Shannon's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 12 Apr 2025 00:46:40 -0700 60 Shannon's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The City of Tears (The Joubert Family Chronicles, #2)]]> 51176327 Following on from the Sunday Times number one bestseller, The Burning Chambers, Kate Mosse's The City of Tears is the second thrilling historical epic in The Burning Chambers series, for fans of Ken Follett and Dan Brown.

August 1572: Minou Joubert and her family are in Paris for a Royal Wedding, an alliance between the Catholic Crown and the Huguenot King of Navarre intended to bring peace to France after a decade of religious wars. So too is their oldest enemy, Vidal, still in pursuit of a relic that will change the course of history. But within days of the marriage, thousands will lie dead in the streets and Minou’s beloved family will be scattered to the four winds . . .

A gripping, breathtaking novel of revenge, persecution and loss, the action sweeps from Paris and Chartres to the city of tears itself, Amsterdam.]]> 560 Kate Mosse 1250202183 Shannon 0 currently-reading 4.15 2021 The City of Tears (The Joubert Family Chronicles, #2)
author: Kate Mosse
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power]]> 42202046
When you think of a witch, what do you picture? Pointy black hat, maybe a broomstick. But witches in various guises have been with us for millennia. In Waking the Witch , Pam Grossman explores the cultural and historical impact of the world’s most magical icon. From the idea of the femme fatale in league with the devil in early modern Europe and Salem, to the bewitching pop culture archetypes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina the Teenage Witch , and Harry Potter ; from the spooky ladies in fairy tales and horror films to the rise of feminist covens and contemporary witchcraft, witches reflect the power and potential of women.

In this fascinating read that is part cultural analysis, part memoir, Pam opens up about her own journey on the path to witchcraft, and how her personal embrace of the witch helped her find strength, self-empowerment, and a deeper purpose.

A comprehensive meditation on one of the most mysterious and captivating figures of all time, Waking the Witch celebrates witches past, present, and future, and reveals the critical role they have played—and will continue to play—in shaping the world as we know it.]]> 288 Pam Grossman 1982100702 Shannon 2 4.01 2019 Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power
author: Pam Grossman
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2021/11/03
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities]]> 212534777
High above the ground, generation after generation, Native workers called skywalkers have sculpted city skylines, balancing on narrow beams, facing down terrifying heights and heartbreaking loss. These skywalkers who dared to touch the heavens have built a legacy of landmarks all over the North American continent—and even today, there are Native Americans still climbing up among the clouds, brave enough to walk the sky.

With impactful and illuminating prose, Patricia Morris Buckley (Mohawk) tells the soaring story of the remarkable skywalkers, whose bravery and tragedies are warmly captured in moving watercolors by award-winning artist E. B. Lewis (Lenni-Lenape).]]> 40 Patricia Morris Buckley 0063046970 Shannon 0 to-read 4.16 2025 To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities
author: Patricia Morris Buckley
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Comfort Me with Apples 56179382
It's just that he's away so much. So often. He works so hard. She misses him. And he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband and everything is perfect.

But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. Strange things. Dark things. The look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. The locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze...

But everything is perfect. Isn't it?]]> 103 Catherynne M. Valente 1250816211 Shannon 0 to-read 3.58 2021 Comfort Me with Apples
author: Catherynne M. Valente
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (The d'Artagnan Romances #3)]]> 538984 1728 Alexandre Dumas 2258050170 Shannon 0 to-read 3.95 1850 Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (The d'Artagnan Romances #3)
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1850
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ariadne 54860614
When Theseus, the Prince of Athens, arrives to vanquish the beast, Ariadne sees in his green eyes not a threat but an escape. Defying the gods, betraying her family and country, and risking everything for love, Ariadne helps Theseus kill the Minotaur. But will Ariadne's decision ensure her happy ending? And what of Phaedra, the beloved younger sister she leaves behind?

Hypnotic, propulsive, and utterly transporting, Jennifer Saint's Ariadne forges a new epic, one that puts the forgotten women of Greek mythology back at the heart of the story, as they strive for a better world.]]> 308 Jennifer Saint 125077358X Shannon 4 3.77 2021 Ariadne
author: Jennifer Saint
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day]]> 74145 174 E.A. Wallis Budge 0811807673 Shannon 0 to-read 4.14 -1500 The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day
author: E.A. Wallis Budge
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.14
book published: -1500
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I (Tudor Rose #3)]]> 195888499
Born from young King Henry’s first marriage, his elder daughter, Princess Mary, is raised to be queen once it becomes clear that her mother, Katherine of Aragon, will bear no more surviving children. However, Henry’s restless eye has a devastating influence on the young princess’s future when he declares her a bastard and his marriage to her mother unlawful. In hopes of a male heir, he marries Anne Boleyn and banishes Katherine and Mary from the royal court. But when Anne too fails to produce a son, she is beheaded and Mary is allowed to return to court as the default heir. At age twenty, she hopes in vain for her own marriage and children, but who will marry her, bastard that she is?

Yet Mary eventually triumphs and becomes queen, after first putting down a seventeen-year-old usurper, Lady Jane Grey, and ordering her beheading. Any hopes that as the first female queen to rule Britain Mary will show more compassion are dashed when she embarks on a ruthless campaign to force Catholicism on the English by burning hundreds of Protestants at the stake. But while her brutality will forever earn her the name Bloody Mary, at heart she is an insecure and vulnerable woman, her character forged by the unhappiness of her early years.

In Alison Weir’s masterful novel, the drama of Mary I’s life and five-year reign—from her abusive childhood, marriage, and mysterious pregnancies to the cruelty that marks her legacy—comes to vivid life.]]> 528 Alison Weir 0593355105 Shannon 4 3.85 2024 The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I (Tudor Rose #3)
author: Alison Weir
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History]]> 70240521 The #1 New York Times bestselling historical novelist delivers her magnum opus—a landmark work of feminist nonfiction that radically redefines our understanding of the extraordinary roles ordinary women played throughout British history.

Most histories have been written by men, about men, relegating women—with the exception of a few queens—to the shadows of time. Now, bestselling author Philippa Gregory reveals the importance of ordinary women, providing a more balanced and truer chronicle that expands and adds rich detail to the story of Great Britain.

In Normal Women, Gregory draws on an enormous archive of primary and secondary sources to rewrite British history, focusing on the agency, persistence, and effectiveness of everyday women throughout periods of social and cultural transition. She sweeps from the making of the Bayeux tapestry in the eleventh century to the Black Death in 1348—after which women were briefly paid the same wages as men, the last time for seven centuries—to the 1992 ordination of women by the Church of England, when the church accepted, for the first time, that a woman could perform the miracle of the mass.

Through the stories of the female soldiers of the civil war, the guild widows who founded the prosperity of the City of London, highwaywomen and pirates, miners, ship owners, international traders, the women who ran London theaters and commissioned plays from Shakespeare, and the "female husbands" who married each other legally in church and lived as husband and wife, Gregory redefines "normal" female behavior to include heroism, rebellion, crime, treason, money-making, and sainthood. As she makes clear, normal women make history.

Normal Women will include black-and-white illustrations throughout and a full-color insert.]]> 688 Philippa Gregory 0063304325 Shannon 0 to-read 3.94 2023 Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History
author: Philippa Gregory
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The House of Hidden Meanings 181109983
A profound introspection of his life, relationships, and identity,Ìę The House of Hidden Meanings Ìęis a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag. Central to RuPaul’s success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world’s largest television franchises, RuPaul’s ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and supermogul.

Yet that adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, his most intimate and detailed book yet, RuPaul makes himself truly known. Stripping away all artifice, RuPaul recounts the story of his life with breathtaking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography. From his early years growing up as a queer Black kid in San Diego navigating complex relationships with his absent father and temperamental mother, to forging an identity in the punk and drag scenes of Atlanta and New York, to finding enduring love with his husband Georges LeBar and self-acceptance in sobriety, RuPaul excavates his own biography, uncovering new truths and insights in his personal history.

Here in RuPaul’s singular and extraordinary story is a manual for living—a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different, and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly. If we’re all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is RuPaul totally out of drag. This is RuPaul stripped bare.Ìę]]> 256 RuPaul 0063263904 Shannon 0 to-read 3.79 2024 The House of Hidden Meanings
author: RuPaul
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women's Bodies and Why It Matters Today]]> 158649729 The fascinating history of women’s health as it’s never been told before.

For as long as medicine has been a practice, women's bodies have been treated like objects to be practiced on: examined and ignored, idealized and sexualized, shamed, subjugated, mutilated, and dismissed. The history of women’s healthcare is a story in which women themselves have too often been voiceless—a narrative instead written from the perspective of men who styled themselves as authorities on the female of the species, yet uninformed by women’s own voices, thoughts, fears, pain and experiences. The result is a cultural and societal legacy that continues to shape the (mis)treatment and care of women.

While the modern age has seen significant advancements in the medical field, the notion that female bodies are flawed inversions of the male ideal lingers on—as do the pervasive societal stigmas and lingering ignorance that shape women’s health and relationships with their own bodies.

Memorial Sloan Kettering oncologist and medical historian Dr. Elizabeth Comen peels back the curtain on the collective medical history of women to reintroduce us to our whole bodies—how they work, the actual doctors and patients whose perspectives and experiences laid the foundation for today’s medical thought, and the many oversights that still remain unaddressed. With a physician’s knowledge and empathy, Dr. Comen follows the road map of the eleven organ systems to share unique and untold stories, drawing upon medical texts and journals, interviews with expert physicians, as well as her own experience treating thousands of women.

Empowering women to better understand ourselves and advocate for care that prioritizes healthy and joyful lives—for us and generations to comeâ€�All in Her Head is written with humor, wisdom, and deep scientific and cultural insight. Eye-opening, sometimes enraging, yet always captivating, this shared memoir of women’s medical history is an essential contribution to a holistic understanding and much-needed reclaiming of women’s history and bodies.]]> 368 Elizabeth Comen 0063293013 Shannon 0 to-read 4.37 2024 All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women's Bodies and Why It Matters Today
author: Elizabeth Comen
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants]]> 17465709 Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.]]> 408 Robin Wall Kimmerer 1571313354 Shannon 0 currently-reading 4.52 2013 Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tower is Full of Ghosts Today (Six Tudor Queens #2.5)]]> 35965694 The Tower is Full of Ghosts Today by historian Alison Weir is an e-short and companion piece to the Sunday Times bestseller Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession, the second novel in the spellbinding series about Henry VIII's queens.

