Evi's bookshelf: 2010-2014 en-US Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:04:42 -0800 60 Evi's bookshelf: 2010-2014 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)]]> 25786523
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.]]> 404 Becky Chambers 1473619807 Evi 3 4.18 2014 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Evi
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: 2010-2014, books-i-own, read-in-2024, science-fiction
review:

]]> Fever Dream 36378014
One of the freshest new voices to come out of the Spanish language, Samanta Schweblin creates an aura of strange and deeply unsettling psychological menace in this cautionary tale of maternal love, broken souls and the power and desperation of family.]]> 152 Samanta Schweblin 1786072386 Evi 3
That's not improtant.]]> 3.66 2014 Fever Dream
author: Samanta Schweblin
name: Evi
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2021/04/23
date added: 2024/07/20
shelves: 2010-2014, horror, read-in-2021, translation
review:
Reading this was exactly like having a fever dream. It was very uncomfortable and disturbing. What the actual story is about is a bit open to your own interpretation. Some may say motherhood, other maybe environmental issues, I don't really know. It can be both.

That's not improtant.
]]> <![CDATA[The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)]]> 15743650
But this is the year that everything will change for Blue.

This is the year that she will be drawn into the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys. And the year Blue will discover that magic does exist.

This is the year she will fall in love.]]> 420 Maggie Stiefvater 1407134612 Evi 3 “My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.�

I probably should have read this as a teenager and maybe then I would have seen why so many people are in love with this book. But now, I found it a bit boring. The plot is just not super interesting and the Raven boys are not doing it for me. It was just a meh book. Not bad, just meh. It was a very easy read though, I listened to it as an audio book while working on some projects and that worked well. So maybe just because I can listen to the books while working on other things, I might pick up the other books in the series as well, who knows.

3 stars]]> 4.15 2012 The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Evi
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/22
date added: 2023/01/22
shelves: 2010-2014, fantasy, read-in-2023, young-adult
review:
“My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.�

I probably should have read this as a teenager and maybe then I would have seen why so many people are in love with this book. But now, I found it a bit boring. The plot is just not super interesting and the Raven boys are not doing it for me. It was just a meh book. Not bad, just meh. It was a very easy read though, I listened to it as an audio book while working on some projects and that worked well. So maybe just because I can listen to the books while working on other things, I might pick up the other books in the series as well, who knows.

3 stars
]]> <![CDATA[Ajax Penumbra: 1969 (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #0.5)]]> 19231505 Techne Tycheon, a mysterious volume that has brought and lost great fortune for anyone who has owned it. Late one night, after another day of dispiriting dead ends, he stumbles across a 24-hour bookstore, and the possibilities before him expand exponentially.]]> 70 Robin Sloan Evi 4 Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore should have been (but full length novel). I wanted the puzzles and the mystery, I kind of felt cheated by the shortcuts Clay had taken in his journey. This made up for it a tiny bit.

4 stars]]> 4.05 2012 Ajax Penumbra: 1969 (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #0.5)
author: Robin Sloan
name: Evi
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/15
date added: 2023/01/15
shelves: 2010-2014, read-in-2023, 100-pages-or-less, mystery
review:
This was super short and fun, actually this was what Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore should have been (but full length novel). I wanted the puzzles and the mystery, I kind of felt cheated by the shortcuts Clay had taken in his journey. This made up for it a tiny bit.

4 stars
]]> Station Eleven 23593321 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 339 Emily St. John Mandel 1447268970 Evi 5 “It was gorgeous and claustrophobic. I loved it and I always wanted to escape.�

This was a great start of the new year! I finally read Station Eleven and I liked it! I was a bit afraid this was going to be over hyped or maybe didn't feel very accurate since it was written before Covid. But it was actually kind of scary how close she came to describing peoples behavior during an epidemic outbreak.

The book was gripping, had a good pace and I was very invested in the plot. I really liked how the past and future came together and how the characters were connected. The book offered an interesting mirror to our own modern world.

5 stars]]> 4.14 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Evi
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/04
date added: 2023/01/05
shelves: 2010-2014, books-i-own, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, read-in-2023, science-fiction
review:
“It was gorgeous and claustrophobic. I loved it and I always wanted to escape.�

This was a great start of the new year! I finally read Station Eleven and I liked it! I was a bit afraid this was going to be over hyped or maybe didn't feel very accurate since it was written before Covid. But it was actually kind of scary how close she came to describing peoples behavior during an epidemic outbreak.

The book was gripping, had a good pace and I was very invested in the plot. I really liked how the past and future came together and how the characters were connected. The book offered an interesting mirror to our own modern world.

5 stars
]]> <![CDATA[Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)]]> 18720163
Clay Jannon tells how serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has sent him from Web Drone to night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. After just a few days on the job, Clay realizes just how curious this store is.

A few customers come in repeatedly without buying anything. Instead they “check out� obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. All runs according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes.

