Tinasinfocastle's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 05 May 2025 05:15:09 -0700 60 Tinasinfocastle's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Cigar Factory: A Novel of Charleston (Story River Books)]]> 27982439 Cassie McGonegal and her niece Brigid work upstairs in the factory rolling cigars by hand. Meliah Amey Ravenel works in the basement, where she stems the tobacco. While both white and black workers suffer in the harsh working conditions of the factory and both endure the sexual harassment of the foremen, segregation keeps them from recognizing their common plight until the Tobacco Workers Strike of 1945. Through the experience of a brutal picket line, the two women come to realize how much they stand to gain by joining forces, creating a powerful moment in labor history that gives rise to the Civil Rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome."
Moore's extensive historical research included interviews with her own family members who worked at the cigar factory, adding a layer of nuance and authenticity to her empowering story of families and friendships forged through struggle, loss, and redemption. The Cigar Factory includes a foreword by New York Times best-selling author and Story River Books editor at large Pat Conroy.]]> 273 Michele Moore 1611175909 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.91 2016 The Cigar Factory: A Novel of Charleston (Story River Books)
author: Michele Moore
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/05
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]]> The Great Fire 142975


Arriving in Occupied Japan to record the effects of the bomb at Hiroshima, Leith meets Benedict and Helen Driscoll, the Australian son and daughter of a tyrannical medical administrator. Benedict, at twenty, is doomed by a rare degenerative disease. Helen, still younger, is inseparable from her brother. Precocious, brilliant, sensitive, at home in the books they read together, these two have been, in Leith's words, delivered by literature. The young people capture Leith's sympathy; indeed, he finds himself struggling with his attraction to this girl whose feelings are as intense as his own and from whom he will soon be fatefully parted.

]]> 326 Shirley Hazzard 0312423586 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.46 2003 The Great Fire
author: Shirley Hazzard
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II]]> 134636205
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, college football was at the height of its popularity. As the nation geared up for total war, one branch of the service dominated the aspirations of college football stars: the United States Marine Corps. Which is why, on Christmas Eve of 1944, when the 4th and 29th Marine regiments found themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean training for what would be the bloodiest battle of the war � the invasion of Okinawa—their ranks included one of the greatest pools of football talent ever assembled: Former All Americans, captains from Wisconsin and Brown and Notre Dame, and nearly twenty men who were either drafted or would ultimately play in the NFL.

When the trash-talking between the 4th and 29th over who had the better football team reached a fever pitch, it was decided: The two regiments would play each other in a football game as close to the real thing as you could get in the dirt and coral of Guadalcanal. The bruising and bloody game that followed became known as “The Mosquito Bowl.�

Within a matter of months, 15 of the 65 players in “The Mosquito Bowl� would be killed at Okinawa, by far the largest number of American athletes ever to die in a single battle. The Mosquito Bowl is the story of these brave and beautiful young men, those who survived and those who did not. It is the story of the families and the landscape that shaped them. It is a story of a far more innocent time in both college athletics and the life of the country, and of the loss of that innocence.

Writing with the style and rigor that won him a Pulitzer Prize and have made several of his books modern classics, Buzz Bissinger takes us from the playing fields of America’s campuses where boys played at being Marines, to the final time they were allowed to still be boys on that field of dirt and coral, to the darkest and deadliest days that followed at Okinawa.]]> 479 Buzz Bissinger Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.04 2022 The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
author: Buzz Bissinger
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/02
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]]> Listen to Your Sister 211004179 For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.

Twenty-five year old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie–but now the ink is dry on the paperwork and in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop.

When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.]]> 352 Neena Viel 1250906326 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.26 2025 Listen to Your Sister
author: Neena Viel
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus]]> 33986447
Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.]]> 262 Dusti Bowling 1454923458 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.27 2017 Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
author: Dusti Bowling
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/01
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]]> The Last Bear 56924325
There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost.

But one night, April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon. A polar bear who shouldn’t be there—who is hungry, lonely and a long way from home.

An excellent choice for readers in grades 3 to 7, this fierce celebration of friendship includes full-page black-and-white illustrations throughout, as well as information about the real Bear Island and the plight of the polar bears.]]> 288 Hannah Gold 0063041081 Tinasinfocastle 0 currently-reading 4.46 2021 The Last Bear
author: Hannah Gold
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Five-Star Weekend (Sommer in Nantucket, #1)]]> 62873996
Hollis Shaw’s life seems picture-perfect. She’s the creator of the popular food blog Hungry with Hollis and is married to Matthew, a dreamy heart surgeon. But after she and Matthew get into a heated argument one snowy morning, he leaves for the airport and is killed in a car accident. The cracks in Hollis’s perfect life—her strained marriage and her complicated relationship with her daughter, Caroline—grow deeper.

So when Hollis hears about something called a “Five-Star Weekend”—one woman organizes a trip for her best friend from each phase of her life: her teenage years, her twenties, her thirties, and midlife—she decides to host her own Five-Star Weekend on Nantucket. But the weekend doesn’t turn out to be a joyful Hallmark movie.

The husband of Hollis’s childhood friend Tatum arranges for Hollis’s first love, Jack Finigan, to spend time with them, stirring up old feelings. Meanwhile, Tatum is forced to play nice with abrasive and elitist Dru-Ann, Hollis’s best friend from UNC Chapel Hill. Dru-Ann’s career as a prominent Chicago sports agent is on the line after her comments about a client’s mental health issues are misconstrued online. Brooke, Hollis’s friend from their thirties, has just discovered that her husband is having an inappropriate relationship with a woman at work. Again! And then there’s Gigi, a stranger to everyone (including Hollis) who reached out to Hollis through her blog. Gigi embodies an unusual grace and, as it hap- pens, has many secrets.

The Five-Star Weekend is a surprising and captivating story about friendship, love, and self-discovery set on Nantucket. It will be a weekend like no other.]]> 384 Elin Hilderbrand 0316258776 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.95 2023 The Five-Star Weekend (Sommer in Nantucket, #1)
author: Elin Hilderbrand
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Let Them Theory 216351768
If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn't you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words�Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.

In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins�New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can't control and start focusing on what truly YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.

Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that's made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. Within a few pages, you'll realize how much energy and time you've been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.

Written as an easy-to-understand guide, Robbins shares relatable stories from her own life, highlights key takeaways, relevant research and introduces you to world-renowned experts in psychology, neuroscience, relationships, happiness, and ancient wisdom who champion The Let Them Theory every step of the way.

Learn how

Stop wasting energy on things you can't control Stop comparing yourself to other peopleBreak free from fear and self-doubtRelease the grip of people's expectationsBuild the best friendships of your lifeCreate the love you deservePursue what truly matters to you with confidenceBuild resilience against everyday stressors and distractionsDefine your own path to success, joy, and fulfillment. . . and so much more.

The Let Them Theory will forever change the way you think about relationships, control, and personal power. Whether you want to advance your career, motivate others to change, take creative risks, find deeper connections, build better habits, start a new chapter, or simply create more happiness in your life and relationships, this book gives you the mindset and tools to unlock your full potential.

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory now and discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words.]]> 311 Mel Robbins 1401971377 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, audio 4.16 2024 The Let Them Theory
author: Mel Robbins
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: to-read, audio
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]]> Two in the Far North 285899 369 Margaret E. Murie 088240489X Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, alaska 4.17 1957 Two in the Far North
author: Margaret E. Murie
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1957
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read, alaska
review:

]]> Tartufo 212924015
After nearly losing the election to a geriatric but wildly popular donkey named Maurizio, newly installed Mayor Delizia Miccuci can’t help but feel like the sun has finally set on the rural Italian village of Lazzarini Boscarino. Tourists only stop by to ask for directions, Nonna Amara’s cherished ristorante is long shuttered, and the town hall is disgustingly overrun with glis glis poo—even Postman Duccio has been disgraced. All that’s left is Bar Celebrità, a rustic establishment where weary locals gather to quibble over decades-long disputes, submit their poor stomachs to bartender Giuseppina’s volcanic espresso, and wonder what will become of the place where together they’ve spent their entire lives.

Little do the villagers know that, mere miles away in the forest, local truffle hunter Giovanni Scarpazza has just happened upon something that could change everything. Swollen to massive proportions, soaking the atmosphere in its pungent fumes, potentially worth six figures in certain international circles, a truffle—un tartufo, that is—sits beneath the soil with the power to either be the greatest gift or the foulest curse the village has ever seen—they’re not completely sure which since Giuseppina’s psychic was a bit unclear on the matter.

Tartufo is much more than a charming romp through the foothills of Tuscany. Written in the same enchanting style and raucous humor that defines Hollow Kingdom and Feral Creatures, Buxton’s newest story is a reflection on the interconnectedness of life in all its manifestations—and how holding on to harmony in the face of hardship can grow something beautiful and rare beneath the surface.]]> 352 Kira Jane Buxton 1538770814 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.75 2025 Tartufo
author: Kira Jane Buxton
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Hollow Kingdom (Hollow Kingdom, #1)]]> 42839296 One pet crow fights to save humanity from an apocalypse in this uniquely hilarious debut from a genre-bending literary author.

S.T., a domesticated crow, is a bird of simple pleasures: hanging out with his owner Big Jim, trading insults with Seattle's wild crows (those idiots), and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer: Cheetos ®.

Then Big Jim's eyeball falls out of his head, and S.T. starts to feel like something isn't quite right. His most tried-and-true remedies--from beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of Big Jim's loyal but dim-witted dog, Dennis--fail to cure Big Jim's debilitating malady. S.T. is left with no choice but to abandon his old life and venture out into a wild and frightening new world with his trusty steed Dennis, where he discovers that the neighbors are devouring each other and the local wildlife is abuzz with rumors of dangerous new predators roaming Seattle. Humanity's extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one determined to save it is a foul-mouthed crow whose knowledge of the world around him comes from his TV-watching education.

Hollow Kingdom is a humorous, big-hearted, and boundlessly beautiful romp through the apocalypse and the world that comes after, where even a cowardly crow can become a hero.]]> 308 Kira Jane Buxton 1538745828 Tinasinfocastle 0 3.81 2019 Hollow Kingdom (Hollow Kingdom, #1)
author: Kira Jane Buxton
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: currently-reading, audio, dystopia
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection]]> 157981748 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593243916.

Who and what are supercommunicators? They're the people who can steer a conversation to a successful conclusion. They are able to talk about difficult topics without giving offence. They know how to make others feel at ease and share what they think. They're brilliant facilitators and decision-guiders. How do they do it?

In this groundbreaking book, Charles Duhigg unravels the secrets of the supercommunicators to reveal the art - and the science - of successful communication. He unpicks the different types of everyday conversation and pinpoints why some go smoothly while others swiftly fall apart. He reveals the conversational questions and gambits that bring people together. And he shows how even the most tricky of encounters can be turned around. In the process, he shows why a CIA operative was able to win over a reluctant spy, how a member of a jury got his fellow jurors to view an open-and-shut case differently, and what a doctor found they needed to do to engage with a vaccine sceptic.

