Blanche's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 16 May 2024 09:56:56 -0700 60 Blanche's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg I Want to Eat Your Pancreas 34253486 Also known as Let Me Eat Your Pancreas, the coming-of-age tearjerker that inspired two films!

A high school boy finds the diary of his classmate¡ªonly to discover that she¡¯s dying. Yamauchi Sakura has been silently suffering from a pancreatic disease, and now exactly one person outside her family knows. He swears to her that he won¡¯t tell anyone what he learned, and the shared secret brings them closer together in this deeply moving, first-person story that traces their developing relationship in Sakura¡¯s final months of life.]]> 308 Yoru Sumino Blanche 0 to-read 4.27 2015 I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
author: Yoru Sumino
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)]]> 58679358 On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.]]> 416 Karen M. McManus 0593565371 Blanche 3 3.87 2017 One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)
author: Karen M. McManus
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/18
date added: 2023/12/18
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]]> <![CDATA[The Way I Am Now (The Way I Used to Be, #2)]]> 101143330 Eden and Josh decide to give their relationship another chance in this much anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Way I Used to Be that explores how to move forward after trauma¡ªin life and in love.

Eden and Josh never had a fair shot at a healthy relationship. When they dated in high school, they each had their own problems getting in the way of the deep connection they felt toward one another. Unbeknownst to Josh, Eden was carrying the burden of a devastating sexual assault, while Josh was dealing with his own private struggle of having an alcoholic father.

Months after Eden and two other girls publicly accuse their rapist, Eden is starting college while her case goes to trial. Now when she and Josh reconnect, it seems like it might finally be in the right place at the right time for them to make it work. But is their love strong enough to withstand the challenges and chaos of college and the crushing realities of a trial that will determine whether Eden gets the justice she deserves?]]> 432 Amber Smith 1665947101 Blanche 3 4.09 2023 The Way I Am Now (The Way I Used to Be, #2)
author: Amber Smith
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/18
date added: 2023/12/18
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]]> Cat Person 38495921 She thought, brightly, This is the worst life decision I have ever made! And she marvelled at herself for a while, at the mystery of this person who'd just done this bizarre, inexplicable thing.

Margot meets Robert. They exchange numbers. They text, flirt and eventually have sex ¨C the type of sex you attempt to forget. How could one date go so wrong?

Everything that takes place in Cat Person happens to countless people every day. But Cat Person is not an everyday story. In less than a week, Kristen Roupenian's New Yorker debut became the most read and shared short story in their website's history. This is the bad date that went viral. This is the conversation we¡¯re all having.

This gift edition contains photographs by celebrated photographer Elinor Carucci, who was commissioned by the New Yorker to capture the image that accompanied Kristen Roupenian's Cat Person when it appeared in the magazine.]]> 59 Kristen Roupenian 147356123X Blanche 4 3.67 2018 Cat Person
author: Kristen Roupenian
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/12/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting]]> 22533460 Apparently I'm boring. A nobody.
But that's all about to change.
Because I am starting a project.
Here. Now. For myself.
And if you want to come along for the ride then you're very welcome.

Bree is by no means popular. Most of the time, she hates her life, her school, her never-there-parents. So she writes.

But when Bree is told she needs to stop shutting the world out and start living a life worth writing about, The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting is born. A manifesto that will change everything...

...but the question is, at what cost?]]> 448 Holly Bourne 1409562182 Blanche 4 3.79 2014 The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/13
date added: 2023/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream]]> 20813135 Ich denke, also bin ich109 Jahre nach dem Ende des Dritten Weltkriegs leben nur noch f¨¹nf Menschen. Sie hausen in unterirdischen Stollen, immer am Rande des Verhungerns, und werden jede Minute ihres Lebens von einem Supercomputer gefoltert, der ein Bewusstsein erlangt hat ¨C und mit ihm unendlichen Hass auf seine Erbauer. Es gibt nur einen einzigen Ausweg f¨¹r die gequ?lten Menschen ¨C doch welcher von ihnen wird stark genug sein, ihn zu w?hlen? Die Kurzgeschichte ?Ich muss schreien und habe keinen Mund¡° erscheint als exklusives E-Book Only bei Heyne und ist zusammen mit weiteren Stories von Harlan Ellison auch in dem Sammelband ?Ich muss schreien und habe keinen Mund¡° enthalten. Sie umfasst ca. 22 Buchseiten.]]> 20 Harlan Ellison Blanche 4 3.72 1967 I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
author: Harlan Ellison
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1967
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/10
date added: 2023/12/10
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]]> <![CDATA[I Hate You--Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality]]> 63115884
After more than two decades as the essential guide to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), this new edition now reflects the most up- to-date research that has opened doors to the neurobiological, genetic, and developmental roots of the disorder as well as connections between BPD and substance abuse, sexual abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, ADHD, and eating disorders.

Both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic advancements point to real hope for success in the treatment and understanding of BPD.

This expanded and revised edition remains as accessible and useful as its predecessor and will reestablish this book as the go-to source for those diagnosed with BPD, their family, friends, and colleagues, as well as professionals and students in the field]]> Jerold J. Kreisman Blanche 0 dnf 3.93 1989 I Hate You--Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality
author: Jerold J. Kreisman
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/08
shelves: dnf
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]]> <![CDATA[So You Want to Talk About Race]]> 35099718 In this breakout book, Ijeoma Oluo explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape--from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement--offering straightforward clarity that readers need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide

In So You Want to Talk About Race, Editor at Large of The Establishment Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.

Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned, and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism, and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor's seminal essay "The Meaning of a Word."]]> 248 Ijeoma Oluo 1580056776 Blanche 0 currently-reading 4.48 2018 So You Want to Talk About Race
author: Ijeoma Oluo
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Educated 35133922
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.

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

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.]]> 352 Tara Westover 0399590501 Blanche 4 4.46 2018 Educated
author: Tara Westover
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/08
date added: 2023/12/08
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]]> What Magic Is This? 44424546 167 Holly Bourne 1781128855 Blanche 4 3.60 What Magic Is This?
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.60
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/03
date added: 2023/12/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Scott Pilgrim, #2)]]> 29801 200 Bryan Lee O'Malley 1932664122 Blanche 3 4.23 2005 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Scott Pilgrim, #2)
author: Bryan Lee O'Malley
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/02
date added: 2023/12/02
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]]> Every Exquisite Thing 31423191 From the bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook comes a heartfelt and rebellious novel in the vein of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Nanette O'Hare has played the quintessential privileged star athlete and straight-A student for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bubblegum Reaper--a mysterious, out-of-print cult classic--the rebel within Nanette awakens.

As the new and outspoken Nanette attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, she learns that rebellion can sometimes come at a high price...and with devastating consequences.]]> 288 Matthew Quick 0316379611 Blanche 4 3.64 2016 Every Exquisite Thing
author: Matthew Quick
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/24
date added: 2023/11/24
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]]> Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock 13477676
But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school¡¯s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In this riveting look at a day in the life of a disturbed teenage boy, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made¡ªand the light in us all that never goes out.]]> 277 Matthew Quick 0316221333 Blanche 0 to-read 3.88 2013 Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
author: Matthew Quick
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/24
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]]> <![CDATA[Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Scott Pilgrim, #1)]]> 29800 168 Bryan Lee O'Malley Blanche 3 4.19 2004 Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Scott Pilgrim, #1)
author: Bryan Lee O'Malley
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/23
date added: 2023/11/23
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]]> <![CDATA[Cage of Dreams (City of Nightmares Duology, 2)]]> 75499342 In this thrilling sequel and conclusion to the City of Nightmares duology, Ness is forced to make a twisted deal with the Nightmare Phantom¡ªonly to find herself embroiled in the explosive fallout of the agreement when a botched assassination attempt unleashes chaos into the City of Newham.

Nineteen-year-old Ness used to have a vehement terror of Nightmares¡ªpeople who¡¯d been turned into their worst fears while they slept. Through two assassination attempts, an explosion, and a faustian bargain with a dream demon, she¡¯s finally working through those fears.

Unfortunately, Nightmares aren¡¯t the only dangerous thing in Newham. Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears¡ªincluding her fear of mortality. It¡¯s easy to die in Newham, but it¡¯s hard to live.

So when the Nightmare Phantom¡ªthe monster that turns people into Nightmares¡ªshows up, asking her another favor, she agrees, but only if he turns her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bullet proof and strong and able to live without fear.

But when Ness¡¯s attempt to fulfill the bargain goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. Now, Ness is in the crosshairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can¡¯t run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she¡¯s going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself]]> 368 Rebecca Schaeffer 0358645549 Blanche 4 3.73 2023 Cage of Dreams (City of Nightmares Duology, 2)
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/18
date added: 2023/11/18
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]]> <![CDATA[The Way She Feels: My Life on the Borderline in Pictures and Pieces]]> 55678466 A Book Riot Best Book of the Year ¡°Audaciously human and raw. The Way She Feels is a rainbow during the rain.¡± ¨DMara Altman A witty and one-of-a-kind debut graphic memoir detailing and drawing the life of a girl with borderline personality disorder finding her way¨Dand herself¨Done day at a time. What does it feel like to fall in love too hard and too fast, to hate yourself in equal and opposite measure? To live in such fear of rejection that you drive friends and lovers away? Welcome to my world. I¡¯m Courtney, and I have borderline personality disorder (BPD), along with over four million other people in the United States. Though I¡¯ve shown every classic symptom of the disorder since childhood, I wasn¡¯t properly diagnosed until nearly a decade later, because the prevailing theory is that most people simply ¡°grow out of it.¡± Not me.

In my illustrated memoir, The Way She My Life on the Borderline in Pictures and Pieces , I share what it¡¯s been like to live and love with this disorder. Not just the hospitalizations, treatments, and residential therapy, but the moments I found comfort in cereal, the color pink, or mini corndogs; the days I couldn¡¯t style my hair because I thought the blow-dryer was going to hurt me; the peace I found when someone I love held me. This is a book about vulnerability, honesty, acceptance, and how to speak openly¨Dnot only with doctors, co-patients, friends, family, or partners, but also with ourselves.]]> 250 Courtney Cook 1951142594 Blanche 3 3.87 2021 The Way She Feels: My Life on the Borderline in Pictures and Pieces
author: Courtney Cook
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/17
date added: 2023/11/17
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]]> The Bee Sting 62039166 From the author of Skippy Dies comes Paul Murray's The Bee Sting, an irresistibly funny, wise, and thought-provoking tour de force about family, fortune, and the struggle to be a good person when the world is falling apart.

The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie¡¯s once-lucrative car business is going under¨Dbut rather than face the music, he¡¯s spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife Imelda is selling off her jewelry on eBay, while their teenage daughter Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge-drink her way through her final exams. And twelve-year-old PJ is putting the final touches to his grand plan to run away from home.

Where did it all go wrong? A patch of ice on the tarmac, a casual favor to a charming stranger, a bee caught beneath a bridal veil¨Dcan a single moment of bad luck change the direction of a life? And if the story has already been written¨Dis there still time to find a happy ending?]]> 645 Paul Murray 0374600309 Blanche 0 to-read 3.92 2023 The Bee Sting
author: Paul Murray
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/09
shelves: to-read
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]]> Everything Is Totally Fine 58551324 152 Zac Smith 0982206763 Blanche 0 to-read 4.01 2022 Everything Is Totally Fine
author: Zac Smith
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> Hell Followed With Us 57911600 Prepare to die. His kingdom is near.

Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him¡ªthe fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world¡¯s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can¡¯t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.

But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC¡¯s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji¡¯s darkest secret: the cult¡¯s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.

Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick¡¯s terms¡­until he discovers the ALC¡¯s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.

A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors.]]> 416 Andrew Joseph White 1682633241 Blanche 3 4.12 2022 Hell Followed With Us
author: Andrew Joseph White
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/07
date added: 2023/11/07
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]]> Beach Read 52867387 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

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

They¡¯re polar opposites.

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

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She¡¯ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he¡¯ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.]]> 400 Emily Henry 1984806734 Blanche 3 3.99 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2023/10/27
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]]> La chair est triste h¨¦las 122789766

Autrice et documentariste sp¨¦cialiste de l'intime et du rapport au corps, Ovidie retrace ici la trajectoire qui l'a conduite ¨¤ quatre ann¨¦es de gr¨¨ve du sexe.


Dirig¨¦e par Vanessa Springora, la collection " Fauteuse de trouble " articule intimit¨¦ et ¨¦mancipation, ¨¦rotisme et f¨¦minisme, corps et r¨¦volte, sexuel et textuel.]]> 137 Ovidie Blanche 0 dnf 4.16 La chair est triste h¨¦las
author: Ovidie
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/26
shelves: dnf
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]]> Really Good, Actually 60877616 A hilarious and painfully relatable debut novel about one woman¡¯s messy search for joy and meaning in the wake of an unexpected breakup, from comedian, essayist, and award-winning screenwriter Monica Heisey

Maggie is fine. She¡¯s doing really good, actually. Sure, she¡¯s broke, her graduate thesis on something obscure is going nowhere, and her marriage only lasted 608 days, but at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace her new life as a Surprisingly Young Divorc¨¦e?.

Now she has time to take up nine hobbies, eat hamburgers at 4 am, and ¡°get back out there¡± sex-wise. With the support of her tough-loving academic advisor, Merris; her newly divorced friend, Amy; and her group chat (naturally), Maggie barrels through her first year of single life, intermittently dating, occasionally waking up on the floor and asking herself tough questions along the way.

Laugh-out-loud funny and filled with sharp observations, Really Good, Actually is a tender and bittersweet comedy that lays bare the uncertainties of modern love, friendship, and our search for that thing we like to call ¡°happiness¡±. This is a remarkable debut from an unforgettable new voice in fiction.]]> 370 Monica Heisey 0063235412 Blanche 5 3.14 2023 Really Good, Actually
author: Monica Heisey
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/25
date added: 2023/10/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume Two (Heartstopper, #2)]]> 43307358
But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family ... and himself.]]> 320 Alice Oseman 1444951408 Blanche 3 4.52 2019 Heartstopper: Volume Two (Heartstopper, #2)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/23
date added: 2023/10/23
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster]]> 34964868 The Trauma Cleaner is a love letter to an extraordinary ordinary life. In Sandra Pankhurst she discovered a woman capable of taking a lifetime of hostility and transphobic abuse and using it to care for some of society's most in-need people.

Sandra Pankhurst founded her trauma cleaning business to help people whose emotional scars are written on their houses. From the forgotten flat of a drug addict to the infested home of a hoarder, Sandra enters properties and lives at the same time. But few of the people she looks after know anything of the complexity of Sandra's own life. Raised in an uncaring home, Sandra's miraculous gift for warmth and humour in the face of unspeakable personal tragedy mark her out as a one-off.]]> 291 Sarah Krasnostein 1250101204 Blanche 0 to-read 3.87 2017 The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster
author: Sarah Krasnostein
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> Fight Like a Girl 29615052
'With wit, insight and glorious, righteous rage, Clementine Ford lays out all the ways in which girls and women are hurt and held back, and unapologetically demands that the world do better. A passionate and urgently needed call to arms, Fight Like A Girl insists on our right to be angry, to be heard and to fight. It'll change lives.' Emily Maguire, author of An Isolated Incident

A friend recently told me that the things I write are powerful for her because they have the effect of making her feel angry instead of just empty. I want to do this for all women and young girls - to take the emptiness and numbness they feel about being a girl in this world and turn it into rage and power. I want to teach all of them how to FIGHT LIKE A GIRL. Clementine Ford

Online sensation, fearless feminist heroine and scourge of trolls and misogynists everywhere, Clementine Ford is a beacon of hope and inspiration to thousands of Australian women and girls. Her incendiary debut Fight Like A Girl is an essential manifesto for feminists new, old and soon-to-be, and exposes just how unequal the world continues to be for women. Crucially, it is a call to arms for all women to rediscover the fury that has been suppressed by a society that still considers feminism a threat.

Fight Like A Girl will make you laugh, cry and scream. But above all it will make you demand and fight for a world in which women have real equality and not merely the illusion of it.]]> 294 Clementine Ford 1760292362 Blanche 0 to-read 3.97 2016 Fight Like a Girl
author: Clementine Ford
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> Eggshell Skull 39675781
But what if it also works the other way? What if a defendant on trial for sexual crimes has to accept his 'victim' as she comes: a strong, determined accuser who knows the legal system, who will not back down until justice is done?

Bri Lee began her first day of work at the Queensland District Court as a bright-eyed judge's associate. Two years later she was back as the complainant in her own case.

This is the story of Bri's journey through the Australian legal system; first as the daughter of a policeman, then as a law student, and finally as a judge's associate in both metropolitan and regional Queensland-where justice can look very different, especially for women. The injustice Bri witnessed, mourned and raged over every day finally forced her to confront her own personal history, one she'd vowed never to tell. And this is how, after years of struggle, she found herself on the other side of the courtroom, telling her story.

Bri Lee has written a fierce and eloquent memoir that addresses both her own reckoning with the past as well as with the stories around her, to speak the truth with wit, empathy and unflinching courage. Eggshell Skull is a haunting appraisal of modern Australia from a new and essential voice.]]> 358 Bri Lee 1760295779 Blanche 4 4.35 2018 Eggshell Skull
author: Bri Lee
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/22
date added: 2023/10/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper, #1)]]> 40495957
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner...]]> 288 Alice Oseman 152722533X Blanche 3 4.43 2018 Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper, #1)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/22
date added: 2023/10/22
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]]> <![CDATA[The Julian Chapter (Wonder, #1.5)]]> 20878809 Wonder and have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. Now readers will have a chance to hear from the book's most controversial character¡ªJulian.

From the very first day Auggie and Julian met in the pages of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder, it was clear they were never going to be friends, with Julian treating Auggie like he had the plague. And while Wonder told Auggie's story through six different viewpoints, Julian's perspective was never shared. Readers could only guess what he was thinking.

Until now. The Julian Chapter will finally reveal the bully's side of the story. Why is Julian so unkind to Auggie? And does he have a chance for redemption?]]> 84 R.J. Palacio 0553499084 Blanche 4 4.26 2014 The Julian Chapter (Wonder, #1.5)
author: R.J. Palacio
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/21
date added: 2023/10/21
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Nos mutineries : r¨¦ponses imparables aux id¨¦es re?ues sur le f¨¦minisme]]> 60190699 183 Eve Cambreleng 2317033745 Blanche 3 4.42 Nos mutineries : r¨¦ponses imparables aux id¨¦es re?ues sur le f¨¦minisme
author: Eve Cambreleng
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/21
date added: 2023/10/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Wonder (Wonder, #1) 11387515 I won¡¯t describe what I look like. Whatever you¡¯re thinking, it¡¯s probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid¡ªbut his new classmates can¡¯t get past Auggie¡¯s extraordinary face. Wonder, begins from Auggie¡¯s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others.]]> 315 R.J. Palacio 0375869026 Blanche 4 4.34 2012 Wonder (Wonder, #1)
author: R.J. Palacio
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/19
date added: 2023/10/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Invisible Girl 50542147
In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt¡¯s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a geography teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel¡ªinvoluntary celibate¡ªforums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn.

Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He¡¯s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.

Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine¡¯s night, Saffyre Maddox disappears¡ªand the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.
]]> 404 Lisa Jewell 1982137339 Blanche 3 3.74 2020 Invisible Girl
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/18
date added: 2023/10/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke]]> 57876868
What have you done today to deserve your eyes?]]> 120 Eric LaRocca 1951658132 Blanche 2 What 2.93 2021 Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
author: Eric LaRocca
name: Blanche
average rating: 2.93
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2023/10/15
shelves:
review:
What
]]> Les princes d'Ambre: Cycle 1 25636061 Il est l¡¯un des neuf princes d¡¯Ambre, ce monde dont tous les autres ne sont que des reflets.
Son nom est Corwin et il compte bien vaincre ses fr¨¨res pour monter sur le tr?ne vacant.]]> 925 Roger Zelazny 2070463648 Blanche 0 dnf 4.14 1970 Les princes d'Ambre: Cycle 1
author: Roger Zelazny
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/12
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> Soulmates 16099393
Enter Poppy, the 17-year-old cynic with a serious addiction to banana milk, and Noah, the heart-throb guitarist; residents of mediocre Middletown, sometime students, and¡­soulmates.

After a chance meeting at a local band night, Poppy and Noah find themselves swept up in a whirlwind romance unlike anything they¡¯ve ever experienced before. But with a secret international agency preparing to separate them, a trail of destruction rumbling in their wake, (and a looming psychology coursework deadline), they are left with an impossible choice between the end of the world, or a life without love¡­]]> 544 Holly Bourne 1409557502 Blanche 0 dnf 3.81 2013 Soulmates
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/10
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy, #2)]]> 40126121 Darkness never works alone...

Nadya doesn¡¯t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn¡¯t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he¡¯s become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They¡¯re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone¡­ or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet¡ªthose voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.]]> 544 Emily A. Duncan 1250195713 Blanche 0 dnf 3.76 2020 Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy, #2)
author: Emily A. Duncan
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> Unhinged 187684551
Someone¡¯s been watching Tana closely, but he¡¯s a lot closer than she realizes. From intimate moments to lazy afternoons on the couch, he¡¯s secretly seen it all - and fallen for her along the way. The problem is that someone else is watching too, and his obsession with Tana is a lot more dangerous. When a man claiming to be her front door enters her dreams to warn her about an imminent threat to her life, Tana initially chalks it up to her weird late-night snacks. But she rethinks things when her earnest visitor insists he¡¯s also ready to protect her - in exchange for one hell of a favor. When Tana trades her best line of defense for an unlikely supernatural ally, the threat lurking beyond her apartment hallway starts getting desperate as the law closes in. Can her inhuman companion save her from the worst of humanity, or is it too late for both of them?

Content Unhinged is a paranormal romance story that involves a human woman getting it on with her front door, which later turns into a guy. This story contains...a lot of stuff that would probably land me on the naughty list with bots from our benevolent overlords if I went into detail in this blurb. Please peek at the look inside for a better idea of what to expect, cool? ;)]]> 71 Vera Valentine Blanche 3 3.00 2023 Unhinged
author: Vera Valentine
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/06
date added: 2023/10/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor]]> 35510008 Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know ¨C and more than a few things you didn't ¨C about life on and off the hospital ward.

As seen on ITV's Zoe Ball Book Club

This edition includes extra diary entries and a new afterword by the author.

]]> 285 Adam Kay Blanche 4 4.40 2017 This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor
author: Adam Kay
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/02
date added: 2023/10/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?]]> 39297840 Welcome to Camp Reset, a summer camp with a difference. A place offering a shot at ¡°normality¡± for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for the new friends she never expected to make ¨C who each have their own reasons for being there. Luckily Olive has a plan to solve all their problems. But how do you fix the world when you can¡¯t fix yourself?

A raw and compelling exploration of mental health, friendship and the power of compassion from the acclaimed Holly Bourne.