He embarks on a complex analysis of the customers� behavior and ropes in friends to help. Once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore. A quest to New York City dips in a world conspiracy for eternal life. The current of romance pulls Clay onward.]]> 288 Robin Sloan 1782392335 Evi 3 3.84 2012 Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)
author: Robin Sloan
name: Evi
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/19
date added: 2022/08/01
shelves: 2010-2014, books-i-own, contemporary, mystery, read-in-2022
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food]]> 18667790 496 Dan Barber 1594204071 Evi 4 4.27 2014 The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food
author: Dan Barber
name: Evi
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/31
date added: 2022/03/31
shelves: 2010-2014, farming, non-fiction, read-in-2022
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)]]> 21887396 New York Times bestselling lovely, lighthearted romance SLJ from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them ... all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved -- five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.]]> 362 Jenny Han Evi 4 4.17 2014 To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)
author: Jenny Han
name: Evi
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/25
date added: 2022/02/25
shelves: 2010-2014, contemporary, read-in-2022, romance, young-adult
review:

]]> The Snow Child 13588959 A bewitching tale of heartbreak and hope set in 1920s Alaska, Eowyn Ivey’s THE SNOW CHILD was a top ten bestseller in hardback and paperback, and went on to be a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Alaska, the 1920s. Jack and Mabel have staked everything on a fresh start in a remote homestead, but the wilderness is a stark place, and Mabel is haunted by the baby she lost many years before. When a little girl appears mysteriously on their land, each is filled with wonder, but also foreboding: is she what she seems, and can they find room in their hearts for her?

Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairy tale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic.]]> 440 Eowyn Ivey 0755380533 Evi 4 "She seems to him both powerful and delicate, like a wild thing that thrives in its place but withers when stolen away."

This was right up my alley. Living in a remote place, close to nature with a magical element, this book exactly gave me what I was looking for.

The atmosphere is incredible. Right from the beginning the book was mesmerizing and magical in just the right amount. At first you're still wondering if it is in the main characters head, or if it's real. But slowly thing get undoubtedly real. The book is a retelling of an old Russian fairy tale and I think Eowyn Ivey did a great job bringing it to life.
The writing is beautiful, with some very quotable sentences and it made me feel like I was reading this book in a little cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, I could almost smell it. I also liked that the book took place in the 20s. Made it somehow all a bit more magical.

One thing that kind of bothered me from the start were the main characters of the book, Jack and Mabel. I just really did not like them and until the end never really felt a connection with them. This is a personal opinion, because I do think they are well suited for the story and they developed a lot over the book. I just made my reading experience a little bit less enjoyable.
One other thing that made me not give this book five stars was the plot and especially the last 100 pages. I think the first part had a really great pace and lingered just the right amount of time on the sad parts. But the last part was a bit unnecessary for me. It kind of left me with a lot of unanswered questions, which I think, especially because of the ending could have been answered. If the ending would have been different it might all have been a bit more mysterious and I would not mind the unanswered questions. If that makes sense?

Would definitely recommend reading this if you like magical nature stories.

4.5 stars]]> 3.95 2012 The Snow Child
author: Eowyn Ivey
name: Evi
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/10
date added: 2022/01/10
shelves: 2010-2014, books-i-own, fantasy, magical-realism, read-in-2022, historical-fiction
review:
"She seems to him both powerful and delicate, like a wild thing that thrives in its place but withers when stolen away."

This was right up my alley. Living in a remote place, close to nature with a magical element, this book exactly gave me what I was looking for.

The atmosphere is incredible. Right from the beginning the book was mesmerizing and magical in just the right amount. At first you're still wondering if it is in the main characters head, or if it's real. But slowly thing get undoubtedly real. The book is a retelling of an old Russian fairy tale and I think Eowyn Ivey did a great job bringing it to life.
The writing is beautiful, with some very quotable sentences and it made me feel like I was reading this book in a little cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, I could almost smell it. I also liked that the book took place in the 20s. Made it somehow all a bit more magical.

One thing that kind of bothered me from the start were the main characters of the book, Jack and Mabel. I just really did not like them and until the end never really felt a connection with them. This is a personal opinion, because I do think they are well suited for the story and they developed a lot over the book. I just made my reading experience a little bit less enjoyable.
One other thing that made me not give this book five stars was the plot and especially the last 100 pages. I think the first part had a really great pace and lingered just the right amount of time on the sad parts. But the last part was a bit unnecessary for me. It kind of left me with a lot of unanswered questions, which I think, especially because of the ending could have been answered. If the ending would have been different it might all have been a bit more mysterious and I would not mind the unanswered questions. If that makes sense?

Would definitely recommend reading this if you like magical nature stories.

4.5 stars
]]> <![CDATA[The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)]]> 20561643 330 Graeme Simsion 1405912790 Evi 0 3.97 2013 The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)
author: Graeme Simsion
name: Evi
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/12/30
shelves: romance, 2010-2014, humor, reread, books-i-own
review:

]]> Safe Haven 17168414 Safe Haven is now a movie starring Josh Duhamel.

