Cheri's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 30 Apr 2025 22:04:34 -0700 60 Cheri's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Wheel of the Infinite 204178957 A traitor and a swordsman join forces to save the world from being rewritten into devastation.

Every year the image of the Wheel of the Infinite must be painstakingly remade to ensure another year of peace and harmony for the Celestial Empire. Every hundred years the very fabric of the world must be rewoven. Linked by the mystic energies of the Infinite, the Wheel and world are one. But a black storm is spreading across the Wheel, reappearing each morning, bigger and darker than before, unraveling the beautiful and orderly patterns.

Maskelle, a murderer and traitor, has been summoned back to help put the world right with the assistance of the mysterious Rian, a swordsman of some renown. If they can’t find the source of the problems that plague the Wheel, the world may find its latest rotation is its last.]]> 357 Martha Wells 1250861381 Cheri 4 4.27 2000 Wheel of the Infinite
author: Martha Wells
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Naked Lunch 563798 Naked Lunch is the unnerving tale of a monumental descent into the hellish world of a narcotics addict as he travels from New York to Tangiers, then into Interzone, a nightmarish modern urban wasteland in which the forces of good and evil vie for control of the individual and all of humanity. By mixing the fantastic and the realistic with his own unmistakable vision and voice, Burroughs has created a unique masterpiece that is a classic of twentieth-century fiction.]]> 232 William S. Burroughs Cheri 4 general-fiction 3.29 1959 Naked Lunch
author: William S. Burroughs
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.29
book published: 1959
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: general-fiction
review:

]]> Wool - Holston (Wool, #1) 12287209
Or you'll get what you wish for.]]> 56 Hugh Howey Cheri 4 speculative-fiction, sci-fi 4.14 2012 Wool - Holston (Wool, #1)
author: Hugh Howey
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: speculative-fiction, sci-fi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forks Over Knives: Flavor!: Delicious, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Cook Every Day]]> 37845798
The 2011 documentary Forks Over Knives ignited a revolution, empowering people to live healthier and happier lives. The film revealed the indisputable link between the average American diet—heavy in meat, dairy, and refined foods—and heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. It also showed how, by focusing on a whole-food, plant-based diet, these chronic illnesses could not only be prevented, but sometimes even reversed. Through its meal plans, website, and New York Times bestselling cookbooks, Forks Over Knives has proven that a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes isn’t just good for you, it tastes good too.

Now, Forks Over Knives shows you how to take your whole-food kitchen to the next level, adding international flair to every meal. Forks Over Flavor! showcases dozens of recipes—all exclusive to this book—accompanied by eighty gorgeous photographs that capture the flavors of cuisines from around the world,

Black Bean Chilaquiles with Fire-Roasted Tomatillo SalsaMoo Shu Vegetable Wraps with Hoisin SaucePolenta Pizza with Summer Garden VegetablesPersian Yellow Split Pea and Eggplant StewThai Red Curry Noodles with Stir-Fry VegetablesGerman Marble Cake with RaspberriesSure to please health-conscious eaters and the most discriminating palates, these oil-free, plant-based riffs on culinary favorites teach readers new techniques and introduce them to heady spice blends and a wide range of ethnic traditions from around the globe. Convenient, affordable, and wildly creative, Forks Over Flavor! is a must-have for the health-conscious cook.]]> 367 Darshana Thacker 006265280X Cheri 4 cookbook
Merged review:

Much better than the basic FOK books! There is a solid section of basics (the Salvadoran Tortillas are so basic, and so excellent as a base carb for a meal...) and a wide variety of recipes. I have quite a few marked for immediate experimentation.]]> 3.81 Forks Over Knives: Flavor!: Delicious, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Cook Every Day
author: Darshana Thacker
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/14
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: cookbook
review:
Much better than the basic FOK books! There is a solid section of basics (the Salvadoran Tortillas are so basic, and so excellent as a base carb for a meal...) and a wide variety of recipes. I have quite a few marked for immediate experimentation.

Merged review:

Much better than the basic FOK books! There is a solid section of basics (the Salvadoran Tortillas are so basic, and so excellent as a base carb for a meal...) and a wide variety of recipes. I have quite a few marked for immediate experimentation.
]]> <![CDATA[Grimm's Fairy Tales: Household Stories from the Collection of the Bros. Grimm]]> 10729325 120 Jacob Grimm Cheri 2
I'll be taking a MOOC and this is the first reading. I'm looking forward to some perspective on why these are so beloved....

The art in this edition is great. ]]> 3.76 1812 Grimm's Fairy Tales: Household Stories from the Collection of the Bros. Grimm
author: Jacob Grimm
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1812
rating: 2
read at: 2013/05/14
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: fantasy, fairy-tale, short-stories
review:
So I know, I know. They're fairy tales. I thought I knew what fairy tales were.... But apparently not. I'm not sure I "get it...." So many of the stories have no point, no moral (or a bad moral!). The bad guy wins.... A lot. Sometimes the good guy wins. Stepmothers are bad.... Dads are idiots.... And kings often give away daughters.

I'll be taking a MOOC and this is the first reading. I'm looking forward to some perspective on why these are so beloved....

The art in this edition is great.
]]> <![CDATA[The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)]]> 18454478
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

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

The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.

18 audio discs (22 hr., 25 min.)]]> 23 Django Wexler 1470361477 Cheri 1 4.03 2013 The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)
author: Django Wexler
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 1
read at: 2019/01/22
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: audio, fantasy, speculative-fiction, dnf
review:
When I hit 2/3 through the audiobook and was still not interested, it was time to give up and move on. Nothing overtly bad about the book; it just was, a lump in my drive-time. Didn't swirl my sand, so to speak.
]]> <![CDATA[Millennium Approaches (Angels in America, #1)]]> 92250
The play is a complex, often metaphorical, and at times symbolic examination of AIDS and homosexuality in America in the 1980s. Certain major and minor characters are supernatural beings (angels) or deceased persons (ghosts). The play contains multiple roles for several of the actors. Initially and primarily focusing on a gay couple in Manhattan, the play also has several other storylines, some of which occasionally intersect.]]> 119 Tony Kushner 1559360615 Cheri 5 plays
I read this book and finished the last page with goosebumps racing their way across my arms. I was sad to see it done, and utterly thrilled that I have part two waiting on my bedstand.

This is a marvelous piece of writing. I haven't read many plays, pretty much restricted to Shakespeare so far, so I can't compare it to much else... not that I need to. Good writing is good writing, riveting storytelling, etc...

The characters in this play are wonderfully realized, completely separate from each other. I love Prior, of course, poor Prior (and half the source of my goosebumps!), poor Louis, poor Joe and Harper... I loved Belize, and Roy, well... Roy. You don't want a play where all the characters are lovable!

Highly recommended. This play prompted me to add "a play a year" to my yearly reading.]]> 4.27 1993 Millennium Approaches (Angels in America, #1)
author: Tony Kushner
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2014/06/06
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: plays
review:
I saw this play about a year ago, and loved it.

I read this book and finished the last page with goosebumps racing their way across my arms. I was sad to see it done, and utterly thrilled that I have part two waiting on my bedstand.

This is a marvelous piece of writing. I haven't read many plays, pretty much restricted to Shakespeare so far, so I can't compare it to much else... not that I need to. Good writing is good writing, riveting storytelling, etc...

The characters in this play are wonderfully realized, completely separate from each other. I love Prior, of course, poor Prior (and half the source of my goosebumps!), poor Louis, poor Joe and Harper... I loved Belize, and Roy, well... Roy. You don't want a play where all the characters are lovable!

Highly recommended. This play prompted me to add "a play a year" to my yearly reading.
]]> How Not to Diet 43252570
But HOW NOT TO DIET goes beyond food to identify twenty-one weight-loss accelerators available to our bodies, incorporating the latest discoveries in cutting-edge areas like chronobiology to reveal the factors that maximize our natural fat-burning capabilities. Dr. Greger builds the ultimate weight loss guide from the ground up, taking a timeless, proactive approach that can stand up to any new trend.]]> 608 Michael Greger 1250199247 Cheri 1 could-not-finish, diet 4.42 How Not to Diet
author: Michael Greger
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2021/12/31
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: could-not-finish, diet
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Longstocking, #1)]]> 52973177 The beloved story of a spunky young girl and her hilarious escapades.

Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking. She has red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a pet monkey named Mr. Nilsson. Whether Pippi's scrubbing her floors, doing arithmetic, or stirring things up at a fancy tea party, her flair for the outrageous always seems to lead to another adventure.]]> 160 Astrid Lindgren 0593117832 Cheri 5 4.19 1945 Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Longstocking, #1)
author: Astrid Lindgren
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1945
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/25
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Mindful Year: Daily Meditations: Reduce Stress, Manage Anxiety, and Find Happiness in Everyday Life]]> 122912459 Written by two experts in the field of cognitive behavioral therapy—the best tested set of practices for alleviating stress and anxiety—these daily meditations invite you to find contentment, peace, and happiness in place of worry and fear.

Each day’s reading reveals how the powerful tool of mindfulness can help you to become more grounded, energized, motivated, and satisfied with your life. You’ll discover in these pages how to be attentive and open to the present while calmly acknowledging and accepting your thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

The authors� deep expertise and clinical experience in the field of psychology lends scientific weight to the mindfulness practices found in this practical and inspirational guide. The daily entries in A Mindful Year will guide you to reconnect with core authenticity, compassion, gratitude, simplicity.

Each of the 365 readings leads with an uplifting quote from the likes of Kahlil Gibran, Maya Angelou, Alan Watts, Harper Lee, Thomas Merton, Alice Walker, Eckhart Tolle, Rumi, and the Dalai Lama—and is followed by reflections, anecdotes, and timeless insights on all aspects of daily living. Each entry concludes with an invitation, a call to action that will bring the mindfulness practice into your life in a meaningful way. As you spend time each day with the readings you will find yourself feeling less disconnected and empty, and more in tune with what matters most in your life

A Mindful Year is a book readers will turn to again and again as it becomes a daily companion in finding wisdom, love, connection, and joy.]]> 768 Aria Campbell-Danesh 1982502010 Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.40 2019 A Mindful Year: Daily Meditations: Reduce Stress, Manage Anxiety, and Find Happiness in Everyday Life
author: Aria Campbell-Danesh
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, #2)]]> 29453805
Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games--an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries--a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.]]> 16 Victoria E. Schwab Cheri 2 audio, fantasy
It was enjoyable enough, but I admit to resentment that it's a book that goes nowhere on its own merit. It's a long preamble.

I'll listen to the last one, though. It could be pretty good.]]> 4.10 2016 A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, #2)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2017/04/07
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves: audio, fantasy
review:
This book suffers from the classic "book two" problem: lots of set up for the finale and a significant absence of plot. This book was more rallying the troops rather than actually getting much done.

It was enjoyable enough, but I admit to resentment that it's a book that goes nowhere on its own merit. It's a long preamble.

