Jeng's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 10 Mar 2025 22:15:21 -0700 60 Jeng's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Big Four (Hercule Poirot, #5)]]> 16316
Librarian's note #1: the concept of The Big Four first appeared as weekly short stories very loosely connected in 'The Sketch' in 1924. The 12 original stories were: 1) The Unexpected Guest, 2) The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow, 3) The Lady on the Stairs, 4) The Radium Thieves, 5) In the House of the Enemy, 6) The Yellow Jasmine Mystery, 7) The Chess Problem, 8) The Baited Trap, 9) The Adventure of the Peroxide Blond, 10) The Terrible Catastrophe, 11) The Dying Chinaman, and 12) The Crag in the Dolomites. For her 1927 novel, Christie enhanced the linkages between the stories and shuffled them somewhat.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on ŷ.]]> 272 Agatha Christie 0007120818 Jeng 0 currently-reading 3.54 1927 The Big Four (Hercule Poirot, #5)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.54
book published: 1927
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> See You in the Cosmos 33282947
11-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog Carl Sagan—named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog) launched his Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is like. But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he'll uncover—from the truth about his long-dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around brother, he has way more family than he ever knew.

Jack Cheng's debut is full of joy, optimism, determination, and unbelievable heart. To read the first page is to fall in love with Alex and his view of our big, beautiful, complicated world. To read the last is to know he and his story will stay with you a long, long time.

-from the publisher]]> 315 Jack Cheng 0399186379 Jeng 4 4.06 2017 See You in the Cosmos
author: Jack Cheng
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
Another random pick that ended up redefining a lot of things for me
]]> Just Kids 206318521 Just Kids, Patti Smith's first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal days of New York City and the Chelsea Hotel in the late sixties and seventies. An honest and moving story of youth and friendship, Smith brings the same unique, lyrical quality to Just Kids as she has to the rest of her formidable body of work--from her influential 1975 album Horses to her visual art and poetry.]]> 262 Patti Smith 006621131X Jeng 4 4.27 2010 Just Kids
author: Patti Smith
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Jack Ma: In His Own Words (In Their Own Words series)]]> 40278869
Ever since the Alibaba Group went public on September 19, 2014—with an initial public offering of a record-breaking $25 billion—Jack Ma, the founder and charismatic “spiritual leader� of the e-commerce behemoth, has been making headlines around the world. Alibaba is now the largest retailer in the world, and since 2015, the company’s online sales and profits have outstripped those of Amazon, eBay, and Walmart combined. Recently, Alibaba’s cloud computing arm has been outperforming major players such as Google and Amazon, and Jack Ma has been widening its investments into new sectors, such as entertainment and electric cars.

Ma—the first Chinese entrepreneur to appear on the cover of Forbes and the third-richest man in China—has a net worth that is estimated to be more than $39 billion. But despite Ma’s massive influence in China and in the global tech world, his inspirational rags-to-riches story is relatively unknown to the general American public. Jack In His Own Words is a detailed look at the thoughts and words of arguably the most prominent figure in internet entrepreneurship in the past 20 years—made up entirely of Ma’s own thought-provoking and candid quotes.

Many of these quotes are translated directly from the Chinese press and interviews. For readers who do not read Chinese and have no other access to these materials, this book provides invaluable insight into the mind of one of the world’s most successful business magnates.]]> 216 Suk Lee 1572842644 Jeng 0 3.53 2016 Jack Ma: In His Own Words (In Their Own Words series)
author: Suk Lee
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2022/09/17
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World]]> 58735075 The New York Times bestselling author of Get Out of Your Head offers practical solutions for creating true community, the kind that's crucial to our mental and spiritual health.

"My dear friend Jennie Allen shows us how to make true emotional connections with the right people so that our authentic relationships can be healthy for all."--Lysa TerKeurst, author of It's Not Supposed to Be This Way

In a world that's both more connected and more isolating than ever before, we're often tempted to do life alone, whether because we're so busy or because relationships feel risky and hard. But science confirms that consistent, meaningful connection with others has a powerful impact on our well-being. We are meant to live known and loved. But so many are hiding behind emotional walls that we're experiencing an epidemic of loneliness.

In Find Your People, bestselling author Jennie Allen draws on fascinating insights from science and history, timeless biblical truth, and vulnerable stories from her own life to help you:

- overcome the barriers to making new friends and learn to initiate with easy-to-follow steps
- find simple ways to press through awkward to get to authentic in conversations
- understand how conflict can strengthen relationships rather than destroy them
- identify the type of friend you are and the types of friends you need
- learn the five practical ingredients you need to have the type of friends you've always longed for

You were created to play, engage, adventure, and explore--with others. In Find Your People, you'll discover exactly how to dive into the deep end and experience the full wonder of community. Because while the ache of loneliness is real, it doesn't have to be your reality.]]> 304 Jennie Allen 0593558235 Jeng 0 3.95 2022 Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World
author: Jennie Allen
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
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]]> Artful 15811569
In February 2012, the novelist Ali Smith delivered the Weidenfeld lectures on European comparative literature at St. Anne’s College, Oxford. Her lectures took the shape of this set of discursive stories. Refusing to be tied down to either fiction or the essay form, Artful is narrated by a character who is haunted—literally—by a former lover, the writer of a series of lectures about art and literature.

A hypnotic dialogue unfolds, a duet between and a meditation on art and storytelling, a book about love, grief, memory, and revitalization. Smith’s heady powers as a fiction writer harmonize with her keen perceptions as a reader and critic to form a living thing that reminds us that life and art are never separate.

Artful is a book about the things art can do, the things art is full of, and the quicksilver nature of all artfulness. It glances off artists and writers from Michelangelo through Dickens, then all the way past postmodernity, exploring every form, from ancient cave painting to 1960s cinema musicals. This kaleidoscope opens up new, inventive, elastic insights—on the relation of aesthetic form to the human mind, the ways we build our minds from stories, the bridges art builds between us. Artful is a celebration of literature’s worth in and to the world and a meaningful contribution to that worth in itself. There has never been a book quite like it.]]> 256 Ali Smith 1594204861 Jeng 5 4.05 2012 Artful
author: Ali Smith
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves:
review:
“Great books are adaptable; they alter with us as we alter in life, they renew themselves as we change and re-read them at different times in our lives. You can’t step into the same story twice—or maybe it’s that stories, books, art can’t step into the same person twice, maybe it’s that they allow for our mutability, are ready for us at all times, and maybe it’s this adaptability, regardless of time, that makes them art, because real art (as opposed to more transient art, which is real too, just for less time) will hold us at all our different ages like it held all the people before us and will hold all the people after us, in an elasticity and with a generosity that allow for all our comings and goings.�
]]> Omakase 50962231 Weike Wang Jeng 5 4.24 Omakase
author: Weike Wang
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves:
review:
weike wang’s flair for storytelling is always always on point
]]> <![CDATA[The Restaurant of Lost Recipes (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #2)]]> 205063868 The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is the second book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Kamogawa Food Detectives series, for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

We all hold lost recipes in our hearts. A very special restaurant in Kyoto helps recreate them...

Chef Nagare and his daughter Koishi serve their customers more than delicious food at their Kamogawa Diner down a quiet street in Kyoto. They can help recreate meals from their customers� most treasured memories. Through ingenious investigations, these “food detectives� untangle flavors and pore through old shopping lists to remake unique dishes from the past.