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her reluctance to join the tight-knit community raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet unassuming, Katie is determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events leads her to begin to let down her guard.

Despite her reservations, Katie gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex, a widowed store owner with two young children. But dark secrets intrude on her new life with such terror that she’s forced to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love in this deeply moving romantic thriller.]]> 365 Nicholas Sparks 0751548529 Evi 2 4.11 2010 Safe Haven
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Evi
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2021/12/29
date added: 2021/12/29
shelves: 2010-2014, read-in-2021, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ocean at the End of the Lane]]> 15783514
Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.]]> 181 Neil Gaiman 0062255657 Evi 3 4.00 2013 The Ocean at the End of the Lane
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Evi
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2019/01/17
date added: 2021/12/11
shelves: fantasy, read-in-2019, 2010-2014, magical-realism, portal-fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)]]> 13600168 Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.

When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.]]> 420 Laini Taylor 1444722654 Evi 3 4.10 2011 Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)
author: Laini Taylor
name: Evi
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/06
date added: 2021/12/11
shelves: 2010-2014, fantasy, read-in-2021, romance, young-adult, portal-fantasy
review:

]]> The Bees 24441639
Born into the lowest class of her society, Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the Queen.]]> 346 Laline Paull 0007557744 Evi 2 3.70 2014 The Bees
author: Laline Paull
name: Evi
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2021/03/25
date added: 2021/03/26
shelves: 2010-2014, read-in-2021, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love]]> 7841677 "This book is the story of the two love affairs that interrupted the trajectory of my life: one with farming—that dirty, concupiscent art—and the other with a complicated and exasperating farmer."

Single, thirtysomething, working as a writer in New York City, Kristin Kimball was living life as an adventure. But she was beginning to feel a sense of longing for a family and for home. When she interviewed a dynamic young farmer, her world changed. Kristin knew nothing about growing vegetables, let alone raising pigs and cattle and driving horses. But on an impulse, smitten, if not yet in love, she shed her city self and moved to five hundred acres near Lake Champlain to start a new farm with him. The Dirty Life is the captivating chronicle of their first year on Essex Farm, from the cold North Country winter through the following harvest season—complete with their wedding in the loft of the barn.

Kimball and her husband had a plan: to grow everything needed to feed a community. It was an ambitious idea, a bit romantic, and it worked. Every Friday evening, all year round, a hundred people travel to Essex Farm to pick up their weekly share of the "whole diet"—beef, pork, chicken, milk, eggs, maple syrup, grains, flours, dried beans, herbs, fruits, and forty different vegetables—produced by the farm. The work is done by draft horses instead of tractors, and the fertility comes from compost. Kimball’s vivid descriptions of landscape, food, cooking—and marriage—are irresistible.

"As much as you transform the land by farming," she writes, "farming transforms you." In her old life, Kimball would stay out until four a.m., wear heels, and carry a handbag. Now she wakes up at four, wears Carhartts, and carries a pocket knife. At Essex Farm, she discovers the wrenching pleasures of physical work, learns that good food is at the center of a good life, falls deeply in love, and finally finds the engagement and commitment she craved in the form of a man, a small town, and a beautiful piece of land.]]> 276 Kristin Kimball 1416551603 Evi 5 4.07 2010 The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love
author: Kristin Kimball
name: Evi
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/14
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves: 2010-2014, autobiography, read-in-2020, farming
review:

]]> Het Nachtcircus 12973516
In de zwart-wit gestreepte circustenten ligt een volstrekt unieke ervaring te wachten, een feest voor de zintuigen. Een magische plek waar je verdwaalt in een doolhof van wolken, waar je door weelderige ijstuinen wandelt, waar je met stijgende verbazing een getatoeëerde slagenmens ziet die zichzelf in een klein doosje weet te vouwen en waar je vol verwondering de schijnbaar onmogelijke trucs van de illusionisten gadeslaat.

Welkom in het Cirque des Rêves�

Het is 1890, en het Cirque des Rêves trekt over de wereld. Achter de oogverblindende façade van trucs en magie van dit toverachtige circus woedt een hevige strijd tussen de twee jonge goochelaars Celia en Marco. Alle twee bezitten ze magische krachten en kunnen ze de werkelijkheid manipuleren. Sinds hun vroegste kindertijd zijn ze door hun leermeesters getraind om deel te nemen aan 'een spel' waarin de een de ander moet verslaan om de beste illusionist te worden. Wat de inmiddels verliefde Celia en Marco niet weten is dat ze marionetten zijn van de eeuwenoude rivaliteit tussen hun twee mentoren, en dat het circus zal dienen als toneel voor een strijd op leven en dood.]]> 425 Erin Morgenstern 9023465695 Evi 3
But there was just too much going on. I've read The Starless Sea as well from Morgenstern and I had a similar problem with that book. Her imagination is incredible and the settings of the books are what make me want to read them. But the switching between time and characters was sometimes so confusing. Also, plot wise I felt very dissatisfied. The game is a very vague concept and I never really figured out how it worked. Throughout the book I was never really sucked into the story, up until the last page.

