C.C.'s bookshelf: read-in-2023 en-US Sat, 16 Mar 2024 19:28:54 -0700 60 C.C.'s bookshelf: read-in-2023 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again�

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands � that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper � an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]> 357 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 C.C. 4 4.14 2023 Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/16
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tall, Dark & Heartless (Pyte/Sentinel, #3)]]> 13570315 Librarian's Note: Alternate-cover edition for ASIN B007SWLLHE is located here

He should have left her and never looked back�....

That's not how things played out for Caine, a nearly one thousand year old Pyte, who should have known better. Instead of walking away years ago, he has been watching over the only human who has touched his heart. He stays to protect her, at least that is what he tells himself. When trouble finds her, he knows that he should just cut his losses and walk away, but there is no fighting the hold the child, who has become a woman, has on him. Now they are both paying the price.

Danni knows that she isn’t technically a Sentinel and is putting her life in danger every time she goes out on patrol. She isn't worried, she has a job to do. It is the only thing that matters to her anymore and she isn’t going to let it go without a fight. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t foresee her ex-boyfriend selling her out to a Master, being captured, getting locked up and stuck in a room with the cranky Pyte. The same Pyte that broke her heart years ago and wont stop glaring at her as if their little predicament is all her fault.]]> 433 R.L. Mathewson 0983212597 C.C. 2 4.23 2012 Tall, Dark & Heartless (Pyte/Sentinel, #3)
author: R.L. Mathewson
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2023/11/13
date added: 2023/11/13
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor, #1)]]> 40969531
Ophelia lives on Anima, an ark where objects have souls. Beneath her worn scarf and thick glasses, the young girl hides the ability to read and communicate with the souls of objects, and the power to travel through mirrors. Her peaceful existence on the Ark of Anima is disrupted when she is promised in marriage to Thorn, from the powerful Dragon clan. Ophelia must leave her family and follow her fiancée to the floating capital on the distant Ark of the Pole. Why has she been chosen? Why must she hide her true identity? Though she doesn’t know it yet, she has become a pawn in a deadly plot.]]> 446 Christelle Dabos 1787701425 C.C. 0 3.90 2013 A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor, #1)
author: Christelle Dabos
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/13
shelves: currently-reading, read-in-2023, fantasy-and-scifi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Where the Wind Leads: A Refugee Family's Miraculous Story of Loss, Rescue, and Redemption]]> 18126604
Knowing that their children would have no future under the new government, the Chungs decided to flee the country. In 1979, they joined the legendary "boat people" and sailed into the South China Sea, despite knowing that an estimated two hundred thousand of their countrymen had already perished at the hands of brutal pirates and violent seas.

Where the Wind Leads follows Vinh Chung and his family on their desperate journey from pre-war Vietnam, through pirate attacks on a lawless sea, to a miraculous rescue and a new home in the unlikely town of Fort Smith, Arkansas. There Vinh struggled against poverty, discrimination, and a bewildering language barrier--yet still managed to graduate from Harvard Medical School.

Where the Wind Leads is Vinh's tribute to the courage and sacrifice of his parents, a testimony to his family's faith, and a reminder to people everywhere that the American dream, while still possible, carries with it a greater responsibility.]]> 368 Vinh Chung 0849947561 C.C. 0 4.38 2014 Where the Wind Leads: A Refugee Family's Miraculous Story of Loss, Rescue, and Redemption
author: Vinh Chung
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/28
shelves: nonfiction, read-in-2023, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gentle Rogue (Malory-Anderson Family, #3)]]> 891812
The black sheep of a proud and tempestuous family, the handsome ex-pirate once swore no woman alive could entice him into matrimony. But on the high seas his resolve will be weakened by an unrestrained passion and by the high-spirited beauty whose love of freedom and adventure rivals his own.

Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE]
ACE #1 ]]> 426 Johanna Lindsey C.C. 4 2015, romance, read-in-2023 4.19 1990 Gentle Rogue (Malory-Anderson Family, #3)
author: Johanna Lindsey
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2023/10/27
shelves: 2015, romance, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane, #10)]]> 27073530 A MAN OF SIN

Devastatingly handsome. Vain. Unscrupulous. Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, is the man London whispers about in boudoirs and back alleys. A notorious rake and blackmailer, Montgomery has returned from exile, intent on seeking revenge on those who have wronged him. But what he finds in his own bedroom may lay waste to all his plans.

A WOMAN OF HONOR

Born a bastard, housekeeper Bridget Crumb is clever, bold, and fiercely loyal. When her aristocratic mother becomes the target of extortion, Bridget joins the Duke of Montgomery's household to search for the incriminating evidence-and uncovers something far more dangerous.