I'll listen to the last one, though. It could be pretty good.
]]> Preacher, Book 1 5428776
After merging with a bizarre spiritual force called Genesis, Texan preacher Jesse Custer has become completely disillusioned with the beliefs to which he had dedicated his entire life. Now possessing the power of "the word," an ability to make people do whatever he utters, Custer begins a violent and riotous journey across the country. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend Tulip and the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy, Custer loses faith in both God and man as he witnesses dark atrocities and improbable calamities during his exploration of America.

This new collected edition features an all-new introduction by series writer Garth Ennis.]]> 335 Garth Ennis 140122279X Cheri 0 to-read, graphic-novel 4.41 2009 Preacher, Book 1
author: Garth Ennis
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves: to-read, graphic-novel
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease]]> 18833926 481 Daniel E. Lieberman Cheri 0 to-read 4.28 2013 The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease
author: Daniel E. Lieberman
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Aromatherapy for Menopause Success: 100 essential oil recipes to reclaim your vibrancy]]> 42618550 189 Angela Sidlo 1732562504 Cheri 0 4.33 2018 Aromatherapy for Menopause Success: 100 essential oil recipes to reclaim your vibrancy
author: Angela Sidlo
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[1,001 Home Remedies: Tips & Tricks for Natural Health & Beauty (1,001 Tips & Tricks)]]> 60153253 Simple, practical, and inspiring tips, recipes, and wellness advice. This practical and inspiring little book offers over 1,000 wellness tips for boosting your immune system, caring for burns and wounds, improving your complexion, reducing stress, and much more. Find simple and effective home remedies such To relieve a dry, irritating to 1/3 pt (200ml) boiling water, add the juice of 1 lemon, 2 tsp honey, ¼ tsp cinnamon, 1 clove garlic, and a sprig of rosemary. Stir well, cover and leave for 15 mins. Strain and sip slowly.To relieve eczema, steep ½ ounce (13 grams) chamomile flowers in 1 pint (600 milliliters) boiling water for 20 minutes and add to a bath.To relieve tension in the upper body, sit cross-legged, block the ears with your fingers. Breathe in, then breathe out making a humming soundto lengthen the exhalation. Repeat 10 times before going to bed.To remove makeup, coat the fingers with almond, sunflower, or avocado oil and spread evenly over the face and neck. Remove the oil with tissues.Saturate a black tea bag with warm water. Press over clean lips for 5 minutes. Repeat if desired. Black tea is high in tannic acid, retains moisture, and keeps lips smooth and taut.To give hair a shine, mash an over-ripe banana; combine with 3 drops of almond oil. Massage into dry hair, leave on for 15 minutes. Shampoo as usual.Many of the hints found here are the product of tradition passed from one generation to another.Theycover advice on care of the body from head to toe, a common sense approach to first aid and using medicines, recipes for non-toxic cleaning solutions, ways to alleviate common ailments with ingredients you probably already have on hand, and more.]]> 226 Mary Rose Quigg Cheri 0 to-read 5.00 1,001 Home Remedies: Tips & Tricks for Natural Health & Beauty (1,001 Tips & Tricks)
author: Mary Rose Quigg
name: Cheri
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Adult Coloring Book: Doodle Worlds: Adult Coloring Book (The Peaceful Adult Coloring Book)]]> 29563511
Doodle-art expert Lei Melendres brings his technique to these elaborate designs that will propel your imagination to new heights. No other book presents doodles quite like these! These globe-like images provide a variety of abstract arrangements; you will be astonished at the shapes, charming characters, and other elements that these illustrations are built around! Included are mandala-esque circles, spherical doodles, and more intricate spiraling illustrations that will absorb your stress and test the limits of your creativity.

In this book, you’ll
An introduction on the cognitive benefits of coloring
Forty-eight black-and-white designs for you to color
Palette grids to help you envision your color combinations
Perforated pages so your finished artwork can be removed and displayed

The designs of this coloring book have been created with a compelling and inventive style that will provide a whole new world of coloring for you. Whether you’re getting comfy at home or relaxing on your lunch break, these fun outlines are guaranteed to provide hours of artistic inspiration. Gather your colored pencils, or whatever medium you prefer, and let your mind wander free.]]> 104 Lei Melendres 1944686142 Cheri 3 4.33 Adult Coloring Book: Doodle Worlds: Adult Coloring Book (The Peaceful Adult Coloring Book)
author: Lei Melendres
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries]]> 34127174 138 Thich Nhat Hanh 1941529151 Cheri 0 4.68 The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries
author: Thich Nhat Hanh
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.68
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Automatic Writing Experience (AWE): How to Turn Your Journaling into Channeling to Get Unstuck, Find Direction, and Live Your Greatest Life!]]> 51607754 The Automatic Writing Experience, AWE, is like having the world's greatest coach right in your back pocket.Ever grabbed the steering wheel, and yanked it to the side, just in the nick of time?

Or ever picked up the phone to call someone, only to find they're already there!



Inside of each one of us, is an inner wisdom just waiting to come out. It's the voice that had you turn the wheel or pick up the phone.

And this inner knowing has the answers to your most pressing questions. Where do I go? What do I do? Why am I even here? Or even how do I get out of this mess?

The answers are closer than you think and with The Automatic Writing Experience (AWE), a revolutionary process to enter a meditative state, put pen to paper, and watch the words flow, you'll have access to this incredible wisdom anytime you want.

And the greatest thing is, you don't need any particular belief, spirituality, or even gift. This ability to tap in is available to everyone--especially you.

In AWE, you'll quickly and easily learn how to tune into this wisdom, get answers, find direction, and point your ship almost anywhere you desire.

You'll learn more about your life than you ever imagined!

And using AWE, you'll tap into the most powerful manifestation tool, putting the law of attraction into action, helping attract your dreams, and much more.]]> 287 Michael Sandler 1722524235 Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.10 The Automatic Writing Experience (AWE): How to Turn Your Journaling into Channeling to Get Unstuck, Find Direction, and Live Your Greatest Life!
author: Michael Sandler
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Year of Zen Mindfulness: Daily Practices and Meditations to Find Focus and Peace (A Year of Daily Reflections)]]> 61159249 Discover 365 days of Zen wisdom and inspiration for your mindfulness practice

Zen Buddhism is a spiritual practice that helps you eliminate distractions and live fully in the present moment. Whether you’re a devout Buddhist or just started practicing mindfulness, this book is filled with Zen prompts and practices for fostering greater focus and inner peace in your daily life.

Daily Zen—Find inspiration for your spiritual journey with focused guidance that highlights key elements of Zen Buddhism and mindfulness for each month of the year.Quick and meaningful exercises—Practice Zen mindfulness through a variety of affirmations, meditations, writing prompts, and Zen koans that only take 5 to 10 minutes.A flexible format—Work through each exercise in chronological order or flip through and find the practice that fits your feelings in the moment.

Instill peace and joy into each and every day with this calming Zen book.]]> 272 Alex Kakuyo 1638786577 Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.00 A Year of Zen Mindfulness: Daily Practices and Meditations to Find Focus and Peace (A Year of Daily Reflections)
author: Alex Kakuyo
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[365 Days of Empowerment: A Daily Prompt Journal for Women : Self Help | Love | Care | Mindfulness | Mom | Writing | Anxiety | Mental Health | Positive | Gratitude]]> 195464509
Key

365 Thoughtful Packed with questions designed to nurture self-reflection, this Kindle eBook journal provides a year's worth of daily prompts that focus on mental health awareness, love, and gratitude. Ideal for females seeking a unique diary experience, each prompt aims to inspire you toward self-improvement.Optimized for This eBook provides an interactive and non-dated personal diary experience. With easily navigable sections, it's a handy writing tool perfect for moms and women on the go.High-Quality Digital Created with durability and aesthetics in mind, the eBook features a blush pink color theme, adding a touch of femininity and elegance.Daily Guided This is more than just an eBook; it's a daily guided workbook that assists you in your journey of self-discovery. Each page gifts you with insights into your mental health, wellness, and overall happiness.A Year of Compassionate This eBook serves as your compassionate companion, guiding you through a year of thoughtful reflection and personal growth, making it a superb birthday gift or New Year's resolution tool for ladies.Perfect for Crafted with a focus on women's empowerment and self-care, this prompted Kindle eBook journal offers a confidential space for self-expression, hope, and happiness.Versatile Beyond diary writing, this eBook is a personal retreat for note-taking, setting life milestones, and offering therapy through the written word. It provides an extensive platform for your creativity.Whether marking a life milestone, welcoming the New Year, or planning a personal retreat, every day presents an opportunity for self-discovery and improvement with the Kindle eBook edition of "365 Days of A Daily Prompt Journal for Women." Are you prepared for this life-altering journey? Download your eBook today, and let your quest for self-love and empowerment commence!

( Please ensure to back up this eBook properly after writing to maintain its longevity. This product is not intended for children.)]]> 0 Danielle Fernandez Cheri 0 currently-reading 0.0 365 Days of Empowerment: A Daily Prompt Journal for Women : Self Help | Love | Care | Mindfulness | Mom | Writing | Anxiety | Mental Health | Positive | Gratitude
author: Danielle Fernandez
name: Cheri
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Change Your Brain Every Day: Simple Daily Practices to Strengthen Your Mind, Memory, Moods, Focus, Energy, Habits, and Relationships]]> 61357090
366 Days to a Better Brain, Mind, and Life!

In Change Your Brain Every Day psychiatrist and clinical neuroscientist Daniel Amen, MD, draws on over 40 years� clinical practice with tens of thousands of patients to give you the most effective daily habits he has seen that can help you improve your brain, master your mind, boost your memory, and make you feel happier, healthier, and more connected to those you love.

Incorporating Dr. Amen’s tiny habits and practices over the course of a year will help

Imagine what you could learn by spending every day for a year on a psychiatrist’s couch. In the pages of Change Your Brain Every Day , you’ll get a year’s worth of life-changing daily wisdom from Dr. Amen, one of the world’s most prominent psychiatrists.

Today is the day to start changing the trajectory of your life, one tiny step at a time.]]> 416 Daniel G. Amen 149645457X Cheri 0 currently-reading 3.92 Change Your Brain Every Day: Simple Daily Practices to Strengthen Your Mind, Memory, Moods, Focus, Energy, Habits, and Relationships
author: Daniel G. Amen
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time]]> 60422708 270 Annabel Abbs-Streets 0593419960 Cheri 0 currently-reading 3.90 2022 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time
author: Annabel Abbs-Streets
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When The Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm]]> 59134416 0 Layne Redmond Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.67 1997 When The Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm
author: Layne Redmond
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.67
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Alien Worlds: Color Cosmic Kingdoms]]> 61391805
Illustrator extraordinaire Kerby Rosanes is here with his most far-out book yet, Alien Worlds , the third installment in his brilliant, internationally bestselling Worlds series, in which he transports colorists back into the Kerby-verse, dreaming up new alien worlds drawn in his signature super-detailed style.

