esther's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 22 Mar 2025 19:59:03 -0700 60 esther's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Psychoanalysis of Fire 297266 132 Gaston Bachelard 0807064610 esther 0 currently-reading 4.00 1938 The Psychoanalysis of Fire
author: Gaston Bachelard
name: esther
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1938
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
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review:

]]> The Poetics of Space 13269 Poetics of Space remains one of the most appealing and lyrical explorations of home. Bachelard takes us on a journey, from cellar to attic, to show how our perceptions of houses and other shelters shape our thoughts, memories, and dreams.

"A magical book. . . . The Poetics of Space is a prism through which all worlds from literary creation to housework to aesthetics to carpentry take on enhanced-and enchanted-significances. Every reader of it will never see ordinary spaces in ordinary ways. Instead the reader will see with the soul of the eye, the glint of Gaston Bachelard." -from the new foreword by John R. Stilgoe]]> 282 Gaston Bachelard 0807064734 esther 5 favorites, literature
candle in the cellar, shut-in attic, huts of charcoal burners; labyrinths of corridors, rotundas and chapels as sanctuaries for secrets; nooks, nests, and corners as refuge for dreams.

bachelard, in his poetics of space, clothed spaces in a way that is maternal and womblike. it is sheltering. it is warm and fond and local.

he is exploring something very special when he wrote that poetic image lies at the origin of consciousness and of language. image is at the threshold of speech and thought. our subconscious is not a linguistic phenomenon.

sometimes, like recalling an image of childhood home, i dream of a certain pair of eyes - so kind and familiar. here bachelard’s thesis lies: the ontology of the poetic image exists outside the realms of psychology and psychoanalysis.

for rationalists - this is like a daily crisis. it’s foreign to its own causality. precedes language. abundant in silence.

it’s more like a ripple. or a hum that reverberates in the chest - mine or yours.]]> 4.20 1957 The Poetics of Space
author: Gaston Bachelard
name: esther
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1957
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: favorites, literature
review:
gaston bachelard might be the most beautiful phenomenologist i know. speaking of inhabited, intimate spaces as if cloaked in the garments of personal memories - he dignifies oneiric and imaginative consciousness. by him, topoanalysis is made special, poetic, quasi-religious, to be almost sacred:

candle in the cellar, shut-in attic, huts of charcoal burners; labyrinths of corridors, rotundas and chapels as sanctuaries for secrets; nooks, nests, and corners as refuge for dreams.

bachelard, in his poetics of space, clothed spaces in a way that is maternal and womblike. it is sheltering. it is warm and fond and local.

he is exploring something very special when he wrote that poetic image lies at the origin of consciousness and of language. image is at the threshold of speech and thought. our subconscious is not a linguistic phenomenon.

sometimes, like recalling an image of childhood home, i dream of a certain pair of eyes - so kind and familiar. here bachelard’s thesis lies: the ontology of the poetic image exists outside the realms of psychology and psychoanalysis.

for rationalists - this is like a daily crisis. it’s foreign to its own causality. precedes language. abundant in silence.

it’s more like a ripple. or a hum that reverberates in the chest - mine or yours.
]]> Caraval (Caraval, #1) 27883214 A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.]]> 407 Stephanie Garber 1250095255 esther 3 3.97 2016 Caraval (Caraval, #1)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: esther
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves:
review:
i have a soft spot for dreamy, magical, childlike fantasy books and this has so much potential to be a great one that goes unmet
]]> <![CDATA[Understanding Genesis (The Heritage of Biblical Israel)]]> 571863 267 Nahum M. Sarna 0805202536 esther 4 theology
� the holy mount was looked upon as the center of the universe, the "navel of the earth, " the very axis mundi.�

� But this is one of those instances in which a Hebrew word cannot be adequately translated into another language. In the course of its linguistic metamorphosis the force of the original has become vitiated. The Hebrew root sa'aq/za'aq indicates the anguished cry of the oppressed, the agonized plea of the victim for help in some great injustice. A few examples of the Hebrew usage will suffice to
illustrate the degree of poignancy and pathos, of moral outrage and soul-stirring passion that pervades the Hebrew word.�

� Be it coincidental or otherwise, one cannot fail to be impressed by the fact that it is this man who is the first person of whom it is expressly recorded in the Bible that he prayed for personal divine guidance at a critical moment of his life. We note that he did not ask for a miraculous intervention of God to designate the future bride of Isaac. On the contrary, he himself decided upon the criteria of suitability and choice. He prayed, rather, that his exercise of discretion might be in accordance
with God's will.
"... let the maiden to whom I say, 'Please lower your jar that I may
drink,' and who replies, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels'—let
her be the one whom you have decreed for your servant Isaac." (24:14)

“They are both nameless and characterless, vanishing as suddenly as they appear. The use of angelic imagery is not allowed to violate the non-mythological nature of the religion”]]> 4.06 1970 Understanding Genesis (The Heritage of Biblical Israel)
author: Nahum M. Sarna
name: esther
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1970
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: theology
review:
some notes i found particularly profound:

� the holy mount was looked upon as the center of the universe, the "navel of the earth, " the very axis mundi.�

� But this is one of those instances in which a Hebrew word cannot be adequately translated into another language. In the course of its linguistic metamorphosis the force of the original has become vitiated. The Hebrew root sa'aq/za'aq indicates the anguished cry of the oppressed, the agonized plea of the victim for help in some great injustice. A few examples of the Hebrew usage will suffice to
illustrate the degree of poignancy and pathos, of moral outrage and soul-stirring passion that pervades the Hebrew word.�

� Be it coincidental or otherwise, one cannot fail to be impressed by the fact that it is this man who is the first person of whom it is expressly recorded in the Bible that he prayed for personal divine guidance at a critical moment of his life. We note that he did not ask for a miraculous intervention of God to designate the future bride of Isaac. On the contrary, he himself decided upon the criteria of suitability and choice. He prayed, rather, that his exercise of discretion might be in accordance
with God's will.
"... let the maiden to whom I say, 'Please lower your jar that I may
drink,' and who replies, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels'—let
her be the one whom you have decreed for your servant Isaac." (24:14)

“They are both nameless and characterless, vanishing as suddenly as they appear. The use of angelic imagery is not allowed to violate the non-mythological nature of the religion�
]]> <![CDATA[The Vision of the Priestly Narrative: Its Genre and Hermeneutics of Time (Ancient Israel and Its Literature)]]> 31380448 636 Suzanne Boorer 0884140628 esther 0 to-read 0.0 The Vision of the Priestly Narrative: Its Genre and Hermeneutics of Time (Ancient Israel and Its Literature)
author: Suzanne Boorer
name: esther
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Goldfinch 27886778 WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE

"The Goldfinch is a rarity that comes along perhaps half a dozen times per decade, a smartly written literary novel that connects with the heart as well as the mind....Donna Tartt has delivered an extraordinary work of fiction."--Stephen King, The New York Times Book Review

Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love--and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.]]> 962 Donna Tartt 0316055425 esther 5 favorites, literature
There is this part of the book when Hobie and Theo was talking in the kitchen -a conversation so otherworldy I want to have it just for once in life - and Hobie told him “if a painting really works down in your heart and changes the way you see, and think, and feel, you don’t think, ‘oh, I love this picture because it’s universal.� ‘I love this painting because it speaks to all mankind.� That’s not the reason anyone loves a piece of art. It’s a secret whisper from an alleyway. 'Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes you.'�

And thats how The Goldfinch is to me, its great not because of its many references to Art History or Russian literature or Fabritius' painting (although those are the great aspects of the book too) but because it also feels like a 'whisper in the alley', because of its understanding of sufferings and its humbling acts for not trying to make sense or justify the meaning to it. For not making it simpler to be beautiful - by telling us over and over again that humans are complex and not separated to 'pure bad' and 'pure good'.