A SECRET THAT THREATENS TO DESTROY THEM BOTH

Astonished by the deceptively prim-and surprisingly witty-domestic spy in his chambers, Montgomery is intrigued. And try as she might, Bridget can't resist the slyly charming duke. Now as the two begin their treacherous game of cat and mouse, they soon realize that they both have secrets—and neither may be as nefarious—or as innocent—as they appear . . .]]> 368 Elizabeth Hoyt 1455539074 C.C. 5 3.97 2016 Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane, #10)
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2023/10/27
shelves: favorites, romance, read-in-2023
review:

]]> Prisoner of My Desire 774060
Spirited Rowena Belleme must produce an heir--or incur the dangerous wrath of a ruthless stepbrother, who stands to forfeit his ill-gotten wealth. And the magnificent Warrick deChaville is the perfect choice to sire her child--though it means imprisoning the handsome knight...and forcing him to bend to her amorous whims.

SLAVE OF PASSION

Vowing to resist but betrayed by his own virility, noble Warrick is intoxicated by Rowena's sapphire eyes and voluptuous beauty. Yet all the while he plans a fitting revenge--eagerly awaiting the time when his sensuous captor becomes his helpless captive ... and is made to suffer the same rapturous torment and exquisite ecstasy that he himself has endured.]]> 425 Johanna Lindsey 0380756277 C.C. 4 4.05 1991 Prisoner of My Desire
author: Johanna Lindsey
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/07
date added: 2023/10/18
shelves: 2015, romance, favorites, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)]]> 10572
It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.]]> 1009 George R.R. Martin 0553381695 C.C. 5 4.42 1998 A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/10/18
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)]]> 13496
Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; a child is lost in the twilight between life and death; and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.]]> 835 George R.R. Martin 0553588486 C.C. 5 4.44 1996 A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/09/06
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, favorites, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fire & Blood (A Targaryen History, #1)]]> 39943621
Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.

What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why did it become so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What is the origin of Daenerys’s three dragon eggs? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty all-new black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.

With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire and Blood is the ultimate game of thrones, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros.]]> 706 George R.R. Martin 152479628X C.C. 4 4.03 2018 Fire & Blood (A Targaryen History, #1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/04
date added: 2023/08/04
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lucinda's Secret (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #3)]]> 280277 Let the story of my niece and nephews be a warning. The more you know, the more danger you're in. And trust me, you don't want to meddle with the Little People. -- S.S.
One thrilling adventure -- The Spiderwick Chronicles!
Their world is closer than you think.]]> 114 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689859384 C.C. 0 3.91 2003 Lucinda's Secret (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #3)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/20
date added: 2023/07/28
shelves: read-in-2023, fantasy-and-scifi, childhood-reads
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1)]]> 39083635
In the murky waters of New York’s underworld, Elena’s sister is arranged to marry Nicolas Russo. A Made Man, a boss, a cheat—even measured against mafia standards. His reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his black suits and ties. After his and Elena’s first encounter ends with an accidental glare on her part, she realizes he’s just as rude as he is handsome. She doesn’t like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn’t stop her heart from pattering like rain against glass when he’s near, nor the shiver that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice. And he’s always near. Telling her what to do. Making her feel hotter than any future brother-in-law should. Elena may be the Sweet Abelli on the outside, but she’s beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands, cigarettes, and whiskey-colored eyes. Having already escaped one scandal, however, she can hardly afford to be swept up in another. Besides, even if he were hers, everyone knows you don’t fall in love with a Made Man... Right?]]> 384 Danielle Lori 1721284443 C.C. 3 read-in-2023, romance 3.98 2018 The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1)
author: Danielle Lori
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves: read-in-2023, romance
review:

]]> The Bone Maker 53914899
Since then, Kreya, the group’s leader, has exiled herself to a remote tower and devoted herself to one purpose: resurrecting her dead husband. But such a task requires both a cache of human bones and a sacrifice—for each day he lives, she will live one less.

She’d rather live one year with her husband than a hundred without him, but using human bones for magic is illegal in Vos. The dead are burned—as are any bone workers who violate the law. Yet Kreya knows where she can find the bones she needs: the battlefield where her husband and countless others lost their lives.

But defying the laws of the land exposes a terrible possibility. Maybe the dead don’t rest in peace after all.ĚýĚý

Five warriors—one broken, one gone soft, one pursuing a simple life, one stuck in the past, and one who should be dead. Their story should have been finished. But evil doesn’t stop just because someone once said, “the end.”]]> 478 Sarah Beth Durst 0062888633 C.C. 0 3.83 2021 The Bone Maker
author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/24
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

]]> The Underground Railroad 30555488
In Whitehead's ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor--engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar's first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven. But the city's placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. And even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.