Welcome to the next astounding stop in Kerby's vast extraterrestrial worlds full of alien creatures and lush landscapes, Martian atmospheres, and lunar terrains. Vast worlds and encounters with creatures big and small.]]> 96 Kerby Rosanes 0593472101 Cheri 4 4.60 Alien Worlds: Color Cosmic Kingdoms
author: Kerby Rosanes
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Mythic World 58395040
Welcome to Kerby’s mythic world. Mythic World is a new, fantastic, and super-detailed adult coloring book from the prodigious bestselling illustrator. Colorists will find Kerby Rosanes's new creations to be hypnotic, with spread after dizzying spread featuring mythic creatures, magical landscapes, and surprise after surprise in the details of Kerby’s ultra-fine illustrations. This book blurs the line between familiar and magical, between reality and imagination.

Fans and newcomers alike will be thrilled with this 96-page book, providing an apparently endless coloring challenge for even his most dedicated and enthusiastic followers.]]> 96 Kerby Rosanes 0593186028 Cheri 4 4.77 Mythic World
author: Kerby Rosanes
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.77
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Worlds Within Worlds 51233085 From the internationally bestselling artist that brought you the Morphia series, this incredible coloring book includes 96 double-sided pages of pure imagination in an all-new Kerby Rosanes universe.

A new fantastic and super-detailed adult coloring book, in an entirely new world, from the prodigious bestselling illustrator. Colorists will find Kerby Rosanes's new creations to be hypnotic, with spread after dizzying spread featuring creatures, people, animals, and landscapes that blur the line between familiar and magical, between reality and imagination.

Fans will be thrilled to see Kerby return with this 96-page book, providing an apparently endless coloring challenge for even his most dedicated and enthusiastic fans.]]> 96 Kerby Rosanes 0593086236 Cheri 4 4.67 Worlds Within Worlds
author: Kerby Rosanes
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ivy and the Inky Butterfly: A Magical Tale to Color]]> 34043888
From coloring book queen Johanna Basford comes a new spin on the world of adult a lavishly illustrated fable about a little girl named Ivy who stumbles upon a secret door leading to the magical world of Enchantia. Ivy embarks on a quest through its many realms in pursuit of her inky butterfly, meeting whimsical characters and discovering many wondrous things along the way. A charming story that interacts playfully with beautiful, colorable artwork in Johanna's signature style, Ivy and the Inky Butterfly is a one-of-a-kind adventure for readers of all ages to customize, color, and cherish.

Printed on specially selected ivory paper. This paper has been specifically created for Johanna Basford’s coloring books. It has a medium tooth which is perfect for creating beautiful colored pencil effects or chalk pastel backgrounds but also wonderful for pens, which will glide effortlessly over its surface.]]> 120 Johanna Basford 0143130927 Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.54 2017 Ivy and the Inky Butterfly: A Magical Tale to Color
author: Johanna Basford
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing]]> 53238858 Our earliest experiences shape our lives far down the road, and What Happened to You? provides powerful scientific and emotional insights into the behavioral patterns so many of us struggle to understand.

“Through this lens we can build a renewed sense of personal self-worth and ultimately recalibrate our responses to circumstances, situations, and relationships. It is, in other words, the key to reshaping our very lives.�—Oprah Winfrey

This book is going to change the way you see your life.

Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question.

Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?� to “What happened to you?�

Here, Winfrey shares stories from her own past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. In conversation throughout the book, she and Dr. Perry focus on understanding people, behavior, and ourselves. It’s a subtle but profound shift in our approach to trauma, and it’s one that allows us to understand our pasts in order to clear a path to our future—opening the door to resilience and healing in a proven, powerful way.]]> 304 Bruce D. Perry 1250223180 Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.43 2021 What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
author: Bruce D. Perry
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia: Strategies to Take Back Your Life]]> 55610967 �Coming from one of the most reliable, respected health resources that Americans have, this book is the first one a newly diagnosed patient should consult.� —Publishers Weekly Drawing on decades of experience in treating fibromyalgia, this book can help people with this much-misunderstood condition return to a fulfilling, enjoyable life. From personal stories of patients to the compassionate expertise of its medical editors, this guide seeks to inform, first explaining what fibromyalgia is—and isn’t—and helps guide readers toward finding the best mix of research-supported strategies for managing their symptoms. Also included is an actionable daily plan that can be started right away. This · Defines fibromyalgia, describes what causes it, and lists the challenges it can pose · Outlines treatment options · Describes strategies for managing fibromyalgia · Provides steps toward working with your health care team and family and creating a daily action plan for managing symptoms]]> 353 Andy Abril 0795352778 Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.05 Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia: Strategies to Take Back Your Life
author: Andy Abril
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Big Fibromyalgia Coloring Book: Beautiful Illustrations and Inspirational Quotes: Coloring Book for Women]]> 122357043
This gorgeous book is filled with beautiful illustrations and inspirational quotes and makes the perfect gift for a loved one, friend, or family member suffering from this challenging condition. Coloring is a great way to relax and destress and can be a welcome distraction from fibromyalgia pain and fatigue.

The Big Fibromyalgia Coloring Book features an array of illustrations to color, from simple to complex � so there's something for everyone, no matter how you're feeling. So grab your favorite colors and let yourself get lost in this beautiful book! Additional ]]> 202 House of Health Cheri 4 4.00 The Big Fibromyalgia Coloring Book: Beautiful Illustrations and Inspirational Quotes: Coloring Book for Women
author: House of Health
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones]]> 59910150 The instant New York Times bestseller. Over 1 million copies sold!

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

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

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

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

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.]]> 306 James Clear 0735211299 Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.41 2018 Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
author: James Clear
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fibro Food Formula: A Real-Life Approach to Fibromyalgia Relief]]> 40407701 136 Ginevra Liptan 1982909293 Cheri 0 currently-reading 4.08 The Fibro Food Formula: A Real-Life Approach to Fibromyalgia Relief
author: Ginevra Liptan
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The three questions 36300967 New York Times and international bestseller The Four Agreements with this profound guide that takes us deeper into the tradition of Toltec wisdom, helping us find and use the hidden power within us to achieve our fullest lives.

In The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz introduced seekers on the path to enlightenment to the tenets of Mesoamerican spiritual culture—the ancient Toltec. Now, he takes us deeper into Native American practice, and asks us to consider essential questions that drive our lives and govern our spiritual power. Three eternal questions can help us into our power and use it judiciously:


Who am I?
What is real?
How do I express love?
At each stage in our lives, we must ask these simple yet deeply profound questions. Finding the answers will open the door to the next stage in our development, and eventually lead us to our complete, truest selves. But as Don Miguel Ruiz makes clear, we suffer if we do not ask these questions—or if we fail to pay attention to their answers—because we either never act on our power or use it destructively. Only when power is anchored in our identity and in reality will it be able to be in synch with the universe—and be of true benefit to ourselves and to others.

The three questions provide a practical framework that allows readers to engage with Ruiz’s transformative message and act as a vehicle for overcoming fear and anxiety and discovering peace of mind. An essential guide for all travelers pursuing self-knowledge, understanding, and acceptance, The Three Questions is the next step in our unique spiritual metamorphosis.]]> 198 Miguel Ruiz 0062391097 Cheri 4 3.78 2018 The three questions
author: Miguel Ruiz
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> The Shipping News 7354
A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary American family, The Shipping News shows why E. Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.
(back cover)]]> 337 Annie Proulx 0743225422 Cheri 2 3.88 1993 The Shipping News
author: Annie Proulx
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1993
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2023/10/31
shelves: general-fiction, national-book-award, want-to-read-again, pulitzer
review:

]]> Bream Gives Me Hiccups 26893741
Taking its title from a group of stories that begin the book, Bream Gives Me Hiccups moves from contemporary L.A. to the dorm rooms of an American college to ancient Pompeii, throwing the reader into a universe of social misfits, reimagines scenes from history, and ridiculous overreactions. In one piece, a tense email exchange between a young man and his girlfriend is taken over by his sister, who is obsessed with the Bosnian genocide ( This situation reminds be of a little historical blip called the Karadordevo agreement ); in another, a college freshman forced to live with a roommate is stunned when one of her ramen packets goes missing ( She didn't have "one" of my ramens. She had a chicken ramen ); in another piece, Alexander Graham Bell has teething problems with his invention ( I've been calling Mabel all day, she doesn't pick up! Yes, of course I dialed the right number�2! ).

In these forty-four stories, Eisenberg combines personal elements with highly imaginative settings, combining tenderness with a tragedy that lurks behind the jokey humor. The pieces, wryly amusing as single stories,become as a whole a touching exploration of the psychology of their protagonists.

United by Eisenberg’s gift for character, and grouped into chapters that open with illustrations by award-winning cartoonist Jean Jullien, the witty and moving pieces collected in Bream Gives Me Hiccups explore the various insanities of the modern world, and mark the arrival of a talented, self-ironic, and original writer.]]> 304 Jesse Eisenberg 0802125328 Cheri 2 audio, comedy, short-stories
That said, there are some pretty funny parts, and some really sad parts - so I laughed, and while I didn't cry I sure felt like offering characters a helping hand.

Two stars. It was an okay book, but didn't leave me wanting more than I'd already had.]]> 3.55 Bream Gives Me Hiccups
author: Jesse Eisenberg
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.55
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2017/08/26
date added: 2023/10/19
shelves: audio, comedy, short-stories
review:
Sometimes, a person is funny and really smart and enjoyable - but not enough of those three to pull off an entire collection of short stories. This collection has its pleasantly quirky - indeed, funny! - parts, but there are some pretty big flaws, in my eye. One is that often the joke gets pushed too far. Saturday Night Live does this, as does much sketch comedy, I think. A funny idea is funny only so long; eventually, after I've been hit over the head with the "You Laugh Now!" stick, I get bored and then irritated. That happened a couple times with this book. Another is that over-reliance on sarcasm gets old, really quick. I got a bit bored throughout this book.

That said, there are some pretty funny parts, and some really sad parts - so I laughed, and while I didn't cry I sure felt like offering characters a helping hand.

Two stars. It was an okay book, but didn't leave me wanting more than I'd already had.
]]> Lady Chatterley's Lover 49583709
With her soft brown hair, lithe figure and big, wondering eyes, Constance Chatterley is possessed of a certain vitality. Yet she is deeply unhappy; married to an invalid, she is almost as inwardly paralyzed as her husband Clifford is paralyzed below the waist. It is not until she finds refuge in the arms of Mellors the game-keeper, a solitary man of a class apart, that she feels regenerated. Together they move from an outer world of chaos towards an inner world of fulfillment.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theseries to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators.]]> 400 D.H. Lawrence 014303961X Cheri 3 general-fiction, bowie-100 3.48 1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover
author: D.H. Lawrence
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1928
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/10/18
shelves: general-fiction, bowie-100
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm]]> 21981650
From "The Frog King" to "The Golden Key," wondrous worlds unfold--heroes and heroines are rewarded, weaker animals triumph over the strong, and simple bumpkins prove themselves not so simple after all. Esteemed fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes offers accessible translations that retain the spare description and engaging storytelling style of the originals. Indeed, this is what makes the tales from the 1812 and 1815 editions unique--they reflect diverse voices, rooted in oral traditions, that are absent from the Grimms' later, more embellished collections of tales. Zipes's introduction gives important historical context, and the book includes the Grimms' prefaces and notes.