From the swimmer who misses his father’s lunchbox to the model who longs for fried rice from her childhood, each customer leaves the diner forever changed—though not always in the ways they expect�

A beloved bestseller in Japan, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is a tender and healing novel that celebrates the power of community and delicious food.]]> 214 Hisashi Kashiwai 0593717805 Jeng 0 3.86 2014 The Restaurant of Lost Recipes (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #2)
author: Hisashi Kashiwai
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/01
date added: 2024/11/01
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The DallerGut Dream Department Store (DallerGut Dream Department Store, #1)]]> 199396641 What if there was a store that sold dreams? Which would you buy? And who might you become when you wake up?

In a mysterious town hidden in our collective subconscious there's a department store that sells dreams. Day and night, visitors both human and animal shuffle in to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor specializes in a specific type of dream: childhood memories, food dreams, ice skating, dreams of stardom. Flying dreams are almost always sold out. Some seek dreams of loved ones who have died.

For Penny, an enthusiastic new hire, working at Dallergut is the opportunity of a lifetime. As she uncovers the workings of this whimsical world, she bonds with a cast of unforgettable characters, including Dallergut, the flamboyant and wise owner, Babynap Rockabye, a famous dream designer, Maxim, a nightmare producer, and the many customers who dream to heal, dream to grow, and dream to flourish.

A captivating story that will leave a lingering magical feeling in readers' minds, this is the first book in a bestselling duology for anyone exhausted from the reality of their daily life.]]> 288 Miye Lee 1335081178 Jeng 0 3.67 2020 The DallerGut Dream Department Store (DallerGut Dream Department Store, #1)
author: Miye Lee
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2024/10/24
date added: 2024/10/24
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]]> <![CDATA[Before We Forget Kindness (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #5)]]> 200998630 Before the Coffee Gets Cold series translated from Japanese, the mysterious café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests:

- The father who could not allow his daughter to get married
- A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one
- A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents
- A wife holding a child with no name . . .

They must follow the café's strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold. Another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in Before We Forget Kindness our new visitors wish to go back into their past to move on their present, finding closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.]]> 224 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 1035046245 Jeng 4
“Regret comes in two flavours: actions taken and opportunities missed.”]]> 3.93 2023 Before We Forget Kindness (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #5)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves:
review:
For a short book, that felt sooo looooooong. 3.5/5

“Regret comes in two flavours: actions taken and opportunities missed.�
]]> The Lantern of Lost Memories 204593511 From acclaimed Japanese authorSanaka Hiigari comes aheartwarming, life-affirming novel about amagical photo studio, where people go after they die to view key moments from their life—and relive one precious memory before they pass into the afterlife.

The hands and pendulum of the old wooden clock on the wall were motionless. Hirasakacocked his head to listen, but the silence inside the photo studio was almost deafening. Hisleather shoes sank softly into the aging red carpet as he strode over to the arrangement offlowers on the counter and carefully adjusted the angle of the petals...

This is the story of the peculiar and magical photo studio owned by Mr. Hirasaki, a collector of antique cameras. In the dimly lit interior, a paper background is pulled down in front of a wall, and in front of it stands a single, luxurious chair with an armrest on one side. On a stand is a large bellows camera. On the left is the main studio; photos can also be taken in the courtyard.

Beyond its straightforward interior, however, is a secret. The studio is, in fact, the door to the afterlife, the place between life and deathwhere those who have departed have a chance—one last time—to see their entire life flash before their eyes viaMr. Hirasaki's "spinning lantern ofmemories."

We meetHatsue, a ninety-two year old woman who worked as a nursery teacher,the rowdy Waniguchi, a yakuza overseer in his life who is also capable of great compassion, and finallyMitsuru, a young girl who has died tragically young at the hands of abusive parents.

Sorting through the many photos of their lives,Mr. Hirasaki also offers guests one guests a second achance to travel back in time to take a photo of oneparticular moment in their lives that they wish to cherish in a special way.

Full of charm and whimsy, The Lantern of Lost Memories will sweep you away to a world of nostalgia,laughter, and love.]]> 208 Sanaka Hiiragi 1538757435 Jeng 4 4.12 2019 The Lantern of Lost Memories
author: Sanaka Hiiragi
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/23
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
Reading the second chapter while streaming “Fix You� had me sobbing
]]> <![CDATA[The Full Moon Coffee Shop (The Full Moon Coffee Shop, #1)]]> 202468425 Translated from the Japanese bestseller, this charming and magical novel, inspired by the myth of cats returning favors to those who care for them, reminds us that it’s never too late to follow our stars.

In Japan cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives.

It’s also run by talking cats.

While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes, coffees, and teas, the cats also consult them on their star charts, offer cryptic wisdom, and let them know where their lives have veered off course—because every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. And for a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. After all, there is a reason the shop appeared to each of them…]]> 240 Mai Mochizuki 0593726820 Jeng 0 3.61 2020 The Full Moon Coffee Shop (The Full Moon Coffee Shop, #1)
author: Mai Mochizuki
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[We'll Prescribe You a Cat (We'll Prescribe You a Cat, #1)]]> 209891170 A cat a day keeps the doctor away�.

Discover this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats in the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation.

Tucked away on the fifth floor of an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can be found only by people who are struggling in their lives and who genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take� their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, and occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.

Throughout these pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a hardened handbag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha learns to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients grapple with their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.]]> 297 Syou Ishida 0593818741 Jeng 4
The thing with Japanese cat fic is it never fails to make you cry ]]> 3.79 2023 We'll Prescribe You a Cat (We'll Prescribe You a Cat, #1)
author: Syou Ishida
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves:
review:
“The amount of time you spent together probably matters, but less time doesn’t mean less love. Whether it’s a day or year, human or cat, and even if we may never see them again, there are those who are irreplaceable in our lives.�

The thing with Japanese cat fic is it never fails to make you cry
]]> <![CDATA[The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, #3)]]> 58957615
Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot.

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

From an upmarket spa to a prison cell complete with espresso machine to a luxury penthouse high in the sky, this third adventure of the Thursday Murder Club is full of the cleverness, intrigue, and irresistible charm that readers have come to expect from Richard Osman's bestselling series.]]> 413 Richard Osman 0241512425 Jeng 5 4.32 2022 The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, #3)
author: Richard Osman
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves:
review:
it just keeps on getting better and better as the series progresses
]]> <![CDATA[The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, #2)]]> 55457493
Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.

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

But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?]]> 422 Richard Osman Jeng 5 4.36 2021 The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, #2)
author: Richard Osman
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/28
date added: 2024/08/28
shelves:
review:
I think this one is even better than the first, plot-wise
]]> These Precious Days: Essays 56922687 The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays.

“Any story that starts will also end.� As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart.

At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a suprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.� When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks� short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both.

A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be.

From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.]]> 320 Ann Patchett 0063092786 Jeng 5 4.40 2021 These Precious Days: Essays
author: Ann Patchett
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/12
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves:
review:
Randomly picked up this one and I instantly felt like it was written just for me
]]> The Strong Gets Tired Too 205179012
May this book serve as your break amidst this world’s full schedule. May this book help you break mindsets that lead to unhealthy habits and decisions you may regret later on.

May this book help you in saying “yes� to God’s invitation, “Come away with me� Be comfortable in my timing. Slow down a little. There’s peace in my plans. Surrender into my ways. Trust me with everything.”]]> 65 Joena San Diego Jeng 5
could use a little help in copywriting, but nonetheless the message cuts through like it’s supposed to ]]> 4.48 The Strong Gets Tired Too
author: Joena San Diego
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.48
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/04
date added: 2024/08/04
shelves:
review:
that’s one short but sweet read i never knew i needed

could use a little help in copywriting, but nonetheless the message cuts through like it’s supposed to
]]> <![CDATA[So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love]]> 13525945
Not only is the cliché flawed—preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work—but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping.

