Grack21's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 08 Apr 2025 19:55:13 -0700 60 Grack21's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Fool's Errand (The Tawny Man Trilogy #1)]]> 204134007
Then comes the summons he cannot ignore. Prince Dutiful, the young heir to the Farseer throne, has vanished. Fitz, possessed of magical skills both royal and profane, is the only one who can retrieve him in time for his betrothal ceremony, thus sparing the Six Duchies profound political embarrassment . . . or worse. But even Fitz does not suspect the web of treachery that awaits him—or how his loyalties will be tested to the breaking point.]]> 656 Robin Hobb 0593725395 Grack21 5 fiction, currently-reading 4.76 2001 Fool's Errand (The Tawny Man Trilogy #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.76
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: fiction, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Second Rebel (The First Sister Trilogy, #2)]]> 55711588
Astrid has reclaimed her name and her voice, and now seeks to bring down the Sisterhood from within. Throwing herself into the lioness� den, Astrid must confront and challenge the Aunts who run the Gean religious institution, but she quickly discovers that the business of politics is far deadlier than she ever expected.

Meanwhile, on an outlaw colony station deep in space, Hiro val Akira seeks to bring a dangerous ally into the rebellion. Whispers of a digital woman fuel Hiro’s search, but they are not the only person looking for this link to the mysterious race of Synthetics.

Lito sol Lucious continues to grow into his role as a lead revolutionary and is tasked with rescuing an Aster operative from deep within an Icarii prison. With danger around every corner, Lito, his partner Ofiera, and the newly freed operative must flee in order to keep dangerous secrets out of enemy hands.

Back on Venus, Lito’s sister Lucinia must carry on after her brother’s disappearance and accusation of treason by Icarii authorities. Despite being under the thumb of Souji val Akira, Lucinia manages to keep her nose clean…that is until an Aster revolutionary shows up with news about her brother’s fate, and an opportunity to join the fight.

This captivating, spellbinding second installment to The First Sister series picks up right where The First Sister left off and is a must-read for science fiction fans everywhere.]]> 512 Linden A. Lewis 1982127023 Grack21 5 fiction 4.22 2021 The Second Rebel (The First Sister Trilogy, #2)
author: Linden A. Lewis
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> Running Close to the Wind 195791197
To find a buyer with deep enough pockets, Avra must ask for help from his on-again, off-again ex, the pirate Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār. They are far from happy to see him, but together, they hatch a plan: take the information to the isolated pirate republic of the Isles of Lost Souls, fence it, profit. The only things in their way? A calculating new Araşti ambassador to the Isles of Lost Souls who’s got his eyes on Avra’s every move; Brother Julian, a beautiful, mysterious new member of the crew with secrets of his own and a frankly inconvenient vow of celibacy; the fact that they’re sailing straight into sea serpent breeding season and almost certain doom.

But if they can find a way to survive and sell the secret on the black market, they’ll all be as wealthy as kings―and, more important, they’ll be legends.]]> 448 Alexandra Rowland 1250802539 Grack21 0 fiction, dnf 4.05 2024 Running Close to the Wind
author: Alexandra Rowland
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: fiction, dnf
review:
oof. soft possibly hard dnf only 20 pages in. I hate the main character and want him to die and the humor just is not my thing.
]]> <![CDATA[Twenty Years After: A Sequel to The Three Musketeers (Musketeers Cycle, 3)]]> 43811253 The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas’s most famous and enduring novel, completed its serial publication in the summer of 1844, and by the time of its book publication at the end of that year readers were already demanding a sequel. They got it starting in January, 1845, when the first chapters ofTwenty Years Afterbegan to appear—but it wasn’t quite what they were expecting.

³Twenty Years Afteropens it is 1648: the Red Sphinx, Cardinal Richelieu, is dead, France is ruled by a regency in the grip of civil war, and across the English Channel the monarchy of King Charles I hangs by a thread. As d’Artagnan will find, these are problems that can’t be solved with a sword thrust. InTwenty Years After, the musketeers confront maturity and face its greatest challenge: sometimes, you fail. It’s in how the four comrades respond to failure, and rise above it, that we begin to see the true characters of Dumas’s great heroes.

A true literary achievement,Twenty Years Afteris long overdue for a modern reassessment—and a new translation. As an added inducement to readers, Lawrence Ellsworthhas discovered a “lost� chapter that was overlooked in the novel’s original publication, and is included in none of the available English translations to date—until now.


¾ٳTwenty Years AfterDumas’s Musketeers Cycle becomes a real ongoing series, beginning a long story arc that will be continued inThe Son of Milady,adventure following adventure until the final climax inThe Man in the Iron Mask.]]> 480 Alexandre Dumas 1643132024 Grack21 4 fiction 4.30 Twenty Years After: A Sequel to The Three Musketeers (Musketeers Cycle, 3)
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/10/09
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fable for the End of the World]]> 214466890 The Last of Us meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in this standalone dystopian romance about survival, sacrifice, and love that risks everything.

By encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society.

Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet.

Melinoë is a Caerus assassin, trained to track and kill the sacrificial Lambs. The product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she is a living weapon, known for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. She has never failed to assassinate one of her marks.

When Inesa learns that her mother has offered her as a sacrifice, at first she despairs—the Gauntlet is always a bloodbath for the impoverished debtors. But she’s had years of practice surviving in the apocalyptic wastes, and with the help of her hunter brother, she might stand a chance of staying alive.

For Melinoë, this is a game she can’t afford to lose. Despite her reputation for mercilessness, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on livestream, she desperately needs redemption.

As Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, both girls begin to question everything: Inesa wonders if there’s more to life than survival, while Mel wonders if she’s capable of more than killing.

And both wonder if, against all odds, they might be falling in love.]]> 448 Ava Reid 0063430010 Grack21 5 fiction 3.96 2025 Fable for the End of the World
author: Ava Reid
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A People's History of the United States]]> 25817436 "A wonderful, splendid book--a book that should be ready by every American, student or otherwise, who wants to understand his country, its true history, and its hope for the future." --Howard Fast

With a new introduction by Anthony Arnove, this edition of the classic national bestseller chronicles American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools—with its emphasis on great men in high places—to focus on the street, the home and the workplace.

Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History of the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of—and in the words of—America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles—the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality—were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.

Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history.]]> 688 Howard Zinn 0062397346 Grack21 0 to-read, history 4.47 1980 A People's History of the United States
author: Howard Zinn
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1980
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> Grave Empire 229706248 Blood once turned the wheels of empire. Now it is money.

A new age of exploration and innovation has dawned, and the Empire of the Wolf stands to take its place as the foremost power in the known world. Glory and riches await.

But dark days are coming. A mysterious plague has broken out in the pagan kingdoms to the north, while in the south, the Empire's proxy war in the lands of the wolfmen is weeks away from total collapse.

Worse still is the message brought to the Empress by two heretic monks, who claim to have lost contact with the spirits of the afterlife. The monks believe this is the start of an ancient prophecy heralding the end of days-the Great Silence.

It falls to Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador to an enigmatic and vicious race of mermen, to seek answers from those who still practice the arcane arts. But with the road south beset by war and the Empire on the brink of supernatural catastrophe, soon there may not be a world left to save . . .

Grave Empire is the first novel in an unmissable new epic fantasy series from Sunday Times bestselling author Rich Swan, packed full of action, intrigue and adventure]]> 528 Richard Swan 0356523861 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.20 2025 Grave Empire
author: Richard Swan
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Emberclaw (Dragon Scales, #2) 195830806
The final book in a new romance epic fantasy duology, in which long-banished dragons, revered as gods, return to the mortal realm—a perfect read for your next book club!

Arcady faces their greatest heist yet: posing as a noble student at the arcane University of Vatra. When the University announces the reinstatement of archaic trials of magic, the ever-penniless Arcady seizes the chance. If they win, they not only prove their worth, but the scholarship will give them more time to unlock secrets and reveal, once and for all, that their grandsire was not the Plaguebringer. Yet grief still leaves Arcady broken, and when they close their eyes, they dream of a certain dragon.

Everen, once the hope of dragons, is now hated by his kind. When he is eventually released from his prison, the Queen is clear: while he may help protect the island from wraith attacks, he is no longer a prince of the realm. As he struggles to find his place in Vere Celene, visions of the past, the future, and tantalizing glimpses of Arcady still haunt him. If he steers the wrong path through fate’s storm, he may never be able to create a future where both humans and dragons live in harmony.

Arcady soon realizes that to survive the rising threats from both their old life and their new one, they must use every trick at their disposal—even magic stolen from a dragon they thought dead. And as time runs out before an ancient danger awakens, Everen must fight his way back to Arcady, earn their forgiveness, and learn what it truly means to be an Emberclaw.

Explore the world of the Dragon Scales duology with bonus content, including historical timeline, glossary, and illustrated map!]]> 400 L.R. Lam 0756418445 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.19 Emberclaw (Dragon Scales, #2)
author: L.R. Lam
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hidden Warrior (The Tamír Triad, #2)]]> 8177304
As the only living child of Erius's dead sister, Prince Tobin is second in line to the throne. But he is not what he seems. To protect him from the paranoid assassinations ordered by his uncle, Tobin's identity was disguised shortly after birth. But now, with the onset of puberty, Tobin has discovered his true self -- she is the rightful heir to the throne.

At court, Tobin and his loyal squire Ki form part of Crown Prince Korin's inner circle. Tobin is forced to live a lie, deceiving not only his potential enemies but also his closest friends. But soon the time will come when Skala will have need of her true Queen.

And as plague ravages the land, ancient enemies threaten war and the wizards who have traditionally protected Skala are mercilessly persecuted, it seems that day may be drawing near. Tobin must be ready to reveal her true identity and serve her country, whatever the personal cost.]]> 578 Lynn Flewelling Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.34 2003 Hidden Warrior (The Tamír Triad, #2)
author: Lynn Flewelling
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bone Doll's Twin (The Tamír Triad, #1)]]> 8190383
Dark Magic, Hidden Destiny

For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half sister’s throne.

