Rebecca's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 30 Mar 2025 15:19:16 -0700 60 Rebecca's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Weyward 127280850
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

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

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

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]>
392 Emilia Hart 1250842727 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.02 2023 Weyward
author: Emilia Hart
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/30
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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 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.32 2006 The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)
author: Scott Lynch
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
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Under the Same Stars 200982339
In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom's Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too—but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.

In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.

In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are slogging through the last few months of senior year when an unexpected package from Chloe’s grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom’s Oak eighty years ago.

Age Range: 12-18]]>
480 Libba Bray 0374388946 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.19 2025 Under the Same Stars
author: Libba Bray
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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<![CDATA[The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)]]> 16054217 The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.]]>
561 Deborah Harkness 0670025593 Rebecca 5 4.15 2014 The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2019/05/19
date added: 2025/01/18
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Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1) 60353900 An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers.

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected--she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.�

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia�. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way--and stop more girls from being sacrificed.]]>
432 Xiran Jay Zhao 0735269955 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.09 2021 Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1)
author: Xiran Jay Zhao
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/13
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A Woman of Intelligence 54860377
A born and bred New Yorker, Katharina is the daughter of immigrants, Ivy-League-educated, and speaks four languages. As a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, she is a translator at the newly formed United Nations, devoting her days to her work and the promise of world peace—and her nights to cocktails and the promise of a good time.

Now the wife of a beloved pediatric surgeon and heir to a shipping fortune, Katharina is trapped in a gilded cage, desperate to escape the constraints of domesticity. So when she is approached by the FBI and asked to join their ranks as an informant, Katharina seizes the opportunity. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy, but no one has been able to infiltrate his circle. Enter Katharina, the perfect woman for the job.

Navigating the demands of the FBI and the secrets of the KGB, she becomes a courier, carrying stolen government documents from D.C. to Manhattan. But as those closest to her lose their covers, and their lives, Katharina’s secret soon threatens to ruin her.]]>
384 Karin Tanabe 1250231507 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.53 2021 A Woman of Intelligence
author: Karin Tanabe
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/14
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The Gilded Years 27276316 Passing meets The House of Mirth in this “utterly captivating� (Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen House) historical novel based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first black student to attend Vassar, who successfully passed as white—until she let herself grow too attached to the wrong person.

Since childhood, Anita Hemmings has longed to attend the country’s most exclusive school for women, Vassar College. Now, a bright, beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she is hiding a secret that would have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, this daughter of a janitor and descendant of slaves has successfully passed as white, but now finds herself rooming with Louise “Lottie� Taylor, the scion of one of New York’s most prominent families.

Though Anita has kept herself at a distance from her classmates, Lottie’s sphere of influence is inescapable, her energy irresistible, and the two become fast friends. Pulled into her elite world, Anita learns what it’s like to be treated as a wealthy, educated white woman—the person everyone believes her to be—and even finds herself in a heady romance with a moneyed Harvard student. It’s only when Lottie becomes infatuated with Anita’s brother, Frederick, whose skin is almost as light as his sister’s, that the situation becomes particularly perilous. And as Anita’s college graduation looms, those closest to her will be the ones to dangerously threaten her secret.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age, an era when old money traditions collided with modern ideas, Tanabe has written an unputdownable and emotionally compelling story of hope, sacrifice, and betrayal—and a gripping account of how one woman dared to risk everything for the chance at a better life.]]>
379 Karin Tanabe 1501110454 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.82 2016 The Gilded Years
author: Karin Tanabe
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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This Will Be Fun 199635075 The Princess Bride meets People We Meet on Vacation in this cozy quest romantasy about a group of friends who once defended their magical land together but haven’t spoken since, reuniting to attend a royal wedding, and ending up on a new adventure to save the realm—and hopefully themselves.

Ten years ago, they saved the realm. It ruined their lives.

Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the land from darkness. It’s a tale beloved by all—except the former heroes. They haven’t spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them.

But when they receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria’s wedding, it’s a summons they can’t refuse . . . and a reunion for the ages, with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return of her former flame (the cunning Vandra), and all of them lost without Galwell’s presence. And if reuniting with old friends and lovers wasn’t perilous enough, dark forces from their past have returned, plotting a domination that only Mythria’s one-time defenders can stop. Maybe.

Dusting off old weapons and old instincts, they face undead nemeses, crystal caves, enchanted swords, coffee shops, games of magical Truth or Dare, and, hardest of all, their past—rife with wounds never healed and romances never forgotten.

This time around, will their story end in happily ever after?]]>
416 E.B. Asher 0063371367 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.38 2024 This Will Be Fun
author: E.B. Asher
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/19
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<![CDATA[The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms, #1)]]> 54816556 Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess's traitor brother.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters � but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.]]>
540 Tasha Suri 0316538515 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.14 2021 The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms, #1)
author: Tasha Suri
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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A Study in Drowning 211880182 Angharad - a beloved epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and then destroys him.

Effy's tattered copy is all that's keeping her afloat through her stifling first term her prestigious architecture college. So when the late author's family announces a contest to design his house, Effy fells certain this is her destiny.

But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn't the only one who's made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin's papers and is determined to prove her favourite author is a fraud.

As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author's legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house's foundation isn't the only thing that can't be trusted. There are dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspiring against them - and the truth may bring them both to ruin.]]>
432 Ava Reid 0063419416 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.76 2023 A Study in Drowning
author: Ava Reid
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/07
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Lock Every Door 41837243
As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story—until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid's disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building's hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.]]>
381 Riley Sager 1524745154 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.88 2019 Lock Every Door
author: Riley Sager
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/29
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The Book Eaters 58724745
Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon—like all other book eater women—is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairy tales and cautionary stories.

But real life doesn't always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books, but for human minds.]]>
298 Sunyi Dean 1250810183 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.60 2022 The Book Eaters
author: Sunyi Dean
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/20
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<![CDATA[The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder]]> 61714633 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on the Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty's Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as "the prize of all the oceans," it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.

But then . . . six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes - they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death--for whomever the court found guilty could hang.

The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann's recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O'Brian, his portrayal of the castaways' desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann's work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound.]]>
331 David Grann 0385534264 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.14 2023 The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
author: David Grann
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/15
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<![CDATA[Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller]]> 61089547
He'd intended to stay for a year before launching into some less dusty, better remunerated career. Unfortunately for him, the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap proved irresistible. Soon he was balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows with a ten-foot pole and trying not to upset the store's resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran had unfinished business when he was hit by that tram).