And for the Goldfinch and the many interpretations to it that i'm unable to feel or pay attention to.

A book so good that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal - but here I am doing this.

Hats off to you, Donna Tartt.]]> 3.97 2013 The Goldfinch
author: Donna Tartt
name: esther
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:
At loss of words of how a journey it has been 962 pages after, how transcending, how beautiful, how significant, and how personal it is.

There is this part of the book when Hobie and Theo was talking in the kitchen -a conversation so otherworldy I want to have it just for once in life - and Hobie told him “if a painting really works down in your heart and changes the way you see, and think, and feel, you don’t think, ‘oh, I love this picture because it’s universal.� ‘I love this painting because it speaks to all mankind.� That’s not the reason anyone loves a piece of art. It’s a secret whisper from an alleyway. 'Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes you.'�

And thats how The Goldfinch is to me, its great not because of its many references to Art History or Russian literature or Fabritius' painting (although those are the great aspects of the book too) but because it also feels like a 'whisper in the alley', because of its understanding of sufferings and its humbling acts for not trying to make sense or justify the meaning to it. For not making it simpler to be beautiful - by telling us over and over again that humans are complex and not separated to 'pure bad' and 'pure good'.

And for the Goldfinch and the many interpretations to it that i'm unable to feel or pay attention to.

A book so good that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal - but here I am doing this.

Hats off to you, Donna Tartt.
]]> The Secret History 29044 559 Donna Tartt 1400031702 esther 5 favorites, literature
The Secret History is full of terrible people, moral ambiguity, superficial intellectualism, classic literature, Homer, ancient Greece tragedies, abusive use of substance, murders, sociopaths, bloods, art, deaths, and above all, beauty beauty beauty.

There is nothing i can write that will measure the affection and significance that this book has tainted me in. Say, all of the characters - Henry Winter, Charles Mauculay, Camilla Mauculay, Francis Abernathy, and Richard Papen are self-absorbed, arrogant, pretentious intellectuals who just happened to be over-privileged? If you think so, you are missing out on so much. These people got issues. Tartt wrote half of the book about unattractive relationship disintegration, substance abuse, and that ugly crack of existence instead of Richard's longing for beauty itself - their exterior lives are as rich as their inner lives, as complex and tragic as it goes.

At the end of the reading, i knew that both Richard Papen and the reader have known that their morbid longing for picturesque is anything but dark blood and tragedy - much of what ancient Greek literature is all about. And we have come to this, as Julian Marrow has said:
Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory.
Quite the contrary.
Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.
Beauty is terror.
Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.]]> 4.17 1992 The Secret History
author: Donna Tartt
name: esther
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:
Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.

The Secret History is full of terrible people, moral ambiguity, superficial intellectualism, classic literature, Homer, ancient Greece tragedies, abusive use of substance, murders, sociopaths, bloods, art, deaths, and above all, beauty beauty beauty.

There is nothing i can write that will measure the affection and significance that this book has tainted me in. Say, all of the characters - Henry Winter, Charles Mauculay, Camilla Mauculay, Francis Abernathy, and Richard Papen are self-absorbed, arrogant, pretentious intellectuals who just happened to be over-privileged? If you think so, you are missing out on so much. These people got issues. Tartt wrote half of the book about unattractive relationship disintegration, substance abuse, and that ugly crack of existence instead of Richard's longing for beauty itself - their exterior lives are as rich as their inner lives, as complex and tragic as it goes.

At the end of the reading, i knew that both Richard Papen and the reader have known that their morbid longing for picturesque is anything but dark blood and tragedy - much of what ancient Greek literature is all about. And we have come to this, as Julian Marrow has said:
Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory.
Quite the contrary.
Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.
Beauty is terror.
Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.
]]> The Road 6288
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,� are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.]]> 241 Cormac McCarthy 0307265439 esther 5 favorites, literature 3.99 2006 The Road
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: esther
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:

]]> Slaughterhouse-Five 4981 Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American prisoner of war. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.�

An instant bestseller, Slaughterhouse-Five made Kurt Vonnegut a cult hero in American literature, a reputation that only strengthened over time, despite his being banned and censored by some libraries and schools for content and language. But it was precisely those elements of Vonnegut’s writing—the political edginess, the genre-bending inventiveness, the frank violence, the transgressive wit—that have inspired generations of readers not just to look differently at the world around them but to find the confidence to say something about it.

Fifty years after its initial publication at the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut's portrayal of political disillusionment, PTSD, and postwar anxiety feels as relevant, darkly humorous, and profoundly affecting as ever, an enduring beacon through our own era’s uncertainties.]]> 275 Kurt Vonnegut Jr. esther 4 literature 'It had to be done,' Rumfoord told Billy,
speaking of the destruction of Dresden.
'I know,' said Billy. 'That's war.' 'I
know. I'm not complaining.' 'It was all right.' said Billy. 'Everything
is all right, and everybody has to do
exactly what he does.

On a larger scale of perspective i dont think this book is about anti-war or non anti-war, its an examination of life's absurdities through the endless destruction of wars and unnecessary deaths. The time travel explains that humans' effort to interlink the events in his life to make sense or to create meaning is impossible because as the passage in the book goes:

"Why you? Why us for that
matter? Why anything? Because this
moment simply is. Have you ever seen
bugs trapped in amber?'
'Yes.'
'Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped
in the amber of this moment. There is no
why.'

Humans efforts through art, literature, filmmaking, or storytelling to dance with death, festooned it, waltzed it
around, decorated it with streamers, or titillated it will only come to one conclusion: absurdity.

So instead of asking the Why, in this story i think Vonnegut wanted to tell us that there is no why, there is only now, there is only the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was ours to keep.
]]> 4.10 1969 Slaughterhouse-Five
author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
name: esther
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at: 2017/08/14
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:
I wanted to get away for a while from existentialism theme because it depressed the hell out of me but i promised myself to finish Vonnegut for once and all and will start focusing on Eastern Philosophy - and boy, was i right. This book is a bout war and death and time travel and aliens and life's absurdities and more deaths. Some say it's an anti-war book, some say it's not because of the passage in the near end of the book between Billy Pilgrim and Rumfoord that went like this:
'It had to be done,' Rumfoord told Billy,
speaking of the destruction of Dresden.
'I know,' said Billy. 'That's war.' 'I
know. I'm not complaining.' 'It was all right.' said Billy. 'Everything
is all right, and everybody has to do
exactly what he does.

On a larger scale of perspective i dont think this book is about anti-war or non anti-war, its an examination of life's absurdities through the endless destruction of wars and unnecessary deaths. The time travel explains that humans' effort to interlink the events in his life to make sense or to create meaning is impossible because as the passage in the book goes:

"Why you? Why us for that
matter? Why anything? Because this
moment simply is. Have you ever seen
bugs trapped in amber?'
'Yes.'
'Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped
in the amber of this moment. There is no
why.'

