Joe's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:30:13 -0800 60 Joe's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The House With Chicken Legs 37825422
But that's tough when your grandmother is a Yaga, a guardian who guides the dead into the afterlife. It's even harder when you live in a house that wanders all over the world . . . carrying you with it. Even worse, Marinka is being trained to be a Yaga. That means no school, no parties--and no playmates that stick around for more than a day.

So when Marinka stumbles across the chance to make a real friend, she breaks all the rules . . . with devastating consequences. Her beloved grandmother mysteriously disappears, and it's up to Marinka to find her--even if it means making a dangerous journey to the afterlife.


With a mix of whimsy, humor, and adventure, this debut novel will wrap itself around your heart and never let go.]]> 272 Sophie Anderson 1338209965 Joe 0 to-read 3.87 2018 The House With Chicken Legs
author: Sophie Anderson
name: Joe
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Heir (Wings of Fire, #2)]]> 15809617 321 Tui T. Sutherland 0545349192 Joe 5 4.41 2013 The Lost Heir (Wings of Fire, #2)
author: Tui T. Sutherland
name: Joe
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves:
review:
This was a great story. I felt it was not as graphic as the first book. The focus was more on expanding the world building of the first book. Here we get to become intimately acquainted with the kingdom of the sea dragons and we get to know Tsunami's family. This was an interesting look at different ways of governing and leading. Tsunami grows as a character and as a leader, and it all happens naturally and smoothly. I enjoyed this book. It does end in a bit if a cliffhanger, just to warn you.
]]> <![CDATA[Amari and the Despicable Wonders (Supernatural Investigations, #3)]]> 75668244
Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Nevermoor.

War has come to the supernatural world, and Amari’s two worst enemies are leading the charge.

Elaine Harlowe has manipulated her way into becoming prime minister, using her mind control ability to force the Bureau to take up her vicious grudge against magiciankind. Meanwhile, Dylan Van Helsing, the newly crowned leader of the League of Magicians—and Amari’s former partner—is after a destructive new power that would not only ensure the magicians� victory . . . it would make him invincible.

With neither the Bureau nor the League safe for Amari, and her newly returned brother, Quinton, determined to keep her out of the fray, she and her friends decide to find a way to end the war on their own.

So when they learn that the only way to stop Dylan is to find powerful magical inventions known as Wonders, they go after them. But wielding these items comes at a terrible cost, and Amari will have to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice . . . because the Despicable Wonders will demand everything.]]> 400 B.B. Alston 0062975242 Joe 5 4.15 2024 Amari and the Despicable Wonders (Supernatural Investigations, #3)
author: B.B. Alston
name: Joe
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves:
review:
A fabulous conclusion to this first arc of this series. In the acknowledgements, the author promises more Amari books, which is good because there are some unanswered questions at the end. In this book, we get to see how far the kids have come since book one. There are several points where the characters discuss how they have changed over their time together. Looking forward to the future books in this series!
]]> <![CDATA[Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8)]]> 44150974
And Sophie’s not the only one with blank spots in her past, or mysteries surrounding her family. She and her friends are part of something much bigger than they imagined—and their roles have already been chosen for them.

Every clue drags them deeper into the conspiracy. Every memory forces them to question everything—especially one another. And the harder they fight, the more the lines blur between friend and enemy.]]> 797 Shannon Messenger 153442735X Joe 5
The pace of this book seems a lot slower as big chunks of it stop the action to allow the characters to recover from some of the battles. This is great for character development, but it means a lot of the action is happening "off screen."

I also felt like there were a few places that could have used a little more of the editor's attention. It feels like every intimate moment is expressed by putting Sophie's hair behind her ear. And every character drags their hand down their face and/or tears their hand through their hair at some point in the story. I just would have liked the responses to be a little more character specific.

There is a lot of focus on the love triangle in this book. I liked several things Messenger did with this subplot, including the emphasis Sophie places on it (very accurate for someone at that age), how naturally things seen to occur, and even where the triangle ends up by the end of this book. I thought she did a great job if showing the complexities of relationships and made it okay for things to work out differently than originally anticipated.

I also liked the way Messenger continues to expand her world in this book. That includes some very important reveals, and we get to learn about another one of the intelligent species. And ending with this particular cliffhanger is something I both love and hate. She pulled it off really well.

I also find it interesting how she manages all of these plotlines throughout the series. There are many projects Sophie has worked on that still doing have a conclusion, and I felt like this book in particular did a good job of remind readers about all the loose ends still dangling out there, and doing so without feeling like we stop the story for a grocery list of issues we're supposed to remember.

Great book! Really an waiting impatiently for the next book to become available at my library!!]]> 4.44 2019 Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:
Another Keeper of the Lost Cities book down. I still really like this series. I felt this book, though, was the weakest entry in the series. Having said that, I want to make it clear that statement is like talking about the Olympic runner in last place. Yes, they were the worst runner in that race, but they are still an Olympic runner who can beat nearly anyone they pass on the street.

The pace of this book seems a lot slower as big chunks of it stop the action to allow the characters to recover from some of the battles. This is great for character development, but it means a lot of the action is happening "off screen."

I also felt like there were a few places that could have used a little more of the editor's attention. It feels like every intimate moment is expressed by putting Sophie's hair behind her ear. And every character drags their hand down their face and/or tears their hand through their hair at some point in the story. I just would have liked the responses to be a little more character specific.

There is a lot of focus on the love triangle in this book. I liked several things Messenger did with this subplot, including the emphasis Sophie places on it (very accurate for someone at that age), how naturally things seen to occur, and even where the triangle ends up by the end of this book. I thought she did a great job if showing the complexities of relationships and made it okay for things to work out differently than originally anticipated.

I also liked the way Messenger continues to expand her world in this book. That includes some very important reveals, and we get to learn about another one of the intelligent species. And ending with this particular cliffhanger is something I both love and hate. She pulled it off really well.

I also find it interesting how she manages all of these plotlines throughout the series. There are many projects Sophie has worked on that still doing have a conclusion, and I felt like this book in particular did a good job of remind readers about all the loose ends still dangling out there, and doing so without feeling like we stop the story for a grocery list of issues we're supposed to remember.

Great book! Really an waiting impatiently for the next book to become available at my library!!
]]> Some Desperate Glory 58388343 While we live, the enemy shall fear us.

All her life Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the all-powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the Majoda their victory over humanity.

They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. But when Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows she must take humanity’s revenge into her own hands.

Alongside her brother’s brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, she escapes from everything she’s ever known into a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could have imagined.

A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is award-winning author Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel.]]> 438 Emily Tesh 1250834988 Joe 0 to-read 4.01 2023 Some Desperate Glory
author: Emily Tesh
name: Joe
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Saint of Bright Doors 61884985
Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy.

He walked among invisible devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.

Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world.]]> 356 Vajra Chandrasekera 1250847389 Joe 0 to-read 3.64 2023 The Saint of Bright Doors
author: Vajra Chandrasekera
name: Joe
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Company 65215464 A richly detailed, brilliantly woven debut collection about the lives and lore of one Black family


Shannon Sanders’s sparkling debut brings us into the company of the Collins family and their acquaintances as they meet, bicker, compete, celebrate, worry, keep and reveal secrets, build lives and careers, and endure. Moving from Atlantic City to New York to DC, from the 1960’s to the 2000’s, from law students to drag performers to violinists to matriarchs, Company tells a multifaceted, multigenerational saga in thirteen stories.

Each piece in Company includes a moment when a guest arrives at someone’s home. In “The Good, Good Men,� two brothers reunite to oust a “deadbeat� boyfriend from their mother’s house. In “The Everest Society,� the brothers� sister anxiously prepares for a home visit from a social worker before adopting a child. In “Birds of Paradise,� their aunt, newly promoted to university provost, navigates a minefield of microaggressions at her own welcome party. And in the haunting title story, the provost’s sister finds her solitary life disrupted when her late sister’s daughter comes calling.
These are stories about intimacy, societial and familial obligations, and the ways inheritances shape our fates. Buoyant, somber, sharp, and affectionate, this collection announces a remarkable new voice in fiction.]]> 246 Shannon Sanders 1644452510 Joe 0 to-read 3.94 2023 Company
author: Shannon Sanders
name: Joe
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Solenoid 27826456
Based on Cărtărescu's own role as a high school teacher, Solenoid begins with the mundane details of a diarist's life and quickly spirals into a philosophical account of life, history, philosophy, and mathematics. One character asks another: when you rush into the burning building, will you save the newborn or the artwork? On a broad scale, the novel’s investigations of other universes, dimensions, and timelines reconcile the realms of life and art.

The novel is grounded in the reality of late 1970s/early 1980s Communist Romania, including long lines for groceries, the absurdities of the education system, and the misery of family life. The text includes sequences in a tuberculosis sanatorium, an encounter with an anti-death protest movement, a society of dream investigators, and an extended visit to the minuscule world of dust mites living on a microscope slide.

Combining fiction with autobiography and history� the scientists Nicolae Tesla and George Boole, for example, appear alongside the Voynich manuscript―Solenoid ruminates on the exchanges possible between the alternate dimensions of life and art, as various, monstrous dimensions erupt within the Communist present.]]> 840 Mircea Cărtărescu 9735050595 Joe 0 to-read 4.19 2015 Solenoid
author: Mircea Cărtărescu
name: Joe
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Orbital 123136728
Contudo, mesmo tão distantes do mundo, os seis astronautas não conseguem escapar à sua constante influência. Chegam notícias da morte de uma mãe, trazendo pensamentos de regresso e de saudades de casa. A fragilidade da vida humana torna-se um tema central nas suas conversas, nos seus medos e nos seus sonhos.

Apesar de tão longe da Terra, nunca antes se haviam sentido tão protetores dela, tão parte dela. Começam a refletir: o que será a vida sem a Terra? O que será a Terra sem a humanidade?]]> 207 Samantha Harvey 0802161545 Joe 0 to-read 3.55 2023 Orbital
author: Samantha Harvey
name: Joe
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> James 173754979 A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780385550369.]]> 303 Percival Everett Joe 0 to-read 4.46 2024 James
author: Percival Everett
name: Joe
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Defiant (Skyward, #4) 43606308 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes the final book in an epic series about a girl who will travel beyond the stars to save the world she loves from destruction.

Spensa has made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she’s had about her own strange Cytonic gifts.

The Superiority didn’t stop in its fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa’s team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it’s only a matter of time until humanity–and the rest of the galaxy–falls.

Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: How far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself–and her friends–in the process.

The final book in the Skyward series will free humanity, or see it fall forever.]]> 420 Brandon Sanderson 0593309715 Joe 5 4.28 2023 Defiant (Skyward, #4)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Joe
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
A fantastic conclusion to a fascinating series about dealing with loss and pain. Another slam dunk by Sanderson.
]]> Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Joe 5 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Joe
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/23
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves:
review:
I listened to the BBC 4 dramatization. It was delightful! Many of the characters and situations at the end reminded me of characters and situations from Prude and Prejudice. A delightful take in true Austen style!
]]> Faust 406373 Faust reworks the late medieval myth of a brilliant scholar so disillusioned he resolves to make a contract with Mephistopheles. The devil will do all he asks on Earth and seeks to grant him a moment in life so glorious that he will wish it to last forever. But if Faust does bid the moment stay, he falls to Mephistopheles and must serve him after death. In this first part of Goethe’s great work, the embittered thinker and Mephistopheles enter into their agreement, and soon Faust is living a rejuvenated life and winning the love of the beautiful Gretchen. But in this compelling tragedy of arrogance, unfulfilled desire, and self-delusion, Faust heads inexorably toward an infernal destruction.]]> 503 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 0385031149 Joe 0 to-read 3.90 1808 Faust
author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
name: Joe
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1808
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Flashback (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #7)]]> 32762937
But when the Neverseen prove that Sophie’s far more vulnerable than she ever imagined, she realizes it’s time to change the rules. Her powerful abilities can only protect her so far. To face down ruthless enemies, she must learn to fight.

