en-US Wed, 09 Apr 2025 09:09:34 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 208252456
Dr Joanne Tan is an expert in a lot of things. Love isn't one of them.

Being thirty-something, broke, divorced, and in a cold war with her ten-year-old son is a lot, but Jo's handling it. Just. At least, she is until her job at the Natural History Museum is in jeopardy. An invitation to dig up dinosaur bones on a remote Queensland sheep station arrives at just the right time.

It's not her first trip to Yindi Creek, but it's not as though anyone will remember her from fifteen years ago ... And by anyone, of course, she means the pilot she had that fling with. The fling that taught her she's far safer sticking to science ...

Gavin "Hux" Huxtable, helicopter pilot and reluctant sheep-shearer, has turned his broken heart into a secret (and successful) writing career. But running into Jo again, all these years down the track, stirs up a lot more than outback country dust.

A missing person, a fossilised legbone, and a nosy country cop force Jo and Hux together and the sparks that start flying don't go unnoticed by the locals ...

Digging up the past isn't easy. Digging up the truth can be even harder.]]> 400 Stella Quinn 1867255715 Halls 0 to-read 3.90
author: Stella Quinn
name: Halls
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
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]]> 217233421 A delightfully entertaining new rural romance from Karly Lane, the bestselling author with over 600,000 books sold.

'Karly Lane is without question the queen of rural romances.' Cindy L Spear

At twenty-nine years old, single, living in a very small country town, and working in the same job she's had since she left school, some would say Bel Buckley's life is mediocre at best.

But Bel is content and always escapes to her beloved romance novels whenever she feels a bit lonely. No matter how hopeless a situation seems, there's always a hero to swoop in and save the day with a happily-ever-after at the end.

Despite her best friend, Emma, trying to set her up with every eligible man in town, no one holds a light to Bel's perfect Jax Lexington. Bel owns every book in the outrageously romantic series and loves them.

Emma is concerned about her obsession, but Bel knows the line between fantasy and reality . . . until the day Jax Lexington arrives in town.

Her fictional hero is real - and he's best man at her cousin's wedding.

Praise for Karly

'Perfect to read on a plane, train or beach-side holiday.' �� Reading Writing and Reisling on The One That Got Away

'I absolutely couldn't put The One That Got Awaydown . . .' �� Ms G's Bookshelf

'. . . a compelling, fast-paced and engaging read with heart and substance.' �� Better Reading

'If you are looking for a good holiday read, then definitely choose For Once In My Life.' �� Blue Wolf Reviews

'A seriously wonderful book…perfect if you are looking for something to make you smile and touch your heart.' �� Beauty and Lace

'A country reading delight, Wish You Were Here is the perfect book to enjoy this summer season. You can't go wrong with a Karly Lane novel and this latest one was no exception.' �� Mrs B's Book Reviews

'Heart-warming…an enjoyable read that will be warmly welcomed by fans of Australian romance writing.' �� Canberra Weekly ]]> 349 Karly Lane 1761505343 Halls 0 to-read 4.07
author: Karly Lane
name: Halls
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/09
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]]> 3412
The central figures in this enthralling story are the indomitable Meggie, the only Cleary daughter, and the one man she truly loves, the stunningly handsome and ambitious priest Ralph de Bricassart. Ralph's course moves him a long way indeed, from a remote Outback parish to the halls of the Vatican; and Meggie's except for a brief and miserable marriage elsewhere, is fixed to the Drogheda that is part of her bones - but distance does not dim their feelings though it shapes their lives.

Wonderful characters people this book; strong and gentle, Paddy, hiding a private memory; dutiful Fiona, holding back love because it once betrayed her, violent, tormented Frank, and the other hardworking Cleary sons who give the boundless lands of Drogheda the energy and devotion most men save for women; Meggie; Ralph; and Meggie's children, Justine and Dane. And the land itself; stark, relentless in its demands, brilliant in its flowering, prey to gigantic cycles of drought and flood, rich when nature is bountiful, surreal like no other place on earth.

Alternate Cover Edition ISBN 0380018179 (ISBN13: 9780380018178)]]> 692 Colleen McCullough Halls 0 to-read 4.24 1977
author: Colleen McCullough
name: Halls
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1977
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/09
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]]> 30639529 In this grudge match, the first to score��

When style columnist Matilda Kent accidentally lets slip that she was once involved with the captain of the Sydney Smoke rugby team, she suddenly finds herself elevated to the position she’s always wanted �� feature writer. The catch? She’s stuck doing a six-part series on her ex. Still, there’s no way she can turn down a promotion�� or the chance to dish the dirt on the guy who so callously broke her heart.

…could win it all!

Tanner Stone wants to be involved in a feature series about as much as he wants to snap an Achilles. But the thought of seeing Tilly again is a bonus �� and has him more worked up than he wants to admit. Only he’s not prepared for how different she is �� all cool and professional. His Tilly is still in there, though�� and he still wants her, now more than ever. All he has to do is charm her into giving him a rematch. And this time, winner takes all!]]> 162 Amy Andrews Halls 0 to-read 3.67 2016
author: Amy Andrews
name: Halls
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123229152 ��
In Slough House, the London outpost for disgraced MI5 spies, memories are stirring, all of them bad. Catherine Standish is buying booze again, Louisa Guy is raking over the ashes of lost love, and new recruit Lech Wicinski, whose sins make him an outcast even among the slow horses, is determined to discover who destroyed his career, even if he tears his life apart in the process.
��
Meanwhile, in Regent’s Park, Diana Taverner’s tenure as First Desk is running into difficulties. If she’s going to make the Service fit for purpose, she might have to make deals with a familiar old devil . . .
��
And with winter taking its grip, Jackson Lamb would sooner be left brooding in peace, but even he can’t ignore the dried blood on his carpets. So when the man responsible for killing a slow horse breaks cover at last, Lamb sends the slow horses out to even the score.]]> 337 Mick Herron 1641291338 Halls 0 currently-reading 4.23 2019
author: Mick Herron
name: Halls
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 59336985 The fifth entry in CWA Gold dagger-winning Slough House series.

London Rules might not be written down, but everyone knows rule one: Cover your arse.

At MI5 headquarters Regent's Park, First Desk Claude Whelan is learning this the hard way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he's facing attack from all directions himself: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat's wife, a tabloid columnist, who's crucifying Whelan in print; from the PM's favorite Muslim, who's about to be elected mayor of the West Midlands, despite the dark secret he's hiding; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who's alert for Claude's every stumble. Meanwhile, the country's being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks.

Over at Slough House, the MI5 satellite office for outcast and demoted spies, the agents are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. Plus someone is trying to kill Roddy Ho. But collectively, they're about to rediscover their greatest strength - that of making a bad situation much, much worse.]]> 383 Mick Herron Halls 4 4.36 2018
author: Mick Herron
name: Halls
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: audiobook, library, mysteries-and-thrillers, pre-2030, writing-i-like
review:
Several juicy details casually dropped in this novel!!
]]> 40578510 A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information.

It's also what happens just before you hit the ground.]]> 113 Mick Herron 1641290137 Halls 3 3.83 2018
author: Mick Herron
name: Halls
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: audiobook, library, mysteries-and-thrillers, pre-2030
review:

]]> 205900376 A collection of interviews with some of the world’s leading progressive thinkers on the movement for Palestinian liberation and its connections to struggles for justice across the globe.As more and more people align themselves with the Palestinian people, Palestine in a World on Fire provides the global perspective and analysis needed to inform how we forge ahead on this path of newfound solidarity. Editors Ilan Pappé and Katherine Natanel have gathered a collection of interviews that are intimate, challenging, and rigorous—many of them conducted before October 7th but still startlingly prescient. The interviewees connect the struggle for Palestinian liberation to various liberatory movements around the world, simultaneously interrogating and recontextualizing their own positions given the ongoing aggression in Palestine. This incredible group includes Angela Y. Davis, Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, Nadine El-Enany, Gabor Mate, Mustafa Barghouti, Yanis Varoufakis, Paul Gilroy, Elias Khoury, Gayatri Spivak, and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian.Palestine in a World on Fire highlights the centrality of Palestine in struggles shared across the capitalism, imperialism, misogyny, neo-colonialism, racism, and more. Each conversation tackles urgent events and unfolding dynamics, and the scholar-activists interviewed here provide invaluable perspectives and insights, illuminating the richness and relevance of recent scholarship on Palestine.]]> 256 Katherine Natanel Halls 0 to-read 4.07 2024
author: Katherine Natanel
name: Halls
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> 213870084 From award-winning novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad comes a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in the heart of an Empire which doesn’t consider you fully human.

On Oct 25th, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.�� This tweet was viewed over 10 million times.��

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This chronicles the deep fracture which has occurred for Black, brown, indigenous Americans, as well as the upcoming generation, many of whom had clung to a thread of faith in western ideals, in the idea that their countries, or the countries of their adoption, actually attempted to live up to the values they espouse.��

This book is a reckoning with what it means to live in the west, and what it means to live in a world run by a small group of countries—America, the UK, France and Germany.�� It will be The Fire Next Time for a generation that understands we’re undergoing a shift in the so-called ‘rules-based order,�� a generation that understands the west can no longer be trusted to police and guide the world, or its own cities and campuses. It draws on intimate details of Omar’s own story as an emigrant who grew up believing in the western project, who was catapulted into journalism by the rupture of 9/11.��

This book is his heartsick breakup letter with the west. It is a breakup we are watching all over the U.S., on college campuses, on city streets, and the consequences of this rupture will be felt by all of us. His book is for all the people who want something better than what the west has served up. This is the book for our time.]]> 208 Omar El Akkad 0593804147 Halls 0 to-read 4.68 2025
author: Omar El Akkad
name: Halls
average rating: 4.68
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> 200517990
Ingrid is unhappily married to Roland, the town's bailiff and chief witch hunter, who is on a single-minded quest to purge the 'heretics' in their midst. After a prominent town leader is found murdered, accusations fly and no one is above reproach from Roland's deadly crusade. Ingrid has her suspicions about who the real murderer is, but even as she pursues the truth, she's pursued herself by a shadowy figure. Ingrid finds that she's drawn to the foreboding phantom in ways she can't resist- does this dark and tempting strangermay hold the key to the mystery...or will he damn Ingrid's soul to the blackest circle of Hell?