Humans efforts through art, literature, filmmaking, or storytelling to dance with death, festooned it, waltzed it
around, decorated it with streamers, or titillated it will only come to one conclusion: absurdity.

So instead of asking the Why, in this story i think Vonnegut wanted to tell us that there is no why, there is only now, there is only the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was ours to keep.

]]> The Picture of Dorian Gray 5297
In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.]]> 272 Oscar Wilde esther 5 literature 4.13 1890 The Picture of Dorian Gray
author: Oscar Wilde
name: esther
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1890
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/03
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> Pride and Prejudice 1885 Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780679783268]]> 279 Jane Austen 1441341706 esther 2 literature 4.28 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: esther
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1813
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> The Catcher in the Rye 5107 It's Christmas time and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school...

Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters—shooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone round Central Park, getting beaten up by pimps and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, its mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.

The Catcher in the Rye is an all-time classic in coming-of-age literature- an elegy to teenage alienation, capturing the deeply human need for connection and the bewildering sense of loss as we leave childhood behind.

J.D. Salinger's (1919�2010) classic novel of teenage angst and rebellion was first published in 1951. The novel was included on Time's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923. It was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. It has been frequently challenged in the court for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and in the 1950's and 60's it was the novel that every teenage boy wants to read.]]> 277 J.D. Salinger 0316769177 esther 5 literature 3.81 1951 The Catcher in the Rye
author: J.D. Salinger
name: esther
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1951
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> Of Mice and Men 890 “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.�

They are an unlikely pair: George is "small and quick and dark of face"; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a "family," clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. But George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own.

While the powerlessness of the laboring class is a recurring theme in Steinbeck's work of the late 1930s, he narrowed his focus when composing Of Mice and Men, creating an intimate portrait of two men facing a world marked by petty tyranny, misunderstanding, jealousy, and callousness. But though the scope is narrow, the theme is universal: a friendship and a shared dream that makes an individual's existence meaningful.

A unique perspective on life's hardships, this story has achieved the status of timeless classic due to its remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films.]]> 107 John Steinbeck 0142000671 esther 0 literature 3.88 1937 Of Mice and Men
author: John Steinbeck
name: esther
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1937
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> Less Than Zero 9915
Clay comes home for Christmas vacation from his Eastern college and re-enters a landscape of limitless privilege and absolute moral entropy, where everyone drives Porches, dines at Spago, and snorts mountains of cocaine. He tries to renew feelings for his girlfriend, Blair, and for his best friend from high school, Julian, who is careering into hustling and heroin. Clay's holiday turns into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes him through the relentless parties in glitzy mansions, seedy bars, and underground rock clubs, and into the seamy world of L.A. after dark.]]> 208 Bret Easton Ellis esther 5 favorites, literature 3.62 1985 Less Than Zero
author: Bret Easton Ellis
name: esther
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:

]]> Never Let Me Go 6334
Within the grounds of Hailsham, Kathy grows from schoolgirl to young woman, but it’s only when she and her friends Ruth and Tommy leave the safe grounds of the school (as they always knew they would) that they realize the full truth of what Hailsham is.

Never Let Me Go breaks through the boundaries of the literary novel. It is a gripping mystery, a beautiful love story, and also a scathing critique of human arrogance and a moral examination of how we treat the vulnerable and different in our society. In exploring the themes of memory and the impact of the past, Ishiguro takes on the idea of a possible future to create his most moving and powerful book to date.]]> 288 Kazuo Ishiguro 1400078776 esther 4 literature 3.85 2005 Never Let Me Go
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: esther
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> Klara and the Sun 54120408
In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?]]> 340 Kazuo Ishiguro 059331817X esther 4 literature 3.71 2021 Klara and the Sun
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: esther
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/23
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:
i almost cried at the ending because how of how bittersweet it was. This was really a heart warming story, told effectively from the perspective of an AI. Klara understood what love is and what it means to us as a species and i think that's what matters most, at the end.
]]> 11/22/63 10644930
In 2011, Jake Epping, an English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, sets out on an insane � and insanely possible � mission to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

Leaving behind a world of computers and mobile phones, he goes back to a time of big American cars and diners, of Lindy Hopping, the sound of Elvis, and the taste of root beer.

In this haunting world, Jake falls in love with Sadie, a beautiful high school librarian. And, as the ominous date of 11/22/63 approaches, he encounters a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald...]]> 849 Stephen King 1451627289 esther 4 literature 4.33 2011 11/22/63
author: Stephen King
name: esther
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/11
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> The Little Prince 157993
Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince, presented here in a stunning new translation with carefully restored artwork. The definitive edition of a worldwide classic, it will capture the hearts of readers of all ages.]]> 96 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 0152023984 esther 5 favorites, literature 4.32 1943 The Little Prince
author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
name: esther
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1943
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:

]]> Play It As It Lays 428 Play It as It Lays captures the mood of an entire generation, the ennui of contemporary society reflected in spare prose that blisters and haunts the reader. Set in a place beyond good and evil - literally in Hollywood, Las Vegas, and the barren wastes of the Mojave Desert, but figuratively in the landscape of an arid soul - it remains more than three decades after its original publication a profoundly disturbing novel, riveting in its exploration of a woman and a society in crisis and stunning in the still-startling intensity of its prose.
]]> 231 Joan Didion 0374529949 esther 5 favorites, literature 3.94 1970 Play It As It Lays
author: Joan Didion
name: esther
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1970
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/11
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:
Oh, Joan. Where do we belong? What place in this world for women like us?
]]> A Book of Common Prayer 422 A Book of Common Prayer is the story of two American women in the derelict Central American nation of Boca Grande. Grace Strasser-Mendana controls much of the country's wealth and knows virtually all of its secrets; Charlotte Douglas knows far too little. "Immaculate of history, innocent of politics," she has come to Boca Grande vaguely and vainly hoping to be reunited with her fugitive daughter. As imagined by Didion, her fate is at once utterly particular and fearfully emblematic of an age of conscienceless authority and unfathomable violence.]]> 272 Joan Didion esther 4 literature 3.83 1977 A Book of Common Prayer
author: Joan Didion
name: esther
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1977
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/13
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> Franny and Zooey 5113 ‘Everything everybody does is so—I don’t know—not wrong, or even mean, or even stupid necessarily. But just so tiny and meaningless and—sad-making. And the worst part is, if you go bohemian or something crazy like that, you’re conforming just as much only in a different way.�

First published in The New Yorker as two sequential stories, ‘Franny� and ‘Zooey� offer a dual portrait of the two youngest members of J. D. Salinger’s fictional Glass family.

Franny Glass is a pretty, effervescent college student on a date with her intellectually confident boyfriend, Lane. They appear to be the perfect couple, but as they struggle to communicate with each other about the things they really care about, slowly their true feelings come to the surface. The second story in this book, ‘Zooey�, plunges us into the world of her ethereal, sophisticated family. When Franny’s emotional and spiritual doubts reach new heights, her older brother Zooey, a misanthropic former child genius, offers her consolation and brotherly advice.

