, birds, elephants, and rivers of old South Africa are characters themselves. A book not to miss."��Kirkus Reviews
]]> 362 Dalene Matthee Daniil 5 4.08 1985
author: Dalene Matthee
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/22
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves:
review:
This is a great South African classic, beautifully written by one of the legends of Afrikaans literature. This captivating story of a 3 year old white boy that had disappeared into the forest just to be found and raised by the colored family, raises issue of race and self identify and gives a glimpse of diverse culture and history of the country. The book is very immersive and panoramic with masterful description of the landscapes. I am very grateful to my South African friends for recommending me this read and look forward to start the “Circles in the Forest�� - another Dalene Matthee’s classic novel.
]]> 43076988 292 Tommy Orange 0525436146 Daniil 0 to-read 4.05 2018
author: Tommy Orange
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 49084724
And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she?

Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore. As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them.

And as a part of them.

She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching.

One of them has her.

The other one wants her.

But he��

He’s going to keep her.

*Credence is a new adult standalone novel suitable for readers 18+.]]> 470 Penelope Douglas 1660089050 Daniil 0 to-read 3.58 2020
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 780581 416 Guy de Maupassant 0140443150 Daniil 0 to-read 3.85 1885
author: Guy de Maupassant
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1885
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210995298 368 Dmitry Glukhovsky 8097468301 Daniil 5 отрeзано от всeго мира. И то, что послe eго смeрти такую страну ждёт распад, eго, похожe ужe нe бeспокоит. Путин выиграeт войну против России, дажe eсли проиграeт войну с Украиной.
А Украина в любом случаe побeдит в этой войнe, дажe потeряв на врeмя какиe-то зeмли, дажe заплатив тысячами чeловeчeских жизнeй - потому что этой чудовищной цeной eю будeт оплачeн билeт в будущee.''

Глуховский, твои статьи и коммeнтарии, из которых и собрана книга, это умопомрачающая лeтопись истории соврeмeнной России, страны, которую ужe давно пора-бы разколдовать, чтобы развалился ужe этот многовековой рок пассивности, дeпрeссивноти и покорности смeняющимся людоeдам.

Глуховский, спасибо что ты такой eсть. Нe опускай пeро.
]]> 4.41
author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/10
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves:
review:
''Путин получаeт жeлаeмоe- страну в анабиозe, которой он можeт править, покуда дeржится на ногах. Да, она будeт нищeй и отсталой, зато eё гражданe будут бeзгласны и покорны, а свою нeдолгую и нeсчастную жизнь сравнить с жизнью людeй в других странах они нe смогут, потому что это заколдованноe царство будeт надёжно
отрeзано от всeго мира. И то, что послe eго смeрти такую страну ждёт распад, eго, похожe ужe нe бeспокоит. Путин выиграeт войну против России, дажe eсли проиграeт войну с Украиной.
А Украина в любом случаe побeдит в этой войнe, дажe потeряв на врeмя какиe-то зeмли, дажe заплатив тысячами чeловeчeских жизнeй - потому что этой чудовищной цeной eю будeт оплачeн билeт в будущee.''

Глуховский, твои статьи и коммeнтарии, из которых и собрана книга, это умопомрачающая лeтопись истории соврeмeнной России, страны, которую ужe давно пора-бы разколдовать, чтобы развалился ужe этот многовековой рок пассивности, дeпрeссивноти и покорности смeняющимся людоeдам.

Глуховский, спасибо что ты такой eсть. Нe опускай пeро.

]]> 58678422 ŷ������ Choice winner for Nonfiction 2021 and instant #1 bestseller! A deeply moving collection of personal essays from John Green, the author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down.

The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar.

Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity. As a species, we are both far too powerful and not nearly powerful enough, a paradox that came into sharp focus as we faced a global pandemic that both separated us and bound us together.

