avery's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 01 May 2025 20:55:47 -0700 60 avery's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Nightingale 21853621 Der Weltbestseller � die Nr. 1 aus den USA.
Zwei Schwestern im von den Deutschen besetzten Während Vianne ums Überleben ihrer Familie kämpft, schließt sich die jüngere Isabelle der Résistance an und sucht die Freiheit auf dem Pfad der Nachtigall, einem geheimen Fluchtweg über die Pyrenäen. Doch wie weit darf man gehen, um zu überleben? Und wie kann man die schützen, die man liebt?
In diesem epischen, kraftvollen und zutiefst berührenden Roman erzählt Kristin Hannah die Geschichte zweier Frauen, die ihr Schicksal auf ganz eigene Weise meistern.]]> 564 Kristin Hannah 0312577222 avery 5 4.63 2015 The Nightingale
author: Kristin Hannah
name: avery
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/01
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves:
review:

]]> Great and Precious Things 44034494
Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him—especially his father. He left, swearing never to return.

But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again. But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark.

If only he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always loved him, and always will�

Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we're willing to go on behalf of those who need us most.]]> 384 Rebecca Yarros 1640638164 avery 3 3.99 2020 Great and Precious Things
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: avery
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> The Love Hypothesis 56732449
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.]]> 356 Ali Hazelwood 0593336828 avery 4 4.10 2021 The Love Hypothesis
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: avery
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1)]]> 61937038
The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations—until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique relationship with a dragon.

Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea of how a dragon should be raised, and who should be doing the raising—and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed.

For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land, challenges abound—both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart, determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects.

Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.]]> 511 Moniquill Blackgoose 0593498283 avery 0 to-read 4.11 2023 To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1)
author: Moniquill Blackgoose
name: avery
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ready or Not 154462768
Eve Hatch is pretty content with her life. Her apartment in Brooklyn is cozy and close to her childhood best friend Willa, but far from her midwestern, traditional family who never really understood her. While her job is only dream- adjacent , she’s hoping her passion and hard work will soon help her land a more glamorous role. And sure, her most recent romantic history has consisted of not one but two disappointing men named Derek. At least she always knows what to expect…until she finds herself expecting after an uncharacteristic one-night stand.

The unplanned pregnancy cracks open all the relationships in her life. Eve's loyal friendship with Willa is feeling off , right when she needs her most. And it’s Willa’s steadfast older brother, Shep, who steps up to help. He has always been friendly, but now he’s checking in, ordering her surprise lunches, listening to all her complaints, and is� suddenly kinda hot? Then there’s the baby's father, who is supportive but conflicted. Before long, Eve is rethinking everything she thought she knew about herself and her world.

Over the course of nine months, as Eve struggles to figure out the next right step in her expanding reality, she begins to realize that family and love, in all forms, can sneak up on you when you least expect it.]]> 400 Cara Bastone 0593595718 avery 3 3.96 2024 Ready or Not
author: Cara Bastone
name: avery
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves:
review:
When “merp� was using unironically i almost DNFed. But I did continue reading, I didn’t really like the male love interest, he was a redeeming quality in this book.
]]> One Night on the Island 59078993
Mac is also looking forward to some time to himself. With his life in Boston deteriorating in ways he can't bring himself to acknowledge, his soul searching has brought him to the same Irish island in search of his roots and some clarity. Unfortunately, a mix-up with the bookings means both solitude seekers have reserved the same one-bedroom hideaway on exactly the same dates.

Instantly at odds with each other, Cleo and Mac don't know how they're going to manage until the next weekly ferry arrives. But as the days go by, they no longer seem to mind each other's company quite as much as they thought they would...

Written with Josie Silver's signature warmth, charm and insights into the human heart, One Night on the Island explores the meaning of home, the joys of escape and how the things we think we want are never the things we really need.]]> 368 Josie Silver 198482063X avery 5 3.68 2022 One Night on the Island
author: Josie Silver
name: avery
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Secretly Yours (A Vine Mess, #1)]]> 61109599 A steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn...

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family's winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn't the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls' night later, Hallie can't shake the sense that she did something reckless--and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his Ivy League job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She's eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt--and so unbelievably beautiful, he can't focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he's sucked further into Hallie's orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian's gray-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there's something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.]]> 384 Tessa Bailey 0063238985 avery 0 The writing honestly wasn’t bad, and I was following the story okay, but the spice level was too much for me personally. ]]> 3.25 2023 Secretly Yours (A Vine Mess, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: avery
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves:
review:
DNF
The writing honestly wasn’t bad, and I was following the story okay, but the spice level was too much for me personally.
]]> <![CDATA[The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)]]> 46000520
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

Alternate cover edition can be found here .]]> 382 Richard Osman avery 0 to-read 3.86 2020 The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: avery
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.]]> 368 Allegra Goodman 0593730089 avery 0 to-read 3.99 2025 Isola
author: Allegra Goodman
name: avery
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Fall Risk 223199392 Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.]]> 82 Abby Jimenez 1662529082 avery 3 4.11 2025 The Fall Risk
author: Abby Jimenez
name: avery
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
super super short audio book, cute !
]]> <![CDATA[On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle]]> 37922709 From the New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice, a chronicle of the extraordinary feats of heroism by Marines called on to do the impossible during the greatest battle of the Korean War

On October 15, 1950, the vainglorious General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of U.N. troops in Korea, convinced President Harry Truman that the communist forces would be utterly defeated by Thanksgiving. The Chinese, he said with near certainty, would not intervene in the war.

As he was speaking, 300,000 Chinese soldiers began crossing the border. Led by the 13,000 men of the 1st Marine Division, the Americans moved far north into the trap Mao had set for the arrogant MacArthur at the Chosin Reservoir. What followed was one of the most heroic - and harrowing - operations in American military history. Faced with annihilation, and temperatures plunging to 20 degrees below zero, the surrounded Marines fought through the enemy forces with ferocity, ingenuity and nearly unimaginable courage.

Hampton Sides's superb account of the battle relies on years of archival research and interviews with scores of Marines and Koreans who survived the siege. While expertly chronicling the follies of the American leaders, this is an immediate, grunt's-eye view of history, enthralling in its narrative pace and powerful in its portrayal of what ordinary men are capable of in the most extreme circumstances.]]> 394 Hampton Sides 0385541155 avery 0 to-read 4.54 2018 On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle
author: Hampton Sides
name: avery
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #3)]]> 15702268 He thinks she's an annoying know-it-all...

Hugh Prentice has never had patience for dramatic females, and if Lady Sarah Pleinsworth has ever been acquainted with the words shy or retiring, she's long since tossed them out the window. Besides, a reckless duel has left this brilliant mathematician with a ruined leg, and now he could never court a woman like Sarah, much less dream of marrying her.

She thinks he's just plain mad...

Sarah has never forgiven Hugh for the duel he fought that nearly destroyed her family. But even if she could find a way to forgive him, it wouldn't matter. She doesn't care that his leg is less than perfect, it's his personality she can't abide. But forced to spend a week in close company they discover that first impressions are not always reliable. And when one kiss leads to two, three, and four, the mathematician may lose count, and the lady may, for the first time, find herself speechless ...

New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn's enchanting third novel in the Smythe-Smith quartet is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud and tug at your heartstrings in equal measures.]]> 373 Julia Quinn 0062072927 avery 4 Julia Quinn does not miss 3.92 2013 The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #3)
author: Julia Quinn
name: avery
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
Julia Quinn does not miss
]]> <![CDATA[Seeking Persephone (The Lancaster Family, #1)]]> 57832325
Lodged deep in a thick forest infested with wild dogs, the Duke’s castle is as cold and forbidding as the Duke himself, a man with terrible scars on his body and his soul. But the Duke’s steely determination to protect his heart at all costs is challenged by his growing attachment to his lovely and gentle bride.

With caring persistence, Persephone attempts to pierce the Duke’s armor and reach the man beneath. Yet he cannot tolerate such exposure, and his repeated rejections take their toll.

