Stephan's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:48:30 -0700 60 Stephan's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Book of Dragons 52583994 Here there be dragons . . .

From China to Europe, Africa to North America, dragons have long captured our imagination in myth and legend. Whether they are rampaging beasts awaiting a brave hero to slay or benevolent sages who have much to teach humanity, dragons are intrinsically connected to stories of creation, adventure, and struggle beloved for generations.

Bringing together nearly thirty stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today� Garth Nix, Scott Lynch, R.F. Kuang, Ann Leckie & Rachel Swirsky, Daniel Abraham, Peter S. Beagle, Beth Cato, Zen Cho, C. S. E Cooney, Aliette de Bodard, Kate Elliott, Theodora Goss, Ellen Klages, Ken Liu, Patricia A McKillip, K. J. Parker, Kelly Robson, Michael Swanwick, Jo Walton, Elle Katharine White, Jane Yolen, Kelly Barnhill, Brooke Bolander, Sarah Gailey, and J. Y. Yang—and illustrated by award-nominated artist Rovina Cai with black-and-white line drawings specific to each entry throughout, this extraordinary collection vividly breathes fire and life into one of our most captivating and feared magical creatures as never before and is sure to become a treasured keepsake for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales.

ձ> 576 Jonathan Strahan 006287716X Stephan 0 to-read 3.69 2020 The Book of Dragons
author: Jonathan Strahan
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The New Space Opera 410177
Contents
1 � Introduction (The New Space Opera) � (2007) � essay by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan
6 � Saving Tiamaat � (2007) � shortstory by Gwyneth Jones
24 � Verthandi's Ring � (2007) � shortstory by Ian McDonald
39 � Hatch � [The Great Ship Universe] � (2007) � shortstory by Robert Reed
66 � Winning Peace � (2007) � novelette by Paul J. McAuley
88 � Glory � (2007) � novelette by Greg Egan
112 � Maelstrom � (2007) � novelette by Kage Baker
143 � Blessed by an Angel � (2007) � shortstory by Peter F. Hamilton
158 � Who's Afraid of Wolf 359? � shortstory by Ken MacLeod
170 � The Valley of the Gardens � (2007) � novelette by Tony Daniel
202 � Dividing the Sustain � (2007) � novelette by James Patrick Kelly
234 � Minla's Flowers � [Merlin [4] � 2] � (2007) � novella by Alastair Reynolds
291 � Splinters of Glass � (2007) � novelette by Mary Rosenblum
316 � Remembrance � (2007) � shortstory by Stephen Baxter
334 � The Emperor and the Maula � (2007) � novelette by Robert Silverberg
379 � The Worm Turns � (2007) � shortstory by Gregory Benford
401 � Send Them Flowers � (2007) � novelette by Walter Jon Williams
436 � Art of War � shortstory by Nancy Kress
454 � Muse of Fire � (2007) � novella by Dan Simmons]]> 517 Gardner Dozois 0060846755 Stephan 0 to-read 3.80 2007 The New Space Opera
author: Gardner Dozois
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Impossible Creatures (Impossible Creatures #1)]]> 205977739
Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what's happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.]]> 368 Katherine Rundell 0593809866 Stephan 0 to-read 4.13 2023 Impossible Creatures (Impossible Creatures #1)
author: Katherine Rundell
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Skarven 31444848
Det är något mystiskt på Skarvön. Den spöklika ön där döda träd sträcker sina grenar mot himlen och svarta fåglar ruvar i sina bon den brukar alltid vara öde, men nu är det en människa där. Han rör sig som om han inte vill bli sedd, men Johanna ser hans mörka silhuett från skärgårdsbåten. Johanna som alla kallar Johan. Ludde som längtar efter mysterier. Olivia som aldrig får göra något för sina föräldrar. Tillsammans åker de till Skarvön för att göra efterforskningar och plötsligt befinner de sig i centrum för en riktig mordgåta.

Skarven är en bladvändare för bokslukarna där vi kommer de tre barnen Johanna, Ludde och Olivia nära. Fallet de tar på sig att lösa tar dem till farligare platser än de nånsin kunnat ana. Och samtidigt är det så mycket mer som står på spel, inte minst för Johanna.

Sara Lövestam har rönt stor framgång med sina romaner, en grammatikbok och med ungdomsboken Som eld. Nu är hon aktuell som författare för mellanåldern!]]> 220 Sara Lövestam 9188279243 Stephan 0 to-read 3.82 2016 Skarven
author: Sara Lövestam
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Familiar Tail (Witch's Cat Mystery, #1)]]> 25489487 Magic and meows meet in the first enchanting Witch’s Cat mystery!

Unlucky-in-love artist Annabelle Britton decides that a visit to the seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is the perfect way to get over her problems. But when she stumbles upon a smoky gray cat named Alastair, and follows him into a charming cottage, Annabelle finds herself in a whole spellbook full of trouble.

Suddenly saddled with a witch's wand and a furry familiar, Annabelle soon meets a friendly group of women who use their spells, charms, and potions to keep the people of Portsmouth safe. But despite their gifts, the witches can’t prevent every wicked deed in town....

Soon, the mystery surrounding Alistair’s former owner, who died under unusual circumstances, grows when another local turns up dead. Armed with magic, friends, and the charmed cat who adopted her more than the other way around, Annabelle sets out to paw through the evidence and uncover a killer.]]> 324 Delia James 0451476573 Stephan 0 currently-reading 3.96 2016 A Familiar Tail (Witch's Cat Mystery, #1)
author: Delia James
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Blood Bowl Omnibus 50891103
Madcap sports action in the grim world of Warhammer!
In a fantasy kingdom where violence is a way of life, the number one sport is Blood Bowl - gridiron football where anything goes. When Dunk Hoffnung stepped off the battlefield and onto the football field he thought his life was bound to get easier, but he soon found out how wrong he was! Blood Bowl is a sport of unrivalled violence where death and dismemberment are all part of the game. Rules - what rules?
Follow the career of quarterback Dunk Hoffnung, as he works his way up from unemployed adventurer to star player with the Bad Bay Hackers.]]> 896 Matt Forbeck 1789999421 Stephan 4 4.00 2007 The Blood Bowl Omnibus
author: Matt Forbeck
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: blood-bowl, fantasy, warhammer
review:

]]> Konstiga huset 25237888 221 Agatha Christie 9100432970 Stephan 4 ٱ-åԳ 3.56 1949 Konstiga huset
author: Agatha Christie
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1949
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: ٱ-åԳ
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Into the Dark (OutFoxing the Paranormal Book 3)]]> 228985881
Between unexpected competitors and the murderous ghost of a former nurse, the pressure is on for Oscar to live up to his family’s heritage and lay the asylum’s ghosts to rest. Can he prove himself by putting an end to the nurse’s reign of terror, or will the asylum claim yet another victim?
]]> 227 Jordan L. Hawk 1941230601 Stephan 4
Oscar and his team are in for a challenge, not only in the form of the creepy mansion like asylum and it's restless dead, but also from a team of rival ghost hunters who works in quite a different way than the serious and academic approach of OtP.

This is the third book in the series and the characters are by now pretty well established. We've got the bookish and shy parapsychologist Dr. Nigel Taylor and his boyfriend: the big, strong ex-football player-turned-medium Oscar Fox are our heroes and protagonists and they must learn not only to handle ghosts and possessions but also their feelings for each other, their coworkers and team members as well as crippling self doubt and allergies.

The story's pretty solid and both characters and settings are well fleshed out and interesting. My only gripe is that when all is said and over there's so much more I'd liked to know: [spoilers removed]

The horror's horrifying. The characters feel alive (even the dead ones!) and the plot's fairly simple, but engaging. A great ghost story that could I feel would be even better by adding a chapter or two for more interaction between characters. The secondary characters could use some more focus but that's all.

I'm really looking forward to the next part of the series.]]> 4.28 2025 Into the Dark (OutFoxing the Paranormal Book 3)
author: Jordan L. Hawk
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: favorites, horror, ٱ-åԳ
review:
The crew of OutFoxing the Paranormal's got a new fun place to explore: An abandoned asylum where the ghosts of both the patients as well as the doctors and nurses who worked there still linger.

Oscar and his team are in for a challenge, not only in the form of the creepy mansion like asylum and it's restless dead, but also from a team of rival ghost hunters who works in quite a different way than the serious and academic approach of OtP.

This is the third book in the series and the characters are by now pretty well established. We've got the bookish and shy parapsychologist Dr. Nigel Taylor and his boyfriend: the big, strong ex-football player-turned-medium Oscar Fox are our heroes and protagonists and they must learn not only to handle ghosts and possessions but also their feelings for each other, their coworkers and team members as well as crippling self doubt and allergies.

The story's pretty solid and both characters and settings are well fleshed out and interesting. My only gripe is that when all is said and over there's so much more I'd liked to know: [spoilers removed]

The horror's horrifying. The characters feel alive (even the dead ones!) and the plot's fairly simple, but engaging. A great ghost story that could I feel would be even better by adding a chapter or two for more interaction between characters. The secondary characters could use some more focus but that's all.

I'm really looking forward to the next part of the series.
]]> Chosen of Khorne 13547097 1 Anthony Reynolds 1849702462 Stephan 4 I've been playing 40K for quite some time now. Always Eldar and never chaos. Especially the blood crazed and predictable rabble of Khorne.
So how come almost every time I hear an audio drama featuring my favourite pointy eared elf-look-alikes I cringe and almost regret it. But whenever it's chaos... it's splendid!