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

By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the country's most ancient bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.]]>
244 Oliver Darkshire 1324092076 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.93 2022 Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller
author: Oliver Darkshire
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/02/25
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Sea Change 61387972 A novel about a woman tossed overboard by heartbreak and loss, who has to find her way back to stable shores with the help of a giant Pacific octopus.

Ro is stuck. She's just entered her thirties, she's estranged from her mother, and her boyfriend has just left her to join a mission to Mars. Her days are spent dragging herself to her menial job at a mall aquarium, and her nights are spent drinking sharktinis (mountain dew and copious amounts of gin, plus a hint of jalapeno). With her best friend pulling away to focus on her upcoming wedding, Ro's only companion is Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus who also happens to be Ro's last remaining link to her father, a marine biologist who disappeared while on an expedition when Ro was a teenager.

When Dolores is sold to a wealthy investor intent on moving her to a private aquarium, Ro finds herself on the precipice of self-destruction. Wading through memories of her youth, Ro has one last chance to come to terms with her childhood trauma, recommit to those around her, and find her place in an ever-changing world. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL]]>
288 Gina Chung 0593469348 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.57 2023 Sea Change
author: Gina Chung
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/02/25
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You, Again 75665887 Can they stop hating each other long enough to fall in love?

A commitment-phobe and a hopeless romantic clash over and over again--until heartbreak and unexpected chemistry bring them together in this clever enemies-to-friends-to-lovers debut romance.

When Ari and Josh first meet, the wrong kind of sparks fly. They hate each other. Instantly.

A free-spirited, struggling comedian who likes to keep things casual, Ari sublets, takes gigs, and she never sleeps over after hooking up. Born-and-bred Manhattanite Josh has ambitious plans: Take the culinary world by storm, find The One, and make her breakfast in his spotless kitchen. They have absolutely nothing in common . . . except that they happen to be sleeping with the same woman.

Ari and Josh never expect their paths to cross again. But years later, as they're both reeling from ego-bruising breakups, a chance encounter leads to a surprising connection: friendship. Turns out, spending time with your former nemesis is fun when you're too sad to hate each other--and too sad for hate sex.

As friends-without-benefits, they find comfort in late-night Netflix binges, swiping through each other's online dating profiles, and bickering across boroughs. It's better than romance. Until one night, the unspoken boundaries of their platonic relationship begin to blur. . . .

With sharp observations and sizzling chemistry, You, Again explores the dynamics of co-ed friendship in this sparkling romantic comedy of modern love in all its forms.]]>
448 Kate Goldbeck 059344812X Rebecca 0 currently-reading 3.55 2023 You, Again
author: Kate Goldbeck
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/04
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<![CDATA[Kew: The Witch's Garden: Plants in Folklore, Magic and Traditional Medicine]]> 55607569
Witch’s Garden describes over 50 of the world’s most powerful magical plants and their uses, mythical and proven. From the screaming Mandrake to calming St John’s Wort, the history of these esoteric species is often as dark and elusive as the art of herbalism itself.

Including tales of remedies for everything from bad weather and broken hearts to protection from evil and the invocation of immortality, the book features exquisite botanical illustrations and fascinating specimens held within the archives of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, while archival images depicting occult practices evoke the bewitching nature of these mysterious species.]]>
208 Sandra Lawrence 1787394360 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.15 2020 Kew: The Witch's Garden: Plants in Folklore, Magic and Traditional Medicine
author: Sandra Lawrence
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/04
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<![CDATA[Claudia and Mean Janine (The Baby-Sitters Club, #7)]]> 48866 160 Ann M. Martin 0590410415 Rebecca 0 3.75 1987 Claudia and Mean Janine (The Baby-Sitters Club, #7)
author: Ann M. Martin
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1987
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[A Study in Drowning (A Study in Drowning, #1)]]> 75302266 Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny.

But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.]]>
378 Ava Reid 0063211505 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.73 2023 A Study in Drowning (A Study in Drowning, #1)
author: Ava Reid
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/10/23
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<![CDATA[The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)]]> 8130423 In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.]]> 361 Rick Riordan Rebecca 4 4.44 2008 The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2008
rating: 4
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date added: 2023/10/16
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<![CDATA[Restless Truth (The Last Binding, #2)]]> 65211714 Magic! Murder! Shipboard romance!

Maud Blyth has always longed for adventure. She expected plenty of it when she volunteered to serve as an old lady’s companion on an ocean liner, in order to help her beloved older brother unravel a magical conspiracy that began generations ago.

What she didn’t expect was for the old lady in question to turn up dead on the first day of the voyage. Now she has to deal with a dead body, a disrespectful parrot, and the lovely, dangerously outrageous Violet Debenham, who’s also returning home to England. Violet is everything that Maud has been trained to distrust yet can’t help but desire: a magician, an actress, and a magnet for scandal.

Surrounded by the open sea and a ship full of suspects, Maud and Violet must first drop the masks that they’ve both learned to wear before they can unmask a murderer and somehow get their hands on a magical object worth killing for—without ending up dead in the water themselves.]]>
416 Freya Marske 125083189X Rebecca 0 to-read 3.92 2022 Restless Truth (The Last Binding, #2)
author: Freya Marske
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/10/14
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<![CDATA[New York City Like a Local (Local Travel Guide)]]> 54811690 Experience New York City the local way with this insider's guide

New York City's got it all: soaring skyscrapers, world-class food joints, plus a park to beat all parks. But what's beyond the well-trodden sights? Off-broadway theatres putting on quirky productions, old Ukrainian diners serving up family recipes, and speakeasies hosting secret parties, that's what. There's so much more to NYC than the Met and Statue of Liberty - and who better to show you around than the locals?

This gorgeous insider's guide is packed with recommendations from New Yorkers in the know, helping you to discover all their favourite hangouts and hidden haunts. Of course, with a city as iconic as NYC we could fill the pages of this book tenfold. Rather, New York City Like a Local offers a snapshot of local life, and it's yours for the taking.

Whether you're a New Yorker looking to uncover your city's secrets or a traveller seeking an authentic experience beyond the tourist track, this stylish guide makes sure you experience the real side of New York City.]]>
192 D.K. Eyewitness Travel 0241490677 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.93 New York City Like a Local (Local Travel Guide)
author: D.K. Eyewitness Travel
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.93
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date added: 2023/10/04
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<![CDATA[Kew - Witch's Forest: Trees in magic, folklore and traditional remedies (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)]]> 76078776 208 Royal Botanic Gardens Kew 1802795375 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.23 Kew - Witch's Forest: Trees in magic, folklore and traditional remedies (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
author: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.23
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date added: 2023/10/04
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<![CDATA[Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)]]> 184584595
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.

