Janelle's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:37:11 -0700 60 Janelle's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Last Smile in Sunder City (The Fetch Phillips Archives #1)]]> 41910151
Welcome to Sunder City. The magic is gone but the monsters remain.

I'm Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are a few things you should know before you hire me:
1. Sobriety costs extra.
2. My services are confidential.
3. I don't work for humans.

It's nothing personal—I'm human myself. But after what happened, to the magic, it's not the humans who need my help.

Walk the streets of Sunder City and meet Fetch, his magical clients, and a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.]]> 352 Luke Arnold 0356512886 Janelle 0 currently-reading 3.70 2020 The Last Smile in Sunder City (The Fetch Phillips Archives #1)
author: Luke Arnold
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3)]]> 20538936
Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrived in Wayward Pines, Idaho, three weeks ago. In this town, people are told who to marry, where to live, where to work. Their children are taught that David Pilcher, the town’s creator, is god. No one is allowed to leave; even asking questions can get you killed.

But Ethan has discovered the astonishing secret of what lies beyond the electrified fence that surrounds Wayward Pines and protects it from the terrifying world beyond. It is a secret that has the entire population completely under the control of a madman and his army of followers, a secret that is about to come storming through the fence to wipe out this last, fragile remnant of humanity.

Blake Crouch’s electrifying conclusion to the Wayward Pines Series—now a Major Television Event Series debuting Summer 2014 on FOX—will have you glued to the page right down to the very last word.]]> 285 Blake Crouch 1477822585 Janelle 5 ***Second read 18 July 2023***

Bumping this up to 5 stars upon reread because the end of this is still SO INFURIATING AND SO GOOD ]]> 4.13 The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3)
author: Blake Crouch
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/01
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: adult, audiobook, dystopian, mystery, sci-fi, thriller, rereads
review:
***Second read 18 July 2023***

Bumping this up to 5 stars upon reread because the end of this is still SO INFURIATING AND SO GOOD
]]> The Coworker 123423832 Two women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can't be taken back.

Dawn Schiff is strange. At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.

So when Dawn doesn't show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell—beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running—is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything�

It turns out Dawn wasn't just an awkward outsider—she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who's the real victim?

But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.

The Coworker is a tense, unputdownable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden that explores the dark ways the past can echo through the present―with deadly consequences.]]> 362 Freida McFadden 172829620X Janelle 2 3.68 2023 The Coworker
author: Freida McFadden
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: adult, audiobook, library-book, thriller
review:
Lazy writing, cartoonish characters, cringeworthy portrayal of autism, and a complete lack of intrigue. Like this is barely even a mystery or thriller, more like a workplace drama.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore]]> 201751300 An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations

Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see those stakes: what has been, and what might be lost.

Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. The story begins with Benjamin Franklin’s first bookstore in Philadelphia and takes us to a range of booksellers including The Strand, Chicago’s Marshall Field & Company, Gotham Book Mart, specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, sidewalk sellers of used books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, and Parnassus. The Bookshop is also a history of the leading figures in American bookselling, often impassioned eccentrics, and a history of how books have been marketed and sold over more than two centuries—including, for example, a 3,000-pound elephant who appeared to sign books at Marshall Field’s in 1944.

The Bookshop is a love letter to bookstores, a charming chronicle for anyone who cherishes these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life—and why we still need them.]]> 416 Evan Friss 0593299922 Janelle 0 to-read 3.93 2024 The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
author: Evan Friss
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Teacher 195967140 A mind-bending, psychological thriller from Freida McFadden, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Housemaid!

Lesson #1: trust no one

Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except�

Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal involving a student-teacher affair, with one student, Addie, at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye.

Addie can't be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that's what everyone says.

But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet.

From the New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a story of twisting secrets and long-awaited revenge.]]> 379 Freida McFadden 1728296218 Janelle 2 3.82 2024 The Teacher
author: Freida McFadden
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: adult, audiobook, library-book, thriller
review:
Dropping this down from 3 stars to 2 stars because the more I ruminate on it, the dumber the final twist is in how it undoes everything Freida attempted to do before that. Not that she was doing much, but her desperation for a shock twist doesn’t make sense and betrays her own characters.
]]> The Boyfriend 208503280 She's looking for the perfect man. He's looking for the perfect victim.

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim...

A dark story about obsession and the things we’ll do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest…]]> 368 Freida McFadden 1728296226 Janelle 2 3.95 2024 The Boyfriend
author: Freida McFadden
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: adult, audiobook, library-book, thriller
review:
Everything was dumb and unbelievable *except* for how shit men are from dating apps
]]> The Crash 216223604 The nightmare she’s running from is nothing compared to where she’s headed.

Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn’t realize she’s heading straight into a blizzard.

She never arrives at her destination.

Stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, Tegan worries she’s made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears.

But something isn’t right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as time ticks by, she comes to realize she is in grave danger. This safe haven isn’t what she thought it was, and staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet.

And now she must do whatever it takes to save herself—and her unborn child.

A gut-wrenching story of motherhood, survival, and twisted expectations, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a snowbound thriller that will chill you to the bone.
]]> 384 Freida McFadden 1464232989 Janelle 2 3.58 2025 The Crash
author: Freida McFadden
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: adult, audiobook, library-book, thriller
review:
Another Freida story populated by the dumbest characters alive, and a date rape subplot that of course is not handled with any care
]]> The Stranger in Her House 141236527 A stranger has infiltrated your family…and now he’s taking over.

Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.

The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she’s built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he’s trying to push her out completely.

It’s her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she’s not the only one left wondering if she’s lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever—or has that been his plan all along?]]> 347 John Marrs 1662506473 Janelle 4 3.94 2024 The Stranger in Her House
author: John Marrs
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: adult, audiobook, kindle-unlimited, thriller
review:
SO. DELIBERATELY. INFURIATING.
]]> You Killed Me First 212375021 Three women. Three smouldering secrets. Who will make it out alive?

It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in � she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this?

Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret � and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors.

As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn…But who will it be?]]> 399 John Marrs 166250649X Janelle 5
(Proper review to come) ]]> 3.98 2025 You Killed Me First
author: John Marrs
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: adult, audiobook, kindle-unlimited, mystery, thriller
review:
I LOOOOVE these toxic bitches!

(Proper review to come)
]]> <![CDATA[Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert]]> 214151495 From RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and host of ±áµţ°żâ€™s We’re Here comes an inventive, wondrous novel about American hero Harriet Tubman that remixes history into a fresh, dynamic novel about love, freedom, salvation, and music.

In an age of miracles where our greatest heroes from history have magically, unexplainably returned to shake us out of our confusion and hate, Harriet Tubman is back, and she has a lot to say.

Harriet Tubman and four of the enslaved persons she led to freedom want to tell their story in a unique way—by following in the footsteps of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Harriet wants to put on a show about her life, and she needs a songwriter to help her.

She calls upon Darnell Williams, a once successful hip-hop producer who was topping the charts before being outed by a rival at the BET Awards. Darnell has no idea what to expect when he steps into the studio with Harriet, only that they have one week to write a Broadway caliber musical she can take on the road. Over the course of their time together, they not only mount a show that will take the country by storm, but confront the horrors of both their pasts, and learn to find a way to a better future.

Original, evocative, and historic, Harriet Live in Concert is a landmark achievement that will burrow deep into our hearts (and ears).]]> 240 Bob the Drag Queen 166806197X Janelle 0 to-read 4.10 2025 Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert
author: Bob the Drag Queen
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Man Made of Smoke 217387838 The latest gripping serial killer thriller from the New York Times bestselling author Alex North.

Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child—narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims. So when his father passes away under suspicious circumstances, Dan revisits his small island community, determined to uncover the truth about his death. Is it possible that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmares has returned after all these years?

With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.]]> 320 Alex North 1250757894 Janelle 0 to-read 4.25 2025 The Man Made of Smoke
author: Alex North
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> This Book Will Bury Me 213570821 From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...


]]> 480 Ashley Winstead 1728270006 Janelle 0 to-read 3.72 2025 This Book Will Bury Me
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Slow Burner 54386799
Liz Kelsey promised herself she’d never again spy on her feckless husband, Phil. But then she discovers a string of suggestive texts on his secret burner phone. Even worse, he’s flirting with the woman who shook their unstable marriage once before. But knowledge is power. What’s more dangerous—what Liz knows or what Phil doesn’t know?

Laura Lippman’s Slow Burner is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.]]> 38 Laura Lippman 1542022177 Janelle 5 3.85 2020 Slow Burner
author: Laura Lippman
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: adult, audiobook, kindle-unlimited, mystery, short-fiction, thriller
review:
An INCREDIBLY satisfying short story about a wife watching her husband’s affair unfold via burner phone, and the voyeuristic role she plays in it. It’s full of pain and betrayal but maaaaan the climax is wild.
]]> The Gift 54419359
It’s dreaded news for actress Lyla McCord and her husband, Nolan. Their eight-year-old daughter has vanished. To find her, Nolan reaches out to a psychic gifted with uncanny visions about the lost girl. But Lyla thinks she sees right through him. Is he a con artist or the real thing? Either way, he might be telling the truth. And that’s too frightening for Lyla to bear.

Alison Gaylin’s The Gift is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.]]> 28 Alison Gaylin 1542015294 Janelle 4 3.65 2020 The Gift
author: Alison Gaylin
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: audiobook, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, thriller
review:
Genuinely bummed this wasn’t longer! I’m not normally one for stories with actor/celebrity POVs but I was soooo here for how calculating Lyla was
]]> <![CDATA[The Monkey (Skeleton Crew, #3)]]> 43456399
The Monkey (Stephen King) In Stephen King's story of the same name, The Monkey is an enigmatic toy that brings doom every time it claps its cymbals together. It serves as one of King's notable short story monsters and appears on many covers of Skeleton Crew.]]> 52 Stephen King Janelle 4 3.50 1980 The Monkey (Skeleton Crew, #3)
author: Stephen King
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: adult, ebook, horror, short-fiction
review:
After finishing the movie and realising it was based on a King short story, I thought “of course it bloody is - things that just make sense
]]> Cold Storage 43229556 Jurassic Park: a wild and terrifying adventure about three strangers who must work together to contain a highly contagious, deadly organism.

When Pentagon bioterror operative Roberto Diaz was sent to investigate a suspected biochemical attack, he found something far worse: a highly mutative organism capable of extinction-level destruction. He contained it and buried it in cold storage deep beneath a little-used military repository.

Now, after decades of festering in a forgotten sub-basement, the specimen has found its way out and is on a lethal feeding frenzy. Only Diaz knows how to stop it.

He races across the country to help two unwitting security guards—one an ex-con, the other a single mother. Over one harrowing night, the unlikely trio must figure out how to quarantine this horror again. All they have is luck, fearlessness, and a mordant sense of humor.ĚýWill that be enough to save all of humanity?]]> 308 David Koepp 0062916432 Janelle 0 to-read 3.66 2019 Cold Storage
author: David Koepp
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tales from the Loop (Tales from the Loop, #1)]]> 27404461
Simon Stålenhag’s paintings of Swedish 1980s suburbia, populated by fantastic machines and strange beasts, have spread like wildfire on the Internet. The 2015 Kickstarter for the English version of the book raised over $320,000. Stålenhag’s portrayal of a childhood against a backdrop of old Volvo cars and coveralls, combined with strange and mystical machines, creates a unique atmosphere that is both instantly recognizable and utterly alien.