Unfortunately, battle training can’t help a beloved friend who’s facing a whole different danger—where the only solution involves one of the biggest risks Sophie and her friends have ever taken. And the distraction might be exactly what the villains have been waiting for.]]> 848 Shannon Messenger 1481497456 Joe 5 4.30 2018 Flashback (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #7)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves:
review:
I'm constantly impressed with Messenger's ability to handle more adult themes in an age appropriate manner. As a combat veteran, I thought she had a really great take on PTSD as a shadow of a traumatic event that is triggered--it a monster that is awakened--by certain memories, events, places, feelings, or emotions. There is a good chunk of this book where the plot does not move forward very much, but there is some great character development for Sophie, Fitz, and Keefe as they all struggle to understand how to manage the shadows. Great book in the series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
]]> <![CDATA[Wonderworks: Literary invention and the science of stories]]> 59389824 480 Angus Fletcher 1800750234 Joe 0 currently-reading 4.09 Wonderworks: Literary invention and the science of stories
author: Angus Fletcher
name: Joe
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Spell for Chameleon (Xanth, #1)]]> 76664
For Bink of North Village, however, Xanth was no fairy tale. He alone had no magic. And unless he got some - and got some fast! - he would be exiled. Forever!

But the Good Magician Humfrey was convinced that Bink did indeed have magic. In fact, both Beauregard the genie and the magic wall chart insisted that Bink had magic. Magic as powerful as any possessed by the King or by Good Magician Humfrey - or even by the Evil Magician Trent

Be that as it may, no one could fathom the nature of Bink's very special magic. Bink was in despair. This was even worse than having no magic at all..and he would still be exiled!]]> 344 Piers Anthony 034525855X Joe 0 currently-reading 3.91 1977 A Spell for Chameleon (Xanth, #1)
author: Piers Anthony
name: Joe
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1977
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire, #1)]]> 13228487
The seven dragon tribes have been at war for generations, locked in an endless battle over an ancient, lost treasure. A secret movement called the Talons of Peace is determined to bring an end to the fighting, with the help of a prophecy -- a foretelling that calls for great sacrifice.

Five dragonets are collected to fulfill the prophecy, raised in a hidden cave and enlisted, against their will, to end the terrible war.

But not every dragonet wants a destiny. And when the select five escape their underground captors to look for their original homes, what has been unleashed on the dragon world may be far more than the revolutionary planners intended . . .]]> 336 Tui T. Sutherland 0545349184 Joe 3 4.22 2012 The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire, #1)
author: Tui T. Sutherland
name: Joe
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves:
review:
I'm reading this series with my 9y.o. daughter. She loves the story! I've enjoyed the story as well! It teaches about loyalty, forgiveness, and disappointment. The only reason I didn't feel comfortable giving it 5 stars is that it's gory. There is fighting in a gladiator arena and a war going on, but I felt like the bill went into WAY too much detail about the realities of those situations. For example, at one point the book describes a battlefield and discusses the mangled dragon bodies, bones sticking out of the mud, and blood running into the river turning it red. I was surprised by this, and other similar passages, because I don't feel they are age appropriate. Having said that, I know I'm really conservative when it comes to gore, and not everyone will agree with my opinion on this matter. I would just encourage parents to read the story or at least the beginning of Chapter 32 to see if you are comfortable with the way this author handles the gore of war. Like I said, other than that one issue, I thought the story was fabulous and would highly recommend it!
]]> Frankenstein: The 1818 Text 35031085 This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780143131847.

Mary Shelley's seminal novel of the scientist whose creation becomes a monster.

This edition is the original 1818 text, which preserves the hard-hitting and politically charged aspects of Shelley's original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by author and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.]]> 260 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 0143131842 Joe 5
I was also surprised by how relevant this story is still today. And by the topics it touched upon. It discussed the creation of self image, the struggle of finding where we feel like we belong, and even the middle Eastern treatment of women, for example. I was surprised by how little I knew about how this story actually went.

This is an intimate story between two people--you can think of them as a father and son--trying to work out their relationship with each other, and letting hatred, misery, and bitterness get between them. It's not a large scale epic that ends with the villagers storming the laboratory with pitch forks and torches.

Party of the horror, for me, was watching the incredible potential for good, joy, and happiness so thoroughly destroyed. This is a tragedy that is still very relevant today, and I would recommend this book to anyone.]]> 4.02 1818 Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
name: Joe
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1818
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/04
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves:
review:
This book really surprised me! I was surprised by how different it is from the stereotypical images we have of a green monster with bolts in his neck rising from a table as a mad science gleefully yells, "it's alive!" and Igor claps his hands. The monster is white with no bolts, the scientist is terrified by his creation, and there is no Igor.

I was also surprised by how relevant this story is still today. And by the topics it touched upon. It discussed the creation of self image, the struggle of finding where we feel like we belong, and even the middle Eastern treatment of women, for example. I was surprised by how little I knew about how this story actually went.

This is an intimate story between two people--you can think of them as a father and son--trying to work out their relationship with each other, and letting hatred, misery, and bitterness get between them. It's not a large scale epic that ends with the villagers storming the laboratory with pitch forks and torches.

Party of the horror, for me, was watching the incredible potential for good, joy, and happiness so thoroughly destroyed. This is a tragedy that is still very relevant today, and I would recommend this book to anyone.
]]> <![CDATA[Nightfall (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #6)]]> 32762917
The Neverseen have had their victories—but the battle is far from over. It’s time to change tactics. Make sacrifices. Reexamine everything. Maybe even time for Sophie to trust her enemies.

All paths lead to Nightfall—an ominous door to an even more ominous place—and Sophie and her friends strike a dangerous bargain to get there. But nothing can prepare them for what they discover. The problems they’re facing stretch deep into their history. And with time running out, and mistakes catching up with them, Sophie and her allies must join forces in ways they never have before.]]> 576 Shannon Messenger 1481497421 Joe 5
Thoroughly enjoyed this book!]]> 4.51 2017 Nightfall (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #6)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:
The cast of significant characters continue to grow, but Messenger doesn't lose me. She's done a good job of juggling this large car and creating reasons for them to split up--legitimate reasons, not excuses--and that helps. It's also key to this book where all the problems and loose ends from the previous books all come to the surface again. Those issues are not all solved or even advanced in this book, but they are discussed. And having a large ensemble helps to follow several leads at the same time. It's a creative way to expand the world without losing the reader in the details.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
]]> The Neverending Story 27712
The story begins with a lonely boy named Bastian and the strange book that draws him into the beautiful but doomed world of Fantastica. Only a human can save this enchanted place by giving its ruler, the Childlike Empress, a new name. But the journey to her tower leads through lands of dragons, giants, monsters, and magic, and once Bastian begins his quest, he may never return. As he is drawn deeper into Fantastica, he must find the courage to face unspeakable foes and the mysteries of his own heart.

Readers, too, can travel to the wondrous, unforgettable world of Fantastica if they will just turn the page...]]> 396 Michael Ende 0525457585 Joe 5 4.16 1979 The Neverending Story
author: Michael Ende
name: Joe
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/11
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lodestar (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #5)]]> 27272698
Sophie Foster is back in the Lost Cities--but the Lost Cities have changed. The threat of war hangs heavy over her glittering world, and the Neverseen are wreaking havoc.

The lines between friend and enemy have blurred, and Sophie is unsure whom to trust. But when she's warned that the people she loves most will be the next victims, she knows she has to act.

A mysterious symbol could be the key--if only she knew how to translate it. Every new clue seems to lead deeper into her world's underbelly and the Black Swan aren't the only ones who have plans. The Neverseen have their own Initiative, and if Sophie doesn't stop it, they might finally have the ultimate means to control her.]]> 688 Shannon Messenger Joe 5
And I'm still a huge fan of the story. I'm this book some of the characters continue to grapple with their identity and who they truly are. Highly recommend this book!]]> 4.48 2016 Lodestar (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #5)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/11
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:
I love how Shannon Messenger does not write down to her audience. There are many times she sets up a typical situation and we all know what usually happens next--okay, you have the bad guy trapped, so all you need to do is get them talking and they will spoil all the secrets. But Messenger not only takes a hard left at the trope, she points it out to the reader so her young audience can learn from what she is doing.

And I'm still a huge fan of the story. I'm this book some of the characters continue to grapple with their identity and who they truly are. Highly recommend this book!
]]> <![CDATA[A Christmas Carol (Young Reading Series 2)]]> 785535 64 Lesley Sims 0794505856 Joe 0 3.40 2023 A Christmas Carol (Young Reading Series 2)
author: Lesley Sims
name: Joe
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)]]> 1215032 There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.�

My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.

So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view � a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man's Fear, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King's Road.

All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived ... until Kvothe.

In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.

]]> 994 Patrick Rothfuss 0756404738 Joe 0 currently-reading 4.55 2011 The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Joe
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)]]> 22733616
Her closest friends from the Lost Cities have gone with her to join the Black Swan. They still have doubts about the shadowy organization, but the only way to find answers is to start working with them. And as they settle into their new lives, they uncover secrets far bigger than anything they’d imagined.

But their enemies are far from done, and unleash a terrifying plague that threatens the safety of an entire species. Sophie and her friends fight with everything they have—with new allies joining them—but every choice has consequences. And trusting the wrong person could prove deadly.

In this game-changing fourth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must question everything to find a truth that will either save her world—or shatter it.]]> 672 Shannon Messenger Joe 5 Fantastic story! 4.55 2015 Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves:
review:
Fantastic story!
]]> <![CDATA[Everblaze (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #3)]]> 13260668
Sophie Foster is ready to fight back.

Her talents are getting stronger, and with the elusive Black Swan group ignoring her calls for help, she’s determined to find her kidnappers—before they come after her again.

But a daring mistake leaves her world teetering on the edge of war, and causes many to fear that she has finally gone too far. And the deeper Sophie searches, the farther the conspiracy stretches, proving that her most dangerous enemy might be closer than she realizes.]]> 624 Shannon Messenger 1442445998 Joe 5 Love these books! 4.46 2014 Everblaze (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #3)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves:
review:
Love these books!
]]> <![CDATA[Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #2)]]> 13260670
But Sophie's kidnappers are still out there. And when Sophie discovers new messages and clues from the mysterious Black Swan group, she’s forced to take a terrifying risk—one that puts everyone in incredible danger.

As long buried secrets rise to the surface, it’s once again up to Sophie to uncover hidden memories—before someone close to her is lost forever.