After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers.

Matching your job to a preexisting passion does not matter, he reveals. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.

With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love.

So Good They Can't Ignore You will change the way we think about our careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.]]> 288 Cal Newport 1455509108 Jeng 5 4.05 2012 So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
author: Cal Newport
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/18
date added: 2024/07/18
shelves:
review:

]]> I Hope This Finds You Well 200987323 In this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues� private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job—a laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you’ll be eager to share with your entire list of contacts, perfect for fans of Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text colour to white so no one can see. That is, until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.

When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favour, convince HR she’s Supershops material and beat out the competition.

But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworker’s private worlds and secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Soon she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if it means coming clean to her colleagues.

Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes with it.]]> 338 Natalie Sue 0063320363 Jeng 4 3.74 2024 I Hope This Finds You Well
author: Natalie Sue
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/12
date added: 2024/07/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Diper Överlöde (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #17)]]> 60484392 In Diper Överlöde, book 17 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, Greg Heffley is finding out that the road to fame and glory comes with some hard knocks.

When he decides to tag along with his brother Rodrick’s band, Löded Diper, Greg doesn’t realize what he’s getting into. But he soon learns that late nights, unpaid gigs, fighting between band members, and money troubles are all part of the rock ’n� roll lifestyle.

Can Greg help Löded Diper become the legends they think they are? Or will too much time with Rodrick’s band be a diper överlöde?]]> 224 Jeff Kinney 0241583098 Jeng 0 3.94 2022 Diper Överlöde (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #17)
author: Jeff Kinney
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/07/03
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves:
review:

]]> A Million Junes 30763950
Who exactly is this gruff, sarcastic, but seemingly harmless boy who has returned to their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, after three mysterious years away? And why has June—an O’Donnell to her core—never questioned her late father’s deep hatred of the Angert family? After all, the O’Donnells and the Angerts may have mythic legacies, but for all the tall tales they weave, both founding families are tight-lipped about what caused the century-old rift between them.

As Saul and June’s connection grows deeper, they find that the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fingers seem to be conspiring to reveal the truth about the harrowing curse that has plagued their bloodlines for generations. Now June must question everything she knows about her family and the father she adored, and she must decide whether it’s finally time for her—and all the O’Donnells before her—to let go.]]> 400 Emily Henry 0448493969 Jeng 5 3.80 2017 A Million Junes
author: Emily Henry
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/29
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves:
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]]> Love and Gravity 31564042 In this unforgettable novel for fans of One Day and The Time Traveler’s Wife, a young Isaac Newton falls in love with a girl living in modern-day San Francisco, defying the laws of physics to forge a seemingly impossible connection.

Andrea Louviere is seven years old the first time he appears. While she’s alone in her bedroom, practicing her beloved cello, the light shivers and a crack forms in the wall. Through the crack, she sees a candle, a window, a desk—and a boy. Though no sound travels through the wall, the boy clearly sees Andrea, too. And then, just as quickly as it opened, the crack closes, and he vanishes.

Over the years, summoning the bright, magnetic boy becomes something of an obsession for Andrea. Then, on her seventeenth birthday, she receives a three-hundred-year-old love letter from Isaac Newton. Andrea knows that Isaac will change the world with his groundbreaking discoveries; the letter tells Andrea that she will change him.

As Isaac’s letters intensify in passion and intimacy, Andrea grows determined to follow his clues to their shared destiny—despite a burgeoning romance in the present. Only when she discovers the way into Isaac’s time does Andrea realize that she faces a heartbreaking decision: between what was . . . and what might be.]]> 277 Samantha Sotto Yambao 0399593241 Jeng 4 4.02 2017 Love and Gravity
author: Samantha Sotto Yambao
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/21
date added: 2024/06/21
shelves:
review:

]]> My Lola’s Love Letters 211760586 228 Ines Bautista-Yao 6214483245 Jeng 4 4.33 My Lola’s Love Letters
author: Ines Bautista-Yao
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/08
date added: 2024/06/16
shelves:
review:
June 2024 is for Filipino authors, starting with this heartwarming read I picked up from the Ateneo de Manila University Press during the Philippine Book Festival
]]> <![CDATA[Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country]]> 124961437 A fearless, powerfully written on-the-ground account of a nation careening into violent autocracy—told through harrowing stories of the Philippines� state-sanctioned killings of its citizens—from a journalist of international renown

“My job is to go to places where people die. I pack my bags, talk to the survivors, write my stories, then go home to wait for the next catastrophe. I don’t wait very long.�

Journalist Patricia Evangelista came of age in the aftermath of a street revolution that forged a new future for the Philippines. Three decades later, in the face of mounting inequality, the nation discovered the fragility of its democratic institutions under the regime of strongman Rodrigo Duterte.

Some People Need Killing is Evangelista’s meticulously reported and deeply human chronicle of the Philippines� drug war. For six years, Evangelista chronicled the killings carried out by police and vigilantes in the name of Duterte’s war on drugs—a war that has led to the slaughter of thousands—immersing herself in the world of killers and survivors and capturing the atmosphere of fear created when an elected president decides that some lives are worth less than others.

The book takes its title from a vigilante whose words seemed to reflect the psychological accommodation that most of the country had made: “I’m really not a bad guy,� he said. “I’m not all bad. Some people need killing.�

A profound act of witness and a tour de force of literary journalism, Some People Need Killing is also a brilliant dissection of the grammar of violence and an important investigation of the human impulses to dominate and resist.]]> 428 Patricia Evangelista 0593133137 Jeng 5
Thank you, Pat, for choosing to not gloss over the names of the EJK victims of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Your unflinching account of the atrocities against the victims and their families put things into perspective, especially when our nation has become numb and desensitized.

Some people need killing, but the Filipino is always worth dying for. ]]> 4.19 2023 Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country
author: Patricia Evangelista
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/16
date added: 2024/06/16
shelves:
review:
� . . . a story requires intent.�

Thank you, Pat, for choosing to not gloss over the names of the EJK victims of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Your unflinching account of the atrocities against the victims and their families put things into perspective, especially when our nation has become numb and desensitized.

Some people need killing, but the Filipino is always worth dying for.
]]> Milkman 36047860
Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.]]> 352 Anna Burns 0571338763 Jeng 4
� . . . that there were sunsets every day, that we weren’t meant to be coffined and buried whilst all the time still living, that nothing of the dark was so enormous that never could we surmount it, that always there were new chapters, that we must let go the old, open ourselves to symbolism, to the most unexpected of interpretations, that we must too, uncover what we’ve kept hidden, what we think we might have lost. Implement a choice. Come out from those places. You never know the moment of the fulcrum, the pivot, the turnaround, the instant when the meaning of it all will appear.”]]> 3.51 2018 Milkman
author: Anna Burns
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/03
date added: 2024/06/03
shelves:
review:
Middle Sister could go on and on with her introspective monologue, and I would still gladly sign up for it

� . . . that there were sunsets every day, that we weren’t meant to be coffined and buried whilst all the time still living, that nothing of the dark was so enormous that never could we surmount it, that always there were new chapters, that we must let go the old, open ourselves to symbolism, to the most unexpected of interpretations, that we must too, uncover what we’ve kept hidden, what we think we might have lost. Implement a choice. Come out from those places. You never know the moment of the fulcrum, the pivot, the turnaround, the instant when the meaning of it all will appear.�
]]> <![CDATA[The Kamogawa Food Detectives (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #1)]]> 154488299 The Kamogawa Food Detectives is the first book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese series for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

What’s the one dish you’d do anything to taste just one more time?

Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that’s not the main reason customers stop by . . .