In this top-quality artbook, Simon Stålenhag’s first set of paintings are collected in book form—together with texts that tell the stories of the youth who lived in the shadows of the machines. In addition, three separate prints (format 260×230 mm) as well as a full-color map (format 520x340mm) of the land of The Loop are included in the book.]]> 128 Simon Stålenhag 9187222213 Janelle 0 to-read 4.29 2014 Tales from the Loop (Tales from the Loop, #1)
author: Simon StĂĄlenhag
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Electric State 39406558
In late 1997, a runaway teenager and her small yellow toy robot travel west through a strange American landscape where the ruins of gigantic battle drones litter the countryside, along with the discarded trash of a high-tech consumerist society addicted to a virtual-reality system. As they approach the edge of the continent, the world outside the car window seems to unravel at an ever faster pace, as if somewhere beyond the horizon, the hollow core of civilization has finally caved in.]]> 144 Simon StĂĄlenhag 1471176088 Janelle 0 to-read 4.49 2017 The Electric State
author: Simon StĂĄlenhag
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Woman Who Fooled the World: Belle Gibson's Cancer Con, and the Darkness at the Heart of the Wellness Industry]]> 36579192 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781925548594.

Belle Gibson convinced the world she had healed herself of terminal brain cancer by eating a healthy diet. She built a global business based on her story. There was just one problem: she never had cancer in the first place.

In 2015, journalists uncovered the truth behind Gibson’s lies. This hero of the wellness world, with more than 200,000 followers, international book deals, and a best-selling mobile app, was a fraud. She had lied about having cancer--to her family and friends, to her business partners and publishers, and to the hundreds of thousands of people who were inspired by her, including real cancer survivors.

Written by the two journalists who uncovered the details of Gibson’s deception, The Woman Who Fooled the World tracks the 23-year-old's rise to fame and fall from grace. Told through interviews with the people who know her best, it explores the lure of alternative cancer treatments, exposes the darkness at the heart of the wellness and "clean eating" movements, and reveals just how easy it is to manipulate people on social media.

With the idea of clean eating now routinely debunked by dietary experts, and growing skepticism about the authenticity of what we read online, The Woman Who Fooled the World is a timely and important book that answers not just how, but why, Gibson was able to fool so many.]]> 322 Beau Donelly Janelle 0 to-read 4.16 2017 The Woman Who Fooled the World: Belle Gibson's Cancer Con, and the Darkness at the Heart of the Wellness Industry
author: Beau Donelly
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Dream Hotel 228750529
But as Sara arrives to be monitored alongside other dangerous dreamers, she discovers that with every deviation from the facility’s strict and ever-shifting rules, their stays can be extended � and that getting home to her family is going to cost much more than just three weeks of good behaviour . . .

The Dream Hotel is a gripping speculative mystery about the seductive dangers of the technologies that are supposed to make our lives easier. As terrifying as it is inventive, it explores how well we can ever truly know those around us � even with the most invasive surveillance systems in place.]]> 336 Laila Lalami 1526685191 Janelle 0 to-read 3.78 2025 The Dream Hotel
author: Laila Lalami
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Wolf Tree 216162013 A gripping and atmospheric debut crime thriller set on an isolated Scottish island ... where outsiders are not welcome.


"There's always someone whispering about something."

On a small island off the coast of Scotland, an isolated community is grieving. Eighteen-year-old Alan Ferguson was found at the foot of the lighthouse - an apparent suicide.

DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart are sent to investigate. A raging storm keeps them trapped on the island for four days. And the locals don't take kindly to mainlanders.

As George and Ritchie question the island's inhabitants, they discover a village filled with superstition and shrouded in secrets.

But someone wants those secrets to stay buried. At any cost.]]> Laura McCluskey 1460717341 Janelle 0 to-read 3.91 2025 The Wolf Tree
author: Laura McCluskey
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wild Dark Shore 211004089
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.

Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.]]> 303 Charlotte McConaghy 1250827957 Janelle 0 to-read 4.30 2025 Wild Dark Shore
author: Charlotte McConaghy
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Battle Royale 57891 624 Koushun Takami 156931778X Janelle 0 currently-reading 4.26 1999 Battle Royale
author: Koushun Takami
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Let Them Theory 216351768
If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn't you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words�Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.

In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins�New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can't control and start focusing on what truly YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.

Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that's made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. Within a few pages, you'll realize how much energy and time you've been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.

Written as an easy-to-understand guide, Robbins shares relatable stories from her own life, highlights key takeaways, relevant research and introduces you to world-renowned experts in psychology, neuroscience, relationships, happiness, and ancient wisdom who champion The Let Them Theory every step of the way.

Learn how

Stop wasting energy on things you can't control Stop comparing yourself to other peopleBreak free from fear and self-doubtRelease the grip of people's expectationsBuild the best friendships of your lifeCreate the love you deservePursue what truly matters to you with confidenceBuild resilience against everyday stressors and distractionsDefine your own path to success, joy, and fulfillment. . . and so much more.

The Let Them Theory will forever change the way you think about relationships, control, and personal power. Whether you want to advance your career, motivate others to change, take creative risks, find deeper connections, build better habits, start a new chapter, or simply create more happiness in your life and relationships, this book gives you the mindset and tools to unlock your full potential.

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory now and discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words.]]> 311 Mel Robbins 1401971377 Janelle 0 currently-reading 4.19 2024 The Let Them Theory
author: Mel Robbins
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Naughty List (Naughtier and Naughtier, #1)]]> 203112353 Ella, a desperate, newly single goth girl with a mountain of debt, would do anything to see her parents this Christmas� the problem is, her parents live on the other side of the world.

So, when she’s granted access to The Naughty List � a marketplace for dirty proposals from rich strangers � she opts to take everything and anything she can get.

She thinks she’s a good player, getting five-star reviews like a good girl and climbing the ranks � until she stumbles onto The Naughty List’s most daring group of all�

The Hardcorers.

Players who will fulfil any proposal clients ask them to, just so long as the price is right.

Can Ella be one? Can she really climb The Naughty List right the way to the top of the tree?

The idea gets even more thrilling when she meets Weston� the hottest Hardcorer of them all.

As it turns out, maybe it’s not just money that Ella’s truly desperate for this Christmas�

´ˇłÜłŮłó´Ç°ů’s This spicy, Christmas, full-length standalone novel is jam packed full to the brim of dirty Christmas presents for you. Please proceed with caution. Believe me, this isn’t just about kisses under the mistletoe!]]> 274 Jade West Janelle 3 3.87 2023 The Naughty List (Naughtier and Naughtier, #1)
author: Jade West
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: adult, audiobook, books-i-own, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, smut
review:
Not a remotely realistic view of full service sex work, but if you can ignore that it’s just a fun smutty romp during the Christmas season. Not a romance and no HEA (but a budding romance on the horizon for book 2), just a lot of sex posi fun.
]]> Murder at the Royal Ruby 174670253 27 Nita Prose Janelle 3 3.14 2023 Murder at the Royal Ruby
author: Nita Prose
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.14
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: adult, audiobook, kindle-unlimited, murder-mystery, mystery, short-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[There's a Giant Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed (Dark Corners Collection, #3)]]> 41561433
It’s bad enough that its venom-dripping chelicerae can slice through flesh like warm butter. Worse? It’s right there under the bunk. It’s a fact now. To make it through the night, the children must obey the don’t get out of bed, stay out of the shadows, and don’t wake the beast. But as the threats multiply, so do the rules of survival. And with the safety of dawn still hours away, the fun is just beginning.

Edgar Cantero’s There’s a Giant Trapdoor Spider under Your Bed is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.]]> 24 Edgar Cantero 1542090423 Janelle 2 2.85 2018 There's a Giant Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed (Dark Corners Collection, #3)
author: Edgar Cantero
name: Janelle
average rating: 2.85
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: adult, audiobook, horror, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction
review:
Meh. Boring story about a kids� sleepover that was basically HP boggart fanfiction.
]]> The Mosquito 174670391 32 B.A. Paris 1662513534 Janelle 4
It’s not a full 4 stars because it’s so unbelievable that people would let their friend be SO insufferably rude without saying anything earlier. I get it’s meant to be annoying like the mosquito, but it was absurd at times. ]]> 3.59 2023 The Mosquito
author: B.A. Paris
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: adult, audiobook, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, thriller
review:
3.5 stars. A deliberately annoying read with a satisfying conclusion.

It’s not a full 4 stars because it’s so unbelievable that people would let their friend be SO insufferably rude without saying anything earlier. I get it’s meant to be annoying like the mosquito, but it was absurd at times.
]]> Never Let Me Go 6334
Within the grounds of Hailsham, Kathy grows from schoolgirl to young woman, but it’s only when she and her friends Ruth and Tommy leave the safe grounds of the school (as they always knew they would) that they realize the full truth of what Hailsham is.

Never Let Me Go breaks through the boundaries of the literary novel. It is a gripping mystery, a beautiful love story, and also a scathing critique of human arrogance and a moral examination of how we treat the vulnerable and different in our society. In exploring the themes of memory and the impact of the past, Ishiguro takes on the idea of a possible future to create his most moving and powerful book to date.]]> 288 Kazuo Ishiguro 1400078776 Janelle 0 kindle-audible-tbr 3.85 2005 Never Let Me Go
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: kindle-audible-tbr
review:

]]> Lord of the Flies 40542121 189 William Golding Janelle 3 3.76 1954 Lord of the Flies
author: William Golding
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1954
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: audiobook, classics, library-book, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 382 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Janelle 4 4.64 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: audiobook, books-i-own, dystopian, young-adult
review:

]]> The Westing Game 902 182 Ellen Raskin 014240120X Janelle 0 to-read 4.00 1978 The Westing Game
author: Ellen Raskin
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Their Monstrous Hearts 212431583 A haunting novel about the boundaries people will cross to keep their dreams alive.

A mysterious stranger shows up at Riccardo’s apartment with some news: his grandmother Perihan has died, and Riccardo has inherited her villa in Milan along with her famed butterfly collection.

The struggling writer is out of options. He’s hoping the change of scenery in Milan will inspire him, and maybe there will be some money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. The butterflies pinned in their glass cases seem more ominous than artful. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse.

As Riccardo explores the decrepit estate, he stumbles upon Perihan’s diary, which might hold the key to her mysterious death. Or at least give him the inspiration he needs to finish his manuscript.

But he might not survive long enough to write it.

]]> 320 YiÄźit Turhan 0778368270 Janelle 0 to-read 3.52 2025 Their Monstrous Hearts
author: YiÄźit Turhan
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Bad Friend 198712882 Secrets, betrayal, and jealousy are at the heart of a friendship in an unnerving short story about truth and self-deception by Caroline Kepnes, the New York Times bestselling author of You.