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

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.]]>
352 Heather Fawcett 0593500156 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.00 2023 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)
author: Heather Fawcett
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/02
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.]]>
336 Heather Fawcett 059350013X Rebecca 0 to-read 3.98 2023 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)
author: Heather Fawcett
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/18
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Library of Lost and Found 39873227
All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend - her grandmother Zelda - who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda's past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.

Filled with Phaedra Patrick's signature charm and vivid characters, The Library of Lost and Found is a heartwarming and poignant tale of how one woman must take control of her destiny to write her own happy ending.]]>
352 Phaedra Patrick 0778369358 Rebecca 0 currently-reading 3.66 2019 The Library of Lost and Found
author: Phaedra Patrick
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/17
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[Top Cats: The Life and Times of the New York Public Library Lions]]> 706687 79 Susan G. Larkin 0764937626 Rebecca 0 currently-reading, borrowed 3.85 2006 Top Cats: The Life and Times of the New York Public Library Lions
author: Susan G. Larkin
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/15
shelves: currently-reading, borrowed
review:

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<![CDATA[Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit]]> 28003097 ¶ŮłÜłľ±č±ôľ±˛Ôâ€� and Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

Joanna Gordon has been out and proud for years, but when her popular radio evangelist father remarries and decides to move all three of them from Atlanta to the more conservative Rome, Georgia, he asks Jo to do the to lie low for the rest of her senior year. And Jo reluctantly agrees.

Although it is (mostly) much easier for Jo to fit in as a straight girl, things get complicated when she meets Mary Carlson, the oh-so-tempting sister of her new friend at school. But Jo couldn’t possibly think of breaking her promise to her dad. Even if she’s starting to fall for the girl. Even if there’s a chance Mary Carlson might be interested in her, too. Right?]]>
437 Jaye Robin Brown 0062271016 Rebecca 2 3.76 2016 Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit
author: Jaye Robin Brown
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2023/09/16
date added: 2023/09/15
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures]]> 30842386 Ulysses to The Cat in the Hat to Shakespeare's First Folio to The Catcher in the Rye—this package is an ode to the enduring magic and importance of books.]]> 224 Library of Congress 1452145407 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.06 2017 The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures
author: Library of Congress
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/09/15
shelves: to-read
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Juniper & Thorn 58966216 From highly acclaimed, bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.

A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.

Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.

As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.]]>
368 Ava Reid 0062973169 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.63 2022 Juniper & Thorn
author: Ava Reid
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Mountain in the Sea 60723632 Humankind discovers intelligent life in an octopus species with its own language and culture, and sets off a high-stakes global competition to dominate the future.

Rumors begin to spread of a species of hyperintelligent, dangerous octopus that may have developed its own language and culture. Marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen, who has spent her life researching cephalopod intelligence, will do anything for the chance to study them.

The transnational tech corporation DIANIMA has sealed the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where the octopuses were discovered, off from the world. Dr. Nguyen joins DIANIMA’s team on the islands: a battle-scarred security agent and the world’s first android.

The octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence. The stakes are high: there are vast fortunes to be made by whoever can take advantage of the octopuses� advancements, and as Dr. Nguyen struggles to communicate with the newly discovered species, forces larger than DIANIMA close in to seize the octopuses for themselves.

But no one has yet asked the octopuses what they think. And what they might do about it.

A near-future thriller about the nature of consciousness, Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea is a dazzling literary debut and a mind-blowing dive into the treasure and wreckage of humankind’s legacy.]]>
464 Ray Nayler Rebecca 0 to-read 4.15 2022 The Mountain in the Sea
author: Ray Nayler
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/20
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Stranger Things: The Tomb of Ybwen]]> 59124651
Will’s friends have been too busy with their girlfriends to notice how much he is struggling. After he and Mr. Clarke discover a mysterious map Bob left in a box of old nerdy memorabilia, Will rallies the crew to investigate—but with a blizzard coming, they’re afraid to follow.

When Mike, Dustin and Lucas learn that Will has taken off into the freezing wilds alone they rush to stop him. When they all discover there may be more to this adventure than a fake treasure map, it’s too late to turn back. They have no choice but to follow the clues further into an abandoned mine shaft full of booby traps and mystery.

Join the heroes of the hit Netflix show on a new adventure full of curiosity and danger, and discover what treasure might lay in the depths of the Tomb of Ybwen.

Penned by seasoned comic writer Greg Pak(Stranger Things: Zombie Boys, Planet Hulk) with photorealistic art drawn by Diego Galindo (Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons).

Collects Stranger Things: Tomb of Ybwen #1�#4.]]>
96 Greg Pak 1506725546 Rebecca 4 4.07 2022 Stranger Things: The Tomb of Ybwen
author: Greg Pak
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves:
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The Mountain in the Sea 59808603 Humankind discovers intelligent life in an octopus species with its own language and culture, and sets off a high-stakes global competition to dominate the future.

Rumors begin to spread of a species of hyperintelligent, dangerous octopus that may have developed its own language and culture. Marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen, who has spent her life researching cephalopod intelligence, will do anything for the chance to study them.

The transnational tech corporation DIANIMA has sealed the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where the octopuses were discovered, off from the world. Dr. Nguyen joins DIANIMA’s team on the islands: a battle-scarred security agent and the world’s first android.

The octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence. The stakes are high: there are vast fortunes to be made by whoever can take advantage of the octopuses� advancements, and as Dr. Nguyen struggles to communicate with the newly discovered species, forces larger than DIANIMA close in to seize the octopuses for themselves.

But no one has yet asked the octopuses what they think. And what they might do about it.

A near-future thriller about the nature of consciousness, Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea is a dazzling literary debut and a mind-blowing dive into the treasure and wreckage of humankind’s legacy.]]>
456 Ray Nayler 0374605955 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.87 2022 The Mountain in the Sea
author: Ray Nayler
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: to-read
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Stranger Things: Science Camp 54981093
Dustin arrives at Camp Know Where to navigate the new social hierarchy without the support of his Hawkins adventuring party. While also faced with nerdy bullies, a new menace haunts the young scientists and camp counselors. A mysterious figure with sinister intent arrives to disrupt the serene woodland scene. When camp counselors start to disappear, the solution won't take rocket science, but Dustin will have to get on the same wavelength as Suzie and the other campers before tensions reach a boiling point.

Writer Jody Houser ( Critical Role , Stranger Things: Into the Fire ) returns with Edgar Salazar and Keith Champagne ( Stranger Things: SIX ) to create a new miniseries in the Stranger Things universe, taking place between seasons two and three of the hit Netflix show.