3 stars]]> 3.84 2011 Het Nachtcircus
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Evi
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2021/01/21
date added: 2021/01/22
shelves: 2010-2014, books-i-own, fantasy, read-in-2021, romance, translation
review:
I am completely in love with the setting of this book. A circus, at night, that just appears out of nowhere and no one knows its next location. No colors, just black and white and always a new tent to discover, no matter how often you visit.

But there was just too much going on. I've read The Starless Sea as well from Morgenstern and I had a similar problem with that book. Her imagination is incredible and the settings of the books are what make me want to read them. But the switching between time and characters was sometimes so confusing. Also, plot wise I felt very dissatisfied. The game is a very vague concept and I never really figured out how it worked. Throughout the book I was never really sucked into the story, up until the last page.

3 stars
]]> A Monster Calls 28588061 An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.]]> 225 Patrick Ness 0763692158 Evi 4
4.5 stars]]> 4.41 2011 A Monster Calls
author: Patrick Ness
name: Evi
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/13
date added: 2021/01/14
shelves: 2010-2014, fantasy, read-in-2021, young-adult, books-i-own
review:
Read this until late at night and afterwards sobbed for another half an hour. A very touching story told in a beautiful way. It left me heartbroken, but also hopeful at the same time. I've never had to experience grief like this so far, so I can't imagine how someone who has would experience a story like this. But I'm guessing it might be very relatable to many.

4.5 stars
]]> The Martian 20829029
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm forces his crew to evacuate the planet while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded on Mars's surface, with no way to signal Earth that he's alive. And even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone years before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, Mark won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

Armed with nothing but his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a gallows sense of humor that proves to be his greatest source of strength--Mark embarks on a dogged quest to stay alive. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

--back cover]]> 369 Andy Weir Evi 3 4.42 2011 The Martian
author: Andy Weir
name: Evi
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/07
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, read-in-2018, science-fiction, space
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1)]]> 15749887
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.]]> 432 Jamie McGuire 1476712042 Evi 0 3.87 2011 Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1)
author: Jamie McGuire
name: Evi
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: dnf, romance, steamy, 2010-2014
review:

]]> An Abundance of Katherines 1320817 236 John Green Evi 4 3.53 2006 An Abundance of Katherines
author: John Green
name: Evi
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/23
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, read-in-2018, romance, humor, young-adult, contemporary
review:

]]> Milk and honey 23513349 Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.

It is split into four chapters, with each chapter dealing with a different pain. Healing a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them -- because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.]]> 204 Rupi Kaur 1502784270 Evi 3 Not saying I didn't like it, but each of these poems I can imagine seeing on Pinterest.
It is an easy and not too heavy read though.

3.5 stars]]> 3.96 2014 Milk and honey
author: Rupi Kaur
name: Evi
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2019/11/14
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, feminism, poetry, read-in-2019
review:
Milk and Honey felt a bit like a collection of empowering quotes to me.
Not saying I didn't like it, but each of these poems I can imagine seeing on Pinterest.
It is an easy and not too heavy read though.

3.5 stars
]]> All the Light We Cannot See 18143977
In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

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

An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here]]> 544 Anthony Doerr 1476746583 Evi 4 4.31 2014 All the Light We Cannot See
author: Anthony Doerr
name: Evi
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/01
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, historical-fiction, read-in-2017
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)]]> 9969571 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.

But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.]]> 480 Ernest Cline 030788743X Evi 5 4.21 2011 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)
author: Ernest Cline
name: Evi
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2018/05/22
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, dystopia, read-in-2018, science-fiction, young-adult
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)]]> 9460487 9781594744761

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.]]> 352 Ransom Riggs 1594744769 Evi 0 fantasy, 2010-2014 3.92 2011 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)
author: Ransom Riggs
name: Evi
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: fantasy, 2010-2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 7260188 My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.]]> 390 Suzanne Collins 0439023513 Evi 0 4.10 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Evi
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, dystopia, post-apocalyptic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Evi 0 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Evi
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, reread
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium, #3)]]> 6892870
Lisbeth Salander - the heart of Larsson's two previous novels - lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

~from the jacket]]> 566 Stieg Larsson 030726999X Evi 0 2010-2014, thriller, crime 4.23 2007 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium, #3)
author: Stieg Larsson
name: Evi
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, thriller, crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium #2)]]> 5060378 Millenium publisher Mikael Blomkvist has made his reputation exposing corrupt establishment figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with an investigation into sex trafficking, Blomkvist cannot resist waging war on the powerful figures who control this lucrative industry.

The Murder
When a young couple is found dead in their Stockholm apartment, it's a straightforward job for Inspector Bublanski and his team. The killer left the weapon at the scene - and the fingerprints on the gun point in only one direction.

