MCLA's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 25 Jun 2024 03:58:46 -0700 60 MCLA's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg And Quiet Flows the Don 536418 554 Mikhail Sholokhov 0679725210 MCLA 5 4.11 1928 And Quiet Flows the Don
author: Mikhail Sholokhov
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1928
rating: 5
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Lady Chatterley's Lover 49583709
With her soft brown hair, lithe figure and big, wondering eyes, Constance Chatterley is possessed of a certain vitality. Yet she is deeply unhappy; married to an invalid, she is almost as inwardly paralyzed as her husband Clifford is paralyzed below the waist. It is not until she finds refuge in the arms of Mellors the game-keeper, a solitary man of a class apart, that she feels regenerated. Together they move from an outer world of chaos towards an inner world of fulfillment.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.]]>
400 D.H. Lawrence 014303961X MCLA 2 3.48 1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover
author: D.H. Lawrence
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1928
rating: 2
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date added: 2023/10/18
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The Foundling 32111
Beginning with an incognito journey into the countryside to confront a blackmailer, he encounters a runaway school boy, a beautiful but airheaded orphan, one of literature's most appealing and well-spoken comic villains, and a series of alarming and even life threatening events from which he can extricate himself only with the help of his shy and lovely fiancé…]]>
406 Georgette Heyer 0373835493 MCLA 3 3.82 1948 The Foundling
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1948
rating: 3
read at: 2016/02/28
date added: 2023/08/02
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<![CDATA[Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World]]> 40672036
In this timely and enlightening book, the bestselling author of Deep Work introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives.

Digital minimalists are all around us. They're the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at their phones. They can get lost in a good book, a woodworking project, or a leisurely morning run. They can have fun with friends and family without the obsessive urge to document the experience. They stay informed about the news of the day, but don't feel overwhelmed by it. They don't experience "fear of missing out" because they already know which activities provide them meaning and satisfaction.

Now, Newport gives us a name for this quiet movement, and makes a persuasive case for its urgency in our tech-saturated world. Common sense tips, like turning off notifications, or occasional rituals like observing a digital sabbath, don't go far enough in helping us take back control of our technological lives, and attempts to unplug completely are complicated by the demands of family, friends and work. What we need instead is a thoughtful method to decide what tools to use, for what purposes, and under what conditions.

Drawing on a diverse array of real-life examples, from Amish farmers to harried parents to Silicon Valley programmers, Newport identifies the common practices of digital minimalists and the ideas that underpin them. He shows how digital minimalists are rethinking their relationship to social media, rediscovering the pleasures of the offline world, and reconnecting with their inner selves through regular periods of solitude. He then shares strategies for integrating these practices into your life, starting with a thirty-day "digital declutter" process that has already helped thousands feel less overwhelmed and more in control.

Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you. This book shows the way.]]>
302 Cal Newport 052553654X MCLA 0 currently-reading 4.06 2019 Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
author: Cal Newport
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/08/15
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<![CDATA[The Complete CBT Guide for Anxiety (Overcoming S)]]> 26849724 A highly respectable and authoritative self-help guide on all the anxiety disorders: generalised anxiety disorder, health anxiety, panic, phobias, social anxiety, OCD.

Edited by three leading CBT clinicians in the UK, this comprehensive guide offers individual CBT-based treatments for a wide range of anxiety problems. Each individual treatment reflects current the treatment in the UK for that anxiety disorder and is written by the clinician responsible for developing that treatment in the first place.

Contributors include:

Lars-Goran Ost (phobias)

Dr Gillian Butler (social phobia - Gillian is the author of Overcoming Social Anxiety & Shyness) Anke Ehlers & Jennifer Wild (PTSD)

Nick Grey & David M. Clark (panic disorder)

Heather Hadjistavropoulos (health anxiety)

Kevin Meares & Mark Freeston (Generalised Anxiety Disorder) Roz Shafran & Adam Radomsky (OCD)

An ideal resource not only for those experiencing anxiety problems, but CBT therapists and IAPT workers.

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579 Peter J. Cooper 1780331320 MCLA 0 to-read 4.00 2013 The Complete CBT Guide for Anxiety (Overcoming S)
author: Peter J. Cooper
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/08/09
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<![CDATA[The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes]]> 962730 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes contains the earliest cases of the greatest fictional detective of all time. It comprises A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four and the complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, reprinted from the Strand Magazine . It is illustrated by Sidney Paget, the finest of illustrators, and the man from whom our images of Sherlock Holmes and his world derive.

This is the first of three volumes of The Complete Sherlock Holmes. The three books will present all the Holmes stories arranged chronologically in order of first publication.]]>
446 Arthur Conan Doyle MCLA 5 4.21 1893 The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1893
rating: 5
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date added: 2019/03/01
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The Count of Monte Cristo 7126 The epic tale of wrongful imprisonment, adventure and revenge, in its definitive translation

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas� epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s.

Translated with an Introduction by Robin Buss

An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here]]>
1276 Alexandre Dumas 0140449264 MCLA 0 currently-reading 4.29 1846 The Count of Monte Cristo
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1846
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/01/19
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<![CDATA[The Hobbit, or There and Back Again]]> 5907 Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent. The text in this 372-page paperback edition is based on that first published in Great Britain by Collins Modern Classics (1998), and includes a note on the text by Douglas A. Anderson (2001).]]> 366 J.R.R. Tolkien MCLA 2 currently-reading 4.29 1937 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1937
rating: 2
read at: 2017/07/31
date added: 2019/01/18
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Pride and Prejudice 1885 Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780679783268]]>
279 Jane Austen 1441341706 MCLA 4 4.28 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1813
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/19
date added: 2019/01/18
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The Lord of the Rings 33 One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

From Sauron's fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.]]>
1216 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618640150 MCLA 4 stalled 4.52 1955 The Lord of the Rings
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/08
date added: 2019/01/08
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<![CDATA[How to Stubbornly Refuse to Make Yourself Miserable About Anything: Yes, Anything]]> 833681 215 Albert Ellis 0818404566 MCLA 3 stalled 3.83 2000 How to Stubbornly Refuse to Make Yourself Miserable About Anything: Yes, Anything
author: Albert Ellis
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/31
date added: 2018/12/30
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<![CDATA[Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)]]> 6424171 An alternate cover edition can be found here.

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price. Until something goes wrong. . . .--back cover]]>
416 Michael Crichton 0345370775 MCLA 3 4.25 1990 Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)
author: Michael Crichton
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1990
rating: 3
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date added: 2018/12/07
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Dune (Dune, #1) 234225 Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the "spice" melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for...

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul's family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]>
604 Frank Herbert 0340839937 MCLA 0 abandoned, to-read 4.21 1965 Dune (Dune, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1965
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/12/01
shelves: abandoned, to-read
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<![CDATA[So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love]]> 13525945
Not only is the cliché flawed—preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work—but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping.