A delight to read, "The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm" presents these peerless stories to a whole new generation of readers."]]> 568 Jacob Grimm 0691160597 Cheri 0 4.23 1812 The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
author: Jacob Grimm
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1812
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves:
review:

]]> Flowers for Algernon 18306919 Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.

Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence-a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.

As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?

Catalog ID: Q2099, cover price $1. 25]]> 216 Daniel Keyes Cheri 5 speculative-fiction, nebula
Every once in a while, when I read the last page of a great novel, I want to cry. This book did that. I closed the book and my vision blurred. I had to take a little walk and clear my head. So powerful.

This book is pushing 55 years old - and is remarkably current. Keyes glosses over actual science enough that there are no glaring inaccuracies. It's enzymes!

I cant believe I didn't read this before now. ]]> 4.02 1966 Flowers for Algernon
author: Daniel Keyes
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at: 2014/09/15
date added: 2023/08/18
shelves: speculative-fiction, nebula
review:
While not a perfect novel, Flowers for Algernon is pretty dang close. I loved this book.

Every once in a while, when I read the last page of a great novel, I want to cry. This book did that. I closed the book and my vision blurred. I had to take a little walk and clear my head. So powerful.

This book is pushing 55 years old - and is remarkably current. Keyes glosses over actual science enough that there are no glaring inaccuracies. It's enzymes!

I cant believe I didn't read this before now.
]]> <![CDATA[If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit]]> 248954 179 Brenda Ueland 1555972608 Cheri 1 4.13 2012 If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit
author: Brenda Ueland
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2012
rating: 1
read at: 2013/03/28
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves: ebook-only, non-fiction, writing-books
review:
Meh. Nothing special. Worth what - the $1.99 I spent, but it's the same old psycho-babble. Didn't finish - got about 2/3 through and decided my time was better spent elsewhere.
]]> The Bridge 75495 The Bridge is Crane's major work. "Very roughly," he wrote a friend, "it concerns a mystical synthesis of 'America.' . . . The initial impulses of 'our people' will have to be gathered up toward the climax of the bridge, symbol of our constructive future, our unique identity."]]> 76 Hart Crane 0871402254 Cheri 0 4.10 1930 The Bridge
author: Hart Crane
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1930
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/22
shelves: to-read, bowie-100, verse-and-poetry
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Perdido Street Station: Tome 1]]> 2197587 434 China Miéville 2266165402 Cheri 4 fantasy 4.05 2000 Perdido Street Station: Tome 1
author: China Miéville
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/05/11
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[LOOM BEADING FOR BEGINNERS: A Complete Step–by–Step Guide to Learn the Patterns and Techniques of Bead Weaving on a Loom to Create Amazing Beadwork, and Designing Your Own Patterns]]> 61195923 With on–loom bead weaving, you can explore a whole new world of creative possibilities!
Elegant loom jewelry in unique, fascinating designs is simple and enjoyable to manufacture. You'll be surprised at how much you can do with just needles, thread, beads, and a basic loom. Learn how to set up and warp your loom so you can get started weaving beads right away.
This book has all of the necessary information for beginners, including loom information, supplies, frequently asked, and practice patterns.
So, get out your loom and begin beading!
]]> 127 Selena Atlas Cheri 5 5.00 LOOM BEADING FOR BEGINNERS: A Complete Step–by–Step Guide to Learn the Patterns and Techniques of Bead Weaving on a Loom to Create Amazing Beadwork, and Designing Your Own Patterns
author: Selena Atlas
name: Cheri
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/25
date added: 2023/04/25
shelves:
review:

]]> Wayward (Wanderers, #2) 59575941
Their secret destination: Ouray, a small town in Colorado that would become one of the last outposts of civilization. Because the sleepwalking epidemic was only the first in a chain of events that led to the end of the world--and the birth of a new one.

The survivors, sleepwalkers and shepherds alike, have a dream of rebuilding human society. Among them are Benji, the scientist struggling through grief to lead the town; Marcy, the former police officer who wants only to look after the people she loves; and Shana, the teenage girl who became the first shepherd--and an unlikely hero whose courage will be needed again.

Because the people of Ouray are not the only survivors, and the world they are building is fragile. The forces of cruelty and brutality are amassing under the leadership of self-proclaimed president Ed Creel. And in the very heart of Ouray, the most powerful survivor of all is plotting its own vision for the new world: Black Swan, the A.I. who imagined the apocalypse.

Against these threats, Benji, Marcy, Shana, and the rest have only one hope: one another. Because the only way to survive the end of the world is together.]]> 816 Chuck Wendig 0593158776 Cheri 0 to-read 4.17 2022 Wayward (Wanderers, #2)
author: Chuck Wendig
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Armistice (The Amberlough Dossier, #2)]]> 36480645 Armistice returns to Donnelly’s ravishing 1930s Art Deco-tinged fantasy world of Amberlough with a decadent, tumultuous mixture of sex, politics, and spies

In a tropical country where shadowy political affairs lurk behind the scenes of its glamorous film industry, three people maneuver inside a high stakes game of statecraft and espionage:

Lillian, a reluctant diplomat serving a fascist nation,

Aristide, an expatriate film director running from lost love and a criminal past,

—and Cordelia, a former cabaret stripper turned legendary revolutionary.

Each one harbors dangerous knowledge that can upturn a nation. When their fates collide, machinations are put into play, unexpected alliances are built, and long-held secrets are exposed. Everything is barreling towards an international revolt...and only the wiliest ones will be prepared for what comes next.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

]]> 400 Lara Elena Donnelly 1250173566 Cheri 5 audio, speculative-fiction
Armistice does move the story along, though, and I love how Cordelia becomes a political earthquake. And, "Mother's Tits" is now my favorite swear phrase.

Donnelly is a great writer, and Mary Robinette Kowal is an excellent reader. These stories just stick in my head and in my ear. ]]> 3.97 2018 Armistice (The Amberlough Dossier, #2)
author: Lara Elena Donnelly
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/06/20
date added: 2022/05/23
shelves: audio, speculative-fiction
review:
I am very much enjoying this series. Armistice doesn't carry the BANG of Amberlough, but it's a "second of the series...." I'm hoping the third installment brings things together. Without the push and pull between the leading men, there is less deliciousness in Armistice.

Armistice does move the story along, though, and I love how Cordelia becomes a political earthquake. And, "Mother's Tits" is now my favorite swear phrase.

Donnelly is a great writer, and Mary Robinette Kowal is an excellent reader. These stories just stick in my head and in my ear.
]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Illustrated Works of Lewis Carroll]]> 908419 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the best-loved and most famous children's book ever written in any language. For the first time all the illustrated works of Lewis Carroll have been brought together in one volume. All the illustrations which appear have been carefully reproduced from the 276 original drawings personally approved by the author over 80 years ago to illustrate his writings. Here are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass with John Tenniel's incomparable illustrations; Sylvie and Bruno and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded with, as Lewis Carroll described them, Harry Furniss's 'wonderful pictures'; The Hunting of the Snark with Henry Holiday's drawings complementing this poem of infinite humor; the American artist Arthur B. Frost's numerous and fine designs for A Tangled Tale, Phantasmagoria and other amusing poems. Concluding this unique collection is a rare reappearance of E. Gertrude Thomson's graceful engravings illustrating the Three Sunsets and other serious poems.

Lewis Carroll wrote books for children that, by their humor, logic and imaginative absurdity, also appeal to grown-up people. The matchless stories and poems collected here and published with their original, unforgettable illustrations truly make The Complete Illustrated Works of Lewis Carroll a book for all the family.
--front flap

Table of Contents
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Through the Looking Glass
Sylvie and Bruno
Sylvie and Bruno Concluded
A Tangled Tale
The Hunting of the Snark
Phantasmagoria and Other Poems
Three Sunsets and Other Poems]]> 864 Lewis Carroll 0907486215 Cheri 3 fantasy, general-fiction 4.23 1982 The Complete Illustrated Works of Lewis Carroll
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1982
rating: 3
read at: 2013/05/22
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: fantasy, general-fiction
review:
Read just Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Way less detailed than I remember.....
]]> <![CDATA[The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #2)]]> 22455777 The Tropic of Serpents . . .



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

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

The expedition is not an easy one. Accompanied by both an old associate and a runaway heiress, Isabella must brave oppressive heat, merciless fevers, palace intrigues, gossip, and other hazards in order to satisfy her boundless fascination with all things draconian, even if it means venturing deep into the forbidden jungle known as the Green Hell . . . where her courage, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity will be tested as never before.


At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.]]> 11 Marie Brennan Cheri 4 audio, speculative-fiction
While the first of this series is mostly a mystery, this novel is more of a classic adventure story. Our intrepid heroine ends up in the middle of a lot more politics and intrigue than she expected... which I think may be an ongoing theme for Lady Trent.

I appreciate that Lady Trent isn't some storybook heroine. She's arrogant (though generally unintendedly so, and she tries to make amends when she falls into these traps), she's stubborn. She's prone to risk, not nearly as motherly as society expects, and (gasp!) prefers to wear trousers when out in the field.

I fear that these novels may grow stale, though I'm looking to give #3 a shot before making that determination.]]> 3.92 2014 The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #2)
author: Marie Brennan
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/13
date added: 2022/03/20
shelves: audio, speculative-fiction
review:
3.5 of four.

While the first of this series is mostly a mystery, this novel is more of a classic adventure story. Our intrepid heroine ends up in the middle of a lot more politics and intrigue than she expected... which I think may be an ongoing theme for Lady Trent.

I appreciate that Lady Trent isn't some storybook heroine. She's arrogant (though generally unintendedly so, and she tries to make amends when she falls into these traps), she's stubborn. She's prone to risk, not nearly as motherly as society expects, and (gasp!) prefers to wear trousers when out in the field.

I fear that these novels may grow stale, though I'm looking to give #3 a shot before making that determination.
]]> The Forest Is Crying 54298690 32 Charles de Lint 1989741002 Cheri 3 4.50 2020 The Forest Is Crying
author: Charles de Lint
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/03/19
date added: 2022/03/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gwendy's Button Box (The Button Box, #1)]]> 34430839
There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974 twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong (if time-rusted) iron bolts and zig-zag up the cliffside.

At the top of the stairs, Gwendy catches her breath and listens to the shouts of the kids on the playground. From a bit farther away comes the chink of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball as the Senior League kids practice for the Labor Day charity game.

One day, a stranger calls to Gwendy: "Hey, girl. Come on over here for a bit. We ought to palaver, you and me."

On a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat like for a suit, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat...

Journey back to Castle Rock again in this chilling new novella by Stephen King, bestselling author of The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, and Richard Chizmar, award-winning author of A Long December.]]> 171 Stephen King 1587676109 Cheri 0 to-read 3.86 2017 Gwendy's Button Box (The Button Box, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2021]]> 58210662
� Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories?
� How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating?
� How can we live on our planet?
� Is it true? And is it fair?
� What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism?