]]> 400 Holly Bourne 1474958494 Blanche 4 3.94 2018 Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/01
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Muscles & Monsters (Leviathan Fitness, #1)]]> 60840930 Leviathan Fitness is known for monsters, muscles, and wolven who rescue damsels in distress.

After a wedding cake catastrophe, local decorator Tegan finds herself being helped by a solid wall of fur and fangs named Atlas. She¡¯s never met anyone like him and finds herself enamored by his wolfish charm. After their sweet encounter, Atlas invites her to his gym anytime she needs his cake lifting services.

Tegan decides that instead- she wants to lift the cakes herself. She signs up for a membership with Leviathan Fitness, determined to build her strength.

Primal desires emerge as Atlas and Tegan test just how much their new love can lift¡ª and if there are any limits to what monsters and humans can do.

Muscles & Monsters is book one in the Leviathan Fitness series. Each book will center around the gym and feature a different monster pairing.]]> 182 Ashley Bennett Blanche 0 to-read 3.74 2022 Muscles & Monsters (Leviathan Fitness, #1)
author: Ashley Bennett
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1)]]> 36118682 Wicked Saints¡ªan 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 ¡ª 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 Blanche 4 3.55 2019 Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1)
author: Emily A. Duncan
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/24
date added: 2023/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Storm of Echoes (The Mirror Visitor Quartet, #4)]]> 56986571
In this thrilling finale to the Mirror Visitor saga, Christelle Dabos takes us on a journey to the heart of a great game to which the all-too-human affairs of her book¡¯s protagonists are ominously connected.

The distrust between them has been overcome and now Ophelia and Thorn love each other passionately. However, they must keep their love hidden. Only in this way can they continue their journeys toward an understanding of the indecipherable code of God and the truth behind the mysterious figure of the Other, whose devastating power continues to bring down entire pieces of arks, plunging thousands of innocents into the void.

Ophelia and Thorn arrive at the observatory of the Deviations, an institute shrouded in absolute secrecy and overseen by a sect of mystical scientists who secretly conduct terrifying experiments. There, Ophelia and Thorn hope to discover truths that will halt the destruction and death and bring the world back into balance.]]> 540 Christelle Dabos 1609456971 Blanche 4 Also ..... not being able to see Ophelia and Thorn reunite and just leaving the ending open ended. JAIL. that should've been a crime. It definitely would've added something to the story if we saw them reunite, imo. Like, might as well go all out. Either they meet again and we get the most toe curling romantic scene known to man or we switch to Ophelia becoming but a shadow of herself after realizing she's never seeing Thorn ever again. The ending we got feels more like a compromise than anything.

Soo yeah. Enjoyed this overall though. Still a 4 star. I get why so many fans didn't as much though. I've seen many people complaining about the characters/places from the first two volumes barely being in the other half of the series and while I get that tbh that didn't bother me as personally the discovery and exploration aspect of the books was one of the best parts. The new characters were great too(though I'll admit, volume 3 really felt like the depression volume of the series lmao did ANYTHING good happen in that volume??)What better way to do that then to send Ophelia to a completely different Arc, you know?]]> 3.60 2019 The Storm of Echoes (The Mirror Visitor Quartet, #4)
author: Christelle Dabos
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/23
date added: 2023/09/23
shelves:
review:
Volume 4 felt very different from the other books in the series and definitely would've benefited from this series having been longer(I know 4 volumes of 500 pages is already pretty long, but... I feel like this series could've easily been around 8 volumes, to flesh out everything needed. And to get more moments between Ophelia and Thorn PLEASE), as it focused so much on the deep plot and behind-the-scenes of the world, while the other volumes were more of an introduction to the world, if that makes sense? It was so much fun seeing Oph¨¦lie discover how the world works and meeting new peopld and there was so much action, you could just never get bored. So while we were all just vibing in the previous volumes, volume 4 felt like getting suddenly plunged into an abyss of plot I, quite frankly, hadn't thought about much and didn't really care about. It took me forever to read the first 30% but eventually I warmed up to it and was pretty invested in and curious about Ophelia's search for the secrets of the Deviations Observatory/Research Grounds(is that how they translated it in English...? I'm reading the french edition). Also liked the scenes with Thorn(ofc). But then the whole Reverse World thing happened(at around 80?90%?) and... um yeah I don't know. Didn't really have the impact I'm guessing it was supposed to have on the reader. Suddenly I was really bored. Again this is why I think this could've/should've been longer, so that Oph¨¦lie unraveling each secret and exploring each Arc could've had a smoother transition, rather than getting you invested in a part of the plot, then, BAM actually, here are 500 more layers of plot I've decided to add which will effectively numb out your former excitement because this is a totally new part of the story with absolutely no foreshadowing.
Also ..... not being able to see Ophelia and Thorn reunite and just leaving the ending open ended. JAIL. that should've been a crime. It definitely would've added something to the story if we saw them reunite, imo. Like, might as well go all out. Either they meet again and we get the most toe curling romantic scene known to man or we switch to Ophelia becoming but a shadow of herself after realizing she's never seeing Thorn ever again. The ending we got feels more like a compromise than anything.

Soo yeah. Enjoyed this overall though. Still a 4 star. I get why so many fans didn't as much though. I've seen many people complaining about the characters/places from the first two volumes barely being in the other half of the series and while I get that tbh that didn't bother me as personally the discovery and exploration aspect of the books was one of the best parts. The new characters were great too(though I'll admit, volume 3 really felt like the depression volume of the series lmao did ANYTHING good happen in that volume??)What better way to do that then to send Ophelia to a completely different Arc, you know?
]]> <![CDATA[An Echo in the City: From the author of The Night Ends with Fire]]> 146106950
PHOENIX attends a protest rally with her older brother, and it ignites a fire in her she didn¡¯t know she had. The island city she loves is disappearing and she¡¯s determined to capture the moment on camera. That night she accidentally swaps phones with the enigmatic Kai.

KAI never wanted to be a policeman, but his estranged father enrolled him in the Academy anyway. A chance encounter with a group of student protestors offers him a way to earn his father¡¯s approval once and for by going undercover and infiltrating their network. Sparks fly between Phoenix and Kai, drawing them together even as they stand on different sides of the struggle. But when love is built on a lie, what chance does it have to survive?]]> 353 K.X. Song 086154739X Blanche 0 to-read 3.79 2022 An Echo in the City: From the author of The Night Ends with Fire
author: K.X. Song
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[...And a Happy New Year? (The Spinster Club, #3.5)]]> 30360631
For the first time since leaving college, all three girls are back together. It's time for fun and flirting, snogs and shots.

(And not tears or tantrums or terrible secrets)

Because everything's going great for these girls - Spinster Club for ever! Right?]]> 224 Holly Bourne 147492722X Blanche 5 3.77 2016 ...And a Happy New Year? (The Spinster Club, #3.5)
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/17
date added: 2023/09/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Becoming Mila (The Mila Trilogy, #1)]]> 56648580 Set in Los Angeles and Nashville over a long, hot summer, Becoming Mila is the first book in an irresistibly addictive and exhilarating new trilogy from Estelle Maskame, shimmering with love, friendship, family frictions ¨C and lots of romance.

Sixteen-year-old Mila lives in LA with her mom and A-list actor dad, whose fame constantly thrusts their lives into the media spotlight. But when Mila's antics around town make waves ahead of her dad's next big movie, something needs to be done. So Mila is dispatched 2,000 miles away to Nashville, Tennessee, where she can cool off for the summer with her aunt and grandfather. The perfect solution ¨C right?

Mila's not so sure. She's dreading the idea of a summer away from her friends, not to mention being shipped to the other side of the country. Apprehensive and out-of-sorts when she arrives, it doesn't take long for her to get off on the wrong foot with the mayor¡¯s son, Blake. In spectacular style.

But Blake's no stranger to Mila's issues. He knows exactly what life's like with a parent in the public eye ¨C the pressures and politics, dramas and dynamics ... Perhaps Mila and Blake have far more in common than either of them care to admit.]]> 296 Estelle Maskame 1785303325 Blanche 0 to-read 3.90 2021 Becoming Mila (The Mila Trilogy, #1)
author: Estelle Maskame
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Every Exquisite Thing 110069098 326 Laura Steven 0008627371 Blanche 0 to-read 3.80 2023 Every Exquisite Thing
author: Laura Steven
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

3. Always try to keep it funny

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

Lottie's determined to change the world with her #Vagilante vlog. Shame the trolls have other ideas...]]> 432 Holly Bourne 1474915027 Blanche 5 4.12 2016 What's a Girl Gotta Do? (The Spinster Club, #3)
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/16
date added: 2023/09/16
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing]]> 53238858 Our earliest experiences shape our lives far down the road, and What Happened to You? provides powerful scientific and emotional insights into the behavioral patterns so many of us struggle to understand.

¡°Through this lens we can build a renewed sense of personal self-worth and ultimately recalibrate our responses to circumstances, situations, and relationships. It is, in other words, the key to reshaping our very lives.¡±¡ªOprah Winfrey

This book is going to change the way you see your life.

Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question.

Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± to ¡°What happened to you?¡±

Here, Winfrey shares stories from her own past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. In conversation throughout the book, she and Dr. Perry focus on understanding people, behavior, and ourselves. It¡¯s a subtle but profound shift in our approach to trauma, and it¡¯s one that allows us to understand our pasts in order to clear a path to our future¡ªopening the door to resilience and healing in a proven, powerful way.]]> 304 Bruce D. Perry 1250223180 Blanche 4 4.43 2021 What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
author: Bruce D. Perry
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/15
date added: 2023/09/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How Hard Can Love Be? (The Spinster Club, #2)]]> 26255907
All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.

And then there's prom king Kyle, the guy all the girls want. Can he really be interested in anti-cheerleader Amber? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard.]]> 480 Holly Bourne 1409591220 Blanche 5 4.04 2016 How Hard Can Love Be? (The Spinster Club, #2)
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/10
date added: 2023/09/10
shelves:
review:

]]> Mika in Real Life 59430548
At thirty-five, Mika Suzuki¡¯s life is a mess. Her last relationship ended in flames. Her roommate-slash-best friend might be a hoarder. She¡¯s a perpetual disappointment to her traditional Japanese parents. And, most recently, she¡¯s been fired from her latest dead-end job.

Mika is at her lowest point when she receives a phone call from Penny¡ªthe daughter she placed for adoption sixteen years ago. Penny is determined to forge a relationship with her birth mother, and in turn, Mika longs to be someone Penny is proud of. Faced with her own inadequacies, Mika embellishes a fact about her life. What starts as a tiny white lie slowly snowballs into a fully-fledged fake life, one where Mika is mature, put-together, successful in love and her career.

The details of Mika¡¯s life might be an illusion, but everything she shares with curious, headstrong Penny is real: her hopes, dreams, flaws, and Japanese heritage. The harder-won heart belongs to Thomas Calvin, Penny¡¯s adoptive widower father. What starts as a rocky, contentious relationship slowly blossoms into a friendship and, over time, something more. But can Mika really have it all¡ªlove, her daughter, the life she¡¯s always wanted? Or will Mika¡¯s deceptions ultimately catch up to her? In the end, Mika must face the truth¡ªabout herself, her family, and her past¡ªand answer the question, just who is Mika in real life?

Perfect for fans of Kiley Reid¡¯s Such a Fun Age, Gayle Honeyman¡¯s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and Rebecca Serle¡¯s In Five Years, Mika in Real Life is at once a heart-wrenching and uplifting novel that explores the weight of silence, the secrets we keep, and what it means to be a mother.