Now plague and drought stalk the land, war with Skala’s ancient rival Plenimar drains the country’s lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has become a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line � and from Illior’s faithful, who spread the Oracle’s words to a doubting populace.

As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king’s nephew � his sister’s only child � grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess’s daughter, given male form by a dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny.

Only Tobin’s noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobin from a king’s wrath, a mother’s madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother’s demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder....]]> 545 Lynn Flewelling Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.31 2001 The Bone Doll's Twin (The Tamír Triad, #1)
author: Lynn Flewelling
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Martian Contingency (Lady Astronaut Universe #4)]]> 211004140
The next step � Mars.

Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, lands on the Red Planet, optimistic about preparing for the first true wave of inhabitants. The mission objective is more than just building the infrastructure of a habitat � they are trying to preserve the many cultures and nuances of life on Earth without importing the hate.

But from the moment she arrives, something is off.

Disturbing signs hint at a hidden disaster during the First Mars Expedition that never made it into the official transcript. As Elma and her crew try to investigate, they face a wall of silence and obfuscation. Their attempts to build a thriving Martian community grind to a halt.

What you don’t know CAN harm you. And if the truth doesn’t come to light, the ripple effects could leave humanity stranded on a dying Earth…]]> 400 Mary Robinette Kowal 125023705X Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.20 2025 The Martian Contingency (Lady Astronaut Universe #4)
author: Mary Robinette Kowal
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Centre 209965143 A darkly comic, boundary-pushing debut following an adrift Pakistani translator in London who attends a mysterious language school which boasts complete fluency in just ten days, but at a secret, sinister cost.

Anisa Ellahi dreams of being a translator of ‘great works of literature�, but instead mostly spends her days subtitling Bollywood films in her flat in London while living off her parents� generous allowance and discussing the ‘underside of life� with her best friend, Naima. Then she meets Adam, who has successfully leveraged his savant-level aptitude for languages into an enviable career. At first, this only adds to her sense of inadequacy, but when Adam learns to speak Urdu with native fluency practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret.

Adam tells Anisa about the Centre, an elite, invite-only program that guarantees absolute fluency in any language in just ten days. Sceptical but intrigued, Anisa enrols. Stripped of her belongings and all contact with the outside world, she undergoes the Centre's strange and rigorous processes. But as she enmeshes herself further within the organisation, seduced by all that it’s made possible, she soon realizes the disturbing, hidden cost of its services.

By turns dark, funny, and surreal, and with twists page-turning and shocking, The Centre takes the reader on a journey through Karachi, London, and New Delhi, interrogating the sticky politics of language, translation, and appropriation with biting specificity, and ultimately asking: what price would you be willing to pay for success?]]> 288 Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi 1638931623 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.29 2023 The Centre
author: Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.29
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wonder Engine (Clocktaur War #2)]]> 39794752
What could possibly go wrong?

In the sequel to CLOCKWORK BOYS, Slate, Brenner, Caliban and Learned Edmund have arrived in Anuket City, the source of the mysterious Clockwork Boys. But the secrets they're keeping could well destroy them, before the city even gets the chance...]]> 316 T. Kingfisher 1614504172 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.24 2018 The Wonder Engine (Clocktaur War #2)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paladin's Faith (The Saint of Steel, #4)]]> 202512719
Shane is a paladin with three problems. His god is dead, his client is much too attractive for his peace of mind, and a powerful organization is trying to have them both killed.

Add in a brilliant artificer with a device that may change the world, a glittering and dangerous court, and a demon-led cult, and Shane and Marguerite will be lucky to escape with their souls intact, never mind their hearts…]]> 422 T. Kingfisher 1614506094 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.25 2023 Paladin's Faith (The Saint of Steel, #4)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Keeper of Magical Things 223854454 An almost-mage discovers friendship—and maybe something more—in the unlikeliest of places in this delightfully charming novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes.

Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful—to the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice, to the little brother who depends on her, and to anyone else she can help. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn’t proven much use to anyone. When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she takes it. Nevermind that she’ll have to work with Mage Aurelia, the brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who’s managed to alienate everyone around her.

The two must transport minorly magical artifacts somewhere Shpelling, the dullest, least magical village around. There, they must fix up an old warehouse, separate the gossipy teapots from the kind-of-flaming swords, and above avoid complications. The Guild’s uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing needed is a magical incident.

Still, as mage and novice come to know Shpelling’s residents—and each other—they realize the Guild’s hoarded magic might do more good being shared. Friendships blossom while Certainty and Aurelia work to make Shpelling the haven it could be. But magic is fickle—add attraction and it might spell trouble.]]> 336 Julie Leong 0593815947 Grack21 0 to-read 5.00 2025 The Keeper of Magical Things
author: Julie Leong
name: Grack21
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Teller of Small Fortunes 207611551 A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences�

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.]]> 336 Julie Leong 0593815912 Grack21 5 fiction 3.82 2024 The Teller of Small Fortunes
author: Julie Leong
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Warlords of Wyrdwood (Forsaken #2)]]> 204593584 "You fear the forest.. It is not foolish." His words rang like bells in the clearing, each face reacting to their din. "But the forest does not hate you, it does not hunt you. It simply does not care about you."

From British Fantasy Award-winning author RJ Barker comes the second installment in a new epic fantasy trilogy set in a forest straight out of darkest folklore with outlaws fighting an evil empire and warring deities.

The Forester known as Cahan led the village of Harn in rebellion against the all-powerful, oppressive forces of the Rai. A great victory was won, but to avoid retaliation he must lead the people of Harn into the Wyrdwood.

Cahan never wanted this responsibility, but fate has its eye on him, and without him the people will be helpless against the terrors of the forest.
But in the ground of Crua, a dark god is growing in power using the strength of decay. It is something new, something worse than the magics of the Rai, and it has its claws in Cahan. The people of Harn need him, and they will need new allies if they are to have any hope of surviving in the depths of the Wyrdwood.

Especially if the man they consider a hero, the Forester, Cahan Du-Nahere, is as lost to them as he believes.]]> 592 R.J. Barker 0316401889 Grack21 5 fiction 4.14 2024 Warlords of Wyrdwood (Forsaken #2)
author: R.J. Barker
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1)]]> 36621420
If they succeed, rewards and pardons await, but that requires a long journey through enemy territory, directly into the capital. It also requires them to refrain from killing each other along the way! At turns darkly comic and touching, Clockwork Boys puts together a broken group of people trying to make the most of the rest of their lives as they drive forward on their suicide mission.]]> 228 T. Kingfisher 1614504067 Grack21 5 fiction 4.17 2017 Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism]]> 223436601 An explosive memoir charting one woman’s career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them.

From trips on private jets and encounters with world leaders to shocking accounts of misogyny and double standards behind the scenes, this searing memoir exposes both the personal and the political fallout when unfettered power and a rotten company culture take hold. In a gripping and often absurd narrative where a few people carelessly hold the world in their hands, this eye-opening memoir reveals what really goes on among the global elite.

Sarah Wynn-Williams tells the wrenching but fun story of Facebook, mapping its rise from stumbling encounters with juntas to Mark Zuckerberg’s reaction when he learned of Facebook’s role in Trump’s election. She experiences the challenges and humiliations of working motherhood within a pressure cooker of a workplace, all while Sheryl Sandberg urges her and others to “lean in.�

Careless People is a deeply personal account of why and how things have gone so horribly wrong in the past decade—told in a sharp, candid, and utterly disarming voice. A deep, unflinching look at the role that social media has assumed in our lives, Careless People reveals the truth about the leaders of Facebook: how the more power they grasp, the less responsible they become and the consequences this has for all of us.]]> 400 Sarah Wynn-Williams 1250391237 Grack21 0 to-read 4.34 2025 Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
author: Sarah Wynn-Williams
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dragonfall (Dragon Scales, #1)]]> 218047758
Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the gods remember, and they do not forgive.

Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact's magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.

The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely--body, mind, and soul--and then kill them.

Yet the closer the two become, the greater the risk both their worlds will shatter.]]> L.R. Lam 0756418410 Grack21 4 fiction 3.59 2023 Dragonfall (Dragon Scales, #1)
author: L.R. Lam
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Oathbound (The Legendborn Cycle, #3)]]> 214151316
Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the friends who can’t understand the impossible cost of her powers. This is the only way to keep herself—and those she loves—safe.

But Bree’s decision has come with a terrible price: an unbreakable bargain with the Shadow King himself, a shapeshifter who can move between humanity, the demon underworld, and the Legendborn secret society. In exchange for training to wield her unprecedented abilities, Bree has put her future in the Shadow King’s hands—and unwittingly bound herself to do his bidding as his new protégé.

Meanwhile, the other Scions must face war with their Round Table fractured, leaderless, and missing its Kingsmage, as Selwyn has also disappeared. When Nick is detained by the Order’s Merlins, he invokes an ancient law that requires the High Council of Regents to convene at the Northern Keep and grant him an audience. No one knows what he will demand of them...or what secrets he has kept hidden from the Table.

As a string of mysterious kidnappings escalates and Merlins are found dead, it becomes clear that no matter how hard Bree runs from who she is, the past will always find her.]]> 656 Tracy Deonn 1665951907 Grack21 0 to-read 4.44 2025 Oathbound (The Legendborn Cycle, #3)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Odyssey 333706 Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.

If the Iliad is the world's greatest war epic, then the Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey though life. Odysseus' reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces, during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance.

In the myths and legends that are retold here, Fagles has captured the energy and poetry of Homer's original in a bold, contemporary idiom, and given us an Odyssey to read aloud, to savor, and to treasure for its sheer lyrical mastery.

Renowned classicist Bernard Knox's superb Introduction and textual commentary provide new insights and background information for the general reader and scholar alike, intensifying the strength of Fagles' translation.