In over fifty pieces Atwood aims her prodigious intellect and impish humor at the world, and reports back to us on what she finds. The roller-coaster period covered in the collection brought an end to the end of history, a financial crash, the rise of Trump and a pandemic. From debt to tech, the climate crisis to freedom, from when to dispense advice to the young (answer: only when asked) and how to define granola, we have no better guide than Atwood to the many and varied mysteries of our universe.]]> 496 Margaret Atwood 038554748X Cheri 0 to-read 4.08 2022 Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2021
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Trials of Koli (Rampart Trilogy, #2)]]> 51829857
Beyond the walls of Koli’s small village lies a fearsome landscape filled with choker trees, vicious beasts and shunned men. As an exile, Koli’s been forced to journey out into this mysterious, hostile world. But he heard a story, once. A story about lost London, and the mysterious tech of the Old Times that may still be there. If Koli can find it, there may still be a way for him to redeem himself � by saving what’s left of humankind.]]> 445 M.R. Carey 0356513491 Cheri 4
And I love the diversity of the cast of characters.]]> 4.23 2020 The Trials of Koli (Rampart Trilogy, #2)
author: M.R. Carey
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/25
date added: 2022/01/26
shelves: cli-fi, dystopian-writings, fantasy, speculative-fiction, adventure
review:
Really good for the second book in a trilogy. Adventure, brains, killer trees...

And I love the diversity of the cast of characters.
]]> The Eye of the Heron 250260
Luz understands what it means to have no choices. Her father is a Boss and he has ruled over her life with the same iron fist. Luz wonders what it might be like to make her own choices. To be free to choose her own destiny.

When the crisis over the new settlement reaches a flash point, Luz will have her chance.]]> 192 Ursula K. Le Guin 0765346125 Cheri 0 to-read 3.81 1978 The Eye of the Heron
author: Ursula K. Le Guin
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Remote Control 34215764 The new book by Nebula and Hugo Award-winner, Nnedi Okorafor.

"She’s the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. Beware of her. Mind her. Death guards her like one of its own."

The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa­­--a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.

Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks--alone, except for her fox companion--searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.

But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?]]> 156 Nnedi Okorafor Cheri 0 to-read 3.86 2021 Remote Control
author: Nnedi Okorafor
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Midnight Library 53568397
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.]]> 288 Matt Haig 0525559485 Cheri 3 4.16 2020 The Midnight Library
author: Matt Haig
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2022/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Urban Enemies 33549799 Villains have all the fun—everyone knows that—and this anthology takes you on a wild ride through the dark side! The top villains from seventeen urban fantasy series get their own stories—including the baddies of New York Times bestselling authors Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire, and Jonathan Maberry.For every hero trying to save the world, there’s a villain trying to tear it all down. In this can’t-miss anthology edited by Joseph Nassise (The Templar Chronicles), you get to plot world domination with the best of the evildoers we love to hate! This outstanding collection brings you stories told from the villains' point of view, imparting a fresh and unique take on the evil masterminds, wicked witches, and infernal personalities that skulk in the pages of today’s most popular series. The full anthology features stories by Jim Butcher (the Dresden Files), Kelley Armstrong (Cainsville), Seanan McGuire (October Daye), Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles), Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger), Lilith Saintcrow (Jill Kismet), Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville), Joseph Nassise (Templar Chronicles), Domino Finn (Black Magic Outlaw), Steven Savile (Glasstown), Caitlin Kittredge (Hellhound Chronicles), Jeffrey Somers (The Ustari Cycle), Sam Witt (Pitchfork County), Craig Schaefer (Daniel Faust), Jon F. Merz (Lawson Vampire), Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock), and Diana Pharaoh Francis (Horngate Witches).]]> 450 Joseph Nassise Cheri 3
That said, I enjoyed this bunch of stories quite a bit. I didn't skip any of them, although there were a couple that almost went unfinished. Overall, it was grand fun to see Harry Dresden's world from a different angle, not from his point of view. He could write a thousand spin-off stories from the pile of interesting characters that are in this series.

So, this was a fun treat when I found it at my library.]]> 4.09 2017 Urban Enemies
author: Joseph Nassise
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/12
date added: 2022/01/12
shelves: anthology, fairy-tale, short-stories, speculative-fiction, urban-fantasy, bad-guy-books
review:
Anthologies like this tend to be hit-and-often-miss for me.

That said, I enjoyed this bunch of stories quite a bit. I didn't skip any of them, although there were a couple that almost went unfinished. Overall, it was grand fun to see Harry Dresden's world from a different angle, not from his point of view. He could write a thousand spin-off stories from the pile of interesting characters that are in this series.

So, this was a fun treat when I found it at my library.
]]> <![CDATA[The Book of Koli (Rampart Trilogy, #1)]]> 51285749
Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He knows the first rule of survival is that you don't venture beyond the walls.

What he doesn't know is - what happens when you aren't given a choice?

The first in a gripping new trilogy, The Book of Koli charts the journey of one unforgettable young boy struggling to find his place in a chilling post-apocalyptic world.]]> 416 M.R. Carey 0316477532 Cheri 4
Something I look for in a novel is realistic character growth, and I liked that Koli is just ... lost. He finds himself in a world that he doesn't understand with people who function under rules he has a hard time fathoming. Koli is a kitten among stalking caracals. He's a reluctant hero for sure - and I'm looking forward to reading book two. ]]> 3.99 2020 The Book of Koli (Rampart Trilogy, #1)
author: M.R. Carey
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/11
date added: 2022/01/12
shelves: dystopian-writings, speculative-fiction
review:
I enjoyed this book immensely. There are a lot of post-apocalyptic stories out there, but this one is so far removed from our world that the references to today are often thought-provoking, sometimes funny. What makes a thing's name survive the cataclysm of time?

Something I look for in a novel is realistic character growth, and I liked that Koli is just ... lost. He finds himself in a world that he doesn't understand with people who function under rules he has a hard time fathoming. Koli is a kitten among stalking caracals. He's a reluctant hero for sure - and I'm looking forward to reading book two.
]]> <![CDATA[The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 Cheri 1 4.16 2018 The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2022/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Inland: A Novel 43062975 The New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger's Wife returns with a stunning tale of perseverance--an epic journey across an unforgettable landscape of magic and myth.

In the lawless, drought-ridden lands of the Arizona Territory in 1893, two extraordinary lives collide. Nora is an unflinching frontierswoman awaiting the return of the men in her life--her husband, who has gone in search of water for the parched household, and her elder sons, who have vanished after an explosive argument. Nora is biding her time with her youngest son, who is convinced that a mysterious beast is stalking the land around their home.

Lurie is a former outlaw and a man haunted by ghosts. He sees lost souls who want something from him, and he finds reprieve from their longing in an unexpected relationship that inspires a momentous expedition across the West. The way in which Nora's and Lurie's stories intertwine is the surprise and suspense of this brilliant novel.

Mythical, lyrical, and sweeping in scope, Inland is grounded in true but little-known history. It showcases all of Téa Obreht's talents as a writer, as she subverts and reimagines the myths of the American West, making them entirely--and unforgettably--her own.]]> 14 Téa Obreht 0449807053 Cheri 1 could-not-finish 3.40 2019 Inland: A Novel
author: Téa Obreht
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2019
rating: 1
read at: 2021/01/08
date added: 2022/01/08
shelves: could-not-finish
review:
Put me to sleep with every effort to read it.
]]> Hummingbird Salamander 36353367 Annihilation, a brilliant speculative thriller of dark conspiracy, endangered species, and the possible end of all things.

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

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

Hummingbird Salamander is Jeff VanderMeer at his brilliant, cinematic best, wrapping profound questions about climate change, identity, and the world we live in into a tightly plotted thriller full of unexpected twists and elaborate conspiracy.]]> 336 Jeff VanderMeer 0374719020 Cheri 0 to-read 3.44 2021 Hummingbird Salamander
author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/12/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder]]> 45031831
When Brian Doyle passed away at the age of sixty after a bout with brain cancer, he left behind a cult-like following of devoted readers who regard his writing as one of the best-kept secrets of the twenty-first century. Doyle writes with a delightful sense of wonder about the sanctity of everyday things, and about love and connection in all their spiritual love, brotherly love, romantic love, and even the love of a nine-foot sturgeon.

At a moment when the world can sometimes feel darker than ever, Doyle's writing, which constantly evokes the humor and even bliss that life affords, is a balm. His essays manage to find, again and again, exquisite beauty in the quotidian, whether it's the awe of a child the first time she hears a river, or a husband's whiskers that a grieving widow misses seeing in her sink every morning. Through Doyle's eyes, nothing is dull.

David James Duncan sums up Doyle's sensibilities best in his introduction to the "Brian Doyle lived the pleasure of bearing daily witness to quiet glories hidden in people, places and creatures of little or no size, renown, or commercial value, and he brought inimitably playful or soaring or aching or heartfelt language to his tellings." A life's work, One Long River of Song invites readers to experience joy and wonder in ordinary moments that become, under Doyle's rapturous and exuberant gaze, extraordinary.]]> 250 Brian Doyle 0316492892 Cheri 0 to-read 4.63 2019 One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder
author: Brian Doyle
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/12/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue]]> 50623864
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 Cheri 4 4.16 2020 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wild Revolve: Part 1 of Red Fox Runs]]> 34231613
What readers are

"Unlike any other poem book i've read. I love how the author dissect the regional and cultural struggles of living in New York City. I look forward to the next books of this poetry anthology."

"A pop culture gem! The poetry immersed on photos capture the essence of a young millennial's story. The poetry collection nicely display the author's coming of age story as he leaves his family to live in New York City."

"I found this coming of age collection to be a great poetry for young people and to be crucial look inside youth, the United States and the growing lack of family."]]> 91 Joseph Adam Lee 1946673951 Cheri 5 poetry 5.00 The Wild Revolve: Part 1 of Red Fox Runs
author: Joseph Adam Lee
name: Cheri
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2017/12/14
date added: 2021/09/25
shelves: poetry
review:

]]> Just Kids 7741657 Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame.]]> 306 Patti Smith 0060936223 Cheri 4 non-fiction, memoir
I wish you could do half-stars. It's not quite a five, but four is a touch too little.]]> 4.33 2010 Just Kids
author: Patti Smith
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2012/11/30
date added: 2021/07/07
shelves: non-fiction, memoir
review:
I really enjoyed this book. It was powerful, touching, alive.... Yes, they're both famous, but this isn't that story. It's about two friends.

I wish you could do half-stars. It's not quite a five, but four is a touch too little.
]]> The City Born Great 32304041 In this standalone short story by N. K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Season, the winner of this year's Hugo Award for Best Novel, New York City is about to go through a few changes.

Like all great metropolises before it, when a city gets big enough, old enough, it must be born; but there are ancient enemies who cannot tolerate new life. Thus New York will live or die by the efforts of a reluctant midwife...and how well he can learn to sing the city's mighty song.]]> 26 N.K. Jemisin Cheri 4 speculative-fiction 4.00 2016 The City Born Great
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/13
date added: 2021/04/05
shelves: speculative-fiction
review:
Enjoyable. Different from her other writings, and it took a moment to get on board with urban storytelling. I like the concept a lot.
]]> In the Midst of Winter 34623118 New York Times and worldwide bestselling “dazzling storyteller� (Associated Press) Isabel Allende returns with a sweeping novel about three very different people who are brought together in a mesmerizing story that journeys from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil.

