Alix's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 04 Dec 2024 08:20:20 -0800 60 Alix's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Once You Were Mine 213006152 A genealogy search reveals heartrending connections between friends as it brings to light one woman’s traumatic past as a teenage mother in the 1960s.

In a quiet North Carolina town in 1968, a seventeen-year-old girl’s life is forever changed when a summer romance leads to an unplanned pregnancy. She is sent to an abusive “maternity home,� where she is shamed and deceived into signing adoption papers.

In the present day, Allison Garrett volunteers as a “search angel,� using DNA tests to help strangers locate lost relatives. But the family tree she finds most compelling is that of her own mother, who was abandoned as a baby. As Allison puts the pieces together, they reveal much more than her mother’s origins—and threaten to create further divisions in her tight-knit community.

When a family is separated by devastating circumstances, is it possible for them to heal the pain of the past and make up for lost time?]]> 360 Elizabeth Langston 1662521138 Alix 5 4.21 2025 Once You Were Mine
author: Elizabeth Langston
name: Alix
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/12/04
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Quietly powerful and tenderly written, Once You Were Mine reveals the messy painful aftermath of long ago choices and buried family secrets. Langston offers hope without being sappy and leaves readers believing that it’s never too late for a second chance.
]]> The Colony Club 199531901
As “the best dressed actress on the Rialto� Elsie de Wolfe has an eye for décor, but her career is stagnating. So when White asks her to design the clubhouse interiors, she jumps at the chance and the opportunity to add a woman’s touch. He promises to send her an assistant, a young woman he’s hired as a draftsman.

Raised in the Lower East Side tenements, Nora Bromely is determined to become an architect in spite of hostility and sabotage from her male colleagues. She is disappointed and angry when White “foists� her off on this new women’s club project.

But when White is murdered and the ensuing Trial of the Century discloses the architect’s scandalous personal life, fearful backers begin to withdraw their support. It’s questionable whether the club will survive long enough to open.

Daisy, Elsie, and Nora have nothing in common but their determination to carry on. But to do so, they must overcome not only society’s mores but their own prejudices about women, wealth, and each other. Together they strive to transform Daisy’s dream of the Colony Club into a reality, a place that will nurture social justice and ensure the work of the women who earned the nickname “Mink Brigade� far into the future.]]> 384 Shelley Noble 0063252481 Alix 5 4.00 2024 The Colony Club
author: Shelley Noble
name: Alix
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/06/17
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With The Colony Club, Shelley Noble has given us a trio of trailblazing heroines. Daisy’s dream, Elsie’s vision, and Nora’s determination combine in a dazzling story about the creation and construction of the first social club for women. In these uncertain times, this book is a reminder that we stand on the broad shoulders of those courageous women who have gone before us.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, #3)]]> 58957615
Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot.

While Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim chase down the clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?

From an upmarket spa to a prison cell complete with espresso machine to a luxury penthouse high in the sky, this third adventure of the Thursday Murder Club is full of the cleverness, intrigue, and irresistible charm that readers have come to expect from Richard Osman's bestselling series.]]> 413 Richard Osman 0241512425 Alix 0 4.32 2022 The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, #3)
author: Richard Osman
name: Alix
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2023/08/08
date added: 2024/05/08
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]]> The Girls in Navy Blue 60409998 416 Alix Rickloff 0063227495 Alix 0 3.95 2022 The Girls in Navy Blue
author: Alix Rickloff
name: Alix
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/08
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UPDATE! I'm not sure how long this deal will last, but for a limited time the e-book version of THE GIRLS IN NAVY BLUE is just $1.99! Grab your copy today!
]]> The Last Light Over Oslo 199743734
Cleo Jaffray was an American. A war in Europe had nothing to do with her. She told herself that right up until the man she loved went missing in Poland and Cleo was forced to turn to the only person who might be able to help—her aunt Daisy, the US Minister to Norway.

Daisy Harriman has never shied away from a challenge, be it canvassing for women’s suffrage or driving Red Cross ambulances in WWI, so as only the second woman ambassador, she is determined to prove the naysayers wrong and succeed in her post. When her disgraced niece Cleo lands on her doorstep, penniless and demanding help to find her lost lover, Daisy must balance her responsibilities as a diplomat with her desire to help her family.

Their search for answers is interrupted when Germany invades Norway and the two of them find themselves on the run in a countryside that is quickly becoming a battleground. Then as Daisy is given the task of escorting the Norwegian Crown Princess and her young children to America, Cleo’s lover resurfaces with a story that doesn’t add up and dangerous enemies on his trail.

This riveting historical novel, based on the astounding life of Daisy Harriman and a real-life royal rescue, vividly captures a desperate time and a fearless heroine.]]> 384 Alix Rickloff 0063286203 Alix 0
Just click the link here:
]]> 3.62 2024 The Last Light Over Oslo
author: Alix Rickloff
name: Alix
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/06
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UPDATE! The Last Light Over Oslo releases August 6th 2024 but you can enter my Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ giveaway now through 5/13 for a chance to win one of 100 print copies!!

Just click the link here:

]]> The Paris Gown 199635060
1957: Three friends—Margot, Gina, and Charlotte—share an apartment above a bookstore in Paris.

Margot is a twenty-two-year-old Australian having the time of her life. Having been sent to the City of Light to be “finished� before her debut, Margot falls in love with Paris all over again. In her mind, all she needs to complete her transformation into “Une Parisienne� is a gown from the spectacular designer Monsieur Dior, particularly if she wants to catch the eye of Peter Mountbatten, a distant cousin of the Queen.

Gina is an American blueblood whose family has fallen on hard times. She’s run away to Paris and is now working in a bookstore while writing a novel at night. But then she receives an invitation to a high society ball at the American Embassy where the man who once jilted her will also attend...with his new wife. Gina must have a knockout gown to wear.