Like the protagonist of Gulliver's Travels, Cora encounters different worlds at each stage of her journey--hers is an odyssey through time as well as space. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre-Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman's ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share.]]> 320 Colson Whitehead 0385542364 C.C. 5 literary, read-in-2023 4.04 2016 The Underground Railroad
author: Colson Whitehead
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: literary, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Step Aside, Pops (Hark! A Vagrant, #2)]]> 23848561 The sequel to the hit comic collection Hark! a Vagrant, which appeared on best of lists from Time, NPR and USA Today; spent five months on the New York Times bestseller list; and won Harvey, Ignatz, and Doug Wright awards.

Cartoonist Kate Beaton returns with all-new sidesplitting comics that showcase her irreverent love of history, pop culture, and literature. Collected from her wildly popular website, readers will guffaw over “Strong Female Characters,� the wicked yet chivalrous Black Prince, “Straw Feminists in the Closet,� and a disgruntled Heathcliff. Delight in what the internet has long known—Beaton’s humour is as sharp and dangerous as a velocipedestrienne, so watch out!]]> 168 Kate Beaton 1770462082 C.C. 4 comicbooks, read-in-2023 4.04 2015 Step Aside, Pops (Hark! A Vagrant, #2)
author: Kate Beaton
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: comicbooks, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)]]> 15881
And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls� bathroom. But then the real trouble begins � someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects� Harry Potter himself!]]> 352 J.K. Rowling C.C. 4 4.42 1998 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)]]> 5 435 J.K. Rowling 043965548X C.C. 5 4.57 1999 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: read-in-2023, fantasy-and-scifi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blade Runner 2019, Vol. 1: Los Angeles]]> 45033606 Return to the original world of Blade Runner 2019.

Welcome to the rain soaked world of Los Angeles 2019 - a dystopic world of Replicants, Spinners and hardboiled future noir. There's a new Blade Runner in town, and she's out for blood. Replicant blood.

This officially sanctioned sequel comic to the original Blade Runner film is written by Michael Green, the screenwriter of Blade Runner 2049.]]> 114 Michael Green 1787731618 C.C. 4 4.02 2019 Blade Runner 2019, Vol. 1: Los Angeles
author: Michael Green
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: comicbooks, fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)]]> 444304
The Grace children want to share their story, but the faeries will do everything possible to stop them...]]> 114 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689859368 C.C. 5 3.93 2003 The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: childhood-reads, fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #2)]]> 519048 we said no still you looked
now instead
someone gets cooked
The Grace kids are just beginning to get used to Aunt Lucinda's strange old mansion when Simon suddenly disappears. Jared and his sister have to rely on the help of a mischievous house boggart, a nasty bridge troll, and a loud-mouthed hobgoblin to get him back.]]> 114 Tony DiTerlizzi 0689859376 C.C. 5 3.93 2003 The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #2)
author: Tony DiTerlizzi
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, childhood-reads, read-in-2023
review:

]]> Matilda 39988 “The Trunchbull� is no match for Matilda!

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

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

Roald Dahl was a spy, ace fighter-pilot, chocolate historian, and medical inventor. He was also the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and many more brilliant stories. He remains the World's No. 1 Storyteller.]]> 240 Roald Dahl 043512398X C.C. 5 childhood-reads, read-in-2023 4.33 1988 Matilda
author: Roald Dahl
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/14
date added: 2023/07/14
shelves: childhood-reads, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI]]> 29496076 Ěý
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.

In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, “the Phantom Terror,� roamed � virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. The book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward Native Americans that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long. Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly riveting, but also emotionally devastating.]]> 359 David Grann 0385534256 C.C. 5 nonfiction, read-in-2023 4.12 2017 Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
author: David Grann
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/09
date added: 2023/07/09
shelves: nonfiction, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)]]> 60657589
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily's research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.]]> 336 Heather Fawcett 059350013X C.C. 5 3.98 2023 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)
author: Heather Fawcett
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/29
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: romance, fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

]]> Until You (Westmoreland, #3) 129618
For Miss Charise Lancaster, not over-gifted with intelligence, eloped with a stranger before she could meet her suitor. And Sheridan was left with the horrid task of telling Lord Burleton she had somehow misplaced his bride. As she gazed at the tall, confident man before her, her courage failed. She was doubly shocked when she heard his news. Lord Burleton, a drunkard and a wastrel, had been killed the night before. At which point fate took over. Sheridan was knocked unconscious on the quayside, and recovered to find herself in the handsome stranger's care, not knowing who she was.

