en-US Tue, 25 Feb 2025 05:21:15 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 7095247
In Audition, Ryu Murakami delivers his most subtly disturbing novel yet, confirming him as Japan’s master of the psycho-thriller.]]> 200 Ryū Murakami 1408800721 Scott 2 3.41 1997
author: Ryū Murakami
name: Scott
average rating: 3.41
book published: 1997
rating: 2
read at: 2011/11/21
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
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]]> 57800389
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 301 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 052562080X Scott 3 3.71 2020
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Scott
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/22
date added: 2024/12/18
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]]> 38887858 241 Minetarō Mochizuki 1642121355 Scott 4 3.94 1996
author: Minetarō Mochizuki
name: Scott
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/22
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
Still really liking this. The series finally settles into a journey here, so it's gaining some momentum.
]]> 58084796 192 Muneyuki Kaneshiro 1636991033 Scott 4 4.39 2019
author: Muneyuki Kaneshiro
name: Scott
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/02
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
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]]> 7491924 Book by 80 Kristen Bjorn 386187282X Scott 2
It was in all the magazines at the time...]]> 4.00 2000
author: Kristen Bjorn
name: Scott
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
Mostly promo shots of studio regulars looking bronzed, bored, and often straight up awkward. Notable for fond reminiscences of the 90s speedo tan line. Remember that? Golden tan legs and torso with a blindingly white crotch and butt. Such the quintessential style.

It was in all the magazines at the time...
]]> 36135552 ��DZ����’t hate is the music. Feeling an audience’s energy as they lose themselves in Riven’s music is a rush unlike anything else . . . until he meets Caleb Blake Whitman. Caleb is rough and damaged, yet his fingers on his guitar are pure poetry. And his hands on Theo? They’re all he can think about. But Caleb’s no groupie—and one night with him won’t be enough.

Just when Caleb is accepting his new life as a loner, Theo Decker slinks into it and turns his world upside-down. Theo’s sexy and brilliant and addictively vulnerable, and all Caleb wants is another hit. And another. That’s how he knows Theo’s trouble. Caleb can’t even handle performing these days. How the hell is he going to survive an affair with a tabloid superstar? But after Caleb sees the man behind the rock star, he begins to wonder if Theo might be his chance at a future he thought he’d lost forever.
]]> 220 Roan Parrish 1524799327 Scott 3 4.02 2018
author: Roan Parrish
name: Scott
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves:
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]]> 38887865 220 Minetarō Mochizuki 1642121347 Scott 5 3.57 1995
author: Minetarō Mochizuki
name: Scott
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/18
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 57429357 216 Muneyuki Kaneshiro 1636990037 Scott 5 4.24 2018
author: Muneyuki Kaneshiro
name: Scott
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/18
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 57799296 210 Muneyuki Kaneshiro 1636990576 Scott 4 4.41 2019
author: Muneyuki Kaneshiro
name: Scott
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/30
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
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]]> 58598402
In the face of Team V and the prodigy Nagi's overwhelming scoring ability, Team Z has managed to catch up to 3-3 with fifteen minutes remaining. In the midst of this tense environment, all the players seek the "awakening" that will take their skills to the next level... The match against Team V reaches its thrilling conclusion!]]> 193 Muneyuki Kaneshiro 1636992315 Scott 4 4.51 2019
author: Muneyuki Kaneshiro
name: Scott
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/08
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
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]]> 38813226 220 Minetarō Mochizuki 1642121339 Scott 4 3.33 1995
author: Minetarō Mochizuki
name: Scott
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/15
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:
Strong start. Tense and atmospheric. I like horror less focused on the supernatural.
]]> 58319046
The last match of the first Blue Lock selection round kicks off! Isagi's Team Z has no choice but to win the match if they want to stay in Blue Lock. Their opponents: Team V, the strongest team in Wing 5, led by the prodigy Seishiro Nagi. Will Team Z's desperation triumph over Team V's overwhelming offensive power? The key to victory lies in "a goal's reproducibility"...]]> 192 Muneyuki Kaneshiro 163699153X Scott 4 4.43 2019
author: Muneyuki Kaneshiro
name: Scott
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/05
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves:
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]]> 55134030
The time is the close of the Vietnam War. The situation, for a Petty Officer who is also a conscientious objector, is hopeless. In a desperate attempt to escape the mindless brutality around him, this innocent young sailor steps into a nightmare world where his masculinity is stripped from his frame, layer by agonizing layer. Before he leaves the Brig, he will be broken... completely broken.

In The Brig, Mason Powell outlines a military gone mad with power, then fills in explicit, provocative scenes of punishment and discipline unlike any you have read before.]]> 167 Mason Powell Scott 3
It's not percipient. But it would have seemed so at the time.

It's gross too. Don't read it if you don't like imagining people floating in pee.]]> 3.50
author: Mason Powell
name: Scott
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/26
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
This is certainly not good, but it's weirdly intriguing. It's filled with severely outdated conceptions of how attraction, sexual orientation, and the human everything actually work, but if it were 40 years ago and I didn't know that, I might think "This is pretty percipient."

It's not percipient. But it would have seemed so at the time.

It's gross too. Don't read it if you don't like imagining people floating in pee.
]]> 19486440
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost—until a rebellion left him in charge of a demoralized force clinging to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must lead her men into battle against impossible odds.

Their fate depends on Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich. Under his command, Marcus and Winter feel the tide turning and their allegiance being tested. For Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to reshape the known world and change the lives of everyone in its path.]]> 609 Django Wexler 0451418050 Scott 3
Wexler has an easy voice to read, and his soldierly banter is pretty amusing. I forgot who a lot of the minor baddies were between their long-separated interlude chapters, so when it came time to climax, I was a little lost.

You have to like armies marching around and being armies (or you at least be able to put up with it) or you won't like this. It can make it downright confusing if you struggle following things like that. I learned for the first time that "corporal" and "colonel" are distinct words, so I'm not the best at this sort of thing either.

I mostly read this in long stretches because I was stuck in a hotel room in Salt Lake City where there is nothing to do. If you read it in short bursts, it will be probably drag a lot at times. Try going somewhere boring and you'll be fine.]]> 4.10 2013
author: Django Wexler
name: Scott
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2017/04/17
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves:
review:
After a rough start, I came around to liking this. If you like militaristic fantasy with more muskets than magic missiles, then you could do worse.

Wexler has an easy voice to read, and his soldierly banter is pretty amusing. I forgot who a lot of the minor baddies were between their long-separated interlude chapters, so when it came time to climax, I was a little lost.

You have to like armies marching around and being armies (or you at least be able to put up with it) or you won't like this. It can make it downright confusing if you struggle following things like that. I learned for the first time that "corporal" and "colonel" are distinct words, so I'm not the best at this sort of thing either.

I mostly read this in long stretches because I was stuck in a hotel room in Salt Lake City where there is nothing to do. If you read it in short bursts, it will be probably drag a lot at times. Try going somewhere boring and you'll be fine.
]]> 18129494
Everyone in the small town of Central City, Texas loves Lou Ford. A deputy sheriff, Lou's known to the small-time criminals, the real-estate entrepreneurs, and all of his coworkers �� the low-lifes, the big-timers, and everyone in-between �� as the nicest guy around. He may not be the brightest or the most interesting man in town, but nevertheless, he's the kind of officer you're happy to have keeping your streets safe. The sort of man you might even wish your daughter would end up with someday.

But behind the platitudes and glad-handing lurks a monster the likes of which few have seen. An urge that has already claimed multiple lives, and cost Lou his brother Mike, a self-sacrificing construction worker fell to his death on the job in what was anything but an accident. A murder that Lou is determined to avenge �� and if innocent people have to die in the process, well, that's perfectly all right with him.]]> 229 Jim Thompson 0316404063 Scott 4 3.87 1952
author: Jim Thompson
name: Scott
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1952
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/26
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves:
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]]> 8731900
In a simple and elegant way, Samael Aun Weor explains the basic methodology for people in today's world to begin to approach the greater mysteries of the Gnostics. In this basic and practical guide, Samael Aun Weor offers a breadth of exercises guiding the reader to discover within themselves a wealth of insight and understanding. Gnosis, after all, is Greek for "knowledge," and the seeker is told, "Know thyself, and thou shalt know the universe and its Gods."