French chef Charlotte is the lone girl in a family of boys and one of the very few women working in the stubbornly sexist restaurant business. She’s always thought herself homely compared with her conventionally pretty mother and is more interested in her work than fashion. But that is about to change�

One night, Margot proposes to share the cost and the gown with her two best friends and roommates. Each will put in some of her savings, and they’ll each get to wear the gown in turn.

Gorgeous, perfectly tailored, lustrous and luxurious, the Dior gown has the power to change lives—as these three remarkable women are about to discover…]]> 336 Christine Wells Alix 5 3.74 2024 The Paris Gown
author: Christine Wells
name: Alix
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/04/12
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From sidewalk cafes to Dior’s showrooms, Christine Wells transports us to 1950’s Paris as we follow three lifelong friends juggling new ambitions and family expectations in this delicious confection of a novel. Chef’s kiss!
]]> The Dollhouse 31823485
When she arrives at the famed Barbizon Hotel in 1952, secretarial school enrollment in hand, Darby McLaughlin is everything her modeling agency hall mates aren't: plain, self-conscious, homesick, and utterly convinced she doesn't belong—a notion the models do nothing to disabuse. Yet when Darby befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid, she's introduced to an entirely new side of New York City: seedy downtown jazz clubs where the music is as addictive as the heroin that's used there, the startling sounds of bebop, and even the possibility of romance.

Over half a century later, the Barbizon's gone condo and most of its long-ago guests are forgotten. But rumors of Darby's involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid back in 1952 haunt the halls of the building as surely as the melancholy music that floats from the elderly woman's rent-controlled apartment. It's a combination too intoxicating for journalist Rose Lewin, Darby's upstairs neighbor, to resist—not to mention the perfect distraction from her own imploding personal life. Yet as Rose's obsession deepens, the ethics of her investigation become increasingly murky, and neither woman will remain unchanged when the shocking truth is finally revealed.]]> 304 Fiona Davis 1101986263 Alix 0 to-read 3.89 2016 The Dollhouse
author: Fiona Davis
name: Alix
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The House of Brides 42980958 Jane Cockram makes her thrilling debut with this page-turning tale of psychological suspense in which a young woman whose life is in tatters flees to the safety of a family estate in England, but instead of comfort finds chilling secrets and lies.Miranda’s life and career has been a roller-coaster ride. Her successful rise to the top of the booming lifestyle industry as a social media influencer led to a humiliating fall after a controversial product she endorsed flopped. Desperate to get away from the hate-spewing trolls shaming her on the internet, she receives a mysterious letter from a young cousin in England that plunges her into a dark family mystery.

Miranda’s mother Tessa Summers, a famous author, died when Miranda was a child. The young woman’s only connection to the Summers family is through Tessa’s famous book The House of Brides—a chronicle of the generations of women who married into the infamous Summers family and made their home in the rambling Barnsley House, the family’s estate. From Gertrude Summers, a famed crime novelist, to Miranda’s grandmother Beatrice, who killed herself after setting fire to Barnsley while her children slept, each woman in The House of Brides is more notorious than the next. The house’s current “bride� is the beautiful, effervescent Daphne, her Uncle Max’s wife—a famed celebrity chef who saved Barnsley from ruin turning the estate into an exclusive culinary destination and hotel.

Curious about this legendary family she has never met, Miranda arrives at Barnsley posing as a prospective nanny answering an advertisement. She’s greeted by the compelling yet cold housekeeper Mrs. Mins, and meets the children and her Uncle Max—none of whom know her true identity. But Barnsley is not what Miranda expected. The luxury destination and award-winning restaurant is gone, and Daphne is nowhere to be found. Most disturbing, one of the children is in a wheelchair after a mysterious accident. What happened in this house? Where is Daphne? What darkness lies hidden in Barnsley?]]> 389 Jane Cockram 0062939319 Alix 0 3.13 2019 The House of Brides
author: Jane Cockram
name: Alix
average rating: 3.13
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2023/08/02
date added: 2023/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The Many Daughters of Afong Moy]]> 59348307
As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.

Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: Faye Moy, a nurse in China serving with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, a student in England at a famous school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl quarantined in San Francisco during a plague epidemic; Greta Moy, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America.

As painful recollections affect her present life, Dorothy discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy endeavors to break the cycle of pain and abandonment, to finally find peace for her daughter, and gain the love that has long been waiting, knowing she may pay the ultimate price.]]> 362 Jamie Ford 1982158212 Alix 0 to-read 3.84 2022 The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
author: Jamie Ford
name: Alix
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/21
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]]> The Attic Child 59947698
Two children trapped in the same attic, almost a century apart, bound by a shared secret.

Early 1900s: Taken from his homeland, twelve-year-old Celestine spends most of the time locked away in the attic of a large house by the sea. The only time Celestine isn’t bound by confines of the small space is when he is acting as an unpaid servant to English explorer Sir Richard Babbington, As the years pass, he desperately clings on to memories of his family in Africa, even as he struggles to remember his mother’s face, and sometimes his real name . . .

1974: Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege whose fortunes have now changed, finds herself trapped in the same attic. Searching for a ray of light in the darkness of the attic, Lowra finds under the floorboards an old-fashioned pen, a porcelain doll, a beaded necklace, and a message carved on the wall, written in an unidentifiable language. Providing comfort for her when all hope is lost, these clues will lead her to uncover the secrets of the attic. ]]> 480 Lola Jaye 0063260379 Alix 0 4.35 2022 The Attic Child
author: Lola Jaye
name: Alix
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/12/21
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]]> <![CDATA[The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)]]> 46000520
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

Alternate cover edition can be found here .]]> 382 Richard Osman Alix 5 3.86 2020 The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: Alix
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/12/11
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]]> Cloud Cuckoo Land 56783258 When everything is lost, it’s our stories that survive.

How do we weather the end of things? Cloud Cuckoo Land brings together an unforgettable cast of dreamers and outsiders from past, present and future to offer a vision of survival against all odds.