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Ex-security analyst Lisbeth Salander is wanted for murder. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. The only way Salander can be reached is by computer. But she can break into almost any network she chooses...]]> 503 Stieg Larsson 0307269981 Evi 0 2010-2014, thriller, crime 4.25 2006 The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium #2)
author: Stieg Larsson
name: Evi
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves: 2010-2014, thriller, crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry]]> 24111210 Alternate cover edition for 9781616204518

A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over -- and see everything anew.]]> 258 Gabrielle Zevin Evi 3
A.J. Fikry owns a bookstore on Alice island, a remote place he and his wife moved to before she died in a car accident. After his wife's death A.J. Fikry is in a really bad place and on top of that his most precious possession gets stolen, but his bad luck eventually leads him towards his daughter, Maya and a books sales rep, Amy. Both will change his life for the better.

The story was cute, what book lover doesn't love a book about books? But I sometimes had the feeling that I was reading a long summary of someones life. Especially the second half of the book felt like that. You will read about something that is going to happen, then it happened, and suddenly we are already months/years ahead. This happened with almost all the big things in A.J. Fikry's life. I just found it a bit weird that something big and life changing is happening and we don't even get to read what happened right after that event. Only a few years/months later will you know how he/they feel about it and then they have already processed it. (this is really hard to explain without giving away any spoilers..) So to me it felt like I skipped a lot of the things I would have liked to read about.

But nonetheless I like the story and apart from liking books about books, I also love reading about happy families. It's a relieve sometimes to not have a main character that has (had) a problematic youth because of his/hers family. (Doesn't mean I don't like reading those books, but it's nice to change things up now and then.)

3 stars]]> 4.08 2014 The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Evi
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2020/02/02
date added: 2020/12/27
shelves: 2010-2014, read-in-2020, contemporary, books-i-own
review:
A cute bookworm story.

A.J. Fikry owns a bookstore on Alice island, a remote place he and his wife moved to before she died in a car accident. After his wife's death A.J. Fikry is in a really bad place and on top of that his most precious possession gets stolen, but his bad luck eventually leads him towards his daughter, Maya and a books sales rep, Amy. Both will change his life for the better.

The story was cute, what book lover doesn't love a book about books? But I sometimes had the feeling that I was reading a long summary of someones life. Especially the second half of the book felt like that. You will read about something that is going to happen, then it happened, and suddenly we are already months/years ahead. This happened with almost all the big things in A.J. Fikry's life. I just found it a bit weird that something big and life changing is happening and we don't even get to read what happened right after that event. Only a few years/months later will you know how he/they feel about it and then they have already processed it. (this is really hard to explain without giving away any spoilers..) So to me it felt like I skipped a lot of the things I would have liked to read about.

But nonetheless I like the story and apart from liking books about books, I also love reading about happy families. It's a relieve sometimes to not have a main character that has (had) a problematic youth because of his/hers family. (Doesn't mean I don't like reading those books, but it's nice to change things up now and then.)

3 stars
]]> Kamer 10248730 333 Emma Donoghue Evi 4 3.95 2010 Kamer
author: Emma Donoghue
name: Evi
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2020/12/09
shelves: read-in-2018, 2010-2014, contemporary, translation
review:

]]> Bird Box 21356477 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B00FIUO8K0


Josh Malerman’s debut novel BIRD BOX is a terrifying, psychological thriller that is sure to stay with you long after reading.

Most people dismissed the reports on the news. But they became too frequent; they became too real. And soon it was happening to people we knew.

Then the Internet died. The televisions and radios went silent. The phones stopped ringing

And we couldn’t look outside anymore.

]]> 305 Josh Malerman Evi 4 4.18 2014 Bird Box
author: Josh Malerman
name: Evi
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/09
date added: 2020/12/04
shelves: 2010-2014, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, read-in-2020, thriller, horror
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1)]]> 21167966 FINALIST FOR THE 2018 HUGO AWARD FOR BEST SERIES.

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day. Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.]]> 352 Marie Brennan 1783292393 Evi 4 3.89 2013 A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1)
author: Marie Brennan
name: Evi
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2018/04/22
date added: 2020/11/24
shelves: fantasy, read-in-2018, 2010-2014, judged-by-its-cover, books-i-own
review:

]]> Vicious (Villains, #1) 40874032 A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.]]> 402 Victoria E. Schwab Evi 4
I love how Victor and Eli are the perfect amount of evil. Not evil enough to not care about them anymore, but evil enough to still want them dead sometimes. It makes you change your opinion about them the whole time throughout the book.

I am so happy I read this. I have never read a book that tells the story through the eyes of the bad guy and I really liked it. I just couldn't give this a full five star rating. To me a five star rating has something to do with how I feel when I'm reading the book, like how you become super enthusiastic about something and you just can't stop talking about it. I just didn't have that with this book.

"Jesus, she was just a girl."
"Don't be insulting, she was the most powerful woman in the city."