This story manages to flesh out one of the most iconic characters of the 41st millennium, Kharn, the betrayer. In the game I remember him as a very capable fighter who every so often went bat-shit crazy and attacked his own comrades.
And here he is. sure, still as crazy as expected, but now I get the feeling that there's a method to his madness. Is he really just raging about randomly or does he have a plan?
I like to think the later.
He's not Cypher, but he suddenly got a lot more interesting!

Merged review:

I don't get it.
I've been playing 40K for quite some time now. Always Eldar and never chaos. Especially the blood crazed and predictable rabble of Khorne.
So how come almost every time I hear an audio drama featuring my favourite pointy eared elf-look-alikes I cringe and almost regret it. But whenever it's chaos... it's splendid!

This story manages to flesh out one of the most iconic characters of the 41st millennium, Kharn, the betrayer. In the game I remember him as a very capable fighter who every so often went bat-shit crazy and attacked his own comrades.
And here he is. sure, still as crazy as expected, but now I get the feeling that there's a method to his madness. Is he really just raging about randomly or does he have a plan?
I like to think the later.
He's not Cypher, but he suddenly got a lot more interesting!]]> 4.07 2012 Chosen of Khorne
author: Anthony Reynolds
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2016/03/31
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: audio-dramas, sci-fi, warhammer-40k
review:
I don't get it.
I've been playing 40K for quite some time now. Always Eldar and never chaos. Especially the blood crazed and predictable rabble of Khorne.
So how come almost every time I hear an audio drama featuring my favourite pointy eared elf-look-alikes I cringe and almost regret it. But whenever it's chaos... it's splendid!

This story manages to flesh out one of the most iconic characters of the 41st millennium, Kharn, the betrayer. In the game I remember him as a very capable fighter who every so often went bat-shit crazy and attacked his own comrades.
And here he is. sure, still as crazy as expected, but now I get the feeling that there's a method to his madness. Is he really just raging about randomly or does he have a plan?
I like to think the later.
He's not Cypher, but he suddenly got a lot more interesting!

Merged review:

I don't get it.
I've been playing 40K for quite some time now. Always Eldar and never chaos. Especially the blood crazed and predictable rabble of Khorne.
So how come almost every time I hear an audio drama featuring my favourite pointy eared elf-look-alikes I cringe and almost regret it. But whenever it's chaos... it's splendid!

This story manages to flesh out one of the most iconic characters of the 41st millennium, Kharn, the betrayer. In the game I remember him as a very capable fighter who every so often went bat-shit crazy and attacked his own comrades.
And here he is. sure, still as crazy as expected, but now I get the feeling that there's a method to his madness. Is he really just raging about randomly or does he have a plan?
I like to think the later.
He's not Cypher, but he suddenly got a lot more interesting!
]]> <![CDATA[Rum 66 (Magnus Nordins Skräckberättelser)]]> 198972328 73 Magnus Nordin 9150224956 Stephan 4 3.53 2023 Rum 66 (Magnus Nordins Skräckberättelser)
author: Magnus Nordin
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: horror, work-related, swedish-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The River Bank: A Sequel to Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows]]> 31944834 195 Kij Johnson 1618731300 Stephan 0 to-read 4.02 2017 The River Bank: A Sequel to Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows
author: Kij Johnson
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Visslaren (Magnus Nordins Skräckberättelser)]]> 230388902
Jessica förstår att allt inte står rätt till i huset.]]> 100 Magnus Nordin 9150225413 Stephan 4 4.00 2024 Visslaren (Magnus Nordins Skräckberättelser)
author: Magnus Nordin
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: horror, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Drakens vrede (Beast Quest, #1)]]> 27964418 But Tom soon learns that his village is not the only one in trouble. People are in trouble all over the kingdom. Hope is nearly lost. That is, until Tom is sent on the greatest quest of all--the Beast Quest.]]> 113 Adam Blade 915021716X Stephan 3 fantasy, work-related 2.87 2007 Drakens vrede (Beast Quest, #1)
author: Adam Blade
name: Stephan
average rating: 2.87
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: fantasy, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Om jag bara inte råkat byta ut tant Doris hund]]> 34762194 95 Ingelin Angerborn Stephan 3 swedish-books, work-related 4.05 Om jag bara inte råkat byta ut tant Doris hund
author: Ingelin Angerborn
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stulna tänder (Rysmans rysliga butik, #2)]]> 55588576 Du får även träffa hennes nyfunna vänner, butiks-spöket Pärra, den nu tandlösa vampyren Lukas och den busiga bläckfisken, Kalle Kalamari.

Ännu en knäpp arbetsdag för Nina i den andra boken om Rysmans Rysliga butik. Humoristiska äventyr i korta kapitel med knasiga, detaljrika bilder.]]> 60 Magdalena Hai 9178816408 Stephan 3 mysrys, work-related 3.45 2019 Stulna tänder (Rysmans rysliga butik, #2)
author: Magdalena Hai
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: mysrys, work-related
review:

]]> Kartkatastrofen 34303338 80 Ingelin Angerborn 9173710644 Stephan 3 work-related, swedish-books 3.31 Kartkatastrofen
author: Ingelin Angerborn
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.31
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: work-related, swedish-books
review:

]]> Sju timmar till midnatt 18333695 230 Michael Ende 9150210173 Stephan 4 fantasy 3.60 1989 Sju timmar till midnatt
author: Michael Ende
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> ᲹäԻ 60731001
Atlanta är orolig för sin mamma, och Finley är förbannad på sin. Tillsammans ger de sig iväg på en cykeltur som ställer allt på ända.]]> 95 Anna Woltz 9178133270 Stephan 5 favorites, work-related 4.00 2019 ᲹäԻ
author: Anna Woltz
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: favorites, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 665 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Stephan 0 to-read 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> King Solomon's Mines 833355
Excerpt from King Solomon's Mines: A Novel
Then there remains the most interesting subject - that, as it is, has only been touched on incidentally - of the magnificent system of military organisation in force in that country, which, in my opinion, is much superior to that inaugurated by Chaka in Zululand, inasmuch as it permits of even more rapid mobilisation, and does not necessitate the employment of the pernicious system of forced celibacy. Lastly, I have scarcely spoken of the domestic and family customs of the Kukuanas, many of which are exceedingly quaint, or of their proficiency in the art of smelting and welding metals. This science they carry to considerable perfection, of which a good example is to be seen in their "tollas," or heavy throwing knives, the backs of these weapons being made of hammered iron, and the edges of beautiful steel welded with great skill on to the iron frames. The fact of the matter is, I thought, with Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good, that the best plan would be to tell my story in a plain, straightforward manner, and to leave these matters to be dealt with subsequently in whatever way ultimately may appear to be desirable. In the meanwhile I shall, of course, be delighted to give all information in my power to anybody interested in such things.
And now it only remains for me to offer apologies for my blunt way of writing.

This edition contains annotations.]]> 337 H. Rider Haggard 0192834851 Stephan 0 to-read 3.59 1885 King Solomon's Mines
author: H. Rider Haggard
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1885
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gift : historien om drycker, pulver och mordiska uppsåt]]> 199270083
Dessa metoder är resultat av en lång rad historiska experiment, för samma ämnen som kan förgifta och döda har även använts som berusningsmedel, kärleksdrycker och till och med livselixir. Men som varje hobbytoxikolog vet: Dosen gör giftet.

Den här boken tar dig på en resa genom giftets historia: dess användare, missbrukare och offer. Här får du lära dig allt om de mest använda gifterna, deras ursprung och användning, med historiska fotografier, illustrationer och beskrivningar av omtalade fall från Kleopatra, Borgias och Jamestown-massakern till samtida hemliga agenter och terrorister.]]> 176 Ben Hubbard 9180378323 Stephan 3 horror, nonfiction 3.64 2023 Gift : historien om drycker, pulver och mordiska uppsåt
author: Ben Hubbard
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: horror, nonfiction
review:

]]> Skolan med de magiska djuren 45998675 Den här skolan har en hemlighet. Om du har tur så kommer du att träffa din bästa vän här, den bästa vännen i hela världen: Ett magiskt djur som kan säga om det tillhör dig.

Efter att Mortimer Morrison, som äger en djuraffär, hälsat på i skolan blir inget sig likt. Han har nämligen med sig ett antal magiska djur som söker ägare.
Blyga Benni hoppas på ett coolt rovdjur men det är sköldpaddan Henrietta som visar sig vara just hans speciella vän. Ida får också äntligen någon att prata med, någon som ska bli hennes egen bästa kompis och det är räven Rabbat.]]> 208 Margit Auer Stephan 3 3.20 2013 Skolan med de magiska djuren
author: Margit Auer
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: fantasy, ٱ-åԳ, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Namnet på boken är hemligt (hemligserien, #1)]]> 28800039

When adventurous detectives, Cass, an ever-vigilant survivalist, and Max-Ernest, a boy driven by logic, discover the Symphony of Smells, a box filled with smelly vials of colorful ingredients, they accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a dead magician's diary and the hunt for immortality.


Filled with word games, anagrams, and featuring a mysterious narrator, this is a book that won't stay secret for long.]]> 360 Pseudonymous Bosch 9129668212 Stephan 0 currently-reading 3.86 2007 Namnet på boken är hemligt (hemligserien, #1)
author: Pseudonymous Bosch
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> But Not Too Bold 204254235 The Shape of Water meets Mexican Gothic in this sapphic monster romance novella wrapped in gothic fantasy trappings

The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House⁠―Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.

Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor's death, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.

But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.]]> 112 Hache Pueyo 1250910536 Stephan 5 3.98 2022 But Not Too Bold
author: Hache Pueyo
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: fantasy, favorites, horror, ٱ-åԳ
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (Manga) Volume 1]]> 50917059 167 Haiji Nakasone Stephan 0 to-read 4.13 The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (Manga) Volume 1
author: Haiji Nakasone
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller]]> 64645725
He'd intended to stay for a year before launching into some less dusty, better remunerated career. Unfortunately for him, the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap proved irresistible. Soon he was balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows with a ten-foot pole and trying not to upset the store's resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran had unfinished business when he was hit by that tram).

For while Sotheran's might be a treasure trove of literary delights, it sings a siren song to eccentrics. There are not only colleagues whose tastes in rare items range from the inspired to the mildly dangerous, but also zealous collectors seeking knowledge, curios, or simply someone with whom to hold a four hour conversation about books bound in human skin.

By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the country's most ancient bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.]]> 256 Oliver Darkshire 152917712X Stephan 0 3.97 2022 Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller
author: Oliver Darkshire
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller]]> 59785573 Welcome to Sotheran's, one of the oldest bookshops in the world, with its weird and wonderful clientele, suspicious cupboards, unlabelled keys, poisoned books and some things that aren't even books, presided over by one deeply eccentric apprentice.

Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd on Sackville Street (est. 1761) to interview for their bookselling apprenticeship, a decision which has bedevilled him ever since.

He'd intended to stay for a year before launching into some less dusty, better remunerated career. Unfortunately for him, the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap proved irresistible. Soon he was balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows with a ten-foot pole and trying not to upset the store's resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran had unfinished business when he was hit by that tram).

For while Sotheran's might be a treasure trove of literary delights, it sings a siren song to eccentrics. There are not only colleagues whose tastes in rare items range from the inspired to the mildly dangerous, but also zealous collectors seeking knowledge, curios, or simply someone with whom to hold a four hour conversation about books bound in human skin.

By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the world's oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.
'Seeking a Christmas present for that bibliophilic relative who has seemingly read everything? It's right here.' Financial Times

'Peculiarly hilarious!' - William Gibson
'Every page is a pleasure' - Lindsey FItzharris
'Utterly charming' - Tom Holland
'Laugh-out-loud' - Garth Nix
'A must read' - Fergus Butler-Gallie
'Brims with self-effacing charm' - Caitlin Doughty
'Unfortunately I have mislaid the book in question' - Neil Gaiman
]]> 244 Oliver Darkshire 1787636046 Stephan 4 4.08 2022 Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller
author: Oliver Darkshire
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Anderssonskans Kalle 202039798 127 Emil Norlander 9177066049 Stephan 3 swedish-books 3.00 1989 Anderssonskans Kalle
author: Emil Norlander
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1989
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/13
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: swedish-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1)]]> 217060000 Drawing on inspiration from the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India, debut author Maithree Wijesekara plunges readers into the first amazing book of the Obsidian Throne trilogy, a new fantasy series of hunted witches, romantic angst, and political intrigue. Perfect for fans of The Hurricane Wars and The Jasmine Throne.

A prince born into violence, seeking peace.

Prince Ashoka is the youngest son of the tyrannical Emperor Adil Maurya. Considered an outcast by his father for his rejection of the emperor’s brutal onslaught against the witches of the empire, Ashoka longs for change. When the sudden and unexpected death of his father leaves the monarchy in disarray, Ashoka is sent to govern a tumultuous region annexed by Emperor Adil that is terrorized by nature spirits—a task many see as doomed to fail. Suspected by a disdainful governor and evaded by distrustful witches, Ashoka must question his rigid ideals and fight against becoming the one person he despises the most—his father.

A witch shackled by pacifism, seeking revenge.

Shakti is a a witch bound by a pacifist code. After witnessing the murder of her aunt and village at the hands of the emperor, Shakti hurtles down a path of revenge, casting a curse with unexpected consequences. Posing as a maidservant in the famed palace of the Mauryas and armed with newfound powers beyond her imagination, Shakti attempts to dismantle the monarchy from within by having the royal progeny ruin themselves and turn their father’s legacy into nothing but ash.

In a world where nature spirits roam the land, and witches are hunted to extinction, Ashoka and Shakti will be forced to grapple with the consequences of to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.]]> 384 Maithree Wijesekara 0063420554 Stephan 0 to-read 3.47 2025 The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1)
author: Maithree Wijesekara
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wind Weaver (Reign of Remnants, #1)]]> 216247498 Magic and adventure swirl through this spellbinding romantasy where a young woman reignites the embers of an ancient prophecy, unleashing a storm that could save her realm or doom them all.

Fear of maegic plagues war-torn Anwyvn. Halflings like Rhya Fleetwood are killed on sight. But Rhya’s execution is interrupted by an unexpected savior—one far more terrifying than her would-be killers. The mysterious and mercenary Commander Scythe. In the clutches of this new enemy, Rhya finds herself fighting for her life in the barren reaches of the Northlands. Yet the farther she gets from home, the more she learns that nothing is as it seems—not her fearsome captor, not the blight that ravages her dying realm, not even herself.

For Rhya is no ordinary halfling. The strange birthmark on her chest and the wind she instinctively calls forth means she is a Remnant, one of four souls scattered across Anwyvn, fated to restore the balance of maegic…or die trying.

But mastering the power inside her is only the beginning. Desire for the Commander—a man she can never trust, a man with plans of his own—burns just as fiercely as the tempests beating against her rib cage for release. Rhya must choose: smother the flames…or let them consume her.]]> 544 Julie Johnson 0593817869 Stephan 0 to-read 4.11 2025 The Wind Weaver (Reign of Remnants, #1)
author: Julie Johnson
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lion's Tail (The Pride, #2) 58270514 Control the booze. Control the magic. Control Chicago.

Sam Cunningham just wants a quiet life with his lover, the cheetah-shifter Alistair Gatti. But that hope is dashed when a member of Mickey Sullivan’s gang dies inside the Gatti family’s speakeasy.

Sullivan wants Sam to work for him, deciphering long-forgotten hexes as part of his illegal hexworks operation. At the same time, a corrupt prohibition agent demands Sam and Alistair investigate the gang member’s murder. Caught between gangster and agent, they must walk a fine line just to stay alive.

Because the sinister forces behind the killing are still out there, and now they have Sam in their sights…]]> 242 Jordan L. Hawk Stephan 0 currently-reading 3.88 2024 Lion's Tail (The Pride, #2)
author: Jordan L. Hawk
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Blind Tiger (The Pride, #1) 57127534
When Sam Cunningham flees his small-town life to try his luck in the big city of Chicago, he quickly finds himself in over his head in a world of gangs, glitz, and glamour. Fortunately, he has his cousin Eldon to teach him the trade of hex-making.

Everything changes the night Sam visits The Pride speakeasy and meets grumpy cheetah-shifter Alistair Gatti. After losing his first witch to the horrors of the World War, Alistair isn’t interested in any new entanglements, romantic or magical. Especially when said entanglement comes in the form of kind, innocent Sam.

When Eldon is brutally murdered, Sam becomes drawn into the dark underworld of the Chicago gangs. Sam must find the missing hex Eldon created for one of the crime bosses—before whoever killed Eldon comes back for him.

Together, Alistair and Sam begin the search for the mysterious hex, diving deep into the seedy side of Chicago’s underworld while dodging rival gangs. And as they come to rely on one another, Alistair realizes he’s falling for the one man he can’t afford to love.]]> 220 Jordan L. Hawk 1941230482 Stephan 4 4.01 2021 Blind Tiger (The Pride, #1)
author: Jordan L. Hawk
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: favorites, ٱ-åԳ, urban-fantasy
review:

]]> 43.000.000 mil i världsrymden 223784966 ”Vad är det där?� utbrast Marion och pekade nedåt.
Tätt under dem sköt en samling klippor upp ur vattnet. Vid klipporna rörde sig underliga företeelser med långa stjärtar i vattnet. Det var svårt att se dem tydligt, men de påminde om jätteormar med tjocka magar och stora kantiga huvuden. Vid närmare påseende befanns det att de hade vingar. Förmodligen ett slags drakar, tänkte Marion. Högt sade hon:
”Usch, så otäckt! De slåss bestämt!�
Hon hade rätt. I själva verket utkämpades en hetsig strid därnere i vattnet. Tydligen hade djuren blivit osams om ett byte och råkat i luven på varandra. Vattnet i närheten var rött av blod. Djurens längd kunde i genomsnitt uppskattas till tio meter, somliga var längre, andra kortare.
”Väldigt vad de är stridslystna här! Nästan värre än människorna därhemma�, sade professorn.

Journalisten John Stuart har fått i uppdrag att intervjua industrimagnaten Frank Hardman. När John väl finner Frank visar det sig att denne är på väg ut på en hemlig rymdresa tillsammans med goda vänner. John ges chansen att följa med på denna sensationella färd ut i världsrymden och till jordens grannplaneter � en resa där svaret ges på frågan huruvida det finns liv på andra planeter.]]> 167 Vladimir Semitjov Stephan 3 sci-fi, swedish-books 3.00 1936 43.000.000 mil i världsrymden
author: Vladimir Semitjov
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1936
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: sci-fi, swedish-books
review:

]]> The Librarian Principle 23203583
As the new librarian at a prestigious small-town private high school, Liese is drawn to her sexy, charismatic principal, Ryder Whitehall—an attraction she refuses to acknowledge given their relationship and her recent liberation from a delusional ex-boyfriend.