From the masterful minds of Becky Cloonan (BY CHANCE OR PROVIDENCE, Wonder Woman) and Tula Lotay (BARNSTORMERS) comes an intoxicating blend of history, eroticism, and the supernatural in SOMNA-an evocative masterpiece that draws inspiration from cinematic folk-horror gems like Midsommar and The Witch- and will transport readers to a world where passion and spirits intertwine, enrapturing your senses and leave you craving more. For fans of The Witch and Midsommar.]]> 168 Becky Cloonan 1962265013 Halls 0 to-read 3.87 2024
author: Becky Cloonan
name: Halls
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199700434 When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara ������’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this ������’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.]]> 478 Liz Moore 0593418913 Halls 3 4.10 2024
author: Liz Moore
name: Halls
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: audiobook, library, mysteries-and-thrillers, pre-2030
review:
Fooled by fancy book design yet again
]]> 83745917 A shakeup at MI5 and a terrorist attack on British soil set in motion clandestine machinery known to few modern spies. David Cartwright isn't a modern spy, however; he's legend and a bonafide Cold War hero. He's also in his dotage and losing his mind to Alzheimer's. His stories of -stotes- hiding in the bushes, following his every move have been dismissed by friends and family for years. Cartwright may be losing track of reality but he's certain about one thing: Old spooks don't go quietly and neither do the secrets they keep.
What happens when an old spook loses his mind? Does the Service have a retirement home for those who know too many secrets but don't remember they're secret? Or does someone take care of the senile spy for good? These are the questions River Cartwright must ask when his grandfather, a Cold War-era operative, starts to forget to wear pants and begins to suspect everyone in his life has been sent by the Home Office to watch him.
But River has other things to worry about. A bomb has detonated in the middle of a busy shopping center and killed forty innocent civilians. The agents of Slough House have to figure out who is behind this act of terror before the situation escalates.]]> 310 Mick Herron 1616958693 Halls 4 4.36 2017
author: Mick Herron
name: Halls
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: audiobook, library, mysteries-and-thrillers, pre-2030, writing-i-like
review:

]]> 827412 It happened at the ball.

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It happened in the garden.

When Marcus shockingly—and dangerously—swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed—thank goodness they weren't caught in the act!

It happened one autumn.

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable . . . as his bride?]]> 382 Lisa Kleypas Halls 0 currently-reading 4.09 2005
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Halls
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 25130532 A terrifying short story from Shirley Jackson, the master of the macabre tale.Shirley Jackson's chilling tales of creeping unease and random cruelty have the power to unsettle and terrify unlike any other. When her story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail. It became known as one of the greatest short stories ever written. Have you read her yet?'Shirley Jackson's stories are among the most terrifying ever written' Donna Tartt'An amazing writer ... if you haven't read any of her short stories ... you have missed out on something marvellous' Neil Gaiman'Her stories are stunning, timeless - as relevant and terrifying now as when they were first published ... 'The Lottery' is so much an icon in the history of the American short story that one could argue it has moved from the canon of American twentieth-century fiction directly into the American psyche, our collective unconscious' A. M. Homes Shirley Jackson was born in California in 1916. When her short story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; it has since become one of the greatest American stories of all time. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, was published in the same year and was followed by five Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, widely seen as her masterpiece. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep at the age of 48.]]> 11 Shirley Jackson Halls 2 library, pre-2030 3.60 1949
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Halls
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1949
rating: 2
read at: 2022/12/21
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: library, pre-2030
review:

]]> 21425047
A New York Times Bestseller in Sports and Travel!

The ultimate resource for experiencing the backcountry!

Written by survivalist expert Dave Canterbury, Bushcraft 101 gets you ready for your next backcountry trip with advice on making the most of your time outdoors. Based on the 5Cs of Survivability--cutting tools, covering, combustion devices, containers, and cordages--this valuable guide offers only the most important survival skills to help you craft resources from your surroundings and truly experience the beauty and thrill of the wilderness. Inside, you'll also discover detailed information on:

Choosing the right items for your kit.

Manufacturing needed tools and supplies.

Collecting and cooking food.

Protecting yourself from the elements.

With Canterbury's guidance, you'll not only prepare yourself for any climate and situation, you'll also learn how to use the art of bushcraft to reconnect with nature in ways you've never imagined.]]> 256 Dave Canterbury 1440579776 Halls 3 4.12 2014
author: Dave Canterbury
name: Halls
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 123416743 From the critically acclaimed author of Black Widows comes a thriller set in a remote rehab clinic on the Pacific Northwest coast, in which the death of a woman inside prompts her sister to enter the clinic as a patient in order to find the truth. Perfect for fans of Stacy Willingham and Tarryn Fisher!

Meg works for a casino in LA, catching cheaters and popping a few too many pain pills to cope, following a far different path than her sister Haley, a famous actress. But suddenly reports surface of Haley dying at the remote rehab facility where she had been forced to go to get her addictions under control.

There are whispers of suicide, but Meg can't believe it. She decides that the best way to find out what happened to her sister is to check in herself �� to investigate what really happened from the inside.

Battling her own addictions and figuring out the truth will be much more difficult than she imagined, far away from friends, family �� and anyone who could help her.]]> 444 Cate Quinn Halls 0 to-read 3.62 2024
author: Cate Quinn
name: Halls
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
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]]> 197715421
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.]]> 368 Stuart Turton Halls 0 to-read 3.86 2024
author: Stuart Turton
name: Halls
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
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]]> 59336857
What she doesn't know is why anyone would target her.

So whoever's holding her hostage, it can't be personal. It must be about Slough House. Most likely, it's about Jackson Lamb. And say what you like about Lamb, he'll never leave a joe in the lurch.

He might even be someone you could trust with your life.]]> 369 Mick Herron Halls 4 I love my idiot children 4.40 2016
author: Mick Herron
name: Halls
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: audiobook, library, pre-2030, writing-i-like, mysteries-and-thrillers
review:
I love my idiot children
]]> 59366154
Following his explosive New York Times bestseller Red Notice, Bill Browder returns with another gripping thriller chronicling how he became Vladimir Putin’s number one enemy by exposing Putin’s campaign to steal and launder hundreds of billions of dollars and kill anyone who stands in his way.

When Bill Browder’s young Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, was beaten to death in a Moscow jail, Browder made it his life’s mission to go after his killers and make sure they faced justice. The first step of that mission was to uncover who was behind the $230 million tax refund scheme that Magnitsky was killed over. As Browder and his team tracked the money as it flowed out of Russia through the Baltics and Cyprus and on to Western Europe and the Americas, they were shocked to discover that Vladimir Putin himself was a beneficiary of the crime.

As law enforcement agencies began freezing the money, Putin retaliated. He and his cronies set up honey traps, hired process servers to chase Browder through cities, murdered more of his Russian allies, and enlisted some of the top lawyers and politicians in America to bring him down. Putin will stop at nothing to protect his money. As Freezing Order reveals, it was Browder’s campaign to expose Putin’s corruption that prompted Russia’s intervention in the 2016 US presidential election.

At once a financial caper, an international adventure, and a passionate plea for justice , Freezing Order is a stirring morality tale about how one man can take on one of the most ruthless villains in the world—and win.]]> 336 Bill Browder 1982153288 Halls 0 currently-reading 4.26 2022
author: Bill Browder
name: Halls
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 228941953
Millionaire investor, Nicholas Beaucroft, is a man used to getting what he wants. But all he wants is the one thing he could never have... the love of his older stepsister, Justine. Once he idolized her; now his obsession has become warped and depraved, and there is nothing he won't do, and no game he won't play, if it means satisfying his dark passions.

Jay Varens was twenty-three when she fled from her screwed up family and their dark web of secrets, lies, and mind games. After eight years, she began to believe she was finally free from their twisted machinations--but Nicholas isn't about to let her go so easily, and when he plunges her back into her own personal gilded hell, Jay's about to learn that all things have a price.

Including her own soul.]]> 506 Nenia Campbell Halls 0 to-read 4.44
author: Nenia Campbell
name: Halls
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218484140
Cecily knows two things: that this is all her fault; and that her family must never learn the truth.

A decade prior, Cecily had been desperate to be more than a housewife to a low-level bureaucrat in British-colonized Malaya. A chance meeting with the charismatic General Fuijwara lured her into a life of espionage, pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians.�� Instead, Cecily helped usher in an even more brutal occupation by the Japanese. Ten years later as the war reaches its apex, her actions have caught up with her. Now her family is on the brink of destruction—and she will do anything to save them.

Spanning years of pain and triumph, told from the perspectives of four unforgettable characters, The Storm We Made is a dazzling saga about the horrors of war; the fraught relationships between the colonized and their oppressors, and the ambiguity of right and wrong when survival is at stake.]]> 350 Vanessa Chan Halls 0 to-read 3.96 2024
author: Vanessa Chan
name: Halls
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223329042
Daughters are the Ang family’s curse.

In 1948, civil war ravages the Chinese countryside, but in rural Shandong, the wealthy, landowning Angs are more concerned with their lack of an heir. Hai is the eldest of four girls and spends her days looking after her sisters. Headstrong Di, who is just a year younger, learns to hide in plain sight, and their mother—abused by the family for failing to birth a boy—finds her own small acts of rebellion in the kitchen. As the Communist army closes in on their town, the rest of the prosperous household flees, leaving behind the girls and their mother because they view them as useless mouths to feed.

Without an Ang male to punish, the land-seizing cadres choose Hai, as the eldest child, to stand trial for her family’s crimes. She barely survives their brutality. Realizing the worst is yet to come, the women plan their escape. Starving and penniless but resourceful, they forge travel permits and embark on a thousand-mile journey to confront the family that abandoned them.