John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is an open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world.]]> 304 John Green 0525556532 Daniil 0 to-read 4.42 2021
author: John Green
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 864581 340 Ken McGoogan 0786711566 Daniil 0 to-read 4.24 2001
author: Ken McGoogan
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203578804 A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 416 T.J. Klune 1250357241 Daniil 0 to-read 4.38 2020
author: T.J. Klune
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199798187 Three tight-knit friends embark on an extravagant divorce trip to the Maldives where they can unwind and celebrate a new chapter in midlife—until they realize the resort of their dreams is harboring a killer.

Best friends Darcy, Camilla, and Kate escape for a post-divorce retreat in the Maldives, the perfect place to relax, reset, and embrace a fresh start in life. Darcy is learning how to be a free woman at forty-two. Camilla has found the perfect calling as a fitness and wellness influencer with a devoted following. And Kate is finally working on the book she was meant to write after years of telling other people’s stories.

Their dream getaway? The exclusive and isolated Sapphire Island Resort. With luxurious private villas, crystal-clear waters, and sun-drenched white sand beaches, relaxation is guaranteed. But this is no ordinary friendship, and they’re not the only guests on the island with secrets. Who left the body on the beach—and who’s next?

A propulsive and deliciously dark tale about female friendship, loyalty, and lies, Bad Tourists is a white-hot thriller from the first word to its mind-blowing finish.]]> 336 Caro Carver 1668058847 Daniil 0 to-read 3.62 2024
author: Caro Carver
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 209685363
Life on our planet as you’ve never seen it before: in this spellbinding and uplifting novel six astronauts rotate in the International Space Station. They are there to do vital work, but slowly they begin to wonder: what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?

Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents, and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.

Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction.

The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it.

'A slim, profound study of intimate human fears set against epic vistas' GUARDIAN

***A GUARDIAN, NEW STATESMAN AND DAILY MAIL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023***]]> 144 Samantha Harvey Daniil 0 to-read 3.54 2023
author: Samantha Harvey
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25614898 When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,�� as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life�� into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away? These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir.]]> 229 Paul Kalanithi 081298840X Daniil 0 to-read 4.37 2016
author: Paul Kalanithi
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212351396 'John Marrs is a writer at the top of his game and The Family Experiment is his best yet. Frighteningly plausible, gripping, dark, and so clever.' - Claire Douglas, author of The Woman Who Lied

Some families are virtually perfect . . .

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families let alone raise them.

But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality tv show. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The the right to keep their virtual child or risk it all for the chance of a real baby . . .

Set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate 'tamagotchi' - a virtual baby.

'An unsettling and immersive roller coaster which hurtles towards a chilling denouement - a truly thought-provoking, single-sitting thriller. Loved it. ' - Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

'The Family Experiment is an eerie and darkly addictive thriller that will have your mind whirling throughout.' - Culturefly ]]> 443 John Marrs 1761562878 Daniil 0 to-read 4.11 2024
author: John Marrs
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25614492
Sepetys (writer of 'Between Shades of Gray') crafts four fictionalized but historically accurate voices to convey the real-life tragedy. Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks.]]> 391 Ruta Sepetys Daniil 0 to-read 4.35 2016
author: Ruta Sepetys
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214567949 480 5171622868 Daniil 5 5.00
author: Glukhovskij Dmitrij Alekseevich
name: Daniil
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/23
date added: 2024/07/23
shelves:
review:
Ай, да Глуховский! Ай, да сукин сын! Это-ж надо было такого мракобeсия намутить! - нe оторваться...
]]> 127305853 De la autora superventas de El Ruiseñor , una historia de mujeres valientes decididas a arriesgar su vida por los demás en uno de los momentos más peligrosos de la historia.

Inspiradas por el coraje. Ligadas por la amistad. Unidas por la esperanza.