Above all, he reveals the techniques we can all master to successfully connect with others, however tricky the circumstances. Packed with fascinating case studies and drawing on cutting-edge research, this book will change the way you think about what you say, and how you say it.]]> 320 Charles Duhigg Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.00 2024 Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
author: Charles Duhigg
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/18
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]]> <![CDATA[Salty: Lessons on Eating, Drinking, and Living from Revolutionary Women]]> 58495632 194 Alissa Wilkinson 1506473555 Tinasinfocastle 0 currently-reading 3.64 2022 Salty: Lessons on Eating, Drinking, and Living from Revolutionary Women
author: Alissa Wilkinson
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> The Heart of Winter 211025449
Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke were never meant to be together—at least if you ask Ruth. Yet their catastrophic blind date in college evolved into a seventy-year marriage and a life on a farm on Bainbridge Island with their hens and beloved Labrador, Megs. Through the years, the Winters have fallen in and out of lockstep, and from their haunting losses and guarded secrets, a dependable partnership has been forged.

But when Ruth’s loose tooth turns out to be something much more malicious, the beautiful, reliable life they’ve created together comes to a crisis. As Ruth struggles with her crumbling independence, Abe must learn how to take care of her while their three living children question his ability to look after his wife. And once again, the couple has to reconfigure how to be there for each other.

In this bighearted and profound portrait of a marriage, Jonathan Evison explores seventy years of big moments in subtle ways, elegantly braiding the Winters� turbulent history with their present-day battles, showing us how the oddly paired college kids became parents, fell apart and back together, andgrew into the Abe and Ruth of today. Endlessly heartwarming and moving, The Heart of Winter is a reminder that true love lives in small, everyday moments.]]> 368 Jonathan Evison 059347354X Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.09 2025 The Heart of Winter
author: Jonathan Evison
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: to-read
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]]> Open Throat 62039259 A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion narrates this star-making fever dream of a novel.

A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by humanity’s foibles, the lion spends their days protecting the welfare of a nearby homeless encampment, observing obnoxious hikers complain about their trauma, and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities of their gender identity, memories of a vicious father, and the indignities of sentience. “I have so much language in my brain,� our lion says, “and nowhere to put it.�

When a man-made fire engulfs the encampment, the lion is forced from the hills down into the city the hikers call “ellay.� As the lion confronts a carousel of temptations and threats, they take us on a tour that spans the cruel inequalities of Los Angeles and the toll of climate grief, while scrambling to avoid earthquakes, floods, and the noise of their own conflicted psyche. But even when salvation finally seems within reach, they are forced to face down the ultimate question: Do they want to eat a person, or become one?

In elegiac prose woven with humor, imagination, sensuality, and tragedy, Henry Hoke’s Open Throat is a marvel of storytelling, a universal journey through a wondrous and menacing world told by a lovable mountain lion. Both feral and vulnerable, profound and playful, Open Throat is a star-making novel that brings mythmaking to real life.]]> 160 Henry Hoke 037460987X Tinasinfocastle 5 audio 4.02 2023 Open Throat
author: Henry Hoke
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: audio
review:

]]> The Close-up 207295008 A struggling author discovers the dark side of fame when a stalker begins reenacting violent events from her thriller in this electrifying and twisty new novel.

When Zoe Ann Weiss moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, her whole future is wide open. But then Zach, the bartender and aspiring actor she’s falling for, ghosts her. Her debut novel, a thriller, fails. And she has writer’s block worse than ever before. Now, three years later, Zach is famous and Zoe is... not.

She’s facing her thirtieth birthday, a dead-end job at a flower shop, and a demanding agent, terrified she’ll never get her life back on track. But when she goes to make a flower delivery and Zach is at the address, it’s like no time has passed at all. They start casually dating in secret, her writer’s block disappears, and Zoe begins to feel Zach inspired her first novel, so why can’t he inspire her second? But then the inevitable happens and photos are leaked, landing Zoe in the press. Her first novel goes viral, and now everyone seems to know her name. Except the problem with everyone knowing your name is that everyone knows your name—including the mysterious stalker obsessed with Zach. A stalker who begins reenacting violent events from Zoe’s book, step by step, against her...]]> 352 Pip Drysdale 1668037920 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.49 2024 The Close-up
author: Pip Drysdale
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> When the Cranes Fly South 221251872 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER (Sweden) � A profoundly moving debut novel that follows an elderly man’s struggle to maintain autonomy over his own an emotional story of love, friendship, fatherhood, and atonement that is already an international sensation.

“A tender tale about aging, our own and others, and the quiet brutality of love. About what being a man is, and what being a human is, about fathers and sons and fathers and dogs. It’s a book for anyone who’s had to say goodbye.”—Fredrik Backman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove

“A powerful, sneakily emotional meditation on life and death, and the foundational relationships in our lives. This is a book that will echo in your soul.� —Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain


Bo is running out of time. Yet time is one of the few things he’s got left. These days, his quiet existence is broken up only by daily visits from his homeĚýcare team. Fortunately, he still has his beloved elkhound Sixten to keep him company â€� though now his son, with whom Bo has had a rocky relationship, insists upon taking theĚýdog away, claiming that Bo has grown too old to properly care for him. The threat of losing Sixten stirs up a whirlwind of emotion, leading Bo to take stock of his life, his relationships, and the imperfect way he’s expressed his love over the years.]]> 320 Lisa RidzĂ©n Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.50 2024 When the Cranes Fly South
author: Lisa Ridzén
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs]]> 28440194 «Жінки, яким приŃвячено цю книгŃ, віком від дев’ятнадцятĐ� Đ´Đľ дев’яноŃŃ‚Đ� чотирьох років, â€� ŃŹŃкравий приклад того, ким можна Ńтати, наполегливо працюючи Ń‚Đ° підтримŃючи одна однŃ. Їхній Đ±Ń–Đ·Đ˝ĐµŃ Ń‚Đ°ĐşĐľĐ¶ вражає розмаїттям: молоді чимраз Đ´Ńжчі Ńтартапи, компанії Đ· багатолітнім Đ´ĐľŃвідом, індивідŃальні бізнеŃ-ініціативи, більŃŃ– корпорації Đ· Ńотнями Ńпівробітниківâ€� ІŃторія кожної жінки Ńнікальна, проте червоні нитки жіночих Ńляхів практично однакові: долати Ń‚Ń€Ńднощі, ŃамотŃжки дертиŃŃŹ на верŃĐ¸Đ˝Ń Đą ŃŃвідомлювати потŃжніŃŃ‚ŃŚ Ńпільної роботи для Đ·Đ´Ń–ĐąŃнення мрій. ĐŻĐş чаŃŃ‚Đľ жінки надихали одна ĐľĐ´Đ˝Ń Ń– Ńтавали взірцями для майбŃтніх поколінь! Đ‘ŃĐ´ŃŚ-яка Đ· цих жінок здатна надихнŃти на зроŃтання в Ńлюбленій Ńправі, Đ° разом вони â€� потŃжний Ń– беззаперечний чинник впливŃ.», - ŇŃ€ĐµĐąŃ Đ‘ĐľĐ˝Đ˝Ń–
«Мені хочетьŃŃŹ вирвати ĐşĐľĐ¶Đ˝Ń ŃŃ‚ĐľŃ€Ń–Đ˝ĐşŃ Đ· цієї чŃдової книги Đą повіŃити Ńобі на ŃŃ‚Ń–Đ˝Ń, аби бŃти в оточенні цих неймовірних жінок цілий день», - Đ•ĐĽĐĽĐ° ШтраŃб, авторка беŃŃ‚Ńелера New York Times «Відпочивальники Ń‚Đ° коханці»
«Я вірю в ŃĐ¸Đ»Ń Đ¶Ń–Đ˝ĐľŃ‡ĐľĐłĐľ підприємництва, Ń– на прикладі Đ’ŃŃ–. Свої бачŃ, яка ця Ńила потŃжна. Ця книга точно може Ńтати натхненням Ń– поŃтовхом для багатьох жінок, які наразі тільки планŃŃŽŃ‚ŃŚ відкрити влаŃĐ˝Ń ŃправŃ. І Ńьогодні ŃŹ би радила вŃŃ–ĐĽ таким дівчатам Ń‚Đ° жінкам: проŃŃ‚Đľ починайте діяти, бо найŃтраŃніŃе â€� зробити перŃий крок. Đ‘Ńдьте впевнені в Ńобі, довіряйте Ńвоїм ідеям Ń‚Đ° інколи дозволяйте Ńобі помилятиŃŃŹ! Якщо ви вагаєтеŃŃŹ, чи йти Đ·Đ° Ńвоєю мрією â€� Đ° чи податиŃŃŹ Đ·Đ° чŃжою, вам ця книга точно потрібна.», - Ганна Đ›Ńковкіна.]]> 360 Grace Bonney 1579655971 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.20 2016 In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs
author: Grace Bonney
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You]]> 40854717 From the creator and star of Hamilton, with beautiful illustrations by Jonny Sun, comes a book of affirmations to inspire readers at the beginning and end of each day.

Good morning. Do NOT get stuck in the comments section of life today. Make, do, create the things. Let others tussle it out. Vamos!

Before he inspired the world with Hamilton and was catapulted to international fame, Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspiring his Twitter followers with words of encouragement at the beginning and end of each day. He wrote these original sayings, aphorisms, and poetry for himself as much as for others. But as Miranda's audience grew, these messages took on a life on their own. Now Miranda has gathered the best of his daily greetings into a beautiful collection illustrated by acclaimed artist (and fellow Twitter favorite) Jonny Sun.

Full of comfort and motivation, Gmorning, Gnight! is a touchstone for anyone who needs a quick lift.]]> 224 Lin-Manuel Miranda 1984854283 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.23 2018 Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You
author: Lin-Manuel Miranda
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
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]]> Salty 219494891 A hilarious page-turner from the bestselling author of Excavations, Salty takes us to a tropical marina where two estranged sisters reunite to work on a luxury yacht and take down the owner who destroyed their childhood home—and might have something to do with the dead body found next door.

Captain Denise is more comfortable facing down a stingray than a party guest, though she’s punched both in recent memory. She’s been at the helm of these boats for half her life, back and forth across the Caribbean, and risen the ranks thanks to one never, ever mix with the owners.

Her sister Helen is a walking HR violation, one of many reasons the two haven’t seen each other in years. Helen just got fired for the dozenth time for hooking up with a client and with every bridge burned, retreats home to work for Denise.Ěý

The clashing sisters are immediately thrown into the deep—their first charter is the Falcon family, shady real estate developers who mowed down Helen and Denise’s childhood home to build condos along the beautiful peninsula here. The Falcons treat everyone like pawns—from their future daughter-in-law, gullible Poppy, who has no idea what she’s marrying into, to the uptight yacht concierge, Geoff, who’s looking for love in very wrong places.