From the countryside to the bustling city of Qingdao, and onward to British Hong Kong and eventually Taiwan, they witness the changing tide of a nation and the plight of multitudes caught in the wake of revolution. But with the loss of their home and the life they’ve known also comes new freedom—to take hold of their fate, to shake free of the bonds of their gender, and to claim their own story.

Told in assured, evocative prose, with impeccably drawn characters, Daughters of Shandong is a hopeful, powerful story about the resilience of women in war; the enduring love between mothers, daughters, and sisters; and the sacrifices made to lift up future generations.]]> 400 Eve J. Chung 0593640543 Halls 0 to-read 4.57 2024
author: Eve J. Chung
name: Halls
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214151433 Enjoy easy and accessible everyday recipes and discover no-nonsense nutrition info that debunks food myths from social media sensation Nutrition by Kylie.

Registered dietitian and social media star Kylie Sakaida, a.k.a. @NutritionbyKylie, knows how difficult it can be to keep track of the confusing and often conflicting information about nutrition we are barraged with online. Kylie began posting videos on social media to cut through the noise and offer easy-to-understand and relatable evidence-based advice. Now, millions of people trust and follow her for realistic nutrition tips and delicious recipes. In this beautiful, comprehensive cookbook, Kylie has collected her best nutrition tips along with both fan-favorite and brand-new recipes.

Whether you want to change your eating habits and mindset or are just looking for a healthy dinner recipe, So Easy So Good has you covered. Kylie simplifies complex concepts through simple lists, charts, and sidebars. Her recipes and tips emphasize a healthy, balanced mix of protein, carbs, healthy fats, and fiber so you can feel nourished and satisfied. Many of Kylie’s recipes are inspired by the Asian flavors from her upbringing. Some recipes are designed to minimize prep time by using frozen veggies and nutrient-dense convenience foods, while others can be frozen in advance and reheated within minutes for a quick meal.

So Easy So Good is packed with simple, accessible, and nutritional advice throughout, but it’s recipes like Matcha Chia Parfaits, Sriracha Honey Tofu Bowls, Chicken Ranch Naan Pizzas, Thai Fish Curry, and even sweets like Tahini Chocolate Brownies, that will have you coming back to the book again and again.]]> 272 Kylie Sakaida 166803798X Halls 0 to-read 4.29 2025
author: Kylie Sakaida
name: Halls
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210191773 Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.]]> 560 R.F. Kuang 0063021471 Halls 0 to-read 4.28 2025
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Halls
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/21
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]]> 211004884 SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER... Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.]]> 368 Sally Hepworth 1250371708 Halls 0 to-read 3.95 2024
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Halls
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-read
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]]> 211479192 A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike and enchanting fantasy novel.

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.

Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds.

But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.]]> 384 Samantha Sotto Yambao 0593724992 Halls 0 to-read 3.82 2025
author: Samantha Sotto Yambao
name: Halls
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
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]]> 212806636 A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam.

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

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

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.]]> 368 Allegra Goodman 0593730089 Halls 0 to-read 4.02 2025
author: Allegra Goodman
name: Halls
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
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]]> 150351858
Orphaned during the Second World War, Aelish and Isabel McGuire—known as the twins of Belfast—are given over to the austere care of the Sisters of Bethlehem. Though they are each all the other has, the girls are propelled in opposite directions as they grow up. Rebellious Isabel turns her back on the church and Ireland, traveling to Newfoundland where she pursues a perilous yet independent life. Devout Aelish chooses to remain in Northern Ireland and takes the veil, burying painful truths beneath years of silence.

For decades the two are separated, each unaware of the other’s life. But after years of isolation Aelish is unexpectedly summoned to Newfoundland, where she and her estranged sister begin to bridge the chasm between them.

Reunion brings to light the painful secrets and seismic deceptions that have kept these sisters apart, leaving the McGuire twins to begin reconstructing their understanding about themselves as women and as family–what they know of love, hope, and above all, forgiveness.

A story of faith—in religion, in the world, and in one another�� Sisters of Belfast is a heartbreaking, tragic, and deeply moving novel about survival and the enduring power of sisterhood.]]> 320 Melanie Maure 0063341557 Halls 0 currently-reading 3.62 2024
author: Melanie Maure
name: Halls
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 61884932 There’s a princess trapped in a tower. This ������’t her story.

Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He's heard there's a curse here that needs breaking, but it's a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…]]> 116 T. Kingfisher 1250244099 Halls 3 3.95 2023
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Halls
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: audiobook, library, pre-2030, writing-i-like
review:

]]> 13547180 New York Times bestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman’s struggle to recapture her identity.

When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she’d gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labeled violent, psychotic, a flight risk. What happened?

In a swift and breathtaking narrative, Cahalan tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family’s inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn’t happen.]]> 250 Susannah Cahalan 145162137X Halls 3 audiobook, library, pre-2030 4.06 2012
author: Susannah Cahalan
name: Halls
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: audiobook, library, pre-2030
review:

]]> 53231994 Provocative and illuminating essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.

There is a renaissance blooming in the climate movement: leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection, creativity, and collaboration. While it's clear that women and girls are vital voices and agents of change for this planet, they are too often missing from the proverbial table. More than a problem of bias, it's a dynamic that sets us up for failure. To change everything, we need everyone.

All We Can Save illuminates the expertise and insights of dozens of diverse women leading on climate in the United States--scientists, journalists, farmers, lawyers, teachers, activists, innovators, wonks, and designers, across generations, geographies, and race--and aims to advance a more representative, nuanced, and solution-oriented public conversation on the climate crisis. These women offer a spectrum of ideas and insights for how we can rapidly, radically reshape society.

Intermixing essays with poetry and art, this book is both a balm and a guide for knowing and holding what has been done to the world, while bolstering our resolve never to give up on one another or our collective future. We must summon truth, courage, and solutions to turn away from the brink and toward life-giving possibility. Curated by two climate leaders, the book is a collection and celebration of visionaries who are leading us on a path toward all we can save.

With essays and poems by:

Emily Atkin �� Xiye Bastida �� Ellen Bass �� Colette Pichon Battle �� Jainey K. Bavishi �� Janine Benyus �� adrienne maree brown �� Régine Clément �� Abigail Dillen �� Camille T. Dungy �� Rhiana Gunn-Wright �� Joy Harjo �� Katharine Hayhoe �� Mary Annaïse Heglar �� Jane Hirshfield �� Mary Anne Hitt �� Ailish Hopper �� Tara Houska, Zhaabowekwe �� Emily N. Johnston �� Joan Naviyuk Kane �� Naomi Klein �� Kate Knuth �� Ada Limón �� Louise Maher-Johnson �� Kate Marvel �� Gina McCarthy �� Anne Haven McDonnell �� Sarah Miller �� Sherri Mitchell, Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset �� Susanne C. Moser �� Lynna Odel �� Sharon Olds �� Mary Oliver �� Kate Orff �� Jacqui Patterson �� Leah Penniman �� Catherine Pierce �� Marge Piercy �� Kendra Pierre-Louis �� Varshini Prakash �� Janisse Ray �� Christine E. Nieves Rodriguez �� Favianna Rodriguez �� Cameron Russell �� Ash Sanders �� Judith D. Schwartz �� Patricia Smith �� Emily Stengel �� Sarah Stillman �� Leah Cardamore Stokes �� Amanda Sturgeon �� Maggie Thomas �� Heather McTeer Toney �� Alexandria Villaseñor �� Alice Walker �� Amy Westervelt �� Jane Zelikova]]> 419 Ayana Elizabeth Johnson 0593237064 Halls 0 to-read 4.44 2020
author: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
name: Halls
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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]]> 58340703 A primer on intersectional environmentalism aimed at educating the next generation of activists��on how to create meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable change.��
��
The Intersectional Environmentalist��is��an introduction��to��the intersection between environmentalism, racism, and privilege, and an acknowledgment of the fundamental truth that we cannot save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people -- especially those most often unheard. Written by Leah Thomas, a prominent voice in the field and the��activist��who coined the term "Intersectional Environmentalism," this book is simultaneously a call to action, a guide to instigating change for all, and a pledge to work towards the empowerment of all people and the betterment of the planet.��

In��The��Intersectional Environmentalist, Thomas shows how not��only are Black, Indigenous and people of color unequally and unfairly impacted by environmental injustices, but she argues that the fight for the planet lies in tandem to the fight for civil rights; and in fact, that one cannot exist without the other. An essential read, this book addresses the most pressing issues that the people and our planet face, examines and dismantles privilege, and looks to the future as the voice of a movement that will define a generation.��
��]]> 208 Leah Thomas 0316279293 Halls 0 to-read 4.16 2022
author: Leah Thomas
name: Halls
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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]]> 31624481 240 Paul Hawken 0143130447 Halls 0 to-read 4.41 2017
author: Paul Hawken
name: Halls
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> 16066814 The Upcycle is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Cradle to Cradle , one of the most consequential ecological manifestoes of our time. Now, drawing on the green living lessons gained from 10 years of putting the Cradle to Cradle concept into practice with businesses, governments, and ordinary people, William McDonough and Michael Braungart envision the next step in the solution to our ecological We don't just use or reuse and recycle resources with greater effectiveness, we actually improve the natural world as we live, create, and build.
For McDonough and Braungart, the questions of resource scarcity and sustainability are questions of design. They are practical-minded They envision beneficial designs of products, buildings, and business practices—and they show us these ideas being put to use around the world as everyday objects like chairs, cars, and factories are being reimagined not just to sustain life on the planet but to grow it . It is an eye-opening, inspiring tour of our green future as it unfolds in front of us.
The Upcycle is as ambitious as such classics as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring —but its mission is very different. McDonough and Braungart want to turn on its head our very understanding of the human role on Instead of protecting the planet from human impact, why not redesign our activity to improve the environment? We can have a beneficial, sustainable footprint. Abundance for all. The goal is within our reach.]]> 257 William McDonough 1429969059 Halls 0 to-read 4.02 2013
author: William McDonough
name: Halls
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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]]> 11797368 A biologist reveals the secret world hidden in a single square meter of forest.