Liese is certain Ryder’s flirtation is the product of her sex-deprived imagination—until he discovers her digital porn stash during working hours and demands a private meeting. Behind closed doors, their attraction explodes into a dangerous, passionate affair that not only threatens their jobs and reputations, but most of all, their hearts.]]> 298 Helena Hunting Stephan 3 3.53 2014 The Librarian Principle
author: Helena Hunting
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King of the City of Ghosts (Slayers, #8)]]> 1707258 192 Hajime Kanzaka 1427805059 Stephan 4 fantasy 4.26 1994 King of the City of Ghosts (Slayers, #8)
author: Hajime Kanzaka
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gaav's Challenge (Slayers, #7)]]> 1707257 198 Hajime Kanzaka 1427805040 Stephan 3 fantasy 4.25 1993 Gaav's Challenge (Slayers, #7)
author: Hajime Kanzaka
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vezendi's Shadow (Slayers, #6)]]> 810006 192 Hajime Kanzaka 1595325824 Stephan 4 fantasy 4.18 1993 Vezendi's Shadow (Slayers, #6)
author: Hajime Kanzaka
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> The Android (Animorphs, #10) 7089
So Marco, Jake, and Ax decide to morph and check old Erek out. Just to see if he's been infested with a Yeerk. The good news is that Erek's not a human-Controller. The bad news is that Erek's not even human. . . .]]> 170 K.A. Applegate 0590997300 Stephan 4 horror, sci-fi 3.86 1997 The Android (Animorphs, #10)
author: K.A. Applegate
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: horror, sci-fi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Boy and His Dragon (Beings in Love, #2)]]> 51032250
Dr. Philbert “Bertie� Jones is a brilliant historian, but he can’t keep track of the days of the week, much less find his own notes without help. His house is a hoard of books and antiques, and yet unlike all the stories about vicious, possessive dragons, he seems to have no problem with Arthur taking over the clutter and setting the house to rights. In fact, he seems to delight in it, treating Arthur as if he is something precious.

Arthur isn’t sure what to make of that. There is nothing special about him, even if Bertie disagrees. Dragons are supposed to collect treasure, and Arthur isn’t treasure, is he?


Being(s) in Love:

Magical creatures known as beings emerged from hiding amid the destruction of the First World War. Since then they’ve lived on the margins of the human world as misunderstood objects of fear and desire. Some are beautiful, others fearsome and powerful. Yet for all their magic and strength, they are as vulnerable as anyone when it comes to matters of the heart.]]> 217 R. Cooper 046316489X Stephan 3 fantasy, urban-fantasy 3.85 2013 A Boy and His Dragon (Beings in Love, #2)
author: R. Cooper
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Interesting Times (Discworld, #17)]]> 20493986
The oldest and most inscrutable empire on the Discworld is in turmoil, brought about by the revolutionary treatise What I did on My Holidays. Workers are uniting, with nothing to lose but their water buffaloes. Warlords are struggling for power. War (and Clancy) are spreading throughout the ancient cities.

And all that stands in the way of terrible doom for everyone is:

Rincewind the Wizard, who can't even spell the word 'wizard'...

Cohen the barbarian hero, five foot tall in his surgical sandals, who has had a lifetime's experience of not dying...

...and a very special butterfly.]]> 342 Terry Pratchett 1473200229 Stephan 5 discworld, fantasy, favorites 4.00 1994 Interesting Times (Discworld, #17)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: discworld, fantasy, favorites
review:

]]> The Spellshop 199269577 The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.

But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.]]> 384 Sarah Beth Durst Stephan 5 fantasy, favorites 4.05 2024 The Spellshop
author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: fantasy, favorites
review:

]]> Gunsmith Cats, Vol. 4 2062717 480 Kenichi Sonoda 1593078625 Stephan 3 3.98 2007 Gunsmith Cats, Vol. 4
author: Kenichi Sonoda
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: comics-and-graphic-novels, ٱ-åԳ
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Can't Spell Treason Without Tea]]> 212207107
But after an assassin takes Reyna hostage, she decides she’s thoroughly done risking her life for a manic queen. Meanwhile, Kianthe has been waiting for a chance to flee responsibility–all the better that her girlfriend is on board. Together, they settle in Tawney, a town that boasts more dragons than people, and open the shop of their dreams.

What follows is a cozy tale of mishaps, mysteries, and a crazed queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. In a story brimming with hurt/comfort and quiet fireside conversations, these two women will discover just what they mean to each other� and the world.]]> 339 Rebecca Thorne 1035031000 Stephan 2 fantasy 3.54 2022 Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
author: Rebecca Thorne
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> Spring! Fanny, Spring! 222462993 78 John Reynolds Gardiner 9127100049 Stephan 4 work-related 4.00 1980 Spring! Fanny, Spring!
author: John Reynolds Gardiner
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Nelly Rapp i Drakens håla (Nelly Rapp, #25)]]> 222397883 104 Martin Widmark 9179797326 Stephan 3 3.75 2024 Nelly Rapp i Drakens håla (Nelly Rapp, #25)
author: Martin Widmark
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: fantasy, swedish-books, urban-fantasy, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Skattkammarön/Dr. Jekyll och Mr. Hyde]]> 10633131 Med en svårtolkad karta och drömmar om rikedom kommer Jim Hawkins, tillsammans med kapten Smollett och manskapet på skeppet Hispaniola, till ön där den mytomspunne piraten kapten Flint ska ha begravt sin skatt. Fast med en besättning som till stora delar består av Flints gamla underhuggare ligger myteriet nära. Ben Gunn blir Jims vän, men Long John Silver, kapten Flints enbente kock, visar sig vara en grandios motståndare.

Dr Jekyll och Mr Hyde
Advokat Utterson oroar sig för sin gode vän dr Jekyll. Varför har han skrivit ett så underligt testamente? Varför är han så hemlighetsfull? Samtidigt härjar den våldsamme mr Hyde på Londons gator. Utterson förstår att de båda männen, den vänlige doktorn och den vidrige mördaren, har något gemensamt. Mer gemensamt än någon kan ana. Sanningen om Dr Jekyll och mr Hyde visar sig vara fruktansvärd.]]> 336 Robert Louis Stevenson Stephan 5 favorites, fantasy 3.57 1886 Skattkammarön/Dr. Jekyll och Mr. Hyde
author: Robert Louis Stevenson
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1886
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: favorites, fantasy
review:

]]> Familjen Amarant flyttar in 208277770 64 Johanna Magoria 9179779476 Stephan 3 work-related, swedish-books 3.77 2024 Familjen Amarant flyttar in
author: Johanna Magoria
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: work-related, swedish-books
review:

]]> ö챹첹 216567681

I början går allting bra. Huset är riktigt mysigt, och Josefins rum är som hämtat ur ett dockskåp. Men det bästa av allt är ändå Torsten. En alldeles klarblå undulat med svarta små pepparkornsögon. Josefin älskar honom från första sekunden, och när hon upptäcker att han kan prata också, glömmer hon nästan bort klumpen i magen. Men lugnet varar inte länge � För vad är det med dörren till vinden som nästan alltid står på glänt? Varför ser Josefins spegelbild i fönsterglaset så konstig ut? Och vad är det egentligen för egendomliga saker Torsten säger?

]]> 90 Ingelin Angerborn 9129745888 Stephan 2 3.51 2024 ö챹첹
author: Ingelin Angerborn
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves: mysrys, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> The Last of the Spirits 20617773
A perfectly layered, tense and supremely satisfying twist on one of Dickens' most popular books, cleverly reinvented to entice a younger readership.]]> 180 Chris Priestley 1408854139 Stephan 4 horror, mysrys, work-related 3.83 2014 The Last of the Spirits
author: Chris Priestley
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: horror, mysrys, work-related
review:

]]> The Fox Wife 127278666 Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . .

Manchuria, 1908.
In the last years of the dying Qing Empire, a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men. Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach—until, perhaps, now.

Meanwhile, a family who owns a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure ailments but can’t escape the curse that afflicts them—their eldest sons die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. When a disruptively winsome servant named Snow enters their household, the family’s luck seems to change—or does it?

Snow is a creature of many secrets, but most of all she’s a mother seeking vengeance for her lost child. Hunting a murderer, she will follow the trail from northern China to Japan, while Bao follows doggedly behind. Navigating the myths and misconceptions of fox spirits, both Snow and Bao will encounter old friends and new foes, even as more deaths occur.