When the latest Falcon building collapses—and a dead body turns up beside it—Helen and Denise comb through the boat, marina, and beyond to uncover just how low the Falcons will sink in order to stay afloat—before the big storm wipes out the evidence.]]> 320 Kate Myers 0063385481 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.18 Salty
author: Kate Myers
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
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]]> Alchemised 222490389 In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.

“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.�

Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.

In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile, undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.

According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?

To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.]]> 1040 SenLinYu 0593972708 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.61 2025 Alchemised
author: SenLinYu
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> A Very Punchable Face 48989372
From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights� (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump.

You’ll also discover things about Jost that will surprise and confuse you, like how Jimmy Buffett saved his life, how Czech teenagers attacked him with potato salad, how an insect laid eggs inside his legs, and how he competed in a twenty-five-man match at WrestleMania (and almost won). You’ll go behind the scenes at SNL and Weekend Update (where he’s written some of the most memorable sketches and jokes of the past fifteen years). And you’ll experience the life of a touring stand-up comedian—from performing in rural college cafeterias at noon to opening for Dave Chappelle at Radio City Music Hall.

For every accomplishment (hosting the Emmys), there is a setback (hosting the Emmys). And for every absurd moment (watching paramedics give CPR to a raccoon), there is an honest, emotional one (recounting his mother’s experience on the scene of the Twin Towers� collapse on 9/11). Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television, and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy—with a face you can’t help but want to punch.]]> 312 Colin Jost 1101906324 Tinasinfocastle 0 audio 4.20 2020 A Very Punchable Face
author: Colin Jost
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: audio
review:

]]> Hard Target (Cobra Elite, #1) 44773650
Jenna Hamilton doesn’t need a bodyguard, especially not one hired by her intrusive and controlling father. She knew the risks when she signed on to work in rural Afghanistan, and the hospital already has armed security. She also doesn’t need the distraction of a big, brooding operative skulking about, even if he is her late brother’s best friend—and sexy as hell. As far as she’s concerned, he can pack up his Humvee and drive into the sunset. And, no, nothing her hormones have to say about him will change her mind.

From the moment his boots hit the ground in Afghanistan, Derek does his best to win Jenna over, posing as her brother so the two of them can spend time alone. Except that what he feels for her is anything but brotherly. Stolen moments lead to secret kisses—and an undeniable sexual attraction that shakes them both to the core. But events have been set into motion that they cannot escape. When a ruthless warlord sets his sights on Jenna, Derek will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it costs him his heart—or his life.]]> 261 Pamela Clare 1733525114 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.15 2019 Hard Target (Cobra Elite, #1)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
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]]> Glory in Death (In Death, #2) 268601
Even in the mid-twenty-first century, during a time when genetic testing usually weeds out any violent hereditary traits before they can take over, murder still happens. The first victim is found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second is murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with a long list of suspects -- including her own lover, Roarke.]]> 296 J.D. Robb 0425150984 Tinasinfocastle 0 audio 4.24 1995 Glory in Death (In Death, #2)
author: J.D. Robb
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
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]]> <![CDATA[Immortal in Death (In Death, #3)]]> 238126 345 J.D. Robb 0749934085 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, audio 4.25 1996 Immortal in Death (In Death, #3)
author: J.D. Robb
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1996
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read, audio
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]]> Love Lettering 44792512
A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out—before he leaves New York for good—how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline, a fractured friendship, and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other about their lives, work, and regrets, both try to ignore the fact that their unlikely connection is growing deeper. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late . . .]]> 307 Kate Clayborn 1496725174 Tinasinfocastle 0 wsirn-podcast, audio 3.62 2019 Love Lettering
author: Kate Clayborn
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: wsirn-podcast, audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America]]> 203579067 Part memoir, part manifesto, the inspiring story of a Louisiana librarian advocating for inclusivity on the front lines of our vicious culture wars. One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person's sense of self. So in 2022, when she caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content,� she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing. Amanda Jones has been called a groomer, a pedo, and a porn-pusher; she has faced death threats and attacks from strangers and friends alike. Her decision to support a collection of books with diverse perspectives made her a target for extremists using book banning campaigns-funded by dark money organizations and advanced by hard right politicians-in a crusade to make America more white, straight, and Christian. But Amanda Jones wouldn't give up without a she sued her harassers for defamation and urged others to join her in the resistance. Mapping the book banning crisis occurring all across the nation, That Librarian draws the battle lines in the war against equity and inclusion, calling book lovers everywhere to rise in defense of our readers.]]> 288 Amanda Jones 1639733531 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.80 2024 That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America
author: Amanda Jones
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling]]> 165938555
Political instability, poverty, climate change,ĚýandĚýtheĚýinsatiable appetite for cheap labor all fuel clandestine movement across borders. As those borders harden, the demandĚýfor smugglers whoĚýaid migrants across them increases every year. Yet the real lives and work of smugglers—or coyotes , or guides, as they are often known by the migrants who hire their services—are only ever reported on from a distance, using tired tropes and stereotypes, often depicted as boogie men and violent warlords. In an effort to better understand this essential yet extralegal billion dollar global industry, internationally recognized anthropologist and expert Jason DeĚýLeĂłn embedded with a group of smugglers moving migrants across Mexico over the course of seven years.

The result of this unique and extraordinary access is SOLDIERS AND the first ever in-depth, character-driven look at human smuggling. It is a heart-wrenching and intimate narrative that revolves around the life and death of one coyote who falls in love and tries to leave smuggling behind. In a powerful, original voice, DeĚýLeĂłn expertly chronicles the lives of low-level foot soldiers breaking into the smuggling game, and morally conflicted gang leaders who oversee rag-tag crews of guides and informants along the migrant trail. SOLDIERS AND KINGS is not only a ground-breaking up-close glimpse of a difficult-to-access world, it is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction.]]> 367 Jason De LeĂłn 0593298586 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.31 2024 Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling
author: Jason De LeĂłn
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice]]> 61111247 A haunting, unforgettable memoir about a beloved younger sister and the painful memory of her murder, from one of Mexico's greatest living writers (Jonathan Lethem).

Can you enjoy yourself while you are in pain? The question, which is not new, arises over and over again during that eternity that is mourning.



In the early hours of July 16, 1990, Liliana Rivera Garza was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend. A life full of promise and hope, cut tragically short, Liliana's story instead became subsumed into Mexico's dark and relentless history of domestic violence. With Liliana's case file abandoned by a corrupt criminal justice system, her family, including her older sister Cristina, was forced to process their grief and guilt in private, without any hope for justice.

In luminous, poetic prose, Rivera Garza tells a singular yet universally resonant story: that of a spirited, wondrously hopeful young woman who tried to survive in a world of increasingly normalized gendered violence. It traces the story of her childhood, her early romance with a handsome--but possessive and short-tempered--man, through the exhilarating weeks leading up to that fateful July morning, a summer when Liliana loved, thought, and traveled more widely and freely than she ever had before.

Using her remarkable talents as a scholar, novelist, and poet, Cristina Rivera Garza returns to Mexico after decades of living in the United States to collect and curate evidence--handwritten letters, police reports, school notebooks, architectural blueprints--in order to render and understand a life beyond the crime itself. Tracing the full arc of their childhood and adolescence in central Mexico, through the painful and confusing years after Liliana's death, Rivera Garza confronts the trauma of losing her sister, and examines from multiple angles how this tragedy continues to shape who she is--and what she fights for--today.]]> 320 Cristina Rivera Garza 0593244095 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.98 2021 Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice
author: Cristina Rivera Garza
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> Lovely One: A Memoir 203164398 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � In her inspiring, intimate memoir, the first Black woman to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States chronicles her extraordinary life story.

With this unflinching account, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson invites readers into her life and world, tracing her family’s ascent from segregation to her confirmation on America’s highest court within the span of one generation.

Named “Ketanji Onyika,� meaning “Lovely One,� based on a suggestion from her aunt, a Peace Corps worker stationed in West Africa, Justice Jackson learned from her educator parents to take pride in her heritage since birth. She describes her resolve as a young girl to honor this legacy and realize her dreams: from hearing stories of her grandparents and parents breaking barriers in the segregated South, to honing her voice in high school as an oratory champion and student body president, to graduating magna cum laude from Harvard, where she performed in musical theater and improv and participated in pivotal student organizations.

Here, Justice Jackson pulls back the curtain, marrying the public record of her life with what is less known. She reveals what it takes to advance in the legal profession when most people in power don’t look like you, and to reconcile a demanding career with the joys and sacrifices of marriage and motherhood.

Through trials and triumphs, Justice Jackson’s journey will resonate with dreamers everywhere, especially those who nourish outsized ambitions and refuse to be turned aside. This moving, open-hearted tale will spread hope for a more just world, for generations to come.]]> 432 Ketanji Brown Jackson 0593729900 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.45 2024 Lovely One: A Memoir
author: Ketanji Brown Jackson
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Book of Doors 156480764
In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favourite customer. It's a book - an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door .

What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.

But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals - individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.

Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons - a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .

Because some doors should never be opened.]]> 408 Gareth Brown 1787637247 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.03 2024 The Book of Doors
author: Gareth Brown
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico]]> 218569832 A revelatory history of the vast tequila empire born from the fires of the Mexican Revolution.


At the dawn of the twentieth century, José Cuervo inherited his family’s humble distillery in the Tequila Valley; within a decade, he had transformed it into a complex national enterprise that would become Mexico’s leading producer of tequila. Cuervo built this kingdom of agave with ingenuity and grit. He brought electricity and a railroad line to Tequila, but when the Mexican Revolution erupted, that wealth put a target on his back. His arrest and the death threat against him by Pancho Villa forced Cuervo to flee, and his disappearance turned him into an obscure, shadowy historical figure. Award-winning author Ted Genoways restores Cuervo to his place as a key player in Mexico’s formative period. Genoways also reveals how Cuervo favored “a union of tequila makers� in what would become the first Mexican cartel. Tequila Wars uncovers the history of the man who would forever change not only the business of tequila, but cross-border commerce and conflict.]]> 368 Ted Genoways 0393292592 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.10 Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico
author: Ted Genoways
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> Under Currents 42289976
Zane Bigelow grew up in a beautiful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Strangers and even Zane’s own aunt across the lake see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children’s ballet recitals and baseball games. Only Zane and his sister know the truth, until one brutal night finally reveals cracks in the facade, and Zane escapes for college without a thought of looking back...

Years later, Zane returns to his hometown determined to reconnect with the place and people that mean so much to him, despite the painful memories. As he resumes life in the colorful town, he meets a gifted landscape artist named Darby, who is on the run from ghosts of her own.