This is an Odyssey to delight both the classicist and the public at large, and to captivate a new generation of Homer's students.

--

Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, presents us with Homer's best-loved and most accessible poem in a stunning new modern-verse translation.]]> 541 Homer 0140268863 Grack21 5 history, to-read, poetry 4.01 -700 The Odyssey
author: Homer
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.01
book published: -700
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: history, to-read, poetry
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage]]> 22928871
In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and set sail for Antarctica, where he planned to cross the last uncharted continent on foot. In January 1915, after battling its way through a thousand miles of pack ice and only a day's sail short of its destination, the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. When their ship was finally crushed between two ice floes, they attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization.

In Endurance , the definitive account of Ernest Shackleton's fateful trip, Alfred Lansing brilliantly narrates the harrowing and miraculous voyage that has defined heroism for the modern age.]]> 357 Alfred Lansing 0465062881 Grack21 0 to-read, history 4.60 1959 Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
author: Alfred Lansing
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.60
book published: 1959
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> The World Cannot Give 58070067 How far would you go after finding something–or someone–worthy of devotion?...

Don't miss the novel Vogue calls "The Secret History meets The Price of Salt", following an impressionable new student at an elite boarding school who falls in with the devoted members of a cultish choir group on campus, impassioned by their hunger for transcendence and, especially, the charismatic girl who rules over them�


When shy, sensitive Laura Stearns arrives at St. Dunstan’s Academy in Maine, she dreams that life there will echo her favorite novel, All Before Them, the sole surviving piece of writing by Byronic “prep school prophet� (and St. Dunstan’s alum) Sebastian Webster, who died at nineteen, fighting in the Spanish Civil War. She soon finds the intensity she is looking for among the insular, Webster-worshipping members of the school’s chapel choir, which is presided over by the charismatic, neurotic, overachiever Virginia Strauss. Virginia is as fanatical about her newfound Christian faith as she is about the miles she runs every morning before dawn. She expects nothing short of perfection from herself—and from the members of the choir.

Virginia inducts the besotted Laura into a world of transcendent music and arcane ritual, illicit cliff-diving and midnight crypt visits: a world that, like Webster’s novels, finally seems to Laura to be full of meaning. But when a new school chaplain challenges Virginia’s hold on the “family� she has created, and Virginia’s efforts to wield her power become increasingly dangerous, Laura must decide how far she will let her devotion to Virginia go.

The World Cannot Give is a shocking meditation on the power, and danger, of wanting more from the world.]]> 320 Tara Isabella Burton 1982170069 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.40 2022 The World Cannot Give
author: Tara Isabella Burton
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
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review:

]]> The River Has Roots 211004176 Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death.

“Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.�

In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family.

There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees.

But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters� bond but also their lives will be at risk…]]> 133 Amal El-Mohtar 1250341086 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.21 2025 The River Has Roots
author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paladin's Hope (The Saint of Steel #3)]]> 59557336 Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane. He has long since given up on any hope of love. But when the two men and a brave gnole constable are drawn into the web of the mysterious killer, it's Galen's job to protect Piper from the traps that await them.
He's just not sure if he can protect Piper from the most dangerous threat of all...]]> 272 T. Kingfisher 1614505519 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.19 2021 Paladin's Hope (The Saint of Steel #3)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Antlered King (The Raven's Trade, #2)]]> 213656335
Hellevir’s gift to raise the dead once thrust her into the center of a court filled with backstabbing and treason, where she became duty bound to protect Princess Sullivain, the sole heir to the kingdom’s throne and target of many rivals eager for the crown. But the more Hellevir risked to keep Sullivain alive, and the more deeply she fell in love with the princess, the greater the cost became—for Hellevir’s power can only be granted by the strange figure who rules the afterlife, and there is always a price to pay.

Now Hellevir may have risked too much, and Sullivain has become obsessed with consolidating power to vanquish her foes once and for all—by whatever means necessary. Cast out to the fringes of a country on the verge of civil war, Hellevir is torn between protecting her heart or giving what little she has left to finish what she started. Yet, her connection with Sullivain runs deeper than the mortal world, and saving her friends and family might mean risking the woman she is still bound to by soul and blood.

To stop a war, Hellevir must unravel the last of Death’s riddles and decide, once and for all, who deserves to live, what a life is worth, and whether she can pay the price. This explosive finale to the Raven’s Trade duology is sure to satisfy fans of dark fantasy and queer romance.]]> 464 Marianne Gordon 0063248832 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.21 2025 The Antlered King (The Raven's Trade, #2)
author: Marianne Gordon
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Ghost Station 211004978 A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence.

Space exploration can be lonely and isolating.

Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she's assigned to a small exploration crew, she's eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something.

While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure than opening up to her.

That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting—a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister?

Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by� and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets.]]> 400 S.A. Barnes 1250884942 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 2.89 2024 Ghost Station
author: S.A. Barnes
name: Grack21
average rating: 2.89
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sons of Darkness (The Raag of Rta, #1)]]> 211004038 Some ballads are inked in blood.

Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Krishna and Satyabhama have put their plans in motion within and beyond the Republic's blood-soaked borders to protect it from annihilation. But they will soon discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever.

They are however not alone in this game.

Mati, Pirate-Princess of Kalinga, has decided to mend her ways to be a good wife. But old habits die hard, especially when one habitually uses murder to settle old scores. Brooding but beautiful Karna hopes to bury his brutal past but finds that destiny is a miser when it comes to giving second chances. The crippled hero-turned-torturer Shakuni limps through the path of daggers that is politics only to find his foes multiply, leaving little time for vengeance.

Their lives are about to become very difficult for a cast of sinister queens, naive kings, pious assassins and ravenous priests are converging where the Son of Darkness is prophesied to rise, even as forgotten Gods prepare to play their hand.]]> 647 Gourav Mohanty 1035900254 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.27 2022 Sons of Darkness (The Raag of Rta, #1)
author: Gourav Mohanty
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle (Boudica, #1)]]> 404833 Boudica means Bringer of Victory (from the early Celtic word "boudeg"). She is the last defender of the Celtic culture in Britain; the only woman openly to lead her warriors into battle and to stand successfully against the might of Imperial Rome--and triumph.
It is 33 AD and eleven-year-old Breaca (later named Boudica), the red-haired daughter of one of the leaders of the Eceni tribe, is on the cusp between girl and womanhood. She longs to be a Dreamer, a mystical leader who can foretell the future, but having killed the man who has attacked and killed her mother, she has proven herself a warrior. Dreaming the Eagle is also the story of the two men Boudica loves most: Caradoc, outstanding warrior and inspirational leader; and Ban, her half-brother, who longs to be a warrior, though he is manifestly a Dreamer, possibly the finest in his tribe's history. Ban becomes the Druid whose eventual return to the Celts is Boudica's salvation.
Dreaming the Eagle is full of brilliantly realised, luminous scenes as the narrative sweeps effortlessly from the epic--where battle scenes are huge, bloody, and action-packed--to the intimate. Manda Scott plunges us into the unforgettable world of tribal Britain in the years before the Roman invasion: a world of druids and dreamers and the magic of the gods where the natural world is as much a character as any of the people who live within it, a world of warriors who fight for honour as much as victory, a world of passion, courage and spectacular heroism pitched against overwhelming odds.
Dreaming the Eagle stunningly recreates the roots of a story so powerful its impact has lasted through the ages. "From the Trade Paperback edition."]]> 720 Manda Scott 0553814060 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.00 2003 Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle (Boudica, #1)
author: Manda Scott
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Greenteeth 214175074
Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor. Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny’s lake and Temperance’s family � as well as the very soul of Britain.]]> 287 Molly O'Neill 031658424X Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.85 2025 Greenteeth
author: Molly O'Neill
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mort: A Discworld Novel (Death, 1)]]> 215217608
Death is the Grim Reaper of the Discworld, a black-robed skeleton with a scythe who ushers souls into the next world. He is also fond of cats and endlessly baffled by humanity. Soon Death is yearning to experience what humanity really has to offer, but to do that, he'll need to hire some help.

It's an offer Mort can't refuse. As Death's apprentice he'll have free board, use of the company horse—and being dead isn't compulsory. It's a dream job—until Mort falls in love with Death's daughter, Ysabell, and discovers that your boss can be a killer on your love life…]]> 288 Terry Pratchett 0063393239 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.17 1987 Mort: A Discworld Novel (Death, 1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1987
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Sea Beyond 222441250 �
Determined to discover how cosmographers pin down the islands of the Otherworld, Estevan seeks power with the Council of the Sea Beyond—but he risks the exposure of his own secrets, too. For he is a changeling, a faerie masquerading as a mortal. And for a faerie to enter the mortal world like that, a child must go the other way…⁣
�
The Hungry Girl, the nameless human daughter whose place he took, has grown up opposite her “brother.� Lost among the fae and desperate to find some purpose for her pitiful existence, she leaps at the chance to help a group of Spanish explorers in the Sea Beyond…only to be horrified at the atrocities they commit.�
�
Soon the unlikely siblings will need to overcome their rivalry–because only together can they bring down Spain’s worlds-spanning empire and save the homes they have come to love.�

A new historical fantasy duology by M.A. Carrick, inspired by the Fae and set within the remarkable backdrop of the Spanish Golden Age. To be published in summer 2026.⁣]]> M.A. Carrick Grack21 0 to-read 0.0 The Sea Beyond
author: M.A. Carrick
name: Grack21
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
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]]> Equal Rites (Discworld, #3) 15818414 "They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance."
There are some situations where the correct response is to display the sort of ignorance which happily and wilfully flies in the face of the facts. In this case, the birth of a baby girl, born a wizard -- by mistake. Everybody knows that there's no such thing as a female wizard. But now it's gone and happened, there's nothing much anyone can do about it. Let the battle of the sexes begin.]]> 264 Terry Pratchett 0062225693 Grack21 4 fiction 4.10 1987 Equal Rites (Discworld, #3)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> Masquerade 195790999 Set in a wonderfully reimagined 15th century West Africa, Masquerade is a dazzling, lyrical tale exploring the true cost of one woman’s fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she’ll go to secure her future.

Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the the warrior king of Yorùbáland. Already shunned as social pariahs, living conditions for Òdòdó and the other women in her blacksmith guild grow even worse under Yorùbá rule.

Then Òdòdó is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, Òdòdó realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife.

In a sudden change of fortune, Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy becomes too enticing to resist. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed by re-forging the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue that turn an entire region on its head.]]> 352 O.O. Sangoyomi 1250904293 Grack21 5 fiction 3.95 2024 Masquerade
author: O.O. Sangoyomi
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> Swordheart 218624103 448 T. Kingfisher 1250400228 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.11 2018 Swordheart
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)]]> 103452565 One Dark Window, Elspeth must confront the weight of her actions as she andRavynembark on a perilous quest tosave the kingdom—perfect for readersofHannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.

Gripped by a tyrant king and in the thrall of dark magic, the kingdom is in peril. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last—and most important—one remains to be the Twin Alders. If they’re going to find the card before Solstice and set free the kingdom, they will need to journey through the dangerous mist-cloaked forest. The only one who can lead them through is the monster that shares Elspeth’s head: the Nightmare.

And he’s not eager to share any longer.

Praise forOne Dark Window:

"Enthralling from beginning to shocking end."—Hannah Whitten,New York Times bestselling author ofFor the Wolf

"Pulse pounding, darkly whimsical, and aglow with treacherous magic."—Allison Saft,New York Timesbestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic]]> 430 Rachel Gillig 0316312711 Grack21 4 fiction 4.52 2023 Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles, #4)]]> 24427052
Dragons will fly over Kelsingra once more

Attacked by hunters, Tintaglia is dying of her wounds. If she perishes, her ancestral memories will die with her and the dragons in the ancient city of Kelsingra will lose the secret knowledge they need to survive.

The dragon keepers immerse themselves in the dangerously addictive memory-stone records of the city in the hope of recovering the lost Elderling magic that once allowed humans and dragons to co-exist.

But war is coming: war between dragons and those who would destroy them.]]> 535 Robin Hobb 0008154465 Grack21 5 fiction 4.07 2013 Blood of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles, #4)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles #3)]]> 26841446
The dragon keepers and fledgling dragons have discovered a route to the lost city of Kelsingra but there is one problem: they need to be able to fly to cross the treacherous waters and enter the fabled city. At first, only a few dragons are willing to try � the others are either too ashamed of their deformed wings and feeble muscles or too proud to risk failure and humiliation.

But the rewards waiting at Kelsingra for those brave enough to take to the air are worth more than they could possibly imagine. This was a city built for dragons and their keepers. Alise Finbok is overwhelmed by the treasures she finds there, and spends hours carefully uncovering wonder after wonder, recording her findings for posterity. She knows the knowledge will change everything the world thought about dragons and the Elderlings.

Yet rumours of the city’s discovery have floated down the Rain Wild River and reached envious ears in Bingtown and beyond. Adventurers, pirates and fortune hunters are coming in droves to pillage what they can from the city. Will the dragons, only just finding their strength, and their keepers, who are changing in their own mysterious ways, be able to fend them off?

And what has happened to Tintaglia, the dragon-mother who started it all? Has she really abandoned her offspring forever? Or will she too return to seek the riches of Kelsingra…]]> 425 Robin Hobb 0008154414 Grack21 4 fiction

Also, that Hest guy is a butthead :P]]> 3.97 2011 City of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles #3)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2012/06/15
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: fiction
review:
Finally, something on par with her older works. Easily the best of the Rain Wilds books so far.


Also, that Hest guy is a butthead :P
]]> <![CDATA[Dragon Keeper (Rain Wild Chronicles #1)]]> 26841427
One of the most gifted fantasy authors writing today, New York Times bestselling author Robin Hobb has dazzled readers with brilliantly imaginative, emotionally resonant, and compulsively readable tales set in far-flung realms not unlike our own. In this enthralling new novel, she returns to the territory of her beloved Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies with a story of dragons and humans, return and rebirth, and the search for meaning, belonging, and home.

For years, the Trader cities valiantly battled their enemies, the Chalcedeans. But they could not have staved off invasion without the powerful dragon Tintaglia. In return, the Traders promised to help her serpents migrate up the Rain Wild River after a long exile at sea--to find a safe haven and, Tintaglia hopes, to restore her species. But too much time has passed, and the newly hatched dragons are damaged and weak, and many die. The few who survive cannot use their wings; earthbound, they are powerless to hunt and vulnerable to human predators willing to kill them for the fabled healing powers of dragon flesh.

But Tintaglia has vanished and the Traders are weary of the labor and expense of tending useless dragons. The Trader leadership fears that if it stops providing for the young dragons, the hungry and neglected creatures will rampage--or die along the river's acidic muddy banks. To avert catastrophe, the dragons decree a move even farther up the treacherous river to Kelsingra, their ancient, mythical homeland whose mysterious location is locked deep within the dragons' uncertain ancestral memories.

To ensure their safe passage, the Traders recruit a disparate group of young people to care for the damaged creatures and escort them to their new home. Among them is Thymara, an unschooled forest girl of sixteen, and Alise, a wealthy Trader's wife trapped in a loveless marriage, who attaches herself to the expedition as a dragon expert. The two women share a deep kinship with the Thymara can instinctively communicate with them, and Alise, captivated by their beauty and majesty, has devoted her life to studying them.

Embarking on an arduous journey that holds no promise of return, the band of humans and dragons must make their way along the toxic and inhospitable Rain Wild River--an extraordinary odyssey that will teach them lessons about themselves and one another, as they experience hardships, betrayals, and joys beyond their wildest dreams.]]> 560 Robin Hobb 0008154392 Grack21 4 fiction 3.89 2009 Dragon Keeper (Rain Wild Chronicles #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Relentless Moon (Lady Astronaut Universe, #3)]]> 52381417 Mary Robinette Kowal continues her award-winning Lady Astronaut series, which began with The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky, with The Relentless Moon.

The Earth is coming to the boiling point as the climate disaster of the Meteor strike becomes more and more clear, but the political situation is already overheated. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The IAC's goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is being threatened.

Elma York is on her way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Her friend and fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President.]]> 544 Mary Robinette Kowal 1250236967 Grack21 5 fiction 4.32 2020 The Relentless Moon (Lady Astronaut Universe, #3)
author: Mary Robinette Kowal
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paladin's Strength (The Saint of Steel, #2)]]> 57314458
When their paths cross at the point of a sword, Istvhan and Clara will be pitched headlong into each other’s quests, facing off against enemies both living and dead. But Clara has a secret that could jeopardize the growing trust between them, a secret that will lead them to the gladiatorial pits of a corrupt city, and beyond...]]> 424 T. Kingfisher 1614505306 Grack21 5 fiction 4.14 2021 Paladin's Strength (The Saint of Steel, #2)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam]]> 12146946 Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Barbara W. Tuchman, author of the World War I masterpiece The Guns of August, grapples with her boldest the pervasive presence, through the ages, of failure, mismanagement, and delusion in government. Drawing on a comprehensive array of examples, from Montezuma’s senseless surrender of his empire in 1520 to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Barbara W. Tuchman defines folly as the pursuit by government of policies contrary to their own interests, despite the availability of feasible alternatives. In brilliant detail, Tuchman illuminates four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of the Trojan War, the breakup of the Holy See provoked by the Renaissance popes, the loss of the American colonies by Britain’s George III, and the United States� own persistent mistakes in Vietnam. Throughout The March of Folly, Tuchman’s incomparable talent for animating the people, places, and events of history is on spectacular display. Praise for The March of Folly “A glittering narrative . . . a moral [book] on the crimes and follies of governments and the misfortunes the governed suffer in consequence.�—The New York Times Book Review “An admirable survey . . . I haven’t read a more relevant book in years.�—John Kenneth Galbraith, The Boston Sunday Globe “A superb chronicle . . . a masterly examination.�—Chicago Sun-Times]]> 647 Barbara W. Tuchman 0307798569 Grack21 0 to-read, history 4.15 1984 The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam
author: Barbara W. Tuchman
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1984
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe]]> 209456056 An essential new history of Central Europe, the contested lands so often at the heart of world history Central Europe has long been infamous as a region beset by war, a place where empires clashed and world wars began. In The Middle Kingdoms, Martyn Rady offers the definitive history of the region, demonstrating that Central Europe has always been more than merely the fault line between West and East. Even as Central European powers warred with their neighbors, the region developed its own cohesive identity and produced tremendous accomplishments in politics, society, and culture. Central Europeans launched the Reformation and Romanticism, developed the philosophy of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, and advanced some of the twentieth century's most important artistic movements. Drawing on a lifetime of research and scholarship, The Middle Kingdoms tells as never before the captivating story of two thousand years of Central Europe's history and its enduring significance in world affairs.]]> 640 Martyn Rady 1541606345 Grack21 0 to-read, history 0.0 2023 The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe
author: Martyn Rady
name: Grack21
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> Dragonlance Chronicles 216971222 1056 Margaret Weis 0593977157 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.90 Dragonlance Chronicles
author: Margaret Weis
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.90
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Count of Monte Cristo 16148750
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of the Château d’If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and becomes determined not only to escape but to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration.

A huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s, Dumas was inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment when writing his epic tale of suffering and retribution.]]> 1276 Alexandre Dumas 0141392460 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.56 1846 The Count of Monte Cristo
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.56
book published: 1846
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bound Worlds (The Devoured Worlds, #3)]]> 198493882 Worlds will collide and fates will be rewritten in the thrilling conclusion to the Devoured Worlds space opera trilogy by award-winning author Megan E. O’Keefe.