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

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

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

So Good They Can't Ignore You will change the way we think about our careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.]]>
288 Cal Newport 1455509108 MCLA 3 4.05 2012 So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
author: Cal Newport
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2018/11/25
date added: 2018/11/25
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<![CDATA[Smiley's People (George Smiley, #7; Karla Trilogy, #3)]]> 18999 397 John Le Carré 0743455800 MCLA 0 to-read 4.26 1979 Smiley's People (George Smiley, #7; Karla Trilogy, #3)
author: John Le Carré
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1979
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/11/11
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<![CDATA[The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia, #7)]]> 84369 288 C.S. Lewis 0007202326 MCLA 1 4.03 1956 The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia, #7)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1956
rating: 1
read at: 2018/11/09
date added: 2018/11/09
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<![CDATA[The Honourable Schoolboy (George Smiley, #6; Karla Trilogy, #2)]]> 18990 In this classic masterwork, le Carré expands upon his extraordinary vision of a secret world as George Smiley goes on the attack.

In the wake of a demoralizing infiltration by a Soviet double agent, Smiley has been made ringmaster of the Circus (aka the British Secret Service). Determined to restore the organization's health and reputation, and bent on revenge, Smiley thrusts his own handpicked operative into action. Jerry Westerby, "The Honourable Schoolboy," is dispatched to the Far East. A burial ground of French, British, and American colonial cultures, the region is a fabled testing ground of patriotic allegiances?and a new showdown is about to begin.

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589 John Le Carré 0743457919 MCLA 2 3.98 1977 The Honourable Schoolboy (George Smiley, #6; Karla Trilogy, #2)
author: John Le Carré
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1977
rating: 2
read at: 2018/11/09
date added: 2018/11/09
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<![CDATA[The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)]]> 65605
Narnia... a land where the woods are thick and cold, where Talking Beasts come to life—an entirely new world where adventure begins.

One cold, wet summer in London, Digory and Polly meet and become fast friends. Their lives take a sudden turn when Digory’s Uncle Andrew, who fancies himself a magician, sends them hurtling to... somewhere else. They arrive in Narnia, just as it is born from the song of the great Lion, Aslan. Along the way, they encounter the evil sorceress Jadis, whose dark magic threatens everything. After a whirlwind adventure, they finally find their way back home.]]>
221 C.S. Lewis 0060764902 MCLA 3 4.06 1955 The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1955
rating: 3
read at: 2018/11/02
date added: 2018/11/02
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<![CDATA[The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia, #5)]]> 84119 The Horse and his Boy is a stirring and dramatic fantasy story that finds a young boy named Shasta on the run from his homeland with the talking horse, Bree. When the pair discover a deadly plot by the Calormen people to conquer the land of Narnia, the race is on to warn the inhabitants of the impending danger and to rescue them all from certain death.]]> 224 C.S. Lewis 0439861365 MCLA 4 3.92 1954 The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia, #5)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1954
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/26
date added: 2018/10/26
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<![CDATA[The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia, #4)]]> 65641 Jill and Eustace must rescue the Prince from the evil Witch.

NARNIA...where owls are wise, where some of the giants like to snack on humans, where a prince is put under an evil spell...and where the adventure begins.

Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the open moor...or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face to face with the evil Witch. She must be defeated if Prince Rillian is to be saved.]]>
243 C.S. Lewis MCLA 2 3.96 1953 The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia, #4)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1953
rating: 2
read at: 2018/10/18
date added: 2018/10/18
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<![CDATA[Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (George Smiley, #5; Karla Trilogy, #1)]]> 10073506 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy begins George Smiley's chess match of wills and wits with Karla, his Soviet counterpart.

It is now beyond a doubt that a mole, implanted decades ago by Moscow Centre, has burrowed his way into the highest echelons of British Intelligence. His treachery has already blown some of its most vital operations and its best networks. It is clear that the double agent is one of its own kind. But which one? George Smiley is assigned to identify him. And once identified, the traitor must be destroyed.]]>
381 John Le Carré MCLA 4 4.07 1974 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (George Smiley, #5; Karla Trilogy, #1)
author: John Le Carré
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1974
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/18
date added: 2018/10/18
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<![CDATA[The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)]]> 140225
The Dawn Treader is the first ship Narnia has seen in centuries. King Caspian has built it for his voyage to find the seven lords, good men whom his evil uncle Miraz banished when he usurped the throne. The journey takes Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace to the Eastern Islands, beyond the Silver Sea, toward Aslan's country at the End of the World.]]>
248 C.S. Lewis 006112527X MCLA 3 4.10 1952 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1952
rating: 3
read at: 2018/10/10
date added: 2018/10/10
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<![CDATA[The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (George Smiley, #3)]]> 19494 212 John Le Carré MCLA 5 4.07 1963 The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (George Smiley, #3)
author: John Le Carré
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1963
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/03
date added: 2018/10/03
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<![CDATA[Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)]]> 121749
Narnia . . . where animals talk . . . where trees walk . . . where a battle is about to begin.

A prince denied his rightful throne gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. But in the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world.

Prince Caspian is the fourth book in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that has become part of the canon of classic literature, drawing readers of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over fifty years. This is a stand-alone novel, but if you would like to see more of Lucy and Edmund’s adventures, read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the fifth book in The Chronicles of Narnia.]]>
240 C.S. Lewis 000720230X MCLA 2 3.99 1951 Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1951
rating: 2
read at: 2018/10/03
date added: 2018/10/03
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<![CDATA[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)]]> 100915
Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don't believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the wardrobe themselves. In Narnia they find a country buried under the evil enchantment of the White Witch. When they meet the Lion Aslan, they realize they've been called to a great adventure and bravely join the battle to free Narnia from the Witch's sinister spell.]]>
206 C.S. Lewis MCLA 3 4.24 1950 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1950
rating: 3
read at: 2018/09/30
date added: 2018/09/29
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Gulliver’s Travels 7733 A wickedly clever satire uses comic inversions to offer telling insights into the nature of man and society. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Gulliver's Travels describes the four voyages of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon. In Lilliput he discovers a world in miniature; towering over the people and their city, he is able to view their society from the viewpoint of a god. However, in Brobdingnag, a land of giants, tiny Gulliver himself comes under observation, exhibited as a curiosity at markets and fairs. In Laputa, a flying island, he encounters a society of speculators and projectors who have lost all grip on everyday reality; while they plan and calculate, their country lies in ruins. Gulliver's final voyage takes him to the land of the Houyhnhnms, gentle horses whom he quickly comes to admire - in contrast to the Yahoos, filthy bestial creatures who bear a disturbing resemblance to humans. This text, based on the first edition of 1726, reproduces all the original illustrations and includes an introduction by Robert Demaria, Jr, which discusses the ways Gulliver's Travels has been interpreted since its first publication. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was born in Dublin.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.]]>
306 Jonathan Swift 0141439491 MCLA 3 3.59 1726 Gulliver’s Travels
author: Jonathan Swift
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1726
rating: 3
read at: 2018/09/22
date added: 2018/09/21
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Red Storm Rising 318525 With that shrill cry, three Muslim terrorists blow up a key Soviet oil complex, creating a critical oil shortage that threatens the stability of the USSR.