«Las mujeres pueden ser heroínas». Cuando Frankie McGrath, estudiante de enfermería de veinte años, oye por primera vez estas inesperadas palabras, siente una revelación. Criada en el idílico y soleado sur de California y protegida por sus conservadores padres, siempre se ha enorgullecido de hacer lo que se espera de ella, de ser una buena chica. Pero en 1966 el mundo está cambiando y, de repente, su vida parece abrirse a nuevas posibilidades. Cuando su hermano parte para combatir en Vietnam, ella se une de manera impulsiva al Cuerpo de Enfermeras del Ejército para seguirle.

Allí, Frankie se siente igual de inmadura e inexperta que los jóvenes enviados para luchar, y se ve abrumada por el caos y la destrucción de la guerra. Además, un trauma inesperado la golpea al volver a casa, el de encontrar un país cambiado y dividido, un país que quiere olvidar. Frankie descubrirá el verdadero valor de la amistad y el dolor que puede causar un corazón roto.

***Número 1 en las listas de best sellers de The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, la Asociación de Librerías Independientes, Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, Amazon, Audible y Los Angeles Daily News***

Sobre la novela han
«De nuevo, Hannah ilumina con su luz a mujeres que la historia ha ignorado».
People Magazine

«Hannah está en su mejor momento en esta novela».
The New York Times

«Conmovedora y excepcionalmente documentada».
Stephen King

«�ʴǻ����Dz���».
Matt Haig, autor de La biblioteca de la medianoche

«Kristin Hannah, una de las mejores narradoras de nuestro tiempo, aborda una de las más crueles y viles guerras del último Vietnam. Las mujeres de la guerra revela la enorme contribución y los horribles sacrificios de las enfermeras militares que sirvieron en ella... Nunca una novela de guerra se ha metamorfoseado tan profundamente en una historia sobre el corazón humano».
Delia Owen, autora de La chica salvaje

«Este libro es ficción histórica en su mejor versión. Tan conmovedor, tan desgarrador, y, sin embargo, en última instancia, optimista. ¡Bravo!».
Nicholas D. Kristof, ganador del Premio Pulitzer y coautor de La mitad del cielo

«Deslumbra con su sacrificio; y eleva el ánimo con su heroísmo... Un importante y largamente esperado tributo a las valientes enfermeras que sirvieron en Vietnam».
Bonnie Garmus, autora de Lecciones de química

«Los fans de los libros históricos protagonizados por mujeres van a disfrutar esta magnética novela».
Publishers Weekly

Please This audiobook is in Spanish.]]> 471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 Daniil 0 to-read 4.58 2024
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208460840
Did what happened to Freya as a child one fateful summer influence the adult she would become �� or was she always destined to be that person? Was she born with cruelty in her heart or did something force it into being?

In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture �� or nature?]]> 176 John Boyne 0857529870 Daniil 0 to-read 4.21 2024
author: John Boyne
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 37655505
A year later, troubled journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals about the priest and incidents leading up to the shooting don't fit with the accepted version of events his own newspaper reported in an award-winning investigation. Martin can't ignore his doubts, nor the urgings of some locals to unearth the real reason behind the priest's deadly rampage.

Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking new development rocks the town, which becomes the biggest story in Australia. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is now the one in the spotlight. His reasons for investigating the shooting have suddenly become very personal.

Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to discover a truth that becomes darker and more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried.

A compulsive thriller that will haunt you long after you have turned the final page.]]> 496 Chris Hammer 1760632988 Daniil 0 to-read 3.87 2018
author: Chris Hammer
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 37551466
And they're coming with darkness in their hearts.

The siblings gather, bad blood simmers and old feuds resurface as Unnthor's heirs make their moves on the old man's treasure - until one morning Helga is awakened by screams. Blood has been shed: kin has been slain.

No one confesses, but all the clues point to one person - who cannot possibly be the murderer, at least in Helga's eyes. But if she's going to save the innocent from the axe and prevent more bloodshed, she's got to solve the mystery - fast . . .]]> 320 Snorri Kristjansson 1784298085 Daniil 4 3.53 2018
author: Snorri Kristjansson
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/02
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves:
review:
Whodunit scandi-style. Fast paced, entertaining, good set of characters in atmospheric land and time of Vikings with Vikings hardly ever mentioned. It’s a modern murder mystery set in year 950. Good enough to reach for the second book of the series. Recommend!
]]> 57693548 From Kristin Hannah, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit novels Firefly Lane, The Nightingale, and The Four Winds comes a novel about how one reckless night destroys the lives of three teenagers and their families.