In this wholly original book, biologist David Haskell uses a one-square-meter patch of old-growth Tennessee forest as a window onto the entire natural world. Visiting it almost daily for one year to trace nature’s path through the seasons, he brings the forest and its inhabitants to vivid life.

Each of this book’s short chapters begins with a simple observation: a salamander scuttling across the leaf litter; the first blossom of spring wildflowers. From these, Haskell spins a brilliant web of biology and ecology, explaining the science that binds together the tiniest microbes and the largest mammals and describing the ecosystems that have cycled for thousands—sometimes millions—of years. Each visit to the forest presents a nature story in miniature as Haskell elegantly teases out the intricate relationships that order the creatures and plants that call it home.

Written with remarkable grace and empathy, The Forest Unseen is a grand tour of nature in all its profundity. Haskell is a perfect guide into the world that exists beneath our feet and beyond our backyards.
]]> 288 David George Haskell 067002337X Halls 0 to-read 4.22 2012
author: David George Haskell
name: Halls
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
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]]> 38891828
Once-common species, including turtle doves, nightingales, peregrine falcons, lesser spotted woodpeckers and purple emperor butterflies, are now breeding at Knepp, and populations of other species are rocketing. The Burrells�� degraded agricultural land has become a functioning ecosystem again, heaving with life �� all by itself.

This recovery has taken place against a backdrop of catastrophic loss elsewhere. According to the 2016 ‘State of Nature�� report, the UK is ranked 29th in the world for biodiversity loss: 56% of species in the UK are in decline and 15% are threatened with extinction. We are living in a desert, compared with our gloriously wild past.

In Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the ‘Knepp experiment�� and what it reveals of the ways in which we might regain that wilder, richer country. It shows how rewilding works across Europe; that it has multiple benefits for the land; that it can generate economic activity and employment; how it can benefit both nature and us �� and that all of this can happen astonishingly quickly. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope.]]> 384 Isabella Tree 1509805095 Halls 0 to-read 4.45 2018
author: Isabella Tree
name: Halls
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
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]]> 63068322
'Important and empowering' - BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

'Get this great guide and be inspired' - STEPHEN FRY

'A handbook of hope ... Buy it, read it, start changing things right now' - JOANNA LUMLEY
_______________

The enormity of climate change and biodiversity loss can leave us feeling overwhelmed. How can an individual ever make a difference?

Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell know firsthand how spectacularly nature can bounce back if you give it the chance. And what comes is not just wildlife in super-abundance, but solutions to the other environmental crises we face.

The Book of Wilding is a handbook for how we can all help restore nature. It is ambitious, visionary and pragmatic. The book has grown out of Isabella and Charlie's mission to help rewild Britain, Europe and the rest of the world by sharing knowledge from their pioneering project at Knepp in Sussex. It is inspired by the requests they receive from people wanting to learn how to rewild everything from unprofitable farms, landed estates and rivers, to ponds, allotments, churchyards, urban parks, gardens, window boxes and public spaces.. The Book of Wilding has the answers.
_______________

'Brilliantly readable and incredibly hard-working' - HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL

'A deep, dazzling and indispensable guide to the most important task of the restoration of the living planet' - GEORGE MONBIOT]]> 560 Isabella Tree 1526659298 Halls 0 to-read 4.49 2023
author: Isabella Tree
name: Halls
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
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]]> 35187181 An intrepid investigation into nature’s restorative benefits by a prize-winning author.

For centuries, poets and philosophers extolled the benefits of a walk in the woods: Beethoven drew inspiration from rocks and trees; Wordsworth composed while tromping over the heath; Nikola Tesla conceived the electric motor while visiting a park. Intrigued by our storied renewal in the natural world, Florence Williams sets out to uncover the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain.

From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to groves of eucalyptus in California, Williams investigates the science at the confluence of environment, mood, health, and creativity. Delving into completely new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and ultimately strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas—and the answers they yield—are more urgent than ever.]]> 304 Florence Williams 0393355578 Halls 0 to-read 3.95 2017
author: Florence Williams
name: Halls
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
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]]> 25938481
As she travels around the world to the most cutting-edge frontiers of research, Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are shifting our view of what it means to be intelligent. At once personal yet scientific, richly informative and beautifully written, The Genius of Birds celebrates the triumphs of these surprising and fiercely intelligent creatures.]]> 352 Jennifer Ackerman 1594205213 Halls 0 to-read 4.03 2016
author: Jennifer Ackerman
name: Halls
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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]]> 208840291 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world.

As indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love.

Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”]]> 112 Robin Wall Kimmerer 1668072246 Halls 0 to-read 4.39 2024
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Halls
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 57356486 In twenty short books, Penguin brings you the classics of the environmental movement.

This is Jared Diamond's haunting account of visiting the mysterious stone statues of Easter Island, showing how a remote civilization destroyed itself by exploiting its own natural resources—and why we must heed this warning.

Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.]]> 87 Jared Diamond 0141997060 Halls 0 to-read 3.96
author: Jared Diamond
name: Halls
average rating: 3.96
book published:
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]]> 213243955 An unforgettable dark fairy tale that asks, Can love save us from ourselves?

Birdie’s keeping it together; of course she is. So she’s a little hungover sometimes, and she has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, but she’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth, when she was free in the wilds of nature.

Arthur Neilsen, a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons, brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie he represents everything she’s ever longed for. She finds herself falling for Arthur and the land he knows so well. Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emaleen move to his isolated cabin in the mountains on the far side of the Wolverine River.

It’s just the three of them in the vast black woods, far from roads, telephones, electricity, and outside contact, but Birdie believes she has come prepared. At first, it’s idyllic, but soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she could have imagined, and that like the Alaska wilderness, a fairy tale can be as dark as it is beautiful.]]> 306 Eowyn Ivey 0593231023 Halls 0 to-read 3.71 2025
author: Eowyn Ivey
name: Halls
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
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]]> 61767163 No Exit and Hairpin Bridge.

Emma Carpenter lives in isolation with her golden retriever Laika, house-sitting an old beachfront home on the rainy Washington coast. Her only human contact is her enigmatic old neighbor, Deek, and (via text) the house’s owner, Jules.

One day, she reads a poorly written—but gruesome—horror novel by the author H. G. Kane, and posts a one-star review that drags her into an online argument with none other than the author himself. Soon after, disturbing incidents start to occur at night. To Emma, this can’t just be a coincidence. It was strange enough for this author to bicker with her online about a lousy review; could he be stalking her, too?

As Emma digs into Kane’s life and work, she learns he has published sixteen other novels, all similarly sadistic tales of stalking and murder. But who is he? How did he find her? And what else is he capable of?]]> 337 Taylor Adams 0063222892 Halls 0 to-read 3.67 2023
author: Taylor Adams
name: Halls
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
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]]> 218695931 A debut fantasy romance filled with hope after heartbreak, secrets, and betrayal, as a dancer-turned-spy must decide how far she will go to secure her freedom

My protector is gone, revealed to be a monster. But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I’m no princess bound within a tower.

I am a shadow.

Vasalie Moran was once a dancer in King Illian’s court, until he framed her for murder. Barely surviving her two years in the dungeons, she’s suddenly called to face her king. He offers her a deal: become his spy at the six-week royal Gathering and he’ll grant her freedom.

As Illian’s orders grow bloody and dangerous, forcing her to harm and betray those around her, Vasalie discovers that the monster she serves may be aligned with a bigger monster—one far closer to home. With her world threatened, Vasalie enlists the help of Illian’s brother and greatest adversary, the infamous King of the East.

As the rivalry between brothers escalates, with Vasalie caught in the middle, the horrifying truth of her past comes to light. If she wants to survive, she must decide who to trust, who to fight for, and how much of her soul she’s willing to damn in the process.]]> 448 Brittney Arena 0593973194 Halls 0 to-read 4.09 2025
author: Brittney Arena
name: Halls
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
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]]> 221251762 Teaming up with your neighbor during a zombie outbreak is a no-brainer, but if it turns out he’s a vampire . . . the stakes couldn’t be higher, in this infectious new paranormal romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Spoiler Alert.

When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless��human��neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by��him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead.��As it turns out, he's actually a super-old, super-surly vampire.��But for all her neighbor's newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston "Max" Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though—and Max won’t let her save them alone.

As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies��and discover��they're not the only ones willing to��fight for the future of humanity.��Despite��the��awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end��their��future��before it even��begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you'd die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.]]> 416 Olivia Dade 0593818202 Halls 0 to-read 4.22 2025
author: Olivia Dade
name: Halls
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> 219848320 Two divorce lawyers determined to share only beds but not hearts discover that love is something that can’t be overruled in this steamy contemporary romance by Lana Ferguson, USA Today bestselling author of The Game Changer.

Danica Pierce has one great love in her life: work. As one of the top divorce lawyers in Austin, Danica lets her caseload keep her warm at night and has no problem being married to her job, not when love only ends in hurt. When the biggest case of her career gives her a shot at making partner, it seems like nothing could possibly stand in her way...except for her infuriating secret: she's sleeping with the enemy.

Ezra Hart is known for charming his way in and out of a courtroom. In the matter of winning Danica Pierce's heart, however, he's been far less successful. With her verdict to keep things purely physical with no chance of appeal, Ezra struggles to show Danica he's more than the insufferable playboy she's pegged him to be--especially since they find themselves on opposing sides of Danica's most important case to date.