Ellen has a lot to be thankful for. Her fiancé, Troy, is perfectly sweet. Her childhood friend Tanya, despite her edgier taste in men, is like a sister to her closest friend—and rival. So familiar and yet, over the years, so many secrets between them. For Ellen, what lies ahead is a series of choices that will add up to a life she never could have imagined.

Caroline Kepnes’s The Bad Friend is part of Never Tell, a heart-pounding collection of stories about secrets, lies, and mind games. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Just keep the endings to yourself.]]> 44 Caroline Kepnes 1662518617 Janelle 0 to-read 3.21 2024 The Bad Friend
author: Caroline Kepnes
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)]]> 51901147
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]> 541 Suzanne Collins Janelle 5 Reread 16 March 2025

Bumping this up to 5 stars from 4 stars, because maaaaan it's such a well-crafted book.


Initial read 18 August 2023

Took me three false starts before I finally got into this because Snow is *that* unlikeable, but I was surprisingly engrossed by the end! I get why people hate this though - it’s slow, he’s such a whiney entitled narcissist, and you know he turns into basically the worst person alive. Hardly a morally grey villain you can sympathise with.

But I was surprised at how much there was packed into this. We get a bit of romance (though not a HEA, obviously), a Hunger Games, some District life, academy life (which I didn’t hate even though I hate that trope???), and a lot of political machination.

It was slow and draining in parts though, and Ms Collins this absolutely did not need to be so long!

Pumped to see the movie though - and the trailer is fully the reason why I bothered to pick this up again and give it a final shot.

4 stars]]> 3.99 2020 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: adapted, audiobook, dystopian, young-adult
review:
Reread 16 March 2025

Bumping this up to 5 stars from 4 stars, because maaaaan it's such a well-crafted book.


Initial read 18 August 2023

Took me three false starts before I finally got into this because Snow is *that* unlikeable, but I was surprisingly engrossed by the end! I get why people hate this though - it’s slow, he’s such a whiney entitled narcissist, and you know he turns into basically the worst person alive. Hardly a morally grey villain you can sympathise with.

But I was surprised at how much there was packed into this. We get a bit of romance (though not a HEA, obviously), a Hunger Games, some District life, academy life (which I didn’t hate even though I hate that trope???), and a lot of political machination.

It was slow and draining in parts though, and Ms Collins this absolutely did not need to be so long!

Pumped to see the movie though - and the trailer is fully the reason why I bothered to pick this up again and give it a final shot.

4 stars
]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 7260188 My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.]]> 390 Suzanne Collins 0439023513 Janelle 3 young-adult, adapted, rereads ***Reread 15 March 2025***

The fact that this book is single POV always pisses me off because all the most exciting parts happen off page in another room ]]> 4.10 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: young-adult, adapted, rereads
review:
***Reread 15 March 2025***

The fact that this book is single POV always pisses me off because all the most exciting parts happen off page in another room
]]> <![CDATA[While the Duke Was Sleeping (The Rogue Files, #1)]]> 28925148 Sometimes the man of your dreams . . .

Shop girl Poppy Fairchurch knows it’s pointless fantasizing about the Duke of Autenberry. Still, dreams can’t hurt anyone . . . unlike the carriage Poppy spies bearing down upon the unsuspecting duke. After she pulls him to safety, the duke lapses into a coma and Poppy is mistaken for his fiancĂ©e. But one person isn’t fooled:Ěýhis arrogant and much too handsome half-brother, Struan Mackenzie. Soon Poppy isn’t sure what she wants more . . . the fantasy of her duke or the reality of one smoldering Scot who challenges her at every turn.

. . . is not who you think.

An illegitimate second son, Struan may have built an empire and established himself as one of the wealthiest men in Britain, but he knows he will always be an outsider among the ton. Just like he knows the infuriating Poppy is a liar. There’s no way the haughty Duke of Autenberry would deign to wed a working class girl. It doesn’t matter how charming she is. Or tempting. Or how much Struan wants her for himself.]]> 367 Sophie Jordan 0062222546 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 3.62 2016 While the Duke Was Sleeping (The Rogue Files, #1)
author: Sophie Jordan
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> And Then There Were None 52255421 Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.

Agatha Christie’s world-famous mystery thriller, reissued with a striking cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.

Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide.

The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again� and again…]]> 258 Agatha Christie Janelle 5 4.27 1939 And Then There Were None
author: Agatha Christie
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1939
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: adult, classics, crime, ebook, library-book, murder-mystery, mystery, thriller
review:
Okay, Agatha went off with this one~
]]> <![CDATA[Oak Avenue (Dark Corners Collection, #7)]]> 41131903
While renovating her Victorian home, Ana Clementine finds an ornate door buried under forty years of earth. Once she restores it to the attic, she starts hearing whispers, her loving husband becomes a stranger, and her baby daughter learns a chilling new word. Maybe Ana has unlocked the house’s secrets. Or maybe she’s becoming just a little unhinged herself.

Brandi Reeds’s Oak Avenue is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.]]> 72 Brandi Reeds 1542090636 Janelle 1 3.60 2018 Oak Avenue (Dark Corners Collection, #7)
author: Brandi Reeds
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: adult, audiobook, horror, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction
review:
72 pages of a husband incessantly gaslighting his wife/the mother of his young child with ZERO pay off at the end. This just made me fucking angry.
]]> <![CDATA[Just Beyond the Light: Making Peace with the Wars Inside Our Head]]> 220050300 From the author ofĚý Dark DaysĚý and lead singer of long-running extreme metal band, Lamb of God, aĚýriveting and revelatory memoir about self-development and maintaining proper prospective through difficult times
Ěý
In his gripping, bestselling debut memoirĚýDark Days, Lamb of God vocalist D. Randall (Randy) Blythe unflinchingly wrote about some of the most harrowing episodes of his past.Ěý

Now, in his highly anticipated follow-upĚýJust Beyond the Light,ĚýBlythe shares how he works daily to maintain positivity in a world that feels like it is spinning out of control. In his own words,ĚýJust Beyond the LightĚýis a "tight, concise roadmap of how I have attempted to maintain what I believe to be a proper perspective in life, even during difficult times." Written with a scathing balance of hard-edged reality offset by a knowing humor and a razor-sharp wit, voiced in in his inimitable, conversational, everyman-philosopher style, Blythe clearly breaks down his approach to life, which is a personal and idiosyncratic mix of sobriety, art, and surfing. He writes movingly of his childhood in the South, of fallen friends, of what he’s learned touring the world as the vocalist of a successful heavy metal band, and of the very real ways he is doing what he can to leave the world a better place. Above all, he offers readers hope that balance, real balance, is possible, even (or especially) when things seem hopeless.Ěý
Ěý
Compelling, compassionate, and refreshingly honest,ĚýJust Beyond the LightĚýultimately reminds readers that “as long as we keep our feet (and minds) planted firmly on the ground that is reality, the sky isn’t fallingâ€� it never has been, and it never will.â€�
Ěý]]> 320 D. Randall Blythe 0306828189 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 4.28 Just Beyond the Light: Making Peace with the Wars Inside Our Head
author: D. Randall Blythe
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> Dark Days: A Memoir 18467740
On June 27, 2012, the long-running, hard-touring, and world-renowned metal band lamb of god landed in Prague for their first concert there in two years. Vocalist D. Randall "Randy" Blythe was looking forward to a few hours off--a rare break from the touring grind--in which to explore the elegant, old city. However, a surreal scenario worthy of Kafka began to play out at the airport as Blythe was detained, arrested for manslaughter, and taken to PankrĂ¡Prison--a notorious 123-year-old institution where the Nazis' torture units had set up camp during the German occupation of then-Czechoslovakia, and where today hundreds of prisoners are housed, awaiting trial and serving sentences in claustrophobic, sweltering, nightmare-inducing conditions.

Two years prior, a 19-year-old fan died of injuries suffered at a lamb of god show in Prague, allegedly after being pushed off stage by Blythe, who had no vivid recollection of the incident. Stage-crashing and -diving being not uncommon occurrences, as any veteran of hard rock, metal, and punk shows knows, the concert that could have left him imprisoned for years was but a vague blur in Blythe's memory, just one of the hundreds of shows his band had performed over their decades-long career.

At the time of his arrest Blythe had been sober for nearly two years, having finally gained the upper hand over the alcoholism that nearly killed him. But here he faced a new kind of jailed in a foreign land and facing a prison sentence of up to ten years. Worst of all, a young man was dead, and Blythe was devastated for him and his family, even as the reality of his own situation began to close in behind PankrĂ¡Prison's glowering walls of crumbling concrete and razor wire.

What transpired during Blythe's incarceration, trial, and eventual acquittal is a rock 'n' roll road story unlike any other, one that runs the gamut from tragedy to despair to hope and finally to redemption. While never losing sight of the sad gravity of his situation, Blythe relates the tale of his ordeal with one eye fixed firmly on the absurd (and at times bizarrely hilarious) circumstances he encountered along the way. Blythe is a natural storyteller and his voice drips with cutting humor, endearing empathy, and soulful insight. Much more than a tour diary or a prison memoir, Dark Days is D. Randall Blythe's own story about what went down--before, during, and after--told only as he can.]]> 496 D. Randall Blythe 0306823144 Janelle 0 currently-reading 4.55 2014 Dark Days: A Memoir
author: D. Randall Blythe
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream]]> 415459 I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream contains seven stories with copyrights ranging from 1958 through 1967. This edition contains the original introduction by Theodore Sturgeon and the original foreword by Harlan Ellison, along with a brief update comment by Ellison that was added in the 1983 edition. Among Ellison's more famous stories, two consistently noted as among his very best ever are the title story and the volume's concluding one, Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes.

Since Ellison himself strongly resists categorization of his work, we won't call them science fiction, or SF, or speculative fiction or horror or anything else except compelling reading experiences that are sui generis. They could only have been written by Harlan Ellison and they are incomparably original.

CONTENTS
"I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream"
"Big Sam Was My Friend"
"Eyes of Dust"
"World of the Myth"
"Lonelyache"
"Delusion for Dragonslayer"
"Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes"]]> 134 Harlan Ellison 0441363954 Janelle 5 exactly the brand of sci-fi meets cosmic horror that I was after!


(Yes it's woefully outdated and misogynistic; thankfully the version I read was updated to be slightly less awful lmao) ]]> 3.93 1967 I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
author: Harlan Ellison
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1967
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: adult, audiobook, classics, sci-fi, short-fiction, artificial-intelligence, horror
review:
This is exactly the brand of sci-fi meets cosmic horror that I was after!


(Yes it's woefully outdated and misogynistic; thankfully the version I read was updated to be slightly less awful lmao)
]]> <![CDATA[Love the Way You Lie (House of Crows, #4)]]> 57981141
Matthew, Claire, and Mason haven't been back to Merle House since the summer they were sixteen. They tried for years to put their history behind them, to forget the mystery of the girl who vanished so long ago. But a powerful force from their past is still at play. This time, there's no hiding from it.