Together they will have to teach each other what it means to face the past, and stand up for the ones they love.]]> 448 Nora Roberts 1250207096 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.04 2019 Under Currents
author: Nora Roberts
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
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]]> Deacon King Kong 51045613 The funny, sharp, and surprising story of the shooting of a Brooklyn drug dealer and the people who witnessed it—from James McBride, author of the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird

In September 1969, a fumbling, cranky old church deacon known in the neighborhood as Sportcoat shuffles into the courtyard of the Causeway Housing project in south Brooklyn, pulls a .38 from his pocket, and in front of everybody shoots the project's drug dealer at point-blank range.

The reasons for this desperate burst of violence and the consequences that spring from it lie at the heart of Deacon King Kong, James McBride's novel and his first since his National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird. In McBride brings to vivid life the people affected by the shooting: the victim, the African-American and Latinx residents who witnessed it, the white neighbors, the local NYPD cops assigned to investigate what happened, the members of the Five Ends Baptist Church where Sportcoat was deacon, the neighborhood's Italian mobsters, and Sportcoat himself.

As the story deepens, it becomes clear that the lives of the characters—caught in the tumultuous swirl of New York in the late 1960s—overlap in unexpected ways. When the truth finally emerges, McBride shows us that not all secrets can be hidden, that the best way to grow is to face change without fear, and that the seeds of love lie in compassion and hope.]]> 370 James McBride 073521672X Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 4.11 2020 Deacon King Kong
author: James McBride
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read, wsirn-podcast
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]]> What Could Be Saved 54304018 An enthralling, redemptive novel set in Bangkok in 1972 and Washington, DC, in 2019 about an expatriate child who goes missing, whose family is contacted decades later by a man claiming to be the vanished boy.

Washington, DC, 2019: Laura Preston is a reclusive artist at odds with her older sister Bea as their elegant, formidable mother slowly slides into dementia. When a stranger contacts Laura claiming to be her brother who disappeared forty years earlier when the family lived in Bangkok, Laura ignores Bea’s warnings of a scam and flies to Thailand to see if it can be true. But meeting him in person leads to more questions than answers.

Bangkok, 1972: Genevieve and Robert Preston live in a beautiful house behind a high wall, raising their three children with the help of a cadre of servants. In these exotic surroundings, Genevieve strives to create a semblance of the life they would have had at home in the US—ballet and riding classes for the children, impeccable dinner parties, a meticulously kept home. But in truth, Robert works for American intelligence, Genevieve finds herself drawn into a passionate affair with her husband’s boss, and their serene household is vulnerable to unseen dangers of a rapidly changing world and a country they don’t really understand.

Alternating between past and present as all of the secrets are revealed, What Could Be Saved is an unforgettable novel about a family shattered by loss and betrayal, and the beauty and hope that can exist even in the midst of brokenness.]]> 450 Liese O'Halloran Schwarz 1982150610 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.92 2021 What Could Be Saved
author: Liese O'Halloran Schwarz
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read, wsirn-podcast
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]]> <![CDATA[Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered, #1)]]> 50609265
After an injury ends Travis Ford’s major league baseball career, he returns home to start over. He just wants to hammer out his frustrations at his new construction gig and forget all about his glory days. But he can’t even walk through town without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his� bat. And then there’s Georgie, his buddy’s little sister, who is definitely not a kid anymore.

Georgette Castle has crushed on her older brother’s best friend for years. The grumpy, bear of a man working for her family’s house flipping business is a far cry from the charming sports star she used to know. But a moody scowl doesn’t scare her and Georgie’s determined to show Travis he’s more than a pretty face and a batting average, even if it means putting her feelings aside to be “just friends.�

Travis wants to brood in peace. But the girl he used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman who makes him feel whole again. And he wants her. So damn bad. Except Georgie’s off limits and he knows he can’t give her what she deserves. But she’s becoming the air he breathes and Travis can’t stay away, no matter how hard he tries...]]> 388 Tessa Bailey Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.83 2019 Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read, wsirn-podcast
review:

]]> <![CDATA[You Had Me at Hola (Primas of Power, #1)]]> 52886627 RITA® Award Winning author Alexis Daria brings readers an unforgettable, hilarious rom-com set in the drama-filled world of telenovelas—perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin and The Kiss Quotient.

Leading Ladies do not end up on tabloid covers.Ěý

After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Planâ€� should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez.Ěý

Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy.Ěý

After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had.Ěý

Leading Ladies do not rebound with their new costars.Ěý

With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.

Ěý]]> 384 Alexis Daria 006295993X Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.66 2020 You Had Me at Hola (Primas of Power, #1)
author: Alexis Daria
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read, wsirn-podcast
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy]]> 52140807
Is America destined to always be a violent nation? This sweeping history by U.S. senator Chris Murphy explores the origins of our violent impulses, the roots of our obsession with firearms, and the mythologies that prevent us from confronting our national crisis.
Ěý
In many ways, the United States sets the pace for other nations to follow. Yet on the most important human concern—the need to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe from physical harm—America isn’t a leader. We are disturbingly laggard. To confront this problem, we must first understand it. In this carefully researched and deeply emotional book, Senator Chris Murphy dissects our country’s violence-filled history and the role that our unique obsession with firearms plays in this national epidemic.Ěý
Ěý
Murphy tells the story of his profound personal transformation in the wake of the mass murder at Newtown, and his subsequent immersion in the complicated web of influences that drive American violence. Murphy comes to the conclusion that while America’s relationship to violence is indeed unique, America is not inescapably violent. Even as he details the reasons we’ve tolerated so much bloodshed for so long, he explains that we have the power to change. Murphy takes on the familiar arguments, obliterates the stale talking points, and charts the way to a fresh, less polarized conversation about violence and the weapons that enable it—a conversation we urgently need in order to transform the national dialogue and save lives.]]> 384 Chris Murphy 1984854577 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 4.38 2020 The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy
author: Chris Murphy
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read, wsirn-podcast
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]]> Clap When You Land 50818439 In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people�

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.Ěý

Plus don't miss Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X and With the Fire on High!]]> 432 Elizabeth Acevedo 0062882783 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 4.34 2020 Clap When You Land
author: Elizabeth Acevedo
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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]]> American Spy 40274582
It's 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She's brilliant, but she's also a young black woman working in an old boys' club. Her career has stalled out, she's overlooked for every high-profile squad, and her days are filled with monotonous paperwork. So when she's given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic, revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes. Yes, even though she secretly admires the work Thomas is doing for his country. Yes, even though she is still grieving over the mysterious death of her sister, whose example led Marie to this career path in the first place. Yes, even though a furious part of her suspects she's being offered the job because of her appearance and not her talent.

In the year that follows, Marie will observe Thomas, seduce him, and ultimately have a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, a sister, and a good American.

Inspired by true events -- Thomas Sankara is known as “Africa's Che Guevara� -- this novel knits together a gripping spy thriller, a heartbreaking family drama, and a passionate romance. This is a face of the Cold War you've never seen before, and it introduces a powerful new literary voice.]]> 292 Lauren Wilkinson 0812998952 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.45 2019 American Spy
author: Lauren Wilkinson
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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]]> <![CDATA[What If Fungi Win? (Johns Hopkins Wavelengths)]]> 189844549 � Oregon's ancient 2,384-acre Armillaria ostoyae ―Earth's largest organism
� the rye fungus ergot that may have fueled the Salem witch trials
� mushrooms used to create vegan leather and eco-friendly packaging, as well as plastic-consuming fungi
� why it's critical that funding institutions pay attention to fungal risks and aid scientists in their work.]]> 224 Arturo Casadevall 1421449005 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.11 What If Fungi Win? (Johns Hopkins Wavelengths)
author: Arturo Casadevall
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.11
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]]> <![CDATA[Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters, #1)]]> 43884209
� Enjoy a drunken night out.
� Ride a motorcycle.
� Go camping.
� Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
� Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
� And... do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford â€Redâ€� Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…]]> 384 Talia Hibbert 0062941208 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.78 2019 Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters, #1)
author: Talia Hibbert
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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]]> Playing House (Uptown, #1) 44662244
Maybe more than a bit.

Geeking out over architectural details is Oliver and Fay's shared love language, and soon they're touring pricey real estate across Upper Manhattan as the terribly faux but terribly charming couple Darling and Olly.

For the first time since being laid off from the job he loved, Oliver has something to look forward to. And for the first time since her divorce, Fay's having fun.

Somewhere between the light-filled living rooms and spacious closets they've explored, this faux relationship just may have sparked some very real feelings.]]> 206 Ruby Lang 1488055092 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.16 2019 Playing House (Uptown, #1)
author: Ruby Lang
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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]]> The Ex Talk 53415121
When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it's this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it's not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.

As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.]]> 345 Rachel Lynn Solomon Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.67 2021 The Ex Talk
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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]]> <![CDATA[Neanderthal Seeks Human (Knitting in the City, #1)]]> 52422311 There are three things you need to know about Janie Morris:
1) She is incapable of engaging in a conversation without volunteering TMTI (Too Much Trivial Information), especially when she is unnerved,
2) No one unnerves her more than Quinn Sullivan, and
3) She doesn't know how to knit.

After losing her boyfriend, apartment, and job in the same day, Janie Morris can't help wondering what new torment fate has in store.

To her utter mortification, Quinn Sullivan—aka Sir McHotpants—witnesses it all then keeps turning up like a pair of shoes you lust after but can't afford. The last thing she expects is for Quinn to make her an offer she can't refuse.

Neanderthal Seeks Human is book #1 in the Knitting in the City series. Each book is a standalone, full length, contemporary romantic comedy novel, and follows the misadventures and exploits of seven friends in Chicago, all members of the same knitting group.]]> 372 Penny Reid Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.79 2013 Neanderthal Seeks Human (Knitting in the City, #1)
author: Penny Reid
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Catch a Queen (Runaway Royals, #1)]]> 199793696
When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it’s nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.

A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren’t. He agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn’t expect to actually fall in love. Even more vexing? His beguiling new queen seems to have the answers to his country’s problems—except no one will listen to her.

By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people and to catch his queen.]]> 384 Alyssa Cole 0063383438 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.48 2020 How to Catch a Queen (Runaway Royals, #1)
author: Alyssa Cole
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Remedial Rocket Science (Chemistry Lessons, #1)]]> 35430572
The last thing Melody expects when she accepts a dream job offer is to run into her college one-night stand again. Not only does the hunky blast from her past work at the same aerospace company where she's just started in the IT department, he's the CEO's son.

Jeremy's got a girlfriend and a reputation as a bad boy, so Melody resolves to keep her distance and focus on building a new life for herself in Los Angeles. But despite her good intentions, she can't seem to stay away from the heavenly-smelling paragon of hotness.

As the two begin to forge an unlikely friendship, Melody's attraction to Jeremy grows deeper than she's ready to admit. Can the woman who always plays it safe take a risk on the man who's all wrong for her in all the right ways?]]> 262 Susannah Nix Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.60 2017 Remedial Rocket Science (Chemistry Lessons, #1)
author: Susannah Nix
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> The History of Sound 199373354
In twelve luminous stories set across three centuries, The History of Sound examines the unexpected ways the past returns to us and how love and loss are entwined and transformed over generations. In Ben Shattuck's ingenious collection, each story has a companion story, which contains a revelation about the previous, paired story. Mysteries and murders are revealed, history is refracted, and deep emotional connections are woven through characters and families.