For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children's needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia's best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.

Jude does everything to keep her kids out of harm's way. But senior year of high school tests them all. It's a dangerous, explosive season of drinking, driving, parties, and kids who want to let loose. And then on a hot summer's night, one bad decision is made. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.

Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, Night Road raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love.]]> 416 Kristin Hannah 1250838495 Daniil 0 to-read 4.23 2011
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 26339908 340 Riley Hart 1515196739 Daniil 0 to-read 3.88 2015
author: Riley Hart
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16951
'Something always dies when the lion feeds and yet there is meat for those that follow him.' The lion is Sean, hero of this tremendous drama of the men who took possession of South Africa in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Sean and his twin-brother Garrick grew up on their father's farm in Natal. The first part of the book deals with his childhood and youth and his longing to become a successful farmer and hard-hitting fighter like his father.

The tough life of cattle-farming is brusquely interrupted by the Zulu Wars, when Sean and his brother see fighting for the first time. Wilbur Smith vividly recreates the excitement of the war for the young men-their hope of winning their own cattle, the horror of the massacre at Isandhlwana, the heroism of the defence at Rorkes Drift.

'Witwatersrand' is the name of the second part of this book and it tells the story of Sean's fabulous success in the gold rush and his rich life with Duff Charleywood and the beautiful Candy in the new town of Johannesburg, where huge fortunes were made and lost in a morning's dealing on the Exchange.

The atmosphere of this feverish, violent time is brilliantly drawn: the heavy drinking, the elaborate houses, the ruthless abandonment of the failure. Sean and Duff are caught at last in a trap laid by their rival, the sinister and clever Hradsky, and leave Johannesburg for the wilderness to seek their fortunes once more.

And now the book moves to its climax. At last it seems as though Sean will settle to a quiet married life �� but fate has other plans for him. They return to Johannesburg and tragedy strikes quickly. Sean finds himself alone once more...

Filled with action scenes in war and the early heady days of the gold rush, and adventure among the vast game herds of the African wilderness, this novel is dominated by the towering compelling personality of Sean, whose life story is continued in The Sound of Thunder and A Sparrow Falls.]]> 534 Wilbur Smith 0312940661 Daniil 5 4.21 1964
author: Wilbur Smith
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1964
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves:
review:
I have just re-read this book after returning from South Africa. While living there for 11 years I got addicted to Wilbur Smith’s books as no one writes African adventure like him. Now, years later and inspired again by the incredible African landscapes, I felt like re-living the Courtney saga. What a master, what a stories, what a country! Highly recommend this immersion into African life - gold, ivory, game hunting, fortunes made and lost, but not without love, betrayal and intrigue. There is nothing that Wilbur hasn’t thrown into the melting pots of his books.
]]> 357664
Opal spends all that sweet summer collecting stories about her new friends and thinking about her mother. But because of Winn-Dixie or perhaps because she has grown, Opal learns to let go, just a little, and that friendship—and forgiveness—can sneak up on you like a sudden summer storm.

Kate DiCamillo's beloved, best-selling debut novel is now available in a paperback digest edition.

Kate DiCamillo's first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper—a New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor winner, the inspiration for a popular film, and most especially, a cherished classic that touches the hearts of readers of all ages. It's now available in a paperback digest format certain to bring this tale's magic to an even wider circle of fans.]]> 182 Kate DiCamillo 0763616052 Daniil 4 4.09 2000
author: Kate DiCamillo
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/09
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 44279110
Our narrator should be happy, shouldn’t she? She’s young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, works an easy job at a hip art gallery, lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like the rest of her needs, by her inheritance. But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart, and it isn’t just the loss of her parents, or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her, or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend, Reva. It’s the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong?