In this second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must journey to the darkest corners of her luminous world in a sequel that will leave you breathless for more.]]> 576 Shannon Messenger Joe 5 4.46 2013 Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #2)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/14
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves:
review:
I LOVE this series, and I'm glad my daughter is reading it. Messenger died not shy away from hard topics like prejudice, when life begins, or the consequences of our actions. It gives us a lot to talk about. I also appreciate how adults are depicted. They are not obstacles that the kids have to overcome, or dumber than the kids. These adults understand the kids, want to protect them, but also demonstrate great trust in the kids by supporting them in their plans. Success is a team effort, and the adults are part of the team. Can't wait until my hold on Loadstone comes in!!
]]> 2010: Odyssey Two 70539 2001: A Space Odyssey first shocked, amazed, and delighted millions in the late 1960s, the novel was quickly recognized as a classic. Since then, its fame has grown steadily among the multitudes who have read the novel or seen the film based on it. Yet, along with almost universal acclaim, a host of questions has grown more insistent through the years:

Who or what transformed Dave Bowman into the Star-Child? What purpose lay behind the transformation? What would become of the Star-Child?

What alien purpose lay behind the monoliths on the Moon and out in space?

What could drive HAL, a stable, intelligent computer, to kill the crew? Was HAL really insane? What happened to HAL and the spaceship Discovery after Dave Bowman disappeared?

Would there be a sequel?

Now all those questions and many more have been answered. In this stunning sequel to his international bestseller, Clarke has written what will truly be one of the great books of the '80s. Cosmic in sweep, eloquent in its depiction of Man's place in the Universe, and filled with the romance of space, this novel is a monumental achievement.]]> 320 Arthur C. Clarke 0345413970 Joe 0 to-read 3.94 1982 2010: Odyssey Two
author: Arthur C. Clarke
name: Joe
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Phantom Tollbooth 378 Librarian's Note: For an alternate cover edition of the same ISBN, click here.

This beloved story -first published more than fifty years ago- introduces readers to Milo and his adventures in the Lands Beyond.

For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams. . . .]]> 248 Norton Juster 0394820371 Joe 5 4.19 1961 The Phantom Tollbooth
author: Norton Juster
name: Joe
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1961
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
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review:
Delightful book for anyone who loves puns, language, and imagination.
]]> <![CDATA[The City of Ember (Book of Ember, #1)]]> 307791
But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?]]> 270 Jeanne DuPrau 0375822747 Joe 5 3.89 2003 The City of Ember (Book of Ember, #1)
author: Jeanne DuPrau
name: Joe
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves:
review:
Read this book very long ago. I don't remember a lot of it, but I do remember really enjoying it!
]]> <![CDATA[How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy]]> 31363
Here, science fiction great Orson Scott Card shares his expertise in these genres. You'll learn:

- What is and isn't science fiction and fantasy, and by whose standards -- and where your work fits in.
- How to build, populate, and dramatize a credible, inviting world your readers will want to explore.
- How to use the MICE quotient -- milieu, idea, character, event -- to structure a successful story.
- Where the markets are and how to reach them to get published.

The knowledge and skills you gain through this book will help you effectively lead your readers into the strangeness you create -- one tantalizing step at a time.]]> 144 Orson Scott Card 158297103X Joe 0 to-read 3.92 1990 How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Joe
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fahrenheit 451 13079982 Sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.� But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.]]> 194 Ray Bradbury Joe 5 3.97 1953 Fahrenheit 451
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Joe
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1953
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
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review:
Great book one censorship and the power of the human spirit to prevail. Beauty said it was a book about TV taking over the world, but his stronger themes desk with censoring information and sensationalizing real life into entertainment. Fantastic book!
]]> The Elements of Style 33514 105 William Strunk Jr. Joe 5 4.15 1918 The Elements of Style
author: William Strunk Jr.
name: Joe
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1918
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
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review:
Fabulous reference for writers of all levels.
]]> And Then There Were None 16299
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.]]> 264 Agatha Christie 0312330871 Joe 5 Classic for a reason! 4.28 1939 And Then There Were None
author: Agatha Christie
name: Joe
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1939
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
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review:
Classic for a reason!
]]> <![CDATA[Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation]]> 28220730
In addition, three essays at the end of the book explore Chinese science fiction. Liu Cixin's essay, The Worst of All Possible Universes and The Best of All Possible Earths, gives a historical overview of SF in China and situates his own rise to prominence as the premier Chinese author within that context. Chen Qiufan's The Torn Generation gives the view of a younger generation of authors trying to come to terms with the tumultuous transformations around them. Finally, Xia Jia, who holds the first Ph.D. issued for the study of Chinese SF, asks What Makes Chinese Science Fiction Chinese?.]]> 383 Ken Liu 0765384191 Joe 0 to-read 4.06 2016 Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation
author: Ken Liu
name: Joe
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans]]> 43565360 A sweeping examination of the current state of artificial intelligence and how it is remaking our world

No recent scientific enterprise has proved as alluring, terrifying, and filled with extravagant promise and frustrating setbacks as artificial intelligence. The award-winning author Melanie Mitchell, a leading computer scientist, now reveals AI’s turbulent history and the recent spate of apparent successes, grand hopes, and emerging fears surrounding it.

In Artificial Intelligence, Mitchell turns to the most urgent questions concerning AI today: How intelligent—really—are the best AI programs? How do they work? What can they actually do, and when do they fail? How humanlike do we expect them to become, and how soon do we need to worry about them surpassing us? Along the way, she introduces the dominant models of modern AI and machine learning, describing cutting-edge AI programs, their human inventors, and the historical lines of thought underpinning recent achievements. She meets with fellow experts such as Douglas Hofstadter, the cognitive scientist and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of the modern classic Gödel, Escher, Bach, who explains why he is “terrified� about the future of AI. She explores the profound disconnect between the hype and the actual achievements in AI, providing a clear sense of what the field has accomplished and how much further it has to go.

Interweaving stories about the science of AI and the people behind it, Artificial Intelligence brims with clear-sighted, captivating, and accessible accounts of the most interesting and provocative modern work in the field, flavored with Mitchell’s humor and personal observations. This frank, lively book is an indispensable guide to understanding today’s AI, its quest for “human-level� intelligence, and its impact on the future for us all.]]> 336 Melanie Mitchell 0374257833 Joe 0 to-read 4.34 2019 Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans
author: Melanie Mitchell
name: Joe
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Blood, Sweat, and Pixels 34376766 Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous.

Taking some of the most popular, bestselling recent games, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart.

Documenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.]]> 353 Jason Schreier 0062651242 Joe 0 to-read 4.21 2017 Blood, Sweat, and Pixels
author: Jason Schreier
name: Joe
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How Great Science Fiction Works]]> 29338161
These 24 captivating lectures reveal the qualities that make science fiction an enduring phenomenon that has been steadily gaining popularity. You'll grasp the context and achievements of authors like Arthur C. Clarke, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. LeGuin, and many more. You'll experience the wonder, horror, and incredible imagination of works like Frankenstein, the Foundation series, Stranger in a Strange Land, and dozens of more recent stories as well. You'll also see this genre's influence in movies like Star Wars and TV shows like The Twilight Zone.

Science fiction can take us places in time and space where no other form of fiction can - outer space, the far future, alternate universes, unfathomable civilizations. The best science fiction expands our imaginations and makes its mark on our reality. And while few writers would ever claim to predict the future, sometimes authors get it almost eerily right: Gernsback describing radar in 1911, Bradbury describing giant flatscreen TVs in 1951, Gibson inventing "cyberspace" in 1984, and so on.]]> 13 Gary K. Wolfe Joe 0 to-read 4.13 2016 How Great Science Fiction Works
author: Gary K. Wolfe
name: Joe
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln]]> 2199 Winner of the Lincoln Prize

Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.

Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.

It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war.

We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through.

This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history.]]> 916 Doris Kearns Goodwin Joe 5 4.27 2005 Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
name: Joe
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
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review:
I listened to this book while moving States. It was fascinating to hear how Lincoln brought together people who were best for the job, even if they were rivals of his and each other. We could this kind of unity and compromise in today's political entertainment!
]]> <![CDATA[Bonus Linh Story (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8.75)]]> 59820532
Author's Note (shown below in plain text):

Hi again, Keeper Readers!

Surprise!

The short story you are about to read is a special bonus scene that I wrote exclusively for the paperback of Unlocked Book 8.5. (So yes, that means that this story isn't in the hardcovers.) I wanted to add something extra for my paperback readers, since hardcovers always get the attention.

(Plus, who doesn't want more of the Keeper crew?)

This scene features Linh, Marella, Maruca, and Stina and gives a little insight into what they were up to while Sophie and Keefe were dealing with their own struggles in Unlocked's main novella—and yes, there will definitely be more about this in Keeper #9!

So think of this short story as a tiny taste of what's to come, as well as closer glimpse of four fan-favorite characters. It was told from Linh's POV, which was such a joy to explore, and I hope it's just as fun for you to read as it was for me to write!

Happy reading!

xo
Shannon Messenger]]> 11 Shannon Messenger Joe 0 to-read 4.12 Bonus Linh Story (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8.75)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bonus Fitz Story (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #7.5)]]> 57360643
Author's Note (shown below in plain text):

Hello, awesome Keeper readers! Since I know some of you probably snuck back here straightaway, before reading Flashback (especially you eager team Fitzers!), I feel the need to say: WARNING—MAJOR FLASHBACK SPOILERS AHEAD! Even the paragraph below isn't safe. Personally, I'd recommend waiting to read this until you've finished Flashback so it doesn't ruin anything. But that's up to you. Just don't say I didn't warn you!

Okay! So this story�*pauses for one final spoiler warning*—covers some of what Fitz was up to during the first few days of Everglen after leaving the Healing Center. So imagine these moments between him and Biana happening at the same time as all the same as all the things Sophie was living through in chapters 27-31 of Flashback. Happy Reading!

Shannon Messenger]]> 9 Shannon Messenger Joe 0 to-read 3.88 Bonus Fitz Story (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #7.5)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Untitled (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #10)]]> 59342001 Shannon Messenger Joe 0 to-read 4.72 Untitled (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #10)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.72
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bonus Keefe Story (Keeper of the Lost Cities)]]> 36590488 15 Shannon Messenger Joe 0 to-read 4.56 2019 Bonus Keefe Story (Keeper of the Lost Cities)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stellarlune (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #9)]]> 40219200 In this stunning ninth book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie and her friends discover the true meaning of power—and evil.

Sophie Foster changed the game.

Now she’s facing impossible choices:
When to act.
When to trust.
When to let go.

Her friends are divided and scattered, and the Black Swan wants Sophie to focus on their projects. But her instincts are leading her somewhere else.

Stellarlune—and the mysterious Elysian—might be the key to everything. But finding truth in the Lost Cities always requires sacrifice. And as the Neverseen’s plans sharpen into terrifying focus, it appears that everyone has miscalculated. The Lost Cities� greatest lie could destroy everything. And in the battle that follows, only one thing is certain: nothing will ever be the same.]]> 800 Shannon Messenger 153443853X Joe 0 to-read 4.42 2022 Stellarlune (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #9)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unlocked (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8.5)]]> 51481198 Book 8.5 in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series delivers what fans of the series have been begging for! Told in an exciting new way, the saga continues with plenty of huge reveals and shocking new twists—plus a complete series guide with beautiful color and black-and-white illustrations and other awesome bonuses!

In this extra special installment of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, the story picks up right from Legacy’s particularly devastating cliffhanger. But chapters alternate between Sophie and Keefe’s perspectives to give readers deeper insights into both beloved characters. New powers will be discovered. Hard truths from the past will come to light. And all of your favorite characters will find themselves tested in ways they never imagined.

And that's not all!