Jo, historian and long-term admirer of Anne Boleyn, takes a group on a guided tour of the Tower of London, to walk in the shoes of her Tudor heroine. But as she becomes enthralled by the historical accuracy of her tour guide and the dramatic setting that she has come to love, something spectral is lurking in the shadows . . .

Contains first chapters of Sunday Times bestsellers Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession, as well as the upcoming Six Tudor Queens novel about Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen.

SIX TUDOR QUEENS. SIX NOVELS. SIX YEARS.

]]> 69 Alison Weir 1472252993 Shannon 0 to-read 3.58 2017 The Tower is Full of Ghosts Today (Six Tudor Queens #2.5)
author: Alison Weir
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks & Covens]]> 501054 256 Paul Huson 0399504427 Shannon 5 3.96 Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks & Covens
author: Paul Huson
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Faust, and the Urfaust 864286
Goethe's Faust is a classic of European literature. Based on the fable of the man who traded his soul for superhuman powers and knowledge, it became the life's work of Germany's greatest poet. Beginning with an intriguing wager between God and Satan, it charts the life of a deeply flawed individual, his struggle against the nihilism of his diabolical companion Mephistopheles.

Part One presents Faust's pact with the Devil and the harrowing tragedy of his love affair with the young Gretchen. Part Two shows Faust's experience in the world of public affairs, including his encounter with Helen of Troy, the emblem of classical beauty and culture. The whole is a symbolic and panoramic commentary on the human condition and on modern European history and civilisation.

This new translation of both parts of Faust preserves the poetic character of the original, its tragic pathos and hilarious comedy. In addition, John Williams has translated the Urfaust, a fascinating glimpse into the young Goethe's imagination, and a selection from the draft scenarios for the Walpurgis Night witches' sabbath - material so ribald and blasphemous that Goethe did not dare publish it.]]> 468 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1840221151 Shannon 0 to-read 3.97 Faust, and the Urfaust
author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty]]> 219513283
The Tudor monarchs were constantly surrounded by an army of attendants, courtiers and ministers. Even in their most private moments, they were accompanied by a servant specifically appointed for the task. A groom of the stool would stand patiently by as Henry VIII performed his daily purges, and when Elizabeth I retired for the evening, one of her female servants would sleep at the end of her bed.

These attendants knew the truth behind the glamorous exterior. They saw the tears shed by Henry VII upon the death of his son Arthur. They knew the tragic secret behind 'Bloody' Mary's phantom pregnancies. And they saw the 'crooked carcass' beneath Elizabeth I's carefully applied makeup, gowns and accessories.

It is the accounts of these eyewitnesses, as well as a rich array of other contemporary sources that historian Tracy Borman has examined more closely than ever before. With new insights and discoveries, and in the same way that she brilliantly illuminated the real Thomas Cromwell - The Private Life of the Tudors will reveal previously unexamined details about the characters we think we know so well.]]> 601 Tracy Borman Shannon 0 to-read 4.40 2016 The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty
author: Tracy Borman
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Spell in the Wild: A Year (and Six Centuries) of Magic]]> 54962747
But they are moving out of history, too. Witches are back. They’re feminist, independent, invested in self-care and care for the world.

They are here, because they must be needed
‘In A Spell in the Wild, Alice Tarbuck explores what it means to be a witch today. Where ‘witchâ€� was once a dangerous - and often deadly - accusation, it is now a proud self-definition. And as the world becomes ever more complicated and we face ecological, political, social and global health crises, witchcraft is experiencing a resurgence.

Magic is back. Alice describes what she practises as ‘intersectional, accessibleâ€� witchcraft - it’s about the magic you can find in an overgrown snicket or a sixth floor stairwell; whatever your gender; whether you’re able to climb a mountain or can’t leave the house. Month by month, Alice walks us through everyday magic for extraordinary times.]]> 400 Alice Tarbuck Shannon 2 4.10 2020 A Spell in the Wild: A Year (and Six Centuries) of Magic
author: Alice Tarbuck
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves:
review:

]]> Fearless and Free: A Memoir 215593875 This is Josephine Baker in her own words.

Josephine Baker took Paris by storm in the 1920s, dazzling audiences with her humour, beauty and effervescence on stage. She became an icon. Hemingway, Jean Cocteau and Picasso admired her; Shirley Bassey adored 'I swear in all my life I have never seen, and probably never shall see again, such a spectacular singer and performer'. It was told she strolled the streets of Paris with her pet cheetah who wore a diamond collar.

Later, as one of the most recognisable women in the world, she became a spy for the French resistance, her celebrity working as her cover. She was awarded the LĂ©gion d'Honneur for military service. After the war she became increasingly interested in civil rights. In 1963 she spoke at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King. All this from a girl born in Missouri to a poor single black woman and a white father she did not know.

Flirtatious, funny, candid and this memoir gives us the wildly famous but elusive Josephine Baker telling her own story. Formed from a series of conversations with the French journalist Marcel Sauvage, over a period of more than twenty years, this book offers an entertaining insight into one of the most interesting and beguiling figures of the twentieth century.]]> 304 Josephine Baker 0593853695 Shannon 0 to-read 3.53 1949 Fearless and Free: A Memoir
author: Josephine Baker
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.53
book published: 1949
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics]]> 63971279
Anastasia C. Curwood interweaves Chisholm's public image, political commitments, and private experiences to create a definitive account of a consequential life. In so doing, Curwood suggests new truths for understanding the social movements of Chisholm's time and the opportunities she forged for herself through multicultural, multigenerational, and cross-gender coalition building.]]> 472 Anastasia C. Curwood 1469671174 Shannon 0 to-read 4.14 Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics
author: Anastasia C. Curwood
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World—And How You Can, Too]]> 70240478
In the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want To Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo offered a vital guide for how to talk about important issues of race and racism in society. In Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, she discussed the ways in which white male supremacy has had an impact on our systems, our culture, and our lives throughout American history. But now that we better understand these systems of oppression, the question is this: What can we do about them?

With Be A Revolution: How Everyday People are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World—and How You Can, Too, Oluo aims to show how people across America are working to create real positive change in our structures. Looking at many of our most powerful systems—like education, media, labor, health, housing, policing, and more—she highlights what people are doing to create change for intersectional racial equity. She also illustrates various ways in which the reader can find entryways into change in these same areas, or can bring some of this important work being done elsewhere to where they live.

This book aims to not only be educational, but to inspire action and change. Oluo wishes to take our conversations on race and racism out of a place of pure pain and trauma, and into a place of loving action. Be A Revolution is both an urgent chronicle of this important moment in history, as well as an inspiring and restorative call for action..]]> 256 Ijeoma Oluo 0063140225 Shannon 0 to-read 4.38 2024 Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World—And How You Can, Too
author: Ijeoma Oluo
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Harlem Rhapsody 212806640 The extraordinary story of Jessie Redmon Fauset whose exhilarating world of friends, rivals, and passions all combined to create the magic that was the Harlem Renaissance, written by Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian.
Ìę
In 1919, as civil and social unrest grips the country, there is a little corner of America, a place called Harlem where something special is stirring. Here, the New Negro is rising and Black pride is evident everywhere
in music, theatre, fashion and the arts. And there on stage in the center of this renaissance is Jessie Redmon Fauset, the new literary editor ofÌęthe preeminent Negro magazine The Crisis.
Ìę
W.E.B. Du Bois, the founder and editor of The Crisis, has charged her with discovering young writers whose words will change the world. Jessie attacks the challenge with fervor, quickly finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen, who becomes one of her best friends.ÌęUnder Jessie’s leadership, The Crisis thrives, the writers become notable and magazine subscriptions soar. Every Negro writer in the country wants their work published in the magazine now known for its groundbreaking poetry and short stories.Ìę
Ìę
Jessie’s rising star is shining brightâ€�.but her relationship with W.E.B. could jeopardize all that she’s built. The man, considered by most to be the leader of Black America, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year-age difference can keep the two apart. Their torrid and tumultuous affair is complicated by a secret desire that Jessie harbors â€� to someday, herself, become the editor of the magazine, a position that only W.E.B. Du Bois has held.
Ìę
In the face of overwhelming sexism and racism, Jessie must balance her drive with her desires. However, as she strives to preserve her legacy, she’ll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.]]> 400 Victoria Christopher Murray 0593638484 Shannon 0 to-read 4.11 2025 Harlem Rhapsody
author: Victoria Christopher Murray
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Life of Herod the Great 212364050 Zora Neale Hurston's unpublished novel revealing the historical Herod the Great—not the demon the Bible makes him out to be but a religious and philosophical man who lived a life of adventure.

In the 1950s, after the publication of Moses, Man of the Mountain, Zora Neale Hurston set out to write a novel that would set the record straight about one of history's most maligned figures. If Hurston's Moses challenges the Old Testament version of the ancient Hebrew leader by suggesting that Moses was actually an Egyptian, Hurston's Herod challenges the New Testament version of the tyrant who supposedly ordered the deaths of many children in order to save the Christ-child, as recorded in the book of Matthew, by suggesting that he was actually a forerunner of Christ.

From the peaks of triumph to the depths of human misery, the historical Herod "seemed to have been singled out by some deity and especially endowed to attract the zigzag lightning of fate." The intimate friend of both Marc Antony and Julius Caesar, Herod lived in times of war and expansion, where political assassinations and bribery were commonplace as the old world gave way to the new. Breaking his legacy out of a single paragraph in the Bible and into the vivid, breathing world he lived in, Hurston's unfinished manuscript brings a full person with an adventurous life into view for the first time.

Scholar and literary critic Deborah Plant brings this bold, spirited novel to readers for the first time with a new introduction and editorial additions that demonstrate Hurston's point about how reimagining figures from the past addresses the troubles we experience today.]]> 368 Zora Neale Hurston 0063161001 Shannon 0 to-read 3.34 2025 The Life of Herod the Great
author: Zora Neale Hurston
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Homecoming 61683285
Sixty years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.

Nora has always been a vibrant and strong presence: decisive, encouraging, young despite her years. When Jess visits her in the hospital, she is alarmed to find her grandmother frail and confused. It’s even more alarming to hear from Nora's housekeeper that Nora had been distracted in the weeks before her accident and had fallen on the steps to the attic—the one place Jess was forbidden from playing in when she was small.