Collects Stranger Things: Science Camp #1-#4.]]>
112 Jody Houser 1506715761 Rebecca 4 3.84 2021 Stranger Things: Science Camp
author: Jody Houser
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/11
date added: 2023/06/11
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Red, White & Royal Blue 41150487
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?]]>
448 Casey McQuiston 1250316774 Rebecca 5 4.06 2019 Red, White & Royal Blue
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/11/20
date added: 2023/06/06
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<![CDATA[Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)]]> 60222807 A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes.

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success—not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.]]>
296 Travis Baldree Rebecca 3 4.33 2022 Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)
author: Travis Baldree
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/04
date added: 2023/06/04
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The Woman in the Library 56803179 In every person's story, there is something to hide...

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.]]>
292 Sulari Gentill Rebecca 0 to-read 3.46 2022 The Woman in the Library
author: Sulari Gentill
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/04
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<![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 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/04
shelves: to-read
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Imogen, Obviously 61896624 New York Times bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship.

Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

She's never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There's Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen's biases in check. And then there's Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen's thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she's finally visiting Lili on campus, she's bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen's all in.

Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.

Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she's told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.

Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .]]>
432 Becky Albertalli 0063045877 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.20 2023 Imogen, Obviously
author: Becky Albertalli
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/05/04
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<![CDATA[Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library]]> 43263461
Have you’ve ever wondered if you can keep an octopus in a private home? Do you spend your time thinking about how much Napoleon’s brain weighed? If so, Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers is the book for you. The New York Public Library has been fielding questions like these ever since it was founded in 1895. Of course, some of the questions have left the librarians scratching their heads�

“In what occupations may one be barefooted?�
“What time does a bluebird sing?�
“What does it mean when you’re being chased by an elephant?�
“What kind of apple did Eve eat?�
“How many neurotic people are there in the U.S.?�

In Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers , the staff of the NYPL has dug through the archives to find thoughtful and often witty answers to over one hundred of the oddest, funniest, and most whimsical questions the library has received since it began record-keeping over seventy-five years ago. One of The New Yorker ’s best-known and beloved illustrators, Barry Blitt, has created watercolors that bring many of the questions hilariously to life in a book that answers, among others, the question “Does anyone have a copyright on the Bible?”]]>
168 New York Public Library 1250203627 Rebecca 4 3.33 Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library
author: New York Public Library
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.33
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/10
date added: 2023/05/03
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<![CDATA[The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke, #2)]]> 36111620 He’s been a bad, bad rake—and it takes a governess to teach him a lesson

The accidental governess.

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart... without risking her own.

The infamous rake.

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling... and he’s in danger of falling, hard.]]>
373 Tessa Dare 0062672126 Rebecca 3 3.87 2018 The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke, #2)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/05
date added: 2023/03/05
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<![CDATA[The Husband Trap (The Trap Trilogy, #1)]]> 462685
Violet Brantford has always longed for the passionate embrace of Adrian Winter, the wealthy Duke of Raeburn. Problem is, he's set to marry Violet's vivacious, more socially polished look-alike twin sister, Jeannette. But when Jeannette refuses to go through with the ceremony mere minutes before it is to begin, soft-spoken Violet finds herself walking down the aisle and taking vows in her sister's place. Soon shy Violet is a high-society wife, trying to keep her real identity a secret while living out the fantasies of her wildest dreams.

Adrian thinks he knows exactly what he's gotten himself into: Jeannette may be flighty and, well, a bit self-involved, but she's the picture-perfect wife to carry on the Winter name. Yet this marriage of convenience brings the groom more than he bargained for when he finds his sweet, innocent wife surprising him at every turn. And though he never planned on true love, Adrian is definitely in danger of losing his heart.]]>
358 Tracy Anne Warren 0345483081 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.85 2006 The Husband Trap (The Trap Trilogy, #1)
author: Tracy Anne Warren
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/20
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)]]> 33259027 When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules�

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars.
- Last, and most importantly� Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.


But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly� Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love�
]]>
389 Tessa Dare Rebecca 3 3.99 2017 The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/20
date added: 2023/02/20
shelves:
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Thistlefoot 60018639
Thistlefoot, as the house is called, has arrived from the Yagas' ancestral home in Russia--but not alone. A sinister figure known only as the Longshadow Man has tracked it to American shores, bearing with him violent secrets from the past: fiery memories that have hidden in Isaac and Bellatine's blood for generations. As the Yaga siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a final cross-country tour of their family's traveling theater show, the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. Ultimately, time, magic, and legacy must collide--erupting in a powerful conflagration to determine who gets to remember the past and craft a new future.

An enchanted adventure illuminated by Jewish myth and adorned with lyrical prose as tantalizing and sweet as briar berries, Thistlefoot is an immersive modern fantasy saga by a bold new talent.]]>
448 GennaRose Nethercott 059346883X Rebecca 0 to-read 3.92 2022 Thistlefoot
author: GennaRose Nethercott
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/09
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians, #1)]]> 25128811
And the only native inhabitant I've met? He's big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me...]]>
188 Ruby Dixon Rebecca 2 3.65 2015 Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians, #1)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2023/02/08
date added: 2023/02/08
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<![CDATA[Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback]]> 78895 NOWĚýA MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

Robyn Davidson's opens the memoir of her perilous journey across 1,700 miles of hostile Australian desert to the sea with only four camels and a dog for company with the following words: “I experienced that sinking feeling you get when you know you have conned yourself into doing something difficult and there's no going back."

Enduring sweltering heat, fending off poisonous snakes and lecherous men, chasing her camels when they get skittish and nursing them when they are injured, Davidson emerges as an extraordinarily courageous heroine driven by a love of Australia's landscape, an empathy for its indigenous people, and a willingness to cast away the trappings of her former identity.ĚýTracksĚýis the compelling, candid story of her odyssey of discovery and transformation.Ěý

“An unforgettably powerful book.”—Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild

Now with a new postscript by Robyn Davidson.]]>
288 Robyn Davidson 0679762876 Rebecca 0 currently-reading 3.92 1980 Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback
author: Robyn Davidson
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1980
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/17
shelves: currently-reading
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<![CDATA[Payback's a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #1)]]> 55566545 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The L Word in this fresh, sizzling rom-com by Lana Harper.

Emmy Harlow is a witch but not a very powerful one—in part because she hasn't been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years. Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.

But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She's determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.

On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov—an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts—who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to discover that Gareth was also seeing Linden—unbeknownst to either of them. And now she and Linden want revenge. Only one question stands: Is Emmy in?