New York Times bestselling author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.]]> 390 Yangsze Choo 1250266017 Stephan 0 to-read 3.97 2024 The Fox Wife
author: Yangsze Choo
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Freeze 58901139 119 Chris Priestley 1781129835 Stephan 3 horror, mysrys, work-related 3.63 2025 Freeze
author: Chris Priestley
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: horror, mysrys, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bortförda (Imperiets arvingar, #1)]]> 52720913 173 Oskar Källner 9129719887 Stephan 5 3.83 2020 Bortförda (Imperiets arvingar, #1)
author: Oskar Källner
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/09
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: favorites, sci-fi, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Nalle Puh - Samlade berättelser och verser]]> 13604530
Stora boken om Nalle Puh innehåller alla dessa fyra böcker. En komplett samling av Nalle Puh, med färglagda illustrationer av E. H. Shepard. En praktfull och vacker utgåva som innehåller allt. Originalböckerna kom ut i England mellan 1924-28. Bonniers Juniorförlag gav ut alla fyra böckerna i färg var för sig 1990. Figurerna bygger på Christopher Robins verkliga leksaker och historien utspelar sig i skogen i närheten av familjen Milnes hem.]]> 432 A.A. Milne 9163835347 Stephan 4 Det är stor skillnad mellan den Nalle Puh jag annars växt upp med (Disney) och denna. Och även om jag faktiskt gillade Disneys karaktärer och miljöer så har de inte en chans bredvid originalen!]]> 4.00 1928 Nalle Puh - Samlade berättelser och verser
author: A.A. Milne
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1928
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/20
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves:
review:
Varför ska det ta så lång tid att sätta sig och läsa en klassiker? Den här boken var rolig med ett språk som om vartannat var rent magiskt och om vartannat fruktansvärt repetitivt. Min 3 åring tyckte den var underbar och ville höra den flera gånger om.
Det är stor skillnad mellan den Nalle Puh jag annars växt upp med (Disney) och denna. Och även om jag faktiskt gillade Disneys karaktärer och miljöer så har de inte en chans bredvid originalen!
]]> <![CDATA[Morfars hemlighet ( Dexter Olssons Äventyr #1)]]> 36351115 648 Michael Wiander 9187523787 Stephan 0 to-read 3.29 Morfars hemlighet ( Dexter Olssons Äventyr #1)
author: Michael Wiander
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.29
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Leave It to Psmith (Psmith, #4 ; Blandings Castle, #2)]]> 1983939
]]> 328 P.G. Wodehouse 009951379X Stephan 0 currently-reading 4.31 1923 Leave It to Psmith (Psmith, #4 ; Blandings Castle, #2)
author: P.G. Wodehouse
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1923
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Gunsmith Cats, Vol. 3 816197 472 Kenichi Sonoda 1593078188 Stephan 4 3.93 2005 Gunsmith Cats, Vol. 3
author: Kenichi Sonoda
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/26
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: comics-and-graphic-novels, ٱ-åԳ
review:

]]> Warpath: First Strike 35520982 273 Christopher Verspeak Stephan 4 favorites, horror, sci-fi 3.92 Warpath: First Strike
author: Christopher Verspeak
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/12
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: favorites, horror, sci-fi
review:

]]> Gunsmith Cats, Vol. 2 816194 472 Kenichi Sonoda 1593077688 Stephan 4 3.92 2005 Gunsmith Cats, Vol. 2
author: Kenichi Sonoda
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves: comics-and-graphic-novels, ٱ-åԳ
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Silver Beast (Slayers, #5)]]> 56305148 122 Hajime Kanzaka 1718374720 Stephan 4 fantasy 4.35 1992 The Silver Beast (Slayers, #5)
author: Hajime Kanzaka
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/02
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Predator, Prey (The Beast Arises #2)]]> 33233367 After centuries of peace, the Imperium is thrown into panic as human worlds everywhere are menaced by orks. In a relentless tide of slaughter, ork attack moons destroy planet after planet with gravity weapons of unstoppable power. On Terra, the High Lords are paralysed by the scale of the threat, and fail to take any effective action. With entire Space Marine Chapters missing, or known to have been wiped out, does anyone have the will and the power to rise to the Imperium’s defence?

Read it because
It's a snapshot of the battles that rage across the Imperium as the orks attack in force. It also continues the story of the High Lords as they try to hold the Imperium together... as long as it suits their own interests, of course. And it introduces characters who're going to be very important to the future of the series... if they survive the battles to come.

]]> 256 Rob Sanders 1785720503 Stephan 4 sci-fi, warhammer-30k 3.76 2016 Predator, Prey (The Beast Arises #2)
author: Rob Sanders
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/06/11
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: sci-fi, warhammer-30k
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Space Hulk: The Novel (Warhammer 40,000)]]> 55365924
In this companion novel to the Space Hulk game, a battle is raging between Terminators of the Blood Angels Space Marines and a macabre alien race. But their resolve and skill is pitted against something that haunts their past, because the thousands of foes they face are the same creatures that six centuries ago nearly decimated the Chapter.

As a survivor of the earlier massacre, Sergeant Lorenzo has more to prove than any other. Carrying the stigma of the failure, he now fights for personal deliverance and to redeem the Chapter's honour.]]> 90 Gav Thorpe 0857875396 Stephan 1 crap, warhammer-40k, sci-fi You never get any sympathy for the characters and never really cares for if their mission will be a success or failure.
Writing an interesting story about a game which is basically Aliens, but with Space marines in tactical dreadnought armour, instead of Colonial marines, can't be easy though. and I feel that I'm just reading a Space hulk battle report. A badly written one at that.

No, I'd stay clear of this one.]]> 3.69 2009 Space Hulk: The Novel (Warhammer 40,000)
author: Gav Thorpe
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2009
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: crap, warhammer-40k, sci-fi
review:
I can't say I really like Gav Thorpes writing. The characters are stereotypical, uninteresting and two dimensional. The names of the characters could just be "Heavy weapon trooper 1a", "Specialist trooper 3c" and "Generic sergeant 1b"
You never get any sympathy for the characters and never really cares for if their mission will be a success or failure.
Writing an interesting story about a game which is basically Aliens, but with Space marines in tactical dreadnought armour, instead of Colonial marines, can't be easy though. and I feel that I'm just reading a Space hulk battle report. A badly written one at that.

No, I'd stay clear of this one.
]]> Gunsmith Cats, Vol. 1 816192
Presented for the first time in the authentic Japanese format, these giant-sized volumes are action-packed, unretouched, and sure to please the gun-nuts, auto buffs, and manga maniacs!]]> 464 Kenichi Sonoda 1593077483 Stephan 4 3.84 2005 Gunsmith Cats, Vol. 1
author: Kenichi Sonoda
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves: comics-and-graphic-novels, ٱ-åԳ
review:

]]> The Emperor Expects 33233370
The Imperial Navy cuts through the chaos on Terra and strikes back against the ork invaders, in a daring plan that could turn the tide of war against the greenskins.

As ork ships lay waste to world after world, heading inexorably towards Terra, Imperial citizens despair. The High Lords become desperate to prove that victory is possible, no matter the cost. A massive Navy fleet is assembled � their mission to make a definitive strike against the orks at Port Sanctus, an area of enemy-held space. But when the Imperial armada arrives, they find themselves outclassed and outmanoeuvred � can human courage and faith possibly prevail against such terrible odds?

It's the first attempt by the Imperium to make a definitive strike against the orks, and it creates a novel full of naval action, coupled with Inquisitorial action as a cadre of agents arrive on Terra to bring the High Lords into line…]]> 240 Gav Thorpe 1785720597 Stephan 4 4.15 2016 The Emperor Expects
author: Gav Thorpe
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/06/16
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: favorites, sci-fi, warhammer-30k
review:

]]> Old Soldiers Never Die 33118828 Inquisitor Amberley Vail opens the Cain Archive once again to present one of the strangest missions from the heroic commissar's storied career. Deployed to the world of Lentonia to police the aftermath of an insurrection, Cain and the Valhallan 597th have to deal with a dangerous disease spreading through the Astra Militarum ranks... an infection that kills its victims and returns them to life as flesh-eating zombies! As the dead rise across Lentonia, Cain and his malodorous aide Jurgen must seek a cure and find the source of the warp-tainted infection before they end up among the ranks of the walking dead themselves.

Read it because
It's a story of Ciaphas Cain vs zombies that was previously only available at Black Library Weekender 2012. Do you need any more reason? Oh, alright then, Cain vs zombies with a series of gorgeous illustrations of key scenes from the story. But mostly, Cain vs zombies.

]]> 116 Sandy Mitchell 1785723936 Stephan 4 sci-fi, warhammer-40k Cain and his trusty aide are once again thrown into the most dangerous mission imaginable. without actually intending it. And time and again they manage to pull through, elevating his already overblown reputation even further.
But you know what? It works!

I still find the "cowardly" commissar fun and interesting. I still enjoy all the footnotes and the authors hilarious take on the otherwise extremely grimdark Warhammer 40K universe (ok, still very grimdark, just with a big pinch of dark humour added).

This is a shorter story where Cain and the Valhallans 597th face of against a world wide zombie infestation. there's not too much combat in it, but more politics and dungeon sneaking. We know that the commissar is a very competent fighter and it pains me that he manages to avoid the fighting as much as he does this time. (although I hardly think a certain commissar shares that view)
Still a good, fast paced and funny read.]]> 4.22 2012 Old Soldiers Never Die
author: Sandy Mitchell
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/04
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: sci-fi, warhammer-40k
review:
It's a Ciaphas Cain novella. We know the story.
Cain and his trusty aide are once again thrown into the most dangerous mission imaginable. without actually intending it. And time and again they manage to pull through, elevating his already overblown reputation even further.
But you know what? It works!

I still find the "cowardly" commissar fun and interesting. I still enjoy all the footnotes and the authors hilarious take on the otherwise extremely grimdark Warhammer 40K universe (ok, still very grimdark, just with a big pinch of dark humour added).