The father-daughter duo are ‘food detectives�. Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories � dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness. The restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to vanished moments, creating a present full of possibility.

A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal.]]> 201 Hisashi Kashiwai 0593717716 Jeng 0 3.70 2013 The Kamogawa Food Detectives (Kamogawa Food Detectives, #1)
author: Hisashi Kashiwai
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2024/05/17
date added: 2024/05/17
shelves:
review:

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

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

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

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

Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer," Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.]]> 464 Asako Yuzuki 0063236400 Jeng 4
�. . . you don’t have to get through everything alone. You don’t have to always be growing as a person either. The far more important thing is just to get through the day.�

Asako Yuzuki dissected throes upon throes of Japanese women’s struggles in this complex novel, which is loosely based on the true-to-life story of the Konkatsu Killer. Belongingness, body image, misogyny, self-worth, narratives pegged as truth - these are some of the relevant themes julienned throughout the book, sandwiched in between buttery dishes.

I find it looonggggg tho, and I felt like more could have been said; but I did like how Ms. Yuzuki wrapped up the story.

Giving this a 3.75 rating ⭐️]]> 3.51 2017 Butter
author: Asako Yuzuki
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves:
review:
I’m reading books with food in the title this month, and it looks like I’m off to a good start with Butter: serial murder cases, mouth-watering food, and femme fatale - basically the trinity of my fave genre �

�. . . you don’t have to get through everything alone. You don’t have to always be growing as a person either. The far more important thing is just to get through the day.�

Asako Yuzuki dissected throes upon throes of Japanese women’s struggles in this complex novel, which is loosely based on the true-to-life story of the Konkatsu Killer. Belongingness, body image, misogyny, self-worth, narratives pegged as truth - these are some of the relevant themes julienned throughout the book, sandwiched in between buttery dishes.

I find it looonggggg tho, and I felt like more could have been said; but I did like how Ms. Yuzuki wrapped up the story.

Giving this a 3.75 rating ⭐️
]]> <![CDATA[Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life...]]> 4894
Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. And two are "Littlepeople" � beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like people. Their names are Hem and Haw.

"Cheese" is a metaphor for what you want to have in life � whether it's a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind.

And the "Maze" is where you look for what you want � the organisation you work in or the family or community you live in.

In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change. Eventually, one of them deals with it successfully, and writes what he has learned from his experience on the Maze walls.

When you come to see "The Handwriting on the Wall," you can discover for yourself how to deal with change, so that you can enjoy less stress and more success (however you define it) in your work and in your life.

Written for all ages, the story takes less than an hour to read, but its unique insights can last for a lifetime.]]> 98 Spencer Johnson 0091883768 Jeng 0 3.88 1999 Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life...
author: Spencer Johnson
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at: 2024/05/03
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Happy Place 61718053
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends� hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week� in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.]]> 400 Emily Henry 0593441273 Jeng 5
Harriet’s life is, in her own words, “the culmination of her parents� lost dreams, their missed other lives.� She’s been bargaining with the universe, as much as she could, to steer clear her path from her parents� parked hopes - which, in a way, drove her to be an overthinker as an adult.

“But if I could be good enough . . .�

“I try to be enough in this small, small life . . .�

Happy Place is a nod to the overthinker girlies who always end up asking themselves if they’re good enough, trying enough, expressive enough, giving enough, caring enough, loving enough, accommodating enough, considerate enough, smart enough, fun enough, driven enough, decisive enough, planning enough, achieving enough, or whether they’re simply enough ]]> 3.95 2023 Happy Place
author: Emily Henry
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/03
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves:
review:
“I’ll make bargains with the universe . . .�

Harriet’s life is, in her own words, “the culmination of her parents� lost dreams, their missed other lives.� She’s been bargaining with the universe, as much as she could, to steer clear her path from her parents� parked hopes - which, in a way, drove her to be an overthinker as an adult.

“But if I could be good enough . . .�

“I try to be enough in this small, small life . . .�

Happy Place is a nod to the overthinker girlies who always end up asking themselves if they’re good enough, trying enough, expressive enough, giving enough, caring enough, loving enough, accommodating enough, considerate enough, smart enough, fun enough, driven enough, decisive enough, planning enough, achieving enough, or whether they’re simply enough
]]> After the Funeral 127696465 0 Agatha Christie Jeng 0 3.56 1953 After the Funeral
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1953
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/30
date added: 2024/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency]]> 50755102 “One of the finest writers of the new non-fiction� (Harper’s Bazaar) explores the role of art in the tumultuous twenty-first century.

In the age of Trump and Brexit, every crisis is instantly overridden by the next. The turbulent political weather of the twenty-first century generates anxiety and makes it difficult to know how to react. Olivia Laing makes a brilliant, inspiring case for why art matters more than ever, as a force of both resistance and repair. Art, she argues, changes how we see the world. It gives us X-ray vision. It reveals inequalities and offers fertile new ways of living.

Funny Weather brings together a career’s worth of Laing’s writing about art and culture, and their role in our political and emotional lives. She profiles Jean-Michel Basquiat and Georgia O’Keeffe, interviews Hilary Mantel and Ali Smith, writes love letters to David Bowie and Wolfgang Tillmans, and explores loneliness and technology, women and alcohol, sex and the body. With characteristic originality and compassion, Funny Weather celebrates art as an antidote to a terrifying political moment.]]> 272 Olivia Laing 132400570X Jeng 4
essays re ali smith and sally rooney are easily my faves, since I look up to both female writers. olivia laing’s flair for writing poignant narratives is something that I’d always meet with palpable relish and irrepressible glee ✨]]> 4.01 2020 Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency
author: Olivia Laing
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/24
date added: 2024/04/24
shelves:
review:
“happiness which depends on privilege and oppression cannot by any civilised terms be described as happiness at all.�

essays re ali smith and sally rooney are easily my faves, since I look up to both female writers. olivia laing’s flair for writing poignant narratives is something that I’d always meet with palpable relish and irrepressible glee �
]]> Love, Rosie 147865
She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She's pregnant by a boy she'd gone out with while on the rebound from Alex.

Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn't done with them yet.

Sometimes you have to look at life in a whole new way...

From the bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes a delightfully enchanting novel about what happens when two people who are meant to be together just can't seem to get it right.]]> 512 Cecelia Ahern 0786891084 Jeng 0 3.95 2004 Love, Rosie
author: Cecelia Ahern
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/10
date added: 2024/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Life: An Obsessively Grateful, Undone by Jesus, Genuinely Happy, and Not Faking it Through the Hard Stuff Kind of 100-Day Devotional]]> 57006930 Do you ever wonder if the Gospel is truly "good news" for your actual, everyday, often difficult, sometimes painful, and typically crazyreallife? Well, it is.But sometimes we all need a reminder that God's faithfulness really does follow us into the face of all that harried, hard, and even humorous stuff of life.In her new devotionalLIFE, Lisa Harper gives you exactly agut-level exploration ofpertinent and redemptive moments in Scripturethat proveGod’s grace is more than sufficient for both the massive and the minuscule things of life.Whether we deal with personal loss,ongoingtrauma, global crisis, or simply a super bad hair day, the Gospel is more than enough to handleeverything, so dive intoLIFEand find some tangible hope for yours!]]> 242 Lisa Harper 1433691949 Jeng 0 4.34 Life: An Obsessively Grateful, Undone by Jesus, Genuinely Happy, and Not Faking it Through the Hard Stuff Kind of 100-Day Devotional
author: Lisa Harper
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/08
date added: 2024/04/08
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine]]> 35900387 No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.