"A great author deduced that the human being needs eight important things in life: health and the conservation of life, nourishment, sleep, money and the things money can buy, life in the beyond, sexual satisfaction, the well-being of his children, and a sense of proper importance. We synthesize these eight things into three: Health, Money, Love. If you really want to acquire these three things, you should study and practice everything that this course teaches you. We will show you the path of success." - Samael Aun Weor]]> 186 Samael Aun Weor 1934206733 Scott 2 4.03 1961
author: Samael Aun Weor
name: Scott
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1961
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/19
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 30209225 176 Isaac Deutscher 1786630826 Scott 4 4.15 1978
author: Isaac Deutscher
name: Scott
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/17
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 63391546 �� Magnificent. Breathtaking. And shockingly rare �� another one-sitting wonder�� STEPHEN FRY David Baddiel would love there to be a God. He has spent a lot of time fantasising about how much better life would be if there actually was such a thing as a Superhero Dad who chased off Death. Unfortunately for him, there isn’t. Or at least, that is Baddiel’s view in this book, which argues that it is indeed the very intensity of his, and everyone else’s, desire for God to exist that proves His non-existence. Anything so deeply wished-for we will, considers Baddiel, make real. The admission of his own divine yearnings makes for a book that is more vulnerable �� and more understanding of the value and power of religion �� than most atheist polemics. A philosophical essay that utilises Baddiel’s trademarks of comedy, storytelling and personal asides, The God Desire offers a highly readable new perspective on the most ancient of debates. David Baddiel's book 'Jews Don’t Count' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 22-02-2021.]]> 112 David Baddiel 000855028X Scott 4 3.66 2023
author: David Baddiel
name: Scott
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/20
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 8391634 218 Ellen Raskin 1616877987 Scott 5 4.00 1978
author: Ellen Raskin
name: Scott
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1978
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/27
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 60648151 416 Joe Dever 1916268056 Scott 4 4.50 1984
author: Joe Dever
name: Scott
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/08
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 61255212 A FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE MONTH
A FAST COMPANY TOP SUMMER PICK

'Well-written, cogent and useful manual' - David Allen, author of Getting Things Done
'Forte's ideas really work.' - Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing
'Completely changed my life' - Ali Abdaal, YouTuber and Entrepreneur
'A survival guide to managing the complexities of modern life' - Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup
'One of my favorite books of the year. It completely reshaped how I think about information and how and why I take notes.' Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive

Discover the full potential of your ideas and make powerful, meaningful improvements in your work and life by Building a Second Brain.

For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world's knowledge. There has never been a better time to learn, to create and to improve ourselves. Yet, rather than being empowered by this information, we're often overwhelmed, paralysed by believing we'll never know or remember enough.

This eye-opening and accessible guide shows how you can easily create your own personal system for knowledge management, otherwise known as a Second Brain. A trusted and organised digital repository of your most valued ideas, notes and creative work, a Second Brain gives you the confidence to tackle your most important projects and ambitious goals. From identifying good ideas, to organising your thoughts, to retrieving everything swiftly and easily, it puts you back in control of your life and information.]]> 272 Tiago Forte 1800815492 Scott 4 4.28 2022
author: Tiago Forte
name: Scott
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/27
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 62871629
In Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet a popular cultural phenomenon is born. We meet two of the most famous characters in modern literary the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, an army doctor home on sick leave, for the first time. Through Watson we learn a little about the eccentric figure who is his new room-mate at 221B Baker Street, before they encounter their first an American visitor to the city has been killed in an empty house off the Brixton Road, and the only clue the police have is the mysterious word 'Rache', scrawled in blood-red letters on the wall. As Holmes sets to work with his unique forensic methods, behind the murder a tangled skein of love, religion, and revenge gradually unwinds, taking us from the streets of London to the Utah Territory, and back again.

As Nicholas Daly's Introduction describes, out of this gripping tale grew the Holmes and Watson stories that would make Conan Doyle the best-paid author of his time. His creations have become household words, inspiring not only countless adaptations and imitations, but a Sherlock Holmes museum, Sherlock Holmes-themed pubs, and a whole array of Holmesian merchandise, from cushions to jigsaw puzzles. Here, though, we meet Holmes and Watson before they became famous, and we can see how their extraordinary impact on our popular culture derives from the late-Victorian world from which they emerge.]]> 192 Arthur Conan Doyle 0198856040 Scott 4 3.70 1887
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Scott
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1887
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/16
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 18607090 In this new edition, Gillian Butler and Freda McManus explore a variety of new topics and ways of studying the brain. Until recently it was not possible to study the living human brain directly, so psychologists studied our behavior, and used their observations to derive hypotheses about what was going on inside. Now - through neuroscience - our knowledge of the workings of the brain has increased and improved technology provides us with a scientific basis on which to understand the structure and workings of the brain, allowing brain activity to be observed and measured. Exploring some of the most important advances and developments in psychology - from evolutionary psychology and issues surrounding adolescence and aggression to cognitive psychology - this is a stimulating introduction for anyone interested in understanding the human mind.
About the Series:
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.]]> 168 Gillian Butler 0199670420 Scott 3 3.64 1998
author: Gillian Butler
name: Scott
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/08
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 42983724 WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .

A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice?]]> 274 Olga Tokarczuk 0525541330 Scott 4 3.92 2009
author: Olga Tokarczuk
name: Scott
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/06
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 34389003 A collectible new Penguin Classics series: stunning, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets, which present each poet's most famous book of verse as it was originally published. Designed by the acclaimed Coralie Bickford-Smith and beautifully set, these slim, A format volumes are the ultimate gift editions for poetry lovers.

Songs of Innocence and Experience is one of the best-loved poetry collections of all time, an innovative and groundbreaking experiment in which Blake intertwined text and image to dazzling effect. The volume, published sometimes as two separate collections, juxtaposes the innocent world of childhood with the corrupt and repressed one of adults. Many of the poems are in pairs, enabling the reader to see the same situation first from the perspective of innocence and then from that of experience, and the volume includes such favourites as 'The Lamb', 'The Chimney Sweeper' and 'The Tyger'.]]> 103 William Blake 0241303052 Scott 4 3.90 1794
author: William Blake
name: Scott
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1794
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/03
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 117101 303 Mihály Csíkszentmihályi 0061339202 Scott 4 4.09 1990
author: Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
name: Scott
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
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]]> 28510840 Listening Length: 15 hours and 54 minutes

The Cuckoo's Calling is a 2013 crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

A brilliant mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.]]> 16 Robert Galbraith Scott 3
It wasn't amazing, but the audiobook is brilliantly-performed, which helps a lot. I didn't care the most who did it, but I did enjoy some of the characters. As always, she is excellent at coming up with names that capture their personalities well.

I like JK Rowling's sort of odd style. This book is British as hell.

And I kinda ship Robin and Cormoran. It's been a while since I've shipped anyone. Actually, the last time I did it was two of Rowling's other characters. Ginny/Hermione4lyfe.]]> 4.06 2013
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Scott
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2018/10/22
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves:
review:
Yeah. Ok! I mean, good. This was good.

It wasn't amazing, but the audiobook is brilliantly-performed, which helps a lot. I didn't care the most who did it, but I did enjoy some of the characters. As always, she is excellent at coming up with names that capture their personalities well.

I like JK Rowling's sort of odd style. This book is British as hell.

And I kinda ship Robin and Cormoran. It's been a while since I've shipped anyone. Actually, the last time I did it was two of Rowling's other characters. Ginny/Hermione4lyfe.
]]> 49212442 David Mitchell Scott 3 3.56 2019
author: David Mitchell
name: Scott
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/28
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves:
review:
I find David Mitchell hilarious, and this delivered enough of his misanthropic wit to make a suitable background soundtrack. (I definitely think you're better off with the audiobook.) There are even some moments of real insight. I just found myself wishing there were more of a thesis here. But if you like an amusing miscellany and David Mitchell, you'll like this.
]]> 151219 620 Ann Radcliffe 0486440338 Scott 4 3.45 1794
author: Ann Radcliffe
name: Scott
average rating: 3.45
book published: 1794
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/27
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves:
review:
This took me two full months to read, during which my life meandered about as much as the plot did. I liked living in this book and am generally pleased that I read it, but I can't see myself recommending that anyone else do. It was inconsistent and badly in need of an editor, but I just liked the protagonist enough to keep going through it.
]]> 1836965
Only Tristan Kendrick, troubled heir to the legacy of the High Kings, can rally the diverse people and creatures of the Isles of Moonshae to halt the spread of darkness...

On the side of Evil: a relentless army of giant Firbolgs, dread Bloodriders, and preternatural incarnations of the Beast.

On the side of Good: an uneasy alliance of halflings and dwarves, sister knights, bards and druids, and the powerful children of the Goddess--the Leviathan, the Unicorn and the Pack.

First in a series of novels based on the FORGOTTEN REALMS�� adventures, TSR's newest and most extensive fantasy campaign.]]> 380 Douglas Niles 0880384514 Scott 2 3.35 1987
author: Douglas Niles
name: Scott
average rating: 3.35
book published: 1987
rating: 2
read at: 2024/02/27
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves:
review:
A perfect example of a book that just is. There is nothing overly offensive about this, but also nothing at all to recommend it. Grand in scope, but middling in execution.
]]> 61085637 The Pennymores is a ŷ������ Reader's Choice 2022 Finalist!

When her brother vanishes in the night, along with all she thought to be true of magic, Parker Pennymore must unmask family secrets, travel far beyond the castle walls, and convince her sisters to break a few laws along the way - but what's a hero’s journey without a little rebellion?

Created first as a bedtime story with his daughters, The Pennymores explores a world where all writing has been banned for centuries (a setting inspired by the true-life events of Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai). But when an unstoppable enemy returns threatening the destroy their world, the Pennymores must set off on a quest taking them inside hidden mystical realms, confronting ancient challenges, and forcing them to step closer to the heroes they are destined to be.