My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a powerful answer to that question. Through the story of a year spent under the influence of a truly mad combination of drugs designed to heal our heroine from her alienation from this world, Moshfegh shows us how reasonable, even necessary, alienation can be. Both tender and blackly funny, merciless and compassionate, it is a showcase for the gifts of one of our major writers working at the height of her powers.]]> 289 Ottessa Moshfegh 0525522131 Daniil 0 to-read 3.62 2018
author: Ottessa Moshfegh
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780385550369.]]> 303 Percival Everett Daniil 4 4.46 2024
author: Percival Everett
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/26
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 138685 456 C.J. Sansom 0330411969 Daniil 0 to-read 4.05 2003
author: C.J. Sansom
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 3431
Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"]]> 196 Mitch Albom 0786868716 Daniil 4
Loved Mitch Albom’s idea of heaven - meeting people that help you to make sense of the life you just left behind. Loved interconnectedness of events, people, consequences.. all the revealing and touching moments. A great, thought provoking book that makes me wonder who would be my five people to meet in heaven..

4.5 stars. Recommend! ]]> 4.01 2003
author: Mitch Albom
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/12
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves:
review:
“Each affects the other and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one.��

Loved Mitch Albom’s idea of heaven - meeting people that help you to make sense of the life you just left behind. Loved interconnectedness of events, people, consequences.. all the revealing and touching moments. A great, thought provoking book that makes me wonder who would be my five people to meet in heaven..

4.5 stars. Recommend!
]]> 883235 219 Anthony Doerr 0142002968 Daniil 0 to-read 3.99 2001
author: Anthony Doerr
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 195100472
But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes?

Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did - and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all.]]> 176 John Boyne 0857529811 Daniil 5 4.29 2023
author: John Boyne
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/05
date added: 2024/04/05
shelves:
review:
It appears that a book does not need to be long in order to tell a life-long story. I am amazed whatJohn Boyne managed to pack into 170 pages - how much of a family story, how much of grief, desperation, hope, vulnerability and love. As Willow’s story slowly unfolds, you imagine more that you read - but that what a good book is about, right? Not to spell out every thought and event for you, but open wide enough gap and shed just enough light for a reader to complete that story. I have always been a big fan of John Boyne and once again he delivered. Probably the shortest of his books, but the most exquisitely crafted, where no page and no sentence is wasted�� While reading I started mentally adapting this novel to a movie, imagining location, characters, even assigning roles. All of a sudden Willow Hale became Emma Thompson, Luke Duggan became Barry Keogh.. it would be a waste not to turn this gem of a story into a movie.. John Boyne, you have nailed it yet again!
]]> 198222359 From million-copy-bestselling author John Boyne, an inescapably gritty story about one young man whose direction in life takes a vastly different turn than what he expected.

It’s the tabloid sensation of the two well-known footballers standing in the dock, charged with sexual assault, a series of vile text messages pointing towards their guilt.

As the trial unfolds, Evan Keogh reflects on the events that have led him to this moment. Since leaving his island home, his life has been a lie on many levels. He’s a talented footballer who wanted to be an artist. A gay man in a sport that rejects diversity. A defendant whose knowledge of what took place on that fateful night threatens more than just his freedom or career.

The jury will deliver a verdict but, before they do, Evan must judge for himself whether the man he has become is the man he wanted to be.]]> 168 John Boyne 152991650X Daniil 0 to-read 4.31 2024
author: John Boyne
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59948520 A haunting, virtuosic debut novel about two young men who fall in love during a time of war.

It's 1914, and World War I is ceaselessly churning through thousands of young men on both sides of the fight. The violence of the front feels far away to Henry Gaunt, Sidney Ellwood and the rest of their classmates, safely ensconced in their idyllic boarding school in the English countryside. News of the heroic deaths of their friends only makes the war more exciting.