But when grave danger arises, the Duke realizes he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he cannot live without.

A regency romance novel you won't want to put down.]]> 288 Sarah M. Eden 1608617963 avery 0 to-read 4.20 2008 Seeking Persephone (The Lancaster Family, #1)
author: Sarah M. Eden
name: avery
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Everything, Everything 18692431
But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors. I look out the window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black t-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware. I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change—starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.]]> 312 Nicola Yoon 0553496646 avery 2
What about that era had at least 1 of romantic interest, sick or dying. Like why did this troupe have such a chokehold on teen girls lol?]]> 3.96 2015 Everything, Everything
author: Nicola Yoon
name: avery
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves:
review:
The chemistry for me just wasn’t there. I would have eaten up this troupe in 2013-2016. This would have been 5 stars right next to the fault in our stars, “If i stay,� and “five feet apart�

What about that era had at least 1 of romantic interest, sick or dying. Like why did this troupe have such a chokehold on teen girls lol?
]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 avery 4 What just happened ? 4.17 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: avery
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves:
review:
What just happened ?
]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue]]> 50623864
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 avery 5 4.16 2020 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: avery
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves:
review:
WOW!! This deserves the hype. This was such a beautiful and intricate story, and I loved it.
]]> All the Light We Cannot See 18143977
In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here]]> 544 Anthony Doerr 1476746583 avery 0 4.31 2014 All the Light We Cannot See
author: Anthony Doerr
name: avery
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:
I don’t feel like I can give a fair rating, the audiobook i listened to was hard to follow, so I’m not sure I really got the full story :/
]]> <![CDATA[American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road]]> 31920777 The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar online drug empire from his bedroom—and almost got away with it.

In 2011, a twenty-six-year-old libertarian programmer named Ross Ulbricht launched the ultimate free market: the Silk Road, a clandestine Web site hosted on the Dark Web where anyone could trade anything—drugs, hacking software, forged passports, counterfeit cash, poisons—free of the government’s watchful eye.

It wasn’t long before the media got wind of the new Web site where anyone—not just teenagers and weed dealers but terrorists and black hat hackers—could buy and sell contraband detection-free. Spurred by a public outcry, the federal government launched an epic two-year manhunt for the site’s elusive proprietor, with no leads, no witnesses, and no clear jurisdiction. All the investigators knew was that whoever was running the site called himself the Dread Pirate Roberts.

The Silk Road quickly ballooned into $1.2 billion enterprise, and Ross embraced his new role as kingpin. He enlisted a loyal crew of allies in high and low places, all as addicted to the danger and thrill of running an illegal marketplace as their customers were to the heroin they sold. Through his network he got wind of the target on his back and took drastic steps to protect himself—including ordering a hit on a former employee. As Ross made plans to disappear forever, the Feds raced against the clock to catch a man they weren’t sure even existed, searching for a needle in the haystack of the global Internet.

Drawing on exclusive access to key players and two billion digital words and images Ross left behind, Vanity Fair correspondent and New York Times bestselling author Nick Bilton offers a tale filled with twists and turns, lucky breaks and unbelievable close calls. It’s a story of the boy next door’s ambition gone criminal, spurred on by the clash between the new world of libertarian-leaning, anonymous, decentralized Web advocates and the old world of government control, order, and the rule of law. Filled with unforgettable characters and capped by an astonishing climax, American Kingpin might be dismissed as too outrageous for fiction. But it’s all too real.]]> 328 Nick Bilton 1591848148 avery 0 to-read 4.39 2017 American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road
author: Nick Bilton
name: avery
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 36337550
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.

Understood? Then let's begin . . .

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others . . .

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.]]> 432 Stuart Turton avery 0 to-read 3.78 2018 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: avery
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Daughter of the Reich 51937186 The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See, a spellbinding story of impossible love set against the backdrop of the Nazi regime.

As the dutiful daughter of a high-ranking Nazi officer, Hetty Heinrich is keen to play her part in the glorious new Thousand Year Reich. But she never imagines that all she believes and knows about her world will come into stark conflict when she encounters Walter, a Jewish friend from the past, who stirs dangerous feelings in her. Confused and conflicted, Hetty doesn’t know whom she can trust and where she can turn to, especially when she discovers that someone has been watching her.

Realizing she is taking a huge risk—but unable to resist the intense attraction she has for Walter—she embarks on a secret love affair with him. Together, they dream about when the war will be over and plan for their future. But as the rising tide of anti-Semitism threatens to engulf them, Hetty and Walter will be forced to take extreme measures.

Will the steady march of dark forces destroy Hetty’s universe—or can love ultimately triumph�?

Propulsive, deeply affecting, and inspired by the author’s family history, Daughter of the Reich is a mesmerizing page-turner filled with vivid characters and a meticulously researched portrait of Nazi Germany. In this riveting story of passion, courage and morality, Louise Fein introduces a bold young woman determined to tread the treacherous path of survival and freedom, showing readers the strength in the power of love and reminding us that the past must never be forgotten.]]> 560 Louise Fein 0062964054 avery 0 to-read 4.24 2020 Daughter of the Reich
author: Louise Fein
name: avery
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia, #2)]]> 62335396 Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.

In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.

The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.

When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.

But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power � and the devastating love that could be her downfall.]]> 626 Carissa Broadbent avery 0 currently-reading 4.10 2023 The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia, #2)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: avery
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1)]]> 40916679
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.]]> 433 Holly Jackson 1405293187 avery 3
BUT, I cant not ignore a few things.
1: Putting herself in danger.
Miss girl. WHERE ARE THE POLICE? CALL THE POLICE This was so unrealistic to me. She had how many threats? How many meetings in dangerous places? with sketchy people? by herself? WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS? You're 17 for crying out loud!

SPOILERS:
2: ALMOST letting the case go unsolved because of her dog.
I like dogs, I don't own a dog. And maybe I'm not a dog person. BUT I AM HUMAN?!? I get not wanting your pet to die. But letting the case of 2 dead people go unsolved for your dog, does not sit right with me. I'm glad she made the right choice, but back to case #1. Why did she not tell her parents about the threats? How they took her dog? SPEAK UP PIPA. But also RIP Barney.
]]> 4.30 2019 A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1)
author: Holly Jackson
name: avery
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves:
review:
I will give the Author points for the plot. That I can appreciate! And overall that is what I read the story for. And in the end it was solved in a satisfying way.

BUT, I cant not ignore a few things.
1: Putting herself in danger.
Miss girl. WHERE ARE THE POLICE? CALL THE POLICE This was so unrealistic to me. She had how many threats? How many meetings in dangerous places? with sketchy people? by herself? WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS? You're 17 for crying out loud!

SPOILERS:
2: ALMOST letting the case go unsolved because of her dog.
I like dogs, I don't own a dog. And maybe I'm not a dog person. BUT I AM HUMAN?!? I get not wanting your pet to die. But letting the case of 2 dead people go unsolved for your dog, does not sit right with me. I'm glad she made the right choice, but back to case #1. Why did she not tell her parents about the threats? How they took her dog? SPEAK UP PIPA. But also RIP Barney.

]]> <![CDATA[The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)]]> 60714999 Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always � always � guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown� and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone � but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in a new series of heart-wrenching romance, dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue, perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 504 Carissa Broadbent avery 4 4.30 2022 The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: avery
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves:
review:
I thought I predicted the end, but was throughly surprised. Did not expect that whatsoever!
]]> Beneath a Scarlet Sky 32487617 Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.

Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He’s a normal Italian teenager—obsessed with music, food, and girls—but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.

In an attempt to protect him, Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier—a move they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most mysterious and powerful commanders.

Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share.

Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting saga of history, suspense, and love.

]]> 509 Mark T. Sullivan 1503943372 avery 4
But I learned a lot about the Italians part with the Nazis and the war! Overall this was a good book!