Love the Way You Lie is part of House of Crows, a four-part serial about friends with a shard history of darkness. They've spent their lives running, but they can no longer hide from the past. Each story can be read or listened to in a single haunted sitting.]]> 91 Lisa Unger 1542027306 Janelle 3 Climax? What climax? 4.02 2021 Love the Way You Lie (House of Crows, #4)
author: Lisa Unger
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: adult, audiobook, gothic, horror, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction
review:
Climax? What climax?
]]> <![CDATA[Circling the Drain (House of Crows, #3)]]> 57981221
Mason Brandt dropped out of seminary and found a job at a spiritual center offering guidance to troubled teens. Mason was on himself years ago - a suspect in a young girl's disappearance. When a female student is found murdered. Mason is dogged by suspicion and flees. He hopes Merle House will offer him sanctuary once again.

Circling the Drain is part of House of Crows, a four-part serial about friends with a shared history of darkness. They've spent their lives running, but they can no longer hide from the past. Each story can be read or listened to in a single haunted sitting.]]> 70 Lisa Unger 1542027292 Janelle 4 3.91 2021 Circling the Drain (House of Crows, #3)
author: Lisa Unger
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: adult, audiobook, gothic, horror, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction
review:
Ooooookay it’s starting to get zesty now
]]> <![CDATA[Fog Descending (House of Crows, #2)]]> 57966605
Driven by an uncanny mystery from his youth, Ian Randall became a “spiritual cleanser,� ridding disturbances from homes. But his belief in the beyond was challenged by his wife’s death. Merle House, the root of Ian’s obsession, could change that. The woods are restless again. Maybe here, Ian will find what he needs—if he’s willing to make a deal with the dark.

Fog Descending is part of House of Crows, a four-part serial about friends with a shared history of darkness. They’ve spent their lives running, but they can no longer hide from the past. Each story can be read or listened to in a single haunted sitting.]]> 70 Lisa Unger 1542027284 Janelle 3 3.90 2021 Fog Descending (House of Crows, #2)
author: Lisa Unger
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: adult, audiobook, gothic, horror, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction
review:
Honestly not much happened here, besides introducing Ian
]]> <![CDATA[All My Darkest Impulses (House of Crows, #1)]]> 57981429
For disgraced professor Matthew Merle, the inheritance of his grandfather's crumbling mansion is both a burden and an offer of safe haven. His childhood friend Claire, a psychiatrist, desperately needs a haven of her own after one of her patients unleashes his dark side. At turning points in their lives, it's inevitable that they should return to the past. And to Merle House. It's been waiting for them.

All My Darkest Impulses is part of House of Crows, a four-part serial about friends with a shard history of darkness. They've spent their lives running, but they can not longer hide from the past. Each story can be read or listened to in a single haunted sitting.]]> 63 Lisa Unger 1542027276 Janelle 3 3.77 2021 All My Darkest Impulses (House of Crows, #1)
author: Lisa Unger
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: ebook, gothic, horror, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction
review:
The writing is a liiiittle inelegant in parts, but it’s a decent first serial. I haven’t read anything speculative from Lisa Unger (that I can recall), but I’m intrigued by this premise! Has a bit of a King feel to it.
]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Janelle 4 **Reread April 2023**

Interestingly, things I didn’t like about this book on my first read are now things that I really enjoy!

I originally loathed all the everyday life leading up to the Quell, but in this read I think I enjoyed it even more than the games!

I also found myself wishing the Quell were far longer and that we got to see more of it! It feels like the Quarter Quell is 3 hours long before shit goes to hell and the book is over. I could’ve used a whole book of just the games ]]> 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: young-adult, adapted, audiobook, dystopian, rereads
review:
**Reread April 2023**

Interestingly, things I didn’t like about this book on my first read are now things that I really enjoy!

I originally loathed all the everyday life leading up to the Quell, but in this read I think I enjoyed it even more than the games!

I also found myself wishing the Quell were far longer and that we got to see more of it! It feels like the Quarter Quell is 3 hours long before shit goes to hell and the book is over. I could’ve used a whole book of just the games
]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins 0439023483 Janelle 4 ***Reread March 2023

Honestly this was still a 3.5 star read, but the recent nostalgia and throwbacks on Twitter (which I assume are driven by the President Snow book/adaptation) had me wanting to pick this up again.

And let me tell you, I was even more infuriated realising that Katniss says in the first chapter that she doesn't want to marry or have kids. And the author would later go on and give us the ending she did? Girl, what the fuck.

I still feel like this would've been a more impactful read for me if I'd picked it up before watching Battle Royale, or before I read Uglies - because that series really kicked off my journey into dystopian YA.

***First read April 2012

Only hiding the initial review behind a spoiler tag because it's so fkn long

[spoilers removed]]]> 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: young-adult, adapted, audiobook, dystopian, rereads
review:
***Reread March 2023

Honestly this was still a 3.5 star read, but the recent nostalgia and throwbacks on Twitter (which I assume are driven by the President Snow book/adaptation) had me wanting to pick this up again.

And let me tell you, I was even more infuriated realising that Katniss says in the first chapter that she doesn't want to marry or have kids. And the author would later go on and give us the ending she did? Girl, what the fuck.

I still feel like this would've been a more impactful read for me if I'd picked it up before watching Battle Royale, or before I read Uglies - because that series really kicked off my journey into dystopian YA.

***First read April 2012

Only hiding the initial review behind a spoiler tag because it's so fkn long

[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[The Killer in the Snow (DI James Walker, #2)]]> 57652957 The first fall of snow can be fatal�

A year has passed since DI James Walker cracked his biggest case yet, and he’s hoping for peace and quiet this festive season.

But across the fells, a local farmer returns home on Christmas Eve to find footsteps in the fresh snow that lead down to his unused basement � and no footsteps leading away. Days later, his body is found, alongside those of his wife and daughter.

Without a neighbour for miles, there are no witnesses and little evidence. And the crime scene has strange echoes of another terrible murder committed at the farmhouse, twenty years earlier�
Ěý
James knows that to catch this killer, he needs to solve a case that has long since gone cold�]]> 403 Alex Pine 0008453381 Janelle 2 3.88 2021 The Killer in the Snow (DI James Walker, #2)
author: Alex Pine
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: adult, audiobook, crime, library-book, thriller
review:
2.5 stars. Not especially exciting and not very Christmassy either.
]]> The Trap 75634216 From award-winning, internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes The Trap: an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the 90s, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.

One year ago, Lucy’s sister, Nicki, left to meet friends at a pub in Dublin and never came home. The third Irish woman to vanish inexplicably in as many years, the agony of not knowing what happened that night has turned Lucy’s life into a waking nightmare. So, she’s going to take matters into her own hands.

Angela works as a civilian paper-pusher in the Missing Persons Unit, but wants nothing more than to be a fully-fledged member of An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force. With the official investigation into the missing women stalled, she begins pulling on a thread that could break the case wide open—and destroy her chances of ever joining the force.

A nameless man drives through the night, his latest victim in the back seat. He’s going to tell her everything, from the beginning. And soon, she’ll realize: what you don’t know can hurt you …]]> 263 Catherine Ryan Howard 1982694718 Janelle 4
The first half was really gripping - which is rare for me when it’s a police procedural - but the second half went in a few different directions and didn’t give me the closure I needed. I needed a stronger sense of justice at the end, and for me personally, this isn’t the type of story that benefits from ambiguity or leaving it up to the reader’s imagination.

There are some interesting concepts in here, but I’d recommend The Nothing Man over this. ]]> 3.52 2023 The Trap
author: Catherine Ryan Howard
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars.

The first half was really gripping - which is rare for me when it’s a police procedural - but the second half went in a few different directions and didn’t give me the closure I needed. I needed a stronger sense of justice at the end, and for me personally, this isn’t the type of story that benefits from ambiguity or leaving it up to the reader’s imagination.

There are some interesting concepts in here, but I’d recommend The Nothing Man over this.
]]> The Doll's House 217442094 A widowed mother, ready to give love another chance, moves into her fiancé’s old family home with her teenage daughter. But as they try to build a future together, the past refuses to let go in this haunting short story from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

When Jules first meets the handsome artist Kirin, she’s still mourning her husband’s death, but a fairytale romance soon sweeps her off her feet. Now she and her daughter Scout are moving out of the city and into Kirin’s once-lonely mansion. He’s thoughtfully updated and adapted the home to match their personalities. But Scout is determined to keep her father’s memory alive by rejecting the new life her mother and Kirin have spun for her.

Scout’s sullenness begins to fade, though, when she finds a beautiful handmade doll in one of the many empty rooms in the house. Kirin says that the doll belonged to his late sister and he’d like Scout to have it. Scout’s hopeful for a connection over their shared grief, but as she grows more curious about Kirin’s sister, she can’t escape the feeling that a danger lurks in the house…and its gaze is fixed on her mother.]]> 98 Lisa Unger 1662518323 Janelle 2 3.74 The Doll's House
author: Lisa Unger
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.74
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: adult, audiobook, ghosts, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, thriller
review:
Too short to really accomplish anything it sets out to do. Some interesting concepts here (a smart house, creepy dolls, sleepwalking, a creepy garden, gaslighting, ghosts) but there just isn’t enough time to execute any of it well.
]]> <![CDATA[Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham, #1)]]> 60879779
I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let's get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Me]]> 371 Benjamin Stevenson 0063279029 Janelle 3
I’d definitely watch a tv/film adaptation though! ]]> 3.75 2022 Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham, #1)
author: Benjamin Stevenson
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/08
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: adult, audiobook, aussie-authors, books-i-own, murder-mystery, mystery
review:
Not badly written at all, but this satirical meta tone didn’t work for me personally, and I wasn’t invested in any of the characters. As someone who devours thrillers i thought I’d love it, but sadly sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.

I’d definitely watch a tv/film adaptation though!
]]> We Used to Live Here 199798006
As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

This unputdownable and spine-tingling novel “is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by a spiral of terror. We Used to Live Here will haunt you even after you have finished it� (Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender Is the Flesh).]]> 312 Marcus Kliewer 1982198788 Janelle 0 to-read 3.67 2024 We Used to Live Here
author: Marcus Kliewer
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Creeper 205169429 Victim ... or killer?

For the last decade, the small mountain town of Edenville in Victoria’s high country has been haunted by the horrific murders of five hikers up on Jagged Ridge.

Also found dead near the scene was Bill â€Creeperâ€� Durant, a bushland loner, expert deer-hunter, and a man with a known reputation for stalking campers . . .

murder-suicide. Case closed.

But as the ten-year anniversary of the massacre draws near, Detective Constable Sally White � the only officer at Edenville’s modest police station � finds herself drawn into the dark world of the notorious Durant family.

Lex Durant, in particular, has started to publicly protest his brother's innocence and accuse the police of persecution.

As Sally combs the investigation to prove him wrong, it becomes all too clear that each murdered hiker had skeletons in their closet - and possible enemies in their past . . .]]> 343 Margaret Hickey 1761342045 Janelle 3
There were too many characters to keep track of and the way the killer was connected to multiple people wasn't convincing or fleshed out well enough.

Most of this book is just cop Sally running around being a dumbass. ]]> 4.04 2024 The Creeper
author: Margaret Hickey
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: adult, audiobook, aussie-authors, aussie-noir, library-book, thriller
review:
If you're gonna write a book based on the Button Man and the murders of Carol Clay and Russell Hill, at least make it interesting.