While Dani and Ezra battle it out in the courtroom, the real trial is the one happening between them. When Dani realizes that everything she knows of Ezra might be hearsay--and that she's not the only one with emotional baggage--she must choose between her fear of trusting again and the feelings blossoming between her and the man she thought was her worst enemy.]]> 432 Lana Ferguson 0593549392 Halls 0 to-read 4.27 2025
author: Lana Ferguson
name: Halls
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> 41104077
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women��, diving into women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more. Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.]]> 448 Caroline Criado Pérez 1419729071 Halls 0 to-read 4.35 2019
author: Caroline Criado Pérez
name: Halls
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 42203987
This visually appealing and coffee-table worthy, hardback art book not only includes Heikala’s sketches, works in progress and beautifully presented paintings that her fans will be familiar with, it also includes never-before-seen images from along Heikala’s creative journey; all new in-depth tutorials, thought processes and advice on watercolor painting; detailed how-to product design guides; and how she has built a successful career as an artist. A valuable book for fans, budding artists and experienced illustrators alike]]> 152 Heikala 1909414816 Halls 5 favorites, pre-2030 4.73 2018
author: Heikala
name: Halls
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: favorites, pre-2030
review:

]]> 54654726
Around the globe, people are faced with a spiralling succession of crises, from the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change-induced fires, floods, and storms to the ongoing horrors of mass incarceration, racist policing, brutal immigration enforcement, endemic gender violence, and severe wealth inequality. As governments fail to respond to—or actively engineer—each crisis, ordinary people are finding bold and innovative ways to share resources and support the vulnerable.

Survival work, when done alongside social movement demands for transformative change, is called mutual aid.

This book is about mutual aid: why it is so important, what it looks like, and how to do it. It provides a grassroots theory of mutual aid, describes how mutual aid is a crucial part of powerful movements for social justice, and offers concrete tools for organizing, such as how to work in groups, how to foster a collective decision-making process, how to prevent and address conflict, and how to deal with burnout.

Writing for those new to activism as well as those who have been in social movements for a long time, Dean Spade draws on years of organizing to offer a radical vision of community mobilization, social transformation, compassionate activism, and solidarity.]]> 152 Dean Spade 1839762128 Halls 0 to-read 4.33 2020
author: Dean Spade
name: Halls
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220307687 But she needs a job—and refuge from her abusive soon-to-be-ex-husband.

If only her new boss, Austin Wells, would make it clear whether he hates her or wants her. His gaze makes her feel things she hasn’t in years. Though getting over her ex by getting under her grumpy boss ������’t worth the potential fallout.

Austin’s a gruff, no-nonsense rancher who’s seriously regretting letting his head cook hire her own help. As far as he’s concerned, Cecily won’t be sticking around for long. Nobody ever stays. And the wedding ring indent still on her finger makes her more trouble than she’s worth.

When Cecily’s past catches up with her, Austin discovers that she’s already placed a branding iron on his heart. He wants her to stay. First, he needs to keep her safe.

CW/TW: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (ON PAGE), PHYSICAL VIOLENCE (ON PAGE), DEATH OF PARENT AND GRANDPARENT (DISCUSSED), TROUBLED PARENT-ADULT CHILD RELATIONSHIP (DISCUSSED), ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION (ON PAGE), RANCHING ACTIVITIES (BRANDING, CASTRATION, VACCINATION, ROPING - ON PAGE), EXPLICIT SEX SCENES]]> 320 Bailey Hannah 0593983998 Halls 0 to-read 4.05
author: Bailey Hannah
name: Halls
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> 60144115
Rêverie: The Art of Sibylline Meynet is a must-have for aspiring artists and illustrators in need of career inspiration and a creative re-boot. Sibylline launched herself as a freelance illustrator straight out of high school in her native France, and now works as a comic artist, character designer, and illustrator for magazines and books. Her artwork features in abundance the girls and animals she loves to draw, characters who exude charm and whimsy as well as great narrative strength and depth.

Behind her artwork is a career in film and print, on projects from Scoob! (Warner Bros.) and Garfield (BOOM! Studios), to Cursed and Orange is the New Black (Netflix). In this book, Sibylline shares her experiences working in the industry, juggling work commitments with exhibiting, collaborations, and personal projects. For artists seeking new creative exercises, career inspiration, advice, and a chance to peruse the gallery of a talented and unique professional artist, this exciting new book is essential.]]> 152 Sibylline Meynet 1912843382 Halls 5 favorites, pre-2030 4.70
author: Sibylline Meynet
name: Halls
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: favorites, pre-2030
review:

]]> 4929 Kafka on the Shore, a tour de force of metaphysical reality, is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own.]]> 467 Haruki Murakami 1400079276 Halls 0 to-read 4.14 2002
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Halls
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56978100
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…]]> 325 Axie Oh 1250780861 Halls 0 to-read 4.10 2022
author: Axie Oh
name: Halls
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 51190882
Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.

At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece.

Librarian Note: Older cover of B07VH6Y4JD.]]> 119 Nghi Vo Halls 0 to-read 3.91 2020
author: Nghi Vo
name: Halls
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 2723 763 Kim Stanley Robinson 0553580078 Halls 0 to-read 3.76 2002
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Halls
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 395332 308 Abbie Hoffman 0899667775 Halls 0 pre-2030 3.39 1971
author: Abbie Hoffman
name: Halls
average rating: 3.39
book published: 1971
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: pre-2030
review:

]]> 214151519 A novel about a Malayan mother who becomes an unlikely spy for the invading Japanese forces during WWII—and the shocking consequences that rain upon her community and family.

Malaya, 1945. Cecily Alcantara’s family is in terrible danger: her fifteen-year-old son, Abel, has disappeared, and her youngest daughter, Jasmin, is confined in a basement to prevent being pressed into service at the comfort stations. Her eldest daughter Jujube, who works at a tea house frequented by drunk Japanese soldiers, becomes angrier by the day.

Cecily knows two things: that this is all her fault; and that her family must never learn the truth.

A decade prior, Cecily had been desperate to be more than a housewife to a low-level bureaucrat in British-colonized Malaya. A chance meeting with the charismatic General Fuijwara lured her into a life of espionage, pursuing dreams of an “Asia for Asians.�� Instead, Cecily helped usher in an even more brutal occupation by the Japanese. Ten years later as the war reaches its apex, her actions have caught up with her. Now her family is on the brink of destruction—and she will do anything to save them.]]> 368 Vanessa Chan 1668015153 Halls 0 to-read 3.60 2024
author: Vanessa Chan
name: Halls
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56179377
Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince—if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning.

On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last.]]> 243 T. Kingfisher 1250244048 Halls 0 to-read 4.08 2022
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Halls
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 51046553 Jerusalem and Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, and Ottolenghi SIMPLE.

Travelling through Bethlehem, East Jerusalem, Nablus, Haifa, Akka, Nazareth, Galilee and the West Bank, Sami and Tara invite you to experience and enjoy unparalleled access to Sami's homeland. As each region has its own distinct identity and tale to tell, there are endless new flavour combinations to discover.

The food is the perfect mix of traditional and contemporary, with recipes that have been handed down through the generations and reworked for a modern home kitchen, alongside dishes that have been inspired by Sami and Tara's collaborations with producers and farmers throughout Palestine.

With stunning food and travel photography plus stories from unheard Palestinian voices, this innovative cookbook will transport you to this rich and complex land.

So get ready to laden your table with the most delicious of foods �� from abundant salads, soups and wholesome grains to fluffy breads, easy one-pot dishes and perfumed sweet treats �� here are simple feasts to be shared and everyday meals to be enjoyed. These are stunning Palestinian-inspired dishes that you will want to cook, eat, fall in love with and make your own.]]> 352 Sami Tamimi Halls 0 food, pre-2030 4.47 2020
author: Sami Tamimi
name: Halls
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: food, pre-2030
review:

]]> 214152261 From Booker Prize finalist David Szalay, a propulsive, hypnotic novel, about a man whose future is derailed by a series of events that he is unable to control.

Teenaged István lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary. Shy and new in town, he is a stranger to the social rituals practiced by his classmates and soon becomes isolated, with his neighbor—a married woman close to his mother’s age, whom he begrudgingly helps with errands—as his only companion. But as these periodical encounters shift into a clandestine relationship that István himself can barely understand, his life soon spirals out of control, ending in a violent accident that leaves a man dead.

What follows is a rocky trajectory that sees István emigrate from Hungary to London, where he moves from job to job before finding steady work as a driver for London’s billionaire class. At each juncture, his life is affected by the goodwill or self-interest of strangers. Through it all, István is a calm, detached observer of his own life, and through his eyes we experience a tragic twist on an immigrant “success story,�� brightened by moments of sensitivity, softness, and Szalay’s keen observation.

Fast-paced and immersive, Flesh reveals István’s life through intimate moments, with lovers, employers, and family members, charted over the course of decades. As the story unfolds, the tension between what is seen and unseen, what can and cannot be said, hurtles forward until finally—with everything at stake—sudden tragedy again throws life as István knows it in jeopardy. Spare and penetrating, Flesh traces the imperceptible but indelible contours of unresolved trauma and its aftermath amid the precarity and violence of an ever-globalizing Europe with incisive insight, unyielding pathos, and startling humanity.]]> 368 David Szalay 198212279X Halls 0 to-read 3.95 2025
author: David Szalay
name: Halls
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
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]]> 216522659 From the award-winning, internationally acclaimed writer, a taut, elegiac novel about a man trying to uncover the truth about the father who left him behind

Steven Mills has reached a crossroads. His wife and son have left, and they may not return. Which leaves him determined to find out what happened to his own father, a brilliant, charismatic professor who disappeared in 1984 when Steve was twelve, on a wave of ignominy.

As Steve drives up the coast of California, seeking out his father’s friends, family members, and former colleagues, the novel offers us tantalizing glimpses into Steve’s childhood—his parents�� legendary pool parties, the black-and-white films on the backyard projector, secrets shared with his closest friend. Each conversation in the present reveals another layer of his father’s past, another insight into his disappearance. Yet with every revelation, his father becomes more difficult to recognize. And, with every insight, Steve must confront truths about his own life.