To offer the effects of this disaster, members of the Politburo and the KGB devise a brilliant plan of diplomatic trickery - a sequence of events designed to pit the NATO allies against each other - a distraction calculated to enable the Soviets to seize all the oil in the Persian Gulf.

But as this spellbinding story of international intrigue and global politics nears its climax, the Soviets are faced with another prospect, one they hadn't planned on: a full-scale conflict in which nobody can win.

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Tom Clancy 0394298667 MCLA 3 4.20 1986 Red Storm Rising
author: Tom Clancy
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1986
rating: 3
read at: 2018/09/14
date added: 2018/09/14
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The Quick and the Dead 465772
Yet bandits were only part of McKaskel’s worries. For a mysterious stranger, Con Vallian, had appeared one night and saved his life. But was Vallian’s true interest Duncan’s wife, Susanna? And, more important, how did she feel about him?

As they push on into the wilderness, Duncan must discover who is the greater threat—the thieves outside his camp or the enigmatic stranger within.…]]>
208 Louis L'Amour 0553280848 MCLA 4 3.91 1973 The Quick and the Dead
author: Louis L'Amour
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1973
rating: 4
read at: 2018/09/05
date added: 2018/09/07
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<![CDATA[A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1)]]> 33574273 It was a dark and stormy night.

Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure—one that will threaten their lives and our universe.

Winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal, A Wrinkle in Time is the first book in Madeleine L'Engle's classic Time Quintet.]]>
218 Madeleine L'Engle 1250153271 MCLA 1 abandoned 3.91 1962 A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1)
author: Madeleine L'Engle
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1962
rating: 1
read at: 2018/08/29
date added: 2018/08/29
shelves: abandoned
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The Princess Bride 21787
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.]]>
429 William Goldman 0345418263 MCLA 3 4.27 1973 The Princess Bride
author: William Goldman
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1973
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/18
date added: 2018/08/18
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Catch-22 168668
Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

This fiftieth-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller’s masterpiece with a new introduction by Christopher Buckley; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers and photos from Joseph Heller’s personal archive; and much more. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.]]>
453 Joseph Heller 0684833395 MCLA 1 abandoned 3.99 1961 Catch-22
author: Joseph Heller
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1961
rating: 1
read at: 2018/08/18
date added: 2018/08/18
shelves: abandoned
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<![CDATA[The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Jack Ryan, #4)]]> 382549 Red October affair.

Each must use all his craft to arrive at the truth, but Filitov gets there first -- and that's when all hell breaks loose. Because Filitov, code-named Cardinal, is America's highest agent in the Kremlin, and he is about to be betrayed to the KGB. His rescue could spell the difference between peace and war, and it is up to Jack Ryan to accomplish it -- if he can -- as, in a breathtaking sequence of hunter and hunted, Filitov's life, and Ryan's and that of the world itself literally hang in the balance.

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547 Tom Clancy 0425116840 MCLA 3 4.08 1988 The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Jack Ryan, #4)
author: Tom Clancy
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 2018/07/21
date added: 2018/07/21
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<![CDATA[Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch]]> 12067
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons � well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel � would quite like the Rapture not to happen.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…]]>
491 Terry Pratchett MCLA 2 4.27 1990 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
author: Terry Pratchett
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1990
rating: 2
read at: 2018/07/21
date added: 2018/07/21
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The Fourth Protocol 21403135 0 Frederick Forsyth MCLA 4 3.77 1984 The Fourth Protocol
author: Frederick Forsyth
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at: 2018/06/23
date added: 2018/06/23
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Stein on Writing 186004 A master editor of some of the most successful writers of our century shares his craft techniques and strategies

Stein on Writing provides immediately useful advice for all writers of fiction and nonfiction, whether they are newcomers or old hands, students or instructors, amateurs or professionals. As the always clear and direct Stein explains here, "This is not a book of theory. It is a book of usable solutions--how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, how to create interesting writing in the first place." With examples from bestsellers as well as from students' drafts, Stein offers detailed sections on characterization, dialogue, pacing, flashbacks, trimming away flabby wording, the so-called "triage" method of revision, using the techniques of fiction to enliven nonfiction, and more.]]>
320 Sol Stein 0312254210 MCLA 5 4.27 1995 Stein on Writing
author: Sol Stein
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2018/06/21
date added: 2018/06/21
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<![CDATA[The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3)]]> 19691 Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision. The Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. And the most incredible chase in history is on...

]]>
432 Tom Clancy 0425172902 MCLA 5 4.11 1984 The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3)
author: Tom Clancy
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 2018/06/06
date added: 2018/06/07
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<![CDATA[Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print]]> 8739579
In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.]]>
292 Renni Browne 0062012908 MCLA 5 4.34 1993 Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print
author: Renni Browne
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2018/05/27
date added: 2018/05/27
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The Satanic Verses 4834 alternate covers for this ISBN can be found here.

Just before dawn one winter's morning a hijacked jumbo-jet blows apart high above the English Channel. Through the debris of limbs, drinks trolleys, memories, blankets and oxygen masks, two figures fall towards the sea without benefit of parachutes: Gibreel Farishta, India's legendary movie star, and Saladin Chamcha, the man of a thousand voices, self-made self and Anglophile supreme. Clinging to each other, singing rival songs, they plunge downward, and are finally washed up, alive, on the snow-covered sands of an English beach. A miracle; but an ambiguous one, because it soon becomes apparent that curious changes are coming over them. Gibreel seems to have acquired a halo, while, to Saladin's dismay, his legs grow hairier, his feet turn into hoofs, and there are bumps burgeoning at his temples.

So begins The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie's first novel for five years.

Gibreel and Saladin have been chosen (by whom?) as protagonists in the eternal wrestling match between Good and Evil. But which is which? Can demons be angelic? Can angels be devils in disguise? As the two men tumble through their tale, through time as well as space, towards their final confrontation, we are witnesses to a cycle of extraordinary stories, tales of love and passion, of betrayal and faith: the story of Ayesha, the butterfly-shrouded visionary who leads an Indian village on an impossible pilgrimage; of Allie, the mountain-climber haunted by a ghost who urges her to attempt the ultimate feat � a solo ascent of Everest; of murders, metamorphoses and riots in a London "visible but unseen"; and, centrally, the story of Mahound, the Prophet of Jahilia, the city of sand � Mahound, the recipient of a revelation in which satanic verses mingle with divine.

In this great wheel of a book, where the past and the future chase each other furiously, Salman Rushdie takes us on an epic journey, a journey of tears and laughter, of wonderful stories and astonishing flights of the imagination, a journey towards the evil and the good that lie inseparably entwined within the hearts of women and of men.


--front flap]]>
549 Salman Rushdie 0670825379 MCLA 2 3.66 1988 The Satanic Verses
author: Salman Rushdie
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1988
rating: 2
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<![CDATA[What to Say When You Talk to Yourself]]> 321982 256 Shad Helmstetter 0722525117 MCLA 2 abandoned 4.12 1986 What to Say When You Talk to Yourself
author: Shad Helmstetter
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1986
rating: 2
read at: 2018/05/17
date added: 2018/05/17
shelves: abandoned
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<![CDATA[Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting]]> 48654 466 Robert McKee 0060391685 MCLA 4 4.27 1997 Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting
author: Robert McKee
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/17
date added: 2018/05/17
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The Hunchback of Notre-Dame 30597
The novel has been described as a key text in French literature[1] and has been adapted for film over a dozen times, in addition to numerous television and stage adaptations, such as a 1923 silent film with Lon Chaney, a 1939 sound film with Charles Laughton, and a 1996 Disney animated film with Tom Hulce (both as Quasimodo).