Gaunt, half German, is busy fighting his own private battle--an all-consuming infatuation with his best friend, the glamorous, charming Ellwood--without a clue that Ellwood is pining for him in return. When Gaunt's family asks him to enlist to forestall the anti-German sentiment they face, Gaunt does so immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings for Ellwood. To Gaunt's horror, Ellwood rushes to join him at the front, and the rest of their classmates soon follow. Now death surrounds them in all its grim reality, often inches away, and no one knows who will be next.

An epic tale of both the devastating tragedies of war and the forbidden romance that blooms in its grip, In Memoriam is a breathtaking debut.]]> 382 Alice Winn 0593534565 Daniil 4 4.51 2023
author: Alice Winn
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/28
date added: 2024/03/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 40180047 Washington Post as “the most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of,�� Pete Buttigieg, the thirty-seven-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has now emerged as one of the nation’s most visionary politicians. With soaring prose that celebrates a resurgent American Midwest, Shortest Way Home narrates the heroic transformation of a “dying city�� (Newsweek) into nothing less than a shining model of urban reinvention.

Interweaving two narratives—that of a young man coming of age and a town regaining its economic vitality—Buttigieg recounts growing up in a Rust Belt city, amid decayed factory buildings and the steady soundtrack of rumbling freight trains passing through on their long journey to Chicagoland. Inspired by John F. Kennedy’s legacy, Buttigieg first left northern Indiana for red-bricked Harvard and then studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, before joining McKinsey, where he trained as a consultant—becoming, of all things, an expert in grocery pricing. Then, Buttigieg defied the expectations that came with his pedigree, choosing to return home to Indiana and responding to the ultimate challenge of how to revive a once-great industrial city and help steer its future in the twenty-first century.

Elected at twenty-nine as the nation’s youngest mayor, Pete Buttigieg immediately recognized that “great cities, and even great nations, are built through attention to the everyday.�� As Shortest Way Home recalls, the challenges were daunting—whether confronting gun violence, renaming a street in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., or attracting tech companies to a city that had appealed more to junk bond scavengers than serious investors. None of this is underscored more than Buttigieg’s audacious campaign to reclaim 1,000 houses, many of them abandoned, in 1,000 days and then, even as a sitting mayor, deploying to serve in Afghanistan as a Navy officer. Yet the most personal challenge still awaited Buttigieg, who came out in a South Bend Tribune editorial, just before being reelected with 78 percent of the vote, and then finding Chasten Glezman, a middle-school teacher, who would become his partner for life.

While Washington reels with scandal, Shortest Way Home, with its graceful, often humorous, language, challenges our perception of the typical American politician. In chronicling two once-unthinkable stories—that of an Afghanistan veteran who came out and found love and acceptance, all while in office, and that of a revitalized Rust Belt city no longer regarded as “flyover country”—Buttigieg provides a new vision for America’s shortest way home.]]> 352 Pete Buttigieg 1631494368 Daniil 4 Despite that some of campaign-related and overall politics-heavy chapters became something of a “fly-over country�� for me, his personal story, especially that of coming out at a late age, meeting Chasten, proudness of his personal life reduced me to tears. Literally. It resonated with so much of my own life that that I just couldn’t stop sobbing while lying on my own in a hotel room.
I can only hope that there comes the day (2028!!!) when intelligent, compassionate and empathic, great speaker and a proud parent and husband will have a chance to run this country. Pete, my vote is yours!
Now, question to GR community: who thinks that Pete has sexy voice? ]]> 4.19 2019
author: Pete Buttigieg
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/23
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves:
review:
A small victory - I just have finished my first audiobook! All previous attempts at audiobooks failed miserably, most as early as 10 mins into narrative.. it must be Mayor Pete’s sexy voice that has carried me through, or it may be the fact that this is a biography narrated by author himself.
Despite that some of campaign-related and overall politics-heavy chapters became something of a “fly-over country�� for me, his personal story, especially that of coming out at a late age, meeting Chasten, proudness of his personal life reduced me to tears. Literally. It resonated with so much of my own life that that I just couldn’t stop sobbing while lying on my own in a hotel room.
I can only hope that there comes the day (2028!!!) when intelligent, compassionate and empathic, great speaker and a proud parent and husband will have a chance to run this country. Pete, my vote is yours!
Now, question to GR community: who thinks that Pete has sexy voice?
]]> 6514 294 Sylvia Plath 0571268862 Daniil 3 And yet I was surprised how indifferent it left me, despite mental health history in the family. Somehow I just couldn’t connect with Esther and her emotional unraveling. Oh well, glad that so many other GR users loved and appreciated this book. ]]> 4.05 1963
author: Sylvia Plath
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1963
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/23
date added: 2024/03/23
shelves:
review:
This book has been on my reading list for a while now and now again I see yet another glowing review surfacing on GR.
And yet I was surprised how indifferent it left me, despite mental health history in the family. Somehow I just couldn’t connect with Esther and her emotional unraveling. Oh well, glad that so many other GR users loved and appreciated this book.
]]> 52930329 Mroczna, zaskakująca, wartka i kipiąca od emocji postapokalipsa mistrza gatunku �� podtrzymująca najlepsze tradycje kultowego Metra 2033, a jednocześnie zupełnie inna!