A portion of the proceeds of the Pennymores benefit the Malala Fund for children’s literacy.]]> 376 Eric Koester Scott 0 to-read 4.14 2022
author: Eric Koester
name: Scott
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> 451755 260 Brian K. Pennington 0195166558 Scott 5 4.33 2005
author: Brian K. Pennington
name: Scott
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/10
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves:
review:
This is a lucid and well-organized account of how colonialism and Christian missionaries influenced the collective identity of Hinduism in the 19th century (and vice versa).
]]> 26721150
In this second edition Knott considers the impact of changes in technology and the flourishing of social media on Hinduism, and looks at the presence of Hinduism in popular culture, considering pieces such as Sita Sings the Blues . She also analyses recent developments in India, and the impact issues such as Hindu nationalism and the politicization of Hinduism have on Hindus worldwide.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.]]> 176 Kim Knott 0198745540 Scott 4 3.51 1998
author: Kim Knott
name: Scott
average rating: 3.51
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/28
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 58313981 Explore the history and cultural impact of a groundbreaking television show adored by old and new fans alike: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Over the course of its seven-year run, Buffy the Vampire Slayer cultivated a loyal fandom and featured a strong, complex female lead, at a time when such a character was a rarity. Evan Ross Katz explores the show’s cultural relevance through a book that is part oral history, part celebration, and part memoir of a personal fandom that has universal resonance still, decades later.

Katz—with the help of the show’s cast, creators, and crew—reveals that although Buffy contributed to important conversations about gender, sexuality, and feminism, it was not free of internal strife, controversy, and shortcomings. Men—both on screen and off—would taint the show’s reputation as a feminist masterpiece, and changing networks, amongst other factors, would drastically alter the show’s tone.

Katz addresses these issues and more, including interviews with stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, Seth Green, Marc Blucas, Nicholas Brendon, Danny Strong, Tom Lenk, Bianca Lawson, Julie Benz, Clare Kramer, K. Todd Freeman, Sharon Ferguson; and writers Douglas Petrie, Jane Espenson, and Drew Z. Greenberg; as well as conversations with Buffy fanatics and friends of the cast including Stacey Abrams, Cynthia Erivo, Lee Pace, Claire Saffitz, Tavi Gevinson, and Selma Blair.

Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born engages with the very notion of fandom, and the ways a show like Buffy can influence not only how we see the world but how we exist within it.]]> 400 Evan Ross Katz 0306826682 Scott 3
I did appreciate finding out that everybody loves Sarah Michelle Gellar because they should.]]> 3.97 2022
author: Evan Ross Katz
name: Scott
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/10
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves:
review:
This was mostly a string of quotes from an impressive array of interviews, but it could have done with more synthesis of the content and fewer apologetics about writing this book in the midst of the horrible allegations against Joss Whedon. There wasn't much meat to this other than to celebrate a fandom and legacy, not that there's anything wrong with that.

I did appreciate finding out that everybody loves Sarah Michelle Gellar because they should.
]]> 45457362 The Wheel of Time ® is a PBS Great American Read Selection! Now in development for TV!

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

The Seanchan invasion force is in possession of Ebou Dar. Nynaeve, Elayne, and Aviendha head for Caemlyn and Elayne's rightful throne, but on the way they discover an enemy much worse than the Seanchan.

In Illian, Rand vows to throw the Seanchan back as he did once before. But signs of madness are appearing among the Asha'man.

In Ghealdan, Perrin faces the intrigues of Whitecloaks, Seanchan invaders, the scattered Shaido Aiel, and the Prophet himself. Perrin's beloved wife, Faile, may pay with her life, and Perrin himself may have to destroy his soul to save her.

Meanwhile the rebel Aes Sedai under their young Amyrlin, Egwene al'Vere, face an army that intends to keep them away from the White Tower. But Egwene is determined to unseat the usurper Elaida and reunite the Aes Sedai. She does not yet understand the price that others--and she herself--will pay.

TV series update: "Sony will produce along with Red Eagle Entertainment and Radar Pictures. Rafe Judkins is attached to write and executive produce. Judkins previously worked on shows such as ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD,�� the Netflix series “Hemlock Grove,�� and the NBC series “Chuck.�� Red Eagle partners Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon will executive produce along with Radar’s Ted Field and Mike Weber. Darren Lemke will also executive produce, with Jordan’s widow Harriet McDougal serving as consulting producer." ��Variety

The Wheel of Time ®
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion

By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time]]> 624 Robert Jordan 1250252091 Scott 3
So I'm a failure, but I still think this is not entirely my fault. Meander less. (I'm going much better with Book 9, btw, in case you were concerned.)]]> 3.76 1998
author: Robert Jordan
name: Scott
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/04
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves:
review:
So ok, my book club is reading this series, and in truth, this is the first book I read start to finish since #3 or so. Honestly, I got to the end of it and realized I hadn't the slightest idea what was going on in any single moment. Maybe my brain was just shut down, but the glut of new characters was more than I could handle. Couple that with the fact that I did most of this in audiobook while playing Against the Storm on Steam (it's good!) and I'm basically lost. Then I couldn't even go to the meeting to discuss it.

So I'm a failure, but I still think this is not entirely my fault. Meander less. (I'm going much better with Book 9, btw, in case you were concerned.)
]]> 59623625 EZRA

Partying, dudes, and hockey. What more could a gay NHL player want?

If it weren't for Anton Hayes, my life would be perfect.

Not that he affects my life in any way. At all. That would imply I care what the winger from Philly thinks of me.

Which I don't.

Not even a one-night stand with him can thaw his misplaced animosity toward me.

He says I'm the one with the ego, but he can talk. He rivals me for most egotistical puck boy in the league.

I hate him as much as he hates me. Even if I crave a repeat.


ANTON

When it comes to hockey, I'm all about the game.

I've worked for years to be one of the best in the league, and l've done it without splashing my orientation all over the tabloids.

My hockey image is one I've carefully cultivated, and after one night with Ezra Palaszczuk, I risk it all.

He's cocky, obnoxious, and has an ego bigger than Massachusetts. And okay, maybe he's the sexiest man I've ever known.

We'll never get along. Not when we sleep together. Not even when my possessive streak awakens.

That doesn't stop us from falling into bed together over and over again.]]> 303 Eden Finley Scott 2 4.10 2022
author: Eden Finley
name: Scott
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/01/22
date added: 2024/01/30
shelves:
review:
About as bog standard as you can get. At the rate at which the world churns these out, it's hard to expect much, but I don't think it's too much to ask for an attempt to distinguish your work from the morass of lookalikes.
]]> 58025035 172 Sher Doruff 1947447793 Scott 4 4.00
author: Sher Doruff
name: Scott
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 56828560

At one level, it may be read as an account of how a puny, bookish boy discovered the importance of his own physical being; the "sun and steel" of the title are themselves symbols respectively of the cult of the open air and the weights used in bodybuilding. At another level, it is a discussion by a major novelist of the relation between action and art, and his own highly polished art in particular. More personally, it is an account of one individual's search for identity and self-integration. Or again, the work could be seen as a demonstration of how an intensely individual preoccupation can be developed into a profound philosophy of life.


All these elements are woven together by Mishima's complex yet polished and supple style. The confession and the self-analysis, the philosophy and the poetry combine in the end to create something that is in itself perfect and self-sufficient. It is a piece of literature that is as carefully fashioned as Mishima's novels, and at the same time provides an indispensable key to the understanding of them as art.


The road Mishima took to salvation is a highly personal one. Yet here, ultimately, one detects the unmistakable tones of a self transcending the particular and attaining to a poetic vision of the universal. The book is therefore a moving document, and is highly significant as a pointer to the future development of one of the most interesting novelists of modern times.


]]> 104 Yukio Mishima 3074009829 Scott 4 4.14 1968
author: Yukio Mishima
name: Scott
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1968
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/29
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 203951771 159 Roberta Dill Scott 1 1.00
author: Roberta Dill
name: Scott
average rating: 1.00
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2023/10/22
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:
You may wonder how the grossest part of a book about a mother constantly sexually assaulting her 16-year-old son could be the homophobia, but trust me, this book managed to make that happen.
]]> 41429810
A refugee of the Great War, Poirot is settling in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactress, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work.

Suspects are plentiful, including the victim's much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be visiting the nearby village. All of them have secrets they are desperate to keep, but none can outwit Poirot as he navigates the ingenious red herrings and plot twists that earned Agatha Christie her well-deserved reputation as the queen of mystery.]]> 212 Agatha Christie 0525565108 Scott 3 3.85 1920
author: Agatha Christie
name: Scott
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1920
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/07
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 34434570 Beginning Theory has been helping students navigate through the thickets of literary and cultural theory for over two decades. This new and expanded fourth edition continues to offer readers the best single-volume introduction to the field.

The bewildering variety of approaches, theorists and technical language is lucidly and expertly unravelled. Unlike many books which assume certain positions about the critics and the theories they represent, Beginning Theory allows readers to develop their own ideas once first principles and concepts have been grasped.

The book has been updated for this edition and includes a new introduction, expanded chapters, and an overview of the subject ('Theory after "Theory"') which maps the arrival of new 'isms' since the second edition appeared in 2002 and the third edition in 2009.]]> 384 Peter Barry 1526121794 Scott 4 3.82 1995
author: Peter Barry
name: Scott
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/04
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 61052988 Leah is changed. A marine biologist, she left for a routine expedition months earlier, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife, Miri, knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp.]]> 228 Julia Armfield 1250229901 Scott 4 3.84 2022
author: Julia Armfield
name: Scott
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/23
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 61884782 A searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.

