Dannielle's bookshelf: read en-US Sun, 06 Apr 2025 23:26:43 -0700 60 Dannielle's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do As He Did]]> 83817455
“One of the most important books I have read in a decade. . . If we would all follow in this way,our lives would change and the world would change.”—Jennie Allen, author of Get Out of Your Head and Find Your People

We are constantly being formed by the world around us. To be formed by Jesus will require us to become his apprentice.

To live by what the first Christian disciples called a Rule of Life—a set of practices and relational rhythms that slow us down and open up space in our daily lives for God to do what only God can do—transforms the deepest parts of us to become like him.

This introduction to spiritual formation is full of John Mark Comer’s trademark mix of theological substance and cultural insight as well as practical wisdom on developing your own Rule of Life.

These ancient practices have much to offer us. By learning to rearrange our days, we can follow the Way of Jesus. We can be with him. Become like him. And do as he did.]]> 288 John Mark Comer 0593193822 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.56 2024 Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do As He Did
author: John Mark Comer
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Dannielle 0 currently-reading 4.61 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Gone with the Wind 18405 1037 Margaret Mitchell 0446365386 Dannielle 5 4.30 1936 Gone with the Wind
author: Margaret Mitchell
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1936
rating: 5
read at: 2012/06/26
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: war, civil, historical, fiction, romance, racism, deep, south, slavery, love, obsession, jealousy, irish-american, 1860s, confederacy, melodrama, all-time-faves
review:

]]> The Night Circus 75201172
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves , and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing.Despite the high stakes,Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.]]> 516 Erin Morgenstern Dannielle 3
Many characters are referred to by multiple names (such as Prospero/Hector Bowen and A.H./the man in the grey suit), which added to the confusion—especially when paired with a large cast introduced with very minimal backstory. I struggled to emotionally invest in the characters because we’d spend only brief moments with each of them before quickly moving on to someone else. By the time the story circled back, I had often forgotten their plot or even who they were.

The father figures in the narrative were especially disturbing. I had zero empathy for them—they were cruel, abusive, controlling, and quite frankly, evil to their children.

The romance lacked the emotional depth I was expecting for a book marketed as a "fantasy romance."

While I appreciated the enchanting atmosphere of the novel, it ultimately left something to be desired. For these reasons, I regret that I cannot give it more than 3 stars.]]> 4.17 2011 The Night Circus
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read, fantasy, magical-realism, romance, mystery
review:
The Night Circus is a whimsical tale told through lush, evocative prose, rich with dreamlike imagery. The storytelling often prioritizes a dark, mysterious mood and magical aesthetic over plot clarity. For example, the novel’s non-linear narrative—told from multiple viewpoints and spanning different time periods—frequently disrupted the flow and made it difficult for me to follow the story.

Many characters are referred to by multiple names (such as Prospero/Hector Bowen and A.H./the man in the grey suit), which added to the confusion—especially when paired with a large cast introduced with very minimal backstory. I struggled to emotionally invest in the characters because we’d spend only brief moments with each of them before quickly moving on to someone else. By the time the story circled back, I had often forgotten their plot or even who they were.

The father figures in the narrative were especially disturbing. I had zero empathy for them—they were cruel, abusive, controlling, and quite frankly, evil to their children.

The romance lacked the emotional depth I was expecting for a book marketed as a "fantasy romance."

While I appreciated the enchanting atmosphere of the novel, it ultimately left something to be desired. For these reasons, I regret that I cannot give it more than 3 stars.
]]> The Wishing Game 62926992
Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.

But be careful what you wish for. . . .

Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.

For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind� Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.

. . . You might just get it.]]> 304 Meg Shaffer 0593598830 Dannielle 4 to-read
I especially loved Hugo—he felt so real to me that I caught myself wanting to look him up online just to see what he looked like. The story had a lot of heart, some fun surprises, and a lovely sense of warmth mixed with a little magic. ]]> 4.02 2023 The Wishing Game
author: Meg Shaffer
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:
I had to suspend my disbelief at times because some of the characters said or did things that felt unprofessional or unrealistic given their roles. For example, it's unlikely a social worker would bluntly tell someone they're not cut out to be a foster parent simply because they hadn’t yet stabilized their finances. But if you're willing to let a few things like that go, "The Wishing Game" is a sweet and engaging story.

I especially loved Hugo—he felt so real to me that I caught myself wanting to look him up online just to see what he looked like. The story had a lot of heart, some fun surprises, and a lovely sense of warmth mixed with a little magic.
]]> <![CDATA[Unashamed: Rahab (Lineage of Grace, #2)]]> 95609 2001 Christy Award winner!
Book 2 in the Lineage of Grace series by best-selling author Francine Rivers. In her trademark style, Francine tells the compelling story of Rahab from the book of Joshua. Readers will gain a fresh understanding of God's work through the life of this unlikely woman in the lineage of Christ.]]> 176 Francine Rivers 084233596X Dannielle 4 4.29 2000 Unashamed: Rahab (Lineage of Grace, #2)
author: Francine Rivers
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves:
review:
Beautiful story of Rahab. I liked it better than Pearl in the Sand, another retelling of the biblical figure of Rahab. This one had a much better love interest in my opinion. It was short but sweet.
]]> <![CDATA[Les Miserables by Marcia Williams (2015-08-06)]]> 151094336 Victor Hugo’s epic masterpiece is retold and illustrated by Marcia Williams in her signature comic-book style.

Travel back to nineteenth-century France with ex-convict Jean Valjean as he tries to put his criminal past behind him and his fate intertwines with the ruthless Inspector Javert, determined to put Valjean back behind bars; the poor factory worker Fantine, whose struggle to provide for her child leads to her death; her orphaned daughter, Cosette, whom Valjean saves from poverty and neglect; and Cosette’s besotted suitor, Marius. As a revolution sweeps through Paris, can Valjean elude Javert and secure a happy life for Cosette before all is lost? Follow their story in Marcia Williams’s entertaining and easily digestible retelling for young readers.]]> 0 Marcia Williams Dannielle 4 4.44 2015 Les Miserables by Marcia Williams (2015-08-06)
author: Marcia Williams
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:
Cute illustrated kids version of Les Miserables. I've seen the musical multiple times and I've seen different movies but I've never read the book since it's so thick and intimidating. It's a rather dark book for kids but I think Williams handled the adult topics with finesse. It's amazing she was able to cram so much of the original story into such a short book. I'm wondering how much of this story is from the real book and how much was changed due to it being a kids book or maybe the musical and the movie version were the ones that were changed? Now I need to read the real book by Victor Hugo... but not anytime soon.
]]> <![CDATA[Lizzy Bennet's Diary: Inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice]]> 18209421 112 Marcia Williams 0763670308 Dannielle 5 regency, love 3.81 2013 Lizzy Bennet's Diary: Inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
author: Marcia Williams
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/02
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: regency, love
review:
A very sweet book full of delightful illustrations. Telling the story of Pride and Prejudice from Elizabeth Bennet's point of view in diary form. There were cute little letters to open throughout the book every time someone wrote a letter like it was glued into the diary along with feathers and rose petals and autumn leaves pressed into the pages. I thought the feather was real for a moment because it looked so real. Very creative book, I enjoyed it very much.
]]> <![CDATA[The Worst Witch (Worst Witch, #1)]]> 351023 107 Jill Murphy 0141319623 Dannielle 3 3.95 1974 The Worst Witch (Worst Witch, #1)
author: Jill Murphy
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1974
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:
A cute little kids story. Feels like maybe J. K. Rowling borrowed ideas from it for Harry Potter?
]]> Enclave (Razorland, #1) 7137327
Ann Aguirre's thrilling young adult novel is the story of two young people in an apocalyptic world--facing dangers, and feelings, unlike any they've ever known.]]> 259 Ann Aguirre 0312650086 Dannielle 0 3.91 2011 Enclave (Razorland, #1)
author: Ann Aguirre
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2018/11/05
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison]]> 42466 298 Lois Lenski 0064461629 Dannielle 0 3.85 1941 Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison
author: Lois Lenski
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1941
rating: 0
read at: 2018/10/05
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fierce Women: The Power of a Soft Warrior (True Woman)]]> 13587301 Can you have a strong personality and still be a godly wife' YES!

Do you ever get the idea that being a godly wife means you need to be a mousy doormat' Be as unnoticeable as a doorknob' Or have a personality transplant'

Fierce Women: The Power of a Soft Warrior smashes that idea. No matter whether you’re an extrovert or more introverted, Kimberly Wagner believes women are created to be a compelling force.



You may not see yourself as beautifully fierce or even slightly strong, but what if God has placed a powerful fierceness within you, within every woman' Kim admits her fierceness became a source of conflict in her marriage, but the relationship dynamic totally changed when she discovered her fierce strengths could be used to encourage and inspire her husband. She invites you to come alongside as she takes an honest look at a destructive relationship dynamic and casts a vision for the transformation God can bring to troubled marriages.

ATrue WomanBook; the goal of the True Woman publishing line is to encourage women to:


Discover, embrace, and delight in God's divine design and mission for their lives
Reflect the beauty and heart of Jesus Christ to their world
Intentionally pass the baton of Truth on to the next generation
Pray earnestly for an outpouring of God's Spirit in their families, churches, nation and world]]> 288 Kimberly Wagner 0802406203 Dannielle 0 4.15 2012 Fierce Women: The Power of a Soft Warrior (True Woman)
author: Kimberly Wagner
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2018/09/16
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Color Is Your Parachute? 2000: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers]]> 13320016


About the Author

RICHARD NELSON BOLLES has been a leader in the career field for more than 30 years. He is former director of the National Career Development Project and an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he majored in chemical engineering; Harvard University, where he graduated cum laude with a bachelor s degree in physics; and the General Theological (Episcopal) Seminary in New York City, where he earned a master s degree in New Testament studies. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

]]> 368 Richard Nelson Bolles 1580081258 Dannielle 0 3.80 1970 What Color Is Your Parachute? 2000: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers
author: Richard Nelson Bolles
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at: 2018/09/14
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> The Names 217245618 In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.]]> 336 Florence Knapp 0593833902 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.33 2025 The Names
author: Florence Knapp
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

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

Readers, too, can travel to the wondrous, unforgettable world of Fantastica if they will just turn the page...]]> 396 Michael Ende 0525457585 Dannielle 5 4.16 1979 The Neverending Story
author: Michael Ende
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/12
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Tuck Everlasting 960405 139 Natalie Babbitt 0374378487 Dannielle 3 3.85 1975 Tuck Everlasting
author: Natalie Babbitt
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1975
rating: 3
read at: 1997/10/01
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The White Rose (The Lone City, #2)]]> 24585267
But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm.