Unlocked also includes a comprehensive guide to the world of the Lost Cities, featuring new character and world details that have never been revealed before—plus fun bonuses like Keeper-themed recipes, a detailed map of the Lost Cities, gorgeous full-color illustrations, and so much more!]]> 764 Shannon Messenger 1534463437 Joe 0 to-read 4.23 2020 Unlocked (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #8.5)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1)]]> 15839976 "I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.]]> 382 Pierce Brown 0345539788 Joe 0 to-finish-later 4.26 2014 Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1)
author: Pierce Brown
name: Joe
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: to-finish-later
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Keeper of the Lost Cities (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #1)]]> 12842828
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.�
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.

In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.]]> 496 Shannon Messenger 1442445939 Joe 5
As an adult, I'm invested in these characters too. I quickly finished the book so I wouldn't have to wait in line for my turn to check it out again (something I don't always do, even when I like the book). Can't wait until I can check out book 2!]]> 4.39 2012 Keeper of the Lost Cities (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #1)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Joe
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/02/08
shelves:
review:
This was a fabulous story! My tween introduced me to it, and I'm very grateful. She just finished the third book in the series. The main character, Sophie, is relatable, needs, and struggles with some deep issues like trying to figure out where she belongs, who her family is, who she is. While she is an intrinsically good girl, she did make mistakes and poor choices, and I felt like the book dealt with the consequences of those bad decisions realistically and well. Sophie is also able to make friends across established social segregation at her school, and works to help other characters see past their differences. There is some minor romance. Boys who obviously like Sophie, and she writes with what she feels around certain boys. Once again, I think it's very age appropriate, and after the first book, I feel like Sophie is someone I don't mind my daughter modeling after. Thank you Shannon Messenger!

As an adult, I'm invested in these characters too. I quickly finished the book so I wouldn't have to wait in line for my turn to check it out again (something I don't always do, even when I like the book). Can't wait until I can check out book 2!
]]> <![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]]> 528 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Joe 0 to-read 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Joe
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Labyrinth of Doom (Once Upon a Tim, #2)]]> 60320601 Knight-in-training Tim and his best friend, Belinda, embark on a quest to save Princess Grace.

Prince Ruprecht is VERY UPSET that knights-in-training, Tim and Belinda, have thwarted his plans and ruined his chances with Princess Grace. And so, to get even, he has kidnapped the princess and trapped her in the most complicated, dangerous, complex, dastardly, biggest (okay you get the point)…and scariest maze in all the world!

Now it’s up to Tim, Belinda, Ferkle, and Rover to fend off menacing beasts (like the minotaur), conquer treacherous obstacles (like chasms filled with cave sharks), find their way through the labyrinth (which is very tricky), and rescue the princess before time runs out. Oh, and also they need to remember how to get back out again…or they’ll be trapped inside the maze forever.]]> 150 Stuart Gibbs 1534499288 Joe 5 4.04 2022 The Labyrinth of Doom (Once Upon a Tim, #2)
author: Stuart Gibbs
name: Joe
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves:
review:
Delightfully funny! If you liked the first book in this series, you will like this one. It also introduced you to some very interesting Knights! Gibbs does a wonderful job building this quirky world with all its word plays and puns! My kids and I still quote from this book often.
]]> The Girl Who Drank the Moon 28110852
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, aÌýyoung man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.]]> 388 Kelly Barnhill 1616205679 Joe 5
This story deals with some pretty heavy themes like sorrow, loss, mental health after trauma, manipulation, memory, mercy, and identity. And yet Barnhill handles these themes with such care, simplicity, and commission that the story is light and hopeful! It's a beautiful world, wonderful characters, and a writing strike that is delightful to read for young and old!]]> 4.11 2016 The Girl Who Drank the Moon
author: Kelly Barnhill
name: Joe
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves:
review:
This is a fabulous book! While it's a mid grade book, it is written so well that I as an adult thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Poetry plays a big part in the story, and the prose itself is very poetic--especially passages dealing with mental illness!

This story deals with some pretty heavy themes like sorrow, loss, mental health after trauma, manipulation, memory, mercy, and identity. And yet Barnhill handles these themes with such care, simplicity, and commission that the story is light and hopeful! It's a beautiful world, wonderful characters, and a writing strike that is delightful to read for young and old!
]]> <![CDATA[The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)]]> 20518872 472 Liu Cixin Joe 5
The interactions that take place with scientists and philosophers through history--from the West as well as the East--felt very much like I was reading Sophie's World again. (If you liked this book, you might enjoy that one too.)

I will warn readers that there are a couple places it gets pretty graphic with the violence of the Cultural Revolution, but those instances are rare and very short. This story does discuss the Cultural Revolution in China, and the government in this book is Communist. In both cases Liu Cixin does not offer any judgement on the morality or rightness of either of these. In fact, I felt he made all sides of the revolution sympathetic.

For Americans reading this book, this approach to something we have been taught is a great evil (communism) will take some getting used to, but it shouldn't take long. Everything is handled so naturally that it is not an issue.

I haven't figured it out yet, but there was something so intriguing about this story that I found myself drawn to it in ways unlike other books I have read. I think at least part of it is the work of the translator. He described his philosophy and goals in translation at the back of the book, and it was very enlightening to me. I feel like this story reads a little differently than most Western literature. The ways of thinking and ways of seeing the world are different enough from my own that it leads me to believe the translator was able to maintain a good deal of the original tone. And I think I found that tone captivating.

I'm excited to read the rest of this trilogy!]]> 4.08 2006 The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)
author: Liu Cixin
name: Joe
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:
This book is phenomenal! It has so much to say about humanity and individual humans within that group. It is a hard science fiction book that dives into some pretty deep issues in physics--like the three body problem itself. But Liu Cixin--and his incredible translator Ken Liu--explain these complex principles plainly and clearly enough that I never felt lost or confused, and I felt like I could follow everything going on in the story.

The interactions that take place with scientists and philosophers through history--from the West as well as the East--felt very much like I was reading Sophie's World again. (If you liked this book, you might enjoy that one too.)

I will warn readers that there are a couple places it gets pretty graphic with the violence of the Cultural Revolution, but those instances are rare and very short. This story does discuss the Cultural Revolution in China, and the government in this book is Communist. In both cases Liu Cixin does not offer any judgement on the morality or rightness of either of these. In fact, I felt he made all sides of the revolution sympathetic.

For Americans reading this book, this approach to something we have been taught is a great evil (communism) will take some getting used to, but it shouldn't take long. Everything is handled so naturally that it is not an issue.

I haven't figured it out yet, but there was something so intriguing about this story that I found myself drawn to it in ways unlike other books I have read. I think at least part of it is the work of the translator. He described his philosophy and goals in translation at the back of the book, and it was very enlightening to me. I feel like this story reads a little differently than most Western literature. The ways of thinking and ways of seeing the world are different enough from my own that it leads me to believe the translator was able to maintain a good deal of the original tone. And I think I found that tone captivating.

I'm excited to read the rest of this trilogy!
]]> Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2) 60652997 Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. Alex Stern is back and the Ivy League is going straight to hell.

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex� Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.

Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies� most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.]]> 481 Leigh Bardugo 1250313104 Joe 0 to-read 4.09 2023 Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Joe
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> In the Lives of Puppets 60784549
The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,� he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.]]> 432 T.J. Klune 125021744X Joe 0 to-read 3.90 2023 In the Lives of Puppets
author: T.J. Klune
name: Joe
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (Secret Projects, #2)]]> 60531410 399 Brandon Sanderson 1938570332 Joe 5
But I persevered. As I got further into this book, and I watched the main character's evolution, I began to appreciate this book more and more. By the end, I realized that this was just the book I needed to read right now, and I think there was a part of me that knew that and wanted to resist it. But I really do like this story now.

This book reminds me of The Stormlight Archive because in both cases, the structure of the book is very important. This book has clips from the titular handbook between each chapter, and each part (I believe there are four parts) ends with a delightful light comic type illustration about a little wizard and his adventures.

Brandon's take on the "multiverse" motif is typical Sanderson, and is fairly unique in its rules, its concept of going up and down steam from your own dimension, and the commercialization of alternate dimensions.

Also typical of Sanderson, he ends up making some profound observations about the human condition, especially free will and the definition of a deity and wizard, analyst his memorable characters and fascinating magic system! I would recommend this to anyone who likes medieval England!]]> 3.75 2023 The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (Secret Projects, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Joe
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/11/16
shelves:
review:
To be honest, this was the only one of Brandon Sanderson's Secret Project books I had no interest in reading. I can't even tell you why. I love medieval England, and I love Brandon Sanderson's stories. Why wouldn't I love this book? But I just wasn't excited about it. Even as I started the book, I had to trudge through the first few chapters. The main character is insecure and decides to lie to get himself through this new world, and those kinds of characters turn me off pretty quickly.

But I persevered. As I got further into this book, and I watched the main character's evolution, I began to appreciate this book more and more. By the end, I realized that this was just the book I needed to read right now, and I think there was a part of me that knew that and wanted to resist it. But I really do like this story now.

This book reminds me of The Stormlight Archive because in both cases, the structure of the book is very important. This book has clips from the titular handbook between each chapter, and each part (I believe there are four parts) ends with a delightful light comic type illustration about a little wizard and his adventures.

Brandon's take on the "multiverse" motif is typical Sanderson, and is fairly unique in its rules, its concept of going up and down steam from your own dimension, and the commercialization of alternate dimensions.

Also typical of Sanderson, he ends up making some profound observations about the human condition, especially free will and the definition of a deity and wizard, analyst his memorable characters and fascinating magic system! I would recommend this to anyone who likes medieval England!
]]> <![CDATA[Once Upon a Tim (Once Upon a Tim, #1)]]> 58437835 A middle grade series about a peasant boy who wants to be a knight.

Tim is just a peasant, but he dreams big. He wants more out of life than to grow up to be a woodsman like his father. Unfortunately, the only route to success in the Kingdom of Wyld is to be born a prince. Still, Tim is determined. He is brave and clever and always tries to do the right thing—even though he rarely gets the credit for it.

Then news spreads that Princess Grace of the neighboring kingdom has been abducted by the evil Stinx and Prince Ruprecht needs a legion of knights to join him on his quest to rescue her. Tim finally has the lucky break he’s been waiting for, the opportunity to change his station in life. And even though he doesn’t know how to ride a horse or wield anything more deadly than a water bucket, he’s going to do whatever it takes to make sure his dream becomes a reality.]]> 160 Stuart Gibbs 1534499253 Joe 5
This series is great because it takes the medieval tropes and fantasy traditions and turns them upside down. For example, Tim is the main character and a peasant instead of a prince. There is discussion about why the princess didn't save herself when she had ample opportunity. Also, Tim's best friend is a girl who is pretending to be a boy so she can be a knight. It discusses how people treated women differently back then, but several of the characters have a revelation that there is another way to live (like the princess resting herself instead of waiting for a prince). I have several daughters and they all love this series.

The audio book is really well done. It's more like a radio program with sound effects than someone reading a book. And throughout the book the narrator stops to explain the definition of some of the larger words Gibbs uses. So it's a great way to learn new words too. I even learned a couple new ones!

Highly recommend this entire series for young and old!]]> 3.92 2022 Once Upon a Tim (Once Upon a Tim, #1)
author: Stuart Gibbs
name: Joe
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/11/08
shelves:
review:
Absolutely hilarious books about a peasant, Tim, and this best friend who try out to be knights to help their prince save the princess of another kingdom, only to find out that a dastardly plot is afoot!