But most concerning of all: Why can't she stop thinking about the terrifyingly competent, devastatingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia Avramov?]]>
352 Lana Harper 0593336062 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.57 2021 Payback's a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #1)
author: Lana Harper
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/22
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[This Woven Kingdom (This Woven Kingdom, #1)]]> 60788099 Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sabaa Tahir, this is the explosive first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi.]]>
528 Tahereh Mafi 0062972456 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.98 2022 This Woven Kingdom (This Woven Kingdom, #1)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/14
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Hello Girls 36596442
Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.

Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.

One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.]]>
325 Brittany Cavallaro Rebecca 0 to-read 3.41 2019 Hello Girls
author: Brittany Cavallaro
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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Lessons in Chemistry 58065033 390 Bonnie Garmus Rebecca 0 to-read 4.23 2022 Lessons in Chemistry
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/12
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Cartographers 55004093 What is the purpose of a map?

Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.

But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence... because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one—along with anyone who gets in the way.

But why?

To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and discovers the true power that lies in maps...

From the critically acclaimed author of The Book of M, a highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret—one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure and to the truth about her family’s dark history.]]>
392 Peng Shepherd 0062910698 Rebecca 3 3.62 2022 The Cartographers
author: Peng Shepherd
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/15
date added: 2022/10/15
shelves:
review:
Good book, great book even, but the ending almost ruined it for me. A couple of the twists were so obvious to me and the villain came off as a one dimensional mustache twirling over the top psycho in the end. Also I struggled to completely understand all the characters motivations, especially at the end. Unfortunately these things ruined an otherwise unique, engaging, multi-perspective mystery that I quite enjoyed.
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Spells for Lost Things 60320509
There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?

Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?

From the New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato comes a poignant and romantic novel about two teens trying to find their place in the world after being unceremoniously dragged to Salem, Massachusetts, for the summer.]]>
368 Jenna Evans Welch 153444887X Rebecca 0 to-read 4.03 2022 Spells for Lost Things
author: Jenna Evans Welch
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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Cackle 61058915 The Return.
Ěý
All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.ĚýĚý
Ěý
Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?]]>
319 Rachel Harrison 0593202031 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.71 2021 Cackle
author: Rachel Harrison
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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Gilded (Gilded, #1) 56614597
Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda's outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her... for a price.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.

Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author, returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.]]>
502 Marissa Meyer 1250618843 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.86 2021 Gilded (Gilded, #1)
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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House of Hollow 54613751
Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar. But when her eldest sister, Grey, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Iris learns just how weird her life can get: horned men start shadowing her, a corpse falls out of her sister’s ceiling, and ugly, impossible memories start to twist their way to the forefront of her mind.

As Iris retraces Grey’s last known footsteps and follows the increasingly bizarre trail of breadcrumbs she left behind, it becomes apparent that the only way to save her sister is to decipher the mystery of what happened to them as children.

The closer Iris gets to the truth, the closer she comes to understanding that the answer is dark and dangerous � and that Grey has been keeping a terrible secret from her for years.]]>
292 Krystal Sutherland 059311034X Rebecca 0 to-read 4.03 2021 House of Hollow
author: Krystal Sutherland
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/09/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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Love on the Brain 59856881 A STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis--with explosive results.

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project--a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia--Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school--archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it's her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas...devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?]]>
354 Ali Hazelwood 0593336844 Rebecca 3 3.95 2022 Love on the Brain
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/25
date added: 2022/09/25
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The Hating Game 25883848
Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman


Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual.

Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. There’s the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.

If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong.

Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game. ​​]]>
387 Sally Thorne Rebecca 3 3.93 2016 The Hating Game
author: Sally Thorne
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/13
date added: 2022/09/13
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review:

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Paper Girls, Volume 6 44426058
THE END IS HERE!

After surviving adventures in their past, present and future, the Paper Girls of 1988 embark on one last journey, a five-part epic that includes the emotional double-sized series finale. Featuring a new wraparound cover from Eisner Award-winning co-creator CLIFF CHIANG, which can be combined with the covers of all five previous volumes to form one complete mega-image!

Collects PAPER GIRLS #26-30]]>
144 Brian K. Vaughan 1534313249 Rebecca 4 4.21 2019 Paper Girls, Volume 6
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/05
date added: 2022/09/05
shelves:
review:

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The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex, #1) 56554626 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride� scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.

Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.]]>
308 Erin Sterling 006302747X Rebecca 3 Short and sweet. A bit too syrupy, and a bit too short on chemistry, revenge and witchy vibes I was hoping for. But a cozy, if insubstantial, fall read nonetheless. ]]> 3.46 2021 The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex, #1)
author: Erin Sterling
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/05
date added: 2022/09/05
shelves:
review:
2.5/5 stars.
Short and sweet. A bit too syrupy, and a bit too short on chemistry, revenge and witchy vibes I was hoping for. But a cozy, if insubstantial, fall read nonetheless.
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Paper Girls, Volume 5 38812893
Can anyone escape fate? That's what Mac and her fellow newspaper delivery girls must discover as they escape the year 2000 and travel to the distant future. Plus, the truth behind the mysterious "old-timers" is finally revealed.

Collects PAPER GIRLS #21-25]]>
128 Brian K. Vaughan 1534308679 Rebecca 4 4.20 2018 Paper Girls, Volume 5
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/04
date added: 2022/09/04
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Paper Girls, Volume 4 (Paper Girls, #4)]]> 35989512
The mind-bending, time-warping adventure from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues, as intrepid newspaper deliverer Tiffany is launched from the prehistoric past into the year 2000! In this harrowing version of our past, Y2K was even more of a cataclysm than experts feared, and the only person who can save the future is a 12-year-old girl from 1988.

Collects issues 16 through 20!]]>
128 Brian K. Vaughan 1534305106 Rebecca 4 4.13 2018 Paper Girls, Volume 4 (Paper Girls, #4)
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/03
date added: 2022/09/03
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Small Town, Big Magic (Witchlore, #1)]]> 59952170
Witches aren't real. Right?

No one has civic pride quite like Emerson Wilde. As a local indie bookstore owner and youngest-ever Chamber of Commerce president, she’d do anything for her hometown of St. Cyprian, Missouri. After all, Midwest is best! She may be descended from a witch who was hanged in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials, but there’s no sorcery in doing your best for the town you love.
Or is there?

As she preps Main Street for an annual festival, Emerson notices strange things happening around St. Cyprian. Strange things that culminate in a showdown with her lifelong arch-rival, Mayor Skip Simon. He seems to have sent impossible, paranormal creatures after her. Creatures that Emerson dispatches with ease, though she has no idea how she’s done it. Is Skip Simon…a witch? Is Emerson?