In the Midst of Winter begins with a minor traffic accident—which becomes the catalyst for an unexpected and moving love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives. Richard Bowmaster—a 60-year-old human rights scholar—hits the car of Evelyn Ortega—a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala—in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn. What at first seems just a small inconvenience takes an unforeseen and far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor’s house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz—a 62-year-old lecturer from Chile—for her advice. These three very different people are brought together in a mesmerizing story that moves from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil, sparking the beginning of a long overdue love story between Richard and Lucia.

Exploring the timely issues of human rights and the plight of immigrants and refugees, the book recalls Allende’s landmark novel The House of the Spirits in the way it embraces the cause of “humanity, and it does so with passion, humor, and wisdom that transcend politics� (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post). In the Midst of Winter will stay with you long after you turn the final page.]]> 352 Isabel Allende 150117813X Cheri 0 to-read 3.58 2017 In the Midst of Winter
author: Isabel Allende
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Knitting: 25 Chic and Easy Patterns (Reference to Go)]]> 19247062 Get crafty wherever you are with this knitting guide featuring twenty-five fun and stylish projects you can make on the go!So long, bulky pattern books! Farewell, crinkled photocopies! Reference to Go makes it a cinch to knit in trains, planes, and automobiles, at church, at school—or even bellied up to the bar! Inside you’ll find twenty-five patterns that run the gamut from chic (Circle Wrap or Mohair Hoodie) to gifty (Baby Blocks and the Men’s Sweater) to homey (Cozy Throw Blanket and Chenille Pillow). Each project features step-by-step directions and a beautiful color photograph of the finished item.]]> 129 Kris Percival 1452133719 Cheri 2 Meh

These patterns are pretty basic and not especially inspiring. Sizing for the clothes is definately not size-inclusive. A disappointing book.]]> 2.67 2013 Knitting: 25 Chic and Easy Patterns (Reference to Go)
author: Kris Percival
name: Cheri
average rating: 2.67
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2021/03/26
date added: 2021/03/26
shelves:
review:
Meh

These patterns are pretty basic and not especially inspiring. Sizing for the clothes is definately not size-inclusive. A disappointing book.
]]> The Power 29751398 The Power the world is a recognizable place: There's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; and a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: They can cause agonizing pain and even death. With this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.]]> 341 Naomi Alderman 0670919985 Cheri 3 audio, speculative-fiction 3.75 2016 The Power
author: Naomi Alderman
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/03
date added: 2021/03/08
shelves: audio, speculative-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, #2)]]> 25300956
Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz’s hands—and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.]]> 675 Robin Hobb Cheri 0 fantasy 4.31 1996 Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, #2)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at: 2020/05/01
date added: 2021/03/08
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)]]> 34399908 Librarian Note: This is an alternate cover edition for: 9780553573398

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated like an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill--and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.]]> 435 Robin Hobb Cheri 4 fantasy 4.23 1995 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/01
date added: 2021/03/08
shelves: fantasy
review:
Classic fantasy. It's held up great over the years and is just a solid, fun story about people. In a land far, far away, of course. With abilities we don't have here in our reality.
]]> <![CDATA[Cold Days (The Dresden Files, #14)]]> 12216302
He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. After Harry had no choice but to swear his fealty, Mab wasn’t about to let something as petty as death steal away the prize she had sought for so long. And now, her word is his command, no matter what she wants him to do, no matter where she wants him to go, and no matter who she wants him to kill.

Guess which Mab wants first?

Of course, it won’t be an ordinary, everyday assassination. Mab wants her newest minion to pull off the impossible: Kill an immortal. No problem there, right? And to make matters worse, there exists a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could land Harry in the sort of trouble that will make death look like a holiday.

Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent the annihilation of countless innocents, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own . . . his soul.]]> 515 Jim Butcher 0451464400 Cheri 0 detective, urban-fantasy 4.47 2012 Cold Days (The Dresden Files, #14)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2020/04/01
date added: 2021/03/08
shelves: detective, urban-fantasy
review:

]]> Pride and Prejudice 604026 Pride and Prejudice. Spirited Elizabeth Bennet is one of a family of five daughters; with no male heir; the Bennet estate must someday pass to their priggish cousin Collins. Therefore, the girls must marry well--and the arrogant bachelor Mr. Darcy is Elizabeth's elusive match. An entertaining portrait of matrimonial rites and rivalries, Pride and Prejudice is timeless in its hilarity and its honesty; readers will immediately understand why Austen herself called the book "my own darling child." Margaret Drabble writes in her incisive introduction: "The elegance of this performance is almost beyond praise."
--back cover]]> 324 Jane Austen 0451525884 Cheri 3 general-fiction 4.37 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1813
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2021/02/06
shelves: general-fiction
review:

]]> Anna Karenina 151
«Nos capítulos iniciais de Anna Karénina, somos conduzidos, uma e outra vez, a um sentido de analogia musical. Há efeitos de contraponto e harmonia no desenvolvimento das principais tramas do “prelúdio Oblonski� (o acidente na estação ferroviária, a zombadora discussão sobre o divórcio entre Vronski e a baronesa Chilton, o deslumbramento do fogo vermelho diante dos olhos de Anna). O método de Tolstoi é polifónico; mas as harmonias principais desen- volvem-se com uma tremenda força e amplitude. As técnicas musicais e linguísticas não podem comparar-se de um modo exato. Mas como poderíamos elucidar de outro modo o sentimento de que as novelas de Tolstoi surgem de um princípio interior de ordem e vitalidade, enquanto as dos escritores menos importantes parecem alinhavadas?»

«Anna Karénina morre no mundo do romance; mas cada vez que lemos o livro ela ressuscita, e mesmo depois de o termos acabado adquire outra vida na nossa recordação. Em cada personagem literária existe algo da Fénix imortal. Através das vidas perduráveis das suas personagens, a própria existência de Tolstoi teve a sua eternidade.» [George Steiner, Tolstoi ou Dostoievski]]]> 838 Leo Tolstoy 0143035002 Cheri 4 general-fiction 4.11 1878 Anna Karenina
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1878
rating: 4
read at: 2010/01/01
date added: 2020/11/29
shelves: general-fiction
review:
This book brought me into 2010. I very much enjoyed it, though it took me forever to read. I bought this book after all the hype about this particular translation, and I'd recommend it.
]]> Leave the World Behind 50358031
Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they've rented for the week. But with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken. Ruth and G. H., an older couple who claim to own the home, have arrived there in a panic. These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and - with nowhere else to turn - they have come to the country in search of shelter.

But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple - and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilisation, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?]]> 241 Rumaan Alam 0062667637 Cheri 0 to-read 3.13 2020 Leave the World Behind
author: Rumaan Alam
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.13
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Madame Bovary 7945374 A literary event: one of the most celebrated novels ever written, in a magnificent new translation.

Seven years ago, the incomparable Lydia Davis brought us an award- winning, rapturously reviewed new translation of Marcel Proust's Swann's Way that was hailed as "clear and true to the music of the original" (Los Angeles Times) and "a work of creation in its own right" (Claire Messud, Newsday). Now she turns her gifts to the book that defined the novel as an art form.

When Emma Rouault marries dull, provincial doctor Charles Bovary, her dreams of an elegant and passionate life crumble. She escapes into sentimental novels but finds her fantasies dashed by the tedium of her days. Motherhood proves to be a burden; religion is only a brief distraction. She spends lavishly and embarks on a series of disappointing affairs. Soon heartbroken and crippled by debts, Emma takes drastic action with tragic consequences for her husband and daughter. When published in 1857, Madame Bovary was embraced by bourgeois women who claimed it spoke to the frustrations of their lives. Davis's landmark translation gives new life in English to Flaubert's masterwork.]]> 384 Gustave Flaubert 0670022071 Cheri 0 book-riot-zero-to-well-read 4.00 1856 Madame Bovary
author: Gustave Flaubert
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1856
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/10
shelves: book-riot-zero-to-well-read
review:

]]> A God in Ruins 25561334 Life After Life Ursula Todd lived through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. In A God in Ruins, Atkinson turns her focus on Ursula’s beloved younger brother Teddy � would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father � as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge will be to face living in a future he never expected to have.]]> 480 Kate Atkinson 0316176508 Cheri 0 to-read 4.01 2015 A God in Ruins
author: Kate Atkinson
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Carol 25622850
Based on a true story plucked from Highsmith's own life, Carol tells the riveting drama of Therese Belivet, a stage designer trapped in a department-store day job, whose routine is forever shattered by a gorgeous epiphany—the appearance of Carol Aird, a customer who comes in to buy her daughter a Christmas toy. Therese begins to gravitate toward the alluring suburban housewife, who is trapped in a marriage as stultifying as Therese's job. They fall in love and set out across the United States, ensnared by society's confines and the imminent disapproval of others, yet propelled by their infatuation. Carol is a brilliantly written story that may surprise Highsmith fans and will delight those discovering her work.

This authorized edition includes an afterword by Patricia Highsmith. Previously titled The Price of Salt.]]> 304 Claire Morgan 0393352684 Cheri 0 to-read 4.02 1952 Carol
author: Claire Morgan
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1952
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/06/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Greenwood 39328584
It's 2008 and Liam Greenwood is a carpenter, fallen from a ladder and sprawled on his broken back, calling out from the concrete floor of an empty mansion.

It's 1974 and Willow Greenwood is out of jail, free after being locked up for one of her endless series of environmental protests: attempts at atonement for the sins of her father's once vast and violent timber empire.

It's 1934 and Everett Greenwood is alone, as usual, in his maple syrup camp squat when he hears the cries of an abandoned infant and gets tangled up in the web of a crime that will cling to his family for decades.

And throughout, there are trees: thrumming a steady, silent pulse beneath Christie's effortless sentences and working as a guiding metaphor for withering, weathering, and survival.

A shining, intricate clockwork of a novel, Greenwood is a rain-soaked and sun-dappled story of the bonds and breaking points of money and love, wood and blood—and the hopeful, impossible task of growing toward the light.]]> 528 Michael Christie 1984822004 Cheri 0 to-read 4.34 2019 Greenwood
author: Michael Christie
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/05/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, #13)]]> 8449537 The eagerly awaited new novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series.

When we last left the mighty wizard detective Harry Dresden, he wasn't doing well. In fact, he had been murdered by an unknown assassin.

But being dead doesn't stop him when his friends are in danger. Except now he has nobody, and no magic to help him. And there are also several dark spirits roaming the Chicago shadows who owe Harry some payback of their own.

To save his friends-and his own soul-Harry will have to pull off the ultimate trick without any magic...

Watch a Video]]> 15 Jim Butcher 0142429066 Cheri 4 audio, urban-fantasy 4.08 2011 Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, #13)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/17
date added: 2020/04/23
shelves: audio, urban-fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Future of Another Timeline]]> 53099380 From Annalee Newitz, founding editor of io9, comes a story of time travel, murder, and the lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love.

1992: After a confrontation at a riot grrl concert, seventeen-year-old Beth finds herself in a car with her friend's abusive boyfriend dead in the backseat, agreeing to help her friends hide the body. This murder sets Beth and her friends on a path of escalating violence and vengeance as they realize many other young women in the world need protecting too.