Naira and Tarquin have found a new home on Seventh Cradle. But the peace they’ve built is short-lived as mysterious assailants ambush the settlement and Naira is haunted by visions of a monstrous future. Catastrophe strikes when Tarquin uncovers a plot to bring about the end of the universe. As humanity races against the clock to prevent their extinction, old secrets come to light and loyalties fracture, and Naira realizes she may be the key to saving the world—or ending it.]]> 457 Megan E. O'Keefe 0316291579 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.14 2024 The Bound Worlds (The Devoured Worlds, #3)
author: Megan E. O'Keefe
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Don Quixote 3835 Don Quixote chronicles the adventures of the self-created knight-errant Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. You haven't experienced Don Quixote in English until you've read this masterful translation.]]> 940 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 0060934344 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.12 1615 Don Quixote
author: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1615
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[KYDDA Thomas Kydd Novel (Kydd Sea Adventures): A Thomas Kydd Novel (Kydd Sea Adventures)Kydd Novel (Kydd Sea Adventures) (Volume 1) (Kydd Sea Adventures, 1)]]> 62052131 Duke William. The ship sails immediately and Kydd has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life fast. Despite all he goes through, amid the dangers of tempest and battle, he comes to admire the skills and courage of his fellow seamen, taking up the challenge himself to become a true sailor and defender of Britain at war.]]> 302 Julian Stockwin 1493068806 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.00 2001 KYDDA Thomas Kydd Novel (Kydd Sea Adventures): A Thomas Kydd Novel (Kydd Sea Adventures)Kydd Novel (Kydd Sea Adventures) (Volume 1) (Kydd Sea Adventures, 1)
author: Julian Stockwin
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Lord of the Rings 57531079 J.R.R. Tolkien’s grand masterwork in a new hardcover illustrated with the art created by Tolkien himself as he envisioned Middle-earth

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

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

From Sauron’s fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.

This new edition is illustrated with J.R.R. Tolkien’s own artwork, created as he wrote the original text.
]]> 1178 J.R.R. Tolkien 0358653037 Grack21 5 4.88 1955 The Lord of the Rings
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.88
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology #1)]]> 60833936
It's all about blood.

The blood spilled between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor long ago. The blood gifts of Mareen's deadliest enemies. The blood that runs through the elite War Houses of Mareen, the rulers of the Tribunal dedicated to keeping the republic alive.

The blood of the former Legatus, Verne Amari, murdered.

For his granddaughter, Ikenna, the only thing steady in her life was the man who had saved Mareen. The man who had trained her in secret, not just in martial skills, but in harnessing the blood gift that coursed through her.

Who trained her to keep that a secret.

But now there are too many secrets, and with her grandfather assassinated, Ikenna knows two things: that only someone on the Tribunal could have ordered his death, and that only a Praetorian Guard could have carried out that order.

Bent on revenge as much as discovering the truth, Ikenna pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials--a brutal initiation that only a quarter of the aspirants survive. She subjects herself to the racism directed against her half-Khanaian heritage and the misogyny of a society that cherishes progeny over prodigy, all while hiding a power that--if found out--would subject her to execution...or worse. Ikenna is willing to risk it all because she needs to find out who murdered her grandfather...and then she needs to kill them.

Mareen has been at peace for a long time...

Ikenna joining the Praetorians is about to change all that.

Magic and technology converge in the first part of this stunning debut duology, where loyalty to oneself--and one's blood--is more important than anything.]]> 480 N.E. Davenport 0063058499 Grack21 4 fiction 4.11 2022 The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology #1)
author: N.E. Davenport
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: fiction
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]]> <![CDATA[Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)]]> 61219635 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250886088.

A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes.

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success—not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.]]> 304 Travis Baldree Grack21 5 fiction 4.17 2022 Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)
author: Travis Baldree
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/27
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tales of the Greatcoats Vol. 1: Swashbuckling Fantasy Stories]]> 59787357
Here are eight tales of the Greatcoats, lengendary sword-fighting magistrates brought together by an idealistic young king and disbanded after his execution as a tyrant. Follow along through their swashbuckling adventures, their triumphs and defeats, their darkest hours and their moments of shining redemption as they struggle to bring justice to a corrupt kingdom. Praise for the Greatcoats

"First-rate fiction, first-rate adventure, first rate full stop.�
Conn Iggulden, Bestselling Author of the Wars of the Roses "This is a One-in-a-million Series�
Fantasy Faction "Great rollicking fun combined with an emotional punch.�
John Gwynne, Bestselling Author of Malice]]> 304 Sebastien de Castell 1990354386 Grack21 4 fiction 4.25 2021 Tales of the Greatcoats Vol. 1: Swashbuckling Fantasy Stories
author: Sebastien de Castell
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, #1)]]> 28186322
But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron who has ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.]]> 339 Deanna Raybourn 0451476026 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.94 2015 A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, #1)
author: Deanna Raybourn
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Metal from Heaven 205762592 For fans of� The Princess Bride and Gideon the Ninth: a bloody� lesbian revenge tale and political fantasy set in a glittering world transformed by industrial change � and simmering class warfare.

Ichorite is progress. More durable and malleable than steel, ichorite is the lifeblood of a dawning industrial revolution. Yann I. Chauncey owns the sole means of manufacturing this valuable metal, but his workers, who risk their health and safety daily, are on strike. They demand Chauncey research the hallucinatory illness befalling them, a condition they call “being lustertouched.� Marney Honeycutt, a lustertouched child worker, stands proud at the picket line with her best friend and family. That’s when Chauncey sends in the guns. Only Marney survives the massacre. She vows bloody vengeance. A decade later, Marney is the nation’s most notorious highwayman, and Chauncey’s daughter seeks an opportune marriage. Marney’s rage and the ghosts of her past will drive her to masquerade as an aristocrat, outmaneuver powerful suitors, and win the heart of his daughter, so Marney can finally corner Chauncey and satisfy her need for revenge. But war ferments in the north, and deeper grudges are surfacing. . .

H. A. Clarke’s adult fantasy debut, writing as August Clarke, Metal from Heaven is a punk-rock murder ballad tackling labor issues and radical empowerment against the relentless grind of capitalism.]]> 448 August Clarke 1645660982 Grack21 4 fiction 3.92 2024 Metal from Heaven
author: August Clarke
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: fiction
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]]> The Maiden and Her Monster 211434035 A gorgeous, atmospheric debut fantasy that reimagines the Jewish myth of golem in a tale rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance—perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and Naomi Novik.

The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark.

As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the curse of the woods has plagued her village, but when the Ozmini Church comes to collect their tithes, they don’t listen to the warnings about a monster lurking in the trees. After a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes a bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings him the monster, he will spare her mother from execution.

When she ventures into the blood-soaked woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only after Malka helps her free the imprisoned rabbi who created her.

But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain begins to unravel a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save—and face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear.]]> 400 Maddie Martinez 1035048795 Grack21 0 to-buy 4.30 2025 The Maiden and Her Monster
author: Maddie Martinez
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/30
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]]> <![CDATA[Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815]]> 18154328 ""Pace the pitching black deck with a sleepless Admiral Nelson the night before battle bestows eternal rest and peerless immortality upon him; envision with Mahan the storm-tossed and ever-watchful ships-of-the-line that kept England secure from invasion; wonder in awe at Collingwood's dedication in working himself to death after Trafalgar elevated him to primary responsibility for England's imperial safety in the Mediterranean. All of this and more awaits the reader who will sail through these pages, every one of which is etched with the indelible expertise and boundless enthusiasm of Nathan Miller, master of naval history.""--Kenneth J. Hagan, Professor of History and Museum Director Emeritus, U.S. Naval Academy, Professor of Strategy, U.S. Naval War College
""This is not just inspired naval history--the personal lives of the seafarers themselves, from cabin boy to admiral, are given generous treatment.""--The Times (London)
""A wealth of detail...Descriptions of dreadful living conditions aboard cramped wooden vessels give way to bloody decks after close combat....A solid introduction to a turbulent era at sea.""--Publishers Weekly
""[As] a companion to the popular nautical novels of C. S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian--it succeeds brilliantly.""--Daily Telegraph (London)
""The descriptions of the great sea commanders and their battles display all the craft of the gifted writer....Read Broadsides for enjoyment as a well-informed, action-packed naval narrative.""--The Christ Church Press]]> 388 Nathan Miller 1620456850 Grack21 0 to-read, history 0.0 2000 Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815
author: Nathan Miller
name: Grack21
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Forge of Christendom: The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the West]]> 7722496
In The Forge of Christendom , Tom Holland masterfully describes this remarkable new age, a time of caliphs and Viking sea kings, the spread of castles and the invention of knighthood. It was one of the most significant departure points in the emergence of Western Europe as a distinctive and expansionist power.]]> 476 Tom Holland 0307278700 Grack21 0 to-read, history 3.94 2008 The Forge of Christendom: The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the West
author: Tom Holland
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> Spread Me 222376601
Kinsey has the perfect job as the team lead in a remote research outpost. She loves the solitude, and the way the desert keeps her far away from the temptations teeming out in the civilian world.

When her crew discovers a mysterious specimen buried deep in the sand, Kinsey breaks quarantine and brings it into the hab. But the longer it's inside, the more her carefully controlled life begins to unravel. Temptation has found her after all, and it can't be ignored any longer.

One by one, Kinsey's team realizes the thing they're studying is in search of a new host—and one of them is the perfect candidate....]]> 208 Sarah Gailey 1250387337 Grack21 0 to-read 5.00 2025 Spread Me
author: Sarah Gailey
name: Grack21
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/28
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]]> War and Peace 3774496 War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men.

A s Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy brilliantly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature.