But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?

The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won’t be able to put down until the final shocking moments.]]> 308 Amy Ewing 0062235818 Dannielle 0 3.91 2015 The White Rose (The Lone City, #2)
author: Amy Ewing
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2021/01/04
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> The Stationery Shop 42201995
Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.

A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she moves on—to college in California, to another man, to a life in New England—until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me?

A poignant, heartfelt new novel by the award-nominated author of Together Tea—extolled by the Wall Street Journal as a “moving tale of lost love� and by Shelf Awareness as “a powerful, heartbreaking story”—explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate.]]> 312 Marjan Kamali 1982107480 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.22 2019 The Stationery Shop
author: Marjan Kamali
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lady Tan’s Circle of Women 62919732
According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,� but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus , they tell from adversity beauty can bloom.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? A captivating story of women helping each other, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a triumphant reimagining of the life of one person who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.]]> 352 Lisa See 1982117087 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.31 2023 Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
author: Lisa See
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain, #1)]]> 123257687
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer―naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.]]> 342 Hannah Nicole Maehrer 1649375808 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.88 2023 Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain, #1)
author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Atalanta 61884838
Princess, Warrior, Lover, Hero

When Princess Atalanta is born, a daughter rather than the son her parents hoped for, she is left on a mountainside to die. But even then, she is a survivor. Raised by a mother bear under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis, Atalanta grows up wild and free, with just one condition: if she marries, Artemis warns, it will be her undoing.

Although she loves her beautiful forest home, Atalanta yearns for adventure. When Artemis offers her the chance to fight in her name alongside the Argonauts, the fiercest band of warriors the world has ever seen, Atalanta seizes it. The Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece is filled with impossible challenges, but Atalanta proves herself equal to the men she fights alongside. As she is swept into a passionate affair, in defiance of Artemis's warning, she begins to question the goddess's true intentions. Can Atalanta carve out her own legendary place in a world of men, while staying true to her heart?

Full of joy, passion, and adventure, Atalanta is the story of a woman who refuses to be contained. Jennifer Saint places Atalanta in the pantheon of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology, where she belongs.]]> 291 Jennifer Saint 1250855578 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.74 2023 Atalanta
author: Jennifer Saint
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Where the Crawdads Sing 36809135
But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.]]> 384 Delia Owens 0735219117 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.35 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing
author: Delia Owens
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> What Is the Gospel? 7384363
What is the gospel? It seems like a simple question, yet it has been known to incite some heated responses, even in the church. How are we to formulate a clear, biblical understanding of the gospel? Tradition, reason, and experience all leave us ultimately disappointed. If we want answers, we must turn to the Word of God.

Greg Gilbert does so in What Is the Gospel?. Beginning with Paul's systematic presentation of the gospel in Romans and moving through the sermons in Acts, Gilbert argues that the central structure of the gospel consists of four main subjects: God, man, Christ, and a response. The book carefully examines each and then explores the effects the gospel can have in individuals, churches, and the world. Both Christian and non-Christian readers will gain a clearer understanding of the gospel in this valuable resource.]]> 127 Greg Gilbert 1433515008 Dannielle 3 christian, christianity
Yet, "What Is the Gospel?" by Greg Gilbert tackles this seemingly simple question because, even within the church, the answers can be surprisingly varied... and not without controversy. Many Christians struggle to articulate a clear, biblical understanding of the gospel. Gilbert argues that at its core, the gospel is structured around four key subjects: God, man, Christ, and our response.

God is righteous and sovereign. Humanity falls short of His glory and needs redemption. Christ provided that redemption through His death and resurrection. Our response? Accepting His sacrifice as the atonement for our sins. Simple. But Gilbert’s short, 120-page book is designed to deepen the reader’s understanding and appreciation of this life-changing message.]]> 4.27 2010 What Is the Gospel?
author: Greg Gilbert
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: christian, christianity
review:
My husband joked, "If you need a book that thick to explain the gospel, you got problems." After all, the gospel is simple—Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, was buried, and rose again for our forgiveness. Trust in Him, and you're saved.

Yet, "What Is the Gospel?" by Greg Gilbert tackles this seemingly simple question because, even within the church, the answers can be surprisingly varied... and not without controversy. Many Christians struggle to articulate a clear, biblical understanding of the gospel. Gilbert argues that at its core, the gospel is structured around four key subjects: God, man, Christ, and our response.

God is righteous and sovereign. Humanity falls short of His glory and needs redemption. Christ provided that redemption through His death and resurrection. Our response? Accepting His sacrifice as the atonement for our sins. Simple. But Gilbert’s short, 120-page book is designed to deepen the reader’s understanding and appreciation of this life-changing message.
]]> <![CDATA[The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #1)]]> 110391 Librarian note: See alternate cover editions here and here.

The Duke and I is a romance set in the Regency era.

In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable� but not too amiable.

Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.

Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.

The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...]]> 384 Julia Quinn 0380800829 Dannielle 3
Daphne and Simon’s witty exchanges and dramatic misunderstandings make for an amusing ride. Some moments were genuinely funny, while others leaned into cheesy dialogue—but that’s part of the book’s charm.

Overall, The Duke and I is an escapist read that doesn’t take itself too seriously, making it all the more enjoyable.]]> 3.80 2000 The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:
"The Duke and I" by Julia Quinn is a lighthearted, charming, and humorous Regency-era romance that’s pure fun. With playful banter, meddling families, and delightfully over-the-top situations, it’s a quick, easy, and entertaining read—especially for someone who doesn’t typically read the romance genre.

Daphne and Simon’s witty exchanges and dramatic misunderstandings make for an amusing ride. Some moments were genuinely funny, while others leaned into cheesy dialogue—but that’s part of the book’s charm.

Overall, The Duke and I is an escapist read that doesn’t take itself too seriously, making it all the more enjoyable.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hit: Despite the challenges that you have faced in life and no matter how you feel, you are never alone!]]> 58708452 76 Tray Williams Dannielle 4
A catastrophic biking accident left Tray fighting for his life—his face unrecognizable, his body struggling to walk, speak, and manage even the simplest tasks. But this isn’t a story about loss. It’s a story about perseverance, faith, and the unwavering goodness of God.

Blow after blow, Tray got knocked down, but he refused to stay there. With relentless determination and trust in God, he pushed through every setback. Surgeries. Therapy. Mountains that should have been impossible to climb. But God made a way—again and again. When doors seemed permanently shut, God opened them. When the odds were stacked against him, God carried Tray through. College? Check. A career? Secured. A home, friendships, a purpose? Provided—against all expectations.

What makes The Hit so powerful isn’t just Tray’s story, but the way he tells it. No pretenses. No fluff. Just real, down-to-earth storytelling, filled with candor, humor, and moments of self-reflection. Tray doesn’t sugarcoat the pain, nor does he dwell in it. He shares the hard parts, the awkward moments, the setbacks, and the victories with a humility that makes you feel like you’re sitting across from an old friend—listening to a story that might just change the way you see your own life.

At its heart, "The Hit" is more than an inspiring read—it’s a challenge: a call to keep moving forward when life knocks you down. A reminder that even when things seem impossible, God is still at work. And He’s not done yet.]]> 4.00 The Hit: Despite the challenges that you have faced in life and no matter how you feel, you are never alone!
author: Tray Williams
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/08
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves:
review:
Some stories stay with you long after you turn the last page, and "The Hit" by Tray Williams is one of them. It’s raw, honest, and deeply moving—a testimony of God’s grace, the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of faith when life delivers its hardest blows.

A catastrophic biking accident left Tray fighting for his life—his face unrecognizable, his body struggling to walk, speak, and manage even the simplest tasks. But this isn’t a story about loss. It’s a story about perseverance, faith, and the unwavering goodness of God.

Blow after blow, Tray got knocked down, but he refused to stay there. With relentless determination and trust in God, he pushed through every setback. Surgeries. Therapy. Mountains that should have been impossible to climb. But God made a way—again and again. When doors seemed permanently shut, God opened them. When the odds were stacked against him, God carried Tray through. College? Check. A career? Secured. A home, friendships, a purpose? Provided—against all expectations.

What makes The Hit so powerful isn’t just Tray’s story, but the way he tells it. No pretenses. No fluff. Just real, down-to-earth storytelling, filled with candor, humor, and moments of self-reflection. Tray doesn’t sugarcoat the pain, nor does he dwell in it. He shares the hard parts, the awkward moments, the setbacks, and the victories with a humility that makes you feel like you’re sitting across from an old friend—listening to a story that might just change the way you see your own life.