They’ll scare you straight to hell.

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective�� gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.]]> 246 Chuck Tingle 1250874629 Scott 4 3.90 2023
author: Chuck Tingle
name: Scott
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/08
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 24873335
The contest takes Henry to Reyhome Castle, the site of a series of brutal murders decades earlier. There he meets his rival for the prize, the dangerously appealing Vincent Night. Vincent is handsome, charming…and determined to get Henry into bed.

Henry can’t afford to fall for a spirit medium, let alone the competition. But nothing in the haunted mansion is quite as it seems, and soon winning the contest is the least of Henry’s concerns.

For the evil stalking the halls of Reyhome Castle wants to claim not just Henry and Vincent’s lives, but their very souls.]]> 202 Jordan L. Hawk 1505557100 Scott 3 4.23 2015
author: Jordan L. Hawk
name: Scott
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 11088622
In this Second Edition, Culler includes much new material, including a discussion of the "death of theory," a look at topics such as trauma theory, ecocriticism, and the link between the theory of narrative and cognitive science, plus a new chapter on "Ethics and Aesthetics." The book also includes updated bibliographies. Shedding light on everything from literature and social identity, to poetry, poetics, and rhetoric, Literary Theory is a welcome guide for all lovers of literature.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.]]> 192 Jonathan D. Culler 0199691347 Scott 4 3.59 1997
author: Jonathan D. Culler
name: Scott
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/02
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 6965962
The science of consciousness introduces first-person methods of investigating the mind through Buddhist contemplative techniques, such as samatha , an organized, detailed system of training the attention. Just as scientists make observations and conduct experiments with the aid of technology, contemplatives have long tested their own theories with the help of highly developed meditative skills of observation and experimentation. Contemplative science allows for a deeper knowledge of mental phenomena, including a wide range of states of consciousness, and its emphasis on strict mental discipline counteracts the effects of conative (intention and desire), attentional, cognitive, and affective imbalances.

Just as behaviorism, psychology, and neuroscience have all shed light on the cognitive processes that enable us to survive and flourish, contemplative science offers a groundbreaking perspective for expanding our capacity to realize genuine well-being. It also forges a link between the material world and the realm of the subconscious that transcends the traditional science-based understanding of the self.]]> 211 B. Alan Wallace 0231138350 Scott 1 dnf 3.86 2006
author: B. Alan Wallace
name: Scott
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2006
rating: 1
read at: 2023/07/29
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 27840845
A poisoned apple and a monkey's paw with the power to change fate; a girl whose extraordinarily long hair causes catastrophe; a man with one human arm and one swan's wing; and a house deep in the forest, constructed of gumdrops and gingerbread, vanilla frosting and boiled sugar. In A Wild Swan and Other Tales, the people and the talismans of lands far, far away―the mythic figures of our childhoods and the source of so much of our wonder―are transformed by Michael Cunningham into stories of sublime revelation.
Here are the moments that our fairy tales forgot or deliberately concealed: the years after a spell is broken, the rapturous instant of a miracle unexpectedly realized, or the fate of a prince only half cured of a curse. The Beast stands ahead of you in line at the convenience store, buying smokes and a Slim Jim, his devouring smile aimed at the cashier. A malformed little man with a knack for minor acts of wizardry goes to disastrous lengths to procure a child. A loutish and lazy Jack prefers living in his mother's basement to getting a job, until the day he trades a cow for a handful of magic beans.
Reimagined by one of the most gifted storytellers of his generation, and exquisitely illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, rarely have our bedtime stories been this dark, this perverse, or this true.]]> 144 Michael Cunningham 1250097304 Scott 4 3.78 2015
author: Michael Cunningham
name: Scott
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/27
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 17288631 169 James Baldwin 0345806565 Scott 5 4.41 1956
author: James Baldwin
name: Scott
average rating: 4.41
book published: 1956
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/26
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 233649
Rand cannot run for ever. With every passing day the Dark One grows in strength and strives to shatter his ancient prison, to break the Wheel, to bring an end to Time and sunder the weave of the Pattern.

And the Pattern demands the Dragon.]]> 705 Robert Jordan 0812517725 Scott 3 4.25 1990
author: Robert Jordan
name: Scott
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/24
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 16685183
In the second edition Keown provides new perspectives on Buddhist thought, including up-to-date material about the evolution of Buddhism throughout Asia, the material culture of Buddhism and its importance, new teachings on the ethics of war and peace, and changes to ethnicity, class, and gender.

About the

Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.]]> 192 Damien Keown 0199663831 Scott 4 3.82 1996
author: Damien Keown
name: Scott
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/16
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 36709515 This supernatural mystery set in the world of Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos features a brilliant detective and his partner as they try to solve a horrific murder.

The complex investigation takes the Baker Street investigators from the slums of Whitechapel all the way to the Queen's Palace as they attempt to find the answers to this bizarre murder of cosmic horror!

From the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, Nebula award-winning, and New York Times bestselling writer Neil Gaiman comes this graphic novel adaptation with art by Eisner award winning artist Rafael Albuquerque!]]> 88 Neil Gaiman 1506703933 Scott 3 3.90 2018
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Scott
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/10
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 392563 The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century is a voyage into the labyrinth of modern music, which remains an obscure world for most people. While paintings of Picasso and Jackson Pollock sell for a hundred million dollars or more, and lines from T. S. Eliot are quoted on the yearbook pages of alienated teenagers across the land, twentieth-century classical music still sends ripples of unease through audiences. At the same time, its influence can be felt everywhere. Atonal chords crop up in jazz. Avant-garde sounds populate the soundtracks of Hollywood thrillers. Minimalism has had a huge effect on rock, pop, and dance music from the Velvet Underground onward.

The Rest Is Noise shows why twentieth-century composers felt compelled to create a famously bewildering variety of sounds, from the purest beauty to the purest noise. It tells of a remarkable array of maverick personalities who resisted the cult of the classical past, struggled against the indifference of a wide public, and defied the will of dictators. Whether they have charmed audiences with sweet sounds or battered them with dissonance, composers have always been exuberantly of the present, defying the stereotype of classical music as a dying art. The narrative goes from Vienna before the First World War to Paris in the twenties, from Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia to downtown New York in the sixties and seventies. We follow the rise of mass culture and mass politics, of dramatic new technologies, of hot and cold wars, of experiments, revolutions, riots, and friendships forged and broken. The end result is not so much a history of twentieth-century music as a history of the twentieth century through its music.]]> 640 Alex Ross 0374249393 Scott 4 4.08 2007
author: Alex Ross
name: Scott
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/09
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 51323366
Apollo takes on a rather odd job at a brothel as a way to make some fast cash, but when one of the male prostitutes takes an interest in him, his days of gainful employment seem numbered.

A paradise of sensuality, Shangri-La is a male brothel celebrating the glories of gay sex. Newly hired Apollo is in charge of getting the men ready for clients, but as a straight man, he’s a bit naive. Phi, one of the brothel’s most sought-after prostitutes, is tasked with getting him up to speed, but not before toying with him a bit. Too bad the rules of the brothel are clear—no orgasms, no penetration, and no falling in love!]]> 194 Ranmaru Zaria 1974715159 Scott 4 4.23 2019
author: Ranmaru Zaria
name: Scott
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/04
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 60199503 288 Old Farmer's Almanac 1571989269 Scott 4 4.43
author: Old Farmer's Almanac
name: Scott
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/30
date added: 2023/12/02
shelves:
review:
What a bizarre holdover. This was thoroughly enjoyable as a relic of a different time that still somehow feels like it belongs right in this one.
]]> 233744 145 Ann M. Martin 0590251627 Scott 4 [Title of Review]

I'll tell you what it is. I wrote a piece on Claudia and Mean Janine a couple of weeks ago, and it was long and lovely. It was long and lovely, and I was happy with it. I was happy with it, and I saved it to post later. When I went to post it later, it was gone. It was gone, and I still haven't mustered the energy to redo it. So I'm never going to redo it, but I'll tell you what it was about:

Claudia and Mean Janine is about a lot of things, but at this point I don't remember most of them. What I do remember is that Mimi had a stroke, and Claudia is so up her own ass that she doesn't see how her reclusive sister is suffering from their grandmother's condition. Although Janine is not at all the mean one in this story, the sisters bicker a lot throughout, and Janine (being super smart) punches down at Claudia a couple of times. (Claudia deserved it, trust me.)

So I wrote about that. I compared Claudia and Janine's relationship with the relationship between my sister and I. I talked about how my sister is developmentally disabled, so there's a pretty wide gulf between us intellectually. We fought a lot growing up, as you do, and as it was with Janine, it was really easy to outsmart Stephanie. (That's her name.) Obviously, there was no pride to be found in that, but siblings gonna fight and she probably started it. Half the time she would win anyway by virtue of passion and volume. I kinda dug deep for this part. You'd have learned a lot about me.

Then I compared that dynamic to political discourse on social media. That part was pretty funny, honestly.