At loose ends in Nora's house, Jess does some digging of her own. In Nora's bedroom, she discovers a true crime book, chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried tragedy: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the book that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous crime—a crime that has never been resolved satisfactorily. And for a journalist without a story, a cold case might be the best distraction she can findâ€�

An epic novel that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, and how we protect the lies we tell. It explores the power of motherhood, the corrosive effects of tightly held secrets, and the healing nature of truth. Above all, it is a beguiling and immensely satisfying novel from one of the finest writers working today.]]> 547 Kate Morton 0063020890 Shannon 0 to-read 4.00 2023 Homecoming
author: Kate Morton
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Atalanta 61884838
Princess, Warrior, Lover, Hero

When Princess Atalanta is born, a daughter rather than the son her parents hoped for, she is left on a mountainside to die. But even then, she is a survivor. Raised by a mother bear under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis, Atalanta grows up wild and free, with just one condition: if she marries, Artemis warns, it will be her undoing.

Although she loves her beautiful forest home, Atalanta yearns for adventure. When Artemis offers her the chance to fight in her name alongside the Argonauts, the fiercest band of warriors the world has ever seen, Atalanta seizes it. The Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece is filled with impossible challenges, but Atalanta proves herself equal to the men she fights alongside. As she is swept into a passionate affair, in defiance of Artemis's warning, she begins to question the goddess's true intentions. Can Atalanta carve out her own legendary place in a world of men, while staying true to her heart?

Full of joy, passion, and adventure, Atalanta is the story of a woman who refuses to be contained. Jennifer Saint places Atalanta in the pantheon of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology, where she belongs.]]> 291 Jennifer Saint 1250855578 Shannon 4 3.74 2023 Atalanta
author: Jennifer Saint
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:

]]> The Irish Princess 42403868 Ireland, 1160

Aoife MacMurchada is just 14 years old when her father Diarmit, King of Leinster, is brutally deposed, and her family is forced to flee Southern Ireland into English exile. Diarmit seeks help from King Henry II, an alliance that leads him to the charismatic Richard de Clare, lord of Striguil, a man dissatisfied with his lot and open to new horizons.

Diarmit promises Richard wealth, lands, and Aoife's hand in marriage in return for his aid, but Aoife, has her own thoughts on the matter. She may be a prize, but she is not a pawn and she will play the game to her own advantage.

From the royal halls of scheming kings, to staunch Welsh border fortresses and across storm-tossed seas to the wild green kingdoms of Ireland, The Irish Princess is a sumptuous, journey of ambition and desire, love and loss, heartbreak and survival.]]> 400 Elizabeth Chadwick 0751564990 Shannon 0 to-read 3.95 2019 The Irish Princess
author: Elizabeth Chadwick
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt]]> 36300673
On a cold November day in 1895, a carriage approaches St Thomas Episcopal Church on New York City’s Fifth Avenue. Massive crowds surge forward, awaiting their glimpse of heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. Just 18, the beautiful bride has not only arrived late, but in tears, yet her marriage to the aloof Duke of Marlborough proceeds. Bullied into the wedding by her indomitable mother, Alva, Consuelo loves another. But a deal was made, trading some of the vast Vanderbilt wealth for a title and prestige, and Consuelo, bred to obey, realizes she must make the best of things.

At Blenheim Palace, Consuelo is confronted with an overwhelming list of duties, including producing an “heir and a spare,â€� but her relationship with the duke quickly disintegrates. Consuelo finds an inner strength, charming everyone from debutantes to diplomats including Winston Churchill, as she fights for women’s suffrage. And when she takes a scandalous leap, can she hope to attain love at lastâ€�?

From the dawning of the opulent Gilded Age, to the battles of the Second World War, American Duchess is a riveting tale of one woman’s quest to attain independence—at any price.]]> 368 Karen Harper 0062748343 Shannon 0 to-read 3.52 2019 American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt
author: Karen Harper
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Stationery Shop 42201995 A poignant, heartfelt new novel by the award-nominated author of Together Tea—extolled by the Wall Street Journal as a “moving tale of lost loveâ€� and by Shelf Awareness as “a powerful, heartbreaking story”—explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate.

Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood stationery shop, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink.

Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.

A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she moves on—to college in California, to another man, to a life in New England—until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me?]]> 312 Marjan Kamali 1982107480 Shannon 0 to-read 4.22 2019 The Stationery Shop
author: Marjan Kamali
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Lion Women of Tehran 199798217 A heartfelt novel of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran.

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.â€�

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girlsâ€� high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.]]> 327 Marjan Kamali 1668036584 Shannon 0 to-read 4.48 2024 The Lion Women of Tehran
author: Marjan Kamali
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth]]> 196774338
The Light Eaters is a deep immersion into the drama of green life and the complexity of this wild and awe-inspiring world that challenges our very understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence. In looking closely, we see that plants, rather than imitate human intelligence, have perhaps formed a parallel system. What is intelligent life if not a vine that grows leaves to blend into the shrub on which it climbs, a flower that shapes its bloom to fit exactly the beak of its pollinator, a pea seedling that can hear water flowing and make its way toward it? Zoë Schlanger takes us across the globe, digging into her own memories and into the soil with the scientists who have spent their waking days studying these amazing entities up close.

What can we learn about life on Earth from the living things that thrive, adapt, consume, and accommodate simultaneously? More important, what do we owe these life forms once we come to understand their rich and varied abilities? Examining the latest epiphanies in botanical research, Schlanger spotlights the intellectual struggles among the researchers conceiving a wholly new view of their subject, offering a glimpse of a field in turmoil as plant scientists debate the tenets of ongoing discoveries and how they influence our understanding of what a plant is.

We need plants to survive. But what do they need us for—if at all? An eye-opening and informative look at the ecosystem we live in, this book challenges us to rethink the role of plants—and our own place—in the natural world.]]> 304 ZoĂ« Schlanger 0063073854 Shannon 0 to-read 4.28 2024 The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth
author: Zoë Schlanger
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Nature's Best Hope (Young Readers' Edition): How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard]]> 61056676 This middle grade edition of the groundbreaking bestseller by Doug Tallamy will inspire kids to use their backyard to help save the planet.

Douglas W. Tallamy awakened thousands of readers to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this middle grade adaptation of the New York Times bestsellerÌęNature's Best Hope, Tallamy outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation that everyone can participate in regardless of age.Ìę

In Nature's Best Hope (Young Readers' Edition), Tallamy empowers kids to use their own yards to help combat the negative effects of climate change. He does so by breaking down complex concepts into simple terms and real-world examples that kids can easily grasp. Black and white photographs help further clarify concepts. In addition to sharing the science, Tallamy encourages kids to take direct action. Some of these ideas include planting an oak tree (one of the most important tree species) at home. If that’s too large of a task, he suggests they can plant asters—a beautiful flower whose pollen bees use to feed their young. By helping the next generation see that they have power and agency over our collective future, this empowering book will drive home the positive point that kids are truly nature’s best hope.]]> 256 Douglas W. Tallamy 1643262149 Shannon 0 to-read 4.37 Nature's Best Hope (Young Readers' Edition): How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard
author: Douglas W. Tallamy
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees]]> 54110488
WithÌę Bringing Nature Home , Doug Tallamy changed the conversation about gardening in America. His second book, theÌę New York TimesÌę bestsellerÌę Nature’s Best Hope , urged homeowners to take conservation into their own hands. Now, he turns his advocacy to one of the most important species of the plant kingdom—the mighty oak tree.
Ìę
Oaks sustain a complex and fascinating web of wildlife.Ìę The Nature of Oaks Ìęreveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area.Ìę The Nature of Oaks Ìęwill inspire you to treasure these trees and to act to nurture and protect them.]]> 197 Douglas W. Tallamy 1643260448 Shannon 0 to-read 4.34 2021 The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
author: Douglas W. Tallamy
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Chocolate Tree: A Natural History of Cacao]]> 1502106 240 Allen M. Young 0813030447 Shannon 0 to-read 3.48 1994 The Chocolate Tree: A Natural History of Cacao
author: Allen M. Young
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Jaguar and the Cacao Tree (Max and the Code of Harvests Book 1)]]> 29620178 The Golden Compass and The Chronicles of Narnia, be prepared to fall in love with mythic fantasy all over again. The Jaguar and the Cacao Tree pulls you into a mesmerizing world that blurs the lines between science, mythology, and the hidden magic of nature.



Max Hammond has a life other science-obsessed boys his age only dream he travels the world with his bee researcher dad and science writer mom.

When the Hammond family arrives in Guatemala to study the enigmatic stingless bees of the Maya, Max meets Itzel, a young Maya girl who introduces him to the magic and wonders of rainforest gardens and animal spirit guides. It's a world that transforms the meaning of all the science Max has ever learned--but its magic is not always benevolent.

One night, Itzel takes Max to an ancient cacao tree tended in secret deep in the jungle by an elite group of Elders. Neither Max nor Itzel are prepared for the forces they unleash when they open the pods of the sacred tree, forces that turn everything they know about the history of cacao upside down, threaten the past and future of the world's most desirable food, and, worse still, awaken two mythic beasts guarding the very DNA of cacao.

The Jaguar and the Cacao Tree is Book One of the "Max and the Code of Harvests" series.

Includes 32 chapter illustrations and an appreciation by Dr. Allen Young, curator emeritus at the Milwaukee Public Museum and author of The Chocolate Tree.



REVIEWS

One of the world's authorities on chocolate, the C-Spot.com, calls the book "a strong contender for the best [chocolate] title in the last 5 years."

The School Library Journal says this is "...a unique middle grade novel that expertly blends magic, science, culture, and ecological awareness."