This series is great because it takes the medieval tropes and fantasy traditions and turns them upside down. For example, Tim is the main character and a peasant instead of a prince. There is discussion about why the princess didn't save herself when she had ample opportunity. Also, Tim's best friend is a girl who is pretending to be a boy so she can be a knight. It discusses how people treated women differently back then, but several of the characters have a revelation that there is another way to live (like the princess resting herself instead of waiting for a prince). I have several daughters and they all love this series.

The audio book is really well done. It's more like a radio program with sound effects than someone reading a book. And throughout the book the narrator stops to explain the definition of some of the larger words Gibbs uses. So it's a great way to learn new words too. I even learned a couple new ones!

Highly recommend this entire series for young and old!
]]> Spy School (Spy School, #1) 11750648 Can a normal, average kid become a superstar secret agent? Maybe not, but it’ll be fun to watch him try!

Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: C.I.A. or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn’t exactly scream “secret agent.� In fact, Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate math skills, Ben isn't surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science—but he’s entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior C.I.A. academy. Could the C.I.A. really want him?

Actually, no. There’s been a case of mistaken identity—but that doesn’t stop Ben from trying to morph into a supercool undercover agent, the kind that always gets the girl. And through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he might actually be a halfway decent spy…if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life!]]> 304 Stuart Gibbs 1442421827 Joe 3
Our family consumed a variety of types of media, so we've actually discovered that the book and audio book are actually quite different from the graphic novel version. The differences are subtle, but profound. For example, the geographic novel does not have any swearing. The graphic novel is also hilarious to our 8 year old. She enjoys that version very much, while the book and audio book are less enjoyable to her.

So, in conclusion, I would highly recommend the graphic novel of this story.]]> 4.07 2012 Spy School (Spy School, #1)
author: Stuart Gibbs
name: Joe
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/08
date added: 2023/11/08
shelves:
review:
Stuart Gibbs has a great sense of humor in these books. Just like his "Once Upon A Tim" series, he takes accepted tropes of the genre and turns them on their head. I enjoyed listening to this audio book. The reader does a great job. I cannot give it 5 stars though because this book contains swear words in it. It's relatively mild swearing (d, a, and h words), but it is swearing nonetheless. And it's the kids doing the swearing sometimes.

Our family consumed a variety of types of media, so we've actually discovered that the book and audio book are actually quite different from the graphic novel version. The differences are subtle, but profound. For example, the geographic novel does not have any swearing. The graphic novel is also hilarious to our 8 year old. She enjoys that version very much, while the book and audio book are less enjoyable to her.

So, in conclusion, I would highly recommend the graphic novel of this story.
]]> <![CDATA[Yumi and the Nightmare Painter]]> 60531416 #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings us a gripping story set in the Cosmere universe told by Hoid, where two people from incredibly different worlds must compromise and work together to save their worlds from ruin.

Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster?]]> 480 Brandon Sanderson 1938570375 Joe 5
This is a fish out of water story, where a boy and a girl from very different lives and cultures swap bodies (and worlds) on a daily basis. And whoever body is the host, they hang around as sorry if a ghost and talk to the person in their body. This way, they can help the stranger navigate their respective worlds. The host is present as kind of a ghost. It's a fascinating premise and Sanderson takes it in a direction I could not guess ahead of time.

I will give a small warning to anyone who may need it. When they are in the girl's world, she must do ritual bathing every morning. For reasons explained in the book, they both end up bathing at the same time. So, they spend a lot of time naked together. Having said that, Sanderson handles the situation very tastefully, in my opinion. It is written in such a way that it is not sexual, but the characters do deal with those feelings in the situation. And eventually, that time becomes more of an emotional bonding time than a sexually lusting time. And instead of distracting from the story with erotic descriptions, the situation becomes a powerful time for these two characters to develop.

I really enjoyed this story, and the illustrations are gorgeous! As much fun as the audio books can be, this is one worth reading in book form or even ebook form so you can enjoy Aliya Chen's fabulous work! I feel they really added to an already great story!]]> 4.45 2023 Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Joe
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/31
date added: 2023/10/31
shelves:
review:
This was a great story! Brandon Sanderson had always tried to make his pride invisible to the reader. However, he's taken more liberty with these secret projects. This is another book written in Hoid's voice, and it really works with this story. Hoid is able to explain things as the narrator that would be awkward or tediously long if other characters were to explain.

This is a fish out of water story, where a boy and a girl from very different lives and cultures swap bodies (and worlds) on a daily basis. And whoever body is the host, they hang around as sorry if a ghost and talk to the person in their body. This way, they can help the stranger navigate their respective worlds. The host is present as kind of a ghost. It's a fascinating premise and Sanderson takes it in a direction I could not guess ahead of time.

I will give a small warning to anyone who may need it. When they are in the girl's world, she must do ritual bathing every morning. For reasons explained in the book, they both end up bathing at the same time. So, they spend a lot of time naked together. Having said that, Sanderson handles the situation very tastefully, in my opinion. It is written in such a way that it is not sexual, but the characters do deal with those feelings in the situation. And eventually, that time becomes more of an emotional bonding time than a sexually lusting time. And instead of distracting from the story with erotic descriptions, the situation becomes a powerful time for these two characters to develop.

I really enjoyed this story, and the illustrations are gorgeous! As much fun as the audio books can be, this is one worth reading in book form or even ebook form so you can enjoy Aliya Chen's fabulous work! I feel they really added to an already great story!
]]> <![CDATA[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]> 36402034 258 Philip K. Dick Joe 5 4.16 1968 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Joe
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1968
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/25
date added: 2023/10/25
shelves:
review:
This shirt story is a classic for a reason. A fascinating look at androids and humans. I found the plot very interesting. This is definitely a character driven story. The action is handled very quickly, and there is much more time spent on the struggle about what it means to be human. I was also surprised by the religious commentary in this story. It's not necessarily Christian religion, but religion in general. It is only the humans who participate in the religion of this world, and androids try to discredit and destroy the religion. Part of Deckard's journey as a character involves his experiences with and final acceptance of the cultural religion of the humans. A fascinating story, definitely worth a reread!
]]> Unbirthday 50358479 What if Wonderland was in peril and Alice was very, very late?

Alice is different than other eighteen-year-old ladies in Kexford, which is perfectly fine with her. She’d rather spend golden afternoons with her trusty camera or in her aunt Vivian’s lively salon, ignoring her sister’s wishes that she stop all that “nonsense� and become a “respectable� member of society. Alice is happy to meander to Miss. Yao’s teashop or to visit the children playing in the Square. She’s also interested in learning more about the young lawyer she met there, but just because she’s curious, of course, not because he was sweet and charming.

But when Alice develops photographs she has recently taken about town, familiar faces of old suddenly appear in the place of her actual subjects—the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar. There’s something eerily off about them, even for Wonderland creatures. And as Alice develops a self-portrait, she finds the most disturbing image of all—a badly-injured dark-haired girl asking for Alice’s help. Mary Ann.
Returning to the place of nonsense from her childhood, Alice finds herself on a mission to stop the Queen of Hearts� tyrannical rule and to find her place in both worlds. But will she able to do so . . . before the End of Time?]]> 512 Liz Braswell 1484781317 Joe 5
All of this is to explain that, while most other trips to Wonderland seem to focus on nonsense, this one has come the closest I've seen to capturing the spirit of Lewis Carroll's originals. Braswell definitely has nonsense in Wonderland, but it's nonsense with rules. And she keeps those rules throughout. I enjoyed the intrigue in two worlds as well. Braswell does step into the territory of clever reinterpretations, but she does it for a narratively significant reason. And she pulls it off beautifully!

I do need to warn future readers that this book does talk a lot about blood and the Queen of Hearts' bloody reign. It's not gratuitous, but I want a fan. Other than that, it was a delightful story that builds on the version of Alice as told by Disney, but with a real taste of Carroll in there! I thoroughly enjoyed it!]]> 3.66 2020 Unbirthday
author: Liz Braswell
name: Joe
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/10/20
shelves:
review:
I am a huge Alice fan! And I've consumed a lot of fun and books taking on Wonderland. Most incarnations are satisfied with clever references to the original or take the story for a dark, drug-filled turn. Some dare to approach Carroll's word plays. However, these attempts on the words and the characters all tend to emphasize the silly nonsense of Wonderland. Granted, Wonderland is full of nonsense, but Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) was a math and logic professor. And the Wonderland books are filled with logic puzzles, puns, and things do make sense, from a certain perspective. Even his silly words had a system to their creation. (Unlike Dr. Suess who made up words based on how they sounded and how they fit the rhythm he needed.)

All of this is to explain that, while most other trips to Wonderland seem to focus on nonsense, this one has come the closest I've seen to capturing the spirit of Lewis Carroll's originals. Braswell definitely has nonsense in Wonderland, but it's nonsense with rules. And she keeps those rules throughout. I enjoyed the intrigue in two worlds as well. Braswell does step into the territory of clever reinterpretations, but she does it for a narratively significant reason. And she pulls it off beautifully!

I do need to warn future readers that this book does talk a lot about blood and the Queen of Hearts' bloody reign. It's not gratuitous, but I want a fan. Other than that, it was a delightful story that builds on the version of Alice as told by Disney, but with a real taste of Carroll in there! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
]]> <![CDATA[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)]]> 236093 Come along, Toto, she said. We will go to the Emerald City and ask the Great Oz how to get back to Kansas again.

Swept away from her home in Kansas by a tornado, Dorothy and her dog Toto find themselves stranded in the fantastical Land of Oz. As instructed by the Good Witch of the North and the Munchkins, Dorothy sets off on the yellow brick road to try and find her way to the Emerald City and the Wizard of Oz, who can help her get home. With her companions the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy experiences an adventure full of friendship, magic and danger. A much-loved children's classic, The Wizard of Oz continues to delight readers young and old with its enchanting tale of witches, flying monkeys and silver shoes.

]]> 154 L. Frank Baum 0140621679 Joe 0 to-read 4.00 1900 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)
author: L. Frank Baum
name: Joe
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1900
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Machinehood 54304067 A science fiction thriller about artificial intelligence, sentience, and labor rights in a near future dominated by the gig economy.

Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex-special forces, is about to retire early when her client is killed in front of her. It’s 2095 and people don’t usually die from violence. Humanity is entirely dependent on pills that not only help them stay alive, but allow them to compete with artificial intelligence in an increasingly competitive gig economy. Daily doses protect against designer diseases, flow enhances focus, zips and buffs enhance physical strength and speed, and juvers speed the healing process.

All that changes when Welga’s client is killed by The Machinehood, a new and mysterious terrorist group that has simultaneously attacked several major pill funders. The Machinehood operatives seem to be part human, part machine, something the world has never seen. They issue an ultimatum: stop all pill production in one week.

Global panic ensues as pill production slows and many become ill. Thousands destroy their bots in fear of a strong AI takeover. But the US government believes the Machinehood is a cover for an old enemy. One that Welga is uniquely qualified to fight.

Welga, determined to take down the Machinehood, is pulled back into intelligence work by the government that betrayed her. But who are the Machinehood and what do they really want?