Then I brought it back to my sister and how I like that she can hold her own in a verbal fight with the tools she has, which are very different from the tools I have. Then I tied that into the mutual respect Claudia and Janine find at the end of this book.

All in all, it was my best Babysitters Club write-up yet, both thematically and structurally, and you may join the world in mourning its disappearance. The block stopped me from continuing my little project, so now I'm behind and very much missing the girls. I'm pretty sure Stacey acts like a total idiot in the next one, and I am excited to get back into it.

**
Homework: Smack your bitchy sibling in the head every day and keep a journal of their reaction.

<< #6: Kristy's Big Day
#8: Boy-Crazy Stacey >>]]> 3.58 1987
author: Ann M. Martin
name: Scott
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/14
date added: 2023/11/30
shelves:
review:
[Title of Review]

I'll tell you what it is. I wrote a piece on Claudia and Mean Janine a couple of weeks ago, and it was long and lovely. It was long and lovely, and I was happy with it. I was happy with it, and I saved it to post later. When I went to post it later, it was gone. It was gone, and I still haven't mustered the energy to redo it. So I'm never going to redo it, but I'll tell you what it was about:

Claudia and Mean Janine is about a lot of things, but at this point I don't remember most of them. What I do remember is that Mimi had a stroke, and Claudia is so up her own ass that she doesn't see how her reclusive sister is suffering from their grandmother's condition. Although Janine is not at all the mean one in this story, the sisters bicker a lot throughout, and Janine (being super smart) punches down at Claudia a couple of times. (Claudia deserved it, trust me.)

So I wrote about that. I compared Claudia and Janine's relationship with the relationship between my sister and I. I talked about how my sister is developmentally disabled, so there's a pretty wide gulf between us intellectually. We fought a lot growing up, as you do, and as it was with Janine, it was really easy to outsmart Stephanie. (That's her name.) Obviously, there was no pride to be found in that, but siblings gonna fight and she probably started it. Half the time she would win anyway by virtue of passion and volume. I kinda dug deep for this part. You'd have learned a lot about me.

Then I compared that dynamic to political discourse on social media. That part was pretty funny, honestly.

Then I brought it back to my sister and how I like that she can hold her own in a verbal fight with the tools she has, which are very different from the tools I have. Then I tied that into the mutual respect Claudia and Janine find at the end of this book.

All in all, it was my best Babysitters Club write-up yet, both thematically and structurally, and you may join the world in mourning its disappearance. The block stopped me from continuing my little project, so now I'm behind and very much missing the girls. I'm pretty sure Stacey acts like a total idiot in the next one, and I am excited to get back into it.

**
Homework: Smack your bitchy sibling in the head every day and keep a journal of their reaction.

<< #6: Kristy's Big Day
#8: Boy-Crazy Stacey >>
]]> 18762584 Julia has been looking forward to her school camping trip for weeks, but when her best friend can't join her, Julia worries the trip won't be any fun at all. But when Julia meets magical bunny Arrow, her camping trip is soon filled with a whole world of magical fun!]]> 128 Sue Bentley 060634134X Scott 2
But the main story in this book is confused and directionless. For starters, despite being called "Classroom Capers", this story takes place on a camping trip. It's a school camping trip, yes, but I mean... "Camping Capers" wouldn't have worked? It would have worked.

Secondly, this book is orange, and I do not like orange. It is not a shade of orange that compliments the previous covers.

And finally, there is no real thrust to this book. There are the two students who are fighting because one of them (Ellie) is a priss and the other (Sexy Lexy) is a jackass. It is hinted they are probably crushing on each other. There is also a group of 12-year-old bullies, one of which is the first character in the series to have an ethnic name. (Go figure, our first potential non-white is an antagonist. His name is Hakim but you can call him Jafar.) The bullies are really vile and try to steal a bunny from the arms of the main character. Anyway neither of these stories is the main one, and neither really comes to a conclusion. At some point the bunny helps the main character get roller skates without paying for them.

There are also two teachers named Mr. Potter and Miss Granger (ahem). Mr. Potter is super strict for some reason. There is no real point to either of them. And then it ends.

Not your best, Ms. Bentley! But so it goes. On the plus side, Arrow disguises himself as a silver blue bunny in this one, so I learned that those are real. Now I want one because it will match my bedroom set. (Before you judge me, this is the reason I got my cat and she is fine.)]]> 2.00
author: Sue Bentley
name: Scott
average rating: 2.00
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2018/06/18
date added: 2023/10/11
shelves:
review:
At this point, we can safely assume that no arc is taking place across the Moonglow Meadow prologues to these books. I was hoping some sort of progression would happen, but this is the 4th book now, and the same cut-and-paste template has been applied. Fine.

But the main story in this book is confused and directionless. For starters, despite being called "Classroom Capers", this story takes place on a camping trip. It's a school camping trip, yes, but I mean... "Camping Capers" wouldn't have worked? It would have worked.

Secondly, this book is orange, and I do not like orange. It is not a shade of orange that compliments the previous covers.

And finally, there is no real thrust to this book. There are the two students who are fighting because one of them (Ellie) is a priss and the other (Sexy Lexy) is a jackass. It is hinted they are probably crushing on each other. There is also a group of 12-year-old bullies, one of which is the first character in the series to have an ethnic name. (Go figure, our first potential non-white is an antagonist. His name is Hakim but you can call him Jafar.) The bullies are really vile and try to steal a bunny from the arms of the main character. Anyway neither of these stories is the main one, and neither really comes to a conclusion. At some point the bunny helps the main character get roller skates without paying for them.

There are also two teachers named Mr. Potter and Miss Granger (ahem). Mr. Potter is super strict for some reason. There is no real point to either of them. And then it ends.

Not your best, Ms. Bentley! But so it goes. On the plus side, Arrow disguises himself as a silver blue bunny in this one, so I learned that those are real. Now I want one because it will match my bedroom set. (Before you judge me, this is the reason I got my cat and she is fine.)
]]> 32337897
(Please note: This book is a traditional work of manga, and reads back to front and right to left.)]]> 352 Gengoroh Tagame 1101871512 Scott 4
But there's a sweetness to the naive optimism that love transcends all and the direct questions of a precocious child can make us all look at the child within and open our hearts. Makes you gag thinking about it too hard, but it works in this book.]]> 4.32 2015
author: Gengoroh Tagame
name: Scott
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/09
date added: 2023/09/13
shelves:
review:
This is nice, if a little too tidy -- everyone learning pat little lessons along the way by stepping back from their own perspectives for 2 seconds. Or, I suppose not everyone is doing that, just Yaichi.

But there's a sweetness to the naive optimism that love transcends all and the direct questions of a precocious child can make us all look at the child within and open our hearts. Makes you gag thinking about it too hard, but it works in this book.
]]> 112974876
Georgie, back home at her estate in Eynsleigh, impatiently awaits the birth of her baby. But she has plenty to occupy her new chef, Pierre, has arrived from Paris, and Sir Hubert, who owns Eynsleigh, is back from his latest expedition. It's time for Georgie to throw her first house party to celebrate his return and show off her new chef. The dinner party is a smashing success. Sir Mortimer Mordred—famous author of creepy Gothic horror novels—is one of the guests. He recently purchased a nearby Elizabethan manor nearby because it has a famous poison garden. After the dinner, Sir Mortimer approaches Georgie and asks to borrow her new chef for his upcoming party, and Georgie and Darcy, her dashing husband, are invited!

The tour of the poison garden is fascinating, as is Sir Mortimer’s laboratory. Shockingly, just after the banquet several of the guests become sick. And one dies, apparently poisoned by berries from the garden. But how could this be when they all ate the same meal and the same delectable dessert? Georgie has to find the culprit to save her new chef and her own reputation—all before her bundle of joy arrives!]]> 292 Rhys Bowen 0593437888 Scott 0 to-read 3.89 2023
author: Rhys Bowen
name: Scott
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 157268 Boost your fermentation 534 Stephen Harrod Buhner 0937381667 Scott 2 g-shark-bait 4.28
author: Stephen Harrod Buhner
name: Scott
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2022/01/29
date added: 2023/08/12
shelves: g-shark-bait
review:

]]> 13129925
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, ��ǰ����ǰ�����ö�� is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, ��ǰ����ǰ�����ö�� delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve.

Designed by Andie Reid, cover photography by Christine Ferrara.]]> 248 Grady Hendrix 1594745269 Scott 3 3.64 2014
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Scott
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/03
date added: 2023/08/10
shelves: g-werewolf-bar-mitzvah, e-just-trying-to-make-a-living-dead
review:

]]> 57797983
Cassandra may have seen the future, but it doesn't mean she's resigned to telling the Trojans everything she knows. In this ebullient collection, virgins escape from being sacrificed, witches refuse to be burned, whores aren't ashamed, and every woman gets a chance to be a radioactive cockroach warrior who snaps back at catcallers. Gwen E. Kirby experiments with found structures--a Yelp review, a WikiHow article--which her fierce, irreverent narrators push against, showing how creativity within an enclosed space undermines and deconstructs the constraints themselves. When these women tell the stories of their triumphs as well as their pain, they emerge as funny, angry, loud, horny, lonely, strong protagonists who refuse be secondary characters a moment longer. From "The Best and Only Whore of Cym Hyfryd, 1886" to the "Midwestern Girl [who] is Tired of Appearing in Your Short Stories," Kirby is playing and laughing with the women who have come before her and they are telling her, we have always been this way. You just had to know where to look.]]> 274 Gwen E. Kirby 0143136623 Scott 4 3.82 2022
author: Gwen E. Kirby
name: Scott
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/08
date added: 2023/08/10
shelves: e-gynocentria, aa-look-at-it, g-bits, x-naughties, g-sans
review:

]]> 57693582 Annihilation, a brilliant speculative thriller of dark conspiracy, endangered species, and the possible end of all things.