Foreword Reviews selected The Jaguar and the Cacao Tree as one of "Six Best YA Books of Summer 2016".]]> 332 Birgitte Rasine 1938284984 Shannon 0 to-read 3.88 The Jaguar and the Cacao Tree (Max and the Code of Harvests Book 1)
author: Birgitte Rasine
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao (Maya Studies)]]> 669106 544 Cameron L. McNeil 0813029538 Shannon 0 to-read 4.64 2006 Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao (Maya Studies)
author: Cameron L. McNeil
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cocoa 38623593
In this incisive book, Kristy Leissle reveals how cocoa, which brings pleasure and wealth to relatively few, depends upon an extensive global trade system that exploits the labor of five million growers, as well as countless other workers and vulnerable groups. The reality of this dramatic inequity, she explains, is often masked by the social, cultural, emotional, and economic values humans have placed upon cocoa from its earliest cultivation in Mesoamerica to the present day. Tracing the cocoa value chain from farms in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, through to chocolate factories in Europe and North America, Leissle shows how cocoa has been used as a political tool to wield power over others. Cocoa's politicization is not, however, it happens within botanical parameters set by the crop itself, and the material reality of its transport, storage, and manufacture into chocolate. As calls for justice in the industry have grown louder, Leissle reveals the possibilities for and constraints upon realizing a truly sustainable and fulfilling livelihood for cocoa growers, and for keeping the world full of chocolate.]]> 215 Kristy Leissle 1509513205 Shannon 0 to-read 3.69 2018 Cocoa
author: Kristy Leissle
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England]]> 144334815 Tracy Borman Shannon 0 to-read 4.67 Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England
author: Tracy Borman
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Story of the Tower of London (Historic Royal Palaces)]]> 22750281
The story of the Tower of London is, in many respects, the story of England. When building work began on the fortress, the capital was little more than a small town with no more than 10,000 inhabitants. Almost 1,000 years later, the fortress still stands as a symbol of royal power, pomp and ceremony, tradition, heritage, military might, treachery and torture. Its myriad roles are reflected in the complex series of buildings that make up this formidable, magnificent fortress � an iconic site that still attracts millions of visitors from across the world each year.]]> 160 Tracy Borman 1858946336 Shannon 0 to-read 4.31 2015 The Story of the Tower of London (Historic Royal Palaces)
author: Tracy Borman
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History]]> 123194909 302 Tracy Borman 1399705083 Shannon 0 to-read 4.23 2023 Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History
author: Tracy Borman
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty]]> 27904523
The Tudor monarchs were constantly surrounded by an army of attendants, courtiers and ministers. Even in their most private moments, they were accompanied by a servant specifically appointed for the task. A groom of the stool would stand patiently by as Henry VIII performed his daily purges, and when Elizabeth I retired for the evening, one of her female servants would sleep at the end of her bed.

These attendants knew the truth behind the glamorous exterior. They saw the tears shed by Henry VII upon the death of his son Arthur. They knew the tragic secret behind 'Bloody' Mary's phantom pregnancies. And they saw the 'crooked carcass' beneath Elizabeth I's carefully applied makeup, gowns and accessories.

It is the accounts of these eyewitnesses, as well as a rich array of other contemporary sources that historian Tracy Borman has examined more closely than ever before. With new insights and discoveries, and in the same way that she brilliantly illuminated the real Thomas Cromwell - The Private Life of the Tudors will reveal previously unexamined details about the characters we think we know so well.]]> 449 Tracy Borman 1444782894 Shannon 0 to-read 4.17 2016 The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty
author: Tracy Borman
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Witch in Darkness: Magick for Tough Times, Bad Days and Moments of Total Catastrophe]]> 90321824
We all go through difficult times. We all feel loss and confusion, and we struggle with seeminglyinsurmountable problems. For any witch sitting in the light of a candle flame, at a low place in theirlife, this book shows how magickal practice can be a powerful support.Following on from the hugely successful Rebel Witch, Witch in Darkness offers tons of practical, step-by-step workings to show practitioners how to customise and optimise their craft to use as armourto survive the toughest times you can go through. It offers empathy, encouragement and a hugecollection of ideas ranging from simple mindset shifts to weird, rare workings.


The book reminds you that witchcraft has alchemical power. It can help you find joyful sovereignty inloneliness, and it brings you home to yourself when you’re not sure who you are and where you’regoing. This is a manual for getting back on track, magickally and spiritually.]]> 288 Kelly-Ann Maddox 1786786524 Shannon 0 to-read 4.44 Witch in Darkness: Magick for Tough Times, Bad Days and Moments of Total Catastrophe
author: Kelly-Ann Maddox
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Things We Haven't Said: Sexual Violence Survivors Speak Out]]> 28956909 208 Erin E. Moulton 1942186347 Shannon 0 to-read 4.32 2018 Things We Haven't Said: Sexual Violence Survivors Speak Out
author: Erin E. Moulton
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China]]> 37861785 How the Feminist Five and the rise of China's feminist movement threatens China's authoritarian government

On the eve of International Women’s Day in 2015, the Chinese government arrested five feminist activists and jailed them for 37 days. The Feminist Five became a global cause cĂ©lĂšbre, with Hillary Clinton speaking out on their behalf, and activists inundating social media with #FreetheFive messages. But the Feminist Five are only symbols of a much larger feminist movement of civil rights lawyers, labor activists, performance artists and online warriors that is prompting an unprecedented awakening among China’s urban, educated women. In Betraying Big Brother, journalist and scholar Leta Hong Fincher argues that the popular, broad-based movement poses the greatest threat to China’s authoritarian regime today.

Through interviews with the Feminist Five and other leading Chinese activists, Hong Fincher illuminates both the challenges they face and their “joy of betraying Big Brother,â€� as Wei Tingting—one of the Feminist Five—wrote of the defiance she felt during her detention. Tracing the rise of a new feminist consciousness through online campaigns resembling #MeToo, and describing how the Communist regime has suppressed the history of its own feminist struggles, Betraying Big Brother is a story of how the movement against patriarchy could reconfigure China and the world.]]> 240 Leta Hong Fincher 1786633647 Shannon 0 to-read 4.18 2018 Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China
author: Leta Hong Fincher
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger]]> 39939208 New York Times bestselling author of All the Single Ladies comes a vital, incisive exploration into the transformative power of female anger and its ability to transcend into a political movement.

In the year 2018, it seems as if women’s anger has suddenly erupted into the public conversation. But long before Pantsuit Nation, before the Women’s March, and before the #MeToo movement, women’s anger was not only politically catalytic—but politically problematic. The story of female fury and its cultural significance demonstrates the long history of bitter resentment that has enshrouded women’s slow rise to political power in America, as well as the ways that anger is received when it comes from women as opposed to when it comes from men.

With eloquence and fervor, Rebecca tracks the history of female anger as political fuel—from suffragettes marching on the White House to office workers vacating their buildings after Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Here Traister explores women’s anger at both men and other women; anger between ideological allies and foes; the varied ways anger is perceived based on its owner; as well as the history of caricaturing and delegitimizing female anger; and the way women’s collective fury has become transformative political fuel—as is most certainly occurring today. She deconstructs society’s (and the media’s) condemnation of female emotion (notably, rage) and the impact of their resulting repercussions.

Highlighting a double standard perpetuated against women by all sexes, and its disastrous, stultifying effect, Traister’s latest is timely and crucial. It offers a glimpse into the galvanizing force of women’s collective anger, which, when harnessed, can change history.]]> 320 Rebecca Traister 1501181807 Shannon 0 to-read 4.37 2018 Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger
author: Rebecca Traister
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America]]> 35805861 Unbelievable: The Story of Two Detectives' Relentless Search for the Truth in 2019.

Two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists tell the riveting true crime story of a teenager charged with lying about having been raped--and the detectives who followed a winding path to arrive at the truth.

On August 11, 2008, eighteen-year-old Marie reported that a masked man broke into her apartment near Seattle, Washington, and raped her. Within days police, and even those closest to Marie, became suspicious of her story. The police swiftly pivoted and began investigating Marie. Confronted with inconsistencies in her story and the doubts of others, Marie broke down and said her story was a lie--a bid for attention. Police charged Marie with false reporting, and she was branded a liar.

More than two years later, Colorado detective Stacy Galbraith was assigned to investigate a case of sexual assault. Describing the crime to her husband that night, Galbraith learned that the case bore an eerie resemblance to a rape that had taken place months earlier in a nearby town. She joined forces with the detective on that case, Edna Hendershot, and the two soon discovered they were dealing with a serial rapist: a man who photographed his victims, threatening to release the images online, and whose calculated steps to erase all physical evidence suggested he might be a soldier or a cop. Through meticulous police work the detectives would eventually connect the rapist to other attacks in Colorado--and beyond.

Based on investigative files and extensive interviews with the principals, A False Report/i>is a serpentine tale of doubt, lies, and a hunt for justice, unveiling the disturbing truth of how sexual assault is investigated today - and the long history of skepticism toward rape victims.]]> 263 T. Christian Miller 1524759937 Shannon 0 to-read 4.26 2018 A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America
author: T. Christian Miller
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower]]> 33574165
Eloquent rage keeps us all honest and accountable. It reminds women that they don’t have to settle for less. When Cooper learned of her grandmother's eloquent rage about love, sex, and marriage in an epic and hilarious front-porch confrontation, her life was changed. And it took another intervention, this time staged by one of her homegirls, to turn Brittney into the fierce feminist she is today. In Brittney Cooper’s world, neither mean girls nor fuckboys ever win. But homegirls emerge as heroes. This book argues that ultimately feminism, friendship, and faith in one's own superpowers are all we really need to turn things right side up again.]]> 288 Brittney Cooper 1250112575 Shannon 0 to-read 4.38 2018 Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower
author: Brittney Cooper
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Herlands: Exploring the Women's Land Movement in the United States]]> 39732311 How women-only communities provide spaces for new forms of culture, sociality, gender, and sexuality

Women’s lands are intentional, collective communities composed entirely of women. Rooted in 1970s feminist politics, they continue to thrive in a range of ways, from urban households to isolated rural communes, providing spaces where ideas about gender, sexuality, and sociality are challenged in both deliberate and accidental ways. Herlands, a compelling ethnography of women’s land networks in the United States, highlights the ongoing relevance of these communities as vibrant cultural enclaves that also have an impact on broader ideas about gender, women’s bodies, lesbian identity, and right ways of living.