There were too many characters to keep track of and the way the killer was connected to multiple people wasn't convincing or fleshed out well enough.

Most of this book is just cop Sally running around being a dumbass.
]]> Artificial Wisdom 197491143
A whistleblower pulls Tully into a murder investigation at the centre of an election battle for a global dictator, with a mandate to prevent a climate apocalypse. A former US President campaigns against the first AI politician for the position, but someone is trying to sway the outcome.

Tully must convince the world to face the truth and make hard choices about the future of the species. But will humanity ultimately choose salvation over freedom, whatever the cost?

An enthralling murder mystery with a vividly realised future world, forcing readers to grapple with hard hitting questions about the climate crisis, our relationship with Artificial Intelligence and the price we'd be willing to pay, as a species, to be saved. Perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, Harlan Coben, Neal Stephenson, Philip K. Dick, Kim Stanley Robinson and RR Haywood.]]> 433 Thomas R. Weaver 1739434307 Janelle 0 to-read 3.96 2023 Artificial Wisdom
author: Thomas R. Weaver
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Home Is Where the Bodies Are 194020321
After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.

While going through their parent’s belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.

Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.]]> 256 Jeneva Rose Janelle 0 to-read 3.77 2024 Home Is Where the Bodies Are
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> My Darling Girl 207297848
Alison has never been a fan of Christmas. But with it right around the corner and her husband busily decorating their cozy Vermont home, she has no choice but to face it. Then she gets the call.

Mavis, Alison’s estranged mother, has been diagnosed with cancer and has only weeks to live. She wants to spend her remaining days with her daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. But Alison grew up with her mother’s alcoholism and violent abuse and is reluctant to unearth these traumatic memories. Still, she eventually agrees to take in Mavis, hoping that she and her mother could finally heal and have the relationship she’s always dreamed of.

But when mysterious and otherworldly things start happening upon Mavis’s arrival, Alison begins to suspect her mother is not quite who she seems. And as the holiday festivities turn into a nightmare, she must confront just how far she is willing to go to protect her family.]]> 336 Jennifer McMahon 1668019078 Janelle 4
I wish it had gone harder and spent more time on the creepy stuff, the spouse gaslighting, and the exploration of child abuse/elder abuse. It was very cinematic and entertaining regardless. ]]> 3.67 2023 My Darling Girl
author: Jennifer McMahon
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: adult, audiobook, demons-and-devils, horror, library-book
review:
Somewhat predictable in the way it turned out, but a nonetheless entertaining toxic mother x possession story!

I wish it had gone harder and spent more time on the creepy stuff, the spouse gaslighting, and the exploration of child abuse/elder abuse. It was very cinematic and entertaining regardless.
]]> Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six 60023131 to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller.

What could be more restful than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s generous brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It'll be three couples on this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R.

But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare.

A deadly storm is brewing.ĚýThe rental host seems just a little too present.ĚýThe personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history.ĚýAnd the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep.

How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?]]> 396 Lisa Unger 077833323X Janelle 3
It’s a middling thriller about genealogy and nature vs nurture. The setup Lisa Unger does around the Airbnb is so pointless.

Rating it 3 stars rather than 2 because Lisa Unger’s writing style is so easy and quick to breeze thru. ]]> 3.38 2022 Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
author: Lisa Unger
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: adult, audiobook, library-book, thriller
review:
Honestly this book could’ve been set anywhere, it didn’t have to be touted as an isolation/locked room thriller because it wasn’t.

It’s a middling thriller about genealogy and nature vs nurture. The setup Lisa Unger does around the Airbnb is so pointless.

Rating it 3 stars rather than 2 because Lisa Unger’s writing style is so easy and quick to breeze thru.
]]> The Twelve Days of Murder 176443182
Twelve years ago, eight friends ran an exclusive group at The Masquerade Murder Society. The mysteries they solved may have been grisly, and brilliantly staged, but they were always fictional—until their final Christmas Masquerade, when one of the group disappeared, never to be seen again.

Now our young, privileged cast of old university friends are summoned to the depths of Scotland for a Christmas-themed masquerade party. But all are hiding something deep below the surface that could make or break their careers. Charley is a struggling actress who has always been on the periphery of this high-flying group, but has decided to reunite with her frenemies on the promise of career help if she joins the old cast for one last weekend.

When they arrive each is assigned a new identity themed around the "Twelve Days of Christmas"—they become Lady Partridge or Mr. Gold; Lord Leapworth or Doctor Swan. The game begins, and it feels just like old times. Until the next morning, when Lady Partridge is found hanging—dead—from a pear tree.

It quickly becomes clear that in this game the murder will be all too real, and the story is bringing long-hidden secrets to the surface. Will Charley’s discerning eye and outsider status allow her to uncover the truth, or will she, too, fall prey to the murderer among them?

If the group hopes to win the game and survive until Christmas morning, they will need to face the truth about their history together and who they have become—and what really happened on that fateful night twelve years before.]]> 384 Andreina Cordani 1639366180 Janelle 5 3.61 2023 The Twelve Days of Murder
author: Andreina Cordani
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> Sky Full of Elephants 207293815 In this exquisite speculative novel set in a world where white people no longer exist, college professor Charlie Brunton receives a call from his estranged daughter Sidney, setting off a chain of events as they journey across a truly “post-racial� America in search of answers.

One day, a cataclysmic event occurs: all of the white people in America walk into the nearest body of water. A year later, Charles Brunton is a Black man living in an entirely new world. Having served time in prison for a wrongful conviction, he’s now a professor of electric and solar power systems at Howard University when he receives a call from someone he wasn’t even sure existed: his daughter Sidney, a nineteen-year-old who watched her white mother and step-family drown themselves in the lake behind their house.

Traumatized by the event, and terrified of the outside world, Sidney has spent a year in isolation in Wisconsin. Desperate for help, she turns to the father she never met, a man she has always resented. Sidney and Charlie meet for the first time as they embark on a journey across America headed for Alabama, where Sidney believes she may still have some family left. But neither Sidney or Charlie is prepared for this new world and how they see themselves in it.

When they enter the Kingdom of Alabama, everything Charlie and Sidney thought they knew about themselves, and the world, will be turned upside down. Brimming with heart and humor, Cebo Campbell’s astonishing debut novel is about the power of community and connection, about healing and self-actualization, and a reckoning with what it means to be Black in America, in both their world and ours.]]> 304 Cebo Campbell 1668034921 Janelle 0 to-read 3.82 2024 Sky Full of Elephants
author: Cebo Campbell
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Christmas Presents 122494784 Instead of presents this Christmas, one true crime podcaster is opening up a cold case�

When true crime podcaster Harley Granger drifts into Madeline Martin's bookshop days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up a past that Madeline would much rather forget.

Granger's work has earned him fame and wealth - and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Granger also has a lot of questions about the night Madeline was left for dead, the only surviving victim of killer Evan Handy.

Handy, who also murdered Madeline's best friend and is suspected in the disappearance of two local sisters, has been in jail for a decade. Since then, though, three other young women have gone missing in similar circumstances. Is the true predator still out there somewhere?

As Christmas approaches and a blizzard bears down, Madeline must confront the past to answer questions that have haunted her since that day. Is the truth more terrible than she ever imagined?

Coupling a picturesque, cosy setting with a deeply unsettling and suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal tale that can be enjoyed all year long.]]> 260 Lisa Unger 1613164513 Janelle 5
The characters are tangible, well fleshed out, and just feel like real people. The author does a great job capturing those high school jealousies, tensions, and first loves. I also really enjoyed how she showed a range of strained family relationships - less in a “Christmas is hard for some people� way, but more just showing that parents, partners, and friends are flawed and human.

I loved the town: the wintery small town vibes leaned creepy rather than cozy, which I was exactly in the mood for. It doesn’t lean suuuuper Christmassy but it’s definitely still a vibe.

This was just a banger ]]> 3.56 2023 Christmas Presents
author: Lisa Unger
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: adult, books-i-own, ebook, murder-mystery, thriller
review:
I guessed one of the reveals very early on, and yet I’m still giving this 5 stars for how engrossing and entertaining it was - I bought it this morning and read it in one sitting!

The characters are tangible, well fleshed out, and just feel like real people. The author does a great job capturing those high school jealousies, tensions, and first loves. I also really enjoyed how she showed a range of strained family relationships - less in a “Christmas is hard for some people� way, but more just showing that parents, partners, and friends are flawed and human.

I loved the town: the wintery small town vibes leaned creepy rather than cozy, which I was exactly in the mood for. It doesn’t lean suuuuper Christmassy but it’s definitely still a vibe.

This was just a banger
]]> The Christmas Guest 83814905 An American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family's Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village's grim history.

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma's aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she'd ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.]]> 96 Peter Swanson 0063297450 Janelle 4 3.58 2023 The Christmas Guest
author: Peter Swanson
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: adult, crime, ebook, library-book, thriller
review:
Fast, compulsively readable, and complete with an iconic Peter Swanson twist. I forgot how much I love his writing
]]> The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire 40852949
The Arsonist takes readers on the hunt for this man, and inside the strange puzzle of his mind. It is also the story of fire in this country, and of a community that owed its existence to that very element. The command of fire has defined and sustained us as a species � understanding its abuse will define our future.

A powerful real-life thriller written with Hooper’s trademark lyric detail and nuance, The Arsonist is a reminder that in an age of fire, all of us are gatekeepers.]]> 258 Chloe Hooper 0670078182 Janelle 4
I've read a bit about people with ABI/intellectual disabilities and how they're handled in the justice system, but nothing has laid the complexities out so clearly and succinctly as this. Chloe Hooper does a fantastic job at explaining how the accused operates, understands the world, and how other people viewed him, without veering toward "he's got autism, it's not his fault he set a fire and killed people".

Very complicated and nuanced. And it's got me feeling really fucking sad at the government selling Gippsland people on a better life through coal, only to leave the communities poisoned and forgotten. ]]> 4.04 2018 The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire
author: Chloe Hooper
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: aussie-authors, crime, non-fiction, library-book, autism, audiobook, disability-and-chronic-illness
review:
So glad I finally got round to this, as my first read for Non-Fiction November! What a thought-provoking insight into one of Australia's biggest tragedies and how it intersects with government apathy, bureaucratic ineptitude, and intellectual disability.

I've read a bit about people with ABI/intellectual disabilities and how they're handled in the justice system, but nothing has laid the complexities out so clearly and succinctly as this. Chloe Hooper does a fantastic job at explaining how the accused operates, understands the world, and how other people viewed him, without veering toward "he's got autism, it's not his fault he set a fire and killed people".

Very complicated and nuanced. And it's got me feeling really fucking sad at the government selling Gippsland people on a better life through coal, only to leave the communities poisoned and forgotten.
]]> Wild Place 58613694
But as dark secrets are revealed and consequences to past actions are faced, Tom learns that the only way out of the darkness is to walk deeper into it. Wild Place peels back the layers of suburbia, exposing what s hidden underneath guilt, desperation, violence and attempts to answer the question: Why do good people do bad things?