2022: Determined to use time travel to create a safer future, Tess has dedicated her life to visiting key moments in history and fighting for change. But rewriting the timeline isn’t as simple as editing one person or event. And just when Tess believes she's found a way to make an edit that actually sticks, she encounters a group of dangerous travelers bent on stopping her at any cost.

Tess and Beth’s lives intertwine as war breaks out across the timeline--a war that threatens to destroy time travel and leave only a small group of elites with the power to shape the past, present, and future. Against the vast and intricate forces of history and humanity, is it possible for a single person’s actions to echo throughout the timeline?]]> 12 Annalee Newitz 125024353X Cheri 4 audio, speculative-fiction 3.57 2019 The Future of Another Timeline
author: Annalee Newitz
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/12/15
date added: 2020/04/10
shelves: audio, speculative-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles, #1)]]> 39863207 A Time Magazine Best Fantasy Book of 2018

L. Penelope's Song of Blood & Stone is a treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers.

The kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar have been separated for centuries by the Mantle, a magical veil that has enforced a tremulous peace between the two lands. But now, the Mantle is cracking and the True Father, ruler of Lagrimar and the most powerful Earthsinger in the world, finally sees a way into Elsira to seize power.

All Jasminda ever wanted was to live quietly on her farm, away from the prying eyes of those in the nearby town. Branded an outcast by the color of her skin and her gift of Earthsong, she’s been shunned all her life and has learned to steer clear from the townsfolk…until a group of Lagrimari soldiers wander into her valley with an Elsiran spy, believing they are still in Lagrimar.

Through Jack, the spy, Jasminda learns that the Mantle is weakening, allowing people to slip through without notice. And even more troubling: Lagrimar is mobilizing, and if no one finds a way to restore the Mantle, it might be too late for Elsira. Their only hope lies in uncovering the secrets of the Queen Who Sleeps and Jasminda’s Earthsong is the key to unravel them.

Thrust into a hostile society and a world she doesn’t know, Jasminda and Jack race to unveil an ancient mystery that might offer salvation.

Per Author: Special Earthsinger Edition is nearly 40K words longer than the original, hardcover edition and expands the storyline of an existing character but also brings you brand new characters and action. Jack and Jasminda's story is the same, but I hope you'll love Ella and Benn just as much!]]> 528 L. Penelope 1250306892 Cheri 0 to-read 3.68 2015 Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles, #1)
author: L. Penelope
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Stay Crazy 30790850
An evil entity is taking over the employees of Savertown USA, sucking out their energy so it can break into Escodex's dimension. When her coworkers start dying, Em realizes that she may be the only one who can stop things from getting worse. Now she must convince her therapist she's not having a relapse and keep her boss from firing her. All while getting her coworker Roger to help enact the plans Escodex conveys to her though the RFID chips in the Savertown USA products. It's enough to make anyone Stay Crazy.]]> 254 Erica L. Satifka 1937009432 Cheri 0 to-read 3.91 2016 Stay Crazy
author: Erica L. Satifka
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Great Book of Amber (The Chronicles of Amber, #1-10)]]> 5367 Alternate cover edition can be found here

Roger Zelazny's chronicles of Amber have earned their place as all-time classics of imaginative literature. Now, here are all ten novels, together in one magnificent omnibus volume. Witness the titanic battle for supremacy waged on Earth, in the Courts of Chaos, and on a magical world of mystery, adventure and romance.
--back cover]]> 1258 Roger Zelazny 0380809060 Cheri 0 to-read 4.31 1999 The Great Book of Amber (The Chronicles of Amber, #1-10)
author: Roger Zelazny
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Food for the Gods (Epikurean Epic, #1)]]> 15865064
Having been chopped up and served to the gods for tea, Pelops, Prince of Lydia, is kindly remade by the Olympian dinner guests and gifted with a talent for the culinary arts. But after heading for the bright lamps of Athens, Pelops discovers that life is not exactly golden for a celebrity chef in the golden age of Greece. Ruthless patrons and jealous rivals are bad enough, but when a couple of the less responsible gods offer to help him make a name for himself, Pelops begins to realize that when the gods decide they owe you a favour, you’d better start saying your prayers.]]> 422 Karen Dudley 0888014015 Cheri 0 to-read 4.10 2012 Food for the Gods (Epikurean Epic, #1)
author: Karen Dudley
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Riddle-Master of Hed (Riddle-Master, #1)]]> 92755 229 Patricia A. McKillip 0345331044 Cheri 0 to-read 4.00 1976 The Riddle-Master of Hed (Riddle-Master, #1)
author: Patricia A. McKillip
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1976
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Uncanny Valley 50639318 The prescient, page-turning account of a journey in Silicon Valley: a defining memoir of our digital age

In her mid-twenties, at the height of tech industry idealism, Anna Wiener—stuck, broke, and looking for meaning in her work, like any good millennial—left a job in book publishing for the promise of the new digital economy. She moved from New York to San Francisco, where she landed at a big-data startup in the heart of the Silicon Valley bubble: a world of surreal extravagance, dubious success, and fresh-faced entrepreneurs hell-bent on domination, glory, and, of course, progress.

Anna arrived during a massive cultural shift, as the tech industry rapidly transformed into a locus of wealth and power rivaling Wall Street. But amid the company ski vacations and in-office speakeasies, boyish camaraderie and ride-or-die corporate fealty, a new Silicon Valley began to emerge: one in far over its head, one that enriched itself at the expense of the idyllic future it claimed to be building.

Part coming-of-age-story, part portrait of an already bygone era, Anna Wiener's memoir, Uncanny Valley, is a rare first-person glimpse into high-flying, reckless startup culture at a time of unchecked ambition, unregulated surveillance, wild fortune, and accelerating political power. With wit, candor, and heart, Anna deftly charts the tech industry's shift from self-appointed world savior to democracy-endangering liability, alongside a personal narrative of aspiration, ambivalence, and disillusionment.]]> 9 Anna Wiener 1250261651 Cheri 3 audio, memoir, non-fiction 3.39 2020 Uncanny Valley
author: Anna Wiener
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/03/19
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: audio, memoir, non-fiction
review:

]]> Truth and Beauty 7763231 Autobiography of a Face, she wrote about losing part of her jaw to childhood cancer, years of chemotherapy and radiation, and endless reconstructive surgeries. In Truth and Beauty, the story isn’t Lucy’s life or Ann’s life but the parts of their lives they shared. This is a portrait of unwavering commitment that spans twenty years, from the long winters of the Midwest to surgical wards to book parties in New York. Through love, fame, drugs, and despair, this is what it means to be part of two lives that are intertwined--and what happens when one is left behind.]]> Ann Patchett 0641861672 Cheri 3 audio, memoir, non-fiction 3.68 2004 Truth and Beauty
author: Ann Patchett
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2020/03/10
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: audio, memoir, non-fiction
review:

]]> Ghost Wall 44006096
For two weeks, the length of her father's vacation, they join an anthropology course set to reenact life in simpler times. They are surrounded by forests of birch and rowan; they make stew from foraged roots and hunted rabbit. The students are fulfilling their coursework; Silvie's father is fulfilling his lifelong obsession. He has raised her on stories of early man, taken her to witness rare artifacts, recounted time and again their rituals and beliefs—particularly their sacrifices to the bog. Mixing with the students, Silvie begins to see, hear, and imagine another kind of life, one that might include going to university, traveling beyond England, choosing her own clothes and food, speaking her mind.

The ancient Britons built ghost walls to ward off enemy invaders, rude barricades of stakes topped with ancestral skulls. When the group builds one of their own, they find a spiritual connection to the past. What comes next but human sacrifice?

A story at once mythic and strikingly timely, Sarah Moss's Ghost Wall urges us to wonder how far we have come from the "primitive minds" of our ancestors.]]> 4 Sarah Moss 1250204801 Cheri 3 3.55 2018 Ghost Wall
author: Sarah Moss
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/03/26
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: audio, general-fiction, novella
review:

]]> In the Dream House 49670670
For years Carmen Maria Machado has struggled to articulate her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship. In this extraordinarily candid and radically inventive memoir, Machado tackles a dark and difficult subject with wit, inventiveness and an inquiring spirit, as she uses a series of narrative tropes—including classic horror themes—to create an entirely unique piece of work which is destined to become an instant classic.]]> 6 Carmen Maria Machado 1684572797 Cheri 5 audio, memoir 4.33 2019 In the Dream House
author: Carmen Maria Machado
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/24
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: audio, memoir
review:
A difficult memoir to hear, and so important to listen to. It's one of those pieces that will inform my thoughts and feelings from here on out.
]]> Men We Reaped 26722895 '...And then we heard the rain falling, and that was the drops of blood falling; and when we came to get the crops, it was dead men that we reaped.' Harriet Tubman

In five years, Jesmyn Ward lost five men in her life, to drugs, accidents, suicide, and the bad luck that can follow people who live in poverty, particularly black men. Dealing with these losses, one after another, made Jesmyn ask the question: why? And as she began to write about the experience of living through all the dying, she realized the truth--and it took her breath away. Her brother and her friends all died because of who they were and where they were from, because they lived with a history of racism and economic struggle that fostered drug addiction and the dissolution of family and relationships. Jesmyn says the answer was so obvious she felt stupid for not seeing it. But it nagged at her until she knew she had to write about her community, to write their stories and her own.

Jesmyn grew up in poverty in rural Mississippi. She writes powerfully about the pressures this brings, on the men who can do no right and the women who stand in for family in a society where the men are often absent. She bravely tells her story, revisiting the agonizing losses of her only brother and her friends. As the sole member of her family to leave home and pursue high education, she writes about this parallel American universe with the objectivity distance provides and the intimacy of utter familiarity.]]> 9 Jesmyn Ward Cheri 4 memoir, non-fiction, audio 4.17 2013 Men We Reaped
author: Jesmyn Ward
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/01
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: memoir, non-fiction, audio
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Changes (The Dresden Files, #12)]]> 7989708
Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power. Because Harry's not fighting to save the world...

He's fighting to save his child.
From the Publisher (Roc)

Length 15 hours 28 minutes]]> 16 Jim Butcher Cheri 5
I thoroughly enjoyed the rearrangement of the Harry faction of this universe. Changes indeed. Looking forward to the next book, so much. ]]> 4.54 2010 Changes (The Dresden Files, #12)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/01
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: audio, speculative-fiction, urban-fantasy
review:
I've been wondering how this series was going to remain interesting, given how bad-ass Harry has become. In true RPG fashion, DM Butcher goes ahead and introduces Harry and his buddies to a much bigger web of intrigue and danger.

I thoroughly enjoyed the rearrangement of the Harry faction of this universe. Changes indeed. Looking forward to the next book, so much.
]]> <![CDATA[BOSH!: Simple Recipes, Amazing Food, All Plants]]> 34996242
Want to cook ridiculously good plant-based food from scratch but have no idea where to start? With over 140 incredibly easy and outrageously tasty all plants meals, BOSH! will be your guide. Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, creators of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing plant-based platform, BOSH!, are the new faces of the food revolution.