In this brilliant new novel by from Emiko Jean, the author of the New York Times bestselling young adult novel Tokyo Ever After, comes a whip-smart, laugh-out-loud funny, and utterly heartwarming novel about motherhood, daughterhood, and love¡ªhow we find it, keep it, and how it always returns.]]> 384 Emiko Jean 0063215683 Blanche 3 3.88 2022 Mika in Real Life
author: Emiko Jean
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/10
date added: 2023/09/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[СÕh Ðê¤Ä¤­Ä§Å®¤È»ÒÉ«¤Îºç (Japanese Edition)]]> 150208352 210 ¤½¤é¤ë Blanche 2 2.00 СÕh Ðê¤Ä¤­Ä§Å®¤È»ÒÉ«¤Îºç (Japanese Edition)
author: ¤½¤é¤ë
name: Blanche
average rating: 2.00
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2023/09/03
date added: 2023/09/03
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Am I Normal Yet? (The Spinster Club, #1)]]> 26017107 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B00YU83R62


All Evie wants is to be normal. She¡¯s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She¡¯s even going to parties and making friends. There¡¯s only one thing left to tick off her list¡­

But relationships are messy ¨C especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they¡¯re going mad. And if Evie can¡¯t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?]]> 448 Holly Bourne Blanche 5 4.22 2015 Am I Normal Yet? (The Spinster Club, #1)
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/02
date added: 2023/09/02
shelves:
review:

]]> The Beach 607639
The Khao San Road, Bangkok -- first stop for the hordes of rootless young Westerners traveling in Southeast Asia. On Richard's first night there, in a low-budget guest house, a fellow traveller slashes his wrists, bequeathing to Richard a meticulously drawn map to "the Beach."

The Beach, as Richard has come to learn, is the subject of a legend among young travellers in Asia: a lagoon hidden from the sea, with white sand and coral gardens, freshwater falls surrounded by jungle, plants untouched for a thousand years. There, it is rumoured, a carefully selected international few have settled in a communal Eden.

Haunted by the figure of Mr. Duck -- the name by which the Thai police have identified the dead man -- and his own obsession with Vietnam movies, Richard sets off with a young French couple to an island hidden away in an archipelago forbidden to tourists. They discover the Beach, and it is as beautiful and idyllic as it is reputed to be. Yet over time it becomes clear that Beach culture, as Richard calls it, has troubling, even deadly, undercurrents.

Spellbinding and hallucinogenic, The Beach by Alex Garland -- both a national bestseller and his debut -- is a highly accomplished and suspenseful novel that fixates on a generation in their twenties, who, burdened with the legacy of the preceding generation and saturated by popular culture, long for an unruined landscape, but find it difficult to experience the world first hand.]]> 436 Alex Garland 1573226521 Blanche 0 to-read 3.97 1996 The Beach
author: Alex Garland
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men]]> 41104077
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women?, diving into women¡¯s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor¡¯s office, and more. Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable expos¨¦ that will change the way you look at the world.]]> 448 Caroline Criado P¨¦rez 1419729071 Blanche 0 to-read 4.35 2019 Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
author: Caroline Criado P¨¦rez
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> It Only Happens in the Movies 34564400
A clever, deconstructed rom-com that proves that in real life ¡°girl meets boy¡± doesn't always mean ¡°happily ever after¡± . . . or does it? At turns funny, feminist, and achingly real, this read is perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Patrick Ness, and Julie Buxbaum.]]> 410 Holly Bourne 1474921329 Blanche 4 Loved the ending 3.75 2017 It Only Happens in the Movies
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/22
date added: 2023/08/22
shelves:
review:
Loved the ending
]]> <![CDATA[I Was Born for This (I Was Born for This, #1)]]> 34325090
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He¡¯s their frontman ¨C and playing in a band is all he¡¯s ever dreamed of doing. It¡¯s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.

Because that¡¯s the problem with dreaming ¨C eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.]]> 396 Alice Oseman 0008244103 Blanche 3 4.02 2018 I Was Born for This (I Was Born for This, #1)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/21
date added: 2023/08/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life]]> 50891570 The refreshingly original debut memoir of a guarded, over-achieving, self-lacerating young lawyer who reluctantly agrees to get psychologically and emotionally naked in a room of six complete strangers¡ªher psychotherapy group¡ªand in turn finds human connection, and herself.

Christie Tate had just been named the top student in her law school class and finally had her eating disorder under control. Why then was she driving through Chicago fantasizing about her own death? Why was she envisioning putting an end to the isolation and sadness that still plagued her in spite of her achievements?

Enter Dr. Rosen, a therapist who calmly assures her that if she joins one of his psychotherapy groups, he can transform her life. All she has to do is show up and be honest. About everything¡ªher eating habits, childhood, sexual history, etc. Christie is skeptical, insisting that that she is defective, beyond cure. But Dr. Rosen issues a nine-word prescription that will change everything: ¡°You don¡¯t need a cure, you need a witness.

So begins her entry into the strange, terrifying, and ultimately life-changing world of group therapy. Christie is initially put off by Dr. Rosen¡¯s outlandish directives, but as her defenses break down and she comes to trust Dr. Rosen and to depend on the sessions and the prescribed nightly phone calls with various group members, she begins to understand what it means to connect.

Group is a deliciously addictive read, and with Christie as our guide¡ªskeptical of her own capacity for connection and intimacy, but hopeful in spite of herself¡ªwe are given a front row seat to the daring, exhilarating, painful, and hilarious journey that is group therapy¡ªan under-explored process that breaks you down, and then reassembles you so that all the pieces finally fit.]]> 282 Christie Tate Blanche 3 I guess this just didn't feel introspective enough, for a book about therapy. There might have been more things she worked through or improved or came to understand more after those years of therapy but we sure didn't hear about them in this book. This memoir probably would've benefitted more from being marketed as a memoir about the author's past relationships and the "hurdles of finding love" rather than "how I improved my life with group therapy".]]> 3.77 2020 Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life
author: Christie Tate
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/20
date added: 2023/08/20
shelves:
review:
Not exactly what I was expecting. It WAS entertaining but I can't really say I see the point of the therapy group the book is literally about, apart from the very beginnings of it where it helped the author with her disordered eating habits and trauma she had from seeing one of her friend's father's death at a young age. The rest of the book is just focused on her falling for different men and it not working out, until she finds the right one. How did group therapy help her through any of it, other than giving her a shoulder to cry on? It just felt like luck that she met her husband rather than the result to all the time and money she spent in therapy. She does say "Right after John and I got engaged, Clare asked me if I would have eventually ended up with John even if I hadn¡¯t gone to group all these years. I said, I doubt it, but what I really mean to say was No fucking way." but why? We don't really see the therapy helping her build better relationships or anything. It kind of just felt useless.
I guess this just didn't feel introspective enough, for a book about therapy. There might have been more things she worked through or improved or came to understand more after those years of therapy but we sure didn't hear about them in this book. This memoir probably would've benefitted more from being marketed as a memoir about the author's past relationships and the "hurdles of finding love" rather than "how I improved my life with group therapy".
]]> <![CDATA[A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1)]]> 40916679
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.]]> 433 Holly Jackson 1405293187 Blanche 0 to-read 4.30 2019 A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1)
author: Holly Jackson
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Something Like Gravity 41139667 For fans of Love, Simon and Eleanor and Park, a romantic and sweet novel about a transgender boy who falls in love for the first time¡ªand how first love changes us all¡ªfrom New York Times bestselling author Amber Smith.

Chris and Maia aren¡¯t off to a great start.

A near-fatal car accident first brings them together, and their next encounters don¡¯t fare much better. Chris¡¯s good intentions backfire. Maia¡¯s temper gets the best of her.

But they¡¯re neighbors, at least for the summer, and despite their best efforts, they just can¡¯t seem to stay away from each other.

The path forward isn¡¯t easy. Chris has come out as transgender, but he¡¯s still processing a frightening assault he survived the year before. Maia is grieving the loss of her older sister and trying to find her place in the world without her. Falling in love was the last thing on either of their minds.

But would it be so bad if it happened anyway?]]> 391 Amber Smith Blanche 2 3.64 2019 Something Like Gravity
author: Amber Smith
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2023/08/16
date added: 2023/08/16
shelves:
review:
This just felt kind of bland honestly. Couldn't really relate to the characters or root for their romance when it was insta-love AND when Maia was lying about so much for no reason. The conflict just felt forced. Like, oh no, Chris is going to find out I lied about my whole personality and we're going to break up, oh no. I SURE wonder what you could've done so that wouldn't happen? Maybe NOT lie to him ?? I really don't understand why she lied in the first place. They also kind of had no chemistry tbh? The break-up was supposed to be emotional and all but honestly I just couldn't care less because there really is nothing that explains why they'd want to be togheter at all.
]]> <![CDATA[When Villains Rise (Market of Monsters, #3)]]> 42267143
Nita finally has Fabricio, the boy who betrayed her to the black market, within her grasp. But when proof that Kovit¡¯s a zannie¡ªa monster who eats pain in order to survive¡ªis leaked to the world, Nita must reevalute her plans.

With enemies closing in on all sides, the only way out is for Nita and Kovit to take on the most dangerous man in the world: Fabricio¡¯s father. He protects the secrets of the monsters who run the black market. Stealing those secrets could be the one thing that stands between Nita and Kovit and certain death in the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that began with the critically acclaimed Not Even Bones.]]> 384 Rebecca Schaeffer 1328863611 Blanche 3 A nice wrap up to the series, I'd say. This used to be one of my favorites back when I first read the first two volumes(when the third wasn't out yet) but now that I've reread them to finish the entire series I'd say it's not perfect. Nita being so blindighted by vengeance was kind of annoying, especially since we learn more than enough reasons for Fabricio's actions in the third book, like ffs just let it go]]> 4.21 2020 When Villains Rise (Market of Monsters, #3)
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/13
date added: 2023/08/13
shelves:
review:
3.75
A nice wrap up to the series, I'd say. This used to be one of my favorites back when I first read the first two volumes(when the third wasn't out yet) but now that I've reread them to finish the entire series I'd say it's not perfect. Nita being so blindighted by vengeance was kind of annoying, especially since we learn more than enough reasons for Fabricio's actions in the third book, like ffs just let it go
]]> <![CDATA[Only Ashes Remain (Market of Monsters, #2)]]> 41247188
There¡¯s only one way to keep herself safe.

Nita must make herself so feared that no one would ever dare come after her again. And the best way to start building her reputation? Take her revenge on the person who sold Nita to her kidnappers. But doing that is harder than Nita thought it would be, even with Kovit by her side. Now caught in a game of kill or be killed, Nita will do whatever it takes to win.]]> 432 Rebecca Schaeffer Blanche 4 4.16 2019 Only Ashes Remain (Market of Monsters, #2)
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/07
date added: 2023/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Silence Radio 35291977 411 Alice Oseman 209257051X Blanche 3 4.12 2016 Silence Radio
author: Alice Oseman
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/08/06
shelves:
review:

]]> In the Dream House 43317482 251 Carmen Maria Machado 1644450038 Blanche 0 dnf 4.41 2019 In the Dream House
author: Carmen Maria Machado
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/04
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Not Even Bones (Market of Monsters, #1)]]> 49117456
Her mother does that.

Nita just dissects and packages their bodies. But when her mother brings a live one home, Nita decides to follow her conscience and help him escape ¡ª and ends up sold on the black market in his place.