The novel sought to preserve values of French culture in a time period of great change, which resulted in the destruction of many French Gothic structures. The novel made Notre-Dame de Paris a national icon and served as a catalyst for renewed interest in the restoration of Gothic form.]]>
510 Victor Hugo 0451527887 MCLA 0 stalled, to-read 4.01 1831 The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
author: Victor Hugo
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1831
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[Face Your Fears: A Proven Plan to Beat Anxiety, Panic, Phobias, and Obsessions]]> 12533757 304 David F. Tolin 1118016734 MCLA 0 stalled, to-read 3.79 2011 Face Your Fears: A Proven Plan to Beat Anxiety, Panic, Phobias, and Obsessions
author: David F. Tolin
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[The Primal Connection: Follow Your Genetic Blueprint to Health and Happiness]]> 13829059
The connections are organized into 6

·         Inner Reject self-doubt and gain mastery over your thoughts and actions by following the Ten Habits of Highly Successful Hunter-Gatherers.

·         Rediscover the pleasure of touch. Rethink footwear to cure foot and back pain; learn correct posture and biomechanics, maybe for the first time ever!

·         Relieve stress at the biochemical level simply by immersing yourself in pleasant natural surroundings � anywhere, even if you are city-bound.

·         Daily Prioritize healthful sleep habits, wholesome diversions, solitary downtime, and limit technology to remain focused, creative, and productive.

·         Withstand the pull of instant gratifications and narrow your social circle to honor real-life friends over Facebook. Build a supportive and nurturing tribe.

·         Rediscover your innate cravings for daily doses of spontaneous, physical fun! Finally understand the true meanings of pleasure and leisure.

The Primal Connection allows you to have it all; you’ll honor your ancient genetic recipe for health while still enjoying the comfort and convenience of modern life.  

Q&A with Mark

1. How does this book differ from The Primal Blueprint ?

The Primal Blueprint focused on the ten lifestyle laws of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, with particular emphasis on what seem to be the most urgent and obvious life changing elements of the Evolutionary Health eating primal foods and exercising in a manner aligned with optimal gene expression. The Primal Connection extends the primal theme to matters of the psyche and the disconnects inherent with high tech modern life and how to fix things.  

2. What are the overarching themes of The Primal Connection?

You’ll embrace three critical themes that will help you withstand the destructive forces of modern life. First, your genes expect certain inputs to make you healthy, strong, and happy. If you create a different experience—slamming junk food or blasting artificial light and digital stimulation after dark, you’ll compromise long-term health, period. Your genes don’t know, or care, whether the inputs they receive are health-promoting or health compromising, they are simply programmed to fight for homeostasis at all times. Drink a soda and your genes respond by prompting the release of insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. In this refrain, the development of type 2 diabetes from prolonged excessive insulin production, and the subsequent resistance of cells to respond to insulin, is not a genetic defect but an example of gene expression at work. Your genes will fight valiantly to moderate the wildly excessive intake of carbohydrates in the Standard American Diet by producing insulin until this genetic mechanism becomes utterly exhausted and a diabetic condition develops. 

The second theme is that abundance and scarcity are often mismatched with our genetic expectations. For example, our ancestors had abundant leisure time and scarce material possessions. This is something our brains are still wired to expect and appreciate, but the exact opposite often plays out today. Consequently, we feel stressed and anxious about busy schedules and consumerist, “affluenza� mentalities because they in conflict with our hard-wired genetic reference point. As Dr. Art DeVany, PhD expressed, “Modern life leaves our minds restless and under-utilized because we are confined, inactive, and comfortable. We cannot be satisfied with more and more, because we are evolved for another lifeway in which material goods do not matter. The result is that we are deeply unsatisfied with modern life and don’t know why.”� Our genes simply don’t know what to make of all our “stuff�, and our lack of physical or cognitive down time to get refreshed and rejuvenated for the challenges of daily life. 

The third theme is that your deep primal drive to pursue behaviors that generate feel good hormones—the key to prevailing in the survival of the fittest game—must today be tempered with common sense and evaluation of long-term repercussions. For example, we are hard-wired for a sweet tooth because we experienced an adaptive benefit to avoid poisonous plants (plant life that is sweet is universally safe to consume and rich in calories and antioxidants—survival promoting!) and consume seasonal fruits and tubers that enabled our bodies to store energy for winter months of minimal caloric intake. Yep, our ancestors fattened up for the winter! Today, with massive amounts of sugar at our disposal and few modern citizens wishing to fatten up for the winter months, it makes sense to temper this sweet tooth wiring with sensible caloric intake that is aligned with long-term health. For example, emphasizing seasonal fruit intake but refraining from year-round intake of overly cultivated, overly sweetened fruits. The same is true for the massive amount of digital stimulation we are exposed to daily. We are hardwired to be attuned to novel stimulation in our environment and kick into the fight of flight response at a moment’s notice.  

3. What are some examples of actual Primal Connections?

Go Forget motion control shoes, custom-made orthotics and other modern comforts and supports that weaken your feet, promote inefficient mechanics and promote pain and injury. Transitioning to a barefoot or minimalist shoe lifestyle promotes correct walking, running and standing technique and relieves foot and back pain. The Primal Connection details the right way to do it so you don’t get injured or discouraged.

Darken your Soon after the sun sets, our genes are programmed for an elegant chain of hormonal processes that make us feel sleepy and facilitate a smooth transition from a wakeful state to sound sleep. Unfortunately, today’s artificial light and digital stimulation after dark short-circuit our circadian rhythms, one of the most fundamental and health-critical natural cycles on the planet. Make your evenings as dark and mellow as possible by wearing orange or yellow-tinted sunglasses, switching to orange light bulbs or candlelight around your house, and avoiding digital screen use in the final hours before bedtime. Mellow, darkened evenings will help reconnect you with your circadian rhythm, promoting restorative sleep and high-energy mornings.

Stand up at your work Warning—the chair is a modern creation of dubious value. Prolonged use can be hazardous to your health and body composition goals. Retrofitting your workstation to include a standing option (okay to switch back and forth of course) will improve concentration and fat metabolism.

Don’t fear the sun! Sunbathing helps prevent cancer—especially the most serious form of skin cancer, melanoma. Strive to maintain a slight tan (never burn of course) during the peak season. Go ahead and screen sensitive areas, but make a point to expose large skin surface areas to direct sunlight regularly. This will ensure that your body produces healthy levels of vitamin D, which helps to regulate healthy cell division and thus protect against all forms of cancer. 