 – A co jest tam, po drugiej stronie mostu?

Historia Rosji praktycznie dobiegła kresu. Choć niektórzy usiłują nieporadnie dopisywać jej kolejne rozdziały, dla większości sprawa jest oczywista: to już koniec. Mimo że wciąż rodzą się dzieci, mimo że Jegor beznadziejnie zakochał się w Michelle, mimo że Pałkan nie ustaje w wydzwanianiu do Moskwy i błaganiu o uzupełnienie wyczerpujących się rezerw żywności... Tak, Rosji w zasadzie już nie ma; jej układ nerwowy �� sieć połączeń transportowych i telekomunikacyjnych �� został zerwany, zniszczony, a w najlepszym wypadku poważnie uszkodzony i nie wygląda na to, żeby zdołał się zregenerować. To dlatego te 250 kilometrów, jakie dzieli Moskwę od Placówki w Jarosławiu, wydaje się odległością zawrotną. To dlatego tam, po drugiej stronie mostu, nie ma już nic �� oprócz pustych, martwych, uśpionych na wieki miast. Tak twierdzi Pałkan. I chciałby, żeby pogodził się z tym jego przybrany syn Jegor.

Ale skoro tak, skoro za Wołgą świat zieje pustką, dlaczego most jest tak pilnie strzeżony? Dlaczego wartownicy tak intensywnie wpatrują się w otulającą go zieloną nieprzeniknioną mgłę? Dlaczego każdy szmer, szelest, pomruk, który dobiega zza kotary toksycznych wyziewów, stawia ich na nogi, a może nawet przeraża? Czyżby spodziewali się, że ktoś �� lub coś �� może stamtąd przyjść?

I właśnie dziś przychodzi. Wyłania się z mgły. Przyniesie zbawienie czy zagładę? Odkupienie czy potępienie? Co wie, co ukrywa, czego chce? Jak splecie swój los z mieszkańcami jarosławskiej Placówki?]]> Dmitry Glukhovsky Daniil 5 4.02 2019
author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/18
date added: 2024/02/18
shelves:
review:
After my last book of Glukhovsky (“Sumerki��), I thought that maybe the Metro series was the one and only Glukhovsky’s masterpiece. But then decided to give him another go and ordered “Post��.. it’s been a while since I turned pages at this speed - not only due to short, clipped sentences and amount of dialogues that make reading faster, but due to suspense that he so masterfully maintains throughout the book. All the way to the end - end that descends on you like an avalanche and makes you forget all the chores and obligations that you had and just chains you to bed to lay and flick pages. Loved the pace, loved all the doom and gloom that other readers criticize, love the hope that left. ŷ������ is not a place to go “political��, but parallel between fictional Moscow and the current real one is just too thin to ignore. Fun fact: the paperback of this book that I received through Amazon order was printed on the day I placed that order. Locally - here in Florida. I didn’t know this is new way of doing business - printing a book upon placed Amazon order. Let see if they can print another Glukhovsky for me - I am ready!
]]> 32620332
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ��80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.]]> 389 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1501139231 Daniil 4 4.39 2017
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/28
date added: 2024/01/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 56865496
Eighteen year-old James has had a tough year. Having lost his mum to cancer and fought through grief to finish high school, he’s now got secret desires to contend with.