Constantinople, 1453:
An orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy with a love for animals risk everything on opposite sides of a city wall to protect the people they love.

Idaho, 2020:
An impoverished, idealistic kid seeks revenge on a world that’s crumbling around him. Can he go through with it when a gentle old man stands between him and his plans?

Unknown, Sometime in the Future:
With her tiny community in peril, Konstance is the last hope for the human race. To find a way forward, she must look to the oldest stories of all for guidance.

Bound together by a single ancient text, these tales interweave to form a tapestry of solace and resilience and a celebration of storytelling itself. Like its predecessor All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr’s new novel is a tale of hope and of profound human connection.]]> 626 Anthony Doerr 1982168439 Alix 5 4.24 2021 Cloud Cuckoo Land
author: Anthony Doerr
name: Alix
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/11
date added: 2022/12/11
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]]> That Summer in Berlin 60048399
German power is rising again, threatening a war that will be even worse than the last one. The English aristocracy turns to an age-old institution to stave off war and strengthen political bonds—marriage. Debutantes flock to Germany, including Viviane Alden. On holiday with her sister during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Viviane’s true purpose is more clandestine. While many in England want to appease Hitler, others seek to prove Germany is rearming. But they need evidence, photographs to tell the tale, and Viviane is a genius with her trusty Leica. And who would suspect a pretty, young tourist taking holiday snaps of being a spy?

Viviane expects to find hatred and injustice, but during the Olympics, with the world watching, Germany is on its best behavior, graciously welcoming tourists to a festival of peace and goodwill. But first impressions can be deceiving, and it’s up to Viviane and the journalist she’s paired with—a daring man with a guarded heart—to reveal the truth.

But others have their own reasons for befriending Viviane, and her adventure takes a darker turn. Suddenly Viviane finds herself caught in a web of far more deadly games—and closer than she ever imagined to the brink of war.]]> 464 Lecia Cornwall 0593197941 Alix 5 4.15 2022 That Summer in Berlin
author: Lecia Cornwall
name: Alix
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/10/14
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Lecia Cornwall brilliantly captures the unsettling paranoia and blind idolatry that characterized Hitler’s Germany. Set against the glittering spectacle of the 1936 Summer Games, her latest novel tightens the tension page by delicious page while giving us a heroine who exemplified the everyday courage of those who dared to expose the truth.
]]> Brat Farrar 243397 288 Josephine Tey 0684803852 Alix 0 3.98 1949 Brat Farrar
author: Josephine Tey
name: Alix
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1949
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/12/09
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]]> American Princess 35687615
Alice may be the president's daughter, but she's nobody's darling. As bold as her signature color Alice Blue, the gum-chewing, cigarette-smoking, poker-playing First Daughter discovers that the only way for a woman to stand out in Washington is to make waves--oceans of them. With the canny sophistication of the savviest politician on the Hill, Alice uses her celebrity to her advantage, testing the limits of her power and the seductive thrill of political entanglements.

But Washington, DC is rife with heartaches and betrayals, and when Alice falls hard for a smooth-talking congressman it will take everything this rebel has to emerge triumphant and claim her place as an American icon. As Alice soldiers through the devastation of two world wars and brazens out a cutting feud with her famous Roosevelt cousins, it's no wonder everyone in the capital refers to her as the Other Washington Monument--and Alice intends to outlast them all.]]> 448 Stephanie Marie Thornton Alix 5 3.99 2019 American Princess
author: Stephanie Marie Thornton
name: Alix
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/04/16
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I was lucky enough to get an early peek at American Princess. Wow! Stephanie Thornton’s sparkling new novel captivates from page one. This intimate portrait of Alice Roosevelt follows America’s favorite first daughter from wild young debutante to Washington DC grand dame and delights every step of the way.
]]> <![CDATA[The Daughter of Time (Inspector Alan Grant, #5)]]> 77661 206 Josephine Tey Alix 0 3.89 1951 The Daughter of Time (Inspector Alan Grant, #5)
author: Josephine Tey
name: Alix
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1951
rating: 0
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date added: 2016/04/10
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]]> Beatrice and Benedick 17912283
Messina, Sicily, 1588. Beatrice of Mantua comes to the court of her uncle Leonato, to be companion to his daughter, Hero. That fateful summer, Spanish lordling Don Pedro visits for a month-long sojourn on the island with his regiment. In his company is the young soldier Benedick of Padua.

Benedick and Beatrice begin to wage their merry war of wit, which masks the reality that they dance a more serious measure, and the two are soon deeply in love. But the pair are cruelly parted by natural disaster and man-made misunderstanding. Oceans apart, divided by war and slander, Beatrice and Benedick begin their ten-year odyssey back to Messina and each other.

In a journey that takes us from sunlit Sicily to the crippled Armada fleet and from ancient superstition to the glorious Renaissance cities of the north, Marina Fiorato tells a story of intrigue, treachery and betrayal that will shed a new light on Shakespeare's most appealing lovers.]]> 438 Marina Fiorato 1848548001 Alix 0 3.56 2014 Beatrice and Benedick
author: Marina Fiorato
name: Alix
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Scottish Prisoner (Lord John Grey, #3)]]> 8533018
Lord John Grey � aristocrat, soldier, sometime spy � is in the possession of papers which reveal ta damning case of corruption and murder against a British officer. But the documents also hint at a far more dangerous conspiracy.