Pino Lella lived a CRAZY life. ]]> 4.33 2017 Beneath a Scarlet Sky
author: Mark T. Sullivan
name: avery
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves:
review:
This was a super interesting story. It felt slow to start, and I didn’t always love the way the story progression was laid out from the Author.

But I learned a lot about the Italians part with the Nazis and the war! Overall this was a good book!

Pino Lella lived a CRAZY life.
]]> Caraval (Caraval, #1) 27883214 A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.]]> 407 Stephanie Garber 1250095255 avery 1 dnf If I heard Julian call Scarlett “Crimson� one more time i was gonna pull out my hair. IT WAS KIND OF FUNNY 1 TIME NOT 10.

Also her sister Donatella was pissing me off.

I just wanted to read this so I could read “once upon a broken heart.� But maybe I’ll just read the summary of Caraval ATP.]]> 3.97 2016 Caraval (Caraval, #1)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: avery
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF at 32%
If I heard Julian call Scarlett “Crimson� one more time i was gonna pull out my hair. IT WAS KIND OF FUNNY 1 TIME NOT 10.

Also her sister Donatella was pissing me off.

I just wanted to read this so I could read “once upon a broken heart.� But maybe I’ll just read the summary of Caraval ATP.
]]> <![CDATA[The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom]]> 214151420 From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog and the hidden abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, and how, in the face of unimaginable pain, she found freedom and healing.

Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.

As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime.

Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.�

For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.� No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.]]> 320 Shari Franke 1668065398 avery 5

IM LOCKED IN. NEED THIS BOOK NOW. 2025 HERE WE COME]]> 4.42 2025 The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
author: Shari Franke
name: avery
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
UPDATE: I am SO GLAD Shari finally got to tell her story, without news outlets and social media exploiting her family. This had me in tears, my heart was racing for her. She is stronger than I could ever hope to be. I hope anyone who reads this can learn the patterns of abuse, that Shari lays out in her book. These topics are so important to prevent abuse for ourselves and to advocate for others. WELL DONE SHARI.


IM LOCKED IN. NEED THIS BOOK NOW. 2025 HERE WE COME
]]> The One (The Selection, #3) 18635016
When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.]]> 323 Kiera Cass 0062059998 avery 3
I will say I hate the plot line of, expressing love when you’re dying. It’s to cliche IMO. Or it’s always an attack right at the worst moment. That annoys me. America and Max were also so annoying at times. Like just get together already !!!

But I do think the series is fun, and a great read for younger teens!]]> 4.14 2014 The One (The Selection, #3)
author: Kiera Cass
name: avery
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
Overall I did like the series. It’s rare to find a series where the later books get better. This wasn’t an exception lol.

I will say I hate the plot line of, expressing love when you’re dying. It’s to cliche IMO. Or it’s always an attack right at the worst moment. That annoys me. America and Max were also so annoying at times. Like just get together already !!!

But I do think the series is fun, and a great read for younger teens!
]]> The Elite (The Selection, #2) 16248068
America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America's chance to choose is about to slip away.]]> 336 Kiera Cass 0062059963 avery 4 3.94 2013 The Elite (The Selection, #2)
author: Kiera Cass
name: avery
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves:
review:
this love triangle or square or circle was dizzying lol, still so good!
]]> <![CDATA[The Selection (The Selection, #1)]]> 10507293
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.]]> 336 Kiera Cass 0062059939 avery 5 RE-READ 10 years later
i loved this just as much as i did then. ]]> 4.07 2012 The Selection (The Selection, #1)
author: Kiera Cass
name: avery
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:
01/02/25
RE-READ 10 years later
i loved this just as much as i did then.
]]> <![CDATA[Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1)]]> 57789637
“Epic, romantic, and enthralling from start to finish.”—Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series

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

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

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

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

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

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.]]> 503 Sue Lynn Tan 0063031302 avery 0 to-read 4.08 2022 Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1)
author: Sue Lynn Tan
name: avery
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 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 avery 0 to-read 4.17 2025 Great Big Beautiful Life
author: Emily Henry
name: avery
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Exception to the Rule (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #1)]]> 200033357 New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.

One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates� are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask�what if we actually met?

Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.]]> 101 Christina Lauren 1662519893 avery 5 4.21 2024 The Exception to the Rule (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #1)
author: Christina Lauren
name: avery
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
review:
super quick listen and SO CUTE
]]> Variation 210482187 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing comes a new contemporary romance about the summer a celebrated dancer returns home and unearths years of family secrets with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer she never forgot.

Elite ballerina Allie Rousseau is no stranger to pressure. With her mother’s eyes always watching, perfection was expected, no matter the cost. But when an injury jeopardizes all she’s sacrificed for, Allie returns to her summer home to heal and recover. But the memories she’s tried to forget rush in and threaten to take her under.

As a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hudson Ellis knows that hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. He’s always prided himself on being in the right place at the right time, especially when it came to Allie Rousseau…until the night he left for basic. After the biggest regret of his life, the secrets he keeps mean he can never be with the one woman he wants more than his next breath.

When Hudson’s niece shows up on Allie’s doorstep, desperate to find her birth mother, Allie finds herself in an unimaginable position. Allie and Hudson’s past and present might be endlessly complicated. The thread that tied them to each other all those years ago may have unraveled, but the truth could pull them back together, or drive them apart forever.]]> 459 Rebecca Yarros 1662514697 avery 4 4.19 2024 Variation
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: avery
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves:
review:
it was good, minus it was giving greys anatomy with all the car crashes and near drownings lol.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hobbit, or There and Back Again]]> 5907 Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent. The text in this 372-page paperback edition is based on that first published in Great Britain by Collins Modern Classics (1998), and includes a note on the text by Douglas A. Anderson (2001).]]> 366 J.R.R. Tolkien avery 1 4.29 1937 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: avery
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1937
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:
too much “tell� not enough “show�
]]> <![CDATA[Burn of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #4)]]> 220145036
In Lumnos, Realm of Light and Shadow, the Crowns are gathering. Caught between two deadly foes, they must form an unlikely alliance to save their people.

But the Crowns have a secret—and a heart without its mate will burn the world down to fulfill its fate.

Hatred reigns. Hope seems lost. With the future in darkness, can a flame emerge to bring the light?]]> 550 Penn Cole 3911244118 avery 0 to-read 4.29 2026 Burn of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #4)
author: Penn Cole
name: avery
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Veiled Kingdom (The Veiled Kingdom, #1)]]> 209779568 A scorching new fantasy romance that ignites the pages with relentless danger, forbidden passion, and the intoxicating allure of enemies to lovers.

Fleeing my father's cruelty, the wicked king who robbed me of a future, I face death in the streets, caught between a rebellion and a tyrant's reign.

Captured by those sworn to kill me, the rebels remain blind to my true identity—the missing daughter of the despised king. Faced with an impossible choice, I stand before them: join the rebels or face their blades.

Yet, Dacre, the son of the ruthless rebellion commander, becomes torn between suspicion and a desire that mirrors my own. He allows no one to touch me, tries to protect me, yet threatens me at every turn.

As secrets are weaved beyond our hidden realm, a fierce battle unfolds within me. As I get closer to the rebels, and their cause, my loyalty to my kingdom clashes with my undeniable devotion to Dacre and the burning connection between us.

In a world where love and hate are two edges of the same blade, I find myself caught in a delicate dance between forbidden desire and my looming destiny.]]> 368 Holly Renee 1957514434 avery 0 to-read 3.52 2024 The Veiled Kingdom (The Veiled Kingdom, #1)
author: Holly Renee
name: avery
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1) 204593914 Welcome to Phantasma. There are only two rules to the game: Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart . . .]]> 497 Kaylie Smith 1538769255 avery 0 to-read 4.05 2024 Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)
author: Kaylie Smith
name: avery
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)]]> 210714656
�'An absolutely stunning fantasy world� Raven Kennedy, author of international bestseller, The Plated Prisoner Series

â€A wild ride that thrills as much as it enchants â€� An instant classicâ€� Thea Guanzon, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars

He's fire and brimstone.
I'm shattered ice �
I'll gladly burn beneath him until the world comes crumbling down.
As an assassin for the rebellion, Raeve’s job is to complete orders and never get caught. When a rival bounty hunter shatters her world, Raeve finds herself captured by the Guild of Nobles � a group of powerful fae.