Rich in atmosphere, and with a stunningly sure-footed emotional compass, The Imagined Life is a probing, nostalgic novel about the impossibility of understanding one’s parents, about first loves and failures, about lost innocence, about the unbreakable bonds between a father and a son.]]> 288 Andrew Porter 0593538056 Halls 0 to-read 4.41 2025
author: Andrew Porter
name: Halls
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212994452 'A modern-day Mrs. Caliban, BLOB is a book that looks at identity and desire in profoundly interesting ways'
Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

A hilarious and moving debut novel about a young woman who decides to turn a sentient blob into her perfect boyfriend...

The daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother, Vi Liu has never quite fit into her Midwestern college town. Now at twenty-three, after getting dumped and dropping out of college, Vi works as a front desk attendant at a hotel where she refills cucumber water samovars and fends off overtures of friendship from her bubbly blond coworker, Rachel. But when Vi decides to accompany Rachel to a local drag show, her life changes forever. In the alley outside the bar, next to a trash can, is a blob with beady black eyes. Unable to leave it behind, Vi picks up the creature and, in a moment of drunken desperation, takes it home with her.

As her pet blob becomes sentient, Vi realizes it obeys her commands and she decides to mold the blob into her ideal partner. She feeds it sugary cereal and a stream of pop culture, and soon the creature transforms into a movie-star handsome white man. But as Vi's desire to be loved unconditionally threatens to spiral out of control, she is forced to confront her lonely childhood, the ex-boyfriend who has unfriended her, and the racial marginalization that has defined her relationships. Ultimately, Vi embarks on a journey of self-discovery and learns that it's impossible to control those you love.

Blending the familiar with the fantastical, BLOB tells a witty, heartfelt story of what it means to be human.

'An inventive, utterly unique debut'
Kimberly King Parsons, author of Black Light]]> 256 Maggie Su 0063358646 Halls 0 to-read 3.43 2025
author: Maggie Su
name: Halls
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205436018 Han Kang’s most revelatory book since The Vegetarian, We Do Not Part tells the story of a friendship between two women while powerfully reckoning with a hidden chapter of Korean history.

One winter morning, Kyungha receives an urgent message from her friend Inseon to visit her at a hospital in Seoul. Inseon has injured herself in an accident, and she begs Kyungha to return to Jeju Island, where she lives, to save her beloved pet—a white bird called Ama.

A snowstorm hits the island when Kyungha arrives. She must reach Inseon’s house at all costs, but the icy wind and squalls slow her down as night begins to fall. She wonders if she will arrive in time to save the animal—or even survive the terrible cold that envelops her with every step. Lost in a world of snow, she doesn't yet suspect the vertiginous plunge into the darkness that awaits her at her friend's house.

Blurring the boundaries between dream and reality, We Do Not Part powerfully illuminates a forgotten chapter in Korean history, buried for decades—bringing to light the lost voices of the past to save them from oblivion. Both a hymn to an enduring friendship and an argument for remembering, it is the story of profound love in the face of unspeakable violence—and a celebration of life, however fragile it might be.]]> 256 Han Kang 0593595459 Halls 0 to-read 3.88 2021
author: Han Kang
name: Halls
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
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]]> 213879518
On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.

From the New York Times—bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.]]> 352 Hafsah Faizal 1250824990 Halls 0 to-read 3.62 2024
author: Hafsah Faizal
name: Halls
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60628958 Celebrated children's author Kelly Leigh Miller (I am a Wolf; I Love My Fangs) teams with Avatar fandom favorite artist Diana Sim to bring young Avatar fans and their families this heartwarming tale of love, celebration, and friendship, in collaboration with Nickelodeon and The Last Airbender animated series writer Tim Hedrick.

Can you imagine not knowing your own birthday?

That's the situation for Aang, who was frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years! Luckily his friends Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Zuko have a plan to surprise him with a new special day to celebrate. But they'll have to be careful while they prepare—it's a surprise!]]> 48 Kelly Leigh Miller 150672664X Halls 3 comics, library, pre-2030 4.38 2023
author: Kelly Leigh Miller
name: Halls
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: comics, library, pre-2030
review:

]]> 208430658 Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

(Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation)]]> 430 M.L. Wang 0593873351 Halls 0 to-read 4.40 2023
author: M.L. Wang
name: Halls
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60400779 209 Baek Se-hee 152665086X Halls 2 3.25 2018
author: Baek Se-hee
name: Halls
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 216970882 A darkly funny debut novel about two estranged sisters who are unknowingly thrown together by their problematic father’s dying wish

Mickey and Arlo are half sisters. But they’ve never spoken and never met. Arlo adored her father—but always lived in the shadow of��his magnetic personality and burdensome vices. Meanwhile,��their father abandoned ​Mickey and her mother years ago, and Mickey has hated him since. When she receives news of her father’s passing, Mickey is shocked to learn that he’s left her his not-inconsiderable fortune. The Mickey must attend a series of therapy sessions before the money can be released.

Unbeknownst to either woman, the psychologist Mickey’s father has ensured she meets with is her half sister, Arlo. Having cared for her beloved father on his sickbed, Arlo is devastated to discover he’s cut her out of his will. She resolves to learn where the money went and why.

Working together as therapist and patient—with no idea that they’re in fact sisters—Arlo and Mickey soon get under each other’s skin. Arlo, eager to outrun a mistake in her professional past, is keen to redeem herself with her new client. But Mickey is far from the model patient. As Mickey’s personal and professional lives spiral out of control and Arlo uncovers the truth about who her new patient really is, the sisters find themselves on a crash course that will break—or save—them both.]]> 344 Morgan Dick 0593832264 Halls 0 to-read 3.84 2025
author: Morgan Dick
name: Halls
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
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]]> 203578826 How Victorian male doctors used false science to argue that women were unfit for anything but motherhood—and the brilliant doctor who defied them

After Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school, more women demanded a chance to study medicine. Barred entrance to universities like Harvard, women built their own first-rate medical schools and hospitals. Their success spurred a chilling backlash from elite, white male physicians who were obsessed with eugenics and the propagation of the white race. Distorting Darwin’s evolution theory, these haughty physicians proclaimed in bestselling books that women should never be allowed to attend college or enter a profession because their menstrual cycles made them perpetually sick. Motherhood was their constitution and duty.

Into the midst of this turmoil marched tiny, dynamic Mary Putnam Jacobi, daughter of New York publisher George Palmer Putnam and the first woman to be accepted into the world-renowned Sorbonne medical school in Paris. As one of the best-educated doctors in the world, she returned to New York for the fight of her life. Aided by other prominent women physicians and suffragists, Jacobi conducted the first-ever data-backed, scientific research on women's reproductive biology. The results of her studies shook the foundations of medical science and higher education. Full of larger than life characters and cinematically written, The Cure for Women documents the birth of a sexist science still haunting us today as the fight for control of women’s bodies and lives continues.]]> 336 Lydia Reeder 1250284457 Halls 0 to-read 3.99 2024
author: Lydia Reeder
name: Halls
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200196183 New York Times Bestseller
Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize
Shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year

A manifesto to change how you eat and how you think about the human body.

It’s not you, it’s the food.

We have entered a new age of eating. For the first time in human history, most of our calories come from an entirely novel set of substances called Ultra-Processed Food. There’s a long, formal scientific definition, but it can be boiled down to this: if it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen, it’s UPF.

These products are specifically engineered to behave as addictive substances, driving excess consumption. They are now linked to the leading cause of early death globally and the number one cause of environmental destruction. Yet almost all our staple foods are ultra-processed. UPF is our food culture and for many people it is the only available and affordable food.

In this book, Chris van Tulleken, father, scientist, doctor, and award-winning BBC broadcaster, marshals the latest evidence to show how governments, scientists, and doctors have allowed transnational food companies to create a pandemic of diet-related disease. The solutions don’t lie in willpower, personal responsibility, or exercise. You’ll find no diet plan in this book―but join Chris as he undertakes a powerful self-experiment that made headlines around the world: under the supervision of colleagues at University College London he spent a month eating a diet of 80 percent UPF, typical for many children and adults in the United States. While his body became the subject of scientific scrutiny, he spoke to the world’s leading experts from academia, agriculture, and―most important―the food industry itself. But more than teaching him about the experience of the food, the diet switched off Chris’s own addiction to UPF.

In a fast-paced and eye-opening narrative he explores the origins, science, and economics of UPF to reveal its catastrophic impact on our bodies and the planet. And he proposes real solutions for doctors, for policy makers, and for all of us who have to eat. A book that won’t only upend the way you shop and eat, Ultra-Processed People will open your eyes to the need for action on a global scale.]]> 416 Chris van Tulleken 1324076267 Halls 0 to-read 4.33 2023
author: Chris van Tulleken
name: Halls
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 28251093
In��Slow Dough: Real Bread, learn secrets from the campaign's network of expert bakers to make a huge array of exciting slow-rise breads at home. Whether you want to make a Caraway Seed Rye Bread, a Fougasse Flatbread, or an All-Butter Brioche, in these recipes you'll learn how to make different starters for different breads as well as the fundamental processes (many of which you can just sit and wait for): fermenting, kneading, first proof, last rising, and baking. In a world of mass-production and redundant additives, bread being among the worst offenders, this book about real craftsmanship is like a breath of fresh air.]]> 176 Chris Young 184899737X Halls 4 food, pre-2030 4.14 2016
author: Chris Young
name: Halls
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: food, pre-2030
review:

]]> 222490389 In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.