4.5 stars]]> 4.17 2013 Vicious (Villains, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Evi
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/08
date added: 2020/11/24
shelves: 2010-2014, read-in-2020, science-fiction, supernatural-powers, books-i-own
review:
Vicious tells the story of two boys in college, Victor and Eli, who discover a way to become an EO, ExtraOrdinary. But even before they change, there is something about these boys that makes them evil. It's only with their new superpower that they begin to act evil.

I love how Victor and Eli are the perfect amount of evil. Not evil enough to not care about them anymore, but evil enough to still want them dead sometimes. It makes you change your opinion about them the whole time throughout the book.

I am so happy I read this. I have never read a book that tells the story through the eyes of the bad guy and I really liked it. I just couldn't give this a full five star rating. To me a five star rating has something to do with how I feel when I'm reading the book, like how you become super enthusiastic about something and you just can't stop talking about it. I just didn't have that with this book.

"Jesus, she was just a girl."
"Don't be insulting, she was the most powerful woman in the city."

4.5 stars
]]> <![CDATA[North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both]]> 18635097 352 Cea Sunrise Person 0062289861 Evi 4 4.23 2014 North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both
author: Cea Sunrise Person
name: Evi
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/01
date added: 2020/10/10
shelves: 2010-2014, autobiography, read-in-2020, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1)]]> 35384793
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.]]> 358 Leigh Bardugo 1250027438 Evi 3 3.5 stars 3.91 2012 Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Evi
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/28
date added: 2020/07/28
shelves: 2010-2014, fantasy, read-in-2020, young-adult, judged-by-its-cover
review:
3.5 stars
]]> <![CDATA[Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)]]> 17934530 Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.

The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another that change everything.]]> 195 Jeff VanderMeer 0374104093 Evi 3 3.80 2014 Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)
author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Evi
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/16
date added: 2020/07/16
shelves: 2010-2014, read-in-2020, science-fiction, thriller
review:

]]> The Song of Achilles 13537029
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles� mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Built on the groundwork of the Iliad, Madeline Miller’s page-turning, profoundly moving, and blisteringly paced retelling of the epic Trojan War marks the launch of a dazzling career.]]> 351 Madeline Miller Evi 4 4.31 2011 The Song of Achilles
author: Madeline Miller
name: Evi
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/13
date added: 2020/04/13
shelves: 2010-2014, mythology, read-in-2020, retelling, lgbtqia, romance, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)]]> 11127295 'I just love the world of Patrick Rothfuss' Lin-Manuel Miranda'He's bloody good, this Rothfuss guy' George R R MartinSequel to the extraordinary THE NAME OF THE WIND, THE WISE MAN'S FEAR is the second instalment of this superb fantasy trilogy from Patrick Rothfuss. This is the most exciting fantasy series since George R. R. Martin's A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, and a must-read for all fans of HBO's GAME OF THRONES.Picking up the tale of Kvothe Kingkiller once again, we follow him into exile, into political intrigue, courtship, adventure, love and magic ... and further along the path that has turned Kvothe, the mightiest magician of his age, a legend in his own time, into Kote, the unassuming pub landlord.Packed with as much magic, adventure and home-grown drama as THE NAME OF THE WIND, this is a sequel in every way the equal to its predecessor and a must-read for all fantasy fans. Readable, engaging and gripping THE WISE MAN'S FEAR is the biggest and the best new fantasy novel out there.]]> 1000 Patrick Rothfuss Evi 4 4.58 2011 The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Evi
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2017/08/25
date added: 2020/02/08
shelves: fantasy, read-in-2017, 2010-2014, 1000-pages-or-more
review:

]]> Tikkop 9454035 De in Parijs wonende Mulder vestigt zich een tijd in de Kaap, waar Donald zijn strijd voortzet in een verstikkend vissersdorp. De lokale bevolking voelt zich aan alle kanten verraden: hun visrechten zijn verkwanseld door corrupte leiders, er is geen werk en hun kinderen vluchten in de tik - een goedkope drug.
De twee mannen ontfermen zich over een talentvolle verslaafde die zij een nieuwe toekomst willen bieden - die jongen moet alles goedmaken…]]> 221 Adriaan van Dis 9045702444 Evi 2 3.23 2010 Tikkop
author: Adriaan van Dis
name: Evi
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2017/07/23
date added: 2020/01/13
shelves: dutch, read-in-2017, racism, 2010-2014
review:

]]> We Should All Be Feminists 22738563 We Should All Be Feminists, a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the award-winning author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun.

With humor and levity, here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century—one rooted in inclusion and awareness. She shines a light not only on blatant discrimination, but also the more insidious, institutional behaviors that marginalize women around the world, in order to help readers of all walks of life better understand the often masked realities of sexual politics. Throughout, she draws extensively on her own experiences—in the U.S., in her native Nigeria, and abroad—offering an artfully nuanced explanation of why the gender divide is harmful for women and men, alike.