From the award-winning translators of Anna Karenina and The Brothers Karamazov comes this magnificent new translation of Tolstoy's masterwork.]]> 1273 Leo Tolstoy 1400079985 Grack21 0 to-read 4.33 1869 War and Peace
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1869
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wizard Knight: Comprising The Knight and The Wizard]]> 52379730 “Gene Wolfe is the smartest, subtlest, most dangerous writer alive today, in genre or out of it. This book [is] important and wonderful.� —Neil Gaiman on The Knight

A novel in two volumes, The Wizard Knight is in the rare company of works of fantasy like The Once and Future King, or The Wizard of Earthsea, that drink directly from the wellspring of myth. Now it appears in a single-volume edition for the first time.

A young man in his teens is transported from our world to a magical realm consisting of seven levels of reality. Transformed by magic into a grown man of heroic proportions, he takes the name Sir Able of the High Heart and sets out on a quest to find the sword that has been promised to him, the blade that will help him fulfill his ambition to become a true hero—a true knight.

Inside, however, Sir Able remains a boy, and he must grow in every sense to survive what lies ahead...

“[Wolfe] should enjoy the same rapt attention we afford to Thomas Pynchon, Toni Morrison, and Cormac McCarthy.� �The Washington Post on The Knight

“Wolfe’s version of Faerie is both allusive and elusive, beautiful and fatally glamorous.� —Tad Williams on The Knight

With a new introduction by Yves Meynard, acclaimed author of The Book of Knights.]]> 912 Gene Wolfe 1250237440 Grack21 5 fiction 4.11 2005 The Wizard Knight: Comprising The Knight and The Wizard
author: Gene Wolfe
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Latro in the Mist (Latro #1-2)]]> 344935 Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of é, in one volume.

This omnibus of two acclaimed novels is the story of Latro, a Roman mercenary who while fighting in Greece received a head injury that deprived him of his short-term memory but gave him in return the ability to see and converse with the supernatural creatures and the gods and goddesses, who invisibly inhabit the ancient landscape. Latro forgets everything when he sleeps. Writing down his experiences every day and reading his journal anew each morning gives him a poignantly tenuous hold on himself, but his story's hold on readers is powerful indeed, and many consider these Wolfe's best books.]]> 640 Gene Wolfe 0765302942 Grack21 5 fiction 4.20 2003 Latro in the Mist (Latro #1-2)
author: Gene Wolfe
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2003
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shadow & Claw (The Book of the New Sun, #1-2)]]> 57552529
The Shadow of the Torturer is the first volume in this four-volume epic, the tale of young Severian, an apprentice to the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession- showing mercy toward his victim.

The Claw of the Conciliator continues the saga of Severian, banished from his home, as he undertakes a mythic quest to discover the awesome power of an ancient relic and learn the truth about his hidden destiny.

“A masterpiece...the best science fiction I've read in years!� --Ursula K. Le Guin]]> 528 Gene Wolfe 1250827043 Grack21 5 fiction 4.25 1994 Shadow & Claw (The Book of the New Sun, #1-2)
author: Gene Wolfe
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1994
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> War (House War) 41882029
When the Sleepers wake.

Once, that phrase never. The Sleepers were a myth, part of a story told to children. But in truth, the Sleepers, ancient princes in the court of the Winter Queen, were imprisoned in slumber by the gods themselves—in the cold, dark ruins of the ancient city that lies buried beneath the capitol of the Empire. And that prison is fraying, at last.

They are waking .

The gods no longer walk the world. There is no power that can stand against the princes when they wake—and the city that has been Jewel’s home for her entire life will be destroyed when the Sleepers walk. There is only one person to whom they owe allegiance, only one chance to halt them before they destroy everything in their ancient rage.

But that person is the Winter Queen; she is not, and has never been mortal. Jewel carries the last of the surviving saplings that might usher in a new Summer age—but all of the roads that lead to the court of the Queen are closed.

Jewel ATerafin has faced the Oracle’s test. She has control of the prophetic powers that she once considered a curse and a burden. She will find her way to the Winter Queen, and she will ask—or beg—the Winter Queen to intervene to save her kind, her House, and everything she loves.

But she is mortal, and time has never been her friend. The demons are waiting to bar her way, bringing battle to the hidden ancient paths on which she must travel. To win, she must face the true meaning of the Oracle’s test, and risk sanity and life to make the choice that has always lurked at the heart of the firstborn’s test.

And even then, it might be too late.]]> 546 Michelle West 0756410118 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.32 2019 War (House War)
author: Michelle West
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> Firstborn 40360021 The seventh book in the epic fantasy House War series returns to a beloved world of magic and political intrigue, where new threats are stirring.

Jewel ATerafin has never wanted to be a power. What she truly wants, she built in the streets of the poorer holdings. To protect what she built, to protect what she values above all else, she has accepted that power is necessary.

But with power comes responsibility.

Jewel has forced herself to do what would have once been unthinkable: She has surrendered her den-kin, Carver, to the wilderness, because she must if she is to have any hope of saving the rest of her family, and the city in which they dwell.

But she cannot leave him with nothing. Into his hands, she has placed the single, blue leaf that came from the wilderness and the dreaming combined. She doesn't know what it does or what it was meant to do--but it is the most powerful item on her person, and it is the only thing she can leave him.

That leaf, however, was created to serve a purpose that Jewel does not understand. Nor does Carver, who now possesses it. With Ellerson by his side, Carver intends to traverse the wild Winter in an attempt to reach home--and the people who are waiting for him.

There are those who do understand the significance of Carver's gift, and the disaster that will prevail if it remains in his hands. But time is of the essence. These lands are not unclaimed, and the Lord of these lands is waking from his ancient slumber.

Nor is the Lord the only threat. Firstborn, demons, and wild elementals are swirling around two mortal men in a storm that threatens to end the only chance the city of Averalaan has of surviving what is to follow.]]> 592 Michelle West 0756415527 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.95 2019 Firstborn
author: Michelle West
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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review:

]]> The Spirit Bares Its Teeth 136005388
Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he’ll be married by the end of the year. It doesn’t matter that he’s needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; that he is a boy, not the girl the world insists on seeing.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. The facility is cold, the instructors merciless, and the students either bloom into eligible wives or disappear. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its guts to the world—if the school doesn’t break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.]]> 387 Andrew Joseph White 1682636119 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.49 2023 The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
author: Andrew Joseph White
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, #1)]]> 33301496
When eccentric explorer, Lady Vincenza 'Vintage' de Grazon, offers him employment, he sees an easy way out. Even when they are joined by a fugitive witch with a tendency to set things on fire, the prospect of facing down monsters and retrieving ancient artefacts is preferable to the abomination he left behind.

But not everyone is willing to let the Eboran empire collapse, and the adventurers are quickly drawn into a tangled conspiracy of magic and war. For the Jure'lia are coming, and the Ninth Rain must fall...]]> 532 Jen Williams 1472235185 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.19 2017 The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, #1)
author: Jen Williams
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow, #2)]]> 63072380
With political unrest and perilous forces aiming to undermine Zetian at every turn, can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance?]]> 521 Xiran Jay Zhao 073526998X Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.98 2024 Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow, #2)
author: Xiran Jay Zhao
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, fiction
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]]> A Language of Dragons 211096516 EVERY ACT OF TRANSLATION REQUIRES SACRIFICE

Welcome to Bletchley Park� with dragons.

London, 1923. Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivian Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to risk growing up Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her sister missing, all the safety Viv has worked for is collapsing around her. So when a lifeline is offered in the form of a mysterious ‘job�, she grabs it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, Viv discovers that she has been recruited as a codebreaker helping the war effort � if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die.

At first Viv believes that her challenge, of discovering the secrets of a hidden dragon language, is doable. But the more she learns, the more she realises that the bubble she’s grown up in isn’t as safe as she thought, and eventually Viv must What war is she really fighting?

An epic, sweeping fantasy with an incredible Dark Academia setting, a clandestine, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and an unputdownable story, filled with twists and turns, betrayals and secret identities, A Language of Dragons is the unmissable debut of 2025, from an extraordinary new voice.]]> 432 S.F. Williamson 0063353849 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.84 2025 A Language of Dragons
author: S.F. Williamson
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive, #2.5)]]> 34703445 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, a special gift edition of Edgedancer, a short novel of the Stormlight Archive.

Three years ago, Lift asked a goddess to stop her from growing older--a wish she believed was granted. Now, in Edgedancer, the barely teenage nascent Knight Radiant finds that time stands still for no one. Although the young Azish emperor granted her safe haven from an executioner she knows only as Darkness, court life is suffocating the free-spirited Lift, who can't help heading to Yeddaw when she hears the relentless Darkness is there hunting people like her with budding powers. The downtrodden in Yeddaw have no champion, and Lift knows she must seize this awesome responsibility.

]]> 272 Brandon Sanderson 1250166543 Grack21 5 fiction 4.15 2016 Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive, #2.5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)]]> 123206481 This B&N Exclusive edition includes the exclusive short story "A Friendly Game."
A Friendly Game tells the story of a pair of mercenaries named Bex and Calin who are always trying to kill each other between jobs.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, V. E. Schwab opens a new door into perilous adventure and tangled schemes with The Fragile Threads of Power.

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.

But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years--and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own—but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.

And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.

Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together--or unravel it all.]]> 664 Victoria E. Schwab 1250323770 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.49 2023 The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Silence (The Sun Eater #1)]]> 178631071
It was not his war.

The galaxy remembers him as a the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives—even the Emperor himself—against Imperial orders.

But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.

On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe starts down a path that can only end in fire. He flees his father and a future as a torturer only to be left stranded on a strange, backwater world.

Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, Hadrian must fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.]]> 624 Christopher Ruocchio 0756419263 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.12 2018 Empire of Silence (The Sun Eater #1)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wolf of Oren-Yaro (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, #1)]]> 46207682 A queen of a divided land must unite her people, even if they hate her, even if it means stopping a ruin that she helped create. A debut epic fantasy from an exciting new voice.