The haunting title story recalls the journey of two men who meet around a piano in a smoky, dim bar, only to spend a summer walking the Maine woods collecting folk songs in the shadow of the First World War, forever marked by the odyssey. Decades later, in another story, a woman discovers the wax cylinders recorded that fateful summer while cleaning out her new house in Maine. Shattuck’s inventive, exquisite stories transport readers from 1700s Nantucket to the contemporary woods of New Hampshire and beyond—into landscapes both enduring and unmistakably modern. Memories, artifacts, paintings, and journals resurface in surprising and poignant ways among evocative beaches, forests, and orchards, revealing the secrets, misunderstandings, and love that linger across centuries.

Written with breathtaking humanity and humor, The History of Sound is a love letter to New England, a radiant conversation between past and present, and a moving meditation on the abiding search for home.]]> 320 Ben Shattuck 059349038X Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, audio 4.36 2024 The History of Sound
author: Ben Shattuck
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America]]> 1869
Millions of Americans work for poverty-level wages, and one day Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that any job equals a better life. But how can anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 to $7 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, taking the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing-home aide, and Wal-Mart salesperson. She soon discovered that even the "lowliest" occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts. And one job is not enough; you need at least two if you intend to live indoors.

Nickel and Dimed reveals low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity -- a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate strategies for survival. Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book is changing the way America perceives its working poor.]]> 240 Barbara Ehrenreich 0805063897 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.65 2001 Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
author: Barbara Ehrenreich
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2001
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
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]]> <![CDATA[A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding]]> 25194121 In the tradition of Memoirs of a Geisha and The Piano Teacher, a heart-wrenching debut novel of family, forgiveness, and the exquisite pain of love
Ěý
When Amaterasu Takahashi opens the door of her Philadelphia home to a badly scarred man claiming to be her grandson, she doesn’t believe him. Her grandson and her daughter, Yuko, perished nearly forty years ago during the bombing of Nagasaki. But the man carries with him a collection of sealed private letters that open a Pandora’s Box of family secrets Ama had sworn to leave behind when she fled Japan. She is forced to confront her memories of the years before the war: of the daughter she tried too hard to protect and the love affair that would drive them apart, and even further back, to the long, sake-pouring nights at a hostess bar where Ama first learned that a soft heart was a dangerous thing. Will Ama allow herself to believe in a miracle?]]> 292 Jackie Copleton 0143128256 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.94 2015 A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding
author: Jackie Copleton
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding: The compelling Richard and Judy Summer Book Club winner]]> 144739724 300 Jackie Copleton (Author) Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.00 A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding: The compelling Richard and Judy Summer Book Club winner
author: Jackie Copleton (Author)
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.00
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]]> Crow Mary 62918680
In 1872, sixteen-year-old Goes First, a Crow Native woman, marries Abe Farwell, a white fur trader. He gives her the name Mary, and they set off on the long trip to his trading post in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan, Canada. Along the way, she finds a fast friend in a Métis named Jeannie; makes a lifelong enemy in a wolfer named Stiller; and despite learning a dark secret of Farwell’s past, falls in love with her husband.

The winter trading season passes peacefully. Then, on the eve of their return to Montana, a group of drunken whiskey traders slaughters forty Nakota—despite Farwell’s efforts to stop them. Mary, hiding from the hail of bullets, sees the murderers, including Stiller, take five Nakota women back to their fort. She begs Farwell to save them, and when he refuses, Mary takes two guns, creeps into the fort, and saves the women from certain death. Thus, she sets off a whirlwind of colliding cultures that brings out the worst and best in the cast of unforgettable characters and pushes the love between Farwell and Crow Mary to the breaking point.

Crow Mary sweeps across decades and the landscape of the upper West and Canada, showcasing the beauty of the natural world, while at the same time probing the intimacies of a marriage and one woman’s heart.]]> 348 Kathleen Grissom 1476748470 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.28 2023 Crow Mary
author: Kathleen Grissom
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
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]]> The Soul of a Woman 54075385 From the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea comes a passionate and inspiring meditation on what it means to be a woman.

"When I say that I was a feminist in kindergarten, I am not exaggerating," begins Isabel Allende. As a child, she watched her mother, abandoned by her husband, provide for her three small children without "resources or voice." Isabel became a fierce and defiant little girl, determined to fight for the life her mother couldn't have.

As a young woman coming of age in the late 1960s, she rode the first wave of feminism. Among a tribe of like-minded female journalists, she for the first time felt comfortable in her own skin, as they wrote "with a knife between their teeth" about women's issues. She has seen what has been accomplished by the movement in the course of her lifetime. And over the course of three passionate marriages, she has learned how to grow as a woman while having a partner, when to step away, and the rewards of embracing one's sexuality.

So what do women want? To be safe, to be valued, to live in peace, to have their own resources, to be connected, to have control over their bodies and lives, and above all, to be loved. On all these fronts, there is much work to be done, and this book, Allende hopes, will "light the torch of our daughters and granddaughters with mine. They will have to live for us, as we lived for our mothers, and carry on with the work still left to be finished."]]> 174 Isabel Allende 0593355628 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.99 2020 The Soul of a Woman
author: Isabel Allende
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
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]]> <![CDATA[The Girl in His Shadow (Nora Beady, #1)]]> 54717137 The story of one woman who believed in scientific medicine before the world believed in her

Raised by the eccentric surgeon Dr. Horace Croft after losing her parents to a deadly pandemic, the orphan Nora Beady knows little about conventional life. While other young ladies were raised to busy themselves with needlework and watercolors, Nora was trained to perfect her suturing and anatomical illustrations of dissections.

Women face dire consequences if caught practicing medicine, but in Croft's private clinic Nora is his most trusted--and secret--assistant. That is until the new surgical resident Dr. Daniel Gibson arrives. Dr. Gibson has no idea that Horace's bright and quiet young ward is a surgeon more qualified and ingenuitive than even himself. In order to protect Dr. Croft and his practice from scandal and collapse Nora must learn to play a new and uncomfortable role--that of a proper young lady.

But pretense has its limits. Nora cannot turn away and ignore the suffering of patients even if it means giving Gibson the power to ruin everything she's worked for. And when she makes a discovery that could change the field forever, Nora faces an impossible choice. Remain invisible and let the men around her take credit for her work, or let the world see her for what she is--even if it means being destroyed by her own legacy.]]> 384 Audrey Blake 1728228727 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.08 2021 The Girl in His Shadow (Nora Beady, #1)
author: Audrey Blake
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> Fatal Throne 31123244 Fatal Throne, a book about Henry VIII and his six wives, coordinated by Candace Fleming. Fleming and six other authors will each contribute a story from different points of view: M.T. Anderson, Jennifer Donnelly, Stephanie Hemphill, Deborah Hopkinson, Linda Sue Park, and Lisa Ann Sandell.]]> Candace Fleming Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.96 2018 Fatal Throne
author: Candace Fleming
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
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]]> <![CDATA[Grace (The Shackleford Sisters #1)]]> 59741656 An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here

In this funny romantic series, the Shackleford sisters descend on a Regency society that don’t know what’s hit them�

....Reverend Augustus Shackleford’s mission in life (aside from ensuring the collection box was suitably full every Sunday) was to secure advantageous marriages for each of his eight daughters. A tall order, given the fact that in the Reverend’s opinion they didn’t possess a single ladylike bone in the eight bodies they had between them. Quite where he would find a wealthy titled gentleman bottle headed enough to take any of them on remained a mystery and indeed was likely to test even his legendary resourcefulness.

....Grievously wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar, Nicholas Sinclair was only recently returned to Blackmore after receiving news of his estranged father’s unexpected death. After an absence of twenty years, the new Duke was well aware it was his duty to marry and produce an heir as quickly as possible. However, tormented by recurring nightmares after his horrific experiences during the battle, Nicholas had no taste to brave the ton’s marriage mart in search of a docile obedient wife.

�..Never in his wildest dreams did Reverend Shackleford envisage receiving an offer for his eldest daughter from the newly appointed Duke of Blackmore. Of course, the Reverend was well aware he was fudging it a bit in describing Grace as respectful, meek or dutiful, nevertheless, he could never have imagined that his eldest daughter’s unruliness might end up ruining them all�.]]> 184 Beverley Watts Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.77 2020 Grace (The Shackleford Sisters #1)
author: Beverley Watts
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
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]]> Let the Great World Spin 5941033
Let the Great World Spin is the critically acclaimed author’s most ambitious novel yet: a dazzlingly rich vision of the pain, loveliness, mystery, and promise of New York City in the 1970s.

Corrigan, a radical young Irish monk, struggles with his own demons as he lives among the prostitutes in the middle of the burning Bronx. A group of mothers gather in a Park Avenue apartment to mourn their sons who died in Vietnam, only to discover just how much divides them even in grief. A young artist finds herself at the scene of a hit-and-run that sends her own life careening sideways. Tillie, a thirty-eight-year-old grandmother, turns tricks alongside her teenage daughter, determined not only to take care of her family but to prove her own worth.

Elegantly weaving together these and other seemingly disparate lives, McCann’s powerful allegory comes alive in the unforgettable voices of the city’s people, unexpectedly drawn together by hope, beauty, and the “artistic crime of the century.� A sweeping and radical social novel, Let the Great World Spin captures the spirit of America in a time of transition, extraordinary promise, and, in hindsight, heartbreaking innocence. Hailed as a “fiercely original talent� (San Francisco Chronicle), award-winning novelist McCann has delivered a triumphantly American masterpiece that awakens in us a sense of what the novel can achieve, confront, and even heal.]]> 351 Colum McCann 1400063736 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.95 2009 Let the Great World Spin
author: Colum McCann
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2009
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Raven's Bride (Southwest Life and Letters)]]> 94854 418 Elizabeth Crook 0870743481 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.56 1991 The Raven's Bride (Southwest Life and Letters)
author: Elizabeth Crook
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1991
rating: 0
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]]> Brighty of the Grand Canyon 123196 Brighty's adventures have delighted generations of readers, and he has become the symbol of a joyous way of life. Some people say that you can even see his spirit roving the canyon on moonlit nights-forever wild, forever free.]]> 224 Marguerite Henry 0689845227 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.08 1953 Brighty of the Grand Canyon
author: Marguerite Henry
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1953
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
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]]> Beyond That, the Sea 60784759 A sweeping, tenderhearted love story, Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash tells the story of two families living through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the shy, irresistible young woman who will call them both her own.

As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: they decide to send their eleven-year-old daughter, Beatrix, to America. There, she’ll live with another family for the duration of the war, where they hope she’ll stay safe.