Crushed by the loss of his great love, dragon rider Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to quell the never-ebbing ache in his chest, a clue lures him into the capital’s high-security prison where he stumbles upon the imprisoned Raeve �

Together, they seek truths that threaten to unravel everything they knew about their world � and each other.

Bestselling sensation When the Moon Hatched will transport you into a world filled with magic, dragons and a love that blazes through the ages…]]> 576 Sarah A. Parker 0008710228 avery 0 to-read 3.91 2024 When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: avery
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)]]> 212127083
In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares... but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.

Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.]]> 588 Callie Hart avery 0 to-read 4.35 2024 Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)
author: Callie Hart
name: avery
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Not in Love 198972014 Una aventura secreta y prohibida demuestra que en el amor y en la ciencia todo vale.

Puede que Rue Siebert no lo tenga todo, pero no le falta de nada: tiene unos pocos amigos con los que siempre puede contar, la estabilidad económica que anhelaba de pequeña y una exitosa carrera como ingeniera biotecnológica en Kline, una de las empresas emergentes más prometedoras en el campo de la ciencia de los alimentos. Ha trabajado duro y ha conseguido que su mundo sea estable y agradable. Hasta que una hostil adquisición por parte de otra empresa y su ofensivamente atractivo representante amenazan con destruirlo todo.

Eli Killgore y sus socios quieren hacerse con Kline de todas todas. Eli tiene sus motivos para llevar a cabo este trato, y es un hombre que siempre consigue lo que quiere. Con una excepciĂłn: Rue. La mujer en la que no puede dejar de pensar. La mujer con la que tiene prohibido estar.

Divididos entre la lealtad y una innegable atracciĂłn, Rue y Eli tiran la cautela por las ventanas del laboratorio y de la sala de juntas. Su romance es secreto, sin ataduras y tiene una fecha lĂ­mite: el dĂ­a en que una de sus empresas venza. Pero el corazĂłn es un negocio arriesgado; uno en el que se juega a todo o nada.]]> 384 Ali Hazelwood 0593641043 avery 0 to-read 3.59 2024 Not in Love
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: avery
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Paradise Problem 199797582
Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents � his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.]]> 352 Christina Lauren 1668017725 avery 0 to-read 4.07 2024 The Paradise Problem
author: Christina Lauren
name: avery
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Wedding People 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach avery 0 to-read 4.11 2024 The Wedding People
author: Alison Espach
name: avery
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> In the Likely Event 127152907
Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.

Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.

Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right.

Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

He’ll do anything to keep her safe. And everything to win her heart.]]> 348 Rebecca Yarros 1662511566 avery 5 4.22 2023 In the Likely Event
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: avery
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys, #2)]]> 31931722 An alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780062388186 can be found here.

While you were sleeping...

With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He's unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier's life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie...

I told everyone I was your wife

When Edward comes to, he's more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out six months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he'd always assumed he'd marry his neighbor back in England.

If only it were true...

Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself—completely—to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby.]]> 393 Julia Quinn avery 5 3.84 2017 The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys, #2)
author: Julia Quinn
name: avery
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves:
review:
julia quinn more like julia queen. woman eats every book she writes
]]> <![CDATA[Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #3)]]> 124936017
After her disastrous coronation, Diem finds herself at the center of the conflict between the Descended and the Guardians. With her newfound friends and the man she’s falling for on one side, and the mortals she has vowed to protect on the other, Diem must walk a careful line to save the people she loves� even from each other.

The mystery of her unusual heritage begins to unravel, sending Diem and Luther on an unexpected journey across the realms. The answers may hold the key to winning the war, but finding them will require her to face painful truths about her mother, her bloodline, and her fate.

Meanwhile, the Crowns have set Diem in their sights. Some could be her greatest allies—while others want her dead. To end their oppressive reign, Diem must sort friend from foe and risk it all to build an army of her own.

But a powerful figure in the north has plans that could change everything...

Heat of the Everflame is the third book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book epic fantasy romance series that follows our fiesty, bad*ss heroine Diem Bellator in her fight against injustice, her struggle to survive in a royal palace full of betrayal and intrigue, and her journey of self-discovery and finding true love. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers series is perfect for fans of unique magic systems, dragons and other mythical creatures, angst and romantic tension, and hilarious banter. This book will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven romantasy such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Shadow & Bone, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.]]> 1026 Penn Cole avery 3 4.27 2023 Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #3)
author: Penn Cole
name: avery
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:
FIRST 80% was making me so mad because the same things were being repeated chapter after chapter, it was giving ground-hog day. I swear she is a smart girl, but Diem was an idiot this book. LIKE WHY ARE YOU SO TRUSTING!! you have sophos power?! YOURE SMARTER THAN THIS. I will read the next book, but i’m disappointed in this one.
]]> <![CDATA[A Proper Scandal (Proper Scandals)]]> 44577715 222 Esther Hatch 1524409375 avery 4 3.96 2019 A Proper Scandal (Proper Scandals)
author: Esther Hatch
name: avery
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:
a cute closed door romance!! loved that the characters personalities were consistent, and unchanging!
]]> <![CDATA[Three Mages and a Margarita (The Guild Codex: Spellbound, #1)]]> 39676313
It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview - to see if I'd mesh with their "special" clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That's the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they...offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn't a bar. It's a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I'm exactly the kind of takes-no-sh*t bartender this guild needs, or there's a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what's a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course - with a pay raise.]]> 312 Annette Marie 1988153220 avery 0 to-read 4.04 2018 Three Mages and a Margarita (The Guild Codex: Spellbound, #1)
author: Annette Marie
name: avery
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bride (Bride, #1) 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was�.

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood avery 4

i just picture him like that wolf meme with the skinny arms hahahah]]> 3.98 2024 Bride (Bride, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: avery
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/03
date added: 2024/11/21
shelves:
review:
this book was super fun and and easy read! loved the characters, it was perfectly paced! definitely on the spicy side haha. lost some points because i got the ick when he was somehow carrying the pillow with he wolf paws. lmao


i just picture him like that wolf meme with the skinny arms hahahah
]]> Check & Mate 60683957 done with chess. Every move counts nowadays. After the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning bad boy of chess.

Nolan's loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone—especially Mallory. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory's victory opens the door to sorely needed cash prizes and, despite everything, she can't help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is hotter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce(-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...)]]> 347 Ali Hazelwood 0593619919 avery 4 3.93 2023 Check & Mate
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: avery
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves:
review:
This was actually so cute, a little too quirky for me at times. But I was genuinely surprised at how much I liked this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Glow of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #2)]]> 124935969
The threat of war has arrived at Diem’s doorstep, along with a new discovery that could save her people. To use it, she must survive the next thirty days by forming a devil’s bargain with the people she hates most: the royal family of House Corbois.

But as she dives into the world of the Descended elite, Diem quickly realizes good and evil aren’t as simple as they seem. Old prejudices are challenged, and new loyalties blur the line between friend and foe.

Meanwhile, her mother is still missing, and the secrets she left behind can no longer be ignored—and neither can the Guardians and their demands. Caught between an old flame and a sizzling new spark, Diem must confront the truth about who she is and what she wants before time runs out.

War is coming, and dangerous enemies wait on all sides.. but the most deadly battle Diem faces may be the one for her heart.

Glow of the Everflame is the second book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book fantasy romance series. This book will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven romantasy such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Shadow & Bone, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.]]> 637 Penn Cole avery 5 ]]> 4.36 2023 Glow of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #2)
author: Penn Cole
name: avery
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/14
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves:
review:
LUTHER LUTHER LUTHER LUTHER LUTHER

]]> <![CDATA[Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1)]]> 123471760 When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn.