It turns out witches are real, and Emerson is one of them. She failed a coming-of-age test at age eighteen—the only test she’s ever failed!—and now, as an adult, her powers have come roaring back.

But she has little time to explore those powers, or her blossoming relationship with her childhood friend, cranky-yet-gorgeous local farmer Jacob North: an ancient evil has awakened in St. Cyprian, and it’s up to Emerson and her friends—maybe even Emerson herself—to save everything she loves.]]>
411 Hazel Beck 1525804715 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.27 2022 Small Town, Big Magic (Witchlore, #1)
author: Hazel Beck
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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Paper Girls, Volume 3 34504722
The multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues, as newspaper deliverers Erin, Mac and Tiffany finally reunite with their long-lost friend KJ in an unexpected new era, where the girls must uncover the secret origins of time travel... or risk never returning home to 1988.

Collects issues 11 through 15!]]>
128 Brian K. Vaughan 1534302239 Rebecca 3 4.06 2017 Paper Girls, Volume 3
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/20
date added: 2022/08/20
shelves:
review:

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I Kissed Shara Wheeler 58756420 From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a debut YA romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need...

Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.

But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.

On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.

Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.

Fierce, funny, and frank, Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules, getting messy, and finding love in unexpected places.]]>
356 Casey McQuiston 1250244455 Rebecca 4 3.87 2022 I Kissed Shara Wheeler
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/18
date added: 2022/08/18
shelves:
review:
Really like this book, even though it took me forever to finish.
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Paper Girls, Volume 2 31338724
Collects PAPER GIRLS #6-10]]>
128 Brian K. Vaughan 1632158957 Rebecca 0 4.10 2016 Paper Girls, Volume 2
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/15
date added: 2022/08/15
shelves:
review:

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Beach Read 52867387 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.]]>
371 Emily Henry 1984806734 Rebecca 4 Book Lovers as a couple (better banter), but January and Gus aren't too bad. ]]> 3.99 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/02
date added: 2022/08/04
shelves:
review:
3.8 I prefer Nora and Charlie from Book Lovers as a couple (better banter), but January and Gus aren't too bad.
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In Deeper Waters 54303971 A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean.

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.

Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.

That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope…]]>
320 F.T. Lukens 1534480501 Rebecca 3 3.88 2021 In Deeper Waters
author: F.T. Lukens
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/30
date added: 2022/08/04
shelves:
review:
2.5 stars. Fluffy and cute (for the most part, although there are some heavy and even violent scenes). Thought I was going to like it more than I did. Seemed like it would be right up my alley. While I liked the premise of the book, I thought the execution of the characters and plot fell a bit flat. Not very memorable and a bit hollow for something that could have been a sweeping, fantastical, emotional adventure romance.
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Paper Girls, Volume 1 28204534
In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

Collects PAPER GIRLS #1-5.]]>
144 Brian K. Vaughan 1632156741 Rebecca 3 3.89 2016 Paper Girls, Volume 1
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/03
date added: 2022/08/03
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)]]> 22299763
Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.]]>
561 Leigh Bardugo Rebecca 5 4.58 2016 Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/07/17
date added: 2022/07/17
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 45046567
Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]>
398 T.J. Klune 1250217288 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.42 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/12
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)]]> 50548197
A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) � until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate� or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.]]>
320 Naomi Novik 0593128486 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.93 2020 A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)
author: Naomi Novik
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/12
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Dead Romantics 58885776 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593336489.

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead... but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.]]>
368 Ashley Poston Rebecca 0 to-read 3.90 2022 The Dead Romantics
author: Ashley Poston
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)]]> 23437156 Alternate cover of ISBN 9781627792127

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.]]>
480 Leigh Bardugo 1627792120 Rebecca 5 4.47 2015 Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/23
date added: 2022/06/23
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Seasparrow (Graceling Realm, #5)]]> 60293451 The fifth novel in the bestselling Graceling Realm series is told from the point of view of Hava, Queen Bitterblue’s sister and spy, and chronicles the harrowing journey back to Monsea.

Hava sails across the sea toward Monsea with her sister, the royal entourage, and the world’s only copies of the formulas for the zilfium weapon she saved at the end of Winterkeep. During the crossing, Hava makes an unexpected discovery about one of the ship’s crew, but before she can unravel the mystery, storms drive their ship off course, wrecking them in the ice far north of the Royal Continent. The survivors must endure a harrowing trek across the ice to make it back to Monsea. And while Queen Bitterblue grapples with how to carry the responsibility of a weapon that will change the world, Hava has a few more mysteries to solve —and a decision to make about who she wants to be in the new world Bitterblue will build.]]>
624 Kristin Cashore 1984816675 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.23 2022 Seasparrow (Graceling Realm, #5)
author: Kristin Cashore
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/22
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient, #1)]]> 36199084 A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...]]>
323 Helen Hoang 0451490819 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.88 2018 The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient, #1)
author: Helen Hoang
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/21
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson]]> 112204 THE ONLY ONE-VOLUME EDITION CONTAINING ALL 1,775 OF EMILY DICKINSON’S POEMS

Only eleven of Emily Dickinson’s poems were published prior to her death in 1886; the startling originality of her work doomed it to obscurity in her lifetime. Early posthumously published collections-some of them featuring liberally “edited� versions of the poems-did not fully and accurately represent Dickinson’s bold experiments in prosody, her tragic vision, and the range of her intellectual and emotional explorations. Not until the 1955 publication of The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, a three-volume critical edition compiled by Thomas H. Johnson, were readers able for the first time to assess, understand, and appreciate the whole of Dickinson’s extraordinary poetic genius.

This book, a distillation of the three-volume Complete Poems, brings together the original texts of all 1,775 poems that Emily Dickinson wrote.]]>
716 Emily Dickinson Rebecca 0 currently-reading 4.28 1890 The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
author: Emily Dickinson
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1890
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/15
shelves: currently-reading
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She Gets the Girl 58437812 She’s All That meets What If It’s Us in this swoon-worthy hate-to-love YA romantic comedy from #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Five Feet Apart Rachael Lippincott and debut writer Alyson Derrick.

Alex Blackwood is a little bit headstrong, with a dash of chaos and a whole lot of flirt. She knows how to get the girl. Keeping her on the other hand…not so much. Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone besides her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just…hasn’t actually talked to her yet.