Scared and angry, feeling lonely and displaced, Bea arrives in Boston to meet the Gregorys. Mr. and Mrs. G, and their sons William and Gerald, fold Bea seamlessly into their world. She becomes part of this lively family, learning their ways and their stories, adjusting to their affluent lifestyle. Bea grows close to both boys, one older and one younger, and fills in the gap between them. Before long, before she even realizes it, life with the Gregorys feels more natural to her than the quiet, spare life with her own parents back in England.

As Bea comes into herself and relaxes into her new life—summers on the coast in Maine, new friends clamoring to hear about life across the sea—the girl she had been begins to fade away, until, abruptly, she is called home to London when the war ends.

Desperate as she is not to leave this life behind, Bea dutifully retraces her trip across the Atlantic back to her new, old world. As she returns to post-war London, the memory of her American family stays with her, never fully letting her go, and always pulling on her heart as she tries to move on and pursue love and a life of her own.

As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love.]]> 351 Laura Spence-Ash 1250854377 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.12 2023 Beyond That, the Sea
author: Laura Spence-Ash
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/20
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]]> Let's Call Her Barbie 211671383 She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.

When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.

In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.

As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.

In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions� each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.]]> 432 Renée Rosen 0593335686 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.04 2025 Let's Call Her Barbie
author: Renée Rosen
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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]]> How to Read a Book 62365896 A charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

Our Reasons meet us in the morning and whisper to us at night. Mine is an innocent, unsuspecting, eternally sixty-one-year-old woman named Lorraine Daigle�

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

How to Read a Book Ěýis an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.Ěý .Ěý]]> 288 Monica Wood 0063243679 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.21 2024 How to Read a Book
author: Monica Wood
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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]]> Great Big Beautiful Life 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 432 Emily Henry Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.12 2025 Great Big Beautiful Life
author: Emily Henry
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Boy from the Sea 216971202 'Compulsive reading. Compassionate, lyrical and full of devilment' Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses

1973. In a close-knit community on Ireland’s west coast, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Named Brendan Bonnar by Ambrose, the fisherman who adopts him, Brendan will become a source of fascination and hope for a town caught in the storm of a rapidly changing world.

Ambrose, a man more comfortable at sea than on land, brings Brendan into his home out of love. But it’s a decision that will fracture his family and force him to try to understand himself and those he cares for.

Bookended by the arrival and departure of a single mesmerizing boy, Garrett Carr's The Boy From the Sea is an exploration of the ties that make us and bind us, as a family and community move irresistibly towards the future.]]> 336 Garrett Carr 0593802888 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.92 2025 The Boy from the Sea
author: Garrett Carr
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vietnam: mountains and the sea sing [paperback]]]> 128761650 0 LIN BAO 7536352018 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 0.0 Vietnam: mountains and the sea sing [paperback]
author: LIN BAO
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Under the Eye of the Big Bird 205673377 From one of Japan's most brilliant and sensitive contemporary novelists, this speculative fiction masterpiece envisions an Earth where humans are nearing extinction, and rewrites our understanding of reproduction, ecology, evolution, artificial intelligence, communal life, creation, love, and the future of humanity.

In the distant future, humans are on the verge of extinction and have settled in small tribes across the planet under the observation and care of "Mothers." Some children are made in factories, from cells of rabbits and dolphins; some live by getting nutrients from water and light, like plants. The survival of the race depends on the interbreeding of these and other alien beings--but it is far from certain that connection, love, reproduction, and evolution will persist among the inhabitants of this faltering new world.

Unfolding over fourteen interconnected episodes spanning geological eons, at once technical and pastoral, mournful and utopic, Under the Eye of the Big Bird presents an astonishing vision of the end of our species as we know it.]]> 288 Hiromi Kawakami 1593766114 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.76 2016 Under the Eye of the Big Bird
author: Hiromi Kawakami
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity]]> 11869272
In this brilliantly written, fast-paced book, based on three years of uncompromising reporting, a bewildering age of global change and inequality is made human.

Annawadi is a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and as India starts to prosper, Annawadians are electric with hope. Abdul, a reflective and enterprising Muslim teenager, sees "a fortune beyond counting" in the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away. Asha, a woman of formidable wit and deep scars from a childhood in rural poverty, has identified an alternate route to the middle class: political corruption. With a little luck, her sensitive, beautiful daughter - Annawadi's "most-everything girl" - will soon become its first female college graduate. And even the poorest Annawadians, like Kalu, a fifteen-year-old scrap-metal thief, believe themselves inching closer to the good lives and good times they call "the full enjoy."

But then Abdul the garbage sorter is falsely accused in a shocking tragedy; terror and a global recession rock the city; and suppressed tensions over religion, caste, sex, power and economic envy turn brutal. As the tenderest individual hopes intersect with the greatest global truths, the true contours of a competitive age are revealed. And so, too, are the imaginations and courage of the people of Annawadi.

With intelligence, humor, and deep insight into what connects human beings to one another in an era of tumultuous change, Behind the Beautiful Forevers carries the reader headlong into one of the twenty-first century's hidden worlds, and into the lives of people impossible to forget.]]> 278 Katherine Boo 1400067553 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, world 3.97 2012 Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
author: Katherine Boo
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read, world
review:

]]> The Space Between Us 218357 321 Thrity Umrigar 006079156X Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.02 2005 The Space Between Us
author: Thrity Umrigar
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 392 Emilia Hart 1250842727 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.02 2023 Weyward
author: Emilia Hart
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: audio, wsirn-podcast, historical-fiction, currently-reading
review:

]]> Naked in Death (In Death, #1) 20336370

]]> 316 J.D. Robb Tinasinfocastle 0 audio 4.31 1995 Naked in Death (In Death, #1)
author: J.D. Robb
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)]]> 19161852
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.]]> 468 N.K. Jemisin Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.29 2015 The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Margo's Got Money Troubles 199534613
“[An] enormously entertaining and lovable book.� —Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review

A bold, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming story about one young woman’s attempt to navigate adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world—from the PEN/Faulkner finalist and critically acclaimed author of The Knockout Queen.

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.

Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion—fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she’ll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she’s turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who’s struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her. It’s a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.

“A wholly original novel. . . . Thorpe is both poetic and profound in the way she brings her remarkable story to an end.� —The Associated Press]]> 304 Rufi Thorpe 0063356589 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, audio 3.86 2024 Margo's Got Money Troubles
author: Rufi Thorpe
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science #1)]]> 207567700 From beloved Saturday Night Live alum Kate McKinnon comes a madcap new adventure about three sisters, a ravenous worm, and a mysterious mad scientist.

So, you want to be a young mad scientist. Congratulations! Admitting it is the first step. The second step is reading the (definitely true) tale of the Porch sistersâ€� Ěý

Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch do not belong. They don’t belong in the snooty town of Antiquarium, where all girls have to go to etiquette school and the only dog allowed is the bichon frise. They don’t belong with their adoptive family, where all their cousins are named Lavinia and their Aunt has more brooches than books. And they certainly don’t belong at Mrs. Wintermacher’s etiquette school—they’re far more interested in science. After getting kicked out of the last etiquette school that would take them, the girls expect to be sent away for good... until they receive a mysterious invitation to a new school.

Suddenly the girls are under the tutelage of the infamous Millicent Quibb—a mad scientist with worms in her hair and oysters in her bathtub. At 231 Mysterium Way, the pizza is fatal, the bus is powered by Gerbils, and the Dean of Students is a hermit crab.Ěý Dangerous? Yes! More fun than they’ve ever had? Absolutely! But when the sisters are asked to save their town from an evil cabal of nefarious mad scientists, they must learn to embrace what has always made them stand out, and determine what side they’re on—before it’s too late!]]> 244 Kate McKinnon 0316554731 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, audio 4.05 2024 The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science #1)
author: Kate McKinnon
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read, audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Takeover (Miles High Club, #2)]]> 52276459 In bestselling author T L Swan’s second hot installment to the Miles High Club series, he’s sexy, rich, and her mortal enemy. Hate never felt so good.

I first met Tristan Miles at a meeting where he was trying to take over my late husband’s company.

He was powerful, arrogant, and infuriatingly gorgeous, and I hated him with every cell in my body. In the shock of the century, he called me three days later and asked me on a date.

I would rather die than date a man like him—though I do have to admit it was good for the ego. Turning him down was the highlight of my year.

Six months later, he was the guest speaker at a conference I attended in France.

Still arrogant and infuriating—but this time, surprisingly charming and witty.

When he looked at me, I got butterflies.

But I can’t go there.

He’s just a player in a hot suit, and I’m just a widow with three unruly sons.

I just need this conference to be over.

Because everybody knows that Tristan Miles always gets what he wants…and what he wants is me.]]> 477 T.L. Swan 1542017343 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.40 2020 The Takeover (Miles High Club, #2)
author: T.L. Swan
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
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]]> By a Thread 48677178 Dominic was staring at me like he couldn’t decide whether to chop me into pieces or pull my hair and French kiss me.

Dominic
I got her fired. Okay, so I’d had a bad day and took it out on a bystander in a pizza shop. But there’s nothing innocent about Ally Morales. She proves that her first day of her new job� in my office� after being hired by my mother.

So maybe her colorful, annoying, inexplicably alluring personality brightens up the magazine’s offices that have felt like a prison for the past year. Maybe I like that she argues with me in front of the editorial staff. And maybe my after-hours fantasies are haunted by those brown eyes and that sharp tongue.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be the next Russo man to take advantage of his position. I might be a second-generation asshole, but I am not my father.

She’s working herself to death at half a dozen dead-end jobs for some secret reason she doesn’t feel like sharing with me. And I’m going to fix it all. Don’t accuse me of caring. She’s nothing more than a puzzle to be solved. If I can get her to quit, I can finally peel away all those layers. Then I can go back to salvaging the family name and forget all about the dancing, beer-slinging brunette.

Ally
Ha. Hold my beer, Grumpy Grump Face.

Author’s Note: A steamy, swoony workplace romantic comedy with a grumpy boss hero determined to save the day and a plucky heroine who is starting to wonder if there might actually be a beating heart just beneath her boss’s sexy vests.]]> 584 Lucy Score Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, audio 4.08 2020 By a Thread
author: Lucy Score
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, audio
review:

]]> The Modern Gentleman 53331772
I embarrassingly have.

It’s why I’m wearing my girl's decorative scarf over my head, clutching her lady drink to my chest, and singing ever so softly to Joni Mitchell while swaying back and forth.

This is what therapists refer to as LOSING IT.

Oldest story in the book: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy screws up MASSIVELY, girl tells boy to suffocate in the fruits of his very own unborn children.

Heard it before? I'm sure you have.

So what's so different about this story? Well, it's about me, The Modern Gentleman, New York City's top advice columnist, and my rather ungraceful downfall from my pristinely polished pedestal.

It's about a girl I met who threw all my proven theories to the wind and left me awkward, needy, and absolutely head-over-wingtipped shoes in love.

This is a story about June Lacy and how she single-handedly dismantled The Modern Gentleman.]]> 215 Meghan Quinn Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.93 2020 The Modern Gentleman
author: Meghan Quinn
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seduction and Snacks (Chocolate Lovers, #1)]]> 23016317 here.