Security consultant “Jane Smith�� receives an envelope with a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and clues leading her to a taxidermied salamander. Silvina, the dead woman who left the note, is a reputed ecoterrorist and the daughter of an Argentine industrialist. By taking the hummingbird from the storage unit, Jane sets in motion a series of events that quickly spin beyond her control.

Soon, Jane and her family are in danger, with few allies to help her make sense of the true scope of the peril. Is the only way to safety to follow in Silvina’s footsteps? Is it too late to stop? As she desperately seeks answers about why Silvina contacted her, time is running out—for her and possibly for the world.

Hummingbird Salamander is Jeff VanderMeer at his brilliant, cinematic best, wrapping profound questions about climate change, identity, and the world we live in into a tightly plotted thriller full of unexpected twists and elaborate conspiracy.]]> 384 Jeff VanderMeer 1250829771 Scott 4 3.37 2021
author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Scott
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/30
date added: 2023/08/10
shelves: g-where-the-hell-my-phone, g-close-to-midnight
review:

]]> 158365 56 Dennis Cooper 0963109510 Scott 1 Gross. And? 3.76 1993
author: Dennis Cooper
name: Scott
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1993
rating: 1
read at: 2023/07/01
date added: 2023/08/10
shelves: g-ahh-real-monsters, g-gimmie-a-g, e-team-edward
review:
Gross. And?
]]> 58165477 Are you an academic, author, or blogger or anyone else who wants to make writing a breeze?

The Zettelkasten method is the perfect way to harness the power of technology to remember what you read and boost creativity. Invented in the 16th century, and practiced to its fullest extent by a German sociologist who wrote seventy books and hundreds of articles, the Zettelkasten method is exploding in popularity. Writers of all types are discovering that digital tools make the method more powerful than ever, turning your digital life into an “external brain,�� or “bicycle for the mind.��

In Digital Principles, Methods, & Examples, blogger and nonfiction author David Kadavy shares a first-principles approach on how to adapt the Zettelkasten method to simple digital tools of your choice.

How to structure your Zettelkasten? Kadavy borrows an element of the Getting Things Done framework to make sure nothing you want to read falls through the cracks.Naming convention pros/cons. Should you adopt the classic “Folgezettel�� technique, or do digital tools make it irrelevant for your workflow?Reading workflow. The exact steps to follow to turn what you read into detailed notes you can mix and match to produce writing.Staying comfortable. Build a workflow to maintain your Zettelkasten without being chained to your computer.Examples, examples, examples. See real examples of notes that illustrate concepts, so you can build a Zettelkasten that fits your workflow and tools.

Digital Principles, Methods, & Examples is short, to the point, with no fluff, so it won’t keep you from what you want �� to build your Zettelkasten!]]> 79 David Kadavy Scott 3 3.72
author: David Kadavy
name: Scott
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/06
date added: 2023/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 50027 Discover the origin story of one of the greatest heroes of the Realms—Drizzt Do’Urden—in this thrilling first installment of the Dark Elf Trilogy

Drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden, first introduced in The Icewind Dale Trilogy, quickly became one of the fantasy genre’s standout characters. With Homeland, Salvatore pulls back the curtain to reveal the startling tale of how this hero came to be—how this one lone drow walked out of the shadowy depths of the Underdark; how he left behind an evil society and a family that wanted him dead.

As the third son of Mother Malice and weaponmaster Zaknafein, Drizzt Do’Urden is meant to be sacrificed to Lolth, the evil Spider Queen, per drow tradition. But with the unexpected death of his older brother, young Drizzt is spared—and, as a result, further ostracized by his family. As Drizzt grows older, developing his swordsmanship skills and studying at the Academy, he begins to realize that his idea of good and evil does not match up with those of his fellow drow. Can Drizzt stay true to himself in a such an unforgiving, unprincipled world?

Homeland is the first book in the Dark Elf Trilogy and the Legend of Drizzt series.]]> 343 R.A. Salvatore Scott 4 4.26 1990
author: R.A. Salvatore
name: Scott
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2011/09/28
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 22694054
Moms, dads, sisters, brothers �� and even Great Aunt Sue �� appear in dozens of combinations, demonstrating all kinds of nontraditional families! Silly animals are cleverly depicted in framed portraits, and offer a warm celebration of family love.]]> 32 Suzanne Lang 0553499386 Scott 5 4.23 2015
author: Suzanne Lang
name: Scott
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2017/12/14
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves:
review:
Well this is just lovely. It's simple and cute and dances along nicely. And the illustrations have so much characters. Now I have two reasons to love Max Lang along with The Gruffalo.
]]> 25602622 144 Izumi Tsubaki 0316309478 Scott 4 4.12 2012
author: Izumi Tsubaki
name: Scott
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2019/10/31
date added: 2023/05/06
shelves:
review:
This book is filled with inside jokes I am on the outside of, but I liked it anyway. It's cute.
]]> 55332474
The world teems with different kinds of music--traditional, folk, classical, jazz, rock, pop--and each type of music tends to come with its own way of thinking. Drawing on a wealth of accessible examples ranging from Beethoven to Chinese zither music, this Very Short Introduction considers the history of music and thinking about music, focussing on its social and cultural dimensions. Nicholas Cook balances the Western Classical traditions within the context of many other musical cultures in today's world, tracing the way in which their development since the eighteenth century has conditioned present-day thinking and practice both within and beyond the West. He also considers the nature of music as a real-time performance practice; the role of music in contexts of social and political action; and the nature of musical thinking, including the roles played in it by instruments, notations, and creative imagination.

In this new edition Cook explores the impact of digital technology on the production and consumption of music, including how it has transformed participatory music-making and the music business. He also discusses music's position in a globalized world, from the role it played in historical processes of colonisation and decolonisation to its present-day significance as a vehicle of cross-cultural communication.

ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.]]> 176 Nicholas Cook 019872604X Scott 3
This is really an introduction to Music and Society or the Perception of Music, and within that it is firmly rooted in "Western" classical and pop. Overall, I'd give it about a B.]]> 3.46 1998
author: Nicholas Cook
name: Scott
average rating: 3.46
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/30
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:
Based on the reviews, I'm getting the sense that the 2nd edition may be stronger than the 1st. Still, even a cursory bit of daydreaming presents a litany of possible directions a short introduction to something as broad as "Music" could take, so this book was bound to fail in the eyes of some with different expectations. Plus, we all know what music is. Who needs an introduction?

This is really an introduction to Music and Society or the Perception of Music, and within that it is firmly rooted in "Western" classical and pop. Overall, I'd give it about a B.
]]> 2235881 288 Robert Aldrich 0415093120 Scott 5 4.15 1993
author: Robert Aldrich
name: Scott
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/27
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:
This is a few decades old now but not as dated as you'd think. A fascinating look at the influence of myth and culture from the Mediterranean region and Italy on homosexual life and art through the mid-20th century. It's a phenomenon I've been vaguely aware of, but seeing it so thoroughly spelled out here was a wow moment. Highly recommended for folks interested in the history of homosexual/gay art, literature, and thought in Europe and the States.
]]> 43782401 The Wheel of Time (R) is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

The Eye of the World, the first novel in Robert Jordan's #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, follows Moiraine Damodred as she arrives in Emond's Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs--a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts-- five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

The Wheel of Time(R)
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion

By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time]]> 864 Robert Jordan 125025146X Scott 4 4.17 1990
author: Robert Jordan
name: Scott
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/19
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:
Shut up, yes, ok this was pretty good the second time. I thought there was more Aes Sedai mama drama, but that must be in the next book. It's been a while.
]]> 62879860
Sebastian Harlow is the Black Flamingo, a flamboyant and narcissistic thief who gets his kicks stealing mystic artifacts from the wealthy and corrupt of Miami's occult underground. When his latest job leads him to his biggest score so far, the hedonistic outlaw discovers something he wasn't looking for something to believe in.

Collects SINS OF THE BLACK FLAMINGO #1-5.]]> 144 Andrew Wheeler 1534324720 Scott 5 3.96 2023
author: Andrew Wheeler
name: Scott
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/15
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:
I love a gentleman thief. A gay gentleman thief in a campy, supernatural story that flies off the rails in the best way? Done and done. This was delightful.
]]> 46127757
Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the Chosen Ones and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops and, suddenly, he’s stronger and faster. He’s finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger and the stakes keep getting higher.