(Cover image my vary)]]>
300 Mark Sisson 0984755101 MCLA 0 stalled, to-read 4.04 2012 The Primal Connection: Follow Your Genetic Blueprint to Health and Happiness
author: Mark Sisson
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[The Tao of Seneca: Practical Letters from a Stoic Master, Volume 1]]> 28676323 Timothy Ferriss MCLA 0 stalled, to-read 4.18 The Tao of Seneca: Practical Letters from a Stoic Master, Volume 1
author: Timothy Ferriss
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/05/08
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State of Fear 15860 672 Michael Crichton MCLA 5 3.70 2004 State of Fear
author: Michael Crichton
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2018/05/06
date added: 2018/05/06
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<![CDATA[Revision & Self-Editing: Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft Into a Finished Novel]]> 2319168 Spot and Fix Manuscript Missteps

Don't let the revision process intimidate you any longer. Discover how to successfully transform your first draft into a polished final draft readers won't be able to forget.

In Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing, James Scott Bell draws on his experience as a novelist and instructor to provide specific revision tips geared toward the first read-through, as well as targeted self-editing instruction focusing on the individual elements of a novel like plot, structure, characters, theme, voice, style, setting, and endings. You'll learn how to:

•Write a cleaner first draft right out of the gate using Bell's plotting principles
•Get the most out of revision and self-editing techniques by honing your skills with detailed exercises
•Systematically revise a completed draft using the ultimate revision checklist that talks you through the core story elements


Whether you're in the process of writing a novel, have a finished draft you don't know what to do with, or have a rejected manuscript you don't know how to fix, Revision & Self-Editing gives you the guidance you need to write and revise like a pro.]]>
266 James Scott Bell 1582975086 MCLA 2 4.18 2008 Revision & Self-Editing: Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft Into a Finished Novel
author: James Scott Bell
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2018/04/23
date added: 2018/05/01
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The Sands of Mars 149063 229 Arthur C. Clarke 0553290959 MCLA 3 3.75 1951 The Sands of Mars
author: Arthur C. Clarke
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1951
rating: 3
read at: 2018/04/05
date added: 2018/05/01
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<![CDATA[The Importance of Being Earnest]]> 92303
Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gwendolen as Ernest while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heart of Jack's ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack's country home on the same weekend the "rivals" to fight for Ernest's undivided attention and the "Ernests" to claim their beloveds pandemonium breaks loose. Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary and reader's notes to help the modern reader appreciate Wilde's wry wit and elaborate plot twists.]]>
89 Oscar Wilde 158049580X MCLA 5 4.17 1895 The Importance of Being Earnest
author: Oscar Wilde
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1895
rating: 5
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An Ideal Husband 5296 Sooner or later, Wilde notes, we shall all have to pay for what we do. But he adds that, No one should be entirely judged by their past.Together with The Importance of Being Earnest, it is often considered Wilde's dramatic masterpiece. After Earnest, it is his most popularly produced play"]]> 78 Oscar Wilde 048641423X MCLA 3 4.01 1893 An Ideal Husband
author: Oscar Wilde
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1893
rating: 3
read at: 2018/04/30
date added: 2018/04/30
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<![CDATA[The Godfather (The Godfather, #1)]]> 22034
Almost fifty years ago, a classic was born. A searing portrayal of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and their powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honor. The seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and the allegiance to family—these are the themes that have resonated with millions of readers around the world and made The Godfather the definitive novel of the violent subculture that, steeped in intrigue and controversy, remains indelibly etched in our collective consciousness.]]>
448 Mario Puzo MCLA 4 4.39 1969 The Godfather (The Godfather, #1)
author: Mario Puzo
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at: 2018/04/19
date added: 2018/04/21
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The Pelican Brief 32499 400 John Grisham 0385339704 MCLA 2 4.06 1992 The Pelican Brief
author: John Grisham
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1992
rating: 2
read at: 2018/03/25
date added: 2018/04/14
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<![CDATA[The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)]]> 968 The da Vinci Code, The da Vinci Code, The da Vinci Code, and The da Vinci Code

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.

In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.

The Da Vinci Code heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.]]>
489 Dan Brown MCLA 4 3.92 2003 The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)
author: Dan Brown
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2003
rating: 4
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<![CDATA[Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish]]> 20181
How does plot influence story structure? What's the difference between plotting for commercial and literary fiction? How do you revise a plot or structure that's gone off course?

With "Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure," you'll discover the answers to these questions and more. Award-winning author James Scott Bell offers clear, concise information that will help you create a believable and memorable plot, including: Techniques for crafting strong beginnings, middles, and endsEasy-to-understand plotting diagrams and chartsBrainstorming techniques for original plot ideasThought-provoking exercises at the end of each chapterStory structure models and methods for all genresTips and tools for correcting common plot problems

Filled with plot examples from popular novels, comprehensive checklists, and practical hands-on guidance, "Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure" gives you the skills you need to approach plot and structure like an experienced pro.]]>
240 James Scott Bell 158297294X MCLA 5 4.10 2004 Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish
author: James Scott Bell
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2018/04/05
date added: 2018/04/05
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Writing Fiction for Dummies 6664615
So you want to write a novel? Great! That's a worthy goal, no matter what your reason. But don't settle for just writing a novel. Aim high. Write a novel that you intend to sell to a publisher.

Writing Fiction for Dummies is a complete guide designed to coach you every step along the path from beginning writer to royalty-earning author. Here are some things you'll learn in "Writing Fiction for Dummies"

* Strategic Planning: Pinpoint where you are on the roadmap to publication; discover what every reader desperately wants from a story; home in on a marketable category; choose from among the four most common creative styles; and learn the self-management methods of professional writers.

* Writing Powerful Fiction: Construct a story world that rings true; create believable, unpredictable characters; build a strong plot with all six layers of complexity of a modern novel; and infuse it all with a strong theme.

* Self-Editing Your Novel: Psychoanalyze your characters to bring them fully to life; edit your story structure from the top down; fix broken scenes; and polish your action and dialogue.

* Finding An Agent and Getting Published: Write a query letter, a synopsis, and a proposal; pitch your work to agents and editors without fear.

Writing Fiction For Dummies takes you from being a "writer" to being an "author." It can happen--if you have the talent and persistence to do what you need to do.]]>
384 Randy Ingermanson 0470530707 MCLA 3 4.14 2009 Writing Fiction for Dummies
author: Randy Ingermanson
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2018/03/18
date added: 2018/03/18
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<![CDATA[Telling Lies for Fun & Profit: **Signed**]]> 7521644 0 Lawrence Block 0877953937 MCLA 0 to-read 4.31 1981 Telling Lies for Fun & Profit: **Signed**
author: Lawrence Block
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1981
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/03/13
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<![CDATA[In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People]]> 12315490 178 George K. Simon Jr. MCLA 5 4.37 1996 In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People
author: George K. Simon Jr.
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2018/03/09
date added: 2018/03/09
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<![CDATA[The Red Limit: The Search for the Edge of the Universe]]> 310327 368 Timothy Ferris 068801836X MCLA 5 4.01 1977 The Red Limit: The Search for the Edge of the Universe
author: Timothy Ferris
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at: 2017/10/17
date added: 2017/10/17
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Free Will 13259270
In this enlightening book, Sam Harris argues that this truth about the human mind does not undermine morality or diminish the importance of social and political freedom, but it can and should change the way we think about some of the most important questions in life.]]>
96 Sam Harris 1451683405 MCLA 5 3.86 2012 Free Will
author: Sam Harris
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2017/10/17
date added: 2017/10/17
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<![CDATA[The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life]]> 28257707 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062457738

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.

Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited�"not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.

There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.]]>
212 Mark Manson MCLA 5 3.88 2016 The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
author: Mark Manson
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2017/10/17
date added: 2017/10/17
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<![CDATA[Don't Sweat the Small Stuff ... and It's All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things From Taking Over Your Life]]> 170548 248 Richard Carlson 073380084X MCLA 1 abandoned 3.99 1997 Don't Sweat the Small Stuff ... and It's All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things From Taking Over Your Life
author: Richard Carlson
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1997
rating: 1
read at: 2017/09/01
date added: 2017/09/08
shelves: abandoned
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<![CDATA[Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher]]> 5553 138 Richard P. Feynman 0465023924 MCLA 0 to-read 4.22 1994 Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher
author: Richard P. Feynman
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1994
rating: 0
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date added: 2017/08/06
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The Talisman Ring 32108
Yet it is Eustacie's grandfather's dying wish, made on his deathbed.

For there is no one else to look after and provide for Eustacie while his heir, Ludovic, remains a fugitive from justice after allegedly murdering a man in a dispute over a priceless family heirloom.

And so the hunt is on to find Ludovic and bring him home as well as the Talisman Ring.

Romance, a murder mystery, a proposed marriage of convenience, and the hunt for a golden ring lie at the heart of one of Georgette Heyer's funniest and fastest-paced romantic comedies to date.]]>
268 Georgette Heyer MCLA 3 4.00 1936 The Talisman Ring
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1936
rating: 3
read at: 2017/05/30
date added: 2017/05/30
shelves:
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The Toll-Gate 311129 His exploits were legendary�

Captain John Staple, back from the battlefront, is already bored with his quiet civilian life in the country. When he stumbles upon a mystery involving a disappearing toll-gate keeper, nothing could keep the adventure-loving captain from investigating.

But winning her will be his greatest yet�

The plot thickens when John encounters the enigmatic Lady Nell Stornaway and soon learns that rescuing her from her unsavory relatives makes even the most ferocious cavalry charge look like a particularly tame hand of loo. Between hiding his true identity from Nell and the arrival in the neighborhood of some distinctly shady characters, Captain Staple finds himself embarked on the adventure-and romance-of a lifetime.]]>
288 Georgette Heyer 0099476363 MCLA 4 3.87 1954 The Toll-Gate
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1954
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/30
date added: 2017/05/30
shelves:
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The Unknown Ajax 311095 320 Georgette Heyer 0099474360 MCLA 1 4.05 1959 The Unknown Ajax
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1959
rating: 1
read at: 2017/05/30
date added: 2017/05/30
shelves:
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Venetia 32102
Then her long-absent neighbor, thirty-eight-year-old Lord Jasper Damerel, returns home to Yorkshire. In one extraordinary encounter, she meets the infamous neighbor, who she knows only by reputation - a gamester, a shocking rake, and a man of sadly unsteady character - and before she knows better, she finds friendship with a libertine whose way of life has scandalised the North Riding for years. Lord Damerel finds Venetia to be the most truly engaging and wittily perverse female he has encountered in all his life and determined to woo and win her, he pursues her with a passionate abandon that is soon the talk of the ton. And after her encounter with the dashing, dangerous rake, Venetia's well-ordered life is turned upside down, and she embarks upon a courtship with him that scandalises and horrifies the whole community.

But Venetia has no intention of losing her heart to the rakish lord until she is sure that beneath his swashbuckling ways and shocking manners lies a tender heart belonging to her. And Lord Damerel would marry her in a heartbeat if he did not think it would ruin her. Then she discovers a shocking family secret that changes everything ... It was therefore particularly provoking to find that occasion, Lord Damerel could make up his mind to be idiotically noble....]]>
384 Georgette Heyer 0373771665 MCLA 3 4.06 1958 Venetia
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1958
rating: 3
read at: 2017/05/30
date added: 2017/05/30
shelves:
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Avenger 563795
Or so it would seem. For in a world that has forgotten right and wrong, there are few like Cal Dexter who can settle the score. And so, years later, a worldwide chase is on and Dexter begins to draw a net around the killer. But this time CIA agent Paul Devereux must find a way to stop Dexter before his quest for vengeance throws the world into chaos.

A heart-stopping novel of murder and mystery, double-cross and triple-cross, old loyalties and new hatreds, Avenger has all of Frederick Forsyth's page-turning trademarks.]]>
352 Frederick Forsyth 0312319517 MCLA 0 to-read 3.94 2003 Avenger
author: Frederick Forsyth
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/02/04
shelves: to-read
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The Dogs of War 460717
The man selected to plan and carry out the sack of Zangaro is Cat Shannon, a 33-year-old Anglo-Irishman from Nigeria. If the goal is clear, the means are not, for there are no up-to-date manuals on overthrowing governments by force. By the time he has set forth this sinister venture in all its ramifications, Frederick Forsyth has fashioned that manual and given us a classic of terror and enthrallment.]]>
400 Frederick Forsyth 0553268465 MCLA 0 to-read 3.99 1974 The Dogs of War
author: Frederick Forsyth
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1974
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/02/04
shelves: to-read
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The Guns of Navarone 296298 410 Alistair MacLean 0449214729 MCLA 3 4.15 1957 The Guns of Navarone
author: Alistair MacLean
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1957
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/02/04
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HMS Ulysses 149667 The story of men who rose to heroism, and then to something greater, HMS Ulysses takes its place alongside The Caine Mutiny and The Cruel Sea as one of the classic novels of the navy at war.

It is the compelling story of Convoy FR77 to Murmansk � a voyage that pushes men to the limits of human endurance, crippled by enemy attack and the bitter cold of the Arctic.

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467 Alistair MacLean 0006135129 MCLA 3 4.04 1955 HMS Ulysses
author: Alistair MacLean
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1955
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/02/04
shelves:
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Where Eagles Dare 148337 320 Alistair MacLean 1560254556 MCLA 3 4.14 1967 Where Eagles Dare
author: Alistair MacLean
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1967
rating: 3
read at: 2017/02/04
date added: 2017/02/04
shelves:
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<![CDATA[Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger]]> 20157104 548 Charles T. Munger MCLA 0 to-read 4.64 2005 Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
author: Charles T. Munger
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/12/27
shelves: to-read
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The Gifts of Imperfection 7015403 New York Times best seller, Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor and thought leader on vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame, shares ten guideposts on the power of Wholehearted living—a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.]]> 137 Brené Brown 159285849X MCLA 0 to-read 4.25 2010 The Gifts of Imperfection
author: Brené Brown
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/12/09
shelves: to-read
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Rebecca 17899948 Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

First published in 1938, this classic gothic novel is such a compelling read that it won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.]]>
449 Daphne du Maurier 0316323705 MCLA 0 to-read 4.28 1938 Rebecca
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1938
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/12/09
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Self-Talk for a Calmer You: Learn how to use positive self-talk to control anxiety and live a happier, more relaxed life]]> 17741091
Every day, millions of people struggle with anxious thoughts and feelings of dread, but you don't have to be one of them. With Self-Talk for a Calmer You , you can change the way you approach your worries and finally break free from the tight grip of anxiety. Filled with practical advice and positive self-talk scripts, this empowering guide provides a variety of strategies for dealing with uneasy thoughts in a constructive manner and moving past detrimental hangups. Complete with quick assessments that reveal anxiety triggers, you'll also learn how to create a self-talk plan that fits your needs.