As a participant-observer, Keridwen N. Luis brings unique insights to the lives and stories of the women living in these communities. While documenting the experiences of specific spaces in Massachusetts, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Ohio, Herlands also explores the history of women’s lands and breaks new ground exploring culture theory, gender theory, and how lesbian identity is conceived and constructed in North America. Luis also discusses how issues of race and class are addressed, the ways in which nudity and public hygiene challenge dominant constructions of the healthy or aging body, and the pervasive influence of hegemonic thinking on debates about transgender women. Luis finds that although changing dominant thinking can be difficult and incremental, women’s lands provide exciting possibilities for revolutionary transformation in society.]]> 320 Keridwen N. Luis 0816698252 Shannon 0 to-read 4.29 2018 Herlands: Exploring the Women's Land Movement in the United States
author: Keridwen N. Luis
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Natural Witchcraft: The Timeless Arts and Crafts of the Country Witch]]> 590979 167 Marian Green 0007120214 Shannon 0 to-read 3.75 2002 Natural Witchcraft: The Timeless Arts and Crafts of the Country Witch
author: Marian Green
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Pagan Portals - Hedge Riding 15901377
This book is an experiential guide,Ìęas Aristotle said, 'For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them'.ÌęLearning by experiencing is about trusting your instincts and connecting with your inner spirit.ÌęThe hedge riding aspect of hedge witchery is perhaps the most difficult part of the hedge witch pathway. This book focuses on that aspect alone.ÌęIf you want to learn more about Hedge Witchraft, there are two accompanying books in this series,ÌęPagans Portals -- Hedge Witchcraft,ÌęandÌęPagans Portals -- Hedge Magic (which will follow soon).]]> 68 Harmonia Saille 178099348X Shannon 0 to-read 3.48 2012 Pagan Portals - Hedge Riding
author: Harmonia Saille
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Magical Plants: A Practical Guide to Creating Healing, Protection, and Prosperity using Plants, Herbs, and Flowers]]> 17318735 TheComplete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Magical Plants!Learn how to improve your life using the spiritual properties all around you in nature. This revised and expanded guide includes the magical properties and uses for nearly 300 plants. Entries describe how to use spells or rituals and potions that solve everything from shooing evil spirits out of a reader’s house to finding the perfect mate to using herbs, flowers, and plants in Wiccan and earth magic festivals. New entries are woven throughout the book to reflect the newest popular healing plants and herbs. Expert Susan Gregg shows you how to concoct tinctures, oils, and bath salts, work with dried leaves, and use fresh plants and flowers to call in fairies and plant divas that will enhance your life.


The smaller size of this bestselling encyclopedia makes it a perfect gift for a friend, a family member, or yourself!]]> 304 Susan Gregg 1592335837 Shannon 0 to-read 3.90 2008 The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Magical Plants: A Practical Guide to Creating Healing, Protection, and Prosperity using Plants, Herbs, and Flowers
author: Susan Gregg
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Tree Ogham 2596039 60 Glennie Kindred 0953222721 Shannon 0 to-read 4.52 1999 Tree Ogham
author: Glennie Kindred
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blackthorn's Botanical Magic: The Green Witch’s Guide to Essential Oils for Spellcraft, Ritual & Healing]]> 38643086
Enter the magical world of scent and aromas. Blackthorn’s Botanical Magic is a fresh, groundbreaking guide to the transformative powers of essential oils for use in spellcraft, divination, and the cultivation of ritual power. Amy Blackthorn—the force behind Blackthorn’s Botanicals—guides readers on a journey into the hidden realms of plants and their magic powers , from rose-scented rosaries to the lingering aroma of frankincense and the cleansing energy of white sage. This book is suitable for beginners but also has lots of new information for the experienced practitioner.

Within these pages, you will ]]> 336 Amy Blackthorn 1578636302 Shannon 0 to-read 4.41 Blackthorn's Botanical Magic: The Green Witch’s Guide to Essential Oils for Spellcraft, Ritual & Healing
author: Amy Blackthorn
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic]]> 590186 Book of Shadows, was an inspirational, spiritual memoir that chronicled her journey from Ivy League-educated, New York City attorney to Wiccan High Priestess. By inviting readers of all faiths to share in her own personal transformation, Phyllis debunked many of the myths surrounding Wicca and revealed it for what it really is: a spiritual movement whose tenets of Goddess worship and reverence for Nature were a great deal more accessible and familiar than she’d ever expected. In Witch Crafting, Phyllis digs deep into the practices and principles of Witchcraft to provide a comprehensive guidebook that anyone "novices and seasoned practitioners alike" can use to incorporate the beauty and power of Wicca into their own daily lives.
Far from being just another mechanical spell book, Witch Crafting is the first book to offer readers not only the how-to of Witchcraft, but also the why-to, explaining the profound spiritual tenets behind Wiccan techniques. Filled with both traditional and innovative shamanic practices, Phyllis also provides an empowering new definition of magic and reexamines the ethics under which Witchcraft is practiced, offering a groundbreaking alternative to the Threefold Law. With enchanting stories from Curott’s own experiences, Witch Crafting will also teach you how to:
� Master the secret arts of effective spellcasting

� Create sacred space and personal rituals

� Perform divinations for spiritual insight and earthly success

� Tap into the power of altered states, such as dreaming, meditation, prayer, and trance

â€� Keep a magical journal and create your own Book of Shadows ·Keep a magical

Rich with detailed advice for making magic, working with Nature, and finding the Divine within, as well as thought-provoking evaluations of this remarkable spirituality, Witch Crafting is the special volume that you’ve been searching for. Whether you are a beginner or have been practicing Witchcraft for years, whether you worship in a coven or on your own, Witch Crafting is the ideal handbook for you, or anyone seeking to unlock the divine power that makes real magic happen and experience the ecstasy, energy, and gifts of the Universe more fully.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 352 Phyllis Curott 0767908457 Shannon 0 to-read 4.08 2001 Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic
author: Phyllis Curott
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Journey to the Dark Goddess 14467901 241 Jane Meredith 1846946778 Shannon 0 to-read 4.12 2012 Journey to the Dark Goddess
author: Jane Meredith
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> When a Pagan Prays 21930553 207 Brown Nimue 1782796339 Shannon 0 to-read 4.49 2014 When a Pagan Prays
author: Brown Nimue
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Elf Magic Mail: Book 1, The Original Letters of The Elf Queen's Daughters with Commentary by The Silver Elves]]> 21447208 370 The Silver Elves 1496134427 Shannon 0 to-read 4.31 2014 Elf Magic Mail: Book 1, The Original Letters of The Elf Queen's Daughters with Commentary by The Silver Elves
author: The Silver Elves
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Diary of a Witch 560452 book 221 Sybil Leek 0451039173 Shannon 0 to-read 3.85 1968 Diary of a Witch
author: Sybil Leek
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1968
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft]]> 84212 360 Silver RavenWolf 087542791X Shannon 0 3.57 1994 To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft
author: Silver RavenWolf
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews]]> 145560
The answers to questions like these and hundreds more can be found in The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews by world-famous author Scott Cunningham. This is a greatly expanded and rewritten version of The Magic of Incenses, Oils and Brews. It includes over 100 new formulas, proportions for each element of the recipes (the most requested feature from his previous book), how to substitute ingredients, and much more. Besides the formulas, it also includes the exact methods of making all of these scented tools, including how to extract the essences from the herbs.

Each one of the formulas in this magic book is precise and easy to make. Do you need luck? Take 2 parts vetivert, 2 parts allspice, 1 part nutmeg, and 1 part calamus, grind them together as finely as possible, then sprinkle the powder in a circle around you, beginning and ending in the East and moving clockwise. Sit within this circle and absorb the powder's energies. Also included are other ways to use magical powders that will have you coming up with your own ideas for them, too.

There is a legion of recipes for incenses. There are three for the sun and two for consecrating talismans. There are incenses for each of the astrological signs and ones to help you study better and gain success. You'll also find incenses for each of the planetary influences. There are four for Saturn alone!

This compendium of magical lore is a vital tool for every magical person on any magical path, whether you are a beginner or an expert.]]> 288 Scott Cunningham 0875421288 Shannon 0 4.32 1986 The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews
author: Scott Cunningham
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1986
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions]]> 84260
Goddess tradition embraces the wheel of life, the never-ending cycle of birth, growth, love, fulfillment, and death. Each turn of the wheel is presented here, in eight holidays spanning the changing seasons, in rites of passage for life transitions, and in the elements of fire, air, water, earth, and spirit. Circle Round is rich with songs, rituals, craft and cooking projects, and read-aloud stories, as well as suggestions for how you can create your own unique family traditions. Here are just some of the ways to make each event in the cycle of life more special:

Mark Summer Solstice by making sweet-smelling herb pillows for good dreams
Send a teenager off to college with the Leaving Behind and Carrying With rituals
Comfort an injured child with the Tree of Life meditation
Commemorate a loved one by planting or donating a tree

As a one-of-a-kind resource for people of many faiths and beliefs, Circle Round will be a beloved companion in your home for years to come.]]> 439 Starhawk 0553378058 Shannon 0 to-read 4.30 1998 Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions
author: Starhawk
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times]]> 687278
� Using painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and courage
� Communicating so as to encourage others to open up rather than shut down
� Practices for reversing habitual patterns
� Methods for working with chaotic situations
â€� Ways for creating effective social action]]> 148 Pema Chödrön 1570623449 Shannon 0 to-read 4.27 1996 When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
author: Pema Chödrön
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Persians 214152321 A family confronts a past that is both keeping them together and preventing them from breaking free.

Meet the Valiat family. In Iran they were somebodies. In America they’re nobodies. First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose who stayed in Tehran during the revolution. Her daughters, Shirin and Seema, left for America in 1979. She lives in a shabby apartment, paranoid and alone—except when she is visited by Niaz, her Islamic-law–breaking granddaughter who takes her debauchery with a side of purpose yet somehow manages to survive. The other granddaughter, Bita, is a self-righteous but lost law student spending her days in New York City eating pancakes and quietly giving away her belongings.

When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family’s brittle status quo cracks open. Shirin embarks upon a grand but half-baked quest to restore the family name—but what does that even mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered? Will they ever realize that life is more than just an old story?]]> 384 Sanam Mahloudji 166801579X Shannon 0 to-read 3.51 2024 The Persians
author: Sanam Mahloudji
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Edge of Water 213816144 Set between Nigeria and New Orleans, The Edge of Water tells the story of a young woman who dreams of life in America, as the collision of traditional prophecy and individual longing tests the bonds of a family during a devastating storm.

In Ibadan, Nigeria, a mother receives a divination that foretells danger for her daughter in America. In spite of this warning, she allows her to forge her own path, and Amina arrives in New Orleans filled with hope. But just as Amina begins to find her way, a hurricane threatens to destroy the city, upending everything she’d dreamed of and the lives of all she holds dear. Years later, her daughter is left with questions about the mother she barely knew, and the family she has yet to discover in Nigeria.

Exploring the love of a determined mother and dreaming daughter who do not say enough to each other until it is too late, the detangling of Yoruba Christianity, traditional religion, and folklore, and the tellings of three generations of daring women—through times of longing, promise, and romance, as well as heartbreak—Olufunke Grace Bankole’s The Edge of Water is a luminous debut novel about a young woman brave enough to leave all she knows behind, and the way her fate transforms a family destined to stay together.



]]> 272 Olufunke Grace Bankole 1963108051 Shannon 0 to-read 3.99 2025 The Edge of Water
author: Olufunke Grace Bankole
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Good Girl 195644142
A girl can get in almost anywhere, even if she can’t get out.