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

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

The only way to survive is to open your heart. ]]> 390 Gail Honeyman 0008172145 Jeng 4 4.17 2017 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
author: Gail Honeyman
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/31
date added: 2024/03/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What's a Girl Gotta Do? (The Spinster Club, #3)]]> 29740718
1. Call out anything that is unfair on one gender

2. Don't call out the same thing twice (so you can sleep and breathe)

3. Always try to keep it funny

4. Don't let anything slide. Even when you start to break...

Lottie's determined to change the world with her #Vagilante vlog. Shame the trolls have other ideas...]]> 432 Holly Bourne 1474915027 Jeng 4 4.12 2016 What's a Girl Gotta Do? (The Spinster Club, #3)
author: Holly Bourne
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/21
date added: 2024/03/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emma (The Penguin English Library) by Jane Austen (2012-07-26)]]> 132774816 0 Jane Austen Jeng 5 4.25 1815 Emma (The Penguin English Library) by Jane Austen (2012-07-26)
author: Jane Austen
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1815
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/16
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> A Walk to Remember 35545737 Illuminating both the strength and the gossamer fragility of our deepest emotions, his two New York Times bestsellers, The Notebook and Message in a Bottle, have established him as the leading author of today's most cherished love stories. Now, in A Walk to Remember, he tells a truly unforgettable story, one that glimmers with all of his magic, holding us spellbound-and reminding us that in life each of us may find one great love, the kind that changes everything...]]> 215 Nicholas Sparks Jeng 0 4.31 1999 A Walk to Remember
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/02/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Be A Cat by Matt Haig (2013-05-02)]]> 136681306 0 Matt Haig Jeng 4 3.89 2012 To Be A Cat by Matt Haig (2013-05-02)
author: Matt Haig
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/10
date added: 2024/02/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath]]> 11623
A major literary event--the complete, uncensored journals of Sylvia Plath, published in their entirety for the first time.

Sylvia Plath's journals were originally published in 1982 in a heavily abridged version authorized by Plath's husband, Ted Hughes. This new edition is an exact and complete transcription of the diaries Plath kept during the last twelve years of her life. Sixty percent of the book is material that has never before been made public, more fully revealing the intensity of the poet's personal and literary struggles, and providing fresh insight into both her frequent desperation and the bravery with which she faced down her demons. The complete Journals of Sylvia Plath is essential reading for all who have been moved and fascinated by Plath's life and work.]]> 732 Sylvia Plath 0385720254 Jeng 0 currently-reading 4.27 2000 The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
author: Sylvia Plath
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Coraline 17061
In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.

The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only it's different.

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.

Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.]]> 176 Neil Gaiman 0061139378 Jeng 0 4.13 2002 Coraline
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/23
date added: 2024/01/23
shelves:
review:

]]> The Travelling Cat Chronicles 40961230
An instant international bestseller and indie bestseller, The Travelling Cat Chronicles has charmed readers around the world. With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe...

With his crooked tail—a sign of good fortune—and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. And as they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.]]> 281 Hiro Arikawa 0735235244 Jeng 5 4.35 2012 The Travelling Cat Chronicles
author: Hiro Arikawa
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/21
date added: 2024/01/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)]]> 16328
The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells� before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on ŷ.]]> 288 Agatha Christie 1579126278 Jeng 5 4.26 1926 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1926
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/16
date added: 2024/01/16
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Double Clue: And Other Hercule Poirot Stories]]> 28729389
A man is found shot through the head in a locked room. A wealthy banker vanishes while posting a letter. A thief disappears with a haul of rubies and emeralds. And, in the golden sands of Egypt, the men who discovered an ancient tomb are dying one by one . . .

Hercule Poirot, the fussy Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head and immaculate moustache, solved some of the world’s most puzzling crimes. This book contains four of the very best stories, selected by John Curran, author of Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks, and Sophie Hannah, who wrote the brand new Hercule Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders.

Includes the stories ‘The Double Clue�, ‘The Market Basing Mystery�, ‘The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim� and ‘The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb�.]]> 112 Agatha Christie 0008165092 Jeng 0 3.64 The Double Clue: And Other Hercule Poirot Stories
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.64
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[A Gift from Bob: How a Street Cat Helped One Man Learn the Meaning of Christmas]]> 23848554 Street Cat Bob and James, stars of bestselling A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob that touched millions around the world, spend a cold and challenging December on the streets together in a new adventure. From the day James rescued a street cat abandoned in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, they began a friendship which has transformed both their lives and, through the bestselling books A STREET CAT NAMED BOB and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BOB, touched millions around the world. In this new story of their journey together, James looks back at the last Christmas they spent scraping a living on the streets and how Bob helped him through one of his toughest times - providing strength, friendship and inspiration but also teaching him important lessons about the true meaning of Christmas along the way.]]> 192 James Bowen 1250077338 Jeng 5 4.22 2014 A Gift from Bob: How a Street Cat Helped One Man Learn the Meaning of Christmas
author: James Bowen
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/30
date added: 2023/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> The Winter Garden 50359134 Heidi Swain 1471192105 Jeng 0 4.02 2020 The Winter Garden
author: Heidi Swain
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2023/12/24
date added: 2023/12/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas]]> 17714302 263 Ann Voskamp 1414387083 Jeng 5 4.31 2013 The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas
author: Ann Voskamp
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/24
date added: 2023/12/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)]]> 46000520
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

Alternate cover edition can be found here .]]> 382 Richard Osman Jeng 0 3.87 2020 The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2023/11/27
date added: 2023/11/27
shelves:
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]]> People We Meet on Vacation 54985743 Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?]]> 400 Emily Henry 1984806750 Jeng 0 3.85 2021 People We Meet on Vacation
author: Emily Henry
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2023/11/02
date added: 2023/11/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Before We Say Goodbye (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #4)]]> 66269953 The fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, following a new group of customers in a magical time-traveling Tokyo café.

The regulars at Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with the whimsical ability it grants them to take a trip into the past—as well as the strict rules involved, including that each traveler must return to the present in the time it takes for their coffee to get cold. In Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, patrons have been reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family and visited loved ones. Now readers will once again be introduced to a new set of visitors.

The Husband with Something Important Left to Say

The Woman Who Couldn’t Bid Her Dog Farewell

The Woman Who Couldn’t Answer a Proposal

The Daughter Who Drove Her Father Away

In Last Chance to Say Goodbye, which is translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and features signature heartwarming characters and wistful storytelling, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: What would you change if you could travel back in time?]]> 173 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 0369747305 Jeng 4 3.94 2021 Before We Say Goodbye (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #4)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/08
date added: 2023/10/09
shelves:
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]]> Charlotte’s Web 24178 Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This high-quality paperback features vibrant illustrations colorized by Rosemary Wells!

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. This edition contains newly color illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.]]> 184 E.B. White 0064410935 Jeng 5 4.20 1952 Charlotte’s Web
author: E.B. White
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1952
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/06
date added: 2023/10/06
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Little Women (Puffin in Bloom Collection)]]> 41728978 777 Louisa May Alcott Jeng 5 4.45 1868 Little Women (Puffin in Bloom Collection)
author: Louisa May Alcott
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.45
book published: 1868
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/03
date added: 2023/10/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Pocket Full of Rye (Miss Marple, #6)]]> 834378
Let us explain. Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his 'counting house' office when he suffered a sudden and agonising death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain rye grain. What is that all about? It was a second incident, this time in the parlour at his home, which confirmed Jane Marple's suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme!