Soon Lord John and Jamie are unwilling companions on the road to Ireland, a country whose castles hold dreadful secrets, and where the bones of the dead are hidden, in an epic story of treachery � and scores that can only be settled in blood.
]]> 518 Diana Gabaldon 1409135195 Alix 0 to-read 4.21 2011 The Scottish Prisoner (Lord John Grey, #3)
author: Diana Gabaldon
name: Alix
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2012/06/26
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]]> <![CDATA[A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)]]> 62291 An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Here is the third volume in George R.R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Together, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. And as opposing forces manoeuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords...]]> 1177 George R.R. Martin 055357342X Alix 0 to-read 4.54 2000 A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Alix
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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date added: 2012/06/26
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]]> <![CDATA[A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)]]> 10572
It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.]]> 1009 George R.R. Martin 0553381695 Alix 5 4.42 1998 A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Alix
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 5
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date added: 2012/06/26
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]]> <![CDATA[A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)]]> 13496
Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; a child is lost in the twilight between life and death; and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.]]> 835 George R.R. Martin 0553588486 Alix 5 4.44 1996 A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Alix
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/06/26
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]]> <![CDATA[To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgertons, #5)]]> 110386
Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking... and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except... he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered. And he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young - and decidedly unruly - children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip is in need of a wife.

an alternate cover edition can be found here]]> 372 Julia Quinn 0380820854 Alix 0 3.65 2003 To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgertons, #5)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Alix
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2012/06/26
date added: 2012/06/26
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]]> <![CDATA[Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (Vorkosigan Saga, #15)]]> 12998057 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B00AERRKHA

New York Times bestseller!

When handsome Ivan Vorpatril reluctantly agrees to help Barrayar’s undercover security keep an eye on a young woman in danger, he is drawn into a tangled network of intrigue and unlikely romance. The job description did not include arrest warrants from the local police or being caught in the endless schemes of warring Houses from Jackson’s Whole. Returning to Barrayar with the young lady, both are faced with choices and challenges neither had expected.

Starred Booklist “For years fans have clamored for Ivan Vorpatril’s story, and at last Bujold delivers something that will thrill the devoted audience and entrance new readers�. Essential for all SF collections and a must-read for Bujold and Vorkosigan fans� In the SF world, a new release doesn’t get much bigger than this one.�

Booklist *Starred Review* (FULL REVIEW)
"Set a few years before the most recent Miles Vorkosigan story (CRYOBURN, 2011), this may be one of the most anticipated and long-awaited entries to Bujold’s acclaimed Vorkosigan saga. For years fans have clamored for Ivan Vorpatril’s story, and at last Bujold delivers something that will both thrill the devoted audience and entrance new readers. For many years, Ivan has been perfectly content to live a quiet bachelor life and serve as a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. With no desire for the imperial throne or the types of death-defying adventures that his cousin Miles so adores, Ivan has become a master at avoiding political intrigue and entangling alliances. Asked to look after a young woman during a brief trip to Komarr, Ivan is happy to oblige. But when his attempt to ask the woman out ends up with her handmaiden knocking him out and tying him to a chair, Ivan realizes that something very bad is going on. It quickly becomes clear that the only way Ivan can save himself and his charge is to marry Tej Arqua and bring her home to Barrayar. Longtime readers will love seeing a new side of Ivan as well as hearing his views on many of the series characters. New readers can enjoy Ivan’s story on its own but will miss many of the nuances that add depth and character; best to begin at the beginning. Essential for all SF collections and a must-read for Bujold and Vorkosigan fans. HIGH-DEMAND In the SF world, a new release doesn’t get much bigger than this one. The wait is finally over for Bujold’s followers."
- Jessica Moyer

“Bujold continues to prove what marvels genius can create out of basic space operatics.�
- Library Journal

“Bujold is not just a master of plot, she is a master of emotion.�
- SF Site

“Bujold is one of the best writers of SF adventure to come along in years.�
- Locus Magazine

“A superb craftsman and stylist, Ms. Bujold is well on her way to becoming one of the great voices of speculative fiction.�
- Rave Reviews

"Boy, can she write!"
- Anne McCaffrey

“Bujold has a gift, nearly unique in science fiction, for the comedy of manners.�
- Chicago Sun Times

“Superb far-future saga.�
- Publishers Weekly on the 'Vorkosigan' series

Bujold's "work remains among the most enjoyable and rewarding in contemporary SF."
- Publishers Weekly

about the
Lois McMaster Bujold was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children.]]> 426 Lois McMaster Bujold 1451638450 Alix 0 to-read 4.18 2012 Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (Vorkosigan Saga, #15)
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Alix
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/05/10
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, #1)]]> 6012471
Jack Audley has been a highwayman. A soldier. And he has always been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham.

Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine... until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she's not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have...]]> 371 Julia Quinn 0060876107 Alix 0 3.72 2008 The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Alix
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/05/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tears of Pearl (Lady Emily, #4)]]> 6341655
Looking forward to the joys of connubial bliss, newlyweds Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves, diplomats of the British Empire, set out toward Turkey for an exotic honeymoon. But on their first night in the city, a harem girl is found murdered, strangled in the courtyard of the Sultan’s lavish Topkapi Palace. Sir Richard St. Clare, an Englishman who works at the embassy in Constantinople, is present and recognizes the girl as his own daughter who was kidnapped twenty years earlier. Emily and Colin promise the heartbroken father that they’ll find her killer, but as the investigation gains speed, they find that appearance can be deceiving—especially within the confines of the seraglio

As a woman, Emily is given access to the forbidden world of the harem and quickly discovers that its mysterious, sheltered walls offer no protection from a ruthless murderer. As the number of victims grows, Emily must rely on her own sharp wits in a heart-stopping finale if she is to stop a killer bent on exacting vengeance no matter how many innocent lives he leaves in his wake.]]> 307 Tasha Alexander 0312383703 Alix 0 3.72 2009 Tears of Pearl (Lady Emily, #4)
author: Tasha Alexander
name: Alix
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2012/05/10
date added: 2012/05/10
shelves:
review:

]]> The Help 4667024
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women, mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends, view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.


Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here]]> 464 Kathryn Stockett 0399155341 Alix 0 4.46 2009 The Help
author: Kathryn Stockett
name: Alix
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/04/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Revenger (John Shakespeare, #2)]]> 7031035 429 Rory Clements 1848540833 Alix 0 4.00 2010 Revenger (John Shakespeare, #2)
author: Rory Clements
name: Alix
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2012/04/13
date added: 2012/04/13
shelves:
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]]> One of Those Malibu Nights 2361167 400 Elizabeth Adler 0312364490 Alix 0 3.37 2008 One of Those Malibu Nights
author: Elizabeth Adler
name: Alix
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/04/04
shelves:
review:

]]> Goliath (Leviathan, #3) 9918083
While on their top-secret mission, Alek finally discovers Deryn's deeply kept secret. Two, actually. Not only is Deryn a girl disguised as a guy...she has feelings for Alek.

The crown, true love with a commoner, and the destruction of a great city all hang on Alek's next--and final--move.

The thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series, which was called "sure to become a classic" (SLJ).]]> 543 Scott Westerfeld 1416971777 Alix 0 4.23 2011 Goliath (Leviathan, #3)
author: Scott Westerfeld
name: Alix
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2012/03/19
date added: 2012/03/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Airborn (Matt Cruse, #1) 428042
In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.]]> 501 Kenneth Oppel 0060531827 Alix 0 to-read 4.18 2004 Airborn (Matt Cruse, #1)
author: Kenneth Oppel
name: Alix
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Behemoth (Leviathan, #2) 7826116
Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.]]> 481 Scott Westerfeld 1416971750 Alix 0 4.17 2010 Behemoth (Leviathan, #2)
author: Scott Westerfeld
name: Alix
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2012/03/14
date added: 2012/03/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Martyr (John Shakespeare, #1) 6397014
In a burnt-out house, one of Queen Elizabeth's aristocratic cousins is found murdered, her young flesh marked with profane symbols. At the same time, a plot to assassinate Sir Francis Drake, England's most famous sea warrior, is discovered, a plot which, if successful, could leave the country utterly defenseless against a Spanish invasion. It's 1587, the Queen's reign is in jeopardy, and one man is charged with the desperate task of solving both cases: John Shakespeare. With the Spanish Armada poised to strike, Mary Queen of Scots awaiting execution, and the pikes above London Bridge decorated with the grim evidence of treachery, the country is in peril of being overwhelmed by fear and chaos. Following a trail of illicit passions and family secrets, Shakespeare travels through an underworld of spies, sorcerers, whores, and theater people, among whom is his own younger brother, the struggling playwright, Will. Shadowed by his rival, the Queen's chief torturer, who employs his own methods of terror, Shakespeare begins to piece together a complex and breathtaking conspiracy whose implications are almost too horrific to contemplate. For a zealous and cunning killer is stalking England's streets. And as Shakespeare threatens to reveal a madman's shocking identity, he and the beautiful woman he desires come ever closer to becoming the next martyrs to a passion for murder and conspiracy whose terrifying consequences might still be felt today.

]]> 391 Rory Clements 0385342829 Alix 0 3.71 2009 Martyr (John Shakespeare, #1)
author: Rory Clements
name: Alix
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Leviathan (Leviathan, #1) 6050678
Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.]]> 440 Scott Westerfeld 1416971734 Alix 0 3.92 2009 Leviathan (Leviathan, #1)
author: Scott Westerfeld
name: Alix
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2012/03/07
date added: 2012/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Fatal Waltz (Lady Emily, #3)]]> 1163444
Determined to right this terrible wrong and clear Robert's name, Emily begins to dig for answers, a quest that will lead her from London's glittering ballrooms to Vienna's sordid backstreets. Not until she engages a notorious anarchist in a game of wits does the shocking truth begin to emerge: the price of exonerating Robert can be paid only by placing Colin in deadly peril. To save her fiancé, Emily must do the unthinkable: bargain with her nemesis, the Countess von Lange.]]> 294 Tasha Alexander 006117422X Alix 0 3.89 2008 A Fatal Waltz (Lady Emily, #3)
author: Tasha Alexander
name: Alix
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2012/02/26
date added: 2012/02/26
shelves:
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]]> The Toll-Gate 311129 His exploits were legendary�

Captain John Staple, back from the battlefront, is already bored with his quiet civilian life in the country. When he stumbles upon a mystery involving a disappearing toll-gate keeper, nothing could keep the adventure-loving captain from investigating.

But winning her will be his greatest yet�

The plot thickens when John encounters the enigmatic Lady Nell Stornaway and soon learns that rescuing her from her unsavory relatives makes even the most ferocious cavalry charge look like a particularly tame hand of loo. Between hiding his true identity from Nell and the arrival in the neighborhood of some distinctly shady characters, Captain Staple finds himself embarked on the adventure-and romance-of a lifetime.]]> 288 Georgette Heyer 0099476363 Alix 0 3.87 1954 The Toll-Gate
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Alix
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1954
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/02/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Naughty in Nice (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #5)]]> 10634238 The national bestselling author of Royal Blood whisks her heroine away to the French Riviera for fun-and danger. Lady Georgiana Rannoch has once again been called into service by Her Majesty the Queen. This time she's sent to Nice on a secret assignment that's nothing to sneeze at-recover the Queen's stolen snuff box.