Argued in the same observant, witty and clever prose that has made Adichie a bestselling novelist, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman today—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.]]> 52 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Evi 4
This essay should be read by everyone, young and old, man and woman, from every country in this world. And there is really no excuse not to, it's literally only 25 pages. ]]> 4.42 2012 We Should All Be Feminists
author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
name: Evi
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/08
date added: 2020/01/10
shelves: non-fiction, feminism, essay, read-in-2019, 2010-2014, 100-pages-or-less
review:
This book (ok, it's not really a book, it's an essay) is a perfect start for my "Want to read more about feminism project". It gives a short and sharp introduction to feminism that shows how important feminism (still) is and about the misconceptions of feminism.

This essay should be read by everyone, young and old, man and woman, from every country in this world. And there is really no excuse not to, it's literally only 25 pages.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #2)]]> 17910078 The Tropic of Serpents . . .

Attentive readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoir, A Natural History of Dragons, are already familiar with how a bookish and determined young woman named Isabella first set out on the historic course that would one day lead her to becoming the world’s premier dragon naturalist. Now, in this remarkably candid second volume, Lady Trent looks back at the next stage of her illustrious (and occasionally scandalous) career.

Three years after her fateful journeys through the forbidding mountains of Vystrana, Mrs. Camherst defies family and convention to embark on an expedition to the war-torn continent of Eriga, home of such exotic draconian species as the grass-dwelling snakes of the savannah, arboreal tree snakes, and, most elusive of all, the legendary swamp-wyrms of the tropics.

The expedition is not an easy one. Accompanied by both an old associate and a runaway heiress, Isabella must brave oppressive heat, merciless fevers, palace intrigues, gossip, and other hazards in order to satisfy her boundless fascination with all things draconian, even if it means venturing deep into the forbidden jungle known as the Green Hell . . . where her courage, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity will be tested as never before.]]> 331 Marie Brennan 0765331977 Evi 3 4.02 2014 The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #2)
author: Marie Brennan
name: Evi
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2019/01/11
date added: 2020/01/10
shelves: 2010-2014, fantasy, read-in-2019
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Versluiering (Atto Melani, #5)]]> 11447998
Het hele Franse hof is in rep en roer: kardinaal Mazarin, de eerste minister van het koninkrijk, wil voor het volgende carnaval en groots Italiaans melodrama opvoeren. Maar welk complot gaat er werkelijk schuil achter deze weelderige opvoering? Dat vraagt de jonge Atto Melani zich af, de hoofdrolspeler van het geheimzinnige spel. Samen met zijn trouwe secretaris gaat hij op onderzoek uit en stuit op een dodelijke samenzwering die teruggaat tot het Florence van twee eeuwen geleden.]]> 96 Rita Monaldi 905965126X Evi 1 2.15 2011 Versluiering (Atto Melani, #5)
author: Rita Monaldi
name: Evi
average rating: 2.15
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at: 2018/05/01
date added: 2020/01/04
shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2018, 2010-2014, 100-pages-or-less
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Men Explain Things to Me: And Other Essays]]> 23302490
From rape culture to mansplaining, from French sex scandals to marriage and the nuclear family, from Virginia Woolf to colonialism, these essays are a fierce and incisive exploration of the issues that a patriarchal culture will not necessarily acknowledge as 'issues' at all. With grace and energy, and in the most exquisite and inviting of prose, Rebecca Solnit proves herself a vital leading figure of the feminist movement and a radical, humane thinker.]]> 130 Rebecca Solnit 1783780797 Evi 2
So first of all, I found the title a little bit misleading. The book started with a beautiful example of how men explain things to women. But the subject changed really fast into violence against women and it kept on that same subject for almost the entire book. I guess it was just not what I was expecting.

Another problem I had with this book; I completely lost track of what Solnit was actually writing about. Especially in the chapters about Virginia Woolf I was completely lost. I felt like I was jumping from essay to essay without finding the bridge that connects them.

And last, most essays were a big dump of information about how far we still have to go for complete equality. She didn't go into very much dept on why there is still so much inequality or how this can change. It's a lot of statistics served on a platter and it's up to you to decide what to do with it.

2.5 stars]]> 3.74 2014 Men Explain Things to Me: And Other Essays
author: Rebecca Solnit
name: Evi
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2019/12/12
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: 2010-2014, feminism, essay, non-fiction, read-in-2019
review:
A collection of essays about feminism by Rebecca Solnit, but be warned: most of these essays are about violence against women (particularly rape).

So first of all, I found the title a little bit misleading. The book started with a beautiful example of how men explain things to women. But the subject changed really fast into violence against women and it kept on that same subject for almost the entire book. I guess it was just not what I was expecting.

Another problem I had with this book; I completely lost track of what Solnit was actually writing about. Especially in the chapters about Virginia Woolf I was completely lost. I felt like I was jumping from essay to essay without finding the bridge that connects them.