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "A Pocket Full of Rye." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 220 Agatha Christie 0451199863 Jeng 0 3.90 1953 A Pocket Full of Rye (Miss Marple, #6)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1953
rating: 0
read at: 2023/09/30
date added: 2023/09/30
shelves:
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]]> Beach Read 52867387 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.]]> 400 Emily Henry 1984806734 Jeng 0 3.99 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2023/09/23
date added: 2023/09/23
shelves:
review:

]]> Winter Garden 6668467 394 Kristin Hannah 0312364121 Jeng 5
this book filled me with love and then ripped me apart all at the same time. horrors of war devastated me. stories like these deserve to be known.

kristin hannah’s writing is beautiful and sweeping and totally heartbreaking.

the bottom line is this: mothers will go down in history as one of the strongest species to ever walk this earth, and no one can tell me otherwise.]]> 4.21 2010 Winter Garden
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/29
date added: 2023/08/29
shelves:
review:
sometimes, a book just hits you.

this book filled me with love and then ripped me apart all at the same time. horrors of war devastated me. stories like these deserve to be known.

kristin hannah’s writing is beautiful and sweeping and totally heartbreaking.

the bottom line is this: mothers will go down in history as one of the strongest species to ever walk this earth, and no one can tell me otherwise.
]]> Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 51496 139 Robert Louis Stevenson 0451528956 Jeng 0 3.84 1886 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
author: Robert Louis Stevenson
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1886
rating: 0
read at: 2023/08/16
date added: 2023/08/16
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]]> Love and Other Words 36206591 The story of the heart can never be unwritten.

Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.

But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother...only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.

Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.

Love, loss, friendship, and the betrayals of the past all collide in this first fiction novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Autoboyography, Dating You / Hating You).]]> 432 Christina Lauren 1501190539 Jeng 0 4.23 2018 Love and Other Words
author: Christina Lauren
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2023/08/12
date added: 2023/08/12
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]]> A Murder Is Announced 25386782 416 Agatha Christie Jeng 4
Miss Jane Marple is phenomenal as usual, but I still pretty much prefer Hercule Poirot mysteries tho.]]> 3.91 1950 A Murder Is Announced
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/02
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves:
review:
Didn’t see that (plot twist) coming as I got too fascinated with the red herrings.

Miss Jane Marple is phenomenal as usual, but I still pretty much prefer Hercule Poirot mysteries tho.
]]> A Street Cat Named Bob 12394068 279 James Bowen 1444737090 Jeng 0 3.93 2012 A Street Cat Named Bob
author: James Bowen
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/31
date added: 2023/07/31
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]]> Book Lovers 58690308 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens� life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters� trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]> 377 Emily Henry 0593334833 Jeng 5
Book Lovers is a love letter to every workaholic city girl who is seen as cold and withdrawn ]]> 4.09 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/15
date added: 2023/07/15
shelves:
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No other character made me feel as seen as Nora did.

Book Lovers is a love letter to every workaholic city girl who is seen as cold and withdrawn
]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time]]> 1618 226 Mark Haddon 1400032717 Jeng 0 3.89 2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
author: Mark Haddon
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2023/06/28
date added: 2023/06/28
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (The Hundred-Year-Old Man, #1)]]> 36578942 The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world.]]> 396 Jonas Jonasson Jeng 0 3.84 2009 The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (The Hundred-Year-Old Man, #1)
author: Jonas Jonasson
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2023/06/26
date added: 2023/06/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure]]> 51335169 You’ve never seen the Wimpy Kid World like this before—an entirely new, awesome, friendly, truly fantastic fantasy quest from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney! From the imagination of Rowley Jefferson comes an adventure of epic proportions. Join Roland and his best friend, Garg the Barbarian, as they leave the safety of their village and embark on a quest to save Roland’s mom from the White Warlock. Will our heroes survive? Find out in Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure! And don’t missRowley Jefferson’s first book, the instant #1 bestseller, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Rowley Jefferson’s Journal!]]> 224 Jeff Kinney 1647001668 Jeng 0 4.17 2020 Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure
author: Jeff Kinney
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2023/06/24
date added: 2023/06/24
shelves:
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]]> Daisy Jones & The Six 40597810 Everyone knows DAISY JONES & THE SIX, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n� roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.]]> 368 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798622 Jeng 0 4.20 2019 Daisy Jones & The Six
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2023/06/17
date added: 2023/06/17
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)]]> 13214
Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide.

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.� At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare�) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.]]> 289 Maya Angelou 0553279378 Jeng 5 4.30 1969 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)
author: Maya Angelou
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1969
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/04
date added: 2023/06/02
shelves:
review:

]]> To Kill a Mockingbird 2657
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, "To Kill A Mockingbird" takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Jeng 5 4.25 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird
author: Harper Lee
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/05
date added: 2023/05/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[40 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast.]]> 26404002 272 Alicia Britt Chole 0718076605 Jeng 5 4.35 2016 40 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast.
author: Alicia Britt Chole
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/22
date added: 2023/05/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tales from the Café (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #2)]]> 54373691 In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time...

From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold comes a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer.

Among some faces that will be familiar to readers of Kawaguchi's previous novel, we will be introduced to:

The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years ago
The son who was unable to attend his own mother’s funeral
The man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marry
The old detective who never gave his wife that gift...

This beautiful, simple tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives. Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?]]> 192 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 1529050863 Jeng 5 3.98 2017 Tales from the Café (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #2)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/10
date added: 2023/05/27
shelves:
review:

]]> Crying in H Mart 54814676
In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humour and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band � and meeting the man who would become her husband � her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live.

It was her mother’s diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

Vivacious, lyrical and honest, Michelle Zauner’s voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.]]> 243 Michelle Zauner 0525657746 Jeng 0 4.25 2021 Crying in H Mart
author: Michelle Zauner
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2023/05/27
date added: 2023/05/27
shelves:
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]]> Matilda 39988 “The Trunchbull� is no match for Matilda!

Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world...

For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived. Then there's the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Miss ("The") Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will, and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.

Roald Dahl was a spy, ace fighter-pilot, chocolate historian, and medical inventor. He was also the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and many more brilliant stories. He remains the World's No. 1 Storyteller.]]> 240 Roald Dahl 043512398X Jeng 5 4.33 1988 Matilda
author: Roald Dahl
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/20
date added: 2023/05/20
shelves:
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]]> Verity 59344312
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.]]> 336 Colleen Hoover 153872474X Jeng 0 4.29 2018 Verity
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2023/05/12
date added: 2023/05/12
shelves:
review:

]]> I've Got My Eyes on You 35297310
The immediate suspect is her boyfriend who had a bitter argument with her at the party. Then there is a twenty-year-old neighbor who was angry because she didn’t invite him to the party.

Or is there someone else who has not yet been seen on the radar?

Kerry’s older sister Aline, a twenty-eight-year-old guidance counselor, is determined to assist the Prosecutor's Office in learning the truth. She does not realize that now she is putting her own life in danger...]]> 256 Mary Higgins Clark 1501171682 Jeng 0 3.63 2018 I've Got My Eyes on You
author: Mary Higgins Clark
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2023/05/10
date added: 2023/05/10
shelves:
review:

]]> The Beginning of Always 53897350 335 Samantha Sotto Yambao Jeng 5 4.43 2020 The Beginning of Always
author: Samantha Sotto Yambao
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/04
date added: 2023/05/04
shelves:
review:

]]> A Dream of Trees 51094938 326 Samantha Sotto Yambao Jeng 5 4.32 2019 A Dream of Trees
author: Samantha Sotto Yambao
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/28
date added: 2023/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing]]> 22318578 Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).

With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house "spark joy" (and which don't), this international best seller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home - and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

]]> 213 Marie Kondō 1607747308 Jeng 0 3.88 2010 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
author: Marie Kondō
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2023/04/15
date added: 2023/04/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Shoko's Smile: Stories 55782297 A bestselling and award-winning debut collection from one of South Korea's most prominent young writers.