At its heart, "The Hit" is more than an inspiring read—it’s a challenge: a call to keep moving forward when life knocks you down. A reminder that even when things seem impossible, God is still at work. And He’s not done yet.
]]> <![CDATA[The Practice of the Presence of God]]> 498641 Alternative cover edition of ISBN 0883681056 can be found here

Brother Lawrence was a man of humble beginnings who discovered the greatest secret of living in the kingdom of God here on earth. It is the art of “practicing the presence of God in one single act that does not end.� He often stated that it is God who paints Himself in the depths of our souls. We must merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence.
As a humble cook, Brother Lawrence learned an important lesson through each daily chore: The time he spent in communion with the Lord should be the same, whether he was bustling around in the kitchen—with several people asking questions at the same time—or on his knees in prayer. He learned to cultivate the deep presence of God so thoroughly in his own heart that he was able to joyfully exclaim, “I am doing now what I will do for all eternity. I am blessing God, praising Him, adoring Him, and loving Him with all my heart.�
This unparalleled classic has given both blessing and instruction to those who can be content with nothing less than knowing God in all His majesty and feeling His loving presence throughout each simple day.]]> 95 Brother Lawrence Dannielle 2 4.31 1692 The Practice of the Presence of God
author: Brother Lawrence
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1692
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/08
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:
I listened to the audio version in about an hour on a road trip home from visiting my sister. The book is a collection of letters and prayers by a 17th-century monk, capturing his intimate conversations with God during the course of mundane daily tasks. While I didn’t find it particularly profound, there were a few moments that made me cringe due to what seemed like questionable theology.
]]> <![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 Dannielle 3 fantasy
In exchange for "living forever," Addie makes a deal with Darkness, only to find herself cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. The premise was both intriguing and thought-provoking. I enjoyed following her journey through the centuries, admiring her strength, resilience, resourcefulness, and determination to leave her mark despite her curse. The story explored themes of identity, legacy, and the innate human longing to be remembered.]]> 4.16 2020 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: fantasy
review:
"The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" was my first experience with the Faustian bargain trope, with lovely lyrical prose and vivid, evocative imagery.

In exchange for "living forever," Addie makes a deal with Darkness, only to find herself cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. The premise was both intriguing and thought-provoking. I enjoyed following her journey through the centuries, admiring her strength, resilience, resourcefulness, and determination to leave her mark despite her curse. The story explored themes of identity, legacy, and the innate human longing to be remembered.
]]> Dreadful 63051209 A sharp-witted, high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, evil wizards and a garlic festival - all at once. Perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, K. J. Parker and Travis Baldree.

It’s bad enough waking up in a half-destroyed evil wizard’s workshop with no eyebrows, no memories, and no idea how long you have before the Dread Lord Whomever shows up to murder you horribly and then turn your skull into a goblet or something.
It’s a lot worse when you realize that Dread Lord Whomever is� you.
Gav isn’t really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed.
But as he realizes that nothing � from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess � is quite what it seems, Gav must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he’ll have to answer the hardest question of all � who does he want to be?
Dread Lord Gavrax has had better weeks.]]> 344 Caitlin Rozakis 1803365471 Dannielle 3
One of the most compelling aspects of this book is its exploration of identity. The wizard's journey of self-discovery raises thought-provoking questions about whether our past actions define who we are or if they influence how we think.

I loved the lighthearted humor woven throughout the vivid storytelling, which made me root for the "bad guy" in unexpected ways. The character development of the wizard is particularly well done, making you hope that he can find his happy ending.

Overall a fun and engaging read.]]> 3.66 2024 Dreadful
author: Caitlin Rozakis
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: fantasy, mystery, satire, humor
review:
An evil wizard wakes up in his castle, staring into a mirror, only to find a stranger staring back. His eyebrows are burned off, and he has no recollection of who he is or any memory of his past. As the story unfolds, we discover that he’s imprisoned a princess—though he doesn’t know why—his terrified employees live in constant fear that he might set them on fire, and the magic mirror in his workshop ominously summons a dark lord of unspeakable horror.

One of the most compelling aspects of this book is its exploration of identity. The wizard's journey of self-discovery raises thought-provoking questions about whether our past actions define who we are or if they influence how we think.

I loved the lighthearted humor woven throughout the vivid storytelling, which made me root for the "bad guy" in unexpected ways. The character development of the wizard is particularly well done, making you hope that he can find his happy ending.

Overall a fun and engaging read.
]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)]]> 20603758 A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?
It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.
Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.]]> 386 Ernest Cline Dannielle 4 Absolutely captivating. 4.38 2011 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)
author: Ernest Cline
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:
Absolutely captivating.
]]> <![CDATA[A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion, #1)]]> 95617 520 Francine Rivers Dannielle 4 to-read 4.57 1993 A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion, #1)
author: Francine Rivers
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/08
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Snow Flower and the Secret Fan]]> 4633087
In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for nu shu (“women’s writing�). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,� in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become “old sames� at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human female friendship.]]> 277 Lisa See 0812980352 Dannielle 0 4.08 2005 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
author: Lisa See
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse]]> 43708884
Here, you will find them together in this book of Charlie's most-loved drawings, adventuring into the Wild and exploring the thoughts and feelings that unite us all.]]> 128 Charlie Mackesy 1529105102 Dannielle 4 4.56 2019 The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
author: Charlie Mackesy
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves:
review:
A simple yet sweet book with wisdom.
]]> The Midwife's Apprentice 15595 128 Karen Cushman 006440630X Dannielle 3 3.73 1995 The Midwife's Apprentice
author: Karen Cushman
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves:
review:
I read and loved this book in 6th grade. Re-read it again in 2024 on New Years Eve.
]]> <![CDATA[When the Day Comes (Timeless, #1)]]> 59627675
Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she's the same person at her core in both times, she's leading two vastly different lives.

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives--and any hope of love--are put in jeopardy.

Libby's life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about--women's suffrage--is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.

But Libby knows she's not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other--but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?]]> 384 Gabrielle Meyer 0764239740 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.37 2022 When the Day Comes (Timeless, #1)
author: Gabrielle Meyer
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Day the Crayons Quit 16101018 Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: We quit!

Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown. Blue needs a break from coloring all that water, while Pink just wants to be used. Green has no complaints, but Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?

Debut author Drew Daywalt and New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers create a colorful solution in this playful, imaginative story that will have children laughing and playing with their crayons in a whole new way. Join in on the fun and games. Find out why the crayons are mad and how Duncan takes care of this dilemma!

Age Range: 3-6+ / Lexile Score AD730L
Edition MSRP: US $17⁹⁹ (ISBN 978-0-399-25537-3)
Manufactured in China]]> 30 Drew Daywalt 0399255370 Dannielle 0 4.42 2013 The Day the Crayons Quit
author: Drew Daywalt
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened]]> 17571007
So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:

Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*

*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!]]> 385 Allie Brosh 1451666187 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.25 2013 Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
author: Allie Brosh
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban]]> 17851885 I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.]]> 327 Malala Yousafzai 0316322407 Dannielle 0 4.15 2012 I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
author: Malala Yousafzai
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lullabies (Volume 2) (Lang Leav)]]> 22151696 Love & Misadventure, Lullabies continues to explore the intricacies of love and loss.

Set to a musical theme, love's poetic journey in this new, original collection begins with a Duet and travels through Interlude and Finale with an Encore popular piece from the best-selling Love & Misadventure. Lang Leav's evocative poetry speaks to the soul of anyone who is on this journey.

Leav has an unnerving ability to see inside the hearts and minds of her readers. Her talent for translating complex emotions with astonishing simplicity has won her a cult following of devoted fans from all over the world.

Lang Leav is a poet and internationally exhibiting artist.]]> 248 Lang Leav 1449461077 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.98 2014 Lullabies (Volume 2) (Lang Leav)
author: Lang Leav
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Yes Please 20910157 Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.]]> 329 Amy Poehler 0062268341 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.85 2014 Yes Please
author: Amy Poehler
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 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 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.31 2014 All the Light We Cannot See
author: Anthony Doerr
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Red Queen (Red Queen, #1) 22328546 This is a world divided by blood—red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.]]> 388 Victoria Aveyard 0062310631 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.98 2015 Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Why Not Me? 22716447 Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.

In “How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet’s Confessions,� Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, (“Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn’t the land of appropriate–this is Hollywood, baby. Out here, a dark-skinned woman’s traditional hair color is honey blonde.�) “Player� tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.�) In “Unlikely Leading Lady,� she muses on America’s fixation with the weight of actresses, (“Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they’re walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.�) And in “Soup Snakes,� Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak (“I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.�)

Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.]]> 228 Mindy Kaling 0804138141 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.85 2015 Why Not Me?
author: Mindy Kaling
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 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 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.63 2015 The Nightingale
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Girl on the Train 22557272
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.]]> 336 Paula Hawkins 1594633665 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.97 2015 The Girl on the Train
author: Paula Hawkins
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo]]> 29405093 Inside Amy Schumer and the acclaimed film Trainwreck has taken the entertainment world by storm with her winning blend of smart, satirical humor. Now, Amy Schumer has written a refreshingly candid and uproariously funny collection of (extremely) personal and observational essays.

In The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, Amy mines her past for stories about her teenage years, her family, relationships, and sex and shares the experiences that have shaped who she is - a woman with the courage to bare her soul to stand up for what she believes in, all while making us laugh.

Ranging from the raucous to the romantic, the heartfelt to the harrowing, this highly entertaining and universally appealing collection is the literary equivalent of a night out with your best friends - an unforgettable and fun adventure that you wish could last forever. Whether she's experiencing lust-at-first-sight while in the airport security line, sharing her own views on love and marriage, admitting to being an introvert, or discovering her cross-fit instructor's secret bad habit, Amy Schumer proves to be a bighearted, brave, and thoughtful storyteller that will leave you nodding your head in recognition, laughing out loud, and sobbing uncontrollably - but only because it's over.]]> 323 Amy Schumer 1501139886 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.71 2016 The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
author: Amy Schumer
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Princess Saves Herself in This One (Women Are Some Kind of Magic, #1)]]> 30075802
A poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you. the princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of humankind. Explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations.]]> 156 Amanda Lovelace 1532913680 Dannielle 0 3.83 2016 The Princess Saves Herself in This One (Women Are Some Kind of Magic, #1)
author: Amanda Lovelace
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
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]]> Sea of Strangers 36100966
This completely original collection of poetry and prose will not only delight her avid fans but is sure to capture the imagination of a whole new audience. With the turn of every page, Sea of Strangers invites you to go beyond love and loss to explore themes of self-discovery and empowerment as you navigate your way around the human heart.
]]> 215 Lang Leav 1449489893 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.68 2018 Sea of Strangers
author: Lang Leav
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Divergent (Divergent, #1) 8306857 In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

]]> 487 Veronica Roth 0062024027 Dannielle 3 4.28 2011 Divergent (Divergent, #1)
author: Veronica Roth
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience]]> 58330567 Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.