From the international bestseller Christian White, Wild Place is a white-knuckle descent into a street near you.]]> 384 Christian White 1922626805 Janelle 3 great at twists and hectic endings, but this felt like he just couldn't be arsed writing the fallout after this twist.

It was a quick read and an easy listen, but we never really got to to know this huge ensemble cast and it felt very surface level - like an outline or a first draft.]]> 3.79 2021 Wild Place
author: Christian White
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: adult, aussie-authors, audiobook, aussie-noir, library-book, mystery
review:
Christian White is great at twists and hectic endings, but this felt like he just couldn't be arsed writing the fallout after this twist.

It was a quick read and an easy listen, but we never really got to to know this huge ensemble cast and it felt very surface level - like an outline or a first draft.
]]> <![CDATA[The Nantucket Christmas Escape 5 (The Season Of Her Heart #5)]]> 220838839 The Holidays bring her back to Nantucket—could they also bring her a second chance?When a youthful fling went sour, Maddy Fisher abandoned Nantucket to find herself. Now a single parent at 38, an urgent plea from her ailing mother drags her back to her hometown to save the family shop from bankruptcy.

Maddy always had a strained relationship with her mother. But as she pours herself into running their business, she slowly begins to rediscover the cozy small-town charm of this chilly and stunningly peaceful island. And when she meets Ethan, a handsome property manager who’s new to the area, she has a blast sharing her childhood memories with him.

But after her mother hits her with life-changing news, Maddy is faced with an impossible choice about her future. Will her Christmas getaway convince her to forge a life in Nantucket for good? And will her second chance at dating blossom into enduring love?

With a charming tale about healing from the past, making new beginnings, and rediscovering the value of family & a sense of belonging, The Season Of Her Heart is a relaxing and endearing Christmas adventure that’s perfect for readers who love later-in-life clean romance with idyllic small-town settings.]]> 71 Grace Meyers Janelle 4
3.5 stars. ]]> 4.52 The Nantucket Christmas Escape 5 (The Season Of Her Heart #5)
author: Grace Meyers
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: adult, contemporary-romance, ebook, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, romance, short-fiction
review:
Ooops, I picked this up thinking it was a standalone entry within a Nantucket Christmas series - nope, it’s #5 of a serialised novella. Ah well, it read decently in a generic but pleasant Hallmark way.

3.5 stars.
]]> Holiday Hideaway 219754771 From New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews comes a charming holiday romance about a newly single thirtysomething whose unauthorized vacation rental turns into a hilarious game of hide-and-seek when the new owner unexpectedly shows up.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

George Holloway is here to sell his granduncle’s house—and to reconsider whether he and his fiancée are right for each other. Amid home repairs, George notices strange noises and missing food, but as much as he gets his rental agent on the phone, Tilly dodges every invitation to meet. He’s sure that someone’s here with him, and it’s certainly not the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future.

As Tilly and George circle each other, they both wonder where their lives are headed and if, maybe, meeting each other is just the Christmas miracle they need.]]> 72 Mary Kay Andrews 1662527004 Janelle 2
I was initially really stressed out by the squatting and hidden identity tropes, but thankfully they're over quickly and handled well because my anxious ass couldn't handle it being a big conflict. ]]> 3.62 2024 Holiday Hideaway
author: Mary Kay Andrews
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: adult, audiobook, contemporary-romance, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction
review:
Not even sure this really qualifies as a Happy For Now, because it really felt like a prequel or prologue. It's just a vignette showing two people about to get together; kind of a second chance romance as they knew each other in high school but have since dated and divorced other people.

I was initially really stressed out by the squatting and hidden identity tropes, but thankfully they're over quickly and handled well because my anxious ass couldn't handle it being a big conflict.
]]> <![CDATA[Slay All the Way (Silent Frights #1)]]> 219447327
𝔖𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔞’� 𝔤𝔬𝔱 𝔞 𝔫𝔢𝔴 𝔰𝔲𝔦𝔱, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔡 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔟𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡.

Killer clown, killer clown,
Stalking through the snow,
Ribbons tight, silent night,
Nowhere left to go.

Killer clown, killer clown,
On his blood-red sleigh,
You can't escape his twisted shape,
You’re all his to slay.

Blood-red bows, icy toes,
Underneath the tree,
With twisted glee, you’ll never be free,
His gift to you is he.]]> 114 Nova Kane 1068840358 Janelle 3
Santa Johnny was such a lame name for the MMC tho ]]> 3.94 Slay All the Way (Silent Frights #1)
author: Nova Kane
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: adult, dark-romance, ebook, holiday-romance, horror, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, smut
review:
Unhinged silly slutty slasher vibes, which is exactly what I wanted.

Santa Johnny was such a lame name for the MMC tho
]]> Mean One 221607654 revenge.


This is a dark romance/horror retelling of the Grinch. Please check triggers prior to reading. ]]> 98 Ab. Cynthe Janelle 3 3.51 Mean One
author: Ab. Cynthe
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.51
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: adult, ebook, holiday-romance, horror, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, smut
review:
This smutty Grinch slasher was terrible but damn was it entertaining at the same time
]]> <![CDATA[Sacked and Sleighed (Stolen Obsessions, #1.5)]]> 201967605 BiancaFor six years I’ve spent December dressing up as one of Santa’s elves and trying to make ends meet. I’m top of my class, about to start my final semester, and I’m desperate to put the tinsel away, but there’s one problem. I’ve been good this year, but someone naughty has been watching me.

His letters come often, all of them simply signed “Klaus�. And somehow this man knows me better than anyone even though I’ve never seen his face.

When the Santa I’ve been working with meets his grisly end and the best looking man I’ve ever seen dons the suit, I know something isn’t so holly jolly. But what am I supposed to do when he throws me in his sack? I’m sleighed.

Sacked and Sleighed is a dark Christmas romance loosely connected to the Stolen Obsessions series. This is a novella, heavily smutty, and doesn’t connect major plot points. Please check the content warning before reading.]]> 112 Aurelia Knight Janelle 4
Be sure to read CW going in as it's a vvvv dark romance.]]> 3.44 Sacked and Sleighed (Stolen Obsessions, #1.5)
author: Aurelia Knight
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.44
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: adult, dark-romance, ebook, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, romance
review:
A whole fucking vibe!!!

Be sure to read CW going in as it's a vvvv dark romance.
]]> Hunted for Christmas 220770293
The pine trees are dusted in sparkling snow, a stark contrast against the pitch-black night drenching the mountainside. Snow swirls around the cabins nestled cozily along a winding, private road, covering everything with its billowy, soft embrace. Each flake concealing my deep, dark holiday tradition.

She was never part of my plan, and yet she has always remained an object of my obsession. A link to my past, the only remaining thread of my humanity. When Hazel’s uncle left her his mountainside vacation home in his will, I knew adding one tiny stipulation would deliver her to my doorstep—and right into my dangerous arms. A weekend alone to establish residency seems like a reasonable request.

Will my sweet temptation become my next victim, or does she have what it takes to love someone like me?

This year, Hazel will be hunted for Christmas.]]> 185 Des Sweet Janelle 2 any kind of silly Christmas smut but everybody in this novella was dumb as fuck with the stupidest internal monologues lmao ]]> 3.34 Hunted for Christmas
author: Des Sweet
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.34
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: adult, dark-romance, ebook, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, romance
review:
Look, I will read any kind of silly Christmas smut but everybody in this novella was dumb as fuck with the stupidest internal monologues lmao
]]> <![CDATA[Santa Is A Sl*t (Holiday Hoemies Book 2)]]> 211398151 110 Drea Denae Janelle 4 3.74 Santa Is A Sl*t (Holiday Hoemies Book 2)
author: Drea Denae
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.74
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: adult, bisexual, ebook, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, smut, lgbtqiap
review:
Thee definition of PWP!!! and it’s queer so we stan.
]]> <![CDATA[The Chaser and Shovel Annual 2024]]> 221332309 The Chaser 1760645435 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 5.00 The Chaser and Shovel Annual 2024
author: The Chaser
name: Janelle
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Santa's Coming (High Five Novella, #1)]]> 216229379 I sat on Santa’s lap, and now he wants to see me again.

Single mother Emily is resigned to yet another stressful holiday season alone. That is, until she meets a charismatic man playing Santa in a local bar. Their chance meeting leads to a playful and flirtatious text exchange throughout the holiday season until Santa is on her doorstep, ready to give Emily her Christmas wishes.

A spicy Christmas novella, Santa’s Coming sparkles with the perfect blend of puns and sexy holiday magic.]]> 68 Serena Pier Janelle 2 3.54 2024 Santa's Coming (High Five Novella, #1)
author: Serena Pier
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: adult, ebook, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, short-fiction, smut
review:
Mehhhhh. The writing was awkward and there were waaaaay too many cringey puns.
]]> <![CDATA[Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen, #1)]]> 15750692
Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors under King Brenin’s rule, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed shields in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars.

High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Some are skeptical, fighting their own border skirmishes against pirates and giants. But prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust.]]> 672 John Gwynne 0230758452 Janelle 0 to-read 4.15 2012 Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen, #1)
author: John Gwynne
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Down the Drain 123183412
This commitment to authenticity has never been more on display than in Down the Drain . With writing that is both eloquent and accessible, Fox recounts her turbulent path to cultural her parents� volatile relationship that divided her childhood between Italy and New York City and left her largely raising herself; a possessive and abusive drug-dealing boyfriend whose torment continued even from within Rikers Island; her own trips to jail as well as to a psychiatric hospital; her work as a dominatrix that led to a complicated entanglement with a sugar daddy; a heroin habit that led to New Orleans trap houses and that she would kick only after the fatal overdose of her best friend; her own near-lethal overdoses and the deaths of still more friends from drugs and suicide; an emotionally explosive, tabloid-dominating romance with a figure she dubs “The Artist�; a whirlwind, short-lived marriage and her trials as a single parent striving to support her young son. Yet as extraordinary as her story is, its universality is what makes it so powerful. Fox doesn’t just capture her improbable evolution from grade-school outcast to fashion-world icon, she captures her transition from girlhood to womanhood to motherhood. Family and friendship, sex and death, violence and love, money and power, innocence and experience—it’s all here, in raw, remarkable and riveting detail.

More than a year before the book’s publication, Fox’s description of it as “a masterpiece� in a red carpet interview went viral. As always, she was just being honest. Down the Drain is a true literary achievement, as one-of-a-kind as its author.]]> 318 Julia Fox 1668011506 Janelle 0 to-read 4.38 2023 Down the Drain
author: Julia Fox
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Secret History 29044 559 Donna Tartt 1400031702 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 4.17 1992 The Secret History
author: Donna Tartt
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> Carrie Soto Is Back 60435878 Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

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

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

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

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.]]> 384 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158687 Janelle 0 kindle-audible-tbr 4.19 2022 Carrie Soto Is Back
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: kindle-audible-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kingpin All The Way (The Very Merry Mob, #4)]]> 63898865 I kidnapped the Governor’s daughter for revenge.

Now I’m fussing like a goddamn mother hen.