Claire is a twenty-something, single mom that grudgingly helps her best friend sell sex toys while she attempts to make enough money to start her own business to give her foul-mouthed, but extremely loveable (when he's asleep) toddler a better life.

When Carter, the one-night-stand from her past that changed her life forever, shows up in her hometown bar without any recollection of her besides her unique chocolate scent, Claire will make it a point that he remembers her this time.

With Carter's undisguised shock at suddenly finding out he has a four-year-old son and Claire's panic that her stretch marks and slim to none bedroom experience will send the man of her dreams heading for the hills, the pair will do whatever they can to get their happily ever after.

Warning: contains explicit sex, profanity and enough sarcasm to choke a horse.]]> 304 Tara Sivec Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.85 2012 Seduction and Snacks (Chocolate Lovers, #1)
author: Tara Sivec
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Commander (Bewitched and Bewildered, #1)]]> 22873996
When the topic of grandchildren comes up during a weekly sewing circle the matriarchs of the founding families seek out the witch Elder to scry to see if their sons have mates. They are shocked to discover that many of their sons' mates are out in the world and are human!

Fearing that their future human daughters-in-law will end up dead before being claimed and providing them with grandchildren to spoil, they convince their own mates that something must be done. After gathering all of the warriors together in a fake award ceremony the witch Elder casts a spell to pull the men’s mates to them, whether they want it or not.

Aiden is adamant that he doesn’t need a mate and that they would only get in the way, little does he realize Fate is sending him his mate first! He meets his destined mate Meryn Evans and things go downhill from there. In the first twenty four hours she kicks, screams and knocks her bear shifting mate unconscious. They eventually discover that life before finding each other may have been good, but life afterwards is perfect, even if it involves super soaker battles and accidentally discharging hand grenades.]]> 236 Alanea Alder Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.97 2014 My Commander (Bewitched and Bewildered, #1)
author: Alanea Alder
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Consequence of Loving Colton (Consequence, #1)]]> 23381448
I’ve been in love with Colton Mathews since I was five. He should have known that sharing a cookie with a sugar obsessed little monster would do the trick–it sealed his fate. So really, the fact that he’s sporting a black eye, a limp, almost got ran over by a car, and was nearly responsible for another person’s death? Right. HIs fault. Not mine.

I made a pact with myself–this weekend would be different. I’d come home for my brothers wedding, smile, and Colton would naturally melt into my arms, we’d get married have five kids, live in a house by the river, and get a dog named scratch (clearly I’ve thought this through).

What really happened? I punched my brother in the face, Colton kissed me and apologized, I lied about having a boyfriend, oh and everyone wants to meet the mystery man.

They say laughter always comes before insanity–ha, ha. All I wanted was my brother’s best friend…instead I’m sitting in prison.

Let this be a lesson to you all…life rarely happens the way you want it to.

Damn cookie.]]> 304 Rachel Van Dyken Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, audio 3.89 2015 The Consequence of Loving Colton (Consequence, #1)
author: Rachel Van Dyken
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[First Love: Guiding Teens through Relationships and Heartbreak]]> 213615881 A critical resource for parents to help their teens through the perplexing world of love and heartbreak.



Today’s young people are beginning their love lives in a time of rapidly changing ideas and ideals about identity, commitment, sexuality, and consent. For parents, the new realities of teenage relationships can be both mystifying and daunting.



In First Guiding Teens through Relationships and Heartbreak, Lisa A. Phillipschronicles the challenges today’s adolescents face as they navigate crushes, dating, and breakups—and the challenges adults face as they strive to provide guidance and support. Phillips sheds light on how the relationships teens have today are different from their parents� generation, including their reliance on technology and social media, the rise of young people identifying as LGBTQ+, high rates of depression and anxiety, and consent consciousness. She provides concrete strategies and insights from experts and teens themselves on ways parents and other adults can help young people cope with the timeless issues of love and heartbreak.



Told from the perspective of a professor, mother, and award-winning journalist, First Love is a critical resource for parents, educators, mental health professionals, and others who want to understand the new realities of teen relationships—and help teens become caring, self-aware, and thriving young adults.]]> 288 Lisa A. Phillips 1538161680 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.75 First Love: Guiding Teens through Relationships and Heartbreak
author: Lisa A. Phillips
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark]]> 17349
Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.]]> 459 Carl Sagan 0345409469 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.28 1995 The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
author: Carl Sagan
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Transit of Venus 12738 337 Shirley Hazzard 1860491812 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.99 1980 The Transit of Venus
author: Shirley Hazzard
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1980
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Alternatives 192761615
The Flattery sisters were plunged prematurely into adulthood when theirĚýparents died in tragic circumstances. Now in their thirties—all single, all with PhDs—they are each attempting to do meaningfulĚýwork in a rapidly foundering world. The four lead disparate, distanced lives, from classrooms in Connecticut to ritzy catering gigs in London’s Notting Hill, until one day their oldest sister, a geologist haunted by a terrible awareness of the earth’s future, abruptly vanishes from her work and home. Together for the first time in years, the Flatterys descend on the Irish countryside in search ofĚýa sister who doesn’t want to be found. Sheltered in a derelict bungalow, they reach into their common past, confronting both old wounds and a desperately uncertain future. Warm, fiercely witty, and unexpectedly hopeful, The Alternatives is an unforgettable portrait of a family perched on our collective precipice, told by one of Ireland’s most gifted storytellers.]]> 352 Caoilinn Hughes 0593545001 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.40 2024 The Alternatives
author: Caoilinn Hughes
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> My Friends 127488823
The trick time plays is to lull us into the belief that everything lasts forever, and although nothing does, we continue, inside our dream.

One evening, as a young boy growing up in Benghazi, Khaled hears a bizarre short story read aloud on the radio, about a man being eaten alive by a cat. Obsessed by the power of those words—and by their enigmatic author, Hosam Zowa—Khaled eventually embarks on a journey that will take him far from home, to pursue a life of the mind at the University of Edinburgh.

There, thrust into an open society that is light years away from the world he knew in Libya, Khaled begins to change. He attends a protest against the Qaddafi regime in London, only to watch it explode in tragedy. In a flash, Khaled finds himself injured, clinging to life, an exile, unable to leave England, much lessĚýreturn toĚýthe country of his birth. To even tell his mother and father back home what he has done, on tapped phone lines, would jeopardize their safety.

When a chance encounter in a hotel brings Khaled face to face with Hosam Zowa, the author of the fateful short story, he is subsumed into the deepest friendship of his life. It is a friendship that not only sustains him, but eventually forces him, as the Arab Spring erupts, to confront agonizing tensions between revolution and safety, family and exile, and how to define his own sense of self against those closest to him.

A devastating meditation on friendship and family, and the ways in which time tests—and frays—those bonds, My Friends is an achingly beautifulĚýworkĚýof literature by an authorĚýat the peak of his powers.]]> 399 Hisham Matar 081299485X Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.32 2024 My Friends
author: Hisham Matar
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> My Friends 217163697 #1ĚýNew York TimesĚýbestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier. There’s Joar, who never backs down from a fight; quiet and bookish Ted who is mourning his father; Ali, the daughter of a man who never stays in one place for long; and finally, there’s the artist, a boy who hoards sleeping pills and shuns attention, but who possesses an extraordinary gift that might be his ticket to a better life. These four lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with this bequest, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn the story of how the painting came to be. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this fresh testament to the transformative power of friendship and art.]]> 448 Fredrik Backman 1982112824 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.59 2025 My Friends
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> You Be Mother 35283978
The only thing Abi ever wanted was a proper family. So when she falls pregnant by an Australian exchange student in London, she cannot pack up her old life in Croydon fast enough, to start all over in Sydney and make her own family. It is not until she arrives, with three-week-old Jude in tow, that Abi realises Stu is not quite ready to be a father after all. And he is the only person she knows in this hot, dazzling, confusing city, where the job of making friends is turning out to be harder than she thought. That is, until she meets Phyllida, her wealthy, charming, imperious older neighbour, and they become almost like mother and daughter. If only Abi had not told Phil that teeny tiny small lie, the very first day they met�

Imagine the warmth of Monica McInerney, the excruciating awkwardness of Offspring and the wit of Liane Moriarty, all rolled into one delightful, warm, funny and totally endearing novel about families � the ones we have, and the ones we want � and the stories we tell ourselves about them.]]> 448 Meg Mason 0730495337 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.04 2017 You Be Mother
author: Meg Mason
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> Still Life 57001545
As Ulysses returns home to London, reimmersing himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parrot -- a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics -- he carries his time in Italy with him. And when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began, Ulysses knows better than to tempt fate, and returns to the Tuscan hills.

With beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light, Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family, and a richly drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms.]]> 464 Sarah Winman 0593330757 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.08 2021 Still Life
author: Sarah Winman
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> All the Colors of the Dark 203019740 From the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades.

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding light of hope.]]> 608 Chris Whitaker 0593798872 Tinasinfocastle 5 audio 4.23 2024 All the Colors of the Dark
author: Chris Whitaker
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Take Me Higher (Colorado High Country, #9)]]> 58551408 For fans of the Colorado High Country series comes the love story of the couple who started it all!

He’s the love of her life�
Rock climbing saved Megs Hall. The sport gave her an emotional escape from her abusive stepfather when she was a teen and turned her into a living legend. It also brought her together with the one man who truly understood her. Elite climber Mitch Ahearn believed in her and her abilities at a time when other male climbers just wanted to get into her pants. Somehow, Mitch broke through her armor, helping the shattered girl inside to heal. He became her first and only lover and her best friend. Together, they made history and set the climbing world—and the bedsheets—on fire.

She’s his only chance at survival�
Forty-eight years later, Megs and Mitch live in tiny Scarlet Springs, Colo. They’ve left professional climbing behind and now put their time and energy into running the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team, using their vertical expertise to save lives. But when their hard-earned climbing vacation ends in tragedy, they find themselves far from home and in desperate need of rescue, with Mitch’s life hanging by a thread. Megs must use all her experience and training to save him.

Will their love be only a memory?
With Mitch gravely injured, Megs finds herself reliving the past, reading the private journals he kept of their adventures together. It’s a bittersweet trip down memory lane, one that reveals Mitch’s innermost thoughts and his deep and abiding love for her. But will they have the chance to make more memories together and live out their happy ending—or have they come to the end of the trail?]]> 298 Pamela Clare 1735293989 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.54 2021 Take Me Higher (Colorado High Country, #9)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/09
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]]> The Sun Sets in Singapore 124949129 Basking in Singapore’s nonstop sunshine, low tax rate, and luxury goods market, Dara, Amaka, and Lillian are living the glamorous expat dream—until their carefully constructed lives are upended by a handsome and mysterious new arrival.
Ěý
Dara, a workaholic lawyer from the UK, is on the brink of partnership at her firm. Estranged from her mother, and perpetually uncomfortable around her hypercompetitive colleagues, her insecurities intensify exponentially when Lani, a new hire from Geneva (and a fellow British Nigerian), is assigned to work on what should have been her career-making case. Pitted against each other by their boss, Dara can’t help but see Lani as a threat: a privileged man poised to take her place.