A thought-provoking novel that asks: if we won’t see machines as human, will we instead see humans as machines?]]> 404 S.B. Divya 1982148063 Joe 0 to-finish-later 3.57 2021 Machinehood
author: S.B. Divya
name: Joe
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/21
shelves: to-finish-later
review:

]]> Project Hail Mary 54493401
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?]]> 476 Andy Weir 0593135202 Joe 5
This is not a linear story--there are flashbacks throughout to help explain how Grace got to where he is at in the beginning. As a heads up, the parts in space are really heavy on the science and problem solving. It's not an action packed story, though it does keep you in suspense pretty well. The flashbacks have a little more action to them, and there's more intrigue in those parts. What I'm saying is that this is a cerebral story that focuses on thinking through problems more than action adventure. I really enjoyed this book, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea. If it is, though, I think you will really enjoy it!]]> 4.49 2021 Project Hail Mary
author: Andy Weir
name: Joe
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/21
date added: 2023/09/21
shelves:
review:
This was a fun story! I lived how Weir uses such solid science for the majority of the story, and the science he makes up is generally plausible. I felt like this was a really fun science class-physics, astronomy, chemistry, and all in one class with an instructor who doesn't have all the answers and you all get to learn together. I was curious how the story would end, and I thought the ending was brilliant!

This is not a linear story--there are flashbacks throughout to help explain how Grace got to where he is at in the beginning. As a heads up, the parts in space are really heavy on the science and problem solving. It's not an action packed story, though it does keep you in suspense pretty well. The flashbacks have a little more action to them, and there's more intrigue in those parts. What I'm saying is that this is a cerebral story that focuses on thinking through problems more than action adventure. I really enjoyed this book, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea. If it is, though, I think you will really enjoy it!
]]> <![CDATA[Fragments (Partials Sequence, #2)]]> 13170596 Partials, which Pittacus Lore called a "thrilling sci-fi adrenaline rush, with one of the most compelling and frightening visions of Earth's future I've seen yet."

After discovering the cure for RM, Kira Walker sets off on a terrifying journey into the ruins of postapocalyptic America and the darkest desires of her heart in order to uncover the means—and a reason—for humanity's survival.

Dan Wells extends his richly imagined, gritty world and introduces new memorable characters in this second installment in the Partials Sequence.]]> 576 Dan Wells 0062071076 Joe 5 4.10 2013 Fragments (Partials Sequence, #2)
author: Dan Wells
name: Joe
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/06
date added: 2023/09/06
shelves:
review:
This was a unique series for me. I felt that it actually got better as it went along. The first book was alright, but as the adventure continued and the characters had to face impossible situations, they struggled with some real issues that had no easy answer, and I admire Wells for tackling those issues. I felt like the ending was also very satisfying. It ended optimistically, but not overly so. Once again, there were no easy answers and the obstacles still ahead were acknowledged. Great trilogy to give you something to think about.
]]> Flowers for Algernon 171687644 Librarian's Note: It is a pre-ISBN book

Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.
Ìý
Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence-a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.

As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?]]> 274 Daniel Keyes Joe 0 to-read 4.33 1966 Flowers for Algernon
author: Daniel Keyes
name: Joe
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1966
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Heart Sutra 121961058 Heart Sutra explores the complex relations between humans and gods, between the secular and the divine, and between genders. The youngest Daoist monk and the youngest Buddhist nun fall in love. But as their faith is tested, will they stay committed to the path of a holy life? The choices they make are confronting, because nothing less than the fate of the gods is at stake.
Illustrated with beautiful woodcuts, animated by an incisive sense of humour, and inhabited by an unforgettable cast of mortals and deities, Heart Sutra is a stunning addition to Yan Lianke’s oeuvre, which highlights the best and worst in humankind.
Yan Lianke is the author of the memoir Three Brothers and numerous novels and novellas, including Hard Like Water , The Day the Sun Died , The Explosion Chronicles , The Four Books , Lenin’s Kisses , Serve the People! , Dream of Ding Village , and The Years, Months, Days . He was awarded the Newman Prize for Chinese Literature and the Franz Kafka Prize, among many accolades. He was twice a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize, and he has been shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, the Man Asian Literary Prize, and the Prix Femina Étranger. He has also received two of China’s most prestigious literary honors, the Lu Xun Prize and the Lao She Award.
Carlos Rojas has translated seven books by Yan Lianke.
‘One of those rare geniuses who finds in the peculiar absurdities of his own culture the absurdities that infect all cultures.� Washington Post
‘Yan Lianke speaks to the agitation and absurdity of human existence, and the unquenchable need to believe in a cause greater than ourselves.� Jessie Au, author of Cold Enough for Snow]]> 416 Yan Lianke 1922791369 Joe 0 to-read 3.00 2020 Heart Sutra
author: Yan Lianke
name: Joe
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories]]> 24885533
With his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu now shares his finest short fiction in The Paper Menagerie. This mesmerizing collection features all of Ken’s award-winning and award-finalist stories, including: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary� (Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards), “Mono No Aware� (Hugo Award winner), “The Waves� (Nebula Award finalist), “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species� (Nebula and Sturgeon award finalists), “All the Flavors� (Nebula award finalist), “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King� (Nebula Award finalist), and the most awarded story in the genre’s history, “The Paper Menagerie� (The only story to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards).

A must-have for every science fiction and fantasy fan, this beautiful book is an anthology to savor.]]> 450 Ken Liu 1481442546 Joe 0 to-read 4.36 2016 The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
author: Ken Liu
name: Joe
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1)]]> 18952341 640 Ken Liu 1481424270 Joe 0 to-read 3.77 2015 The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty, #1)
author: Ken Liu
name: Joe
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)]]> 944073
Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

]]> 515 Joe Abercrombie 0575079797 Joe 0 to-read 4.21 2006 The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Joe
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[2001: A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1)]]> 70535
So great are the implications of this discovery that for the first time men are sent out deep into our solar system.

But long before their destination is reached, things begin to go horribly, inexplicably wrong...

One of the greatest-selling science fiction novels of our time, this classic book will grip you to the very end.]]> 297 Arthur C. Clarke Joe 0 to-read 4.17 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1)
author: Arthur C. Clarke
name: Joe
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1968
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)]]> 77566 500 Dan Simmons 0553283685 Joe 0 to-read 4.26 1989 Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)
author: Dan Simmons
name: Joe
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Childhood’s End 414999
But at what cost? With the advent of peace, man ceases to strive for creative greatness, and a malaise settles over the human race. To those who resist, it becomes evident that the Overlords have an agenda of their own. As civilization approaches the crossroads, will the Overlords spell the end for humankind . . . or the beginning?]]> 224 Arthur C. Clarke Joe 0 to-read 4.12 1953 Childhood’s End
author: Arthur C. Clarke
name: Joe
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1953
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dune (Dune, #1) 44767458
When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.]]> 658 Frank Herbert 059309932X Joe 0 to-read 4.33 1965 Dune (Dune, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Joe
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Partials (Partials Sequence, #1)]]> 12476820
Playing on our curiosity of and fascination with the complete collapse of civilization, Partials is, at its heart, a story of survival, one that explores the individual narratives and complex relationships of those left behind, both humans and Partials alike—and of the way in which the concept of what is right and wrong in this world is greatly dependent on one's own point of view.]]> 468 Dan Wells 0062071041 Joe 4 3.93 2012 Partials (Partials Sequence, #1)
author: Dan Wells
name: Joe
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/07/03
shelves:
review:
This was a fun book. It has a fascinating premise, and I'm starting the next book in the series to see where it goes. I was able to predict quite a bit, but it is a YA novel and I'm an adult. So that is too be expected. Plus, being predictable did not ruin the fun. I'm not real familiar with New York City, but if you are, I'm sure you will enjoy envisioning all the places they go in this post apocalyptic setting.
]]> House of Leaves 24800
Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story—of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.]]> 710 Mark Z. Danielewski Joe 0 currently-reading 4.11 2000 House of Leaves
author: Mark Z. Danielewski
name: Joe
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)]]> 186074
The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.

A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.]]> 662 Patrick Rothfuss 075640407X Joe 5
The pacing is slow, as this is much more of a character based narrative than plot based. That said, it's not like nothing happens. There are plenty of adventures, tragedies, triumphs, and mishaps. However, I feel like it lacks a clearly built up to climactic confrontation between the opposing forces of the story, much like you might find in other fantasy novels. Nevertheless, it still has the feeling of completion at the end. Loose ends are not tired up, and you finish with more questions than answers, but the emotional arc of the story has come to a satisfying break in the narrative. And that's how this book is. It accomplishes everything a story needs to accomplish, but it does so subtly and usually in undramatic terms. Can't wait to read the sequel!]]> 4.52 2007 The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Joe
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/09
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves:
review:
This was a fascinating structure for a story. It jumps back and forth in time as the main character retells his adventures, so the narrator of the majority of the story is the main character. And he frequently alludes or flat out tells you what will happen in the story, and yet, Rothfuss is able to maintain enough suspense and mystery to still surprise you. And even when you know something is coming, it is still very satisfying to see how things unfold to get to that point.

The pacing is slow, as this is much more of a character based narrative than plot based. That said, it's not like nothing happens. There are plenty of adventures, tragedies, triumphs, and mishaps. However, I feel like it lacks a clearly built up to climactic confrontation between the opposing forces of the story, much like you might find in other fantasy novels. Nevertheless, it still has the feeling of completion at the end. Loose ends are not tired up, and you finish with more questions than answers, but the emotional arc of the story has come to a satisfying break in the narrative. And that's how this book is. It accomplishes everything a story needs to accomplish, but it does so subtly and usually in undramatic terms. Can't wait to read the sequel!
]]> Tress of the Emerald Sea 60531406 #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?]]> 443 Brandon Sanderson Joe 5
Delightful story, unique world, and fantastic characters. It also creates a lot more questions about the Cosmere in general. It was fun to spot the Cosmere Easter eggs throughout, and I now have lots more questions about how things work. But, highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and especially fans of Brandon Sanderson.]]> 4.35 2023 Tress of the Emerald Sea
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Joe
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/31
shelves:
review:
A wonderful story! This was unique for a Sanderson book because it was narrated by Hoid and therefore has a very distinct and very present voice. Hoid makes comments and talks to the reader directly frequently. It was a delight to see this side of Sanderson's writing. And I feel like Sanderson, through Hoid, makes several profound statements about stories and human nature. I'm fact, I now have a couple new quotes to add to my collection.

Delightful story, unique world, and fantastic characters. It also creates a lot more questions about the Cosmere in general. It was fun to spot the Cosmere Easter eggs throughout, and I now have lots more questions about how things work. But, highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and especially fans of Brandon Sanderson.
]]> The Glass Hotel 45754981 From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, an exhilarating novel set at the glittering intersection of two seemingly disparate events–a massive Ponzi scheme collapse and the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a ship at sea.

Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star lodging on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. On the night she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, a hooded figure scrawls a message on the lobby’s glass wall: Why don’t you swallow broken glass. High above Manhattan, a greater crime is committed: Alkaitis is running an international Ponzi scheme, moving imaginary sums of money through clients� accounts. When the financial empire collapses, it obliterates countless fortunes and devastates lives. Vincent, who had been posing as Jonathan’s wife, walks away into the night. Years later, a victim of the fraud is hired to investigate a strange occurrence: a woman has seemingly vanished from the deck of a container ship between ports of call.