When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself–and the people who truly matter–before his life spirals out of control.]]> 208 Kami Garcia 1401287190 Scott 4 4.12 2020
author: Kami Garcia
name: Scott
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/05
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:
A pretty fresh portrayal of Beast Boy written and drawn with love. I like these two working together.
]]> 846033 all classicists--we come into touch with the classics on a daily basis: in our culture, politics, medicine, architecture, language, and literature. What are the true roots of these influences, however, and how do our interpretations of these aspects of the classics differ from their original reality? This introduction to the classics begins with a visit to the British Museum to view the frieze which once decorated the Apollo Temple a Bassae. Through these sculptures John Henderson and Mary Beard prompt us to consider the significance of the study of Classics as a means of discovery and enquiry, its value in terms of literature, philosophy, and culture, its source of imagery, and the reasons for the continuation of these images into and beyond the twentieth century. Designed for the general reader and student alike, A Very Short Introduction to Classics challenges readers to adopt a fresh approach to the Classics as a major cultural influence, both in the ancient world and
twentieth-century--emphasizing the continuing need to understand and investigate this enduring subject.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
]]> 145 Mary Beard 0192853856 Scott 4 3.60 2000
author: Mary Beard
name: Scott
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/01
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:
Apparently it's not for everyone, but I appreciated the interdisciplinary approach and the throughline of the temple at Bassae. It presented a take on the study and modern context of classics that I found much more vibrant that I would have expected. This also led to a fascinating follow-up read from the "Recommended" section, so points for that as well, I suppose.
]]> 52853922 here.

Content:
- An elderly lady has accommodation problems
- An elderly lady on her travels
- An elderly lady seeks peace at Christmas time
- The antique dealer's death
- An elderly lady is faced with a difficult dilemma

Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and…no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Huss investigations, features two-never-before translated stories that will keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home.

Ever since her darling father’s untimely death when she was only eighteen, Maud has lived in the family’s spacious apartment in downtown Gothenburg rent-free, thanks to a minor clause in a hastily negotiated contract. That was how Maud learned that good things can come from tragedy. Now in her late eighties, Maud contents herself with traveling the world and surfing the net from the comfort of her father’s ancient armchair. It’s a solitary existence, but she likes it that way.

Over the course of her adventures—or misadventures—this little bold lady will handle a crisis with a local celebrity who has her eyes on Maud’s apartment, foil the engagement of her long-ago lover, and dispose of some pesky neighbors. But when the local authorities are called to investigate a murder in her apartment complex, will Maud be able to avoid suspicion, or will Detective Inspector Irene Huss see through her charade?]]> 173 Helene Tursten 1641290110 Scott 3 3.95 2013
author: Helene Tursten
name: Scott
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/25
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:
This would have been better as a single work rather than a collection of short stories hinting at a narrative. But it's fun.
]]> 36220698
Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way.

But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited. While the Exodans take great pride in their original community and traditions, their culture has been influenced by others beyond their bulkheads. As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder their own lives and futures: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available to live? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life—and is it worth saving at all?

A young apprentice, a lifelong spacer with young children, a planet-raised traveler, an alien academic, a caretaker for the dead, and an Archivist whose mission is to ensure no one’s story is forgotten, wrestle with these profound universal questions. The answers may seem small on the galactic scale, but to these individuals, it could mean everything.]]> 358 Becky Chambers 0062699229 Scott 5 4.15 2018
author: Becky Chambers
name: Scott
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/18
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 30354418 *AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and THE LYING GAME
*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
*SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

An NPR Best Book of the Year * An Entertainment Weekly Summer Books Pick * A Buzzfeed ��31 Books to Get Excited About this Summer�� Pick * A Publishers Weekly “Top Ten Mysteries and Thrillers�� Pick * A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year * A BookReporter Summer Reading Pick * A New York Post “Best Novels to Read this Summer�� Pick * A Shelf Awareness ��Book Expo America 2015 Buzz Book�� Pick

What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.

Sometimes the only thing to fear…is yourself.

When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods.]]> 0 Ruth Ware 150822952X Scott 3 3.64 2015
author: Ruth Ware
name: Scott
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/18
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 56243681 Sloane: I think I can safely say I’m not straight, right? Dean and I have been together six months now and Christmas is coming up. I want to make it special for him and I have a great idea but it’s going to take some covert operations. Being in the army I’m good at that and I don’t think he suspects a thing!

Dean: Christmas with Sloane’s family will be great if we can just get through the damn airport! I’ve met them all before so I’m not nervous. Of course, we were just best friends then. Now I’m the boyfriend! One thing is making me nervous. Sloane is spending a lot of time on his phone, secret texts and conversations…I shouldn’t really be worried…should I?

Dean and Sloane’s first Christmas together is funny, cozy and deeply romantic. But, of course, not all plain sailing.]]> 71 Romeo Alexander Scott 3 4.34 2020
author: Romeo Alexander
name: Scott
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/14
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 282722 184 Yuzuha Ougi 0976604507 Scott 3 4.05 2004
author: Yuzuha Ougi
name: Scott
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/13
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 20344711 Welcome to the hotel where nobody can check out.

When a desk clerk welcomes a group of tourists into his mysterious and crumbling hotel, the last thing he ever expected was that one girl on the tour might hold the power to unravel the hidden mystery that lies in its walls.

The Grand Hotel is a horror novel by esteemed author Scott Kenemore ( Zen of Zombie, Zombie, Ohio) that takes the reader on a thrilling ride that interconnects a series of stories narrated by the desk clerk of the Grand Hotel. While it is not known whether or not the desk clerk is actually the devil reincarnated, it is strange that many of the people who come for a tour of the hotel never leave.

As the narrator takes you deeper and deeper into the heart of the hotel, he starts wondering if all the secrets that have been hiding for so long may soon start to show themselves. While he is quite ready for this experience, the real question is if the rest of the world is.

Kenemore’s incredible style and originality carry The Grand Hotel to places most people only see in their nightmares. And while we don’t know what secrets lie in the Grand Hotel, all we know is that the person who holds the secret puts fear into the narrator himself—a thought which will terrify everyone.]]> 361 Scott Kenemore 1940456088 Scott 3 3.49 2014
author: Scott Kenemore
name: Scott
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/13
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:
A little all over the map, quality-wise with the central connecting story being a little underbaked, this was overall pretty entertaining and had more highs than lows.
]]> 60653000 Cassandra Khaw's Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a gorgeously creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore and full of devastating twists.

A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company.

It’s the perfect wedding venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends.

But a night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare. For lurking in the shadows is the ghost bride with a black smile and a hungry heart.

And she gets lonely down there in the dirt.

Effortlessly turning the classic haunted house story on its head, Nothing but Blackened Teeth is a sharp and devastating exploration of grief, the parasitic nature of relationships, and the consequences of our actions.]]> 141 Cassandra Khaw 1250879515 Scott 2 2.59 2021
author: Cassandra Khaw
name: Scott
average rating: 2.59
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/05/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 967930 330 Edgar Allan Poe 389508090X Scott 3 3.59
author: Edgar Allan Poe
name: Scott
average rating: 3.59
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2009/10/15
date added: 2023/03/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 35282669 50 André Gide Scott 4 4.00 1910
author: André Gide
name: Scott
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1910
rating: 4
read at: 2017/06/01
date added: 2023/02/06
shelves:
review:
A mournful and honest tribute to Wilde, told through recollected conversations and direct quotations from De Profundis. It's one man's reflection on what prison did to Wilde and how he attempted to live thereafter.
]]> 58881328 Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy with TJ Klune's signature "quirk and charm" (PW) about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.

Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo's help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.

When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with TJ Klune's signature warmth, humor, and extraordinary empathy.]]> 376 T.J. Klune 1529092272 Scott 0 to-read 4.21 2021
author: T.J. Klune
name: Scott
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 32329683
The body wore nothing else.

Lord Peter Wimsey knew immediately what the corpse was supposed to be. His problem was to find out whose body had found its way into Mr Alfred Thipp's Battersea bathroom.]]> 214 Dorothy L. Sayers 1473621259 Scott 3 3.40 1923
author: Dorothy L. Sayers
name: Scott
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1923
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/11
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
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]]> 50389112 We call them Bunnies because that is what they call each other. Seriously. Bunny.

Samantha Heather Mackey is an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at Warren University. In fact, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort �� a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other 'Bunny'.

But then the Bunnies issue her with an invitation and Samantha finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door, across the threshold, and down their rabbit hole.

Blending sharp satire with fairytale horror, Bunny is a spellbinding trip of a novel from one of fiction's most original new voices.]]> 375 Mona Awad 1788545443 Scott 5 3.57 2019
author: Mona Awad
name: Scott
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/08
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 25400140
Alas, the competition judge succumbs after tasting her perfect quiche, and Agatha is revealed as a cheat and potential poisoner. Definitely not the best start. So Agatha must turn amateur sleuth - she's absolutely got to track down the real killer!]]> 256 M.C. Beaton 1472120671 Scott 4 3.69 1992
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Scott
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/07
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 910084
But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into his prison cell and leads him to freedom. A shadow called King Rat.

In the night-land behind London's fa ade, in sewers and slums and rotting dead spaces, Saul must learn his true nature.

Grotesque murders rock the city like a curse. Mysterious forces prepare for a showdown. With Drum and Bass pounding the backstreets, Saul confronts his bizarre inheritance - in the badlands of South London, in the heart of darkness, at the gathering of the Junglist Massive.