Over the past two decades, Brown's extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown's singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn't give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.

Brown shares, "I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves."]]> 301 Brené Brown 0399592555 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.33 2021 Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
author: Brené Brown
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)]]> 195790756 An inclusive and essential guide to reproductive health—including period problems, pelvic pain, menopause, fertility, sexual health, vaginal and urinary conditions, and overall wellbeing―from leading expert Dr. Karen Tang

Reproductive healthcare, from abortion to gender-affirming care, is under siege. The onus continues to fall on patients to find and advocate for the care they need. Dr. Karen Tang is on a mission to transform how women engage with their bodies and their healthcare.

Did you know that one in three women experiences menstrual abnormalities or pelvic issues, yet these conditions are overwhelmingly misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or dismissed? The root causes for these issues, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and pelvic-floor muscle dysfunction, don’t receive the stream of funding for research and new treatments that other conditions do, despite the potential to affect up to half the population.

It’s Not Hysteria is a comprehensive guide to common conditions and potential treatment options, with practical tools such as symptom prompts and sample questions to ask one's provider. In the face of uncertainty and misinformation, It’s Not Hysteria is destined to become a new classic that educates and empowers.]]> 384 Karen Tang 1250894158 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.20 2024 It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)
author: Karen Tang
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore]]> 201751300 An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations

Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see those stakes: what has been, and what might be lost.

Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. The story begins with Benjamin Franklin’s first bookstore in Philadelphia and takes us to a range of booksellers including The Strand, Chicago’s Marshall Field & Company, Gotham Book Mart, specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, sidewalk sellers of used books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, and Parnassus. The Bookshop is also a history of the leading figures in American bookselling, often impassioned eccentrics, and a history of how books have been marketed and sold over more than two centuries—including, for example, a 3,000-pound elephant who appeared to sign books at Marshall Field’s in 1944.

The Bookshop is a love letter to bookstores, a charming chronicle for anyone who cherishes these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life—and why we still need them.]]> 416 Evan Friss 0593299922 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.92 2024 The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
author: Evan Friss
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Women 127305853
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm's way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.]]> 471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.58 2024 The Women
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2)]]> 199347538 Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade. Featuring gorgeous orange sprayed edges!

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.]]> 416 T.J. Klune 125088120X Dannielle 0 to-read 4.17 2024 Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Every Day (Every Day, #1) 13262783 Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone A wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.]]> 322 David Levithan 0307931889 Dannielle 4
The story follows a protagonist who wakes up every morning in a different person’s body, unable to maintain relationships or possessions for more than a day. The concept is fascinating, and the author does a fantastic job of drawing you into the emotional and psychological toll and the ethical concerns of such an existence. It’s thought-provoking, unique, and utterly engrossing.]]> 3.91 2012 Every Day (Every Day, #1)
author: David Levithan
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves:
review:
After reading and enjoying "The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle," (another Quantum Leap-style novel) I was eager to read this as soon as I discovered it at 2nd & Charles. I got it used for only $5.

The story follows a protagonist who wakes up every morning in a different person’s body, unable to maintain relationships or possessions for more than a day. The concept is fascinating, and the author does a fantastic job of drawing you into the emotional and psychological toll and the ethical concerns of such an existence. It’s thought-provoking, unique, and utterly engrossing.
]]> <![CDATA[Invisible Jesus: A Book about Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ]]> 210137091
Deconstructors are uncovering serious weaknesses in today's church--a renewed fundamentalism, toxic leadership, and legalistic thinking among them. Utilizing the results of recent studies by Pew, Gallup, and others, McKnight and Phillips take a careful look at what deconstructors are really saying, seeking to better understand why many are shedding elements of the faith and church of their youth but also engaging in a reconstruction process, finding Jesus afresh. They are losing their religion, but not losing Jesus.

Filled with stories of those who have walked the path of deconstruction without losing their faith,Invisible Jesusis a prophetic call to examine ourselves and discern if the faith we practice and the church we belong to is really representative of the Jesus we follow. Each chapter looks at a different topic and offers biblical reflections that call for us to not only better listen, but to change how we live out our faith as followers of Jesus today.]]> 240 Scot McKnight 0310162319 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.96 Invisible Jesus: A Book about Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ
author: Scot McKnight
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness]]> 171681821
A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

“With tenacity and candor, Haidt lays out the consequences that have come with allowing kids to drift further into the virtual world . . . While also offering suggestions and solutions that could help protect a new generation of kids.� —Shannon Carlin, ,i>TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of 2024

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood� began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood� in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood� has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems� that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.]]> 400 Jonathan Haidt 0593655036 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.36 2024 The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ina May's Guide to Childbirth 32127
Drawing upon her thirty-plus years of experience, Ina May Gaskin, the nation’s leading midwife, shares the benefits and joys of natural childbirth by showing women how to trust in the ancient wisdom of their bodies for a healthy and fulfilling birthing experience. Based on the female-centered Midwifery Model of Care, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth gives expectant mothers comprehensive information on everything from the all-important mind-body connection to how to give birth without technological intervention.

Filled with inspiring birth stories and practical advice, this invaluable resource includes:

� Reducing the pain of labor without drugs—and the miraculous roles touch and massage play
� What really happens during labor
� Orgasmic birth—making birth pleasurable
� Episiotomy—is it really necessary?
� Common methods of inducing labor—and which to avoid at all costs
� Tips for maximizing your chances of an unmedicated labor and birth
� How to avoid postpartum bleeding—and depression
� The risks of anesthesia and cesareans—what your doctor
doesn’t necessarily tell you
� The best ways to work with doctors and/or birth care providers
� How to create a safe, comfortable environment for
birth in any setting, including a hospital
� And much more

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth takes the fear out of childbirth by restoring women’s faith in their own natural power to give birth with more ease, less pain, and less medical intervention.]]> 348 Ina May Gaskin 0553381156 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.36 2003 Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
author: Ina May Gaskin
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Remember My Name (The Council for Indian Education Series) by Banks, Sara H. (May 1, 1993) Paperback]]> 140986132 0 Sara H. Banks Dannielle 3
Told in third person limited point-of-view through Annie’s eyes, the story captures the confusion and sorrow of a child grappling with the massive changes her people are experiencing. However, we don’t always fully understand what’s going on or why the adults in the story make certain decisions. This ambiguity reflects the childlike perspective of Annie but leaves readers feeling uncertain about the larger historical context. (Which was frustrating for me as an adult who wants to know what the heck is going on and why!)

The vivid imagery is one of the novel’s strengths, painting engaging scenes that draw readers into Annie’s world. However, the book sometimes lacks the cultural depth needed to fully distinguish Annie’s Cherokee identity. At times, it felt as though the story could have been about white settlers in the 1800s, as there wasn’t enough emphasis on the unique aspects of Cherokee life, traditions, and worldview. In my opinion, a deeper exploration of their rich culture would have added significant value to the story.

The novel did teach me some surprising historical details, such as the fact that some Cherokee people owned Black slaves, which was unexpected. I also learned that, before they were removed from their land, Cherokee schools were shut down, and the printing press was closed. I had no idea America removed the Natives' first ammendment rights! (Freedom of the Press and the Freedom of Speech.) This action severely restricted their ability to learn, communicate, and share news. The Cherokee people were even forbidden from holding public meetings! They dangerously did so in private at great risk to their lives.

Several questions about the plot left me curious. For instance, why was Annie sent to live with her aunt and uncle to attend school instead of remaining hidden with her grandmother in the safety of their mountain home? To escape the Trail of Tears, Annie eventually returns there, which makes it unclear why she left in the first place. The adults� decisions are not fully explained, leaving readers, like Annie herself, to grapple with uncertainty.

I also wish the book had offered a glimpse of what it was like to walk the Trail of Tears, though I understand that the direct horrors of the journey may have been too harsh for young readers. Annie’s secondhand understanding of the tragedy still conveys the gravity of this dark chapter in history.

Overall, despite its limitations, Remember My Name is a decent children's story about identity, survival, grief, loss, and resilience. I believe it serves as a valuable spring board for young readers to learn about Cherokee history and the impact of forced relocation. However, I felt it left a lot of room for deeper exploration into the cultural richness of the Cherokee people and their heritage.]]> 3.33 Remember My Name (The Council for Indian Education Series) by Banks, Sara H. (May 1, 1993) Paperback
author: Sara H. Banks
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.33
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
Purchased for 50 cents at a used book sale, "Remember My Name" by Sara H. Banks is a short children’s chapter book that introduces young readers to Annie Rising Fawn, a young Cherokee girl living during one of the most tragic times in American history: the upheaval and forced removal of Native Americans from their homeland.

Told in third person limited point-of-view through Annie’s eyes, the story captures the confusion and sorrow of a child grappling with the massive changes her people are experiencing. However, we don’t always fully understand what’s going on or why the adults in the story make certain decisions. This ambiguity reflects the childlike perspective of Annie but leaves readers feeling uncertain about the larger historical context. (Which was frustrating for me as an adult who wants to know what the heck is going on and why!)