As much of an honor as it is to be trusted by Her Majesty, an even greater honor awaits Georgie in Nice-as Coco Chanel herself asks Georgie to model her latest fashion. But when a necklace belonging to the Queen is stolen on the catwalk, Georgie has to find two priceless items-and solve a murder. How's a girl to find any time to go to the casino?]]> 328 Rhys Bowen 0425243494 Alix 0 4.01 2011 Naughty in Nice (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #5)
author: Rhys Bowen
name: Alix
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/02/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[CryoBurn (Vorkosigan Saga, #14)]]> 7841670
On Kibou-daini, Miles discovers generational conflict over money and resources is heating up, even as refugees displaced in time skew the meaning of generation past repair. Here he finds a young boy with a passion for pets and a dangerous secret, a Snow White trapped in an icy coffin who burns to re-write her own tale, and a mysterious crone who is the very embodiment of the warning Don’t mess with the secretary. Bribery, corruption, conspiracy, kidnapping—something is rotten on Kibou-daini, and it isn’t due to power outages in the Cryocombs. And Miles is in the middle—of trouble!]]> 345 Lois McMaster Bujold 1439133948 Alix 5 4.04 2010 CryoBurn (Vorkosigan Saga, #14)
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Alix
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/02/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Poisoned Season (Lady Emily, #2)]]> 512391 London's social season is in full swing, and Victorian aristocracy is atwitter over a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Adding to their fascination with all things French, an audacious cat burglar is systematically stealing valuable items that once belonged to the ill–fated queen.

But things take a dark turn. The owner of one of the pilfered treasures is found murdered after the theft is reported in the newspapers, and the mysterious thief develops a twisted obsession with Lady Emily Ashton. It takes all of Lady Emily's wit and perseverance to unmask her stalker and ferret out the murderer, while faced with a brewing scandal that threatens both her reputation and her romance with the dashing Colin Hargreaves.

]]> 308 Tasha Alexander 0061174149 Alix 0 3.96 2007 A Poisoned Season (Lady Emily, #2)
author: Tasha Alexander
name: Alix
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/02/06
shelves:
review:
I'm really enjoying this series!
]]> <![CDATA[And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily, #1)]]> 288159
And Only to Deceive

For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and she immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek.

Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind. As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprises about Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.]]> 321 Tasha Alexander 006114844X Alix 0 3.75 2005 And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily, #1)
author: Tasha Alexander
name: Alix
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at: 2012/02/06
date added: 2012/02/06
shelves:
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]]> Abhorsen (Abhorsen, #3) 334643 The Ninth was strong and fought with might
But lone Orannis was put out of the light
Broken in two and buried under hill
Forever to lie there, wishing us ill.

So says the song. But Orannis, the Destroyer, is no longer buried under hill. It has been freed from its subterranean prison and now seeks to escape the silver hemispheres, the final barrier to the unleashing of its terrible powers.

Only Lirael, newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, has any chance of stopping the Destroyer. She and her companions -- Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget -- have to take that chance. For the Destroyer is the enemy of all Life, and it must be stopped, though Lirael does not know how.

To make matters worse, Sam's best friend, Nick, is helping the Destroyer, as are the necromancer Hedge and the Greater Dead Chlorr, and there has been no word from the Abhorsen Sabriel or King Touchstone.

Everything depends upon Lirael. A heavy, perhaps even impossible burden for a young woman who just days ago was merely a Second Assistant Librarian. With only a vision from the Clayr to guide her, and the rather mixed help of her companions, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the Destroyer.

Before it is too late. . . .]]> 358 Garth Nix 0060278250 Alix 0 4.24 2003 Abhorsen (Abhorsen, #3)
author: Garth Nix
name: Alix
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/02/01
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Orchid Affair (Pink Carnation, #8)]]> 8111651
At first the job is as lively as Latin textbooks and knitting, but Laura begins to notice strange behavior from Jaouen-secret meetings and odd comings and goings. As Laura edges herself closer to her employer, she makes a shocking discovery and is surprised to learn that she has far more in common with Jaouen than she originally thought...

As their plots begin to unravel, Laura and Jaouen are forced on the run with the children, and with the help of the Pink Carnation they escape to the countryside, traveling as husband and wife. But Delaroche will stop at nothing to take down his nemesis. With his men hot on their trail, can Laura and Jaouen seal the fate of Europe before it's too late?]]> 406 Lauren Willig 0525951997 Alix 0 3.96 2011 The Orchid Affair (Pink Carnation, #8)
author: Lauren Willig
name: Alix
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2012/02/01
date added: 2012/02/01
shelves:
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]]> Lirael (Abhorsen, #2) 47624
In this sequel to Sabriel, winner of the Aurealis Award for Excellence in Australian Science Fiction, New York Times best-selling author Garth Nix weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny, and danger.]]> 464 Garth Nix 0060590165 Alix 0 4.29 2001 Lirael (Abhorsen, #2)
author: Garth Nix
name: Alix
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/02/01
shelves:
review:

]]> The Botticelli Secret 8387738 552 Marina Fiorato Alix 0 3.94 2010 The Botticelli Secret
author: Marina Fiorato
name: Alix
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2011/12/16
date added: 2011/12/16
shelves:
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]]> Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1) 518848
With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen series, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear—and sometimes disappears altogether.]]> 491 Garth Nix 0064471837 Alix 0 4.17 1995 Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1)
author: Garth Nix
name: Alix
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at: 2011/11/30
date added: 2011/11/30
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Prince of Darkness (Justin de Quincy, #4)]]> 119823 336 Sharon Kay Penman 0425207811 Alix 0 4.01 2005 Prince of Darkness (Justin de Quincy, #4)
author: Sharon Kay Penman
name: Alix
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at: 2011/11/22
date added: 2011/11/22
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1)]]> 68527
The story is seen through the eyes of Uhtred, a dispossessed nobleman, who is captured as a child by the Danes and then raised by them so that, by the time the Northmen begin their assault on Wessex (Alfred’s kingdom and the last territory in English hands) Uhtred almost thinks of himself as a Dane. He certainly has no love for Alfred, whom he considers a pious weakling and no match for Viking savagery, yet when Alfred unexpectedly defeats the Danes and the Danes themselves turn on Uhtred, he is finally forced to choose sides. By now he is a young man, in love, trained to fight and ready to take his place in the dreaded shield wall. Above all, though, he wishes to recover his father’s land, the enchanting fort of Bebbanburg by the wild northern sea.