Written in Salinger’s typically irreverent style, these two stories offer a touching snapshot of the distraught mindset of early adulthood and are full of the insightful emotional observations and witty turns of phrase that have helped make Salinger’s reputation what it is today.]]> 201 J.D. Salinger 0316769029 esther 5 favorites, literature 3.97 1957 Franny and Zooey
author: J.D. Salinger
name: esther
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1957
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/12
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:
I feel like Franny and Zooey is written for me. Insert a thousand crying emoji here
]]> The Trees 56269278 309 Percival Everett 164445064X esther 4 literature 4.06 2021 The Trees
author: Percival Everett
name: esther
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/21
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> The Great Gatsby 4671 The only edition of the beloved classic that is authorized by Fitzgerald’s family and from his lifelong publisher.

This edition is the enduring original text, updated with the author’s own revisions, a foreword by his granddaughter, and with a new introduction by National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published by Scribner in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.]]> 180 F. Scott Fitzgerald 0743273567 esther 4 literature 3.93 1925 The Great Gatsby
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: esther
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1925
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/02
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stella Maris (The Passenger, #2)]]> 60526802
1972, BLACK RIVER FALLS, Alicia Western, twenty years old, with forty thousand dollars in a plastic bag, admits herself to the hospital. A doctoral candidate in mathematics at the University of Chicago, Alicia has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and she does not want to talk about her brother, Bobby. Instead, she contemplates the nature of madness, the human insistence on one common experience of the world; she recalls a childhood where, by the age of seven, her own grandmother feared for her; she surveys the intersection of physics and philosophy; and she introduces her cohorts, her chimeras, the hallucinations that only she can see. All the while, she grieves for Bobby, not quite dead, not quite hers. Told entirely through the transcripts of Alicia’s psychiatric sessions, Stella Maris is a searching, rigorous, intellectually challenging coda to The Passenger, a philosophical inquiry that questions our notions of God, truth, and existence.]]> 190 Cormac McCarthy 0307269000 esther 4 favorites, literature 3.83 2022 Stella Maris (The Passenger, #2)
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: esther
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/04
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:

]]> Crossroads 55881796 Jonathan Franzen's gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident than in Crossroads.

It's December 23, 1971, and heavy weather is forecast for Chicago. Russ Hildebrandt, the associate pastor of a liberal suburban church, is on the brink of breaking free of a marriage he finds joyless--unless his wife, Marion, who has her own secret life, beats him to it. Their eldest child, Clem, is coming home from college on fire with moral absolutism, having taken an action that will shatter his father. Clem's sister, Becky, long the social queen of her high-school class, has sharply veered into the counterculture, while their brilliant younger brother Perry, who's been selling drugs to seventh graders, has resolved to be a better person. Each of the Hildebrandts seeks a freedom that each of the others threatens to complicate.

Jonathan Franzen's novels are celebrated for their unforgettably vivid characters and for their keen-eyed take on contemporary America. Now, in Crossroads, Franzen ventures back into the past and explores the history of two generations. With characteristic humor and complexity, and with even greater warmth, he conjures a world that resonates powerfully with our own.

A tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense, its action largely unfolding on a single winter day, Crossroads is the story of a Midwestern family at a pivotal moment of moral crisis. Jonathan Franzen's gift for melding the small picture and the big picture has never been more dazzlingly evident.]]> 592 Jonathan Franzen 0374181179 esther 5 favorites, literature 4.05 2021 Crossroads
author: Jonathan Franzen
name: esther
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/15
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:
This is probably the greatest book I’ve read in a long time. Truly a literary achievement. Flawless in execution, ambitious but doesn’t fall short. Franzen is truly a gifted writer.
]]> <![CDATA[The Passenger (The Passenger #1)]]> 60581087
Traversing the American South, from the garrulous barrooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast, The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science, the legacy of sin, and the madness that is human consciousness.]]> 385 Cormac McCarthy 0593535227 esther 5 favorites, literature 3.58 2022 The Passenger (The Passenger #1)
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: esther
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/31
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: favorites, literature
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cain and Abel in Text and Tradition: Jewish and Christian Interpretations of the First Sibling Rivalry (Themes in Biblical Narrative: Jewish and Christian Traditions, 14)]]> 11195376 268 John Byron 9004192522 esther 3 theology 4.20 2011 Cain and Abel in Text and Tradition: Jewish and Christian Interpretations of the First Sibling Rivalry (Themes in Biblical Narrative: Jewish and Christian Traditions, 14)
author: John Byron
name: esther
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/24
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: theology
review:

]]> Heart of Darkness 4900
A reflection on corruptive European colonialism and a journey into the nightmare psyche of one of the corrupted, Heart of Darkness is considered one of the most influential works ever written.]]> 188 Joseph Conrad 1892295490 esther 4 literature 3.43 1899 Heart of Darkness
author: Joseph Conrad
name: esther
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1899
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: literature
review:
i love conrad because he navigates the abyss, but doesnt sink into it.
]]> <![CDATA[Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead]]> 51648276
A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice?

Duration: 11 hours 39 minutes.]]> 274 Olga Tokarczuk esther 3 literature
that part of the speech always stuck with me, mostly because i was wrestling with the idea of the narrators in the bible - the hands that touched and shaped these narrative.

this book, however, falls on the spectrum of good enough. i love characters who sees and loves and takes care of the unthought: in this case, the animals. unthought creatures that the killing of them require no further reflection or hesitation. this book and wallace's consider the lobster essay is one that i think, is slightly similar, and worth examining again. ]]> 3.93 2009 Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
author: Olga Tokarczuk
name: esther
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: literature
review:
i became first familiar with tokarczuk because of her nobel prize acceptance speech back then in 2018: "have you ever wondered who the marvelous storyteller is in the Bible who calls out in a loud voice: “In the beginning was the word�? Who is the narrator who describes the creation of the world, its first day, when chaos was separated from order, who follows the serial about the origin of the universe, who knows the thoughts of God, is aware of his doubts, and with a steady hand sets down on paper the incredible sentence: “And God saw that it was good�? Who is this, who knows what God thought?"

that part of the speech always stuck with me, mostly because i was wrestling with the idea of the narrators in the bible - the hands that touched and shaped these narrative.

this book, however, falls on the spectrum of good enough. i love characters who sees and loves and takes care of the unthought: in this case, the animals. unthought creatures that the killing of them require no further reflection or hesitation. this book and wallace's consider the lobster essay is one that i think, is slightly similar, and worth examining again.
]]> The Sparrow (The Sparrow, #1) 334176 419 Mary Doria Russell 0449912558 esther 5
what does it mean to believe? to have this faith? how do you reconcile the betrayal as deeply as that, as Sandoz put it “it was my love�.

the sparrow, indeed, still does fall. ]]> 4.13 1996 The Sparrow (The Sparrow, #1)
author: Mary Doria Russell
name: esther
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
review:
a great monumental book to end the year.

what does it mean to believe? to have this faith? how do you reconcile the betrayal as deeply as that, as Sandoz put it “it was my love�.

the sparrow, indeed, still does fall.
]]> The Scorpio Races 10626594
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition � the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.]]> 409 Maggie Stiefvater 054522490X esther 3 4.09 2011 The Scorpio Races
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: esther
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/25
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves:
review:

]]> Strangers, Gods and Monsters 766840 Strangers, Gods and Monsters is a fascinating look at how human identity is shaped by three powerful but enigmatic forces. Often overlooked in accounts of how we think about ourselves and others, Richard Kearney skilfully shows, with the help of vivid examples and illustrations, how the human outlook on the world is formed by the mysterious triumvirate of strangers, gods and monsters.
Throughout, Richard Kearney shows how Strangers, Gods and Monsters do not merely reside in myths or fantasies but constitute a central part of our cultural unconscious. Above all, he argues that until we understand better that the Other resides deep within ourselves, we can have little hope of understanding how our most basic fears and desires manifest themselves in the external world and how we can learn to live with them.]]> 304 Richard Kearney 0415272580 esther 0 to-read 4.00 2002 Strangers, Gods and Monsters
author: Richard Kearney
name: esther
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)]]> 31076583 229 Sarah J. Maas 168119631X esther 3 3.77 2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: esther
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/18
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Light Years (Penguin Modern Classics)]]> 1257612 308 James Salter 0141188634 esther 0 to-read 3.96 1975 Light Years (Penguin Modern Classics)
author: James Salter
name: esther
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1975
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Anatomy of Melancholy 557658 1392 Robert Burton 0940322668 esther 0 to-read 4.17 1621 The Anatomy of Melancholy
author: Robert Burton
name: esther
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1621
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Remains of the Day 28921 Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN 0571225381 here.

In the summer of 1956, Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, decides to take a motoring trip through the West Country. The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and England, a past that takes in fascism, two world wars, and an unrealised love between the butler and his housekeeper.]]> 258 Kazuo Ishiguro esther 2 4.14 1989 The Remains of the Day
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: esther
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1989
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/14
date added: 2024/04/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stories of Your Life and Others]]> 223380 ]]> 281 Ted Chiang 0330426648 esther 4 4.28 2002 Stories of Your Life and Others
author: Ted Chiang
name: esther
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/10
date added: 2024/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> Bream Gives Me Hiccups 24886634
Taking its title from a group of stories that begin the book, Bream Gives Me Hiccups moves from contemporary L.A. to the dorm rooms of an American college to ancient Pompeii, throwing the reader into a universe of social misfits, reimagined scenes from history, and ridiculous overreactions. In one piece, a tense email exchange between a young man and his girlfriend is taken over by his sister, who is obsessed with the Bosnian genocide (The situation reminds me of a little historical blip called the Karadordevo agreement); in another, a college freshman forced to live with a roommate is stunned when one of her ramen packets goes missing (she didn't have "one" of my ramens. She had a chicken ramen); in another piece, Alexander Graham Bell has teething problems with his invention (I've been calling Mabel all day, she doesn't pick up! Yes, of course I dialed the right number - 2!).

United by Eisenberg's gift for humor and character, and grouped into chapters that open with illustrations by award-winning cartoonist Jean Jullien, the witty pieces collected in Bream Gives Me Hiccups explore the various insanities of the modern world, and mark the arrival of a fantastically funny, self-ironic, and original voice.]]> 273 Jesse Eisenberg 0802124046 esther 4 "And i guess, if someone is a terrible person like Mom, they can still be special if you know them well. Like Paula is really nice and didnt yell or curse at me but she is not my mother. And sometimes knowing someone really well is more important than liking them".
As the book progressed, one can conclude that this a remarkably empathetic 9 year old kid who is just trying to express emotional response to the events around him the only way he knows how.
"And i wanted to ask her if she only took me around so Dad would pay for her but I already knew the answer: Mom took me around because she needed me. Because going through a hard life with someone else is better, than going through an easy one alone."

Thats why i'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. And the kid 2000 out of 2000 stars.
]]> 3.49 Bream Gives Me Hiccups
author: Jesse Eisenberg
name: esther
average rating: 3.49
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/12/01
shelves:
review:
A moving story of a privileged 9 year old kid in a dysfunctional family going through 5 stars restaurants for dinners with his mom and reviewing each one of them. Each of his reviews is kind of like a vehicle to making sense his sad situation at home his problematic relationship with his unhappy single mom.
"And i guess, if someone is a terrible person like Mom, they can still be special if you know them well. Like Paula is really nice and didnt yell or curse at me but she is not my mother. And sometimes knowing someone really well is more important than liking them".
As the book progressed, one can conclude that this a remarkably empathetic 9 year old kid who is just trying to express emotional response to the events around him the only way he knows how.
"And i wanted to ask her if she only took me around so Dad would pay for her but I already knew the answer: Mom took me around because she needed me. Because going through a hard life with someone else is better, than going through an easy one alone."

Thats why i'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. And the kid 2000 out of 2000 stars.

]]> Fairy Tale 60177373 Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes deep into the well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for their world or ours.

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.

Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.� And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.

A story as old as myth, and as startling and iconic as the rest of King’s work, Fairy Tale is about an ordinary guy forced into the hero’s role by circumstance, and it is both spectacularly suspenseful and satisfying.]]> 607 Stephen King 1668002175 esther 3 4.05 2022 Fairy Tale
author: Stephen King
name: esther
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/05
date added: 2023/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> Time Shelter 58999261
In Time Shelter, an enigmatic flâneur named Gaustine opens a “clinic for the past� that offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s sufferers: each floor reproduces a decade in minute detail, transporting patients back in time. As Gaustine’s assistant, the unnamed narrator is tasked with collecting the flotsam and jetsam of the past, from 1960s furniture and 1940s shirt buttons to scents and even afternoon light. But as the rooms become more convincing, an increasing number of healthy people seek out the clinic as a “time shelter”—a development that results in an unexpected conundrum when the past begins to invade the present. Intricately crafted, and eloquently translated by Angela Rodel, Time Shelter announces Gospodinov to American readers as an essential voice in international literature.]]> 304 Georgi Gospodinov 1324090952 esther 3
I had to pause when coming across this part, I think because of how painful it is to look at a memory with such warmth and detail that would otherwise slip away from us. I found that it is becoming much rare to be able to recall certain memories, but when it does come, like Mr. S staring at the lightbulb in an empty shop, they seep in, drop by drop - a sediment of other times.

Is the light still the same?

I’m not sure, I’m not sure.

“What decade would you choose - the sixties, the seventies, or the eighties?�
“I’d like to be twelve years old in each of them.�*]]> 3.59 2020 Time Shelter
author: Georgi Gospodinov
name: esther
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/19
date added: 2023/08/19
shelves:
review:
There is this part in the book where the character, Mr. S was waiting for the last streetcar when he saw a completely empty shop window and stared at it, inside was only a single lightbulb hanging on a wire. As if in a trance of the scene before him, he stood and stared at that glowing electric bulb. Later we find out that as a child, when Mr. S� father received a honorarium from work, he would buy jam and butter after weeks of eating only potatoes. And then they would laugh and his father would pick him up and put him in his shoulders. They’d walk around the room and stop in the middle, and little S would look straight at the glowing filament of the bulb, which was at his eye level.

I had to pause when coming across this part, I think because of how painful it is to look at a memory with such warmth and detail that would otherwise slip away from us. I found that it is becoming much rare to be able to recall certain memories, but when it does come, like Mr. S staring at the lightbulb in an empty shop, they seep in, drop by drop - a sediment of other times.