In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of her poor village.

Her mother’s sudden disappearance—and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her past—offer Diem an unexpected opportunity to enter the dark world of Descended royalty and unlock the web of mysteries her mother left behind.

With the dying King’s handsome, mysterious heir watching her every move, and a ruthless mortal alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem will have to navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and politics in order to save her family—and all of mortalkind.

Spark of the Everflame is the first book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book fantasy romance series. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers epic is perfect for lovers of magic, dragons, angst, and banter and will appeal to fans of books like A Court of Thorns and Roses, From Blood and Ash, Gild, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.]]> 438 Penn Cole avery 5 4.20 2023 Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1)
author: Penn Cole
name: avery
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/12
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves:
review:
It was slow to start, but at the end it really picked up and I couldn’t put it down!! This fantasy world is fascinating, and i’m starting the next books immediately.
]]> Only Love Can Hurt Like This 62296521 In the spirit of Colleen Hoover and Jojo Moyes's Me Before You, an unforgettable and heartbreaking love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core that asks the question: is love worth risking everything for?

An earth-shattering secret. A life-changing love story.

When Wren realizes her fiancé is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover.

On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on.

Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal. There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she and Anders cross paths and their worlds are turned upside-down again.

But Wren doesn't know that Anders is harboring a secret, and if he acts on any feelings he has for Wren it will have serious fall-out for everyone. Walking away would hurt Wren more than she can imagine. But, knowing the truth, how can she possibly stay?]]> 400 Paige Toon 0593544331 avery 3 3.93 2023 Only Love Can Hurt Like This
author: Paige Toon
name: avery
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves:
review:
Not the best, nor the worst. I will give it points for being a slow burn, but I think I may just be sick of romance books. It just feels like every other one out there at the moment.
]]> Things You Save in a Fire 41150382
The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because she doesn't fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don't date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she's worked so hard to be taken seriously?

Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt, affecting novel about life, love, and the true meaning of courage.]]> 320 Katherine Center 1250047323 avery 1 HUH?! HUH?! cheese level 5000 4.00 2019 Things You Save in a Fire
author: Katherine Center
name: avery
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 1
read at: 2024/10/17
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves:
review:
HUH?! HUH?! cheese level 5000
]]> <![CDATA[The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, #1)]]> 40914165 An alternate cover edition for ISBN 978-1492671527 can be found here.

In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry.

The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.

Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians, and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give to those who have nothing, a bookly respite, a fleeting retreat to faraway lands.]]> 309 Kim Michele Richardson avery 4 4.17 2019 The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, #1)
author: Kim Michele Richardson
name: avery
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves:
review:
like nothing i’ve read before
]]> <![CDATA[Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones]]> 40121378 Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving—every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.

Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Learn how to:
- Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
- Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
- Design your environment to make success easier;
- Get back on track when you fall off course;
...and much more.

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.]]> 319 James Clear avery 0 to-read 4.34 2018 Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
author: James Clear
name: avery
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

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

Or does he?]]> 476 Andy Weir 0593135202 avery 0 to-read 4.49 2021 Project Hail Mary
author: Andy Weir
name: avery
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Help 4667024
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women, mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends, view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.


Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here]]> 464 Kathryn Stockett 0399155341 avery 5 Everyone needs to read this. 4.46 2009 The Help
author: Kathryn Stockett
name: avery
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/09
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
Everyone needs to read this.
]]> Poison Study (Study, #1) 60510 Choose: A quick death� or slow poison...

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear...]]> 427 Maria V. Snyder 0778324338 avery 0 to-read 4.09 2005 Poison Study (Study, #1)
author: Maria V. Snyder
name: avery
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3)]]> 26032912 He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity�

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.]]> 321 Holly Black 0316310409 avery 3

I wanted more Jude and Carden content, the first two books had so much! The third book I swear was them in passing moments. I felt like they said “I love you� too early as well. Like they had a few major interactions. But I needed to see them together more to feel like them saying I love you was valid lol. ]]> 4.33 2019 The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3)
author: Holly Black
name: avery
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves:
review:
I wasn’t as impressed with this last book as I was with the rest of the series. :((((( it was still good, there was just a lot of fluff IMO.


I wanted more Jude and Carden content, the first two books had so much! The third book I swear was them in passing moments. I felt like they said “I love you� too early as well. Like they had a few major interactions. But I needed to see them together more to feel like them saying I love you was valid lol.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)]]> 26032887 The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.]]> 336 Holly Black 0316310336 avery 4 4.27 2019 The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)
author: Holly Black
name: avery
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves:
review:
THIS IS TRULY ENEMIES TO LOVERS
]]> The Keeper of Hidden Books 62054146 A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.

All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.

With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.

But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families—and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left—literature.]]> 416 Madeline Martin 1335455027 avery 0 to-read 4.07 2023 The Keeper of Hidden Books
author: Madeline Martin
name: avery
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive]]> 57007407 A powerful chronicle of the women who used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust, stitching beautiful clothes at an extraordinary fashion workshop created within one of the most notorious WWII death camps. 

At the height of the Holocaust twenty-five young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp—mainly Jewish women and girls—were selected to design, cut, and sew beautiful fashions for elite Nazi women in a dedicated salon. It was work that they hoped would spare them from the gas chambers. 

This fashion workshop—called the Upper Tailoring Studio—was established by Hedwig Höss, the camp commandant’s wife, and patronized by the wives of SS guards and officers. Here, the dressmakers produced high-quality garments for SS social functions in Auschwitz, and for ladies from Nazi Berlin’s upper crust. 

Drawing on diverse sources—including interviews with the last surviving seamstress�The Dressmakers of Auschwitz follows the fates of these brave women. Their bonds of family and friendship not only helped them endure persecution, but also to play their part in camp resistance. Weaving the dressmakers� remarkable experiences within the context of Nazi policies for plunder and exploitation, historian Lucy Adlington exposes the greed, cruelty, and hypocrisy of the Third Reich and offers a fresh look at a little-known chapter of World War II and the Holocaust.]]> 400 Lucy Adlington 0063030934 avery 0 to-read 4.04 2021 The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive
author: Lucy Adlington
name: avery
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell]]> 35995489
Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls.

Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design—especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open—bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters.]]> 448 Robert Dugoni 1503949001 avery 0 to-read 4.37 2018 The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
author: Robert Dugoni
name: avery
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hidden Figures - Screenplay 34274536 122 Taylor Sheridan avery 0 dnf DNF 3.85 Hidden Figures - Screenplay
author: Taylor Sheridan
name: avery
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air, #1.5)]]> 40772063 Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes...

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black.]]> 50 Holly Black avery 0 3.33 2018 The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air, #1.5)
author: Holly Black
name: avery
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)]]> 26032825 Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.]]> 370 Holly Black 0316310271 avery 4 4.01 2018 The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)
author: Holly Black
name: avery
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:
I’m not normally a fan of real world/fantasy cross overs. But this was really well done! This truly is enemies to lovers and I can’t wait to see what happens.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tattooist of Auschwitz (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, #1)]]> 38359036 °ŐäłŮ´Ç·Éľ±±đ°ů±đ°ů (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.]]> 272 Heather Morris 006287067X avery 5 I was so impressed by the narrator.
The amount of accents the narrator could do was so impressive, he was perfect for this book. This story was very touching, and I’m so glad I picked this one up. I loved that there was a little bit of romance too. ]]> 4.32 2018 The Tattooist of Auschwitz (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, #1)
author: Heather Morris
name: avery
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/27
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves:
review:
LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK!
I was so impressed by the narrator.
The amount of accents the narrator could do was so impressive, he was perfect for this book. This story was very touching, and I’m so glad I picked this one up. I loved that there was a little bit of romance too.
]]> <![CDATA[Unfuck Your Brain: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-Outs, and Triggers]]> 34885438 196 Faith G. Harper 1621064972 avery 1 dnf
Im not bothered by curse words most of the time, but the swearing in this was crazy. The audiobook quality was also terrible. ]]> 3.27 2017 Unfuck Your Brain: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-Outs, and Triggers
author: Faith G. Harper
name: avery
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2017
rating: 1
read at: 2024/09/23
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF

Im not bothered by curse words most of the time, but the swearing in this was crazy. The audiobook quality was also terrible.
]]> <![CDATA[The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics]]> 16158542
It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys� own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.]]> 404 Daniel James Brown 067002581X avery 5 4.37 2013 The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
author: Daniel James Brown
name: avery
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/12
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves:
review:
yes. yes. yes. no extra fluff, no need for extravagant words, this story is just amazing as is.
]]> Leave the World Behind 50358031
Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they've rented for the week. But with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken. Ruth and G. H., an older couple who claim to own the home, have arrived there in a panic. These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and - with nowhere else to turn - they have come to the country in search of shelter.

