Reader's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 24 Oct 2024 08:16:22 -0700 60 Reader's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Cradle and All 5575
In Ireland, another young woman discovers she is in the same impossible condition.

And in cities all around the world, medical authorities are overwhelmed by epidemics, droughts, famines, floods, and worse. It all feels like a sign that something awful is coming.

Anne Fitzgerald, a former nun turned private investigator, is hired by the Archdiocese of Boston to investigate the immaculate conceptions. Even as she comes to care about and trust the young women, she realizes that both are in great danger. Terrifying forces of light and darkness are gathering. Stepping into uncharted territory where the unknown is just the beginning, Anne must discover the truth � to save the young women, to save herself, and to protect the future of all mankind.]]> 384 James Patterson 0446609404 Reader 5 3.86 1980 Cradle and All
author: James Patterson
name: Reader
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1980
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[We'll Always Have Parrots (Meg Langslow, #5)]]> 615407
Meg Langslow knew the fan convention for her actor-boyfriend's hit television series was going to be the ultimate in weird. But she came along because she figured Michael could use an occasional dose of sanity-and because it was an inspired place to sell her hand-crafted weapons. And so far, she was dealing pretty well with the costumed fans camped outside, the batch of escaped parrots and monkeys frolicking throughout the hotel...and the minefield of egos lurking behind the show's success.

But soon after Meg goes head-to-head with egomaniacal series star Tamerlaine Wynncliffe-Jones, the "Queen B" turns up brutally murdered. Now, with Michael in the running as prime suspect, Meg will go up against an all-star cast of not-even-innocent parties, hidden identities, and buried motives. And she'll cross swords with a deviously obsessed murderer determined to write her out of this picture for good.
]]> 354 Donna Andrews 0312939604 Reader 5 4.03 2003 We'll Always Have Parrots (Meg Langslow, #5)
author: Donna Andrews
name: Reader
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2003
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Muffin But Murder (Merry Muffin Mystery #2)]]> 19486430 Muffin maker Merry Wynter hopes to find a buyer for the castle she’s recently inherited. But when she throws a party to draw interest, she finds someone who’s bought the farm instead�

Merry’s career as a New York City stylist has crumbled, but her passion for muffins has helped her rise upstate in Autumn Vale. Everyone in town loves the tasty treats. Still, she would like to return to her glamorous life. Besides, the upkeep of Wynter Castle is expensive, and Merry’s cup isn’t exactly overflowing.

So in order to bring some prospective buyers into the mix, Merry whisks together a spooky soiree and decorates the castle with dashes of fabric and a sprinkling of spider webs. Friends new and old are invited, and everyone has a blast. But as the revelers empty out, Merry notices one partygoer who isn’t leaving—or breathing. Now Merry must hurry to unmask a killer before her perfect plans turn into a recipe for disaster…]]> 292 Victoria Hamilton 042525884X Reader 5 3.79 2014 Muffin But Murder (Merry Muffin Mystery #2)
author: Victoria Hamilton
name: Reader
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2014
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Murder on Family Grounds (Mary Wandwalker #3)]]> 205338104 334 Susan Rowland 1685032095 Reader 4 4.30 2024 Murder on Family Grounds (Mary Wandwalker #3)
author: Susan Rowland
name: Reader
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Oath of Honor (Blue Justice, #1)]]> 35086524
Determined to discover exactly what happened, Izzy's investigation sends her headfirst into a criminal organization, possibly with cops on the payroll—including someone from her own family. With her dead partner's handsome homicide detective brother Ryan shadowing her every move, Izzy's head is spinning. How can she secure justice for her partner when doing so could mean sending someone she loves to prison? And how will she guard her heart when the man she's had a secret crush on for years won't leave her side?]]> 363 Lynette Eason 0800727215 Reader 3 4.19 2018 Oath of Honor (Blue Justice, #1)
author: Lynette Eason
name: Reader
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2018
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Red Velvet Revenge (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, #4)]]> 13051854
But not everyone at the Juniper Pass is as sweet for Fairy Tale Cupcakes as Slim--including star bull-rider Ty Stokes. Mel and Angie try to steer clear of the cowboy's short fuse, but when his dead body is found face down in the hay, it's a whole different rodeo.

With a vengeful murderer on the loose, the ladies are quickly realizing that while they came to save their business, they may have to save themselves--and that's no bull.]]> 304 Jenn McKinlay 0425251381 Reader 5 4.01 2012 Red Velvet Revenge (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, #4)
author: Jenn McKinlay
name: Reader
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[If Walls Could Talk (Haunted Home Renovation Mystery, #1)]]> 7885220
At her newest project, a run-down Pacific Heights mansion, Mel is visited by the ghost of a colleague who recently met a bad end with power tools. Mel hopes that by nailing the killer, she can rid herself of the ghostly presence of the murdered man-and not end up a construction casualty herself...]]> 316 Juliet Blackwell 0451231813 Reader 4 3.83 2010 If Walls Could Talk (Haunted Home Renovation Mystery, #1)
author: Juliet Blackwell
name: Reader
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2010
rating: 4
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]]> True West 206893 71 Sam Shepard Reader 1 3.72 1981 True West
author: Sam Shepard
name: Reader
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1981
rating: 1
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]]> Ruined 6411892 Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

“A powerhouse drama. . . . Lynn Nottage’s beautiful, hideous and unpretentiously important play [is] a shattering, intimate journey into faraway news reports.”—Linda Winer, Newsday

“An intense and gripping new drama . . . the kind of new play we desperately need: well-informed and unafraid of the world’s brutalities. Nottage is one of our finest playwrights, a smart, empathetic and daring storyteller who tells a story an audience won’t expect.”—David Cote, Time Out New York

A rain forest bar and brothel in the brutally war-torn Congo is the setting for Lynn Nottage’s extraordinary new play. The establishment’s shrewd matriarch, Mama Nadi, keeps peace between customers from both sides of the civil war, as government soldiers and rebel forces alike choose from her inventory of women, many already “ruined� by rape and torture when they were pressed into prostitution. Inspired by interviews she conducted in Africa with Congo refugees, Nottage has crafted an engrossing and uncommonly human story with humor and song served alongside its postcolonial and feminist politics in the rich theatrical tradition of Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage.