Is the light still the same?

I’m not sure, I’m not sure.

“What decade would you choose - the sixties, the seventies, or the eighties?�
“I’d like to be twelve years old in each of them.�*
]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

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

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

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

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

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

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 665 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 esther 4 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: esther
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves:
review:

]]> The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1) 27824826 A small town hides big secrets in this atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.

In the grip of the worst drought in a century, the farming community of Kiewarra is facing life and death choices daily when three members of a local family are found brutally slain.

Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk reluctantly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his childhood friend, loath to face the townsfolk who turned their backs on him twenty years earlier.

But as questions mount, Falk is forced to probe deeper into the deaths of the Hadler family. Because Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret. A secret Falk thought was long buried. A secret Luke's death now threatens to bring to the surface in this small Australian town, as old wounds bleed into new ones.

]]> 336 Jane Harper esther 4 4.04 2016 The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1)
author: Jane Harper
name: esther
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/02
date added: 2023/05/01
shelves:
review:

]]> The Guest List 52656911
The bride � The plus one � The best man � The wedding planner � The bridesmaid � The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]> 319 Lucy Foley esther 3 3.82 2020 The Guest List
author: Lucy Foley
name: esther
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves:
review:
Believe me when I say I guessed who did it just less than ten chapters in (and there are many chapters). Really nothing new
]]> The Haunting of Hill House 89717 182 Shirley Jackson 0143039989 esther 3 3.85 1959 The Haunting of Hill House
author: Shirley Jackson
name: esther
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1959
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/28
date added: 2022/10/27
shelves:
review:

]]> Norwegian Wood 11297
A magnificent blending of the music, the mood, and the ethos that was the sixties with the story of one college student's romantic coming of age, Norwegian Wood brilliantly recaptures a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.]]> 296 Haruki Murakami 0375704027 esther 3 4.01 1987 Norwegian Wood
author: Haruki Murakami
name: esther
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1987
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/22
date added: 2022/10/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Home: Novel 26509276
While the tumultuous events of 1965 are the backdrop of the story, "Home" is not a novel about ideology or political power. Going back and forth, both temporally and geographically, between Jakarta and Paris in 1965 and 1998, "Home" is about the lives of the Indonesian exiles, their families and friends, including those left behind in Indonesia. This story is one of love, lust, and betrayal but one that also includes laughter, adventure and food.]]> 484 Leila S. Chudori 6029144367 esther 3 3.86 2012 Home: Novel
author: Leila S. Chudori
name: esther
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/29
date added: 2022/09/29
shelves:
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]]> Kafka on the Shore 4929 Kafka on the Shore, a tour de force of metaphysical reality, is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own.]]> 467 Haruki Murakami 1400079276 esther 5 favorites
thats some powerful closing passage right there ]]> 4.14 2002 Kafka on the Shore
author: Haruki Murakami
name: esther
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/27
date added: 2022/09/26
shelves: favorites
review:
“The world is a metaphor, Kafka Tamura, but for you and me this library alone is no metaphor. It's always just this library. I want to make sure we understand that.�

thats some powerful closing passage right there
]]> Paul 58308940
On a fraught road trip across the South of France, both are forced to reckon with uncomfortable truths. A compelling and perturbing story of power, passivity and the cage of being 'good', Paul introduces a novelist of extraordinary perspicacity and lyricism.]]> 326 Daisy Lafarge 1783786353 esther 2 3.47 2021 Paul
author: Daisy Lafarge
name: esther
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2022/08/27
date added: 2022/08/26
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]]> <![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 esther 4 3.91 2016 The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone
author: Olivia Laing
name: esther
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/31
date added: 2022/07/30
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]]> The Stranger 49552 The Stranger has long been considered a classic of twentieth-century literature. Le Monde ranks it as number one on its "100 Books of the Century" list. Through this story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on a sundrenched Algerian beach, Camus explores what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd."]]> 123 Albert Camus esther 5 4.04 1942 The Stranger
author: Albert Camus
name: esther
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1942
rating: 5
read at: 2022/07/10
date added: 2022/07/09
shelves:
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]]> Rage 66370 131 Richard Bachman 0451076451 esther 3 3.73 1977 Rage
author: Richard Bachman
name: esther
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1977
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/20
date added: 2022/06/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Sea of Tranquility 58446227 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time travel, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.

One of the Best Books of the Year: The New York Times, NPR, GoodReads

"One of [Mandel's] finest novels and one of her most satisfying forays into the arena of speculative fiction yet." --The New York Times

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core.

Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

A virtuoso performance that is as human and tender as it is intellectually playful, Sea of Tranquility is a novel of time travel and metaphysics that precisely captures the reality of our current moment.]]> 259 Emily St. John Mandel 0593321448 esther 3 4.04 2022 Sea of Tranquility
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: esther
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/19
date added: 2022/06/18
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]]> <![CDATA[A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire, #1)]]> 57282383
However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.

Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Untilhim.Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.]]> 647 Jennifer L. Armentrout esther 5 favorites 4.43 2021 A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire, #1)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: esther
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/12
date added: 2022/04/11
shelves: favorites
review:

]]> Pet Sematary 33124137 This is an alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B00K3NEE56. When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son-and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly car. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth-more terrifying than death itself-and hideously more powerful. The Creeds are going to learn that sometimes dead is better.]]> 580 Stephen King esther 2 4.21 1983 Pet Sematary
author: Stephen King
name: esther
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1983
rating: 2
read at: 2022/04/09
date added: 2022/04/09
shelves:
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]]> Normal People 41057294
A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years in college, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. Then, as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.

Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship.]]> 273 Sally Rooney 1984822179 esther 4 3.81 2018 Normal People
author: Sally Rooney
name: esther
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/20
date added: 2022/03/20
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]]> <![CDATA[It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)]]> 27362503
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up � she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating� rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan � her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.]]> 386 Colleen Hoover 1668021048 esther 3 4.11 2016 It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: esther
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2022/03/02
date added: 2022/03/01
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]]> In Cold Blood 168642
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.]]> 343 Truman Capote 0679745580 esther 5 favorites 4.08 1966 In Cold Blood
author: Truman Capote
name: esther
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/08
date added: 2022/02/08
shelves: favorites
review:
A triumph, masterpiece, one of the best, if not the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read. This really set the foundation for true crime. Five stars
]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked, #2)]]> 52772417
She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria... even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.

The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world... or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature?

Emilia will be tested in every way as she seeks a series of magical objects that will unlock the clues of her past and the answers she craves...

One sister.
Two sinful princes.
Infinite deception with a side of revenge� Welcome to Hell.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper Kerri Maniscalco comes the sizzling, sweepingly romantic sequel to Kingdom of the Wicked!]]> 437 Kerri Maniscalco 1529350506 esther 3 4.09 2021 Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked, #2)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: esther
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/03
date added: 2022/02/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)]]> 52735921 Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself...
And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost—even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked—princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...]]> 372 Kerri Maniscalco 0316428469 esther 3 3.87 2020 Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: esther
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/01
date added: 2022/02/01
shelves:
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]]> Revival 20926278
In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs—including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties—addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate—Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.