In this captivating story of crisis and survival, Emily St. John Mandel takes readers through often hidden landscapes: campgrounds for the near-homeless, underground electronica clubs, the business of international shipping, service in luxury hotels, and life in a federal prison. Rife with unexpected beauty, The Glass Hotel is a captivating portrait of greed and guilt, love and delusion, ghosts and unintended consequences, and the infinite ways we search for meaning in our lives.]]> 307 Emily St. John Mandel 0525521143 Joe 5

Telling a nonlinear narrative is all about what information you give the reader when. Give them enough they are not confused, and they can make connections as the story goes, but not so much that it becomes predicable or the ending is apparent too early. Mandel is a master of this kind of storytelling. It's an interesting cast of characters, and there is a fun connection to Station Eleven-- Miranda shows up here too. It's more than a cameo. She ends up as a fairly significant side character in this story. If you are a fan of Emily St. John Mandel's stories, this is definitely a must read.]]> 3.66 2020 The Glass Hotel
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Joe
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/31
shelves:
review:
This was not quite what I was expecting. It started off looking like one kind of story, then shifted to a completely different one, and ends as a third kind altogether. And it all works! At least for me it did. I would recommend reading the visual version (physical or digital book), though. The structure of this book is different from her previous books, and the chapters are divided into numbers chunks. I listened to it on audio book, and eventually checked out the ebook to see what the pages looked like so I knew what was going on. Things made more sense then, but I think I have missed some things. I plan to reread this story in it's visual form later.


Telling a nonlinear narrative is all about what information you give the reader when. Give them enough they are not confused, and they can make connections as the story goes, but not so much that it becomes predicable or the ending is apparent too early. Mandel is a master of this kind of storytelling. It's an interesting cast of characters, and there is a fun connection to Station Eleven-- Miranda shows up here too. It's more than a cameo. She ends up as a fairly significant side character in this story. If you are a fan of Emily St. John Mandel's stories, this is definitely a must read.
]]> Sea of Tranquility 58446227 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time travel, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.

One of the Best Books of the Year: The New York Times, NPR, GoodReads

"One of [Mandel's] finest novels and one of her most satisfying forays into the arena of speculative fiction yet." --The New York Times

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core.

Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

A virtuoso performance that is as human and tender as it is intellectually playful, Sea of Tranquility is a novel of time travel and metaphysics that precisely captures the reality of our current moment.]]> 259 Emily St. John Mandel 0593321448 Joe 5 favorites 4.04 2022 Sea of Tranquility
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Joe
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/31
shelves: favorites
review:
This was a delightful book! While you don't necessarily have to read Glass Hotel first, it does make this book a ticket experience if you do. I thought it was a fun twist on the old trope of time travel. And time travel is an interesting mechanic to use to justify a nonlinear narrative. Once again, Mandel does an excellent job here!
]]> <![CDATA[Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries, #6)]]> 53205854 No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

Again!]]> 168 Martha Wells 1250765374 Joe 3
I feel like Network Effect was a unique entry into this series, and it showed the potential of this world much better than any other story in this series. It is my favorite entry, and so I was disappointed when this story added nothing to Network Effect. But in it's own, is a good story with Murderbot fun.]]> 4.25 2021 Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries, #6)
author: Martha Wells
name: Joe
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/05/10
shelves:
review:
So, I didn't realize this book comes before Network Effect in reading order. It ended up making little difference in the end. This book goes back to the time just after Exit Strategy when GreyCris is still a major concern. I'm not sure why Wells did that. I didn't feel like that time period had left anything that needed to be explored deeper, and this book doesn't add anything to Network Effect. It was fun to follow Murderbot again, and the mystery is well played. It's a good story in and if itself. I guess I was hoping to know more about what happens after Network Effect, and that curiosity may have colored the way I read this one.

I feel like Network Effect was a unique entry into this series, and it showed the potential of this world much better than any other story in this series. It is my favorite entry, and so I was disappointed when this story added nothing to Network Effect. But in it's own, is a good story with Murderbot fun.
]]> Lord Brocktree (Redwall, #13) 99085 370 Brian Jacques 0142501107 Joe 0 to-read 3.99 2000 Lord Brocktree (Redwall, #13)
author: Brian Jacques
name: Joe
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries, #4.5)]]> 57623348 Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory was originally given free to readers who pre-ordered Martha’s Murderbot novel, Network Effect, the fifth entry in the series. The events occur just after the fourth novella, Exit Strategy.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 19 Martha Wells 125083886X Joe 3 4.03 2020 Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries, #4.5)
author: Martha Wells
name: Joe
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/04/27
shelves:
review:
This shirt sorry it's told from the perspective of Dr. Mensah, so it lacks the wit and personally of Murderbot. But it does give us a little deeper look at this character and how she's doing after the events of Exit Strategy.
]]> The Lola Quartet 12856198
Besides, Eilo has shown him a photo of a ten-year-old girl who could be homeless and in trouble. The little girl looks strikingly like Gavin and has the same last name as his high school girlfriend, Anna, from a decade ago. Gavin, obsessed with film noir and private detectives and otherwise at loose ends, begins his own private investigation in an effort to track down Anna and their apparent daughter—an investigation that soon takes a surprisingly dangerous turn.]]> 279 Emily St. John Mandel 1609530799 Joe 3
This book also felt much slower, and at times it was frustrating. It's about a group of high school friends who make poor life decisions one after another, and their decisions affect each other, but everyone refuses to talk to each other and so things spiral downward to tragedy. When things could have gone so much better had people just talked, which I know would have ruined the story. But there were times it felt like information was being withheld simply to prolong the story. I had events figured out long before the characters did.

Mandel is a great writer. Her characters were believable and her style enjoyable to read, nevertheless, I found myself wanting to stop reading several times. I never did, though. Like a car crash on the freeway, I couldn't help but rubber neck my way by it. I had to see how it ended. I'm glad I'm done now. This book was not for me.]]> 3.50 2012 The Lola Quartet
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Joe
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/20
date added: 2023/04/20
shelves:
review:
This was an interesting book. It was the third book by Mandel that I've red, and it was very different from the other two ("Station 11" and "Last Night in Montreal"). For starters, is not as nonlinear as the others. There is some bouncing back and forth, but not like the other books.

This book also felt much slower, and at times it was frustrating. It's about a group of high school friends who make poor life decisions one after another, and their decisions affect each other, but everyone refuses to talk to each other and so things spiral downward to tragedy. When things could have gone so much better had people just talked, which I know would have ruined the story. But there were times it felt like information was being withheld simply to prolong the story. I had events figured out long before the characters did.

Mandel is a great writer. Her characters were believable and her style enjoyable to read, nevertheless, I found myself wanting to stop reading several times. I never did, though. Like a car crash on the freeway, I couldn't help but rubber neck my way by it. I had to see how it ended. I'm glad I'm done now. This book was not for me.
]]> Last Night in Montreal 40605629
Last Night in Montreal is a story of love, amnesia, compulsive travel, the depths and the limits of family bonds, and the nature of obsession. In this extraordinary debut, Emily St. John Mandel casts a powerful spell that captures the reader in a gritty, youthful world charged with an atmosphere of mystery, promise and foreboding where small revelations continuously change our understanding of the truth and lead to desperate consequences. Mandel's characters will resonate with you long after the final page is turned.]]> 230 Emily St. John Mandel 1936071452 Joe 4 3.77 2009 Last Night in Montreal
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Joe
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/12
date added: 2023/04/12
shelves:
review:
An excellent character driven story. Mandel is really skilled at using the nonlinear narrative. This story in the end is about the importance of really experiencing life. I enjoyed it. Content warning: there is swearing in this book.
]]> After Alice 24331115 Wicked comes a magical new twist on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Lewis's Carroll's beloved classic

When Alice toppled down the rabbit-hole 150 years ago, she found a Wonderland as rife with inconsistent rules and abrasive egos as the world she left behind. But what of that world? How did 1860s Oxford react to Alice's disappearance?

In this brilliant new work of fiction, Gregory Maguire turns his dazzling imagination to the question of underworlds, undergrounds, underpinnings � and understandings old and new, offering an inventive spin on Carroll's enduring tale. Ada, a friend of Alice's mentioned briefly in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is off to visit her friend, but arrives a moment too late � and tumbles down the rabbit hole herself.

Ada brings to Wonderland her own imperfect apprehension of cause and effect as she embarks on an odyssey to find Alice and see her safely home from this surreal world below the world. If Euridyce can ever be returned to the arms of Orpheus, or Lazarus can be raised from the tomb, perhaps Alice can be returned to life. Either way, everything that happens next is After Alice.]]> 273 Gregory Maguire 0060548959 Joe 0 to-read 2.79 2015 After Alice
author: Gregory Maguire
name: Joe
average rating: 2.79
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cytonic (Skyward, #3) 57571215
Now, the Superiority—the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life—has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa has seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.

Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy.

The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.

To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.]]> 415 Brandon Sanderson 0399555854 Joe 5 4.03 2021 Cytonic (Skyward, #3)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Joe
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/15
date added: 2023/03/15
shelves:
review:
Brandon is really good at expanding his universe in logical incremental ways with each book. He's also good at leaving you on the hook, dying that you can't just move on to the next book. This was a well crafted concrete exploration of abstract concepts. And each character continues to grow. It was a pleasure reading!
]]> Theory of Colours (Mit Press) 18225
Of his own theory, Goethe was supremely confident: "From the philosopher, we believe we merit thanks for having traced the phenomena of colours to their first sources, to the circumstances under which they appear and are, and beyond which no further explanation respecting them is possible."

Goethe's scientific conclusions have, of course, long since been thoroughly demolished, but the intelligent reader of today may enjoy this work on quite different grounds: for the beauty and sweep of his conjectures regarding the connection between color and philosophical ideas; for an insight into early nineteenth-century beliefs and modes of thought; and for the flavor of life in Europe just after the American and French Revolutions.

The work may also be read as an accurate guide to the study of color phenomena. Goethe's conclusions have been repudiated, but no one quarrels with his reporting of the facts to be observed. With simple objects -- vessels, prisms, lenses, and the like -- the reader will be led through a demonstration course not only in subjectively produced colors, but also in the observable physical phenomena of color. By closely following Goethe's explanations of the color phenomena, the reader may become so divorced from the wavelength theory -- Goethe never even mentions it -- that he may begin to think about color theory relatively unhampered by prejudice, ancient or modern.]]> 423 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 0262570211 Joe 0 to-read 4.07 1810 Theory of Colours (Mit Press)
author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
name: Joe
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1810
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/11
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]]> The Sorrows of Young Werther 16640 149 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 0812969901 Joe 0 to-read 3.71 1774 The Sorrows of Young Werther
author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
name: Joe
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1774
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/11
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]]> Faust, First Part 14706
This authoritative edition, which offers Peter Salm’s wonderfully readable translation as well as the original German on facing pages, brings us Faust in a vital, rhythmic American idiom that carefully preserves the grandeur, integrity, and poetic immediacy of Goethe’s words.]]> 327 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 0553213482 Joe 0 to-read 3.87 1808 Faust, First Part
author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
name: Joe
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1808
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/11
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)]]> 29588376 ASIN B000JMKNJ2 moved to the more recent edition

An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.]]> 752 Scott Lynch Joe 0 to-read 4.32 2006 The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)
author: Scott Lynch
name: Joe
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/11
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]]> <![CDATA[On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft]]> 10569 (back cover)]]> 320 Stephen King 0743455967 Joe 4 4.33 2000 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
author: Stephen King
name: Joe
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/03/11
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review:
Great book! Wonderful to hear a master explain his craft! Also interesting to hear about his accident and his perspective on that. He is very candid, and he does swear quite a bit. But great insights for writers of all levels.
]]> The Lost Metal (Mistborn, #7) 23947089 Return to #1 New York Times bestseller Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn world of Scadrial as its second era, which began with The Alloy of Law, comes to its earth-shattering conclusion in The Lost Metal.