I’m a mob boss, not a nanny, but one look at Erin Edwards crowds my brain with constant worry. Is she eating enough? Resting well? Is she warm? Is she safe?

I need to focus, damn it—need to ruin her father’s life, then send her back to the smoking rubble, not get attached. What is wrong with me?

But against all the odds, my captive doesn’t hate me like she should. She trusts me, crowding closer for comfort, and I�

I can’t think. This is a disaster.

Because when she blinks up at me like that, there’s nothing I wouldn’t give her. She can have my kingdom, my crown�

My whole lonely life.

Kingpin All The Way is a short and steamy instalove novella, starring an ice cold mob boss and the captive who melts his heart.

*Each book has an HEA, but the Very Merry Mob series is best read in order.*

]]> 74 Cassie Mint 1915735092 Janelle 0 3.94 2022 Kingpin All The Way (The Very Merry Mob, #4)
author: Cassie Mint
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: holiday-romance, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5)]]> 220389090
All Evie Cruz wants for Christmas is a nap. And maybe some ornaments for her naked Christmas tree. And while she’s making a list, she wouldn’t mind unwrapping her sexy upstairs neighbor like a present. Luckily, the building’s Santa-themed party and a surprise sprig of mistletoe give her just the opening she needs to make all her wishes come true.

Alexis Daria’s Only Santas in the Building is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 65 Alexis Daria 1662529376 Janelle 2 3.36 2024 Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5)
author: Alexis Daria
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: adult, contemporary-romance, ebook, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, romance, short-fiction
review:
This was a really sweet premise, but none of this dialogue sounded like anything humans would actually say???? It was so forced and wooden.
]]> Green Eyes 3414592 390 Karen Robards Janelle 0 physical-tbr 3.08 1991 Green Eyes
author: Karen Robards
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.08
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> A Fire in the Blood 748331 Book by Henke, Shirl 448 Shirl Henke 0843946725 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 3.72 1994 A Fire in the Blood
author: Shirl Henke
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> Sinner (The Deadly Seven) 61233679 Start your adventure with the novella Sinner and discover the couple who saved the children before they grew up to become the Deadly Seven.]]> 134 Lana Pecherczyk 0645499463 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 3.50 2019 Sinner (The Deadly Seven)
author: Lana Pecherczyk
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> The Woman in Me 63133205 The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.]]> 288 Britney Spears 1668009048 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 3.83 2023 The Woman in Me
author: Britney Spears
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> Paris: The Memoir 61812425 Behind Paris Hilton's meteoric rise from Upper West Side club kid to household name lies her self-proclaimed "superpower" of ADHD and a hidden history that traumatized and defined her. Shocking, funny, and surprisingly profound, Paris is the deeply personal memoir of the ultimate It Girl and a stunning inside view of a pop culture phenomenon.

Until, in a revealing documentary, Paris Hilton disclosed that her childhood was shattered by two years of strip searches, isolation, beatings, restraint, and brainwashing within the now infamous "troubled teen industry," Paris Hilton was simply the billionaire heiress America had watched grow up on television, on the internet, and in tabloids. But there was always more to Paris Hilton than met the eye. Yes, she is the media personality, DJ, entrepreneur, model, singer, actress, and icon beloved all over the globe. And yet...

Paris is the story people have always wanted Paris Hilton to tell--the story of who she really is. In this revealing and thought-provoking book, Hilton will separate the creation from the creator, the brand from the ambassador, and show the woman who grew up with incredible privilege but was also trapped in a world of unreasonable expectation at a moment when young women were humiliated for sport in a gossip economy on steroids. Paris recounts her perilous journey through pre-#METOO sexual politics with grace, generosity, and plenty of fun, rising above a series of heart-wrenching challenges to find healing, lasting love, and a life of meaning and purpose.

The parallel story arcs in Hilton's braided narrative come to full bloom as a watershed portrait of the Aughts, challenging each of us to question our role in her story and her role in ours. The result is an intimate and unexpected memoir about persona and personification, the price of being young and disobedient, and the complexity of manifesting your dreams after watching part of yourself disappear.]]> 336 Paris Hilton 0063224623 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 4.21 2023 Paris: The Memoir
author: Paris Hilton
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner]]> 61248945
From a young age, her life was defined by uncertainty - by trauma and strength, sadness and hope, terrible lows and wondrous highs. As a teenager she found the courage to speak up after experiencing awful and ongoing child sexual abuse. This fight to find her voice would not be her last.

In 2021 Grace stepped squarely into the public eye as the Australian of the Year, and was the catalyst for a tidal wave of conversation and action. Australians from all walks of life were inspired and moved by her fire and passion. Here she was using her voice, and encouraging others to use theirs too.

The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner is Grace's story, in Grace's words, on Grace's terms. Like Grace, it is sharply intelligent, deeply felt and often blisteringly funny. And, as with all her work, it offers a constructive and optimistic vision for a better future for all of us.]]> 320 Grace Tame 1760988057 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 3.95 2022 The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner
author: Grace Tame
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume Five (Heartstopper, #5)]]> 53344030
Nick and Charlie are very much in love. They've finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick's house ... But with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

Contains discussions around mental health and eating disorders, and sexual references.]]> 336 Alice Oseman 1444957651 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 4.47 2023 Heartstopper: Volume Five (Heartstopper, #5)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> Enslaved 327916 REAL MEN? SHE WONDERED....
For Lady Diana Davenport, they existed only in her books and dreams. There she could lose herself, becoming the licentious Diana, goddess of the hunt � far from the rigid restraints of eighteenth-century London, where she was courted by fops and fools. That is, until she tried on an authentic Roman helmet in an antiques store and was catapulted back in time, landing in Marcus Magnus's arms. This was no dream! She was lost in Aquae Sulis, the city she knew as Bath, prisoner of a Roman general who accused the violet-eyed beauty of being a Druid spy � and then made her his slave!

"COME TO ME."
His words were soft, imperious, charged with danger and desire. Marcus Magnus was powerful, arrogant, and infuriating. A real man. And now Lady Diana was his slave, hostage to his will, vowing to fight him to the end � with every seductive weapon she possessed....]]> 436 Virginia Henley 0440217067 Janelle 0 physical-tbr 3.94 1996 Enslaved
author: Virginia Henley
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell]]> 207298107
From his earliest days as a kid in Canada, Deryck Whibley was a punk who loved music and couldn’t wait to achieve something bigger and better than the humble path that lay before him. Raised by a single mom and constantly moving from place to place, Deryck was used to being the new kid, starting fights (or finishing them), and finding friends who shared his sensibility for chaotic fun and loud music. Sum 41 was born of a group of friends who loved to jam, shared a DIY ethos, and were determined to be rock stars one day.

Walking Disaster is Deryck’s story, but it is also the untold story of Sum 41. Deryck takes you backstage, into the recording booth, and through the highest highs and lowest lows of the band whose story is inextricably woven with his own.

With his insightful, earnest, and genuine voice, Deryck gets real about fame, fortune, and the music industry. From winning at the MTV Video Music Awards, being nominated for a Grammy, his high-profile relationships and friendships, contending with invasive paparazzi, and suffering from health issues that brought him to the brink, Deryck offers a forthright and unforgettable memoir.]]> 272 Deryck Whibley 166804501X Janelle 0 physical-tbr 4.40 Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell
author: Deryck Whibley
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> The Trouble 31932434
Though Jiyoon clearly would prefer never to see Danny again, a rough breakup brings them unexpectedly together and a tentative friendship forms. But Danny can barely keep his band afloat and pass all his classes, nevermind learn how to make time for what is rapidly becoming the most important person in his life.]]> 187 Daria Defore 1620048973 Janelle 4
I really, really, really enjoyed this. The characters were interesting, and both Danny and Jiyoon felt like real, fleshed out people with their own distinct voices. Danny is a hot mess and Jiyoon is reserved and hyper organised, and I loved their opposites-attract dynamic.

Before I proceed, I’m gonna need to take a moment to scream about the wonderful aro representation here!!! Danny is *never* asked to compromise his identity for Jiyoon, and there’s not even a hint of arophobia here. The two of them communicate openly about what they require from a relationship, which allows the reader to see how relationships between aro and non-aro people are normal and fulfilling, and that relationships have so many facets other than romantic love.

(There’s also great rep more broadly: virtually everyone here is queer and Asian, except for One Token Straight)

And yes hellooooo we have SMUT here! I went into this expecting light fluffy contemporary, but there were maaany smutty sex scenes which are all steamy, full of sexual tension, and exceptionally well written.

On the subject of tension, the author does a great job of writing the struggle of balancing academic pressure, the long hours that go into being a creative trying to establish a career, and maintaining social relationships. I was STRESSEDT reading this!

Unfortunately it wasn’t all perfect, with this book losing a star from me in its final act. The inevitable conflict between Danny and Jiyoon happens at the last minute and escalates quickly.....but then it’s resolved a hot minute later in a really cheesy, stereotypical rom-com way. I needed more time with the characters to stew in the conflict, to see both sides of the equation, and then work up to a resolution. An extra 10 pages wouldn’t have gone astray.

But all in all, this was a REALLY solid 4-star queer male romance. It’s steamy, stressful, and shows how fucking wonderful relationships can be when you communicate.]]> 3.84 2016 The Trouble
author: Daria Defore
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2019/07/21
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: ace-aro, books-i-own, diverse, ebook, lgbtqiap, new-adult, romance, contemporary-romance
review:
This is a really solid new adult romance (or should I say aromance) centring an aromantic queer Asian man!

I really, really, really enjoyed this. The characters were interesting, and both Danny and Jiyoon felt like real, fleshed out people with their own distinct voices. Danny is a hot mess and Jiyoon is reserved and hyper organised, and I loved their opposites-attract dynamic.

Before I proceed, I’m gonna need to take a moment to scream about the wonderful aro representation here!!! Danny is *never* asked to compromise his identity for Jiyoon, and there’s not even a hint of arophobia here. The two of them communicate openly about what they require from a relationship, which allows the reader to see how relationships between aro and non-aro people are normal and fulfilling, and that relationships have so many facets other than romantic love.

(There’s also great rep more broadly: virtually everyone here is queer and Asian, except for One Token Straight)

And yes hellooooo we have SMUT here! I went into this expecting light fluffy contemporary, but there were maaany smutty sex scenes which are all steamy, full of sexual tension, and exceptionally well written.

On the subject of tension, the author does a great job of writing the struggle of balancing academic pressure, the long hours that go into being a creative trying to establish a career, and maintaining social relationships. I was STRESSEDT reading this!

Unfortunately it wasn’t all perfect, with this book losing a star from me in its final act. The inevitable conflict between Danny and Jiyoon happens at the last minute and escalates quickly.....but then it’s resolved a hot minute later in a really cheesy, stereotypical rom-com way. I needed more time with the characters to stew in the conflict, to see both sides of the equation, and then work up to a resolution. An extra 10 pages wouldn’t have gone astray.