It was to be the beginning of a dazzling, witty, dramatic, and romantic sequence of events in which every possible confusion was to take place.]]> 430 Judith McNaught 0552143545 C.C. 5 4.12 1994 Until You (Westmoreland, #3)
author: Judith McNaught
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/11
date added: 2023/06/11
shelves: favorites, romance, read-in-2023
review:

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

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

]]> 213 Marie KondĹŤ 1607747308 C.C. 4 nonfiction, read-in-2023 3.88 2010 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
author: Marie KondĹŤ
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/01
date added: 2023/06/01
shelves: nonfiction, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up]]> 25614984 Spark Joy is an in-depth, line illustrated, room-by-room guide to decluttering and organising your home. It covers every room in the house from bedrooms and kitchens to bathrooms and living rooms as well as a wide range of items in different categories, including clothes, photographs, paperwork, books, cutlery, cosmetics, shoes, bags, wallets and valuables. Charming line drawings explain how to properly organise drawers, wardrobes, cupboards and cabinets. The illustrations also show Ms Kondo's unique folding method, clearly showing how to fold anything from shirts, trousers and jackets to skirts, socks and bras.

The secret to Marie Kondo's unique and simple KonMari tidying method is to focus on what you want to keep, not what you want to get rid of. Ask yourself if something 'sparks joy' and suddenly it becomes so much easier to understand if you really need it in your home and your life. When you surround yourself with things you love you will find that your whole life begins to change.

Marie Kondo's first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, presents her unique tidying philosophy and introduces readers to the basics of her KonMari method. It has already transformed the homes and lives of millions of people around the world. Spark Joy is Marie Kondo's in-depth tidying masterclass, focusing on the detail of how to declutter and organise your home.]]> 291 Marie KondĹŤ 1607749726 C.C. 4 nonfiction, read-in-2023 3.87 2012 Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
author: Marie KondĹŤ
name: C.C.
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/01
date added: 2023/06/01
shelves: nonfiction, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)]]> 3 309 J.K. Rowling 0439554934 C.C. 4 4.47 1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/20
date added: 2023/04/20
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, childhood-reads, read-in-2023
review:

]]> Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 1 844422
Daisuke Ido, a talented cybernetic doctor, finds the head of a cyborg in a junk heap. When he rebuilds her body, Alita's only clue to her past surfaces-her deadly fighting instincts! And now she is determine to find out the truth about who she once was...]]> 248 Yukito Kishiro 1569310033 C.C. 4 manga-manhwa, read-in-2023 4.19 1990 Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 1
author: Yukito Kishiro
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/14
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves: manga-manhwa, read-in-2023
review:

]]> Piranesi 50202953
There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.]]> 272 Susanna Clarke 163557563X C.C. 5 4.22 2020 Piranesi
author: Susanna Clarke
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/14
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves: read-in-2023, literary, fantasy-and-scifi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence, #1)]]> 60499727
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.]]> 467 Rebecca Ross C.C. 2 I'm so damn bored. 4.06 2022 A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/02/25
shelves: did-not-finish, fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:
I'm so damn bored.
]]> The Nickel Boys 42270835 Author of The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in 1960s Florida.

Elwood Curtis has taken the words of Dr Martin Luther King to heart: he is as good as anyone. Abandoned by his parents, brought up by his loving, strict and clear-sighted grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But given the time and the place, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy his future, and so Elwood arrives at The Nickel Academy, which claims to provide 'physical, intellectual and moral training' which will equip its inmates to become 'honorable and honest men'.

In reality, the Nickel Academy is a chamber of horrors, where physical, emotional and sexual abuse is rife, where corrupt officials and tradesmen do a brisk trade in supplies intended for the school, and where any boy who resists is likely to disappear 'out back'. Stunned to find himself in this vicious environment, Elwood tries to hold on to Dr King's ringing assertion, 'Throw us in jail, and we will still love you.' But Elwood's fellow inmate and new friend Turner thinks Elwood is naive and worse; the world is crooked, and the only way to survive is to emulate the cruelty and cynicism of their oppressors.

The tension between Elwood's idealism and Turner's skepticism leads to a decision which will have decades-long repercussions.

Based on the history of a real reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped and destroyed the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative by a great American novelist whose work is essential to understanding the current reality of the United States.]]> 213 Colson Whitehead C.C. 5 read-in-2023 4.25 2019 The Nickel Boys
author: Colson Whitehead
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/02/16
shelves: read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mystery Knight (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #3)]]> 11350430 104 George R.R. Martin C.C. 5 read-in-2023 4.26 2010 The Mystery Knight (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #3)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/02/03
shelves: read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sworn Sword (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #2)]]> 11985631 81 George R.R. Martin C.C. 5 4.12 2003 The Sworn Sword (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #2)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/16
date added: 2023/01/17
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hedge Knight (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #1)]]> 11970747 85 George R.R. Martin C.C. 5 4.29 1998 The Hedge Knight (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: C.C.
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/01/12
shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, read-in-2023
review:

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