This is a shorter story where Cain and the Valhallans 597th face of against a world wide zombie infestation. there's not too much combat in it, but more politics and dungeon sneaking. We know that the commissar is a very competent fighter and it pains me that he manages to avoid the fighting as much as he does this time. (although I hardly think a certain commissar shares that view)
Still a good, fast paced and funny read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Honor of the Queen (Honor Harrington, #2)]]> 17337884
At first Honor doesn’t take it personally; where she comes from gender discrimination is barely a historical memory, right up there in significance with fear of the left-handed. But in time such treatment becomes taxing and she makes plans to withdraw until Grayson’s fratricidal sister planet attacks without warning. Now, Honor must stay and prevail, not just for her honor, but for her sovereign’s, for the honor of the Queen.]]> 393 David Weber 1618242229 Stephan 4 favorites, sci-fi 4.34 1993 The Honor of the Queen (Honor Harrington, #2)
author: David Weber
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/04
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: favorites, sci-fi
review:

]]> Faces (Warhammer 40,000) 34521205 The harlequins of the eldar are mysterious and enigmatic, even by the standards of that aloof race. When one of their number begins to experience memories that are not her own, and another life begins to bleed into their reality, the entire troupe is threatened. Can they find the source of the disturbance and stop it before it is too late?

Read it because
Faces takes you behind the Harlequins' masks into the dark side of their psyche. It's a chilling and fervent place � not somewhere you'd want to stick around for long. A terrifying scene here will make you not want to cross paths with this deadly alien foe.

]]> 38 Matthew Farrer 1782518614 Stephan 5 favorites, sci-fi We get to follow a group of humans who've stumbled upon some strange xenos artefacts which seem to have some very strange influence over them. It's quite fun to read a story of corrupting artefacts, without chaos!

A very rich language, powerful feelings of madness and despair mingled with hope and curiosity. This tale had almost everything I had hoped for when I saw it was an Harlequin-story.
I've read other Harlequin tales. Both The Masque of Vyle by Andy Chambers and The Victim's Dance by Ben Counter. This short story was better than any of them. And that's saying a lot as I really enjoyed the Masque of Vyle!

I like my Elven-space-ninja-clowns =)]]> 3.82 2011 Faces (Warhammer 40,000)
author: Matthew Farrer
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2015/02/03
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: favorites, sci-fi
review:
Simply put, one of the best Eldar stories I've read, which feels quite remarkable as there's hardly any Eldar present until the very end!
We get to follow a group of humans who've stumbled upon some strange xenos artefacts which seem to have some very strange influence over them. It's quite fun to read a story of corrupting artefacts, without chaos!

A very rich language, powerful feelings of madness and despair mingled with hope and curiosity. This tale had almost everything I had hoped for when I saw it was an Harlequin-story.
I've read other Harlequin tales. Both The Masque of Vyle by Andy Chambers and The Victim's Dance by Ben Counter. This short story was better than any of them. And that's saying a lot as I really enjoyed the Masque of Vyle!

I like my Elven-space-ninja-clowns =)
]]> <![CDATA[The Sorcerer of Atlas (Slayers, #2)]]> 55044922 137 Hajime Kanzaka 1718374666 Stephan 3 fantasy 4.28 1990 The Sorcerer of Atlas (Slayers, #2)
author: Hajime Kanzaka
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/19
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Antikvariat Blå Spegeln (David & Larissa, #1)]]> 6803203
En dag bryts de stilla rutinerna på antikvariatet då Melkior plötsligt är spårlöst försvunnen. David och Larissa hittar ett kodat meddelande som hjälper dem att ta upp jakten. Efterhand avslöjas mer och mer om Melkiors häpnadsväckande förflutna. Och när de djupt nere i en underjordisk sal, fylld av urgamla men levande exotiska djur, får se ett diplom på väggen, tror de knappt sina ögon: "Till Melkior Rasmussen för förtjänstfulla insatser", står det. Undertecknat: "Charles Darwin".]]> 171 Martin Widmark 9163850958 Stephan 4 3.83 2006 Antikvariat Blå Spegeln (David & Larissa, #1)
author: Martin Widmark
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves: swedish-books, work-related, ٱ-åԳ
review:

]]> Ett rum till Lisen 58237215
Lisens föräldrar har lovat henne att hon ska få välja rum i nya huset, och det tar tid. Hur kan man till exempel vara säker på att sovrummet på övervåningen är bättre att bo i än hallen? Eller badrummet? Eller bastun, för den delen? Lisen och Naima bestämmer att de måste provsova i prick alla rum i hela huset, trots föräldrarnas protester. Men Naima tycker att det är underbart, hon vill aldrig att rummen ska ta slut. I alla fall inte förrän hon har vågat berätta för Lisen hur mycket hon tycker om henne ...

En varm och rolig berättelse om den första, stora kärleken. Texten är lyhörd och lågmäld och Emma Adbåges fina vardagsbilder passar på pricken. En berättelse som verkligen tar barnen på allvar, både i text och bild.]]> 134 Elin Johansson 9129729785 Stephan 3 swedish-books, work-related 4.15 Ett rum till Lisen
author: Elin Johansson
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> The Secret (Animorphs, #9) 363362
Now Cassie, Marco, Jake, Rachel, Tobias, and Ax have to figure out a way to stop a bogus logging camp. Because if Visser Three finds Ax in the woods, nothing will stop him from finding the Animorphs...]]> 158 K.A. Applegate 0590997297 Stephan 3 horror, sci-fi, work-related 3.73 1997 The Secret (Animorphs, #9)
author: K.A. Applegate
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/14
date added: 2024/09/14
shelves: horror, sci-fi, work-related
review:

]]> Pakten (Venja, #1) 208878669 87 Gry Kappel Jensen 9180771629 Stephan 2 fantasy, work-related 2.73 2022 Pakten (Venja, #1)
author: Gry Kappel Jensen
name: Stephan
average rating: 2.73
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: fantasy, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Familjen Knyckertz och födelsedagskuppen (Familjen Knyckertz, #1)]]> 35490847 61 Anders Sparring 9127149269 Stephan 4 swedish-books, work-related 3.77 2017 Familjen Knyckertz och födelsedagskuppen (Familjen Knyckertz, #1)
author: Anders Sparring
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> Aliens: Phalanx 54229584
Ataegina was an isolated world of medieval castles, varied cultures, and conquests, vibrant until the demons rose and spread relentless destruction. Swarms of lethal creatures with black husks, murderous claws, barbed tails and dreaded "tooth-tongues" raged through the lowlands, killing ninety percent of the planet's population. Terrified survivors fled to hidden mountain keeps where they eke out a meager existence. When a trio of young warriors discovers a new weapon, they see a chance to end this curse. To save humanity, the trio must fight their way to the tunnels of Black Smoke Mountain--the lair of the mythical Demon Mother.

Alien: Phalanx TM & (c) 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.]]> 1 Scott Sigler 109415430X Stephan 2 aliens, horror, sci-fi In order for the different holds to communicate and trade, small groups of "runners" brave the wilderness, and the demons.

Ahiliyah, Brandun and Creen make up such a group of runners. Up on the surface they do their best to try and evade the ever present demons. They move during the day and hide at night, when the demons are hunting. But something's changing. They encounter more demons during daytime and soon it's obvious that something's changed. But when the leaders of their hold refuse to listen and contact with other holds are lost they must decide for them selves what to do, not only to save themselves or their hold, but the entire human population of Ataegina.

This must have been of the weirdest books I've listened to in a long time. The story´s weird with a timeline that simply doesn't add up. Just about every character under 20 years is an insufferable brat while the rest are idiots who put personal gain above everything else. And sure, that's a staple of the Alien universe. But here it's taken too far. I've never read a book aimed at adults with a cruder language, where "fuck" and "fart" seem to be staple words to be used as often as possible. The entire plot hangs upon a single Macguffin that seem to do just about everything that's needed in order to give the humans a fighting chance. Characters make far fetched discoveries and there's an incredible amount of luck involved for the story to progress.

But still. Even with the awful characters, a time line that doesn't make sense and a language I don't even expect from the younger siblings of bratty teenagers.
Still it was an interesting read. The setting is interesting and, if anything, Sigler really knows how to write horror. The "Demons" are very scary and we encounter them through the eyes of a religious and superstitious people who fear them above all else. The setting is really dark, in more than one way and you can't help to feel engaged, even though there's so much that work against it.

In short, I didn't like the story as I went through it in a constant state of annoyance. But i sure don't regret listening to it. Make of that what you will.]]> 3.43 2020 Aliens: Phalanx
author: Scott Sigler
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/14
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves: aliens, horror, sci-fi
review:
Ataegina is a rural world where bronze and glassworks are cutting edge technology. Where people live in underground city states, called Holds, hidden among the mountains. Hidden because of the demons. The demons with armoured black hides, burning blood, wicked claws, tail spikes and tooth-tongues. They come mostly at night to kill, maim and mutilate. Except for the ones they carry of back to Black smoke mountain. Where legend tells is the lair of the demon mother. The queen of the demons who use magic spiders to turn people into more demons.
In order for the different holds to communicate and trade, small groups of "runners" brave the wilderness, and the demons.

Ahiliyah, Brandun and Creen make up such a group of runners. Up on the surface they do their best to try and evade the ever present demons. They move during the day and hide at night, when the demons are hunting. But something's changing. They encounter more demons during daytime and soon it's obvious that something's changed. But when the leaders of their hold refuse to listen and contact with other holds are lost they must decide for them selves what to do, not only to save themselves or their hold, but the entire human population of Ataegina.