But all in all, this was a REALLY solid 4-star queer male romance. It’s steamy, stressful, and shows how fucking wonderful relationships can be when you communicate.
]]> <![CDATA[All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3)]]> 220389455
Nina and William are underpaid adjunct professors at the same university, where winter break is no break at all: ’tis the season to make extra money. When their holiday side hustle has them stranded by a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to do but cuddle up for warmth and play a game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time. But in the game of love, secrets never stay secret for long�

Olivia Dade’s All by My Elf is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 55 Olivia Dade 166252823X Janelle 4
Love this silly weinermobile setting and I just adored the hero and heroine. I haven't read from Olivia Dade before, and it was just so nice to see a plus size femme that doesn't spend the entire story hating herself. ]]> 2.58 2024 All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3)
author: Olivia Dade
name: Janelle
average rating: 2.58
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: adult, contemporary-romance, ebook, fat-rep, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, romance, short-fiction
review:
CUTE AFFFFFFFF

Love this silly weinermobile setting and I just adored the hero and heroine. I haven't read from Olivia Dade before, and it was just so nice to see a plus size femme that doesn't spend the entire story hating herself.
]]> <![CDATA[Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4)]]> 220389457
When Everleigh Dangerfield’s baking disaster necessitates a call to 911, firefighter Griffin Brantley douses the flames in the kitchen, but the ones he stokes in Everleigh are an entirely different story. Unfortunately, Everleigh’s only visiting and doesn’t do casual hookups, no matter how smoldering the temptation. But Everleigh’s holiday mishaps have just begun. And Griffin is seemingly always on call. If Everleigh is game for a change of plans, he can give her the merriest Christmas of her life.

Alexandria Bellefleur’s Merriment and Mayhem is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 58 Alexandria Bellefleur 1662529341 Janelle 3 3.28 2024 Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4)
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: adult, contemporary-romance, ebook, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, romance, short-fiction
review:
Cute firefighter romcom set in the PNW, but my god was it unhinged when they finally got together
]]> <![CDATA[Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)]]> 220389458 New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

Ali Hazelwood’s Cruel Winter with You is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 73 Ali Hazelwood 1662528396 Janelle 4
I objectively loved the writing, but this kind of protag just isn’t for me on the whole. Thankfully it was short so the third act conflict didn’t make me smash my head through a brick wall. ]]> 3.68 2024 Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves: adult, audiobook, contemporary-romance, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, romance, short-fiction
review:
I loved this for the most part, but Jamie was also such a horrible mix of anxious people pleaser and avoidant attachment that I just wanted to punch her in the face?????

I objectively loved the writing, but this kind of protag just isn’t for me on the whole. Thankfully it was short so the third act conflict didn’t make me smash my head through a brick wall.
]]> <![CDATA[Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2)]]> 220389465 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

Tessa Bailey’s Merry Ever After is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 59 Tessa Bailey 1662528736 Janelle 2
I cringed sooo hard listening to this that I nearly broke my back teeth ]]> 2.79 2024 Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Janelle
average rating: 2.79
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves: adult, audiobook, holiday-romance, kindle-unlimited, romance, short-fiction, smut
review:
Lmao ain’t no way she wrote this specifically for the Christmas anthology, this had to be a pure smut novella she had up her sleeve already. It was cringe, instalove, and there was barely a hint of Christmas.

I cringed sooo hard listening to this that I nearly broke my back teeth
]]> <![CDATA[Death's End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #3)]]> 25451264
Now this epic trilogy concludes with Death's End. Half a century after the Doomsday Battle, the uneasy balance of Dark Forest Deterrence keeps the Trisolaran invaders at bay. Earth enjoys unprecedented prosperity due to the infusion of Trisolaran knowledge. With human science advancing daily and the Trisolarans adopting Earth culture, it seems that the two civilizations will soon be able to co-exist peacefully as equals without the terrible threat of mutually assured annihilation. But the peace has also made humanity complacent.

Cheng Xin, an aerospace engineer from the early 21st century, awakens from hibernation in this new age. She brings with her knowledge of a long-forgotten program dating from the beginning of the Trisolar Crisis, and her very presence may upset the delicate balance between two worlds. Will humanity reach for the stars or die in its cradle?]]> 604 Liu Cixin 0765377101 Janelle 2
It's a seemingly endless cycle of the following:
- Protag wakes up from hibernation
- The world has changed and the Trisolarans are either chill or a threat (flip a coin)
- Cixin Liu lectures new scientific concepts at you for 100 pages
- Protag goes back into hibernation
- The situation is conveniently fixed
- Protag wakes up from hibernation
- Etc etc etc

It was too long, repetitive, and FUCKING TEDIOUS. I loved the hard sci-fi concepts and they gave me some great food for though, but I loathed the way they're executed. Every time a character woke up it felt like I was being held hostage for another 4 hour science lecture.

Yes I could've obviously DNFed it because there's no gun to my head, but I needed to see how the story played out. I reserve the right to whine about it the entire time

Unfortunately for me, the ending was heartwrenchingly emotional and achingly romantic and I really enjoyed it. I spent 90% of this book consumed with irritation but I cried at the final 10%. So now I'm conflicted.

All in all I would not recommend this trilogy, because while there are incredible concepts in here and some epic sweeping emotional moments, the dull physics textbook energy and repetition just didn't do it for me. I would recommend the first book, but just read the Wiki pages for the next two. ]]> 4.40 2010 Death's End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #3)
author: Liu Cixin
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: adult, aliens, asian-authors, audiobook, library-book, sci-fi, translated, space-opera
review:
For the most part I fucking haaaaaated this.

It's a seemingly endless cycle of the following:
- Protag wakes up from hibernation
- The world has changed and the Trisolarans are either chill or a threat (flip a coin)
- Cixin Liu lectures new scientific concepts at you for 100 pages
- Protag goes back into hibernation
- The situation is conveniently fixed
- Protag wakes up from hibernation
- Etc etc etc

It was too long, repetitive, and FUCKING TEDIOUS. I loved the hard sci-fi concepts and they gave me some great food for though, but I loathed the way they're executed. Every time a character woke up it felt like I was being held hostage for another 4 hour science lecture.

Yes I could've obviously DNFed it because there's no gun to my head, but I needed to see how the story played out. I reserve the right to whine about it the entire time

Unfortunately for me, the ending was heartwrenchingly emotional and achingly romantic and I really enjoyed it. I spent 90% of this book consumed with irritation but I cried at the final 10%. So now I'm conflicted.

All in all I would not recommend this trilogy, because while there are incredible concepts in here and some epic sweeping emotional moments, the dull physics textbook energy and repetition just didn't do it for me. I would recommend the first book, but just read the Wiki pages for the next two.
]]> <![CDATA[Memento (The Illuminae Files, #0.5)]]> 55654594 From New York Times bestselling authors Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff comes an Illuminae prequel digital novella that gives readers a hair-raising glimpse into the calamity that befell the invincible AI system known as AIDAN–and the daring young programmer who would risk her life to keep it from crashing.

AIDAN is the AI you’ll love to hate.

The advanced AI system was supposed to protect a fleet of survivors who’d escaped the deadly attack on Kerenza IV. AIDAN was supposed to be infallible. But in the chaotic weeks and months that followed, it became clear that something was terribly, terribly wrong with AIDAN…]]> 84 Amie Kaufman 0593379411 Janelle 5 4.29 2020 Memento (The Illuminae Files, #0.5)
author: Amie Kaufman
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/11/11
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, short-fiction, aussie-authors
review:

]]> The Wood at Midwinter 206101583 'A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They're the same thing really.'

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scott is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees—and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.

One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst—and the path of her life is changed forever.

From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an enchanting, beautifully illustrated short story set in the Strange universe. Featuring an introduction by Susanna Clarke and gorgeous illustrations from Victoria Sawdon truly worthy of the magic of this story, this is a mesmerising, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's bookshelf.]]> 64 Susanna Clarke 1639734481 Janelle 0 to-read 3.47 2024 The Wood at Midwinter
author: Susanna Clarke
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Night Guest 127306444
IĂ°unn is in yet another doctor's office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something's not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven't revealed any cause.

When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same � have you tried eating better? exercising more? establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps.

Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .

What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? And why won’t anyone believe her?]]> 197 Hildur Knútsdóttir 1250322049 Janelle 0 to-read 3.30 2021 The Night Guest
author: Hildur KnĂştsdĂłttir
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas]]> 42660463 here.

Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas is the hilarious, poignant and entertaining story of the life of a junior doctor at the most challenging time of the year. With twenty-five tales of intriguing, shocking and incredible Christmas incidents, the British public will finally appreciate the sacrifices made and the challenges faced by the unsung heroes of the NHS.

Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas will be fully illustrated (as tastefully as possible) and will delight all of Adam’s fans throughout the festive period of Christmas 2019 and for many years to come.]]> 144 Adam Kay Janelle 0 to-read 4.09 2019 Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas
author: Adam Kay
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Ledge 213209601 It all began in 1999 when sixteen-year-old Aaron ran away from home, dragging his friends into an unforeseeable chain of events that no one escaped from unscathed ...

In The Ledge, past and present run breathlessly, tensely parallel, leading to a cliff-hanger nobody will see coming. This is a mind-bending new novel from the master of the unexpected.]]> 268 Christian White 1923135058 Janelle 4
Incredible atmosphere that had me forgetting this was set in regional Victoria - it honestly feels like Tasmania at times!

I thought the author did a great job at the teenage boy coming of age at the turn of the Millennium POV - there were so many pre-Smartphone moments that felt deeply relatable (granted I'm not a boy but grew up during that time lmao). The teenage protagonist is erratic and makes some questionable choices, but they all feel accurate to how a teenager would respond in those situations.

The adult POV.... also a dumbass, especially for a crime writer, but I just turned my brain off and went with it.

I really enjoyed the twist and audibly gasped out loud, but I didn't feel we got enough time to sit with that twist and really unpack it. The book rushed toward its conclusion and I was left reeling. If we'd had a bit more time to percolate and look back at the clues we'd missed, this would've been a solid 4 star read. ]]> 4.16 2024 The Ledge
author: Christian White
name: Janelle
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves: adult, audiobook, aussie-authors, aussie-noir, library-book, murder-mystery, mystery
review:
3.75 stars.

Incredible atmosphere that had me forgetting this was set in regional Victoria - it honestly feels like Tasmania at times!

I thought the author did a great job at the teenage boy coming of age at the turn of the Millennium POV - there were so many pre-Smartphone moments that felt deeply relatable (granted I'm not a boy but grew up during that time lmao). The teenage protagonist is erratic and makes some questionable choices, but they all feel accurate to how a teenager would respond in those situations.

The adult POV.... also a dumbass, especially for a crime writer, but I just turned my brain off and went with it.

I really enjoyed the twist and audibly gasped out loud, but I didn't feel we got enough time to sit with that twist and really unpack it. The book rushed toward its conclusion and I was left reeling. If we'd had a bit more time to percolate and look back at the clues we'd missed, this would've been a solid 4 star read.
]]> Axiom's End (Noumena, #1) 51171377
It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government—and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades.

Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human—and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.]]> 384 Lindsay Ellis 1250256739 Janelle 0 to-read 3.68 2020 Axiom's End (Noumena, #1)
author: Lindsay Ellis
name: Janelle
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>