Lynn Nottage’s plays include Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Fabulation, and Intimate Apparel, winner of the American Theatre Critics� Steinberg New Play Award and the Francesca Primus Prize. Her plays have been widely produced, with Intimate Apparel receiving more productions than any other play in America during the 2005-2006 season.]]> 102 Lynn Nottage 155936355X Reader 5 4.16 2009 Ruined
author: Lynn Nottage
name: Reader
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2009
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1)]]> 78411
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket]]> 162 Lemony Snicket 0439206472 Reader 1 4.02 1999 The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1)
author: Lemony Snicket
name: Reader
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1999
rating: 1
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]]> An Oresteia 4770925 Ěý
In this innovative rendition of The Oresteia, the poet, translator, and essayist Anne Carson combines three different visions—Aischylos� Agamemnon, Sophokles� Elektra, and Euripides� Orestes—giving birth to a wholly new experience of the classic Greek triumvirate of vengeance. After the murder of her daughter Iphegenia by her husband Agamemnon, Klytaimestra exacts a mother’s revenge, murdering Agamemnon and his mistress, Kassandra. Displeased with Klytaimestra’s actions, Apollo calls on her son, Orestes, to avenge his father’s death with the help of his sister Elektra. In the end, Orestes, driven mad by the Furies for his bloody betrayal of family, and Elektra are condemned to death by the people of Argos, and must justify their actions—signaling a call to change in society, a shift from the capricious governing of the gods to the rule of manmade law.

Carson’s accomplished rendering combines elements of contemporary vernacular with the traditional structures and rhetoric of Greek tragedy, opening up the plays to a modern audience. In addition to its accessibility, the wit and dazzling morbidity of her prose sheds new light on the saga for scholars. Anne Carson’s Oresteia is a watershed translation, a death-dance of vengeance and passion not to be missed.]]> 272 Anne Carson 086547902X Reader 2 4.34 2009 An Oresteia
author: Anne Carson
name: Reader
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)]]> 1 652 J.K. Rowling Reader 5 4.57 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Reader
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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]]> Paper Towns 6442769 Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...]]> 305 John Green 014241493X Reader 4 3.68 2008 Paper Towns
author: John Green
name: Reader
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2008
rating: 4
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]]> Clybourne Park 8836290 96 Bruce Norris 184842132X Reader 2 3.79 2010 Clybourne Park
author: Bruce Norris
name: Reader
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2010
rating: 2
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]]> An Abundance of Katherines 49750 Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.]]> 229 John Green 0525476881 Reader 4 3.54 2006 An Abundance of Katherines
author: John Green
name: Reader
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2006
rating: 4
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]]> Pygmalion 7714
In Shaw's clever adaptation, Professor Henry Higgins, a linguistic expert, takes on a bet that he can transform an awkward cockney flower seller into a refined young lady simply by polishing her manners and changing the way she speaks. In the process of convincing society that his creation is a mysterious royal figure, the Professor also falls in love with his elegant handiwork.

The irresistible theme of the emerging butterfly, together with Shaw's brilliant dialogue and splendid skills as a playwright, have made Pygmalion one of the most popular comedies in the English language. A staple of college drama courses, it is still widely performed.]]> 82 George Bernard Shaw 0486282228 Reader 5 3.89 1913 Pygmalion
author: George Bernard Shaw
name: Reader
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1913
rating: 5
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]]> Troilus and Cressida 187518 343 William Shakespeare 0671669168 Reader 5 3.40 1601 Troilus and Cressida
author: William Shakespeare
name: Reader
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1601
rating: 5
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]]> The Vagina Monologues 104734 185 V (formerly Eve Ensler) 1860499260 Reader 2 3.88 1996 The Vagina Monologues
author: V (formerly Eve Ensler)
name: Reader
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1996
rating: 2
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]]> On Chesil Beach 815309
It is July 1962. Florence is a talented musician who dreams of a career on the concert stage and of the perfect life she will create with Edward, an earnest young history student at University College of London, who unexpectedly wooed and won her heart. Newly married that morning, both virgins, Edward and Florence arrive at a hotel on the Dorset coast. At dinner in their rooms they struggle to suppress their worries about the wedding night to come. Edward, eager for rapture, frets over Florence’s response to his advances and nurses a private fear of failure, while Florence’s anxieties run deeper: she is overcome by sheer disgust at the idea of physical contact, but dreads disappointing her husband when they finally lie down together in the honeymoon suite.

Ian McEwan has caught with understanding and compassion the innocence of Edward and Florence at a time when marriage was presumed to be the outward sign of maturity and independence. On Chesil Beach is another masterwork from McEwan—a story of lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken.]]> 166 Ian McEwan 0224081187 Reader 4 3.61 2007 On Chesil Beach
author: Ian McEwan
name: Reader
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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