Alex and Molly don’t belong on the same planet, let alone the same college campus. But when Alex, fresh off a bad (but hopefully not permanent) breakup, discovers Molly’s hidden crush as their paths cross the night before classes start, they realize they might have a common interest after all. Because maybe if Alex volunteers to help Molly learn how to get her dream girl to fall for her, she can prove to her ex that she’s not a selfish flirt. That she’s ready for an actual commitment. And while Alex is the last person Molly would ever think she could trust, she can’t deny Alex knows what she’s doing with girls, unlike her.

As the two embark on their five-step plans to get their girls to fall for them, though, they both begin to wonder if maybe they’re the ones falling…for each other.]]>
384 Rachael Lippincott 1534493794 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.09 2022 She Gets the Girl
author: Rachael Lippincott
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/14
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea]]> 56978100
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…]]>
325 Axie Oh 1250780861 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.10 2022 The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
author: Axie Oh
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/14
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Delilah Green Doesn't Care (Bright Falls, #1)]]> 54756850
Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.
Ěý
When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.
Ěý
Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to...]]>
375 Ashley Herring Blake 0593336402 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.06 2022 Delilah Green Doesn't Care (Bright Falls, #1)
author: Ashley Herring Blake
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/14
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<![CDATA[Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1)]]> 57789637
“Epic, romantic, and enthralling from start to finish.”—Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series

“An all-consuming work of literary fantasy that is breathtaking both for its beauty and its suspense."—BookPage, starred review

A captivating and romantic debut epic fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.]]>
503 Sue Lynn Tan 0063031302 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.08 2022 Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1)
author: Sue Lynn Tan
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/14
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Island Time 59365737 Love is in the salty sea air in this smart and steamy ensemble romantic comedy set in a tropical paradise, from the author of It Had to Be You. This is one island you won’t want to be rescued from.

The Kellys are messy, loud, loving Australians. The Lees are sophisticated, aloof, buttoned-up Americans. They have nothing in common…except for the fact that their daughters are married. When a nearby volcano erupts during their short vacation to a remote tropical island off the coast of Queensland, the two families find themselves stranded together for six weeks.

With only two island employees making up the rest of their party, everyone is forced to question what—or who—they really want. Island Time is a sumptuous summer read that dives deep into queer romance, family secrets, ambition, parenthood, and a bird-chasing bromance. This sexy, sun-soaked paradise of white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and lush rainforest will show you it’s never too late to change your destiny.]]>
402 Georgia Clark 1668001241 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.21 2022 Island Time
author: Georgia Clark
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/14
shelves: to-read
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Book Lovers 58708383 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens� life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters� trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]>
398 Emily Henry Rebecca 4 4.27 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/07
date added: 2022/06/07
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Crier's War (Crier's War, #1) 41951626 Impossible love between two girls —one human, one Made.
A love that could birth a revolution.

After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, Designed to be the playthings of royals, took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will.

Now, Ayla, a human servant rising the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging the death of her family� by killing the Sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier. Crier, who was Made to be beautiful, to be flawless. And to take over the work of her father.

Crier had been preparing to do just that—to inherit her father’s rule over the land. But that was before she was betrothed to Scyre Kinok, who seems to have a thousand secrets. That was before she discovered her father isn’t as benevolent as she thought. That was before she met Ayla.

Set in a richly-imagined fantasy world, Nina Varela’s debut novel is a sweepingly romantic tale of love, loss and revenge, that challenges what it really means to be human.]]>
464 Nina Varela 0062823965 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.12 2019 Crier's War (Crier's War, #1)
author: Nina Varela
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/05/29
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[This Woven Kingdom (This Woven Kingdom, #1)]]> 56554281 Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sabaa Tahir, this is the explosive first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi.]]>
512 Tahereh Mafi 0062972464 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.95 2022 This Woven Kingdom (This Woven Kingdom, #1)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/05/29
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<![CDATA[Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3)]]> 14061957 Alternative Cover Edition #1

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.]]>
350 Leigh Bardugo Rebecca 4 3.97 2014 Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/28
date added: 2022/05/28
shelves:
review:
My least favorite of the series. I will never forgive Aleksander for what he did to Nikolai. I was team Darkling all the way, until this book. At least it seems like Alina and Mal get some much needed peace and rest after the events of the book. The author better leave them alone, and not write anymore stories about them.
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Malice 59694379 A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,� true love is more than a simple fairy tale.

Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.

Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.

But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again.

Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I�

I am the villain.]]>
484 Heather Walter 1984818678 Rebecca 3 3.97 2021 Malice
author: Heather Walter
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/17
date added: 2022/05/23
shelves:
review:
I wanted to like this book so badly, and I feel like it was me, not the book, but I just could not get into it. I was sure I would love this book, but I never connected with the characters this much. I think the ending action sequence was too quick with too little build up and many characters made decisions that didn't make sense. The ending didn't feel earned. Again, I may have been expecting too much from this book, and I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately, but I definitely felt like I had to force myself to finish. It was just a bit of a slog.
]]>
<![CDATA[Below Zero (The STEMinist Novellas, #3)]]> 59651553 It will take the frosty terrain of the Arctic to show these rival scientists that their chemistry burns hot.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn�

Hannah’s got a bad feeling about this. Not only has the NASA aerospace engineer found herself injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station—but the one person willing to undertake the hazardous rescue mission is her longtime rival.

Ian has been many things to Hannah: the villain who tried to veto her expedition and ruin her career, the man who stars in her most deliciously lurid dreams…but he’s never played the hero. So why is he risking everything to be here? And why does his presence seem just as dangerous to her heart as the coming snowstorm?

To read Mara and Sadie’s stories look for the novellas Under One Roof and Stuck with You available now from Berkley!]]>
112 Ali Hazelwood 0593437837 Rebecca 4 3.57 2022 Below Zero (The STEMinist Novellas, #3)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/21
date added: 2022/05/21
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Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1) 52459864
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.�

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia�. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.]]>
394 Xiran Jay Zhao 0735269939 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.03 2021 Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1)
author: Xiran Jay Zhao
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/05/19
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (Grishaverse, #0.5, 2.5, 2.6)]]> 34076952 Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times—bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

Zemeni Ayama and the Thorn Wood --
Ravkan The too-clever fox --
The witch of Duva --
Little knife --
Kerch The soldier prince --
Fjerdan When water sang fire]]>
281 Leigh Bardugo 125012252X Rebecca 0 to-read 4.30 2017 The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (Grishaverse, #0.5, 2.5, 2.6)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/05/18
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)]]> 36307674
The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda's massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king's gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.]]>
592 Leigh Bardugo 1510109188 Rebecca 0 to-read 4.34 2021 Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/05/18
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)]]> 36307634 Face your demons... or feed them.