This must have been of the weirdest books I've listened to in a long time. The story´s weird with a timeline that simply doesn't add up. Just about every character under 20 years is an insufferable brat while the rest are idiots who put personal gain above everything else. And sure, that's a staple of the Alien universe. But here it's taken too far. I've never read a book aimed at adults with a cruder language, where "fuck" and "fart" seem to be staple words to be used as often as possible. The entire plot hangs upon a single Macguffin that seem to do just about everything that's needed in order to give the humans a fighting chance. Characters make far fetched discoveries and there's an incredible amount of luck involved for the story to progress.

But still. Even with the awful characters, a time line that doesn't make sense and a language I don't even expect from the younger siblings of bratty teenagers.
Still it was an interesting read. The setting is interesting and, if anything, Sigler really knows how to write horror. The "Demons" are very scary and we encounter them through the eyes of a religious and superstitious people who fear them above all else. The setting is really dark, in more than one way and you can't help to feel engaged, even though there's so much that work against it.

In short, I didn't like the story as I went through it in a constant state of annoyance. But i sure don't regret listening to it. Make of that what you will.
]]> The Alien (Animorphs, #8) 324508
Life on Earth is pretty different for Ax. But there is one thing he, Cassie, Marco, Jake, Rachel, and Tobias have in common. Something that one alien, four kids and a hawk know they have to do: stop the Yeerks. . . .]]> 159 K.A. Applegate 0590997289 Stephan 4 sci-fi, horror, work-related 3.94 1997 The Alien (Animorphs, #8)
author: K.A. Applegate
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/11
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves: sci-fi, horror, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Andalite's Gift (Megamorphs, #1)]]> 366783
Now Rachel is missing. And there's this . . . this thing that's after us. But it's not up to me to tell the whole story. Tobias, Cassie, Marco, and Ax were there, too. Even Rachel has some info to add. So go ahead and check this out. And remember not to tell anyone what we're about to tell you. It could mean the difference between life and death. Or worse. . . .]]> 235 K.A. Applegate 0590213040 Stephan 4 3.74 1997 The Andalite's Gift (Megamorphs, #1)
author: K.A. Applegate
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/09
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: favorites, work-related, sci-fi
review:

]]> The Witchstone 217524839
Meet Maggie Drakeford, nineteen-year-old Curse Bearer. All she’s ever known is the dreary corner of the Catskills where the Drakeford Curse has devoured her father’s humanity and is rapidly laying claim to her own. The future looks hopeless, until Laszlo appears at the Drakeford farmhouse one October night and informs them that they have six days—and six days only—to break the spell before it becomes permanent. Can Maggie trust the glib and handsome Laszlo? Of course not. But she also can’t pass up an opportunity to save her family, even if it means having a demon as a guide �

Thus begins a breakneck international adventure that takes our unlikely duo from a hot dog stand in Central Park to the mountains of Liechtenstein. As the clock ticks down, tough-as-nails Maggie and conniving Laszlo will uncover a secret so profound that what began as a farcical quest to break a curse will eventually threaten the very Lords of Hell.]]> 18 Henry H. Neff Stephan 0 currently-reading 4.00 2024 The Witchstone
author: Henry H. Neff
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Stranger (Animorphs, #7) 324506
And then everything stops. Everything. The feasting Taxxon, the human-Controllers, the Hork-Bajir. Time. Now Rachel, Cassie, Marco, Jake, Tobias, and Ax are in for their wildest trip ever. They're going to get the chance to decide whether they want to stay on Earth and fight the Yeerks. Or go to another planet. And the guy giving them the choice says he can save them. Now all they have to do is make the choice. . . .]]> 163 K.A. Applegate 0590997262 Stephan 4 horror, sci-fi, work-related 3.90 1997 The Stranger (Animorphs, #7)
author: K.A. Applegate
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/08
date added: 2024/09/08
shelves: horror, sci-fi, work-related
review:

]]> The Capture (Animorphs, #6) 125332 them. It was even worse when Tobias stayed in his morph too long. But nothing compares to the horror the Animorphs are about to face. Nothing.

Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie and Marco have a feeling they know where the Yeerks' new base is located. And they've even figured out how to get in—how many people notice a few flies on the wall? But they never figured they might get caught. Or that Jake could fall into the Yeerk pool. That Jake could become a human controller.

A Yeerk.

The enemy.]]> 154 K.A. Applegate 0590629824 Stephan 3 horror, sci-fi, work-related 3.96 1997 The Capture (Animorphs, #6)
author: K.A. Applegate
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: horror, sci-fi, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Leda läsfrämjande: Om barns och elevers läsning och hur den kan utvecklas]]> 202132330
Leda läsfrämjande visar vilka förmågor som barn och unga behöver för att utvecklas som läsare, från förskolan till och med gymnasieskolan, samt vilken kompetens personalen behöver för att kunna vara aktiv i det läsfrämjande arbetet; för att kunna identifiera brister eller förbättringsområden och för att kunna ta fram relevanta insatser. Ett kapitel visar hur man bygger en integrerad och hållbar skolbiblio­teksverksamhet och ett annat handlar om utvecklings­arbete som gör skillnad i lärarnas läsfrämjande arbete och därmed i elevernas lärande.

Boken vänder sig till alla med ledningsansvar inom förskola, grundskola och gymnasieskola. Den är även relevant för språk-, läs- och skrivutvecklare samt för bibliotekspersonal.]]> 188 Maria Heimer 9144166494 Stephan 4 3.82 2023 Leda läsfrämjande: Om barns och elevers läsning och hur den kan utvecklas
author: Maria Heimer
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: nonfiction, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Never Fall for a Dragon (Mate Mountain, #1)]]> 216977285
Listening Length: 6 hours and 28 minutes

I'm trapped in a cabin with a gorgeous dragon shifter.

Granted, I was the one who accidentally ignited his heat, an intense mating process.

So, it's kind of my fault. Whoops.

If we can resist sealing the bond by avoiding, uh, sealing the deal, we'll both be free to go.

If we can't, we'll be stuck together.

Forever.

Which wouldn't be that bad, if he wasn't about to be thrown in jail for doing some illegal crap to protect his sister.

But he is.

And if we become mates?

We'll both be forced into prison.

So I have to resist throwing myself at the gigantic dragon that my body is literally burning for� no matter how much I want him.

*This is a fun, steamy, full-length standalone romance with a happily ever after! ]]> 6 Lola Glass Stephan 3 3.77 2024 Never Fall for a Dragon (Mate Mountain, #1)
author: Lola Glass
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/05
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves: audio-books, fantasy, urban-fantasy
review:

]]> Salen 56485958 Swedish / Svenska 187 Nina Källmodin 9179754104 Stephan 4 3.43 Salen
author: Nina Källmodin
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.43
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/03
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves: mysrys, horror, ٱ-åԳ, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fardus & Malte - Papegojkaoset (Fardus & Malte, #1)]]> 57588684
Idag har Malte lovat en överraskning efter skolan. När han låser upp ytterdörren får Fardus nästan en chock. Tidningar ligger utspridda över köksgolvet, en brödlimpa guppar uppsvälld i diskvattnet och i fruktskålen har någon bitit i alla frukterna. Från gardinstången hörs ett muttrande: En papegoja! Motvilligt håller Malte med om att gojan nog behöver bli lydigare � Men hur gör man egentligen när man ska uppfostra en fågel?]]> 130 Camilla Ceder 9178038871 Stephan 3 swedish-books, work-related 3.36 2021 Fardus & Malte - Papegojkaoset (Fardus & Malte, #1)
author: Camilla Ceder
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/31
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar (Short Story Index Reprint Series) (English and French Edition)]]> 1352601 Translated from the French by George Morehead

Contents:
* The Arrest of Arsène Lupin
* Arsène Lupin in Prison
* The Escape of Arsène Lupin
* The Mysterious Traveller
* The Queen's Necklace
* The Seven of Hearts
* Madame Imbert's Safe
* The Black Pearl
* Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late]]> 308 Maurice Leblanc 0836939549 Stephan 4 ٱ-åԳ, favorites 3.73 1907 The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar (Short Story Index Reprint Series) (English and French Edition)
author: Maurice Leblanc
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1907
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: ٱ-åԳ, favorites
review:

]]> The Teller of Small Fortunes 207611551 A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences�

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.]]> 336 Julie Leong 0593815912 Stephan 0 to-read 3.82 2024 The Teller of Small Fortunes
author: Julie Leong
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Räven och Mullvaden � en spökhistoria]]> 213267790
“Längst ute på en udde, inklämt mellan havet och en hed, låg ett ensamt litet hus…� började räven.
“Usch, vad läskigt� sa mullvaden.
“Jag har ju knappt börjat läsa� sa räven. “Och försök att inte smaska så mycket är du snäll.�

Det här är en berättelse om en räv och en mullvad � den ena lika långsint som den andra är närsynt � och om hur lite marmelad leder till något fasansfullt. Det är också en historia om hur våra egenheter kan ställa till det för både oss själva och andra. Och hur allt blir bättre om man läser en bok tillsammans.