Amaka, a sharp-tongued banker from Nigeria, is in the midst of a painful family dispute. Thousands of miles away from home, she’s doing her best to distract herself with a flirtatious workplace romance—and hiding a spiraling shopping addiction that’s endangering not only her finances but her very sense of self. An instant attraction to Lani jeopardizes the last shred of stability she has.

Lillian, a pianist turned “trailing spouse� from the US, is desperately trying to stay in Singapore after her marriage comes to a messy end. Rather than sell her beloved piano, the last precious reminder she has of her parents, she takes a low-paying job at a language school. A chance encounter with Lani—a man who is inexplicably, impossibly, the spitting image of her late father—triggers a grief she’s spent a lifetime suppressing, leading to an obsession that imperils everything—and everyone—around her.
Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý
Forced to confront the ghosts of their pasts, Dara, Amaka, and Lillian soon learn that unfinished history can follow you anywhere, no matter how far you run from home.]]> 352 Kehinde Fadipe Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 3.32 2023 The Sun Sets in Singapore
author: Kehinde Fadipe
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> Small Things Like These 58662236
Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.]]> 128 Claire Keegan 0802158749 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.13 2021 Small Things Like These
author: Claire Keegan
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read, lithubsuggestion, christmas, wsirn-podcast
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]]> The English Understand Wool 59468833 Maman was exigeante—there is no English word–and I had the benefit of her training. Others may not be so fortunate. If some other young girl, with two million dollars at stake, finds this of use I shall count myself justified.

Raised in Marrakech by a French mother and English father, a 17-year-old girl has learned above all to avoid mauvais ton ("bad taste" loses something in the translation). One should not ask servants to wait on one during Ramadan: they must have paid leave while one spends the holy month abroad. One must play the piano; if staying at Claridge’s, one must regrettably install a Clavinova in the suite, so that the necessary hours of practice will not be inflicted on fellow guests. One should cultivate weavers of tweed in the Outer Hebrides but have the cloth made up in London; one should buy linen in Ireland but have it made up by a Thai seamstress in Paris (whose genius has been supported by purchase of suitable premises). All this and much more she has learned, governed by a parent of ferociously lofty standards. But at 17, during the annual Ramadan travels, she finds all assumptions overturned. Will she be able to fend for herself? Will the dictates of good taste suffice when she must deal, singlehanded, with the sharks of New York?]]> 69 Helen DeWitt 0811230074 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read 4.06 2022 The English Understand Wool
author: Helen DeWitt
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chasing Fire (Colorado High Country, #7; I-Team, #9)]]> 41798378 For fans of Pamela Clare’s acclaimed I-Team and Colorado High Country series�

An I-Team/Colorado High Country Crossover Novel

Fire chief Eric Hawke knows it’s only a matter of time until the next big wildfire. He’s done everything he can to prepare his crews for the inevitable. When high winds turn a small blaze into a raging crown fire that threatens Scarlet Springs, he, Brandon Silver, and the rest of Scarlet FD put their lives on the line to save the town and its citizens. But the one thing Hawke hadn’t planned for was bureaucratic red tape and waffling from higher-ups that could turn this crisis into a catastrophe. When his requests for support go unheeded, he’s faced with the prospect of watching the town he loves burn to ashes.

But sometimes help comes from unexpected places.

Marc Hunter, Julian Darcangelo, and Zach McBride are in the mountains above Scarlet Springs for an interagency training exercise when they see a single wisp of smoke to the west. What begins as a fun day of playing cops and bad guys soon becomes a battle against time, as they join forces with Hawke and members of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team to save friends trapped by the fire.

Together, they pit their strength and courage against a terrifying and unforgiving force of nature. Will it be enough? Or will the ravenous flames claim lives—and leave the people of Scarlet Springs forever scarred?

]]> 334 Pamela Clare 0998749192 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.43 2018 Chasing Fire (Colorado High Country, #7; I-Team, #9)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Holding On (Colorado High Country, #6)]]> 40649648 A hero barely holding on�

Harrison Conrad returned to Scarlet Springs from Nepal, the sole survivor of a freak accident on Mt. Everest. Shattered and grieving for his friends, he vows never to climb again and retreats into a bottle of whiskey—until Kenzie Morgan shows up at his door with a tiny puppy asking for his help. He’s the last person in the world she should ask to foster this little furball. He’s barely capable of managing his own life right now, let alone caring for a helpless, adorable, fluffy puppy. But Conrad has always had a thing for Kenzie with her bright smile and sweet curves. One look into her pleading blue eyes, and he can’t say no.

The woman who won’t let him fall�

Kenzie Morgan’s life went to the dogs years ago. A successful search dog trainer and kennel owner, she gets her fill of adventure volunteering for the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. The only thing missing from her busy life is love. It’s not easy finding Mr. Right in a small mountain town, especially when she’s unwilling to date climbers. She long ago swore never again to fall for a guy who might one day leave her for a rock. When Conrad returns from a climbing trip haunted by the catastrophe that killed his best friend, Kenzie can see he’s hurting and wants to help. She just might have the perfect way to bring him back to the world of the living. But friendship quickly turns into something more—and now she’s risking her heart to heal his.

]]> 335 Pamela Clare 0998749176 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.36 2018 Holding On (Colorado High Country, #6)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Falling Hard (Colorado High Country, #3)]]> 34219180 A war widow alone�

Ellie Meeks promised her pilot husband that if anything happened to him, she would live her life to the fullest. Three years later, she is still alone, raising the twins he never met. She has no interest in dating or meeting men—until one snowy night when a stranger helps her get her sick kids safely home. That stranger turns out to be a former Army Ranger and a member of the elite Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. He’s also tall, rugged� and irresistibly sexy.

All it takes is one kiss�

Jesse Moretti came to Colorado to get Iraq out of his head, using the adrenaline of extreme sports and high-risk mountain rescues to keep his mind off the past. But getting involved with Ellie might be the riskiest thing he’s ever done. It’s not just their explosive chemistry. There’s something about Ellie that gets inside him, opening him to feelings he’s tried hard to ignore.

When passion ignites�

Ellie feels alive in Jesse’s arms and happier than she ever thought she’d feel again. But their relationship comes at a price for him, and soon Ellie sees that she must help Jesse fight the demons of his past to protect the love of a lifetime—and save the heart of a hero.]]> 262 Pamela Clare 0990377199 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.08 2017 Falling Hard (Colorado High Country, #3)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Close to Heaven (Colorado High Country, #5)]]> 36488834
Rain Minear has fantasized about finding herself in Joe Moffat’s arms for years. It’s just her luck that the night it finally happens, he’s carrying her into the emergency room. It’s Joe who steps up to help her when a tragedy brings her life crashing down. He gives her a place to stay, helps her get back on her feet, and even tries to save her Christmas, though he’s never cared for the holiday. But he’s far too ethical to sleep with a member of his staff, holding her at arms length despite the long-simmering attraction between them.

He has everything�

Haunted by ghosts from the past, Joe Moffat moved to Scarlet Springs to repay a debt. He’s struggled for years to keep his hands off Rain. She’s the general manager of his brewpub, and he is not that kind of boss. But, oh, she turns him on. More than that, she has the biggest heart of any woman he’s ever known. He’d do anything to see her smile again, even put up a Christmas tree and listen to carols, things he normally never does.

A season that changes two lives forever�

When a Rocky Mountain blizzard leaves them snowbound and alone together for days, they can no longer ignore their feelings for one another. As their passion turns to something deeper, it becomes clear to them both that this will be the most important Christmas of their lives.]]> 247 Pamela Clare 0998749133 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.12 2017 Close to Heaven (Colorado High Country, #5)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Tempting Fate (Colorado High Country, #4)]]> 35493937 A woman with no roots�

Naomi fled the cult-like nightmare of her childhood and learned to rely on one person—herself. Her resourcefulness keeps her alive during a catastrophe in the mountains, but it’s no help at all when it comes to Chaska Belcourt, the sexy EMT who saves her life. Raised to feel shame about her body and sex, she is putty in Chaska’s hands as he strips away her armor, exposing the vulnerable woman beneath, awakening desires in her that she’d been taught to ignore.

A kiss that changes everything�

Chaska Belcourt grew up on the reservation, the son of a hereditary Sun Dance chief. He left all of that behind for a new life in Colorado as an engineer with an aerospace firm and a member of the elite Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. He doesn’t share his sister’s belief that fate led him to find Naomi. But from the first moment their lips touch, he can’t get enough of her.

A love that transforms�

As the passion between them turns into something more, Chaska is forced to admit that his sister is right. There’s no other way to explain the depth of his feelings for Naomi—or the fact that he and his people might hold the key to unraveling the mysteries of her past. But she will have to learn to trust again before the two of them can find the answers she needs—and claim this once-in-a-lifetime love.]]> 281 Pamela Clare 0998749117 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.27 2017 Tempting Fate (Colorado High Country, #4)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Slow Burn (Colorado High Country, #2)]]> 32148398
Eric isn’t looking for a relationship. Between running the firehouse and volunteering for the county’s search and rescue team, he has enough on his plate. He doesn’t need to get tangled up with a woman from the big city, especially one whose idea of roughing it is going without designer coffee. Yet from the moment he looks into Victoria’s big brown eyes, the attraction he feels is too strong to deny. Faster than he can imagine, the spark of desire that has smoldered between them since the first day they met will flare into full-blown passion.

But can Eric convince Victoria to set aside her doubts and trust him with her heart before their time together runs out?]]> 280 Pamela Clare 0990377172 Tinasinfocastle 0 4.19 2016 Slow Burn (Colorado High Country, #2)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Barely Breathing (Colorado High Country, #1)]]> 28580612
As far as Austin is concerned, Lexi can turn her snazzy little convertible around and drive back to Chicago. After all, she ripped his teenage heart apart and turned her back on the town he loves. But from the moment he sees her again, he can’t get her out of his mind. Even her smile messes with his head.

When an evening of conversation turns into something else, Lexi and Austin agree to be friends again—with benefits. But as Lexi starts making plans to return to the big city, Austin realizes he’ll lose her a second time unless he can show her that what she’s searching for has been right here all along.

Note to readers: This is straight contemporary romance, not romantic suspense.]]> 272 Pamela Clare Tinasinfocastle 0 3.84 2016 Barely Breathing (Colorado High Country, #1)
author: Pamela Clare
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> The Warm Hands of Ghosts 154462576 New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.]]> 325 Katherine Arden 0593128257 Tinasinfocastle 0 to-read, wsirn-podcast 3.96 2024 The Warm Hands of Ghosts
author: Katherine Arden
name: Tinasinfocastle
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read, wsirn-podcast
review:

]]>