In Berlin’s artistic underground, where techno and drugs fill warehouses still pockmarked from the wars of the twentieth century, nineteen-year-old Nila at last finds her tribe. Born in Germany to Afghan parents, raised in public housing graffitied with swastikas, drawn to philosophy, photography, and sex, Nila has spent her adolescence disappointing her family while searching for her voice as a young woman and artist.

Then in the haze of Berlin’s legendary nightlife, Nila meets Marlowe, an American writer whose fading literary celebrity opens her eyes to a life of personal and artistic freedom. But as Nila finds herself pulled further into Marlowe’s controlling orbit, ugly, barely submerged racial tensions begin to roil Germany—and Nila’s family and community. After a year of running from her future, Nila stops to ask herself the most important question: Who does she want to be?

A story of love and family, raves and Kafka, staying up all night and surviving the mistakes of youth, Good Girl is the virtuosic debut novel by a celebrated young poet and, now, a major new voice in fiction.]]> 368 Aria Aber Shannon 0 to-read 3.73 2025 Good Girl
author: Aria Aber
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Isola 212806636 A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam.

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.

Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.]]> 368 Allegra Goodman 0593730089 Shannon 0 to-read 4.00 2025 Isola
author: Allegra Goodman
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Justine Cooks: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen]]> 206180599 Find your cooking style through 110 approachable and innovative plant-forward recipes from social media storyteller and food influencer Justine Snacks.To her audience, Justine Doiron is known for her love of vegetables, beans, bread, and farmersâ€� markets. She was a beginner cook who turned her hobby into a creative outlet and discovered her cooking style along with the confidence to cook intuitively and adventurously with the flavors and ingredients she loves.ÌęHere she shares plant-forward recipes forÌęsalads, snacks, vegetables, breakfasts, seafood and tofu, plus beans (of course), sweets, and breads, and as well as things to eat on or with bread.ÌęRecipes Baked Kale Salad with Chili QuinoaBrown Butter Tahini on Any NoodleParmesan-Crusted Butter BeansTofu Cutlets with a Bright, Summery SaladBoyfriend SalmonBasil Cucumbers with Slightly Sweet PeanutsButternut Squash Grilled Cheese with Pickled FennelBlack Pepper Chai BlondiesSweet Potato FocacciaRipple BreadIn sharing simple tips and techniques, as well as cooking wisdom she's picked up along the way, Justine Cooks is a delicious invitation to explore your own cooking style and creativity in the kitchen.]]> 288 Justine Doiron 0593582306 Shannon 0 to-read 4.42 Justine Cooks: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen
author: Justine Doiron
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches: A Cookbook]]> 208713557 The acclaimed chef, New York Times bestselling author, and executive producer and actor on The Bear redefines cooking’s iconic soups, salads, and sandwichesChances are you’ve eaten a soup, salad, or sandwich in the past day (or maybe all three). This trio makes up so many of our meals but is rarely given the attention it deserves–until now. Matty Matheson, known for his bold, innovative flavors, has created a cookbook that will revolutionize how you think of these kitchen basics. This book is for anyone and everyone, offering up Matty’s signature twists on the classics, delivered with minimal effort for maximum flavor.Find your favorite combination by mixing and matching dishes Giant Meatball Soup; Crab Congee; Creamy Sausage Soup with Rapini and Tortellini; Caldo de Pollo Everyone’s Mom’s Macaroni and Tuna Salad; Griddled Salami Panzanella Salad; Peaches with Goat Cheese, Mint, Honeycomb, Olive Oil, and Espellete Cubano; Italian Combo; Sun Warmed Tomato Sandwich; Banana Bread French Toast with Fried Egg, Peameal Bacon, and Maple SyrupPacked with character, personal stories, scrumptious recipes, and vivid photographs of a day-in-the-life with Matty and his family, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches will have you fearlessly whipping up your own combinations in the kitchen.]]> 368 Matty Matheson 1984862154 Shannon 0 to-read 4.17 Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches: A Cookbook
author: Matty Matheson
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heal Your Gut, Save Your Brain: The Five Pillars of Enhancing Your Gut and Optimizing Your Cognitive Health]]> 204193271 More and more, poor gut health is being linked to a decline in brain health, opening up possibilities for exciting new and effective treatments to prevent and even help to heal disease states associated with poor brain health.ÌęMuch of the research is focused on three leading causes of neurodegeneration that doctors have been struggling to treat stroke, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s.ÌęMuch of the recent research highlights the connection between well-known risk factors for these disorders—including genetics, environmental toxins, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease—and poor gut health, reinforcing that the connection between gut and brain health we’re seeing isn’t coincidental.
As a gastroenterologist with a personal and professional interest in understanding the role the gut plays in brain health and in employing targeted treatments that can prevent cognitive decline, Dr. Nandi is poised to deliver this information to consumers. Heal Your Gut, Save Your BrainÌęexplains the emerging science, including the pathophysiology between the gut and these disorders, in lay terms. It also shows readers how simple changes to improve gut health—most of which are not currently part of a neurologist’s standard treatment protocol—can help them to
â–ȘÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌ� achieve excellent brain health;
â–ȘÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌ� preserve brain health to help prevent neurological disease; and
â–ȘÌęÌęÌęÌęÌęÌ� dramatically improve recovery from devastating neurological disorders such stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s
Dr. Nandi’s accessible and simple program is based on five pillars, which include nutrition, movement, purpose, spirituality, and community, and offers an holistic approach to helping prevent and mitigate cognitive decline.


Ìę
Ìę]]> 245 Partha Nandi Shannon 0 to-read 3.81 Heal Your Gut, Save Your Brain: The Five Pillars of Enhancing Your Gut and Optimizing Your Cognitive Health
author: Partha Nandi
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers]]> 208433114 520 America's Test Kitchen 1954210493 Shannon 0 to-read 4.52 When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers
author: America's Test Kitchen
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Land of the Green Man: A Journey Through the Supernatural Landscapes of the British Isles]]> 25975519 250 Carolyne Larrington 1780769911 Shannon 0 to-read 3.84 2015 The Land of the Green Man: A Journey Through the Supernatural Landscapes of the British Isles
author: Carolyne Larrington
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth]]> 54233271
This book moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history--ancient, medieval, and modern--to show that this belief is not divinely ordained but a product of human civilization that continues to creep into the church. Barr's historical insights provide context for contemporary teachings about women's roles in the church and help move the conversation forward.

Interweaving her story as a Baptist pastor's wife, Barr sheds light on the #ChurchToo movement and abuse scandals in Southern Baptist circles and the broader evangelical world, helping readers understand why biblical womanhood is more about human power structures than the message of Christ.]]> 245 Beth Allison Barr 1587434709 Shannon 0 to-read 4.38 2021 The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
author: Beth Allison Barr
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It]]> 19661852 Ìę
“A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide to learning new languages.”—Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the ÌęNew York Times ÌębestsellerÌę Guitar Zero
Ìę
At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources—and here he wants to show others what he’s discovered.
Ìę
Starting with pronunciation, you’ll learn how to rewire your ears and turn foreign sounds into familiar sounds. You’ll retrain your tongue to produce those sounds accurately, using tricks from opera singers and actors. Next, you’ll begin to tackle words, and connect sounds and spellings to imagery rather than translations, which will enable you to think in a foreign language. And with the help of sophisticated spaced-repetition techniques, you’ll be able to memorize hundreds of words a month in minutes every day.Ìę
Ìę
This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.]]> 326 Gabriel Wyner Shannon 0 to-read 4.07 2014 Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It
author: Gabriel Wyner
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Is a River Alive? 218569826 Underland delivers a revelatory book that transforms how we look at the natural world—and life itself.

Hailed as “a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master anglerâ€� (Holly Morris, New York Times), Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reporting, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyous exploration into an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law. Macfarlane takes readers on three unforgettable journeys teeming with extraordinary people and places: to the miraculous cloud-forests and mountain streams of Ecuador, to the wounded creeks and lagoons of India, and to the spectacular wild rivers of Canada—imperiled by mining, pollution, and dams. Braiding these journeys is the life story of the fragile chalk stream a mile from Macfarlane’s house, which flows through his own years and days. Powered by Macfarlane’s dazzling prose and lit throughout by other voices, Is a River Alive? will open hearts, challenge perspectives, and remind us that our fate flows with that of rivers—and always has.]]> 384 Robert Macfarlane 0393242137 Shannon 0 to-read 4.28 2025 Is a River Alive?
author: Robert Macfarlane
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection]]> 220341389 John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and a passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest disease.

Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.

In 2019, John Green met Henry, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone while traveling with Partners in Health. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal and dynamic advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, treatable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing 1.5 million people every year.

In Everything is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.]]> 208 John Green 0525556575 Shannon 0 to-read 4.54 2025 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
author: John Green
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir]]> 214175247 An unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary life—one forged through a poverty-stricken childhood in “slummy, one-horse townsâ€�; obsessive desire; bursts of comedy; and indispensable friendships, reflecting on the way art, music, and a deep connection to nature helped her on a singular journeyÌęto become a beloved, Grammy-nominated artist.

Neko Case has long been revered as one of music’s most influential artists, whose authenticity, lyrical storytelling, and sly wit have endeared her to a legion of critics, musicians, and lifelong fans.ÌęInÌęThe Harder I Fight, the More I Love You,ÌęCaseÌębrings her trademarkÌęcandor andÌęprecisionÌęto a memoir that traces her evolution from an invisibleÌęgirl “raised by two dogs and a space heaterâ€� in rural Washington state toÌęher improbable emergence as an internationally-acclaimed talent. In luminous, sharp-edged prose, CaseÌęshows readers what it’s like to be left alone for hours and hours as a child, to take refuge in the woods around her home, and to channel theÌęmonotony and loneliness and joy that comes from music, camaraderie, and shared experience into art.

The Harder I Fight, the More I Love YouÌęis a rebellious meditation on identity and corruption, and a manifesto on how to make space for ourselves in this world, despite the obstacles we face.


Ìę]]> 288 Neko Case 1538710501 Shannon 0 to-read 4.09 2025 The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir
author: Neko Case
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Babylonia 210204151
When kings fall, queens rise.

Nothing about Semiramis's upbringing could have foretold her legacy or the power she would come to wield. A female ruler, once an orphan raised on the outskirts of an empire - certainly no one in Ancient Assyria would bend to her command willingly. Semiramis was a woman who knew if she wanted power, she would have to claim it.