But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple - and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilisation, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?]]> 241 Rumaan Alam 0062667637 avery 2
What I liked
- interesting concept
- the plot was steady
- seems accurate to how people would realistically react in this situation.
- characters were consistent and well developed

what I disliked
- SOME THOUGHTS ARE INSIDE THOUGHTS? like what does that sexual reference/thing have to do with the story?!! it wasn’t sexual in a romantic way, but like a weird, almost perverted type of way? BIG NO FOR ME
- It doesn’t feel complete. I think it was supposed to be purposeful in the lack of information you get. i can see why the author would do that, BUT I DONT LIKE IT. Like yes the family has “left the world behind� and doesn’t have a way to get that information, so again i understand the lack of answers. There were sneak peaks of what was going on, but I finished the book feeling unsatisfied, like WHAT THE FRICK IS HAPPENING?! and you never really fine out. I “HOPE YOURE HUNGRY� FOR NOTHING”]]> 3.13 2020 Leave the World Behind
author: Rumaan Alam
name: avery
average rating: 3.13
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/10
date added: 2024/09/10
shelves:
review:
i’m conflicted on how to rate this book.

What I liked
- interesting concept
- the plot was steady
- seems accurate to how people would realistically react in this situation.
- characters were consistent and well developed

what I disliked
- SOME THOUGHTS ARE INSIDE THOUGHTS? like what does that sexual reference/thing have to do with the story?!! it wasn’t sexual in a romantic way, but like a weird, almost perverted type of way? BIG NO FOR ME
- It doesn’t feel complete. I think it was supposed to be purposeful in the lack of information you get. i can see why the author would do that, BUT I DONT LIKE IT. Like yes the family has “left the world behind� and doesn’t have a way to get that information, so again i understand the lack of answers. There were sneak peaks of what was going on, but I finished the book feeling unsatisfied, like WHAT THE FRICK IS HAPPENING?! and you never really fine out. I “HOPE YOURE HUNGRY� FOR NOTHING�
]]> <![CDATA[Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys, #1)]]> 25657772 Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...

This is not one of those times.

Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.

Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...

Or not.

There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.

But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...

Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...]]> 375 Julia Quinn 0062388142 avery 4 ate them up 3.90 2016 Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: avery
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/05
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves:
review:
ate them up
]]> The Things We Cannot Say 40899464
Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate. Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents� farm. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.

Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative that weaves together two women’s stories into a tapestry of perseverance, loyalty, love and honor. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it.]]> 448 Kelly Rimmer 1525831518 avery 0 to-read 4.51 2019 The Things We Cannot Say
author: Kelly Rimmer
name: avery
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Only One Left 62703226 At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer�I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,� Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.]]> 383 Riley Sager 0593183223 avery 0 to-read 4.12 2023 The Only One Left
author: Riley Sager
name: avery
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)]]> 55710822 In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.

Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.]]> 356 Lynn Painter 1534467629 avery 3

things i liked:
- I will always appreciate a sound track
- movie references
- funny banter
- Wes being an absolute sweetheart
- wholesome and clean romance

what i disliked
- Liz lying and being annoying
- I judged the book by the cover, because I thought I was gonna get movie scene recreations, I was disappointed when that didn’t happen.
- The attempted use of gen z slang, it was cringe.
- high school romance, I would have eaten this up in my teens, but it’s cheesy reading this as an adult. ]]> 4.28 2021 Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)
author: Lynn Painter
name: avery
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves:
review:
I read this because of Haley Pham since she rated it 5 stars I thought it was just okay, it would be a cute movie though! 3 stars in my mind is decent though.


things i liked:
- I will always appreciate a sound track
- movie references
- funny banter
- Wes being an absolute sweetheart
- wholesome and clean romance

what i disliked
- Liz lying and being annoying
- I judged the book by the cover, because I thought I was gonna get movie scene recreations, I was disappointed when that didn’t happen.
- The attempted use of gen z slang, it was cringe.
- high school romance, I would have eaten this up in my teens, but it’s cheesy reading this as an adult.
]]> <![CDATA[Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts, #1)]]> 49826643
Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders� intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future� or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders� deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Fans of epic romantic fantasy like Sarah J. Maas and Raven Kennedy will devour this tale of dark magic, passionate romance, vengeance, and redemption.]]> 520 Carissa Broadbent avery 3 Do I keep reading the series?

The beginning was so interesting and I was loving it!!! The second half of the book just wasn’t doing it for me. Some parts were super beautifully written, and poetic. The chemistry was building too. Tisaanah is such an interesting and well developed character, Max also has a crazy back story. I was investedl!!

The 2nd half of the book wasn’t boring, but I had a hard time wanting to pick this book up. After the “major thing� happens, I lost interest. The character development and romance were lost because the plot was so focused on dramatics.

I’m genuinely so sad I didn’t love this one, maybe my expectations were too high. I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series.]]> 4.03 2020 Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts, #1)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: avery
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves:
review:
I’m so sad :( I have been looking for a good fantasy series ever since finishing Throne of Glass, and heard this was a good series, but I’m disappointed.
Do I keep reading the series?

The beginning was so interesting and I was loving it!!! The second half of the book just wasn’t doing it for me. Some parts were super beautifully written, and poetic. The chemistry was building too. Tisaanah is such an interesting and well developed character, Max also has a crazy back story. I was investedl!!

The 2nd half of the book wasn’t boring, but I had a hard time wanting to pick this book up. After the “major thing� happens, I lost interest. The character development and romance were lost because the plot was so focused on dramatics.

I’m genuinely so sad I didn’t love this one, maybe my expectations were too high. I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series.
]]> The Woman in Me 63133205 The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.]]> 288 Britney Spears 1668009048 avery 2
I listened to the audiobook, and the writing felt like having ADD. Some thoughts were chaotic and unorganized.

I didn’t hate it, but there was a lot of word vomit. Her hardships could have felt more powerful if the writing had been more articulate and eloquent. I appreciate that it was an easy listen, and I do think he story is powerful, but would have been more impactful if it was better written.]]> 3.83 2023 The Woman in Me
author: Britney Spears
name: avery
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves:
review:
I’m not going to give this a high review just because I pity her, which I do, I do pity her. It doesn’t change the fact that this book was just OK.

I listened to the audiobook, and the writing felt like having ADD. Some thoughts were chaotic and unorganized.