I "Räven och mullvaden � En spökhistoria" tar Cecilia Heikkilä oss med till ett vindsvept hedlandskap i en underfundig, vacker och härligt läskig bilderbok. Cecilia Heikkilä är illustratör och bilderboksförfattare uppvuxen i Dalarna. Hennes egna böcker utforskar stora frågor på ett okonstlat och barntillvänt sätt, med kärleken till naturen och djur som ofta återkommande teman.]]> 40 Cecilia Heikkilä 9179794696 Stephan 5 4.60 Räven och Mullvaden – en spökhistoria
author: Cecilia Heikkilä
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves: favorites, horror, mysrys, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Cecelia and Kate, #1)]]> 64207
For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at the Royal College of Wizards. There's also the man who seems to be spying on Cecelia. (Though he's not doing a very good job of it--so just what are his intentions?) And then there's Oliver. Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is.

Clearly, magic is a deadly and dangerous business. And the girls might be in fear for their lives . . . if only they weren't having so much fun!]]> 326 Patricia C. Wrede 015205300X Stephan 4 4.02 1988 Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Cecelia and Kate, #1)
author: Patricia C. Wrede
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves: audio-books, fantasy, mysrys, ٱ-åԳ, favorites
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Min faster Vampyrhönan (Wacky Families, #7)]]> 217898330 Men en dag försvinner Huggtand. Han har blivit kidnappad! Så Drak-Ola och kusin Snor måste lämna tryggheten på Vampyrön för att rädda honom. Deras enda ledtråd är en rosa fjäder...]]> 154 Jackie French 9132155700 Stephan 3 work-related 3.00 2006 Min faster Vampyrhönan (Wacky Families, #7)
author: Jackie French
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fardus & Malte: Småkrypskrisen (Fardus & Malte, #2)]]> 217893035 114 Camilla Ceder 9179773958 Stephan 4 swedish-books, work-related 4.50 2023 Fardus & Malte: Småkrypskrisen (Fardus & Malte, #2)
author: Camilla Ceder
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Den giftiga ormen (Tre tjejer #8)]]> 36701966
En av världens giftigaste ormar har lyckats smita vid ett smugglingsförsök och håller hela Hittarp i skräck. Polis och expertis arbetar dygnet runt för att fånga in den farliga reptilen. Men det är något som inte stämmer ... Pella, Siri och Tyra börjar nysta i fallet.]]> 135 Petter Lidbeck 9129672082 Stephan 3 4.00 2010 Den giftiga ormen (Tre tjejer #8)
author: Petter Lidbeck
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/19
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves: mysrys, ٱ-åԳ, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Squire & Knight (Squire & Knight, #1)]]> 61484917 A young squire tackles mysteries, monsters and magic, but the inept knight he serves takes the credit. Every time.

Squire is brainy, bookish, and terribly under-appreciated by the brawny, inept knight Sir Kelton, who somehow always gets all the glory. So when the two mismatched heroes find themselves in a cursed village plagued by a demonic dragon, Kelton rides off to slay it and Squire stays behind to catch up on some reading. But Squire starts to notice that something isn’t quite right about this town . . . Can he uncover its strange secrets?]]> 176 Scott Chantler 1250249333 Stephan 0 to-read 4.00 2023 Squire & Knight (Squire & Knight, #1)
author: Scott Chantler
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ursulas hemlighet (En björn i en bur, #1)]]> 213560541 107 Marija Fischer Odén 9198663372 Stephan 0 to-read 4.00 Ursulas hemlighet (En björn i en bur, #1)
author: Marija Fischer Odén
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pojke av trä (Fruktansvärda grejer som ingen får veta, #1)]]> 213061671
Martin Olczak har tidigare skrivit de populära böckerna om Jack, och Lina Blixt har illustrerat de uppmärksammade Skräxikon och Korpen. Tillsammans skapar de nu något helt nytt. Det blir spänning, det blir känslor, det blir Fruktansvärda grejer som ingen får veta.]]> 190 Martin Olczak 9129739373 Stephan 5 3.59 2024 Pojke av trä (Fruktansvärda grejer som ingen får veta, #1)
author: Martin Olczak
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/16
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: fantasy, horror, mysrys, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[En tjuv i laget? (Lundeby IK #2)]]> 49682990 93 Malin Stehn 917299388X Stephan 4 4.00 En tjuv i laget? (Lundeby IK #2)
author: Malin Stehn
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves: ٱ-åԳ, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Skolan med de magiska djuren - Hålmakaren (Skolan med de magiska djuren, #2)]]> 53199528 Schoki har ingen högre önskan än ett eget magiskt djur. Han bryr sig inte om något annat, varken skolpjäsen, skvallertackorna i klassrummet eller de mystiska hålen i skolträdgården. Ska det snart bli hans tur?
Trots att ingen utomstående får veta något om de talande djuren och hemligheten med den magiska djurhandeln så pladdrar Ida och hennes räv Rabbat bredvid mun. Vad händer om fröken Cornfield får reda på något?

Det här är andra delen i serien om skolan med de magiska djuren.]]> 297 Margit Auer 9178614260 Stephan 3 4.00 2013 Skolan med de magiska djuren - Hålmakaren (Skolan med de magiska djuren, #2)
author: Margit Auer
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/14
date added: 2024/08/14
shelves: ٱ-åԳ, fantasy, work-related
review:

]]> Bottennapp 211423413

När Heidi och hennes mamma blir vräkta från sin lägenhet går alla planer i kras. Inte nog med att Heidi inte kan gå på danslägret med sina bästisar � nu måste hon dessutom undvika dem och ljuga för att de inte ska få veta vad som hänt. Och istället för att bada och ha kul måste hon vara hundvakt åt äckliga, stinkande Rufus medan mamma jobbar dubbla skift. Utan mobil, dessutom, för den har hon kastat i älven.

Med hjälp av födelsedagspresenten från småknäppa morbror Per, en magnet för skrotfiske, försöker Heidi få upp mobilen igen. Men det enda hon får upp är en gammal cykel. Det är då hon träffar Ylva, som bor i en gammal båt och också verkar ha lite ont om pengar. Hon hjälper Heidi att förstå att en katastrof faktiskt kan vara början på något nytt och bra. Och att det finns olika sorters bottennapp...

]]> 238 Elin Johansson 9129744903 Stephan 0 3.62 2024 Bottennapp
author: Elin Johansson
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/14
shelves: currently-reading, swedish-books, work-related
review:

]]> The Predator (Animorphs, #5) 125337
Jake, Rachel, Cassie, and Tobias know why Marco feels the way he does. He's worried about his dad—the only family Marco has left. And if anything happens to him, his father will be all alone.

But something is about to change Marco's mind. It seems the Yeerks have a little surprise waiting for him. And it's definitely not nice.

Now Marco has a reason to fight...]]> 150 K.A. Applegate 0590629816 Stephan 3 horror, sci-fi, work-related 3.89 1996 The Predator (Animorphs, #5)
author: K.A. Applegate
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/12
date added: 2024/08/13
shelves: horror, sci-fi, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vorax (Black Library Advent Calendar 2014 #10)]]> 23747824
See the Vorax battle hunters in action against the traitors of the Dark Mechanicum. This Quick Read also gives an insight into the war for Mars that rages within the Solar System itself � arguably the second most important battleground of the entire Heresy.]]> 13 Matthew Farrer 1782518312 Stephan 3 sci-fi, warhammer-30k
...ok, it's not bad at all, I quite enjoyed reading it.]]> 3.15 Vorax (Black Library Advent Calendar 2014 #10)
author: Matthew Farrer
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.15
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/15
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: sci-fi, warhammer-30k
review:
A bit too short, even for a short story. The pacing is quite good and it's always fun to read about the bad guys. Too bad it mostly feels like an advertisement for selling forgeworlds toys...

...ok, it's not bad at all, I quite enjoyed reading it.
]]> The Message (Animorphs, #4) 10502040
It all started with the dreams. But Cassie didn't pay much attention to them. She and her friends have been having nightmares ever since they acquired the power to morph. But when Cassie discovers that Tobias has been having dreams too -- the exact same dreams -- about the ocean, and a voice that's calling to them for help, she decides it's time to start listening. Now she and the others have to figure out if the dreams are a message, or a trap.]]> 154 K.A. Applegate 0545291569 Stephan 3 horror, sci-fi, work-related 4.16 1996 The Message (Animorphs, #4)
author: K.A. Applegate
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/06
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: horror, sci-fi, work-related
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy, #1)]]> 199826249 Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.]]> 416 Maiga Doocy 0356523993 Stephan 0 to-read 4.32 2024 Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy, #1)
author: Maiga Doocy
name: Stephan
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Phoenix Keeper 203422707 A socially awkward but determined phoenix keeper must partner with her longtime rival to save her beloved exhibit from falling into obscurity in this charming, romantic fantasy debut.

Aila is a little obsessed with phoenixes. As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, her childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There’s just one glaring her zoo’s breeding program hasn’t functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix-nabbing cripples the flagship program at a neighbouring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins. But saving a species takes more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks � Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. Inspiring zoo patrons? That’s another story. Finding the courage to ask for help from the hot dragon keeper at a neighbouring exhibit? Virtually impossible. And don’t get Aila started on her arch-rival from the glamorous leader of the zoo’s wildly popular griffin show, who’s convinced that Aila’s beloved phoenix would serve better as a performer than a conservation exhibit. Aided by both friends and enemies, Aila must conquer her social anxiety if she is to restore her breeding programme. With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila’s success isn’t only a matter of keeping her the future of a species depends on her.]]> 490 S.A. MacLean 0316573108 Stephan 0 to-read 3.89 2024 The Phoenix Keeper
author: S.A. MacLean
name: Stephan
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>