It’s Christmas in Sydney, and he’s ready to cast his worries aside for the summer holidays, a time of poolside parties, bush walks and ocean swims. But who is the seductive young man who’s moved into the spare room?

In this steamy coming-of-age novel, James and the men around him discover transformative new desires with the power to up-end lives or, possibly, unlock a brighter future.

---

Nominee, 2022 Lambda Literary Awards

"Levi Huxton offers a rare reading experience: erotic, sexy and intellectually engaging." - DNA Magazine, April 2022

9.5 out of 10 - "Erotic and honest, readers will be wrapped under the spell... The author capably creates emotional depth, making the conclusion especially impactful. A poignant and thoughtful storyteller." - The 2021 BookLife Prize

"The Lodger, That Summer is a captivating, sexy, gritty, complex coming-of-age story. A perfect blend of fantasy and reality, Huxton's characters are flawed and intriguing, and his writing is smooth and addictive. I can't wait to see what he writes next." - Marley Valentine, author of Without You

"This book is not a romance and it is not intended to be one. It is, however, many other things. It is a highly charged erotic tale, a coming out story, a coming-of-age story, and a sexual awakening, but it also drives deeper to target and expose those hidden parts of a man’s soul. It is great to have found a new voice in author Levi Huxton with this debut book. His candor created not only a melancholy spirit to parts of the story, but also an atmosphere that is tinged with tension, anticipation, and hope." - Joyfully Jay

"The Lodger, That Summer��is Mr. Huxton’s first published work. While brief in length, it is intellectually challenging and shows great promise for the future." - Rainbow Book Reviews

"Refreshing and beautifully written, while gritty and erotic at the same time." - Reviews by Amos Lassen

"Lush, one of my top reads of 2021. This book is not for the faint of heart. Its raw clarity is probably my favorite part." - A.M. Johnson, author of Love Always, Wild

---

Genre: Gay fiction, Australian fiction, coming-of-age, YA LGBT (16+), New adult, erotica, ownvoices.]]> 173 Levi Huxton Daniil 4 3.92 2021
author: Levi Huxton
name: Daniil
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/24
date added: 2024/01/25
shelves:
review:
Most heartfelt gay erotica to date. Beautifully imagined, beautifully written. Recommend and can’t wait for Levi’s next work!
]]> 201736852 An alternative cover edition for this ASIN B01CWZFBZ4 can be found here and here

A twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history
��
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.

In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, “the Phantom Terror,�� roamed �� virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. The book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward Native Americans that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long. Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly riveting, but also emotionally devastating.]]> 347 David Grann Daniil 4 4.24 2017
author: David Grann
name: Daniil
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/07
date added: 2024/01/13
shelves:
review:
I certainly enjoyed “The Wager�� by David Grann more, but maybe it’s just me and my passion for maritime affairs. Before “Killers of the Flower Moon��, I never heard of Osage Indians and had very little knowledge about Oklahoma. This book prompted me to do some “googling�� of American Indian tribes and their territories. It’s a very tragic and fascinating story, at the same time based on real events and characters. Well researched, with a lot of photographs, reads like a good detective story. Haven’t seen the movie yet (3 hours of free time is a luxury), but am very curious to see the adaptation. Overall, it’s a great read that will give you an insight into Native American tribe, a rather tragic part of their history and how FBI came to be. Recommend!
]]>