DEXTER meets THIS SAVAGE SONG in Rebecca Schaeffer's dark debut, sure to appeal to readers who love morally grey characters, mythical monsters, criminal underworlds, and fast-paced action.]]> Rebecca Schaeffer Blanche 4 4.08 2018 Not Even Bones (Market of Monsters, #1)
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/04
date added: 2023/08/04
shelves:
review:

]]> Ciudad sin sue?os 131339371 432 Rebecca Schaeffer 8419621064 Blanche 0 3.51 2023 Ciudad sin sue?os
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Nightmares (City of Nightmares, #1)]]> 60017811 Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer in this thrilling young adult fantasy about a cowardly girl who finds herself at the center of a criminal syndicate conspiracy, in a city where crooked politicians and sinister cults reign and dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare.

Ever since her sister became a man-eating spider and slaughtered her way through town, nineteen-year-old Ness has been terrified¡ªterrified of some other Nightmare murdering her, and terrified of ending up like her sister. Because in Newham, the city that never sleeps, dreaming means waking up as your worst fear.

Whether that means becoming a Nightmare that¡¯s monstrous only in appearance, to transforming into a twisted, unrecognizable creature that terrorizes the city, no one is safe. Ness will do anything to avoid becoming another victim, even if that means lying low among the Friends of the Restful Soul, a questionable organization that may or may not be a cult.

But being a member of maybe-cult has a price. In order to prove herself, Ness cons her way into what¡¯s supposed to be a simple job for the organization¡ªonly for it to blow up in her face. Literally. Tangled up in the aftermath of an explosive assassination, now Ness and the only other survivor¡ªa Nightmare boy who Ness suspects is planning to eat her¡ªmust find their way back to Newham and uncover the sinister truth behind the attack, even as the horrors of her past loom ominously near.]]> 384 Rebecca Schaeffer 0358647304 Blanche 5 3.76 2023 City of Nightmares (City of Nightmares, #1)
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/02
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Not Even Bones (Market of Monsters, #1)]]> 34324484 Dexter meets This Savage Song in this dark fantasy about a girl who sells magical body parts on the black market ¡ª until she¡¯s betrayed.

Nita doesn¡¯t murder supernatural beings and sell their body parts on the internet¡ªher mother does that. Nita just dissects the bodies after they¡¯ve been ¡°acquired.¡± But when her mom brings home a live specimen, Nita decides she wants out ¡ª dissecting living people is a step too far.

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

Nita did a good deed, and it cost her everything. Now she¡¯s going to do a lot of bad deeds to get it all back.]]> 368 Rebecca Schaeffer 132886359X Blanche 4 4.14 2018 Not Even Bones (Market of Monsters, #1)
author: Rebecca Schaeffer
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/01
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Solitaire 22999197 Solitaire, Alice Oseman has brought to life a vivid, clever, and heartfelt portrayal of what it's like to be a teenager today. This stunning debut novel¡ªwhich the Times (London) called "The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age"¡ªis perfect for fans of Melina Marchetta, Stephen Chbosky, and Rainbow Rowell.

My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year¡ªbefore all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of exams and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people¡ªI had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that's all over now.

Now there's Solitaire. And Michael Holden. I don't know what Solitaire is trying to do, and I don't care about Michael Holden. I really don't.]]> 9 Alice Oseman 0062390341 Blanche 1 3.77 2014 Solitaire
author: Alice Oseman
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at: 2023/07/30
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves:
review:
Honestly I didn't get this. Any of it. The point of the story or the characters(the main character especially? Is there something I'm missing?)or any of the events of the book or what the message is even supposed to be. The point of this entire book. Wasn't a terrible read but considering how high my expectations were after Loveless this was kind of disappointing, it just felt like a jumbled mass of ideas put togheter with no purpose. Usually I get something from finishing a book, had it been good or bad, or even just mediocre, but I don't even feel like I've finished an actual book after reading this honestly?? As I said, it wasn't terrible, not hard to read through or anything but I can't see myself giving it more than 1 star. Genuinely just felt like an empty story with no meaning and no logic
]]> <![CDATA[If He Had Been with Me (Friends to Lovers #1)]]> 123280955 374 Laura Nowlin Blanche 0 to-read 3.78 2013 If He Had Been with Me (Friends to Lovers #1)
author: Laura Nowlin
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Yearbook 55152533 The dramas, the traumas, the rumours - it's time to expose it all... The Perks of Being a Wallflower meets Mean Girls in this scathingly funny and relatable high-school takedown from the queen of UKYA.

Most likely to...be forgotten
Working on the school newspaper, Paige is used to dealing with fake stories. How popular girl Grace is a such an amazing person (lie). How Laura steals people's boyfriends (lie). How her own family are so perfect (lie).

Now Grace and friends have picked their "best" high-school moments for Paige to put in the all-important Yearbook. And they're not just fake. They're poison.

But Paige has had enough of all the lies in her life. And with the help of Elijah - the only boy who could ever understand her - she's going to reveal the truth.]]> 448 Holly Bourne 1474966829 Blanche 0 dnf 4.14 2021 The Yearbook
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/28
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> Pretending 43788851 WHY BE YOURSELF WHEN YOU CAN BE PERFECT?
'Perceptive. Hilarious. Reassuring. Brilliant.' Laura Jane Williams
The highly-anticipated new novel from Holly Bourne, bestselling author of HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW?

He said he was looking for a 'partner in crime' which everyone knows is shorthand for 'a woman who isn't real'.

April is kind, pretty, and relatively normal - yet she can't seem to get past date five. Every time she thinks she's found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. And angry.

If only April could be more like Gretel.

Gretel is exactly what men want - she's a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems.

The problem is, Gretel isn't real. And April is now claiming to be her.

As soon as April starts 'being' Gretel, dating becomes much more fun - especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua.

Finally, April is the one in control, but can she control her own feelings? And as she and Joshua grow closer, how long will she be able to keep pretending?]]> 438 Holly Bourne 1529312019 Blanche 5 3.85 2020 Pretending
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/27
date added: 2023/07/27
shelves:
review:

]]> Tell Me Three Things 25893582
It¡¯s been barely two years since her mother¡¯s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live?with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith¡ªor an act of complete desperation¡ªJessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can¡¯t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?]]> 328 Julie Buxbaum 0553535641 Blanche 5 4.00 2016 Tell Me Three Things
author: Julie Buxbaum
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/25
date added: 2023/07/25
shelves:
review:
This was such a fun read, loved the romance and the characters!
]]> <![CDATA[Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda]]> 24926015 Straight people should have to come out too. The more awkward it is, the better.

Simon Spier is sixteen and trying to work out who he is - and what he's looking for.

But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated.

Because, for Simon, falling for Blue is a big deal¡­

It's a holy freaking huge awesome deal.]]> 312 Becky Albertalli 014135609X Blanche 0 to-read 4.28 2015 Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
author: Becky Albertalli
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Way I Used to Be (The Way I Used to Be, #1)]]> 23546634
But Eden can¡¯t turn back time. So she buries the truth, along with the girl she used to be. She pretends she doesn¡¯t need friends, doesn¡¯t need love, doesn¡¯t need justice. But as her world unravels, one thing becomes clear: the only person who can save Eden ¡­ is Eden.]]> 385 Amber Smith Blanche 5 4.14 2016 The Way I Used to Be (The Way I Used to Be, #1)
author: Amber Smith
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/23
date added: 2023/07/23
shelves:
review:
I genuinely couldnt stop crying during the last 10% of this. Amazing book, would definitely recommend. Really heavy but really important. Looking forward to the sequel.
]]> Every Last Word 23341894 If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.]]> 358 Tamara Ireland Stone 1484705270 Blanche 0 to-read 4.21 2015 Every Last Word
author: Tamara Ireland Stone
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Places I've Cried in Public]]> 44004352
Because if she works out what went wrong, perhaps she can finally learn to get over him.]]> 368 Holly Bourne Blanche 4 3.97 2019 The Places I've Cried in Public
author: Holly Bourne
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/21
date added: 2023/07/21
shelves:
review:
Really good! This book and the topics it touches upon are really important. The story was easy to get absorbed in. The writing felt kind of childish though and I feel like some things could've been expended on to make more of an emotional impact.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tragedy of Heterosexuality]]> 53086832 A troubling account of heterosexual desire in the era of #MeToo

Heterosexuality is in crisis. Reports of sexual harassment, misconduct, and rape saturate the news in the era of #MeToo. Straight men and women spend thousands of dollars every day on relationship coaches, seduction boot camps, and couple¡¯s therapy in a search for happiness.

In The Tragedy of Heterosexuality, Jane Ward smartly explores what, exactly, is wrong with heterosexuality in the twenty-first century, and what straight people can do to fix it for good. She shows how straight women, and to a lesser extent straight men, have tried to mend a fraught patriarchal system in which intimacy, sexual fulfillment, and mutual respect are expected to coexist alongside enduring forms of inequality, alienation, and violence in straight relationships.

Ward also takes an intriguing look at the multi-billion-dollar self-help industry, which markets goods and services to help heterosexual couples without addressing the root of their problems. Ultimately, she encourages straight men and women to take a page out of queer culture, reminding them ¡°about the human capacity to desire, fuck, and show respect at the same time.¡±]]> 216 Jane Ward 1479851558 Blanche 0 dnf 4.13 2020 The Tragedy of Heterosexuality
author: Jane Ward
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> All The Things We Never Said 40083585
As they secretly meet over the coming days, Mehreen develops a strong bond with Cara and Olivia, the only people who seem to understand what she's going through. But ironically, the thing that brought them together to commit suicide has also created a mutually supportive friendship that makes them realise that, with the right help, life is worth living. It's not long before all three want out of the pact. But in a terrifying twist of fate, the website won't let them stop, and an increasingly sinister game begins, with MementoMori playing the girls off against each other.

A pact is a pact, after all.

In this powerful debut written in three points of view, Yasmin Rahman has created a moving, poignant novel celebrating life. ALL THE THINGS WE NEVER SAID is about friendship, strength and survival.]]> 448 Yasmin Rahman 1471408299 Blanche 0 to-read 4.08 2019 All The Things We Never Said
author: Yasmin Rahman
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[La Temp¨ºte des ¨¦chos (La Passe-Miroir, #4)]]> 32903085 572 Christelle Dabos 2075093865 Blanche 0 to-read 3.86 2019 La Temp¨ºte des ¨¦chos (La Passe-Miroir, #4)
author: Christelle Dabos
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I'm Glad My Mom Died 59364173
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother¡¯s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called ¡°calorie restriction,¡± eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, ¡°Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn¡¯t tint hers?¡± She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I¡¯m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail¡ªjust as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (¡°Hi Gale!¡±), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I¡¯m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.]]> 320 Jennette McCurdy Blanche 4 4.45 2022 I'm Glad My Mom Died
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/16
date added: 2023/07/16
shelves:
review:

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

But June cannot escape Athena¡¯s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens her stolen success. As she races to protect her secret she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.]]> 329 R.F. Kuang Blanche 3 3.84 2023 Yellowface
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/11
date added: 2023/07/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find¡ªand Keep¡ªLove]]> 9547888 Is there a science to love?

In this groundbreaking book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel S. F. Heller reveal how an understanding of attachment theory-the most advanced relationship science in existence today-can help us find and sustain love. Attachment theory forms the basis for many bestselling books on the parent/child relationship, but there has yet to be an accessible guide to what this fascinating science has to tell us about adult romantic relationships-until now.

Attachment theory owes its inception to British psychologist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby, who in the 1950s examined the tremendous impact that our early relationships with our parents or caregivers has on the people we become. Also central to attachment theory is the discovery that our need to be in a close relationship with one or more individuals is embedded in our genes.