And last, most essays were a big dump of information about how far we still have to go for complete equality. She didn't go into very much dept on why there is still so much inequality or how this can change. It's a lot of statistics served on a platter and it's up to you to decide what to do with it.

2.5 stars
]]> Circle 21075514
As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO.

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

What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.]]> 491 Dave Eggers 024114650X Evi 3 3.50 2013 Circle
author: Dave Eggers
name: Evi
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2017/07/01
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: read-in-2017, dystopia, 2010-2014, 1001-books, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help]]> 20980987
Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn't alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of The Art Of Asking.

Part manifesto, part revelation, this is the story of an artist struggling with the new rules of exchange in the twenty-first century, both on and off the Internet. The Art Of Asking will inspire readers to rethink their own ideas about asking, giving, art, and love.]]> 339 Amanda Palmer 1455581089 Evi 4 3.89 2014 The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
author: Amanda Palmer
name: Evi
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/29
date added: 2019/11/14
shelves: 2010-2014, non-fiction, autobiography, read-in-2018
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2.5)]]> 22739835 159 Patrick Rothfuss 1473209323 Evi 2 3.73 2014 The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2.5)
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Evi
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2017/09/04
date added: 2019/08/20
shelves: fantasy, read-in-2017, 2010-2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[De Zonderlinge Avonturen van het Geniale Bommenmeisje]]> 19029192
Gedurende haar belevenissen ontmoet ze kleurrijke personages, zoals Holger 1 en 2, twee broers die fysiek identiek en toch compleet verschillend zijn. Nombeko slaagt erin de meest gevreesde geheime diensten ter wereld tot haar vijanden te maken. Op het moment dat ze opgesloten zit in een aardappelvrachtwagen, wordt de mensheid bedreigd...]]> 352 Jonas Jonasson 9056724541 Evi 0 2010-2014, humor 3.64 2013 De Zonderlinge Avonturen van het Geniale Bommenmeisje
author: Jonas Jonasson
name: Evi
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/08/15
shelves: 2010-2014, humor
review:

]]> Zomerhuis met zwembad 10307939 381 Herman Koch 9041415599 Evi 0 dutch, 2010-2014 3.46 2011 Zomerhuis met zwembad
author: Herman Koch
name: Evi
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/07/23
shelves: dutch, 2010-2014
review:

]]> A Treacherous Paradise 17307367 400 Henning Mankell 1846556244 Evi 0 travel, racism, 2010-2014 3.21 2011 A Treacherous Paradise
author: Henning Mankell
name: Evi
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/05/24
shelves: travel, racism, 2010-2014
review:

]]> Instructions for a Heatwave 16077150
Gretta Riordan wakes on a stultifying July morning to find that her husband of forty years has gone to get the paper and vanished, cleaning out his bank account along the way. Gretta's three grown children converge on their parents' home for the first time in years: Michael Francis, a history teacher whose marriage is failing; Monica, with two stepdaughters who despise her and a blighted past that has driven away the younger sister she once adored; and Aoife, the youngest, now living in Manhattan, a smart, immensely resourceful young woman who has arranged her entire life to conceal a devastating secret.

Maggie O'Farrell writes with exceptional grace and sensitivity about marriage, about the mysteries that inhere within families, and the fault lines over which we build our lives—the secrets we hide from the people who know and love us best. In a novel that stretches from the heart of London to New York City's Upper West Side to a remote village on the coast of Ireland, O'Farrell paints a bracing portrait of a family falling apart and coming together with hard-won, life-changing truths about who they really are.]]> 352 Maggie O'Farrell 0755358783 Evi 0 2010-2014 3.71 2013 Instructions for a Heatwave
author: Maggie O'Farrell
name: Evi
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/05/16
shelves: 2010-2014
review:

]]> Zusje 18336497
Als Beatrice tijdens een zondagse lunch een paniekerig telefoontje krijgt over de vermissing van haar jongere zus Tess, stapt ze op het eerste vliegtuig naar Londen. Naarmate ze meer te weten komt over de verdwijning, neemt de verbijstering toe over hoe weinig ze feitelijk weet van het leven van haar zusje en ze is niet voorbereid op de angstaanjagende waarheden die ze onder ogen moet zien.
De politie, haar verloofde en zelfs haar moeder leggen zich erbij neer dat ze Tess hebben verloren, maar Beatrice kan dat niet. Naarmate ze dichter bij de schokkende waarheid komt, raakt ze steeds geĂŻsoleerder van haar omgeving en wil niemand haar meer geloven.]]> 352 Rosamund Lupton 9022565335 Evi 0 crime, thriller, 2010-2014 3.61 2010 Zusje
author: Rosamund Lupton
name: Evi
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/05/16
shelves: crime, thriller, 2010-2014
review:

]]> Ik ben Pelgrim 20319521 735 Terry Hayes 9022997138 Evi 0 thriller, 2010-2014 4.33 2013 Ik ben Pelgrim
author: Terry Hayes
name: Evi
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/05/16
shelves: thriller, 2010-2014
review:

]]>