Like the DJ says: 'Time for the Badman.'

'Tackles his theme with a dark assurance... with its original blend of twisted urban fairytale and modern gothic horror, King Rat marks out China Mi ville as an author to be watched.'
The Times

'Brings together elements of fantasy, fairytale and the detective story... I greatly enjoyed Mi ville's weird and engaging myth-making.'
Daily Telegraph]]> 416 China Miéville 0330370987 Scott 3 3.61 1998
author: China Miéville
name: Scott
average rating: 3.61
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/06
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 50631870
In a community where daughters rebel, men quietly rage, and drinking is a means of forgetting, mysteries like these are not out of the ordinary. The trapper found hanging with the dead animals for two weeks. Locked doors and stone circles. The disappearance of Lauren's mother a decade ago.

Lauren looks for answers in her tarot cards, hoping she might one day be able to read her father's turbulent mind. Neighbours know more than they let on, but when local teenager Ann-Marie goes missing it's no longer clear who she can trust.]]> 325 Francine Toon 1784164828 Scott 3 3.35 2020
author: Francine Toon
name: Scott
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/01
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 30971655 128 Italo Calvino 0544960068 Scott 4 3.88 1952
author: Italo Calvino
name: Scott
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1952
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/29
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 55648601 Carmilla is the original vampire story, steeped in the sexual tension between two young women and gothic romance.

In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, teenaged Laura leads a solitary life with only her father, attendant and tutor for company. Until one moonlit night, a horse-drawn carriage crashes into view, carrying an unexpected guest—the beautiful Carmilla.

So begins a feverish friendship between Laura and her entrancing new companion, one defined by mysterious happenings and infused with an implicit but undeniable eroticism. As Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day...]]> 156 J. Sheridan Le Fanu 1782275843 Scott 5 3.90 1872
author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu
name: Scott
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1872
rating: 5
read at: 2022/10/28
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
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]]> 131123
If you are looking for a story about cheerful youngsters spending a jolly time at boarding school, look elsewhere. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent and resourceful children, and you might expect that they would do very well at school. Don't. For the Baudelaires, school turns out to be another miserable episode in their unlucky lives.

Truth be told, within the chapters that make up this dreadful story, the children will face snapping crabs, strict punishments, dripping fungus, comprehensive exams, violin recitals, S.O.R.E., and the metric system.

It is my solemn duty to stay up all night researching and writing the history of these three hapless youngsters, but you may be more comfortable getting a good night's sleep. In that case, you should probably choose some other book.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket]]> 221 Lemony Snicket 0064408639 Scott 4 The Wide Window, this book worked extremely well. Of course it was still ridiculous and every adult in the book was infuriating, but that's the point. The Quagmire triplets were a charming addition to the cast, and Carmelita Spats was given far to little attention.

The story is picking up a more serial feel, adding to the main story arc rather than setting up individual mysteries in each installment. This speeds up the pace from book to book, if that makes any sense. I dunno, it's past my bedtime.]]> 4.01 2000
author: Lemony Snicket
name: Scott
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/23
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:
One of my favorites in the series so far along with The Wide Window, this book worked extremely well. Of course it was still ridiculous and every adult in the book was infuriating, but that's the point. The Quagmire triplets were a charming addition to the cast, and Carmelita Spats was given far to little attention.

The story is picking up a more serial feel, adding to the main story arc rather than setting up individual mysteries in each installment. This speeds up the pace from book to book, if that makes any sense. I dunno, it's past my bedtime.
]]> 107666 Passport to Hell

Buffy, Oz, and Angel are Europe-bound, only they're not flying any airlines. They're traveling limbo's "ghost roads" in search of Jacques Regnier. Jacques is the sole heir of the dying Gatekeeper whose Boston mansion is the supernatural barrier restraining thousands of the world's monsters. The evil Sons of Entropy will do anything to destroy the gate - even if it means trading the power-laden Spear of Longinus to the wicked vampires holding Jacques.

Back home, the ghost ship "Flying Dutchman" has set sail for Sunnydale, determined to shanghai new crewmen - dead or alive. For Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and Giles, it's an ocean of trouble, especially when the monstrous Kraken reemerges with a vengeance.

But everyone's assistance will be needed once Buffy locates Jacques, and uncovers the shocking plans the Sons of Entropy have already placed in motion - a plan that, if successful, will destroy the world and create a horrible new realm ruled by monsters.
]]> 374 Christopher Golden 0671027492 Scott 3 3.99 1999
author: Christopher Golden
name: Scott
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/18
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 33583853 80 Natsuki Minami 1427856877 Scott 3 4.20 2017
author: Natsuki Minami
name: Scott
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/08
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 60542388 In horror movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives…but what happens after?

Like his bestselling novel The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix’s latest is a fast-paced, frightening, and wickedly humorous thriller. From chain saws to summer camp slayers, The Final Girl Support Group pays tribute to and slyly subverts our most popular horror films—movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream.

Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.]]> 352 Grady Hendrix 0593201248 Scott 4 3.60 2021
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Scott
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/01
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 48613308 384 John Hornor Jacobs 0062880837 Scott 4 3.84 2019
author: John Hornor Jacobs
name: Scott
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/12
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 58547162 128 M.J. Lyons 1621067432 Scott 3 3.54
author: M.J. Lyons
name: Scott
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/11
date added: 2022/09/10
shelves:
review:
This is definitely unique and worth the price of admission for the title story alone. Unfortunately, the others are not so successful at blending sexy sex with a compelling setting, humor, and a foxy rebelliousness. But again, the title story is clever and cute and subversive, and we need more accessible smut featuring queer folks beyond the binary, so I'd fully recommend this one for your collections.
]]> 51165789 * Nerdist - The Best Comics of 2020 "gorgeous yet gritty sci-fi epic...a yarn that will keep you turning the pages"
* AIPT's Best Comics of the Year "for anybody who loves the compelling action and boundless emotion of a plain ol' great story."When Surka, a ruthless criminal warlord, escapes her prison pit, she unleashes a wave of destruction that ripples across Tartarus, a vital colony in an everlasting galactic war.
Years later when Tilde, a young cadet, learns that she's Surka's daughter, will she continue to fight on the side of galactic order or reclaim her mother's dark crown?

From #1 NYT Bestseller JOHNNIE CHRISTMAS (FIREBUG, William Gibson's Alien 3 ) and visionary artist JACK T. COLE (The Unsound) comes a sci-fi adventure for the ages.

Collects TARTARUS #1-5]]> 176 Johnnie Christmas 1534316035 Scott 2 3.34 2020
author: Johnnie Christmas
name: Scott
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2022/06/20
date added: 2022/09/07
shelves:
review:
This is far too ambitious for its own good. I read it nearly a month ago and can't tell you the first thing about it. Just character and world building salad with nothing to grasp onto. So... ok that's all.
]]> 60209477
Nadya is a self-taught nurse who does what she can to ease the suffering of the prisoners. When Kane comes under her care, she cannot help but empathize with his condition for very personal reasons—and as the guards take him away one last time, she fears he is facing a terrible death.

After a daring rescue, Kane is offered a treatment that will change his very nature. Choosing life, for the time being, he goes back for the female who took such good care of him—but his duty to Nadya sets him on a collision course with his own past. When long-buried secrets are exposed, his self-destruction is inevitable…unless true love can save his soul.]]> 353 J.R. Ward 1982179902 Scott 0 to-read 4.09 2022
author: J.R. Ward
name: Scott
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 19014243 24 Tomas Palacios 1423188233 Scott 3
One suit "was created for the sole purpose of heavy lifting, which has been quite helpful in the construction of the Stark mansion wine cellar."

Stop telling me we shouldn't tax billionaires.]]> 4.26 2013
author: Tomas Palacios
name: Scott
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2019/07/01
date added: 2022/08/27
shelves:
review:
The premise of this book is that Tony Stark is standing in front of his Cher Horowitz closet of Iron Man suits, and he has so many that he doesn't even remember what they do. He needs his robot butler to enumerate the subtle differences between them so he can choose the perfect outfit to fight Mandarin.

One suit "was created for the sole purpose of heavy lifting, which has been quite helpful in the construction of the Stark mansion wine cellar."

Stop telling me we shouldn't tax billionaires.
]]> 61279009
Few written works can so confidently claim to have shaped the course of history as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's Manifesto of the Communist Party. Since first rattling the gates of the ruling order in 1848, this incendiary pamphlet has never ceased providing fuel for the fire in the hearts of those who dream of a better world. Nor has it stopped haunting the nightmares of those who sit atop the vastly unequal social system it condemns.

In this strikingly imaginative introduction, China Miéville provides readers with a guide to understanding the Manifesto and the many specters it has conjured. Through his unique and unorthodox reading, Miéville offers a spirited defense of the enduring relevance of Marx and Engels�� ideas.

Presented along with the full text of the Communist Manifesto, Miéville's guide has something to offer first-time readers, revolutionary partisans, and even the most hard-nosed skeptics.]]> 300 China Miéville 1642598917 Scott 0 to-read 3.96 2022
author: China Miéville
name: Scott
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>