There are whispers of her fame in Mesopotamian myth- Semiramis was a queen, an ambitious warrior, a commander whose reputation reaches the majestic proportions of Alexander the Great. Historical record, on the other hand, falls eerily quiet.

In her second novel, Costanza Casati brilliantly weaves myth and ancient history together to give Semiramis a voice, charting her captivating ascent to a throne no one promised her. The world Casati expertly builds is rich with dazzling detail and will transport her readers to the heat of the Assyrian Empire and a world long gone.]]> 448 Costanza Casati 1464228213 Shannon 0 to-read 4.07 2024 Babylonia
author: Costanza Casati
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Water Dancer 43982054 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here and here.

Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.

So begins an unexpected journey that takes Hiram from the corrupt grandeur of Virginia’s proud plantations to desperate guerrilla cells in the wilderness, from the coffin of the Deep South to dangerously idealistic movements in the North. Even as he’s enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslaved, Hiram’s resolve to rescue the family he left behind endures.

This is the dramatic story of an atrocity inflicted on generations of women, men, and children—the violent and capricious separation of families—and the war they waged to simply make lives with the people they loved. Written by one of today’s most exciting thinkers and writers, The Water Dancer is a propulsive, transcendent work that restores the humanity of those from whom everything was stolen.]]> 416 Ta-Nehisi Coates Shannon 0 to-read 4.03 2019 The Water Dancer
author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Weyward 127280850
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 392 Emilia Hart 1250842727 Shannon 0 to-read 4.02 2023 Weyward
author: Emilia Hart
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Clytemnestra 61361681 For fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.

As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best...

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offence against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot.

But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice.

Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So, you bide your time and force the gods' hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did.

If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

A blazing novel set in the world of Ancient Greece for fans of Jennifer Saint and Natalie Haynes, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, of hatred, love, and of an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her.]]> 435 Costanza Casati 1728268230 Shannon 0 to-read 4.22 2023 Clytemnestra
author: Costanza Casati
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor, #1)]]> 55077538
In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu uses the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles; an accomplished, poetic debut of war and destiny, sweeping across an epic alternate China.]]> 414 Shelley Parker-Chan 1250621801 Shannon 0 to-read 3.81 2021 She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor, #1)
author: Shelley Parker-Chan
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Now We Shall Be Entirely Free 37805364 421 Andrew Miller 1444784692 Shannon 2 ]]> 3.81 2018 Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
author: Andrew Miller
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:
It was difficult liking any of the characters. And life’s too short to push through books you’re just not into.

]]> <![CDATA[Worn: A People's History of Clothing]]> 56753473 A sweeping and captivatingly told history of clothing and the stuff it's made of--an unparalleled deep dive into how we've made what we wear, and how our garments have transformed our societies, our planet, and our lives.

In this ambitious, panoramic social history, Sofi Thanhauser brilliantly tells five stories--Linen, Cotton, Silk, Synthetics, Wool--about the clothes we wear and where they come from, illuminating our world in unexpected ways. She takes us from the opulent court of Louis Quatorze to the labor camps in modern-day Chinese-occupied Xinjiang. We see how textiles were once dyed from lichen, shells, bark, saffron, and beetles, displaying distinctive regional weaves and knits, and how the modern Western garment industry has refashioned our attire into the homogenous and disposable uniforms popularized by fast fashion brands. Thanhauser makes clear how the clothing industry has become one of the planet's worst polluters, relying on chronically underpaid and exploited laborers. But she also shows us how micro-communities and companies of textile and clothing makers in every corner of the world are rediscovering ancestral and ethical methods for making what we wear.

Drawn from years of intensive research and reporting from around the world, and brimming with fascinating anecdotal material, Worn reveals to us that our clothing comes not just from the countries listed on the tags or ready-made from our factories--it comes, as well, from deep in our histories.]]> 400 Sofi Thanhauser 1524748390 Shannon 0 to-read 4.20 2022 Worn: A People's History of Clothing
author: Sofi Thanhauser
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King]]> 204640542
For Dan Jones, Henry V is one of the most intriguing characters in all medieval history, but one of the hardest to pin down. He was a hardened, sometimes brutal warrior, yet he was also creative and artistic, with a bookish temperament. He was a leader who made many mistakes, who misjudged his friends and family, but he always seemed to triumph when it mattered. As king, he saved a shattered country from economic ruin, put down rebellions, and secured England’s borders; in foreign diplomacy, he made England a serious player once more. Yet through his conquests in northern France, he sowed the seeds for three generations of calamity at home, in the form of the Wars of the Roses.

Henry V is a historical titan whose legacy has become a complicated one. To understand the man behind the legend, Jones first examines Henry’s years of apprenticeship, when he saw the downfall of one king and the turbulent reign of another. Upon his accession in 1413, he had already been politically and militarily active for years, and his extraordinary achievements as king would come shortly after, earning him an unparalleled historical reputation. Writing with his characteristic wit and style, Jones delivers a thrilling and unmissable life of England’s greatest king.]]> 432 Dan Jones 0593652738 Shannon 0 to-read 4.40 2024 Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King
author: Dan Jones
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology]]> 75293507
Norris Black, Amber Blaeser-Wardzala, Phoenix Boudreau, Cherie Dimaline, Carson Faust, Kelli Jo Ford, Kate Hart, Shane Hawk, Brandon Hobson, Darcie Little Badger, Conley Lyons, Nick Medina, Tiffany Morris, Tommy Orange, Mona Susan Power, Marcie R. Rendon, Waubgeshig Rice, Rebecca Roanhorse, Andrea L. Rogers, Morgan Talty, D.H. Trujillo, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., Richard Van Camp, David Heska, Wanbli Weiden, Royce Young, Wolf Mathilda Zeller.

Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.

These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce listeners to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples� survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.]]> 400 Shane Hawk 0593468465 Shannon 0 to-read 3.90 2023 Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology
author: Shane Hawk
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures]]> 52668915
Neither plant nor animal, it is found throughout the earth, the air and our bodies. It can be microscopic, yet also accounts for the largest organisms ever recorded, living for millennia and weighing tens of thousands of tonnes. Its ability to digest rock enabled the first life on land, it can survive unprotected in space, and thrives amidst nuclear radiation.

In this captivating adventure, Merlin Sheldrake explores the spectacular and neglected world of fungi: endlessly surprising organisms that sustain nearly all living systems. They can solve problems without a brain, stretching traditional definitions of ‘intelligenceâ€�, and can manipulate animal behaviour with devastating precision. In giving us bread, alcohol and life-saving medicines, fungi have shaped human history, and their psychedelic properties, which have influenced societies since antiquity, have recently been shown to alleviate a number of mental illnesses. The ability of fungi to digest plastic, explosives, pesticides and crude oil is being harnessed in break-through technologies, and the discovery that they connect plants in underground networks, the ‘Wood Wide Webâ€�, is transforming the way we understand ecosystems. Yet they live their lives largely out of sight, and over ninety percent of their species remain undocumented.

Entangled Life is a mind-altering journey into this hidden kingdom of life, and shows that fungi are key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel and behave. The more we learn about fungi, the less makes sense without them.]]> 352 Merlin Sheldrake 0525510311 Shannon 0 to-read 4.34 2020 Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
author: Merlin Sheldrake
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World]]> 208840291 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world.

As indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love.

Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”]]> 112 Robin Wall Kimmerer 1668072246 Shannon 0 to-read 4.39 2024 The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History]]> 43862307 The Golden Thread weaves an illuminating story of human ingenuity. Design journalist Kassia St. Clair guides us through the technological advancements and cultural customs that would redefine human civilization—from the fabric that allowed mankind to achieve extraordinary things (traverse the oceans and shatter athletic records) and survive in unlikely places (outer space and the South Pole). She peoples her story with a motley cast of characters, including Xiling, the ancient Chinese empress credited with inventing silk, to Richard the Lionhearted and Bing Crosby. Offering insights into the economic and social dimensions of clothmaking—and countering the enduring, often demeaning, association of textiles as “merely women’s work”â€�The Golden Thread offers an alternative guide to our past, present, and future.]]> 368 Kassia St. Clair 1631494805 Shannon 0 to-read 4.06 2018 The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History
author: Kassia St. Clair
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics]]> 53496557 A bold call for the American Left to extend their politics to the issues of Israel-Palestine, from a New York Times bestselling author and an expert on U.S. policy in the region

In this major work of daring criticism and analysis, scholar and political commentator Marc Lamont Hill and Israel-Palestine expert Mitchell Plitnick spotlight how holding fast to one-sided and unwaveringly pro-Israel policies reflects the truth-bending grip of authoritarianism on both Israel and the United States. Except for Palestine deftly argues that progressives and liberals who oppose regressive policies on immigration, racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and other issues must extend these core principles to the oppression of Palestinians. In doing so, the authors take seriously the political concerns and well-being of both Israelis and Palestinians, demonstrating the extent to which U.S. policy has made peace harder to attain. They also unravel the conflation of advocacy for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel.

Hill and Plitnick provide a timely and essential intervention by examining multiple dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conversation, including Israel's growing disdain for democracy, the effects of occupation on Palestine, the siege of Gaza, diminishing American funding for Palestinian relief, and the campaign to stigmatize any critique of Israeli occupation. Except for Palestine is a searing polemic and a cri de coeur for elected officials, activists, and everyday citizens alike to align their beliefs and politics with their values.]]> 227 Marc Lamont Hill 1620975920 Shannon 0 to-read 4.21 2021 Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics
author: Marc Lamont Hill
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bones Fall in a Spiral: A Necromantic Primer]]> 128424755 Ìę
The Bones Fall in a Spiral dispels misconceptions about necromancy, helps you ethically work with spirits and remains, and provides a book of shades—an extensive spell book featuring step-by-step instructions. Explore correspondences, devotions, sigils, rites, and healing magic. Discover how to help the dying cross over, set up an altar, investigate the paranormal, protect yourself, and more. This deeply researched and respectful book empowers you to learn from the dead and become a guardian of the liminal spaces between our world and theirs.Ìę]]> 272 Mortellus 1959883089 Shannon 0 to-read 4.55 The Bones Fall in a Spiral: A Necromantic Primer
author: Mortellus
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Witchcraft Activism: A Toolkit for Magical Resistance (Includes Spells for Social Justice, Civil Rights, the Environment, and More)]]> 41805302 192 David Salisbury 1578636574 Shannon 0 to-read 3.85 2019 Witchcraft Activism: A Toolkit for Magical Resistance (Includes Spells for Social Justice, Civil Rights, the Environment, and More)
author: David Salisbury
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> You Are the Medicine 122897352
The Medicine you have been searching for lives within you. Follow the path of the 13 Ojibwe Moons with Animal Spirits and Ancestors as your guides as you unlock your connection to your own unique, inherent healing power. Through storytelling, ceremonies, and Shamanic journeys, learn to apply ancient wisdom to your life in ways that are respectful and conscious of the stolen lands, lives, and traditions of Indigenous peoples.
Ìę
Discover how
- Ground and root into your own lineage and meet your Ancestral guides.
- Practice self-care and rest on your journey.
- Return to Ancestral ways of cleansing and purifying.
- Trust and surrender so you can manifest and thrive.
- Release self-doubt, fear, disconnection, and insecurity.
Ìę]]> 0 Asha Frost 1401969577 Shannon 0 5.00 You Are the Medicine
author: Asha Frost
name: Shannon
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom]]> 60149517 A Palestinian activist jailed at sixteen after a confrontation with Israeli soldiers illuminates the daily struggles of life under occupation in this moving, deeply personal memoir.