"I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me."

Born under the crumbling towers of Oren-yaro, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves that nearly tore her nation apart. Her upcoming marriage to the son of her father's rival heralds peaceful days to come.

But his sudden departure before their reign begins fractures the kingdom beyond repair.

Years later, Talyien receives a message, urging her to attend a meeting across the sea. It's meant to be an effort at reconciliation, but an assassination attempt leaves the queen stranded and desperate to survive in a dangerous land. With no idea who she can trust, she's on her own as she struggles to fight her way home.]]> 496 K.S. Villoso 0316532665 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.63 2018 The Wolf of Oren-Yaro (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, #1)
author: K.S. Villoso
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Carrie 13643759 Librarian's Note: This is alternate cover edition #1
ISBN 10: 0385086954
ISBN13: 9780385086950
See: Original Record Here

The story of misfit high-school girl, Carrie White, who gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers. Repressed by a domineering, ultra-religious mother and tormented by her peers at school, her efforts to fit in lead to a dramatic confrontation during the senior prom.

Note: All information herein, such as number of pages, publisher, etc., refer to this alternate cover edition and may or may not coincide with the main entry for this ISBN or any other alternate covers.

~]]> 199 Stephen King 0385086954 Grack21 4 fiction 3.90 1974 Carrie
author: Stephen King
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1974
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> Conclave 211119902
Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.

They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals.

Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.]]> 304 Robert Harris 0593689585 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.09 2016 Conclave
author: Robert Harris
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood of the Old Kings (The Bleeding Empire, #1)]]> 203579293 Blood of the Old Kings begins an epic adventure in which three strangers journey through a vast Empire that uses the power of dead wizards to conquer and subdue, from award-winning author Sung-il Kim and translated by the highly-acclaimed Anton Hur.

Powered by the corpses of sorcerers, the Empire has conquered the world. It claims to have brought peace and stability to its conquered lands, but some see that peace for what it is—a lie—and will give everything in the fight against it.

Loran is desperate for revenge after the Empire killed her family, so much so that the swordswoman climbs the volcano where the legends say an ancient dragon slumbers and leaps in. She finds that the legends are true, and Loran leaves the mountain with a sword made of dragon’s fang and a great purpose before her.

Cain arrived in the Imperial Capital lost and orphaned, and it’s only thanks to the kindness of a stranger-turned-mentor that he survived on the city’s streets. When his friend is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.

Arienne’s future has never been in question—born a sorcerer, she’ll be a Power Generator for the Empire upon her death. But when she starts to hear the voice of a powerful necromancer in her head, she realizes the only thing more terrifying than dying for the Empire is never getting to truly live in the first place.

When peace is a lie, there is power in truth—and as Loran, Cain, and Arienne hunt for answers in their own lives, any one of their small rebellions could be the stone that brings the Empire toppling down.]]> 368 Sung-Il Kim 1250895332 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.75 2016 Blood of the Old Kings (The Bleeding Empire, #1)
author: Sung-Il Kim
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> Death of the Author 214283593 The future of storytelling is here.

Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she's suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister's wedding, her life is upended. Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she's not sure what comes next.

In her hotel room that night, she takes the risk that will define her life - she decides to write a book VERY unlike her others. A science fiction drama about androids and AI after the extinction of humanity. And everything changes.

What follows is a tale of love and loss, fame and infamy, of extraordinary events in one world, and another. And as Zelu's life evolves, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

Because sometimes a story really does have the power to reshape the world.]]> 448 Nnedi Okorafor 0063391147 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.12 2025 Death of the Author
author: Nnedi Okorafor
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> Goddess of the River 198493778
A mother and a son. A goddess and a prince. A curse and an oath. A river whose course will change the fate of the world.

Ganga, joyful goddess of the river, serves as caretaker to the mischievous godlings who roam her banks. But when their antics incur the wrath of a powerful sage, Ganga is cursed to become mortal, bound to her human form until she fulfills the obligations of the curse.

Though she knows nothing of mortal life, Ganga weds King Shantanu and becomes a queen, determined to regain her freedom no matter the cost. But in a cruel turn of fate, just as she is freed of her binding, she is forced to leave her infant son behind.

Her son, prince Devavrata, unwittingly carries the legacy of Ganga’s curse. And when he makes an oath that he will never claim his father’s throne, he sets in motion a chain of events that will end in a terrible and tragic war.

As the years unfold, Ganga and Devavrata are drawn together again and again, each confluence another step on a path that has been written in the stars, in this deeply moving and masterful tale of duty, destiny, and the unwavering bond between mother and son.]]> 416 Vaishnavi Patel 0759557349 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.95 2024 Goddess of the River
author: Vaishnavi Patel
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> <![CDATA[The Return of the Black Company (The Chronicles of the Black Company, #6-7)]]> 6644111
"I am Murgen, Standardbearer of the Black Company, though I bear the shame of having lost that standard in battle. I am keeping these Annals because Croaker is dead, One-Eye won't, and hardly anyone else can read or write. I will be your guide for however long it takes the Shadowlanders to force our present predicament to its inevitable end. . ."

The Return of the Black Company comprises the novels Bleak Seasons and She is the Darkness—the third omnibus volume of Glen Cook's fantasy epic Chronicles of the Black Company.]]> 672 Glen Cook 0765324008 Grack21 5 fiction 4.28 1997 The Return of the Black Company (The Chronicles of the Black Company, #6-7)
author: Glen Cook
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1997
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/01/25
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review:

]]> Shōgun (The Asian Saga) 201855946 The classic epic novel of feudal Japan that captured the heart of a culture and the imagination of the world, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell

After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen--Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne's loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss, and he is torn between two worlds that will each be forever changed.

Powerful and engrossing, capturing both the rich pageantry and stark realities of life in feudal Japan, Shōgun is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action melds seamlessly with intricate historical detail and raw human emotion. Endlessly compelling, this sweeping saga captivated the world to become not only one of the best-selling novels of all time but also one of the highest-rated television miniseries, as well as inspiring a nationwide surge of interest in the culture of Japan. Shakespearean in both scope and depth, Shōgun is, as the New York Times put it, "...not only something you read--you live it." Provocative, absorbing, and endlessly fascinating, there is only one: Shōgun.]]> 1301 James Clavell Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 4.41 1975 Shōgun (The Asian Saga)
author: James Clavell
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.41
book published: 1975
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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review:

]]> The Penguin Book of Pirates 150246180
A Penguin Classic

Behind the eye patches and the peg legs and the skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger flag are deeper truths about pirates that are just as fascinating. The no-man’s-land of piracy is rife with paradox and plot twists, like how astoundingly egalitarian multi-ethnic and multilingual crews became enmeshed in historical horrors like the slave trade, how an Englishman once converted to Islam before terrorizing the North African coast, and how women disguised themselves as men to raid the Caribbean.

Spanning three centuries and eight thousand nautical miles, and compiled by a direct descendant of a sailor who waged war with pirates in the early nineteenth century, The Penguin Book of Pirates features trial transcripts, journalism, ship logs, and more, capturing the grit and patois of real maritime marauders like the infamous Blackbeard; the pirates who inspired Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean , Stede Bonnet in HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death , and the Dread Pirate Roberts in The Princess Bride ;and lesser-known but no less formidable women pirates.By turns brutal, harrowing, and inspiring, these accounts of the “radically free� sailors who were citizens more of the oceangoing world than of any nation remind us of the glories and dangers of the open seas and the seductive appeal of communities forged in resistance.]]> 400 Katherine Howe 0143137514 Grack21 0 to-read, history 3.41 2024 The Penguin Book of Pirates
author: Katherine Howe
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pirates: A New History, from Vikings to Somali Raiders]]> 124933091
In the twenty-first century piracy has regained a central place in Western culture, thanks to a surprising combination of Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as well as the dramatic rise of modern-day piracy around Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

In this global history of the phenomenon, maritime terrorism and piracy expert Peter Lehr casts fresh light on pirates. Ranging from the Vikings and Wako pirates in the Middle Ages to modern-day Somali pirates, Lehr delves deep into what motivates pirates and how they operate. He also illuminates the state’s role in the development of piracy throughout from privateers sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth to pirates operating off the coast of Africa taking the law into their own hands. After exploring the structural failures which create fertile ground for pirate activities, Lehr evaluates the success of counterpiracy efforts—and the reasons behind their failures.]]> 288 Peter Lehr 0300273339 Grack21 0 to-read, history 3.00 2019 Pirates: A New History, from Vikings to Somali Raiders
author: Peter Lehr
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History]]> 24966135 936 Alexander Mikaberidze 0199951063 Grack21 0 to-read, history 4.33 2020 The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History
author: Alexander Mikaberidze
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, history
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)]]> 68429
The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.]]> 590 Brandon Sanderson 0765316889 Grack21 3 fiction 4.38 2007 The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2007
rating: 3
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date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kydd (Kydd Sea Adventures, #1)]]> 796366 Librarian note: alternate-cover edition of 9780743214582.

Thomas Paine Kydd, a young wig-maker from Guildford, is seized by the press gang, to be a part of the crew of the 98-gun line-of-battle ship Royal William. The ship sails immediately and Kydd has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life fast. Despite all that he goes through in danger of tempest and battle he comes to admire the skills and courage of the seamen - taking up the challenge himself to become a true sailor.

Kydd launches a masterly new writing talent and a thrilling new series. Based on dramatic real events, it is classic storytelling at its very best, rich with action with exceptional characters and a page-turning narrative.]]> 254 Julian Stockwin Grack21 0 to-buy 3.89 2001 Kydd (Kydd Sea Adventures, #1)
author: Julian Stockwin
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: to-buy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[[The Sword] of [Kaigen]: A Legacy in Frost]]> 223697239 235 M.R. Dalen Grack21 1 wtf 1.09 [The Sword] of [Kaigen]: A Legacy in Frost
author: M.R. Dalen
name: Grack21
average rating: 1.09
book published:
rating: 1
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date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: wtf
review:

]]> Lyorn (Vlad Taltos, #17) 127278352
Another Opening…Another Cataclysm?