Their online channels have over 2.3 million fans and constantly inspire people to cook ultra-tasty & super simple recipes at home. Always ensuring they stick to fresh, supermarket-friendly ingredients, BOSH! truly is "plant-based food for everyone".

In BOSH! Ian and Henry share over 140 of their favourite go-to breakfasts, crowd-pleasing party pieces, hearty dinners, sumptuous desserts & incredible sharing cocktails.

The book is jam-packed with fun, unpretentious and mega satisfying recipes, including Creamy Mac and Greens, Burrito Samosas, the Big Bhaji Burger, the World’s Best Pesto Lasagne, Satay Sweet Potato BOSH! Bowl, Spanish Beach Churros, Gooey PBJ Brownies and Salted Caramel Chocolate Crunch Tart, all easy enough to be rustled up any night of the week. It's enough to convince the staunchest of carnivores to give plants a whirl.

Whether you're already sold on the plant-based lifestyle or you simply want to incorporate more meat, dairy and egg-free meals into your week, BOSH! is your plant-based bible.

BOSH!]]> 291 Henry Firth 0008262918 Cheri 4 cookbook
Lots of very interesting recipes; I'd say about half appeal to me, which really is a pretty good ratio! Fun to read, great to look at. A nice cookbook!
]]> 4.19 2018 BOSH!: Simple Recipes, Amazing Food, All Plants
author: Henry Firth
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/07
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: cookbook
review:
***March 26, 2020: Reduced to three stars. I've tried maybe 5 of these recipes, and their hit/miss for me. Still well worth the read and I've learned a lot from the cookbook, but these are not recipes to "try for a nice dinner" if you really care that it's appealing to a variety of palates. ***

Lots of very interesting recipes; I'd say about half appeal to me, which really is a pretty good ratio! Fun to read, great to look at. A nice cookbook!

]]> <![CDATA[The China Study Family Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Bring Your Family to the Plant-Based Table]]> 34938885 The China Study and committed to a plant-based diet, convinced it's the best choice for your own health and well-being, not to mention the planet's. But now you need to successfully navigate the transition. And convince your family to do the same . . . or at least eat a few more veggies.

The China Study Family 100 Recipes and Resources to Bring Your Family to the Plant-Based Table is the family-friendly cookbook and guide you've been waiting for.

China Study Quick & Easy and Forks Over The Cookbook author Chef Del Stroufe's 100 easy, flavorful recipes--with family classics reinvented for today's health conscious

Mac & Cheese
Cream of Tomato Soup
White Bean and Squash Chili
Wheatberry Sloppy Joes
Meatball Subs
Hush Puppies
Creamed Corn Casserole
Breakfast Tacos
Biscuits and Gravy
Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Donuts

In addition to these better-for-you, even-tastier-than-the-original recipes, The China Study Family Cookbook

Stories from plant-based advocates (including China Study couthor T. Colin Campbell) whose whole families have adopted a plant-based lifestyle--and how they got their spouses and children on board
Strategies from "blended" families (where some members eat plant-based and some don't) for negotiating the family menu
Tips for getting your kids involved in the kitchen and fostering their love of plant-based cooking
Resources to make plant-based eating easier and even more rewarding for your family, no matter what your lifestyle

Edited by The China Study Cookbook author LeAnne Campbell, and with a foreword from China Study co-author and The Campbell Plan author Thomas M. Campbell II, MD, The China Study Family Cookbook is the ultimate guide to helping your family transition to the joys and benefits of plant-based eating.]]> 368 Del Sroufe 1944648127 Cheri 4 cookbook 4.77 The China Study Family Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Bring Your Family to the Plant-Based Table
author: Del Sroufe
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.77
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/01
date added: 2020/03/26
shelves: cookbook
review:
Lots of practical recipes; I've tried several, and so far so good. That's not always the case with whole foods/plant-based cookbooks, I've found!
]]> Utopia Avenue 52597312 The long-awaited new novel from the bestselling, prize-winning author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks.

Utopia Avenue is the strangest British band you’ve never heard of. Emerging from London’s psychedelic scene in 1967 and fronted by folk singer Elf Holloway, guitar demigod Jasper de Zoet, and blues bassist Dean Moss, Utopia Avenue released only two LPs during its brief, blazing journey from the clubs of Soho and drafty ballrooms to Top of the Pops and the cusp of chart success, and on to glory in Amsterdam, prison in Rome, and a fateful American fortnight in the autumn of 1968.

David Mitchell’s captivating new novel tells the unexpurgated story of Utopia Avenue; of riots in the streets and revolutions in the head; of drugs, thugs, madness, love, sex, death, art; of the families we choose and the ones we don’t; of fame’s Faustian pact and stardom’s wobbly ladder. Can we change the world in turbulent times, or does the world change us?]]> 574 David Mitchell 0812997433 Cheri 0 to-read 3.94 2020 Utopia Avenue
author: David Mitchell
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Untamed 52129515 Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.]]> 333 Glennon Doyle 1984801252 Cheri 0 to-read 3.98 2020 Untamed
author: Glennon Doyle
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-reader]]> 45892264 Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-reader is Vivian Gornick's celebration of passionate reading, of returning again and again to the books that have shaped her at crucial points in her life. In nine essays that traverse literary criticism, memoir, and biography, one of our most celebrated critics writes about the importance of reading--and re-reading--as life progresses. Gornick finds herself in contradictory characters within D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, assesses womanhood in Colette's The Vagabond and The Shackle, and considers the veracity of memory in Marguerite Duras's The Lover. She revisits Great War novels by J. L. Carr and Pat Barker, uncovers the psychological complexity of Elizabeth Bowen's prose, and soaks in Natalia Ginzburg, "a writer whose work has often made me love life more." After adopting two cats, whose erratic behavior she finds vexing, she discovers Doris Lessing's Particularly Cats.

Guided by Gornick's trademark verve and insight, Unfinished Business is a masterful appreciation of literature's power to illuminate our lives from a peerless writer and thinker who "still read[s] to feel the power of Life with a capital L."]]> 176 Vivian Gornick 0374282153 Cheri 0 to-read 3.71 2020 Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-reader
author: Vivian Gornick
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fuss-Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Food Favorites, Veganized: A Cookbook]]> 35523088 384 Sam Turnbull 0147530369 Cheri 4 4.24 Fuss-Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Food Favorites, Veganized: A Cookbook
author: Sam Turnbull
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/05
date added: 2020/03/05
shelves:
review:

]]> The Resisters 45835970 An audacious marvel of a novel about baseball and a future America, from the always inventive and exciting author of The Love Wife and Who's Irish

The time: a not-so-distant future. The place: AutoAmerica. The land: half under water. The Internet--the new face of government--is "Aunt Nettie": a mix of artificial intelligence, surveillance technology, and pesky maxims. The people have been divided, and no one is happy. The angel-fair "Netted" still have jobs and literally occupy the high ground, while the mostly coppertoned "Surplus" live on swampland if they're lucky, on the water if they're not.

The story: To a Surplus couple--he was a professor, she's still a lawyer--is born a Blasian girl with a golden arm. At two, Gwen is hurling her stuffed animals from the crib; by ten she can hit whatever target she likes with a baseball; her teens find her playing happily in an underground Surplus league. When AutoAmerica re-enters the Olympics-with a special eye on beating ChinRussia--Gwen attracts interest. Soon she's at Net U, falling in love with her coach and considering "crossing over," even as her mother is challenging the AutoAmerican Way with lawsuits that will prove very dangerous.

An astonishing story of an America that seems only too possible, and of a family struggling to maintain its humanity in circumstances that threaten their every value--even their very existence.]]> 301 Gish Jen 1984898221 Cheri 0 to-read 3.59 2020 The Resisters
author: Gish Jen
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis]]> 51285456
Calhoun decided to find some answers. She looked into housing costs, HR trends, credit card debt averages, and divorce data. At every turn, she saw a pattern: sandwiched between the Boomers and the Millennials, Gen X women were facing new problems as they entered middle age, problems that were being largely overlooked.

Speaking with women across America about their experiences as the generation raised to “have it all,� Calhoun found that most were exhausted, terrified about money, under-employed, and overwhelmed. Instead of being heard, they were told instead to lean in, take “me-time,� or make a chore chart to get their lives and homes in order.

In Why We Can’t Sleep, Calhoun opens up the cultural and political contexts of Gen X’s predicament and offers solutions for how to pull oneself out of the abyss—and keep the next generation of women from falling in. The result is reassuring, empowering, and essential reading for all middle-aged women, and anyone who hopes to understand them.]]> 267 Ada Calhoun 0802147852 Cheri 0 to-read 3.66 2020 Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis
author: Ada Calhoun
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11)]]> 7698424 15 Jim Butcher 1101052988 Cheri 4
Things are starting to get pretty dang complicated in Harry's world. The characters have all gotten so complex... the payoff for getting this far into the series is that everyone has changed... like real people.

Who do magic, and have fairy armies. Like that.]]> 4.30 2009 Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/12
date added: 2020/02/14
shelves: audio, detective, urban-fantasy
review:
I admit it. I'm simply a sucker for these books. They're fast-paced and fun. Light enough to be candy, but with enough substance to not give me high blood sugar.

Things are starting to get pretty dang complicated in Harry's world. The characters have all gotten so complex... the payoff for getting this far into the series is that everyone has changed... like real people.

Who do magic, and have fairy armies. Like that.
]]> <![CDATA[Vegan 100: Over 100 Incredible Recipes from Avant-Garde Vegan]]> 35398011 Vegan 100 is bold, vibrant and gorgeous. The emphasis in Gaz's 100 tempting vegan recipes is first and foremost on FLAVOR. From Deep Purple Soup to Sage and Smoked Chilli "Dog", through vegan "Fish and Chips" to Chocolate Tart and Raw Cacao "Cheesecake", it's all incredible-tasting food that just happens to be vegan. Delectable, beautiful and packed with dishes that are good for you, this is like no other vegan cookbook.]]> 224 Gaz Oakley 1787131246 Cheri 4 cookbook 4.15 2018 Vegan 100: Over 100 Incredible Recipes from Avant-Garde Vegan
author: Gaz Oakley
name: Cheri
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/07
date added: 2020/02/14
shelves: cookbook
review:
Really enjoyed reading this cookbook. I appreciate the large number of staple recipes. Recipes are clear and the layout of the book appealed to me.
]]> <![CDATA[Amnesty (The Amberlough Dossier, #3)]]> 51111916
Now, a rising politician is determined to bring Amberlough’s traitors to justice.

Including double agent Cyril DePaul.

Everyone believes Cyril deserves to suffer for his crimes... except an old lover and an estranged sister. Soon, they become entangled in another web of high-stakes politics, underground crime, and personal deceit. Only the most extreme actions can save them from the iron reach of the law, before it is too late.]]> Lara Elena Donnelly 1250203252 Cheri 4 audio, speculative-fiction A restful ending. 3.67 2019 Amnesty (The Amberlough Dossier, #3)
author: Lara Elena Donnelly
name: Cheri
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/27
date added: 2020/02/09
shelves: audio, speculative-fiction
review:
A restful ending.
]]>