The vivid imagery is one of the novel’s strengths, painting engaging scenes that draw readers into Annie’s world. However, the book sometimes lacks the cultural depth needed to fully distinguish Annie’s Cherokee identity. At times, it felt as though the story could have been about white settlers in the 1800s, as there wasn’t enough emphasis on the unique aspects of Cherokee life, traditions, and worldview. In my opinion, a deeper exploration of their rich culture would have added significant value to the story.

The novel did teach me some surprising historical details, such as the fact that some Cherokee people owned Black slaves, which was unexpected. I also learned that, before they were removed from their land, Cherokee schools were shut down, and the printing press was closed. I had no idea America removed the Natives' first ammendment rights! (Freedom of the Press and the Freedom of Speech.) This action severely restricted their ability to learn, communicate, and share news. The Cherokee people were even forbidden from holding public meetings! They dangerously did so in private at great risk to their lives.

Several questions about the plot left me curious. For instance, why was Annie sent to live with her aunt and uncle to attend school instead of remaining hidden with her grandmother in the safety of their mountain home? To escape the Trail of Tears, Annie eventually returns there, which makes it unclear why she left in the first place. The adults� decisions are not fully explained, leaving readers, like Annie herself, to grapple with uncertainty.

I also wish the book had offered a glimpse of what it was like to walk the Trail of Tears, though I understand that the direct horrors of the journey may have been too harsh for young readers. Annie’s secondhand understanding of the tragedy still conveys the gravity of this dark chapter in history.

Overall, despite its limitations, Remember My Name is a decent children's story about identity, survival, grief, loss, and resilience. I believe it serves as a valuable spring board for young readers to learn about Cherokee history and the impact of forced relocation. However, I felt it left a lot of room for deeper exploration into the cultural richness of the Cherokee people and their heritage.
]]> <![CDATA[The Woman from Lydia (The Emissaries, #1)]]> 62611315
Retired Roman soldier Hector has settled in Philippi with dreams of a future filled with wealth and status, pooling his army earnings with Lucius, his fellow comrade in arms turned business partner. His hopes are dashed, however, when Paulos robs their youngest slave of her lucrative ability to foretell the future, rendering her worthless to Hector's ambition.

When Euodia becomes aware that Sabina is being mistreated, she buys Sabina from Lucius, intending to set the girl free. But when Hector claims the sale was not legitimate, he takes Sabina back and swears he will find someone to restore her valuable "gift" . . . even if he must travel to the ends of the earth to do so. Following close behind him, Euodia and her servants set out to rescue Sabina, not for gain, but to rescue and set her free forever.

In her stirring series starter, New York Times bestselling author Angela Hunt dives into the perilous days of the early church as Christians struggle to remain true to their faith amid the highest of risks in a hostile pagan culture.]]> 384 Angela Elwell Hunt 0764241567 Dannielle 3
This book renames Lydia as "Euodia," known to her neighbors as "the Lydian woman." Euodia shows up in my own book as a separate character but I digress.

The story switches points of view (which I usually don't like) providing insight into the inner thoughts and emotions of different characters. It even alternated between first person perspective (for Euodia) and third-person limited perspective (for the slave owner from Acts 16.)

The story was mostly all about Sabina, the fortune-telling slave girl from Acts 16.

It was a good story, and while it shares a few similarities with Acts 16, it has absolutely no resemblance to the story I wrote about Lydia.]]> 4.37 2023 The Woman from Lydia (The Emissaries, #1)
author: Angela Elwell Hunt
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/29
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
After I wrote 50,000 words for my book "The Purple Maker's Daughter," I decided to read some of the Christian fiction books out there about the same biblical character.

This book renames Lydia as "Euodia," known to her neighbors as "the Lydian woman." Euodia shows up in my own book as a separate character but I digress.

The story switches points of view (which I usually don't like) providing insight into the inner thoughts and emotions of different characters. It even alternated between first person perspective (for Euodia) and third-person limited perspective (for the slave owner from Acts 16.)

The story was mostly all about Sabina, the fortune-telling slave girl from Acts 16.

It was a good story, and while it shares a few similarities with Acts 16, it has absolutely no resemblance to the story I wrote about Lydia.
]]> <![CDATA[This Is How You Lose the Time War]]> 43352954 Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.]]> 209 Amal El-Mohtar Dannielle 3 lesbian, poetic
The prose is lush and poetic, brimming with vivid imagery, but the abstract storytelling can be challenging to follow. As the narrative weaves through time and space, it often leaves you wondering what exactly is going on, with the only clear element being the palpable love between the two characters. Though marketed as a rivals-to-lovers Sapphic romance, I didn’t immediately perceive the LGBTQ+ aspect, as the characters themselves felt more like abstract concepts rather than physical beings.

Written by two authors whose voices and styles blend seamlessly, it's hard to believe this novel comes from two different minds. I read it with my book club at the library, and while it’s undoubtedly thought-provoking, it’s a book that probably won't resonate with everyone.]]> 3.86 2019 This Is How You Lose the Time War
author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/18
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: lesbian, poetic
review:
"This Is How You Lose the Time War" is a beautifully crafted story that defies easy description—attempting to explain it is like pinning down a cloud. Nevertheless, I shall try! The tale centers on Blue and Red, two entities (definitely female, but definitely not human) from opposing factions locked in an eternal, mysterious conflict. The reasons for and details of the battle are never fully explored. The narrative unfolds through letters, creating a touching exchange that feels like love notes between enemies.

The prose is lush and poetic, brimming with vivid imagery, but the abstract storytelling can be challenging to follow. As the narrative weaves through time and space, it often leaves you wondering what exactly is going on, with the only clear element being the palpable love between the two characters. Though marketed as a rivals-to-lovers Sapphic romance, I didn’t immediately perceive the LGBTQ+ aspect, as the characters themselves felt more like abstract concepts rather than physical beings.

Written by two authors whose voices and styles blend seamlessly, it's hard to believe this novel comes from two different minds. I read it with my book club at the library, and while it’s undoubtedly thought-provoking, it’s a book that probably won't resonate with everyone.
]]> Orange Is the New Black 6314763 322 Piper Kerman 0385523386 Dannielle 3 memoir, prison
This book also made me extremely angry that violent rapists spend an average of 5 years in prison (and only 13% of those who are guilty actually go to prison) meanwhile, there are harmless, non-violent nuns spending 20+ years in prison because they protested something they deeply believed in.]]> 3.71 2010 Orange Is the New Black
author: Piper Kerman
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/27
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: memoir, prison
review:
A well-educated, upper class white woman goes to prison in Connecticut and builds strong bonds with her fellow inmates, who are mostly almost all undereducated women of color who did not grow up with the privileges the author did. It made me feel very passionately that we need prison reform and that a lot of people in prison shouldn't really be there... they should probably be in some sort of re-education program that teaches women basic life skills so they don't have to prostitute and do drug deals to survive.

This book also made me extremely angry that violent rapists spend an average of 5 years in prison (and only 13% of those who are guilty actually go to prison) meanwhile, there are harmless, non-violent nuns spending 20+ years in prison because they protested something they deeply believed in.
]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man]]> 62918681 One of our nation’s most prominent writers finds the truth about how to live a long and happy life in the centenarian next door.

When a veteran Washington journalist moved to Kansas, he met a new neighbor who was more than a century old. Little did he know that he was beginning a long friendship—and a profound lesson in the meaning of life. Charlie White was no ordinary neighbor. Born before radio, Charlie lived long enough to use a smartphone. When a shocking tragedy interrupted his idyllic boyhood, Charlie mastered survival strategies that reflect thousands of years of human wisdom. Thus armored, Charlie’s sense of adventure carried him on an epic journey across the continent, and later found him swinging across bandstands of the Jazz Age, racing aboard ambulances through Depression-era gangster wars, improvising techniques for early open-heart surgery, and cruising the Amazon as a guest of Peru’s president.

David Von Drehle came to understand that Charlie’s resilience and willingness to grow made this remarkable neighbor a master in the art of thriving through times of dramatic change. As a gift to his children, he set out to tell Charlie’s secrets. The Book of Charlie is a gospel of grit—the inspiring story of one man’s journey through a century of upheaval. The history that unfolds through Charlie’s story reminds you that the United States has always been a divided nation, a questing nation, an inventive nation—a nation of Charlies in the rollercoaster pursuit of a good and meaningful life.]]> 194 David von Drehle 1476773920 Dannielle 4
It's amazing how far we've come as a nation from Model T Fords all the way to landing a spaceship on the moon in 50 years. Charlie was a doctor and living through the leaps and bounds his field made drastically changed his career and required constant re-education.

Sprinkled with historical events along the way, it was such an amazing recap of the last 100 years in America told through the eyes of a simple, humble man who had really good genes and lived a very long and healthy life. Some of his stories are SO CRAZY about the way people were raised back then and how they lived.]]> 3.86 2023 The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man
author: David von Drehle
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/13
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
An intriguing and heartwarming true story about a 109 year old man named Charlie told through the perspective of the author (who was his neighbor who lived across the street.)

It's amazing how far we've come as a nation from Model T Fords all the way to landing a spaceship on the moon in 50 years. Charlie was a doctor and living through the leaps and bounds his field made drastically changed his career and required constant re-education.

Sprinkled with historical events along the way, it was such an amazing recap of the last 100 years in America told through the eyes of a simple, humble man who had really good genes and lived a very long and healthy life. Some of his stories are SO CRAZY about the way people were raised back then and how they lived.
]]> Fly Away (Firefly Lane, #2) 16044981 Once, a long time ago, I walked down a night-darkened road called Firefly Lane, all alone, on the worst night of my life, and I found a kindred spirit. That was our beginning. More than thirty years ago. TullyandKate. You and me against the world. Best friends forever. But stories end, don't they? You lose the people you love and you have to find a way to go on. . . .