In crisp, unembellished prose, Eun-young Choi paints intimate portraits of the lives of young women in South Korea, balancing the personal with the political. In the title story, a fraught friendship between an exchange student and her host sister follows them from adolescence to adulthood. In A Song from Afar, a young woman grapples with the death of her lover, traveling to Russia to search for information about the deceased. In Secret, the parents of a teacher killed in the Sewol ferry sinking hide the news of her death from her grandmother.
In the tradition of Sally Rooney, Banana Yoshimoto, and Marilynne Robinson--writers from different cultures who all take an unvarnished look at human relationships and the female experience--Choi Eunyoung is a writer to watch.]]> 272 Choi Eun-young 0143135260 Jeng 0 3.92 2016 Shoko's Smile: Stories
author: Choi Eun-young
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2023/03/31
date added: 2023/03/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Sweet Bean Paste 33376821
Until, that is, Tokue comes into his life. An elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past, she makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. The unlikeliest of friendships blossoms, but it will take all of their resolve � and plenty of pancakes � to protect themselves when Tokue's dark secret comes to light.]]> 216 Durian Sukegawa 1786071959 Jeng 0 4.07 2013 Sweet Bean Paste
author: Durian Sukegawa
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2023/03/20
date added: 2023/03/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 1984 61439040
Alternate cover edition can be found here.]]> 368 George Orwell 0452284236 Jeng 0 4.21 1949 1984
author: George Orwell
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1949
rating: 0
read at: 2023/03/18
date added: 2023/03/18
shelves:
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]]> Animal Farm 170448 Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.

A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned –a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.
When Animal Farm was first published, Stalinist Russia was seen as its target. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell’s masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.]]> 141 George Orwell 0451526341 Jeng 5 4.07 1945 Animal Farm
author: George Orwell
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1945
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/28
date added: 2023/02/28
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]]> And Then There Were None 16299
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.]]> 264 Agatha Christie 0312330871 Jeng 5 4.28 1939 And Then There Were None
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1939
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/26
date added: 2023/02/26
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Peace Is a Practice: An Invitation to Breathe Deep and Find a New Rhythm for Life]]> 58429177 226 Morgan Harper Nichols 0310361702 Jeng 0 4.06 Peace Is a Practice: An Invitation to Breathe Deep and Find a New Rhythm for Life
author: Morgan Harper Nichols
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/25
date added: 2023/02/25
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Ten Seconds of Terror (Detective Conan #4)]]> 36183170
Adapted from original manga MEITANTEI CONAN Volume 4.]]> 184 Gosho Aoyama 981093615X Jeng 0 4.00 Ten Seconds of Terror (Detective Conan #4)
author: Gosho Aoyama
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/19
date added: 2023/02/19
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[How Far You Have Come: Musings on Beauty and Courage (Morgan Harper Nichols Poetry Collection)]]> 54287653 How Far You Have Come is an exquisitely illustrated collection of poetry and essays from bestselling artist and writer Morgan Harper Nichols. In the midst of the hurt and the mundane, the questions and the not yets, you can forget just how far you have come. Morgan weaves together personal reflections with her signature poems, encouraging you to reclaim moments of brokenness, division, and pain and re-envision them as experiences of reconciliation, unity, and hope.

As Morgan reflects on the moments that shaped her, she invites you to:


Awaken your heart and recognize how your own history has made you who you are today


Into a deeper understanding of pressing on and pressing in, of transformation and surrender, of meaning in the losses and wild anticipation for the splendor ahead


Reclaim moments of brokenness, division, and pain and re-envision them as experiences of reconciliation, unity, and hope


Become who you are in the moment you hold right now


A Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestselling author, Morgan has cultivated a loyal online community, over a million Instagram followers, and an in-person following as she shares her unique message around the country. How Far You Have Come is an excellent gift for college and high school graduations, faith celebrations and anniversaries, life transitions, and birthdays or simply a gift for yourself.]]> 224 Morgan Harper Nichols 0310456592 Jeng 0 4.18 2021 How Far You Have Come: Musings on Beauty and Courage (Morgan Harper Nichols Poetry Collection)
author: Morgan Harper Nichols
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/11
date added: 2023/02/11
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Casper the Commuting Cat: The True Story of the Cat who Rode the Bus and Stole our Hearts]]> 8488763 228 Susan Finden 0857200089 Jeng 0 3.76 2010 Casper the Commuting Cat: The True Story of the Cat who Rode the Bus and Stole our Hearts
author: Susan Finden
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/10
date added: 2023/02/10
shelves:
review:

]]> milk and honey 23513349 Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.

It is split into four chapters, with each chapter dealing with a different pain. Healing a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them -- because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.]]> 204 Rupi Kaur 1502784270 Jeng 0 3.97 2014 milk and honey
author: Rupi Kaur
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/08
date added: 2023/02/08
shelves:
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]]> Please Love Me at My Worst 56898963 Notable TikTok creator Michaela Angemeer explores connecting with your inner child, loving the worst parts of yourself, coming out as bisexual, and focusing on self-growth in her much-anticipated poetry collection.

Please Love Me At My Worstis a collection of four sections of poetry inspired by loneliness, unrequited love, and not being able to let go of past relationships. Written during the 2020 COVID-19 quarantine, the book is a reflection of what it means to yearn for people who are unavailable and how important it is to focus on self-love and healing.
ձ> 144 Michaela Angemeer 1524868698 Jeng 0 3.85 2021 Please Love Me at My Worst
author: Michaela Angemeer
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/06
date added: 2023/02/06
shelves:
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]]> No Longer Human 194746 No Longer Human, this leading postwar Japanese writer's second novel, tells the poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. In consequence, he feels himself "disqualified from being human" (a literal translation of the Japanese title).

Donald Keene, who translated this and Dazai's first novel, The Setting Sun, has said of the author's work: "His world � suggests Chekhov or possibly postwar France, � but there is a Japanese sensibility in the choice and presentation of the material. A Dazai novel is at once immediately intelligible in Western terms and quite unlike any Western book." His writing is in some ways reminiscent of Rimbaud, while he himself has often been called a forerunner of Yukio Mishima.

Cover painting by Noe Nojechowiz, from the collection of John and Barbara Duncan; design by Gertrude Huston]]> 176 Osamu Dazai Jeng 0 3.99 1948 No Longer Human
author: Osamu Dazai
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1948
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/05
date added: 2023/02/05
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]]> Every Word You Cannot Say 40680983
**I know you don’t want to talk sometimes. Sometimes because it hurts and sometimes because you’re just not supposed to talk about what you want to talk about. Sometimes it can be hard to say, “this is beautiful,� when no one else can see what you see. Or, “Here, this is where the pain is.”�

But some part of you knows, the truth about the words you cannot say is that they only hurt until you say them. They only hurt until the person who needs to hear them, hears them. Because we are human, and the closest we’ve ever come to showing each other who we really are, and how we love, is with words.

So I’m going to try to say to you here, what I wish you’d say to me too. Please.
Listen. We can change things.

Here.]]> 232 Iain S. Thomas 1449495206 Jeng 0 3.99 Every Word You Cannot Say
author: Iain S. Thomas
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/30
date added: 2023/01/30
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]]> <![CDATA[The Cat Who Saved Books (The Cat Who..., #1)]]> 56755560 The Cat Who Saved Books is a heart-warming story about finding courage, caring for others � and the tremendous power of books.

Grandpa used to say it all the time: 'books have tremendous power'. But what is that power really?

Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.

After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . .

Sosuke Natsukawa's international bestseller, translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai, is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.]]> 198 Sōsuke Natsukawa 0063095726 Jeng 0 3.74 2017 The Cat Who Saved Books (The Cat Who..., #1)
author: Sōsuke Natsukawa
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/30
date added: 2023/01/30
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]]> Carrie Soto Is Back 60435878 Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyway. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.]]> 384 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158687 Jeng 0 4.19 2022 Carrie Soto Is Back
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/27
date added: 2023/01/27
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]]> Convenience Store Woman 38357895
A brilliant depiction of an unusual psyche and a world hidden from view, Convenience Store Woman is an ironic and sharp-eyed look at contemporary work culture and the pressures to conform, as well as a charming and completely fresh portrait of an unforgettable heroine.]]> 163 Sayaka Murata Jeng 0 3.70 2016 Convenience Store Woman
author: Sayaka Murata
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/25
date added: 2023/01/25
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights]]> 16043549
Klein is a keen observer of people in their natural settings—scientists, businesspeople, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, family members, friends, himself—and uses a marvelous variety of stories to illuminate his research into what insights are and how they happen. What, for example, enabled Harry Markopolos to put the finger on Bernie Madoff? How did Dr. Michael Gottlieb make the connections between different patients that allowed him to publish the first announcement of the AIDS epidemic? What did Admiral Yamamoto see (and what did the Americans miss) in a 1940 British attack on the Italian fleet that enabled him to develop the strategy of attack at Pearl Harbor? How did a “smokejumper� see that setting another fire would save his life, while those who ignored his insight perished? How did Martin Chalfie come up with a million-dollar idea (and a Nobel Prize) for a natural flashlight that enabled researchers to look inside living organisms to watch biological processes in action?

Klein also dissects impediments to insight, such as when organizations claim to value employee creativity and to encourage breakthroughs but in reality block disruptive ideas and prioritize avoidance of mistakes. Or when information technology systems are “dumb by design� and block potential discoveries.

Both scientifically sophisticated and fun to read, Seeing What Others Don't shows that insight is not just a “eureka!� moment but a whole new way of understanding.]]> 304 Gary Klein 1610392515 Jeng 0 3.57 2013 Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights
author: Gary Klein
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/24
date added: 2023/01/24
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]]> <![CDATA[Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #3)]]> 60224365 The latest novel in the international bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, following four new customers in a little Tokyo café where customers can travel back in time.

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Tales from the Cafecomes another story of four new customers, each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Café Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces from Kawaguchi's previous novels, readers will also be introduced to a daughter, a comedian, a sister, and a lover, each with something they wish they had said differently.

With his signature heartwarming characters and immersive storytelling, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?]]> 220 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 0369722698 Jeng 0 3.90 2018 Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #3)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/17
date added: 2023/01/17
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[All Along You Were Blooming: Thoughts for Boundless Living]]> 44441884 A celebration of hope. An encounter with grace. A restoration of the heart. A healing of wounds. An anthem of freedom. All Along You Were Blooming is the ultimate love letter from the pen of popular Instagram poet Morgan Harper Nichols to your mind, heart, soul, and body.

On Instagram @morganharpernicols, Morgan has over a million followers. Fans can add Morgan's beautiful artwork and thoughts for boundless living to their library.

All Along You Were Blooming is a striking collection of illustrated poetry and prose, inviting you to "stumble into the sunlight" and delight in the wild and boundless grace you've been given. Morgan reminds you:


There is a purpose in every season
No matter how you want to race through this day or run away from this place, you are invited to live fully--right here, right now
Light will always find you, even when the sun sets and you sit awaiting the dawn
That you are always blooming in the way youwere meant to
All Along You Were Blooming is perfect:


For men and women of all ages
For teachers to share with classrooms during poetry focused lessons
Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, National Best Friend Day, birthdays, and holiday gifting
In each small moment, whether in the light or the dark, you can make room for becoming, for breathing, for stumbling, and for simply being--for there is grace, today and every day.]]> 192 Morgan Harper Nichols 0310454077 Jeng 0 4.22 2020 All Along You Were Blooming: Thoughts for Boundless Living
author: Morgan Harper Nichols
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/06
date added: 2023/01/06
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]]> <![CDATA[I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki]]> 60400779 209 Baek Se-hee 152665086X Jeng 0 3.25 2018 I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
author: Baek Se-hee
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/03
date added: 2023/01/03
shelves:
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]]> One Day in December 38255337 Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic... and then her bus drives away.

Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.

What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780525574682.]]> 393 Josie Silver Jeng 0 3.80 2018 One Day in December
author: Josie Silver
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2022/09/10
date added: 2022/09/10
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]]> Before Ever After 10230881 Her Max. And he is alive and well.

As outrageous as Paolo's claims seem; how could her husband be alive? And if he is, why hasn't he looked her up? Shelley desperately wants to know the truth. She and Paolo jet across the globe to track Max down; if it is really Max and along the way, Shelley recounts the European package tour where they had met. As she relives Max's stories of bloody Parisian barricades, medieval Austrian kitchens, and buried Roman boathouses, Shelley begins to piece together the story of who her husband was and what these new revelations mean for her "happily ever after." And as she and Paolo get closer to the truth, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to.]]> 296 Samantha Sotto Yambao 0307719871 Jeng 0 3.75 2011 Before Ever After
author: Samantha Sotto Yambao
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2022/04/27
date added: 2022/04/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone]]> 25667449
When Olivia Laing moved to New York City in her mid-thirties, she found herself inhabiting loneliness on a daily basis. Increasingly fascinated by this most shameful of experiences, she began to explore the lonely city by way of art. Moving fluidly between works and lives -- from Edward Hopper's Nighthawks to Andy Warhol's Time Capsules, from Henry Darger's hoarding to the depredations of the AIDS crisis -- Laing conducts an electric, dazzling investigation into what it means to be alone, illuminating not only the causes of loneliness but also how it might be resisted and redeemed.]]> 336 Olivia Laing 1250039576 Jeng 0 3.91 2016 The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone
author: Olivia Laing
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/26
date added: 2022/03/26
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life]]> 39995046
"Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years." (Japanese proverb)

According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai - a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world's longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai - the place where passion, mission, vocation, and profession intersect - means that each day is infused with meaning. It's the reason we get up in the morning. It's also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there's no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they've found a real purpose in life - the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds - one of the world's Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and - their best-kept secret - how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn't want to find happiness in every day?]]> 3 Héctor García Jeng 0 3.57 2016 Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
author: Héctor García
name: Jeng
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/19
date added: 2022/03/19
shelves:
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]]> Every Moment Was You 53144446 Jadi kumohon, jangan lagi kau rasakan sakit itu
di malam hari..."

Kuharap kau bahagia.
Kuharap tak banyak air mata yang menetes dari
matamu.
Kuharap kau merasa bebas.
Kuharap kau bisa mencintai dengan bahagia.
Kuharap kau tak lagi terjatuh.

Jangan melupakan semua yang pernah terjadi
sampai saat ini,
dan teruskan hidupmu.

Karena kau adalah seseorang yang kuat dan
siap untuk bahagia,
tapi tak menyadarinya.]]> 271 Ha Tae-wan 6024805233 Jeng 0 4.15 2018 Every Moment Was You
author: Ha Tae-wan
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/11
date added: 2022/03/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How's Your Soul?: Why Everything That Matters Starts With the Inside You]]> 29926499 195 Judah Smith 0718039173 Jeng 0 4.13 How's Your Soul?: Why Everything That Matters Starts With the Inside You
author: Judah Smith
name: Jeng
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/01
date added: 2022/03/01
shelves:
review:

]]>