This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It's a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.]]> 405 Stephen King 1476770387 esther 4 3.78 2014 Revival
author: Stephen King
name: esther
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/31
date added: 2022/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Small Things Like These 58662236
Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.]]> 128 Claire Keegan 0802158749 esther 3 4.14 2021 Small Things Like These
author: Claire Keegan
name: esther
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/22
date added: 2022/01/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, #2)]]> 54319549 A Betrayal�

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A Choice...

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

A Secret�

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.]]> 637 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457106 esther 3 4.32 2020 A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, #2)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: esther
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/16
date added: 2022/01/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1)]]> 52831200 A Maiden�

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty�

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom�

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.]]> 622 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457017 esther 5 4.19 2020 From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: esther
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/05
date added: 2022/01/05
shelves:
review:
Yea ok Casteel u caught my eyes yeah ok
]]> The Guest List 51933429
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]> 330 Lucy Foley esther 3 3.64 2020 The Guest List
author: Lucy Foley
name: esther
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/03
date added: 2022/01/02
shelves:
review:
Believe me when I say I guessed who did it just less than ten chapters in (and there are many chapters). Really nothing new
]]> The Singer's Gun 7617564 287 Emily St. John Mandel 1936071649 esther 2 3.79 2010 The Singer's Gun
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: esther
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2021/12/23
date added: 2021/12/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beautiful World, Where Are You]]> 56597885 356 Sally Rooney 0374602603 esther 5 favorites 3.53 2021 Beautiful World, Where Are You
author: Sally Rooney
name: esther
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/14
date added: 2021/11/13
shelves: favorites
review:
probably the most highlighted book I’ve read this year
]]> Billy Summers 56852407
How about everything...]]> 517 Stephen King 1982173610 esther 5 favorites 4.11 2021 Billy Summers
author: Stephen King
name: esther
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/25
date added: 2021/10/25
shelves: favorites
review:
I am a literal sobbing mess, I just have no words. Uncle Stevie, thank you for this gift. Thank you thank you thank you
]]> <![CDATA[Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)]]> 18335634
THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.]]> 567 Cassandra Clare 1406321346 esther 5 favorites 4.55 2013 Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: esther
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/23
date added: 2021/10/23
shelves: favorites
review:
once again ladies and gentlemen: I WANT WHAT THEY HAVE!!!!
]]> Ugly Love 17788401
Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.]]> 330 Colleen Hoover esther 2 4.01 2014 Ugly Love
author: Colleen Hoover
name: esther
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2021/10/20
date added: 2021/10/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer, #2)]]> 25446343 Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.

She believed she knew every horror and was beyond surprise.

She was wrong.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice—save the woman he loves, or everyone else?—while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the Muse of Nightmares, has not yet discovered what she's capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel's near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this astonishing and heart-stopping sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.]]> 514 Laini Taylor 0316341711 esther 3 4.41 2018 Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer, #2)
author: Laini Taylor
name: esther
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/16
date added: 2021/10/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Searcher 52661162
Then a local boy appeals to him for help. His brother is missing, and no one in the village, least of all the police, seems to care. And once again, Cal feels that restless itch.

Something is wrong in this community, and he must find out what, even if it brings trouble to his door.]]> 451 Tana French 073522465X esther 4 favorites
I don’t know what it is about tana French books, but they always leave me empty of words in the end. She single handedly raise the bar for thriller genre, not one relying on twist and shocks but on emotions, people, nature - and again, the knowledge of what kind of evil human beings are capable of doing. You go on reading, not only because you want to find out who the killer is, but because you want to know what will happen to the characters that take up place in your heart, no matter how briefly.

Highly recommended book to read, especially in a rainy moody weather. ]]> 3.70 2020 The Searcher
author: Tana French
name: esther
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/11
date added: 2021/10/11
shelves: favorites
review:
“He thinks about how things will grow where his own blood soaked into the soil outside, and about his hands in the earth today, what he harvested and what he showed.�

I don’t know what it is about tana French books, but they always leave me empty of words in the end. She single handedly raise the bar for thriller genre, not one relying on twist and shocks but on emotions, people, nature - and again, the knowledge of what kind of evil human beings are capable of doing. You go on reading, not only because you want to find out who the killer is, but because you want to know what will happen to the characters that take up place in your heart, no matter how briefly.

Highly recommended book to read, especially in a rainy moody weather.
]]> The Lola Quartet 12856198
Besides, Eilo has shown him a photo of a ten-year-old girl who could be homeless and in trouble. The little girl looks strikingly like Gavin and has the same last name as his high school girlfriend, Anna, from a decade ago. Gavin, obsessed with film noir and private detectives and otherwise at loose ends, begins his own private investigation in an effort to track down Anna and their apparent daughter—an investigation that soon takes a surprisingly dangerous turn.]]> 279 Emily St. John Mandel 1609530799 esther 4 favorites 3.50 2012 The Lola Quartet
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: esther
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/29
date added: 2021/09/29
shelves: favorites
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)]]> 28449207 The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around�and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.]]> 532 Laini Taylor 0316341681 esther 5 favorites 4.27 2017 Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)
author: Laini Taylor
name: esther
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/18
date added: 2021/09/18
shelves: favorites
review:

]]> Malibu Rising 55404546 Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.]]> 369 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798657 esther 2 4.02 2021 Malibu Rising
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: esther
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/09/13
date added: 2021/09/12
shelves:
review:
very anticlimactic, not very good characterization. It could be something more but it just fell flat.
]]> <![CDATA[Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2)]]> 10025305
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.]]> 498 Cassandra Clare 1416975888 esther 4 4.42 2011 Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: esther
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/11
date added: 2021/09/10
shelves:
review:

]]> Misery 10614 #1, #2, #3, #4

Paul Sheldon. He's a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader - she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.]]> 370 Stephen King 0450417395 esther 5 favorites 4.22 1987 Misery
author: Stephen King
name: esther
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/29
date added: 2021/08/28
shelves: favorites
review:
I don’t want to see an axe for the rest of my life, thanks King.
]]> Piranesi 50202953
There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.]]> 272 Susanna Clarke 163557563X esther 5 favorites 4.22 2020 Piranesi
author: Susanna Clarke
name: esther
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/21
date added: 2021/08/21
shelves: favorites
review:
Wow this was truly like nothing I’ve ever read.
]]> The Book Thief 19063 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

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

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

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

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

(Note: this title was not published as YA fiction)]]> 592 Markus Zusak esther 3 4.38 2005 The Book Thief
author: Markus Zusak
name: esther
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)]]> 52439531
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.]]> 386 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 1368052401 esther 3 4.13 2020 The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: esther
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/15
date added: 2021/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Deal (Off-Campus, #1) 24920901 An alternative cover edition can be found here.