Tully Hart has always been larger than life, a woman fueled by big dreams and driven by memories of a painful past. She thinks she can overcome anything until her best friend, Kate Ryan, dies. Tully tries to fulfill her deathbed promise to Kate---to be there for Kate's children---but Tully knows nothing about family or motherhood or taking care of people.

Sixteen-year-old Marah Ryan is devastated by her mother's death. Her father, Johnny, strives to hold the family together, but even with his best efforts, Marah becomes unreachable in her grief. Nothing and no one seems to matter to her . . . until she falls in love with a young man who makes her smile again and leads her into his dangerous, shadowy world.

Dorothy Hart---the woman who once called herself Cloud---is at the center of Tully's tragic past. She repeatedly abandoned her daughter, Tully, as a child, but now she comes back, drawn to her daughter's side at a time when Tully is most alone. At long last, Dorothy must face her darkest fear: Only by revealing the ugly secrets of her past can she hope to become the mother her daughter needs.

A single, tragic choice and a middle-of-the-night phone call will bring these women together and set them on a poignant, powerful journey of redemption. Each has lost her way, and they will need each one another---and maybe a miracle---to transform their lives.

An emotionally complex, heart-wrenching novel about love, motherhood, loss, and new beginnings, Fly Away reminds us that where there is life, there is hope, and where there is love, there is forgiveness. Told with her trademark powerful storytelling and illuminating prose, Kristin Hannah reveals why she is one of the most beloved writers of our day.]]> 400 Kristin Hannah 0312577214 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.93 2013 Fly Away (Firefly Lane, #2)
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Zel 54356 227 Donna Jo Napoli 0141301163 Dannielle 4 3.60 1996 Zel
author: Donna Jo Napoli
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2024/11/21
shelves: fairy, tales, retelling, fractured, romance, mother-daughter, relationship, witchcraft, abandonment, isolation
review:
Zel is the retelling of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel but this book isn't for kids. It's a deep look at what can happen when natural human longings become evil. Set in 16th-century Switzerland, the book alternates between prince Konrad, Zel, and Zel's mother's point of view. The book answers all the questions that the original Grimm's story never answered for us. Why did that witch want Rapunzel in the first place? How did she get her up in the tower if there was no door? Why didn't Rapunzel hate her mother for causing her to become a lonely prisoner? The book expounds upon the utter isolation and realistically portrays the dismal effects on Zel's spirit from being locked away in a tower. This book will cause you to think on a deeper level than you ever have before about an old, familiar tale. It's truly romantic but at times dark.
]]> <![CDATA[The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern, #1)]]> 179064 She was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste.

Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans. And when she was older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue, his name, Falada.

From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original, and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can lead the people she has made her own.]]> 383 Shannon Hale 1582349908 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.14 2003 The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern, #1)
author: Shannon Hale
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Storyteller's Daughter 7687501 To everyone's relief and horror, one young woman steps forward. The daughter of a legendary storyteller, Shahrazad believes it is her destiny to accept this risk and sacrifice herself.

On the night of her wedding to the king, Shahrazad begins to weave a tale. Fascinated, the king lets her live night after night. Just when Shahrazad dares to believe that she has found a way to keep her life — and an unexpected love - a treacherous plot will disrupt her plan. Now she can only hope that love is strong enough to save her.]]> 218 Cameron Dokey Dannielle 0 to-read 3.68 1997 The Storyteller's Daughter
author: Cameron Dokey
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy, #1)]]> 25489134
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

The Bear and the Nightingale is a magical debut novel from a gifted and gorgeous voice. It spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent.]]> 319 Katherine Arden 1101885939 Dannielle 4 4.07 2017 The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy, #1)
author: Katherine Arden
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/08
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves:
review:
Recommended to me as a fan of Naomi Novik, this hauntingly dark and enchanting fairy tale did not disappoint. Rich and chilling with deep winter magic, it draws from the legend of the Frost King and beautifully blends Russian folklore with Slavic mythology. Through lyrical prose, it weaves historical fiction and fantasy, exploring themes of courage, strength, faith, identity, and gender roles.
]]> The Notebook 11077782 Experience the unforgettable, heartbreaking love story set in post-World War II North Carolina about a young socialite and the boy who once stole her heart -- one of PBS's "Great American Reads".Every so often a love story so captures our hearts that it becomes more than a story-it becomes an experience to remember forever. The Notebook is such a book. It is a celebration of how passion can be ageless and timeless, a tale that moves us to laughter and tears and makes us believe in true love all over again...

At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier. At twenty-nine, socialite Allie Nelson is about to marry a wealthy lawyer, but she cannot stop thinking about the boy who long ago stole her heart. Thus begins the story of a love so enduring and deep it can turn tragedy into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle...]]> 213 Nicholas Sparks Dannielle 3 3.90 1996 The Notebook
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved 397755 "Someone has said that when you have nothing left but God, you realize that God is enough. God had stood beside me when no one else wanted me. He was not going to abandon me now. God would have to heal the emotional pain that throbbed through my body."

As a child, Dorie was rejected by her mother, sent to live in an orphanage where she was regularly beaten by the orphanage director, was beaten time and again by cruel foster parents, and was daily told that she was ugly and unlovable. Dorie never knew love until a group of college students visited the orphanage and told her that God loved her. As she accepted that love, her life began to change.

Dorie is a thrilling true account of what God's love can do in a life. Doris Van Stone takes readers through the hard years of her childhood into her fascinating years as a missionary with her husband to the Dani tribe in New Guinea. With the rise of illegitimate births, the increase in divorce statistics, and the frightening escalation of child abuse, this story stands as a reminder that God's love, forgiveness, and grace are greater than human hurt and sorrow.

More than 170,000 in print.
]]> 160 Doris Van Stone 0802422756 Dannielle 3
This book was published in 1979. I hear there is another book published in 1990 she wrote called "No Place To Cry: The Hurt and Healing of Sexual Abuse." There was no mention of sexual abuse in "Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved." I'm guessing she wasn't ready to talk about those horrible experiences in her first book. When I was reading it, I thought to myself how easily she could have been a victim of sexual abuse and I was so relieved for her that it seemed God spared her from that. I'm sorry to hear that she didn't escape it after all. Maybe I'll read the second one someday.]]> 4.27 1979 Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved
author: Doris Van Stone
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1979
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves:
review:
The beginning of Dorie was extremely captivating and heartbreaking. It's about a little girl who was left alone all day with her little sister and can't remember ever being loved. Eventually, she and her sister are dumped off at an orphanage and abandoned there by her mother. She finds God at the orphanage and He becomes her hope and strength to get by. She was mistreated at the orphanage but after a series of bad foster families she misses the orphanage and wishes she could go back there. Once she grows up and gets married and becomes a missionary the story gets a little dry and boring. I wish she went into more details and told more stories about her life as a missionary. I'm sure there are many wonderful stories she leaves out. It was a very quick read and I read it all only in a couple hours. It could have been longer. I wasn't disappointed in it, but it definitely could have been better.

This book was published in 1979. I hear there is another book published in 1990 she wrote called "No Place To Cry: The Hurt and Healing of Sexual Abuse." There was no mention of sexual abuse in "Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved." I'm guessing she wasn't ready to talk about those horrible experiences in her first book. When I was reading it, I thought to myself how easily she could have been a victim of sexual abuse and I was so relieved for her that it seemed God spared her from that. I'm sorry to hear that she didn't escape it after all. Maybe I'll read the second one someday.
]]> <![CDATA[Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development]]> 32606730 Powerful Character Arcs Create Powerful Stories

Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters—but it just isn’t grabbing the attention of readers or agents? It’s time to look deeper into the story beats that create realistic and compelling character arcs. Internationally published, award-winning novelist K.M. Weiland shares her acclaimed method for achieving memorable and moving character arcs in every book you write.

By applying the foundation of the Three-Act Story Structure and then delving even deeper into the psychology of realistic and dynamic human change, Weiland offers a beat-by-beat checklist of character arc guidelines that flexes to fit any type of story.

This comprehensive book will teach you:

How to determine which arc—positive, negative, or flat—is right for your character.
Why you should NEVER pit plot against character. Instead, learn how to blend story structure and character development.
How to recognize and avoid the worst pitfalls of writing novels without character arcs.
How to hack the secret to using overarching character arcs to create amazing trilogies and series.
And much more!

Gaining an understanding of how to write character arcs is a game-changing moment in any author’s pursuit of the craft.

Bring your characters to unforgettable and realistic life—and take your stories from good to great!

]]> 215 K.M. Weiland 1944936033 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.31 2016 Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development
author: K.M. Weiland
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)]]> 15931
Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner returned home from World War II. Noah, thirty-one, is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is now engaged to another man, but realizes that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that only she can shape.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. Shining with a beauty that is rarely found in current literature, The Notebook establishes Nicholas Sparks as a classic storyteller with a unique insight into the only emotion that really matters.

"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."

And so begins one of the most poignant and compelling love stories you will ever read...The Notebook]]> 214 Nicholas Sparks 0553816713 Dannielle 3 4.07 1996 The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2004/06/05
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Medusa 56268856 A dazzling, feminist retelling of Greek myth from the internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist, stunningly illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill.

Exiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love, betrayal . and destiny itself.