In Attached, Levine and Heller trace how these evolutionary influences continue to shape who we are in our relationships today. According to attachment theory, every person behaves in relationships in one of three distinct ways:

*ANXIOUS people are often preoccupied with their relationships and tend to worry about their partner's ability to love them back.
*AVOIDANT people equate intimacy with a loss of independence and constantly try to minimize closeness.
*SECURE people feel comfortable with intimacy and are usually warm and loving.

Attached guides readers in determining what attachment style they and their mate (or potential mates) follow. It also offers readers a wealth of advice on how to navigate their relationships more wisely given their attachment style and that of their partner. An insightful look at the science behind love, Attached offers readers a road map for building stronger, more fulfilling connections.]]> 304 Amir Levine 1585428485 Blanche 0 to-read 4.11 2010 Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find¡ªand Keep¡ªLove
author: Amir Levine
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love]]> 54304221
Have you ever looked around and wondered, ¡°Why has everyone found love except me?¡± You¡¯re not the only one. Great relationships don¡¯t just appear in our lives¡ªthey¡¯re the culmination of a series of decisions, including whom to date, how to end it with the wrong person, and when to commit to the right one. But our brains often get in the way. We make poor decisions, which thwart us on our quest to find lasting love.

Drawing from years of research, behavioral scientist turned dating coach Logan Ury reveals the hidden forces that cause those mistakes. But awareness on its own doesn¡¯t lead to results. You have to actually change your behavior. Ury shows you how.

This ¡°simple-to-use guide¡± (Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone ) focuses on a different decision in each chapter, incorporating insights from behavioral science, original research, and real-life stories. You¡¯ll learn:
-What¡¯s holding you back in dating (and how to break the pattern)
-What really matters in a long-term partner (and what really doesn¡¯t)
-How to overcome the perils of online dating (and make the apps work for you)
-How to meet more people in real life (while doing activities you love)
-How to make dates fun again (so they stop feeling like job interviews)
-Why ¡°the spark¡± is a myth (but you¡¯ll find love anyway)

This ¡°data-driven¡± ( Time ), step-by-step guide to relationships, complete with hands-on exercises, is designed to transform your life. How to Not Die Alone will help you find, build, and keep the relationship of your dreams.]]> 352 Logan Ury 1982120622 Blanche 0 to-read 3.97 2021 How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love
author: Logan Ury
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Met You After the End of the World (Light Novel) Volume 1]]> 58307693 Tokyo - 2A deadly pandemic sweeps across the world, and Yamada Daisuke is the only survivor in Tokyo. Get up early, fight rush hour, work until the last train ¨C it¡¯s all over. He doesn¡¯t have to worry about anything anymore. Even money has lost its value because there is nowhere to spend it.But things do get quite lonely as the last man standing. He has the city all to himself and no one to share it with.One day he meets Sayaka ¨C a girl who came from outside Tokyo. They decide to stick together because there is no one else left. A high school girl and an office worker. Two people who would¡¯ve never met otherwise.They decide to travel together all over Japan. Side by side. Partners at the end of the world. But what will they find on their journey?A new [Salaryman x JK] post-apocalypse light novel!]]> 229 Onii sanbomber Blanche 1 The story just felt like a random string of events put togheter(badly), with no tension whatsoever in what are supposed to be the important parts. Serious topics are just brushed over, failing to make you feel any emotion(the way it's presented is so weird too?? Them seeing dead bodies multiple times at random and being traumatized for, like, 2 hours at most has no point in the story. The mention of Sayaka's first murder added pretty much nothing to the story as well and the way her rape was talked about failed on so many levels I feel like literally ANYONE could've written it better), the characters' emotions are really blandly described and only surface-level, the events/main plot points feel like random things the writer came up with on the spot to create some action(they stay in Tokyo playing games all day for months->they have to leave->they meet Sayaka's old classmates, oh no they're bad guys and her ex-bf is being forceful and obnoxious, how original, time to leave->some time on the road again->they meet a nice lady at a ryokan who gives them food and shelter, for some reason, and instantly dies afterwards->on the road again->they stop at a temple and meet an overly charitable monk, except this time, plot twist, he's a cult member and wants to kill them!!->Sayaka shoots him instantly and they move on->on the road again. Do you see how ridiculous this feels?).

The dialogue is pretty unnatural (what kind of high school girl would keep mentioning she's a cute jk HERSELF?? Like as a human being is that how ANYONE talks? "I'm a 100% genuine wholesome JK. I'm pure and true, like the summer sun."<- actual dialogue from the book), and the use of Japanese terms, like honorifics(san, sama , senpai), onomatopoeias(Che for tsk, nee for hey, yoshi for alright, heh heh for haha, hee for huh and so on) and, well, words like JK just made me cringe. This was always written in English and is obviously trying to give off a Japanese light novel vibe but this is just not it, thank GOD light novel translators don't write like this.

I wasn't expecting much considering the premise but good writing, plotting and actual emotional impact put into scenes could've really elevated this to at least being decent. Like I genuinely don't see this being good even for a fan of the genre.

That's about it. Wishing I could go back to 2021 and ask myself why I thought buying this was a good idea ngl. Sorry author if you see this I needed to get this rant out of my metabolism after spending over 2 hours reading this]]> 4.10 I Met You After the End of the World (Light Novel) Volume 1
author: Onii sanbomber
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2023/07/09
date added: 2023/07/09
shelves:
review:
This was genuinely just... Bad. The story, the characters, and ESPECIALLY the writing. "Then" and "afterwards" are used SO many times for lack of a better way to tie scenes and actions togheter, some metaphors are reused multiple times, and overall the sentences are short and the descriptions shallow. It's all tell and no show.
The story just felt like a random string of events put togheter(badly), with no tension whatsoever in what are supposed to be the important parts. Serious topics are just brushed over, failing to make you feel any emotion(the way it's presented is so weird too?? Them seeing dead bodies multiple times at random and being traumatized for, like, 2 hours at most has no point in the story. The mention of Sayaka's first murder added pretty much nothing to the story as well and the way her rape was talked about failed on so many levels I feel like literally ANYONE could've written it better), the characters' emotions are really blandly described and only surface-level, the events/main plot points feel like random things the writer came up with on the spot to create some action(they stay in Tokyo playing games all day for months->they have to leave->they meet Sayaka's old classmates, oh no they're bad guys and her ex-bf is being forceful and obnoxious, how original, time to leave->some time on the road again->they meet a nice lady at a ryokan who gives them food and shelter, for some reason, and instantly dies afterwards->on the road again->they stop at a temple and meet an overly charitable monk, except this time, plot twist, he's a cult member and wants to kill them!!->Sayaka shoots him instantly and they move on->on the road again. Do you see how ridiculous this feels?).

The dialogue is pretty unnatural (what kind of high school girl would keep mentioning she's a cute jk HERSELF?? Like as a human being is that how ANYONE talks? "I'm a 100% genuine wholesome JK. I'm pure and true, like the summer sun."<- actual dialogue from the book), and the use of Japanese terms, like honorifics(san, sama , senpai), onomatopoeias(Che for tsk, nee for hey, yoshi for alright, heh heh for haha, hee for huh and so on) and, well, words like JK just made me cringe. This was always written in English and is obviously trying to give off a Japanese light novel vibe but this is just not it, thank GOD light novel translators don't write like this.

I wasn't expecting much considering the premise but good writing, plotting and actual emotional impact put into scenes could've really elevated this to at least being decent. Like I genuinely don't see this being good even for a fan of the genre.

That's about it. Wishing I could go back to 2021 and ask myself why I thought buying this was a good idea ngl. Sorry author if you see this I needed to get this rant out of my metabolism after spending over 2 hours reading this
]]> <![CDATA[La Nuit o¨´ les ¨¦toiles se sont ¨¦teintes (La Nuit o¨´ les ¨¦toiles se sont ¨¦teintes, #1)]]> 58262685
Depuis que sa m¨¨re est en prison, Finn pense ne jamais pouvoir remonter la pente. Il se laisse sombrer et tente de s'oublier entre les bras des filles. Mais la vie prend parfois des tournants inattendus... Certaines rencontres ¨¦clairent sa route, comme des lumi¨¨res dans la nuit.

Plus sombre est le chaos, plus belle sera l'¨¦toile.

? partir de 16 ans]]> 496 Nine Gorman 2226437177 Blanche 2
//(Gros spoilers:) Dans la premi¨¨re partie, Finn devient "ami" avec la bande. Et par ami je veux dire qu'il les ¨¦vite et les envoie bouler ¨¤ chaque occasion. Il se rapproche l¨¦g¨¨rement plus de Nate, qui l'aide pour ses cours, mais en apprenant que sa m¨¨re s'est suicid¨¦e, il fugue et rejette les autres encore plus. Nate finit par r¨¦ussir ¨¤ le faire changer d'avis apr¨¨s BEAUCOUP d'essais(alors qu'ils n'¨¦taient pas si proches que ?a et que Finn n'a fait que d'¨ºtre chiant avec eux depuis le d¨¦but, et encore plus pendant sa fugue..?)et il revient en cours, chez Cliff, et dans la bande. Il a un l¨¦ger chara development o¨´ il se rend compte de son ingratitude, de combien Cliff a fait pour lui et c'est ¨¤ partir de l¨¤ qu'ils se rapprochent. //

La caract¨¦risation de Cliff ¨¦tait pas mal, il ¨¦tait attachant, je trouve. Finn par contre ¨¦tait assez peu supportable pendant les 2/3 du livre. Son d¨¦veloppement ¨¦tait assez mal montr¨¦ en tout cas, par example avec //(l¨¦ger spoiler:) la fois o¨´ il aide une petite fille, "cliente" du caf¨¦ o¨´ il travaille ¨¤ aller chez son oncle quand son p¨¨re oublie de venir la chercher et Finn est d¨¦peint en h¨¦ros vite fait et voil¨¤, elle n'est mentionn¨¦e qu'une fois de plus. Wow, quel d¨¦veloppement. Une(1) bonne action, c'est vrai que c'est pas gagn¨¦ avec Finn.
D'ailleurs, il est souvent montr¨¦ comme un h¨¦ros pour laisser gagner sa col¨¨re et se battre ¨¤ tout va en allant beaucoup trop fort sur ses adversaires(Xander, Paul). C'est montr¨¦ comme un point positif et Nate le remercie m¨ºme. //

Sinon, il y a la bande. Le focus de l'histoire, en soit. Pourtant on n'apprend quasi rien d'eux, en dehors de l'arch¨¦type qu'ils incarnent et le fait que la majorit¨¦ de leur amiti¨¦ se d¨¦roule quand il sont bourr¨¦s, drogu¨¦s, en soir¨¦e ou en train de faire des conneries. Je sais pas trop pour vous mais ?a fait pas vraiment r¨ºver comme type d'amiti¨¦.

Mais en soit, les personnages en eux m¨ºmes ne sont pas SI mal. Je les d¨¦testais pas en tout cas, mais j'¨¦tais pas attach¨¦e non plus. Kenna ¨¦tait chiante au d¨¦but mais je la trouvais pas non plus mauvaise(contrairement ¨¤ beaucoup d'autres lecteurs qu'elle a l'air d'avoir ¨¦nerv¨¦ tout du long, par contre), Kurt ¨¦tait ok mais tr¨¨s en retrait compar¨¦ aux autres, et la fa?on dont les autrices ont essay¨¦ de caser //(l¨¦ger spoiler:) son asexualit¨¦ // dans l'histoire ¨¦tait assez maladroite. Elles ont essay¨¦ de faire beaucoup de choses ¨¤ la fois, comme avec tous les conflits int¨¦rieurs de Finn et de Nate mais le r¨¦sultat ¨¦tait toujours ti¨¨de, faute de bien d¨¦velopper quoi que ce soit, malgr¨¦ le nombre de page assez grand. Sinon j'ai trouv¨¦ Jaeger int¨¦ressant et j'aimais bien son perso, mais on n'apprends des choses sur lui qu'au compte-goutte. En vrai si une suite sort avec son pdv ¨¤ lui je l'ach¨¨terais peut-¨ºtre.