Vlad Taltos is on the run. Again. This time from one of the most powerful forces in his world, the Left Hand, who are intent on ending his very lucrative career. Permanently.

He finds a hidey-hole in a theatre where the players are putting on a show that was banned centuries ago…and is trying to be shut down by the House that once literally killed to keep it from being played.

Vlad will take on a number of roles to save his own skin. And the skins of those he loves.

And along the way, he’s might find a part that was tailor-made for him.

One that he might not want…but was always his destiny.]]> 288 Steven Brust 0765382865 Grack21 5 fiction 4.26 2024 Lyorn (Vlad Taltos, #17)
author: Steven Brust
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> Pride and Prejudice 56882118
Page 2 of a letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra (11 June 1799) in which she first mentions Pride and Prejudice, using its working title First Impressions. (NLA)
Set in England in the late 18th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's five unmarried daughters after two gentlemen have moved into their neighbourhood: the rich and eligible Mr. Bingley, and his status-conscious friend, the even more rich and eligible Mr. Darcy. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy is disdainful of local society and repeatedly clashes with the Bennets' lively second daughter, Elizabeth.
Pride and Prejudice retains a fascination for modern readers, continuing near the top of lists of "most loved books". It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature, selling over 20 million copies, and receives considerable attention from literary scholars. Likewise, it has paved the way for archetypes that abound in many contemporary literature of our time. Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic adaptations and an abundance of novels and stories imitating Austen's memorable characters or themes.]]> 376 Jane Austen 1435171586 Grack21 4 fiction 4.29 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1813
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ship of Destiny (Liveship Traders, #3)]]> 127698917
As Bingtown slides toward disaster, clan matriarch Ronica Vestrit, branded a traitor, searches for a way to bring the city’s inhabitants together against a momentous threat. Meanwhile, Althea Vestrit, unaware of what has befallen Bingtown and her family, continues her perilous quest to track down and recover her liveship, the Vivacia, from the ruthless pirate Kennit.

Bold though it is, Althea’s scheme may be in vain. For her beloved Vivacia will face the most terrible confrontation of all as the secret of the liveships is revealed. It is a truth so shattering, it may destroy the Vivacia and all who love her, including Althea’s nephew, whose life already hangs in the balance.

Don’t miss the magic of the Liveship Traders
SHIP OF MAGIC � MAD SHIP •SHIP OF DESTINY]]> 842 Robin Hobb 0593724321 Grack21 5 fiction 4.70 2000 Ship of Destiny (Liveship Traders, #3)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/08
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Anji Kills a King (The Rising Tide, #1)]]> 216602318 An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat—perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman.

She killed for a cause. Will she die for it too?

Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king she hates. So when a rare opportunity presents itself, she seizes the chance to cut his throat. Then she runs for her life. In her wake, the kingdom is thrown into disarray, while a bounty bigger than anyone could imagine lands on her head.

On her heels are the fabled mercenaries of the Menagerie, whose animal-shaped masks are magical relics rumored to give them superhuman powers. It’s the Hawk who finds Anji a surly, aging swordswoman who has her own reasons for keeping Anji alive and out of the hands of her fellow bounty hunters, if only long enough to collect the reward herself.

With the rest of the Menagerie on their trail, so begins an alliance as tenuous as it is temporary—and a race against death that will decide Anji’s fate, and may change the course of a kingdom.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 11 Evan Leikam Grack21 0 to-buy 4.36 2025 Anji Kills a King (The Rising Tide, #1)
author: Evan Leikam
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: to-buy
review:

]]> House of Frank 206777216 A warm and hopeful story of a lonely witch consumed by grief who discovers a whimsical cast of characters in a magical arboretum—and the healing power of found family.

Powerless witch Saika is ready to enact her sister’s final to plant her remains at the famed Ash Gardens. When Saika arrives at the always-stormy sanctuary, she is welcomed by its owner, an enormous, knit-cardiganed mythical beast named Frank, who offers her a role as one of the estate’s caretakers.

Overcome with grief, Saika accepts, desperate to put off her final farewell to her sister. But the work requires a witch with intrinsic power, and Saika’s been disconnected from her magic since her sister’s death two years prior. Saika gets by at the sanctuary using a fragment of a fallen star to cast enchantments—while hiding the embarrassing truth about herself.

As Saika works harder in avoidance of her pain, she learns more about Frank, the decaying house at Ash Gardens, and the lives of the motley staff, including bickering twin cherubs, a mute ghost, a cantankerous elf, and an irritating half witch, among others. Over time, she rediscovers what it means to love and be wholly loved and how to allow her joy and grief to coexist. Warm and inventive, House of Frank is a stirring portrait of the ache of loss and the healing embrace of love.]]> 352 Kay Synclaire 1959411667 Grack21 2 fiction 4.04 2024 House of Frank
author: Kay Synclaire
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: fiction
review:
oh im going to be the one people throw the rocks at at book club this week
]]> The Sky on Fire 195790718
There’s only one in the cloud cities, dragons rule, and the hoard in question belongs to the current regent, Neveranimas―and she wants Anahrod dead.

Enjoy this page-turning adventure with conniving dragons, high-stakes intrigue, a daring heist, and a little bit of heat.]]> 435 Jenn Lyons Grack21 4 fiction 3.63 2024 The Sky on Fire
author: Jenn Lyons
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> Mexican Gothic 57800389
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

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

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 301 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 052562080X Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.71 2020 Mexican Gothic
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier, #2)]]> 127306440
Retired soldier Alex Easton returns in a horrifying new adventure.

After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.

In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home. . . or in their dreams.]]> 151 T. Kingfisher 1250830850 Grack21 0 to-read, fiction 3.78 2024 What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier, #2)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Grack21
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/14
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)]]> 203578847 The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive―the iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray.

Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.

At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium’s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.]]> 1344 Brandon Sanderson 1250319188 Grack21 5 fiction yeah that was pretty good 4.36 2024 Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: fiction
review:
yeah that was pretty good
]]> <![CDATA[Victory of Eagles (Temeraire, #5)]]> 59514483 From the New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education comes the fifth volume of the Temeraire series, as Will Laurence and Temeraire struggle to reunite and face the Napoleonic army on London's doorstep.

"A story about friendship that transcends not only time and class, but species."--NPR

For Britain, conditions are grim: Napoleon's resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon's prime objective is the occupation of London. Unfortunately, the dragon Temeraire has been removed from military service--and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason.

Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon's forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war. If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain's scattered resistance forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before, for king and country--and for their own liberty.]]> 352 Naomi Novik 0593359585 Grack21 0 fiction 4.16 2008 Victory of Eagles (Temeraire, #5)
author: Naomi Novik
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)]]> 53264281 Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year�

Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind�

From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far side of despair.]]> 364 T. Kingfisher 1614505217 Grack21 5 fiction 4.07 2020 Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Java: The Comprehensive Guide to Java Programming for Professionals (Rheinwerk Computing)]]> 71997976


Java Basics
Get to know the inner workings of Java, from classes and objects to data structures and algorithms. This book is up to date for Java SE 17!

Advanced Topics
Already mastered the basics? Explore what else Java can do, from floating point arithmetic to testing frameworks, threads, database management, and beyond.

Practical Examples
Gain hands-on experience with Java using tried and tested downloadable programs. These code examples allow you to work your way through the book, testing your newfound skills and knowledge along the journey.]]> 1128 Christian Ullenboom 1493222953 Grack21 0 5.00 Java: The Comprehensive Guide to Java Programming for Professionals (Rheinwerk Computing)
author: Christian Ullenboom
name: Grack21
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: programming, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Apple Game Frameworks and Technologies]]> 55342080
Discover the power of Apple Game Frameworks, Xcode, and Swift by building three exciting games: Gloop Drop—a new twist on a classic arcade game, Val’s Revenge—a roguelike dungeon crawler, and Hog—a social player vs. player mobile dice game. With Apple Game Frameworks, you can create high-performance, power-efficient games that work across all Apple platforms, including iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

In this book, you’ll discover how to�

Design and develop rich 2D gaming experiences using Apple’s built-in game frameworks. Harness the power of SpriteKit using Xcode and Swift to create engaging player experiences. Use the visual Scene Editor to build complete scenes. Unleash the power of the Particle Editor to create amazing effects. Use GameplayKit to add advanced features to your games like pathfinding, artificial intelligence, and complex rule systems. Build larger, more complex worlds with tile maps and Xcode’s visual Tile Map editor. Bring people together using GameKit and Game Center, Apple’s social gaming network. Increase revenue with third-party banner ads and rewarded ads using Google AdMob�. Monetize your games with StoreKit and in-app purchases.

So, grab your gear and get your game on—it’s time to level up your skills.]]> 325 Tammy Coron 1680507842 Grack21 0 programming, to-read 4.50 Apple Game Frameworks and Technologies
author: Tammy Coron
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: programming, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fractured Dark (The Devoured Worlds, #2)]]> 75593489
Naira and Tarquin have escapedviciouscounter-revolutionaries,misprinted monsters, andthe pull of a dyingplanet. Now, bound together tofind the truth behind the blight that has been killing habitable planets, they need to hunt out the Mercator family secrets.But, whenthe head of Mercatordisappears, takingthe universe’sremaining supply of starship fuel with him, chaos breaks loose between the ruling families. Naira’s revolution must be put aside for the sake of humanity’s immediate survival. The Devoured Worlds
The Blighted Stars
The Fractured Dark]]> 511 Megan E. O'Keefe 0316291137 Grack21 0 fiction, to-read 4.21 2023 The Fractured Dark (The Devoured Worlds, #2)
author: Megan E. O'Keefe
name: Grack21
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: fiction, to-read
review:

]]>