From the workplace to personal relationships, Self-Talk for a Calmer You gives you the tools and confidence to develop a healthier way of thinking, overcome stressful situations, and reclaim your life.]]>
224 Beverly D. Flaxington 1440564809 MCLA 0 to-read 3.51 2013 Self-Talk for a Calmer You: Learn how to use positive self-talk to control anxiety and live a happier, more relaxed life
author: Beverly D. Flaxington
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/12/09
shelves: to-read
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The Spanish Bride 311153 422 Georgette Heyer 009947445X MCLA 0 to-read 3.40 1940 The Spanish Bride
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1940
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay, #1)]]> 153492 100 John Buchan 1419151126 MCLA 2 3.62 1915 The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay, #1)
author: John Buchan
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1915
rating: 2
read at: 2016/12/07
date added: 2016/12/09
shelves:
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<![CDATA[The Return of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #6)]]> 194366 455 Arthur Conan Doyle 0192123173 MCLA 5 4.30 1905 The Return of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #6)
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1905
rating: 5
read at: 2016/11/21
date added: 2016/11/21
shelves:
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No More Mr. Nice Guy 97642 192 Robert A. Glover 0762415339 MCLA 5 to-read 3.97 2000 No More Mr. Nice Guy
author: Robert A. Glover
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2013/11/15
date added: 2016/11/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot, #20)]]> 16349 335 Agatha Christie 0007120699 MCLA 4 3.96 1938 Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot, #20)
author: Agatha Christie
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1938
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/13
date added: 2016/11/15
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<![CDATA[The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #4)]]> 194373 Silver Blaze
The Cardboard Box
The Yellow Face
The Stockbroker's Clerk
The 'Gloria Scott'
The Musgrave Ritual
The Reigate Squire
The Crooked Man
The Resident Patient
The Greek Interpreter
The Naval Treaty
The Final Problem]]>
378 Arthur Conan Doyle 0192123092 MCLA 5 4.31 1893 The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #4)
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1893
rating: 5
read at: 2016/11/11
date added: 2016/11/11
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<![CDATA[Murder in the Mews: a Hercule Poirot Short Story (Hercule Poirot, #SS-36)]]> 18298399
However the lead inspector, our friend Japp, was sufficiently doubtful about the cause of death that he called in the help of Hercule Poirot. Where will the inconsistencies lead?

Librarian's note: this entry is for the short story, "Murder in the Mews." Collections of stories by the author, including the collection with this one as the lead story, can be found elsewhere on Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ. The individual entries for all Poirot short stories can be found by searching Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ for: "a Hercule Poirot Short Story."]]>
78 Agatha Christie MCLA 5 3.86 1937 Murder in the Mews: a Hercule Poirot Short Story (Hercule Poirot, #SS-36)
author: Agatha Christie
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at: 2016/11/07
date added: 2016/11/07
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<![CDATA[Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)]]> 16304 322 Agatha Christie 0425200450 MCLA 5 4.16 1934 Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)
author: Agatha Christie
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1934
rating: 5
read at: 2016/11/05
date added: 2016/11/05
shelves:
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<![CDATA[The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)]]> 16328
The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells� before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. These are just the novels; Poirot also appears in this period in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel, play and short story has its own entry on Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ.]]>
288 Agatha Christie 1579126278 MCLA 3 4.26 1926 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)
author: Agatha Christie
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1926
rating: 3
read at: 2016/10/28
date added: 2016/10/31
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<![CDATA[The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales]]> 22917 Children’s and Household Tales, The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales contains the essential bedtime stories for children worldwide for the better part of two centuries. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, were German linguists and cultural researchers who gathered legendary folklore and aimed to collect the stories exactly as they heard them. 2012 marked the 200th anniversary of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and what better way to celebrate than to include all 211 stories into the Knickerbocker Classic Series?

Featuring all your favorite classics, including “Hansel and Gretel,� “Cinderella,� “The Frog Prince,� “Rapunzel,� “Snow White,� “Rumpelstiltskin,� and dozens more, The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales is also accompanied by 40 color plates and 60 black and white illustrations from award-winning English illustrator Arthur Rackham, whose books and prints are now highly sought-after collectibles.

The third title in the Knickerbocker Classic series has 800 pages of classic fairy tales to enjoy and will also feature a full-cloth binding, ribbon marker, and will fit neatly in an elegant slipcase for your personal library collection.

Also includes a selection of stunning color reproductions by the famous illustrator, Arthur Rackham.
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880 Jacob Grimm MCLA 4 4.30 1812 The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales
author: Jacob Grimm
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1812
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/20
date added: 2016/10/30
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The Man in the High Castle 216363
This harrowing, Hugo Award-winning novel is the work that established Philip K. Dick as an innovator in science fiction while breaking the barrier between science fiction and the serious novel of ideas. In it Dick offers a haunting vision of history as a nightmare from which it may just be possible to wake.]]>
259 Philip K. Dick 0679740678 MCLA 1 3.64 1962 The Man in the High Castle
author: Philip K. Dick
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1962
rating: 1
read at: 2016/10/20
date added: 2016/10/22
shelves:
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Fatherland 56842
The naked body of an old man floats in a lake on the outskirts of Berlin. In one week it will be Adolf Hitler’s 75th birthday. A terrible conspiracy is starting to unravel�

What if Hitler had won?

Fatherland is set in an alternative world where Hitler has won the Second World War. It is April 1964 and one week before Hitler's 75th birthday. Xavier March, a detective of the Kriminalpolizei, is called out to investigate the discovery of a dead body in a lake near Berlin's most prestigious suburb.

As March discovers the identity of the body, he uncovers signs of a conspiracy that could go to the very top of the German Reich. And, with the Gestapo just one step behind, March, together with an American journalist, is caught up in a race to discover and reveal the truth -- a truth that has already killed, a truth that could topple governments, a truth that will change history.]]>
380 Robert Harris 0061006629 MCLA 4 4.01 1992 Fatherland
author: Robert Harris
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/13
date added: 2016/10/14
shelves:
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<![CDATA[Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain for Life]]> 22875118
Debilitating brain disorders are on the rise-from children diagnosed with autism and ADHD to adults developing dementia at younger ages than ever before. But a medical revolution is underway that can solve this problem: Astonishing new research is revealing that the health of your brain is, to an extraordinary degree, dictated by the state of your microbiome - the vast population of organisms that live in your body and outnumber your own cells ten to one. What's taking place in your intestines today is determining your risk for any number of brain-related conditions.