The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country's bloody civil war--and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka's coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried--and some wounds aren't meant to heal.]]>
511 Leigh Bardugo 125014227X Rebecca 0 to-read 4.16 2019 King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/18
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)]]> 14061955 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.]]>
435 Leigh Bardugo Rebecca 5 3.81 2013 Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/16
date added: 2022/05/16
shelves:
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By the Book (Meant to Be, #2) 58950845 A tale as old as time—for a new generation�

Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing right out of college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, living at home, still an editorial assistant, and the only Black employee at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.

All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a quick pep talk or three. How hard could it be?

But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and—it turns out—just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn't there before.

Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is a romantic triumph of love and acceptance and learning that sometimes to truly know a person you have to read between the lines. ]]>
320 Jasmine Guillory 1368053386 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.68 2022 By the Book (Meant to Be, #2)
author: Jasmine Guillory
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/04
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix (Remixed Classics)]]> 53185340 Two intrepid girls hunt for a legendary treasure on the deadly high seas in this YA remix of the classic adventure novel Treasure Island.

1826. The sun is setting on the golden age of piracy, and the legendary Dragon Fleet, the scourge of the South China Sea, is no more. Its ruthless leader, a woman known only as the Head of the Dragon, is now only a story, like the ones Xiang has grown up with all her life. She desperately wants to prove her worth, especially to her mother, a shrewd businesswoman who never seems to have enough time for Xiang. Her father is also only a story, dead at sea before Xiang was born. Her single memento of him is a pendant she always wears, a simple but plain piece of gold jewelry.

But the pendant's true nature is revealed when a mysterious girl named Anh steals it, only to return it to Xiang in exchange for her help in decoding the tiny map scroll hidden inside. The revelation that Xiang's father sailed with the Dragon Fleet and tucked away this secret changes everything. Rumor has it that the legendary Head of the Dragon had one last treasure—the plunder of a thousand ports—that for decades has only been a myth, a fool's journey.

Xiang is convinced this map could lead to the fabled treasure. Captivated with the thrill of adventure, she joins Anh and her motley crew off in pursuit of the island. But the girls soon find that the sea—and especially those who sail it—are far more dangerous than the legends led them to believe.]]>
425 C.B. Lee Rebecca 0 to-read 4.01 2021 Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix (Remixed Classics)
author: C.B. Lee
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/01
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[You Sexy Thing (Disco Space Opera #1)]]> 53205880 Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off in this fantastic space opera You Sexy Thing from former SFWA President, Cat Rambo.

Just when they thought they were out...

TwiceFar station is at the edge of the known universe, and that's just how Niko Larson, former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind, likes it.

Retired and finally free of the continual war of conquest, Niko and the remnants of her former unit are content to spend the rest of their days working at the restaurant they built together, The Last Chance.

But, some wars can't ever be escaped, and unlike the Hive Mind, some enemies aren't content to let old soldiers go. Niko and her crew are forced onto a sentient ship convinced that it is being stolen and must survive the machinations of a sadistic pirate king if they even hope to keep the dream of The Last Chance alive.]]>
304 Cat Rambo 125026930X Rebecca 0 to-read 3.65 2021 You Sexy Thing (Disco Space Opera #1)
author: Cat Rambo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Stuck with You (The STEMinist Novellas, #2)]]> 59651555 Nothing like a little rivalry between scientists to take love to the next level.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn�

Logically, Sadie knows that civil engineers are supposed to build bridges. However, as a woman of STEM she also understands that variables can change, and when you are stuck for hours in a tiny New York elevator with the man who broke your heart, you earn the right to burn that brawny, blond bridge to the ground. Erik can apologize all he wants, but to quote her rebel leader—she’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.

Not even the most sophisticated of Sadie’s superstitious rituals could have predicted such a disastrous reunion. But while she refuses to acknowledge the siren call of Erik’s steely forearms or the way his voice softens when he offers her his sweater, Sadie can’t help but wonder if there might be more layers to her cold-hearted nemesis than meet the eye. Maybe, possibly, even burned bridges can still be crossed�.

To read Mara and Hannah’s stories look for the novellas Under One Roof, available now, and Below Zero, coming soon from Berkley!]]>
127 Ali Hazelwood Rebecca 5 3.56 2022 Stuck with You (The STEMinist Novellas, #2)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/29
date added: 2022/04/29
shelves:
review:
This was just beyond charming and hot, and the soccer just took it to the next level (any book that mentions Neuer, Crystal Dunn, and Premier League stats automatically gets five stars in my book).
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<![CDATA[Under One Roof (The STEMinist Novellas, #1)]]> 59651557 A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis � it leads to combustion.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn�.

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him.]]>
112 Ali Hazelwood 0593437810 Rebecca 4 3.65 2022 Under One Roof (The STEMinist Novellas, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/25
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves:
review:
So, so good. Ali Hazlewood does it again. Just misses a 5 star rating for me because it is too short. I needed more - more from the ending, more of the threads of the beginning of the story to tie in and up at the end, more of Mara and Liam! I know it's a novella, but I feel like it could have easily been made a novel, and would be a bit stronger.
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<![CDATA[The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels, #1)]]> 55502861
Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She's also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it's a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.

Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he's under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.

When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her--hopefully proving, once and for all, that she's as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.]]>
336 India Holton 0593200160 Rebecca 0 to-read 3.64 2021 The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels, #1)
author: India Holton
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)]]> 10194157 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.]]>
358 Leigh Bardugo 1250048117 Rebecca 5 3.93 2012 Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Rebecca
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/19
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves:
review:
Immaculate. Just the book I needed to get me out of my reading slump.
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<![CDATA[Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)]]> 44285731 Everything has a price.

Railway magnate Tom Severin is wealthy and powerful enough to satisfy any desire as soon as it arises. Anything—or anyone—is his for the asking. It should be simple to find the perfect wife—and from his first glimpse of Lady Cassandra Ravenel, he’s determined to have her. But the beautiful and quick-witted Cassandra is equally determined to marry for love—the one thing he can’t give.

Everything except her.

Severin is the most compelling and attractive man Cassandra has ever met, even if his heart is frozen. But she has no interest in living in the fast-paced world of a ruthless man who always plays to win. When a newfound enemy nearly destroys Cassandra’s reputation, Severin seizes the opportunity he’s been waiting for. As always, he gets what he wants—or does he? There’s one lesson Tom Severin has yet to learn from his new bride: never underestimate a Ravenel.

The chase for Cassandra’s hand may be over. But the chase for her heart has only just begun . . .]]>
384 Lisa Kleypas 0062371959 Rebecca 4 4.08 2020 Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Rebecca
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/26
date added: 2022/03/26
shelves:
review:

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