This thrilling adventure—based on existing records of Bernard Cornwell’s ancestors—depicts a time when law and order were ripped violently apart by a pagan assault on Christian England, an assault that came very close to destroying England.]]> 333 Bernard Cornwell 0060887184 Alix 0 4.27 2004 The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1)
author: Bernard Cornwell
name: Alix
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at: 2011/11/12
date added: 2011/11/12
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Stolen Crown: The Secret Marriage that Forever Changed the Fate of England]]> 6898456 Trapped in the Wars of the Roses, one woman finds herself sister to the queen...and traitor to the crown

Katherine Woodville's sister never gave her a choice. A happy girl of modest means, Kate hardly expected to become a maker of kings. But when her sister impulsively marries King Edward IV in secret, Katherine's life is no longer hers to control...

]]> 384 Susan Higginbotham 1402237669 Alix 0 3.80 2010 The Stolen Crown: The Secret Marriage that Forever Changed the Fate of England
author: Susan Higginbotham
name: Alix
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/10/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Point of Honour (Sarah Tolerance, #1)]]> 166074
Miss Tolerance is an Agent of Inquiry, the sole one of her kind in London in this year of 1810, with mad King George III on the throne and Queen Charlotte acting as Regent. Sarah's position in society allows her to float between social layers, unearth secrets, find things that were lost, and lose things too dangerous to be kept.

An agent of the Earl of Versellion has asked her to find a fan that the Earl's father gifted to a lady with brown eyes. When Sarah discovers the secret of the fan, both she and the Earl are targeted by ruthless killers. They realize the fan has a second secret, one that will affect the fate of England itself, and they must decipher it.

Sarah's life is getting more and more complicated-and she's growing closer and closer to the Earl. To save England and herself, she must decide whether to be guided by her heart... or her conscience.]]> 344 Madeleine E. Robins 0812570499 Alix 0 3.72 2003 Point of Honour (Sarah Tolerance, #1)
author: Madeleine E. Robins
name: Alix
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2011/10/11
date added: 2011/10/11
shelves:
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]]> Swept off Her Feet 8723854 The steps of a charmingly complex dance—Scotland's famous reel—are at the heart of Hester Browne's enchanting contemporary novel of two very different sisters whose dreams may come true at a romantic Scottish ball.

Evie Nicholson is in love . . . with the past. An antiques appraiser in a London shop, Evie spins fanciful attachments to Victorian picture frames, French champagne glasses, satin evening gloves, and tattered teddy bears—regardless of their monetary value.

Alice Nicholson is in love . . . with Fraser Graham, a dashing Scotsman whom Evie secretly desires. As crisply neat and stylish as Evie is cheerfully cluttered, Alice is a professional organizer determined to pull her sister out of her comfort zone—and who presents her with an irresistible offer.

As a favor to friends of Fraser's family, Evie jumps at the chance to appraise a Scottish castle full of artifacts and heirlooms. What could be more thrilling than roaming the halls of Kettlesheer and uncovering the McAndrews' family treasures—and dusty secrets?

But crossing paths with moody heir Robert McAndrew has Evie assessing what she wants the most . . . and at an upcoming candlelight gala, a traditional dance will set her heart reeling.]]> 330 Hester Browne 1439168849 Alix 0 3.80 2011 Swept off Her Feet
author: Hester Browne
name: Alix
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2011/09/12
date added: 2011/09/12
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Miles in Love (Vorkosigan Omnibus, #6)]]> 1797901
Contents:
Komarr: Miles Vorkosigan is sent to Komarr, a planet that could be a garden with a thousand more years of terraforming; or an uninhabitable wasteland, if the terraforming project fails. The solar mirror vital to the project has been shatteredby a ship hurtling off course, and Miles Vorkossigan has been sent to find out if it was an accident, or sabotage. Miles uncovers a plot that could exile him from Barrayar forever - and discovers an unexpected ally, one with wounds as deep and honor as beleaguered as his own.

A Civil Campaign: On Komarr, Miles met the beautiful Vor widow Ekaterin Vorsoisson, who has no intention of getting married after the heartbreak and betrayal of her first experience. But Miles has a cunning plan to change her mind. Unfortunately his clone-brother Mark and his cousin Ivan have cunning plans of their own, and the three-way collision of cunning plans threatens to undo Miles' brilliant romantic strategy.

"Winterfair Gifts": Miles and Ekaterin make elaborate preparations for their wedding. But Miles has an enemy who is plotting to turn the romantic ceremony into a festival of death.]]> 880 Lois McMaster Bujold 1416555226 Alix 5 4.52 2008 Miles in Love (Vorkosigan Omnibus, #6)
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Alix
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2011/08/01
date added: 2011/08/01
shelves:
review:

]]> The Daughter of Siena 9907606
It's 1729, and the Palio, a white-knuckle horse race, is soon to be held in the heart of the peerless Tuscan city of Siena. But the beauty and pageantry masks the deadly rivalry that exists among the city's districts. Each ward, represented by an animal symbol, puts forth a rider to claim the winner's banner, but the contest turns citizens into tribes and men into beasts—and beautiful, headstrong, young Pia Tolomei is in love with a rider of an opposing ward, an outsider who threatens the shaky balance of intrigue and influence that rules the land.]]> 416 Marina Fiorato 0312609582 Alix 0 3.77 2011 The Daughter of Siena
author: Marina Fiorato
name: Alix
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2011/07/20
date added: 2011/07/20
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Little Lady Agency and the Prince (The Little Lady Agency, #3)]]> 1580910 392 Hester Browne 1416539069 Alix 0 3.86 2008 The Little Lady Agency and the Prince (The Little Lady Agency, #3)
author: Hester Browne
name: Alix
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/07/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Yours for the Taking (Domestic Gods, #4)]]> 7974456
Ben Walsh shouldn't be single. Handsome and wealthy, Ben is equally at home in Idaho where he grew up and in Manhattan where he's now an art dealer. Suave and successful with impeccable taste, he normally has women beating down his door. But the one woman he wants can't be convinced that he's for real...