In BRAIN MAKER, Dr. Perlmutter explains the potent interplay between intestinal microbes and the brain, describing how the microbiome develops from birth and evolves based on lifestyle choices, how it can become "sick," and how nurturing gut health through a few easy strategies can alter your brain's destiny for the better. With simple dietary recommendations and a highly practical program of six steps to improving gut ecology, BRAIN MAKER opens the door to unprecedented brain health potential.]]>
320 David Perlmutter 0316380105 MCLA 3 3.97 2015 Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain for Life
author: David Perlmutter
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/18
date added: 2016/07/18
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Reforming Lord Ragsdale 222808
Emma Costello owed a debt of honor to one of the most dishonorable lords in the realm. The infamous Lord Ragsdale was as rich as sin, as sinful as he was rich, and as heartless as he was handsome. But he had saved Emma from a fate worse than death when he stopped a lecherous brute from buying her as an indentured servant.

It was Emma's turn now to save Lord Ragsdale from his wicked ways. She had to find a way to stop his drinking, his gaming, his wild revelry. She had to make him break with his mistress, the superbly sensual Fae Moulle. She had to make him a suitable suitor for the ideal wife that the prim and proper Lady Clarissa Partridge would be. And above all, she had to keep his lustful eye from lingering too long on herself--even as she struggled to keep her own growing desire from undoing all her hard work in the unmaking of this irresistible rake...]]>
224 Carla Kelly 0451184653 MCLA 0 to-read 3.94 1995 Reforming Lord Ragsdale
author: Carla Kelly
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/06/18
shelves: to-read
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The Quiet Gentleman 311151
Only Theo, a cousin even quieter than himself, is there to greet him - and when he meets his stepmother and young half-brother he detects open disappointment that he survived the wars & the dangers of the Lincolnshire countryside are quite different to those of the battlefield.]]>
416 Georgette Heyer 0373836848 MCLA 4 3.92 1951 The Quiet Gentleman
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1951
rating: 4
read at: 2016/05/06
date added: 2016/05/07
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Down Under 42876 Alternative cover editions for this ISBN can be found here, here, here and here

It is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents and still Australia teems with life - a large portion of it quite deadly. In fact, Australia has more things that can kill you in a very nasty way than anywhere else.

Ignoring such dangers - and yet curiously obsessed by them - Bill Bryson journeyed to Australia and promptly fell in love with the country. And who can blame him? The people are cheerful, extrovert, quick-witted and unfailingly obliging; their cities are safe and clean and nearly always built on water; the food is excellent; the beer is cold and the sun nearly always shines. Life doesn't get much better than this...]]>
398 Bill Bryson 055299703X MCLA 5 4.07 2000 Down Under
author: Bill Bryson
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2015/04/19
date added: 2016/04/08
shelves:
review:
This book makes you want to go to Australia. And that's saying something.
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The Nonesuch 32110
While there, he meets Tiffany Wield, a positively dazzling young heiress who is entirely selfish and possessed of a frightful temper, as well as her far more elegant companion-governess. Twenty-eight year old Ancilla Trent had put away any and all thoughts of romance when she became a governess, and at first she could only be amused at the fuss over Sir Waldo. Can Sir Waldo convince the practical Miss Trent that it is not above her station as a governess to fall in love with him?]]>
320 Georgette Heyer 0099474387 MCLA 4 4.03 1962 The Nonesuch
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1962
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/07
date added: 2016/04/07
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Anything You Want 11878168
Anything You Want is also available in a 5 pack, 52 pack and very limited edition Collectible, signed by Derek.]]>
88 Derek Sivers 1936719150 MCLA 3 4.05 2011 Anything You Want
author: Derek Sivers
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2016/03/29
date added: 2016/03/30
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The Masqueraders 32109
The capricious politics of the eighteenth century made it necessary for Robin & Prudence Merriot to engage in a charming deception - one which became more & more fraught with danger...

Love & desire, highwaymen & treason gaming & duelling, clothe this lively tale of high adventure with the flesh & blood of sparkling romance.]]>
416 Georgette Heyer 0373836066 MCLA 4 4.04 1928 The Masqueraders
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1928
rating: 4
read at: 2016/03/26
date added: 2016/03/26
shelves:
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The Grand Sophy 261689 328 Georgette Heyer 0099465639 MCLA 4 4.14 1950 The Grand Sophy
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at: 2016/03/10
date added: 2016/03/09
shelves:
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The Corinthian 319033
And a heroic rescue

When Sir Richard encounters the lovely young fugitive, he knows he can't allow her to travel to the countryside all alone, so he offers himself as her protector. As it happens, at that very moment Sir Richard could use an escape of his own...]]>
233 Georgette Heyer 0099468085 MCLA 4 3.99 1940 The Corinthian
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1940
rating: 4
read at: 2016/02/20
date added: 2016/02/28
shelves:
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A Brief History of Time 3869
Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,� of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.]]>
226 Stephen Hawking 0553380168 MCLA 1 abandoned 4.22 1988 A Brief History of Time
author: Stephen Hawking
name: MCLA
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1988
rating: 1
read at: 2015/09/23
date added: 2016/02/18
shelves: abandoned
review:

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The Convenient Marriage 32106 272 Georgette Heyer 0099474425 MCLA 3 3.63 1934 The Convenient Marriage
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1934
rating: 3
read at: 2016/02/16
date added: 2016/02/16
shelves:
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Sprig Muslin 32107 268 Georgette Heyer 0099476355 MCLA 4 3.78 1956 Sprig Muslin
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1956
rating: 4
read at: 2016/02/04
date added: 2016/02/03
shelves:
review:

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Powder and Patch 311200
Cleone Charteris's exquisite charms have made her the belle of the English countryside. But Cleone yearns for a husband who is refined, aristocratic and who is as skilled with his wit as he is with his dueling pistols.... Everything Philip Jettan is not. As much as she is attracted to the handsome squire, Cleone finds herself dismissing Philip and his rough mannerisms.

With his father's encouragement, Philip departs for the courts of Paris, determined to acquire the social graces and the airs of the genteel � and convince Cleone that he is the man most suited for her hand. But his transformation may cost him everything, including Cleone....]]>
176 Georgette Heyer 0553047329 MCLA 4 3.51 1923 Powder and Patch
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.51
book published: 1923
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/24
date added: 2016/01/24
shelves:
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Pistols For Two 311137
Georgette Heyer's historical accuracy and eye for a wonderful story of romance is unequalled, and in Pistols For Two we can see the skills which won her a devoted audience that continues to this day.

Stories in the book:

Pistols for two
A Clandestine Affair
Bath Miss
Pink Domino
A Husband for Fanny
To Have the Honour
Night at the Inn
The Duel
Hazard
Snowdrift
Full Moon]]>
205 Georgette Heyer 009947638X MCLA 4 3.85 1960 Pistols For Two
author: Georgette Heyer
name: MCLA
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1960
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/19
date added: 2016/01/19
shelves:
review:

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