Filled with glorious full-colour illustrations by award-winning Olivia Lomenech Gill, this astonishing retelling of Greek myth is perfect for readers of Circe and The Silence of the Girls. Illuminating the girl behind the legend, it brings alive Medusa for a new generation.]]> 224 Jessie Burton 1547607599 Dannielle 3 3.82 2021 Medusa
author: Jessie Burton
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/27
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves:
review:
Poetic. A quick read. I started it and finished it all on the plane ride to Miami.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)]]> 51901147
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]> 541 Suzanne Collins Dannielle 3 3.99 2020 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/04/01
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves:
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 Dannielle 4 mystery
The twists were completely unpredictable; just when I thought I had everything figured out, the plot turned in a way I never expected. The reason I picked up The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was because it sounded so unique and fascinating: “A murder mystery novel inspired by Agatha Christie, with a healthy dose of Groundhog Day, a hint of Quantum Leap, and a dash of Downton Abbey.� How could I resist? The result was a thrilling ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

If you're looking for a well-written, cleverly-plotted mystery with layers upon layers of intrigue, this is the book for you. Even if it's not your usual genre, like it wasn't for me, it's worth stepping out of your comfort zone. You won’t be disappointed!]]> 3.78 2018 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves: mystery
review:
Normally, I get intimidated by thick books, but when an entire community raves about a novel, it’s hard not to give it a shot. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was definitely outside my comfort zone—I don’t typically read “whodunit� mysteries. However, I found this book to be absolutely captivating, engaging, and mind-bending from start to finish.

The twists were completely unpredictable; just when I thought I had everything figured out, the plot turned in a way I never expected. The reason I picked up The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was because it sounded so unique and fascinating: “A murder mystery novel inspired by Agatha Christie, with a healthy dose of Groundhog Day, a hint of Quantum Leap, and a dash of Downton Abbey.� How could I resist? The result was a thrilling ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

If you're looking for a well-written, cleverly-plotted mystery with layers upon layers of intrigue, this is the book for you. Even if it's not your usual genre, like it wasn't for me, it's worth stepping out of your comfort zone. You won’t be disappointed!
]]> <![CDATA[The Little Women Devotional: A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion to Louisa May Alcott’s Beloved Classic]]> 57136301 Devotional Inspiration from the Lives of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy

The Little Women Devotional offers lovely inspiration that explores the themes of faith, family, contentment, wisdom, and joyin theclassic Louisa May Alcott novel, cherished by generations of readers.

Each reading corresponds with a chapter from the book and invites you to embrace God’s guiding hand in your life as His cherished daughter. This beautiful chapter-by-chapterdevotional includes original artwork throughout, and each reading includes examples from the novel, scripture, life application, and prayers perfect for groups, book clubs, or personal reflection.]]> 224 Rachel Dodge 1636090966 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.65 2021 The Little Women Devotional: A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion to Louisa May Alcott’s Beloved Classic
author: Rachel Dodge
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Anne of Green Gables Devotional: A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion for Kindred Spirits]]> 51287657 Devotional Inspiration Especially for Kindred Spirits

The Anne of Green Gables Devotional offers lovely inspiration that explores the theme of God’s love and faithfulness through the pages of the classic L. M. Montgomery novel, cherished by generations of readers. Each reading corresponds with a chapter from the book and invites you to embrace God’s redemptive plans for your life as His very own adopted daughter in Christ.

This beautiful 40-day devotional includes original artwork throughout, and each reading includes examples from the novel, scripture, life application, prayers, and discussion questions perfect for groups, book clubs, or personal reflection. It’s perfect as a personal read or gift for a bosom friend!
]]> 224 Rachel Dodge 1643526162 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.72 2020 The Anne of Green Gables Devotional: A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion for Kindred Spirits
author: Rachel Dodge
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.72
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Garden Devotional: A Chapter-By-Chapter Companion to the Beloved Classic]]> 60597125 Devotional Inspiration from Mary Lennox's Beautifully Mysterious Secret Garden

The Secret Garden Devotional offers lovely inspiration that explores the themes of faith, family, contentment, wisdom, and joyin theclassic Frances Hodgson Burnett novel, cherished by generations of readers.

Each reading corresponds with a chapter from the book and invites you to embrace God’s guiding hand in your life as you are becoming His new creation. With themes of growth, spiritual nourishment, God's love and care, and His transforming power, this beautiful chapter-by-chapterdevotional includes original artwork throughout. Each reading includes examples from the novel, scripture, life application, and prayers perfect for groups, book clubs, or personal reflection.]]> 224 Rachel Dodge 1636094317 Dannielle 4 4.81 2022 The Secret Garden Devotional: A Chapter-By-Chapter Companion to the Beloved Classic
author: Rachel Dodge
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.81
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (Dark Lord Davi, #1)]]> 198493860
Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.

This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side.

Burningblade & Silvereye
Ashes of the Sun
Blood of the Chosen
Emperor of Ruin]]> 392 Django Wexler 0316392200 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.67 2024 How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (Dark Lord Davi, #1)
author: Django Wexler
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up]]> 198332459 350 Abigail Shrier Dannielle 0 3.98 2024 Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up
author: Abigail Shrier
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves: currently-reading, non-fiction
review:

]]> Save the Cat! Writes a Novel 39014796
Novelist Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of novel writing. Revealing the 15 "beats" (plot points) that comprise a successful story--from the opening image to the finale--this book lays out the Ten Story Genres (Monster in the House; Whydunit; Dude with a Problem) alongside quirky, original insights (Save the Cat; Shard of Glass) to help novelists craft a plot that will captivate--and a novel that will sell.]]> 370 Jessica Brody 0399579753 Dannielle 4 non-fiction, writing 4.52 2018 Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
author: Jessica Brody
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/31
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves: non-fiction, writing
review:
I didn't like how 75% of the book was story spoilers for popular novels that are on my to-read list but I think the book really helped my story come together. Most of the information in this book is available on Jessica's website for free but this book went a little deeper into some of her content she shares.
]]> <![CDATA[Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers]]> 52891090 224 Dane C. Ortlund 1433566133 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.50 2020 Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers
author: Dane C. Ortlund
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Book of Doors 156009464
Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading.

But this is no ordinary book�

It is the Book of Doors.

Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them.

Then she’s approached by a gaunt stranger in a rumpled black suit with a Scottish brogue who calls himself Drummond Fox. He’s a librarian who keeps watch over a unique set of rare volumes. The tome now in Cassie’s possession is not the only book with great power, but it is the one most coveted by those who collect them.

Now Cassie is being hunted by those few who know of the Special Books. With only her roommate Izzy to confide in, she has to decide if she will help the mysterious and haunted Drummond protect the Book of Doors—and the other books in his secret library’s care—from those who will do evil. Because only Drummond knows where the unique library is and only Cassie’s book can get them there.

But there are those willing to kill to obtain those secrets. And a dark force—in the form of a shadowy, sadistic woman—is at the very top of that list.]]> 404 Gareth Brown 0063323982 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.01 2024 The Book of Doors
author: Gareth Brown
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> For You They Signed 9182654 342 Marilyn Boyer 0890515980 Dannielle 0 currently-reading 4.53 2009 For You They Signed
author: Marilyn Boyer
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Weight of Glory 29921671 208 C.S. Lewis Dannielle 0 to-read 4.38 1949 The Weight of Glory
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1949
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time]]> 62684531
Kelsey Willoughby doesn’t have time to pursue her writing dreams. Imagination doesn’t pay the bills, and she’s busy saving her beautiful city bookshop from online competition, hotel developers, and the sneaking suspicion that nobody reads anymore.

Not to mention all those voices telling her she doesn’t have talent.

But then the vacant lot of weeds next door starts to shimmer.

When Kelsey stumbles into a luminous nighttime garden party, larger than the vacant lot that holds it and filled with enigmatic guests, she suspects they hold the key to saving the bookshop, and perhaps even to her own mysterious origins.

But answers aren’t forthcoming, not until Kelsey is willing to confront her past, step into her potential, and push deeper into the unknown edges of the garden, where an unexpected journey takes her into a world of dangerous revelation.]]> 420 Tracy L. Higley Dannielle 5
Tracey Higley delves deep into concepts of beauty, truth, and our innate longing for a paradise lost.

Reading this book prompted me to ponder and meditate on WHY I sometimes feel this nostalgic longing for a place I've never been, which I have not done in quite some time.

The author's message is that creativity is a gift we give to serve others. It has the power to awaken the deep-seated yearning for something beyond our current reality that we sometimes glimpse in a well-told story, a captivating song, or stunning artwork.

A story that kept me up all night turning the pages.]]> 3.98 2022 Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time
author: Tracy L. Higley
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/24
date added: 2024/07/24
shelves: magical-realism, christian-fiction, storytelling
review:
Riveting and exquisitely beautiful.

Tracey Higley delves deep into concepts of beauty, truth, and our innate longing for a paradise lost.

Reading this book prompted me to ponder and meditate on WHY I sometimes feel this nostalgic longing for a place I've never been, which I have not done in quite some time.

The author's message is that creativity is a gift we give to serve others. It has the power to awaken the deep-seated yearning for something beyond our current reality that we sometimes glimpse in a well-told story, a captivating song, or stunning artwork.

A story that kept me up all night turning the pages.
]]> <![CDATA[The Windeby Puzzle: History and Story]]> 61491782 Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author Lois Lowry transports readers to an Iron Age world through the suspenseful dual narrative of a boy and girl both battling to survive. In an utterly one-of-a-kind blend of fiction and history, a master storyteller explores the mystery and life of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body.

Estrild is not like the other girls in her village; she wants to be a warrior. Varick, the orphan boy who helps her train in spite of his twisted back, also stands apart. In a world where differences are poorly tolerated, just how much danger are they in?

Inspired by the true discovery of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body in Northern Germany, Newbery Medalist and master storyteller Lois Lowry transports readers to an Iron age world as she breathes life back into the Windeby child, left in the bog to drown with a woolen blindfold over its eyes.