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

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

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

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

To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.]]> 1040 SenLinYu 0593972708 Halls 0 to-read 4.58 2025
author: SenLinYu
name: Halls
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004903
And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

A tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal—another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.]]> 384 Stacy Willingham 125088795X Halls 0 to-read 3.55 2024
author: Stacy Willingham
name: Halls
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 57753097
Delish.com speaks to food lovers who don’t fancy themselves chefs—and they do it through helpful, shareable recipes that are as fun to watch as they are to make. Now, they’ve crammed all of that insanity and entertainment into their first-ever cookbook. Inside, you’ll find more than 275 recipes and ideas that are meant to be devoured, not perfected—including Quesadilla Cake, Chicken Fried Cauliflower, and Cookie Dough Cheesecake—plus their best tips, tricks, and indispensable advice.]]> 416 Editors of Delish 0358682363 Halls 2 food, ku-and-prime, pre-2030 4.26
author: Editors of Delish
name: Halls
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: food, ku-and-prime, pre-2030
review:

]]> 33123864 320 Christine Mangan 0062686682 Halls 2 3.20 2018
author: Christine Mangan
name: Halls
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: audiobook, library, mysteries-and-thrillers, pre-2030
review:

]]> 211004135
One In a Millennial is an exploration of pop culture, nostalgia, the millennial zeitgeist, and the life lessons learned (for better and for worse) from coming of age as a member of a much-maligned generation.

Kate is a pop culture commentator and host of the popular millennial-focused podcast Be There in Five . Part-funny, part-serious, Kate navigates the complicated nature of celebrating and criticizing the culture that shaped her as a woman, while arguing that great depths can come from surface-level interests.

With her trademark style and vulnerability, One In a Millennial is sharp, hilarious, and heartwarming all at once. She tackles AOL Instant Messenger, purity culture, American Girl Dolls, going out tops, Spice Girl feminism, her feelings about millennial motherhood, and more. Kate’s laugh-out-loud asides and keen observations will have you nodding your head and maybe even tearing up.]]> 336 Kate Kennedy 1250874165 Halls 0 to-read 3.45 2024
author: Kate Kennedy
name: Halls
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004816
Ada adores spending every summer in a Turkish seaside town with her mother and grandmother at the family villa. The glittering waters, endless olive groves, and her spirited friends make it easy to leave her idle life in California behind. But no matter how much Ada feels she belongs to the country where her mother grew up, deep down, her connection to the culture feels as fleeting as the seasons.

When Levent, a mysterious man from her mother’s past, shows up in their town, Ada can’t help but imagine a different future for her mother―one that promises a return to home, to love, to happiness. But while playing matchmaker, Ada has to come to terms with her own intensifying attraction to Levent. Does the future she’s fighting for belong to her mother―or to her alone?

Lush and evocative, İnci Atrek’s Holiday Country is a rapturous meditation about what it means to experience being of two worlds, the limitations and freedom of a life in translation, and the intricacies of a love triangle that stretches across generations and continents.]]> 272 İnci Atrek 1250889480 Halls 0 to-read 3.50
author: İnci Atrek
name: Halls
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 197743 Why is Lady Sophia looking for a lover?
And could she seduce the most marriageable man in London?

Lady Sophia Sydney would do anything to ensnare the unattainable Sir Ross Cannon. Her goal: to ruin his reputation and cause a scandal that would be the talk of all London. So she insinuates herself into his life by gaining his trust and living in his house.

Every morning, her lush presence tempts him beyond all reason . . . the way she bends over the table to serve him the meals she has prepared . . . the way her hands oh, so gently—yet sensuously—brush against him. Every night, she promises with her eyes—and her body—that the hours before dawn could be spent in unbridled passion instead of restless sleep—if only he'd let her share his bed.

She knows he is falling more in love with her each day. But she never counted on falling in love with him. And she never dreamed he might very respectably ask for her hand in marriage.]]> 377 Lisa Kleypas 0380811065 Halls 2 3.94 2002
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Halls
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2002
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: audiobook, library, pre-2030, romance
review:

]]> 33253215 real Avery or at least that’s what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he ������’t a real Avery, then who is he?

Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead.

At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from �� and over his three score years and ten, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country and much more.

In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.]]> 582 John Boyne Halls 0 to-read 4.51 2017
author: John Boyne
name: Halls
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56271339
Pigeons are amazing, and until recently, humans adored them. We've kept them as pets, held pigeon beauty contests, raced them, used them to carry messages over battlefields, harvested their poop to fertilize our crops—and cooked them in gourmet dishes. Now, with A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching , listeners can rediscover the wonder. Equal parts field guide and quirky history, it covers Why they coo; how they flock; how they preen, kiss, and mate (monogamously); and how they raise their young (on chunky pigeon milk). Anatomy and identification, from Birmingham Roller to the American Giant Runt to the Scandaroon. Birder issues, like what to do if you find a baby pigeon stranded in the park. And our lively shared story together, including all the things we've taught them—Ping-Pong, for example. "Rats with wings?" Think again.

Pigeons coo, peck and nest all over the world, yet most of us treat them with indifference or disdain. So Rosemary Mosco, a bird-lover, science communicator, writer, and cartoonist, is here to give the pigeon's image a makeover, and to help every town- and city-dweller get closer to nature by discovering the joys of birding through pigeon-watching.]]> 240 Rosemary Mosco 1523511346 Halls 0 to-read 4.44 2021
author: Rosemary Mosco
name: Halls
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 52269471 For the first time, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower tells the inside story of the data mining and psychological manipulation behind the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit referendum, connecting Facebook, WikiLeaks, Russian intelligence, and international hackers.

Mindf*ck goes deep inside Cambridge Analytica's "American operations," which were driven by Steve Bannon's vision to remake America and fueled by mysterious billionaire Robert Mercer's money, as it weaponized and wielded the massive store of data it had harvested on individuals in--excess of 87 million--to disunite the United States and set Americans against each other through psychological manipulation. Bannon had long sensed that deep within America's soul lurked an explosive tension. Cambridge Analytica had the data to prove it, and in 2016 Bannon had a presidential campaign to use as his proving ground.

Christopher Wylie might have seemed an unlikely figure to be at the center of such an operation. Canadian and liberal in his politics, he was only twenty-four when he got a job with a London firm that worked with the U.K. Ministry of Defense and was charged putatively with helping to build a team of data scientists to create new tools to identify and combat radical extremism online. In short order, those same military tools were turned to political purposes, and Cambridge Analytica was born.

Wylie's decision to become a whistleblower prompted the largest data crime investigation in history. His story is both exposé and dire warning about a sudden problem born of very new and powerful capabilities. It has not only exposed the profound vulnerabilities and profound carelessness in the enormous companies that drive the attention economy, it has also exposed the profound vulnerabilities of democracy itself. What happened in 2016 was just a trial run. Ruthless actors are coming for your data, and they want to control what you think.]]> 288 Christopher Wylie 1984854631 Halls 0 to-read 4.35 2019
author: Christopher Wylie
name: Halls
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214152206 From rare book dealer and guest star of the hit show Pawn Stars, a page-turning literary adventure that introduces readers to the women writers who inspired Jane Austen—and investigates why their books have disappeared from our shelves.

Long before she was a rare book dealer, Rebecca Romney was a devoted reader of Jane Austen. She loved that Austen’s books took the lives of women seriously, explored relationships with wit and confidence, and always, allowed for the possibility of a happy ending. She read and reread them, often wishing Austen wrote just one more.

But Austen wasn’t a lone genius. She wrote at a time of great experimentation for women writers—and clues about those women, and the exceptional books they wrote, are sprinkled like breadcrumbs throughout Austen’s work. Every character in Northanger Abbey who ������’t a boor sings the praises of Ann Radcliffe. The play that causes such a stir in Mansfield Park is a real one by the playwright Elizabeth Inchbald. In fact, the phrase “pride and prejudice�� came from Frances Burney’s second novel Cecilia. The women that populated Jane Austen’s bookshelf profoundly influenced her work; Austen looked up to them, passionately discussed their books with her friends, and used an appreciation of their books as a litmus test for whether someone had good taste. So where had these women gone? Why hadn’t Romney—despite her training—ever read them? Or, in some cases, even heard of them? And why were they no longer embraced as part of the wider literary canon?

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf investigates the disappearance of Austen’s heroes—women writers who were erased from the Western canon—to reveal who they were, what they meant to Austen, and how they were forgotten. Each chapter profiles a different writer including Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, Charlotte Smith, Hannah More, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi, and Maria Edgeworth—and recounts Romney’s experience reading them, finding rare copies of their works, and drawing on connections between their words and Austen’s. Romney collects the once-famed works of these forgotten writers, physically recreating Austen’s bookshelf and making a convincing case for why these books should be placed back on the to-be-read pile of all book lovers today. Jane Austen’s Bookshelf will encourage you to look beyond assigned reading lists, question who decides what belongs there, and build your very own collection of favorite novels.]]> 464 Rebecca Romney 1982190248 Halls 0 to-read 4.47 2025
author: Rebecca Romney
name: Halls
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 43208407 ‘For a very long time, the days went by, each just like the day before, then I began to think, and everything changed��

Deep underground, thirty-nine women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only vague recollection of their lives before.

As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl - the fortieth prisoner - sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.]]> 188 Jacqueline Harpman 152911179X Halls 0 to-read 4.24 1995
author: Jacqueline Harpman
name: Halls
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221754310
Now he is. . .

Without a home

Waiting for his stand-up career to take off

Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking

Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story��

In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.]]> 336 Dolly Alderton 0593686950 Halls 0 to-read 3.69 2023
author: Dolly Alderton
name: Halls
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200883
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award •��“Enraging, enlightening, and invigorating,�� Backlash ��is, most of all, true.”�� Newsday

First published in 1991,�� Backlash ��made headlines and became a bestselling classic for its thoroughgoing debunking of a decadelong antifeminist backlash against women’s advances. A Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, Susan Faludi brilliantly deconstructed the reigning myths about the “costs�� of women’s independence—from the supposed “man shortage�� to the “infertility epidemic�� to “career burnout�� to “toxic day care”—and traced their circulation from Reagan-era politics through the echo chambers of mass media, advertising, and popular culture.��
��
As Faludi writes in a new preface for this edition, much has changed in the intervening The Internet has given voice to a new generation of feminists. Corporations list “gender equality�� among their core values. In 2019, a record number of women entered Congress. Yet the glass ceiling is still unshattered, women are still punished for wanting to succeed, and reproductive rights are hanging by a thread. This startling and essential book helps explain why women’s freedoms are still so demonized and threatened—and urges us to choose a different future.]]> 608 Susan Faludi 0307345424 Halls 0 to-read 4.03 1991
author: Susan Faludi
name: Halls
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213570810
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.]]> 432 Stuart Turton 1464221847 Halls 0 to-read 3.61 2024
author: Stuart Turton
name: Halls
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214151452 The long-awaited new novel from the author of global sensation Tender Is the Flesh: a thrilling work of literary horror about a woman cloistered in a secretive, violent religious order, while outside the world has fallen into chaos.