Pour finir, l'intrigue : assez bancale. On nous donne des petits indices ?a et l¨¤ jusqu'au grand reveal du pass¨¦ de Finn mais je pense pas que c'¨¦tait la meilleure fa?on de le faire. //Assez gros spoiler: (sinon, Finn pense sinc¨¨rement pouvoir aider sa m¨¨re ¨¤ trouver un avocat avec les quelques centaines qu'il d¨¦pose sur son compte ¨¤ chaque visite, et on est cens¨¦ ¨ºtre choqu¨¦/triste avec lui quand on apprend qu'il n'y avait en fait pas d'avocat et que sa m¨¨re comptait se suicider depuis le d¨¦but. Mais c'¨¦tait vraiment ¨¦vident, en sachant le prix exorbitant d'un bon avocat aux ?tats-Unis, du coup l'effet de surprise ¨¦tait pas mal rat¨¦ pour moi.)
La "trahison" de Paul ¨¦tait assez bien faite par contre je trouve, m¨ºme si l'effet aurait ¨¦t¨¦ encore meilleur si ?a touchait Finn plus, vu qu'il voyait presque Paul comme un deuxi¨¨me p¨¨re. Ensuite il y a l'intrigue avec ce qu'il s'est pass¨¦ entre sa m¨¨re et son p¨¨re biologique mais on en reste l¨¤, sans vraie conclusion.//

Voil¨¤ pour mon avis. Je comprends que des gens puissent aimer ce livre, ?a peut ¨ºtre tr¨¨s beau si on s'attache ¨¤ l'histoire et aux personnages, notamment le couple principal ou la bande, et ¨¤ leur d¨¦veloppement, malgr¨¦ les maladresses. C'¨¦tait juste pas pour moi personnellement, et puis c'¨¦tait pas impossible ¨¤ lire non plus. Mais si vous comptez le lire je vous conseille de ne pas avoir vos attentes trop hautes ¨¤ cause de toutes les reviews 5 ¨¦toiles et de vous faire votre propre avis.]]> 4.29 2021 La Nuit o¨´ les ¨¦toiles se sont ¨¦teintes (La Nuit o¨´ les ¨¦toiles se sont ¨¦teintes, #1)
author: Nine Gorman
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2023/07/08
date added: 2023/07/08
shelves:
review:
J'ai vraiment eu du mal ¨¤ accrocher. Le fond de l'histoire part d'une bonne intention et est cens¨¦ toucher mais c'¨¦tait tr¨¨s mal ex¨¦cut¨¦ selon moi. La formule flashback/pr¨¦sent n'apporte rien sauf le fait de g?cher le suspense de certaines parties. J'ai personnellement pas trouv¨¦ la romance tr¨¨s int¨¦ressante car rien que le build up de leur amiti¨¦(et le groupe en g¨¦n¨¦ral)laissait ¨¤ d¨¦sirer et rendait s'attacher aux persos difficile.

//(Gros spoilers:) Dans la premi¨¨re partie, Finn devient "ami" avec la bande. Et par ami je veux dire qu'il les ¨¦vite et les envoie bouler ¨¤ chaque occasion. Il se rapproche l¨¦g¨¨rement plus de Nate, qui l'aide pour ses cours, mais en apprenant que sa m¨¨re s'est suicid¨¦e, il fugue et rejette les autres encore plus. Nate finit par r¨¦ussir ¨¤ le faire changer d'avis apr¨¨s BEAUCOUP d'essais(alors qu'ils n'¨¦taient pas si proches que ?a et que Finn n'a fait que d'¨ºtre chiant avec eux depuis le d¨¦but, et encore plus pendant sa fugue..?)et il revient en cours, chez Cliff, et dans la bande. Il a un l¨¦ger chara development o¨´ il se rend compte de son ingratitude, de combien Cliff a fait pour lui et c'est ¨¤ partir de l¨¤ qu'ils se rapprochent. //

La caract¨¦risation de Cliff ¨¦tait pas mal, il ¨¦tait attachant, je trouve. Finn par contre ¨¦tait assez peu supportable pendant les 2/3 du livre. Son d¨¦veloppement ¨¦tait assez mal montr¨¦ en tout cas, par example avec //(l¨¦ger spoiler:) la fois o¨´ il aide une petite fille, "cliente" du caf¨¦ o¨´ il travaille ¨¤ aller chez son oncle quand son p¨¨re oublie de venir la chercher et Finn est d¨¦peint en h¨¦ros vite fait et voil¨¤, elle n'est mentionn¨¦e qu'une fois de plus. Wow, quel d¨¦veloppement. Une(1) bonne action, c'est vrai que c'est pas gagn¨¦ avec Finn.
D'ailleurs, il est souvent montr¨¦ comme un h¨¦ros pour laisser gagner sa col¨¨re et se battre ¨¤ tout va en allant beaucoup trop fort sur ses adversaires(Xander, Paul). C'est montr¨¦ comme un point positif et Nate le remercie m¨ºme. //

Sinon, il y a la bande. Le focus de l'histoire, en soit. Pourtant on n'apprend quasi rien d'eux, en dehors de l'arch¨¦type qu'ils incarnent et le fait que la majorit¨¦ de leur amiti¨¦ se d¨¦roule quand il sont bourr¨¦s, drogu¨¦s, en soir¨¦e ou en train de faire des conneries. Je sais pas trop pour vous mais ?a fait pas vraiment r¨ºver comme type d'amiti¨¦.

Mais en soit, les personnages en eux m¨ºmes ne sont pas SI mal. Je les d¨¦testais pas en tout cas, mais j'¨¦tais pas attach¨¦e non plus. Kenna ¨¦tait chiante au d¨¦but mais je la trouvais pas non plus mauvaise(contrairement ¨¤ beaucoup d'autres lecteurs qu'elle a l'air d'avoir ¨¦nerv¨¦ tout du long, par contre), Kurt ¨¦tait ok mais tr¨¨s en retrait compar¨¦ aux autres, et la fa?on dont les autrices ont essay¨¦ de caser //(l¨¦ger spoiler:) son asexualit¨¦ // dans l'histoire ¨¦tait assez maladroite. Elles ont essay¨¦ de faire beaucoup de choses ¨¤ la fois, comme avec tous les conflits int¨¦rieurs de Finn et de Nate mais le r¨¦sultat ¨¦tait toujours ti¨¨de, faute de bien d¨¦velopper quoi que ce soit, malgr¨¦ le nombre de page assez grand. Sinon j'ai trouv¨¦ Jaeger int¨¦ressant et j'aimais bien son perso, mais on n'apprends des choses sur lui qu'au compte-goutte. En vrai si une suite sort avec son pdv ¨¤ lui je l'ach¨¨terais peut-¨ºtre.

Pour finir, l'intrigue : assez bancale. On nous donne des petits indices ?a et l¨¤ jusqu'au grand reveal du pass¨¦ de Finn mais je pense pas que c'¨¦tait la meilleure fa?on de le faire. //Assez gros spoiler: (sinon, Finn pense sinc¨¨rement pouvoir aider sa m¨¨re ¨¤ trouver un avocat avec les quelques centaines qu'il d¨¦pose sur son compte ¨¤ chaque visite, et on est cens¨¦ ¨ºtre choqu¨¦/triste avec lui quand on apprend qu'il n'y avait en fait pas d'avocat et que sa m¨¨re comptait se suicider depuis le d¨¦but. Mais c'¨¦tait vraiment ¨¦vident, en sachant le prix exorbitant d'un bon avocat aux ?tats-Unis, du coup l'effet de surprise ¨¦tait pas mal rat¨¦ pour moi.)
La "trahison" de Paul ¨¦tait assez bien faite par contre je trouve, m¨ºme si l'effet aurait ¨¦t¨¦ encore meilleur si ?a touchait Finn plus, vu qu'il voyait presque Paul comme un deuxi¨¨me p¨¨re. Ensuite il y a l'intrigue avec ce qu'il s'est pass¨¦ entre sa m¨¨re et son p¨¨re biologique mais on en reste l¨¤, sans vraie conclusion.//

Voil¨¤ pour mon avis. Je comprends que des gens puissent aimer ce livre, ?a peut ¨ºtre tr¨¨s beau si on s'attache ¨¤ l'histoire et aux personnages, notamment le couple principal ou la bande, et ¨¤ leur d¨¦veloppement, malgr¨¦ les maladresses. C'¨¦tait juste pas pour moi personnellement, et puis c'¨¦tait pas impossible ¨¤ lire non plus. Mais si vous comptez le lire je vous conseille de ne pas avoir vos attentes trop hautes ¨¤ cause de toutes les reviews 5 ¨¦toiles et de vous faire votre propre avis.
]]> Upstream: Selected Essays 29358559 Upstream finds beloved poet Mary Oliver reflecting on her astonishment and admiration for the natural world and the craft of writing. ?

As she contemplates the pleasure of artistic labor, finding solace and safety within the woods, and the joyful and rhythmic beating of wings, Oliver intimately shares with her readers her quiet discoveries, boundless curiosity, and exuberance for the grandeur of our world.?

This radiant collection of her work, with some pieces published here for the first time, reaffirms Oliver as a passionate and prolific observer whose thoughtful meditations on spiders, writing a poem, blue fin tuna, and Ralph Waldo Emerson inspire us all to discover wonder and awe in life's smallest corners.]]> 178 Mary Oliver 1594206708 Blanche 0 to-read 4.17 2016 Upstream: Selected Essays
author: Mary Oliver
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar]]> 63193458 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

An anniversary edition of the bestselling collection of Dear Sugar advice columns written by the author of #1 New York Times bestseller Wild--featuring a new preface and six additional columns. Soon to be a Hulu Original series.

For more than a decade, thousands of people have sought advice from Dear Sugar--the pseudonym of bestselling author Cheryl Strayed--first through her online column at The Rumpus, later through her hit podcast, Dear Sugars, and now through her popular Substack newsletter. Tiny Beautiful Things collects the best of Dear Sugar in one volume, bringing her wisdom to many more readers. This tenth-anniversary edition features six new columns and a new preface by Strayed. Rich with humor, insight, compassion--and absolute honesty--this book is a balm for everything life throws our way.]]> 400 Cheryl Strayed 0593685210 Blanche 5 3.95 2012 Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar
author: Cheryl Strayed
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/07
date added: 2023/07/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Women Don't Owe You Pretty 52252715 WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY will tell you to...
love sex, hate sexism,
protect your goddamn energy,
life is short, dump them,
And that you owe men nothing, least of all pretty.

Florence's debut book will explore all progressive corners of the feminist conversation; from insecurity projection and refusing to find comfort in other women's flaws, to deciding whether to date or dump them, all the way through to unpacking the male gaze and how it shapes our identity.

WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY is an accessible leap into feminism, for people at all stages of their journey who are seeking to reshape and transform the way they view themselves. In a world that tells women we're either not enough or too much, it's time we stop directing our anger and insecurities onto ourselves, and start fighting back to re-shape the toxic structures of our patriarchal society.

Florence's book will help you to tackle and challenge the limiting narrative you have been bombarded with your whole life, and determine feminism on your own terms. After all, you are the love of your own life.