This suspenseful exploration of lives that might have been by a gifted, intellectually curious author is utterly one of a kind. Includes several arresting photos of archeological finds, including of the Windeby child.]]> 202 Lois Lowry 0358672465 Dannielle 3 3.80 2023 The Windeby Puzzle: History and Story
author: Lois Lowry
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/01
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Every Woman a Theologian: Know What You Believe. Live It Confidently. Communicate It Graciously.]]> 61349371 But God has revealed Himself through Scripture so it can transform how we view and navigate the world—how we think, act, love, work, marry, and parent. When we do that, we become theologians. No, we're not wearing tweed suits or giving lectures; we're driving to our corporate job every morning, or juggling babies on our own, or connecting with our communities. We are women who want to know who God is and how He answers our toughest questions.
Through engaging stories and compelling truths,?Every Woman a Theologian?will help Step in that direction with Phylicia Masonheimer as your guide, and you will grow as a woman able to discern truth, who knows what she believes, and who lives her faith boldly in a post-Christian world.]]> 224 Phylicia D. Masonheimer 0785292225 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.49 2023 Every Woman a Theologian: Know What You Believe. Live It Confidently. Communicate It Graciously.
author: Phylicia D. Masonheimer
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom]]> 386482
� A New York Times bestseller for over a decade
� An international bestseller published in 52 languages worldwide

“This book by don Miguel Ruiz, simple yet so powerful, has made a tremendous difference in how I think and act in every encounter.� � Oprah Winfrey

“Don Miguel Ruiz’s book is a roadmap to enlightenment and freedom.� � Deepak Chopra, Author, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

“An inspiring book with many great lessons.� � Wayne Dyer, Author, Real Magic

“In the tradition of Castaneda, Ruiz distills essential Toltec wisdom, expressing with clarity and impeccability what it means for men and women to live as peaceful warriors in the modern world.� � Dan Millman, Author, Way of the Peaceful Warrior]]> 140 Miguel Ruiz 1878424319 Dannielle 0 non-fiction, self-help 4.23 1997 The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
author: Miguel Ruiz
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at: 2010/01/02
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: non-fiction, self-help
review:

]]> The Lost Bookshop 65137920 The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.

‘The thing about books,� she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.�

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found�

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder� where nothing is as it seems.]]> 432 Evie Woods 0008609209 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.03 2023 The Lost Bookshop
author: Evie Woods
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: to-read
review:

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

"I live for you," I say sadly.

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

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

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

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

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.]]> 382 Pierce Brown 0345539788 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.26 2014 Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1)
author: Pierce Brown
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Strawberry Girl 42447
Strawberries -- big, ripe, and juicy. Ten-year-old Birdie Boyer can hardly wait to start picking them. But her family has just moved to the Florida backwoods, and they haven′t even begun their planting. "Don′t count your biddies ′fore they′re hatched, gal young un!" her father tells her.

Making the new farm prosper is not easy. There is heat to suffer through, and droughts, and cold snaps. And, perhaps most worrisome of all for the Boyers, there are rowdy neighbors, just itching to start a feud.]]> 208 Lois Lenski 0064405850 Dannielle 0 to-read 3.89 1945 Strawberry Girl
author: Lois Lenski
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1945
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Circle (The Circle, #1) 18302455 alternate cover for ISBN 9780385351393

When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users� personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency.

As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO.

Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public.

What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.]]> 493 Dave Eggers Dannielle 0 to-read 3.41 2013 The Circle (The Circle, #1)
author: Dave Eggers
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Stories]]> 251688 Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's.

In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape—her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm.

It's New York in the 1940s, where the martinis flow from cocktail hour till breakfast at Tiffany's... And nice girls don't, except, of course, Holly Golightly. Pursued by Mafia gangsters and playboy millionaires, Holly is a fragile eyeful of tawny hair and turned-up nose, a heart-breaker, a perplexer, a traveler, a tease. She is irrepressibly 'top banana in the shock department', and one of the shining flowers of American fiction.

Also included are three of Capote's best-known stories:
� House of Flowers - Ottilie is entranced by a beautiful young man, and leaves her life and friends to live with him and his old grandmother, who seems to hate her.
� A Diamond Guitar - Hear the story of the prized possession of a younger prison inmate, a rhinestone-studded guitar.
� A Christmas Memory - A poignant tale of two innocents—a small boy and the old woman who is his best friend—whose sweetness contains a hard, sharp kernel of truth.]]> 142 Truman Capote Dannielle 0 to-read 3.87 1958 Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Stories
author: Truman Capote
name: Dannielle
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth]]> 2814
Story captures our hearts and feeds our imaginations. It reminds us who we are and where we came from. Story gives meaning and direction to our lives as we learn to see it as an affirmation of God’s love and truth–an acknowledgment of our longing for a rock in the midst of life’s wilderness.

Drawing upon her own experiences, well-known tales in literature, and selected narratives from Scripture, Madeleine L’Engle gently leads the way into the glorious world of story in The Rock That Is Higher. Here she acknowledges universal human longings and considers how literature, Scripture, personal stories, and life experiences all point us toward our true home.]]> 320 Madeleine L'Engle 0877887268 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.12 1993 The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth
author: Madeleine L'Engle
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bread of Angels 32980216 Purple. The foundation of an influential trade in a Roman world dominated by men. One woman rises up to take the reins of success in an incredible journey of courage, grit, and friendship. And along the way, she changes the world.

But before she was Lydia, the seller of purple, she was simply a merchant's daughter who loved three things: her father, her ancestral home, and making dye. Then unbearable betrayal robs her of nearly everything.

With only her father's secret formulas left, Lydia flees to Philippi and struggles to establish her business on her own. Determination and serendipitous acquaintances--along with her father's precious dye--help her become one of the city's preeminent merchants. But fear lingers in every shadow, until Lydia meets the apostle Paul and hears his message of hope, becoming his first European convert. Still, Lydia can't outrun her secrets forever, and when past and present collide, she must either stand firm and trust in her fledgling faith or succumb to the fear that has ruled her life.]]> 384 Tessa Afshar 1496406478 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.37 2017 Bread of Angels
author: Tessa Afshar
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Jewel of the Nile 56130741 Raised as an orphan by her aunt, Chariline has only been told a few pieces of her parents� tragic love story. Her beautiful dark skin is proof that her father was Cushite, but she knows nothing else. While visiting her grandfather before his retirement as the Roman official in the queen’s court, Chariline overhears that her father is still alive, and discovering his identity becomes her obsession. Both her grandfather and the queen have reasons for keeping this secret, however, and forbid her quest. So when her only clues lead to Rome, Chariline sneaks on the ship of a merchant trusted by friends.

Theo is shocked to discover a stowaway on board his vessel and determines to be rid of her as soon as possible. But drawn in by Chariline’s story, he feels honor-bound to see her safely to shore, especially when it appears someone may be willing to kill for the truth she seeks.

In this transformative tale of historical fiction, bestselling author Tessa Afshar brings to life the kingdom of Cush and the Roman Empire, introducing readers to a fascinating world filled with gripping adventure, touching romance, and a host of lovable characters―including some they may recognize from the biblical book of Acts.]]> 432 Tessa Afshar 1496428765 Dannielle 0 to-read 4.26 2021 Jewel of the Nile
author: Tessa Afshar
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1)]]> 256008 Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America.

Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.]]> 960 Larry McMurtry 067168390X Dannielle 0 to-read 4.53 1985 Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1)
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.53
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance, #3)]]> 55858638 New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.

The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it's all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we'll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.

And now the impossible dream has come true. I'm out, we're all out--and I didn't even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother's prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn't kill enclavers, I saved them. Me, and Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone and made the world safe for all wizards and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.

Ha, only joking! Actually it's gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I've got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.]]> 407 Naomi Novik 0593158369 Dannielle 3
The narrative was peppered with fast-paced, thrilling, and deeply emotional scenes that made the journey worthwhile. Particularly satisfying were the revelations that tied up the mysteries introduced in the first book, offering a sense of closure that was immensely gratifying.

By the end, I found myself shedding a few tears during an especially poignant moment. The book, overall, was enchanting. El, the protagonist, is a richly complex character who initially challenged my empathy but ultimately won my heart in the end. ]]> 4.08 2022 The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance, #3)
author: Naomi Novik
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/04
date added: 2024/07/04
shelves:
review:
I must admit, I usually find books over 300 pages to be a bit daunting, often feeling like a slow march to the finish. There were definitely moments in this 400+ page book when I needed to take a break and gather my focus, but every time, the story's compelling nature eventually drew me back in. I HAD to find out what happened!

The narrative was peppered with fast-paced, thrilling, and deeply emotional scenes that made the journey worthwhile. Particularly satisfying were the revelations that tied up the mysteries introduced in the first book, offering a sense of closure that was immensely gratifying.

By the end, I found myself shedding a few tears during an especially poignant moment. The book, overall, was enchanting. El, the protagonist, is a richly complex character who initially challenged my empathy but ultimately won my heart in the end.
]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)]]> 34
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
--back cover]]> 398 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618346252 Dannielle 3 4.36 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1954
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/01
date added: 2024/06/30
shelves: magic, fantasy, good, vs, evil, classic, adventure, friendship, loyalty, epic, quest, supernatural
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies]]> 40539478

#RoarLikeAMother

The problem with lies is they don’t often sound like lies. They seem harmless, and even sound right. So what’s a Mama Bear to do when her kids seem to be absorbing the culture’s lies uncritically?

Mama Bear Apologetics� is the book you’ve been looking for. This mom-to-mom guide will equip you to teach your kids how to form their own biblical beliefs about what is true and what is false. Through transparent life stories and clear, practical applications—including prayer strategies—this band of Mama Bears offers you tools to train yourself, so you can turn around and train your kids.

Are you ready to answer the rallying cry, “Mess with our kids and we will demolish your arguments�? Join the Mama Bears and raise your voice to protect your kids—by teaching them how to think through and address the issues head-on, yet with gentleness and respect.]]> 288 Hillary Morgan Ferrer 0736976159 Dannielle 4 4.36 2019 Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies
author: Hillary Morgan Ferrer
name: Dannielle
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/20
date added: 2024/06/30
shelves:
review:
Not just for moms but for EVERYONE who wants to learn how to fight the culture's lies with God's Truth and think biblically.
]]>