I didn’t hate it, but there was a lot of word vomit. Her hardships could have felt more powerful if the writing had been more articulate and eloquent. I appreciate that it was an easy listen, and I do think he story is powerful, but would have been more impactful if it was better written.
]]> Malibu Rising 55404546 Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.]]> 369 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798657 avery 3 4.02 2021 Malibu Rising
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: avery
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/23
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves:
review:
This book lacked a plot. I attempted to read the physical book but couldn’t quite get into it, so I decided to give the audiobook a chance. It’s 11 hours long, and 8 hours in I had no idea where the plot was going. Some of the characters stories were interesting, others were random and I didn’t know why they were being brought up. I enjoyed the audiobook, but if i think I was reading a physical copy, I would have DNFed because I would be so confused where the story was going. I did like the emotional maturity that was developed between the characters though.
]]> <![CDATA[The Night Ends with Fire (The Night Ends with Fire, #1)]]> 201129898 Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.]]> 432 K.X. Song 0593815726 avery 4
What I liked:
- unique magic system! I haven’t read a book with a similar magic system before.
- inner dialog was well written and interesting.
- the romance (SUPRISING!!!!!) see spoilers !!!

what I disliked:
- repeated scenarios, always hurt or frequently imprisoned.
- though there would be more dragons âąď¸Ź



spoilers:
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITH LEI?! the beginning i was like okay sky what’s up seems nice, then as Meilin and Sky’s relationship progressed I totally thought their chemistry was non existent because of poor writing� But now that i’ve finished i can see the chemistry was being saved for LEI!!! ]]> 3.80 2024 The Night Ends with Fire (The Night Ends with Fire, #1)
author: K.X. Song
name: avery
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/06
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves:
review:
Was this book perfect? No. But did I still really enjoy it? Yes.

What I liked:
- unique magic system! I haven’t read a book with a similar magic system before.
- inner dialog was well written and interesting.
- the romance (SUPRISING!!!!!) see spoilers !!!

what I disliked:
- repeated scenarios, always hurt or frequently imprisoned.
- though there would be more dragons âąď¸Ź



spoilers:
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITH LEI?! the beginning i was like okay sky what’s up seems nice, then as Meilin and Sky’s relationship progressed I totally thought their chemistry was non existent because of poor writing� But now that i’ve finished i can see the chemistry was being saved for LEI!!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Naturals (The Naturals, #1)]]> 13597723
What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.]]> 308 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 1423168232 avery 0 to-read 4.22 2013 The Naturals (The Naturals, #1)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: avery
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I'm Glad My Mom Died 59364173
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,� eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?� She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!�), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.]]> 320 Jennette McCurdy avery 4 4.45 2022 I'm Glad My Mom Died
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: avery
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/26
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
review:
Insane!! It’s insane to realize what goes on beyond the surface of peoples lives. As she is telling the story, it is obvious from the very start the abuse and trauma went on. But tragic she didn’t realize it for so many years. How much trauma could have been prevented in her life had someone stepped in? It’s interesting to see how much she abuse she suffered, and never realized. How many people out there are suffering similar abuses, but have never realized it because no one has pointed it out to them, as her therapist did? Crazy.
]]> <![CDATA[Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth, #2)]]> 60217777 The stakes are even higher in this epic, romantic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Crimson Moth duology.

A WITCH...
Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.

A WITCH HUNTER...
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by allying herself with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.

AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE...
When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.]]> 464 Kristen Ciccarelli avery 0 to-read 4.23 2025 Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth, #2)
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: avery
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1)]]> 127305713
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe � a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution � who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch� is falling in love.]]> 406 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866901 avery 0 to-read 4.16 2024 Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1)
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: avery
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Girl Called Samson 58769584 From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes the saga of a young woman who dares to chart her own destiny in life and love during the American Revolutionary War.

In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on, she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.

Twenty years later, as the American colonies begin to buckle in their battle for independence, Deborah, impassioned by the cause, disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental Army. Her impressive height and lanky build make her transformation a convincing one, and it isn’t long before she finds herself confronting the horrors of war head-on.

But as Deborah fights for her country’s freedom, she must contend with the secret of who she is—and, ultimately, a surprising love she can’t deny.]]> 405 Amy Harmon 1542039738 avery 4
I'm just going to start off saying maybe my brain is small, maybe I just didn't pay attention, but some of the war details, names people, locations, were hard to remember/keep up with. But I enjoed this book a lot regardless.

Deborah, was an interesting character! I loved her determination, and her strength. Was she annoyingly stubborn sometimes? Yes, but that just showed exactly who she was.

John! His vocabulary reminded me of my husband, so I liked his character a lot. I liked that John was true to himself, and very loyal. He does what is right, regardless of how hard it is.

This book also had me feeling very patriotic. USA! USA! USA!

THE QUOTES THAT HAD ME BLUSHINGGGGGG:
"Men don't bring their tresure onto the battlefield. They protect it"

"I find you impossibly, undeniably, irresistibly beautiful. In fact you are the most beautiful woman I have every laid eyes upon. And I cannot do this any longer."

"I am mad about you. Crazed in fact. Beyond all reason. But what I am trying-Very poorly- to say is that I love you too."

"I don't know what to put my gaze"

AND MANY MORE!!!!!!!!!! yes yes yes. The romantic dialog was everything. It reminded me off Queen charlotte, and pride and prejuduce. I removed 1 star only because I was confused a lot of the time in the war scenes.]]> 4.48 2023 A Girl Called Samson
author: Amy Harmon
name: avery
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/26
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
review:
ANGRY LOVE CONFESSION? I THINK YES.

I'm just going to start off saying maybe my brain is small, maybe I just didn't pay attention, but some of the war details, names people, locations, were hard to remember/keep up with. But I enjoed this book a lot regardless.

Deborah, was an interesting character! I loved her determination, and her strength. Was she annoyingly stubborn sometimes? Yes, but that just showed exactly who she was.

John! His vocabulary reminded me of my husband, so I liked his character a lot. I liked that John was true to himself, and very loyal. He does what is right, regardless of how hard it is.

This book also had me feeling very patriotic. USA! USA! USA!

THE QUOTES THAT HAD ME BLUSHINGGGGGG:
"Men don't bring their tresure onto the battlefield. They protect it"

"I find you impossibly, undeniably, irresistibly beautiful. In fact you are the most beautiful woman I have every laid eyes upon. And I cannot do this any longer."

"I am mad about you. Crazed in fact. Beyond all reason. But what I am trying-Very poorly- to say is that I love you too."

"I don't know what to put my gaze"

AND MANY MORE!!!!!!!!!! yes yes yes. The romantic dialog was everything. It reminded me off Queen charlotte, and pride and prejuduce. I removed 1 star only because I was confused a lot of the time in the war scenes.
]]> <![CDATA[Part of Your World (Part of Your World, #1)]]> 58684524
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere� ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

The New York Times bestselling author of Life's Too Short delivers a refreshingly modern fairy tale perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Emily Henry.]]> 389 Abby Jimenez 1538704374 avery 0 to-read 4.26 2022 Part of Your World (Part of Your World, #1)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: avery
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)]]> 17347634 A newer edition of ISBN 978-0143124542 can be found here.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, discover the love story that captured over 20 million hearts in Me Before You, After You, and Still Me.

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?]]> 369 Jojo Moyes 0670026603 avery 3
In the beginning of the book I would have never seen myself supporting assisted suicide. I still wouldn’t say i do after reading the book, but my mind was opened to see the other side of this debate.


However I wished that there was more written about THEIR RELATIONSHIP! It was disappointing that we didn’t get more from Will and Lou. Why was Patrick, and Lou’s family taking up so much of the story? There was a lot of fluff written about them, and it was unnecessary in my opinion.


Somewhat a spoiler�..

I was expecting Will, at minimum to said “I love you.� Yes he was ending his life on his terms, but Lou didn’t even get to hear those words from him? There was not a single word of closure. All he said was “Come here.� and “Let me look at you�. So many words were left unsaid, and that was the biggest let down as a whole.]]> 4.26 2012 Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)
author: Jojo Moyes
name: avery
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/22
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves:
review:
“Me Before You� was witty, real, and raw, but I expected so much more.

In the beginning of the book I would have never seen myself supporting assisted suicide. I still wouldn’t say i do after reading the book, but my mind was opened to see the other side of this debate.


However I wished that there was more written about THEIR RELATIONSHIP! It was disappointing that we didn’t get more from Will and Lou. Why was Patrick, and Lou’s family taking up so much of the story? There was a lot of fluff written about them, and it was unnecessary in my opinion.