“What would you do if you grew up seeing your home repeatedly raided? Your parents arrested? Your mother shot? Your uncle killed? Try, for just a moment, to imagine that this was your life. How would you want the world to react?â€�

Ahed Tamimi is a world-renowned Palestinian activist, born and raised in the small West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, which became a center of the resistance to Israeli occupation when an illegal, Jewish-only settlement blocked off its community spring. Tamimi came of age participating in nonviolent demonstrations against this action and the occupation at large. Her global renown reached an apex in December 2017, when, at sixteen years old, she was filmed slapping an Israeli soldier who refused to leave her front yard. The video went viral, and Tamimi was arrested.

But this is not just a story of activism or imprisonment. It is the human-scale story of an occupation that has riveted the world and shaped global politics, from a girl who grew up in the middle of it . Tamimi’s father was born in 1967, the year that Israel began its occupation of the West Bank and he grew up immersed in the resistance movement. One of Tamimi’s earliest memories is visiting him in prison, poking her toddler fingers through the fence to touch his hand. She herself would spend her seventeenth birthday behind bars. Living through this greatest test and heightened attacks on her village, Tamimi felt her resolve only deepen, in tension with her attempts to live the normal life of a daughter, sibling, friend, and student.

An essential addition to an important conversation, They Called Me a Lioness shows us what is at stake in this struggle and offers a fresh vision for resistance. With their unflinching, riveting storytelling, Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri shine a light on the humanity not just in occupied Palestine but also in the unsung lives of people struggling for freedom around the world.]]> 288 Ahed Tamimi 0593134583 Shannon 0 to-read 4.67 2022 They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom
author: Ahed Tamimi
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge, #0)]]> 49239093
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.

In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when his home is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and it soon becomes clear to her that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.

Thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, Follett's masterful new prequel The Evening and the Morning takes us on an epic journey into a historical past rich with ambition and rivalry, death and birth, love and hate, that will end where The Pillars of the Earth begins.]]> 913 Ken Follett 0525954988 Shannon 0 to-read 4.32 2020 The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge, #0)
author: Ken Follett
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Tapestry of Time 209200448
There's a tradition in the Sharp family that some possess the Second Sight. But is it superstition, or true psychic power?

Kit Sharp is in Paris, where she is involved in a love affair with the stunning Evelyn Larsen, and working as an archivist, having inherited her historian father's fascination with the Bayeux Tapestry. He believes that parts of the tapestry were made before 1066, and that it was a tool for prediction, not a simple record of events.

The Nazis are also obsessed with the convinced that not only did it predict the Norman Conquest of England, but that it will aid them in their invasion of Britain.

Ivy Sharp has joined the Special Operations Executive � the SOE � a secret unit set up to carry out espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance. Having demonstrated that she has extraordinary powers of perception, she is dropped into Northern France on a special mission.

With the war on a knife edge, the Sharp Sisters face certain death. Can their courage and extrasensory gifts prevent the enemy from using the tapestry to bring about a devastating victory against the Allied Forces?]]> 381 Kate Heartfield 0008567794 Shannon 0 to-read 3.65 2024 The Tapestry of Time
author: Kate Heartfield
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Chatelaine 63202287
Hell is empty and all the devils are here.

The Chatelaine has come.

The year is 1328 and Hell has overrun Bruges. Demons stalk the streets and revenants swarm the walls. The city’s men have fallen and only widows remain.

But Hell should fear them.

Margriet de Vos killed her first soldier when she was eleven. She has buried six children and will fight for the daughter left to her. Their only wealth is gone, taken into the inferno. And she will not be stolen from. The Devil be damned.

Together with a man-at-arms with unfinished business, a widow and her forgehammer, and a alderman's wife who escapes with her children, Margriet will raise a raiding party like Hell has never seen.

Originally published as Armed in Her Fashion.]]> 370 Kate Heartfield 0008567859 Shannon 0 to-read 3.36 2018 The Chatelaine
author: Kate Heartfield
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Valkyrie 62713034
Gudrun is a princess of Burgundy, a daughter of the Rhine, a prize for an invading king � a king whose brother Attila has other plans, and a dragon to call upon.

And in the songs to be sung, there is another hero: Sigurd, a warrior with a sword sharper than the new moon.

As the legends tell, these names are destined to be rivals, fated as enemies. But here on Midgard, legends can be lies�

For not all heroes are heroic, nor all monsters monstrous. And a shieldmaiden may yet find that love is the greatest weapon of all.

From Sunday Times bestselling author Kate Heartfield comes a glorious, lyrical retelling of one of Norse mythology’s greatest epics.]]> 314 Kate Heartfield 0008567735 Shannon 0 to-read 3.42 2023 The Valkyrie
author: Kate Heartfield
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Embroidered Book 58622053
Finalist for the Ottawa Book Award.

‘Power is not something you are given. Power is something you take. When you are a woman, it is a little more difficult, that’s allâ€�

1768. Charlotte, daughter of the Habsburg Empress, arrives in Naples to marry a man she has never met. Her sister Antoine is sent to France, and in the mirrored corridors of Versailles they rename her Marie Antoinette.

The sisters are alone, but they are not powerless. When they were only children, they discovered a book of spells � spells that work, with dark and unpredictable consequences.

In a time of vicious court politics, of discovery and dizzying change, they use the book to take control of their lives.

But every spell requires a sacrifice. And as love between the sisters turns to rivalry, they will send Europe spiralling into revolution.

Brimming with romance, betrayal, and enchantment, The Embroidered Book reimagines a dazzling period of history as you have never seen it before.]]> 655 Kate Heartfield Shannon 4
I always feel bad for Marie Antoinette despite believing monarchy is a joke, she seemed doomed from the start. I think if you look at history while she was deeply flawed I can’t help but feel she had a good heart, and that will always soften me to any character/historical figure.

Charlotte is a compelling character/historical figure, though I often disagreed with her, she was a formidable woman and during a time when women didn’t often hold much influence she was an exception, albeit she held it because her husband was ineffectual boob, and she had education and privilege.

I found the system of magic in this book interesting because it presented the often horrific limitations magic can produce.

I could easily see this adapted to a mini series. It would be so fantastic to watch, as it was to read. ]]> 3.63 2022 The Embroidered Book
author: Kate Heartfield
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:
Really good! I find I always have trouble reading about Marie Antoinette because history spoiled this, even if you only have a tacit knowledge of French history, you know how this will end.

I always feel bad for Marie Antoinette despite believing monarchy is a joke, she seemed doomed from the start. I think if you look at history while she was deeply flawed I can’t help but feel she had a good heart, and that will always soften me to any character/historical figure.

Charlotte is a compelling character/historical figure, though I often disagreed with her, she was a formidable woman and during a time when women didn’t often hold much influence she was an exception, albeit she held it because her husband was ineffectual boob, and she had education and privilege.

I found the system of magic in this book interesting because it presented the often horrific limitations magic can produce.

I could easily see this adapted to a mini series. It would be so fantastic to watch, as it was to read.
]]> <![CDATA[Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation]]> 53121662 A scholar of American Christianity presents a seventy-five-year history of evangelicalism that identifies the forces that have turned Donald Trump into a hero of the Religious Right.

How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate’s staunchest supporters? These are among the questions acclaimed historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez asks in Jesus and John Wayne, which delves beyond facile headlines to explain how white evangelicals have brought us to our fractured political moment. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majorityâ€� backed Donald Trump for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Donald Trump in fact represents the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicalsâ€� most deeply held values.

Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism, or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.â€� As Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the role of culture in modern American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals may not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical popular culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.â€� Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done.

Trump, in other words, is hardly the first flashy celebrity to capture evangelicalsâ€� hearts and minds, nor is he the first strongman to promise evangelicals protection and power. Indeed, the values and viewpoints at the heart of white evangelicalism today—patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community—are likely to persist long after Trump leaves office.

A much-needed reexamination, Jesus and John Wayne explains why evangelicals have rallied behind the least-Christian president in American history and how they have transformed their faith in the process, with enduring consequences for all of us.]]> 356 Kristin Kobes Du Mez 1631495739 Shannon 0 to-read 4.27 2020 Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
author: Kristin Kobes Du Mez
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses]]> 87040 Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. Gathering Moss is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses. Robin Wall Kimmerer's book is not an identification guide, nor is it a scientific treatise. Rather, it is a series of linked personal essays that will lead general readers and scientists alike to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings, from salmon and hummingbirds to redwoods and rednecks. Kimmerer clearly and artfully explains the biology of mosses, while at the same time reflecting on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us.

Drawing on her diverse experiences as a scientist, mother, teacher, and writer of Native American heritage, Kimmerer explains the stories of mosses in scientific terms as well as in the framework of indigenous ways of knowing. In her book, the natural history and cultural relationships of mosses become a powerful metaphor for ways of living in the world.

Gathering Moss will appeal to a wide range of readers, from bryologists to those interested in natural history and the environment, Native Americans, and contemporary nature and science writing.

]]> 168 Robin Wall Kimmerer 0870714996 Shannon 0 to-read 4.39 2003 Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Shannon 0 to-read 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Shannon
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Long Hidden Friend 48678361 80 John George Hohman 0738765821 Shannon 4 4.00 The Long Hidden Friend
author: John George Hohman
name: Shannon
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves:
review:

]]>