She isn't sure if she has time for fairy tales...

Gina Reyez has fought for every bit of her success, and it's about time for things to start going her way. So when Ben makes a proposal that will allow her to take care of her family the way she wants to, she agrees. Besides, a guy this perfect would never be interested in her...right? By the time Gina figures out that she's read Ben all wrong, the arrangements are made, the papers are signed...but what exactly are they getting themselves into?]]> 368 Robin Kaye 1402240104 Alix 0 3.92 2010 Yours for the Taking (Domestic Gods, #4)
author: Robin Kaye
name: Alix
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2011/07/05
date added: 2011/07/05
shelves:
review:

]]> Fire (Graceling Realm, #2) 6001758 334 Kristin Cashore 0575085118 Alix 0 4.08 2009 Fire (Graceling Realm, #2)
author: Kristin Cashore
name: Alix
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2011/06/15
date added: 2011/06/15
shelves:
review:
I liked her first book so much, I immediately had to read the next one!
]]> <![CDATA[Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)]]> 3236307
She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.

She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.]]> 471 Kristin Cashore 015206396X Alix 0 4.07 2008 Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)
author: Kristin Cashore
name: Alix
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2011/06/12
date added: 2011/06/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The First Love Cookie Club (Twilight, Texas, #3)]]> 7719328
“Lori Wilde has created a rich and wonderful story about the charm of small town life combined with the power and passion of first love. Delicious!�

—New York Times Bestselling author Robyn Carr

The top rules of the First Love Cookie Club: No men. No kids. No store-bought. No gossip!

And no one is going to keep rule #4 now that local-gal-made-good Sarah Collier has reluctantly returned to Twilight, Texas. The once-awkward teenager has become a big-time success with her bestselling kids� books. Now she’s come back home to grant one child a very special wish, even though her own heart was once broken by the little girl’s father, Travis Walker.

This all makes Sarah wonder, even though you can go home again—should you? Every time she turns the corner, the memory of who she was hits her square in the face, and it isn’t pretty. But there’s magic in Twilight, Texas—the magic of friendship and the magic of love, if only Sarah would open her heart to it. . . .

With delicious cookie recipes from the club inside!]]> 370 Lori Wilde 0061988421 Alix 0 3.90 2010 The First Love Cookie Club (Twilight, Texas, #3)
author: Lori Wilde
name: Alix
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2011/05/25
date added: 2011/05/25
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Awaken the Highland Warrior (Connor Clan, #1)]]> 9645632
Mis-adventurous historian Bree Kirkland discovers a one hundred fifty year old warrior buried in a crypt behind her house. But Faelan, the warrior, isn’t dead. When this chauvinistic Scottish Warrior awakes, he has no choice but accept the help of this modern-day woman who’s rescued him, but she’s more fearsome than the demon trying to kill him. If he’s not careful, she’ll uncover every secret his clan has bled and died to protect.]]> 426 Anita Clenney 1402251238 Alix 0 3.91 2011 Awaken the Highland Warrior (Connor Clan, #1)
author: Anita Clenney
name: Alix
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2011/05/22
date added: 2011/05/22
shelves:
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]]> False Light 1839312 315 Caroline Llewellyn 0684824604 Alix 0 3.52 1996 False Light
author: Caroline Llewellyn
name: Alix
average rating: 3.52
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at: 2011/05/11
date added: 2011/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen's Thief, #4)]]> 6527841
In Attolia, Eugenides, the new and unlikely king, has never stopped wondering what happened to Sophos. Nor has the Queen of Eddis. They send spies. They pay informants. They appeal to the gods. But as time goes by, it becomes less and less certain that they will ever see their friend alive again.

Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered, and conspiracies are set in motion. Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea. And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time. Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the Magus and Eddis, sets out on an adventure that will change all of their lives forever.]]> 316 Megan Whalen Turner 0061870935 Alix 0 4.10 2010 A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen's Thief, #4)
author: Megan Whalen Turner
name: Alix
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2011/04/24
date added: 2011/04/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[But Come Ye Back: A Novel in Stories]]> 3314606 288 Beth Lordan 0060530367 Alix 0 3.71 2003 But Come Ye Back: A Novel in Stories
author: Beth Lordan
name: Alix
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2011/04/20
date added: 2011/04/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Letters from Home 9413657 A Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ Choice Awards Semifinalist for Best Historical Fiction by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristina McMorris

Inspired by her grandparents� WWII courtship letters, New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris delivers a moving tale of friendship, family, and the twists of fate that change us forever�

It’s 1944, and although foreign battles are escalating, the war seems distant in every way to sensible college student Liz Stephens. That is, until her chance encounter with charming infantryman Morgan McClain at a USO dance in Chicago. Their deep connection feels mutual to Liz, but to her dismay, her bombshell roommate Betty is the one who promises to write the deploying soldier.

Singer Betty Cordell delights in the prospect of a dashing serviceman filling her life with adventure, marital bliss, and societal circles outranking her modest roots. It only makes sense for her to beg Liz for help penning an eloquent letter to Morgan, now bound for a dangerous front. After all, she’s certain the beauty of Liz’s ghostwritten prose would ensure a courtship as enviable as their roommate Julia’s relationship with her beloved sailor—and Betty is right, though not how she foresees.

Likewise, Julia Renard’s betrothal is more complicated than it appears. When tempting opportunities arise, the future she always envisioned as a devoted wife and mother risks derailment. And yet, as the Allies edge toward victory, every person—through heart-wrenching choices and life-altering letters—will discover within themselves profound courage, bittersweet hope, and the true meaning of home.

**

"A gripping and memorable story, Letters from Home is a timeless lesson in love and loss and the moments that shape our lives."
—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris]]> 364 Kristina McMorris 0758246846 Alix 0 3.81 2011 Letters from Home
author: Kristina McMorris
name: Alix
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/04/10
shelves:
review:

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