Somewhat a spoiler�..

I was expecting Will, at minimum to said “I love you.� Yes he was ending his life on his terms, but Lou didn’t even get to hear those words from him? There was not a single word of closure. All he said was “Come here.� and “Let me look at you�. So many words were left unsaid, and that was the biggest let down as a whole.
]]> <![CDATA[Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals, #1)]]> 58831274
An orphaned servant like me? Everyone assumes on first shift, I’ll turn into a squirrel.

Instead, I grow wings. Breathe fire. Throw the world into chaos.

No one wants a girl in the Royal Dragon Guard. So I’m disguised as a man and sent off to military training.

The Dragon Royals are not a welcoming bunch. These princely scions of the four ruling families have been training to fight the plague-crazed Scourge since they were toddlers. Every girl in the city dreams of winning the heart of one of the dragon nobles, but they only care about each other.

Jaik, the cold-hearted hero who never smiles and never falters. Arren, who kills without mercy and guards his friends fiercely. Lynx and Branick, the twin spymasters with deadly swords. Talisyn, with the beautiful cruel mouth and endless bravery.

By night, I’m the servant they flirt with. I’m the one stealing Jaik’s heart and kissing Talisyn and antagonizing Arren. All the while, Branick and Lynx fret that I’m a spy, sent to destroy the Royals.

By day, I’m Lucien Finn, the man they despise and the dragon shifter they have to fight alongside.

These royals are determined to make me fall, and the princes play dirty. Can I ignore the pull they have on my heart and kick them off their thrones?

Or will they break the maid... or kill the man? What will it do to us all when they finally discover the truth about who I truly am?

If cocky dragon shifters, steamy scenes, and snarky heroines who refuse to choose anything less than ALL their heart's desires offend...then back away. Otherwise, scroll up and dive into the adventure alongside Honor.]]> 429 May Dawson avery 0 to-read 4.16 2021 Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals, #1)
author: May Dawson
name: avery
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry avery 2
The book is called “Funny Story� but there wasn’t a lot of humor in this book. I found the characters dry and boring. There was so much written about the side characters and their personal traumas, but the build up of their romance and the chemistry was not there. I always love a fake dating trope, so I liked that part of this plot, but otherwise� it was eh.

]]> 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: avery
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/13
date added: 2024/07/13
shelves:
review:
I LOVE emily henry!! But this didn’t seem like her usually writing. This is my least favorite of all her books.

The book is called “Funny Story� but there wasn’t a lot of humor in this book. I found the characters dry and boring. There was so much written about the side characters and their personal traumas, but the build up of their romance and the chemistry was not there. I always love a fake dating trope, so I liked that part of this plot, but otherwise� it was eh.


]]> The Soulmate Equation 58438593
But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond� pairing that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.]]> 360 Christina Lauren 1982171111 avery 0 to-read 3.96 2021 The Soulmate Equation
author: Christina Lauren
name: avery
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hello Beautiful 61771675
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters� unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?]]> 416 Ann Napolitano avery 0 to-read 4.14 2023 Hello Beautiful
author: Ann Napolitano
name: avery
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity]]> 61153739 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � A groundbreaking manifesto on living better and longer that challenges the conventional medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health, from a visionary physician and leading longevity expert

Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.

For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late to help, prolonging lifespan at the expense of healthspan, or quality of life. Dr. Attia believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, one where we take action now, rather than waiting.

This is not “biohacking,� it’s science: a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Dr. Attia’s aim is less to tell you what to do and more to help you learn how to think about long-term health, in order to create the best plan for you as an individual. In Outlive, readers will discover:

� Why the cholesterol test at your annual physical doesn’t tell you enough about your actual risk of dying from a heart attack.
� That you may already suffer from an extremely common yet underdiagnosed liver condition that could be a precursor to the chronic diseases of aging.
� Why exercise is the most potent pro-longevity “drug”—and how to begin training for the “Centenarian Decathlon.�
� Why you should forget about diets, and focus instead on nutritional biochemistry, using technology and data to personalize your eating pattern.
� Why striving for physical health and longevity, but ignoring emotional health, could be the ultimate curse of all.

Aging and longevity are far more malleable than we think; our fate is not set in stone. With the right roadmap, you can plot a different path for your life, one that lets you outlive your genes to make each decade better than the one before.]]> 496 Peter Attia 0593236599 avery 0 to-read 4.33 2023 Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity
author: Peter Attia
name: avery
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The True Love Experiment 62361081 Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

Felicity “Fizzy� Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.

Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?

Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.

The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.]]> 409 Christina Lauren 1982173432 avery 0 to-read 4.06 2023 The True Love Experiment
author: Christina Lauren
name: avery
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Tom Lake 63241104 In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers.

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.]]> 309 Ann Patchett 006332752X avery 0 to-read 3.92 2023 Tom Lake
author: Ann Patchett
name: avery
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Only the Beautiful 56687771
California, 1938—When she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresser’s daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvert’s spacious house with a secret, however—Rosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother she’d never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers, and having lost her family she treasures her pregnancy as the chance for a future one. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place far worse than anything she could have imagined.

Austria, 1947—After witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitler’s brutal pursuit of hereditary purity—especially with regard to “different children”—Helen Calvert, Truman's sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brother’s peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresser’s daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.]]> 400 Susan Meissner 0593332830 avery 0 to-read 4.42 2023 Only the Beautiful
author: Susan Meissner
name: avery
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom]]> 24611623 273 Yeonmi Park 1594206791 avery 0 to-read 4.45 2015 In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom
author: Yeonmi Park
name: avery
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Happiest Man on Earth 53239311 Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.

Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp.

Over the next seven years, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his country.

Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the 'happiest man on earth'.

Published as Eddie turns 100, this is a powerful, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.]]> 208 Eddie Jaku 1760980080 avery 0 to-read 4.59 2020 The Happiest Man on Earth
author: Eddie Jaku
name: avery
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Must Betray You 56970272 Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the number one New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.]]> 321 Ruta Sepetys 198483603X avery 0 to-read 4.38 2022 I Must Betray You
author: Ruta Sepetys
name: avery
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Flatshare 36478784 Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met�

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…]]> 394 Beth O'Leary 1787474402 avery 4
What I liked:
- the author established a clear “voice� for character in her writing!
- personalities were well developed and unique
- DEFINITION OF SLOW BURN!!
- a little spice but perfectly mild at the same time.
- interesting plot

What I disliked
- the dramatic ending. obviously you need conflict to move the plot along, but the ended felt out of place with the rest of the book which felt pretty mellow and chill. I would have enjoyed the ended more if it had been toned down a little. I think the drama made the ending feel rushed, when the rest of the book felt slow (in the best way) ]]> 3.97 2019 The Flatshare
author: Beth O'Leary
name: avery
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves:
review:
I thought this book was adorable!

What I liked:
- the author established a clear “voice� for character in her writing!
- personalities were well developed and unique
- DEFINITION OF SLOW BURN!!
- a little spice but perfectly mild at the same time.
- interesting plot

What I disliked
- the dramatic ending. obviously you need conflict to move the plot along, but the ended felt out of place with the rest of the book which felt pretty mellow and chill. I would have enjoyed the ended more if it had been toned down a little. I think the drama made the ending feel rushed, when the rest of the book felt slow (in the best way)
]]> <![CDATA[Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)]]> 76706470 576 Sarah J. Maas avery 5 4.44 2014 Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: avery
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/07
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)]]> 76707900 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past�

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.]]> 648 Sarah J. Maas 1639731008 avery 4 4.64 2015 Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: avery
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/01
date added: 2024/07/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6)]]> 76714487 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea's last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.

After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.

In this sweeping parallel novel to the New York Times bestselling Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival—or doom them all . . .]]> 663 Sarah J. Maas 1639731040 avery 5 4.26 2017 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: avery
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/16
date added: 2024/07/02
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