From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can find—discarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophe—cities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe.

But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried past—and what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why can’t she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened?

A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.]]> 192 Agustina Bazterrica 1668063700 Halls 0 to-read 3.75 2023
author: Agustina Bazterrica
name: Halls
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34536487
The ketogenic diet, a low-carb, high-fat way of eating, is remarkably effective at transforming people’s lives, helping them shed pounds and find relief from common health conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, depression, autoimmune diseases, and high blood pressure. No one knows this better than bestselling author Suzanne Ryan. In her quest to overcome her lifelong struggle with her weight, she stumbled upon the ketogenic diet and decided to give it a shot. In just one year, she lost more than 100 pounds and reclaimed control over her health and well-being.

Suzanne’s first book, Simply Keto , ������’t just a cookbook; it’s a portal into her life and dieting success. It makes you feel like you have a guide who really understands what you’re going through on your keto journey, and her aim is to help you get started without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. She’s honest and transparent about the details of her transformation—how she accomplished the incredible feat of losing almost 40 percent of her total body weight and developed a healthier and more balanced relationship with food, and how you can, too.

In this book, Suzanne shares everything you need to know to get started and find your own success. You’ll find

�� helpful advice for starting keto
�� grocery shopping tips
�� keto and weight loss FAQs
�� more than 100 easy recipes
�� a structured 30-day meal plan
�� guidance for living and thriving with the ketogenic lifestyle]]> 336 Suzanne Ryan 1628602635 Halls 2 pre-2030 4.23 2017
author: Suzanne Ryan
name: Halls
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: pre-2030
review:

]]> 29808469
Updated and expanded with all-new pages, commentary, and exclusive material, this book offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the work of two renowned fantasy artists, written through the eyes of their closest family member, providing Tolkien-lovers with a fantastic treasury of Lord of the Rings art.]]> 80 Greg Hildebrandt Halls 4 ku-and-prime, pre-2030 4.10 2001
author: Greg Hildebrandt
name: Halls
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: ku-and-prime, pre-2030
review:

]]> 199534697 A surprising and beautiful meditation on the color blue—and its fascinating role in Black history and culture—from National Book Award winner Imani Perry

Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, “What did I do to be so Black and blue?�� In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world’s favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology.

Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture, drawing deeply from her own life as well as art and history: The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterization of dark-skinned people as “Blue Black.�� The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers Perry plants to honor a loved one gone too soon.

Poignant, spellbinding, and utterly original, Black in Blues is a brilliant new work that could only have come from the mind of one of our greatest writers and thinkers. Attuned to the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, it is every bit as vivid, rich, and striking as blue itself.]]> 256 Imani Perry 0062977393 Halls 0 to-read 4.35 2025
author: Imani Perry
name: Halls
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004064
Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president of the United States, is often ranked among Americans�� most well-liked presidents. Yet what most Americans don’t know is that JFK’s historic presidency almost ended before it began—at the hands of a disgruntled sociopathic loner armed with dynamite.

On December 11, 1960, shortly after Kennedy’s election and before his inauguration, a retired postal worker named Richard Pavlick waited in his car—a parked Buick—on a quiet street in Palm Beach, Florida. Pavlick knew the president-elect’s schedule. He knew when Kennedy would leave his house. He knew where Kennedy was going. From there, Pavlick had a simple plan—one that could’ve changed the course of history.

Written in the gripping, page-turning style that is the hallmark of Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch’s bestselling series, this is a slice of history vividly brought to life. Meltzer and Mensch are at the top of their game with this brilliant exploration of what could’ve been for one of the most compelling leaders of the 20th century.]]> 304 Brad Meltzer 1250790573 Halls 0 to-read 4.08 2025
author: Brad Meltzer
name: Halls
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004894
"Kari Ferrell’s memoir is a zippy, intimate account of low-level trickery before the era of scams fully erupted." —The Atlantic

"Raw and riveting. With a combination of bruising vulnerability and self-deprecating humor, Ferrell’s audacious coming-of-age tale pairs the thrill of true crime with the redemptive arc of a good memoir. It’s a deliciously edgy testament to reinvention." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The compelling, edgy, compassionate, laugh-out-loud memoir from Kari Ferrell, formerly known as the "Hipster Grifter"

Before Anna Delvey, before the Tinder Swindler, there was Kari Ferrell. Adopted at a young age by a Mormon family in Utah, Kari struggled with questions of self-worth and identity as one of the few Asian Americans in her insulated community, leading her to run with the “bad crowd�� in an effort to fit in.

Soon, stealing from superstores turned into picking up men (and picking their pockets), and before she knew it, Kari graduated from petty theft to Utah’s most wanted list. Though Kari was able to escape the Southwest, she couldn’t outrun her new moniker: the Hipster Grifter.

New York City’s indie sleaze scene had found its newest celebrity—just as Kari found herself in a heap of trouble. Jail time, riots, bad checks, and an explosion of internet infamy and fetishization put her name in the spotlight. Beyond the gossip and Gawker posts, there’s a side to Kari the media never saw—until now.]]> 288 Kari Ferrell 1250288223 Halls 0 to-read 3.36 2025
author: Kari Ferrell
name: Halls
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214151601 The long-awaited new novel from the author of global sensation Tender Is the Flesh: a thrilling work of literary horror about a woman cloistered in a secretive, violent religious order, while outside the world has fallen into chaos.

From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can find—discarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophe—cities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe.

But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried past—and what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why can’t she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened?

A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.]]> 192 Agustina Bazterrica 1668051885 Halls 0 to-read 3.67 2023
author: Agustina Bazterrica
name: Halls
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004179 For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.

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

When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.]]> 352 Neena Viel 1250906326 Halls 0 to-read 3.28 2025
author: Neena Viel
name: Halls
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218695937 A novel about one woman’s fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.

Sara has just landed at LAX, returning home from a conference abroad, when agents from the Risk Assessment Administration pull her aside and inform her that she will soon commit a crime. Using data from her dreams, the RAA’s algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk of harming the person she loves most: her husband. For his safety, she must be kept under observation for twenty-one days.

The agents transfer Sara to a retention center, where she is held with other dreamers, all of them women trying to prove their innocence from different crimes. With every deviation from the strict and ever-shifting rules of the facility, their stay is extended. Months pass and Sara seems no closer to release. Then one day, a new resident arrives, disrupting the order of the facility and leading Sara on a collision course with the very companies that have deprived her of her freedom.

Eerie, urgent, and ceaselessly clear-eyed, The Dream Hotel artfully explores the seductive nature of technology, which puts us in shackles even as it makes our lives easier. Lalami asks how much of ourselves must remain private if we are to remain free, and whether even the most invasive forms of surveillance can ever capture who we really are.]]> 336 Laila Lalami 0593317602 Halls 0 to-read 3.69 2025
author: Laila Lalami
name: Halls
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211003759 In the tradition of Station Eleven, a literary thriller set partly on the roof of New York’s Museum of Natural History in a flooded future.

All the Water in the World is told in the voice of a girl gifted with a deep feeling for water. In the years after the glaciers melt, Nonie, her older sister and her parents and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, creating a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The rule: Take from the exhibits only in dire need. They hunt and grow their food in Central Park as they work to save the collections of human history and science. When a superstorm breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape north on the Hudson. They carry with them a book that holds their records of the lost collections. Racing on the swollen river towards what may be safety, they encounter communities that have adapted in very different and sometimes frightening ways to the new reality. But they are determined to find a way to make a new world that honors all they've saved.

Inspired by the stories of the curators in Iraq and Leningrad who worked to protect their collections from war, All the Water in the World is both a meditation on what we save from collapse and an adventure story—with danger, storms, and a fight for survival. In the spirit of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Parable of the Sower, this wild journey offers the hope that what matters most �� love and work, community and knowledge �� will survive.]]> 304 Eiren Caffall 1250353521 Halls 0 to-read 3.58 2025
author: Eiren Caffall
name: Halls
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
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]]> 210223811 Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.]]> 400 R.F. Kuang Halls 0 to-read 4.11 2025
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Halls
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
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]]> 220160814 Three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller.

Restauranteur Paddy Swann was the life of the party until the day a man pushed him in the path of an oncoming train, leaving his twenty-something daughter Ash and wife Nina devastated. Shortly after Paddy’s funeral, the two women receive a surprise in the mail: a note and package from Nick Ratcliffe, an old friend of Paddy’s, and a nondescript lighter that once belonged to him decades ago. This unexpected gift draws Nick and Nina closer together—much to Ash’s dismay.

Martha is a small-town florist with dreams of expansion. She lives with her second husband Al, her baby, and two sons from her prior marriage. But they never seem to have any money, and with his constant traveling for work, she feels like a single parent—especially when an emergency makes her realize something needs to change.

But Nick and Al may not be who they say they are, leading these three women on a shocking collision course, wishing they had heeded a warning: Don’t let him in.]]> 368 Lisa Jewell 1668033879 Halls 0 to-read 4.00 2025
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Halls
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
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]]> 220161576 In this razor-sharp, diabolical debut thriller, a young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life, only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.

Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.

Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.

Haunted by Chloe’s untimely death and struggling to fit into the privileged influencer circle, Julie faces mounting challenges during a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive group of influencer friends. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target.]]> 320 Liann Zhang 1668067897 Halls 0 to-read 3.90 2025
author: Liann Zhang
name: Halls
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213570821 From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...


]]> 480 Ashley Winstead 1728270006 Halls 0 to-read 3.76 2025
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Halls
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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