]]> 193 Florence Given 1788402278 Blanche 3 3.71 2020 Women Don't Owe You Pretty
author: Florence Given
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/03
date added: 2023/07/03
shelves:
review:
This was nice, but not mind blowing or anything. Stuff you've probably heard time and time again on Instagram posts or video essays. Still has some really nice messages, though personally not all the chapters were as relevant to my own experience. A good introduction to the topic imo.
]]> Send Nudes 58612901
Threading between clubs at closing time, pub toilets, drenched music festivals and beach holidays, these unforgettable short stories deftly chart the treacherous terrain of growing up - of intense friendships, of ambivalent mothers, of uneasily blended families, and of learning to truly live in your own body.

With striking wit, originality and tenderness, Send Nudes celebrates the small victories in a world that tries to claim each young woman as its own.]]> 224 Saba Sams 1526648989 Blanche 0 to-read 3.50 2022 Send Nudes
author: Saba Sams
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Severance 36348525
Candace won¡¯t be able to make it on her own forever, though. Enter a group of survivors, led by the power-hungry IT tech Bob. They¡¯re traveling to a place called the Facility, where, Bob promises, they will have everything they need to start society anew. But Candace is carrying a secret she knows Bob will exploit. Should she escape from her rescuers?

A send-up and takedown of the rituals, routines, and missed opportunities of contemporary life, Ling Ma¡¯s Severance is a quirky coming-of-adulthood tale and satire.]]> 291 Ling Ma 0374261598 Blanche 0 to-read 3.90 2018 Severance
author: Ling Ma
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Memory of Babel (The Mirror Visitor Quartet, #3)]]> 51184571
After two years and seven months biding her time on Anima, her home ark, it is finally time to act, to put what she has discovered in the Book of Faruk to good use. Under an assumed identity she travels to Babel, a cosmopolitan and thoroughly modern ark that is the jewel of the universe, and where automata have taken over the most humble jobs from humans. But under the surface of this pacific and orderly ark social unrest stirs, fed by the memories of a fateful purge long ago, and the inhabitants¡¯ growing fear of being replaced altogether. Will Ophelia¡¯s talent as a reader suffice to avoid her being lured into a deadly trap by her ever more fearful adversaries? Will she ever see Thorn, her betrothed, again?]]> 508 Christelle Dabos 1609455738 Blanche 5 4.12 2017 The Memory of Babel (The Mirror Visitor Quartet, #3)
author: Christelle Dabos
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/28
date added: 2023/06/28
shelves:
review:
I AM FLABBERGASTED. LOSING MY ABSOLUTE MIND. HELLO???? I was supposed to be studying for exams so I figured I'd just read a bit, only to end up not being able to put down the book down until the end(read for 2 hours straight). I already knww the books in this series ALWAYS get even better around the end but oh my god. Oh my god. The dopamine this ending gave me cannot be put into words. Literally hit me like a brick. Read back the last scene 3 times I cant process anything else rn literally oh my god. Christelle Dabos must be the real God bc HOW did she write this
]]> The Dangers of Smoking in Bed 53215250 Following the "propulsive and mesmerizing" ( New York Times Book Review ) Things We Lost in the Fire comes a new collection of singularly unsettling stories, by an Argentine author who has earned comparisons to Shirley Jackson and Jorge Luis Borges.

Mariana Enriquez has been critically lauded for her unconventional and sociopolitical stories of the macabre: populated by unruly teenagers, crooked witches, homeless ghosts, and hungry women, they walk the uneasy line between urban realism and horror. The stories in her next collection are as terrifying as they are socially conscious, and press into being the unspoken -- fetish, illness, the female body, the darkness of human history -- with unsettling urgency. A woman is sexually obsessed with the human heart; a lost, rotting baby crawls out of a backyard and into a bedroom; a pair of teenage girls can't let go of their idol; an entire neighborhood is cursed to death by a question of morality they fail to answer correctly.

Written against the backdrop of contemporary Argentina, and with resounding tenderness towards those in pain, in fear, and in limbo, this new collection from one of Argentina's most exciting writers finds Enriquez at her most sophisticated, and most chilling.]]> 208 Mariana Enr¨ªquez 0593134079 Blanche 0 to-read 3.78 2009 The Dangers of Smoking in Bed
author: Mariana Enr¨ªquez
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Burntcoat 56555133
You were the last one here, before I closed the door of Burntcoat. Before we all closed our doors...

In an unnamed British city, the virus is spreading, and like everyone else, the celebrated sculptor Edith Harkness retreats inside. She isolates herself in her immense studio, Burntcoat, with Halit, the lover she barely knows. As life outside changes irreparably, inside Burntcoat Edith and Halit find themselves changed as well: by the histories and responsibilities each carries and bears, by the fears and dangers of the world outside, and by the progressions of their new relationship. And Burntcoat will be transformed too, into a new and feverish world, a place in which Edith comes to an understanding of how we survive the impossible--and what is left after we have.

A sharp and stunning novel of art and ambition, mortality and connection, Burntcoat is a major work from "one of our most influential short story writers" (Guardian). It is an intimate and vital examination of how and why we create--make art, form relationships, build a life--and an urgent exploration of an unprecedented crisis, the repercussions of which are still years in the learning.]]> 224 Sarah Hall 0062657100 Blanche 0 to-read 3.66 2021 Burntcoat
author: Sarah Hall
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/18
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]]> <![CDATA[R¨¦ussir son 1er cycle de psychologie]]> 79022652 Cet ouvrage offre aux ¨¦tudiants, et ¨¤ toute personne concern¨¦e par la psychologie, un abord clair des concepts et outils indispensables ¨¤ la compr¨¦hension de cette discipline.
En s¡¯effor?ant de rester au plus pr¨¨s des pr¨¦occupations et des int¨¦r¨ºts de l¡¯¨¦tudiant lors de sa rencontre avec l¡¯enseignement, les auteurs de ce livre esp¨¨rent fournir une r¨¦f¨¦rence apportant des r¨¦ponses concr¨¨tes aux questions qu¡¯ils ne manqueront pas de se poser.]]> 269 Charlotte Mareau 2759012727 Blanche 3 3.00 R¨¦ussir son 1er cycle de psychologie
author: Charlotte Mareau
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
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]]> <![CDATA[Defy the Fates (Constellation, #3)]]> 39841372
Abel only has one mission left that matters: save the life of Noemi Vidal. To do that, he not only has to escape the Genesis authorities, he also must face the one person in the galaxy who still has the means to destroy him. Burton Mansfield's consciousness lives on, desperate for a home, and Abel's own body is his last bargaining chip.

Alone in the universe.

Brought back from the brink of death, Noemi Vidal finds Abel has not only saved her life, but he's made her into something else, something more. Not quite mech, yet not quite human any longer, Noemi must find her place in a universe where she is utterly unique, all while trying to create a world where anyone--even a mech--can be free.

The final battle between Earth and the colony planets is here, and there's no lengths to which Earth won't go to preserve its domination over all humanity. But together, the universe's most advanced mech and its first human-mech hybrid might have the power to change the galaxy for good.]]> 470 Claudia Gray 0316440752 Blanche 3 3.89 2019 Defy the Fates (Constellation, #3)
author: Claudia Gray
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves:
review:
Felt a bit lacking and kinda repetitive but it was still enjoyable, though I preferred the previous books, especially the first one. Would still recommend the series.
]]> <![CDATA[A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird, #1)]]> 17234658
Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows¡ªincluding Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt¡ªas well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.]]> 368 Claudia Gray 0062278967 Blanche 0 to-read 3.90 2014 A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird, #1)
author: Claudia Gray
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Les Disparus du Clairdelune (La Passe-Miroir, #2)]]> 26008840 560 Christelle Dabos 2070661989 Blanche 5 4.49 2015 Les Disparus du Clairdelune (La Passe-Miroir, #2)
author: Christelle Dabos
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/13
date added: 2023/06/13
shelves:
review:
Lost my mind I love Thorn so much omg
]]> On a Scale of One to Ten 41473890 Tamar is admitted to Lime Grove, a psychiatric hospital for teenagers. Lime Grove is home to a number of teenagers with a variety of problems: anorexia, bipolar disorder, behavior issues. Tamar will come to know them all very well. But there's one question she can't... won't answer: What happened to her friend Iris? As Tamar's emotional angst becomes more and more clear to her, she'll have to figure out a path to forgiveness. A shocking, moving, and darkly funny depiction of life in a psychiatric world. A stunning journey of one girl's mental illness and the redemptive power of truth and healing]]> 288 Ceylan Scott 1338323768 Blanche 0 to-read 3.52 2019 On a Scale of One to Ten
author: Ceylan Scott
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/12
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]]> <![CDATA[Tell Me About It: Memoir of a Psychotherapist]]> 40109207 174 Pinny Brakeley Bugaeff Blanche 0 to-read 3.85 Tell Me About It: Memoir of a Psychotherapist
author: Pinny Brakeley Bugaeff
name: Blanche
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery]]> 49127514
Each patient presents a mystery, one that will only be unpacked over years. They seek Gildiner's help to overcome an immediate challenge in their lives, but discover that the source of their suffering has been long buried.

As in such recent classics as The Glass Castle and Educated, each patient embodies self-reflection, stoicism, perseverance, and forgiveness as they work unflinchingly to face the truth. Gildiner's account of her journeys with them is moving, insightful, and sometimes very funny. Good Morning Monster offers an almost novelistic, behind-the-scenes look into the therapist's office, illustrating how the process can heal even the most unimaginable wounds.]]> 368 Catherine Gildiner 1250271487 Blanche 5 4.44 2020 Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery
author: Catherine Gildiner
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/09
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves:
review:
This was amazing. Each patient's story was interesting and compelling in its own way and definitely deserved to be told. 5/5 stars would recommend this anytime to pretty much anyone, most of the stories are pretty heavy but there's something to learn from each and it's so satisfying seeing them overcome their issues bit by bit. Also really easy to get invested in each of them.
]]> Happy People Are Annoying 57293647 A wonderfully candid memoir from one of the most recognizable faces of a generation, actor, writer, Youtuber, and television superstar, Josh Peck. In his warm and inspiring book, Josh reflects on the many stumbles and silver linings of his life and traces a zigzagging path to redemption. Written with such impressive detail and aching honesty, Happy People are Annoying is full of surprising life lessons for anyone seeking to accept their past and make peace with the complicated face in the mirror.

Josh Peck rose to near-instant fame when he starred for four seasons as the comedic center of Nickelodeon's hit show Drake & Josh. However, while he tried to maintain his role as the funniest, happiest kid in every room, Josh struggled alone with the kind of rising anger and plummeting confidence that quietly took over his life.

For the first time, Josh reflects on his late teens and early twenties. Raised by a single mother, and coming of age under a spotlight that could be both invigorating and cruel, Josh filled the cratering hole in his self-worth with copious amounts of food, television, drugs, and all of the other trappings of young stardom. Until he realized the only person standing in his way...was himself. Today, with a string of lead roles on hit television shows and movies, and one of the most enviable and dedicated fanbases on the internet, Josh Peck is more than happy, he's finally, enthusiastically content.

Happy People are Annoying is the culmination of years of learning, growing, and finding bright spots in the scary parts of life. Written with the kind of humor, strength of character, and unwavering self-awareness only someone who has mastered their ego can muster, this memoir reminds us of the life-changing freedom on the other side of acceptance.]]> 272 Josh Peck 0063073633 Blanche 0 to-read 4.04 2022 Happy People Are Annoying
author: Josh Peck
name: Blanche
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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