For years, frontier lawman turned big-city senator Waxillium Ladrian has hunted the shadowy organization the Set—with his late uncle and his sister among their leaders—since they started kidnapping people with the power of Allomancy in their bloodlines. When Detective Marasi Colms and her partner, Wayne, find stockpiled weapons bound for the Outer City of Bilming, this opens a new lead. Conflict between the capital, Elendel, and the Outer Cities only favors the Set, and their tendrils now reach to the Elendel Senate—whose corruption Wax and his wife, Steris, have sought to expose—and Bilming is even more entangled.

After Wax discovers a new type of explosive that can unleash unprecedented destruction and realizes that the Set must already have it, an immortal kandra serving Scadrial's god, Harmony, reveals that Bilming has fallen under the influence of another god: Trell, worshipped by the Set. And Trell isn't the only factor at play from the larger Cosmere—Marasi is recruited by offworlders with strange abilities who claim their goal is to protect Scadrial . . . at any cost.

Wax must choose whether to set aside his rocky relationship with God and once again become the Sword that Harmony has groomed him to be. If no one steps forward to be the hero Scadrial needs, the planet and its millions of people will come to a sudden and calamitous ruin.]]> 507 Brandon Sanderson 0765391198 Joe 5 4.46 2022 The Lost Metal (Mistborn, #7)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Joe
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/03/11
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review:
Very fun to see Brandon opening up the Cosmere more and giving us a different look at things. Excited to see how the next era goes.
]]> American Gods 30165203
Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...]]> 635 Neil Gaiman Joe 0 to-read 4.11 2001 American Gods
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Joe
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2001
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/11
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]]> S. 17860739 One book. Two readers. A world of mystery, menace, and desire.

A young woman picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a reader entranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger, and so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown.

THE BOOK: Ship of Theseus, the final novel by a prolific but enigmatic writer named V. M. Straka, in which a man with no past is shanghaied onto a strange ship with a monstrous crew and launched onto a disorienting and perilous journey.

THE WRITER: Straka, the incendiary and secretive subject of one of the world’s greatest mysteries, a revolutionary about whom the world knows nothing apart from the words he wrote and the rumours that swirl around him.

THE READERS: Jennifer and Eric, a college senior and a disgraced grad student, both facing crucial decisions about who they are, who they might become, and how much they’re willing to trust another person with their passions, hurts, and fears.

S. , conceived by filmmaker J. J. Abrams and written by award-winning novelist Doug Dorst, is the chronicle of two readers finding each other in the margins of a book and enmeshing themselves in a deadly struggle between forces they don’t understand. It is also Abrams and Dorst’s love letter to the written word.
]]> 469 J.J. Abrams 0316201642 Joe 0 to-read 3.86 2013 S.
author: J.J. Abrams
name: Joe
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Amari and the Great Game (Supernatural Investigations, #2)]]> 53023305 Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this magical second book in the New York Times and Indie bestselling Supernatural Investigations trilogy—perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.

After finding her brother and saving the entire supernatural world, Amari Peters is convinced her first full summer as a Junior Agent will be a breeze.

But between the fearsome new Head Minister’s strict anti-magician agenda, fierce Junior Agent rivalries, and her brother Quinton’s curse steadily worsening, Amari’s plate is full. So when the secretive League of Magicians offers her a chance to stand up for magiciankind as its new leader, she declines. She’s got enough to worry about!

But her refusal allows someone else to step forward, a magician with dangerous plans for the League. This challenge sparks the start of the Great Game, a competition to decide who will become the Night Brothers� successor and determine the future of magiciankind.

The Great Game is both mysterious and deadly, but among the winner’s magical rewards is Quinton’s last hope—so how can Amari refuse?]]> 400 B.B. Alston Joe 5 4.30 2022 Amari and the Great Game (Supernatural Investigations, #2)
author: B.B. Alston
name: Joe
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/24
date added: 2023/02/24
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Wow! I really liked the first book, but I like this one even more. Alston created a wonderful world in the first book, and then he booted the top off of it in this book. It does have a bit of a cliff hanger ending, though, so if that will bother you, wait for the third book to come out before starting this one. The second book in a trilogy is perhaps the most difficult position of a trilogy. But The Great Game is on the list with the likes of The Empire Strikes Back as an example of how to do it right! I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one in this series!
]]> <![CDATA[To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson]]> 8971659 To the Rescue is the much-anticipated official biography of President Thomas S. Monson. Beginning with President Monson's family heritage and his early years in Salt Lake City, it included his vocational preparation and his career in the world of journalism. More important, this inspiring book recounts his lifetime of Church service. Called as a bishop at the age of twenty-two, as a mission president at thirty-one, and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at age thirty-six, he has traveled the globe to minister to the Saints for more than fifty years. This book shares many of his personal experience, from his visits behind the Iron Curtain to his contributions on the Scriptures Publication Committee and in the missionary and welfare areas; it also provides up-to-the-minute information about his work as Church President.

Filled with wonderful photographs and little-known accounts, this biography is a portrait of a leader who ministers both to the one and to the many, and who is completely dedicated to doing whatever the Lord prompts him to do.]]> 588 Heidi S. Swinton 160641898X Joe 0 currently-reading 4.45 2010 To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson
author: Heidi S. Swinton
name: Joe
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/24
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> The Articles of Faith 19015453 The lectures herewith presented have been prepared in accordance with the request and appointment of the First Presidency of the Church. The greater number of the addresses were delivered before the Theology Class of the Church University; and, after the close of the class sessions, the lectures were continued before other Church organizations engaged in the study of theology. To meet the desire expressed by the Church authorities,—that the lectures be published for use in the various educational institutions of the Church,—the matter has been revised, and is now presented in this form.

In anticipation of probable question or criticism regarding the disparity of length of the several lectures, it may be stated that each of the addresses occupied two or more class sessions, and that the present arrangement of the matter in separate lectures is rather one of compilation than of original presentation.

The author's thanks are due and are heartily rendered to the members of the committee appointed by the First Presidency, whose painstaking and efficient examination of the manuscript prior to the delivery of the lectures, has inspired some approach to confidence in the prospective value of the book among members of the Church. The committee here referred to consisted of Elders Francis M. Lyman, Abraham H. Cannon, and Anthon H. Lund, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder George Reynolds,[iv] one of the Presidents of the Presiding Quorum of Seventy; Elder John Nicholson, and Dr. Karl G. Maeser.

The lectures are now published by the Church, and with them goes the hope of the author that they may prove of some service to the many students of the scriptures among our people, and to other earnest inquirers into the doctrines and practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.]]> 339 James E. Talmage Joe 0 to-finish-later 4.61 1899 The Articles of Faith
author: James E. Talmage
name: Joe
average rating: 4.61
book published: 1899
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/18
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]]> Starsight (Skyward, #2) 42769202
Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.]]> 461 Brandon Sanderson 1473217903 Joe 5
As usual, this is a great roller coaster ride. And the story is filled with suspense in that Spensa becomes a spy without any training. It's also great to get a taste of the wider universe she lives in. Getting away from Detritus, and even away from M-bot for large chunks of the book, allows us to get to know Spensa better and she gets to learn some good lessons too about war, about who her enemy is, about judging people, and about herself.

A fantastic follow-up to the first book. And I'm grateful I don't have to wait for the next book to be published!]]> 4.33 2019 Starsight (Skyward, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Joe
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/29
date added: 2023/01/29
shelves:
review:
First of all, Brandon is cruel. It's not so bad now because Cytonic has been published and we can jump right into it. However, prior to publish, Brandon was cruel to leave us all on such a cliff hanging of an ending.

As usual, this is a great roller coaster ride. And the story is filled with suspense in that Spensa becomes a spy without any training. It's also great to get a taste of the wider universe she lives in. Getting away from Detritus, and even away from M-bot for large chunks of the book, allows us to get to know Spensa better and she gets to learn some good lessons too about war, about who her enemy is, about judging people, and about herself.

A fantastic follow-up to the first book. And I'm grateful I don't have to wait for the next book to be published!
]]> <![CDATA[Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5)]]> 52381770
It worries about the fragile human crew who've grown to trust it, but only where no one can see.

It tells itself that they're only a professional obligation, but when they're captured and an old friend from the past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

]]> 350 Martha Wells 1250229863 Joe 5
This was a fun read. Also unlike any other previous story, this one starts with action and runs with it for the entire story. Like I said, the world building and character introductions have already occurred, so now Wells is just having fun!]]> 4.44 2020 Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5)
author: Martha Wells
name: Joe
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/29
date added: 2023/01/29
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This is the first book length story in this series. And Wells takes real advantage of the expanded format. I feel almost like the 4 previous stories were just background information and character building for this story. I felt like she went deeper into her characters here than anything before. Murderbot has to face some big emotions, and we get to know more of the people in Dr. Mensah's family, and we explore some new capabilities that Murderbot has from its previous experiences.

This was a fun read. Also unlike any other previous story, this one starts with action and runs with it for the entire story. Like I said, the world building and character introductions have already occurred, so now Wells is just having fun!
]]> <![CDATA[Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, #1)]]> 53240817
Then Amari discovers a ticking briefcase in her brother’s old closet. A briefcase meant for her eyes only. There was far more to Quinton, it seems, than she ever knew. He’s left her a nomination for a summer tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari is certain the answer to finding out what happened to him lies somewhere inside, if only she can get her head around the idea of mermaids, dwarves, yetis and magicians all being real things, something she has to instantly confront when she is given a weredragon as a roommate.

Amari must compete against some of the nation’s wealthiest kids—who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives and are able to easily answer questions like which two Great Beasts reside in the Atlantic Ocean and how old is Merlin? Just getting around the Bureau is a lesson alone for Amari with signs like ‘Department of Hidden Places this way, or is it?� If that all wasn’t enough, every Bureau trainee has a talent enhanced to supernatural levels to help them do their jobs � but Amari is given an illegal ability. As if she needed something else to make her stand out.

With an evil magican threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.]]> 416 B.B. Alston Joe 5
I love that the protagonist is a black girl from "the hood" and the mom is really trying to give her kids the best life possible.

And, I will admit, that I really liked the idea of a weredragon!

This is a fantastic book, with a great twist, and I'm excited to read the next book in the series!.]]> 4.35 2021 Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, #1)
author: B.B. Alston
name: Joe
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/01/29
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review:
This was a great book! It's a fun world, interesting magic system where natural gifts are magnified to magical proportions, and it has some fabulous messages for readers of all ages! It addresses self confidence, race issues, socioeconomic differences, friendship, and much more.

I love that the protagonist is a black girl from "the hood" and the mom is really trying to give her kids the best life possible.

And, I will admit, that I really liked the idea of a weredragon!

This is a fantastic book, with a great twist, and I'm excited to read the next book in the series!.
]]> <![CDATA[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Joe 0 to-read 4.12 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Joe
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/29
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1)]]> 43587154 JADE CITY is a gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kungfu.

The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It's the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.

The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion--but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection.

When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself.]]> 540 Fonda Lee 0316440884 Joe 0 to-finish-later 4.06 2017 Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1)
author: Fonda Lee
name: Joe
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/29
shelves: to-finish-later
review:

]]>