She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice... even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it's going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.]]> 342 Elle Kennedy esther 3 4.26 2015 The Deal (Off-Campus, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: esther
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/08/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Station Eleven 20170404 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 333 Emily St. John Mandel 0385353308 esther 3 4.05 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: esther
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/11
date added: 2021/08/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)]]> 26032825 Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

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

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

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.]]> 370 Holly Black 0316310271 esther 3 4.01 2018 The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)
author: Holly Black
name: esther
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/31
date added: 2021/07/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Red Queen (Red Queen, #1) 22328546 This is a world divided by blood—red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.]]> 388 Victoria Aveyard 0062310631 esther 4 3.98 2015 Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: esther
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/27
date added: 2021/07/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)]]> 7171637 New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...]]> 479 Cassandra Clare 1416975861 esther 4 4.31 2010 Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: esther
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/04
date added: 2021/07/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A ​Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)]]> 53138095
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other's arms.]]> 757 Sarah J. Maas 168119628X esther 5 Sarah J. Maas, thank you thank you thank you.]]> 4.44 2021 A ​Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: esther
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/02
date added: 2021/07/01
shelves:
review:
i had six mental breakdowns over the course of reading this book and it felt good - it felt like a cleansing i desperately needed for something that i couldn't describe until Nesta and the characters went through it all with me.
Sarah J. Maas, thank you thank you thank you.
]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue]]> 50623864
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 esther 3 4.16 2020 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: esther
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/20
date added: 2021/06/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) 10429045 I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war—and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.]]> 338 Tahereh Mafi 0062085484 esther 2 3.86 2011 Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: esther
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2021/06/20
date added: 2021/06/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)]]> 23766634
She has left the Night Court - and her High Lord - and is playing a deadly game of deceit. In the Spring Court, Tamlin is making deals with the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees, and Feyre is determined to uncover his plans. But to do so she must weave a web of lies, and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As mighty armies grapple for power, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords - and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

BUT WHILE WAR RAGES, IT IS HER HEART THAT WILL FACE THE GREATEST BATTLE.

THE THRILLING THIRD BOOK IN #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING FANTASY SERIES FROM SARAH J. MAAS.]]> 705 Sarah J. Maas 1408857901 esther 5 Wow. No words just wow 4.41 2017 A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: esther
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/16
date added: 2021/06/16
shelves:
review:
Wow. No words just wow
]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)]]> 17927395
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.]]> 626 Sarah J. Maas esther 5 4.60 2016 A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: esther
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/09
date added: 2021/06/08
shelves:
review:

]]> A Little Life 22822858
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride.Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.]]> 720 Hanya Yanagihara 0385539258 esther 4 4.28 2015 A Little Life
author: Hanya Yanagihara
name: esther
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/06
date added: 2021/06/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)]]> 36307634 Face your demons... or feed them.

The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country's bloody civil war--and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka's coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried--and some wounds aren't meant to heal.]]> 511 Leigh Bardugo 125014227X esther 2 4.16 2019 King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: esther
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2021/05/29
date added: 2021/05/29
shelves:
review:
This was a total letdown especially when Nikolai's character was so well written in the previous books
]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)]]> 16096824
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.]]> 419 Sarah J. Maas 1619634449 esther 4 4.17 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: esther
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/22
date added: 2021/05/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1)]]> 36118682 Wicked Saints—an epic, passionate novel that you won't soon forget. Prepare to meet:

A GIRL named Nadya, who hears the whisper of the gods inside her head.

A PRINCE surrounded by desperate suitors and deadly assassins

A MONSTER hidden behind pale, tortured eyes � and a smile that cuts like a knife

The paths of these three characters become entwined during a centuriea-long war filled with sinners and saints, magic and mystery, and a star-crossed romance that threatens to tip the scales between dark and light . .. forever.]]> 385 Emily A. Duncan 1250195667 esther 2 3.55 2019 Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1)
author: Emily A. Duncan
name: esther
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2021/05/18
date added: 2021/05/18
shelves:
review:
this was poorly written and only mildly entertaining. Why do i even bother write a review but here you go kids, don't waste your time
]]> <![CDATA[Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)]]> 22299763
Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.]]> 561 Leigh Bardugo esther 5 favorites 4.58 2016 Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: esther
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/13
date added: 2021/05/13
shelves: favorites
review:
This was 700 pages of perfection. That's all.
]]> <![CDATA[Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)]]> 23437156 Alternate cover of ISBN 9781627792127

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.]]> 480 Leigh Bardugo 1627792120 esther 5 favorites
honestly, YA as a genre is so overlooked but once in a while you came across writers like Bardugo and everything she writes is just like "lets look a little closer, see there? There's more depth than you think you knew", and i just cant help but root for the characters. FIVE THOUSAND STARS!!!]]> 4.47 2015 Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: esther
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/07
date added: 2021/05/07
shelves: favorites
review:
I LITERALLY HAVE NO WORDS, EVEYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK BLOWS MY MIND!!!!

honestly, YA as a genre is so overlooked but once in a while you came across writers like Bardugo and everything she writes is just like "lets look a little closer, see there? There's more depth than you think you knew", and i just cant help but root for the characters. FIVE THOUSAND STARS!!!
]]> <![CDATA[Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3)]]> 14061957 Alternative Cover Edition #1

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.]]> 350 Leigh Bardugo esther 5 3.97 2014 Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: esther
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/02
date added: 2021/05/02
shelves:
review:
THIS TRILOGY REMINDS ME WHY BOOKS ARE PORTABLE MAGIC. ITS PERFECT EVERYTHING IS PERFECT I HAVE NO WORDS. FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU
]]> All the Bright Places 18460392 The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders� of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.]]> 388 Jennifer Niven 0385755880 esther 3 4.12 2015 All the Bright Places
author: Jennifer Niven
name: esther
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2021/04/30
date added: 2021/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)]]> 14061955 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.]]> 435 Leigh Bardugo esther 4 3.81 2013 Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: esther
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/30
date added: 2021/04/30
shelves:
review:
the middle of the book is dragging and too long and not too centered around anything really important to the plot, really. But the ENDING HOLLY HELL I WAS SO STRESSED OUT ABOUT MAL, I CRIED, PRAYED TO SAINTS THEY'LL BE ALRIGHT AND IT WAS LIKE I WAS HOLDING MY BREATH UNTIL everything finally settled and I DONT KNOW, WILL I BE ALRIGHT READING THE NEXT BOOK? IM BOTH AFRAID AND EXCITED TO FIND OUT
]]> <![CDATA[Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)]]> 10194157 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.]]> 358 Leigh Bardugo 1250048117 esther 5 favorites 3.93 2012 Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: esther
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/25
date added: 2021/04/24
shelves: favorites
review:
PROTECT MAL AT ALL COST!!!!!!!
]]> Doing Harm 17934474 “It's amazing that there are so many different ways to die in a hospital that have nothing to do with being sick…�

Steve Mitchell, happily married with a wife and two kids, is in line for a coveted position at Boston's University Hospital when his world goes awry.His over-reaching ambition causes him to botch a major surgery, and another of his patients mysteriously dies. Steve’s nightmare goes from bad to worse when he learns that the mysterious death was no accident but the act of a sociopath. A sociopath he knows and who has information that could destroy Steve’s career and marriage. A sociopath for whom killing is more than a means to an end: it’s a game. Because he is under a cloud of suspicion and has no evidence, he knows that any accusations he makes won’t be believed. So he must struggle to turn the tables, even as the killer skillfully blocks his every move. Detailing the politics of hospitals, the hierarchy among doctors and the life and death decisions that are made by flawed human beings, Doing Harm marks the debut of a major fiction career.


]]> 368 Kelly Parsons 1250033470 esther 2 3.65 2014 Doing Harm
author: Kelly Parsons
name: esther
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2021/04/17
date added: 2021/04/17
shelves:
review:

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